《The Way Ahead》 Chapter 1: Today’s Forecast Includes a Miniscule Chance of Planeswalkers Chapter 1: Today¡¯s Forecast Includes a Miniscule Chance of neswalkers Confusion An eternal void An enormous tree, orbs glistening in its branches A sea of crystal Falling Falling FALLING Edwin started awake, his senses telling him that he was absolutely falling this time, and not just reliving the same nightmare about falling off adder again, and, fairly annoyed, he grabbed his pillow his pill- wait. His eyes shot open as he couldn''t feel his pillow, or bed, or anything save air rushing past him, panicking as it sank in that no, he wasn''t experiencing a nightmare, but rather genuinely hurtling through the air at heart-dropping speeds. Far below him, what looked like rollingndscapes swept by, though gettingrger as he continued to fall from the sky. His half-asleep, half-adrenaline-filled and hyper-awake brain struggled for a few futile seconds toprehend what was happening before giving up and releasing him back into blissful unconsciousness. Edwin started awake, his senses telling him that he was absolutely falling this time, and not just He sat up suddenly, experiencing Dj vu for a nightmare? The question mark could stay. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew for a fact that he hadn''t fallen asleep in the middle of a clearing. And he certainly hadn''t fallen asleep in an Edwin-sizedcrater in the middle of the woods. Did he even go to bed? He was still clothed and in his jacket, at least, and thest thing he remembered was Being in theb? That didnt make sense. His memory had to have been wrong, considering there weren''t any forests like this near the college, and the weather certainly wasnt this warm this- or was it yesterday?- morning. Apparently, he was plucked away from his research and tossed into a forest with no local trees or other nts. Actually, he couldnt recognize any of the nts. They were all familiar, but subtly different from what he was used to. Also, his pockets were empty and his watch was missing. Weird. Edwin attempted to poke at the fuzzy holes in his memory, but that only prompted a sudden headache tonce through his skull. After a moment of pain, and a few more of disorientation, the jumbled mess of memories slowly started sorting themselves out. It didn''t do anything to clear out his confusion, but it provided a bit more information, at least. He had been falling. Actually falling, that much was certain, and he had definitely passed out in midair, but he seemed fine? It didn''t feel like he had hit the ground at terminal velocity. A bit fuzzy, perhaps, but not like he was dead or had broken every bone in his body. In fact, other than a distinct sense of tingling across his entire body, he felt fine. It felt almost like his foot had fallen asleep, but strongly applied across his entire skin. Looking at his hand, he didnt notice any apparent cause of the sensation, though when trying to touch his arm, there was a definite resistance. Furrowing his brow, Edwin pushed against the barrier surrounding his skin, trying to figure out what it was, and- You have unlocked the Basic Mana Sense Skill! ept Skill? Y/N Congrattions! For destroying a tree with no weapons, you have unlocked the Way of the Empty Hand path! Congrattions! For felling a tree on your own, you have unlocked the Lumberjack path! Congrattions! By surviving a skydive, you have unlocked the Daredevil path! Congrattions! By venturing deep into the Verdant with no guide, you have unlocked the Explorer path! Congrattions! For visiting a different continent, you have unlocked the World Traveler path! Congrattions! For being the first to arrive in Joriah from an unknown world and making a Path for others to follow, you have unlocked the CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli path! Congrattions! For being involved in something which requires Moderator attention, you have unlocked the Path Less Traveled path! Congrattions! For bringing a wholly novelnguage into existence, you have unlocked the Linguist path! Congrattions! Foring to Joriah from another world, you have unlocked the Realm Traveler path! ERROR RESOLVED Apologies for any inconvenience. Logs are being distributed to the appropriate individuals Personalizedpensation has been provided ERROR ERROR Requesting Moderator Attention FATAL ERROR. Please stand by. ERR- ERROR ERROR: Debug not ERROR: Error loop detected. Attempting to fix Congrattions! You have arrived in Joriah from -ERROR: Invalid Location. Reevaluating Congrattions! - ERROR: User not found. Triggering user integration. Congrattions! You - ERROR: Congrattions! You have - ERROR: User logs not found Congrattions! You have been -ERROR: Event not found. Reevaluating Congrattions! You have arrived in Joriah from -ERROR: Invalid Location. Reevaluating Congrattions! - ERROR: First log to user. Triggering user integration. Tasvalika! Na kalsan tiehsal -ZEZEZE: Tor kollis. Sil vomting newnguage. Sess. "What?" Edwin recoiled, the strange sensation swiftly forgotten, as his vision was suddenly blocked- no, not blocked, he could still ignore the messages and see past them- crowded by the torrential influx of words. "Umm. What''s this?" With no answer forting, he took a second look at the words, "Hallucination?" he waved his hand through thest message, and it vanished, shrinking away at the touch, "Interactive hallucination? I don''t think hallucinations can respond to touch, but maybe? Hm. Probably not a hallucination. Too coherent. Then, the barrier and the nightmare am I in shock? he felt his pulse, No? My heart would be fluttering way more if I were, right? I think thats how it works? Meh. So, not in shock, not a hallucination maybe. Not worth treating this all as a hallucination, though. He nced back at the messages, Different world? Moderators. Mana. They cant make up if this is aputer sim or a fantasy world, can they? Hmm. I wonder if I should stop talking to myself. Lets take this one step at a time, bottom to top. Firstly, whatever this is doesnt seem to have been familiar with English. Point for me being in another world. Second, I am apparently not the first person to arrive into this world, though it doesnt look like any havee from Earth. So then Im probably alone, in that regard. he sat in silence for a moment as he processed that. He may have not had that many ties back on Earth, but he still okay, you know what? He wasnt going to deal with that right now. Shove those emotions in a box, open itter. He could do that. Survive now, have emotional crisester. Lots of errors, and lots of Paths, whatever those are. They seem important. Hey, moderator guy! Can you hear me? Can you understand me? What is this? Can I get a tutorial? Ill ept a really annoying fairy that wont shut up if youre out of everything else. He didnt get a response, to no real surprise, and dismissed most of his messages by waving his hand through them. The one exception was the single block of text that was asking for feedback of some kind. You have unlocked the Basic Mana Sense Skill! ept Skill? Y/N "So mana. As in magic. Well, when in fantasynd, do as the fantasians do? ept." the prompt vanished as soon as he turned his thought towards epting it, "Hm. Thought-based? Interesting." he mused, before re-focusing on the new notification. Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Basic Mana Sense If its glowing and isnt a mushroom in a cave, its probably magic Detect nearby magic. Increased range per level Edwin immediately felt, well, not exactly better at feeling the barrier around his arm, but like the sensation had clicked in such a way he could instinctively recognize what it was- a thinyer of mana coating his entire body. He tried sensing any magic in his floating notifications, but, strangely, the glowing blue text was entirely invisible to his new sense. "So. Actual magic. And skills, which are apparently not magical? That doesnt make sense. I pity the poor souls who have to maintain something like this, if it''s global. Whoever it is seems a little sarcastic though, I approve. Still, I wonder, how do I see this sort of thing? Uhh Skill list? Paths? Menu? Status?" Thest one seemed to do the trick, though he didn''t quite get what he was expecting. You have unlocked the Status Skill! ept Skill? Y/N "Why would I not?" he mused, and the prompt seemed to treat that as an eptance, as it resolved into a new message. Name Edwin Age Very Young Race Human? ss None Attributes None Skills Basic Mana Sense Status Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli Daredevil Explorer Linguist Lumberjack Path Less Traveled Realm Traveler Way of the Empty Hand World Traveler Level Up! Status Status For all you who arent good at introspection, fear not! Call up a summary of your personal achievements. Increased detail and greater customization per level Okay, thats a lot. Very young? Why am I very..? Ooh. Time of system instation. Weird. All thisputer-like stuff left me expecting numbers. Maybe thats the increased detail? How do I even level this up, anyway? he dismissed it and called it up again- Level Up! Status - looking over everything, it didnt seem to have any changes, the exception being he got a distinct feeling of his Status skill being stronger than it was before, in some indefinable way, and that his Basic Mana Sense was about twice as strong. No indication what the Paths were, either. They all felt really low-intensity, though, weaker than either of his Skills. Whatever. He could deal with thatter. For now, he needed to find some food, water, and shelter, and picked a random direction to start exploring. Sure, you were generally supposed to stay in one spot when lost in the wilderness, but there was almost certainly not a search party looking for him. He did keep flickering his status up and down as he was walking, though. So far as he could tell, there wasnt any reason not to, and the level-ups were probably a good thing. Level Up! Status Level Up! Status It quickly hit diminishing returns, though, and after he went half an hour of calling up and dismissing his status without a level, he decided it wasnt worth the distraction. Instead, he directed his focus to the task that was actually at hand. He needed to find shelter, and it was impossible to tell where the sun was at, as the thick canopy above diffused the light and bathing the ground in an emerald glow that- Hmm. Wait, Edwin thought, his focus wandering to the leaves above, why are they all glowing green? Are they letting light through them? How is that effective? Well, it is green, so they might still be getting their red and blue allotment before just passing on the remainder. How would that work for the leaf structure, though? Ive never seen anything which would suggest that sort of thing is possible. Then again, if were talking about magic here, maybe trees are capable of sustaining a leaf structure which doesnt rely on reflecting the unwanted green light, but just filters out all red and blue light from the sun, and allows green light to pass through unimpeded? That could be very interesting. I wonder if the leaves would look ck from above, if they allow all light to pass through them? And then wouldnt that mean there should be a lot of ck or purple undergrowth down here, taking advantage of the green light let through? Though that would exin why all the nts here are so dark in coloration, if theyre in the process of bing ck. Actually, for that matter, whats the advantage of having transparen- Whoa! Edwin was snapped out of his musing by something appearing in his peripheral vision. He danced back, but whatever it was, it moved alongside him. Then, he realized he was being ridiculous as his eyes properly focused on what was in front of him. You have unlocked the Visualization skill! ept Skill? Y/N Visualization? Is everything a skill? I mean, sure, but what? Level Up! Visualization Visualization To solve a problem, you must first imagine it. Thoughts are more detailed. Increased rity per level. Oookay. Interesting skill. How does that even work? What does that even mean? he tried to imagine it but, ironically, couldnt. Level Up! Visualization Edwin red at the notification, dismissing it when it didnt wither under his stare. With a sigh, he continued his quest onwards. The entire forest was oddly empty. Other than a few smaller animals, one of which looked strangely like a squirrel if he was supposed to be in some distant world, and the background noise of buzzing and chirping insects, there were norger animals to be found, which was really odd, as a forest like this should be teeming with life ...Then again he couldnt keep relying on his old instincts for what should or should not be the case. There was demonstrably magic in this world- as a quick call to his status demonstrated, regardless of his supposed mana sense might say- and that meant the creatures here probably also had magic to work with. It was far too valuable a trait to not be evolutionarily selected for, and even if there werent unicorns or the like, what would an octopus with a stealth skill be like? They could practically turn invisible back on Earth, and that was entirely through good old-fashioned chemistry and biology. Perhaps thats why there were so few creatures around? Prey animals would have magically keen senses and stealth capabilities, which his normal human senses couldnt keep up with. Though, on the other side of the coin, that meant that predators would have senses and stealth abilities to keep up. The thought that there might be an invisible mountain lion just behind his back sent a shudder through him, and Edwin picked up the pace to try and get somewhere- anywhere- safe. Pity he didnt have a skill for- You have unlocked the Walking skill! ept Skill? Y/N With a grin, he epted the skill, and turned around to look at the forest behind him, a wake of trampled nts from his passing already springing back into ce. Alone, on an alien world, with unknown dangers, no sign of civilization, shelter, or food, he couldnt help but chuckle. Back on Earth, he had been all but nobody. Smart enough to get by, not smart enough to really stand out. Certainly not smart enough to pioneer any kind of research, or to push the bounds of humanitys knowledge. Here, though? Here he had the chance of a lifetime. He was on a new world, a fantasy world no less, and the gates of possibility were opened wide before him. Look out, world. Iming for you, and I have Magic. Level Up! Walking Walking And if you would walk five hundred miles, youd get pretty tired. Increased stamina while walking. Endurance increases with level. Chapter 2: Decidedly Sarcastic Skills Chapter 2: Decidedly Sarcastic Skills It was a bleary-eyed Edwin who blinked awake the next morning, curled up in the hollow of a tree. It fortunately hadnt gotten very cold overnight, because his thin jacket and jeans would not have been adequate if it had been fairly cold. Still, as it hadnt rained, it was hardly the most miserable night spent outdoors he had experienced. It had taken effort to fall asleepst night, what with the highly ufortable spot he found himself in and the worry that some giant predator awaited just beyond his limited view of the world. He felt it, too, but the effort had yielded its own surprise benefit. Level Up! Sleeping Level Up! Sleeping Sleeping A very underrated part of the not killing people process. Sleep to recover and be energized Increased restfulness per level. He was starting to wonder what wasnt a skill, and idly wondered how many skills other people must have, if he had already gotten five skills in less than a day of being on Jorah? A quick attempt at calling up old messages failed, but he was pretty sure it was something along those lines. Jarah, Jorah, Joriah? Joriah sounded right. Thought right? Eh, no matter. It did bring up the question about how, if at all, you could look back at previous messages, though. Maybe something about the customizability of Status? Maybe if he He flicked himself on the arm to make sure he didnt get carried away on that tangent. He wasnt in his room or in ss, he couldnt afford to daydream right now. This was a literally alien world, and he had no food- his stomach growled at the thought- no water, and no shelter. Three days without water, three weeks without food, three hours without shelter in extreme weather. At least thest of those doesnt apply at the moment, but I dont know how long that willst. Come on, wilderness survival books, dont fail me now. As it continued to get brighter in the forest, the wildlife picked up. Today, there seemed to be a lot more birds in the area, and maybe just more activity in general? Did they get less skittish of him? Was there something else in the area yesterday that was scaring them away? Was he just noticing them more today? Maybe- No. Bad Edwin. Focus. Scienceter. Just keep walking in the direction you werest night, and oh hey! A shrub with purple leaves! I knew there would have to be a few. Gah! Hey system guy, I dont suppose I could get a skill to help me focus? Please? Fine. He grumbled, ducking between a fallen log and a tree, stopping suddenly as he felt a spiderweb right in front of his face. Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Wait, was that magical? It did look practically invisible. Was the range on his mana sense really that short? Great, now he really didnt know if an invisible predator was sneaking up behind him. He almost wanted to grab a long stick, to poke the web and see if it was magically strong as well, but not knowing if the spider was supernaturally venomous tempered that desire. So as it turned out, the web was supernaturally strong. And while he didnt know if the spider was venomous- he absolutely wasnt testing that without some kind of Poison Resistance skill. Would it be poison resistance, venom resistance, or toxicity resistance? Hmm. Well, maybe- Nope. Not the time- while he didnt know if the spiders venom was dangerous to humans, the mere fact it was the size of his hand when it had suddenly popped into visibility at the center of the web and started skittering towards the stick- firmly stuck in the web, though Edwin hadnt tried too terribly hard to dislodge it- meant that he was absolutely running as fast as he could away from it, trying to get as much distance as he could from that nightmare fuel. Level Up! Walking Wait, walking? Was there not a running skill? Why was it called walking if it covered running as well? Did it also cover hiking? Swimming? Flying? This would require a lot of testing. Soon, he was out of breath from his mad dash away from that horrible creature. Spiders were fine, so long as they werent bigger than his hand. He stopped to recover, gasping for air as he leaned against a tree. Fortunately, his magic sense (spider sense?) didnt tingle this time. He did not want to tangle with another one of those monsters. You have unlocked the Breathing skill! ept Skill? Y/N He tiredly consented, happy for any kind of reprieve. Level Up! Breathing Breathing You can breathe easy; you got the right skill Breathe deeply Increased efficacy per level. Increased efficacy does that mean the skill will extract more oxygen from the air for each breath? That could be very useful. Edwin considered it for a moment, I hope I dont have to give CPR anytime soon. If the skill ever gets me to the point of using 100% of the oxygen in any given lungful of air, CPR would just pretty much straight-up fail. Interesting potential consequence. Further testing required, he murmured. Promising himself he would get around to figuring out the intricacies of magic- and the thought of that tickled his heart- would probably be the only way he could stay focused long enough to survive to the point where he could test out all his skills. He still needed to find water, now more than ever. Level Up! Breathing With his breathing rtively under control, Edwin set off at a rtively brisk pace. The fact no predators had bothered him yet meant one of two things: Either there genuinely was nothing that saw him as potential prey lived in the area, which had its own set of interesting considerations, or he was insanely, absurdly lucky and his crashing through the forests had somehow escaped the attention of all predators in the area. Maybe they were nocturnal? But what could keep predators away? Edwin broke himself out of his musing as he came across a fairly steep slope. Peering over the edge, it didnt look too tall, but definitely marked the start of a long descent. Given his goal of trying to survey the area, he wasnt convinced he should head down, but at least following it along the top would likely make sure that he wasnt going in circles. Staying a few feet from the edge to ensure he didnt fall, he began navigating to the left. Worked as well as going to the right. After some time, he had a bit of a routine down, and ducking around the bushes in his way started bing almost second nature. He barely even needed to consciously make sure that he wasnt going to start sliding down the slope anymore. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he felt the ground underneath his foot crumble. Time seemed to freeze as the sudden lurch made his stomach drop. He had never been good with falling, and being literally dropped from the sky yesterday hardly helped in that regard. Though Edwin would have loved to say he managed toe up with some ingenious n in between two heart-stopping moments, all he was really able to clear his head enough to think about was a single, simple thought: Shoot. As he was fortunately sliding down the hillside feet-first at the moment, Edwin was desperate to maintain that status quo, and when frantic handfuls of dirt failed to yield anything save a couple of thin roots which broke off in his grip, tried to dig his heels into the hillside, an action which was nowhere near as effective as he would have liked, as it just freed more soil to join him in what was apparently turning into a miniaturendslide. His next chance to try and stop himself arrived quite abruptly, a tree that almost seemed toe out of nowhere, impacting his outstretched legs. Edwin tried to scramble into a half-sitting position, aiming to bear hug the tree, but the sudden motion, instead resulted in his head catapulting past his ankles and tossing up even more loose soil as he fell into a tumble. Tucking his head in and managing to lift his arms to protect his neck in a half-aware daze of adrenaline and terror, all he could do was hope that he didnt hit anything too hard. Even as he felt what seemed like every sharp rock and twig within a mile dig into his back and hands, he felt locked up from terror and was only barely suppressing a scream which was surely resounding in his head. Then his memories jumbled together and he lost awareness of what was happening. The next thing he could remember, once his memories started straightening out, he was half-buried in a bush, covered with the detritus he had knocked loose in his descent, and with his ankle far too close to his ear to befortable for any reasonable person. You have unlocked the Flexibility skill! ept Skill? Y/N He could have sworn the message was mocking him. Groaning, he extricated himself from the bush- Ow! Was that a thorn?- and propped himself up on the slope he had juste down, epting the skill. Level Up! Flexibility Flexibility Useful for a variety of situations, especially in a tight spot. Enhanced ability to stretch. Improved range of motion per level. It felt nice to justy down for a little bit. His clothes were filthy, he had a hole in his jacket, and was desperate for a drink, but at the very least, he wasnt dead and wasnt hurt beyond some scrapes and bruises. It could be far worse. Far, far worse. Still, it would be so nice to justy here and take a nap, despite it only being about noontime by his reckoning. Even his internal monologue seemed too exhausted by the fall to pipe in and get his mind off just how sore his lower back was. No chance I could get that Focus skill now, or something like Willpower, is there? ... Figures. As he raised himself from his seat- though he had started off more or less fully leaning against the slope, he had quickly slid down until his legs were relieved of all their burden- he couldnt stop another groan from escaping, but found his footing well enough, regardless of the protest his legs were trying to put up. At least, he supposed, I didnt fall the entire way down. Edwin was on a bit of a t stretch about halfway down the slope he fell down. Still what had to have been several hundred feet of tumbling though. On the other side, the slope continued beyond what he could see. Really, he should go back to the top or finish going down, but his legs would never allow him to climb back up. He would almost certainly fall back to where he was after his legs copsed, or tumble even further down. Going down of his own volition might have been possible, but would most likely just result in his legs giving out and hed go for another tumble, which he really wanted to avoid. Youre just trying to justify not climbing back up that thing, Edwin used himself, continuing a pained walk to the left of the base of the cliff, But fair enough. Level Up! Walking He trekked onwards, legs burning but unwilling to stop his aggressive limp. Level Up! Walking It was several hourster that he finally came across something noteworthy. Namely, the sound of water crashing down. The slopes on either side of him he had been following had long since steepened and turned into rock faces, so the only logical situation was a waterfall of some sorting up. And that meant water. His slow, painful walk quickened into a bit of a limping run, as his salvation was finally more or less in sight. Well. He hadnt been expecting that. Turns out, he had first woken up on the top of a mountain or something, which wait, how did that work? He had been walking for ages, surely there was no way that was all on the top of a mountain. Was he walking in circles that much? No, surely not. But if he wasnt, then how- Oi, knock it off. No questioning the fantasy worlds geography while you should be figuring out how to get water from that, he mentally scolded himself. Level Up! Visualization Oh, nice. He really should have just bitten the bullet and went back up the slope when he first fell down it. Now, Edwin was faced with a fifty-foot rocky cliff on one side and a two hundred-foot drop at least on the other, and a massive waterfall in front of him. Very, very mindful of the drop and how the water had washed away any traces of dirt from the edge and left the stone very slippery, he carefully- carefully maneuvered to the edge and looked down. He couldnt even see the bottom, the waterfall churning enough mist into the air to make it a fools errand to even imagine how high he must be and felt his stomach drop. I refuse to be afraid of heights. Falling is more than enough of a fear, thank you very much. With shaking hands and weak knees, he crawled away from the edge and copsed the moment he felt halfway safe. It took a moment, but his limbs eventually regained enough strength to push himself up to standing once more. Even still, his fingers stubbornly refused to stop trembling as he tried to think of what to do. Okay. So on the bright side I found water. On the downside, Im going to have to scale a 50-foot cliff to get to the top and hope I can get water there or figure out some way to get the mist from the air. Climbing it is. Not where its this wet, though. Backing up a ways away from the precipitous drop, Edwin evaluated his options. The rock face was decently craggy, though of debatable strength, and there was the odd tree which clung stubbornly to the narrow strip of soil he found himself on. It could help him mber up the rock face, and all he would need to do is not look down. He would just need to start thereand move over there and probably try to end up over there. Piece of cake. Level Up! Visualization With luck, it would be as easy as leveling Visualization. As natural as breathing, he hoped, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Level Up! Breathing Was the System mocking him? He felt like it was mocking him. After a quickly aborted attempt at climbing- his legs simply wouldnt cooperate to push him up- Edwin gave himself a bit of a break,ying on the ground until his legs felt somewhat more normal. Edwin wedged himself between a rock and a hard ce. Well, the hard ce was really just a tree that did not feel sturdy enough for him to befortable (though still quite sturdy, all things considered), and the rock was a jut of stone sticking out at a convenient height. It wasnt exactly , he noted, but it was better than any of the alternatives. Shimmying his way up the cliffside, Edwin found himself exceptionally d he hadnt neglected his fitness even as he spent more and more time in theb as college went on. It was somewhat neglected, yes- Level Up! Breathing - but he could at least still manage to pull himself up to one rock, steady himself against the tree, and prepare for the next step. It sure would be nice to get a skill for this, he couldnt imagine why he hadnt already gotten one- You have unlocked the Athletics skill! ept Skill? Y/N Athletics? Why not climbing? Was this not close enough to true climbing for the System to be happy? Just athletics? Wasnt that part of walking? Was there not a more specific skill for climb- His foot slipped half an inch, and Edwin froze. No more getting distracted. He epted the skill but didnt look at it. In fact, he switched entirely to doing his best to ignore all System notifications so he could just focus entirely on not dying. Reach up. Grab a protrusion. Haul himself up. Brace against the trunk. Panic as the tree swayed slightly. Look for the next spot. Set his footing. Reach up. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Dont look down. Just keep looking up. Stop imagining falling down. Stop it. Look for the next spot to grab. Make sure your foot is secure. Keep three points in solid contact with the wall at all times. Leave the tree behind, its too thin at this point. How much farther could it be? This has to have been hundreds of feet, surely. Wedge hand into crevice, hope there arent spiders. Maneuver left foot onto previous handhold. Sprawl out across a pair of handholds absolutely too far apart forfort. Hug the wall. Reposition right foot to avoid doing the splits while on a cliff face. Test to make sure that rock is solid. Freeze as a small bit of dirt falls from where his hand was ced. Reach up. Grab a protrusion. Haul himself up. Set footing. Look for the next handhold. Reach up. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Re- WHERES THE HANDHOLD. Oh. He had made it? He made it! Hooray! And with no real incident beyond what felt like a half-dozen heart attacks. His limbs were like jelly and his hands and arms thoroughly scraped up (hopefully bacteria werent also magically potent in this world). He felt like he had run a marathon, but he was alive and he had made it. He felt so triumphant, even as his body refused to cooperate, far toofortable where it was to consider moving at the moment. It was kind of amusing. Before today he would have never thought of a forest floor as beingfortable, but it felt as soft as a feather bed when he was this Exhausted. He looked back at his notifications. Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Breathing Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Visualization Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Flexibility Level Up! Breathing Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Flexibility Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Status Level Up! Athletics Athletics Who even needs steroids, anyway? Improved athleticism Increased muscle efficiency per level. Why had his status leveled up? Hm. What was it, increased customizability per level? Did it level up by him ignoring his notifications somehow? Could he level it by not using it, however that might work? Hed have to experiment. But first, water. He so very much needed water. His mouth was like sandpaper, and tasted like dirt. There had probably been a lot of that in his mouthtely. Too much, really, not that any amount of dirt inside his mouth wasnt too much. First, though, he was going toy here for a minute. Maybe five. Yeah, just five minutes. Just five more minutes. This was fine. This was totally fine Level Up! Sleeping Chapter 3: Revelations of Varying Fortune Chapter 3: Revtions of Varying Fortune Edwin woke up surprised, parched, and starving. Surprised because it was apparently sunset already? No wait. That was birdsong. Sunrise? Sheesh. He did not intend to sleep at all, really, let alone through the night. He supposed he continued to be fortunate that there werent predators here. Well, they hadnt found him yet, at least. That kind of fortune was not something he wanted to depend on, though. Especially when it came to sleeping out in the open. Despite Edwins growing awareness of a twig digging into the space between his shoulder des, he didnt get up immediately. Instead, he called up his status. While it didnt show numbers, he could still get a sense of how strong a given skill was, and it provided an actual sense of pride and aplishment to tell in a quantifiable way how he was improving. Status. Name Edwin Age Very Young Race Human? ss None Attributes None Skills Athletics Basic Mana Sense Breathing Flexibility Sleeping Status Visualization Walking Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli Daredevil Explorer Linguist Lumberjack Path Less Traveled Realm Traveler Way of the Empty Hand World Traveler He vaguely wondered how he was supposed to level up his status. Just summoning and dismissing it stopped leveling it rtively quickly, though he half-remembered it leveling yesterday before he fell asleep. Was that his effort to not see the notifications? It had only half worked and he needed to fight himself to not check them, even hanging perilously above certain death, but it was better than them hijacking his visual processes and attention every time. He casually tried to turn off notifications, but while he supposed there was no way to tell if it worked, it didnt feel like it hadtched onto anything. Maybe he needed a higher level in his Status skill? How could he manage that? Could he edit his status? Hmmm Level Up! Status Level Up! Status Level Up! Status Level Up! Status About 10 minutester, he had managed to hide his Skills, Paths, and Attributes, whatever they were. That left him with four categories, at least three of which were inurate. Without information about how to get a ss- was it level based? He didnt seem to have an overall level, just for his skills- that was probably urate, but he was absolutely human. It didnt ept his insistence that he was just a human, but after another couple minutes of wrangling, which felt almost like haggling, he had gotten it to disy Extranar Human as his race, and his age now actually showed 22. He got the vague sense of a clock clicking as he studied it, but he couldnt get any concrete measurement of how long he had been on Joriah. Level Up! Status Level Up! Status Level Up! Status Fixing his name, by contrast, was as simple as enunciating the thought that, My name is Edwin Maxlin. Level Up! Status Satisfied enough with the inuracies being fixed and the increased levels for the time being, he finally decided to do something about the stick digging into his back. It certainly wasnt getting any morefortable as he continuedying in the same spot. His muscles straining- he certainly hadnt been this active since before he went to college- Edwin lifted himself off the ground, first onto his hands and knees, then crouching, before finally standing up fully, stretching as he did so to help try and relieve some very sore muscles. With a yawn- followed immediately by his body yelling at him that he really needed some water- he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and set off towards the waterfall. Really, it spoke to how utterly exhausted he must have beenst night to have fallen asleep with its roar constantly in the background. While he no longer had to navigate a perilously thin slice ofnd, dodging the asional tree, even being on rtively t ground still wasnt easy. The Sleeping skill apparently either was too low a level or just didnt help with how bruised and scraped up he was, though he did feel a lot better and nicely rested, especially considering his sleeping conditions. Dragging himself towards the river, he was rewarded after just a few short minutes when he arrived at the top of the waterfall. Tons of water rushed by every moment, swept off the mountainside and into clouds of white which swiftly fell from sight. Falling in that river would mean hed be very quickly either bing the greatest swimmer of all time or finding out if he had developed general immunity to falling from the sky. Either way, he wasnt about to risk it. Unfortunately, the side of the river he found himself on had no bank, the river curving slightly and carving a steep bank into the rock, putting Edwin a couple feet above the rushing waters, and there was no way he was leaning over the river- putting him once again on mostly-bare rock made almost frictionless from the endless mist of the falls- to get so much as a sip of water. Naturally, the other side, being on the inside of the curve and thus mostly shielded from the torrent of water eternally rushing by, had a nice bank and perfect ess to the water. Because nothing can be that easy, can it? He mentally sighed, trying to figure out a way across. Level Up! Visualization There werent any trees around, and beyond the fact there wasnt even the slightest chance he felt like trying to make that 20-foot jump from one side to the other, the slick stone- well, aside from that one patch right there with a bush in it that- no, stay focused Edwin- the uniformly slick stone would never give him enough traction, making it an utter non-starter of an idea. There were trees around, but with no tools nor the energy to use them, there was no way to fell them- Other than whatever the Lumberjack path might do. Not that I know what Paths do, or what sorts of effects they have, or how to progress along one, or anything even close to that. Sheesh, couldnt this thing havee with an instruction manual? -and even if there were, he didnt have any way to let him build a bridge or pole or anything useful out of them. It was maddening, being so close to the water yet so far away. Then again, theres probably a matching bank on this side if I explore upstream a little ways, he realized, certainly easier than trying to weave a rope out of ivy or whatever. Actually, would it even need to be woven? Edwin poked at the ivy covering some of the nearby trees and ground leading up to the rock (it didnt look like poison ivy, not that really meant all that much when pretty much everything looked slightly different), and found that while it detached from the tree trunk it was on surprisingly easily, it didnt break ore down from the canopy with any force he could apply, even when he put his full weight on it. Nope, still not trying it. His luck seemed to not be uniformly terrible, though, and he was able to find essible water after a short-yet-painful walk. He almost copsed, quickly getting on his knees to cup water in his hand and drink it, blissfully cold, crisp, and clear water, probably from a cier and it was running fast enough it should be fine, right? With water, he could probably manage to survive. Food was still an issue, but he trusted that, given his progress in skills over the past three days, he could probably manage to forage something or find his way to civilization before he starved. Three weeks was lots of time, and- a thought idly flitted across his mind about why he hadnt gotten some kind of Survivalism skill or whatever yet- his time as a Scout back on Earth probably prepared him well enough for this, right? Thirst satisfied for the time being, Edwin allowed himself to rx with a sigh as he looked at the two notifications that blinked at him while he was drinking. You have unlocked the Survival skill! ept Skill? Y/N Congrattions! For surviving in the outdoors with no assistance and finding water, you have unlocked the Survivor Path! Interesting. Were those rted? It brought up interesting questions about what it took to unlock a skill- was it connected to Paths somehow? None of the other Paths had unlocked a skill alongside them, but these two seemed pretty clearly connected. Or they were just both triggered by the same thing. Corrtion is not causation, et cetera, et cetera. Maybe demonstrating survival skill is what let me get the Survival Skill? And I hadnt demonstrated it adequately before now? Is that why I didnt get the Climbing Skill or any kind of Focus Skill? I feel like I ought to be offended if that were the case. Im fully capable of focusing when I want to. Oh hey, is that- I can keep my thoughts on track, no problem. Really. Honestly. Oh, who am I kidding? But climbing is strange. I figured Athletics might just have been as close as it got, but Further testing required. He promised himself, Further standing up was a struggle still, but far more manageable now that he was hydrated, Testing Required. Oh right, skills. ept. Level Up! Survival Survival Because some people clearly need the help. Subsist on your own longer Reduced dependency on food and drink per level. I swear, this thing is mocking me. Also, I need to see if I can hide the initial level-up messages when I get a skill. Its getting annoying. But I can absolutely put up with a bit of mockery for something like that. It gives me so much more time! Well, depending on how fast it scales and how hard it is to level. I wonder if Ill just no longer need to eat or drink. That could be nice. So! Food and shelter, then Im all set, Edwin broke himself out of his thoughts with a p of his hands and a definite target to work towards. The river served as a usefulndmark, one that he would absolutely need as he explored. And what better ce to start his exploration than the cliff edge? There was bound to be a killer view, and it might let him know if there was any kind of development nearby. Whoa, Edwinsment may have been drowned out by the roar of the absolutely enormous waterfall, but it needed to be said. Whatever mountain he was on- and it was absolutely a mountain, there was a snow-capped peak he could clearly see if he turned around- rose miles and miles above the forest below, which was thick and strange. If the top of the mountain was anything like what he saw below, it made sense that he might have gotten lost or went in circles a few times. Trees stretched out for miles, nketing the mountainside as the slope descended thousands of feet before leveling into a sprawling carpet of trees of all kinds. He strained his eyes to look as far as he could- You have unlocked the Seeing skill! ept skill? Y/N - and while he could see the endless expanse eventually came to an end, it was difficult to tell whaty beyond. That was only furtherplicated by the glittering variety of foliage he could see from here. As it turned out, the tops of the leaves werent ck, but whatever structure made up the leaves made them ever so slightly reflective, and scattered throughout the mostly-green sea were patches where the trees were slightly blue, or red, or multicolored in a way that reminded Edwin of bubbles. Was there thin-film interference present on the leaves? That would be cool to explore. Even the greens were a painting, shades he had never seen back on Earth leaves. Still, the variety made it hard to tell if the change in the distance was water, grasnds, a different type of forest, or something else entirely. It was far too distant to make out any kind of details, though, let alone reach. Maybe there was civilization in the forest- it looked perfect for an elven enve- but there wasnt a frats chance at a schrship that he could find it on his own. The view was spectacr, though, and he must have spent a half hour alternating between marveling at the primal beauty of the sight and hoping he could spot something significantly less primal and more developed. Level Up! Seeing Level Up! Seeing Level Up! Seeing Level Up! Seeing Level Up! Seeing Seeing All the better to see with, my dear Enhanced visual senses See farther per level. Very useful. He had to wonder at what point whatever bonus his levels presumably gave him would be apparent. None of his leveling had given him any obvious advancement, with the exception of his Status, which made it seem like it would take possibly dozens to hundreds of levels for any kind of tangible boost from his skills. Assuming, of course, the skills actually do provide a benefit and arent just a marker of progress, but then why would they exist at all? He mused. Anyway, he was still starving, and so needed to find some kind of food. He had yet to see any nts which looked safe to eat, though he had admittedly not been looking all that closely, mainly focused on finding signs of water. Now that he had found water, though, he could probably trek up the riverbank and find some kind of fruit-bearing nt. With renewed determination, he continued his endless hike across the rough ground, tinkering slightly with his status on the way. Level Up! Walking Level Up! Status Determination or not, though, it was still incredibly painful, and trying to stay close to the river to not get lost certainly doesnt make it any easier, he thought as he scrambled over arger rock. Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Flexibility This was probably a good rate? He was absolutely pushing himself, and if fiction had taught him anything, that most likely meant this would be a fast improvement speed. He still wished it were faster, though. Hungry or not, it was much easier walking next to the river than wandering through the woods. At least now he could get water whenever he wanted. His exploration bore fruit (heh) less than a mile upstream as the river split slightly, the offshoot forming a slow-running pool. Next to the pool, there was an almost picture-perfect wild grove, lush green grass surrounding a handful of what looked to be fruit-bearing trees, and framed in by a massive boulder covered in ck, stringy moss. Back on Earth, this would have been the target of countless photographers. The beauty of the ce only made Edwin more suspicious. What kind of fruit grove in a fantasy world wouldnt be tended to by a dryad or something? Looking at the fruits, which bore a resemnce to a pear with the skin of a cherry, he was paradoxically relieved to see a few of them bore signs of being pecked on by birds. Wait, how could he see that so well at this distance? Level Up! Seeing Ah, that was how. Did his skills really provide that much of a benefit already? Hed need to reevaluate how much his skills were actually helping, if their effects were that subtle. Still, animal damage made it seem less likely that there was some supernatural force tending to the tree, though why the lower-hanging ones hadnt been eaten by animals escaped him. Nheless, he approached it with caution, Hello? he asked the clearing, Is it alright if I take some fruit? I havent eaten in three days. When there was no response forting, he picked up a couple of rocks from the shore and carefully ventured forwards, tossing the stones at the tree in case it were a mimic or something. Nothing happened as it ttered off the trunk, nor as it struck and knocked off a leaf. As his final test, he threw one as hard as he could at one of the fruits and promptly missed. It took him a good half-dozen stones before one finally connected, making the pear-thing explode into a shower of juice, and providing yet another bonus. You have unlocked the Throwing Weapons skill! ept skill? Y/N Well, that seemed to confirm his suspicion about skills being tied to actually aplishing something. Also that he had indeed managed to hide the first level-up notification, very nice. Still needed further testing, though. No need to fall into the ck Swan Facy, or whatever that was called. Not sure why he had gotten Throwing Weapons, though. Was it like Athletics? Was there no Climbing skill, or Rock Throwing skill? Was there an even more generic Ranged Weapons skill, and why hadnt he gotten that one? Further testing required. It was practically a mantra at this point, and he couldnt wait to find time to actually test everything. He epted the skill as he hesitantly picked one of the lower-hanging fruits from the tree, withdrawing quickly with his prize. Throwing Weapons The most basic and most advanced form of human weaponry: Throw a rock at it Thrown objects are more effective Increased uracy per level Interesting skill, he mused as he bit into the fruit. It tasted sublime, though that may just have been a result of how hungry he was. There seemed to be small seeds embedded into the flesh of the fruit, which helped him be just a touch more relieved with the thought that it probably wasnt poisonous, I wonder if theres a poison resistance skill. Maybe if I get poisoned Ill unlock it? His first fruit was gone in seconds. As was the second and third. By the time he got to his fourth, he was beginning to slow down. He wondered how nutritious these fruits were, or if they were just tasty. Probably provided lots of fiber, and a frown crossed his face as he hoped the biochemistry of the fruit was close enough to what he was used to for his metabolism to work with it. It tasted slightly tangy- was it citric? He might need a better source of protein, but this should work for now. He paused as three notifications appeared- the first was an offered skill, which he quickly epted. Nutrition Because eating all the food in the world isn''t always a good thing Food is more nutritious Increased health of food per level. That was unhelpfully vague. Did it affect food he ate? Food he made? Was it his food that was more healthy? Did it just let him extract more calories and nutrients from things he ate? It was probably the most vague skill he had gotten, though the next two notifications were significantly more interesting. Congrattions! For demonstrating highly advanced knowledge pertaining to the functioning of the body on its most basic level, you have unlocked the Micro-Biomancer Path! Congrattions! For demonstrating extremely advanced knowledge pertaining to the makeup of physical matter, you have unlocked the Physical Alchemist Path! There were some interesting things to take note of with this revtion. For one, apparently musing about chirality and vitamins was demonstrating highly advanced knowledge, which implied unfortunate things about the technology of the world. Not that he really expected an advanced magitech society, but it would have been a nice surprise. Secondly, alchemy. Hopefully, that meant what he thought it did- namely, science without pesky things like physicalws holding him back- and not just chemistry sans the scientific method. He would need a word with whatever ran the magic on this if it were thetter. Still, with no real knowledge of what Paths were or how to use them, it would have to be put to the side for the time being. In the meantime, he was going to focus on his food. Five cherry-pears (Perrys? Chears?)ter, he was finally feeling full. It might not be sustainable in the long term, depending on what exactly Nutrition and Survival did and how strong they were, but it would keep him alive for the time being. Food and water now taken care of; Edwins next goal was to find some kind of shelter. Ideally it would be a cave, though he might be able to make some form of lean-to if he found a downed tree and enough thick branches to form a structure. As he left the grove, he began to climb the boulder, finding much to his surprise that the ck moss was just patches amongst a simr moss, only stone-grey andpletely covering the rock. It was so thick, in fact, that he couldnt even see the bare stone. It also felt weird, really coarse. It wasnt like any moss he had ever seen or heard of before. And was it moving? What was this stuff? You have unlocked the Identify skill! ept Skill? Y/N Perfect. Identify Because sometimes you just dont know what you have Learn about your target Increased range per level. Oh cool, just what he needed. Did it work on nts? He focused on trying to examine the moss, flexing the same mental muscle he used to call up his Status. Level Up! Identify Mature Giant Stonehide Bear Oh. Chapter 4: An Unstoppable Force Meets a Movable Object Chapter 4: An Unstoppable Force Meets a Movable Object Bushes tore at Edwins arms as he sprinted through the underbrush. Behind him, he could hear his pursuer crashing through the fallen log he had vaulted over just moments before. He winced as the bear just charged through a tree, and the noise as it splintered resounded through the forest. He was running as fast as he could, and that meant he couldnt be too close to the riverbank, or hed risk falling in, or tripping on some of the loose rocks lining it, or something simrly catastrophic. Yes, the proper response to encountering a bear was supposed to be making yourself look big and scary and avoid provoking it, but he was pretty sure that didnt apply to bears the size of a car that were already mad at you. He wasnt sure if he should count himself lucky or unlucky that none of the rocks he had thrown which missed the tree hadnt hit the bear. On the plus side, he had eaten enough of the fruit that he had energy to run. On the down side, he would have gotten more of a head start from the massive predator and wouldnt have to deal with the cramp in his side from running before the fruit was fully digested. Give and take, really. Another tree fell and Edwin flinched at the sound, just long enough to miss a thin twig at head height, and he winced as it whipped him painfully. That would probably draw blood, but he didnt have time to stop and check. On the bright side, it was doing wonders for his skills. From the moment he took off running, he had been praying his Walking boost also applied to running and that his Athletics would help out there as well. He seemed to be right, at least. Level Up! Walking Level Up! Athletics They were leveling once every couple of minutes, and with each level he could maybe feel a bit more sure-footed, each step that much easier. Then again, it might be adrenaline and the cebo effect. Not like he had any way to really check. Edwin dodged a fallen log, bringing him closer to the riverbank. For this stretch of the river, it was fairly muddy, which proved to be his downfall as a slightly exposed root caught his foot, making him stumble just enough for his other foot to get stuck in the mud, sending him sprawling. With the literal jaws of death bearing down upon him, Edwin turned to face the beast and threw a ball of mud as best as he could at the bears snarling mouth. He was hoping to blind it, and was half sessful, most of the mud sttering on its snout. Enough did bounce off or hit true to cover its eyes with the almost y-like dirt, though, and a fair amount went into the beasts open mouth and covered its nostrils to make it pause as Edwin got to his feet and took off again. Level Up! Throwing Weapons On an impulse, he picked up another handful of mud in the hopes he could repeat the stunt. It took up a hand, but he could probably make do with only one for the time being, especially if he started sticking closer to the riverbank. Though that would have to wait, as there was no way hed be able to run through this mud. Hopefully he could make his way back to the riverbank in time. From up ahead, he could hear the roar of the waterfall growing steadily louder. Level Up! Walking Level Up! Athletics He was almost there, a half-formed n in mind as his only vague hope for survival. Then all other thoughts were once again chased out of his mind as he heard the bear resuming its pursuit, slowly closing the gap between them. Risking a momentary nce backwards, Edwin could swear he could feel anger in its unblinded, glowing orange eye. A twinge on his mana sense was all the warning he got, and he dropped to the ground into a slide as a nigh-invisible spiderweb was strung up right where his head would have passed through had he not reacted. Level Up! Flexibility Level Up! Flexibility Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Two levels in two skills? Was it the stress? It had to be the stress. That, or legitimately life and death situations somehow improved his ability leveling speed in an unknowable manner. Stress would do as a temporary hypothesis. Was there any way to exercise his skills without distracting himself, maybe? Something to consider for the next time- he didnt doubt there would be a next time- he was in mortal peril. He got back to his feet, his pants at this point barely visible beneath the sheer amount of dirt on them, and continued his mad dash forwards. Behind him, the bear muscled between the two trees he had just passed through, the cracking and snapping giving no indication the supernaturally tough spiderweb had even been noticed by the rampaging carnivore. He could almost imagine its ws, currently tearing into the forest floor, ripping through flesh and bone, carving up tendons and fracturing his spine No time to dwell on that, though! Avoid the prickly bush, duck under the branch, avoid the loose stone, grab- oh shoot, that was going to need two hands- blindly toss the handful of mud at the bear, hear the additional roar of annoyance that meant it had to have at least hit it, no time to check where- grab the vine and hope it holds Yes! Use it to swing over the tiny creek, hit the ground running, avoid tripping over that root, duck left around a tree trunk, dodge right around a stump, bob and weave through the bushes it was a breakneck pace, and he was certain he was running on pure adrenaline. His side no longer hurt in the slightest, and his attention was as narrow as it had ever been. There were more notifications in the corner of his eye, but he wasnt paying attention to them. If he lived, hed check then. It was do or die, and he wasnt a quitter. Finally, he managed to get to a section of forest that looked more familiar than the rest, and the roar of the nearby waterfall confirmed it. For whatever reason, the vines that were so thick on the trees here were lessmon elsewhere, and while he had no delusions that they could stop the bear, he could only hope that they would be strong enough to hold him. He was ny percent sure they would be, especially given the one had supported him before, and he hadnt managed to dislodge it when he had tried before, but still No. If this didnt work, he was dead anyway. If the bear didnt cooperate, he was dead, if the vine broke, he was dead. So many ways this could go wrong, but it was his only hope. With a nce behind him- yep, it was still there, not that he doubted that, though its other eye had gotten a bit of mud in it. All the better. The less it could see, the more likely this would work. Edwin angled towards the riverbank as he approached the cliff, and just as he broke free of the tree line, grabbed the thickest vine he could see on the thickest tree in the area. Just like before, it detached easily from the trunk but stayed attached in the canopy far, far, far above. Hed have to time this just right. Hopefully the bear wasnt so strong as to fell the massive tree Edwin had selected as his lifeline. It seemed his worries were unfounded, though, as it instead muscled its way through a smaller tree nearby, disintegrating the trunk. It was the first time he had actually seen the monster just overpower a tree, and while it was only about a foot across, it was still utterly terrifying to witness a 2-ton ball of furious muscle and fur just decide to run straight through something which should have stopped it dead in its tracks, and without leaving so much as a scratch on its mud-crusted muzzle or slowing it down in the slightest. There was a moment of even further heart-stopping terror as it looked like the tree knocked over might hit the vine he was holding, something which would absolutely doom his hopes of surviving, but it came up short. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief as he started to put weight on the vine, using it as a support to keep his footing while running over the profoundly slippery rocks. He was very, very close to the waterfall and there were even a few shallow puddles here and there from the amount of mist in the air. He even slipped in one, and while it was sooner than he would have liked, he had no choice. Edwins grip tightened around the vine and he pulled himself up, taking both feet off the ground like he was on a rope swing. He tried to pull himself up the vine, but after only a single hand-over-hand haul, he couldnt ovee his death grip and the shaking in his muscles. Time seemed to slow down as he looked down, and saw that he had overtaken the cliffside, and was now swinging over the edge. Below him was just the narrow strip of stone, some sixty feet below, and then another cliff, the bottom of which he couldnt see. His mind froze up in terror, but it was fortunately in agreement with the n that the only thing to do was to hold tight and pray the vine doesnt break. He traveled in a gentle arc over the yawning gap, and managed to wrest his eyes away from the drop in time to see the bear frantically try and backpedal on the oh-so-slippery rocks, digging its ws into the rock in a vain attempt to break all the momentum it had built up, realizing what he had done. Its roars were subsumed by the waterfalls, and the anger on its face was reced with fear, then terror, as it sailed over the cliff into the fathomless mists below. It was an utterly drained Edwin thaty on the ground beneath his gently swaying vine, both emotionally and physically exhausted. He was hungry and thirsty again, though with a pre-established source of food and water, that was much less of a hazard than it might have once been. His arms trembled, and there was no way hed be pulling a stunt like that again any time soon. Flicking his eyes through his notifications, though, it was hard to say it wouldnt be at least a little tempting to try again. Level Up! Improvisation Level Up! Improvisation Level Up! Improvisation Improvisation Dont just think outside the box. Use the box as a weapon Make creations with non-standard materials Increased effectiveness of creations per level Congrattions! For ying a foe far stronger than you, you have unlocked the Titan yer Path! Congrattions! For ying a Mature Giant Stonehide Bear, you have unlocked the Stonehide Vanquisher Path! Congrattions! For using your surroundings as a trap for your enemies, you have unlocked the Trapper Path! You have unlocked the Improvisation skill! ept Skill? Y/N Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Flexibility Congrattions! For reaching level 12 in Athletics, you have unlocked the Athlete Path! Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Visualization Level Up! Walking Level Up! Athletics Level Up! Flexibility Level Up! Walking Level Up! Seeing Level Up! Throwing Weapons I should get up. And I am not falling asleep this time. Its like noon. But I thinkying here sounds nice for right now. Very nice. Chapter 5: Identifying Identify Chapter 5: Identifying Identify With a groan, Edwin pulled himself into a sitting position. He had managed to not fall asleep but had stillid on the ground for the better part of an hour before moving. Vaguely wondering ifying on the ground in exhaustion counted as a habit at this point, and if it were a good or bad one if it were, he cautiously approached the edge, even more conscious about ensuring he didnt slip on the stone now that he had personal experience as to just how deadly it could be. Heh. Caution: Stone slippery when wet. Crouching down, Edwin ran a finger along one of the new divots in the stone, marking where the Stonehide Bear had dug its ws in as an attempt to slow itself. They had to be an inch deep, and stretched for a good ten to fifteen meters before ending suddenly at the cliffside, itself seeming to be missing a few stonespared to its previous shape. Whistling to himself that the bears ws were that hard and sharp, not to mention just how massive it must have been for its struggles to be unsessful. Level Up! Visualization Edwin rose, cautiously keeping his bnce, and returned to less treacherous terrain. Following his tracks back was hardly difficult, the wake of destruction left by his former adversary- yeah, he liked thinking about it like that- leaving a trail clear as day. Level Up! Survival Interesting. Survival seemed to level based on general survival and wildernesspetence, like tracking, but only decreased food and water dependence? Or did skills have other hidden effects they didnt disy? Now that he had a bit of time, he might be able to poke around a little bit, though without proper tools it might yet prove difficult to adequately measure. Though if it was subtly providing knowledge on survival tips, how could you urately measure that? Maybe a test involving a ton of questions on survival tips and tricks, taken after every level up, so long as that leveling wasnt triggered by learning anything survival based where would the knowledgee from, though? And would it be directly downloaded into the brain or something? Further testing was obviously required, but how? Idly, Edwin ran his hand over the roots of a tree that had been uprooted rather than splintered by the creature. Did the bear leave this kind of a path everywhere it went? It couldnt have. There was no way that kind of thing was sustainable from a predator. Actually, how did that big of a creature ever survive? How did something the size of a truck get enough food to live? Maybe it spent most of its time in a hibernation-like state, only waking up when it sensed preyrge enough to bother with, or it was otherwise disturbed? With magic it was probably possible. Though he had to be careful when just nketing anything strange with the exnation of magic, because that wayy superstition. Arriving at the chear grove, he grabbed a couple of the fruits and started munching on them. Now that he was no longer famished, he could properly savor the vors present, and it actually was pretty good, especially for a wild fruit. Despite its appearance, the texture of its flesh was closer to that of a watermelon and the vor was vaguely citrus-y, though it also reminded him of a plum. On a whim, he turned one over in his hand, studying it. Identify. When there was no response, he frowned, the motion making a bit of milky fruit juice dribble down his chin, which he quickly wiped off. Why hadnt that worked? Did he do it wrong? Focusing on himself, he tried triggering the skill again. Level Up! Identify Infant Extranar Human Ohe on. Thats so singrly unhelpful, he mentally grumbled, and I thought I fixed that besides. A quick nce at his Status confirmed it still showed that he was supposed to be a 22 year old Extranar Human. Unless 22 was still an infant on this? That didnt match up. Still, it did show that Identify wouldnt always be fully urate per se. That information was worthwhile. Anyway. Having confirmed that he was using Identify correctly, he tried again targeting the chear. After a notification once more failed to pop up, Edwin ran over the possibilities. Okay hypothesis: it only works on animals. So I need to try and find something that isnt an animal which it does work on, or an animal which it doesnt. Attempting to Identify the ground at his feet failed, as did trying to target the insects buzzing around. Even a bird, perched on a branch in a tree at the edge of the grove, didnt register. Same with the tree itself, and a minnow he saw swimming along the bank of the river, and a caterpir crawling up the trunk of one of the chear trees. Level Up! Seeing Okay. I must be doing something wrong. At least one of those should have registered. Hmmm Are they out of range? Edwin tapped his leg. That seemed particrly likely. The skill had said something about range increasing with level? He tried to re-summon the Identify skill description, but found he couldnt do so. One way to test. He grabbed a stick off the ground and walked over to where the caterpir was now crawling along a branch and maneuvered his stick to pick up the insect. Then, angling it in such a way that the butterfly was about a foot from his face, he tried again. Identify. Scintiting Butterfly Caterpir Okay, that worked. He held out his arm, extending it as far as it would go, so the bug was probably about two meters away from him, all told. Identify. No result. He pulled his arm closer and tried again. Still no result. He repeated the process a few times, until his arm was about half-extended, and the skill worked. Level Up! Identify It was a little over a meter? A bit more testing found that the range had indeed increased, though not by much, just a few centimeters probably. Hed need to figure out some kind of way to make consistent measurements. There was no way hed be able to figure out proper SI units from first principles, but he might be able to get close, if he was lucky. Maybe he could get a skill for it? With a range established, though, he could properly test things. Level Up! Identify Level Up! Nutrition Level Up! Identify An hourter, he had Identified a ton of insects and a few fish (and eaten more than a few chears), though he hadnt gotten close enough to any birds to target them. So far as he could tell, there werent any animals he could find that didnt have an Identify result. The one exception to that were some gnats that were swarming near the stream, though he couldnt tell if that was because they couldnt be targeted or if he personally just wasnt able to target an individual gnat because of his failure to focus on one in particr. The time hadnt beenpletely wasted though, not by any stretch of the imagination. Both because he had slightly satisfied his curiosity (though not to the extent he could make a final call on his hypothesis), and the notifications that had just appeared a few moments ago. Congrattions! For engaging in scientific research, you have unlocked the Researcher Path! You have unlocked the Research skill! ept Skill? Y/N How do you improve Research?...ept? Research Uncover forgotten truths, discern the unknowable, discover the new Learn new things easier Improved ability to make connections per level. I dont think that rifies anything. Does it help problem solving? Pattern recognition? Or is it like, I see how these things are connected? Is this useful for detectives? Students? Heh. Conspiracy theorists? And connections Does that apply to just mental connections, or does it help with stuff likeworking? Probably not that one, but still I need to have a word with whoever makes these descriptions. He still didnt know what the Paths did, exactly. Looking at them on his status just gave him an empty feeling, like they were supposed to fill up and do something. All of his Paths were equally empty, though. And how were they different from skills? All good questions that he really should answer, though with the time he spent- not wasted, spent; that was his story and he was sticking to it- analyzing Identify, he didnt have the time to spare at the moment. Stuffing a handful of chears into his pocket, Edwin set off on his continued exploration along the mountain river. It was mid-afternoon and a few milester before he came to the next point of real interest, strange trees and a few shallow spots in the river notwithstanding. Here, the river branch he was following, much smaller than the raging torrent he was used to, was a gentle stream flowing over a small drop, just some 10-15 feet tall. While Edwin wasnt about to go rock climbing- his arms were still shaking far too much for that, though it was probably more psychological than physical at this point- he didnt need to. There was a cave practically right next to it. Well, calling it a cave was perhaps a bit of a misnomer, in all honesty- in reality, arge, jagged boulder had fallen next to the small cliff at some point in such a way they formed a bit of a shelter. While the space wasnt terriblyrge, perhaps five feet across by ten feet deep, it was more than enough for Edwin to fit inside with some room to spare. The roof, if you could really call it that, had light seeping through, and there was a thickyer of moss- actual moss this time, it was even green! Edwin still checked it to be sure, though- coating one of the walls, but it looked like with a bit of work it would be a secure enough shelter from the weather and any more creatures that werent the size of a truck that might try to attack him. Its proximity to water just made it better. After a quick check to ensure it wasnt hiding any spiders, Edwin decided to settle in. Moving the smaller rocks inside was tough, but, with the exception of one stone that was mostly buried in the soil, doable. He piled the removed rocks up outside, and breaking off a particrly leafy branch from a nearby tree, managed to sweep/rake out a lot of the twigs that had umted inside. Level Up! Improvisation Huh. So did it also apply to just using objects for non-standard purposes? Would it pair with his throwing weapons skill so long as he was just using random clutter? Would it eventually get to the point where he would be better off using the wrong item for a job just to get the bonus? And how did it figure out if something was improvise-worthy? Anyway, he wanted to get this in a decent setup before nightfall. Yes, he had slept thest two nights just out on the open ground, but getting a half-decent bed situation for tonight would surely do wonders for his mood. Fortunately, there were enough dry leaves and very leafy branches around to make a nice semi-mattress, particrly whenbined with most of the moss previously on the wall of his new cave. The next step was trying to patch up the holes in the roof. That was mercifully simple, as he piled leaves and twigs everywhere he saw a gap, then covered them with some really nice, thick y/mud from the river, forming a decent seal where the two rocks met. Level Up! Visualization Level Up! Improvisation His immediate goals for the nightplete, Edwin rinsed his muddy hands off in the waterfall, bemoaning his inability to properly clean the dirt caked all over himself. Once clean-ish, he retrieved his saved chears from his jacket, hanging on a nearby branch. As the light started to fade, thest thing he set out to do was to grab a really big fallen branch and drag it so it acted as a bit of a door for his shelter. It never hurt to be sure, and his encounter with the Stonehide Bear had somewhat reinvigorated his fear of predators. It was a cold night for sleeping, especially without the bone-deep exhaustion of the night before, but after tossing and turning for a while, Edwin gave a mental tug on his Sleeping skill, which, while it didnt send him off to the Land of Nod immediately, certainly helped. Tomorrow, he promised himself, he was going to figure out how to get a fire started. Tomorrow. Level Up! Sleeping Chapter 6: Sparks Flying Chapter 6: Sparks Flying Edwins back was sore. While that might not have been all that noteworthy on its own, especially considering his sleeping conditions, it was the first time he had woken up any less than perfectly rested since he got the Sleeping skill. It probably wasnt helped by the fact his door had fallen on him in the middle of the night, jolting him awake and making him lie sleepless for a while, even using his skill not enough to pull him back into slumber. Guess its not high enough of a level yet, he mused, rubbing his lower back and stretching. Edwin surveyed his domain. A small waterfall, two giant rocks with mud caked into the gaps between them, a pile of stones, and a bunch of branches and leaves. It certainly wasnt much, but it was all he had at the moment. Todays tasks were rtively simple. Get a fire going, gather some more food, and maybe build up his shelter a bit. All of that would be really hard without any tools to speak of, but he believed in himself. There was a chunk of stone that was already somewhat knife-shaped to begin with, maybe he could knap it into a more usable form? Build himself up from the stone age. Level Up! Visualization His chosen rock in one hand and aplementary stone in his other, he sat down on a conveniently sized rock he mentally dubbed as his sitting stone and started hitting the rocks together. While knapping was a new experience for him, he felt a slight tug to ensure he hit them at a specific angle instead of head-on or just barely scraping them together. It was a bit odd, as it felt like muscle memory for something he had never learned, but he guessed that was a result of- Level Up! Improvisation -Improvisation. Yep. So did the skill lead him towards doing actions correctly or did it just magically improve the results? Both? Something else entirely? Where was this knowledgeing from? Level Up! Research Level Up! Survival His skills seemed happy, anyway. Was Research just Learning? It seemed like it, and if that were the case, it was absolutely amazing. Magically-enhanced learning capabilities! Would it help him level his other skills, or figure out what they did? Level Up! Improvisation About an hourter, Edwin had something which would... probably pass as a knife. It was pointy, and had a sharp edge, at least. It would probably break really quickly, but it was better than nothing. With a tool finally in hand, he could try to start his fire. There was lots of dry wood and leaves around to serve as kindling, and a bit of hunting turned up a sturdy, dry stick and some rough wood that would serve as excellent material for getting a spark. He tried cutting a few shavings of wood with his new de, but while it looked like a knife, it didnt act like one, and it snapped in half the moment he put too much pressure on it. He threw the pieces off to the side in frustration, burying his head in his hands. Then, he took a deep breath,posed himself, and settled for using what tinder he already had, grabbing his chosen stick and spinning it. Half an hourter, Edwin was bored and his hands were sore. He knew this wouldnt be easy, that it would take a while, and that it would be boring. But having not actually done it before personally he wasnt prepared for just how tedious making the point of a stick spin on a single spot would be. It was starting to heat up, at least, so he knew he was doing something right, but it was still just so boring. An hour after that, there was no improvement and he figured he was doing something wrong. In frustration, he snapped the stick he was spinning and tossed it to the ground. It clearly wasnt working and if he went too much longer, he could feel blisters forming on his palms. He sat with his head in his hands for a few minutes before just starting to look around. It was a bit of a long shot, but maybe he could find some flint around here? It took him a while, but eventually Edwins gaze fell on his broken knife. He wasnt sure if it really was flint, but he didnt have any better options. It did look vaguely flint-like from what he remembered of the mineral, and a bit of striking its two halves together yielded a few sparks, so it probably was flint? He gathered up a few wood shavings and some dry needles and grass, piled them on some dead leaves, and started sparking the pieces together. It still took a few minutes, but Edwin nearly jumped as a set of notifications broke him out of his distracted, aimless musings. Level Up! Survival Level Up! Improvisation You have unlocked the Firestarting skill! ept Skill? Y/N The thought of getting something, anything really, to help him not have to go through that entire process again (notwithstanding how much easier using flint made things) brought him to instinctively ept the skill, before rushing to grab the dry kindling he had nearby and feeding it to the tiny spark before him. About a minuteter, he had enough of a steady fire going, fed by twigs and dried leaves, to take a moment to nce at his notifications. Level Up! Firestarting Firestarting Light that fire inside of you! Er, outside of you Make fire Increased ease per level. At this point, Edwin felt fairly confident in the skills ambiguity to figure it would only make setting fires easier. His hope, however, was that it only made things he wanted to burn more mmable. With even just a bit of luck, he didnt make everything nearby ready to burst into mes with so much as a spark. Well, at least he had made a bit of a firepit, lining a small area with the rocks he had removed from his cave, so it shouldnt burn down the forest or anything. He did have to wonder, though, if it made him more fireproof. Probably not, but was there a fire resistance skill? Fire Resistance was amon enough fantasy and game-type effect that it probably had a corresponding skill here. Maybe he could unlock it? Firestarting did not, it seemed, improve his resistance to fire. Even just a second with his hand in the mes hurt, and his brain refused to let him keep bare skin exposed in his tiny campfire any longer than that. And with no corresponding skill, it was probably safe to assume he wouldnt unlock Fire Resistance in this manner. though assumptions were always dangerous. and he was hardly safe at the moment, he needed to take risks if he wanted to survive. . Twenty minutester, Edwin felt somewhat more certain this wasnt the way to unlock Fire Resistance. His hand, currently soaking in the frigid mountain stream, agreed that he should probably stop sticking his extremities into mes. With a sigh, he stood up and inspected his fingers. The skin was still a little red, and what little hair had once been on his wrist had burned off, but it seemed otherwise rtively unscathed. It was almost noon now, and Edwin was getting hungry. He fed the fire in front of his cave some more sticks, then piled on a fewrger branches which should keep it going until he got back. Level Up! Walking Level Up! Survival Level Up! Nutrition Level Up! Improvisation Walking was absolutely getting easier, as this trek to and from his chear grove showed, and while it was still hard to tell if that was just a result of Edwin getting in shape or his Walking skill leveling up, given hisck of adequate nutrition and missing the sore muscles which usually apanied him bing more active, he was fairly certain it was thetter. It was a bit of a surprising realization. Sure, there were magical floating text boxes and bears the size of a truck, but it was another thing to realize that he, personally, legitimately had magical advancement powers that were invisibly helping him survive. It made him wonder what other aspects of this System he was missing out on. He didnt really regret prioritizing figuring out mundane survival needs over grinding out skills. The former was a known quantity, whereas thetter was much more mysterious and newer. Really, he didnt know enough about the System to know how to take advantage of it, all told. For all he knew, he could be totally screwing himself over in some unknown manner. Why couldnt it havee with a tutorial or better descriptions or at least better numbers? He mentally resolved he was going to beat that improved uracy in his Status until it gave him actual, wonderfully concrete numbers. The vague impressions he got about the level of his skills rtive to his other skills, while useful, werent raw mathematical digits. He might also be able to figure out what was up with Paths! He still got a simr feeling when looking at them as when he was looking at his lower-leveled skills, and maybe if he got numbers, he would be able to figure out what exactly they needed to advance. He had a sneaking suspicion it was rted to his ck of) ss and was rather keen on filling out his missing knowledge on that aspect of this world. Would it unlock new skills? Let him use magic? Do something with the conspicuously empty Attributes? So many possibilities! Edwin was rudely jolted out of his daydreaming when he hit his head on a low branch he had missed, and as part of his flinch, bit down hard on the chear he was in the process of eating, catching his finger in the process. Gah! Edwin winced with the pain, and going to rub his head managed to scrape his recently-injured finger on the same branch his head had just smacked into. He sighed, And I had managed to go so long without walking into anything, too. I suppose it would have been too much to hope for that Seeing and Walking both would somehow prevent me from not noticing stuff like that. Carefully ducking under the offending branch, Edwin continued rubbing the sore spot on his head with what he realized toote was a juice-covered hand. I was on such a roll, too. Getting a fire going, finding water and food and killing that bear he bemoaned to himself, Note to self: magically improved senses still dont protect against general obliviousness. Now, snap out of it before something actually dangerouses around. The rest of the journey back was fortunately uneventful, and he managed to keep enough awareness of his surroundings as to avoid running into or tripping over anything. Once he arrived back at his little shelter, hey his harvested fruits to the side- he had repurposed his jacket into a makeshift bag and picked as many chears as he could easily reach, which ended up being quite a decent number- and tended to the fire. It hadntpletely gone out while he was gone, which was nice, though it did take a bit of tending to and a few handfuls of drytles before it returned to open mes. Level Up! Firestarting His survival-rted tasks finallyplete, Edwin copsed onto his sitting stone, reveling in the sensation of allowing his increasingly sore legs some measure of relief. Pity this rock was so ufortable. Hmm. Nah, he was going toy down. That would feel amazing. His bed did not, in fact, feel amazing, but it was certainly better than a slightly moss-covered boulder, especially after removing a few of the more ufortable branches in it. Status. Once he had his status up, Edwin started ying around with it. First, he tried re-organizing the categories themselves. Changing what order they appeared in was fairly trivial, and splitting up the notification wasnt much harder, either, giving him more of a HUD-like disy of his status. Granted, he didnt have any need to do so, and was impractical besides, but it was fun nheless. But he was getting distracted. Unsurprisingly, him simply requesting numbers appear on his status didnt work. So, it was time to get inventive. It was fairly simple for him to organize his Skills into being ordered in order of strength with just a twist of mental will. Where to go from there was a bit trickier, though. He was fairly certain that his Firestarting was only level 3- it had only leveled twice since he had unlocked it, after all- and he was able to tag it as that level with only a bit of effort. Level Up! Status Oh! Perfect timing. With both the notification up as well as his status, Edwinpared the strength of his Status with Firestarting- the former being exactly 5 times stronger than his level 3 skill, and with that knowledge in mind, he concentrated on the level-up message until it cooperated. Level Up! Status Level 16 Level Up! Status Level 15 Excellent! Now he could see exactly what level his skills grew to on level up. Hmm. Maybe some way tobine them? Level Up! Visualization Level 1011 Level Up! Status Level 1417 Apparently this was also good for his Visualization skill. Interesting. It did provide a convenient opportunity for him to try andbine multiple different skill notifications into the same message, though. Hmm. A bit of tinkeringter, he finally had something he was happy with. It was surprisingly hard to keep his previous changes intact while alsobining different skill notifications into a single message, but he eventually managed. Level Up! Status Level 1419 Visualization Level 1012 Excellent. Edwin dismissed the level-ups and with a twist of will he was pretty sure worked, made it so he could call it up as a separate entity from his status, and disable notificationspletely if he wanted. Now, to test it Notifications Level Up! Status Level 1920 Yess! It worked! Edwin raised his hands in triumph, identally dismissing the notification in the process. Eh, no matter. Hed aplished his goal, and now it was time to turn to the rest of his skills. He cracked his knuckles in preparation for another round with the interface. In the end, it was surprisingly anticlimactic. All it took was him mentally trying to figure out how to apply numbers to the skills on his status page, and it did so automatically. Apparently leveling really did make customizing things easier. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 Race Extranar Human ss None Attributes None Skills Status: 20 Athletics: 13 Visualization: 12 Improvisation: 10 Walking: 9 Basic Mana Sense: 8 Flexibility: 8 Seeing: 7 Identify: 6 Breathing: 5 Survival: 5 Nutrition: 3 Firestarting: 3 Sleeping: 4 Throwing Weapons: 3 Research: 2 Paths Athlete CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli Daredevil Explorer Linguist Lumberjack Micro-Biomancer Path Less Traveled Physical Alchemist Realm Traveler Researcher Stonehide Vanquisher Survivor Titan yer Trapper Way of the Empty Hand World Traveler Edwins status was looking pretty impressive, if he could say so himself. Well, it was probably impressive. ''Realm Traveler'' and ''Stonehide Vanquisher'' were almost certainly notmon. But okay. Now that he knew how much easier it was to customize, he directed his status- though not his notification settings, he didnt want to mess with that again at the moment- to reset, and his skills lost their numbers and went back to alphabetical order and his age returned to Very Young. Interestingly, his name and race stayed in their altered forms instead of going back to just Edwin and Human?, which implied the System had updated his ssification there. It also confirmed his suspicion that his altered age was indeed just cosmetic. Annoying, but manageable. He mentally directed his entire status to disy itself in numbers, and while there were some very interesting things happening down below with his Paths, he figured he should take care of his Age first. That should be pretty quick, and then hed let himself dive into exploring new information regarding his Paths. Age 223 days 22, 3 days 22 years, 3 days 22+MOD(3 days,365 days) years 22 years Eventually, after a few iterations, he managed to get his age to disy 22 years, plus his System age divided by 365. Assuming it didnt change the formatting of his age once he was here for a week or whatever, it should automatically update his age on the anniversary of his arrival on Joriah every year The sudden thought about him possibly being in this new world for a year, away from everyone he had ever known, literally worlds away from his friends and family, hit him at once. He had been very carefully not thinking about that, because he needed to survive first and foremost. Once he was actually secure in his safety, he could think about the ramifications of his existence here. People had to be missing him, after all. He might have not had more than a couple friends, but he had vanished with literally no exnation, no warning, nothing. It was Edwin interrupted himself before he could break down. No. Pitying himself wouldnt get himself anywhere. Given the messages he had gotten when he first woke up, he came from a world allegedly utterly unknown by whatever entities ran the System, and who were presumably quite powerful and knowledgeable. Odds were good there was no way back to Earth, and he may as well ept that. This was a whole new world besides! There was magic, too! He could do science here! It was amazing! There were almost certainly other people here as well, he could find them and befriend them as well. All he needed was to survive, and to do that meant he needed to focus and not let his emotions control him. He had practiced this, and with a deep breath he blinked away any lingering wetness around his eyes. Okay. Where was he? Right. Modulo. The status was pretty simr to aputer program, and once he figured out how to more-or-less hijack the code. It wasnt quite like what he knew of SQL injection, but it felt like a simr idea. He didnt have too much experience with programming, but this didnt seem to be tooplicated. It might also be totally broken, who knows? Hed find out in a year. Checking his notifications, Edwin noticed he had gotten to level 21 in his Status and earned a level in Breathing, of all things. Where had thate from? Anyway. His Paths were very interesting. Paths Skill Points: 122 Athlete 0/60 CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli 0/120 Daredevil 0/60 Explorer 0/60 Linguist 0/60 Lumberjack 0/60 Micro-Biomancer 0/90 Path Less Traveled 0/90 Physical Alchemist 0/90 Realm Traveler 0/120 Researcher 0/60 Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60 Survivor 0/60 Titan yer 0/90 Trapper 0/60 Way of the Empty Hand 0/60 World Traveler 0/60 Skill points Were those from his Skills? A bit of additionter, he determined that he had exactly 122 total skill levels, which probably corrted to his Skill Points? He felt a bit of a tug, seemingly directing him to advance along a Path. After a moment of consideration, he focused on his CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli Path. Would Survivor perhaps make more sense, if he was trying to sustain himself in the wilderness? Probably. However, he also knew that when it came to surviving in a fantasy wilderness, hed need all the help he could get, and if there was to be any sort of gift from the creators of the System, it would probably be in the closest thing to a direct message he had gotten from them. Level Up! Status level 21 22 Oh right, he still had notifications on. He considered toggling them, but figured that for the moment he liked knowing what made him level up. More satisfying that way. Maybe if they got too annoying, hed fix it, but that was future-Edwins problem, not his. Anyway, when he increased his Path, he noticed his skill points had flickered to 121 for a split second before the Status level had registered. So did he increase his progress along a Path by assigning skill points to them? It seemed like it, but there was only one way to really be sure. Paths Skill Points: 122 CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli 1/120 Well, no time like the present. While it may not have been the best decision, he had enough and made up his mind, and dumped the rest of his points into the Path all at once. His System exploded with notifications. Chapter 7: Firmly Outside Normal Chapter 7: Firmly Outside Normal Level Up! Research 23 Congrattions! For having your first ss be a unique ss, you have unlocked the Pioneer path! Congrattions! For gaining your first ss, you have unlocked the Outsider path! You may evolve your Status skill into the Outsiders Almanac skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Done! Calcting Rewards ss Change! None Outsider You havepleted the CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli path! You have made your way to an unfamiliar world. Ahead of youy possibilities beyond imagining. Your unique perspective will be your greatest tool and greatest hindrance. Taking this Path first has opened many new destinations for you yet closed away many you would otherwise be able to reach. Congrattions! For spending 120 Skill Points, you have unlocked the Trainee path! Congrattions! For spending 60 Skill Points, you have unlocked the Beginner path! Congrattions! For spending 12 Skill Points, you have unlocked the Novice path! Edwin stared nkly at the wall of text. It was the most notifications he had ever gotten at a single time. Well, so long as he wasnt counting the pile of error messages he got when he woke up that first day, or when he beat the truck-sized Stonehide bear. Okay, maybe it wasnt the most notifications he had ever gotten, but it was still a lot for a seemingly simple action. It did seem as though his assessment for how to get a ss was correct, as well as the purpose of Skill Points. He got a total of five new Paths forpleting one, though it didnt look like that would happen every time. It was also interesting that the System seemed to be base 12. He had somewhat expected as much, what with his Paths being 60, 90, or 120 skill points across the board, but it was nice to have it mostly confirmed. Did it just trante to base 10 because those were the numbers he was used to? Ewin was confused as to why there were apparently achievements for spending 12 and 60 skill points, when they would both bepleted simply by the first Path one would take, but ncing at them on his Status showed they only needed twelve and thirty Skill Points, respectively, toplete. Were most Paths cheaper than what he had? It does kind of make sense. If people have the System from birth, theyd probably get a lot more mundane aplishments which I skipped by falling into the middle of the wilderness. I also got a lot of Paths, but maybe I didnt qualify for the cheaper ones, for whatever reason? I dont know. Still, he had an immediate choice to make, and an eminently obvious answer to the question. Outsiders Almanac Be the guy who wrote the book Record information regarding what you encounter Increased limit per level. And were back to super-cryptic skills. Cool. Edwin called his Status back up, but didnt see any obvious changes to it, beyond a section at the bottom with his Completed Paths. Well, the skill said he could make record information about what he encountered. So, he looked at his hand. Outsiders Almanac, he thought at the appendage, simr to him trying to Identify it or call up his Status. There was no immediately obvious change, but he got a vague sense that his skill was asking for an input of some sort? What? Edwin looked away, and then re-activated the skill on his hand. Oddly, there was no response beyond the same mental prompt as before, but this time he also felt a sensation as though the input would rece something. Weird. Um. ...Identify? Outsider What? Wait, what? Did he Identify as an Outsider now? What was going on? He tried using the Almanac again, but this time, when the skill asked him for an input, he mentally provided, Testing Identify Outsider Testing Oh cool! He could leave notes for future-Edwin that would show up with Identify. Increased limit per level, though, did that mean he could only leave a limited number of notes, or that his notes were limited in size? He sat up in his bed and grabbed a nearby stick. Outsiders Almanac. TestTestTest- the note was cut off suddenly, a distinct note of being full permeating the feedback. Level Up! Outsiders Almanac 12 He quickly Identified the stick TestTestTest Okay, twelve characters at level 1. Lets try this again? Outsiders Almanac. TestTestTestT-. A quick check with Identify showed that there was an additional character on the message, as his limit now seemed to be 13 characters. Applying a new message, apanied by another check showed that it did change when he re-used the Almanac, but the limit hadnt increased. Grabbing another stick, he Identified it, only to see the same message again. So it ties the message to the stick in general? Hmm. What if I try to focus it on that branch specifically, instead of the branch as a concept? A bit more experimentation showed that Edwin could indeed make the different sticks have separate messages, but doing so overrode the default note. So he could have a message pertaining to all branches, but if he set a message on a specific branch, that note wouldnt show up for other branches, but at the same time it wouldnt show his generic branch message. Level Up! Outsiders Almanac 23 His character limit didnt increase with this level, though he did discover that he could tag different parts of an object as separate from the whole. He could make each of his fingers have differentbels, and they would show up if he Identified them, but it wouldnt interfere with a message he had for his entire hand. Level Up! Outsiders Almanac 35 Identify 67 Those levels increased his character limit all the way to 15, and Edwin discovered that while he could even give his individual finger segments their own note, he couldnt subdivide below that. Was it because he couldnt really conceptualize a discrete object for his skill to work on? He did have trouble Identifying a single gnat in a swarm, so it seemed like a workable hypothesis for the time being. Even with those restrictions, though, Edwin was ecstatic with his new Skill. He would never have to memorize something ever again! He could just make a note about it and refer to itter. Like writing on the back of your hand- he rubbed his arm guiltily- only with magic! That made it infinitely better. Time to experiment! Level Up! Outsiders Almanac 56 Hmm What was the form which determined how many characters he could use? This was the first chance he had to peel back the literal mathematics of the universe, and hed be a poor excuse of a physicist if hed let this pass him by. Since he had 16 characters at level 6, then that meant... Hmm. He had 12 at level 1, 13 at levels 2 and 3, then increasing by one for levels 4-6. Maybe it was an increase of .7 characters per level? Hed need more data to be sure, and thats just if it were linear Level Up! Research 34 You have unlocked the Mathematics skill! ept skill? Y/N He must have been close to unlocking Mathematics, if he only got it thinking about a linear progression and not when he was trying to add the modulus of the days hes spent on Joriah or anything like that. Still, he would dly get magical assistance. He probably wasnt getting back to his calctor any time soon, after all and nope. Not thinking about that. Darn it. He was doing such a good job of not thinking about Earth until recently. Being in constant danger probably helped with that, admittedly. Still, he wasnt getting sidetracked yet. Uhhh ept skill! Mathematics Useful when counting sheep though not like that Learn advanced calctions Improved numerical sense per level. Even though he really should have expected it at this point, it was still disappointing to get yet another skill with such a vague description. Then again, this one might actually be worthwhile, Edwin thought as he got up to tend to his fire and warm himself by it. Numerical sense might mean I get better at making estimations, can mentally handlerger and smaller numbers, or can keep track of extra digits beyond What was the human average again? Seven? It might be very useful. Sadly, his new skill brought no sudden insights as to the scaling for his Almanac, but that was fine. He could figure it out himself eventually. That said, he disabled his level-up notifications and started applying notes to everything. The range for which he could apply his Almanac messages seemed to be linked to his Identify distance, interestingly, which also enabled him to sense that skill leveling as he could target things further and further away. The general guideline for what he could or could not mark with his skill seemed to be directly tied to what he could conceptualize as a single object, so not half of a stick or the atmosphere. There were a few exceptions to this, however. He couldnt, for instance, leave a mark on the as a whole- doing so ovepped with him making a note for the mountain he was on- though that may have simply been due to him not being able to properly conceptualize the difference between the two. On the other side, he wasnt able to make a distinct note on arbitrary groups of objects, either. He could make a note for a specific leaf, or a type of leaf, or leaves in general, but he couldnt do so for two specific leaves next to each other, or two leaves in general. That then scaled back around, though, as he could make a pile of rocks have their own note, and disassembling the pile and building up a new pile, with some rocks exchanged, still returned the same marker. He could also put different generic messages for rocks instead of boulders. Perhaps most interestingly, though, was he was able to focus on the material something was made of instead of the object itself. It followed the same rules for generic/specific as objects, but he was indeed able to make different tags for wood, not-maple, and not-cedar, and analyzing branches from the corresponding trees let him see either the message for a branch or the the message for their wood, depending on what he focused on. He couldnt make a message for not-cedar branches, though. It was either all not-cedar or all branches. In this way, he was able to discover that the cliff and the giant boulder which made up his cave were different kinds of stone, though his geology wasnt good enough to determine what those types of stone were, and the misceneous rocks scattered around were mostly the same kind as the cliff, a few which matched the boulder, and a handful, including his broken knife, which came from neither. As it turned out, Edwin was also able to mark smoke and fire, though only if the former was visible, but not a distinct cup of water (held in a concave rock), nor could he make separate notes for fire resulting from different types of wood being burned or different colors of mes. He could make a specific note for his campfire, though, and removing a burning stick showed he could mark that, though the mark vanished when he returned it to the greater campfire, and if he left it in long enough that the stick burned up, the note burned up as well. Overall, a very productive day in his estimation. Sure, he hadnt found any other sources of food for when he inevitably ran out of chears, nor explored any to try and find a way out of the forest, or really did anything other than sit around and y with notifications. But it was a productive day of ying with notifications. He had so many skill levels now! Level Up! Outsiders Almanac 621 Identify 712 Visualization 1215 Research 47 Okay, so he may have gone a little overboard, and brought his Almanac back to being his highest-level skill, but he needed those levels if he was toplete more Paths, which would give him more rewards, probably skill upgrades, which could be very useful in surviving. Besides, who knows when it might be useful to have- he checked his current maximum- a character limit of 35 letters for his Almanac notes? That could save his life. You never knew. Anything was possible. Perhaps more seriously, though, he should consider what Path he wanted to fill out in the future. While he couldplete something like Novice or Beginner right away, what with his 39 Skill Points, he felt it might be better to use them on a longer Path, which would probably give better rewards, going purely on gut feeling. That would logically mean he should go for Realm Traveler, but was that too much to spend on a single path for right now? Hmm. He pulled up his Paths. Paths Skill Points: 39 Athlete 0/60 Beginner 0/30 Daredevil 0/60 Explorer 0/60 Linguist 0/60 Lumberjack 0/60 Micro-Biomancer 0/90 Novice 0/12 Outsider 0/60 Path Less Traveled 0/90 Physical Alchemist 0/90 Pioneer 0/60 Realm Traveler 0/120 Researcher 0/60 Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60 Survivor 0/60 Titan yer 0/90 Trainee 0/60 Trapper 0/60 Way of the Empty Hand 0/60 World Traveler 0/60 Athlete, Daredevil, Linguist, Pioneer, Researcher, Way of the Empty Hand, and World Traveler all sounded cool, and were 60 points, but he wasnt sure how well they might help him out now. Explorer, Lumberjack, Outsider, Stonehide Vanquisher, Survivor, and Trapper might help him now, but he also didnt want to specialize himself into surviving in the wilderness too much, which his ss changing as a result of his Pathpleting seemed to indicate. Though that concern only really applied to Lumberjack and maybe Survivor, the others sounded cool enough that he might want them eventually. Titan yer sounded super metal, Path Less Traveled was in a simr vein to his CharLim-whatever Path, and he absolutely wanted Physical Alchemist and Micro-Biomancer, but they were all 90 points, which seemed like a lot. He also wasnt doing Trainee. It was too generic inparison to his other options. With a bit of focus, he rearranged his Paths so theyd be easier to parse Paths Skill Points: 39 Very Much Yes- Eventually Physical Alchemist 0/90, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120 Promising Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Outsider 0/60 Maybe One Day Survivor 0/60, Linguist 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Pioneer 0/60 Meh Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60 No Beginner 0/30, Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60 He categorically dismissed the no Paths from considereation, not wanting to waste mental space debating them, but that still left him with more than a few options. After mulling it over for a while, he decided that while hed figure it out for sure in the morning at least, he was leaning towards the Explorer path- hopefully it could get him out of this mess. After loading up his campfire with the biggest piece of deadwood he could find, to hopefully give him something to work with in the morning, he retired for the evening. Hopefully it wont rain, that would be annoying. Does feel a bit like it might being, though, Edwin mused as he shifted in his bed, then berated himself for even thinking something that might tempt fate. Fortunately, though, the real world didnt work like that. As he fell asleep, he almost believed it, too. Level Up! Sleeping 45 Chapter 8: A Stormy Disposition Chapter 8: A Stormy Disposition A crash of thunder jolted Edwin awake. After a few confused moments spent drowsily trying to recall where he was and what was going on, he mentally groaned, Darn it. I knew I jinxed it. Things were just going too smoothly for me, werent they? Peeking outside his shelter, Edwin got just a moment of warning from the pitter-patter of endless raindrops falling upon the canopy above before the heavens opened and an absolute downpour of rain started, the downpour extinguishing what few embers were left of his campfire, making Edwin groan. Hed never get it started again now. While he vaguely wished that he could have had the fire inside his little cave, there simply wasnt even enough room to stockpile more than a few pieces of dry wood, let alone enough space for open me- to say nothing of the inherent mmability of his bed. Still, there was nothing he could really do about it now. Just hunker down and hope it blew over by the morn- Level Up! Basic Mana Sense 811 Edwins entire body lit up with the crackling, static-y feeling hede to associate with magic, the most hed ever felt. Touching the rock above him, he jolted back after barely brushing it- his boulder was positively brimming with magic in a way reminiscent of touching a live wire. It wasnt quite as strong as that, though, but it was still at the point where it was almost painful to touch. He rushed out from under his cover, trying to get as far away from whatever was making it so hyper-charged, figuring that he could deal with a bit of rain better than magical rocks. He got out just in time, as the entire boulder was wrenched suddenly from the ground it was so firmly embedded in and flew into the air, leaving a gaping hole where it once was. It crashed into the canopy with such speed that the enormous branches it broke off from the trees above didnt fall to the ground, but were instead carried along with the massive projectile into the sky. Congrattions! For reaching level 12 in Basic Mana Sense, you have unlocked the Mage path! Level Up! Basic Mana Sense 1114 Ooh, a Mage path. Screw Explorer, he was getting magic when he got up to 60 skill points. Far above him, Edwin could just barely make out his former shelter as it joined a handful of simrly-sized boulders orbiting a seemingly empty point. Then lightning shed, and straining his eyes as much as he could, he was able to just barely make out a tiny ck dot in the center of the circling stones. Level Up! Seeing 89 Was that a person? If so, that was both a terrifying prospect, that someone could have that much power but also thrilling, because he absolutely wanted magic now. Both to maybe wield that kind of power himself one day, and also just because it was magic, and what sort of self-respecting scientist didnt want to break stuff like gravity over their knee? Oh, something was happening again. He moved to get a better view of what was happening, barely feeling the rain pounding down on and all around him as he focused on the mage. The boulders spun up, faster and faster, blurring together until he could barely distinguish them from one another- Level Up! Seeing 910 Okay, that was getting annoying. Disabling automatic notifications for the moment -and one of the rocks flew forward at a devastating speed, only to be struck intercepted by bolt of lightning, shattering the boulder and lighting up the sky. Now that he had a clear idea of where to look, he could just barely make out another speck far up in the sky. Was that another person? Edwin lost track of the second person as the dot darted away, and the sky lit up with lightning. The vast majority of the bolts struck the orbiting shield of rocks, shattering several of boulders, but a lot of the lightning cascaded all the way to the ground. For the briefest of moments, the entire mountain lit up from the brilliance of dozens of simultaneous lightning strikes, then it went dark and the thunder struck. Even through covered ears, Edwin still felt as though his eardrums were going to burst, a pressure wave rolling over him as he decided that perhaps watching two insanely powerful mages sh in the skies above wasnt the best idea, and he took off running at top speed. It seemed as though he wasnt the only thing with such an inclination, as he saw several other creatures- the first of any appreciable size he had seen so far- burst from the surroundings and join in a massive wave of terrified animals. Behind him, he heard more peals of thunder, almost omnidirectionally reverberating through the woods, and he redoubled his sprint to get literally anywhere else. Hed never find where his cave was again, but that hardly mattered now. Every once in a while, hed feel the buzz from his mana sense, usually followed by a chunk of terrain being ripped from the ground nearby or a bolt of lightning striking too close forfort. He diverted around a stream too wide to jump over, an assessment the deer-things he was running alongside clearly disagreed with, cleanly outpacing him and bounding into the air, soaring what must have been twenty feet off the ground and twice as far horizontally only tond effortlessly and continue their prance on the far side of the river, vanishing into the bushes and taking any possible lingering doubts Edwin had about animals having Skills alongside them. There was no way that sort of thing was possible under normal biology and physics. Sadly, Edwin was still limited by such things, at least for the time being, and so had to resort to running parallel to the riverbank, doing his best to keep his feet from getting stuck in the mud. He pretty much seeded, and even when he chanced a nce behind him- another massive bolt of lightning forked across the sky as he did so- he managed to not trip. He wasnt sure whether to be proud of that fact or ashamed about him potentially feeling proud of it, but it was proven moot either way a momentter when the ground shook beneath him and knocked Edwin from his feet into a solid facent in the mud. A series of further crashes kept him from regaining his footing at first, but he managed to adapt to the series of minor earthquakes before too long. Edwin, fueled by desperation and a non-insignificant amount of adrenaline, kept running until he saw sunlight. The river at that point had shrunk to the size of a small brook, but it was bursting its banks with water. It was well past daybreak- the sun had clearly already risen well past the horizon, but it took far longer for the clouds finally to finally enough to let a few haggard rays of weak, watery sunshine through. Considering it had been at least a minute since any tremors or peals of thunder hadst reverberated through thendscape, it seemed the battle had finally stopped. Exhausted, Edwin turned around and let himself look at the scene below. It looked like a hurricane had passed through- which, he supposed, it sort of had. nts were ttened, sections of the forest were covered in uprooted and splintered trees, and there were even a few boulders lying here and there which he could spot if he looked closely. Now that Edwin had more than the asional fleeting second to take in his surroundings, he could see far more clearly the mountain he found himself upon. There werent as many trees up here, instead favoring hardy-looking grasses and a few scraggly bushes, and the air was noticeably chilly inparison to the forest. He wouldnt be able to stay up here for long, though the more open ground meant he might have more luck spotting proper civilization. While he sat down to recover his breath, Edwin triggered his notifications, letting the numbers wash over him. Level Up! Seeing 1011 Walking 914 Athletics 1316 Basic Mana Sense 1415 That brought Edwin to 58 Skill Points, presumably just two shy of getting magic of his own. He couldnt wait. It still left him with the question of where to go now, though. Really, he was back to more or less square one. His chear grove was most likely destroyed, or at least unfindable again, so he needed to find more food. His cave, after all that work put into it, was absolutely gone, destroyed before his very eyes, and he needed a new ce to shelter. Not really seeing any other options, Edwin set off on a path towards the sun. There didnt seem to be any mountains that way, and going in a cardinal direction should hopefully help him avoid going in circles. The view really was spectacr from up here. Looking down the mountain, Edwin could see an entire tapestry of greensid out before him. Granted, a lot of that was torn up at the moment, but from up here, he could more clearly see endless ins stretching to the north, with a few white dots that might have been cities but were just as likely to bekes or even just a trick of the light. It really was chilly up here, but walking at least kept Edwin warm enough. Overhead, a few flocks of birds swooped across the sky. To the south, some magnificently snow-capped peaks loomed high above him, almost seeming to stretch to the sky. Level Up! Walking 1415 One more skill-up to go. It was getting harder to level up his skills, though he was still making a little bit of progress, he could tell. Finally, he got what he was waiting for. Level Up! Breathing 78 Bit of an odd one, though Edwin supposed it had been quite a while since it had leveled. He eagerly opened his status and dumped all his skill points into the Mage path. Mana level set to... 1 You have unlocked a new Attribute! Mana Done! Calcting Rewards ss Change! Outsider Outsider Novice You havepleted the Mage path! You have witnessed greatness and aspire to reach it. You may be weak, lost, and confused, but your potential is beyond the peaks of the highest mountains. Your power, weak as it may be for the moment, has been awakened, and the possibilities before you are endless. For the first time, Edwin actually felt the change as it happened, his body beginning to tingle with magic from the moment the final notification came through. While the sensation spread out mostly evenly across most of his body, it was most pronounced in the space between his corbones, so much so that Edwin looked down and prodded the skin there just to make sure it wasnt glowing or had otherwise visibly changed. Though there were no ostensibly obvious changes, he felt a bit of manae away attached to his fingertips, clinging to it like a film which quickly faded away. A few more tries yielded the same result, with no obvious effect beyond setting his Mana Sense off. Still though, magic! It was like the message said, he had the world at his fingertips- literally. Level Up! Basic Mana Sense 1516 This is awesome, Edwin couldnt help but think, disabling level-up notifications for the time being, Im magical. Sure, I suppose the System is basically magic, regardless of what my mana sense manareception? Arcanoception? Something like that, anyway. Regardless of what my mana sense may say, the System is magical, but it still feels different from this. So magic! Youre a wizard, Edwin. Even as he continued his walking, and the sun started passing into thete afternoon, Edwin kept trying to y with his brand-new magic. Sadly, none of the standard fantasy tropes for mastering magic that he knew about were helping. It didnt pulse with his breath, didnt crackle to the touch, didnt respond to gestures and words, picking up a stick and waving it like a wand didnt do anything except make Edwin feel silly, and visualizing a fire in his chest made no difference either. It was probably like wiggling your ears, namely, really hard to find the right muscle group to move them, but trivial to pull on once you had found it. At least, he hoped so. Magic would probably be hard enough to learn without needing some special dance or taking an hour to get his mana flowing each time. The speed at which the two fighters had been throwing attacks out earlier in the day had suggested it would be quick once Edwin was good at magic, but the scale at which they did so also suggested they were very, very good at it. Maybe novice magicians needed a half hour to light a candle or whatever. But okay, magic. Even though Basic Mana sense had limated to Edwin being saturated with the stuff, so it thankfully no longer felt like he was being poked by thousands of pins and needles across his entire body, he could still sense it radiating from his torso through his limbs. He tried visualizing it as a miniature sun, throwing off magic in the form of light. During one break from walking, he tried sitting and meditating for a while, breathing carefully and trying to feel every part of his body. Granted, he had never done proper meditation before, but, as sore as Edwin may have been, he was able to sit in the lotus position, so it was basically the same, right? Nothing worked. He even tried calling on his magic in much the same way he had unlocked Identify and Status, or how he used his Almanac, but no amount of thinking magic really hard made it work. Why couldnt this stupid system havee with a user manual? Edwin mentally bemoaned, even as he started the process of looking around for a shelter to spend the night in. It wasnt quite dark, but the iplete night of sleep meant he was quite tired already nheless. Eventually, he settled down under a tiny outcropping of rock, sheltered from the winds, but shivering nheless. There were a few small trees nearby, and after some time working on them with his knife, he had a small pile of twigs that were probably dry enough to light. Unfortunately, he was having about as much luck getting a spark as the first time hed rubbed two sticks together. If only I had my magic working. All Id need to do then would be to just snap my fingers, and boom. Instant campfire. Even easier with my Firestarting skill. Edwin sat back on his haunches, could it be that easy? He wondered. Holding his hand out over the stack of sticks, he snapped his fingers, using his skill in a way he hadnt tried before. Instead of just epting whatever passive benefit it might provide, he tried triggering it manually, focusing its effects into a single moment of time. Firestarting. No response. Undeterred, he coated his fingers with mana and tried again. Firestarting. This time, there was a brief sh of blue between his fingers, and sparks rained down on his tinder like embers, setting it aze. Congrattions! For integrating mana into a skill, you have unlocked the Skilled Arcanist path! You have unlocked the Basic Mana Maniption skill! ept Skill? Y/N Heck yes. Basic Mana Maniption Lightning! Fireballs! Teleportation! Eh, maybe one day Manipte your personal mana Increased capacity per level. With a contented sigh, Edwin allowed himself to rx, using a moss-covered rock- it was actually a rock, he confirmed with a quick Identify- as a pillow as he let his notificationse in. Level Up! Firestarting 36 Survival 56 Basic Mana Sense 1620 Research 710 Walking 1516 Breathing 89 Edwin smiled as he drifted off to sleep, but knew better than to tempt fate by so much as thinking anything positive. Darn it, that was probably too much already, wasnt it? Yeah, he was totally screwed. Hopefully it didnt nope, not finishing that thought. Level Up! Sleeping 56 Chapter 9: A Chilly Reception Chapter 9: A Chilly Reception Edwin woke up shivering. At some point overnight, it seemed that the cloud cover had returned and,bined with his higher elevation, what would have been a light drizzle was instead a dusting of snow. As he yawned himself awake, he watched his breath steam in the frigid air, being caught by faint eddies and carried away. He blew on his hands, rubbing them together in an effort to restore feeling to his fingers. After briefly trying and failing to breathe fire- because why wouldnt he?- he rubbed his hands together while calling faintly on his magic. Firestarting Level Up! Firestarting 67 Basic Mana Maniption 12 As he had expected and hoped, calling on his mana was far easier to do once he had the skill. And if his skills were this much more effective with what meager amounts of power he had at level 1- well, level 2 now- he could only imagine what he might be able to aplish once he was able to channel more than an iota of power. Of course, that may have just been because he knew what he was doing this time, but he liked to dream. That Skilled Arcanist path was looking quite tempting and was absolutely the next one he was filling out. Only, ah 46 points to go. Level Up! Mathematics 12 45 points to go. If he was lucky, Basic Mana Maniption might even upgrade, and wouldnt that be fun? He did wonder how skill evolution worked, but with only one data point to go off of, it was impossible to say if it was a regr urrence, something that happened really rarely, or only happened because of his unique path. It was a sad day when Edwin would get distracted from doing literal magic, but in fairness, it was getting distracted by other magic and math, so it was probably fine. He wasnt entirely sure how he was able to hold fire, no matter how small, in his hands and not be burned, but maybe because it was his own mana it was fine? Or maybe it was just too little to properly burn him? Actually, how did he know if magical fire was as hot as normal fire? What if it was just 30-50 C and made light some other way? No, it was able to ignite an actual fire yesterday. Maybe it changed temperature in ordance with some unknown variable? He was dealing with actual, physical magic after all, so anything was possible. Maybe it was some sort of conceptual healing fire, where it warmed but didnt consume what it wasnt supposed to? Honestly, while thest possibility sounded like an absolute headache to figure out, it also had the most potential in the future if he could get a handle on it. So he wasnt really sure what he hoped. He could get a handle on it when his life wasnt on the line, so stay focused, Edwin. All that besides, though, it was really, really cool to watch phantom mes flicker across his palms, keeping them warm. Edwin felt a slight drain on his mana as he kept the skill active, though nothing major, and something of an odd strain on his mind as he applied his Firestarting skill in a manner so radically different from its intended use. Expecting more than a few levels rolling in, he disabled notifications for the time being. Theyd only distract him, and his storm-sense was tingling. The air felt heavy, and a slight breeze was starting to pick up, carrying with it the smell of cold mountain air. While hed never been caught out in one, Edwin had some inkling that there might be a snowstorm moving in, and he knew that he wanted to get to somewhere better than a couple boulders in open ground if it got bad. Ideally, hed find some kind of building to shelter in, but the chances of finding one were slim to none. Still, he had best get moving. The frosted ground crunched under his feed, and as his footprints receded into the distance before being covered in a continued dusting of snow, Edwin seriously wished he was wearing warmer clothes. But why would have he been? So far as he could remember, he was just in theb taking measurements on histest sample. Really, he should consider himself lucky he was even wearing his jacket, as thin as it may be. What mainly confused him was how he stayed fully clothed, but lost everything in his pockets, taking with it anything that might have possibly been useful in his world-hop. Even his watch had vanished into the possibly literal ether. Around him, the wind started to pick up, knifing through what woefully fewyers of fabric Edwin was wearing and leaving him chilled to the bone. He needed to find some kind of shelter, and was starting to regret having left his boulder to try to find something better. His previous shelter would have been better than nothing, which was far better than his findings so far. Why did he ever leave where he could have beenfortable? Re-igniting his hands with Firestarting for a moment- the skill had copsed the moment he was no longer entirely focusing on it- Edwin reassessed his surroundings. There were a couple of tiny shrubs and a windswept tree nearby, but nothing substantial enough to provide any kind of cover from what was looking to be the start of a blizzard. The barren mountainside was silent, save for the whistling of the wind, and the one notable feature- a trickling creek, cutting through thendscape- was frozen over, contributing even further to the audial wastnd. The silence was unnerving, and Edwin, for once, actually longed to hear someones voice. It was surprisingly lonely in the wind-swept mountainside, and he wished that he could have had someone walking alongside him. Some support group to shelter him from the cutting loneliness, but he was left with nothing but his thoughts, as always. It truly was strange, Edwin couldnt help but think, as hed never been that keen on other people- why would he? They just tended to talk and talk and talk. It could be nice, when he wanted to find out what was going on, but then they usually wanted some sort of feedback, and that meant you had to actually pay attention to what they were saying. He much preferred spending time with people inpanionable silence, or with people who were content with just using him as a rubber duck, saying things with the understanding that it would all go in one ear and out the other. Not that there were many of those around... But on second thought, he was fine as he was now. Going a while without talking to anyone was nice! The silence was soothing. No emotional problems to deal with, no shifts in the web of interpersonal connections to keep track of, no professors to appease. No stressful and unpredictable people to deal with. Just himself and his Skills, pit against the endless turbulence of the snowy winds engulfing him. Being alone, in a new world, with nothing but his wits to pit against the elements? That was far more satisfying. Around him, the world was nketed in white, and the fallen snow further muffled what few sounds might survive save the howling of the wind. Even the crunch, crunch, crunch of his footfalls barely reached his ears before they were snatched away and flung to the far corners of the earth. Behind him, his tracks were swiftly covered by the blowing gusts and further filled in by the heavy snow, leaving, as usual, almost no trace of his passage. Still, he continued on. What else was he to do? Things were so much easier without distractions. He carried plenty of those along with himself everywhere he went. No need to bring along furtherplications. He was absolutely capable of taking care of himself. He knew the steps to take the right things to do in the right situations. It was all a dance, making sure you werent blown off-course by outside interference. So long as you stayed focused on andmark, some touchpoint to ensure you didnt go in circles, youd be fine. Just one foot in front of the other, keep going until you either reached your destination or failed. Simple as that. A bit of magical fire kept him going without frostbite, even as the weather around him continued to worsen, forming half-corporeal figures for mere instants before being torn apart. Head down and hunched over, keep in mind which direction is uphill to avoid getting turned around, just struggle through, you could manage it. He was on his own. There was nobody to count on, nost-minute rescue team, no hiking partner with extra food and water. Not that there ever was, but the simple knowledge that he would do this on his own- and he would do this- Just him, trekking across the hostile terrain as he looked for any kind of shelter. He even had magic of his own helping him. Anything around him, he could see. Just make sure to cast a nce up around every few steps to ensure nothing new loomed in front of him. After a few failed nces, though, he almost gave up. He wanted to give up, but he couldnt. So, he kept trying again and again, just in case this time hed find what he was looking for. Something, anything to help keep the pervasive chill away before it became a fully fledged blizzard. He might be able to survive if he dug into the snowbank, but it would be much simpler with something solid to use as shelter. It would be so easy to just admit defeat and dig in. The snow was at least a couple feet deep, and if he got started now, he could probably excavate enough of a trench that he would be able to lie in it with a small break for the wind. Between that and his magic used through Firestarter, he would most likely survive theing storm. Then it was just a matter of hoping it would blow over in the course of hours, instead of days. Though if itsted for days then he was dead already. Shelter wouldnt help in that case, wouldnt keep him alive through such biting winds, wouldnt help him if he started to starve, so why even keep looking? Any benefit it might provide would probably be offset by the effort needed to find it and make it suitable for his purposes. Ahead of him, Edwin thought he saw another potential shelter- a rock sticking up out of the ground. As he got closer, though, he realized it was just a drift, which copsed as he approached. Kicking it despondently, he realized it was built around a tiny bush, which he spent a couple of minutes trying to work into some kind of functional shelter, before finally admitting to himself that hed never manage to get anything from it. Really, why did he even bother? He should have known that nothing would be out here that would actually serve as a windbreak. He figured that out after just a handful of failed attempts, why would the next attempt be any more sessful? No shelter would actually protect him, and his attempts to actually use them for help were just wasted effort. Maybe he shouldnt have left his tiny hollow after all. But if he had, that would have meant admitting defeat before even trying, and consigning the entire day of exploration as a loss, a thought which rankled him. He could stop right here and make a bank for himself, which would probably keep him safe. He should stop here. Honestly, the wind was picking up at a rate where he wasnt sure if he could make one in time. Every step was a struggle at this point, and his feet were freezing. Not wet, fortunately, that would have been really bad, but still insanely cold. Theyd need careful tending to once he found shelter, which had to be close, right? He needed shelter. Hed never make it on his own. He hoped that he could somehow magically stumble over what he needed, but that was wishful thinking. Finding shelter required effort, despite the terminology used, you didnt just find it. The only thing keeping him going at this point was his magic. Every time he stopped to look around, he summoned the ethereal fire to fight off frostbite, then pressed onwards. Around him, the wind almost threatened to carry him away, whipping snow around him and drastically lowering his visibility. All he could make out now were vague impressions of his surroundings at best. He was all but cut off from even the hope of finding cover. Edwin sighed. There was no escape. No shelter was going to show itself before it was toote, and he just needed to focus on digging into his own blizzard-survival trench or else risk dying out in the cold. He didnt want to give up, though. Even though every time he had seen something which looked promising it had turned out to be eitherpletely inadequate or a trick of his imagination, he still believed that there had to be something nearby. He just hadnt found it yet. Just one more minute, then hed give up. Just one more minute. Edwin plodded along, huddled and shivering. One foot in front of the other, his footsteps being filled in with snow the same instant his feet were pulled clear, there was no way to tell if he was going in circles, save his intuition that uphill was still to his right. Who could really tell at this point? Everything was a white nket, and he could scarcely tell up from down. Then, as Edwin prepared to actually, finally give up, a misced foot brought him tumbling down a hole into what seemed to be a small cave, the snow having all but buried it until it was practically invisible. Down here, though, it was dry and out of the cutting winds. No longer was he at risk of losing himself to the storm. Here, he hadfort and the potential for warmth. It was perfect. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief. Falling asleep here wouldnt be permanent. As he huddled into a tiny ball- anything to reduce his contact with the frigid air- and summoned the spectral mes of his magical Firestarter, all he could think as he drifted to sleep was how d that this time, he hadnt given up. Chapter 10: Let it Burn, Let it Burn, Let it Burn Chapter 10: Let it Burn, Let it Burn, Let it Burn The storm was still blowing fiercely outside when Edwin came to. He was honestly surprisingly warm for being in the middle of a blizzard, his body heat having been almost entirely trapped inside the tiny space alongside him. It was still quite cold, though, and touching the stone walls of his shelter revealed why, as they sapped away any lingering heat from his already chilled fingertips instantly. Also, it seemed that his hole was far deeper than he had thoughtst night. Only two of the sides in the cave were actually stone, the others massive walls of snow, melted slightly and resolidified into ice sheets. At the top of the bluff was a tiny opening, which was presumably where Edwin had fallen through, and the wind yed an eerie tune as it danced across the snowbank. It seemed like it was just a drop in terrain, a small cliff that umted a pile of snow next to it, with just enough of a gap between them for a skinny traveler to slip into and spend the night. There was no way the banks of snow could have actually built up that much, right? Eh, that was something Future-Edwin could deal with. For now, it was time for Present-Edwin to try and fight off frostbite and hypothermia. A bit of scrounging around in the snow uncovered a few twigs that he was able to light for a few minutes of fire, which he started with a mere snap of his fingers. Magic made things so easy. Hopefully he could figure out how to integrate mana into some of his other skills, though there wasnt any readily obvious way he could manage that. He called up his notifications as the sticks crackled and melted the snow around them. Congrattions! For managing to sustain purely magical mes for an extended period of time you have unlocked the Novice Pyromancer path! Level Up! Firestarting Level 715 Basic Mana Maniption Level 25 Survival Level 58 Sleeping Level 56 Basic Mana Sense Level 2021 Seeing Level 1112 Walking Level 1517 Athletics Level 1617 Improvisation Level 1011 Lots of levels. It seemed like near-death experiences were really good for advancement. Lucky me, he thought bleakly, So many chances to level up. This is probably a pretty good advancement rate considering Ive been here for what, less than a week? Like five days? Status. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Outsider Novice Attributes Mana 1 Skills Athletics: 17 Basic Mana Sense: 21 Breathing: 9 Firestarting: 15 Flexibility: 8 Identify: 12 Improvisation: 11 Mathematics: 2 Nutrition: 3 Research: 10 Seeing: 12 Sleeping: 6 Outsider''s Almanac: 21 Survival: 8 Throwing Weapons: 3 Visualization: 15 Walking: 17 Paths Skill Points: 37 Next Up Skilled Arcanist 0/60 Very Much Yes- Eventually Physical Alchemist 0/90, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120 Promising Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Outsider 0/60 Maybe One Day Survivor 0/60, Linguist 0/60, Woond Athlete 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60 Meh Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60 No Beginner 0/30, Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60 Completed Paths (Expand) More than halfway to Skilled Arcanist, Edwin tapped his chin in thought, I wonder if theres any other easy skill levels I could get. He nced upwards. Unsurprisingly, the storm hadnt abated at all in thest five minutes, Not going back out there if I can help it, thats for sure, though. Edwins fire was starting to fail, the tiny mass of wood barely holding on after just a few scant minutes of warmth. He started scrounging around in the snow for anything more he might be able to use for fuel, and found a bit more, but nothing substantial. Itsted for a handful of minutes more before it was down to mere embers, and Edwin found himself huddled against the tiny patch of stone wall heated by his tiny me, trying to stay warm once more. Level Up! Firestarting Level 1516 Basic Mana Maniption Level 56 After quite a bit of trial and error, Edwin had figured out how to mimic fire-breathing. It required breathing through his cupped hands, but was still quite fun. Level Up! Firestarting Level 1617 Basic Mana Maniption Level 67 Breathing Level 910 Edwin bit off a curse as his fingers turned numb, handling ice-cold snow as he allowed it to slowly melt into a puddle of water in his cupped hands. Eating snow when potentially battling hypothermia was a Bad Idea, and hence his current predicament. At least he was able to melt snow directly and quickly this way. Level Up! Firestarting Level 1718 Basic Mana Maniption Level 78 Survival Level 89 Edwin carefully pulled off his shoes and socks, holding his ethereal, dancing blue mes close to his toes, hoping to get feeling back in them and chase off any potential for frostbite. It was the first time he had really looked at them in the past couple of days, and he was somewhat impressed at how calloused they had gotten, and relieved he hadnt had to deal with too many blisters. His shoes may be well-loved and somewhat water resistant, but they were still very much not made for several days of hiking through mud and snow, and it showed. At least he was wearing warm socks. It was the small mercies, sometimes. Level Up! Firestarting Level 1819 Basic Mana Maniption Level 89 It was gettingte, but the storm continued to rage outside. Edwin hoped that it would die down soon. He wasnt the most nourished, having only eaten chears for the past several days, and would need all the energy he could muster to find his next shelter and next source of food. The battle in the sky had shown him that not only was the wilderness decidedly not safe, even if he managed to figure out something sustainable, but also that there had to be some form of society nearby. Or, he bleakly thought, there was nothing anywhere close and thats why the two insanely powerful mages decided to settle their spat out here where nobody would get hurt. That thought wasnt actionable, though, so it was best left ignored. Hopefully the snow wouldnt take too long to melt away, either. If it were truly almost ten feet deep like the wall of snow he kept staring at seemed to suggest, hed never get out. However, if that was just the result of how the wind was blowing, there was no telling how long it would take to go away. Basically, if this was a snowstorm heralding the start of winter, Edwin was dead. If this snowstormsted more than a week, he was dead. If the snow copsed on him, he was dead. If there really were drifts of snow almost twice his height, he was dead. However, if this was an out-of-season or perhaps end-of-season blizzard, and it stopped soon, and the snow wasnt all that deep, he might still make it out alive. What a way to go, though. He had survived a bear the size of a truck, found food and water, endured a nigh-apocalyptic battle of individuals he may as well have been an ant inparison to, and found shelter from a blizzard, only to die of starvation because he couldnt go looking for food. He could also summon fire with a snap of his fingers, though, soing to a new world wasnt all bad. He didnt leave that many people behind, anyway. And they would most likely think he was dead, what with up and vanishing in the middle of the day, so passing away in a snowbank wouldnt change much as far as everyone else was concerned. Just another face in the crowd, anonymous and forgotten as the tides of people swept by, carrying off any not secure in themselves. The light in his shelter faded, until only the flickering illumination heralding from his magical me remained. Edwin sighed. Even if the storm did stop, he wasnt going anywhere in the dark. He melted himself another handful of water and went to bed. Level Up! Firestarting Level 1920 Sleeping Level 67 Whatever it was that his Sleeping skill affected, it did wonders to make him feel more fully rested. Cold, hard ground or not, he didnt feel any more tired than a standard rough night of sleep would yield back in his room with a mattress, pillow, and nkets. An actual bed, no matter how poor quality, would probably feel like heaven. The blizzard seemed to have abated overnight, and Edwin could see glimpses of blue sky above. After a quick bout with Firestarter to warm himself up, Edwin used the skill to melt some holes in the sheet of ice. About a minute of pressing his hands to the wallter, he broke free, stumbling forward and crashing through to the other side, coating himself with a thinyer of powdered snow. After brushing himself off, he was able to look back and assess his temporary shelter in the light of day and with more than two feet of visibility. As he had suspected, it was indeed the result of snow being pushed off the edge of a small cliff, the precise angle having left a gap between the rock and ice. Around him, the snow was probably at most only a foot or two thick on average, though in areas not as sheltered from the winds it was significantly deeper. The sun felt heavenly, and he just stood and basked in its gentle radiance for a few minutes. It wasnt as warm as his mes, for sure, but he didnt have to constantly fight the sunlight to keep it from burning his clothes or even skin off. As the sun continued to shine across the snow-covered slopes, Edwin both found himself having to regrly dodge piles of wet snow starting to copse and make sure he wasnt blinded from the bright light ring off the vividly white banks. Level Up! Seeing Level 1213 The uniform color of thendscape had one extremely beneficial aspect to it, though. It was incredibly easy to spot anything that didnt conform to the same dimensionless white as the rest of his surroundings. That was, after all, how Edwin managed to spot an oddly ck line bisecting a hill some distance away. He couldnt tell what it was exactly, but it didnt look like a river- too straight for it, and thendscape didnt sit in a way supportive of one. Of course, there was a big difference between seeing an oddndmark in the distance and then actually getting there. As Edwin walked, he amused himself by seeing when exactly his Identify stopped recognizing a handful of snow as snow, and when it started returning results for water. Level Up! Outsiders Almanac Level 2122 Oh cool. That hadnt leveled in a little while, not that he had been using it all that much. A quick test showed his new character cap was at 37, which would probably let him figure out the form if he werent running on a week of rough sleep, no food, very little water, and probably suffering from low-grade hypothermia. Numbers floated by his head, and he tried to grab at them, but didnt make much progress, Mathematics skill or no. His head was starting to feel fuzzy, but he kept pushing on nheless. The cold air was somewhere between bracing and extremely ufortable, but Edwin wasnt sure where exactly it fell. Maybe both simultaneously? Level Up! Breathing Level 910 Walking Level 1718 Only 8 skill levels to go. It was a bit strange how often two skills would level at the exact same time. Maybe there was some form of shared skill growth between them? Or maybe improving one managed to provide just enough of whatever magical energy made level ups happen to push the next-closest one over the edge? Or perhaps they didnt happen at the same time, but still close enough to both be logged by whatever his Systems refresh rate was. That brought up the question of what the refresh rate actually was, though. Was it seconds? Minutes? Variable? Probably variable, in all honesty. Though variable based on what? Further testing required, Edwin half-mumbled, half-whispered, his throat dry and vocal cords decidedly feeling theirck of use. He stumbled his way through the wintryndscapes, scratches and bruises making themselves known once more, though nowhere near as painful as they had once been, a few good nights of sleep and rest doing wonders for him. His recovery was, admittedly, perhaps equally offset by just how numb his legs and feet were at the moment. Even those blisters he was so happy to have escaped were starting toe out in full force as snowmelt trickled down his legs and left his socks soaking. Level Up! Athletics Level 1718 After hours of struggling through snow that reached almost to his waist at times, Edwin finally found himself in front of the ck band which had caught his eye from so far away and couldnt help but stare in a measure of disbelief. It was a road. A giant, apparently well-maintained road without so much as a speck of snow to be seen on it. Chapter 11: Roadside Assessment Chapter 11: Roadside Assessment Edwin stared. It was such a radical departure from what he had seen the past few days, he had to rub his eyes and check again to ensure he wasnt hallucinating. Then, he carefully inched his foot onto the... road, hoping it wasnt trapped or some sort of illusion or harmful in some other crazy way. When he did not, in fact, have his foot immediately bitten off, he stepped out onto the surface fully and nearly copsed as a wave offort and warmth washed over him, apanied by the buzzing of magic. While he managed to avoidpletely staggering to the ground immediately, Edwins legs gave out from under him enough that he was still driven to his knees, then into a seat on the strange, smooth ck stone. It felt heated, warm but not ufortable. Presumably, it was meant as an anti-snow measure, but to keep such a massive piece of infrastructure warmed must have been insanely expensive. Edwin tried to stand up, but with his legs acting decidedly non-cooperative, he instead found himself bing quite well-acquainted with the road beneath him. On closer inspection, the rock- what was it, anyway? He couldnt ce it- had a faint texture on it, presumably to aid traction, and was joined into a single, continuous stone without a single gap or seam. Right along the edge, on closer inspection, were nigh-invisible sigils, only visible because Edwins nose was two inches away from the rune in question. Probably, it was rted to whatever magical nonsense made this sort of structure possible to begin with. What kind of skill would that be, anyway? Runistry? Level Up! Basic Mana Sense Level 2122 Whatever it was, it was impressive. Probably meant to keep the road clear, clean, warm, and in good repair. He couldnt see so much as a speck of dirt on its surface, after all. It was so, so warm. Oh man, that felt good. Ah. Any protests Edwin may have had about falling asleep on the side of a road were quickly overridden by a nigh-unanimous veto by the rest of his body. This was the warmest and mostfortable he had felt since he fell out of the literal sky, and ironically, was probably the cleanest bed hed had thus far. The buzzing of his mana sense was annoying, and he quietly turned it off, closing the metaphorical eye involved. He could practically feel the tension drain out of his muscles as he just let himself slip away Level Up! Sleeping Level 78 He woke up briefly as the sun rose, but Edwin just muttered something iprehensible even to himself and fell back to sleep. A branch was poking into his side as he slept, and Edwin absently went to shove it away and resume sleeping, but it moved in response to his attempted grab and insistently started prodding into his stomach, exposed by his movement. It took a moment, but Edwin eventually came to, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and being scared awake the rest of the way as he realized he was literally face-to-face with something with a veryrge mouth. Edwin scrambled back, getting some distance away from whatever thing was so close to his head, and realized he was looking at a goat. A veryrge, very hairy goat, but a goat nheless. It had to have been at least as twice as big as him and wasden with a lot of heavy-looking bags, which was what finally brought his attention to the figure standing next to the goat, and the entity responsible for prodding him in the side. It was a dwarf. That was the overwhelming first impression Edwin got of the person. Short? Check. As hairy as his goat? Check. Sporting a beard that covered more than half of their face? Very check. The dwarf stood warily as he looked at Edwin, holding a mean-looking pickaxe somewhat loosely as he peered at Edwin through something which resembled smoked goggles, one of the few things visible beyond his massive red beard. Honestly, he couldnt have looked more of a stereotypical dwarf if he tried. Sa! Solsiniwash! Thas fanishel tankailee sorwal! His tone was quite insistent, though the words he was saying were utter nonsense. Wha- What? Edwin choked out, vocal cords protesting at the sudden usage as he stared at the first person he had seen in Joriah (the dueling mages didnt count), I cant understand you. Sa thas tankailee! the dwarf tried again, to which Edwin could only dumbly shake his head in response. I. Do not. Understand. You. Edwin repeated slowly, doing his best to pantomime each word at each step. Sa cavelstin? Sorwe shollen cth, the dwarf seemed less angry now, more confused, Sa kiltana-shoshal? Sovish? Teltelki? Farsia? Vollok? Edwinmely shrugged at what was clearly a question, and at that, the dwarf sighed and started walking up the mountain, waving after himself in a clear indication that Edwin was to follow him. Without any kind of viable alternative, and excited at the prospect of seeing new people, he followed along. Once the dwarf and the goat got back in range, he Identified the pair. Inheritor of the Bringer of Radiant Gold and Good Fortune Adult Torvelk Goat Huh. That seemed like an... impressive ss name. A bit unwieldy, perhaps, but that may have just been the trantion from whatevernguage the Inheritor spoke. Certainly more impressive than Edwins. He couldnt help but wonder what kinds of sses were typical, and how much stronger than him everyone must be. Hopefully this wouldnt be too long of a walk, though it was far easier the sorts of treks he had been doing recently. The road cut straight through several ups and downs in the terrain, with the ground directly below the road either dug out or filled in to amodate at times, was always inclined at what felt like but couldnt possibly have been an apparently uniform angle, and never had any holes, cracks, slippery patches, or any other obstruction. It had to be magic, Edwin thought as they walked along one stretch of mountainside which hadnt melted yet. The snow was piled up high on either side of the road and perfectly cut off at its edge, without so much as a single snowke on the ck stone. Really, it was eerie just how perfect it all was. It would put the quality of nearly any road Edwin had seen back on Earth to shame, though it was really only sized for foot traffic from the looks of it. The dwarf must have had a high level in Walking, or some equivalent. It had been about two hours of hiking uphill at this point, and Edwin, even being somewhat used to spending a lot of time on his feet by this point, was starting to g. He had gotten a level-up in his own Walking skill some time ago, which was usually a sign he had walked enough to need a break, but hispanion hadnt so much as slowed by a hair. Edwin was run ragged, as thefort the road exuded was slowly eroding away the near-constant state of adrenaline he had been running on for thest week. He was nearly at the end of what he could feasibly aplish when what had to be their destination finally came into view. Ahead of them, inset into an exposed cliff face of the mountain, was a massive door. On either side of the gate, depictions of snakelike dragons were carved into the same kind of ck stone that the road was made of, and carved above the apex of the colossal work of masonry was what looked like a bust of a dwarf, a massive beard captured in intense glory. Drawing closer revealed that just massive might have been an understatement. The door was at least a hundred feet tall and absolutely covered in all manner of intricate carvings and inscriptions. From his cursory examination, it looked to Edwin that there was a story of some form being told, and the carvings telling it were almost fractal in nature,rger pictures beingposed of smaller pieces of art, with those in turn beingposed of their own smaller carvings until the detail was too small for him to see. The doors themselves looked utterly impractical, and it would be more likely to get an A grade on a Dr. Schwer test than for the doors to actually open if physics had anything to say about it. For a moment, Edwin thought- kind of half-hoped, really- that he might be proven wrong, but then the Inheritor moved off to the side of the road, to the base of the doorframe. He knocked on a part of the wall and said something iprehensible to the raw stone. After a moment had passed, that section of the wall was drawn up in the blink of an eye, revealing a dark passage behind it. While Edwin was initially hesitant to enter into such an ominous-looking passage, a nce from the dwarf and what seemed like a barked order to enter had him hesitantly following behind the goat. What else was he supposed to do, anyway? Stay on the outside? Right after Edwin stepped past the threshold, the door behind suddenly just reappeared. There was no sound, no rush of wind, just the sudden cessation of light from behind him, plunging the tunnel intoplete and total darkness. As his eyes adjusted, Edwin realized it wasnt dark, instead lit by some very, very dim magical crystals inset into the walls. The stone in here wasnt as immactely carved as the outer doors, but was nhelessposed of the same smooth, featureless ck rock as the road. Level Up! Seeing Level 1314 As he progressed along the winding corridor, Edwin noticed a few tiny holes in the walls. They looked like arrow slits, which he presumed meant this passage was meant to function as a sort of gatehouse in case wherever this was found itself under attack. The corridor didnt stretch on too far, and as it rounded the final bend, Edwin was able to see the inside of this stronghold properly, and the sight took his breath away. Everything he could see was carved out of a single piece of ck rock, trimmed in gold in several key locations. Stairs, which really shouldnt have been capable of supporting their own weight, stretched to balconies far above. Gems were inset into the floor in a handful of prominent positions, causing the room to sparkle with multicolored light. At first, Edwin wasnt able to tell where the orangish-yellow light pervading the entire space emanated from, but then realized the massive cavern was lit by glowing rivers of molten metal, flowing through stone troughs and falling in waterfalls across the space. Most notably, it flowed in a trench right in front of Edwin, between the door and the rest of the citadel, with only a single bridge connecting the two sides. It couldnt be practical to do something like that by any stretch of the imagination, but what a sight it made. In the distance, Edwin could hear the sound of metal striking metal in an almost rhythmic beat, the sound of what was surely a smithy in the distance providing a percussion beat. The air was warm, dry, and smelled like iron, perhaps unsurprisingly given the rivers of molten metal- he just couldnt get over that aspect. It was just so cool, and properly fantasy. There were a few dwarves walking around, though they all moved with purpose and sadly none were within his Identify range. Was he being called? He was probably being called. The dwarf- the one Edwin had tagged with The guy who found me on the road using Outsiders Almanac- was gesturing at him while talking to another dwarf with a ck beard no less massive than the firsts. The goat, for its part, was nowhere to be seen. Still, it seemed as though he was being summoned, and so joined the two dwarves as they talked, though he kept getting distracted by the architecture, particrly the stone bridge over the molten metal- would it have killed them to include guard rails? He wasnt able to follow the conversation anyway, and all he learned from Identify was that the other dwarf was a Chief Goldworker. On a whim, he tagged that dwarf with Wee Party, because why not? Level Up! Identify Level 1213 Outsiders Almanac Level 2223 A few minutes of quite animated talkingter, the Goldworker tossed a small pouch of what sounded like coins to the other dwarf, then snapped his fingers and motioned for Edwin to follow him. With a shrug (and hoping he hadnt just been sold into very), he did so, and was led up a fairly prominent staircase, into what must have been the throne room for whatever dwarf king ruled this city. On either side of the throne, made of wrought silver and gold, were about a half-dozen statues of what were likely the previous rulers of wherever this was. Either they were all male or dwarvendies also had beards, but the detail on the statues was incredible. He could practically make out individual hairs on their beards. Only one of the statues, one of the two closest to the throne, was made of the same ck stone as the city and road, though. Weird. He had thought they had a pretty clear theme going on, but apparently not. And there was more talking. Great. Edwin didnt have much patience for this sort of thing when he could understand what was being said, to say nothing of when he couldnt, and he was practically dead on his feet at this point besides. There was more of the glowing rivers metal around here, too. It was so cool to watch and- oh. His attention was being grabbed. The king said something, and then another thing, and a third thing. Each time sounded like a differentnguage, but it all sounded like gibberish, so he could only shrug in response after each time. The dwarf king, apparently somewhat perturbed by this development, stroked his ck beard- even more impressive than any he had seen so far, it must be said- it had various trinkets braided into it- and called out to someone. From off to the side, another new dwarf appeared. This new dwarfs beard was much smaller than the others he had seen so far, thus gaining an immediate appetion in Edwins mind, and after skittering into the room and bowing to the king, Smallbeard turned to Edwin and somewhat nervously motioned for him to, once again, follow along. Edwin had the distinct feeling that he was just getting passed along from dwarf to dwarf until someone figured out what to do with him, but he was warm, mostlyfortable, and saw the potential for an actual bed, so he yed along. He could really only imagine what he must look like at this point. Scruffy, unkempt hair, dirty and tattered clothing, and even skinnier than usual. At least he looked the part of a haggard survivor. Still, where was Smallbeard taking him? A quick check showed he was a Page of the Graven Word, so maybe going to a librarian or schr of some sort? Not sure how useful that would be, though. There was no way anyone here would know English, theyd be stuck with pantomimes for some time until Edwin would be able to puzzle together enough words from Dwarvish to exin what happened, and wouldnt that be a fun time His suspicions were proven correct as Smallbeard stopped, knocked on a door, then led Edwin into a fairly spacious room, lined utterly with books. Sitting off to one side was a bespectacled silver-bearded dwarf, who turned to the neers within the library, adjusted his sses, and spoke in perfect, modern English, without so much as a hint of an ent Ah, Thrandin. What have you brought me today? Chapter 12: A "Talk" With "Friends" Chapter 12: A "Talk" With "Friends" You speak English? Edwin blurted out, followed promptly by him choking over his own words and descending into a coughing fit. Smallbeard- Thrandin?- said something in Dwarven, and the librarian stroked the tip of his silver beard. Lost stranger, nativenguage of English, you said? thest part was directed at Edwin, who managed to pause his coughing long enough to nod. Can I get some water? he croaked out, Sorry, I havent talked muchtely. Certainly. Thrandin, would you fetch a tankard of water for our guest here? He shall need his voice at full capacity. And a mug for myself. Much obliged. He dismissed Thrandin- Edwin made sure to update his Almanac tag for him, no way he would remember that name otherwise- and turned back to face Edwin, motioning at a stone chair with some veryfortable-looking cushions on it, Please, take a seat. I do foresee a very long conversation ahead of us. Relieved, Edwin sank into his chair, his legs in bliss upon finally being given a break. He was about to speak when a knock on the door yielded Thoro-Thrandin, Almanac already proving itself useful, bearing a metal cup filled with water and a ck stone tankard full of some steaming liquid. Edwin gratefully epted the metal mug as it was offered, and drank deeply, sputtering for a moment but recovering, Sorry. I havent been able to get a solid drink in I dont know how long. Truly? Sounds like a fascinating tale. First muste introductions, however. I am Rashin, the resident diplomat of n ckstone, and you are? Rashin- who Edwin took the chance to Identify as a First Inheritor of the ckstone Tapestry- prompted. Edwin. Edwin Maxlin. How can you understand me, if you didnt even know what English is? Is it a Skill? Very astute of you. Indeed, I have the Polyglot skill, which enables myself to make myself understood by and to understand allnguages. Very useful when examining the Records, and simrly excellent to have when, to provide a random example, a strange human speaking a strangenguage is found by a trader on the side of the road. Rashins eyes sparkled like pale emeralds, May I inquire as to what has brought you to the hallowed ckstone halls? Well Edwin hesitated, not really sure how much to divulge, I woke up further down the mountain a few days ago, sort of wandered around for a little while, fled up the mountain in the battle a couple days ago, got stuck in a blizzard, then found the road leading to here. I was found on the road and brought up here. Wherever here is, anyway. He shrugged. Interesting. So you dont remember how you got here? Do you have any other holes in your memory? Rashin sipped his drink, though Edwin had still yet to see the dwarfs mouth. Did the drink go through his beard, or how did that work? Did he even have a mouth? Even Smallb Thorodansparatively tiny beard still utterly hid the lower half of his face. How might that oh wait, Rashin was waiting for an answer. Not really. I remember working one day, and then the next thing I knew I found myself in the middle of the woods. Did you get any Paths that might help you know what happened? World Traveler. Truly? Were you teleported? You must havee a long way. I suppose you must have, I had never heard of this English you speak prior to today. What continent did youe from? Um, well, ah Edwin stumbled over his words before finally admitting, I also got the Realm Traveler path. You came from apletely different world, then? Interesting, interesting. There are some who arrive upon Joriah from other worlds on asion, though never many. It truly is fortuitous that you arrived here. Did you know of the existence of n ckstone before today? ..No? How couldve I? I must ask. Do you intend to bring any harm upon n ckstone as a whole or to any of its members? What kind of question was that? No? Do you have a skill that lets you tell the truth from lies, by any chance? Rashin didnt respond, though there might have been a smile buried underneath all that hair. Well, assuming he had a mouth, anyway. The possibly-mouthless dwarf took another sip of his drink before continuing, Well. With such matters thusly dealt with, please, allow me to extend the hospitality of n ckstone unto you. We can speak more of your experiences in the morning. For now, allow us to grant you cleaner clothes, a meal, and a bed. I presume all of those have been in short supply for you as ofte? Edwin mutely nodded, Marvelous! Please, wait here, I shall make the appropriate arrangements. It didnt feel like very long, but Rashins return did snap Edwin out from a doze, so it might have actually been quite a while. He chugged the rest of his water in one go and plodded along as Thrandin led him to a fairly spacious room, with a bunk inset into the wall, a stone table bearing some bread, cheese, and meats, and arge basin filled with steaming water and human-sized clothing sitting on the ledge. Thrandin, after ushering Edwin inside, turned and left, closing the door behind him. Edwin tried the door- it wasnt locked, fortunately, though he admittedly didnt know what he could do if it was- and followed it up by devouring all the food on the table. He paid no mind to pacing himself, which he knew hed regret, but it was the first amount of substantial food hed had in so long. Level Up! Nutrition Level 35 Survival Level 910 Ooh. Perfect. That put Edwin at just above 60 skill points, and as he peeled off his mud-encrusted clothes, balefully eying the many, many holes poked into them, he dropped them all into his Skilled Arcanist path. As he sank into the steaming bathwater, he looked over his influx of notifications. You may evolve your Basic Mana Maniption skill into the Mana Infusion skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Done! Calcting Rewards ss Change! Outsider Novice Outsider Apprentice You havepleted the Skilled Arcanist path! You have grasped the endless possibilities which magic makes avable to you. Following this path will make you a force to be reckoned with as your skills grow in surprising and potent ways. With your every action now filled with the power of the arcane, all manner of possibilities lie within your grasp. For continuing along a magical Path, your mana has increased! Mana 4 5 For continuing along a magical Path, your mana has increased! Mana 3 4 For continuing along a magical Path, your mana has increased! Mana 2 3 For continuing along a magical Path, your mana has increased! Mana 1 2 Huh. Did that increase every 12 skill points? Might be worth putting points into Paths even before he couldplete them, if that were the case. Mana Infusion sounded really interesting, and he couldnt wait to try it out. Mana Infusion Is it magical? No? Well, why not? Imbue magic into an object or skill Density increases with level. Imbue magic into an object or skill? That would be worth trying out. He tried using it, pushing magic into his bath, and felt a faint trickle of mana flow into the water. It wasnt immediate, though the water did seem to be more rxing the more mana infused it. Eventually, it seemed to hit some sort of cap, but it was still quitefortable. Level Up! Mana Infusion Level 12 Eventually, Edwin started nodding off, but he caught himself before he fully fell asleep in the bath. With an absolutely titanic expenditure of will, he dragged himself out of the bath, toweled off and dressed in clean clothes (a in, but clean, well made andfortable cotton shirt and pants), and copsed onto his bed. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Level Up! Sleeping Level 89 It was heavenly, sleeping in a real bed. Though Edwin was somewhat confused when he first woke up as to where he was, that was a small matterpared to what had to have been the best sleep of his life. He felt so well-rested it was amazing. Though the magical crystals embedded in the walls gave no indication of what time it was, it felt like morning and he was up and ready to go! He stretched and ventured out of his room. The nk hallways gave no indication of where to go, and he hadnt been paying close enough attentionst night to remember. A few minutes of confused wanderingter, one of the dwarves (a Skilled cksmith) he passed seemed to recognize him and waved him over. Up stairs, down stairs, through long hallways- were they trying to get him turned around? This was a maze!- and past many rooms, mostly with closed doors, others still open, allowing him to see a mix of bedrooms,rger halls, a few smithies, and a few half-filled with all kinds of weapons and armor. Eventually, he found himself back in Rashins room, who weed him back in and beckoned him to sit. I trust you have slept well, Edwin? And you upgraded your ss! Marvelous. What skill did you get, may I ask? I slept well enough, thank you Edwin was offered a cup of something hot in a stone mug, which he epted. It smelled a bit like tea. Tasted like it too, though his efforts to try it scalded his tongue. I got Mana Infusion. Ah! Marvelous. Well done. Magical skills are hard toe by yet are endlessly useful. So, tell me more of your story, if you wouldnt mind? I am something of a schr myself, and am always curious as to the tale of those who hail from distantnds. Well there probably wasnt any harm in it, and Rashin was clearly trustworthy enough to be open with some details. After a bit of consideration, Edwin shrugged and regaled most of his experiences sincending in Joriah, though he kept quiet as to the details about his Paths and skills on a hunch. It took a few hours, and other than a bit of disbelief and some amusement as Edwin reached his fight against the bus-sized Stonehide bear, Rashin merely sat back and asionally prompted Edwin to continue his tale. As Edwin reached telling about the fight between the two mages, Rashin flinched, My deepest apologies regarding that. Xares, the neighboring emperor, attempted to make forays into the Highpeaks. I am not aware of the full details regarding what he was attempting to achieve, but King Shoroshal drove him off. They would have been the individuals you saw. Edwin paused, trying to digest that piece of information, And the Highpeaks are this mountain range? Are there other dwarven famili-err, ns, living here? Rashin raised his hand and tilted his head in a manner which Edwin couldnt quite interpret, Ah, naturally. You wouldnt know. Indeed, the Highpeaks are where you stand now. Most of the inside is carved out, as is only right, but the Highpeak Kingdoms are the strongest dwarven nation on Joriah. Our borders stretch as far as the Second Deep and to every peak. There are over a hundred ns, each functioning akin to a surface city, and we, the ckstones, alongside the Skyseekers, Woodcarvers, and Highpoint ns, function as the border cities. I see. And the names? Named for our founders. We are the Inheritors of the True Wielder of ckstones legacy, for instance, hence the nature of our halls. Interesting. So this stone is magical in some way? Or is it the other way around, that their founder was really good at working whatever this is? Or is it just hm, well Im not sure why concrete wouldnt be known to dwarves. It was known to the Romans, after all. A magically-advanced race with affinity towards stone would probably have no problems figuring it out. ckstone? Is that like concrete, then? Concrete? Rashin suddenly seemed very interested, which made Edwin feel taken aback for a moment before he rxed again, Is that something from your homnd? Yeah. Its sort of like liquid stone, they use it to make all sorts of things. Buildings, roads, foundations, you name it. Supermon. Truly? Do you know how to make it? Uhhh it was water, sand, uhhhh. Cement, and was there something else? Edwin rapped on his forehead with his knuckles, racking his brain for the appropriate information, I cant remember. Would you be capable of determining what goes into it, then? Well probably? It wasnt something I spent that much time looking into- there were some really cool variants that were in development from what I remember, like self-healing or porous versions, but while my area of study does- did- ovep slightly with concrete development, it wasnt much of an interest of mine. I might be able to make something simr, though? Why do you ask? Oh, no reason. Edwin eyed the dwarven schr, You dont have some super-secret monopoly over ckstone, do you, and youd have to kill me to preserve the secret about how it''s made, do you? Rashinughed, a hearty, full-body chuckle, No, no. Nothing of the sort at all! Regardless, you are a guest under our full hospitality aegis. So long as you are under our roof and do not move to act against us, n ckstone shall do you no harm. Seemed like there were some fairlyrge and obvious loopholes in that statment, but okay? He was probably just being paranoid. So far, they had been perfectly kind and quite reasonable. This would be a perfect ce for him to recover, learn a bit more about the world, and figure out his ns for the future. What could go wrong? Chapter 13: Pretentious Neighbors Chapter 13: Pretentious Neighbors Edwin and Rashin rambled on for a few more hours, mostly about their respective worlds. Rashin, for his part, seemed quite entranced at the sorts of materials Earth had on hand, especially various types of steel and concrete. He was really, really obsessed with concrete for whatever reason, and kept steering the conversation back to it. Edwin partially understood, but they clearly had something simr enough or Skills were capable of managing a lot of the benefits of the stuff, if the citadel was any indication. Eh, whatever. Maybe he was just curious about the possibility of doing it nonmagically? Probably wasnt important. Still, all that paled in contrast to learning about Joriah! There were apparently two majorndmasses, or two and a half depending on how you counted it, and he was on Korizan, the and a half, a big Greend-like subcontinent that just barely touched the muchrger Tarneis continent up near the arctic circle. The other continent, which Rashin literally called Enigma, was an almostplete mystery, and other than it being mostly covered in jungles, not much was known about it. Most of Korizan, along with a good portion of Tarneis, was ruled by the Pretentious Empire, which had Edwin nearly spitting out his drink in surprise. He could only presume it wasnt what the Empire called itself, and that name was just a result of Polyglots trantion effect being overly literal. The Highpeak Kingdoms were, naturally, in the Highpeak Mountains (Rashin didnt know which was named first), located near the southern tip of Korizan in the middle of what was apparently called The Verdant, which proved that even on a fantasy world, people werent immune to boring names. There was supposedly an elven city somewhere in the Verdant as well, though nobody knew where exactly, allegedly not even the elves themselves. Edwin wasnt sure how much he believed that, nor how it might work, but just shrugged and nodded at all the right points in the conversation. Magic was a thing, too. While that wasnt much of a surprise, it seemed like pretty much everyone had some level of potential for magic, though given the difficulty of actually developing it into something usable, it was generally left unexplored. Every once in a while you might have someone who had an innate connection with fire, shadow, or some other kind of magic, but other than the handful with a natural talent and whatever you might get from the System via a Skill, there wasnt any dedicated study of the arcane. Apparently the gods- who were real and once in a blue moon even showed up in avatar form- also blessed a few followers with magical power, but Rashin hadnt personally met any, so couldnt speak much about them. Once you got to a high enough level in your skills, the result was hard to distinguish from magic anyway, but those whose skills were magic from the start grew into abilities with truly spectacr capabilities. Which actually reminded Edwin to ask, Oh, right. What exactly doespleting a Path do, anyway? Ah, but of course. I forgot you were not raised with such knowledge. Completing a Path will either improve an existing Skill or give you a new Attribute, which are a bit like a skill, save that they are always passive and can only improve by following Paths rted to the Path you first unlocked it with. There are rumors of other rewards, naturally, though I have never seen one myself nor know someone who has. Is there any pattern to what reward you get, then? Edwin inquired, intrigued. Actual information about magic! Sure, they might be an absolute failure of a magical world if they didnt have magical schools, but hey! Rashin had admitted he didnt know for certain that there wasnt some secret school somewhere, not to mention the entire continent of Enigma. There was still hope, Or is it random? Its not random. If it were, the Legacies would be hopeless. That said, it is highlyplex and difficult to replicate. A Path will target whatever Skill has been upgraded the fewest times, defaulting to whatever Skill is mostpatible in case of a tie. How exactly it will upgrade the Skill has been debated by Legacy schrs for centuries, but it seems to be primarily influenced by the Skill, the Path, and your ss, Rashin took a sip of his tea, Though there are some patterns which are tantly obvious. If youplete the Linguist path and have the Language skill, it will upgrade to Polyglot practically every time. Trophy paths- like the one you should have gotten for killing that Stonehide bear. Oh, wipe that look off your face. Anyone you tell that story to will know you got one. Regardless, Trophy paths nearly always yield a Trophy skill, one which takes a physical form. I believe the Dragonyer path, whenpleted by someone with an Armor skill, tends to grant Dragonscale or Dragonhide Armor, which conjures a suit of armor made of the stuff. Very useful, as said equipment is usually of a high quality, which only improves with its level, cannot be lost, and if its damaged or destroyed, it is simple to re-summon the item. Edwin sat back, processing the information he had gotten. There was a lot to unpack there, and he was really keen on figuring out moreplex interactions between the Skills, Paths, and sses. From what he had heard, the Scientific Method just wasnt a thing on Joriah, and experimentation was essentially just trial and error without any systematization, hypothesis, or anything else. There was probably all sorts of information to be gleaned if you used proper experimental procedure. So then, how many skills do most people have? he asked. Well now, thats a bit personal. Truly, it depends on what Legacy you follow. Twelve is the mostmon amount- I have head it is actually illegal in the Pretentious Empire to have more- fewer, and you do not have enough Skill Points toplete Paths in a timely manner, more and you simply do not have the time to maintain all of them, meaning it is harder to upgrade all of your skills to a higher tier, Rashin counted off the points on his fingers, to just a shrug in response from Edwin. What are these Legacies you keep mentioning, anyway? Well, Edwin, Legacies are following a route to power established by those who came before. Do it adequately, and you will find Paths which actually allow you to follow the Paths of your forerunners directly, the dwarf exined patiently, as though instructing a child, prompting Edwin to furrow his brow in annoyance. So like a build? Take this skill,plete that path, make sure you end up with a specific ss? Rashin nodded, which only caused Edwin to feel more annoyed for some reason, Yeah? Well, what about just doing your own thing without following what someone else told you to follow? Those people exist. I do not understand them, so often they simply cripple their potential for no gain. Once in a rare while, one manages to find a new Legacy for others to follow along, though most simply attempt minor variations to perfect their Legacies. While it wasnt everything Edwin had hoped it would be, the discussion was quite fruitful beyond that. There were no ways to remove a Skill (though there were rumors that the elves had some secret method to do so, but there were apparently always rumors about elves), nor were there any reputable sources about Skills merging, or getting a Skill simr to one you already had. In general, practice would work to level whatever Skill was closest to it in scope, unless there simply was nothing simr enough, in which case it might allow for the formation of a new Skill. You could re-unlock a Skill you had rejected, though declining a Skill evolution was irrevocable. All the talk about skills made Edwins Research skill very happy. A surreptitious set of questions led him to believe it was close enough to the moremon Learning skill to gain experience from all this, though hed probably forget most of the more fiddly cultural and geographical bits as soon as he left the room. Level Up! Research Level 1018 Hed need to start thinking about what Path he wanted to fill out next, Edwin mused as he returned to his room, following directions given to him by Rashin and recorded on his fingers. The way back wasnt nearly asplicated as he remembered, and the room he found himself in seemed like it might have been slightly different? It had the sameyout, the same decorations carved into the wall, and looked all but identical to where he had sleptst night, but it just seemed slightly off, for some reason he couldnt quite pin down.Was itrger? Was it shinier? He couldnt tell. To make sure something simr didnt happen again without his knowledge, he marked everything he could with his Almanac. Level Up! Outsiders Almanac Level 2324 Oh hey! 41-character limit, nice. Was it exponential? That could get carried away fast if it were. Anyway. He had no idea what had happened to his Earth clothes, but considering the state they had been inst he saw them, that may not have been too terrible a loss. He was quite content in his current outfit, though it wasnt quite as familiar as jeans, a t-shirt and a light,fy jacket had been. Maybe he could get his t-shirt back? It hadnt been too badly damaged. Really, it was mainly his jacket that was full of holes, his pants would probably have been fine with a good wash. Whatever. He could try to get his clothes back tomorrow. For the time being, a cotton shirt and pants were adequate. The shoes he was wearing were incrediblyfy, though. Maybe hed be able to keep them? Inspecting them, they looked like they had been perfectly tailored for his feet, which seemed impossible but then he remembered Skills, and that there was probably a Cobbling skill out there which improved thefort of created shoes. If so, they must have had a really high level. There was more food on the table, too, simr fare to the night before (though of significantly nicer quality for some reason), and Edwin wolfed it down, earning another skill level in Nutrition and Survival for his efforts. Before he retired for the night, though, he pulled out a book Rashin had given him- a primer on the local Dwarven, apparently optimized for unlocking and leveling the Language skill. Reading it was a bit of an odd experience, as every single dwarven word was written by someone with a high Polyglot skill level (Rashin hadnt said it was him, but Edwin had a guess), meaning that he could instinctively understand the meaning behind every single word. It took a fair bit of effort to not just read the thing in English, even, the slightly different sentence structure resolving itself seamlessly into an equivalent English sentence. It was only when Edwin analyzed the words letter by angr letter that he could really parse the fact it was a differentnguage. For such a harshly-written script, though, Dwarven was a fairly flowing and pleasant-soundingnguage, very few hard sounds like k or t to be heard. Two levels of Research and several hourster, though, Edwin wasnt having any luck getting what Rashin had wanted him to unlock, namely the Language skill. Why, exactly, Edwin needed the Language skill the schr hadnt felt fit to exin, but it probably was so the old dwarf wouldnt need to spend all day working as a trantor. It wasnt until Edwin actually tried sounding out the words that he finally got what he wanted Language Tomato, tomato. Potato, potato Speak more clearly Enhanced pronunciation per level By the time he called it a night, Edwin had reached level 4 in the Skill and was quite ready for rest. As he drifted off, he realized he hadnt done anything to figure out his longer-term ns, but there was always tomorrow. One fresh level of Sleepingter, Edwin found himself dragged out to meet Lord (he had been very emphatically informed he was not to call this person a King) Sfashkchlil ckstone, which Edwin had tried and majorly failed to pronounce. He couldnt even sound it out properly in his mind. Rashin functioned as an interpreter, repeating what Edwin said pretty much verbatim and presumably doing the same for the Ki-Lord, sorry, allowing them to each understand what was being said. Edwin gave a slightly awkward bow as he entered. You wished to see me, your Lordship? No harm in trying to use a bit of charm for the person indirectly responsible for saving him. Indeed, little wanderer, Oi now, what kind of dwarf calls someone else little? Edwin wasnt even slightly short! Oh, he was talking again, -heard my servant Rashin tell some marvelous stories about thend you hail from. Magical mirrors, horses powered by fire, and strange oils as hard as stone yet as transparent as water? Well, thats not entirely- And you know how to make these wonders? the dwarf asked, voice getting more demanding as the lord leaned forward on his chair, You are one of the crafters who know their secrets? I mean, I studied material physics, but thats hardly- Edwin defended himself, not sure he liked where this was going. Then as my right as Lord Sfashkchlil of n ckstone, I dere the Outsider Edwin Maxlin to have been found in abuse of Hospitality Rights- Hey! Edwin interjected, You cant do that! Rashin continued repeating the promation undeterred, - and with what little property he has on him insufficient to pay off the debt, I seize his person to pay off the debt of his stay throughbor, until such a time the debt is equalized, The lord narrowed his eyes at Edwin as two guards previously standing at his sides moved forward and locked his wrists in an irond grip, So I im in the name of King Shoroshal of Highpoint as my gods-given responsibility. Edwins struggles were utterly fruitless as his new captors dragged him out of the room. Before he left, they paused to let him hear onest statement from the person he thought he trusted, Sfashkchlil leaning back on his throne with an avaricious look in his eye, Make me ckstone, Outsider, and I will set you free. Chapter 14: There Are Worse Internships Chapter 14: There Are Worse Internships Edwin paced restlessly in his new room. It may not look much like a prison cell, but that was apparently what it was, as the notification he was currently upset with testified. Congrattions! For being forced into a non-paid working arrangement, you have unlocked the ve path! He knew for a fact he was never filling out that path. Still, looking at it was just making him mad, so he dismissed the message and took another look around his cell. Overall, his new surroundings were decently simr to his previous rooms, though not quite asrge. There was still the bathtub in one corner, a bed on the other wall, and a table bearing some delicious-looking food located directly under a steel hatch, presumably for delivering more. Really, the main change was simply where the door led to. Instead into the hallway, it instead opened into a fairlyrge workroom, with ayout vaguely familiar to Edwin. There was arge table in the center, a burning stove, a basin of water, and misceneousb equipment and ssware. While most of the implements werent entirely unfamiliar (only so many ways to set up bnce scales, bowls, and sifters after all), though with slightly different dimensions, there were a few that werepletely novel. The most interesting of these were an entirely sealed ss orb, a device that looked like a bnce scale fixed in one position except there were ss bulbs instead of tforms, and a tightly-sealed hinged metal sphere. A noise in the workroom broke Edwin out of his aimless thoughts. Moving to investigate, a none-too-wee face greeted him, You. I suppose this is typical for you? Taking half-dead people from the mountain and enving them the moment they have something you want? he spat. Rashins face was unreadable as the door closed behind him, sealing into the wall without so much as a seam, Lord Sfashkchlil is fully within his rights to desire rpense for abusing our hospitality. Abuse? Ha! I fell out of the sky not a week ago, have been here for two days, and demanded nothing! All I wanted was to not die out on the mountain. Just let me go and keep your hairy noses out of my life! Youre just vers, thats what you are. You offered no gifts of thanks nor gave any indication when you would leave. Abuse of hospitality can be a serious offense, be thankful you are still alive after taking our clothes and eating such fine food with neither thanks nor indication of intent to leave. Ignorance of thew is no excuse. You are not a ve in the slightest, merely a worker, free to go once your debt is paid. Your Task is to develop ckstone through whatever means necessary, and to do so is to be your only concern. Edwin red at the scheming dwarf, This was intentional. I dont have the faintest clue about your customs nor the value of what you freely gave me, and you know that. You even provided me with finer conditions once you heard about the sorts of things I might- might!- be able to provide, which I suppose was just to get me in debt? Youre vers, in and simple, his eyes narrowed even further, Youre going to keep throwing me deeper into owing you, arent you? Thats why this food is even nicer than before, isnt it? Not at all. We are a hospitable n, we do not wish for your time in our service to be ufortable, the traitorous dwarf lied. They stared each other down, Edwin ring at the mass of silver hair, who returned a cheery gaze even as as the dwarf lied directly to Edwins face. Eventually, the tension was too much, and Edwin broke the silence, What do you even need me to make ckstone, anyway? Isnt that your whole thing? n ckstone and all? That is ssified. Edwin red. You are not allowed to know that. I know what ssified means, darn it! I just How do you expect me to make the stupid rock if I dont even know where to start? At least give me some of yourb manuals or a paper on the stuff, though I dont know why you couldnt- Edwin stopped as a thought urred to him, You dont know how to make it, do you? Someone in your glorious Legacys past didnt write the instructions down and now youre floundering, looking for any chance you stumble across to try and find it again. You do need me, because concrete is the closest thing youve heard of to whatever fragments you know about it. You could have just asked! I would have dly helped you out in thanks! If that is so, Outsider Edwin, Rashin glowered, throwing something at Edwin, Prove it. Edwin fumbled for a moment to catch the sudden projectile, but looking at it showed that it was a thin notebook of some sort, Whats this? What I came here to deliver, and conveniently, what you requested. Notes on the properties of ckstone, copied by my own hand. Solve it, and you can go free. No, you wont. That will just make me even more valuable. And if ckstone is really so important to you, youd never let me go knowing your secret, Edwin thought as he thumbed through the notebook, I dont even know how to make concrete! Let alone whatever ck magic Alchemy stuff itll take to make your stupid rocks. I need to at least learn how to use alchemy if you dont want me iling around blind. Then I suggest you do so. How am I supposed to do that? That, Outsider Edwin, is your job. We shall keep our hairy noses out of your life. That is what you wanted, no? With a wordless cry, Edwin threw the closest heavy object- a metal bowl- at Rashin, but missed by a few inches. Such a temper. It wouldnt do for you to break anything you mightter need, would you? Do let us know what materials you shall need. Rashin knocked on the wall, prompting the door to swing open andtch shut a momentter, vanishing back into the wall, and Edwin found himself alone with his thoughts once more. He vaguely wished he could have rushed out the door and left this whole mess around, but before he could act on it, the moment was gone. Stupid treacherous dwarf, stupid alchemy, stupid world, he muttered to himself before regaining hisposure. His burning anger faded quickly, which made Edwin wonder. Did Rashin have some form of emotion-manipting skill? It would exin why Edwin felt so trusting of him, and the sudden wave of anger when he was visited now. How far did that extend? Was there more mind-control in y? It would be something hed have to keep in mind. He did feel his thoughts continually drift to concrete, which was odd. Was that another Skill, meant to keep him on task? He could ignore it, but it was annoying. Easier to just go along with what it was prompting him to do, which was admittedly fine for the moment. Idly, he looked through the notebook, ncing at its specifications. Sheesh. I can see why they want this stuff. Stronger than steel, barely denser than water, magic resistant, supposedly liquid until set, insanely good instor, almost entirely scratch-proof. Heck, I want this stuff now! But first things first. Start with concrete and see what I can get from there. Water, sand, and cement, right? Was there something else? Cross that bridge when we get there. What is cement made of, though? Lime? Uh calcium carbonate? Are those the same thing? Is there lime in limestone? Gah, I wish I had the inte right now. I need a notebook. And some limestone. And some samples of ckstone, see if I can learn anything from that, He looked out over his workroom,eyes narrowed and hard, But they have another thinging if they think theyre getting any ckstone from me. You locked me in a cave, and I have way more than just a box of scraps. Edwins Logbook Day 1: Analyzed samples of sand, limestone, and ckstone. ckstone sample held up to reported attributes. Unable to scratch or crush with avable tools, slightly heavier than water, and did not heat up when exposed to me nor cool in water, staying at a constant warmth. Attempting to use Mana Infusion on ckstone failed, the skill finding no purchase on the material. Seems to function as a mana mirror? Needs more testing. Basic Mana Sense was apparently disabled. Re-enabling it resulted in momentary sensory overload, and so disabled it again afterwards. Note to self: train mana sense tolerance. Initial attempts at extracting lime from limestone via crushing probably unsessful (no way to check). Crushed samples now soaking in water to see if that helps. Limestone, when Mana Infused, grew harder. Unable to crush samples post-infusion. Established a second cauldron to attempt to soak Infused limestone. Sand seemed normal. The magical fires in the workroom are not quite hot enough to melt it (seems close, though), so uncertain if silicon (proceeding under the assumption it is, not that it makes a difference?). Infused Sand has odd properties. Outsiders Almanac recognizes it as a distinct materialpared to non-infused sand. Individual sand grains have no apparent change, but refuse to pile together, spreading out like a liquid. When held in a container, they flow like water. Hypothesis: friction on Infused sand has been reduced or is negligible. Trial: Spreadyers of Infused and non-infused sand out andpare the force required to move an object across the bed of sand Conclusion: Infused sand refuses to support weight. Any objects ced on top of Infused sand immediately falls through as though sinking through water. Trial inconclusive. Hypothesis: sand has taken on the properties of a liquid Trial: Attempt to mix with another liquid (using unspecified oil for non-pr liquid, water for pr liquid) Conclusion: Infused sand refused to mix with either water or oil, instead sinking to the bottom of the respective containers. Was wet and oily respectively when retrieved, and the two samples had no issues mixing with each other. Trial: Attempt to measure viscosity and buoyant force. Conclusion: Viscosity of Infused sand appears to be close to 0, and buoyancy is negligible. Hypothesis: each grain of sand has an upwards force on it, nearly cancelling the weight of gravity on it, like in aerated sand. Trial:pare equal volumes of Infused and non-infused sand on scales topare weight. Conclusion: Infused sand has the same weight as non-infused Sand. Congrattions! For conducting rigorous scientific research via the scientific method, you have unlocked the Scientist path! Edwin sat back with a sigh, rubbing his forehead as hepleted histest notebook entry, an act more intensive than he would have thought. How did anyone ever write with a feather quill? That thing was impossible to use! The Infused sand was definitely behaving as a fluid, though the how was beyond him. It seemed to basically act how people thought quicksand worked- sucked whatever touched it immediately all the way to the bottom. But he couldnt imagine how that physically worked, and there was no way hed ept just magic as an answer long-term. Hed have to for now, though, as sand wasnt close enough to concrete for his focus to stay on it long-term, apparently. After he had tried and failed to use Mana Infusion on ckstone, he wondered if it was just a matter of making concrete with supercharged magical ingredients. He had the second part of that down, at least. Though if he was dealing with an almost-superfluid with sand, he wasnt sure if that would interfere with the concrete-making process. Hed have to make a nonmagical patch of concrete first, then add magic one ingredient at a time. Despite his frustration with actually measuring its properties, he could barely contain his glee at his Infused sand overall. Hed been at this for less than a day, had really only tried using magic on three (well, four if you counted his bath the other day) different types of material, and he had already found an object really close to a room-temperature superfluid! What else might he find with just a bit more experimentation? He was done for the day, though. Edwins body clock was all off, but he was starting to feel tired, and the limestone would need to soak overnight anyway before any further steps probably. He could be totally off, for all he knew. Maybe concrete didnt need lime, or lime wasnt actually in limestone thanks to some weird linguistic quirk. Most likely, limestone wasnt water soluble, but he needed to be thorough. Only one way to find out, I suppose. Edwin flopped onto his bed with a loaf of bread and his dwarven. He didnt have anything better to do, might as well try and learn the dwarvennguage. Perhaps hed be able to get a book on alchemy at some point? That would be a huge help. There was no way something as incredible as ckstone didnt involve it in some way. He was running blind in far too many directions, and didnt like it. Maybe he should next focus on filling his Physical Alchemist path? That seemed like the most promising avenue to explore. And that was all without even touching how he would be able to escape. That would require a whole host of tools, hed need to be prepared to survive in the wilderness again, and he needed some way to break out of his room. Plus, hed need to do it while under an unknown level of surveince and with an inability to directly think about it for extended periods of time, because it wasnt hard enough already. Any weapons he created would have to not only be essentially untested, unless he wanted to risk them finding out he wasnt just working on ckstone, but also using materials and methods simr to concrete. All Edwin could really do was hope that he happened to stumble across something weaponizable in his research, which was a dubious prospect, but he also knew thatpounds could have all sorts of unexpected properties. Heck, was it even so bad to be only researching concrete, really? He got to do magical research, didnt have to interact with anyone, and had food and shelter basically for free! The thought of being a ve, though, even if the work wasnt too bad, was not the life he wanted. No. He needed to get out, and the sooner the better. All of that, though, required him to be stronger, toplete more Paths, to advance his Skills. He could do all of that during his research, probably. It was a long road ahead of him, but honestly? Level Up! Language Level 14 Research Level 2026 Nutrition Level 67 Mana Infusion Level 212 Outsiders Almanac Level 2425 Improvisation Level 1112 Basic Mana Sense Level 2123 Throwing Weapons Level 34 Breathing Level 1011 Hed be lying if he said thepulsion was the only thing making him look forward to it. Chapter 15: End of the Lime Chapter 15: End of the Lime Edwin wasying on his bed, ying with histest notification. Sleeping wasnt his highest-level skill by any measure, but it did have a fairly steady growth, which was appreciated. Maybe it would start to taper off in time, but for the time being, a level every time he slept was so satisfying. Though he had no real way to measure the passage of time, he suspected he was sleeping for around eight hours but getting rest equivalent to ten or twelve. He hadnt felt this well-rested since, well uh actually, when was thest time he had managed to get a lot of sleep regrly? Certainly not college, not really high school either middle school, maybe? Or over a summer where he didnt have some internship or job so, back in early high school? That was kind of sad,e to think of it, but there wasnt that much he could do about it save making up for it now. It was nice to just fidget with the floating text, though, contorting it into different configurations and disy formats. Hmmm. It had been a while since hest checked his full status. How close was he to his next Path, anyway? Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Outsider Apprentice Attributes Mana 5 Skills Athletics: 18 Basic Mana Sense: 23 Breathing: 11 Firestarting: 20 Flexibility: 8 Identify: 13 Improvisation: 12 Language: 4 Mana Infusion: 12 Mathematics: 2 Nutrition: 7 Research: 26 Seeing: 14 Sleeping: 11 Outsider''s Almanac: 25 Survival: 11 Throwing Weapons: 4 Visualization: 15 Walking: 19 Paths Skill Points: 46 Very Much Yes- Eventually Physical Alchemist 0/90, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Scientist 0/60 Promising Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Linguist 0/60 Maybe One Day Survivor 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60 Meh Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60 No (expand) Completed Paths (expand) More than halfway there, very nice. Hm. A few of his skills were starting to fall behind, maybe it was worth trying to work on them, get a few easy skill points? Mathematics couldnt be that hard to level, as whatever standards the system used, it couldnt count stuff like calculus as low-level. He didnt have a lot of paper, though. Maybe Outsiders Almanac could be used for that sort of thing? He was up to 43 characters at this point, which should be plenty for most equations. Grind two skills for the price of one. Hmm What level of grinding might be best suited for concrete creation? Shoot, it was acting up again. Maybe if his mathematics were better he might be able to determine proper ratios for his experiments better? That seemed to work, and Edwin mentally cheered. Apparently, whateverpulsion he was under was no match for the justifications a college student trained themselves into exining away their procrastination. Now he just needed to imagine montage training music ying while he did calculus in an imaginary text box Level Up! Mathematics Level 231 Visualization Level 1518 Outsiders Almanac Level 2627 That was a lot of levels, all at once. At a certain point, tossing around huge numbers and keeping track of a dozen different values in his head became almost trivial, and he was able to stop using the Almanac without slowing down. He doubted hed get that much of a level spike in anything else, though. He was just... good at math, hence his field of choice, and was hitting his limits forplicated forms he could use to show off to the System for easy levels. Doing matrix multiplication with two three-by-three matrices entirely in his head was strange, but then again that was basically par for the course. Still, his excuses for doing math (and his patience) instead of directly working on his research was wearing thin, so it was probably time to actually do his work. Pulling himself off his bed and doing stretches- had to get himself limber for what was probably going to be a lot of crushing rocks, after all-ted him a level in flexibility, selecting food to make a bnced meal upped his Nutrition, and throwing a mana-filled piece of bread at the wall got him a level in both Mana Infusion and Throwing Weapons. Eating a mana-infused roll got him another level in Nutrition. He tried to juggle, hoping that it might count as throwing practice, but his attempt was apparently pathetic enough he didnt get so much as a single notification. All that effort still left Edwin five skill points short ofpleting Physical Alchemist, though. Maybe tomorrow, he mused, Though maybe I should start being more selective about when I fill out paths, if early levels for things like Mathematics are so easy toe by, I wouldn''t want to waste that opportunity. I do absolutely need some kind of alchemy skill, though, and I think its not just thepulsion. He ran out of procrastination attempts, sadly, so Edwin found himself dragged back to his workbench. Looking into his basins, he wrinkled his nose in annoyance. Fishing out one of the crushed limestone chunks, he turned over the wet stone in his hand. It didnt seem to have shrunk in the slightest. Still, he needed to be sure. With a heave, he moved the cauldrons- mentally cursing hisck of foresight, he should have had it in position before he filled it with water- over top a magical heating stone (somehow made of ckstone, despite the materials alleged anti-magical properties) and waited for the water to boil off. There might have been some slight residue on the inside of the cauldron, though Edwin wasnt entirely sure if it was just his imagination. It wasnt enough for the Almanac to pick up on it as distinct from the metal if it was there. So, attempting to soak limestone was a bust. Then again, it was never likely that amon type of rock would be water soluble, but he also needed to check to be sure. Still, that left him without much of an idea as to where to go from there. Crushing it, maybe? Limestone dust? It would still be insoluble then, though. Maybe if he burned it? Congrattions! For creating an improvised explosive, you have unlocked the Bomber path! Level Up! Improvisation Level 1214 Firestarting 2021 Right. Dust explosions were a thing. That was not his proudest moment, but Edwin didnt think he had done much worse than just singe some of his eyebrows. Interestingly, no dwarves rushed in to see what the sudden burst of me was about, which suggested they had limited surveince over his activities. In itself, that fact made his escape attempts far simpler, though he couldnt assume they wouldnt be looking at any given time, just they werent right now. There was a lot of powder stillying around, now dispersed as a thin coat across every surface, which Edwin was able to gather into a powder and identify as limestone. Did it not just burn up in the explosion? Ooooh. He had swept up a big pile of dust from the counter, without caring much about keeping it pure. There had probably been something else that had burned, causing the explosion. Maybe coal dust? Wouldnt surprise him. That would have been much worse if the limestone had beenbustible. He probably wouldnt have survived in that case, if just whatever traces of mmable materials that had gotten mixed in resulted in that much of a fireball. Edwinstest attempt at burning limestone was going much smoother, though he hesitated to even think such a thing, lest it mess everything up. The powdered limestone was being heated inside a kiln which was probably meant for metals, but worked just fine for rock dust this time. It was at minimum now a pale yellow color and even registering as a different substance to his Almanac. Once it had cooled, weighing it revealed the new powder, hopefully lime, had lost roughly half its weight from the heating process. Both promising signs, though the real test woulde with him attempting to make something with it. If concrete required more or different active ingredients than just lime, he didnt know what hed do, but first he divided his mound of powder in two, infusing one with magic, and leaving the other as a control. Next, he carefully measured out an equal amount of water for his two batches, then mixed it into his mundane batch, followed by doing the same for the magical one. He was not expecting his cauldrons to quickly heat up, making him snatch his hand from its surface just in time for the mana-infused batch to outright explode, sending superheated water all over the room. Okay, thats it. Proper PPE for me when dealing with unknown chemicals and magic. What the heck just happened? By the time Edwin returned to his workstation, he was fully equipped with a thick leatherb coat reminiscent of a trench coat, safety sses (the quality of the ss left something to be desired, but it was at least mostly see-through), a breathing mask made of some kind of fabric Edwin didnt recognize, and surprisingly pliable leather gloves. The vast gulf between the quality of his leather and cotton clothing, and the ss in his goggles, was somewhat surprising, but then again, would dwarves really need that much in the way of sswork? He only had a few implements made of the stuff, and they wouldnt exactly need windows. Heck, if the smoked goggles he had seen on the dwarf who found him were any indication, maybe they intentionally didnt want super clear ss. Did daylight or generally bright light hurt their eyes? If they were a mostly subterranean race, it would make a fair amount of sense But anyway! There was science to be done! Hed been away from actively working on the mixture for too long, and it was showing. The nonmagical lime mixture had hardened in the intervening hours into a stony, though somewhat brittle, coating that reminded Edwin vaguely of dried ster. While that may have been an excellent indication he was at least on the right track, it was the second batch that had him most excited. While still a powder, there was a thinyer of some kind of different powder on the surface, centered around where he had poured his water onto the lime. Very careful addition of a few drops of water to the unreacted powder gave off intense waves of heat, boiling what little had been added away and leaving another thinyer of the reacted substance. Presumably, dumping too much water into the Infused lime had caused a steam explosion, which in turn got rid of all the extra water, leaving the lime reacted with nothing to spare. Adding water to the reacted Infused lime powder yielded a white putty-like substance which was, oddly, mostly devoid of mana, and which hardened into something approximating solid rock the moment he Infused it. Edwin wasnt really sure initially how to tell if it would revert to the paste form once he removed mana from it, and a few minutes of struggling, trying to reach inside and use his Basic Mana Maniption to pull the magic from the rock, but once he did manage it (Strangely not getting any skill levels for his efforts), it returned mostly to its uncured state. Edwins Logbook Day 2 Result of prior attempt to make lime from limestone: failure. Limestone is not water soluble. Hypothesis: Limestone needs to be heated, then forms lime. Trial: Expose limestone powder to me Result: Dust explosion. Probably due to other contaminants, but Ick the proper safety equipment to try and replicate it for the time being. Trial: Set limestone powder inside of a kiln. Set to maximum heat to see if any reaction urs Result: Sess! Resulting powder is yellow-white and registers as a different material than limestone to Outsiders Almanac Hypothesis: Formed substance can be used as a basis for concrete Trial: Mix water into Infused and non-infused Lime, see if resulting mixture dries into something resembling concrete in any way Result: non-infused lime dries into a ster-like substance after mixed with water (exothermic reaction). Apparent sess. Result: Infused lime is incredibly exothermic when mixed with water. Risk of steam explosion if not careful. Resulting mixture is a paste initially, but cures instantly into a white rock when Infused Hypothesis: Removing mana from cured Infused Lime will revert it to a paste Trial: Attempt to remove mana Result: De-cured Infused Lime is pliable and malleable though still solid. Acts simrly to a putty. Material notes: Limestone: Produces lime at high temperatures. Infused Limestone has increased toughness. Lime: Mixes with water to create something like ster in an exothermic reaction. Infused Lime has the exothermic reaction strongly enhanced (possible steam explosion grenades? Investigate further). ster(?): Cures into a rock-like substance that isnt terribly tough. Infused ster is itself barely magical (where did the magic go? Was it used up in the reaction?) and when water is added, turns into Lime Putty. Lime Putty: Slightly stic, not bouncy, deforms easily, highly malleable. Hardens over time. Denser than water. Cures instantly when Infused, or naturally over time and removing mana from the putty removes the curing. When cured, it is very hard parable to Infused limestone) and is even capable of holding a cutting edge, though not an especially sharp one. Level Up! Research Level 2627 Now that he had a vague idea of what to do, Edwin was more than capable of setting up a new batch of limestone inside his kiln, but tried varying the size somewhat. Heck, he could do this sort of iterative production run process in his sleep, with all his internships and on-campus research sses. Limestone dust, which was so exhausting to make (he hoped hed find a method which bypassed its need, but wasnt holding his breath), limestone pebbles, from the size of pea gravel to as big as a tennis ball, lined the furnace as the magical mes powering it fired up and got the process underway. Hopefully he wouldnt have to grind all the limestone he had to deal with by hand, but as always, only one way to find out. While his rocks were cooking, though, he had some time to kill. His efforts removing mana from the Infused ster was interesting, and he wondered if something simr might be possible with ckstone. While no amount of prodding, coaxing, or anything else in Edwins power and imagination managed to coax even the barest hint of mana from the ckstone it resided in, he wasnt entirely discouraged. Sure, that meant that his attempt was either mistaken or he wasnt strong enough to pull it off, and that ckstone was likely an order of magnitude moreplicated than anything he could make. So instead, it was time to change tracks slightly. It was time to leverage the natural world around him to do his work for him. It was time to turn rocks into weapons. It was time to do science. Chapter 16: Shedding some Limelight Chapter 16: Shedding some Limelight Due to the incredible amounts of heat the Infused ster powder (he needed a better name for his Infused materials) generated during its creation, Edwin wasnt able to physically get close enough to the reaction to feel where the mana Infused in it went. He knew that it was full of mana before the reaction, and was drastically reduced afterwards. Unless it was somehow absorbed by the powder (could something magical turn into something nonmagical?), that meant it had to be released in the process. Or maybe magic didnt follow thews of thermodynamics, but that possibility was non-actionable so he ignored it for now. There was one obvious product of the reaction; namely heat, and it was obviously rted to how magical the substances were. Measuring the amount of water and lime before and after mixing them (nonmagical in this case, Edwin didnt have any way topensate for the sh-boiling of the magical reaction, so a lot of water would be lost) revealed there didnt seem to be any weight loss, so there probably werent any secondary products involved, gaseous or otherwise, at least not in any appreciable amount. While he didnt have any precise method of measuring mana content beyond metaphorically eyeballing it, the ster powder seemed to have about half the mana content of the lime, and that in turn was reduced once he turned it into putty. However, there was no release of heat, light, or anything else that he could detect as he made it. Turning on his mana sense while creating the ster allowed Edwin to feel a small pulse of magic during the reaction, corresponding with the wave of heat, though it was only barely noticeable above the background mana content. Certainly, whatever was released was not enough to ount for the difference in mana between the reacted and unreactedpounds. He tapped his chin and spelled out the form for the reaction so far as he could tell. Water + Lime + Mana ster + Heat + Less Mana Hmm Edwin turned his mana sense back on, and after a bit of a fight against a bit of a headache from the initial sensory overload, but he managed to adjust in time. Hopefully, doing so would give him more insight into the mechanics of what was going on. This time, when doing the reaction, Edwin tried to monitor the entire batch constantly, trying to see if he could catch the exact moment the mana content dipped. It stayed the same as he added a drop of water, fell ever so slightly after the sh of heat, and then lowered when when Huh. It should have dropped by now. He took a sample of the ster powder andpared it to an equal amount of lime. Yep, it had definitely dropped. But the mana content had stayed the same. Edwin removed his goggles and gloves, massaging his forehead and unsessfully suppressing the urge to scream into his hands, Im an idiot. Yes, the mana density in the ster had dropped, which was all he had been measuring. He keptparing the mana content of equivalent-mass samples of ster and lime, which of course would be different. Making the powder required nearly as much water as lime, and because he was using entirely mundane water, half of the contents for the ster was nonmagical. He had entirely forgotten to ount for good old dihydrogen monoxide, despite knowing full well that it could be Infused. Edwin sighed. At least he had caught his error after only a couple hours of work, not days. Hed done worse before. It still was annoying to overlook something so obvious, though. Hmm. He should check his notifications. That would probably make him feel better, especially if he could finish the Physical Alchemy path now. Level Up! Research Level 2729 Mana Infusion 1314 Basic Mana Sense Level 2324 Identify 1315 Outsiders Almanac 2728 Skill Points: 96 Excellent. Who even needs life-or-death situations to level when you can do science? Or alchemy? You havepleted the Physical Alchemist path! Alchemy, that strange and long-derided practice, has for so long been a mild curiosity, something for practitioners of the healing arts and craftsfolk, not meriting study nor prominence. And yet to the eyes of an Outsider, it is a path without equal as you rend reality to its baseponents and rebuild them to your whims. That sounded quite awesome. Though it did bring up the question as to whose knowledge these messages were based on. It couldnt have been custom-made from the System administrators, his previous experience with that indicated they would be trying tomunicate with him more directly if that were the case. It couldnt be generic, his messages referenced things that were distinctly from Earth. It also couldnt just be his own thoughts, either, as he didnt know the state of alchemy practice on Joriah. Maybe some sort ofbination? Generic messages, filtered through his own knowledge? More notifications had been piling up, though, so Edwin shifted his attention towards that. Alchemy Spin moonlight into threads as strong as steel, forge weapons as light as air, brew life itself Create magical materials Proficiency increases with level. You may evolve your Improvisation skill into the Alchemy skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Done! Calcting Rewards ss Change! Outsider Apprentice Outsider Chemist The rush of satisfaction frompleting a Path wasnt getting old anytime soon. Edwin felt a distinctly odd sensation of a second set of instincts settling in next to his half-remembered quantum physics ss, not enough to really tell him anything, just enough for him to get a vague idea of how to use alchemy more effectively. There was more to it, as well. What he was doing- chemical reactions with magically-infused materials- was just the surface of what alchemy could aplish, though he had no idea how to do anything else. Maybe with more levels, maybe with more experimentation, but just not yet. Unbidden, a thought rose to mind. Limelight. That was a thing, back in the 1800s. That used lime, right? If it burned brightly enough to be used as a spotlight, Edwin could only imagine how brightly the magical version would be. His next batch of lime was ready, after all. May as well give it a go. He yawned. Tomorrow, then. Edwin, armed with fullb equipment getup and a set of long grips, took a pebble-sized chunk of lime and carefully set it on a stiff mesh. Then, with goggles firmly in ce, set the burner beneath it to maximum heat and spun around. The first trial was only the control, as he tried to see if nonmagical lime burned at the temperatures he had at his disposal, and how bright it was. That said, he didnt want to blind himself, hence he made sure to turn around before it started to burn. The precaution proved itself quite valuable as the entire workshop was lit up by a harsh white light, casting sharp shadows on every surface. Well, that seems to have been a sess. The light didnt seem to be fading, though. Why wasnt it burning up? Through squinted eyes, he turned around and groped blindly at the limelights source, eventually managing to knock it off its pedestal, and it fell onto the counter and its glow began to fade. Once it was dim enough to look atfortably, Edwin studied the white pebble. Did it not burn up? A quick Identify confirmed it was still made of lime. Where did the lighte from, then? Something to look into, he supposed. Edwin made a quick note of limes luminance before taking the pebble and Infusing it, then putting it back onto the pedestal and starting the burner again. This time, the light was utterly blinding. If he thought the previous trial was bright, it was nothingpared to the mana-powered continuous shbang levels of brightness he was currently dealing with. Even the reflection from the walls was enough to blind him. Through his mana sense, he was able to feel the magic radiating off the glowing rock until it ran out a few secondster, and the light returned to theparatively much more bearable levels it was at before. So, he had managed to find a substance which gave off mana as it reacted. He could use that. His next step was to create a dome of uncured Infused putty, ce it over the recently re-Infused lime pebble, and start up the fire again. The covering managed to contain both the light and the mana admirably, and neither radiated uncontrobly across the room. Testing the dome, he found that it had mostly, though notpletely, cured from the mana given off by the light. It made sense now why it cured over time if it passively absorbed ambient mana. Edwin was mulling over possible ways he could use what materials he had at his disposal to escape when he was startled by the door into his cell mming open. In came two gruff-looking dwarves, wearing almost full te armor and open-faced helmets. Hey! Whats going on here? Edwin demanded, only to receive no response, the neers instead marching over to where he was standing and grabbing his arms, twisting them until he was in front of the dwarves, and half-marched, half-shoved out of the room and into the hallway, Hey! Let me go! he struggled, but the grip of the dwarves was absolute. As Edwin was dragged along, he kept an eye out at theyout, which he hadnt quite managed to memorize as he was being pulled into his cell the first time. His room was near the end of a hallway with no other visible doors, and the single guard posted nearby joined in the march. The hallway itself was essentially featureless (though the walls continued to be intricately carved), and about fifty feet long. It then opened into what appeared to be some kind of mess hall, with hundreds of dwarves milling about at masses of long tables. Was that iron ore some of them were eating? Did they eat rocks? What the heck was going on with their physiology that had them eating literally raw iron? Oops, dont get so distracted that you miss which archway was yours. Oh, the one directly opposite of the main entrance? Well, that was easy enough to remember. Hopefully it wasnt always this busy, though. Out the main entrance brought about a huge stairway (with dwarf-sized stairs, no less. Those were a pain to climb) going up and up and up A few individuals were here, though not too manying and going from the seeming feast below, and then it opened out into the main cavern of the citadel,plete with still-flowing rivers of molten metal. Edwin didnt get a chance to stare more at the spectacle, though, as he continued to be yanked around, this time up a short flight of stairs to where the dwarven lord Somethingorother sat upon a ckstone throne. Where is my ckstone, human? he asked, and Edwin blinked. You speak English now as well? Oh wait, is this that Polyglot thing again? I require no such skill toprehend your pitifulnguage, Outsider. Now I ask again. Where is my ckstone? What? Its been like three days! I told you to make me ckstone. Do you not understand your position here? Edwin struggled futilely against the grasp of his dwarven escort, What the heck? Ive barely had any time to even reinvent concrete, let alone your stupid supermaterial! I have to reinvent an entire branch of material science with nothing but half-remembered linguistic tricks and then discover a wholly unique branch of science with no assistance! I- Enough. The dwarf cut him off, I will not hear your excuses. You promised me ckstone, I intend to collect. I didnt promise you anything! And Ive been working non-stop on this stuff. Its not easy. Honestly, youre worse than my professor. Oh? Slimeball let out a bark of mockingughter, You im to have been working on ckstone when you have in truth been working on weapons to use against us? We know your tricks, saboteur. We should have never epted your aid. That statement left Edwin blinking in confusion. epted his aid? What? Also, weapons? Was it the limelight? So, could they see into the room? They were either negligent or didnt think his idental explosions yesterday were worth worrying about. It had to have been the limelight, then. Sensitive eyes, perhaps? If they were a subterranean race, that could be their weakness ver noticed Edwins confusion and seemed to willfully misinterpret it, You admit to your wrongdoing! Why should I not have you executed where you stand? Because you want the ckstone really badly and Im the best chance youve gotten in that direction your entire life? Because Ive already gotten farther in three days than you did over the course of years? Edwin guessed wildly. Something clearly drove the dwarf to near-madness in his obsession with the material, so it had to have been really valuable and made the n desperate. Sure, it was a shot in the dark, but what else was new? Something he said must have struck a nerve of some kind, as his captor fell rtively silent, before speaking up again, speaking in dwarven. As Edwin was dragged away, Snob spoke up, switching back to English for hisst threat, Hear me, Outsider. Your Task is, and continues to be to make me ckstone. Fail, and you are worthless to me. Plot against me, and I shall keep your head to myself. It is possibly the only useful thing about you. You are to only work with things which you know are relevant to your efforts. Now, begone and resume your Task. Edwinsst glimpse of the dwarf as he was turned around and dragged off was him looking unbearably smug. Chapter 17: The Time of our Limes Chapter 17: The Time of our Limes Edwin fumed in his cell, peeved about his meeting. He wasnt a miracle-worker, he didnt even know what ckstone was made of! It was presumably some variant of concrete, but that was still a pretty big assumption. For all he knew, it was magically transmuted water or something. Or cooled magma. It did look vaguely igneous in nature, but Edwin didnt even know how to begin determining that sort of thing. Actually, it being volcanic in some form would make a lot of sense Escaping had be a much higher priority, now, but he was still nowhere close to managing that. He needed more skill levels, more experience, more materials More everything, really. They all probably had skills of their own, and hed need tobat that somehow. And hed have to somehow do it while only able to really focus on ckstone/Concrete. That was fine. Some experimentation with lime could probably show some impressive results. Edwin moved back to hisb bench. Hed have to keep working to make his Taskpulsion thing happy, and it sounded like trying to defy it might cost him his life. Rashins words suggested that he was still under some level of protection from the host, but Edwin wasnt about to risk his life by calling a bluff. Besides, the actions of the dwarven lord so far were anything to go off of, he probably didnt care much for hospitality rules, at least not in spirit. Maybe in letter? Who knows. Someone with a moreplete picture of the forces at y and a grasp on dwarven psychology might manage it, but not him. So that meant work. Lots of work. They didnt micromanage him, at least. Small mercies and all. He had a system down, which was also nice. Still doesnt make it easy, though, he thought as he brought his sledgehammer down, crushing another chunk of limestone into rubble. That rubble then was loaded into his kiln, heated for a couple hours, pulled out (putting in a new set of limestone) and pounded into dust. Mix the powder with a bit of water (carefully, trying not to make it into a paste), and repeat. Another batch of ster was produced. Another day passed, more lime was made and pounded into dust. Edwin practically ran on autopilot as the days turned into weeks, interrupted only once every few days for him to be dragged out to Lord SFishkill, yelled at for a few minutes about hisck of results, told his Task was to make ckstone (or concrete, which was addedter) and returned to his cell. After a few times where Edwin returned to find his notebook or other tools decidedly not where he had left them, he realized that his workshop was being searched, presumably for any weapons like the limelight he might be creating to try to escape. Sure, having his only real human contact be a self-important dwarf with anger management issues probably wasnt healthy in the long run, but he could just stay silent in the meetings and it wouldnt make a difference. So he just tuned out all of S... Sineedbetterinsultss ranting and it all worked out. Rashin started making an appearance at one point,ing in as Edwin was summoned from his cell and walking alongside his escort, standing off to the side in the court, and walking Edwin back. He tried striking up a conversation a few times, asking Edwin more about himself, but he never obliged. Edwins Logbook Day 24 Notes on ster creation: Infusing small amounts of mana (rate of 1 second of infusion per estimated 10 kilos) into lime prior to mixing in 5 kilos of (nonmagical) water would give the reaction just enough energy to seeminglypletely react while still leaving no excess moisture in the ster. This powder form seems to be stable and nonmagical. No noticeable variation between ster made of Infused powder and made of nonmagical powder subsequently Infused after it was mixed with water. Namely, higher mana content stiffens the ster slurry, allowing it to be set quickly. Mana can be removed from this set ster to return it to uncured form. However, over several hours, thistter aspect fades as the ster sets via the natural method. Mixing magical water into nonmagical ster resulted in a very watery slurry that solidified via crystallization, curing in patches rather than all at once. The process seems to mimic freezing. Using magical water and magical ster resulted in a magically-saturated ster which automatically cured at a rateparable to mundane water and mundane ster. Notes on mana infusion: It seems as though mana is infused at the atomic or subatomic level, but the effect of said mana is variable depending on what molecule said atom is bound into. Some mana is released during a chemical change. Some experiments seem to contradict one another. Further research is required once I have proper measurement tools. On Mortar creation: Mixing sand into ster creates a mortar mixture much more structurally sound than mere ster (which is hard but breaks under sustained force). N-N-N: A nonmagical mixture of ster, sand, and water creates a basic mortar mixture. Functions basically as my memories of mortar on Earth, just not as high-quality. Infusing it with mana causes instant curing. N-N-M: When using nonmagical ster and sand, but magical water, the sand seems to slide out of ster mix as it cures, condensing at the bottom into a form of sandstone. N-M-N: Using nonmagical ster and water but magical sand results in the sand refusing to interact with the ster and water, sliding directly off. Resulting mixture is just ster mix. M-N-N: Depending on the ratio of magical ster to nonmagical sand used, this can result in making something like permanent sand structures (such as sand castles) which can be sculpted and harden without gaining much strength or, by Infusing it once set but before cured, can mimic M-M-N mortar (below). M-N-M: Creates a very sticky mortar, which readily adheres to almost anything. When cured, it remains attached to whatever it was in contact with but loses its stickiness. N-M-M: Creates a substance when cured which looks and acts simrly to wet sandstone in most respects, but has a very low coefficient of friction b equipment not precise enough to properly measure, but isparable to ice). M-N-M does not adhere, but does not slide freely across it either. M-M-N: Seems to function as standard magical mortar, being supernaturally tough, capable of supporting at least twice the weight aparable amount of N-N-N mortar is capable of holding. M-M-M: Cures slowly into a substance resembling concrete. Is difficult to shape properly, but is much stronger than M-N-N, with the current best sample withstanding an additional 50% additional force before breaking. I need a better naming scheme, Edwin thought as he updated his notes with histest test, the cracked M-M-M cement, gah, its even bad in my head, resting on the tabletop in front of him. Maybe Slipstone for N-M-M? Supermortar for M-M-M and Magical Mortar for M-N-M? M-M-N isnt distinct enough for its own name, and maybe Sandsculpt for M-N-N? Im no good at this. Still, at least the way it currently is doesnt take many characters. Edwin sighed, removing his gloves and setting his notebook to the side. It was gettingte, and he was hungry. That was enough work for today. As he settled into his chair, eating the food provided for him, he decided that hed look over his skill-ups today. It had been about three weeks since he hadst done so, after all. At first it was just because he was too mad at lord Stupid to want to give himself a distraction, then just as a way to make the days go by faster. Regardless! It was time to change that. Level Up! Alchemy Level 115 Research Level 2932 Outsiders Almanac Level 2834 Mana Infusion Level 1426 Basic Mana Sense Level 2429 Identify Level 1527 Athletics Level 1821 Nutrition Level 914 Language Level 412 Walking Level 1920 Firestarting Level 2123 Sleeping Level 1116 Breathing Level 1113 Throwing Weapons Level 58 Mathematics Level 3135 Visualization Level 1823 Whew. That was a lot. It put him at 97 Skill Points, which was enough to fill out almost any of his Paths, but Edwin held back on assigning them right away. Hed need to think about what he wanted next, and what would help him in his current predicament. Still, that was practically all of his skills getting in on the action there. Apparently he had been walking around enough just in his tiny workshop to get a level in that, and breaking enough rocks for three levels in Athletics. Throwing Weapons would probably have leveled up with that one incidentst week that he didnt want to think about, Language from studying his dwarven dictionary regrly, and the others probably just from routine use. Sleeping must have slowed down somewhat, though. That was a shame, though if it hadnt it might have been too easy a source of skill points. He was getting close to the end of his time here. After nearly a month of work, he had fairly good ratios for his strongest mortar, though it still wasnt ckstone. He was still nowhere close to understanding the stuff, and despite constant reminders from Mr. give me ckstone telling Edwin he had better hurry up if he wanted to live, it was too alien a stone for Edwin to even have a clue where to start. Edwins Alchemy instincts only helpfully provided that it didnt seem alchemy-rted in the slightest, but was more likely instead the strange product of some form of highly-evolved skill. In other words, he wasnt going to replicate it this way using the sort of alchemy he knew. Well, at least not the kind he knew so far. So, he wasnt getting out that way. Which only left fighting his way out, not that he ever really anticipated otherwise. His weapons were limited basically to whatever was closely rted enough to cement and concrete for him to focus on for more than an hour, so only things he could make out of limestone. Still, that meant he had limelight, slipstone, quick-drying mortar, steam grenades, and powdered lime, which would absolutely cause chemical burns if it got on someone, especially if it were Infused. But if he were to escape, hed still need to get somewhere. Which brought up what he was going to spend his skill points on. He pulled up his Paths to check his options. Very Much Yes- Eventually Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Scientist 0/60 Promising Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Linguist 0/60, Bomber 0/60 Maybe One Day Survivor 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60 Meh Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60 Micro-Biomancer probably wasnt going to be helpful either inbat or to help him get away without being recaptured. Path Less Traveled and Realm Traveler were wildcards. He had no idea what they would do, though they might at least help him survive the wilderness better this time. Scientist was cool, but again, he wasnt sure how much it would help. Stonehide Vanquisher, from what Rashin had said, would give him a cool item of some sort, possibly a cloak made of the train-sized beasts eponymous hide, Titan yer would probably give him some kind ofbat-based skill, so it went on the shortlist. World Traveler and Explorer did as well, as they would help him after he escaped. Researcher was discarded for the time being ordingly, and he was about to do the same to Linguist when he reconsidered. If Rashin hadnt been lying- and would have he?- it was likely to give him the Polyglot skill, which would be really useful to interact with anyone. Outsider might do any number of things, so it was simrly too risky to try. Survivor and Athlete... were both possible. Either would most likely help him in some way after he got out, and maybe even in the meantime depending on what they did. Bomber, though Bomber would probably be the most beneficial overall. It would most likely make his steam grenades, his most potent weapon, more effective, evolving either Firestarting or Throwing Weapons to do so. That would help him get out, then hed need some way to survive once he did. The ckstone road leading down the mountain would keep him from getting lost, so whatever benefit Explorer or Survivor provided would probably be redundant, so long as he brought along enough food. It would be risky traveling in such open space should the dwarves try to pursue him, but he was more focused on not getting lost in the wilderness again. If he did get lost in the wilderness somehow, he could always justplete the Path then. Not like hed get much chance to level a wilderness-survival skill while he was in here. Still, he couldnt just stay away from civilization forever. Some people might enjoy making everything they used from absolute scratch, but not Edwin. So, that meant it was inevitable that he would want to interact with other people eventually. Plus, if dwarves were chasing him, hed need to be able to persuade other people that they were in the wrong and they should help him instead of them. That meantmunication, which meant Polyglot, which in turn meant the Linguist path. Bomber and Linguistbined took 120 skill points, so he wasnt quite there yet. Also, with how low his Throwing Weapons skill was, he should probably try to get a few more levels in that before taking a chance with Bomber advancing it and wasting his chance for easier levels. How to level it, though, was the question. Hmmm. Following his gut, he picked up a piece of rtively smooth limestone that fit into his hand and threw it at the corner of the room. It hit slightly off-target and ttered across the floor. With a slight groan of exertion- hed been sitting down for too long- Edwin picked himself up and went to retrieve it. A dozen tries, and a quick diversion working on cement productionter, and he had what he was looking for. Level Up! Throwing Weapons Level 89 One down, twenty-two to go. Chapter 18: The Left of Bare Arms Chapter 18: The Left of Bare Arms It took Edwin three days of throwing rocks at the wall whenever he could and five levels in the skill before Edwinspleteck of talent was offset by whatever bonus he was receiving from Throwing Weapons and he was able to start juggling. Once he did so, he swiftly confirmed his suspicion that constantly keeping three balls in the air did help him level his Throwing Weapons skill, and the near-constant use of his skill (juggling was fun when you could actually do it!) meant it rose steadily. By the time he hit level 24, he could keep four rocks in the air or juggle two one-handed. That wasnt the only benefit, either. Congrattions! For reaching level 12 in Throwing Weapons you have unlocked the Warrior path! Attempting to juggle rocks while working hadnt gone well at all, which slowed his practice down some, but Edwin found that he could toss things from one hand to the other without his attention getting mad at him. Integrating his skill training into his every movement had paid dividends, and after several weeks, Throwing Weapons, once his lowest-leveled skill, was now at level 47, which, while not quite as high as Almanac, which had hit level 61 two days ago, was nheless quite respectable. Yes, his initial idea had been to just raise it high enough to afford the Bomber and Polyglot paths with it, but further reflection had him doubting if that was a good idea. It was, after all, easier to improve a lower-leveled skills level, and if he wanted to evolve all of his skills eventually, that meant he would simrly want to level all of his skills to the 60-90 range. That realization made him want to bang his head against the wall for trying to advance Basic Mana Maniption at level 9, and that he had only been at level 14 and 22 for his other evolved skills. Gah! Well, that was all in the past and there was nothing he could do about it now. Hopefully, Edwin would be able to get Throwing Weapons and Language up to that range before he had to break out. Hisst audience with Lord SFashkchlil (hitting level 24 in Language had gotten him to the point of being able to barely pronounce the tongue-twister of the name, though most of the time Edwin still preferred to use whatever insult came to mind when thinking about his captor) had been even rougher than usual and overhearing the chatter of other dwarves made him realize Stinker was under pressure due to something. He hadnt caught the details. Research seemed tobine well with his Language practice, and he was able to at least catch the gist of what was being said in dwarven most of the time, even if his ability to speak it was rudimentary at best. Hmmm. Actually, if he wasnt mistaken, Edwin would probably be getting an audience with the esteemed head of n ckstone today. It had been a few days, after all. He wondered what insults and threats hed be subjected to today. Would he stick with the digs against humanity, or would it return to the tirade against extranars? He couldnt wait to find out. Almost on cue, the door opened and his guards- the same two ckstone Sentries as always- entered, then stood aside for a third figure to enter. Rashin, for his part, stepped past the two mostly-alert figures and swept into the room. Edwin raised an eyebrow. That was different. As Rashin snagged Edwins notebook from the bench, he got very suspicious. The dwarves had always been careful to not make it obvious they were disturbing his stuff in the past, what changed? As Rashin left the room, notebook in hand, Edwin shrugged and followed along. He knew the whole song and dance like the back of his hand by now, no need to rock the boat. To his surprise, the Sentries barred his way with their spears. Wait, one of them said in dwarven, and Edwin looked at him dumbly. Whats the holdup? he asked, in English naturally. No point letting his captors know he could understand them. It was, after all, the only way he had caught what little information he had from them. He merely grunted in response, and Edwin shifted from one foot to the next impatiently. After about a minute, they uncrossed their spears in perfect unison (was there a Skill involved in those sorts of coordinated movements?), turned, and led Edwin out the door and down the hall, through the (currently empty) mess hall, up the stairs, up the other stairs, and into the throne room. There, flipping through Edwins notebook, was SFashkchlil, wearing the perhaps most displeased expression Edwin had yet seen on the man. For the longest time, Outsider, Ah, so it was an Earthling-insulting day. Good to know. I have allowed your behavior to slide. I believed you indeed had some form of reasoning behind your endless repetition and inane work. You recorded so much in your journal, which I had believed held countless insights and notes to the process you seemed so insistent would provide results, The dwarf was half-yelling now, and Edwins eye itched. It was really annoying, he wanted to rub it but figured his Blusteriness wouldnt be amused. Oh, he was still talking, -that whatever you were writing was unreadable even by Magistrate Rashin due to poor handwriting, Well. That was a bit harsh. In his defense, the quill and inkwell they apparently expected him to write with were impossible to use. He would have to make a fountain pen as soon as he had the chance and remembered how to -find out that you have been writing nothing but actual nonsense interspersed with insults towards not only myself, In hindsight, it may not have been the smartest idea to actually write his thoughts about lord Sfishkill down, especially as his quill-work was actually half-legible at that point, but he had really needed to vent at the time. The drawing may have been a bit much, though. Hm. Did he have a skill pertaining to volume? Could Edwin go deaf from overexposure to this loud of a voice? Could Shouter go deaf? Was that why he was always so loud? -so you have three days to give me something I can actually use in this Gorkcha-damned war, They were at war? Interesting. And was Gorkcha a god? Were there gods on this world? He probably should try to find that out. -swear to you, I will have your head cut off and mounted upon a stake. Do you understand me? Edwin nodded vaguely, then caught what exactly was said, Wait, what? The dwarfs face somehow grew even more thunderous, which Edwin hadnt thought possible, I said, your Task is to, within three days, show me the results of your work, and they had best be impressive, or I will cut off your head and mount it upon a pike. Edwin was taken aback. Well, beyond the fact he had never promised anything, what was more surprising was the direct threat to his life. Sure, ominous-sounding warnings and insults were par for the course, but never before had he been actively threatened with death if he didnt produce results. This was probably serious, then. Darn it. He was nowhere close to ready, but it sounded like he was out of time. This would be a few very busy days. Edwin was snapped out of his musings by his notebook impacting his shoulder with a very painful smack. Gah, that hurt. It didnt feel like it broke anything, but it would probably leave a welt. He tuned out something about getting out of my sight as he picked up the slightly battered notebook. Flipping open to a random page, he checked to make sure it still was working properly. Identify No noticeable variation between ster made of Infused powder and made of nonmagical powder, Infused following mixing it with water. Namely, higher mana content stiffens the ster slurry, allowing it to be set quickly. Okay, that was a relief. The damage to the notebook hadnt affected his Almanac entries at all, not that he had really expected it to. Sure, he had most of his critical notes saved on other things- materials or generic items, generally- but the notebooks pages were where it was most organized. Sure, his advisor would probably throw a fit about these records being editable, but he didnt need to sign and date the pages to deal with possible patent disputes anyway, and there wasnt a Carbon-12s chance of decay that hed write out everything using a feather quill. So, he had just used Almanac and Identify for his notes. His skill levels loved it, and he was at 273 characters these days, so he could actually get most of a paragraph in a single entry. As his cell door mmed shut behind him, his feet having walked him back to his room nearly on autopilot, Edwin caught himself absently tossing his notebook from hand to hand. With a sigh, he tossed the slightly-tattered tome onto a small patch of empty counter. Checking the kiln, he found that histest batch of lime was done, so he scraped out the rubble and reced it with fresh limestone. The next few days would be crazy busy, but he needed to start slow. He had done enough odd things that making a few spheres out of mortar wasnt that strange, but if he was too tant, the dwarves might notice what he was doing and that would be Very Bad. Also, hed have to work around his Taskspulsion, which. Wait. Edwin had gotten pretty good at recognizing and dealing with the limits imposed on him by hismand to make ckstone/concrete, but that waspletely gone. What had oh. OH. His task had changed! It wasnt make concrete anymore, it was show me something impressive that youve been working on! Edwin couldnt help but chuckle as a smile spread across his face. Oh, he could absolutely do something impressive. Just you wait. It was time to get to work. Knowing in advance that he was likely to get some kind of skill which benefitted bombs had led Edwin to develop a sort of grenade casing made purely from mortar. The trick was finding some setup which wouldnt go off or crack on its own but would quite easily once thrown. For most of his arsenal, the answer was two hollow hemispheres of M-N-N mor- no, sandsculpt- which he would fill and then fit together with a tiny coating of M-N (magical lime, nonmagical water) ster. The ster kept the seemingly-loose sand from being rubbed away and the two halves together, and the sandsculpt helped keep the ster in shape and prevent it from cracking open. The trickiest part was just keeping the sandsculpt from bing magically infused when he insta-cured the ster, which would harden it and make it almost unbreakable. Some of his grenades, though, required more delicate treatment. His steam bombs, which would be the deadliest of his entire arsenal, were entirely encased in a full (if thin) supermortar casing. Those he made by carefully pouring a bit of Infused lime inside, coating it with a tiny, tiny amount of ster, and filling the rest with water, once the ster was cured. It was a nerve-wracking procedure, and the first few times he did it, he was worried that the moisture in the ster would react hyper-explosively with the Infused lime it was covering. Then he realized he had been an idiot and he could just wait to Infuse the lime until he was ready to use it. It would still be dangerous before then- even mundane limes reaction was exothermic enough to boil water- but the casing should keep it from detonating. He made sure to test that he could prime the lime even through its coating- he could, but doing so also Infused the water inside the grenade, which should be alright. Sadly, he wasnt able to test his grenades for obvious reasons, but there wasnt an alternative. The next two days passed in a blur, as Edwin set casings, mixed mortar, and entertained himself via tongue twisters and juggling, managing to onest level in each of the skills. Actually, he realized, I dont need to fill out my Linguist path right now, just Bomber. If I encounter more people I can justplete the Path then. Sure, Polyglot will be a lower level, but I doubt it would level much before then anyway. Edwin also managed to rework a couple of discarded sacks, brought in with loads of limestone. When he had first seen the bup-looking bags, he was stunned at the fact they held up to what must have been two hundred pounds of rock while slung over the shoulder of a ckstone Laborer. Close inspection with Mana Sense had shown the fabric was interwoven with some kind of magic, present but barely noticeable. Infusion hadnt done anything, but some experiments had shown nothing short of his full weight behind a knife could tear the material. A few attempts at improvising them into a form more conducive to carrying yielded sad-looking, barely functional backpacks and a couple of somewhat-better bookbag-like containers. Sure, he didnt have Improvisation anymore, but his Alchemy, its evolution, was level 41. He should have had no problem altering them into a better shape. Unless an evolved skill didnt continue to give the benefits of its base skill? If so, that was concerning. His Basic Mana Maniption was only level 9, and if skills were meant to be raised to level 30 or 60 before evolving, he might well have not only wasted a bunch of skill points, but also crippled his career as a wizard before it could even begin. Maybe it could still increase somehow? Gah. Another worry that hed have to deal with another time. In any case, there was onest pleasant surprise waiting for him as he packed his arsenal into one of his two bookbags (his backpack was filled with food, a metal gon of water, and some other odds and ends). As he ced a gingerly wrapped explosive inside a rag and packed in some excess space with sand, a notification popped up. He almost ignored it, not really caring about a level-up, but it wasnt formatted like one. You have unlocked the Packing skill! ept Skill? Y/N Most skills Edwin had been offered in his time with n ckstone- baking, sand sculpting, shaving, small des, geology, writing, and mixing, among others, he had rejected with varying degrees of regret, not wanting to clutter up his skills too much. Theyd provide skill points, sure, but they would also make it harder for him to evolve all of his skills, which from what he had gathered, was important. Unlocking a skill just let you do something you were already capable of, just better. Evolving a skill would let you do something new. So, he had just pushed off the decision- a rejected skill could still be offered again, if the number of times he had to decline Rock Breaking was any indication- to future-Edwin. The nice thing about future-Edwin was that he was older and therefore wiser, so automatically more qualified for this kind of decision than present-Edwin. Packing, though. Packing was immediately useful and probably useful long-term as well. Edwin could probably haul around some 50 pounds of stuff over extended periods of time, and his arsenal, being mostly more or less solid rock, weighed far above that. Hopefully it would help his carrying weight so he wouldnt be quite as slowed by all his gear. His straining while he lifted his mostly-full bag settled it in his mind, but first Edwin decided toplete his Bomber path, just in case something strange happened. Packing Useful when trying to bear the weight of the whole world on your shoulders Carry heavy loads easier Strength when carrying objects increased Bomb Throwing Youre the bomb. Not quite literally, but close enough Throw explosives Effect of intentional detonations increases with level. You may evolve your Throwing Weapons skill into the Bomb Throwing skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Done! Calcting Rewards ss Change! Outsider Chemist Alchemist Outsider You havepleted the Bomber path! Your way has taken a fairly explosive turn. Fortunately, you have survived, yet those who stand against you may not. You are beginning to show some of your potential, though you still have a long way to go before you are a true force to be reckoned with. Perfect. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist Outsider Attributes Mana 5 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 29, Firestarting: 23, Alchemy: 41, Mana Infusion: 53 Physical Athletics: 23, Breathing: 15, Flexibility: 11, Nutrition: 16, Packing 1, Seeing: 15, Sleeping: 20, Survival: 12, Walking: 20 Mental Identify: 27, Language: 33, Mathematics: 37, Research: 40, Outsider''s Almanac: 61, Visualization: 23 Combat Bomb Throwing: 1 Paths Skill Points: 206 Very Much Yes- Eventually Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Scientist 0/60 Promising Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Linguist 0/60 Maybe One Day Survivor 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, Warrior 0/60 Meh Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60 Chapter 19: Stupid Cheating Skills Chapter 19: Stupid Cheating Skills Today was the day. Edwin had a hard time falling asleep, even when activating his skill, but he managed it eventually, and he woke up well-rested. He didnt have much of an appetite, but made sure to eat as much breakfast as possible to keep his energy up anyway. Hed taken a bath, shaved, and changed into clean clothes the night before, so he would start this trek into the wilderness off fresh. His boots, asfortable as ever, wereced up tightly. His backpack was filled to the brim with food, knives, various heating tes, a pebble of ckstone, a chisel, his notebook, and more. His gloves were concealing a miniature blowtorch hot enough to melt iron. His twin bags filled ammo and backpack were hidden behind piles of rock. There was nothing else he could do to get ready, and Edwins heart was racing. He was not ready, but he had to appear calm and like nothing was unusual. He hefted his sledgehammer and brought it down on a chunk of limestone. This is going to fail, Im going to die, what am I thinking, Im going to die, Im going to die, Im going to- he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He could do this. If he didnt do it, he was dead anyway, so there was nothing to lose. He would survive. He had Science! to do. He was a proper alchemist, too! It even said so in his Status. He took another calming breath, and had to set down his hammer due to how much his hands were shaking. Another breath. In, and out. In. Hold. Out. Hold. In. Hold. Out. Level Up! Breathing Level 1516 Oh, right. He should turn off his notifications now. Edwin didnt want them distracting him during his escape run. Breathe in, breath out. Focus. Stay calm. Grab onto the edge of the counter, that should help keep his shaking hands steady. Breathe deeply. He closed his eyes and counted to one hundred. Another deep breath. He mentally multiplied three 3x3 matrices together. Another deep breath. Recite the alphabet. Now do it backwards. Another deep breath. Edwin opened his eyes, hands barely trembling and breathing mostly under control. He picked up his hammer, and continued to crush limestone, careful to not put too much effort into the activity. Some sixth sense alerted Edwin before he heard them enter, and he positioned himself near where his packs were located. The door swung open, and Edwin saw Rashin enter in his peripheral vision, followed closely by the two guards. Guess its time, then? Edwin asked, of nobody in particr, trying to sound resigned. He sighed, heart racing, and before any of his foes could react, he threw his sledgehammer as hard as possible at Rashins head. The heavy iron head connected with the schrs skull with a ng that sounded more like the hammer had struck a helmet rather than bare hair, and the dwarf copsed. The two guards were stunned, too shocked to properly react at first, and by the time they were in motion, Edwin already had two grenades in hand and a third at the ready. The first was M-N-M mortar, the super-adhesive, and it struck the base of the door, breaking open and sticking it in ce. Edwin wasnt about to let them just close the door on him, after all. The second was N-M-M, slipstone, and it hit right in front of the two guards, spreading its payload in front of them. It wouldnt do much in its wet state, but if cured Edwin quickly threw the third bomb at the ceiling. It struck and exploded in a powerful sh of magical light, exposing the slipstone to just enough mana to initially cure it. Just in time, too. The guards feet came down, found no purchase on the nearly frictionless material, and were thrown off-bnce. By the time they recovered, shouting for help, Edwin already had his bags on, straining under the weight. It was going to get much lighter really quickly, though. He could already hear the sound of approaching footsteps, and the third guard outside his cell was blocking the doorway. As all his enemies were so kind as to be right next to each other, though admittedly right in front of the door, so Edwin decided it was time to pull out the big guns. He primed a steam grenade and threw it directly at the third guard, ducking behind hisb bench and plugging his ears. After a resounding boom, he emerged from his hiding ce to see all three dwarf guards mostly motionless, copsed in various positions. The one he had struck with the grenade was bleeding from somewhere in his beard but they seemed otherwise fine, which was just unfair. Rashin didnt look to be in a good shape, though, and Edwin moved on before he could get distracted. All good so far, hopefully his luck would hold out. As he made it out into the hall, Edwin grabbed a spear from the ground but discarded it immediately. It was too cumbersome to use with his massive bags of ammo slung around his shoulders. Speaking of which, there was a group of dwarvesing down the hallway at a decent clip. Perfect setup for a slipstone grenade. He quickly withdrew and threw one, whichnded perfectly in front of the squad, almost perfectly where he aimed it The sphere broke open, and a marble of cured slipstone rolled down the hallway, easily avoided by his advancing foes. Edwin bit back a curse as he threw another three in an offhand toss. One more broke open to reveal a dud grenade, but the other two worked properly, spreading liquid slipstone across the ground. He didnt have enough time to throw another sh-mana grenade, so he had to go with his backup n. Firestarter paired well with his favorite magitech blowtorch, and Edwins gloves worked just well enough to protect him from the magical lime, heated up to thousands of degrees centigrade and emitting a light which threatened to blind Edwin even through closed eyes. Most important, though, was the rate at which he could pump mana into the substance. A barrage of curses got Edwin to cut the heat and mana, allowing the light to fade to mostly bearable in brightness, and he was treated to the sight of a half-dozen dwarves covering their eyes and tripping over their own feet. Unfortunately, the hallway was still covered in slipstone, and hed fall on his back just as surely as the dwarves if he tried to cross it as he was, but he had at least thought about that in advance. He broke open a tiny ster container and carefully applied a dot of super-adhesive mortar to the toe of his shoes as he prepared to walk onto the frictionless surface. Despite himself, Edwin felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, assume a spherical grenade on a frictionless surface.... By the time Edwin made it across the self-made hazard and managed to scrape off the mortar he had on his shoes (using a shard of slipstone made specifically for that purpose), it seemed as though the dwarves in his cell were starting to recover. Fortunately, they were on the wrong side of the slipstone, so he should be fine. As Edwin continued forward, he broke open about half of his remaining slipstone grenades to coat massive patchwork areas of the hallway, curing them as he went. He couldnt use all of them, theyd be too useful on the stairs for that, but any level of slowing down his enemies was wee. The mess hall was fairly empty again. There were a few dwarves milling around, but some of them somehow didnt seem to notice what was happening, and most of those remaining were decidedly not looking at Edwin. There were a handful left, though, who seemed to take umbrage with his existence and charged at him, hefting various weapons. Okay, eight foes. Hopefully he could manage. The first dwarf, right ahead of him, got entangled in a batch of super-adhesive, and tripped, gluing even more of himself to the floor. To Edwins right, he threw a primed steam grenade, which took care of one more but left the dwarf right next to him mostly unharmed, despite surely taking a few fragments of supermortar to the face- dang, these guys are hardy. Fortunately, the dwarf paused to check up on his fallen friend. Two and a half down, five and a half to go. The other dwarves were more wary now, having seen the sort of firepower he had at his disposal, though one hefted a bench as a shield -the thing had to be twice as long as he was tall- and continued his advance. Edwin backed up until his leg bumped against another bench, and the others seem to take that as encouragement and continued to approach slowly. On the bright side, he now had a clear shot at the shield dwarfs legs, as he had moved into the center aisle ahead of Edwin. Withdrawing two more slipstone grenades and an instant-cure bomb, he threw them all at Shield dwarfs feet, then mentally changed targets. To Edwins shock, despite both the slipstone spreading properly and the cure going off as it should, Shield just grunted and nted his feet solidly on the utterly frictionless surface, as though it were just another patch of ckstone. Edwin grimaced and prepared to throw a different kind of bomb Stupid cheating skills. Edwins realization there were other skills in y was driven home when a dwarf seemed to materialize from thin air as he grabbed Edwins arm. Sneaky (or teleporting?) dwarf probably regretted his decision instantly, though, as he drew breath to speak just as Edwin jerked his grenade-holding arm in surprise, which broke the ster directly on Sneakys forehead. Edwin looked in horror as the lime powder burst into the dwarfs face, getting all over his skin, into his beard, in his eyes The screaming started a momentter, and made Edwin exceedingly d he didnt have any exposed skin and that his eyes were covered by his goggles, as Sneaky fell to the ground clutching his eyes even as the lime probably boiled them whole. That certainly got his assants to pause for a moment, especially when Edwin withdrew a matching grenade from his bag, and he spoke up in dwarven for the first time, Stay back, I pass. I dont want to hurt. Okay, so he didnt really know the grammar yet, but he at least probably got the words right. All but one of the remaining dwarves backed off at that, and when a solidly thrown grenade just bounced off the dwarfs head before rolling onto the ground (it was supposed to be a super-adhesive, but apparently more than just slipstone had gotten cured), this dwarf only got more bold. Another steam grenade followed, but it was batted from the air by the dwarfs axe, cut in half and un-exploded. Clearly more skill nonsense, and the stone crashed against the ground. A quick barrage of different bombs- Edwin was frantically backpedalling, throwing whatever he could pull from his bag, his opponent blocking each throw with an imprable defense, falling more and more into a rhythm and blocking the attacks with more and more ease. Each ng of metal on stone rang out across the hall, but the dwarven cries for backup and help were barely overpowered, the elongated sybles of their tongue rarely drowned out by the sudden impact of steel on mortar. Edwin was running out of bombs in his first bag, now, and while his second bag was almost full, it didnt have many of his adhesive and slick bombs, focusing more on his steam grenades, and the axe dwarf was too close at this point to risk one. Then the dwarf blurred and appeared right next to Edwin with his axe mid-swing. Edwin barely managed to duck out of the way to keep the strike from hitting his head, but it still cut a painful line across his shoulder and down his chest, leaving him bleeding from what was a thankfully superficial cut. Edwin almost breathed a sigh of relief until he realized the strap on his mostly-full bag had been severed by the attack. He could only watch in horror as his bag stuffed to the brim with powerful explosives fell, seemingly in slow motion, dropping and cracking hard against the stone floor. Chapter 20: Out With a Bang Chapter 20: Out With a Bang Time seemed to freeze as Edwins bag of high explosives ttered to the ground. He spared a panicked nce at the axe-wielding dwarf, who looked at him uprehendingly. Freed of some thirty pounds of ammunition, he dove away from the bag as fast as he could. A moment of rity made him twist in midair as to notnd on his other bag of ammunition. Mostly empty it may be, but having them break open directly against his stomach would not be survivable. Once he was on the ground, though, he rolled over to present as slim of a profile as possible, covering the back of his neck with his hands and screwing his eyes shut. A massive explosion followed a momentter, as almost all of Edwins steam and sh grenades went off in unison. The axe-wielding dwarf responsible for the mess was still in one piece, amazingly, but his front was covered in fragments of stone and mortar and had been blown off his feet. Edwin couldnt tell if he had survived, but the dwarf wouldnt be happy even if he had. Edwin scrambled to his feet and beheld the greater carnage. Fragments of stone were buried in the tables around him, and, as Edwin realized when he tried to put weight on it, in his foot. Stifling a scream, he yanked out the offending piece of casing and carried on as fast as he could limp. From beyond the hall, Edwin could hear more dwarves approaching. He managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs alright- if any remaining dwarves had been considering attacking him before, they seemed to be quite dissuaded after thest explosion. But as another squad of dwarves came around the corner, and he heard movement and shouting above, he checked his stocks to see what exactly he had to work with. Edwins bag still held three each of sticky, and steam bombs, four slipstone, one sh, four filled with water, andstly, one extrarge grenade entirely full of infused lime. He also had a decent amount of putty-hard supermortar. Overall, it was nowhere near enough. He had seen dwarves all but take a full-powered steam grenade to the face and Edwin probably hadnt run into any actual high-level elites yet, who may well be able to shrug off his entire arsenal for all he knew. Scary thought. Edwin started climbing the stairs three at a time, wincing every time the ball of his injured foot came down on the wrong angle, but didnt let that slow him down any, pushing forward through every shot of pain. He was perhaps a third of the way up the staircase when dwarves came into view at the top. They had pretty obviously been hastily called from being off-duty (which made Edwin wonder where the on-duty ones were), as half werent wearing full suits of armor and the other half looked confused. As they saw Edwin on the stairs, though, they seemed toe to some sort of consensus at remarkable speed, and two dwarves, one on each side of the group, pulled out crossbows and fired at him. Edwin hit the ground, but the bolts actually curved midair to try and follow him. Fortunately, though, they werent able to turn enough to strike him head-on, and so while one cut through his leatherb coat and gave him a long cut along the side of his back, the other just struck his backpack and stayed there. Edwin hissed at the pain, but he couldnt stop now. There wasnt any cover on the stairway, and so as the crossbowdwarves began to reload, Edwin began to frantically think of some way to survive the next pair. Below him, another set of dwarves began to climb the stairs. Fortunately, thetter problem helped solve the former, as the marksmen at the top of the stairs seemed unwilling to shoot Edwin while their allies were in the line of fire, and they lowered their crossbows instead of taking aim. Edwin was more than happy to take advantage of the time provided to keep climbing the stairs, pulling out his supermortar putty to try and fashion himself a shield. Not like he had any other option. Unfortunately, the momentary reprieve was broken by a familiar, bellowing voice. What are you doing? Shoot him! SFashkchlil had arrived, apparently, and was yelling in dwarven at his minions. Something was said in response, but too quietly for Edwin to understand it. He certainly heard the reply, though, To hells with them! Theyll live! Just dont let him escape! Real inspiring leader there, Edwin thought, preparing himself to try and block the iing shots. He hefted his makeshift shield, hiding his head and upper torso behind the magically-strengthened mortar. The first shot clipped him in the shoulder, making him involuntarily release his grip on his shield with that hand. His right hand, not strong enough on its own to hold up the solid rock, dropped just enough for the next quarrel to strike the center of his makeshift creation, instead of the edge, and the entire block of mortar just shattered, covering his hand with cuts of the fragmented stone. How the heck-NOT THE TIME, EDWIN. Fortunately, Edwin had a slight reprieve as they reloaded, so his momentary distraction didnt kill him. He fumbled for a moment as he pulled out his limelight pebble, and turned the heat on his blowtorch to the absolute maximum, boosting it and his Firestarting skill with as much mana as he could manage, admittedly not much. He couldnt hold the torch steady due to his left arm being out ofmission from the crossbow bolt sticking out of it- but at least Edwin was so high on adrenaline he barely felt it- so he broke open a grenade of sticky mortar and used that to glue the blowtorch to his glove, so he just needed to angle the lime in his hand to make it glow bright. From the cries above, he gathered they were blinded by the light almost entirely, and before they could get the chance to ustom themselves to the brightness through whatever other unfair skills they had, Edwin charged up the stairs, head down and peering through heavily squinted eyes as fast as his bruised and battered body would let him- admittedly not all that fast. After a moment, the chaotic shouting became more organized and Edwin cut off the light, angling the pebble of lime so it wasnt in the me anymore. There was a momentary dy, but everything was quickly plunged into inky ckness. The lime was making it as bright if not brighter than a sunny day, after all, and the halls were dimly lit. Eyes, human or presumably dwarven, just couldnt adjust that fast. Of course, Edwin wasnt taking the chance they somehow could, so he brought the lime back into the me, bringing daylight back to the underground cavern. Then pulled it out, flickering the light to make it almost impossible to adjust to the changing conditions. Naturally, it affected Edwin as well, but all he needed to do was judge how far it was to the next step. It wasnt exactly easy to do with just a single eye barely a hair open and the other tightly shut, but it was manageable and helped Edwin keep his night vision. Then he was at the top of the stairs, and Edwin cut the light onest time to let him get his bearings. There were perhaps a dozen dwarves, only two armed with crossbows, in various states of disarray- Edwins light must have been even more effective than he was anticipating- surrounding him, and another ten to twenty arranged in a loose semicircle around him. Behind the line stood Lord Swordfish himself, staring Edwin down. So this is how you repay my hospitality? Attacking my citizens? he asked in English, and Edwin scoffed. Hospitality? Hah! Dont make meugh, Edwin knew the lord was just stalling for time to get his soldiers re-adjusted to the current light level, but that was fine. Edwin needed time to think as well, I just want to leave. If I am truly a guest, let me walk out of that gate, he indicated at the massive doors, And we can go our separate ways. After you assaulted my kin? You have an interesting sense of humor, Outsider. Youve vited hospitality. You shall never see the light of day again. You will- Edwin didnt let him finish. Instead he darted forward, trying to break through a portion of the semicircle. Behind him, he broke two of his slippery bombs- one was a dud- and cured it with a tap of his foot. The dwarves around him surged forward, but without knowing that particr trick, didnt know to avoid the slipstone, and it sent the first dwarf t on his back, triggering a cascading effect of his fellows tripping over him. Every step sent daggers of pain into Edwins foot and up his leg- there must have still been a bit of rock stuck in either his shoe or foot- but he couldnt stop now. Guards moved to intercept him, but Edwin fished out a steam grenade and threw it at the closest dwarf. It detonated with a bang and sent its target staggering back. It didnt matter how many times he had seen it. It was just tly unfair that the dwarves could survive a grenade to the face. This time, though, there were marks on its target, and his face was a bloody mess. Maybe Edwins skills were finally getting high enough to help counteract whatever defense they had? Would be nice if that was what was happening. His bomb had created just enough of a gap for Edwin to slip through the line, and he sent hisst two steam grenades at the next-closest dwarves. He missed one of his throws- the bomb arcing off into the distance- but it still bought him enough time to pull out a sticky grenade and glue the next dwarf to the ground. Edwin vaguely realized he must have somehow poked a hole into his bag, as a stream of sand started pouring out the bottom, scattering across the ground. Interestingly, the guards still trying to pursue him halted their advance, avoiding the scattered sand. Edwin, now on the narrow bridge crossing the channel of molten metal, was momentarily confused, until he realized what happened and bit back augh. They didnt know he was all but out of tricks and that the sand spread across the ground was just used as packing material. They just knew he had disabled a bunch of their kin with what looked like rocks, and didnt want to take the chance that this was something simrly harmful. Perfect. Edwin was so distracted by the sight of the dwarves avoiding some scattered sand that he didnt notice Sfashkchlil until the dwarf had Edwins forearm in a vice-grip, ring daggers at Edwin, No more tricks. He yanked on Edwins arm, and Edwin yelped as he felt and heard something crack, Your escapade ends here. The dwarfs grip kept tightening, and Edwin felt like the bones in his arm were about to shatter under the pressure, You will regret notpleting your task, you will- See, thats where youre wrong, Edwins mind was racing at a mile a minute, and his mouth was running basically on autopilot. Hopefully it was saying something clever, he couldnt keep track of it, Im doing exactly what you tasked me with. Desperate for any kind of escape, Edwins free arm blindly groped in his almost-empty bag, and fingers settled around an extrarge sphere. He broke his final weapon over the head of his captor, scattering Infused lime dust all over Sfashkchlils hair and beard, sadly none getting in his eyes. You Tasked me with impressing you. The dwarf just snorted derisively, wiping some of the lime out of his beard, Ha! Is this the best you have, Outsider? I knew you wouldnt be any sort of threat. Your kind needs far more time to- Edwin wasnt listening, his hand moving once more. His fingers closed around one of his final two slipstone spheres, and he crushed it against the ground, curing it in a blink, rendering the bridge almost frictionless. The next thing he grabbed was one of his water grenades, and while it was snatched out of the air by the enraged dwarf and crushed like a paper bag, it did get what powder stayed on the lords hand thoroughly wet, and Edwin felt the skill he had been pushing to try and use finally have a bite. Firestarting. As Sfirefaces hand ignited into brilliant white mes, he yelled in anguish, involuntarily releasing Edwins arm from its death grip. He staggered back, trying to smother the magical mes, but didnt manage anything save spreading the chemicals to more parts of his body and his feet iled, trying and failing to find traction on the slipstone all around him. Edwin broke his final sticky grenade on his own foot, giving him enough traction to throw all his weight against the dwarf. He barely managed to budge his captor and his shoulder felt slightly singed froming so close to the reacting infused lime, but it was enough. Ast barrage of water-filled casings, Infused with as much mana as he could manage caused Sfirebeards torso and head to erupt into more mes, only intensifying his struggles and making him susceptible to onest push by Edwin, Are you not impressed? he asked, eyes hard as he toppled the dwarf, making him fall into the river of molten metal below. Edwin dashed for the exit, ignoring the dwarfs tortured screams, and made it thankfully unosted as he reached the massive doors. Unfortunately, they refused to budge, even when he put his (uninjured) shoulder into it as hard as he could. Looking around, he saw an archway built into the wall, and ran into it. Inside was a younger-looking dwarf clearly terrified of him. ncing back behind him- several dwarves were trying to pull out their lord from the molten metal river, but a pair was still pursuing Edwin (still trying to avoid the sand, from the looks of it). He didnt have time for anything clever, so he took the fastest route. Open doors and I wont, he threatened the dwarf in dwarven, hefting his second tost grenade, a sh bomb. The dwarf seemed reluctant to do so, but Edwin mimed throwing it, and his target quickly ran to an unmarked portion of the wall? Ah, it was a hidden door. Made sense theyd want to have a quick entrance or exit. The terrified dwarf pushed it open, and it swung out, letting daylight, actual daylight, spill into the tiny room. Good dwarf. Edwin absently said in English, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the blessed sunlight. Behind him, he heard the first of his pursuers curse in dwarven as the light once again shifted. He threw his sh bomb at them as a final farewell present, and was about to do the same with hisst grenade- a slipstone bomb- when he looked out at the massive ckstone road in front of him, dipping and running down the side of the mountain. It would be an absolute pain to try and run down that, especially with pursuit, unless A smile yed across Edwins lips, and it grew into a full smile and then augh. Freedom. Chapter 21: Assume the Physicist Ignores Air Resistance Chapter 21: Assume the Physicist Ignores Air Resistance It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. He needed to get away, really fast, from the Citadel, before any sort of pursuit could assemble and apprehend him. All he had left of his armory was a single capsule of slipstone, and since he had a long, constant-incline path ahead of him, the solution seemed obvious. Hed just coat the outside of hisb coat with slipstone and use it for a sled. It was the perfect way to get away from the dwarves really quickly! Well. He certainly was going very quickly. Very, very quickly. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH The ckstone road stretched out before him, hurtling by at speed far faster than he wasfortable with, and as a bend rapidly approached, Edwin hastily pulled up on one of the sleeves of his coat-sled to try and turn without flying off into the undergrowth. Thendscape had changed a lot from his start up at the top of the mountain. The small shrubs and grasses had long since merged back into the forest he had been lost in, and he had no desire to careen into a tree at these speeds. It felt like he was going a hundred miles an hour, but it was in all honesty probably closer to thirty or forty. Still more than enough for him to break every bone in his body if he didnt- OH SHOOT ANOTHER TURN. Edwin hugged his transport tightly, not wanting to even have the chance of letting go and falling off as the coat banked around the turn. It wasnt as bad as that section one of the road bordering the cliff, at least. Edwin had nearly passed out, going so fast that close to a massive drop. This thing needed guardrails. And he needed brakes. He was bound to be far enough away from the ckstone Citadel to be safe from any immediate pursuit by now, or so he hoped. Unfortunately, that fact was of limited use when he had built up so much speed on his way down that a sudden stop would send him tumbling, break his bones- a twinge on his shoulder reminded him- break more bones, and possibly not even bring him to aplete stop. At least the road had mostly leveled out, so he wasnt speeding up any more. Small mercies and all that. Okay, time to think. A Physics major is on a constant slope. Assuming theres no friction, calcte the speed at which. Shut up, me. He was sitting on hisb coat, sleeves turned inside-out and used for reins and coated with slipstone, which was for most intents and purposes, frictionless. His backpack was sitting next to him, one loop halfheartedly hanging over his right arm. He had an arrowhead stuck in his shoulder (most of the shaft having broken off already), a bleeding foot, and a probably broken arm. He couldnt wait to stop on his own, and ANOTHER CORNER if he didnt slow down, he would eventually miss a turn. It would be hard enough to do this on a normal day, never mind with only one functional arm. It was not, however, the most suicidal thing Edwin had tried today though, so at least it had that going for it. But anyway. Slowing down. Edwin had stuff, mainly food, in his backpack. Probably not useful. He had decently sturdy boots, but not enough that he trusted them to stop his current speed without breaking or wearing down to the point of uselessness. He still needed shoes! Hmm. One of them did have the adhesive mortar on it, but it had cured back when he set the dwarf lord on fire and so wouldnt be much help in this situation. He had ss goggles that probably hindered his vision but also allowed him to see without his eyes being dried out in moments. He still had his gloves, but they wouldnt hmm. Actually. It worked for ziplines, could it work here? Though how could he manage to both steer and to slow himself down using his gloves while only having a single free hand? Edwin gritted his teeth. There was no way around it, but this would hurt. Might permanently injure himself too, but hopefully not. First, after making another turn anyway, he slowly rotated himself so he faced primarily to the left, leaving his right hand steering, his left slowly creeping off the end of the tattered hem of his coat until his gloved fingertips skated across the smooth-yet-rough ckstone paving. Thankfully, the motion didnt hurt too badly, so Edwin pressed slightly harder. The application of force was enough to make him drift ever so slightly to the left, and he corrected at the front, then de-corrected as the road itself began to angle to the left. How far did this road go, anyway? The world streaked by, the woods a blur of color as Edwin slowly increased the pressure his hand was applying. With every additional touch, though, the pain in his arm increased and he started to doubt if he could manage his n. A tiny bump in the road made his sled jump and crunch back into the road, jolting his arm and sending pain shooting through Edwins shoulder. Hmm. That gave him an idea, though. Maybe he could crack the slipstone in half, letting him slowly trap debris in the gap and umte friction that way? Once there was a bit of slowdown in this out-of-control descent, he could probably manage to stop the rest of the way. As Edwin carefully maneuvered back to his original position, he waited for a decently long straight stretch in the road to arrive, then lifted up the front of his ride as far as it could go- well, as far as he was willing to lift it, anyway- and brought his foot down hard on the portion lifted into the air. He felt a little give, but not enough. He kicked again. A bit more give. Again. And again The slipstone splintered, sending fragments of mortar in every direction. Several got caught under the coat, jamming up what slipstone remained on the outside of his coat and severely slowing the ride. Edwin, not adequately prepared for the extreme change in motion, lurched forwards, his bad shoulder impacting the cloak and exploding in pain. The jolt also threw his legs up in the air, where they caught the force of the wind full-bore. He screamed, waves of agony radiating across his entire upper torso, and rolled over on his back, trying to relieve the pressure. His weight pressed down on the front half of his sled, introducing a fairlyrge new force involved in this free-body diagram of a physics problem. Suddenly, the front half of Edwins former coat was not moving anywhere close to the back half, and the discrepancy pulled him into a head-over-heels tumble, just like he was trying to avoid. Well, at least this way he had the mostly intact leather coat to help protect him. His backpack went flying off somewhere, slipping from his arm as he lost grip on the reins of his descent. Even his gloves flew off at some point, the left one getting caught against the road at some point and yanking painfully on his arm as it was wrenched off, the right glove just getting lost in the tangle at some point. All he knew was pain and confusion as the world spun. At least the road was almost entirely smooth, so there werent any jumps or rocks crashing into him. Just a very long tumble, wrapped up in an almost-smothering nket made of tattered leather. How long has it been since I had to just stayying down because of how sore I was? Edwin mused, I was with the dwarves for like a month, month and a half, so about that, I suppose. Didnt feel that long, though. He tried to move but was met with only pain, Pity I couldnt bring my bed along. That would feel heavenly about now. Eventually, Edwin woke up enough to get his bearings. He didnt throw up, though for someone who never got motion sick, he came pretty close. That was not fun in the slightest. Ugh. At first, he tried rolling himself over and pushing himself into a sitting position, but his left arm told him in no uncertain terms that was not going to be an option. Instead, he settled for grabbing his legs with his right arm and pulling himself upright in what proved to be a very painful sit-up. His wounds, as minor as they might have been- outside of his left arm, anyway- were still tremendously ufortable as he contorted himself into ce. Once Edwin had sessfully sat up (it was the minor victories that got him through), he looked around, assessing histest situation. Pro: he was alive, free(!), and (mostly) unharmed. Con: his coat looked like a dishrag, his backpack was nowhere to be seen, his gloves were probably long gone, one of the lenses in his goggles had a giant crack running through it, and mostly unharmed was not the same aspletely unharmed, even discounting his pre-existing injuries. It felt like half of his body was one giant bruise, and the other half had been run over by a truck. His face wasnt too badly scraped up, fortunately, though his back was definitely bleeding again. With a pained groan, he removed the goggles from his face, feeling the indentation they had made around his eyes, and tossed them to the side. The crack in the lens grew bigger, but at this point Edwin couldnt bring himself to care. All his dwarf-made PPE was pretty much ruined anyway, hed need to rece them somehow before he could resume any sort ofb work. Hed made some really cool stuff after all, and that was literally just using rocks and his own Skills. Edwin couldnt wait to try and see what he could make when not under the threat of death, forced to focus solely on concrete and lime, and able to use more potentially magicalponents. Before he could get too carried away by the fantasies of the Alchemists of old, spinning lead to gold and brewing the elixir of life, Edwin dragged his excitement back down to earth, chaining it to his current predicament. He was back in the middle of the wilderness, and he was arguably in worse shape now than he was a month ago. At least a month ago, he still had two unbroken arms and didnt have a really sharp arrowhead buried in his shoulder. Then again, he now had the ckstone road, both as a guide back to civilization and as a way to stay somewhat warmer, and finding food and water would be as easy as figuring out where his backpack had gotten to. Also, I have better shoes. And its time to put them to good use, Edwin thought as he pulled himself to his feet, wincing as he did so. It took a little while, but Edwin eventually managed to track down his left glove and thankfully full backpack, both tossed to the side of the road a good ways back from where he had eventually stopped. His right glove, sadly, was nowhere to be found. Pity. Presumably, his blowtorch was still attached to it, wherever it hadnded, but after about a half-hour of searching he had to give it up as lost. He may have gotten a sizable lead over anyone following him, but he wasnt about to assume that meant they would never catch up. After all, they presumably didnt have a limp and likely would have some sort of Skill to help them go faster. No, he needed to press on as much as possible, keeping an eye out for ces he could stop for the night and get this stupid arrowhead out of his shoulder. Ahem. Edwin ran through a mental list of the things he was fairly certain he had brought with him. There should be a hotte and metal bowl in his bag, along with some bup rags, so he could make some bandages for himself at least. He didnt bring soap, though, which he mentally cursed himself for forgetting. Cleaning out his injuries would be way harder without it, and he wouldnt be able to do it nearly as well. Still, boiling water and cloth should go a long way. He also had a couple knives, so he might be able to fashion a makeshift splint for his arm. Hopefully he found civilization soon and would be able to get proper medical attention. Supposedly, the Pretentious Empire should be nearby, though what exactly nearby entailed, and what might count as proper medical attention were far less certain. The ckstones seemed basically standard pseudo-medieval fantasy from what limited glimpses he had seen, and that meant a medic in a local town might proscribe leeches and bleeding or tap his shoulder and magically close all his wounds. Well, worst-case scenario he might be able to walk someone through bandaging his injuries properly. In the meantime, would doing a temporary job help level Survival or would it unlock a First Aid skill? Oh yeah. That reminded him. He had notifications to check. Mentally preparing himself for an utter wall of text, Edwin called them all up at once. Chapter 22: Just Follow the Black Stone Road Chapter 22: Just Follow the ck Stone Road Level Up! Seeing Level 1516 Flexibility Level 1115 Athletics Level 2325 Visualization Level 2324 Alchemy Level 4143 Mana Infusion Level 5355 Firestarting Level 2327 Bomb Throwing Level 19 Walking Level 2021 Survival Level 1214 Language Level 3334 Packing Level 23 Breathing Level 1617 Congrattions! For leaving your lifelong home with no intention to return, you have unlocked the Wanderer path! Congrattions! For being driven from your home on threat of violence should you return, you have unlocked the Exile path! Congrattions! For freeing yourself from captivity you have unlocked the Escapee path! Congrattions! For managing to defeat multiple trained soldiers of n ckstone against all odds, you have unlocked the ckstone Conqueror path! You have unlocked the Intimidate skill! ept Skill? Y/N Congrattions! For lighting a powerful political figure on fire, you have unlocked the Pyromaniac path! You have unlocked the Shield Block skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Reflexes skill! ept Skill? Y/N Congrattions! For surviving a powerful explosion, you have unlocked the Unkible path! Congrattions! For killing a sentient creature, you have unlocked the Killer path! Congrattions! For blinding an opponent through severe chemical burns, you have unlocked the Alchemical Warrior path! Congrattions! For killing an unarmed sentient creature, you have unlocked the Assassin path! Congrattions! For attacking your mentor, you have unlocked the Traitor path! Edwin was really d he had updated the way his leveling notifications were disyed. There was already a lot to parse here, nevermind if it were interspersed with thirty skill increases. Huh. Counting that had been surprisingly easy. Apparently Mathematics was paying off. Each of the Paths got a brief look-over, and a great deal of concern at the Assassin, Killer, and Traitor paths. Who did he kill? He wasnt exactly hoping to kill anyone, though with how sturdy all the dwarves. oh. It was probably Rashin, wasnt it? He was also probably the mentor attacked for the Traitor path. Edwins excess mental chatter fell silent for a moment. Sure, the dwarf had arguably been the one to sentence Edwin to very, but it wasnt really urate. Really, he had just been tasked by lord Sfishkill to keep an eye on Edwin, and as a result he was now dead. It was a sobering thought to think that he had been directly responsible for the death of someone. Did Rashin have family? Edwin hadnt thought to ask initially, and ignored the few attempts at conversation Rashin had initiated while Edwin was captured out of spite. He couldnt say that he regretted what he had done, not really. But he still wished that he hadnt needed to kill anyone. Had anyone else died as a result of his escape? He hadnt thought so, but then again he had thought that whatever kept Rashins skull intact when it was struck with a sledgehammer would have let the dwarf survive as well, when that was apparently not the case. Maybe not the dwarf that he had dumped Infused lime on? Edwin felt emotions well up inside of him, regret, sadness, a hint of self-loathing, but he steeled himself, locking that whole bundle of screwy emotions inside a solid box right next to where he was keeping his thoughts about being worlds away from everyone he knew. He did not have time for that right now. Okay, maybe he did. He absolutely had time to process being on Joriah in his month-long imprisonment, just No. He clearly didnt have time. Besides, his emotions were securely locked away, there was no time pressure, he could deal with them . Later, Edwin. Not now. Once he was safe and secure somewhere, then he could deal with his emotions. Might not be the healthiest idea, bu...t nah. Itd be fine. He had loads of practice keeping his feelings separate from everything else because and nope! He was absolutely not opening that box right now. One day, maybe. Oh look, something to distract him! More Paths! Alchemical Warrior sounded incredibly fun, but at 90 points was a bit much. Pyromaniac, Exile, and Escapee were all 30 points, cheap paths with debatable value. He wasnt sure if he wanted whatever they might bring to his ss. Wanderer, at 60 was more promising. Sure, calling the ckstone Citadel Edwins lifelong home might have only been technically correct, and only from the Systems perspective, but at the same time, the sentiment wasnt totally off. With further thought, Edwin kind of liked the idea of being a wandering alchemist, traveling around and seeing everything Joriah had to offer. He couldnt really settle down, not with ckstone likely willing to follow him to the far corners of the earth- far corners of Joriah? English expressions werent really made with other worlds in mind- to drag him back to envement. Granted, he could probably manage to avoid them by making political allies until it would be tooplicated to pull Edwin back, but considering what had just happened, he was hesitant to run to another person in power and trust that hed get away totally fine. Heck, he might even be used as a way to get cheap political favors if he wasnt careful! No, he would need to keep traveling to avoid his pursuers. Alone, preferably, then he wouldnt have to worry about anyone selling him out. Besides, he liked being alone. No emotional baggage or social intricacies to worry about. Just him and his thoughts. Yeah he liked that idea. Maybe he could be an adventurer! Show up, kill a monster, get rewards to fund his trek to the next town, repeat ad nauseum. Sounded good to him. What was he thinking about? Oh yeah! Paths. Wanderer sounded good to him, though when he would take it Eh, at some point. Unkible sounded very appealing, but at 90 points fell firmly behind the other Paths with a simr cost. ckstone Conqueror sounded like it was a Trophy path, like his Stonehide Vanquisher path. From what Rashin had said, it would probably give him a skill with a physical manifestation. Something made of ckstone, perhaps? That would be cool. Also, he had skills to reject! This always hurt a little bit, but if he were offered them again he might reconsider. Intimidation and Shield Block were both easy rejections- he had no desire to scare people to get them to cooperate, it just wasnt his style, and he had no real intention to use a shield in the future. He could have taken them anyway, but then he would just be dealing with extra skills that he wouldnt be using and thus not providing the skill points needed for their own evolutions. Reflexes Reflexes was a significantly harder decision. He still declined it, but was much more hesitant to do so. If he wanted it at some point in the future, he could probably re-earn it, but there was no way to remove a skill once you had it. So, rejecting was temporary, epting was permanent, and he didnt feelmitted enough to it to make that choice. He needed to sit down and figure out some long-term n, though. Blindly stumbling through things and epting all skills offered might have worked for him so far, but that could only take him so far. Failing to n was just nning to fail, after all. The only problem with devising a build was that he didnt know enough about the System to make informed decisions, and he doubted that he would trust anyone enough to share the details of what he could do any time soon. Not after thatst fiasco. So, blindly stumbling around looked like the name of the game for the near future. Still, it had worked out decently well fo far. After all, he liked roughly what sorts of skills he had- an eclectic mishmash of abilities which worked together well. He might have unintentionally crippled his mana usage, but even what he could do was clearly enough to take down really spectacr odds. It is a pity, Edwin mused, that I probably wont have ess to any workshops near as nice as what the dwarves provided. They had a really nice kiln and lots of tools, way more than I could reasonably carry around even if Packing gets really high-leveled. Just too cumbersome. Ooh! I wonder if spatial bags are a thing. That might be helpful in terms of carrying stuff around, not to mention all the physics-breaking fun that could be had with something like that. Edwin shook his head to clear it, Anyway, I wish I had been able to take more tools with me as I left, all that sort of thing is bound to be even more expensive here than on Earth, so I wont be funding ab for myself any time soon. Heck, I dont even have the right protective equipment anymore Edwin was broken out of his thoughts by a branch falling somewhere off the path, not terribly far away. He froze, not wanting to attract the attention of any kind of predator that might be lurking nearby as he carefully scanned his surroundings for something that might have knocked a branch down or made a sound that was really simr to one. They might still be invisible, though. He never did rule out the possibility that predators might well have insane Stealth skills. If anything, running into a bear the size of a train just made that there were invisible panthers hanging around somewhere all the morelikely. Still, scanning the woods carefully had its own benefits. Off the path a little ways, Edwin caught sight of a trickling brook, cascading off the edge of a small rocky bluff. It looked close enough to what Edwin was hoping for that he decided it was worth a try, and given he would have never noticed it without looking closer specifically here, it was probably hidden enough for his purposes. He shivered as he left the road. Apparently, the ckstone had been keeping him warmer than he realized. Still, the site seemed to suit Edwin well enough. A tree had grown up right next to the exposed rock, creating a small, sheltered space beneath its branches that was justrge enough to hold him if he was curled up. While there may have only been a trickle of water flowing by, it was better than nothing, and Edwin settled in for the night. His first step was to dig through his backpack to find his water canteen, which he gratefully gulped down. Then, he dug out a heating stone and his bowl. Unfortunately, it seemed as though a spare crossbow bolt had struck the heating stone, cracking it and rendering it useless. Well, at least he had a crossbow bolt now, he supposed? Not sure what he might do with it, but it didnt seem like anything else was ruined- a couple loaves of bread had a hole through their centers, but that wouldnt really make a difference. A bit more digging turned up another heating stone. While it wasnt as nice as the broken one, it still got hot enough to boil the water Edwin had collected in his bowl. Once it was boiling nicely, he took a handful of rags from his bag- well, they had been sacks, but a few cuts with his knife tore them into strips- and shoved them in the water, hopefully sterilizing them. He was pretty sure this would work, anyway. The bandages were dripping wet when he removed them from their bath, naturally, but he dried them out byying them directly on the heating stone, where they started steaming. While they were drying, Edwin turned his attention to the real problem at hand, so to speak. Fortunately, the quarrel hadnt gone too deeply into his shoulder. Unfortunately, that was because it seemed to have hit his shoulder bone, which Edwin was pretty sure was Very Bad. The arrowhead hadnt buried all the way inside, though, which should make it easier to remove, especially as it wasnt serrated or barbed in any way, just a leaf-shaped tip on a broken, slender wooden shaft. After sterilizing his knifede via a quick application of Firestarting, Edwin carefully poked at the wound, opening it up just enough to let some blood out, then attempted to slide the crossbow bolt out. He had to abort that attempt when he was left seeing stars, same with the next and the next and the next and eventually he worked it all the way out, but it left his shoulder bleeding at an ufortable rate, but he brought up a handful of bandages to stem the flow. It was half sessful. Still bleeding an ufortable amount. Gah. This was why everyone always said to not remove the puncturing object, because it would just bleed more. That worked great when you had 911, but out here? Not so much. Edwin knew what he should probably do- use Firestarting to try and fuse the skin together, but he didnt want to do so. For one, it might not work. Two, it would hurt a heck of a lot, and three, setting himself on fire didnt strike him as the smartest idea. Still, it would also probably sterilize the wound, which if he wanted to avoid infection, he would need to do. He still couldnt believe he forgot to bring soap. He took a deep breath. Maybe because it was magical fire, he could somehow attune it so it wouldnt hurt as much? It was magic, anything was possible. That thought was enough to get him to set on a course of action. Hed do it, hoping it went alright. Hey, hed done stupider stuff in the past, right? The first thing Edwin did was prep the surrounding area, Infusing his bandages and shoulder with as much mana as he could provide. He hadnt tried infusing himself before, and it didnt really take. He might have Infused the bone or something, but he didnt really get the sensation that he had Infused his shoulder. With a deep breath, Edwin imagined a spark of fire alighting on his severed blood vessels, cauterizing them. Elsewhere, he imagined fire dancing along the surface of his skin, scorching right outside of it without touching or burning his actual flesh. Above all, though, he saw the fire not going inside of him, but instead staying purely topical. Then, with a few deep breaths to calm himself, poured as much mana into the forming Skill idea as he could and pushed. Firestarting The pain was intense, as it felt like his shoulder was briefly lit on fire which, Edwin supposed once his wits returned, it was. Fortunately, the majority of the pain went away decently quickly, leaving only a lingering burn and AAAHHH THE BANDAGE WAS ON FIRE. Anyway. Once the burning rags were thrown into the brook, where they now sat smoking, Edwin turned his attention back to his shoulder. The skin of his shoulder, now a painful shade of red, was definitely burned, but the cut seemed to have been closed well enough to slow the bleeding enough that a fresh set of bandages was able to stem it. Hed have to keep a close eye on the burn to make sure that didnt get infected, though. Tying bandages around his shoulder with a broken arm was awkward, to say the least, but he managed eventually withparatively little pain, then shrugged his shirt back on. All that finally taken care of, Edwin checked the notifications which had been tugging at his attention this entire time. Congrattions! For sessfully closing an open wound on your own in the wilderness, you have unlocked the Field Medic path! Congrattions! For unlocking the Cauterize spell, you have unlocked the Mage path! You have unlocked the First Aid skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Cauterize skill! ept skill? Y/N Level Up! Firestarting 2729 Mana Infusion Level 5556 Visualization 2425 Wait, the Mage path? Didnt he alreadyplete that? Huh. He did. Could you re-earn Paths? Was it onlypleted Paths? It had to be that. Edwin couldnt imagine not re-unlocking the Daredevil path after his sledding incident if you could have multiple of the same Path as the same time. That was interesting. Granted, he didnt know what he might be able to do with that information, but it was still interesting. Also, even more skills to choose between? Cauterize being a spell sounded really, really cool. An actual spell! Were they different from normal skills in some way? If so, how? Gah Edwin felt torn. On the one hand, he would hopefully never need to use it again, so it was a wasted skill. On the other, it was a System-recognized spell! Then again, like with Reflexes, if he somehow needed it again, he knew how to unlock it. First Aid, though, was an absolute necessity. He needed something like that, if his misadventures so far were any indication. Plus, hed need all the help he could get for his arm. Level Up! First Aid Level 14 First Aid Youve had one, yes, but what about Second Aid? Patch up wounds Effectiveness improves with level. Edwin vaguely wondered what the dwarves would think about him, not following any particr legacy, just grabbing whatever skills he thought sounded useful. He did really need the help, though. A couple of half-remembered sses about first aid was not enough when there was nobody to go to for a better job after he first patched himself up. Level Up! First Aid Level 47 I miss Improvisation. Edwin thought as he tried to work one-handed with his swiftly-dwindling stock of cloth, I dont think Im any worse than before, but I could have gotten so many levels if I still had it. Edwins forearm was wrapped up tightly, the swelling on his arm mostly manageable now, and with a few more minutes of work, he even had a makeshift sling to help keep it immobile. With no way to set the bone, or even the knowledge needed if he could, all he could do was to hope that his bone would heal correctly on its own. Curling up while trying to avoid disturbing a broken arm wasnt easy, but Edwin managed it eventually. It had been a long, exhausting day, so pretty much as soon as he had himself situated in a half-decent position, tucked beneath the tattered remains of his coat, he was fast asleep. Chapter 23: Foreign Exchange Chapter 23: Foreign Exchange It took Edwin nearly a week, but he eventually managed to limp his way out of the forest. It hadnt been easy, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he had done it. Every day, hed walk as far as he could manage, eat enough food to keep himself going, find a spot to bunker down for the night, clean his bandages and repeat. Whenever he needed water, hed find a stream to fill his canteen and boil it with either Firestarting or a heating stone, and he had found enough sources that hed never gone too thirsty. He would have expected that he might have run out of food by now, but he just didnt need to eat that much. Not that he had ever eaten that much, but usually when he was physically active, hed need a hefty amount of food to get by, but not at the moment. In any case, he was in great shape. His legs were getting stronger and stronger by the day, the hole in his foot had healed (it was still sore, though), and hed gotten a bunch of skill levels just by using them constantly. Level Up! Walking Level 2128 Packing Level 35 Language Level 3436 First Aid Level 713 Survival Level 1417 Athletics Level 2527 Sleeping Level 2021 Outsiders Almanac Level 6162 Identify Level 2728 Seeing Level 1617 Breathing Level 1720 Mana Infusion Level 5657 Things had slowed down recently. Language had barely leveled despite Edwin having spent nearly the entirety of each day devising and reciting the most twisty tongue twisters he could imagine, something which used to him about a level per day. His Almanac continued to level, naturally, as he would mark any discrete object in his 4ish meters of range with a message. If someone was able to read his messages, theyd probably find some very confused ramblings, each in the form of a single sentence-length blurb covering branches, twigs, and leaves on either side of the road. It wasnt all good, though. Edwin had yet to see so much as a hair of his pursuers, which in some ways just made Edwin more nervous. How many were they sending, that it took them this long to get organized? He knew theyd being after him, it was just a question of how hard it would be to evade them. If they sent an army, hed have no chance. If they sent for a specialist who was just taking their sweet time setting off on their hunt, he would also have no chance. His only real chance at this point was to get into civilization proper before his pursuers showed themselves, and... it looked like he had finally made it! The ckstone road ended with a massive archway,made of two giant ckstone statues of dwarves with pickaxes raised and crossed at the peak, in an utterly superfluous yet really impressive construction. On the other side of the arch, the road changed abruptly to packed dirt, barely muddy even with the current drizzle making everything ever so slightly wet. Just as sharp of a change was the shift from the wild, untamed forest he had be so familiar with and farnd. If he looked off to the side, he was able to see a section of the forest which extended into the farnd, but it looked like it was some form of logging camp. Of most interest to Edwin, though, was what appeared to be a small town a little ways further down the road, next to a bend in a fairlyrge river meandering its way through the fields. Edwin may have been dead on his feet by the time he got close enough to properly see that what he had thought was a small vige was, well, calling it a small vige was he wasnt sure. There were plenty of buildings, mostly made of what appeared to be living trees with branches woven together intricately to make walls, but they were all built in miniature. As were the people. There was lots of activity going on, bustling through the town square as the halflings carried around bags stuffed to the brim and a few carried around timber and logs twice the size of themselves. The entire ce emanated endless chatter in a rapid, stato-soundingnguage of which Edwin couldnt understand so much as a single syble of. Time to change that. Polyglot You can understand me, right? Make yourself understood Increasedprehension per level You may evolve your Language skill into the Polyglot skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Done! Calcting Rewards ss Change! Alchemist Outsider Foreign Alchemist You havepleted the Linguist path! Your way has brought you far afield from where you started. To call you an Outsider is simplistic and iplete. You are truly an outsider to wherever you find yourself, a foreigner to all. Yet with that status of standing on the outside, you are nheless capable of seeing what others cannot yet often incapable of seeing what they do. Edwin had mixed feelings about losing the Outsider tag on his ss description. For better and for worse, it marked him as different, something he had always loved and hated simultaneously. Being on the outside was much less painful if he were different, yet to be different was to set himself on the outside. Granted, Foreign wasnt that much better, but it was probably less exotic? Eh, it didnt sound quite as cool, but it was what it was. Edwin was drawing close enough to the town that he could tell there was a fair level of attention directed his way. A few nces tossed his way, children stopping and staring for a moment before continuing to run around, and a couple of people looking at him directly. Edwin wanted to shrink away from the attention, and very nearly did, but pushed through and continued towards the bustling crowd. He must have been quite the sight, with one arm in a sling, a backpack over his shoulder, and wearing a coat with more holes than leather. Now that he was closer, Edwin could see that the halflings werent quite just humans but smaller. They had proportionallyrger heads and eyes, and seemed to have an extra joint on their fingers, giving their fists an oddly fluid and unsettling appearance. One of the halflings staring at Edwin- a Watcher of the Community, ording to Identify- approached him, saying something in the stato halflingnguage. While he couldnt understand the words, Edwin was able to get the gist of what was being asked- who was he, and what was he doing here? In response, and with a voice that hadnt spoken in a week, Edwin spoke in Dwarven, gesturing to the forest, Lost in there. Can I get help? The halfling cocked his head, and responded in halting dwarven of his own, Lost in Verdant? Come, will give help. He grabbed Edwins hand- the extra joint felt weird- and pulled him along the edge of the town to a grand-looking building, the trees which it was built from seeming to emanate age and strength. It was also one of the few that seemed to have a second story, the canopies of its corner not cornerstones. Cornertrunks? The canopies of its cornertrunks were interwoven in a simr way to the walls on the ground floor, overall giving the building a vaguely mushroomed-shaped profile. As Edwin was led inside, ducking inside the door and preparing to hit his head on the ceiling, he was pleasantly surprised, and more than a little confused, to find that the inside was far taller than it should have been. More skill nonsense, clearly, but one that messed with space. Seemed like his hopes of a bag of holding wasnt just a dream after all, but decidedly possible. Oh, his guide was talking about him to an important-looking halfling sitting on a finely crafted wooden seat. Level Up! Polyglot Level 13 After some discussion, for which Edwin was zoned out for- his legs were killing him and he really wanted to sit down- the important-looking halfling, a Vige Elder Head, stroked her chin, speaking in perfect dwarven, So, you were in the Verdant? For how long? About a week, Edwin racked his brain for the Dwarven word for maam, but came up nk,dy. Then I was with n ckstone until I could escape. Escape? her interest was piqued. I was held against my will. I took what I could as I ran. A thief, then? You were arrested for stealing? No no. They wrongly imprisoned me. Made me work, shot me when I left, Edwin shrugged off his jacket and shirt from his wounded shoulder, showing his bandage. Halflingdy narrowed her eyes at him, assessing his wounds, examining his expression, and Edwin felt his pulse quicken. She clearly wasnt buying his story, Edwin could see tell. She didnt believe him, and was no doubt going to contact the dwarves to return a thief, he could sense it. Ahh. He was in no position to fight his way out, to try and find another vige to get help at. Okay, he could probably make it to the door, at least. Once he was there, he could- We will help you. Your wounds need healing and you came with no motive beyond seeking some way to survive. Takti will escort you to Sisi, he will help you. Level Up! Polyglot Level 34 Whew. So, he was at least going to get healed first. He could escape hopefully before whatever messages they would need to pass to ship him back to the ckstones would be exchanged. That was of course assuming they didnt keep him under lock and key, but Edwin didnt think that they would do something so obvious. No, their sort clearly liked to pretend to be nice while secretly plotting something. There were other roads, hopefully he could make it to wherever the next town was. They had to be rtively close, right? This looked like farnd, and so they wouldnt want to have to tend to toorge of an area outside their vige, right? That was probably how it worked? Edwin ducked into the house that Taktally? Tactically? Takt- Edwin quickly Almanaced his guide with what Edwin was pretty sure was his name- the house that Takt was leading him into, pleasantly surprised to find that this building, too, wasrger on the inside. The roof wasnt quite enough for him to stand up straight, but it was close enough. There was another flurry of words exchanged- Edwin marveled slightly at just how incredibly different thenguage the halflings were speaking was from the dwarven tongue- about him again, and then he was directed toy down on a rolled-out mat on the floor, next to a bed far too small for him. Edwin removed his backpack and gratefullyid down. At the silver-haired Sisi (an Experienced Community Healer)s mostly mimed directions, he also removed his shirt, as bloody and cut-up as it was (he was going through clothes fast). Once he was shirtless, Sisi knelt down next to him, slowly unwrapping his bandages to reveal his swollen shoulder, tutting softly. No, wait, Sisi was saying something about him doing something stupid. Or maybe thats what the tutting was? Polyglot wasnt very clear in its rifications, not that anything with this System was. It really was cool, seeing Skills at work from people who had clearly practiced with them their whole lives when they werent actively aimed to kill him, and Edwin, despite constantly waiting, never felt any manaing from the halfling as he took a damp, clean cloth and just wiped away Edwins burn. Wait, what? He blinked, trying to clear his eyes. What was that? That burn had been bothering Edwin for days, but carefully poking his shoulder still had him hissing in pain. The burn was gone, but the underlying wound was still there. Sisi, who was examining Edwins broken arm, looked up at Edwins exmation, and he carefully set Edwins arm down before examining his shoulder more carefully, gently admonishing him again. Polyglot was weird. He could understand the intention behind statements, but only so long as he didnt try to focus on the individual words. The more he focused, the better he could understand fragments of words, but the less heprehended the statement as a whole. Concentrating let him identify the word tikil as meaning some form of wound or injury, but he had no idea what context it was being used in. Level Up! Polyglot Level 45 If he broke his concentration on the individual words, all the simr-sounding sybles just started to blend together again. Actually, no. Apparently tikil also meant the torso? Wait, now it was used again as an admonishment. Did the halflingnguage just have a half-dozen words with a hundred different meanings, or what? Still, he feltpelled to defend himself. Sorry, he shrugged- earning a shot of pain from his still-injured shoulder, making him flinch- I was bleeding out. Didnt have a choice. Sisi narrowed his eyes at him- therge eyes halflings had made all of their expressions seem cartoonishly expressive- and lightly cuffed Edwins head, apanied by a muttered statement regarding idiot children. Hey, a moreplex idea! Polyglot was improving! Sisi didnt notice Edwins excitement, though, instead shaking his head and leaving Edwins shoulder with no further ministrations, instead turning to his broken arm. He nodded contentedly to himself, and wrapped up Edwins arm tightly in fresh bandages, but to no apparent change. Edwin was about to say something when the halfling moved up to his forehead, tapping it and saying Tikil. Wait, now it meant sleep? What the heck was yawn thisnguage Edwin awoke to shouting. Chapter 24: Birds of a Feather Chapter 24: Birds of a Feather Edwin jolted awake as the shouting prated his unconscious state, yanking him to wakefulness. At first, he panicked, thinking he was about to be attacked or shipped back to n ckstone, but as the initial scare faded and his rational mind asserted itself, he realized it sounded more like celebration than an attack or anything negative. It didnt rule out the dwarvesing through, though, so he stayed wary as he got up, preemptively wincing as he put weight on his left arm, then relieved as the expected jolt of pain never came. The bandage on his forearm had been removed at some point, and inspecting it and his shoulder showed that the swelling waspletely gone and was apparentlypletely healed. He had a fairly nasty scar on his shoulder from somebination of the bolt-wound and his subsequent cauterization, but it didnt seem to impair his flexibility at all. Edwin stretched gratefully at his newfound health, and casting his gaze around showed that he was alone in the healers building, but his shirt, repaired and cleaned to such an extent it looked brand-new, was lying on the tiny bed next to him. Another few seconds of searching unveiled his backpack at the foot of the bed, but his coat was nowhere to be seen. Ah well, not like it was going to do anything for him. As Edwin got to his feet, his stomach rumbled, which made him wonder how long he must have been asleep. It had to have been at least a day, given the lighting in through the leafy roof. Interestingly, the lighting through the canopy wasnt strongly tinted green, just the normal warm glow of sunlight, which made him suspect magical shenanigans. As though the whole trees-woven-into-houses wasnt a giveaway on its own, anyway. Ducking under the low doorframe, Edwin peeked outside to see themotion. To his relief, he didnt see a battalion of armor-d dwarves waiting for him. Instead, he saw what looked to be a caravan of sorts, a train of covered wagons hooked together just outside the town, and a flood of intermingling halflings greeting one another and embracing as though they hadnt seen each other in some time. Standing on the outside, milling around the caravan was a group of humans and what looked to be humanoid birdfolk, with talons in ce of feet and seemingly prehensile wings in ce of arms. Most of the talking was utterly unintelligible even with Polyglot, a thousand different conversations happening all over one another, but Edwin caught vague snippets of something that sounded like English. Someone with Polyglot, perhaps? He saw one of the bird-people talking to the vige elder from yesterday, which seemed to be the only ce a non-halfling was talking to a halfling and seemed like a decent ce to start. Edwin waded his way through the crowds of tiny people, reminding him of a sea of children. By the time he arrived at the discussion between uh what was her name again? Did he ever know? It was probably lost in the flood of iprehensible halfling jibber-jabber. By the time he arrived at the discussion between the two of them, they had taken note of his approach and seemed to be waiting for him. Can we help you? the bird- a Caravan Merchant Leader- asked. It was weird seeing Polyglot in action, so to speak. Edwin had never been able to see Rashins mouth, if he even had one, as he had spoken, but now that he was able to see the birds beak, it looked like a bad dubbing job in real life, as the sounds which Edwin heard didnt correspond to the motions made while speaking in the slightest. Sorry, didnt mean to intrude- Edwin started, only to be cut off. Well, you are. So spit it out and get it over with, adventurer. Edwins expression soured, I just heard speech in my nativenguage, and- Its a skill. Polyglot. Get it yourself and stop bothering us. The bird was clearly not in a good mood, but the halfling said something which got him to roll his eyes, Fine. What do you want? Get on with it. and as I was saying, I thought that someone with Polyglot might be able to help me understand whats happening. You see, I- Look, Ritian and I- Oh, Ritian. Lets just mark that with Almanac -are discussing payment, which is a private matter and of no concern to your type, so if you could just dive off, that would be appreciated. When Edwin didnt move, the bird flicked one of his feather-fingers at him, Shoo. Ritan said something, which caused the bird to grumble in a manner which Edwin couldnt quite catch. Fine. Go bother For, hes got Polyglot, he can help you. Though he wasnt normally inclined to listen to such a dismissal, Edwin figured he probably would be more likely to get his questions answered by someone inclined to actually listen to what he was saying. Actually, what even was he wondering? He just had a vague idea about wanting answers, but no concrete questions. He should probably figure that out. It was probably a safe assumption that the bird was talking about one of the non-halflings milling around by the caravan, so he headed that way. Now that Edwin was outside of the crowd, it was a lot easier moving around, and as he approached the small group, he drew a few curious gazes but most simply didnt appear to care. One person, a bird with brownish-bronze plumage simr to the merchant leaders and leaning with his eyes closed against the side of the wagon, spoke up, No, yicant climb on ta wagons. Unlike his previous experiences with Polyglot, there was a distinct ent associated with the neer, but Edwin could still tell it was the Skill at work. For? Edwin guessed. At his words, For jerked into attention, standing up straight and looking at Edwin with a sharp gaze. Whatdya want? Who sentya? Your, your uh. Edwin gestured vaguely in the direction he hade from, Your leader sent me? Mum? What for, ten? Well, she didnt want to be bothered and I had some questions. For- Edwin made sure to tag the Junior Caravanner with his name- looked to the sky and muttered something Polyglot didnt trante, Fine. Just get it over wit, wouldya? Whats going on? Who are you guys and where are you from? Where are you going, and can Ie along? Edwin inquired. Were traders, yaknow. We give rides at times ta those witout a Build ta defend temselves, and so we took allta loggers back ta home. He yawned, or at least did the avian equivalent of a yawn, before continuing, We came from Port Torveil, and are on our trade route. Drop off ta loggers, pick up some wood fer ind, caryon as always. Wishah could be in ta wagon, but mum always says, nah, For! Yagotta make sure te kids dont climb on ta outside. Wouldnt want tem to break! Not tat tey could anyway. Wha wasyer oter question? Edwin wasnt sure if Fors ent was somehow getting worse as time went on or if he was just saying more words affected by it, but he was getting harder and harder to understand despite Polyglot presumably leveling. Edwin was able to manage, but it wasnt easy. If I coulde along? I wound up around here through what I can only assume is some kind of powerful magic shenanigans and Im kind of interested in not spending the rest of my life- In ta middle o nowhere? Ahgetya. Ya can talk ta mum about it, but we dont do charity. Itd never be allowed, yaknow? Whatsyer Build, anyway? For cocked an eye open, looking at Edwin, Pah. Adventurers. Well, good luck wityer try, not sure whya tink anywhere elsell be better forya. What do you mean by that? Why am I an adventurer and why does it seem like thats a bad thing? For gave him a side nce, Ya arent from around here, areya? Edwin shook his head, Thats what I said. Well its easy ta tell tat youre an adventurer, what kinda ss is Foreign Alchemist, anyway? It sure as hells aint a proper alchemist Build, too unfocused, anta Foreign part is a dead giveaway, yaknow? But who would ever wantan Adventurer ta work for tem anyway? Cripplin their Build just cause tey dont wanta y by da rules. Really, tey should be punished way harder if yeask my mum, but eh. If ye want ta wreck yer life, I aint gonna stop ye, yeknow? Edwin blinked, trying to process that influx of information, So an adventurer is someone with an unusual Build? Like ss? And thats bad because they arent effective? Are ya daft? Yeah. What even gotya ta do such a stupid build anyway? Edwin shrugged, Getting dropped in the middle of a forest. Needed every bit of help I could get. Took Skills and Paths which seemed like theyd help. Eh, yer funeral. Looks like mum is near done wit her trade, ye can asker what ye can do ta get passage once shees over. With that, For returned to his rxed lean against the wagon, leaving Edwin to awkwardly stand around while he waited for whatever was next. He needed to get away from here, but all the attention his conversation had drawn from the other members of the caravan made Edwin want to shrink away and run off from the caravan, nevermind that it would be needed to actually leave. He Identified the closest members, finding there to be three Hired Guards (two birds, one human) and two Quarry Couriers (both birds). The rest of the twenty-one members were out of his 4ish meter range so he couldnt tell what they were, but the birds did outnumber the humans, with only eight featherless members. Level Up! Identify Level 2829 Polyglot Level 56 After what seemed like ages, but was probably only about five minutes, Fors mum returned to the caravan, fluttering down from the sky, Okay, youzy lot! Lumbers by the river, go earn your keep! the small crowd dispersed quickly, the bird-folk doing an odd sort of skipping jump or flying instead of walking. She turned to Edwin, What are you doing hanging around, adventurer? Get. I was hoping I could tag along as you headed to a bigger city. I got stranded out here and I- Dont need your kind helping. I got my guards already, and Im not risking my license for you. You want a position as a guard, find someone with bluer feathers. I dont want you. I just want a ride, Ill work doing whatever if I can get some or offer what I have in trade, but its not much. Look, I just want to get out of here, and fast. Im not good in a fight anyway, so no worries there. She assessed him with an appraising eye, You arent to quarrel with any of my crew. You do, youre gone. Dont care if were on a bridge over the Rhothos, youre out. Can you set up a camp, start a fire? Cure a wound? Fix a broken wheel? Make a Cure? What do you have to offer? Understood, Edwin shrugged, I can set a fire with the snap of my fingers, have a Skill for wound tending, but Im a bit of a miserable alchemist unless you want to know how to make a ck- As soon as thest words left his mouth, Edwin instantly mped down on his tongue, ring at the bird. What the heck was that? He wasnt about to say anything about that, not afterst time, Are you using a Skill on me? he asked usingly. Birds couldnt smile, but she certainly seemed to give a predatory grin, Just a bit of Honest Negotiation. Leads you to being open with what you have to offer and keeps you from lying. You must have your head in the clouds to cut off where you did. She stroked the top of her beak with a feather, I dont suppose you were about to say you know how to make ckstone, do you? Ha! No wonder youre in such a hurry to get away from here. Those dwarves refuse to give anyone even a hint of the stuff. She clicked her talons against the ground, an action which surprised Edwin. He didnt know you could make that sound against dirt and grass, Tell you what. You give me the form for ckstone and help around the caravan as we travel, setting up the fire at night and so on, and well give you a ride to Vinstead, next big city over, couple weeks away and give you food and such on the trip. If you want to go further than that, we can renegotiate then, deal? Edwin cast a wary gaze on the merchant. He couldnt help but feel like he was being taken advantage of, but he didnt really have any other options at hand, I dont know how to make ckstone. What do you know how to make, then? Its gotta be something good if you want to keep it so secret. Edwin warily eyed her, sizing up how much he trusted her. He didnt have much of a choice, but that was how he ended up in the fiasco, and he was not letting something like that happen again, Its a sort of liquid stone. Once it dries, its as hard as rock. Her posture instantly shifted, Im interested. Tell me how to make it and youve got a deal. Ill tell you how to make it after we arrive, not before. And if you so much as try to pull any sort of trick to keep me from leaving, deals off entirely and Ill Ill see if I can get your licence revoked. Hiring an adventurer, or something, you said? She shrugged, We have a deal. If you behave, Ill even see about getting you some practice for your Polyglot skill. Edwin was taken aback, How could you tell? Once you get good enough at the skill, you can tell when youre talking to someone with it as well. Hells, youre speaking anguage Ive never even heard of yet I could understand you better than Ritian herself. Thats a sure sign that youve got some trantion Skill, and your reaction told me the rest of the story. It can be a lot easier to level when speaking with someone else with the skill themselves. For could use the practice, anyway. Hes gotten a bit brown-wed as ofte. She started fiddling around with something invisible, presumably something System-rted. Edwin scowled, then was taken aback as an unexpected notification popped up. A Contract has been extended! Aerfa Tallfjaer offers: passage to Vinstead, and apanying amenities Edwin Maxlin offers: Aid setting up nightly camp, instructions for the creation of liquid stone, not to cause any trouble ept Contract? Y/N Whats this? Youve never seen a Contract before? Where are you even from? What does it- Just ept it. Tell me what it does, first. Aerfa looked to the sky, Heavens help me, she looked at Edwin, who had just been proven wrong about birds being capable of looking exasperated, All it does is let the other know if the terms have been breached. Its not an Unbreakable or Punitive, dont worry. Just ept it so I can go yell at my IDIOT SON, who DOESNT KNOW HOW TO CARRY A LOG! Edwin winced at the volume, and tentatively epted. It was a bit of a risk, but he figured the System probably wouldnt lie to him. Aerfa nodded and jumped into the air, soaring over Edwins head, disying a capability for flight which shouldnt have worked with the length of her wings. What was going on there? Probably magic, Edwin grumbled to himself. She reached where the caravan crew was returning, carryingically massive stacks of lumber on one shoulder from around the vige and started yelling at how ipetent they all were, focusing specifically on a few key individuals. Edwin sighed. Great, loud people. Just what he wanted. Still, at least now he had a ride. Chapter 25: Settling Into the Roost Chapter 25: Settling Into the Roost Edwin found himself milling around awkwardly as the caravan crew started loading up frankly ludicrous amounts of lumber into the wagon train (turns out the covered wagons also had spatial shenanigans going on), feeding stack after stack of milled logs into vehicles which looked shorter than the logs being fed inside, but that was magic for you. It looked really strange, and all he really could do was gawk until Aerfa dropped by to show Edwin where to go, namely the second in the train, apparently a passenger wagon. There was only a single other person in Edwins wagon, a tiny sleeping bird-person, and uponying eyes on the individual, Aerfa started screeching, Is this where youve been, young miss? Get yourzy tailfeathers out of here and do your chores before your talons go brown! Come on, Faera, we dont have all day! Get, get, get! The poor child- presumably one of Aerfas- wait, were their names anagrams of each other? Huh- literally flew into the air, jumping with a squeak as she tried to fly past Edwin and escape the wrath of her mother. Edwin stepped to the side just in time as Faera darted out the door. Identify Avior Child Get back here, you ungrateful fledgling! You have chores to do! Hey! Dont you give me that tone! Edwin unconsciously shrunk away from Aerfa as she took off after the fleeing Faera, the two avior entering a midair dance reminiscent of an eagle trying to catch a songbird. He shook his head at the spectacle- not that he had that much room to judge- and put his meager possessions and assigned bedroll off in the corner of the fairly spacious wagon. While the outside was probably about ten feet wide by twenty feet long, the inside was at least triple that in each direction, there was even a second floor of sorts, but climbing up thedder to it didnt uncover anything noteworthy. Once he had gotten as situated as possible, Edwin returned to the outside, where he saw Aerfa dragging her struggling daughter with one talon through the air. After depositing Faera on the ground near where a handful of horses were milling about, who just sat and pouted for the moment, Aefra returned to talk to Edwin. Apologies. She loves to shirk her duties, even though she knows thats why I let here along on the route. It looks like you were able to store your belongings? Good. We leave first thing in the morning, dont bete. You dont have any duties today, so go have fun and enjoy doing whatever it is you adventurers like to do. Kill ten rats or whatever. Edwin heard the tter of wooden boards from around behind one of the halfling house-trees, and Aefras head snapped up, staring in the direction the sound hade from, and she jetted off without so much as a word. Well, she did say that he should enjoy himself. The vige seemed to be busy greeting one another, lots of chatter driving its way into Edwins skull. Nothing there, not that he really wanted to interact with people anyway. Hmmm. Edwin pulled up his Status. He hadnt looked at the whole thing in a while. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Foreign Alchemist Attributes Mana 5 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 29, Firestarting: 29, Alchemy: 43, Mana Infusion: 57 Physical Athletics: 27, Breathing: 20, Flexibility: 15, Nutrition: 16, Packing 5, Seeing: 16, Sleeping: 21, Survival: 17, Walking: 28 Mental Identify: 29, Polyglot: 6, Mathematics: 37, Research: 40, Outsider''s Almanac: 62, Visualization: 25 Combat Bomb Throwing: 9 New First Aid 13 Paths Skill Points: 223 Very Much Yes- Eventually Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Scientist 0/60, Alchemical Warrior 0/90 Promising Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Unkible 0/90, ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Mage 0/60, Field Medic 0/60 Maybe One Day Survivor 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, Pyromaniac 0/30, Wanderer 0/60, Exile 0/30, Escapee 0/30 Meh Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60 When he first pulled it up, Edwin wasnt sure where he would put his First Aid skill. It wasnt magical, it wasnt really mental, it certainly didnt fit intobat, and physical didnt fit either. Eventually, he just created a new utility category, which on further reflection also expanded to include Almanac, Identify, Firestarting, and Alchemy. They werent quite mental/magical skills, just sort of rted. Anyway, he had time to kill! And no need to worry about keeping his strength up, or what various overly-nosy prison wardens would think. That meant he could experiment with his skills! Hooray! The first and most obvious thing that Edwin could think of to try and push his skills limits was to use Mana Infusion to improve their capability. It had been a long, long time, but Edwin faintly remembered the skill description for Infusion mentioning that it worked on his skills. All he needed to do was to figure out how. Firestarting was easy. So easy, in fact, Infusing it had be almost second nature at this point, making it hard for him to tell exactly how the skills interacted. After a fair bit of experimentation, he felt that he had figured it out. It worked by Infusing both his fingers and the air around them at the same time, and triggering Firestarting at basically the same time. Even that wasnt quite enough, though pairing the skill use with a snap of his fingers seemed to be sufficient. Okay. Now that he had established a baseline, all he needed to do was to use the same logic to his other skills! How the heck was he supposed to do that? Firestarting was a bit of an unusual skill, so far as Edwin could tell, as it allegedly had a passive benefit, but he could also use it actively. The fact it was a passive skill let him Infuse it, but it wasnt until he used it actively that the mana seemed to actually do anything. Okay, what about Almanac, then? It had an active effect- namely entering a new message- but also had to have been passive for Identify to key off of it, right? A fair bit of experimentationter, Edwin didnt feel any closer to a solution. Why was it so easy for him to feel the passive aspect of Firestarting, yet so hard to identify the passive portion of Almanac? Just using Mana Infusion at the same time as Almanac maybe did something? His mana went somewhere when he pushed it at the skill, but he couldnt figure out any difference in the skill manifestation. Even his Basic Mana Sense seemed to tell him that the mana just left, with no apparent destination or channel away. It was... puzzling. He eventually found that he could get his sess rate of Infusing Almanac up significantly if he first primed his mana by using Firestarting. It helped him get his mana flowing in a way that he could then grab and feed into Almanac it was weird. It felt in some ways like he was somehow manually controlling the beat of his heart, yet not quite. At some point during his experimentations, he suddenly felt Almanac bite into something new, and in a way that felt decidedly different from his normal messages in some indefinable way. Confused (he had already gotten virtually everyst board in the wagon tagged by then), he gave a simple message of just This is something new and strange, then started hunting all over the wagon for what it was that he had tagged. Im Board 1. Im so very board. Lllla Supercalifagilistic Uhhhh. Im out of ideas? Level63lengthtest:2022242628303234363840424446485052545658606264666870727476788082848688909294969810110410711011311611912212512813113413714014314614915215515816116416717017317617918218518819119419720020320620921221521822122422723023323623924224524825125425726026326626927227527828129429730030 Im board two. 3.1415926535897932365something Something something clever statement Look at me, Im important maybe Reminder to drink water *whittles innocently* And on and on it went. Eventually, Edwin nced down at his hand at just the right moment, his gaze drawn by something, and his Identify locked onto the phantom mes produced by his Firestarting. This is something new and strange Edwin nearly jumped as he found the message. He confirmed it wasnt just his hand- it wasnt- and then reconjured his Firestarting mes. This is something new and strange He could sing! Not actually, but if he were to ever sing for joy it would be right now. He was able to Almanac magical effects! He had tried before but it hadnt worked, but apparently Infusing his Outsiders Almanac let him tag at the very least magical skills, maybe all magic, maybe all skills! Level Up! Outsiders Almanac Level 6364 Identify Level 2930 Mana Infusion Level 5758 Research Level 4042 Oh! He could tag sections of his Status with this! There wasnt much he could really do with it at the moment, but in the future he could use it to save what his skill descriptions were so he could refer to them easily. Between that and being able to Almanac skills in use, this changed...! Well, okay. Not everything. Maybe not even some stuff, honestly. It was cool, but when would it actually be useful? He had yet to encounter any magical spells or anything thus far, but maybe being able to Identify skills would be useful? Or did it have to be magic? Sigh. His momentary excitement significantly dampened, Edwin moved on with his experiments, hoping another skill would have better luck. Now that he had an idea of what to do, Edwin was fairly easily able to determine that Infusing his Identify just allowed him have more than one Identify box open at the same time. Normally, using Identify again closed any pre-existing results, but if he Infused the skill as he used it, it wouldnt close until he chose to dismiss it. Handy. Using it with Packing required Edwin to Infuse whatever he was carrying alongside the skill itself, and made the container he was using to carry things stronger, but only so long as he was in contact with the object. He found that out the hard way when his grip on hisst remaining spare sack slipped while trying to cut it with a knife, resulting in a fairly lengthy tear in the fabric. Trying to Infuse his eyes while utilizing Seeing had one of the absolute coolest effects. His eyes glowed! In a really nice shade of blue, too, just a bit brighter than his natural eye color, and with just a hint of green. He couldnt see (heh) any other effects though, sadly. Still totally worth it. Edwin wasnt sure if he was Infusing breathing correctly at first, his mana not going anywhere nor having any apparent effect when he tried, until Edwin realized that he had been involving it every time he had sessfully breathed fire using Firestarting. Realizing that confirmed that he was Infusing it correctly, but otherwise didnt help him figure out what if anything Infusing only Breathing did. It did, however, give him the idea to try and use multiple skills at the same time to try andbine their effects. The firstbination he found with an obvious use was Seeing and Basic Mana Sense. Not only did his eyes still glow, the buzzing sensation that normally apanied his arcanoception was reced with the ability to see faint, ghostly halos of light around magic. It was super imprecise- Infusing his fingernail made his entire arm and a fair bit of surrounding air glow, but it was perhaps even better than just the glowing eyes. Congrattions! For imbuing a part of your body with mana, you have unlocked the Physical Arcanist Path! You have unlocked the Fire Breath skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Reinforce Object skill! ept Skill? Y/N Level Up! Seeing Level 1619 Basic Mana Sense Level 2930 Mana Infusion Level 5859 Research Level 4243 Poking around at his Skills more gave Edwin a general sense for a handful of them which had a sort of... synergy, where he would be able to use Mana Infusion tobine their effects, even though he wasnt able to determine what those effects were. Athletics/Walking, Seeing/Identify, Sleeping/First Aid, Mathematics/Visualization, Breathing/Sleeping, Research/Alchemy, Survival/Nutrition, Packing/Athletics and Research/Polyglot were the ones he was able to find before the light started to fade outside, as eachbination took quite a bit of fiddling to actually tell if it worked or not. He didnt even want to think about testingbinations of three or more skills. That was a (sometimes literal) headache for another day. Outside, the caravans members were sitting around a campfire, chatting andughing in what must have been the Aviornguage, given its resemnce to some mix between birdsong and the cries of a hawk. Edwin naturally couldnt understand a word of it, save for the asional out-of-context snippet which either Aerfa or Faralo spoke loudly enough for him to hear. It looked like they were having a great time, which Edwin might have normally enjoyed being a part of, but they certainly wouldnt appreciate his presence, and he quite literally didnt understand what they were saying. So, he didnt go out. His bedroll was still morefortable than what he had been on more often than not, anyway. Besides, he wanted to see if he could get the Breathing/Sleepingbination working, anyway. He didnt get the chance to, exhaustion pulling him to sleep before his head even hit his pillow. Interlude: And Awoke a Star of Stone and Flame Interlude: And Awoke a Star of Stone and me Lord Sfashkchlil took a deep, raspy breath as heid in his bed, stewing in his misery. It was all that depths-shunned Outsiders fault. Sorsh had found the human, half-dead and copsed on the side of the Highroad, and brought him in along with her normal suite of Surface goods and news. From there, the Outsider- a true Outsider, or so he had thought- had been brought before him, but spoke no tongue he knew, and so was passed along to Rashin, with the idea they might be able to learn a bit about him and learn of the wonders he might provide. Everyone knew about Outsiders, after all. Some thought they were but a legend, but Rashin himself had interpreted the carvings pertaining to them, so Sfashkchlil knew this knowledge to be true. Thousands of years ago, true Outsiders hade to Joriah, bringing with them tales of mighty magics and advanced knowledge, sent as messengers by the gods themselves to aid those who had their favor. The mighty city of VisDaric and its inhabitants, the Gozau, were all that remained of their numerous creations, and yet what a legacy it was! It was his birthright to im such a valuable asset, with his family legacy crumbling around him. Destined for greatness, bah. But that was before the human arrived, seemingly a gift from his ancestors. From the first moments after Rashin had reported on this concrete from the Outsiders homnd, liquid stone which potentially could be used in ce of ckstone for walls and fortifications had settled the matter. His ancestors had clearly delivered a gift to him as an act of providence, who was he to shun such a turn of fortune? He would not be as foolish as so many others he had seen, sharing their knowledge and fortune, cast aside the moment his usefulness was at an end. No, this Outsider would be a vein unto himself. However, for his Taskmaster, Break Spirit, and Inspire Greatness Skills to affect the boy, he would need to be a citizen of n ckstone, a puzzle which Rashin, his most brilliant advisor, had solved for him. If he were to make the Outsider a Free Shaper, byw, he would simrly be making him a citizen, and thus the human would be focused, grow quickly, and be loyal to him and him alone, a thought that brought his fingers to twitch. That alone was not sufficient, though, as it brought up an additionalplication. By Dwarvenw, any quenched Free Shaper must Tour in each of the Five Cities, sharing their knowledge and teaching, such that their skills may be spread and all the Highpeaks may benefit from their brilliance. That was something which couldnt stand. No, it was better that nobody even know of the humans existence, yet such a secret would never stand. So he had to circumvent thatw in a legal fashion. Fortunately, thew was formted in such a manner that the Tour was a tax, and as repayment of debts were exempt from tax, he needed to establish the boy as a Free Shaper in repayment of a debt. It was the perfect n, to entrap the Outsider in a Debt of Hospitality, bestowing him with luxuries he would not even recognize as such, and quench him as a Free Shaper, forever working off his debt until Break Spirit finished working upon the Outsider. Some of his court had grumbled at such treatment of a foreigner- they did not know of his true nature, which Sfashkchlil had ensured would not be shared- but he had silenced such murmuring by first assuring them that the hospitality of their kind was legendary, and surely if the Outsider truly protested such treatment, he need only lodge a protest directly to him, and he would be obligated to return him to the Empire. For a demigod, it was so simple to fool the boy, and once he felt his Task sink in he breathed a sigh of relief. That the human thought his Task impossible did not lessen its effectiveness, and might well feed into his Break Spirit. His stubbornness was problematic, and while he felt like he should have had Break Spirit have ensured his loyalty, he had never felt the Skill fullye into effect. It should have happened the moment the boy had ceased trying to make weapons and escape, yet it didnt. Perhaps, he had thought, that was the power of an Outsider? That their minds were so difficult to bow? Good. When he finally fell before the might of his Skills, then that meant he would never waver. And he knew the boy would fall to Break Spirit, it was just a matter of time. After all, even his strongest-willed advisors had done little more than grumble about his treatment of a guest, as their loyalties were his and his alone. The fact that Noble Communion had taught him this English he spoke in mere hours was proof enough that his mind was not unassable, even if he had somehow fooled his Taskmaster sense. For weeks, everything worked perfectly, and he saw his Legacy being built. One who was able to tame the untamable. But then King Shoroshal had demanded more men for the War Below after a devastating andpletely unexpected loss, and he suddenly found his manpower gutted with nearly all of his citizens sent off to the Dark Warfield. He had been before his King and pressured into a terrible admission. His king had put him under such pressure that he imed having some form of alchemical ckstone variant, and he had been demanded that he supply it. He was furious. How dare that mere pretender to the throne demand the results of his work, of his efforts? Well, hed show that depths-shunned so-called king what he had! Concrete would be a gamechanger, he could use it to seal up entire tunnels if the Outsider was to believed, and he could cut off Shoroshal from the surface, leaving him as the undisputed king! Lord Sfashkchlil attempted to swear under his breath, but the action just aggravated his injured and inmed throat, sending him into another coughing fit, as it came up bloody. The damn boy had cheated somehow, yet he couldnt figure out how. He had killed Rashin with a blow to the head- why had the fool schr never bothered to earn andplete the Path of the Warrior? Anyone with a modicum of Health should have survived such a blow, yet the schr had always imed that he never needed to worry about any more than a book falling on him. Yet the blow which had in him had been so precise, so calcted to down a Health-less Dwarf, it removed all doubts about the boys true nature. That gods-forsaken, depths-shunned human, he saw clearly now, was nothing but a devious spy nted in his ranks, meant to sabotage him. He was no mere lost Outsider, unsure of himself and ripe for the taking. No, he was clearly a trained assassin, meant to cripple him as soon as he saw weakness. Nobody else would be able to twist his Task of finishing his research into a Task which let him effortlessly fight through his guards and escape, no doubt taking information back to his masters in the Empire. The thought of his ipetant guards were another point of failure. The boy had been armed with mere rocks and sand and yet they had utterly failed in their attempts to subdue him. They would face suitable punishments in time, though what he had yet undecided. Then there was whatever weapon the boy had used on him, which he had apparently smuggled in so thoroughly that it had gone undetected for nearly two moons. Hed never felt heat of its equal, and as he targeted his beard, he had lost enough hair, the strands detaching to prevent him from developing Forge Sickness, that whatever strange powder was used had gotten into his lungs, burning him from the inside out, to say nothing of falling in the Steel Rivers. Though only two had died, many more were grievously injured, yet not a single one could tell what was used, cloaked deviously as it was as mere rock. And while the boy was no longer considered one of his citizens, and thus his knowledge of the foreign tongue had faded alongside his ability to Task the human, he would sooner see his city burn than to see such an insult go unavenged. A presence appeared at the end of his bed. Took took you, He coughed, his voice hoarse. He cursed the human for his sorry state, long enough. I have a task for you. The figure at the end of his bed stood and listened. As the human had been a nominal guest under hospitality, his debt had been expunged upon leaving, and even pursuing him as an assant with n assets would result in too many questions being asked, and the endeavor would likely be nullified. Worse, it might be usurped, and the alleged Outsider would slip out from between his fingers. But he still could not let such a slight go unavenged. And fortunately, there was just the right person for the job. Edwin would pay for what he had done. Chapter 26: Chitter Chatter Chapter 26: Chitter Chatter Edwin woke to a beam of sunlight worming its way through a miniscule gap between two boards on the side of the wagon and directly onto his closed eyelids. He grumbled and tried to fall back to sleep at first, but the damage had already been done and he was, if not wide awake, awake enough. As he sat up, Edwin rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a yawn, casting his gaze around to regain his bearings. It was interesting how, even with over twenty levels in Sleeping, there was still time each morning where he was all but dead to his surroundings, at least until he got his heart going. Magically potent rest didnt prevent morning grogginess, it seemed. He was just d he hadnt been one of those people who needed a cup of coffee to get started in the morning. Tea, sometimes, but he didnt like coffee, even when it was filled with all the stuff people told him made it barely coffee. He wasnt sure why that always seemed to be phrased as though it were somehow meant to encourage him to try ck coffee, not that it ever worked anyway. Whosughing now, huh, Ryan? he muttered, Youd have headaches for weeks without your. He yawned, caffeine addiction. Hmm. It took him a couple minutes of yawning and stretching, but Edwin eventually got himself up, hopping outside of the wagon to stretch his legs. All around him, the members of the caravan were at work, busily making what appeared to best-minute preparations before their departure, hitching up horses to the train of wagons, moving a few bags of supplies around, and he even saw one Avior flying over the town,ing from the river, with a bunch of dripping barrels dangling from their talons. The town, too, seemed to be back to a normal set of operations, with individuals bustling every which way, halflings darting around at high speeds, some so high that Edwin could barely track their movement. A few were carrying around entire trees, or at least most of one, which brought a smile to Edwins face. There was something humorous watching a single 3-foot-tall individual carry around a 50-foot tall solid log as though it weighed no more than a couple of pounds. There must have been some Skill involved in just keeping them from having the trailing ends of the log hit anything, or even just walking into one another or their surroundings in general. How can I get that Skill? I want to stop running into things Edwin thought, rubbing his shoulder. Was it really his fault that he didnt notice how far he was from the edge of the wagon? Okay, fine, maybe it was. But he still wanted that Skill. Dive, you brown-taloned chicks! a screeching voice broke Edwin from his musings, Daylight is wasting, lets get this on the road! Faera, stop messing around and get inside! Sorahna! Get those horses bridled! Come on, dive! Dive! We want to be over the Thardil by nightfall! Edwin! Youre in the front wagon today! Enjoy it! Forsish, why isnt the water secured? You should already be done with that! Get diving! Sharaf and Rosil! Youre first in the sky! Get up there! Wait, he heard his name somewhere in there. Uhh... front wagon, was it? He made his way up the connected chain of wagons until he got to the front, admittedly only a few away, and after staring at the six horses which were apparently supposed to pull the entire train of 12 wagons, he pushed aside the curtain separating the interior from the exterior and went inside. Really, he should have expected something to surprise him. Sure, while the casual space-warping that seemed to apany all buildings hed entered so far was surprising- especially given how casually everyone treated it, suggesting that it waspletely normal for them- had somewhat lost its initial shock factor, it still required a touch of mental recalibration to see howrge the lead wagon was on the insidepared to the outside. But no. That wasnt what surprised him. What was more surprising was that everyone inside was lounging on beanbag chairs. They were just so utterly modern, and in such stark contrast to the distinctly semi-medieval aesthetic the rest of Joriah had thus far that he couldnt help but stare, and he walked over to investigate one. It looked just like a beanbag chair. On closer inspection, it was, well, a beanbag chair. A sack of some sort made from some thick cloth, stuffed with something, Edwin couldnt tell. Probably straw, though maybe feathers? Would avior feathers be good for something like that? Would they want to use their own feathers, or would that be like having something made out of human skin? Anyway, people were lounging around on beanbag chairs. He supposed it made some sense, certainly more than normal chairs on a wagon, and they clearly werent hurting for space. It seemed odd that they had at least two wagons basically empty of goods for what was apparently a merchant caravan, but who was he to question their strategy? Theyd know better than he would, and asking Aerfa would probably not go over well. He liked his eardrums in one piece, after all, and even now, he could still hear her flying around outside screeching orders to everyone else with some decidedly inventivenguage, including a few phrases which Polyglot just had no clue how to properly convey their meaning. What was he doing again? Oh yeah! The interior! There were neen other people in the front wagon. While he had initially drawn some attention, most of their gazes had wandered again, a couple to dice games and some others to poring over paperwork. One person seemed to be doing System-rted, swiping a feather through the air to interact with some unseen screen. Most were avior, though there were six humans off in one corner. Of the avior, about half were the same burnished brown/bronze of Aerfa and For For was part of that group, actually, three remaining had dark gray plumage, two had glossy ck feathers and beaks which resembled more a crows than an eagles like the others, and the final one was a pure white. That one was busy literally preening, straightening their feathers. The humans were either fairly tanned or just had slightly darker skin naturally, but stuck together for the most part, not mingling with the avior as they rolled dice, speaking somenguage just as unfamiliar to Edwin as the literal bird calls of the avior. If he were topare it to somenguage from Earth, he would have said it sounded vaguely Asian. Trying to tune Polyglot to their conversation led Edwin to an interesting realization: he could only try and interpret a singlenguage at a time, and, at least at the moment, he couldnt change his focus away from the racket outside as Aerfa continued to wrangle the caravan into motion long enough to switch what tongue it was attempting to trante. So, what the humans were discussing remained a mystery for the time being. He was close enough to Identify them, though. Two were Novice Traveling Merchants, one was an Experienced Traveling Merchant, and the final three were just Traveling Merchants. It was a surprising degree of homogeneitypared to the avior Edwin was in range for, who numbered two Junior Caravanners, four Skyguards, a Feather of Wealth (that was the white one), a Caravan Medic, and Edwin caught the tail (heh) end of a Traveling Beastmaster as they left out the back in response to another loud screech for a Sorahna (Edwin made sure to Almanac the name). It didnt take too much longer before Edwin felt the wagon begin to rumble under his feet, setting off slowly to start but gradually building momentum as Edwin imagined the six horses straining to somehow pull twice their number in wagons. His beanbag felt quitefortable as Edwin sunk into his thoughts, musing idly about what Paths he would want toplete next. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Aerfa swooped in through the entrance, the curtain parting as she entered,nded perfectly and started looking around. She immediately zeroed in on For, who seemed to be dozing in his beanbag,ying on his back For! Quit bending your tailfeathers. Edwin has Polyglot. I want you to hit level fifty in it by the time we reach Vinstead! Following that, she seemed to find some reason to give everyone in the wagon at least one instruction, which everyone moved at least halfheartedly to fulfill. Content, Aerfa leapt back out the entrance, off to do something else, namely ah. She was looking for her daughter Faera again. For, for his part, dragged his chair over and plopped back into it, sitting in it more like a bird would sit in a nest, So mum letyae along, I see? Whatya haveta promise her ta let ya? Edwin shrugged. No real harm sharing that, it would be public knowledge soon enough, Minor help setting up, and a form for concrete, a kind of liquid stone. Whats even the big deal with it? Everyone seems to freak out about it whenever ites up. For cocked his head, Liquid stone? So itd all be one solid rock whenits dry, ya? Edwin nodded, Well, surely yaknow tat ta big ting for sometin tats all one object is tat skills are harder ta use on it, yaknow? Ya need a red sky of power ta try and break down a wall tats all one ting, specially for any kinda magic skill, but if its small pieces any ol Destructive Strike or Move Stone could make te ting break, one piece at a time. Ye just cant use skills on a part of a whole. How dontya know tat? Edin nearly spoke up- his Mana Infusion could affect part of an object, couldnt it? No, wait. It had seemed like that when he Infused his eyes, but he was really just Infusing his Seeing skill, wasnt he? His fingernail? Eh, that was arguably a separate object, if a wall made of stones counted each rock separately. Hmm... He could Infuse a bit of the air when using Firestarting, but that probably didnt count as a single object huh. It seemed like an arbitrary restriction, especially when delving into the subatomic scale, but hed have to test it out at some point and see if he could get around it, or what exactly the limits were. With that in mind, though, the obsession with concrete the dwarves had made a bit more sense. He offered something revolutionary after a sense, and they wanted to control it. They still seemed a bit desperate for it, though, all told. Eh, people. They probably thought they had some reason for it, and Edwin wasnt going to try and understand people who may have had a totally different thought process than humans did. He had enough problems trying to figure out how his own thoughts worked. Just slipped my mind, is all, Edwin lied unconvincingly. He could tell his conversation partner didnt believe him either, but chose not to follow up on it for whatever reason, So, ah whats your story? Tell me about your life. Where are you from? What brings you out on the road? that was standard conversation-stuff, right? What else was there? Oh, For had started talking. Eh, hatched and nested in Farport, yaknow? Along ta water. So many great winds, perfect fer flying. Mum always pulled me alongon her trips, but da would take my clutchsis out to sea for his trips. Tried te water once, didnt agree wit me. Give me a solid rock ta perch on after a good fly anyday over sometin bein tossed around so much. Farisel always liked te sea air, toh. Teyve been preening us ta take over when tey retire. Comin up in a couple years now, bu mum says I need ta get all my skills Advanced at least one more time afore shell let me take point, ten Ill haveta do a full round wit her as my aide, before she finally retires. Mum likes ta say tat I may have been set as her sessor, but she sure wont let me underp even once. Personally, I tink tat Edwin couldnt really say he cared about what For was talking about, but he made sure to at least pretend. That was something he didnt even need a Skill for, just long years of practice as the bird prattled on. And on. And on. This may have been a mistake. By the time the caravan started winding down in thete afternoon, Edwin had been subjected to a good ten straight hours of chatter from For, mostly about his ns for the future and stuff about his hometown and all sorts of things which Edwin could have gleaned learned all sorts of interesting facts about Joriah from if he was capable of actually giving someone talking to him more than about thirty seconds of attention at a time. After that, Edwins focus would just wander off to some corner of the wagon for about a minute, only to snap back to For long enough to realize nothing immediately interesting was being said and have the cycle repeat. Even what few potentially interesting tidbits he had heard went mostly in one ear and out the other. Still, Edwin did glean enough information to know that this caravan was on a fairly long loop across the southern half of Korzan, starting in the harbor city of Farport, going up the coast to Port Torveil, then skirting along the edge of the Verdant on their way to Vinstead, Tyra and there were more, he knew it Kinea, and ah, forget it, it didnt matter, then back again. Each step of the journey theyd pick up a set of goods and then slowly sell them off over the course of their trip, taking the excess back to Farport, where it would be loaded on ships and sailed elsewhere. Edwin was really d he wouldnt need to take any tests on it, because hed fail without a doubt. It was all long andplicated, and sometimes theyd pick up passengers and sometimes they wouldnt, and there was a whole hour-long tangent about them needing better horses, which Edwin found hard to believe given how insanely strong their pack animals must have already been. It was thankfully brought to a close when the wagon slowly ttered to a stop, and everyone began filing outside to get the camp for the night set up. Edwin didnt fully understand at first why they didnt just sleep for the night in their wagons, but he quickly realized they probably did, and this was just to cook dinner. A few avior flew off and returned quickly with fresh game, some deer-looking creatures clutched in their talons. While they were being prepared, he was tasked with starting a fire, which was simple enough. A tap on a few of the piled-up logs was all it took for the fire to start zing, no need to even use kindling. Not long after that, the designated cook- the human Experienced Merchant- had the prepared venison on a makeshift grill, filling the campsite with the appetizing smell of roasting meat. It tasted fine. Bit of a surprise, really. He half expected something utterly sublime once Skills got involved, but maybe not? Or did nobody have a cooking skill? Either way, Edwin dug into his provided food with gusto. He wasnt too hungry, as despite not having eaten all day, he hadnt been very active and his Survival skill meant he needed less than half the food he would otherwise require. He kept waiting for a notification that his Nutrition level had increased- it did pretty much any time he had a new kind of meal, so long as it was at least somewhat healthy- but when it didnte, he remembered hed turned off notifications earlier in the day. Level Up! Nutrition Level 1617 Research Level 4344 Polyglot Level 613 Huh. Pretty nice gains, considering all he had really done today was sit around and half-listen to the ramblings of a regr chatterbird. Edwin sat as a silent part of the giant circle around the fire, listening slightly as everyone chatted in their own strangenguages. Every once in a while, he was able to pick up on the odd word spoken, neither For or Aerfa speaking loudly enough to monopolize his Skill this time. Nobody struck up a conversation with him, not that he expected anyone to. Still left a strange mncholy resting deep within him, as he longed for the social interactions he had well, never really had back on Earth. But memory was a funny thing, and so it tried to tell him that he actually did have friends who would talk to him in this sort of situation, and it really hadnt been that bad. His memory could be such a liar. Bonus Chapter The System Explained Bonus Chapter The System Exined Skills Skills are the base aspect of the System, and to unlock a skill, you must want the skill and must already be capable in some form of whatever the Skill would provide. You could not, for example, gain the Fireball skill if you can''t already cast a Fireball. Exactly what counts as sufficient capability and desire for a Skill to unlock is unknown, and seems to vary person by person. Some people find it really easy to unlock certain Skills, others might find it almost impossible. The one unifying theme of all unlocked Skills is that they are already something you are capable of doing, and leveling them just makes you better at what you can already do. There is no hard-set skill cap, however, if you already have Skills with ovepping effects to the Skill you are trying to gain, it can be very difficult to actually unlock a new Skill instead of simply leveling your old one. For example, unlocking the Running skill can be very difficult when already possessing the Walking skill, as the skills are simr enough that practice running will usually level Walking instead. Note that this does not mean it''s impossible, just tricky. In addition, it tends to be somewhat harder to unlock new Skills once you have a lot, but the point at which getting new Skills bes impractially difficult seems to vary from person to person. If there is a hard limit to how many Skills a single person is able to have, it is not known. Skills are not prescriptive. Just because you don''t have the Walking skill does not mean you can''t walk, not having the Swordy skill does not mean you can''t fight with a sword. However, it can be very difficult to keep up with someone who has the appropriate Skill, as any training they may do essentially counts twice; once to improve with practice (such as learning the proper forms of a sword style), and once with leveling (in the case of Swordy, the skill improves proficiency with swords and damage dealt (essentially cutting power). As a result, most people don''t think to try and do something they don''t have a Skill for. Some do, though. There is no way to remove a Skill once you have epted it (though there are stories about anything from fey to devils to the elves which say they can steal Skills or remove them in some way, usually in the form of a cautionary tale about not being caught in the woods), though a declined Skill can be unlocked once again in the future. Paths Paths are, in a sense, the ''achievement'' side of the System. Paths are unlocked for aplishing something that the System deems notable. This can range from a Skill reaching some level to ying a mighty foe or aplishing something unconventional. Other ways to get a Path include being hired for a certain job/bing an apprentice, learning some sort of information (or disying knowledge about said information), finding a legendary treasure of some sort, being born a particr nationality or species, and more besides. Paths have a cost associated with them, usually some value along Base 60. Toplete a Path, you must a spend a number of ''Skill Points'' equal to the Path''s cost on the Path. You get one Skill Point each time you level a Skill. Spending Skill Points on a Path rting to an Attribute you have (see below) can improve the corresponding Attribute, but unlocking an Attribute does not retroactively give you the benefits of a Path which might have increased it (for example, any magic-rted Pathspleted before unlocking the Mana Attribute would not increase Mana, thoughter ones would). If at some point you somehow manage to have no Paths left upleted, the System takes note of that, considers it an ''achievement,'' and rewards you with a Path corresponding to your current ss. Completing a Path has can have one of two confirmed effects. Either it upgrades/evolves a Skill you already have, or it unlocks an Attribute. In addition,pleting one Path may remove another Path you have unlocked but notpleted. Completing the Escapee Path will often remove the ve Path from your options,pleting the Traitor Path would remove the Loyalist Path from your options,pleting the Killer Path removes the Pacifist Path, and so on. It is possible to unlock a Path you have alreadypleted. The Killer Path is the most obvious example of this, as you regain it every time you kill a sapient creature barring circumstances which would make you gain a more specific Path (such as Assassin, Executioner, Poisoner, or Murderer). Completing the Path again functions as any other Path, though naturally it does not give the exact same reward as the first time. Attributes Attributes are simr to Skills, in that they enhance certain aspects of the individual and can even ovep with and enhance certain Skills. However, they do not level through practice, only increasing by spending Skill Points on a rted Path. Some of the moremon Attributes, and their effects, include: Constitution: Makes the body hardier and more capable of fighting off disease, poison, and makes recovering from an injury faster.Charisma: Makes the person have more ''presence,'' making them harder to ignore in some indefinable way. A wandering gaze will linger on them longer.Dexterity: Improves coordination and proprioception throughout the body (though does not improve reaction time).Health: Makes the body more resistant to injury and improves recovery.Intelligence: Improves memory and pattern recognition capabilities. Mana: Increases the amount of mana availible to the person before they are magically exhausted.Magic Resistance: Reduces the effect of magical effects on the person. This can be lowered if the person knows how to, but by default affects both beneficial and harmful magics.Perception: Improves spatial awareness and ability to handle additional sensory information.Speed: Speeds up reaction time and improves how quickly one is capable of moving their limbs.Stamina: Enhances the body''s natural recovery abilities, allowing for physically draining tasks to be done for longer before the person is drained.Strength: Enhances the body''s natural muscle growth capabilities.Willpower: Improved ability to focus and ignore mentalpulsions, such as the effect of Charisma. SkillTiers A 1st-tier Skill, or Basic Skill, is one that is unlocked individually. This is something that a person is already capable of doing in some form, and what most of Edwin''s skills (at the moment) are. When a Path ispleted, a Skill will usually be targeted, increasing its tier. This is in-universe referred to as either skill Evolution or a skill Upgrade, depending on who you ask. The Skill chosen by the Path is usually one rted to the Path in some way. For example,pleting the Mage Path has a high likelihood of evolving the Mana Maniption skill, whereas the Warrior Path is more likely to upgrade the Spear Proficiency skill. However, above all else, the Skill chosen is of the lowest tier skills that the individual has. If an Experienced Mage has ten magic-rted skills at tier 2, and the Walking skill at tier 1,pleting the Mage Path will always evolve the Walking skill, instead of upgrading Mana Maniption, Mana Sense, Mana Shield, or any other tier 2 or higher Skill. The resulting Skill after an evolution is based on thebination of the two Skills, filtered somewhat through whatever the individual''s ss is. For example, a magic-rted Path affecting a weapon Skill will often result in some kind of weapon enhancement skill, where mana is poured into the weapon and it improves its toughness, cutting power, and possibly even add even more exotic effects. Upgrading the Knives skill with the Killer Path would produce the Bloody Knife skill, which would make stab wounds with a knife bleed more, but upgrading it with the Cook Path would result in the Precision Cutting skill, which would make it easier to chop food in specific ways. A higher-tier skill does have a higher impact per level (an indivudual with 30 levels in tier 2 Running would be somewhat faster than an individual with 30 levels in tier 1 Running), but it is a matter of in-universe debate how much of an impact it has and if it''s worthwhile. Everyone agreed, however, that higher-tier Skills provide effects which often simply cannot be replicated as a 1st tier Skill. Teleportation is a possible upgrade to various movement-based Skills and is essentially impossible to unlock as a basic skill unless you are a master mage. Therger the Path (the more Skill Points it took toplete), the more drastically the original Skill is changed. A 12-point Path would change Walking to Running, for example, whereas a 120-point Path might change Firestarting directly into Fireball. Thus, those people with higher-tier Skills tend to have skills which provide very exotic, frequently abstract effects, whereas those with a lot of Skills at lower tiers are good at many basic actions. When a skill is upgraded/evolved, the old effect of the Skill is not lost. However, it can no longer level. Because I know I''ll be asked: Most people in the Empire reach Tier 3-4 in all of their skills, with most young adults in Tier 2. Particrly skilled individuals tend to reach Tiers 5-6, and elites reach tier 7-8. It is rumored that Royals, individuals like Emperor Xares, demigods in their own right, might be as high as Tier 20. Chapter 27: All That Glitters is Silver Chapter 27: All That Glitters is Silver The next two days passed in essentially the same way as the first day. Edwin kept being invited/sent to the front carriage, where For would spend the next eight to ten-ish hours talking at him, then it would be dinnertime, with him igniting the fire, followed by bed. Not once did anyone other than For and Aerfa speak to him or address him in the slightest, which was honestly fine by him. Fewer people, fewer problems so far as he cared. He didnt need anyone else. He was an introvert, after all. Loneliness wasnt a problem for people like him. Not at all. The fourth day they were on the road, For was interrupted mid-sentence as he was going on about something or other involving one of his friends from back home and the girl said friend was interested in, and it was all Edwin could do to avoid falling asleep altogether. Their wagon suddenly stopped, though, which snapped him back to attention. From outside, he heard voices faintly yelling, both iprehensibly muffled. About half of the people currently in the wagon went to investigate, dropping from the wagon onto the cobblestone road below and looking around the side. There, Aerfa was animatedly discussing something with a raggedy-looking man with a drawn sword just off the road. Behind him stood a group of simr-looking people, a mix of human, a couple avior, and a few other green-skinned individuals of a race which Edwin hadnt yet seen but which he guessed were orcs, all with weapons drawn. Whatever Aerfa was saying, though, the bandit leader (what else would they be, really?) didnt seem happy, and started to raise his sword in some sort of signal. As he did so, though, the two Skyguards on duty swooped down from above, talons extended and ready to strike. However, they were each intercepted by an arrow piercing their wings, which brought about a sympathetic wince from Edwin. That was bound to hurt. Still, they werent content, and a sudden sword swing by the bandit leader- the de seemed to lengthen mid-swipe before returning to its normal size- chopped down Aerfa as she attempted to flee, leaving her on the ground with a giant gash in her back. The Caravan Medic dove forward, trying to reach their fallen boss, but had a wing severed with another casual swing from the bandit leaders de, which fell to the ground in a swiftly-growing puddle of blood. The man looked around pensively for a moment, seemingly waiting for something, then, when whatever it was didnt happen, he let out a bark ofughter. As he wiped off his bloody sword on the fallen wing of the medic, he directed his followers forward with a few hand signals towards the small crowd of onlookers, who scattered, rather appropriately, like a flock of birds. The only one left, standing dumbfounded at the scene, eyes fixed on the blood pouring over the grass, was Edwin. Edwins mind immediately went to how he had managed to take down a bunch of fully armored soldiers, whereas the bandits seemed lightly armored at most, before mentally berating himself. He was unarmed beyond a small knife in his pocket and absolutely did not have a bunch of alchemical bombs just lying around. Okay, what could he do? Think, think As one of the bandits got close enough for him to Identify them as a Cruel Swordsman- what kind of Paths led to a ss like that?- he began to slightly panic. He didnt have time toe up with some intricate n, he just needed to move enough to avoid dying. As he scrambled backwards, trying to keep out of range of the intimidating de, he found himself literally backed up against a wall, pressed against the side of a wagon. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He breathed fire. The torrent of me was somewhat less impressive than what Edwin had hoped for, but it still got his attacker to back up a couple of steps, enough for him to slip away and start running down the caravan train. A protruding board caught his eye, and he grabbed it, using it to swing himself up onto a ledge then further up, mbering on top of the second wagon in the train. From above, he was able to see as thest of one, two... 17 bandits emerged from the woods, spread out slightly as they approached the wagon train in a loose collection. Most were congregated near the front of the train, on some small nts and grass near the edge of the road. A few smaller rocks were scattered here and there, but other than them and a handful ofrger bushes, the area was a clear battlefield. In the back, Edwin noticed an additional pair of bandits- two avior archers on an elevated bluff, roughly equal in height to where Edwin was. Fortunately, they either didnt care about or notice him, but he still dropped onto his stomach onto the wooden roof to reduce his profile. No point in inviting another arrow to his shoulder, after all. Okay, so theyre all on the one side. If I drop down on the other side and make a run for it into the woods, I might be able to get away while theyre busy plundering or whatever, Edwin strategized. He was just about ready to put it into action when his eyes widened Shoot! My bag! I need that. It had his notebook, after all, and he still needed that to ess his Almanac, alongside what few other odds and ends he still had from the dwarves. He also snuck a guilty look at the bleeding form of Aerfa, Sorry. I wish I could help, but not with all these- wait, what was that? A sh of silver caught Edwins eye, and he saw a blur of brilliance leap from the other side of the road,nd on top of one of the wagons, and then jump down from there, touching down next to one of the bandits a moment before the bandit in questions head fell with a thump, leaving the rest of the body to slump over. Hes here! Edwins Polyglot managed to pick up a snippet from one of the bandits, though still with a hefty ent. Lay down your arms and surrender, so you may face justice! Your crimes end here! the silver figure called out in a crisp, clear voice. Now that the neer was stationary, Edwin was able to tell that he was d head to toe in shining silver te armor, with a crimson eagle emzoned on his front as the only section of their regalia not a uniform shining silver. In his hand was a reflective de the same color so radiant it almost glowed, only the trickle of blood slowly running down its length marking it as an actual, physical object. The overall impression he got was that someone had forged literal moonlight into a de and suit of armor, but that didnt stop the bandit leader from pointing his sword at the knight and shouting, There kill him! Okay, so Polyglot wasnt perfect yet. So what. A spear-wielding bandit reached the knight first, charging at the armored figure and trying to stab him, the tip of his spear bursting into mes as he did so. With almost contemptuous ease, the knight sidestepped the blow, moving with an ease that belied the weight of what must have been nearly a hundred pounds of solid steel on him. The spearman, overextended from his own strike, tripped over his own feet, and was swiftly disarmed. His severed forearms thudded to the ground, still gripping his spear, but before he could even fully copse to his knees, the silver de was buried hilt-deep through his chest. Two more bandits, these ones orc siblings from the looks of their matching hair, skin, and battleaxes, were the next to assault the warrior. One of them was knocked off his feet when the corpse of the spear-wielder was kicked off the end of the silver de, serving as a makeshift, but very heavy projectile. His sister kept up the attack, though, attempting a powerful downwards cleave at the knights head. But then it missed? Hed barely even seen it, but the armored figure had taken a half-step backwards, putting him just out of reach of the attack. As before, getting knocked off-bnce for even a split second proved a death sentence, as the womans green head went flying a momentter, her axe still stuck in the ground. Her brother managed to escape from under the corpse lying on top of him, wrenching his sisters axe from the ground and wielding it alongside his own, the twin battleaxes forming a deadly rhythm and forcing the knight to give ground. The silver de flickered out, and one of the axes was turned from its course just enough that it hit its pair, severing the head and disarming the man from one of his two weapons. Before the knight could follow up on his advantage, though, a pair of arrows, shot by the archer bandits some distance away. The first arrow nced off the knights helm, doing nothing but drawing his attention. The second was met by a shimmering silver wall that sprang into existence, deflecting the shot such that it took a bandit trying to sneak up behind the knight in the throat, who fell with a gurgle. At this point, the rest of the bandits had haphazardly surrounded the knight, trying to attack from all manner of nking positions. They didnt seem to be very good at it, though, as even Edwin could tell that they were just getting in each others way. Ones attack forced another to duck, another bandit with a shield was positioned directly in front of another with a sword, and so on. As obvious as it was to Edwin, it was certainly not lost on the knight, who simply moved out of the way of the next pair of arrows, allowing one to hit a bandit behind him in the side, who copsed in a heap, and the other embedding itself in the side of the wagon Edwin was on. Three bandits took the opportunity the opening provided by the quick dodge to strike in unison, two spears and the same axe-wielder from before. In response, the silver barrier that had deflected an arrow so easily sprang back up, causing each of the attacks to stop dead in their tracks, rebounding off as though they had struck a steel wall. The bodies of those affected fell to the ground a momentter, bisected just below the ribs. There was a bit of a build-up of corpses at this point, with only a single opening in what was otherwise aplete circle of bodies around the knight, who, for his part, had barely even moved. The remaining bandits looked at the silver figure, unmarred save for a few drops of blood, looked at the mutted bodies of theirpanions, and took off running into the woods. The knight merely watched them as they fled, head turning as though marking each of them and where they went. The bandit leader cursed at their cowardice, then looked at what he still had avable to him. Of the original neen members of the bandit group, only the two archers, himself, and the Cruel Swordsman remained. He barked an order, and the Cruel Swordsman tried to disengage from fighting the knight, but was stymied slightly by virtue of being backed up against a knee-high rock. The two archers firing additional shots gave him the opening he needed, and slipped away from the engagement to stand by his boss side. Fine myself. The bandit leader said, brandishing his sword in a clear challenge to the silver knight. The knight, for his part, turned his head to affix onto the bandit, gaze not so much as flickering while he caught a new arrow in his hand, crushing the shaft to splinters. The two advanced towards one another, and sparks flew as their des crossed. It became immediately apparent that the bandit leader was both a league ahead of his peers and several steps below the knight in martial prowess. His probing strikes were effortlessly batted away with almost contemptuous parries, his attempts to feint utterly ignored. Some unseen signal passed between the bandit leader and the Cruel Swordsman, and they attacked in unison, the leader taking a broad swing at the knights head, the swordsman trying to stab at the base of the breastte. In response, the knight raised a gauntleted arm, a phantasmal silver shield akin to the walls from before flickering into ce to intercept the headshot, and his sword darted down, knocking the lower strike away such that it struck the center of his armored thigh instead of his torso. The two bandits circled around the knight, taking advantage of the distraction brought on by another pair of arrows to nk him. After cutting one of the projectiles out of the air, the knight pivoted, dodging the second shot while also trying to keep both of his opponents in front of him. A new arrow nged off his helmet, shot faster than the previous volleys, which proved to be a mistake on the part of the archer, as the knight used his foot to retrieve a spear from among the fallen bodies, throwing it like a javelin at the bowman. It passed clean through the archers chest, exploding out the back with a spray of blood, and continuing in an almost t arc into the woods beyond. Even as the other archer realized it might not have been quite so safe for him to have stuck around and started to fly off, it was toote. In the intervening seconds, the knight had crossed swords with the Cruel Swordsman, sliding their des together until they met at the hilt, and grabbed the forearm of the swordsman. With a solid yank, he pulled on the bandit enough to give him a solid headbutt with his armored helm, sending the swordsman reeling back with a crack, and giving enough of an opening to disarm the bandit, yanking his sword away, such that the knight held one de in each hand. He didnt keep the second sword for long, though, and threw it end-over-end at the fleeing bandit archer, where it handily impaled a wing, sending the avior plummeting to the ground, where theynded with a crunch on the grass next to the road. That just left the knight against the bandit leader and the disarmed Cruel Swordsman. As the Swordsman went after a weapon lying on the ground, the knight disarmed him at the shoulder, his de gleaming with a silver light and passing through flesh and bone with barely any resistance, the limb falling to the ground next to its gripped longsword. He screamed, which was itself cut short a secondter as the de swung once more. At the sight, the bandit leaders face contorted into an expression of rage, shouting a word which Polyglot didnt provide a trantion for, but Edwin still pretty much understood. The armored face of the knight was unperturbed as he responded in a soft voice, Tolra Revashs, he intercepted a wild swing of the leader- Tolras- sword, You havemitted crimes, he moved almost imperceptibly to dodge a stab, even as the de lengthened against the Empire, including but not limited to, the shield made another appearance, stopping an overhead sh glowing with crimson light dead in its tracks, banditry, murder, defilement, incitation of violence, each word was apanied by the casual deflection of another rapid strike as Tolra was pushed back farther and farther, assault, assault of an Officer, rejection and incitement of rejection of Citizen status, and obstruction of a criminal investigation. Have you, he blocked a two-handed strike, the glow present for the attack guttering out in an instant, the sword returning to its normal length, Anything to say in your defense? Tolra grunted, and said something, Polyglot switchingnguages mid-sentence, kill you! Let the record show that the Ravenous Sword-Reaver Tolra Revashs presents no defense, he said, a final swing of his sword splitting Tolra down the middle and sending his de catapulting through the air, where it embedded itself, sinking to the hilt in a nearby rock. And then there was silence. Chapter 28: A Long Days Knight Chapter 28: A Long Day''s Knight As soon as the fight was over, Edwin started scrambling down from the top of the wagon. It had only been a minute or two at most, Aerfa would probably still be alive and he might even be able to save her if he acted quickly However, as soon as he hit the ground, the knight spun around, bloody de still in hand, pointing it at him. The knight- he was close enough now to see he was a Silver de- started to say something, but Edwin hastily raised his hands to show he was unarmed and blurted out, ImsorrypleasedontkillmeIjustwanttosaveher, he vaguely tried to indicate he was talking about the fallen avior, which was trickier than anticipated, given his attempt to keep his hands above his head. You are not a Citizen. It was a statement, not a question. Correct? Edwin hazarded, Im kind of just passing through. Needed a ride? Even though his face waspletely obscured by his helmet, Edwin got the distinct feeling the Silver de was narrowing his eyes at him, You do not have a Healers License. Another statement. Yes? I have the First Aid skill, though. I can help! Shell die otherwise! Edwin protested, not liking where this seemed to be going. It is forbidden for any without a Healers License to use medicine-rted skills on another individual. As an Enforcer for the Empire, I cannot stand by and allow you to break the Empiresws. At this point, a few other members of the caravan returned from where they had fled off to, and those which had remained in the first wagon were slowly peeking out to see what was going on. Most seemed to immediately make themselves scarce once they noticed the Silver de, though. We havews for a reason. People like you always think themselves above them and do more harm than good. Allow the medic to tend to the merchant, Edwin could feel the knights gaze even through his helmet. Shell die if nobody does anything! Look right there! Edwin protested, pointing to the wingless avior lying near Aerwyns barely moving body, That was the medic! Theres nobody else! What could I do that would be worse than just letting Aerfa die? He nervously shifted from one foot or the other. Hopefully, that sword wouldnte any closer to him The helmet imcably stared at Edwin. How was he supposed to tell what he was thinking? I cannot allow you, adventurer, to break anyws of the Empire under my watch, foreigner or no. The sword wasnt moving. That wasnt good, but it wasnt bad either. He still had a sword pointed at him, though The de was withdrawn in an instant, I shall return! he called out, Some of the bandits fled into the woods and it is my duty to track them down and end the threat they represent. Empire Ever Strong! the enforcer spun around to some confused, scattered cheers, then fled into the woods in a sh of silver. Edwin stood still, blinking in confusion. What had just happened? He was clearly mad at him, yet ran off? Gah, people. Oh right! People! He scrambled over to where Aerfa was bleeding out, For panicking next to her. He tuned out the frantic cries of the avior, it wouldnt help him. A quick Identify proved that the medic was indeed dead, also that he could apparently use Almanac using avior as a material Focus! Okay, so he was dealing with a fairly deep cut along her back. After getting a bit of space by shoving For to the side and sending him on a task to get clean bandages, he gingerly started removing a few severed feathers from where they had fallen into the wound. By the time he had finished, For returned with some linen strips of cloth, handing them off to Edwin before he resumed his panicking. Honestly, what was that supposed to aplish, anyway? Applying the bandages slowed the bleeding, at least, and Edwin found after a bit of frantic trial and error that if he Infused the cloth through First Aid and Firestarting, it would cause it to heat up and stay in ce, stopping enough of the blood flow to make him feelfortable while also hopefully sanitizing any infections living on it. Aerfa had still lost a lot of blood, though, but Identify kept returning Caravan Merchant Leader rather than Avior corpse, so he was still fine. For. Mum! Mum, wakeup! You can''t die here, you arent ready ta pass it on ta me yet. Comeon mum,eon For! Edwin pped the shoulder of the panicking avior, I need your help. Give me a hand carrying your mom inside. She wont die, but we need to get her somewhere sheltered and morefortable. It took a bit of coaxing, but he was eventually able to calm For down enough that the two of them were able to transport Aerfa inside the first wagon, where they carefullyid her on top of two beanbags pushed against the wall. Once there, he breathed a sigh of relief, dropping into a beanbag of his own. Notifications Level Up! First Aid Level 1317 Visualization Level 2526 Identify Level 3031 Polyglot Level 1321 Congrattions! For putting yourself at risk to save anothers life through medicine you have unlocked the Steadfast Medic path! Congrattions! For defying an Enforcer of the Empire you have unlocked the Rebel path! Huh. Interesting Paths, there. Decent skill levels, too. He had to wonder what sort of skill the Rebel path- why were all the ones he didnt want only 30 points- would give him. No new skills, though that wasnt really a surprise. He hadnt done anything particrly novel, after all. The tter of armor outside the wagon led Edwin to want to get up and investigate, but he decided he was far toofortable in his seat to actually do so. It also seemed that he didnt need to, as the Enforcer, whatever he said his name was, appeared in the doorway. He addressed the carriage as a whole, The bandits have been vanquished. May the Empire be ever strong. I will be joining your caravan for the next two days until you reach Vinstead, thank you for your service to the Empire. His tone brooked no argument, Where is your Leader? I will speak with them. A few fingers hesitantly pointed at Aerfa, which brought only a quickly-suppressed flinch to the Silver de, Very well. Carry on as soon as you are able. There is no damage to your wagons, and thus ought to be posthaste. You, adventurer, he pointed to Edwin,e with me. I will speak with you. Edwin didnt want to get up, and he really didnt want to speak to some official Empire Enforcer- since when was someone with that title ever good news?- but he also didnt want to be on the bad side of someone capable of going through almost twenty armedbatants like butter, so he dragged himself upright nheless, following behind the knight as she left the wagon. Outside, the bandit bodies had been dragged into a pile, and the fallen Caravan Medic was being wrapped in some kind of cloth by two avior. He almost stopped to see if the two injured Skyguards needed help- he was hardly qualified, but it didnt seem like there was anyone better on hand. A nce from the enforcer brought him to heel, though, as the knight looked inside the next wagon in the train. Whatever he saw inside seemed to satisfy him, and he indicated for Edwin to follow as he climbed inside the passenger cart, empty save for Edwins small collection of stuff. Sit, hemanded, once Edwin was inside, and he obliged, leaning against the wall, sitting on his bedroll. He was kind of curious how the enforcer would sit. That was full te armor, no way would it have enough range of mobility to let him- the thought was cut off as the suit of armor began to dissolve into silver sparks, fading like one of the silver walls he- no, she- had employed in her fight with the bandits. As thest of her armor faded away, revealing a crimson uniform embroidered with silver thread, she sat down facing Edwin with a pointed expression on her face, brown hair pulled back tightly, presumably to help fit under her armor. Was the armor one of those trophy Skills the dwarves had mentioned? A Skill with a physical manifestation? Her sword had undergone a simr vanishing act earlier, so was it all just a Skill? Would armor like that automatically tailor itself to you? Would you need to wear hair in a specific way to get it to fit, like with normal armor, or- She cleared her throat, making Edwin snap to attention, Answer the question. He shook his head, What? I asked you a question. Answer it. Look, if this is about earlier when I- She cut Edwin off, I hope you are not nning to do something unwise, such as admitting to a crime directly to an Enforcer. Edwin immediately mped his mouth shut, No! No, of course not. Im sorry, what did you ask? I got distracted by your armor. She raised an eyebrow, By the armor itself? Men usually are more distracted once its gone. Wait, what did? Well, she was rather pretty, he supposed, but he had gotten sidetracked, thinking about skill mechanics. Actually, now that his mind was on the track, she was really pretty- he forced himself to look away, Is that a skill youre using on me? She didnt answer, and Edwin allowed his gaze to return to meet her eyes, which seemed to have a bit of humor glinting in them, But yes. It was just really cool- I hadnt seen a Trophy Skill used before. She raised an eyebrow, Youre telling the truth. How have you never seen one before? Edwin winced. He hadnt meant to say anything hinting to his background, Do I have to answer that? The Enforcers gaze turned hard as she seemed to stare into his very soul. Heck, she might well be doing that literally, if she had a Skill for it, We shall see. Now, my original question? Edwin shrugged, slightly embarrassed, which prompted a slow exhtion from her, as she closed her eyes in a slow blink, What is your name, and what is your purpose here. Im Edwin. And honestly? I just kind of want to get somewhere else. I had a disagreement with the dwarves of the he tapped his knee, trying to remember the name of the ce, Highpeak Kingdom? he ventured, Anyway, I just want to get far away from there. What was your name, if I may ask? I know you said it at one point, but Im just awful when ites to names, I have to- he stopped himself before he blurted out mark people with their names with a skill I have. It was probably innocent enough, but then again, mentioning concrete to a bunch of dwarves who lived in a city made of magical concrete had seemed innocent as well. No sense taking that risk. Her gaze was fixed back on him, unwavering and strong, making Edwin want to shrink backwards from it, but his retreat was foiled by him already sitting against the wall. Underneath him, he felt the wagons begin to move forward, the cobblestone road rattling the floor and wall just enough for him to wish he had a beanbag again. After what seemed like an unbearably long time, she spoke once more, My name is Tara Lisana. It is my duty to ensure that the Empire does not fall to threats internal or external. I would advise that you cooperate with me and are honest when answering my questions, lest you be deemed a threat to stability. Edwin took a deep breath, Okay. What do you need to know? Hopefully she wouldnt ask anything to direct Tell me what precisely the nature of your disagreement with the dwarves was, how you got your ss, what your previous sses were, and why you have never been in any city of the Empire? Well, darn it. Can I not? No sooner had the words passed his lips than the sword was back, its very sharp tip resting directly under his chin, making him make eye contact with the Enforcer as she took to her feet, looming over him. Let me make this very clear. My job is to deal with threats and potential threats to the Empire. You show up in the middle of my jurisdiction as an Adventurer, anguage I have never heard of before, apparently escaping some conflict with the dwarves. If I kill you here and now and ship your body back to the dwarves, Ill probably getmended for heading off a diplomatic incident and dealing with an unknown threat, showing tremendous initiative. You will answer my questions, or you will die. I do not wish to kill you, but if you force my hand I will not hesitate. Edwin whimpered, If Im not a threat, he swallowed, throat suddenly dry, Can I get some help? Im kind of just lost and confused right now. And I have dangerous secrets. Not to you or the empire! Just,st time I told them it didnt go well. Mainly for me. he tried to back up, but already being so pressed against the wall prevented him from budging more than an inch, which was in turn closed by the de advancing just as far, until he could feel the point against his throat. Tara assessed him, If you truly are not a threat to the Empire in any way or form, and indeed need my aid in some manner which I can provide, I will uphold the principles of my office and do everything in my power to help you. I shall keep these secrets of yours unless my duties have previously and directly require me to disclose such information. This I swear on the Honor of the Empire. A notification popped up. Silver de Tara Lisana has sworn an Oath of Aid, Duty, and Secrecy Silver de Tara Lisana has broken: 0 Oaths Are thesemon? Edwin asked, poking the message away, I didnt see any of these manmade notifications before this week, and now Ive seen two. Also, what sort of things are you required to not keep secret? Tara assessed him again, making Edwin shut up quickly before he said something else that gave away his secrets. Keeping quiet about something as huge as his entire life was hard! Common enough. Are you content, now? I would certainly not wish to break an Oath for you, Im certain that whatever secrets you may have, however dangerous you may think they are, would not be worth the future stain of having a single Oath broken. So long as your secrets do not directly threaten the Empire itself or its citizens, you should have nothing to fear, she chuckled slightly, a tiny smile creeping onto her face before it turned serious once more, Now, speak. Youve said many strange things and I demand an ount for your strange behavior. Edwin opened his mouth to speak, closed it, took a deep breath, and spoke, Im from another world. I fell out of the sky about a month ago, but before then I had never set foot on or even heard about Joriah. That got a reaction, and her entire body flinched as she assessed Edwin in a new light, Well. That certainly is a secret worth breaking an Oath for. Chapter 29: A Discussion with a "Friend"(?) Chapter 29: A Discussion with a "Friend"(?) Edwin immediately started panicking. He had just escaped captivity, he didnt want to go back into any other kind of forced working situation! No. He would run into the woods and take his chances in the wilds before he let that happen to him again. Even still, he did not want to be on any kind of Empire watchlist, no thank you! Sensing his distress, Tara immediately made a cating motion with her hands- some things transcendeds, it seemed. Calm yourself. I understand your plight more now, Out- she cut herself off, clearing her throat, Edwin. Rest assured, as I swore, I will still not disclose your origins to any you do not grant me leave for. She sat back, looking into the distance with a starry look in her silver- wait, her eyes were silver too?- eyes, An Outsider, then. A living legend. One whoes from the heavens themselves. She looked him in the eye, You did well to tell me, there is much I can do to aid you. However, your hesitance to do so is a tremendous asset. You must never tell anyone else of where youe from. They will seek to exploit you, to kill you, to enve you, she said, catching a hint of a flinch on Edwins face, That is why you sought escape from the Highpeak Kingdoms, then? They found out and attempted to use you? Edwin hesitated before giving a tiny nod, and she continued, sted greedy dwarves! Theyll be the death of us all, angering Outsiders. She breathed deeply, then continued, Tell me your story. Leave nothing out. Edwin hesitated at first, but the ferocity of Taras gaze managed to persuade him otherwise. It had nothing to do with that very sharp sword in her hand. Not at all. Eventually, he started to recap his arrival in the forest, his fight against the Stonehide, his arrival and subsequent capture and forced debtors position and a general skimming over of his escape. At first, he made specifically sure to never give any specifics about his weapons or what he was trying to make, instead saying that he fought his way out and that he was doing research. That position changed with another nce at Taras sword, though, and he went more into detail about his weapons, not exining how they worked, just what they did. As soon as he finished, though, he started regretting it. He had absolutely said too much. Why was he so trusting? Nevermind that he had been threatened with death, he should have just taken his chances with well, no. That was a terrible idea. But was this really any better? Shed sell him out the first chance she got, he knew. He could see it in her eyes, already calcting how best she could profit from knowing he was an Outsider. Well, at least he had managed to change his ss tag, or else everyone would know. But still, did she have to know? Aaarrghh. He was such an idiot, he was so- I see. Well done, I must say. You need not exin further regarding your methods, I would not glean anything from them myself, and I understand the secrecy alchemists like to exercise over their work, an action which prompted Edwin to roll his eyes, Yes? No, no. Its just my old world, we had giant webs ofmunication, of sharing information. It let people on one side of the benefit from experiments that others had done on the other side. I should have figured that it wouldnt be quite the same way here, but its still sad. A thought crossed his mind, and Edwin sat up straighter, Wait, alchemists? I got a message from the System saying that alchemy isnt highly regarded. Whats up with that, if theyremon enough to have a stereotype? Tara thought for a moment, Interesting. I dont know. Ive never heard of the System being wrong before. What did the message say? Edwin stared nkly at her, Uhh I dont know? It was like a month ago that I got it, my memory isnt that good. She returned the stare, Just scroll back? Status Log is one of the first skill upgrades anyone ever gets, dont you have it? How would I have gotten it? The Beginner Path, naturally. It almost always upgrades Status, lets you review previous skill unlocks, Path notifications, and more. Ah. Right. It happens from time to time, where either a particrly bright or dim child doesnt get Status until after the Managementes into effect, and so they dont blindly spend points on whatever Path they can unlock. Something simr happened to you, didnt it? Well, can you upgrade now? Not much advances Status, go ahead, do it. Well She cocked her head, Is there a problem? Do it. I already have my Status evolved. Do tell. Her words were clipped and no-nonsense. Hed clearly done something to annoy her, but what? Its an information-storing Skill. It lets me take notes and see themter with Identify. She rolled her eyes, And here I thought you might have actually gotten something useful. So, how many Skill Points was that Path? Twelve? Twenty four? A hundred and twenty? That seemed to break her, and Tara just blinked, staring nkly at the wall, Say that again? One hundred and twenty points. A hundred and twenty, what the hells. She shook her head and looked incredulously at Edwin, And it lets you take notes? What sort of flightless skill is that? How did the System ever justify such an obscene price? Hey, hey, hey! Edwin felt suddenly quite defensive of his favorite Skill, Its really cool! I can do all sorts of things with it, and its an absolute lifesaver for remembering na encoding my notes! Nobody can see what Ive written. Great for experimental safety, you said that was popr right? Tara just looked at him in bewilderment, I know not what you must have done to anger the System so much, but you utterly wasted enough points to get two to four good Skill advancements. At the very least, your other skill advancements must have been worthwhile? You must have Alchemy and Polyglot at the very least, yes? What else? Edwin hesitated, which just annoyed her, Oh,e on. Well be here until Vinstead if you stop every time I ask you a new question. I swore on my Honor that I wouldnt tell your secrets, that includes your ss, private or not. fine. I also have Bomb Thrower, an evolution of Throwing Weapons, and Mana Infusion, evolved from Basic Mana Maniption. She jerked her head up at that, You have a mana skill? Uhh two, actually. Mana Infusion and Basic Mana Sense. Her eyebrows danced once more, Alchemy would be wasted on you if you already have both. Youll make a fantastic mage. So your skills are Walking, Identify, Seeing, Eating, Polyglot, Mana Infusion, your useless Status advancement, Alchemy, Basic Mana Sense, and what else? Edwin pulled up his Status, Breathing, Flexibility, Sleeping, Survival, Tara interrupted him with a wave of her hand, Wait. Not only do you have more than twelve skills, you wasted them on things like sleeping? Dear gods. I retract my statement. Youre hopeless. Hey! I didnt know any better, Edwin defended himself, I was lost in the middle of really strange woods and trying to survive. Ive only picked up two skills since I did know any better. Packing, because ah, my arsenal was really heavy and I needed the help, and First Aid, because I needed to not die. She seemed unconvinced, Very well. I perhaps know someone who might be able to advise you on your ss, but youve already set yourself down a path which ensures youll be mediocre in all you attempt. Edwin sat in silence for a few seconds, staring into space, Well. I suppose thats what I was before, I can stand being average again. Do you have to always make sure your ss is the best it could possibly be? What about just doing what you want? She chuckled, Theres always a few people who share your philosophy. They always think that doing just whatever, not following the wisdom of those whove walked their paths before is the best way to go. They inevitably fail, and they just cant keep a job, and inevitably find themselves wandering around, throwing themselves into suicidal situations just to make a living. Others turn to banditry or a life of crime. Those with ill intent are a scourge on the Empire, and even those who want to help. Bloody adventurers just make my job harder. They always think they know best, interfering and getting their grubby hands all over everything, totally wrecking the standard call-response order of the Guardsmen and Army. She muttered more uncharitable statements about adventurers, but Edwin mentally filtered them out. After a moment, it seemed like she wasnt about to leave her current thought track, so Edwin stepped in, Hello? Taras attention snapped back to Edwin, Right. Adventurers. They cause more problems than they solve. Everything works far better when following official ss forms. Thousands of years of experimentation has determined the optimalbination of Skills and Paths for any conceivable upation. That made sense, though Edwin couldnt help but wonder, What if someone thinks they want to be a cksmith, butter decides they want to be a baker, or whatever? She scoffed, Please. People are given sses ording to what theyre naturally talented at and what they want. The amount of training you need to even bepetent in a job is far more than anyone could manage to undertake on a mere whim. That seemed not great. Well, then again, Edwin thought, I suppose the ability to change careers is a pretty modern concept. Not like a cksmith could have be a baker back on Earth in the early thousands anyway. No real change there. I guess it makes sense? I see. Now, you said you hadnt taken any of the Beginner, Novice, or Trainee paths? she asked, and Edwin nodded in response, Good. Complete them all. Upgrading your skills is important. Do you even have Common Knowledge? Edwins first instinct was to recoil, but then his curiosity got the best of him, Common Knowledge? Basic Identify upgrade, usuallyes alongside the Beginner path. Allows you to use Identify on things other than creatures. That sounded actually kind of useful, but still Id rather not? My Identify is only level thirty, I wanted to get it to sixty before I evolved err upgraded it. Thirty? Thats plenty. That should give you about twelve spans, yes? More than enough. You always want to upgrade a skill as soon as possible, the improvement is always worthwhile. Edwin really wasntfortable with the degree of authority she was trying to disy over something like his skills. They were his skills, darn it. He wasnt going to let someone boss him around over them. He looked for some kind of conversation diversion, Didnt you say youd point me to someone else to help with my Build, as its alreadypletely screwed up? She saw right through his effort, but conceded, Very well. I shall abstain from furtherments in such matters for the time being. Is there any other matter in which I can aid you for the time being? Whats the name of the Empire? The dwarves just called it the Pretentious Empire, which I dont think was right. Whats your job exactly? Actually, could you give me a brief rundown of what I can expect? She scoffed, sted dwarves. They like to act as though theyre superior to us and act like were the stuck-up ones. Maybe if the cavers didnt spend all their time singing while smacking rocks around with steel, theyd. Even after her rant about dwarves, including a fairly long diversionining about a few Empire officials who acted more pretentious than the Empire had earned the right for, which is already a lot, she continued on unabated answering Edwins questions. Now that he was listening to someone actually interesting, he easily kept himself from getting distracted or zoning out as Tara talked for the rest of the day. She seemed to get morefortable as time went on, and he realized that she couldnt have been much older than him. She bore herself with a lot of formality, but even that seemed to be slipping away as she continued with her talking, filling Edwin in on information new and old alike. The Liras Empire was a massive, mostly avior-controlled supernation which stretched across two continents and was the result of their emperor, Xares unifying countless small, warring nations under his wing almost two thousand years ago, and swept forward on an expansion campaign until he controlled everything east of the Spine of the World, an absolutely massive mountain range that served as a natural border against their jealous neighbors on the western side. From what Edwin could gather, Tara was a huge personal fan of the Emperor himself, who in turn seemed to be some immortal, magic-wieldingbination of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon. Hebined brilliant military might with literal centuries of study, a maic personality, and a keen political mind into what may as well have been a living god, and, at least ording to Tara, was absolutely perfect, had never lost a battle, and remembered the name of every soldier that had ever died in his service. If he was even half the man she made him out to be, Edwin kind of had to agree that there likely wasnt a better monarch to possibly exist. Tara, for her part, functioned as an Enforcer, which was part of a chain ofmand set aside from the normal chain, but was just a few steps under the Emperor himself. Her area of jurisdiction was massive, and within it, she had from the sounds of it,plete and total say as judge, jury, and executioner, exemplifying the Law of the Empire and bringing order to most of the continent. When there was a giant monster roaming around, a crime spree, or, yes, a bandit group making trouble, she was dispatched to track down the disturbance and end it, by any means needed. If she came across something that might develop into a problem, she was to deal with it simrly. While she apologized that she wasnt able to disclose her ss details, as doing so would potentially grant future adversaries the ability to exploit chinks in her metaphorical (and physical) armor. She was able to tell Edwin that it was an advanced variant of the standard guard skills, though, namely including Identify, Status, Language, Seeing, Walking, Eating, Swordy, Heavy Armor, Reflexes, Athletics, Teamwork, and Authority, which made Edwin curious. Wait. If this is supposedly the most advanced possiblebination of skills- It is. He waved her off, skills for a Guard, why does it include Eating? Wouldnt there be a better skill to use than that? She gave him a quizzical look, Because its one of the Basic Six oh right. You wouldnt know that. Edwin gave a t stare in response, Yes. I know nothing, remember? Yes, yes. The Basic Six are the six skills which everyone has from their childhood, before they be Citizens of the Empire and checks can be put into ce. She counted them off on her fingers, Eating, Seeing, Identify, Status, Walking, and Language. The six things which any infant can try to get and practice enough to be rewarded with a Skill for it. That seemed reasonable enough, but Wait, but what if- an ungodly loud screech cut him off, a torrent of swearing filtering its way through Polyglot as his train of thought was discarded. Tara cursed as well, and her helmet materialized over her head. Maybe it helped block out sound? What the hells is that? she asked. It sounds to me, Edwin responded, lightly covering his ears to help block the noise, As though Aerfa just woke up. Chapter 30: Managerial Clockwork Chapter 30: Managerial Clockwork Tara rose, her full suit of armor materializing around her. It took longer than dematerializing the armor and wasnt as fast as the silver walls had been in her fight against the bandits, but it was unmistakably the same Skill. Actually, Edwin could test that! He quickly targeted the rapidly-forming armor with an Infused Almanac, Armor conjured by a skill of some sort, can be used for magical wall formation too. Identifying the armor once it had finished appearing gave the same result, so he guessed it worked. Are you going to check on her? Edwin asked, Why? It is my duty to ensure Citizens of the empire are in good health, and I must discuss matters pertaining to my transportation. Come, I need to keep an eye on you, Tara replied, all the informality she had slowly umted over their conversation falling away in an instant. She walked to the opening in the back of the wagon and just dropped out. The wagons werent going that fast by Earth standards, perhaps about a brisk jog in pace, but it was still a little strange to watch someone jump out of a moving vehicle, and while Edwin followed a few momentster, it felt even stranger than to just watch. He stepped his pace up to a light run, following behind the armored figure as she outpaced the caravan and jumped inside the first wagon. Looking overhead, Edwin saw two avior circling in the sky above the wagon, the light forest they were traveling through giving way for the road and leaving the path open to the heavens. Once he turned his attention back to what he was supposed to be doing, it wasnt hard for Edwin to likewise reach the front wagon, though his legs, enjoying their break from constant use, did get annoyed at him. -One of my flock is dead, two more grounded, and you apologize for the inconvenience? You could have saved them, you bastard! If I had died, would that have been a slight inconvenience as well? Edwin flinched, nearly falling back out the opening to the wagon as Aerfas ranting hit him full bore upon his entry. She was not happy, but it was somewhat amusing seeing the avior look so murderous while still draped over two beanbag chairs. Yes. In sharp contrast to the venom Aerfa was spitting, Taras voice was measured, calm, and also noticeably different while in her helmet. Moremanding and authoritative, though still soft and gentle in tone and cadence. I needed to ensure that I could exterminate all the criminals in a single strike, else they would return and continue to harry others while I was not around. So you just stood by as they massacred my flock? Yes. You! Your job is to protect citizens! Was Rellis not enough of a citizen for you? All citizens are equal in the eyes of thew. Oh, dont you give me that nonsense again, I- she was cut off as Tara continued talking, her mere presence seeming to dampen Aerfas presence andints. Acting sooner than I had would have endangered others, both present and future. I cannot ignore such consequences. Your actions endangered others now, you ipetent- her rant was suddenly cut off by Taras sword appearing, tip at the aviors forehead as the Enforcer loomed over her prone figure. Huh. She definitely had continued speaking past that point, why wasnt Polyglot tranting? Did it just not work if the word suddenly stopped? He was pretty sure he had heard otherwise, but he couldnt remember any specific instances. Watch your words. You wouldnt, you- the sword moved faintly closer. Do you truly wish to test that? Aerfa said nothing, but clearly remained furious. As I thought. I will be departing in two days, when you reach Vinstead. Until that time, you are to leave me in peace. Understood? The avior sighed. Understood. Good, Tara finished the conversation, dropping out the back of the wagon. As she left, a silence Edwin hadnt even realized existed was lifted from the wagon, and chatter resumed. That lousy, inept Mum. Its alright. Not her fault. For spoke up,ying a wing on his mothers back, I dont want ta lose you, too. That seemed to mollify the enraged merchant somewhat, who breathed out, slumping back into her resting position. Edwin, for his part, felt kind of awkward standing around and wasnt entirely sure why he had been brought along, but it definitely felt like he was intruding, so he started to quietly sidle away, but was stopped by a resigned call from Aerfa. Edwin. Wait. He turned around, Thank you. If it werent for you, I Thank you. Edwin just gave a bit of an awkward smile and slipped away, letting the mother and son have their moment. When he returned to his wagon, he found Tara sitting in one corner, quietly meditating in the corner. Not wanting to disturb her, Edwin justid down on his bedroll and tried to sleep. The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Sure, things happened, though nothing particrly notable, and people talked endlessly about all kinds of stuff, but none of it really stuck with Edwin, who spent most of the time just on his own bedroll or in a beanbag chair, just dejectedly thinking. He had had enough of people for the time being anyway, so he just kept to himself. There were a few times he attempted to perform a few experiments with his skills, but found he just couldnt focus, and he had to pull himself back from the brink ofpletely shutting down multiple times. Something about the scene of the bandits, lying in pools of their own blood, the lifeless body of the medic, whatever his name had been, and Aerfa bleeding out kept returning to the forefront of his mind, and while he didnt think it had traumatized him, nor did he think that it was wrong for them to die it was just distracting. It also brought into focus just how different Joriah was from Earth. He hadnt really expected anything else, though. Most historic civilizations had harsh punishments for banditry, usually death, and they had been actively trying to kill Tara, so it was even self-defense. But what about the bandits who had fled? Sure, Tara said that they would just return to marauding once she had left and that would put more people at risk, but would they really, with their leader killed? Or would they have just fled as far as they could and try to re-enter society? What even turned them to banditry in the first ce? That wasnt the sort of thing normal people did, was it? Or maybe. He sighed. This sort of thinking wasnt productive. Still, he wished he could have asked Tara what happened to people who just by chance werent able to follow the Paths needed for a specific Empire-approved ss. Were they able to take alternate ss options for their own circumstances? Did they just do their best, knowing that theyd forever be second-fiddle to people with a more optimized ss? Were they forced to turn to banditry? Sadly, Tara hadnt so much as opened her eyes since she started meditating, at least while Edwin was around, and there was no way he was about to bother her. Hed had enough of that sword of hers threatening him for the time being. Regardless, he didnt feel bad about the bandits being killed. They had been the aggressors, must have been causing a disturbance for some time if there had already been an Enforcer in the area, and had killed one member of their caravan, wounded at least three others, and threatened him. They deserved to die. He would have killed them himself if he hadnt been so worthless. ... So why did his brain keep dwelling on it then, darn it? Was it because he had been so helpless in the face of all of them? Because he had no weapon skills (or Skills) to his name that would help him in that sort of situation, because he was a scientist, not a fighter? Because for all of his time spent trying out various forms ofbat back on Earth because martial arts are cool, he never liked hurting people? Or was it also rted to the other image that kepting back to him as well, of Tara standing over him with her sword drawn and pointed at him, forcing him to spill his secrets once more? Was it just him being weak that was the issue? Hed never really felt fundamentally unsafe back on Earth, but it was a regr urrence here. Between being dropped in the wilderness, facing a bear bigger than a train, getting lost in a blizzard, being captured and enved by dwarves, and now the bandits and his first real interaction with Lirasianw enforcement? Hed yet to actually feel like his life wasnt in someone elses hands. It wasnt a pleasant feeling. As nice as Tara was, and as much as he felt she had legitimately had her hand more or less forced he still didnt want to be so powerless ever again. Hed taken a wager, venturing back to civilization. He knew that. Admittedly, his only other real choice was to wander around the wilderness with a broken arm and a burned shoulder that was bound to get infected, but it was still a choice and a hope that he could find actually helpful people. Surely not everyone would be awful, would they? And it was true! He had gotten help from that one halfling leader, Ritina or whatever, and Aerfa. Even Tara had helped him out. There were good people here. But he had never felt safe, never felt secure. To do that, he would have to be strong. How could he do that? He wasnt sure about trying to expand and get even more skills. He should focus on what he could already do and build on that. Okay, so what did he even have? Magical Basic Mana Sense: 30, Mana Infusion: 59 Physical Athletics: 27, Breathing: 20, Flexibility: 15, Nutrition: 16, Packing 5, Seeing: 19, Sleeping: 21, Survival: 17, Walking: 28 Mental Polyglot: 21, Mathematics: 37, Research: 44, Visualization: 26 Combat Bomb Throwing: 9 Utility Firestarting: 29, Alchemy: 43, Outsider''s Almanac: 64, Identify: 31, First Aid 17 Well, it might not quite scream SCIENCE! to him, but it had everything he might need if he wanted to go that direction. Biology was First Aid, Mathematics for Physics, Alchemy for Chemistry. So, he could lean into that. Maybe he should really try and make Alchemy his primary Skill? Using it a lot would probably also help him level all of his apparently ungodly number of Skills. He would be an alchemist. And from what his Alchemy instincts were telling him, he would need materials. Lots of materials. Sure, he could make some basic magical ingredients with his Mana Infusion, but they were insufficient for some reason. Hed need the blood of monsters, the leaves of magical nts, metals whose very essence was permeated with mana. That would be where his skill would shine, that would be where his strength coulde from. And hey, as a bonus, he got to do his favorite things in the world: see cool stuff, especially if he went to find his own ingredients, and uncover the mysteries of the world. Science back on Earth was exciting and cool, and so well-established he could never make any sort of meaningful discovery on his own merits. Here, though? The sky itself may not even be the limit. Maybe he would revolutionize the world! Edwin sighed. Or, maybe not. He remembered what Tara had said, and what Rashin had said. To try and forge your own path, blind to the efforts of others, was foolish. Like back on Earth, anyone who tried to figure out how the world worked from just their own experimentation was doomed to fail. The people here had centuries of practice, centuries of trial and error to determine what sort of sses were good at what they did, and what sorts simply underperformed. It was, after all, only by standing on the shoulders of giants that we could see beyond the horizon. But then again. For centuries, it wasmon knowledge that gues were the result of bad air. Everyone knew that the earth was the center of the universe. That excess blood caused disease. That stuff burned because of phlogiston. It wasnt until someone took those theories under the microscope, until they examined the infallible wisdom of those who came before, that such theories were revealed to be nonsense. Why should it be any different here? Any of the wisdom he had heard might be wrong, or overly simplistic, or an intentional lie. But, the little voice in his head said, they probably arent. Youll never find a ce here, just like back on Earth. Youll never fit in, youll never stand out. Nobody here will ever ept you. You saw how Tara looked at you when she found out what you are. Like you were a monstrosity. If anyone finds out, you will be just as shunned here as back in college, as back in school. Youre just going to be- Edwin cut off the voice, pulling himself back from the brink once more. No. He wouldnt let his doubts get in the way. He wouldnt let fear rule his life. Isnt that exactly what youre doing? It had returned, mocking him. You want to gain power because you fear being at the mercy of others. That was different. This was a different world. He needed strength, he needed security. He- Is a scared little kid, clinging for any sense of normalcy. Youll never outrun your own nature, Edwin. Its who you are. He took that pessimistic voice of doubt and chained it up, locking it right next to his box about his feelings about leaving Earth. Something to deal with another day. Fortunately, he was spared further wallowing in self-pity by a noise outside. Poking his head out revealed massive stone walls directly ahead of him, stretching as far as he could see in each direction. Figures the size of ants patrolled the top, and flocks of birds- no, not birds. Avior- circled far above him. On either side of the road, in but sturdy-looking and well-constructed buildings and homes stretched along the wall. The smell was nowhere near as bad as he had expected, but still quite potent, the scent of thousands or hundreds of thousands of individuals living in close quarters. Vinstead. They had made it. Chapter 31: Seeing is Disbelieving Chapter 31: Seeing is Disbelieving Vinstead didnt look much like a proper fantasy city, in Edwins clearly expert opinion. While they were waiting to enter the gates, he took the chance to look around at the nearby buildings. They seemed mostly uniform in architectural style, with four posts driven into the ground serving as the corners of the mostly single-floor buildings, with the walls made of cobblestones stacked so closely together there wasnt even room for mortar between them. The roofs were mostly either wooden nks or thatching, though Edwin couldnt discern any pattern for which would be used. Overall, other than the oddly well-fit stones making up the majority of the walls, it was a decidedly mundane look, which if he had seen back on Earth, he wouldnt have so much as bat an eye at. Kind of disappointing, really. There was a tter of armor from the side of the wagon, and Edwin ducked back inside. A momentter, an armored figure, a human in a simple breastte and open-faced helm, entered his wagon, taking a look around. As soon as heid eyes on Tara, he immediately saluted, Apologies maam ... back. Oh hey! He mostly understood that. He hadnt tried Polyglot with normal peopletely. Tara dismissed the guard with a nod (wait, when did she open her eyes? Shed been seemingly dead to the world for days, was she aware that entire time?), who climbed back out of the wagon, said something to another person outside, and then moved on to the next wagon in the train. About fifteen minutes or soter, the wagon finally started moving again, and Tara rose to her feet, effortlessly keeping her bnce even as the floor rumbled and bounced slightly over the paving stones. Gather your things. Once the caravan reaches the merchants block, we will return to the garrison. There, you will be licensed and introduced to an individual who can help you with your unique ss. Wait, licensed? Whats that? Tara cocked her head at him, Did I not ah, I suppose I did not. Adventurers may be a scourge upon the face of the Empire, but some have decided that they are not without uses, she wrinkled her nose in distaste, Adventurers may insist on throwing their lives away, but such suicidal determination can still be useful. As an incentive to not cause too many problems or to turn to banditry, we license some individuals to report on their Skills, Paths, and sses. In exchange, they are given many of the legal protections offered to citizens. Edwin hesitated, But what about my Status skill upgrade? I got that one from my origin, after all. She stopped, thinking. After a moment, she finally spoke up, I can grant special dispensation for you to keep a handful of skills secret, but you will need to report to me to document any future Paths which rte to that. You said you had a couple of other Paths with simrly Outsider natures? Outsider and Realm Traveler, yeah. She nodded in agreement, Wait some time beforepleting them. Particrly Realm Traveler. Outsider, used outside the context of your origin, may pass unremarked upon. You will be exempted from having to give details to how you obtained those Paths, as well. For the purposes of exining away your oddities, we will say you came from Fierisal through secret magics. It is true enough for the registrar. Fierisal? Also, what about your superiors? Wont they want to know details? She winced, Yes. However, they are aware of the value of my unbroken Oath, and I can swear to them that the knowledge is best left secret. Fierisal is, Tara paused, then said the exact same word, The Unknown Lands. Oh! Is that what the dwarves call Enigma? That continent on the other side of the world? Tara nodded approvingly, Indeed. Now, it seems as though we have reached our destination. Further questions you may have can wait until you meet your mentor. He can appraise you of the state of the world- your cover story ought to provide enough in the way of exnation for him. Who is this mentor you have in mind for me, anyway? How are you so certain hell help? A mischievous smile yed across Taras face, Hell help if he knows whats good for him. Dont underestimate him, either. That wasnt ominous at all, but what was that saying about trusting the expert or whatever? Did he imagine that? Eh, whatever. Hed find out when he found out, and he didnt have many options at the moment regardless. Hopefully whoever it was understood the value of peace, quiet and alone time. Hey, he could dream. Tara conjured her armor and left out the back, followed closely by Edwin, his backpack slung over his shoulders. It was really ufortable, though. Hed need to try and find something that was actually made for being a backpack and not secretly cobbled together in a cave. Really, it was kind of surprising it had held together this long, and with that thought, he quickly Infused his bag through Packing, which should keep it together for the time being regardless. The market section was thriving. While there didnt seem to be many civilians around, nor even market stalls, hundreds of individuals, avior, human, halfling, even a few dwarves, and more besides, were all hustling around like ants, haulingicallyrge loads from one ce to another. There was a group mostly made of humans being directed by For unloading lumber from wagons in the back, alongside other goods Edwin hadnt seen before. Crates, bags and a few pieces of furniture all streamed out of the wagon train, being carted off to ces unknown, vanishing into the crowd. It was all happening so fast, too. People were practically sprinting all over the ce, even burdened under their loads. Tara seemed to be impatiently waiting for him, tapping an armored foot on the stone while he looked around, and he gulped, Sorry. Its impressive around here. While her voice was distorted by her helmet again, Edwin could still hear the smile in her response, Youve barely seen anything and yet this is already impressing you? Your world must have been fairly dull, wasnt it? Edwin immediately nced around, hoping nobody had heard that, breathed a sigh of relief that everyone seemed to be too preupied to listen, Not dull. Just different. We had machines to do all this sort of thing, though at simr if not even greater scales. Im sure youd have much the same response as me if you ever made it there yourself. Nope! Get back in your box, homesickness. Shoo. Look, a fantasy city! Stop pining after Earth. Tara didnt seem to notice the hesitation in his voice, Well,e along then. The sooner the better. Wait, I need toplete my transaction with Aerfa. I agreed to pay her afterwards. Youre my charge now. Shes not allowed to require me or any of my travelingpanions pay for fare. Edwin shrugged, But I like following through on my deals. Tara stayed silent for a moment, Fine. Just dont take long. Nodding his thanks, Edwin checked the front wagon. If she had sent For to oversee her workers, she must have still been resting. Sure enough, she was stillying on her front on a collection of beanbags haphazardly arranged into something resembling a mattress. Faera, her young daughter, sat next to her mother, singing a song which, so far as he could tell, didnt have any actual lyrics, just a songbird-like melody. There was nobody else in the wagon beside the three of them, so Edwin sat down next to the avior on one of the many plush chairs.. Its good to see you resting. I would have thought youd try and push through the pain to work. Aerfa stirred as he spoke, I would greatly like to, she replied, but Risarn made me make a Contract that I would take care of myself, which includes lying around while I wait for a proper healer toe and finish fixing me. You kept me alive, but I wont be flying until Im treated. Damn adventurer cut me to the bone, and Im lucky it wasnt more. Adventurer? The bandit? Eh. Adventurer. Ouw, she waved a wing dismissively, Its all the same- ah, presentpany excluded. Its fine, Edwin waved it off, Im just here toplete my end of the Contract. You didnt have to, she countered, you managed to keep me from dying, defying an Enforcer in the process. Were even so far as I care, even if the Enforcer took you as a Charge. But I wanted to, Edwin pressed, You helped me, I help you. Its how things work. The avior rxed somewhat at that statement, and her tone became a little less sharp, If more people thought like you do, then the world might be a much better ce. Very well, tell me. Do you need to write it down, or..? he asked, only for the merchant to shake her head, Okay then. He quickly outlined the steps needed for making concrete, outlining his method for making mortar, Oh, and then mixing it with sand and gravel is how you make something that stands on its own, and I think adding volcanic ash is how you make it really strong. Or something. That part is half-remembered at best. It will suffice. I know many who would be very interested in what youve already told me. I find myself once more in your debt. You really arent. Im just upholding my end of the deal. And its not even thatplex of a process, Edwin awkwardly deflected, as he stood up to leave. Be that as it may, thank you. May the winds lift you high. Tara didnt seem too displeased with how long he had taken, which Edwin counted as a win. As she led him along like- no, not like a meek little puppy, shut up brain- as she led him along, past the insanely crowded merchant square into the city proper, Edwin got a better look at the buildings within the walls. Most were of a simr basic style to the buildings outside, wooden posts on the corners,walls made with stone, but in here, the stone blocks and cobblestone were bigger and there was more variety in their coloring, particrly among the nicer-looking buildings. There were also a lot more two-story buildings, though Edwin had yet to see any that were three or more. He did his best to not just stare at every little thing, but to instead keep his head forward and follow after the shining silver figure of Tara. Suddenly, she did a face-heel turn and grabbed something from the air next to Edwin. No, she said to the empty air, and Edwin looked on in confusion. What was she talking to? He strained his eyes, trying to see whatever it was that caused the reaction. Level Up! Seeing Level 1921 Visualization Level 2627 Identify Level 3132 Outsiders Almanac Level 6465 Polyglot Level 2125 Visualization Level 2728 Sleeping Level 2122 Breathing Level 2021 Suddenly, he could see. Well, not see exactly. More like his Skills were interacting in some strange way, with Seeing letting him notice everything he could see, Visualization filling in the empty space, and Identify and Almanac giving him an actual lock on what he was seeing. Phantom Pickpocket It was a kid, probably in his early teens, trying to twist out of the vicelike grip of the Silver de, and even though Edwin could see exactly where he was, he still struggled to actually keep his attention on the kid, his gaze constantly sliding off in every direction. Turn it off. Tara said, voice hard, and Edwin found that he was finally able to focus on the pickpocket. He wasnt wearing clean clothes exactly, he wasnt wearing rags either. After a moment of looking at the subdued boy, she literally tossed him off to the side, Now get. The would-be thief twisted in midair and reactivated his hiding skill, meaning Edwin lost track of him before he hit the ground. Did Tara have some kind of vignce skill? That was impressive, and also highlighted just how far Edwin had to go if he wanted to be able to protect himself. If he could be looking directly at a pickpocket and not be able to focus on him, he had no chance if there was an assassin or something dangerous sent after him. Scary thought. As they progressed through the city, the stones making up building walls gradually grewrger andrger, until they were massive stone blocks, oftentimes with no wooden corner posts. Finally, Tara slowed to a stop in front of a rtively empty square made of smooth white stone, with a massive inset pattern of an eagle with wings spreadposed of ck stone (not ckstone) in the center. On the far side of the square, a white stone wall made of massive blocks loomed. At the dead center, a pointed arch, resting on smooth pirs, left a single aperture into the courtyard beyond. The entire wall had shining copper lines tracing the gap between blocks, but it was especially prevalent in the archway, where there was a thick web of copper lines in various arcs, crisscrossing the entire area. Beside him, Tara looked up at the construction, armored helm tilting back, I never get tired of this. Come now, Ive been gone far too long. Chapter 32: Protagonist Syndrome Chapter 32: Protagonist Syndrome The interior of the what was the right word? It was clearly a multifunctionalplex, but Tara had called it a garrison, so hed go with that. The interior of the garrison was even more impressive than the outside had been. Once he passed the outer walls and through a small courtyard, the building itself was a massive, cathedral-like structure. Inside was, unsurprisingly at this point, even bigger, and the vaults above seemed to stretch almost forever, to the point he could barely see the ceiling above. Avior ascended and descended like flocks of swallows, swarming to balconies on the sides of the garrison or out what Edwin could barely make out as openings to the sky. In the center of everything was a massive statue of an avior- no, the Avior, he felt certain, though he couldnt pinpoint why- holding aloft a staff and a triumphant expression. Everything, from the tip of the statues golden staff to its gray plumage to its taloned feet was colored and detailed to the point it looked like an actual, flesh-and-blood avior, just a hundred-foot-tall one. No time to marvel at it too much, though, as Tara and Edwin made their way over to an arch inset into a nearby wall, venturing up a spiral staircase until it opened onto a rail-less balcony-like area. Sitting at a desk off to one side was a halfling-sized Lirasian Registrar with bright blue hair and skin just a little too pink to be human, consulting stacks upon stacks of papers and what had to have been a System notification. Rizzali. The gnome looked up, speaking with a bit of a scratchy and high-pitched but enthusiastic voice, Tara! Wee! Back to Vinstead atst I see? he pointed at Edwin, this? This is Edwin. He got on the wrong side of a continental teleport and needs an Adventurer License. I see, I see. Polyglot? he asked Edwin nodded, Yes. Level- he checked his status, Twenty five. He finished. Not bad! not bad! Rizzial- Edwin tagged the gnome- nodded, can understand me! Right? Yeah, at least for the most part. I have to lean on a few other skills to help me, though. The gnome instantly perked up, Synergistic skills? Tell me, tell me! I know! Tara chuckled, Good luck with him. Ill be back shortly, once I file my report on my mission. Rizzali, Edwin is cleared to keep a couple of his Paths and his Status advancement confidential. Rizzalis- Edwin corrected his tag- eyes literally sparkled before returning to normal, Aww. But Tara Tara sighed, Not this again, she headed further up the stairs, Let me know when you free Edwin. Ill try to not take too long, but you know how the Administrator is. Then she vanished, leaving Edwin alone with a very eager gnome. Andst Micro-Biomancer path, Rizzali asked, and Edwin sighed. They had been here for hours, and for every single one of his skills, Edwin had been quizzed on how he had unlocked it, what its effects were, what its description was and what it improved. Then, a simr set of questions for his Paths. How many points they took, how he had gotten them, if he hadpleted them and if so what benefit did it provide... Most of the time, what he had was apparently fairly typd, despite his initial reservations about not wanting the Empire to know his exact capabilities, he had gotten a little carried away by talking to someone who clearly loved learning. It had been fun for the first hour or two, then Edwins throat had started to get dried out, and his social batteries were drained. Now, he was just happy to finally be done with the whole thing, though he couldnt say he regretted it. I got Micro-Biomancer the same time I got Nutrition, by thinking about what makes up food. Takes ny points toplete. He tiredly replied. Earlier in the discussion, he would have gone into more detail, but now he was just tired. Fascinating, fascinating. What does make up food? Oh lots of stuff. Sugars, fats, oils, fibers, and all kinds of things I dont have the time to exin and I also think Im not allowed to tell you about. Hmm. So be it. Ummm, the gnome checked a piece of paper, fishing it out from a massive stack of freshly-filled sheets, Very well. That seems to be thest of your System abilities, which I ... our time together. Here is your license, Rizzali handed him a small stone token on a cord, Dont lose this. We can remake it, but tricky! It quite enjoyable speaking to another academic, please do return sometime! Edwin had mostly tuned out Rizzals voice by then, his mind turning to his notifications before shutting down in protest. Congrattions! For bing officially licensed by the Liras Empire you have unlocked the Adventurer path! Congrattions! For exining the basics of science you have unlocked the Lecturer path! Level Up! Polyglot Level 2527 He was oh so very tired, his brain run through the wringer with all his speaking and in desparate need of some alone time, but he was at least done with it all, So where do I go now? Wait wait. Tara will be back! Soon! Great. Well, at least he had a bit of time to kill. Wouldnt quite be alone time per se, but he could manage the next-best thing. He settled into his chair, closing his eyes and lightly tugging on his Sleeping skill to take a quick nap. Edwin was woken by someone jostling his shoulder, slowly bringing him back to wakefulness. It took a moment, but he eventually opened his eyes to see Taras stern face impatiently waiting on him to rouse himself. As he stood up, trying to work out the crick in his neck, he yawned and grabbed his bag, Am I good to go now? he asked, Can I meet this mentor-person yet, or did something go wrong there? An amused smile flickered onto Taras face for a brief moment before vanishing, No, hell be... eagerly awaiting your arrival. Something was clearly going on- was she pulling a prank on a coworker or something?- but Edwin quickly decided he didnt care enough to ask. Hed find out a few minutes anyway. He groggily followed Tara down a couple flights of stairs until he was in an underground section of the garrison, lit by heatless torches shedding an oddly steady light. She rapped on a door and opened it, motioning for Edwin to enter. He hesitated, not wanting to go through an unknown doorway in an underground dungeon, which only prompted Tara to sigh. Gods, youre impossible, she reached out, grabbed Edwins forearm, and yanked him through the opening, following right behind him as he yelped in surprise. Inside the room was a guy who both seemed incredibly familiar yet Edwin was sure he had never seen before. He looked basically human, but his hair, flickering animatedly like tongues of fire, was a bright gold in color and so utterly alien, evenpared to what hed seen so far, Lefi almost certainly couldnt have been actually human, right? Anime hair, Edwin amusedly considered, He literally has anime hair. Wake up! Tara kneed the chair he was snoozing in, What is with men and sleeping every chance they get? The jolt to the chair got the man- an Adventurer-Mage- to start awake, his head snapping around to determine what disturbed his rest, and quickly found the appropriate target. Tara! he excitedly eximed, his voice rich and intriguing, though also annoyingly loud, And here I thought you didnt care! Shut it, idiot. Its your lucky day. Ive settled on your sentence, now that Ivee back. Community service, as usual. She shoved Edwin forward, making him stagger into a position between Tara and the mage from his previous location, solidly hiding behind the Silver de, But different than normal. This is Edwin. Your job is to youre not listening. Oh? the man seemed eager, sizing up Edwin, So lightly? And I get a baby adventurer to take care of? Well. Its only fair. I picked up a stray after I sent you back thanks inrge part to your meddling. He is officially now your problem. I solve two problems at one time, and would it kill you to pay attention to more than half of my sentences?. Edwin sorely wished he had some sort of invisibility skill, or whatever it was that the one thief had had, because Lefi- actually, he may well have been a couple years younger than Edwin- was intensely studying him. So, you found some poor sap and figured youd want to punish me with him? a statement which made Edwin feel decidedly ufortable, but Tara ignored, Whats your name? Howd you end up with an Alchemist ss? Do you have any idea how long Ive been trying to get the Alchemy skill? he gasped, and he got a far-off yet greedy look in his eyes, You can help me! No. Edwin is forbidden from helping you get more skills. You are in a strictly consulting position, and your mary fee is going to take the form of kitting him out. Two gold minimum, and I will find out if you try to short-change him. Edwin, eh? Where are you from? He is also not to tell you anything about his background save what you already know; he originated from Fierisal and was caught in a teleport mishap. Pity. Can he at least tell me about his skills from it? No. Could somebody please tell me whats going on? Edwin protested, I am so very lost. Tara huffed, Very well. Lefi? You honor me, dearest Tara, Lefi turned back to Edwin, I! Am Lefi Forolorzal! Adventurer-Mage extraordinaire! As a mere child, I managed to gain the Exceptional skill, which showed me that I was never destined to be another mere farmboy. No, I gained Skill after Skill and managed to umte so many skills they didnt know what to do with me! So, I became a brave adventurer he puffed his chest out, Righting wrongs and ying brave monsters! Er, ying monsters bravely! Tara sighed, He managed to somehow get past the Management as a six-year-old and took a ton of skills, now nobody wants him around so he goes around killing predators and interfering with Empire work. And yet I do so magnificently! He also has a head bigger than his skills list. Yet somehow, he isnt apletely hopeless buffoon. Well, in terms of efficacy. Hes still an idiot. Edwin raised an eyebrow incredulously, dying internally slightly about having to be trapped with an extrovert for the near future, And Im supposed to learn from this guy? Tara sighed, He somehow manages to avoid ever interfering with anything extensively enough or important enough for me to do any worse for him than drop him in prison for a few days and give him amunity service project, Huh. Apparently Tara wasnt theplete rule ofw in this province, if that were the case, but the idiot just takes it as a challenge and seems to enjoy being sent into the Verdant to chop down a few trees, and despite my best efforts, he keeps surviving. Well but of course, my fairestdy! I could never possibly fail such a monumental quest when I have your faith behind me! Ive been trying for three years, yet having faith against you doesnt do anything, Tara muttered, which Lefi seemed to be wholly oblivious to. She took a deep breath, But yes. Hes good at what he does, turning to Lefi, she very pointedly cleared her throat until he was actually paying attention to her, You have until tomorrow evening to get Edwin all kitted up, then I dont want to see you back in Vinstead for at least two moons. Give him some pointers, help him optimize his skills, assist him in getting his feet. Are you sure this is a good idea? Edwin warily asked, You think hell actually be able to help me? You dont sound confident in his capabilities. Am I really able to tell him my skills and be fine? Tara rolled her eyes, Ive yet to see him fail a task- -a Quest! Huh, so he was listening. -a task that Ive given him. I figure best-case scenario he might actually learn how to be responsible, but thats not about to happen any time soon. Still, you will be in safe hands. He can also keep a secret, cant he? thest part was asked very pointedly, and Lefi nodded furiously. Indeed! See? Youll be fine. I imagine Ill be seeing you around at some point, Edwin. Please try to not make me regret this, her voice took on an almost pleading tone as she started to move out of the room, I already have to deal with him. After the doortched behind Tara, Edwin had a blessed two seconds of peace before the extrovert switched his attention from the now-absent Enforcer onto him, and it was far too short. So! Edwin! My dearest friend. You are an alchemist, yes? From the long-lost continent of Fierisal, I dont think its really- From the long-lost continent of Fierisal! And what sorts of secrets have you brought to this side of Joriah, pray tell? I think thats the sort of thing Im not allowed to tell you. Ah, but thats the mentality of one who cares! They dont care about us, why should we care about them? Lefi asked with a ridiculous grin on his face, pping his arm around Edwin. In this instance? Because I want to keep quiet about it too, he responded, ducking out of the half-hug, And I dont want to annoy Tara besides. Ah, that softie! Lefi flicked his hand, She likes to talk a big talk but she really isnt as tough as she acts! All protocols and formalities, it was only a little bit of an obstruction, no need for her overreaction. Right. Anyway, I need help with my skills. Sadly, you will never be as Exceptional as I! I have tried many times to share my greatness with others, yet none are as destined for greatness as I! He looked off into the distance (really just a stone wall) and his hairs motion changed from being like tongues of fire to blowing in an imaginary wind. It wasnt quite long enough to flutter properly, but it certainly tried. Whatever you say. But I more just bumbled my way into having a lot of skills, and youre supposed to be good at that sort of thing? Naturally! Let us leave this dreary hole and find a more suitable establishment for our magnificence! Though perhaps Skills must wait until the morn, today we shall prepare for our departure! he strode to the door and grasped itstch, finding that it wouldnt budge. He deted slightly before propping himself back up, After you, fine sir! he sheepishly motioned for Edwin to open the door, It seems as though I havent been properly keyed out of the locks, if you would do the honors? Edwin sighed but swung the door open anyway, letting Lefi by him, who immediately turned to the right, before swinging around, and going to the left, This way! I must retrieve my possessions! Then he changed his mind again, heading back once more to the right, confidently striding down the hallway. Edwin let out a low whine. This was going to be great, he could tell. Chapter 33: Packing Up Chapter 33: Packing Up In the end, it took about an hour for Lefi to sessfully bungle his way through enough of the underground corridors to find where his gear had been kept. One he had found the pile of his belongings, though, it still took another ten minutes for him to actually gear up properly, putting on a seemingly endless array of pouches and essories. There were even two magical objects that Edwin spotted among the pile, one a short sword whose hilt held a glowing ruby and the other a seemingly in, ordinary golden ne with a tooth of some sort strung up on it. While the tooth itself was nonmagical, the chain was most certainly not, and Edwin had to metaphorically squint at the jewelry to avoid being arcanoceptically blinded by it. He couldnt even feel the swords obvious magic simply because of how overwhelming the ne was. Fortunately, as soon as Lefi had put it on, the aura faded away until he could only barely sense it when he was specifically looking for it. Edwin still wasnt able to feel the swords aura, but that was likely because Lefi was also wearing the de, so whatever was concealing his nes mana must also be affecting the sword. By the end of it all, Lefi looked like a proper adventurer. Bold and colorful, yet well-made, well-worn, and durable fabrics supporting a few metal tes of armor, allplimenting his array of weapons- sword at his left hip, quiver full of arrows on his right, a spear and unstrung longbow slung on his back, pouches all along his belt, two fairlyrge daggers, one with a ck pommel, the other shining silver, strapped to his calves and a very full backpack with what looked to be a gray nket rolled up underneath. Edwin also spotted a shield at some point in the process, though he couldnt tell where that had ended up. Right then! Far better! How can you move in all of that? What, this? Lefi flexed and even did a set of jumping jacks, showing off, before returning to his neutral pose, dopey grin and all as his hair flickered in time with his breathing, This is hardly anything! And besides! I could never go anywhere without my kit! Were going to be walking around a city? And? We shall not always be in the bounds of civilization! And once we brave the untamed wilds, you need to have everything at hand! Well sure, but- Im d you understand now! Come along now, friend Edwin! Let us equip you for the adventures ahead! Wait, but I wasnt oh, why do I bother? It took the rest of the day to track down everything Lefi apparently wanted to get Edwin. For his part, Edwin had no say in what he would be getting beyond some details like what color he wanted his cloak, and was for the most part just pulled along for the ride. Lefi also constantly deflected all of his questions about his Skills and Paths, much to Edwins annoyance, but he always apanied the refusal with a promise to tell Edwin once they were on the road. It wasnt entirely satisfactory, but Edwin just didnt have the mental or social energy to try andbat Lefis decision. It was interesting. From what he had seen, most ces werent terribly inclined to sell to Lefi, and there were even a few which categorically refused to serve him. Nheless, the adventurer seemed to still wrangle all of the gear he wanted to get for Edwin, though it seemed like it was usually at exorbitant rates. Then again, maybe it did cost a silver piece for a loaf of bread. Who could say? He didnt have a grasp of the economics going on. By the time thest item- a thick, deep green woolen cloak- had been found and purchased for a silver coin, it was starting to gette, and Lefi brought them to a fairlyrge building, spoke quite enthusiastically with whoever was there, and something something god of travel providing free beds to travelers, something something they qualified and so got a free bed for the night. Edwin was tired in more ways than one, though, and between the social and physical exhaustion that came from walking around a big city with an extrovert all day, he was out before he could even properly appreciate being on a mattress again. Level Up! Sleeping Level 2223 Polyglot Level 2628 Level Up! Packing Level 57 Edwin couldnt help but feel awesome. While he wished that he had a mirror to properly see what he looked like, he was also slightly worried it would spoil the effect. He still had his clothes from the dwarves- they were apparently high enough quality they werent worth recing, though he had acquired a spare set- but he now had a gambeson- cloth armor apparently reinforced by Skills, a proper backpack, with his cloak rolled up beneath it like a bedroll would be. He also had a bunch of pouches on his new belt, mostly empty but containing enough rations for ten days, a filled canteen, and a few clean cloths for bandages. In his backpack, he had carefully packed his remaining three heating stones, his lime pebble (though it no longer registered as made of lime and resembled the material making up a seashell), notebooks (including the dwarven dictionary), and his metal bowl (Lefi had questioned his insistence on keeping it, but Edwin wasnt about to give up one of the few things he actually had). Lastly, he had a fairly full coin pouch, with half a gold coin, 46 silver coins, and 17 copper, which was apparently the change for the mandated two gold minimum Tara had set for Lefi. Other than that, his only earthly- joriahly?- belongings were his knife, strapped as it was onto his left hip, and a walking stick. Still not sure why I dont get any kind of weapons, or potions, or even some rope. Ah! But that is because such things you umte yourself! An Adventurer must be prepared for anything, yes, but if you do not know how to make use of what you have, it is less than worthless! If you dont know how to fight with a sword, carrying one is simply dead weight! Surely you can already feel the difficulty of carrying what you have upon you now, despite most of your bags being empty? Edwin shrugged, trying to feel out the weight of his gear. It was maybe forty pounds or so? Normally that may have been a lot, but at the same time Not really? Maybe if I didnt have the Packing skill, though. You already have packing! Marvelous! What are your other Skills? Paths as well. What are you working with? Lefi waved cheerily to the guards keeping watch at the gate as they left. Edwin couldnt exactly read their expressions, but he couldnt help to imagine that they were relieved to see them go. Edwin hesitated, letting them pass through a throng of people crowding around the side gate, before giving Lefi a brief rundown of his Skills and Paths. Unlike Tara, he never cut him off as he went through twenty skills. Every once in a while, Lefi would ask about what a skill seemed to do. A few times, he tried to ask Edwin about his history, but he always declined. Without knowing anything about the continent of Enigma, he didnt want to say anything that would give away his ruse. By the time he finished, they had made it outside of the sprawl of buildings outside the city walls, which was in turn disappearing into the distance as they walked along a hard-packed dirt road, which had split from the main cobblestone road to meander through endless farnd. Edwin didnt recognize the crops being grown, but he also didnt know enough about botany to know if they werent simr to nts back on Earth. It all seemed to be really lush and verdant, though. Lefi didnt say anything right away, instead simply stroking his chin in thought for a short while, An adequate start for a true Adventurer! What of your Status evolution? Thats one of the things I cant tell you about too much. It allows me to take notes, though. Cost a hundred and twenty points, so apparently that was wasted. Hm. Well, dont allow yourself to let it slip by unused! Such a skill is bound to have hidden depths! Some aspect of its use you have yet to determine. Ill keep that in mind, I guess. Its my favorite skill, though, I use it constantly, so I think Im using it fully? Perhaps! Or perhaps not. Sometimes, parts of a Skill may be hidden for quite some time. Lefi thought for some time, keeping blissfully quiet, as they continued on their journey before eventually speaking up once more, You have a good initial range of skills, though is always better! We must ensure your skill base is asprehensive as possible! Yeah, actually, Ive been meaning to ask about that. Tara seemed adamant that I had far too many skills to possibly be any good at anything. How do you manage that? Well! As I have told you, I gained the Exceptional skill in my youth, and it has enabled me to grow in level faster than any others! Any Skill which I attempt to gain or improve levels at incredible rates! I manage to match any whom I face at their own skills! Stupid XP cheats. Edwin thought, Arent I, the world-disced guy, supposed to get the super-special skills or whatever? However! Lefi continued, unaware of Edwins musings, Though you cannot be as Exceptional as I, we can still allow you to have an arsenal of skills! You have tapped a small amount into the true strength of any halfpetent Adventurer! Versatility! The fine Lady Tara may be the fiercestbatant this side of the Verdant, but could she use a week-old game trail to find their of a manticore? Patch herself up after a battle gone poorly? Grow crops to feed a vige? Not in the slightest! Even if she had the knowledge, she doesnt have the Skills needed for greatness! But you and I? We can do all of that! You match a Guardsman blow for blow, but youll give them blows they cant hope to respond to, run and hide better than they ever could! Lure them into traps youve made, knock them down, deprive them of the handful of tools they need. Theyre strong, but they arent flexible. Theyre brittle! Lefi drew his spear in the blink of an eye, And if youre brittle, well in a blur of motion, the haft of his spear cracked into Edwins walking stick, splintering it into two halves, sending him stumbling as his support suddenly wasnt, You break so easily! Edwin shot Lefi a re, and the adventurer motioned for him to hand his broken staff over. Edwin obliged, and he held the two splintered ends together for a few seconds, then handed them back to Edwin. He couldnt tell where the break had happened upon inspection, the stick having been wholly repaired. Okay, so I guess thats impressive. That whole speech, is that rehearsed? Do you give it often? Lefi winked, Ah, Ill never tell. So which is better? More skills or fewer skills? You said that the guardsmen are good at fighting, isnt that exactly what they want to be good at? Always more skills! If you wish to specialize, simply take all of your Skills such that they are all rted and help one another! The more skills you have, the better you are at what you can do. The more times your skills have evolved? The more things you can do with those things! You know how else you can get an array of effects? More skills! Edwin nodded, I think so. But evolving skills seem to be good, how does that work in all of this, then? Simple! An evolution expands what you can do with a skill! However, it will not give you an effect you already have! Leaves behind the old effect- Running will never help you run farther, just let you go faster, thats what Walking does- but expands it into a new direction! Wait, but couldnt you just get a Running skill on your own? Why is that an upgrade? I knew one brave individual who achieved getting the Running skill as a base skill! I have attempted myself for quite some time! Not sure how, but he had both Walking and Running leveling all the time! Twas truly impressive. I think he became a Courier. They werent thrilled with his honestly better Skill set, but hes still one of their best messengersst I heard from him. Can run all day so fast you cant even blink if you want to see him, he paused for a breath at longst before continuing in his booming voice- Edwin was so d there was nobody nearby, And that is why you must get more Skills! The more Skills you have, the more Skills you can evolve! If you have lots of Skills already, your evolution will always give you something exciting and new! But what about being mediocre at everything? Lefi shrugged, That is simply if you attempt to generalize! Specialists with lots of skills are masterful at their speciality, even better than the Empires sses! So then are the Empires sses just awful, then? If having more Skills is always better? Not entirely! They have their ce! That ce is very narrow, but you will never find a squadron of adventurers who fight together as well as a squadron of Empire Legionaries! The uniformity of their sses allow them to coordinate and benefit from Tacticians far more than any Adventurer! However! Any single one of them is almost useless outside of that narrow area! Attempting to mimic them will only fail you! You must embrace what makes you unique to make it as! An! Adventurer! And if I dont know what that is? That! Is what my aid is for! I have aided countless poor, lost children, outcast from their home for not having the right Skills to fit into the Empires instructions. Many have gone on to do marvelous things! I see Well, I suppose before we begin, what are Attributes, anyway? Attributes are where we adventurers truly shine! Some Paths, such as Mage, Scout, and Athlete, grant you Attributes! They enhance you in ways which Skills cannot quite manage! Or not much, regardless. Mage will grant you Mana and improve how much you have! Scout will grant Perception, which benefits your awareness of your surroundings! Athlete provides Stamina, which makes all physical exertion easier! They work with many Skills and can be vital to improve your overall capabilities! The most useful of all is Health, which improves your resilience to all injuries! It is a staple ofbat forces across the Empire! Also the only one they usually have! Wait, why is that? They sound really useful. Because they dont have the Skill Points to spare, my young pupil! Ohe on, if anything he was older than Lefi. The guy had to have been like eighteen at the most, When you ration everyst skill level to evolve your Skills as soon as you can, what use is a Path which does not aid you in evolving a Skill? So should I try to get Attributes? Indeed! More skills, more Paths, more Attributes! However! You must follow your heart! Only you can know what is most effective for your capabilities! As the conversation continued, Lefi gesticted more and more. At this point, he was practically putting on a full theater performance for the wheat field on the side of the road. So just do whatever feels right? And get lots and lots of Skills? Lefi nodded, and Edwin took a breath to steady himself, Right then, I suppose I should at least hear what you have to say. Lefi grinned, his hair blowing in a faint breeze. Chapter 34: What Lies Ahead Chapter 34: What Lies Ahead Just for the record, Edwin hedged, Im not going to just do everything you suggest. I know you think that more skills is better, but Ive had luck evolving my skills so far and I kind of want to keep doing that. Do you insist? Yes. Edwin stayed firm. Hopefully he wouldnt have to be too pushy... Very well! Lefi pped Edwin on his back, sending him stumbling until he recovered, I suppose it would be rather hypocritical of me to insist that you must take certain skills, wouldnt it? Edwin was taken aback, Just like that, you agree? Just like that! Why, did you expect otherwise? He shook his head, No, no. Just people tend to be a lot more insistent for that sort of thing in my experience. Ah! But those people were not me! I am Exceptional, after all! Its right in my ss! Edwin scoffed, No its not. Youre an Adventurer-Mage, not He trailed off as he Identified Lefi again. Exceptional Adventurer Lefi Forolorzal- that guy that Tara stuck me with so I wouldnt immediately die and as a punishment for him. Wait, what? You can change your ss name? Or can you just fool Identify? Lefi just winked at him, Thats the benefit of having many, many skills! You can gain some truly exceptional results! Edwin frowned, That doesnt answer my question. Though I suppose it does exin why a mage had so many weapons, if you arent actually one. Oh, that? No, weapons are always excellent! Anything is better than nothing. Even if you dont pick up a Skill for it, I expect you to be able to use that staff for a weapon by the time were done! Its a stick! A literal stick! And with your Mana Infusion, it will be a very strong stick! Perfect for keeping a wolf at bay or blocking a low-level sword strike! But that! He punctuated each statement by striking a pose, somehow not breaking stride, Is not what you are here for! Skills! Edwin groaned, but mentally tuning down the volume of the adventurer, nheless prompted, Okay, what do you rmend? Well, a mere twenty skills is far too few! I advise The next several hours passed by both really quickly and also so, so slowly. Quickly, because Edwin was getting actual details about Skills and being passionately informed about why he should take more and more skills- Lefis opinions on the matter were radically different from Rashin or Taras, that was certain. His opinion of grab every single skill made more sense in the context of him never expecting to evolve all of them, and the variety of skills which he had avable to him meant that even fairly straightforward evolutions provided a wealth of new options. Then, hed just figure out some way tobine evolved Skills to create a new basic Skill and start over again. While most of it was useless, he also kind of wished that he had some way to take Actually, Edwin realized mid-conversation, I can take notes. Edwins Logbook Lefi day 1- Skills Eating: Increased energy from eating food. Improved calorie efficiency, perhaps? Worth considering. Possibly too simr to Nutrition to unlock. Stealth: Reduces noise made when in use. Possible invisibility evolution? Tempting. Hearing: Increased sensitivity to noises and better ability to tune out sound. Useful for awareness. Probably not worth it, though more than the other senses. Spatial Awareness does not seem to be a Skill, or at least Lefi does now know of it. Reflexes: Reduced reaction time. Difficult to level. Tempting. Improvised Weapons: Increased proficiency and damage with random objects. A walking stick might count. Interesting, but no. Staves: Akin to Improvised Weapons, but focused around sticks and staves. Added focus brings greater bonuses. Simrly not worthwhile. Learning: Enhanced ability to remember things memorized with the skill. Possible ovep with Research? Get. Block Strike: Active Skill. Aids in interposing something (shield, staff, etc) to stop a physical blow. Less efficient than something like Shield Block but wider use. Potentially life-saving, but still too situational. Small des: Enhanced proficiency and damage with knives, daggers, etc. Popr among cooks, apparently. Slightly interesting. Cooking: Food tastes better and is more filling. Possibly synergy with alchemy for potions? Worth considering. Also apparently a possible evolution of eating/nutrition. Speaking: Reduced strain from speaking. Can evolve into yelling, which increases maximum volume. Neat, but not worth it. Reading: Increased reading speed. Potential synergy with Polyglot. Worth considering. Writing: Enhances ability to write neatly and quickly. Interesting, but probably redundant with Almanac. Archery: Weapon skill with bows. Note to self: not worth keeping around as a note. Deleteter like the others. Wrap Wound: First Aid-rted skill, focused on those injuries which need bandages (which might be all of them?). Specifically focuses on increasing the efficacy of the bandage as a protection for the wound and immobilizing/stopping blood from the injury. Amusing possibility that it might be usable as an armor Skill at higher levels (mummy armor) Disguise: Makes it harder to recognize you. Possibly useful in the future, but not notable enough to require it at the moment. Sleight of Hand: Enhanced dexterity for stuff like magic tricks or precision work. Possibly very useful if I cant get properb equipment for precision work. Sprint: Active skill. Drastically increases speed for a short time. Very exhausting. Might be worthwhile. Repairing: Fix broken objects. How Lefi restored my walking stick. Worth getting at some point. Knot-Work: Knots are sturdier/looser/generally better. Might be worth getting purely for research purposes, but probably not. Cleaning: Makes it easier and faster to clean objects. Possibly useful for sterilization purposes. Worth considering Do you have all of these? I speak from personal experience! Thats I suppose that sort of answers my question, though Im not sure if I trust that answer now. Edwin thought for a moment, Are there skills which let you copy other skills? There are skills for everything! I suppose thats a yes, then. Edwin sighed, Do you have one of those skills? s, I do not! Lefi cocked his head, looking into the distance as he struck a pose, Such a Skill would be truly exceptional, though, so I ought to! And how, exactly, do you get that sort of Skill? I believe that would be some form of evolution, most likely! Yeah, Ive been wondering about that. Dont you miss out on evolved Skills? Arent they supposedly better in every way or whatever? They are! Lefi caught his statement just in time, Slightly better! And primarily of use in providing more options with your Skills, beyond your normal reach! The higher in Tier you go, the more esoteric the result can be! However! They are less useful when you can already do everything! And have no need of crutches for esoteric effects! I have heard tales of mighty mages of the past whose grasp upon magic allowed them to have hundreds of basic Skills! They barely reached Tier two! Such secrets have been lost, however! Edwin frowned, How could something like that be lost? Because it was epted that fewer Skills were better! The more Paths youplete, the better your ss bes and the more tailored your Skill evolutions be to you and the Paths you walk! Such thinking is nonsense! Focusing all your Skills on a single point restricts you in other areas! So politics. Got it. No more wizards e on, what else would you call someone with hundreds of spells at their beck and call?) becausemon knowledge dictated that a one-size-fits-all approach was better. Given how poorly that idea had worked back on Earth even just in public schools, Edwin couldnt imagine it would be any better in the ce with literally magicalpetencies. Something else tickled the back of his mind, Oh yeah. Tiers. What are those? That is how many times each of your Skills has evolved! You are Tier one, mostpetent individuals your age are Tier two or three, generally finishing at Tier three or four! The best of the best are usually in the six to seven range! Thats likely where Tara is at. The Tier of Royals such as Xares is unknown! It is said that they are Tier twenty or even higher! Tier twenty. Sheesh. Even if he assumed that a Skill evolution was no better than a basic Skill, that was still the equivalent of Tara having more than seventy Skills or the Royals having two hundred and forty. That was difficult to wrap his head around. And you are? he asked, but Lefi just grinned at him in response, Guess I should have expected that, he sighed. Edwin perked himself up, So, what sorts of Paths should I try to go for? Lefi thought for a moment, then spoke, amazingly, softer than normal. Still rather loudly, though, The Beginner, Novice, and Trainee Paths can all provide good, cheap evolutions of skills. I dont know what Novice would evolve for you, as it usually provides Status Log, though that wouldnt apply to you. Beginner provides Common Knowledge, which allows you to see more than the type of animal something is or what type of ss someone has. It is an oftentimes invaluable skill, and the higher level it is, the more detail you can learn! That did sound useful. Especially paired with Almanac, he could save space in his notes by not having to include what they were called and a basic description in each generic tag. More room for his experiments! Plus, with both Tara and Lefi, what with their totally opposite approaches to Skills, having advised him to take it, it was really tempting. So why did he feel so hesitant in trying to do so? He just had a hunch that it would go wrong, and the gnawing in his stomach wouldnt go away. Youre sure this will work? I just have a bad feeling about it. Whats your Identify level? Thirty or so, you said? Youll be fine! You dont need much more than a dozen spans of range most of the time, and youll be essentially even on skill points that is your concern! I guess? Does it ever upgrade anything else? Lefi shrugged, Not from what I have heard of. Only if you somehow evolve Identify beforehand, and then you usually get some small tweak to another Skill. Perhaps Walking to Running at the most? Hm. Well, his Walking skill wasing close to hitting level 30. It was 28st time he had checked, and would probably level up once or twice over the course of the day. Lefi was taking really big steps- there had to be a Skill involved- and he had to struggle to keep up. He might even an Athletics or Breathing level or two today. Illplete it tonight, I suppose. When we stop to rest. Lefi nodded, and Edwin continued asking, What about my other Paths? Youve dealt with a lot of them, surely. What sorts of things can I expect toe out of them? Ah! Im d you asked! Well, you see Edwins Logbook Lefi Day 1- Paths Note to Edwin- these are apparentlymon results, but Lefi seems to think Id get alchemy-rted variants for some Skills like Firestarting should they evolve while he had his current ss. Micro-Biomancer: Uncertain, but would likely affect First Aid, possibly changing it to Disease Prevention. Path Less Traveled: Lefi had never heard of this Path Realm Traveler: Didnt ask Scientist: Research. Lefi seemed certain, though that may have been a result of me having to exin what a Scientist was and eventually settling on calling them a type of researcher. He didnt know what it would result in, though. Alchemical Warrior: Possibly Firestarting, though Lefi advised waiting until it might be able to affect Alchemy and give him a weapon skill of sorts. Stonehide Vanquisher: Trophy skill, though what exactly was unknown. If I had an armor skill, likely that. Titan yer: Lefi got annoyed about myck ofbat-rted skills. Guessed possibly Athletics. World Traveler: Walking. Possibly changing it to Hiking, or something pertaining to keeping my footing and improving traction. Researcher: Research, obviously. Though Lefi didnt know what the result may be for something so closely aligned. He offhandedly spected it had a slim chance of giving an Attribute, but said most likely not. Explorer: Most likely Seeing, with Walking being a possibility. Seeing would probably result in an active zoom-in skill of sorts, like Skill binocrs. Walking would result in something simr to World Travelers Hiking. Outsider: Didnt ask Unkible: First Aid or Survivor, probably making either a damage resistance or healing ability. ckstone Conqueror: Trophy Skill. Lefi once again ranted about me not having any weapon or armor skills. Mage: Basic Mana Sense into Mana Sense. Field Medic: First Aid into Battlefield Medicine, making patching up wounds faster. Lefi ims to know someone who got this. Adventurer: Packing into Bag of Tricks, making it easier to pull things from his belongings. Survivor: Survival into some kind of damage resistance. Athlete: Would unlock the Stamina attribute. Highly advised Iplete it. Daredevil: Athletics, maybe granting a Reflexes-like Skill or increased toughness. Pioneer: Mathematics, apparently. This was based on the logic of it being a signature skill of sorts for me. Novice Pyromancer: Firestarting into Basic Pyrokinesis. This was apparently something Lefi had personally experienced, and was used to unlock a lot of other Skills. Warrior: Would unlock the Health attribute. Highly advised Iplete it soon. Pyromaniac: Firestarting, into Persistent mes or something else that would make fires harder to control and extinguish. Wanderer: Walking into Longstrider. This was apparently well-known and would let every step taken be longer. Highly tempting. Exile: Walking into Running, which increased maximum speed. Escapee: Breathing into Breath of Freedom, an active skill which made direct mind-control and usurpation of abilities harder, though offered little protection against more subtle threats. Lecturer: Research, probably into something like Teaching, which functioned like Research but for people he taught Lumberjack: Lefi didnt know, but guessed possibly something involving Athletics, possibly evolving it to Climbing. Way of the Empty Hand: Athletics into something like Unarmed Combat. Trapper: Either Survival or Firestarting into some variant of a Trapsetting skill. Novice: Strong possibility of Walking into Running or something simr Beginner: Identify into Common Knowledge Trainee: Simr to Novice, possibly evolving Nutrition to Eating or Sleeping to Napping (reducing the time needed for a full nights rest). ve: Would have evolved Status to make it out of his control, would instead probably make Walking into Fetters, making it hard to leave a certain area (would be countered by Breath of Freedom). Assassin: Flexibility into Stealth, or something simr. Killer: Would make something into a weapon skill. Traitor: High possibility of Sleeping into something like Sleepless, allowing him to sleep less. So skills can evolve into a skill that you could get on its own? Yes! Thats a major contribution to my dislike of the upgrade terminology! Granted, a higher-tier Skill with the same effects as that same Skill at a lower Tier usually is ever so slightly stronger, but it is barely worth noting! Far better to just get the other Skill and gain a different effect with your evolutions! Also, if you can aplish it, you can get a skill for it! If you were a natural mage, you might be able to get Basic Pyromancy as a basic Skill instead of needing to evolve something! That made enough sense, he supposed. It was starting to grow a bitte, though, and so they stopped at a small roadside shelter made of wood and stone. It wasnt much, but there were a couple of bunkbeds inside, affixed to the wall, and a small shrine with a statue depicting What is this ce? Edwin asked as they settled in, I saw a couple others as we were walking, but I guess I didnt question it. This! it was a bit strange, hearing Lefi whisper-yell as he actually wanted to stay quiet, Is a shrine to my god, Cura, patron of wanderers, travelers, and adventurers! His church establishes them along roadsides as a form of worship, and his presence keeps them safe and clean! Ooh. Did we stay in a church of hisst night? which prompted a nod from Lefi, I understand. As he sat down on his mattress, delighting in the feeling of relief for his ever-sore feet, Edwin munched on one of his rations and pulled up his notifications for the day, ready to get to work. Chapter 35: Starstruck Chapter 35: Starstruck Congrattions! For attempting to peel back the intricacies of the System, you have unlocked the System Schr Path! Level Up! Flexibility Level 1516 Walking Level 2831 Research Level 4450 Packing Level 79 Athletics Level 2730 Breathing Level 2123 Outsiders Almanac Level 6566 Identify Level 3233 Polyglot Level 2728 Huh. That was an oddly good result for only a single day of walking. Hey Lefi. Are there skills which let you gain skill levels faster? Of course! My Exceptional skill is exactly one such! Does that affect people near you? I got a ton of levels today for not much effort at all. It does! I am simply so incredible that simply being near me can make you grow at inconceivable rates! That struck Edwin as rather odd, and he frowned, So wait, if thats the case, why cant you just like, I dont know, hang around people and help them level faster? Surely Tara would enjoy these sorts of benefits when shes training or there are soldiers training or whatever. Lefi froze for a moment before regaining hisposure, Ah! Uhhh. Ah! It is because they already are affected by a simr Skill which does not interact with my Exceptionalism! It is an evolution of Leadership or Teaching and is quite desirable among those in authority, trainers, and teachers to aid their subjects and students! However! It often requires sole dedication to their tasks and that they arepletely under their authority! My Skill only affects those which meet none of the criteria! So Lefi was pretty clearly lying about something in that statement. He must not have had a Lying skill, somehow, but assuming he was truthful about rulers and teachers having skills that aided skill growth, maybe that was both how Edwin had gotten so many levels while under the ckstones, and also a possible reason for why he had to be in the service of Lord Sfishkill. Though why wouldnt they have just hired him, then, instead of enving him? Ah, whatever. That was all in the past, he should have a pretty hefty head start on whatever pursuit was heading his way, and politicians did stupid things constantly. That was both metaphorically and Edwin took a moment trying to visualize where he was rtive to the ckstone citadel and yes, literally behind him. There was nothing to be gained dwelling in the past, so it was instead time to get excited for the future! His current primary problem was that he had a skill point debt, so to speak, of over 300 Skill Points. He had slightly offset that problem, admittedly, by how many points hed gotten from Almanac and Mana Infusion, at 66 and 59 respectively, though he couldnt continue to borrow from his future forever. That was just a personal Ponzi scheme. That debt was also a big part of why he was so hesitant to pick up new skills at the moment. Anything new he picked up would need to be raised to at least level 30, more likely level 60 or beyond, before he would want toplete a Path and evolve it. Plus, there were the Stamina and Health Attributes to get, not to mention Perception if he could get the Scout path, and he was quickly spiralling out of control. But in any case! He couldplete Beginner right here, and even get three points towards his debt! A couple of bookkeeping things first, though. He wanted his notifications to disy chronologically, making it easier to parse, and then he was due for some reorganization of his Status, showing and hiding different information. Once he was done, heid back in satisfaction and dropped 30 points into Beginner. You havepleted the Beginner Path! Your route has been circuitous and slow, with both your origin and destination unique from your peers. Though you have yet to fullye into your own, you nheless possess nearly limitless potential and shall one day be a true force in your own right. Wait, what? His origin and destination were unique? That didnt sound good. He really hoped he hadnt just screwed himself over again. ss Change! Foreign Alchemist Hedge Alchemist Calcting Rewards Done! You may evolve your Research skill into the Memory skill! ept Evolution? Y/N He should have known something would go wrong. Actually, he did. He just should have trusted his gut. Still, he couldnt say he was too upset. Memory! That was one heck of a Skill, possibly even better than Common Knowledge. Also, itted him a positive twenty levels to his debt! Memory Its the whatchacallit. Something or other Recall with greater detail Improved rity and timespan per level. Now that was a solid Skill. Maybe he could use it to recall more science stuff in time! That would be so helpful if he could. Edwin looked through his current Status, content. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Hedge Alchemist Attributes Mana 5 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 30, Mana Infusion: 59 (Basic Mana Maniption 9) Physical Athletics: 30, Breathing: 23, Flexibility: 16, Nutrition: 17, Packing 9, Seeing: 21, Sleeping: 23, Survival: 17, Walking: 31 Mental Polyglot: 28 (Language 36), Mathematics: 37, Memory: 1 (Research 50), Visualization: 28 Combat Bomb Throwing: 9 Utility Firestarting: 29, Alchemy: 43, Outsider''s Almanac: 66, Identify: 33, First Aid: 17 Paths Skill Points: 266 Current n Wanderer 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Warrior 0/60, ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Mage 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, Unkible 0/90, World Traveler 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Adventurer 0/30, Field Medic 0/60 Save for Tier 2 Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Pioneer 0/60 Maybe Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Trapper 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Survivor 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Lecturer 0/30 Probably Not Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Pyromaniac 0/30, Exile 0/30 No ve 0/12, Assassin 0/60, Killer 0/30, Traitor 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner Gah He had so many expensive Paths. Hed want to bring basically every skill he had up to at least level 60 before he startedpleting Paths, and with thetest mishap with Lefis prediction about what Beginner should have upgraded, he wouldnt be able to trust his advice on other Paths until Edwin knew it couldnt go badly. At least he wouldnt need to get the Learning skill, not if Memory worked the way it imed to. Sure, they might have ovep and make his memory truly spectacr, but literally assigning himself homework wasnt worth an additional Skill. Well, I did it, he told Lefi. Marvelous! Have you used Common Knowledge yet? Using it upon the shrine can be quite enlightening! Well, thats the thing. I didnt get it. Research evolved into Memory for me. Truly? That is most puzzling. Even with your unusual ss, it should have still evolved Identify, even if the result were different. Most curious! But regardless! Memory is a... most excellent Skill! I guess, yeah. Well, goodnight, Lefi. Bedtime, I suppose. Lefi started to say something, but Edwin wasnt listening. Maybe hed have a Memory of what it was in the morning, but for now? Sleeping Well, traveling with Lefi certainly was certainly effective, if nothing else. Over the next week of travel, hed managed to umte levels at an incredibly rapid pace, almost to the point where it made up for Lefis constant chattering. As it turned out, Visualization could be paired with Memory to let Edwin vividly recall scenes from his past, helping him thoroughly tune out the talkative adventurer. Curiously, despite the rity of the Visualized Memory, Edwin found he frequently wasnt able to remember things like the precise shape of various runes on walls and the like. He could tell, because the shapes changed slightly with every recollection. Perhaps with a higher level, that aspect would diminish, but it was still plenty for his current purposes. Between his ability to tune out Lefis constant talks about all of his grand adventures in the past- after the third time he told a story about ying a demon lord, Edwin was pretty sure he was just making it all up as he went along- and the rate at which he was able to level his skills, it was actually tolerable! Level Up! Basic Mana Sense 3032 Walking 3138 Athletics 3034 Breathing 2326 Identify 3335 Flexibility 1619 Seeing 2124 Sleeping 2327 Outsiders Almanac 6673 Survival 1719 Visualization 2841 Firestarting 2934 Nutrition 1722 Memory 123 Mathematics 3739 Mana Infusion 5961 Polyglot 2833 Packing 916 First Aid 1718 Congrattions! For reaching level 24 in the Seeing skill, you have unlocked the Scout path! Even First Aid had leveled just by treating a blister he had gotten on the fourth day traveling, it was great. At the same time, though he didnt know how much longer this wouldst. Lefi had been pretty clearly getting more and more annoyed with him as time went on. It wasnt there explicitly in his tone of voice or how he treated Edwin- no, the act that he actually liked Edwin held as firm as ever- but just in the tiny things. How readily he cut off Edwins sentences and questions, the curt way hed provide responses, and just how hed never look at Edwin if he could help it. It made Edwin sigh. It seemed that even in a fantasy world, the same things still happened to him. Nobody ever wanted to be around him for whatever reason, and he was never able to figure out what exactly it was. Must have just been some subtle aspect of his behavior which people found annoying, but while it wasnt ideal, he could he could live with it. So what if another person didnt like him and wanted him to go away? Hed had decades of practice dealing with that sort of thing back on Earth. It was better that way, anyway! If he was alone, it would be harder to track him down and hed have blissful peace to work stuff out at his own pace. It had been too long since he had been able to do Alchemy, after all, and he was getting restless. Theyd spent thest week doing nothing but walking, after all. Sure, the scenery was spectacr, but they never stopped in any of the towns they passed through. In fact, the two times that their path had crossed through a vige were also the only times they hadnt slept in a shrine, instead camping off the side of the road in a cave or something. They didnt even seem to have a destination in mind! Whenever he had asked Lefi where they were going, he would alwaysugh it off with some variation of Oh, the journey is the destination, which frustrated Edwin to no end. Really, the more he thought about it, the more transparent Lefis scheme became. He had been tasked with taking care of Edwin, so he was doing his best to drive him off so hed no longer have to deal with the super-annoying human. Typical. Well, if he wasnt wanted, hed just leave and make it easier on the guy. If you dont want me around, you can just tell me, you know, and Ill leave. You dont have to pretend to like me. Edwin blurted out at one point while Lefi was in the middle of one of his tall tales, interrupting a story about three sets of identical twins messing with people. What? Lefi was taken aback, clearly not expecting to be called out on his act, What are you talking about? You are a most excellentpanion! If Tara knew how much I would enjoy this, she would have never tried to give me such a task! he tantly lied. Sure, sure. You can drop the act whenever you want. Ive had a lot of practice seeing when people dont want me around. You are mistaken! I do enjoy your presence! Uh huh. Okay then. Edwin acquiesced. Fine then, if Lefi wouldnt admit to it, hed just have to sneak off overnight at some point. Maybe even tonight. There was nothing worse than someone trying to persuade him that, no, they really did truly like him, and it was a total coincidence that every time he walked into the room they stopped talking and changed whatever they were doing, that he was always identally not invited to events, and that theyd totally add him to the group chat. No. He wasnt dealing with that. Hed be better off just leaving. Maybe hed leave a note of some sort. He could char the end of a stick and use it as a makeshift pencil from a torn notebook page. Lefi, I appreciate your efforts in informing me about Paths and Skills, though you neednt worry about pretending to like me as you put up with me. Im not going to be a bother for you any more. Edwin Edwin nodded in approval at his handiwork, the writing messy but legible. As he had been writing it, he tried to Infuse Polyglot and his stick simultaneously, so it should hopefully be readable by the adventurer once he woke up. His task done, he pretended to go to sleep, waiting until he heard Lefi snoring softly before quietly tearing out the page and setting it on the bed, putting on his shoes and wrapping his cloak around him. Edwin stole quietly out of the shrine, the door closing without so much as a click while he ventured into the chilly darkness. Sure, his legs were somewhat sore, but between his ever-growing Walking and Sleeping levels, it wasnt too difficult to push onwards. The world was so quiet and yet so loud, Edwin couldnt help but notice as he followed the hard-packed road, winding through seemingly endless grasnds. Beyond the standard night-noises; an owl hooting in the distance, crickets chirping, and wind snaking through the tall grass, but it still just seemed so peaceful, there were no nes flying overhead, no hubbub of city life in the background, no cars driving by to spoil the natural tapestry of sound. While it had been slightly cloudy at first,it cleared at some point, and thends were bathed in heavenly light, instinctively drawing Edwins attention to the Great Above.. As he nced up, Edwin stopped in shock. It struck him all at once that in all his time on Joriah- about two months at this point, by his reckoning- he had somehow never seen the night sky. His first few nights were deep in the Verdant, with the tree cover too thick to see through, then hed been underground in the Citadel for a month and a half before escaping and immediately camping under trees once more. Then the caravan, where hed also slept indoors, and finally on his walk with Lefi, where theyd usually slept indoors once again. Sure, hed seen the asional star, but hed never seen much beyond that. What was painted across the night sky was truly wondrous. The moon, a luminous crystal-like orb glittering with pinks and blues, set among a carpet of stars of all shapes and sizes, and even with a lone orange star radiating glorious color across the sky, that was somehow the least impressive aspect of the heavens above. Across the night sky, vivid neb-like formations were twisted into shapes vaguely reminiscent of gxies and something else he couldnt quite remember. It looked familiar, though. Most of the sight consisted of luminous, brilliant emerald nebe, but there were several radiant gold clumps of gases, and even a handful of red-purple clouds which stood in direct contrast to the rest of the sky, providing highlights to frame the rest of the view in even more wonder. Words failed to properly capture the majesty present above, and Edwin could have stood there for hours. Maybe he did stand there for hours, actually, entranced by the sight above. He stood a very good chance of remaining there until the sun came up, at least. Or he would have, had he not been sent stumbling to the ground by a sudden blow. He spun as he fell, catching a glimpse of two silhouettes against the bright night sky as one of his assants drew back a club, preparing to strike him again. Chapter 36: Clubbing All Night Chapter 36: Clubbing All Night Woah! Edwin cried out as he stumbled, regaining his footing with the aid of his walking stick, its end digging into the hard-packed ground as he whirled, trying to Identify his attackers. Ouw Laborer Brutish Minion So they probably werent professional fighters, at least. Good. Given their sses, he didnt need to feel bad about responding with force, either. From a half-remembered conversation with Tara, nonlicensed adventurers- Ouws, rather- were simply not protected byws of any sort. Their life had no value, so he wouldnt need to worry about any retributions should he kill them. Heck, the licensing program was a rtively recent- Taras words, not his, given it was almost a century old- attempt to ensure more ouws didnt turn to banditry. [...] na, am the greatest aver [...] and then ya missed! one voice mocked. Shaddap. His partner snapped, He moved. Its at harder ta hit a moving tahget. Oh really? Ya dont say, now. Guess what, ya Tares. Thas how fightin works. Edwin cut off their banter by jabbing the end of his walking stick into the face of the Brute, snapping his head back and making the Minion stumble back, voice distorted as he swore about his nose. That galvanized his partner into action, and the Ouw tried to sneak up on Edwin- there was clearly some Skill involved, though not a high-level one- and deliver a Skill-empowered blow at his head, though with the speed of the club, it may as well have been through msses. If not for the magical nonsense that apanied Skills, it couldnt possibly have any level of force behind it. However, once you did, that slow attack was probably quite dangerous. Edwin tried to step back to avoid it, but his assant just sort of moved, staying in perfect lockstep, gliding across the ground to keep the blow still aimed at Edwins face. He frowned at the sight- what was this, some sort of Inevitable Blow? Slow, but cant miss. Hmm- but thanks to the speed of the strike, he was able to bring up his walking stick to block it, reinforcing the structure with Mana Infusion, in the hope that it would stop the blow. As soon as the club connected with his stick, it started moving at more normal speeds, bouncing off the empowered wood and sending a shockwave down its length, giving Edwin a painful jolt. He nearly dropped the staff, though he managed to recover before his body carried out that very Bad Idea. Instead, he disengaged, trying to get a bit more distance between himself and his attackers, but once he turned to start and run, he was violently shoved by the Brute, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying off the road, where hended in a painful heap in the grass. He groaned and got to his feet, expecting to have broken something but not finding any obvious candidates as he scrounged around in the brush for his baton, managing to grab it just in time. A rustle in the grass to his right made him sweep his stick out horizontally, trying to trip up whoever was next to him, and while he wasnt quite able to knock out the mans feet, he did manage a solid blow against the Brutes shin, who swore and recoiled, the grass swishing to amodate his bulk. It wasnt much, but it bought Edwin enough time to stand up, and he gave a follow-up swing to try and strike about where the back of the Brutes knees should have been, but his assant had moved without him noticing, sending the blow swishing through empty grass. His strike overextended his reach though, and he fell prone once more as his bnce fled. His sudden lurch did save him though, a club blow whistling mere inches over the top of his head an instantter. He was alive, at least, but he was also back on the ground, which was a problem. He used his arms to lunge forward, trying to escape, but his backpack caught on something as he tried to do so. Edwin bit back a curse as his advance was suddenly halted and made a snap decision to try and shed his backpack. It took a moment, and enduring a few painful seconds of kicks raining onto his side, but he managed to finish dumping his bag just in time for a particrly solid blow to connect. Edwin tried to roll with the blow, seeding enough to block the next kick with his hastily-recovered stick braced against a slightly protruding rock. Hes here! one of the voices called out as Edwin tried to pull himself to his feet. Another blow of the club thudded into his shoulder, the thick fabric of his gambeson blunting the strike such that it didnt feel like hed broken anything. Heck, it was probably the main reason he was still in one piece. It wouldnt stop him from getting one heck of a bruise, though, he was certain, but he was able to use the impact to tuck into a roll and spring to his feet a short distance away. Edwin whirled around- he hadnt even seen where that one wasing from. Gah, he couldnt see anything. It was really just luck and asionally a bit of good hearing he was able to - Edwin narrowly dodged a club blow from the Ouw, the attack impacting his cloak instead of his arm, and he bit back a curse. If only he could see what was going on. How was he supposed to his eyes narrowed. He had an idea, and it just might work. Backpedaling wasnt terribly easy, and he was certain that he would have tripped if not for one or more of his skills, though which he didnt know- actually hmm, probably Walking, maybe Flexibility and Athletics, possibly Visualisation, was- no, stop it. Focus, Edwin- but he put enough distance between himself and the two robbers for him to start messing with his Skills. Mana Infusion-Identify Mana Infusion-Identify Outsiders Almanac: Club-thing. Avoid Mana Infusion-Identify Mana Infusion-Identify Outsiders Almanac: Different Club-thing apparently. Still avoid Mana Infusion-Identify Ouw Laborer Tares(?) Brutish Minion Club-thing. Avoid Different Club-thing apparently. Still avoid Edwin grinned in the darkness as his Skills took effect. Thanks to Mana Infusion, he was able to keep up several Identify windows at once, which also moved appropriately with their corresponding objects. It wasnt perfect, sure, but he at least now had giant glowing blue signs letting him know where the robbers were and, more importantly, where their weapons were. Speaking of which, now that he could see, he was able to fairly easily step out of range of thetest clumsy blow from the Ouw, but that opened him up to a strike from the Minion, which thudded into his gut and knocked him back a good ten feet. There had to be a skill involved, the physics otherwise just didnt work out. So what do you guys even want? My money? I dont have much of that, and threatening people is more effective than attacking. Edwin wheezed, taking a deep breath to recover while they closed the distance once more. He unsteadily got to his feet, And I promise Im not worth ransoming. Shaddup! the Minion yelled, telegraphing his blow so clearly that even Edwin could fully predict its path, Da boss will wanna see you. Oh? And whys that? Well, ya see, ya- hey waidaminute! I shouldn be [] you dis! Issa secret! Pity. So much for exploiting the morons. Then he was back to trying to deal with two attackers, and most of his attention was immediately refocused to avoid bing nked. Gah, even with a clear view of what was going on, and against two people who clearly had no clue what they were doing, he hadnt managed to deal any kind of substantial blow and had taken a couple himself. If this went on longer, he wouldnt like the conclusion. So, how could he finish this off quickly? Hmmm. Well, fire had worked against Suchanidiot The next time the Minion tried to lunge at him (they couldnt decide if they wanted him close or far away, could they?), reaching out with a hand to try and grab his cloak, Edwin allowed it, stepping in close until he was able to return the grip of the hulking figure, holding onto the hem of the bandits shirt. Mana Infusion-Firestarting. The effect was immediate. The front half of the shirt immediately burst into mes, illuminating the area and nearly ruining Edwins night vision (only quickly screwing his eyes shut allowed him to avoid losing it altogether), and the Minion understandably started screaming bloody murder, the grip on Edwinpletely forgotten as he frantically tried to pat out his ming clothes. Somebody forgot Stop, Drop, and Roll. Hm. Would they even have that here? He wondered, then looked around at his surroundings, Oh, shoot. I really hope it isnt the dry season. Even as the thought crossed Edwins mind, some drifting embers of the Minions swiftly-burning outfit floated to the ground, where it fortunately gutted out a momentter. Upon seeing that, Edwin breathed a sigh of relief that he hadnt just started a wildfire. That still left one bandit to go, though, so he made sure to grab the club the Minion had been using- no point in letting it go to waste- and a quick Firestartingter, it too was on fire and being threateningly waved at the Ouw, keeping him away. Then, before it could burn his hands, Edwin hurled the burning weapon at the man, illuminating a terrified face before it crashed solidly into his chest. Edwin felt a triumphant grin creep across his face. Throwing Weapons was such a great skill, and while he was sad it no longer leveled, at least he kept its effects. Throwing things was such a useful ability to have, and given how the Ouw was starting to run, it was exactly the sort of thing he needed to stay safe. For a moment, Edwin merely watched the fleeing figure as he retreated into the distance, before he narrowed his eyes. A quick nce at the Minion showed that he wasying on the ground moaning in pain, only smoldering a little bit. He might be fine, he might not be. It wasnt Edwins problem. He wasnt about to waste any emotions on someone who attacked him. Live or die, it wasnt his concern, so stop thinking about it. Ahem. Anyway. The already-dispatched attacker wasnt his concern, but the one running away? Yeah, that could be more of a problem. They did mention a boss, one side of him thought. But, if he hit the road, he might manage to get far enough away that even if theye after him again, hed be too far away for them to catch up. It was a dangerous assumption, though, because they might really want him specifically. But why would they want him so much? He cant be that valuable...right? I refuse to believe that I radiate that much special-ness that just looking at me means people want to kidnap me. The dwarves had been bad enough. Honestly, he was probably just a target of opportunity for the bandits, and escaping them meant that theyd never bother him again. Hed recovered his backpack, he could turn and walk on, and leave it all behind him. But. He didnt want to feel weak anymore. He resolved to make himself stronger, and that meant that he couldnt just let them get away with trying to sneak up and attack him. It had been super easy to fight off, so either he had gotten way better at fighting or his assants were super weak. Either way, he could deal with it. Plus, he would be able to protect future people as they traveled, too. There was no way this attack was a one-off thing, with nobody else having ever or never being at risk, and hey! He could be a proper adventurer, clearing out a bandit camp or whatever. Edwin narrowed his eyes at the fleeing Ouw. He was getting away, but not for long. Chapter 37: A Towering Ego Chapter 37: A Towering Ego It ended up being pretty easy to trail the fleeing Ouw- while Edwins tagged Identify boxes faded at some point (Was it distance or time rted? Hed need to experiment), the bandit wasnt trying to hide his trail at all, and was instead crashing through the grass, panting loudly enough that it was audible over the quiet-yet-loud nighttime noises as they returned to Edwins awareness in the aftermath of his fight. As an added bonus, the Ouws single-minded focus on running away back down Edwin had traveled along, presumably fleeing towards his home base, meant that it was trivial for Edwin to follow along unnoticed and even check his notifications at the same time. You have unlocked the Mana Reinforcement skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Block Strike skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Hearing skill! ept Skill? Y/N Congrattions! For sessfullybining several skills in an inventive manner in a high-pressure situation you have unlocked the Skilled Arcanist path! You have unlocked the Stealth skill! ept Skill? Y/N Level Up! Seeing Level 2426 Mana Infusion Level 6162 Flexibility Level 1922 Athletics Level 3435 Identify Level 3538 Outsiders Almanac Level 7374 Firestarting Level 3436 Walking Level 3839 Edwin nearly scoffed when he saw he had unlocked the Stealth skill. This counted as stealth? Please. He didnt need a Skill for this! He could do just fine without the Skill, and didnt need to make his Skill list even longer. He was already going to take forever to properly evolve all of his skills- something he did really want, if nothing else to see what sort of awesome skill Almanac or Alchemy would evolve into. They were bound to be good. The battle had even gotten him Skilled Arcanist again! Hed have to incorporate it into his n, maybe in ce of Hm. Maybe Mage? Or Outsider. Probably Outsider, he didnt want to risk his ss dipping back into showing his true origins. If not that, though, then maybe Path Less Traveled, or maybe Titan yer. Hed have to mull it over. There werent any obvious candidates to exclude. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, bathing thendscape in so much golden light as the rays spilled across the grasnds when the Ouw finally seemed to get where he was going. Though it took Edwin a bit of time staring at an empty, ivy-covered hill to notice where he had gone, once he seeded, he couldnt help but double-take in in surprise, which was enough for him to lose track of it again. Namely, it was a massive, solidly-built stone tower jutting out from the top of a low hill, stretching a good fifty feet into the sky and overgrown with ivy, the top forming into a battlement-like structure around a twenty-foot brass spike that was bound to function as a lightning rod, intentionally or not. The strangest part of the entire thing, though, was how the entire building seemed to vanish if he stopped looking at it. It was still there, he could tell, his brain just sort of edited it out, like it wasnt worth noting. Like that one pickpocket, actually. It was more skill nonsense, clearly. But it was just his luck that his target was inside of what had to have been a wizards tower. This was going to be awesome. Unless he would have to fight a wizard. Hopefully, it wasnt an actual wizard. Edwin yawned. You know what? He could deal with this after some sleep. Hed been up all night, after all. Now, he just needed to find some secluded ce where he could hide during his snooze. Wouldnt want to be found by the bandits during his nap, after all. But this was going to be great. Hed- yawn- Hed. Hed think of a battle n in the morning. Evening. Whatever. Hm. It looked like there was a clump of bushesrge enough to hide in over there. It would do. Edwin had to work out a bit of a kink in his neck when he next woke up, but he was grateful that he had still managed to sleep undisturbed. He squinted and peered up at the sky, trying to ah, okay. About noon, then. He had gotten enough slumber, he wasnt tired at least, but it wasnt the almost supernaturally good rest he had started bing ustomed to. Information was power, and at the moment, he had neither. If he was going to properly have fun storming the castle, hed need to a bit of recon first. Actually, first hed have to find the darn thing again. Its unnoticeability was a bit annoy-Ah, there it was. There seemed to only be a single entrance at ground level, there were no windows on the ground floor (the first was about twenty feet up), there were at least two balconies at different heights with a second level of anti-notice effectsyered on them, and the entire thing was made of well-fit,rge and smooth stones. Judging from a few moss-covered stones, some crumbling holes in the otherwise smooth stones which made up its structure, and naturally the all-pervasive ivy, Edwin judged that it was in at least minor disrepair, hopefully indicating whoever lived there now were just squatters. It would make things so much easier if that were the case, but was his luck really that good? Well, it was so covered in leafy vines of ivy that he could probably climb up the whole structure as easily as on adder (assuming it held his weight), so maybe it was? The onlyplication in his current luck and general n of attack was what seemed to be a lone sentry on the lower of the two balconies. It was hard to tell for sure, though, and given how hard it was to see past the attention effect, he was almost surprised he hadnt gotten some kind of Focus or Mental Resistance skill yet. Still, insofar as Edwin could tell, the sentry may well have been asleep. They certainly hadnt moved in the past hour, and were leaning against the wall, so it seemed likely enough. He didnt want to count on it, though, so caution was still needed. Edwin approached the tower from the opposite side of where he had seen the sentry, clutching his stick tightly. Every step forward was nerve-wracking, though he was able to still keep his footfalls essentially silent as he crept forward, as there wasn''t much in the way of twigs to snap beneath the weight of his passage. Yes, it was the middle of the day, and the grasss light green coloration stood in sharp contrast to his own more forest-green cloak, but he was still reasonably optimistic about remaining unseen. Mostly because he didnt want to worry about what would happen if he was spotted. Well, hed just have to fight off whoever was inside again. Probably wouldnt be that hard, and it was what hede here for anyway. Fortunately, his spection was rendered mostly moot once he reached the base of the tower, where his cloak easily blended into the ivy around it, and as a result, he was able to breathe slightly easier knowing a single stray eye wouldnt immediately catch him out. That was step two, done. Now, on to actually getting in the tower. Well, the prep for it, anyway. First, Edwin hid his backpack at the base of the tower, covering it with his cloak and a few loose vines. Unfortunately and fortunately, he wasnt able to pull any vines from the side of the tower, which meant he had to settle for slightly suboptimal coverage of his bags, but also meant that using them to climb should be possible. Second, Edwin made sure to check the towers stones for magic, and while they were indeed magical, it was faint at best. Perhaps whatever sorts of enchantments were on the tower had long since faded. That, or whatever it was was just a minor enhancement, maybe to keep pests away or help keep the stones clean or any number of stereotypical minor spells he could probably think of if he thought it was relevant. Or maybe it was an rm spell. Hopefully not thatst one, he wasnt ready to deal with everyone inside all at once. Before hed gotten too close to the tower to see, Edwin had managed to get a solid look at his goal, an empty window about halfway up the side of the tower, some twenty-five feet above the ground, that appeared to berge enough for him to easily climb through. Fortunately, with the aid of the vines and a much higher-level Athletics than thest time he had tried climbing up something, namely the waterfall cliff so long ago, climbing was a breeze. He smirked into the foliage at the thought, pulling himself up one armlength and foothold at a time. Hed gotten so much stronger since hed first fought that Stonehide, yet he still had so far to go if he wanted to actually feel strong enough to consider himself safe. This would help, though, he knew it would. It didnt take too long to reach his destination, and peering through the window revealed a semicircr room on the other side of the wall, filled with slightly dusty crates and filled with piles of sacks. There didnt seem to be anyone inside, so Edwin took a chance and pulled himself through the opening. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he was able to contort himself such that he could squeeze inside without much difficulty. Some sliver of broken ss sitting inside the long-broken window frame did manage to score a long gash along the length of his thumb, which hurt but didnt seem to be bleeding too bad- oh wait, no, it was just a bit dyed. Okay, he knew he had a bit of clean cloth in one of these pouches, where was it Okay, grab that end of the cloth, wrap up the length of the cut, and tie it off. Eh, it wasnt the best, but it stopped the bleeding and still left him with enough mobility in his thumb to retain use of it if needed. Now that that was taken care of, it was time for Edwin to take proper stock of his situation and the room he found himself in. The space was bigger than it should have been for how wide around the tower was, not that it was too surprising at this point (it had to have been some kind of Skill rted to building. Spatial Efficiency, maybe? Or more direct, like Bigger Rooms?). It was primarily a bit musty inside, but there was some sickly-sweet scent permeating from somewhere else, though it was faint. Looking around, there were stacks of wooden crates, some pried open to reveal various dry foodstuffs. None of it was exactly what Edwin was familiar with on Earth, but there were (some open, some closed) sacks filled with wheat-like grains, rice, various beans, and even some containing flour. So far as he could tell, that was also what was in the sacks strewn about that werent in crates as well, but he couldnt test that hypothesis without cutting one open, which he was reluctant to do. There was also a stunning variety of dried fruits and even berries, way more than he would have expected to find collecting dust in an old wizards tower popted by bandits. Was all of this food really grown locally? That seemed odd, but he also vaguely recalled that because of its proximity to the Verdant and something called the Rhothos- a giant river, he was pretty sure- Vinstead was the primary breadbasket for most of the Empire. Foodstuffs of all sorts were able to be grown thanks to the abundant life magic in the area, and what was there grew quickly and to unusual sizes. There was also a high rate of new varieties being created, which spoke of something screwy happening with gics, and if he were a botanist, Edwin knew hed be going crazy for the possibility of creating a greenhouse near Vinstead and figuring out what the life mana did on a molecr level. But! That wasnt what he was doing, and hed need to keep moving regardless to stay ahead of his dwarven pursuers. Though maybe Tara would be able to dissuade them? Eh, no. Probably not. The Enforcer was nice enough, but she was also just doing her job. She didnt really care about him on any sort of personal level, so there was no reason for her to intervene on his behalf, assuming she even found out about them. More likely, his adventurers licensing would just create enough of a paper trail for them to know they were on the right track, and they could just quietly bypass the Silver de as they continued after him. And that was before factoring in any supernatural tracking Skills they might have. Ugh, skills made everything so much trouble. Edwin returned the sack he was holding. No, he wasnt about to stop and settle down, nor was he going to investigate how Mendelian gics interacted with magic. He was an alchemist, he should stay focused there. Honestly, why would he need anything beyond that? Alchemy was fantastic. Though he did admittedly need to figure out some stuff beyond just pour mana into an object and mix together. What he really could use was encountering some kind of Alchemist in the wild, then he could get a bit of a start on the less chemistry-like bits of Alchemy which his Skill was constantly telling him existed. Stuff like Essential Alchemy, or Potion-Making, or Alchemic Vitae? His Skill knowledge was weird, why couldnt tell him what these things were, not just- An just who in the hells are you? Chapter 38: An Unexpected Chat Chapter 38: An Unexpected Chat Edwin nearly jumped as he spun to face the demanding voice, turning away from the random patch of wall he was staring past to insteade face-to-face with a figure d in ck robes. Catabolic Alchemist Oh hey! He had just been thinking about how he wanted to find another alchemist. That was kind of convenient. Less so was the bloody knife the alchemist was holding, but hey, you couldnt have everything. Hopefully this wouldnt devolve too quickly. Well? Edwin nked, and he just sort of stared at the alchemist hopelessly, Uhhhhh. Wha are you doing here- nah, wait, are you that Alchemist who Minseven tried to drag back here in a bag? Never mind that, the boys an idiot. How did you get in, anyway? The window? Kind of impressive, Ill say. No many people get Climbing. Was tha your Exile? Edwin still struggled processing what was going on, Say that again? Ive jus been wanting a peer to talk to for so long! Come on! Lemme show you my work! the ck-robed figure, who, given the speckles of gray in his goatee, had to have been the oldest human Edwin had yet seen, reached out to grab Edwins arm before realizing that he was holding a sizable de in that hand. After pausing for a moment, though, he made it vanish with a flick of his wrist and reached out again. Edwin drew back from the attempted touch, letting his hand rest next to the dagger on his belt, Please dont. Oh, stop being such a baby. I won hurt ya. Come on! the Alchemist grabbed Edwins forearm, but Edwin found that he was actually able to pull away fairly easily, much to his surprise, Will you juste along? Lots ta see, lots ta see! he insisted Wait! The alchemist spun around to look at Edwin, Yeah? I broke in here, you realize that, right? Yeah? And youre just okay with that? Ahhh, well, you know, my guys started it, its not that secure, and whats a little burry between friends anyway? Do you know how long Ive wanted someone to talk to about my work? Ages! Now lets go! It probably wouldnt hurt, right? At the very least, he might be able to use this to get ay of thend once things went south. So, while Edwin made sure to keep his dagger close to hand, he still followed the alchemist as he ventured into the next room over, which turned out to be some kind of kitchen. A few dried meats hung from the ceiling, and a pot boiled on the countertop, though Edwin couldnt see its contents. The far wall held a doorway, opening out to the balcony Edwin had seen the sentry snoozing on, and off to the other side of the kitchen, a staircase ascended along the side of the curved wall, right next to another staircase descending through the floor. No handrails, which was iffy, and the stairs didnt look quite solid enough to support his weight, but the alchemist bounded up them without hesitation, and when a bit of testing didnt snap the wooden nk off under Edwins weight, he hesitantly followed the enthusiastic man up. Seriously, was Edwin just an extrovert ma or something? Youing? In a minute! These stairs are a bit Ah! Right, right. Here, I can give you a hand! the stairs at the top began to creak under the weight of the man. Thats perfectly fine! I can handle myself alright! Theres no need for you toe down. If youre sure! Oh man, this is such a mess, I need to the voice faded away as it was drowned out by ttering, rustling, and in one instance shattering, Damn. Ill actually have to clean that up. Oh, you made it up! Sorry about the mess, I wasnt expecting anyone to ever see myb. The alchemist was standing over a broken pottery jar, surrounded by its former contents, a yellowish salt. Edwin only spared a few nces for that particr mishap while the man moved to start sweeping up the powder, as his gaze was drawn more to the countless fascinating things everywhere else in the room. A ss jar held the slowly-beating disembodied heart of some animal, another jar held a ton of different eyeballs, some twitching of their own ord, a third a golden syrup sloshing around with no apparent driving force. The more Edwin looked, the more fascinating things he saw. A pile of color-changing sslike beads; a frog with transparent skin hopping around under a bell jar, even an ant farm with ants glowing a bright blue. Well? What do you think? Pretty impressive, yeah? Yeah wow. Ive never seen ab like this before. Do you do biological alchemy? Alchemy Vitae! Im hoping for the ss, myself, but it keeps just missing it every time I evolve. The Grimoire says I need the Vital Alchemist path, but I just can quite get it to work. Slimes dont count, an I cant get anything moreplex to actually formalize pas the Velsarrin stage. I always mess up with the Folthstar catalyst, though Im not sure what Im doing wrong. How do you have all this stuff, anyway? And why are you all the way out here? Not in a city or something? Edwin felt like he was in a real-life hidden picture game, there were just so many cool things! Was that a circtory system embedded in some kind of gel? It looked like it, given that pool of blood suspended in the center which was beating like a heart -was done, I made most of the stuff myself! What do you think? Do you approve? he looked at Edwin expectantly. Aww. He wanted validation. Edwin could rte, Impostor Syndrome was real. Yeah, yeah. Wow. Im impressed at Edwin tried to think of some titude he could give. Compliment people. That way they wouldnt notice you got distracted by something, Your methods. I dont know if I could do it myself, I just dont know that Id be capable of even half what this stuff takes. Oh, I don know, you certainly have the capabilities, Im sure! I mean, I have Alchemy, but I just dont have enough practice with this sort of thing to aplish half of what youve done here. Its just a matter of mindset! Once you Edwin kept listening, but his attention was pulled away for just a few moments as he saw a distillery setup with two spouts and started wondering about how that might work- could you magically make one substance go down one side, and another the second way? That would be so cool! Unfortunately, once he realized that he was no longer processing what the alchemist was saying, he had missed the bulk of whatever he was actually saying. out of the way, and the fact you dont mind what it takes, youre good to go! Sorry, could you repeat that? I got distracted. Theres so much cool stuff in here! Ah, its fine. I get it. Youll do fine. Stay here and work with me for a bit! Im a touch low on fresh supplies, but my backups will do nicely before I can restock, you catch my meaning? he winked, which was odd, but whatever. Edwin just gave a nomittal shrug in response, Sure? Excellent! You can help once ites time. So, what kind of alchemy do you focus on? Well, fairs fair and all that. If he was going to be getting some kind of instruction, maybe even a ce to stay for a few days, the least he could do would be to help out when creating new ingredients. Heck, that would be its own reward in some ways! Right, what kind of alchemy he used. Well, fellow scientists and all, no harm in that bit of info, I managed to get the Mana Infusion skill, and so Ive been using that. Charge up some chemicals and go from there. Ive made some cool stuff, though Ive never been able to work with already-magical materials. But Im not sure that I want to stick around for more than a day or two? I am kind of on the run from some guys that wanted to steal my creations from me. It wasnt strictly true, but it was close enough. Empire? Edwin shook his head, ckstone dwarves. Huh. Never heard of em. So what brought you out here, anyway? Also, I dont think we ever really introduced ourselves. Im Edwin. Niall. Nice to meet ya, Edwin, he dropped down into a high-backed chair, looking at the ceiling, Well, you know how i is. Is the same story everyone in our line of works got. As a kid, people were talking, worried about me when I started walking sote- took me until I was almost a year old, and by that point people were swearing that I must have something wrong with me. Still havent managed to get the Skill, nor any other Physical. He kicked at a table leg in frustration, You know the pain, righ? Everyone knowin your entire life tha yer different, solely because of something you got no say in? Edwin could, though it wasnt quite the same for him. Still, he nodded and let Niall carry on. Course, I couldnt keep up with any o the kids, and it became obvious what my crippling was when I was ten and still hadnt gotten Walking as an option. I could walk just fine! It was just my stamina that was the problem. I didnt need the skill, not really. But you know how it works, I dont need to tell you that. Well, because nobody wanted a boy with a broken Skillset, I ended up, well, ya know, he mimed a kick from where he was sitting, So, tossed ou of my home, had to figure out wha to do with my life, stripped of Citizenhood, an with no hope of getting a License, had to avoid settlements, all that stuff. Least I didnt have to deal with the Management, so I could get other Skills. There was anger there, Edwin was sure. However, it was buried underyers andyers of quiet resentment and even resignation, so it wasnt too obvious. Had to survive through a few bandit camps, and doing it without a Physical wasn easy, but I managed. Being small and quiet helped. Got First Aid, Cooking, all the fun Skills. He shrugged, Cooking went to Alchemy once I found the Grimoire, then Life Alchemy. First Aid became Surgery then Anatomy, so I managed to make myself too useful to throw out for them at least. Never a single Physical or Weapon, though. Took me a few years, but I met Minione. He kept me alive for years after I saved his life. Not the brightest, you know? None of theds downstairs are. Terrible conversation partners. Proud of em, though. They do their jobs and keep me alive. Then I get to do my work in peace. But now youre here! An in this amazing tower! Its the perfect location, found it an it was clearly abandoned for years, mostly Unobtrusive, and the location is phenomenal! Wait, why werent you able to get a License? Wouldnt that have helped in some way? Let you live closer to town or something? Well, what do you think? Beyond the fact it doesnt matter if youre licensed, nobody wants you anyway, the wait times are atrocious, you basically need to bribe the bureaucracy to get them to work, with far more money than anyone has at ten, the application process takes weeks, and dont even get me started on that Enforcer. Tara? Whos Tara? The enforcer? Really? Must be new. In my day, it was a really cranky old Imperial Inquisitor, named... named ah, doesnt matter. He hated anyone that didn have a spotless record, and his Wanted List musta been in the hundreds! Someone like me, not following the Basics? Oh man, first time he visited my vige he about near threw me straight through the wall of my home. I was six! All cause I didnt bow quite deep enough to him behind his back, and was missing Walking worthless already, might as well deal with him before hes a problem. I still remember that, all these yearster. I hated that man. But you say hes gone? Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say. He took a deep breath, My apologies. Thinking about him, even all this timeter really boils my blood. He cracked a smile at that, grinning at some unseen joke, Did that answer your question? I quite forgot what it was you had asked! Yeah, I guess it does. Enough, at least? So, you up to stay around for a little while? I can teach you a ton o stuff! Get you going on the right foot. For a few days, I guess. Could I see that Grimoire youve mentioned a couple of times? Certainly! Where are my manners? Niall sprang up from his chair and began rummaging around through a pile of books on one of the tables near the wall. After a few moments, he pulled out a ck-covered tome and dropped it on a bit of empty space on the table nearest Edwin, where it thudded down Here you are! The informan for everything Ive ever aplished! The Zosiman Grimoire! Edwin ran his fingers over the charred leather. It felt ancient, yet new at the same time. It was well-worn and covered in small burns and discolorations on the patterned scales of the ck leather. Bold, golden lettering glittered in the center, wrapped around a hole where it looked like a jewel once sat, proudly dering its name. The Zosiman Grimoire- Fourth Edition Complete Secrets of the Alchymic Arts Finally. It was time to learn what his ss was supposed to do. Chapter 39: The Career of a Lifetime Chapter 39: The Career of a Lifetime Alchemy, that most wondrous and sacred art, was first pioneered by the alleged First Brewer of Life, Death, Earth and Sky, the legendary Old GoddessSalverria. It was her efforts which are widely regarded to have formalized themon practice of potion-brewing and unified it under the broader scope of Alchymie, dividing it into four primary branches in ordance with the Three Attribute theory of the body. First and foremost among the disciplines there was Alchymie Vitae, corresponding to Health, and concerned itself with the creation and maniption of True Life. Second was Alchymie Essentia, concerned with the matters of Mana, and in the extraction and maniption of the true essence of an object. Thirdly is Alchymie Practicum, associated with fundamental Stamina and is ordingly associated with enhancements upon other substances. Salverria herself was legendarily an Alchymist Vital, and it is said that she was responsible for the creation of the Manticores, Chimeras, and even the noble Griffon, among others. More information, along with spection for the required rituals and methods needed can be found in Section 5: Impact of Alchemy. ording to Salverian tradition, she was also responsible for the creation of vortithal, salverweed, talsanenris, shoriven, watergrass, and even wheat. However, as she has faded somewhat into the role as a creator deity for said peoples, the tales they tell of her prolific creations may be mythological. Still, these creations, if truly hers, would fall into the purview of Vitae as well. It is the view of this author that Salverria most likely was a real person, however with recent. Though drier than even his history textbooks, Edwin found the Grimoire endlessly fascinating. Sure, he was pretty liberally skimming it, but it was fantasy science! It was the coolest thing ever! He was learning so much! Also, he didnt have to memorize it for a reading quiz at 8 AM! Ah, tests. He was so d to never have to deal with those ever again. Vital Alchemy, or Alchemy Vitae, was the biology of Alchemy, as it dealt with everything pertaining to life. Herbology, animal crossbreeding, and some medicines (though there was ovep there with Practical Alchemy), but above all the goal of creating life itself, which was allegedly even possible, and not even hard for simpler forms of life. It required sessfully bringing anything moreplicated than a slime to life to unlock the Vital Alchemist Path, as apparently a slime wasnt hard enough to warrant it! The Path itself was really cool, as there were all kinds of Skills which could result from it. Whenbined with Alchemy, it would give the rather uninventive Alchemy Vitae, but its effects, focused as they were on the creation of life, were nothing to argue with. Eat your heart out, Miller and Urey. Turns out all you need to make life is to give a beaker full of organic chemicals a good shake with Alchemy Vitae. Combining the Path with the Medicine skill gave Vivificant, which let you transfer life from one creature to another? Sheesh. If the description were even close to urate, wait, how did that... Abination with an Eating evolution gave Vitachemical Infusion, which allowed you to directly absorb substances through your skin to take on their properties. Alchemists Physique yielded Vital Alchemists Mastery, which let you give yourself the traits of absorbed creatures at will- ws, scales, quills, feathers, muscles, and more besides. All in all, it was an absolutely bonkers branch of alchemy, and yet it was somehow the one which Edwin was least interested in or excited about. Essential Alchemy enabled you to take the properties of one object and apply them to another. The book listed examples of making steel as transparent as water, or liquid water the solidity and structure of steel. Also removing the melting point of ice to perpetually freeze it, or giving lead the weight of air, or the strength of mithril to cloth, or the temperature of fire to a rock, or well, there were a lot of possibilities, suffice to say. It seemed like Zosiman didnt have much experience in that field, though, as the chapter on it was disappointingly slim. Practical Alchemy concerned itself about two types of creations, namely Elixirs and Concoctions, both enhancements to either organic or inorganic matter. Elixirs were proper fantasy potions, pretty much just magic in a bottle, including everything from invisibility, flight, super-strength, magical healing, and those were just the examples from the introductory page! Concoctions were more what Edwin had experimented with, explosions and objects with inherently abnormal properties, like liquids which ran uphill or metals which exploded on contact with water (Edwin was pretty sure thetter was just an alkali metal, but that just brought up the question of what a Mana-Infused version of that would look like. Terrifying.). There was even a section on Alchymie Ascendia, towards the end, which talked about solidifying abstract concepts, like spinning moonlight into thread (for invisibility cloaks and potions), bottling sunlight (for fighting vampires), or forging the tranquility of a forest glen into an actual shield. Edwins brain just wasnt able to wrap around how that was supposed to work, but he supposed thats why it was magic, and not science yet. Any magic distinguishable from technology is insufficiently advanced. Edwin couldnt help but grin at the thought. All of the Ascendia was incredibly challenging, and the book even advised the alchemist to wait until their alchemy level was in the hundreds before attempting it because of how badly it could backfire if you didnt seed on your first attempt. Scary. Unfortunately, while Zosiman was a fastidious historian and excellent chronicler (the herbology chapter was quite detailed andprehensive, so far as Edwin could tell), his experience as an actual alchemist was limited. There were loads of details about alchemy-rted Paths and Skills, as well as tips on how to apply Skills to alchemy in non-obvious ways. Some of the tips, like how Knives helped with chopping ingredients, were obvious. Others, like using Breathing as a filter for gases, were less so (and in that instance, kind of reckless). Thats not to say that the book had no tips on how to actually perform alchemy, just that the Form for Salve of Aided Recovery listed off a half-dozen ingredients with no indication how they were supposed to actually . Niall had experience, though, which was why Kay, kay. Carefully, jus prick your finger with the silver needle an let the drop fall into the bowl. Proximity to the Verdant meant that most of theponents needed grew locally, as the life energy that made nts grow so well simrly meant that it was one of the ces where the talsanenris tal-san-en-ris, yep he got it right, berry would grow in appreciable numbers. Storing them was tricky, as the white berries (about the size and shape of a really big blueberry) were so full of life magic that they had a tendency to spontaneously sprout into a new talsanenris bush if the white berries were ever simultaneously exposed to light and water. But, if they were crushed, the life mana would begin to seep out of their flesh. It was a tricky bnce, but Niall had a handful of them, enough for one batch of salve, half a cupful (some terms were multiversal, it seemed), or about a hundred milliliters if Edwins estimations were urate and assuming a cup was roughly the same size as back on Earth, which seemed to be about the case. Once the berries were mashed in a mortar and pestle (granite mortar, but a pestle made of bone, that was important apparently), a few sprigs of something that smelled like mint but were shaped more like a cup and reminded Edwin of a miniature venus flytrap were added, mustard seeds, some budding red flowers of something called wolfs tongue, and the spores from a forked stalk, were added in one by one to very vague yet apparently precise measurements (they were all in pinches! Or by count! What kind of alchemist would let that stand?), boiled in a copper pot until the mixture turned clear. Then, using a recently cleaned, formerly tarnished silver needle (because that helped draw out impurities apparently), prick a finger and let a drop of blood fall into the mixture. An thats good! See how its all turning red? Now stir it that way five more times, then stir backwards six times, before going forward seven more! Keep at that nice, steady pace, youll know when its done when it starts glowing! Oh, Infuse a bit more into the pot while youre doing that, itll help keep the magic inside! Niall was thrilled for Edwin to have managed what he had so far, and over the past two days had covered a lot of topics which Edwin was sure were really fascinating and cool, but he couldnt understand for the life of him. A lot about the body, for sure, though admittedly a fair amount of it didnt match up with Edwins understanding of medicine, but he couldnt tell what was right or what was wrong at the moment thanks to how arcane it was all phrased. The asional appearance of his ent did not help, either. So what does the blood do again? The blood triggers the Nystaril reaction, an draws out thesitansaesrain from talsenenris, which activates the thorovillis inhibitors from the snaketongue spores an that- Edwin cut off the alchemist before his eyes could ze over, Please I know youre excited, but just keep it simple? Give me the overview. Niall looked sheepishly off to the side, Right, sorry. Anyway, the blood primes the solution so it knows essentially what it should be helping. If its unprimed itll jus do whatever, and can be chaotic. Sometimes it heals the cut, sometimes it does nothing, sometimes it looks like it does nothing and then makes the person drop dead of a fever two dayster better to prime it, even if it does limit what you can use it on to humans, and focus the effects on yourself. More advanced potions want you to render down specific parts of the body for best results. Like a finger to regrow a hand, or an eye to cure blindness, for a couple of examples. The more you render down, the more the potion can restore on its own without starving the drinker. Huh. That was kind of sad. It made sense that magic potions would still have limitations and its own restrictions (some sort of attunement? That was interesting), but it was still sad that his dream of a video-game magical potion that could just drink to instantly return from the brink of death, or hand off to someone else if they needed it, wasnt quite possible. They fell into silence as Edwin stirred the elixir, the mixture staying equally liquid for quite some time. Then, all at once, it thickened into a glowing red paste, which brought Edwin to hastily cut the heat from the pot and remove it before it was overcooked. As he carefully scraped it out with a device more or less resembling a spat, he reviewed the process in his mind. It was pretty simple, especially by material science standards, yet there were so many ces for improvement. Hed need to track down more talsanenris berries and see if he couldnt make a better elixir. Selling those would probably give him some funds once his current money pouch ran low, and set him on track to financial security. Well, he could theoretically try to leverage his knowledge of mortar and concrete to make some money that way, but the required infrastructure to make enough to bemercially viable Hah. Nah, hed let Aefra? Aerfa? Aeraf? Aefra take care of making concrete a viablemodity. He wanted no part in that whole process. He should try to make up some more lime, though. He was perilously short on defensive options beyond his stick, and missed having good old-fashioned explosions. Nothing beat blowing problems to smithereens. Though healing potions were a close second, especially to help others with their problems. Which was his current task, actually. Minfour had survived being set on fire, apparently, and had eventually crawled back to the tower at some pointst night, covered in burns. It was really that as much as anything which prompted Niall and Edwin to make up a batch of healing salve for the Brutish Minion. Edwin felt he deserved it, yes, but that didnt mean hed leave the guy to suffer when there was a simple, and viable alternative. Though actually Wait, if this is for Minfour, why did we prime it with my blood, and not his skin, or whatever? Ah, Ive got a potion for the bulk of his skin, this was more just to teach you! Don you feel enlightened? I mean I guess, but it seems like a lot to go through if you already had the potion. Also, doesnt that mean that the salve is optimized for me? And its less useful for you in general? Niall waved a hand, Don worry about it! Its my thanks to you for being a good student, an to start you on a path of Medical Alchemy! Well thanks, I guess. Edwin awkwardly epted the tub of salve, putting it in his belt before digging it out a secondter so he could actually test it. Fortunately, Niall was digging around a disorganized chest filled with all sorts of vials, so he didnt notice Edwins actions. It only took a minute for Niall to find what he was looking for, and red phial in hand, the alchemist duo descended two floors, to where the dormitories were. While normally Niall had the nicest room imed for himself and the other three were home to his five minions, Edwin had been given one of the nicer rooms for his own use. It wasnt there that they were headed, though, instead visiting the former living room, nowmunal sleeping room which took up half the floor. Minfour (yes, the man had a real name, but Edwin didnt know what it was) was sprawled out on a pad off to the side, clutching more than a few nasty blisters and third degree burns. At Nialls prompting, Edwin tried rubbing a bit of salve onto the back of Minfours hand, and watched as the blister sank away and the redness slowly faded to reveal unburned, uninjured skin. It took a while and a few applications, but that was apparently just the inefficiency at work. On Edwin it would theoretically fix the same injury with a mere drop of salve, and in seconds no less. Magic! Gotta love it. What was really impressive, though, was the potion which Niall had his minion drink. Over the course of mere seconds, starting from his throat and upper torso, a wave of pink flesh spread across the mans entire body, a faint trickle of blood being forced out of the skin asyer uponyer of skin was pushed up from below, recing where it had been burned away and making blisters wither away in moments. Now that was a proper magic potion! Instant skin graft for the entire body, with no rejection! It had to have been a dedicated skin potion for that level of speed on a non-primed individual. Heck, that was practically at the level of a regeneration potion, which regrew the tissue wholesale. And regeneration potions needed a sample of the body part being targeted. ...Oh great. Man, Edwin had such high hopes for Niall. They were getting along so well, too! He really hoped he wouldnt have to put pretty much the entire tower to the torch. Okay, well, maybe there was apletely reasonable answer to this dilemma. Maybe Niall was just harvesting his own skin and using regen potions to get it back, withrge enough batch sizes to make it a positive? Would that even work? No need for his backup supplies to be random people wandering down the road, right? So, ah, Niall, where did you get the ingredients for that potion? Seemed like youd need a lot of human skin for that quick of a regrow. Edwin asked, with a fair bit of dread, Please dont be a serial killer, please dont be a serial killer. Ah, some passing resupply, Niall waved his hand, studying the freshyer of skin on Minfour. He got too close and sneezed suddenly, interrupting his statement. He recovered quickly enough, though, and continued his inspection, A courier or whatnot. Nothing particrly noteworthy, just a good source of materials. Edwin closed his eyes and breathed out slowly and carefully. Great. Chapter 40: Pointed Questions Chapter 40: Pointed Questions Edwins first instinct was to immediately grab something heavy and start clubbing Niall over the head, while shouting about them being murderers, but he restrained himself for the time being. This was not the time or ce for that sort of action. Yes, he could be a little reckless at times, and he should have probably figured out sooner that the ck-robed bio-alchemist in the ruined wizards tower wasnt exactly sourcing his ingredients from ethically agreeable ces, but he had just gotten too keen on the idea of Science! and hadnt really thought about it too deeply. Though, even if he had known from the start, would that have actually changed his actions any? Probably not, in all honesty. Hed learned so much from Niall that- You feeling alright? Niall broke him out of his musings with a concerned expression on his face. Hm? Oh, yeah. Ill be fine, I just dont deal with, Edwinmely gestured at the blood-covered minion in front of him, all that well. Niall looked back and forth for a moment in confusion, beforeing to a realization, Ah! Yeah, tha makes sense. Vitae can ge a bit messy at times. Go sit down, itll help. Drink some water, maybey down? Ill wash up and get food ready. Edwin nodded mutely as he retreated to his room. Good, he wouldnt have to deal with the ouws while he thought about how to, well, deal with them. Plenty of time toe up with a n. Edwin reclined on his bed, surprisingly clean for a bandit hideout, but it also made sense that a bio-alchemist could keep hisir free of bugs. It was still dusty, but that was. Tolerable. He retrieved his canteen from his belt and stared into the distance, thinking as he sipped at his water. Actually, first he should check his progress. He hadnt checked his notifications for a couple days now, and he should probably make sure everything was up to speed. Level Up! Alchemy Level 4346 Athletics Level 2527 Firestarting Level 3637 First Aid Level 1826 Flexibility Level 2223 Identify Level 3840 Memory Level 2328 Nutrition Level 2223 Outsiders Almanac Level 7477 Packing Level 1617 Polyglot Level 3334 Visualization Level 4142 Congrattions! For breaking into a habited building undetected you have unlocked the Burr path! Congrattions! For sessfully brewing an elixir you have unlocked the Potioneer path! Congrattions! For brewing and applying an alchemical healing potion you have unlocked the Alchemical Medic path! You have unlocked the Potion Brewing skill! ept Skill? Y/N Ooh. Potion brewing. That was tempting. Really tempting. Hmm. No. Well, maybe? No. He already had alchemy at an honestly respectable level. But potion-brewing wasnt well, it also was Gah, he didnt know! Hmm. He had a lot of Skills which were perfectly decent. Seeing, Breathing, First Aid, Survival, Nutrition they were all useful in their own right, and all had strong potential for their near futures, but he didnt want to clutter up his Skills list with all sorts of Skills which just reflected what he was capable of doing on his own. He wanted the sort of power he saw with Tara, summoning silver walls and suits of armor, of snatching arrows from the air and no-selling powerful attacks. The sort of power that from what Rahin, Lefi and Tara had all told him was the result of high-tier Skills. And if he wanted to ever get to a halfway high Tier, he couldnt just go around epting whatever Skills were offered him. Heck, half of the cooler effects he wanted, like reflexes to snatch an arrow from midair or the ability to see the nigh-invisible he could probably get with Attributes if he was lucky, and that meant he really shouldnt take many more Skills unless they were either so broadly applicable that hed be able to level them constantly and easily while also benefiting all of his other abilities or were just so awesome he couldnt pass them up. Like pretty much anything with magic, actually. But where did Potion Brewing fit into that? It was a really cool skill, and synergized with Alchemy and possibly Nutrition, but would he be able to level it easily enough? Would it help everything else he did enough to justify it? Okay, fine. Hed decline it for now, because he didnt know how much potion brewing specifically hed be doing in the future, and he could always re-unlock itter. Anyway, back to the problem at hand. So, hed need to take out five minions and one alchemist with unknown capabilities. Edwin knew that Niall had nobat or physical skills, unless he was lying, in which case Hm. Okay, Edwin would assume general supernatural physique, but also that he didnt have any hyper-powerful unknownbat attacks, because he couldnt n for those anyway. Hed just assume that Niall was as unkible as everyone except him, and maybe hed be pleasantly surprised. Still, even if Niall didnt have anybat Skills, his minions absolutely did. They at least werent great at fighting, but they also couldnt be ignored, especially when fighting six-on-one. His first priority should be neutralizing Niall. The alchemist was just too much of a wildcard, and was his biggest target besides. The minions would most likely disperse, joining other bandit groups admittedly, but without their boss they wouldnt be kidnapping random people and turning them into potions. He could kill the man, probably, but he wasnt sure if he wanted to. He still remembered watching Tara tear through bandits like they were paper, leaving them in bloody piles no. He would just need to try and find some ropes, he could Infuse those with the help of Packing to make them almost unbreakable, possibly even resistant to fire in case Niall had something like his Firestarting to let him burn through restraints. If worse came to worst, Edwin supposed, he would probably be able to slice Nialls throat without alerting the minions if he did it in theb. Ah, theb. That was a set ofplications of its own. There were some insanely useful things in theb, but how would he know what was made out of murdered humans? Edwin shuddered. No. Just no. If he couldnt recognize something as being specifically not made out of humans, like dried herbs, it was going to be burned. That, sadly, included all the potions. A part of him ached to put it to the mes, but his skin crawled at the idea at the same time. Maybe one day, future-Edwin would scoff at his sentimentality, and that he should take whatever advantages he gets, and to not waste the sacrifices made by others, but future-Edwin wasnt here. Present-Edwin was, and present-Edwin was a sentimental ball of emotions (wait, how did they get here? Shoo.) whose mind and morality was still trying to cling to the Earth it had left behind. No, he wasnt going to use the potions that came from human experimentation. Maybe the notes, if there was anything useful there. But not the potions. Maybe not even the tower, for all he knew it was haunted by the ghosts of the bandits murdered victims... Edwin had a thought and groaned. They werent cannibals, too, were they? Ugh. Hed have to try and figure out some way to ask without raising suspicions over dinner. They probably were, werent they? Ah, darn it all. This was probably above his paygrade, too. The smart thing to do would be to run and try to find Lefi or Tara, they handled this sort of thing all the time! But Edwin had decided that he was going to try and stand on his own two feet. He wasnt going to go running for help the moment he found something challenging. That wasnt how he got through college (for better or worse, he arguably should have gone to office hours more- focus, Edwin), the same thing applied to taking down bands of murder-cannibals. Also, whos to say how long it would take for them to actually get the message, track down the tower, So, try and knock out Niall while he was in theb, then tie him up with ropes, maybe chains if he could find them- Oh! If he got into a fight with Niall, he needed to make sure that the alchemist wouldnt be able to reach a healing potion. It wouldnt do for him to fight through all the minions, only to be backstabbed by Niall, having healed a mortal injury through quick potion application. Then, with Niall out of the picture, he could try to chain up the minions one by one. That would be harder, so hed have to take them by surprise, maybe club them over their heads and chain them up while stunned. Not ideal, and more than a little traitorous (at least he already had the Path, so the System wouldnt rub it in his face), but at least Edwin shoulde out the other side alive. He didnt really expect hed be able to take them all alive, life-or-deathbat would likely be just that, but he could at least try and then hed need to do something. He didnt know what, maybe lead them on a walk to the nearest town? Trying to remember where that was, rtive to here, uh. Level Up! Memory Level 2829 Visualization Level 4243 Okay, there was one about a days walk back the way he hade. It hadnt been that big, but he remembered a stone building which looked like a small prison or something, they could probably handle the bandit group and let Tara deal with them, or whoever. ...Should he just let Tara take care of this whole mess? It was literally her job. Lefi, too, for that matter. Either one of them would be far more capable of taking down everyone. But no. Who knows how long it would take for Edwin to either find them or for a message to be passed along to them, let alone how long it would take them to get back here and find this ce. That would put more people at risk, which he didnt want. Granted, if he failed, then theyd have no idea that this ce was here at all. Did he want to take that risk? Yes. He did. It may be suicidal- It totally is. Shut up, him. It may be suicidal, but if he surprised them, he might manage it. He might be able to whip up something in theb, too. Though what, he didnt know. He wanted to make his move tonight. Yes, he should wait longer, but he wasnt sure how long he could keep his outburst contained and didnt want to warn them before he was ready. His brain wandered slightly treacherously, wondering what he should take once he was done? He absolutely wanted the Grimoire, for one. It had way too much information on types of herbs and even creature body parts to leave behind. Before he left, he should also grab food supplies, as many non-human alchemical ingredients as he could manage, and oh! He should also check out the upper floors of the tower. He hadnt before, as there just hadnt been the opportunity to, and Niall hadnt offered to show him that far up, but he should make sure there wasnt someone caged up there, waiting to be rendered into potion ingredients. Hm. What if Niall was able to kill and reanimate himself, Herbert West-like? It would be messy beyond belief, but if it came to that, Edwin should probably try to dismember him? Edwin shuddered. No. No. He was not going there. Hed just make sure he tied up Niall even if he thought the Catabolic Alchemist waspletely dead. Still, he should make sure he was absolutely certain that there hadnt just been some massive misunderstanding before he attacked Niall and his underlings. Probably wasnt, but he didnt really want to take that chance. A knock on the door brought Edwin from his thoughts, Yeah? Da boss sent me ta tell ya food is ready, was that Minfive? The voice was gravelly enough. He couldnt really tell them apart without Almanac, despite them all looking and sounding so different from one another. Okay, thanks, Edwin called in response, Ill be up in a minute! he smirked. It was like high school all over again, being summoned for food. He schooled his expression and made his way up the creaking stairs, to where four of the six bandits were waiting. Minsix was on the balcony, actually awake while on watch for once, and Minfour was, when he asked, sleeping downstairs, recovering from the skin-regeneration potion. So I have to ask, Edwin cautioned, as they served up thedles of stewNiall had prepared, and waited for Niall to indicate he should proceed, These arent from the resupplies, right? Niall immediately shuddered, Good heavens, no! Tha would be disgusting! the alchemist shook his head. Wait, had Edwin misjudged him? Were they actually not rendering humans into potion ingredients, if this was the reaction for that sort of thing, An aplete waste, too! No, the meates from either hunting or the supplies they migh be carrying. The suppliers themselves are much too precious to eat, theyre saved for potions. And there it was. Well, at least he wasnt eating people, and he knew for sure that the potions did have travelers ground up in them. I see. Well, thats a relief. Edwin honestly replied. Could you imagine? Cannibals, ah! Truly disgusting. Potions, though, potions at least youre using them for good. Niall shook his head, apparently trying to get the image of eating people out of it, An now youve gone and ruined my appetite. He used Edwin, who could only helplessly shrug in response. Sorry? Ah, not your fault. Ill finish eating another time. Ill be on the top floor, Edwin, if youd join me when youre done? Oh? That was interesting. Edwin watched as the alchemist retreated upstairs, leaving him with the three hulking minions. He didnt stick around long, hastily gulping down his stew (it was really good, which Niall attributed to his Cooking skill) with a clear conscience before following Niall. Edwin paused as he prepared to venture to the floor above theb. He wasnt sure what he was expecting, some torture chamber with blood and viscera everywhere, or maybe children in cages as they waited for dissection, and he needed to prepare himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, stepping up to a perfectly normal room. Of all the things he was preparing for, that was not one of them. There werent bloodstains on every surface, nor rusty dissection tables. A bit of quiet and brief poking around found some bloodstained cloth off against the wall, a table with a rust-colored discoloration right in the center, and discarded restraints against another side of the wall, iron manacles with the key in the lock. That worked pretty well, actually. Edwin didnt take them out quite yet, but it would be useful once he needed to disable Niall. Still, he was pretty sure this was a dissection room, just one that was kept pretty clean. That was a relief, that while his host may have been a serial killer, he was at least a neat one. Small mercies. Still, he should get moving. Hed waited long enough, no need to make the bandit leader suspicious. Edwin made sure his knife was loosened in its sheath as he ventured up the final flight of stairs, so he could draw it at a moments notice. It was hardly meant forbat, but it was still better than nothing, at the very least. Ah! Edwin. d you could make i. Niall didnt turn as Edwins weight caused the weather-worn wood of the top to squeak in protest, Mind your step. The top can be a little rotten in ces, its why I donte up here often. So then why are you up here now? Its a good ce to look out an think, you know? Especially if youe out after dark. I can believe that. Edwin joined Niall as he watched the sun descend towards the horizon, washing the grasnd in brilliant crimsons and golds. From up here, you could see for miles, all the way to the farnd in the distance, to the herds of either cattle, horses or something else, grazing in the grasnds here and there. Looking away from the farnd to try and see the end of the waving grasses was unsessful, the endless sea just fading into the distance beyond what he could even hope to see. Level Up! Seeing Level 2627 You mentioned wishing to leave? Edwin shrugged, Yeah. Its been informative, working with you and reading the Grimoire, but I need to move on before my pursuers catch up. Have you considered the possibility they are no attempting to pursue you, if you have yet to see them? Edwin shook his head, I made the lord too mad, assuming he even survived, to let me go. He struck me as the sort of person to pursue a grudge to the ends of Joriah if he could. I have a head start, yes, but I need to try and keep it. I see. Pity. Well, if you find yourselfing back this way, you are always wee here. When will you depar? Tomorrow morning, probably. Its a bitte to leave now, I dont want to travel at night again. Niall chuckled, Smart. I trust I don need to tell you not to let anyone else know about us? Well be found sooner orter, but I like this tower an dont want to have to leave any sooner than I must. Nah, its fine. Edwin sighed and shifted his position such that he was slightly behind Niall, who was still looking out over the grasnds. He so desperately wanted to give some witty one-liner, but settled for efficiency instead. With a single continuous motion, he drew his knife and mmed its pommel into the side of Nialls skull. Chapter 41: Not Quite the Answer to Life Chapter 41: Not Quite the Answer to Life You have unlocked the Sucker Punch skill! ept Skill? Y/N No, and disable notifications for the moment. As he watched Niall stumble backwards, clutching a bleeding ear, Edwin winced slightly. His blow hadnt been great, missing the alchemists temple enough to avoid an easy knockout. He had almost used the de of his knife instead of the hilt for the strike, and he doubted that the man would have managed to survive a six-inch-long bar of steel shoved through his brain, but Edwin wasnt sure that he wanted to just outright kill the man that quickly. If it came down to it? He wouldnt hesitate, he told himself, but he wasnt going to just stab a guy through the head with no warning. That wasnt who he wanted to be. Fortunately, the stumble wasnt so much that he would be able to get away, but Edwin still quickly closed the distance so as not to take that chance. The alchemist recovered slightly, trying to stabilize his footing. However, the weaker man was knocked fully off his feet by Edwins shoulder colliding with the alchemists chest and tackling him to the ground. Edwin moved quickly. If Niall managed to get off a shout to his minions, Edwin would find himself swiftly outnumbered and then hed stand no chance. No, hed need to finish this fight quickly. While he had managed to mostly avoid looking at Nialls expression so far, Edwin caught a glimpse of the mans face, and saw it as one holding equal parts surprise and pain. He drew breath to shout, but Edwin drove a knee into the mans gut to force all the air in his lungs out, and what would have been a cry became a wheeze, Why? Because. Edwin shifted slightly as he kept the alchemist pinned below his knees, leaving only a single hand free, You ground people up and put them in bottles, he didnt raise his voice, but still did his best to infuse his deration with as much disgust as possible. That didnt seem to be the response Niall was anticipating, and his visage contorted into one of rage, People? he spat, though Edwins position on his torso meant there wasnt much volume or force behind it, You call them people? Would people throw away anyone different with no thought for the person behind it? Would people willingly give their friend, their son, their entire lives up at the whims of a feather-brained bureaucrat who decided I wasnt worth living? Edwin struggled to keep the iling alchemist pinned, How is what youre doing any different? Deciding that some people arent worth their life and should be used for your experiments? He maneuvered to keep one leg on an elbow, negating its leverage, and drove his other knee deeper into the mans gut. Meanwhile, his hands were upied at Nialls left hand, keeping the iling limb against the wood while he worked with a knife, carefully as to not cut himself or the bandit Niall tried to get up, but a firm knee put a stop to that. In response, he gasped out his response, Because they had a choice! Edwin was quite content with him monologuing, as he mostly stopped struggling when he started ranting, They could have seen the evils of those that surround them and acted against it, but did they? No! They let a child get thrown through a wall and go about their lives, muttering that he deserved it for the crime of not being able to get a Skill! Are those the actions of a- whoof! Edwin finished his work, and a strip of cloth, cut atst from the flowing sleeves of Nialls robe by Edwins knife, was shoved into the conveniently open mouth of the ranting viin, then held in ce by a second strip of cloth. The alchemist offered little resistance as Edwin rolled him over onto his front, though he did attempt a muffled protest. Edwin was having none of it, though, and strained to try and hold his hands behind his back. While he was absolutely stronger than the middle-aged bandit, it wasnt by much, and Niall was iling like a madman to try and get loose, now that he wasnt talking. A stray arm knocked Edwins grip on his knife loose, and it was sent skittering across the roof, where it fell into an open hole and ttered onto the wooden floor some ten feet below them. Edwin, deprived of his weapon and having sessfully gagged the alchemist, changed tactics slightly, trying to get Niall into a chokehold, but he wasnt entirely sure how to do so. He tried to get an elbow around the bandits neck and began to squeeze, but it didnt appear to actually be cutting off the wind flow down his throat. So, with what little leverage he could manage, he lifted both of them up from the ground, twisted around, and mmed Nialls face into the wooden boards beneath them, over and over again. It was a race to see which gave up faster: Edwins grip, or Nialls consciousness. It would be close, and even as the struggles of the bandit grew more frantic yet weaker, Edwins hands scrambled to try and maintain their grip as Edwin willingly forced his arms and hands time and time again into the wooden floor they were upon. Blow after blow struck, desperately trying to maintain some semnce of control as their contest closed in on the finish line As it turned out, neither beat out the other. Instead, with a creak and a groan, the board beneath them gave out under the abuse, sending them both cascading down to the floor below in a hail of splinters and dust. The moments of weightlessness drove a spike into Edwins thoughts, his throat closing up and his awareness beginning to dim. His breath grew ragged and the death-grip he had on his foe weakened, the two of them separating from one another. The only thing keeping Edwin awake as the absolute terror of falling kicked into gear was a single-minded pursuit of trying desperately to get some semnce of support, and he made darn well sure he stayed above Niall as they went tumbling. Then gravity reasserted itself as they both crashed into the floor below, pulling both figures into a limp pile. At first, as Edwin tenderly extracted himself from above and around the broken body of Niall, he thought he might have killed the alchemist, but for better or worse, broken bones began to set themselves and bloody cuts on the mans face slowly started to heal. No fair, Edwin groaned to himself, I want a healing factor. Still, while Nialls body may have been on the mend, it was still fairly helpless, which gave Edwin plenty of time to shackle the mad alchemist in the same chains he likely had imprisoned many of his victims in over time. It was appropriate, he supposed. Theyd made a fair bit ofmotion, all told, and Edwin considered himself fortunate that apparently the minions were either too used to or too oblivious towards (or maybe both) loud crashes toe investigate. Or, perhaps they were just instructed to nevere upstairs no matter what? Ah, no matter. What was important was that Edwin had a chance to catch his breath as Niall slowly regenerated, stuck inside his manacles. A passing thought also got him to modify his level-up temte slightly, to help his sense of progress until hed have enough for all his Paths to bepleted. Was it the best timing? Eh, not really. But it wasnt hard, either. Level Up! Skill Points 399404 Progress to Tier 2: 628/1590 Athletics Level 2730 Flexibility Level 2325 Perfect. He couldnt help but groan at seeing just how far he was away from his goal, though. At least, given how high-level some of his second-tier Skills were, it should be a lot easier next time. Still, even with all of his already-advanced Skills counted, he was only a third of the way to his goal, meaning hed need to raise most of his current Skills to level 90 he wasnt looking forward to it, but that was a worry forter. A bit more digging around revealed three more sets of chains and shackles, which would be a problem. He wasnt sure what to do once all the minions were incapacitated, though maybe hed be able to chain them together in some way? A problem for future-Edwin, once he had actually subdued the bandits. Hmmm. Edwin tapped his fingers against his knee. He would have absolutely no chance at taking down the bandits in a physical confrontation. So, how could he even the odds? If he could make some kind of anaesthetic, then it would just be a matter of exposing the minions to it, and it would take them out. Chloroform was the first thing that came to mind, naturally, but Hollywoods exaggeration of its actual usefulness notwithstanding, he had no way to get any of the chemicals needed. He wrung his hands. A modern chemb would be a godsend right now, but he didnt have that, and likely never would. No, he had an alchemyb, no clue what he was doing, and about a half an hour at most before he started risking Niall waking up, getting his gag out, and yelling for help. Okay, its just Pchemb all over again. I can do this. Alchemy almost certainly had something which could help him out here, and the strange not-memories from his Skill were telling him that he wouldnt have to deal with situations like a certain chemical having specific effects and a very simr chemical possibly having radically different effects. No, Alchemy worked in broader categories. Something that worked on the body, ifbined with something else, would still work on the body, just perhaps with a different effect. That meant his salve, tuned as it was to act on humans, meant he already had about a third of a knockout form done. The next third would be something with the sleep association, and the final third would be figuring out how tobine them. Edwin breathed out, trying to stay calm. Okay. His experience experimenting with mortar told him that physicalws still had some byy in Alchemy, which meant he shouldnt have to figure out how to incorporate the notes of a luby into a potion. That was firmly in Ascendant Alchemys wheelhouse, anyway, and effectiveness aside, he had no hope of pulling something like that off. First Aid might help him here, actually. Memory vaguely told him it had something pertaining to quick dealing with wounds? Anaesthesia totally counted, or at least it should. Hopefully that would mean his creation wouldnt need to be perfect, and that his Skills could bridge the rest of the way. He flipped through the Grimoire quickly, trying to get some idea of what he might be able to use for a secondponent to render into something that would create disorientation or unconsciousness. He didnt need to get them fully under if he could disable them first, what could he Alcohol. Of course. Okay, now to try and find some. A bit of digging around helped Edwin find several coils of rope (incredibly useful, though without knowing how strong the minions were, he couldnt count on it actually functioning as binding), an iron ball with a hole through the middle, a few steel bars of varying lengths and thicknesses, and gloves! They didnt seem to be made of tanned human skin, so he could use them without guilt. A couple extra sets of ck robes, some tinder, flint, and steel, not to mention a huge variety of ssware also turned up, though it all was of debatable usefulness to Edwin. There were tons of potions and ingredients of arguable sourcing, but the mere thought of making something out of dismembered people sent shivers down Edwins spine. Even if he had time, there was no way hed be making something with thisb setup. The notes might be worth saving, as a memorial to those who gave their lives for research, but would they really? Edwin wouldnt touch them, and he wouldnt entrust them to anyone else. No, as much as it pained him in principle, the notes would burn as well. He also found the second balcony! It was on the opposite side of the tower as the first one, and on the dissection floor, but it was nice to put that mystery to rest. Looking out from it had no strange mental or optical effects in so much as Edwin could tell, but it was a medium-sized outcropping, protruding about five feet from the outer wall, about ten feet from one end to the other. The supports on the stone handrailing seemed vaguely ah, if Edwin had ever bothered to pay attention in his arts sses he might remember what style they reminded him of, but why would he? His grade in that ss had gone up slightly after he stopped paying attention, bless open-book tests and quizzes. But that was neither here nor there. It did give him a further idea how to take care of Minsix, or whoever was on watch at the moment, though. Okay, he was getting distracted. Hed found a bottle of something which smelled like wine on an end table out on the balcony, and that was good enough for him. He grabbed the bottle, consulted the Grimoire (there was an entire section detailing how to make alchemical alcohol, of course), and grabbed a clean-looking distillery sk, a fairly intricate piece in all honesty with some really cool (heh, puns) features. He didnt have time to get too fancy at the moment, though, so he just emptied most of the bottle into the ssware and put it onto a stand, with the feed emptying into a small bowl. It was basic, but it would work. To speed up the distition, Edwin stopped his mad rush around to take the time to fill the ss bowl atop the condensation bulb with some ice water (how Niall got ice or kept it cold, he couldnt tell, but the box he had found it in didnt seem to light up to his mana sense much at all). Ten secondster, he had a decent me going, but he had to be careful to not overheat the mixture, or else it would all evaporate instead of primarily the alcohol, and hed need to do another round. While it was heating, he flipped through the Grimoire to see if there was anything that might help. A certain herb caught his eye- it was a grass (Seagrass, specifically) which, when dried in a very particr way, would absorb water, and only water. It also tainted, like the Sea for whence it is named, the waters upon which it is added to but Edwin didnt see that as too much of an issue at the moment. Even better, Niall had some of the stuff (it was very distinctive), though not much. It was brittle yet soft, and Edwin seriously wanted to study it, but it didnt stop him from lining his distition bowl with the stuff, which already had a few drops of liquid in it. Huh. That was really fast, only a minute or two. Were his Skills helping this in some invisible way? If so, awesome. Anyway, while his setup was running, Edwin continued his mad scramble to prepare everything. He weighed the possibility of using one of the iron bars in ce of his stick (and a morebat-ready dagger he uncovered in his search) as his weapon, but decided against it. No, that would be too lethal, and he wasnt there quite yet. Actually.... He did have a use for one of the bars. Sure, his potion should disable the minions, but did he really want to count entirely on that? Ha. He grabbed one of medium-length and thickness, tying a knot at a right angle to the bar around its center, then tied the other end to one shackle in a manacle. You have unlocked the Knot-Work skill! ept Skill? Y/N Shush. Disable. A bit of testing showed the knot should hold. Okay, if that worked, that would take care of one minion, and would use one shackle. Then, hed have to subdue four more with two manacles. His primary advantages would be surprise and that he was armed, while the bandits tended to leave their weapons on the first floor when in the tower. Didnt seem that smart to him, but hey, what did he know? Maybe their brawls got out of hand when they were armed or something. His bowl had umted a few ounces of distilled alcohol, as a quick whiff would confirm, and his Seagrass seemed to be at capacity. This next part would be the crucial part, and all he had to rely on here was Alchemy itself. Not ideal, but here we go. Edwin took a small scoop of his healing salve from its ceramic tub and ced it into a tiny mixing bowl, then poured in his alcohol. Stir, provide a bit of heat, release the heat, stir vigorously, apply a hint of me directly to- wait, what? Please dont explode- apply a me directly to the solution, let the puff of smoke dissipate- oh man, that made him woozy. A few deep breaths in the open air of the balcony (Niall hadnt woken up yet, fortunately, though his wounds seemed to havergely healed) cleared his head, and Edwin took a clean cloth and wiped up the solution into a rag, which he stuffed into his belt. If it worked as well on them as even a bare whiff of the stuff had done to him, he might be able to well push the minions over, one by one. A peek downstairs showed that the minions had finished cleaning up from dinner and had returned downstairs to their quarters. A bit of straining had him hear some fairly loud discussion, perhaps as they quarreled over something. Still, it was quiet enough, and he crept down the stairs, trying to bnce not being heard with not seeming like he was trying not to be heard. As Edwin ventured to the balcony, he kept his not-chloroform in one hand, and his hastily assembled rope and chain contraption in the other, he breathed a sigh of relief to see Minsix leaning against the side of the outer wall, eyes closed and rhythmically breathing. It would make this next part a lot easier, though hed still need to- Oh shoot, he was waking up. Okay, think fast. Which mattered more? The rag should be way easier to expose Minsix to than locking the manacle in ce, so thetter took priority. Okay, great, now move it. Edwin hastily closed the shackle around Minsixs ankle, connecting the minion to a literal anchor, as the Bandit Club-Wielder finished waking up, Huh? Whatcha doin there? Edwin froze, a thousand clever quips instantly fleeing as soon as he had the chance for an amazing one-liner, alongside his actual n. Instead, he just tried tackling the hulking minion (though in truth Edwin was about the same height, possibly even taller than the bandit, it didnt feel like it), his shoulder digging into the mans chest and doing nothing against the unyielding strength of the mans torso. As a meaty hand reached and grabbed Edwins arm, twisting his hand in a way that prevented him from bringing his rag to bear, only a single thought flitted through his head. Well, shoot. Chapter 42: Hitting the Bars Chapter 42: Hitting the Bars Edwin rapidly backed up, trying to get out of reach of Minsix, and mostly failing. What was that for, huh? he demanded, If ya wanted ta fight ya coulda jus asked. Edwin stayed quiet, not wanting to give the actual answer and potentially provoke the minion, but not able toe up with a clever lie either. His brain may have been doing better, but it still wasnt great. Lingering effects of inhaling the potions smoke, perhaps? Well, he could still fight, at least. Edwin grabbed his iron bar and tried to quickly jab the mans chin with it, but the bandit blocked the attack, disarmed him, and grabbed his hand before he could properly react. Edwin gritted his teeth in frustration. The ouw started to say something, but Edwin wasnt listening. Instead, he twisted and dropped down, trying to leverage his miserable bodyweight to knock Minsix off his bnce. It didnt entirely fail, but it didnt do much beyond send Edwin solidly impacting the stone balcony. He didnd close to his anchor bar, though, which he snatched back up again. Yes, it was perhaps more lethal than he would have normally liked, but better than nothing, especially given how close he would need to get in order to use his knockout potion, to say nothing of whether or not it would actually work. With a quick yank on the rope attached to the bandits ankle, he was able to unbnce Minsix as he raised a foot to try and pin Edwin to the ground. Instead, the bandit nearly toppled over himself, grabbing onto part of the balcony railing to prevent falling on top of Edwin. Edwin, for his part, scrambled to his feet and tried to swing his bar at Minsixs head, but the man raised his forearm to protect his vulnerable neck. Edwin recognized a Skill of some sort being activated as the arm snapped in ce slightly. The iron rod struck and harmlessly rebounded off of the activation, and while it didnt quite leave a stinging vibration in the metal, it was close. As Edwin struggled to maintain his grip on the bar, he took a punch straight to the face, cracking his nose and sending blood cascading into his slightly open mouth. Edwins neck snapped back painfully, and he spit out the blood umted in his mouth. He set his mouth into a tight line to prevent any more of his blood from running in. Taking a step back, he started blinking to try and clear his vision before a second blow couldnd. He partially seeded, though another punch hit his upper chest, sending him reeling back directly into the doorframe, where his head cracked painfully into the stone wall. Fighting through the pain and the stars filling his vision, Edwinmely raised his iron bar into a guard stance, holding it like a quarterstaff. His grip was hampered slightly by trying to keep a grip on his rag, but he was not about to let that fall. He may not have too much training with the stick, but he figured it would be enough to buy him a bit of time, enough for his hopefully-superior Alchemy skills toe into y. Now was the time to prove that to himself. When his vision cleared, he saw Minsix trying to break the rope connecting him to Edwins bar, but a quick thwack with his iron stick put a stop to that before he could make much headway. That, in turn, prompted a retaliatory wild punch, but just poking the bandit in the chest with his iron bar, keeping the man at bay, was enough to get him to switch to defense. Okay, now it was just a waiting game until he got the right opening, then he could strike. Minsix took a couple of steps back, until he ran against the railing and could no longer retreat. Perfect. Edwin made sure he wasnt able to regain his stance, keeping the bandit out of reach with the additional length provided by his iron club, upying the bandit with the need to constantly fend off strikes with his defensive Skill. When Minsix started trying to block the blows instead of evading them, Edwin knew hed have to switch things up. Edwin jabbed the center of Minsixs torso with the end of his bar, twisting it enough to actually connect. That attack bought him just enough time to slip the bar over the railing and between two of the supports. From there, it was just a matter of firmly yanking on the rope to break the minions footing. While less sessful than the previous attempt, in part because the bandit was ready for it, it was still enough to get a bit of room to maneuver, and as Minsix cast his attention to trying to regain his footing with a sudden stomp- some Skill was being activated, ording to Identify and Almanac- Edwins off hand finally closed in enough to hold the rag open over the bandits nose and mouth, exposing him full-force to alchemically potent alcohol vapors. There was a moment where Edwin wasnt sure if his creation actually did anything, and the horrifying thought that he might have practically killed himself, trusting in his alchemy. Then, as he watched the ouw stagger back, he breathed a sigh of relief otherwise. Before Minsix could recover his bearings against the railing, Edwin pulled out his final weapon- the iron ball, strung around his shoulder by a length of rope- and threw it as hard as his Skill-assisted attack would allow. It struck the bandit at the dead center of his chest, overbncing the somewhat drunk, partially conscious, and very loopy man, sending him slowly toppling over the railing. Edwin stared at the sight through blurry vision, until a jolt ripped his melee weapon from his hand, the rope going taut in an instant as the manacle it was tied to, and the bandit it was attached to, fell down the side of the tower. The bar did its job perfectly as it nged to the ground and raced to the edge, halting the fall of the bandit. Looking over the edge (and a bit of effort clearing his vision) showed Minsix exactly where Edwin had wanted him- dangling from a single leg (ooh, that looked like it hurt) like a pinata. The rope didnt appear as though it was about to give way, and the bandit probably had enough of a supernatural physique that hanging upside down for a while probably wouldnt kill him. He was limp (and quiet) enough that Edwin probably wouldnt have to deal with him for the moment, at least. Nevermind that he had no clue how long he would be out, how effective the knockout potion was, nor how hard it would be to do the same against the other bandits. Not to mention whether or not Minsix would survive hanging upside down for however long hed be (people could survive like that for a few hours, right? Edwin vaguely recalled some roller coaster or something that got stuck on the top of a loop, right?) Anyway, not thinking about that. He would deal with Minsixter, hopefully he was still alive by then. Edwin didnt have too much time- the longer he took, the more likely it was that the other minions woulde and investigate. Hm, actually, if they werent already here, he might have time. In any case, his first order of business was fixing himself up. Digging out what was left of his tub of healing salve, Edwin applied a few dabs of the substance to his broken nose, flinching as the affected area heated suddenly and a few quiet cracks reverberated through his skull. Before he could properly process what had happened, however, the process was finished and more ginger touching of the base of his nose yielded no additional pain. A couple additional dabs were applied to the back of his head and to his ribs, where a bruise was already starting to form. As he watched, the bruise quickly faded, not even going through its typical cycle of turning purple, just vanishing. Huh. So then the salve wasnt just creating blood? He hadnt really thought about it when applying it onto his broken nose, but Edwin had vaguely theorized that the salve functioned akin to a pluripotent stem cell- it created replicants of whatever it was exposed to. It would exin the rapid healing of cuts and to a lesser extent the healing of burns, as well as why a non-primed salve might do nothing or kill the patient- if it targeted bacteria, that could absolutely have no or detrimental effects, but making blood appear locally wouldnt make a bruise vanish like that. Further testing required, it had been a while since Edwin had found something hed need to look intoter, but he made a note with Almanac on the salve to investigate its propertiester on as he stashed it back in its pouch. A quick peek over the side- Minsix was still hanging limply, though not motionlessly- reassured Edwin his contraption was functioning as intended, and, after a brief trip upstairs to grab a few coils of rope, a new iron bar, as well as recovering his iron ball from where it had rolled off to, strode down the stairs. Mintwo and Minseven were in the living room, throwing dice on the table and ying some kind of game. Meanwhile, Minfour slept on a pad off in the corner. The two minions barely even nced at Edwin as he started to descend the stairs, not noticing his iron bar, potion-soaked rag, iron ball, open manacles, or even the lengths of rope loosely coiled around his arms. They must have been really engrossed in their game. With a deep breath, Edwin finished going down the stairs and threw his iron ball as hard as he could. Mintwo had no time to react as Edwins thrown attack collided firmly with his shoulder, sending him sprawling and letting the ball roll to some far corner of the room. Edwin felt like he had a decent grasp of the minionsbat capabilities at this point. They seemed to have a fair number of active powers- like Block or Knockback Blow, as he thought of them- but other than some kind of generic toughness Skill (or was it the Health attribute?), they didnt have much to help against surprise attacks. Before Mintwo could recover, Edwin pounced on him, pushing the bandit towards his sleepingpatriot and pulling out a manacle. With his other hand, he tried holding his rag against the mans face, but found he couldnt hold it steady enough as the bandit started trying to shake Edwin off. He still managed to quickly snap one side of his manacles shut on Mintwos wrist, fortunately, but before he could close the other end on Minfour, Minseven grabbed Edwins ankle and yanked him off hispatriot, flinging Edwin across the room. Edwin was exceedingly thankful he had taken the time to heal himself before engaging these bandits, as hended in a heap next to the stairs, his own club painfully jabbing himself in the ribs. He quickly, if unsteadily, got to his feet, just in time to fend off a swinging manacle, still attached to the wrist of Mintwo. Edwin managed to block the swinging chain before it struck his head, but the other shackle clicked closed. Great. That would be way more annoying to attach now Fortunately, positioned as he was beneath the stairs, Minseven wasnt able to effectively approach Edwin. Unfortunately, he ran down the stairs leading to the ground floor instead. Edwin didnt know why exactly, but the options basically amounted to him getting Minfive or retrieving his weapons. Maybe both No time to worry about that, though, as Minfour was also rousing himself from his nap on the floor, meaning hed soon have to deal with three, possibly four minions simultaneously. Great. Why did he think this was a good idea, again? Oh yeah. Because he wanted to take care of all of the bandits without going to the appropriate authorities because he wanted to be cool, and he wasnt sure how long the cavalry would really take to arrive. He was an idiot. Still, he could probably still manage this, hed just hmm. Hed need to immobilize the minions for a second or two, that was all. Edwin pulled a coil of rope from his forearm and held it in his off hand, trying to use it as something of a makeshift cloak or shield of some form. Between that and his staff, Edwin felt decently confident facing the unarmed minion, though not too optimistic about his chances if Minfour finished blinking the sleep from his eyes, or if Minfive or Minseven showed up. Until then, though, he had range, which was everything in a brawl. Mintwo couldnt get too close without inviting a rod to the face. He chanced it, though, and Edwin retaliated with a wallop as hard as he could manage, the end of his bar solidly colliding with the bandits jaw. It barely did anything. A bit of blood trickled from the corner of the minions mouth, perhaps a bit of broken skin on the chin where Edwin had struck, but nothing else. Shoot. So much for no passive enhancements, Edwin was convinced that blow should have at the minimum broken a normal humans jaw, if not worse. As Mintwo tried to pull Edwin into a grapple, Edwin used his bar as a forced spacer, bracing it against the stairs to give him the leverage required, but as the bandit tried to lunge at Edwin, saying something Edwin tuned out, he slipped off to the side altogether, removing all resistance. The unexpected loss of resistance sent the minion stumbled forward, which in turn gave Edwin the chance to release the coil of rope from his grip and toss it over Mintwos head. A yank on the cord drew the loops tight, pulling the bandit off his attack and holding him still, hopefully long enough. While he had to contend with the iling attacks of Mintwo, Edwin dropped his stick and pulled his rag open. In his position hanging solidly onto the mans back, keeping what was almost a noose tight across his throat, he was able to hold the rag in ce...e on, it was almost there just a second now. He breathed a sigh of relief as Mintwo stopped struggling, slumping instead into unconsciousness. He didnt have any time to celebrate, though, as Minfour was on Edwin, and he barely had time to kick his stick away before his new opponent could grab it himself. He ducked and rolled, getting away before the minion could grab him. He cast a wary gaze at his foe. Hed need to keep Minfour upied, so he couldnt untie Mintwo, and hopefully even take out the bandit before Minseven could return. Edwin sighed as he recovered his bar, massaging his potion rag (was it getting drier?) to reassure himself that he could still manage this. It wasn''t going to get any easier fron here. Chapter 43: Sticking Around Chapter 43: Sticking Around Edwin once again mentally berated himself for trying to fight, let alone in melee. He was not cut out for this in the slightest. He didnt have the Skills (or skills) for it, wasnt as strong as his opponents, and it opened himself up to way too many retaliatory attacks. Why had he thought this was a good idea, again? Oh right. Because he wanted to make sure nobody else died while whoever he called for backup, and because he needed to close in to his foes to use his knockout potion. But, as it turned out, a few days of training from Lefi and about two weeks and a few weekends on Earth spent learning about fencing was no substitute for actualbat experience and System assistance. Next iteration of the sleep potion would be a bomb. That way, he could benefit from Bomb Throwing, Throwing Weapons and Alchemy all at the same time! Pity he didnt have anything that he could have okay, so he probably could have made the potion into a bomb by putting it into a ss bottle and sealing it. But then hed only get one shot- literally- and he needed to use it to take down way more than one foe. Until he could prepare actual weapons, though (next time, he promised himself), he would stick to doing what seemed to work best- throwing random stuff and hoping it worked out. It was still annoying that throwing wooden dice at Minfour was more effective than smacking him with what basically amounted to a baseball bat, though. Having snatched the tiny cubes off the table, he sent them flying at the bandit, aimed at his eyes and face with what he felt was surprising uracy. The assistance Throwing Weapons provided still hadnt fully sunk in to his new normal, it seemed. Each time, the minion was forced to raise a hand to block the attack, letting Edwin slip a bit further away. Now that he had made it onto the stairs, Minfour kept trying to climb up after him, but Edwin was more or less sessfully keeping him at bay. A spark of inspiration struck Edwin as he threw his tenth dice- only two left- and he uncoiled a length of rope from his forearm. The next time Minfour tried to climb the stairs, Edwin tossed the rope at him, easily ensnaring his face with the tangles of woven cord. From there, the next step was easy! Totally easy. He didnt need to hesitate. Do it, Edwin! Its really cruel, though, he couldnt help but think, Also really dangerous. What if- The dy meant that Minfour had enough time to untangle his head from the rope, and he started pulling on the rope, trying to get Edwin to release it or be pulled down the stairs. Edwins eleventh dice got him to pause for a moment, but no longer. It was long enough for Edwin to get over his hesitation, at least, and he assessed the situation. Minfour had wrapped the coils of cord around his arms and was grasping it all firmly, insistently yanking on the whole thing. It wasnt ideal, but it would do. This time, Edwin didnt wait. With a deep breath, he let loose. Firestarting. Minfour swore profusely as the rope he had so firmly wrapped around his arms erupted into mes. No doubt traumatized by thest time Edwin had set him on fire, he tried to release the burning rope like it was a live snake, but that did little for the lengths he had already bound to himself. Parts fell to the stairs, and Edwin made sure his Skill was inactive before the tower was caught on fire. Wouldnt do to get that going too soon. It did nothing for the already-burning rope (and minion), but hopefully it would prevent the wooden interior from igniting. Minfour, by the time he escaped from his fiery bindings, already had fairly severe burns on his palms and forearms. Edwin grimaced, but threw his final dice at the bandit. On instinct- no, it was some sort of Skill thatpelled the action, Edwin could finally tell, it was too sudden, to involuntary to have been anything else- the man raised a burned hand to intercept the projectile, but was unprepared for the explosion of pain that came from the tiny, wooden object bursting a fairly sizeable blister and bing lodged inside the wound. He howled in agony, but it was enough for Edwin, who took the opportunity to jump kneeing Minfour in the face as he jumped past the man,nding with a stumble on the floor below. He didnt stop there, though, and used the minions momentary stumble as a chance to grab the mans face with his rag. Before the man could properly orient himself, the potion did its job and Minfour toppled backwards and mmed into the stairs with such force that Edwin half-expected the boards to give way. The sickening crack wasnt from the wood, though, and Edwin couldnt bring himself to look at first, though he couldnt avert his gaze forever. When he finally did chance a nce, he saw the bandit lying unconscious on the floor below where he had fallen off the steps, arm at an angle Edwin knew wasnt it wasnt supposed to be at. He had a moment to spare, so Edwin withdrew the key for the manacles from his belt pouch and chained the two fallen minions together. Minfours broken arm should even help in keeping them disabled, as presumably Mintwo would be hesitant to cause too much pain to his friend to try to fight or move quickly. He didnt have the time to admire his handiwork, though, as he stomped out one patch of the floor still smoldering from where burning rope had fallen on it. No sooner had he managed to do so, however, the descending stairs started to squeak and tremble as Minfive and Minseven barreled up them. As he had more or less adequate warning, Edwin was able to prepare a bit of an ambush. He dove to the floor, and as Minsevens head poked above the floorboards, Edwin barely managed to wrap the rag aground the bandits face and hold tight before the mans momentum continued carrying him forward regardless of Edwins presence, and he was yanked from his position out into thin air. He briefly fought back his panic that the freefall brought about and scrambled to try and recover his footing, unintentionally kicking Minfive in the face. The kick didnt seem to bother the minion at all, but it did give him enough of a foothold to finish knocking out Minseven, and as the bandit slumped against Edwin, he sidestepped to avoid having to take the whole weight of the man against him, shoving the bandit backwards as he scrambled up the steps. It was just in time, too, as Minfive had recovered from Edwins kick and was winding his club up to try and knock Edwin out. However, the way Minseven fell meant that the bandit had to quickly redirect his attack into the side of the tower, an insanely strong blow which Edwin could feel reverberate through the building. In a disy of speed which Edwin had trouble keeping up with, Minseven released his club as it rebounded against the wall, letting it fly into the air, caught Minseven, gently set the Ouw Laborer down on the stairs, and caught his club as it fell back past him. Edwin had no clue what sort of Skill had to have been involved in that, but it must have been something impressice. The man barely even slowed as he stepped over his fallen ally,ing after Edwin with a murderous re in his eyes. The Elite Bandit Bodyguard bounded up the stairs and doubled back around to face Edwin in an instant. He said something, but Edwin tuned him out. That was apparently the wrong move, as when Edwin didnt respond, he bellowed in rage and brought his club around in a devastating swing. Edwin raised his stick to try and block it, but the blow knocked it clear from his grip and across the room, then continued on its trajectory. Edwin felt a rib break as the club connected with his side, sending painncing through his entire torso and knocking Edwin into the wall. He narrowly avoided falling into the stairwell, but revised that assessment as he was Minfive winding up an attack aimed at bringing down his club onto Edwins head. A quick contortion had Edwin dropping onto the stairs below, the sudden stop as hended hard on the steps renewing waves of agony from his broken bones. He cut a hasty retreat downstairs as he fumbled to pull out his healing salve while also trying to keep his rag on hand. He failed, though, and had to shove his potion cloth into his pocket before he was able to turn his attention towards tugging his shirt loose and applying the paste where the pain was most acute. He managed to get the lid back onto the tub before his fingers, slippery with sweat and salve, let the precious medicine slide from his grip, the ceramic container bouncing downstairs step by step. Hed Infused the container through Packing, which was likely the only reason it didnt break, but it still was firmly out of his both literal and metaphorical grasp. He hastily tried to retrieve it, but wasnt able to stow it again before Minfive was behind him. A haphazard toss of a small length of cord got Edwin mere seconds as the bandit hit it from the air like a baseball. Okay, hed have to do some quick thinking. The first floor of the tower was strewn with random rubble; broken lumber, piles of discarded cloth, a twisted tangle of lightly rusting, but very pointy metal, and some rocks. Edwin wasnt sure where the rocks hade from- the tower walls, perhaps? There werent any obvious holes- but that didnt matter too much at the moment. He swept over to the pile and slipped his healing salve in a pocket before picking up a pair of rocks, throwing them as hard as he could at Minfive. Packing helped, he could tell, he wouldnt have been able to lift such heavy stones without it, but the real benefit came from his Throwing Weapons skill, which helped guide each of the sizable rocks at his target. One was swept aside by Minfives club, but the other struck the bandits shoulder and left no obvious injuries. His arm barely even moved. Great. Edwin grabbed two more stones, each slightly smaller than a volleyball, and threw one underhanded, the other overhanded, as though he were ying dodgeball and was trying to sneak a hit in. Minfives club blurred, and shattered the overhand throw, closing his eyes to endure the spray of stone fragments. His club moved on its own in an attempt to block the arcing underhand toss, but it missed, the stone colliding with his outstretched arm and forcing it to buckle. Okay, so he wasnt invincible. That was good. If Edwin were to hazard a guess based on his ss, perhaps his Skills were more effective while trying to directly protect others? If so, that would exin his uncharicteristic disy of speed when catching Minseven. Minfive took a second to wipe the dust from his eyes, which Edwin did not waste. By the time he had finished, Edwin had scooped up two handfuls of small pebbles, throwing them like they were scattershot at the bandit. His club wasnt able to block all of the rocks- it tried snapping to one at a time instead of sweeping aside all of them- and a few connected with his face, blinding him once more. What he really needed to do was try to use his rag once more, hed had luck with it so far, after all, but getting close enough to manage that would be problematic. Edwin grabbed another handful of the stones and started circling Minfive, trying to get back to the stairs. Going back up held a lot of potential, after all. Shut up. No more jokes. I need to focus. Next time Edwin tried to blind the minion, he had already grown wise to the tactic, closing his eyes the moment Edwin started his throw. Fortunately, Edwin was able to react quickly enough that he was able to dy his actual attack for a second, long enough for Minfive to suspect a feint and reopen his eyes- just in time for Edwins projectiles to connect, opening a new string of cursing from the bandit as he wiped his eyes free once more. With hisst handful of pebbles, Edwin truly did feint his attack, and the bandit shielded his eyes with his hand, abandoning his two-handed grip on his club. It still obscured his vision, though, and was even better for making it hard to defend from Edwins true attack, a high-speed rock hastily retrieved from a nearby rubble pile. The projectile smashed into Minfives hand, actually leaving a visible mark as a pointed corner of the stone tore open some skin on the back of his hand. It wasnt much, but it was a start. At this point, Edwin had finally managed to reposition himself such that he was at the bottom of the stairs, and after throwing hisst blinding attack- Minfive blocked it by shielding his eyes with his hand- he darted up the steps. Minseven was starting to stir, but Edwin solidly stomped on his face as he passed, and the ouw slumped back into unconsciousness, blood trickling from his nose. Edwins thoughts raced as Minfive clomped up the stairs behind him. Hed only have a single chance to make any of this work, and as he reached the top, he realized hed already missed his chance. Minfive had jumped over the body of Minseven, and was just mere steps behind Edwin, eagerly reaching out to try and snag Edwins jacket. In response, Edwin drew his knife, rubbed it with what was left of his sleeping potion and threw it, the weapon traveling mere inches through the air before it pierced the bandits outstretched hand, the steel tip embedding itself firmly into the soft skin on his palm. To his credit, Minfive didnt immediately cry out in pain, though the sleeping potion may have numbed it. He did, however, unleash a dreadful tirade of cursing as he shook his hand in an attempt to dislodge the offending weapon. He didnt seed, though why Edwin wasnt sure. Did the blood form a seal, or was there enough residual healing effect from his potion to heal the wound around the de. Minfive removed the source of his agony, pulling it free in a single motion which prompted another stream of profanity. By necessity he had to release his club and let it tter to the floor below, both hands upied as they were. He swayed unsteadily as he seemed to fight against the effects of the sedative, which gave Edwin just enough of a chance. Edwin didnt waste his opportunity, and while his potion rag no longer functioned as he hefted the heaviest thing he was able to find on short notice- the iron ball he had used to such great effect thus far, looped around a leg of the table- and mmed the entire contraption as hard as he could into Minfives head. The bandit fell backwards, his footing to rest on Minsevens body. The step he was on creaked ominously, but before it could settle or Minfive could recover, Edwin threw his entire makeshift weapon at the pair. It mmed into Minfives body, and the sudden force proved too great for the precarious stairway, and the wood gave way, sending the two bandits plummeting to the floor below. In most circumstances, Edwin wouldnt trust the mere ten-foot fall to take them out, but specifically where they were peeking over the edge, he saw them both lying lifelessly on the pile of scrap metal and discarded weapons. What appeared to be the tines of a pitchfork had pierced Minsevens chest, while Minsevens neck had been split open by a rusted plow, perhaps? Besides, the mans skull was half-crushed by the iron ball, even as the bandit himself was nearly decapitated by the metal de. Edwin looked away, fighting not to lose his dinner at the sight. He couldnt help but grimly think that at least his manacle situation was simpler now, though. He breathed out, trying to clear his head, and drank deeply from his canteen. The tower fell silent, the only noise being the pained breathing and whimpering of his surviving victims. Chapter 44: The Aftermath: Now Addition-Free! Chapter 44: The Aftermath: Now Addition-Free! Level Up! Skill Points 404417 Progress to Tier 2: 635/1590 Alchemy Level 4651 Athletics Level 3033 Firestarting Level 3738 First Aid Level 2628 Flexibility Level 2730 Outsiders Almanac Level 7778 Packing Level 1718 Congrattions! For ying a foe stronger than you, you have unlocked the Giant yer path! Congrattions! For sessfully defeating the bandits led by the Catabolic Alchemist, you have unlocked the Superior Alchemist path! Congrattions! For ousting its previous inhabitants, you have unlocked the Master of the Ruined Tower path! Edwin unsteadily rose to his feet from his slumped position, his tasks running through his mind. Okay, he needed to cut down Minsix, check up on Niall, and chain them all up to somewhere they couldnt get away from. Then, he needed to somehow get the si- four of them to whatever that town was, about a days walk from here. He doubted theyd go willingly, so hed probably have to drag them along and it would be a whole hassle hed deal with thatter. For now, hed just gather them all up and figure out how to keep them from running away while he slept. Minsix was firmly unconscious, hanging limply from one leg, but he was alive, and Edwin, after a brief attempt to haul the man back up to the balcony, just cut the line and let him fall thest little bit onto the mounds of ivy coating the hill. Once on the ground, the many limp and unmoving, and it was only Edwins supernatural vision which allowed him to see the mans chest slowly rise and fall to reassure him that he hadnt killed him in the fall. Getting down the tower was a challenge Edwin hadnt entirely anticipated. His defeat of Minfive and Minseven had left some three steps missing from near the top of the finalnding, and Edwin now trusted the strength of the surviving stairs even less. Still, he was able to just drop down from the hole in the floor onto the steps to bypass the problem altogether, though how would his prisoners do it, or would he have to carry them down? Ugh. There were so many logistical problems involved with taking prisoners. Theyd just be executed anyway, he was sure. But he didnt want to be the one who actually wielded the executioners axe. Was he being silly, and should he just grit his teeth and kill them anyway? Probably. But he resisted the part of himself that advocated for him to just kill them all. He took most of them alive for a reason, after all. That wasnt how he wanted to be. Edwin knelt by Minsixs thoroughly unconscious body, looking at how flush the bandits face was after hanging upside down for ten minutes? Not very long, at least, though he didnt know how long exactly. He removed the shackle from around the mans ankle, switching the manacle to his wrists. With a heave, he picked up the really heavy minion, straining not quite as much as he had anticipated- Level Up! Skill Points 417418 Progress to Tier 2: 636/1590 Packing Level 1819 -Ah, that made sense. Still, hauling Minsix wasnt easy, magical enhancements or no, but he aplished it. He dropped the limp body near the center of the first floor, fastening the chain so he was wrapped around a support post, then, as ast bit of extra precaution, bound the mans ankles in several coils of rope as well. Before Edwin returned upstairs, a thought struck him, and he gathered up all the weapons from where they were stashed near the door, dumped them outside, and set them on fire. He couldnt use them, and it didnt make sense to leave the clubs (why did they all use clubs? Ah, wait, it probably had something to do with trying to not make their victims bleed too much, didnt it?) in a usable state. Level Up! Skill Points 418420 Progress to Tier 2: 637/1590 Firestarting Level 3839 Mana Infusion Level 6263 Okay, the Skill Points had seemed like a good idea at first, but now it was just getting annoying. With a quick mental flex, he changed it so it would only disy if he had at least three different skills leveling. Anyway, with that taken care of, Edwin hopped up the steps to find Niall. The bandit Alchemist was pretending to be unconscious when Edwin finisheding up the stairs, but given he was in apletely different orientationpared to when Edwin had left him, he wasnt buying it, I know youre awake. Niall didnt respond, and Edwin btedly remembered to pull the gag he had made for the alchemist off, cutting the cloth holding it in ce. Niall spat out the fabric in his mouth, Did you have to? Tha tasted foul. Edwin shrugged, I couldnt have you warning your men. The bandit leader sighed in resignation, Well, you got me, then. This day was always going toe, wasn it? He stopped for a moment, before quietly asking, I suppose theyre all dead now? Edwin shook his head, Just Minfive and Minseven. Even they werent entirely intentional. Im not like you, I wont just kill whoever just because its convenient. he insisted, trying to convince himself as much as Niall. Niall turned away, his voice filled with sadness, Minseven was with me for two months. Thed had barely broken free, an now hes gone. Are you content with yourself? Edwin felt his emotions try to take over, but locked his empathy for the serial killers away before it could do anything, Yeah, well everyst one of your victims had lives of their own. He rolled Niall onto his front and yanked on his chains, dragging Niall up by his manacles, Now its time you pay for that. Nialls gaze hardened, Then jus kill us now. Get yourself a Path for the trouble, dont just deliver us like a bunch of helpless slimes to the Empire. Edwin hesitated, then steeled his resolve, No. Thats a line Im not crossing. I took you prisoner, and so youll face justice, and thats not something I can provide. Not really. Now move it, I want to keep you all in one ce. Ha! As though theyd give us any kind of justice. Theyll take one look at us an send us to the noose. Edwin shrugged, Then thats whatll happen. Now, do I need to kick you down the stairs, or are youing willingly? Im movin, Im movin, Niall grumbled. It took some corralling, but Edwin eventually got all of his prisoners more or less in one ce. That said, he did leave Minsix on the first floor, chained as he was to a support post. Minseven and Minfive he dragged outside in the fading light, covering them with cloth behind the tower, doing his best to never look into their lifeless eyes, and mostly seeding. Niall, Mintwo, and Minfour he shoved into one of the rooms on the second floor, after giving it a quick search to make sure it didnt have anything weaponizable in it, then barricaded the door with as much random stuff as he could, turning it into a makeshift prison cell. He wished he could have refreshed their potion KOs, but he didn''t have any left, what little remainder was on the rag after wiping most of it onto his thrown knife having either evaporated or dried out. By the time he had their cell secured to his satisfaction, Edwin was exhausted. His wounds may have been taken care of by his healing salve, but it did nothing to offset the bone-deep weariness that came from pushing himself to his limits, and the emotional rollercoaster that the day had been, to say nothing of the actual fight. Still, he couldnt sleep yet. First, he needed to secure his room to ensure that if they broke out of their room, hed have warning before the bandits were on him. Once that whole process was finished, Edwin was barely keeping himself on his feet. The sun had finished setting some time ago, and he swayed in the darkness, before hopping onto his bed. Edwin wasnt sure if he actually fell asleep before his head hit its pillow, but it was a close race either way. Edwin did not, thankfully, wake up to an alchemist with murderous intent standing over him. Instead, he just woke up on his own, even the trills of birdsong which normally pulled him from slumber not capable of prating the stone walls of the tower. He stretched, almostpletely rejuvenated, and (after grabbing his weapons), unbarricaded the door and cautiously peered out. Content that his efforts to keep the bandits contained had been sessful, Edwin ventured out of his room, double-checked the barricading into their room (it never hurt to be sure), and started iming his loot from his vanquished bandit camp. In theb, he grabbed the Grimoire, some very basicb equipment (tossing away anything that seemed to have so much as even a hint of biological remains upon it, which was a lot), including a nice variety of bottles and vials, and a good amount- probably five pounds- of dried herbs and other nts. Despite his reluctance, he did look through the notes, taking the ones which might actually be of use. They were a memorial to those who had fallen, he couldn''t let it all just go to waste. He''d just need to be careful who he let see them, maybe discarding them once he had them memorized. A good haul, even if he couldnt help but shudder every time he came across something that was very obviously from a murdered passer-by. Arge bird-like skull that had to have been from an Avior, a perfectly preserved human heart, even the jar of eyeballs he had noticed the first time he looked around no longer brought fascination, just nausea. There was just... so much, and the sickening feeling he got from handling any of the potions seemed to have almost seeped into the very tower itself. This entire ce would burn, he decided. Hed gotten anything of value out of it, and it would serve as a funeral pyre for Minfive, Minseven, and all their victims. It would also ensure he didnt miss anything that might leave this tower valuable to a more people like Niall in the future. He didnt know if ghosts were a thing here- he should probably figure that out, actually- but if there were, destroying theb would probably set a few to rest. By the time Edwin had packed away all of his haul (including a few small bags, maybe a pound or two, of the various dry foods from the kitchen storeroom), it was approximately noon, and even his Status seemed to agree that hed done enough. Level Up! Packing Level 1920 Overall, his pack weighed probably eighty pounds or so, but he was able to toss it around like it was just a moderately heavy backpack. Magic was awesome, letting him pack away half an alchemyb and have it feel lighter than his textbook-filled backpack from college. Well, it was time to deal with his prisoners, he supposed. The bandits had been surprisingly docile. They hadnt offered much in the way of resistance as he unblocked their room or encouraged them to go down the stairs (the minions were tall enough to just step over the gap, and Niall was able to as well, with enough straining). The gleaming knife he held (Turns out steel glowed slightly when you dumped enough mana into it- it took a lot of mana, though. It felt as though his mana had run a marathon by the time he was done) probably factored into it, all told. Minsix was more hostile at first, but after Edwin started waving around his magical dagger, quieted down. Huh. Magic weapons were apparently a very effective intimidation tactic. Good to know. Did it bypass their Skill defenses or something, maybe? Worth a test in the future. He wasnt sure how effectively he would be able to use Mana Infusion on his weapons, but if he could manage it. Anyway, Edwin chained his prisoners together, putting Niall at the front, attaching him and his personal manacles to Minsix, who was in turn attached to Minfour, and finally to Mintwo. That way, if any of the minions tried something, theyd be wrenching on Minfours broken arm. Cruel? Maybe a little bit. But it was effective, and that was what he cared about. Throughout the entire scenario, they had all been quiet (not counting Minsix, who started off shouting), giving little more than vague grunts even as Edwin got them to cooperate. Hed even had to decline the Intimidation skill when it was offered up again. Niall, of all of them, was the first to break their silence, when Edwin carried Minfive and Minsevens body into the tower. Wha Wha are you doing? he asked. Im giving them, and all of your other victims, a pyre. Edwin replied, straining under the weight of the body, Its the least I can do. A pyre? Niall seemed confused for a moment before understanding shed across his face, No! You cant! This tower has stood for- Edwin cut him off, Im not letting it stay here for more bandits to move in and kill other people. If anyone cared about it, they would have driven you out. Niall seemed quite distraught at the sight, even more than he had been regarding the death of his men. Odd, but okay, No! If you burn it, then- he cut himself off. Then what? Youll set the grasnds on fire! Niall hastily lied. Tell the truth, Edwin took a page out of Taras book and held his shining dagger very, very close to the bandits throat, watching as the mans Adams apple bobbed nervously, Ill know if you lie. Niall cast his gaze down, Youll destroy all of my findings. All my research, gone forever. Edwin cocked an eyebrow at the alchemist, Really? You dont have that much longer to worry about it, by your reckoning. Well, yes, but he shook his head, Another might find i one day. Not much of a concern for you, is it? You wouldnt know one way or the other. Well, the System- Niall started, but Edwin walked inside, cutting hisint short. At the center of it all, he dropped the second corpse next to the first. Around them, he piled thest of the cast-off cloth. Summoning thest bit of his magical strength, Edwin Infused his skill as much as it would take,id his hand against the wooden support in the middle of the building, and pushed. Firestarting. It was a lovely fire. The mes, visible only through the asional gaps in the masonry, roared through the wooden supports. Edwin originally nned to stay around until he was sure that the the entire building was gone, but a notification popped up, informing him that wasnt required. So, he corralled his prisoners and started leading them to the road. Behind him, the mes broke through to the roof, and looking in the right direction showed tongues of fire erupting from the top of the giant stone tower, like a massive, ivy-covered candle. Level Up! Firestarting Level 3941 Mana Infusion Level 6263 Congrattions! For destroying the Ruined Tower, you have unlocked the Razer of the Ruined Tower path! Congrattions! For willfully burning down a stable structure, you have unlocked the Arsonist path! Chapter 45: With a Nice Little Bow Chapter 45: With a Nice Little Bow Edwin had to admit that he was somewhat worried about what to do when they needed to stop for the night. He remembered that it would take about a day of walking to get from the Ruined Tower to the nearest town, but he also knew that was going at more or less full speed, traveling lightly and with just him and Lefi, both incentivized to walk at a decent pace. While his prisoners may have been fairly cooperative all things considered, he couldnt exactly imagine them being excited about being led to their execution. Between that and their chains binding them together, Edwin figured that it would take them some two to three days of dedicated travel before hed be able to pass them along to the local authority figure and carry on his way, probably looking for more talsanenris berries. It did leave him in a bit of a conundrum, though, which was how he was supposed to ensure that they didnt stab him or escape in the night. Maybe hed be able to attach their chains to something? Hed need to keep an eye out for potential candidates. The sooner he could be done with this whole mess, the better. He most certainly was looking forward to not needing to tune out Nialls endlessints about how hed destroyed years of research by burning down the tower. Edwin could sympathize, he really could. Losing massive amounts of research because of a misced notebook, or aputer issue? He could rte. Heck, had they been about anything else, Edwin would have probably stuffed all the notes into his pack alongside the Grimoire. But when paging through the notebooks, Edwin didnt see anything that was actually that useful to a normal, non-murderous researcher. Sure, hed kept the final sheets, and some of the more critical workings, but everything, every form, every potion, had all been mere trial and error for each specific recipe. Niall hadnt done anything except perfect the sorts of potions which Edwin wanted no part in spreading to the wider world. It would have been one thing if, through his experiments, the crazed alchemist had discovered some underlying aspect of magical healing, which could be repurposed into creating potions which didnt require a steady stream of corpses to use. And while a potion which required endless fresh bodies might be useful to an institutional power like the Empire, if they could use condemned criminals- Edwin nced back at his line of prisoners- as ingredients, he didnt trust them enough. After all, since when had literally any Empire been on the moral high ground? Nah, if he gave it to the Empire, it wouldnt turn out well. Where was he? Oh, right. Useful research. What Niall had done was spend an ungodly amount of corpses perfecting the specific methodology needed for a single skin-regeneration, or bone-healing, or blindness-curing potion, each one at a time. And sure, he seemed to have pretty effective potions made that way, but Edwin couldnt apply that knowledge anywhere else. It seemed like, not that he was surprised, Joriah hadnt undergone the Scientific Revolution yet. Pure trial and error on a specific task was what alchemists did, not scientists, which just made his heart ache. They were obsessed with results, rather than methods, so it never urred to ask why something was the way it was, just how they could make something work. They might have a thousand different forms to cure specific ailments, but there was no unifying theory exining why the forms worked, or why each of them worked differently. ordingly, they couldnt predict results with any more uracy than mere guesswork. Unless they had tried it and marked down the results, they had no clue what switching out fireseed for sparkweed might do to a concoction, because they didnt investigate the underlying structure involving each ingredient. Well, he supposed, he would just have to fix that. All of thatbined to the vast majority of Nialls notes not being that useful, all told. Not when page upon page was just about how many grains of muscle tissue produced the most effective results in an enhancement potion. The final result? Hed kept that, shoving the page inside the matching Grimoire one. That was another thing, too! From what Edwin could tell, Niall hadnt done any original research, just did the legwork for a handful of forme in the Grimoire to include the sorts of measurements and timings which should have been a part of the original book. He nearly told Niall, many times, just how useless all of his work had been, and that was why he had burned it all, but decided each time that he was better off just staying silent. It wouldnt change anything, and Edwin just couldnt quite bring himself to face the man. Far behind them, plumes of smoke billowed from the tower like it were a smokestack. Given how generally t the terrain was around here, it was bound to be visible for miles. Thus, while he was surprised at how quickly he saw them, it wasnt all that surprising when, mid-afternoon, Edwin spotted a convoy of guards heading in that direction. Even with his enhanced vision, Edwins first vision of the neers was that of mere blurry silhouettes cresting over a distant hill, cutting a direct path to the tower. It took a few seconds of their race onward before those silhouettes resolved into a trio of mounted individuals. Shortly thereafter, presumably upon noticing Edwin and his followers, they swiftly banked, charging directly at Edwins little band at a near gallop until they came to a nigh-instantaneous halt mere feet from Edwins little group. Halt in the name of the Liras Empire, and Magistrate Toklkoricthail! The first of the three armored individuals cried, unnecessarily, as Edwin and the others had already stopped, waiting for the cavalry to arrive. Running from someone on horseback seemed somewhat pointless, after all. Now that they were close enough, though, Edwin took the chance to Identify them. Senior Lieutenant Experienced Guardsman Adult Satan Horse Wait, no. Aim a bit up. Veteran Guardsman State your name and purpose, ouw! Oh right, he should be paying more attention to the Avior lieutenant. Interestingly, the others were human. What was up with that? Edwin stumbled over his words, Oh-ah. He straightened his back to appear more official, Adventurer Edwin, sir. I encountered a group of bandits kidnapping and murdering passers-by. I took it upon myself to ensure they werent able to continue. Im currently taking them to town to face justice. The lieutenant peered down from atop his steed, presenting a very intimidating figure as he loomed over them all, Present me with material evidence establishing your ims! Produce your license forthwith. Oh, right! Edwin fumbled around, trying to dig out the tiny stone medallion. By the time he had found it in one of his belt pouches, he looked up to see the end of some exchange between the guard and Niall, who looked as though he had just bit into an especially sour lemon. He wanted to ask what he had missed, but figured he probably shouldnt trouble the man holding a giant spear on a steed which could probably crush Edwin without a second thought, Here you are! he lifted the trinket, and after a moment, the lieutenant nodded faintly. So be it. He sounded annoyed, somehow? Figured, I, Captain Laiare, do ept your story, ou-Adventurer Edwin. Wait, just like that? Also, shoot, was he about to say Outsider? He wanted that to be a secret! Did Tara tell someone? Oh, wait, he probably cut off saying ouw, didnt he? That would make more sense, if he was mandated to be at least somewhat courteous to Adventurers. You have presented the requisite ims and produced your license when requested. Those whom you have apprehended are responsible for many crimes- Huh, how could they tell? He sounded absolutely certain. -and with theck of protections, they are henceforth taken into custody to be judged for banditry, rejection of Citizen status- Niall made a choked noise, which seemed fair enough if what he had said about his childhood was true. There had been no rejection there, just being cast out for his differences, Murder, and assault. Do you wish to return to Valenasis to present your testimony as evidence? Edwin blinked nkly, Wish? Do I not need to? Not if you desire otherwise. There seems to be adequate evidence to convict these criminals in absence of your presence. I merely must confirm what the used said, did you set the fire over yonder? he raised a wing, indicating the plume of smoke that was once the Tower. Edwin nodded, I couldnt stand to allow a ce with such a foul history to remain standing. Also, it wasnt about to be used for any beneficial purpose, so I burned it, along with all of his, he jerked his head back to indicate Niall, notes. Hes beenining about it ever since. Laiare scoffed, which sounded rather odding from a beak, As do all those who betray theirnd for personal power when they find such things are worthless in the face of cooperation. He motioned to his men, who dismounted and moved to apprehend the bandits. Upon seeing the manacles, one of them- the Veteran- turned to Edwin, Key? he asked in a low, gravely voice. Right, right. Edwin fumbled for a moment before finding it and handing it to the man, who epted it with a nod. They unlocked the manacles and just nonchntly picked up each of the bandits, one by one, ignoring Minfours cries of protest as his burns and broken arm were roughly manhandled with no regard for hisfort. Edwin couldnt help but wince slightly at the treatment in sympathy, though he also didnt let himself feel too bad for the serial killer bandits. It was interesting, watching the guardsmen at work. Their sses had clearly been designed with this sort of interaction in mind, and the ease at which they took the bandits, fastening them to the nks of their horses like they were just slightly heavy sacks,pletely ignoring what little struggling they put up, and binding them in silver cords which Edwin couldnt quite tell where they had been produced from. It didnt seem to be a pure Skill construct, though Edwin couldnt exactly articte why he thought that. Something to do with how his Almanac tags interacted with them, most likely. So whats going to happen to them? Edwin asked the avior as the bandits bindings were finished up- he intentionally avoided looking at Niall, not sure what he would see there, and not keen on finding out, either. Laiare barely hesitated, They shall most likely find themselves facing the noosee the morrow. Such is the penalty for banditry in this shire. Polyglot could choose some strange words, it seemed. Never often, just enough to remind him that people didnt actually speak English. Good, Edwin agreed after a moment of consideration, trying somewhat to convince himself as much as actually respond. He couldnt help but feel a bit guilty, no matter how much he told himself he shouldnt. It was all going so smoothly. He had expected more wrangling with the locals, trying to convince them of his story, getting them to actually carry out justice, and yet it was all so simple. Well, sometimes life just... went well. No looking in the mouths of gift horses and all. Honestly, being this close to a horse, he had to admit he wasnt particrly keen on looking any horse in the mouth, but the sentiment stayed. Then, they were gone. It was all so sudden, less than ten minutes from them showing up to riding off, and Edwin found himselfpletely alone once more. It was a sudden change, and Edwin took a few minutes to adjust to his newfound freedom, seeing how it all just... wrapped up so suddenly and so cleanly. A tiny part of him whispered that he was bound to meet them in the future, but he squished that whisper. That wasn''t how real life worked. Edwin took a deep breath, watched the trio thunder down the road, tossing up massive clouds of dust in their wake, and set off. He had a whole world ahead of him, after all. It was time to get started seeing it all. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Hedge Alchemist Attributes Mana 5 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 32, Mana Infusion: 63 (Basic Mana Maniption 9) Physical Athletics: 33, Breathing: 26, Flexibility: 25, Nutrition: 23, Packing 20, Seeing: 27, Sleeping: 27, Survival: 19, Walking: 39 Mental Polyglot: 34 (Language 36), Mathematics: 39, Memory: 28 (Research 50), Visualization: 42 Combat Bomb Throwing: 9 (Throwing Weapons 48) Utility Firestarting: 41, Alchemy: 46 (Improvisation 14), Outsider''s Almanac: 78 (Status 22), Identify: 40, First Aid: 28 Paths Skill Points: 420 Progress to Tier 2: 640/1590 Current n: Adventurer 0/30, Warrior 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Scout 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Wanderer 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Scientist 0/60, Outsider 0/60, ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Mage 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, World Traveler 0/60, Physical Arcanist 0/60, Field Medic 0/60, Unkible 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90 Save for Tier 2 Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Alchemical Medic 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, Explorer 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Superior Alchemist 0/60 Maybe Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Trapper 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Survivor 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Lecturer 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Rebel 0/30, Arsonist 0/60 Probably Not Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Pyromaniac 0/30, Exile 0/30, Master of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60 No ve 0/12, Assassin 0/60, Killer 0/30, Traitor 0/60, Burr 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner Chapter 46: By the Buy Chapter 46: By the Buy Traveling, Edwin couldnt help but notice, was rather fun. Yes, hed gone on vacation back on Earth, but that had always been a high-paced rush to see as much as possible in the limited time at each location. Run here, see that view, pause for a picture, then go through a museum, see the sights, and find a restaurant for dinner. Repeat five more times, then fly home. Hed enjoyed it just fine- seeing new things was a bit of a reward unto itself- but hed always found himself exhausted at the end of it all. Now that he was walking everywhere, with nothing but his own thoughts to keep himselfpany, he felt far more rested than on any of the family trips supposedly meant to do just that. It helped that he finally wasnt injured (blisters went away easily with a tiny dab of healing salve), wasnt wandering through untamed forests, and had plenty of food (it helped he only needed to eat about once a day), with easy enough ess to water. Plus, he was in fantastic shape! He was probably closing in on three months on Joriah now, he hadnt been keeping that much attention to the passing time, but his own two feet had been his primary method of transportation that entire time. Things felt different when it took him an entire day to go as far as he might have in just an hour or two in a car. It was just all so massive, so grand in scope, and he had far more time to appreciate everything he came across. From magnificent sunsets and sunrises, to the flocks of birds which flew overhead, whose feathers seemed to shine like jewels, to the mountains looming in the distance, glittering like sapphires against the azure sky, and even the unusually crystal-clear brooks trickling alongside the road, everything just felt so more fantastical than what he was used to. During his breaks and stops for the night (while there was enough light, anyway), Edwin took to reading the Grimoire. It was tricky to parse in many ces, and the author seemed to be a bit overfond of their own eloquence, but while Edwin couldnt fact-check it very well, it still was a wealth of information. Apparently, the water-filtering Seagrass grew in ces of abundant life and water magic, and whose blue-green stalks could actually support fish, which could swim through the grass as though it were water. And, if dried in one way, could be spun into exceptionally soft and fine cloth (drying it a different way gave it the water-absorbing properties he had so benefitted from in the tower). Or Mages Lichen, which changed color and even glowed depending on the sorts of magic it was exposed to. Spiderless Webs were a type of fungus with a striking resemnce to cobwebs, but were surprisingly nutritious. Royals Cup grew leaves which folded into the shape of a goblet, and was nigh-impossible to cut, but had powerful anti-poison abilities if you managed to do so and drank from it. Glowleaf was actually an entire family of nts, not a single species (which ording to the Grimoire was amon misconception) with bioluminescent leaves. ssleaf trees were what Edwin had found in the Verdant, which allowed green light to pass through them in a single direction only. Atir moss had the strange property of... All the herbology sections came with incredibly lifelike drawings of the substances, which allowed him to recognize a small patch of wild seagrass for what it was, despite itsck of fish. Edwin even took a few des of the grass for himself, though as he couldnt properly dry it, just sort of stuff it into his bag and hope for the best, it shriveled up into a state which the Grimoire described as useless. All in all, Edwin was having a st, and as he ventured back towards Vinstead (or more urately, the Verdant), he watched as the empty space slowly became more and more popted. While when he first started, he might see a person every day or two, particrly shepherds and other herders, tending to herds of animals both familiar and strange on the sea of grasses which dominated thendscape, now he would regrly encounter a courier, his enhanced senses barely able to catch more than a few glimpses of the (usually human) runners as they dashed past him, kicking up massive plumes of dirt, carrying some cargo to ces unknown. Hed also spot flights of avior overhead, soaring across the lightly clouded skies. It was always slightly cloudy, though on further thought, had it ever rained at all in the time hed been here, the thunderstorm from the fighting Royals notwithstanding? He didnt think it had. Strange. How was this such a flourishing agricultural area, then? If Vinstead really was the primary breadbasket for all of Liras like hed been told, then surely it must have water from somewhere, right? In the distance, the walls of Vinstead loomed, and even from this far away, he could make out clouds of airborne figures surrounding the metropolis, like flies swarming around fallen food. Hmm. He should probably avoid entering the city proper, to help throw his pursuit off his trail. It was a minor enough point, and assuming he could restock his rations, and get a few tools, from some store outside the walls, there was no reason for him to enter at all. A bit of poking around had turned up something of a market, set up alongside the outer walls of Vinstead. Among the colorful fabrics and stalls, Edwin spotted something which seemed perfect. One of the storefronts, really just a tableden with misceneous travel-rted goods in front of a bored-looking green-haired kid, maybe twelve years old, had the same sorts of strange, brown, vaguely fruity loaves that Lefi had boughtst time they were through here. Most were already wrapped up in something which seemed reminiscent of parchment paper, and Edwin found himself remembering that just because Joriah had all the trappings of a in the mid-1300s, that didnt actually mean that it was. Did they even have paper back then? How much? he asked the Keen Assistant, indicating towards the rations. The question knocked the boy out of his stupor, and he shook his head, Sarry, wha? The loaves. How much per? E-uh-one ager each. He seemed to switch what he was saying midway through, was he changing his price? Or maybe he just had a bit of a stutter. Ah, whatever. He didnt feel like haggling. He ran through what he remembered Lefi saying about the currency system. A copper coin (ves) was the smallest unit, and one hundred and twenty of them made up one silver (ager), which in turn was sixty per gold (grai). Standard coin weight was sixty grains, which to Edwin felt something like forty grams. In any case, it had been really disorienting to Edwin when Polyglot stopped tranting each coin name as just copper/silver/gold and instead started using their actual words. He tried to get himself to think about them by their actual names, he ought to try and actually learn thenguage at some point, but he kept slipping. In any case, one silv-ager each seemed perhaps a little pricey, but then again, he didnt exactly have a very firm grasp on the corresponding currency value. Perhaps it was totally reasonable. In any case, he still didnt feel like haggling over it, not here and not with a kid who would probably haggle him into the ground if he were a junior shopkeep of some form. He wanted to preserve some semnce of dignity. Edwin pulled out a small handful of coins and deftly stacked twelve ager on the table, Very well. The boy picked up each of the coins and flipped them between his fingers, studying each with the same sort of intensity Edwin hade to associate with Skill usage. Checking their purity or that they werent counterfeit, perhaps? If there was a skill for that sort of thing, did that mean the scale was developed exclusively for alchemical purposes, or something simr? That was an interesting thought, though it did exin why none of the stalls set up had any sort of measurement tools, if Skills just took care of all of that. His thoughts, and associated zoning out, had attracted a curious gaze from the boy, and Edwin shook his head by way of apology, Sorry, sorry. Just lost in my thoughts for a moment. He quickly scooped up his dozen loaves, packing them away in his belt and backpack, then nodded farewell to the green-hairedd. Honestly, if the whole green-hair thing werent somon, Edwin would have likely gotten distracted by that as well. He hadnt really noticed it the first time he hade to Vinstead, too distracted by everything else, but probably a good half of the humans wandering around (the halflings seemed to be unaffected, the vibrant gnomes seemed to just have green as one of their moremon natural hair colors, though did that work the same way?) had the unusual color across their head. He had yet to see a green beard, though he couldnt recall if that was because green-haired individuals didnt have beards or just because the beards maintained more normal coloration. It probably had something to do with the Verdants proximity. At least, if he were looking for the origin of people with strangely green aspects of their integumentary system, hed look at the giant, magical, and untamed forest right next door. He wished he had some way to analyze the hair, though. From what little he recalled from his anatomy ss, sharpened by Memory, was that hair color was the result of two different types of mnin- their names escaped him- but that was what allowed for the variety of browns, reds, and blond hair colors back on Earth. Was green hair the result of a third type of mnin, then? Or something else entirely? He didnt even know where to begin trying to determine that sort of thing, though, so he let the question fall by the wayside. Edwin continued his foray through the crowds, looking for a few more materials which hed need if he were to properly try and survive in the wilderness. He wasnt going to blunder around like normal, he was going to prepare and do this properly. His search led him to a stall attached to a smithy, where he picked out an axe, a shovel, a small saw, a really sturdy knife, and a hand drill for twenty ager, and at another stall on his way there, a few good lengths of rope for a half ager (sixty ves, and yes, they did just cut the silver coin in half) before he left the market, purse much lighter. He was content, though. The quality of the tools hed gotten were easilyparable if not superior to modern-day Earth gear, power tools notwithstanding. Incredibly, despite how much stuff he had in his pack, it still didnt feel all that heavy. Magic for the win! Granted, the unfortunate side of magic meant that Edwin had to stay vignt against invisible thieves, though how he was supposed to do so, he wasnt entirely sure. His coin pouch had been moved to sit on the inside of his belt, behind his temporarily tucked-in shirt, which was probably sufficient, though in a world filled with Skills, was it really enough? Well, it was still present even once he had escaped the press of people in the city outskirts, so it must have been. It was only once Edwin had left even the outskirts of Vinstead that he got his first glimpse of the Rhothos River itself, namesake of apparently this entire region, and his first instinct was that it couldnt possibly be thatrge. The water seemed to stretch for miles, though most of it was on the shallow side. It honestly looked like the river had burst its banks and flooded a massive valley with uncountable gallons of water. But nobody seemed to take any note of it, like this was perfectly normal. In fact, there were even a few buildings in the middle of theke-river, held up on stilts. Edwin snapped his fingers. It had to have cyclic flooding of some sort. Regr times of the year when the river burst its banks and irrigated the surroundings, inundating it with nutrients, like the Nile. That,bined with whatever life magic came from the Verdant, would probably truly turn this ce into truly unmatched farnd. Actually, did he really know if there was something magical about the Verdant? Everyone seemed to think there was, but maybe that was just the result of the regr floodwaters and particrly rich soil? Sure, the sorts of things you could make with talsanenris berries were pretty overtly supernatural, but in a fantasy world there were all sorts of ways that sort of thing might end up happening. Still, he did have experiences with train-sized predators, though that didnt absolutely require a magical forest. There was a road traveling alongside the bank of the Rhothos, which Edwin absentmindedly took as his mind wandered hither and yon, internally debating whether he would ever really be able to figure out if a ce was magical in the sense that he knew it, or just a ce with exceptional, but ultimately mundane, qualities? The people here would have no frame of reference, who knows what all had been chalked up to just magic as a result of them simply not knowing any better? Well, thats what he was here for, anyway. Hed just find some cave or promising tree,e up with some clever survival solution, and be a reclusive alchemist-schr. Yeah, he rather liked the idea of having his own private hidden base, a ce he could really call his own. That would be his goal for now, and hopefully he had given his dwarven pursuers enough of a slip that they would have no clue where to find him. It was inrge part because of those pursuers, whoever and wherever they may be, that he didnt set up shop in a city, but solitude had its own benefits beyond the purely emotional. He wouldnt need to deal with keeping people up with explosions or foul smells, hed be the only one in danger of one of his experiments going wrong, and just in general, there was a reason chemical nts werent near residential areas. Of course, there was also a reason that chemical nts weren''t out in the middle of nowhere, either, simply due to the amount of stuff they regrly needed.... Shut up, brain. Its a great idea. Its also really cool. Let me have this. This close to Vinstead, there were all sorts of individuals, patrols of generally human guards, barges traversing the shallower sections of flooding, appearing to be nting something even while the water was still rushing beneath them, andborers hauling sacks of some kind or another. Most of them seemed to be human, which struck Edwin as being rather odd. Vinstead had so many avior that it almost seemed like they were the most populous species in the entire region. And yet, nearly everywhere outside of the city itself (and the caravan) he had found had been human-dominated. Well, not counting the ckstone Citadel or that one halfling vige. The thought of the halflings made Edwin cringe at how he had just sort of vanished after all the help they had provided for him, never saying thanks or providing any sort of acknowledgement beyond a quick nod to the vige chief, whatever her name had been. Without Almanac to remind him of peoples names, they tended to quickly drain out of his mind. Not that it mattered that much when he wasnt with the person in question, he supposed. He spent the night in one of the shrines Lefi was so fond of, dedicated to Cura. It didnt have much, but a mattress, no matter how primitive, was far nicer than sleeping on the ground. In some respects, he almost wished he could take one with him, but ignoring the logistical nightmare of trying to do so, stealing from a probably-real god didnt strike him as terribly wise. Well, he could always make one himself. How hard could it be? Chapter 47: Into the Unknown Chapter 47: Into the Unknown Edwin stood at the frontier, a boundary between the known and the unknown, the civilized and the wild, from the world where your value was determined by your strength and Skills into one where your value was determined by your strength and skills. Okay, thats enough melodrama. Get moving. He wasnt even at the treeline yet, just where the road turned to run parallel to the forest a few hundred feet away. The ground between him and the start of the woods was fairly calm, though Edwin couldnt help but shake the feeling of a warzone, with stumps littered across the open area and shoots of bushes and new tree growth tenaciously trying to w back their lost territory. It wasnt too hazardous to walk through, at least, which Edwin appreciated. He was also quite content with the absence of any witnesses as he literally ventured off the beaten path. It wasnt that he was doing anything illegal, at least so far as he knew, but he really didnt want to deal with awkward stares as he traveled into the depths of untamed wilderness, no matter how close it may have been geographically to civilization. Interestingly, the undergrowth near the edges of the Verdant was actually far thicker than it was than he was used to, when the tree cover started to grow thicker, blocking more prime sunlight and hed answered his own question before hed really asked it. Wasnt there something simr that happened in really dense rainforests on Earth or whatever? It did mean he kind of wished that hed bought a machete or something simr, but his stick worked adequately. Every swing made his tools, tied as they were to the outside of his pack, swing and tter. It wasnt quite a hindrance, but it was an annoyance. Still, it was ultimately a minor price to pay as he swatted brambles and creeping vines out of his path. Though his vision was limited, it seemed to Edwin that if there was flooding in the Verdant itself, it was far more limited than out in the ins. Hed been alongside the river bank the entire time hed stayed on the road, but now that he was amongst the trees, there was no sign of the excess water, not even the sound of a rushing river. Small creeks here and there didnt count, not that he had encountered many of those anyway. Maybe the floodin just didnt extend into the woods? The river, if not flooding, must have been miles away from him. Edwin wasnt sure that he could articte what exactly he was hoping to find, though the ideal situation would be some sort of small-ish cave,rge enough to live in but not sorge as to make him paranoid about possible undiscovered roommates. He also realized he should have tried to buy a pickaxe or something, but he could hopefully make whatever he found work without too much in the way of modification. He wasnt that picky, after all, and between his newly-purchased knife- now he had one for alchemy, for self-defense, and one for everything else, axe, saw, rope, hand drill (Or was it an auger? He couldnt remember the difference, or was there even one?), and shovel, he should be all set, so long as he kept them in good repair shoot. He didnt have a whetstone or anything. Almanac to self, get a sharpening tool next time Im in town, whenever that might be. It was kind of interesting. Last time hed been out here, Edwin hadnt really noticed any animal life, which he had chalked up to being the result of animals having Skills. While he had confirmed via Lefi that pretty much anything Identify worked on by default- not counting the effects of Common Knowledge or other simr Skills- did indeed have Skills, Edwin didnt think any of his own would ount for the sudden abundance of birdsong and other small creatures everywhere. At one point, he even caught a glimpse of what looked to be a deer of some sort in the distance, but it had vanished before hed gotten any sort of good look at it. Oh hey, was that a chear tree? It was! No fruits, sadly. Cross-referencing the Grimoire yielded no results for what the fruits were really called, which probably meant that they didnt have any particrly notable alchemical properties, and meant he was still calling them chears. Not that he would really switch to calling them anything else at this point. Camping was far simpler and much more pleasurable when he had the proper tools. Sure, it had been more than a few years since hed been a scout, but thanks to Memory, he was able to recall most of his lessons, and with the benefit of hindsight he couldnt help but cringe a little bit at his hopeless stumbling around when he firstnded. These days, survival was basically easy-mode. Thanks to Survival and Nutrition, he only needed a single meal each day to stay fully functional. Athletics, Walking, and Breathing were all high enough level that, coupled with his increased standard of activity, a full day of hiking across rough terrain barely even winded him. Chopping down a few branches from a dead tree with his new axe got him a crackling fire, and Edwin made an Almanac note to get some canvas or other sturdy fabric next time he went into civilization to make himself a hammock. He wasnt too ufortable,ying against a pile of leaves and ferns at the base of the tree, covered as he was by his cloak, but it could be way better forparatively little effort. He triggered his notifications for the past couple of days, scrolling past a handful of Skill offerings- no, he didnt want Axes, Hiking, Book Smarts (though the name did sound intriguing), but maybe Reading? Nah. Not worth it. Sure, it might have some interesting evolution, but that could hold true for any of his Skills, let alone what they might evolve into- and to his levels. Hed had a pretty good haul from thest week or so. He was still figuring out which was more satisfying, seeing it all at once or bit by bit, but this was pretty nice. Level Up! Skill Points 423443 Progress to Tier 2: 653/1590 Alchemy Level 5152 Breathing Level 2629 Identify Level 4041 Memory Level 2831 Nutrition Level 2324 Outsiders Almanac Level 7879 Packing Level 2024 Polyglot Level 3436 Seeing Level 2729 Survival Level 1921 Walking Level 3940 Hmm. He really should figure out if he wanted any more Skills. If he were offered something really great or broadly applicable, he might take it. Otherwise, he wanted to focus on getting up to Tier 2. Hed hmm. Hed raise all of his Skills to at least seventy or so, then massplete a bunch of Paths, then raise the remaining ones up to evolve via his 90-point Paths. Eh, maybe once he passed the universal level 40 mark, hedplete a 30-point Path as a bit of a reward to himself. Hed miss out a bit on potential Attributes, but it would probably be fine. For now, hed content himself with finding a good base to call home. Level Up! Sleeping Level 2728 It took a couple of days of not-quite blind wandering (thanks Almanac) through the woods, but Edwin eventually found something which he felt would suit his purposes. It was a small meadow next to a rocky bluff, the ground sloping slightly up to meet the stone, and had a bit of a rocky outcropping some ten feet up, providing a bit of shelter. The real prize, though, was a streaming from the top of the bluff, the water cascading over the edge in a small waterfall, collecting in a pool, then winding away. With that, hed have a convenient way to find his shelter again, a source of water, and if he could find a way to harness the energy of the stream, the option to make some simple machines. Edwin may not have been an engineer, but he wasnt hopeless in the mechanical department, either. While his initial target had been a cave, Edwin had abandoned his search for a suitable one after finding several, none of which were anywhere close to being dry enough,rge enough, or essible enough for actual habitation. Fiction, it seemed, had lied to him about the quality of homes in woond caves. In hindsight, he should probably have something with better venttion anyway. So, his new n was to make a log cabin of sorts, by this idyllic woond pond, and possibly build out from there. Hed need to dry out the wood he would use, yes, but the Grimoire actually had some useful advice in that regard! A genuine form, with steps and everything, was outlined in the preservation section of herbology, regarding how to dry out samples taken while preserving desirable properties. It was vague, sure, but he could probably get a workable version with a little trial and error. A footnote had mentioned a couple of modifications that could be made to make the process work for food, animal parts, and, most crucially, wood. Even better, Edwin already had a lot of the required ingredients- he did his best to not think about why Niall would have the reagents needed for preserving alchemical materials. The main thing he was missing for the wood variation was ash from the target tree type, but that was easy enough to obtain. By the ratios listed in the book, he had more than enough for several logs, and hed even have enough left over to dry out firewood. Yeah, no, he was back to thinking about why the serial killer alchemist would have so many preservatives. That was not a pretty picture. Hey, at least theyd be put to good use. That would require a fair bit of work, though, so hed need to get started. Okay, lets see. Priorities. Shelter, water, and food. Shelter is partially taken care of by the overhang unless theres any wind. Yeah, some temporary shelter is a must-have. Water is taken care of by the stream, though I need to get a firepit dug so I can boil water, cook food can dried beans be grown? I think so, but hmmm. Might be worth a try, see if I cant establish a bit of a garden of my own. Will I need to hunt? I mean, I probably will. At least theres actually animal life down here. A passing thought made him chuckle slightly. I wonder if this is the low level area, where the spiders arent super terrifying, and all your standard woond creatures live. Its only when you venture further up that the massive bears and invisible prey start showing up? Man, if real life worked that way. Well, I suppose stranger things have happened. I should try and find another spiderweb to see if its any weaker here. Where was I? Oh, right. Shelter. Hmmm. Its what, early afternoon? I could probably chop down a smaller tree or two to make a bit of a lean-to against the cliff that should serve me while I make something more permanent. A tiny part of him whispered that living in the woods wasnt actually a viable strategy long-term, but Edwin shut that whisper down. He wanted to enjoy this, darn it! The first step was to locate an appropriate tree, Edwin knew. He wanted something tall but not too thick, and while there wasnt anything that fully met his specifications around his meadow, the stream had enough young-growth trees that hed probably find one there. He didnt even have to venture that far, fortunately, before he encountered something that looked like it would work. The tree itself seemed to be somewhere between birch and pine, with white, fibrous bark (could he weave with this stuff, perhaps?), and was probably about six inches in diameter, which he made quick work of with his axe. Hauling the lumber wasnt all that bad, really. Other than the branches snagging on anything and everything- fortunately, Edwin was usually able to un-stick by yanking really hard, only having to lop off a single branch to make it alle along- the tree itself didnt feel that heavy, despite being some forty feet tall at least. Once he actually made it back to camp, Edwin chopped off the branches, piling them on the sandy soil underneath the rocky overhang. He did have a use for them after all, he left them attached this far just because he didnt want to make multiple trips. Then, he cut the tree, his saw proving its use, into five roughly equal lengths, and with a twist of Visualization, startedying out exactly how his temporary home would work. His first task was to dig two holes into the rich soil, just shy of eight feet apart and about three feet away from the rocky cliff. Actually, amend that to digging out the area to make it somewhat t, then a bit more to give the area a bit of a recessed floor, then dig out the two holes. Into said holes, Edwin inserted his two logs from the bottom of the trunk, and therefore thickest and sturdiest, leaning them against the stone cliff face. Then, he filled in the holes,pacting the dirt as much as he could, which should theoretically hold his primary supports fairly steady. After a couple of failed attempts to continue, Edwin repeated the process to give himself a third support in the middle. That left two more segments of trunk, neither of which were too terribly sturdy. Fortunately, that also meant they werent terribly heavy, either. He cut some notches into his support and remaining logs, lining them up such that they slotted more or less into one another. Then, he took his rope and bound them in ce, providing a nice framework upon which he couldy branches, giving him a fairly cozy roof, though admittedly at the price of keeping three of his four coils of rope upied (his longer ones, at that). Once he actually had everything assembled, though, he felt it was well worth the tradeoff. The inside was still essentially just fresh dirt, though, so Edwin took the time to get a bunch of longer grass from his meadow and spread it out on the inside. It wasnt much, but it was better than nothing. The final shelter wasnt anything too terribly impressive, but Edwin was still proud of it, especially given hed done it all in a single afternoon. The interior was a bit earthy-smelling, but it had enough room for Edwin and his stuff. It let out underneath the overhang, which was also where Edwin had set up his campfire. The other side he had filled in with his extra dirt, to help keep heat in. It may have still not yet rained (mage-fights notwithstanding), but Edwin wasnt going to count on that. He probably should have asked Lefi about the weather patterns, but he hadnt thought of it at the time. Regardless, no rain would put out his fire. Night was starting to fall, though, so Edwin figured he should start getting ready for bed. Making a fire was trivial at this point, but it still felt so nice, and Edwin fell asleep with a smile on his face. Chapter 48: An Axe to Grind (With) Chapter 48: An Axe to Grind (With) Edwin awoke to birdsong, and stretched trying to work out a knot in his back from where a branch had been poking him. Yeah, hed definitely need to make some kind of hammock to aid his sleep. Probably easier to make than a mattress, in any case. The stick, for its part, was cast into the fire and destroyed. It was the little things. Breakfast was nothing much. One of his travel loaves (he was down to eight now) was enough to hold him for the entire day, and even Nutrition seemed content with his decidedly non-bnced diet. Apparently, with magical assistance anyway, it was adequate? He didnt often dwell on the vor of what he ate, but the rations, somewhere between rye bread and fruitcake, was just barely not nd enough to be tolerable, though not vorful enough as to actually be enjoyable. As he chewed on the tough substance, he couldnt help but wonder if it had been intentionally designed that way. You couldnt hit that bnce so perfectly by ident, right? He stood up as he tossed thest bit of the bread into his mouth, stretching and sincerely wishing he had a chair. Something to work on eventually, he supposed. If only he could ept Woodworking with a clear conscience, this would undoubtedly be a much simpler process, but he couldnt justify to himself such a narrow Skill, not when he was declining ones like Stealth or Reflexes. Maybe if it were broader in application, then he could take it, but for a Skill which would only help him here and now? No. Now, where was that form for the wood-curing concoction? The Grimoires instructions were as always equal parts frustrating and enlightening. There was no exnation whatsoever what each of the different steps were supposed to actually do, just what their final result would supposedly be. Edwin sighed in disbelief. Who would have ever thought that hed want something to be written more like his chem textbooks? At least the instructions were rtively clear, if not terribly precise. He still didnt know how much a pinch or a small handful were supposed to be, but he also didnt really have anything more precise to measure them with, so it more or less bnced out. Edwin idly wondered if hed be able to get a grant to pursue research of some sort, but ironically, the closest hed seen of anything like that was when he was forced into working for the dwarves. Eh, more likely, hed be able toe up with something he could sell to fund further research, like a good alchemist, turning scrap to gold. For now though, hed live off thend and do experiments on the magical nts that grew in here. That meant hed need to get to work, though. His musings were enough procrastination for now, though his muscles were already protesting out of sheer anticipation for the amount of work hed put them through. Edwin would need about forty, maybe fifty trees for his cabin, if he wanted four walls ten feet tall, each about a foot in diameter. That meant his first step was to simply find enough appropriate trees. He didnt want to be picky, but at the same time, he did need them all to be tall enough, straight enough, and, annoyingly enough, all the same species. Thatst requirement was because of the alchemical form he was following, whose primary ingredient was ash of the target wood. Well, he could probably make multiple batches with different base woods if he ended up needing to, but hed rather notplicate things more than needed. It would be tricky enough for him to spread out his ingredients into three small trial runs, budgeting to be on the safe side, allowing for one incorrect batch as his first attempt, an incorrect attempt to fix it, and one correct mixture before his main creation, let alone having to experiment with two different wood ashes, which may or may not affect the rest of the form. Edwin had never really been that keen on identifying trees, which made the fact that he still didnt need to memorize different leaf shapes and types of bark, thanks to shortcutting the entire affair with Almanac quite enjoyable. He didnt care what Tara and Lefi said, this thing was fantastic as it was. That said, there were two primary contenders for what he might use to build his house, namely not-cedar and not-fir. There were plenty of other types of trees as well, a surprisingly diverse amount at that, but they werentrge enough, werent straight enough, werent enough, or any number of other problems. There was one tree with bark that reminded him of a madrona tree, another reminiscent of oak, and plenty with no easy mapping from what Edwin was used to. Hed evene across a couple truly monstrous trees, one of which was nearly as big around as the size of the cabin he was trying to build, but after a brief fantasy, discarded the idea of carving it into something he could live in. That was just asking for trouble. In any case, neither not-fir or not-cedar were actually too much like the Earth trees beyond general structure (tall and straight) and bark quality (though not-cedar honestly reminded Edwin more of a maple tree), as both were broad-leaved rather thantled, and even ssleaves at that, allowing light through selectively. As he studied a leaf, plucked from a nearby low branch, Edwin couldnt help but wonder if he might be able to use the leaves as windows or for light-filtration goggles or something. This property was too unique and cool to allow it to sit unused, though nothing in particr sprang to mind quite yet. Maybe the Grimoire would have some notes to give him a starting point on how to treat them into something which wouldst longer than a normal fallen leaf. Anyway! Not-cedar and not-fir. Nedar and Nir, perhaps? My naming sense is awful. The nedar had the advantage of not having many branches, and the stringier bark should make it easier to prepare for use. Nir, on the other hand, had way more low-hanging branches, though they would be rtively easy to remove, and the trees themselves were super numerous, and though there was far from a scarcity of either, most of the nedar trees were too thick around for his purposes, averaging around two feet in diameter. Ultimately, Edwin decided to go with the nir. While he would have preferred the nedar, for the simple reason that he liked how it smelled more it was like a rather sweet cedar scent reminiscent of how scented candles portrayed the wood, he ultimately had to go with the nir. The overwhelming advantage of having plenty of trees in the proper dimensions was more than enough to tip the bnce The first tree Edwin picked out was just off the edge of his meadow. Some eighty feet tall- Oh yeah, I might be able to get multiple logs from a single tree. That would make things much easier! -and a little over a foot in diameter, so far as he could estimate, it was on the younger side, but thats exactly what he needed, wasnt it? He was neither an idiot nor a novice when it came to felling trees (he knew the theory, at least), so he started with his hand saw. Sure the de may have only been twice as long as the tree was wide, but he was still able to cut about halfway through the tree without too much hassle. He could have gone further, yes, but doing so seemed risky. Also, he was sick of it binding in the wood and wanted to take his frustrations out with an axe. As it was, if the tree fell in the direction of the cut, it would fall into the meadow at a bit of a diagonal, so it would lie mostly in the clearing but not obstruct either the stream or crush his shelter. Once he was done sawing at it, he took his axe to the log, the surprisingly sharp de digging into the wood with ease, as he wielded it with a surprising amount of ease. Did Survival have a hidden benefit, or was that just Athletics? Maybe Athletics and Flexibility both, to help him strike with such ease every time? It was just a few minutes before he had a sizable divot cut into the log, his axe strokes meeting where he had cut with his saw, and debris surrounding it all. Okay, that should make sure it fell in the right direction, now to actually cut it down. To do that, he took his hand saw once more, this time to the back of the tree, and started cutting. Once his cut had nearly connected with the giant divot at the front of the tree, the entire nedar began to creak and groan. Not taking any chances, Edwin took that as his queue to vacate the area entirely, fleeing into the woods and sheltering behind a hefty tree. Hopefully, even if the log did fall in his direction, it wouldnt get past his cover. The tree, so small inparison to many of its neighbors, yet still titanic by most reasonable measures, swayed slightly as its branches caught in some of its peers. A flock of birds not scared away by Edwins vigorous axing of the tree scattered, flying off to ces unknown. The base began to splinter slightly, and with the sound of countless branches breaking off far above, the tree began to fall. As it turned out, he neednt have worried as much as he had. The tree fell in more or less the direction he had been hoping for, though the bottom of the trunk also shot out like a battering ram as it broke from the trunk, utterly demolishing a dead tree behind it. The bulk of the tree fell in the meadow, crashing down with enough force that even Edwin could feel it as it transmitted through the ground. Overall? Other than the pile of splinters which hadnt been there two minutes prior, it was a rousing sess! Now, he just needed to deal with the colossal mess of broken and unbroken branches that upied his meadow. Edwin took his axe to the nir limbs, lopping them off with usually just a single blow, using his new haul to reinforce the roof of his shelter, though some of the branches were tossed into his fire, where they snapped and popped before being consumed by the mes. It took a few hours before his tree was adequately trimmed, inrge part due to caution and inexperience, which put him securely in the afternoon, but even once he was finished, he was still dealing with an absolutely massive titan of wood and bark, to the point where Edwin was rather intimidated by the whole thing. How was he supposed to render this down into logs for his home? It was enormous! Heck, a good twenty feet of the things trunk was still in the forest. Well, at the same time, there was nothing to it but getting to work. Edwin could barely budge the whole thing, it must have weighed a literal ton, but he could manage it enough to start making cuts in the log itself. He settled on his logs being about twenty feet long, conveniently the length of his remaining rope, so hed have plenty of space inside and a bit of grace when actually cutting the notches into the wood for construction. The actual act of cutting was fairly straightforward, and before long he had three full-length logs and one about ten feet long, before the top started to taper, rendering it unusable for an outer wall. Perhaps an inner one, then? Or he could use it as his ash base. Edwins stomach rumbled, which caught him off guard. He must have been working hard if his body wanted food already. While loath to do so, he downed another ration loaf and a canteen of water, refilled with water from the waterfall- that was a slippery mess, but doable, and boiled to sanitize it- before it could start to overly protest. Edwin surveyed his days work, as the suns light began to slowly vanish, the star itself having descended behind the trees some time previous. One giant tree, felled and cut up to be used in his house, check. Piles of wood cuttings littered the previously pristine grass, but that was a rtively small matter. He could gather some up and toss it into the fire. Should be a good show. Regardless, hopefully future days would go a lot faster. Hed gotten three usable logs, after all, but hed need fifteen times that for the walls alone, which meant two weeks of just acting as a lumberjack unless he managed to increase his rate to two per day. And if they were all days as hard as this one? Ugh, that meant his ration supply was cut from a week remaining to three days. Perhaps he should try hunting tomorrow? Or boiling up some of his dried foods? That might be a decent idea, actually. He wasnt hauling some ten pounds of preserved beans, flour, and rice around for fun, after all. It wouldnt be super vorful, but he could deal with that. He Almanaced himself a note to make a setup that he could boil water with over his fire, gave a satisfied nod at his work so far, and tucked himself in around his fire. It might have been too early to go to bed, but that didnt mean hed have to push himself any more for the day. Plenty of stuff to do, but there was plenty of time for it. He scrolled his notifications past, dismissing his offered Skills. No, neither Woodworking, Survivalism, nor Axes were good enough for his final Skill list, not when he only wanted two to three more, though Paths were always nice to get. Level Up! Skill Points 444461 Progress to Tier 2: 670/1590 Athletics Level 3337 Breathing Level 2930 Flexibility Level 2526 Outsiders Almanac Level 7980 Packing Level 2427 Survival Level 2128 Congrattions! For chopping down a tree and cutting it into logs, you have unlocked the Woodsman path! Chapter 49: Branching Paths Chapter 49: Branching Paths Now that he actually knew what he was doing, the next several trees all went much faster. Edwin found that he was fully capable of cutting down a tree in less than half an hour, though after one started falling well before he was actually ready for it, he slowed down so as to not risk any potential idents. The more time-consuming aspect of it was actually trimming the limbs, though even that went faster and faster as his levels slowly climbed. Over just the next day, Athletics grew from level 37 to level 41, and he was pushing himself hard enough that even that continued to slowly grow. By the end of the second day, he was at 45, 48 by the third, and when he had finished cutting up his fifteen logs day three, he had hit level 50 in the Skill, and it wasnt the only one. Level Up! Skill Points 461478 Progress to Tier 2: 687/1590 Athletics Level 3750 Breathing Level 3032 Flexibility Level 2628 Nutrition Level 2325 Packing Level 2730 Survival Level 2832 Visualization Level 4243 Somebination of Athletics and Packing was really paying off, as well, as he was capable of just picking up the twenty-foot logs, some five hundred pounds if his estimations were urate, like they were less than a fifth of that. Heavy, yes, but he could do it. That same strength didnt seem to apply to anything else, unfortunately, just lifting things, which he found out the first time he tried to do push-ups and confirmed by the fact he couldnt splinter some of therger branches through sheer muscle power. He was slightly stronger, yes, but not by that much. No, clearly something else was going on. His current hypothesis was that Packing somehow reduced the weight of whatever he tried to pick up, rather than any sort of strength enhancement, and some of his initial testing had seemed to support that hypothesis. When he grabbed a stick by its thin end, it would bend much less than if he just tried propping it up by that same end. Setting it down would make it instantly sag, for example, and if he threw something, it seemed to actually fall slower through the air than if it just fell, though he couldnt measure precisely enough to actually be certain about that. If the effect was there, and not just his imagination, it was really slight. Superman-style super lifting powers were very cool and had all sorts of potential for future use. He had one idea in mind that he just couldnt wait to try out once his level got high enough. Edwin had fortunately managed to get his food problem more or less sorted out. Sure, boiled dried beans werent exactly tasty, but whenbined with his travel loaves, they were still sufficient to keep him going. He had enough for about a week of food just in that stuff, once he finished working so hard anyway, not counting any he would want to save out for a garden. Hed start trying to hunt and find edible nts tomorrow, he thought. After all, he was finally done chopping trees down! Off to one side of the clearing, a few piles of logsy, neatly stacked into position by Edwin testing the limits of his new physical capabilities. His shelter was also seriously buried under piles and piles of branches, giving it loads of instion, and his floor now consisted of wood chips and sawdust oveyed with the broad leaves, providing a fairly nice, rtively clean surface for him as he slept. He kept finding bugs though, especially worms, and he was looking forward to getting a proper bed or hammock of some form. A flex of Visualization helped Edwin n out his future home. Some fifteen by fifteen feet on the inside, it would primarily be a single room, though he nned to make one of the back corners walled off as a dedicatedboratory. He walked out the space that it would upy, and satisfied by what he found, he moved over to his pile, hauling one of the logs off with a heave. He staggered over to where he had moved a few rocks to form a bit of a small stand, to help keep his timber off the ground. With a deep breath, he pulled out his knives, and started to peel the bark away. It didnt take Edwin too long to figure out there was bound to be a more efficient way to do this. He had quickly abandoned his idea of hand-cutting every little bit of bark from his timber, instead opting to cut a seam of sorts down the top of the log and peeling the bark off like a jacket, but even that still took quite a bit of effort to do and didnt even work all the time. Unfortunately, any of his additional ideas required tools he simply didnt have, so peeling trees like bananas stayed around. At least the bark was generally cooperating. He could do this. It wasnt that bad. . He got through two trees before getting frustrated. You know what? Im going hunting.That might help. Edwin wasnt an idiot, no matter how he felt at times- Or act, or actually am, or am told by other people. -Ahem. Edwin wasnt an idiot, at least not aplete one. He knew that any and all hunting would rely on his Throwing Weapons pretty much exclusively, which was nowhere near as effective as a modern rifle would have been, and that there probably wasnt all that much game still in the area, most of it being scared off by his time acting as a lumberjack. Plus, even modern hunters, with all their gear and their tools, frequently would find no prey. He also knew that trying to hunt while angry was a simrly terrible idea. Really, he was mainly just using it as an excuse to go out on a walk, albeit with a handful of decently hefty stones to use as weapons. As he ventured forward, he dutifully Almanaced every tree he passed, making sure that hed be able to find his way back. Oh hey, that bird was the same one that had been popping in and out of his clearing. Was it spying on him? Eh, probably not. Most likely, it just lived in the area and he just happened to Identify one hed already tagged. Hmmm. Almanac would be amazing for conservationists or whoever it was that tracked migratory patterns of birds, wouldnt it? A way to uniquely identify a single creature, at range, with no impact to the creature being measured. A snap broke Edwin out of his trance, and he spun around, ready to fight off some bear, rock already in hand and ready to be thrown oh, it was just a deer. Never mi- hey wait, a deer! As it bounded past him at high speeds, Edwin threw his prepared stone as hard as he could at the creatures skull, incredibly managing to hit it right at the back of the head, and striking with a solid crack. The Mature ckshoulder Deer didnt drop immediately, but it did seem to disorient the creature, and it seemed to stagger almost drunkenly into a nearby tree, crashing into the unmoving nedar and falling motionlessly onto the ground. Well. Apparently sometimes things did work out in his favor. It was pretty simple to carry the carcass back to his camp, all told. Compared to the logs hed been getting used to, the deer was practically as light as a feather. While he was somewhat hesitant to try and clean the animal where he lived- who knows what kinds of predators that might attract?- he didnt have too much of a choice. As he hadnt been expecting to actually seed on his hunt, he hadnt thought to bring his sharpest knife, namely his Alchemy knife from the dwarves, instead only keeping with him his woodworking knife, which was adequate for self-defense or cutting branches, but not quite as sharp as hed generally like. Hence, he needed to return to camp. Well, as a partial precaution, hed do the field dressing on the far side of the creek. That should hopefully keep any scavengers well away from him as he slept. Heck, maybe hed even drop it all into the stream. The fish would probably like it. The walk back seemed to take slightly longer than the walk out, though that may well have just been his imagination, and soon he was closing in on very familiar territory. With a relieved sigh, he tossed his kill onto the ground where he was nning on dealing with it and grabbed his knife. Sure, hed never actually gutted and field dressed any animals before, but how hard could it be? Hed never been hunting before, but that turned out just fine. Hard. It was very hard. Trying to cut his prize open had punctured the stomach or something in the deers torso, spilling half-digested grass out onto the ground and releasing an absolutely foul stench which had Edwin gagging for a good minute. Even once he had that taken care of, it was absolutely horrid to have to scoop out all the insides when they didnt fall out, strung up as the deers body was by its front legs, upying Edwinsst rope. He was so desperately d that he had managed to get gloves from Nialls tower, though he would have to seriously consider throwing them out after this. He had to borderline punch through some tough membrane (the diaphragm?) to pull out the heart and lungs of the deer, and cut out most of the deers digestive tract, which he was fairly confident hed done at least mostly correct, but there was also just so much blood. It got over everything, hed have to give it all a solid scrub in the stream and possibly boil it to make sure it didnt stain, and it just kepting, too. Gah. He just wanted this to be over. Thinking about it slightly more objectively, it wasnt quite the most disgusting thing hed ever had to do, but it was definitely up there. Hed need to wash his everything, and even then hed still know what he and his clothes had been through. Still, at least the deed was done. The deer hung from a tree, eyes ssy and nk as what was left of it slowly drained out its blood, its vital organs in a sloppy pile around the corpse. He eventually got his clothes clean, though it took extensive scrubbing with sand from the bottom of the stream and pond. He was simrly forced to bathe, which reminded him sharply of another thing he had forgotten. Soap. I need soap next time I head in. Soap, a whetstone, and canvas. Probably some seasonings too if I can get them at a decent price. Once he and his clothes were dry and only a little singed, thanks to careful use of Firestarting and his fire, Edwin sighed and decided he really should deal with his waste before it started to smell or get dark. He grabbed his shovel, hopped the stream, and, hauling a giant scoop of innards, dumped the lot in the stream, just below where the pond let out. The water immediately reacted, the pool erupting into cold boiling, waves and ripplespounding and multiplying, until waves broke the surface and began to coalesce into a shape. Edwin wasted no time in falling into abat stance, his shovel, ready to smack down whatever water elemental or river spirit he had identally disturbed to the best of his ability. He barely even had time to think about what he was really expecting, though one of his half-formed thoughts came true as a distinctly feminine voice called out from where a good amount of the pond was rising into the air, Ick! Yuck! No! For thest time, I told you, no more blood sacrifi the voice trailed off as the water finished solidifying into a humanoid shape, losing its transparency and bing a distinctly fey-like female figure, clothed in leaves and dark green hair drifting through the air like she was underwater. Edwin and the nymph e on, what else would she be?) stared at each other for a few seconds, before she broke the silence, Now who the Blight are you? Chapter 50: Feyday Chapter 50: Feyday Who am I? Edwin was taken aback, Who are you? And where have you been? Ive been here for probably a week. Have you just been asleep or something? The nymph red at Edwin suspiciously, eyes narrowing as she presumably Identified him. Well then, hed return the favor. Enchanting Hydromantic Tender-Muse So she had an actual ss, then. Interesting. He wasnt entirely sure what that meant, but it seemed significant. An Alchemist? I didnt huh. Curious Her voice was soothing and soft, and Edwin had to wrench his brain into order to avoid being lulled intocency. It didnt even feel like a Skill, or did it? Was he just that bad at paying attention to people when they talked? He hoped not, Not a supplicant, then? Uh, no. I suppose not. I was just trying to clean up after a hunt, I didnt know you were in there, my fairdy. Surprise notwithstanding, manners never hurt, You surprised me is all. I am Edwin. She shifted her posture in a way that was probably significant but was lost on Edwin. Was she trying to be more formal as well? She was standing straighter now, feet lightly touching the surface of the now-still pond, Ah yes. Naturally. As is only natural. My presence is naturally quite surprising to those who may not have been anticipating my presence. Your apology is epted. What brings you, supplicant Edwin, to my spring in these fine woods? She looked around at the clearing, assessing the surroundings. Edwin had to choke back a smile. He may be nearlypletely oblivious to virtually all nonverbal cues, but nearly wasnt , and he knew all too well the signs of someone desperately bluffing their way through a conversation in the vague hope theyd figure out what was going on midway through. His overall fear of the nymph fell a fair bit, and while he still was somewhat wary of her, he couldnt resist the urge to have a bit of fun with her, Why is it not obvious, mydy? The same reason all of those who came before me have sought your presence. Have you truly forgotten the past so quickly? There was a brief, delicious moment of absolute panic on the Muses face as she attempted to stammer a reply, N-no. Of course not, I would never her eyes narrowed and she red at Edwin, though without any real malice, You! You would y such a joke upon one as fine as I? Edwin couldnt quite hold it in, and he started chuckling. That got a slight twitch on the corner of the feys mouth, which only made him startughing even more. Fortunately, it seemed it was a twitch of amusement rather than annoyance, and she didnt strike him on the spot. He recovered quickly,posing himself before he got too carried away with hisughter, Im sorry. I just understand how you feel, all too well, he gave a momentary bow- he nearly extended his hand to shake but that didnt seem like a good idea given the sorts of stories aboutke-dwellers drowning careless people- and looked the nymph in the eye, My name is Edwin. I came out here, into the Verdant, as a chance to find some freedom in the wilds, escape those who would do me harm, and to hone my capabilities. And you are? It was a bit of a risk, treating an in all likelihood very capricious and powerful individual as something approaching a peer, but he was on drynd and there was no way hed be sticking around here if hed have to deal with someone who demanded excessive levels of respect and supplication. If she did want him to treat her like a local god or something, well Better to get it out of the way early than to put even more time into his work, only to be forced to abandon it. Still, it seemed to pay off, as she didnt immediately st him with water or anything. Im Inion, she eventually offered, And you said that this is the Verdant? On Joriah? Yes? Did you expect to be elsewhere? She shook her head in partial exasperation, I merely did not expect such a drastic change from thest time I was awake. Do you happen to know how many years have passed? Lady Inion, I havent even the faintest clue as to how to even begin to find that out. Fair fair. She sat down on the surface of the water and indicated Edwin should do the same. He mentally shrugged and took a seat on a rtively smooth stone next to him, What year is it currently? Edwin hopelessly shrugged, I dont know, actually. Im not local, just passing through. I see. Do the Connacht still hold sway? Did the Vossali conquer them? she inquired, and got only a nk stare in response each time, I see. What kingdom holds the Rhothos, then? Huh. That was the first time a name had been tranted. Well, not counting the coins, at least, though did those really count? Uh, no kingdom. The Lirasian Empire rules the Rhothos, and I think the entire continent other than whats inside the Verdant. He hazarded, hoping that it wouldnt upset her too much, Did you enjoy the Connachts presence? Inion raised her hands and raised and lowered them in inverse unison, one going up as the other went down. It took a moment before he realized she was imitating scales, Somewhat. They knew how to treat me properly- she shot a nce at Edwin, who merely chuckled, But they simrly insisted on always holding festivals and rituals in my pond, and always insisted on blood sacrifices no matter how much I told them I didnt want it. Leaves a foul taste in my waters. The Lirasian Empire, though she thought for a moment, Oh! Whatsisname Liras! That bird-guy, whatever theyre called. Avior? Edwin hazarded. Ya, them! Back before I fell asleep, all the druids were trying to do some ritual to fight off Conqueror something-Liras, Kares, Arras, Sarris, uhh. Do you mean Xares? Thats the one! Xares Liras, some pompous featherbeak, wanting to expand the reach of his kingdom onto Korizan, there was that name-trantion again, butst I heard we were supposedly holding him off or something. I may have some very faint memories about being asked to help with something like that, but no, I dont remember. How long has he been in charge? Some two thousand years, from what Ive heard. Two millennia? Really? for a moment, Edwin thought Inion might freak out, and was preparing to have to fight her, when, Oh, thank the gods. That means Athirne should have returned by now. Curse that man. Returned? Returned where? What did he do? I dont think I can tell you that, but he didnt do anything too bad, we just didnt get along? Inion was apparently a terrible liar, but Edwin didnt want to pry into what he presumed was some form of rtionship history, So then You were asleep for two thousand years and I woke you up somehow? She shrugged, Ya, I guess so. She flipped upside down, so she wasying on her back while maintaining eye contact with Edwin. Her leaf-woven outfit wasnt perfectly concealing, so Edwin awkwardly looked off to the side slightly. It wasnt lost on Inion, though, and a yful grin crossed her face, Whats the matter? Dont like what you see? Could we talk about something else? Like, anything else? Aww, but what better way to get to know each other? Back in my day, Ill have you know, we- I have at least two more shovels full of guts from my deer, and theres plenty of room in your pond if you feel like continuing that sentence. Inion shuddered, cutting off whatever she was about to say and started pouting slightly, Youre no fun. Look, could you at leasty on your front or something so I can look at you without feeling awkward? He returned his gaze to the nymph, who had thankfully obliged with his request, Thanks. Not that I cant appreciate it, just context. Also, Ive heard way too many stories about water nymphs to really trust you yet. She rolled her eyes at him, pretending to sag with sadness, Im insulted! But fine. Ill y along for now. She said suggestively, then switched to a more bouncy tone of voice, one which reminded Edwin more of a burbling book than a serene pond, But Ive apparently been asleep for ages. Tell me whats going on in the world! Even the druids never really told me anything. Well theres a big empire, conquered like half the, the Rhothos river is flooding, Oh! I love springtime. So much free reign! she traced a finger along the surface of her pond, then stopped, hesitating, Weird Somethings stopping me from feeling past just a moment, you dont mind? Before Edwin could say anything, the nymph turned into water, sshing back into her little pool. He started to get up, but Inion returned before he could fully rise. This time, instead of all the drama from before, she just surfaced as though ascending from a dive, breaking through the water before returning to her lounging position atop its surface, Theres some barrier right at the trees, she pouted, Doesnt let me past. That wasnt there before. Also, the trees are so far back. Its all so tiny. When Edwin didnt provide whatever response she was apparently expecting, she dismissed him with a wave of her hand, Humans, to which Edwin could only mutely shrug as he sat back down. So what about you? I presume youre some kind of fey or nature spirit, a nymph of some kind? he didnt know what the proper words would be, but thank heavens for Polyglot, taking care of that sort of thing. He idly wondered whatnguage it was that Inion spoke. Was it some feynguage or just really old human speech? Whatever the case, she must have had a Skill simr to it herself for her speech toe out so decidedly non-ented. Youre pretty well informed for a human. Have you met another naiad before? No, just stories, essentially. Probably more false than theyre true, honestly. Right, naiad. Not nymph, those were tree-bound, And naiad? Is that because youre water-bound? Inion did the scale-weighing thing again, Kinda. Nymphs are bound to living things, but naiads are more like kami, we bind to objects, mostmonly- what do you mean, warning? What did I- oh, right. Well, I didnt need that anyway? Itll be fiiiine. Wait, a warning? From what? The System? Ya... we cant talk about some stuff while were nope, cant talk about that either. Just, knowledge that shouldnt be known here. The System is very picky about that. Its a pity, too, because I miss nope, that would be a warning too. Okay, my turn to say we change topics! So, there was something that fey werent able to talk about? It included wherever they returned to, mentioning that naiads bound to objects was off limits? Could fey just not talk about themselves or their home? Well, time to test that. So fey? Ya! Fey! she sagged, Not a lot I can tell you there, though, unless you already know it? Well, that seemed to both be partial confirmation- No. Bad Edwin. That doesnt tell you anything new, just agrees what you already observed. No ck swan facy here. -but also a great way to put him on the spot. Darn it, he though he was done with quizzes! Okay, think. Fey in mythology and fantasy, regarding naiads- But those were Greek!- shut up, brain, and other stuff, Are you from some ce thats like Joriah, but really extreme and full of wild animals and other fey? That humans can sort of visit, but return different in some way? Then naiads bind to objects, like rivers or rocks or winds? Nah, weatherbound are called Sylphs. You do seem to know about Arcadia, though Inion seemed to be waiting for something with bated breath, only breathing a sigh of relief after more than a few seconds had passed, Nice. Anyway, ya! Arcadia is where were from, and we get to Joriah through ways. Do you know what those ways are? Edwin shook his head, Ah, no matter. Anyway, ce of a buncha life, we sometimese here, some bind to trees and bushes and other silly stuff, others pick waters and stones, all that good stuff. Okay, my turn! Howd you get to be an Alchemist? First one of those Ive seen. Really? Ya. Closest they came that I saw was Herbalist, and even those were low-grade stuff. Wait, how do you know what an alchemist is if youve never seen one before? Sa secret, she mumbled. Edwin raised an eyebrow, but decided not to pursue the matter. It probably wouldnt affect him, Well, I guess technology has progressed a lot in two thousand years. I just was offered the Path, evolved my Improvisation into Alchemy. Riiiight. Forgot about that. Curious that itd pick Improvisation though and just give basic Alchemy. Anyway, Physical Alchemist path, Alchemy Skill, here I am. Hmmm. You mentioned Herbalist? I dont suppose I might be able to get some help gathering up some herbs for that sort of thing? Thats actually why I came to the Verdant instead of some other secluded ce, I wanted to benefit from the magical nts. I dont know what I might be able to provide in return, but theres probably something. A mischievous smile crept across Inions face, and after a second, Edwin realized what she was thinking, No. Not that. The naiad stuck her tongue out at him, then seemed to genuinely consider it for a moment, Ah, sure. Itll be good to stretch my legs a bit, see whats changed, all that stuff. Wait, you dont want anything in exchange? She shrugged, Naaahhh. You mortals can be cute to watch scurry around, trying to figure out new stuff. Tossing your little nts in a cauldron and try singing at it to cure a fever. Its adorable. So long as I get to watch, its totally worth it. Deal? Why do I feel like this is a bad idea? Because alchemy is an awful idea to begin with! Do you know what the mortality rate is for alchemists? Im going to hazard a guess that its not as high as for people who readily make innocent-sounding deals with fey. Touch. Chapter 51: Starting Hand Chapter 51: Starting Hand So, let me get this straight. Edwin finally settled on, Youre offering to help me with my alchemy, Skills, and homebuilding to the best of your ability, in exchange for just, quote, the opportunity to watch you work and get the chance to chat and stuff, with the added stiptions that you cant do so just to pester me nor when Im focusing on my work and need to concentrate and youre not allowed to try and make me sleep deprived? Also, that I cant share what I learn from you with other people without your say-so, in exchange for you keeping my secrets as well. Ya! She was way too eager. There had to be something hidden in that, but what? Also, nice quote! Do you have a memory-aid Skill? Ooh! Is it Keen Mind? Or do you have Intelligence? No to both of those, though yes. I have Memory. I still just... dont see what you get out of this, though! Inion shrugged, the perfect picture of innocence, Why do I need to get anything out of it? Cant I just wanna help you? I dont believe thats whats going on for a second. Well I cant help that, now can I? she teasingly turned her nose up at Edwin, How am I ever supposed to get the reputation of being generous if you wont ept my gifts? Is this just because Im a fey? Are you judging me by my heritage? How dare you! Inion looked away, tipping her head in mock outrage. Edwin could only sigh and rest his head in his hands in response. Thisbined so much of what he hated about social interactions into one massive package: obscure rules, iprehensible goals, and people who were clearly just having fun at his expense. Why did he keep doing this to himself? Still, at least Inion was mostly tolerable to be around. She teased him, sure, but it was clearly all in good fun. Okay, fine. Ill agree to your terms, on one more condition! Edwin hastily rified as Inion started to perk up way too fast and too cheerfully, Honestly and truthfully exin what magical ties, if any, bargains made with you have. Also just what making bargains with other fey does, if its different. I need to know what Im getting myself into. She thought about it for a moment, really exaggerating her contemtion as she contorted herself into all manner of poses atop the waters surface, Fine. Ill do it. Edwin waited. After a few seconds, maybe a minute of silence had passed, only interspersed with the noise of the waterfall in the background, Well? Hey! I never said when I was gonna do it! Edwin sighed, Well, I suppose I didnt either, he started to get up, If you feel like exining, let me know. Ive got work to do. Wait, wait! Fine, I guess Ill tell you now, she jokingly moped, before perking up once more with a yful shrug, So basically, like other things Im not telling him about! Okay, sorry about that. Anyway, were just able to like, actually take the stuff offered. The other way around also works, if youre stronger and keep your side of the agreement, you could force us to uphold our side, and just take whatever youre owed. It also means you can take more kinds of stuff than normal. I heard tha took a guys ability to see color once with a Bargain, which you normally couldnt, obviously. Edwin just mentally shrugged. Who knew what you might be able to take with magic? Inion carried on, unaware of Edwins musings, But like, since you arent offering anything to me, not really, the Bargain doesnt do much. Some Bargains are really powerful, though, and some of my kin can get really strong through them, or do things they normally cant to fill their end of the Bargain? Also what we can take and give varies based on a whole mess of things which I cant really borate on. Some of the Highcourt can also do this thing where you enter into a Bargain that tweaks the way things work, and how people need to interact with them, just by interacting with them. Its weird and I dont fully get it, but there! She crossed her arms, Your turn! Edwin sighed, Okay. He didnt see any problem with the agreement, which just meant that he wasnt thinking broad enough, he was sure, I agree to the termsid out, summarized as such: In exchange for instruction, aid, and assistance, Ill talk to you and let you watch as Im working. In addition, we also agree to keep what we say to one another in confidence. And I ept! The naiad brightened up instantly. Edwin kept waiting for metaphorical chains to tighten around him, or the wind to change, or glowing lights to spontaneously manifest, but after a minute with nothing, not even a System notification Thats it? Ya! See? Nothing to worry about. Okay! So, first things first. Inion dove beneath the waves and resurfaced a momentter with a strangely glistening pebble strung on what seemed to be a strand of spun water, Put this on! Edwin epted the rock, but didnt move to do anything except look at it. He tried Identifying it, but got no return, What is it? Its a muse token! I can make one at a time, itll help your Skills grow faster! Well. If that were the case. He checked it with Mana Sense first, just to be sure. It wasnt magical (somehow), so he shrugged it on, letting the rock slip under his shirt. He didnt feel particrly different, though there was something going on that he couldnt quite put his finger on, Is this a Skill of yours? he asked, receiving a nod in response, Wait, how many Skills do you have? Inion hesitated in thought as she counted out on her fingers, Nine. Edwin furrowed his eyebrows, Wait, so few? The naiad just smiled, Ya, you humans get so many Skills as kids, dont you? I just get what I actually need. Theres lots of ways to gain power- I dont need that much past just my, she flicked her hair back, with the strands slowly drifting through the air as they always were only slightly spoiling the effect, natural talents. I dont suppose you could tell me what you have? She shrugged, I cant tell you all of it, but I have Tender of the Streams, which was originally Aquatic Presence, Bestow Gift from Feys Presence- with Muses Token between them- Natures Warden from Gardening, Seer of the Natural Realm from Identify, Strands of Fate from Status, Appearance of the Natural One from Misty Illusion, Gaze of the Watchful Fey from Seeing, and Maker of the Creeks Bestowal, which started off all so long ago as Basic Hydromancy. And thest two? She just shrugged, Cant tell you those, she wiggled her fingers, Those are the rules. Edwin mentally recalibrated the sorts of things he should be expecting from the seemingly airheaded fey, just giving a distracted Kay in response. Inion talking about her Skills got Edwin thinking about his own, and, well, no time like the present? Level Up! Skill Points 478488 Progress to Tier 2: 700/1590 Identify Level 4142 Seeing Level 2931 Survival Level 2833 Nutrition Level 2526 Packing Level 2729 First Aid Level 2830 Memory Level 3134 Polyglot Level 3639 Congrattions! For sessfully hunting a deer, you have unlocked the Hunter path! Congrattions! For field dressing a fresh kill, you have unlocked the Butcher path! Congrattions! For performing a basic sacrificial ritual, you have unlocked the Novice Ritualist path! Congrattions! For sessfully awakening an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Feycaller path! Congrattions! For peacefully negotiating with an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Fey Friend path! Congrattions! For entering into a Bargain with an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Feybound path! Congrattions! For gaining a Token from ancient fey, you have unlocked the Feytouched path! His Paths were the usual fare of 60-point options. Butcher he wasnt interested in, Hunter, while only 30 points, was also not something he cared too much about. It might be useful, sure, but he couldnt help but feel he was better off trying to focus on what he was good at rather than try to do everything. The Fey paths were cool, though. Hed take the Feytouched path this Tier, and save the others forter. Hed need to think a bit more about what he was pushing off, though. He was offered the usual list of new Skills, as always, and readily dismissed most of them. One in particr caught his eye, though. Harvest seemed like it might be useful. Not only would it help him out with a profoundly unpleasant task, it might help him when he started going after magical creatures for their magical parts. Ultimately, he still decided against it. He would maybe try to get some sort of general-use construction Skill, maybe Assembly or Creation if those were Skills, to help him if he was going to lean further into the Alchemist/Artificer route like he had been. Maybe in the long term he could use it to make golems or something. Other than that maybe another magical skill? Hed want anything he got to be really special. He had enough moderately cool Skills, he wanted something that would really stand out! Or a skill to help his thoughts stay focused, that would work too. Bonus points if it also helped him resist the mental maniption Skills that seemed to be everywhere. Sorry, did you say something? No Inion cocked her head to the side, You get distracted a lot just on your own, dont you? Ahhh I can, yeah. Is it really that obvious? Edwin admitted, I just think about a bunch of different things at the same time, and what actually gets my attention flips around a lot. It can be really helpful, but sometimes its just annoying. Why do you ask? A smile yed across her lips, I see. Well, hopefully my Token will... aid you in that endeavor. So, my musee, what may I aid you with? Edwin considered his options, Well, its getting a bit on thete side tonight, but Ill be processing logs for my home in the morning. Stripping bark, making them more even. Any chance I could get some help with that? Hmmm. Bring em over here, would you? Edwin gave Inion a t look. Packing and Athletics or no, the logs were still something like five hundred pounds. Eventually, he sighed, Fine. Just give me a few minutes per. For whatever reason, unless he actually lifted the logs, Packing didnt kick in, which made it ironically easier to pick up and carry the massive tree trunk sections than it was to try and roll them. He was pretty sure it wasnt an actual limitation of the skill, though, just that there was some trick to it which Edwin hadnt picked up on yet. When he first got the Skill, it was as much on a whim as anything. It certainly didnt seem to add too much to his arsenal, just the ability to carry more around with him. Admittedly, given his circumstances, that had been really important at the time, and hadnt entirely stopped being so since, but he felt it had so much room for experimentation. Was it like that with all of his skills, or was Packing unique in that regard? If it were the former, then he needed to do a lot of tests to figure out what else his abilities might be able to pull off. If it were thetter, then it only reinforced his decision to ensure every Skill he took could stand entirely on its own merits, instead of him epting everyst one which was offered to him. As he dropped the first log, letting it thud into the soft ground and trigger a small copse of the riverbed, Inion gave him a sidelong nce, to which he just shrugged, panting, What? It was heavy. He only got a shake of the feys head in return before she returned her attention to the log. She tapped it with a finger, and quicker than Edwin could track, the bark fell off into thousands of tiny pieces, where they drifted onto the ground and seemed to melt away. Edwins slightly tired mind instantly snapped to, What the heck was that? Mmm. Natures Harvest. It was a couple advancements ago from Natures Warden. Lets me process nts rapidly, so long as they have water in them. She was trying to act nonchnt, but Edwin could tell she was delighted at his sudden reaction, So, did you want me to do the rest of them? she added innocently. Edwin groaned. Well, guess he wasnt done for the night yet after all. Chapter 52: Faeted Introductions Chapter 52: Faeted Introductions Level Up! Athletics Level 5051 Packing Level 2933 Obvious or not, Inions Token was having a fairly distinct effect on his leveling speed. While he might have normally expected a single Packing level, two at most, from carrying his big stack of logs some twenty feet, three and an Athletics level was way more than he would have expected, especially once he stopped outright carrying the logs and just started dragging them after his pile had unexpectedly copsed. He was currentlyying next to the creek, panting in exhaustion as Inion sat next to his head, chuckling at his sorry state. Still, hed let herugh. It was a small price to pay for what would have otherwise been days of work. All of his logsy in a line,pletely debarked and ready for curing. It was a satisfying sight, he had to admit. Tomorrow, hed make his dehydration concoction, but for right now, he could barely even move as he desperately tried to drink wat- no, his rehydration potion. Every muscle was beyond sore, and even Breathing wasnt enough for him to catch his breath quite yet. Level Up! Breathing Level 5152 Edwin couldnt help but wonder what, exactly, it was that triggered levels. Survivals effect seemed almost wholly disconnected from what improved it, namely practicing survival skills, and Packing seemed to level from both actually packing up bags as well as carrying around heavy loads. That wasnt even getting started on the weirdness that was Firestarting. It had started off only making fires slightly easier to start, but these days he could use it to summon tiny candle-size mes when he Infused it, though he admittedly felt decently confident that the blue fire was what oxygen looked like when it burned. It didnt exin the blue sparks he summoned, though. Everything with the System was so confusing, and in the past, Edwins brief inquiries about where the System hade from had been met with nk stares. Apparently, it was a question which nobody ever wondered about. The System simply existed. There was no mythology about it. Well, at least not in the Empire anyway, though they seemed fairly nonreligious outside of a few small temples and shrines, there were no stories about its origin or questions about what its purpose might be. When he had asked about System moderators, he had been very definitively told there were no such individuals, and where had he heard that absurd rumor? As he hadnt been able to tell Lefi about his personal message from one, he didnt have an answer. Now, though So, Inion. What can you tell me about Skills and the System? he inquired, his breath recovered enough to form intelligible words. Inions expression went nk, Skills are the Systems gift unto you, that you might grow in strength and capability. Her line was clearly memorized, like she had been given a careful script to follow. Which, Edwin guessed, she probably had. She imed that the System was very picky about knowledge which should be known here on Joriah, which implied that she knew more about Skills than that line implied. So, what could she tell him? Once he had mentioned a fey world, she had been able to confirm that it was called Arcadia. So, if he made a few shots at what he thought the System might be, that might allow her to exin further? Well okay then. What about the System itself? When was that made? And by who? The System is as old as the world itself. Neither have ever known existence other than in unison. Did the gods make it? The System is as old as the world itself. Inion winced, Im sorry, Edwin. But some things I really cant even hint at. Some rules are more set in stone than others. Thats fine, I suppose, Edwin acquiesced, But you do know a lot about the System, right? Well ya! You know, I was considered a great sage back in my day, she struck a pose, looking dramatically into the distance, Supplicants would travel from far and wide to get my advice on what Skills would aid them most in their endeavors. Not that many actually took my advice, however, Inion pouted, They always insisted on taking every skill they could unlock,pletely ignoring the fact that they simply didnt need that many. Sigh, wait, did she just say sigh? So many promising individuals, wrecked by theirck of self-control. The naiad paused for a moment, How many Skills do you have? Twenty-one. I got a bunch before I knew better. Eh, thats not too bad. Depends on what they are, though. Are they just random skills that dont ovep or ones that are just redundant? You dont need both Block Strike and Shield Block, for example. I do have a fair number of random skills, Edwin admitted, I dont have many actual alchemy-rted Skills, honestly its more in the direction of a survivalist skillset, which I suppose makes sense given thats how I got most of them. Oh? Tell me more. How did that happen? Most humans I talk to get nearly that many just while theyre young and their parents warnings failing to sink in. But you got yours through wilderness survival, you say? Ill exin another time. Edwin sheepishly settled on, Telling people hasnt worked out for me in the past. Oooh. A game, Inion wiggled her eyebrows, I love a good mystery. Let me guess! Were you abandoned in the woods as a child and were raised by wolves? No. Okaayyyy, well what about- Edwin cut off the woman before she could pull them too far off track or he gave away something by ident. Can we stay on topic, please? Youre no fun. Dont forget your Bargain! Dont you, either. To the best of your ability, remember? And not distracting me? Inion started to say something, but closed her mouth and started thinking, twisting a lock of hair around her finger, Theres... room for interpretation there. But she sighed, Fine. Well do it your way this time. So, what did you want to know exactly? Edwin shrugged, A few things. Some of them Im curious about what you, who is apparently so wise in the ways of the System, say inparison to others that Ive talked to. They all- Now whos the one getting off-track, huh? Edwin didnt even need to pick up his head from the ground to look at Inion. He could hear the smile in her voice from where hey. When no immediate rebuttal came to mind, he switched tactics, Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. With a jokingly exasperated sigh, Edwin shook his head, So, a few questions. Is there any limit to how many Skills you can get? Nope! I wouldnt say you should test that, though. Unless youre a Wizard. But youre no Wizard. Maximum Skill level? That just got a shrug, If there is, I dont know it. Might vary based on the Skill and the person if it is a thing. Can you get rid of Paths you dont want? How do you How do you not know that one, even by ident? Inion raised an eyebrow and squinted at Edwin, How many Paths have youpleted? Seven? No, eight. I had one unlock Mana. And youre how old? she asked, incredulously. Twenty-two,st I checked. What the Blight are you doing with only eightpleted Paths? the naiad sighed, then started looking into the distance, thinking about something, You know what, on second thought, its to do with your puzzle, isnt it? Hmmm. Ill figure it out, I know it. Unwanted Paths? Right, right! Well, so Paths sort of represent the kind of things you could do, right? Well, you just need to take a Path which would exclude the other. You cant be both a Patriot and a Traitor at the same time, nor a ve and an Escapee. Taking one gets rid of the other, though you could still get it again, same as any of the others. It also doesnt get rid of any Skills which advanced from it, it just matters that you dont have the other Path iplete in your Status. So a Path which you got for taking over a location would be removed if youpleted a Path referring to destroying that location? And vice versa, ya. What have you been up to, hmm? What about other Skills like Status or Identify, which interact with the System? Are there any more of those? Ehhh. Ive heard some stories about Notifications, which tell you if you get poisoned or something like that, but Ive never actually met someone with it as a base skill instead of a Status advancement. Theres also rumors about Skills which can mimic Skills, but Ive never met anyone with them. Plus there are a few which can help speed leveling, she pointed at her Token where it dangled from Edwins neck onto the grass beneath him, But those are all really hard to get and have a really small effect. So what does it take to actually unlock a Skill? Oh! Thats an easy one. She ticked two fingers in the air and counted them off, Desire andpetency. You need to actually be able to aplish a given task to unlock a Skill, which is obvious enough, but you also need to actually want to improve on the skill in question. It doesnt matter how good you might be at poking someone with a stick, if you dont want to be better at it, youll never get the Stick Poke skill. Inion paused, Thats probably why its so hard to unlock Skills which mimic other Skills or help leveling without advancing them. So then why are some Skills hard to unlock if you have something simr? Like Walking and Running? Thats a new one, actually. Uhhh if I were to guess, its because its hard to get into the right mindset to try and get something new rather than practicing something old? Walking affects pretty much all foot-based travel, after all. Lets you walk longer, jog longer, sprint longer, all that. Running just makes you able to run faster. Increases your limits. Edwin nodded. That basically matched up with his experiences so far. He could sprint at full speed for some two minutes straight before he needed to start to rest, and with the way Breathing was increasing, he might be able to sprint continuously before too long. He wasnt much faster, though, beyond what tiny improvements that mighte from just constant practice, and maybe Athletics. Are there worlds other than Arcadia out there? Yeeeesssss. Can you tell me about them? No. So was she bound to just not talk about things not on Joriah, then? He asked as much, not expecting much of a response, or maybe even a I cant tell you that, so was pleasantly surprised when she actually replied. Thats the deal, yes. No extranar knowledge from me, sorry. The System doesnt like that sort of knowledge being discussed. I can talk about stuff thats here, though! Knowledge beyond Joriah? Hmmm Whats the fundamental nature of magic? Ooh, going straight for the throat, eh? Well, sorry to disappoint, but I dont know. She shrugged, now illuminated by a soft blue-green glow emanating from the pool as the light from the sun faded away, I know a bit of magic, though most of that is by instinct. Im no schr, though even they dont know it all. Some think its inexplicable. But you do magic, right? How does that work in a non-System way? Is the System magic? The System is magic in a way. I cant go into detail there, though I know exactly how it works, she shifted slightly as though she were ufortable, but its magic in the same way that a dragons flight is magical, or a trolls regeneration, or just the undead in general. So undead really are a thing here. Interesting. Its magic in a way thats just part of what the creature is, and no spell can detect it nor remove it. It leaves a distinct mark when used which is visible to those who know how to look, though. For my kind, ites fairly naturally with mere practice, which is how I know you have Breathing, Seeing, a Mana Sense of some variation, at least two body-influencing Skills, Packing, and Polyglot. You got all that just from looking at me? She shrugged, Well, your Bargain helps me see you a bit better, and Polyglot is trivial to spot even without the ability to see System enhancements. So she did get something from the Bargain. If he were to guess maybe the ability to walk onnd and perhaps a general sense of Edwins whereabouts? Seemed minor enough, that he wasnt sure if he had gotten a genuinely good deal or if he were overlooking something awful. So anyway, back to magic. He thought for a moment, What is it? You already asked that, Inion paused with a chuckle, collecting her thoughts before continuing, I think pretty much everyone conceptualizes it slightly differently. I think of it like a flowing river which I can divert into doing something else temporarily, others see it as a long, infinite list of instructions they give to reality, some as a star, others as a sort of framework upon which to build. Some even visualize it like its music, resonating with the multiverse itself. Hmmm. That was worth following up on, but Edwin had one more subject he was curious about, What about the moderators? Who are they, what do they do? Inions confident expression was shattered in an instant, her casual posture wholly reced with one ofplete shock. Even her hair stuttered to a stop, Wait, you know about the moderators? Chapter 53: Unusually Helpful Chapter 53: Unusually Helpful How do you know about them? Inion questioned Edwin. While not overtly threatening, Edwin couldnt help but get the distinct impression that she was using him of something, And why couldnt you have led with that? I dont know! Edwin raised his hands as something of an instinctual shield against the fey. While there was no real impression of dangering from the naiad, it was still hard not responding in some way, It slipped my mind, I guess? No, thats not urate. I just had other questions first? Also, everyone to whom Ive mentioned moderators dismisses it as crazy. Well thats good at least. Means things havent fallenpletely apart, she muttered and raised her voice with a sigh, Tell me what you know about them, as well as what you think you know about them. Edwin hesitated. How could he not? This was treading dangerously close to talking about his status as an Outsider, and talking about that didnt have a great track record of actually going well. He eventually settled upon how he would phrase his response, doing his best to ignore the impatient foot-tapping of Inion in the meantime, Some time ago, I was involved in an incident which made a bunch of System errors pop up. It required Moderator interference to resolve, and I got two Paths about it. One was the Path Less Traveled, the- Wait, Path Less Traveled? You know of it? Edwin was surprised. Were error messages thatmon? No, that couldnt be it, so then It has something of a reputation, shall we say. It has a particrly noteworthy Path reward. You shouldplete it as soon as possible. Its ny points, though? She nodded, Well worth it. Edwin sighed. Well, its not like he had nned to put it off that long anyways, though the reason would still be nice to know Can you borate? Not really. It does give the sort of reward that most people can only dream of, though, which ya I dont think I can say much more than that. Howd you get so wrapped up in error messages that you needed a moderator to get involved, though? her eyes probed, ring and assessing him, You arent involved with the elves, are you? No- even Res- err, never mind. Even they dont get the Path Less Traveled, thankfully. Blight, that would be a nightmare. She rubbed her forehead as Edwin thought. Res? Re-something, that was sure. Res...pawn? Reset? Respec? What would cause an error, though? I dont suppose youre going to borate on what Res means? Nope! Edwin sighed. Figured. Well, he might figure it out eventually. You mentioned two paths, though! What was the other? Well the other was more like a message of sorts. It was a custom Path called more or less Character limit, cant talk much, no clue what happened, did my best to help you li-, and then it cuts off. I presume it cuts off live but I dont actually know for sure. Huh. Ya, I see what you mean. It is strange. How many points is it? A hundred and twenty. Woah. Thats so many. Whatever you get with that, its going to be good. I can take notes with it. Ha! The look on Inions face was priceless, You can what? Take notes with it! Its really cool. She sighed, There has to be more to it. Whats it called? Okay, that one he had to hesitate for, Hmmm. You know what, if you can figure out what my secret is, Ill tell you. He yawned, suddenly realizing howte it was, and amended his statement, In the morning. A nce around reminded him how this all got started, and he groaned, I should deal with my deer, shouldnt I? Ugh, I need more light for that. How do you even take care of that sort of thing? Oh, thats fine. I can take care of it for tonight. You can? Ya! Just toss it to me. Its mostly finished draining of blood by now, and I can hold it so its fresh for the morning. I dont know how to actually do the cutty bits, but its gotta be easier in the daytime, right? Well, he couldnt exactly argue with that, though So what exactly are you going to do with it? Its going to be safe from scavengers and decay, yeah? She nodded, Ya! Fey Circle! It actually, I cant tell you exactly what it does, but it makes time pass way slower for stuff on the inside than on the out. I use it all the time to save stuff best enjoyed fresh, though Huh, I wonder if I fell asleep in there by ident? Usually I just do it to mess with the mortals who like to think theyre so much better than me, and I never spend more than a few seconds in there if I can help it. Did I get stuck? Would that have been where the time went? Anyway, ya! Itll be in there like a few seconds tops until you pull it out tomorrow or the day after or whenever. Want me to drop it in there? Sure? Is there some downside to this? Eh, not really. Its not something I usually offer, but I wanna help you! Still dont trust that I didnt screw myself over by doing that. Edwin muttered, which only served to grow Inions mischievous grin even more, Okay, fine. Are you also going to hide in there? Ehh probably not. Theres a lot of ces I want to see whats happened to them in thest few thousand years! Ill probably check those out tonight while you sleep or whatever little mortal thing you do. Just dont forget I still have questions for you! Edwin sighed, but epted it for what it was. At least she wasnt being all flirty anymore. He paused, to make sure he hadnt jinxed it, then mentally sighed in relief. So she couldnt read his mind, at least. Probably. Sounds fine to me, he eventually settled on, and made his way back to his bed, pausing only to drop some fresh wood on his fire. Level Up! Sleeping Level 2829 Huh. He hadnt expected Sleeping to level up for at least three more days, given it was roughly a week or two between levels now. That was a pleasant surprise. He also just felt so well-rested it was fantastic. All his muscle soreness waspletely gone, his head felt nice and clear, and there was no indication of all the frankly ludicrous amount of work he had done the night before. Even though he didnt strictly need them to help limber up, he did his morning stretches, pulling himself in and out of the lotus position, fitting his feet behind his head, and generally seeing how much he could contort himself. He likely couldnt have done even half as much without the benefits of his Sleeping, and it still managed to yield results of its own. Level Up! Flexibility Level 2627 Edwin reached for his new pendant and pulled it out, studying the strange object that was apparently the origin of these new levels. It was vaguely aquamarine in color, though mostly transparent, and the interior seemed to ripple, the beams of sunlight he exposed it to cast shifting patterns on the ground, light passing through it as though it were a great deal of water instead of a static rock. It wasnt magic, though. He felt no feedback from his Mana Sense when scrutinizing it, which he wasnt sure how to think about. What were the optics of that sort of thing, if it was entirely mundane? At the top of the teardrop-shaped stone a thin string passed through either the solid rock or a hole so tiny as to be nearly invisible. While he had first thought the string might be solidified water of some sort, it now reminded Edwin more of some strangebination of silk and grass. Was this seagrass treated to be that high-quality thread he had read about? He could ask Inion about itter, he supposed. Almanac recognized the material as distinct from both living seagrass and the water-absorbing dried stuff. Not that it came as too much of a surprise, as living and drying had also been considered separate from one another. Why Almanac worked like that for some things but not others- he could use Almanac to tell that his axe handle was made from not-oak, after all- he didnt know, but he intended to find out at some point. When Edwin finally pulled himself out his lean-to, he found Inion sitting by his fire, tending to a nice if small little ze, So you can leave the water, then? Obviously. How else would I be able to watch you work? Im bound to the river and pond, but that doesnt mean I have to always touch it. Well, served him right for assuming her limitations, he supposed. Though was that just the result of his Bargain? Though wait. Even if it was, then Then what did you have me drag all those trees over to your river for, if you could have just walked over to them? Because it was fun to watch! Edwin red at the all-too-happy naiad, Also because you wanted me to help you train your skills to the best of my ability, which I diiid! You wouldnta gotten nearly as many levels if I had just walked, now wouldve you? she added innocently, though she couldnt hide the mischievous glimmer in her eyes. Edwin sighed. It was hard to say she was wrong, he didnt have anything to reallyin about- he basically knew this was exactly the sort of shenanigans he signed himself up for when dealing with a fey- but still... Fine, fine. He ignored the girls beaming face to the best of his ability, though it wasnt easy. She was shifting to always be on the opposite side of the fire as him, so his only respite was staring into the glimmering coals. Furthermore, the smoke from the fire never seemed to blow towards her, only towards Edwin. Reaching out with his Skill, Edwin activated Firestarting and watched as the mes slowly turned from orange-red to the clean, blue me normally associated with Bunsen burners as the wood burned more and more efficiently and cleanly. It cut back on the smoke blowing into Edwins face, too, until there was nothing beyond distortions in the air from the rising heat while the timber burned with the same steady me as a gas stove. It had the added consequence of increasing the temperature of the fire by a fair amount, but scooting back just a little bit fixed that problem. Inions slightly pouty face told him everything he needed to about her response to histest trick, which to Edwin seemed indicative that the smoke was indeed her doing, for whatever end. So, Firestarting, then? Edwin nodded, Its saved my life a few times now. Interesting use of the Skill. Normally people cant hold it for more than a single activation. Are you just constantly activating it, or are you somehow maintaining the activation over a prolonged period of time? Edwin stopped. He hadnt really thought about thattely, but Firestarting was originally just an active skill of sorts, wasnt it? Casting his Memory back to the Skill description, he recalled it was just make fire and that it supposedly got easier with each level. His experiments withbining it with Mana Infusion had gotten him used to sustaining it, but these days he could just keep the Skill going. If he kept it active too long he felt an odd sort of fatigue, like a phantom limb was being overused, but too long was in the minutes these days. I. I dont know. Huh. A thought urred to him, Can Skills grow outside their original use? How do you mean? Well, if Ibine one of my Skills- Mana Infusion- with other Skills, will the other Skills gradually be more magical on their own? Kinda? It depends a lot on the Skill in question, and how you use magic with it. Skills can grow a bit, though theyre usually fairly fixed in form. If you try to expand a Skill well past what it would normally be able to do, that additional effect usually shows up in its advancement. Well, assuming some level of Pathpatibility. Its absolutely possible to sort ofbine two Skills by just practicing using them at the same time a ton, but the System wont help you much there, though you may unlock a Skill whichbines the two in some way. If you dont take that, you just gotta do it the hard way. Yeah, Ive had that- been offered a Skill that was just an application of two of my other Skills- happen a couple times. What about just using magic all on your own, without evolving, or advancing your skills or whatever? Like if you just tried to get Fireball withoutbining Skills, and had that as one of your only Skills? An aspiring Wizard, are we? Learn magic the hard way? Sure, you could do it, but good luck without any help from the System. Sure, if you pull it off youre budding, but its arguable if itd be any faster or easier than just trying to advance some rted Skill into the effect you want. Perhaps stronger in the long, long run, but can you really manage to spend several decades as you try to unlock the perfect Skills? Can you predict that sort of thing? I was under the impression it was almost impossible. Eh? Inion did the scales-weighing thing again, Sure, if you want something really specific, good luck predicting that. But generally? Its pretty simple. Just take Paths which correspond with what you want your ss to be like, take Skills which are basically what you want to be able to do, and itll turn out just fine. The System is good with that sort of thing. After all, its no, I cant say that, can I? What about predicting what Skill will be evolved by a given Path? So you couldplete Paths without risking that it evolves a Skill you still want to level, but without rejecting the evolution? You could probably predict that, but it would be reallyplicated or itd involve following someone elses ss exactly. That has problems, obviously, but if you managed it, then yeah, you could justplete the Paths as your Skills got to a high enough level. Itd be great in theory, but whod be crazy enough to try it? Edwin shrugged, The Empire apparently. Also maybe the Highpeak dwarves? Really? Hows that work? So far as Ive heard, they just record a lot of peoples Skills and Paths and see what evolves each time, then they can try to figure out the best set of Skills for a given type of person, whether its crafting, fighting, or being a merchant. Huh, good for them. Seems like itd be effective. Oh yeah! You still need to answer a question for me. Edwin raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about? We got sidetracked. What do you think the Moderators are? Uh, I guess theyd be individuals tasked with ensuring the System runs smoothly? Maybe most things are automatic, they just deal with moreplicated situations? Inion seemed more or less satisfied with that answer, nodding to herself. Then, she nced at the sky, looked around at the clearing and stood up, circling the fire faster than Edwin could escape, kicking his hip lightly, Anyway! Thats enough talking for now. Time for you to get to work. I wanna see you make stuff. Chapter 54: No Place Id Lather Be Chapter 54: No ce I''d Lather Be Inion kept to her side of the Bargain quite nicely and didnt bother Edwin as he started following the instructions in the Grimoire. It was a nice surprise, that there were no crazy twists that meant hed screwed himself over well, not yet anyway. But that meant he was able to work without distractions, so it was a win. First, he needed ash from the tree in question. That was easy enough, he had loads of extra wood that werent the right size for his cabin that he could burn. They were smaller, too, which meant they were much easier to carry around. Inion only took a bit of convincing to use her Skill to process these as well, which meant Edwin didnt have to spend the time needed to peel the bark off. He didnt know if leaving the bark on would interfere with the process, but he didnt know that it wouldnt either, and he had enough variables to ount for in this form without adding an additional one. Maybe hed be able to try it in the future, once he had enough ingredients, though not today. In any case, Edwins first attempt at getting ashes failed in a really stupid mistake. He hadnt failed to ount for holding the ashes- no, hed made sure to build the fire inside the metal bowl he was still dragging around from the dwarves- instead, hed flexed his Firestarting to make the wood burn fast and hot. It worked, even getting a Firestarting level out of it, but had the unfortunate side effect of burning so fast and hot that it didnt leave any ashes. That had set Inion offughing for a good ten minutes- what was just so funny about that? and by the time she had recovered, Edwin had his next attempt already well underway. This time, he just let the whole thing slowly burn while he prepared the next ingredient. Curiously, despite its inclusion in the preservation of flesh variant of the recipe, Edwin, fortunately, did not need drying seagrass. After all, he didnt have any left at this point, what with his use of the stuff back when fighting Niall and his minions. Instead, he needed oil. What kind of oil wasnt specified, but given Edwin only had something which looked and smelled vaguely like olive oil, he didnt have very many options and just had to hope it would work. Stupid vague instructions, not telling anything useful. ording to the book, once he had the ash, he needed to mix it with water to form a paste, then add oil, stirring until the mixture achieved a frothy texture Hang on, isnt this just how you make soap? It used oil instead of tallow and didnt involve concentration of lye, but ashes and oil were the main ingredients used for soap creation. Was that principle involved somehow? Curious, he reassessed the pages outlining the process. The mixture wasbined with some ground dried firevine leaves, which was a kind of ivy whose leaves looked like tongues of fire. Edwin had a decent supply of them, but he had no clue what they might provide to the creation. They were ever so faintly magical, though. If he focused really hard, he could tell that much. It was also one of the primary constants in all variations of the form, so whatever it provided, it was clearly important. Maybe it had some kind of fire mana imbued in it, that helped burn off the water, or canceled out the moisture in some way? The Grimoire imed that it would leech and burn the lifeblood from the tree, in death as it did in life. Hed need to test it out. The form then wanted salt to rece the removed hydration, which Edwin supposed he did have, though hed forgotten about it when making food- not that he had enough to really use it on his meals. He could deal with the lessened vor, it had better uses- Now, he was going to use it to make salted logs. Did it even do anything? Something Edwin felt even more strongly was probably a vestigial ingredient in the process was fine sand, taken from a riverbed and dried over a fire. It was supposed to be able to flow as smoothly as water from his hand. If it were pure white, that was a bonus but not required, as it would be adequate though left uncleansed of the aquatic essence. Then again, he was dealing with magic, so how could he really know? Next up was sunstalk, amon yet endlessly useful grass whose growth traps the essence of the sun. The bundle which Niall hadbeled as such just looked like straw to Edwin, though like the firevine, did feel like it might have the faintest tickle of magic to it, though it was so faint it may well have been his imagination at that point. To ensure no life is brought forth, he also needed dust. Honestly, Edwin wasnt sure how that was meant to be something to avoid, let alone how the heck that was even supposed to work, let alone how the dust was meant to prevent that. It did mention sawdust was eptable, but it needed to be fine enough as to be carried upon the gentlest breezes. Given all the logging hed been doing, it was easy enough toe by, if nothing else. Finally, chopped and crushed fresh stalks of Rhoreed, which forms the barrier between the river and thend, separating that which is dry and that which is wet, which so far as Edwin could tell wasnt exactly papyrus, but was pretty close. The fact Polyglot didnt trante it as papyrus seemed to indicate that it wasnt exactly the same, but at this point he wasnt sure if any nts or animals were aplete and total match for their Earth equivalents, just pretty close. Once everything was mixed together, he was to stir it over a fire until it reached a consistency like dried tree sap, which Edwin was skeptical would ever happen considering how many random things were involved in the process. Then, he was to apply it to the logs in question, allow it to sit for a day in the sun, then set it all on fire. Supposedly, the fire wouldnt damage the logs and would just burn off all the moisture inside of them. Once again, Edwin was skeptical how that was supposed to work, especially with the seemingly miniscule amounts of concoction inparison to the amount of wood it would supposedly work with, but who was he to argue with the Grimoire? Thats why he was testing it, anyway. In any case, Rhoreed was perhaps the hardest ingredient for Edwin to properly get ahold of, and while he at first thought he might have to substitute additional dried sunstalk straw, which was apparently a suboptimal though functional recement, he thought to ask Inion first. Oh ya! I can totally get you some of that. Theres a little bit right before the Edge on this one nice little side creek that I foundst night thats open enough for the stuff. Theres loads there, I can grab you a few armfuls if ya want me to? Uh, sure? Just as much as you can get? I think I can use it for a bunch of stuff, even beyond this. Gotcha! Ill be back in a bit! Neat. Well, while Inion was taking care of that, Edwin worked to make his totally-not-soap. How might that even work? Thinking about it from a semi-magical perspectivebined with chemistry Soap worked because it had a long nonpr tail and a pr head, which meant it was both hydrophilic and hydrophobic. The nonpr portions of the molecule were attracted to oils and dirt and anything which water couldnt mix with which enveloped the substance in a bubble of sorts. The outside of the bubble was thus pr and therefore hydrophilic, which meant that it got washed away with water. Clearly, this couldnt work quite like that. Burning soap (which was more or less not mmable, though at this point he could probably get it to catch on fire with Firestarting) wouldnt carry away whatever it was bound to, it would just leave it all where it once was. Also, the long nonpr tails would be a hindrance in the process, as there would be way more random debris which bound to the molecule per water molecule that would be able to interact with the pr head. His current hypothesis was that there was someponent in the rest of the mixture- he suspected the firevine, though the sunstalk was also a possibility as one of only two seemingly magical ingredients- which altered the nonpr side into something more mmable, possibly only after binding to several water molecules, and could burn it all off without affecting the wood too much. How all of that would work, he had no clue, but at the very least he had a working hypothesis. He didnt have the materials needed for a full, rigorous test of everything, but fortunately, he didnt need to. If he truly was making soap, but backwards then he could lean into that side of things slightly more than he might otherwise. By then, Inion had returned with armloads of the rhoreed and his ashes were finished cooking into a bit of a paste. The oil was easy enough to mix in, though given the tiny quantities he was working with, mixing anything in would be rtively easy. The firevine addition went essentially as it was supposed to, though nothing in the Grimoire made anyments about how the new mixture was supposed to give off heat. His pinch of salt made no discernible impact, though he did his best to scale all proportions correctly. If anything, he might have added a bit too much, though he had his doubts that it would actually have any impact. Sand may have been in the same category of does this even do anything, but that didnt stop him from still trying to do everything correctly. This was his more or less control batch, after all. No sense in messing it up just because Edwin wanted to be stingy with the ingredients he had plenty of, after all. The sunstalk des were broken and ground as appropriate and tossed in. As Edwin continued, he got the distinct impression that doing so seemed to give the sand already in the mixture a bit of a glimmer. Wait, did the sand actually do something to aid the overall form? That would be a surprise. There were still some hints of magic throughout the form, though his sense wasnt even close to being precise enough for Edwin to figure out what parts actually had some magic lurking within it. Inparison, adding sawdust went exactly as Edwin had anticipated. The thick mixture (he added a bit more water to maintain the paste-like consistency described in the book) took in the small amount of sawdust and began to dry out. To counter that, Edwin added the crushed rhoreed, where the juice from the nt stalks hydrated his creation just enough to make it stir-able. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his first batch did not turn out well in the slightest. While he only made about a cup, maybe two, of the mixture, nothing happened as it was supposed to once he had everything added together. It never reached any sort of partially liquid-like consistency, just drying out and cracking along the inside of the bowl he was using. Edwin sighed. Ah well, thats why he didnt try to do everything at once. It wasnt aplete waste, at least. Level Up! Alchemy Level 5253 Mana Sense Level 3233 He must have been doing something right, even if it wasnt what he wanted. The second mixture turned out better. He was a bit more generous with adding water this time around, and that resulted in a superior consistency for his final mixture. It was even vaguely syrupy! Unlike his first attempt, which was an obvious failure, Edwin actually had to test this batch, which meant pulling out a spare log, too small for his log cabin uses but stillrge enough to work as firewood. Inion wasnt being petty and actually helped him prepare it for application. After spreading the unusually liquid-like paste down the length of the entire log and setting it up in as direct of sunlight as he could manage, that meant there was nothing to do but wait. Chapter 55: Contractual Obligations Chapter 55: Contractual Obligations As it turned out, waiting around for somethingparable to paint drying wasnt the most exciting thing in the world. As a result, most of his time was spent talking to Inion. Even when he was working on marginally productive things, they still kept up a faint string of chitchat. Edwin couldnt entirely follow a lot of the stories she told about her time pre-nap, and it was of debatable practicality given she only had experience with a civilization some two thousand years gone. It was still quite interesting, though. Especially learning about magic. Magic was so cool, even though Inion kept teasing him with no actual details about how it all worked, simply regaling him with tales about noteworthy mages shed heard of or met during her long, long life. Shapechangers, someone who could make mist into solid weapons, a star mage who cast constetions Inion. Edwin interrupted the naiad as she made an offhand reference to her current story- about an unstoppable warrior whose blood ran so hot merely her gaze was enough to melt stone- to the dawn of time, How old is Joriah? Oh, ages and ages old. Its the oldest thing in the world! she replied, a cocky grin on her face. How old are you? Dont you know its rude to ask ady her age? What if Im actually old? Youre two millennia old at a minimum. Once we get into a four or five-digit age, is it really important? Obviously. He sighed, Fine. Ill just assume youre as old as Joriah, so say some six billion years old Inion pped her hands together, Outsider! What? Edwin was taken aback, Ho- uhh what are you talking about? Whats an Outsider? A triumphant grin spread across her face, I knew it. So where are you from? The Prime? Kitan? Wait, no. Six billion. Thats gotta be one of the Primes, right? Not even the Prime, unless theyve been really busy since Ist checked Edwin stared at her nkly, I think I follow even less now than I did before. What are the Primes? Whats Kitan? Inions face briefly shed with a moment of panic, but rxed after a moment of her eyes darting every way, searching and not finding something, No warning huh. So Im definitely right in some regard. But youre not lying either. So where are you from, then? Edwin set aside the rhoreed he was trying to weave into a mat, I told you. Im from he searched his memory for a moment before recalling his cover story, Im from Fierisal. She snorted, Ha. No youre not. And what makes you so confident you know more about my history than I do? Well, for one, youre an awful liar. Particrly by fey standards, but also just anyone with any sort of truth-detecting Skill would see right through you. Two, youre not from Fierisal. Youre human. Wait, then what lives on Fierisal? I thought nobody knew what was there, he wondered aloud, How do you know whats there? See? That right there. Im an immortal nature spirit quite literally from beyond the veil. I know a lotta stuff, and whats on the far side of Joriah is one of those things. Fine. So even if thats the case, whats this Outsider you think I am? See, unless VisDaric managed to blow itself up and someone cleanly removed the pioneer of Alchemy from history- which I suppose isnt impossible, but is pretty unlikely- anyone should know what an Outsider is. Well, I dont. I thought the creator of alchemy was a goddess? Salverria or something? Shes said to be a goddess these days? Huh. Moving up in the world a bit, I see. Nah, she was like you, though a lot better at actual alchemy. Hey! Eh, its true. You know some stuff, and while Im no expert, you seem to be doing some fairly impressive alchemy work without much experience. But you just dont know enough basic, basic knowledge about the System- I was confirming what I was told! Half of which youd know from experience if you hadnt been here for probably a year at most, not to mention only eight Pathspleted? Then your moderator interactions, all topped off with throwing out an age for Joriah in the billions? Yeah, youre not from here. So, I ask again, where? Edwin opened then closed his mouth. What was he supposed to say? He didnt feel any supernatural obligation to tell the truth to Inion- their Bargain was that hed talk to her and keep her secrets, not that he couldnt lie or keep some secrets of his own- but then again, he should be able to trust her. Isnt that what you thought about Rashin? Wellllll.. that didnt count. So far as he knew, Tara was keeping his secrets, and Inion had already sworn herself to secrecy. Besides, shed already figured it out, and was operating under the assumption he was an Outsider. Him telling her new facts about that wouldnt change what she may or may not tell other people or do herself. Fine. So you got me. Im from a world called Earth. Earth? Inion furrowed her brow, clearly trying to remember something, I cant say Ive ever heard of it. What was it like? Well, I suppose the obvious distinction was that we didnt have magic. Edwin chuckled to himself, Actually, I suppose thats up for debate. We sort of did have magic, we just explored it and understood it so much we called it science, and electricity. By that logic, that made me something of a wizard student, learning to harness the power of the universe. He fell silent, letting the natural sounds of the clearing fill the void as he thought for the first time in a while about his home. There were only humans, back there. The next smartest thing we had were ravens, octopi, and monkeys, and there was nothing stronger than an everyday human with a weapon. A rueful smile found its way to Edwin, Well, once you got a big enough weapon. But there was no System, no individual people having the ability to y by different rules of creation than everyone else. Coming here its eye opening, and there are just so many countless things that I want to try, to experiment with, to dissect with math and figure out how it all fits together and works. Im a Physicist, darn it! The rules of the universe are mine to behold. what began as a triumphant deration of fact fell into a quiet, contemtive voice as Edwins conviction trailed off alongside his volume. Edwinpsed into silence once more, and Inion moved to ce a hand on his shoulder. Unlike what he expected, it felt human. Still, he shrugged it off. He wasnt inclined towards human contact at the moment, to say nothing of the dangers that came with fey. Eventually, he spoke up once more. When I was growing up, all I ever wanted to know was the answer to a simple question: why? Why is the sky blue? Why do things fall when you let go of them? Why is water clear, but rocks aren''t? Why does the sun rise and set? Then, I started to learn the answers to those questions, but like any good question should, it only offered up more questions in response, and I started looking around and trying to figure out how things worked, what made everything the way it was. I lived in the middle of nowhere, no realpanions my own age just books. Lots, and lots of books. So I took my questions there. I learned loads, and everyone agreed. Took my first chemistry ss when I was eleven, physics when I was twelve, biology when I was thirteen. Everyone kept telling me I was so smart, that Id be the one to figure out the secrets to life, the universe, and everything. Then, I got to college- ah, a higher learning school of sorts. Where you could choose what you wanted to be really good at, that would teach you the specialized skills to fill a role in society. Well, I liked material sciences, I was good at math, and I liked Physics, so my choice was pretty clear. I thought it would be super easy, and, well it was. I had no real issues with the sses, got good enough grades. I just He sighed, Im sorry. This is bound to be super boring for you. You didnt want to hear my life story, and Im sure half of what Im saying is just nonsense to you anyway. Inion cocked her head, hair dragged along to match, No No. Dont worry about that. Im learning more than you might think about your Earth. Your Polyglot skill is helping, and I think the System itself might be listening. Well, that was intimidating, but also possibly useful. Still, it wasnt like either of them cared about his struggles, more about the sorts of things going on that were different on Earth. Ah, well it doesnt matter that much. Long story short, I never really quite fell into the brilliant role which everyone seemed to expect me to, even with spending almost all my time studying and doing homework. I just kept learning more and more. What else was there to do? Then, one day, I woke up here, surrounded by all kinds of impossible things, and Ive been trying to figure out whats been going on ever since. Ive seen some really crazy things, too. Things which defy all possibility and are both great and terrible. Theres wonder in Joriah, and I want to break open the heavens themselves, wrench the stars from the sky and turn them into forges, but I dont know where to even start. I should be dead a dozen times over. And thats why I came out here. I need to be stronger, to know more, to be able to do more. If I had a gun, Niall and his minions wouldnt have stood a chance. Heck, if Id had gunpowder, they wouldnt have stood a chance. If Id he sighed. I just dont know what Im supposed to do. He chuckled, We had stories like this back home, someone being thrown into a world they didnt recognize and having to make do with what they had. I always thought Id be the absolute best at everything, that Id be able to be the awesome, cool person who could solve every problem and be the best at absolutely everything. That I could revolutionize the entire world, with just my knowledge. Well turns out its a lot harder than it looks. If I had myb, things might be slightly different. But here? Where I have to make everything from scratch? I know the precise ratio for thermite but I have no way of making the stuff. Aluminum is bound to be insanely rare if its even a known quantity, and Id be lucky to find someone who even knows what Magnesium is, though I probably wouldnt even need it given how good my Firestarting is these days. Edwin buried his face in his hands,ughing ruefully, Gah, what does it say about me, that it took me almost a month to reinvent cement, but I have the exact form for thermite memorized? Carefully extracting his face, Edwin flopped onto his back, looking up into the cloudless sky, Im sorry. Inion finally broke her silence, What for? Just Edwin waved his arm, a hopeless gesture trying tomunicate far too much with far too little, All of this. I know that Im the least interesting part about me, that Im obnoxious and annoying andpletely unlikable. I bet youre already regretting that contract which said I had to provide conversation, arent you? I know I would be. No, no. Youre the most interesting person Ive talked to in centuries, Edwin. Lighten up a bit. Well, apparently Im better off being silent than speaking about myself. Wait, no, thats not what Im saying. He chuckled, having heard that line so many times before, Theres no need to spare my feelings, though I know you will anyway, his gaze peered forward, picking out the incredible detail of all of his surroundings, almost cursing his inability to look into nothing these days. Seeing meant that hed always see something, and be able to interpret it. He almost cursed his inability to keep his mouth shut, frustrated with his own sensitivity as anything. Then, Edwin caught his emotions running rampant. Go, shoo. Back in your box. Obediently, he corralled his emotions one by one, returning them to their pens. Sadness was the first to go, the easiest to deal with considering he already fought against it whenever he thought about Earth and all the people he left behind. That was followed with remorse, with jealousy, anger, and sadness once more. Those werent valuable. Happiness could try to stay out, but it always seemed to get lonely, with all of its friends locked away. It would always try to spend time with its friends, Edwin liked to think. Thats why it so rarely came out to visit, he felt. Oh so very rarely. Chapter 56: The Scientific Method Chapter 56: The Scientific Method Edwin wasnt really sure how long he sat in silence, staring at the mes as his campfire slowly died down. Inion had tried to say something at one point, trying to get him to continue talking about Earth by trying to persuade him that she really did care about his story, and that she did care about him. She seemed almost genuine, too. Edwin didnt buy it, though. Hed been in this position before. Even if she did legitimately feel bad for him, it wouldntst. Give it a day, maybe two, and shed return to however she felt beforehand. She wouldnt ignore him, at least, though in some ways that might be worse. His emotions began to try and w their way out of their boxes, wanting him to pay attention to them. But no. He couldnt do that, not yet. If he gave his emotions even an inch, hed regret it. Hed do something which seemed like a great idea at the time, but just didnt make sense, or made him vulnerable, or something. No, if he was going to open up fully with his emotions, he wanted to find someone who actually cared about him and somewhere to call home first. He was in apletely new world, after all! There was bound to be somewhere just right for him where he could settle down. Heck, that was even partially the point of his cabin-in-progress! If it turned out well, maybe this could be his home. Even if this wasnt it, the world was really big. He could find somewhere to settle down. The fire swirled into eddies, twisting and dancing as he poked at the burning logs with a spare stick. Edwin tossed the branch into the mes, twisting Firestarting such that it was firmly on fire before it evennded. Well, there was nothing to be gained sitting around feeling sorry for himself. Before he did anything else, though, he stood up, brushing off the dust from sitting and stretching his cramped legs as he got a few more logs for the fire. Hed found that Firestarting meant he didnt strictly need dried wood, but unless he wanted to keep the Skill constantly active, green wood made a lot more smoke than deadwood. Granted, it would probably help his Skill level if he did so- he dismissed the level 45 notification as it popped up- but the strange fatigue associated with doing so made it firmly not worth it for the time being. As a result, he only kept it going long enough for his fresh logs to catch firmly aze before releasing it. He then retreated a few feet to escape the smoke, dropping onto the dry ground. The half-finished rhoreed maty next to him, discarded some time before, and Edwin retrieved it, silently picking up where he left off. A few minutester, Inion returned from wherever she had meandered to, taking up a seat to his left. So do you wanna talk about it? Over, under. Over, under. Over, under. Okay, that row was done. Grab a new reed, start threading that in Look, Im no expert, but Im pretty sure you wanna try to deal with that somehow. Its not good for you, keepin it all locked up like that, y''know? Finish the row, then press the stalks together for a tighter weave what Edwin wouldnt give for inte ess. He had a vague recollection of Egyptians making boats out of papyrus? How did they get it waterproof? Did they wait until the stalks were dry first, or did they weave it while wet? Rhoreed seemed oddly flexible for something which Edwins intuition indicated should be stiff, but that was grass for you. Come on, Edwin. Talk to me. Youre obligated to. Not when Im working. Not when doing so would distract you from working. If youre even half as smart as you like to think you are, you can weave and talk at the same time. You humans have been doing it for centuries. Guess Im not that smart, then, his mumble was intended to be almost inaudible, but Inion clearly had better ears than most humans. That, or he was just bad at determining how loud was too loud. Probably that one, honestly. He always brought up topics and dialogues which people just did not want to hear. Come on, now. Dont be like that. You have four mental skills, thats way more than most humans ever get. She nudged Edwin for a few minutes until it became more obvious that he wasnt about to budge from his duties, If you dont wanna talk about yourself, you can talk more about Earth or whatever. That deration hardly surprised Edwin. Of course they werent going to be interested in him, just care about the information he could provide. Not to mention that the only thing of value he could provide was because of the System, not anything inherent to him. Just that he had four mental Skills. Well, hed anticipated as much. Still, he supposed he could oblige, and this time, Edwin made sure to keep his story centered more around what Inion actually cared about. So then you were an ongoing student of. Physics. Right. And that was basically just math. If you wanted to focus more on things, youd go with Chemistry, and Biology is life. ''Making things'' was engineering. Yep. Physics is about taking the most fundamental aspects of reality and turning them into math. Somewhere in my mind is the speed of light, and how objects are put together on the most fundamental levels. Its so strange she eventually settled on, that your kind was able to measure something like how fast light itself moves, but without magic to help support you. How big of a poption can you really support? That had earned a few chuckles from Edwin, and led that conversation down the path of the scale of Earth, and how a few thousand just wasnt a big town for him, that selecting from hundreds of thousands to millions of individuals was needed to find someone suitable for the most advanced of physics, which even Edwin couldnt manage. Though with his new Skills, he could probably manage even more these days. Over the course of their conversations, Edwin made good progress on his rhoreed mats, finishing off his first one, followed by his second. While the mat was far from luxurious, Edwin weed any and all additionalyers offort between him and the dirt floor of the forest. Still, with nothing else to really do as the sun set and the darkness began creeping in, he bade Inion goodnight. The next day proved to be quite eventful. His batch of wood-drying potion had finished treating his test lumber, and the briefest taps with Firestarting had it burning merrily. Once those mes died down, even a bit of testing showed that the wood had indeed been dehydrated, and the lumber served as excellent fuel for his fire, burning almost as well as the deadwood hed been utilizing so much of. The sudden sess threw Edwin off bnce. He''d made it work on his second attempt? That wasnt how this was supposed to go, but hey. That just meant he could use hisst batch as a bit of an experiment. Time to see if he could improve on the basic concept! As his working theory for the mixture was that he was making something of a reverse-soap, Edwin decided to start off by more or less making standard soap, purifying his lye as much as possible, and going from there. His memories, reinforced by Alchemy, involved creating lye by boiling ashes and skimming the solution off the top into a second bowl. Once hed filled the second bowl, a process which took hours, he boiled all of that, letting the water evaporate until he had nothing but some off-white powder at the bottom of his bowl. This, if his memories served him properly, was Sodium Hydroxide. Perhaps not terribly pure NaOH, given the slightly yellowish color present, but NaOH nheless. He dried off the powder with a bit more heat and ran it through a small sifter, trying to remove any contaminants. With thatpleted, he ced the final powder in a ceramic beaker off to the side to make room for everything else. Satisfied with his results, Edwin distilled some water from Inions pool, collecting the purified springwater in another bowl. From there, it was a simple matter to produce mostly-pure lye, slowly mixing his NaOH into a small measure of water, stirring throughout until the powder hadpletely dissolved. By the time he was finished, the container was actually quite warm, the dissolution having generated a sizeable amount of heat. So what was the point of all that? Inion seemed genuinely curious rather than just making conversation, so Edwin didnt ignore her this time, Was that salt? No, it wasnt salt, though I get the confusion. Its sodium hydroxide, which is a salt, but not the kind youre thinking of. Highly corrosive and quite dangerous. Honestly, I should weaponize it Anyway, a salt is just a chemical term for something consisting of a cation and anion in a crystalline ionic structure. Inion looked even more confused than when he had started, which fair, So remember what I said about atoms and molecules? The smallest you can divide a thing until further divisions just result in something different? she nodded, so Edwin carried on, Theres different ways that they canbine. You guys have lodestones, right? Metallic rocks which can stick to each other or other metals? Good. Basically, cations and anions work like that, just on a really tiny scale. They stick together and make tiny crystals, and thats what a salt is. What I made is simr to what youre used to calling salt, but when its dissolved in water, it makes the water basic. Thats the opposite of acidic. This, he pointed at the beaker where it sat, slowly cooling off, is as pure as I can make lye, which I suppose finally answers your other question. I went through all of that because I have a theory about how the drying-out potion works and need to test it. To do that, I need to eliminate as many variables as I possibly can, so I took lye, which I think is the active ingredient of the ashes, and purified it as much as possible. That included getting rid of any contaminants in the water- Inion made a vaguely offended choking noise, Im not saying your water is dirty, but theres all sorts of things in any water that, well, arent water. Minerals and the like, which help with vor, to say nothing of tiny creatures, dust, and more. Distilling the water just means I can be more confident that any water I use, regardless of source, should be essentially the same as any other water. Theres a whole bunch of ways to do that, and they should be used together, but I work with what I have, which isnt much, at the moment. Now, I really wish I could make DI water- ah, deionized water, that is. Like what I was saying about cations and anions, but different- especially given Im messing around with acids and bases, but Ill take what I can get. Theres probably some alchemical methodology I could use to magically purify it, but the Grimoire doesnt care about that sort of thing. No, much too practical, he muttered, somewhat bitterly. What he wouldnt give to get his hands on the notes of Salvierra or whoever had supposedly pioneered alchemy. If she was an Outsider, she might actually have respect for the basics. Sorry, Im getting sidetracked. Anyway, now that I have my lye purified enough, I can use that as my variable for this trial. Id like to try and implement all of my desired changes at once, but when it inevitably fails Ill have almost no information about what actually caused the problem. This way, I can just establish my baseline, get a nice, consistent base for future experiments, and hopefully get some high-quality anti-moisture potion all at the same time! Seems kinda slow and boring if you ask me. Edwin shrugged, Well, thats science. Heck, thats life. Hurry up and wait, do lots of boring work for a few moments of sess. No job is entirely exciting all the time. Well, for you humans anyway! My life is thrilling! Didnt you just sleep for two thousand years? Other than that! Edwin shook his head and chuckled as he checked the temperature of his lye, lightly tapping the beaker with a bare knuckle before putting his glove back on and picking it up, angling the container to let light shine into it and double-check that there wasnt any undissolved powder still drifting around. There was, so he added a drop of water more, but when it didnt dissolve, he figured it was probably a trace contaminant, dust or something. Ah well. The rest of the procedure wasnt exciting, just following the steps one at a time until he had his final result. It looked somewhat different, for sure, as it wasnt quite as gray as before thanks to the missing ash, instead primarily green from the added rhoreed, but otherwise had the right consistency and looked like it should work fine. He applied it to another test log, gave himself a few stretches, and pulled up his notifications. He was expecting a handful, for sure, but was stillpletely blindsided by just how many he suddenly found himself confronted by. Chapter 57: Reconvene and Reassess Chapter 57: Reconvene and Reassess Congrattions! For applying knowledge of the physical makeup of the world to an alchemical form, you have unlocked the Physical Alchemist path! Congrattions! For sessfully making an alchemical form with no assistance and minimal gear, you have unlocked the Makeshift Alchemist path! Congrattions! For creating a concoction and demonstrating advanced chemical knowledge, you have unlocked the Practical Alchemist path! Congrattions! For disying advanced knowledge regarding physical matter, you have unlocked the Chemist path! Congrattions! For disying advanced knowledge regarding living matter, you have unlocked the Biologist path! Congrattions! For disying advanced knowledge regarding physicalws, you have unlocked the Physicist path! Congrattions! For attempting a well-considered variation upon a standardized concoction, you have unlocked the Experimenter path! Congrattions! For demonstrating advanced knowledge regarding experimental methodology and physicalws, you have unlocked the Scientific Revolutionary path! Congrattions! For experimenting with alchemical forms utilizing unique insights into creations, you have unlocked the Forerunner path! Congrattions! For sessfully refining lye, you have unlocked the Purifier path! You have unlocked the Purify skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Lecture skill! ept Skill? Y/N Level Up! Skill Points 518539 Progress to Tier 2: 735/1590 Alchemy Level 5360 Basic Mana Sense Level 3336 Firestarting Level 4546 Identify Level 4243 Nutrition Level 2627 Outsiders Almanac Level 8082 Polyglot Level 3036 Survival Level 3334 Almost halfway to Tier 2! Sweet. He was probably due to reassess exactly how close he was at some point, though. Hed gotten a lot of Paths since he had divided everything up, and he sadly couldnt take everything first. At his current rate, though, he should probably wait until he was closer to the time in question. Purify was... tempting. Very, very tempting. That was exactly the sort of Skill which hed find useful in Alchemy. But was it really exciting enough for one of his final few Skills? Ehhh maybe. Hed decline it for the moment- hed probably do it by ident if he didnt, anyway- but hed think about it and possibly take itter. He just didnt want to make a snap decision, not when he could consult with Inion at some point about what she thought would be the best. A passing thought brought up his Status, which, as long as it was getting, always felt satisfying to do. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 22 years Race Extranar Human ss Hedge Alchemist Attributes Mana 5 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 36, Mana Infusion: 63 (Basic Mana Maniption 9) Physical Athletics: 52, Breathing: 52, Flexibility: 27, Nutrition: 27, Packing 29, Seeing: 31, Sleeping: 29, Survival: 34, Walking: 40 Mental Polyglot: 36 (Language 36), Mathematics: 39, Memory: 34 (Research 50), Visualization: 42 Combat Bomb Throwing: 9 (Throwing Weapons 48) Utility Firestarting: 45, Alchemy: 60 (Improvisation 14), Outsider''s Almanac: 82 (Status 22), Identify: 43, First Aid: 30 Paths Skill Points: 539 Progress to Tier 2: 735/1590 Current n: Adventurer 0/30, Warrior 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Wanderer 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Scientist 0/60, Outsider 0/60, ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Mage 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, World Traveler 0/60, Physical Arcanist 0/60, Field Medic 0/60, Unkible 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90 Save for Tier 2 Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Alchemical Medic 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, Explorer 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Superior Alchemist 0/60 Maybe Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Trapper 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Survivor 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Lecturer 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Rebel 0/30, Arsonist 0/60 Unsorted Woodsman 0/30, Hunter 0/30, Novice Ritualist 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feytouched 0/90, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Chemist 0/60, Biologist 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Forerunner 0/60, Purifier 0/30 Probably Not Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Pyromaniac 0/30, Exile 0/30, Rebel 0/60, Master of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60 No ve 0/12, Assassin 0/60, Killer 0/30, Traitor 0/60, Burr 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner Ooh! Are you looking at your Status? Inion appeared from wherever she had vanished to once he stopped doing interesting things, What are your Skills? I wanna help! Edwin tucked his head between his hands, Im not in the mood for this right now. She patted his shoulder reassuringly, which just made him shift slightly as he recoiled from the touch, I wont tell you what to do yet, she poked at him mischievously, her grin falling when she saw that he wasnt fond of the joke, Something wrong? No, nothing. Still an awful liar. None of your business, then. Nuh uh! Its absolutely my business. You made a deal that youd talk to me and that Id try to help you to the best of my ability with your Skills. If youve got some problem thats making you not wanna talk to me about that, its my duty to make you talk. And she started mimicking some voice or ident Edwin didnt recognize, We have ways to make you talk. The naiad waited expectantly for some kind of reaction from Edwin, but when he didnt give one, her face fell, I swear, that joke always works, which only prompted a shrug from him. Guess your sense of humor is as outdated as the rest of you. She red at him, Youre just asking for it, arent you? As it turned out, even when falling, Inion still drifted as though she were suspended underwater, and as she floated to a seat, she schooled her face into a standard I absolutely care about you because Im obligated to expression, But seriously, whats wrong? Ah, Edwins favorite form of empathy. Contractually obligated. It was like a youth leader showing concern for him. No kidding, thats what their job is. It was the rest of the time that No. No, Edwin. No getting worked up about that anymore. Just answer the question. Inion is practically your therapist at this point, anyway. Just everyone has all these expectations of me, now that Im here. Youd think that being ripped through the fabric of spacetime into a wholly separate world would mean Id finally be able to escape people thinking I need to do this with my life, that I cant go and do that, that I need to conform to exactly what they want he sighed, Heck, worst of all are the you can do whatever you like and well be proud of you sorts of people, because you know they have some secret desire for you but refuse to actually share it. Cant say I can rte exactly, but I do understand. I I yeah. Its not easy, is it? Still, give me a quick rundown on what you have, and we can talk about it some other time, ya? That way I can get a bit of time to think about it. He sighed, Fine Fine. Lets start from the top, then? The first Skill I got was Basic Mana Sense. Edwin finished weaving another rhoreed mat by the time they finished, as Inion wanted to know everything about all of his Skills and Paths. What they were, what level they were at, what they seemed to do, how he unlocked them, what he thought about them Shedughed when he outlined his hopes for Packing, but had stopped and considered it and told him it might work, shed just never seen anyone actually try it before. That was good enough for him. It wasnt a high enough level yet, though. He estimated it would need to be level 50 or so before it was enough to even start, but once he did well, it would be pretty great. For now, though, he was finally getting around to trying to get meat from his deer. He only needed to eat a little more than once every two days at this point when he wasnt being too physical, which was quite nice. Still, he needed to deal with this carcass sooner orter, and there was still a bit of light, so may as well do so now. Inion had pulled it out of her pocket dimension or whatever it was exactly. It was as fresh as it had been before, to the point where it was still slightly bloody. Well he could deal with thatter. He had the meat hanging from a nearby tree, and started trying to cut away the skin. At first, hed thought he might somehow cut the meat out, rather than the skin away, but had no clue how to even start with that, so here he was. It ended up not being quite as hard as he worried. Still really hard, but it was at least doable. A few cuts here and there to get the skin started, ignoring the fur that kept getting on the meat, and then pull the skin off, bit by bit. Once he was just dealing with a lot of meat, which was honestly pretty blood-free at this point, thest few drops having worked their way out while hed been working, things well, they werent moreplicated, nor were they lessplicated. Things changed inplexity, as now he had some fifty or sixty pounds of meat to deal with, which yeah. He needed to do something with all of that. Cutting off the legs and head left him with six- well, five really. He didnt want to deal with the deers crushed head, so he tossed it into the woods- pieces of varying size, which he really didnt know what to do with now. It was easier to deal with, at least. He didnt really have any convenient way to grill, fry, or bake it, so maybe smoking it or boiling it? The former of those sounded way more convenient, but it could wait for the morning. He passed what he had so far off to Inion, who was sitting at the edge of her pond doing something. Weaving a cord of grass? And went to bed. Level Up! Survival 3436 The next morning, the drying potion still wasnt done soaking into his test wood, so he decided to deal with his venison instead. After loading up his campfire with as much green wood as he could, making sure he only took branches from a vaguely maple-looking tree- he couldnt remember why cedar and fir were bad for smoking, but hed heard people discussing it at some point- he got the fire started with his Skill and started working with his meat. Hed never been a big fan of gristle and had use for tallow besides, so his first task was just trimming as much fat as possible from the game as possible. It was all collected inside a jar and set off to the side, partially set into the creekbed to help keep it cool. From there, he started cutting slices from the leg he was working on, about an inch thick and six inches long, andying them not directly on the coals, but suspended above it on wood-soaked green wood- his makeshift not-a-grill. With no illusions that his wooden not-a-grill would withstand any level of fire, he kept his campfire going at a slow, but steady rate of coals and embers. It took hours for his meat to look essentially cooked and smoked both on the inside and out, but cutting up the venison was simrly time-consuming, so it more or less bnced out. It took most of the day for him to get his meat all prepared, and he was pretty certain hed be utterly sick of venison jerky by the time it was all eaten, but it should at least function adequately as food until then. Level Up! Survival 3637 Nutrition 2728 He declined the Cooking and Harvest skills and, his cooking for the nightpleted, built up his fire again. His jerky was well, it was technically edible. It was somewhat vorless and nd, chewy and difficult to eat, but it had the most important aspect: he could eat it, and that meant he could at least nominally use it for food. He had enough tost him for weeks, assuming he got fresh water (trivial) and some level of veggies and carbohydrates. Hmm. He still had his bags of beans, and if he could find some talsanenris berries at some point, he might be able to figure out some kind of speed-growth fertilizer. Plus, Inion had gardening by her own admission. She would probably help him with it? Eh, hed deal with all of thatter, once hed made more progress on his cabin. Hmm Now that he thought about it, what exactly were his priorities at the moment? He needed materials and levels, both of which he had some help with from Inion, both of which hegged massively behind both Earth and Joriah. He wasnt able to excel as just a physicist, and his Skills were apparently insufficient. A quick call to his Status allowed Edwins gaze to linger upon one Path in particr, and the corners of his mouth flicked up. Scientific Revolutionary. Yeah. He liked the sound of that. Chapter 58: Starting From Scraps Chapter 58: Starting From Scraps Stone, water, y, and metal. Those were the four foundational materials for building something substantial. Well, also sand. Arguably wood as well. And maybe- Okay, so there was a lot of stuff that went into pretty much anything, all tangled together in a vast web of interconnected technologies and methodologies, that meant if he wanted to make substantial progress in one area, hed have to also make progress in other areas. And hed need to do it all by himself unless he wanted to return to civilization... He cracked his knuckles. Well, nothing to it but to get started, then. Stone was technically easy to find, but it would be hard for him to actually use. He wasnt sure what the cliff face was made of, but it wasnt limestone, unfortunately. In addition, if he wanted anything more than tiny pebbles, hed need a pickaxe, chisel, and hammer. Doing that would be insanelyborious, though. At the rate his Packing was growing, it might almost be easier for him to get stone from Vinstead or something. Where they got their stone from, he had no clue. Maybe they had a quarry in the mountains and shipped it downriver or something? Ah, the details probably didnt matter. If it actually was important, hed find out eventually. Water, at least, he had in abundance, but purifying it was starting to get tricky. He only had two proper-sized bowls, after all, and even then his second, non-dwarven, bowl wasnt anywhere close to being asrge as his primary one, and they were both in fairly regr use. Not to mention that he didnt want his drinking water anywhere close to his alchemy cauldron, no matter how much he scoured it with sand between each use. For the time being, he had just been collecting water in his canteen and suspending that over his fire to boil it all off, but that wasnt really scble. y took a minute to confirm, but as it turned out he did have a pretty good supply of it in Inions streambed. Nice and thick, too, though a bit rocky and buried underyers of rock and sand. It would take some work to actually harvest, but he could probably shovel out a fair amount of the stuff. Or, he supposed, he could dig a pit elsewhere in his clearing. The y wasnt restricted to just the stream, after all, it was just the only ce where the topsoil had eroded enough to uncover it. Metal was the absolute hardest. Even in the unlikely situation he managed to find a vein of iron ore or something, hed still need to dig it out, incurring all the issues of using stone, before smelting it himself and purifying it by hand. He more or less remembered the Bessemer process (Almanac to self: introduce that at some point), but that didnt help him at the scales he was looking at. Plus, hed need to work it and twist it no. That was far too much work and hassle for something in which hed never manage topete with the professionals in Vinstead. He ran his finger over the makers mark on his axe, a torch set into a diamond. Nah, if how well it had held up an edge after so much use was any indication, hed never be able to hold a candle to the skill and Skills of actual metalsmiths. Sand he had lots of, as the bottom of Inions pool was filled with the stuff and the riverbed had a fair amount as well. That would be really useful if he wanted to make more cement, let alone if he wanted to try ssmaking. Plus, he still remembered the strange semi-superfluid-like behaviors Infused sand had demonstrated when hed tested it previously. That in itself was worth investigating once he had a bit of time. He already had a lot of wood, and he could also pretty easily get more if he needed it. That said, if he wanted to dry any more to turn it into a more easily-usable product, he would need to find more firevine and make more oil. Once he had it, though, all kinds of simple machines were makeable. He could use the stream and waterfall as a source of mechanical power fairly trivially, and once he had mechanical muscles doing his work for him, well. No getting ahead of ourselves. First things first. The experimental drying potion still didnt seem to have soaked all the way into the center of the log, and hadnt even soaked into the wood past the surface. What was up with that? It didnt seem like it had taken this longst time, did purifying the lye mean it couldnt prate the wood anymore? That would be interesting if so, but also really annoying. Well, there was still time left. Maybest time it had just gone particrly quickly. If it hadnt been absorbed by tomorrow, then hed look into it more. Actually, maybe he just couldnt tell if it had been fully absorbed? Previously, there was a slight discoloration everywhere the potion had soaked through, but not this time. Well, perhaps that was because- Oi. No. Wait until the experiment actually gives a result before making hypotheses about why it failed and what to do next. Well, in the meantime, he wasnt about to just sit around. The benefits of superhuman athleticism and rest meant he could work himself way harder than normal, day after day. In some ways, he was surprised at how well he was able to stay focused on work, day after day with none off- he certainly couldnt have managed it back on Earth after all- but then again, he had lots of different projects to jump to whenever he got bored with one of his tasks, and was making more or less tangible results with every passing day. He wanted a pottery bowl to boil water with, though, and maybe an entire distillery setup. It would be graceful as a skating stegosaurus, but if he built it right, it might work well. Getting enough y was easy in theory, and it wasnt exactly , but it still involved him being waist-deep in freezing spring water and trying to dig y from under theyers of pebbles and sand which had umted over decades and centuries. Because he was stuck between not wanting to get hypothermia and not wanting to strip down in front of Inion, he ended up undressing to his underwear and mentally ignoring the naiads teasingments as he did so. His feet were starting to go numb, but as his shovel bit into the thick soil, scooping out and piling up a decently-sized pile of y on the riverbank, he was immensely grateful that he was almost done. Next time, he was going further downstream to see if there were any exposed banks, because he was not doing this again. None of his Skills were helping- hed tried. Not that he knew which of his Skills would actually be of any potential use in this, but giving it a go still almost made him feel better. Then, finally, he was done. As he plopped the final scoop onto his admittedly arbitrarily-sized mound of y, he practically jetted out of the water and rushed to his fire, gratefully rxing as the radiating heat washed over him like the first rays of summer sunlight after a long winter. Yknow, Inion sidled up next to him teasingly, trailing a finger along his goosebump-covered arm, You really should clean yourself more often. Arent you getting dirty from working so much? Yet I think this is the first time Ive seen you shirtless, and you arent that bad of a sight, she purred. Edwin shifted, shivering as he wiped himself down with a spare rag, Yeah, well, before I woke you up I made sure to clean myself somewhat regrly. Bit of hot water and a rag, a momentary dip in the stream or pond to get dust and sweat off I didnt have soap, but I made do. Oh, really? the naiad drawled, I guess I missed out. Edwin shrugged. It was hard to say he didnt like attention from a pretty more-or-less girl, but it just felt awkward. None of her teasing really came across as genuine, more just her messing with him. Compounded with his how-to-survive-in-Joriah sense screaming at him to not get entangled with a fey in that way, he wasnt terribly fond of it. Not that it was enough for him to actually get her to stop, but it was enough for him to not reciprocate her teasing in any way, Guess so. Dang it, why couldnt anyone have shown this kind of interest in him back on Earth? It would have been so much simpler if they had. Not easy, but simpler. He finished drying off and pulled on his shirt and pants, sighing in appreciation as the warm clothes slid over his still-freezing skin. He looked away from Inion pretending to pout as he pulled on his socks and shoes and wrapped his cloak around him, waiting for his body heat to warm him back up. screw this, I have magic. He had to be careful when using Firestarting, to not include any part of himself or his clothing in the effect, but the sudden surge of heat from the mes as they shifted from orange to blue felt so nice. Hmm. Hed tried Infusing firestarting before, as a recement for matches or flint and steel, though never once did he already have a zing fire going. What would happen if he did? Level Up! Skill Points 542549 Progress to Tier 2: 739/1590 Firestarting 4546 Mana Infusion Level 6364 Bomb Throwing Level 914 Yes, you do still have your eyebrows, Edwin. You dont need to ask me again. Are you sure? Because I really dont think It wasnt even that big. It literally blew up in my face! I got Skill levels in my explosives Skill! Only a little bit. Edwin harrumphed and turned away from the fey, who was badly concealing how much she wanted tough. So, as it turned out, when Infused Firestarting was used on something already thoroughly on fire, it seemed to set every part of that object on fire all at once. The resulting whumph had spread burning coals all over the area, setting a ton of things on fire. Fortunately, Inion reacted quickly enough to extinguish the embers thatnded on his shelter before the branches which made up his roof could catch fire, and put out all the ming chunks of firewood before they could catch the underbrush on fire. It had the unfortunate side effect of drenching a fair amount of the stuff inside, but Edwin would take it over them burning up. He did lose a few pieces of deer jerky where it was sitting out, and more than a few pieces of firewood ended up in the campfire before he would have otherwise intended, but overall? Not too bad of a mishap. Especially not now that hed found a new way to get bombs working! Well, so long as he was able to already get something firmly on fire. And could Infuse Firestarting to target something at a decent range without also igniting a lot of other things. Heck, his current range for firestarting was like twenty feet at most, and Infusion was still barely past touch range. Also, he wasn''t able to exclude anything from his Firestarting area of effect, so he''d be making his surroundings hyper-mmable then setting off a firebomb.... Overall, a lot of bugs to work out, but also a lot of potential if he could actually get it working. After all, real-life explosives were all about trying to get a bunch of really mmable things burning simultaneously. If he could do that at will? With anything? Well, the results would be positively explosive. See! Youre smiling again! I told you youd be fine. Edwin waved off Inion and poked at his fire, making sure the freshly-loaded stock of wood was well and truly ame before he got up to deal with what hed been trying to work on before identally discovering mana-powered grenades. y was easy to sculpt. Well, it was supposed to be easy to sculpt, but trying to do so with his newly-scooped y just wasnt working. It was probably too wet, honestly. Hed let it dry some ande back to itter. Hmm. What else could he work on, then? Maybe get some sand out, so that it could start to dry as well for his future use? Edwin looked at the stream and its icy, frigid water and his shovel discarded next to it. He shuddered. Im going back to my fire now, I think. Chapter 59: Fire Rocks! Chapter 59: Fire Rocks! Level Up! Sleeping 2930 Edwin almost wished it would be drizzling when he finally woke up, simply because it would reflect his general mood. s, the weather didntply, and it retained its normal rain-free behavior. At this point, he was pretty sure that they must be in a rain shadow of some form or another, probably caused by the mountains to the south. He only halfheartedly pulled himself from his bed and through his morning routine. Sure, most of yesterday had gone so very well, then he had to go and blow up his campfire and sour everything. Well, it could have been worse. He hadnt started a wildfire, hadnt lost much, and hed had a rtively nice time sitting around the fireter on, watching the mes and generally contemting life. Inion wasnt around, but that wasnt too much of a surprise. She would show up at some point, back from doing whatever it was she did at night. While not especially hungry, Edwin still grabbed a piece of jerky from his food bag and started absently chewing at it, sipping some water in the meantime. Ugh. Hed need to do stuff today, but he just didnt feel up to it. Maybe he could check the results of his experiment? Nope, it still hadnt soaked into the wood. At this point, Edwin was close to dering it a failed trial, that clearly some part of purifying the lye had meant the form wouldnt prate into the wood. Was the ash really that important? Hmm. Maybe in a future variation, he could try purifying lye again and adding ash in afterwards, to see if that had an impact. Hed still give it another day. Maybe it was just slow. Mostly, though, he didnt want to have to do fiddly alchemical work when he was feeling so generally dour. He mentally ran through his list of tasks. Yeah, he was feeling up to ying in the mud. Edwins experience with pottery more or less boiled down to a single weekend when he was thirteen, and while he might have learned a lot, it was still almost a decade prior and he had no tools this time around. But how hard could it really be? Well, the answer for once seemed to be not very. Overnight, his y pile- Edwin shivered in remembrance of how cold that had been to make- had dried enough to actually be workable, and with a solid block of y in his hands, Edwin took to making himself a bowl. Thanks to, well, already having one, Edwin was able to pretty easily get the initial shape of his y to line up with how a bowl ought to be, simply by forming his block to align with the outside of his dwarven-made one. The problems only really began when he was trying to get an even thickness of y that wasn''t too thin but also wasnt too thick. Once he had that mostly taken care of, having dug out a few pebbles that were messing with it, he needed to try and get a mostly even lip. Again, doable but tricky, and Edwin wished he had a pottery wheel. That would probably help him with this, and he wished for it again as he tried to peel away his bowl from its temte only to have it fall apart on him again. Edwin sighed. This was going to be harder than he wanted it to be, wasnt it? About two hourster, he finally had something that basically looked like a bowl, and a Skill to correspond with it at the same time. He wasnt really interested in Sculpt y, though, so passed on it. Ugh. He really needed to reassess exactly what Skills he wanted, which Skills would be made redundant by Attributes, how to get said Attributes, and yeah. When he was feeling better. Edwin put his bowl next to the fire to help it dry out before he fired it. If he put it in too soon, the water inside would vaporize and crack the sides, breaking the bowl outright at worst or drastically weakening its structure at best. While it was drying, he kept at it. No sense in wasting time after all. Maybe he could make an entire distillery while he was at it? As he was working on his next bowl, Edwin was struck by a passing curiosity about what would happen if he Infused y. There didnt seem to be much of a pattern if he was honest, and he couldnt help but wonder what determined how certain Infused materials would work. Perhaps y would follow the path stone took, and harden? That would be really useful, and would allow him to make a lot of interesting sculpture-like creations. Curious, he gave it a try. Mana Infusion. St. The half-shaped bowl in Edwins hands immediately liquefied, sttering on his legs and the ground. Dang it! Now hed have to start over from scratch and breathe, Edwin. Its alright. Well, he had to admit that he wasnt expecting that to happen. Was this sort of like how sand became almost a superfluid when Infused? Was y close enough to sand that it just made the y lose all internal cohesion? Given the way it had spontaneously melted, he guessed it might mimic a ton of water being added all at once? Edwin tentatively touched a glob of y and pulled the mana out of it with what little Basic Mana Maniption he had avable to him, letting the mote of magical energy disperse into the atmosphere. The y didnt solidify exactly, but it did lose a lot of its fluidity and returned more or less to how it was before he had Infused it. Huh. Well, if it worked how it seemed to, he could absolutely use that. Edwin picked up a dried chunk of y from where hed discarded it near the pile. It was too hard and brittle to work normally, but The barest hint of mana animated from where it was stored in his chest, flowing through unseen channels and to his fingertips, where it exited and seeped into the y. As it did, the clump of dirt deformed in Edwins grip ever so slightly, and a smile crept across his face. Level Up! Mana Infusion Level 6465 Edwin had to decline Sculpt y twice more, and even a more general Sculpture skill before he was finally satisfied. By working with already-dry y, merging clumps together by Infusing them, mixing them, and removing the mana once they werebined to get more material to work with, he was able to make the material much thinner than before. That said, he still needed to keep in mind the fact that this was going to deal with a lot of heat and cold, so he was still a little on the more generous side of thickness, but hey! He didnt need to wait for this one to dry out. While he didnt have any way to make a proper kiln- yet- Edwin still felt that he could figure out a makeshift one. First, he dug out a hole in the ground a few feet deep, mounding the extra dirt around his normal fire pit. Next, hepacted the dirt inside and caked the interior with wet y. Lastly, he found a t-edged rock, easily picking up the wet stone from Inions pond despite the slippery rock probably weighing a good thirty pounds. It went at the bottom of the pit, which should help ensure that his bowls didnt fuse with their surroundings, and while he almost grabbed a second one to serve as a lid over his kiln, he realized that doing so would probably ensure any fire he lit would just choke itself out. He wasnt dealing with modern appliances, after all. This would be wood-fired. He only had the one bowl ready for firing at the moment, but that was fine. He could use the meantime to get more ready. He built up a fire inside the kiln and grabbed more y to keep working in the meantime. Edwins Logbook: Pottery Test 1: Bowl made via mana-infused y inside kiln. Fire built underneath, no cap for the fire. Result: Failure. y partially hardened from the heat but wasnt cured, so mostly melted in water. Test 2: Bowl made via mundane y. Fire built underneath, fire capped but with air channels. Result: Failure. y still not cured, though more sessful than test 1. Test 3: Pot made from mundane y. Fire built all around the pot, fire capped with venttion. Result: Failure. Pot was cracked in half. The outside of the pot was maybe slightly cured, but not the inside. Test 4: Pot made from mana-infused y. Fire built around and inside the pot, fire capped with venttion. Result: Failure. Pot was cracked in half. Uncertain why. Still not properly cured. Having fun? Edwin nearly jumped from where he was contemting histest failure, spinning to see Inion having finally returned. Youre back! Where have you been for thest two days? Ah, here and there. Hey, did you know dwarves found their way into the Highpeaks? I didnt even know that doesnt matter! Edwin red at her, Yeah. Im aware. Actually, he frowned, I think I did tell you about them. Did you? I dont remember you saying something like that. But I sense a story! Tellme, tellme! I really rather wouldnt Too bad! Youre telling me. We have an agreement, remember? Edwin waited for some kind of tug in his mind, or some form of supernaturalpulsion to keep his word, but it never came. Huh. Well, youve been gely. Maybe I dont need to keep up my side of the deal because you havent been keeping up yours? Nope! Not how it works. Besides, Ive been doing my part! I cant help you if Im not around, but I also cant watchya. Its just on hold while one of us is gone. Edwin sighed and finally relented, giving a short version of his encounter with the fur-faced Language, Edwin. Its my own mind! I can swear if I want to! . Not that I will. Habits, right? Sigh. Still, he gave Inion a bit of an overview of his stay with the ckstones, and she seemed to be oddly amused at certain parts, particrly when they enved him. So then Oh,e on. Is it really that hrious? The fey stoppedughing long enough to exin, Just breaking hospitality in that way. She shook her head, Theyre going to find themselves in quite a few unfortunate situations in the near future, if they havent already. Edwin frowned, Wait, is karma an actual thing here? Inion indicated kind of with her hands, Not really but also sort of. Normally, youd need the attention of an yeah, I can say that. The attention of a really powerful Outsider or just really strong ties to Fate, for that to work. Here, though ah, thats too close, sorry. Something to do with the System, then? Her limitations were essentially regarding speaking about it and about other worlds and their denizens, so Edwin wasnt sure what else it might be. It would be interesting if the System had done something to help him escape, but he wasnt sure how that might work. Aaaaanyway, carry on. Thank you for your permission. dly! Edwin sighed. Now, where was he? Oh right, he was preparing the next firing. Edwins Logbook: Pottery Test 5: Built a massive fire over the bowl (made from mana-infused y), covering itpletely and utterly. I will burn this to a crisp if I need to. No cap, will continue throwing more and more wood on it. Result: A falling branch crushed the bowl. It was fully cured though! Test 6: Built tower more carefully this time,pletely surrounding and covering the bowl (made via mana infusion). Also padded everything with dead leaves. Kept Firestarting going as long as possible. Allowed to cool overnight. Result: Sess! At long, longst. Odd ck spots on the y. Doesnt seem to impact stability or strength. Test 7: As test 6, though with less Firestarting use and with 5 bowls and the walls for a distition setup Result: Sess! Lost three bowls which cracked for some unknown reason, but otherwise turned out well. Edwin looked on with satisfaction at his new water distition setup. As hed built such that it could be ced over his kiln, even after he had expanded it a few more times, it should serve him well for a good while. At the top, he had set one of his metal bowls, filled with freezing water from Inions spring. Any water which evaporated would find itself condensing on the metal, then drip down at the center into a collection bowl, which in turn had a channel leading outside of the entire contraption, emptying into a water jug hed made just for that purpose. At the bottom sat a jug for holding the boiling water, and the entire contraption was enclosed by a ceramic cylinder, to help keep all of the water vapor focused. Hed need to refill it semi-regrly, recing the boiling water at the bottom with the cooling water at the top, but it should work quite well, especially when kept Infused. While hed yet to figure out what Infusing his cured ywork actually did, if he ran it through Packing, it made the ceramic significantly stronger. It may have taken him four days in total to get everything working, but he didnt waste his downtime while the kiln ran. In that time, hed dered his purified drying potion a failure, considered doing another trial with his lye, this time adding ashes- though eventually decided against it- and mixed up his final batch of drying potion. Hed even applied the potion, making sure it had turned out properly by testing it on a small branch- it had- and was now checking that each of his massive logs had fully absorbed the seemingly too small amount of potion hed applied to each. Yes, proportionally it was the same amount as hed tried on the branches, but there was still the nervousness that came from actually doing a full-scale run. The System was magical in so many ways, but letting his recipe turn out properly, more or less first try? Now that was utterly amazing. Edwin took a deep breath, turning to face his pile of wood. Every log showed signs it had fully absorbed all traces of his potion, and that it had soaked all the way through. It had been about two weeks spent in the wilderness, now, and he was finally ready to start making a more permanent home. It was time. All that was left was to burn off the water, and his construction could begin. Fire- Oh hey, Edwin! What? he snapped, Im working! What happened to no interruptions? Inion just replied by sticking her tongue out at him, I didnt break anything. You can carry on as you were. But do you really want to risk burning the logs themselves? Edwin nearly responded that this was fine, it had worked perfectly with the smaller scale models but his test log hade out a little singed, and did he really want to risk it? .Fine. Hed just use a burning stick, then. Honestly, reality had no sense of drama. Chapter 60: Last-Minute Tuning Chapter 60: Last-Minute Tuning Edwin stretched, cracking his neck as he prepared for his next momentous task. Hed settled on a final location for his cabin and now needed to prepare the actual ground for his building. First up, digging out his foundations. The soft topsoil was broken and hauled out, mounded next to Edwins kiln as it burned, making a set of smaller bowls that he could use for ingredients. He still had yet to figure out the origin of the ck splotches on the generally reddish-brown earthenware, but that didnt matter. What did matter was that the soil was off to the side, but not so far as to be inessible in case he figured out a use for itter. He kept having to dismiss the Digging skill, annoyingly, but he couldnt figure out how to cklist a Skill from being offered. There had to be a way, right? Eh, he decided to just turn off notifications for the time being, and check them all once he was done. He wasnt going to ept a Skill at the moment, though maybe soon, and this way he wouldnt be constantly annoyed by the popups. He kept going through canteens of water, to the point where one bottle had barely cooled by the time needed to down it all and Inion started to boil the next one. He didnt mind that much, though. It provided a good time to catch his breath. Not that he ever actually needed to do so. He was almost tireless save for hunger and thirst, but the mental break was still appreciated. Not having to deal with muscle fatigue had its own benefits, though. Even as he- or more urately, Inion- watched, the ground hed chosen to work on sank away, and the mound of discarded dirt grewrger andrger. By the time he stopped, he had dug nearly an entire foot down and cleared off all the loose dirt, leaving far rockier soil. It wasnt a perfect foundation, but it should work. The first logs he rolled into ce and set into ce with copious amounts of sand and stone. Strangely, Packing seemed to help him carryrge amounts of loose objects which he wasnt expecting, but he guessed made sense? If piles of sand had less weight pulling them down, it did seem to fit that it wouldnt copse as easily. Once properly set into the ground, Edwin chopped notches into the dry wood, easily chipping into the tree trunk. On the side further from the stream, he made sure to include an additional notch into the wood, to ount for his inner walls. Then the day was over, and he joined Inion by the fire, gratefully epting a final canteen of water. You know, I have Skills to make my water more drinkable. Edwin paused his frantic gulping to raise an eyebrow, And- he doubled over coughing as he swallowed a bit of water incorrectly. Inion looked at him with some concern, but he waved off her concern, Im fine, he croaked, Just failing at basic human tasks as always. Much to his annoyance, though not to his surprise, Inion agreed eagerly with that sentiment. He shot a re at the naiad, who justughed. Anyway. As I was saying, why didnt you mention that earlier? Didnt ask, she shrugged, which just prompted another sigh- and another round of coughing- from Edwin. With the foundationid, the rest of the work was fairly routine, and day after day passed in basically the same manner. In the morning, he dug out his cured pottery and started up his kiln for the next batch. While he did still lose most of his would-be earthenware, he was proud of getting up to nearly a 40% sess rate. The shards he kept off to the side for some unspecified future use. Most of his day would then consist of carefully measuring and cutting his logs so they would fit together snugly. Two walls with three notches, two with two, and two with one. The hard part came with the natural variation of thickness and the bumps and irregrities in the surface. Those inevitably interrupted the otherwise snug fit between the logs, and whenever he found one, Edwin needed to pull the log off where it was and whittle away the protrusion before returning the tree trunk. His evenings were spent fashioning whatever pottery hedter fire in his kiln. About ten minutes downstream, hed found a giant bank of dried y which proved perfect for his purposes, once hed retrieved enough of it. By day 4, the walls were mostly assembled. Day 5, he got the door cutout partially started, cutting just enough of a notch into one of the logs facing most of the meadow, and started on the roof. Day 6 involved assembling the roof, which proved trickier than he had anticipated. He didnt have enough small logs to form a full roof structure, he had to create something of a temporary skeleton with non-dry wood. Hed need to rece it eventually, but better the roof than part of the wall. I dont suppose you have something you could do to help with the roof? Edwin asked as he and Inion were rxing around the campfire that evening, I didnt adequately ount for how much timber Id need for it, and Im just curious if you have an easy fix before I spend two days overthinking a solution. Is that actual forethought that I sense there? the naiad ruffled Edwins hair, Im so proud of you! Shaddup, his rebuttal, much like his efforts to swat Inions hand away, were halfhearted at most. And I do! I have this really cool trick, you want me to do it? I gotta get your say-so to give it a go! Yes, please. Edwin had the sort of bone-deep weariness that only came from endless days of hard work, nevermind that he felt just as physically capable as though he had only worked half a day. It was psychological, but he needed to get this in a usable state before he could take a break, just for his own sanity. Hmmm. But I think that your Skills would benefit from doing it yourself now, wouldnt they? Inion cheerfully dashed his hopes, toote to prevent them from actually being formed. Edwin let his head thud against the ground as he groaned, Well, Im just training two, maybe three of my Skills doing this. Once Im done Ill be training my other Skills. Arguably, he rolled his head to face the fey, Finishing this will be more helpful for my Skills than continuing to work on it. Hmmm. Inion stroked her chin, Interesting argument. I suppose I can almost see your point. Edwin wasnt interested in games, What do you want? Hmmm. What do I want? Its been pretty entertaining watching you scramble around shirtless day after day, stacking sticks for your little home, Inion teased, to which Edwin just rolled his eyes. But I am interested to see what your next project will be after this. Saaayyyy tellya what, Ill do it, but you and I are going to sit down and go over your Skills tomorrow, ya? Also she pretended to think for a moment, Youre going to watch, and never share. Edwin groaned, Really? After all this time, now you want to go over it? Wouldnt it have made more sense to figure that out before my week of work? Also, watch what? Inion shook her head, Nah. Well maybe. But I didnt feel like doing it then. Now I do! He stared nkly at the fey. It could be so easy to forget she wasnt human at times, but when she started yanking him around for whatever reason, it was always a stark reminder. Still, whatever her reasoning, this was meant to be her best effort, so that meant that Nope. He didnt feel up to tracking whatever convoluted logic Inion had used, if it even could be traced. Edwin shook his head, Watch what? no response, Okay, sure. Fine, whatever. Just roof, please? Inion hopped up with way too much enthusiasm and made a wide circle around the imposing wooden walls of his cabin. Then, she began to sing. Oh, my dreamer, from the first words, her voice rang through the clearing, seeming to echo her stream, which fell silent- no, it just trickled in time with a cadence which didnt match up to her words, but did to her singing Polyglot was throwing a fit, but Edwin didnt mind. She had a fantastic voice, Sing with me, take me home. Wind whistled through the woods as the grass near Inion began to writhe, swaying to her voice. I see there the woods, I see there the thickets, I see there the fair and most fertile of meadows; I see there the deer on the ground in the valleys Hiding in mantles of mist. Oh, my dreamer, Inion danced through the clearing, spinning joyously in contrast with the gentler tone of her melody. Edwins mana sense didnt light up in the way he was used to. There was no single source of magic here, yet this was undeniably something deep and primal. It felt like the entire forest was waking up and bing magical. Sing with me, take me home. Any other time, Edwin would have dismissed it as merely his imagination, but here and now? No, his new house was beginning to grow together, his carefully cut and fit logs fusing into onerge shape. What had he gotten himself into? Lofty mountains and resplendent ledges, There dwell my own folk, kind folk of honor. Light is my step as I leap up to meet them; ''Tis with pleasure I''ll stay there a while. Oh, my dreamer, a soft, blue-green glow began to suffuse the area, and tiny fireflies- no, not fireflies. These were fairie lights, though he couldnt determine why he was so certain about that. It felt like he was intruding on something old, something ancient. Part of him wanted to flee, yet another part felt tied in ce, like he was being weed in and brought home, Sing with me, take me home. Vines began to grow from the ground, around the base of his home, and seemed to almost snake their way up his carefully constructed cabin. Once they reached where the roof should be, they began to weave themselves between his sparse constructions and solidify, forming a leafy top to his home. Hail to the blue-green grassy hills; Hail to the grandest skybound mountains; Hail to the forests, hail to all there, Content I would live there forever. Oh, my dreamer, Inion rose into the air as she spun, feet stepping on the thinnest strands of grass as the fairie lights swirled around her. A warm breeze flowed through the area,ing from everywhere yet nowhere at once, Sing with me, take me home. Bark grew back upon the logs, undoing weeks of careful work Edwin had put into chopping, cutting, drying, and assembling all of that timber. He couldnt really feel mad, though. Instead, he was entranced. The song flowed through him as well, imbuing his very soul with energy and refreshing his body. At the front of the cabin a part of the wall melted away to create an empty doorframe, and the shape of the walls shifted slightly to fit more naturally into its surroundings. The disturbed earth from all across the meadow smoothed out, growing grasses and delicate flowers as the harmonious magic seeped into every inch of his surroundings, a gentle glow suffusing everything in sight. Let me be among the trees, tall and proud; Let me dwell amidst the streams, unending and pure; Let me find myself beneath the endless skies, shining and bright, For there Ill find myself a home. The song continued, but Polyglot began to fail him as the words lost individual meaning and instead simply became a melody telling an ancient story, of lost splendor and the beauty of a time long gone. His cabin well, to call it a cabin was misleading. His handiwork was still present, that much was clear. But it looked to be a living thing, reminiscent of what he had seen in the halflings vige, yet so much more. Edwin didnt know how long he sat, entranced by the harmony and lost in the fantastical, but by before Inion had even finished her song, night had fallen. Silver moonlight flitted through the trees, nary a beam striking the ground outside his clearing. And yet the naiad continued to dance, to a tune older than time itself. She opened her eyes, her gaze fixed upon Edwin, and she smiled, utterly inhuman in its perfection and allure. Behind Inions eyes, Edwin saw the calm, serene beauty of a forest glen, the wild majesty of an unstoppable waterfall, and the iprehensibly massive scale of a mountain. Yet also the gentle call of birdsong in the morning, the soft fur of a rabbit, and the delicate colors of a budding wildflower. There was a spark, and suddenly Inion felt Edwinsprehension, his appreciation, and finished her song, the final notes drifting through the air long past her actual voice had faded into memory. Oh, my dreamer. Sing with me, take me home. Chapter 61: Putting Down Roots Chapter 61: Putting Down Roots Inion stumbled as she touched back down to the ground by the campfire, the spell not exactly broken, but certainly ended. Its effects lingered, the moonlit clearing still luminous with the emerald glow of magic, emanating from every tree and de of grass but also from the fairie lights, drifting through the air and asionally extinguishing themselves. Edwin was caught off-guard, but still was able to catch the otherworldly fey as she copsed next to him, You didnt tell me you could sing. A tired grin flitted across her face, Couldnt. Hmmm. Youre holding me, she tiredly teased Edwin, who rolled his eyes, And arent tossing me away when I say that. Are you finally willing to admit your feelings for me? Let me think.... Ill admit youre tired and I know Id hate to beying on the ground in your state, she tried to shift to be more in hisp, Dont push it, though, or I will drop you. Inion stuck her tongue out at him, Youre no fun. Singing, though? Was that a Skill? I cant tell you. So yes, then. Why would a Singing skill need to be a secret? Even if it had some special evolution that needed to be secret, why the base Skill? Well, it certainly was something. What did you even do? I helped you with your home. Like you asked. I dont believe thats all you did. Inion turned and tried to snuggle further into Edwins arms, Mmmm never said it was. So then what else did and youre asleep, he sighed, I didnt even know you did sleep Mmdont. Mm mmmmide amakmmmm. Edwin gingerly extricated himself from the exhausted naiad and picked up the sleeping figure, easily carrying her to the banks of her pond. His feet sunk into the bank as he deposited her on a bed of newly-grown moss. For the next little while, Edwin sat by the mostly-dead campfire, poking its embers idly as he watched the emerald motes of light slowly fade away or drift into the dark treeline, vanishing from view. As always, his thoughts eventually drifted towards, horror of all horrors, reliving every painful human interaction hed had pretty much ever, in reverse order. Tonight, he was stuck on his very recent conversation with Inion. Why couldnt he be normal there? Yeah, yeah. Everyone had those memories of an awkward social situation that kept them up at night. He knew. But just aplete inability to do anything when he literally had an attractive girl who maybe liked him in his arms? The rational side of his brain berated that line of thinking, though. She wasnt human and he couldnt forget that. She was nice to him, but that didnt mean she really cared about his feelings. She was probably just acting nice because she was nice, and just enjoyed messing with him. Edwin buried his head in his hands. Why did people have to be soplicated? Why couldnt anyone actually be nice to him because they actually liked him instead of it just being their default? Everyone else always had such perfect little friend groups where theyd chat and usually let him somewhat join in not that he was ever invited to, or really be allowed to join in the conversation. Even though he told himself it wasnt possible that everyone hated him, it could be so hard to actually feel that way. Not when hed beughed at as he was trying to get something off his chest, or when his supposed friends would spend time with him only so long as none of their actual friends were avable. Not when people would turn away from him or choose to avoid him when possible. Even if he was just the second choice for his friends, being the second choice for everyone still just hurt, after a while. He couldnt help but shake the feeling that was what was happening here. Inion clearly was a fan of people in general, but she was also more or less trapped within the Verdant, or at least imed to be. Did she only make their Bargain because it was either Edwin or nobody? He sighed. Probably. At least he could pride himself in being better than nobody for a sociable fey, at least for the time being. Shed already shown she could leave whenever, so shed probably abandon him the moment someone more interesting came along. Just like everyone else. With a sigh, Edwin took to his feet. There was no point in letting himself sit here in social misery for the entire night. He was alone, just the way he liked it. Who even needed friends? Just a bunch of exhausting individuals who demanded time and attention without offering pretty much anything in exchange. He tossed a couple of logs on the fire before retiring to his bed, hisst night in his little makeshift shelter. Upon seeing the tiny, bioluminescent mushrooms which had sprouted inside, he wasnt sure if he should be disgusted or delighted. He settled for asleep. Morning brought with it daylight and even more birdsong than normal. A bleary-eyed Edwin stumbled out of his lean-to, wishing that he had gotten more sleep, nevermind that he was still objectively more rested than if he had spent the entire dayying around and sleeping. Gmorning, Inion. The naiad was sitting on a rock at the edge of her pond, toe dipped into the water and absently humming an ancient tune. She turned, broken out of her contemtion, Ah! Good to see you up. She gave a beaming smile, vivid green eyes sparkling in the early morning illumination, Big day today. Oh? Edwin dropped himself by the edge of the pond, taking a seat on a decently- sized stone, Whats happening? nning! she cheered, Were gonna look over all your Paths and figure out what it is you wanna take first, and figure out whatst skills you wanna take! Edwin groaned, at himself as much as at Inion. Yes, that was exactly what he wanted to do today, but why did she have to say it in that manner? Why was it so hard to want to do something cool just because someone else was pressuring you into it? Can I at least see my new house first? She jumped up,nding deftly on the surface of the water and padding over to him, Of course! I did a lot of work on it, I wanna see your reactions to it. She marched right past him, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. He could have fought against it, but couldnt marshal the willpower needed to do so. He did reim his hand as they got to the cabin, though, to run his fingers across the walls. They were rtively featureless and fairly uniformly covered in an unfamiliar type of bark. Almanac was no help in determining the type of wood he was dealing with, and its rough surface was distinct from the nir he had used in its construction. It reminded him of something, though, but he couldnt quite put his finger on it (heh). Could you have done this from the start? Ehhh Normally, Id say yes. I coulda done something simr without your work, for sure, but it wouldnt have been quite the same. When we go over your Paths, Im sure youll see what I mean. So was all that time I spent working to dry out the wood wasted? No? Inion cocked her head, No. Even putting aside your Skill growth, the cabin needed to be properly established and built tost in order to work. Otherwise, awakening it as your home wouldnt have had the same effect. Edwins ears perked up at the hint as to what happened, and couldnt resist a follow-up probing question, So, with it being awakened as my home what does that entail? How does that rte to putting a roof on it? She stopped and thought for a moment, Itsplicated. Maybe being able toplete it, and fit it into the Wild pattern, made the song especially potent for it, making it truly sheltered by the forest, rather than from it? Im no magi, Im not entirely certain. Potent how? Wait, you arent a mage? I am, Im simply not a magi. Those are hang on, say mage then magi in just a moment he focused on turning his Polyglot off, to see if it was just trantion, and signaled for Inion to speak. Miseh beag tha, chann idann e. Edwin stared at her uprehendingly, and she sighed and spoke up again, Beag, idann. Edwin turned Polyglot back on, Onest time. The full sentence. Im a mage/beag, not a magi/idann, she sighed. Edwin frowned. Was this the first time the way Polyglot tranted words somewhat obscured their actual meanings? Or just the first time hed noticed? He should probably try to make an effort to actually learn morenguages at some point. He still mostly remembered Dwarven, and with Polyglot, a higher Research skill level, and Memory, it should be rtively trivial to pick up more. Can you teach me yournguage at some point? Theres definitely something being lost in trantion. Inion beamed at him. No, that wasnt beaming. It seemed too predatory for that, Why but of course, Edwin. It will be my pleasure. What had he just gotten himself into? The inside of Edwins house was well, magical. There were faint motes of blue and green light floating through the space, illuminating the interior even in the absence of windows. Granted, the illumination was aided by the ceiling- the leafy boughs of some unfamiliar tree allowed golden sunlight to pierce in some ces, though when Edwin looked for the corresponding holes in the foliage, he was unsessful. Though the dirt floor was bare, it had been smoothed andpacted, providing a firm base for Edwin toter install actual flooring. The interior walls were much the same as the exterior, made of one mass of living wood. Edwins alchemy corner had been split into two floors, interestingly, with wood in the approximate shape of stairs leading to an upper wooden tform, and the space below it having been slightly dug into the ground, with enough space that Edwin would be able to stand fully upright under the upper floor. Nice taste. Inion nodded approvingly as she looked around the space. Wait, what do you mean? Well, its your home. Youre the one that the song was trying to makefortable. This is apparently what you wanted? I designed this? Well, subconsciously. Can I grow it, or change it somehow? How can I install a door? Inion shrugged, Its alive, so it should still grow. That doesnt answer my question. Pity, she ran her hand along the walls, which Edwin realized were huh. Its properly sized? Whaddya mean? The inside Edwin pointed at the walls, and ducked his head outside to confirm, its not bigger than the outside. Inion stared at him, uprehendingly, And thats a surprise? Didnt youe from somewhere without magic? Edwin nodded, Yeah, but since Ive been here, pretty much every building Ive seen has been, well, enormous on the inside, regardless of how big they are on the outside. Thats unusual. She frowned, Every building? Well, so far as Ive seen anyway, he dismissed her next question with a shrug, Not all by the same amount, but yeah. Back in my day, Edwin chuckled and she shot him a re, Not that Im that old. Back in my day there were some shrines like that which I saw, but they were all made by this one guy with a Skill that made whatever he made bigger on the inside. I think he called it Efficient Interior or Efficient Space or something like that. But you said this wasmon? Edwin nodded, which made her consider things, Weird. Inion tapped her leg in thought, You said the Lirasian Empire controls who gets skills, right? Had he mentioned that? Uh, more or less? They like, have an approved list of what makes a good ss, Skills and Paths and stuff. She snapped her fingers, Thats gotta be it. Whoever it is figured out how to reliably get Efficient Space, or whatever, and now its standard fare for anyone building stuff. Thats gotta be insanelyplicated though. Efficient Space had to have been fourth tier at least, and keeping track of that many possibilities? she shook her head, I do not envy whoever is responsible for that. Still, good for them! Reliable reproduction of Skills can be so useful. Its easy to get something going in a general direction, but replicating an exact effect across an entire civilization? She eagerly turned on Edwin, Which brings us to you. Time to get to work! Chapter 62: Skillful Applications Chapter 62: Skillful Applications Level Up! Skill Points 551610 Progress to Tier 2: 787/1590 Basic Mana Sense Level 3645 Walking Level 4042 Athletics Level 5257 Breathing Level 5254 Identify Level 4344 Alchemy Level 6062 Flexibility Level 2729 Seeing Level 3133 Sleeping Level 3032 Outsiders Almanac Level 8284 Survival Level 3739 Visualization Level 4245 Firestarting Level 4550 Nutrition Level 2831 Mathematics Level 3940 Packing Level 2937 Mana Infusion Level 6566 Polyglot Level 3641 Memory Level 3436 Wow. Everything except for First Aid and Bomb Throwing had leveled at least once, even Mathematics, which had Edwin confused. He hadnt been using it that much, had he? Or was that just from normal, everyday use, now boosted by Inions token? Heck, why had Alchemy only leveled two times? And Mana Infusion only a single time? With all of that pottery? He asked Inion as much. Well, after level sixty, Skills slow down leveling. It takes a lot of effort to keep growing afterwards. Edwin frowned, But my Almanac skill levels every couple of days, and it just reached 84. Inion looked at him strangely, Really? Maybe it just levels quickly, then. The only thing that even might get it to grow that quickly might be absolute constant use and expansion, but its an active Skill, right? Passive Skills are easier to use constantly, but are also harder to push, so Im not sure what you have going on there. Edwin opened his mouth, then closed it again, You know what, never mind. Her gaze redoubled, How much? Dont worry about it. Edwin. How many things in the clearing do you not have marked with your Almanac? Define things Anything your Skill works on. Im still working through the leaves on one of the nearby trees. How many Almanac entries have you made in thest thirty heartbeats, since we just now started talking? Twel- thirteen. Inion shook her head, I really dont have a response for that. Well. Have fun with that. Edwin marked off another leaf in the ceiling with Almanac. So what if he recorded every stray thought he ever had with it? Of all his Skills, that seemed to be the one which had no corresponding strain for overuse. It didnt make sense for him to not be using it constantly, with a bare fraction of his 887 character limit used any time. Anyway, with Skills out of the way Congrattions! For digging the foundations for a building out on your own, you have unlocked the Physical Laborer path! Congrattions! For creating your own kiln and sessfully making a number of ceramic vessels, you have unlocked the Potter path! Congrattions! For witnessing and taking part in a Wildsong Ritual, you have unlocked the Primal Ritualist path! Congrattions! For building a house with the aid of an Elder Fey, you have unlocked the Primal Constructor path! Congrattions! For finishing construction upon the Hidden Workshop, you have unlocked the Master of the Hidden Workshop path! Congrattions! For settling in the midst of untamed wilderness, you have unlocked the Recluse path! Aw. It named it for me? Oh, you got a Path that named here? What did it call it? Wait, how did he shook his head, The Hidden Workshop. I mean, its fine, just a bit boring. Can you change it? Ya! Just like youd do with anything in your Status. Whatcha wanna call it? He thought for a moment, Hmmm whatsboratory in your feyspeech, whatever its called. Laboratory, Inion answered quickly enough that she must have known she was messing with him, though she managed to- no wait, there was the smile. Wait, one moment. Okay, now you can go ahead. Obainn. Obainn. Hm. I like it. It was pretty simple to make the appropriate change now that he knew what to try for, and the notification blinked toply. Congrattions! For finishing construction upon Obainn, you have unlocked the Master of Obainn path! Edwin looked through his unlocked Skill offerings. He could say that he wasnt particrly interested in Digging, Carpentry, y Sculpting, Axes or Saws, among others. But there were a bunch that he wasnt sure about. This was gettingplicated. Inion, what sort of Skills do you think I should get? Edwin asked as he dropped onto his seat by the fire. Without chairs inside, it didnt make sense to just sit on vaguely stair-like shapes inside Obainn and be cold when there was a perfectly good fire avable, I want to get something that will be useful and wont take forever to level. I dont want to take too many more, though, so what should I do? Youre an Alchemist, ya? Edwin nodded, How many alchemy-rted Skills do you have? Uhhh. Depends how you count it, I suppose. I guess Alchemy and Mana Infusion, maybe Firestarting or Nutrition? Theres your problem. Sure, you can do alchemy, but your Skills arent the sort of thing an Alchemist would want. You dont have any Mixing, any Purifying, any Harvesting, Potion-Making, Bottling, Alchemical Potency, Rendering, Herbalism, Ingredient Assessment, Slow Reaction, Caustic Attacks, Catalyze, Separate yname it. First Aid sorta fits a bit, but for the most part, you got nothin. And you might wanna fix that. Sure, but what Skills are most important? How many should I take? a thought crossed his mind, Hey, didn''t you say youd never met an Alchemist before me? How do you know what Skills theyd want? She shrugged, I can extrapte. But ya! Youre the Alchemist here. Whats most important for you? Since you dont want that many more Skills- lets say we bring you up to twenty four at most, you didnt want to take too many Skills yeah? Id say you probably should stick with that, because there can be some really, really cool abilities which they give you after a couple advancements, really unique in everything Ive seen, which is a looooot. That didnt really help. Well, what about other Skills? Ive been offered Stealth and Reflexes which have both tempted me. She shrugged, Stick with what youll use, if you ask me- which you are. Sure, Reflexes might save your life someday, but you know what else would? Using a Skill youre good at and use regrly creatively. As for Stealth? Well, if you dont wanna fight, you dont have to. Your Flexibility skill oughta help you there, and if you go for a bunch of Attributes- which you should, theyre really useful for a generalist like yourself with lots of Skills- theyll pick up the ck. Speedll take care of all your Reactions skill- Reflexes? Ya, that one. Itll take care of everything youd get from it and more, and might even give more of a benefit than the Skill itself. You improve an Attribute with Paths, after all. Skills you need to practice with. Then again, she looked off to the side innocently, which immediately put Edwin on guard, I suppose I could help you level Reflexes if you did pick it up, fairly effectively too. What did- oh. A brief image of Inion throwing rocks at Edwin and forcing him to dodge them with no warning shed through his mind. Yeah no. She would totally do it, too. He shuddered, No thanks. Aw. It could have been so much fun, though! Okay, so just focus on what Im already doing? Why cant anyone ever offer some kind of useful advice? I swear, you guys are worse than a motivational poster. Just be yourself! Youre on the right track- carry on! Honestly. Hey! Need I remind you that in my day- oh, stop giggling, it doesnt suit you. Knock it off! Back in my day, I would have supplicants travel for days to receive my advice? Uphill in the snow both ways? Edwin muttered before properly replying, Yeah? Well in my day it was thirty seconds to find ten times as many empty titudes as you seem to have. After a yful re, Inion shifted such that she was sitting cross-legged. Edwin mirrored her, but pulled himself into a lotus position instead. Hed been decently flexible before Joriah, but having an actual Skill for it brought things to a new level. The fey stuck her tongue out at Edwins one-upsmanship, then allowed her legs to pass through each other, momentarily turning to water and reforming once she was properly contorted. Okay then. What do you miss most about your world? Edwin thought for a moment, Myb. The inte. Societal structure. A feeling of safety. Libraries. My mattress. Sorry, sorry, Inion cut him off, I should have been clearer. What would you want to have here, with you now, she thought for a moment, processing Edwins list, Did you not have friends that you miss? Edwin shrugged, then once he had collected his thoughts spoke up again, I guess myb would be most helpful. Also urate measurements. High-grade chemicals too. And my chem textbook. Im sure there are lots of useful reactions that I could turn into alchemical equivalents if I had that. Inion frowned momentarily at something, then schooled herself, Well then, okay! You want Skills to make yourself a newb, and ingredients, right? Uhh sure. But what about measurements and my textbook? Ah, I dont know what Skills might help you there. Keep working on Memory, kay? That should help with your book. But you want to get high-quality ingredients andb stuff, right? Yes? I feel like I should be concerned. Well, the way I see it, you want your final three Skills to be something that helps you build non-Alchemy things for your pottery and yourb and all that stuff, another thatll assist you when harvesting herbs or bottling griffin blood or whatever, and ast one thatll help you get everything to an, she puffed out her chest and said in a deep, gravely voice, eptable quality, then broke downughing at her own joke. Edwin frowned, I dont sound like that! he tried to defend himself, just to be waved off by Inion, But I guess that makes sense. What about if Im offered some really impressive Skill, like I dont know Spellcasting? Or Teleport somehow? Then just take it! You dont need to be limited to just twenty four. Itll just be a good marker! If you hit twenty five or six, eh. Not that big of a deal at that point, though itd probably be a hassle and a half trying to get it to a decent level, ya? Yeah yeah. I guess that makes sense. Just that everyone seems to think fewer Skills are unterally better. Well, except for Lefi, but I dont think following his example is a good idea. It works for him, but Well, maybe one day? Inion shrugged, Its your life. I really just dont care. I am helping you to the best of my capabilities, thats the Bargain, but even if you do something subpar, I still can hold up my side. But honestly, a handful of Skills wont hurt you. Cap it at thirty at most unless you decide to take the route of a Wizard. In general, if you can replicate the effects of a Skill fairly trivially and wont be constantly using it, dont bother taking the actual Skill. I need to check, because Im not sure how Polyglot is working here what do you mean by the route of a Wizard? Building up Skills manually instead of using Paths. Use Firestarting to get Stoke mes or Summon Spark, leverage that to get Fireball, you know. Its a more tra. I cant say that. She snapped her fingers, I cant say that. Huh. So Polyglot could use self-assigned terminology. Unless the System was gauging how English worked based off of his thoughts? Hmm. A passing thought, a half-remembered question from months previous, bubbled up, Is there any way to remove Skills? So far as Ive heard, theres no epted way, just contradictory rumors. Ooh! Good question! Im pretty sure that I can yep! Got the all-clear. You see, Inions voice cut out altogether as she tried to say something. Her mouth kept moving, but no sound came out. She realized fairly quickly something was up, though, and it returned a secondter, is still in effect. Huh. So shes still alive then? I wouldnt have ever guessed. Sorry about that. I forgot about that Bargain. I have to keep a secret as long as the person I Bargained with lives, and I kind of figured she would have passed on centuries ago. That was what it looked like when a Bargain came into effect? That was interesting, along with the idea that Inion was apparently the weaker party in that Bargain, where she couldnt break the terms, So where does that leave me? She shrugged again, Cant exin that much. [.], Inion threw her head in the air, Thats not even a secret! It was ! she grumbled, then snapped attention back to Edwin, But Skills! What are you currently being offered? Thatll give a good idea for what you might naturally level! Edwin flipped through his still-open prompts, giving Inion a quick rundown of what he had avable. The naiad stroked her chin in consideration, I think Construction, Purify, and Harvest are probably the most interesting there. Construction? Edwin asked, Why Construction? Purify makes sense, and maybe Harvest as well? But I would have thought youd point me more at well, I dont know. But something other than Construction. Construction is a fairly broad Skill. Inion exined, Its a crafting Skill that covers pretty much anything that involves multiple parts, though doesnt help with any magical aspects of that assembly. You can use magical materials, but its no Potion-Making or Enchanting. Simr to Assembling, but it also aids in making the pieces rather than justbining them. Whatever you need to make should fall well within its scope, and youll have quite a few banked levels from constructing Obainn. Because its so broad, you wont get the strongest benefits from it- rather like your Athletics skill, as it happens- but it will aid you in many endeavors. And! It should level any time you make essentially anything. Possibly even Alchemy, though I dont really know about that. I guess. Purify I understand as well, heck, I was tempted myself. But why that instead of something like he picked another Skill hed been offered which seemed to fit the make higher quality bill, Precision? That might help with my whole wanting better measurements problem. Well, when were you offered Precision? Looks like towards the end. Maybe when I was trying to get thatst knot whittled out of that log? And Purify? Pretty early on, probably from setting up my distillery one morning. Ah. Youre saying that Purify is more likely to be used? Ya. Precision might be more broad, but its also kinda simr to high amounts of Perception. Purify is something you wereining you didnt really have the right tools for, right? True. While he had primarily been trying to think of how he could make better tools, it had mostly slipped Edwins mind that he should try and get Skills that would replicate what higher-quality instruments could aplish. Probably because he wasnt thinking about getting a lot of Skills, and he couldnt afford to rece every tool he might normally need with a Skill. Purify, though Purifying ingredients was probably the single biggest contributor to experimental replicability. He didnt need a Stirring skill, but a distition or decontaminating one? Yeah, he could use that. Round it off, I suppose. Why Harvest and not Gather? Thats an easy one. Gather helps you find ces that have stuff you might want, Harvest helps you to actually get it. Edwin blinked, Dont I want both, then? Inion motioned uncertainty with her scale-bncing hands, Maybe. But Gathering is less important if you already know what youre looking for or need to know exactly what you want. Gathering, especially at normal Levels, can only guide you towards things you already know where they are. By the time it would be an actual help, you probably wont need it. Harvest, though, should help you preserve more magic in whatever you take andll make itst longer! Super useful. Last question, I guess. Shouldnt I try for a Skill like Potion Brewing? Inion shook her head, Nah. Too specific for you. Sure, youll use it when practicing Alchemy, but not even always then. It doesnt seem like youre all that interested in only, or even primarilyusing Potions, but you want to branch out somewhat, right? Edwin nodded, There you go. Learn how to replicate what you need here, with what you have at hand. Edwin couldnt say that he was exactly sure about it all, but he did kind of need new alchemy equipment, and the reasoning made sense. Crucially, it matched up with his own thinking. You have unlocked the Construction skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Purify skill! ept Skill? Y/N You have unlocked the Harvest skill! ept Skill? Y/N Yes, yes, and yes. Construction We can build it. We have the technology. Create nonmagical objects Proficiency increases with level. Purify Not useful in separation of variables Remove contaminants Maximum purity increases with level. Harvest For getting spoils before they spoil Recover resources from natural sources Ease of harvesting improves with level. Level Up! Construction 0 15 Harvesting 0 6 Purify 0 4 Chapter 63: Assume a Spherical Path in a Vacuum Chapter 63: Assume a Spherical Path in a Vacuum Level Up! Skill Points 610636 Progress to Tier 2: 787/1590 Construction Level 015 Harvesting Level 06 Purify Level 04 Feel any different? Not really? Am I supposed to? No. Edwin blinked at Inion. Then why ah, it was either a human thing or a fey thing. Either way, not something worth trying to puzzle out. Honestly, he wasnt sure which would be harder to actually put together, though he almost suspected it might be humans. Okay, but Paths now, right? Ya! Tell me what you got. Edwin pulled up his list. It was getting rather lengthy, but they had time. Current n: Adventurer 0/30, Warrior 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Wanderer 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Scientist 0/60, Outsider 0/60, ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Mage 0/60, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, World Traveler 0/60, Physical Arcanist 0/60, Field Medic 0/60, Unkible 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90 Save for Tier 2 Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Alchemical Medic 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, Explorer 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Superior Alchemist 0/60 Maybe Novice 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Trapper 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Survivor 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Lecturer 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Rebel 0/30, Arsonist 0/60 Unsorted Woodsman 0/30, Hunter 0/30, Novice Ritualist 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feytouched 0/90, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Chemist 0/60, Biologist 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Forerunner 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Master of Obainn 0/60, Recluse 0/30, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Potter 0/30, Physical Laborer 0/30 Probably Not Lumberjack 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Pyromaniac 0/30, Exile 0/30, Rebel 0/60, Master of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60 No ve 0/12, Assassin 0/60, Killer 0/30, Traitor 0/60, Burr 0/60 Hmmm. Any interesting insights? Actually, any thoughts about how to get rid of some of the Paths I dont want? ve will definitely go away if you take Escapee, but probably if you take Master of Obainn or any of my Paths. Your paths? You mean the fey-rted ones? Inion nodded, Feytouched and Fey Friend especially. Killer and Assassin you wont get to go away outside of a Pacifist path which you dont want, youd need to get a Loyalty path or something to be rid of Traitor, and Burr if you got a Reformed Criminal path, maybe? Itd probably cover for Assassin, too. She shrugged, Not that any of those other than ve is actually bad, you might even benefit from them- Killer would advance one of your Skills to be offensive in nature. Harvest, maybe, now that you have it. Or perhaps even First Aid. Assassin would do something simr, but more subtle in nature. If it could affect Alchemy, youd end up with something poison-rted almost certainly. Traitor perhaps some sort of concealment Skill, advancing Identify, that would hide aspects of your information from Identify and its ilk. Wait, from Identify? Ya. It and Status are the main Skills which interact with the System, and while theyre both kind of ehhh she weighed her hands, Generally, Status skills help you connect with the System, whereas Identify helps you connect the System to whats around you. Theres probably as many exceptions to that as there are examples, but it helps convey the general trends. What returns when someone Identifies you can be influenced through lots of different routes. Status, Identify, even Stealth if he wasnt lying Who? She waved her hand dismissively, Doesnt matter. Somebody I knew back when. But ya! Burr would probably give you a stealth Skill from Flexibility if you wanted it. Edwin weighed that possibility. Tempting, but he suspected he didnt want to have Burr as a part of his ss, at least not this early on. It being one of his first ten Pathspleted was bound to have a bigger effect than one of his first hundred, right? Ill pass, I think, though I suppose Ill keep that in mind, he considered something, How do you know all of this stuff? I thought it was insanelyplicated? Experience, mostly. Paths have certain tendencies, shall we say? Learning how to read them takes time, but once you get used to it, its rtively intuitive. Its okay. This is a drastically imperfect metaphor, but itll work. Think of each Path as a ss of its own. Then imagine what single Skill that ss would most want. For an Assassin, thats probably gonna be a Skill which lets you kill quietly andpletely undetected. A Burr would want a Skill which turned them invisible, intangible, andpletely silent. A Mage wants one which allows them to use every kind of magic ever, a Merchant would want something which enables them to have an infinite well of stock and a perfect knowledge of what their customer wants and how much theyre willing to pay. You following so far? I think so So, each ss has an ideal Skill which is based around what their overall concept is based around? Exactly! I knew you were smart. When you take that Path, it tries to make that ideal Skill, and to do so, it takes whatever Skill it has avable to it- those which have advanced the fewest times- thats already the closest to its ideal, and tries to make a new Skill out of it, using the old Skill as a foundation which more closely matches what it wants. Okay, that makes sense. But what about for something simple? Like I cant imagine that a Linguist would want anything more than just Polyglot. In the case of a really close match, youll usually find that the new Skill is just a more focused or generalized version of the old Skill, though sometimes its almost identical to the old one and just provides an even greater benefit than before. That usually only happens if you use the same Path a ton of times, though. What about the Skill Point requirements? You can think of those as the fuel for the change. The more points used, the more drastic a change can be wrought. Though whats considered a drastic change isnt always obvious, its based on what the System sees, not what you do. That makes sense, I suppose. Then what about more abstract Paths, like my... Feybound one? Those are a bit moreplicated, but you can still think of them as having a certain ideal Skill that theyre trying to get to. Trophy paths? The item-granting ones? Same sort of thing. If you fought wolves endlessly, what would you end up with? A lot of wolf pelts and teeth, and so Skills will give you something to approach your end. Im not sure if that entirely follows? Inion waved her hand, Its all an abstraction. Sometimes a trophy path as you call them, will grant some hidden technique that your foe used. I heard a story about one druid who, upon ying a menacing panther, received a Skill which allowed her to summon a spirit panther to fight alongside her. That sounded cool, You can get Skills for summons? What about like bonding with an animal or something? Getting apanion? Inion nodded, Yep! Though you actually need apanion first, then youll be offered a Path rting to it, andpleting it will help you bond in some way. If it takes to Status, you might be able to see and influence Paths for yourpanion, if it takes to a magic Skill, you might get a shapechanging ability, or perhaps a summon-teleport, any number of possibilities. So then where does the influence of your current sse into y? Or you mentioned aplishments with a Skill changing what you get? Well, its not a perfect analogy, Inion agreed with a grimace, Not that there really exists one. Its all reallyplicated, and I seriously respect the moderators for making it. As soon as she finished her statement, she flinched hard, I should not have said oh hey, no smiting. I guess Im okay to talk about the mods, then? Ah. Just what youve already put together. So, what do you think, so I know what I can say? That caught Edwin seriously off-guard, What I think? Uhhhh. Well, I did put together that the System probably isnt natural, but was made by someone, who I did presume was either the moderators or someone connected with them. I also think that it doesnt apply to anything outside of Joriah, and though there are other worlds- maybe even another Joriah- none of them have the System. Instead, this was made for some reason. Entertainment, perhaps? By beings of other realms, like Arcadia. I dont know how the System works, but I suspect it oveys some kind of magic over everyone and everything in a way which isnt detectable by normal magical means, either inherently or just by intentionally crafting an exclusion for everything which is System rted. Theres probably more I could put together with a bit of time, but thats all for now. Inions expression was unreadable, but Edwin liked to think that she was in shock, Howd I do? She nodded, You got a lot right, though not everything. Of course, I cant tell you what you got wrong, or anything like that. But its nice to know what I dont have to be as careful speaking around. Happy to help? Im sure you are. Yea- hey waitaminute- You wanted my advice on your Paths? Yes. Can we get to that? Inion smiled, Of course, now that youre no longer pulling us off-topic. I was the one pulling us off-topic? You were- Would you like my help or not? Edwin bit back his tongue, Continue. So! Youve got yourself a bit of a problem, dont you? Some three hundred points below where you should be, given the skills of yours which have advanced? You need some careful nning, dont you? Yeah. Im really not sure what to do in that regard. Well, you have a few advanced Skills with loads of levels. Shouldnt I wait to use those Points for when Im evolving them, though? What was I saying about interruptions? Sorry. As I was saying, you have a few high-level advanced Skills, and theyll only be higher level by the time youd advance them. So, Id say you should use those for any Paths which give you an Attribute. Edwin frowned. You may speak. He red at the smug fey, I was collecting my thoughts. How do Attributes fit into the whole ideal Skill metaphor? Also, how would I know which will? Oh, or do you mean like after they reveal themselves to be Attribute-granting, then I mentally pretend those Points came from Almanac or whatever? Yeah, exactly like that. Attributes theye about when oh man this is going to be tricky to exin without tripping into stuff I cant say lets say the ss needs some aspect to properly function. A Mage needs mana to do anything, a Warrior needs to be able to survive hits they take, a Scout needs to be able to understand whatever they get, a Diplomat needs to influence those they meet, that sort of thing. Itll also happen when the System notices theres an easy Attribute to give, or something you really need. Again, its all quiteplicated, Im just giving a very general guide. Fair enough. So then what does that mean? Well, it means you only need to worry about your current Skills paying off your pointck, and not about any extra youll need for Attributes. That means youll want all of your Skills to be what is that? Seventeen points above their Path cost. Edwin rolled his eyes at Inions re, You asked! he sighed dramatically, Sorry for interrupting. I was getting there. But yes, seventeen points. So when all of your Skills are at least level seventy-seven, then you should start to advance them. If youre feeling adventurous, get them to a hundred and seven and take all ny point Paths! Now, thatll take a while, but with my help and my Token, we might have you all set in less than a year! Or five years, if you wanna go with pricier Paths. So long? Hey, it takes most people some fifteen years to get to level sixty in their Skills. Advancing thest one was seen as the mark of an adult back in my day. Getting ten levels past that? Yeah, a year is making good time. Thirty past that? Count yourself lucky it isnt a decade. What about choosing Paths? She shrugged, We can do that now if you really want, but you might want to just take themter, once you have more to choose between? He shrugged, Whatever you think is best. Though this still feels a bit like just do what Ive been doing again. Well, what youve been doing has worked well so far. Well, a year wasnt that long, when she put it that way. Still, though. A year? That was a long time. But at the same time, that was also a year of being generally alone, with nobody but Inion to talk to save perhaps asional trips into Vinstead for supplies? It sounded so very isted and alone. Sounds good to me. Sheughed, Perfect! Lets get started. Chapter 64: High-pH Training Chapter 64: High-pH Training For the first month, Construction turned out to be essentially trivial to train. It seemed like every time he turned around, he had a new level in the Skill. Granted, that was mostly the result of him officially moving in to Obainn. While he was forced to use green wood for it all, Edwin managed to make himself a decently sturdy chair out of a few young trees,shed together with copious amounts of rhoreed and using the same for a woven seat and backing. At Inions insistence, he made a second chair, which turned out significantly better than the first. Edwin was able to use much the same method for a door. It had no hinges and was basically just a frame of wood with rhoreed tightly woven in the center, but it did its purpose serving as a block for wind and insects. He didnt have any sort oftch to it either, and just had to pressure-fit it all into the doorframe. Not ideal, but sufficient for the time being. Making a table was somewhat trickier, but after a few failed attempts Edwin was able to cut himself boards and make something which didnt immediately fall apart. Despite his best efforts to try and make glue from the hooves of his hunted deer- though great for training both Harvest and Purify- it was ultimately fruitless, so he eventually abandoned that approach, and instead tried to make glue from tree sap. While the glue which resulted from just melting dried resin and trying to Purify it wasnt great, it still worked, and rubbing in sawdust helped take care of the residual stickiness as he used it to keep his table in one piece. It still wasnt anything fancy, just a set of boards glued andshed together set atop a frame structure simr to his chairs, but it worked well enough to keep his bowls off the floor as he slowly covered it with severalyers of rhoreed mats. His second table he set up in the elevated corner of his house to function as a workbench. While the basement might have been a more traditional ce for an alchemyb, subterranean structures had awful venttion. Granted, the upstairs wasnt that much better in the absence of windows or most anything else, but the leaf ceiling allowed fresh air in and contaminants out well enough for the time being. Speaking of the leaf ceiling, Edwin didnt have the faintest clue how it worked despite many, many experiments. It allowed more non-desirable gases to pass out of it but not into it, which included smoke, but managed to keep heat in quite well. It allowed light through, but was waterproof (Edwin had tested by hauling a giant bowl of water to the top and pouring it out- not a drop made it in). He couldnt fall through it, but when he was inside he could easily move the leaves out of the way to leave. Perhaps most curiously, it shed no leaves on the inside of the house, but certainly did on the outside. Asking Inion was fruitless; she simply said that it was the magic of the ce and didnt know how it worked. Still, a month in, he had ab bench, a table, chairs, and loads of y bowls and pots. At a certain point, he transitioned from trying to make earthenware to actually making bricks- he still wanted a proper kiln, and bricks were the way to do it. His first batches of brick, being as pure of y as he could manage- Purify was happy- turned out alright. His test batch was sloppy and irregr, as he wasnt going for consistency until he had a good methodology down. At first, he wasnt firing the bricks long enough, but then found that putting them in for longer just resulted in the outside being singed? In time, he figured out what was going on, and settled on a consistent mixture of y with sand as a filler, mixed together and dried in a form over the course of several days. Once the bricks were dry, he could stack them inside his kiln- he could only do batches of about 10-20 bricks at a time at first- and then slowly increase how ferociously the mes burned, providing bursts of Firestarting at times to help up the temperature. Towards the end of the cycle, he had the Skill turned on constantly, producing some insanely hot mes. He never fed Mana Infusion into the mix, though. Hed get around to experimenting with it eventually, but didnt want to destroy his kiln with a stray explosion. While the resulting bricks werent great, they were functional. In time, he built up enough of a brick collection to make a more traditional kiln. To aid in instion, he at first kept using a pit, but dug out his former shelter to the level where the soil turned to y. From there, he surrounded the kiln with fire on all sides and burned it as long and as hot as he could manage. The bricks helped to diffuse the heat somewhat, and while a couple cracked from the fire, the trial was ultimately a sess, as he lost fewer bricks in the firing and the setup wasnt nearly asplex. A few iterationster had him making a hefty topper to a tower-shaped kiln surrounded on all sides with fire. After a while and a few rebuildster, that was permanently assembled, mortared together with additional y, and Edwin kept it burning nearly constantly. Firestarting reaching level sixty meant he could keep it going almost indefinitely if he really tried, though the amount of focus it still required meant he couldnt maintain it while sleeping. Even between batches, Edwin didnt allow whatever he was making to cool, instead fashioning himself a set of grips that allowed him to pull out the kilns contents and put in new materials without burning himself. Even then, he needed to use his gloves, which resulted in a few pieces of pottery lost due to fumbled retrievals. The tradeoff was quite worthwhile, though, as his kiln slowly umted an outer wall to help contain the fires heat even better,plete with air intake and chimney. Now that hed finallypleted it, he decided to try and use his kiln for other purposes, like drying wood for the firepit inside (Obainn letting smoke freely pass through the ceiling was so convenient) when he didnt feel like keeping Firestarting up. It was a work in progress. Initial tests had just resulted in the wood he had loaded up catching fire and burning themselves to ashes. Curiously, Purify had lent its hand to cleaning all that out, which made Edwin wonder how far its effects spread. While he didnt know for sure what had caused the wood to catch on fire, he rather suspected that it was the result of the interior of the kiln being within the range of his Firestarting, and in doing so making the drying wood spontaneouslybust when the heat was turned up. Unfortunately, turning off Firestarting altogether didnt seem to heat the wood up enough for any significant effects, as the green wood didnt burn hot enough without Skill assistance. It was a frustrating conundrum. He needed to somehow figure out how to exclude an area from his Firestarting while maintaining it for hours on end. Worse still, despite his best efforts, he could barely even shape the area of effect, which seemed to be stuck at an approximately 4 meter radius centered on him. Concentrating with all his might allowed him to create a tiny divot in the sphere, changing the border in a small area by a centimeter or two, which at least let him know what he wanted should be possible, just really hard. In the space between Obainn and Inions pond, the two of them had started a small garden, primarily using seeds from Edwins dried foodstuffs. Thanks to Inions Gardening and rted skills, they had already harvested a bunch of beans and lentils from his first generation, and the second generation was now well underway. While Inion could speed up maturation of nts and had done so already, letting them harvest their first crop a week after nting, she imed that doing so repeatedly wasnt good for the soil unless specifically treated, or if she had the right Skill. Given what Edwin recalled regarding soil fertility, nutritional contents, and crop rotations, that checked out. What surprised him more was that Inion imed some nts- particrly magical ones- would be utterly ruined trying to speed them up at all. Others could only be sped up with specialist Skills, whereas others required you didnt use Skills on them, or perhaps they needed a particr magical fertilizer. It was a whole mess and Edwin was d Inion could fill in a lot of the Grimoires gaps of knowledge. Naturally, he dutifully recorded all such tips and techniques via Almanac on the corresponding pages. Despite theplexity involved, they still had a section of the garden dedicated to said magical nts. Firevine- Inion had managed to locate a sprig of the stuff through some technique she imed was just raw talent- was growing along the walls of Obainn, a small shrub ofmon purple-edged glowleaf stubbornly clung to life near the bond, and Edwin was doing his best to ensure his Sunstalk got a proper foothold and survived past sprouting, a task he had thus far been unsessful in. Firevine lived up to its reputation. Its leaves were a deep, dark red which lightened to white along the edge, and their irregr shapes did look reminiscent of tongues of fire. Under careful examination, the sprig felt slightly warm to the touch, and while it hadnt quite spread enough for Edwin to be sure, it looked like it grew in an irregr, fire-like pattern. Glowleaf nts were apparently quitemon, but the exact type of bush that hed found was supposedly less so. With purple edges and greener, more powerfully glowing centers, seeing the bush at night looked mysterious and otherworldly, blue-green and violet hues mixing strangely as he nced over them. Sunstalk, or at least what bare scraps of the stuff which Edwin had avable to him, was the most spectacr-looking nt he had. In direct sunlight, the sprouts seemed to vanish into a mere glitter in the sunbeams, only reappearing when the illumination died down some. When it did so, it would release much of the built-up sunlight, bathing its immediate surroundings in a touch of daylight for about a minute per hour of sunlight exposure. It probably would have looked significantly cooler if Edwin had more than a half-dozen sessfully sprouted grasses, as ording to the Grimoire, the light-releasing patterns resulted in fields of the grass rippling with sunlight when in darkness, light being transmitted from stalk to stalk and dying out quickly but not without putting on a spectacr light show first. Still, considering what he had, he was content. Heck, he wouldnt have had what he did now if he hadnt noticed some tiny grass seeds mixed in with what he had left of his dried Sunstalk. Well, that was how life went sometimes. He didnt have a strong need for any of the three yet, it was just nice knowing that they were growing. They, particrly Inion, stayed on the lookout for any other nts to add to their collection, especially the healing talsanenris berries, but hadnt had much luck thus far. Once he had some of those, then hed be able to make healing potions and have something to sell in Vinstead. He certainly didnt have enough money left over from Lefi to buy everything hed want. While his hunting had certainly improved with time, and Survival drastically cut back on the amount of food he needed, there was a list of easy-growing nts he wanted to include in his garden. That wasnt even counting wanting flour, canvas, a whetstone, oil, some more metal bowls to keep him from having to regrly rece his distillery, nails the list went on, but mostly amounted to basic goods which should be rtively cheap to buy yet were impractical to make out in the wilderness. Hed managed to remove soap about a week prior when hed managed to get a bar of oil and lye mixture to actually turn out properly, but that had only increased his need for oil. Was it the mostfortable situation hed been in? No. Was it the most enjoyable time hed had on Joriah? No. But it certainly was effective. Level Up! Skill Points 635830 Progress to Tier 2: 989/1770 (Avg level: 45/77) Alchemy 62 65 Athletics 57 62 Basic Mana Sense 45 51 Breathing 54 57 Construction 15 44 Firestarting 50 62 First Aid 30 34 Flexibility 29 36 Harvesting 6 37 Identify 44 49 Mana Infusion 66 68 Mathematics 40 42 Memory 36 40 Nutrition 31 36 Outsiders Almanac 84 89 Packing 37 43 Polyglot 41 45 Purify 4 32 Seeing 33 37 Sleeping 32 40 Survival 39 50 Visualization 45 49 Walking 42 49 Chapter 65: Running Into Trouble Chapter 65: Running Into Trouble Edwin jogged alongside Inion, who casually floated through the air at approximately eye level. Well, jogged was perhaps something of a misnomer. While prior to Joriah he might have ssified his pace as just shy of a sprint, these days the effort didnt even wind him. and, of course, she decided to finally trust fall just then and totally caught me off-guard. I technically caught her, but that was mainly in the my body acted as a shield to make sure she didnt hit the ground way. She subsequently proceeded to pretend to not trust me for the next six months. Inion shook her head, chuckling, That was entirely self-inflicted. Did you ever get the chance to redeem yourself? Edwin shrugged, a motion lost in the bobbing of his torso as he twisted his way through a tangle of branches, Thest time I saw her, yeah. She was heading out and finally, finally let me have another chance to catch her. I seeded. He smiled sadly. That must have been recently, then? No No. It was what, four, five years ago? Emotions, get back into your box. Not right now. Inion seemed to pick up on how he was feeling, though, and incredibly didnt ask any further questions, the two falling into silence save for Edwins footfalls across the dry leaves. Edwin dodged around another tree. While at first his daily runs had been around the clearing, that soon proved to not be enough of a challenge. Jogging through the unexplored parts of the Verdant kept him much more on his toes and helped him also improve some of his other Skills. Plus, this way they could cover more ground in search of talsanenris berries and other magical nts. While shed remained cagey about her limitations, from what Edwin could figure out Inion could leave water more or less freely, but suffered from a fatigue simr to how Edwin felt when sustaining Firestarting over long periods of time. However, being near him helped alleviate some of that pressure thanks to their Bargain. On a spur of the moment, Edwin decided to pick up the pace and started to full-on run, pushing himself to a full sprint for short bursts of time. He didnt go at full speed, though. If he exercised too hard, hed want more food before long, which he tried to generally avoid. Still, he was getting close to the point where he could run at nearly full pace indefinitely. At worst, he had to drop from a sprint into a run to catch his breath. Beyond that, he didnt seem to have any limits beyond purely how much energy he had in his body. Survival, he found, didnt provide him with extra energy from food- which was what Inion imed Eating did- so much as it allowed him to go longer without it. It was a subtle difference, and not even one which actually was apparent all that often, but it resulted in Edwin only needing to eat once a day at most, usually once every two to three. After that, hed start to get hungry and stay hungry, but with no impact to his actual energy levels. It was a simr story with water, though he still got thirsty fairly regrly. As he waved Inion to slow down, Edwin pulled out his canteen and downed its contents, gratefully chugging the cold water within. Water break? Well. He cut himself off with another swig from the bottle, Yes, but thats not it. I think I felt a twinge from my mana sense a short way back. Oh? Yeah. Not sure what it was, but. Youre still hopeful. He shrugged, Basically. Well, fair enough. How far back was it? Oh, not that far Even with both of them keeping their metaphorical mana eyes out, it still took quite a bit of time to actually pin down the location of what Edwin had spotted. Once they did, though, it was quickly apparent why it had been so tricky to find it. So does this mean theres a magical oak tree nearby somewhere? Edwin stared at the tiny object hed dug up. It must. Ive never seen a magical acorn before, but I dont know what else might have produced it. The squirrel that buried it? Couldnt have done it, as Im sure youve surmised. The mana within it is far moreplex than anything even you could do, let alone a forest creature. Any clue how to track it back to where it came from, then? Inion just made vaguely nomittal noises in response. Sounds about right. He sighed, Well, may as well get started? ------ It proved to be significantly easier to track down the oak tree than Edwin had anticipated, which was inrge part thanks to the sudden appearance of numerous magical nts as he headed towards the northeast. It was turning out to be quite the profitable run today! With Inions aid, he was able to dig up a budding hispera bush, prized for its golden berries; a patch of sinbalyne flowers, whose white petals could produce an anesthetic effect; and even a flowering bulb of mi, a neutralizing agent. Level Up! Harvesting 37 40 Neither Edwin nor Inion could feel the cause of this influx of magical nts, though, which while not inherently strange, did seem slightly odd. Usually, there was some kind of obvious source of excess mana, which would encourage the growth of magical flora. That said, with this being the Verdant, such an external source wasnt strictly required, as a powerful nature-attuned ley line ran through the entire forest, prompting rapid growth in mundane nts and encouraging germination of magical nts. Even then, it was strange to find so many magical nts this close to one another, which pointed to there being some replicable cause of higher mana in the area. He had, after all, just doubled the size of his magical nt collection in less than an hour. After some time walking, the two eventually came across a massive oak-like tree, its trunk stretching far into the canopy above them, casting the entire forest in an emerald glow, the signature indication of a ssleaf tree. I think we found it. Really? What could have possibly been your first clue? Edwin shot a halfhearted re at Inion, who merely giggled. That. He vaguely indicated at the colossal forest titan, towering as it was over even thergest mundane trees around them. Hmm. But did you see whats causing that? Wait, what are you referring to? Something specific? What? Inion nodded towards the trunk of the tree, and while it took a moment, nestled as it was in the shadow of the colossus, he spotted a very particr nt. ck leaves, white berries yep, looked like it. Talsanenris? Itd exin the tree, she agreed, Even without the berries, the bush functions as a node, of sorts, collecting and releasing life-attuned mana. It probably was just a normal oak tree before it picked up that little shrub, and now look at it. Edwin cast an eye up, and up, and up All from that tiny little thing? Will it have the same effect growing it at Obainn? If what the Grimoire- and Niall, for that matter- said about the berries were even half true, it should be trivial to grow a sustained crop of them. And if it would have this sort of an effect on his garden or possibly even Obainn itself, then sheesh. Inion dashed his hopes, though, No. Its easy enough to cultivate, but unless its growing in a natural location, it wont have quite the same effect on its environment. Perhaps a slight benefit, but nothing nearly so extreme. Edwin frowned, Are we sure that its actually the bush thats making these effects and isnt just a symptom of the sorts of environment that would cause those sorts of things to happen? Inion shrugged. He figured. Something to look into if he ever had time. Still, no sense lollygagging. He didnt know how long his would-be transnted herbs would survive without being properly nted, so he needed to grab the berries and start heading back. Even approaching the tree, he could feel his Mana Sense lighting up from just how much magic was permeating the area. It truly was spectacr. He knelt down to start picking berries, only for some sixth sense to light up warning him he was In Danger, and as he stood up, his brain starting to process a warning call from Inion- it was already toote, as sharp ws dug deep into his back. He copsed to the ground, even as his mind was screaming at him. Well, his mouth was screaming as well, but they were for very different purposes. He felt the piercing pain lessen slightly, and he took the chance to scramble towards the base of the tree and turn around to see what was attacking him. He couldnt properly see it at first, some Skill getting in the way, but Identify worked well. Mature Deepwoods Panther Well, that was just great. What were you supposed to do in a big cat attack again? He didnt have his stick with him- he left it back at camp, but he did have a hunting knife with him. It was easy enough to keep it with him, and with a flourish, he withdrew the shining de from where he had it holstered. Just in time, too, as the big cat lunged at him, whatever camouge it had wearing off just as its ws tore through his haphazard defense and his shirt,cerating his shoulders while its jaws opened and tried to go for his throat. Edwin was barely able to fend off getting his throat torn out by tucking his head in and bending forward, Flexibility helping him get his entire head beneath the panthers jaws as they snapped closed on empty air. He felt the cats rear ws dig into his legs as it tried to knock him off-bnce, but Edwin justughed. The cat had to weigh some two hundred pounds, which would have absolutely pinned Edwin once upon a time, but now? Compared to the sorts of weights he easily hefted in a single hand these days, two hundred pounds was nothing. Sure, it was on giant meathook-like ws instead of carried in his arms, but the weight was the same, allowing him to easily avoid falling. The jaguar was clearly not anticipating him to resist, and Edwin was able to use the opportunity that presented to twist his arm at what would normally be an unnatural angle and stab at the cats chest. The tip of the knife dug in slightly, but nowhere near enough for a sizeable blow. The cat yowled in pain and tried to disengage, but Edwin wasnt letting it get away that easily. As its ws were pulled out of his flesh, he grabbed it by a limb and threw it into the air. As it mmed into the tree trunk behind him, Edwin took a moment to ensure that he wouldnt be attacked by a second one. Other than Inion warily trying to get close to him, it looked clear. When he cast his gaze back towards the panther, he had a double-take as the beast seemed to have utterly vanished. Could it turn outright invisible? Shoot. He thought its Stealth skill had worn off. Perhaps it was more effective against the tree bark? Well, no matter. He had practice dealing with foes he couldnt see. A barrage of Infused Identifiester, he had the sted cat tagged with a persistent Identify box letting him know where it was. So far as he could tell, it had grabbed onto the bark of the giant oak tree and was preparing to pounce back onto him. A split secondter, the panther was mid-pounce trying to take Edwin by surprise once more. Now that he was prepared, though, Edwin was far more capable of avoiding the attack. Not that he actually managed to do so, but this time he was capable of properly defending himself, and the panther recoiled a single paw as Edwin managed to leverage the cats weight against it, piercing the pad of its foot with his dagger. He nearlyshed out with Firestarting as the cat withdrew, trying to burn his assant to a crisp, but stopped himself. If he identally burned the talsenris bush, then this would be for nothing. Perhaps more crucially, he wouldnt be able to use it to help heal himself afterwards. Hed keep Firestarting as a backup, but without a way to truly control where the Skill affected, he couldnt use it as a ranged attack. A melee attack, though. That he could control. Edwin threw his dagger at the circling cat, who tried to dodge. The result was just that instead of striking the panther in the throat, it took out an eye, and it roared in frustration. It wouldnt survive with only a single eye, and Edwin could tell the moment it decided to not flee, but instead try to kill him for the pain hed inflicted upon it. It was an oddly cognizant decision for an animal, but he didnt have time to ponder that as he needed to deal with a two-hundred pound predator lunging at him onest time. Edwin straightened his back and reached out with his hand. The moment he felt fur touch him, his skin tear under the ws and teeth of the cat, he unleashed everything he had. Mana Infusion. Firestarting. He felt as the mes blew back onto him, his magic not protecting him from fire meant to harm, to kill. Edwin screamed in pain as his hand began to burn and fangs closed around his wrist. The teeth pierced effortlessly into skin, tearing through muscle, cracking bones. All the while his hand was literally on fire, and the excruciating pain drove all other thoughts from his mind other than one. BURN. BURN WITH ME. He started to feel faint, and the headache of pushing Firestarting to its limits set in, though it was minorpared to the agony of his arm. Then, as suddenly as it started, he felt the pressure let up, and the supernatural strength behind the cats body faded away. He still took the full momentum of an adult mostly-apex predator directly onto his torso, though, and while Packing helped him not be crushed or have any bones break, it didnt keep him from being knocked off-bnce before he could avoid it. He unsteadily took to his feet, heart pounding as adrenaline flooded his system. A faint grin crossed his face as he looked at the lifeless body of his attacker, smoking as the corpse tried to burn up from the inside out. He canceled his Skill and kicked the corpse, Thats what you get for messing with me. His thoughts were sluggish, mind clouding over. But at least he had talsanenris berries now! The bush hadnt been crushed. It wasnt aplete loss, and he could use them for healing potions to fix himself right up. He was slick with sweat from exertion, and he wiped his forehead as he retrieved his de from the panthers skull. He spared a nce at his arm and- Oh. That wasnt sweat, was it? Was that really all his? Surely at least some of it had to have been the panthers blood, right? Ooh. That didnt look good. ...Wait, was it nighttime already? He didnt think hed been gone that long from Obainn, but why else would it be getting dark? Inions voice barely pierced through the murk to reach his mind, but as his consciousness slipped away, he couldnt understand a word she said. Chapter 66: All in the Execution Chapter 66: All in the Execution Edwins entire world was one of swimming pain when he finally came to, as it felt as though his entire body was on fire. Even still, his mind was foggy and slow, trying to piece together what had happened. Slowly, his muddled and distressed mind managed to recall what hed gone through. Jogging nts talsanenris panther pain. Thest thing he could really remember was Inion reaching him. She hadnt even been that far away, it had just all happened so fast. Perhaps Reflexes might have been a good choice? Or rather, he needed to prioritize getting Speed however he might manage that. He tried to open his eyes, but the effort proved to be too much for his exhausted body, bone-deep weariness of the sort he hadnt felt since before he came to Joriah. Still, he didnt need to open his eyes to check his notifications. Level Up! Skill Points 833839 Progress to Tier 2: 998/1770 (Avg level: 45/77) Firestarting 62 63 Flexibility 36 37 Harvesting 40 41 Packing 43 44 Sleeping 40 41 Walking 49 50 Huh. Nice haul, considering how quick itd all been. Then he tried moving again and realized it probably hadnt been that quick, at least not including recovery. His muscles screamed in protest,cerations burning like they were on fire, his upper arm especially, as he slowly pulled his eyes open... He was back in Obainn. Huh. He hadnt really expected that, though he probably would have if he had given thought to the matter. As he cast his gaze around, he realized why his arm burned so much, as Inion gently stroked his forearm, a smile on her face. Oh good, youre awake. You brought me back? he asked, his voice cracked and dry, sending him into a coughing fit which in turn sent renewed waves of agony throughout his battered body. Drink this. Inion proffered his canteen, which he struggled to take, but his arms were unresponsive. He didnt feel paralyzed, not that hed know what that would feel like, but he certainly was without use of his extremities for the time being. Noticing his struggle, Inion carefully helped him prop up his head and trickled the delightfully cool water down his throat. How long was I out? Inion shook her head, Not long. Just about a day, maybe two? You he took another sip of water, You dont know? Time isnt obvious for us. No internal sense of time passing, unlike you messy mortals, and Ive been too busy tending to you. Tending to me? I can barely move! I feel like half my body is torn to shreds! Sounding indignant was an art, especially with no voice and an inability to gesture, but Edwin felt like he could manage it. Yeah. Thats still an improvement. Was it really that bad? She started listing things off, counting on her fingers, Lets see you had Skill-enhanced ws tear up your back, followed by you picking up a System-empowered cougar using its ws in your arms and legs as leverage, your torso got bitten a couple of times that I dont think you even noticed, and to end it all, you shoved your hand down its throat, getting it almost bitten off in the process, and burned it to death using your fingers as fuel. Yes, it really, really was that bad. Edwin tried to wince, but found his body wasnt even capable of that much, Touch, he painfully agreed. She sighed, Ive been doing my best, I even had you in the pond for a few hours at one point, but my healing really only goes so far and so fast. Really, youre lucky the hand was still hanging on by literal threads- I didnt think Id be able to heal it if it was fully severed. Even as it was, I was surprised it worked. Shrug. Guess its good I didnt, then. Inion looked at him strangely, Did you just say the word shrug? What? Its not like I can actually do it at the moment. Thats the best I can really give at the moment. Can you help me sit up, by any chance? Laying down and drinking water feels like its about to go badly. For the moment, but you do need to generally stay down. Take it easy for a few days, maybe a week or two. I dont trust my work with your hand to hold up to too much. Edwin sighed. He hated beingid up. He always had been back on his feet way sooner than he really should have been, when he got sick or injured, and his inability to do so at the moment was annoying him more than a little. Why couldnt you have done anything? Arent you some great and powerful ancient fey or whatever? Is a single panther really too much for you? he teased, once he had his water and was lying back on the rhoreed mats he used as a bed. Do you want my help? she yfully used before shrugging, Im waterbound. I can venture away from streams and ponds for some time, absolutely, but I still am giving up a significant amount of my power when doing so. Not only are nearly all of mybat-rted Skills rted to water, Im just weaker as well being that far from my pond. If I had tried to interfere more than I did, you would have likely had to protect me. Oh really? Youre that delicate? She stuck her tongue out at him, Just you wait, Ill make you take that back when something tries to attack you next to a river or something. Sure you will. I will! Just you wait. As he shifted beneath his nket (really his cloak), a thought urred to him that he simply hadnt previously noticed on ount of his attention being mostly upied on the burning pain covering his entire body. Inion, where are my clothes? Instead of giving a verbal response, she pointed towards the table. Draped over the back of one of the chairs was Edwins shirt and pants. Well, what was left of them, anyway. Ah. Yeah, thatd do it, I suppose. It took another day and a half of resting and tending-to by Inion before Edwin was able to even start to move around. Even once he could move his (left) fingers and arm, he spent most of his time Sleeping and tending to his own wounds with First Aid. His right hand was unresponsive for another week, and weak after that. He hadnt properly appreciated the degree to which his Sleeping skill elerated his healing, especially as a part of other healing efforts, but given its leveling rate, it had to be doing something impressive. He even finally managed to attach the two Skills! Running Mana Infusion through First Aid, then into the nebulouswork which was Sleeping as he activated it drastically improved his recovery rate. He was even offered a Skill for it! Bed Rest wasnt useful enough to warrant taking it, though. Not when he had his essentially-finalized Skill list. Even with all of his and Inions Skills, it took him almost a week before he was properly back on his feet. He didnt want to waste the time and so spent quite a fair bit of that working on some of his more neglected Skills- namely, Mathematics and Visualization. By linking the two together through Mana Infusion, a longstanding task he finally managed after several dedicated days of attempts and for which Inion was of precisely no help, he was able to create almost a 3-dimensional graphing calctor. Attaching Status allowed him to adjust them flexibly by offloading some of the numbers to the almostputer-like interface, and trying to Almanac his imagination, while unsessful, did bring him up to level 90 in the Skill. Congrattions! For reaching level 90 in Outsiders Almanac, you have unlocked the Expert path! Inion confirmed that getting the Expert path wasnt terribly umon, and in the vein of the Novice/Beginner/Trainee Paths. At 60 points, Edwin probably wasnt taking it any time soon, given his wealth of more appealing options, but it was still interesting. Once he was finally up and moving again, it still took some time before he was at full capacity. He took the time to try and repair his clothing, which even with Construction was no easy task, given he didnt have any sewing materials. In the end, he had to dere his shirt, which was honestly more rags at this point than actual clothing, a lost cause. He managed to patch up his pants with strips of cloth from his former shirt, attached with glue. It wasnt ideal, by any stretch of the imagination. But it worked, and kept Inion from giggling, so he counted it as a win. Just another thing to get in town, I suppose. Itll have to be my first stop, though. He still had a couple of marks, picked up from minor wounds here and there, but they were all dwarfed by the massive w marks he now had covering his arms, legs, and torso. Inion imed they looked good on him, but Edwin trusted neither the fey nor her fashion sense, so he remained skeptical. Inion had fortunately kept the magical nts theyd found- even getting a few talsanenris berries, much to Edwins delight- as well as the body of the panther, though he didnt get much from it beyond some sharp teeth, ws, and a couple levels in Harvesting. Largely, though, he readily epted gardening as his task of choice while his beaten and torn body healed. Magical healing was amazing. If hed gotten the kinds of wounds he had back on Earth, it would have taken extensive surgery, oh so many stitches, and probably even more for him to fully recover. Here, though? Other than his slowly fading scars, he was up and about, no physical therapy required. He also ran some experiments with tnenris. True to their reputation, all it took to grow them once they were picked was to ce one of the white berries in the sun, on soil, and pour some water on it. From there, it was possible to watch it grow in real-time, a ck stem growing while white roots dug into the ground. Within an hour, the resulting bush was the size of his head, and it flowered within two days. It took about a week for new berries to grow, but that was still an insane turnaround. He took several of the fresh berries and nted them around the clearing, growing more and more bushes until he was flush with the magical nts, nearly making himself a hedge out of them. Once he had arger stock, he could experiment, and he did so with gusto. Talsanenris ced on stone would still germinate when exposed to light and water, but would swiftly wither if not given soil. He could even hold it in his hand, to much the same result. Dropping it directly into water, strangely, didnt result in growth- until something solid, such as the bank of the stream or the edge of a bowl, came into contact with it, at least. He could trick it with a pebble, though, but the nt withered away just as if it were on rock. So. It clearly didnt need photosynthesis, or at least needed it much less than normal. However, it was still limited to needing nutrients. Hed need to try and figure out a fertilization method, then he could try hydroponics before to figure it out for sure. The berries were edible and oddly nd to his tongue, though not to his mana sense. However, when he ate them, he could feel the magic within them be digested and fill his body with energy, as though he had eaten a pile of sugar. The energy rush took several days to fully dissipate, but Edwin suspected that was due to Survival. The effect didnt seem to lessen any if he picked a berry and then ate it a few dayster, though he hadnt tried it on dried berries or any older than a week. Using talsenenris as a sort of fertilizer had mixed results. The nts he applied the crushed talsanenris to grew incredibly quickly, almost as fast as the bush itself, but also withered if he used too much. Unlike the natural nt, they must not have been used to extracting so many nutrients from the ground in such short order. Crushing the berries and mixing them with water into a smoothie gave Edwin a major boost to energy, like the worlds strongest cup of coffee andrgest meal all at once. He was hyperactive and didnt sleep for a day after drinking it, though admittedly he crashed pretty hard afterwards. Not something to be used on a whim, though useful if he wanted to pull an all-nighter. The berries were already so full of mana he couldnt Infuse them any further, but Infusing the soil where it grew seemed to speed up the growing process, allowing it to yield berries in five days rather than seven. He mixed up another batch of healing salve once his first one was depleted, using them to help himself mend faster, but found he only had enough for two, maybe three more sets. He was fairly certain that some steps and ingredients in the potion were superfluous, but the only question was which. Well, only one way to find out. It was time to do science. Level Up! Skill Points 839 878 Progress to Tier 2: 1036/1770 (Avg level: 48/77) First Aid 34 47 Sleeping 41 44 Mathematics 42 51 Visualization 49 56 Outsiders Almanac 89 90 Purify 32 37 Harvesting 40 42 Chapter 67: Book = e^X Chapter 67: Book = e^X Edwin was ecstatic. While it may have objectively been a rtively minor discovery in the grand scheme of things, certainly not something which would help him survive if he encountered another panther, or even get him to Tier 2 any faster, it was still pretty great. Hed noticed tiny odd discrepancies in his Almanac everything he could strategy at times, when something he wasnt anticipating would already have a tag, but even with Memory he wasnt really able to figure out any sort of pattern. Well, until now at least. He could tag words. Also letters and other symbols, but most importantly, words. Honestly, he should have thought to formally try it when he discovered he could make notes on parts of his Status, but the way it worked was distinct from most of the rules Almanac obeyed. After all, he could tag something either generally or specifically, with specific overriding general. While a particr rock could be tagged with Almanac, he couldnt put two rocks next to each other and have that count as its own object. Letters, on the other hand, could be grouped in that way. Why, he wasnt sure. What was fundamentally different between two rocks and aa scratched into the dirt? Was it because letters whenbined formed new discrete objects, simr to how materials would form a new object when assembled? That seemed the most likely. A quick test which could determine if it really was the word holding the tag was to write the same word in two ces and see if they shared tags. They did. Okay what about tagging a specific word, seeing if it overrode the general appearance of the word? It did. How about trying to Almanac a word, then including that word in another Almanac, and try to pull up the first entry in the second? That also worked. Wow. This made his note-taking so much easier. He could make his own wiki if he wanted to! Sure, he didnt practically need to get even more space than his current limit of 1206 characters- no wait, 1336 now. Hed gotten two levels- but he certainly wanted to now! It also removed the final weakness of his notebook, by turning itpletely digital. Inion, sadly, did not share in his enthusiasm- she seemed slightly put off by it, actually- but that didnt dampen his excitement in the slightest. After redoing his entire file structure, using Memory and Visualization as a sort of copy/paste system over the course of a long, sleepless night, he set in to do much the same with his current object of study. Talsanenris Bush Identifying the word Talsanenris itself brought up a more detailed notification. This way, he could still make specific notes on specific bushes without having to worry about character limits or lost ess. Much more convenient. Talsanenris is a magical shrub whose berries apparently contain potent biologically-attuned mana. Simultaneous exposure to light and water causes the berries to spontaneously germinate, and they can be used as a high-energy food or as an ingredient in several healing potions. TalsanenrisEcology TalsanenrisLogbookIndex TalsanenrisFormIndex He considered leaving each hyperlink- as they basically were- as a more general word, like Ecology, Logbook, or Form, within the entry, but ultimately decided that using unique words was the way to go. This way, if he ever wanted to reference his TalsanenrisLogbook3, he just needed to write as much on pretty much any surface to ess it. Much more convenient than the alternative. Edwins Logbook: Talsanenris First hypothesis (revised since pre-testing began): The flesh of Talsanenris berries are functionally pluripotent stem cells with a rapid transformation upon exposure to a different type of cell. Current Hypothesis: Talsanenris contains a form of mana which elerates an organisms metabolism while also providing them with the energy to operate at that increased metabolism, though not any additional nutrition. Test on nt (1 berry, crushed and mixed in with soil): after about a 15 minute dy, the nt grew at an elerated pace for several minutes before growing sickly, yellowed, and even growing already-dead leaves in some instances. Seems to match nutrient deficiency symptoms based on loose memories. Test on captured Juvenile Verdant Meadowmouse (1 berry, fed to it inside its y box): the mouses activity skyrocketed for several hours, after which it seemed to suffer no serious adverse effects, other than some level of lethargy afterwards. Test on self (1 berry, eaten on a mostly empty stomach early in the morning): Instant shot of energy, like an energy drink. Heart rate increased, breathing stayed mostly steady. Heightened levels of energy persisted for several hours of minimal activity. Repeat trials showed that vigorous activity can reduce the time of effect. Test on self (1 berry taken while sprinting at maximum speed when stamina began to wane, approximately every 5-6 minutes): Berries staved off the effects of exhaustion mostly indefinitely, limitation proved to be running out of breath. Variations of berry delivery method (eaten whole, crushed and mixed with water) appear to have the same effect, assuming the same quantity of berry. Result: Hypothesis not disproven. Attempted various Mana Sense and Mana Infusion-rted experiments. Attempt: Infuse berry. Result: Unable to Infuse, seemingly due to a higher concentration of mana already present in the berry than Infusion is capable of providing. Attempt: Infuse ground around bush Result: faster germination of talsenenris bush, producing berries after 5 instead of 7 days. Attempt: Infuse sprouting bush. Result: Infusion did not ur as usual. Bush seemed to suck in mana forcefully, resulting in a rtively unique sensation. First time this urred, cut off Skill. Resulted in slightly faster germination. Second time this urred, allowed to happen. Other than being mildly ufortable, no adverse effects were noted. Managed to germinate an entire bush, bringing it to flowering within two days of constant supplying of mana (other than sleeping) and berry growth within a third. Attempt: Infuse ground around bush daily Result: Faster germination of talsenenris bush, producing berries after 4 days instead of 7 days. Hypothesis: Talsanenris utilizes a mana-based variation of photosynthesis, using atmospheric mana in ce of sunlight and creating berries with energy supplied via magic instead of sugars. Test: Attempting to grow bush inplete darkness. nted berries in a set of pots filled with dirt in the basement, each covered by arge bowl. Result: Berries initially refused to germinate in darkness, regardless of mana Infused into its surroundings. Tried exposing to torchlight to see if it was the result of requiring both light and water. Torchlight did not begin germination. The berry required exposure to direct sunlight to begin germination. Afterwards, mana from Mana Infusion did cause some growth to ur, though much slower aspared to the outside trial. Bush did not grow asrge as others, and never began to flower. Slight discoloration in leaves. Possible nutrient deficiency? Test 2: nted berries outside, covered by a bowl. Exposed to sunlight for initial germination, minimal exposure thereafter. Mana was provided by slipping arm underneath to minimize direct exposure to sunlight. Watered in a simr manner. Result: Berries germinated as normal, grew as normal, producing berries after an average 7 days. Outgrew the bowls they were initially ced under on day 4-6, though. Test 3: nted berries outside, covered by a bowl. Exposed to sunlight for initial germination, minimal exposure thereafter. Watered daily by lifting up the edge of the bowl. Result: Berry germinated as normal, grew as normal though produced berries after 9 days. Outgrew its initial bowl after 6 days. Edwin pulled at his hair in frustration. What the heck was up with these results? Even discounting the asional bush which just refused to grow- not that there were many of those, nothing made sense! Hed spent thest two weeks running ovepping growth trials, only to end up with almost contradictory results. It clearly didnt need light to grow, except when it apparently did- or was that just nutrient deficiency? It benefited from mana to grow, but didnt need it where was the energying from? Okay, what am I doing wrong? he eventually asked Inion, whose smug countenance was mocking him with silent knowledge. Oh, I havent the faintest clue. I told you, Im no magi. Yeah, but you ought to have at least some idea as to whats going on. Like, you have to have a more urate mana sense than I do, if nothing else. Mines almost useless save as a yes or no detector. Its like my geiger counter from Radb but with magic! he ranted. Should I understand what thats supposed to mean? No, no. Youre fine. Just annoyingly imprecise equipment from back home. I see? Well, nope. I dont know. Just know that there is magic in everything, but that doesnt mean it cant be stopped. Edwin nkly stared at her, Was that supposed to tell me something new? Or are you just trying to confuse me? She shrugged, and Edwin rubbed his forehead, Or are you also clueless and just saying something you hope will sound intelligent? he sighed at Inions beaming smile, I should have known. Hmmm. Was his bowl adequately blocking mana? Probably not, actually. He had picked it because he knew it would block light, but then hed repurposed it for his non-mana test without thinking twice about it. Actually, he knew y wasnt exactly opaque to mana, given the fact he could Infuse things they were holding. A bit of testing with his Basic Mana Sense, trying to infuse objects through the y, confirmed his suspicions- mana could prate through the earthenware bowls with rtive ease. In contrast, mana could not prate into Obainn, though that might have been because of how thick the walls were, Mana Infusion didnt work? While the inside was perhaps even more magical than the exterior, it was so far the only ce a talsanenris nt had not fully sprouted and grown, so it had to be doing something different? Edwins Logbook: Talsanenris Test 4: nted berries in the soil inside of Obainn, breaking up a small corner of packed dirt. Some were regrly Infused, some were not. Test 5: nted berries in pots outside of Obainn, some covered, some uncovered. Of each, some were regrly Infused, some were not. Results 4: All nts germinated normally. Infused versions grew more than non-Infused, but neither grew to full maturity. Some stunting of growth and leaf discoloration present. No flowering urred. Results 5: All nts germinated normally. Infused and uncovered versions grew somewhat more quickly than non-infused, but all grew to full maturity. Non-Infused and covered nts grew most slowly, though still eventually bore fruit. All bushes were smaller and more stunted than non-potted variants, though. Test 6: Potted berries primarily kept in Obainn, removed at least daily for exposure to sunlight. Results: All nts germinated normally and grew to full maturity. Smaller and slower to mature than potted exterior nts, though not by a significant degree. Conclusion: Mana is needed for berry growth, particrly specific kinds not found inside Obainn, but while bush growth is significantly less impacted, it is still affected by ack of mana. Light is not required. Soil nutrients are needed for bush growth but not berry maturation. So long as it has at least some level of sunlight exposure each day, it is capable of reaching full maturity and producing berries essentially normally, though perhaps somewhat slower than normal. Current Hypothesis: talsanenris is a bush which utilizes mana for growth in ce of light, though does benefit from light in addition to mana. It requires nutrients for the normal parts of the bush, and grows at a vastly elerated rate. Inion. Yes? There are different types of magic, right? Naturally. Okay, great. Can you tell the difference between types of magic? To an extent, yeah, the fey agreed. Is there a difference between inside and outside Obainn? Yeah. Out here is flush with loads of nature magic, like most of the Verdant, plus all of the standard types of magic that everything emits. Inside, its more just normal nature magic for the most part, though a bit of I guess you might call it hearth mana? Protectiveness,fort, and shelter mana. Hearth mana? No, no. Not going down that route right now. Focus. Edwin collected himself, Everything emits mana? Oh yeah. Fire manaes from anything burning, water mana from water, air mana from wind, you name it, its got magic. That was strange, So wait, everything is magical? Why cant I feel it with my Skill? Whos to say you dont? Its also really weak, just barely there. It wouldnt surprise me if you cant. Unless youre in the middle of a massive storm or at a volcano, or in thergest patches of untamed wilderness on Joriah, you wont feel very much of it. Is the Verdant thergest untamed wilderness on Joriah? Edwin frowned. Blight if I know. Still havent been able to leave, remember? It was one of thergest back in my day, though. Right, right. So wait, its magical because its so massive? I thought it was so massive because its magical. Eh. Turtle, turtle. ...What? Oh, right. That wouldnt trante, would it? Basically, that means its hard to say which was first, but they both y a role now. Ooookay then. Well. Hede back to thatter. So do you know how these berries work, magically speaking? Sure, he could have asked beforehand, but he wanted to run his experiments with minimal external influence. Mmm. Im pretty sure theyre just really rich with life mana. Life mana? Life mana, nature mana, she shrugged, Its all pretty simr. You can use it in all sorts of different things. So how do different types of mana interact, then? Inion smiled, Isnt that your job? Level Up! Skill Points 878 898 Progress to Tier 2: 1053/1770 (Avg level: 48/77) Basic Mana Sense 51 53 First Aid 47 50 Sleeping 44 46 Outsiders Almanac 90 93 Harvesting 42 47 Memory 40 43 Nutrition 36 41 Chapter 68: Nice and Slow Chapter 68: Nice and Slow Edwin may have beencking in magical expertise, so his current testing methodologies, limited as they were to exposing objects to Mana Infusion and Firestarting/Infused Firestarting, were rather inadequate. The Grimoire imed that there were loads of materials which utilized various kinds of mana. Seagrass was strongly water-aligned, firevine was, naturally, fire-aspected. A footnote in a mostly-unrted section mentioned that talsanenris was extremely life-attuned, far more than the miniscule amount most nts were. Hed have to try to collect some of the more exotic nts at some point. Magical creatures also had some very magical and very interesting mana affinities which could be Harvested from their bodies. Death-type mana could be found in the marrow of Shade Vultures, while their wings were more air-aligned. Pele wolves had blood that was literally magma, storm cicadas didnt have blood or even the normal bug equivalent, and were instead filled with lighting-charged air. The coat of a Winter Fox acted as a filter, turning ice mana into fire and life. The venom of a Deaths Head Wasp (and wasnt that a terrifying name) transformed life mana to death mana. Hydras naturally produced massive amounts of either poison-infused life mana or life-infused poison mana, meaning their blood could be used for either deadly venoms or potent healing potions. The blood of a dragon was so bursting with life mana it spontaneously transformed into other types, and infused their bones, scales, and wings, making them utterly obscene powerhouses. ...Honestly, there seemed to be a lot of life-rich magical creatures. It made sense to a certain extent- unlike some of the more unusual mana types, everything living had life mana running through its veins. Literally, as it so happened. Blood was the most potent source of mana in any given creature. Hed have to look into all of thatter. No matter how much he wanted orchicalcum and its insane magical conductivity, anmanium or phytium to drain mana away from magical sources Nope! He was going to be focused on what he had here and now. And that was Firestarting and Mana Infusion. Attempting to use Firestarting on the berries didnt have much of an obvious effect, not that he expected one. It was when he tried to experiment with an Infusion that things got interesting. Though he didnt know what kind of mana he was Infusing with- ording to Inion, everyones was personal, and she didnt know how it was tested beyond it involving a potion. Perhaps he could see about finding out when he was back in Vinstead? Maybe it was like a blood type test or something? He might be able to swing something with Tara if he asked. Infusing Firestarting on the berries resulted in burning berries, which went up almost as fast as sh paper, just a small burst of mes and it was gone. Setting Firestarting on a bush, however, allowed Edwin to pull a pretty decent Moses impression, as ethereal blue mes danced along the trunk and leaves of the shrub, burning but not consuming it. As he sustained Firestarting for as long as he could, Edwin noticed the leaves of the bush slowly discoloring, turning from their normal ck to be ever so slightly blue? A very, very dark blue but blue nheless. Inion had no clue what was happening, but Edwin couldnt help but wonder if it was slowly trying to use the fire mana from Firestarting in ce of whatever light mana or whatever it typically utilized. But why would that make it blue? No matter how long he spent using Infused Firestarting, he could never get the leaves to be anything but a deep shade of midnight blue, and he didnt feel up to keeping his experiment running for a week at the moment. After he made his trek into Vinstead, perhaps. But not right now. He seriously wanted a new shirt in addition to all of his other desires, none of which had lessened. Really, given how his distillery had broken hisst spare bowl for it a few days past- the lower bowl cracking under the heat- he seriously wanted to get stronger materials for everything, really. What did he have to offer, though? Hed need something to trade that either helped despite the existence of Skills or helped Skills themselves. The obvious answer there was talsanenris, but could it really be that rare, given how easy they were to grow? He hadnt seen many on sale when hed been in town before, but there could be any number of reasons for that. Well, whatever. That just meant hed need loads of them to make any appreciable amount of money, and to make up some alchemical potions with them as well. He wished he had more time to experiment and create a reliable healing potion without the need for ingredients he didnt have in overabundance, but he really, really wanted that shirt. He still had time. He had all the time in the world. 4,278. That was the number of talsanenris berries he had to trade. Hed used a few dozen making up two final batches of healing salve which he was prepared to sell, and harvested every ripe berry every bush had. It might as well have been weightless. Ten pounds was to Edwin these days, and hes stuffed all of them inside a few y pots resting inside his backpack. He had his cloak, his stick, all three knives, a dozen dried pitch-soaked pinecones, his filled canteen, a single long-neglected heating stone- he should try to integrate some in ce of one of his fires- in case all of his healing potions werent worth much, and his coin pouch. He was fully rested after a good night''s sleep, his shoulder was only a little bit stiff from the panther attack, and hed just eaten a single talsanenris berry for energy. It was time to head out. It had been time to head out ten minutes prior. Inion, if you arent done in the next two minutes, I am leaving without you. Im not ready yet! What do you even need to get ready? I have never once seen you take anything anywhere we go, do literally anything with your appearance, and Ive only ever seen you sleep a single time. Im almost done! Edwin buried his face in his hands, You know, this might count as you interfering with my work. Get moving! Okay, okay! Im ready. Finally. What the heck were you doing? Edwin was half expecting Inion to lookpletely different to how she normally did, and so had mentally braced himself for something unusual. What he hadnt expected, though, was there to be absolutely no apparent change to her appearance in the slightest. Oh this and that. .....You know what? I think Ill just let you keep that so mysterious if youre so set on it. Lets just... get going. They traveled alongside Inions stream, both because it made it easier to avoid getting lost, and because the naiad had an easier time moving when connected to her water. All of Edwins practice moving through the undergrowth seemed to be paying off, as he was able to almost effortlessly navigate the tricky riverbank. Even with Packing offloading the weight of his pack, he still sunk deeply into the soft soil right next to the water, so he was forced to contend more with the tangle of nts where the earth firmed up. Even with that limitation, they reached arger stream by noon, which in turn fed into a fairly sizable river (not the Rhothos, though) by early afternoon, and they reached the edge of the forest by mid-afternoon. It was, ironically if predictably, there that they encountered their first roadblock. Edwin had wondered what it looked like when Inion had issues leaving the woods, but now he knew. Its like trying to go straight from water to a desert! Inion struggled, pushing against some unseen barrier as though struggling against an impossibly strong wind. Her hair was blown back, her outfit was ruffled, and hands struggled and failed to find purchase in thin air, Ohe on, help me! Oh I dont know. I think Im enjoying the show. he ribbed back, Bit of a turnabout from all the times youve basked in my misery. Just be d that you still have a shirt. It said something about how hard Inion was struggling that she didnt have aeback to that remark, and Edwin sighed. Okay, fine. Let me give you a hand, Edwin set his backpack and cloak off to the side and extended his arm towards Inion, whotched onto it like her life depended on it. Strangely, Packing didnt seem to help him pull the naiad forward, but he still managed, his feet digging into the ground to give him enough traction. Then, the pressure released, all at once, and the two of them copsed into a tangled heap, nearly falling into the river before Edwin stabilized and lifted Inion off of him with a single hand, setting her down next to him, picking himself up and dusting off his torso and pants before pulling on his bag and cloak once more. It feels strange Kind of painful, like Im miles away from my water Inion frowned, What sort of spell could have managed that sort of effect? she prodded at the invisible wall, apparently feeling no resistance, No, wait. I can still feel it on the other side. What in all the Seasons? What is it that connects you to your pond? Edwin asked, curious. Im not actually sure. Ive never needed to know, she scrunched her face together, Blight, this itches. I probably wouldnt be able toe out here at all if not for the Bargains support. Even still, not sure how long I can stand it. What would happen if you dont get back? Eh, well if not for the Bargain, Id start dying pretty quickly. Im not supposed to be apart from my water, like how you need to breathe. With it, itll just be more and more ufortable, and I might still get to the point of dying? Itll take significantly longer, though. Are you... going to be okay? Ill be fine. At least for now. Just dont take too long, like you did this morning, eh? Well, at least Inion was still able tough at Edwins vaguely-offended, inarticte response. She couldnt be in that bad of a condition. It ended up not being terribly difficult to find a road, contrary to Edwins expectations. Simply walking out of the forest into the no man''snd between the Empire and the Verdant instantly showed them where civilization began. The road, running parallel to the imposing woods, stretched on as far as the normal eye could see, but Edwin was still able to make out where it turned far down the line, heading towards the city. Interestingly, despite the road only being hard-packed dirt, the river literally running through it didnt soften the soil in the slightest. No mud, no sand, no rocks. There wasnt even a bridge! The water just struck one side of the road and seemed to magically permeate the dirt to emerge unslowed upon the other side. It was as though the river had decided to somehow just ignore the presence of a massive dam. As far as magic went, it was pretty interesting, and Edwin mildly started brainstorming the possibility of copying the effect somehow. Maybe he could use it as a filter of sorts?. Inion simrly seemed intrigued, though she refused to borate on why beyond voicing unspecified disgust at the unnatural Skill. ording to Almanac, they were either walking down the same road Edwin had taken to get to the Verdant in the first ce or someone had moved every pebble at the side of the road from somewhere he had walked. He figured the former was more likely, though the sights were very different. Given the way the Rhothos now covered the road on both sides, as opposed to just where it had been on his left, flooding season was still going and possibly still picking up. Like the river, water just seemed to seep through the ground beneath the road, leaving the cobblestonespletely dry. Ill admit to being impressed. This sort ofrge-scale project would have never been possible back in my day. Too many conflicting Skills. What sort of ability might have even led to this sort of effect? Edwin chuckled, If you think this is impressive, just you wait. They didnt manage to quite make it to Vinstead that day, despite their best efforts. Instead, they found themselves spending the night in one of the Curan shrines that Lefi was so fond of, and had passed appreciation of onto Edwin. Edwin luxuriated in the sensation of a genuine mattress, infinitely morefortable than the pile of mats hed grown used to as he watched Inion float cross-legged in front of the shrine part of the building. Its nice to see that some things havent changed. These were around back then? Inion nodded, Carrakian. God of the hunt, the horizon, and hospitality. He or his messengers would wander thends and theyd bless those who gave them shelter. In time, a tradition sprang up that every vige would have a dedicated shrine to him which everyone helped to build, and would oftentimes be the nicest building in the vige. It would be offered to travelers who ventured through, that no individual might im Carrakians blessing solely for themselves, but it might instead be spread throughout themunity. I suppose the tradition morphed at some point in thest few centuries to this, she waved her hand at their surroundings, But this part is exactly the same as it always was. The same symbol, the sameyout for prayer it all feels wonderfully familiar. She turned to him, Sleep now, Edwin. I just need to speak with my god. Youre religious? She didnt answer, but Edwin felt exhaustion press in upon him as her voice began to pick up. She was singing a song, and this one he was not meant to hear. Oer the western mounts, to the shining sea beyond. From the depths below to the skies above. I see. Level Up! Firestarting 63 64 Chapter 69: City Troubles Chapter 69: City Troubles Its grown so much! Wait, youve been here before? Edwin furrowed his brow in thought, I thought you hadn''t? What would make you think that? Just actually, huh. Im not sure. Your mistake! So, ah What was it like before? Well. The two of them were closing in on Vinstead, with some of the outlying homesteads and traffic picking up slowly in density. The city itself had just appeared over the horizon, with its clouds of avior circling and rising and falling. It was a lot smaller, right on the border of the Verdant, and there werent so many birds. Those are avior, not wait, on the border of the Verdant? Edwin asked incredulously. Ya! Holy Edwin tried to imagine how big of a forest that must have been, Why is it so much smaller now? he wondered aloud. Lower mana density. Huh? Werent you asking? she asked with a knowing grin, But ya. Theres a pretty strong drop of magic between here and in the Verdant proper. The nts wont grow nearly as fast as back there, or for some of the more magical ones, not at all. That was... interesting, So avior arent native to the area? She shook her head, Nah. Well. We had a few. But humans were dominant up here. That of course meant halflings, and the Verdant was popr among elves and creal. The- Edwin paused as a courier zed past them, whipping up the air in the wake of their passage and leaving a roar of wind, The what? Creal? Big, wood-like, fans of nature? Distinct from fey, I take it? Oh yeah. Theyre more like sentient nts? You might know them as. Talor? Leshys? Treants? Wait, you have those? Ill take that as a no, then. I havent even heard of them. Well, not in the context of being real, anyway. Elves Ive heard rumors of living nearby, but treants? Like, living trees and stuff? Nope. Strange. They werent rare back when. I wonder what happened to them? But anyway! Vinstead is old. Its been here longer than I have and gone by lots of names. Vinstead. Vinstead. Vinstead. They all basically mean the same thing, though. Let me guess, the wine ce? More or less, ya. How did- ah, Polyglot? It tranted? ...More or less, yeah. The hustle and bustle of their surroundings only increased, as the density of homes slowly increased. While the aesthetic was distinctly medieval, the overallyout of the citys sprawl seemed more distinctly modern. Then again, Edwin didnt really know what cityyouts back in the early-mid thousands were really like. Maybe it was true to that as well. In some regards, Edwin could understand why technologically, Joriah might have been somewhat behind Earth. When Skill-powered humanoids and animals were more than capable of outputting more energy than a basic steam engine, why would one ever be developed beyond the state of being a novelty? Naturally, from Edwins perspective, that was utter nonsense. Industrialization offered opportunities and capabilities to the masses rather than just specialists, and opened avenues unimaginable to preindustrial civilizations. But that was the crux of the matter, wasnt it? It was unimaginable, so they didnt push through the initial high-difficulty, low-reward problems of early steam engines. Inion stopped floating at some point, walking or at least pretending to walk, and her hair also began to follow the normalws of physics. So you can control it. Edwin muttered, only to be ignored by Inion. He took it as a victory. While he had initially been hesitant to venture into the city itself and possibly leave a trail to where he was for whoever the ckstones might have sent after him after two months in the wilderness, he felt safer. He doubted whoever might be tracking him- if indeed there was anyone, he was starting to suspect that he might just not have been important enough after all- would still be looking around Vinstead, where he officially hadnt been in nearly three months. Risky? Yes. But he wanted to check in, not have to deal with the vendors on the outside of the wall, and report his progress to Rizzial. Hed made an agreement, after all, and he intended to follow through on it. He had many, many faults. But being a deal-breaker was not one of them. Also, he generally appreciated dealing with the government directly. Theyd been the nicest of any organization hed met so far, after all. The southern gate of Vinstead wasnt terribly busy when they arrived, and the two of them only waited in line for a few minutes to be allowed in, Inion sessfully restraining her tendency to stare at anything and everything. The guards- one a human City Guard, the other an avior Aerial Watchman. The avior took point in questioning them. Purpose for visit? he screeched, loudly. Edwin flinched, Im, uh, doing my Adventurer check-in. Also... I need to get new shirts. The guard scoffed, Yes, so you do. Show me your license. Edwin fished it out of one of his pouches and showed it to the Watchman, who looked at it, almost disappointed, then nodded for him to put it away. Edwin obliged, and prepared to walk through when the human blocked his way with his spear. And yourpanion? What about her? I need her license as well. Uhh she doesnt have one? Thats some- Then no entry. Edwin frowned, Thats something that Im trying to help with while Im visiting. It wasnt, but that didnt matter. He knew there was no chance shed give full details on her ss, but a bit of a white lie seemed like it would help here. She may enter when she has a license. But you can only get a license inside? Edwin wasnt sure how he was able to tell the avior was sneering at him, but he definitely got the impression that he was, Not my problem. So whats she supposed to do? The bird shrugged, Get a license. For which, she needs a license? Nod. Do you not see the problem here? Ts not my problem. Your girl wants a license, thats your issue. Edwin tried to formte a response, but Inion sauntered over first, Is there a problem? No admittance for Ouws. I am no Ouw! With a ss like that? Ha! My feathers arent that blue! Listen missy, I dont care how big of a shot you may be wherever you are, when youre here, you- Oh,e on now. Inion became undeniably maic, attention immediately pulled to her from everyone in the surroundings as her voice became sultry, Surely theres no reason to be like this? Edwin felt a stirring in the back of his mind, pulling him to want to do whatever she asked, but he found it was easy to quash. It wasnt directed at him, and hed grown used to her presence. If he were to guess, maybe their Bargain also shielded him from the effects. It clearly wasnt weak, though, as there was a bit of muttering from a few random passers-by about letting her in, what harm was there? A re from the watchmen silenced those murmurs, though, and even Edwin felt it reverberate through his heart, a sudden sense that something would Not Be Tolerated. Ouw. The Watchman started, leveling his spear at Inion, You havemitted crimes against the Empire, including but not limited to uwful use of a mentalism Skill, use of a mentalism Skill against an Officer, assault of an Officer and rejection of Citizen status. Have you anything to say in your defense? I dont know what you could be talking about! she seemed surprised, though about what specifically Edwin wasnt sure, Im innocent. Overruled. The avior nodded at his partner, and the second guard moved in a blur, impaling Inion with his spear. No! Edwin started, but stopped when he realized she seemed wholly unfazed. Looking closer, where she was stabbed had turned to water. The avior realized this as well, though, and with a sweep of his wing, she was sent flying into the distance. He turned to Edwin, as well, who held up his hands and took off running after hispanion. He eventually found where Inion had stted into the ground, hundreds of feet back. She had weakly pulled herself together and was panting on the side of the road, attracting a few odd nces before people hastily pulled their attention back and hustled along. Are you okay? Ya Ya. I just wasnt expecting that. He must have a resistance Skill or something ugh. she winced and held a hand against her stomach. Are you sure? Ill be fine eventually. Being cut off from my water means its harder for me to recover. Normally, a mere guard couldnt do anything to me if they tried, but without ess Edwin raised an eyebrow, You must have flown three hundred feet there. You could normally just shrug that off? Im powerful! Sure you are. Hence the panther and now this. Its just been bad circumstances! Anyway, whats your n now? I dont think theyre going to let you in, especially now. Sneak in? How? Im not going to climb those walls, not when I can literally just walk in so long as you arent tagging along. Inion closed her mouth, Howd you know what I was thinking? Edwin red at her. Fine, fine. Ill figure something out. You head on in, and Ill catch up again. He frowned, How will you find me? Ancient and mysterious fairy powers, obviously. Just try to be somewhat inconspicuous, okay? When am I not? He red at her, which just provoked a pained smile in turn, Just go on, Ill be fine. You sure? Ya. Totally. You couldnt do anything anyway. Well fine. If youre sure. Getting through the gate was much easier without Inion messing things up. Other than another awkward exchange with the guards, there werent any obstacles for his entry, and Edwin was able to make it into the inner city no problem. He kept a close eye out for any pickpockets or thieves who would try to pilfer something from his bag, and decided he wanted to visit the garrison first. Who knows, they might have somewhere he could sell his talsanenris berries, or at least know where he might. Now, the trick was just finding it. He knew that so long as the buildings kept looking nicer, he was heading in the right direction. While he was stopped a few times by City Guard patrols, presenting his adventurers license was enough to get them to move on, and he was able to use their help to point him more directly to where he was trying to go. The garrison was just as impressive as he remembered it. A smooth, almost seamless square made entirely of white marble, inset with a ck eagley before him, and imposing marble walls loomed on the far side of the za, their copper lines tracing geometric patterns and shimmering in the sunlight. Edwin took a deep breath as he stepped on and through the open space, sure he was about to get attacked or called out or something. When nothing did, Edwin let his shoulders sag in relief as he passed under the arch opening into theplexs courtyard. Then, he picked himself up as he entered the massive, cathedral-like structure once again. The enormous statue of Xares was still in ce, and Edwin was able to remember where to go for once, climbing up the cramped stairs to the registrars office. Certainly! Its a pleasure to see you, as always, young miss. I know youll go on to do great things! Rizzials scratchy voice echoed down the stairs, followed by a voice Edwin didnt recognize. Thanks so much, Mister Rizzali! she sounded young, and almost as enthusiastic as the gnome himself, I cant wait to show Kara! He chuckled, You were the one to do the hard work. We always want to see more young folks taking such an interest in their future. Youll make a wonderful healer one day, Lys. Thanks! A tiny brown-haired figure in a green-trimmed childs tunic nearly ran head-first into Edwin as he exited the stairwell, nearly dropping something orange- was that a mango? They had those here? Whoops! Sorry! Edwin turned and watched as the Novice Healer- wow, she seemed young to have a ss. The merchant Aerfas younger child, whatever her name had been, didnt have one. Was it different in some way for avior? Edwin watched as Lys darted down the stairs, the pitter-patter of her feet swiftly retreating. Ah, children. They bring an old gnome so much joy. Edwin turned back towards Rizzial to see the gnome wipe an imaginary tear from his cheek, And Edwin! Truly, this is a good day for me! Back for a check-in? New ss I see! Do tell. Edwin cast his gaze back to where the girl had run, What was up with that? Oh, Lys? Truly a remarkable girl. Shes got it in her mind shes going to be a healer one day, and by Hitar, shell be a force to be reckoned with. She managed to get Status up to level sixty by the time she turned eight and had already gotten the Anatomist path! Ah, it warms a Registrars heart to see. Shes already tier 2? Wow, shes beating me. What? Oh, no no no no. You see, Anatomist, so long as you dont already have First Aid, will upgrade Status into Diagnosis! So, as long as you have an adequate level of Status, you can freely ept the Path! And Diagnosis is quite useful. It allows you to see health problems directly on your Status, and if you upgrade Common Knowledge into Healers Insight, the two are synergistic enough that you can see a patients entire list of health concerns all at once! So, I gave her the upgrade and First Aid alike today! Truly, a wonderful day. Edwin frowned, How does that all work, anyway? Like, I know that the Empire manages to keep people from just epting Skills, but I never really thought about what that entails in a practical sense. Its quite simple! The Good Emperor Xares has his Management skill, which sets Registrars such as I as the only ones permitted to confirm Status prompts for all Lirasian citizens. So, when one wishes toplete a Path or ept a Skill, theye visit me or one of my colleagues, and we check to ensure that it is the best choice for them to make given their upation, then grant it if it is. Why not let the individuals make that choice? Well, because they do not know all that we do. If not for us, we would have poor fools taking Knifework instead of Small des or Cutting, or Assembly instead of Construction. And we can make sure that they dont take a Path which would mess up all of their Skill upgrades! Its a full-time job, the average citizen simply doesnt have the time to assess every possible Skill and Pathbination for their ss, but weve found that unless we force them to, they still dont think! They just take every Skill that they unlock with no thoughts for strategy or nning! Its disgraceful, I tell you. he shook his head, But thats not why youre here, Im sure! So, tell me of your magnificent adventures, o Adventurer! Hedge Alchemist is fascinating, do tell me! It only took about an hour to catch Rizzial up with Edwins new Skills and Paths and exin what happened with the Beginner path. It seemed to give the gnome a pleasant puzzle, though, as he stroked his colorful chin, Interesting. Ive never heard of such a thing happening before. Beginner simply always upgrades Identify. In the rare case where Identify is not avable, it tends to help out a Skill to help learn about the world. I suppose I could see how Memory could fit into that, but it is still quite a puzzle. Quite a puzzle indeed. Edwin sat in silence as he waited for the man to finish thinking, And those Paths! Oh, truly marvelous! I have never heard of many of those Paths before! The academic potential here is boundless! s, I wish I could encounter the fey you woke up, but the Verdant is far too dangerous for me to venture within, I salute you for making the attempt. Edwin frowned, Hold on, I never told you where I went, how did you My dear boy, Im not an idiot. Theres only one ce you could have gone to cut down trees and make yourself a house, let alone make friends with a fey! Truly, a stunning achievement, though I wish you could tell me more about it... He must have seen Edwins expression, because he calmed him with a reassuring gesture, Dont worry, it wont go on any of my paperwork. I understand the concern, but rest assured I fully support He was cut off by a familiar voice calling out from behind Edwin, causing him to jump, Edwin? You truly are alive? Chapter 70: Social Niceties Chapter 70: Social Niceties Lady Tara! Wee! What brings you to my office today? Rizzali. Good to see you. The Enforcer greeted the gnome- Edwin updated his tag, which was apparently misspelled- and turned back to him, I thought youd be dead for sure. Edwin shrugged awkwardly, Ummm surprise, I guess? Why would I be dead? You dropped off the map for some three months after leaving Lefi without a trace. The only exnation for that incredibly stupid move would be that you got yourself killed somewhere. Which would be an absolute waste, but she sighed, I am pleased to see that you survived. Come, tell me of your endeavors. Umm Im in the middle of my debrief with Rizzali? And I kind of wanted to ask a few questions? Edwin hazarded. Not a worry! Thedys time is far more valuable than mine. If you desire my advice, I shall be here when you return! Come along now. We must speak in an area more private, regarding your more sensitive matters. Tara motioned for Edwin toe along as she entered the stairwell and started climbing. Wait, actually? Why? Edwin hastened to catch up with Tara, What does it matter to you? Because my superiors, she hesitated on thest word, seemingly conflicted about something, have deemed that I be assigned to you as a liaison. You have been deemed interesting enough to be kept up with, and I, with my preexisting rtionship with you and geographical proximity, was assigned to the task. Edwin frowned, Why am I so interesting? I thought you werent going to tell them Im a- he cut himself off as they passed an open archway, My condition. I did not. However, it is my duty to report low-threat persons of interest to my superior, and you most certainly qualify. That I was unable to exin to them why I considered you such a person of interest merely heightened their certainty. she sighed, It is objectively good for you. You have been officially designated as an Ally of the Empire- which I assure you is not a simple matter, nor so easy for most individuals- and are granted ess to additional services in exchange for task-based taxes. Edwin frowned, Dont I get a say in this? Tara didnt answer as they reached the floor she was leading him to. They ventured down a short hallway lined with doors far too close together for most purposes until Tara picked one seemingly at random. It opened up to afortable, if sparse, room with a few chairs and a table in the center. It was, naturally, farrger than it should have been due to the distance to the doors on either side of it, but that was hardly a surprise by now. They ventured inside, and Tara closed and locked the door behind them. There. This is as much privacy as it is possible to find within the garrison. Nobodys listening in? Edwin was hesitant, and Tara picked up on it. She sighed, To the best of my knowledge, there are no spies, eavesdroppers, or other parties capable of listening in on the discussion we are to have, save the Emperor himself. Nor am I aware of any efforts to circumvent the privacy Skill upon this room. This I swear on the Honor of the Empire. A notification popped up. Silver de Tara Lisana has sworn an Oath of Privacy and Secrecy Silver de Tara Lisana has broken: 0 Oaths Edwin waved it away, You didnt say theres nobody listening in. Just that only the Emperor could manage it. Tara grimaced, Yes, well. I never know if he is going to listen in. This being very decidedly hisnd, he is fully capable of listening in if he so desires. I dont think hes trying to do so today, but rest assured that he almost certainly is already aware of your status. He is quite able to listen to all within his domain if he desires. Edwin raised an eyebrow, then sighed. The Empire had honestly been pretty good to him thus far. From the sounds of it, they wanted to use him, but hed take being useful over nothing, he supposed. Alright, fine. I guess. Edwin sank back into his chair. It felt so nice, Whats the service tax thing, though? Im not going to be enved again, you can count on that. Tara shook her head, No, nothing of the sort. It just means that if Im in the area on a mission and deem it useful, I can recruit you to aid me. Edwin eyed her warily, and she rified, I am already within my rights to recruit... Adventurers freely for short-term tasks, and citizens with appropriatepensation. The service tax merely requires you to do so willingly and not attempt to flee your duties if given the chance. Worry not, I rarely exercise this right with your kind. Adventurers are so unreliable its usually better to do it all myself. I guess thats not too bad, Edwin conceded, It would have been nice to be consulted first, though. Tara looked confused, Why? It was objectively the correct decision, why would you care if you had the opportunity to refuse prior? Just I value having a choice, I guess? Like, even if I already know what Id pick, the option to do otherwise is valuable. Tara waved him off, Nonsense. To do so is to merely grant the chance to worsen your life. You are free to make many choices, but we will not allow persons to waste their life. That is the core belief of the Empire, that all are valuable and may be useful. But like you cant know everything about me. What if there was some reason you thought incorrectly about what I would want? Such is impossible. We have teams of individuals working to determine what is best for every citizen and where they would be the most content and useful. Maximizing productivity and satisfaction is our primary directive. It still didnt sit right with Edwin, but he let the matter drop for the time being. It wasnt worth pushing, not at the moment. He had an inkling that was probably the philosophy behind their Skill control, which he did have mixed feelings about. It seemed effective, if nothing else. They also had the benefit of being able to regrly evolve their Skills, which he was jealous of. But still, people ought to have a choice! It only made sense. Actually, no, he wasnt about to let this drop. He would fight Tara over this if he had to. Edwin? You went quite quiet there. Are you thinking about something? ...No. Youre lying, but no matter. Tell me of what youve done. Well, Lefi was getting sick of me- Tara scoffed, I have never seen that man act even remotely annoyed with a single person. Ever. Yeah, I know the type. It just means theyre better at hiding it from what Ive found. Nobody likes everyone. Hmmm. Well, very well. Carry on. Lefi was getting sick of me, and I dislike causing a problem for people? Being a bother? Regardless, I dont like being around people who dont want me around. So, I left him with a note and snuck off one night to keep him from having to put up with me. He was mandated to aid you for quite some time. Regardless of his personal thoughts on you, he was still to treat you with respect and patience, and aid you while you found your feet. What does it matter his personal thoughts? He was a valuable asset. Edwin shrugged, I guess thats where we disagree. I figured I could make it fine on my own, so I made that choice. This is why individual choices dont work, Tara muttered, People like you make utterly absurd mistakes due to the flimsiest of reasons. Yeah, but the important thing is that it was my mistake to make, so Tara made some vaguely exasperated noise, and Edwin pushed on. Anyway, after leaving Lefi, I found myself attacked by some bandits. he ignored Taras pointed muttering and pressed onward, Who I sessfully fought off. I then decided to follow the one that ran off to see if I could track them down to their base, possibly eliminating them as a threat for further travelers. Tara nodded approvingly, I take it went well? Ehhh. Well enough? I found the ce, a big abandoned tower in the middle of nowhere. Broke in, ended up befriending the alchemist inside- I guess he saw my ss and figured Id be interested in learning from him. I was, admittedly, at least until I found out he was regrly kidnapping and murdering random passersby for alchemical ingredients. Tara frowned, Why did I not hear of this? she muttered, I should have heard of this if it were regr. Edwin shrugged, Maybe they were smart about who they grabbed? In any case, I managed to take them out and tied up the survivors, delivered them to the closest town for judgement, and ducked out. he paused, I did snag a few alchemical ingredients- nothing from humans, just herbs!- and a book on alchemy, so I count it as a win. I burned the tower down after I was done with it, trying to get rid of any hauntings that might be around. he paused, Are ghosts a thing here? Ghosts? Tara nodded, Obscenely difficult to be rid of without a priest, they certainly exist, yes. Impossible to predict when they might manifest, though. Good job dealing with the bandits, though next time, just execute them yourself and be done with it. Delivering them for execution is adequate, but runs the risk of them escaping and causing further mayhem. Edwin frowned, I dislike the idea of deciding life and death, though. It shouldnt be my call. They wasted their life, they had no value, and were harming others. The decision is barely one. Maybe, Edwin hesitated, but its still not my preference. Tara clearly disapproved, but didnt try to persuade him otherwise, which was nice. She indicated for Edwin to carry on, which he obliged. Anyway, I came back this way to try and shake off anyone who might be on my trail. You certainly managed that. Even Lefi hadnt the faintest clue where you might have gone. Tara tapped her chin, Though he may have been lying. He sent a letter, I havent seen the man since he left with you. Its been blessedly quiet, though that just means it will be even worse when he finally does show up again. I picked up a few supplies in the outer-city markets. Outside the walls? He nodded, and Tara shook her head, You were most likely severely overcharged. Theres less oversight out there. Edwin shrugged, I wanted to be seen by as few people as possible. You would have sensed me entering the city, wouldntve you? What makes you say that? You sensed me this time, didnt you? You showed up exactly where I was less than an hour after I crossed the gates. And Rizzalis reaction tells me you dont usually go to his office. So, you had to have gone there for me. ...Very astute. Yes, I suppose theres no harm in saying that much. I do indeed have a Skill- an upgrade of Watchmans Intuition, as it so happens- that broadens the scope of what I am capable of sensing. Persons of interest entering the city is one of them. So, yes. I suppose if that was your goal, you were right to not venture in, previously. she thought for a moment, and Edwin waited for her to continue. When she didnt he carried on. Anyway, from there I went to the Verdant. that got an eyebrow raised, And found a ce to settle down. It kept climbing, I ended up building a home out there, working on growing some crops, training up my Skills to help. Youre living in the Verdant? Tara asked incredulously, And here I thought I already had examples from you as to why people shouldnt be allowed to make such egregious mistakes. Hey! Its not that bad. Its pretty simple, I dont have to worry about other people if I identally blow something up. I even met a friendly face. I think that its not a mistake for me, at least. Lots of magic in there, lots of magical nts, lots of ways for me to level my Alchemy. You met another person living in the Verdant? Basically, I guess? I ran into Inion, who helped me get my home established and nursed me back to health after a run-in with a panther. I see. And where is she now? Outside the city. I was going to bring her in, but the guard at the gate refused her entry on the grounds of her not being a Citizen. Then he stabbed her. Shes fine, for what its worth. But yeah. Granted, she did somewhat bring it on herself, but the guy didnt need to be so rude about it. Tara sighed, It is the prerogative of the guard to deny entrance to any non-citizens they deem worthy of such, but they should allow an apanied Ouw admittance under the escort of a citizen- or adventurer. I endeavor to encourage them to be polite, yet it is not their responsibility nor mine to do so. Edwin had been marginally hoping the avior might have gotten a talking-to from Tara, and was correspondingly disappointed to find out they wouldnt... but that was a minor matter, Well yeah. I came back because I want to get stuff like flour or oil. Also a new shirt, because he nced down. Cloak or not, it wasnt hard to tell he didnt have a shirt on, My old one didnt survive the panther attack I mentioned. Plus, he patted his backpack on the floor next to his chair, I have a bunch of talsanenris berries that I was interested in selling. My home is a great climate for them, and I have literally thousands of them. Talsanenris berries? Dont you know them? Edwin asked, mildly confused, Theyre super useful. He flipped open his backpack and withdrew a handful of the white berries, Ive used them in healing potions, theyre a great energy booster, and they seem like they could make supernaturally good fertilizer if processed and used properly. Tara assessed his handful, Ah, yes. I think Ive seen these before. Common in higher-quality rations. You have thousands, you said? Edwin nodded, Good. I think we cane to some sort of arrangement, then. Once were done here, I will introduce you to Fanir. Hes the Goldw- ah, treasurer? Treasurer. Hell be able to connect you to our cooks and medics, who might know more how to deal with your berries and their value. In the meantime... Tara stretched out a hand and grabbed the air, pinching it between her fingers. A momentter, a shimmering silver shirt wove itself into being, and she tossed it to Edwin. He caught it and assessed the garment. It didnt light up to his mana sense, not that he anticipated that it would. Surprisingly, Identify worked on it. Armor conjured by a skill of some sort, can be used for magical wall formation too This was made by that Skill you use for your armor? Indeed. Tara frowned, How could you tell? My Almanac skill- the Status evolution- lets me leave notes on Skills. It recognizes this as the same as your armor. Curious. Regardless, it shouldst until nightfall at minimum. Was there anything else you require my assistance with? Well, I suppose I do have a few questions about what this Ally thing entails. Chapter 71a: Back to the Grind Chapter 71a: Back to the Grind Edwin didnt end up leaving Tara for a little while longer. A couple of questions expanded beyond their initial scope, which led into a few additional questions, and well, being an Ally involved a fair number of benefits he hadnt anticipated. He was given ess to various citizen services, such as ess to the Grand Library in the capital city of Xarenia (one of three, apparently) should he ever manage the lengthy, lengthy trip to a city almost a continent and a half away; consultation with Rizzali for Skill advice- not that hed likely change his current setup, and even Tara admitted that the gnome would so readily discuss System subjects with anyone who showed even a modicum of interest that it didnt make any practical difference so long as he stayed local to Vinstead; he was allowed to use the postal system if he so desired, and could be a recipient of mail as well, though hed need to get a tracking token if he wanted to ensure his mail showed up in the right city. Even then, hed have to check in at the postal office to actually get said mail unless he wanted to dere a permanent office and pay a recurring fee for delivered packages and letters. Tara also warned Edwin that his status as an Ally meant that Shashfra, the local governor, was more likely to take note of him aspared to when he was just another anonymous adventurer. So, he ought to expect receiving a summons to appear before her if he stayed in town more than a day or two. Given he had no desire to get caught up with courtly politics, Edwin made a mental note to get out ASAP. He wouldnt be able to dodge it forever, naturally, but it was still something he was more than happy to foist off onto future-Edwin. That conversation had led naturally into Edwin asking about what the Empire was actually structured like, which Tara seemed unusually willing to exin in detail. When he had asked if it was alright he was taking up so much of her time, Tara admitted that she had paperwork that she was trying to avoid doing. Which fair enough. Edwin could sympathize. In any case, the Empire officially had sixty provinces, though at any given time there were in practice usually only 45-50 due to ovepping governorship, catastrophe, rebellion, or a host of otherplicated legal stuff which Edwin found himselfpletely lost in and even Tara admitted she didnt know all that well. Each province had three individuals more or less in charge; the Governor, who was almost autonomous in their authority; the General, in charge of the military; and the Administrator, who handled all the massive amounts of paperwork that kept everything running. The governor was broadly in charge of everything, akin to a local king or lord. The general was both approximately equal to and yet subordinate to the governor, running the local military recruitment and defense organizations. While they were to report to the governor and were supposed to follow their orders, the general was still paid by and ultimately loyal to the emperor. The administrator was in a simr position, and was tasked with paying taxes to the empire, organizing the local registrars, keeping the local postal service running smoothly, and maintaining local informationworks with the goal of keeping both the governor and emperor informed of all the goings-on in the region. Enforcers like Tara were also apparently on this same level of governors, generals, and administrators in that they reported almost directly to Xares himself, but were expected to cooperate with their governmental peers, even if they had no administrative power themselves. They were dispatched anywhere it would be either impractical or impossible for normal guards and soldiers to deal with a situation, be it a rampaging monster, a particrly strong bandit group, or other unusual situations. Most enforcers knew each-other and tended to be on good terms with one another, meaning their effective range of action and authority extended well beyond the single province they were tasked to maintain, though it was usually considered good courtesy to stay within ones home province. Edwin was fairly certain there were countries smaller than Rhothos, so even that limited area was still massive. What struck Edwin as remarkably forward-thinking of the empire was the amount of autonomy the governors had. Essentially, so long as neither the province nor its inhabitants didnt start openly rebelling, they kept paying their taxes, and they upheld a few imperialws, the governor could act as they saw fit. The skill control was Empire-wide, as were propertyws and other forms of protection for citizens, but other than that, there wasnt much. As a result, there was a tremendous amount of diversity in governmental structuring. Some provinces, like Rhothos, had a strictly hierarchical and pseudo-feudal structure, with the governor appointing magistrates who ran shires, and some of them appointing mayors who managed townships Meanwhile, the Susa province near the capital was practically a constitutional monarchy, with democratic elections and everything. Some provinces had governors who acted like petty tyrants, but those rarelysted long. Some strictly limited who could be citizens rather than subjects, while others had the default as citizenship. Every once in a while, there would be a province that tried something novel, and those.... Edwin found it incredibly fascinating until his eyes zed over, and his brain refused to listen to any more of the empires politics. Tara was at least easy enough to talk to, but that still didnt make the specific legal differences between a natural citizen and a developed citizen any more interesting. Tara herself admitted that she wasnt entirely certain of the difference herself, and was mainly just trying to talk herself through it all in the hopes it would jog her memory. Even though she didnt talk much about herself, Edwin was still able to pick up a few tidbits about her past. She had only been an enforcer for a few years, was originally from Ecbatana, one of the capital cities, and shed had a very busy few years since moving out to Rhothos and Vinstead, putting down several bandit groups which had sprung up in the time preceding her predecessors retirement. Shed also managed to pry out a fair bit of information about Edwins past as well, and he managed to stay on topic, exining parts about Earth when asked for rifications. Tara had been quite adamant that any political system with no absolute authority figure presiding over it would mean politicians would never do anything even halfway useful instead of arguing for argument''s sake and purposefully just getting in one anothers way, which yeah, he couldnt really argue with that. They had mutually agreed to not get mired in a debate about individualism and set the topic aside for the time being. It wasnt a productive use of their time, not when he had so much to take care of still. Tara had seemed oddly epting of the fact that there wasnt magic back on Earth, which he didnt know how to process. But then again, Inion hadnt seemed surprised by it either, so well, he didnt really know what that meant. He told himself it wasnt important to try and feel better, though it was undoubtedly going toe back to haunt him somehow. All in all, Edwin found it quite informative and useful. The rest of his day couldnt be described nearly so positively, though. He really, really didnt care about the logistics of ration-making, which would apparently be the primary use for his talsanenris berries. He had brought so many, as it turned out, that they werent even sure that theyd be able to use them all. They eventually worked out a deal where hed get paid approximately half their weight in silver this time, and between selling most of his berries and his spare healing salves he was paid a small fortune for his rtively minor crop. In the end, he got twelve grai (gold), which was more than enough to buy a horse and build a good-sized house/workshop. Or, buy a fancy suit. That wasnt even an exaggeration, the store he found himself at to get a recement shirt, and a few spare changes of clothing, casually said that if he wanted to be fashionable they had high-ss outfits starting at merely ten grai. In the end, he settled for something much, much cheaper, and though he was still splurging he found himself in possession of three insanelyfortable tunic-shirts, one in a deep forest green, the other in simr shades of blue. They were also quite durable, even withstanding him directly stabbing the cloth with his knife, and were apparently waterproof. Plus, they would stay clean and resist a lot of hazardous materials as part of the waterproofing Skill. Overall, a fantastic investment. They werent self-repairing, sadly, but you couldnt have everything. He also got one outfit in a lighter green for Inion, so her leaf-outfit would stop identally slipping at times. He very nearly didnt get it, but figured that a silver was well worth winning that exchange in their spars. Sure, he might be getting a little careless with his money, but he had also found out that what was barely a week of work for him paid him what mostborers would take some six years to earn on their own, so he wasnt too concerned about being stingy. Apparently talsanenris just didnt grow very well outside of the Verdant or something, and nobody had actually managed to get a crop of them to fruit before. He wasnt sure why it had been so easy for him, but he also wasntining. By the end of the day, hed gotten almost everything he had wanted, and had a jug of what was essentially olive oil in an improbably heavy sk on his hip. Apparently the bigger-on-the-inside trend could also apply to containers as well, though it allegedly was a Skill on the oil, rather than the sk. Hed test it anyway at some point. Flour, dried fruits, vegetable seeds, salt he hadnt been sure how much of his list hed be able to afford, but the answer was apparently yes. Though he didntmission himself any ssware for his alchemy, he was sorely tempted to. The cost of such things helped dissuade him, though, as he could easily blow through hisrge-yet-small earnings all at once if he wasnt careful. No, hed keep things simple for now. He stopped by Rizzalis office before he left at the end of the day, asking for a bit of advice on how to speed up some of his slower-leveling Skills, mainly Seeing and Flexibility in the hopes the gnome might have some trick to their leveling speed. Sadly, he didnt. He did find out that Seeing was generally epted to just be a slow Skill to level, but it didnt matter much because most people had it their entire lives. Leaving the city was also fairly uneventful, though he was nowden much more with gear and supplies than when he first entered, he wasnt stopped by any guards or, incredibly, even any pickpockets. He was gone before sunset. There was still more to do in the city, naturally. He wanted to try to get a healing license, which apparently involved a week-long course and a test, see if he could get some cksmithing and ssblowing instruction, and look into what it took to buy an incredibly-elusive true magical item (not counting the minor household magic items made from Skills which everyone used). Not to mention he should probably get some armor and actual weapons, though that would probably fall into the same trap as getting ssware. He could have probably spent months doing all sorts of things, but he didnt want to stay too long. Both because Inion still hadnt found him and he wanted to make sure she hadnt gotten into too much trouble and also because he wanted to get out of Vinstead before the governor was able to try and meet with him. Fortunately, he didnt need to look for Inion. As he left the city by the gate he entered through, she slunk up to him from the long shadows cast by the setting sun. No luck? he prodded. ...No. She admitted, There seems to be the same sort of effect that kept me in the Verdant around the city itself. The gates dont have it, but You got stabbed again? Theyre fast, okay? I could probably get by them, but it would still be so annoying and Id have to deal with swarms of them and. Yeah. Itd be annoying on the best of days. And this isnt the best of days. Inion shook her head in agreement. Edwin chuckled darkly, Well, how much do you have in you tonight? Its been a long day, but I can still push on for a while longer. I wouldnt mind trying to get to the waypoint we were atst night, but itll be dark by the time we get there. I dont need sleep. But you do need rest. She shrugged, Not unless I do a ritual, usually. Fair, I suppose, Edwin conceded, Guess we keep going. As promised, Edwins shirt did indeed fade away around sunset, shortly after they had left Vinstead, the threads unravelling and dissolving into silver motes like so many stars shortly after darkness set in across thendscape. He ignored Inions yful whistle as he donned one of his new shirts. As light as it was, it still felt oddly heavy inparison to the essentially weightless Skill construct that he had been wearing. It was about midnight by the time they reached their destination. Edwin gratefully flopped down on a mattress, his pack carefully ced next to him. He wondered for a few minutes how they were always empty when he came around, but before he could really ponder it too much, Inion started singing and it knocked him out like a magical luby. Chapter 71b: Back to the Grind Chapter 71b: Back to the Grind The flooded farnds were quite an impressive sight, and Edwin found the sights of barges poking along to be oddly amusing, even though he didnt have so much as a clue what they all were doing. It was getting to beter in the year now, and the sun beat down on Edwin with the intensity of the start of summer. Hed asked Inion, and it was the equivalent of May or June at this point, which put Edwin as having showed up in the middle of winter. It had seemed strange, but the way Inion had put it, they didnt really get winter in the Verdant, whatever magic kept it running also blunting the hostility to life the season usually disyed. When they finally reached the trees, Inion nearly jumped for joy as life flooded back into her, and Edwin watched as color literally returned to her skin and hair. It hadnt been obvious as it happened, but Memory informed him that the naiad had nearly ended up grayscale towards the end of their trip. She imed she was fine now, but he still kept an eye on her just in case. Edwin waited until they got back to the clearing to really unpack and give Inion her new tunic, and was kind of d he did. She had epted it with a grin at his exnation, then promptly stripped before he could sessfully look away. Something Edwin hadnt really thought through was the fact her leaf-clothes were kind of part of her, while her new outfit wasnt, resulting in her losing it any time she discorporated. Considering Edwin only really objected to the show on principle, and a steadfast reminder to himself that he should not get romantically involved with a fey, he couldnt say he minded that much. In time, Inion incorporated changing- always with a smile on her face which let Edwin know that she knew exactly what she was doing- in front of him into their standard back-and-forth exchanges. Overall, their daily routine didnt shift all that much in the aftermath of the trip to Vinstead. The new gardening tools made some things significantly easier, his new food options made his meals well, at least they had more variation. He hadnt thought to get yeast so he couldnt make bread properly, but he could still make a sort of tbread which didnt taste too bad. Its not like he needed to eat that much, anyway. His new hammock was amazing, and was endlessly morefortable than his previous sleeping arrangement. No pillow, but that was a minor matter when his rolled-up cloak worked nearly just as well. He experimented more with his talsanenris bushes, stripping seeds from their berries and trying to grow them- they never sprouted in the two weeks Edwin gave them. Unsurprisingly, the reverse- nting a berry with no seeds (once he made sure there actually werent seeds inside) likewise produced no sprouting. It did make pretty great fertilizer, though. Like his attempts to use the berries to speed up the growths of other nts, anything he nted inside a berry quickly withered as it couldnt keep up with its nutritional requirements. His soap-making efforts went quite well; his attempts to Purify lye worked surprisingly well, and a few tries (and alchemy levels)ter, he had very soft, very revitalizing soap made from his ever-present talsanenris berries. His bricks slowly improved as well, and he gradually made himself an oven built into the ground, a massive pit dug out in front of it for easy ess; which was useful for all sorts of stuff, from drying to baking. His other alchemical ingredients steadily grew as well, under his and Inions tender care, slowly maturing and spreading as spring rolled over to summer. While the temperature kept slowly rising, the tree cover and mountain spring meant that Edwin never felt like he got too hot. One immensely annoying discovery Edwin had made was that his talsanenris berries suddenly stopped producing one day, once his entire clearing was surrounded by hedges. He still had a sizeable stock of the fruit, so it wasnt a crippling blow, but a week of testing made Edwin realize hed just overused the soil. The only ce which could still grow anything was the garden, and he wasnt going to risk everything else to try and grow more of the magical berries he had in abundance already. It was annoying, but manageable. As it turned out, the ash from talsanenris bushes was ridiculously nutrient-rich. A 50/50 mixture of ash and dirt let him grow a bean nt in hours when adequately supplied with water and mulched talsanenris fertilizer without the nt instantly withering like it had previously. Inion still advised that he not try it with their magical nts, but that didnt stop him from trying to grow additional sprouts, separate from their actual attempt. Perhaps predictably, the nts didnt turn out, though the way they didnt turn out was what was most interesting. Instead of withering, they turned out oddly stunted and almost grayscale. It was as though someone had leached all color from the nts, turning them various shades of light and dark gray instead, vaguely reminiscent of Inions state after their trip to Vinstead. The nts were decidedly not magic-less, but they did feel distinctly different from the properly grown nts in his main garden under his Basic Mana Sense. He found that he was also able to grow new talsanenris bushes in the ash-soil of their predecessors, but decided to not push things quite so far as before, instead keeping a few bushes tended to and harvesting their berries regrly, keeping himself well-stocked though without the obscene levels of surplus hed had initially. Really, Edwin had done so many gardening and biology-rted tasks, he was expecting to see an absolutely massive number of rted Paths and Skills next time he checked those notifications instead of just his Skill levels. Notifications were a funny thing. He could manipte them rtively freely, hiding and calling up the popups, but he couldnt minimize anything after it had already appeared; just dismiss it. The ability to block out entire sses of prompts had been a nice discovery when he stumbled upon it, and used it to avoid being constantly spammed with Skill unlocks. Hed look at them eventually, to see if he had gotten anything truly spectacr, but it was so nice to not be told for the four hundredth time that he could take the y Sculpting skill. Anyway. His levels were steadily increasing across the board as the average crept into the 50s, and Edwin expressed some amount of skepticism that it would really take him a year to bring them all almost to level 80. Inion had smartly informed him that once they were all at level 60, that just meant they were nearly halfway there. Ugh. The days ticked by, one by one. Edwin built out an irrigation system and even a rudimentary waterwheel, taking water from atop Inions waterfall, diverting it down a hollowed-out log and delivering it to his garden, keeping it eternally watered. His waterwheel didnt do much at the moment, honestly, but its existence was still cool and something Edwin was very happy with. If he had any further repetitive tasks such as sawing, grinding wheat, or possibly cracking nuts, he could hook something up to the driveshaft to aplish it. He was also really happy with the way hed set up the trickle of water entering the distillery. As the water evaporated from the bottom bowl, a floating bob would sink ever so slightly, lowering a stopper between the heating bowl and the waiting water. As it lowered, the stopper woulde out and let in a few drops of fresh water until the bowl refilled and the stopper was reced. It was awesome and janky and Edwin always felt like just looking at it made his Construction skill happy. The rest of Edwins new distillery setup utilized a cooling stone hed bought in Vinstead in ce of cold water, providing a constant supply of fresh, clean water as he used his heating stones in ce of a fire hed have to tend to. It was slower, yes, but that didnt matter when it ran constantly, eternally dripping out water for him to use in his experiments. He was even able to measure an increase in its speed as his Purify and Alchemy leveled. Though it was drinkable, he usually got Inion to refill his canteen when he needed it, as the water processed by her Skill tasted fantastic. Not much of an increase, admittedly, but an increase nheless. Sadly, hecked the precision instruments needed to determine exactly how much faster distition each level brought with it. Sure, Outsiders Almanac may have an exponential increase in character limit- each level brought with it a 5% increase to how many it could store- but Survival seemed to linearly decrease how much food and water he needed to survive, so it wasnt necessarily consistent between Skills. The fact that he had once identally gone a week without eating or drinking was quite interesting, though. It hadnt beenfortable and he swore that hed pay more attention to his bodily needs in the future. As it turned out, a tendency to go an entire day without eating or drinking didnt leave when food and water became even less important. He maintained it was important, though. He had managed to copy all the text from the Grimoire into his filing system as a result of the one-week grinding session, and had figured out an even bigger use of his Almanac as part of it. As most grand discoveries did, it started off mundane. He had made it through the introduction and first chapter of the Grimoire, tucking hundreds of words into every Almanac entry before hed need to start the next one. (Prev- Zosiman102)
  1. In this production whilst the Soul fashions unto itself a body, there is thus a third thing by which the Soul is now inwardly joined to the body and unto the Spirit of the World, and by which the operation of all natural things are dispensed, and this is called the Vital Spirit.
  2. The operations of natural things are dispensed from this Spirit by the organs ording to the attunement of the organ and its manifestation within the Spirit of the World.
  3. The organ of Intellect, set within the crown, produces Mana. Secondly upon the organ of Life itself ording to the reasons of things produces Health from its ce within the chest. Thirdly, unto the organs that motivates things in such a disposition as is within the limbs and thusly produces Stamina.
  4. It is thus truly the production of blood from within the heart which is the origin of Health. As seen by the creation of the bile humor in all its endless colors in ordance with the infinity of mana which demonstrates their production within the brain. When exposed unto the muscle and skin, the Vital produces Stamina in its immediate form, namely the phlegm, as evidenced by the manifestation of it upon the skin when Stamina is utilized.
  5. No bodily thing hath any energy or operation in itself saving so far for as it is an instrument of the same Spirit, or informed by its creations, for that which is merely corporeal is merely passive. It is exclusively Health, Mana, and Stamina which does inform the Spirit of the World to connect with an individual.
  6. He that will work great things, must (as much as possible) take away corporeity from things, or else he must endeavor awaken the sleeping Attributes within himself, connecting wholly unto the Spirit of the World, nowbouring and undertaking an exchange, he will never do any great works.
  7. It is impossible to take all this Spirit from anything whatsoever for by this bond a thing is held from falling back into its first matter and kept in ce by the Spirit of the World itself.
(Next- Zosiman104) (Prev- Zosiman103)
  1. This Spirit is somewhere or rather everywhere found as it were free from the body, and he that knows how to join it with a body agreeably, possesses a treasure better than all the riches of the world and even the grandest Skill of the Spirit of the World..
Edwin stifled a yawn, then mentally cursed as it broke his concentration. Well, at least he had just started a new page, so it wouldnt be too awful to restart and try again. Still annoying. Hed take a quick break first, and he rose from where he was sitting, stretching to get the crick in his neck out. Supernatural flexibility may let him bend so far back around he could nearly touch his nose against his heel, but it didnt keep his muscles from locking up if he stayed too long in the wrong position. Inion noticed his shift, Another break? He wordlessly nodded, unable to talk past a giant yawn, and the two of them went for another quick run. It was getting harder and harder for Edwin to properly push himself in rtive safety, making levels scarcer and scarcer as time went on. It didnt keep him from trying to get levels in Walking or Athletics by going for regr runs, though. He always brought Inion with him in case he ran into another panther or other dangerous situation. He was still skeptical of her alleged fantasticbat prowess, but she was, if nothing else, strong enough to carry him back to Obainn if needed. How does Almanac even work, anyway? Was that towards me? Eh. Kind of. Youd know more than I would. Like, where is the information stored? Is it the System itself? Is it with me? How can other people ess the information? Can they? Youre just now wondering all that? No, Edwin paused in thought, Ive always wondered about it, its just bing more and more prevalent as I trante page upon page of dry alchemy text into a seemingly limitless database. Arent you even now still dropping random phrases onto any odd leaf or pebble that catches your eye? Sure but those feel different because theyre a word or sentence at most, then it goes to the next object. Now that Im uploading an entire book into semi-nonsense words? Its really sinking in. I cant really answer that, you know. Yeah, yeah, they ran in silence for a few moments before Edwin had a thought cross his mind, So how does the System handle differentnguages anyway? What? Well, I know for a fact that not allnguages use the same alphabet, let alone the Latin alphabet from Earth. But whenever I see a System prompt, even in a differentnguage, it seems like it gets converted to English characters. Is that by phics? If so, what happens when theres a phenotype that doesnt appear in English, that it just cant replicate? Youre not actually asking this, right? You have to ask? Fair. But, why then is the character limit also in English? What about something like kanji instead? Would they be able to store more information in the same space, like with a tweet? Im not supposed to even be able to follow this, right? I know I can input all letters in both uppercase and lowercase, as well as punctuation, numbers, and even some symbols. I dont think I ever really thought about thatst fact much, though its pretty significant. It makes no sense for Joriahs System to run on unicode, so then is it just running based on what I think of as a letter or character, then? Im going to assume you dont actually care about my understanding. Huh? Oh, sorry Inion. Do you need me to exin more? Nah. Ill be fine. Okay, if you insist. Turn around here, say? Theres something I want to test when we get back. So. If Almanac was limited based on characters, then what counted as a character? As Edwin experimented, he never quite hit the limit. Even as he pushed it more and more, starting off with just the more unusual characters he knew of that were still essentially part of the English alphabet. Then, he found that capital and lowercase delta showed up alongside the other greek letters. Then, letters with ents and modifications. A 7 with a cross along the middle. 0 with a line through the center. Delta but with an equteral triangle. The single kanji he knew and remembered- - also worked and only took up a single character slot. It was getting extremely tedious to actually count out his character limits, but he didnt really see any alternative. From there, he just kept pushing things farther and farther. So long as he was able to conceptualize something as a single character he could insert it. That quickly included countless symbols of various kinds, random squiggles, and letters written in cursive. Thanks to Visualization, he could imagine very detailed single characters, and by the end of the day he had managed to upload a pseudo-sketch of a firevine ivy leaf. Only a single color, and mostly a single line, but it was still an absolutely massive proof of concept. Further experimentation with Almanacs formatting let him figure out how to change the disy of what he wrote. Large letters, small letters, letters in different colors once he figured out how to ovep characters everything really went great. He could do vector art! Triangles, squares, pentagons, circles and more. Basic geometric shapes were really easy to maintain. Another day of work and he had figured out gradients and distortions. Two days after that, he had started figuring out more general pictures. It was absolutely murder on his Almanac space, meaning he could only have rtively low-resolution pictures stored, though he jumped up a few levels in the Skill just from this discovery, so said quality kept marginally increasing. Well, so far, anyway. He could take pictures! This was so cool! It didnt help all that much with his text-copying endeavors, but it did mean he could sort-of embed images once he got to the herbology sections. He was only limited by his imagination! ...Literally. It worked based off of Visualization. Level Up! Skill Points 8991065 Progress to Tier 2: 1191/1770 (Avg level: 56/77) Alchemy 65 69 Athletics 62 64 Basic Mana Sense 53 57 Bomb Throwing 14 17 Breathing 57 61 Construction 44 61 Firestarting 64 68 First Aid 50 52 Flexibility 37 47 Harvesting 47 59 Identify 49 53 Mana Infusion 68 71 Mathematics 51 53 Memory 40 43 Nutrition 41 49 Outsiders Almanac 93 102 Packing 44 58 Polyglot 45 52 Purify 37 58 Seeing 37 44 Sleeping 46 51 Survival 50 61 Visualization 56 61 Walking 50 55 Chapter 72a: Training Wills Chapter 72a: Training Wills Revtions about how Almanac worked and what it could aplish aside, as summer carried on, it was Edwins other projects which began to bear fruit. Literally, in some cases. Sadly, he most likely would never get berries from his hispera bush, simply due to its slow lifecycle and it wasnt old enough to flower or bear fruit yet. However, that didnt apply to the rest of his nts, even the other ones hed gotten on the same day as his talsanenris berries. Sunstalk, after his initial problems getting it to grow, was one of the few magical nts which actually responded positively to using talsanenris as a fertilizer. Therge patch of strange golden grass sparkled and glowed in the shade but turned almost invisible in sunlight. Edwin used it to make a window for Obainn. A waste of the substance? Perhaps, but Edwin mainly wanted to see how long it would retain its magic. He was still waiting. ording to Inion, Harvesting helped, and he didnt have a reason to disagree. If he could figure out how to somehow magically grab the property he needed, then Edwin might have an ingredient for an invisibility potion. Actually making one was still well beyond his grasp, though not forck of trying. He just didnt even know where to begin, and the Grimoire offered no help in that regard- not even a list of ingredients. So, his trying basically amounted to trying to grind up the grass and put it in a potion with other ingredients. He found some interesting reactions in his experimentation, but nothing usable yet. Firevines grew at a pretty decent rate, especially with the rising temperatures that apanied the warmer seasons. The Grimoire was more helpful in figuring out what he could do with them aspared to Sunstalk, though that wasnt terribly useful. Matches and what more or less amounted to magical, essentially nontoxic (from what he could tell anyway) kerosene- highly mmable amber-colored oil that instantlybusted when exposed to heat, mana, particrly strong light it was basically liquid Firestarting, and thus mostly superfluous to Edwin. That said,bining the Skill and the oilted Edwin a few levels in Bomb Throwing, which was appreciated. Putting it on food made it act a bit like liquid fire, scorching what he put it on if he wasnt careful or cooking it if he was, and even the freshly-picked leaves of the ivy burned quite well. His sinbalyne flowers were among his most promising experiments in terms of usefulness, though also his most challenging by far. Eating the flowers themselves very, very slightly- to the point where he was pretty sure it was just his imagination- made his tongue and lips feel numb. Mashing the petals into a paste, straining out the liquid, and distilling it in a smaller, more precise still than the one he used for his water gave a slightlyvender liquid that definitely made him feel faintly drowsy when he tasted it. Inion found his resulting slurred speech hrious, which fair enough. He tested the distilled sinbalyne by smearing a drop of the liquid onto a thoroughly cleaned and sterilized knife, then pricked his finger to try and inject it into his finger. It had no effect. In fact, it wasnt until he identally sniffed a still-cooling vial of the drug did he realize that it was an inhaled anesthetic, which he probably should have realized. Most likely, it was usually burned and that helped reduce sensation. His stoppered vial of distilled sinbalyne, one of the few he had from Niallsboratory, was one of his most potent tools and constantly kept on his person for a while. Just a whiff was enough to make him decidedly woozy for a good five minutes, and if he heated it slightly that time could go up to half an hour. It didnt affect Inion, not that he really expected it to, but it was still very useful for disorienting pretty much any mammals, something he confirmed in his hunts. It worked alright on birds, though not quite as well. Mi was kind of boring. It did its job, sure- applying juices from its stalk quickly neutralized the knockout effect of the stronger knockout potion, though not that of the weaker one for some reason. So far as Edwin could tell, it negated or weakened the magical aspects of potions, whereas mundane portions were left unhindered. Was it absorbing the mana? Was it destroying it? If it was thetter, did that mean mana didnt follow thews of thermodynamics? Further testing was required. Glowleaf continued glowing even after it was picked, for a day without Harvesting or about a week with it. Well, other than lighting. Mixing the ground nts into distilled water resulted in glowing liquid which seemed to keep glowing at the same intensity more or less indefinitely. Thus, the glowing potion bottles on his shelves just ended up providing some really cool ambience. Depending on what else was included in the mixture, he could get the normally purple or green elixirs to take on gold, red, or white tints by utilizing sunstalk, firevine, or sunstalk and talsanenris. All in all, Edwin had magical kerosene, windows, nitrous oxide, and glowsticks. Truly, he was a force to be reckoned with. May all tremble before him as he glowed at them, then tried to pour lighter fluid over them. Was he regressing? Throwing rocks at people had worked just fine for him until now. What he really needed was to integrate his Skills into hisbat style. He needed more Alchemy stuff. He needed to really double down on his training. Which mostly amounted to the same thing hed already been doing. Inion imed she had ideas for once he stalled out, which filled him with dread, though he wasnt sure why. As time progressed, marching on in its inorexible advance, Edwin found his patience slowly being eroded by the Zosiman Grimoire. There were only so many times he could read about how the Three Attributes could be seen in all of creation, describing certain experiments which had been demonstrably wrong on Earth as self-evident. Some things never changed, it seemed, and Alchemy on Joriah was just as wed as alchemy had been on Earth. Oh sure, there was a core there of truly fascinating magic in there, but it wasnt actual science. Edwin hadnt given too much thought to his long-term goals. He wanted to find a ce to permanently settle down that wasnt in the middle of nowhere, he wanted to find friends- Inion didnt really count, she was contractually obligated to be his friend no matter how much fun she might be to be around and how well they got along- and he wanted to be strong enough to feel in control of his own life. The question of what he wanted to do with his life had always been a bit of an annoying question for Edwin. All he really wanted was to befortable, to not be stressed, and to have friends. The quickest route to that had been to get a well-paying job, and engineering paid very well. Hed taken quite some time determining which route exactly he wanted to take, before settling on Physics because of its increased emphasis on peeling back the mysteries of the universe inparison to Engineering. Hed essentially settled for mediocrity because there werent any other options, and he had been genuinely content with that. But some dreams never really died, and the desire to make some game-changing discovery in science was one that any scientist ought to have had at some point. There was just no way on Earth it would ever happen. Fortunately for him, though, he was no longer on Earth, and he could make a difference. Just like Newton had his Principia, there was nothing stopping Edwin from making his own series of books to revolutionize science and alchemy as a whole! Was that what he wanted, then? Maybe. It sounded cool and grand, at least. Edwin made himself a deal. He wanted to travel to see the world anyway. He could help out people, he could try to make his own Alchemy guide! Starting from base principles. He didnt have that much paper, but that was fine. Hed just write the first draft in his Almanac Edwin stopped. Outsiders Almanac. How had he never connected the dots before now? Probably because the Almanac had been his first-ever skill evolution, so it had never been something he had thought about. Hed never needed to think about it, never needed to really push the limits for what the Skill was capable of because of how fast it leveled, but this was what it was meant for, wasnt it? It was right in the name. The System was trying to get him toe in and revolutionize things, wasnt it? The Outsiders of the past hade in and done things of all sorts. One had built a flying city. Another was the pioneer of alchemy. There was apparently a race of machines running around that an Outsider had made The sudden realization in turn of the absolute crushing expectations hed stumbled into mmed into Edwin. That that was why Tara had been assigned to him, why the Empire was trying to be nice to him. They thought- no, they expected Edwin to change the world. To them, hed stumbled out of myth and legend, with thousands of years of aggrandization on the side of the bar he would need to clear. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly. Here he thought that he might be able to escape some of the high hopes people had for him back on Earth, only to stumble into something ten times worse. Before, when people joked about him curing cancer, it was indeed just a joke. Here, though? How could he possibly live up to those standards? No. No, Edwin. No sliding into depression. Theres only one thing you can control. Just like before, people will always have high hopes and expectations for you. Theres no point in stressing over it, you cant help that. All you can do is your best, right? Not that thats much better, at least for stress management. It took a few minutes, but he eventually got his emotions back under control. So what, if people literally expected the world from him? Hed just well, not be himself. Nobody wanted that. But he could still be the Alchemist. He was going to wander, he knew that much. If nobody knew what to expect, he couldnt disappoint them. But the System? The System clearly wanted something from him as well, namely his thoughts and observations. Well, he could at least do that. He Identified the nts he was tending to, and a word abstractionter, he was writing again. A bit of finagling got a sketch-picture of the nts leaves inserted inside the entry, just like any good almanac should have. Firevine. Hedera Inmmare This ivy-like vine is, true to its name, usable in alchemical forme which can utilize fire-based effects. See FirevineUses, FirevineForm. On their own, the leaves function as excellent tinder, and if the leaves are crushed and the juices extracted and distilled, the resulting liquidbusts when exposed to a number of different stimuli. See FirevineUses, FirevineStimnts and FirevineHarvesting. Native to the Rhothos and Verdant regions. Rted entries: FirevineUses, FirevineForm, FirevineStimnts, FirevineEcology, FirevineFamily, FirevineHistory, FirevineGardening, FirevineHarvesting It wasnt perfect, but it was a start, and that was what mattered. Hedera was the ssification for ivies, and while the tree of life was no doubt radically different on Joriah, Edwin imagined it was simr enough for cross-pollination of ideas. Half of the rted entries didnt even have an Almanac post when he started off, but subdividing everything made it easier to update when he found something new, and kept him from having to redraw the picture every time. Hmm. There was probably an edit function, wasnt there? It would only make sense. He made a quick Almanac note to look into it. Thats what you want me to do, isnt it anyway? Edwin asked the air. Hed never gotten any indication that the System moderators and admins could hear him, but it didnt hurt, Fill in information about everything ever? Did you ask me something? Inion perked up from where she lounged on a rock. Edwin waved her off and continued with his work. Sunstalk Poaceae Sris. ...... So, Edwin thought to himself that evening while working on histest batch of brick, Almanac on his mind. If I were an immortal System with an interesting individual whose thoughts I want to record via a Skill, what features would I put in that Skill? Whatcha thinking about? Inion dropped down next to him. Almanac. I finally got to thinking about it, and now Im wondering if I can figure out what its other functions might be based on what the admins and mods might have tried to give me. I figure its fast leveling speed is part of that, and they clearly want my thoughts on some matters but am I supposed to be able to share it? Theres got to be an editing rather than rewrite option. I store data, what are the limits? Can I store audio? Videos? Can I just straight-up take pictures of things? Is there a search function I can ess somehow? He thought for a moment, Have you gotten any Paths pertaining to me exining science stuff to you, by any chance? Uhhh lemme check. I dont look that often. Her eyes focused on thin air, Uhhh Nope. Doesnt look like it. Edwin hummed to himself softly, Interesting. I would have suspected something like that. I wonder if theres some clever thing I need to tell you about to get it to unlock? He tapped his chin, Or maybe. Inion, I give you permission to ess my Almanac. She blinked, Huh. That actually worked. New Path! By receiving appropriate permission, you have gained the Outsiders Student path! Edwin blinked, That was easy. Also nice to know that I dont need to worry about someone getting ess to it by ident, if you need permission. How many points is it? Sixty. Ill have to take it, see what it does, she stuck her tongue out at him, Maybe Ill finally get to see all your random thoughts you leave everywhere. Oh, shoot. You know what? You dont have to take it. In fact, you should forget you ever unlocked it. Inion justughed, and Edwin smiled. Life... life was going well. Chapter 72b: Training Wills Chapter 72b: Training Wills Almanac wasnt the only Skill that Edwin was working on improving. Firestarting had been a consistent problem for him since he first realized the Skills limitations. It affected something like a thirty-foot radius around him whenever it was enabled, which was great for keeping all his fires going at full ze, less so when he wanted to make something specific burn, and nothing else. Like, for instance, if he was trying to make incendiary grenades. Hed figured out how to make what mostly amounted to firebombs through use of Firevine extract- two rocks inside a y ball, along with a small measure of the ivys oil and a number of the same nts leaves would break apart into puffs of fire. He didnt have enough extract to make anything like a Molotov cocktail, unfortunately, but if he could find somemp oil or something he could remedy that. It didnt hold quite the same punch that he would have wanted, though. Sure, fire was great and all, but he was skeptical that setting someone on fire would really causesting harm. Actually, he had evidence that it would, given how often he did set people aze as a finishing move with Firestarting, but he still wanted something with more force. So, he turned to pinecones. If he soaked them in a mixture of sap and firevine extract, covered up the stickiness with firevine leaves- leaving a stem poking out to function as a fuse- then covered that with a thinyer of y, he could set the fuse on fire with normal Firestarting, and it would reach the main body quickly enough that the entire pinecone would be on fire mid-flight. Testing in non-mmable areas showed that if he managed to apply Infused Firestarting to it, the grenade would detonate violently, resulting in an explosion of burning smoke and shrapnel. He had two major obstacles to that goal. Firstly, that trying it anywhere other than on barren ground would probably set everything on fire. Secondly, he could only apply Mana Infusion to things he was touching, or nearly touching. The former he was slowly making progress on. Hed managed to bring the area of effect for Firestarting down from a sphere to a hemisphere through a colossal effort of will and Visualization, and he was confident he might be able to shrink that into a narrow cone in time. It was just a matter of aplishing it. In the meantime, he could offset the problem by just pulsing Firestarting, kind of like how it was originally intended to be used, but it wasnt perfect as he still ran the risk of starting unrted fires. At least he was able to shrink the radius it applied in, so he didnt have to worry about a stray ember sending his garden up in mes. The second was a much bigger problem. Infusing the grenade beforehand actually proved detrimental, the mana from his Infusion presumably washing out some of the natural fire mana in the Firevine. Infusing the sap just made it stickier, and Infusing the pinecone had no apparent effect. No, he needed to Infuse it through Firestarting, the Skill apparently making his mana fire-attuned. Eventually, he came across a mostly workable solution. As it turned out, he could Infuse Bomb Throwing. It had been an utter nightmare to figure out, and was the result of many, many days of doing nothing but trying to make the two Skills work together, but the results were mostly worth the effort andplexity, and when the explosion actually worked, the result was always super satisfying. However, even just doing the Infusion itself was tricky. He needed to Infuse whatever his bomb was first, then feed it through Bomb Throwing- specifically instead of Throwing Weapons, the two felt very simr- then back into the Bomb. In thatst bit of feedback, he could slip Firestarting in as an effect. What that meant was that after a semi-random amount of time, Firestarting took effect and ignited whatever his bomb was. Even then, it usually wasnt Infused Firestarting, just the basic Skill, meaning that after all that work, a good 3/4th of the time it wasnt a proper explosion so much as it was just a tiny fireball with a bit of y shrapnel. He had more work to do. He always had more work to do. It took even more work to figure out how to sustain two Infusions at the same time, and even once he did it still took intense concentration to actually pull off- and thus not terribly useful under pressure- but when he did manage it, he was treated to the wonderful sight of his makeshift grenade exploding midair. Or on the ground. Or right after it left his hand. .So he still had some work to do. Well, as the end of summer rolled around and the biting chill of autumn set in, he was happy to be ying with fire. While Edwin had originally expected that he would need another trip or two into Vinstead to get supplies, he hadnt ounted for two- well, really three- variables. The first was Survival. He could go a week without feeling so much as a pang of hunger so long as he wasnt too active. The second was his activity level. Once he finished building up Obainn, he just wasnt as physically active as before. Sure, he still went for runs- and always took his stick with him, just in case- but those were rapidly bing almost trivially easy as Athletics and Walking boosted his physical efficiency to incredible levels. The third was how much food he and Inion managed to grow in their tiny little garden. All in all, it meant that with the addition of a few deers worth of jerky slow-roasted over his fire, Edwin had plenty of food as fall slowly drew to a close. There were a few minor things, like yeast, that he could benefit from, but nothing was critical enough for him to take the multi-day trip it would take to get there and back. Plus, he didnt want to put Inion through that ordeal again. Shed steadfastly said that it wasnt so bad that she wouldnt go with him again for whatever reason, but Edwin couldnt believe that literally losing color was good for her. Inion wouldnt tell him what her n was when he finally left for good, whether she was staying back at Obainn or tagging along with him somehow, and he didnt press the issue. Odds were decent she hadnt made up her mind yet. Yeah. On one hand, she stays here and is bored, the other way she has to put up with me. Another part of Edwin said that it wasnt that bad, and that she did like him well enough that traveling with him wouldnt be putting up with him. Edwin hoped it was more thetter. Hed been in this position before, where a friend was just trying to humor him because they were nice and he wasnt sure that Inion wasnt in a simr position. He was willing to try, though. He had many ws, but ack of social persistence wasnt quite one of them. Or so he liked to think, anyway. Inion would most likely abandon him as soon as she had a viable alternative, but he didnt want to think about that. He was probably just worrying over nothing, anyway. Where was I? Oh, right. Trips to Vinstead. There was no real rush to return to civilization, not with all he already had, and enough reasons to avoid it that Edwin figured he could just buckle down and try to survive the winter. It had actually rained a few times over the summer and fall, wispy clouds forming and sprinkling water across thend, but he could still count the number of times on one hand. So, probably not going to be a harsh winter. At least, no snow. It might get chilly, but nothing like Edwin hadnt dealt with many times before. Honestly, if he wasnt trying to be productive, he could most likely legitimately hibernate, just sleep the winter away with a use of Sleeping, Survival, and Nutrition. He had something much better to spend his time on, though. He wanted to fly. Now, while the ideal case would be to unlock a Skill for it once he seeded, letting him improve magically, he couldnt ept it before he finished his tier-up. So, hed have to figure out how to unlock the Skill now, then dismiss it and re-earn it once the year was up, then train it up until it hit level 60 or more, evolve it, and then level its evolution up to whatever level the rest of his Skills were at by that point. Yeah, he wasnt looking forward to that. There was a reason he needed to be so selective about his Skill choices, now more than ever. He wanted higher-tier Skills, darn it, no matter how much every Skill ever might give him something amazing once it evolved. Something that was amazing from the start would just keep getting amazing. Thats what everyone told him. Even Lefi, for that matter. But he was getting ahead of himself. First, he needed to learn how to fly. And to do that, he would need to level Packing. So far as he was able to tell, Packing currently reduced the weight of whatever he carried by about 95%, so he had to actually carry 1/20th of whatever he lifted. Air was about 1.2 kilos per cubic meter, and humans were slightly more dense than water, putting him at a thousand kilos per cubic meter. That meant he still had some ways to go before he could properly lift himself with Packing and potentially fly (or rather, swim through the air), but if he was able to assemble a backpack that was about 80 cubic meters in volume, so long as the average density of the backpack and himbined was less than 7 kilos per cubic meter, he would be neutrally buoyant in the air. Hed tried assembling a really big backpack by making a canvas-covered cube and strapping it to his back, then jumping off the cliff above Obainn and trying to see if it slowed his fall at all. It wouldnt be enough for buoyancy, sure, but if he could lighten the air he should at least feel the effects as he fell. It seemed like it couldnt be cheated like that, sadly. Hed plummeted to the ground about as fast as he should normally, once you adjusted for a massive wooden-framed backpack/parachute on his back anyway. Inion had enjoyed the resulting ssh into her pond, and Edwin enjoyed the fact he had spare clothes to change into while his other outfit was drying. Dreams of flight notwithstanding, Inion had managed toe up with a number of creative training regimes for him. She could be so nice at times he almost forgot he needed to not trust her, but that was a serious mistake. Now that his Skills had passed level 60, it, ording to her, took serious effort and required him to push the Skills in new directions to actually level them at any kind of half-decent rate. Which was how he ended up with some utterly brutal weeks. With no warning, Inion started waking him up partway through the night, held him under her waterfall with a cloth over his face, and made him breathe through her literal waterboarding and fall asleep while doing it. She blindfolded him and threw magical ice at him, making him try and puzzle out where it wasing from solely with Basic Mana Sense and dodge it. Once he had that figured out, she stuck his feet in ce by burying him up to his shins in mud and freezing it, making him exercise Flexibility to try and keep avoiding being hit. She once joked that she had a more enjoyable way to train Flexibility, and while he nearly gave in and epted, he had first joked that shed need to twist his arm more than that to get him to agree. Sadly, she took it literally, and didnt ask again afterwards. Pity. He could have used some fun after he de-dislocated his shoulder. Identify she trained in a simr manner. Apparently, using it didnt actually require sight so long as he could, well, identify what the target was. So, as part of herst level of training, he was forced to yell out to her which chunk of ice she threw at him, while he was blindfolded with his feet frozen in mud, then have to actually dodge the annoyingly urate projectiles. Visualization helped there, actually, as he was able to slowly build up a mental picture of the space, and helped him process the input from his sixth sense. Supposedly Perception would help with that, but he didnt have that attribute yet, but it was quickly moving up his list for what he wanted. He was starting to regret not taking her up on her offer without sarcasm, but ah well. He wasnt about to ask. Much too awkward, no matter the prize, which by itself was still probably not the best idea. Once he had graduated from thatpermutation, she changed it up so her final version of the training started mixing nonmagical projectiles in, which he had to listen for and Identify, then use that information to dodge the attack. She tried not giving him any warning at one point, just throwing her training tools at him without shouting she had thrown something, but, well he had at least gotten First Aid levels out of that debacle. It was hard enough figuring out where to dodge from, never mind if. Inions Walking training wasnt as bad, but running across slick rocks up and down the cliff was not pleasant. Then Packing training got added in, and hed have to do it while also carrying a full-sized tree. Edwin dreaded what dedicated First Aid training would look like, but at least he didnt have to worry about that yet. Even hisrgest bruises faded overnight, and a broken ankle took a day to heal once he whipped up a basic healing potion from talsanenris berries and a miniscule amount of mi mixed with sinbalyne. The former provided the basis for the magical healing by unleashing a massive wave of energy and speeding up his metabolism, mi absorbed and slowly released magical energy, preventing him from being hit by all the effects of the healing berries, and thest, when properly prepared and applied helped encourage blood flow to his feet, concentrating the effect there. It had been an experimental potion, but certainly a rousing sess. It did leave his foot swollen for three days after the break was healed, purely from the increased activity and blood flow, so it still required some work. Still, he got a whole Alchemy level for that discovery, and those were getting harder and harder toe by. There was arge part of him that wondered just how much his Alchemy skill was covering for him, if it was filling in for poor technique, imprecise measurements, or even totally missing ingredients. Inion could rarely replicate his results, but she also, ironically, didnt have the same level of patience for brewing that he did. She also imed that her own personal magic would mess with things, and that just part of magic- including alchemy- was literally finding what did or didnt work for someone. He put his rant notes on that subject in his Almanac. Not that he expected the mods to somehow patch it or anything, but it didnt hurt to give them the option to. It was also about that time that he discovered his Alchemy skill hadnt been applying to his sinbalyne knockout potion, resulting in the weaker product. That was remedied by adding a tiny drop of talsanenris juice and gently heating the mixture while he stirred for about a minute. Afterwards, if he got so much as a drop of the stuff on him, hed pretty much instantly ck out. It didntst long- a few minutes at most- but firmly knocked him unconscious nheless. If he actually swallowed any, hed be out cold for a day or more. Edwin wasnt sure why it changed from being an inhaled poison to a contact or ingested one beyond alchemy stuff, but he made sure to prepare vials of both versions. Maybe he could turn the normal liquid into a smoke bomb or something. That discovery only served to further muddle what exactly the Alchemy skill did. Did it just directly enhance the potency of his creations? It would fit with his observations, if potentially insignificant effects were magnified into appearing. Inion made him train Survival with abination of cutting down trees (She tried to get him to rip them out of the ground to help with Packing, but it didnt work. So she just made him carry them one-handed while she rode on the branches instead.) and going without food for extended periods of time, then Nutrition by force-feeding him truly awful foods, utterly sublime food, literal dirt, and food that just looked like dirt. He wasnt sure what the point of thatst one was, though. Actually, he wasnt sure what the point of any of those had been, but Inion swore she was helping him train Nutrition. She refused to rify when or how that was the case, though, so he was skeptical. Inparison, Mathematics was a dream to level. He just kept running more and moreplicated numerical functions into his mental calctor, plugging it all into Visualization. Well, it was a dream to level at first. Then Inion had caught on and, as her final addition to her stone throwing training, made him plot the trajectories of her projectiles on top of telling her which ones were which and still dodging them all. He eventually got very, very good at dodging projectiles, and as an interesting side effect, calcting where a given throw of his attacks wouldnd became almost second nature. It was because of that that Edwin realized there was some kind of force being applied to his throws, which just smoothed out their arcs regardless of wind or air turbulence, if he slipped while throwing something, or more. He so desperately wished that he could still be leveling Throwing Weapons, but he also didnt regret his decision to evolve it when he did. Odds were good that whatever bonus it granted explosives was what helped him get out from the ckstones as well as he did. To level Purify, Edwin had toe up with new purification methods, whose required equipment conveniently tended to help with Construction. In particr, he vaguely remembered a spinning-wheel toy centrifuge that was being used to test for mria or something. He didnt know how to do that, but his version was at least able to reliably separate oil from water without his Skill applying, and separate the different forms of blood with his Skills. It was kind of satisfying, exining theponents of blood to Inion who had no clue about any of it. He got a First Aid level for it as well, which was even nicer. The final level so far for Inions ice-throwing training now included Harvesting, and she would include some small trinket in each ice crystal, and he would (still blindfolded) have to Identify which projectile was flying at him, figure out where it was and where it would be, dodge out of the way, and now use his knife to cut out the prize. He had no chance, at least not until Inion allowed him to catch the crystals and started throwing at a much slower rate than before. I take back every nice thing Ive ever said about you. Edwin panted after one particrly grueling training session, wincing as he dabbed healing salve on the hole in his hand. Inion frowned, Have you ever said anything nice about me? Its the thought that counts, so Im counting nice thoughts Ive had about you. He decided. Inion justughed. Edwin wasnt sure whether he loved or hated thatugh. Probably both. It was, blessedly, a day off for Edwin. Well, as much of a day off as he ever gave himself. He was fully healed from histest bout of training, Inion was off wandering the woods doing something, and the sun was shining. He sat by his kiln fire, reveling in the sounds of nature as he tended to the mes. Day off or no, he still had work to do. It was just a question of how painful that work was. He actually had an idea for how he might be able to improve both Construction and Harvesting at the same time. Wood carving, and possibly rock chiseling, seemed like it might be in the conceptual ovep between the two Skills, and he was eager to give it a try. Edwin reached down and grabbed a log to work on, tugging it free- hang on, it was caught on something. Ah, it was embedded in the ground, and Packing never helped with anything even partially buried for whatever reason. Most likely, trying to lift the entire was beyond the scope of its weight-reduction capabilities. Edwin freed up his other hand and wrapped it around the wood, yanking on it. Ohe on, was it stuck on something as well as being buried? He gave it onest giant pull to try and clear it, and as he wasnt expecting it to actually work, he was knocked off-bnce as the tree trunk switched from being not carried to being firmly affected by Packing, shedding several hundred pounds all at once. He most definitely wasnt expecting the action to save his life, as a crossbow bolt whizzed right towards his throat, only intercepted by the massive chunk of wood, striking and embedding itself up to the fletching in the bark. Edwin reacted in the blink of an eye, mass-Identifying everything in the direction the bolt hade from, suddenly thankful for Inions tutge in that matter. Amidst the flood of meaningless Almanac popups, a single notification caught his eye. Darkshadow Contract Hunter Level Up! Skill Points 10651279 Progress to Tier 2: 1362/1770 (Avg level: 66/77) Alchemy 69 78 Athletics 64 69 Basic Mana Sense 57 68 Bomb Throwing 17 31 Breathing 61 66 Construction 61 68 Firestarting 68 77 First Aid 52 71 Flexibility 47 63 Harvesting 59 66 Identify 53 62 Mana Infusion 7173 Mathematics 53 65 Memory 4349 Nutrition 4959 Outsiders Almanac 102 111 Packing 58 73 Polyglot 52 55 Purify 58 63 Seeing 44 58 Sleeping 51 61 Survival 61 65 Visualization 61 67 Walking 55 62 Chapter 73a: A Blast From the Past Chapter 73a: A st From the Past Edwin mentally cursed as he ducked behind the wall surrounding his kiln, trying to get cover from whatever assassin had been sent at him. He knew that his constant paranoia about the dwarves had to have been justified. How had he been tracked down now, though? It had been months since hed been anywhere close to people. His mind raced as it pulled on instincts he hadnt had to use in months, struggling to get ready for fighting. Inions training didnt exactly prepare him for this, but the required skills whenbined with what he knew were simr. Take in the surroundings, make a n, take him out. Edwin knew his clearing like the back of his hand- possibly even better given hed never tried to memorize thetter- which put him at a serious home field advantage. He closed his eyes to try and think, but another quarreling from a totally different direction broke his concentration as it struck his left arm, pinning him by the bicep to the side of the earthenworks. It was immensely painful, but eminently manageable. A concerted flex of will had the wooden shaft in his arm burst into mes, incinerating it in the blink of an eye and freeing him. Hed need a potion to fix the muscle damage to his bicep, but that was fine. A drop of very, very diluted knockout potion killed the pain in his arm, and he downed a tiny vial of experimental healing potion. Hopefully, thebination of his two emergency-healing potions would help keep him alive. Hed taken efforts to ensure hed always have something on him after the panther attack, and it was finally paying off. Before he got the chance to also eat a few talsanenris berries for the energy boost, he was forced to take cover again as another bolt flew at him from a new angle. That made three shotsing from three different directions. Where was this guy? Other than the momentary tag with Identify, he hadnt seen so much as a hint of his assant. The rate of fire suggested a crossbow rather than a bow, and the ss name suggested he might have something to do with darkness. Or it was just a n name. Probably thetter. Maybe both. Straining his ears let Edwin hear a clunking from the side, near the top of his cliff, and while Edwin wasnt fast enough topletely dodge the attack, his sudden movement meant it took him in his shoulder rather than his heart. Any hopes hed had of his left hand being of any use in this fight fled his mind, but at least he still had his right. That was enough to throw his bombs, though without the counterbnce, his uracy would suffer. To test his current aim, he grabbed and threw a rock from his surroundings towards where thest bolt hade from. A momentter, Edwin heard it tter against stone. A miss, then. Whoever he was facing was smart and kept moving. Some kind of ambush specialist, most likely. Hopefully that meant theyd be weak close-up, but theyd probably at least have Health. Running across open ground to try and get inside Obainn was just inviting a quarrel in his back. Hed need a shield of some form, or some sort of obscuration. Smoke bombs sounded really nice about now, and he wished he had something that would help in that regard, but wishes wouldnt help him survive this attack. Another quarrel shot, and Edwin flinched, letting the quarrel strike his kiln, a good foot from his face and sending a spray of fired y into his face. Was it just him, or was the hunter getting less urate with each attack? Some sort of ambush bonus Skill, perhaps? A thought flickered across Edwins mind, and he grimaced. It wasnt ideal, but hed take it over dying. What he needed was something big, loud, distracting, and that would produce a lot of smoke The sequence of events here wasnt great. But it would aplish his goals, and only had a high chance of killing him. It beat dodging crossbow bolts while pinned down in a pit, though. Maybe. He might also just blow himself up if he didnt do this perfectly. No, hed blow himself up regardless. Edwin didnt have long, didnt have time to consider many alternatives. There was one thing he might be able to do to increase his odds of survival, but that in itself was a risk. But he was close enough to tiering up that even in the worst-case scenario for his first risk he wouldnt be hurting himself that much. And right now? Right now hed need all the help he could get. I really hope you guys are right. Edwin steeled himself and pulled up his Status, eyes skimming down its length. He flinched as another quarrel shot from the direction of the cliff, but it seemed like his current hiding spot would hold for the time being. Gah, this list was a mess. Hed been ignoring it for months, not that he med himself for that. There it was. Just what hed need to give him every edge in potentially surviving this. Worst-case scenario, it might he didnt even know. Give him abat Skill that might be useful in this situation? Hed beenx before, putting long-term ns above all else. It wasnt wrong, perhaps, but not the mindset he needed right now. Besides, this was already on his must-have list, it was just moving up the schedule a bit, and as it gave an Attribute, it might genuinely be useful, in contrast to a Skill which hed need to figure out on the fly and wouldnt even be that strong. Another bolt whizzing overhead broke him out of his musings. No matter the uracy orck thereof of his assant, who was probably just trying to keep him pinned anyway, he didnt have time to waste. You havepleted the Warrior path! Relentless training and a will to survive and thrive has gotten you far. You have and will face many obstacles in your way. As an alchemist, you know the value and power of blood both that of your own and that of your enemies. You tread a path of bloodshed, but will it be one of war or of medicine? Come on,e on, stop waxing poetical at me. Are you going to give me what I need or not? ss Change! Hedge Alchemist Sapper Calcting Rewards Could this thing be any slower? He was never trying toplete a Path in the middle of a fight ever again. Shoot, that bolt seemed like it had a sharper angle than its predecessors. Was his attacker getting closer? Done! You have unlocked a new Attribute! Health Health level set to 7 Edwin gasped as the change set into ce. It wasnt a major change, nothing like getting magic for the first time, but warmth blossomed across his body, seeming to anchor him to something. The connection to his body became more pronounced, and for a few moments he was acutely aware of his blood spread out throughout his entire body. No wonder Zosiman had said Health was a vital (heh)ponent of bing real. Were all Attributes like this? Stamina had just bumped itself up his to-get list regardless. A stick snapped on the soil nearby. Heh. Some assassin, if he couldnt even avoid stepping on a stick unless it was a decoy? Nope, not going down that rabbit hole. Edwin needed to do something, and fast, to avoid getting skewered again. Hed almost forgotten the crossbow bolt sticking out of his shoulder in the glow of getting Health, but it was still definitely there. This would take careful timing, and Edwin prepared himself. After each shot, there was about thirty seconds before the next one. That was still true, even as all the quarrels starteding from the same direction, trying to keep him pinned down. One, two, three Let the hunter shoot his bolt and now. Edwin had a fairly long stick within reach, and he grabbed it, used it to push himself out of the pit through what he felt was a ster disy of Athletics and Flexibility through the excruciating pain in his shoulder, and fed Mana Infusion in through it. It charged up quickly, and Edwin maneuvered the end of it so it was sticking in the kilns roaring fire. He jumped, pushing Athletics as far as possible to let him leap across the open ground. He kept his foot barely touching his pole as he arced through the air. While mid-flight, his eyes were able to catch a glimpse of the next crossbow bolt hurtling straight towards him from an indistinct figure barely fifteen feet away from him. In the instant before he lost contact with his stick and the moment escaped him, he pulled his trigger. Mana Infusion. Firestarting. Edwin pushed as much mana as possible through the stick into the fire. The Skill did what it always did, and his connecting pole burst into mes. The fire beneath the kiln, though. BOOM Explosions were not what Hollywood liked to portray them as. Everyone knew that. There was much less fire and much more concussive force. However, even then, there was this idea that the force of an explosion could push you away from the explosion, like a massive fireball-powered leap. That was wrong. While some might argue it was mere semantics, the shockwave did nothing to push away a person, not when it was traveling so fast through a person that it could rupture any part of them with gas in it. Instead, it was the air it pushed which might throw a person, and paradoxically, it was just as possible to be flung towards the epicenter of the explosion as away from it. However, this close to a roaring kiln simultaneously catching on fire, every piece of charcoal igniting with a speed that would leave any pyrotechnic from Earth jealous, Edwin wasnt worried about where the wind would blow him, midair or not. If it came to that, he was dead anyway, the st wave tearing open his lungs, his digestive system, and his ears. Hed hoped there wouldnt be much of a shockwave, but hed been proven very definitely wrong. All that to say, Edwin was very surprised to be alive. The resulting explosion which had ripped through the clearing was massive. A fireball had risen into the air alongside shattered pieces of kiln and disced dirt, pelting Edwin with debris. A crater had reced much of the ground on that side of Obainn, and the st of wind originating from a rippling shockwave had snatched Edwin from the air, tossing him away like a floating leaf, and knocked the bolt aimed at him to ces unknown. When hede around to his senses, Edwin gulped, then winced at the pain apanying the action. He wasnt sure how he was still alive. Well, that wasnt entirely true. Being that close to such arge explosion, evenrger than he had anticipated, would have killed him if he were still a normal human, and not magically augmented with his Athletics and Flexibility skills, and now Health. His ears rang, his ruptured eardrums bleeding slightly, and as his gulp turned into a cough, he felt wetness. The pressure wave had to have ruptured blood vessels in his lungs. Without magical healing, he was a dead man walking. No. No. The Alchemist pulled himself to his feet, his sense of bnce wholly shot. Hed make it through long enough to get potions, to get Inion, to get First Aid going. He was a bloody mess, the crossbow bolt in his shoulder shattered and wedging the tip even further inside his body, but that explosion would have been undoubtedly heard across the Verdant. Inion would be back soon. Once she came back, theyd have numbers on their side and then hed be safe. A figure stirred at the base of the cliff, simrly thrown by the explosion against the rocks. If not for the motion, the Hunter would have been indistinguishable from the stone around him. Edwin narrowed his eyes. Inion was on her way. All he needed to do was survive until she arrived. Once she showed up, then he could reassess and figure out what his options were. He could probably manage that. Dust and smoke were sweeping across the area, obscuring everything and giving Edwin the cover he needed to make a break around Obainn. He dashed around the edge, crossing the distance in an adrenaline-powered sh, half-mming into the outer wall of his house before he was able to reorient himself and barrel his door down. Behind him, he mmed it as best as he could and barricaded it with his table and chairs, now smeared with his blood. He couldnt hear anything from outside, which meant Oh yeah. It meant he should probably heal his eardrums. Now that he was inside, he had way more than just the random first aid potions he kept on him at all times, and he took full advantage of that. He gently pulled the crossbow bolt from his shoulder- did his left side have a ma on it for arrows or something? Or did crossbows just lean towards the right when they shot? Hed been through this song and dance before, so he wasnt too worried. A few giant dollops of proper healing salve, some of hisst, set his skin itching as it and muscle knit themselves back together. First Aid and Alchemy both cooperated when he used healing potions, and alongside the specialized human-only salve, hed be up to about 70% capacity within a few minutes. Already, his hearing was just barely starting to return. There was a knock at the door. Edwin grabbed his stick and his knockout potion as the knock rapidly turned into pounding, and then with a crack, the door broke in half, both halves flying across the room. The dust cleared, and Edwin finally got a good look at his attacker. Well, not quite a clear look. Shadows wrapped around them, obscuring most of their features, but Edwin could still tell that he was dealing with something tall,rge, and gangly. Not a dwarf, then? He wondered, and ducked behind where his table had been knocked to with his assant barging through the door. Chapter 73b: A Blast From the Past Chapter 73b: A st From the Past The hunter advanced inside Obainn, hefting a wicked-looking harpoon-spear. He paused, and Edwin tried to tell what was happening. Was he sniffing the air? Could he not see him? Edwin dashed out from his cover and up the stairs, snatching a row of glowing potions from their shelf. Sure, they didnt actually have any alchemical effect, but he could still throw them and maybe use them for cover? As soon as the first potion started passing through the strange dark mist surrounding his attacker, he jerked out of the way, and the bottle crashed against the floor, spilling its contents everywhere. Edwin winced. Intentional or not, it was still painful to see some of his few ss containers shatter in front of him. Hed take it over dying, though. He didnt have any time to really think it through, though, as the hunter seemed to use his attack to find Edwin, and the spear shed out towards him, fortunately falling short. Edwin followed up the first throw with several more harmless vials, each of which was effortlessly dodged. He quickly started throwing just his earthenware containers instead of the ss, but even empty ones were all swiftly avoided. Soon, the hunters slow advance brought him to the top of the stairs, and Edwin promptly fled through the roof, climbing over the edge of the wall and slipping out of the leaves which made his roof. Once he was on the outside, the magic of Obainn supported him and he ascended to the top of the roof. There, he had a chance to breathe and let his wounds recover somewhat. His hearing returned enough to hear amotion inside, specifically themotion of pottery and ss breaking, and Edwin winced. He didnt want to know what some of his creations would do when mixed, but it sounded like he was about to find out. Hed also probably have to remake most of his alchemy equipment as well. The branches near the edge of the roof rustled and parted as his assant figured out where hed gone, and the shadowy figure pulled himself onto the roof, only to be met with Edwins entire bottle of concentrated knockout potion straight to the skull. Edwin looked on in dismay as his efforts to make a tough container for what was by far his most impactful potion seeded, and the ceramic vial failed to shatter on contact. Instead, it bounced off the hunters head and rolled off the edge of the roof, leaving him in the awkward position of having just thrown away his best weapon with nothing to show for it. By the time hed prepped a firebomb, the hunter had already closed much of the distance between the two of them, and Edwin frantically slid down the far side of the roof. He managed to stop himself before he fell off the edge, transferred his firebomb from his left hand to his right hand, and lobbed the grenade just in time before he fell. Edwin took thending rtively hard, which just meant that he went almost entirely limp to absorb the shock of hitting the ground before springing back up- Flexibility was great- and dashed to the talsanenris hedge. Behind him, he heard the figure curse as the grenade detonated, hopefully as it came into contact with them, but didnt look back right away. In the bushes, he finally turned around to see what he needed to prepare for. Edwins eyes widened in shock as the assassin took a leap from the top of the roof, diving gracefully to the ground. Wait, no. Through the ground. He had vanished into the soil without so much as a trace. Edwin stood back warily, not sure where they might reappear next, and a sh of motion from near the cliff drew Edwins eye just in time to see his attacker emerge from the rock, face and body tense. The shadows reappeared, enshrouding its body from the head down, but before they did, Edwin managed to make out a powerfully built, furred body with a wide, monstrous head and fanged mouth. As the shadows returned, it looked more rxed. The light hurt it, then? Or was just ufortable? Hmmm. He needed to try and figure out shbangs. Edwins eyes grew wide as the assassin produced a crossbow from somewhere, and began the process of loading it. Within ten seconds, it was already cocked and ready to fire. That was way faster than the pattern hed counted out earlier! Was the hunter trying to bait him out before? Probably,e to think of it. He dashed through the bushes, intentionally rattling some that he wasnt near to try and confuse his assant as crossbow bolts peppered his surroundings. He managed to remain mostly unharmed, save for some cuts that came from the bushes tearing at him. The bushes seemed to do a good job of foiling urate shots. If Edwin were to guess, maybe the assassin was used to underground fighting, and so wasnt used to undergrowth? It would exin stuff like the stone and earth travel and the difort with light. That confirmed that he likely was sent by the dwarves, even if he wasnt one himself. Edwin shuddered at the thought of having to deal with this assassin in enclosed spaces. He really hoped Inion made it back soon. He could only stall so long, especially against someone actually good at their job, no matter how out of their element they were. The assassin seemed mostly unfazed by the explosion, barring some likely disorientation, and Edwin certainly didnt have anything which could hit harder in his arsenal. His next option would be his knockout potion, but that had been knocked off the roof and lost to him for the time being. So, time to just run around and hope that his uracy didnt improve? There had to be a better idea than that, and Edwin had a sudden realization about something that might help. He broke from the bushes near the garden and, taking a deep breath, dove into Inions pond. It was freezing, naturally. It always was unless Inion specifically willed it otherwise, but Edwin couldnt let that hold him up. He swam to near the bottom of the very, very deep pool and looked up. He could see a couple bolts floating at the top, and another mmed into the water as he watched, disturbing the surface and prating just a few feet under before its momentum was sapped and it floated to the surface. Whew. He was safe down here, for a little while at least. Hed never tested exactly how long he could stay underwater before hed drown, but so long as he wasnt super active and just let Breathing slowly work its magic, he couldst about twenty minutes. Hopefully, that would be more than enough for Inion to return. He gently wedged his foot in the crevasse of a rock to help him keep his position and looked up at his shadowy foe, who had arrived at the edge of the pond and was staring down at him through the crystal clear waters. Edwin wasnt sure why the small waterfall pouring into Inions pond didnt disturb the surface, but he suspected fey shenanigans, especially as he didnt remember it happening before she woke up. Still, in this instance, it was very useful as Edwin and his hunter stared at each other in silence. The assassin prodded the pond with his foot, then withdrew. If Edwin was above water, he would have sighed in relief. He was safe. Inion was bound to make it here before he needed to go up for air. An enormous ssh broke Edwin out from his reverie. He looked up and released most of his breath in surprise. A massive boulder had broken the top of the pond and was now sinking like, well, a rock directly at him. He hastily extracted his foot from the crevasse it was wedged in- ohe on, it wasnt this hardst time- and darted out of the way just in time, joining the many fish disced as the gigantic stone dropped through the water. Athletics was working overtime, and his lungs began to burn in protest at the sudden exertion, and even then he was still caught by the wake left by the stone, pulled in towards where it had just been while it settled to the bottom with a gentle crack. There was another ssh above Edwin. Then, another one. And a third. And a fourth. He looked up in panic, and saw four more stones- not asrge as the first, thankfully, but still at least as big as he was- sinking towards him. Ah, shoot. He needed to do something, and fast. His lungs cried in protest, but how was he supposed to get to and be at the surface safely with boulders being chucked at him? More stones kept raining into the pond, and it was only a matter of time until Edwin was hit. Hmmm He hadnt tried it, but couldnt Packing be of use here? Rock was something like 1 and a half times denser than water, so if he activated Packing on one of the stones falling towards him, given his current Packing level, it should then be what, 1/20th of the weight of the water? It would practically function as a flotation device! He could ride it up to the surface, using it as a shield, and then hide under it while taking the asional breath. n in mind, Edwin pushed himself just a bit further to grab a slightly concave stone. He grabbed it, the rough surface of the rock hard on his hand, and nothing. Edwin frowned, intentionally trying to get Packing to work. Nothing happened. What was going on? The rock dragged Edwin down, and another stone crashed into his foot, making Edwin recoil. Why wasnt Packing working? Wait, no. It was, it just wasnt doing anything? He released the boulder before it could pull him further underwater, and another rock struck him in the back, driving out thest bit of breath from his lungs and threatening to crush him under it. He rolled out from under it before it could sink so deeply and frantically swam towards the surface. Hed take his chance with the boulders, he just needed air. Edwin broke the surface of the pond with a gasp, and immediately dove back underwater, grabbing on a rock for weight, to avoid the rain of stone projectiles. Yeah, his attacker was absolutely geared for underground attacks if he could do this much with stone. There werent many rocks that big in the surrounding area, he must have been pulling them from the cliff face itself. Edwin continued the cycle for a little while longer, ducking up to the surface to get air, hitching a ride on a rock down. Then, his hunter caught on and started mixing in crossbow bolts every once in a while, catching Edwin in the side before he started bing more cautious. Where was his attacker, anyway? He wasnt sure how long he could keep this up, not with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his gut and slowly bleeding him out. The pond was flooding with every boulder thrown in, great sshes drenching the surrounding area and filling the stream to near-bursting. Was he just trying to fill up the entire pool? That. Honestly, Edwin didnt know if that would work. Inion would be peeved, though. Honestly, she would be regardless. The boulders had piled up significantly in the pool, and Edwin was almost considering trying to hide between them for shelter, but immediately dismissed that idea for being utterly idiotic. Hed never have time to make anything stable, and if it wasnt perfect, the shifting rocks as more struck them would make the whole thing copse. Come on, where was Inion? She had to know toe when she heard the explosion. How long had it been, anyway? It had felt like hours, but minutes was probably the better measure here. Each time he went up for air, hested less and less time. While twenty minutes might normally be his limit, this was far from normal. Panicked gulps with highly injured lungs interspersed with ying dodgerock and avoiding being shot at barely got him a minute at a time, if that, and when a rock actually did connect, it tended to knock any remaining air from his lungs. After what felt like an eternity, salvation arrived. Hey! a voice boomed from the top of the cliff, melodic and terrifying, Stop throwing rocks at my human! The sound echoed through the water, and Edwin looked on with hope, hesitantly climbing onto the shore in utter, pained exhaustion. Break it up! Now! She sounded like she was scolding a kid, or maybe a dog. Honestly, might not be the worstparison. The waterfall cut off suddenly, and a low rumble filled the area. A secondter, Edwins attacker was blown out of the cliffside, a pressurized st of water carving a hole in the solid rock and breaking against Obainn. His hunter, devoid of its shadowy ultations, slumped to the ground. Then Inion crested the cliff, appearing to ride a wave of water to her pond. She floated over to where Edwiny, a broken and bloody mess, Are you okay? Im sorry I took so long. Her voice was unusually caring. She seemed like she might almost actually care about him personally, rather than just contractually. Edwin managed a weak smile, Ive he coughed, blood and watering up from his lungs, and his side and entire body a mess of cuts, scrapes, bruises, and crossbow bolt, Ive been better. Its all gonna be okay, mkay Edwin? Im here now. She cupped her hand around Edwins head and gave him a smile, then turned back to a somewhat-recovered assassin who was trying to stand up and flee. And just where do you think youre going, you little insect? Uh-uh. You stay here. Inion snapped, and vines burst from the ground, ensnaring the hunter until Inion was able to reach them. Then, they retreated. Before Edwins former attacker could make a break for it, though, Inion reached out and grabbed them by the heel, her grip supported by a tendril of water, lifting them into the air and assessing them like a particrly interesting piece of meat. Eck. Honestly, people like you are why theres such a stereotype about bugbears. Like seriously, Terror of the Depths?Haunting Nightmare? Abyssal Predator? What sort of person takes Paths like that? What do you have to do to get Paths like that? Someone seriously messed you up at some point. The hunter- bugbear, apparently- growled something which Polyglot began to trante, but Inion interrupted, returning the speech to snarling, None of that, thank you very much. The children are listening. Edwin felt like he should be offended by that description, but he was in too much pain to really care. Now, what to do with you, though? Hmmm Inion paused for dramatic effect, Ah yes, I know. She hefted the hulking figure like it weighed nothing, and mmedhimt into the side of Obainn. Edwin could hear something crack from where he was, and the yowl of pain which apanied it almost hurt his ears. Or maybe that was just his head in general, and sympathetic wince. Inion wasnt satisfied, though, and brutally mmed the bugbear into the ground a couple more times, then threw it bodily against the cliff. The hunter jumped at its chance and tried to dive into the stone. He was halfway into the rock when Inion suddenly arrived next to it, and a tendril of water wrapped itself around his ankle and yanked him out of the stone, I told you. I will have none of that. He didnte alone, and rocks ripped from the cliff seemed half-merged with the bugbear, now a bloody mess even beyond Edwins current state. It was missing half its forearm, only a splintered stump remaining of what was once its left hand. Edwin couldnt help but wince as Inion refused to let up on her savage beating, and the intermittent screams were the only thing which let Edwin know that he was still, somehow, alive. This isnt what you wanted? THIS IS WHAT YOU EARNED.Inion screamed at the hunter, her appearance shifting somewhat, bingnkier, more distended, and hands slowly elongating into ws THIS IS WHAT YOU GET. Inion! Edwin called out, and she dropped the broken attacker in a heap, immediately reappearing next to Edwin. Yes, Edwin? The tonal shift was immense, and sudden. Same with her appearance. She looked no different from how she normally did. Just stop. Edwin slumped in his plea, I cant watch this. Put him out of his misery, or let him go, or something. But I cant see you doing that to someone anymore. He would have killed you. Brutally. Painfully, if possible. Dragging your final moments out into hours, ensuring you were a broken, nervous wreck begging for death. I I know. But please. I dont want to return the favor, she looked unconvinced, so Edwin pulled out what he hoped would work, And I need your help besides. I cant move hardly anything. She seemed torn between her conflicting urges, before settling on one and giving a curt nod and a sigh, Fine. For you. The bugbear hadnt moved from where Inion had dropped him as she reappeared, picking him back up, this time by his splintered arm, You hear that? You get off easily. This time. With that, she wound back, enshrouded the hunter with water, and threw the assassin as hard as she could. The bugbear seemed to rouse slightly at the waters touch, and as he arced through the air, a trick of the light almost made it look like the creatures shadow cloak was re-manifesting. Edwin took a deep, rattling breath and leaned into Inions embrace as she picked him up and carried him inside Obainn. I really need to stop getting myself injured so much, he muttered as Inion gentlyid him down on his recovery mat, Maybe we scale down training a bit? he tried to joke, but his heart wasnt into it. Ya, Inion carefully caressed his face, Maybe a bit. Now sleep, Edwin. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Good luck. He mumbled, and his friend smiled. Sleep, Edwin. You need your rest. Edwin sighed, and with a tug of his Skills, let darkness envelop him. Chapter 74a: The Wheel Turns Ever Onward Chapter 74a: The Wheel Turns Ever Onward Edwin slept fitfully, dreaming of fire and water, of shadows and blood. He woke up several times to find Inion next to him, tending to his wounds. When finally he awoke fully, it was nighttime, and Inion was cradling his head in herp. While Edwin felt mostly light and sturdy, he was still sore in many ces, leading to him trying to pull himself into a sitting position, only for Inion to gently keep him down. Not wanting to really cross her after what he had just seen, he obliged. Not yet, she reassured him, You may feel better, but you still need your rest. How long? Were you out? Only about a day. You still have a few bones that are cracked, and it took a while to get all the poison out, but youre recovering nicely. Health suits you well. You can tell? Wait, of course you can. My ss changed besides, and you can apparently see my Status? he finished processing the rest of what she had said, Poison? Inion nodded, It was a slow poison, but a poison nheless. Quite tricky to purge, but I got it all in the end. Thanks, Edwin admitted, This is what, the second time youve directly saved my life? Have I thanked you properly before? Not quite. She agreed, and Edwin winced. Sorry. Im not very good at it. Its okay. You dont need to say it, I can feel it. You can? Edwin frowned, to which Inion only replied with a smile. Did that mean she was joking or agreeing with him? But it doesnt matter. I want to get better at it. I need to get better at it. Youre my friend, and while that can be a thankless job, I dont want it to be. I finally managed to be your friend? I feel honored, Inion teased him, and he halfheartedly swatted at her leg. Best in the whole world. You dont have any other friends on Joriah. Well, how else would you evere out on top? Sheughed and shoved him yfully. It hurt, but Edwin was still able to smile through the pain. So bugbears? Another good nights sleep with First Aid and Sleeping active had Edwin to mostly functional, though dont push it status. That meant his break from training was blessedly extended, and left them chatting about the attack. Edwin had a lot of questions. Ya. Inion nodded, Big and strong yet sneaky, usually live in the Beneath. Cousin to goblins and orcs with a strong aversion to strong light. They love taunting their prey, terrifying them and ying with them until they copse from fear. They basically never go for the kill at their first opportunity, which probably kept you alive. Edwin frowned, Im pretty sure this one did go for the kill right away, but I got lucky. Oh? Do tell, do tell. I was looking to carve a log, Edwin exined, and it popped out of the ground just in time to intercept a bolt to my throat. Kind of unnerving, and that was the first glimpse I got of the bugbear. Interesting. Thats unusual behavior for a bugbear. Though youre somewhat wrong about one thing. Oh? Probably not luck that kept you alive. What else could it have been? Edwin cut in, Were you messing with me? he used. If youd let me finish. Sorry, Edwin mumbled in apology. Anyway. You mentioned you thought he might have been from the dwarves, ya? Edwin nodded, Ya. Their vition of hospitality rights would mean youll find these little coincidences happening a lot more than usual. Youve probably exhausted it now? What with it saving your life and all, but its effects are a bit more pronounced when living with me. Whys that- Edwin cut himself off as he realized, Fey thing? Inion nodded, Youve bound yourself to me, which means that I get some human-like abilities from you, but that also means that you get some fey-like abilities from me. But perhaps most importantly, she gestured around, This is your home. A ce to be safe, to defend you from attack. Obainn itself wille to your aid in ways much like what you saw. The walls are nigh-unbreakable in the face of all but the most overwhelming of power, and things will fall in your favor more than with any who try to attack you here. Huh. That was really interesting, Does that affect you too? Inion nodded, Im far stronger here than I would be anywhere else, because not only is my home here, but your home is here as well, and Id usually be acting in service to try and protect you, which also lends some aid to my might. Edwin mentally revised his assessment of Inions strength from utterly and obscenely terrifying to really darn intimidating, do not annoy, Im not sure if thats reassuring or not. If you attack me, who gets the advantage? Also I dont think I ever got an answer. Can you see my Status? Inion weighed her hands, I can after a fashion. I can see your Skills to a certain extent, and I could pry further if I tried, but youd notice if I did. You were able to tell what the bugbear had for his Paths, though? Only vaguely. He had a lot of them aimed in a very particr direction, and thats noticeable. I dont suppose you could teach me how to do that? Well see what Skills you get. Take some of your fey Paths, it might help. Youre getting closer, ya? Tell me about it, Edwin agreed, looking at his gains from the past few days. Level Up! Skill Points 12191235 Progress to Tier 2: 1370/1770 (Avg level: 66/77) First Aid 71 73 Athletics 69 70 Breathing 66 68 Bomb Throwing 31 39 Sleeping 61 62 Firestarting 77 79 No major jumps, perhaps, butpared to the gains he usually got for a single day, which may have been a single level at best, hed take it. Plus, he got days off! Win-win, if he didnt count the bruise that was his entire body as a negative. Just an average of eleven levels, or four hundred total? Wait no, thats not right. A couple seconds of math had Edwin realize his mistake, Ah, thats right. I still have all my Attribute paths mixed in with my progress section. Im going to assume that makes sense in your head, with whatever Status setup you have. Yeah, it does. Ah, its not something I need to worry about at the moment. They sat in silence for a few moments, broken only by Edwin wincing in pain and stretching his shoulder to try and work out a sore spot. So, now that I think about it, what are you going to do with all those rocks in your pond? Edwin asked after a bit of time. Those? Ah, I tossed them out while you were asleep. Edwin raised an eyebrow at that, but given what hed seen, it also sounded about right. He wondered idly how long it had taken the pond to refill, but it also reminded him of the thing hed wanted to confront his friend about. What was up with all that with the bugbear, anyway? Was all of that brutality really necessary? Inion looked at him like hed said something absurd, He hurt you. She replied, as though that was all the justification needed. I mean, I get that for just killing him, or throwing him away, but like that was beyond any of that. She shrugged, Got off easy, if you ask me. He hurt you. Easy? He was beaten half to death, you ripped his arm into pieces, and threw him ten miles! Eh, more like five. And you gotta be sure to be thorough when killing them. Buggers can be tough. Like cockroaches, but the size of a bear. Maybe where they got the name, actually. Really? Eh, probably not, but I dunno how they did. So maybe. Im getting distracted. But like, why were you so cruel to him? Cruel? Boy, you havent seen what fey cruelty is like. It may have been Edwins imagination, but Inion seemed to be deeper in some way as she addressed him, something about her shifting to remind Edwin sharply that his friend was not human in the slightest. No matter how she looked. That someone else does it worse doesnt make what you do any better, he countered. Inion thought for a moment, Perhaps. It doesnt make it worse, though. Could you try to scale it back a bit, though? I just I dislike seeing that much pain. Youre fine with killing, though? Kind of? Thats more a self-defense thing. Torture, on the other hand... I dont torture, she spat, I administer payback. Seems a bit excessive, perhaps? You scare me like that. Oh, Edwin, she wrapped him in a hug, You dont have anything to fear from me. Not now, not ever. I thats not Edwin sighed. He was too tired for this, and the hug was very nice. He was still holding firm on his no dating the unknowable nature spirit stance, particrly after the showing from the other day, but hugs? Hugs he could appreciate. Something was strange with his Packing skill. Edwin knew that much, it yed around with momentum and weight in strange ways. He let his eyes skim over his Almanac entry for the Skill, reading through it and ensuring his recent reorganization of his old experiments fit properly. If he was going to turn Almanac into the ultimate guide to everything, that included Skills. Almanac Entry: The Packing Skill Description: Useful when trying to bear the whole weight of the world on your shoulders Carry heavy loads easier Strength when carrying objects increased per level. PackingUnlocks [Attempting to put explosives in a bag in such a way that wouldnt result in their detonation.] PackingLeveling [Carrying heavy objects, packing objects in a careful manner.] PackingEvolutions [] Packing is unusual in that the description provided, Strength when carrying objects increased by level, is demonstrably wrong. The Skill does nothing for brute strength (see PackingTestA1), but instead affects the objects carried in some fashion. Testing (PackingTestB1) indicates that gravity is reduced on the objects affected by Packing. PackingExploits [Objects carried with Packing are less likely to break, and picking up something with Packing will result in lessened internal stress- something flexible will bend less than usual, currently investigating the possibility of utilizing Packing for flight or levitation (see PackingTestC)] PackingNotes [] PackingCombinations [When used with Mana Infusion, a carried object will be more durable. This can unlock the Mana Reinforcement skill.] PackingTestIndex [PackingTestA1 PackingTestBConclusions: the B series is pertaining to the investigation of Packing reducing the weight of affected objects PackingTestB1 PackingTestB2 .] Nothing new there He frowned at the reminder of his A series test, and that he needed to rbel A and B into a single series, changing his flight experiments to series B. Series As tests of if Packing truly increased his raw strength had just been an attempt to lift tough objects and then see if he could break them, which if his strength was truly increased, should have been trivial. It hadnt worked out, and hed abandoned the series after only a single test, as reducing weight seemed to be a better exnation. It had held up to testing, too! Hed done 5 different tests, and number 5 had seemed to reallly confirm his hypothesis. Hypothesis: Packing decreases the weight of objects it is used upon. Test 5: If weight is decreased, the weight of myself holding heavy objects should be significantly less than the weight of myself and the heavy objects individually. Set heavy object onto a sinking te, then stepped onto sinking te, then stepped onto sinking te holding said heavy object, with depth sank in each steppared. Results: Set heavy rocks on a t stone resting on mud. Sank approximately 8 inches. Reset standing stone and stepped onto. Sank approximately 10 inches. Reset standing stone and stepped onto. Sank approximately 14 inches. Conclusion: Hypothesis confirmed. Packing reduces weight of carried objects. Now, though? With his failure to lift a boulder during the attack? He needed to revisit his tests. First up, seeing if the difficulty of lifting things underwater was replicable. Hypothesis: Packing decreases the weight of objects it is used upon. Testing: if weight is decreased, the density of lifted objects ought to be decreased, resulting in the capability of flying akin to a hot-air balloon, or utilizing even very dense objects as flotation devices within water. This test was performed with a Packing level of approximately 70, which from PackingTestA6 should grant a weight reduction of approximately 1/30. Test 9: Rocks (density of 1.5 g/cm^3) dropped into water (density of 1 g/cm^3) and attempted to lift while underwater. With the current level of Packing, the resulting density of stone should have been approximately .04 g/cm^3 and be highly buoyant in water. Results: Stone refused to float. Lifting the rocks was just as hard as normal while swimming, though lifting the rocks when bracing against the bottom was quite easy. Simrly, lifting a rock submerged in water from the shore was not significantly easier nor harder than lifting the same rock from drynd. Conclusion: Packing does not reduce the weight of objects. As this contradicts PackingTest5, re-attempting Test 5 with more rigorous measurement technique. See PackingTest10. Edwin wasing to realize hed likely made some incorrect conclusions regarding the nature of Packing. Hed previously thought it directly lightened whatever he carried, and he wasnt quite convinced that wasnt what happened, but his experiments underwater showed a distinctck of buoyancy from pretty much anything he tested that didnt already float, so that meant he would at the very least need to revisit his ns for flight. Hmmm. Maybe it was a limitation of the water in some form? Skills could seem to be somewhat arbitrary at times, maybe Packing just needed his feet nted. Perhaps that was just the fundamental problem? Hypothesis: Packing does not decrease the weight of objects it is used upon when in water, but said property is unique to water. Outside of water, weight is reduced by Packing as normal. Testing: Setting up a makeshift scale, and stepping onto it while holding heavy objects. Once the scale has settled, the heavy objects will be set directly onto the scale, and will then be stood upon. If weight is decreased by Packing, the scale should shift significantly once the objects are no longer held and thus having their weight reduced via Packing. If it is not decreased but rather redirected somehow, the scale should shift only a small amount if at all. This test was performed with a Packing level of approximately 70, which from PackingTestA6 should grant a weight reduction of approximately 1/30. Test 10: Set a log up as a lever, and stood on one end while holding a heavy rock while stones were added to the other side, until the two sides reached parity. Then, set down rock and stood upon it. Results: The scale did not noticeably shift towards the experiments side, meaning there was no difference in weight measured between holding and standing upon weights. Conclusion: Results are more in line with PackingTest9, and overturn PackingTest5. Notes have been made. New methodology is required. So if it didnt help by reducing weight, what did it do, then? Did the weight somehow skip him? Hypothesis: Packing offloads weight of carried objects, making much of the weight of affected things not apply force to hands, arms, or legs, but are directly supported by the ground beneath the carrier. The percentage of this is determined by Packings skill level. Testing: Attempting to see if this force reduction affects stacked objects when carried via Packing. cing a heavy object on top of a fragile object while held in-hand, then setting down the stack onto another surface. Test 12: Held a pottery bowl upside down, then ced arge rock on top of the bowl. The bowl did not break. Carefully set the bowl onto the table. Results: Initial versions of this test had the bowl not break at all, as the rock used was insufficientlyrge. However, once the stone wasrge enough, holding the rock and bowl enabled the bowl to support the rock, but the pottery was crushed immediately upon setting it on the table. Conclusion: Force between carried objects is lessened. Hypothesis tentatively confirmed. So, it offloaded force between objects. Was it a form of tactile telekinesis, perhaps? If so, that was even better than the gravity-maniption idea. His dreams of flight werent yet grounded! However, that would depend on if he was able to convince the Skill to ept shoes or something he was standing on as part of him to exclude from the force distribution. If he did it properly, he might manage to airwalk! Hypothesis: Packing shunts force off to the exterior of the individuals frame of reference. Namely, anything which travels alongside the individual with Packing is excluded from excessive forces, whereas what is stepped on gets the full force of all carried weight. Testing: Creating rtively fragile tform shoes which supports full bodyweight and a matching tform with simr structural stability. Will stand upon tform wearing the shoes, gradually holding more and more weight and see whether the shoes break before the tform. If the tform breaks significantly prior to the shoes, hypothesis is confirmed. Test 15: Created y clogs with three diameter, 2 tall pirs as support, and tforms with matching pirs. Gradually held more and more stones until one broke. Results: tforms broke well before the shoes did. Shoes never broke; ran out of ability to hold rocks before it did. Conclusion: Hypothesis confirmed. The limits of how the System determines what counts as shoes or not needs further testing. It took more work to properly determine what he could get to count as part of him for Packing to work on. The general guideline did end up being what he suspected, however; namely that if an object moved along with him as he walked, it was freed from internal forces. He ended up being able to push his Skill pretty far, as well. He made shoes supported by stalks of grass, tiny twigs, even wet y. It all worked out just fine, breaking only under fairly extreme circumstances most of the time. Every once in a while, it just didnt work, and Edwin couldnt figure out why. The attached to him restriction seemed quite arbitrary. Edwin understood it from a magical perspective, perhaps, where objects could be discrete andws of nature were more. guidelines, than actual rules. But from a physical perspective? He was attached to literally everything in the universe via gravity and electromaic forces, no matter how weakly, and gravity and electromaism were the only forces which kept macroscopic objects together. There was bound to be some kind of trick he could exploit, it was just a question of what. He kept working at it, though. He still had plenty of time. That time slowly vanished as Inion slowly ramped her training back up, but it was still, as fall slowly fell past, one of the few things that Edwin had in abundance. Chapter 74b: The Wheel Turns Ever Onward Chapter 74b: The Wheel Turns Ever Onward Huh. Whats up? I passed a year on Joriah at some point recently. You can tell? The age on my Status by default thinks I was born when I fell to Joriah. I was getting suspicious and wanted to check it. Turns out, my meddling didnt do what I thought it would, it just kept me frozen at 22. I took down my programming, which was also really wrong, wow. Maybe that was why it didnt work? Anyway, I took it down and Status now says Im 1 year old. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 1 Race Extranar Human ss Sapper Attributes Mana 5 Health 7 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 71, Mana Infusion: 74 (Basic Mana Maniption 9) Physical Athletics: 70, Breathing: 68, Flexibility: 65, Nutrition: 59, Packing 76, Seeing: 59, Sleeping: 64, Survival: 66, Walking: 62 Mental Polyglot: 56 (Language 36), Mathematics: 65, Memory: 49 (Research 50), Visualization: 69 Combat Bomb Throwing: 39 (Throwing Weapons 48) Utility Firestarting: 79, Alchemy: 79 (Improvisation 14), Outsider''s Almanac: 111 (Status 22), Identify: 63, First Aid: 75 Happy anniversary? Inion probed. Thanks, I guess? Not sure what the right terminology for the daymemorating being dropped into a new world would be. She shrugged, Whatever you wanna call it. I dont think thered be a name for it, and none thatd be in allnguages. Hmm. Well, Ill think about it. Now, you didnt think that would get you out of training today, now did you? I mean, I was kind of hoping that Ha! Get moving! Edwin sighed. No rest for the weary, it seemed. Edwin groaned as he lifted a full-grown tree overhead. It had to have weighed something close to two tons, but Packing made it possible for him to support the whole thing. He winced as an ice crystal tore into the skin on his leg as he didnt move it quickly enough. He wasnt blindfolded in this variation of Inions training, but that didnt make it any easier. Really, he wasnt sure how he wasnt sinking into the ground with the sheer amount of weight which had to be concentrated into the space right below his feet. Why wasnt he sinking into the ground? Hypothesis: All weight carried by a Packer is concentrated in the space below their feet. Testing: If all weight is so concentrated, spikes mounted at the bottom of feet ought to sink deep into soil once a moderate amount of weight is applied. The ground itself ought to give way under the pressure of a pinpoint application of massive force. Test 35: Strapped knifes to feet and stood on the soil. They did not immediately sink into the ground. However, it proved possible to disable this and sink into the soil. Which happened seems to depend on what is expected to happen. Conclusion: There is some additional support provided that prevents a Packer from sinking into the ground, but only when they think they ought not to. Possible use in water- or airwalking. Despite Edwins best efforts, he wasnt able to walk on water by expecting not to, though that may well have been a limitation of imagination. He honestly couldnt be sure. However, further testing showed that he could walk on mud with more ease if he expected he shouldnt sink in. However, he would still sink in somewhat, just not as much as normal. It was frustrating, and the first true evidence Edwin had that his thoughts could genuinely influence the way his Skills impacted the world around him. Stupid magic, not following the properws of the universe. How dare it open an entirely new branch forprehending and exploiting everything! It did mean that he needed to redo a lot of his old experiments which had confirmed his hypotheses, on the off chance that they had been influenced into performing as they were supposed to. Fortunately, there werent any major discrepancies with theter check. Or was that just because his expectations hadnt changed? Gah! Despite himself, he was still having a st. He was doing actual, really cool research into his own little slice of the universe! He was sloawly learning how to fly! He had magic! He had glowing potions in bowls and bottle (only a single surviving ss vial, sadly) on his shelf! It had taken some time to rebuild his alchemy supplies, especially as his magical nts stopped bearing so much fruit, but hed managed it in the end. (Edwin had been quite relieved to find that his knockout potion hadnt broken after it fell off the roof, and that he was able to safely retrieve it) Inions training was painful as always, but it still proved to be a fruitful way to pass the time as winter rolled in. Then, it was an exhausting way to pass the time as winter rolled out. Edwin was determined to crack open his Skills, and while Packing may have remained stubbornly out of reach, that didnt mean he let his other abilities fall by the wayside. Well, Inions training ensured he wasnt able to let their levels fall by the wayside, but he still had science to perform on them! While he had varying degrees of confidence with his assessments, he felt that he had a decent handle on how a fair number of his Skills worked under the hood, so to speak. Athletics increased the density of his cells; giving him more blood, more bone cells, more and tougher skin cells. Hed need a microscope to confirm it, but he felt decent in his conclusion. Bomb Throwing magnified the speed ofbustion reactions, sometimes of his choosing, other times randomly. Breathing had initially helped him absorb more oxygen with every breath and now aided him in using said oxygen more effectively. Alchemy gave abination of instincts for how various procedures worked and magnified the results. Construction functioned simrly in that he got hunches as to how something might be best created, but the Skill likewise aided him in said creation. Glues stuck slightly better, saws cut more easily and left smoother surfaces. Firestarting acted as a catalyst, allowing oxidation reactions to happen a lot easier, other than rust (it made him wonder if thermite would be aided by the Skill). First Aid worked in a simr manner to talsanenris berries, speeding up metabolism in treated areas and magnifying the bodys recovery capabilities. Flexibility made Edwin bendier. His very bones could deform slightly without pain or harm, or not so slightly in other cases, and his joints were slowly bing almost omnidirectional. Mathematics felt like a sort of basic calctor stapled to his mind, that could store numbers he put into it and recall themter, like the System had directly connected aputer cable to his brain. Nutrition, Edwin suspected, aided his body in dismantling whatever he ate on a submolecr level and reconstructing it in a more helpful form. Hed managed to stave off hunger at one point by eating a literal stick, despite it normally being indigestible to humans. That meant he should probably still try to get his minerals, but any organic chemicals he would get just from normal life. Purify made dissimr molecules repel one another. Hed separated a small pile of sand and dust just by blowing on it, could wash out even bloodstains with trace amounts of water, and he could clean his hands just by Infusing Purify, making all dust, dirt, and stains just ke off and fall to the ground. He still needed some methodology to purify things, but no matter what it was, it worked great. Edwin suspected that Seeing worked by messing with the Rayleigh resolution form. How a Skill managed to mess with a fundamental property of optics was something Edwin deeply wished he had a fullb and research group to investigate, but considering he could distinguish two points less than a millimeter apart from the far side of the clearing, which a bit of math told him should be physically impossible given the size of his eyes, he didnt see any other possibilities. The rest of his Skills he just didnt have anywhere to start with. Be it Basic Mana Sense or Mana Infusion, he simply didnt know enough about mana to make any educated guesses. Its effects clearly depended on what he used it on, but beyond vaguemon-sense intuitions as to what should happen with magical rocks or water, there werent any apparent physical patterns. He could feel Memory working, sharpening recollections- particrly those from Earth- as he actively tried to remember something, but he didnt know enough neuroscience to begin to guess how that might work. He ran into simr problems with Harvesting, Visualization, Survival, Sleeping Packing still worked when he walked on his hands, interestingly. It didnt help him support his weight on thin branches, but did when he was in a cluster of vines. It didnt help him keep his footing on slippery surfaces, but if his feet were coated with something slippery, like soap, then Packing would help him. Hed finally figured out what it was that Packing did to help him avoid sinking into the ground, as well! It sort of spread out his weight, under his entire body, but only so long as the ground was at the same level as his feet. Walking with knives for shoes meant the point of the knife was the bottom of his foot and the weight was distributed across its normal area. But if he was standing on a knife, then it would be driven into the ground until it was flush with its surroundings or it was somehow able to hold Edwin up. He was still working on tranting that to letting him walk on air, but he felt that he was getting close. And after all- Level Up! Skill Points 12351473 Progress to Tier 2: 1559/1770 (Avg level: 76/77) Alchemy 78 83 Athletics 70 81 Basic Mana Sense 68 77 Bomb Throwing 39 49 Breathing 68 75 Construction 68 77 Firestarting 79 90 First Aid 73 82 Flexibility 63 74 Harvesting 66 76 Identify 62 71 Mana Infusion 7383 Mathematics 65 74 Memory 4956 Nutrition 5969 Outsiders Almanac 111 124 Packing 73 83 Polyglot 55 59 Purify 63 75 Seeing 58 70 Sleeping 62 73 Survival 65 76 Visualization 67 78 Walking 62 74 -everything else wasing together nicely. Chapter 75a: Two Paths Diverged In The Verdant Chapter 75a: Two Paths Diverged In The Verdant At longst, it was time for Edwin to make hisst few preparations before finally tiering up. Sure, it had taken him some four or five months (hed stopped keeping track at this point) to get thesest ten levels in each of his Skills, but now he was just a handful away before his break-even point was reached at longst! It hadnt been easy getting this far. Hed managed to get Firestarting to only affect a small area centered around his hand, and his breakthrough on constraining the skills shape had allowed him to finally use his Firebombs with a modicum of control, and though he still struggled getting the Infusion to connect properly, he no longer ran quite as much of a risk setting his surroundings on fire. That breakthrough had managed to get him over the level 90 spike in difficulty, and his current task was trying to turn areas on or off, enabling him to burn patterns into wood. So far, he had managed square and circle, but he was hoping to get a few more levels from it before it evolved. On the other end of the level spectrum, Seeing and Nutrition weregging behind. Thetter he kind of med on his tendency to go weeks without eating, which from what he could tell was the only way Nutrition leveled with any regrity. That said, he hadnt tried setting up an IV drip to see if he could help Nutrition that way. When it came to Seeing, he just didnt get much practice with it, especially given Inions tendency to blindfold him during their training. As a result, shed shifted tacktely, giving him tasks which were more reminiscent of an optometrists test. It was, if nothing else, a nice relief from the more physically perilous tasks he usually had to deal with. He also spent a fair bit of time trying tobine it with Basic Mana Sense, giving him an improved range where he could see mana, but in exchange it only functioned in the direction where he was looking; his omnidirectional sense didnt work when so focused. His attempts at constraining the area of effect like how Firestarting worked were thus far unsessful, but it at least wasnt terribly strenuous. Of course, it was offset by all the time Inion was now having Edwin spend waterboarding himself. It apparently helped both Breathing level as well as Purify, but after each session he couldnt help but wonder if that specific method was really worth it. Packing, of course, he kept pushing by trying to use it to fly. He was close, he knew it, not that he could vocalize exactly why he felt that way. It was just somebination of his growing proficiency of its use and its own increasing level that pushed him further and further, allowing him to support himself on more and more tenuous supports. The way the Skill worked vaguely hurt his brain at times, as it didnt fit quite with how forces worked. He still always felt his own weight, but the weight of anything he carried just slid off. But he could still feel their weight pressing down on him, and they didnt feel any lighter, just easier to manage. Edwin rubbed his temples before he could pull himself off topic again, refocusing on what he should be thinking about. Ideally, hed unlock the Flight skill now to maximize the effect of his efforts to level Packing, then decline it and re-unlock it after he tiered up once he knew the trick. He had time, after all. For the first time since Well, for the first time since he started high school a nigh decade ago, the only pressure on him was his own restlessness. It was freeing. There was only so much he could really do while he was still at Obainn, which was why his n simrly included not sticking around once he tiered up. Yes, it would be smarter to stay and get a solid grasp on his Skills and good bank of levels under his belt, but he couldnt stand to go through another year out here. He kind of missed human interaction, unbelievably. Who would have thought that months of only interacting with Inion that he might want something more? It was shocking, truly shocking. Plus, it was boring here. The only entertainment he really had- training did not count, it was a wonder hed stayed focused on it for as long as he had- were his nts, and hed long since finished cataloguing his alchemical ingredients (other than Hispera, which didnt grow fast enough) to nearly the full extent of his abilities. Firevine was the simplest of his nts; every part of it was rted to fire in some way. The leaves made good tinder, its sap was highly mmable, and its sticks burned hot and evenly, making them useful for controlled-temperature fires. Talsanenris acted as magical sugar, giving cells all the energy they could ever need and speeding up their metabolism dramatically. Its leaves and branches were exceptionally nutritious, and whenbined a tiny pellet of the leaves and berries could make highly effective energy tablets- essentially stamina potions, Edwin realized. Sunstalk had something to do with light, and while he was befuddled as to how it worked, Edwin had managed to determine that its invisibility in sunlight wasnt actually invisibility. Instead, it absorbed and reemitted any and all light it was exposed to, like some kind of sci-fi cloaking device. This process was much faster in direct sunlight, but still functioned in the shade or in darkness, just with colors far less distinct and with a very dyed reemission. Sinbalyne functioned as abination of nerve blocker and vasodtor. When inhaled, it produced lightheadedness and slowed reactions, and when applied topically it encouraged blood flow to an area. Concentrating it made it lose some of its vasodtion properties, which meant its effects stayed quite local. When it was ingested, the concentrate rapidly induced unconsciousness, applying it topically rapidly caused all sensation to fall away from the affected area, and when injected, it temporarily paralyzed the limb. Edwin was still figuring out the dosages (for obvious reasons he was hesitant to test it on himself), but it was extremely promising. Mi acted as a magical resistor of sorts. When it was mixed with another alchemical ingredient, especially a fresh one, it slowed the discharge of said magic, meaning that instead of a powerful effect all at once, the potion would slowly have a lesser effect. Sunstalk glowed more softly but for longer, firevine burned slowly, more like a candle than a blowtorch, talsanenris didnt deliver all its energy at once, transforming the nutrition pellets from a shot of magical caffeine to rations, allowing the life mana to seep into the body over time. Of limited personal use to Edwin, mi and synbalyne worked to make a sleeping potion. Its offensive applications were obvious, but delivery methods were still spotty at best. By contrast, the seemingly boring glowleaf was ironically the most interesting of his nts. He had noticed some of the originally purple leaves changing color to varying shades of blue or red, and had set out to investigate. Over extensive experimentation, hed found that contrary to what Zosiman had said, glowleaf did seem to all be one species, but its color was determined by external factors. Specifically, environmental mana. Because he didnt know any methods to remove magic from something (his attempts to do so with mi were what led him to realize what the nt truly did), he couldnt use it to make a magic-detection potion, but Edwin was confident that if he found some way to strip all external mana from the glowleaf, then mix it with mi to help dampen environmental noise, he would create a clear potion which would change color depending on the kind of magic it was exposed to. Overall, Edwin had found his toolkit included magical fire, light, life, and paralysis. Combined with an indicator and a time-dy, he felt decently confident in his initial alchemical repertoire. Hed made a fair number of potions with different uses, most abundant being firevine bombs which closely resembled Molotov cocktails in function, striking something and setting it on fire. Hed confirmed that Bomb Throwing did work on the firebombs, and it made the mes burn hotter, as well as affect arger area. Everything had, naturally, been fastidiously recorded in the Almanac. All his findings, all his forme, all his musings on the nts and potential uses. He would leave a legacy, and if someone got ahold of it and tried to use it against him? Well if it came to that, hed figure something out. He couldnt help but feel that they deserved it if they managed to pull it off, though he probably wouldnt feel that way then. Okay, enough stalling. He needed to actually look at and organize his Paths. Hed been putting off the notifications for so long this wouldnt be fun. Or maybe it would be! He needed to look on the bright side as he queried the System. Instantly, his vision was filled with long-suppressed text. Congrattions! For developing 6 unique potion effects, you have unlocked the Alchemist path! Congrattions! For granting ess to your Almanac unto another, you have unlocked the Almanac Administrator path! Congrattions! For going two weeks without eating or drinking, you have unlocked the Ascetic path! Congrattions! For setting yourself on fire, you have unlocked the Autopyromaniac path! Congrattions! For developing a number of explosives, you have unlocked the Bomber path! Congrattions! For developing a system to create bricks, you have unlocked the Brickmaker path! Congrattions! For turning 1 year old, you have unlocked the Child path! Congrattions! For spending a year improving yourself and learning about the nature of the world, you have unlocked the Dedicated Student path! Congrattions! For ying a Mature Deepwoods Panther, you have unlocked the Deepwoods Panther-Hunter path! Congrattions! For detonating a powerful bomb and destroying a permanent construction in the explosion, you have unlocked the Demolitionist path! Congrattions! By spending more than 12 minutes underwater, you have unlocked the Diver path! Congrattions! For sessfully making a basic waterwheel, you have unlocked the Engineer path! Congrattions! For obtaining extensive training from an elder fey, you have unlocked the Fey Scion path! Congrattions! For sessfully bringing a crop of food to maturity, you have unlocked the Gardener path! Congrattions! For killing a foe through self-muttion, you have unlocked the Heedless Hunter path! Congrattions! For being recognized by the Lirasian Empire as an Ally, you have unlocked the Imperial Ally path! Congrattions! For growing and harvesting a crop of magical nts, you have unlocked the Magical Gardener path! Congrattions! For healing yourself from the brink of death with the aid of another, you have unlocked the Medic path! Congrattions! For arranging the mass sale of products you created, you have unlocked the Merchant path! Congrattions! For surpassing level 120 in the Outsiders Almanac Skill, you have unlocked the Outsiders Almanac Specialist path! Congrattions! For transcribing an entire book into another form, you have unlocked the Scribe path! Congrattions! For your efforts to uncover the fundamental nature by which Skills act upon the world, you have unlocked the Skill Researcher path! Congrattions! For having traveled 1200 miles while away from your home and settling to another permanent residence, you have unlocked the Traveler path! Congrattions! For surviving a life-or-death battle and sessfully attacking a powerful foe during its course, you have unlocked the Warrior path! Huh. That was a lot, and yet it still ended up being quite a bit smaller than Edwin had anticipated. Then again, it wasnt like hed actually done anything all that noteworthy over the past year, not inparison to his first five or six months on Joriah at least. Hed just been focusing on improving his Skills, which ended up being reflected in the rtively anemic Path selection before him. Hey Inion, is it normal to get a Path for reaching level 120 in a Skill? he asked his friend, who wandered over to where he was reclining. I cant say I actually know the answer to that. Why, didja get something? Outsiders Almanac Specialist, yeah. Ny points, any guesses what it might do? Inion barely even needed to think, Either take and enhance the Skill its based on, giving it a straight upgrade to efficacy, or give another Skill a lot of synergy with it. For you, it might take Visualization, and allow you to include more detailed images in your entries. You can include images already, right? she frowned. Yeah, I can. Its a bit tricky to do so, but probably not worth another Skill. Anyway, you want to help me figure out my Path ordering? he asked, looking at his massive pile of Paths to choose from. Adventurer 0/30, Alchemical Medic 0/60, Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Alchemist 0/60, Almanac Administrator 0/60, Arsonist 0/60, Ascetic 0/60, Assassin 0/60, Athlete 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Biologist 0/60, ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Brickmaker 0/30, Burr 0/60, Butcher 0/30, Chemist 0/60, Child 0/12, Daredevil 0/60, Dedicated Student 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Diver 0/30, Engineer 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Expert 0/60, Explorer 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Fey Scion 0/60, Feytouched 0/90, Field Medic 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Gardener 0/30, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Imperial Ally 0/60, Killer 0/30, Lecturer 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Master of Obainn 0/60, Master of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Medic 0/30, Merchant 0/30, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Novice 0/12, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, Novice Ritualist 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Path Less Traveled 0/90, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Physical Arcanist 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Physicist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Potter 0/30, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Purifier 0/30, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Realm Traveler 0/120, Rebel 0/30, Recluse 0/30, Researcher 0/60, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Scout 0/60, Scribe 0/30, Skill Researcher 0/60, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, ve 0/12, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Superior Alchemist 0/60, Survivor 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Titan yer 0/90, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Traveler 0/30, Unkible 0/90, Wanderer 0/60, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Woodsman 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Okay then. He had his work cut out for him. Chapter 75b: Two Paths Diverged In The Verdant Chapter 75b: Two Paths Diverged In The Verdant Hed pulled out all of his previous organization, as he wanted to reassess them with fresh eyes and with advice from someone he trusted more than Lefi. Still, they quickly eliminated some Paths like ve, Child, and Novice- Paths with little to no or harmful impact. That was followed by the mundane profession Paths, like Brickmaker, Gardener, and Physical Laborer. Sure, they might give him something good, but he also couldnt confess to being terribly interested in them over their more interesting counterparts. He simrly couldnt im to find appeal in his Ascetic, Exile, Rebel, Recluse, Traveler, Revolutionary, and Imperial Ally paths nor their ilk, so those got cut next. From there, Inion helped him pick out the ones which were likely to give him an Attribute; namely Path Less Traveled, Scout and Athlete. He asked about getting Intelligence or some other rted attribute, hopeful that he might be able to get it through Scientist or Researcher, but Inion told him that given he already had mind-rted Skills pertaining to research, it was unlikely that he would get the attribute from anything he had unlocked. In fact, shy of something along the lines of a Genius path, he was probably out of luck for Willpower and Intelligence. Edwin didnt really understand it, but Inion seemed certain, so Edwin mentally shrugged. It didnt matter that much, he supposed. He liked to think he was already smart enough to survive, but was realistic enough to recognize that was an idle hope at best. Inion also thought there was a good chance that Unkible would give him Constitution, which he was initially in favor of, but she also said that there were cheaper Paths liable to give the Attribute. Edwin wasnt sure if it was worth waiting on something that stood such a good chance of keeping him alive, but the 90-point Path was a pretty bigmitment. Hed reassess it once he had everything figured out, but for now he reluctantly set it to the side for the time being. Hed probably still take it in the end anyway. Not dying was high on his priority list, after all. Apparently Path Less Traveled was a Big Deal, because Inion said that it was still a priority even with the cost. That was when it started getting hard. Virtually any of the remaining Skills he would most likely be content with. Assassin would help him survive by staying unseen, Escapee would help him avoid mental ensnarement, Titan yer would give some really greatbat Skill that would aid him in taking down strong foes Okay, think. If two Paths had the same point cost, the more general one was probably superior for someone like him, who needed broadly applicable Skills rather than a few specialized tools. Unless, of course, he really liked the sounds of the Path. That was also a factor to consider. However, more expensive Paths would give him Skills that were more distinct from what he currently had, and that was generally a good thing, so. He still set aside Realm Traveler on ount of being just too expensive for the time being, World Traveler and Way of the Empty Hand for just more or less being more specific variations of Wanderer and Warrior, Almanac Administrator for not being what he could most benefit from. It was a painful process, but he slowly narrowed it down. Hunter and Killer would be cheap ways to get attack Skills, was that worthwhile? He only really needed one Medic skill, what did he want to focus on? How many Fey-rted Paths should he go for? ckstone Conqueror, Stonehide Vanquisher, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter, Superior Alchemist were all likely Trophy Paths. How many did he want? Which did he want? Did he want any? He only needed one fire-rted Skill if he was being honest, but Firestarting had been so useful he should probably take a me-focused Path to give it a potentially even better use, though he only needed one, and it probably wasnt going to be Autopyromaniac. Did he want Skill Researcher or System Schr? Did he want either? Both? Hmmm. Master of Obainn would probably tie him to its eponymous location in some way, and considering he was about to leave, it wouldnt be the most useful. Unless it would be? Ah, maybe if he already had a teleportation Skill. But probably not yet. He probably didnt need more explosion-rted Skills. At least not yet, right? He was cautious about blowing himself up following the assassins attack. Primal Ritualist and Constructor were both rather expensive, and Edwin wasnt sure if he wanted the nature overtones they brought with them. The natural world was fine, but he was no Biologist. On something of a whim, he decided to sort them based on what their categories seemed to be. Maybe that would help him figure things out, based on how he wanted his Skill distribution? Attributes Likely Path Less Traveled 0/90, Scout 0/60, Athlete 0/60, (Unkible 0/90) Trophy: ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Superior Alchemist 0/60 Combat: Alchemical Warrior 0/90, Assassin 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Trapper 0/60, Warrior 0/60 Magic: Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Novice Pyromancer 0/60, Novice Ritualist 0/60, Skilled Arcanist 0/60 Science: Alchemist 0/60, Chemist 0/60, Biologist 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Researcher 0/60, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60 Physical: Physical Alchemist 0/90, Physical Arcanist 0/60 Medical: Alchemical Medic 0/60, Field Medic 0/60, Steadfast Medic 0/60 Alchemical: Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60 Fey: Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Fey Scion 0/60, Feytouched 0/90 Other: Adventurer 0/30, Daredevil 0/60, Dedicated Student 0/60, Escapee 0/30, Explorer 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsider 0/60, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Wanderer 0/60 Hmm. It didnt make things any easier, but it did help him visualize everything better. He had fifty Paths to choose between, and eighteen Skills to go with them. This was going to be tricky. He didnt need that manybat Skills, and so he could eliminate the ones like Hunter, Killer, and Assassin which well, no, Assassin might be useful given how it stood a chance of giving him some sort of stealth Skill. Well, Trapper, then. Or no. Traps would work well with his theoretically perfect fighting style, wouldnt they? Setting up hazards and letting people blunder into them? Well, he could take out the 30 and 90-point Paths if nothing else. He wanted to try and use Alchemical Warrior on Bomb Throwing when the time came. But he could probably re-earn it if he tried? Hed gotten it escaping the dwarves, hadnt he? Darn it, this was supposed to simplify things! Fine. Hed take out the 30-point ones- with none of his current Skills really all thatbat focused, hed need something with a bigger impact. Hed also take out Heedless Hunter and Warrior, the former because he felt like whatever Skill it provided would involve hurting himself, which he wasnt terribly fond of, and thetter because well, no. Hed leave Warrior in for now, as a nice genericbat Path. Magical Gardener nah. He wasnt likely to keep growing stuff while on the road. It might be useful if he ever settled down again, but not for the time being. Micro-Biomancer would probably be very cool, but more effective if he already had something Nutrition would probably pair well with it, wouldnt it? Hadnt he gotten the two at the same time? It was still expensive, though. Off to the side for now. Well, with Science, at least the choice was easy! He was a physicist and alchemist, not a biologist. That said, he certainly was more of a biologist than a doctor, so he moved the Skill over to his medic category. Purifier might be nice hed see if he needed a cheaper Path. Experimenter, Researcher, and Chemist were all great but inferior to the others. Did he want his physical Skill to involve magic or alchemy? Hmmm. Choosing a medical Skill should have been easy, but did he really want to hyper-focus on alchemy? It might leave him vulnerable if he was ever caught unawares. So should he take Field Medic? It was between Alchemical and Field for the time being at least. But maybe he should go with Biologist? It would be somewhat out of left field, but he trusted his science background far more than he did his half-remembered first aid skills from his days as a scout, so it might work in his favor. Between Alchemical Medic, Field Medic, and Biologist, then. Potioneer Edwin wasnt really sure what that would do. Well, it would help him make potions, that much was obvious, but that was only one part of alchemy, and one he was already decent at for that matter. Shouldnt he try to expand his capabilities? Makeshift Alchemist would probably help him with difficulties he might encounter from not having adequate supplies, but Practical just sounded well, practical. His Fey paths Feybound and Feycaller both seemed suboptimal. He wasnt really inclined to try waking up or dealing with any more, making Feycaller superfluous, and Feybound made Edwin think it might make him more susceptible to fey influence. It would no doubte with some really impressive benefits, but he wasnt sure the added benefits outweighed what hed get from Fey Scion or Feytouched. Fey Friend seemed fine, but the name just didnt seem quite as impressive to him as Scion or -touched. Petty, perhaps, but he needed some way to narrow down what Paths he was taking, and if it came down to personal preference in the end, may as well get a bit ahead of the curve there. Adventurer well, Edwin wasnt sure what that might provide him. It might give him some sort of general-purpose Skill that aided him as he wandered about, or it might do something tying him to the Empire in some way. Given the Path wasnt Lirasian Adventurer, he doubted it, but it was still something to keep in mind. Daredevil would hmmm. He needed to think about that. A bit of conversing with Inion and general musingter, he felt like it would probably give him some sort of crash-resistance Skill, possibly evolving Flexibility to improve his capabilities of absorbing falls and blunt attacks. The question was, did he really need that? Between Health and whatever he ended up choosing to enhance hisbat and physical prowess, not to mention his current non-Skill proficiency with ducking and rolling, he could deal with most situations well enough. Did he need more? Eh, probably not. It would be more of a niche Skill if his predictions were right. Hed keep it in mind in case he needed an extra Path for some reason, but hed take it off for the time being. Escapee was a cheap path with some utility. Keep for now. Explorer and Forerunner were simr, but Edwin couldnt say he was terribly inclined to go exploring trackless wildernesses no, that was tly untrue. He was still in the mindset of Earth, where there wasnt anywhere left to explore. He absolutely needed one of them, but which? And was Adventurer close enough to count? Argh! He wanted everything! Outsider he absolutely wanted. It was the main Path (alongside Path Less Traveled and the Almanac skills) that would let him leverage his supposedly mythical status as an Outsider. Well, Realm Traveler also fit into that mold, but he was not spending that many points on a Path this tier. The unique aspects of it would probably bergely wasted, but if he waited for a Tier or two, well, he might well get some kind of teleportation ability. Inion had told him t-out that nothing he had was close enough to teleportation for even the 120-point Path to get him there, but depending on his advancements, he might get there next Tier. Longstrider, which was what Lefi had predicted hed get by taking Wanderer to evolve Walking, might make it possible- he dropped it on his list of strong contenders. In addition, Wanderer just spoke to him on some level. It encapsted what he wanted to be in this next phase of his life. It was simple, yet profound In any case, Outsider was on the shortlist. Pioneer was more debatable, though. It was halfway between his System paths and Explorer. Would it be better to have more Skills like that, or fewer? Why did this have to be so hard? Dedicated Student maybe it would help him learn faster? He already had Memory for that sort of thing, though. Maybe a focus Skill? That would be appealing, but given it required a year of work to unlock the Path, it was more likely to give some sort of willpower improvement. That was honestly kind of appealing Hmm. Hed put it to the side for now. While appealing, it didnt seem like the kind of Path or Skill that would help him with his attention span, which was all he really needed assistance in that regard. Edwin had no clue what Skill Researcher or System Schr might get him. Maybe some sort of Skill-identifying upgrade to Identify? But he could already sort of mimic that with Almanac. Should he wait for next Tier and see if they would evolve Almanac? Outsiders Almanac was already a fantastic Skill, he couldnt imagine how good it would get if he managed to get it integrated into the System further. System Schr would be put off to the side for now, then. Skill Researcher, though? He needed to understand the System, and Skill Researcher seemed to fit that bill perfectly. Tallying them, that left 36 Paths. Still twice as many as he really needed. Okay, time to get picky. Titan yer was cool, but if he was to take a 90-point Path, it wasnt going to be that one. He wanted to invest more points where he actually wanted to focus. He wasnt going to be a Forerunner, leading people to new frontiers; Explorer fit him much better. Pioneer met a simr fate. Hed look at them both again when he was ready to teach people. Escapee and Purifier were both nice, cheap Skills, but he didnt want cheap. Ironically, he couldnt afford cheap. He could spend a few more months getting the points needed for his more expensive Paths if need be, he could push through a bit more training if needed. Deepwoods Panther-Hunter and Stonehide Vanquisher they were cool, and trophy Paths were very cool, but he didnt know if they quite stacked up to theirpetition. Did he really need four trophy Skills, anyway? Hed rather take the ones based on his alchemical prowess rather than his ability to swing on a vine or burn himself half to death. Okay. He could work with this. Two trophy Paths, one or maybe twobat-oriented Paths, two or three magic paths, two or three science paths, one physical Path, one medical Path, one or two alchemical Paths, one or two fey Paths, and up to five other Paths. That was a total of sixteen to twenty one Paths, which was right in the ballpark of what he needed. That just left the question of which. Attributes Path Less Traveled 0/90, Scout 0/60, Athlete 0/60, (Unkible 0/90) Skill Improvements ckstone Conqueror, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,(One or two of Alchemical Warrior, Assassin, Giant yer, Trapper, Warrior), (two or three of Mage, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Skilled Arcanist), (two or three of Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Scientific Revolutionary, Scientist), (one of Physical Alchemist, Physical Arcanist), (one ofAlchemical Medic, Field Medic, Biologist), (one or two of Makeshift Alchemist, Practical Alchemist), (one or two of Fey Scion, Feytouched) He stared at the list for a fair while longer, going back and forth on what he wanted, debating the merits of what each might provide. Alchemical Warrior would lean into what he wanted his strengths to be, Assassin and Trapper would help keep him safe, and who knew what Giant yer or Warrior might give him. Mage was a nice, broad Path that would give him more magic; Novice Pyromancer would give him Basic Pyromancy in conjunction with Firestarting; Novice Ritualist may be exactly what he needed to be a true mage-scientist, if he got a Skill that aided him with rituals in general; and Skilled Arcanist had already given him one of his most powerful Skills with Mana Infusion, who knew what else it might provide? Alchemist again yed to his strengths, Engineer might give him some sort of artificing ability to help with mechanical creations, Physicist yed to his experience, Scientific Revolutionary was just awesome, Scientist was nice and broad. Physical Alchemist sounded to him like steroids and potions of strength, whereas Physical Arcanist was more of a punch wizard, if that memeworthy concept tranted to Joriah. Alchemical Medic was more potent, Field Medic less likely to be interfered with. Makeshift Alchemist helped his resiliency, Practical Alchemist was exactly the sort of thing he needed to push ahead with his bombs and potions. Fey Scion and Feytouched he didnt know enough about either (and Inion was no help), but he suspected that Scion would give him fey abilities of some form, whereas -touched would change him to be more feylike. What that entailed, he wasnt sure. He just kept going back and forth on what he wanted, what his ns were, and he eventually had to admit he just didnt know. He could y it by ear, he could push it off just a bit more. After all, he still had some Skills to level and explore fully. Chapter 75c: Two Paths Diverged In The Verdant Chapter 75c: Two Paths Diverged In The Verdant Edwin worked to eke out a few more levels with Identify, trying something rtively novel and pairing it directly with Basic Mana Sense- something he hadnt really thought to do until recently. By the end, he had pushed his range up to a good fifty meters- quite respectable and absolutely sufficient for his purposes. He gorged himself on pretty much anything edible he could find, and with Nutrition, that was a lot. Seeing he pushed by trying to mess up his vision, with sheets of ice and glowing potions, mist and smoke, and pushing through even that. Most of his attention, though mostly, it was focused on Packing and Firestarting, his two all-star Skills. With Firestarting, his primary focus continued to be on finessing it, trying to manipte its area of effect. He managed to constrain it to just his fingertip, and then push it out to the end of a stick. That allowed him to burn single dots onto wood held over his fire, but that wasnt enough. It took him a week, but he managed to get the area burned changed from a dot to a line. Then, a line to a curve. A curve into multiple curves. Curves into simple shapes. Simple shapes to detailed shapes. It took intense focus and significant amounts of time, but he could manage it, inrge part thanks to Visualization actually giving him the capability to, well, visualize where the area was affecting. He tried to get the Skill to help his breathing, and while he got a few levels in thetter, Firestarting didnt seem to do much. It was probably for much the same reason he didnt make iron rust, some intentional safeguard crafted by the System to avoid such a major and obvious side effect. Or maybe he was totally wrong about how the Skill worked. It certainly wouldnt have been the first time. Edwin didnt stay idle on Packing, either, though he made much less headway. Progress in the manner he was already trying felt akin to hitting his head against a brick wall. He needed some sort of fundamental shift to his approach, but what? Edwins bnce wasnt improved by Packing, he had found. However, between Flexibility and Athletics, his natural bnce was nearing the peak of human capability. Thus, he was able to sit not exactly , but at leastpetently, while bncing on the top of his stick. However, while using Packing, he should have theoretically been able to lean to the side and not overbnce, it didnt work so well in practice. While the stick didnt just push into the ground thanks to Packing spreading the weight out across the ground, it didnt provide any support to the rest of his body. It all just came from the stick. It didnt stop him from trying to lean out as far as possible, though. He felt like if he could master this, he might be able to master flight. Unfortunately, it hadnt borne fruit yet. This time, he was attempting something different. Mana Infusion through Packing helped strengthen objects, but what about if he tried to use it on two different things simultaneously? He threaded a trickle of mana out of his foot and into the wooden rod supporting him, and without letting it finish, he also connected it to his shoe, trying to reinforce them as a single object. It wasnt the first time hed done this experiment, naturally, but it had never worked before. It didnt work this time, either. The stick filled up with mana and refused to smoothly bridge the gap to his boot, which frustrated him to no end. It shouldnt make that much of a difference, should it? He could Infuse and reinforce objects made from different materials no problem, so why was this different? He kept working at it for a while longer, but as night began to set in, he nearly gave up. What even was the issue? It wasnt like there was any fundamental difference between the leather of his boots and the wood of his stick. It was all just carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen once you got down there, just arranged in different ways. They may not have been held together by molecr bonds, but then again, neither was a lot of the wood! They were all just different cells, vaguely kept together by electromaic forces in the form of friction or bonds. That wasnt different from his boots and his stick! Hed cleaned off the bottom, it wasnt dust getting in the way. What could be the difference? Edwin cast his mind back to Earth, trying to figure out what kinds of bonds Infusion used to determine what was a single object, though he could still Infuse an object made of multiple materials. Hmmm hydrogen bonds? Van der Waals? No, that applied to everything. Gah, OChem was so long ago. Was there some kind of structure involved in holding cells together or something? A framework of some variation? Though that wasnt true for metals- though metals were essentially just one giant molecule, so maybe they got a pass- and it wouldnt be true for water. Literally just gluing the two together should do the trick, and why was glue special. A lot of the time, glue was just vaguely hydrogen bonds, but hydrogen bonds existed between everything. The only thing that made glue special was that it seeped into microscopic pores and just stayed there, discing the air! And then it clicked. The first thing Edwin noticed was that he no longer needed to work on bncing in order to stay perched on his stick. Instead, his entire body felt remarkably sturdy, as though he were wrapped in form-fitting foam or buried in sand, though without the pressure associated with thetter. Huh. Hey Inion! I think I got it! he called out. Did you? Good job! Lets see! Inion was over in a sh, and snatched his stick out from under him. Edwin half-expected to find himself dragged along with the pole, having used it as an anchor. Instead, he found that his support immediately vanished and he crashed to the ground. Uhhh Guess not, he groaned. I could have sworn that I had it that time. It felt so different. Well, whaddidya do? I was thinking about what utter nonsense it is for magic to treat objects as distinct in any real meaningful way, especially those made of varying types of materials. Hmmm. Edwin experimentally tried Infusing the rock he was on, and some minutester when it wasplete, he tried imagining much the same thing as before- that the two objects were held together by the exact same forces as the forces within the same object, albeit in a much weaker manner. That didnt work. Okay, what was it then? The glue? A lot of the time, just utilized hydrogen bonds, but hydrogen bonds existed between practically everything. What made glue special? It just seeped into microscopic pores and just stayed there. It was as though air was a liquid that could harden into a solid. If glue made two things the same, then so should air! Click. Ah. There we go. So had Edwin been unintentionally hindering himself by trying to ease himself into supporting himself through air alone? The secret was just to persuade the magic that air was part of him and so Packing should apply to it? That was well, it made sense. It wasnt overly simple, it wasnt super obvious, it wasnt some basic trick that he should have gotten ages ago. Rather, it was hard work, practice, and a good understanding of the fundamentals of the universe. The feeling of support he got from Packing like this was unusual, but not ufortable. All the weight of supporting himself, no matter how miniscule, was gone, though he was still able to move more or less freely. Yeah, I got it, he settled, drawing Inions attention back to him. I just had to apply science to everything Ive mastered so far. Not easy, but I might be able to coach someone through the process. Can you teach me? No, someone with Packing, obviously, He sighed. Besides, you can already fly aaand youre just messing with me. Anyway. Whats keeping you up? Mana or stamina? Mana, I think. I dont have Stamina, though? Ah, everyone has Attributes. When you unlock one, you just get a number for it and have it strengthened. I think six or seven is what you might normally start with? Huh. You couldnt have told me this before because..? You didnt ask, she teased. I could have sworn that I did, but you know what? It doesnt matter. Nope. How long can you keep it up, do you think? Uhhh. There was a slight ongoing drain on his mana, but it didnt seem like it would run dry any time soon. Indefinitely, maybe? Theres just a trickle of my mana going into it. Really? Can you do anything beyond just sort of floating an inch above the ground? I dont want to try and ept any Skills, though? Inion reached out and whacked his head, breaking his concentration and dropping him to the ground, Ow! What was that for? You know that you dont need Skills to do something. It just makes it easier. Now, start floating again and push more mana into it. Edwin grumbled butplied. Now that he knew the trick, it only took him about a minute to get into the proper mindset needed for him to levitate, but it didnt make it any easier to maintain. Sensing his own mana was easier than sensing any outside of him, but pushing at the mana didnt seem to really do all that much. Or rather, he was already pushing as much as he could at the Skill, and that was what was just barely allowing him to hover. I dont think I can. My mana maniption Skill is stuck at level nine. Inion looked at him, disappointed. Hey! I didnt know any better! It was like my fifth day here, he defended himself. She sighed, Well, you can always try to improve without the System, or hope that your Skill helps with the cost in some way once you take it. Edwin could only shrug helplessly, I guess? He checked his notifications. Sure enough, the message he was hoping for was present. You have unlocked the Flight skill! ept Skill? Y/N He declined it for the moment- epting it now would throw off everything hed been working towards- content in the knowledge he could re-unlock it shortly, once he had all his Pathspleted. In the meantime, he decided to peek in and see how his Skills were going. Level Up! Skill Points 14731508 Progress to Tier 2: 1590/1770 (Avg level: 78/77) Basic Mana Sense 77 82 Breathing 75 76 Firestarting 90 94 Flexibility 74 76 Identify 71 80 Mana Infusion 8385 Memory 5657 Nutrition 6973 Outsiders Almanac 124 125 Packing 83 92 Seeing 70 72 Visualization 78 80 Well then, Edwin thought with a smirk, Time to get started. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 1 year Race Extranar Human ss Sapper Attributes Mana 5 Health 7 Skills Magical Basic Mana Sense: 82, Mana Infusion: 85 (Basic Mana Maniption 9) Physical Athletics: 81, Breathing: 76, Flexibility: 74, Nutrition: 73, Packing 92, Seeing: 72, Sleeping: 73, Survival: 76, Walking: 74 Mental Polyglot: 59 (Language 36), Mathematics: 74, Memory: 57 (Research 50), Visualization: 80 Combat Bomb Throwing: 49 (Throwing Weapons 48) Utility Firestarting: 94, Alchemy: 83 (Improvisation 14), Outsider''s Almanac: 125 (Status 22), Identify: 80, First Aid: 82, Purify: 75, Harvesting: 76, Construction: 77 Chapter 76a: A Classy Ascension Chapter 76a: A ssy Ascension Even with his Paths selected, he still needed to figure out what order he wanted to take them. Fortunately, this wasnt nearly as tricky. All that mattered was he took them in approximate order of how cool he thought they were, with perhaps a slight eye towards estimating which Skill each Path might evolve. His Attribute paths absolutely would have to be first, as Attributes wouldnt increase until hed unlocked them. He couldnt imagine their order mattered all that much, so hed just go with what he already had- Path Less Traveled, Scout, Athlete, and finally Unkible. Then after that. Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior Prospective Paths ckstone Conqueror, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,(One or two of Alchemical Warrior, Assassin, Giant yer, Trapper, Warrior), (two or three of Mage, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Skilled Arcanist), (two or three of Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Scientific Revolutionary, Scientist), (one of Physical Alchemist, Physical Arcanist), (one ofAlchemical Medic, Field Medic, Biologist), (one or two of Makeshift Alchemist, Practical Alchemist), (one or two of Fey Scion, Feytouched) Edwin tapped his leg in thought. Did he really need even two Trophy Paths? Superior Alchemist was a must, as it fed too well into his overall hopes for this tier. ckstone Conqueror, though What might that give him? There wasnt even the slimmest of chances that it would give him some way to summon ckstone, not that he needed another reason for the dwarves toe after him. In a few Tiers it might, though. Should he save it for that possibility, then? A single Trophy Path was probably enough. He could reassesster on if he felt like he might benefit from a second, but for now his inclination was no. He struck ckstone Conqueror from the list. He felt like he could get a better Skill from it in a few years, and he was unlikely to re-earn it. Hmmmmm.. Okay, put off the decision forbat choices at the moment. He did want both Makeshift Alchemist and Practical Alchemist, andbine that with his science choices. Alchemist, Physicist, and Engineer. Not that he didnt want the others, but those threeformer seemed decidedly more practical for the time being. Hed take Physical Arcanist to avoid overspecializing, and then Novice Pyromancer and Ritualist. Maybe he was breaking his rule to take generalities instead of specific paths, but it was in an effort to branch out his avable skills, to break into new fields- Rituals- and leverage his existing strength- fire. After all, the story of human advancement is just the story of mastering fire. By that token, hed go with the more unconventional option of Biologist over his actual medic Paths, as it was once again leveraging what made him different to great use. Hed also go with Alchemical Warrior as well. It didnt make sense for him to not leverage that particr strength as much as possible, and it wouldnt require as much setup at the time as traps nor the subtlety of assassinations. Warrior and Giant yer were in turn perhaps too broad for his purposes at the moment. That meant he could go with both Fey Scion and Feytouched. Excellent. He didnt want to have to choose between them, they both seemed good in their own way. He took a deep breath and began. You havepleted the Path Less Traveled path! Your exploits have garnered even the attention of the System. Going forward, keep in mind all that you have aplished and all you shall aplish, for your every action will have far-reaching effects. You have already impacted the world, and you are liable to shake its very foundations going forward. ss Change! Sapper Unconventional Sapper Calcting Rewards Done! You have unlocked a new Attribute! Impact Impact level set to. 5 Impact? What does that do? he asked, to which Inion just shrugged and smiled mysteriously. Edwin sighed. He didnt feel any different. Going by the Pathpletion description did it act like karma or something? Did it make his actions more likely to have a broader impact? Or did it enhance the power of his skills, making them more impactful? It was sure to be impressive if nothing else, whatever it may do. Well, he was sure to find out eventually, he supposed, and he didnt really know how to test it out, so that put it as a puzzle for future-Edwin. You havepleted the Scout path! Your keen eyes have seen much, and your ability to perceive the world in your unique manner has not gone unnoticed. Keep a keen eye at all you create, all you encounter, for it shall return the favor. ss Change! Unconventional Sapper Sapper-Forerunner Calcting Rewards Done! You have unlocked a new Attribute! Perception Perception level set to. 8 Edwin half-expected that he would be overwhelmed with new sensations, but much the opposite, he found that the flood of sensory input hed been slowly adjusting to over thest year, leaving his Mana Sense active at all times, became moreprehensible, the multiple senses helping instead to build a cohesive picture of his surroundings. A bit of experimentation showed that he could move his Perception around, in a way. He couldnt reduce his sight below its baseline Seeing-enhanced level, but he could direct his Perception away from feeding a consistent picture of his surroundings into instead focusing on a single sense, giving him far more rity than he might normally have ess to. Pushing it to touch meant he could feel the almost nonexistent breeze tickle his skin, to his smell allowed him to pick out individual scents with ease, his sight allowed him to see massive swathes of his field of view as though he was focusing on it all it was really impressive. He could put it towards his Skills, too! Mana Sense enabled him to more easily pick out individual sources of magic (though it all still felt the same), and Identify allowed him to target even a single grain of sand from a distance. Overall, it was very cool, and he needed to figure out how to best use it. You havepleted the Athlete path! You have traveled long, and you have traveled far. While you may not yet be road-weary, you still have far, far more travel ahead of you. Obstacles of all manner stand in your path, yet you will surmount, or blow up, any who dare to oppose you. ss Change! Sapper-Forerunner Tireless Sapper Calcting Rewards Done! You have unlocked a new Attribute! Stamina Stamina level set to. 8 Whoa now that was a rush. More than any talsanenris snack hed had, that was for sure. He felt like he could climb a mountain and run a marathon at the same time without ever getting tired. That glow faded after just a couple of minutes, but he still felt great. More... real. His heart beat in its chest, blood rushing through his veins, and he could feel the air entering his lungs. If not for Perception, he might have felt overwhelmed. But as it was? It just felt right. It faded after a few minutes, but left Edwin still full of energy. It seemed like he could run a marathon without so much as getting winded. Well, okay, he could have probably already done as much, but with Stamina he actually felt like it. Even better, he didnt feel restless or jittery, or like he needed to move to burn off extra energy. He could still sit contentedly, but ready to spring up at a moments notice. It was quite nice that everything- nope. Not even thinking that. It was the most surefire way to ensure things would get messed up. Health 7 15 You havepleted the Unkible path! Though many have tried, and though many will try to end your journey before it can fully begin, you have emerged victorious against all odds. You are tenacious and persistent, and your way ahead is long and treacherous. Perhaps youll even survive it. ss Change! Tireless Sapper Indefatigable Sapper Calcting Rewards Done! You may evolve your Survival skill into the Adaptive Defense skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Adaptive Defense Yes, well if you had prep time, then... Resist harm after initial exposure Maximum reduction increases per level Right on queue. Why did he have to tempt fate? Ah well, hed just ah, screw it. What would he drop? Fey Scion? Explorer? Uhhhhh. I thought you said this would give me Constitution! he side-eyed Inion. I thought it would! This isnt an exact science, Ill have you know. Fine fine. Whatever. Lemme give this a quick test? Do you feel anything? Uh not really? So then Give me a minute, okay? Okay, so adaptive defense. Finally, a self-exnatory Skill. Because it was only level 1, it wouldnt have that great of an effect, but between his healing potions and Health, he felt a lot more confident sticking his hand in a fire than he did a year ago. As he approached the roaring fire he always kept active in his kiln, Edwin felt his skin begin to heat up to the point of slight pain, but then began to fade. He frowned, and pushed it closer to the fire, letting it heat up again. Level Up! Adaptive Defense Level 1 2 Ah, the joys of low-level Skills. After some more experimentation, he found that the longer and more intense his exposure to the fire was, the more he would resist heat, and the more the Skill leveled. He didnt work on it for too long, just enough to get a good idea of its limitations. It wasnt a permanent resistance, but faded over time. He couldnt quite tell how the Skill determined what was or wasnt harm, but it seemed to try and keep him generallyfortable. That probably meant he would just never be bothered by extreme temperatures ever again, didnt it? Score! Overall, the Skill promised to be incredibly useful and, depending on what its limitations were exactly, possibly his strongest Skill yet. Not a bad start, he had to admit. It certainly seemed to live up to its Unkible promise. Further testing was, naturally, required. Chapter 76b: A Classy Ascension Chapter 76b: A ssy Ascension Impact 5 6 Health 15 17 You havepleted the Superior Alchemist path! You have been challenged as an alchemist, pitting your skills and knowledge against one another. While you may have been outnumbered and faced with overwhelming numbers, through quick thinking, superior strategy, luck, and a deeperprehension, you reigned supreme. ss Change! Indefatigable Sapper Veteran Sapper Calcting Rewards Done! You may evolve your Construction skill into the Sappers Apparatus skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Sappers Apparatus Dont get sappy with it. Itll just blow up in your face if you do Conjure basic objects within certain limits Limits loosen per level. Okay, all the surrounding stuff was getting old really fast. He decided to hide the reminder of what his ss used to be and the calcting rewards bit. They were just getting on his nerves. That was only a minor quibble, and Edwin quickly found himself enamored with his newest Skill. Thanks to some minor feedback it gave him, it only took a few minutes to figure out how to use it. By focusing on a simple object and activating Sappers Apparatus, a blue light would coalesce at his fingertips, slowly forming into shape and condensing over the course of about a minute until it created a blue crystal-like substance in his desired shape. It almost made him think his Makeshift Alchemist path was suddenly made obsolete, before he caught himself. Redundancy was always a good n for something this important, after all. What would he do if he didnt have alchemical ingredients? Besides, the tools were well, rather limited. He could make bottles, much to his delight, as well as stirring sticks, beakers, and other basicb equipment that fit in his hand, even a sharp scalpel. Unfortunately, none of it was very strong, perhaps less so than even the ss it was modeled after. He tried making tweezers, but they shattered in his grasp, vanishing back into motes of blue light, instead of bending. Overall, they seemedparable to ss in durability, but with none of theplications of actually breaking ss. They didnt seem to need any concentration on his part after he created them, but hed need to see how long theysted before he entrusted any of his creations to them. Perhaps he could use Packing to reinforce them? He tried setting one in his kiln, only to find it shattered into motes of light if it heated up too quickly. He could boil water in them, which was nice, and if he created a hollow object submerged in water, it would manifest filled with water, even if his creation didnt have any openings. There was lots of potential here, he was certain. Hed need to wait and see how long his conjurationssted before he could tell how much, but it was still quite exciting. Impact 6 7 You havepleted the Outsider path! You havee from ces unknown, with knowledge strange and unique and wholly unfamiliar with what you found yourself confronted with. Yet you did not allow this to hinder you. Those who would oppose you will find that you approach from a wholly unique angle Sapper-Marauder You may evolve your Packing skill into the Improbable Arsenal skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Improbable Arsenal Youcantouchthis,thoughitmaylooklikeitsmissing Infused containers arerger on the inside Mana efficiency and maximum size increases with level Man, these Skills were sounding fun. He could make literal pocket dimensions! It probably didnt make his backpack redundant, but it did mean he could carry around an arsenal of oh. Improbable size. That was probably the reason for the name, wasnt it? He pointedly avoided looking at Inion as she mockingly nodded. There was loads of stuff to unpack in it, but at the moment, it looked to be exactly what it said on the tin, so to speak. When he Infused Improbable Arsenal, he could push through the Skill and into bowls, jars, and boxes. They didnt look any different on the outside, but even the small effect his basic Skill provided allowed him to pour more water into a bowl than should have otherwise been possible. Not much, but enough to make him excited. The Skill didnt work on his shirt or pants, though it did on his socks. Taking a random initial guess based on his observations and the intuitive limitations of the Skill, it probably only worked on direct containers, possibly only those with a single opening. So no expanding the size of a building or hallway, but something that was just a glorified bag was fair game. He couldbine his Apparatus with the Skill, and when he used it on one of his sealed water orbs, a tiny gap opened at the top, prompting the inside water to boil for a minute before it settled back to normal. Edwins eyes widened. He could use this to create a vacuum, couldnt he? That itself was a phenomenal use of this Skill, even discounting its obvious utility as a bag of holding. When he tried to use it on his backpack, it didnt have quite so dramatic an effect as it did on his personally created containers. There were two possibilities: either his Skills worked better on his own creations, or the backpack already had some space-warping properties that were minor enough to go unnoticed, but his own Skill didnt stack with. Probably thetter, but the former wasnt impossible either. Hed need to take some careful measurements to determine it for sure. He was at three for three of Skills he was exceptionally happy with. Would that continue? You havepleted the Skill Researcher path! To you, the System is not some strange and arcane phenomena the likes of which Man Was Not Meant To Understand. It is a machine, like the rest of creation, and it hasws which can be understood and dissected. All that you see falls under your scrutiny, and nothing escapes your inquisitive gaze. Alchemical Marauder You may evolve your Seeing skill into the Skillful Assessment skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Skillful Assessment Youve got an eye out for those with the right Skills See Skills Detail improves with level. Whoa. Edwin felt as the Skill kicked in, and Inion became wreathed in a strange, nonchromatic light. He looked around Obainn, but other than some colorless illumination around the garden, there wasnt anything else that stood out. To test, Edwin tried using Firestarting at his fingertips, and just as the Skill activated, the same gray light shed into existence. When he tried again, sustaining the Skill, the light apanying it stayed active as well. Huh. That was cool. Even if he didnt get much information at the moment, being able to see when a Skill was being used could be very useful, especially given his ability to- he checked, yes he could- to pair it with Almanac. He could build up quite a respectable knowledge of Skills being used! Hey Inion, what Skill are you using right now? Wait! she jerked upright from her floating position, Does that mean you got a Skill-reading Skill? Uhhh yes? Skillful Assessment. Why? I mean, I was hoping you would, but I thought youd get it from Fey Scion or something! What Path? Skill Researcher. Wait, why would Skills be associated with Fey Scion? Well, thats a secret, actually. I could have told you if youd gotten it, but because you didnt, ah she thought for a moment, Your exposure to fey probably helped. I thought the System didnt work like that. Inion shrugged hopelessly, I dont know! Youre the System expert here. That seemed decidedly untrue, but Edwin wasnt really interested in getting into a fight over it at the moment. So Skill? Airborne Wellspring! It lets me treat the air like its water, but none of my other water-rted Skills work alongside it, sadly, she pouted. Edwin just shook his head, made a note on the Skill that it could be used by fey- any more detail and the Skill would just fail as Inions bargain forced him to keep her secrets- and carried on. You havepleted the Physicist path! While many say that numbers are an arcane art, you disagree. Numbers are perfectlyprehensible and endlessly useful. You boast a mastery of this otherworldly art and can use it with a great deal of proficiency, a skill which will aid you greatly in your future endeavors. Studied Marauder You may evolve your Mathematics skill into the Numeracy skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Wait, whats the difference? Edwin wondered aloud as he epted the Skill, but as it appeared and shoved its way into his head his question was answered. Hundreds of numbers shoved their way into his brain, overloading even Perception with the sheer quantity of information he was dealing with. He screwed his eyes shut to help deal with it, but it still took a minute of adjustment before he even realized what he could do to really help, namely disable the Skill. Now, what did it say? Numeracy Lets assume the elephant is a sphere See the numbers of the universe Precision increases with level So it let him measure stuff instinctively? He tentatively tried enabling the Skill just a touch, focusing on Inion as she drifted by. Fortunately, the headache didnt return, and bybining the Skill with Visualization, he wrestled the input into something moreprehensible. ording to the Skill, she was floating through the air at a rate of 1 mile per hour, which offended his Physicist sensibilities. A twist of Numeracy fixed that, though, and properly showed that she moved at 0.5 m/s. He sat on the ground, ying around with his new ability. This was awesome. While he couldnt do too much at once without overwhelming even his Perception, he found that he could assess the speed of various objects, determine distance with a great deal of precision, and even ovey free-body diagrams over objects, letting him actually see air resistance, friction, and gravity. It was, in short, the greatest Skill ever for a Physicist. He could only imagine how much more urate he might be able to get with his bombs with all this information; literally more than he could even handle. Hopefully hed get better with it over time, but for now he set up the Skill to disy the world oveyed by a 3-dimensional grid of cubes. By default, they showed distance in increments of 2 meters, but he could scale that up if he wished. He couldnt make it any smaller yet, but he felt confident that he could make it smaller as the Skill level grew. The minimum size had already decreased as the Skill leveled in his experimentation. Some more testing revealed its limitations. He could only sense everything within about 50 meters, but he could focus to push it beyond that in a specific direction, such as if he was trying to measure how far away something was. Even then, it became less urate the further out he tried to reach. Without so much as even clouds to measure on, all he knew was that the sun was out of range. That was probably for the best, as there was no way hed be able to take in all that information at once. Mana 5 10 You havepleted the Novice Pyromancer path! Fire is the spark behind all technological innovation since the dawn of time. From the first embers roasting meat to baking y, melting and forging metals, and pushing fire further and further into the future, powering all life on the. You have begun to harness this power, twisting it to your will. Your experiments have never been simpler. Incendiary Schr You may evolve your Firestarting skill into the Basic Thermokinesis skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Basic Thermokinesis Turn up the heat! Increase the temperature of an object Maximum temperature increases with level Huh. It wasnt Basic Pyrokinesis like he had expected, but this seemed better? It was no doubt influenced by his Alchemy background even if his ss didnt explicitly show it at the moment. It was less magic-like and more practical, in some ways. Direct maniption of temperature, even if it were only in one direction, was so utterly fantastic it surpassed a lot of Earth tech. ying around with the Skill for a little while revealed that it was indeed a magical Skill, not that he expected anything else. He could pour mana into it while touching an object, and it would slowly heat up. It didnt have a terribly high maximum at the moment, but it was already slowly increasing. It was another Skill that was limited by his Mana Maniption, but he could deal with that. He couldnt get it to work on Inion or anything alive, much to his relief. No, wait. He could use it to wither some small grasses and cook insects he touched, but that was about it. Still, it was somewhat relieving to know he wouldnt cook someone alive by ident, or even on purpose. It was just an awful way to go, even if it was objectively bad for him from a survival perspective. Ah well, give and take. Maybe one day hed be strong enough, but for now, he was content not being able to magically microwave someone. Numeracy didnt provide much feedback regarding temperature, but the small amount he was able to prod it into granting did indicate that it would probably expand into bing a thermometer as well as everything else. That would be oh so very nice, and Edwin was seeing in his minds eye how his toolkit as a proper alchemist was already expanding. Pity about the ss name, but there was an easy fix for that. He just needed to move his next Path up the schedule a bit. You havepleted the Alchemist path! Magic and science. Youe from a ce where all of the former has been incorporated into thetter. It is the job of the Alchemist to transmute the impossible into the understood, and there is much that is impossible before you. Your task is a daunting one, some might even say impossible, but what is such a duty to one such as yourself? Incendiary Alchemist You may evolve your Identify skill into the Alchemist''s Analysis skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Alchemists Analysis Knowing what you have to work with is the first step Identify parts Sensitivity improves with level. It took a few minutes to figure out what it did, but Edwin eventually figured it out when he used his new Skill on one of his glowleaf potions. Water I swear, if I have to exin what this is, I quit. While hed need to run more tests to be sure, and level it more, but the Skill allowed him to see the primaryponent of something he was dealing with. Granted, that would usually be water, but he figured it might let him pick out more trace ingredients as it leveled. It was really interesting, seeing his higher-tier Skills have such synergy. He was able to brute-force it with his Skills before,bining Visualization and Mathematics to let him visualize mathematical graphs, but Numeracy started serving as an interpreter, of sorts. While he couldnt yet determine with any level of precision just how much water was in the potion beyond it being mostly water, it seemed as though as Numeracy leveled, he would get actual numbers associated with the purity of what he looked at. Meanwhile, as his Analysis leveled, he got the sense hed get more feedback for what was in mixtures. While right now Analyzing mud only showed that it was mostly dirt and wet y as being mostly y, as it leveled it should also pick out the water involved in each. Man, Numeracy was awesome. It obviated the need for so many measurement tools that would normally be required for pretty much any proper science. Well, Alchemists Analysis was cool too- he didnt know why he felt like he needed to reassure his newest Skill that it was also useful, but he did- and as it leveled he already saw himself using it to pilfer ingredients from potions he encountered. Could it eventually get to the point where it could measure atomicposition? That would be very cool. Chapter 76c: A Classy Ascension Chapter 76c: A ssy Ascension Stamina 8 13 You havepleted the Wanderer path! Your path has taken you far, far from your home, and while you have perhaps settled for the moment, that is but a temporary arrangement. Soon, you will leave even that, your heart and soul not content to settle down, every footfall blurring into the next. Wandering Alchemist Paths Unchosen: Master of Obainn, Master of the Ruined Tower, Recluse You may evolve your Walking skill into the Longstrider skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Longstrider One giant leap for man, a small step for mankind Take longer strides Distance increases with level. So he wasnt special, it would seem. Lefi had been right about this, if nothing else. Walking did indeed be Longstrider, and it was kind of disorienting to use at first. When it was in use, his every step took him ever so slightly further than he was used to, and for someone who already had issues with spatial awareness at times, he had needed to lean hard on Perception, even wholly disabling Numeracy, to help keep him from repeatedly walking into the cliff or into Obainns outer wall. Hmmm. Should he take a couple of Paths that were likely to increase Perception? It might almost be worthwhile just so he would be able to use all his new Skills more effectively. Adventurer and Explorer were likely to help on that front, hed just have to make sure he took them, which meant hed need to figure out a different Path to skip. It was also interesting to see himself actually lose Paths. Sure, hed intellectually known it was possible, and Recluse was no great loss. Neither was Master of the Ruined Tower, honestly, but Master of Obainn might have been nice to take at some point. Ah well. There was nothing to be done about that now, and only one way to go- forward! Health 17 20 Stamina 13 16 You havepleted the Alchemical Warrior path! Your path has not been a peaceful one. You have had to fight for your freedom, multiple times. Your future is likely to be as conflict-heavy as your past, and you will need to fight for your freedom, safety, and future ingredients every step of the way. Alchemical Squire You may evolve your Harvesting skill into the Alchemical Dismantling skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Alchemical Dismantling Oh, sorry, were you using that? Break down alchemicalponents Power increases with level. What the heck did break downponents mean? It would presumably aid him in recovering parts from magical creatures- he really wanted to try and get his hands on Pele Wolf blood, see if it really was actually magma or if that was just creative license- but would it help him if he were to, oh, get hydrogen and oxygen via hydrolysis? That could be quite useful, if it genuinely worked that way. Given it came from abat Path, perhaps that meant it would also help him cut into particrly tough hides? He didnt have anything particrly worthy of trying to use it on hand, unfortunately. Even his trick of trying to harvest dirt while digging didnt seem to engage it when he tried that- it probably wasnt alchemical enough. He tried boiling water to see if that would have any effect, but couldnt im to tell if it made an impact. Numeracy wasnt that precise yet, it seemed. He wanted to try breaking his ckstone pebble to see if that counted, but he couldnt find it. Maybe it fell out of his backpack somewhere? Normally, hed be able to find it with his Basic Mana Sense, but with the general background mana within Obainn, it was like trying to find a specific de of hay in a haystack. Ah, hed keep an eye out for it. It might show up eventually. He might have felt the Skill contribute when he was crushing talsanenris berries- his bushes had finally borne some fruit again, though not many- to see if that would do it, but between the preexisting ease of crushing berries and the skills low level, he wasnt sure if Ah wait, it leveled. Okay, so it did help with that. Good to know. Further testing was required, but it seemed like he had a partial handle on its function at least. Onward! Mana 10 15 You havepleted the Novice Ritualist path! As a man of science, you have had very little experience with the supernatural, with the impossible. Yet you have brushed against it, felt the power of magic, of rituals, and that power calls to you and intrigues you. To you, it is another branch of science to dissect and understand. Such is a path some have attempted to tread before you, will you seed in this regard where they once failed? Regardless, your experiences have prepared you for your magical explorations in the future. Alchemical Initiate You may evolve your Basic Mana Sense skill into the Ritual Intuition skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Ritual Intuition No, not that kind of ritual. Honestly, this should be intuitive for you Sense magical ambiance Detail increases with level. Running contrary to his expectations, his newfound sense didnt automatically plug into Numeracy to give him a numerical breakdown of whatever it was telling him. Instead, he was able to feel some kind of presence around him, like he was previously able to sense what temperature things were. Was it just that different, that his scientific analysis wasnt able to properly quantify what was around him? Eh, probably not. He could figure out some kind of numerical system for it in time. Odds were better that whatever feedback he was getting was too intricate for Numeracy to deal with. Or maybe because it was intuition, it bypassed the Skill altogether. Regardless of why, Edwins sudden inset of a new sense wasnt quantized. There was a deep, deep sense of nature and tranquility all around him, that much was certain. There were also feelings of protectiveness and flourishing emanating from Obainn, and a cool, watery impression being radiated by Inion, who looked on with curiosity. Hang on, just a minute. I think I got a Skill that lets me sense types of mana, and its a weird sensation. Ooh! Youre just getting all the goodies, arent you? Edwin shrugged absently, I guess so, he yed with his vial of concentrated firevine sap. Sure enough, he felt a hint of roaring fire trickling from it. He tucked the magical liquid away before anything might happen and nodded. Yep, looks like it lets me sense mana. Strange that its not giving me numbers, but this is still really useful. Keep an eye on it, ya? Probably has a bit more going on. Edwin nodded absently, assessing his next choice. You havepleted the Engineer path! Coming from a world of machines into one of magic and hard work, you see nothing but inefficiency and impracticality. And like any engineer, youre looking to see how to fix it. Perhaps youll manage to, perhaps you wont. Regardless, it is a valuable skillset to add to your ever-growing arsenal. Dabbling Alchemist You may evolve your Visualization skill into the Prototyping skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Prototyping To predict catastrophic failures and ensure they happen Simte natural phenomena Maximumplexity increases with level. Oi! Machines are hard work! he half-offendedly eximed at the System, Its just all done up front! What is it this time? Inion inquired, and Edwin waved her off. Doesnt matter. Edwin had no clue where to start figuring out what Prototyping did. The description was no help- seriously, that was so vague! Couldnt the System havee up with anything better? The Skill likewise didnt provide him with any immediate feedback, didnt give any clues how it was supposed to be activated. Well, that wasnt entirely true- he was able to activate it, but doing so had no apparent effect on anything around him. What was the secret? It took him about an hour of messing around before he finally got his answer as he Visualized a cube floating a few feet off the ground in front of him before activating Prototyping. As soon as had done so, gravity took ahold of the box and it fell to the ground, thudding into the ground and bouncing slightly. Huh. Inion perked up as he broke out of his concentration, but resumed her seemingly-bored float around the area when he waved her off. Hed fill her inter, once he had a good idea as to what this Skill did exactly. Some more experimentation showed that it, forck of a better term, did indeed simte natural phenomena, much to his annoyance. Now how was he supposed toin about the System when it actually provided a decent skill description? Ugh. Anyway, he could imagine a situation by utilizing Visualization, and then by activating the Skill, it would take his Numeracy measurements and apply them to whatever he had imagined. However, theplexity of his Visualizations was starkly limited- at the moment, he could only simte basic geometric solids, with no variation for material. As he toyed with it more, he managed to start simting two basic objects, which could interact with each other as well as their surroundings. This would be eminently useful as it leveled, he could tell, especially if he could figure out how to apply material strength to the Skill. Already, his mind was racing with all manner of possibilities, but he was getting ahead of himself. Mana 15 21 Stamina 16 20 Health 20 24 Perception 8 10 You havepleted the Physical Arcanist path! Though many seek to strengthen themselves through physical means, others attempt to surpass the limits of the world through use of magic, you tread the narrow path between them. It is a hazardous path for many, and one not taken often, but when threaded appropriately its results are undeniable. Weaving magic into your body directly, without aid of potions or artifacts brings you ever closer to disaster, but binds you to the world all the more. Metabolic Alchemist You may evolve your Athletics skill into the Overcharge skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Overcharge There is always another horizon to surmount Infuse magic into yourself to push past your normal limits, at great potential cost Maximum duration increases with level. Great Cost sounded... ominous. Inion, Skills wont kill you, will they? Oh, they absolutely can. I remember one particrly bold fellow from back when who got a Water Breathing Skill. He dove down deep, only to have the Skill give out on him and he drowned. Okay, but that just sounds like Skill misuse, like if I blew myself up in an explosion, or poisoned myself with a failed potion. What about the act of using a Skill being deadly to the user? Inion frowned, I dont think that should be possible. Well, she amended, Its possible, but I dont think the System would give out something like that- no, wait. Blood Sacrifice could absolutely kill you if you arent careful. What about if you are being careful? Then you should be fine. Why, whatd you get? Edwin read out his new Skill, to her nodding, Mixing raw mana with your own body outside of the framework of a Skill or magical organ, like you do with your eyes and Seeing, can be harmful without proper training or bodily adaptation. Even at the best of times, it creates this vile ck goop that can build up in mundane tissues and in extreme cases has to be cleansed. If youre careful, though, and dont overuse it, you probably wont have any problems. The alchemist frowned, Cleansing in what way? She shrugged, Eh, some just sort of push it out like sweat, others manage to excrete it into the stomach and vomit it, but theres also some magical and herbal treatments for it. And this happens a lot? Oh, its really miniscule and only really happens with wholly unprocessed magic, she saw the frown growing on Edwins face and rified, Your potions should be fine unless you seriously, seriously overdo it. Like, drink gallons of concentrated potions in one sitting. Using magical nts already dilutes it because the magic is associated with something physical already and your body is just generally better at dealing with that sort of thing, and what tiny amounts you get from that and normal mana exposure is flushed from your body naturally. Its only when you start shoving raw, unstructured mana inside of yourself that issues arise. Even with this Skill, its probably not something youd need to worry about so long as you restrain yourself. Edwin was still somewhat wary. It sounded like it was kind of dangerous to overdose on raw magic, but he would need to use the Skill sometime so he could level it, and better that he gave it a try now, right? Overcharge. He activated the Skill, Infusing mana into his entire body. Immediately, he felt everything about him be sharper, clearer, and he felt stronger and more grounded, as though he had just gotten a nex influx of Attributes on top of the ones hed gotten forpleting the Path. He abounded with energy, and his muscles flexed with newfound strength. This was amazing! ...Then the moment passed, and the feeling suddenly reversed. His muscles cramped, the world grew dim, and exhaustion mped its jaws over his entire body while a dull ache permeated throughout him, and he slumped to the ground in pain. Inion stood over him, looking down where hey, You okay there? I think so. Ugh. Feels like I got hit by a truck. A what? Never mind, he groaned, pulling himself to his feet. I think thats enough for today. Im... going to sleep now, I think. Inion gave him a hand, leading him to his bed and gentlyying him in it. He nodded in appreciation and let his very, very sore body give way to the peaceful oblivion of sleep. It had been a very long day, and besides, the sun was beginning to set. His Paths werent going anywhere, after all. Chapter 77a: Taking Things to the Next Level Chapter 77a: Taking Things to the Next Level It was only when he woke up without so much as a trace of lingering soreness that Edwin finally appreciated just how much work Sleeping must put in to refresh him sopletely every night. Still, he couldnt say he wanted to put himself through that ordeal very much. If he were a masochist, he could use Overcharge every night to level it and just sleep off the exhaustion and pain but that sounded like almost-literal torture. Plus, he didnt want to overuse it and maybe poison himself with ck sludge? No thanks. He pulled himself from his hammock, wincing slightly. Okay, so he was still a bit sore. Waking up with a tweaked shoulder was something of a novel experience for him these days after all, and he was so incredibly d that he did have Sleeping, or else Overcharge might well put him in his bed for a week rather than a single night. His personal difort notwithstanding, it was a very bright and early morning. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping- wow, were the birds ever chirping. He could identify where dozens of birds were just from listening, and if he changed his Perceptions focus to sight, he was able to take in an extraordinarily high-detail view of Obainn, its walls and roof glistening with morning dew. He allowed his door- a proper door these days, not the contraption hed initially woven- to swing close, following its trajectory solely through the faint breeze it created as air rushed out of its way. Perception was amazing. He waved to Inion, only wincing slightly as his arm tweaked a sore muscle, who floated over to him on a cloud of colorless light- one of her Skills, whatever it was. Hed ask about it at some point. After exchanging standard morning greetings, and Edwin had a small bite to eat, Edwin dropped down to get started on the rest of his Paths. He had another long day ahead of him, that was for certain! You havepleted the Biologist path! The magic of life is such a ubiquitous phrase that it ismon knowledge to almost all that life must be intrinsically linked to magic. But not for you. Life is a natural phenomena, and that means it follows rules, guidelines, and patterns. It can be studied, it can be predicted, it can be understood. While this is perhaps not what is typically meant by the idea that one ought to know themselves, it seems to be adequate for your path. Metabolic Alchemist You may evolve your First Aid skill into the Anatomy skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Anatomy Neither cruel nor cowardly. Never give up. Never give in. Understand the body of yourself and others Insight improves with level. Huh. It didnt change his ss name? Well it made sense after a fashion. Metabolic Alchemist made enough sense for a biologist/alchemist. It did imply that his ss name would stop changing more or less altogether at a certain point, though Inions ss indicated it would get moreplex instead, or perhaps as well? He asked as much, getting a nodded agreement from his friend, Ya. Your ss is a cumtion of all the Paths youve taken, each Path youplete does less and less to actually change it. At some point, youd need a bunch of Paths to budge the Name. Though as you get morepleted, the more grandiose it tends to get. Or more definitive. Be very wary of anyone who has The as part of their ss. Yeah, Edwin probably didnt need the warning, but it was still nice to have confirmation. He nodded absently while he turned his attention instead to his newest Skill. The first thing it did was improve his proprioception no wait, that was just his Perception as he turned it towards himself. What it did do was help him figure out exactly which muscle in his shoulder was tweaked and that it should work its way back into ce if he kept it rxed today, caused by overstressing itst night. A flex of Numeracy informed him of his precise heart rate- 38 bpm- and while he couldnt quite feel his exact blood pressure, it felt healthy. He looked at Inion, and frowned. He couldnt put his finger on what it was exactly, but something about her anatomy just seemed wrong. Her proportions, or maybe the way her muscles moved It was another reminder that she wasnt human, no matter how superficially she may have resembled one, given the way her wet tunic form-fit itself to her Focus, Edwin, he admonished himself. Hmm. So, it gave him extra feedback on the state of his own body, and let him get further intuition on the bodies of others? Not too shabby. Pity about it being another thing for him to split his Perception between, though. It was funny how he became supernaturally aware of his surroundings, only for him to immediately find his attention split between far more stimuli than before. He needed to find some Paths that would give him more Perception, and the sooner the better. Then again, hed probably slowly limate to all the information his Skills were feeding him anyway. The human brain was amazing at that sort of thing, after all. Next up was Makeshift Alchemist, and Edwin just wasnt feeling it. He had Purify, Breathing, Flexibility, Nutrition, and Sleeping to go. Makeshift Alchemist would, he was almost certain, give him some kind of ability to turn normal materials into alchemical ingredients by evolving Purify. It was undeniably useful so why was he hesitating? Well. I do already have Mana Infusion, he mused, That kind of fills that same role. And Practical Alchemist is also a good Path, which could also evolve Purify into something that might be useful in my research and alchemical experiments. On the other hand, he did really need some kind of backup in case he found himself without his potions on hand but didnt Overcharge kind of fill that role? Hed gotten a Skill which could be quite a fight finisher if he pulled it off properly, and hed gotten another Skill which meant hed always have something on hand. If he took too many Skills that were backups, then that weakened his primary strategy, so wasnt it better that he ensure that most of his Skills were ones hed use all the time? It wasnt like hed ever be unarmed these days, right? To confirm his suspicion, he summoned a knife with his Sappers Apparatus. The blue light slowly coalesced into the appropriate shape, a de of crystal, sharp and pointy. He pricked himself with the end- a marginally harder task than anticipated with his newly-increased Health- and watched the blood bead at the tip of his finger. Anatomy helpfully informed him he was bleeding and that it was already clotting. Huh, that was fast. Still, it confirmed that he could make weapons with Apparatus, though Edwin tossed his knife at a nearby rock. It cut through the air with perfect uracy and shattered as it struck the stone tip-first, vanishing into faint motes of blue light. It wasnt super strong, admittedly, and took a while to form, but it was the principle of the matter that mattered. Hmmm. He would take Practical Alchemist first and see if it evolved Purify. If it did, great. Hed put Makeshift Alchemist off to the side as his one Path he didnt take this time around thanks to Unkibles unpredictability. If it didnt, hed take Makeshift Alchemist to evolve it instead. Better that an alchemist Path evolved it than Adventurer or one of his fey Paths, after all. You havepleted the Practical Alchemist path! Some alchemists get lost in their own experiments, in their own philosophizing and experiments, that their minds and tests be wholly divorced from reality even as they seek toprehend it. Others run experiment after experiment, seeking knowledge for the simple fact that it is knowledge, and they must know it. You may be vulnerable to both of these failings, but you recognize that the true value of alchemy is in the application of the theoretical to reality. You have found how to use your alchemical knowledge in defense, in aid, and to attack. You would be well-served to remember this lesson as you venture forth on your path. Alchemist You may evolve your Purify skill into the Refining skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Refining Better. Faster. Stronger. Iste and improve desirable qualities Strength of refinement improves with level. Edwin wasnt sure how that differed from Purify. Not totally, at least. With chemistry, metallurgy, and pretty much all material science, refining something was purifying it, removing impurities and concentrating what you wanted. How was this different? He asked Inion as much, only to get a skeptically raised eyebrow, Your ss may say youre just an Alchemist, but you dont think much like one, do you? Whats that supposed to mean? And no, I dont. I was a scientist first, and in many ways I still am. Im an alchemist because Im in and of magic, of course Im going to be one! Like, do you realize how cool of a job description alchemist is, when it isnt just pre-chemist? Trying to develop immortality, turning lead to gold, making a universal solvent! Like, those are the things which every chemist dreams of. Making the impossible, doing things which tly break thews of physics. Of course Ill jump at the chance! Okay, well thats your problem. I dont follow. You said it yourself. Making the impossible, you dont ept that alchemy and the things you do are possible because Joriah follows different rules from your Earth. To you, you have thews of your universe, and then theres magic. Magic is impossible, and it doesnt fit with what you know. It is not an intrinsic part of reality. Thats just an expression, though! I do and see impossible things all the time. He gestured around, Look at me! Im sitting here talking to a floating nature spirit. And of course magic is in addition! Everything behaves almost exactly the same as on Earth, just with the addition of magic! I can use magic perfectly well, and I can be a scientist-mage no problem! But refining is literally just the exact same as purification. Think, Edwin, she floated over him. What does refining something mean to an alchemist. Not to a scientist, but to someone who views yourws of the universe as interesting guidelines. Edwin shrugged helplessly, then caught himself. Hmmm. Uhh. Huh. Actually. He reread the Skill description, Iste and improve he blinked, Can I alter physical parameters with this? Like, I dont know make something stronger than it should be? Alchemy Essentia, I guess? Its your Skill, Inion countered, Why should I know? Edwin sighed, Yeah, yeah. Refining ended up being even harder to use than Alchemical Dismantling, and Edwin figured he had to be doing something wrong, but he put it off to the side for the time being. Four Paths to go, four Skills left. What did it still have in store for him? Mana 21 28 Stamina 20 23 Perception 10 13 You havepleted the Feytouched path! Your path has taken you into the most curious of locales. Among these are the primal corners of Joriah, where powerful spirits slumber, hailing from a world quite unlike the one that currently exists. You bear many resemnces to them, and have round yourself in concert with one of these great fey. Inexplicably, you survived this encounter and can now im a small fraction of their might in your own adventures. Leighis Alchemist You may evolve your Flexibility skill into the Feys Caress skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Feys Caress Brush against the power of the fey Bind yourself to a touched material, gaining some of its properties Depth of binding increases per level. Leighis? Whats that? Medicine? Where did you hear that- oh. Inion stopped as she presumably Identified Edwin, and nodded, Well, it means medicine. Medical, rather. Edwin wryly nodded, Got it. Any idea why I have a word in my ss that isnt in anguage I understand? Youd know as well as I. Edwin mumbled vague halfint before he turned his attention more to his newest Skill. For once, the Skill description was actually useful in figuring out what to do, and heid his fingers on a nearby rock and activated the Skill. From the point of contact, gray-ck stone spread up his arm, bringing a chill and a faint sense of numbness alongside the discoloration. Before it could reach his elbow, he pulled away and the transformation began to reverse, shrinking down the length of his forearm and to his fingers before vanishing altogether. So it wasnt permanent. That was good. He didnt think it would be- heck, the thought hadnt even urred to him until after he tried the Skill- but it was still nice to confirm as much. A bit more poking around, both literal and figurative, alongside some coaching from Inion helped Edwin tease out some of the limits of his new Skill. He could bind to mundane materials around him, like wood, stone, or leather, and take on many of their characteristics. His skin generally became tougher regardless of what he bound to, it would be heavier or lighter, usually lose a bit of flexibility, and get a few other misceneous attributes depending on what he absorbed. Metal allowed him to shapeshift his features ever so slightly, deforming his fingers to be pointed and Cloth was actually lighter and more flexible than just using skin, to give the two primary examples hed found. Attempting to Caress air hadnt gone well, and had resulted in severalyers of skin stripped from his hands before he knew what was happening. Inion told him it was because of the Skills low level, and he might be able to use it to turn wholly into wind at higher levels, once he could transform all of himself at once. It was apparently simr to the Skill she had gotten as part of binding to her pool- namely Aquatic Presence- except his bindings were strictly temporary and his nature as a fully corporeal and mortal entity was fighting it. As a result, she was able to coach him through how to use his water transformation, especially how to hold the water close to him (preventing a repeat of the air fiasco), and marginally manipte it. Eventually, hed be able to turn his entire arm into water, but for now, it didnt even transmute the entirety of his skin. Flexibility was the only reason that he was even able to move while Caressing stone or metal, and even that was something of a struggle. He also found that how much of himself he could transform was strictly limited to how much stuff he was in contact with. Using one of his few remaining grai only allowed him to turn his fingers into gold, which ended up being surprisingly easy to flex for a metal, though it made sense why it was the case. In any case, to use his Skill reliably, hed need a significant amount of materials on hand. Golden fingers would probably be useful in lieu of gloves if not much else, but stone or steel forearms would be useful if he needed to punch someone. Lastly, any transformation started with wherever he was touching the material. If he was standing barefoot on stone, it would start with his feet. If he bnced a coin on the back of his hand, it spread from there. Turning his entire body to stone felt strange, but not altogether unpleasant. His clothes didnt transform alongside him, but that felt less like a Skill limit and more just not knowing the proper technique (Inion was no help there, to no real surprise). Overall, a decent Skill. Lots of potential, but it would take time to figure out how to use it optimally and he wasnt sure if it would ever be one of his primary tools in a fight, though he seriously wanted to figure out how that transformation worked. Now, what was next... Chapter 77b: Taking Things to the Next Level Chapter 77b: Taking Things to the Next Level Mana 28 33 You havepleted the Fey Scion path! You have learned much from your fey mentor, from lessons on magic to Paths to how to utilize your Skills. Already, you have taken some steps to more fully embody the nature of your Arcadian teacher, and with your previous endeavor inprehending the nature of reality from the physical, you have taken the first steps needed toprehend reality from the metaphysical. Alchemical Scion You may evolve your Nutrition skill into the Arcadian Elixir skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Arcadian Elixir Once one has sampled perfection, well they can settle for what you make That which you make is like unto ambrosia Potency increases with level. Are everyones skill notifications as sarcastic as mine? Edwin asked Inion. She perked up, looking for rification, and Edwin read the Skill box to her. Okay, you can stopughing now. It wasnt that funny, he finally decreed. Now are you going to answer my question or not? Fine, fine. Its just funny, Inion wiped away an imaginary tear from her face andposed herself. To answer your question, no. Its not normally like that, at least for me. I dont know what determines the Skill descriptions, but its not consistent between everyone who gets the same Skill. Great, Edwin grumbled, Im so d I alone have to deal with this sort of thing. Would it kill the System to consistently give me useful Skill descriptions? Edwin shook his head and started trying to figure out what it did. . It took a fair bit of trial and error, but he eventually felt like he had it figured out. Anything edible he made now tasted better- particrly noticeable whenpared to the same thing hed made prior to getting the Skill- and was more filling. That seemed rathercking, so there had to be some kind of further hidden effect he wasnt seeing. It did have the side effect of making his previous food taste like cardboard inparison, but he could live with cardboard so long as it was filling enough. Hed just have to remake a bunch of his supplies, figure out what the bare minimum amount of work needed to get the Skill to activate was, and see if it worked with potions, too. Oh man, that would be awesome if it worked with healing potions and the like. Better-tasting and possibly more effective potions would be so nice, way better than the vaguely bitter and medicinal taste they usually ended up being in any case. When she sampled it, Inion agreed that his food tasted better now, as well, and that it reminded her of home. Overall, a win! Perhaps a boring Skill, but one that would at minimum make his trail rations far more tolerable. Breathing and Sleeping to go, and Explorer and Adventurer tobine with them. He was getting so close he could practically taste it. Pity it didnt taste as good as his venison jerky soup. Stamina 23 29 Perception 13 18 You havepleted the Explorer path! The path you have taken is not one many have trod before; going ces unseen for generations and finding all the forgotten corners of Joriah. You boldly venture into the unknown, zing your own trail through calm and storm alike, the only thing murkier than your past being your future. Alchemist-Errant You may evolve your Breathing skill into the Fresh Air skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Fresh Air Nothing like the smell of a newly-discovered toxic gas in the morning! Breathe in fresh air Purity increases with level. Edwin felt a dramatic shift in the air the moment he took a breath and copsed into a coughing fit. He had not been expecting such a sudden change from a new Skill, what was causing ah. Purify must have affected it, didnt it? Yeah, that would make sense, if he functionally just had a level 75 Skill suddenly appear out of thin air. His exnation of the air being too pure as to why he suddenly doubled over coughing drew an amused giggle from Inion. Overall, Edwin wasnt sure how the Skill actually functioned, as he could still smell his surroundings, and it was as though pleasant odors were allowed through, whereas anything even marginally unpleasant was filtered away though it was still present if he thought about it, just not obvious. It was very cool being able to stand in the smoke from a campfire with no issues breathing, but further confusing matters was the fact that his eyes didnt seem to be affected by the smoke either. There was clearly a lot packed into the Skill which the description didnt adequately describe, but he had no clue where to start testing its limits. Although maybe he could breathe underwater with it? So he, as it turned out, could not breathe underwater. At least, not yet. His trial run had still had him inhale water, but far less than a mouthful. Probably, as the Skill leveled, he would be able to just hang out fully submerged, but that day hadnte yet. For now, hed have to settle for being highly resistant to airborne hazards. It probably worked on diseases and inhaled poisons, though he couldnt exactly check- nor had he gotten so much as a sniffle since hed arrived on Joriah,e to think of it. Weird. He hadnt considered that fact, but if he had, he would have thought that his immune system, being wholly unfamiliar with all the gues and viruses to be found on Joriah, would fare about as well as that of the Americans when faced with Europeans. Now, he wasntining that he hadnt died of the smallpox-equivalent here, but it was kind of strange. Then again, there was so much ovep in animal life (which was its own kind of weirdness for that matter), maybe there were simr connections in diseases? Asking Inion just confirmed that they did indeed have disease on Joriah, the System not wholly sufficient to snuff it out, but she wasnt terribly well-informed about what said diseases were. Perhaps his gics were subtly different enough, being an extranar human, that he got an exemption, as surely as if he were a human among chimpanzees? Well whatever it was, he was just going to be thankful and hope that he never had to deal with it. Something to worry about another day. Meanwhile, he had one Skill to go, and one Path toplete with it. So, what would Adventurer do to Sleeping? Make him immune to needing such? Let him dream up training situations? Let him adjust a Skill he had overnight? Health 24 25 Stamina 29 30 Perception 18 19 You havepleted the Adventurer path! Your path is your own, and no one elses. From your very first moments upon Joriah, you have broken conventions and defied expectations. Your very existence is unpredictable despite the best efforts of many, and you carry with you many valuable lessons for all who would seek them. You venture forth on your own terms, adventuring for the sake of novelty and excitement but to help and learn as well. Take care you do not lose yourself like so many before you. Alchemist-Errant You may evolve your Sleeping skill into the Watchful Rest skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Watchful Rest No more sleepless nights, just sleepless knights Retain awareness of your surroundings while asleep Awareness increases with level. Or maybe it would help keep him from being surprised during the night. Well, it may not have been as morous as some of his other Skills, but perhaps he was getting overly hopeful for a 30-point Path. This would serve him perfectly well going forward, as Inion wouldnt always be able to keep watch for him. Something that reduced his need for sleep would have also been wee, but this worked perfectly fine as well. So he was to be an Alchemist-Errant going forward, was he? Well, it at least sounded cool, and did describe him more or less adequately. It was still early-ish afternoon, his Skill experimentation having only taken a few hours, and that meant Edwin still had onest task to do before he started exploring all his new powers together in earnest. You have unlocked the Flight skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Flight (Magical, Tether) Raw magic and will: significantly better than wax wings Flight Efficiency improves with level. Congrattions! For obtaining a Skill that allows you to fly unaided while not having wings, you have unlocked the Aerialist path! Using a dedicated Skill was so much easier than the way he jury-rigged Packing to lift him off the ground. To start, it was instantaneous. No more carefully getting into the right mindset, convincing the air it ought to support his weight. No, it just took a single flex of Flight to bring him off the ground. Mere inches off the ground perhaps, but off the ground nheless. The tether referred to in the Skill felt like, well, like a tether connecting Edwin to the ground below him. In attempting to find the limits of his newest ability, he found that it could (after a couple levels) extend about six inches from him, and so long as it connected to something which could support him, allowed him to fly. It didnt matter if it was a ceiling, a wall, or a tree trunk, just that it was solid. Attempting to fly over the pond had just resulted in a very wet Edwin, and trying to fly over the edge of his cliff had just sent him plummeting to the ground. Hed facented firmly into the dirt, not able to reactivate the Skill fast enough to catch himself. What was really interesting was the way the grass below him bent out of the way, like he was surrounded by a powerful downdraft, but he hadnt figured out how to replicate the phenomena reliably. It couldnt be used as a force push, sadly. If the tether didnt connect to anything strong enough to hold Edwin up, the Skill just failed to engage. Fortunately, Packing didnt seem to count towards that limitation, and Edwin honestly wasnt sure what supported the boulders he lifted to test it. The branches he was using Flight off of certainly didnt look like they had to support several hundred pounds of rock in addition to him, anyway. The rest of the day passed in more or less a blur. Edwin yed around with all of his new skills, trying to figure out all of their interactions and limitations. Hed done some experimenting as he went along, yes, but now he was actually looking for the synergy. The first one was pretty easy- Apparatus and Prototyping both worked off Visualization, so it was trivial for Edwin to figure out how to conjure an object he had prototyped. Apparatus still required him to be in contact with his new creation, but he was able to make some pretty interesting rock stacks by summoning new levels already bnced. Basic Thermokinesis was usable at range, as it turned out, but required him to have a focus point, like his hand were a magnifying ss concentrating heat on a specific object. From there, it was rtively trivial to focus the Skill onto small points, which could either ignite said point if he used Firestarting or just rapidly heat that specific point to the Skills maximum- something like 15 degrees (Celsius, naturally) above air temperature. Past that, and the entire object just started to heat up instead of the point specifically. Once the entire object was at maximum, it radiated heat into its surroundings. If Edwin was able to channel more mana into the skill, he probably would have been able to then keep heating his target indefinitely, but as it stood, he wasnt able to heat it faster than it lost that energy to its surroundings. Curiously, until the object reached maximum sustained temperature, it felt as though it stayed at or just barely above skin or air temperature. That, and a few other interesting quirks of the Skill led Edwin to deduce that Basic Thermokinesis consisted of two parts: one was directly adding energy to his target, and the other was almost perfectly thermally insting whatever he used the Skill on until it was overpowered by a significant temperature differential. For now, the two aspects seemed to be linked- he could only inste an object he was also heating- but Edwin was hopeful that he might ovee that limitation in time. It also opened up some interesting revtions about the nature of magic- was it a form of radiation, where it could be focused to a point? It could transfer energy, yes, and seemed to break conservation of energy given mana just appeared from seemingly nowhere, but how did it transfer that energy? Was it radiative? Convective? Conductive? Did the instion manage to block all three types? Or just conductive (which would also block convective,e to think of it)? There were so, so many questions that Basic Thermokinesis raised, and Edwin had to force himself to step away from it for the time being. Hed give it a thorough, thorough investigation at some point in the future, he promised himself. There were thermodynamics shenanigans afoot, and what kind of physicist would he be if he didnt tear into it as much as possible? Something Edwin found quite interesting was that his Firestarting and Thermokinesis felt very different under his Ritual Intuition. The former felt like weakening, and change, forck of a better term, whereas thetter felt more directly like fire. It reinforced his idea that Firestarting just served as a catalyst rather than an actual firestarter, but he still couldnt confirm it. Curiously, Mana Infusion also felt vaguely like fire, Flight felt like a patch of still air deflecting rain, and Feys Caress reminded Edwin of well, like a mountain spring at night. He wasnt able to get a sense of what his Skills felt like, as the only mana present which showed up on his arcanoception when he Infused them was from Mana Infusion itself. Curious. A bit frustrating, perhaps, but still curious. By a simr token, he was also unable to sense anything pertaining to his own mana. Alchemical Analysis had yet to return anything but whatever an object mostly was, but with Numeracy leveling, he was getting a closer ideas as to how pure the substances he was Analyzing were exactly. Numeracy was also growing more precise in other areas, too, and he was approaching 1 meter being his minimum resolution. Thanks to it, he was able to measure that Improbable Arsenal increased the volume of his unenhanced containers by about a third, and he was nearing a meter and a half per normal Longstride, inparison to about one without using the Skill. Hed also gotten somewhat better with the Skill. He didnt trip over his own feet anymore, not that it had ever happened too often previously, and if he was careful (and double-checked distances with Numeracy) he could walk around without running into anything. What made the Skill soplicated and annoying to use was not only that he didnt have the appropriate muscle memory for how to deal with suchrge steps, but he couldnt develop it either, as every time he adjusted, the Skill leveled and threw him off once more. Hed get there eventually, but it was going to be something of a process in the meantime. Skillful Assessment took some getting used to as well. It created or allowed him to see a vague lightshow around Inion or himself when they used a Skill, roughly corresponding with the utilized ability. All in all, it reminded him of action lines in aic or cartoon, where it was impossible to tell if a given effect was intended to be visible in-universe or was just there for visual rity for the watcher or reader. As if my life wasnt already enough of a fantasy story, he grumbled, The question is, am I the main character or supporting cast? At least the Skill made the normally mundane-looking aspects of the System more exciting, and had some potential for him to leverage it to further understand its underlying mechanics. After all, mostws of the universe didnt have literal source code to peel back and stare at. But the System? Well, that was just asking to be hacked. Level Up! Skill Points 145284 Adaptive Defense 1 7 Alchemical Dismantling 1 3 Alchemist''s Analysis 1 8 Anatomy 1 6 Arcadian Elixir 1 5 Basic Thermokinesis 1 7 Fey''s Caress 1 8 Flight 1 9 Fresh Air 1 3 Improbable Arsenal 1 6 Longstrider 1 7 Mana Infusion 85 86 Numeracy 1 14 Outsider''s Almanac 125 127 Overcharge 1 3 Prototyping 1 9 Ritual Intuition 1 8 Sapper''s Apparatus 1 13 Skillful Assessment 1 5 Congrattions! For spending 600 Skill points, you have unlocked the Journeyman Path! Congrattions! For spending 1200 Skill points, you have unlocked the Adept Path! Name Edwin Maxlin Age 1 year Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 33 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 83, Alchemical Analysis 8, Refine 1, Alchemical Dismantling 3, Sappers Apparatus 13 (Purify: 75) Magical Flight 9, Basic Thermokinesis 10, Feys Caress 8, Ritual Intuition 8, Mana Infusion 85 (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 3, Longstrider 7, Fresh Air 3 (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 14, Prototyping 9, Anatomy 6, Polyglot: 59, Memory 57 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 49, Adaptive Defense 7 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 125, Watchful Rest 1, Skillful Assessment 5, Arcadian Elixir 5, Improbable Arsenal 6 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 284 Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Journeyman 0/60, Adept 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched Chapter 78a: Settling Off Chapter 78a: Settling Off So youre sure that this wont hurt, wont permanently fuse us together into some kind of abomination, wont create an utterly unbreakable bond between us, wont corrupt me into something else, wont turn me into your eternal servant Yes! Blight, Edwin, why are you so worried? Youre usually so much more willing to go along with this sort of thing, Inion cut him off with a cocky grin. Edwin rolled, Well normally you arent about to perform a ritual to bind yourself to my literal body. Its not a binding ritual, its a magical ritual meant to transfer my binding point from the spring to the fey-primed Skill which manifests in across your body. That exnation literally included both the words ritual and binding in it. Did it? Hmm. Well, thats on yournguage for not having adequate vocabry, then. We dont he sighed, Never mind. It may not have made Edwin feel any better, but he was already sitting half-reclined in Inions pond, Feys Caress at full bore turning his skin and hair to water, while the fey was flitting around, arranging floating nts in an approximate circle around him, And youre certain this wont have any negative consequences for me in the long run? No matter how many times hed done it, he wasnt sure if hed ever get used to being able to see his muscles exposed through his skin. Anatomy loved it, naturally- in the week it had taken to get him prepared for this, it had already passed level 20, higher than even Flying had reached and he used that constantly. Yes! Now, calm down or something might actually go wrong. Youre not doing a very good job of reassuring me, you know. Oh, youll be fine. Its only for a few hours anyway. The idea was simple, apparently. While Inion was bound to her spring, sharply limited in power anywhere else, she could change the exact target for her binding rtively easily if it wasnt a major change- namely, something of the same type of material and in close proximity. With a Skill that allowed him to change theposition of his skin, Edwin could sit in her pond and be about as minor of a change as possible. Theoretically. Assuming nothing went wrong. Of course, that still meant that Inion would be literally bound to him, physically as well as contractually, which Edwin still wasnt sure how to process. Still, once they left the Verdant, and the magic-disrupting barrier which surrounded it, Inion nned to bind to a river, possibly even the Rhothos itself, and leave him once again to his own skin. Hed even required an oath as binding as he could sufficiently wrangle that Inion would not harm him in any way during the transfer, and that she would leave him as soon as she could, making all reasonable effort to ensure that as soon as she could came around quickly. Friend or not, Inion was not human and it was a constant struggle to remind himself of that, despite how critical it was that he did. Even so, he was nervous. Inion may have been his only friend in the world and even seemed to genuinely care about his well-being, and was magically obligated to not harm him, but none of those precluded idents. He screwed his eyes shut as Inion sang a melodious song without lyric or rhyme, keeping them closed as tightly as possible until the itching in his watery skin and the sound around him faded away. He peeked out with a single eye, Did it work? he hazarded. Ya! Youre good! Inion cheerfully eximed, pulling him from the water. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief as Feys Caress faded away upon his exit from the pond, returning his skin to its normal, solid and opaque state. He could feel power coursing through him, magical strength flowing through his limbs and torso in a new way that was both disquieting and reassuring at the same time. Congrattions! For willingly serving as a Bind for an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Fey Supplicant path! Congrattions! For fusing yourself with an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Feykind path! Level Up! Feys Caress Level 16 28 He mentioned how he felt to Inion as he dressed, and she nodded thoughtfully, That that sounds about right? I know there are some fey- we call them fairies- who choose to bind themselves closely to mortals. Those they tie themselves to tend to get some interesting abilities. Ive heard of eternal youth, the ability to fly, some transformations, that sort of thing. I doubt youll really get too much that way, cause youre not a true Bind and it wontst for very long, but its not impossible either. Just part of the magic involved- I be more like you, you be more like me. Edwin nodded. Sounded rather fun, all told, and trying to call up his mana was significantly easier than it had been previously. At the mention of flight, he took to the air, reveling in theparative river of mana he was able to call upon, letting him rise some two meters into the air, a good four times higher than his normal limit, Pity! he called back down, I could get used to this. Oh? You want me to keep you as a bind? Ahh Kidding! Edwin breathed a faint sigh of relief as he returned to the ground and gathered his travel possessions together. He also swept through Obainn onest time, just to ensure he hadnt left anything behind. It wouldnt be thest time he ever came here, but it would be thest time for quite a while. He was in a contemtive mood, he mused, running his hand along the living wood frame of the ce hed lived in and trained at for the past year. It had been a bit of a chore to fully pack up everything he could use, including harvesting what crops were ready from his garden, but hed eventually managed it. He had tried to stack Improbable Arsenal containers endlessly, to see if he couldnt fit everything he had into his pocket, but it unfortunately didnt work. Whenever he put one container affected by Improbable Arsenal inside of another, only the one furthest inside actually benefited from the Skill. The outer containers increased volume shrank by the exact amount of additional space within the sub-container. Also, he found that for whatever reason, using Improbable Arsenal on his Apparatus containers, while still functional, was less effective than on more real objects, not that it mattered all that much in the end, thanks to the stacking issues. However, instead of being able to load up on everything he could want, Edwin had to be somewhat pickier with what hed take with him. Fortunately, he still managed to get most of what was actually important Packed away, though the result was a bag nearly as big as he was between both the basic backpack and all the stuff and improvised bags strapped onto it. He was having to leave pretty much all of his pottery behind, but with Apparatus, that wasnt too great a loss. After all, he didnt really have a use for most of his simple ybware and only really needed to bring materials and potions with him. Speaking of materials, Edwin had two notable absences from his basic supply for being an Alchemist-Errant. Namely, actual explosives and smoke bombs. Sure, the former he could mimic through careful use of Firestarting, only made easier with Basic Thermokinesis, but it was still far from reliable. All he really had in the direct offense sense was his alchemists fire, the not-really-a Molotov cocktail hed devised from firevine. Anything more than that had no assurance it would actually work, as his explosive grenades required him to Infuse them while mid-flight, a tactic he had firmly abandoned after many frustrated months of getting it to work even twice in a row let alone a majority of the time. No, he needed genuine bombs, preferably ones he could detonate with his Skills but which didnt require them to work. If he couldnt get it to reliably work in practice, no way was he ever going to try to do so in actual life-or-deathbat. And without grenades, he really didnt have much in the way of true force projection. Hm. Perhaps he should have taken an explosives-rted Path, though he wasnt sure what he might have given up on. He almost wished he was back at n ckstone, ironically. Sure, they had enved him for a month trying to get him to make cement, insulted and threatened him regrly, and held him underground against his will, but they had provided him with the materials he needed to make explosives. His homemade kiln, even post-rebuild- especially post-rebuild, he just hadnt put the same amount of work into it as its predecessor, simply couldnt get hot enough to turn limestone into lime, which was what he used for all of his gear back then. The few times he had tried, the bricks had crumbled and given out, breaking under the extreme temperatures well before the limestone hed collected could react properly. Thinking back on his escape, it was honestly a miracle he hadnt blown himself up while trying to escape.Though, with the benefit of hindsight, Packing likely helped reduce the chance of his will explode if shaken too hard arsenal going up in mes. Hed probably gotten much closer to death with that whole escapade than even he had realized at the time, and far closer than he wanted to be in the future. But that tied back into his other desire of making smoke bombs. What better way to help ensure his safety than to obscure everything that was going on? If he could make it an aerosol dispenser, he might have a decent way to disperse sleeping gas, but more pertinent to the concept itself, he would lose pretty much any straight-up fight he found himself in against apetent foe. His fight with the bugbear assassin sent after him by the ckstones was proof enough of that. So, the obvious solution was to just never put himself in a straight up fight. Hed need to obscure what was going on, nket the battlefield with explosives, and run away. Not necessarily in that order, either, but misdirection would have to be a major tool of his going forward. Even though his bag felt as light as a feather,pared to the sorts of weights he lifted when training his Skills, it still was about as big as he was, once he had everything factored in. Well, nobody could deny that he didnt look like an alchemist if nothing else. Not with the glowing potions tied like Christmas lights ringing his pack. It was kind of nice, in a way. All of his actually valuable things were in the very bottom of his bag, inside a sealed Apparatus box, and his coin pouch was locked in a simr construction that utilized the way Improbable Arsenal worked- namely, that it didnt expand the opening- to be outright impossible to remove while the Apparatus was active. Dismissing his own conjurations was merely the work of tapping it while activating the Skill again, but breaking them was significantly harder and certainly not subtle. He had no doubt that there were pickpocketing Skills which could bypass all of his precautions, but he had no way to prevent them totally, just make it harder for them. Hopefully theyd be rare anyway, what with the way the Empire had their Skill Management system set up. It mostly raised the question of how the Phantom Pickpocket Tara apprehended in his first visit to Vinstead got his ss, but perhaps he was just an Ouw. There had to be a few within the city itself, especially if they were focused on stealth, right? Something to ask while he was in Vinstead. Ready? he asked Inion, shouldering his pack and hefting his walking stick. Ive been here so long, its strange to leave. Edwin nodded sympathetically, I know what you mean, and its only been a year for me. Well be back here eventually, I want to harvest that hispera when it reaches maturity in two years if nothing else. Always the alchemy with you, isnt it? she asked, and Edwin took a moment to parse her tone. She didnt sound mad, that much was a relief. Rather, it seemed like she was genuinely asking. He gave a curt shrug, Its who I want to be. Interacting with people may be a lost cause, but I at least have some hope of figuring out how my chemicals and potions work. Who you want to be, eh? she prodded. Huh. She wasnt normally quite this inquisitive to Edwins personal thoughts. Perhaps moving out got her sentimental? Well, I am a scientist. Sure, we settle into the role of peeling back the mysteries of the universe- which is amazing and rewarding in its own right- but we dont get into science without some part deep down that wants to be a mad scientist, doing all sorts of things that just tly contradict everything we know about creation. Freeze rays, teleportation, time travel, interdimensional portals, warp drives, lightsabers Thats the sort of thing that drives us, on a deep and fundamental level. Because we want them to be true, and now I find myself in a world where all that stuff might actually be possible? he shook his head as they drifted along the riverbank, Its like if I had been told I was going to wizard academy when I was ten, but better because I know how to scientifically test stuff. Everything I thought I knew is vastly iplete. Wizard academy, eh? But you arent trying to be a mage? Edwin shrugged, I have no basis for how to be a decent mage- youve admitted yourself you dont know how to teach me anything, Inion reluctantly nodded. But science? I can do that. Besides, my mana maniption is pitiful. Sure, I want to improve it in time, but I already have a solid base for alchemy, why would I not use that? It doesnt matter if it takes me ten minutes to charge up a dagger with mana if theres no time pressure for it. Doing most of my magic stuff beforehand means I can neatly bypass past-Edwins mistakes. One day, maybe Ill try to figure out magic without the science, but the science will do nicely until then. Inion hemmed in agreement as they flew forward. You know, Im kind of nervous this time. Why? Last time you didnt even notice it, Inion countered as she toed the line demarcating the Verdant from the rest of Rhothos. Sure butst time I wasnt half fey. Youre not half fey. Youre fey-adjacent. Still not sure how much of an impact that has, though. Edwin vaguely mumbled some kind of agreement and brought his hand up towards where the barrier apparently was and felt no resistance. Huh. Guess it still doesnt affect me, he noted, uneventfully stepping out of the forest. You having trouble there? he asked Inion, who was slowly struggling against the fierce wind keeping her penned inside. I can got it! she stumbled forward as she pushed through the resistance, recovering her bnce before she fell in the dirt, fortunately without needing Edwins help- if he had tried, who knew how his backpack would react, and he did not want to have to repack it all. It was easier that time, she remarked, brushing imaginary dirt from her arms. d you have it so easy, Edwin wryly replied, Id hate to see you have to work. Inion stuck her tongue out at him as they floated to the road, and Edwin drew his tone into a more serious one, checking in on his friend, But youre feeling alright? No water deprivation or sensation of slowly dying? She shook her head, Nope. It feels more like Im in Obainn, other than the lower magic out here. Edwin frowned, trying to sense the mana in their surroundings. It did feel rather anemic, and was only made more obvious by directing his Perception towards the task. Using Ritual Intuition, too, there was little of the feel of nature he hade to associate with his surroundings. Instead, it felt more like a faint breeze tapping at the edge of his senses. There was still a hint of life and nature, but it felt like sprawling grasnds rather than the greenhouse-like sensation within the Verdant, Huh. I think I can feel what you mean. As they reached the road, Edwin sank back to the ground, taking the strain off of Flight. Level Up! Flight Level 18 21 Ritual Intuition Level 14 16 Fast leveling or no, the Skill still had a strain on him that was just tiring. Granted, he could probably keep it up for most of the day thanks to his Stamina and Mana, but doing so would be like if he spent the entire day hiking pre-System. Meanwhile, walking essentially didnt tire him in the slightest. He had plenty of time to level Flight, after all. He wasnt nning to try and reach Tier 3 until his Alchemy was at least level 120 and he got Alchemy Specialist. By then, Flight and what it evolved into would have had more than enough time to hit level 60, he was sure. Hed make sure to use it as much as possible to help speed it along, but he wasnt pushing himself that fast anymore. Besides, he could use the Skills existence as a Path lightning rod to give him security whenpleting Attribute-granting Paths, giving him another shot to unlock them before he went for the full Tier 3 jump. He felt much more confident now in his ability to take care of himself. Not only did he have an actual defensive Skill- two if he counted Feys Caress- but he had Health, First Aid in the 80s, and a whole suite of health potions. He could take a few bumps, even if he couldnt return the favor. So how does it work, when you bind to something like the Rhothos? How does itpare to your pond? he asked as they walked down the road. Ill be stronger once Im bonded to it than with my pond, but itll also be less localized. Basically, I get more freedom and more power! Edwin raised an eyebrow, Then why werent you bonded to it before, if its so much better? Eh, she waved her hand dismissively, Aenliss had bonded to its spring so she had a strong im to it. With whatever is keeping the Verdant separate though, the main riverll be unimed, just for me! What if another naiad is already bonded to it, though? No big deal. The river is big enough to support loads of fey as proper river spirits. Itll just mean the power is divided up some. Still great for me, and still with loads of mobility. So again why didnt you do this earlier? Because I had people visiting me, thats why. I enjoyed having my own little cult who came and asked me for wisdom and stuff. I was a big deal back when, Ill have you know! Sure you were. Edwin replied, cating her in a manner he knew would irk her pride, speeding up as he did so. I was! Oh,e on. Dont be like that. Edwin! Edwiiiinnnnn! Chapter 78b: Settling Off Chapter 78b: Settling Off Longstrider helped hasten their journey significantly, not that Edwin really anticipated anything else, and the pair found themselves at the bank of the Rhothos by noon. The flooding wasnt as extreme as thest time they hade through, and was even lower than the first time Edwin hade through, but the river was still farrger than anything Edwin had ever seen on earth, to the point where he couldnt even see the far bank. Fortunately, there were still plenty of quiet ces where the current wasnt as strong, curling into eddies along the bank, forming semi-stagnant pools of water perfect for their purposes. Before Inion began the ritual, the two of them worked to create a circr hole that would serve as the circle for the magic. Inion didnt know much about the basics of what she was doing, just following her instincts and what she had been taught, sort of like how most people could ride a bike, but fewer knew how to build one, and possibly knew why they worked. Last hed heard, at least, it was still at least marginally debated. Something about knowing the forces involved, but not how theybined? Anyway. Once the hole was dug, it was a rtively simple matter for Inion to weave some nearby rhoreed into further circles and glyphs for the magic and set them floating around him. As she began the ritual, Edwin sank into Feys Caress, turning even more of himself than before to water. Huh. Was that what the inside of his bones looked like? Interesting. And those must be his arteries- wow, it was strange to see blood just vanish and reappear elsewhere as the veins switched in and out of being transformed into water. If he twisted his head- yep, his heart too. Man, hed have to be careful to never turn into wind at this level of the Skill- hed literally y himself alive. He kind of wished he had a mirror of some sort, that he could see what his skull looked like. Had his eyes turned to water as well? What was he seeing through? Could he see his brain? Ooh. Would he be able to evolve or develop this Skill to transform other things? It would be an absolutely phenomenal Skill for doctors and surgeons- be able to just peek below the skin and into the bodys makeup with no harm, no fancy equipment. -done now, you know. You dont have to keepying there. Inions voice broke him out of his thoughts, Really? That was fast. Everything went that smoothly? Ha! It took me an hour to get everything ready because it all went so badly. You were just floating there checking yourself out, didnt even react when I pulled the bond away. An hour? No way, Inion just nodded, Seriously? Ya! Havent seen you that focused in all the time Ive known ya. Edwin sheepishly withdrew from the water, the transformation fading away as he did so, leaving him slightly damp as thest bit of water clung to his recently-reformed and magically dead skin. He wasnt as cold as he expected, and directed a bit of Basic Thermokinesis along the surface of his skin to encourage further evaporation while he got dressed. Level Up! Adaptive Defense 11 12 Anatomy Level 23 26 Basic Thermokinesis 13 14 Feys Caress Level 28 35 Adaptive Defense? That was ah, that was probably why he didnt feel cold, wasnt it? It had adapted to help keep him warm? He suspected as much, nice to see it not exactly confirmed, but at least lend a bit more evidence to his hypothesis. How does it feel? Edwin asked, getting dressed as he watched Inion ssh around in the river with all the acrobatics of a dolphin and the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old. Great! So free, so much space! Theres nobody else in this river, and its amazing! she sang out. Edwin chuckled as his friend yed around in the water while he geared up. Fortunately, it wasnt tooplicated, he just needed to be careful to not overbnce when picking up his backpack and slipping it on. Once he was done, he called out, Okay! We dont have all day! Five more minutes! Edwin sighed and conjured himself some solid spheres to practice juggling. It had been a while, but he picked it back up within just a few minutes, and even after Inion finally emerged from the water- soaking wet, naturally- she just floated around watching him for a minute. Eventually, Edwin dismissed the constructs, the blue crystal disintegrating into drifting motes of light, and they set off once more. Level up! Longstrider 18 19 It wasnt quite nighttime yet when they arrived at the Curan shrine theyd slept in on theirst visit to Vinstead, but it was close enough that they decided to stop anyway. Edwin reclined on his bunk, luxuriating in the feeling of being on a mattress instead of in a hammock, and Inion sat at the foot of his bed while they chatted. So what exactly are you nning now? Youve always just said you want to travel, but where and why? Also, why head to Vinstead? Edwin shrugged, Honestly I dont know. I want to get more alchemy stuff, but I dont really know where I can find that sort of thing. Im hopeful I might be able to find out where its usually grown and head in that direction, maybe see if I cant be useful in some capacity either here or there. As for why Vinstead? Well, I do still have themitment thates with being an Adventurer to talk about what Skills and Paths I get, he forestalled Inions interjection with a raised hand, Im allowed to keep some secrets, so whatever youre about to say I shouldnt share, I wont. Inion frowned, No, thats not it. Exining your Paths wouldnt require telling any of my secrets. I was just surprised that you were so open about being an Outsider, you know, what with not wanting to tell me, but thats the secret isnt it? Edwin nodded, Yeah, pretty much. Anyway, I want to keep my end of the bargain, and I want to take a healing course to get properly licensed for using medical Skills, so I dont get arrested or killed for trying to bandage a cut. Plus, a cart of some kind would be rather nice, so I dont have to haul around my every worldly possession on my back. Other than that just a few odds and ends I suppose, and Vinstead is the primary ce I know to get that sort of thing. Id prefer to not stay that long, but I dont think itll be possible to avoid Sash Shash the governor forever, may as well get it over with, you know? She shrugged, If you say so. Edwin mirrored the gesture, So yeah. Its the closest thing I have on Joriah to a home city and I want to get my bearings, possibly pick up some misceneous supplies and skills, and figure out where Im going from there. He fell into silence for a little while, trying to persuade himself that he really did know what he wanted, and wasnt just wandering well, for the sake of wandering. Thats what people who didnt know what they wanted in life did, and he was better than that! He was only out here because he wanted to see the world and expand his knowledge! It wasnt at all because he just needed to get out of Obainn before it started feeling ustrophobic, before the loneliness set in too quickly. And he most certainly wasnt wandering in the hopes that he might be able to find people who liked him, then moving on before they could get sick of him. He breathed out and closed his eyes. Nothing good woulde out of that line of thinking. Not tonight, at least. Gnight, Inion. Good night, Edwin. Watchful Rest made sleeping interesting. There was some tiny part of Edwin that stayed awake throughout the night, letting him know as the air cooled overnight, when the wind picked up outside, whipping around their little shelter. Then, when the first birds began their morning symphony and the sun began to rise. Because he wasnt actually awake, though, he only got vague impressions, and he wasnt sure if he genuinely experienced all that in real-time or just had it all shoved into his memories upon waking up. There was no conscious thought, at least not yet. It also meant he didnt get any System notifications until after he was actually awake. Level up! Watchful Rest 8 9 Magical sleep or no, Edwin was still bleary-eyed when he dragged himself out of bed, extricating himself around Inion, who hadid down next to him at some point. Clearly, Watchful Rest still had a ways to go before he could actually feel safe at night in unknown territory if it missed her joining him at some point. Interestingly, it almost looked like Inion was asleep, which was certainly an unusual development. He gently prodded her, and her eyes fluttered open, Whazza. Oh hi Edwin. She yawned, sitting up and stretching provocatively. Edwin rolled his eyes and turned away. Once upon a time, he would have been flustered, but it was hard to not be inured to the feys antics after a year of living in close proximity. Get up and get dressed. Id like to make it to Vinstead before noon. There was a bit of good-natured grumbling as Inion got ready, and Edwin took the time to have some breakfast- he was trying to develop good eating habits, but the food he had tasted like cardboard. Ugh. Hed need to figure out some trick for living with Arcadian Elixir, wouldnt he? He wasnt an idiot, he figured out what the Skill was doing to him within the first day of having it. Anything he had made since his tier-up had tasted sublime, whereas anything hed made before then, including most of his travel food, tasted nd and vorless byparison. Even turning off the Skill- which was surprisingly difficult, it kept trying to spring back up and if it did so, whatever he was making would be enhanced by it- didnt help, because hed already tried food made with the Skill, so turning it off didnt do anything to help with the fundamental problem. Fey food was a well-worn staple of fantasy, and considering the unusual degree to which Joriah liked to cleave to that standard, it wasnt a surprise that a fey-like Skill pertaining to food would mean hed get a simr effect of his own. At least he wasnt dependent on an outside source for it, so at least he could enjoy the fruits of hisbor. The primary question he was left with was whether or not the Skill actively made other things he tasted worse, or if what he ate with the Skill really was that delicious and filling, as it would impact how moral it would be for him to make other people food. Maybe both? In any case, he should default to caution until he knew better. He absolutely didnt want to deal with the ramifications of making a bunch of people addicted to, well, him. In the meantime, he was stuck eating cardboard. As the Skill would only level up- and at level 8 the same food made with the Skill was easily twice as good if not more than made without it- he should make sure that he got rid of all his old food before it started tasting even worse. There had to be some way to cheat this, he was sure. Maybe he could make a spice mix, then apply that to food he didnt make? Even if he only tasted the spice, it might be enough to get him through this. Something to try once he got to Vinstead, perhaps. He could probably dry some of his herbs and make them into a spice. Somewhere in the distance, a hawk cried out. Edwin narrowed his eyes looking for it, and spotted a bird diving towards the Rhothos. It snagged some prey from the river and took off, flying a short distance before settling on the ground and starting to eat its meal. Edwin blinked and came back to himself. It must have been half a mile away, but he could still see the scene in startling rity, Perception and Seeing is weird. Inion nodded in vague agreement, and Edwin let his mind wander once more as they carried on with their walk. Level up! Longstrider 19 20 Getting into the city was rtively uneventful, especially without Inion there to cause problems. She was sshing around in the Rhothos, and Edwin would see about meeting up with her as soon as it was practical, which they both knew may be a while. Meanwhile, he just handed his Adventurers license to the guards- different ones thanst time- answered a few questions about what he was bringing in, and that was it. He took a bit of a winding route to the garrison, which was absolutely intentional and not at all because he got turned around at one point, and entered through the massive front gates under the watchful eye of Xares, before taking some increasingly-familiar stairs to Rizzials office. Best to get it out of the way early, and if history was anything to go off, Tara might track him down while he was there and spare him the effort of finding her. Rizzalis office was no different from thest time Edwin was here. Piles of paper buried the solitary desk against the leftmost wall, and a wooden chair stood facing the wooden construction. The far side of the room had no wall, instead opening into the grand space above the central foyer, giving Edwin a clear view of Xares shoulder. The gnomes head was initially only visible as a shock of blue hair amidst a sea of off-white, but when Edwin stepped through the doorway, it snapped up to assess him. Edwin! My friend! Back atst! Delightful new ss you have there, you simply must enlighten me. Sit, sit! Edwin smiled as he set his bag down and pulled up the chair. Chapter 79a: Study Skills Chapter 79a: Study Skills Well, youre braver than I, thats certain, Rizzali noted, reclining in his seat as he made thest few notes on his stack of papers. Taking two Paths pertaining to the fey? he shook his head, whistling softly, This is what sets the sessful Adventurers apart from the failures, I do suppose. Although I must say, your Skill Researcher path it seems quite promising. It is quite worthy of a special note, and it seems as though it were rtively simple to earn? If the information you provided is actionable, we may seek you out for amendation of some sort. Edwin nodded, and had a thought strike him, Oh yeah, he spoke up. I was wondering about something. How many Adventurers are there, anyway? Well thats a tricky question, young man, the gnome set his papers off to the side as he finished writing on them, and Edwin caught the brief sh of a Skill illuminating them as he did so, As the individual identity of Ouws is rarely ounted- how does one tally the absence of something? However, it is estimated that some half of all Ouws are adventurers in Rhothos, a number which I can onlymend Lady Tara for, as said count isrgely from her work. I thought she hated Adventurers? Edwin cut in with a furrowed brow Lady Tara is an exemry Enforcer, and doesnt allow her personal feelings to interfere with the duties of her office. The benefits of Adventurers for the grander society is not found in their futile efforts to do the work of the Guards, but in their sacrifice providing new information for the Registrars, that we might always determine greater Skills and Paths for future generations. What prevents someone from just lying? We have our ways, the Registrar replied with a smirk, And as all Skills have weaknesses, I shall not reveal what it is to you lest you determine how to circumvent it. Thats what you get from knowing Adventurersplete sses, isnt it? Edwin realized, So you can try to figure out what their pressure points are. Their what? Their, uhh Weak points. The ces where you can leverage just a bit of strength to cripple a powerful Skill. Rizzali nodded in understanding and winked at him. Yeah, that checked out, and he probably could have figured it out himself if he had put more than two minutes of thought into the matter at some point, but it had never really bothered. What about my unknown Skills, then? If you dont know them The gnome dismissed the concern with a sweeping hand, I neednt know the specifics of your Skills which allow you to Take notes, yes? Edwin nodded, And an Efficient Space variant. Fair enough, Edwin conceded. In addition, Tara vouched for you personally, which is far from typical, I assure you. Speaking of which, did you have any questions for me in my capacity as Skill advisor? Yeah, actually, Edwin recalled, I had a few. Whats the Skill set for normal alchemists like? Im curious how minepares. Rizzalis eyes briefly shed with a Skill and he rifled through a stack of papers, consulting one near the bottom. He muttered something and tossed it to the side, then hopped off his high chair and started ransacking some unseen drawers in his desk. Just as Edwin began to zone out and start meddling with Almanac, he jumped up clutching a paper. Aha! Here it is. I knew I still had the basics stashed somewhere. Lets see he muttered, scanning over the page, eyes aglow with some ability, Process, Herbalism, Mixing, Measure, Reading, and Writing! No Alchemy? If you had found a way to directly obtain Alchemy as a basic Skill, young man, youd be the hero of Panastalis! But no. The Potioneer path upgrades Eating to Potion-making, and taking the Alchemist Path once more brings the Skill to proper Alchemy by the third tier. Sote? My dear friend, the third tier is usually considered a mark of adulthood! You truly were secluded in your youth, were you not? That was true enough, so Edwin vaguely nodded in agreement. What else? I may have exactly none of those Skills, but its still interesting to learn about what they have to work with. In response, the gnome just handed the paper to Edwin. It took a moment for Polyglot to help him adjust to the writtennguage, and a bit longer to parse the lingo being used, but he got there in the end. Hmmm Lets just copy this down into the Almanac while were here. He ignored the conjecture and hypotheses scribbled all over the page, as well as what the ss name should be at each step of the way, focusing instead on the bare essentials, but even that provided a wealth of new information. Walking through Sentry: Standing, through Sentry again: Sentrys Vignce, through Marathon Reader: Project Focus Seeing through Artist: Colorimetry, through Nighttime Hunter: Thermal Vision Language through Chanter: Chanting, through Astrologer: Timing Identify, Beginner: Common Knowledge, Alchemist: Alchemists Insight Status, Novice: Status Log, Expert: Detailed Record Herbalism, Medic: Poultice, Potioneer: Potency Reading + Schr: Book Smarts + Mental Memorialist: Mental Notebook Writing + Scribe: Transcribing + Marksman: Steady Hand Mixing + Cook: Emulsify + cksmith: Alloy Measure + Merchant: Precision Measurement + Alchemist: Allocate Process + Alchemist: Induce Reaction + Batch Alchemist: Speed Reaction + Practiced Alchemist: Potent Reaction Eating + Potioneer: Potion-Making + Alchemist: Alchemy I expected more uses of the Alchemist path, Ill admit. Thats themon mistake! Utilizing only a single Path can result in your Skills merging with one another in function, reducing the spectrum of distinct abilities you can call upon. Whereas with our expertise, it is possible to gain a vast array of utility Skills! After all, the Alchemist path would never grant the capabilities of Sentrys Vignce! Edwin furrowed his brow, Oh yeah, what does that do? Whats up with the Sentry paths in general, actually? Rizzali nodded, and Edwin noticed a faint sh of Skill light around his ears as he answered, Tis amon upgrade for many tedious jobs. Standing does exactly as it suggests and enables its users to stay motionless for exceptional lengths of time. Sentrys Vignce chases off weariness and sleep while standing. Together, they enable alchemists to brew potions that take hours or even days of continuous attention. Huh. Okay, he had to admit, that was pretty neat. Edwin made a quick note in the Almanac about their functions, I see how thatd be useful. I would have never thought of that on my own. A beaming smile spread across the gnomes face, That is what we provide! And why I am always oh so very sad when a promising individual breaks free from the Management because they feel as though they know better than millennia of umted knowledge. Edwin nodded, Makes sense, I suppose. Man, I really wish I had you when I first- he caught himself just in time, Actually, nope, cant say that. I wish I had you as an advisor a few years ago. Out of curiosity, he added, What does Walking give if evolved with Alchemy? Walking and Alchemy. Rizzali looked into the air and tapped his desk, Ah! Alchemical Stamina, which improves the efficiency of stamina-restoring alchemical potions. Not terribly useful, you understand? Edwin nodded, Wow. You guys really have a lot catalogued, dont you? The gnome spread his (tiny) arms at the piles of paper around the room, These are my mostmon references, and you can see how many I have called upon in the previous two seasons alone. So I was wondering what a lot of those Skills did? Its not on the paper? Can you help fill me in on that sort of thing? Edwin asked. But of course! As it is directly rted to your profession, I can answer any questions you may have about the Skills! Unfortunately, I am not cleared to discuss further Skills which you do not possess. If you desire such, Xarenia and its Grand Library has the records you would seek, and is open for all schrs. Wait, why? Imperial policy. I believe the reasoning I was given was ensuring that such information does not fall into too many hands. How does going to the library help with that, though? How many blue-feathered youths would be liable to make the journey and then go diving off trying to determine their own sses? With a single location, it aids in increasing the barrier for such individuals. Fair enough, but it still doesnt seem like that would be enough for the people living near it? Young man, would you like to hear what I have to say or not? Right, right. Sorry. The gnome cleared his throat and began, a Skill soothing his throat as he spoke. Edwin, for his part, scrambled to get it all written in the Almanac as the Registrar provided his exnation. Standing: Reduces strain when standing. By the time it hits level 60, can be done indefinitely and even when sleeping Sentrys Vignce: Pushes off need for sleep while standing, with the maximum length increasing with level Project Focus: Aids with attention span when focusing on a single task Colorimetry: Improves color perception- apparently useful in some potions Thermal Vision: Allows for estimation of temperature with a nce. Something about Detailed Record? Chanting: Reduces vocal strain and improves rhythm, useful for potions which require actions repeated on a tempo Timing: urate estimation of time passed. Apparently useful with Detailed Record. Alchemists Insight: Learn quality and effects of ingredients/potions (man that sounds useful) Status Log: look back on previous System notifications Detailed Record: System records all uses of Skills. Such as the exact temperature of an object measured with Thermal Vision, or time passed with Timing. (Oooh. Thats cool.) Herbalism: Aids in the growing and harvesting of herbs- more specific than Gardening, usually only T2 or above Poultice: Make medical potions with improved quality, power, and proficiency Potency: All potions made are more potent Reading: Read faster Book Smarts: Recall information from books, and where to find information in a read book easier. Mental Notebook: Store memories and notes in a mental book with perfect recall Writing: Speed of writing is improved Transcribing: Ability to copy a text precisely greatly improved Steady Hand: Improves hand-eye coordination and reduces hand shakiness Mixing: Mixed ingredients are mixed morepletely. Also includes what is being mixed in Detailed Record Emulsify: Ipatible elements are more easily mixed Alloy: Mixed ingredients be permanently mixed Measurement: Simr to Numeracy, but based around counting and quantities, allows Detailed Record to ess the information. Precision Measurement: Increased precision of measurement, improving Detailed Record precision. Allocate: Dole out precise amounts of substances (exactly 1 gram grain of water, etc) Process: Following a form or recipe has improved uracy, and is Recorded Induce Reaction: A Catalyst skill, makesponents which might not react do so. Speed Reaction: Speed up a targeted reaction Potent Reaction: The results of anything made that has a reaction involved have the end product be stronger Potion-Making: Improved proficiency and potency with potions Thats a lot of potency improvements. Edwin whistled as Rizzali finished and took a sip of water from a goblet retrieved from his desk somewhere. Indeed. Their quality is unmatched. The gnome agreed. I wasnt expecting Detailed Record to be so impressive, either. Howd thatbination show up? Such is the might of the Empires knowledge. It was originally found by a warrior who had little use for its endless tales of how her strikesnded true or missed. However, such information was capitalized upon by my predecessors, who swiftly determined which sses could benefit from said information more than other possible Status upgrades. So how do you know that what you have is the best possible Skill evolution? The best? s, we usually fall short of such a prestigious standard, as the truly fantastic Skills require aplishments which are simply impractical to be obtained by many, be it on ount of time, lethality, or unknown factors. However, all we have determined is still more than satisfactory, and even beyond the third tier we are capable of providing a stunning amount of guidance. In time, we can hopefully determine in totality which Skills are optimal within the fourth tier and so ensure that none waste their precious Skills on failed Paths. I guess that makes sense? Also, that reminds me of what I was going to ask a while ago. Adventurers? How many are there, that they can keep expanding what you know? Ah, well as I said, half of Rhothos Ouws have registered as Adventurers, and while I am not the only Registrar in the province, far from it, I am rathermonly consulted among your kind. I have oh, perhaps two or three dozen whom I see regrly? Thats it? It seemed low. There had to be hundreds of thousands of people at least living in Vinstead, and only a few dozen Adventurers? Rizzali nodded sadly, s, on ount of them frequently ignoring the quality advice dispensed by my peers and I, it is quitemon for Ouws and Adventurers to gain Skills they are ill-suited for, and whenbined with a hazardous lifestyle, very, very few survive long. I have met and registered hundreds of Adventurers, yet only the truly exemry survive. Sadly, those few inspire the hotheaded youths who think that being an Adventurer means they will be exemry and so seek to reject their citizenship. Those poor, poor fools. If I could strengthen the Management, I would. But s, only the Emperor knows what is required to obtain or strengthen it. Ouch. That had to sting. It sounded like hed had something personal happen, but Edwin didnt pry. It wasnt his ce. He tried steering the conversation to something less tragic. Do you have any advice for my Flight skill? You must have seen something like it before, as you work with Avior? I have seen the Flying skill, yes. Flight however, particrly magical, is utterly outside of my experience. Mages are truly, truly rare. Even here, where nt mages are somon, that is still mere dozens out of thousands of citizens. With such few numbers, we are mostly blind to their grand potential, and so we find that their abilities are squandered. Such individuals have their own Registrar whom they tend to visit, and I know not their stratagems. Huh. So not many people can use magic, then? Rizzali shook his head, With precious few exceptions, no. Those who can are greatly valued by all of Rhothos for their grand nature-rted spells, but every single individual is unique and irreceable, making it problematic when one does pass on, no matter how rare such an urrence may be. Wait, they dont die much? Whys that? One of their Skills, I do believe. This is once again far out of my specialty, but one of the few established Path guides aids them in upgrading Eating all the way to Boundless Verdancy, a tier six Immortality skill. An Immortality skill? Thats a category? Any Skill which adds more to your lifespan than it takes to level it is considered such. Immortality itself is perhaps the most well-known of such, as it adds one year to your lifespan every level, and levels once a year. That seems Less than ideal, yes. It is a pitfall we have steered many away from. Unaging, Eternal Youth, Incorruptible, and Living Legend are all generally considered superior, as they do not require one to never tier up again to continue being immortal. How do you get those? That is restricted information. Edwin tried to control himself, but failed quite quickly, Restricted? Restricted? You know how to make people immortal and youre withholding the information? Youre almost literally killing people by not giving them the tools you have that would save them. Rizzali held up a hand to calm Edwin, and he reluctantlyplied. It is restricted because the Skills and Paths required to get said Skills are non-replicable by the general popce. Incorruptible requires no less than two uses of the Unkible path, among other hazardous Paths and Skills, which I believe you have experience with? Yes. To obtain that Path, one must survive a situation which would ordinarily kill them save for extraordinary circumstances. While there have been attempts to determine a systematic and rtively safe way to obtain Unkible, the high life-cost has forestalled significant progress from being made. Is it immoral to pursue an avenue of immortality at the cost of so many lives? And what if an Ouw were to obtain the secrets to the Skill? There is one Immortality skill which has been found that requires the regr consumption of, and bathing in, the blood of children. Would you like such knowledge to be publicly known, Edwin? He closed his mouth, slightly mollified but still indignant, Well no, but maybe? But also, shouldnt you be pursuing that sort of thing really heavily? Youre still kind of condemning people to death through inaction. The gnome inclined his head in agreement, I will not dispute that such Skills are tremendously beneficial for themon folk, and that is why we are attempting to replicate them reliably. In the meantime, I have faith in my superiors and colleagues that they are upholding their duties to the best of their ability. That they have not yet found a way for all to benefit from an Immortality skill speaks to the difficulty of the problem at hand, not their motives. I dont. Not immortality. Theyve got to just be controlling it for themselves. Edwin didnt voice his thoughts, nodding in agreement instead. I see, I suppose. Rizzali grinned at him, You may not believe me, but I do have faith in the Empire. Weve done many great works these past centuries. I suppose Ill have to take your word for it. Though with your Management skills and the like, how are there any criminals? I mean other than Ouws. he preempted the obvious case, Surely there are morewbreakers than those who would wholly revoke association with the empire? An excellent and frequently asked question. The simple fact of the matter is that there are those who would seek to improve their capabilities outside of the System. Pickpockets learn to choose their targets from those without Perception or a Vignce skill and cut purses, thieves use the Running skill for ill gain, and so forth. Such petty criminals are scarcely much threat to any but the nave and unaware. It is with Ouws where such crime bes problematic, for reasons I am certain you can grasp. It wasnt a perfect exnation, but it did exin enough to set Edwin at ease that his coins likely werent to be stolen from where he kept them by some stupid undetectable pickpocketing Skill. He sat silent for a moment before speaking up again, Thank you for your time. Ill be honest, I kind of expected Tara to havee and snatched me away at this point, so I dont really have a n for what I should do now. Do you have any input on that matter? The gnome stroked his chin, Yes, I suppose Lady Tara is off on some mission or other at the moment, which would forestall her normal greeting of you. What is your remaining purpose in Vinstead? Edwin shrugged, Not entirely sure, to be honest. I want to get a healers license, but I dont really know how to go about doing so. I see. I do not know the process there, though I presume that it likely involves speaking with the Senior Physician. Do you know where I No. Edwin sighed. Of course it wouldnt be that easy, Well, do you at least know where I can start? He shook his head again, and Edwin had to suppress his reactions. Fortunately, while he hadnt needed to control his emotions that much in the past year, being around Inion who didnt care what he was actually like, he still had the required skills to hold back a rant or at least some rather rude exmations. Fine. Do you at least know where I might be able to find an inn for the time while Im staying in the city? Or know who I can ask? Hmmm. Yes, I suppose so. Two of the better establishments of which I am aware would be the Golden Grain, not far from here, and the ck Wheat near the outskirts of the city. The outskirts? Edwin asked, surprised. Popr among merchants, I believe, he rified. Nearer that end of the city. Edwin nodded in understanding. Okay, that made enough sense. How about getting a friend into the city? I dont think shed want to be an Adventurer, but she did want to see the city. Last time we were here, though, the guards wouldnt let her in. I am once again unable to aid you with that, I am afraid. The Governor or Lady Tara would be the ones whom might know the proper procedures for foreign guests to enter. I see. Well, I suppose Ill take my leave then. Thanks for all the information. Edwin bowed out, hefting his bag. He looked out at the massive central foyer, dozens of feet below, and had a thought cross his mind. On a whim, Edwin stepped off the stone tform which held Rizzalis office, tying his Flight tether to the wall. Even though he had to stay within about a foot of the side, Edwin couldnt help but feel satisfied as he drifted to the ground. Even still, the sight of hundreds of Avior flocking up and down the garrisons spire still inspired a pang of jealousy in Edwin, and he vowed to figure out how to fly freely at some point. Level Up! Flight Level 2122 Chapter 79b: Study Skills Chapter 79b: Study Skills Edwin contentedly flopped onto his bed, his bag sitting in the corner of the room. The mattress wasnt the softest hed ever slept on, but it wasparable to the sort he encountered in the Curan shrines he usually spent the night on and thus felt like a cloud at the moment. He was so socially drained, he just wanted toy here for the rest of the night. Hed found the Golden Grain without too many difficulties, albeit with a few wrong turns which had lengthened the trip considerably, but between his talking with Rizzali and the loud bottom floor of his inn, to say nothing of the crowds of people hed had to navigate on his way to his temporary home, he was exhausted. Even if he hadnt had to individually interact with them, that many people still wore him out by sheer proximity, and as it turned out, being almostpletely alone for a full year didnt help in that regard. In the end, hed worked out a decent deal with the innkeeper- a Feather of Wealth, a ss name which tickled Memory, though he couldnt remember why- paying one ager (silver) per four nights, with an upfront cost of two ager, giving him just a week before hed need to pay more. He wouldnt be refunded any if he left early, which he felt was a decentpromise from the initial offer of one ager for three days, one ager upfront and with refunds. His room was one of a dozen like it on the second (of three) floors, a solid not-maple door set into nedar walls and floors, which gave the entire building a vague, pleasantly woody scent. It was also much cleaner and neater than he had anticipated, with all of the woodwork interlocking so perfectly he couldnt even tell where one board ended and the other began. His door was kept shut by a brass lock and a key which also opened the chest set at the foot of his bed. The key itself was of an unusual construction, a double-sided shape that reminded Edwin of a battleaxe, only connected to the primary keyshaft at the end. There were terms for all of those words, he knew, but for all that Memory was tickling him, he couldnt remember what those terms were. Ah well, theyd probablye to him eventually if it ever mattered. There was a single window set into the top of the stone wall opposite the door, and peering through it (using the ceiling as a tether for Flight so he could keepying down) showed Edwin a lovely view of the back of the inn, in a winding alley filled with junk. Well, at least the room smelt nice and cut off almost all noise from the outside- at least one of those effects originated from a Skill embedded in the walls, and Edwin presumed it was the sound-blocking one. Handy. His Skillful Assessment also informed him that the room was expanded through Efficient Space, a gentle tug of light pulling the walls away from him. It looked distinct yet simr to his own Improbable Arsenal, which took the form of a grid of scaffolding whose dimensions didnt line up properly if studied. It had given him a headachest time he studied it too closely, so he simrly didnt peer too heavily at Efficient Spaces structure either. Level Up! Skillful Assessment Level 15 16 A faint murmur of the conversation downstairs, which probably tranted to a burst of uproariousughter, reminded Edwin he wasnt alone. It prompted him to drift out of bed to the door, locking it. As he clicked it shut, a Skill took hold, briefly washing out from the lock and across the entire door and wall. Interesting. While he was up, he figured he ought to unpack slightly, and transferred a lot of his loose possessions, such as the potions and tools tied to the outside of his bag into the provided chest. It too was erged through Efficient Space, though not to the same extent as his room, and so epted everything he had with ease. Edwin chuckled as he realized one of his exterior potions was missing. It must have either dropped off at some point, or more likely was swiped by some enterprising thief hoping it was really valuable. Well, the joke was on them. It was just a glowleaf indicator potion stored in an Apparatus bottle. If Edwin was able to remotely dismiss his creations, he would have done so just then, but he sadly didnt have that ability yet. Oh, that reminded him. He conjured an Apparatus construct within the keyway for his room lock, fixing it in ce so itd have to be broken if anyone wanted to try and get in. He, naturally, could remove it with a mere touch. Hmm. He also transferred most of his valuables from his backpack into the chest. If he were to be in a city with pickpockets, he probably shouldnt keep it all directly on him, now shouldnt he? They might not be directly supernatural for the most part, but it only took one. Granted, inside the chest might not be the optimal location either, so Edwin also split off some of his coins into a few nooks and crannies in his room, creating Apparatus containers to hold them in ce and leaving Almanac notes as to where they all were. Perfect. Level Up! Sappers Apparatus Level 26 27 Did he have anything else he needed to do? Hmm. Inion knew it might be a day or two before he was able to get her into the city, so no rush there. Tara was apparently out of town on a mission and who knows when shed be back. He should try and get a cart of some form to carry his stuff around in, and get ingredients for cooking. Possibly a proper cauldron, too. Or maybe he could use Apparatus for a cauldron? Or would it shatter like ss? Hed need to give it a try. Oh, what about- Edwins stomach rumbled, and he groaned. Ugh. Why did his body need to be so needy? He could go literal months without food and be alright, yet he still got hungry three times per day. He could ignore it and itd go away soon enough, just like he had at lunch, but he was trying to develop better habits, so Edwin pulled himself out of bed, double-checked he had his coin pouch and that it was secured to his belt by Apparatus and let himself out, locking the door behind him and recing his block in the keyway. He would have used multiple separate Apparatus conjurations, but standing awkwardly in the hallway for a single minute was long enough. Venturing back downstairs brought the noise back into full bore. It was mid-afternoon, so the room was rtively empty, but the handful of individuals carousing amidst the tables were loud enough for arge room. If he looked really hard, he could even see the hints of passive skills at work. Shouting or something simr, if he were to guess, and the workers must not have been able to turn it off. He sighed. Best he get this over with. Pulling himself a chair at the bar, he ordered dinner from the innkeeper for hisst few ves- hed need to get some change at some point. The avior passed the message along to the back, and within a few minutes, a wooden bowl of some kind of stew made its way back to him alongside a wooden tankard of water and a small loaf of bread. The wood just felt weird on his lips, so Edwin spent a couple minutes creating himself a proper ss and a spoon, an action which he realized postpletion drew way more attention from the innkeeper than he would have liked. Fortunately, the avior didnt ask about what he was doing, and Edwin gulped down his water in peace. Level Up! Fresh Air Level 78 Well that was unexpected. He thought it only applied to breathing, but did it also purify water he drank? Or maybe it was from breathing normally, and it leveling right as he took a drink of water was just a coincidence? Whatever. Time to enjoy a bit of food. He really needed to figure out how to Huh. It actually tasted good! Better than what he could make, even! It made sense that there would be cooks that made really good food thanks to Skills, and theyd certainly be higher-level than his Elixir. That meant he could actually enjoy food that other people made! This was fantastic! He nearly scarfed down it all in less than a minute before he caught himself and made himself actually enjoy what he was eating. He was about halfway through savoring his meal when the door mmed open, drawing his attention to the far wall. Three armed guards stepped through the very open door, and the din of the room fell silent as the avior among them- a Senior Skyguard- stepped forward, eyes locked on Edwin, You are the Adventurer Edwin, theymanded. Come with us. Governor Shashfra demands your presence. Edwin sighed. Guess I should have eaten quickly after all. Chapter 80a: Meet and Greet Chapter 80a: Meet and Greet The soldiers stood straight, staring expectantly at Edwin. He sighed and downed the remainder of his soup in a single gulp, dismissing his Apparatus utensils as he stood up. As an experiment, he enabled Flight to suspend him just a hair above the floor. He might as well use the time somewhat productively, as he didnt really expect this meeting to go all that great. Best-case scenario, hed be bored out of his mind. Fine, fine. Iming. Dont get too excited. As he approached, the guards shuffled not nervously, but expectantly, and he approached the avior who had addressed him, doing his best to not look down at the shorter individual, Well? Lead on. Apparently the Senior Skyguard hadnt been expecting that, as they- Edwin still wasnt sure how to tell the gender of the avian humanoids most of the time- started slightly before nodding, Correct. Follow us. She awaits your presence. Some spell seemed to break as they began to file out of the inn, allowing conversation to start up again at full bore after it had been dispelled, which Edwin mentally tuned out as they ventured down the streets. If movies had taught him anything, he ought to try and strike up a conversation with the guards as they walked, so he could build up a rapport with them and potentially have some allies in case this went badly. However, personal experience told him there was no faster way to make someone not like him than to talk to them, it probably wasnt a great idea for him to try and copy that tactic. He could put on a bit of a show to make himself seem decent, sure, but he also just didnt feel like talking. So he instead simply allowed himself to be led by his nking guards, the avior before him and the two humans behind. There werent too many gawkers as they passed, which Edwin appreciated, and the few who did pay attention to them only spared a scant handful of nces at most. When one removed the getting lost part involved in getting from the garrison to the Golden Grain, it was actually a pretty short walk between them. He couldnt help but feel unusually intimidated as they passed under the outstretched wing and scepter of Emperor Xares massive statue, leading Edwin to a section of the building he hadnt yet explored or even looked at in all that much detail despite it objectively being the most ostentatious part hed yet seen. Massive marble pirs nked an arched room as it seemingly stretched on to infinity. Some few hundred feet past the demarcation of this sections beginning, a dais rose from the smooth stone floor, a single block of stone melded into the floor, intricately worked with all manner of naturalistic engravings, some of which even moved. There were swaying stalks of wheat, a glimmering blue vein of stone that seemed to flow like a river, and much like the ckstone carvings hed seen so long ago, there seemed to be an almost fractal nature to it all, with details recursively spiraling to and beyond the detail he was physically capable of seeing from this distance. Atop the dais there was, unsurprisingly, a throne of sorts. From what Edwin could tell, it too was a part of the same massive stone block that made up the dais and even part of the floor. Upon it sat an imperial-looking avior with jet-ck feathers and an almost corvid-like beak, instead of the hawklike ones he normally saw. She was busy speaking to someone, but Edwin noticed a Skill which interfered with his efforts to tell what was being said or to who. Interesting. In any case, it was only a few short minutes before the audience before him came to its conclusion, and he was prodded to approach the throne. His feet fell silent against the stone floor, their force precluded by his Flight as he ventured forth, but he still felt every eye in the infinite-looking hall turn to face him. Though by modern standards the crowd may not have been enormous, there were still dozens upon dozens of individuals present. Edwin felt small. Oh so very small. It was even worse than hisst presentation, because this time he didnt have a topic he knew intimately that he could prattle on about. Unpleasant memories aside, he didnt want to screw this up. Should he bow? He should probably bow, but that felt so very awkward, and what if he wasnt supposed to? Hmm. Instead, he settled for something between a deep nod and a shallow bow, inclining his head and shoulders in respect before he straightened up, squaring his shoulders and looking up at the looming Canny Ruler of the Fields, trying to look her straight in the eye. Or should you avoid doing that with royalty? Ah, whatever. He would do his best and try to not get executed for doing something really minor and really stupid, but without knowing the customs. Dang it, he should have asked his escort about what he was supposed to do. Who knew that avoiding being social at all costs might actually have costs associated with it? Truly, a shocking and wholly unforeseen development. Well Hed just try to be as polite as he knew how to from back from Earth. Hed always been able to put on a good show, after all. It was how he fooled some people into thinking theyd like him! He was... fairly certain the governor was supposed to say the first thing, though he couldnt really exin why he felt that way, so he just stayed silent while the avior assessed him in his position beneath her throne. Do not speak until spoken to, or something? He had the feeling that stepping out of line would not be healthy for him, and that meant ying it as safe as humanly- err, Outsiderly possible. There were a whole host of Skills at y, permeating the air with so much noise Edwin could barely parse any of it, even directing the totality of his Perception to the task which was probably a bad idea, in case the governor decided to speak. He reluctantly disabled the Skill, making a mental note to return here to help level it in the future. Level Up! Skillful Assessment Level 16 19 Yeah. He really needed to return at some point. Also, he needed to disable his System notifications. It wouldnt do to have another thing distracting him during this. Edwin shifted slightly, his hand itching to fidget with something, but he squashed the urge before he could do something so rude. Still, with the System, he never really didnt have something to keep him upied, be it working on his Almanac or Visualizing and Prototyping various objects. So far, he could make two objects or one fairlyplicated one, even if he couldnt make anything moreplicated than a rigid body yet- he could make a two-link chain, but not a rope. He felt pretty confident that in time stuff like flex and tensile strength would eventually start being included in the simtions, an asion which he eagerly awaited. Edwin flicked Perception and prodded his Memory to ensure he hadnt missed the governor saying something- he hadnt- and while he tried to stay focused and at attention, he settled for leaving a sliver of attention on hand to make sure he didnt miss anything while his mind wandered elsewhere. Honestly, what was taking so long? Were they waiting for him to make the first statement or something? The governor didnt look impatient, so... probably not? She was still studying him like he was a particrly shiny piece of bread. Well, when she wanted to talk, hed be here. He wasnt going to be tricked into doing something stupid and rude. Prototyping seemed like it ought to have been super abusable, but the only information he was able to get was how whatever he Visualized physically interacted with its surroundings, and even then the objects reminded him of basic video game graphics. He could Visualize a mirror, but it wouldnt automatically show anything he didnt actively imagine in its reflection. He could Prototype a massive ear trumpet, but it wouldnt make sounds any louder. He could also Prototype with his eyes closed, in which case his simtions would y out in an empty, featureless ne instead of the Do you know why you are here today, adventurer? Oh hey! The governor was talking to him. How long had it been? Unfortunately, Numeracy didnt tell him how much time passed unless he actively focused on it, so it didnt have an answer for him. This time. Edwin quickly routed all his Perception to listening and watching the ruler, I cannot say that I do, no, he tried to answer with his best Impetent and nice voice. Disappointing, she sneered, Though not unexpected. And you would disrespect me in this manner? You will address me properly! Well, this was off to a phenomenal start, and Edwin bit back a sarcasticeback. No, no agitating the governor. He was better than that, Apologies maam? he tried, I do not- Do you not know the proper manners of redress? You truly are a pathetic little thing, arent you? she cut him off before he could finish, Address me by my full title or not at all! Do you wish for me to address you as Governor Shashfra Governor Shashfra? his mouth wrestled with the tongue-twister of a name, but if he could struggle through SFishkill properly, he could manage this. Seriously, was it some kind of rule that people in power had to have obscenely oveplicated names? Well, no. Xares was a simple enough name. Weird. Everyone else had normal names. Maybe it was a modern trend of royalty or something? At least she hadntined this time about his address, which he took as confirmation that he must have been doing something right, and so continued, To answer your initial question, I would presume it has something to do with finding out what Tara and her superiors find so interesting about me. Governor Shashfra. You disrespect Enforcer Lisana as well? Have you no shame after she took such pity on you? Edwin raised an eyebrow, Are you are you trying to antagonize me? Governor Shashfra, he hastily added, before quietly cursing himself. He had not meant to say that, it had just slipped out. Could he me a Skill effect for that? Hed me it on a Skill. Answer the question. That is your role here! Edwin wrestled his annoyance back in ce, trying to get this debacle back on track before it could devolve further, though it did still seep through slightly in his response. My apologies, Governor Shashfra. Tara has never once voiced aint about my manner of address with her, nor is her interest in me on ount of pity. I am a person of interest for her, and her superiors trust her judgement, I would advise you to do so as well. Assuming, naturally, such an action pleases you, Governor Shashra. Edwin winced as his tongue tripped over the name. Gah, he messed it up that time. Ah well, cant get them all. The aviors beady eyes stared down Edwin, who returned the gaze unblinkingly. There was some emotion behind the motion, but Edwin had no clue what it was. Hopefully not anger? Yes, well weve all seen the level ofpetence we can expect from her and her associates on firm disy today. Regardless, your assumption is unusually well-ced for an adventurer, so please do enlighten the court as to what makes you so special. I have been advised by Tara that the story should not be shared widely. Dering my history in public is momentously against that advice, and so I would like to decline. Governor Shashfra, he hastily added. You would defy me? her voice rose, and Edwin felt his resolve crumble hang on a moment. He flicked on Skillful Assessment and noticed a sort of radiating presence from the governor, waves of some kind seeking and attempting to intimidate him. Knowing it was indeed a Skill effect made it marginally easier to deal with, but just barely. Honestly, the sheer pressure without Skills, from a person of authority, would have likely been enough to make Edwin give way. Nearly made him give way. All but made him give way. Alright, alright! Edwin gave way, and the pressure was released Ill tell you! Just could I have some level of privacy? You wont want this story shared around your entire court any more than I do. No. Now speak. The pressure returned, and Edwin struggled to fight it off once more. Chapter 80b: Meet and Great Chapter 80b: Meet and Great Edwin struggled against themand, attempting to push through it. He had managed to beat the dwarvenpulsion, what made this different? The Skill pushed, and Edwin pushed back. I will not tell everyone what my story is. That is nothing but asking for trouble and will swiftly torpedo any remaining hopes I have of remaining free and at least marginally anonymous. I will not. Give. Way. I can do this. Edwin grit his teeth, opening his eyes and staring down the governor, I dont owe you answers, he ground out. The aviorughed, Petty boy. You owe me everything. This is mynd, you are a guest here, and you will answer my question. The intensity of the Skill was increasing, and there seemed to be an additional effect being mixed in there, but Edwin just stared it down. He felt the overwhelming urge to speak, tell his past, but he resisted it. It was just like social pressure, or like his emotions. As he stood his ground, it slowly became slightly easier and easier to resist, and he mped his mouth closed before he could say anything he would regret. It didnt matter, and so it could be ignored. His rational mind refused. His emotional mind refused, albeit under protest. His conscious mind cooperated, and refused as well. No. No. He would not give up, he would not give way. His past was his business alone. He had spent thest year growing stronger, so hed never be in this position again. He would not be pushed around by the petty tyrants of the System. A bit of anger snuck out of its box and into his re, and he stood in silent defiance of the mental force crashing into him. He didnt need to beat it, no more than a pebble needed to beat the ocean. He just needed to withstand the force, to not get lost in it or let it overwhelm him, and withstanding it became easier with every passing moment. His emotions ran free, helping him beat back the foreign invaders into his mind. He was the only one to wreck his mind with unwarranted social pressure, darn it! It must have looked rather amusing to the bystanders. The two of them just stood (or sat, in the governors case) in silence, staring at each other. Neither would give up. Neither would give in. Anger burned back the pressure toply. His emotional control shoved the desire to be nice in a box. The box was tossed out the back. He wasnt winning. He was withstanding. And he could keep withstanding for as Speak. Then it tripled down. A newpulsion started. It joined the previous ones. forcing him to say something. Anything. Anything? He could work with that. A defiant, malicious grin crept across his face, No. The pressure was gone. The governor wasnt amused. She red imperiously. Imand you, adventurer, to speak. Answer my question. Why is Enforcer Lisana so enamored with you, why does the Emperor find you so interesting? Speak now, and answer my question. A pebble might not break under the endless waves of the ocean, but it could be swept away by the current, and as the governor unleashed a strongerpulsion, Edwin felt his concentration broken in an instant, snapped in half as a headache budded and flowered, flooding his mind with pain and scattering what meager defenses he had marshaled and restraining all of his emotions. He was, in a sense, a prisoner in his own head. Wow, was it bad at imprisoning Edwin in his own head. Seriously, he did way worse than this to himself every time he had a depressive episode. The SKill did nothing to keep Edwin from feeling his emotions, just acting on them. Huh. Actually, this was actually kind of interesting. He mildly wondered if he could benefit from this sort of thing in his daily life. He didnt actually care about the emotions themselves after all, just how they made him act. But emotional suppression in this way had its own suite of problems, many of which were health-rted... In any case, if it was a Skill meant to keep Edwin calm and not, oh, plotting rebellion or whatever, it might work superficially, but there was no way this could function as a long-term solution. Now that was a thought. Was there a version of this Skill that would work long-term? Oh hey, getting distracted on tangents let him procrastinate speaking. Not for very long, perhaps, but it had been, oh, thirty seconds or so? Long enough to annoy the governor, at least. Okay, he still had a moment What would he actually say? The question was why Tara and her superiors were so interested in him, and while he obviously couldnt tell the full story behind thetter, he could twist things so he wouldnt have to out himself. In that case, he had a perfect n formted He wanted to spit the words out to show his displeasure, but instead he found himself calmly nodding and speaking, Certainly. Ie from a far-offnd, which Tara has informed me I ought to refer to as Fierisal. While there, I- Youe from Fierisal? a new voice cut in, and Edwin spotted a scribe of some sort scribbling on a parchment off to the side, which he somehow hadnt noticed before. He blinked and briefly turned on Skillful Assessment, noticing some kind of Skill cocoon around the scribe that kept trying to divert his attention away. Curious. As he looked past it, he was able to get the vague impression of ck-tipped fingers, as though stained with ink. That is what Tara told me when I informed her of my past. I have not returned so I cannot confirm that it is indeed my homnd, though I know not where else on Joriah I would havee from if not there. All technically true. Taras cover story may not have been perfect, but he could use it in this situation just fine. I was something akin to an alchemist-in-training, but found myself inexplicably teleported to the depths of the Verdant, waking up in the middle of the wilderness without so much as a single Skill on my Status. That deration brought around a round of murmurs and surprise from the watchers, particrly from the governor, You lost your Skills? she asked, incredulously. I dont know what happened. Err Governor Shashfra. Edwin may have been literally forced to be polite, but it didntpel him to use perfect address. He needed to remember that sort of thing on his own. Hmmm. So be it. Continue. Edwin bit back another snappy response- he figured one would slip out eventually, Skillplusion notwithstanding, but now was not the time- and nodded, From there, I found my way to civilization, and Tara eventually came across me while she was on a mission. She heard my story, and warned me against sharing it widely. She also agreed to keep some specifics of my skills and past private, and advised I do the same. While I have been unable to fully aplish that task, though his voice was calm and level, Edwins mind seethed with rage, thanks to the actions of some individuals in this room, I will still endeavor to fulfill it to the rest of my ability. Tara, from my understanding, has kept those facts secret, and her report on me garnered the attention of her superiors, who decided it was worthwhile keeping a closer eye on me in the future. There. The question was answered, and as thepulsion ended, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over him, leaving him gasping and struggling to control his emotions before this became even more of a disaster. He wasntpletely sessful, but his hiss of Is that what you wanted, governor, wasnt quite as aggressive as it might have been. Hed take the small victory. It was, she sneered, Was that truly so difficult? I could have you killed slowly if I asked Inion to. I said, was that truly so difficult? a hint of the pressure returned, and Edwin looked up with malice in his gaze as he wrestled his anger back into its box. Yes, he snapped back, Im certain that was rather difficult. Edwin made a note that he really should try to learn avior bodynguage then again, he had enough problems with human bodynguage, trying to figure it out in a wholly unfamiliar body morphology was probably futile. I wonder what you look like on the inside. Edwin mused, I reckon I could get a ton of levels in Anatomy for cutting you open. He caught himself before those thoughts could go anywhere, shoving them into the box alongside his anger. He was not going there yet. He would need to dissect an avior at some point, that was certain. He hoped he could stomach it. There was a distinct disconnect between his learning-brain and his squeamish-brain. How are you useful to the Empire and to Rhothos? I was under the impression that that was Taras decision, not yours. Tara Lisana is not the governor of this province. She may be under the impression it is her duty to determine if someone is worthy of support from Rhothos, but her desire to spread unrest and Ouws across thisnd is ultimately not her decision. Edwin vaguely noticed the murmurs of their surroundings had quieted somewhat, and a nce at the court hangers-on revealed a thin Skill barrier between them. She didnt want people to hear her badmouthing Tara, then? It was a struggle to speak, but he had this. In any case, with his anger more or less under control, Edwin was swiftly losing interest in the conversation. For whatever reason, the governor had decided to try and antagonize him, and he wasnt interested in rising to the bait. That seemed like a good way to be thrown in the dungeons, and as much as he didnt particrly care about that- he figured it wouldst until either Tara returned or he just straight-up broke out- it would be marginally annoying and something he would generally prefer to avoid. So what then? That is the pressing question. For now, I am deciding whether or not you are worthy of living. Edwin cocked his head, Is that your decision? I thought being an adventurer, and especially an Ally, meant I had the same sorts of protections as citizens. This is my province! My word isw. You are nobody! A foreigner from halfway across the world. You are here and you are alive at my discretion! Something Edwin had done seemed to make her really mad. He idly wondered what. He hadnt been getting that distracted, had he? She realized it as well, it seemed, and started to regain herposure, loosening up somewhat and calming her tone, though it retained a sharp edge to it, You are a foreigner and ouw, yet also treated as a citizen of mine. I am fully within my rights as governor to imprison or execute any of those who fall within those groups at my leisure. Do not think you are some Outsider, whose mere presence causes all who see you to fall over in worship. Youre a mere human, no better than the rest of us. Youe here, you show such utter disregard to the my and my governments standards, you had best be on your knees begging for your life and praying I show leniency. Edwin ached to speak up and correct her, but simplemon sensebined with his inherent tendency to keep secrets close helped keep his mouth closed. Well, mostly. When did this be a trial for my life? Last I heard, I was simply here to satisfy your curiosity. This became such with your grant disrespect! I ought to strike you down where you stand! She began to rose from her seat slightly, then everything shifted. The first thing Edwin saw was the Skill. It filled up the entire room, illuminating everything in the same t, monochrome light he was used to, but with an intensity hed never seen before. If the governors Skills were as bright as a shlight, this was like the sun itself descended into the room, blinding Edwin for a brief moment before he disabled his Skill in panic. Even unable to see it, though, he could still feel it. The overwhelming feeling of being a very, very small creature in front of a hungry predator, worming its way into his mind and triggering a primal fear response. His heart beat faster, his senses sharpened, and blood rushed to his extremities. Hmm. I wonder if its directly affecting the amygd, or if it has some other trigger. Is it bypassing my brain altogether and directly increasing adrenaline production? Edwin mused, I suppose it cant be bypassing my brain if I can get distracted from it, though. Some kind of forced attention, maybe? What kind of Skill would that be? Edwins personal ability to get distracted from mind-control notwithstanding, the governor seemed to be entirely paralyzed in fear, frozen to her seat from where she had fallen back onto it. Around them, the air began to thin and Edwin felt his Ritual Intuition go wild as he felt the distinct impression of a hot summers breeze envelop the room. Then the breeze strengthened, picking up speed more and more it spilled over into the real world, a breeze from everywhere and nowhere, pushing him and blowing from halfway across the. Then the wind stopped. The presence remained, though, and doubled down. Even Edwins ability to distract himself failed under the direct attention of a very, very powerful being, and his mind scattered into incoherent mutterings despite his best efforts. Be mindful of your ce, Soraia. The voice wasnt loud, but it filled the space as though spoken from right next to Edwins ear and the end of the infinitely long chamber alike. Then, in the space between where Edwin stood and the governor sat frozen in fear, an avior appeared. The neer had ashen gray plumage with a sheen that made it almost look silver and piercing eyes the color of the sky on a cloudless day. d in a simple yet golden outfit, of the sleeveless loose-shirt, pants closed around the top of the talons variety that most avior seemed to prefer, he almost looked like a living statue of silver and gold. When one such as thises to my attention, do not threaten them for spurious ims. The governor stayed frozen in terror, though the overwhelming weight of fear began to subside in Edwins mind, letting him focus on something other than the living god who stood in front of him. He took the opportunity to sneak an Identify in on the neer, trying to confirm to his mind that what he saw was real. The High Sovereign of the Guiding Winds Which Span the World Yep, that was real alright. Though... was it? He suddenly realized how drastically their surroundings had shifted in the past thirty seconds. No more was he in the garrisons throne room, but instead he was in a sort of featureless, gray expanse that reminded Edwin, and felt to his Ritual Intuition, vaguely like a raincloud. How did he get here? He didnt feel a thing! Wha-what are you doing here? the governor stuttered, Why have you brought me? You cant do this to me, even you havews to follow!`` She sounded as though she was trying to convince herself as much as the neer, but her voice fell t in the endless expanse, reaching no ears save the three of them, alone in this strange half-world. Edwin got a distinct sense of disappointment or disapproval from the avior, the slightest shift in body posture conveying his meaning perfectly. Th-the boy disrespected me and your Enforcer alike! He must be punished! Those are thews! We-we havews! Those are thews of your citizens, of which the boy is not one. You know this, yet you decide to ignore it. Why? He-hes a nobody! If every random adventurer was exempt from thews used to govern my people, we would fall intoplete anarchy! Indeed. You are aware of my policy for those who would interrupt the proper order. Look at him! Hes- hes an ouw! A thug and a rejector of your majesty! Is he not out of order? I was merely doing your will! He shook his head sadly, And what, pray tell, are the young mans crimes? He was not born to the Empire, was missing our guidance. That he now seeks it isudable, is it not? He disrespected me! And your enforcer! Oh, did he now? How did he insult her? Did he use her of attempting to spread unrest across thend? Frame her as an ally of ouws? Even Edwin could see her shift nervously under that line of questioning, Well well, no. He disrespects her station and her nobility! Enforcer Tseyar would have thrown him by his ear for such actions! Enforcer Tseyar was wee to uphold his own code of address. As are you. So you agree! The boy glides in, outright ignores me, fails to address me properly, and refuses multiplemands of mine! By my capacity as governor, it is well within my rights to punish him as I see fit! Edwin frowned at the audacity of that im. Sure, hed not really known the proper methods of speaking to a ruler, but hed also been yanked from the middle of his dinner and- Let us see what he has to say for himself, shall we? Edwin nched at the suggestion, his thoughts scattered to the far winds at the interruption. He tried to marshal up the proper train of thought, tripping over his own tongue under the weight of presence still permeating every inch of space, M-my apologies, G- Governor Shashfra. Speaking felt like trying to do cartwheels underwater under 5 Gs. Slow, clunky, and he was barely able to manage to lift his tongue enough to say anything, let alone pronounce the tongue-twister of a name the governor had. I was n-never informed of the proper forms. As he spoke, it became easier for him to speak, though it also felt like some of the pressure was lifted in time. You see? Even now, he refuses to pronounce my ruling name correctly! This does not seem unto me as though he is being disrespectful, does it truly to you? He- he still refused to answer my questions! Did he, now? Yes! I had to Command him! And what was this matter of grave import? Whether he was a spy? Whether he hadmitted a murder, or engaged in banditry? His allegiance to the Empire? Or was it a personal matter, in which privacy could be reasonably expected? Well well. It was Enough. Ive heard enough from you for the time being. Begone now, you have taken up far too much of my time already. With a wave of his wing, he dismissed the protesting governor, and she vanished into a whisp of cloud, dissipating from this realm. With her gone, the pressure subsided until it was only just barely present. Edwin could still feel it, though it no longer restricted his ability to think, speak, or move- thetter of which he hadnt even realized was missing until it was suddenly restored, and he dropped into a bow. It wasnt entirely voluntary, even, so much as his legs refusing to cooperate any longer as the avior turned to face him. Theres no need for that, he informed, and Edwin found himself on his feet once again, staring into the sky-blue eyes of a predator. Hello, Edwin, Emperor Xares greeted him, the emperors voice calm and measured despite the sheer weight behind every syble. As he spoke, though, it began to subside from the voice of a god into one of mortals. It is good to meet you in person at longst. Lets talk, shall we? Chapter 81a: Speaking With the Manager Chapter 81a: Speaking With the Manager Though the pressure may have subsided, Edwin was still very aware he was talking to quite possibly the most powerful person he had ever met. This merited his full attention. Cough. Hopefully his brain got the memo. He was hopeful, given the constant pressure he was feeling just from speaking to someone so powerful. What is there to speak of your majesty? The emperor didnt speak to correct Edwin, so he took that to mean hed gotten it right. Instead, the emperor gave a curt nod, and spoke with an easy grace that warred inside Edwins turbulent emotions, trying to put him at ease. Peace, Edwin. I do not wish to harm you, unless you force me to. Edwin cautiously nodded. Fair enough. Youve been quite a curious force within the Empire. The new liquid stone beginning production in Farport was your doing, I believe? Wait, they actually got it working? Edwin blinked, and hastily added, Your majesty. Hed screwed up methods of address badly enough for one day, he wasnt going to do it again. To a certain distinction of working, I believe. It will perhaps be an interesting ce for you to visit someday? I believe you intended to travel. Yes, your majesty. Particrly now, after Edwin trailed off, unsure what to say exactly. He got a distinct sense of amusement from the avior, who gave a curt nod, Understandable. Korizan is a lovely continent with many spectacr vistas. I frequently fly here when I wish to use my wings. As an alchemist, I believe you will find many of the herbs and creatures native to the Verdant, as well as the frozennds to the north uniquely useful, though I believe you have some experience with the former? Edwin nodded, Yes, your majesty. Befriended a fey, no less. Or, adopted by one, rather. Youre very fortunate, you know that? Oh? Yes. You survived a year living with a fey? And you did not emerge from the arrangement as an eternal ve, mindless, nor missing several key emotions or sensations, and your name and personality are essentially intact. There is a reason they are usually confined to the Verdant- though impressive work bypassing the border, I must admit. That shows ingenuity, smuggling an Arcadian in through your very skin. Edwin froze, Im not in trouble, am I? He hadn''t even considered the fact that he might be punished for bringing Inion into the empire, but if fey were meant to be banned Peace, Edwin. No, you are not in trouble for bringing your friend from the Verdant. She is the agreeable sort of fey, which is to say she is likely to overlook minor slights and opportunities which others of her kind might utilize to wholly ruin a citizen, and instead focus her ire upon those who wrong her more directly. Thank you, your majesty. However I dont imagine you merely came to discuss my social life? Though Edwin was dealing well enough with the pressure the emperor emitted, it was still more nerve-wracking than any interview or even test hed ever had, and was eager to get it wrapped up. You would be correct in your assessment. It is nothing onerous, I must merely ensure my empire is not threatened by your presence. By me? Edwin was confused. Surely ah. It was the Outsider thing again, wasnt it? Some things never changed. Indeed. Xares confirmed, Outsiders have always heralded great change and massive disruption to the world, and for the good of my citizens, I must ensure they will be safe and secure. How how will you do that, your majesty? I merely have a few questions regarding your homnd, and of your first few days upon Joriah. If you could recount your experience from first waking up within the Verdant. Merely answer honestly andpletely, and you shall return to Vinstead quickly. Edwin idly wondered if actually, he could just ask. What was the worst that could happen, Does time pass more quickly here, your majesty? Its a long story. Very astute. He took that as a yes as he sat in silence, gathering his thoughts. It was kind of amusing. He had literally just refused to tell the story to the governor not ten minutes ago and nearly gotten killed for it, and here he was, about to give the full story to another authority figure. It wasnt the same, he knew. Xares most likely already knew the entire thing, and hed been quite reasonable this far. He deserved to know Edwins tale at least as much as Tara did, if not more. However, this would be hisst time telling anyone, he told himself. It was just too risky, required too much trust. Since he had left the dwarves, he had only told Tara and Inion, both of whom had been sworn to secrecy and had extenuating circumstances. Tara had him at swordpoint, and Inion already knew. Hopefully, Xares would keep quiet? Not that it really made a difference. I dont suppose well, if you wanted to tell people who I was, your majesty, you would be capable of doing so already? The avior didnt respond, but Edwin had already decided his course of action, Well, I suppose even if time is less limited than it should normally be, its still precious. The first thing I remember was waking up as I fell from the sky. I thought I was experiencing a nightmare, but Edwin wasnt exactly practiced in telling people about his full history, but with a few expertly-directed questions from the avior emperor, who had conjured a pair of chairs for the two of them to rest in while they conversed- it didnt escape Edwins notice that Xares was taller and grander, but it also wasnt really a surprise either- he managed to recount his experiences to an apparently satisfactory level of detail. Was that you, your majesty? Edwin realized he could ask, when his story had reached his flight up the mountainside, fleeing from the immensely powerful beings fighting. It was indeed, Edwin. I regret that it so nearly resulted in your death, but it is quite fortunate for us both that you survived. Would you be able to tell me what it was about, by any chance? No. Edwin waited for any further boration, but when none was forting, he mentally shrugged and moved on, Well, your majesty, from there I found myself caught in a snowstorm that There was something about the presence of the avior which made recalling his past easier. Perhaps it was some report-getting Skill? Or perhaps a general Skill-enhancing aura that improved Memory? If Skillful Assessment was usable at the moment, he might have been able to get some vague idea, but s. Yes, that wasst week, your majesty. Im still familiarizing myself with my new Skills, and Refine Ive yet to level even once. Interesting set of Skills. Such synergy and interconnectedness is usually not seen until the fourth tier if notter. Youve spoken to a Registrar about this? Of course. Good. Now, some of those Paths, they are from your world? Physicist, Engineer, Biologist. What are these? You imed you were a physicist? Physics student, yes. Ah, your majesty. he hastily added, I hadntpleted my education when I found myself transported here. Physics with a particr emphasis in material sciences. Science. Thats what you called magic on your Earth? No, its more like well, it kind of is. Its trying to understand the world and bend it to our will. Its not magic, thats more like an addition to the normalws of physics from what Ive so far. Its a way of skeptically interrogating the world for how it works. Specifically, it-. What are the sorts of things you can aplish with it? Well, from the time science was really invented, Earth went from technology only slightly beyond what you have here on Joriah to mechanical flight, traveling to the moon, inventing and exploiting the heck out of electricity, making the inte, developing seriously advanced medicine Go on, tell me of the wonders of your home. You clearly miss it. I I suppose I do, your majesty. he hesitated in his response, slightly hopeful that he might pick up on it and inquire about it. Fortunately, he didnt, and Edwin breathed easy. He could talk about science all day. Few things helped him put off anxiety than having something he could talk about with fluency, So, where do I start? Let''s see. No, its not magic. Its well, its about trying to discover new things which other people can then figure out how to use in inventions. Yet not anyone can discover this new knowledge? I mean, yes? In theory, anyway, anyone with the right mentality and training could discover something new, but by my time, pretty much all those easy discoveries had been made. It would take hundreds of people to find anything new maybe? We had this quote, back on Earth, which is attributed to this really famous scientist, to the point where practically half of all physics is named after him. If I have seen farther, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants, because no individual person can really push knowledge and development as far as everyone working together, even across time and space, can. Like, I wont say that science is better than magic. Or well, no, it kind of is? Or maybe not? Theyre different. Magic is a thing, science is a methodology. Well, in any case, magical science is the best, though. This ''inte'' you speak of. You im it is essible to all? Well, to most of the world, at least. Its not free, but its not insanely expensive and anyone can connect over it in theory. Some people take it upon themselves to catalogue knowledge on it, so theres these massive databanks of information that anyone can ess. Sort of like your Skill database, but anyone can ess basic information on pretty much any topic for free whenever they like. It lets people figure out what they might be good at, just by finding out that something they hadnt even considered as a skill they possessed is actually really valuable. If I might be so bold as to opine slightly over the setup of Liras? he let the emperor nod before continuing, knowing he was on thin ice. His nerves returned in full force, but hed alreadymitted, I do feel like that sort of approach may be superior to the Registrar system you currently have, let people figure out their own sses based on what millions of people trying their own routes to sess came up with. Then you dont need to worry about those who try to do their own thing, and you can learn better Skillbinations faster. We have tried simr concepts on a smaller scale a few times in the past. the emperor countered, Almost invariably, individuals took Skills which were utterly superfluous to their actual role in society, wasting their skill allotment. Having ess to this magnitude of knowledge, however, you say encouraged people to embetter themselves and learn of the world? Well Edwins mind brought up a slew of counterexamples, Some people did? Did the people of your world cast aside small-minded, foolish instincts when given ess to facts which countered their views? ...No, Edwin had to admit, his own experience betraying him, But everyone was given the same opportunities to, and those who excelled did so spectacrly! Some people simply are hopeless, but that doesnt mean trying to bring those who are determined to waste their lives away up to a decent level of productivity should also involve dragging ambitious people down to that level too. Also, what about the people who just dont fit in? Edwin started feeling himself get wound up, and he tried to pull himself back before he started insulting the system the godlike emperor in front of him had set up. He was well, he didnt totally fail. I met one bandit who just had the bad luck of not being able to get the Walking skill, but then because of the Management and intolerance for people who didnt fit it, he was forced into a life of being a murderer! How is that better? Yes, that is the purpose of the Adventurer program, Xares was unppable to the point where Edwin felt slightly ashamed of his actions- enough that he could wrestle his annoyance back into its box, leaving a stronger sense of embarrassment and sense of being out of ce, Many promising individuals were forced into ostracism through no fault of their own, and so the Adventurership system was established. If you would seek to use that as exemry of the benefits of allowing individuals to control their own Skills, I would remind you that of those who leave my wings, fewer than one in ten survive to their thirtieth year, and the vast majority live in entirely preventable poverty. However, if you can present a solution for that problem, please do inform me. Ah, well... Edwin didnt really have a response for that. He was sure there was one, but What else did you want to know about? he sighed in resignation. Tell me of the government which can afford so many of its citizens wasting their lives. The US? Well, okay Okay, so yes, democracy has the issue of giving people the government they want, which might not always be good for them, but its at least the people choosing that. Edwin insisted. Would it not be superior to simply provide a consistent government, which does not so readily bow to the idiocy of the crowd? You know, your majesty, until maybe a year or so before I left Earth, I might have disagreed with you fairly vehemently. These days But your majesty, Earth has the firm advantage technologically. So much of your manual work performed here is done instead by mechanical muscles on Earth. Hardly anyone needs to work with their bodies anymore, and as a result farrger and moreplex projects can be undertaken. Is it not the case that you are simply incapable of performing the tasks, and so require theseplicated machines you speak of? If you had the Skills which you feel impede progress, what need for such technological development would there be? I think thats what Im saying? Yet you say it as though it is a hindrance for my citizens, when it is in truth a strength. I mean, sure. If you have someone able to harvest an entire acre of wheat with two strokes of a scythe, then thebine harvester is pretty useless. But if you didnt have that Skill, then Or, you know, what about if the harvester had a Skill for its use? Why would you desire such a specific Skill, though? And what of the Skills required to create such an intricate piece of machinery? Well, okay I guess, but then you dont need to dedicate a Skill for it. Its a pretty bigmitment, and with machinery, you dont need someone at the absolute peak of their career to continue working forever. What if the person with that Mass Harvest skill died? Then we have another take their ce. It is one of the purposes of ss control, after all. We never need worry about losing a critical member of a project, for none have unique Skills upon which the entire project must rely upon. Well, Im not convinced that thats a good thing. Why would you even need Mass Harvest, if you could replicate its effects with a machine? Wouldnt you prefer to have that be a Skill with an actually unique effect? Why not..." Chapter 81b: Meeting the Manager Chapter 81b: Meeting the Manager Well, fine," Edwin conceded, "If you had Packing, then you wouldnt need to have massive cranes, but well, no, you need trained operators to use them as well, I suppose. Edwin stopped to think for a moment, Well, its not like those trained wouldnt also be able to do other things as well. Packing is likewise an immensely useful Skill," the emperor rebutted, voice calm and measured as always "Surely that Skill is more valuable than any you might obtain as a crane user? I mean I guess so, your majesty? his stress had settled into a sort of meta-stable state where he felt moderatelyfortable refuting the emperor, even if he was still incredibly stressed, But still, you dont need to be an expert crane driver to do the job. A few days of training is all, which means you dont need a dedicated person using the crane, but several who can all do the work. But what of the usefulness of Packing? Such amon and useful Skill is one which many would find useful fairly often. Is it not better that they are capable of improving? Furthermore, what of those who dedicated their lives to developing and building these cranes? I mean, if you can have half a dozen people dedicating their lives to doing all the heavy lifting across the world, then sure. But that much work just isnt possible. Its just division ofbor, but So am I the first toe from Earth? I do not know of the origin of most other Outsiders, though I believe you would be the only from your world, yes. Particrly with the Path you received saying as much. The System would know far better than I do in such matters. Is there any way back? That I simply do not know. History is unclear on what happened to your predecessors in the end. At least one met their end facing down an entire army, though most simply fade from all records after a certain point. What have some of the others aplished? he asked. He knew his forerunners had been impressive, but he didnt know what they did for that level of distinction. That is a tricky question, you understand? Edwin shrugged helplessly, Why? It is not always clear what an Outsider has actually aplished or what is merely attributed to them. In addition, I am aware of at least one whoter became conted with, or perhaps became, a goddess. Oh! I know that one. Sal...Salvierra, right? Salverria, indeed. He assessed Edwin, How did you know that? Inion mentioned it, I think. Edwin shrugged, Along with an alchemy book I found. Ah, of course. I ought to have expected you would know of the founder of alchemy. Yes, she brought knowledge of potions and magical materials to Joriah, overturning much of what was believed to be known about magic. Or would that be science? Not not sure, actually. Probably magic, though? Your majesty. Hmm. It showed that external magics could be harnessed, even if personal spells and the like remain the dominion of birth. You im to have not had mana previously? No, your majesty. I do believe I obtained the ability to use magic after I arrived on Joriah. I do think that others should be able to learn it. Unlikely. Such things have been tried previously. It is most probable that the traveling imbued you with such magics. Well, I still think it was just being exposed to a lot of mana at once that let me get a magical Skill, and I just went from there? Such things have been attempted in the past and have failed. Hmm. He should ask to see the experiment logs at some point and find out if they made a fundamental error in their testing methodology. It wouldnt surprise him, but that wasnt what he needed to focus on right now. So, Salverria? Of course. There was also Elthis, the creator of VisDaric and its gozau, the unnamed Warrior of Koraith, the first druid Tasthen who is said to have created the weather itself, the enchanter Resslian, though it must be said it is unknown if Resslian is merely another name or title for Salvierra, then further unnamed individuals responsible for the World Tear, The Destiny Weaver, and more besides. At some point, rumor, myth, and history all collide and it is impossible to tell reality from fiction. They all left pretty big marks though, didnt they? Everyst one. This is why it was important enough that I personally assess that you are not a threat to Liras. Edwin nodded silently, the eternal dread of expectations looming heavy over his head. How was he ever supposed topare to those cultural giants? They might as well have been gods, though they had the benefit of exaggeration on their side. There was no way Tasthen managed to create the weather. That was just ludicrous. The others, though? Whats VisDaric? It is a wandering city-state which frequently flies over imperialnds and the rest of the world, popted by the gozau, men of metal, wood, and ss no less intelligent for the fact. They are the premier location for newly created magical artifacts of anyplexity. How old is this ce? Its age was already lost to time back when I first hatched. Edwin let out a low whistle. A flying city-state founded in the mists of prehistory that still survived to this day, popted primarily by sapient automata? VisDaric immediately shot onto Edwins list of ces to visit, and he made a bunch of Almanac notes to look into how to reach the floating citadel once he had a chance. How many outsiders do you think there have been? I truly have no idea. At minimum, a dozen, with even more whose names are lost, blown by the breeze of time. They all aplished so much, though. Much of which is still felt to this day, yes. So, Xares finally asked the question Edwin had been dreading, and he wasnt sure if he had an adequate reply, What will you do? I want to change the world, hemely admitted, Not that thats an informative goal. I suppose My worlds strength wasnt in magic or in flying cities, or whatever else my predecessors had experience in. I dont have whatever they did. But what I do have is a Skill that lets me write down my knowledge and experience in a way that maybe one day anyone could ess, and I want to share that knowledge with whoever it might help. I can bring science, I suppose. And science is big. Its really big. That saying I was talking about? If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants? Yeah, I dont know that I can be the person standing atop the giants. Theres just too much I dont know about thews of this new world, too many enormous things to explore and figure out the fundamentals of. I wont be the seer, but hopefully I can at least be the giant, empowering those whoe after me to see farther and farther than I ever could. An interestingly honest answer. Best of luck to you in that endeavor. Wait, just like that? Youre not going to try to take me and use my knowledge to revolutionize your empire, or drop me in ab and try to learn things for you? No. You are too much of an unknown, and as you admit yourself, you have no particr expertise I can capitalize upon. Any funding I have towards alchemy is better suited for high-Tier alchemists already of the empire. Their Skills are more useful than yours in any regard which matters. You may be an Outsider, and thus far more likely to be of use than another Adventurer, but you remain an Outsider, and attempting to corral you or contain you will inevitably end poorly. Indeed, simply being near you is liable to be hazardous to any facilities you might utilize. Best to keep you far, far away from anything critical, which might suffer under the strain of a scientific revolution. Ouch. Well, what about research? I have a unique take on things, I might find something totally new! If you do, I am certain I will learn of it in time. You just told me your goal is to make everything you learn public knowledge, no? But... Edwins newfound dreams of fabulous wealth working for the empire vanished in an instant before they could even fully form, I can ensure youd learn about them sooner? he tried. What care have I for such a discovery toe a decade earlier? It would still arrive in due time. And as I am certain you will not allow all your unique knowledge and training to die alongside you, so even if you do not find all you might under sponsorship, your apprentices might, or the next generation of alchemists, taught the knowledge you have brought with you from Earth. The emperor forestalled Edwins next rebuttal before he could even open his mouth. Could I at least get oh, I dont know, a cart or a carriage or something? Just something that I can use in my travels as a bit of a portableb and way to carry around my stuff somewhere other than on my back. Id be willing to not hold that, Edwin waved his hand in a vague indication of the mess with the governor, against the Empire as a whole in exchange for something like that. The emperor gave a curt nod, scarcely even stopping to think before agreeing, I will assign the cost of such as partial reparations for Soraia. You shall have your carriage. Huh. He hadnt actually expected that to work. Score! And so easily, too! The tight ball of stress wound up in his chest began to loosen, if Xares was so readily willing to help him out Then he promptly realized all the other possible things he might have been able to ask for- Adventurer status for Inion, maybe a house or something, some decent gear, or alchemy ingredients, Skill training, ess to the Grand Library Edwin silently sighed. No wonder the emperor had been so quick to agree. And if the governor would be the one to provide the cart, it probably wouldnt be that high quality as she tried to spite him or wiggle out of her obligations hed totally just screwed himself out of something potentially great, hadnt he? Even as his stress rebounded, now strengthened by Edwins own annoyance at himself and forming a tight knot in his stomach, Edwin forced himself to give a nod in thanks, Thank you, your majesty, He forced out. It wouldnt do to start badmouthing the source of his pressure just because he messed up. This was entirely his own fault, hed own it. To be fair, it was still more than he had anticipated to get out of the meeting with the governor. Hed expected a boring hour or two of being prodded at, then being sent on his way. It may have ended up being far more stressful than he had initially anticipated, but he also got more out of it in turn, so it broke even at worst. He found it difficult to me the emperor for any of the recent revtions, honestly, though he suspected that was a Skill of some sort at y. Or maybe that was just sheer charisma and millennia of practice with diplomacy. Blinking Skillful Assessment on still just overwhelmed him with a uniform, monolithic wave of Skill light, so he had no help from it in this case. Would there really even be a difference between supernaturally good diplomacy and centuries of experience? His thoughts notwithstanding, their time was clearlying to a close, and Edwin floated to his feet, giving another deep nod/shallow bow to the emperor in farewell Very good speaking with you, Edwin. Best of luck in your endeavors, the avior assured him, and Edwin almost felt like he was being pulled into a desire to prove himself worthy of the Emperor. He nodded wordlessly, doing his best to distract himself with something until the Skill effect faded. He didnt like people messing with his mind with Skills, but some part of Edwin told him that it wasnt that different from just using words to try and convince him of something. Did that mean that he was spiritually gullible or something? Skill-ly gullible didnt sound right. Emotionally gullible? Eh, spiritually gullible worked. In a world where emotion-altering effects were objectivelymonce, did that make them any less moral than simply being good with your words? Were kids taught as they grew up not only how to be skeptical of words being said, but also how to avoid acting out on unnatural emotions being shoved onto you? It was oh hey, the Skill had subsided. Edwin mentally reviewed what Memory told him the emperor had said as the surroundings began to darken ever so slightly. I will return you to the gates of Rhothos garrison such that you are hopefully able to avoid the attention of the full court. I will pass the instructions for you to receive a carriage to the governor, and you shall hopefully receive such within a reasonable amount of time. I expect I will be hearing much more of you in the next few decades, and I eagerly anticipate it. Edwin gave out onest hasty thanks as the gray clouds around him thickened, enveloping him entirely and obscuring his vision as his surroundings blurred and faded away. For a brief moment, he felt utterly weightless and immaterial, like a cloud floating on a breeze, then reality returned and he crashed into the ground under the peak of the garrisons entry archway. Edwin barely caught himself with Flight, and even then he only had time to soften hisnding, rather than blunt itpletely. There was some form ofmotion going on inside the building, giving Edwin the perfect opportunity to slip away. This time, he didnt get lost on his way to the Golden Grain, no matter how nervous he may have been. As he walked, Edwin felt his emotions get rowdier and rowdier, trying to break free of their bindings and overwhelm him. Hed been on an emotional knife''s-edge for hours, and it was starting to wear at him. Nope, not starting. It was seriously wearing on him, and was unraveling the ball of stress hed shoved to the side while talking to the emperor. He quickened his pace, trying to get back to his room, where it was quiet and where it was safe. Most importantly, where there werent any other people. Edwins fingers grew jittery and he enabled Longstrider, nearly crashing into a few people and actually running into a few obstacles in his staggering gait. His breath grew ragged as he got back to the Golden Grain, and his hands were shaking as he opened the door. The interior of the inn was busier now, as more patrons hade in for dinner, and the raucousughter mmed into Edwins skull like so many jackhammers. He rushed upstairs, only recognizing the innkeepers wave of greetings after it was toote to act upon it, and tried to open his room door. Naturally, it didnt work, and Edwin fumbled for his key, withdrawing it from one of his pouches. He went to unlock the door, and bit back a curse when he realized the lock jam from Apparatus was still active, for better and for worse. It took him far too long, but he eventually managed to flip his head into the right space to cancel that manifestation of the Skill (and the ring he wore made of the same stuff at the same time), got the key in the lock, and burst inside. He scarcely managed to close the door behind him, let alone lock it, and Edwin was a jittery, emotional wreck by the time he copsed onto his bed. His hands were shaking to the point he couldnt even tell how bad his fingers were trembling, and he couldnt lift so much as his own pillow. At least the noise from below was essentially gone. Though not gone enough. There were still faint echoes of yelling and singing wing their way through the sound-dampening Skill and to his ears, raking across his eardrums. His nket was so itchy, tiny bits of wool digging into his skin and overwhelming him. Turning off Perception did nothing, and directing all his attention to his smell just made the stench of cedar splinter into his mind. Taste was little better, stale air and wet wool nearly causing him to gag as his mind searched for sce there. He sought any kind of escape. He needed to sink into unconsciousness, to get away from the suddenly so loud and disturbing world, which had finally abandoned all pretense and was now directly attempting to get him. No more was it trying to go through intermediaries, it had found out how to assault his senses and drive him mad directly. Adaptive Defense did nothing against this vicious attack, and he fruitlessly tried to escape his torment, scrabbling at his Skills but finding no purchase. He needed to use Sleeping, but his mind refused to flex the mental muscles required to activate the Skill. He needed his sleeping potion, but even his own Memory was betraying him as it refused to tell him where the life-saving medicine could be found. Another burst of noise from below brought him to clench his ears even tighter, desperately trying something- anything- to escape the awful cacophony that defined his very existence. When Edwin did eventually sleep, it was to the sound of his own whimpers. Chapter 82a: Daily Dallying Chapter 82a: Daily Dallying Sleeping was wonderful. Not just the action, but the Skill, too. Even though his dreams had been tumultuous and vaguely nightmarish, as Watchful Rest ensured that even unconsciousness wasnt enough to entirely disconnect from reality, by the time Edwin returned to full awareness, he just felt refreshed on a fundamental level. His senses no longer warred against his mind, and the emotional load of the previous day felt so light, as though it had been weeks or months prior. He still generally dreaded seeing people after the previous days utter fiasco, but it wasnt utterly unptable either. He rolled over in his bed, making a vague attempt to snag his nket from wherever it may havended, only to fail. Cracking his eyes open eventually had him see the cloth on the far side of the room, and he fell back, his eyes closing once more to try and shut out the brightness of the room. Edwins stomach rumbled, and he ignored it. He could skip food today and it wouldnt hurt. Today, he just wanted to do nothing and recover. When was thest time he genuinely just had a day off, he wondered? Not counting days of recovery after a fight, anyway. He genuinely didnt know. Then again, this probably didnt count as a non-recovery day anyway. He may not have been physically injured, but that didnt mean he didnt need healing. Mental health was important, after all! Now shoo, loneliness. Get back in your box. He idly wondered if he could develop an emotional healing potion. What he wouldnt give to dab some salve on his forehead or down an elixir and make the pain ofst night vanish. ...That was just alcohol, wasnt it? Except not, because alcohol was just a poison which targeted the brain above the body, inhibiting its functions. At best it was a painkiller. Except it was a painkiller that worked by damaging the nerves of the area being treated how did painkillers work? Wasnt it by inhibiting nerve signals? He should try some experiments with sinbalyne now that hed all but tiered up. What sort of interactions would it have with his new Skills? He was just distracting himself now, and he wasnt sure if he wanted to. Hed check his notifications, that was the first step to being productive, right? Level Up! Skill Points 444 477 Adaptive Defense Level 1124 Feys Caress Level 3536 Memory Level 5759 Numeracy Level 1415 Outsiders Almanac Level 127128 Polyglot Level 5960 Prototyping Level 1213 Ritual Intuition Level 1620 Skillful Assessment Level 1929 Watchful Rest Level 910 Congrattions! For withstanding an overwhelming mental force, you have unlocked the Unbowed path! Congrattions! By experiencing your mental defenses being obliterated yet not losing yourself utterly to a mental Skill, you have unlocked the Canny path! Congrattions! For bncing your mind under the effects of multiple mental Skills simultaneously, you have unlocked the Steady Mind path! Congrattions! For meeting in person The High Sovereign of the Guiding Winds Which Span the World, you have unlocked the Brushed by Power path! Congrattions! For meeting the emperor of the Lirasian Empire, you have unlocked the Lirasian Citizen path! Congrattions! For reaching level 60 in a literary Skill, you have unlocked the Schr path! Congrattions! For exining concepts to The High Sovereign of the Guiding Winds Which Span the World, you have unlocked the Royal Advisor path! Congrattions! For improving the opinion The High Sovereign of the Guiding Winds Which Span the World has of you, you have unlocked the Favored by Power path! That was a lot of Paths for one day, especially pertaining to Xares. He decided he probably wasnt taking most of the Paths he got from the emperor, although Royal Advisor did look tempting. Ah, of course. Adaptive Defense was leveling based on resisting mental effects, wasnt it? Well, it was nice to know he wouldnt bepletely helpless against social Skills anymore. Feys Caress was a bit confusing- he hadnt used the Skill any recently? Hmm. Maybe whatever thing the emperor had used helped it somehow? It was overall a pretty good spread for half a day of leveling, though given he had spent half of that time in direct and terrifying mortal peril, it wasnt an experience he was eager to repeat any time soon. Edwin moved to get out of bed and hesitated. He might be due a cart soon, but he doubted it woulde today. Or even tomorrow. The governor would, if Edwins assessment of the situation was right, would probably drag everything out as much as possible just to be petty. He didnt really need to do anything today, did he? Certainly nothing pressing, anyway. He could stay in bed for now. It was mid-afternoon when Edwin finally pulled himself off his mattress, stretching to try and inject some energy into his weary limbs. Stamina may ensure he was physically capable of the action, but he felt like he ought to get the Willpower attribute for the effort, nevermind that wasnt how the System worked. In any case, time to kill or not, Edwin had spent thest year doing something every day, and it was hard to let that momentum go, and forcing himself to interact with people in a limited fashion would probably be good for him. He had some things he wanted to find out, after all. Like where he wanted to go once he left Vinstead. Perhaps he should look into finding out where VisDaric was? He chatted with the innkeeper while he ate his food- some thick stew and bread that tasted really good- and while the avior was clearly nervous about something, he didnt mention anything about it. Instead, Edwin asked a few questions about where he could get some various supplies. Hopefully his annoyance at life didnte across too strongly, or like it was aimed at the innkeeper. Maybe that was where the nervousness originated? As the flood season was about to start, food was cheap and plentiful, which was fine by Edwins reckoning. He still had loads of money from his talsanenris sale, and even in normal times, food tended to be costed in the order of ves per pound. It would be pretty simple for him to pick up even more food than what he already had on him, and with more variety too! He subtly steered the conversation towards nearby ces he might be able to go of interest, bringing up a few names that had caught themselves in his Memory and notes to investigate. VisDaric, or the City of the Brass Sun as it was nicknamed, drifted around with no apparent pattern, and other than in specific situations, it was inessible from the ground. Not an issue for the avior-dominated Lirasians, of course, but Edwin would need to figure out some way up either on his own or by catching a ride with another flier. That was rather annoying, though perhaps manageable at a high enough level. The problem was the innkeeper didnt know where it was or where it frequently hung out. He said that it wasntmon knowledge this far out, and even he only knew about it from travelers who told stories about it. Apparently it gleamed like the sun, wasrger than the Rhothos River itself, flew to the moon to make eclipses, could drop entirekes from the sky, had a weapon which could obliterate mountains in a single st- and may or may not have just been descending and squishing said mountain under the city itself- and more. Edwin figured at least half the stories had to be made up, but which half he wasnt sure. Any of them could be possible. Well, other than the one where they were secretly in league with tools the world over, who were secretly alive and biding their time to strike. Thatst one had to be fake, right? Of more actionable information was the town of Panastalis. It was also right on the border of the Verdant, though several weeks to the northwest away. One of the few towns actually located inside the Verdant, they were apparently the Lirasian Empires primary source of medicines and potions on the continent. Of most interest to Edwin, though, was that it was in the next province over, Fellstrom, and thus not in the same territory as Governor whatever her name was. He figured it was probably a good ce to check out, see if he couldnt learn anything for his alchemy, and maybe pick up a few new ingredients fresh from the source. He got vague directions from the innkeeper, but was also told he didnt know the route entirely and he should ask at the couriers office, because theyd know better. Edwins food was long finished at that point, and so he bowed out of the conversation and took his leave. Without his cart, and ordingly not knowing how much space he would have for his stuff, Edwin was fairly limited in how much he could buy at the moment. He didnt want to have to lug fifty pounds of flour to his room, for example, no matter how light it may have felt to him. It was just a matter of convenience. It did leave him with some free time that he wasnt anticipating, though. He wasnt about to try and take the medicine ss here in Vinstead, that was certain. He was sticking around no longer than would take him to get his cart and leave. Edwin quietly cursed his luck that he did end up overpaying for his room, under the vague hope the cart didnt take too many days to arrive. Ah well. Given the alternative was staying in Vinstead, leaving was still better than spending any more time in a city ruled by someone who clearly hated him. Heh. And for once I know thats not just my brain ying tricks on me. Maybe he could take the healing license ss when he was in Panastalis? A more alchemy-focused medicine ss would suit him better, anyway. He might even learn something from it! So, that still left him with the question of what he would do with his free time. For now hed pay a visit to Inion. It didnt seem very likely hed get her into the city this time around, and he ought to let her know as much. Leaving the city was as simple as always; while the brief screening that he was always subjected to upon entering meant there was usually a line to get into Vinstead, they apparently didnt care who was leaving the city. Edwin idly kept his eye out for anyone he recognized, but other than a few random Almanac returns from people hed walked by in the past, there wasnt anyone hed interacted with to any appreciable degree- they didnt even have their names tagged. Once he was out from the hustle and bustle of the city and its immediate surroundings, Edwin switched from practicing Flight to stretching his Longstrider,ting him a level in each and enabling him to rapidly close the distance to the Rhothos. This road was well-maintained and well-traveled, stone blocks tightly interlocking with one another and worn smooth from generations of use. Edwin wasnt following the road the entire way, though. No, if he went on far enough it transitioned into a direct bridge over the Rhothos, the massive river passing through enormous stone blocks in a path that was presumably inessible during the massive floods that defined half of the year in this part of the world. Instead, he was following it to a few hundred feet from the banks, then turning offroad and switching back to flight. Longstrider still wasnt quite at the level of mastery where he could go on rough terrain with it or anything that wasnt basically t, level ground, unless he wanted to crash into things constantly. It took a few minutes for Edwin to arrive at their preestablished meeting point, and he flipped a ves into the water. Apparently, Inion was hyper-aware of any offerings made to her or the river in general, and so the copper coin was a great way to get her attention. Sure enough, within a minute, the water coalesced into Inions very familiar shape. Please tell me you at least know where you left your tunic. Edwin sighed, I dont want to have to get you another one. Who says youd have to? Inion teased him, and he shook his head. At least do that thing where you make your own clothes or whatever. Hmmm nah! You know, youll need to get dressed to enter Vinstead, he reminded her, hopeful that she wouldnt ask Ooh! Did you figure out how to get me in, then? Of course shed ask. Fey practically invented misleading statements. No, he admitted, and responded to her beaming smile with a re, That doesnt mean you shouldnt put clothes on! She didnt acknowledge his admonishment, and Edwin sighed, Whatever. I do hope you kept your tunic, though. So? What happened? Tell me all the details. Why would I have anything that would require details? You have that look on your face. Something fuuun happened, didnt it? Ooh! Did you find a girlst night? she teased. Honestly, sometimes Edwin wasnt sure how much of her iprehensibility came from being a fey and which parts she intentionally yed up to annoy him. Edwin responded with a baleful nce and rolled his eyes, Ha. I would have taken that in a heartbeat instead of what actually happened. . Inion let out a low whistle as he finallypleted his story, Wow. Thats quite the eventful night. Tell me about it, Edwin muttered, I thought I was dead at least three times over. I know! I wish I could have seen it! Wait see it? You mortals are so adorable when you do your little spats. I mean, I would have killed miss sassy-beak if she hadin so much as a feather on you- No surprise there. But you standing up to her? Oh, so great! I dont regret missing out on seeing little Liras. He sounds like quite the force to reckon with. Maybe youll get there someday, eh? she elbowed Edwin in the side, and he shifted to avoid it. Please. Hes got at least two millennia of experience on me and an entire empire of resources. You have me! I dont think the power of friendship is going to help out here. No, no! I meant the- Yeah, yeah. I was just messing with you. I know you mean the muse token. He paused to allow Inion to nod in agreement before continuing, I still dont think thatll make enough of a difference, unless its way more powerful than you told me. You never know, Inion pushed, trying to be mysterious, Maybe it is that strong. Is it? he leveled. Well, no, but Inion fell silent at Edwins skeptical nce, Fine. Youre hopeless and can never improve. Is that better? Much, he teased, dodging a kick. He attempted to grab her foot, but Inion let the limb turn to water momentarily, letting it slip through his grasping fingers and sticking her tongue out at him as she did so. After that, the conversation quieted down and the two of them spent a bit more time together, reclining next to the bank of the river and chatting. Eventually, Edwin noted how low in the sky the sun had gotten and figured he should get back into the city before sundown. Chapter 82b: Daily Dallying Chapter 82b: Daily Dallying The next day, Edwin was far more sessful in pulling (well, floating) himself out of bed at a reasonable hour, and following a quick breakfast (a surprisingly good bowl of what looked like oatmeal but tasted like pudding), he set off into the city to do some shopping. With luck, hed be done by lunch! Edwin ended up missing lunch and nearly missing dinner by the time he had gotten the first few things on his list- namely a decent satchel and new belt. His backpack and current belt were perfectly serviceable, yes, but Edwin had in his head what an alchemist should look like, and darn it, he was going to try and mimic that! Hed never really gotten into cosy or anything back on Earth; but that was more a limitation of his time and resources than an actualck of desire. Now that he was on an actual fantasy, though? He could live out all his dreams of a belt full of glowing potions and a satchel full of bombs! Plus it would all be practical, not just decorative! This would be amazing. The belt ended up being custom-made, which did make it more expensive, but he still only spent two ager on the whole thing, plus five ves on a maintenance kit. It was almost worth the price he paid just to watch the Experienced Currier make the entire getup in front of Edwin in about an hour. Now, he had dozens of (mostly empty) pouches in varying sizes, and several loops and leather strap ties that he could hold or insert vials and potions into. Said straps were mostly concentrated on Edwins left, and pouches more on the right, so his new handbag could hang without running the risk of crushing any of his potions. All of his pouches and bags were bigger on the inside, naturally, but only- heh, only, who would have thought hed already start taking something so fantastical for granted- three times bigger than their exterior would suggest. Improbable Arsenal already doubled the size of what it worked on, so he imagined the inherent amount of extra space in his packs would be swiftly overwhelmed by his own Skills. Apparently the aging man had upgraded his Efficient Space when it was level forty or so, trying to push to the Refolded Leather skill instead of bringing Efficient Space to the nies or even higher the truly dedicated pushed it to. It had served him well in his youth, apparently, but now that he was working as a malemaker (in the mailbag sense, apparently), he somewhat regretted the decision. After all, he had It was somewhat interesting, sure, but Edwin had only half paid attention as the man talked about his lifes story, more interested in watching the incredible disy of Skills he had been working with, something that had very much paid off. Level Up! Improbable Arsenal Level 1619 Skillful Assessment Level 2930 With the newest milestone in the Skill, Edwin was starting to ever so slightly be able to distinguish colors associated with different Skills being used. He needed to look really closely, yes, but it was still a massive improvement over what hed had before. Regardless, Edwins biggest takeaway from the whole thing was still just how awesome he looked. Once he got back to his room, he filled in all the potion slots with Sappers Arsenal rods shaped like potions, strapped his knives in ce, and admired himself in the mirror that was Visualization. If his imagination was urate (it should be), he cut a pretty good figure, albeit one with haphazardly cut hair (Inion was never getting close to hair shears and him ever again). He did make an Almanac note to get a few more safety equipment/essories, though. He might be able to get away without some PPE thanks to Feys Caress and Fresh Air, but it never hurt to be overprotected. Goggles, a mask, and gloves were all must-haves, and he should visit the tailor to see about getting them made. Tomorrow, he thought. Today, hed finish packing up his outfit with alchemy stuff. It was on the fourth day after the incident that Edwin was finally approached by a messenger to inform him he ought to report to the garrison- that word was bing more and more inurate as he learned more and more about the building, but Polyglot kept tranting the word the same way- for an unspecified reason at his first opportunity. He gave the Junior Skyling a ves for a tip, which the young avior seemed to be totally unprepared for, jetting off in happiness and bringing a touch of a smile to Edwins face. Well he supposed he ought to head over now. After all, what could- Nope, not thinking that. Not afterst time. Edwin didnt end up seeing the governor at all, an arrangement which he was perfectly content with, and was instead shuffled around until he met with a Lirasian Secretary, who in turn directed him to find where his cart would be. Much to Edwins surprise, it was actually pretty nice! Small, yes, but it was everything he would realistically want from his cart. Well, it was more of a carriage in all honesty. Wooden walls and ceiling, tall enough to stand up in, and some oh, ten feet long on the outside, more like fifteen on the inside? It had loads of shelves and some sort of Skill on them that would that would Ah, forget it. He wasnt good enough with Skillful Assessment to tell what a Skill did, just whether or not it existed and what it affected. Best of all, it came with a pack animal- specifically, a Mature Therassan Pony- to pull it! He barely came up to Edwins shoulder, but was more than strong enough to haul the carriage along the road without even a hint of strain. The secret was visible with a bit more examination- a Skill ran from his four hooves (which had their own ongoing Skill, presumably in ce of the missing horseshoes) up through his body and into the cart. It vaguely reminded Edwin of Packing, though it had a number of distinct differences. Edwin named the shaggy animal Bill. After all, what else would be a valid name for a pony? Everything was packed away nicely. Food had been bought, Edwin had all his new gear prepped-including a leather coat- which would apparently function as armor to some extent, but way stuffier than hed like even after the Skills imbued into it forfort- and some basic furniture bought and folded away under the carriages bottom and fastened by many Apparatus conjurations. That process had brought him all the way up to level 29 in the Skill, and while the conjuration wasnt getting any faster, he was able to make significantly more intricate creations than before. That didnt matter at the moment, though. Currently, he, Inion, and Bill were plodding down the some fairly familiar roads. He wasnt going to lie, the idea of getting closer to the ckstone Citadel made Edwin nervous, but he knew he was being irrational. Sure, they had sent an assassin after him, but that had been taken care of, and Edwin was way stronger now anyway! Besides, he had Inion. That would surely be enough. He could take care of himself. Bill performed his job admirably, trotting along at a moderate pace which Edwin would have once called a light jog. These days, it felt painfully slow, particrly at the start. Even a moderate walk with Longstrider would have let him runps around his workhorse, but disabling the Skill would mean hed fall behind unless he jogged every once in a while, which he didnt want to do. Well, it wasnt like he was in any kind of rush, and this way he could practice his Flight. His top speed with the Skill wasparable to Bills pace, though he was ever so slowly getting faster. He could also just tether himself to the carriage and stay stationary anyway. Of course, if he were to do that, he could also just sit inside, but where was the fun in that? Besides, it was easier to direct Bill when he was outside, not that the pony needed all that much guidance. Edwin didnt have much experience with horses back on Earth, but Bill seemed particrly intelligent and focused, staying on-course and at a steady pace the entire time. Edwin only needed to direct the horse when they encountered a fork in the road, or in one case, when they passed by a particrly luscious meadow. The roads themselves were absurdly straight, even to Edwins modern sensibilities. Only about once or twice a day did the road turn at all, with such incidents usually corresponding to another path splitting off from the main way. They were also very level. Other than a bit of slope from the center of the road out to the edges- Edwin had checked, with several Apparatus marbles- the road was absolutely level, with the foundation lifting it above the ground where it dipped at times, or cutting straight through hills in others, stone imposingly rising on each side for some of therger hills present. Even with the impressive construction inherent in ensuring the straightness of the road, the stones still had gaps between them that were just wide enough to produce some seriously impressive rattling in his carriage. The roads were, simply put, clearly optimized for foot traffic, a fact proven by the asional courier dashing by them, feet pounding against the stone and pushing up a massive cloud of dust in their wake as they rushed by. The one that Edwin managed to peek at with Numeracy gave him a velocity of about 175 m/s, which was zing fast- even over half the speed of sound. Why the empire didnt just use avior as their primary messengers was beyond him, given the flying humanoids wouldnt need roads at all to get around, but perhaps the rtive abundance of humans pushed them to utilizing humans much of the time? Or, more likely, Walking was more likely to give Skills that were useful for rapid ovend movement. Something to ponder, and possibly ask Tara or Rizzali the next time he saw them. There were other travelers on the road, naturally, and the sight lines of the roads (Maybe that was another reason for them?) ensured that Edwin could see them for miles before they actually passed each other and for miles after as well While neither the most interesting nor the mostmon, he did pass a few groups of merchants, with carts and wagons of their own, or withden pack animals passing Edwin, usually saying nothing as they did so. He didnt spot anyone he recognized either, despite keeping an eye out. Three or four times, a group of heavily armored figures on horses rode past him, moving much faster than he and his solitary pony could manage. Usually, said sallies returned back in the direction of Vinstead within a day or two, but one time Edwin never caught the ride back. There were even a couple of bards, dressed in distinctive and colorful clothing as they passed him. The first was a Wandering Herald-Minstrel, and seemed to be trying topose a song as he plucked strings on an unfamiliar instrument, singing half-finished lyrics which hung in the air for minutes in the wake of his passing, and echoed down the road for a good hour. A few dayster, the second danced down the road to a beautiful melody, her eyes closed as her steps twirled her side to side, a flute producing notes which made even Inion close her eyes to appreciate the sound. The Seasonal Dancer of Whimsy barely even acknowledged them as she passed, but Edwin was happy to have encountered her. The most plentiful group, though, was just locals using the roads for ease of travel. There were plenty of Lirasian Farmer variations, sometimes driving beasts of burden, sometimes carrying massive sacks of food, sometimes both simultaneously. Herds of sheep, kept in ce by Shepherds or Farmers and a handful of dogs- Rhothosian Herders, ording to Identify- monopolized massive sections of the road when they came through and stalled Edwins progress until the fluffy tide continued onward. There wasnt a lot of outgoing trade from Vinstead, all told. Apparently, other than the immediate surroundings for the city, most exports from the city were loaded up on barges and sailed downriver The scenery was spectacr. With the mountains to Edwins left, and endless grasnds to his right, the sights were always worth seeing to say nothing of the stars. And oh, the stars. Even back on Earth, Edwin had always loved looking up at the night sky. Hed managed to get far, far out into the country a few times, frequently with his time as a Scout, and beheld the full glory of Earths starscape with such minimal light pollution as could be found in a modern world. Here, though? With his newfound supernatural sight? And nary an electric light to be found this side of the universe? It was something else. The colors on disy in a proper fantasy world were beyond spectacr, and the moon gleamed like a pink and blue crystal ball amidst the green and orange nebe-like shapes which swept across the sky. Several nights had been spent lulling himself to sleep as he told Inion all about the incredible things that could be found in the infinite nothingness that was space. He spoke of gxies and white dwarfs, of ck holes and supernovae. Every night, as he drifted off to sleep, he wondered which of those might still exist, off in the eternal nothingness of space, and what further, exotic structures might exist when magic was added into the equation. One day, he promised himself, Ill see the stars. Maybe Ill feel at home out there. Despite the interesting things he encountered, Edwins days were frequently nothing spectacr. When he didnt want to practice Flight, he usually sat on the carriage and experimented with his other Skills. He found that Prototyping could either include or ignore the motion of the road beneath him depending on what he wanted, that Fresh Air leveled best when it had something to filter out, Health meant he never got blisters, and Adaptive Defense kept him from getting sunburns altogether. Currently, he was seeing how fine of a chain he could make with his Sappers Apparatus. Consistent use and practice had helped him lower the time required to summon his creations- the Skill leveling did nothing in that regard- butrge or intricate creations made that shoot right back up. Chains, depending on how long he made them, met both criteria, and he was practicing summoning them one link at a time, which might well- Stop right there! a voice broke Edwin out of his experimentation. His head jerked up to see a figure standing above him emerge from the surrounding light woods, seemingly melting away from the treeline, Give me all your valuables! Well. It looked like he might have a bit of excitement today after all. Level Up! Skill Points 486522 (Average Level: 33) Flight Level 2328 Outsiders Almanac Level 128129 Longstrider Level 2227 Prototyping Level 1316 Fresh Air Level 811 Numeracy Level 1519 Adaptive Defense Level 2425 Arcadian Elixir Level 811 Watchful Rest Level 1015 Basic Thermokinesis Level 1416 Improbable Arsenal Level 1920 Sappers Apparatus Level 2932 Chapter 83a: Focus is Key Chapter 83a: Focus is Key Other than a spear, the man appeared to be unarmed, and he wasnt wearing any armor, just dirty farmers clothing. The bandits eyes were fixed on Edwin, and he was shifting slightly, adjusting the spear to keep the tip pointed at him. He idly Identified the figure, seeing if Lirasian Reaper Well, that ss name was only mildly terrifying, even if it didnt seem to match with the dirty-looking man in front of him. Are you dumb? I said, give me your money! Perhaps his judgement was massively out of tune, but Edwin didnt really feel like he was in that much danger from the bandit, Why should I do that? Because Ill skewer you if you dont! You got no guards, Ill gut you! I will! You wont be the first! he paused, And if you wanna think about fighting, dont! I got twenty more men in the woods, theyll swarm you the moment you make a bad move! Youre a terrible liar. Edwin muttered, then reconsidered, Or an absolute idiot. Maybe both. Look, I dont really have any aggression to burn off at the moment- you would have needed to show up about two weeks ago for that- so Im not really in the mood to fight at the moment. What about we make a deal? You turn around and go back to whatever hole you crawled from, and Ill just carry on my way. How does that sound? You wont get away that easily! Ill stab you! I will! He was drawing closer to Edwin, the spearpoint getting just a touch close forfort, and Edwin backed up to regain some distance, Inion? Any help with this? His friends vaguely sleepy voice sounded from atop the carriage, startling the Reaper, You got it! Edwin looked over to see her propping herself up on her elbows, looking down at the two of them. Edwin sighed as the bandit jumped at Inions voice and he swung to aim his spear at the fey, Look,st chance to back out, he offered, Theres nothing wrong with admitting you were wrong. That seemed to be the wrong answer, as in response, the man just swung his spear around to aim at Edwin. He mentally shrugged. Well, it might be fun to stretch hisbat muscles. Intimidating ss or no, he didnt get the sense that the bandit was all that good with his weapon or that experienced. He did have the bigger weapon though, so he still needed to be careful. If Edwin were just using his stick, he would be in serious trouble. The bandits spear was easily twice as long and had a pointy bit on the end, meaning meleebat was not an option. Doubly so, given that Edwin btedly realized that his walking stick was currently sitting in the drivers seat of his carriage, as his hands had been upied with his Apparatus experiments. Fortunately, Edwin was an alchemist, and what sort of alchemist would ever do something so crude as beat up people with a stick? No, he had much more dignified weapons. Like a box of marbles. Edwin dropped the chain hed been working on and reached into one of his pouches, withdrawing a crystal box filled with tiny, marble-sized Apparatus spheres. He threw the container at the bandits feet, who jumped back and off the ground to try and avoid it. It ended up being the exact wrong reaction, though, as the box broke against the ground, shattering into motes of Skill magic and covered the road with hundreds of the blue-crystal marbles. The mannded directly atop the marbles, the tiny spheres jetting out every which-way as the crystals refused to bear the bandits weight. As he started to fall, the Reapers frantically windmilling arms failed to keep him upright, forcing him to a foot down on the ground behind him. Instead of rolling off the hazard, though, the foot managed to break the marbles where itnded, giving the bandit the opportunity needed to retrieve his bnce. Edwin narrowed his eyes. There had been a Skill involved in that action, he was sure, and flipping Skillful Assessment on confirmed his suspicions as faint brown motes of light dissipated from around the mans foot. Surrender now and Ill let you live! the bandit seemed to have gotten a bit of confidence, Dont make me call out my men! Edwin tsked annoyedly as the remaining marbles rolled off the road. Hed need to make his next batch more resistant to being crushed, and idly wondered how strong they were. Something to testter, he supposed. Youre still an awful liar, he responded, floating a few inches above the ground as he watched the rest of the marbles roll off the edge of the road. Hmm. He really ought to- A sh of reddish Skill light appeared around the bandit, and pain suddenly blossomed in Edwins side as the man somehow closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, burying his spear into Edwins torso. You stabbed me? Edwin asked, more disbelieving than anything. He stabbed you? Inion suddenly seemed to be paying a lot more attention to the fight. She didnt move yet, though. I warned you. But you didnt listen. Now look at what youve made me do! Now, the bandit kept talking, but Edwin wasnt listening, instead focusing on where he felt the spearhead buried in his muscle. Feys Caress. The wound hadnt been too terribly deep- Health must have helped- but it was still deep enough to be lodged inside, and if it was yanked out or shoved in deeper, hed potentially be in trouble. Before the bandit could do either, though, the area around the wound turned to steel. It seeded for a few seconds, as the triumphant grin on the Reapers face turned to confusion, and Edwin felt some tugging on the transformed area as he realized his weapon was stuck. Edwin reached up to try and grasp the spearhaft, trying to burn it to cinders before He was too slow, as the bandit yanked on the spear, dragging Edwin forward. Flight ensured he wasnt pulled off bnce, but that was littlepensation as the bandit raised his foot, pushed it against Edwins torso, and activated the same Skill hed used to crush Edwins apparatus marbles. Edwin suddenly found himself shoved away, the part of his chest that hed bonded to the spearhead ripped out. Edwin gasped in pain, his mind nking when he tried to focus on literally anything else. He desperately clutched his stomach, trying in some vain attempt to keep his insides where they were supposed to. The shock and burn also broke his concentration on Flight and sent him dropping to the ground. The bandit looked at the haphazard chunk of metal surrounding the spearhead as the Skill faded. As it returned to blood and meat, the bandits casual interest turned to disgust, and he flicked the section of Edwins torso away, where it sttered with a wet squelch against the ground. Trying to aplish anything through the pain and fumbling at his belt, Edwins fingers closed around what he was looking for- a hexagonal prism with smooth sides. He drew the healing potion, the milky-white liquid swirling around in its vial, and tossed the entire thing into his mouth, dismissing the Apparatus construction holding it as he did so. It was his most nonspecific healing potion, little more than a coagnt made from talsanenris, mi, and a tiny drop of sinbalyne, but it should keep him from bleeding out before he could more properly tend to his woundster on. For good measure, he activated Feys Caress again, this time binding the wound to the cloth near it. Fabric couldnt bleed, after all. No longer in mortal danger, Edwin began feeling for the next vial he would need. Triangr with bumps aha! His fingers deftly extracted the tiny vial from his belt, the faintlyvender-colored liquid barely even visible, and was in the midst of getting it ready when Skillful Assessment warned Edwin of danger. The bandit began using a Skill, a faintly red light building from around his feet and swirling up around his body and to his spear. It was the same Skill hed used to dash forward and impale Edwin before, and given where he was looking. Edwin tensed, ready to spring to the side as soon as there! The skill reached a critical mass, and began to explode towards Edwin. As he was ready for it, he was able to just barely bend out of the way, avoiding the attack and sending the bandit stumbling as he overextended on his strike, giving Edwin just enough room to grab the spearhaft, his other hand grabbing the bandits arm, squishing the vial against his sleeve. While he may not have been stronger than the Lirasian Reaper, who immediately started pulling away, Edwin was strong enough to just lift the bandit wholly into the air like a misbehaving child. It wasnt even hard, at least until the bandit activated a brownish Skill and became really, really heavy. His feet were pulled to the ground like a powerful ma, overpowering even Edwins insane Packing level. Once nted, the man became utterly immovable, and began trying to pull Edwins hand out from its grip around the spear. He let it go, and the brown Skill light around the bandits feet red, keeping the man bnced. It was enough, though, and Edwin freed his left hand to smash the Apparatus vial against the bandits face, causing Sinbalyne gas to spill into the bandits face. Edwin disengaged entirely, pushing on Longstrider to carry him away from the man and to the carriage while he let the drug begin to work. It didnt take long. By the time Edwin had grabbed his stick, the man had already begun to sway unsteadily as the potion induced lightheadedness. Edwin swooped in, the mans reactions slowed so much that Edwin was able to entirely circumvent the clumsy attempt to hold him at bay, twisting around the spearpoint and swinging his club at the Reapers head. It connected with a crack, and the bandit staggered back. Edwin grinned and twirled his stick in his hand, going in for another attack. Ignoring the gaping wound in his stomach, this was His thoughts were aborted as the spear came around, with two red Skills intertwined around its length, aimed directly at Edwins head, looking to spear him right between his eyes. Edwins mind turned in on itself, a cacophony of ideas bouncing around as he tried to figure out if he could dodge- he couldnt, and ohshoothereitwas. The next idea presented automatically won his internal debate, and Edwin mmed as much into his Skill as possible. Overcharge. The air turned crystal clear. The spear slowed enough to give Edwin reaction time, and his every muscle thrummed with power. Even with his newfound reaction time, there still wasnt much time to think, and he acted on instinct, turning to avoid the spear and swinging his stick as hard as he could. The spearpoint didnt even miss entirely, cutting slightly into the back of his skull and letting blood cascade from the wound. Edwins retaliation was much more urate, and Edwin turned his Perception away from tactile feedback as the shudder of his stick impacting the side of the bandits skull traveled up the length of his weapon, and the crunch and squish from the impact as the mans skull tried and failed to protect his brain. The darkness that set in as his overworked body rebounded to and below the level of function it ought to have been at was a relief, as it meant he didnt have to see in perfect rity as the bandits bloody corpse sank to the ground. The details he could see were bad enough, and Edwin grimaced. His body ached, burning with the strain of using Overcharge, and Anatomy helpfully informed him that while his intestines werent punctured, it was a near thing, and that while bloody, the cut on his head wasnt life-threatening, thanks inrge part to the anti-bleed potion he already had in his system. Trying to use Flight resulted in a curious burning sensation in his chest, and Edwin decided not to push it. Instead, he put up with his protesting legs while he staggered over to the carriage. Bill had stopped walking when Edwin had, and as he sank onto the wooden drivers seat, Inion floated down next to him. What have we learned today? That youre an awful guardian, Edwin mumbled, Like,e on. You got this? I feel offended. Mmm not quite. I need to work on my marbles. Edwin He groaned, Fine. That I need to take better care of myself. Look, are you going to give me a hand with this or not? Im going to need your help patching myself up, assuming my medicines are even up to the task. Inion sighed as she ran her fingers through his bloody, matted hair, Of course I will. Now, make up your mind if youll hold still or help me while I get all this stuff off you. Overcharge didntpletely knock Edwin out when used, but he almost wished it would. The persistent pain which wracked his body was a constant annoyance, and his every limb felt like hed Caressed lead. He tly couldnt use any magical Skills, even Infusing Firestarting, so to boil water he needed to actually use his firevine oil for the first time. Hed remembered to get clean cloths while in Vinstead, so he had bandages, and even tossed some healing potion ingredients into the boiling cauldron. With Inions help, Edwin gingerly cleaned out his wound. He didnt have any stitches- not forck of trying, he just fundamentally did not trust any of the linen threads avable in Vinstead for anatomical work, to say nothing of the incredibleck of steadiness in his leaden arms. So instead, he applied touches of Feys Caress to some wet y hed brought from Obainn, made his skin nice and pliable, and stuck the two sides together, then let the Skill fade. It didnt work perfectly, naturally. Beyond the distinctck of precision he was able to aplish with his shaking hands, when the Skill went away, skin did as it was wont to and pulled away, trying to return to its original state. However, just enough skin stuck that it created a sort of patchwork rough texture flesh-and-blood construct. A few more rounds of flesh-sculptingter, Edwin had something that should hold for the few days it would take for the primary wound to heal. Magic was great. From there, he applied a poultice of crushed talsanenris berries, mi flowers, and a drop of firevine sap. Thetter of the ingredients would help keep the wound sterilized while it healed over the next few days, with the alchemical fire functioning much like normal fire to creatures unfortunate enough to find themselves submerged in it. The talsanenris would increase the heat, but thanks to the mi it wouldnt burn him. Instead, it would heat the area and further helpbat infection, like the infection was swelling. Once the mixture was applied to the wound, he bandaged his stomach with his sterilized and medicinal bandages. Edwins head got a simr treatment, though without ying sculptor with his own skin. He just bandaged the wound after Inion washed out the wound and ensured no hair got into the cut. One more downed general-purpose healing potionter, Edwin felt pretty decent about his odds about getting back into fighting shape within a decent amount of time. Before he tugged on Sleeping and First Aid to try and refresh him, though, he nced at his notifications. Level Up! Skill Points 522535 Overcharge Level 38 Feys Caress Level 3536 Anatomy Level 2628 Adaptive Defense Level 2526 Skillful Assessment Level 3031 Arcadian Elixir Level 1114 Not too bad. Fighting, or high-pressure situations in general, did a fantastic job of helping him level. He idly wondered which exactly it was, but it wasnt the primary thought in his mind as his tortured limbs were finally allowed to rest. For the first time in quite a while, Edwin slept dreamlessly and with no awareness of the surrounding world- for the first half of the night, at least. Then he woke up to Watchful Rest helpfully informing him of his aching arms. He tried for a few minutes to get back to sleep naturally before triggering his healing rest Skillbination and falling back into pseudo-unconsciousness. By the time he woke up again, the sun had already risen, and it was to the steady trot-trot-trot of Bills hooves on the road. Despite some momentary panic about what was going on, Edwin swiftly adjusted and peered over the edge of the roof, seeing Inion in the drivers seat idly braiding her hair. Good morning? he tried. Ah, youre awake! Good to see! How are you feeling? Good, Edwin yawned, stretching to get the few kinks in his back out, I think. Ive got some phantom soreness, but thats about it. He peeked underneath his bandages, Pretty much better, too. He noted. Other than a bit of a messy scab around his bellybutton, and a raised ridge on the back of his hand, there was no sign of the messy wounds hed gotten the day before. Magic was great. He floated down to sit beside his friend, Im surprised you got the days travel started already. She shrugged, Well, someone had to do it, and you werezy this morning. She teased, and Edwin rolled his eyes. What did you do with the body? he asked. He wasntining that he wouldnt have to deal with corpse removal, but he wouldnt have minded looking over it, see if it had anything of note on it. You always searched the body, after all. Tossed it into the woods, she nonchntly replied, It was just attracting flies. Fair enough, I dont suppose you picked up any of my marbles? he sighed when she shook her head. There was a few hours of work ahead of him, though maybe he could use this as a chance to experiment a bit. Perhaps he could stick caltrops inside of them, or make them multiyered, so if the outside was broken, the entire thing wouldnt dissipate? Chapter 83b: Focus is Key Chapter 83b: Focus is Key Edwin and Inion passed through several smaller viges on their route, usually one just a bit over a days travel from the prior. None were that spectacr, though, consisting of a few buildings and a tavern or inn (what was the difference?), usually with a marginally higher concentration of homes in its vicinity. There were also lots of Curan way-shrines, and they passed one or two each day. Edwin was content with his current sleeping arrangement atop his carriage, though, and so didnt bother using them. Sometimes, Inion would join him atop the roof, and the two would stargaze for hours until Edwin fell asleep. About half the time, she was still there when he woke up. It was it was nice, to have her by his side. If only humans could get along with him. Or, he supposed hed ept other fey as friends, but there was no way hed find another Inion. Edwin kept himself busy, mainly experimenting with his Apparatus. Of all his new Skills, it was the one he was perhaps the most excited to really try out and experiment with. Limits loosening as the level increased implied that hed get the most benefit of any of his Skills from leveling it, too. Maybe he could make the crystal flexible at some point. For now, though, Edwin had a simple, if ambitious, goal, and one that could be fairly powerful if he could manage it. He wanted to get aprehensive list of Sappers Apparatuss physical specifications. Refractive index for fun with light, density and tensile strength for building things, heat conductivity and capacity for fun with fire and instion, electrical conductivity in case that ever came up, and more. That would take him more time than even he had right now, so he decided to focus his efforts on the more immediately practical quantities. Starting off with optics, Edwin quickly found that he only half-remembered the required equations that hed need to figure out the refractive index, so he had to re-derive most of them from scratch. In that whole process, Mathematics proved to be an utter lifesaver, and Numeracy helped a ton. Even still, he needed to use Almanac and Memory to avoid getting lost in the numbers. Matrix trantions were no joke, even if the derivations themselves werent too bad, though far, far from trivial. His n was to make a lens out of his apparatus crystal, figure out what its focal length was, run some calctions based on the shape of the lenses and using the refractive index as the unknown, and solve from there. Normally, you knew the refractive index- ss was 1.5, water was 1.33, air was basically 1- and were trying to find the focal length, but the nice thing about math was it didnt matter what your unknown was, so long as there was only one. Edwin had at first tried to use the thin-lens optics equations, but his results were wildly inconsistent until he stumbled upon his problem- namely that his lenses werent infinitely thin. Trying to measure the refractive index by making a prism didnt work- the light just exited a uniform bluish color that matched his crystal. That implied things, but he held his excitement until he could measure it more precisely. He couldnt calcte the refraction index just from the pyramids refraction either, sadly. The sorts of calctions needed required all sorts of tricky reference frame changes and angle calctions that Edwin wasnt sure he wanted to tangle with. It was hard enough for him to rederive the thick-lens matrix equations, he didnt want to do any more work than he needed to. So, Edwin now sat with an array of Apparatus crystal (he needed a better name for it than just that hed think of one eventually) rods, each as close to perfectly round and 1 centimeter in diameter as he could make them. Once he had numbers on the refractive index, he could do more work to figure out how precise he could make his Apparatus. Thick-lens equations had been a colossal pain for Edwin once upon a time, but considering these days he could multiply two nine-by-nine matricies in his head thanks to Mathematics it wasnt so bad. It just involved three basicponents: a term to ount for the initial refraction, when light passed from the air into the lens, a trantion term for how thick the lens was, and a term to ount for the refraction out of the lens and back into the air. Things got moreplicated when multiple lenses got involved, or when you started including reflection terms, but he was keeping things simple for now. And that meant figuring out the initial ray-matrix for his light source of the sun. If he assumed it was infinitely far away, all of its light would be parallel, and by defining his axes properly he could Anyway. Basically, hed be running the calction for a single ray of light with an angle of 0 radians at +0.5 centimeters, measure where it crossed the y-axis- namely, where the focal point of the rod was- and from there he could back-calcte what the refractive index was. He cracked his knuckles and pulled up Almanac. This would be a lot of numbers. Even Edwins eyes were zing over by the time he finally got his equation in a half-readable state. He triumphantly looked over all he had aplished as he did the final calctions . Which we can then substitute our values of y0 = .5 cm, L = 2 cm, n = 1, R = 1, yf = 0 cm, a0 = 0 for: Solving for n gives: Wait, no. That didnt make sense. Edwin groaned as he looked to try and figure out where his mistake was. He shouldnt have everything drop out so quickly. There was bound to be somewhere that the angle wasnt supposed to cancel quite yet. He was confident his equations were correct- hed double-checked them a ton of times with various situations he knew the answer to. Stupid magical math Skills, dont even prevent me from making stupid mistakes. I swear, this was just like the actual ss, he muttered. It took him another six hours before he finally got all his equations lined up properly, and had to use another set of forme that would help him figure out the focal length from the matrix. And so then, the value of q is the distance from the closest point of the cylinder to where the focal point is- thats where all the light is concentrated into a single line, see?- And q is A over C no wait, thats not right. Ah, minus A over C, with A being the top left value of the matrix, and C is Okay, okay! Inion cut him off, I get it! You do? Edwin was surprised, Because it seemed like you werent a moment ago. No, no. I get that Ill never get this, and you can stop trying to exin what all this is about now. But its so easy! Like, look, you dont have to understand that diagram. All that matters is that by substituting q for what we measured, five and a half centimeters, and assuming the air has a refractive index of exactly 1, and that the rods diameter is two centimeters, we can figure out what nprime should be. See, like No! Nope! Its easy though! You take your blight-shunned numbers away from me! I still dont even understand what these decimal things are! I thought you understood those? Its just a representative number system. So like No! But Go talk to Bill if you have to tell somebody! Hell understand as much as I do! Please? No! .. So hopefully somebody will eventually enjoy all of these, after nobody now seems to appreciate the finer points of Physics. Anyway, check OpticsForme for theponent equations, and if you really must, OpticsDerivationIndex has records of calcting all of those equations from scratch. Youre wee, future person who will likely never be reading this because youd need to be Identifying the crystal that Sappers Apparatus creates. Or just looking at the page I make for it once I figure out what to call it, anyway. Now Im just rambling. Heres the math. L=2 cm, R = 1 cm, n = 1, n=?, q = 5.5 cm Wait, isnt that the same as water? That doesnt seem right. Edwin sat back as he did thest bit of math. To confirm, he quickly conjured two spheres, one filled with water and the other as a solid crystal. Sure enough, they had different focus lengths. Hmmm. His math didnt seem to have any errors in it, after checking it several times over, which meant his measurements must have been off. He re-checked his measurement distances, finding his error quickly once Numeracy hit level 29. Focusing on it so much had raised it a ton, and it was already paying off. Ah. Not five and a half. Five point seven-five. Im still not listening! Inion yelled from the top of the carriage. Im not talking to you! he called back, Im just talking to myself! Good! You found the only person on Joriah who will listen, then! Oh, go jump in your pond! You go jump in my pond! Make me! he yelled back. Edwin patted Bills head, the pony having stayed calm throughout their entire exchange, You wouldnt get mad at me for talking, would you? His pack animal just flicked an ear in reply, and Edwin rolled back to stare at the sky, continuing to float in a fixed reference to the carriage. Okay, so he had the wrong focal length. How did fixing that change things. Okay, so after re-running the numbers, it looked like apparatite, as he settled on, had a refractive index of 1.43. More than water, less than ss. What was quite interesting, and quite frustrating, was that all light was bent equally by the crystal, and didnt vary with wavelength. That meant he couldnt make a diffraction grating or prism out of apparatite, but did mean he could Honestly, he didnt know how he might be able to abuse that yet. But hed figure it out at some point. Maybe there were some sort of fiber optic shenanigans he could get up to? It wasnt too much of a limitation, anyway, as he could just shove a bunch of water into an apparatite container and use that instead. He could even modte the waters refractive index slightly, by applying varying degrees of Improbable Arsenal to increase the density of the water inside, which he could probably use to figure out exactly how much of an increase Arsenal gave to the space it affected at some point, if there werent already much easier ways to aplish that same task. Density was significantly easier to figure out. Though Numeracy didnt give him mass measurements, it did give him volume. Even still, copper coins werent terribly easy to estimate the volume of, unless he set up a discement measurement system, which Apparatus made trivial. Honestly, Outsiders Almanac was having seriouspetition for the status of Edwin''s favorite Skill these days. The ability to essentially 3D print anything he could imagine at will, out of a type of crystal, was just so darn amazing. He didnt even have to worry about this one clogging or running out of fment! Still, once he knew the volume of a given ager, it was trivial to convert it to mass- copper had a density of 8.96 g/cm3- and use the coins as weights topare against his apparatite. By making a scale- it took him a few tries to get it appropriately bnced, but he managed it in the end- he was able to take a 1 cubic centimeter block of apparatite and weigh it against his coins. It didnt take long, though it did require muttion of a couple coins, to find the density was 2.44 g/cm3. Once he had density, tensile strength was simrly trivial to determine. He fashioned a thin rod of apparatite, half a centimeter in diameter, and put a small loop on the end, from which he hung several known-volume blocks of apparatite. . At a whopping 318 kilograms, the stress on the apparatite finally was enough, and it all gave way, sending his ever-growing collection of crystal blocks cascading across the ground. Some quick math, Edwin figured that the tensile strength of the stuff was a respectable 149 Mpa, which was about half thepressive strength of concrete. It would hold up to a lot of stuff, that was certain. Edwin sat back, content as he finished filling out his personal Almanac page on apparatite. He didnt have information on heat or electrical conductivity or capacitance yet, but those experiments could wait until he started exploring Basic Thermokinesis. His head hurt enough from the optics derivations hed been doing for the past week, and he wanted a break. Okay, you cane out from hiding now. He told the top of his carriage. A few secondster, the drifting hair of Inion came into view as she peered over the edge. Are you actually done this time, or are you just pretending again? Look, I keep telling you it wasnt intentional! You just happened to say the perfect thing to get me unstuck from where I was at. Uh huh. And that wont happen this time? No! Im done. For now, anyway. I have all the basic info I can think of for apparatite. Refractory index, density, tensile strength- Okay, thats enough! Wait, no! It was just Edwin trailed off as the fey fled back out of immediate earshot, those three. He sighed. Well, he shouldnt be surprised that Inion couldnt stand him getting really involved in physics and material science stuff. Nobody else could either, but he had vaguely hoped his friend would be able to at least try to act interested. Well, he shouldnt have been surprised. Their interactions had been mainly on Inions terms, and he hadnt had much of an opportunity to really show what his deep personality was like. No wonder she fled at the first opportunity when he started bringing it up. Maybe he would be able to find someone in Panastalis who could appreciate the sort of work Edwin was doing with material science. A whole town of alchemists, or at least with a heavy alchemist focus. Surely someone there would be an aspiring chemist as well, right? Someone he could talk science with? He missed that sort of thing. Just being able to geek out with people He hadnt found a recement yet. He kept hoping, though. Well, hed find out soon enough. He directed Bill off the main road, and the tireless pony turned off onto the wide dirt path leading into the forest. About half an hourter, a giant grin crept across Edwins face. A massive tree dominated the area, its canopy hundreds of feet above them, casting the area in shadow. Beneath its leafy boughs ran a moderately-sized river which quickly vanished into a moss-covered hole in the ground, surrounded by a slew of wooden and stone houses, mossy and ivy in some ces. In a couple of instances, houses were built directly onto the massive tree, massive roots or branches serving as bridges from the buildings on the tree to the rest of the vige. It looked like it had been ripped straight from a fairytale, and Edwin couldnt stop smiling. Panastalis. Hed finally made it. Level Up! Skill Points 543573 Sappers Apparatus Level 3237 Numeracy Level 2732 Memory Level 5960 Watchful Rest Level 1518 Fresh Air Level 1114 Flight Level 2832 Improbable Arsenal Level 2023 Longstrider Level 2729 Arcadian Elixir Level 1416 Outsiders Almanac Level 129130 Skillful Assessment Level 3132 Congrattions! For reaching level 60 in a mental Skill, you have unlocked the Mentalist path! Congrattions! For exploring the utility of a new substance in the creation of new devices, you have unlocked the Engineer path! Congrattions! For deriving multiple optics equations from scratch, you have unlocked the Physicist path! Congrattions! For understanding and exiningplex mathematics, you have unlocked the Mathematician path! Congrattions! For thoroughly exploring the properties of a new material, you have unlocked the Material Scientist path! Congrattions! For pushing the boundaries of what you know about your Skills, you have unlocked the Skill Researcher path! Chapter 84a: Recipe for Success Chapter 84a: Recipe for Sess While a few people had naturally taken note of Edwin rattling up to the entry of the town, none paid him much attention. It made a certain amount of sense, they probably had loads of travelers and merchantsing in and out of the town on a regr basis. In fact, he could even tell where the inn for the town was thanks to the row of wagons that had pulled up beside it, a few individuals milling around them. A few individuals caught his eye- one Skyguard and two Hired Guards already had Almanac tags on them from when hedst traveled with a merchant caravan. He was vaguely hopeful hed spot more familiar faces out and about, but it seemed that the trio had simply been hired by a different set of merchants. Even the wagons werent the ones that he had seen before, and Edwin couldnt imagine they had an excessive number of those lying around. As they pulled up to the inn, Edwin allowed Bill to loiter as he hopped down and drifted inside. The tireless pony lowered his head and started nibbling at a few tufts of hardy grass that had survived on a hard-packed dirt road. While Edwins eyes didnt need to adjust too much as he entered the building, the massive leafy boughs of the tree Panastalis was built around already casting the entire city into shadow, his ears certainly did. Inside, a couple dozen individuals with a mix of travel-rted sses and more typical Identify results sat around, eating, drinking, and enjoying a Melodic Wanderers song as he sat, ying a stringed instrument that Edwin recognized from the road. The innkeeper- a Canny High Merchant- looked at Edwin with a skeptical eye as he approached, We dont serve your type here. Edwin looked down at himself, Look, I know most people dont like adventurers, he started, confused, But I assure you, I have dispensation for- No, not adventurers, you daft fool. Alchemists. Hold on, what? of all the things he was expecting to potentially run into trouble for, being an alchemist in the alchemist town was not one of them. Youre not Guilded. I serve you, Im inviting all kinds of trouble onto myself. Well, okay, but- Out! Dont want your trouble. I was sent by the emperor? it was perhaps a bit of a stretch, but not that much of one. He would argue that the emperor telling him to go and learn stuff on his own merit did include visiting Panastalis and learning about alchemy. He might not have specifically said to do so, but That caught his attention, Youre lying. Nope! Talked to him just a month ago. Youre either brazen or stupid. Edwin gave a slight shrug and a smirk. Five ager a night. Edwin scoffed, Thats robbery! Back in the city I got half a month for that price. This isnt the city. He shot back, and Edwin noticed a Skill intecing the words, Its a lot more expensive out here. Four. Thats not how money works at all. Things are always pricier in a city because more people want the stuff. Yeah, well look around. Im not exactly hurting for business, and they wont get the ce burned down by just existing. Non-guild alchemists are not wee here, and Im not taking that on my head. Ill look to join the guild? Actually, how do you know Im not already part of it? Well if you were, you wouldnt be staying here. Any idea how I join the guild? Nothin specific. Anything general? Well, I dont know where youe from, but its usually considered bad business to give something away for free. Where Ie from, helping out potential customers is a great way to get on their good side and make them want to choose your ce. Ha! Where else would you go? Well, apparently where- ah. I see. Edwin sighed and grabbed a few ves from an internal pocket, Will this do? he slid the coins over. Its a start. The avior swept a wing over the counter, making the coins vanish with the hint of a Skill, You can find the guildhouse on Stalis. The tree? Edwin guessed. The avior gave a quick nod, You cant miss it. Sounds like I didnt get my moneys worth, Edwin grumbled, So a room? If you join with the guild, then you wont need one. I have a travelingpanion. Would she be really wee in whatever guild-approved housing they have? Two of you? I would have asked for two rooms, but not at those prices. Well settle for one. Hmmm, The innkeeper tucked his head into his shoulder and preened some of the feathers there in thought, I suppose thered be no harm in renting to a passer-by. Shes not an alchemist, right? Edwin shook his head. Two ager a night for the two of you, you get thergest room I dont already have imed. Please, Im not a fool. I can sleep in my cart if nothing else- I did it on the road. One. Though I do have a pony that needs stabling, I could go up a bit for that. Three per two days, and we feed and stable your horse. Deal. It didnt take long for him to get Bill and Inion properly situated in their respective ces- though thetter immediately fled the inn, iming she wanted to y in the river. Honestly, he felt like a parent at times, despite Inion being at least a hundred times older than him. He didnt waste any time once he was free, and quickly made his way to Stalis. In some ways, Edwin felt that his sense of grandeur had perhaps shifted slightly since he had arrived in Joriah, inrge part thanks to Vinsteads garrison and living in a literal fairy-tale home for a year. It was perhaps the primary reason the massive guild hallplex built into a treerger than a football field didnt amaze him, with its grand, sweeping roof and skylights spilling golden shafts of light across the floor. Thetter feature caught Edwin off-guard, though it took him a moment to put his finger on why. Then it hit him. There wasnt any direct sunlight underneath Stalis- the apparent sunlight spilling into the room was artificial, mimicking the lighting away from the massive tree that was the towns namesake. That was Well, Edwin didnt even know how to begin doing something like that. Okay. Thats not entirely true. The first step would be figuring out if they have some sort of light-storing or light-transmitting material that they could use to bring sunlight in. It might even use sunstalk. Perhaps by making some sort of transmission method or alchemical preparation to keep it active? Though that would just diffuse, not stick in cohesive sunbeams. Unless they had some kind of focusing effect. Maybe an alchemical crystal of some kind? Though thats basically just saying magic. Just saying A Wizard did it is not a real answer, darn it! How did the wizard do it, and how- Can I help you, sir? a mildly annoyed voice cut in, and Edwin sheepishly looked back at the receptionist. He looked human, but had oddly purplish-gray skin and a dour expression. A quick Identify let him see the man was a Fastidious Alchemist, and Edwin nodded in apology. Sorry. Just admiring the architecture, he apologized, Id like to try and join the guild? What sort of thing does that require, what does it entail, that sort of thing. Yes, well. You need the Alchemy skill- I have that, yes. Edwin interrupted, then nced away in apology when the man red at him, Sorry. The Alchemy skill and Alchemists Insight at level thirty, then youll need to undergo a series of quality and knowledge tests before you can be a full member. Knowledge test? How does that work? I was getting there, he replied, annoyed. Edwin avoided eye contact as the receptionist continued, If you need additional tutge in alchemy for the examination, the Guild offers sses for aspiring alchemists for a mere seven ager per week. Mere? Edwin was shocked, Thats half a grai per month! Why is everything so expensive in this tiny town? If you cannot afford the prices, the guild offers loans for perfectly reasonable interest rates and may be paid off once a full member viamission work or generalbor. Edwin just red at the receptionist. I swear, its student loans all over again. How long do most students take to learn everything? Oh, usually a year or two if being trained from the Six. I dont know how long you would require, but likely a few months. Edwin stewed for a few moments, What about just taking the test? Can I prove that Im apetent enough alchemist without having to take the sses for the specific terminology you all learn? Im sure I can pick it up quickly enough anyway. I hope. Hmm, he sneered, Well, Im not sure what we can do about that, but I suppose I can pass the message along to my superiors and see what they say. Thank you. Edwin nodded, though he internally wondered what the guys problem was, not that he was really surprised that he was already annoyed with him. He shuffled between his feet awkwardly, So what now? The receptionist looked up at Edwin, Where can we find you? I heard you guys had housing or something? he checked. He doubted that itd be open for him, but he didnt want to bring trouble on to the innkeeper if he could help it. Guild members only. If youre applying see about getting a room at the inn. Tell the innkeeper youre a Prospective if he gives you any trouble. Edwin nodded, Thanks. Youll... find me there, I guess. From there, it was rather simple to retreat, only slightly marveling at the massive disys of Skills that were omnipresent in the guildhall and faintly permeated the air. Inion was still gone when he got back to the inn, and so Edwin shut himself in his room and kept ying with his Skills. Apparatus was as interesting as ever; as the Skill hit level 40, Edwin managed to create a fine chain reminiscent of a ne string. In fact, he decided that was what hed use it for, and looped it around his neck, the crystal glittering in the light of his glowing potion bottles next to where Inions Muse Token hung. It was easy, if tedious, toyer instances of the Skill, and Edwin got his marble box about half restocked with recursive marbles- spheres stacked within one another- before giving up. He had made one marble of about twentyyers of Apparatus before deciding it was way too much work, and his future creations only had three nested spheres. Hopefully it would be enough, because he was already so very bored just making marble after marble. Hed finish them up at ater point, and make his caltrop-marbles at some point in the future as well. But for now Edwin swiped through his Status. Hed done well and he couldnt help but feel a bit proud. Hed gotten a lot in just thest few months. Sure, his pace was nowhere close to what hed had in his dedicated year of training, but it was also so much less stressful- and hed gotten so many new Paths too! Name Edwin Maxlin Age 1 year Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 22 Impact 7 Mana 33 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 83, Alchemical Analysis 15, Refine 1, Alchemical Dismantling 6, Sappers Apparatus 40 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 16, Feys Caress 36, Ritual Intuition 20, Mana Infusion 85 Flight 9, (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 8, Longstrider 29, Fresh Air 14 (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 14, Prototyping 16, Anatomy 28, Polyglot: 60, Memory 60 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 49, Adaptive Defense 26 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 130, Watchful Rest 18, Skillful Assessment 32, Arcadian Elixir 16, Improbable Arsenal 23 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 576 Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90 Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Schr 0/60, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched He idly toyed with the message, musing about what he wanted to evolve Flight with. Aerialist was the boring option, no doubt. If he were to hazard a guess it might improve his maneuverability in-air? Meh. What he really wanted was telekinesis, because that was perhaps the single most awesome and broken superpower ever. Plus, it would be great for sealed experiments and making vtile stuff without risking his own life and limb. But mainly it was just obscenely broken. Be able to tly vite the 3rdw of motion? Yes please. Hed tried picking up a Tactile Telekinesis skill by messing around with Packing and Mana Infusion again, but to no avail. He just couldnt get it to click quite right. Maybe one day, unless there was some sort of strange one-new-skill-perbination rule to the System, which he didnt think was the case but he couldnt totally rule out either. He didnt really know what he should try to use to get Telekinesis from Flight. None of his Paths particrly seemed to lean in that direction. Hmm Ah well, it wasnt like he was in any kind of rush. He didnt want to evolve Flight until it was at least level 60, and he had a pretty solid spread of abilities already. Tier 3 would bring with it a whole suite of awesome new powers, sure, but why rush it? Leveling all of his current Skills to super-high levels would help a lot too. Satisfied, he dismissed the notification and rose from his bed, looking outside. Hm. It was starting to get dark. Inion had yet to return, but that was hardly a surprise. Shed be out ying in the water for a week if she could. Theyd spent rtively little time traveling by rivers, so this was the first time in quite a while where shed had extensive time submerged. Well, maybe hed hear from the guild tomorrow. Bedtime for now. Chapter 84b: Recipe for Success Chapter 84b: Recipe for Sess There was a message for you this morning. The voice snapped Edwin out of his morning stupor slightly as he stared at the innkeeper. Hed just descended from his room, Sorry, wha? he blinked. A runner from the Guild dropped this off for you. It is for you, right? He swept a wing across the counter, depositing a small ck pebble on the wood. Edwin blinked at it uprehendingly, Ummm. I may still be waking up, but thats a rock? Edwin was still awful at reading Avior expressions, but it was clear even to him that the innkeeper was looking at Edwin like he was an idiot. Which wasnt really a surprise, but it didnt help him much here. Some problem? Well its a rock. You have an issue with rocks? Where did youe from? A very long way away, apparently. Edwin responded, I still dont see how the rock ys into this. Have you never seen a message stone before? What did they use back for you? Ink and paper, usually. So, what am I missing here? The stone. Identify it. He was really done with Edwin, wasnt he? Sigh. Edwin shrugged and triggered Identify on the pebble. Itsa rock! A very rocky rock. Rocking all over. It rocks. Not a very big rock, though. It might be stoned. Maybe it will roll? Okay, that didnt work. Material? I think this is Granite? Alchemical Analysis? 50 - 90% Quartz 50 - 90% Elemental Oxygen He should update his Quartz tag to be silica, shouldnt he? It would also be nice if he was able to get actually pure substances so he could Almanac them properly and definitely Eh, project for another day. He shook his head, Not getting it. Not sure what youre trying to get me to do? Didnt you Identify it? I did. No messages, though. You dont even have Common Knowledge? Look, Ie from so far away, you wouldnt even believe it. I dont suppose you could read it for me? he sheepishly asked. Fine, the innkeeper squacked, But youll pay. How much? Ill pay double for my breakfast. Hmm. Thatll be ten ves, then, and you need to wait until Ive got everyone else taken care of. Fine, Edwin acquiesced, mostly just not wanting to make any kind of scene- being seriously overcharged was fine when the payment was on the order of ves- and slid the copper coins to the avior, who swept them up off the counter with the same Skill. Thank you for your patronage. Food and message, please? Edwin tapped his foot on the floor as he took a seat. Certainly, certainly, the innkeeper stepped into the next room over and returned a momentter with a small loaf of bread on a wooden tter. Edwin took it and tore off a chunk, chewing on the food while waiting for his answer. To the Alchemist Errant,e to the Cope Hall at noon for an assessment of your capabilities. Thats it? Edwin was incredulous, Theres really nothing else? Youre wee to look at it yourself. Or perhaps not? Edwin red at the bird, snatched his pebble and loaf off the counter and returned to his room. Noon came around quickly enough, and brought with it Edwin at Cope Hall, a location hed had to ask for directions in finding, and turned out to be a smaller building with doors surrounded by intricate carvings depicting some kind of story. Edwin was sure that it would be meaningful to somebody, but he couldnt make heads or tails out of the scenes depicted. Something about people and avior, along with children. Trees were involved somehow ah! It was the history of Panastalis, wasnt it? Hmm. So, that would probably be representative of alchemy somehow? What were they doing? His slow piecing together of the decorations was cut short as Edwin realized he might runte if he spent too much longer on the task, and cautiously crept inside. The interior wasnt particrly well-lit, with the only sources of illumination being torches burning in an eerie green color, casting a pallor upon every surface and making it all look sickly. The walls were lined with skulls and bones, darkly bubbling vials and bottles that were either faintly glowing or just catching the light in an odd way. It was, in short, an extremely theatrical recreation of what a potionsb might be, sans a- oh wait, no. There was the cauldron, though it wasnt bubbling and the presumed firepit it sat over remained unlit and stocked with white rods that Edwin couldnt Identify. There wasnt anyone that Edwin could see in the room, though. Hello? he cautioned, looking around for whoever was supposed to be examining him, I was told toe here? There was no response, so Edwin took a seat on a nearby stool and waited. After five minutes, Edwin was starting to get a bit impatient. Was he supposed to do something? He was pretty sure this was Cope Hall, and it was noon. Was his examiner runningte, or was seeing what he was able toe up with entirely on his own part of the test? Hm. Well, he didnt know enough about any of the misceneous things in the room to do anything with them, so what did he have on him? He patted down his pockets, looking in his satchel. Hm. He mildly regretted offloading pretty much all of his ingredients into his cart, but it wasnt like he could do precision mixing on the fly when fighting. Besides, they were likely safer when secured under severalyers of Apparatus and hidden on the underside of his shelf than they would be on his person. Some of what he did have was more appropriate for use in further experimentation, though. Concentrated firevine and sinbalyne oil, a few dried talsanenris berries, a sk of distilled water, and not much else. Well, he could always make a healing potion. Maybe something to counteract hypothermia? It was easy enough to make his tools- Sappers Apparatus meant he was never without a mixing bowl or stirring rod- and he settled in, geared up, and got started. The primaryponent was water, naturally. The substances he dealt with were all far too potent to be used undiluted. It was also the one ingredient he could be generous with- he could concentrate the potionter by boiling some off if need be, and it was the one ingredient he had a functionally unlimited supply of. His heatstone had been set on permanent duty in his carriage as a source of heat for his distillery, and by consistently filling the water feed tank, he had nearly a barrel of distilled water ready for use at all times. He also had set up a charcoal filter to try and purify fresh water and well, he was getting distracted. He took a small measure of the water and, with a flex of Basic Thermokinesis apanied with Infused Firestarting- his new Skill wasnt strong enough to boil water yet, though he liked to exercise it- he boiled two of his talsanenris berries in it until they werepletely rehydrated. Then he kept going until they had turned to mush, and filtered out most of the skin and pulp- instead of discarding it, he slipped it in a vial. It tasted good when he cooked, after all. Loads of nutrients. Level up! Basic Thermokinesis 16 17 Edwin mixed his talsanenris juice into the greater bowl, and guided by his Alchemy, measured out a few drops of his sinbalyne. If he had mi, this would possibly work as a preventative measure, as the buffering nt would help spread out the effects of the talsanenris. Using sinbalyne would instead encourage the potion to spread quickly into and through the bloodstream andbine with the talsanenris to deliver a jolt of metabolic energy to the entire body, rather than being digested normally. When hed made potions before with it, it had resulted in Edwin jumping straight into the air as his body demanded he move. This one was much more diluted, so it shouldnt be as dramatic, but he knew the theory was sound. Once the potion was homogenous, Edwin took an Apparatus toothpick and allowed it to take a tiny drop- barely more than a bit of film clinging to it- of firevine oil. Too much, and it would probably be fatal, giving whoever ingested it instant heatstroke if not worse. The trick was using as little as possible, and even still Edwin would need to find ab rat to try his potion on before drinking it himself. A few more minutes of stirring, and Edwin was surprised by a pleasant pair of notifications. Level up! Alchemy 83 84 Arcadian Elixir 16 17 He must have been close to that Alchemy level if his little experiment had pushed him over the edge, and it probably also signified thepletion of his potion. Very nice. He nodded in contentment and started bottling up the elixir, only to be stopped by a new,manding voice. That will do for now. No need to bottle it, I can look at it now. Startled, Edwin looked around, only to spot a man with carefullybed hair and an enormous moustache to match standing off to the side. He strode over to the table Edwin was using for his experiment, and grabbed a spare beaker Edwin had set out, scooping up a measure of his elixir and holding it up to the light. Hmmm. Experimental sh-fever potion, medium quality. Interesting. Care to exin why you decided to make this? Fever potion? How did- oh wait. Alchemists Insight, isnt it? It lets him Identify potions, I guess? It wasnt entirely my intention, mister Edwin had made the mistake of improper address oncetely, he wasnt keen to repeat the incident any time soon. Cope. Shorob Cope. The man continued to examine Edwins creation, not looking at Edwin. Mister Cope. I was hoping to make an anti-hypothermia potion, but I suppose if the result was a sh fever potion, I do need to add in a bit of mi to help lessen the severity. I thought I might be able to get away without it, but it seems like that isnt so. Oh, I dont know about that! This might serve to shock a patient back into health, particrly if their blood is a bit low! Blood? What does any of that have to do with blood? Um, I guess? I wouldnt really know about that. I was hoping to join the Guild, and I was told toe here? Then, I got a bit bored and thought it might be some kind of test, so I just tossed together a new potion with what I had on me. I wanted to try and make something new, you see. New? You hadnt made this before? Well, no. Like I said, I was trying to make a- Yes, yes. Well, well done! Its nearly as good as I might have managed at your age. And this, Cope tapped the apparatite container, And this apparatite substance? You made this, it seems? Uh, yeah. I got a Trophy Path, and this was the result. Its super versatile. Indeed. Mostly alchemically neutral, too. Very useful. So, the Prodigious Pioneer-Alchemist made some kind of grabbing motion at the bowl of fever-inducing elixir, and the liquid vanished, reappearing as a faintlyvender sphere in Copes hand, who slipped it into a hidden pocket in his fancy clothing, Why should I sponsor you? Well, Edwin was marginally prepared for this, I have extensive alchemical training and quite a bit of experience mixing my own potions. I believe that I would be able to fit in nicely within the Guild and contribute as needed to any projects, or undertake research of my own, even without the schooling the Guild mandates. My Alchemy is in the eighties, along with several supporting Skills, though those are admittedly much lower as theyre freshly evolved. Hm. I see. Cocky, are we? Edwin shrugged, I know what Im capable of. Ha! heughed, Youre lucky I like a bit of attitude! Alchemy in the eighties he stroked his moustache, Let me see some of what youve made in the past. If its good enough, youre in. Edwin mentally shrugged and withdrew a few of his potions, the hexagonal vials they were in allowing his fingers to find them without even looking, Some of my more standard healing potions. Hm. Not much of a healing potion. Elixir of boosted recovery, medium quality. No Health-optimizations? Errr no? I dont know how to do that sort of thing. Howd you make these? He asked, looking over the vial, and Edwin hoped he wouldnt pocket those as well. Talsanenris and mi mainly, a bit of sinbalyne to reduce pain and hasten delivery. Its my most general potion, meant to be imbibed as a bit of a quick stabilizer. I see. Well, its not the best Ive seen or even done, but did youe up with the form yourself? Edwin nodded, I did, yes. Hm. That exins the pitiful ingredients. Brewing instructions? Oh, you- Uhhh actually, I think Ill hold onto that one until after I get in to the Guild. Smart man, the alchemist winked at him, Not that you need to worry about me. Now, Othniel Who? Edwin asked. Oh, hes another alchemist in the Guild. Keeping him around is a disgrace, the man barely contributes anything! No, he just has his apprentices repeat the same thing time and time again, yet he keeps pushing me out of my rightful positions! Funding is diverted, hell destroy curious samples meant for me, steal my notes and present them as his own and worse! Hes the quiet sort that you need to keep an especially keen eye upon. Hed rob your own mind blind and sell you what he took! That doesnt sound great. Why dont they deal with him? Beats me! The man wouldnt be able to figure out white gold if he had the Gaiash tell him everything. So am I in, or not? Well, I wont be able to get you full membership of the Guild yet, but I can pull you in on my team! Ill get you set up with some lodging, you can work with me, and we can show the Master how deserving we are, eh? Um, sure I guess. Will I have some books? Of course youll have books, my friend! So, what do you say? Edwin nodded, I mean, I guess? I dont suppose I could get some more details about what this would entail, could I? Oh, Ill have one of the paper-pushers write up something for it. Itll go great, my friend! Just you wait and see! Edwin smiled awkwardly as therge man sped him in a side hug, trying to squeeze out from the grasp. It was only hourster when Edwin was back in his room that he realized Cope had kept his healing potion after alll. Dang it. Chapter 85a: The Even One Out Chapter 85a: The Even One Out Edwins new amodations were nothing special, but he at least had the room to himself- well, himself and Inion, so functionally all to himself- and that was something. A roughly double-sized bed in a medium-sized room, some shelves on which he could keep his stuff, and some hooks on which Edwin could hang hisbat gear. Naturally, he secured everything with extensive multiyered Apparatus links. He didnt trust Cope in the slightest- the man somehow managed to simultaneously check every box Edwin had for academic advisor to avoid and con man. But, so long as Edwin was careful, that shouldnt matter too much- his goals in Panastalis were rtively simple, after all. He wanted to learn about what more normal alchemists- Niall did not count- did and how they did it, get his medical license, and learn more about where he could get alchemy ingredients. Conman or no, Cope had said he could get Edwin books, and that was what mattered. So what if he was unlikely to be paid for any of this? Heck, worst-case scenario, he could just appropriate some books and ingredients as he left. It wouldnt be worse than the dwarves, if nothing else, and hed gotten out of that with a fraction of the experience and Skills Edwin had these days, though with a fair bit more karmic aid than he might have here. All that to say, he wasnt going anywhere without his valuables triple-secured inside Apparatus and hidden inside of something else. He should probably also reevaluate his habit of not keeping his more steble belongings on his person- someone rifling through his carriage was way more likely than a master pickpocket, after all. Oh! He could probably see about selling the Zosiman Grimoire,e to think of it. He was really only lugging the thing around out of habit at this point. Its entire contents- including decently-detailed illustrations- had long since been copied over to Almanac and relevant entries linked to the appropriate names and words. His discovery that he could direct multiple distinct tags to the same entry had helped a ton with that. His dwarven dictionary was a little worse for wear after all this time, as was his original notebook ah well, no great loss for either. Hed let his dwarven skills slip a fair bit- Polyglot made itrgely redundant anyway- but he wasnt likely to really try to get in any more practice either. Where was he? Oh yeah, belongings and security. Hed gotten unpacked, not that there was much for him to unpack, and most (though not all) of his arsenal was stashed in the chest in his cart. The chest, of course, was impossible to open non-destructively- Sappers Apparatus jammed the lock and the hinges, and the more internal parts holding everything up werepletely unreachable, and thus unbreakable. Even he wouldnt have been able to open it if his increased levels in the Skill hadnt also increased the range by which he could summon or dispel his apparatite- it was only about an inch, admittedly, but it was enough for this. Satisfied, Edwin left his room and journeyed down the short hall it was at the end of, until he reached something of amon area. There, the assistant who had shown him to his quarters waited, and led Edwin to Copes office. The interior was every inch what an alchemists office should be, which made Edwin start to suspect it was intentional. In one wall, a firece contained several of the white logs Edwin had seen in the other room, sitting inert underneath a massive iron cauldron that was nheless bubbling with some unknown (but mostly water) substance. In one corner, a low table strewn with papers and a massive, open book sat, while the majority of the room was monopolized with all manner of alchemical concoctions and ingredients. Glowing crystals, sprigs of magical nts, jars holding what looked like multicolored fireflies, a small nugget of ck metal, and more besides. Unusually, there was an entire shelf dedicated to what looked like fine china- while there were only a couple tes and something that looked like a small, shallow bowl on a stem and with two looping handles, they were held on prominent disy behind ss. There wasnt much in the way of decoration on the tes in any case- just some symbol Edwin didnt recognize. In the center of the room, partially luded by a freestanding shelving unit, an imposing wooden desk dominated most of the free space, seeming to magnify the presence of the man behind it. Cope appeared to be studying Edwins fever potion with a magnifying ss, though one without any kind of lens, unusually enough. He suspected it was magical, but there were too many conflicting magical items in the area, rendering his mana sense all but useless. My new friend! Come,e! Sit, sit. Here, take a chair. Cope slid his tool and potion orb into his desk and motioned towards a stool that, while not ufortable-looking in the slightest, was still a far cry from the massive throne he had seated himself upon. Edwin obliged with a shrug, So. What did you want me to do, exactly? he started off, You said I wasnt a full member of the Guild, what will that take to aplish? Getting right down to business, are we? No need to rush! Would you like something to drink? Wine? Mead? Nectar? Nectar? Whats that? Have you never tried it? Oh, its marvelous! A Panastalis specialty, you havent tried anything half as good as it! Wonderfully sweet upon the pte and so easy to drink an entire sk of if you arent careful! I have some wonderful hisperia-fruit vintage from some fifty years ago. Uhhh no thanks. I dont drink. Your loss. Ah, Wendell! The assistant that had helped Edwin poked his head through the door, Yes? Fetch me some of the Van! There was no response, though Edwin had already turned back to face his new employer, so figured the man had just nodded or provided some other non-auditory reply. So! Youre probably wondering what the story is with myself and Othniel, are you not? Well not especially, no. I was kind of- Edwin was cut off by the boisterous alchemist carrying on heedless of Edwins protests. Well, you see. The Phoens have hadmand of white gold for centuries now, you know? Eh, Im sure you havent seen much of it before now, but its a majormodity! I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a few samples, he gestured at the china shelf behind him, for my experiments. Wait, porcin? Um, what do I remember about that? Now, Othniel and I met years ago, back as rtively new initiates into the Guild. I had made some fascinating discoveries in the matter of native nts, including identifying and ssifying entirely new flora, and my efforts had drawn him to the field as well. Of course, even from the start I knew there was something off about the man. Not half the gentleman he ought to have been, and, though of course I didnt find out until farter, the fool thinks porcin is made of y. y, can you believe it? Its clearly sswork, though what kind of fool thinks its earthenware? I thought it was pottery of some sort? Super high-temperature kilns or something? The fools down south make their walls from it, can you believe it? They hoard it all to themselves. Even a novice can create so fine a piece you can all but see through it, and with such marvelous applications! Erm, my apologies. These days, Othniel and I work to track down and replicated its elusive properties, that we might truly gild the guild and bring riches to this backwoods town. Edwin could only shrug in response as his mind wandered slightly. He kept a thread of attention on the conversation, just enough to keep track of what was going on, but allowed most of his thoughts to drift. Oh! Thank you, Wendell. Yes, just right here. A ss bottle was added to the table, and Cope withdrew a silver goblet from his desk, Youre certain you dont want any? It is truly transcendent. Edwin shook his head again, and he watched as the man poured himself some wine, taking a deep sip before continuing, Where was I? Ah yes. Could you imagine, drinking from porcin? A taste of royalty, let me tell you. The finest drink I ever had was from that there kylix, on the shelf. I dont pull it out often, but those Gaishans live like that night and day! Sweetened wine, fresh food, and Ive heard that it is impossible to be poisoned drinking from porcin as well! Truly, a miraculous substance. Now, Othniel andI first met some years ago as part of our endeavor to catalogue alchemicalponents Edwin silently sighed and settled in for what seemed to be a very long talk. And then, the man decided to ckmail the captain to divert further findings away from me! Me, can you believe it? After that Edwin tuned back in, then back out. The bottle of wine was about half-gone, and the man was showing no signs of slowing down. He just kept getting more and more heated, gesticting wildly and stroking his moustache in frustration. He sought to discredit me even further by spreading around a nonsense story about misidentifying the casthntis nt! As though anyone would truly be so idiotic as to think the nt would produce fruit at the roots, or even worse- mistake the roots for the branches? Honestly, who does that man think hes fooling anyway? Apparently everyone, because nobody will ever believe me nowadays when I tell them I never made such a blunder! Oh! But because of that Edwin was honestly amazed that Cope was still going. Given Edwins hunger cycle, it had to have been near dinnertime by now. Ah well. Edwin wasnt in any real rush, though he was annoyed that his day had been essentially wasted by a guy with far toorge an ego. It wasnt too great of a loss, as Edwin had spent the time trying to Almanac all of the misceneous knick-knacks that filled the room. He didnt know what most of them were, but hed at least know if he encountered them again. He even got a level for his efforts! He didnt know how many characters he was at with level 131, but it was way more than he was likely to run into- during normal use anyway- any time soon. And that brings us to you! Oh, this sounded important. He should pay attention now. Because you approached me, undeterred by my reputation, you clearly desire to be on the right side of history! With your aid, the Cope faction can once again return to prominence and im our rightful ce as primary researchers upon the White Gold problem! What do you say? I mean, Edwins voice momentarily caught in his throat from going without speaking for so long, I thought I basically already agreed? Thats- Marvelous! So d you agreed. I mean, I kind of already agreed yesterday? Thats why Im here, isnt it? I was mainly just wondering what it was that you wanted me to actually work on. Youve talked a lot about your time nt-hunting or whatever, but how does that trante to your attempts to make porcin or what have you? Ah! Yes. Cope got a hard light in his eye as he recounted, After so many years attempting to show up one another in ssification of alchemical flora and fauna- I myself wrote half the book on identifying such- we decided that the only way we could truly settle which of us was the superior alchemist was by discovering the impossible; how to make porcin. Such a task is monumental, and never before aplished, but as I am the greatest living alchemist, I am certain I shall prevail! Once I do, my name shall be forever remembered as the one who brought fantastic wealth to Panastalis! Edwin was skeptical, to say the least, What makes you so certain that youll be the victor, though? Isnt this apetition? Bah! As though that lumbering, haphazard fool could ever match my genius! Besides, he is utterly mistaken for the method by which to create it. Othniel thinks that it is mere earthenware, y which has undergone some alchemical treatment for its color and with Skills speaking to its marvelous properties, but I know better, he twirled his moustache, Those backwards Phoens could never match the capability our glorious Empire has with its vast experience with Skills, and could never produce the sort of inter-set consistency we see with their creations. No, it is clearly alchemical ss or crystal, then shaped by Sculptors. I simply need to refine my form, and when we will have victory! Mhm, Edwin did his best to not sound too skeptical. Im still not seeing my role in all of this, he admitted, What is it that you see me doing on a daily basis? Also, if Im the one who cracks the form, how does that then show that youre the better alchemist? Well, I was the one to hire you, was I not? After all, it is not like he is doing the work himself either. The man has dozens of assistants working under him, each attempting all manner of spuriousbinations in a vain attempt to prove victorious. So youd get all the credit, got it. Well, I suppose thats not too different from normal. Though usually the lead researcher does something more than, well, point people at the problem. And its rare an individual in apany gets individual credit for the discovery anyway. And... what exactly am I going to be doing every day? At this point, Edwin wasnt hopeful that hed actually get any kind of meaningful response. Thats quite simple, my friend, Cope gave Edwin a sickening smile, Do you have much experience with ss? Chapter 85b: The Even One Out Chapter 85b: The Even One Out Naturally, Edwin wasnt the only person working on Cope''s ss-making/porcin-discovering project. Cope himself did spend a few hours each day in theb, trying out some genius idea then growing frustrated when it didnt work, storming out after yelling at one of the other assistants about something. Listening to the mans tirades was rather informative, honestly. He learned a lot about his fellow alchemists just by picking over relevant information with Memory. Fissath was the one avior in the group, a sswind Artisan who made no secret of her dislike of Cope. She was apparently stuck in her position thanks to a deal made between her family business- ssblowers, naturally- and Cope. She was the one actually responsible for teaching Edwin how to work with ss, and it was quite the spectacle whenever she would work with her Skills. She could, with just a few ps of her wings, suspend and shape molten ss in midair as she desired. Her Fire Resistance skill was also apparently a high enough level she could just pick up the glowing ss straight from the kiln and shape it like putty. The first time hed seen her do so, Edwins heart nearly lept out of his chest, but hed since grown ustomed to it. Her primary failing, ording to Cope, was simply not being an alchemist, and as such being unable to properly grasp the mans genius like the rest of her peers. In response, she thought it was absurd that they were trying to use her Skills, tuned as they were to fire, wind, and changing the color and rity of ss she worked with, to create something that was merely translucent. While one of the research group got along great with Edwin, hed spent a few conversations in passingmiserating with the miserable avior about how much of a pain Cope was. Shed also given Edwin a few tips as to how he could level up Adaptive Defense (well, moreso tips on how to level defensive Skills in general), and while start small, hold your wing above a candle to start and slowly bring bigger mes from there wasnt exactly revolutionary, he appreciated the sentiment. Unfortunately, she seemed to resent him for hisck of long-termmitments to the project, meaning he could leave whenever he pleased, while she was still stuck with Cope for another year. Thoril was the blue-skinned Fastidious Alchemist Edwin had first met when hed sought entry into the alchemists guild, and, like most of the team, all but idolized Cope. He had little patience for Edwin and his questions about how things worked, but as the newest member of the group other than Edwin himself, was usually the person the others pawned Edwin off onto when he did have a question. Hisplexion was apparently the result of a failed potion- hed tried making an appearance-enhancing potion to help him with some skin condition, but had added some five times the silver dust required. He imed it was an ident, which Edwin wasnt sure whether that was better or worse than Copes im that hed done it intentionally. In any case, hed been stuck with skin the color of a bruised plum for three months now, with no sign of it fading any time soon. Edwin tried to sympathize, he really did. But his chuckles when first hearing the story did nothing to endear him to Thoril, and after that the man refused to give him the time of day if he could help it. Wendell was Copes personal assistant as well as a researcher, and while not officially higher-ranked than the rest of them, he did like to throw his influence around here and there. After the first few times, Edwin ignored the blustering idiot. No, he wasnt going to exin where he hade from, who he had learned alchemy from, or what Paths had given him his ss. Wendell always threatened Edwin with unspecified consequences, but Edwin didnt really care. The man didnt like him, that was all there was to it, and Edwin was very used to ignoring people that didnt like him. Now, it would have been nice if somebody on the research team liked him, but that was neither here nor there. Cope seemed to have less of a problem with Wendell than the rest of them, but even he wasnt immune to being criticized. He had at one point, apparently, messed up a strength potion so badly it turned out as a sleeping elixir. He didnt fully track the theory about the yelling past that point, but it was apparently almost impressive in just how much of aplete failure it was. Keir, the ssical Alchemist, was primarily a theorist. He had apparently formted something about porcin that made him conclude it was made with bone, and insisted on grinding up and trying every type of bone that he could his hands on in his mixes. While mostly unsessful, he was constantly trying to get Cope to approve his requests to get exceptionally rare animals, so that he could try grinding up and including the skulls of whales, of lions, of chimera, and even of dragons in his ss. Cope, for his part, barely seemed to even notice the man save for when he was yelling at him- a few years older than Edwin by his estimation- about the time hed loaded a cauldron fire so much that the mes had burned a hole in the roof. It did exin why he refused to go within ten feet of the ssmaking kiln, but Edwin was mainly curious about how the heck he had managed that without outright burning down the entire building. He was also constantly quarreling with thest member of their little research group, Rihta. Somehow, against all odds, Rihta managed to idolize Cope even more than the rest of her peers. Case in point, her decision to be a Cataloguing Alchemist was apparently directly inspired by their boss past as a naturalist and identifier of alchemical ingredients. Her heated arguments with Keir could spiral quite out of control, particrly since she shared his opinion that bone was aponent of porcin, though they apparently couldnt agree on why. Edwin at first tried to follow their conversation, and while he didnt totally understand, he could at least get the basic idea. Keir imed the role a given bone had in its home skeleton was clearly vital to what it would do in a potion, which exined why he needed to use the skull specifically in his ss. Rhita apparently was under the foolish notion that it was the material which the bone was made of that mattered, and he could use anything from a finger to a vertebrae in his experiments with no difference. After that, it quickly evolved into using terminology Edwin couldnt follow in the slightest. Something about primaries and tuners, he thought. All in all, it made for a very interesting workce. His first day on the job had left him socially exhausted, and only his high Sleeping level had gotten him prepared for the next. Really, the only thing that made it bearable was the fact he didnt really have any stake in staying. He could leave whenever he pleased, ording to the document Cope had provided, and negotiate what his payment would be at that point. The document had been frustratingly vague as to what was an option, as it only said that he would receive appropriatepensation for his work, but if he had issues with it, he could request arbitration from the Guild proper as to whether or not he deserved more payment. Edwin didnt really expect to get that much from Cope, all told. But, the chance to work in the alchemyb was really sweet- particrly given he was permitted to use it for personal projects though he was responsible for damage and had to supply the materials himself. Okay, all told, Edwin knew he was being screwed over. If he had been back on Earth, he would have never stood for this kind of job. Here, though, where he didnt really have to worry about money if he didnt want to- he still had five and a half grai, which would be enough to get him more or less situated for the rest of his life if he so chose. But that also wasnt what he wanted out of his life here. He wanted to travel and see the world, experience new things and learn cool alchemy. He wanted to learn magic and maybe get back no, he was happy here. He was very much aplishing his goal of learning new things, if nothing else. Watching his coworkers perform alchemy was very interesting, and learning how to sculpt ss was simrly fascinating. Besides, he didnt have to deal with a bad boss directly, as Cope seemed content to leave Edwin alone in his regr tirades. It was, Edwin suspected, partially because the man didnt have any ammo to use against him, and in part because Cope knew that unlike the others, he didnt really have anything tying him to the group. The man wasnt stupid, so far as Edwin could tell, and he knew that Edwin would be more likely to leave than stick around for emotional abuse. Edwin wasnt entirely sure why he merited such special treatment, though the skeptical part of Edwins brain said it was because Cope wanted to try and get his hands on more of Edwins potions and forme. Ah well. He wasnt nning on giving the man any more than he had to. He was just going to enjoy the well-stockedb that he had ess to. It was the best hed had ess to since arriving in Joriah, including his dwarven workshop. It needed way more venttion than it had, but Fresh Air protected Edwin to the point where he didnt really care all that much, and most of the noxious fumes that wafted through the space didnt seem to have any negative effects beyond smelling foul. Or at least, that was what Cope had said in way of exnation as to why there was so much incense burning at all hours. Honestly, opening a window seemed like it might have been cheaper, but Cope was insistent that doing so would wee espionage and sabotage from Othniels group, which Edwin was skeptical about. After about a week in theb, Edwin was milling around at his table, trying to identify some of the material he had to work with. Behind him, he could hear Rihta and Keir quarreling again, and shared an exasperated nce with Fissath while she worked to get the kiln going for the day. She used a fire starting Skill of some sort on a white twig that matched the fuel they somonly used, causing it to burst into painfully bright white mes, and tossed it into the loaded furnace, encouraging its spread with other Skills. She had just gotten the fire fully ignited when thick, dark blue smoke suddenly started billowing out of the kiln. It rushed over the avior, who swayed unsteadily. Within moments, it had filled the room, totally obscuring Edwins view of what was going on. He could, however, hear the sound of shattering ss followed by a series of thumps. You guys okay? Edwin called out. When there was no response, he grew rmed and set down the samples he was preparing to test. He rushed over to the kiln, biting back a curse as theck of visibility made him hit his foot against a table leg, and checked on his peers. Although he was in the midst of the smoke, Edwin didnt really feel anything beyond a faintly sweet smell; Fresh Air was apparently protecting him from whatever had happened to the others. Fissath was the first one Edwin found, slumped over the molten ss workbench, her tools slipping from her grasp. He had no experience with avior biology, but she was, at least, still breathing. He scooped up her body, and while she flopped around like she was boneless, Packing made it easy for him to carry the girl outside, where he propped her up against a nearby branch and dove back inside theb. The blue smoke kept getting thicker and thicker, to the point where he couldnt even see his own hand in front of his face. It was so bad that he outright closed his eyes, recreating the room in his mind with Visualization. Okay, so the kiln was on the wall to his left. That was where Fissaths station was, and he could get to his own by turning towards the kiln then going right. If he went straight, he should run into Copes table, though the man wasnt here yet this morning. If he went around that, he would get to Wendells station. He would have to be careful, though, as it was especially crowded over there. Actually, hed stolen all the chairs the night before, so hed have to either be very careful, or just fly over. Hed leave Wendell forst. Thoril should be the closest, as his countertop was directly to the right of the door, and was mercifully clear of most clutter on the floor. He took a step forward, using Identify as fast as he could trigger the Skill in an effort to spot where the man was. It didnt take long to find the unconscious body, but no thanks to Identify. Instead, Edwin nearly tripped over the prone figure, and it was only thanks to lightning-fast reflexes with Flight that he didnt. He quickly grabbed and carried the blue-skinned man outside, setting him down right next to the door before diving back inside. If he moved through Thorils space, he could reach Rhitas workstation by turning left. Her station was neat enough, though he would need to be mindful of the potted bonebrush that sat next to her ow. That was probably the pot banging his knee, wasnt it? Okay, Rhita should be around here somewhere, then. Hmm. She wasnt on the floor, or on her bench shoot, hede back to her after getting Keir. His was the next in line, and he would be able to tell when he got there when he kicked a bone on the floor. And Something ttered across the ground as Edwin lightly kicked it. There it was. He opened his eyes in the hopes he could see something, but he still wasnt able to discern anything past the thick, monochrome blue, so he closed his eyes again and started feeling around for a body. Ah, that was where Rhita was. The two of them had slumped onto the ground together, and- ouch!- there was broken ss of some variety next to them. Edwin carefully threaded his arms under one, then the other, picking them up like they were bags full of feathers. By the time he made it outside, Fissath seemed to be stirring slightly. After a brief moment spent making sure she was alright- he couldnt see anything wrong, apart from her still being asleep, he dove back inside. Once he was firmly obscured by the smoke, Edwin hesitantly rose into the air. Hed hidden his Flight skill on ount of not wanting to answer the questions it would inevitably lead to- or maybe he could pass it off as a potion of his own making,e to think of it- but he was functionally invisible inside the smoky building. He rose to the ceiling, some fifteen or twenty feet up, and hesitantly opened his eyes, expecting it to be even thicker up top, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the smoke stayed closer to the ground, and let him actually see when he was up here. That made navigation trivial, thankfully, even though there werent rafters he needed to avoid, and Edwin floated across the room until he was above Wendells table, before descending back into the smoke. Wendell was rtively easy to find. He was sitting in his main chair, folded over his desk, having presumably been writing something when the smoke hit. A bit of maneuvering still got him out just fine, but Edwin got lost in the smoke for a little while when carrying him out. By the time he had finished retrieving the man, Fissath was awake and gently prodding at the others to try and get them to wake up. What was that? he asked the ssblower as he set Wendell down against the wall. Midnight smoke, the avior sighed, Como- one of Othniels men- is a fan of the substance. Well get a dose of it every month or two, usually knocks us out for the day until someone pulls us out, makes us break a few things and waste a couple days while we wait for it to clear out. Its the first time it was in the kiln, though. Xares above, I cannot wait until I can finally be free of all of this utter nonsense. All I want, I swear, is some peaceful time to myself to hone my craft and earn my Feather. But nooo, the blue-feathered idiot has to keep provoking his former friend so they do this sort of thing on the regr. I swear to the hurricane, if Shalob makes me start giving the kiln daily checks for more fire-triggered traps, I will Edwin didnt find out what, exactly, Fissath was nning on doing, as Cope showed up right then. He took one look at the workshop, slowly seeping blue smoke into the surrounding branches, and started yelling. Polyglot was starting to get a workout, but Edwin quietly disabled the Skill while he went about checking if the otherb workers were alright. Breathing steady pulse seems alright. Anatomy isnt throwing a fit he murmured to himself, looking over the sleeping individuals. By the time he finished, Cope had calmed down marginally and was animatedly arguing about something with Fissath. Edwin looked enviously at his gently sleeping coworkers, and at the mass of smoke still in theb. He sighed, idly wondering if he was better off disabling Fresh Air and joining the others in dreand. Chapter 86a: Burning Questions Chapter 86a: Burning Questions Xares above, I swear if those two dont stop scheming soon, I will personally throw them off the branch. Ill carry Keir if you get Rhita, Edwin agreed, handing Fissath one of the white logs they used for heating the kiln, Are we aiming for the river? It had been two days since the sabotage/attack from Othniels group, and now that they were back in theb, Keir and Rhita were busy nning their countermove against the rival alchemist. Normally, Edwin may not have minded overmuch, but instead of heads together, quietly plotting in the corner, they were very loud and very much in the center of the room. No, if we just retaliate with midnight smoke, itll just look derivative! Besides, dont you think theyll be expecting that? They probably have some Skill like whatever it was Edwin has thatll nullify the attack. What we need is something thatll break their kiln. We dont wanna escte, though! If we break theirs, theyll break ours, and then Fissa will really throw us off the branch. So they can hear us, then, Edwin noted, I just wish theyd listen to what we actually said. Youd think theyd be smarter about it then, Fissath muttered, Pipe it down or take it outside! Whats most important, Rhita carried on, is that they dont see iting, and that it doesnt give them cause to keep growing in scope. Like maybe instead of using midnight smoke, wece their beds with noctan. Then, they sleep at least a full day. Bah! You with your sleeping powder. Cant youe up with anything original? Besides, we want esction. If they escte too much, then we can get the Guild involved! You want to get the Guild involved? Thats just outright telling the boss that we cant handle it. That he cant handle it. You really want to tell him that? Hm. True. Well what about if we fill their canteens with canopia? Thatll work! No, that would be too obvious. The traces would be everywhere. Obvious? When did you care about being obvious? They smoked us out two days ago! Okay, thats it! Fissath threw down her tongs, Edwin, are you ready? He set down the log he was getting ready to hand off, Im getting Keir? When the pair saw Edwin and Fissath actually going after them, they dashed outside, their argument continuing even as they fled. But it was specifically tied to theb! If we Edwin gave his coworker a nce and a shrug, then together they went back to their work. So what are these things anyway? Edwin hefted one of the white logs. Youve never seen arycal before? Getting- and keeping- the kiln lit was quite the feat. Half of Edwins day, or so it felt, was spent keeping it running, and his curiosity about what they were using for fuel had only grown as he kept working with it. The kiln dominated nearly half of the wall it was in, the ck, alchemically treated y reminding Edwin slightly of ckstone. A hole in the wall opened to a cavernous structure with enough room to hold several crucibles suspended within, as well as a few t surfaces where other objects could be set. While quenched, the interior was nothing but an inky ck void, but when lit, it glowed almost white-hot, eerie shadows spilling from its mouth into the granderboratory, but that was nothing inparison to how brightly the furnace itself glowed. Even Fissath, who imed she had Skills to prevent being blinded by bright light, used goggles made of almost ck ss when looking inside the furnace part of the kiln. Edwin, for his part, managed to get an entire level in Adaptive Defense when he identally looked into the lit fire under and surrounding the kilns oven. Whatever the white logs- arycal- were, they burned obscenely bright. So bright, Edwin couldnt help but wonder if he would be able to use them for shbangs. Hence, his curiosity. Im not going to im that I know the full story, but Wendell loves to boast about how my familys fortune is thanks to an alchemist, which is not true, she angrily shoved another log of arycal into the furnace and mmed the door, We had Skills that were more than adequate for centuries before whatever Alchemist came up- Master Pyroalchemist Sadi! Keir helpfully provided. Shove it up your tailfeathers! Fissath rebutted, Before whatever alchemist came up with this stuff. Its a mix of some kind of alchemical metal and kiangah, What? Kiangah. You dont know what that is? she tapped her talon on the floor, Its ah firey? Keir, can you pipe up for once when it would be actually useful? Dont bother me! Im busy. The one time I she sighed, Thoril! Exin kiangah to Edwin. Do I have to? Do it! Youre not doing anything important right now. Neither are you! Thoril! Uuuggghhh. Fiiine. Quit whining before your talons turn brown! That expression doesnt even Bah. Edwin, get over here! I dont want to keep yelling. Oh! That was fast. Edwin just shrugged. Casual Longstrider use had paid off, and while it was tricky navigating the clutteredb without running into anything, he could manage it if he really worked at it these days. So you wanted to know about kiangah? Do you know it by any other name? Firey? Lightstone? Edwin shook his head. Its this magic stuff that glows a bit blue or green in air, or you can use to set fires. If you leave it out, itll be contaminated and turn kind of yellow or with a bit of treatment, red, but the pure stuff burns really hot. Something tickled the back of Edwins recollection, and he desperately hoped he was wrong, Does it show up really weirdly to any magical tests, like its all but nonmagical? And spontaneously catches on fire at times? Yeah! You do know it, then. Please tell me you dont use white phosphorus as fuel in your furnace. Wait, you dont know it as phosphorus but you do know it as phosphorus? Ah great, Polyglot was acting up again. It always did that when there was a word it wasnt entirely sure how to trante. He wished he knew what caused it so he could stop it, but he wasnt having much luck in that regard, How do you know the technical term for it if youve never heard of its moremon names? Edwin shrugged, but his mind was still racing with the revtion that they used phosphorus for fuel. White phosphorus, no less. Well, at least they had some kind of they used a metal as well, didnt they? Please dont actually be lithium, please dont be lithium. And the metal you mix with it? he hazarded. That one is this stuff we call elektron, or when purified, sianaaka. Though, you might know it as magnesium. It burns hot and bright, do you know it? At least its not lithium. Edwin closed his eyes, held his head in his hands, and quietly screamed. This this was fine. Totally fine, he was sure. That they decided to use a mixture of magnesium and what looked to be white phosphorus was totally fine. Never mind that magnesium mes reached temperatures above 3,000 degrees celsius, and white phosphorous had a nasty habit of spontaneously igniting at room temperature, or even just when exposed to air. The only way to ensure that white phosphorus wouldnt suddenly catch on fire simply from exposure to air was by storing it underwater, but whatever idiot was responsible for this travesty had mixed it with magnesium, which could- in its elemental form at least, such as when it was on fire- react with and burn under water. Are you are you okay? Thoril asked, and Edwin worked to regain hisposure, moving his hands together and pinching his nose. His eyes closed, he breathed in and exhaled, I will be. Im just trying to reconcile the fact that someone decided that the perfect fuel to use was a mixture of a metal that burns hot enough to boil iron, even while underwater and an element that spontaneously catches on fire when exposed to air. I just I just need a minute, is all. You know, its kept alchemically stable. You specifically need a Skill or a bit of liquid fire to ignite it. Edwin inched an eye open to stare skeptically at the blue-skinned man, And is Master Pyrealchemist Sodi- Master Pyroalchemist Sadi. Same difference. Is he- She. The re redoubled, Is she still alive? No. How did she die? Thoril shrugged, Lab fire, some oh, five years ago? Really. Yeah, really. It was a shame, too. Complete loss of her and all of her notes. Burned to the branch. Any idea what started the fire? The alchemist scoffed, No. How would we know that? So let me get this straight. The inventor of this stuff died in a fire five years ago, in a ze so intense it burned down her entireb, and presumably was strong enough to ovee whatever fire resistance Skills she may have had, and Im guessing she likely made a lot of it? Nod. Great. So she died in a fire, but you dont know how it started, and you just blindly figure that this stuff is stable because it probably needs a Skill or alchemical firestarter to get going? Nod. Edwin massaged his temples. He was almost sad that she was dead, because that meant he couldnt track her down and punch her squarely in the face. Actually, he might still be able to. He just needed to figure out if magic made either resurrection or time travel possible, then use that with the sole purpose of bringing alchemist Sadi face-to-face with him, just so he could give her a solid whack to the face. She hadbined two ingredientsmonly used in fireworks into a literal explosion waiting to happen. Why, just why would you do that to yourself? At least on the bright side, Edwin supposed, she wasnt around to keep setting things on fire. Her legacy would have to settle for being the creator of an unholy abomination againstb safety. Edwins head fell back into his hands, and this time, he didnt hold back his scream of frustration. No. Im not touching those things. You had no problem earlier. Come on, nobody else will lend a wing, and its so much easier with two. That was before I knew what they were! Where did you learn all that about alchemical ingredients anyway? You dont have a clue how to make a potion, but you randomly know the proper names for phosphorus and Magnesium. She clicked her talons against the floor in a motion that sounded like a finger snap, That. I had lets say an unusual education in alchemy. What? Thats it? The mysterious Alchemist-Errant, rolling into town with Polyglot on your lips, strange potions nobody has ever seen before, and learning a bit of alchemy, no ties to hold you here? Edwin shed a grin at her, Thats me. Mysterious. Enigmatic. Fascinating. Other words that vaguely mean unknowable. Fissath shot him a nce that hey, that was probably annoyance! He was slowly picking up on avior bodynguage, Youre incorrigible. You started it. He poked back. Just hand me the arycal, would you? Edwin looked at the dormant firework with skepticism, Could I borrow a set of tongs? She looked to the ceiling, Here. Use mine. While the fact they were iron wasnt the most reassuring, given the metal usually boiled at something like 2800 centigrade- less than magnesium burned at- they were at least something. It had been an unpleasant revtion that hed likely been on the knifes edge of deathst week when he had been making his fever elixir. If not for his mastery of Firestarting, to the point where he couldpletely contain the effect to precisely where he wanted it, the Skill area of effect would have included the arycal logs in Cope Hall, and probably set them on fire. That would not have gone well. Even contained in a magical kiln that was supposed to be as insting as alchemy could manage, Edwin could still feel the heat emanating from the fuel, reaching him as he stood near the arycal stock and looking at a very impatient avior. Right, right. Sorry, sorry. Im just contemting mortality. Yeah, well do it after handing me the arycal. I do not want to have to get the kiln back up to temperature and you dont want meing over there. Edwin reluctantly agreed and gingerly picked up a cylinder from where it was stacked- though he hadnt noticed it the first few times he handled the substance, they were slightly hexagonal for easy stacking - with his borrowed prongs. He moved it over to where Fissath waited, handling the block like it was radioactive. It made it all the more stunning when the ssblower picked it up in her bare wing, opened the upper hatch to the furnace, dropped the log inside, and withdrew another burning block without so much as gloves. She studied the arycal, broke it in half, and tossed it back inside the glowing furnace. She turned to see Edwins dumbstruck expression, and Edwin got a sense of smug satisfaction from her, What? My familys kilns burn hotter. Edwin quietly resolved to never, ever get on Fissath or her familys bad side. Chapter 86b: Burning Questions Chapter 86b: Burning Questions With the recent revtion that the kiln burned at- or rather, could burn at; there was some magical or skill nonsense going on that made the arycal burn slower and cooler ording to Fissaths will. That tly wasnt howbustion worked, but he wasnt going to argue with the magical fireproof raptor- with the revtion that the kiln could burn at high enough temperatures to outright boil iron, Edwin realized he might finally have a chance to make more lime. Of course, they also apparently had white phosphorus and magnesium- no, he still wasnt over that- lying around somewhere, so lime might be somewhat redundant. Other than his slickstone, its nigh-frictionless surface still full of so many possibilities, and his supermortar and its very sticky properties, he could probably rebuild his arsenal but better with the new elements, if he could get his hands on them. He could make magnesium into a better shbang grenade than he could when heating lime, he could use white phosphorus for his obligatory chemical burn weapon. Even mundane versions of the two highly reactive elements were dangerous enough on Earth, and that was before he tried to Infuse either of them. Who knew what sorts of off-the-wall attributes theyd have once magic got involved? Some very, very careful tests on his days off with arycal showed that Infusing it just made it burn even hotter than before. He hadnt tested much- barely a gram of the stuff- but he was able to feel the heat radiating from a good three meters away. That was significantly more than the mundane variant, and that was a terrifying thought. More extensive tests would need to wait until he had better ess to their elemental variants and possibly when he was less sentimental about his limbs. Still, an inexplicably stable variant of white phosphorus was incredibly tempting, and he knew that he would test it eventually, once he had figured out some safe testing methodology. From what his Memory told him about phosphorus, it should be possible to turn it into a smoke bomb, an incendiary grenade, a remote source of ignition, and more! All it would take was a few war crimes, but what else was new? Magnesium, for its part, wasrgely used as a structural metal, usually in an alloy. It was also used in firestarters and fireworks, thanks to its high temperature and bright mes. Well, they couldnt all be versatility winners, but hed take hot, bright mes as a tool in his arsenal any day. Maybe firevine oil could be of use there? He wouldnt be stupid about storing it, if nothing else. He could create an airtight container with Apparatus, and while it wouldnt stop white phosphorus from changing into a different, more stable allotrope, it should help cut down on sudden fires. Phosphorus was a really neat element, and in most of its forms was... rtively well-behaved. Edwin could, without even leaning too hard on Memory, recall three forms of the element: ck, red, and white. Just like how carbon could form itself into graphite, graphene, diamond, or nanotubes depending on the geometry of the atoms in the crystal, so too could phosphorus. So could chocte, for that matter, but he was digressing enough. After all, it wasnt like he was actually writing a science textbook. Wait. Would it make more sense as just being part of the phosphorus page, or should he make a dedicated allotrope page? Screw it, Im making the page. Itll be more useful in the long run. In any case, ck phosphorus was the most stable of the bunch. It was, essentially, carbon-free graphite. Scientifically fascinating, rtively useless for Edwin. It didnt ur naturally anyway, and Edwin couldnt remember the conditions needed to create it. Red phosphorus was the moremon allotrope, and was mostly stable, in that youd need it crushed and powdered before it would decide to suddenly catch on fire. It still burned pretty well, though a solid block of the stuff needed exposure to a me before it would catch fire. Edwin was moderately sure it was the kind used in matches- or rather, match boxes. If a match wasnt strike-anywhere, the phosphorus actually used to ignite the match was kept in the rough texture on the side of the box. Naturally, that was an effort to reduce the frequency at which matches decided to randomly ignite on their own, because even red phosphorus could be a problem child like that. Now, white phosphorus Edwin had heard described as literal hell in elemental form, just missing the brimstone. It had an ignition temperature of 30 centigrade- room temperature- and even below that it would glow in the dark just from its reaction with oxygen. If that wasnt enough, it was also toxic, burned ridiculously hot and fast, and was generally a really, really bad time. What kind of an idiot would include it in their regr fuel supply? Was there necromancy in this world? He needed to see if he couldnt summon the alchemists ghost just so he could see about punching her in her ethereal face. So what was that whole rant about? Inion asked, kicking her feet in the air while lying on the bed, looking at Edwin with wide eyes. He sighed, Alchemists are reckless idiots. They are. Oi! It took a little while to fully settle into a routine. The workshop, while far, far from what one might call a well-oiled machine, did have a certain bnce to it, which Edwin, predictably, totally demolished when he came in. Fissath was perhaps the one person who actually enjoyed the change, as she was no longer the primary outsider among the group. Thoril was naturally annoyed for the fact Edwin kept getting pawned off on him whenever there was an alchemy question whoever (usually Fissath) he was talking to didnt know the answer to, or just didnt feel like exining. Wendell was mad at Edwin for refusing to answer the questions about why he had Polyglot, or what Skill he had used to avoid the effects of midnight smoke. Rhita and Keir were probably the least affected,rgely because they were already in a self-contained struggle and ongoing argument that Edwin couldnt help but feel slightly jealous of. At least both of them knew exactly where the other stood in regards to the other, and didnt have to second-guess. Plus, he saw firsthand how their rtionship gave them stability to change. Why couldnt he have someone like that to banter with? Inion didnt count, naturally. She was all but contractually obligated to travel with him and provide constant sass. Fissath almost counted, but Edwin knew she didnt really care about him, just about the role as a lightningrod for annoyance he filled. Besides, their workstations were next to one another. Who else was she going to sass? It would be rude for her to ignore him, anyway. In any case, it all added up to an emotional bncing act, one not aided by the cannonball that was Cope and his temper. Hed praise the assistants- usually Wendell- for random things, and flip out at others for just as random a cause. While Fissath had managed to fight him back from his attempted position of check the entire furnace every day for sabotage, it had been quite the fight, and it was only won in the end by pointing out doing such a check would take up a sizeable fraction of the day to perform. Ah well, that wasnt really his problem. His job was to try and make porcin. Well, that was arguably all of their jobs, but they were all miserable at note-taking. Oh sure, their writing was just fine, they all relied on their Record to, well, record things. And they didnt like copying it down onto paper, which just made it so much better. From what he could tell, Fissath was there to function as support and y around with the standard set of ssmaking Skills to see what she could aplish, Rhita and Keir were neck-deep in bone samples and experimenting with that suite of additives, Thoril was constantly getting stuck measuring the differences between samples (nowhere close to the specificity or consistency of Edwins standards, but that was hardly a surprise), and Wendell well, Edwin honestly wasnt sure what Wendell did on a daily basis. That left Edwin with a massive suite of additives (everything that wasnt bone) to experiment with, a task he took to with gusto. He was, of course, fully aware that attempting to make porcin through making some sort of crystal and then shaping it via magic was not the route to go. But, he didnt exactly like Cope, and the man was almost certainly going to rip off Edwins creations and im them as his own anyway, so Edwin had even less incentive to give the man a veritable philosophers stone capable of transforming mud into white gold. All told, he hardly saw any reason to not experiment with magical ss. It was a really, really cool substance. While contrary to popr opinion, it wasnt a slow-moving liquid once it cooled, it was an amorphous solid- a sort of liquid-solid, where instead of settling into a nice crystal when cooled, all the molecules making up ss just stopped where they were, in a giant mess of spaghetti polymers. Sure, while Sappers Apparatus had made ss less important for him personally, he strongly suspected that Infusing various aspects of the process would result in some very fun results. He wouldnt have expected to get half of the utility out of limestone that he had when experimenting with concrete, and he was way more experienced as an alchemist now aspared to back then. The first thing Edwin noticed, once he actually got underway with his work, was that Fissath tended to work with pure silica ss. Back on Earth, he was fairly certain nobody worked with actual pure silicon when ssworking, instead preferring to mix it with various minerals and metals- like lime, for that matter- in order to make the sand easier to melt and work with. However, thanks to the way Skills worked, that wasnt really needed. Skills were such an utterly insane cheat by their very nature, so much so that a lot of industries- including ssworking- didnt bother figuring out how to cheat any further. No, they just used Skills to crank up the temperature and duration of the me- including making some utterly obscene fuel- until they could just melt quartz ss outright. It did produce some truly stunning results, though. Fissath functionally made crystal ssware onmand, clear or colored and strong. Even without her Skills, Edwin managed to get surprisingly clear ss when first learning how. Apparently, it was thanks to the purity of the sand. Instead of using naturally sourced sand from a desert or the beach, they instead got their silica as a byproduct of whatever process they used to get pure magnesium from its ore, used primarily for what else, but arycal. He really, really didnt want to think about how much magnesium had been produced to provide the piles of sand they used for ssmaking At least Cope didnt have too much sand, and the majority of their ss utilized in experiments came from recycled and purified failed results. Small mercies, he supposed. Small mercies. In any case, one benefit of Imperial ss being pure silica was there was a ton of room for experimentation. They didnt have centuries of methodical trial and error, seeing what did or what didnt work. That meant Edwins first task was just recreating what he was used to from Earth; soda-lime ss. It was easy enough once he remembered the soda part of the ss, and got his hands on some sodium carbonate, a task not as hard as he had anticipated. It still took several days figuring out the right blend of soda, lime, and silica, but he was at least working from known principles. It did result in a few ufortable questions from Fissath about how he knew so much about ssmaking, but he was able to subtly deflect it onto his man of mystery persona. I heard someone mention it back home. Who? And wheres home? Ive never heard of this. You have to tell me. Oh, you know, here and there. Man of mystery, remember? I regret ever saying anything breezing that way. Once he had his basic ss, it was time to perform measurements. He calcted refractive index in private, tensile andpressive strength in public, and happily exined his methods to those who would listen. Well, he would have, and when Fissath curiously poked her head in, he happily tried exining what he was doing. Once she retreated in confusion, Edwin sighed. He should have known better than to talk science with people. Even alchemists apparently didnt care about science talk. Or maybe it wasnt the science talk, but him instead? Honestly, he didnt know which would be worse. He dutifully recorded all the results of his experiments in Almanac, naturally, and left much more abbreviated notes, more in line with what Cope had provided him, in a notebook. How they were nning to read it once he left- did Polyglot affect his writings yet?- he had no clue, but that also wasnt his problem. It would probably be Thorils problem, actually. Or maybe Wendells. With baseline measurementsplete, it was time to get fun. Sparks and mirrors! Something like that. It was time for magic. He made sure to sell the lie that he was adding a special ingredient to his ss that wasnt totally just more sand, by once more hinting at his man of mystery past (to Fissaths mixed annoyance and amusement). It turned out that even with the strange origin of thebs sand supply, Mana Infusion resulted in the same strange superfluid-like behavior. Fortunately, it behaved as a normal superfluid, and not the sort of craziness that liquid Helium got up to, and stayed in its crucible even as he melted it, quenched it, and pulled it out to start taking measurements. Was it clearer? No. Bad Edwin. Wait for the results of the measurements. Almanac Entry: ss ss is primarilyposed of silicon dioxide, or quartz, made by melting down some types of sand and then allowed to cool. Unless done by a high-level ssmaker, the melting temperature of ss is too high for practical uses, and it must be mixed with another substance to be workable. See ssVariants for more information. For a full technical breakdown on the properties of ss, see ssStats. For a detailed description of what ss is, see ssExined. When making Infused pure ss, the point at which the mana is Infused during the creation makes no difference (see ssTestsA). While Infused sand (see Sand) has strange superfluid-like properties, once melted and cooled, there is no measurable difference between it and ss which was Infused while molten. ss made while Infused retains all measurable properties of ss (see ssTestsB), including refractive index, despite bing noticeably more transparent, to the point of near invisibility in some situations. As of now, the method by which these two facts work together is unknown. Most interestingly, ss made while Infused is transparent to mana- Basic Thermokinesis will not work on it, but will instead pass straight through as though it werent there at all. This is in distinct contrast to normal ss, which will block or intercept magical effects. Flight will simrly refuse totch on to it, with the tether instead passing straight through as though the ss didnt exist. This property remains even if the mana ister somehow removed from the ss. ss that is infused post-creation will gain the additional transparency to light, but does not gain the mana invisibility. See also Chapter 87a: Clearly Magical Chapter 87a: Clearly Magical Edwin didnt see much of Inion over the weeks he spent in Panastalis. She would drop in every so often to see how he was, but she was usually doing something off in the Verdant. Whenever Edwin prodded her about it, she refused to borate, which was well, it was slightly annoying. He wanted to know what was up with his best friend by default, but she was entitled to her privacy just as much as he was. Ahem. Whaaaat? I wanna know the details! Privacy, Inion. I was just talking about that. Gah, privacy schmivacy. Tell me all about this! I cant believe youve been skipping out on all the fun stuff! Theres no details to tell! We dont even like each other! Besides, I am distinctly not interested in avior. Oh, so if she wasnt an avior, then youd be interested? No! Thats not what Edwin buried his head in his hands, Theres no winning with you, is there? Nope! It wasnt anything even noteworthy! It had just been a really long day and she offered to fly me down as a way to stretch her wings is all. Thats it! Oh, you were in her grasp? Trusting her with your life? How special. Inion waggled her eyebrows at him, which Edwin responded to with a t stare. If you count immensely ufortable and an experience I never want to repeat ever again as special, I guess. Avior talons are pokey. My arms will be sore for the rest of the night, I know already. Heck, Id rather reveal my potion of flight than get another ride up to or down from the workshop. Inion patted his head, earning a halfhearted re and swat from Edwin in response. Honestly! heined, Who even started the trend of building workshops in the trees branches anyway? You cant even see them from the ground, and they could probably set fire to the whole thing if they arent careful. I mean, I get why so many buildings are built into it, the sap is super useful or whatever, but . Theres like five staircases that lead to the top, and if you cant fly its such a pain. Why, just why would they do that to us? He fell back onto his bed and buried his face in Inions arm, Just is basic convenience or an automated elevator too much to ask for? So if you dont like avior, well, didnt you say there was a human girl in your group? Rhita, wasnt? Whats she like? Edwin raised his head to re at the fey, You are the absolute worst. Well, Edwin noted, at least Inion has a niceugh. Joriah, or at least Panastalis, didnt really seem to have the concept of a dedicated weekend. Oh sure, they had days of rest- even endurance-type Skills could only get you so far, and were far from universal anyway- but there was no coordinated five days working, then the same two days everyone gets off. Instead, it was much more variable depending on the ss (and thus upation) of the individual in question. For alchemists, the typical cycle was two days off every twelve, but when those days were taken wasnt defined, being not quite random, but it usually didnt line up between his fellow teammates. Thoril took his in four-day blocks, using up nearly a month of weekends all at once. Wendell took his two together, in the middle of the cycle. Everyone else, Edwin included, took one day off after five days of work, though not all at the same time. Granted, he didnt really need to take time off for general exhaustion. His time spent training with Inion, and college before then, didnt really give days off, and he was okay, perhaps not exactly adapted to it, but at least ustomed to it. His Sleeping skill helped a lot, but while it fought off exhaustion, and even mental fatigue to a certain level, it didnt help with being under constant pressure to perform. Now, taking one day off of work every once in a while didnt really fix that either, but it was still nice to asionally crash in his room and do nothing too productive. Heck, thanks to Survival, he didnt even need to eat those days not that he had much of a consistent food schedule anyway. In his defence, most people tended to eat once a day at most anyway, with Eating more than sufficient to keep them satisfied. Mainly, though, it was just the break from being around people. His social fatigue was slowly setting in despite his best efforts, but taking breaks every so often certainly helped dy it. Mostly, though, a share of peace and quiet- along with a good book- was just what he needed. Which was why he was so annoyed to be pulled out of his reading- a volume on the history of the Empire, as he was still waiting for ess to more alchemy-oriented texts- by a pounding on his door. Who is it? he called out, grumpily sitting up and setting his book off to the side. The kiln went out! a voice called out in response. It wasnt Cope, Rhita, or Fissath, that was sure, but he couldnt recognize it beyond that without Identify. Alchemeister-Scrivener Wendell (PanastalisWendell) Hes the really annoying guy whos Copes personal assistant. Back in Panastalis. Was an Alchemeister-Scrivenerst time. Easily frustrated. Really nosy. Mostly toothless, though. Safe to ignore. Go away, Wendell! Its my day off, and why cant Fissath help you? Shes gone too! Get out here, you cker, or therell be consequences, just you wait! Wendell, Edwin yelled back, I do not care one iota what troubles you have when Im not there. Its my day off, I thought Fissath was in theb, figure out the kiln on your own! Its not that hard, and not my problem anyway. You- you what? Get out here, you errant, or youll regret it! Oh hey, pun. Probably wasnt his goal, though. Polyglot had resulted in a few awkward instances where hed thought someone was making a joke, only to find out it was the result of an amusing trantion instead of intentional wit. Do paperwork or something! I dont care if you cant figure out how to burn arycal! You should have more than just me and Fissath trained on how to run it anyway! The banging resumed and intensified, Get out here this instant, you ungrateful adventurer! Edwin started at the insult, then recovered from his surprise. Wendell didnt have even the slightest clue as to Edwins status insofar as he knew, he was just trying to insult Edwin generically. Hed used it on others before, anyway, so he presumed that was what was going on. He sighed and floated to his feet, approaching the door and dismissing the Apparatus blocks he used to keep other people out. Mid-knock, he utched and swung the door open. Wendell stumbled slightly as his knock felt no resistance, and he assessed Edwin. What kind of an alchemists outfit is that? he scoffed. One who has a day off. Edwin wryly replied. He was wearing his mostfortable and clean tunic over his cleanest pants- there was no noticeable difference infort there- and was barefoot on the wooden floor, And who is very annoyed at suddenly not having one. Let me get this straight, if you make me step past this door, I am going up to theb and getting the kiln started. Then, he forestalled Wendell with a hand. The man ignored it, naturally, but Edwin just talked over him, Then, I will be returning here, finishing my book, and noting in to theb tomorrow, because today was not my day off, and you get to exin to Cope why. Hm. I knew you would see reason eventually. I hope you arent nning on wearing that to theb, though. Edwin red at the man hard enough he half expected to get a death stare Skill offered- he didnt, he checked- before finally spitting out, I see. Well, Ill be up once I get into appropriate attire, then. Good! You cant keep showing up as such a slob, we have an- Edwin mmed the door in the mans face. Seriously? Edwinined, You really, actually just needed me to light the kiln? That is what I told you, yes. Why, were you expecting more? Honestly? Kind of, yeah. Once I gave it more than a couple seconds of thought, I expected that I was in for some kind of surprise, be it Othniels sabotage of the week, a kidnapping attempt, or just some kind of prank. Please. As though we would be so juvenile. Edwin responded with a level re, Rhita and Keir are right over there. You have a point. Course I do. Remember, youre responsible for exining to Cope why Im not in tomorrow. Please. As though- Wendell? What? Youre not an avior. And that is relevant for what reason? We are very high up in this tree. The edge of the branch is right over there. You know I can lift you with a single hand. And I want to get back to my book, which you pulled me away from. Think very carefully before you finish that sentence. Ill tell the boss if he asks. Great! Was that really so hard? Dont answer that. Most of Edwins experiments with ss had been met with failure, to no real surprise. He only had three real areas to experiment with: biological material other than bone, minerals and misceneous rocks, and metals. Biological stuff almost invariably burned up in the intense heat of the kiln, leaving nothing but soot and ash. In some cases, that resulted in slight coloration changes, but usually just meant he had to deal with a brownish-ck block of dirty ss he would need to Purify before reusing the silica. They didnt have very many distinct metals, to Edwins partial surprise. Oh sure, they had loads of different kinds of metals, but they were usually alloys of various kinds. He didnt really need to test five different types of bronze to officially determine it wasnt the right path to be taking with his porcin research, after all. Alchemists analysis helped somewhat there, for sure. He could use it to make sure he wasnt doubling up too much, but at the same time it wasnt reliable enough to tell if he was dealing with simr but distinct mixtures of metal. Generally, using metals just produced different colors of ss. Pretty, but not particrly earth-shattering given Fissaths Skills which allowed her to do pretty much exactly that already, but with way more precision and variety. Magnesium was an interesting additive, when he was able to sprinkle in a tiny amount of the stuff, as with each heating it underwent, the color it turned the ss changed. The one which garnered the most attention, though, was when he added lead. The resulting ss was a heavy, brilliant crystal with a high refractive index. Cope had been thrilled by the finding, and imed it reminded him of true diamonds when he swooped in to grab it. Edwin tried to give a bit of a warning not to use the leaded ss in anything pertaining to food or with regr contact from people, but Cope seemed disinclined to listen or care, as typical. The minerals were asionally interesting, despite, like the metals, frequently being ss coloring x and little more, but given it included a couple of actually, genuinely magical materials for his experiments, it wasnt boring. Edwin had found that even when he Infused his added materials- always done subtly, under the guise of him adding a special material of his own devising, which was close enough to the truth- the results were rarely too fascinating, basic mana-infused ss and its invisibility to mana notwithstanding. Something Edwin did find interesting in his experiments, though, was that pure metals took an absolutely staggering amount of mana to fully Infuse. Using Numeracy, he found that it was at least a dozen and sometimes as much as a hundred times as much as something withparable mass which wasnt pure metal. Even substances that Edwin knew had metal atoms in their molecrposition didnt take as much as aparable amount of metal separate from their bonds. It must have been something to do with the metallic bonds, perhaps? It was the first clue hed gotten as to how his Infusion worked on a physical level, and he was thrilled, if still stuck. It clearly had to have something to do with electrons, but the how or why eluded him. While his attempts to make magical ingredients may not have turned out the most interesting, and indeed, most of the naturally magical substances he tested werent that special either, there were a couple that had shocked him when he first made them. In one case, even literally. Chapter 87b: Clearly Magical Chapter 87b: Clearly Magical His first discovery had been made when mixing some ck-singed magical fulgurite into his batch of ss for the day. He had a whole slew of different samples in the kiln simultaneously, the enchanted lightning-made ss mixed in an array of concentrations from 10% to .1%, the smallest Edwin could reliably go with how small each individual mix was. He also tried out a single 5% with having Infused the regr ss, just to see what would happen. The result was immensely cool, if admittedly a bit underwhelming for the scales he was working at. The fulss had, as far as Edwin could tell, a constant static electricity buildup across its entire surface, which scaled in intensity depending on how much fulgurite was mixed in. The mana-ss acted the same, but instead of evenly mixing into the ss like the mundane varieties had done, the fulgurite coalesced into veins that reminded Edwin of a sma ball, ck tendrils stretching from the center outward. While Edwin was initially hyped about the possibility of infinite free electricity as he constantly felt a tingle from the held crystals, the voltage was low. Numeracy didnt give him any values, but he would have been surprised if even the 10% concentration was more than a single volt. Plus Edwin wasnt really sure how to harness that electricity, if he was being honest. His sses hadnt really covered what you were supposed to do if you stumbled across an infinite electron generator, if that was truly what was going on. Maybe he could encase the marble in a copper shell and inste it, then run wires from that shell but what would function as ground? It would be like using a low-voltage Van de Graaf generator but without a grounding wire Well, that was a problem for future-Edwin to consider. He just wished he was able to make more now! Unfortunately, what he had used was the only sample of the stuff theb had, and Cope wasnt willing to seek out additional samples just to make strange tingly ss. That was fair enough, Edwin supposed. After all, it wasnt like he was about to exin to the man the literal infinite potential they represented. At the moment, the alchemist simply took them as trinkets. Party tricks, like amber and fur had been on Earth. Still, while he kept his notes on paper about the discovery sparse, Edwin gushed endlessly about the possibility the substance had in Almanac, which brought him into a whole divergence on electricity and subatomic particles. It was a pity he didnt have any way to concentrate the fulgurite once he had mixed it in with the ss, but such was life. It wasnt like hed had any indication beforehand that it would be interesting, as other than pinging his magic senses, the pure ck ss had no unusual properties. It wasnt even the first magical substance he had tested, either, just the first with an actually noteworthy impact. Hed just have to figure out where he could get more of the stuff at some point, he supposed. Once he realized his mistake in overdiluting the magical ingredient, though, Edwin was much more careful to not repeat his error in the future. That caution paid off a few dayster when he tested abysite, a dark blue gem found in seaside caves, and when Edwin made a mixture of fifty/fifty abysite powder and sand, the resulting product was well, it was a liquid. The ss had cooled as normal, and thile the liquid was runnier than usual, that was nothing too strange. It was only when it lost its glow and turned transparent without ever solidifying. Instead, it became a sort of liquid crystal that looked faintly blue-green. It was denser and with a higher refractive index than water, but despite an absolutely insane amount of surface tension, flowed with very little viscosity across whatever surface it was on. It refused to pick up any contaminants, was just as dense as ss, and Edwin was sure hed figure out more in time if not for Cope having scooped it up with a hearty congrattions on his finding. He hadnt even been able to properly study the full extent of its properties, sadly. He didnt know how much he could dilute the substance while retaining its liquid nature, and given the fact he barely had more than arge marbles worth of ss, would be quite valuable if he could go as low as 10% abysite or even lower before the properties began to fade. He was only a little bitter about it, he told himself. It was totally fine, that he wasnt able to study this awesome and weird amorphous not-solid Yeah, he wasnt even fooling himself. But there wasnt much he could do about it either, so he let it lie for the time being. He just knew where hed be heading once he was done in Panastalis. Actually, that was a lie. There were lots of ces that he heard about, lots of alchemical substances that he tried adding to ss to no avail. Everice from the north which stayed solid even in the ridiculously hot kiln, wyvern and hydra blood from the maind jungles with strengthening and replenishing properties respectively, powdered dragonscale, manticore venom (Edwin was warned it was incurable and so to be careful with it), magefruit juice, zeflower blossoms, honeyvine honey, ss falcon feathers, glowstone, and more besides. All of them were amazing and Edwin sorely wished he was able to properly experiment with all of them. His Alchemy skill practically buzzed with possibilities, but he restrained himself. In total, he had a wholeundry list of ces to visit and nts and animals to stock up on as he did so. There were hundreds of alchemical ingredients he could use, and hundreds of ces where they were found. In fact, the primary alchemical ingredient to be gotten around Panastalis was sap from the massive tree itself. It was used in an absolutely stunning amount of potions, where it served in every part of potions, from base to primary to secondary to aspect to tuner to How did this all work exactly? No, no, Thoril insisted, The base is just what you have as the fundamental aspect of the potion. Its not your solver or whatever. But its what you mix everything else in, right? Edwin rified, Like water, for a lot of potions, or I suppose ss for most of what we do here. Yeah. Thats the base. Right. With my alchemy tradition, we call that the solvent. Then you have your solute, thats whats mixed in, and that makes your solution. Yeah, well its different. Its not your solvent. How so? Thats what I dont get, he pushed, And thats why Im asking. So, the base is what you put in the cauldron first. That could be blood, or water, or sap, or whatever you want, so long as its a liquid. Unless youre making a dry potion, of course. If you stop right there, your potion is just whatever your base was. Then, you add your primary to give your potion whatever action its supposed to have. I think were talking about the same thing, Thoril. I genuinely dont see how its different. Like, take water. If you dissolve salt in it, its still water, but it also gets some properties of the salt, and some unique aspects to their mix. If you want to oversimplify things, anyway. Its its different. How, though? It just is! Edwin rubbed his temples, Okay, fine. Lets say theyre different. So the base has the biggest impact on what the potion is. Water has no particr leaning- Unless you want something thats refreshing or healing or- Except a whole bunch of exceptions, yes. Water is normal, and doesnt strongly impact the rest, though it can magnify certain traits. Blood makes elixirs, or just things that only target living creatures. ss, of course, makes items rather than potions. Oil is optimized for topological applications? Thoril looked at him in iprehension, Its best used when you put it on top of something else, he sighed. The alchemist nodded. Okay, great. And then that whole book talks about all the different bases, and their noted traits? Edwin asked, pointing at the Tome of the Foundation. Nod. Okay. So then the primary is whatever is the second-most abundant ingredient? No! Not always! It could also be- Could also just be the first thing you add, right. Or its what has the greatest weight in the potion! How is that determined? Well, whatever is the primary is the greatest weight. Yeah. So how do you determine that. Well, importance, obviously. Edwins hands returned to his head, And how do you designate importance? By making sure that what you use has the greatest weight. Some stuff will always be the weightiest. Pretty much anything with dragons will be the primary weight. So its an intrinsic property of the addition? Edwin rified. Sometimes. You do not make this easy, you know that? Its a hard job. If you cant handle it, then maybe you shouldnt have been an alchemist. Edwin closed his eyes and breathed out. He wasnt going to punch Thoril in his smug face, no matter how much everyone in the room would enjoy it. Fissath would certainly find it hrious. You have, Edwin calmly replied, No idea about how much work Ive put in for this. And no, he forestalled the inevitable question, Im not going to borate. So you have the base, which determines properties of the potion. The primary, which influences what the potion does. And then the secondary is like the primary, but lesser? Welllll yeah. He sounded so defeated. It was great. Same with the tertiary, quaternary, and so on? Each has less and less of an effect? They involve the weight thing as well, right? Thoril seemed almost annoyed at the fact Edwin was catching on, which Edwin probably shouldnt have been enjoying as much as he was. But theres a difference between using saltwater as a base, and using water as a base and salt as a tertiary ingredient or whatever? Nod. Edwin held back a groan. Why couldnt magic follow basic chemical principles? That wasnt how solutions worked. Well, most of the time anyway. Sometimes. And then you have aspecters and tuners. Aspecters change how something is aplished, and tuners are okay, I dont understand that one. How is that not just an aspecter? A tuningponent is utterly different from an aspecting one. An aspecter is one that aspects the potion, meaning it has different methodologies of reaction, whereas a tuner tunes a potion so its reaction methodologies are distinct. Edwin blinked at the man. Are you just messing with me now? No! A tuner tunes, an aspecter aspects. Theyrepletely different! Thats not that oh, forget it, he took a deep breath, I dont suppose theres a book that exins this? Perhaps with examples? Edwin was at least half sure whatever potion-making methodology they used was utter nonsense. Even reading through three different books on the subject, somehow left him even more confused than when he started. His best guess at the moment was that tuners and aspecters were mostly interchangeable terms that alchemists liked to insist were different. Between the three books, he found no less than four definitions of what each of them were, and none of them agreed with each other. Even the three he had found in Alchemie Primera couldnt agree. It all seemed artificial at first, which had cast further skepticism on the entire concept. The System? Sure, that was one thing. But this potion making seemed almost gamelike, especially at first. What had helped him was seeing the sheer variety ofbinations that didnt produce a viable result. It made it seem more like a matter of notation than some strange minigame. After all, they absolutely got results, and helped convince Edwin that did know, at least to some minor extent, what they were doing. The best thing Edwin could liken it to was cooking. The base was what sort of meal you were making, be it a soup, a sauce, a sandwich, or a sd. Even if you used almost all the same ingredients, the resulting meal would be very different. The primary ingredient was then whatever contributed the most to the actual recipe. It didnt matter how many other things were in your sd, if it included chicken, it was a chicken sd. Secondary and futher ingredients were then what defined the rest of the dish. Then tuners and aspecters wereparatively minor parts of the recipe, but with an outsized effect on the rest of the food. Even a tiny amount of ghost pepper sauce would make an entire meal spicy, after all. Once hed figured that out, even if the details still didnt make sense to him, the overall shape started to unfold. I swear, level 50 Research is useless. Utterly useless. Now, his primary objection was with what their potion ingredients were. Midnight Smoke had a base of sand, a primary of octopus ink, a secondary of groundvender flowers, an aspecter of the beak of a rooster beat into a powder, and a tuner of alderwood bark smoke, held in an iron skillet for the smoking process. Oh yeah. Apparently the container the potion was made in could affect things. Because why not? To say nothing of the fact they were making a sleeping potion out of sand. That wasnt how biology, chemistry, or physics worked! In any case, the result was a dark, dark purple crumbly powder that when blown into the air would billow beyond its apparent volume and create the midnight blue smoke so resistant to spreading out that had knocked out most of theb back when hed first arrived. Even Alchemists Analysis didnt show the substance as being made of sand once it was done, but instead wholly un-Almanaced ingredients. Clearly, something was going on, even if he couldnt figure out what exactly it was yet. The problem was that when Edwin tried to make a rtively simple potion- an oil-based potion of fire resistance, made with oil as a base, fire elemental ember-ash as a primary, and giant spiders blood as an aspecter, it did nothing. Actually nothing. Well, the oil made the stick that it was tested on burn a bit faster, but the potion itself had no effect. He had no clue what had caused that. Hed been giving it a good-faith effort, too, so there shouldnt have been some magical observer effect at y, where thinking it wouldnt work would mean it couldnt. Other attempts at other potions had no effect either. He could watch people make potions no problem. Most of the others did at least a few side-projects in addition to the porcin problem from time to time, and there was some really impressive stuff being made! Healing potions made from troll blood, fertilizers made from the sap of the giant tree Panastalis was built around, strength potions made from bear blood and bear ws. Yet every time he tried his hand at things, it failed. What made things even stranger, if it werent bad enough already, was that if he followed the personal directions of someone overseeing his attempt, the potion would turn out fine. But if he read from a book, or tried to make a potion from memory? No luck. He was starting to reconsider his certainty that it wasnt some kind of observer effect, but he had managed to make potions before. Theyd just been from the Zosiman Grimoire, a book conspicuously absent from the limited libraries he had eventually been granted ess to. Making some vague, circumspect inquiries about the book only resulted in him finding out that it was apparently total nonsense and everything it said was wrong. He wasnt able to get any more information about it for whatever reason, but it seemed somewhat suspicious to him if nothing else. His personal experience told him that the Grimoire worked- hed made two different kinds of potion- healing salve and dehydration oil- straight from its pages and they had both worked out great. Plus, its herbology sections had been urate insofar as Edwin had been able to tell but he quietly went though and marked all his Almanac pages with information from the Grimoire as possibly suspect. He was so, so d that he figured out he could just edit pages about midway through his project, instead of having to wholly rewrite them. The discovery even got him another level in the Skill, which was massive these days, particrly given his leveling of it just a few weeks prior. Even still, he was happier about discovering the edit functionality than the level. Cope kept wanting Edwin to keep working on the porcin problem, though. He kept thinking that it was just a matter of somebination of sses of different colors, heated different times with additional additives each time, and hed eventually get his porcin. Of course, Edwin still couldnt exin why it was a fools errand, that his approach was fundamentally incorrect, and that Othniel was the one with the right idea. It wouldnt go over well, that much was certain. Most importantly, though, it would mean that Edwin would be pressured about how he knew that porcin was a form of pottery, not ssmaking, to which he had no answer. A month of using Memory had let him remember there was something about a ze with porcin, but that the ze was done at the same time as curing the pottery he had never really known details, so Memory was of limited use there. His man of mystery excuse would only go so far. He genuinely didnt know what each of his coworkers thought his history was, but he was pretty sure that revealing a secret jealously guarded by a city so powerful it could resist the Empire would result in them demanding answers, and he wasnt ready to leave quite yet. Soon, perhaps. But not yet. Maxlin, Cope approached him one day while he was setting up his next trial- white-stained iron filings, Ive arranged for a medical license course for you. It starts tomorrow, Ill cover the cost. Well. That was a pleasant surprise. Level Up! Skill Points 581661 (Average level: 39) Outsiders Almanac Level 131132 Flight Level 3237 Ritual Intuition Level 2025 Longstrider Level 2930 Fresh Air Level 1431 Alchemical Analysis Level 1526 Alchemy Level 8486 Skillful Assessment Level 3233 Watchful Rest Level 1826 Prototyping Level 1622 Basic Thermokinesis Level 1720 Arcadian Elixir Level 1719 Memory Level 6061 Numeracy Level 3235 Mana Infusion Level 8687 Polyglot Level 6065 Improbable Arsenal Level 2326 Alchemical Dismantling Level 618 Sappers Apparatus Level 4043 Chapter 88a: Cell Attributes Chapter 88a: Cell Attributes Wait, you were actually working on that? Edwin found himself taken aback slightly by Copes deration. He had mildly assumed that Cope wasnt actually keeping up any part of his deal, but apparently he was? To his credit, the man looked slightly taken aback, But of course! Youve done a remarkable amount of work, it is only fair that I uphold my side of our bargain. Did you truly think so little of me? Edwin shrugged, I mean, its been some two months, and I still dont know how much Im being paid. I was hanging around because I like the chance to learn more about alchemy. Cope frowned, You havent been paid? Ill have to look into that. Edwin vaguely shrugged, So... tomorrow morning, you said? Okay. I can do that. Wheres it at? Medicinal Workshop. Ill have Thoril show you where it is as you head out today. The corners of Edwins mouth twitched up slightly at Thorils groan, as yet another task shepherding him was assigned to the unfortunate guy. So exin to me why this matters again? Inion asked, Dontya already know how to heal people or whatever? Plus, its not like youll get any more First Aid levels. I want to get licensed, Edwin sighed, reclining against his pillow, And yes, I dont think Ill learn much on the medical side, though I am curious about the alchemical aspects of medicine, but thats not the main point anyway. I just want to be legally permitted to heal people. What is that for, anyway? Seems stupid. Edwin shrugged, his eyes closed as he leaned back, I thought so too, at first. But we had something simr back home. Of course, it was also way harder to heal people back there, without magic to use as a cheat, but I can mostly understand why a culture that controls the distribution of Skills would want to be careful with who gets Skills pertaining to life and death, and ensure they actually know the basics of what theyre doing. Mmh. Well, I think its stupid. You can heal people just fine, but they wont let you. What if you do it anyway? she dropped onto the bed next to Edwin, causing the mattress to shift slightly. Im not sure, actually. Not that it really makes a difference. I wouldnt just let someone die if I could help it. Shut up, brain. I dont need counterexamples right now. The license just means Im ying the game, and I dont need to sneak around thew. Besides, Copes paying for it. All I need to do is show up to the sses and lessons. How hard could it be? They were both silent for a moment, then spoke at the same time. Shoot, I just screwed myself over, didnt I? You realize you just jinxed it, right? Edwin sighed and groaned, Great. Well I mean, how bad- You probably dont want to finish that, do you. Youre youre probably right, yeah. The sights of Panastalis never truly got old. The utterly ridiculous size of the tree the town was built around made Edwin feel tiny no matter how many times he climbed it. If anything, the endless flights of stairs hed had to climb oh so very many times had just further reinforced the scale of the titan in his mind. Meanwhile, the buildings built into its side did nothing to diminish the imposing scale, and really only served to remind him of the power of the alchemy guild locally. From what hed seen of Panastalisyout, non-alchemy rted buildings were on the forest floor, away from the tree, then various offices and halls were built into the trunk of the tree, with more important individuals and subgroups of the guild near the base. Then, built into and atop the branches of the tree were all the workshops. So, that the Medicinal Workshop, where Edwins lessons were to be held, was at the very base of the tree was unusual to say the very least. Upon further reflection, it made sense that they might not want to have to cart people to the top of the tree for treatment, though that did raise the question of how they got people down from the top, if they were injured in the workshop. Surely, that had to be a semimon urrence? There hadnt been too many incidents in his work group, but they still had their fair share of cuts and burns that came alongside working with inadequate safety equipment. Like everything else visible from the ground, the Medicinal Workshop was grandiose. Carved and stained wood elegantly framed the entry archway, and the door was covered with relief carvings, painted and glimmering. Even the animated, glowing, and colored depiction of a flickering me only distracted him for a minute. The interior was less grandiose yet no less impressive. There was a sizeable waiting room of sorts, with a desk set to the side. Behind the desk, an entire wall of bottles, all shapes and sizes and organized in a manner which belied Edwins momentary assessment, stood tall and imposing. Youd outright need a- ah, there was thedder, set on rails to allow for easy ess to the medicines on every shelf. Off to one side, an open archway covered by hanging curtains led further into the back, though there was nobody present. Hello? Edwin asked the empty room, I have an appointment? The walls didnt respond, unsurprisingly. It didnt take long for the curtains to part, though, and allow a new individual entry. A purple-haired, green-skinned gnome hopped onto some unseen ledge behind the counter, and greeted Edwin. Heya! Sorry about the wait. What can I do forya? Experienced Managerial Shopkeep Im one of Copes assistants, Edwin exined, and I was told toe here to get a healers license? Hm? Ah yeah, the Alchemist-Errant, she pointed behind Edwin to one of the closed doors on the far wall, Down that hall, first door on the right. He nodded his thanks to the gnome and departed. First door on the right wasnt exactly tricky to find, so when he arrived, he knocked twice and waited for ae in! before entering. Inside, Edwin found a rtively cozy office. In one corner, a zing fire (thankfully burning wood, not arycal) raged, and all that defended the room from massively overheating was a massive yet solitary open window overlooking Panastalis native river where it flowed below. Most of the office space was, reminiscent of Copes, lined with all manner of clutter. Unlike the arrogant alchemist, however, this room was filled predominantly with bottles, though bowls of herbs, berries, tree bark, and other natural-looking ingredients presented a strong front. Presumably, Edwin thought, they were actually useful potions and potion ingredients, despite not having any particr basis for that hypothesis. That said, the stock wasn''t unanimously medicinal. In one corner, a taxidermied raven perched, surveying its domain as though all who came in were but more shiny trinkets to collect. Despite its apparent nature, Edwin kept a wary eye on the bird as to ensure it wasnt some unusually still familiar or something. His teacher, imposing in authority if not build, filled the desk with the outfit and hair which belonged to some mighty wizard or schr. Long white hair and a sizable beard stretched beyond what Edwin could properly see, obscured by the desk at its tip. The man assessed Edwin with bright eyes, and his arms moved with the easy grace of youth as he worked to clear some papers from his desk. Alchemist Vital Oh, cool! Did that mean hed gotten andpleted the Alchemy Vitae path? Had he created life of some sort? He might want to ask about that at the end of this. He finished entering the room and- Close the door! Youre disrupting the heat! his teacher snapped, as Edwin was doing just that. While annoyed, he wasnt petty enough to abort his action just to spite the man. Okay, Edwin might be that petty on asion, but he wasnt going to do so this time. And now who are Ah, Alchemist-Errant? You would be Maxlin, then. his voice wasnt too scratchy, but it still rubbed Edwin the wrong way. Thats me, Edwin agreed as he took a seat opposite the man, Though you can call me Edwin. And you are? he prompted. Alchemist Galen, the man snapped, And dont you forget it, Maxlin! Edwin hadnt done anything to warrant that sort of hostility, had he? He figured he was probably just being overly sensitive, and dialed back his threshold for actively hostile from the elderly alchemist in front of him. Certainly, Alchemist Galen. Hm. Well, you learn quick, if nothing else. Good! So youre some fool who wants the First Aid skill when youre at tier four already? Or didya get a medical Skill from an upgrade. Why didnt your hometown medic get ya licensed, boy? There were extenuating circumstances. I didnt get my medical Skill until after I had left home, and once I did, I tried to apply for the license when I was in Vinstead, but that didnt go well. So, here I am. Hmm. Its a disgrace you were able to get the Skill prior topletion of the course. Though I must ask, the man stood up, What medical Skills do you possess? Edwin hesitated. He wasnt sure that he wanted to share. But then again, it had been fine when he had talked with Rizzali. Though that was extenuating circumstances. Would it be safe if he told Galen? Well,e on! We dont got all day for this! the alchemist snapped, as he paced back and forth. Or was his hostility sensitivity too high still? Primarily First Aid and Anatomy. Eh? You got First Aid? Howzat work for ya? Thats a... long story, but one that Id rather not go into at the moment. Bah! You youth and your secrets. I swear, you better not go Adventurer on me now? he waved a finger, Far too lenient on those kids these days, I swear. Back in my day, Ill have you know, we didnt y into the oh Im so special mentality they allow these days. If you wanted to y with the Empire, you yed by the Empires rules, you contributed to society properly. None of this nonsense. Edwin very carefully stayed silent. Buncha blind fools, who think they know better than centuries of Imperial crafting. Makes me sick! I barely even recognize some of the kids these days, with their new sses and all He continued his rant for a while, and Edwin steadily grew more and more impatient until he finally broke. Unlike previous times, he did have something he wanted to get done today, and he was worried he might give away something about his status as an Adventurer if he wasnt careful, I dont suppose we could actually stay on topic? He immediately stopped his rant, I dont suppose we could stay on topic, Alchemist Galen, he corrected. Edwin sighed, I dont suppose we could stay on topic, Alchemist Galen? Much better. Now, where were we? My medicine Skills? he prompted. Right! You had First Aid and Anatomy, Edwin sighed. Anatomy! Whazzat do? Edwinmely shrugged, So far as I can tell, it helps me figure out the internals of myself or of others. Mainly useful on humans, though I think thats just because thats where my primary experience with it is. Hmmm. Doesnt seem too useful. Is it? Well, its not Vivification, Medicine, Vital Rebnce, or even Elixir Infusion! Now those are proper Skills for a medic-alchemist. Not that Anatomy nonsense. Did they really change up the Alchemy set so soon? What is it with people not liking my Skills? Edwin muttered, They work just fine for me. Bah. Take it up with your Registrar. They clearly failed by not telling you what you coulda gotten. Thats not what were here for today though, is it? Edwin sat up straight. He idly wondered what sorts of development theyd managed to aplish with magical assistance, and what kinds of alchemical medicine they had. He still remembered how his healing potions Cope had only called elixirs of rapid recovery, which were apparently different from normal healing potions. How did that work? He realized his teacher was waiting for him with an expectant look on his face, Uh, yes, Alchemist Galen. I want to get my healers license. He nodded, Good. So, tell me. What are the Essential Attributes? Wait, in a medical sense? Edwin cast his mind back. Where had he Ah! Right, the Zosiman Grimoire. He tapped his knee and quickly used a series of Identify to get to his index page, then jumped to the relevant part of his digitized tome, The three Essential Attributes are Health, Stamina, and Mana. Health is- Wrong. What? Wait, is that not what you wanted? I want you to tell me reality! Not that archaic model! But you asked Okay. So, the body works through aplex interaction of internal organs. Its organized by nerve clusters primarily originating from the brain, though the heart and intestines also have some nerves. The brain operates most bodily functions autonomously, feeding signals to the heart and lungs for- What the ruddy stone are you prattling on about? How the body works? Edwin hazarded, I was getting to the way Attributes interact, but I needed to establish some baseline. You couldnt be more wrong. I ought to track down whoever your teacher was and give them a firm scolding. You even had a Skill which helps you determine bodily function? Edwin hesitantly nodded. Bah! That you could be so led astray that even your own Skill tells you falsehoods! Thats possible? Id never heard of such a thing. Then again, Edwin realized with a bit of consideration, Given I know my knowledge is right, they must have that sort of thing happen with their knowledge Skills. Huh. Can the System be outright wrong? Neither had I, yet your Skill is worse than useless! Whats your First Aid level, boy? If its not at least fifty, this isnt worth my time. Its, ah eighty two. Eh? Edwin felt a bit of satisfaction as the information caught the crotchety old man off-guard, Its what? Eighty two. Howd you go about managing that? Ah, no. You must have had it for years trying to get it topensate for such utter nonsense you fed it, didnt you? Well not exactly, but Exactly! Put it through the wringer, you did, boy. Youd best apologize to it! Apologize? Also, arent we getting off-track, Alchemist Galen? Fine! Apologize on your own time then. Since youre clearly so lost, allow me to enlighten you on the proper methods of wound treatment.The body is made of three Attributes- Health, Stamina, and Perception. Health is the dominant Attribute, as it provides life and blood to the rest of the body. Blood, naturally, is heat andposed primarily of fire. It is how we digest and burn food, and gives us our body temperature. It, and the heart, are naturally responsible for intelligence, understanding and courage. This is why the heart is the most important organ in the body, as it is through it that blood is controlled and direction is given to the creature. Stamina is the supporting Attribute, and it is what grants motion to the heart itself. Thanks to it, we may move, blood reaches its destination, we breathe, and may utilize our limbs for the multitude of tasks we depend upon it. It is, naturally, made of the wind. This is why we must breathe, to restore our Stamina. It is released in the form of sweat when used, and subsequently returns to the world around us. However, it is treacherous and is simrly responsible for nervousness, stress, pain, and fear, among others. Lastly, there is Perception. Perception is the Attribute associated with water and which connects us to the world around us, lets us see and lets us hear. It is in the subordinate brain, and why those without heads cannot sense, though they may still act and may yet live. Edwin raised an eyebrow at the assertion that someone might still live while headless, but hed held his tongue this far, he could keep quiet a bit longer. As it is the gateway between the self and the outside, it is thanks to it that we havepassion, grow tired, feel anger, and more besides. It likewise is responsible for digestion and speech. Thats how did youe to any of those conclusions? Edwin couldnt help but ask. Indeed, Galen agreed, misunderstanding Edwins reaction, It required a true genius to determine such massive revtions. It was, in fact, a Panastalis native from nigh a thousand years ago, who made the Alchemedical Manuscripts. His name has been mostly lost to time, and is now known only as the Healer. Truly inspiring, no? Edwin was speechless for a minute, though not for the reasons the alchemist seemed to think. This... might be harder than he''d anticipated. Chapter 88b: Cell Attributes Chapter 88b: Cell Attributes So he eventually sighed, What about the other Attributes? The Attribute theory I was exposed to suggested Mana, not Perception, was the third Attribute. Bah! Zosiman knows not what he speaks of. Mana is far too rare to be an essential Attribute. Beyond the infinitesimal appearance of the Attribute itself, so few actually have mana of any amount. It is exactly as it seems, no more and no less. It is magic, not something that is an integral part of the body. And the other Attributes? Much the same. Charisma is merely another form of Perception, hence the name, though one which pertains to the interaction of the self out into the world. Constitution is a rough, mockingbination of Stamina and Health, which separates the body from the ravages of the world. Dexterity is akin to Stamina, and more besides. Do you need me ton continue? Edwin shook his head. He had a pretty decent sense of the sorts of stuff they believed, So how does this help when trying to give someone medical attention? That depends on their ailment, naturally. In the purely physical Fever and chills are associated with Health, a cough or mobility issues with Stamina, digestive issues and pains with Perception. Simrly, more emotional ailments can be cured in simr manners, though with slight alterations. Once the required treatment is determined, it is merely a simple matter of returning the Attributes into their proper bnce. And how do you do that? Edwin asked, feeling defeated. He felt like he already knew the answer, but Well, ones Perception is overactive, they require far more sleep than usual, or ensuring they dont sleep if they are short upon the Attribute. If they are short upon Stamina, a potion restoring such is in order, whereas in the event they have too much, they are to stay as active as possible, or at the very least stay upright. Health is unusual in that it is more difficult in the event they do not have sufficient blood, as usually only alchemical means can regenerate it. In the event they have too much Health, the cure is simple. Bleeding? Edwin guessed You do know some medicine! I thought you were hopeless. He sighed, Have you ever tested the effectiveness of bleeding people? But of course! It is the standard response to any with a fever. And does bleeding dramatically improve recovery rates, Alchemist Galen? he asked skeptically. Of course! Fever is nothing more than the excess of fire, and bleeding is the way to reduce the amount of blood within a person, obviously. Surely you can understand that? Edwin red at the medic, Yes, I understand that bleeding a person reduces the amount of blood they have. Thats obvious. Excellent! Now, the next thing- Hang on, hang on. I wasnt finished. How do you know that removing blood from a person actually helps them recover? Many whoe to myself or my apprentices recover admirably from their fevers. And some die? That is simply the assurance of life. Edwin groaned. He hadnt felt this frustrated in well, about two months, when he found out what arycal was made of, But how do you know they wouldnt have recovered just as good if not better without the bleeding? Have you ever tested the idea of whether or not bleeding a person actually helps them with a fever? What, you would have me experiment upon my patients? Bah! I will only seek to provide the best medical care I am capable of. Why would I ever desire to not treat an individual when I would be capable of curing them? Well what about making sure that whatever cure you gave them was the best you could? Like, what if it turned out you were wrong? How would you find out? Ah! Iprehend your reticence more now. Rest assured, we only use the knowledge passed down for us from generations ago, which has been in use for generations. We would never dare to countermand the wisdom of those who have put in the difficulty of realizing how the body works and how best to cure it. And what if they were wrong? The man looked at Edwin like hed grown a second head, You doubt the wisdom of your elders? Edwin resisted the urge to massage his temples, Well, where Ie from, bleeding used to bemon practice, until someone actually took the time topare how patients fared without being bled and with being bled, and bleeding them did worse than nothing. Centuries of people died at the hands of doctors who never questioned whether or not bleeding someone, reducing their health, would really be good when suffering from a fever. Nonsense. This is not a discussion, this is a lesson. No! Youre killing people by bleeding them. Edwin started to lose his temper, Thats not how the body works! Be quiet! I will not be gainsaid by the likes of you! Youve never even tried another method, though! You dont know the results of anything you do! What, you would have me experiment upon my patients, like they were some kind of test subject? Yes! Thats the only way to improve! Then tell me, oh wise one. How does one go about treating a fever? Edwin was momentarily caught off-guard, Huh. I was expecting you to ask me how a fever came about. As for the fever, you dont treat it, its just a symptom. You need to treat the base ailment rather than just trying to reduce the fever. In some cases, that can actually be harmful by itself. Very well. How do you propose reducing ones health if not by bleeding them? Its right in the name, after all. But thats not what causes the problem. It has nothing to do with an overabundance of blood or whatever. So far as I know, thats not even possible. Fevers are how the body tries to fight off infections. Ininfection? Bah! If you wish to try and spout such nonsense, at least do not deign to making up words! What? No. Infection isnt made up. Well, I suppose all words are made up, but thats besides the point. Let me think how to describe this You know about parasites, I hope? Naturally. They can be created when drinking tainted water. Thats Ill get back to that. Anyway, an infection is kind of like that, but instead of there being one big creature living in the host, theres thousands, millions, or even billions that get in and start to divide, and the body trying to fight them off can raise the temperature to try and kill them. Divide? They kill themselves? What? Oh, no. Think of them like you have slimes, right? Hed yet to see one in person, but Niall had mentioned them so they were likely real here. An Alchemist Vital, who had presumably created life in some form or another, probably had lots of experience with them. Yes, what of them? Well, a bacteria is kind of like a really, really small slime. So small and so simple that they can reproduce just by cutting themselves in half, more or less. Theres more to it than that, but thats not relevant right now. Anyway, theyre so small that theyre basically invisible and live everywhere, but some kinds are harmful to humans- or other creatures- and the body tries to fight them off. Thats what a feveres from. So you im that fever is caused by the body trying to fight off an attack by thousands of invisible slimes? Ye- well, kind of. Theyre really, really small, not invisible. Youd probably need a really powerful Skill to see them, or use a special tool. So thousands of tiny slimes cause fever? Bah! Utterly ludicrous. You seem so genuine, too. You poor fool, being filled with all of these absurd lies. Worry not, Ill ensure you get a proper education by the time Im through with you. Well, Alchemist Galen, if you dont believe me, how do diseases work? Simple! Thanks to the elemental nature of Attributes, a misbnced Attribute can disrupt the surroundings of the individual, and cause a cascade of Attribute unbnce in their surroundings. When in an unbnced situation, the body will mimic their surroundings, causing their own Attributes to unbnce and further spreading the disease That Edwin sighed, Well, its better than miasma. Well, no. So what happens is that bacteria- the tiny slimes- will breed in their hosts, and then spread on contact, or when they cough, or go to the bathroom, or somehow. Fortunately, most diseases cant jump species, so huh. How does the Attribute theory ount for different species not crossing diseases? Avior, humans, gnomes, and more all have different bnces for their Attributes, naturally. What would affect one might bepletely normal for another. So then, why doesnt proximity with someone possessing a different Attribute bnce cause them to get sick? Edwin prodded. For the same reason that merely being in proximity with another will not spread disease, despite every individual having a slightly unique bnce of Attributes. Unless the body is ailing, it will not taint its surroundings. However, tainted surroundings can still exist separate from an ailing individual, and that is where the disease firstes from. Thats thats not how it works, though. And by that logic, what about individuals with really high Attributes? Shouldnt someone with the Health attribute but not Stamina or Perception then always have a fever? It is the gift of the System that such bestowals strengthen, but do not disrupt, the bnce of Attributes within us. So what, your exnation for howe the one time you can actually measure the supposed bnce of Attributes within someone doesnt corrte to the afflictions which supposedlye from those Attributes is just a wizard did it? Thats not how science works! What do you mean by an adventurer-mage did it? I do not understand the phrase. Adventurer-mage? Oh, right. Wizard. Basically, you just wave your hands and say its magic when your theory doesnt hold up. The System would not irrevocably harm an individual. This is simplymon knowledge. Edwin rubbed the bridge of his nose, Look, I know that you have tremendous respect for whoever came up with this theory, but surely you can see itsplete nonsense? I am the one speaking nonsense? Bah! You are the one whoes in and start to speak of invisible slimes living within us. Indeed, what is your exnation for why not all diseases affect avior and humans alike, if not for the Attribute difference between them? Simple. Not all bacteria- slimes- are equally harmful to all kinds of life. So what? These things simply live within us and do no harm? Yeah, actually, Edwin shrugged. Preposterous! Youre lucky I dont throw you out right here and now! What for? Edwin protested. For grantly disrespecting me, my predecessors, and my entire profession! What, for daring to question it? Yes! But how else are you supposed to learn? You ask questions, you do not question! Ill pretend that made more sense pre-Polyglot, Edwin muttered, Then how are you supposed to learn, if not by being asked questions you dont know the answer to? I do know the answer! You simply refuse to ept it! Yeah, because its not the right answer! Oh, so you know more than I and all of those who came before? A thousand years of knowledge? Yes! Edwin shouted, sessfully shutting up the alchemist. I will not be spoken to in such a manner! Galen shouted back over him. Edwin paused to catch his breath and continued with a more sedate tone, Besides, you dont have a thousand years of learning that youre falling back on. You just have one guy from a thousand years ago who came up with an idea and a thousand years of people then copying him. If anything, your healing is a thousand years behind where it should be. Get out of my room. What, because you refuse to listen? Because you refuse to listen! Such impertinent youth. Know your ce! I do! Yet you continue to challenge your elders! That is my ce! Bothpsed back into silence for a moment, staring the other down. Edwin thought for a moment, What if I prove it for you? Prove what? The existence of these tiny slimes? Edwins resolve set, Yeah. I bet you that I can prove they exist. And how do you intend to do that? Are they not invisible? Individually, sure. But I can either make something that would let you see that small, or get so many of them in one ce you can see them yourself. And how, Galen scoffed, Do you intend to do that? Youll see, Edwin replied, mind racing, Youll see. Chapter 89a: Closed-Dish Cultivation Chapter 89a: Closed-Dish Cultivation How did you prove germ theory to someone who didnt believe it? It was actually a surprisingly difficult question, given that technically speaking, even back on Earth it was, still just a theory. A germ- ahem. Granted, it was a highly tested and unanimously epted theory, but because it was a matter of biology, it couldnt be a properw. It just couldnt have the sorts of rigorous mathematical backing required. All that was to say Edwin couldnt prove that germs caused disease directly. He could prove the existence of bacteria, yes, but without ess to massive amounts of people who were sick with the same thing, he couldnt even show that the presence of a given bacterium was strongly associated with being sick Edwins solution? Ignore the outright proof of germ theory for disease, just go to try and show that bacteria were real. There were two routes to get there. The first was to build a microscope and outright show Galen that bacteria were real- tricky, but doable, potentially even with apparatite lenses instead of ss. The second was to grow a culture of bacteria in a petri dish. Fortunately, he didnt need to choose one route or the other. Both would work just fine for his purposes, and mean there was less chance of being messed up in some way. Well? Alchemist Galen prodded. Fair enough, Edwin had been silent for a minute while nning out his avenues of attack, What shall I see? I dont suppose you have any microscopes? he checked. No point in reinventing the wheel if he didnt need to, after all. A small-ss? Whats that? Thats a no, then. Its a contraption that lets you see really small stuff. I didnt think youd have it, but I wanted to check. Ill make one, I guess. Just give me a few days and Ill have proof for bacterias existence. Edwin nodded to himself. Hed head back to his carriage and try to get some kind of bacteria culture going, then build his microscope while it was developing. Hm. Well, when youre willing to admit defeat, find me. Now run along. Youve wasted enough of my morning already. Edwin red at the alchemist, but held his bitingments back. What he made would be far more convincing than anything he could say I agree. Quite the wasted morning. Dang it. Petri dishes were actually quite easy to make. Well, it was that easy when you had an instant summon object power, and could simply create a ss dish by imagining the tool exactly as he wanted it to appear. It would have been way harder if he had to try and use actual ss in his experiments. Regardless, that was unfortunately where the easy part ended. Awkwardly, this was the first time Edwin had actually tried cultivating bacteria. Hed been a physicist, not a biologist, and the closest hed gotten to the squishy sciences since before college was when he took organic chemistry, which well, it didnt cover bacteria cultures. Even back in high school, he didnt think hed actually done anything like this. So, he had to figure it out from scratch Memory told him that the substance used in a petri dish was called agar, but that came with precisely zero apanying knowledge for what that was, why it was used, or even how to use it. Making an educated guess, he presumed it was food for the bacteria, which he hoped he could substitute with more readily avable magical ingredients. Talsanenris was the obvious option for magical food, given its utterly absurd caloric equivalent, though it might have been short in nutrients. He did have a fair amount of talsanenris leaf, though, which hed seen had tremendous nutrient density, so that shouldpensate well enough. All hed need to do would be to crush some talsanenris leaves and berries together, then add water until it was a nutrient slurry, and he could use that as his base for his colonies. Probably, anyway. If this worked properly on his first try, it would be amazing. Hed had better luck with all of his trials on Joriah than back in ab for whatever reason (he suspected his Alchemy skill helped), but he wasnt sure if that luck would hold over to biology. Well, fingers crossed. He used a stagnant puddle near the stream for his bacteria source, scooping up a tiny measure of water and pouring it into his experimental dishes. Once they were prepped, Edwin found a warm, but not hot, corner of hisb and let them sit. While waiting for his cultures to grow, Edwin started tracking down the materials he would need for his microscope. While he could make most of it out of pure apparatite, it wouldnt be suitable for the tube. The whole point, after all, was that only light from the sample could make it inside, and his transparent crystal wouldnt do a very good job at blocking out extra light. He yed with using paper and bark for his purposes, but paper was too translucent and bark was too inflexible. Ultimately, Edwin did go with a cylinder of beaten iron, purchased from the cksmith for some twenty ager. Honestly, he should have checked there from the very beginning, but he was too ustomed to making everything himself. Magic couldpensate for a lot of the supply chain, it turned out. At least it wasnt too expensive, though the speed at which hed gotten his part made was bound to have upped the price some. The rest of the build was well, not exactly easy, but not too challenging either. Other than actually getting his lenses in focus, it was just a matter of ying around with methods of holding the iron tube up and at some kind of adjustable height. It took time, sure, but it was just tinkering, and it was kind of fun. It still took Edwin the better part of a day to get the housing up, but he aplished it nheless. The next day was where things got tricky, and he ultimately decided he didnt want to have to deal with the math, and instead resorted to trial and error. Granted, it was educated trial and error, but it still just amounted to trying different lenses until he found one with the focal length he wanted, namely a bit shorter than the length of his microscope tube. Once he started getting close, the rest of the work was straightforward, and within two days, he had a fully functional microscope. It still took a bit more tweaking to get it powerful enough to actually see bacteria and the like, along with more silver spent at the cksmiths to get better caps on both ends of the tube, but he did manage it in the end. While not all of his petri dishes had grown any appreciable amount of bacteria culture, two had enough spots growing in the talsanenris slurry that he felt confident in showing them to Galen. And so, dishes in one hand and microscope in the other, he found himself knocking on the Alchemists door just three days after hedst stormed out. Come in! Ah. Maxlin. Come to admit your failings, then? Not at all, Alchemist Galen. I think I have some things youll find particrly interesting, as it were. He pulled out the dishes and set the microscope down, So the first thing I want to show you are these bacteria cultures I grew over the past few days, he set the dish down and slid it over, This is just from a sample of pond water, and fed with some talsanenris. Each of these spots you see here? Thats a colony of bacteria, grown from a single cell in the original sample. I started off with just a bit of water from the stream and food to grow, and here you are. Hm, yes. Mold. Im very familiar with this concept. You can create it from almost anything edible, with just a bit of water. So trivial the System doesnt even acknowledge it as creation. Is that truly the best you have to offer? What? Create oh, you did mention that, didnt you, Edwin sighed. You know, Alchemist Galen, other than magical shenanigans, life doesnt arise from nothing. Nonsense! We can see this happen all over the ce! Just as rotting meat makes flies, mice from tall grass, spoiled potion waste water makes slimes need I go on? Thats not Okay, I dont know about thatst one, but the former are definitely false. Hm. Okay. So Ill get back to that one, actually. For now, this is the microscope I was talking about. Edwin fiddled around with his stuff for a minute, getting a slide ready. He made sure to show his process to the alchemist, taking a bit of seemingly clear water and dabbing it onto the slide. Once it was in ce, he adjusted the microscope until the slide was in focus and he could not exactly clearly, but still see somerger bacteria. Right here. Just look down this and youll see what Im talking about. Bah. Kids these days, no respect for Oh now thats clever. Edwin perked up, You see it? he looked over to see Galen fiddling with the adjustment knob. Great Quite the clever little setup you have here. So you turn this little knob-thingy and that raises or lowers the tform? Dont suppose youd be able to share how it works? Uh, I mean, I wasnt really nning to but I can think about it? he replied, caught off-guard. I dont see any of these invisible slimes! Galen snapped, finally peering into the lens. What? Oh, you took the focus off. The what now? I had it set up properly, but then you fiddled with the knob and could I adjust it back, please? Im going to need you to move. What? Youre ming me for it? You impertinent boy! Ive been an alchemist since before your parents were eating dirt! I mean, Edwin found himself taken aback, You also havent used a microscope before today, so you wouldnt really be able to know how it works? Though just adjust that knob until the picturees into focus. He took that as an invitation to really start spinning the knob, far too fast to properly focus on any sample, Um, thats not how you adjust it. You need to- Shaddup, boy! I know what Im doing! Your your, ah, actions speak otherwise, Alchemist Galen. Look, if youd just let me, I can focus it and then well be on our way. No! I wont have you deluding me with whatever tricks of the light youre aiming to try and fool me, but Im onto your tricks, you adventurer, the man waved a warning finger at Edwin. You need to have quite the updraft if you want to get one over on me. Okay, then just go a bit slower, I guess? Youll never be able to find the right focus when youre twisting on it so much, and Im kind of worried youll Edwin found his warning cut off by a crack and glittering blue lights, break it. Hemely finished. Your damned doohickey broke, the man used. Yeah. I see that, Edwin replied, unamused. Can I see it now, Alchemist Galen? I think I can fix it. Bah. Fine, if you must. He gingerly epted his creation and looked over, trying to figure out what had broken. There was no obvious external damage, but the adjusting knob spun freely and allowed the viewing apparatus to sink to the lowest point it could reach- almost touching the slide. It didnt take too long for Edwin to figure out the problem. One of the internal gears had shattered, disconnecting the knob from the slider in charge of actually moving the contraption up and down. He could even see exactly where it should have gone, the transparent nature of apparatite a double-edged sword in this situation. After all, he could see through the outside just fine but he could also see through the inside as well, and so had to try and figure out what tiny piece was missing by seeing which section of the interior was slightly less distorted. Not fun and not easy to find, but certainly easy to fix. All it took was Apparatusing in a recement part in the same position it should have been in, and he was good to go. Okay, there you go. Please try to not break it this time? Or, better yet, let me adjust it? he tried. Bah. Fine. I shall allow you to present your best case, that your failings cannot be med on me, the alchemist reluctantly conceded. Just make it quick. Edwin sessfully held back his grumblings as he set up the slide. Other than a brief hitch where he needed to rece his recement part from the microscope- his initial fix hadnt interlocked with the further gears properly- it was aplished without incident and he stepped back, motioning for the medic to take a look. So what am I supposed to be seeing? I dont see any of those tiny slimes youre talking about. What? Theres lots of stuff. The cells, the green algae, the longer tubes Dirt? Thats what youre going on about? Ha! he barked, No wonder you sounded so sure about yourself. Of course we well know that getting dirt in yous bad. Youre not supposed to have earth in the body, just wind, water, and fire. Thats basic! I will say though, the idea that you could make more dirt in your body is a new one! Ha! Cant wait to tell the others about this. What? Edwin finallyposed himself, How do you look at that and see dirt? He breathed in deeply, Okay. You know what? I can prove that theres something alive thats that small, and that you cant just create life by mixing sugars and water together. Though I have to ask, do you have any Skills that just encourage life to grow in any form? Itll speed things up. Galen looked at him skeptically, When this fails, youre going to leave me alone and quit wasting my time. But I do have Encourage Life, yes. What would you have me use it upon? Edwin sped his hands together, Okay, great. Ill be back in five minutes, I just need to grab a couple of things. Chapter 89b: Closed-Dish Cultivation Chapter 89b: Closed-Dish Cultivation Edwin returned quickly to Galen''s office, armed with his talsanenris agar-recement and a vial of puddle water, but above all else his scientific mindset. So, he exined, Bacteria are like most living things. If you boil them, theyll die. Once theyre dead, it doesnt matter how much food they have around them, they wonte back to life. Now, he admitted, There are bacteria which can survive water-boiling temperatures and can even thrive in those environments, but they wouldnt live in the stream where I got this. He lifted the vials of water hed grabbed, But that being said, there may be tiny spots of bacteria growth on the dish. It just wont be anywhere near as prevalent as our control dish. Control dish? Ahparing what will happen to doing literally nothing. Which is what you should be doing more often, he red, Particrly with medical treatments. Ah yes, the heartless act of experimenting upon your patients rather than treating them. Such a bastion of morality, are you not? Edwin took a deep breath, then figured it wasnt worth it and snapped at the alchemist, Better that than killing people for a thousand years because what somebody thought sounded nice. The world doesnt work how you think it ought to. Science and alchemy is figuring out how the world actually functions, and no matter of so-so stories will change that. So yes, I would rather experiment on a patient than blindly trust that what Im doing is the best. Now, Id ask them first, but people who are desperate tend to be pretty open to trying out a new system that you think might work better than the existing treatment. The important thing is just that you ask. Dont force them to do something potentially dangerous just because you think it will help them. Ha! As though the fools could know what is best for them. They need a firm, guiding hand to avoid hurting themselves he looked at Edwin, And others, with their dangerous ideas Right. Edwin recalled, Im still in the Empire, where personal liberty is choosing in what way the government controls your life. Well setting that aside, Edwin moved on, When doing an experiment, you need at least two groups. One is the control, where you do nothing, and the others are your experiments, where you can actually see what changes when you alter different variables. In this case, he exined, Wereparing boiled water to non-boiled water. So when I take this vial and divide it in half, he narrated, we can use that topare what happens to basically the same water when either boiled or left alone. So with this half, he lifted one of the two smaller vials he made, We put it in this dish, and you can use your Skill on it. Then we can see what happens when we use your Skill on bacteria. Now, with this half, Ill take and boil the entire dish we put it in, just to try and sterilize any bacteria that might have gotten in from the food. Interesting methodology. Very well, continue. Okay, so here. Ediwn mixed his control water into the dish, Use your Skill on this while I boil this. The contraption he set up for boiling his petri dish was simple enough in theory, just a stand that he could set the apparatite onto, but in practice, making a tform out of his skill that could withstand the temperatures of Galens zing fire- which he was using as a heat source in this instance- was a bit trickier. Honestly, he just hoped the crystal dish would survive the fire alright. It wouldnt be good if it broke and ruined everything, but there was only so much he could do in that regard. The stand was more vulnerable, anyway, as if he had it resting on the ground too close to the fire, it would be exposed to far more heat. Eventually, he got a contraption hung from the top of the mantle, suspending the dish on what looked like crystal wires. Once Edwin made sure it was secure, he let it be and returned to Galen, whose Skill had already resulted in a few cultures popping up. He nodded to himself and looked back at the dish, ensuring nothing was going wrong. A touch of Basic Thermokinesis helped it along, and it was boiling in no time. To be on the safe side, he let it go for several minutes, though he was constantly mindful of ensuring the water didnt boil away. By the time he was satisfied with the boiling, Galen had finished up with the first dish and was looking at the circr cultures with detached interest, This certainly is a fascinating demonstration of trivial life creation, I shall admit. Thank you for bringing it to my attention and not making this aplete waste of my time. Edwin silently red at the man, though the alchemist didnt look up to see his gaze. Now can you repeat the process? Here, this one isplete, though you may want to let it sit for a few minutes before touching it. Edwin gently set the dish down on a pre-made stand, allowing the tongs he had been using to carry it dissipate back into magic. With a flourish, he directed the older alchemist to work his magic on the sample, and waited for vindication Wait, what? I I dont understand, he blinked. This should have worked, whats going on? As I told you, boy. Youre seeing dirt and thinking its alive, iming to be able to show that life doesnt form under the right conditions- where else would ite from? You keep spouting nonsense, and by your own words, youre wrong. Edwin looked at the dish in confusion. There were fewer cultures than the wholly untreated one, yes, but the ones that were there still nketed most of the bottom. If he didnt know better, it would have looked like the heated mixture had just changed the type of mold that had grown. What was Hm. Were bacteria magical here as well? Do you have anything you wish to say? I can still prove this. I just need a better setup, I think. One that I thought about for more than ten minutes. Hm, yes. I suppose that with sufficient changes and perhaps a new potion of sorts, you could indeed change the conditions enough that growth would no longer happen. But you outlined your experiment and it failed. But Get out of my office. Youre wholly unsuitable for any form of medical license, clearly, and would simply use the permit for your uncouth experiments upon your patients. I know what Im doing, though! Edwin protested. You clearly do not. Now get out or Ill report you to the Registrar. Over the course of his research, Edwin hade to a realization about why exactly he found alchemists so frustrating. It was just a general pre-scientific mindset, actually. Basically, instead of looking around at the world, finding something interesting, figuring out what caused that, and then using that discovery to predict other parts of the world, they skipped the first step entirely. Alchemists looked at what they thought should be the case, and then fiddled around with all manner of variables until they either found something that more or less worked how they thought it ought to, or gave up. He could see it even in his coworkers. Keir and Rhita both thought that porcin was made with bone, and so they only ever worked with bone meal and other ingredients. In the unlikely event they somehow made porcin, despite them not using any of the mainponents, theyd misattribute their sess and focus on whatever bone they had finally tried alongside it as the key. That was probably how their potion-making worked too, wasnt it? Someone had thought that a certain substance- say sand- should be able to put people to sleep, and then yed around with it until they found something that worked. Of course, there were still some kind of magical shenanigans going on that kept him from making potions unless it was just the result of their standardized Skills? Maybe because he was missing- he checked his notes- Mixing, whatever magical oddities were at y refused to blend together because he didnt have the right equipment to make it work. That would actually make sense,e to think of it. It could be any number of the fundamental alchemist Skills, really. Potion-making, Mixing, Emulsify, Process Heck, it might even be Colorimetry or Timing and his inability to tell with enough precision when he needed to perform certain steps that caused the entire procedure to fail. Whatever the reason, though, it made it insanely difficult to exin why his approach was different from the others. After all, from what they could tell, Edwin was just basing his bacteria are real im off of exactly as much evidence as most of their propositions, and was now just trying to brute-force his way into making it make sense. Hed tried boiling- that hadnt worked. Cooling hadnt worked either, though that one may have been more a result of not having any particrly effective way to cool, let alone freeze, his water. Ice was a luxury he didnt know how to make quite yet. So Joriah had fire-immune, or at least fire-resistant bacteria that were way moremon than on Earth. Perhaps it was just Panastalis, and some chemical in the water? It was a bit concerning that in the event he encountered a waterborne disease, boiling water wasnt an assured method of preventing its spread. Perhaps he should try to make an autove? Maybe he could use that to figure out what temperature these pyrophiles died at. After all, if you cant burn something, you just havent used a big enough fire. Unfortunately, he couldnt test any other ways that might kill bacteria. After all, it wasnt like he had any bleach or othermon disinfectants to work with (not that hed ever use it on drinking water) he was pretty sure that filtering and distilling the water was sessful at killing the bacteria, but his cultures still had growth even when he tried using only that, and he couldnt cultivate anything that never experienced any growth short of not including any food in the experiment, which was hardly a surprise. That said, he expected it was due to the simple fact that he couldnt filter and distil, and thus properly sterilize, his talsanenris nutrient soup. If he had a powerful ultraviolet light, then he might be able to sterilize it that way, but he had literally no clue how to make a UVmp. He had probed Memory to the best of his ability to no avail save a vague tickling sense it had been covered in a book he had read at some point. Maybe once he leveled it some more, hed have better luck, but for now he didnt quite have the recollection to piece together tiny fragments of what hed learned and letting Research fill in the gaps. The important thing was that he knew he was right. Hed seen the evidence with his own eyes, knew exactly what the problem was, but nobody would listen! He wasnt crazy, he was right! Thats what crazy people say, isnt it? Ive seen the truth, you need to listen to me! he asked as his ranting to Inion drew to a close. The fey nodded, and Edwin buried his head back into his pillow with a frustrated sigh. After the... less than ster oue of his medical license attempt, and subsequent investigations into what went wrong, Edwin mostly just returned to his work on porcin, though with much less enthusiasm. It had been a couple of months of just ssmaking, after all, and he was starting to get bored. Plus, his coworkers had heard vaguely that something had happened, and would not shut up about trying to figure out what was going on. Fortunately, whatever rumors were circting didnt directly reach him, and those that he heard about indirectly were super contradictory. Sometimes, people seemed to think he had made some sort of new healing potion slime, another time it was that he was secretly a healing mage pretending to be an alchemist despite what Identify said. Sometimes, hed sessfully gotten his license by revealing some brand-new treatment, other times he had beenughed out of the room by proposing that all dirt was alive and could be used to make golems. Those were, thankfully, about as close as the rumors got. Other people said hed shown some way to properly transmute blood into fire or fire into blood, or hed introduced some fourth Attribute into the basic collection. All told, Edwins days of anonymity were long over. Previously, he could go basically unnoticed on his daily errands or when going up and down the tree, but these days simply walking around attracted stares and the asional whisper. It was not the sort of attention that he wanted, nor that he liked any all that much. Finally, he couldnt take it any more and told Fissath exactly what had happened with Galen. He categorically refused to tell Rhita and Keir because of how much they bugged him about it, not that Thoril or Wendell were too much better. Cope hadnt said anything, but Edwin could tell that the way the man looked at Edwin had changed, and he knew there would be some kind of confrontation with him at some point. Tiny, invisible slimes? the avior asked incredulously. Well, not exactly. But sort of. You know how insects and that sort of thing can be really, really small until you can barely see them? Yes. Well, life doesnt stop there, and it just keeps getting smaller and smaller. Makes sense. Bacteria are, to some extent, as small as life can get. While normally living things are made up of uncountable numbers of building blocks- cells- of all different sorts, bacteria are only made of one. Uh-huh. So what was the problem? Well Im not entirely sure. My current theory is just that the native bacteria are way, way more resistant to temperatures than those Im ustomed to. But I cant conclusively prove that, and thats the problem. Makes sense. Pass the Arycal? Right, sorry. He handed over the white, y-like disaster waiting to happen. Months of keeping the kiln running had taken off a bit of his fear of the substance, though he was still quite skeptical of its supposedplete stability. The form for how it was kept stable was a Guild secret, and he didnt qualify. Then again, given the normal sorts of potions the Guild dealt with, Edwin wasnt sure that hed feel reassured by finding out what nonsensical blending of substances prevented the two hyper-reactive elements from doing anything. So yeah. The avior shrugged, Its interesting. I dont know enough about medicine to tell you if it seems reasonable though. The idea that tiny creatures that live inside of us and make us sick is hardly the strangest thing Ive learned since I got to Panastalis, anyway. Its certainly more reasonable than some of the nonsense the Pair like to cook up, anyway. So then what would you say is the strangest thing youve heard? he asked, their conversation naturally shifting along. Well, this one time Rhita tried to exin to me how Alchemist-Errant Maxlin, a voice called out as Edwin slunk down the road after a rtively boring day of work. It took a moment for him to process the statement, but once he did, he perked up and looked around. The source of the voice was readily apparent, as a tall, dark-haired woman in fine, but durable, clothing approached him. He didnt think hed met her before, but Eternal Master of Manifold Potions and Elixirs Yeah, nope. Never met someone with that kind of ss before. Sheesh, how did you even get something like that? I am Master Kertoa, Her voice was firm but not harsh as she spoke to Edwin, and she looked him straight in the eye the entire time, his eyes unable to look anywhere else, and you and I are due for a serious conversation. Chapter 90a: Local Cultures Chapter 90a: Local Cultures The Guildmasters deration didnt overly surprise Edwin- he had been half expecting something like this for a while now. However, he wasnt expecting to be approached on the street by the Master herself. Heck, he didnt even really know that the guildmaster was a she until just now. He needed to get better at preemptively looking up details about people, didnt he? Right now? he asked. Preferably. Unless you have some activity which you find more important that you must attend to, which I find unlikely. Fair enough. Still, though Anyway, right here? Edwin figured shed probably not want a conversation in the middle of the street, and was vindicated when she turned away from him and motioned that he should follow. We shall speak in my office, she exined as they approached the primary Guild hall, There are fewer prying eyes and ears there. Her tone wasnt harsh, though it was firm, and Edwin distinctly detected the edge of a social Skill at y, trying to worm its way inside his head and put him at ease. He squashed it before it could develop, Infusing his Adaptive Defense in an effort to get some Skill backing behind his efforts. While he still hadnt figured out exactly what Infused Defense did- if anything at all- using thebination itself was still reassuring to him as a cebo if nothing else. They didnt enter through the main entrance of the hall, but took a side door, tucked behind a root and almost invisible from any angle other than straight ahead, instead. Once inside, it was a tight spiral staircase and a short hallway into what must have been inside the trunk of the tree itself. Or just absolutely massive spatial shenanigans, because that was also a possibility. Not that I question your decision, Edwin asked, But surely you have more important things to do than just track me down and talk to me personally? Understandable, she agreed, but did not turn to face him, While your concern for my time ismendable, it is misced and you need not worry in the manner in which I spend my time. I assure you, this meeting is not taking away from anything which might be deemed important. Even with the reassurance, Edwin still felt a little awkward about taking the time of someone so influential- or just in general, really. He wasnt that important. As the two of them entered what seemed to be Kertoas office, an identical woman to the guildmaster next to him- tall, dark hair, slightly dark skin- stepped out past the two of them, making eye contact and nodding with her no, not a twin. While that had been his first thought, it wouldnt exin why they also had a small, matching burn scar running along each of their chins. Wait, what? Eternal Master of Manifold Potions and Elixirs Master Kertoa (PanastalisKertoa) Guildmaster of Panastalis Alchemist Guild Yep, definitely the same person. Hed applied that Almanac note not five minutes ago, which meant there was either time travel or cloning going on. Probably thetter, given she was an alchemist, though just to check, he modified her specific Almanacbel to denote her as Master Kertoa 1. When he checked the second now, he saw that her Almanac tag was unchanged, and with a nod, updated her to Master Kertoa 2. Just to further check, he quickly checked them each out with Skillful Assessment. Sure enough, they were both fully suffused by an identical green-red Skill. Kertoa looked at him with an impatient eyebrow raised, and Edwin realized she was holding the door open for him. He quickly muttered an apology and ducked through. Confused? she asked, a tilt to her voice Edwin wasnt entirely sure how to parse. Amusement, perhaps? I mean, it seems like a really useful Skill. Would it be Alchemical Cloning? Alchemical Simcrum? How many can you have? She was taken aback, Perfected Simcrum, as the case may be. She blinked, Were you forewarned by Alchemist Cope? It is generally assumed I have a twin upon first meeting one of my doubles. Edwin shrugged, not really wanting to go into how Almanac worked too much, Scar on your chin meant twins wouldnt work, not that twins usually look so simr into adulthood. Since you have time to personally seek me out by standing on a street corner, that means you dont have too much pressure on your time, or alternatively have some way to be in two ces at once. Combine all that with being a Manifold alchemist, and some sort of Skill-based biological duplicate made sense. I see, she replied as they took a seat at her desk. Unlike most of the offices Edwin had seen with his time in Panastalis, the walls were mostly bare, other than a single massive bookshelf that dominated the back of the room. Even with Seeing, Edwin couldnt make out the titles of most of the books present, though the few he could see had impressive-sounding titles. Secrets of the Vast Alchymical Arts, On the Homunculus, On the Nature of the Gozau, and The Vivinomicon were all represented, none of which Edwin had ever seen before. The rich wood of her desk- made of something Edwin hadnt Almanaced yet- was simrly visible, somehow free of the massive piles of paper Edwin normally associated with administration. Was this just a decorative office, then? I shall admit to being impressed by your awareness. Although I will not answer your question in its entirety, you are correct in your assessment that thanks to it I need not worry overmuch as to how I spend my time. I am fully capable of speaking with you and performing my numerous other duties simultaneously. Thats... reassuring, I suppose, though also intimidating. Couldnt you just rece half the alchemists guild with that sort of Skill, though? It does have limits, she responded, However, I am certain you understand the desire for circumspection in your Skills, do you not? A paper appeared in her hand without so much as a flicker of a Skill, Edwin Maxlin, Alchemist-Errant. Home registry, Vinstead. Adventurer and Ally of the Empire. Tier two Alchemist with mage Skills, and incredibly, Alchemy as the upgrade to Improvisation of all things, utilizing the Physical Alchemist path. Special notes: arge variety of rather synergistic Skills, and a note-taking and expansion Skill whose details are unknown even to the registrar. You are most unusual. Edwin felt himself shrinking back in his chair, How do you know so much about me? A smirk yed across her face, I am the guildmaster of thergest alchemy Guild in the Empire. It is my duty to monitor the pulse of interesting developments, and a tier two Alchemy Skill certainly qualifies. When your name came across my desk a few days past, it took me a little while to ce where I had heard it before, but once I went looking she tapped the paper resting on her desk, I found quite the tale. Look, I dont want any trouble, he defended. Oh, I have no doubt you do not. Yet trouble has found you nheless. I have never seen Alchemist Galen in such a state before, and while the man can be irritable, you truly managed to push him to some spectacr lengths. So it is about that, Edwin sighed. But of course. Though, we have more to speak about in addition. You are quite the curiosity, Alchemist-Errant Maxlin. You can call me Edwin he muttered, But fine. What did you want to talk about? he asked resignedly. We shall begin with your most recent incident, I do believe. Tell me of what happened between you and Alchemist Galen. Really? You dont already know? I have heard what Alchemist Galen says about the incident. That is not the full story. Fair enough, I suppose. Edwin agreed, So, part of my hope foring here was to get a Medical License- I have First Aid, and want to be able to use it on other people if the situation requires it- so, anyway, part of my arrangement with Cope was that hed figure out how I could get the license, and so about two weeks ago he told me hed set up a meeting Interesting, Kertoa said once Edwin had finished. She didnt have any paper in her hand, but he had the distinct impression she had taken notes regardless. What kind ofmunication did she have between clones, he wondered? Was it full telepathy? Did she have another body scratching down everything hed just said? Or did she have some other Skill that she was using, like how he utilized Almanac? So, she continued, oblivious to Edwins internal musings, In short, you challenged the Attribute model of anatomy and disease, you and Alchemist Galen got into an argument about medical ethics, and then you failed to provide sufficient examples that supported your argument? Does that summarize it appropriately? Well, there was no, actually I suppose thats about right. He agreed. Hm. Well, hearing your side as well makes me tempted to grab Alchemist Galen and give him a hand throwing you into the river. Edwin shrank back in fear, and mentally started assembling potential escape routes. However, I recognize that is simply an impulse within myself brought about thanks to my disagreement with and general distaste for your s attitude towards human experimentation, neither of which are strictly forbidden within Panastalis. Therefore, I will master this impulse and discard it appropriately, so you need not fear for your well-being. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief, though she continued before he could rx too much. Do not mistake my eptance for agreement, Alchemist-Errant Maxlin. I still find your eptance of human experimentation disgusting, although I can understand why you may hold your views. Simrly, though challenging belief is likewise encouraged, I still feel personal distaste for challenging such old and well-held beliefs in particr. Simrly in your defense is that you did not seek to further undermine Alchemist Galens judgement. Had you been more belligerent in your efforts after he had dismissed you, this would be far harsher. We appreciate challenges, we do not tolerate baseless harassment. She finally paused to take arger breath, Though I must inquire as to where you developed such an unconventional theory as this invisible slime postte, or germ theory as you call it. It is wholly unlike anything I had ever heard of. Edwin scratched the back of his head, Itsmon knowledge, back where Ie from. That microscope I made? Its really, really weak inparison to some of the ones back home, where you can actually see inside of cells and see how they work. Then, healers saw that some bacteria only appeared in the blood, in the saliva, and so on, of people who were sick with a certain disease, and it grew from there, he paused, Actually, Im not sure if thats how it happened, but I think it is. Fascinating, the note-taking vibe was back, though Edwin couldnt put his finger on why he thought that. And you do not believe these are simply created by the body as a symptom of the disease why, exactly? Well, because they cant be, not really. Theyre really, really different from what the body is and how it works. Its well, we have a sort of Identify thing that lets us tell what is rted to what, and bacteria are less rted to us than trees. Hm. Yet you could not prove this why? Well, if I had more time and perhaps a more willing audience, Im sure I could prove their existence- and disprove spontaneous generation while I was at it, life doesnt just suddenly appear- but proving they cause disease would be much harder. I dont really know how to do that without relying on actually hical human experimentation. Even then that may not be proof exactly, but just strong evidence He realized he was prattling on a bit much and closed his mouth, So yeah. You make a distinction about ethical and hical human experimentation. Why is some experimentation ethical? Well I guess its about intent for the person youre experimenting with? Sure, lots of horrible stuff can be done by trying to figure out if something is bad for a person, and thats hical. But if youre trying something to help the subject out, then its better. Say you hear about some new potion and you think it might help out people with a given problem. If youre trying to heal them, youd obviously want to try and give it to them, yes? Because youre pretty sure it should help. But at the same time, you havent really given it a full test yet, so you cant give it out too freely. Instead, you give it to some people with the problem and dont give it to others, preferably in line with what they want. Then, you can see how the new potion helped, harmed, or did nothing, and can make an informed decision from there. Yet you are still experimenting on people. Should you not ascertain whether or not something will help first? Well I mean obviously you should perform all due diligence and try to minimize the risk, which can incorporate all sorts of animal testing, or simting tests I dont even know what all you can use to try and simte it without an actual person, but at some point you need to just go and try it on a human before you can know for certain if itll help. The body is really, reallyplex after all. Sometimes, what works for one person may not work for another, and you just need to figure it out from there. What matters is youre always trying to help people to the best of your ability. Interesting philosophy. I find it reminiscent of the new Adventurer program in some ways, and although that has shown great promise, I still do not agree it ought to be extended to medicine. However, I shall admit that it is not as tasteless as you first made it sound, Alchemist-Errant Maxlin. Oops? he tried, Im not the best with words. I constantly annoy people with how much I talk about all sorts of random stuff, I know, but I also dont know how to do anything else, so Im just sort of stuck in the middle. Edwin confessed. I concur. Edwin frowned. Was that an insult or was that some kind of a Now, we have spent an inordinate amount of time upon merely the first discussion point of several, and so it is time to move along. I hear you have interesting views on potions. Am I correct in understanding you are unable to brew mostmon elixirs, even under supervision? Yes. He admitted, I dont know what it might be, though I suspect it might be that my Skills arent conducive to it. That, or theres some sort of magical shenanigans going on that are blocking me. Are you not a mage? Im not a very good one, Edwin defended, I have three skills that rte to it? Maybe four. A sense, a way to make things magical, a heating Skill, and flight. I dont know the first thing about how to use magic, and alchemy is undeniably magical. Interesting theory. I do not know of any mages who attempted to be alchemists, so I shall somewhat defer to your judgement there. What has brought you to that conclusion? Because, well, a lot of the interesting stuff is magic. You use faintly magical ingredients a lot of the time, or theres magic involved in the process somehow I dont know exactly, but Alchemy doesnt work like it should. You have utilized that phrase multiple times now, the guildmaster continued her interrogation, What do you mean when you say something should work a given way? I was under the impression, given your views upon experimentation, that how something did work was the ultimate authority of all else, regardless of how it ought to function? I Edwin hesitated, I dont actually have an answer to that, I suppose. How things work without magic in y, I guess? Though theres no real way to iste that Huh. So in your view, because alchemy creates things that do not align with what you think would happen in the absence of magic, it is therefore magical in nature? Yeah, I guess. Please borate on the manner by which you know how potion creation ought to work in the absence of magic. Insofar as I am capable of investigating, it appears more that it is the introduction of magic which interferes with the way potions should be created, given you are the only mage we have, and you are unable to make potions. I I dont think I can, really, he was edging close to a lie- a risky proposition given he didnt know for sure that Master Kertoa didnt have a truth-telling Skill- but if he phrased things correctly he might be able to skate by on technicalities, Not without getting into some topics which I dont think I can really share, by Taras advisement. Who? Oh, Enforcer... Lisana. Based out of Vinstead, he exined after a quick check of Almanac, and the guildmaster nodded in understanding. I see. Interesting that you have imperial secrets. Most alchemists never discover something so important that it requires Enforcer involvement. There was that note-taking impression again, and Edwin had to fight the urge to correct her faulty assumption. So now wee to perhaps the most pertinent part of this conversation, she nodded, Please, enlighten me on the nature of your rtionship with Alchemist Cope? My rtionship with Cope? Why is that important? Just answer the question, please. Myments and verdict will only be given at the conclusion of this discussion. Well, that wasnt ominous at all. So Cope, yeah. I mean, when I first entered the Guild, I was met by Thoril, though I didnt know him at the time, and asked Thoril? Thoril Viskantal? Um. Maybe? I dont actually know hisst name. Actually, I might have assumed Thoril was hisst name? Blue-skinned guy? That is he, then. Do continue. So anyway, he told me Chapter 90b: Local Cultures Chapter 90b: Local Cultures Edwin ended up giving a brief overview of his experience attempting to join the Guild and how he had ended up in Copes research group, with the guildmaster asionally stopping him to ask a rifying question and prod him along his tale, until hed exined essentially the entirety of his work to her. Most interesting indeed. Much obliged. Now, tell me what you know of Geoalchemist Hawizeh. Who? Edwin genuinely had no oh wait, it was probably- Talented Veteran Geoalchemist Othniel Hawizeh. You referred to him by name several times in your story, and as an assistant to Alchemist Cope, it is generally assumed you know Geoalchemist Hawizeh. Yeah, sorry. As soon as you said it, I realized who you must have been talking about, Edwin apologized, Umm I dont really know much about the guy at all. I also thought Othniel would have been hisst name, but anyway, that doesnt matter. Ive never met him, he shrugged, just heard secondhand about him and his group. I never took part in any of the seriously over-the-top sabotages, just sort of rolled with them when I had to deal with them in turn. Actually, what is up with that? Is it just some sort of game to them? None of the sabotages were ever that severe, not like they were ever trying to do anything more than just mildly inconvenience one another. Thats not how you do professional sabotage. I will answer questions to the best of my capabilities once you have. It took Edwin a moment to parse her statement, but nodded in understanding, Okay. So, what next? I wish to know of your history prior to Vinstead. It is almost as though you appeared from thin air one day. Is that rted to your unusual knowledge by any chance? Yesss. Edwin cautiously agreed, Though Ta- Enforcer Lisana advised I not talk about it, I can say that she told me it was alright to exin Im from Fierisal and that I ended up here somehow. Thats not me being coy, either, just genuinely not knowing how Inded in the Lirasian Empire, more or less. Technically Inded in the Verdant, but thats not important. I cant really say much beyond that, sorry. My home was much more advanced in non-magical science than here, I will say, though adding magic throws everything I knew into chaos. Thats actually why I became an alchemist, really. I wanted to incorporate magic into my knowledge of the world. Interesting. A mage with little experience with magic. I did say I wasnt a very good mage, he defended himself. That you did. Very well, She paused for a moment, and moved to sp her hands together and rest them on her desk, I believe I am prepared to render a verdict. Alchemist-Errant Edwin Maxlin, you have been found guilty of working with the guild whilst not having an approved Alchemist ss. Hey! I didnt- Allow me to finish, Alchemist-Errant Maxlin. But I didnt know that Allow me to finish, Alchemist-Errant Maxlin. Sorry, he muttered. Alchemist-Errant Edwin Maxlin, you have been found guilty of working with the guild whilst not having an approved Alchemist ss. Now, as you did not ever attempt to impersonate a Guild member, the onus was upon your employer to confirm that your ss was indeed viable. Given your employer was Alchemist Shorob Cope, I shall be investigating him once this incident has passed, and render due judgement upon him. Thus, while in vition of Guild policy, you are deemed not culpable for this transgression and are thus free from mary fines or further punitive actions. Thanks? I was kind of expecting that to go another direction, honestly. I was kind of worried I might have to run away from another unfair debt-based indentured alchemy tenure. You have had that happen before? I probably shouldnt have said that. But yes. Not in the bounds of the Empire, though. The Shandin Kingdoms or Quoena? she barely paused before asking. Wait, what? Younded in the Verdant, and prior to that you were not an alchemist. Thus, your imprisonment-by-alchemy must have urred in the time between yournding within the depths of the Verdant. Thus, The Shandin Kingdoms or Quoena. Um, the Highpeak Kingdoms? Is that the Shandin Kingdoms? That was impressively fast deduction. She stilled for a moment, Ah, of course. Polyglot. Yes, the, she paused for a moment in concentration, The Shandin and Highpeak kingdoms are one and the same. So then whats Quoena? The elven city. I did not believe that it would be them, but it is always prudent to cover ones base assumptions. But no, we do not ce the fault or debt with those liable to be taken advantage of. You may thank Emperor Xares for implementing that ruling in the time of my predecessor. One of the few mandates he has given directly, as the case may be. Oh, thats nice. He did actually, back up a moment. The elven city? In the Verdant? Thats real? Naturally. Now, while you are not to be fiscally responsible for this fiasco, you do remain responsible for your actions now that you have been informed of Guild policy, and you must therefore cease your assistantship with Alchemist Cope or genuinely be found responsible for your actions. Is it assistantship if Im not actually paid? He kept saying he was going to, but I still havent seen so much as a ves for my work. I dont care that much, I was much more interested in learning about alchemy- which I certainly managed- but I shall be speaking with Alchemist Cope on that subject, I see. If you remain in Panastalis by the time my investigations have concluded, you will be dulypensated. You dont mess around, do you? It is my duty to ensure the ts of the Guild are upheld. Doing less would be a disgrace. Now, should you leave Panastalis for some cause prior to the investigation hase to a close, you are capable of retrieving the full amount owed unto you by returning to the city at some point within the next two years. After that point, you may retrieve half your owed amount, and that amount will be halved once more for every year which you do not take your payment. Should the owed amount ever pass under the sum of one ager, you will no longer be able to collect it. Do you understand? I I think so? I dont suppose I could get that in writing? Actually, no. I can just he quickly Almanaced himself a reminder, Okay, I got it. Now, with that settled, I do believe you had some questions for me? Yeah! I guess I did. Um, I dont want to take up too much of your time, so Ill try and keep them focused. But whats up with Cope and Othniel? Ive heard Copes side of the story, and he of course makes his rival sound like the devil incarnate, but Im curious what is actually going on. Those two she sighed in thergest expression of emotion Edwin had seen on the woman, They used to be such great friends. A bit aggressive in theirpetitions, yes, but both quite promising in the field of alchemical ssifications. Between the two of them, they had catalogued nigh a hundred and fifty new flora, fauna, and minerals. Then one day, Geoalchemist Hawizeh bribed a harvester to divert new findings to him in preference to Alchemist Cope, and the two never saw eye to eye again. Their reports began to devolve into bickering, and things only deteriorated from there. The two would send teams into the field to throw rocks at the others group, to burn down interesting bushes or drive off native fauna. In their haste, they would frequently misidentify or both identify the same type of specimen as different. Alchemist Cope was particrly egregious in this regard, and would scarcely stop short of direct coercion and nder in his endeavors. Their current level of squabbling is the result of several injunctions towards the both of them. While undeniably brilliant, they were causing untold amounts of damage to the credibility of other Cataloguers, many of whom petitioned me to put a cease to their open hostility. I do not know how they settled upon attempting to replicate porcin to prove their respective superiority, but I and the rest of the guild are more than content to allow this state of events to continue, provided it does not escte overmuch. I hope that helped ameliorate your curiosity? Edwin nodded, Yeah. So yeah. It makes sense. Interesting that they chose porcin, though. It is quite a valuable material. Do you know of it? Yeah, I think I remember how to make it, even. We had it back home. Truly? Do tell. Edwin opened his mouth, then, thinking better of it, closed it and shook his head, Nah, you know what? I think Ill keep that one quiet. You never know when knowing how to make something more valuable than gold would be useful. Kertoa looked at him for a moment in thought, Very well. Do you truly have knowledge of so many things? He shrugged, Basically nothing about magic, and I havent the faintest clue about half of the System, but this sort of thing? Science, materials science? I spent years learning all of this before I came to the Empire. So do we, and yet you are so utterly certain in your knowledge, beyond even many experienced researchers, She tapped her fingers on the desk. Perhaps we ought to look into this germ theory of yours. Let it not be said that the Alchemical Guildmaster is scared of being proven wrong. Wait, what? I wasnt expecting that. Edwin was taken aback, Just like that? We will not take your im at mere words, for they are indeed mere words. However, what harm might there be in investigating the ims of someone whose history and knowledge are of interest to the Emperor himself? Wasted time, wasted resources? Edwin shrugged. I want for neither, Alchemist-Errant Maxlin. This is done for my personal curiosity, not because I believe you in preference to thousands of years of tradition. Well, regardless thanks, I guess. For listening to me. Certainly, Alchemist-Errant. Now, was there anything else? Not really, I guess. I know Ill have a thousand questions the moment I walk away, but thats it for now, I suppose? Excellent. Recall your limitations. Edwin nodded, No more working with Cope, stick around if I want to be paid right away. Any idea how long that might take? A few weeks, perhaps. Hm. Yeah, Ill probably head out tomorrow or the day after, then. I wasnt nning on sticking around for too much longer anyway, so this works out well, all told. I just need to wrap up a few things- not alchemy stuff, just personal stuff, he quickly rified. He nodded his farewells and took his leave, going out the main door this time as he was directed. Right as he was nearly out, though, a thought struck him, I dont suppose theres any way I might be able to buy some magnesium and phosphorus, is there? The guildmaster looked up at him with a quizzical expression, I shall see what I can aplish. Overall, Edwin would rate his time in Panastalis a sess. He may not have managed to get a medical license, but he had certainly learned a lot about alchemy and had a list of locales to visit. But most amazingly of all was the giant boxes of phosphorus and magnesium hed managed to get. Kertoa had surprised him by pointing him towards the arycal manufacturer. Sure, it had cost him an entire grai for the two (tightly sealed) containers, but he could make legitimate weapons now! Not just his cobbled-together stuff made from vaguely magical nts, but genuine- albeit still cobbled-together- smoke bombs, shbangs, and incendiary grenades! His departure had been rtively smooth. Cope, of course, had been outraged that Edwin would leave, but when he mentioned Master Kertoa and her demand that he stop working for him, he made a pretty strong turn. Edwin felt much less guilty about leaving when the man started ming Edwin for not telling him that he wasnt an Empire verified alchemist, and mad at Thoril for directing him at Cope instead of at Othniel when he was looking for a sponsorship. Rhita and Keir nodded like they knew Edwins secret all along, the dirty liars, and Wendell took Copes side in berating Edwin or Thoril, whichever his mentor wasnt picking on at the time being. Fissath, for her part, shook her head in exasperation and red at Edwin in envy that he got to leave the madhouse. He had just smiled and said his farewells to the avior under the shouting and grabbed what few things could be genuinely considered his, as Wendell and Cope started yelling at each other over something Wendell had said that Cope disagreed on. He was so d to be gone. He hadnt really realized just how stressful hed found the ce until it was wholly behind him. But Inion was with him! The sun was shining! He could see the blue sky! Inion was humming a tune atop the carriage, and Bill was trotting along after having been confined to a (spacious) pen for nigh on three months now, happy as he could be. The birds were singing, and there was a light breeze in his face carrying the scent of. Blood? Edwin double-checked his arsenal, making sure everything was back in ce after three months of being locked away. He even retrieved his stick from where it was resting in the wagon as he foraged ahead, waiting for whatever horrid thing awaited him down the road. This time, hed be ready. Congrattions! For exining the basics of how biological diseases work, you have obtained the Medical Lecturer Path! Level Up! Skill Points 661692 (Average level: 40) Adaptive Defense Level 2627 Alchemical Analysis Level 2627 Anatomy Level 2832 Arcadian Elixir Level 1924 Basic Thermokinesis Level 2022 Memory Level 6162 Polyglot Level 6566 Prototyping Level 2225 Sappers Apparatus Level 4046 Skillful Assessment Level 3334 Watchful Rest Level 2627 Status. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 1 year Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 33 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 86, Alchemical Analysis 27, Refine 1, Alchemical Dismantling 18, Sappers Apparatus 46 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 22, Feys Caress 36, Ritual Intuition 25, Mana Infusion 86 Flight 37, (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 8, Longstrider 30, Fresh Air 31 (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 35, Prototyping 25, Anatomy 32, Polyglot: 66, Memory 62 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 49, Adaptive Defense 27 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 132, Watchful Rest 27, Skillful Assessment 34, Arcadian Elixir 24, Improbable Arsenal 26 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 692 Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90 Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Schr 0/60, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched Chapter 91a: Eightfold Strategy Chapter 91a: Eightfold Strategy There was something thrilling about willingly going into a dangerous situation prepared for anything. It reminded Edwin vaguely of the build-up to a rollercoaster, a hint of adrenaline spiking his bloodstream and shutting down extraneous bodily functions. If he turned his Perception inwards, he could actually feel his body directing blood to his muscles and away from his digestive system. I want to try and do this on my own, he told Inion, who was poking her head over the side of the cart, Im not going to get sloppy like I did with that one bandit. I genuinely want to see how well I can handle myself. She shrugged, Kay, but if you get badly hurt thats on you. Only so much I can do this far from water anyway. Do you need to do something about that? Hm? Nah, its fine. Doesnt hurt too much, basically just itches. While ostensibly still steering the cart, Edwin left his stick sitting next to his hand and an array of alchemical weapons inches from his other. All he needed to do was figure out what danger was present, and hed be all set for a proper alchemist strike. His first instinct, his firevine cocktail, was no fireball but it would do. He also made for himself a helmet out of solid apparatite, leaving only a tiny slit by which he could breathe out of. Edwins carriage rumbled along, and his eyesnded on the scene in front of him, immediately letting him know that he was right to be on guard. It wasnt quite a massacre, but there was a lot of blood. From the looks of it, a group of four had been traveling along the road, only to be set upon by something. Bandits, maybe? No not quite. All of their possessions seemed to be basically untouched, which wouldnt match if theyd been killed by robbers. An animal, then? Edwin disembarked from the carriage and signaled for Bill to wait while he investigated the bodies. Even the birdsong faded away as he got closer, the somber mood extending even to the wildlife. None of them- one halfling, two humans, and something that looked like a human but didnt register as one to Almanac- were in by a weapon Edwin recognized. Or maybe, he realized, they were stabbed by needles and then allowed to bleed out. That was what Anatomy was telling him, anyway. What sort of creature killed like that? Heck, what kind of creature killed its prey and then just let it sit out? They must have been killed some time ago unless they all died without a sound, which seemed unlikely Edwin straightened as fast as he could, head whipping around as he prepared to confront Nothing. Just the silence. Was he being paranoid? He didnt think so, but he cast furtive nces at the surrounding woods while he rapped upon the stone path with his stick. If he was lucky Nope. Not lucky. The stick struck the stone without so much as the faintest ck, as Edwins suspicions were confirmed. Whatever was here, whatever was responsible for these deaths was still here, and it was dampening all sound to the point of near silence. He was literally deaf to whatever threat might be lurking nearby. What sort of creature was he dealing with, and what had he gotten himself into? Edwin pulled out his firevine cocktail, ready to throw it at a moments notice A blur of motion caught his eye, and Edwin leapt out of the way as a barrage of reddish-purple quills flew through the ce hed been standing just moments before. Tracking them back to their source, Edwin didnt see anything Until he unleashed a st of Identifies, anyway. Then he at least found out what he was fighting, even if he couldnt see it quite yet. Adult Titan Bear-Eater That doesnt sound good, Edwin thought as he rushed to the side, Longstrider barely taking him out of the way from the next volley of missiles. He could see some sort of ripple in the air from where they originated, and he threw his prepared firebomb as hard and as urately as possible at the spot. There was an unholy screeching sound as the silence and invisibility effects broke simultaneously, unveiling a veryrge, very on-fire spider, covered with violet-red hair lurking just off the side of the road, barely ten feet from Edwin. Worse, it wasnt a full spider either, but had legs that reminded him of a cat, long, lithe, and covered in thick violet fur. Its head wasn''t the normal mandibles of a spider either, but instead had the head of a lion- no mane, though. It reared back onto its back legs and hissed, the demonic noise screeching like so many metal rods being twisted and broken. Edwin recoiled on instinct, and retreated even further from the massive threat. It dropped onto all eights, and Edwins mana senses informed him of the colossal amount of magic the creature was holding the moment he activated them. It felt like. It felt like a dark, dry desert littered with time-bleached bones. It wasnt hot, just expansive, dry, and deste. The magic red and it was extinguished, the mes burning on its back ceasing to exist without so much as a whimper. That... wasnt great, and didnt bode well for the fight ahead. Still, Edwin reaffirmed his mind. He wanted to redeem himself. So far, every single fight hed been in on Joriah had left him critically wounded in some way, or close to it, and it didnt matter how big the spider was, this time he was going for a clean takedown. So time for a n. He was more mobile than the spider was thanks to Longstrider and Athletics, but it still could travel way too fast, as evidenced by the speed at which the monster leaped forward, its paws blurring into motion while it jumped at him. It was only because he was ready for something that Edwin was able to get out of the way, and he pushed his physical Skills as much as possible to pull him off to the side, letting the spider jet past him and into the treeline on the other side. Wait, what? It was way bigger than the space between the trees. How did it fit inside the forest? It lunged back out at him, and Edwin caught a glimmer of the answer- a Skill surrounded its body, letting it squeeze between the trunks almost like it were made of liquid rather than legs. As it pulled itself into the opening of the road, the spider leaped at Edwin once more, and he had to pull on Longstrider to get him out of the way. The process repeated a few more times, the spider not apparently learning that Edwin could easily dodge it, at least so long as he didnt have anything else to distract him. He appreciated it, though, as it gave him time to properly formte his n. So, should I focus on the legs? If I had slipstone, this would be way easier Hm. I have magnesium now, I should probably make more lime. But okay. Legs. Chop, slip, or trip. The legs were muscr and enormous, so he probably couldnt cut them up. Slipping would be preferable, if he had something that might work for such. Also, Edwin was moderately sure that he had seen ws at the end of the catlike limbs, so that was a furtherplication. That left tripping, which suffered from the same problem as slipping, namely that he didnt have anything to trip it with, to say nothing of the troubles that came with attempting to trip something with eight legs. Unfortunately, he didnt really have ess to Sappers Apparatus. Oh sure, he had the Skill. But even though hed brought down the time it took for him to use it, anything that would berge enough to go under the spiders legs would take him a few minutes of concentration to make, let alone eight of them. Okay, so its legs may not be as much of an exploitable weak point as Edwin had hoped. What about ways to kill a spider? It seemed more like a tarant than a ck widow, and Edwin hoped that simrity extended to any weak points it may possess. Which were. He drew a nk. Tarants had never really interested Edwin, which meant Memory would have to do a lot more work to pull up any relevant bits of information than it might otherwise need to. Work that he couldnt really manage while focusing on evading the enormous arachnid. He wasnt going to have a repeat of his encounter with the Reaper, where he got so distracted he took a perfectly avoidable wound. Well, spiders were arthropods. While it may have been half cat, the arthropod portions seemed to be basically the same. So, what did he know about arthropods? Still not much, honestly. But, their exoskeleton was probably weak in the joints, and Edwin would do well to focus his efforts there. Maybe he could stab it with some kind of poison? Set it on fire from the inside? Edwins brain kept racing at a hundred miles an hour, and he realized that despite all of his vaguebat alchemy preparation, hed never actually trained with or practiced actually using his alchemy inbat, and this was perhaps not the best time for a live run, but here he was and so hed just make the best of it that he could. Hed make more definite ns after this fight. He spared a nce at the carriage, and noticed that Inion, Bill, and the wagon itself were epassed by some strange bluish-green Skill bubble, sustained by the fey. Huh. Was that why the spider didnt seem to notice them? Still, he was kind of d that the spider was focusing on him rather than them, as he was much more capable of dodging than his hard-working pony and cker friend. The spider rushed at Edwin once more, and he finally got a chance to really study it. The bottom side of the spiders abdomen was free of the glowing violet hairs that shimmered across the rest of its body. Seemed a bit odd, given its size, but he wasnt going toin. While no giant glowing eye, it was, hopefully, still a weak spot. Now, what would he use to hit it? He doubted that poking it with a stick would do much, and most of his arsenal probably wouldnt be too effective or he could try his firevine cocktails again, and hope that it could only extinguish itself where it had hair? Or maybe it would recoil again and Edwin could throw a rock at it or something. He did have some apparatite crystals pre-made for that exact purpose, after all. Okay. So, grab a cocktail and set it off against the underside of the creatures abdomen. When it recoiled backwards, hed take one of his crystals and throw it at the section between its abdomen and main body, whatever that was called. With luck, it would be enough to prate through its exoskeleton and he could go from there. The monster lunged at Edwin again, andnded with all eight legs skittering across the ground, trying to hit Edwin. Fortunately, he was outside the creatures (admittedly massive) reach, and was able to easily dodge even further away with just a tug on Longstrider. With the creatures next lunge, Edwin led the beast further away from the treeline and more onto the stone road. He didnt want to set the forest on fire, after all. As it approached close enough there! A solid underhand lob of his weapon brought it slightly off-center of the spiders body, breaking open perfectly and igniting the underside of the monster in a massive fireball. Edwin triumphantly waited for the spider to rear back again Instead of standing on its back legs, the spider hissed again, and the violet hairs seemed to vibrate. Within moments, the screeching hadpletely stopped, the sound vanishing alongside all other ambient noise in the area, just like the monster had been doing when Edwin had first approached the area. If that werent bad enough, the light around the monster began to shimmer and be hazily obscured. Within a few seconds, the spider was a shadowy blob. Fortunately, it didnt be invisible, but it still made it hard for Edwin to properly track the creature. Annoyingly, it extinguished his fire as well. Great. There went that n, and that hypothesis. He couldnt even properly throw his apparatite rock because of how shadowy and murky the spider was! No way he could pull off a precision attack when it was like that. Okay, so what was n B? There had to be some other great weakness that he could exploit. It was just so big, there had to be something. Hmm. Square-cubew? It wasmonly known that spiders and ants were absurdly stronger, proportionally speaking, than a human. Except, that wasnt actually a product of their biology, but rather the result of their size. Anything that small would be much stronger proportional to their anatomy than something of arger size, and that was pretty much entirely based on the mathematical principle that was the square-cubew. While magic may have messed with it somewhat, the basic premise should hold. Muscle, being functionally two dimensional, squared in size as a creature became linearlyrger- length and width of the tissue expanded. However, volume of both the creature and their surroundings were all cubed- height, length, and width all expanded. Thus, it might be more urate to say not so much that smaller creatures were stronger, than it would be to say that everything around them was way, way lighter. Lifting ten times their body weight simply wasnt as impressive at those scales. All that was to say, the massive spider in front of him was definitely on the wrong side of the square-cubew. The fact it could even exist was already something of a vition- the respiratory system of arachnids couldnt scale to those sizes- but Edwin wagered whatever magic allowed it to exist didnt extend too terribly far. Even from an evolutionary standpoint, why would an ambush predator that was already the size of an elephant need to be magically strong as well? No, much more likely that it couldnt take that much more weight. So the update to the make it fall possibilities was squish it. It was probably easier than the others, if nothing else, and had the benefit of reminding Edwin of squishing a spider with a newspaper. He could drop his carriage on it perhaps, but that was an awful idea for so many reasons. A gleam caught Edwins eye from where the fallen travelersy. The one not-human of the group had a sword. It was still sheathed, and the hilt was somewhat obscured, but it might still work. He may not have any actual training with a sword, but he didnt exactly need it for a direct weapon, did he? Two steps with Longstriderter and the de was in his hand. It wasnt anything too special, but it looked well-made enough to serve Edwins purposes. He dodged out of the way from the spider attacking him once again, and a halfhearted attempt of swiping at its legster, he was by the tree line. Hed never tried something quite like this before, but Edwin had made sure to pick a treerge enough around that he could feasibly pick it up, but not sorge that its diameter was longer than the meter or so his sword was. The spider lunged at him, but Edwin dodged out of the way and the monster vanished back into the undergrowth. He prepared for its return, but was caught off-guard by, instead of a lunge, a volley of violet hairs being shot at him. There was a Skill involved, he could see, but it looked more like one for uracy rather than a give yourself the ability to shoot hairs as a projectile Skill, and wasnt that something of a scary thought, that this was just something it could do naturally? The quills mmed into an unprepared Edwin, seeming to burn as much as cut their way into his gear with a hiss while he looked on in horror. Chapter 91b: Eightfold Strategy Chapter 91b: Eightfold Strategy While the attack might have gotten Edwin off-guard, his sturdy leather gear- so useful for protecting him from alchemical experiments- proved its worth once more. While many of the hairs did strike the ''armor'' in weak points, hissing and sizzling for a second while they tried to burn through to his body, those that struck the thicker parts just stuck in the jacket where they hit. A few even flew towards his face, and would have burned into his head if not for the apparatite helmet he''d made for himself. Well there goes my perfect battle, Edwin thought ruefully. Fortunately, none of the wounds he took were too severe, though they did go a fair ways into exining the method by which the unfortunate victims of the spider had been killed. Perhaps the hairs disintegrated naturally after a short period of time? It wouldnt be the strangest thing Edwin had seen. Still, it did put a slight damper on Edwins n, predominantly because the spider had yet to emerge back out into the opening. Hm. He didnt actually need the spider out, did he? Not for the first part of his n at least. Edwin returned to his tree, hefting his sword into a two-handed grip and nting his feet on the ground and anchoring himself in ce with Flight, pushing Harvesting and Athletics as much as possible as he swung the de at its trunk. It worked much better than Edwin had anticipated- while not quite as smooth as butter, Edwins strike did pass through the entirety of the tree in a single stroke, though the reverberations traveled up the de and into Edwins arms, predominantly his right thanks to his grip. Surprised, he released the de and watched his weapon fly into the woods. Well he didnt need that anyway. Before the tree could fall to the ground, Edwin grabbed it, holding it with only a bit of difficulty thanks to Packing. The weight and inertia was a bit of a pain, and Packing didnt help with rotational momentum so hed need to be careful, but he could manage. The spider tried another salvo of violet hairs aimed at Edwin, but with his own personal tree to hide behind, managed to stop pretty much the entire attack. Unusually, the spider seemed to fairly quickly realize this tactic wasnt working and reemerged onto the road with a flex of its spatial Skill. Unfortunately for it, it wasnt able to properly identify the trap waiting for it. Edwin hefted the tree as much as he could, then dropped it right where the spider was due to arrive- thank you, Numeracy- allowing the full weight of the trunk to crash down onto the spider, pinning it against the ground and slowly crushing its abdomen. It screeched, trying to free itself, but the tree wasnt going to stop crushing the arachnids body just because itined Edwins thought died as the tree was eaten through by the creatures destructive magic. He readied himself for round two, but was unexpectedly relieved when the bottom half of the tree rolled off the side and onto the creatures right side. Three of the creatures legs burst immediately, revealing themselves as normal spider legs just disguised as those of a feline. The other was struck t, and the monster syed out, helpless and immoble as Edwin hefted the top of the tree and dropped it onto the monsters body. Within thirty seconds, the horrible hissing had finally stopped as the spider finally died. Edwin sighed and dropped onto the ground. That had been quite the fight, and he was d he was still in basically one piece. It was nothing a potion and a night of sleep wouldnt fix, anyway, so he counted it as a win. Congrattions! For ying an Adult Titan Bear-Eater, you have unlocked the Titan Spider Hunter Path! Level Up! Skill Points 692697 (Average level: 40) Bomb Throwing Level 4950 Flight Level 3738 Longstrider Level 3032 Numeracy Level 3536 Ritual Intuition Level 2526 Oh cool, another Trophy path. He idly wondered what sort of Skill it might grant as he fished out a general-purpose healing potion and downed it. The hairs stuck in his limbs had vanished at some point towards the end of the fight- he hadnt noticed when- leaving him bleeding at a steady rate. Once he took the potion, though, his bleeding began to slow and he could feel the itching of skin beginning to scab over at high speeds. The apparatite container hed kept the potion in dissolved away with just a flex of his will, and the glittering motes of light drifted to the ground. He looked at the battlefield with unwounded eyes, coldly wondering what to do now. He should bury or burn the spiders victims, of course- it was just the polite thing to do, if nothing else- but what about the spider itself? The violet hairs still glowed slightly even in death, which suggested that it might have some kind of inherent magical properties. That meant alchemical ingredients! He really wanted to see if he could iste whatever annihtion or destion type mana the spider was using to delete stuff like sound or light in the area. Well, he had a Skill for it- two if Alchemical Dismantling and Harvesting counted as different- and he may as well put them to work! Edwins eyes caught the bodies of the spidersst victims. Fine, hed take care of them first. While all four of the travelers had a coin pouch at their belt, it was predominantly filled with ves and ager, not a single grai in sight. Still, it was money and Edwin didnt have any better alternatives to dealing with it, so he pocketed it all. The halfling wore a small, nonmagical silver pendant in the shape of an upside-down V, and the not-human had an intricately carved wooden bracelet, filigreed with silver as well. They were both probably a bit valuable, but they just werent terribly helpful to Edwin personally, and he felt awkward about looting bodies for personal artefacts besides. Money was one thing, but he just wasntfortable with taking semi-valuable trinkets to pawn off at ater point. The rest of their belongings fell in a simr situation. None of the humans or the halfling had any weapons beyond a knife on them, not counting the lost not-humans sword. Beyond that, other than some food, which Edwin dly took, they predominantly just had some misceneous travel gear and their clothes that wouldnt be that helpful to him. He just didnt need bloodstained clothing with holes in it. Hed be spending enough time repairing his own outfit after this fight, and he didnt want to take on even more. The burials were easy enough. Inion didnt help, unsurprisingly. Instead, she spent the time poking at the spider, making inanements about whatever flitted through her mind. Well, she also spent a bit of time supervising his digging efforts, but it was primarily spent at the spider. By leaning on his old trick of reframing his digging as harvesting dirt, he could get the Skill to engage with his task and make every single shovel cut through the ground and even tree roots with ease and help him quickly grow the size of the pile of dirt next to the hole. Stamina helped even more, and meant he could continue at nearly full effort for the half-hour it took to dig out enough dirt that his eyes were level with the ground. Properly dug, he set each of the bodies inside gently, spending a moment of silence for each fallen, and filled the hole back in. Edwin was d hed done so first- they were already attracting flies. He made sure to be fully geared up when he finally approached the corpse of the spider, gloves, goggles and hood covering every inch of exposed skin. It was basically inevitable that hed poke himself with one of the spiders hairs at some point, but he still wanted to minimize the frequency of that urring. And so, armed with an apparatite knife and box, he began to slowly try and cut through the hairs. At first, it was slow going, as he needed to angle his hand in an awkward angle to shave away the pokey quill-like protrusions, but as he kept at it, and felt his Dismantling skill level more and more, he fell into a bit of a rhythm. The spider wasrge enough that he would never manage to get all of the hairs cut away, but it also meant hed have more than enough for pretty much any purpose he could think of. In the end, he filled up a good-sized box with them, and they found a nice corner of his carriage to live in, casting their faintly sinister glow through the crystal. After the hairs came the venom, and while Edwin wasnt entirely sure if the spider had venom, given its lion-like mouth, he was d that he had checked (and wasnt bitten). There were no less than six fangs which had a channel for toxins to run along, and a corresponding venom nd hooked up to them. Getting to the venom nd was a bit of work, but Edwin managed it in the end via careful use of Flying to hover above the spiders body and cut into its carapace after it had been cleared of hairs (which he naturally added to his box). It actually required him to Infuse Dismantling to get it to work properly, much to his surprise. The Infused skill cut through the carapace like butter, and he seriously wished he had made the discovery during the fight, rather than afterwards. Well, next time he fought an enormous magical creature he could try to use his Dismantling skill as a weapon. That was probably why hed gotten it from Alchemical Warrior, wasnt it? Seemed kind of obvious in retrospect, if he could use it as a weapon to pierce magical or alchemical defenses. Ah well, now he knew for the future. Getting the venom out was tricky. Normal tarant venom wasnt particrly potent from what Edwin could recall, but he didnt trust that information in the slightest. Beyond the issues that might arise from him misremembering, it didnt necessarily apply to lion-headed 10-foot-tall monster spiders whose hairs could just straight-up destroy stuff, and he wasnt keen on experimenting on himself for this. What he ended up doing was creating a bit of a closed syringe with Apparatus and using Improbable Arsenal to expand the interior of the container, pulling in the venom as the space expanded. Cool! He hadnt expected that to work. He repeated the process another dozen times, until he had a respectable collection of the gray/purple liquid stored away, the syringe reced with a more appropriate sealed container. He also checked to see if the monster spider had any silk nds. Sadly, at least as far as Edwin was able to tell in his limited experience, it didnt. It was a shame, because if he had been able to get giant spider silk it would have been amazing. Thest thing to deal with was the carapace itself. It was fairly strong for its weight and thickness, after all. And while Edwin didnt have the space to deal with all of it, he did still take a few sections of the material just to try and do something with it at some point. By the time he hadpleted everything, it waste afternoon and he was tired. The fight had left him running on pure adrenaline, to say nothing of how sore his arm was. Then, digging graves for the victims and now dismantling the spider? Sure, he could keep going for the rest of the day thanks to Stamina, and if he had some talsanenris rations, hed be even better off, but those were more crutches than a true solution. He heard a ttering down the road, and he turned to see a wagon pass by him, pulled by a pair of horses and driven by an avior who looked around at the carnage- a downed tree, a massive spider, and Edwin standing in the middle of it all sttered with blood and spider-detritus, before wordlessly looking at Edwin with horror, then wasted no time in snapping their reigns and encouraging their horses to pick up the pace. Edwin couldnt help but chuckle a bit at the idea of the Gilded Feather trying to figure out what was going on, and was kind of d that nobody had seen him earlier while he was still engrossed in harvesting the carcass. He had totally missed a bunch, hadnt he? It wasnt like there were that many people on the road, but he still tended to encounter one or two each day going the opposite direction of him. Inion? he asked, slightly dreading the answer, How many people have passed by us while weve been here? Hm? she yawned, Oh, I dont know. Five or six? I was napping for a while though, dont know if I missed any there. Well, at least he wasnt embarrassed at the time, and now he could just take and bury that thought as deeply as possible. Memory only worked with active recall, after all. It wouldnt keep reminding him of the time hed been so engrossed with dissecting a spider he outright missed a half-dozen people passing within twenty feet of him. As tempting as it was to set up a temporaryb right there and start messing around with the spider venom and quills, Edwin knew it would objectively be better for him to work slightly closer to civilization. The massive spider carcass was bound to attract scavengers, and with the recent reminder that animals could be massive on Joriah, he didnt particrly care to meet any of them. He could have burned it, but that seemed like it could rtively easily result in a forest fire. He settled for carrying the body off the road fully and propped up against the trees, its Skill allowing it to slip between the trunks no longer active in death. So, he carried on. Once he was out of the light forest, he could revisit the proposition. It had already been a couple days, and surely hed leave the tree cover soon, right? He liked the forewarning that the vast, open ins afforded him when it came to people approaching. Sure, the road may have been straight as ever, but the shadows and moving foliage in the distance meant that it was still tricky to see people far away. His thoughts were, ironically, broken by the sound of light pattering on the road behind him. He spun around, expecting another attack and his hand finding its way to a firebomb. Lack of concussive force or no, most creatures would still probably run away if set on fire. What he wasnt expecting to find was a medium-sized brown and white dog running up towards him, short and clean fur gleaming even in the low light of the forest. Why hello there, pup. What are you doing out here? he greeted the dog, extending a hand out for the canine to sniff. Unexpectedly, it didnt approach, instead holding its distance and looking at Edwin with keen, curious eyes. Stalwart Defender Hold on, was that a ss? Dogs could get sses? Kyni! Kyni! Come on, boy! Whered you go? a young voice called out from a bit further back, and Edwin looked up to see a boy running in his direction. He was still a ways back, just barely approaching earshot, but the dog didnt react immediately. Instead Kyni stared at Edwin, not baring his teeth or growling, or even hiding his tail between his legs, just looking at him, before turning around with a bark and, with a tter of nails on stone, dashing back to the boy, nearly bowling the kid over. Huh. Edwin gently pulled Bill to a stop. The boy must have been barely ten at most, and he wanted to make sure that he would be alright. Also, dog. He hadnt been able to spend nearly as much time with the objectively best kind of living creature since hed been on Joriah, and the Stalwart Defender was a riddle wrapped in a mystery. Looking again showed there was a cloaked figure a bit of distance behind the boy and his dog, the two now walking side by side. Okay, so they did have an adult with them. That was good, at least. As the trio reached his Identify range, Edwin caught a brief glimpse of gold from the adult, and a quick Identify confirmed his fears. With a sigh, he rubbed his forehead in preparation of a future headache. Edwin! It is so very good to see you, my friend! It has truly been far too long! Lefi exuberantly called out. Level Up! Skill Points 697720 (Average level: 41) Watchful Rest Level 2728 Improbable Arsenal Level 2630 Anatomy Level 3239 Alchemical Dismantling Level 1827 Sappers Apparatus Level 4647 Chapter 92a: Petty Concerns Chapter 92a: Petty Concerns Guardian Mentor Lefi Forolova- that guy that Tara stuck me with so I wouldnt immediately die and as a punishment for him. Wow, I forgot how basic my Almanac tags were way back when. Hi Lefi, Edwin greeted the man. It had been over a year since he and the adventurer parted ways, and Edwin could only hope that the man wasnt as annoyed with him as he once was. Then again, the guy was an extrovert. Holding grudges might not even be a thing they could do. Tara had hoped that Lefi might keep him out of trouble, and vice-versa, which hadnt gone very well. Especially considering Edwin had convinced himself that Lefi hated him and ran off in the middle of the night straight into Nialls camp. That made Edwin suppress a shudder. It was a small miracle he hadnt killed himself trying to take down the serial killing alchemist, but he had and the man was long dead and buried by now. That entire debacle had been one bad decision after another, and Edwin could only hope that it didnt repeat with Lefis reappearance in his life. You are doing well for yourself, I see! Oh yeah, the guy constantly shouted. Edwin mentally recalibrated Lefis interpretation for a more urate representation of what he was probably trying to say, Youve made it to tier two with a truly exceptional set of Skills! Wait, could Lefi see Edwins skill list? Skillful Assessment showed he was using some sort of silver Skill, but it didnt look like a perception or Identify-type ability. In fact, he couldnt tell what sort of Skill it was, just that he hadnt seen one like it before. Then again, Lefi was an absolute mess of constantly active Skills, so it was entirely possible he was just missing it. Yeah yeah, Edwin agreed, Just carrying on, you know? Lefi nodded exuberantly, his golden fire-like hair bobbing and flickering in perfect sync to the motion. Ah! Before I forget, I must introduce you to mytest wards. Meet Yathal, he motioned to a young boy about eight or ten, with messy brown hair and curious, yet wary eyes. He stood next to the dog, hugging its neck like it was a giant stuffed animal. Loyal Companion And Kynigos, that was the dog, who continued to study Edwin with curious eyes. Other than the color- caramel and white instead of ck and white- and the slightly longer fur, the pup reminded Edwin of a border collie. Kyni struck Edwin as far, far more intelligent than the smartest dog hed met back on Earth, though. As he watched, both of them had their eyes flicker with the white Skill construct Edwin had learned to associate with Identify, and he realized he should introduce himself. I see. Well, hello, Edwin awkwardly waved, Im Edwin. Lefi helped me get my feet a while ago, giving me some pointers for what I should do. Yathal didnt say anything, shyly burying his face back in his dogs fur. With a surprising amount of care, Kyni turned his head to wrap around the boy as well. Edwin turned a questioning eye at Lefi, who returned the look. After a moment, Edwin realized Lefi wasnt able to read his expressions like Inion was able to, and borated, Did you annoy Tara again? Are they the next me by any chance? Well, no and yes. After Yathal here broke free of Management, iming his truest destiny, his parents didnt want anything to do with him. Fortunately, I was passing through at the time and so was able to take them along and show them the basics of Adventuring much as I did with you. Hopefully I wont chase them away this time, eh? he winked at Edwin. Ah. Yeah, sorry about that. Im not really sure what came over me. Edwin guiltily said, Really, Im lucky I survived that whole mess after leaving you. Ah, you would have been fine. Lefi waved his hand dismissively, I made sure of it. It was my fault, after all. I mean, it- wait, what? What do you mean, it was your fault? A golden Skill bloomed in Lefis chest, emanating outwards. Edwin felt certainty descend onto him like a mantle, and he developed the unshakable feeling of being able to do anything. Climb a mountain, fight a dragon, brew the greatest potion ever. Edwin shook his head, trying to clear it. He was way more used to dealing with mental Skills than he had been in the past, though getting rid of an ostensibly beneficial one was a new experience. He wasnt the only one affected, either, as Yathal stopped hiding in his dogs fur, standing straight and proud. Edwin could tell Inion was stirring, too, but she stayed silent, hiding on the roof of the carriage. Then, Lefi released the Skill and the world finished returning to normal. So you used that on me? Lefi nodded, You were so shy and scared of everything, it was the least I could do! However he awkwardly trailed off for a moment, I wasnt expecting you to think you could take care of everything on your own and run off. That was a new reaction, and I have since declined to utilize it in such excess for fear that it would cause others to jeopardize themselves as well! You managed to survive, but I would never forgive myself if my Inspired Courage caused another to die in their pursuit of glory, particrly if I was unable to guard them then! Slow down, slow down. You followed me? That is what you took from my statement? Indeed, I did, as I merely wished to ascertain that you would be alright. You mostly were, too! There were very few times I found myself needing to intervene to save your life. So you watched me fight the bandits, too? Helped as well! Now, you managed most of it on your own, I merely assisted your assault go easier than it might have otherwise! Did you not notice the ease at which your limbs responded with your every attack, the way your Skills responded at the blink of an eye? That was my doing. My mere presence brings out the most Exceptional skills of my allies! Edwin found himself speechless, Why didnt you stop them, then? You must have known what they were doing. To speak honestly with you, I did not know it all. For the sake of Yathal, I shall not go into details, Lefi said, getting a nod from Kyni. Okay then, I did not know of their crimes prior to your own discovery. Much like you, I would have never found the ce had I not been led there. I then observed you while you learned of alchemy- the time was as informative for my own Skills as it was yours- and when you moved to apprehend them, I assisted. Had you failed, I would have stepped in to save your life and apprehended the bandits myself. Well okay then, Edwin still wasnt sure how to take this new information, but there werent that many options. He quickly settled on epting it and moving on. So what have you been up to since then? he tried. That was normal friendly conversation right? Gah. Human interaction was the worst. Well! Once I was certain you would be secure, or at the very least no longer in direct mortal peril beyond that which would typically be within the Verdant at least, I set out upon a glorious adventure! Doesnt sound much like an adventure. Edwin couldnt help but note. Ah! But I am an adventurer, therefore all I do is an adventure! I I dont think actually, you know what? Sure. Carry on. Lefi had barely even paused for Edwins statement, barreling on as he was with his story, Now, as I was venturing along, I encountered this cave, you see? It was strange, encountering a hill with such arge cave in it, let alone a hill here, but I, as one who would never back down from a curiosity, ventured within! And once I was inside the cave I realized that it split off into seven more caves Now, this giant was so massive that I could scarcely believe it! Now, you know we dont see many giants in these parts, but evenpared to the giants you normally see, he was massive! Theyd scarcely reach his knee! He invited. Rigged the entire thing! Set his half of the lot on fire, which was why. Lefi really liked to talk, didnt he? Edwin was vaguely remembering why hed gotten annoyed with the guy in the first ce. However, the benefits he provided more than made up for the inconvenience, and he would stick with Lefi for as long as he could mentally manage to maximize his Exceptionalism or whatever. He could at least feel somewhat better about himself thanks to the knowledge that his decision to run off wasnt his own sound mind. Thats ame excuse and you know it. Shush, brain. Its important to pay attention to people while theyre talking. So once I came across our fine young friend here and learned he needed help, I snatched him up and away before the Magistrate could have him exiled or worse! So now I am trying to meet up with Adventurer Rih! She is far more experienced with this kind of trauma than I, far better with helping shy- but brave! he reassured Yathal, who kept popping his head up and shying away, Such utterly brave!- fellows learn how to im the full world! s, she was tied up in Sheraith and isnt able toe! Thus, were off to see her and help her out! What of you, my fine friend? What was your time spent doing since you entered the Verdant to make a home for yourself? Where are you headed? Perhaps she could help you as well! Lefi tried to elbow Edwin, but he easily dodged. It was in good nature, though, so he didnt mind that much. Well I found a ce for me to make a home, chopped down a few trees It didnt take that long for Edwin to ry all that had happened over the past year or so. Lefi had roared in amusement at Inions training antics, though he made a few murmuredments to himself that Edwin hadnt been able to catch. By the time he had finished his story, however, the adventurer was nodding along. So now the question remains! Where are you off to now, might we be blessed with the addition of yourself to our adventuring party? I guess... basically in the same direction as you, Edwin admitted, I have a whole list of ces I want to visit and get some alchemy ingredients from, and theres at least something I want to get wherever. Edwin stroked his chin, And even more alchemy ingredients from creatures that are way out of my league. Id be interested in traveling with you, if I could get some Skill instructions? I dont really know how to fight as an alchemist, and I guess I guess Im less disinclined to travel around with you if we can both get something out of the exchange. Or, I guess, if I can avoid being a drag. Ill happily provide some alchemical concoctions that I make as my part of the deal, plus you know, just another hand around. Not like I can really provide anything else, after all, he mumbled. Why, my friend! Of course I would love to travel with you! And you neednt worry aboutpensation. Your carriage alone makes for travel to be so much easier! However, if you were so inclined, all I might ask of you is that you might teach me just a bit of what you are doing! It makes learning Skills far simpler. Didnt didnt Tara tell me explicitly not to teach you alchemy? Bah! She doesnte out this far, Ill have you know. Were outside of her province! And her worries are misced besides. I already have more Skills than I could possibly raise to tier three, whats a few more? Besides! I already have some levels in the Skill from watching you! Okay fine. But in exchange, I want your help learning how to fight with my alchemy. Inion helped me learn to survive, but I was just reminded that I dont really know how to finish a fight. You are asking me for aid? It would be my utmost delight to provide mentorship unto you, young adventurer. Particrly given the apparently massive hole you have found in your training. Truly, this Inion was not the teacher you needed. Excuse me? Oh hey. Inion finally decided to join in. Yathal seemed startled by the sudden addition of her into the conversation, but Kyni seemed rtively unsurprised by Inion popping her head over the side of the carriage- presumably, the dog had smelled her- and Lefi shot back without missing a beat. I do believe you managed to hear me just fine, my fairdy. It is far more important to win a fight than to merely not lose one. Not losing a fight simply dys the inevitable! Winning, however, sets you up for victory! At some point, you must face down your rivals. When you do so, the ability to dodge a punch will not allow you to ovee your obstacles, but merely seek to approach them. It is wed both as a goal and as a tool. Finishing a fight is what matters. And you should know that its more important to survive than it is to finish a fight! she shot back, You can always run away or just wait until I step in. Ah, but doing so produces a crutch for the learner! It then means that the mentor will inevitably be disposed of and drop the student in a situation for which they are wholly unprepared for. You make both yourself and Edwin vulnerable to the vagaries of fate by introducing such an obvious weakness into him. Well, better that he be in the situation where hes alive and has to run away rather than- wait a minute. Joriah doesnt work like that! And what would you, my deardy, know of the manner by which tales are carried out? Edwin tuned the pair out as Inion floated down to the ground to argue with Lefi on his own level, walking to join Yathal and Kyni. So. You seem generally pretty nice. Whats your story? he asked the shy boy, If you dont want to talk, thats fine. But I promise Im not that scary, He gave what was hopefully a friendly smile. Yathal didnt seem particrly impressed hiding his face back in the fur of his dog, but Kyni nuzzled his master with his nose until the boy finally relented, Im Im from the town, and I really love Kyni and trust him too. So when I got the Path offered, I he trailed off, mumbling into the dogs fur. Sorry? Edwin asked, I didnt quite catch that. So Kyni helped me, but mom got really mad and yelled at me and him about something. Oh, but Kynis known me from when I was really little and he jumped Well, he didnt like the new medic, you know? Got mad at mister mister but he was just trying to protect me, I know it! Dont like the guy. But Magistrate Tok magistrate Tokl So Kyni just wanted to help, and I knew he did! And he did help! If he hadnt then It took a while, as the kid kept jumping around between total non-sequiturs and telling the actual story, but Edwin eventually felt like he pieced together what had happened. Once Lefi and Inion were done arguing for the time being, he talked to Lefi to fill in thest few pieces and felt vindicated that his guesses were actually urate. Essentially, Yathal was a shepherd boy from a town in the greater Rhothos area, and Kynigos his sheepdog. At some point, the boy managed to evolve his Animal Handling skill into Companion, either as part of an unexpected upgrade or maybe an incorrect evolution? Edwin wasnt totally clear on the specifics there. Either way, the boy was no longer under Management and had a non-typical Skill set, and so fell under the ouw banner. While he might have still been able to function more or less alright in society, his parents had basically disowned their boy- who wasnt even ten!- for disgracing them in such a manner. It made Edwin furious, but there wasnt anything he could do about it. He was mostly just d that Lefi had been able to step in when he had, getting the boy registered and trying to protect him while getting hi to a ce that he would thrive in. That said, Edwin was somewhat confused about what went wrong with the kids Skill. So how does the Companion skill work again and why is him getting it such a problem? he asked as their group walked down the road. Well, Yathal rode on the cart, Kyni keeping the young boypany. Well you see- Its quite simple! Inion and Lefi red at each other as they tried to answer Edwin at the same time. Inion opened her mouth to speak, but Lefi beat her to actually speaking, The Animal Companion skill enables one to fashion a bond with a creature that they have a very close connection with. It is fairly typical for shepherds to get it, by evolving Animal Handling with a Friend of Path. Now! The Animal Companion skill functions akin to the Status for yourpanion, akin to the Management of the Empire. In this way, it is possible toplete Paths and ept or reject Skills, strengthening yourpanion. So its just Status for a pet? Not entirely inurate. Although there are additional benefits at higher levels. So what was the problem? The problem, you see, was that our good young friend did not get the Animal Companion skill, but the Companion skill. And thats bad because why? Because it goes the wrong way round! The bravest and smartest dog that is Kynigos, the adventurer leaned over to where the duo were and scratched the pups head, was already ssed! Now, instead of Yathal guiding and controlling Kynigos skills, Kynigos controls Yathals! Fortunately, hes a good boy, arent you Kynigos? He knows he can do a lot of harm to Yathal and he doesnt want to! But who would teach Skill-lore to a dog? Other than myself, at least. The dog barked in agreement, wagging his tail. So you can understand me? Edwin asked the dog, getting a nod in reply, Huh. So that messed things up? Youre smarter than that, my friend! You can answer that question yourself surely. Yeah, yeah. So basically the dog adopted the boy, not the other way around? Lefi nodded, Which is why I must teach them! I learned about Companions from The Beastmaster herself, back when she still lived on the continent. Now, who I give the advice to is different from normal, but it is nheless valid! You dont have a Companion, though? How do you know your advice is good? I do not have apanion for personal reasons, not because I know not the method! Are those personal reasons because you havent found one that is exceptional enough for you? Edwin teased. Personal reasons! Yeah Edwin, arent you the one whos always talking about privacy and stuff? Inion was double-teaming with Lefi now. That was just great. I think I liked it better when you two were arguing. Edwin muttered. Chapter 92b: Petty Concerns Chapter 92b: Petty Concerns Being around people in a non-work rtionship was tolerable, Edwin found. He still wasnt the biggest fan of Lefi- the man was far too energetic and enthusiastic for him to really get along well with the guy- but he was at least, well, tolerable. Thanks to his supposed Exceptional skill, he and everyone near him had their Skills level at a rapid rate, which on its own was already a fantastic benefit when paired with Inions Muse Token. However, if that wasnt already enough, Lefi also had an absolutely absurd amount of experience with getting and using Skills. Thus, Edwin was able to try and get some pointers on his own Skills just by talking to the guy. Lefi had some pretty startling insights into how Arcadian Elixir worked, for one. Somehow, he sussed out not only the Skills existence but also deduced some basic functionality for it. It was like a cooking Skill, in that if he made something to eat the Skill would engage. That much didnt surprise Edwin. No, what caught him off-guard was the fact that if he grew food, the same thing would happen. Hed been skeptical, to say the least. However, a brief experiment with a bean Edwin dug out and grew with his talsanenris confirmed the revtion. It made sense for a fey food Skill, but it still wasnt something he was expecting. Oh, and what he made was also more nutritious. No surprise there. While Lefi wasnt able to figure out for certain whether or not it reduced the appeal, taste, and nutrition of food Edwin didnt make, he did confirm that the manner in which the Skill engaged was simr to Cooking, Hearty Meal, or Potent Concoctions. Thus, even if he did leave some sort of lingering effect with his creations, he wasnt dooming people to a life of constantly pining after his food and his food alone. At least not yet. And that was quite the relief. If he was the only supplier of food which was nourishing and didnt taste like dirt, and he could inflict the condition on whoever he wanted just by giving them a homegrown carrot he wasnt reallyfortable with the idea. Would that make him some sort of not-drug dealer? Super addictive, hand out apples to junkies? Other vague drug-rted concepts Edwin wasnt familiar with? Moving on! The primary area in which Edwin was hoping to get some pointers on was in using his magical Skills. Inion wasnt a good teacher in that regard (her normal tactics of throw things not working all that well for moreplex tasks), so he was hopeful that Lefi would be able to fill in. At least, Edwin was pretty sure that Lefi was a mage. His mana sense kept lighting up when the man did random tasks, even those that didnt seem to have any Skills associated with them. However, he couldnt figure out what kind of mage he was. Ritual Intuition provided exactly no information to that regard, to the point Edwin momentarily was unsure if he even had the skill working (he did). Hed ask the adventurer about it at some point in the future, he decided. In the meantime, hed work on not immediately chasing answers to every passing question he considered. Also, it would be rude to inquire about something he was obviously trying to keep quiet. In the meantime, he might slowly hint at the idea that Edwin knew Lefi had magic, and once he did ask, it would be really circumspect. So Edwin hazarded, You have magic? he asked. Hey, it had been a day! That was loads of time! Hm? Magic? Lefi was caught off-guard by the question, What makes you say such a thing? Well I think you know I have a couple of magical Skills. Such as your Flight, yes. What of it? Wait, how- actually I suppose that one is obvious, isnt it? Edwin realized, Or did I just tell you? But yeah. Got it bybining Packing and Mana Infusion. Fun times. He shook his head, Anyway, one of them is a magical sense, and it lights up all the time around you. But I cant tell what kind of magic youre using. It just feels like nothing and its really weird. That is most curious! Though I fear I must disappoint you. I am no mage, as amazing as such a status may be! I merely have hundreds of Skills, some of which are indeed slightly magical in nature! It is the inevitable conclusion to having so many evolved Skills- purely by random chance, you will eventually get a magical Skill, and once you have one, Im certain you are aware, it is much easier to get another! Edwin frowned, How does that make you different from a mage, though? I can only use magic in the context of Skills. But anyway, I have another Skill that lets me see skills, though. And they dont always trigger in unison. So far as I can tell, youre using magic outside of the context of any Skills you have as well. How is that not a mage-thing? That is quite the conundrum, Lefi exuberantly agreed, But perhaps it is more likely that you are simply unable to tell when I am using a Skill! I will confess to having some Skills which are indeed magic, though that is not terribly umon at higher Tiers, you understand. However, they are just that- Skills. Why wouldnt I be able to sense the Skill? Well, though your Skill Identify may be able to detect Skills I use, how sensitive is it? What do you sense? I am amazing at everything, after all, he said with a grin. It would be understandable if you werent able to tell when one of my constant Skills begins using a magical effect. I dont fully follow. Are you saying you might have a passive Skill that you can push into being magical? Ha! I knew you were smart. My Wind-Strider skill is constantly in use, granting me fair winds everywhere I go, but if I push it, then I have the most magnificent ability to cause my cloak to p! what? I believe you heard me! You are not deaf, no? Lefi shouted. I mean, at this rate I might end up that way Ha! Thats the spirit! Are we sure youre not deaf? Edwin muttered. Most certainly! I have Hearing at level seventy-one! And your Listening skill? I dont have that one. Exins a lot. Lefi seemed genuinely confused for a moment before catching the joke and erupting intoughter. Let me guess? Edwin winced, You have Shouting? I do indeed! Okay, okay. I think were getting off-track. So you have Skills that are always active, but if you push them you think I can feel them? What else would it be? Can we test that? Now, Edwin. How would you feel if I questioned you about your Skills? But like, you provided a perfect experiment for me! I want to test this hypothesis, you dont know how important this is for me. What? It is important that you understand my Skills? Yes! No! But you presented me with knowledge. Edwins mind was racing with the sorts of experiments he could try. What exactly were the limits of his Skills? At what point did a Skill cross over into being a magical Skill instead of a mundane Skill? Its science. I can learn! You have to let me do this! Even as he said the words, Edwin realized he was getting carried away, and withdrew, his eyes falling. Lefi had pulled away while Edwin was animatedly pushing for experimenting, and it sank in just how much hed messed up. Sorry. No harm done, my friend! None at all! Lefi tried to reassure him, but Edwin shied away from the reassuring pat the man offered. Hed gotten carried away, he knew it, and wasnt particrly keen on empty titudes to make him feel better. Hed been doing so good in Joriah, too. Edwin! a voice snapped him out of his musings, Stop moping! Inion had looked away from Yathal and made eye contact with him. Im not moping! Yes you were! How would you know? You always get all mopey when you start moping, she offered in her typical non-answer. That doesnt make any sense! Should I leave you two alone? Lefi teased, and Edwin turned to re at the adventurer. Inion, for her part, justughed. He wasnt entirely sure when shed stopped teasing him about trying to seduce him, and while he was perhaps ostensibly happy- not that hed ever really minded that a pretty girl wanted to flirt with him- there was the small, traitorous voice inside of him that said she wasnt interested in him because of how shed gotten to know him better. He tried to squish the impulse of the social paranoia he knew it was, but it still stuck in the back of his mind as a niggling doubt. After all, it made sense that she would travel with him and help him. She was Inion, after all. They were contractually bound together and had spent a year in close proximity. That sort of thing would always beget closeness. That didnt mean that she liked him for who he was, though. He mentally sighed. He wished that he had a friend who he could just spend time with. That wouldnt get bored and annoyed at him when he went on his diatribes about science, who would be able to talk to him about stuff he found interesting. No, Inion didnt count. He couldnt articte why, but she didnt. Lefi didnt count either. Beyond the fact he found the man slightly grating- though within the bounds of tolerance- he was clearly the sort of person who liked everyone and wanted to make them all feel included. Personally, Edwin suspected that kind of person just reveled in the feeling of marginally positive interactions with a lot of people. He couldnt actually care about Edwin on a personal level, after all. He didnt know Edwin well enough to make an informed decision about him. He didnt really care about him, just that he was a person. No, what Edwin wanted was I said stop moping, Edwin! And I mean it! Okay, okay! Fine! Did aggressively dragging him back from the verge of a depressive spiral count as care? He supposed it did, and he was d that Inion could do that. But did she care about him, or just that he was the person to wake her up? Was there something about Edwin Maxlin in particr that- I warned you! Edwin looked up just in time to see Inion tackle him in a floating leap. Gaaahhh! That that whoo. Edwin tried to catch his breath, I didnt even know I was that ticklish. I think I might have gotten an Adaptive Defense level from that, actually. He shook his head, First off: where did thate from, and secondly, do you have a Skill for that? His former tormentor just grinned, Well, when you get all mopey I need to do something to break you out of it unless I wanna see you not do anything for the next two days or more. Tickling was ast resort, but it did seem to be effective. She noted, stroking her chin. Wai wai wait. No. Oh, you didnt have fun? she teased him. Well, okay, yes. But you cant just go grabbing me and tickling me for an hour to break me out from being mopey! Well why not? Its not.. its not right! Edwinmely said, then tried to gather his thoughts, Im my own person, you cant just tickle me for an hour just because you think I could benefit from it. But it worked so well! Thats not the point! Like what if it were something more serious? But its not? Its tickling you and cheering you up! But youre still doing stuff to me without my agreement. And? Thats bad. Why? Because Edwin knew he was absolutely awful at debate, particrly when unprepared- his conversations with Xares and Galen had spoken to as much- but this was a new low. He also wasnt in the best mental state to debate, either. He was too exhausted from Inions efforts to break him out of his spiral. What made it more annoying was she wasnt wrong. His nihilistic everyone hates me urges had been pushed away for the time being, and while it wasnt a permanent solution, it worked, as much as he hated to admit it. He wasnt sure why it worked- barring Skill shenanigans anyway, which were entirely possible- but it had. Its still me and my body. Its a matter of principle. When I say not to do something, thats an absolute. Psshhh. She waved her hand, Youre not even a century old. What do you know about what you want? Im literally the only person who knows what I want! You certainly dont. Dont be ridiculous! I know exactly what you want. And whats that? She patted his cheek, You want some friends your own age, and to learn about alchemy. Youll get there eventually, dont worry. Hey! You arent my mother! Inion just chuckled and pulled him in for a hug, Dont worry, Ive got you. Ill take care of you just fine. Edwin gave a halfhearted struggle more out of principle than anything. Human- or close enough, he supposed- contact was something he generally enjoyed. It wasnt a full substitute for having someone he was genuinely close to, but it did help fill the gap. Im still mad at you, he muttered. This doesnt change anything. Of course, Edwin. Of course. It was nice, he had to admit. Very nice. Chapter 93a: On Tracks Chapter 93a: On Tracks Okay, move it! Up and over it now! Im getting shbacks, Edwin muttered, but stillplied. He barely brushed the side of the cart, his fingers passing within a few inches of its wall, before he yanked himself into the air, somersaulting over the entire carriage andnding on the other side. He stumbled, not quite ready for the sudden change in motion that apanied himnding perpendicr to the direction they were walking, but recovered quickly enough that he didnt facent into the cobblestones. From behind him, he heard the cheering and enthusiastic barking of his spectators, and Edwin felt a grin glit across his face. That was- Disgraceful! Not what I would have said. But close enough, right? No. I was going to say hes doing magnificently! It is you who has the insatiable demands upon him. Hes capable of so much, though! He is also mortal! Good enough is good enough. My standards arent insatiable, either! Edwin, tell Lefi my standards arent unreasonable. Uh, Edwin hesitated, I decline to answer? Lefi and Inion carried on, descending into further bickering. He genuinely couldnt tell if it was in good humor or not, but he decided that he would assume it was. Im also not sure, he cut in, how this is supposed to help me fight? Like dont get me wrong, the tips youve given me on using my Flight for acrobatic stunts is cool and all, but it doesnt seem that different from what Inion would have had me dost year. The two of them paused, and Lefi opened his mouth, then closed it again, But of course I had a reason for you to perform such a stunt. What kind of mentor would I be if I merely had you perform random acrobatics for the sole purpose of watching you? No, of course not! Instead, I had the most marvelous of reasons. Lefi functionally hemmed and hawed for a minute before conviction entered his eyes and he firmly nodded at Edwin, My reasons of course being that it will be quite usefulter on, but for now I needed to ascertain the level of mobility you were mostfortable with! You just wanted to watch me flip over the carriage, didnt you? I... decline to answer. Inion justughed. They werent making as good of time as when it was just the three of them (Edwin, Inion, and Bill) alone, but Edwin didnt really mind. It wasnt like he was in any sort of rush, after all. Only being on the move for only half of each day. It wasnt like he was really wasting the rest of the time anyway, just that he wasnt continuing on in that time. Now, the reasons which they stopped so early did vary slightly, but usually involved Yathal getting tired, them having some noteworthy ce to check out, or Lefi wanting to give Edwin more training during the daytime hours. Such as their current exercise, which Edwin was mentally deeming Edwin-Pinata, but was perhaps more charitably described as sparring. Lefi was wickedly good with pretty much every type of weapon he had on him, and considering the sheer amount of weapons- ranging from small des to entire polearms, though thetter were usually kept on the cart- he had, that was really saying something. Forty different proficiency Skills were nothing to scoff at, it seemed, particrly when they ovepped in effect. Edwin was rapidly finding the limits of his 30 Stamina. While hed thought it was essentially unlimited at first, he had learned the hard way that was only true when Walking was in y. Granted, thanks to his Breathing skill he rarely had to catch his breath, but his muscles ached from raw exertion. Whats your stamina, anyway? he used Lefi, who seemed to still be at full energy. The man justughed, Far more than you! I told you, Attributes are the greatest part of having hundreds of Skills! Fine, dont answer my question then. Lefi winked at him, Now youre getting it. Getting what? Come on, back up on your feet! Lefi rapped Edwins toes with his stick, and he unsteadily rose once again. With a titanic expenditure of will, he retrieved a stamina potion- talsanenris-based again, naturally- and downed it. Immediately, Edwin felt relief flood through his limbs and he took his stance once more. This time, focus more on trying to hit me with your potions. Last time, you had a really horrendous showing. And dont forget your Skills! You shouldnt be able to be tripped, not with Flight. Edwin didnt voice his response, just ring at the man. What was up with his teachers taking an inordinate amount of enjoyment from his pain? First Inion, now Lefi. Like he had even the slimmest chance to use any of his Skills, let alone figure out which ones to call upon mid-fight. He had almost fifty, if he didnt n out ahead of time which ones he would use when exactly, there was no way that hed be able to chain them together in the way Lefi wanted him to. He shoved aside the part of his mind that said Lefi must have the same problem as him ten times over and nodded to Inion, who was serving as referee. Not that one was ever needed. That would imply he stood a chance. And. Go! Edwin, even though he was waiting for it, had barely even processed the statement when Lefi was already on top of him. He stepped back, trying to get space between him and the adventurer. Longstrider red, but before it could fully engage, Lefi had rapped his knee with the tip of his stick. The contact broke Edwins concentration, and he lost control over his Longstrider, the Skill sending him sprawling across the ground. the exact same result as thest ten times. Back up on your feet, my friend! Remember- To focus on my potions and not trip! I know! Edwin snapped, You just dont give me a chance! Nonsense! Youre already far better than when we started! That Edwin had to admit, was- embarrassingly enough- true. Even earlier today, he hadnt yet managed to trigger so much as Longstrider before Lefi could knock him over and end the match. Can we do an attack round, at least? Edwin pleaded, Im sick ofnding on rocks. And I think weve well established you outspeed me by at least ten times. From the side, Yathal gave an agreeing cheer. While Edwin didnt agree with why the little kid wanted Edwin to not worry about defense, he wouldntin about the results. Basically, the boy and his dog wanted a fight tost more than three seconds, and attack rounds did tend tost longer than that. Hm. Very well, so be it, Lefi tossed his stick to the side, where it fell slightly obscured in the short grass of their campsite. Attack rounds were simple. Edwin was free to use all of his Skills and gear, move around as much as he wanted, attack from any angle, and his goal was tond a hit on Lefis torso or head. Lefi, in turn, couldnt move more than a half-step, waspletely unarmed, and couldnt press any attack, only follow up on openings Edwin gave him. He would win if he knocked Edwin on the ground, same as with any other bout. It was exactly as one-sided as it sounded. And. Go! Edwin slung one of the water-filled apparatite spheres they were using in lieu of his actual potions at Lefis torso, hoping to force at the very least a dodge while he closed the distance between them. Instead, Lefi intercepted the projectile- which had been moving at some seventy miles an hour if not more- perfectly, catching the ball and cradling it against his chest. While not exactly the result he had been hoping for, Edwin still tried to press his opportunity, aiming the tip of his stick at the unarmored mans chest, bringing around a dagger with his other hand, beginning to throw it where he predicted that Lefi would dodge. Once again, though, he didnt dodge. Instead, Lefi threw his held crystal sphere at Edwins stick. The two collided with a crack, and the ball disintegrated, leaving only a spray of water dousing the wooden weapon, nearly reaching Edwins hand. If it had been firevine or the like, the bout would have been functionally over as hed need to extinguish his stick. Since it was just water, though, and he was still standing, Edwin pressed on. His knife shed through the air, corrected at thest second to aim where Lefi was instead of where he had anticipated, and his stick thrust towards the mans side. Even though he knew better, he felt a bit triumphant seeing both attacks on their way to hitting him Lefi didnt even pretend it was hard, and elbowed Edwins stick out of the way. Edwin had learned, though, and didnt stumble from the interrupted attack. What he wasnt anticipating, though, was the sudden clunk and corresponding impact from the end of his weapon, as his own thrown knife was intercepted by his attack. Somehow, Lefi had used Edwins second attack to block his first, and Edwin was equal parts frustrated and amazed at the action. How the heck did never mind, he wrenched his mind back on track and stepped back out of Lefis reach. He should have expected that going in fast wouldnt aplish anything, not with Lefi having at least ten times more of whatever Attributes governed speed than Edwin did. Wasnt there a straight-up Speed attribute? He remembered Inion mentioning something along those lines at some point. Maybe Lefi would know how to get it? Hed have to askter, as Edwin didnt want to be rude and change the topic while they were sparring. Lefi deserved his full attention. Well, a good amount of his attention at least. Hm. Edwin tapped his stick against the ground, thinking of how to attack his mentor. Off to the side, Yathal booed at hisck of attacking, yelling something about how boring it was getting- Edwin didnt pay much attention to the specifics. Well, fine then. He could step things up a bit while he formted a n. While he didnt really expect it to work, Edwin stepped forward and tried to strike at Lefi with his stick, stabbing and slicing with his training weapon as through it were a sword. Meanwhile, Lefi casually leaned out of the way of every strike. He made it look easy, or maybe just made Edwin look ipetent. Probably both, honestly, given the man had just closed his eyes. Now that was just insulting. Edwin leveled a wide sweep at the adventurer. No way to dodge this unless he just jumped three feet in the air with his eyes closed and from a stationary position. Even as Edwin made the attack he realized the mistake, and felt more resigned as he watched Lefi do exactly that, giving an olympic-level high jump over the stick, pulling himself two and a half meters (ording to Numeracy) off the ground. Edwin could use that! He refused to think about the possibility or impossibility of certain actions, but it was just the work of moments to figure out where Lefi wouldnd, and he preemptively held his stick there. True to the adventurers skills, though, he managed to twist midair- his eyes finally opening- such that he was reaching out to grab Edwins stick, trying to snatch it out of his grip. Edwin pulled back his weapon before he could lose it, but consequently lost his perfect setup and Lefi managed tond back on the ground without incident, dodging a second potion attack in the same fluid motion. Honestly, it was straight-up unfair. How was he supposed topete with abat-trained gymnast? Well, the obvious answer, he supposed, was to throw an attack that couldnt be dodged at the guy. Edwin fished out another potion from his belt, and with narrowed eyes threw it up in the air, swinging his stick to hit the apparatite like it was a baseball. They connected and the container cracked, disintegrating into Skill light and scattering the water inside. Lefis eyes widened and Edwin felt a moment of triumph as he felt like he had finally, finally managed tond a hit on The adventurer thrust a Skillden hand out, palm-striking the air, and Edwin saw and felt the air warp under the light blue Skill, a ripple passing through the area and intercepting all of the droplets of water. Wherever they met, the droplets erupted into mist suspended in the air, forming a wall of fog that was swiftly ripped apart by the faint breeze in their campsite. Oh,e on! Edwinined, How are you so good at everything? What even was that? Do not despair! You forced me to enter my second group of Skills! Thats progress! Dont patronize me! he yelled back, throwing a barrage of apparatite throwing crystals at the man. Even angry, Throwing Weapons assisted enough that they all went perfectly on-target. Of course, his annoyance at Lefi for so perfectly dodging everyst one only continued to grow, until Lefi eventually decided enough was enough. He snagged one of the crystals out of midair and whipped it back at Edwin at even higher speeds than he was capable of. Of course, dodging projectiles was childs y for Edwin, but he only noticed the second projectile his way toote, after his face was in the perfect spot to intercept it. Chapter 93b: On Tracks Chapter 93b: On Tracks So is there really a point to all of this? Other than you demonstrating how utterly outmatched I am against people like you, both on an Attribute and Skill level, Edwinined once his nose had finished healing. A broken nose was far from the worst injury hed gottentely, but it was still quite annoying and kept him from wanting to talk. Worst of all, Adaptive Defense kicked in only after hed taken the damage, meaning it was both harder and more painful to set it back in ce than it had been to first break it. Next time, hed know to disable the Skill first. But of course! It is valuable to learn ones own limits! An its fun to watch! Yathal pitched in, Kyni barking his agreement. Lefi chuckled, And its fun, yes. d one of us enjoyed themselves, Edwin grumbled, though his heart wasnt really in theint, So just so I can see howpletely outssed I am, Im hearing? I could have told you that after a random solitary bandit managed to put a hole in my chest. I suppose technically the hole was kind of my fault, but thats besides the point. Lefi nced at Inion, who shrugged. Could you talk to me instead of her? Edwin snapped, Honestly. Im the one being trained here! Inion doesnt know everything about me. Of course! It is simply that she is more aware of your level of strength on an objective scale. Her info literally predates the Empire! I know about as much as her when ites to how strong I ampared to the average adventurer or citizen. Lefi raised an eyebrow, and Edwin shrank away, Fine. He grumbled, Ill go sit with the other kids, then. He slunk off to where Yathal and Kyni sat in the grass, floating down and giving Kyni a good scratch between his ears. As intelligent as a person or not, he was still a dog and loved pets as much as any other canine. He idly wondered if he could or should get a dog now that he was on Joriah. Hed always wanted one as a kid, but his family was gone from the house too much for it to be viable. It wouldnt be fair to the dog, hed always been told, and while he agreed with the sentiment, both then and now he still really wanted one. But he wasnt sure if he would really be able to adequately adopt and care for one. His personal goal of feeding himself daily failed a long time ago, how could he remember to do the same for an animal he adopted? Bill contented himself with whatever grass they found on the roadside, but a dog would be much more demanding. It still would be nice, though. Yathal and Kyni were utterly inseparable. Other than when they passed another traveler on the road, or when some noise or scent would catch the dogs attention. Hed rush off to make sure whatever it was wasnt dangerous, maybe give a friendly bark or two to let them know everything was alright, then hed be right back to Yathals side, or serving as the boys steed at times when he wasnt just riding on the carriage. Sometimes, theyd work themselves into a puddle of boy and dog, eachforting and drawingfort from one another. Other times, like right now, they would just be sitting next to each other. It was obvious that Kynigos loved his boy orders of magnitude more than anyone else, and would do anything for the kid. It was really sweet, and Edwin wished he had that sort of dependability from someone. Or just someone who was willing to spend time in preference to that of anyone else. Even Inion clearly preferred thepany of Lefi over him. It just Edwin sighed. He couldnt fault people for preferring to spend time with certain people. Heck, he absolutely yed favorites with the people he did like versus those he didnt. You could only have one person who you most liked spending time with anyway, but was it too much to ask for somebody who would choose him over any other given person when given the chance? He absently scratched Kynis stomach- the dogs head was imed by Yathal, of course- and looked around at the vivacious locale theyd chosen for their campsite. Theyd exited the forest about a day prior, and Edwin was happy for the change of scenery. Where they currently were camped was against a small hill a short distance from the road, the lush grass spilling out like an emerald carpet in all directions as far as he could see. The smells of the early-autumnal forest had also been exchanged for those of a windswept in, the faint scent ofte-summer wildflowers carried on the breeze and into Edwins nose as he breathed in. As heid back into the grass, he stared into the sky. Far overhead, a hawk circled in its never-ending hunt, and Edwin sighed in relief. It was nice, he decided. While Lefi and Inion continued to talk about whatever- presumably him- and Yathal sat in silence watching them, Edwin picked a de of grass and idly peeled it apart. Whats that? Yathal asked, and Edwin dragged his attention back to the wider world. Whats what? Edwin asked, looking around. He didnt see anything too unusual, what could the boy be wondering about? That white thing. Over there! the boy pointed to a part of the sky, but Edwin couldnt see anything of note that way. It was mostly clear blue sky, was whatever he saw obscured against the Wait, the cloud? Thats not a cloud! Its waaaay too big and puffy! And too white! Edwin chuckled, What, have you never seen a cumulus cloud before? he asked, before catching himself and frowning. It had been a year and a half since hed arrived on Joriah, and there had still only been a single time hed seen it rain. Even that one time wasnt natural, so was it possible that Have you ever experienced rain? he asked Yathal. Oh, there was a couple of times! When I was a kid there was this one time that the Emperor himself brought rain and the sky turned really gray. It was all really wet for a long time and it was really annoying out in the field. Huh. Well, okay then. Interesting that Rhothos had such a dramatically flourishing ecosystem if it basically never rained, but maybe the Rhothos river helped in that ount? Along with the Verdant and whatever magical nonsense it provided, of course. Was that your only experience with clouds? he asked, before immediately regretting his choices. The kid had just said that he had seen clouds before. Well, no. But clouds are really small and wispy, not like that, he said, and Kyni barked his agreement. Well that there is what clouds are generally like, and what most parts of the world will experience. You just dont get rain because of the mountains, I guess. Whys that? Well, youre in its rain shadow if I were to guess... Hey Lefi! he called out, getting the attention of the well-traveled adventurer, Have you ever been to the other side of the mountain range in the Verdant? I have been much farther afield than that in my adventures! Why, one quest I undertook- Great, great, Edwin cut him off before he could get carried away, What was the weather like there? Was it as dry as here, or was it rainy? Lefiughed, I scarcely saw the sun! It was all mountains and valleys leading straight into the ocean itself, and there were nigh more rivers than dry ground! Now, I had an adventure there at one point where- Okay, cool. Thanks, he redirected his attention to Yathal, Yeah, thats because of a rain shadow. Basically, water is picked up over the ocean and carried in the form of clouds until it can fall out as rain. However, because of the mountains, a lot of the water is kept from getting to this side of the Verdant and it all rains out either in the mountains or on the far side, where it just goes back into the ocean. If I were to guess, that cloud there means were getting closer to the coast, and the mountains arent blocking as much of the sky as they once were. We might even get some rain here soon! I dont think that sounds fun. Can we not? Edwin chuckled, I mean, we dont have much of a choice. Rain is amon urrence most ces, and a needed one when you dont have a huge magical forest and river making sure your home isnt a barren wastnd. Better that than havin rain. Make the cloud go away! Sorry, Yathal. Not much I can do in that regard. So! You have powers you are ignoring, my friend! I mean, I havent figured out how to use Refine, but thats not forck of trying. I just dont dwell on my failures all that much. Eh? Refine? I meant your Overcharge! Its such a powerful Skill, yet you never utilize it! Edwin had given up on trying to figure out how Lefi knew so much about his skill list. Inion was probably helping him or something. I mean it hurts a ton when I use it, and Inion cautioned me away from overuse. Something about ck goop buildup or whatever? I told you, Edwin. Itll be alright if you dont overuse it! Yeah! Thats what Ive been doing! How many times have you used it in thest four months youve had it? Twice? Edwin knew where this was going and he couldnt say he was happy about it, but what could he do? Ya! Thats not overuse! Thats neglect! Fine, Ediwn grumbled without any real weight behind theint, Ill train my Skill. It just hurts, you know? Truth be told, he had been meaning to try and use it more often. His Adaptive Defense might have been at a high enough level to help offset some of the worse effects of the Skills use at this point for all he knew, and it was too valuable a trump card to leave wholly unused. Butining about it slightly when his trainers prodded him into working on it was his way of dealing with the soreness he knew hed be dealing with. Okay, fine. Lets get this over with. Just remind me to prioritize getting some unicorn derivatives, okay? The magical animals, true to their Earth mythological counterparts, were exceptionally pure- a property that extended to their horns, hooves, blood, and more. That made them useful in everything from antigue treatments to antidotes, and were on Edwins list of substances to stock up on. You know, if you wanted unicorns, were going in the wrong direction. Yeah, I know, Edwin sighed. Unlike their more mythological counterpoints, real unicorns (a thought Edwin still couldnt believe he seriously had) were more cervid than equine. That meant their natural habitat was sparse, warm woond like that found in the southern reaches of the Verdant. They could live elsewhere, naturally, and there was apparently a family that lived in snow-coverednds where their white coats served as highly effective camouge, but Edwin wasnt keeping his hopes up to encounter any arctic unicorns in his travels. He personally suspected that arctic unicorns might have been the original species, with the normal variety having migrated south. How else would an animal evolve a pure white coat if not part of a snowy environment? But were also heading in the direction of one of the biggest trading hubs on the continent, he mused, We might be able to find some horns there. Unicorn horns werent like rhino horns or elephant tusks, fortunately. Though he had no doubt they were still hunted for the rest of their body parts, unicorns in particr shed their horns every year like their deer cousins and so were more readily avable than they might have been otherwise. Overall, it mildly pleased Edwin that unicorn horn could be sustainably harvested. Granted, he didnt expect that they were, but that fact didnt particrly bother him. Unicorns were just another magical creature, no particr degree of sapience inmon members of their species greater than any other animal. There was apparently an exception to all of this in the form of the Noble Unicorn, but Inion had refused to borate on that when he had asked her to confirm what the book had said. Whatever. She said that there was no way the writers of the book had experience with it, and that their observations of themon unicorns primary properties were close enough to urate as to be useful for him. So! Do you intend to expand your repertoire by actually utilizing your Skills? Edwin sighed, Fine. I dont suppose you have some sort of training-assist Skill or whatever? I dont mean Exceptional, but like a Skill that helps you utilize ones I have. My friend, I have Skills for everything. Awesome. So when were done lighting my body on fire, maybe we can figure out how Refine works? Overcharge The strength rushed through Edwins body once more, empowering his every twitch and thought as mana permeated the fabric of his body and imbued it with immense strength. This time, though, he was trying something different. This time, he was attempting to concentrate the effect in his right arm. At minimum, it should help Edwin fight off the full-body pain and fatigue that he usually felt during these training routines. At best, it might improve the efficacy of the Skill itself, magnifying its strength by focusing its area of effect. It was hard, though. Edwins Mana of 33 was higher than any of his other Attributes, and his Basic Mana Maniption was only 9. Sure, Mana Infusion was one of his highest-level Skills, but that didnt help him all that much given it was already incorporated into Overcharges effect. Still, he tried. Inion was holding his hand, providing him with moral support as well as being literally on hand in case he needed immediate medical attention. Lefi was standing a bit further back, sting Edwin with a mix of beneficial Skills- including the dangerous Inspire Courage- imbuing him with the certainty that he would manage it this time. Off in the corner of his awareness, Numeracy continued to tick up as he tried to fight the effect back to no real avail. Ten seconds, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen He tensed up in preparation for The high passed, and Edwins entire body sagged with the unique sensation of electrocution and exhaustionbined with being set on fire from the inside out. It was getting better, though. Once Overcharge had passed the ten-second mark, Adaptive Defense had begun to have a noticeable difference on the intensity of the Skills bacsh. The switch still wasnt instantaneous though, and while Edwin had found that with repeated use of Overcharge he could bring the pain down to maybe a third? Pain was hard to measure. So was harm, for that matter, but that was what Adaptive Defense supposedly guarded against! Pain notwithstanding, he was learning a lot about his Skills. Adaptive Defense, for example, had a pool of resistance which was automatically applied to whatever was harming him most at any given time. The more he was harmed, the faster the switch. Once it was applied to a single source, it stayed tuned to that source until another form of damage began pulling the Skill towards it instead. If he just let it go naturally, it would typically direct itself towards UV radiation and sunlight over the course of about six hours or so, protecting him from the heat of the day and sunburns. He could still tan, though, which was awesome. He had Skill-empowered sunscreen! Its bias towards actual harm meant that he couldnt, in fact, level the Skill with or leverage its effects towards tickling, much to Inions chagrin. Well, really it was his chagrin, because she wouldnt stop trying. Gah. What happened to the days when she was perfectly content letting Edwin do whatever he wanted with himself? He missed those days. Yes, they had involved her throwing a lot of heavy and sharp things at him while he was blindfolded, but no actually, now that he thought about it, hed take the tickling. Edwin? Hows it going? Did it work? Inion brushed her fingers against Edwins grimacing face, pulling him back to reality. Fine Edwin ground out, I was sessfully distracting myself there for a while, but it hasnt fully faded yet. And no, no luck. Its still my entire body. Very well! Let us go once more unto the breach! Onward! Edwin sighed. This couldnt possibly be healthy, could it? But Anatomy wasnt yelling at him yet about any strange fluid buildups, so Overcharge. One, two, three Edwiny limply in Inions arms, looking up at the sky. For the first time in a long, long time, the stars were partially obscured by dark clouds drifting across the nightscape. It was an interesting shift in the weather, and while it hadnt rained yet, Edwins intuition told him he should expect a drizzle the next day. His muscles burned to the point he could barely even flop around without using Flight- though calling on his mana was its own special kind of torture, and the day had objectively been a failure for his goals. Even now, he couldnt so much as spare a single fingertip from Overcharges effects. He was just d it didnt require any effort beyond momentary thoughts to y with his Status, though, as it helped him remember why exactly he enjoyed traveling with Lefi so much. The past couple of weeks really had been fantastic for his levels, he had to admit. Level Up! Skill Points 720773 (Average level: 43) Watchful Rest Level 2830 Anatomy Level 3940 Sappers Apparatus Level 4749 Outsiders Almanac Level 132133 Adaptive Defense Level 2730 Fresh Air Level 3133 Flight Level 3840 Overcharge Level 820 Longstrider Level 3233 Alchemical Analysis Level 2728 Feys Caress Level 3638 Skillful Assessment Level 3440 Prototyping Level 2528 Basic Thermokinesis Level 2226 Arcadian Elixir Level 2426 Memory Level 6263 Polyglot Level 6667 Numeracy Level 3640 Mana Infusion Level 8687 Ritual Intuition Level 2628 He wasn''t sure, though, if that was really the best part. Chapter 94a: Proper Attribution Chapter 94a: Proper Attribution Edwin limplyy on the roof of the carriage, muscles slowly recovering. Theyd pushed him so far with Overcharge that his sweat was slightly ck in color, leaving him looking as though he was coated in a thinyer of ash. Worst of all, he still hadnt figured out how to concentrate the effect in one part of his body, and he was starting to suspect that brute force might not be the correct method to go about it. Huge surprise, yeah. But in his defense, both Lefi and Inion had thought it stood a decent chance of working. That a week of using Overcharge at least every day and trying to direct the flow of mana hadnt aplished so much as sparing his fingertips had passed meant he was finally trying the route of the Alchemist. Namely, think about and theorize strategies without actually testing anything. Hed test it like a scientist once his mouth no longer looked like hed eaten charcoal. In the meantime, his job was toy around and think about himself. Literally. Hed turned as much of his Perception inwards as was physically possible, pulling on Anatomy to try and help him explore his own form. Hed found that Alchemy liked to prod him slightly as he did his examination, and while he had been left marginally skeptical as to the value of the Skill after his time in Panastalis, it hadnt led him astray so far. Granted, it had only really given him slight pokes about methodology in the past, giving him a bit of intuition about how much heat a potion needed and how long it should be left on the fire, but as the Skill approached level 90 it had begun to give him more underlying knowledge. Such as, whenbined with Anatomy, how his Attributes were interacting with his body. Now, the knowledge was basic. Really, really basic. But it was still there. Well, other than for Impact, but he wasnt clear what that Attribute did anyway, so... Health he sensed concentrated in his heart like Galen had said, and forck of a better word, it tried to maintain the status quo of his anatomy. It was a gross oversimplification, of course, but it seemed broadly urate. It had a picture of what Edwin should be, and pseudo-intelligently either directed Edwins natural self-repair mechanisms to restore him to that baseline or actively resisted attempts to pull him from that baseline. What was most interesting was how it prioritized what to repair. Anything that was utterly critical for Edwins life- namely his heart, brain, and lungs- was given an extremely high priority for repair, to the point where it outright made them more resistant to damage. Or maybe it had just cleansed and fixed those three organs so quickly Edwin hadnt noticed them be affected by his Overcharge overuse. From there, it expanded its effects out to the rest of his internal organs, before finally moving on to his muscle, bone, and skin. It still had limits, of course. Because it utilized his own bodys functions, Edwin didnt think it would enable him to regrow a lost arm or whatever. That said, if he wasnt otherwise injured and had the entirety of his Health dedicated to protecting his limb, odds were good the Attribute might keep him from losing it in the first ce. It was major enough that Edwin could tell so long as it wasnt busy trying to keep him from dying of blood loss or averted his death a couple of times, it would be able to keep his arm intact. Overall, it was a curious process, and sensing his own body slowly scrub out the toxins built up from raw mana overdosing was really fascinating. Stamina helped to, and was equally fascinating in its own way. That Attribute was all about motion. Namely, it provided energy to his body and carted waste away. Instead of nutrients randomly drifting through his bloodstream until they encountered his kidneys and were filtered away, Stamina seemed to guide the molecules to the ce they were needed, be it through excretion in his sweat, being purified in his lungs (thanks to Fresh Air), or just his bodys normal purification organs. Because of how rarely he ate, he wasnt entirely sure where Stamina actually got the energy it used, and it remained a mystery until Edwin managed to activate Skillful Assessment looking inside his own body. Once he had, though, he was able to watch the process of Stamina taking energy straight from Survival and Nutrition, putting it directly into the cells that needed it. Looking at his body and its Skills unlocked a wholly new dimension of analysis, too. He could see Nutrition working around his digestive system, Purify working double-time in concert with Health, and the way that Flexibility and Athletics interacted with each other and Health and Stamina alike was really interesting, even if he couldnt fully grasp its intricacies. None of his magical Skills, or even Mana, were obviously present in his physical body, which Edwin wasnt too surprised by in all honesty. They must have been associated with his soul or whatever. Hed go looking for the answer to that metaphysical question another day. There was a faint flicker from his mana sense when he activated Flight, his skeletal system linking together into a single magical object and reaching a tendril out to his surroundings, but at that point, between splitting Perception between Anatomy, Basic Mana Sense, and Skillful Assessment, the rity of his internal perception was low. Hed revisit the proposition when he had a few more dozen points in Perception, perhaps. It was tricky trying to figure out where Overcharge fit into the system. He wouldnt be able to fully tell until he actually used it while looking at himself in this manner, but he knew how it felt and he could specte. He was acting like an alchemist, after all. So, random spection time! Overcharge was based on his Mana Infusion. Normally, he used Mana Infusion from his fingertips, but it obviously wasnting from there for Overcharge. Instead, it seemed to being directly from his mana reservoir. From his admittedly hazy memories of first unlocking the Attribute, that was located between his corbones, at the top of his lungs. So, assuming that was urate, the mana would flood out from there and fill his body. Perhaps it followed his blood, or maybe it was more closely associated with his breath? I should test this, he traitorously thought before quashing the impulse with a reminder to stick to thought experiments only for this stage of the process. Either way, he knew from experience that it was rather futile trying to keep an Overcharge originating from his chest from spilling out into his entire body. Perhaps he should try to change the source of his Overcharge, then? Like if he manually activated Overcharge via Mana Infusion, maybe that way he could get the effect to start from his fingertips? If it spread from the end of his arm, maybe he could keep it restricted to below his shoulder. The only question was how he could do that. Maybe he could use his Health and Stamina for that? He had noted how his Health always fought to keep his body in ce, and how Stamina was good at keeping contaminants contained Maybe he could leverage them in abined manner where Health fought against the encroaching Mana and Stamina worked to keep the Mana contained? It might work, though hed need some way to actually manipte his Attributes. Maybe he could get Perception mixed in somewhere? It was the only one of his five Attributes he could directly manipte, after all. Oh! Maybe there were some sort of Health Maniption and Stamina Maniption skills? Those would be very interesting, and hmm. Would he want them if he could get them? His initial reaction was no, just because that was his default response these days to new Skills, but if they could give him anywhere close to the sorts of benefits that he got from Basic Mana Maniption they would be well worth the extra effort. Maybe he could pick them up after he evolved Flight, if they did exist? Hed have to ask Lefi, hed know. Okay, back on track. How would he be able to fight off Mana with his Health and Stamina? The former was higher than thetter two, though perhapsbined theyd be sufficient. Maybe he should try to alchemically boost his Attributes? He had what he referred to as his Health and Stamina potions, but that was just for convenience. They didnt actually affect the Attributes insofar as he knew. The former was essentially a blood clotting agent and thetter was practically just really sugared caffeine. Something to look into, he supposed. What might he include in them, though? He hadnt encountered anything that hed felt had particr resonance or whatever with his Attributes, but maybe he just wasnt looking in the right way? Now that he could actually see his Attributes, maybe he could figure out if eating any of his ingredients provoked some kind of response from them? It wasnt a thought experiment, but he was getting kind of sick about just imagining stuff. He popped open a new Almanac tab and felt around for his satchel. Test one, Talsanenris. Level Up! Skill Points 773778 (Average level: 43) Anatomy Level 4042 Flight Level 4041 Overcharge Level 2021 Sappers Apparatus Level 4950 Edwin woke up to the sensation of a drop of waternding on his face. He iled around slightly, identally smacking Inion and waking up the fey in turn. She swatted Edwin in retribution, which was fair enough, but before she could fully understand what was going on Edwin had already retreated from the roof of the carriage, carrying his sleeping pad to the vehicles interior. He needed to check on his potions, naturally. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it. When the sky pealed with a mighty thunderp, unleashing a torrent of water he remained quite dry inside of his littleb. And he would stay that way, which was why he shooed away Kyni when the wet dog tried to get inside the carriage. There was a lot of stuff that water would mess up, after all. He couldnt have the pup shaking himself dry and getting all of his stuff wet. He had spent a fair bit of time trying to sanitize everything, and getting dog-water over all of it would just contaminate his experiments. He was just taking care of his potions, naturally. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it. Granted, it didnt hold up quite so well when Yathal tried to take shelter, but there was enough of an overhang above the drivers seat that he was still able to get the boy to sit there. As a bonus, Kyni could join him, so long as the dog didnt go inside. Inion didnt care much about the rain, of course. She was still a water spirit, and it didnt matter where that water was. It was still her day to be on driving duty, but that position hardly required actually being in the drivers seat, ironically. Lefi had some kind of Dryness skill to keep himself in the clear. He, like the rest of them, kept most of his weapons and gear stashed in the carriage, but retrieved his gray cloak and donned it once the rain started. Even hours into the thunderstorm, not even a drop of water had clung to or soaked into the woolen garment or the rest of Lefis garb. Amusingly, his fiery hair had calmed down somewhat, revealing ck hair that smoldered with red light, like coal being kept down by the rain. In any case, Edwin wasnt totally fibbing when he said that he needed his space in the interior to work on his potions. It was absolutely true. Now, he had been able to work in more cramped areas than the carriage in the past, but he still liked having the space to himself. And besides, who knew if one of his experiments might suddenly blow up? It had happened in the past after all. Nevermind that he was unlikely to experience another coal dust explosion while working with talsanenris and sinbalyne. His experiments had revealed something interesting. His talsanenris potions did in fact supplement his Health, but only slightly. It was more urate to say that they relieved some of his Health load by providing basic preliminary healing throughout his body, freeing up more of the Attribute to act as it saw fit. Sinbalyne was more interactive with his Attributes, but not in a good way. It interfered with Stamina as it attempted to go about its business, slowing down the delivery magic running within his body at all times. It was that reaction he was attempting to replicate now. If he could somehow iste whateverponent of the sinbalyne allowed it to interfere with his Attributes, he might be able to plug talsanenris or other effects into there! He wasnt having any luck at the moment, though. His initial trials didnt have any of the key attributes (heh) of what he was looking for, and it wasnt until he attempted functionally using Mana Infusion without using Mana Infusion that anything started to actually click. Essentially, the Skill liked to just insert mana directly into a substance with no regard for what was already there. While he was now able to Infuse some low-magic substances, his Infusion seemed to override whatever base magical abilities the substances had. Instead, what he was trying to do was use his Basic Mana Maniption to manually add mana to the mixture, increasing the density without disrupting anything that was already present. It took a fair bit of effort, but he eventually managed to pull out a metaphorical drop of mana to the tips of his fingers. However, it was repelled by the potion until he forced it into a slightly more concentrated form, making it feel like a tiny candle to his mana senses. Only then was it epted into the potion, vanishing from his fingertip into the solution in the blink of an eye. Then his attention was wrenched to the side by a notification he most certainly had not been anticipating but was most certainly wee. Level Up! Refining Level 12 Chapter 94b: Proper Attribution Chapter 94b: Proper Attribution Edwin had left his notifications on free disy in case he got an Alchemy level or something, but he had not been expecting a Refining level-up. It had been this strange, elusive target among his Skills and every time he thought he might have a grasp on what would make it tick... it hadnt triggered, but all of a sudden it just leveled? What the heck did he do? Was it the attempt to concentrate his own mana? Including it in the potion? He pulled up his Almanac entry on the Skill, to see if there were any hints there as to what hed done differently. Almanac Entry: The Refining Skill Description: Better. Faster. Stronger. Iste and improve desirable qualities Strength of refinement improves with level. RefiningSources [Produced by thebination of the Practical Alchemist Path (PracticalAlchemistPath) and the Purify skill.] RefiningLeveling [Absolutely no clue. Attempting to refine a minorityponent of a substance didnt level it, attempting to make a leaf more green didnt level it, and trying to make stone harder didnt either.] RefiningEvolutions [] Refining is an interesting Skill in that I have no clue what it does. It seems to be alchemy-rted, but so far it has yet to level despite numerous attempts to figure out what it affects. See Experiment Series A RefiningNotes [This Skill is my bane. I hate it so much. Oh hey, thats how you edit an entry. Ill leave this up for now.] RefiningCombinations [] RefiningTestIndex [A-Series: Testing the parameters by which the Refining skill will level, and ordingly, what it does RefiningTestA1 RefiningTestA2 .] Hmm. No nothing new or interesting there. Did he finally figure out what desirable qualities were, then? Did it help him connect his potions to the System, maybe? Did trying to boost his Attributes via potioneering mean that hed finally hit upon what the Skill did? Hed need to have a word with whoever called it Refining instead of instead of Attribution or whatever, if that were the case. Not Attribution, that was a terrible name. But he wasnt some strange quasi-omniscient System, he didnt have toe up with a better alternative to recognize that Refining was a terrible name if it did what he thought it did. he was probably wrong about what it did, didnt it? He needed to figure out a series of tests to figure out what the Skills limits were, but how would he do that? Ah well, problem for future-Edwin. Now, he just needed to focus on this potion so he didnt screw it up and hope his distraction hadn''t already done so. Edwin fed a trickle of mana to the tip of his finger, pulling once more on the long-neglected Basic Mana Maniption instead of the more streamlined Mana Infusion. After all, he wasnt trying to Infuse anything after all, just bring his mana to bear. With a final tug, he seeded, and he looked on in satisfaction at the end of his index finger. There, the vorless bead of magic hung, shining to his mana sense like a drop of water ready to fall off. But, he knew, it wouldnt fall. It wasnt going anywhere until he let it. And before then, he had a job to do. Calling on Refining didnt do anything. No surprise there, though hed been hopeful that now his Refining had actually leveled he might be able to contort it into being an active Skill, like what hed done with Firestarting and Packing. s, it wouldnt be that easy. Refining still required he use the tools he had on hand, and that meant taking his drop of mana andpressing it as much as possible into a single bead of magic. Basic Mana Maniption was up to the task, if barely. It felt like trying to make a snowball with a teaspoon, but he had time. He could focus. He kept concentrating on the tiny pinpoint of mana, pushing it bit by bit smaller and smaller, trying to concentrate it into something. He was acting on instinct and hoping it was the System giving him a nudge, basically. As he continued, it kept fighting him, and Edwin had to give it everyst bit of strength he could muster behind his Skills. Perception was tuned to its max in Basic Mana Sense, and he just kept pushing, and pushing Edwin felt like a mad scientist and he loved it. Working in a small, crampedb with a thunderstorm raging outside, surrounded by bubbling brews? This was the best. He was concentrating raw power at his literal fingertips, and all he needed now was a good maniacalugh timed with a lightning strike and hed be set. Trying to aplish that wasnt worth the distraction, though, so he pushed on. As he continued to push on the bead of energy, he began to feel imperfections of a sort. Or not really imperfections. Just well, refinements he could make, by excluding aspects of his mana. As he did so, the drop of mana brightened as it shrank, until eventually everyst refinement he could make wasplete, and a tiny star of mana shone at the tip of his finger. Edwin grinned tiredly as he looked at his aplishment. A tiny star of magic was at his fingertips, and it had clearly taken a lot out of him. He was actually hungry, for goodness sake. Hed eaten barely a week ago, he shouldnt be feeling hungry yet. When was thest time hed drank? That he was less sure about, but it should have still been at least a few days before his mouth was as dry as it currently felt. Still, if regr food and drink was what it took to make this, it was worthwhile. The tip of his finger descended into a beaker of sinbalyne extract, and the mote vanished into the solution, providing thevender liquid an almost glittery quality. He grinned at the sight, but also the sensation that apanied it. He could still feel the pure mana connected to him, and he could feel the aspects present in the sinbalyne. He could still Refine the potion, use his Refined mana to direct how his creations turned out, even after releasing them. This was great. Someone was saying something to him, but Edwin waved them off. He was really close to figuring this out, he could tell. And he didnt want to break his concentration and risk having the connection he felt to his potion be broken. No, that wouldnt do at all. He needed to keep working. He pushed his Perception into the potion, feeling Alchemye alongside him and point out the ws in the mixture, the ways in which the unrefined nt made for a suboptimal elixir. He could fix it, though. He knew he could. His mana swirled around like a swarm of distant stars, dancing at hismand. He felt where there was a bit of pollutant in the sap, from a slight excess in the soil. Perhaps the pH was off or something. Whatever was the cause, it didnt matter. Edwin could fix it. The stars swam back and forth, surrounding and attacking the imbnce. It broke into pieces, and then into mana. Edwin grinned. It seemed that not only did Refining reduce the number of impurities in a potion, but it turned those impurities into strength. No wonder it was an evolution of Purify. Ah, there was the chemical responsible for sinbalynes painkilling aspect. Edwin couldnt identify the molecule, but its purpose was clear thanks to Alchemy. In another potion, he would want to enhance that aspect of the potion, but not here. Right now, he wanted to distill everything into the nts ability to interact with Stamina and other Attributes. Nothing else mattered. Heck, ideally he could even get rid of the fact the nt interfered with Stamina, maybe even spin it into an ability to boost the Attribute, but he was getting ahead of himself. For now, just try and iste the part of the solution that interfaced with Stamina. It was tricky to find, really. Not because it was hidden so much as because Edwin didnt realize what he was looking for until hed found almost everything else. How long did it take? He had no clue. Probably hours, but he wasnt keeping track of the time. All external stimuli had been relegated to deal withter status. For all he knew, the thunderstorm might have ended by now. He wasnt looking and risking that it might break his concentration. The fact the substance interfaced with Stamina wasnt so much an aspect of the potion, hed found. Rather, it was what he was interacting with. The mana in the potion was capable of destroying and converting parts of the solution just fine, but what made it all so responsive was that the solution itself was helping him. He was controlling the entire solution with his mana, not just the energy itself. It was that interaction that allowed sinbalyne to interfere with Stamina. If he were to bet, it probably also interacted with Health as well. It was simplypatible with Attributes. Did that mean he might be able to use Basic Mana Maniption to control his Health? No, bad Edwin. Think about thatter. Once hed figured out that revtion, it was rtively simple, if a bit tedious, to drag the solution off to one side, pulling along all of the potion which Health directly interacted with, and leave all the excess behind. At this point, hed converted a lot of the sinbalyne into mana and so had a lot of substance to work with. Had he tried this before eliminating contaminants, he wouldnt be able to do nearly as clean of a separation, both because there would be a lot of additional things to try and pull free but because hed have a lot less mana to work with. Sort of like trying to dig out the foundations for a house with a hand shovel. Hed run through the process several times, separating the sinbalyne aspects that he wanted and discarding the rest. Now, he had a small thimbleful of pure mana-attracted solution, and several stages of waste. Okay, that stage was done. Now, he just needed to Edwin! the voice cut through his focus not because of its volume but because of the associated smack. Ow! What was that for? He nearly dropped the precious Refined liquid in surprise, but after the heart-stopping moment, managed to save it without losing so much as a drop, Actually, dont answer yet. Give me a minute. He carefully set the container down on the counter and encapsted the entire thing in a solid apparatite container. He wasnt going to risk anything with that. It was tricky, as the entire time he had to ignore whatever it was that Inion was trying to say. Hed get to her, this was more important. He gently set the solid block of apparatite down, and turned around to see his friend. Yes, Inion? he asked, What is it? Drink! Ohe on, heined, You know I dont need to drink water every day. I could avoid drinking water for a month and a half without dying. Doesnt mean you should! You know you need to drink water every week. And? Its been two! Two what, weeks? Please, I drank like four days ago? When you came in here, maybe. But after you were staring at your finger for a week and then poking at your potion for thest two days, it has been two weeks exactly since you had anything to drink. She shoved his water bottle in his hands, Now drink. Edwin leveled a re at the fey, Come on, I know it hasnt been that long. He did drink from the canteen, though. He was no more hydrated now than he had been after he finished initially Refining his mana, and his mouth was quite dry, You dont need to pull my leg Im not, she said, gesturing outside. Take a look for yourself if you want. Edwin yed along, humoring the girl, poking his head out to see Oh huh. They were still in the midst of endless grasnds when he started. Now, though, there were some sparse trees scattered about. Not a forest by any reckoning, but endlessly more than what he had been ustomed to seeing. Nevermind that there wasnt a cloud in the sky and that it was apparently morning, which meant Edwin had spent at least a full day in hisb. The dead awaken! Lefi called out, Well, not dead, but you certainly did not respond to anything we attempted to expose you to. Edwin stretched as he dropped off the carriage. His muscles were unusually bunched up, which if it had been a week, would make sense. He yawned, more out of a sense of obligation than actual tiredness, Was it really a week? Give or take a day, yes. You seemed focused. The man withdrew a cloth-wrapped package from one of his belt pouches, tossing it to Edwin. Hm. Hed grown inured to the sight of seeing something be retrieved that was bigger than the container it came from, but this was perhaps the first time he saw something that was bigger than the opening of the container as well. Guess I was, Edwin admitted. He easily snagged the bundle from the air and unwrapped it, revealing a pastry that Almanac and Alchemical Analysis told him was filled with some kind of meat. He took a bite and nodded in appreciation. It was actually good, which meant that none of his travelingpanions could have made it. He, of course, was banned from cooking for Lefi, Yathal, and Kyni until they figured out if Arcadian Elixir was hazardous. Generally, he disliked what they made for much the same reasons, though hed usually still make a bit of food for himself whenever Lefi or Kyni hunted something. But that this meat pastry actually tasted good to him meant We passed through a town? Lefi nodded, A few days hence, there was a delicious town with a tiny little bakery. He frowned, A tiny little town with a delicious bakery, and we all enjoyed what we got, and thus determined you might like some as well once you had finished! Edwin nodded appreciatively. Whatever Skill nonsense was going on meant that the pastry was still warm, and it was just what he needed to help take his hunger away at the moment. Whatever levels the baker had clearly were more than enough to surpass Arcadian Elixirs effects, and Edwin was grateful to have something that tasted so good that he didnt have to make himself. So, he asked around a mouthful of food, What else did I miss? Lefi thought for a moment, Nothing you might find relevant to your adventure. The thunderstorm persisted for some time, however since that time we have experienced more overcast and sunny days. Yathal has been getting a bit bored without your training to watch, but that is all. Yeah! More hitting! the bloodthirsty little scamp cheered from his position riding Kyni, and Edwin just barely managed to restrain himself from sticking his tongue out at the boy. It wouldnt be proper, he told himself. and his mouth was still full of meat pastry. He finished scarfing down the food in a couple more minutes- the wonderful vor leaving him far, far too soon- and took another deep drink from his canteen. He handed the cloth back to Lefi, who shed a Skill and cleaned the rag in the blink of an eye before he tucked it back into his belt pouch. What magnificent creation have youe upon now, my friend? Surely after a week of work you must have something truly special, no? Edwin shrugged, Im not entirely sure, honestly. I was just following my gut, and was trying to concentrate and include mana in a potion. Id finally gotten Refine to level, see. So I wanted to follow that instinct as much as I could just to see what would happen. And? Surely, the great and mighty Edwin Maxlin, Alchemist-Errant extraordinaire, alchemical revolutionary must have some sort of magnificent result? Thats not how science works, Edwin sheepishly admitted, If I did make anything, it would probably be really minor. All that it was was a proof of concept. Though admittedly Skill leveling makes it sort of a directed leveling huh. What does make Skills level for knowledge-based abilities? If I do something right, does that level it? Does the universe automatically tell me when Im doing something right? That doesnt seem like its true given what was going on in Panastalis anyway! Im getting distracted. Basically, dont expect anything too special. But you might know better than I what it is, given your Common Knowledge skill. Did you not obtain it? Edwin shrugged, You were there when I tried. But no, my Identify upgrade just lets me see what things are made of. Useful in some situations I really should use it more, but I just have so much stuff to do it can be pushed off to the back of my mind a lot. Anyway! Im getting distracted again. Let me grab the result. He ducked into hisb to Inions vocalint, Dont you go back in there before you sleep! Ill be just a minute! I promise! I will be making you fall asleep in a minute, young man! Youre not my mother! Stop making me act like it, then! Im just going to show Lefi this and get him to Identify it. Thats all, I promise! Edwin protested. He was really good at avoiding Inions attacks at this point, which meant even with her interposed between him and hisb bench, he was able to sneak around and snag the crystal block containing his precious potion like she wasnt even there. He pulled the potion back to Lefi, who took one look at the fluid- eyes shing with Identify tinged with a sort of bluish-red, the color of Common Knowledge- and let out a low whistle. High-grade Stamina catalyst, ording to this. What? Not an alchemist, so I dont know much. But Im pretty sure this is what youd need to interact with Attributes such as Stamina. It is, of course, nothing less than I would expect from the brilliant Edwin! Why do people keep saying Im smart? Edwin minorlyined, But that doesnt exin why it would be high-grade, not as a prototype. Unless maybe my Skillspensated for it, now that this interacts with the System in some way? he wondered aloud, Man, what does my Refining skill look like now, I wonder? He started to turn his attention to his Status, but before he could even fully formte the thought, his sleep-deprived brain not so much sluggish as unruly, a presence mmed into him. Minutes up! Inion descended upon him like an avenging angel, a Skill forming in her throat. In a moment of panic, he recognized it as Restful Song, which would absolutely knock him out in no time t. Unless maybe his Adaptive Defense was against sleeping? Would the Skill still affect him? Wait, wait! No! he protested, Just let me look at my notifications fir- Darkness. Chapter 95a: Moonlie Chapter 95a: Moonlie Edwin groggily groped his way into wakefulness, nearly smacking Inion in the face as he stretched. The fey was curled up next to him in her usual position. It was it was nice, he decided. Physical contact, or really just proximity really, was a way he could feel connected to people even if the emotions he wanted werent there. He couldnt really describe it, either, or put his finger on why exactly it was so nice, so he could replicate it without people involved. Perhaps it was just the fact that touch implied the person preferred in some way his proximity over someone elses? No that couldnt be it, he didnt think. Otherwise group hugs wouldnt have been appreciated. Maybe because it reminds me of- A faint tickle in the back of his head reared its head, but he squashed that particr emotion and associated train of thought before it could get anywhere. He wasnt he wasnt going to think about that. Edwin blinked hard, and rubbed his eyes because they were sore. Because he had just woken up and was trying to get the sleep out of them. Apparently, not sleeping for a week then falling asleep for at least sixteen hours was a good way to build up a lot of crust in his eyes, and he found himself picking the umted stuff out of his eyshes as he lightly touched down on the ground. Yathal and Kyni were curled up together on a nket nest on the drivers seat, and the dog perked up to see what the disturbance was before giving Edwin a brief nod- that would never not be kind of weird- and tucking his head back in with his boy. Bill had his legs folded underneath him, sleeping in the grass a short way off the road. It was kind of interesting, as Edwin had always vaguely thought that horses and ponies slept standing up, but it seemed that wasnt the case, or at least not always. Off to one side, Lefi sat with his back to a tree, keeping watch. He had his sheathed sword resting on his knees, and Edwin sensed a few Skills flickering in and around the man indicating that he really was awake despite his closed eyes. Couldnt sleep? Edwin asked, gently setting down in the grass next to Lefi. He kept Flight active, though- it provided the best back support. I rarely do, Lefis voice was much more restrained at night, presumably as to not wake up any of the others. Really? So then all those nights when we were first traveling together and we bunkered down in the whatsit shrines, you didnt actually need to sleep? No, Lefi replied with a shrug, But you would feel bad if you felt like you were slowing me down, and it was valuable that you learned of a safe ce to rest. Theres not that many of us, we need to keep an eye out for one another. There was a flicker of a Skill, and Lefi withdrew a pair of mugs and a gon of something Edwin hadnt almanaced yet. Some kind of cider, it looked like? The adventurer poured a steaming cup for each of them from the gon. Is it alcoholic? Edwin asked as he epted the mug, to Lefis shaken head, Thanks. It was good but not great. Edwin silently cursed his Arcadian Elixir, and tried to renew his reminder to figure out some kind of normally-tasteless powder that he could add to food and drinks and allow him to properly enjoy food he hadnt made again. S good, he thanked Lefi, and received a nod in acknowledgement. Edwin finally got the chance to fully process what Lefi had said, and frowned, Hey I wouldnt have felt bad about slowing you down. Lefi didnt even have to say anything, even the low light provided by the pink and blue moon sufficient to disy his clear look of skepticism. Okay, okay, Edwin backpedaled, I might have felt a bit bad. But still! Lefi shrugged as he took a deep draft of his drink, I didnt wish to burden you with anything else. It was clear you were unused to this world, and I wanted to make the transition as easy as possible. Ohe on, Edwin protested, Does everyone know? Lefi grinned, If you keep confirming it like that, then eventually. Edwin shot a re at the man, who hid his smile in his mug, What gave it away? he finally asked with a sigh. Your cover story abouting from Fieresal is alright, but Tara came up with it? Edwin nodded. She knows better, of course, but she hasnt internalized that the System exists outside of the Empire. She hasnt fully grasped what it means that it is truly worldwide and not only found in Liras, though they are admittedly the most advanced in its use. So, youing in from the Unknown Lands to her would make perfect sense as to why youd have no Skills, no Attributes. But you hadnt even taken the Beginner path, didnt have the Child path, and were missing so many Skills and Paths that someone like you would have naturally umted from your life. That meant you must have had either your entire System reset ore from somewhere without the System itself, making you an Outsider. Because of how little you knew of the nature of Paths and Skills, it probably wasnt the former. My little question just now confirmed thetter. I feel like there are other possibilities than just those two, Edwin said with a frown. Ah, but now I dont need to think of them. So thank you for that. He shed a grin which even in the poor lighting Edwin could see just fine. He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his cider, Well, good job I guess. Do they know? he asked, nodding his head towards Yathal and Kyni. Lefi shook his head, Youre doing a lot better nowadays. Instead of some strange figure with absurdly low-level Skills, youre a bit closer to either a cker or a perfectionist with such high-level first-Tier Skills and decent progress on your second. So long as you dont give anyone aplete list of your Skills and Paths, your secret should be safe so long as you remain somewhat circumspect when answering questions. Your Registrar probably knows, or at least suspects, but thats probably about it. They sat in silence for a minute, and Edwin tried to remember what it was he wanted to do eh, probably not important. Eventually, Lefi spoke back up, breaking the silence. Do you want to talk about your world? Edwin sighed, Not not right now, I think. So he transitioned to a different topic, You dont sleep? I dont need to. Naturally, I still benefit from it, but with the Power Nap skill, I need but a few minutes per day. Otherwise, I use Meditate. It is quite rxing and perfect for allowing time to pass, but I retain enough awareness of my surroundings as to know when I need to break it. Very useful for keeping watch or noticing would-be sneaky adventurers leaving a note for me and trying to leave. Touch, Edwin conceded, I suppose Watchful Rest does something simr for me. Not that Inion would hear anything about setting up a night watch while shes traveling with me. Something about nothing on this side of the continent being able to threaten her. Hm. Possibly true for wild and magical animals, though she is distinctly less powerful than a Veteran soldier. I dont think Ive actually met any. How would I know if I did? Lefi grinned, Youd know. Veterans are the elites of the army, usually with hundreds of Skills all geared to fighting. When not upon a battlefield they may not be that particrly useful, but sometimes that doesnt really matter. I saw one drive off a dragon all on his own, now that was a glorious battle to witness. Dragons, eh? Ive heard them mentioned a few times, but are theymon? I wouldnt say mon'' describes them. Youll always be in the territory of at least one dragon, but never close to any. To them, all this? The efforts of avior, humans, gnomes, all that? Its nothing. We have to strive and strive to reach the level of even a newly hatched wyrmling, and they only get stronger the longer they live. If you ever have to fight a dragon, my first advice is dont. Run, as far and as fast as you can, and hope thats enough. If that doesnt work, find an army and hope youre thest one left standing. Have you ever fought a dragon? Lefi let out a low bark ofughter, Im still alive, arent I? Well, I dont know Nope. Ive run from a dragon a few times, though. Stolen from a couple of hoards, too, he added with a grin, Now that was a rush, and so far as I know Sennangraska is still looking for me to this day. If I ever get back there ha. That wont go well. So much venom, but the Paths were so worth the price. Dragons are one of the very few creatures where nearly any interaction will award you with Paths, and the Dragonyer path is the golden standard for trophy Paths. Right! Edwin realized, before quickly mping down on his volume. He mouthed a sorry to Kynigos, and waved his hand when Lefi motioned for him to continue. I just finally remembered what I was trying to do before Inion put me to sleep, he wasnt bitter, he wasnt. Inion Inion just wanted what was best for him. She could be a bit pushy at times, but who couldnt? Sure, he might not agree with her all the time, but when did he ever? There was nosting harm, he could let this slide this time. I wanted to see my Skill levels, he exined, I figure I probably got something good from all that work, right? Indeed. Let us see what your rewards for your endeavors are, shall we not? Implied familiarity aside, Edwin agreed with the sentiment and with bated breath, pulled up his System. Notifications. Congrattions! For going a full night without sleep you have unlocked the Insomniac path! Congrattions! For going a week without sleep in pursuit of a single goal you have unlocked the Sleepless Disciple path! Congrattions! For concentrating and altering your personal mana you have unlocked the Attuner path! Congrattions! For magically distilling a potent alchemical solution, you have unlocked the Mystic Alchemist path! Congrattions! For sessfully creating an elixir based on metaphysical concepts you have unlocked the Practical Alchemist path! Level Up! Skill Points 779816 (Average level: 45) Arcadian Elixir Level 2830 Alchemy Level 8689 Refining Level 221 Ritual Intuition Level 2830 Alchemical Analysis Level 2831 Alchemical Dismantling Level 2733 Sappers Apparatus Level 5051 Prototyping Level 2829 Edwin let out a low whistle. Hed gotten twenty levels in Refining from his work, which was impressive but still paled inparison to the three whole levels hed earned in Alchemy. He might actually hit his goal of reaching level 120 in the Skill and getting the Alchemy Specialist path in a halfway reasonable time if he could recapture some fraction of that rate going forward. It would still take ages, though. At least he didnt have to deal with skill point debt anymore, that was nice. Maybe he could go for Health Maniption or Stamina Maniption if they existed Hey Lefi. Are there Skills like Basic Mana Maniption for any of the other attributes? Whatfor do you mean? Well, like in trying to manipte Stamina or whatever. Perception is easy to control, but are there any Skills which would let me use Health-based Skills or Stamina-based Skills actively? Not like your passively magical skills or whatever that just draw on your mana, but something more like my mage nonsense. The adventurer stroked his chin, I cant say that I do know of any which would fill that role, no. Edwin sighed, Pity, I suppose. It would be cool. Any chance its still a Skill that you just dont know about? That is always a chance! The System is as vast and iprehensible as any other part of the world! Hm. You know, now that I think about it did I already ask you? Ah, whatever. Whats your take on the System? Why does it exist? You do not have one where you are from, yes? Edwin nodded, and Lefi hummed in thought, The System is said to be as old as the world itself. You may as well ask why the Verdant exists, or why the mountains are the ces they are. I feel like its a bit different than that, though, Edwin protested, Also, I feel like those things do have exnations. They did on my world anyway. Not the Verdant part- we didnt have magical forests- but the mountain part. Granted, he wasnt really expecting to get too much more from Lefi- his answer lined up well enough with everyone but Inions reaction. The fey, of course, just said she couldnt tell him, but he was starting to suspect that might also have been her answer for when she didnt know something and didnt want to admit it. Likee on, none of those are naturalnguageprehending magical programs which give you supernatural abilities. Heck, why wouldnt you wonder about that? Its certainly more interesting than where raines from. Perhaps. But I am certain that greater minds than I can aplish such a magnificent task, I dont bother myself with it. Was there something about the System that made people not question where it came from? Other than the ubiquitous answer that the System was created alongside the world, he hadnt heard any myths about the creation of the world. Hmm What about the world itself, then? Where did thate from? It was created alongside the System as the gods spoke it into being. From there, the System brought forth life and chose several animals from among its numerous herds, granting them the ability to see their Status. To this day, sometimes a new creature will be chosen, to see if their kin is worthy of ess to the System, he nodded at Kyni, and though they rarely seed past their own life and their immediate family upon asion, it continues to try in the hopes more might see the world for how it is. Is is that it? Edwin asked, No super-long, in-depth and really boring universally epted creation story about hundreds of gods all doing really niche things in concert? Fantasy stories clearly lied to me. He said thest part as a mumble, and Lefi didnt appear to acknowledge it. Ah, do you wish to know the true story of creation which I came upon in my adventures, spoken to me by the gods themselves? Edwin skeptically raised an eyebrow. I do not have such knowledge, the adventurer exined, and prompted a chuckle from Edwin. No, but like actually. Is that it? What use do we have for the gods? They have never asked much of us, merely made their presence known. Even those who receive their blessings are rarely brought from the realm of their faithful. But like wouldnt people still be naturally attracted to that sort of thing in the hopes they might catch the attention of literal gods? Or, you know, avoid their wrath? Heck, isnt that whats up with the Curan waystations or whatever? It is, yes. Naturally, people continue to say their prayers to whatever god they may wish to gain or avoid the attention of, but there is not much organization around the deities beyond minor group rituals. Who would care about a being so iprehensibly beyond any of us as to make emperor Xares look like a first Tier? No, better to focus on attempting to grow, to advance. I dont think thats how people work, Edwin said with a frown. Are you not the one who says it is important to look at what is, not what ought to be? When did I I mean, yes. But I dont think we ever had that conversation? It was in your discussions with Niall, I do believe. Right, Edwin closed the discussion. He wasnt he wasnt sure how he felt about that whole debacle. He wanted to me Lefi for putting him in the situation to begin with, but he knew that wasplete nonsense. It was still his conclusion to go after the bandits, even if it had been impaired. Did he me Lefi for altering his mental state, like you were supposed to for people who tried to get other people drunk, or whatever? Hed never been in that position, but it seemedparable. But did the fact he was genuinely trying to help him excuse him at all, like it did with Inion? Edwin wasnt sure. Lefi tried to say something else, but Edwin mumbled that he was d for the talk, he was just going to go for a bit of a walk. Yes, hed yell if he needed help. He just needed a bit of fresh air and a bit of space. Chapter 95b: Moonlie Chapter 95b: Moonlie The moon was full once more. Had he ever seen it not be full, actually? Was this one of those things that was just different on Joriah? Maybe the moon actually glowed instead of just reflecting the sunlight? Eh, hed keep an eye out for it now that he thought about it. Edwin floated along on his back, gazing up at the sky in thought. Should he pass judgement on Lefi for trying to help him, albeit in a suboptimal way? He more or less excused Inion for a simr thing, but it wasnt as much of a blunder. She may not have respected his autonomy much, but at least it was only in minor ways. Now, Lefi certainly had learned from his mistake, so that was a positive. But it was only thanks to his actions that Edwin had found himself in mortal peril to begin with at that point. But maybe it helped him realize he wasnt ready for mortal peril? Yes, it was mortal peril of his own making, and he probably couldnt me Lefi for his decision to stay and fight once he did know of Nialls crimes, but he stood by that decision as well. In retrospect, sure. Lefi would have killed all the bandits if he hadnt, but he didnt know that at the time. He would have had to find an authority figure in a town two days walking away, then persuade them that he wasnt crazy and give them directions to a tower which was almost invisible until you were up close. If he had failed at any of those steps, Niall would have been free to carry on chopping up people and putting them in potions. He might not have even been able to find the Ruined Tower again for all he knew. But he had still been in that situation because of Lefi. And worse, it was only because of the adventurers aid that he had won. It didnt sit right with him, not in the slightest. Had he really never won a fight,pletely on his own? Hed escaped the dwarves, but apparently he had almost literal plot armor in that fight because of karma or whatever Inion was talking about. Hed fought and beat Niall and his crew, but that apparently depended on Lefis buffing Skills. Hed managed to kill a house-sized bear, that was something. Though that had just been running like mad and letting gravity do the work, so did that really count? Hed managed to kill a panther but had set himself on fire and needed Inion to ensure he didnt die from his wounds. Hed outright lost to the bugbear assassin the dwarves had sent after him, and only thest bit of karmic repayment and Inion saving him was the reason he was alive now. Once again, it had taken quite a bit of recovery afterwards. He kept expecting the assassin to show up again with a metal arm and an eyepatch, ready for a rematch besides. You always confirmed the kill, after all. Whatever. That was getting off track from his brooding. Then there had been that random bandit. Hed won, sure. But he also suffered quite the wound in the meantime. Sure, he was fine, but that was just a random person with like one or two fighting Skills at most. If he had been a Lirasian Farmer initially, Lirasian Reaper was probably just one or two Paths away. Edwin sighed. At least he had been able to beat a spider, though again he was injured. What if it was just a little bit worse? Were his ims to fame, when down to purely his own merits and skills, really running away from a bear, getting badly stabbed while fighting a farmer, and killing a spider? He wanted to be strong, darn it. He didnt want to have to depend on the whims of other people to determine if hed be safe. His training matches with Lefi might have progressed adequately, but the man still seriously outssed him, and Lefi himself said that he was far from the best direct fighter out there. If Edwin came across someone who was actually good at what they did and wanted him dead, if he didnt have someone helping him either invisibly or obviously, was he just doomed? Probably, in all honesty. He might be able to run. Maybe. But that wasnt good enough. Gah. He wanted to run off into the night and prove that he was capable of standing on his own two feet. But that would be really, really stupid. He couldnt, and he knew he couldnt. So he was stuck with people. Ugh. He swatted at a branch, annoyed with himself as much as he was anyone else. Why did people have to be soplicated? He needed people but didnt like them Oh woe is me, he sarcastically mused, Having really strong people who want to and can help me. How much better off I would be without them, probably lying dead on the side of the road or in the middle of the Verdant somewhere. He found another branch to swat at. Why did he have to be soplicated? He needed himself but didnt really like his own emotions at times. Things would be so much simpler without emotions. He held back a scream of frustration. Even out in the middle of nowhere, he didnt want to let his frustration be that obvious. He didnt want to make Lefi think he was having emotional issues, after all. Right, because the mumbled and sudden excuse trying to get away from Lefi totally didnt clue him off. Ugh. I would be lucky if he didnt think I hated him now. He doesnt seem to dislike me that much, maybe I was just being paranoidst time? Or maybe it is the extrovert thing. I dont know, why is this so hard? Sure, he knew that everyone was an emotional wreck with their own unique concoction of problems, but really. Who wanted to get close to someone who was clearly having emotional problems that they couldnt deal with? Well, sure. Some people would. But theyd be primarily attracted to his emotional problems, either out of pity or some misguided attempt to try and help, and he didnt want to deal with either of those motives. Now, emotional vulnerability that was supposed to help, right? He was pretty sure it was supposed to. Not that it ever had for him in the past. Ah, whatever. Maybe hed find a friend at some point. A peer, rather. Not someone like Inion, for whom he was at best some kind of pet. She clearly didnt see him as worthy of taking care of himself, or having his own opinions. But was that really so bad? She did care about him, he was pretty sure. She just had her own ways of showing it. And he did have trouble taking care of himself, clearly. Thats why he was moping under the cotton candy-colored moon away from everyone instead of dealing with his emotions in a healthy manner not that he knew what a healthy way to deal with his emotions was. Wasnt it talking to people? He was pretty sure that talking to people was supposed to help. Maybe emotional vulnerability tied in there somewhere? He couldnt remember. So should he talk about his feelings with Inion? Eh, going off of past experience she probably either wouldnt take him seriously or might evenugh at him if he tripped over his exnations at all. Granted, that one time he had been saying some pretty stupid stuff, so maybe he did deserve it? No. He shook his head. No. He wasnt about to share with Inion. No way. That was just asking for problems there. Sharing stuff with Lefi might make the overeager adventurer try to spend even more time with Edwin, but it would just be out of pity. Actually, that was the problem overall, wasnt it, what it always came down to? He didnt want to be pitied. He didnt want people spending time with him because they felt bad for him. He didnt want a babysitter making sure he didnt kill himself, he didnt want sympathy from people to be the pir of their rtionship. No. No. That would not be him. He refused. If someone were to want to spend time with him, he wanted it because they chose it, not out of some sort of obligation. Nobody was obligated to do anything for him, any more than he was obligated to do things for other people. You didnt owe anyone anything inherently. What did he even have toin about? Oh no, he had it so hard on Earth. All basic needs he could ever want taken care of. Went to a decent school, had decent grades. Wasnt aplete hermit unless he wanted to be.He just didnt have anyone who preferred his time. So what if he couldnt just spontaneously do something with someone? He didnt need that anyway. He could just read, or work on homework. He wasnt jealous of people who were always off with their friends, not in the slightest. Every picture posted of them going swimming in the summer just meant they didnt have an internship. All those times they watched a movie in a group meant they werent studying for the next test. Who really lost out there? He certainly didnt. His life was great! He was just fretting over literally nothing. He could make friends, sure! He already had like six people who could stand his presence. Inion, Lefi, Yathal, Kyni, Fissath, Tara Eh, Tara probably didnt count. It was her job to put up with him, after all. Rizzali, maybe? Hmm. Nah, it was his job as well and he more cared about Edwins unique Skills than anything. Kynigos didnt count either. He was a dog, and dogs werent exactly choosy about what humans they liked. He wasnt counting not hated by dogs as an aplishment. Of course, that meant that Yathal probably didnt count, either. He was just a kid and Edwin was the cool older adventurer who had potions and could fight with a stick and had magic. If he didnte across as cool to a kid when he could do literal magic tricks, he was doing something terribly wrong. Did Lefi count, then? The guy seemed to like everyone, but that just put his approval at about the same level as dogs and kids. He was basically an anime protagonist, youd have to literally kick his face in to maybe get him to dislike you. Edwin buried his face in his hands in shame. Did that make him the sulky supporting character who only existed to show how gosh-darn cheerful the hero was, because look at how mopey that person is and wow arent you d hes not the protagonist? How the hero would do something to win over his affection and then hed be relegated to the backseat for the rest of the story? Please, no. Just no. Okay so, moving on from Lefi Well, there was Inion. But did she enjoy being around him, or did she just like being away from the water? He wasnt sure, but given how much time she spent just lounging around every day could she really like him that much? Well, she at least tolerated him, that was all he was looking for anyway. Yay. Edwin kept floating around for a while, watching the moon slowly rise as he thought about all sorts of different stuff. He messed around with Prototyping some- man, the Skill was leveling at an insane ratetely. The double boost from Lefi and Inion apparently stacked with some SKills and was really great- and tried juggling apparatite from his back, and upside down. The stars were very beautiful, and the sky was just as spectacr as always. Earths sky had never gotten old to him, what with him living out in the middle of nowhere and with minimal light pollution to interfere. The infinite variety of the stars endlessly entranced him, and he always pitied the people who never saw the stars because they lived in cities. Here, though? If he thought dark nights on Earth were spectacr, they had nothing on the astral tapestry above him now. Even the light of the moon couldnt wash out the sheer variety of colors on disy, and he was endlessly entranced by the disy above. He really should stay awake more often. This time of night, everything was phenomenal, not that the earlier hours, when he was normally awake and admiring them, were any less brilliant. Night was so nice, and he was looking forward in some regards to Watchful Rest getting to the point where he could stargaze while sleeping, and just generally enjoy the night. After all, there were fewer people, less noise, less clutter, more stars there were no downsides. That was when he noticed the eyes. Hed always thought it was stupid, the idea of glowing eyes in the darkness, letting you know that some sort of dangerous predator was lurking in the dark. They were always blood-red and hungry. Sometimes slitted. Never friendly. And always hundreds, opening up one at a time to slowly reveal a pack of ravenous wolves. But these eyes probably werent glowing. No, they were just reflecting the moonlight from above, which made it look like they were glowing, right? They probably werent red either, that was just the pink light of the sky, surely. They werent slitted, either. Just a vast array of red, luminescent orbs with a perfect circle of darkness taken out of the middle. They did look hungry, though. And there were a lot of them. Chapter 96a: Where Theres Smoke Chapter 96a: Where There''s Smoke Edwin was torn. His first reaction was to run away, but that reaction was overridden by his desire to prove he could take care of himself by fighting off whatever pack of animals was next to him. That reaction was in turn subsequently vetoed in favor of yelling for help from Lefi, though. Identify was no help. Whatever was attacking him, he couldnt get a proper read on them to get a response. That meant one of two- well, really three- things. Either Edwin couldnt properly focus on any of the eyes individually as to Identify it and not its neighbors, and the alternative was just that whatever it was didnt have an Identify tag, meaning it wasnt actually alive. He wasnt betting on that one. The third option was that it could hide from his Identify, which while possible was not something hed encountered. To be on the safe side, he was once again assuming the first scenario was most likely. It wasnt very ttering to his mental state, though. Lefi! Heeeellllpp! he yelled into the silent night air, disturbing the gentle peace countless insects had so delicately established. He scarcely looked back in his headlong flight, more interested in getting away than seeing how close whatever pack of predators had literally glowing red eyes was to catching up to him. He wasnt sure, but it looked like they continued to close in on him, judging solely from the terrified shes of light his eyes caught on the edge of their vision. By the time he slowed down, hed left them far behind him, but he was still a bit jumpy that they might be right behind him. Fortunately though, Lefi had arrived, summoned by Edwins yelling. Edwin! You are alright! When I heard your cries I feared the worst. What happened? Im fine, personally, Edwin exined, scarcely winded from his flight thanks to Breathing, Just a bit of a scare. Some pack of creatures nearly pounced on me. Glowing eyes and all that, you know? Im afraid I do not, at least not especially. But there is a beast that needs vanquishing? Where might I find it? What do you know of the creatures? Theyre magical predators of some kind. There was a big pack of glowing red eyes and they lit up on my magic sense- some kind of intense darkness. I managed to run away well enough, Edwin summarized. Those were probably the main points, right? Was there something he was forgetting? Oh yeah, And I was having issues Identifying them. Not sure why exactly, but I dont know what they are. Lefi perked up, A pack of predators, you say? Is there to be a hunt tonight? he eagerly asked. I mean maybe? Edwin tried, If you ah who am I kidding? Youll be fine. He sighed, You want me toe with you? Lefi patted Edwins head, and he had to fight the instinct to shy away, No, no. There is no need for such actions. I will be sufficient to deal with whatever attempted to prey upon you. You said it was back in that direction? I I think so. I wasnt paying that much attention, but Im pretty sure it was basically a straight line that way. Magical propulsion was much easier to ensure a consistent direction of travel than walking. After all, he didnt need to worry about obstacles other than just trees. He wouldnt be on a slight incline or need to slog through mud, after all. Hence, he felt moderately confident in saying his travel had been geometrically sound. Very well! If youd just return unto the caravan, I shall return once this foe has been truly vanquished! The adventurer vanished into the darkness, slipping away like a fleeting shadow. Within moments, Edwin had lost track of where the man was which made sense, he must have had a truly astronomical Stealth skill to keep an eye on him while he was with Niall for a few days while being wholly unnoticed. Vanishing into darkened woods must have been almost literal childs y for him byparison. In any case, with Lefi off hunting the hunters meant that there was nobody at the camp, and he flew off in that direction at a decent pace, not wanting to leave them all unguarded for too long when there were dangerous creatures about. Everyone was still sleeping when he got back, and only Kynigos- did the dog actually sleep or not? Edwin was starting to suspect he didnt, and justy next to Yathal to keep the boypany- acknowledged his presence. There was nothing else to do about it, so Edwin took a seat by the cart with a sigh and waited for Lefi to go and fight the monster for him, like he was a good little NPC. Oi. Shut up, brain. As established, noining about friends being able to help out. Thats how society works. Lefi returned very quickly, all told, holding a dead, turkey-sized bird with ck and green feathers by its talons,pletely unharmed. Edwin! I thought I was due for a fight! So did I, Edwin muttered, looking at the fowl in Lefis hand, Whats that? This is a lybird! A powerful illusionist rted to the peacock of the south! It summons the apparitions of glowing eyes to scare off predators! Fear not, they are mostly harmless but you are not the first to have fallen afoul of their defense! Great, so I was scared away by an overgrown chicken? Wait, theyre a cousin of peacocks? he asked incredulously. Indeed! I dont think thats how evolution works, Edwin replied, Like you wouldnt get an eagle that had a cousin with dragonfly wings. The end result may be simr, but the route taken was drastically different. Also, I think peacocks dont actually use their plumage to scare off predators anyway... Perhaps, though it is not what Identify said! Lefi shrugged, But do such things truly matter? Well Yes, but Im not a Biologist-Errant, and biology isnt a real science anyway so no. I guess not. Lefi looked at him oddly, I did notprehend your statement. Outworlder terminology? Edwin sighed, Yeah, yeah. Just dont say it so loud, okay? The first time someone found out about it I ended up sort-of enved. Do you want this? the adventurer asked, hefting the bird carcass, Ive never eaten lybird before and I want to see what its like, but youre the alchemist. Oh, heck yes. Edwin hastily said, Give me a minute to start the fire, but I can feel the illusion magic in its feathers from here and I just figured out what Refine does. Ill just grab everything we dont cook up. Ive been meaning to make a proper smoke bomb and I think this is just what I need to take it to the next level. Edwin was starting to get a hang of how Refine worked, he thought. Hed fiddled around with the Skill some in the intervening days (at least, when he wasnt busy driving the carriage, making up for the days hed missed) since his all-week Alchemy session, preparing himself for the dissection of the lybirds feathers. The rest of the birds meat- which turned out decent and didnt end up tasting like chicken- and other organs didnt show up as magical to Edwins senses. While that didnt mean they had no worth to Edwin, he figured they probably werent worth the hassle of trying to figure out what to do with them. Kynigos had eaten well that day. For the time being, the feathers- which did still feel magical to Edwins senses, reminding him of inky ckness with perhaps some other details drowned out by the void- were being kept alongside the rest of his alchemy ingredients while Edwin tried to suss out the details of his new Skill. At first, he suspected it might brush alongside Alchemy Essentia. While his initial impressions had been that it had to do with System connections, it turned out to be much broader than that. His stamina catalyst had certainly been interesting, all things considered. When he directly ingested a single drop, it lit up his Stamina across his body. It didnt seem to do anything directly, but it clearly interacted with it in some way. Trying to mix talsanenris in with the catalyst made his Stamina glow forck of a better term, and it appeared to recover faster. It wasnt very efficient, though, until he applied Refine to the talsanenris as well. With the higher Skill levels in Refine, and knowledge of how to use it in concert with Alchemical Dismantling, he was able to Refine a starting drop of mana in only an hour, and had subsequently used that to Dismantle a handful of his dried berries into a greenish-white liquid over the course of an afternoon. By the end, there was no trace of the berries, the magical ingredient wholly consumed by the process into a distilled life energy vial. With Refining now in the 30s, and Alchemical Dismantling in the 40s, he could render down a single berry in about two hours, two in two hours and ten minutes, eight with two and a half hours, and every subsequent doubling of berries required just ten minutes after that. Unfortunately, the longer he held it, the harder it was to maintain the effect, so he couldnt just continue the process arbitrarily long. He could only Refine a singleponent at a time, though. If he tried to mix together a sinbalyne petal and a talsanenris berry, for example, the resulting creation would either be a stamina catalyst or distilled life. Well, there could be other results too, depending on what he focused on trying to Refine, but those were the primary things he was trying to create for the time being. Then Alchemy hit level 90, and the whole world exploded into possibility. The Skill had always provided little hints here and there, telling Edwin the rate at which he needed to mix two substances together and the like, though never the why before. Hed followed along with the nudges most of the time in part because the results were objectively superior to when he didnt, and in part because it was like muscle memory. Unless he actively tried to avoid following the Skills guidance, hed fall into the patterns without even thinking about it. He still did his best to record everything with properb directions, of course, but he was starting to feel a bit jealous of the Empires alchemists and their automatic transcript of everything they did. Now, though, the Skill gave him more insight into how to make his potions turn out the way he wanted them, rather than his former blind experimentation. It didnt provide the knowledge directly, which he was grateful for, but if he provided it with a bit of Perception, he was able to see the changes his potions underwent. He could tell how the color of his mixture changed in tune with his stirring rate, or the ways in which adding a bit more water would help to stabilize a vtile mixture by dying the reaction slightly until he could add the next ingredient. It gave him hints about temperature, quantity and timing for adding ingredients, and even what certain additions would do to a potion. He made sure to ignore the Skill at times, in part out of stubbornness and in part to ensure it wasnt lying to him. It never was, but simply relying on the Alchemy skill was what had gotten the Lirasian alchemists where they were today. It was an additional factor to ount for in his experiments, and a crutch to lean on when trying to make something new, but it was still just that: a crutch. He wouldnt getcent with it. Probably. Hopefully. He was trying to dy it as much as possible, anyway. The Skill also confirmed his suspicions with Refining, that it was a basic form of Alchemy Essentia. He couldnt pull off some of the more impressive aspects of that particr discipline- he couldnt directly transfer the properties of one substance to another, for example- but he could use it to get effects which might not be possible with more mundane alchemy. Edwin couldnt help but chuckle at the idea that any alchemy might be considered mundane, but that was just the nature of familiarity. No matter how impressive the subject, it would eventually be rote. He was really looking forward to tearing into the lybird feathers now, though. Hed applied Refining to some of his Infused phosphorus, reducing it into powdered, chalky fuminary essence that consistently let off small amounts of heatless smoke, and was now trying to do the same to his feathers. Edwin breathed out. Calm helped, hed found. If he was excited or nervous, his mana was harder to Refine. Fortunately, he had a lot of practice suppressing his emotions and so it only took a few minutes before he was ready to proceed. He let his mana flow. He didnt know exactly what he was doing differently these days, but it felt so much smoother now. He would have suspected it was the result of Refining leveling, except he wasnt using it yet. He might have suspected he somehow got levels in Basic Mana Maniption, but his Status showed that was as impossible as everyone said it was. Or maybe Im just getting better at this outside of the Systems boosts. Hed take some benchmarks with Flyingter on. For now, he needed to focus. Mana poured from his skin, invisible to all senses save one. Within seconds, his entire hand was sheathed in the mystical energy, but he kept at it. So long as he didnt try to control too much mana at once, he could hold onto a decent amount, but there were still limits. Thus, he was only able to spend about a minute gathering power before he activated Refining and began to feed his Mana into it. Forty minutester, the tip of his index finger was zing like a tiny star to his senses, and he was ready for the next stage. He lightly tapped the small stack of feathers he had at the ready, and the star vanished, spread out into the topmost feather and slowly seeping down. He mentally twisted his mana connection, designating it as his tool while he Infused his Alchemical Dismantling. Immediately, the strain present in maintaining the connection to the feather lessened. It didnt vanish, but it did be something he could use in a half-reasonable amount of time. With his mana knife, he slowly poked and prodded around the feather, using Alchemy to try and find the aspect of illusion- particrly one meant to hide things- that he was looking for. There was a lot here, and if he wanted to, Alchemical Dismantling would let him cut out what tiny amounts of fear-inducement, light-production, and illusion Essences that were present in the material. However, if he just used that, it wouldnt produce nearly enough for his purposes. Instead, he needed to pull on Refining and Purifys abilities, which meant focusing on a single Essence and converting or destroying everything that didnt fit. Eventually, he found what he wanted. Ritual Intuition, when threaded through Alchemy and Alchemical Dismantling, pointed towards the particr inky ck cloud that would create a corresponding concealing mist in the real world, and Edwin knew what to tug on. The aspect was ripped free, and Refining got to work. Wherever his knife passed, magical structures were torn apart like cobwebs. Some just dissipated, but others were cut in such a way that his Skill grabbed ahold of them and twisted them into matching the misty illusions. There was a lot wasted, and the original pattern mana was destroyed quickly, reced by the abundance of newly created misty mana. Overall, the process was highly inefficient. If he chose an Essence that didnt have enough base material, the process would possibly fizzle out. If he didnt use Purify to get rid of the destroyed and useless mana, it would have all clotted together and failed. If he didnt have the ability to cut the substance into raw mana with Alchemical Dismantling, or create more Essence with Refining, it would have fizzled out with no effect. When allbined, though, the result was most satisfying. An hour and a halfter, Edwin opened his eyes and looked upon his aplishment. The feathers had been wholly reced by a pile of what looked like powdered darkness to his mana sense, but in truth looked like a vaguely reflective, off-white pile of dust. Edwin smiled. Perfect. Chapter 96b: Where Theres Smoke Chapter 96b: Where There''s Smoke A bit of testing found that the illusion dust- Obscuring False Cloud Powder, ording to Common Knowledge but that was far too much of a mouthful- reflected light remarkably well, even when dispersed. If he enclosed it in an apparatite ball and gave it a bit of a shake, the entire sphere turned semi-reflective white for the better part of an hour before the dust finally settled enough for anything to start to be visible. If it were a snowglobe, it would either be the absolute best or the absolute worst, depending on what you felt the point of the decoration was. For Edwin, it was exactly what he needed. A few tests showed that the dust wasnt mmable, making it just what he needed. Perhaps he could have made an adequate smoke bomb with just that. He probably could, in all honesty. But why stop there? This wasnt an experiment, after all. He was just trying to make the best darn smoke bomb that he could. Later on, hed start experimenting with different variables. This was just the prototype. The phosphorus Essence he chose to use for this had been optimized for smoke production when it burned at the expense of all else save its mmability and was appropriately named elemental smoke. While he could try adding other types of Essence based on the element to it, Alchemy (and a bit of testing) informed him it would dilute the end result. Instead, he needed to find other ingredients and Refine them into ingredients which would enhance, not dilute, the effects of his potions. Thus, his current project. Why that was the case, Edwin wasnt entirely sure. Well, beyond the magical exnation of them polluting each other. But that wasnt how it worked! Well, actually. If he thought of his Essences as a sort of magical allotrope of the elements he was using- and the elements were the same, he confirmed as much using Alchemical Analysis- then he knew that properties could change depending on the crystal structure of a molecule. Was there something simr that happened with magical structures? Then, like how well, that was where the analogy broke down some. Edwin didnt know of any allotropes which interfered with the properties of nearby substances, but perhaps it was like pH? Or maybe colors would be the better analogy. Shining green light and red light on the same spot didnt make red-green, it made yellow. Whereas using a different substance might be more like changing the material the light was shone on, changing the color in that way? Further testing required, he promised himself. There was literally more stuff than he could focus on in a lifetime, which meant he either needed to figure out immortality, or not exhaustively delve into every topic he came across. Probably both, in all honesty. And hed still have deep dives into different substances. He wouldnt be able to stop himself. But maybe he shouldnt spend two months figuring out all the properties of a single element? But that was how you figured out the coolest stuff! and also where most research time was wasted, to be fair. And there was no way to predict what would be useful ahead of time. It wouldnt be research otherwise. So what? Was he supposed to just leave potentially revolutionary ideas out to dry because he didnt have the time to explore them? Yes, a traitorous part of him whispered, and Edwin had to admit he couldnt quite disagree. He just needed to get a team of alchemists also working on all of this stuff, focus on the lowest-hanging fruit, and be immortal so he could reap the benefits of his apprentices lifetimes of work as well. So much to do, such few short decades to do it all in. Even though he could realistically expect to live into his triple digits. ording to Lefi, having the Health attribute tended to add at least a year to your lifespan per point you had in it, and that wasnt counting the massive benefits he got from Sleeping, First Aid, Purify, Breathing But that was a long, long time away. For the moment, he needed to cast aside everything that wasnt immediately useful to him. He had been picky with his Skills, he could be picky about this. He had to be, if he wanted to make any kind of headway on the massive project that was turning alchemy into magical chemistry. Did he really, though? Edwin carefully heated his potion base, the Infused water to be kept warm but definitely not boiling. Yes, the extreme mmability of the phosphorus had been strongly tempered down, but he didnt want to take any risks. Well, not yet anyway. The end of the potion would definitely be risky, but there was no point in bringing that risk to bear already. He measured out the phosphorus which would serve as the potions primary ingredient, gently stirring in the theoretically-not-vtile element into his beaker until Alchemy nudged at him to stop adding any more. Fortunately, Numeracy was able to record exactly how much powder that was, and so he was able to make a note for his future self fairly easily. It wasnt much, as he was only making a small batch, but hed still need to know for when he upscaled production Next was just a pinch of the illusion dust, acting as more of a dye than anything. He held his breath as he added the magical powder, watching as the two powders swirled around in the concoction. If he stopped stirring, the potion would settle and that wasnt something he wanted quite yet. First, he needed to make sure it would actually burn. Normally, phosphorus not burning wasnt much of a concern, but hed Refined room temperature mmability away from the element. He was still somewhat nervous about arycals existence, sure. But firsthand experience had taught him that magical stabilizations should work adequately, so maybe it wasnt as bad as he had first thought? In any case, he needed to ensure his smoke bomb would ignite at the right time and not too soon or toote. He hadnt managed to Refine mi yet- the mana-absorbing nt just gobbled up all the Refined mana he could bring to bear and cut off his connection from the magic. However, the nts base properties should still be enough for him. Alchemy directed him in just the right way to cut and crush the flowers petals such that its mana capacity would be fragile. In other words, the solution would ept a certain amount of mana, but once it reached capacity, the mi would release everything it had stored in one fell swoop. Whenbined and primed to fire mana in the form of alchemical fire catalyst- Refined firevine- and assuming Alchemy was leading him properly, he would add just enough to fill the mi buffer to capacity, meaning that even a slight bit of me or fire-based mana would ignite the entire canister. If he did this in the future, he needed to figure out some way to keep the fire/mi mix separated from the actual smoke-making portion of his bomb until he was ready to use it. A secondary arming mechanism, basically. If only it werent madeplicated by the fact that if he didnt add the mixture prior to the concoction concluding its reaction, it wouldnt be part of the substance. Or maybe he could bypass the need for an ignitionponent if he used Firestarting? Something to try in future iterations. He carefully dribbled in the alchemical fire, the bright red liquid shining with some internal light. He took no chances, and each drop was taken by an apparatite stirring rod dipped into the warmed vial he kept the catalyst in, then carefully allowed to drip in. All the while, he made sure to regrly stir his beaker. If he stopped, the powders would begin to precipitate and finalize theirposition, and it was much too early for that. If he hadnt been so religiously ensuring the solution was continuously stirred, Edwin might have noticed when the concoction reached saturation. Then again, he might not have. His Ritual Intuition wasnt exactly the most precise sense after all, and the point of the mi was to absorb all the fire mana it came across. Maybe if hed had the potion on a slightly lower temperature, he wouldnt have had the solution overload so quickly. Then again, perhaps not. By the time Edwin felt so much as a flicker of heat mana from the solution itself, it was undoubtedly toote. Less than a heartbeatter, the overloaded mi released all the fire essence it had stored simultaneously. The infused water held it back for a second, but he could already feel the reaction kicking in. He didnt think it should be harmful, but he also didnt want to have to deal with any potentially burning smoke that resulted from excess fire being added to the mix. So, he grabbed the beaker and quickly poured it all into a freshly-made waste container off to the side. As smoke began to billow out of the container, he realized his error and grabbed its lid to help seal in the concoctions byproduct, mming it down onto the sk. That turned out to be a mistake, and Edwins eyes widened as he saw another Skill step into the mix. Bomb Throwing was bringing its strength to bear, suffusing the sealed box with its effects as it prepared to blow. Oh- It had been a while since hed caused ab explosion, Edwin reminisced. At least this time there was no fireball involved, and he waspletely unharmed. He really should have seen thating, in all honesty, and only had his eagerness to me. Still! At least he now had a decent idea as to how effective his smoke bombs would be. If such a small amount of that blend would produce so much smoke, what sorts of smokescreens would he be making once he really mastered the process and scaled up the payload? Now that was an image Edwin loved visualizing. The container had blown its lid off the top almost immediately and instead of a puff of smoke and perhaps obscured vision for a few minutes before it all settled down, Edwin had found himself enveloped in a thick bank of fog that refused to vanish. Next time hed try using just Firestarting for ignition. Once he realized nothing was going toe of trying to outwait the smoke while inside a poorly-ventted space, he felt his way out the door in an attempt to get some proper fresh air. Unfortunately, the exterior wasnt much better. He had enveloped their entire caravan in white smoke, and while it blew away rtively quickly, wisps of smoke continued to almost cling to every surface, giving them all a ghostly quality. Huh. Neat. How could he use that You know Edwin, youve been spending a lot of time in that carriage making potions. You havent been dodging your training, have you? Inion asked with a grin that suggested she already knew the answer. Would I be able to get away with it? No. Well theres your answer, I suppose. Well! Time for you to get out and get working, isnt it. Were three days out from Sheraith, and you still havent figured out Overcharge. But what Im doing is important, Edwin protested, Im an alchemist first and foremost. Making potions and new weapons are at the heart of what I do. I dont need to practice my Overcharge if I work instead on my primary stuff first. Im almost done with my smoke bomb, I can feel it. Come on, Edwin. Youve had that stamina potion of yours for how long now? Like two weeks? And its not a Stamina potion, its a catalyst. Precisely! In such time you might have reached a perfectly adequate level with your Skill, and possibly even wholesale mastery of its limited-area use had you been diligently practicing! But I need my mana for Refining! If I use Overcharge, that knocks me down for at least the day when ites to mana usage. All my struggling and pain is way worse when I actually try to purify my mana into its Refined form. Before you go to bed, then! Perfect. Ill get it ready for you, ya? You possess such magnificent power! I insist that you strengthen it. Edwin red at his trainers, Both of you have no respect for pain, do you? Pain is the bodys way of letting you know youre doing something right! Thats literally the opposite of what it does, Edwin sighed, but knew there was no winning this discussion. Fine, fine. Ill get to it soon. I just want to make a couple of potions to help me prepare first. Its not like I have a bunch of time for more trial and error, after all. It looked like he wasn''t done quite yet after all. Chapter 97a: Injecting Levity Chapter 97a: Injecting Levity Edwin picked himself up off the ground, hovering slightly. Flight was an unusual Skill in that it didnt really have a single functional axis of improvement. Well, it technically did- efficiency- but that was a very broad category. If he hadnt locked himself into such a low Basic Mana Maniption level way back when, he could undoubtedly fly faster, higher, and with more power behind him like when Inion had been bound to him. ording to Lefi, it was prettymon- though not universal- that spells improved mana efficiency in some way, which cast further skepticism on the adventurers imed status as not a mage, but whatever. Edwin was just happy that with each level his speed, maximum height, and power behind his flight all improved slightly. Sure, if he wanted to move at a normal jogging pace he had to be mere inches from the ground, and he was confined to a slow walk when more than a meter or so away from his support, but with every level he could go a bit faster a bit higher. Really, it was all connected to his tether. Activating the Skill brought the tether into existence, and it persisted until he either dismissed it or it broke. It wasnt terribly hard to break, all told. Just moving- or being moved- out of his maximum range was enough. Fortunately, it automatically attached to the closest valid target to him, specifically something that could support him without too much strain. Packing didnt appear at first to work with Flight, but with some literal soul-searching thanks to Skillful Assessment, he did find that they werepatible and already applied for his weight limits. Without Packing, he likely wouldnt even be able to lift himself with Flight at his current mana rate, which he decided tobel as 1 arcan per second. Why Arcan? Well Edwin liked how it sounded. He had tried using other people as an anchor, and he was really happy to find out that it technically worked, but they were still bound to the same limitations as anything else. Namely, that it had to be able to support him with very little strain. Inion while lying down? He could do that. Inion while standing up? It worked, but it was very unsteady. Inion while she was floating around? Not a chance. At least he didnt weigh that much. Hed always been on the scrawny side, after all, and his habits of not eating for a week or two at a time didnt help him gain weight, for all that it didnt harm him either. In any case, at level 41- assuming he just had his normal gear on- and at the rate of one arcan per second, he had been able to hover just under a meter and a half off the ground while moving, or about two meters while stationary. It was a far cry from true, untethered flight, but it did make getting things off the top shelf utterly trivial, so there was that. In any case, Edwin suspected that his practice with Alchemical Dismantling and his Refined Mana had improved his non-System control and throughput of mana, and he was determined to test it once again. Hed gotten sloppy with maintaining his notes on Flight benchmarks, but he had at least not missed any levels. So, here he was once more, flexing Numeracy in an attempt to measure how far he was off the ground. Compared to his previous range of about halfway between 1.35 and 1.62 meters, he was now at just over 1.62 meters. 3 decimeters higher with the same Flight level was actually rather impressive. Certainly more than he had anticipated, at least. He wasnt going toin that much that his previously-consistent mana flow was another factor to keep track of, but it did mean that all of his future magical measurements were all but useless if it wasnt fixed at the System-provided rate. Edwins non-scientific part of his brain was unconditionally pleased to find out that it was possible to improve his mana power outside of the Systems constraints. That was good to know, and while he didnt expect that hed be throwing around lightning bolts any time soon, he was happy to know he wasnt totally hopeless as a mage after all. He also felt like he might have been slightly more dexterous with his mana as well, that he was slightly more adept at manipting the strands of magic but that might have been his imagination. He knew that brute force, trying to shove all nine levels of Basic Mana Maniption he had against the inexorable tide of Overcharge mana wouldnt work. But he had real hopes for trying to tie it in knots with his newly developed proficiency in detailed mana maniption. Edwin found himself coughing up ck phlegm by the time he called it quits on day one. Pushing himself to try and get a workable part-body Overcharge before they reached- was it Sherran? Shoroth? Ah, wherever they were going- was quite the feat, but one he definitely wanted to aplish. Man, if only he had some kind of alchemical ingredient which he already knew interacted with mana in a simr way as sinbalyne did with stamina. Maybe he could mix them, make a potion out of them which would enable his attributes to war with and block each other? Wouldnt that be nice? Before bed, Edwin downed a new and improved stamina/health potion to try and help him get rid of the ck sludge he was umting on ount of his Overcharge abuse. Considering he woke up encrusted in a thin patina of what looked vaguely like charcoal it probably worked? He still spent an extra ten minutes at the nearest creek trying to get it all off of himself, though. Mi. As he suspected, that turned out to be the key. Though he couldnt quite Refine it thanks to its unique, mana-absorbing properties, he was still able to incorporate it into a potion alongside sinbalyne for a sort of medium between Stamina and mana, allowing them to more directly interfere. The resulting potion even let him mess with his Stamina by using his Basic Mana Maniption as a very rough appendage, enabling him to vaguely poke at the Attribute with the Skill. It provided quite the nice surprise, too. Though perhaps he shouldnt have been that surprised? Stamina Maniption ept Skill? Y/N He didnt take it yet, naturally. But unless he saw a convincing reason not to before then, he probably would after he evolved his Flight skill. It probably wouldnt slow him that much, he tried to tell himself. Not if he was going to try and push Alchemy to level 120. That process would probably take years, and he could definitely raise another Skill or two to level 60 twice in that timeframe, especially if it was likely to assist his alchemy. He just couldnt keep using that logic in the future was all. The problem was, if he drank it like an elixir, it just prevented him from using Overcharge at all, the Skill not finding any purchase in his body. No, he needed to do something more selective. Something that would only be in one specific part of his body for a specific amount of time and would be washed away by his metabolism. Was this a stupid idea? Part of him said it was. However, the other part of him- crucially, the part of him that had Anatomy and Alchemy on its side- said that he should be fine, just with perhaps some lingering side effects. Nothing as bad as using Overcharge itself, it was worth noting, but side effects nheless. A few hesitant tests showed that yes, the potion worked just as good when injected directly into him as it did when he drank it, which meant the next phase of the test was a-go. He created a ring of tiny syringes. Perhaps more urately, he created a bunch of syringe needles, just barely hollowed out and only open on the one side. To fill them, he just pushed the tip into his potion and activated Improbable Arsenal, the expanded space sucking in the liquid. The initial prototype fit around his forearm, and he felt the prick of the needles push into his skin as Inion helped him equip the item. Edwin winced, and the fey looked up in concern, Are you alright? It pinches, he answered, And my Health is putting up a fit, which just makes it itch as well. Is it bad that I kind of want this to fail just so I dont have to put up with anything like this on a regr basis? Youll live, Inion dismissed him- though not in an uncaring way, it seemed like? Gah, these emotion things wereplicated. What is a bit of pain for the sake of glory, my dear friend? If you can strike a mountain in twain, surely a few pokes is a small price to pay? Yeah! Punch it even harder! Yathal piped in, and Edwin shot him a halfhearted re. Honestly, the little scamp was so quiet he almost forgot the boy was there half the time, but when he did speak up it was always in the context of Edwin either being beaten up or Edwin beating someone else up. Then again, would he have been any different when he was eight, and if he had the chance to see movie-level fights performed right in front of him? Probably not, if Edwin was being honest with himself. So, he forced himself to not get annoyed at the kid. I know its worthwhile, thats why Im going through with this, he grumbled. Doesnt mean I like it though. If this doesnt work, Ill have to keep looking for another way to control Overcharge. If Im lucky, Ill find a method that doesnt hurt so much. But if this does work, I have better things to do with my time. Probably. Depends on how much it ends up hurting and if I figure out any alternatives. Mhm. Okay, seems like itll stay in ce, Inion finished fussing over him, and Edwin pulled back his arm in annoyance, only to immediately regret his decisions. Sorry, he muttered, then spoke up more clearly, Did you listen to anything I just said? he asked with a sigh. Dont like the pain, kind of hope it wont work so youre forced toe up with a less painful version? Guess you did, Edwin acquiesced. He took a deep breath, Well its not going to get any easier by waiting. Edwin snaked his mana-awareness to the tiny amount of magic keeping his needle-syringes expanded in size. He steeled himself in preparation, and after a moment to calm himself down, yanked out all the magic and Skill structure that allowed the needles to hold more than half a literal drop of potion, forcing the liquid into his flesh and his veins. He was already lying down, so he didnt need to worry about his bnce as he turned all of his Perception inwards. It seemed to be working alright. It wasnt a perfect ring of effect, obviously, as the potion diffused out into his bloodstream and beyond, but the cloud was very clearly affecting his Health and Stamina. They acted as though they were traveling through a pot of honey, and quickly umted in the area. Then, he activated Overcharge from the tip of his finger, and Edwin watched as the magic flooded down the length of his arm and was held back by the ring of concentrated attributes, just as he had hoped. Some mana still leaked past, obviously, but that would be remedied with additional refinements to his setup and once he actually got a handle on how Overcharge worked exactly. Even now, it was probably within his Mana Maniption capabilities to deal with. Being able to confine it to just a certain part of his body was obviously huge, and beyond the obvious benefit of not making him feel like hed been run over by a tank every time he used the Skill, the effect of the Skill seemed to be magnified. It made sense, really. The Skill still used the same amount of mana as it always did, but with it confined to such a small part of him Well, it was almost literally glowing with power. Awesome. Yay but also dang it. Did your endeavor seed? Lefi eagerly asked. Honestly, did he have no patience or something? More or less, he admitted, give me some of the rocks. He made a grabbing motion with his right hand while still reclined. Either Lefi or Inion slipped a pebble into his awaiting palm, and Edwin easily cracked it with his increased strength. He couldnt crush it, no, but he could break it into pieces so long as he had a bit of leverage to use against it. So strength was working, good. Now was the time Edwin wasnt looking forward to. He nodded, Okay. Stab me. They didnt have long, of course, so the tests were kind of rushed and not to the standards that Edwin normally liked, but getting an approximation was better than nothing. Of course, because he was getting stabbed, Edwin would have preferred it if he didnt need to test this at all but it was better to be stabbed in a clinical trial than in the field. He just needed to know how capable he was of surviving a stab. Lefi obliged him, holding down Edwins wrist and trying to slice into his forearm. While the initial stab used no Skills, Lefi quickly reactivated first all of his truly monstrous number of passives one at a time, his body and wrist being flooded with a tapestry of colors, though definitely trending towards the yellow-brown and red end of the spectrum. When none of them managed to break his skin- Edwin silently cheered behind gritted teeth of nervousness- Lefi started bringing more active Skills into y. These ovepped on the red Skills (maybe some were just active versions of his passive skills?) but also had more ck, silver, and white Skills in the mix, representing quite the array of Skill types. Lefi kept adding low-powered Skills to the mix, and just before Overcharge ended, he finally broke through, the de piercing Edwins skin and drawing blood. Before it could get too deep, the adventurer pulled back the de in a truly phenomenal disy of finesse. After the Skill ended, of course, it felt like Edwin had dipped his arm in burning acid, but that was hardly new. The shallow cut was annoying, but simrly within tolerance. His pain tolerance was significantly higher than they had been before Joriah, after all, to say nothing of Adaptive Defenses work in that regard. What was more annoying was the cuts stubborn refusal to heal. He should have expected it, but the serum designed to capture Health and Stamina did a great job of doing exactly that, and ordingly prevented his Attribute from healing the wound. He sighed and applied a drop of healing salve to the cut. It wasnt as quick as it normally was, no doubt because Health wasnt there to guide it properly, but by the time his blocking potion wore off, the cut was already scabbed over, and he felt Health take over as he turned his attention more to Lefi. So? How did it go? Marvelously! Your skin withstood hundreds of levels of passive Skills! And nearly a hundred active as well! What does that trante to, though? Lefis eyes flicked back and forth in thought, Ah! Well, an active Skill- Piercing Cut was what finally broke through- could be thought of as being twice as potent as a Passive, such as Steady Cut. As most will have but a single passive Skillset- that is, a single basic Skill and its evolution- for their weapon and a single active Skillset, or some average thereabouts, you should be fully capable of withstanding a blow from a Third-tier or Fourth-tier wholly unscratched! What does that trante to, though? Lefi let out a shortugh, Youll be able to withstand the attacks of most non-dedicated ssed youe across. Few bandits will have the strength to pierce your defenses as they are rarely that strong in theirbat Skills, and only the strongest beasts will be capable of scratching you. However, any who have abat ss will undoubtedly have little trouble wounding you assuming they bring their active Skills to bear. Edwin nodded in thought. Honestly? The benefits were exactly what he wanted. A way to resist strong attacks and shrug off weaker ones? It might actually give him a fighting chance, the ability to defend himself! If only the side effects werent so painful. Heck, hed settle for side effects that he could solve, that werent just an inherent part of the potion doing exactly what it was supposed to. The most obvious of them was the method his very Attributes were ensnared. It wasnt instantaneous, which meant he would need to activate the potion full seconds before he actually used Overcharge. Now, that might not have sounded that bad, but considering the situations in which he was likely to use the Skill tended to be super high-stress moments of already stressful fights, a few seconds was a lot. He could probably make it work, though. Once it was in ce, itsted for about a minute before the Health and Stamina it had collected overwhelmed the toxin and broke it down. He didnt know what would happen to the mana powering Overcharge if it was still ongoing after that minute had passed, but he didnt need to worry about that! It still onlysted about twenty seconds, but that was quickly growing with every passing level. It was a bit like applying a tourniquet, really. Itpletely cut off all Attribute cirction to and from his limb, and because it was his arm, there wasnt a whole lot of Health or Stamina to begin with. If anything somehow managed to injure him through Overcharge, or struck in the time between Overcharge ending and the potion fading away, he was in for a very rough time. He would be well, fully human. No supernatural durability or endurance in the slightest. That was slightly worrying, really, given how fragile humans were. Hed just give a couple more tests to find out how it impacted repeated use of the same area, and maybe what happened if he used full-body Overcharge while his bracer was active. Now, he just needed to refill the delivery needles. Chapter 97b: Injecting Levity Chapter 97b: Injecting Levity Okay Edwin panted, Thats enough for today. Thanks for not breaking the bracer off, Lefi. His entire body ached as he worked on dismissing the apparatite pins that held the armband in ce, and sighed in sweet relief as the tight crystal released its grip. He flinched at the ring of holes in his arm re-opening and watched as blood welled up and scabbed over the wounds in rapid session. Having lots of Health in one ce was great, even if the Attribute was more focused on putting him back together after so many uses of Overcharge. What would have happened if it did break off? Lefi asked, curious. Did he want something simr? There was no way the guy had Overcharge though, so it wouldnt be any use to him. Well, with thebination of suppressed yet concentrated Health and Stamina, I suspect immediate-onset magical necrosis which would rot my limb off in the matter of seconds to or possibly even through the bone. This would be while having twelve holes in my skin making veritable fountains of blood spurting out every second. Both of his teachers leveled a re at him. Okay, okay! Fine! It was just a joke, no need to be so touchy. I would be fine, Id just need to make a new band, which I would anyway. Overcharging just my forearm wouldnt be enough most of the time anyway. After all, his goals- discounting his ability to train Overcharge more effectively if his entire body didnt feel like burned meat after using the Skill. A single limb at a time would be far preferable- were to get a quick but not final move-level powerup that he could use to literally punch above his weight ss. Naturally, he wouldnt gain the full benefits of using the Skill in battle, but he would at least be able to continue to fight afterwards. Or he could use his arm as a shield if needed, as even Lefi needed to strike at nearly full strength if he wanted to actually injure Edwin while Overcharge was active. But, all that meant he would be best-served by Overcharging his entire arm, and that meant he needed to figure out a contraption that rested around his shoulder. It ended up not being too terribly tricky, all told. A few hours of work and a level in Sappers Apparatuster, he had a ring that sat just past his shoulder, resting on his corbone and encircling his entire shoulder. When he activated it, the potion would inject itself into the space just by his joint, empowering everything he would need to give an absolutely massive punch. It did, unfortunately, leave his shoulder particrly vulnerable, as it wouldnt be reinforced by any of his Attributes, at least not yet. Any Health that went across that tiny sliver would be used to fight against the encroaching mana from Overcharge, and Stamina would be busy trying to get rid of the injection. To protect his arm from being sliced off, Edwin devised a pauldron which would house the vials and also prevent someone from chopping his arm outright. For the time being, it was just made out of apparatite, but he hoped to get something stronger made for him once they made it to the city whatever it was called. Sheraith? Prototyping was especially useful in that process, and he even got a few levels in the Skill much to his delight. He just had so many Skills it was almost inevitable he was neglecting some of them as he progressed through his training. It was frustrating, in some ways, that the exact same barriers that kept people from taking the Lefi route of getting all of the Skills- there simply was a practical limit for which you started hitting diminishing returns for taking another Skill- had finally starteding into y. He was either at or near that point, but at the same time all of his Skills had their ce and he wasnt sure which he would give up if presented with the opportunity. Still annoyed him that even with two separate leveling boosters, he still wasnt able to keep all of his Skills in his training rotation. Well, that wasnt entirely true. Hed be so happy once he could pull Overcharge out of regr rotation not that it was likely to actually happen, with this potion. He sighed. No rest for the weary. It was kind of his fault, he supposed, for wanting to be so strong on his own two feet. If he just epted that he was weak and would continue to be, then he would be fine But he didnt want to live at another persons mercy. Hm. Maybe he could make a gun? If swords and arrows could be legitimate weapons here, then what amounted to an arrowhead traveling at supersonic speeds would definitely be an effective weapon. He wasnt sure he trusted his ability to make pistols and not pipe bombs, though. Not after the smoke bomb incident, at least. Where was he? Oh, right. Safety at the whim of others. It it rubbed him the wrong way. After Tara had held him at swordpoint and forced him to exin his origins, hed promised himself hed never be in that situation again. And friends might help, wouldnt they? He looked over to where Inion and Lefi were walking,ughing as they talked about whatever it was they so dearly liked to chat about. Was it him? Probably not. He wasnt noteworthy enough for them to warrant speaking about him when he wasnt a part of the conversation. Edwin tinkered with his pauldron prototype to try and distract himself. The needles already were separate objects from their holder, maybe he could insert them into a dedicated container which he could then expand with Improbable Arsenal? He might be able to arrange some sort of delivery contraption sort of like he had for the serum itself, where the needles popped out of their de-expanded container to jab him it wasnt ideal, but it was better than running around with a bunch of needles constantly jabbing into him. If nothing else, it was a waste of Adaptive Defense, making it constantly be attuned to pain. It only was able to bring it down to a moderate itch anyway. Yathal and Kyni were running around the carriage, moving fast enough they were sometimes only blurs out of the corner of Edwins vision. He couldnt miss theughing and barking that apanied their y- it was the happiest they ever got outside of watching Edwin being violent- nor the asional cry as Yathal tripped over something and skinned his knee or elbow. Honestly, the kid was lucky the injuries werent worse, and Edwin was sure it was only thanks to some Skill that Kynigos had- ring golden every time the boy tripped- that Yathal didnt have actual road rash from such high-speed falls. The first time it had happened, Edwin nearly sprang up with one of his healing potions, but had been waved off by Lefi. Instead, Kynigos would always dutifully approach and nuzzle his fallen boy, before licking Yathals injury, wiping away blood, dirt and wounds alike. Regardless, it meant that they could keep themselves busy and without needing to worry about what they had gotten up to. Eventually, Yathal would tire himself out and either settle down into a walk or hop either onto his dogs back or the carriage itself for a ride. Bill, of course, waspletely unphased by everything going on around him. He was just a good, sturdy little pony who barely even flinched at the sound of explosions. Good pony. Edwin hopped up onto the carriage. They were only two days out from the city, and he had more that he wanted to take care of. Sure, he was sore from overusing Overcharge, but what else was new? A quick sinbalyne-based painkiller knocked off the low-grade pain without also drugging him, meaning he was perfectly capable of doing low-grade alchemy work! He already had a bunch of stuff refined after all, and he didnt really know what the shelf life of his catalysts and other essences were. For all he knew, he needed to use them up quickly to ensure maximum efficacy! Hmmm hed start with his smoke bombs. Those should be quick, right? Hed almost gotten them to workst time, after all. All hed need to do this time was exclude the ignition agent! He was on a roll! It couldn''t possibly be that hard. So he did manage to make his smoke bombs. It genuinely wasnt that hard, though he may or may not have gone without sleep one night to get them done before they reached the city. He was fine, though. If he could go a week without sleep and still be mostly cognizant by the end of it, he could do a single night and be fine. Inion disagreed. But at least she didnt force him to sleep, just was moderately snarkier than usual at him after finding out. A small price to pay, all told. After all, that was behind him! And his test bomb had filled a sphere more than five meters in radius, so Edwin was quite happy with the end result. It blew away after a few minutes, sure, but if he was outside that was plenty of time to get away, and if he were inside the effect wouldst way longer. He only had six at the moment and needed to Refine more illusion dust before he could make any more, but really. How likely was it that hed need to perform more than a half-dozen vanish into the smoke moves while in a city, really? That couldnt possibly happen, right? ....Why did he always curse himself like that? Anyway, they were just there to get Rih. Who was an adventurer that was supposed to help out Yathal in some way. He probably should ask at some point, or did Lefi already exin how theyd help? In any case, Rih hadnt been able to meet them because she was held up, if Edwin remembered correctly. Held up doing what, he didnt know and he couldnt say he really cared either. He was still somewhat hesitant as to whether he would stick around with Lefi once their paths were no longer going in the same direction. Maybe he would maybe he wouldnt. It would serve as a test as to whether or not Inion really did like him or not, or if she now preferred Lefi. ...Did he want that question answered, though? Edwin quickly quashed that train of thought before his entire afternoon was ruined productivity-wise. He was fine and would remain so. He still had a few tasks to aplish before they arrived in the city, after all. He couldnt spend hours moping again! He needed to um Right! He needed to secure everything on the outside of the cart so it wouldnt be snatched away! Also, he should probably stow away some of his ongoing distitions so they werent sitting out. Edwin hopped out and looked at his carriage. Over the months, hed started growing a few nts along the side- he left the roof clear, given that was where he usually slept- held in apparatite pots, just to try and keep some of his stocks full. He wasnt sessful with every nt he tried to grow, but he had managed to get mi and firevine with some effort. Sinbalyne grew, but not well. Hed need to figure out what it needed at some point. Anyway, he needed to bring them inside for protection. Oh, he still needed to water them today, didnt he? Oh! Of course, he should also make sure that Level Up! Skill Points 837885 (Average level: 48) Adaptive Defense Level 3032 Alchemical Analysis Level 3134 Alchemical Dismantling Level 4142 Alchemy Level 9091 Anatomy Level 4243 Arcadian Elixir Level 3032 Basic Thermokinesis Level 2628 Bomb Throwing Level 5051 Flight Level 4144 Fresh Air Level 3334 Improbable Arsenal Level 3033 Longstrider Level 3335 Mana Infusion Level 8788 Memory Level 6364 Numeracy Level 4042 Outsiders Almanac Level 133134 Overcharge Level 2226 Polyglot Level 6768 Prototyping Level 2934 Refining Level 3235 Ritual Intuition Level 2831 Sappers Apparatus Level 5154 Skillful Assessment Level 4041 Watchful Rest Level 3031 Name Edwin Maxlin Age 1 year Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 33 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 91, Alchemical Analysis 34, Refining 35, Alchemical Dismantling 42, Sappers Apparatus 54 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 28, Feys Caress 36, Ritual Intuition 31, Mana Infusion 88 Flight 44, (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 26, Longstrider 35, Fresh Air 34 (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 42, Prototyping 34, Anatomy 43, Polyglot: 68, Memory 64 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 51, Adaptive Defense 32 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 134, Watchful Rest 31, Skillful Assessment 41, Arcadian Elixir 32, Improbable Arsenal 33 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 885 Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Mystic Alchemist 0/90, Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90, Attuner 0/30, Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Schr 0/60, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan Spider Hunter 0/60 Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90, Insomniac 0/30, Sleepless Disciple 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched Chapter 98a: Tablet Monitor Chapter 98a: Tablet Monitor As they drew closer to the city, Edwin began to notice more and more side roads connecting to their main path. Then again, it wasnt all that surprising on further reflection. There was no way the single, unswerving main road managed to connect every minor settlement in the area, and the supplementary paths werent quite as straight as the cobbled street they currently were on, instead curving in to gradually join in with their current direction of travel. It seemed likely that they were built in such a way that it would be rtively easy to get from Sheraith to wherever the roads led or vice versa, but they were very much optimized for travel to or from the nearestrge city. Rather clever, all told. Of course, the increased road quantity also increased the amount of traffic they encountered. Sure, there were still the daily couriers running back and forth and travelers making long-distance treks, but now they were joined by local farmers hauling in their harvests to the city, small groups of individuals on their way to and way fromden with more manufactured goods there was apparently a market of some form going on. The density of nearby buildings increased as well. Here, Edwin saw way more wooden structures than stone ones, and that led to significantly different architecture than hed normally been seeing in the stone-dominated Vinstead. Whereas there wood was only used for internals and a bit of structure, here it made up nearly all of nearly every building. Oh yeah, what was up with theck of wood in Vinstead? Edwin asked Lefi, There was a massive forest right there, why did everyone choose to use stone as their building material? Was there a fire at some point or something? What do you know of the Verdant, and of Rhothos in general? Edwin shrugged, Not a whole lot. I know that Vinstead is ancient, though, like predating the Empire old. And the Verdant is this big magical forest with lots of crazy stuff when you go further in, lots of great magical nts. I see! Well, the Verdant is the nigh-literal heart of the southern half of the continent. It overflows with life and magic, only kept from encroaching upon and swallowing much of the continent in imprable woonds by a mighty magical boundary. It took centuries to drive back the trees as far as they are now, and none wish to invite them back! Edwin frowned, So what, theres a superstition that if people use wood in construction, itll weaken the boundaries of the Verdants containment? Not to insult anyone, but that seems kind of stupid. Stone has to be way harder to get and work with than wood. Lefi shook his head, It is no mere superstition, my friend. It has happened thrice over in history that whereupon too much wood was used in Vinstead, the Verdant leaked and caused a multitude of wild creatures to be birthed within the city. Wait, what? Like it just summoned bears or whatever? The houses sprouted limbs and began to grow a canopy, birds imed their roosts in those branches, and beasts and monsters began their hunt in the streets. Thus, wooden buildings are strictly limited. Lefi nodded in exnation. You think theyd have learned after the second time, Edwin remarked. Ah, but why would they pay heed to such a baseless superstition? the adventurer winked back at him, forcing Edwin to nod in concession. How do you know all this stuff, anyway? Edwin had to ask, I thought you ran away from home when you were Yathals age or whatever. Howd you learn so much history? Ah, you are mistaken in a pair of ways, you see? While I was still an Exceptional youth, my parents saw within me the greatness I was destined for and always encouraged me to fully realize myself- once it was clear that I was already free of the Management and wouldnt be able to rejoin regardless of what efforts they might endeavor to undertake. s, one day bandits set upon my vige and burned it to the ground. I escaped the destruction on ount of my exceptionalism yet swore my revenge upon the perpetrators. To this day, I continue to stalk thend in search of their leader in the hopes of getting my revenge. Wait, really? Im so sorry, I had no Edwin immediately felt bad, though a part of him still whispered, protagonist syndrome. Ha! No, I merely proved far too Exceptional for my peers and thus the vige head deemed that I was too much of a disturbance. He drove me out and thus began my true calling as an adventurer! Are you messing with me again? Not in this case, no. That is near enough to my history as to be sufficiently enlightening, however! Though in truth I was as eager to leave as they were to get rid of me- I was off on a treasure hunt, you see. Treasure hunt? There was a great bounty to be found and I sought to im it. Powerful magical beasts may maraude the country at times, and if you can kill them before the Enforcer is called out their hides and meat can fetch truly wondrous prices! Thats interesting, and its strange that they would allow that sort of behavior to happen. Doesnt that kill lots of people? Lefi shrugged, I do not know that they care. Such activities are seen as exceptionally reckless and that said deaths would be inevitable so it matters not whether they die by a manticores venom or an oversized hole in the ground. Is that in reference to something specific? Manticore venom? Truly nasty stuff, it is! Completely incurable and is more potent the more Skills you have- particrly those meant to resist its effects. Never fought one and I hope I never have to, one scratch and youre as good as dead. No, I meant the... oh, never mind. How do you know all of this stuff anyway? Like some of it Id understand, you just picked up a random bit of trivia here and there in your years of travel, but the thing about Vinstead? Howd you learn that? Historical Recall! Such a marvelous evolution of the simple Recall skill, as it allows me to Recall things I had never learned akin to Common Knowledge. The two function together marvelously, I shall say. You really do have a Skill for everything, dont you? Every little thing! Other than Stamina Maniption, Edwin teased. Oh, you little! Youll pay for that! Edwin managed to dodge the good-natured cuff, his training sessions with Lefi not wholly worthless, but found himself suddenly drenched in cold water. Hey! he yelled at Inion, who had snuck up behind him with a bucket. Gotta watch out for danger from everywhere! No safety! she called back. Edwin narrowed his eyes. Oh, if she wanted a tussle, he could provide. Edwiny pleasantly tired next to Inion. She had won, of course. Edwin couldnt win a fight if Oi! Snap out of it. It had been a fun diversion as they approached Sheraith. Curiously, unlike Vinstead, the main road didnt run straight to the citys gates, but ran to the side of it. Connecting them was a road that split off, quite wide and in almost as good of condition as the primary thoroughfare. There was a bit of a backup while they waited for the guards to clear their wagon, made even slower by the apparent presence of a market and correspondinglyrge amounts of merchants. If it had just been Edwin, he could have joined the rest of the walkers, but thanks to his new carriage, he was stuck in an absolutely massive traffic jam. In any case, it gave them enough time to figure out what to do with Inion, which turned out to be a more involved conversation than Edwin had really anticipated. You know, I think we probably could get you in. Like he turned to Lefi, Common Knowledge or whatever doesnt say shes a fey, right? It could if they looked, the adventurer replied, Though it is as always about asking the right questions. But would they be likely to? Not particrly, no. Okay, so then you should be fine! Hmm nah. I dont wanna risk it! What is it with you and cities? Do you just not like being around so many people away from nature or whatever? No! No, of course not. Cities are fine. Remember when I tried to get into Vinstead with you? I like cities. I just dont like the guards is all, ya? Ya. Itll be fine! You go do your stuff and then well get me inter. Are you scared of the guards after that one threw you down the street like a ragdoll? Edwin realized, Ha! She red at him, No. Of course not. They caught me off-guard is all. Had I know what they could do I wouldnt have been so much as budged! Sure Edwin teased her, So then what is it? Look, you go in and do your stuff, Ill gomune with the river for a while, and I can give you new knowledge about the rivers here tomorrow when you sneak me in! Id be more likely to believe you if you ever actually provided any actual information other than how much fun you had. All the functional difference here is that Ill be sneaking you in You just want to sneak in, dont you? Edwin sighed, Like you dont actually care about whether or not youd be allowed in normally, you just want to do things a different way? She didnt respond so Edwin continued, So what, should I meet you out here tomorrow? What are you going to actually be doing? Please dont be something that can be traced back to me. Oh, youre not going to tell me to not get in trouble? she teased. No. If I asked you to do that, youd make sure to get in trouble just to be contrary. And youre not worried about that now? I hope that it would at the very least be more trouble than its worth. Well see she stroked her chin in pretend thought, Well see The spread of buildings outside of Sheraiths walls was significantly less sprawling than at Vinstead. Farnd dominated most of thendscape, with the few apanying structures being very nice farmhouses and the like. For a while, Edwin was really confused by the presence of enormous fields of what looked like wheat, but only the stalks. Any grains that might have been growing were totally gone. He didnt have to wonder about what might have caused them for long, though. One field was being harvested as they passed, and Edwin watched in awe as a single man hefted what looked like abination of bucket and scythe, swinging it in a massive arc at approximately waist height. There was a blur of silver and the massive sh of a greenish-brown Skill. In a single motion, a huge swath of the field was cut just short of the head, the stalks bobbing back and forth from the sudden motion and apanying gust of wind. Edwin could even see the farmer empty a truly staggering amount of wheat heads from the bucket mounted on his scythe into a sack sitting on the ground next to him. The sack didnt seem to fill up at all from what must have been enough grain to feed a small town for a month, and the farmer barely seemed weighed down as he picked up the bag and started walking to another section of the massive field. Nobody elsemented about the utterly absurd stunt, so Edwin just quietly shook his head and carried on. As the line slowly progressed, a few more buildings started popping up. A couple inn-looking ces with stables off to the side, a couple of dedicated stables, and then atst a ring of buildings built right outside of the walls, a miniature town unto itself. Most people on foot were allowed free passage through the gates, the logic being that anyone without a pack was local enough as to not need questioning, but the moment you had so much as a backpack people were pulled off to one of the sides of the gate. The gate itself was massive and imposing. The stone seemed to be a single enormous monolith but with Outsiders Almanac Edwin was able to tell they were secretly at least seventeen different stones held together with such precision that their seams were utterly invisible. Honestly, it was in some ways more impressive than just carving it all from a single rock, discounting the effects of Skills. After all, a singlerge mass didnt y nice with most object-based Skills like Rock Sculpting, meaning only the highest-leveled, and thus most expensive, sculptors and masons would be able to work with enormous stone blocks. The gateway itself was approximately arch-shaped, depicting a pair of blue rainbows cascading from a massive thundercloud. Or maybe they were waterfalls? They were probably waterfalls, actually. With that concept in mind he was very easily able to pick out the stylizations of flowing water and he almost felt stupid for thinking they were a blue rainbow of all things. Well whatever. He was the only one who knew about that little mistake. hed still be obsessing over it for the next five years though. He didnt reminisce about his stupidity from back home for whatever reason, but did he ever have a greatest hits of every stupid thing hed done in thest nearly two years. The gates themselves were thick, solid wood made from some kind of tree they didnt have on Earth but he had hesitantly called ''ironwood'', and while he could only see the interior of the door, they were reinforced in as much a decorative manner as a structural one depicting some very abstract and stylized picture Edwin wasnt quite able to parse. Behind the gate there was a small hallway before opening into the streets of Sheraith itself. He wasnt quite able to ess the city itself yet. First, they had to get past thethree armored figures conducting the inspection of any group with a beast of burden or cart. Junior City Guard City Guardian Experienced Lirasian Gatekeeper The Gatekeeper looked at them- Identify flickering in concert with a couple of other Skills- and nodded. The one who seemed to be in charge of their inspection turned to Lefi, currently showing as an Adventurer-Mage. He made some gestures on a tablet- a literal tablet, not aputer. Just a b of granite with some carvings on it- and started in with a set of questions. ce of birth? Riverbend, there was a hint of augh in Lefis voice, but the guard didnt seem amused, Rhothos, he finished, and the Gatekeeper nodded. Current Registrar? Rizzali of Vinstead. Reason and date for leaving? Desire to travel, visiting a friend and providing mentorship. Been on the road for two months or so. Most recent stop? Ashglen. Family and given name? Lefi Forolova. There was a crack in the guards otherwise stoic faade and Edwin could have sworn the man red at Lefi a bit behind his glimmer of recognition, Right. Reason and duration of visit? Visiting a friend, possibly a month or two. The kid needs a helping hand and she can provide. The guard pointed at Yathal, He yours, then? As far as it matters. Good enough. nned location of stay? Rented room, or also possible with friend. Whos this friend? Adventurer Rih. That got the guard to finally look up from his tablet, The daywasr? Polyglot didnt trante the word, but given the mans tone it didnt soundplimentary, so Edwin didnt poke at it. He had a good enough idea, he felt. Yes, her. Is that a problem? The man snorted, Not one of mine. Seven or twelve. Me and the kid or just me? Both, but not the alchemist. Twelve? Twelve. Youre free to go elsewhere, Adventurer. Twelve, Lefi agreed with a sigh and pulled out a small handful of silver. He dropped a number- Numeracy let Edwin cheat and count twelve- into the guards waiting palm. A curt nodter, the two spear-wielders withdrew and allowed Lefi, Yathal, and Kyni through. They slipped into the crowd, but Edwin saw a string of two Skills y- namely, Whispering and Yelling- as they passed through and whispered into his ear with Lefis voice. Well be nearby and find you once you get through. Fortunately, he knew basically what to do. It was the job of the Gatekeeper to ensure that only productive individuals would be let into the city- they assessed the potential value and risks they brought with them and set an entry price ordingly. Those who were sick or known troublemakers were usually refused outright, but Adventurers would usually get away with just a ridiculously high entry fee. He wasnt entirely sure why the man had listed two prices, but no real matter. He was hopeful hed be able to escape without one regardless. ce of birth? the Gatekeeper asked once again. I, uh think Im supposed to just show this in response? I dont think I should say much more than that. Edwin asked, pulling out a small token- his adventurer license, which had apparently at some point been updated to show his Ally of the Empire status ording to Lefi. How the adventurer knew that he didnt know. No, he has everything or he has all of the Skills dont count as exnations. At first the gatekeeper didnt seem to pay too much to him, finishing up some sort of Skill-based interaction with his tablet before finally looking to study the small trinket, If you think thats supposed to Oh, now that is interesting. Step to the side, my lieutenant will be with you shortly. What about my stuff? It will go with you. Now, move. Alright, alright, Edwin caved easily, mentally preparing himself for an Important meeting. Chapter 98b: Tablet Monitor Chapter 98b: Tablet Monitor At least the wait didnt'' turn out to be too long, and Edwin was able to entertain himself like he usually did- Prototyping and Sappers Apparatus both made for amazing fidgets, to say nothing of his ability for nigh-literal self-reflection. An avior joined him after about ten minutes, armored in significantly more than the chain shirt and helmet of the normal city guards, and an Identify confirmed his higher status. Junior Provincial Defense Overseer Edwin was out of practice examining avior expressions- not that he was ever that good, all told- but he still got the sense that the lieutenant wasnt in the best mood, Youre the one? he asked. Edwin Maxlin, he confirmed with a nod, Thats me. Good. Now, do you want to exin that, he pointed at the license, to me and why it gets you out of normal questioning? Edwin shrugged, Ive been officially advised by T-Enforcer Lisana of Rhothos and Emperor Xares that I not divulge parts of my past and history. Nothing can ever be simple with adventurers, can it? he used. I mean, I think mypanions had a pretty simple entry, Edwin countered, but saw his reply didntnd well as the piercing eyes of the ck-feathered hawk bore straight into his skull. Perhaps. But they arent here right now. Now, Ally or not, it is my duty to ensure the safety of my city. Thus, you are to answer my questions honestly and fully. Or youre back out on the road, understand? I guess? Can I answer that something is an Imperial secret? I will check with every single thing you im that for, and know that if that is a lie, you will find your life bing very unpleasant very quickly. Now, first. Current Registrar? What are you bringing into the city? the Overseer finally asked. The interrogation, if it could even be called that, wasnt too bad, but it did take a little while and Edwin was d that it seemed to being to a close. Personal alchemy supplies, he readily answered, Most of it self-created, some of it I got in Panastalis. And the many, many weapons we found lying on the inside? Wait, what? Edwin was confused, why were Oh, that little he trailed off, unsure of the right word to express his frustration. He got his emotions under control quickly enough and breathed out, Those would be my traveling partner, Lefi Forolovas. I believe hes just inside the gates if you need to speak with him. I actually forgot those were in there. What man needs more than one halberd? Edwin could only shrug, Youll have to ask him. Very well. He set his tablet down on a nearby shelf, Twenty-four. Edwin flinched a bit at the price, but still fished out the required coins from his pouch, dropping them in the aviors waiting hand. Your friends weapons will be kept in the Weapons Check, reim them when you depart. Ill be keeping an eye on you, Adventurer. Now begone. Blow away, I have other things I was attending to before this. It had been some time since Edwin had been in a real city- Panastalis didnt count- and thest time he had been, Skillful Assessment wasnt nearly as powerful as it currently was nor was he as adept at utilizing it. Now that he had it on at basically all times, a thousand almost-invisible Skill uses now caught his attention. A young boy was using Identify on pretty much everyone he could see as he walked hand in hand with his mother, a sky-blue gnome tiredly talked to a merchant as he wrote something in midair, and a farmer was using Packing to heft a massive, spatially expanded barrel over his shoulder. Avior swooped from the sky andnded gracefully next to an uncovered stall, buying something, then took off once more. A pair of humans navigated around the stream of people while carrying a stone cube that was a bit over four meters a side. A seemingly empty stretch of road that was lit up with Skills lifted up momentarily to let out a halfling and an avior locked in intense discussion. Are all cities this rife with Skill usage all the time and Ive just been blind before now, or is Sheraith special in that regard? he asked Lefi. The man chuckled, You look like Yathal, head darting every which way. Sheraith is perhaps more open with Skill usage than other ces, but not by that much. Did he really have to make theparison to Yathal? Well, he did like that he knew better now, but it still made him feel somewhat self-conscious. The boy was looking at a bunch of fall-themed decorations covering every surface, head darting every which way, and Edwin tried to keep his gawking impulses in check. As they continued their journey further and further into the city, Edwin started noticing a few buildings made predominantly of stone blocks. The architecture quality seemed to improve proportionally, and it was obvious that they were heading to the nicer part of the city. How do you know where were going, exactly? Edwin couldnt help but ask. It was weird just blindly following Lefi, And are you sure this is the right way? This all just seems so nice, for an adventurer. I know everything! And worry not, this is indeed the right way we must venture. We are nearly there, you see. Just around the corner. Furthermore, there are many adventurers who have fabulous wealth to call upon! Okay Edwin mundanely replied, Its just that theres a lot of people looking at us funny. Worry not of their opinions, they are merely envious of our freedom! He didnt really have a goodeback to that so he fell silent. After a quick check on Bill- fine as always- his attention drifted to their surroundings once again. The architecture in this nicer section of the city was really, really impressive. While they were all slightly different, of course, it was pretty clear that the architectural styles in favor included very, very few straight lines. Domes and arches were abundant, rounded walls more the rule than the exception. Very few of the buildings were grand and towering, though, instead leaning more towards short and wide- though short still meant three stories in some cases. It was more about the proportions than the actual size, apanied with a distinctck of towers and spires he might have normally associated with fantasy mansions. Then there was the tly magical features, sprinkled around from ce to ce- an intricate stone archway held up by posts no thicker than a pencil, floating steps leading to an entrance on the second story of a building, stone shimmering with almost holographic blues and golds. Among it all, though, there was a single building which broke the architectural standards to a tly insane degree, and as they drew closer, it seemed more and more likely that it was their destination. The base looked like a natural jut of rock, sticking at least twenty feet out of the ground, but one that had been carved out into an almost mansion-like appearance, painted in all manner of colors but predominantly blue. Around the rock was a small grassywn and apanying gardens, flourishing with life. The most impressive feature by far, though, had to be the massive stone tower the rock smoothly transitioned into, rising at least a hundred feet into the air. Or make that two hundred. Three hundred? Even as they got closer and closer to the base, the top continued to be out of range from Numeracy and Identify alike. Is is that a wizards tower? Something like it, Lefi agreed, apparently distracted by the sight. And thats where were going? Indeed! Why are we going to a wizard tower? Where else would we go? Are you saying thats where Ri is? Rih, yes. How? Come along, Edwin! Further into adventure! Are you sure were allowed? Those guys dont look very happy with us, he noted, indicating a pair of City Guards- well, one was a Senior City Guard, but close enough. It shall be perfectly fine, I assure you! I dont oh, never mind. You there! the Senior confronted Lefi. Why was it always Lefi that they thought was the leader? Edwin looked older than him and was the one driving the carriage anyway. Was it the hair? It was probably the hair, wasnt it? Or maybe the ss? What are you doing? Well, my friend! I am attempting to enter the current home of my friend! Now, would you happen to know the method by which we might obtain entrance? I would, yeah. Marvelous! Might you enlighten us to that method? You know what? he leaned forward, I dont think so. Your lot doesnt get in. I assure you, I am perfectly respectable. Yeah, well we dont want you lot in here, howd you even get in? My presence was requested by Adventurer Rih. Ha! Now theres a joke. Let me tell you what, you scram right now and we wont haul you in for attempting to disturb the peace. You got it? the mans voice rose and carried a hint of a mock with it. Lefi took in a breath, but before he could say anything, a halfling woman- an Honored Senior Mundanity Assistant- was at the gate, What is the disturbance? she demanded of the guard, Thedy wishes to not be disturbed. Ah! Much obliged, my fairdy. These ruffians are attempting to force their way into the Spires property, honoreddy, the same guard spoke up, Were just going to remove them before they bother- Toote for that, and dont cut off your betters, she snapped, leaving the guard spluttering, You, Adventurer. What are you doing here? I was sent for by Lady Rih, you see! Lefis fingers pulled out a small green stone from one of his pouches, and after a quick Identify on the halflings part, she nodded. Very well. Come in, let me close the gate. Much obliged, my fairdy. Your cart and horse can go in the stables around back. Come on,e on! That galvanized them into action, and Edwin quickly prompted Tug to enter the opened, very fancy gates. If you do get in with the daywasr, lemme know what its like, eh? the non-Senior guard spoke up for the first time as they departed, and his partner gave out a roughugh. Lefi did not take the statement well, and in the blink of an eye he had drawn his sword and held the guard at swordpoint. Oh, so you do want me to- the Senior was cut off by the halflings cough. Knock it off! Get in here, Adventurer. And you, shoo! Go bother someone else. The woman scolded, and shut down the quarrel entirely. Youll pay for that, adventurer. The guard promised, but Lefi didnt seem concerned. What was that? Edwin quietly asked as they were led into the estates grounds. Well, they insulted- No, not that- though I do want an exnation at some point about that- but the little stone you showed her, he nodded in the direction of the halfling. Lefi held out the que in presentation before withdrawing it, Ah, apologies. I forgot you do not possess Common Knowledge. If Identified, it identifies my person as one who is allowed entry to see Adventurer Rih. When did you get that? Edwin asked. He hadnt seen any messages arriving for Lefi that might have carried the object with them. Oh, some time ago. We have known one another for many years, but this I received alongside my message as to her whereabouts. That didnt answer all of his questions, but Edwin found himself busy with stowing Bill away in the small stables they had on the property. Caring for a horse was a very different experience, but Lefi had helped him learn a lot more about it. That conversation also revealed that Bill probably had Skills to make him easier to care for as well. Pristine Coat, Eating, and Prime Health were all Skills which the Empires Trainers knew how to unlock for horses and all were standard fare. Bill would have other Skills, of course. Trainer-type sses didnt have the same sort of bond that came with the Companion skill, and that meant they couldnt control the Skills of their animals to the same degree of precision. Thus, like most animals, the pony had a moderately-sized grouping of Skills at a decently high level, but no evolutions. In any case, he was d it didnt take too long and he didnt have to leave Lefi and Yathal standing around waiting for him. The notes of a flute floated towards them, melodic and beautiful. It tickled Edwins memory in some regard, though he couldnt remember why exactly. He nodded to Lefi as he rejoined hispanions, speaking about something with the woman. So, he asked as they entered the towers base, Onwards and upwards I suppose? Upwards? Thats bound to be a lot of stairs ahead of us if were going to the top. Ha! Lefi pped Edwins back, sending him staggering as the Assistant opened the door for them, the faint musical notes spilling out as she did so, Indeed! Onwards and upwards, my friend! Onwards and upwards! Chapter 99a: Looking Up Chapter 99a: Looking Up The interior of the tower was every bit as impressive as the exterior. That it was bigger on the inside may not have been a surprise at this point, but the sheer scale of the expansion still awed Edwin. The entry hall alone looked like it wasrger than the massive stone was in its entirety, the ceiling stretching beyond his Identify range, and there were very clearly some wings off to the side, circr doors shut tight. Across the arched roof and walls, a colorful mural of some kind depicted some massive scene that heavily incorporated weather alongside a host of individuals, avior and human alike. It was also oddly silent despite ack of architectural features to dampen the sounds of walking. In fact, the only noise he could hear was the flute melody floating from seemingly all around them. At the far end of the hall a massive spiral staircase rose to the ceiling, supported by nothing and distinctlycking handrails. It was simply a set of wooden ts floating in midair. That they bobbed up and down when pressed upon didnt do too much to help Edwin feel reassured about their stability, but Yathal had no such restraint and thought they were the coolest thing ever. Will the dog be apanying you upstairs to meet the Lady? the halfling Assistant asked, voice neutral. Lefi nced over at Kyni, circling anxiously around Yathal as he climbed over the stairs, He will. Of course. The Lady is at the top. Go at your leisure. The stairs stretched on forever, or so it felt. After they climbed past the entry hall, the steps were magically fastened to the walls and so no longer bobbed up and down, but there was still a sizable gap in the middle of the spiral staircase and gave Edwin a sense of vertigo every time he looked down. While it didnt seem to bother hispanions, Edwin had to fight off the knee-jerk reaction he had to potentially falling all the way to the ground. To try and help, Edwin didnt actually put any weight on the steps. Instead, he tethered Flight to the stone wall- covered with paintings and stone reliefs reminiscent of the main room below, but with a slightly different style to them. Every so often, the style would suddenly shift, but there seemed to be a consistent story being told. That said, for the life of him he couldnt figure out what that story was. There were avior and humans and even a couple of gnomes that showed up, but also lots of weather motifs and it was a lot. Maybe it was the story of the tower? That seemed quite usible. Honestly, these stairs must have been artificially lengthened. Why would you do that? The outside was legitimately shorter, why couldnt they have put the stairs out there? Cmon, Kyni. Pleaseeee? Yathal asked his dog suddenly, panting between each word. Edwin didnt catch what or how Kynigos replied, but Yathal took on a pleading expression, A. But whyyyy. This is so much and mister Lefi says any Skill can be good! Kyni gave a short bark in response, making Yathal redouble his puppy-dog look and made Lefi cut off a chuckle. One more quick bark and Yathal hung his head and despondently continued to climb the stairs, breathing hard the entire way. What was that about? Edwin asked Lefi, I dont speak dog- but you apparently do? Polyglot helps, he gave as a bit of unhelpful rification, But Yathal got a Stair-Climbing skill and wanted Kyni to let him take it. Edwin chuckled a bit at that as he continued to secretly float up behind the golden-haired adventurer. Looking up wasnt informative as to how much longer it would take unless they were genuinely only just barely starting to climb the tower and that wasnt just an optical illusion, but he really, really hoped it was thetter. It wasnt hard for him thanks to Flight, but it was tedious. The faint music grew louder and clearer as they continued to climb, until they eventually reached the top. The stairway just stopped suddenly, letting out into a toorge room at the top of the tower. There were, of course, no handrails around the massive hole in the floor, and Edwin very carefully stepped away from the biggest safety hazard hed ever seen in a building before looking around. Wind blew through the room at a steady rate,ing in through massive windows in every direction that definitely werent visible from the outside. The floor consisted of massive stone blocks inset with blue sigils and circles faintly glowing and absolutely brilliant to his mana sense. It felt like swirling winds and brewing storms, but in reverse? Whatever, he could examine it moreter on. There wasnt a whole lot of traditional furniture in the room save for at one end of the chamber, where a few chairs and a couch rested upon a thick rug next to one of the windows. Given the sole upant of the room was sitting in that window ying the flute, it wasnt hard for Edwin to pick out who Rih was, though she was sitting with her back to them. Oh huh, I know her. Edwin realized as they approached the adventurer, one eye on her Identify result, Well, kind of. Seasonal Dancer of Whimsy I passed her on the road. Really good flute yer. While most of her clothing seemed sensible for an adventurer and the slightly chilly fall breeze passing through the room, her mostly-bare back was the primary thing that Edwin could see from his angle, though the top half of it was covered by brown hair. Was she not wearing a shirt? How the heck was she not freezing? There must have been some kind of Skill at y. If it isnt the snowbird! I would have thought you might have melted away staying here all this time. Lefi called out with a hint of a smile Edwin wasnt familiar with. Rih immediately straightened and spun, showing she was in fact wearing a turquoise and gold not exactly a shirt, considering it only covered from her corbones to her midriff, but garment. Her face brightened, and Edwin caught a glimpse of two different eye colors- one a deep brown and the other a brilliant green while she jumped up from her seat. Lefi! her voice was melodic and soothing- Edwin mped down on his mental state- and she brushed a lock of hair away from her eye as she bounded over to them. She wrapped the adventurer in a hug, and Edwin had to quash an irrational pang of jealousy. After a moment, they separated, Its so good to see you, Ive been cooped up in this little city for months, can you believe it? I know, little snowbird. Thats why Im here. Have youe to sweep me away to the far corners of the wind? her face was one of picture-perfect innocence and curiosity, then broke into a grin, Im d youre here. She finally turned to the others in their little group, and she bent over to greet Yathal. The boy was doing his customary hide-in-Kynis-fur routine, but hesitantly looked up to greet the womans gentle smile, And you must be Yathal. Ive heard so much about you! Im sure well be great friends. Really? Yathal said, barely above a whisper. Of course! Unless you dont want to be my friend? she asked with an exaggerated pout, Then Id be sad. Yathal whispered something into Kynis ear, who nudged the boy. Seemingly remembering something, the little kid sped his hands together and bowed deeply, I would be quite honored if you would ept me in your presence. Oh theres no need for that, little buddy! Were Adventurers! Do you know what that means? Yathal shook his head, so she leaned in conspiratorially and faked a whisper to the boy, It means we dont have to be proper all the time. How? Dont you get in trouble? there was a note of hope or awe in his voice. Nope! What are they going to do? Send us to our room? Nuh-uh! We can go wherever and do whatever we want! But ma always said that being rude to people would mean they wouldnt wanna be your friend. Pshhh. Look at me! Theyve been keeping me here for months because I have something none of them have. When youre an adventurer and someone needs you for something, they really need you, she said with a twinkle in her eye. Look at me! Theyve needed me so much these past months that they gave me this whole huge tower all to myself! Some of them cant even stand to look me in the eye and they still need to put up with me. Woahhh Yathal turned star-struck as he looked around the building they were in, They kicked out the governor for you? Rih bit back augh, No, not quite. The governors ce is really nice. Its super magical, and you know what? Hes got a bunch of adventurers working for him himself. Yathals wide-eyed gaze returned to the woman, Really? I thought nobody wanted adventurers around. Thats just what governors like to say so they can get them all to themselves, she said with a wink. What do they want them for? Oh all sorts of things. Governor Kosvilista has a couple of mages working for him, as well as some for other stuff. What kind of other stuff? Im not a mage, he pouted a bit, but even Edwin could tell his heart wasnt in it. Hmmm Ill tell you, she bopped his nose in emphasis, when youre older. But some of his guards are adventurers, you know? Really? But Edwin wilted a bit as the two of them carried on for quite a while. He could see what Lefi meant- Rih had a way with words that put the normally shy boy at ease instantly, bringing him to say more over the course of an hour than Edwin had heard over the entire month and a half trip. At some point, Edwin and Lefi seated themselves on some of the avable chairs. Rih, for her part, eventually sat crossed-legged in front of the entranced boy. Eventually, though, Lefi stood up and gave a good stretch, Its been wonderful seeing you, snowbird, but I think we need to get going. Come on, Yathal. We need to find a good inn nearby. Oh! Theres no need for that, you guys can stay here. Theres at least three more bedrooms, and Id love to get the chance to talk to the man of the hour again, she grinned at Yathal. Lefi didnt argue- he wouldnt, considering he had been expecting it from what Edwin recalled- and agreed with a quick nod, Where do we go? Stairs, shezily indicated, but a grin crossed her face and revealed she knew exactly what it meant, Talk to Pierash, tell her youll be here for a while. Shell love that. Lefi chuckled, Pierash being the Mundanity Assistant? Seems shed be thrilled to hear that. I could practically feel the dismay radiating from her that Kyni might get dog hair on the floor. A wry grin crossed Rihs face, Shes the one, yeah. Well, excellent. I shall see you in the morning, then? Lefi waved to Rih as he started to descend, Kyni gently pulling Yathal along. The kid was the ssicbination of ''adamant that he was totally fine'' and also ''nearly falling asleep on Kynis back''. Edwin hoped he wouldnt fall off his ride on the very long climb down. Edwin, for his part, was d to escape the social situation that was sitting awkwardly off to the side for several hours, and tried to slink off following hispanions, only to be cut off by Rihs voice. I dont think weve been properly acquainted, she spoke up. Youre Edwin, right? Ive heard about you. Let''s chat, shall we? Chapter 99b: Looking Up Chapter 99b: Looking Up You''ve heard of me? he asked, confused, I dont think Lefi sent even a single letter since we ran into each other. How? Also, yes. Hi. What is there to discuss? He shook his head and extended his hand in greeting. She looked at the motion in curiosity, and Edwin quickly withdrew it. Shaking hands wasnt a thing here, not really. Sorry, he muttered. She just smiled, Its alright. Edwin was of two minds about her friendliness. On the one hand, she was clearly like Lefi: she liked everyone, so he wasnt special. On the other, he did like her more than the clearlypensating-for-something adventurer hed been traveling with, and the attention wasnt bad. Inion would be giving him such a hard time when they reunited, though. He realized hed been sitting in silence for a bit longer than was polite, Anyway, hi. Im Edwin. He inclined his head in greeting as she took a seat next to him, which she replied to with a dazzling smile. Pleasure to meet you, Edwin. Im Rih. Yeah, I anyway, what did you want to talk about? Smooth, Edwin, real smooth. She innocently shrugged, Well, I like seeing interesting things, and there havent been a whole lot of those aroundtely. Youre quite the sight for sore eyes, really, she capped off her statement with a bit of a sparkle in her eye, but Edwin had gotten mildly distracted in the meantime. Oh, so Im better thanplete boredom, he mused. Shut up, me. It was obviously meant as apliment, another part of him retorted. Me? Interesting? I mean I dont other than and yeah, I guess, he sighed without any way to really help the conversation avoid him- after all, so long as Rih didnt know much about him, she was unlikely to dislike him. Its okay, she put her hand on Edwins arm, and he felt a powerful Skill originate from the touch. Instinctively, he jerked his arm back, Im sorry! She immediately apologized, I didnt realize that youd react so negatively. Its not often that Soothing Touch provokes that kind of response. Its alright, Edwin mumbled an apology in turn, I overreacted, sorry. It was a flinch. What what does it do? Its just meant to help you find the contact soothing, help take off a few nerves. Can- he started Can you turn it off? The question sat unbidden on the forefront of his mind, but Edwin brushed it off slightly. He he could get through this. If nothing else, it was Adaptive Defense training. He didnt think Lefi would leave him alone with someone untrustworthy, so he could probably let his guard down a bit, right? Can I what? she prodded slightly. Nothing, nothing, he waved off her concerns, Its nothing important. Can you do that again, I suppose? he tried asking with a small smile. Of course, she returned an evenrger smile and ced her hand back on his forearm. He could see the Skill, a sort of dark silver snaking its way through his arm. Once it reached his torso, he rxed against the chair, resting his head on the back cushion. That that feels nice, he remarked, happy to get a smile in response. Then he shook his head, regaining his cognitive functions, What were we talking about? She giggled lightly, I mean, that doesnt really matter all that much, does it? We were talking about you, but if thats not your speed, we can talk about anything else. Youre just so fascinating. Edwin vaguely felt like squirming under thepliment, but managed to quash the impulse in part thanks to Soothing Touchs influence. He could focus, he could be good. I guess? Of course you are, Edwin. But how are you enjoying Sheraith? Oh I dont know. I havent really been here all that long. Getting out from the wind of the ins was nice though. Youre wee. Oh? I didnt realize you were responsible for the weather, he jested, but frowned when he saw Rihs face. Wait, what? Are you? Edwin frowned, Who are you anyway? I told you, silly, she grinned, Im Rih. We can swap stories about ourselvester if youd like. Maybe, Edwin nomittally acquiesced, So weather? I mean, yeah. Its been nice, though still a bit chilly? he shrugged, Its rained a few timestely, thats an experience I havent had for a while. Spent too long ind? Edwin nodded, Yeah, pretty much. I lived for a year in the Verdant, you know? Never saw even a drop of rain. That was a really weird experience, and then Ie out here and its raining every other day. Feels more familiar, all told. Youre not from ind, then? Edwin shook his head, Nah. Im from much further away. Hmm she narrowed her eyes at him, yfully adding, Ill learn about you eventually. Edwin softly chuckled, Eh, probably not worthwhile. So you do something with the winds? Are you a mage? he suspected as much, she felt like warm, vigorous winds to his mana sense. She nodded,ughing quietly, Yep! Ive got a way with the winds, so when their old Weather Mage finally kicked it, they snagged me to help out. They get pretty bad storms, so Im here to help keep that from happening. Edwin looked at her with newfound respect, How powerful do you have to be for that? he asked. She justughed, Oh, most of it isnt me. You saw all these? Rih pointed to the inscriptions that filled the majority of the room, All I need to do is magic it up every day and it does the rest, unless theres something really bad thates around, but thats not somon this time of year. But youre stuck here in the meantime? But Im stuck here in the meantime, she tly agreed. For how long? he asked. st it if I know. Theyre supposed to be getting some recement from the capital or whatever eventually, but theyve been saying that for months now. If they dont get something new soon, though yeah. They wont be happy. She let out a soft peal ofughter. Its as cushy as a cloud here, you know? The position gets an absolute fortune for almost no work, not that I see most of that. Because Im an adventurer, they say that it would just be wasting good coin and it goes right into the pockets of the local politicians, she shrugged. Thats just how it goes, though. And Im not a Hunter so I dont mind too much. You really cant, not if you want to keep your mind. She looked at the ceiling, It is a nice ce, though. Never lived in a proper Tower before, so it was quite the experience for the first couple of weeks. But now? Ugh, I so wish I was back on the road. Did I mention how boring it is here? she asked Edwin, turning to face him more fully, theres not even enough room here for a proper Dance! And people get mad if I go flying in the streets. Not that it stops me, you know, but Oh, Im sorry. I was rambling. Mmh, Edwin mutely replied with a shrug. Hm. Youve had enough of this, I think. She withdrew her hand from Edwins arm, and while the effect wasnt instantaneous, the sensation still felt like being emotionally plunged into a pool of cold water. He gasped, Woah, that was a sudden change, he shook his head, I hate mental influence Skills. She hummed slightly in agreement, You did a good job keeping yourselfposed. Do you have lots of practice? Unfortunately, he sighed, Ive had to directly fightpulsions twice now, and I like to think Im getting pretty good at it, you know? Apparently rxation is harder to fight though. She grinned, studying Edwin with a keen green eye, Theres a story there, isnt there? Ill get it from you eventually. You practically smell like good stories. Uhhh. Edwin wasnt sure how to respond to that. Its a Skill! Honest, she tried to reassure him. There were some awkward moments of silence while Edwin tried to process the new information. So youre a wind mage? he eventually guessed just to break the silence, based off the feel of her mana, the formations in the room itself and her supposed job. Hmm you first. Me? Well, its not often I meet another mage, she exined, and its always neat topare notes. Whats your specialty? Ill tell you mine if you go first, she winked. Edwin returned a smile. Ah, so that was what she found interesting about him. His magic. And here he marginally had hoped it was his personality. But of course it wasnt, why would it be? I mean I dont know if Im that interesting or even have a speciality. Ive got like three Skills that use magic, two of them are evolutions? I started off with Basic Mana Sense, used that to get the Mage path, got Basic Mana Maniption with that, evolved it into Mana Infusion, thenbined Mana Infusion with Packing to get Flight. He shrugged, So yeah. Didnt you get any evolved magical Skills? Unless youre tier one? Lets say you go first? he countered, I mean, its not that I dont trust you, its just You only just met me, she finished, And Im this strange and beautiful figure with natural magic and you think I might be a fey or something. Funny you say that Im joking, she said with a smile, and brushed her hair to the side, The System calls it Isochronal magic, and that means what Im good at changes with the seasons. This time of year Im one of the stronger wind mages on the continent- not that theres muchpetition, her voice lowered into a grumble, and is why Im here. What about other times of the year? he asked. Uh-uh-uh! You need to tell me about your magic first. Also, its seasonal. You could probably guess it. She really liked winking, didnt she? Edwin sighed, I have five tier two magical skills. One is Mana Infusion, lets me make Skills and materials magical, her eyes widened at that but she didnt say anything, Then Ritual Intuition, which lets me get a sense for what different kinds of mana are, Overcharge- which Lefi could tell you all about, and lets me Mana Infuse myself and my attributes, Improbable Arsenal which is like Efficient Space but needs magic, and Basic Thermokinesis, which lets me heat up stuff. Thats it? Well, I wasnt expecting that, is all. Quite the impressive collection, I have to say. What about Flight? Havent evolved that one yet, actually. Only got it a little while ago. Aw, a liddle tier one are we? Hey! he protested, Lefi is tier one too. She smirked, Well I suppose he is. But youre both children to me. Clearly I am the most mature one in this building. Really? What about I forgot her name. The Assistant. Pierash? Well, maybe. If you count being boring and uptight as being mature. Wait, that wasnt what you were doing? She rolled her eyes and swatted Edwins arm in response, Oh, shush. Youve known me for less than three hours, you should not be so Quick-witted? Edwin supplied. Precocious, she settled on, then frowned, Wait, no. That doesnt trante well with Polyglot. Its a bit strange seeing the guy who raised me look younger than I am, she continued, but thats how it is sometimes. Wait, Lefi? Hes older than you? At longst, confirmation that Lefi was in fact older than his abnormally young appearance. She shrugged, Dont really know how old he is. Depending on when you ask hes either older than the Adventurer program itself, was one of its first participants, or might just be about twenty years older than you or I. But hes looked the exact same for thest fifteen years, and acted the same way too. Rih shook her head, He hasnt changed a bit. So then, youve known Lefi for fifteen years? Ever since I became an Adventurer. Well, he helped me be one. So that means you were what, Yathals age when you met him? She thought for a moment, That seems about right. Howd you be an Adventurer so young? he asked, but immediately realized he had made a mistake when he saw Rihs reaction. Hmmm lets wait until we know each other better for that, kay? Edwin shrank back, Sorry. I didnt mean to pry. Hey! Hey. Its okay, she tried to reassure him, not wanting to hurt his feelings, Look, how about you can ask me any question you want and Ill try to answer, okay? That didnt help him when it came to feeling bad, but whatever. He sat in silence, thinking for a short while before finally deciding. Can you teach me magic stuff? Edwin settled on. Why do you think I was trying to talk to you? she winked, But you gotta help me in turn, deal? Edwin shrugged, Sounds good to me, I guess. But that can be another time! Tell me, how was your trip? Lefi always exaggerates so much, did anything interesting happen on the road to you? Well, there was this spider. By the time the two of them finished talking, it waste. It was quite possibly the most positive human interaction that Edwin had had in literal years, and he was exhausted. The human interaction had started shifting from enjoyable to just draining at some point, but Rih either was another extrovert, or had some kind of Skill that gave her social stamina and seemed just as cheerful and bright as she had been to begin with. She yawned and stretched, giving Edwin a slightly sleepy grin, Well that was nice, but I think its about time for bed, yeah? He nodded in reply- he was still marginally recovering from not sleeping the night before, but he was essentially fine, Are the rooms all all the way at the bottom? She nodded and rolled her eyes, The towers really old, but pretty much all of its masters could fly. They liked to show off their superiority by making everyone climb endless stairs if they wanted to get to any of the magic stuff, whereas living is all done at the bottom. Also, Im pretty sure the tops been knocked over a time or two, so yeah. Sleeping in the bottom. I guess that makes sense. Still, its a lot of stairs to have to go all the way back down. Or take the fast way! she called out, and fell backwards into the stairwell. Edwins stomach lurched, but before he even really thought through his actions, he had sprung up and jumped into the void. Vertigo set in immediately, but he wrestled the impulse to the side as he activated Flight and Oh. Right. Of course she could fly too. She was a wind mage, more or less, and had even said that she could during their conversation. However, he had expected her flight to be strictly magical, like his was. Maybe a mantle of winds or whatever that wrapped her and allowed her to float effortlessly. He was not expecting to watch a pair of massive wings spring from her back- so that was why she left it bare, that made sense- filling up most of the airspace with burnt orange, yellow, and red feathers. He managed to Tether himself to the side before he could m into her, but she slowed down as well, rising up past him and making her wings outright pass through him. Aww! So noble, trying to save me from my own jump? I wasnt he trailed off. Shut up, he muttered, much to theughter of Rih as they floated down a too-tall tower. And so, Edwin found himself on a proper bed for the first time in nearly two months, studying the ceiling. For all that it had been an exceptionally long and exhausting- in every sense- day, he still felt it was overall a sess. Hed found someone who he could stand and that could stand him, not that it was too great of an aplishment for someone who clearly both just liked everyone and had likely been asked by Lefi to help Edwin out of his shell, just like with Yathal. He was perfectly in control of his own shell, thank you very much. He didnt need to be pulled out like some scared little kid. Another part of him said he shouldntin about so much personal attention from a pretty girl, but the year and a half hed lived with Inion put that part of his brain firmly under his control. In any case Edwin sighed. It had been a nice day. He would stick with that. Tomorrow, hed visit Inion and see if there was any good way to try and smuggle her into the city- maybe she could hide inside a water barrel or something- and maybe start learning a bit about magic from Rih. Maybe he would stick around for a bit longer, he thought. It wouldnt be awful, at least. He could enjoy this. Chapter 100a: Fight or Flight Chapter 100a: Fight or Flight How was the river? Edwin asked, more out of politeness than anything. He already knew basically what shed say, after all, and... Oh, it was really cool! Nobody was in it, though the fish were really fun! Theres this great waterfall a little ways back there, we should go and visit it! Im sure youd love it There it was. Edwin nodded idly in agreement as they slipped through the streets of Sheraith, returning to the tower that was their current residence. You know, you really could have juste with us when we entered, Edwin pointed out. You could have just hidden in a barrel of water inside the carriage. Maybe, she sheerfully agreed. He sighed, Youre impossible. Only sometimes! Besides, this way worked out just fine, you know? I mean, it did, but we had no way of knowing that. Lefi said that most cities arent built right next to rivers for that very reason- its hard to keep some aquatic monster from just slipping into civilization, and those few that do usually have warding like you wouldnt believe turned towards that. Im not actually sure why they dont, actually. Ill have to ask Rih when we get back, shes pretty connected to the magical circles of the city. Ah, does that really matter? she dismissed, I made it in, and what else could you learn? See, theres always something to learn, and you never know if its worthwhile until after you learn it. So, learning everything you possibly can is never a waste of time. Who knows, maybe this is some really pivotal piece of information that will totally define my stay here. Maybe some massive river monster will attack and everyone wonders how it could have possibly gotten in, but only Ill know the secret and I feel guilty that I didnt tell anyone because I could have prevented the tragedy but I still somehow ended up really important in the defeat of the monster despite the city guard being constantly ready for that sort of thing and the local Enforcer likely able toe at a moments notice. Actually, should I try to meet the local Enforcer, do you think? Tara was great but I dont know if that will hold true for other Enforcers. But at the same time theyre probably really powerful and probably will be relevant at some point. I definitely already jinxed my stay by thinking that six smoke grenades would be plenty, I should make more, shouldnt I? Hm. I need to see about processing some more lybird feathers, but I really need to also make some better weapons so Lefi might see how potent my creations can really be. But then Is this what its like to live in your brain? Inion asked. I mean probably? Edwin hazarded, mentally panicking about what he could have said to provoke that kind of reaction from her. Did he say something wrong? He mentally tried to recall what he had said Its interesting is all. Yep, he had definitely said something bad. It couldnt have been about his training, could it? She talked about that sometimes herself. Was it about meeting the local Enforcer? Or was it just that he was talking too long? It was probably just talking too long, wasnt it? Dang it, he thought hed dealt with that particr problem, but apparently not and why was he babbling so much in his own mind again? He was better than this most of the time. Okay, Edwin. Focus. Why cant you think about something for more than two seconds in a row all of a sudden? Well, actually its bound to be more than two seconds. I had some pretty impressive coherent thoughts in there. Gah! -Talking but are thinking about things now? Um, maybe? She shook her head, What am I going to do with you? Youve done lots, he retorted, But I presume whatever is next will be painful. Nah, she waved him off, Im going to have you introduce me to this Rih. I thought you said this wouldnt be painful, Edwin yfully groaned as he ducked around a young boy- a Junior Apprentice Carpenter- and double-checked to make sure the apparatite securing his purse was still in ce (it was). Hey! Its good for you. Humans are social creatures. Yeah, sure. We also drink water but nobody seems surprised that we can drown. Ooh, fey! Never met any of your kind before, but I always heard stories from dad. Well, Ill try not to disappoint. Was he of the Old ways? Nah, he was just from the forest, but he wasnt very reverent. Mainlyined about you being Edwin held back a sigh. Inion was getting along great with someone else, and he got to watch Rih getting along fantastically with someone else as well. He never held any delusions about Shut it, me. He seemed to be dipping into his self-destructive social side quite a bittely, and he couldnt help but wonder why. Was it just the increased exposure to other people, perhaps? He was being reminded of all the reasons his brain shoved in his face as to why nobody could like him? He knew that his worries had to be fabricated at least on some level, but Which ones, and by how much? Over assuming his familiarity and rtionship with someone was something he wanted to avoid at all costs, and he paid for that decision a lot, in all honesty. Someone more open and upfront would definitely have more friends than him. But he also found meeting and trying to befriend people exhausting, and for every friend that he might find by being super earnest and up-front, there might be a hundred who really disliked him for it. And he just didnt have the energy to try that many times. Hed sooner approach each person with caution and avoid embarrassing himself. It did mean that he would definitely be outshined by his more outgoing and personablepanions, though. Especially if he was going to stick around for a while with Lefi and/or Rih, they were very energetic personas, and yeah. Not getting into that. Well, at least Inion and Rih seemed to be getting along well. What was Lefi up to, he wondered? Edwins stick scarcely managed to block the punch, sweeping the hand off to the side with a solid crunch. Under normal circumstances, Edwin would be worried about the sound. But when fighting Lefi, not only did he have to go all-out, Edwin couldnt even hurt the guy- at least with just his stick- if he tried. Genuinely. Back when they were first starting off, Lefi had gotten him to whack him in the face as hard as Edwin could muster. He barely even noticed it. He clearly had Health in the triple digits, as well as possibly Constitution, an attribute which he imed tly reduced damage and harm taken from all sources. All that to say, if there was a crack when they were fighting, it was more likely that Edwins stick was in need of repair than any part of Lefi. Crunches obeyed the same rule, and so he managed to fight past the sympathetic wince of pain and tried to follow up the sudden opening it provided. Unsurprisingly, it didnt work. Lefis own stick came around and struck Edwins with a tter. To keep himself from dropping his weapon, Edwin grabbed onto the end with his second hand, reinforcing his grip. As soon as it was safe to do so, Edwin released his auxiliary grip and snaked it into his belt pouch, withdrawing a small sphere of potion. Which potion? Didnt really matter. All that mattered was that if he could hit Lefi with it, he won. Another feinting probe towards Lefis face with his stick got the weapon smacked out of his hand for its trouble. That was fine, though. It just meant his right hand was avable for throwing his potion as hard as he was really capable of. The vial sailed through the air directly on-target, but Edwin didnt let himself hope, having been in almost that exact same situation previously and there it was. Lefis own stick collided with the crystal ball and instead of breaking the fragile object, sent it flying off to the side. As soon as it struck the ground it shattered into blue light. Okay, so one of Lefis Skills let him reinforce objects he hit, maybe? It would be useful if he trained a lot of people,e to think of it. He didnt have time to think about it too much, though. He grabbed his next prepared weapon and threw it, dismissing its apparatite container as he did so and allowing the contained water to spread out into a sizable ssh. No way to deflect that, now was there? And Lefi just dodged it. He should have seen thating, but it was still amazing to think that the guy could dodge a stter of water and two marbles at the same time. Hmm Edwin pulled out histest iteration of his marble slick. Hundreds of apparatite spheres, many of them with multiple nestedyers, others with caltrops either metal or apparatite in case they were shattered all packed tightly into an expanded and very fragile apparatite box. He threw the package- a first for their fights, normally they fought on much less even ground than the stone-floored courtyard they were currently on- and it shattered, scattering the marbles in every direction. Lefi grinned, Not a bad move there, Edwin! But not- his feet stepped effortlessly through the crowds of marbles, scarcely even seeming to notice their presence, good enough! Edwin had retreated a short way, using Flight to avoid the hazardous terrain, but the speed at which Lefi was charging at him was still more than he could outpace. He tried to rise further into the air, but he wasnt fast enough to prevent the adventurer from grabbing his ankle and mming him bodily into the ground. The Combative Mentor fell back into a rxed stance, "You, my friend, need a lesson." Edwin sighed as he rose to his feet once more, "Okay Lefi, what is it this time?" "It''s probably best that I provide a demonstration." He held back a wince. ''Demonstrations'' were always painful from his experience, so he wasn''t likely to enjoy this, "Alright, hit me." Lefi took the invitation for what it was, and brought his stick whipping around, making Edwin flinch. The adventurer didn''t actually strike his face, much to his relief, but held the tip of the wooden rod inches away from Edwin''s nose. "When you find yourself fighting someone, what is the most important thing to keep in mind? he asked. Umm how to win? Edwin tried, Or are you talking about something more specific? Wrong! Lefi rapped the top of Edwins head in admonition, Try again. Edwin rubbed his skull, Fine. Is it what is your opponent going to do next? Closer, but no! Lefi rapped once again, but Adaptive Defense was already doing its job fighting against both blunt trauma and pain. Okay, then I dont know. Maybe what you should be doing next? Wrong! Look, Im clearly not going to be getting it. What are you looking for? The first thing you need to remember in every fight is how do I survive? Well I mean obviously, I could have told you that, Edwin tly replied. Oh? Lefi was holding back a chuckle, Then why didnt you? I dont know it was too obvious? Mhm. I do not believe so! I see in you the same problem Ive seen countless times before. You cannot win every fight. Many times, its all but impossible. Yet you approach every spar with me the exact same way, trying to find a way tond a blow on me instead of avoiding them from me. Wait, I was supposed to just run away? Thats not how spars are supposed to work. Its a way that I can improve how I fight while being at minimal risk. Theyre training. Remember what I said? Fight me like you would if I were trying to kill you. Yeah, but Edwin trailed off, I got nothing. So what, I guess? Break the habit, Lefi punctuated the point with another rap, Youre at your best when you know exactly what youre facing and when doing so on your terms. You have powerful friends, use us. The better leveling from danger is not worth your life. He sighed, So what, then? I just run away? Yes. Run hard, run fast. You have Longstrider, Stamina, Flight, and youre a human. Throw one of your smoke bombs down and run. Ive done that before! Edwin protested, And it turned out to be against a turkey. A grin flitted across Lefis face, Lybird, not a chicken. But would you rather run away from a fight you could have won, or stuck around if it was so dangerous? There is a time and ce to stand and fight, but its not your first resort. Only do it if you cant run, dont see a giant spider and think how youll take it. Get out of there, get information, and then and only then do you try to win. Get friends, make potions. Do what you have to, you dont just charge in and improvise. Youre pretty good at improvisation, Ill give you that. Ive seen you pull out some frankly ludicrous wins, but those arent a strategy. Theyre luck. But you? You see something and you cant not do it. If its a potion, a fight, or even just a question about Skills. You need to know the answer, you need to figure out the solution. You can never not get an answer, and that will kill you one day if you dont control it. But what? Am I supposed to just not pursue the answer to questions? Yes. So I see a potential potion and I dont make it? I learn about a Skill and dont try to figure out its limits? Yes. Thats not living! How do you people manage just going through life so uncurious? Dont you feel the need to know, the need to learn more and more? Do you? Of course! Asking questions and learning is fundamentally what it is to be human. You cant just not know something, or at least not try to learn it. Yet youre able to control yourself with your experiments, are you not? You perform the same measurement multiple times, check things you already should know intuitively, all the time. I try. I have to try, he admitted, You have no idea how hard it is for me to make sure I keep going with proper experimental procedure, and even then I dont make it all the time. Theres just so much cool stuff, I want to test it all! And you can. You likely will, if you dont kill yourself chasing some battle you didnt need to be in. Hold on, he recalled, Werent you talking about how I needed to learn how to win fights back when you and Inion were scheming about how best to tor-train me? Like how I couldnt just rely on people to do the job for me? That hasnt changed, not truly. The primary difference is what you are prepared for. Oh, so Im not ready to actually fight people then? he used. Oh, you are. But that is not my intention- preparation is where you shine, is it not? Ive seen you master a Skill with just a few days of preparation and the right herbs by which you could create a potion. You are an alchemist, as you are so fond of saying. Alchemists are not warriors, and neither are you. Yeah, I know. Thats why you have me using these water fake-potion things, so we pretend that I have the perfect counter for whatever it is that Im fighting. Sure, I might need to run in an initial fight, but Ill need toe back at some point unless I rely on other people entirely. Which you said I shouldnt do. You should not. And yet you still face me head-on, do you not? I mean, sure. But I also dont want to use up all my smoke bombs in training. Ill make a few more at some point but Refining that much material is still a pain, a thought struck him, Hm. I wonder if I can automate the process somehow? Would no, it requires manual input. But maybe no. Anyway, sorry. Where were we? You must first learn how it is that you can survive! I shall alter your training from fighting to survival. Thetter is more important for you. But I got a lot of that from Inion, he pointed out, You said that alone wouldnt be sufficient. Survival is about more than not being hit, my friend. It is about hitting back as well, with everything you have at your disposal. The most important thing is where your instincts lie. And right now, they do not lie with survival. Hey, I want to survive. Edwinined, Its literally my primary goal. Lefi held up a hand and counted off fingers, The Catabolic Alchemist and his minions. Were thanks to your skill influencing my thoughts. Charging at a wild beast and setting yourself on fire to defeat it. Edwin frowned, How did you know about that? Have you been talking to Inion again? Turning your own kiln into a bomb and hoping that a just-obtained Health attribute would be sufficient to help you survive. In my defense, the alternative was certain death. Wholly disregarding the threat that another presented to you because you did not feel as though you were in any particr danger. Okay, two things with that- one, my instincts are usually pretty good. Two, yes that was a mistake and I can do better than that. Charging at a Titan Spider mostly unarmed and unarmored. Okay, but I did learn my lesson from that one and I won anyway. Yet here you are, and have you yet run away from a single fight? I mean, at least one if you count the lybird. Very well, we can count the lybird. What other aplishments in this regard? I mean he hesitated, then sighed. Okay, fine. I see your point. Edwin acquiesced, Ill do it. Oh? Lefi was clearly skeptical, Just like that? Just like that, he agreed with a sigh. Obviously Ill probably fail a lot, but itll be my goal. Youre thebat expert here, and I know that I should definitely try to listen to you. I mean, its not what I want to do, but if you think its a good idea Run from any fight Im not prepared for if I have any chance, because I cant protect myself. I mean, now that I know you want me to literally run away from training, I will happily oblige. Lefi assessed Edwin with a skeptical eye, then gave a curt nod, Excellent. Now, back to our sparring. Begin in three, two, one go! As Lefi lunged for the attack, Edwin activated Longstrider. In the blink of an eye, Lefis stick passed through where Edwin had been mere moments before, but Edwin was already ten feet away and running. Chapter 100b: Fight or Flight Chapter 100b: Fight or Flight Strike! Lefi called out, as his stick snapped into position on Edwins torso, sending him sprawling. Edwin got to his feet, wincing slightly. As it turned out, running wasnt as easy as Lefi liked to make it sound. The guy was wickedly fast and incredibly urate with all of his weapons. Right now, Lefi was trying to teach Edwin the proper ways to disengage, and while he appreciated the lesson in theory, he wasnt sure he was actually learning anything other than the fact Lefi was somehow able to strike him from behind while in front of him. Stand! After a few tests to make sure that Edwin knew how to run away properly- he did- Lefi had pivoted their lessons to making sure that Edwin was ready to either fight or run at a moments notice. Threat assessment, he called it. In practice, it meant that now Edwin was getting a few moments of reprieve between half of his times being beaten into the ground. Because of course Lefi wasnt going to just let Edwin run away, no. He now needed to learn a fighting withdraw against even Lefi. Block, block, step back Strike! the stick connected with Edwins wrist that time, making him drop his own weapon. He winced, but retrieved the rod and took his stance once more. Run! Step back, step back. Use Flight to pull, drop marble, block, and- Strike! Gah, the wrist again. Without saying a word, Lefi returned to his starting position, and Edwin followed. Stand! Block, block instead of stepping back, Edwin tried blocking again this time. Strike! His wrist was really starting to hurt, and would probably need a potion by the time they were done. What the heck was he doing that constantly provoked the attack? What am I doing wrong? he asked. Hm? Youll get it! Couldnt you just tell me, so I can figure it out sooner? Run! Step back, use Flight to suddenly veer off to the side Strike! Okay, what did Lefi have against his wrist? Strike! that one hurt, clipping the side of his head and directly hitting his ear. Gah! Edwin felt a bubble of frustration envelop him. He fought it, trying to force it down, force it into line, but it pushed back even harder. He threw down his stick in frustration, sending it ttering across the stone as he cradled his ear. Was it bleeding? Im done! Lefi lowered his stance, What do you mean? Youre performing remarkably. Edwin tried desperately to wrestle his emotions back in line, to no avail, Im not improving! All thats happening is youre having me try again and again to hit you and I keep failing time and time again. I have better things to do with my time, you know. Im not getting anything from this training now that youve told me to just run away, or when you tell me to stand and fight! Youre not teaching me anything, and Im not getting any better on my own! Nonsense! While it may take a while, your skills will surely prevail shortly! It will just be a bit longer, then you will be a master! Oh, shut up! he snapped, his emotional restraints snapping, I dont have abat Skill, Lefi! Other than Throwing Weapons, which doesnt apply at all here. I want to learn how to use my Skills to fight, not the other way around. The only way Im going to get better is if you teach me to get better, you cant just let the System do all the work for you again! Honestly, do you ever do anything for yourself, or do you just coast on your hundreds of Skills? Lefi seemed struck speechless by Edwins sudden outburst. Before the adventurer could formte a response, Edwins brain caught up with his mouth and was instantly mortified. Gah! No! I didnt He could practically feel all the goodwill hed built up with Lefi fading away in a single cmitous moment, where his emotions finally managed to break free in the very worst way. He wanted to copse into a ball, but instead pulled on every Skill he could manage to just flee. Next thing Edwin could properly remember, he was in his room, curled up on his bed with his head between his hands. His emotions were in shambles, his control over all of them breaking and refusing to behave as he tried to shove them back in their boxes. Regret and sorrow mixed with anger, primarily aimed at himself. If only hed been able to keep a better control over his anger, this could have all been avoided. Why did his control right then, when the adventurer was trying to help him? This was why he didnt have any friends, wasnt it? He could keep his emotions in check almost all of the time, but on the rare asion that they did slip out who would want to be around him? He certainly wouldnt. Not when heshed out at people helping him. There was a knock at the door. Go way! he yelled, lifting his head from his pillow just barely enough to speak. Edwin? he expected Inions voice but was surprised to hear Rihs. Oh, uh! Sorry! he hastily rified, embarrassed at the thought she might see him in such a state, the surprise sufficient for him to get his emotions to mutely hop back in their boxes, I thought you were never mind. A quick nce around his room didnt reveal anything he wasnt supposed to be showing, You cane in I suppose? He sat up on his bed while the girl joined him, hopping cross-legged onto his mattress. Despite being made of he didnt really know what beds were made of on Joriah,e to think of it. At least not these. But in any case, they were just as if not morefortable than he was before he was ripped away from his nope, he was trying to stay presentable, and he wasnt allowing his emotions to run rampant again today. Lefi is such a pain, isnt he? she started. Of all the opening lines Edwin had expected, that was not one of them. Didnt they get along great or whatever? Um, I dont think that Im a very good person toment on that. I find most people to be pretty annoying to be around, just because Oh, even me? Am I really so bad? she asked with false offense, leaving Edwin marginally stumbling over his words. I mean, no, but also yes? Wait, no. Um, so you see he struggled to formte his words. He didnt dislike being around her, sure, but that didnt mean he wasfortable around her either. She was a new person who he wanted to make a good impression on. Emotional vulnerability was useful in that regard, yes- so long as he didnt go so far as to evoke pity- so this wasnt an inherent loss of a conversation. But how did you exin to someone that no, you did find their presence a drag while still marginally enjoying being around them? I do like being around you, he eventually settled on a small lie, But also I dont know. Its okay, she smiled, You just met me, its understandable. Sure, he settled on. Lefi is just a pain at times though, you know? she continued, Ive known the guy for most of my life, and while I love him to pieces, we dont travel together for a reason. Part of that is of course that we go at different speeds; I want to go wherever the wind takes me whereas he prefers his Quests! she said thest word in a surprisingly urate rendition of Lefis voice. But other parts of it are just that he doesnt truly understand and empathize with the difficulties that most people have. For him, he always uses the System. For everything. People make jokes about adventurers, and half the time even their most ridiculous spection is less than what he has. He once told me he has three different Skills dedicated to baking bread specifically. Three! Why he has them, or how he got them well, I actually do know, she said with a sly grin, But thats not my secret to tell. But hes never needed a teacher because he knows the System will help him out. By that same aspect, he knows what helps him and just cant understand that not everyone has a hundred Skills whispering secrets of sess to them. All he knows is how to help the Skills level. Hes very good at that, though. Hes really good at that. Ask him about any Skill you have and hell know exactly how to level it, and his Skills will help you level it even faster. But hes trying to make you a fighter, and thats just not who you are, is it? Edwin started slightly as the conversation shifted back to him and he had to re-engage his ability to speak, No. I dont think so. When I first- well, when I first arrived in Liras, I thought that I might be able to be this super cool action hero, the kind you see in stories, you know? I was actually really good at it too, or so I thought. I took stupid risks but they paid off, I fought my way out of captivity and managed to subdue a small bandit group. I killed a house-sized bear, burned a panther to death with my own hand. And I really liked it! But I also burned a panther to death with my own hand, had to cauterize an arrow wound in my shoulder, was nearly crushed by rocks, dropped myself through rotten floorboards, and more. Its just not appealing to me any more. Well, no. I do like it. Fighting brings a kind of rity, and with my toolbox, its like every fight I enter will be some kind of puzzle. I do enjoy that, but not the danger. No, thats not quite right either. I dislike the stakes, I guess? No.. thats not right. Do you not appreciate the wounds you take? Eh? Edwin raised and lowered his hands in a disy of uncertainty, I mean I dont like getting hurt, and I think if you do its probably a problem, but thats not the issue. I think I dont like the margin of error. Oh? Could you borate? shed produced two y mugs filled with something vaguely tea-like from somewhere, and offered one to Edwin. Margin of error? Thats basically how close you have to be to perfection before its a sess. Oh? Interesting. But thats not what Im asking about. What do you mean its so small for fighting? Well Edwin struggled to formte his thoughts properly. Why couldnt this have been one of the internal debates hed had with himself preparing his every point and counterpoint for the event where somebody asked him why he thought that bringing dinosaurs to life was a good idea. Okay, its kind of like this. Im an alchemist, a scientist at that. Messing things up is almost literally my job description. Im supposed to do something wrong in every possible way, so I can figure out the exact parameters for what is right. But with a fight, if I mess up even once, I dont get a second try. Its experiment over, no more testing. And that doesnt appeal to me, I dont think. Its a rush, dont get me wrong. But the stakes are too high, the room for mistakes too small. Theres no time to make sure all my work is right, I just have to make a call and live with it. Some people would find that thrilling and I suppose I would too. But its also so exhausting, I just cant live with it. Theres better ways to get that rush. So whats the problem? Most people never fight once, you know. Its Lefi, I suppose? He wants me to be good at fighting but hes also trying to teach me how to avoid fights, and he just sort of assumes that everyone will think like him and that of course its super important for me to learn how to fight! Hes not wrong. I want to be able to protect myself, and take care of myself without relying purely on the goodwill of others. Heck, before all of this, I probably would have agreed with him too that I needed to be good at and would benefit from fighting and learning to fight. But after two months of being beaten into the dirt time and time again? I like to think Im resilient, but its a bit much. Not to mention it doesnt actually feel like Im improving. He says I am, but what does that reallypare to? Im no closer to measuring up to him than I was a month and a half ago. He does tend to do that, doesnt he? He just doesnt understand that without a Skill to guide you, no amount of throwing you around will actually make you better at fighting, not truly. Yeah, that sounds about right. So, she pivoted to another topic, Why do you feel so strongly that you need to control your life? Its not that often Ie across such a simr desire to my own. Well, I actually, why am I telling you all this? Im sure that Im just tremendously boring, Im so sorry. I didnt want to drag you into all my emotional insecurities. Come on, poke and prod just a bit, a tiny corner of him rooted, Please, show more than cursory interest in me. If you actually care about me, and arent just trying to cheer me up, surely Are you sure? she asked. Not an outright prod, but it was prod-adjacent. Hed let it slide. Yeah, I mean yeah. I dont want to spiral down in that direction, which talking about that sort of thing would probably do, he admitted. Still room for a prod, now it was back to her Well, she settled on, Okay. But youll tell me sometime! Edwin shrugged. He couldmit to the vague future-that-is-never about that suite of emotional vulnerability no problem. It would be easy enough to deflect, and never actually have to dig into his core any time soon. A thought seemed to cross her mind, I know just the thing that youll really like. Oh? Edwin asked, interest piqued, And what might that be? There was a sudden gust in the room as her autumnal wings twisted into existence, the skin of her back flowing like water and flickering like an illusion into creating the wings. Lets go flying! Did I mention I dont like heights? Edwin hazarded, cautiously peering over the edge of the towers roof, fighting back a bit of vertigo. You dont? How on Joriah did you ever get the Flight skill then? Brute force and scientific understanding, he absently replied, Though saying I dislike falling might be more urate. You can fly! Rihughed, hovering in front of him. She didnt actually need to p her wings to float, apparently, and they were mainly used to help her maneuverability or so she imed, Youll have no problem catching yourself. I know, its pretty intimidating the first few times, but Im sure youll manage it! I can only extend two meters from my anchor point, though, he protested, any further than that and Ill actually just fall. Youll be fine! Come on, you can attach to me. Are you sure? Yes, yes. Dont worry, my wings are really strong. You exined how your Skill works, and its at least worth a try, she held out a hand and assumed a pleading expression, Do it for me? she asked. Well, when she put it like that He took a deep breath and steeled himself. She was asking him to trust his life into her hands, so to speak. Hed just met her yesterday. She was still almost aplete stranger Could he trust her? What would he get out of it? Maybe a bit of fun? And what did he risk? Almost everything. Please? she asked, wiggling her fingers in a clear invitation to grab on. It would always be risky, wouldnt it? Hed forever have reasons to not jump off the roof, and it would be good for his skills. Yes! It would be good for his Flight skill. The sooner he could evolve that, the sooner he could take Stamina Maniption and explore his abilities all the more. It was still a risk, though. It will always be a risk. Edwin took her hand. Chapter 101a: Sights to See Chapter 101a: Sights to See Flight was absolutely amazing. Sure, hed experienced glimmers of what it was truly like to fly from time to time, but he was always so limited in what he could do. Most of the time, the Skill was relegated to just enhancing his existing mobility capabilities and slowly drifting through the air like what Inion tended to do. But this? This was so much better. Rih zipped through the air on her leafy wings, pulling Edwin along as she did so. Sure, he could probably gain some control over his trajectory if he let go of her hand, but if he did, all he would really be able to do was to move rtive to Rih, and even that was bound to be limited. Even with a tight grip on her hand, he needed to put most of his mana into Flights tether strength, something he previously didnt even know was an option. Rih was really, really good at flying, too. Dipping into Skillful Assessment, he watched the veritable symphony of Skills working in concert he saw the skill-based skeleton of her wings connecting at her shoulders, providing a massive framework for her flight to base itself off of. The rest was filled in presumably by magic, but that magic was interwoven with a wholly separate set of Skills that allowed her every twitch to help her turn, her every p making her go faster. True to her word, her flight was powerful enough that he was barely an additional strain, and he couldnt help but wonder what sort of Skill was involved and how he could get that sort of thing himself. If he were to guess, she had gotten her Wings as a skill evolution at some point, and then picked up a new basic Skill built around its functionality. He could askter. For now, he was going to enjoy this. They had started off with a dramatic swoop towards the ground, and Edwin had almost flinched at the speed they were hurtling towards the stone building at the base of the tower. He nearly broke off but he was trying to trust, so he held fast. It was well-rewarded, as she pulled up into a wickedly fast flight forward, darting to and past the wall surrounding the towers property. He had squeezed her hand tightly in concern but she had justughed and brought them just barely over the wall- closer than .22 meters, that was for certain- and that was already higher resolution than he could normally get from Numeracy. He was getting some serious levels, it would seem. The part of him responsible for keeping an eye on Numeracy informed him that they were going some fifty meters per second, and the rest of Edwin unanimously dered that he should pay more attention to the experience. He came back to himself fully to see Rih not looking where she was flying- but still effortlessly dodging every obstacle, of course- but instead looking at him. She gave his hand a quick squeeze, what was she oh, of course. Youve got this! she promised, and Edwin hesitated then let go of her hand. He doubled down instead on his tether and let her pull him along like he was at the end of a fairly stretchy rope as they dove into the city streets themselves. The crowds of people below them parted as Rih dove through them. When one of her wings did asionally run into something- either an object or a person- they just passed straight through without so much as a hint of a collision. That she didnt have to worry about decapitating people was certainly a relief, but it just as much pushed her to go and take even more risks. At least Edwin was able to navigate into the space in the crowds left by her passage to avoid hitting anything. Rih pulled into a tight spiral, circling around one of the rare columns out in public, carrying Edwin into a whirlwind spin as she recovered some height. Another p of her wings and shed risen further above the city, and then she pulled them back into a dive, swooping down to the streets and rising back up. She jetted around buildings, spinning around and narrowly dodging people as she swept close to the ground. Edwin decided to y it a bit safe this time and flew so he was above and mostly in-step with her, but she was at the point where her wings were brushing the ground. I thought you said people got annoyed at you when you did this! he called out. Yeah, well theyre all a bunch of hypocrites! You think they dont do this? Only if they cant! I think I also said that I just dont care! Take that, Vsarin! You and your stupid furry snakes! Who and their what? Dont worry about it! With a quick p of her wings, Rih took off from the ground, leaving the puny humans and the resulting chaos of her flight through their midst behind and jetted into the sky, where flocks of avior were simrly undergoing their normal routine. The air was thick with Skills, though primarily concentrated within the bodies of their airbornepanions; very few had active flight Skills, and so far as Edwin could tell, all external Skills were active. Rih swooped through one of the few ces where Edwin could see a Skill active in the air, and immediately jetted up, the Updraft skill effect pushing her into the sky and pulling Edwin along for the ride. The Veteran Overseer responsible for the Skill screeched something that was snatched away by the wind as they pushed past him and continued on, further and further into the sky. The wind this far up almost froze Edwin to the bone at first, but he felt Adaptive Defense kick in and swiftly reduce it to chilly but manageable. From this far above, the sight looked spectacr. This birds-eye view was something that he never thought hed ever see, and was far better than the measly view he had gotten even on airnes back on Earth. Here, he had apletely unobstructed view of everything in all directions. Far below him, the gray and brown of the city stood in sharp contrast to the greens and wheat-golden patchwork ofnd that surrounded it in all directions. The roads were oddly gray straight lines cutting straight through thendscape, clusters of farmhouses making viges tiny brown dots scattered some distance away from the city, and distant forest making a patchy, dark green carpet. Even the river was a brilliant sapphire far below them, winding to and fro as it meandered downstream. Upstream, Edwin thought he could see the waterfall Inion had mentioned as the terrain stepped up as it headed towards the massive mountains that dominated so much of the surroundings. From up here, though, Edwin could see they were nearly at the tail end of the Highpeak mountain range, and that far off in the distance an ocean glittered. A tiny wisp cloud drifted by beneath them, and the azure sky offered an infinite backdrop behind them. Wow, Edwin couldnt help but remark, and Rih grinned. Quite the sight, isnt it? Yeah. Its Ive seen some views in the past, but this is something else. Flying is great, isnt it? she asked, and Edwin nodded mutely, But its nothingpared to seeing everything down there up close. What might be a tiny dot of color from up here could be the most interesting ce thats ever existed. A patch of forest might have some rare and beautiful flower, a person you meet on the road may have truly fascinating stories. Seeing things from this far up, you can see everything but also nothing. Its like being in the tower. To see anything worthwhile, you gotta get close, you gotta go and interact with stuff. Is this why you travel? She chuckled, No, I loved to travel long before I ever could fly. This is perhaps the single greatest viewpoint to see from, but like anything, it can only be interesting for so long. You find this boring? Edwin asked incredulously. No, not boring. The awe goes away eventually, but the sights are always just as amazing. Being up here during the sunset casts it all in truly wonderful colors, or right after a rainstorm you might be able to see a rainbow thats actually a full circle. Sights from up here really make everything seem so small, and it almost makes sense why avior look down on us poor earthbound humans so much. Edwin nodded, drifting slightly further away from Rih to better enjoy the view. He could understand why he might eventually get bored, but the novelty still had very much not worn off yet, and he would appreciate that while he could. You ready? Rihs question broke him out of his thoughts. Ready for what? Lets go! She made a sudden turn, jetting off to the side with almost no warning well fine, he had a warning, but it wasnt sufficient. The sudden movement caught Edwinpletely by surprise, and before he could adjust to double-down on the strength of his tether it was already toote, and she had gone past his limit. His stomach dropped as Flights tether snapped, torn like a cobweb in the blink of an eye. All at once, the security the Skill provided dropped away, and Edwin suddenly found himself very, very far off of the ground and falling very, very fast. Rih! he yelled out, eyes wide as he tumbled through the sky, Help me! Flight. Flight! Flight! FLIGHT! Aaaahhhhhh helpmeeeeee! Edwin frantically tried to re-engage Flight, but without Rih as an anchor point, his Skill had nothing totch onto. That, or he was just too panicked. His heart dropped into his stomach as he tumbled through the air chaotically. Everything seemed to darken around him as his brain tried to reboot, but he refused to pass out. His thoughts his thoughts were sluggish. His awareness shrank into a pinpoint of light, what what should he do? Um, there was It felt like he had been falling for hours, surely the ground wasing soon? He needed to he needed to what? Come on, think AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH Think productively! He blinked his Status open to try and see what might help him, but what? He had something that would help him survive impacts, what was Overcharge! The world sharpened and slowed around him, putting away his worries that he might pass out from the experience. The ground was still quite a ways away, and the wind rustled through his hair and past his ears, drowning out all other sounds. He didnt think he was screaming, was he screaming? He should be safe, probably. He had Overcharge up, that could help him survive stting into the ground at terminal velocity, right? He suddenly realized that theyd only ever tested his defenses against Skill-enhanced impacts and injuries. Granted, that was the majority of what he cared about, but it meant he didnt know how a high-speed impact might stack up against his defenses. Once he got close enough to the ground, he could activate Flight and hopefully use that to dampen his impact like he was running into a giant pillow. The closer he got to the ground, the more force he could exert and it would hopefully be enough to soften his impact? Assume a spherical physicist is falling at terminal velocity and is about to collide into a 2m spring A pair of arms wrapped around him, as Rih pulled him into an embrace to catch him. His muscles werent very responsive, but he was at least able to wrap them around her in turn, holding on for dear life with all the strength- wait, no. Overcharge. Bad idea- about a quarter of the strength he could muster. He didnt jerk to a stop. No, more likely she had flown up behind him and matched his speed, now was slowly pulling them back to a more sedate pace. Would it be fast enough, though? The ground seemed to be approaching awfully fast, though. How were they going to- Whomp. A massive gust of wind struck the ground beneath them as a pair of powerful wings sted a cushion of air for them tond on. Then they were back on the ground, and Edwin breathed a sigh of relief as they returned to the towerswn. Rih was saying something, what oh, he was still desperately clinging to her, wasnt he? She didnt have her wings out anymore, but he was still really tightly hugging her. Edwin released his death grip and copsed onto the ground, panting wildly. He wasnt sure if it was psychosomatic or his body had just tly adjusted to the Skills presence, but Breathing didnt seem to stop him from getting winded in high-stress situations. His mind raced a thousand kilometers a second, desperately trying to put itself back together from that harrowing experience. Suspecting that he could survive a fall at terminal velocity was one thing, but actually trying to put that to any kind of test was not something he was ever eager to test. Though he probably should, shouldnt he? Overcharge wore off suddenly, and that added a whole newyer ofplication and pain to things. Exposure to the extra-concentrated version of the Skill when it was constrained to his arm had numbed the pain of the normal variety somewhat, and he knew that with a bit of rest he would even be up for some light magical exertion. But it still hurt worse than a failed exam and until he did get a few minutes, hed be in a lot of pain. Putting all of that aside, though Only including the effects the extended period of freefall did on his psyche, it would be at least a few minutes before he was coherent enough to do anything but babble about something -he didnt know what but hoped it wasnt too bad- and shakily walk around. His Flight skill categorically refused to activate, though he suspected that was rted to his generalck of coordination. Rih seemed not exactly concerned, but she didnt brush him off either. Did she say something about having seen this before? Probably not, but his brain was telling him all sorts of things that were probably inurate. Sheughed about something- probably at him- and brushed his arm with her fingers, instantly bringing him back to reality. The human contact was nice, sure, but what was definitely more useful was the massive amount of Calming Touch she infused into the caress. A few minutester, Edwin was stable even without the Skill acting as a crutch, and he nced at his notifications. Level Up! Skill Points 885895 (Average level: 48) Numeracy Level 42 44 Flight Level 44 50 Overcharge Level 26 27 Skillful Assessment Level 41 42 Thanks, he actually remembered to say, mind still slightly frazzled, I dont know how long I would have been like that otherwise. Happy to help, sheughed, It was my fault after all. Its not your fault. Besides, you couldnt have really known how badly Id react, though. No, she admitted, But I still was insensitive and careless, and for that I am sorry. It was so nice, finding a person who cared about his feelings. It was novel. Edwin wasnt sure it really helped his social anxiety though, because now he just was extra-worried about not chasing her off. He knew that was being unreasonable, though. He should just be himself, apparently. Nevermind that unfiltered Edwin was unbearable to even himself, how could anyone like that? He knew that people didnt truly want people to be their natural, annoying selves. That just meant that honestly, he didnt know what. Hopefully hed figure it out. So you going to say anything about why you reacted so badly? Oh, right. I suppose I can. Edwin had been sitting in silence for an awkward amount of time again, hadnt he? Gah, social stuff was so hard and he was doing it again. Im not sure I can really exin it adequately, because it is a fear of mine and those are always irrational. But I suppose if I were to point to some time where it really started up it was probably thest time I fell from the sky. The time? How in Xares name did you fall from the sky before? I thought you hadnt free-flown before? I havent. This was before I got the Flight skill anyway. She raised a very skeptical eyebrow, green eye practically radiating disbelief, And how exactly did you fall from the sky? Wait- dont tell me. Are you from VisDaric? Um, no actually. Have you been there? She shook her head, One day, havent made it to a Docking City in time before. Oh cool, we can go togetherrrrr if you want to, of course, Edwins brain went into panicked recovery mode, I dont want to assume that youd want to travel with me anywhere, you know? I mean, I kind of hope that youd want to go with me to ces, but not in a weird way! I just enjoy actually, Im going to stop talking now. Sheughed, Its alright. If you want to go that way, and think youll make it, absolutely let me know. Visiting the Bronze Sun is a longtime goal of mine. Bronze Sun? Uh-uh! No changing the topic. If youve never been there, how did you fall out of the sky? Did you make some avior mad? Oh, right. VisDaric, he realized, then finished processing her statement, Um, I dont think so. I dont actually know how I got there, if Im being honest. I dont have any memories of the arrival, I just remember He suppressed a shudder as he recalled his first moments on Joriah, and the strange dreams he had been dealing with before waking up. A lot of falling. But yeah, that was terrifying. Didnt have any Skills that would help me, tumbling through the air it was pretty terrifying. I think I actually cked out. You didnt have any applicable Skills? What the gashith did you do? I survived. No, really? Never would have guessed. So you didnt use the Eleven Lives skill? Wait Edwins mind was racing, Is that a thing? She let out a snort, Ha. No. Well, it might be. Who even knows? They sat in silence for a moment. Lefi would, they said in unison, then broke intoughter. Once theydposed themselves, they spent an amicable moment of silence simply recovering and formting their next thoughts. Hmm. Edwin noted, Im hungry. You want something? I think I saw a bakery while we were flying around earlier. She nodded, Sure! Free food is always good. Great. Ill be right back. Chapter 101b: Sights to See Chapter 101b: Sights to See Here you go, Edwin tossed Rih a small apparatite box, a pastry visible albeit steam-obscured inside. She snagged it from the air before it could slip past her fingers and fall to the bottom of the tower. Ooh, thanks. Oh wow, Thats good. Whered you get it, and how much was it? I need to stop by there sometime. Oh? I would have thought no, actually you wouldnt know every bakery in the city would you? Anyway, it was just down the street and he gave quick directions as he joined her on the towers roof, gratefully releasing his mana tether. Rih nodded, And it was pretty cheap, just a couple ager for everything in total. She choked on her food, coughing and spluttering to the point Edwin wasnt sure if he should do something. Right. Give me your pouch. You clearly cant be trusted with anything beyond a few ves. What? Why? Im perfectly capable of managing my own money, thank you very much. Not if youre spending more than an ager on two things from a bakery! Well, I did get some other stuff... he protested. Nuh-uh. Doesnt matter. If you didnt buy nearly the entire shop, nothing you got should have been valued in more than a couple ves. What are you talking about? he protested. Edwin, she pped her hands on her leg, You just spent about a weeks worth of wages for aborer on two pastries, and you thought that was a good deal. Carrying around all that money with that disconnect is probably alerting everyone with Value Assessment in the city they can charge you at least twelve times what they normally would. Now, give me your pouch. I met you yesterday. Ill buy you a pastry- and put my life in your hands- but Im not about to just hand you all my money! Doubly so after you just dropped me. Ill lock it up or something. Hey! I said I was sorry. Anyway, no! Coin-Scent is way toomon for thieves here, itll lead them right there. You live in a tower! How is that not safe? Dont you have a vault or whatever? Gimme! No! In the end, they concealed his coins in at least a hundredyers of apparatite and locked in the vault-like safe alongside Rihs money- a revtion which Edwin felt extremely vindicated to discover. He did keep a single half-grai in his boot as insurance, but bleh. Otherwise, he only had half an ager and thirty ves in his belt pouch. Honestly, why did everyone treat him as a child? He was responsible He could be responsible! Hey, hey. Its alright, Edwin tried to pacify Inion, It was an ident, theres no reason to go so apoplectic. She dropped you! Was it his imagination, or was the lighting on her face starting to shift? Look, it was kind of my fault too, okay? I probably could have prevented the whole thing if I was more careful. You trusted her and then she literally dropped you! I will hurt her. Thats hardly new- shut up, me. Look, you guys got along great before! Just think about that? Like yes, she dropped me. But then she caught me! She even apologized of her own volition! Look, its totally fine. Completely and totally fine. I promise. Edwin gave a big smile to try and persuade her, but was only met with a t re, only slightly spoiled by a lock of her hair drifting in front of her eyes. Fine, she conceded, But Im keeping Identify close with her. Edwin took a deep breath. He could do this, no matter how painful it was. Hed faced down giant bears and spiders, this was nowhere close to the scariest thing he did on a regr basis anymore. Hey, sorry for storming out on you earlier. Lefi looked at him in surprise, Oh? Ah, but you neednt worry about such things! Frustration is understandable. Yeah, but I lost control of my emotions and I really shouldnt have snapped at you. I just was frustrated, because it felt like I wasnt improving at all. Oh, I uh also brought you this. He pulled out an apology sk of ale from his belt. It was apparently about the size of a barrel on the inside, and hed traded two whole healing potions for it- he was probably being ripped off again, but what else was new? It is perfectly alright, my friend! Lefiughed, All would be forgiven even without the gift! Do you wish to have some yourself? Ah, thanks, but I dont drink, Edwin declined. Your loss! Ah, Rih shall be so envious! She does love this. Edwin raised an eyebrow at that as the adventurer took a quick drink, Ah! Absolutely wonderful. d you like it, he said, It was the only thing I could think of. You thought marvelously! I hope you were not overcharged too severely! Edwin sighed, How did you hear about that already? But yeah, I might be absolutely awful at this people stuff, but I still like to try. Lefiughed, then broached the question Edwin had been waiting for, Do you wish to continue your training? Do you think itll actually help? Edwin asked, Like genuinely, actually help. Because I can certainly try, but I would like a bit more feedback on what Im doing wrong. Lefi smiled, I can certainly try myself. A few ager- not spent by him, but by Rih, who knew the city best- had gotten Edwin a pauldron made to his specifications almost impressively well. The metal cuff fit snugly around his shoulder, and the line of pinholes were perfectly aligned with where hed found them to be most effective- that had been a very long, very painful day of testing but he had a local maximum at the very least. But best of all, it articted perfectly with his joint, barely impeding his range of motion. It still slightly harmed how much he could stretch, of course, but that just came with the territory of level 74 Flexibility. Random pieces of loose clothing impeded his mobility. For some reason, his semi-generic tunics, let alone his pants, didnt seem to anticipate his ability to put his knees behind his head for extended periods of time. Honestly, though, they should. Sure, Attributes may not have been thatmon, but apparently it wasmon enough for artisans to get the Dexterity attribute so shouldnt they be able to make clothing that amodated for that? The answer to that was no, because Dexterity didnt actually improve your flexibility or range of motion, just let you have greater control over your body, and it was generally focused on the fingers for the people who used it anyway. He should probably try and get the Artisan path, though. Dexterity sounded like a good attribute for him to have, and it would at least help him with his current task. As it stood, it took an impressive amount of focus to keep his fingers from trembling and ruining all his progress. Alchemical Dismantling helped somewhat, but not overmuch. It made the entire procedure possible, but there was still a certain amount of finesse that was required with cutting the quill out of a feather- or more urately, the feathery parts away from the stem. Hed found in his Refining that the quill in the lybirds feather wasnt helpful in his refinement of the obscuring-illusion dust. It seemed to have more to do with fear and darkness. If he were to guess, it served as some sort of control function, helping the rest of the magic to be aimed properly. Whatever the case, all he needed were the iridescent vanes, glittering ck and green. How you could have ck iridescence he wasnt entirely sure, but it looked really cool. His initial experiments had shown that the final result was just as potent, producedparable amounts of dust, and most importantly was way easier to Refine. The only hitch was that he had to cut right at the base of the barbs. Hed found out the hard way that just trying to shave off a bit of the feather didnt work for some reason. It was either the entire de of the feather or nothing. The minced feathers probably still had some use, sure, but they were far less effective for his goals at the moment, and he couldnt get distracted trying to find out everything about them. Just by omitting the shaft whatever it was called, he could cut his time almost in half, which given how much harder the process got the longer he took was huge. Sure, the bulk of the time he spent Refining was trying to get his mana into a Refined state, and that was taking less and less time as he got better and better at the process, but after about the first hour spent actually Refining an object, his mana got unruly. Given how he could practically double his output each additional ten minutes- five minutes, now- he took Refining things, cutting the time it took to get the first feather properly Refined from half an hour to fifteen minutes was absolutely massive. Heck, if he wasnt careful he would have to start rationing his use of the feathers in case he found something else that he wanted to use them for in the future. That was a problem for future-Edwin, though. Right now, it was just him, his knife, and his sample. Onest deft swipe with his de- that Knives skill was starting to look rather tempting- and the feather was done, the dismantled parts going in their respective jars. Two thousand lybird feathers in the jar, two thousand lybird feathers. Take one out, slice it up, one thousand nine hundred and ny-nine feathers in the jar Edwin had asked for and been assigned a small stone workshop in the tower to perform histest experiments in, as he didnt want to identally burn down his carriage with his current project. Simply put, he was seriously overdue for in, no-frills explosives. Hed made shbangs, smoke bombs, fire cocktails, and more. But he hadnt made a single concussive bomb since either the dwarves or blowing up his kiln, depending on what he decided to count. And that was just far, far too long. He highly doubted that many people would have shockwave resistance via Skills, and while Health would help put a damper on the sorts of internal damage that could be caused nobody would be very well-off from having a bomb detonate right in front of their face. He could probably even manage that with Throwing Weapons and Firestarting, which was a truly terrifying prospect. Sure, there were lots of problems with the idea, and lots of danger to be had. But when it came to making things blow up Edwin surveyed his tools and materials eagerly. He could put aside his concerns. It was time to make things go boom. Chapter 102a: Booming Business Chapter 102a: Booming Business Explosions were very cool. That was just a fact of life. They were also, paradoxically, both very hard to make work and also hard to prevent. As he knew from experience, dust explosions could happen at any time when one was working with something mmable. But he was finding out getting explosions to happen consistently was much harder than he had anticipated. Even Bomb Throwing didnt always cooperate, though he could at least reliably turn it off. Really, it was just a matter of control. Explosions were in some ways the maximum demonstration of chaos, and it was phenomenally tricky to make chaos do exactly what you wanted it to. It wasnt even because chaos was some sort of metaphysical force whose bounds transcended mathematics. No, it was much more sinister than that. It was statistics. Simply put, there were very few ways that an undetonated bomb could be put together. Molecules needed to be in the right positions, the detonator needed to be aligned properly, so on and so forth. But a bomb after it had blown up? Well, that had nigh-infinite ways it could exist. That was the secret of entropy, after all. It wasnt inevitable, it wasnt some cosmicw that entropy had to increase. It was just overwhelmingly statistically likely due to the fact there were way more ways that an object could be put together incorrectly than the handful of correct states it could exist in instead. where was he? Oh yes, explosions. Anotherplicating factor was there was no explosion reaction, not really. Explosions were just the byproduct of some mass in a small volume suddenly trying to upy a much bigger volume. If left unconstrained, that would just result in a movie-style fireball. Cool, but without much force. However, if in a container where that pressure could build, and then release all at once... His steam bomb from his time with the dwarves was a perfect example. It was just sh-boiled water trying to expand into steam and not being able to. He knew from experience that the sudden cloud of superheated steam could definitely be dangerous, but at the same time it wasnt that bad. Certainly not enough to seriously harm the sorts of creatures he was regrly facing. It was only when hed encased it in mortar, and gave the steam a casing to build up pressure in, and shrapnel that it could propel outwards that it became formidable. Of course, some explosives didnt need some kind of container to undergo a genuine explosion. C4 came to mind, among other high explosives. In those cases, the air itself functioned as a sort of container, with the explosive trying to spread out faster than the speed of sound- that was, the speed of air- and creating a shockwave. Of course, most detonations werent the result of high explosives, and so hed probably need a container of some form. Fireballs were all good in Hollywood, after all, when they didnt need actual danger and really preferred spectacle. But as a defensive tool? Well, there were three main possible ways to be injured by an explosion. Well, not counting incidental injuries like smoke inhtion or copsing structures, anyway. The first was the shockwave itself. If it was powerful enough, it could do some serious internal damage as it passed through squishy tissues and organs, bursting air vessels in the lungs and so on. Edwin was somewhat skeptical of its use against someone with Health, but at the same time it would probably be a great way to stress the Attribute, leaving them more vulnerable to other attacks. The second was in some ways even more limited, and that was the direct heat of the explosion. Depending on what the explosive was, it could be seriously devastating, but for his purposes he doubted setting things on fire would be all that helpful. Overall, he figured it was a minor contributor inparison to the other two, but bore mentioning. The final and most functional method was kic projectiles. The idea was simple: put something strong but either brittle or small in the way of the explosion, and let the rapidly-onrushing gases blow it away. As the saying went, its not that the wind is blowing, its what the wind is blowing. Yes, it was technically about hurricanes, but it applied just fine to shrapnel as well. That was how grenades and guns alike worked, after all. Using an explosion to put a lot of kic energy into a metal projectile very quickly. And assuming he could get Bomb Throwing up to an appreciable level, the System would only make things stronger. So, his task list make a gun. He could do that. Grenades couldeter, but he was hopeful to get a baseline idea of the strength of his explosives before he started bringing Skills into the mix. Grenades would definitely be affected by the Skill, whereas guns probably not. While perhaps the obvious candidate for making a gun was, well, ck powder, Edwin didnt know where he could get the stuff for it. Neither Lefi nor Rih knew where he could get saltpeter, and while thanks to Memory he knew he could synthesize it from guano, neither of hispanions knew where he could find bat caves, either. Without that, the only essible way to make saltpeter would take him at least a year, which he just didnt have time for now. Hed prodded hispanions a bit as to the absence of the substance, considering he was pretty sure it had been in wide use for centuries if not millennia back on Earth. Apparently, it had just never been needed. ording to the few mentions hed found about it in the towers library, they knew of its existence, at least societally, but other than as a mild curiosity nobody really needed it. Thinking about its uses, he could almost understand. There were Skills for both meat preservation and fertilization, and alchemists cared more about magical substances over their more mundane chemical counterparts. Why bother performing the disgusting procedures that had been needed back on Earth to make it? In all honesty though, it might well be just as easy for him to make nitroglycerin than it would be for normal ck powder, and certainly more worthwhile. If he got his hands on sulfur he could probably make sulfuric acid, and once he had that, if he did get his hands on saltpeter somehow, he could make nitric acid. Mix those together with some glycerin, and well boom. All of that was still a ways off, though. He wasnt stable enough- nor desperate enough- to start the year-long process of making saltpeter that was mixing manure with sawdust and letting it dpose for a year while keeping it wet with urine the entire time. Besides, he was an alchemist, he coulde up with something better than that. He hoped he coulde up with something better than that. He had serious questions for whoever discovered that particr method of saltpeter synthesis. Like,e on. Fortunately, while he might have beencking in archaic yetmon-on-Earth chemicals, he had elemental magnesium and phosphorus in abundance. It was really kind of absurd. But was heining? Okay, maybe he was, a bit. ----- Step. up! True to his word, Lefi had actually gotten significantly better at teaching recently. It was really startling, but he supposed that was just what happened with Skills when he was Exceptional. A massive experience boost definitely would exin why hed managed to improve, but there had to be more to it. Some Skill that boosted the efficacy of other Skills? He didnt have any evidence for the idea, as there weren''t any obvious candidates in the chaotic maelstrom that was Lefis skills, but it would exin why Lefi was seemingly good at everything, and could be a veritable master overnight. While drills might have been boring, Edwin was immensely d that histest training sessions left just his Stamina exhausted, and not his Health as well. Plus, he was actually learning. Lefi had a lot of experience using his Skills, and when not just trying to get Edwin to figure it all out on his own, things went way faster. Step.. up! Longstrider shed, and Edwin jumped forward almost 7 meters. Using the Skill properly inbat was significantly harder than Edwin had first thought it would be, because you still traveled through the intervening space. To the outside observer, it looked like he was gliding across the ground, and to someone in the know, it was really easy to intercept the movement unless you took really short steps. Doing that was fine, but if that was to be your primary use of the Skill there were better choices out there. It was, apparently, why the Skill was a rtively low priority forbatants, who generally preferred Footwork (in the case of guards and mercenaries) or Marching (for soldiers). Lefi apparently disagreed, though. He said that the people who could only travel in a straight line were wasting their potential, and Longstrider was one of the single most important Skills when fighting. Even Edwin knew that positioning was everything in a melee fight. But apparently the weaknesses of Longstrider were just too great most of the time. You couldnt change directions mid-Stride any more than you could turn aftermitting to a normal step. Unless, of course, you had a shortcut. Step up! Lefi, of course, had a Skill that just let him change direction mid-stride, ducking around obstacles at an absolutely insane pace, that was wholly separate from his Walking chain. Heel-Face Turn or something like that. Edwin couldnt do that. Not really. But he could use Flight. Longstrider and Flight just werentpatible. Longstrider only worked while his feet were firmly nted on the ground, and while he could have flight active, he couldnt use it. Or at least, that was what he had thought for a while. Lefi had pointed out that at the very least Edwin could use Flight to cancel Longstrider mid-step, which had its own set of uses. The experience was disorienting, because momentum with Longstrider was wonky. From his perspective, he was going the same speed either flying or using Longstrider, but switching between them always included a lurch. Step.. up! Right now, he was practicing switching between them at a moments notice, and little by little, he was improving. It was just a matter of practice, and with a good teacher Well, anything was possible. Edwin carefully broke off a piece of phosphorus from his supply. He had plenty for the foreseeable future, which was nice, but he made sure to keep it all underwater just to be on the safe side. Its really nerve-wracking working with this stuff, so you know. Does it really present any danger? Honestly? Im not sure, and I dont want to find out. White phosphorus mes are hot enough to boil iron, so if pretty much any gets on my gloves theyre being thrown in the corner. Edwin wasnt stupid, he was using Feys Caress under the gloves keyed off of a steel bracelet hed picked up some time back, which should protect him enough. But he wanted to make sure Lefi knew that it wasnt to be trifled with. Anyone without the right Skills got this on them? Theyre in for a very bad time at best. If they somehow got any inside of them, well Im not sure if even youd survive. Basically, this stuff is very bad news and you need to be careful around it at all times. Understandable, Lefi didnt seem overly concerned about the substance, but Edwin didnt really expect him to. The important thing was just that he knew how to behave in theb. Obeying properb safety was, after all, one of Edwins main conditions for the adventurer to get some alchemy lessons. It was only fair, after all, given how much help he had been providing with Edwins Skills. But this will be something of a good, if vtile explosive. It ignites on contact with warm air, which I know I said before but its worth repeating, but that also means all we need to do to get it to explode is to just expose it to air. Now, its not instantaneous, but thats not too much of a problem for me at least. Your Firestarting, Lefi asked, and Edwin nodded. The adventurer shook his head and chuckled, I still dont understand how you managed to transform a passive Skill into an active one. Neither do I, Edwin admitted, Though Firestarting is already half-active at least, given it reaches out of the body. Is that what youve found is the difference? Well, its not a perfect definition, but it generally looks to be true. Anyway, thats getting off-track again and dont you have a Skill for that? So, by grinding this stuff into a powder, it will make it burn hotter and faster, but only if its not too small, he exined, using a mortar and rough pestle to grind the waxy substance into granules, entirely submerged in a basin of distilled water. Why is that? Okay, so fire needs air to burn, you know that right? Yes, you said that this creates fire when exposed to air, I recall. Well, I mean more generally anyway, thats not relevant right now. Basically, all fire needs air to burn though thats not entirely true strictly speaking, it just needs some kind of oxidizer, he shook his head, Im getting distracted again. Basically, there needs to be all the stuff for your explosive to freely detonate avable, and in this case thats exposure to air. So, you want to maximize the surface area of the phosphorus rtive to its volume, which if its all one block obviously isnt happening and if its too small then air cant get through but. Chapter 102b: Booming Business Chapter 102b: Booming Business Grinding the phosphorus proved to be easy enough, and he found that by pulling on Alchemical Dismantling, he could make the granules a really consistent size with a minimal amount of work. Lefi had a Skill that worked almost identically to Dismantling of course, so he was almost as good as Edwin at it right off the start, and by the end he was even better. Edwin knew he shouldnt be jealous, but it was kind of hard to not be. This was supposed to be his thing, but of course Lefi could match him even here. But no, Edwin was being supportive, so hed see how far he could push the adventurer- no matter how frustrating it could be to watch the totally-not-a-protagonist outss him in everything. Its not like I should have expected anything else oi, shut up me. No, he was not going to get all mopey and socially self-destructive anymore. He knew that people wanted to be with him! He was a valuable team member, and wasnt that what he had always wanted? He loved being the sort of person that could help out, and exining things to people was something he truly enjoyed. He was supposed to be happy, darn it, and he would not let his emotions get in the way of that. In any case, getting enough phosphorus proved to be quite easy, but it also presented a bit of a dilemma. How was he going to get the explosives dry without them igniting? Once the water was gone, he could seal it in an apparatite container and hope that whatever miniscule amounts of air were trapped alongside it wouldnt be enough to make it explode. A few tests confirmed that yes, the granules did indeed ignite if he left them out for an extended period of time to dry, but he eventually managed to get a system down. With a bit of help from Rih (this was quickly bing a team effort), Edwin was able to make a coldbox at refrigerator-like temperatures, well below what phosphorus needed to ignite, and let the granules dry there. Of course, it took a fair bit of time for the granules to dry, definitely longer than was feasible for Rih to stay there constantly channeling magic into it. So, he cheated a bit. He used Basic Thermokinesis on the container it was stored in but added almost no heat to the system, instead allowing the Skills inherent instion to help keep the interior cold. He was really proud of that workaround, even if it meant that he lost a night of sleep to keep the system properly chilled for long enough. By working quickly, he was able to load up a lot of apparatite casings, and while there were some small fires that broke out inside some of his shells, none of them grew out of hand, and Edwin considered the entire endeavor a sess. Initial explosive tests were confusing, because when he tried to use Firestarting on the capsules, nothing happened. Even Infusing the skill didnt do anything beyond creating a tiny puff of smoke. Then Edwin realized he was being stupid. Phosphorus didnt have any internal oxidizer. It was that very fact he was relying on to keep the fuel stable, but he had still managed to forget that when actually trying to blow it up. Hm. Some changes to the n were required. A bit of testing showed that they worked as Edwin hoped. Bomb Throwing didnt seem to activate, possibly because he wasnt throwing it? Or maybe it didnt count as a bomb? Anyway, if he dispelled the phosphorus'' casing and exposed it to free air then applied Firestarting, the end result was a lovely fountain of ridiculously hot mes and sparks. Now, all that was left was to turn it into a gun. The end result looked a lot like a miniature potato cannon. A grate sat at the end of the barrel right before it opened into the explosives chamber and a specially-made apparatite projectile was loaded in. He released the container of phosphorus and ignited it, ducking behind his barrier- a very solid wooden table tipped over on its side. Given the solidity of the construction, it was probably overkill, but BANG Edwin suddenly felt like his shield was very inadequate as his prototype exploded. Fortunately, the fact it was made of apparatite meant that instead of sending deadly shrapnel all over the ce, blue sparks slowly settled to the floor, but that didnt stop some unexploded phosphorus from raining all over his workshop, igniting and filling the room with smoke. He was once again reminded of just how d he was to have Fresh Air. in hindsight, he wasnt sure what he expected of a literal ss cannon. Three iterationster, hed figured out how thick he needed to make his gun not explode, but the scales he was working with definitely werent enough to be usable in any practical sense... Was scaling it up probably just going to be a waste of time? Maybe. Hed need to rework most of it once he had better explosives with their own oxidizers, but hede this far. Who knew what sort of things he might learn? Certainly not him. Thats why it was an experiment! Edwin cracked his knuckles. He was going to need a bigger gun. And Edwin looked around at the chaos repeated explosions had wrought in hisb, the white haze hanging in the air. ...He should probably do this outside. Version two of the gun wasplete. Its walls were significantly thicker, had a 2 meter barrel and 1 meter sting chamber, had a screw-on cap for allowing more air into the chamber after each shot, used a well-fitted stone for a projectile instead of an apparatite bullet, and had a thousand little improvements over its little brother. And now, in a small meadow close enough to Sheraith that it was feasible to fly a really heavy apparatite object to, but far enough away that the sound was unlikely to reach the city, he was ready to test it. Edwin dismissed the phosphorus'' casing, releasing almost a full kilo of powder into thebustion chamber, and quickly joined the others as he dashed behind his st barrier, a few stones ripped from the earth and arranged into a low wall. He anxiously peered over the rocks and focused on the phosphorus. Hopefully this was close enough Firestarting. BOOM The noise shattered the natural soundscapes of their surroundings, sending flocks of birds cascading into the sky, shaking the clearing and knocking more than a few leaves from the nearby trees to the ground. White smoke drifted up from where the gun hadnded, but the clearing primarily smelled like freshly cut wood and upturned dirt, which That was awesome! Yathal expressed his glee, a sentiment clearly shared by Kyni. Inion looked simrly impressed, though didnt say anything. Lefi was clearly taken aback, That was without a single Skill? Rih gave Edwin an encouraging pat on his back as he nodded to Lefi, Ive never seen anything like that, and you say you can make even cooler stuff than that? Edwin nodded absently as he looked on with absolute glee at the (intentional) devastation his creation had wrought. Even without Bomb Throwing activating at all, the stone had utterly demolished the tree it had been aimed at, leaving only a splintered trunk and a significant amount of shattered wood behind. Hed need to get Lefi in to test its efficacy against Skilled opponents, but it would be amazing at imparting a lot of kic energy very, very quickly. His enthusiasm was dampened slightly when he looked at the barrel. It had been thrown across the clearing, and several parts had broken, including part of the barrel. Edwin sighed. That would take forever to fix, to say nothing of figuring out what he would need to do in order to prevent that level of recoil from happening again. At least it hadnt exploded this time. Two test firingster- about one week after his first test, thanks to the absolutely insane amount of apparatite hed needed to conjure- Edwin had figured out that if he didnt want the recoil on the gun to send it flying, hed need to make the apparatite body so big and bulky that even he couldnt lift it easily. At first, hed tried using supports that would lock the barrel in ce, bracing it against a nearby tree and digging into the soil, but apparatite just wasnt strong enough, apparently. The next model would need to include handholds, because he was not reconjuring the exterior and had forgotten them until it was toote. At least hed been able to make it on-site. Yes, it was functionally immobile unless someone wanted to personally pick it up, and stuck in a random clearing miles from the nearest city. Yes, it required him to repair a bunch of the parts every time he fired it. Yes, it used an absolutely absurd amount of phosphorus per shot fired. But those problems could be fixed. He could make it out of metal and figure out a better recoil-absorbing method (Wheels, perhaps? Or maybe when he used metal the bracers would be strong enough.), he could experiment with better propents (particrly ones with their own oxidizers) and projectiles. A lot of this would probably be invalidated once he started messing around with magical explosives anyway, but he was d hed done it for the lessons learned. It would be a long-term project for certain, simply because of the scale of everything he needed. But he would make it work. Because despite all of its issues, a simple fact remained: He had a cannon. All other arguments were invalid. Previously, Edwins efforts to learn about magic had been stymied by insufficient information. He was mostly limited to just himself and his own experiments. Inion had never been very useful either, because she said she didnt know how to teach the basics. When hed pushed for some instruction anyway, hed just been left confused. Considering he wanted to start to dive into magical explosives, Edwin figured he should probably make sure he had a slightly better grasp on both halves of that statement before rushing forward recklessly. Fortunately for him, he finally had another mage to talk to! Mana is all around and inside everyone, just like blood or breath, Rih exined, sitting cross-legged, But most people cant touch it, any more than most people can control their heartbeat. When you woke up your mage talent by getting the attribute, you started being able to touch it. I mean, Im still pretty sure I wasnt magical before then. Of course you were. Thats how you got Basic Mana Sense. Anyway, you said your mana started at 1, right? Edwin nodded. Yeah. It was just really weak. But once you could touch it, thats when your Skills started including it in their effects? Thats the difference between a mage and someone who just managed to get a magical Skill. I might have misheard you, or Polyglot might be acting up, Edwin frowned, But you said that the way you know someone is a mage is because their Skills include it, and then promptly said that someone with a magical Skill isnt always a mage. Basic skill, she rified, Someone whos a mage has magical tier 1 Skills. Okay, but sure. Shelving that for the moment. So how does a mage use their magic for anything, then? Its a bit like using a Skill, she exined, But without the System, its all much harder. For me, I imagine my magic as a storm that changes with the seasons. Itll be a hurricane, blizzard, rainstorm, or drought. Droughts arent a type of storm, though? Yes, but shush. Im making a point. The more I call on my magic, the weaker the storm gets and it takes quite a bit of time to recover. I know another mage who views their mana as a reflecting pool where powerful reflections can disrupt the surface, another who visualizes it as a stream and they can only use so much at a time but with no real exhaustion, and a third who pictures their workings as nts they grow, and therger the growth the more powerful their magic. What do they all have inmon? she prompted. They all have some kind of limit, he caught on, It doesnt really matter what, just that it exists. You can call on lots of power, but not consistently. The mirror guy can only use so much power before things go haywire, and the stream a simr thing, but just visualized in a different way? Then the nt guy is the opposite. The longer he spends on it, the stronger it is, but without other restrictions? Nice! Yes, magic isnt unlimited. Iprehensibly vast, but limited all the same. So what does that mean for me? Well, the first step of using magic is calling on it. To do that, you need to know what youre calling on. Close your eyes and think for a while about what your magic looks like to you, and what that means. Edwin nodded and closed his eyes, poking at his mana pool with all his senses. Theres definitely two conflicting feelings is that bad? Edwin thought for a moment, trying to visualize the energy, One part of me feels like its a fire or sun thats radiating power, but I also feel like a pool of water that can empty out. Its not ideal but also not umon. In fact, most people have conflicting ideas about their mana at first, and oveing that is the biggest step to actually controlling your magic. Molding them into a clear, singr picture of what your mana is like will be a tremendous help in your casting, as it will naturally tend towards directly enacting your image into the world. Like how I can use weather magic so easily. But you definitely need to be able to call all of your magic at once, so it should all fit together neatly. Edwin frowned, and she continued, Look at mine. Because of my magic, it took me a long time to bring it all into a single concept. I had to figure out how to incorporate the unpredictability of the seasons, the overwhelming chill of a blizzard, the untamability of wind, the life-giving rains of spring and the heat of summer all into one. Of course, now its obvious how they should fit together, a single eternal storm whose form changes with the seasons, but it took me a really long time to put it together. Edwin nodded as he closed his eyes to visualize his mana pool. It was definitely a pool, and he could still feel the miniature sun nestled between his corbones that was the source of his magic. The sun could burn away, the pool could empty out. Hm. Light, heat and water His mind shed through possibilities. Lava? No, definitely not right. Molten steel? Eh, simr problem. Maybe nitroglycerin? No, that still didnt feel right. What about a volcano? If the sorts of magic he could use was tied to how he visualized his mana, volcanoes were pretty hard to beat for sheer power and versatility. Ooh! No, what about a hydroelectric dam? Incorporating electricity directly into it and really go wild. Hm. No, no. It didnt fit. Also Howplex can this be? he asked. The important thing is that you can visualize it properly. The better you can visualize it, the easier it will be to use magic. So simpler is better? Generally, yes. If you need to spin some borate yarn as to how all of your magic fits together it will be exceptionally difficult to use for anything but the most basic of powers. I heard of one mage whose magic apparently took the form of the entire Bronze Sun, and all its inhabitants and magic within. Its probably just a story, but it was said that although he had an impressive array of capabilities once he was actually able to use it, but it took him outright hours to properly visualize his magic to use it. Oh, so I need to be able to picture it whenever I use my mana? Unless you directly use a Skill, yes. Okay, so the hydroelectric dam and volcanoes were definitely out. He needed a practical way to visualize his ability to trickle out mana like drops of water, but also adequately reflected the power crackling within it and was positively radiant. Some kind of radioactive liquid, maybe? His mind raced, Visualization helping him imagine a hundred different possibilities. What else would Oh. Oh, of course. A triumphant grin crept across Edwins face. Congrattions! For firing a cannon, you have unlocked the Artillerist path! Congrattions! For creating a prototype weapon of war, you have unlocked the Sapper path! Congrattions! For sessfully creating a Visualization for your personal mana, you have unlocked the Schooled Mage path! Level Up! Skill Points 895939 (Average level: 49) Adaptive Defense Level 3233 Alchemical Analysis Level 3435 Alchemical Dismantling Level 4245 Alchemy Level 9192 Basic Thermokinesis Level 2831 Bomb Throwing Level 5152 Feys Caress Level 3840 Flight Level 5053 Fresh Air Level 3438 Improbable Arsenal Level 3334 Longstrider Level 3540 Numeracy Level 4447 Outsiders Almanac Level 134135 Polyglot Level 6869 Prototyping Level 3436 Ritual Intuition Level 3034 Sappers Apparatus Level 5457 Skillful Assessment Level 4245 Watchful Rest Level 3134 Chapter 103a: Mindblowing Revelations Chapter 103a: Mindblowing Revtions Got it, Edwin opened his eyes. Wait, really? she seemed genuinely taken aback, That was so fast! How did you- What did you settle on? I mean, I do literally have a Skill for Visualization. Anyway, it was Edwin decided to be dramatic, a potion. A potion? Yeah, he exined, Like one of the bottles I have in my workshop for illumination. You said it should be simple and easy to visualize, but potent. Well, I work with that sort of thing all the time, and I can pretty readily imagine a bottle of liquid sunlight, or liquid fire. Its you know, a potion. Theres a bottle of it and I can pour it out and use it in stuff. It glows and has really fast effects, but its also a liquid and that tracks with what Ive been imagining mana as so far. She remained skeptical, It sounds like you have a very small amount of mana to call on that with that image. Are you sure thats a good idea? Edwin shrugged, Ive literally never run out of mana. I suppose more potion is being made all the time or something. He thought for a moment, Yeah, I can actually imagine it perfectly, a bunch of alembics and pipes and stuff all hooked together constantly adding to the batch. But it works so well! Its basically just glowing water, so I should be able to call it up pretty quickly, but it also has lots of variety! She shook her head, Leave it to you to make your analogy for magic include magic. Edwin kind of shrugged helplessly. Well, anyway. Whats next? Well, I wasnt expecting you to be done with that today, let alone before wended. Edwin grinned, d that he could use Flight with basically no more trouble than just standing around thanks to all the practice he and Rih had done. But since you did, now you just need to keep that image in mind. You got it? Okay, so then in my case I imagine standing in the middle of the storm, and I make the mana pulse, I guess. Dont know what else to call it. Then I you know what, Ill just show you. The two of them stood in his firing range meadow. All the reasons they had used it before- a convenient, yet remote distance from Sheraith, ack of anything fragile- worked just as well for demonstrating magic as explosives, after all. Plus, they were already halfway there on their flight. He could definitely feel Rihs magic surging from her and around them, a fierce and dry wind whipping from within her core. As time had passed, it had begun taking on a colder and colder tone to it, which was apparently in tune with her magic shifting towards more ice and snow abilities. Rih let out a low hum and the air around them thrummed in much the same tone, harmonizing together. She wordlessly sang a few other notes, jilted and harsh that seemed to hang in the air, preparing it for something. There wasnt any obvious effect, though- A brilliant bolt of lightning shed through the air, momentarily blinding Edwin, just before the heat and shockwave sted past him. He shook his head to clear it slightly, left otherwise unfazed by the veritable explosion- he was probably getting far toofortable with stuff blowing up in his face, wasnt he?- and nodded in appreciation. And that was without a Skill? he confirmed, Thats pretty potent for something you can just do by humming for a minute. She beamed at him, green and brown eyes glistening, Yep! Ive been offered the Skill a few times- Lightning Strike- but Ive never used it often enough to make it worth a whole Skill. It takes a lot of wind from my storm, but it doesnt really matter. Edwin nodded, You said you were tier four, right? I bet thats a pain and a half to try and deal with every time you want to add a new Skill. Rih nodded, Be d you can still add Skills to your set without slowing yourself down too much. I still havent gotten my Flying skill chain up to the fourth tier and Ive had it for three years now. It doesnt help that all the really good Flying pathbinations are sixty points at least, and I cant even look up a Record because of the species differences! So what was up with the humming? Ah! Well, a storm cant really be controlled, but a song can be controlled. Edwin blinked, I dont see the connection. Its well, Ive never really tried to exin it. It makes sense to me? I can sing, or use my flute, and thats how I can shape what the storm does. Its kind of like if you have your potion-magic, would you directly make a potion? Is that not how magic works? Well, no. Did I not exin that? Edwin shook his head. Oops! I guess thats what happens when you figure out an image within ten minutes about me first mentioning them, I forget stuff. At least it went well. Well, if you want to make a magical effect you need to control your mana, and I guess you might do your whole potion-brewing thing to make magic? Like, mixing your stuff together or whatever I cant help with that, sorry. Well, Im d I didnt go for the hydroelectric dam, then, he muttered, and waved off Rih when she perked her eyebrows up, Doesnt matter. Just an oveplicated visualization. She nodded in understanding, though still looked somewhat confused. So what else do you have? Edwin asked. Havent we been over this? she retorted. Edwin shrugged, Ill stop asking if you stop looking like youre about tough with every admonishment. She considered that for a moment, Fair enough. I just have one base Skill for each season. This time of year, its obviously Autumnal Gust. A mana-infused Skill blossomed around her and the wind picked up dramatically, ttening the grass around them. As she continued, Edwin felt another Skill enter the mix and saw crescents of Skill energy scythe through their surroundings, cutting grass and letting the clippings fly into the air, buffeted by the wind and pulled into a tight spiral around Rih. She stood in the middle of the miniature tornado, without so much as a hair out of ce. Some of her loose clothing fluttered slightly, but Edwin could see she was actually cheating, a Skill manually moving the cloth wholly separate from the localized windstorm. He wasnt sure what to think about that. A cloth-fluttering Skill was what he expected from Lefi, sure, but not Rih. Maybe it was the byproduct of a different one? Then, the wind died down, and the meadow settled back into normalcy. No music? he asked. The Skill takes care of most of that for me. Other than providing the mana and unlocking the Skill to begin with, I dont actually need to do anything. Surely youre familiar with the idea? Edwin nodded. So can you not use your other magic when its not in the right season? Oh, I can. Its just weaker. The equinoxes and solstices are when my magic is purest, but I can always use all of my magic at any time. Wait, how does that tie into the constant storm? Like ice in a snowstorm or whatever. It well, its more of a symbolic representation, you know? The storm is amon point but it doesnt always fit with my magic. Werent you just telling me how it strictly limited what you could aplish with magic. Yes, but Okay, look. Ive had my magic for more than a dozen years, thats a lot of time where I can push the limits of my imagination and magic, and it wont all make sense when I exin it. I suppose thats fair, Edwin conceded, Any chance I could get a demonstration of the other Skills? Ask me againter. Dont you know its rude to ask ady her Skills? Oh, so its fine to ask a guy, then? Does Lefi know your Skills, should I ask him? he shot back with a grin. Rih shed a mischievous grin in response, and summoned a gust of wind, blowing him into the air. Edwin caught himself without trouble, and dove forward to try and catch her off-guard. She was expecting the move, or at least reacted fast enough he didnt evene close, but it did set off a midair game of tag, which was quite nice. As hey in bed that night, his Skill aching like a sore muscle, Edwin reflected that it had been quite some time since hed had quite so much fun. Edwin held his grenade up to the light, taking onest look before the test. The majority of what he could see through the apparatite, of course, was just the phosphorus. Inside, though, he knew there was a tiny, fragile vial of firevine sap, held in ce by abination of crystal and phosphorus itself. What was empty space in the container around the explosive itself would one day hold tiny bits of shrapnel, including them for this test was just taking a stupid risk. He cared about its potency, not how many iron filings he could pack in around it. If this worked well, hed have to see about getting proper casings made up as well. Though apparatite might work just fine for this. It was fragile enough to shatter easily, after all, but not so easy that the grenade should outright fail. Satisfied with the basic form of the grenade, Edwin set it on his workbench and gave his safety equipment a final check-over. He didnt want to do this outside for many reasons- mainly that he didnt want to set off explosives in the city and the meadow was too far away for this sort of thing- but hed strengthened his st defenses and was doing this in an otherwise empty room, so it should be fine. Test one, mundane Phosphorus and firevine oil, he narrated to Almanac, Held in an apparatite container with separate containers for oil, phosphorus pellets, and expanded air canister. When struck, a primed explosive- see PhosphateGrenadePrototypeL- will have the intentionally fragile separators between partitions break and allow theponents required for a detonation to intermix and hopefully ignite. He removed the protective cap, allowing the oh-so-fragile crystal protrusions to stick up above the explosives main body. Satisfied, he stepped back to the far side of the room, sheltered behind his st screen, and threw his detonator pebble. The tiny rock, smaller than even his fingernail, flew true, perfectly striking the detonator pins. There was a brief, tiny sh of blue light, then WHOMP Smoke and fire billowed into the room, filling it with the ever-familiar scent of garlic that phosphorus produced for whatever reason. Hm, okay. Definitely good, and certainly a viable alternative for his smoke bombs if he didnt mind the smoke being both toxic and spreading fires everywhere. So not really practical for those purposes. But that was fine! It was why he had dedicated smoke bombs anyway. Also, setting things in a wide area on fire wasnt exactly a bad tool to have, and so long as there wasnt anything mmable around, he could pretty easily make the phosphorus burn itself out just with some quick applications of Firestarting anyway which he should definitely do now. He also knew that his grenade design worked! That was cause for celebration in itself. It took a little while for the smoke to clear enough for another bomb test, but after some time spent fruitlessly trying to master his newfound- well, newly defined- magical powers, Edwin was eager to move on with his experiments. His next bomb would be Infused, and Edwin was already expecting a muchrger explosion as a result. He hypothesized that the mana he stored within the phosphorus would be released in the detonation, bringing a proper fireball into existence Test two, infused Phosphorus and firevine oil.Testing methodology a match for PhosphorusExplosivesTest1. He set his grenade prototype on the counter, took shelter behind his reinforced barricade, triple-checked that all of his protective gear was in ce, and threw his detonator pebble. Everything was going just as nned Wait, wait, no. Why was- BANG -Bomb Throwing activating? A fireball filled the room, the sudden explosion and shockwave magnifying in volume as it bounced around the enclosed space. The world went orange and then white, and it took Edwin way too long to realize it was because his apparatite face mask had just been coated with phosphorus pentoxide. His ear plugs had probably saved his hearing, and he dispelled them to see if anyone was ah, there it was. Are you okay? Inion asked, her voice echoing through the room. Apparently the explosion had caught her attention, because she had not been nearby earlier. Yeah, yeah! he called back, wiping off his mask to reveal the workshop was indeed very smoky, but strangely, the workbench was also coated in a thinyer of ck dust in the perfect shape of a scorchmark. Where had thate from? It was made of stone, and hadnt been there with the mundane test. Perhaps just as strange was the distinctck of phosphor fires anywhere, Im fine! He coughed more out of a sense of obligation than anything, but he had no doubt that he had just given Fresh Air quite the workout. He frowned at the soot covering the table. What was that stuff, and why was it ck? Was it from the firevine? Phosphorus pentoxide- the usual result of burning the element- was white. And yes, there was a lot of that everywhere, but what the heck was this? >83% Elemental Phosphorus What the heck? It just worked way better than I had anticipated! he added, Way, way better. Id stay out there if I were you while I clean this up! Hm. Why did Bomb Throwing trigger for this one but not the previous? Did it have to do with the amount of magic present in thetter? Why was there a ck phosphorus scorch mark on his bench, and was it actually ck phosphorus? Where were the lingering remnants of burning white phosphorus spread throughout the room? What was going on? Chapter 103b: Mindblowing Revelations Chapter 103b: Mindblowing Revtions A bit more testing showed that no, it was not the amount of magic present. In fact, he couldnt figure out why sometimes it came into y and other times it didnt. Sometimes, Bomb Throwing activated for the mundane grenades, sometimes it didnt activate for the magical ones with no apparent difference in his experiments. He grumbled in frustration. What was this stupid thing doing that he couldnt control when the Skill would or wouldnt engage? It made it very hard to determine appropriate st shields for testing when at any moment a given explosive might suddenly be ten times as powerful. He clearly needed to get a better handle on how to not make a Skill activate hm. Maybe he could just make Bomb Throwing an active Skill instead of a passive one? Hed done it with Firestarting, after all. It wasnt a perfect solution by any means, of course. From a raw Skillprehension angle it was far better to understand the limits for a Skills activation than it was to just brute-force keep it from working, but he did need to make sure he wouldnt blow himself up by ident if he started working with nitroglycerin at some point, so it was something to work on if nothing else. Hed need to move to a room with better venttion, as well. Fresh Air had made him sloppy with that particr bit of safety, but if nothing else, it was a pain waiting for all the smoke to clear every time he tested a bomb. Seriously, though. What was up with Bomb Throwing? That said, at least the Infused grenades did reliably produce the fireball and ck phosphorus-soot, just without Bomb Throwing getting involved they were much more manageable sizes. He also hadnt managed to prove what the ck, graphite-like substance that his Fireballs left behind were, but he was pretty sure that it was genuinely ck phosphorus. If it was, that raised a ton of questions about the explosion and why there was ck phosphorus- which was normally only produced in ab, under seriously extreme pressures- created in the detonation. He considered himself lucky that the particr allotrope he was dealing with was stable, if nothing else. His fireball had enough problems, what with leaving clouds of caustic material hanging around. But where the heck was the extra energy to create the ck phosphorusing from? Yes, yes. It was certainly magic. He was dealing with magical phosphorus, after all. He hadnt seen anything that suggested mana cared about conservation of energy. At the very least, he hadnt noticed any sort of consistency for how much energy a certain amount of energy that some fixed amount of mana could aplish. Heck, he could fly, and the energy requirements for that sort of thing were insane, unless using clever aerodynamic tricks to help out, which he wasnt. But also, that was with the aid of his Packing skill. Considering Edwin could lift giant boulders with only a bit of effort these days, that Skill definitely did a lot of heavy lifting, pun intended. And if that had been everything, he would have just dismissed it as just magic. But that wasnt everything. Why did a bigger explosion create a byproduct that took some truly insane pressures- something like twelve gigapascals if Memory served- to make? Was it connected to the fact Infused Phosphorus was an albeit weak high explosive? It was either by ident or a deliberate- so to speak- part of the process. There was something strange here going on, and he would figure out what it was no matter what it took. He was deep in thought when Kynigos dragged him from theb and out into the daylight. Though he hissed in frustration at not being able to continue his testing, most of his reluctance vanished when he saw Rih waiting for him. What was she doing? Come on, lets go flying! What do you need me for to do that, though? he protested, Last I checked, I needed you to fly and not the other way around. Ive got stuff in theb to do! Theres something strange going on and I want to investigate. I dont! But you havent been outside for a week! Yourb will be there when you get back, but its a great day for flying! Thosell be rare as we keep going. It was actually true, especially since his training with Lefi, currently at about an hour a day, was predominantly indoors. Edwin definitely felt that he was actually learning stuff not that it made any difference in how his skill was stacking up against Lefi. Dont you have time to spend with Yathal or whatever? You seem to have gotten Kyni on your side, but what about his boy? Nope! Lefis keeping an eye on them right now. Well... arent you in charge of scheduling the weather? Cant you just make nicer days? Oh, please. You know it doesnt work like that. Besides, I can really only create seasonal-appropriate weather. I cant make it warmer when were past the equinox. Edwin sighed, only really putting a token amount of additional resistance. It was clear that Rih wanted to spend time with him, and he had to say he liked the idea. He wasnt about to decline spending time with a pretty girl, after all. Besides, thest time hed been outside had been hisst flight with the girl, and in addition to having been lots of fun, was consistently a source of levels for his Flight skill. Do you have some sort of appearance-based Skill? he idly mused as they rose above the tower, then promptly realized his mistake, Uh! Sorry, I didnt mean to ask that. I, um. I dont actually have an excuse. I just didnt think first. Sheughed, and floated close enough to ruffled his hair slightly, Why, Edwin. Ady loves to hear she looks pretty. Well, sure. But I just figured you know what, never mind. Ill tell you if you tell me what your crystal-making trophy Skill is that Lefi loves so much. Wait, Lefi likes Apparatus? Hes barely mentioned that to me, he asked. Rih just shrugged, Apparatus? Sappers Apparatus, he exined, Evolution of Construction with Superior Alchemist. Quite useful, all told. Really? Huh! Howd you get that Path? Beat up a band of bandits, their leader was an alchemist. Oh, yes! Lefi told me about that. Anyway, to answer your question, its an evolution of Unweathered Form. Unweathered form? She nodded, Its really important for my magic, that Im not really affected by weather or by the seasons. So, I made sure to get a Skill that keeps me from getting too hot or too cold, which is very important for me. Because of your wings and your corresponding inability to wear shirts? Edwin knew he was on thin ice, socially speaking, but he persisted nheless. Probably a bad idea, but Sheughed, Ill have you know that this is the height of fashion in the capital. Edwin raised a skeptical eye as they drifted through the sky. It is! What, how does that Edwin trailed off in thought. Hm. From what hed seen of fashion, avior tended to not wear overmuch, and while humans and the like tended to still wear clothing more reminiscent of medieval garb, he could definitely see Rihs outfit- heavy garb on the waist and below, very little on the torso- being moremon. Though that would only make sense if Is the capital further south from here? Rih paused and looked at him curiously, Yes, how did you know? Well, basically not everyone will have your Skill to prevent them from getting too cold while wearing that, so it would have to be a lot warmer on average down there, he exined, So, further south. She pursed her lips, Well-reasoned. Even when Im just messing with you, you figure stuff out. She ruffled his hair again, and Edwin started feeling a bit self-conscious. He hadnt really washed himselftely, so his hair was likely filthy with smoke and oils and probably caustic desants from all of his experiments. Actually, what did he look like? Did he have a patina of smoke covering him? When was thest time hed washed his clothing? Hed take a bath when theynded, he told himself. There was a bath off in one corner of the tower, and the water was actually heated (and kept clean) by some magical object embedded in the corner. At least Purify made washing himself rtively easy, and incidental use of the Skill while Refining stuff meant his hands were practically sparkling. Hed still need to rinse off first to keep the water from turning into phosphoric acid, though Adaptive Defense was probably pretty muchpletely protecting him from the stuff these days. What were we talking about? Edwin realized, I got distracted. Me, Rih readily supplied. Her? But Oh, right. So Greater Unweathered Form? Simr ability but much more potent and with a wider array of uses. Its great in the rain. Keeps mepletely dry. And Idyllic Form? Thats what makes me so pretty, she teased, Makes me Possess the natural beauty of a fresh snowfall, Ill have you know. Im quite happy with the level I got it to. Oh, so youve evolved it too? What is it now? She gasped in mock offense, Honestly, so many personal questions? Dont you know its rude to ask about Skills? Edwin frowned, Ohe on, dont flip on me like that. You were just telling me about your Skills. Besides, I thought you were all for not being formal and that sort of thing? Actually, now that I think about it, arent the vast majority of sses and skills public knowledge in the Empire? How does that trante to them also being really private? What? Rih, I know you can hear me, he didnt even need to speak up even with the onrushing wind from their dive, You have at least three Skills constantly active concentrated around your ears, and Im pretty sure its your Hearing skill that lights up every time I talk to you. She continued her pretense of not hearing him, and Edwin sighed before returning his attention to enjoying his Flight through the clouds. Step! Up! Up! Left! Dive! Step! Right! Step! Jump! Edwin had gotten used to switching between Flight and Longstrider in a single instant, to the point where Lefi had chained multiplemands together. That training exercisested for about a week before Edwin could do it in his sleep. Then, however, Edwin had figured out something new with Longstrider. Namely, its Infused effect. Most, and in theory all, of his mundane Skills had some sort of magical effect when paired with his third-highest level Skill, even if it wasnt always obvious. His magical Skills on the other hand couldnt be Infused, but made sense. Jump! Step! Up! Right! Right! Back! Left! Down! Most of them directly utilized Mana Infusion in some way or another, and you couldnt use the same skill twice simultaneously any more than you could hold two big objects in the same hand or speak two words simultaneously. Okay, that wasnt entirely true. He could use one of his magical Skills while also Infusing something else. He did it constantly with Flight, after all. Improbable Arsenal explicitly changed the effect his Infusions had on container-like objects, Flight was literally made bybining Mana Infusion and Packing, and while Edwin was still trying to figure out if Feys Caress was magical or not he did suspect the shapeshifting Skill used Mana Infusion somehow in its base effects. Down! Left! Left! Left! Left! Jump! Right! But in any case, Mana Infusion was great if he could figure out how to use it correctly. There were threeyers of difficulty in Infusing his Skills. First was just figuring out where the Skill could be infused and how to shove his mana in. It was like trying to plug in a USB drive where the USB was invisible, theputer was invisible, and if the drive had twenty different possible orientations. Up! Up! Down! Down! Left! The second difficulty was figuring out if anything else needed to be Infused simultaneously. Well, technically not simultaneously, just in unison. Some Skills didnt seem to have any effect when Infused on their own. Even Firestarting, Edwins premiere Infused Skill, still required him to Infuse the air near his fingertips in addition to the Skill itself before it would deign to create sparks. Others, like Seeing, seemed to have the effect of canbine with another Skill, and he needed to figure out what other Skill was needed for there to be any effect. Of course, that tied into and was made all the more difficult by the third figuring out what the Skill did. His Skills didnte with instruction manuals, and Infused skills doubly so. He still didnt know what Nutrition and Survival did when Infused in a pair- heck, he didnt know what Infused Survival on its own did- despite sporadically working on it for nearly two years. Most of the time, it was just luck that he found some new application of an Infused skill, and his Longstrider discovery definitely qualified. Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump! Up! Right! Back! It had been the result of an overly tired slip-up, amusingly. He had been at the end of a particrly long training session trying to figure out exactly what Infused Longstrider did, when his exhaustion- Longstrider could be really tiring when was pushing at its limits for hours on end- had led him to tripping over his own two feet during a particrly quick turn, and his panicked attempt to straighten his legs and catch himself hadunched him over ten feet through the air. He could jump. Now, that may have sounded like a really stupid magical application of Longstrider, but for a Skill whose primary limitation was that one foot had to be either firmly nted on the ground at all times unless you were running in which case it was a little more flexible. But other than that, the Skill had a very clear requirement: firm footing on or near the ground. When it was Infused, though? All the Skill required was that he had a solid foothold at the point of his jumps start. Back! Left! Up! Jump! Edwin was in pretty good physical shape, all told. He was still scrawny, sure, but he still was very physically active and had several Skills giving him a pretty much perfectly nutritious diet when he ate- and when he was especially active, he ate regrly. That was to say nothing of Athletics and Flexibility giving him downright superhuman levels of fitness. Without Longstrider boosting his jump, he could very easily jump more than a meter in the air. With the skill, though? Well, he could clear almost eight times that. Jump! Down! Right! Forward! Jump! And it was awesome. Edwin certainly never felt bored, as he didnt let his work with alchemy ck either, and he spent many an hour exining to Lefi what he was doing and why it worked, along with all sorts of questions the man had about chemistry and science. Considering the amount of progress he had been helping Edwin make in his Longstrider and other Skills, though, it was a well worthwhile trade. He had tried Refining phosphorus into being more explosive, and it didnt really do much? Not that explosive was a property he could really refine, but neither speed ofbustion nor temperature impacted the destructive potential of his grenades. It left him puzzled for quite a while, and it was only when he managed to get an urate read on a fast-explosives temperature one time that it finally became clear to him. Explosions were basically the result of a material getting really hot really fast, tearing either itself apart or heating up the air to increase its volume. But, his Refined phosphorus only burned hot or fast, not both, and the properties changed at essentially the same rate, leaving the overall explosion the same size. It was a frustrating conundrum, but Edwin figured he shouldntin too much. It had been an interesting diversion, but he was pretty sure the only way he could make pure phosphorus be any more explosive via purely alchemical means was by making the entire thing catch on fire at once. He had hoped that Firestarting mighte to his rescue, but it seemed not. He was pretty sure that the only reason he could ignite an entire log simultaneously was because the organicpounds did have some amount of oxygen locked away inside of it or something like that, anyway. If he wanted to improve his burn rate of phosphorus, hed need to make it into a gas and allow every molecule tobust simultaneously. It was an amusing idea, but how would that even work. Phosphorus only sublimated at temperatures around 1000 C, and Sub limated? Vanished? Lefi asked, breaking Edwin out of his lecturing mode. Sublimated? Its like evaporation, but with solids instead of liquids, the exnation got a confused stare from the adventurer, and Edwin continued, So theres three forms of matter, remember me saying that? Well, technically theres like seventeen if you want to beprehensive, but while time crystals are cool, literally, they arent relevant right now. Three states of matter that matter right now. Normally, you have a solid- like ice- that melts, and then boils or evaporates into a gas- like steam. With me so far? Time crystals? Just ignore that. Its this weird state of matter at hyper-cold temperatures where particle motion has no energy because of how cold it is I read like one paper on the stuff years ago, and I havent even begun to exin the absolute basics of the stuff that you would need to understand how its even theoretically possible. Moving on. So, solids, liquids, and gases. You with me? I do believe so. Great. Well, sometimes a substance can skip the liquid phase and jump straight to a gas. Thats what phosphorus does. Heating it to a thousand degrees Celsius would give diphosphorus, and thats super reactive like the hellish element it is. But it also wouldnt be practical to really have, because it would need to stay that temperature, and I think Id need to be like level ny in Basic Thermokinesis to make it work. But what might work is if I was somehow able to powder normal white phosphorus to the molecr level and then somehow distribute that powder over an area, then that would create quite the He trailed off in realization, Fireball. Edwin? Lefi asked. Yeah, yeah. He vaguely waved his hand at the adventurer, springing up from his chair, mind racing. I need to get to myb. I think I figured it out! Congrattions! For receiving extensive lessons from ? Lefi Forolova, you have unlocked the Student of Power path! Congrattions! For sessfully developing a new application for the Longstrider skill, you have unlocked the Athlete path! Level Up! Skill Points 939995 (Average level: 52) Adaptive Defense Level 3341 Alchemical Analysis Level 3537 Alchemical Dismantling Level 4546 Basic Thermokinesis Level 3132 Bomb Throwing Level 5255 Feys Caress Level 4041 Flight Level 5356 Fresh Air Level 3844 Improbable Arsenal Level 3436 Longstrider Level 4046 Mana Infusion Level 8889 Memory Level 6465 Numeracy Level 4748 Refine Level 3536 Polyglot Level 6970 Prototyping Level 3639 Ritual Intuition Level 3443 Sappers Apparatus Level 5759 Skillful Assessment Level 4548 Watchful Rest Level 3436 Chapter 104a: Fire, Water, Sky Chapter 104a: Fire, Water, Sky So what is it which you have managed to determine? Lefi asked, confused as he followed behind a very eager Edwin. So remember what I was saying about the soot stains on myb bench? he prompted the adventurer, getting a nod, Yeah. There was nothing in the explosion that should be able to create soot, but I figured out that it was ck phosphorus, which is plenty stable. Of course, thats not much better for really exining whats going on, because normally it can only be created with insane amounts of pressure, and besides, it should burn up in the fireball. So I didnt know where it wasing from. Well, I was also wondering what was up with the fireball itself. Somehow, it became a high explosive, and that means that the entire thing has to ignite simultaneously. Like, every single molecule at the exact same time. Or, I suppose, the magic itself could create a shockwave at the surface of the explosion, but it doesnt feel like that. It feels like a fireball, not kic energy or sound, I suppose. So one of my senses would be lying to me if that were the case. Now, I need to perform a couple of tests, but I think I finally know whats going on. I need to focus for a few minutes, but Ill answer your questions afterwards. He stopped in his storage room to grab some munitions test samples. Well, it was more of a closet than an actual room, but that didnt really matter. For obvious reasons, he kept his materials separate from his actual experiment room. He stepped inside hisb, motioning for Lefi to stay back, and ced the crystal-covered substance on the windowsill- not quite a recement for a fume hood, but thanks to Fresh Air it was sufficient for his new workshop. Okay, test one. If this failed, then there was clearly something else going on. Phosphorus was mmable enough that he didnt even need to infuse Firestarting to make it burst into mes. A simple finger-gun was enough to get him into the proper mindset for selective ignition, and he aimed at the tiny, sealed chunk of explosives before pulling the metaphorical trigger. BANG Edwin nodded to himself as the fireball faded. He should have tried anerobic tests of infused phosphorus, but he hadnt really thought of it as an actual test. Just a stupid mistake hed made early on in his experiments with the mundane variety. But the broken apparatite, and apanying fireball, confirmed that he didnt have to be too worried about adequate oxidation in his actual weapons, at least. Well depending on if he was right about how this worked, it might only affect his grenades, but that was fine. There seemed to be a slightlyrger sootstain than usual, but that might have just been his imagination. He still needed another test before making any further conclusions. After all, once the apparatite container had burst, the phosphorus was able tobust as usual. What would have happened if it hadnt broken free, or was unable tobust? For his next experiment, Edwin summoned an apparatite container around the casing, Infusing it with Improbable Arsenal as he did so. Hed found that if he used the two Skills simultaneously, instead of creating an object with Apparatus and then expanding it, he could get arger expansion ratio, and hed need as much volume inside as possible. Inside the testing box, he dismissed the Infused phosphorus casing, allowing the yellowish pellets to spill out into therger space. That aplished, he put the box on the windowsill- it shouldnt explode, but Edwin was rather attached to his fingers and would rather not lose any- and ignited it. Inside, the phosphorus sparked, glowing slightly as it erupted into a ball of ck dust that filled the expanded space inplete silence- thanks to the near-vacuum inside- before settling into ayer on the bottom. Yes! Edwin cheered. Im afraid I do notprehend that which you just managed to confirm? So, Edwin slowed down, So far as I can tell, when I try to ignite Infused Phosphorus- I need toe up with a better name for that- the magic tries to burn the phosphorus, but it isnt able to. So instead, it manages to convince white phosphorus to transmute into ck phosphorus. Because ck phosphorus is more stable, the transmutation gives off energy, which blows the block apart. Then I suppose the excess heat manages to ignite some of the ck phosphorus and then that burns more and more until most of the ck phosphorus is gone. Thats why, when it was in a vacuum, it just poofed into a cloud of ck dust. With no air, it didnt have anything to burn for fuel and so it all fell apart into molecr dust- dont inhale that, by the way. It might be stable inside of you, but I really wouldnt take the chance. I presume that made sense to you, but is there some benefit to this? Not that there needs to be! Such a discovery is marvelous unto itself is it not? Well, youre right on one part. Knowledge is always better than ignorance, but in this case... Edwin said, a twinkle in his eye, It means I can do this. Theyd reached the chest of phosphorus, and so Edwin re-sheathed his hand in steel, drew his apparatite knife and sliced off a chunk of phosphorus from inside its watery basin. It started smoking almost immediately, of course, but that didnt matter this time, nor that it was slightly wet. Instead, he tossed the element into the room, arcing towards the window as he took aim with his Skill. Firestarting. BANG It exploded mid-arc, and Edwins face stretched into a wide grin. He could circumvent so much preparation like this. And! For the first time, he knew what his magic did, physically. Spell unlocked, he thought in triumph, fireball. ...And then, Kyni ran at the guy and took a big bite right outta his club like he was ying! It was so cool. So then this guy just looks at his stick an tries to hit Kyni, but he isnt about to let somethin like that stop him! So he grew and just swallowed the whole thing! He kept on shoutin about how Kyni was such a big dog and how he could never stand against such a big and strong dog and then he ran off after just a little bark! It was so super cool! Oh? Rih prompted as she brushed out Yathals hair. Kynis coat had been already finished and the dogs fur gleamed in the dim light, Are you picking up Sherrish, then? Well not really, the boy admitted, But it was obvious what he was saying! Yathal didnt have Polyglot, which really hindered his ability to interact with pretty much anyone without the Skill. Fortunately, it was a rtivelymon Skill for everyone from guards to merchants- anyone who was likely to interact with non-locals, basically- but it was also all but required for any half-decent adventurer ording to both Lefi and Rih. Its evolution path was at least straightforward enough- just evolve Language with Linguist, both of which strongly preferred the other. Unfortunately for Yathal, the mostmon method of unlocking the Linguist path was by learning a newnguage, and the kid was definitely still a ways from that goal. Are we not concerned about the fact somebody tried to mug Yathal, then? When did they even leave the tower? Edwin asked Lefi, who just shrugged. The six- five if you didnt count Kyni- of them were all sitting in one of the towers lounges, eating a rare meal together. It was never really nned, it just tended to happen, but Yathal had really wanted to tell them all about what his day had been like and so had insisted they all meet. Yathal would nevere to harm, not with Kynigos watching over him, and its better that he gets the possibility to get used to being in unfamiliar ces. Besides, of the two of them, its Kynigos must learn to be responsible, and its important to teach him the sort of trouble Yathal can get into with cities. Fair enough, but like... shouldnt we keep a bit of a better eye on them or whatever? Life is harsh. Sure, but just throwing someone into a river isnt a good way to teach them how to swim. That got a skeptical look from Lefi, and Edwin realized his mistake. He buried his head in his hands, Please tell me youd at least fish them out if it looks like theyd drown. Oh, but of course! I mean, sure. Ive been spending a fair amount of time with Rih. Among other things, shes nice, Edwin pointedly teased his friend, and is definitely better at teaching me magic than you are, he sshed Inion with a bit of water. One unexpected benefit of Adaptive Defense was that he could stay in the bath for a basically indefinite period of time without getting wrinkly, and hed never overheat from the water either. So, he tended to stay in it for several hours at a time. Inion had figured out his habit and started joining him after the third time, and what had once been Edwinsst alone with his thoughts time- after hed started doing alchemy with Lefi around much of the time- had be spend time with Inion. It was kind of hard toin about getting the chance to bathe with her for obvious reasons- he had long since been inured to having no privacy from the fey, this wasnt really different- but he was starting to get a bit people-worn. Hmmm, Inion teased as she floated by him, How many people do you like being around? I mean, I dont know that many people on Joriah, he reminded her, So its not really a fairparison. Yes, but shes definitely spending a lot of time with you. You should be a bit more careful with that. Yeah, shes teaching me magic, and is tons of help leveling Flight. Oh, what? Another girl wants to spend time with me and youre suddenly suspicious of her? Are you sure you arent just jealous? She rolled her eyes, Edwin. Im older than this entire w-Empire. Me getting jealous of you spending time with a girl is utterly absurd. What would I even be jealous of? That we dont spend as much time together as we did before? Yes? Please. You know I dont care about that. Edwin wrenched his brain away from the interpretation that she didnt care about spending time with him and tried to spin it more positively. She was clearly just happy that he was being social, clearly. Did she care about that? Wait, yes. She did. So then what is your problem? Is this still about her dropping me? You were in serious danger! She clearly doesnt care about your well-being, and you dont know how much you can trust her but youre still telling her all about your Skills. Edwin rolled his eyes, It was one time! And she apologized anyway. I can take care of myself, you know. I could have just Overcharged and been fine. I actually tested that, you know. I dropped a rock onto my head while I had the Skill active and it broke on me, not the other way around. She raised a very skeptical eyebrow. It was safe! I worked my way up. I didnt just drop a boulder on my head to see if Id be alright. Come on, you know me. Yes, because you would never perform an experiment that might seriously harm you if it went wrong. Again, that was one time! She leveled a stare at him, and he withered under her gaze. Okay, it was technically twice. Look, I dont know okay, fine. I suppose you could count those as separate instances, so maybe it was three times. Okay, that time just t-out doesnt count. I was in no danger that entire time. Stop looking at me like that! Chapter 104b: Fire, Water, Sky Chapter 104b: Fire, Water, Sky So yeah, Inion doesnt like you. Doesnt surprise me, she does strike me as very possessive. Shes not okay, maybe she is a bit. I just wish I knew how to help! You know Id never take advantage of you, right? I mean, I know that- Probably. How would I be able to tell? Its just a matter of convincing her, and I dont know how to do that. If I think of something, Ill let you know. Anything to help you out, she joked. Oh really? In that case, what about telling me about your Skills? he teased. He tried to not bring it up too much, but his mind never really was able to go anywhere else, and hed need to think of what hed bring up next after she refused. Sure! Wait, actually? Edwin asked, discarding his musings, Are you sure? Not that I dont want to know what Skills you have going on, especially with your ears. Only one of them seems to be Hearing, what are the others? But anyway, what happened to that being private, or it not being proper? Oh, are youining? No! No. I love learning about you. Wait, no, thats not right. Oh you dont like learning about me? she shot back, and Edwin panicked. This was exactly the sort of thing that drove people away from him, just sticking his foot in his mouth. No, no. Its not learning about you, its learning about your magic. Wait, thats worse. I said stop sticking your foot in your mouth. I like learning about everything and Im just going to stop there, he sighed. At least she didnt seem too offended, and justughed off his blunder. Edwin couldnt help but wonder how much damage hed done to her mental image of him, though. Im just messing with you, dont worry. But for working with me? It was never going to take long, Edwin. Especially not with you working so much with Lefi. Yes, it matters that you keep your guard up with people. But were adventurers, for better and worse. We need to constantly keep an eye out for people who will try and take advantage of ourck of support. That means keeping things close to the chest, yes. There are those who hate adventurers and will look to hunt them down, others will just refuse to pay you for jobs you perform. She shrugged, But the other side of that is that its more important for us to make those supportworks. Because theres so few people that we can really trust. Imagine what would have happened to Yathal and Kynigos if Lefi hadnt gotten them and brought them here. Its important to weather the storms in groups, and those groups need to be honest with one another. Yeah, but why me? Is this just because of Inion? She gave him a smile and a bit of augh, No, its not just because of Inion. Most of it is because youre honest. Edwin started, What? Do you have any idea how many secrets- She chuckled slightly, Im not talking about your secrets, whatever those are. We all have those. Youre just very straightforward. When you say something, you mean exactly that. No hidden agendas, nothing. I think you might just be spending too much time with politicians. No more than I can help, she chuckled, The nobles still insist on weekly meetings with me, but its always the same. Oh, due to unexpected dys my recement is noting quite yet, but any day now I should expect them, whoever it is, to begin the trip. But I better not get the idea that Im actually doing something they couldnt do without me, Im not valuable to them or anything. Any time with a politician is too much time with them. I wont disagree with you there. So why dont you just leave? I mean, I could get it if they were paying you a good amount or whatever, or if you had someone in the city you liked seeing, but why dont you just he waved his hand in the air, fly off? Well, you keep things interesting for one. Between yourb stuff and Yathals antics? Theres never a boring moment with you around. But as itsing to winter, well I usually settle down for a while, and the Tower certainly is a nice ce for that. Much nicer than most ces I winter, anyway. I lost my autumn, which is always sad because its the best time for flying, but no point dwelling on it. Sure, but why did you stay this long? Well, because they needed my help. Come on, Edwin. I know you understand that. I mean sure. I wouldnt say Im obligated to help random people, that gets into a whole mess of Ethics. Like an inherent obligation of action just isnt a thing that can or really should even exist. Edwin. Yes? Stay focused. Right. Basically, positive obligations are a huge moral mess, and- Edwin Sorry, sorry. What were we talking about? She sighed, Would you help people that needed you, even if you didnt know them? I mean probably, I guess, he conceded, But like if they asked me yeah. But I do have limits. So do I, she agreed, I wont stay here forever, but I also dont want Enforcer Finnas to hunt me down. Okay, that answers my question somewhat, but what is up with that? I havent gotten the impression many people actually want you here, but you also cant leave? Oh, thats simple, she said with a smile as they drifted through the sky, Theyve done such a great job persuading everyone that they dont need me, they''ve convinced themselves too. I dont follow, Edwin admitted, So they think they dont want you, but also wont let you leave? The city enchantments need to stay active, and requires a steady source of wind magic to protect the city, but the nobles couldnt bear to admit to their subjects that they need to rely on an adventurer, so they spin everything in a way that makes me look absolutely useless, or like Im threatening or sleeping my way into the position. Im somewhat ttered by the former, but thetter is just ridiculous. Oh, whys that? Because they dont have nearly enough towers if thats what it took to get into one, she replied with a grin. Edwin chuckled, Ill take your word for it. But that does seem to be the case, yeah. Ive heard several things that sound like insults about you when Im out and about. Whatever nder campaign they ran against you is rather impressive, I have to admit. Oh, believe me. Ive heard it all myself. But its all because of how important it is to them that they retain the appearance ofpletepetency, and the idea that anyone could do anything without their support doesnt work with that. In other ces, the local Enforcer might stand as a counterpoint to the Governor, and they can y out their little power struggles on that axis. Here, though? Enforcer Finnas is in the middle of it all and it doesnt look good for his power if he cant do everything. So what? You just let them mock you? You cant be a sessful adventurer if you put too much into caring what people will think about you. Look at Lefi. People are overrated, Edwin grumbled slightly, and Rihughed. They can be. And its good to see youre already in the right mindset. But that brings me around to my original point. Im helping you because youre helping me. Helping you? Im not doing anything, he protested, And I have to keep shoving my guilt down because theres nothing I can do. Its only because of you that were able to stay here, and its not like Im providing anything useful. Heck, I cant even help out by making food every once in a while because my stupid cooking Skill is addictive! Edwin, she gently admonished, Do you me Yathal for not being as strong as us? Oh, so Im a kid now? Edwin snapped, then winced, Sorry. That was uncalled for. She gently stroked the side of his head, Youre not a kid, youre just new to this is all. What do you know of my past? Edwin guardedly asked. I swear, if another person knows about me being an Outsider I dont know. Not much, she said with a shrug, Lefi will only tell me that youre from very far away, but that anything more isnt his secret to tell. And you havent been bugging me about that? Edwin was surprised, You who wants to know everything? She waved her finger in admonishment- they used the little finger, but it was still unmistakably the same motion, Youre the one who wants to know everything. I want to experience it. You want to experience everything? Edwin teased. Oh, of course not everything, no more than you want to know every little detail about the Street Cleaners job. Edwin wrinkled his nose, Point taken. You dont need to be useful now to be very clearly useful in the future or in many other situations. Ive seen what you make, and youre clearly shaping up to be a promising alchemist. If youre ever able to make even half the stuff thates out of Panastalis, yeah I want to get on your good side now. Can you at least believe that? she shot him a smile as they fell into a dive. Yeah, yeah. So what Im hearing is, Im not actually helpful right now for anything but entertainment, you just think I might be eventually. Edwin tried to believe that she meant it, but his brain wasnt convinced. He was useless! That they were willing to patronize him didnt make it better, why couldnt they just tell him the truth? Or worse- were they expecting him to be able to make arycal and midnight dust and all the other stuff alchemists could make? What would she say if she found out he was totally incapable of making any of that stuff? Edwin, no, she gently said,ing to a stop and turning around to look at him, hovering in the air far above the tower. He sighed, Look, Im sorry. I shouldnt have gotten after you. Can we end the flight for today? I dont want you to have to deal with me anymore today. Oh? You dont want to hear anything more about my Skills? Not even my ears? I promise, youll find some of them fun! her voice picked up a slightly melodic tone as she talked. Not not today. I mean, I could, I just can we talk about them at someter time? I just Im not feeling it right now. She reached out to grab his hand, and while Edwin initially felt like refusing it, sense won out over spite and he hesitantly reached out to take it. Her hand was so very nice and soft Edwin fought back a bit of a sigh. Human physical contact may not have been quite the same as emotional closeness, but it was a nice enough substitute. Of course we can. Onest dive? A wan smile crossed Edwins face, Sure. Onest dive. Oh hey, Edwin noted as theynded. Whats up? Rih asked, Feeling better? I mean I guess a bit? Anyway, Flight leveled again. Oh nice! Its been a few days, hasnt it? Whats it at now? Yeah, he agreed, Fifty-nine. One more until I start looking at evolving it. Thats great! she made a quick twisting motion with her outsyed fingers in a congrattions, Youve been growing so fast! He shrugged, Guess you can thank Lefi and Inion for that, Edwins eyes widened. Oh, and you. Definitely you, and getting me to go flying so often, he hastily added. Rih gave him a warm smile, Its my pleasure. Gah! Edwin threw the rock he was holding on the ground in frustration. He was useless even in his magic practice. Sure, he could make slightly different types of mana by focusing on different kinds of potions, but when he tried to mix them to create anything slightly moreplicated, or even just to practice, they just absolutely refused to cooperate. Inion looked up, curious and putting aside what she was working on- some braided flowers from the towers garden, still flourishing even inte fall, Whats wrong? This magic! Its just he sighed, frustration gone, Just a momentary bit of frustration. I thought for sure I had it that time, but the drops separated just before they finished mixing. Why well, I mean I expected it to be hard. So whats the trouble? He shook his head, Nothing, really. Rih just makes it look so easy. And I know thats because of practice and lots of Skills, especially given I kneecapped myself way back when. Im just so far behind everyone else its ridiculous. Oh, look at me! I can start a fire with the snap of my fingers, I can mix a healing potion. Then you have Lefi, who okay, Ill admit that hes not a good point ofparison. But then you have Kyni, who can at the very least heal Yathal with no difficulties and straight-up outrun the wind when hes really trying. Edwin, youve been on Joriah for less than two years. Yeah, I know! But look at mypany! Ive barely so much as ruffled Lefis cloak when we spar, Rih outsses me in everything, and I cant even get this to work despite having two Skills practically dedicated to it! And dont even get me started on you. It doesnt matter that Im getting better because thats not what matters overall! What matters is that I am behind, and Im just not catching up fast enough! Sure, Flight will probably hit level sixty in the next few weeks, and I suppose I really need to start thinking about what Ill do for that... But that still only puts me at tier two. Then everyone keeps patronizing me over it! And thats without even talking about all the non-Skill ways that theyre better than me. Rihs actually able to put up with me, even when I get annoyed! Inion red at him. What? Youre an idiot, you know that? Why? Edwins mind raced with everything he might have just said. What had he done wrong? He needed to Lefi is the Empires strongest adventurer and has been improving his Skills for nearly a century, she counted off her fingers, That girl is your age, yes, but has had Skills for her entire life and has been a potent mage for most of that time. Shes spent more time getting a single Skill to tier four than youve spent onJoriah. And then Ive had skills longer than this entire empire has existed, and while I was asleep for most of that I still had centuries to grow my Skills and really master them. Youd be an utter freak if you somehow were able to already be as strong as any of us. How do you know all of that stuff? I talk to people, Edwin. I do that too! he protested, Though yeah, not about that, I suppose. He sighed, So basically, I should focus more on my true peers? Im doing better than toddlers? What? Yes. Though you could well pass into tier three at any point if you so chose and you know it. Sure, but then Id be dealing with a bunch of really weak Paths, which doesnt really help. You know mostborers and such might have but a single sixty-point Path, ya? If you wanted, you could surpass them all at will. Really, you already have. Whatever your Flight skill bes will be impressive enough. You had education back on Earth, did you not? she continued. Edwin nodded, Yep. Ages five through well, you could go until you were like thirty, but most just went until eighteen. Here, you started your schooling two years ago, and now youre upset that youve only gotten twelve years worth of Skill growth since then. Yeah, but Both of them are known across the Empire as being exceptionally powerful. Lefi in particr, but do you really think there wasnt a single other wind mage Sheraith could have called upon instead of her? That was true. And entirely fair. And Rih was just talking to me about this, too. I need better benchmarks, dont I? he sighed, Not that I really have any avable. He sat in silence for a moment before steeling himself, Any idea what I should do about that with my magic? You said you picture it as a potion, yes? Yeah. What are you like a stream or something? She nodded, floating over to him, Close enough. Summon a bit for me? Edwin obliged, mentally tipping over the potion bottle and letting some of the radiant liquid run down his arm and pool in his hand. The visualization was already showing its worth- he would have never been able to hold that much mana before he knew to imagine it as a potion. Now, the difficulty wasnt in keeping the mana together as it was to keep it against his hand, a significantly easier task. Inion nodded, and he felt her mana- so reminiscent of a shaded spring- burble up from her palm and gather in her hand the same way Edwins had. When you use your mana, you must determine how it is that you shape it. For me, water is an extension of my body, so I can control the water itself. You have a much harder job, how is it that you see yourself directing your mana? I mean, Im trying to get it to mix properly. What is your goal? I mean, I dont really have one. Im just trying to feed two slightly different types of mana together and mix them somehow, just to get a bit of practice. But theyre always staying either distinct or just cancelling each other out. Im starting to wonder if going with potions was a bad idea. Rih uses sounds and music, and she does all this harmonizing stuff where two notes can have their individual effects butbine to make a third how does that work, anyway? Can you cripple your magic by choosing a bad visual? The mana doesnt change with your visualization, Inion exined, Not by itself. Your mana is no different than it was before. But! With a clear picture in mind you can make different applications way easier than normal. As you get better with the picture, the easier itll be to get it to work the way you want. Oh, so theyre more like models, then? Mah-dels? You say that word and I hear at least three different terms. Umm so in Physics, there are things that dont conform to normal experiences. Electrons and photons- dont worry about it- are the major ones. So, theres different models that you can work with that focus on different properties of the things, and depending on what model you use different calctions might be easier. I have no idea what you just said. Could you look at someones mana and tell what their visualization is? Not to any detail, nah. Though that only applies if they arent using it at all, but if they are you can infer quite a bit. Okay, great. So yeah. Its not that the mana itself changes, but the way you approach it can make certain tasks easier or harder. Inion raised an eyebrow. Yes, I know thats exactly what you said, but now I understand it. So how does that help? Well, youll get better with practice. Yes, I know that, but I cant even get started. Hard to practice when you fail all the time, his lips quirked up slightly, Just look at my training times with Lefi. You said he was doing better, didnt you? Well okay, he is, but nevermind. It was a bad joke. How am I supposed to practice it, though? You spend at least an hour in your workshop each day doing potion-work, dont you? Yes? What does oh! Use Mana Infusion at first to get used to it, Id say. Then try to freehand it. Edwin jumped up, Inion, I could kiss you! Thats perfect! Oh? Do you want to? Edwins face must have gone through some veryplex and very amusing emotions, because Inion justughed at him while he went red from embarrassment and tried to hide his face. Level Up! Skill Points 9951020 (Average level: 53) Adaptive Defense Level 4142 Alchemical Analysis Level 3740 Alchemy Level 9293 Arcadian Elixir Level 3235 Bomb Throwing Level 5556 Feys Caress Level 4143 Flight Level 5659 Fresh Air Level 4445 Improbable Arsenal Level 3639 Longstrider Level 4648 Mana Infusion Level 8990 Prototyping Level 3940 Ritual Intuition Level 4346 Sappers Apparatus Level 5960 Skillful Assessment Level 4849 Watchful Rest Level 3637 Name Edwin Maxlin Age 2 Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 33 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 93, Alchemical Analysis 40, Refining 36, Alchemical Dismantling 46, Sappers Apparatus 60 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 32, Feys Caress 43, Ritual Intuition 43, Mana Infusion 88 Flight 59, (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 27, Longstrider 48, Fresh Air 44 (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 48, Prototyping 40, Anatomy 43, Polyglot: 70, Memory 65 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 56, Adaptive Defense 42 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 134, Watchful Rest 31, Skillful Assessment 41, Arcadian Elixir 32, Improbable Arsenal 33 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 1020 Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Artillerist 0/60, Sapper 0/60 Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Mystic Alchemist 0/90 Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90, Attuner 0/30, Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Schr 0/60, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Athlete 0/60 Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90, Insomniac 0/30, Sleepless Disciple 0/60, Student of Power 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched Chapter 105a: Evolving Awareness Chapter 105a: Evolving Awareness Edwin felt like an idiot at times. After so much time trying to figure out how he could replicate alchemical reactions inside of rocks and pebbles to no avail, it was really embarrassing to have to be reminded that he had the perfect setup for mimicking alchemical reactions already. Namely, him actually performing alchemical reactions. It would be fairly straightforward, too. He was working with metaphorical training wheels, after all. The goal would be the ability to mix up spell potions on the fly, whenever, wherever, and with whatever he wanted, but one step at a time. So here he was, back at square one, going through the motions of making something actually useful as he trained his magic to cooperate. He would have preferred to make health potions, of course. He could make those practically in his sleep these days- given Watchful Rest, possibly literally- but he couldnt introduce his personal mana into the equation without messing everything up. Failing that, he wanted to at least do something productive, but he really didnt have any nonmagical reactions that utilized liquids at the moment. If he had nitric acid, then things would be very different, but he didnt have nitric acid and the steps to get it were so obscenelyplicated it was a wonder that he could even call it up with Memory, to say nothing of the people who figured it out in the first ce. It was the cornerstone of modern chemistry for a reason. Chemistry, because of how much stuff fixed nitrogen was involved in, and modern because of all the stuff needed to make it work on amercial scale. He broke himself out of a slight daydream where he had been imagining himself with magic that could break down atomic bonds and bypass all theplications required in fixing nitrogen, that was, pulling the mostmon gas out of the atmosphere and just shoving it into a beaker of water. Instead, he pulled his attention back to water. It was in theory the most trivial experiment possible. Mixing water with water, what could the oue possibly be? Still, for all its simplicity, it did have its advantages. Mainly, that there was no way it could go wrong in some dangerous way. Almost as valuable was the fact that water and water were perfectly miscible. He should have no problems with the normal oil-and-water issues his types of mana had with itself. Or if he did, then that would be interesting as well. Win-win, really. Edwin forced himself to imagine his Mana Infusion as pouring out a bottle of mana potion, but unlike most of the time he used the Skill, he didnt let go at the end, instead maintaining a small measure of contact with his mana as it settled into the water. It was a bit of an odd sensation, but not one that was particrly unpleasant. With his other hand, he repeated the process. For his first experiment, he wasnt changing anything about either of the Infusions, it was purely a test to see how they behaved whenbined. Experiment one. Unaltered mana Infused into waters A and B. B added into A slowly while stirring. As predicted, A and B mixed with no incident or notable interrupts. Experiment two Edwin kicked his feet through the air near the tower, mildly miming the motion of swimming on his back as hezily chatted with Rih. He just felt so at ease around her, even when she wasnt using Calming Touch. It was very nice. Okay so is it an appearance Skill, then? he guessed, Like I can see some of the resemnce to what I think is Idyllic Form. What, do you just really hate the way your ears look or something? Is it some kind of Skill that lets you reshape your body a bit? The adventurer looked at him like he was an idiot. Actually? he sat up in surprise, I was not expecting that. Um, dont tell me. He cupped his hands in front of his mouth in thought, Seasonal Appearance? Close guess! Mercurial Form. Wait, he thought, So then that skill line goes, he counted them off on his fingers, Unweathered Form, Greater Unweathered Form, Idyllic Appearance, and then back to Mercurial Form? She scratched her head, I dont see what youre going on about. Well, most of them are something-Form, but number three is Idyllic Appearance. The girl raised an eyebrow, Is there something different? Oh! They Polyglot differently for you? Oh, yeah. I guess so. Weird. Anyway, shapeshifting? he excitedly asked. She looked to the sky, muttering something unintelligible. What? he asked, Its a cool Skill. And Im kind of curious as to whether your DNA would change, or if you could do something with your blood type to make you an actual universal donor. Also, can you make yourself grow an extra finger or something? What? Why? He shrugged, Just to see if you can. Is your skeletal structure mutable? Can you look like different people? How much can you actually change? Oh. Thats better. She waved off Edwins implied question as to what she meant by that, I dont think I can do much other than some cosmetic changes. Well, maybe. But its rather limited, and not one Ive yed with that much. Mainly, I just use it on my hair and ears to avoid getting too much attention. Wait, hair? Why? Also, if youre trying to avoid attention, why use it on your eyes? She red at him, and he raised his hands in defense and apology, Sorry. Touchy subject, I see. Well, those are the color of my eyes for one, and for another, they wont change color with the Skill. Lastly, I like them that way. As for my hair, it changes color with the seasons too. Im surrounded by anime protagonists, he mentally sighed, Too? Wait, so then that means your eyes change color? How how do you make every question Im so sick of sound so reasonable? Uhhhhh. Edwin had no clue how to respond to that one. Should he apologize? Make a joke? Sympathize? My eyes change with my magic, yes. Surely youve noticed them lightening? You think I notice stuff like that? You have one green eye and one brown eye, thats about all I can ever remember. Yes, well thats just in the fall and spring. Blue and amber in the summer and winter. He nodded, Very cool, I see why you like them. What about your hair then? Brown in the spring and fall, red in the summer, blond or almost white in the winter. And you went with brown year-round? I like it. Its less eye-catching. Ah yes. Less eye-catching. Thats exactly how I would describe you. She halfheartedly swatted at him, Jerk. Edwin chuckled, We got way off topic. So, your ears? What do you need to change about them? Dont tell me they change with the seasons as well. She hesitated, clearly deliberating what she wanted to say. I can promise that no matter how what it is, I wontugh or make fun of you about it, he reassured her, then paused in thought. Unless its really funny, in which case I might be unable to control a smallugh when I first see them, and might tease you about it if you seem amenable to the ideater on. Rih red at him. He dramatically shrugged, Hey. You were the one who said you liked my honesty. Thats fair, she sighed and rolled her eyes. Ah! Was that a joke or was that actual exasperation? Um, shoot. Ah, damage control, damage control I can lie if you want! he blurted out. She red at him. Or not! he made vaguely helpless motions with his hands, I dont know! Look, if you just keep ring at me Im going to have no clue what you mean. She sighed, Youre fine, Edwin. Are you sure, because he trailed off, but his mind filled in the nks, Because thats exactly what I would say to someone I was exasperated with and just waiting for a chance to get rid of but didnt want them to feel bad about it. And I dont want to chase off another person who I actually like spending time with. I have so few to start with! Im sure, she tried to reassure him, and sighed, Its just been a while is all. Edwin was about to ask about what she meant, when he saw the Skill working. Her ears quickly shifted from normal to distinctly pointed. Pointy ears, pretty girl His eyes got very wide, Are you an elf? he excitedly asked. What? No! she shushed him. Sorry, he mouthed. Rih shook her head, sighing, Its alright. I should have warned you to stay quiet. Youve never met an elf, I take it? he shook his head, Thats what I thought. Youd never think I was one if you had. Oh? Well, does that mean youre what, half-elf, then? Thats still so cool! Rih raised an eyebrow, Not what I was expecting. Rih, I dont know how to break it to you. She tilted her head in an indication to continue. Im from very far away. I get that I react unusually a lot. If youre expecting me to be anything close to normal, hi, Im Edwin and we clearly have never met. Sheughed, and Edwin immediately felt better. Hm. Was that a Skill? Joyful Laughter? He shook his head slightly to try and focus it. I just thought you knew. Well, I just didnt, I guess. Dang it, hed really screwed up this time, hadnt he? He was usually better at well, not being asked questions about people he knew. Hm. I could have sworn I told you at some point, or at least mentioned it while you were around. Okay, rifying question though: was I involved in an experiment, nning an experiment, or had literally anything other than just directly talking to you going on when you said this? Edwin, is there ever a time when one of those dont apply? I mean you could definitely grab my attention whenever you wanted, he joked, and had to fight back a wince. It had sounded much better in his head. Hmmm, she assessed him, Well see. So whats that like? Whats it like being a human? Edwin paused, Point taken. But like what sorts of reactions do you get? Edwin, I keep my ears permanently shifted to look like normal human ears, what do you think? He wasnt able to hold the wince in that time, Right. Then he thought about it a bit more, Wait, but why? I feel like Ive seen at least six different species living in the Empire essentially in harmony. Avior, humans, gnomes, halflings, dwarves and okay, maybe just five, unless theres another that looks really simr to one of those guys. But still! Why elves, or not even full elves? Where have you been? Highpeaks, traveling, Vinstead, the middle of the woods, Panastalis, and here. Ah, never seen Kinea? Cant say Ive heard of it, no. Thatd do it. Also, just try visiting the maind. Not as many humans, way more strange looks. Its even worse if youre not actually human. But beyond that, theres lots of bad blood between Kinea and Quoena. Oh hey, I know that one thats the elven city, right? But why would oh, who am I kidding. People are awful. And that holds in the rest of the Empire, then? Sheesh. So dad? he guessed, I presume if it were your mom youd be living in the elf ce, or if you were an outcast from there you wouldnt be a normal adventurer. What is the normal procedure for people from another nation visiting the Empire, actually? Youre clever, you know that? Thats what people tell me, Edwin awkwardly deflected, Feels like Im wrong more than Im right, though. Nonsense. But yeah, mum was the one to have the scandal, and here I am. She spent too much time in the Verdant, I suppose. So where are you from, then? Not Kinea? Rhothos. Edwin frowned, Is everyone from Rhothos? I know Yathals from there, and Im pretty sure Lefi is as well. At least, thats where his Registrar is. Then youre from there too? Nah, Lefis not from Rhothos. Dont know where he is from, but he just likes Vinstead. The province is quite well-popted and is friendly to adventurers, though. I never got that sense while I was there. Most other ces are worse. Okay, I cant refute you there. You are the well-traveled one, even if- Even if you have the World Traveler path, yes I know. Rub it in a bit more, why dont you? Oh, only if you insist, he teased, In fact- Edwin didnt finish his sentence, distracted as he was by something else. A grin crept across his face, I hit it! What? Flight! I just got the notification, it hit level 60! he fist-pumped the air, I was hoping I might finally get it today. I need to figure out what Im doing with it now. Well, what do you have for Paths? Just a second. Hm. Theres no way to show someone else your System stuff, is there? Rih shook her head. Ah, pity. Well, this will take a minute, then Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Artillerist 0/60, Sapper 0/60 Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Mystic Alchemist 0/90 Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Skilled Arcanist 0/60, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90, Attuner 0/30, Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Schr 0/60, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan Spider-yer 0/60 Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Athlete 0/60 Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90, Insomniac 0/30, Sleepless Disciple 0/60, Student of Power 0/60 Chapter 105b: Evolving Awareness Chapter 105b: Evolving Awareness What do you think I should get? Well your Flight skill is different from my own, so I cant say for certain. But what do you want from it? That was a good question. Im not sure I really can answer that. Like I could use anotherbat Skill maybe, but I dont really think I want to be locked into something that would only help when Im flying, and I definitely dont want to lose out on something really cool and interesting when if I actually needed abat Skill, I could just get one. What sorts of things would even be avable? Lefi would know hey Lefi! Rih yelled, getting the golden-haired mans attention. He was rtively close, tossing a ball back and forth with Yathal at the base of the tower. Kynigos was between the two of them and trying to intercept their thrown ball, jumping all over the ce trying to catch the ever-stranger throws Lefi could pull off. Yes? he called back, absently catching and returning the ball to Yathal, narrowly threading it just below Kynis snapping mouth and sending it corkscrewing through the air. Edwins evolving a Skill, we need your advice! Marvelous! I shall be right there! You know, Edwin is better off with my advice, Inion interjected as she floated up to them as they descended, ring at Rih. Oh, whys that? Because you know how to float five feet off the ground without wings? the Dancer shot back. No, because Im far older than all of youbined and have far more experience with magical Skills than you do. Also yes, because I know more about Edwins Flight than you do. You clearly dont know how to make it work. Oh is that right? Well remind me- Look, look. Edwin stepped in, I want all of your guys opinions, alright? Rihs been helping me get tons of experience, Inion, you know stuff about Skills from way back when, and Lefi probably has more Skill evolution experience as both of you put together. Just let everyone talk, please? They seemed unconvinced, Look, Im not going to be able to give this the proper amount of thought if youre arguing the whole time. Can you at least shelve it for a little while? Both red at the other, but Rih was the first to break the silence, I have no problem with her unless she makes one. Inion opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Lefi finally joining the little discussion with all the subtlety of a bull, Marvelous! So what Skill do you seek to evolve, what level is it, and what Paths do you have at present? Oh, hes trying to evolve Flight. Level sixty, and hes got- Inion, I can speak for myself. Edwin quickly summarized the situation for Lefi, who stroked his chin in thought, Most interesting! What do you desire? I mean I dont really know, honestly. Not without knowing my options. I want something good and strong, thatll maybe help alleviate some of Flights weaknesses. Dont evolve it then! Continue to level it until it is at a capacity which you arefortable with! Edwin shrugged, I mean I could? But like Longstrider is already a better vertical and horizontal movement Skill for most situations, and Flight is only really helpful if I have help, he nodded at Rih, Or Im just trying to float around in general. I guess I just dont know what it could be. Your Trophy paths might give you wings of some form, Rih added, That might help with your free-flight issues. Or perhaps some sort of glider-web, if you take the spider Path. I dont know what a bear might give you. Hm, maybe, he thought, Though I dont know if that spider spun webs. Would it be better if I doubled down on itsbat potential? Feykind would likely grant wings, Inion opined, Quite good ones even. Most fey are good at flying, that would help you fly with more precision. That would be useful, he conceded, But then Id need to raise Flight to level ny to go neutral with the Skill, and Im not sure if I want to wait that long. Even just thest level took far too much time and I kind of want to get Basic Stamina Maniption, you know? Why bother? Take more time! What rush are you in? I mean I kind of just want to make myself more useful? I dont feel like I can really do that much, and evolving my Skills will definitely give me arger toolbox. Nonsense! You are tremendously useful! I mean, Im objectively not, he countered, But what do you think might happen if I took an alchemy Path with it? That seemed to stump everyone, but Kynigos, of all people (When did they get here? Was it safe to be discussing this sort of thing around a kid?), barked up and Yathal looked thoughtful, Alcimmy is the thing you can do wit the smoke and bombs and healing stuff right? Well Kyni thinks you might be able to fly with your explosions or something, or maybe you could make other people fly! Marvelous idea, Kynigos! Lefi praised, That is most likely! The brown and white dog gave a gleeful bark, and Edwin nodded in thought. Its not the worst idea. Cant say Id want to be rocket-powered, though it might be able to give me some extrabat options. Some sort of flight potion, thoughPotioneer or Mystic Alchemist, maybe? Mystic is also ny points, but it could be useful. What about the Agile Acrobat path? That would likely greatly enhance your nimbility when airborne! Okay, I mean maybe. But I feel like Id probably already have a Path that could do that sort of thing, and also could we please keep this constrained to the Paths I currently have right now? If you think of something super amazing that I dont have but you know how to get easily, then maybe. But this will be hard enough just looking at what I have right now. It took them quite a while to continue discussing their options, during which time Yathal had gotten bored and walked off, followed by Kynigos of course to keep an eye on his boy. But in that time, theyd gotten some amount of spection in for each of Edwins Paths and eliminated the obviously worst option. Now, Edwin was mulling over his list of spected Skill possibilities. Assassin/Hunter/Burr: Silent Flight/Aerial Ambush- airborne Stealth skill Bomber/Demolitionist: Carpet Bombing?- bonus to using bombs while in midair Giant yer/Titan yer/Killer/Warrior: somebat boost while midair Heedless Hunter/Way of the Empty Hand: Kamikaze- flying charge attack Trapper: Make motion-based traps? Artillerist: Some kind of artillery-based telekinesis? Potioneer/Practical Alchemist/Mystic Alchemist/Chemist?: Flying Potion- Grant ability to fly Makeshift Alchemist: make potions on the fly Sapper/Engineer/Physicist: Aeronautics- Make flying contraptions Experimenter/Researcher/Scientific Revolutionary/Scientist/Schr/Mathematician: Some kind of measuring Skill Material Scientist/Physical Alchemist: Floatstone- make flying materials Aerialist/Mage: Improved Flight/Flying- more of the same, just with a reset level and better return Fey Friend/Feybound/Feycaller/Feykind/Fey Supplicant: Fairy Wings: manifested wings for unknown benefits Skilled Arcanist: Improved Flight like Mage or an integration into other Skill, possibly using Overcharge or Mana Infusion Magical Gardener: Flying Garden?- helps growing flying nts Primal Constructor: Possible ability to build magical wings Primal Ritualist: Shift to a more wind-based form of flight Attuner: Flight Magic specialist- benefits when using flight-type magic Pioneer: Vanguard- some kind of exploration-based flight Skill Skill Researcher/System Schr: something meta. An elevated view, perhaps? Diver: Diving- flight, but underwater Physical Laborer: Normally might be something like Packing, but because I already have that who knows. Ascetic: Untether- reduced need to touch the ground Daredevil: Crash Resistance/Stunt Flying- something to either help survivability or mobility Survivor: Crash Landing- something to help survivability Athlete: Flying- improved mobility while flying Escapee/Exile: Free Flight- increased ability to fly free of restraints. Alternatively: increased tether length? Possible, but unlikely and if so possibly only would increase range instead of unteral improvement. Traveler/World Traveler: Ovend Flight- bonuses to endurance Arsonist/Pyromaniac/Autopyromaniac: Firefly- leave burning trails when flying or light on fire when flying Insomniac/Sleepless Disciple: Night Owl- fly while sleeping Student of Power/Brushed by Power: Ascent- Generally improved/more powerful flight There were a few that they just had no clue what it might do, such as Purifier, Royal Advisor, his Trophy paths and most of his Mental and Medical paths. To make things slightly easier on himself, Edwin had decided to just eliminate them from consideration. This would be hard enough already without bringingplete unknowns into the mix that stood a decent chance of radically changing how Flight worked, possibly not building on it in the slightest, a fate Edwin generally wanted to avoid. For a simr reason, Edwin was leaning towards eliminating Makeshift Alchemy. Lefi refused to exin whether or not Skill evolutions actually worked in the way hed suggested, but they didnt have anything better and the pun apparently transcended Polyglot. Edwin was almost tempted to take it just to see, but that also seemed like a really bad idea because he liked being able to fly, and he did want his next Skill to still involve it. Artillerist was interesting if it really went the route of telekinesis, because that was a stupidly strong ability. Unfortunately, it was far from assured and if anything was rather unlikely. He also couldnt say he needed further Skills involving his explosives at the moment, which was the other way that particr Path might take it. He could eliminate Bomber as well, then. He also didnt really need another information-based Skill. Knowledge was power and all that, but he was really skeptical that he would get anything more interesting than perhaps a more urate altimeter than Numeracy could currently provide. That eliminated a half-dozen options at once, too. Escapee or Exile well, theyd likely get rid of his ve path, and hed be quite happy to be rid of that particr one from his Status, but he wasnt sure how useful the actual evolution would be. Sure, if he could just make restraints or hindrances less, well, hindering, that would be useful but also incredibly niche. It might also improve his Flight speed or tether length, which was tempting Hm. Eh, as a thirty-point Path, Escapee likely wouldnt have that grand of an effect, and hed definitely prefer Mage over Exile for a general Flight-boost. He also took off the fey Paths. While useful, he didnt think they were quite appropriate, and he was still hesitant to turn himself too much into a feylike being. He liked being human, after all, and Inion could be a bit pushy with that kind of choice and he wanted to push back. Hmm. Speed round. He didnt need to be better at swimming, was perfectly fine walking at times and would use it as his primary method of long-distance transport. He wanted to be able to fly without being a fire hazard, didnt really care if he was floating while asleep (and could probably do it eventually with Watchful Rest anyway) and didnt have any flying nts to grow. He didnt have enough flight-type magic Skills to make Attuner worthwhile, didnt need to be able to build magical wings, Trapper was too limiting, he really didnt want to use his Flight skill to get close to people, and on further thought didnt want to risk his of Power Paths on a useless or redundant effect. That made it better. He also got rid of the Warrior-rted Paths, as he had a suspicion they might involve more meleebat. That brought it down to functionally ten options, even if he still had almost twice as many actual Paths to choose between- namely Assassin, Hunter, Burr, Potioneer, Practical Alchemist, Mystic Alchemist, Physical Alchemist, Chemist, Sapper, Engineer, Physicist, Material Scientist, Aerialist, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Primal Ritualist, Primal Constructor, Daredevil, Survivor, and Athlete. Within each of the categories, so to speak, Edwin quickly picked out whichever Path he liked most, basedrgely on which he felt was most likely to give the effect he might want. Once hed pared that down, he chatted a bit more, first with Inion who had stuck around for the entire time. Then, he found Rih and Lefi, who were back outside tossing a ball around with Yathal and Kyni. He managed to get some time in talking with them about the benefits and drawbacks of each possible Skill effect, until he felt there wasnt anything more to be gained, and it was veryte. He ventured back inside. He couldnt find Inion, but that was fine, hed track her downter. He still had major decisions to make. Assassin: Silent Flight/Aerial Ambush Spection: Stealth-type skill, possibly with some kind ofbat bent to it Pros: Provides an invaluable Skill in stealth, which is immensely useful for argely nonbatant. Even abatant would likely benefit somewhat, though the exact amounts are unknown. Cons: Unlikely to actually help with flight capabilities, meaning current limits on flying are likely to stay. If there are anybat benefits, they would likely be predicated on being hidden. Mystic Alchemist: Flying Potion Spection: Grant the ability to fly to another person Pros: Many situations in which having a different type of mobility would be very useful for non-avior. Quite likely to grant further benefits to me or another person who could already fly as well if they were to drink the potion, meaning it would never be useless. Cons: 90-point Path. Unknown if it would require an actual potion to work (apparently a possibility). If it did, its possible that the recipe would need to be independently discovered and made for the Skill to be of any use, and in which case the Skill itself would be somewhat superfluous as it would only provide benefits to those who could already fly instead of granting the ability all on its own. Engineer: Aeronautics Spection: A crafting-type skill that helps make flying contraptions Pros: Jetpacks! Airnes! Flying machines! Quite likely to indirectly improve Flight via giving it more mechanical aid. Also has many of the benefits of Flying Potion, in that it can provide Z-axis motion to otherwise grounded individuals. Also helps potentially bring various types of revolution to Joriah for good and for ill. Cons: Unlikely to directly improve current Flight skill, and it is unlikely to create any machines itself, instead just slightly improving their effectiveness and build quality when being made. Likely limited to gliders for quite some time. Also not a magical Skill, so unlikely to help with that entire swath of flying creations such as magic carpets or flying inds. Physical Alchemist: Floatstone Spection: Imbue objects with or create substances that can inherently fly or float. Pros: Flying carpets! Flying inds! Simr to Engineer, this can be used to create objects which grant the power of flight to their wielder. Could also grant functionally untethered Flight for myself, if I managed to create something that exactly canceled out my weight (further testing required). Wouldnt provide engineering knowledge, but is likely easy enough to work around with personal memories, and definitely more supernatural. Cons: 90-point Path. Might require unusual or expensive alchemicalponents, or might only be temporary depending on what other Skills it keys off of. Flying inds would be stupidly high level if even possible without an additional evolution. Once again does not directly improve Flight. Aerialist: Improved Flight Spection: Flight v 2.0. Grant better maneuverability, distance, and efficiency Pros: Doesnt provide anything wholly new. It just brings Flight up to T2 and makes everything good about the Skill even better. Cons: Doesnt provide anything wholly new. Skilled Arcanist: Greater Flight like Mage or an integration into other Skill, possibly Spection: Some form of other-Skill integration Pros: Worst-case scenario likely to just be the equivalent of Aerialist, making this a low-risk experimental option. Likely to be very synergistic with one or more other Skills. Possibly allows Longstrider to function with Flight, or allows some form of Overcharged flight, or enables Infusion with the skill. Alternatively, might grant something wholly new akin to Mana Infusion Cons: Ifbined with only a single Skill like Overcharge, might be very difficult to level and use. Primal Ritualist: Flight (wind) Spection: Change the form of Flight used, possibly to something involving winds Pros: Having air-based Flight is likely less precise than tether-based Flight, but not dependent on surrounding objects and other misceneous quirks. Likely freely able to switch between types depending on practicality. Cons: 90-point Path. Doesnt directly improve current Flight, though does remove its current primary weakness (namely flight height) Daredevil: Crash Resistance or Stunt Flying Spection: Some kind of aerial tight-flying bonus. Increased maneuverability, increased impact resistance, or both. Pros: Very unlikely to be bad. Combines the best aspects of the mundane Skills into one, and definitely provides a lot of potential for growth. Cons: Survivor or Athlete are more likely to grant each possible Skill effect individually and thus more effectively, and is unlikely to be a magic-boosting Skill. Survivor: Crash Landing Spection: Some kind of impact-absorbing Skill. Might work with all physical attacks, knocking me back whenever hit hard enough, or just with falling damage. Pros: Being likely to survive is always good, and not needing to be afraid of falling is extra good. Cons: Not really a Flight skill. Also not magical. Athlete: Flying Spection: Mundane aerial agility-improving Skill Pros: Would definitely help with precise flying maneuvers and dodging things while in midair. Cons: Not a magical Skill. Improvements would likely be purely based on being able to leverage more from current Flight capabilities. This is so much work, Edwinmented to himself, This is actually ridiculous. Guess when I know exactly which Skill will evolve when Iplete a Path, I get way more picky about what it is that I want out of that Skill. Im so d I just cant be this picky most of the time. Ugh, evolving Basic Stamina Maniption will be a nightmare and a half, wont it? He realized, and buried his head in his pillow. Not having to really worry about suffocation was very nice, and he could just keep his eyes fixed on the endless Almanac spection as he fell asleep. Chapter 106a: Derailed Chapter 106a: Derailed Okay, so theres basically three categories here, he mused to himself, Theres the make-something-else-fly, the make-Flight-better, and the do-something-new-with-Flight. The hard part was over. Well, maybe it was more that the hard part was just starting, but this was just him and his own thoughts. Much better than the endless discussions of the day before. Everything remaining was just up to him and what he wanted. Theyd all agreed on that. There were no wrong choices for Skill evolutions so long as you were happy. It was without question theplete opposite of what the Empire said, what Tara and Rizzali had told him, but that wasnt much of a surprise. He was talking to adventurers, after all, and the one thing they all had inmon was they werent prone to fitting in. They disagreed about the why, though. Rih had said it was because the only way to avoid regrets was to go with his heart. Inion had looked like she wanted to disagree on principle, but said that she liked watching him be himself, and any infringement on his Edwin-ness would interfere with her enjoyment. Lefi had the very practical argument that when adding a new tool to the toolbox, he was the only one with any idea which hed find the most useful. Yathal had of course said he needed to do whatever sounded coolest. So, it was all on him. Without question, the Paths with the most potential were Mystic Alchemist and Physical Alchemist. That they were also both 90-point Paths wasnt an ident either. If he wanted to risk it, he could take Potioneer or Material Scientist for simr results, but he could also take a bit of a loan from his Tier 2 Skills and raise Flight up to level 70 or 75 to keep the hit from being too bad. He was definitely going to take a long time to get Alchemy up to level 120, and once he did hed have enough time to raise other Skills enough to offset a single extra level from the rest of them. At the same time, Edwin was still hesitant. He had friends, and that was great! Or he had people who were willing to spend time with him. Hed been in this situation before, and he knew how it went. Sooner orter theyd get bored, theyd move on, and Edwin would be back on his own. He was probably wrong. He hoped he was wrong. But that part of his brain just wouldnt die no matter how much he tried. It definitely didnt help that he had just been reminded that Inion only followed him around because he was interesting, Rih was likely to run off following some shiny thing that caught her attention, and Lefi would continue shepherding Yathal and Kyni off somewhere, now that Rih had helped draw the boy out of his shell. It was only a matter of time until they all left him, surely? Well no matter. It did mean that he shouldnt really focus too much on purely other-focused Skills. So, no Mystic Alchemist. Physical Alchemist, then? Ehhh maybe. He felt fairly safe in eliminating Athlete, Survivor, and Daredevil. They werent very magical Paths, and magic was always better. After all, he was dealing with a sort of self-only telekinesis with his current Flight skill, and that could definitely be nurtured some Ooh. Should he try and get the Physical Arcanist path again? Would that possibly give him some sort of superior tactile telekinesis, kind of like what he had with Packing, but way stronger? Hmm probably not. It would definitely be good, but well, maybe? Skilled Arcanist might do something like that, if it managed to tie Flight back into its parent. Physical Arcanist gave a wealth of Attributes, but he could wait on that. He needed to keep growing, and he didnt know what it would take to re-unlock the Path. Primal Ritualist definitely had potential as well, but that potential was essentially tangential to Flight as it stood already. Hed need to relearn how to flypletely from scratch and figure out a whole new set of limitations. Of course, that would mean more time spent with Rih, a part of his brain whispered, and he didnt entirely have the heart to crush it. Still, it was probably not that useful. It would predilect him towards a different type of magic, but he preferred his current track. Besides, Primal Ritualist was absurdly broad and could give him some very suboptimal possibilities. Maybe it would allow him to cast a flight-type spell, or maybe it would let him transform into a bird. Powerful, sure, but not worth the 90 points on such a risk. That left Assassin, Engineer, Physical Alchemist, Aerialist and Skilled Arcanist. Engineer he could eliminate, he felt. He could figure out flying machines easily enough if he tried, and it wasnt very magical. Assassin went next, for simr reasons. Stealth may have been tremendously useful, but if he was nning on using high explosives as his weapon of choice, stealth was not the right tactic. Also, it wasnt magical. That brought him down to what he kind of anticipated all along. Physical Alchemist, Aerialist, and Skilled Arcanist. Did he want to double-down on his alchemy, giving him even more potential in that regard and opening a literal new dimension for his creations? Did he want to be an even better flyer? Or did he want to try and branch out into a novel but rted ability? Each Path typified one of his options. Who was he? Was he a crafter? A specialist? A generalist? Could he trust hispanions? He wanted to say yes, he wanted to yell at the little voice in the back of his head saying they were only here temporarily. But there was just a little bit of unknown. Besides, he rationalized, Physical Alchemist would probably be way better for tier 3. And there might be so manyplications in actually making any stuff. If I can make it with alchemy, Ill be able to make it with Alchemy one day. Yeah. It didnt have anything to do with his trust. Physical Alchemist just wasnt as good of a choice as his other options. Sure, it gave him new possibilities, but he was already nning on bringing Alchemy to level 120, and he had other Skills that already supported it. Any more was just overkill, clearly. So, Aerialist or Skilled Arcanist? Aerialist was the safe option. It was his most predictable option out of probably all of them. No muss, no fuss, just a quick way to double-down on what he already had and get stronger faster. Skilled Arcanist, on the other hand, was a risk. He didnt know what he would get, but it would probably be good. At worst, it would just improve his Flight simr to how Aerialist would. It was that old joke about taking risks, but in reverse. You can either get this boat, or you could take your chance at a mystery prize, which could be anything! Even a boat! Of course, it might not be that generally useful. There was always that possibility. Boring and safe, or fun and risky? A thought flickered across his mind. Did he want to stay with what was known, what was safe, or did he want to discover something new? Well, it might have been his time with Rih talking, but there was only ever one answer to that question. Further testing required. Mana 33 37 You havepleted the Skilled Arcanist path! You continue to grasp the endless possibilities of magic, and as you keep following this path, your strength and power grow in surprising and potent ways. With knowledge in one hand, and magic in the other, all will be in your grasp, and even the furthest target will be but a step away. Alchemist-Errant You may evolve your Flight skill into the Unbound Tether skill! ept Evolution? Y/N Wait, what? If that was what he thought it was, it was better than he could have even imagined? Fully free flight? Yes, please. Unbound Tether A bit of a longshot, but Im sure youll be hooked Attach your tether to anything Strength increases with level. Well, that was promising. Anything? That sounded absolutely fantastic. It also meant that there was probably a lot unsaid in the Skill box, not that that was anything new. Hey guys! he rushed out of his room, nearly running into the halfling what was her name again? Honored Senior Mundanity Assistant Pierash (SheraithPierash) The housekeeper for Sheraiths wizard tower, under Rih when I met her. Slightly snippy at times but mostly agreeable. Ah, sorry! he acted more on instinct than conscious choice, activating Flight and somersaulting over the startled woman and her basket of food. Children, she admonished, as Edwin drifted over her, Always fluttering around. Honestly. Polyglot whispered there was something he was missing, and she clearly expected him to catch onto some kind of wordy because when he didn''t respond, she muttered something under her breath and continued down the hall. Edwin mentally shrugged, then turned and flew in the opposite direction. Lefi would already be up, Edwin had yet to sleep in past the guy even when he woke up at dawn, and it was well into midmorning by now after his deliberations on what Path toplete. Rih would likely be awake as well, doing her wind-magic stuff up at the top of the tower. He found Inion and Lefi talking in their favorite side-room. It was one of the few rooms without ringly ostentatious dcor everywhere while still beingrge enough to amodate all the furniture theyd gathered for their purposes. One wall was upied by a massive firece, already lit and radiating heat though the room. Through some magic- literally, the entire tower radiated the stuff- it never made the room feel too hot, and Edwin didnt know where the smoke went given itsck of chimney. Apparently a centuries-old tower which had many powerful mages in residence had a bunch of magical conveniences. Who''d''ve thunk it. Edwin dropped onto his couch, Good morning, he greeted the pair. Theyd stopped talking when hed arrived, but Edwin had caught some snatches about a? He wasnt sure, but it didnt matter and they clearly didnt want to talk about it in front of him. What are you doing here? Um saying good morning? Edwin wasnt entirely sure how to respond to such a tant sign that Inion didnt want him around. No, no. You nevere here this early in the morning, youre always off in your workshop or flying. Oh, well he shrugged, I settled on a Path, and now Ive got a new Skill to test out. Figured I shouldnt try it inside, but Id also rather not exin it all to youter, so I wanted to try it with you guys around. I mean I can leave and do it on my own if youd prefer that? Nonsense! A new Skill, particrly such an intriguing one, deserves full investigation! Come along, friend Inion, let us learn of Edwins new abilities! Edwins first impression of Unbound Tether was that it was a touch disappointing, honestly. Well, perhaps more underwhelming. The Skills potential was definitely there, but at level 1 it left much to be desired. Activating it bore many resemnces to Flight, and by default, the tether would attach to the ground beneath his feet. However, he could very much aim it wherever he pleased, so long as he had a direct line-of-sight and could urately conceptualize what he was aiming for. With the exception of the ground it was an object-by-object targeting system, so he couldnt just target half of Lefis sword, it was all or nothing. However, unlike what the description led him to believe, he retained his Flight limitations. He could attach his tether to anything, sure, but the omnidirectional mobility of Flight didnt kick in until he was within 6.36 meters of it. What he could do, however, was either push or pull on the tether to try and bring himself closer or farther away from his target. It wasnt very strong- from what he could tell, it only exerted about eight Newtons of force. It was enough for him to go slightly higher with his Flight, or jump slightly further, but that was about it. Hmm. Well, he had spected it might key off of his other Skills, so maybe there was something more impressive there, before it grew in level? Longstrider worked predictably. Some testing showed that he could jump marginally higher when pushing against the ground, but just barely. It made sense, by pushing against the ground it functionally reduced gravity and correspondingly allowed him to jump higher. It actually did pair decently with Flight, much to his surprise. While at level 2, it didnt provide much flexibility, he could augment his own mana expenditure with the Skills force, letting him fly just a bit higher and faster in exchange for the thirdw of motion applying. Overcharge felt synergistic, but Edwin couldnt really tell what it actually did. Further testing was required. Mana Infusion, though, was far and away the winner. He found that he could charge the Skill to build up tension, really. It felt likepressing a massive spring, and releasing it had a simr sensation, giving him a massive boost in initial energy. He could only use it on surfaces he was touching, but that felt less like an inherent limitation and more like something he could ovee with practice. Overall, he could get somewhere between a six and eight times boost when fully charged, but doing so took a full minute to prepare. It didnt even really allow him to Tether off of anything for Flight. Sure, he could target a solitary leaf stubbornly clinging onto a mostly-bare bush, but because his new Skill obeyed thews of motion, he couldnt use it for proper Flight. Trying just ripped off the leaf, and further tests showed that pebbles fled from him or flew to his hand. Edwins eyes got very, very wide. Eight Newtons may not be a lot for him, no. But for a pebble? Or a bullet? Did I just get a railgun? he whispered to himself. Eight newtons meant that every second a 1 kilo object was pushed, it would elerate by eight meters per second. For Edwin, who probably weighed somewhere between sixty to seventy kilos, that meant he would elerate by about .1 meters per second every second. But if he had a pebble, then that would be much, much faster. When it was at level 1, 8 newtons of force on something that weighed say 10 grams would elerate it by 800 meters per second squared. After a single second, it would be going faster than mach two. If he Infused the skill for its full minute, that was Mach twenty. Assuming that at some point the Skill grew strong enough topletely cancel out Edwins weight, which seemed reasonable given its ostensible purpose, that would be mach two thousand when fully Infused. Wasnt that getting somewhere close to c? Edwins breath caught in his throat. There was no way that was right, surely? He had to have made a mistake somewhere. There was no way he could be hitting rtivistic speeds, surely? What was the speed of light again? Right, yes. C was just shy of 300 million meters per second, Mach 2k was just 600 thousand meters per second. Of eleration, every single second. Yeah no, that wasnt any less terrifying. Hed be getting firsthand experience with general rtivity at higher levels. There had to be a catch. Right? He didnt want to imagine the idea that anyone should be able to singlehandedly raise everyday pebbles to supercollider levels of speed. Edwin, are you alright? You look pale. Is something wrong with your Skill? Im probably fine, he replied in a small voice, I just need to test something. Chapter 106b: Derailed Chapter 106b: Derailed I really hope that this fails. Okay, thats not entirely true. I kind of want it to work because the amount of stuff I could do with it, but definitely dont want it to be that powerful. But if this does work even a little bit sheesh, he thought, Railgun with literally anything whats a good semi-vtile explosive? Nitroglycerin? To whatever System moderators there are out there deciding how Skills work, please, please let me have a nitroglycerin railgun. But not a rtivistic railgun. Just give me something unreasonably powerful but that remains firmly in the bounds of Newtonian physics. Stand back, he warned, This might be dangerous. He was telekic now, so he didnt bother picking up a pebble from the ground, instead letting his Tether snap one to his hand. He intentionally didnt pull as hard as he could just in case he was right, but it still jumped into his grasp in less than a second. Not a great sign. He quickly cast his mind through Mathematics to try and figure out how much he could get out of his pebble if it were to m into the giant rock that the tower was made out of. He was about, oh, ten meters away, and it weighed maybe fifty grams? Ten-ish newtons, ten meters, and a twentieth of a kilo? At an eleration of 200 m/s, it would be going up to 65ish meters per second by the time it struck, that would be, what, 200 joules? That was something like twice the energy of a speeding baseball, so definitely beyond what a random human could normally throw, but it should be alright. Definitely wouldnt break the stone tower at least. He pinched the rock between his fingers, sighted his target, and let fly. The pebble sped off in an almost straight line, cracking into the towers base and either bouncing off or shattering so fast Edwin wasnt able to keep up with its motion. He frowned. He wasnt entirely sure why, but it didnt feel quite right. Casting his gaze around for arger rock, Edwin spotted a fist-sized stone only slightly embedded in the dirt near the towers wall and he summoned it to his grip. Numeracy informed him it was about a kilo, and he repeated the test with therger stone. A bit over 1 secondter, it too crashed into the rock wall, breaking into a few fragments and cascading to the ground. Edwin nodded to himself. Whenpared to something heavier, it was clear what problem the smaller stone suffered from. It felt slippery inparison, the Skill not finding adequate purchase on the tiny object. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief. It was both good and disappointing to know that he hadnt been handed a railgun unless Infusion changed that? Some testingter, it was fairly apparent that Infusion suffered from some pretty harsh limits when applied to, again, anything too much under a kilo. It took him half a minute to maximally infuse his tether when applying to a half-kilo rock, and pebbles correspondingly less time. Some more messing around gave him better numbers- and a few more levels in the Skill, bringing him up to 7 overall. The force he could exert grew really fast, and he was worried about what it would look like when he hit level thirty or sixty or beyond in the Skill. But that was future-Edwins problem or blessing. For now, he needed to exin to some very worried-lookingpanions what exactly hed been doing for thest twenty minutes. Okay, so I was just making sure I couldnt identally destroy the world. You what? Calm down, calm down! I cant. So my new Skill can let me elerate objects other than myself, and you see, the energy of a projectile is based way more off its velocity than its mass, whereas how fast I can elerate stuff is strongly based on its mass. Hispanions seemed to mostly understand Edwins concerns by the time he was done exining things, though he didnt go too in-depth as to what would happen if he elerated a rock to 90% the speed of light. Just that it would be bad. He nned to experiment more with his newfound railgunter, but while he still had the attention of hispanions, Edwin figured it made more sense to test the other uses of his Skill. It took a bit of practice to get the timing right, but eventually Edwin got to the point where he could reliably jump, use Infused Longstrider, apply Unbound Tether, and get the boost from Infused Unbound Tether simultaneously,unching him nearly fifty meters into the air. Discovering that had promptly earned him another level in Longstrider, but he wasnt keen to find out how much that had increased his vertical range by. It might have only taken a minute per jump to fully set up, but aftering out of his miniature warp drive so far off the ground that Numeracy was barely able to tell him how high he was it wasnt an experience he was keen to repeat any time soon. At least he didnt have to worry about his Flight tether breaking anymore! If he used Unbound Tether on an object that could support his normal Flight, the moment he got within his six-and-a-half meter range he could use the full functionality of his magic. There would be many more experiments in theing weeks, of course, figuring out the exact limitations, but Edwin was quite happy with what essentially amounted to push/pull telekinesis. He also wanted to kick himself. In his haste to get his new Skill, hedpletely nked on his n to unlock the Artisan path and use it to try and unlock Dexterity. He meant to do it, he should have done it, but hed just forgotten. Hed gotten too focused, and missed the bigger picture. At least he didnt lose out on too much. Without the boosts frompleting further Paths, Attributes didnt do that much, and Skilled Arcanist was unlikely to have granted many physical attribute points. Well, hed have another chance once he finished with his actual newest Skill, and got ready to evolve it. Hed just need to not forget again. Stamina Maniption Raise your hand if you need help with that Manipte your personal stamina Improved flow per level. It didnt do anything obvious. Well, that wasnt strictly true. Edwin found after getting the Skill that he was able to vaguely direct his Stamina to do stuff inside his body, sloshing around like something somewhere between oobleck and msses. Unfortunately, he didnt have any idea how to leverage the presence or absence of his Stamina to useful ends. He wasnt even entirely able to block Overcharge with just his Skill. He could make some progress, yes, but it seemed that Health yed therger part in preventing the mana from suffusing his entire body. Well, he had time. Mana Maniption had been an absolute pain to level and figure out how to use, but Edwin had other things that he could work on. Justified or not, he was kind of annoyed with being the weakest person around, and he was going to change that. A marble of phosphorus jetted through the air, speeding up with every passing second. The moment it was about to hit the boulder Edwin was aiming at, he flexed his Firestarting. BANG Okay, so that was about a foot in diameter, and Bomb Throwing didnt activate for it. Edwin made a note in Almanac, and summoned the next sphere of phosphorus to his hand. It followed its predecessors arc almost perfectly- while Edwins Throwing Weapons skill didnt fully cover shooting with a telekic railgun in its effects by default, Edwin could still mostly trigger it by making a throwing motion with his arm. BOOM Okay, a meter and a half in diameter. Bomb Throwing did activate that time. But what was the difference? Further testing required. Still no luck, Edwin sighed, Ive yet to find any consistent thread between when Bomb Throwing is able or unable to activate. Theres not even consistency between when I make the ammo, or on testing rounds. Sometimes, itll trigger every time, others it never will. Others itll be a mix. Rih thinks it might be something to do with whats magically recognized as a bomb, but I dont know what that might look like. Oh yes, Im sure that she would know, Inion shot back. Okay,e on. Whats your problem with Rih? And dont tell me its her dropping me, that was months ago. This constant sniping is much more recent than that. I dont like her. Well that much was obvious. But why? Why cant you go five minutes without making some sort of jab at the other? Shes too friendly, too nice. Oh, really? You sure youre not jealous of the fact Im spending so much time with her? I told you before, I dont care You say that, but then any time youre in the same room together youre snapping at each other! It feels like I have to justify the time I spend with her whenever shees up, like I cant just have friends. Of course you can have friends. Oh, just not with her? No! Look, I dont know what youre looking for, Edwin exasperatedly replied, She told me about a bunch of her Skills! Oh, did she now? How many does she have? Well Edwin hesitated, I suppose she didnt actually tell me that many of her Skills yet, but she was willing to! So why didnt she? I just wasnt feeling up to it then, and then I didnt feel up to it, I guess. Shes Persuaded you to give it up, then? Clearly, she doesnt want you to realize what shes doing to you with them. Shes not using Skills on me! he snapped, Other than the ones I ask her to. Id know it! I just like her, alright? Shes nice and understanding, unlike some people I know. Oh, you think Im not understanding? Youre arguing with me over whether or not Im allowed to have a friend, so yes I would! You can have friends! What about Fissath? Oh sure, lets talk about Fissath! Heres an idea. Why cant you just keep your nose out of my friendships? Im my own person, Im not just your human you know. Its my choice, not yours, who I spend my time with! Inion seemed to recognize that raising her voice wasnt doing anything, so she appropriated a more sedate tone, Shes obviously using a Skill on you, you just cant see it. Do you really think that you could see very subtle maniption Skills with your second-tier Skill? Id notice it, he defended himself, Ive noticed it before. Shes only used Calming Touch on me, and even thats rare! Exactly! You know she can use mental Skills and you know that she does. You have no idea what shes doing to make you trust her. Yeah, well maybe its because shes the first human- or close enough to one- Ive met thats actually my age whos actually willing to spend time with me for a very long time. Its perfectly reasonable that I want to spend time with her, I dont know why you have to be so paranoid. Its not paranoia! You spend a lot of time with her, you know that she uses mental Skills on you, and youve opened up to her far faster than you ever did with me. Oh, so it is about you then. Well Ill have you know that Im not an idiot, and of course Id be slow to trust a fey. And yes, sure, youre alright, but can you really me me for not believing that you genuinely didnt want me any harm when the first thing you ever said to me was about blood sacrifices? Youd just given me one, and it was an explicit request to never do so! Not the point. Besides, what if I just want to try and be more trusting, then? Its not like Rihs given me any reason to not do so. Other than dropping you and using Skills on you. Other than dropping me- by ident- sure. But Im not going to not try to befriend someone just because they let me down once. It was not just once Edwin struggled to hold onto the smooth river rock as he continued to charge Unbound Tether. Force continued and continued to build the longer Edwin held it back, but he was determined to not let go. In other circumstances, he probably wouldnt have had a choice, but while Athletics may not have been quite as potent as some of his more specialized Skills, it still had an impressive effect on his strength. He was positive that he wouldnt have enough grip strength to hold onto the stone without the Skill. With it though, it was a struggle, but a manageable one. Eventually, he hit his cap, and Edwin tried to gently release the supercharged rock. Unfortunately, as soon as he began to soften his iron grip on the stone, it wrenched its way to freedom, snapping his fingers back and flying straight ahead. It collided with the rotten tree stump Edwin was using as a target, causing the wood to explode into a cloud of splinters. Even as he grinned at the result, he still waved his hand to try and dissipate the sting permeating his fingers. If he was going to make this a regr part of his attack routine, he seriously needed to figure out a betterunch method. Maybe between his palms? He certainly wouldnt mind being able to fire off artillery-grade attacks with just a little bit of setup. It was a little annoying to have his cannon be made practically irrelevant by a new Skill, but it was rather impractical to begin with, and Edwin had learned a fair bit while making it, so it wasnt aplete loss. Plus, hed gotten the Artillerist path from it, and it was definitely on his shortlist for what hed want to try and evolve Unbound Tether with when the time came. If the Skill was this potent of a weapon whenpletely incidental to the Skills use, what might it look like if it were the focus? Definitely not a loss in that case either. The System was nice in that way. There was very little that was actually pointless. Well, in science nothing was pointless. Null results were still results! Though they were rather boring back on Earth, here they were just as likely to grant a level as some brand-new, earthshaking revtion. Okay, thetter would probably grant more rewards than the discovery that rocks did not in fact fall to the ceiling when exposed to electricity, but the sentiment remained. Sometimes, an avenue of research was just made redundant. That wasnt a problem, you still learned something. You still discovered something, your understanding of the world around you going just that much deeper. Though if he was going to try shooting a projectile from his hands after charging it up for an extended period of time, there was definitely something he needed to try. He looked over at where Lefi was standing, the adventurer assessing the sort of damage Edwin had done to the trees and stumps hed been using for target practice. Yeah no. He wasnt going to embarrass himself around other people, doubly so when Rih was also around somewhere. Hed try itter. When there werent any spectators, then he could indulge in all of his geekish fantasies. He still thought it, the next time he was charging up for a two-handed shot, and he couldnt stop a bit of a grin creeping across his face as he did so. KAMEHAME- Level Up! Skill Points 963988 (Average level: 51) Alchemy Level 9394 Bomb Throwing Level 5657 Flight Level 5960 Longstrider Level 4850 Mana Infusion Level 9091 Numeracy Level 4849 Outsiders Almanac Level 135136 Ritual Intuition Level 4647 Skillful Assessment Level 4950 Stamina Maniption Level 13 Unbound Tether Level 111 Watchful Rest Level 3738 Status. Name Edwin Maxlin Age 2 Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 37 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 94, Alchemical Analysis 40, Refining 36, Alchemical Dismantling 46, Sappers Apparatus 60 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 32, Feys Caress 43, Ritual Intuition 47, Mana Infusion 91, Unbound Tether 11 (Flight 60), (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 27, Longstrider 50, Fresh Air 44 Stamina Maniption 3, (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 49, Prototyping 40, Anatomy 43, Polyglot: 70, Memory 65 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 57, Adaptive Defense 42 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 136, Watchful Rest 38, Skillful Assessment 50, Arcadian Elixir 35, Improbable Arsenal 39 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 988 Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Artillerist 0/60, Sapper 0/60 Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Mystic Alchemist 0/90 Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90, Attuner 0/30, Schooled Mage 0/90 Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Schr 0/60, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan Spider-yer 0/60 Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Athlete 0/60 Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90, Insomniac 0/30, Sleepless Disciple 0/60, Student of Power 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched, Skilled Arcanist Chapter 107a: Unafrayed Chapter 107a: Unafrayed Edwin carefully Infused the water he poured out, the mana connecting to and binding with the liquid while it made its way through many tubes and pipes. It was far moreplicated than strictly necessary for his mana to properly sink in and associate with the water, but did make an excellent obstacle course for his control. Hed already gotten to the point where he could pretty reliably keep his grip for as long as he needed, but he wasnt able to keep the Infused water separate from arger mass. As soon as the two liquids touched, theyd instantly mix and dilute his Infusion. The only way he could avoid it was by maintaining two separate Infusions while theybined, but even that resulted in an almost homogenous mixture of the two instances. Right now, he was trying something different. At the end of the tubes wasnt another pool of water, but instead what hed settled on calling alchemists fire, firevine sap concentrated and Refined into incredible mmability. It was even more mmable than white phosphorus, but thankfully didnt burn quite as hot or as fast. It didnt mix well with water, but that was what he was trying to counteract. Water fed into the sealed vial, and Edwin carefully expanded the container at about the same rate as water was being fed in. It wasnt perfect, having frequently found himself either stopped up or being sucked into a vacuum, but he was improving. Inside the vial, Edwin felt his mana coil and try to mix with the intense fire magic present in the oil, but the two just slid off like, well, oil and water. But that was alright. Hed experienced that problem before, and he was pretty sure he knew how to deal with it. It would have looked very boring to any observers, but Edwin found himself embroiled in his attempts, trying to first break down therger clumps of fire into smaller bubbles. He squeezed, fighting past the resistance, and felt in satisfaction as a bonfire burst into campfires. Then, he hunted down each and every campfire, turning them into cooking fires. Then he hunted them down again, breaking cooking fires into Bunsen burners. Just what he needed. Bit by bit, Edwin took his Infused water, a veritable ocean amidst the countless tiny fires it surrounded like stars in the night sky, and fed it, trickle by trickle, into the Bunsen burners. In theory, he could probably use muchrger quantities of mana, but that was harder to control. But at these scales, he couldbine the fire and the water into, well, boiling water. At least in theory. In practice, his sloppy attempts to merge the two types of magic was exceptionally wasteful. By the time he opened his eyes to the world again, night had fallen and all he had to show for his efforts was a hot water bottle, just slightly warmer than wasfortable. He still grinned. Proof of concept was a resounding sess. The temperature dropped precipitously as the days came and went. It didnt really slow Edwin down, he and Lefi just moved their training indoors; the entry hall alone beingrger than most Earth gymnasiums. Edwin didnt venture outside much at all. Why would he? There was nothing that really incentivized him to. There was plenty of food to be had within the tower, part of Rihspensation, and he didnt have any particr materials he wanted to get. There were quite a few alchemical materials that passed through the city, yes, but most werent for sale before being shipped off to Panastalis via merchant caravans. Those few which were were all absurdly expensive for materials that Edwin didnt think he could make much use of anyway. Scarlet fern was predominantly just an anticoagnt, willow bark wasnt even magical, seagrass was tempting but seriously overpriced here, and none of the things he actually wanted- fulgurite, abysite, and unicorn horn chief among them- were avable. So, he stayed in the towers grounds. What few times he ventured into the streets, he was usually subject to at least a little bit of harassment or whispers frommoners and guards, but nothing ever really came out of it. He couldnt say he even minded that much, at least they said what they actually thought about him and he didnt really expect anything more. He was if anything more annoyed at their casual derision of Rih the daywasr- he still didnt know exactly what it meant, but he felt he had a decent idea- because he knew she didnt deserve it. But, he still kept himself under control. He could always just fly if he preferred to avoid them anyway. Edwin jumped off the wall, Longstrider turning the world around him into a blur. Unbound Tether may not have let him fly, not yet, but he could jump so far. Ridiculously so, in fact. With just a running start, Edwin could jump nearly seven meters. Adding Unbound Tether got him to ten meters. If he added Longstrider Well, he wasnt actually sure. Every single time hed tried it, it ended the same way: Edwin face-nting into a wall or tree or something and being knocked out of the jump. Hed yet to find anywhere with enough space for him to actually check, especially without leaving the city, which he didnt really want to do not for any real reason, he just didnt feel like it. But his jump was at least a hundred meters if not twice that. Even if he didnt use Unbound Tether beyond its initial charge, he still cleared a hundred, which was more than enough to send him from the tower to the city streets. So, now he just jumped around inside, which had significantly more space. Kicking off the wall didnt give him quite as much distance as he could with a run- while still more than the fifty meters Numeracy reached, Edwin estimated it was only sixty meters before Longstrider wore off. There were some intery oddities around the Skill but it usually seemed like it didnt care how long Edwins jump actually was, just how long it should be. He couldnt jump from a higher ce and get more distance that way, because he always broke out of the Skill either at the same altitude he started at, or when hended with his feet or Flight. That only applied when he was long jumping, though. When high jumping, it ended at the top of his arc. How the Skill could tell which Edwin was doing, he didnt know, but it worked out well enough. The world to his sides came back into focus as Longstrider wore off, and Edwin fought back the stomach-dropping terror of freefall while he plummeted towards the stone floor below. Hed been getting better, at least! Unbound Tether helped him stay somewhat in control of his fall, which was a major factor in his currentfort, he knew. Less than a secondter, he got close enough to the halls floor for Flight to kick in, and he lowered himself to the floor. A bit of math to ount for the time spent arcing through the air, and Sixty-two meters. Nice. Marvelous! Lefi blurred into being next to Edwin, the man needing only a single step for his Longstrider to carry him the same distance, You truly are growing fantastically with your Skills! Edwin gave a small smile, Yeah. Its satisfying. Im betting thatll be in the next obstacle course? Oh, but of course! Well, I finally found out whats taking so long, Rih vented as she dropped into her favorite chair. Edwin held up a finger, Just a minute, let me finish this. Conscious of his limited time, he quickly sped through his remaining tests. He hadnt really expected to seed in his quest to synthesize ammonia simply by creating a mana lightning potion and imbuing water with it, but he would have felt really stupid if it could work and he just never tried it. What was slightly more disappointing though, was thepleteck of any change in the water. Hed hoped to get at least a little gaseous hydrogen, but if there was any, it was less than Alchemical Analysis could pick up. It was probably an issue with his imagined lightning potion, because it was definitely outside of his normal wheelhouse and he didnt know how to properly make it. Maybe he needed to figure out how to brew a lightning potion-spell first? He sighed and tucked the beaker away in his bag, Whats up? You just had your weekly meeting with the politicians, right? Rih threw her head back, leaning well into the chair, Yuuup. I overheard a cou nobles scheming in the corner. Turns out, they have a couple recements for me, both well-known mages back in the capital but theyre each trying to ensure they get the Sheraith Mage position. Lots of backstabbing and posturing, and the end result means neithers likely to get here soon. Okay, but if you know that they have options, but its just political shenanigans that youre still stuck here, cant you leave with a clear conscience? Let them figure out their own mess. She shook her head, Unfortunately no. It would still be abandoning an official position, and that carries many, many penalties. Like what? It appears on every Wanted List, among others. I dont want to avoid cities, I love seeing them too much! Oh, remind me to take you to Farport at some point. Thats the most beautiful city on the continent. Oh, uh sure! I was nning on heading there at some point myself. Wait, so when she said that she wanted to take him to Farport at some point, did that mean that she didnt mind his presence? Did it mean she just wanted somepany? Why not ask Lefi? Did she just wanted to stay in his good graces because she thought hed help her get to VisDaric? Wonderful! Who knows when that will be, though, she sighed. Thats why I cant leave, though. I nor the nobles are happy now, but I cant leave without repercussions, and they cant chase me away without suffering the worst of winter. So here I am, stuck in one ce for longer than Ive been for years. Politics, Edwin summarized with a sigh, is the absolute worst. Politics, she agreed. A thought flitted across Edwins mind, Well what would happen if you suddenly werent needed? Oh? Rih sat up in attention, What do you mean? Well, Im just imagining that we somehow figure out some automated system that does your job for you.You basically just need to supply wind magic, right? Its slightly moreplicated, but essentially yes. Its not hard. Yeah. So if I somehow figured out some way to create a wind magic supply or whatever. Howd you do that? I dont have a clue. Something to do with my alchemy or magic, Im sure. Maybe Ill finally dip into Essentia properly? But Im more curious what the repercussions of it would be if I did manage it. Well, she thought, The pair currently jostling for the Mage appointment would be really mad for one. The nobles might be happy or they might be furious, depending on if they like having a dedicated city weather mage, or just want to keep the wind walls up. Id be free from my obligation, and no matter how much Kosvilista and Finnas want toin, it would satisfy my duty of enchantment maintenance until such a time an alternative is established. It wouldnt help my reputation if I were to suddenly dance away, and Id expect to both be used of wasting time when there was a perfectly viable alternative and abandoning the city when I was needed like the faithless adventurer I am. That doesnt sound very fun. Other than the making the candidates mad part, that sounds amazing. Bah, what do I care? They have short memories, and Ive spent enough time in Sheriath to keep me happy for years. Itd annoy the people I want to annoy, and not affect the everyday people! You should do it, she smiled at him, Id love it. Edwin wrenched his emotions in check and gave a small smile back, I mean I can try, but like I said, I dont know where Id even start. I cant make any promises, thats for sure. Itll just be something I keep an eye out for, see if I cante up with anything. More of an idle thought than anything. Despite telling Rih that he wasnt going to dedicate too much time to making a wind magic umtor, Edwin kept finding himself drifting towards the idea. He didnt think that it was a Skill affecting his thoughts, but that idea did tie into a lot of his projects. After all, it would definitely require the use of magic, it would probably deal with alchemy in some way, and it would definitely require the use of enchanting. Ammonia production was beyond his grasp for the moment, and that barred a lot of modern chemistry from his grasp. Infused phosphorus served as an adequate explosive, and Unbound Tether as a decent projectile weapon. He didnt really need more conventional weapons yet. Training? Yes. But he had plenty of tools. What he really needed to explore was proper alchemy, and what better project than a wind magic umtor or maker? While atmospheric mana wasnt abundant this far from the Verdant, the towers top room did have a fair bit present. If he could tap into it, then Well, he could make Rih happy, get a Path or two, some Skill levels and best of all, learn more about magic! He wasnt having much luck, naturally, but it was an interesting problem. What more could he want? Edwin jumped, attaching his tether to the central pir Lefi had constructed. The adventurer apparently had some Skill called Temporary Structure Conjuration he hadnt been using before which made vaguely metallic, mirror-like objects. It was reminiscent of but not quite like Apparatus, and Lefi was able to make muchrger objects much quicker than Edwin could manage with his own trophy Skill. Edwin had firmly locked all of his feelings of inadequacy about there being yet another thing that Lefi could do better than him away in a deep, dark corner of his mind and instead just enjoyed the obstacle course. He jumped off the edge, using the force that Unbound Tether could provide to swing himself back around,nding on the floor below. Immediately, he had to duck under a low ceiling, then use Longstrider to clear a gap. Below him, Lefi was making more of the course in real time; just as fast as Edwin couldplete it, more was made and pushed up before vanishing back into Skill light. It was a ludicrous disy of power, but Edwin wasnt thinking about that. Instead, he raised himself into the air with Flight and leveraged himself through a tiny gap. He could have done the entire course airborne, of course, but that would defeat the purpose of learning how to integrate all of his Skills into his muscle memory. By filtering his mana through Unbound Tether, Edwin found that he could create a different form of magic, namely movement magic. It was interesting, as he could mix it with his fire spell-potion to get abination of movement and fire. If he used that mana as the basis of a Firestarting Infusion, he could make a bit of a weak blowtorch for the thirty seconds or so it took before the mana ran dry. Truly, an earth-shattering discovery. Edwin was still super excited when he got it to work, though. Finally, his mana was actually doing something outright magical. Unbound Tether couldbine with Flight in interesting ways. It definitely increased the amount of force he could apply when airborne for one, but also just made his flight a little springier. He could deliver an awesome drop-kick, that was certain. It was even enough to knock Lefi off-bnce. so long as the adventurer wasnt expecting it. And wasnt on solid footing. Still, Edwin was really pleased to find that he could legitimately knock the man back a bit even not from ambush.. All it took was a 1-kilo stone, fully charged and with about ten meters of eleration. Three kilojoules of energy may not have been enough to injure the guy, but it could disorient him. Edwin decided to take his victories where he could. Okay, so mi might work if I could refine it, Edwin tapped his mouth with his apparatite stirring stick, I just need to figure out how to get to it without it just eating my Refined mana. Mi really was one of the unsung heroes of his garden, and he was really d it grew so well in his greenhouse. So long as it had even a little sunlight, if he watered it with Infused water and kept it nted in Infused soil, it flourished. Once the flowers were picked, it stopped directly consuming mana for energy, but it did keep absorbing ambient magic and then holding onto it. If he overloaded it, all the mana would release in a flood, and if the mi was fresh enough, it could keep gathering mana afterwards. The only problem was its perishability. He hadnt had any problems with his potions having shelf-lives yet, but if he wanted to make a true solution to Sheraiths mage problems, Edwin would need something whose efficacy dropped dramatically every few days, and so far as he was able to tell, his Refined creations basically fit his requirements. If he was right, Refined mi would be a sort of mana umtor and battery, pulling in mana from the surroundings, filling up and then needing only the tiniest of triggers to dump everything it had in seconds. After that, hed just need a filter and some sort of conductor, to get wind mana, and only wind mana, from his Refined mi into the towers enchantments. Hmmm Great! Now faster. Edwin groaned, picking himself up off the ground with Flight as he settled back onto his aching legs. His attempts to master Stamina Maniption were mixed, to say the least. Half the time, his trials didnt seem to do much of anything. The other half of the time, it definitely felt like he was working with less stamina than normal. Edwin looked up at the looming spiral staircase above him, dreading what came next. Come on now, lets get to it! With a deep breath and with burning calves, he started running up the massive staircase nearly to the top once again. At least the way back down was easy enough, if far, far too fast. Chapter 107b: Unafrayed Chapter 107b: Unafrayed Motion-mana Infused into water created a bit of a circr current in his bowl, apparently. It was too weak to aplish much work, but he did enjoy watching the leaf hed dropped in it spin around and around and around It had been way harder than he had anticipated to actually get the tiny amount of pre-attuned magic through Mana Infusion. The Skill tended to overwrite any vors of magic he tried to include, and in the end he had needed to Infuse the water first, and only then run the mana in the water through his pseudo-physical alchemical processes to turn it into motion mana. The results were rather mesmerizing, at least. Oh hey, when did that start showing I was 2? Edwin wondered, blearily looking at his Status. It wasnt really his birthday, but it was close enough and meant hed had a birthday at some point. He vaguely wondered what must have been happening back on Earth, but quashed that thought before it could get any real foothold in his thoughts. Edwin jumped off the wall, pushing off with all his might. He flew and flew 64 meters. He was improving. Practice makes perfect. He pushed more mana into his alchemical equipment, ignoring the phantom muscle pains. That wasnt real, he could push through it. Just a bit more, then he could give Refining mi another go. He needed to test it, see if it would serve as a mana umtor. He needed to Sunrise. Jump. Run. Climb. Fly. Step. Throw. Shoot. Push. Pull. Mix. Infuse. Brew. Study. Trace. Food. Sunset. Practice makes perfect. Sunrise. Jump. Run. Climb. Fly. Step. Throw. Shoot. Push. Pull. Mix. Infuse. Brew. Study. Trace. Food. Sunset. The days started to blur together. Sunrise. Jump. Run. Climb. Fly. Step. Throw. Shoot. Push. Pull. Mix. Infuse. Brew. Study. Trace. Food. Sunset. Sunrise, jump, shoot, mix, study, sunset. Practice makes perfect. Sunrise. Run, push, Infuse, trace, sunset. Sunrise. Fly- Fly. Fly. Edwin, you look awful. What? He blinked at the noise, Oh, hey Rih. Whats up? Your magic sounds just terrible. Oh, thanks. That makes me feel so good. When was thest time you took a break? Umm he thought, What counts as a break? Ill take days off training with Lefi, spend a bit more time in theb instead. A day off. No training with Lefi, no working on alchemy, nothing. Ummm when I unlocked Unbound Tether and was figuring that out? Edwin, this isnt good for you. Im fine, he promised, Honestly, you should have seen me during exams back home. Exams? Oh right, you wouldnt never mind. I just have a lot on my te is all. I need to do better. Better at what? I I still need to stay in shape, use my Skills with more fluidity. I need to get better at magic, and investigate alchemy. I still need to figure out how to synthesize ammonia but Im more trying to Refine mi to get some wind mana synthesis Edwin you cant do that if youre working yourself to the bone all the time. Ive barely seen you, do you know when was thest time you went flying? Im flying right now! Oh, you mean outside? Well I dont know, when was it? Nearly a month ago, Edwin. Which was also when youst took a day off. Oh, well thats not too bad I guess? I need to keep working, its important. Edwin, her voice stopped him in his tracks, No you dont. Youre ruining yourself, and its not important. Of course its important! I have so much to do I couldnt possibly get it all done in my lifetime, I dont have days to waste! A day spent doing things you enjoy is never wasted. Come down from there. But Down. Edwins skill broke, and he suddenly found himself tumbling from the air, easily caught by Rih, who set him on his feet. What you can do that? Youre magically exhausted, Edwin. Its like pushing over someone without Stamina. All it takes is a little tap, and poof. You can get magically exhausted? But I never run out of mana. Thats not she sighed, You have Stamina, right? Right. Can you get physically exhausted, if you spend too many days pushing yourself, even if you never copse the day of? Um, no actually. I think Sleeping prevents that. Is magic not the same? I think the results speak for themselves. Fair, Edwin sighed, Fair enough. So then what? Come on, she tugged his arm, You need a day off. Whats the point of working to survive so hard if you dont live a little? Hes fine. Inion insisted, Hes worked harder for longer. It is only by truly pushing ones self, going past ones own limits, that you can truly excel, truly level! Hes wearing out his pinions! Rih countered, Just look at his magic! His skills are haggard. And? Did Edwin say that he needed time off, or is that what youre pushing onto him? Oh what, are you annoyed that your happy little human pet might not be in perfect agreement with you? Hey, hey, theres no reason to argue. It was Rihs idea, but I dont disagree. Shes got a point, my magic is really sore. Come on, I know that you must get that. Do you want to take a day not doing anything, Edwin? Can you really do that? When did youst truly not do anything? Even when you worked with the Guild, your days off you still worked on all kinds of stuff! I mean, that its been actual months if not years since I had a proper day off kind of indicates that I should have one. Its like Rih said, what am I doing all of this for if I dont just take some time with my friends. He hazarded, hoping that nobody would contradict him. Likee on, since I evolved Flight Ive barely even been outside because its no longer technically training-rted. Just let me have a day. Hmm. Make it two, Rihmented. Oh? Whys that? Youll see tomorrow. Two days off from training? You cant be serious. Look, I dont know what you have against me rxing, but I know that you appreciate your days off. Why cant I get them too? Can you genuinely go two days without so much as thinking about how youll make your whatever it is now? Without trying to figure out if you can direct the way that iron rusts with your magic? Hm. Now that she mentioned that, wasnt iron oxide of some form a useful catalyst in the production of ammonia? He did have a fair bit of practice with molecr-level mana infusion, after all. Maybe if he Infused the iron and then exposed it to some hm. How could he Infuse air? Maybe he could do his Packing trick again, thinking of it all as a cohesive whole and also something he was touching? If he were to do that, maybe it would make sense to just use Flight? Oh! Or he could ask Rih if she could provide some wind mana. Her abilities were distinctly chillier these days, but there was still a decent core of wind hidden in there somewhere. That was also without her using any Skills to further help the attunement. Edwin opened his mouth to ask her, then remembered he was supposed to be taking time off and closed it again soundlessly. You actually cant turn it off, can you? Rih sighed. I dont think I can, no, he sighed. Did Lefi hit me with some Skill again? Lefi? she asked. Twas not I, little snowbird! Inion? She shrugged, I think its her. Nothing more than usual from me. Edwin raised an eye at that, Inion. What? Muses Token does a lot of stuff. Sparks creativity as well as helping your levels. Ah, that would do it. Normally, Edwin was distracted by anything and everything and so making any kind of progress on anything basically amounted to waiting and hoping his brain decided to cooperate, but Inion had apparently managed to keep Edwins scatterbrained focus in ordance with their Deal, meaning he just not that he couldnt do anything else, just that his focus would alwaysnd on something productive. Edwin honestly couldnt say that he minded most of the time, the effect was exactly what he had wanted for a long time, after all. He probably hadnt even noticed its effects consciously, just had his attention gently nudged from time to time. He still red at the fey, Would it kill you to tell me this sort of thing before I worked myself to death? It didnt stop you from taking breaks in Panastalis, Inion pointed out, Youll be fine. Maybe it had some strange interaction with one of Lefis skills, then? Edwin spected, It wouldnt be the first time. I know not of any Skills I might have which would change the nature of thedy feys Skill. Rih red at Lefi. What? Tis true! Technically. Hm? Edwin asked, Im missing something here. It is nothing you need concern yourself with! I mean, it clearly is. He shot back, What are you doing to me? Edwin did his best to ignore the pointed looks he knew Inion must be giving him right now. It was it was different! He knew that Rih wouldnt be doing anything untoward with her Skills, not when she was showing actual concern for his wellbeing! She was trustworthy, why did Inion have to be so insistent on pulling away the one person who actually seemed interested in him as a person? Nothing, nothing at all! Certainly nothing beyond the standard Skill-growth abilities I possess, and And? I do possess a Skill which aids others in the strength of their Skills, in a manner of speaking. Edwin red at the man, Well, that would do it. Have you been using that on me? Im going to have to redo so many tests. Ugh. Why couldnt you have told me about this? Oh, oh no! I have been certain to exclude you from the effects in all of your tests and experiments. And training? Edwin sighed. Yes, and your training. Could you I dont know, use that on me when Im trying to make stuff with Alchemy or whatever? s, It does not work in that manner I fear. Well then how does it work? You need not worry about such things! Lefi pped Edwin on the shoulder in reassurance, but he just turned and looked at Rih. How true is it? Excuse me! Lefi said in false offense. Rih smirked, Close enough as far as you need worry about. The old mans picky about his secrets. Come on, lets get you some time to rx. It had been a little while since Rih had yed her flute around him. Oh sure, he knew that she yed it a lot, the music was audible from essentially everywhere in the tower, but it was always muffled and didnt benefit as strongly from whatever Skills she had, and what literal magic she wove into the notes. It was transcendent. There was something about magic and music that just worked, apparently, because thest time hed felt so engrossed had been nearly a year and a half prior, when Inion had sang Obainn into existence. If only the two of them got along, Edwin was certain that theirbined musical talents would be utterly divine. Not, of course, that either of them were that far from that benchmark on their own. Edwin couldnt help but sit enraptured as Rih yed her flute. The notes alone told of far-offnds and marvelous sights to be seen, of thrilling adventures and magical locales. The low notes of deep caves, the delicate tunes of grassy hills and endless ins, the majestic and bustling trade cities along the coast all wove together. He never returned to his room that night, instead drifting off in his chair, mind and spirit joyous at the relief slumber provided. Edwin woke up to a gentle caress along the side of his face. He sat straight up, Watchful Rest giving him slight forewarning to a presence, Good morning, there. Oh, hey Rih, he stretched, Good morning. Something wrong? No, nothing at all. In fact, it snowed a lotst night, and Lefi and Yathal are already outside. What do you say we ambush them with some snowballs? Ooh, a snow day. Some things transcended dimensions, it seemed. This... might be very fun. Chapter 108a: Snowledge is Power Chapter 108a: Snowledge is Power Yathal was in love with the white nket as it coated thendscape, clinging to the side of the stone tower and burying the massive boulder that was its first several floors. He and Kyni were busy running around, diving into drifts heedless of the cold. Lefi stood nearby in essentially his normal clothing, scooping snow together for what looked like a massive snowball. Looking at the pair with Skillful Assessment, it looked like the Stalwart Protector- Kynigos hadpleted a few paths over the intervening months, changing his ss away from Stalwart Defender- had a dark gray Skill wrapped around his boy. It looked quite structurally simr to the Skill he would re whenever Yathal was about to be injured, and with context it was easy enough to figure out what it did. No winter clothing? he asked Rih, I mean, yes I know why you dont have any, but whats up with Lefi? Simr situation, she cheerfully shrugged, Makes sense to have environmental-protection Skills when youre an Adventurer. It was his suggestion I even take Unweathered Form to begin with, as having a dedicated Skill makes things so much easier. Edwin nodded in agreement. His clothing was thicker than it had been in the summer, of course, but not by that much. He could already feel Adaptive Defense at y, cutting winters bite away from disrupting him. Before long, the chill he felt should mostly fade, and he nced over at Rih, fighting back a small double-take. Oh hey, your eyes finally changed, he noted. Like I know you said it would happen as the season shifted, but I wasnt expecting it. Edwins eyes momentarily went wide as he realized his mistake, Not that I doubted you or anything! he backpedaled, Its just different seeing it with... my own eyes. Rih raised an eyebrow, blue eye piercing straight through Edwins own gaze, amber firmly skeptical. Look, Im really tired and exhausted. Thats why Im taking your advice and not doing anything today instead of I dont know, figuring out if I can use snow in my magical training. Hmm. That would actually be interesting. He could fairly readily mix mana at this point, so long as he was using his equipment and water, and while he hadnt really tried making anything actually useful, he could probably get some interesting practice by attempting to mix yet hold separate snow and water, maybe making a more wet snow? Hed need to use his mana to somehow hold the snow in-state and prevent it from melting, while also mingling them? It probably would be good practice for him doing anything but homogeneously mixing his types of mana, he really should Ow! Edwin rubbed his head where Rih had smacked him. It wasnt a very hard smack, but it was more the surprise he was protesting. Knock it off! What? No working today. You need to have fun. But it is fun he halfheartedlyined, but couldnt really disagree, So, oh wise mage, what should I avoid? Skills only! Hm? No freecasting practice until tomorrow. she waved her finger in his face, Yesterday was good, but you still need more time to recover. You can use your mage Skills, but no alchemy or anything until tomorrow, got it? she waved a finger in Edwins face. He rolled his eyes but acquiesced. How was he supposed to refuse? So he nced over to where Lefi was preupied, a conspiratorial grin creeping onto his face You mentioned a snowball assault? The assault was swift and brutal. Edwin had assembled a full array of weapons to use,pacted and throwing weapons to thest. To his left, Rih had her own armory of significantlyrger munitions, each at minimum the size of Edwins head. With a faint woosh, snowy wings twice her arm span sprang from the Dancers back, and she jetted into the air in almost perfect silence. Behind her trailed an arsenal, a veritable avnche of ammunition falling in reverse. There were no words spoken, none were needed. Between his hands, Edwin held thergest of his weapons, charging it as fast as he could manage. It hummed silently with power, the sensation of motion trying to rip it from his hands before it was properly ready. Theyd need this first attack to go off perfectly if they were to stand a chance. If their target wasnt neutralized, hed retaliate in full force and neither of them would withstand that. Fortunately, he seemed somehow oblivious to the impending doom hanging over his head, and Edwin let a small smile y across his face. Then it was time, and he unleashed hail. Well, technically snow. But then the pun didnt work. Lefi vanished into a cloud, then a mound of white, as a frankly inordinate amount of snow crashed into the man all at once. Edwin knew better than to celebrate though. He was proven correct when the temporary hill simply vanished, exploding out in every direction. Oho! So, it is treachery then! Such vile, honorless foes I face, attacking me while my guard was down! Edwin was barely able to dodge the barrage of loose snow flying at him, but some two years of training had done wonders for his agility and reflexes. He dropped to the ground, using Unbound Tether to pull him first down and then up, hovering just above the snow cover, but behind a tiny protrusion from the ground. The wall of snow passed over him harmlessly, and Edwin got a clear look at the situation once more. Lefi stood next to a giant mound of snow, atop which were a dog and his boy coated in a thinyer of fresh snow. Above him, Rih hovered, untouched by the adventurers retaliation just as much as Edwin. Instead, a ring of snow orbitedzily around her. You fiend! she called back,ughing, You would be so reckless as to attack a bystander in your assault? For shame! The little Snowbird seeks to challenge me? It would not matter if all the armies of the Empire were to stand with you, for here I am mighty, you are mere pretenders to this throne of ice! Not so long as we stand firm together! Edwin hopped in on the fun, We have you surrounded and outnumbered. If you surrender now, we may show leniency! The day seemed to darken as Lefi responded, gesticting dramatically, hands sweeping for effect, I see not the armies, I see not the soldiers standing shield to shield, flying w to head, stretching from here unto the horizon. Where is your army, for I can still see the sun above me, the ground before me, hear the breeze blow. Return when the winds fall silent before your might, when the sky flees in terror, when the stones upon which you stand retreat at yourmand, then you might stand a chance against my strength! Nice speech! How long did it take you toe up with that one? Edwin shot back Less time than your life yet possesses, Lefi gave a smile colder than the ice he stood upon. Then the war truly began. One by one, Edwin summoned his pre-made snowballs to his hands, Adaptive Defense working at full tilt as he grasped the freezing projectile with his bare fingers. Throwing Weapons guided his hand as he drew back and threw, sending the ball flying off at Lefi. He didnt even need to look, twisting in such a way and grazing the side of Edwins snowball in such a way it collided with a hastily constructed pair thrown by Yathal. Naturally, Edwins snowball utterly demolished the sloppy work of the kid, and it carried on until it collided with the snowbank Yathal, now astride Kyni, was at the top of. By then, Edwin had his next two balls in hand, and both arced through the air towards Lefi, timed to hit the man at the same time as Rihs next assault. The small ring of snow around Rih had shaped itself into dozens of snowballs still orbiting the girl, and with a small melody on her flute, she spun them faster and faster until they were nothing but a blur. The impromptu show came to a sudden close, and with her final note they began to pelt Lefi where he stood. New snowballs were apparently being created in abundance, given how long the attack was going on, but the man was preupied with defense there, swatting snowball after snowball out of the air or punching straight through them, filling the air with drifting snowkes. Edwin took the chance to empty out his remaining stock of snowballs, Lefi being so preupied with the rapid-fire aerial assault he didnt have much of a chance to dodge many of the snowballs Edwin was throwing. It was very satisfying watching every single ball he threw fly right on-target, though. It was also nice seeing that Lefi had some limits, even if they were unable to withstand a four-on-one snowball assault while clearly not taking it seriously, as the adventurer kept staying on the defensive as long as Rih continued her assault. Unfortunately, for whatever reason she wasnt able to maintain the attack indefinitely. Lefi in turn grabbed thest snowballunched at him out of the air and returned it to Rih hard, colliding with one of her wings hard enough- and with a medley of Skills to back it up- topletely copse the Skills manifestation. As Rih spiraled down to the ground, Lefi blurred into action, assembling an absolutely gigantic snowball, at least twice as big as Edwin, from the ground around him. Strangely, it didnt seem to deplete the nket of snow from around the man, but Edwin knew full well that there were snow-creation shenanigans going on. In any case, before Rih could properly recover from the attack, she was practically buried under a pile of wet snow, her cry of protest muffled underneath the new drift. At that, Lefi no longer needed to stay on the defense. There was a low thrum in the air, and a sweeping Skill that nketed the ground around him. Then, the deluge began, and made Rihs efforts look inferior to even Yathals output. Hundreds if not thousands of snowballs were made and thrown every second, Lefi literally blurring as he moved so quickly. Even then, Edwin noticed some sort of Splitting Arrows skill at y, turning each of the dozens of snowballs into dozens of dozens. Edwin fell to his knees, covering his face to avoid the assault. There was no way to dodge a veritable blizzard of snowballs, no way to block or deflect the hundreds of projectiles striking him every second, not out in the open with so little cover. So, he just needed to make himself some. While most of his basic Skills wentrgely unused these days, seventy-six levels in Harvesting paid off in a big way, as a swipe of Edwins hand across the ground produced a mound of snow in front of him. A second of workter established the beginnings of a snow fort, but even with seventy-seven levels in Construction, he didnt think for an instant that Lefi couldnt demolish all hed made in an instant of effort. So, he just needed to make more and stronger fortifications. Every sweep of his arm scooped up more snow from his surroundings, and a second pass piled andpacted it into his fortifications, thickening and expanding his protections into a solid wall of ice. Yes, Apparatite might make for better defense, but even if it wouldnt be cheating the implied rules of engagement to use something other than snow, the Skill was far too slow to really be useful. He sheltered behind his wall, until the rhythmic pitter-patter of snowballs fell away and Edwin could safely look out to assess the situation. Yathal and Kyni had not been idle. The boy was atop his copper-tan steed, and they charged bravely into the fray. Snowballs burst against Kynis hide, not even slowing the dog down even while his rider pelted Lefi with (wildly inurate) snowballs. Edwin wasnt sure where the snowballs were kept, and he thought that Kyni might have been making them as needed until the pair stopped, Yathal slid off his dogs back and started packing more while his loyal partner blocked the barrage with his body. It looked for a moment that Lefi might be blocked by that, at least until he began to angle his throws to arc over the dogs body. Kynigos activated some Skill to block more of his boys body, but while effective at stopping Lefi from hitting Yathal, also precluded the reverse. Foolish adventurers! Lefi gloated as he paused, hands outstretched and feet nted a shoulder length apart, Did you truly believe you stood any chance against me? Oh, I knew I never had any hope! But she did! Edwin yelled back, pointing behind Lefi. To the mans credit, he neither dropped everything he was doing nor wholly dismissed the im, only looking away for a brief moment. As he turned back after seeing nothing, Lefi opened his mouth for some response just in time for Edwins snowball to m into the side of the mans head. The hard-packed snow simply disintegrated on the contact, leaving only a tiny trace behind like throwing against a stone wall. Edwin raised an eyebrow. So how much are you holding back? he cordially asked. There was no way theyd managed tond a hit on him if he was going full tilt, Edwin knew that much. I need use but a fraction of my potential to crush all of you beneath my snow-covered heel! Lefi replied and scooped up a new snowball from the ground around him, the projectile scarcely spending a moment in-hand before it was sent flying directly towards Edwin. Chapter 108b: Snowledge is Power Chapter 108b: Snowledge is Power He had definitely changed tactics. Where before, Lefi was prioritizing quantity over all else, he now favored quality. Each snowball was perfectly aimed and devastatingly fast, as well as absolutelyden with a full rainbow medley of Skills. Some, Edwin recognized as Skill-nullifying effects like the one that had broken Rihs wing. Others were more like Training Combat, which Edwin had extensive experience from training with the man, to lessen the damage inflicted. Onest Skill Edwin had no clue what it did until it struck his snow-wall and red, sting a massive chunk of material like it exploded. Edwins eyes widened. He wondered if he could get that Skill. He could probably get some use out of it though on second thought, he was probably better off just focusing on blowing things up the normal way. Fortunately, the structure-destroying Skill didnt affect- if Edwin were to guess- anything alive, so while the snowballs hit with an absolutely insane amount of force and sent him staggering, it didnt feel like hed get anything worse than a mild bruise at most. It still stung, so he kept sheltering whilst figuring out some kind of strategy. He popped his head up only to be met with a snowball to his face, blinding him temporarily until he cleared out the debris covering his eyes. The next time he snuck a peek, it looked like Lefi was busy sniping Yathal and Kyni. As Edwin watched, one projectile caught Yathal in his chest and actually sent the boy flying, albeit only a few feet. Sheesh. His next snowball hit Kyni and sent the dog tumbling through the snow as well in disarray. The pup recovered quickly enough, powder snow covering his coat, and with an ear flopped back, dashed over to where Yathal had sunk onto a bit of loose snow and began to dig. Then Lefi turned back around, and Edwin had to bunker down behind his wall and hope that it held. Rih was still buried underneath her mound of snow. Hopefully shed break out soon, they were losing badly without her. Hmmm Edwin waited a few moments to hopefully let Lefi change his focus back to the duo and jumped up. Apparently, his motion had drawn the mans attention, and he was immediately faced with a snowball headed his way. Fortunately, that was exactly what Edwin had anticipated, and he pulled on Unbound Tether as much as possible to push the snowball back towards Lefi. Just as the Skill connected, Lefis Skill-breaking effect red and shattered Edwins tether, letting the snowball carry on unimpeded. Right. I should have expected that, Edwin realized as he dodged out of the projectiles way. Okay, next n then. He tugged at an intact snowball some distance behind him with his Tether. While all of Lefis active effects on the former projectile seemed to have dissipated, it was still a really solid snowball, certainly sufficient for this. The tiny ball elerated under nearly a hundred Newtons of force- or more about twenty thanks to its light mass- jetting towards Edwins outstretched hand. As it neared, Edwin brought the hand he was using his Skill through forward in a whipping motion, trying to switch from attracting to repelling his weapon at just the right moment to have a massive length of momentum build-up Edwin mistimed it by a split second, and it veered far off to the side, and Edwin ate a snowball as punishment for his focus on dodgingpsing. As he recovered from being knocked sprawling, he saw a figure emerge from the snow, slipping into his tiny fortress. Rih looked like a mess. Her hair, normally nicely braided, hade mostly lose and was sticking every which way, soaking wet in some ces and full of snow in others. Hows that Idyllic Form working out for you? he teased. Rih stuck her tongue out at him, Its not all-powerful, she countered quietly. Ah, of course. Fear the wet snow, I see, for it does more to ruffle you than skydiving. She rolled her eyes, Well talk about thatter. Hows it going? Well, Edwin floated just over the ground to his shelter. It was not designed for two people, and he found himself very close to Rih as they talked. Her breath didnt have any distinct smell, but was warm as it blew across his face, and her eyes Nope, he dragged his brain back into cooperation. He wasnt he wasnt going to let stupid emotions potentially mess up the most promising friendship he had on Joriah. Well, hemely repeated, realizing hed spent too long in thought, Not great. Without you drawing his attention, hes able to focus way too much on either me or on Yathal and Kynigos. Every one of his snowballs has loads of Skills packed into it, or he unleashes hundreds every second. Ive got no idea how we can beat him. Foolish adventurers! Lefis voice bellowed, You thought you could defeat me, yet you cower in fear at my very presence! Truly, none of you can withstand my might. Actually, hmm. What Skill were you using to create all those snowballs earlier? he asked, tuning out Lefis continued boasting. Winters Flurry, coupled with some of my wind Skills. Winters Flurry can make a snowstorm, but then I canpact them into snowballs. Okay then. Nothing that allows you to multiply shots taken, like what Lefis doing? she shook her head, Pity. Okay then Hmmm. You said that your fire magic is stronger in the winter? Comparatively, though ice still is my strongest. Why, what are you thinking? What kinds of fire Skills do you have? Anything thats persistent, that might be able to melt snow? In response, she summoned an amber me to her hand, the same color as her eye. It was oddly alluring, the way that it flickered and danced, he could stare at it for hours Huh, what was burning? Well, obviously it wasnt a requirement, Edwin could conjure fire that just licked from his hand without consuming anything but mana, but that still had the appearance of fire burning his hand. But with Rih, the fire just appeared, in midair. It looked different and strange, like a massive, invisible candle sat right in front of him. It radiated an almost ufortable amount of heat it should be sufficient. Edwin frowned as he looked at the metaphysical parts of the fire, I see three Skills in that. One is definitely a mental Skill. Care to exin? Edwin flinched as a snowball whizzed right past his head, Actually, remind meter when its calmer. How much control do you have over it? In response, Rih allowed another me to sprout from her hand, then each of the two hovering fires stretched out into long snakes, Pretty good. She answered. Awesome. Heres the n ----- Edwin turned into a veritable blur as he unleashed his charged Tether, jumping a good ten meters into the air in the blink of an eye. Naturally, his action attracted snowballs from Lefi, but that was exactly what they were hoping for. As he began to fall, Edwin reached out and attached his Tether to Lefi himself, pulling as hard as he could. 100 Newtons wasnt a lot. It was more or less the equivalent of holding something that was about twenty pounds, and Edwin knew that no matter how much force he could push Lefi with, it wouldnt be enough to knock the guy off bnce, not for someone with Packing. If you suddenly found yourself twenty pounds lighter, on the other hand That was significantly harder to cope with. Edwin managed to catch Lefi just as he was mid-throw, and the sudden shift in his personal gravity sent him stumbling, tripping over his own feet for just long enough to let Rih make her move. A half-dozen fire snakes burst forth from where she was hiding, flying towards Lefi and encircling him with fire. The adventurers next snowball obviously tried to cancel out the Skill at y, practically glowing with whatever anti-Skill effect he was relying on, but thebined heat of the veritable fire tornado managed to just barely disrupt the Skills carried within the snowballs before they could in turn dissipate the magic. That was the most iffy part of the whole n, and Edwin mentally cheered. Clearly, using the Skill took some amount of time and effort, and considering Lefi hadnt justunched a wave of Skill-cancelling snow at him right at the start, it had to have some sort of limit for the kind of projectile or attack it could be used on. And as it turned out, a slushball, melting from the moment it started its flight, didnt count. Did that imply that Lefi had snowball-specific Skills? No, wait. Focus. Edwinnded back on the ground and looked on at the scene with pride. Yes, theyd escted the snowball fight well past sane limits, but Lefi was now mostly toothless, unable to throw any snowballs through the bonfire between them. Of course, that might imply that he was simrly untouchable, but Edwin disabused that notion quickly. He once again took advantage of Basic Thermokinesis insting properties to chuck a snowball right through the fiery barrier, where it caught Lefi by surprise and sttered all over the mans head. The fire faded away, Rih panting from the exertion but looking radiant at her aplishment. In a ten-foot radius around Lefi, the ground was bare of snow, winter grass hardily standing up to the heat and cold alike. It didnt stay empty for long though. Edwin was able to keep Lefi off-bnce for a few moments by rapidly pushing and pulling on the adventurer with his Tether, just long enough for Rih to flex her remaining magical prowess and catapult the entire hill of snow Yathal and Kyni had been on directly atop Lefi. It took the golden-haired man almost five minutes to dig himself out, only to be greeted by a hail of snowballs from the victorious trio, and a mound of snow from a triumphant Kynigos. It was barely noon. They kept ying, but naturally toned it down after that. He honestly wasnt sure if the gardens would survive another incident like that. It was a good day. The fire roared and crackled, billowing heat into their little room. It had been a very long and tiring day, and while Edwin technically still had enough physical energy to run a marathon, he was mentally exhausted. Their snowball fight had continued on for hours, but even once that was done they kept ying in the snow. Yathal said that it was the best thing ever, and while there werent any kids running around in the higher-ss part of Sheraith, Edwin couldnt help but imagine the awe anybody Yathals age would feel had they been a fly on the wall for their war. There was somehow more snow when they finished than when they started, but given how much snow-conjuration had been going on Edwin wasnt that surprised. Inion had even joined in at one point, after theyd switched into less violent activities. While they found out that Apparatite didnt normally make a good sled material, Edwin was able to manipte the substance with a bit of guidance from Lefi into flexing under extreme pressure, making it more like a stic than ss. That was definitely something hed need to investigate in the future, but he could already imagine some of the possible applications. Maybe he could make some sort of fiberss-like instion? Further testing required. It did somewhat annoy him that Lefi was somehow able to understand Edwins Skill better than he did, but he figured that Lefi must have some sort of ability akin to Skillful Assessment. Just... way more detailed and sensitive. It was fine. So, theyd raced around on crystal sleds, magically creating a massive hill to race down, even making a few jumps. If he were back on Earth still, Edwin would have never dared to go over a jump with a sled. But now that he could fly, the risks involved were seriously diminished and he could be reckless well, he was still cautious, but he didnt need to be as worried about crashes. He was at full Health besides, he probably wouldnt even be able to break his neck in too bad of a collision. They went sledding, they made snowmen- Lefis was a veritable statue, a twenty-foot tall representation of himself, though Inion one-upped even him by making an ice sculpture that was outright supernatural, a glistening representation of her home spring, with frozen waters nheless appearing to flow along. Now, they were indoors, piled around a zing fire. Inion and Lefi were amicably chatting off to the side, boasting about their respective skills with icy art. Yathal was drooped over Kyni, chest rising and falling rhythmically as he dozed. Rih and Edwin, meanwhile, were ying a game that was essentially abination of Go and Chinese Checkers, maneuvering different-colored stones around a circr board to try and capture spaces. Edwin was still figuring out how to y exactly, meaning Rih was absolutely destroying him, but he still made for a much better partner than Lefi, who had an actual Skill for the game. The entire scene made Edwins heart ache. He loved this, so, so much. Having at least casual friends, just hanging around and ying games? It was amazing. But a part of him stayed reserved, unable tomit, unable to fully enjoy it. It was stupid, he knew. Immensely so. This was almost everything he had wanted, wasnt it? Except not really. His friends were more so allies of convenience. He wasnt sure why Lefi stuck around but who knew why extroverts did anything? It probably had something to do with his existence as an Outsider, possibly spurred on by a bit of guilt. Inion he mentally sighed as he studied the fey. Was it even urate to say that fey could have friends? Edwin honestly wasnt sure. But she didnt really feel like a friend, though he didnt know if that was better or worse. And then there was Rih. He liked her, he really did. She was easy to talk to and enjoyable to be around. His time with her was fantastic. He couldnt really be himself totally, but there was no way that he was telling anyone else about Earth if he could help it. He didnt think there were any Skills at y, but he could worry about that another day. He didnt want to ruin this day. Your turn, she prompted, and Edwin dragged his attention back to the game. Shed hopped one of her marbles over one of his, leaving her in the right position to capture two of his marbles next turn. He moved a marble to block her, only realizing when she smiled triumphantly that hed fallen into a trap, and Rih used her next turn to capture six of his, putting him in a very precarious position. Edwin narrowed his eyes in focus, trying to escape her clutches. He lost, of course. But the game was fun, he did really enjoy spending time with them, and the day was very, very nice. So why wasnt he happy? He should be. He was objectively in a great position, socially speaking. He had more people around him and willing to work with him than hed ever had before, he should be happy. But he couldnt beat it into his own emotions that he ought to be happy. Was it was it because he didnt feel safe around any of them, not really? It was an interesting hypothesis, and fit moderately well with his observations. If he started being open with his feelings around Rih, he didnt know if shed stay, or take them seriously. She definitely would just think he was being a drag, if nothing else. Lefi was aplete wildcard, and Inion He sighed. Inion, at least, wouldnt leave. But it would still be awkward, and she would probably think he was just being a downer, and he didnt want that. He curled up on his bed. Why did he have to be so ridiculous? Theyd be fine. Maybe. Did he really want to risk it, though? He sighed. Further testing required, I suppose. Level Up! Skill Points 9881028 (Average level: 53) Adaptive Defense Level 4245 Alchemical Analysis Level 4041 Alchemical Dismantling Level 4649 Alchemy Level 9495 Arcadian Elixir Level 3536 Basic Thermokinesis Level 3236 Bomb Throwing Level 5758 Fresh Air Level 4445 Improbable Arsenal Level 3942 Longstrider Level 5052 Memory Level 6566 Numeracy Level 4950 Prototyping Level 4041 Refining Level 3637 Ritual Intuition Level 4750 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6062 Skillful Assessment Level 5051 Stamina Maniption Level 34 Unbound Tether Level 1119 Watchful Rest Level 3840 Schedule Update Schedule Update Hey all! Just here for a couple of quick bookkeeping things. The first is my current n for what the update schedule will be like now that I have a job, and to keep those people who skip author''s notes in the loop now that I have more information. Having polled my patrons, the official day the single weekly chapter of The Way Ahead will be released one the new year is Wednesday. The time is TBD and will probably be a fair bit looser than it has been in the past, but I don''t really know. Thus, the first chapter of the new year will (probably) be January 5th. If life craziness happens, that may be the 12th, but hopefully the 5th will happen. This will mean no more half-chapter splits as well, so there will also be no more awkwardly paced posts that don''t flow well overall. Patreon will remain 8 chapters ahead, which now trantes to two months of posts, and if by some miracle I manage to write a second chapter in a week it will be going to increasing the buffer even more. The second thing is a message to everyone who might not be reading this on , but instead on whatever pirate site is deciding to scrape The Way Ahead today. If you''re reading this anywhere else, it''s posted without my permission, and if you had to pay for it you''re being seriously ripped off. Anyway, Merry Christmas, and I''ll see you all in January! -Daedalus Side Story: The Silver Legion Side Story: The Silver Legion Tara breathed out as the Outsider finally left Vinstead. It had been strenuous, to maintain Imposing Presence of the Empire for so long through her Argent Armory alone. It seemed to be worthwhile, as what limited sensory feedback she received from herbination of Mirrors Gaze and Sight of the Silver One indicated that he had managed to leave without incident. Content, she allowed her active maintenance of the Skill to dissipate, appreciating the levels her task had earned her. Sustained Construction ensured it would not vanish immediately, and with nothing attempting to break it, it should take oh, half an hour to vanish? Shed never investigated. Meanwhile, she massaged her temples. The strange senses that came from pushing Mirrors Gaze always gave her a headache, and she wished that the paperwork required for her to be approved to obtain Perception would finally clear. Shed had Sight of the Silver One for a year now, after all. It hadnt been this hard to get paperwork for her Outsider to clear, a thought which prompted her to sigh. Edwin Edwin was a fascinating case, and such a clear example of why the Empire was so important. He embodied a truly astounding level of wasted potential. If only he had first found his way to Port Torveil or, somehow Vinstead, in lieu of the bearded barbarians in the mountains. Tara drummed her fingers on her leg, trying to control her emotions. The dwarves were their allies, and it was not her ce to allow personal judgement to circumvent what the Empire had decreed. Trust the system, not the individual. Edwins story nearly made her wish to weep. Not only was he an Outsider, but a mage as well! Thebination would have been one which echoed throughout history and elevated the entire Empire for the betterment of all, if only they could keep him on their side. And yet, the poor fool had taken Breathing and Sleeping instead of expanding his natural mage talent. It confused her how he might be a mage if there were none on his Earth, though perhaps in his travels the spark had been awoken within him? It was the only reasonable conclusion to be made, and she sorely wished that she might be able to ask one of the schrs what their thoughts upon the matter were. s, such was not to be. Her Honor of the Empire would remain untarnished, and there was no direct obligation for her to report on his existence as an Outsider to others. Such an obligation would have to be added in the future, once proposing it would no longer constitute a potential vition of her Oath. Previously, the concept of a Person of Interest being an Outsider was so utterlyughable that no one had even considered coding it into Law. If only ensuring the Law was useful andprehensive was a direct duty of hers, rather than an implied one perhaps she could propose the matter when she was next prompted, most likely in thirteen months when her six-year review was scheduled. Then again, perhaps there was a reason that such a duty was not already present, and asking would only bring with itmendation. It was only through such inquiry which progress could be made, by questioning those above your station for the logic behind their actions. Should they have a sufficient reason, you learned. If they did not, they would know of a w within their reasoning and could act to correct it. The Outsider did not seem to share this perspective, beyond as was natural in his station as an Alchemist. Tara supposed that was most likely typical for those who would take the Path of Artifice, that they would be focused upon the material rather than the political. After all, she usually cared little for the questions asked by those upon the Path of Administration. Edwin certainly provoked her to wonder those questions, and she was uncertain how she ought to feel about that. Was it not better for one with a medical Skill to provide lifesaving treatment in the absence of a proper Medic? The answer was apparently no, as doing such would encourage unlicensed medics to first mortally wound patients with otherwise minor injuries such that they could legally heal their clients, resulting in more deaths than otherwise. It still didnt sit right with her, though, even all these monthster. Still, what she technically did not witness and had no technical knowledge of was not under her purview. Even then, was she truly in the right to bend thews in such a manner? Trust in the system, not the individual, she reassured herself. In the future, she might not conduct herself in such a manner, though perhaps she would. Something about the Outsiders position on individual choice struck her in an odd manner. Tara would have to ensure Edwin underwent the proper training for medicine when he next returned to Vinstead. Hopefully she would be around to oversee it. No other Adventurer was liable to cause her to question their qualifications, she knew and had dealt with too many of them. And Citizens were required to take the course when they first received their Skill or were approved to earn it. A message arrived for her, and Tara sighed. It seemed as though not even a week could pass without some new monster beyond the scope of the local guards showing up and forcing her to personally deal with the situation. Usually it was trivial- some ssed wolf, though it would on asion be more than seconds of work. What was it this time? She tapped the pebble presented. Tactile use of Identification had always been her preference, despite its shorings. Something about feeling the stone under her fingers had always been so reassuring. Her eyes skimmed across the Identification. Hmmm. This might actually be somewhat enjoyable. A small, nameless town near the Frigid Sands was being gued by a manticore. Winged, no less. With a ss as well. Lord of the Thousand Quills of Death. Lovely. It seemed to have already killed two guards and put their lieutenant in critical condition, and they had sent the message pebble yesterday. She wasnt as fast as a courier, no. They spent their entire sses pushing themselves to go as fast as possible. Even avior, winged as they were, couldnt match a true-blood Human for high-speed endurance. All that meant that if it took a full day for one to reach her here, it would take at least three days to make the journey if she pushed herself to her limits. No time to waste, then. She applied an Imperial Note to her desk regarding her whereabouts and stepped out onto her balcony. A grin flitted across her face as she beheld the clouds of satisfied, safe Citizens going about their daily lives so far below. This was her favorite view in all of Vinstead. This was what she lived for. Shining Regalia. Silver Steps. Thanks to the high levels she had raised Don Regalia to, Taras Skill manifested around her in the blink of an eye, silver armor that felt weightless even before Second Skin initiated. As she stepped into thin air, a tiny disc made of silver force materialized beneath her feet, enabling a full sprint across the sky. Sustained Construction meant that she left a set of sparkling footprints in the sky like stars while she set off for the north. Avior swooped around her, their added maneuverability and lower rank ensuring that they gave way to her instead of the reverse. She sprinted across the evening sky, feeling Endless Endurance engage and grant her already considerable Stamina an even greater boost. Tara managed to arrive at her destination in just under two days, having stopped only once at a town to sleep before continuing her quest. Upon her arrival at the nameless town, she located the guard encampment with ease- this far out, there were usually a few upon the Artifice path assigned to local guardsmen. Not a particrly experienced Fortification Builder, from the looks of the building, but the construction was nheless fully functional. A nervous-looking soldier stood outside the temporary barracks. The human looked like he might bar her way, but Tara shed her badge of office. Insignia might be an ostensibly weak Skill, but its inclusion as the first upgrade to Authority made it useful. Supposedly in days past, and even to this day in some of the foreignnds, their methods of identification within their ranks were incredibly prone to forgery. Pathetic. Invible proof of her identity thus presented, she was swiftly escorted inside. While the interior was almost ufortably cramped, her suspicion of an inexperienced Builder confirmed, there was still enough room for her to address the Senior Lieutenant as she reclined on a medical bed, tended to one of the natives. A skinwalker of some sort, or at least descended from one, given the medics eyes and ears. As she approached, the medic retreated to a respectful distance, eyes downturned. Deferent. Interesting. Not an unpleasant surprise, though rare this far out. Distance seemed to dilute the respect citizens had for their superiors. Enforcer Tara present. Report, Lieutenant. The lieutenant stirred, an eye meeting Taras even behind her visor, You made it, she croaked. Tara didnt respond, waiting for the continuation. The soldier looked in rough shape, missing several feathers across her head and torso, and her wing looked more dead than alive. If her suspicions were correct, and the lieutenant had been poisoned by the manticore, all she could do was pray for a rtively painless death. sted thing has air out there, an hour north into the Sands. Big rocky outcropping, you cant miss it. Its smart, and took down Voral and Aeach faster than you could blink, when we thought we were still at a far enough range. Hit me with a quill, and well, you can see the results. Indeed. Manticore venom was infamous for rapidly causing the death of whoever it touched. It was said to be more virulent the more Skills one had. Even Poison Resistance purportedly did nothing to halt it, though few were willing to put such ims to the test. It was, after all, utterly incurable and generally excruciatingly painful. The lieutenant seemed to be mostly cogent, which meant her death would not be as harsh as it could be. That she had survived this long was a testament to the tending medic. Few saw the next sunrise when so injured. A few more probing questions had Tara find the answers she was looking for. Themunity was an insr one founded by a few families some generations back looking for a quiet ce to settle. Theyd first caught on to the presence of some predator when their herd animals started going missing, and had sent a runner to fetch the local patrol. By the time theyd arrived, the predator had begun snatching people who wandered too far afield, though theyd yet to catch so much as a glimpse of it. When the guards had arrived, they managed to set a trap for it and discover its identity. One of the locals had a tracking Skill of some variant, and was able to mark the beast to find itsir. They didnt manage to seriously wound the creature, though the small amount of blood they had drawn was sufficient for the monster to retreat back home. From there, it had been merely the story of a failed hunt. In the past three days, it had been even worse. The manticore had grown bolder and could now be seen flying around the area and picking off sheep with impunity, going so far as to kill and leave, simply to taunt the residents. Tara thanked the lieutenant for her information, and ventured off to sleep. This was a problem best tackled fully rested. The Frigid Sands lived up to their reputation. The desert almost looked like snow, white sands stretching as far north as anyone had ever ventured. Allegedly, at some point snow and sand mixed until the two were indistinguishable underneath an eternal night or eternal day, depending on who was telling the legend. The sun shone down on her, the True Light insufficient to fight back against the aura of death the Sands produced. Further south, such a vast expanse would have been almost deadly for its heat. Here, though, the heat and light was sapped from the air itself, leaving the deste wastnd inhospitable to all but the hardiest forms of life. Such as, it would seem, a manticore. With a full nights sleep behind her, it was finally time for Tara to uphold her position, to prove that her existence was not a mistake. Attempting to pioneer a new ss with novel Paths was a stressful matter, and she decidedly wished that the burden had not fallen to her. Still, she could not deny that she enjoyed utilizing what made her special, as scandalous as that may be. Her armor was such a unique and powerful tool, and she couldnt wait for the time when the Registrars were capable of reliably replicating it, a task thus far unsessful. Still, she felt ufortable with the idea that she might have been chosen. Was she truly so otherwise worthless as to be considered expendable? Yet she had agreed to the gamble. It was confusing. Trust the system, she reassured herself, There will always be those needed toy down their lives and usefulness for all others. Silver Steps made the hour-long journey to cross the shifting sands trivial, her every footfallnding upon a manifestation of her Regalia fixed in ce. She still maintained her vignce, and kept a keen eye out for any possible signs of her target. In time, the rocky outcropping began to loom over her like a shattered crown of stone, cast down by some ancient giant of unmatched proportions. The sky was an endless expanse of blue, save for a single dot swooping from the tip of the crown, and Tara narrowed her eyes. The manticore, she was certain. As it drew closer, the Enforcer hardened her resolve. This was what she lived for, both literally and metaphorically. A pull upon Argent Armory manifested a gleaming de for her to wield against the beast. While the Skill enabled her to fashion all sorts of weapons and simple objects from her Shining Regalia, swords were what she was most familiar with, and would be sufficient to begin. Unlike when facing bandits, there were no negotiations, no calls to surrender. Just the Silver de standing steadfast against a ravenous beast. It flew towards her like a bolt of lightning, and she closed her eyes to concentrate the instant after her Identifynded. Lord of the Thousand Quills of Death Manticore Manticores are ferocious and savage, yet cunning beasts. With a roar that instills terror in all that fear it, this creature jealously guards its territory and prey with an incurably venomous tail. Around her, she opened her Mirrors Gaze, and the world opened up. The Skill had been one of her more recent upgrades to Seeing, and allowed her to sense the world through reflective surfaces such as her armor, with Sight of the Silver One only improving the quality and enabling her to see in truth in ce of metaphor. It was eminently useful inbat, though without Perception, her ability to process all she saw was limited. The manticore opened with a devastating roar, powerful enough to whip up the sands at the Silver des feet into a small sandstorm, but that merely left her standing in midair, her mind shielded from the unnatural terror by Steadfast Ally. The beast, crimson as the final sunset it represented for so many, swooped at her, unleashing a volley of its quills at the Enforcer. Time seemed to slow as she called upon Lightning Perceptions, giving her plenty of time to call up a Mirror Shield at the tip of her sword, Reflective Mirror causing the quills to rebound back at the beast with twice the power they had at first. The manticore changed directions in an instant, letting the half-dozen spikes arc through the air, vanishing off into the distance. It attempted a few more attacks, probing at her defense, but a barrage of Mirror Shields easily reflected everyst one. It eventually changed tactics when it realized it would have no sess as it was, and instead called upon something within it andunched nigh every quill from its tail. There were far more than there ought to have been, and for a moment the shadow cast by the beast was eclipsed by the sheer mass of deadly quills it had thrown. The Enforcer remained unworried. Another conjuration of a Mirror Shield intercepted the quills, sending them flying to ces unknown. Then the shield broke, and Taras eyes shot open in concern. That had never happened before, let alone with an attack which used quantity in ce of strength. Now, she was faced with an endless tide of quills, gleaming with ck-green venom. So much as a single touch would spell her death, and after Mirror Shield had shattered she did not trust her Shining Regalia to adequately protect her. Slowed time ran slower, and utterly froze as Eternal Moment intervened. The Skill had an utterly massive time between uses, but it would still save her here. Sudden Reposition. Then, the Silver de was gone, only a sh of silver light left in her wake as her Skill simply moved her outside the area of the quill attack. Hundreds of needles mmed into the ground, hissing and dissolving the sand where they struck. She frowned. Manticore venom was venom, not acid. Did this one have some special Skill which allowed it to kill inanimate objects? The manticore was furious at her survival, and with another roar, it swooped down to attempt to w at her, a single scorpion-like stinger left upon its tail. Dance of the Silver de brought her between the beasts attacks, forbidding the creature from rending naught but air. Her de shed up and caught it in the stomach, though the simple attack proved insufficient to pierce its hide. She wouldnt allow herself to grow frustrated, and drew her de back, using Sudden Reposition to avoid the beasts retaliatory w. It possessed some rapid movement Skill of its own, and reappeared mid-strike less than a stride away from her. Parry The Skill was a fraction of an instant too slow, and the attack mmed into her side and sent her flying. The Silver de mmed into the ground, skipping across the sands. While her Regalia protected her, she could tell that it would not survive a second blow, and she was uncertain whether the ws upon her foe carried the same deadly toxin as its stingers, having no desire to find out herself. Kip Up The Skill jerked her upright, going from horizontal to vertical in the blink of an eye, and not a moment too soon, as the beast was once more upon her. It was all she could manage, to conjure a Mirror Shield and slow the beast before it could reach her. The shield was not tested against the charge, as with a p of its wings, the manticore merely leapt over the barrier, diving down at her. Brace. Silver Steps. For all that she rarely used it for such, Silver Steps was initially meant for this very purpose- giving her a firm footing regardless of the terrain. Bracebined with it well, as it allowed her to give no ground against even the fiercest attacks. The Enforcer cast aside her sword, using thest moment before her prey mmed into her to conjure a spear from her Armory. The beasts own momentum carried it onto the silver spearpoint, driving it deep into its own body as the first blood of their fight. Far from being a decisive strike, however, it only served to enrage the creature, and with a roar that would have knocked Tara back if not for her continued Brace. The manticore attempted to flee, but the Silver de effortlessly maintained her Silver Steps in pursuit into the air, where they continued their deadly dance. The manticore was a formidable opponent, Tara had to admit. It had been quite some time since she hadst needed to push herself quite so far in a fight, and she relished the feeling. Regardless, there was never a doubt in her mind that she would prove victorious, it was merely a matter of time. Endless Endurance and Enforcers Physique meant she simply would not tire, not without significantly more Stamina-intensive Skill usage, but the beast had no such Skill. It was an ambush predator, not a true fighter. It had tried to flee a few times. However, the Silver de had taught the beast why attempting such was a terrible idea. The first time, she had used the opportunity to cut off the tip of its stinger, though the action had forced her to discard and recreate her sword, as the venom corroded and shattered the Skill. The second time, she opened a long slice on its nk, and most recently, she had cut a long slit in its batlike wings, forcing it back to the ground. It was now fully aware of how little time it had left, and was beginning to panic. Taras non-Skill enhanced attacks, or even Sudden Strike, still could not pierce its hide, though its rage and panic were giving her more opportunities to use Power Attack and Piercing Blow, allowing her to slowly whittle away at its health, likely even Health. Attributes were not infinite, after all, and even the strongest Health had its limits. It had lost a lot of ck blood, and given the amount Tara had gotten on herself throughout the fight, she was fortunate it too was not toxic. The spear she had lodged in its chest near the start of the fight had long broken, naturally, as had the second, and as Skill constructs, left nothing in the wound to continue wounding the creature. It knew it was dying, and now sought only to end her life before its soul left Joriah. She would not leave it to sumb to its wounds, as doing such ran too much of a risk that it might survive against all odds, possibly with the aid of a new Skill or Path, and continue to menace the town. That was uneptable, and so she stayed. A Mirror shield intercepted a w, and Flowing Steps brought her out of range from the beasts bite. Sudden Strike brought her sword inside the creatures human-like mouth, and as it bit down, the de cut into the manticores soft skin, prompting it to yowl in pain and rage. Tara didnt pass up the opportunity it presented, and Sudden Reposition brought her in close, her sword thrust forward to strike at the base of the creatures neck. Sudden Strike reinforced her attack, but it still managed little more than a scratch upon the beasts hide. That wasnt the point, though, and as the manticore attempted to retreat beyond the reach of the Silver de, she had enough of an opportunity to chain together every attack she had into a single, mighty blow. Her sword mmed into the creatures hide, piercing its skin and cutting deeply into its muscle, only stopping when her attack hit its bones with such force her sword shattered. Another attack was already on its way, a curved sickle-sword slipping into the same cut shed just opened and hooking onto the interior of the beast. This time, when it pulled away, Tara kept part of it with her. Brace and Silver Steps kept her and her weapon motionless while the manticore used its movement to flee, and tore open its own guts as it did so. Blood and bile spilled over Tara, showering her in gore. While disgusting, it was nothing inparison to the corpse of the beast itself falling upon her a momentter. It was only thanks to Reflexive Shield that she hadnt been squished underneath its body. While it wouldnt have been dangerous, it would have been rather embarrassing, nevermind that few eyes were upon her. Tara stepped back, opening her eyes as she dismissed and re-conjured her armor piece by piece to avoid getting any blood upon her. She looked upon the body of the marauding manticore with satisfaction. This was her role in the Empire, ensuring thend was safe for themon folk, and she would do her job proudly until her dying day. Tomorrow, she would begin her long return to the capital, keeping her ears open for other nuisances she could deal with while in the area, such as bandits or a pack of wolves. When she finally did arrive in Vinstead, there would no doubt be some minor incident she needed to give her opinion on, and some days following that, there would be another incident to investigate or intervene upon. Such was the life of the Silver de. She wouldnt have it any other way. Chapter 109: Heating Up Chapter 109: Heating Up Edwin had always preferred warmth to cold, and so while Adaptive Defense did a great job of keeping him from utterly freezing, or even getting too cold, he really would prefer that he had super warm, superfortable underclothes. Yes, he could get something made of wool. Yes, he could have gotten clothes already made supernaturally warm via Skills. But those were the boring options. Edwin wanted to try and add the warming properties himself, and he needed something absorbent to test out his potion. It was all a part of solving the mana-umtion problem, after all. He could make potions, sure, but could he make something using his potions that had magical properties? It was perfect practice for more advanced things, after all. Edwin ended up getting two new undershirts, both perfectly fitted to him, pure white, and apparently made out of something called wheatspin, a surprisingly soft fabric considering it was apparently made of discarded wheat stalks spun into thread. The tailor he had bought it from had boasted that his was the softest wheatspin garments in the city, that he alone had the Skills needed to take the normally coarse and stiff fabric and make it actually wearable. While somewhat skeptical, the price the man gave was about in the range that Rih had told him he should expect for the shirts, so he shrugged and bought them anyway. When he asked herter, Rih confirmed that what the man had said was more or less true, though certainly exaggerated. Wheatspin was amon fabric at all levels of society. The poor wore it because it was made out of incredibly cheap material, all the way up to nobility who wore it as a statement showing off how Skilled their personal tailors were. That the man Edwin had visited was open to the public meant that he wasnt good enough to be privately contracted, but that by no means made him bad. The fabric was still as soft as anything he could remember from Earth, almost silk-smooth but somehow with a very different texture. It was a curious dichotomy, but not especially relevant for his current task. Namely, how did you light a shirt on fire without burning it up or using mes? He had practice from his hot-water experiment, sure, but that was different. There, he was just allowing the two elements tobine in a natural course of action. The me went out because the water extinguished it, but it was heated in turn. More fire, and it would have produced more steam than water. Unfortunately, cloth- particrly wheatspin- was mmable, and just shoving alchemists fire- Refined concentrated firevine sap- into it was a sure-fire way to burn his practice shirt to ash. Hm. What about if he tried to filter his personal Infusion again? It had worked well with his little whirlpool jar when he Infused motion into water, why not heat? Of course, hed only been able to get his Imbuement to stay permanent in water, but that wasnt too much of an obstacle. Edwin closed his eyes and conjured his mana visualization. Okay, he had a source, a series of filters, and a variety of other tubes, pipes, alembics, and other ssware which didnt technically do anything but were nheless synonymous with alchemy thanks to fantasy media. Once he had a clear image in his mind, he spent a minute assembling a match for it in reality, fastening different premade sections together with freshly-conjured Apparatite bindings. Once it was all assembled, Edwin added his two primary ingredients into the mix- distilled water and alchemists fire. In theory he might be able to do this with nothing but magic, but he used the liquids nheless. Both because they psychologically reassured him that he was doing something physical, and because they also triggered Alchemy and gave him an extra 90-odd skill levels of experience and power. Plus, if this worked hed have an actual, physical result and not just mana practice. Carefully gripping his water reservoir, Edwin slowly Infused the liquid, making sure he kept control over the mana inside. With his other hand, he Infused not the alchemists fire- doing so didnt work well as a few small explosions had testified- but more tried to ovey the liquid with his mana. As he did so, he pulled on Basic Thermokinesis to tune his Infusion towards fire. It was a weird sensation, but one he was slowly getting better at. Fortunately, for all that it was ready to burst into mes at a moments notice, alchemists fire wasnt a high explosive and still required air to burn. So, keeping it in a sealed container was enough to keep it as a liquid, even as he mixed it with Infused water. Between his greater experience and additional confidence that came from working with this kind of alchemy, Edwin was able to create a steaming bottle of water with just a few minutes of work. It wouldnt get hotter or colder, he knew, but if he left it out it would evaporate and waste his work. Sess, it would seem, and one that was decidedly better than hisst attempt at creating perpetually heated water. Edwin released his tight grip on his Infusion while he assessed the result. Now all he needed was to Refine it, mix it with mi, and turn it into a proper dye. A tiny star lit on his finger as he began. When he was done Refining, he was left with a reddish-gold liquid that was exactly the same temperature. Interesting. He would have thought that concentrating it would have made it warmer. What was the difference, then? He knew it had to have done something, but what exactly that was Further testing required, he thought as he set a small measure off to the side. The bulk of his Refined hot water went into his cauldron, and guided by Alchemy, he mixed crushed mi alongside some glowleaf as a stabilizer, brewing it until the entire liquid was illuminated in reddish light. He filtered out the solids remaining from his mi and glowleaf and tried to dye one of his new shirts. He didnt exactly know how to dye, but that was a small matter. It was just soaking it, wringing it out, rinsing it, and repeating. Howplicated could it really be? Yes, yes, it could be veryplicated, but it didnt need to be. After several washes, Edwin let his shirt hang up to dry, watching it gently steam. A few hourster, he returned to find his shirt an interesting faintly-red color, and grinned. It looked like it turned out well, and he eagerly reached out to feel his new eternally-warm shirt Edwin frowned. It felt no different from before. Clearly, he was doing something wrong. Further testing actually, he might not need to test this. There were people with way more experience than him in magical matters. Oh, so your couldnt help you? He sighed, No, Inion. Rih doesnt have any experience with making magical things. Something to do with storms not being containable. What makes you think I can help you then? You made Obainn, he pointed out, That was pretty magical. Thats not really the same. Can you help me or not? I came to you because I thought you might be able to provide some kind of new insight." Oh, not talking to me just for fun? Considering you find some way to snipe at Rih every time we talk, no. I know fewer people on this than I have fingers, and if I wanted to hear people badmouth one of them Id just wander around the city. Youre making a mistake with her she cautioned. I dont care. Shes manipting you. And you arent? Not like she is. Again, I dont care. Not like you seem to think, anyway. Imfortable around her, I dont care if thats some sort of magicalpulsion, its not something Ive been getting anywhere else. Inion didnt have a response to that. Edwin sighed, Can you help me or not? I can. Will you? Look, if we dont have some topic that we can focus on while we chat, were just going to fall into another argument about Rih. I do not like that woman. I know. Trust me, I know. And I wish I knew how to help reassure you. But thats also not something I want to talk about right now. So magical stuff? Inion finally seemed to concede, I wouldnt describe myself as much of an enchanter, but I know I can definitely give you some information. Edwin gave a warm smile, Thanks, Inion. Really, just having anything to build off of is enough at this point. I can figure out the details myself, but I have no clue what Im doing. Let me see what youve tried so far. Okay, so this was when. Edwin gave a quick rundown. I see, Inion nodded, So your first problem is just what you were enchanting. Oh, so I do need to directly apply my magic to the cloth, not just dye it then? Yes, but no. You made the potion probably fine, I cant speak to that. But you just used it as a dye, without doing anything to then make the cloth itself more magical. So all the magic stayed in the dye, and when that dried out, it changed theposition Ending all of your work, yes. Okay, Edwin nodded absently, So what? Do I I dont know. I knew I was doing something wrong, but that only helps so much. Thats something I can help with. Fey bind themselves to a location or an object, and were changed ordingly, but so too is our Bind, ya? So what? Im getting there. What if you were to do something simr? You have aparable ability, dont you? Feys Caress? he asked, confused, But the Skill said that I take on properties of it yeah. Bind yourself to a touched material, gaining some of its properties. What does that have to do with enchanting, though? Its a binding, it goes both ways. Remember when I bound myself to you? Edwin nodded, rubbing his forearm, It was hard to forget. But I thought that was because you actually bound yourself to me while I was water, and then because of magical stuff, you could then keep the binding to me even afterwards? What does that have to do with enchanting? Are you saying I might be able to give some sort of enchantment to myself? Close enough. I doubt you could make yourself magical, your own inherent mana would fight it off once the Skill subsided. But you still brought about that? heined, So far as I know its only physical attributes that I copy. I dont know! Oh, dont look at me like that. Its your Skill, I dont know that much about it. Well youre no help. Oh, Edwin. Im a great and wise fey who can help you with your magic. But I dunno how to actually help you do it. Honestly, at least Rihs upfront with me when she doesnt know something, he teased. Ive told you before, Im no magi, she shot back, All I know is that I see some simrities between how your Skills work and some enchanting. Ive never actually enchanted something, all I can do is follow a few rituals I know. Hm, he mused, It is a pity that you dont get along with Rih, it would be interesting to see both of you working together with your musical magics. I wont ask you to try, its just well, a pity. How do your rituals work, anyway? Theyre instinctive. Its like asking you how you breathe, or how your heart beats. You may know the answer, but thats because its something youve tried to learn. I just never did They stayed there for a while, talking about all sorts of things. It got tense at times, but they made it work. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief. He might not know how to reconcile the two women, but at least he didnt have to choose between them yet. He had friends- or close enough- and he wasnt about to let that go any time soon. It itched. Of all the possible oues, Edwin had to admit, itching was not one he had anticipated. Hed followed Inions advice, trying to Caress his Refined materials. For whatever reason, it didnt work, at least at first; he could copy the mundane aspects of the substance, but any mana stubbornly refused to be drawn or copied (whichever it was) into his hand. Following a hunch and some trial and error, Edwin found that he needed to activate Overcharge at the same time as Feys Caress if he wanted to absorb any magical properties, and he got a fair bit of use from his Overcharge pauldron, even needing to make more of his mana-blocking potion because of how much he was going through. But, of course, absorbing magic itched. It was only a little bit while Overcharge was active, but if he let that Skillpse while he maintained the magic, it was easily ten times worse. It took a colossal amount of will for Edwin to actually take a good look at what was going on. So far as he could tell with his mana sense, Overcharge drew mana from his Infusion, which these days began at his fingertips. If there was another source of mana avable right there, they got mixed together. Otherwise, Edwins personal mana blocked anything foreign from entering. It was an interesting revtion, and he needed to see how flexible those limits were at some point. In any case, his personal magic wasnt strong enough to force the foreign mana held in ce by Feys Caress out of his body, but that was where the itching came from. Once he released Feys Caress, though, it was definitely strong enough, and all the absorbed magic leaked out rapidly. If hebined that with mana Infusion, he could even co-opt some of that mana and shove it into his target object. It seemed perfect for what he wanted, honestly. Edwin looked at his shirt- as it turned out, washing out the fabric also got rid of most of the color- and mentally prepared himself with a curt nod and a deep breath. Right hand into the bowl of water, check. Activate Overcharge and Feys Caress on the water at the same time. Check. Mana flooded into his arm, but Edwin wasnt going to take any longer than he had to. The moment he felt Overcharge hit saturation, he pulled his hand-shaped water out of its bowl andid it onto the fabric. It absorbed a bit of his hand, but it shouldnt do much more than leave his skin slightly sore and raw for a bit, like a rope burn. Overchargested just under thirty seconds, and if he timed his Infusion and cut off Caress at the same time the Skill ended, he had the best chance of making this work. Check. The copsing Skills sought to offload mana wherever it could find, and fortunately there was another Skill right there, ready to channel as much mana as it was provided, albeit slowly. Happily, the action seemed to reduce the severity of Overcharge on his arm, as the mana wasnt left to wreak additional havoc on his biology. Hm. Was that a potential way to reduce the Overcharge bacsh in the future, maybe? Something to investigate. That was irrelevant for right now though, first he needed to see how the shirt fared. Initially things looked promising. The shirt was definitely Infused, and even was the right temperature. It triggered his mana sense too, reminiscent of a hot spring and the sensation was already fading in favor of just bing normal Infused fabric. What? Why was it fading? Mana Infusion pretty much didnt wear off so far as he knew, so why was this fading? Within just a couple of hours, the inherent heat he felt from the shirt had almost entirely faded, despite the shirt still being magical. What was going on? Repeating the experiment led to the same results, so it wasnt just a fluke. Hmmmm Hede back to thister, he decided. Clearly, this was moreplicated than hed initially thought. His arguments with Inion kept floating back to the forefront of his mind, much to his annoyance. Hed definitely know if someone was using mental Skills on him, wouldnt he? He definitely would. Adaptive Defense would be tuned in that direction, surely? It was almost custom-tailored to trying to fight that kind of long-term insidious but harmful effect. It would definitely work, so why was he even worrying about it? Inion was just jealous, he was sure. He could confront Rih about it, maybe that would help. But what would he do? Did he want to know if she was influencing him? He was happy the way things were. He was just being paranoid though, he was sure. Rih wouldnt well, okay. He needed to remove what he felt that Rih would or wouldnt do from the situation. He didnt know her that well. Just looking at this objectively. He could do that. Edwin set down his tools and pulled out a chair, dropping into it and closing his eyes in thought. He dealt with unknown phenomena all the time, this was no different. Observation: He was very attached to Rih, and was willing to go out of his way to help her out, spent a lot of time with her, and generally trusted her. Hypothesis 1: Rih was using some kind of mentalpulsion Skill on him. Hypothesis 2: Edwin was just genuinely that lonely and starved for human contact. Evidence in favor of Hypothesis 1: Immediate fondness for Rih, confirmed presence of one or more mind-affecting Skills in her repertoire, noted fixation on trying to help her, defending her against Inion, Inions suspicions. Evidence against Hypothesis 1: No activation of Adaptive Defense, no obvious Skill effects active so far as Skillful Assessment can see. Evidence in favor of Hypothesis 2: He did really like Rih. She was nice and willing to talk to him, willing to take him along on outings and intentionally make sure to include him in stuff. She made sure that he took breaks and took care of himself, and stood up for his need of breaks. He was keenly interested in getting to know her better In whatever form that may take, he admitted to himself, though he was more looking for a friend rather than a romantic partner not that hed really decline that either. Other than with Inion, a part of him whispered, which he didnt really have a good response for. Well no, he did, and it was that just physical intimacy wasnt what he was actually looking for and was what Inion was most likely to teasingly ask him about. Hed also never taken her up on her offers, so who even knew how serious they were? Anyway, he was getting distracted. Evidence against Hypothesis 2: Inordinate fixation on Rih beyond normal interest might dictate, confirmed presence of one or more mind-affecting Skills in her repertoire and a known willingness to use them. Edwin frowned. He couldnt really think of that much evidence against his second hypothesis, but that didnt mean it was true. Particrly for something like this, where it was the validity of his own perceptions that was in question. What was he really doing, anyway? He had found a person he liked, and now he was spending time with and trying to help out said friend as much as he was really capable. There wasnt anything unnatural about that. right? Even if he was being excessive, that didnt mean Rih was stepping out of line. Heck, maybe this was just how he normally would act in the stressed situation of trying to impress someone he liked, it wasnt like he had that much experience in that regard. At most, maybe Rih was just trying to help him along with any Skills she might have, or maybe they were just passive or harmless. Heck, that was probably worthy of its own hypothesise to think of it. So Hypothesis 3: Rih has some level of passive/socially eptable Skill that she is using, and is encouraging him in his pursuit ofpanionship. Evidence for Hypothesis 3: Matches with what shes doing with Yathal, encouraging him to be more confident in himself, all evidence with Hypothesis 2 applied, but with reasonable courses of action magnified. Evidence against Hypothesis 3: Lefi and Inion most likely have simr Skills, and his feelings towards them were remarkably different from how he felt about Rih. Inion would likely recognize that was what happened and be able to exin it. Besides, how would he react in either situation? If it turned out that she wasnt using any Skills on him, and his behavior was just the result of his own nature, then hed obviously want to keep doing what he was doing. He didnt have any real reason to stop what he was doing, her request- not that it even really was one- aligned with his personal research anyway, and it was as good a goal as any. That alsoplicated things if she was influencing his mind with Skills. Some amount would definitely just be socially eptable, he was sure though he should probably ask that of Lefi, instead of just assuming they were considered alright, shouldnt he? Anyway, if she was influencing him in that way, it didnt invalidate his reasons for helping her out. He might ask her to not se them anymore, but what difference wold it make? Well, hed have to reevaluate his priorities when his mind was unaffected, that much was certain, but he didnt anticipate his logic really changing. I really, really should just talk to her, Edwin thought, It would solve all of this so nicely. He really, really should. Communication was absolutely key to any kind of rtionship. But he also didnt want to lose what he already had, however that might happen. Who knew how Rih would take being confronted about social Skills? He definitely didnt want to say anything about his feelings, in case that might make her treat him differently. Talking was the smart thing to do. He should do it. Right now, he should hop off of his chair, head downstairs and find Rih, then talk to her about his concerns and find out her side of the story. He should do it. It was exactly the right move in this situation. . It would resolve this entire situation. It was the reasonable, emotionally mature thing to do. ... He couldnt do it. He just couldnt. He couldnt take the chance of messing up one of his few friendships, and for what anyway? If she didnt like him and was just using him, she didnt exactly need a Skill for that, she would just have to ask. He liked being helpful, and hers was an intriguing problem besides. Learning how to enchant wouldnt hurt, and would definitely be helpful for him going forward. It wasnt like she was asking him to do anything seriously inconvenient, nothing that he wouldter regret. Maybe hed be able to ask her more about her social Skills and try and suss out some information that way. Edwin sighed. To make himself feel better, more certain in his status as not just a mind-controlled puppet, he wouldnt do any more enchanting work today. Hed. Well, hed figure something else out. Stamina was a bit of a strange Attribute, Edwin noted. Well, all Attributes were strange in their own way, but Stamina was his current focus so its peculiarities were the most obvious. He could feel it swell and fade with every breath he took, sweeping through his body and carrying with it nutrients and carting off waste to be disposed of. It honestly seemed like a bit of a magical enhancement or even recement of his circtory system, and Edwin idly wondered if with an insanely high level of Stamina his blood might be almost entirely redundant. As he studied it, though, it also just made everything he did easier. It was subtle, definitely, but once he spotted it, it was obvious and made a lot of sense. After all, Stamina seemed to increase his physical energy, and while some of that could be exined away by nutrient transportation, there was still a finite amount of energy that Edwin had avable in his body at any given time. However, Staminargely seemed to bypass that, and once he went looking Edwin noted that the Attribute helped with all motion in his body. His muscles were saturated with Stamina, and every time he contracted them, it served to make the action smoother and easier. It didnt make him any better, it just made him tire out slower and recover faster. Unlike Health, it didnt seem to be exhausted per se (or if it was, it was incredibly minute), he was just constrained by his normal human limits. Which was stupid. He had magic! He had superhuman resilience and a ton of different supernatural Skills! He wanted to leap tall buildings in a well, okay, he could do that. But not because of Stamina! He was clearly missing something with his Stamina Maniption skill, because all hed figured out how to do was move around some of the Attribute, and while he thought it was likely that his efforts were making things easier, whatever benefits it was providing were miniscule. He most certainly wasnt doing anything close to what he could do with mana. Whatever. Hed figure it out eventually, and for now he was just going to keep poking around the Skill and leveling it. And so he sat, not quite meditating as he tried to grab onto his Stamina. If his Mana Maniption was like trying to fill a bathtub with a spoon, this felt like picking up sand wearing oven mitts- the dexterity just wasnt there. So, he tried to push instead of pull. Pushing into one arm, then the other. To his legs, into his lungs. Each time he did so, there was perhaps the slightest benefit to his motions, but so slight they might well have just been a cebo. Eventually he settled into a bit of a rhythm. Since the Attribute already pulsed with his breaths, Edwin settled more deeply into a breathing routine and just tried to enhance what was already there. With every breath out, he pushed Stamina into his limbs. Every time he breathed in, he pushed it back to his torso and head. In, and out. In, and out. At some point, he tried moving his mana in unison, just to see if anything would happen. There wasnt any obvious change in efficacy, no Path, no new Skill offered, no sparkling lights, but it felt right, so he kept doing it while he mused. Health, Mana, and Stamina were the normal resources in games and the like, sure, but why would they be here? Alongside Perception, Dexterity, Speed what was themon thread, why were they all attributes? What made Attributes different from skills anyway? It wasnt like there werent passive Skills, and heck, Edwins Walking functioned in a way really simr to how Stamina reinforced his entire body. There clearly was something going on there, but what? It also really made him question how much Stamina normal people had, and how unlocking an Attribute influenced things. Well Mana, Stamina, and Health all gave Edwin what felt like pools of energy. Magical, Physical, and Life? Life-force. Hm. He was starting to understand why the alchemists of Panastalis developed a humour-like model of the body, thats what those Attributes more or less were, werent they? Hed been thinking of Mana as the overtly supernatural of the three, because what it did had no analogue to how things should work, but that was tly false. Here, hed encountered creatures that used magic just as they might use their physical bodies to defend themselves or hunt. Mana was undoubtedly a fundamental part of the world- and he really needed to stop thinking about how things should work because that was tly incorrect. But maybe he should look at the other Attributes like that as well? He could do supernatural things with mana but not stamina. Was he unintentionally constraining himself? How did all of this fit in with it seeming like everyone had some amount of Health and Stamina at least? He breathed out, his stamina and mana flowing to his extremities, then back in, and the Attributes ebbed back to his lungs and intermingling with the fresh air. Was that the secret? There is no spoon, only your imagination is holding you back? Could he do all kinds of crazy superhuman stunts with Stamina, make his own mage-like Skills? He didnt know he couldnt, after all. Why shouldnt he be able to fly with Stamina, phase through solid objects? It might be crazilyplicated, but the System could help him out there surely. All he needed was the tools. He waited with bated breath for a Skill or Path unlock, but nothing showed up. No easy answers here, it would seem. Well, that was no matter. Hed just figure it out himself. Chapter 110: Out of the Way Chapter 110: Out of the Way While his failures in enchanting his shirt had definitely pushed off the project slightly in favor of his other training and practice, it was ultimately too interesting of a goal, too fascinating to truly put asidepletely. Edwin had eventually figured that perhaps he was trying to take on toorge of a project at once. Cloth and wheatspin were fairlyplex, very inhomogeneous materials already awash with Skills and who knew what else. There were just way too many variables at y to give any kind of meaningful results. So, he was simplifying. He knew he could Infuse rocks, he did it all the time. While water was still the only substance he could meaningfully induce any amount of permanent magical change in with just filtered Infusions, his Alchemy skill was telling him that it was decidedly possible with other things, he just needed to figure it out. If he could figure out how to change the property of a pebble, he could then extrapte into a shirt hopefully. That was the idea, but it was proving difficult. Failure was important. You could frequently learn way more from something that you failed on than something you seeded with. Failure frequently led to the biggest innovations in human history. That was what he was trying to tell himself anyway. Edwin red at histest failure to Caress magic into a rock. It felt like well, like trying to shove water into a rock without increasing the size of the rock. Unlike most of his Infusions, it felt disconnected from his actual Mana Infusion skill. Maybe because this was more along the lines of proper Alchemy Essentia, changing the fundamental nature of his materials? If his normal Mana Infusion was like dissolving solvents into water, his current efforts were more like heating up or cooling the water, maybe? Or perhaps more just changing the solvent. Though that didnt quite work either, hmm. He was also having to revise his theory for why he couldnt Infuse his skills like Basic Thermokinesis and Flight to them already being Infused as part of their basic state of being. It made sense, he knew that improving his mana throughput helped with his Flight range, so perhaps all of his fundamental magical Skills could benefit his non-fundamental ones? A bit like how Purify worked with Fresh Air. As for why he needed to revise it in the first ce was because he came across yet another instance of breaking his apparent cant use the same Skill twice simultaneously limitation. Namely, he figured out how he could Refine two things at the same time. It was all thanks to his magic practice. Not only could he get his initial Refined mana prepared way faster and easier by imagining it as a distition process, he could now keep a hold on two separate mana beads simultaneously. He had to distil them separately, sure, but that was barely even a challenge. It all added together to Edwin feeling fairly confident in his ability to selectively Refine an aspect of a given object to what he wanted. He was even able to figure out what was up with his Refined heated water! He was essentially Refining its temperature, not in such a way that it increased its heat, but more just its heat capacity. While he could still influence the temperature of un-Refined heated water- especially increasing the temperature to boil it off- nothing in his toolkit was able to so much as budge Refined heated water from its natural temperature of 61.3 Celsius. Basic Thermokinesis, burying it in snow, and a zing fire all failed. The only things that did work were Rih bringing a significant amount of her ice magic to bear, and diluting the Refined liquid in a bunch of water. Edwin wasnt sure if thetter really counted though, because boiling off all the water it had been mixed into allowed him to recover almost all of the Refined heated water from the bottom of his bowl, still at 61.3 degrees. He couldnt help but grin. Hed made something that was tly impossible and an inherently magical substance. Sure, hed done that sort of thing before with his fulgurite and abysite sses, but it felt different knowing he could make more pretty much whenever he wanted. Firevine was tricky to grow, sure, but he had an absolutely massive stockpile of its sap and wood so he wasnt too worried about running out. It also gave him something of an idea. Hed been having no luck just shoving magic in, it kept leaking out, but what if he took out stuff to make space for what he was trying to add? It made sense in the way that only a semi-frazzled brain could properly imagine, but it fit vaguely the sorts of nonsense he would expect from magic. It was a bit like trying to scrawl a modification forb procedure over the former instructions. While both sets were present, whatever metaphysical trait-reader was responsible for tranting magical aspects into physical measurements would get confused and go with what looked like the default. Just like how trying to write in ab book with pencil wouldnt get many people to follow different procedures. However, if you erased the original instructions and then wrote recement text, then theyd be way more likely to actually follow instructions! In theory. Assuming anyway, that wasnt relevant. Best of all, he already had a substance that was essentially Refined temperature. Now all he needed to do was figure out what little magical part of a rock told it it was supposed to be room temperature, rip it out and rece it with something else! Of course, rocks didnt have an inherent temperature. With some poking and prodding with Refining he had been able to find something that was perhaps more urately described as magical heat capacity. Some experimentation had shown that a Refinement of it had seriously increased how long it took him to heat up the remaining sand with Basic Thermokinesis, and even Infused Firestarting needed a fair bit of work before it would heat up the former stone. It didnt seem to meaningfully impact mundane heat capacity, but Edwins tools to measure that were decidedly limited... and he needed to focus anyway! He had a task, he was sticking to it. He had still been having trouble with everything he Refined turning to dust (unless it was inherently a liquid, a distinction Edwin hadnt been able to fully nail down yet), but a few days weeks of practice had solved that too. Hed just needed to be way more selective with his targets. Refining inherently tried to grab all the magical traits of his target and render them down into just whatever he was selecting for, which included structure. He wasnt entirely sure how changing a magical attribute of a substance messed with its physical makeup, but that was another question forter. He could actually Refine structure, in which case he was left with a sort of strange, crumbly y as strength and toughness were reduced that nheless looked identical to the original rock. It took a long, long time to figure out how he could target specific aspects for removal instead of enhancement, but he managed it in the end byparing his mana to aerogel, of all things. Aerogel? Lefi, unsurprisingly, hadnt heard of the stuff and it was kind of important for Edwins alchemy lessons with the guy, so he found himself in a bit of an impromptu lecture. Okay, so do you know what gtin is? Gtin? Bone pudding? Uhh probably. I think you get it from bone, anyway. So, gtin is this strange sort of semi-solid substance, yeah? Where its not exactly liquid but its also really jiggly and not a rigid solid. So thats a colloid- a suspension of one type of matter in another. In this case, its a bunch of liquid, namely water, in a sort of sponge-like solid structure. So, somewhere along the line people obviously started wondering about what would happen if you somehow took the water out. Now, if you are familiar with gtin- bone pudding, whatever- you know that you cant just boil the water out, it just makes the structure copse and get all over the ce basically, it ruins the structure. Well, thats only true under normal conditions. Theres this thing called an autove, and thats basically what this is meant to be, he indicated a sealed Apparatite box connected to his tubing. So an autove is pretty much an oven that can go up to really high temperatures and ispletely sealed, usually at really high pressures. Remember what I was saying about pressure and temperature influencing a substances boiling point? Aha! I see. So you how does such a thing work? Well, an autove can heat up the gtin until the water in the structure is both liquid and gas at the same time, more or less. Itsplicated, that doesnt really matter right now. What matters is that an autove can, in the right circumstances, take the water out of gtin and leave behind just the sort of spongy, dry framework around it. Theres actually a bunch of substances like that, but aerogel is what you get if you make silicon gel- think gtin but made with different stuff- and then take out all the liquid. That just leaves this really light stuff thats super cool, really great at instion, all that sort of thing. I see, Lefi didnt sound very confident, but that didnt matter much. Anyway, the important thing is that I was able to picture the basically structural mana of the rock as gtin, with the kind of mana I want to remove as the water. Then It had taken quite a bit of time, but Edwin had been able to make a sort-of autove for mana, submerging the pebble in a huge pile of Refined dust of whatever it was he wanted to remove and then turning up the external forces and leaning on Alchemical Dismantling until the stone and its bed lost cohesion, with the magical structure of the rock getting really lose and allowing the chosen property to mix freely with the powder it sat in. Once it was in that state, all he needed to do was remove the pebble from its dust bed- if he didnt, the end result absorbed additional Refined powder and ended up strengthened instead- which was still easier said than done. Introducing any other mana to the situation destabilized it all and created some very weird results, and touching it with his bare fingers was out of the question. Anything without mana was flooded with active autove-like mana, and usually burned to a crisp. In the end, he devised a setup where the pebble sat directly atop a sieve in a bowl, then was buried in Refined dust. When it was time to remove the dust, he just lowered the bowl and allowed the powder to fall through the holes in his mesh, draining away. A few small shakester, and the pebble was left almostpletely free of that particr magical aspect. He could even reuse the dust! If anything, each practice run he did increased the amount he had unless he did something wrong, but it was utterly miniscule. In any case, removing the he needed a word for it. Trait, maybe? Trait worked. Once he removed the heat capacity trait from the stone- which resulted in an oddly temperature-neutral substance, though only when magic was involved- he thought it would be easy to add in the heated waters temperature trait. It decidedly was not. By removing the stone from his mana autove, it settled into its new form and once again became impervious to trait maniption. This time, though, it didnt have any way for Edwin to leverage open the trait he wanted to edit. It was a bit like trying to swap two blocks from the bottom of a block tower. Removing a foundational block would make the entire thing at the very least close up, at most make the entire thing copse. Unless of course, there was some kind of secondary support holding up the tower to leave space for the recement when it was added. ...or something like that, anyway. There was some seriously awesome potential stuff that he could do with that. Unfortunately, the coolest ones- like magical transparency from mana-cast ss or mana absorption from mi- interfered with his magic enough that he couldnt actually make the autove work. Anything else was hampered by the fact his current trait maniption only affected magical properties except for when it didnt, like when he removed strength and his pebble crumbled at the slightest touch. He hoped that he could further explore or outright ovee that limitation eventually, but well, one thing at a time. He always had things to explore, and not enough time in his entire life to explore it all. Edwin made a mental note to ask Lefi about immortality Skills. The guy looked sixteen but was apparently closer to a hundred, he was bound to have one. In any case, if he wanted to transfer properties, hed need to figure out how to do it all in one step. The problem was, in order for his mana autove manave? In order to get his manave to work properly, Edwin had to have it be an entirely closed system. Even a simple Apparatite stick, poking around to move the pebble, interrupted the process. Furtherplicating the whole mess was that until the autove seal was broken, the trait remained. But, breaking the seal by dropping the powder away also would re-solidify its traits. He couldnt even do some clever trick with piling powders together thanks to the second trait-material being liquid. In other words, he needed to figure out some way to directly rece one type of mana with another type of mana when he couldnt mix the two substances, couldnt move his pebble around, and all in less than a fraction of a second. It seemed like an impossible problem. Edwin couldnt help but grin. This was perfect. Edwin sat on the ground, giving his legs a break afterpleting Lefistest obstacle course, trying (and failing- seriously, would it kill the System to give him a Skill that was easy to use? Okay, other than almost all of his Skillse to think of it) to use Stamina Maniption to fight against the soreness in his legs. So Lefi, he started, getting the mans attention, How do Immortality skills work? I talked with Rizzali- my Registrar- about them at one point, but I want to get your opinion on them. I figure youd know a lot, about that sort of thing? Im guessing you have one, from what Ive heard. You would be correct! I do indeed know much about those Skills. I know much about all Skills, after all. Yeah yeah. Anyway, what sorts of thingse about from the Skills? Rizzali said that just the basic Immortality was a trap no advancement, or something? Ah, of course! Immortality is indeed the most ssic immortality Skill, hence the name, but it is far from optimal in most situations. Edwin patiently waited for Lefi to finish his grandstanding. You see, Immortality has a very simple effect and method of leveling: every level you possess in it extends your death by old age for a single year, and it levels at the same rate! It does not prevent you from aging, however, and of course if you are no longer capable of leveling it, such as if it evolves, you lose its protections. Wait, so youd just get really old from it too? What if you were young when you got it, would you just sort of waste the extra levels? And why does evolving it make it worse? Couldnt you get something that would give you much the same benefits, just better because it was evolved or whatever? It adds years upon your life, you understand. If you possessed sixty years of life ahead of you when you obtained the Skill, you would continue to have sixty years upon its evolution. As for evolving into a superior form, it is certainly possible, he agreed, And some of the better immortality Skills can be obtained in such a manner. However, it is usually also possible to gain said Skills without taking the apparently-useless Immortality skill. After all, if you find yourself with a stronger form of immoralityter, the original Skill no longer provides you with much in the way of benefit, you see? So it still makes you get really old, and is kind of pointless once you get a better Skill? I guess it makes sense why that would be considered inoptimal. But still, immortality. Couldnt you I dont know, get a Skill that keeps you young without making you immortal? Youthful Appearance and Youthful Vigor are what you are thinking of, and can be obtained via a number of appearance-based and physical Skills respectively. But they still arent the best? Edwin guessed. Indeed not. Age Resistance is the best Skill for retaining your youth, and although it provides not true immortality, it most certainly can provide a longer life than most would feasibly require. Slows down but never stops? Indeed. Well alright, then. So Immortality makes you age but not die, Age Resistance slows down your aging, can youbine them? Such an aplishment would truly be a feat, and would leave onergely untouched by the passage of ages. But not perfectly, and nobodys aplished it? Edwin, you must understand that most of these Skills have but one or two recorded holders. There is much we do not know of them. I know of none who have earned both Immortality and Age Resistance, but what you specte most likely holds true, yes. Thats fair, I suppose. Do you think that I could get Age Resistance? Your Adaptive Defense is a promising candidate for such a Skill, yes, though I would advise you not be too invested in the idea as of yet. You must understand that Immortality Skills are very rare, particrly before tier five. But you got one at tier two? Lefi didnt respond. Edwin sighed, Well, what about an elixir of life, or waters of youth, or something? Its a ssic pursuit of alchemy, is there anything like that? I have never heard of such a thing existing, though I am certain one could. Indeed, it is not impossible you would create such a potion or be granted a Skill with such an effect. However, be aware that no immortality- save perhaps that of Emperor Xares himself- is perfect. Is that known, or just spection? Nothing with the System is known save that it can do all. In other words- he started. Further testing required? Lefi cut in, beaming with a mischievous smile. Oi! Thats my line! Edwins stomach was tied in knots. It wasnt technically a tricky subject but it was undeniably one that could go wrong, particrly if he wasnt careful. But hed been on a bit of a roll with getting conversations out of the way, hopefully that momentum would keep him going? So. Your Fire skills? I remember noting them during our snow day, and Im still curious. Why was there a mental Skill involved in that? Rih chuckled, Aw, is that all? Why the serious face then? Edwin shrugged and tried to school his expression into a more neutral configuration, to unknown sess, Just other stuff, he halfheartedly responded, Nothing to worry about. If you say so, she teased, So what didya wanna talk about? she flopped over on her chair, stretching in a way that was rather appealing Focus, Edwin. Thats not why youre here. Your fire skill? he asked incredulously, Like, I literally just said as ah, you meant beyond that. So talk to me, I dont know the right questions to ask. Paths too, or just the Skills? Ill record the Pathster, I think, Edwin decided, When Im trying to fill out the Almanac entries on them. ying Registrar, are we now? I mean, theres no real reason not to. Ive got a Skill that works really well for that sort of thing after all. Anyway, what do you have? Well, my basic fire Skill was Spark, she pulled up a me in her hand, That helped me conjure fire really easily. Then that went to Dancing me, a wave of her hand directly the me away from her hand, flickering merrily as it flew around her as she summoned another over her palm, Which let me move my mes around as well as conjure more. Fire Snake turned it into a proper attack, so I can make all these fiery ropes and stuff which deal more direct damage. But my favorite is my newest. Mesmeric re, a mental Skill wrapped around the fires as they stretched out with use of Fire Snake, and the colors of the me began to deepen and shimmer, scintiting and luminescent. It demanded attention, and Edwin could scarcely fight it as the room grew more and more filled with the beautiful mes Adaptive Defense poked his attention, and the prompt was enough to get him to break free of the fascination. Thats potent, he remarked, Ive been pretty good at resisting mental Skills in the past, but thats tricky. Very beautiful though. It is, isnt it? she agreed, It definitely helps, you know? Mental Skills always work better when they just reinforce what you already want to do. Edwin mutely nodded, looking at the curtains of fire before him. It looked almost like the aurora borealis, just right in front of him and somehow even more spectacr, I suppose its easy to get distracted by something so eye-catching, isnt it? Yep! Even being immune to my own Skills fascination doesnt keep me from loving to stare at the colors. Its definitely my best mental Skill. Thats the perfect opportunity! Edwin mentally screamed, I can bring up whether shes trying to charm me as just a part of the conversation. It wouldnt even be awkward! But do I want to know? Another part of him questioned, I dont want to lose a potential friend. Of course I do! Knowledge, knowledge, knowledge! Ask her already! Your most potent? What else do you have, then? Why Edwin. Youre being so forward today. Ohe on, he sighed, I thought you said we were past all that nonsense. I like it, she finished with finality. Oh. Yay? Edwin unsteadily answered, Um, what do you have then? She nced around, pretending to be furtive, Well, other than Mesmeric re, the direct charm Skills I have are- Direct charm Skills? Edwin asked, then shook his head, Wait, sorry. Continue. Well, Idyllic Form, among others, isnt exactly a charm Skill, but it certainly helps the others. Those would be, oh, Charm, Good Impression, Calming Touch, and Allure. Sheughed slightly, Turns out, the Charm skill gives charm-like evolutions. Then I have, oh lets see, Inspiring Speech, Memorable Night, Worthy of Notice and Mesmeric re. Is that a lot? Edwin asked, It seems like a lot. Oh, well it depends on who you ask. Most nobles have at least two base charm-like Skills, and I have one. Of course, most people have no basic charm-like Skills unless theyre a merchant or performer, who have lots. Of course, Ive definitely been called a bard before and its not entirely inurate! sheughed. But all your others? Are thetest evolutions of other Skills. What does Allure do? he asked. Why, Edwin! He sighed, Are you trying to inure me to your shocked and-or scandalized reaction by using it so much or something? She didnt respond, and Edwin blinked, Wait, are you? Here, are you ready for Allure? I dont use it a lot of the time, so prepare yourself. Um, when you ask it like that, Im not Edwin trailed off as his brain was fully preupied with looking at Rih. She was gorgeous. Gentle eyes, a slender but athletic frame, unblemished and smooth skin, clothing that entuated her body without directly being immodest. Luxurious and immacte hair, tied back in a way that only served to show she needed no intricate work to be the absolutely most beautiful woman Edwin had ever seen. He tried to speak, to say something about it, something about feelings, anything for her, but his tongue refused to respond. He tried to get up, to reach out and stroke her arm, but he couldnt do anything, his entire being affixed to simply staring at her, taking in the sights as much as he possibly could The Skill switched off. Gah! it felt like his brain was plunged into freezing water, and his thoughts short-circuited once more, this time in the opposite direction, as a million different considerations rushed into his head, pulling him every which way. How Rih looked wasnt exactly thest thing on his mind, but it certainly jumped back to a normal level of priority. That was unpleasant, he admitted once he had his internal monologue in order, rubbing his temples. And way stronger than I was expecting. Unpleasant? Thats new, she asked, Why? Um, its Edwins brain was still somewhat scattered, but he tried to pull his thoughts in order to respond, I very rarely am ever focused on only a single thing at a time, and Ive never had all of my brain forcibly shunted to a single train of thought. Then just sort of in general he trailed off, Yeah. Wow, that was really strong. Normally I can distract myself, but that was something else. He shook his head, getting it mostly clear, What made it so strong, do you think? Ive been able to resist mental Skills before. What were they like? Well, I had to deal with an order I waspulsively forced to obey, avoid responding to someonemanding me to talk, and I think Inion did something at some point. Ah, so mostlypulsions? I guess so? Oh, you think it has to do with your Skills being more around attention than actualmands? I could see it, he rubbed his forehead. Though I should probably try to train myself to break out of it. But also, you said you dont use it much. Hows it so strong if you never use it? Well, its still improved by my other Skills and my Charisma, she exined, And because were sitting here where its just you and me, this is the best-case scenario for the Skills use. You know, I idly tried to get a social Skill some time ago. Never pushed that hard, but nothing ever came of it. Lotsa people dont, and they do just fine. You could definitely stand to get a Bargaining skill, though. she teased. Edwin rolled his eyes, Never had any luck, unfortunately. Anyway, my turn! I wanna ask some questions about your Skills! I still have eh, Ill ask themter. Sure, ask away. So your cooking Skill, whats it like? Arcadian Elixir? Well, its It had been a while since hed been out and about, Edwin realized, and it had been a good month since hisst proper day off in the snowball fight. He knew the reasons why he didnt like leaving the tower, but it would still be good for him. It had snowedst night, and the glistening white was a marvel to behold, but he couldnt help but wonder what sorts of things were out in the city. Stretching his legs a bit would be good for him, he decided. He also should make sure he didnt take too much money to not invite thieves, but he definitely should take at least a smoke bomb and a few fireball pellets. Oh, and he should let Inion know that hed be out and about. Just in case something happened. Day on the town, here he came. Chapter 111: A Day Off the Town Chapter 111: A Day Off the Town The streets were surprisingly clear, Edwin reflected, considering how much snow theyd been getting regrly. While the overcast sky ensured that there were still a few snowkes drifting to rest along the street, the textured stone itself was almostpletely bare of snow which might serve as some kind of a hindrance. There wasnt anywhere obvious all the snow might have gone, either. It definitely felt like Skill nonsense. Perhaps because this was a nicer district of the city, there was more regr road maintenance? As he wandered around, it certainly seemed to be the case. As the streets became less massive stone blocks and more cobblestone, the piles of snow alongside the side of the road grew dramatically, to the point where some houses were almostpletely buried in slightly-dirty snow. He even got to see one of the street-cleaners! A human man dressed in rtively light and in clothes held a contraption reminiscent of a snow shovel, but with the shovel de turned perpendicr to the handle like a snowplow. To clear the street, the man lined the shovel right up next to the pile of snow on the road and then just pushed. Snow flew in every direction, mostly straight but much off to the sides, increasing the barriers by several inches at a minimum. Then, work done, he walked the hundred feet or so to where the snow had receded and carried on. It was quite the sight to see, but Edwin didnt stick around for that long before moving on. Humans, he noted, werergely bundled up as might be expected, wearing thick woolen jackets and scarves. Half of them wore wool mittens, and most wore some kind of hat as well, which made Edwin feel rather out of ce in his standard traveling getup. He had gloves, sure, but they were decidedly work gloves and not that warm. His fingers werent cold anyway, and he had a small bottle of heated water if he did end up feeling cold at some point. Fortunately, what did help him feel less out-of-ce was that the avior he saw were wearingrgely the same clothes they always did- namely, not much and usually either decidedly workmanlike or ostentatious with very little in the middle. He supposed it made sense if they had some kind of winder down, and made a note to ask Lefi and checking his note reminded him he still hadnt figured out what made Bomb Throwing trigger or not. Well, next time he needed a break from his trait transference problem he could work on that, he supposed. Oh look, its the daywasrs toy! a voice heckled. Edwin looked up, seeing a young avior- a Treetop Hunter- perched on a nearby roof, but he shrugged and carried on. If he stopped every time he heard an insult hed spend more time responding to them than actually carrying on with his day. People didnt like him, that was hardly a surprise. Hey! I was talking to you! You were? Edwin shot back, Im sorry, you clearly have the wrong person. A p of his wings brought the avior face-to-face with Edwin, razor-sharp beak inches from his nose. The intimidation factor was definitely lessened by the fact he was at least a head and a half shorter, though. His feather was still very strong, poking into Edwins chest just hard enough to be ufortable. I dont think I do now. Ive watched you go in and out of that tower thinkin like you own the ce? It was kind of hrious how the kid thought he was intimidating, like Edwin didnt live with three of possibly the strongest individuals in the city and regrly trained with all of them. You may want to work on your Mind Reading skill, Edwin casually countered, I think its being influenced by something else Personal Fantasy, maybe? What? the boy seemed confused. Look, Edwin put on a false smile and sounded reassuring as he lightly rested his hand on the aviors shoulder, Im sure that the local Registrar might be able to help you out if you just asked. Im sure they knew what they were doing when they assigned you some sort of delusion-based Skill. Or did you get that on your own? You adventurer- the boy started, trying to shrug Edwins hand away, but he held firm, tightly gripping the base of the wing even as pressure started to build.. Correct. Now, get out of my face and leave me alone. I wont stand to be bossed around by scum like you. Oh, is there anything else you wanted to talk about? Ill give you oh, how about a minute, before you leave? Do you seriously think you have any level of control over my actions? Youre scum, worthless to yourmunities and a bane upon the Empire and everything it stands for. Youre disgraceful, and your little bitch in the tower is too, you know that? Soon the towers rightful owners wille around and then well see how smug you are There didnt seem to be any useful information present, so Edwin tuned out the annoying voice and concentrated on his magic instead. Could he maybe make this go any faster, somehow? It didnt seem like the little angry ball of feathers noticed Edwins ever-tightening grip, but that worked out fine for him. Numeracy buzzed, letting Edwin know how long had passed. Minutes up. Bye. You still think you can- It wasnt a request, Edwin released his grip on the Hunter and Unbound Tether simultaneously, the pent-up energy from the charged Skill sending the avior absolutely flying. The arrogant teen didnt ragdoll too much, but did manage to catch himself once Edwin stopped pushing and swooped away on stiff wings. Edwin looked around the street. It hadnt been busy exactly, but now it was mostly deserted. Nobody had wanted to stick around, apparently. Ah well. He would check out the docks. Yeah. Hed flown over them a bunch of times, but it was almost always way above them. The one time hed actually been there, hed been distracted by Inion and he was curious what the lifeblood of the city was really like. As he walked, he enjoyed marveling at the citys sights. The snowbanks were everywhere, and his Skills let him see much more than normal. Skillful Assessment showed the nigh-invisible forms of alley cats stalking across the snow, Numeracy informed him of a bank of snow that was about to copse- he danced out of the way before it could strike him, and Basic Mana Sense lit up here and there, picking up on hints of icy wind mana from the tower carried with the breeze. Winter really was beautiful, he reflected. Without the cold bothering him, without his nose, ears and fingers freezing, he could properly enjoy the majesty of undisturbed snowdrifts, and the quaint novelty of seeing a proper pseudomedieval city nketed in white. The docks were closed for the season, and while practically deserted byparison, they were still rather busy. The sounds of a smithy echoed through the streets along with the distant barking of a dog, a hint of fresh bread was carried on the breeze, and the crowds of people scarcely looked up as they bustled about their day. There were, of course, the frequent disys of superhuman prowess- the man carrying a crate bigger than he was like it weighed nothing, the crier making his voice heard about something to do with boats, it didnt matter to him- in a way that sounded like he was standing directly in front of every single person, and a halfling woman casually leaping from a second-story door to the streets below. Along this street, it was clear that there was a significant amount of effort put into making it look presentable, simr to the higher-ss neighborhoods like where the tower was located. However, even just looking down the alleyways unveiled where the quality of housing diminished, the walls damaged; paint chipped and peeling, wood cracked and splintered. Meanwhile, the river itself was mostly frozen over. It wasnt - there was still flowing water near the center- but the docks themselves were encased in ice. While most of the boats that otherwise would be fishing or carrying goods had either left the city for the season or had been pulled out of the water, there were still a few ships still remaining. One, Edwin noted with interest, was surrounded by a bit of un-frozen water and was inundated with Skills of all forms. He wandered over that way to take a closer look at the vessel, noting an unusualck of sails. Though perhaps they had just been taken in for the season? In all respects, the boat was crafted masterfully without so much as a single splinter out of ce. Although he didnt know exactly how to tell, it seemed to exude understatedpetence from the serpent-headed bow to the dark, straight-grained wood of its body. That was without even getting into the skills inundating every inch of the craft. Now that he was looking, he definitely saw several simr skills imbuing the other boats he could see, but this one seemed to have them all. From the-like weaving of Efficient Space to something reminiscent of Basic Thermokinesis, and another that was an inverted Firestarting? Ah, probably a fire-suppressing skill. Very neat. After a few minutes of admiring the boats Skills, Edwin lost interest and wandered off downstream. While subtle alongside the waterfront, it was clear that this was much more of the working end of the port. Nets and ropes smelling strongly of fish cluttered the local scents just as surely as the stone walkway, weather-worn buildings creaked underneath the winter winds and groaned under their snowy burden. There were still some ships in the water, but they definitely seemed to be on the rattier end of things. Some even looked as though it was only the rivers thickyer of ice that was keeping them afloat, but most had very few Skills working on them. It was just neglected. The people, too, matched the idea. Clothing was less fine, the people looked more haggard. A figurey on the ground in an alleyway he passed, the Fairweather Fisher still alive but perhaps for not much longer. A part of Edwin said he should try to help these people, but it was solidly vetoed. Getting involved in other people''s problems was very much not what he wanted to do. While he could sympathize somewhat with their plight, it also wasnt his problem. He didnt not care, but he also couldnt actually care, not if he wanted to remain sane and actually able to take care of himself. There didnt seem to be much more of interest- or at least the right kind of interesting- further downstream, so Edwin decided to backtrack before he either got mugged or pulled on some pointless distraction. Without the distractions of the city to slow him down on his return trip, Edwin skimmed just off the ground with Flight, only really paying any attention to obstacles in his path. Thus, it took only a few minutes before hed fully made it back to where he started. He didnt really feel like heading back to the tower quite yet, and he was kind of curious as to whether upstream the buildings and boats would be nicer. Besides, he had- and still had, hed checked after leaving the semi-slums- his smoke bombs and a few fireballs, hed be fine. It definitely became apparent that everything became nicer as he explored this half of the waterfront; more and morerge buildings elegantly sculpted into veritable works of art. There were nos and ropes cluttering these streets, no. In their ce were elegantly-crafted individual piers and works of art, many more guards and far fewer people. Oh, there still were people of course, but not as many as had previously been around. There were, of course, more boats still in the river up here, almost all of them with Skills simr to the one hed seen downstream that kept the water around them at an above-freezing temperature, but this time they were significantly gaudier. Fancy carvings and gildings, luxurious paints, mental Skills- his practice with Rihs Mesmeric re was paying off it would seem, and while he was still hopeless against her, the boat wasnt nearly so powerful a distraction- and even hints of magic. There might not have been very many, but sheer presence and size more than ounted for that difference. One even looked to be made of a single stone, some massive boulder shaped and quarried into the form of a luxury barge. Some had workers, too. One boat had a woodcarver actively detailing the side, others had a few humans and halflings running around with fine materials, though with almost no sounds of construction in the area, it was impossible to tell what they were doing.Ouws and troublemakers, the voice resonated from the air behind and above Edwin, and he turned around to see an avior with steel-gray feathers descend to the street below him, Do not belong here, and yet you are both and remain. Sentinel of the Distant Flow Edwin looked around, Im not? Well, guess Ill head back then, he shrugged, You might want to put up a sign. He held back a wince. That sounded way worse than he had been hoping for, and the Sentinel clearly agreed. In the blink of an eye, Edwin found himself mmed against the closest wall, held a few inches off the ground by the aviors wing. It dares mock me? Honestly, Edwin tried to shrug, fighting back his rising panic. Okay, he had a smoke bomb within reach of his left hand, and he could also Tether himself a fireball and detonate that. He hadnt tested what it would do to him point-nk but he was at mostly full Health, after that wall-m, and hed probably be fine, I have no clue who you are. I dont think weve ever met. Know your betters. Edwin felt himself flying through the air, but many, many hours of practice helped him catch himself, and with a twist of Flight, hended feet-first on the ground and not on the river. You know, this really isnt helpful, Edwin pointed out, Also Im pretty sure I should be calling the guards around now? Scum will forever be unaided and your actions today have proven you to be such. Again you keep saying these sorts of things but I dont actually know who you are, so There was pressure at the front of his chest, and Edwin looked down to see a feather sticking out of it. That wasnt good, though he wasnt really bleeding? The attack definitely took a good chunk of Health, but he stayed tethered to the ground with Flight as Edwin pulled the feather out and slipped it in his pocket. I am the only authority you need to concern yourself with, adventurer. It is by my will you remain alive and- Edwin decided enough was enough and that he ought to take Lefis advice to heart. He didnt stick around to hear the end of the aviors rant, instead breaking a smoke bomb. As the world around him turned white, he triggered Longstrider and stepped away, the world blurring into one mess of white You go nowhere, the voice hissed and Edwin felt his cor yank him back. Longstrider shattered around him, leaving him just on the edge of his cloud of smoke and right next to a very cross raptor. Edwins eyebrow raised. That was pretty impressive, and he definitely should probably start taking this seriously it would seem. Even Lefi didnt seem to be able to pull Edwin out of Longstrider, just move stuff in his way. What is it that you want? Edwin sighed, Im in a good mood, you know? Or at least I was, and this is supposed to be my day off. Oh! Are you the dad of that one kid who was bothering me earlier or something? Oh, the adventurer says it has a day off. How amusing. As though its every day spent here isnt a worthless waste of perfectly good food while providing nothing in return. Quite the little leech, isnt it? Attacking actual citizens and then pretending it isnt gliding on broken wings. Okay, first off: I do a lot of actually useful stuff and am perfectly capable of paying my own way. But other than that sorry? Not for taking care of myself, mind you, the guy had iting. But Im sure that if you have problems with my existence I can ask Rih for advice on being unobtrusive. Oh yes, her. I know all about yourpatriot and her worthless quackery. Though at least she knows her ce. Look, are you ever going to tell me who you are? he sighed, mentally evaluating what direction he would be best off to flee towards. He held a smoke bomb behind his back, ready to detonate it at a moments notice and run off, Im still under the assumption youre just the dad of that hooligan who tried to harass me earlier. And you seriously need to step up your intimidation game, because this yeah, it isnt doing much. I ought to throw you from this city and forbid your return. You and all your kind. Okay, Edwin shrugged, Im pretty sure Rih would be thrilled to be allowed to go. Though maybe you should wait for spring? Not sure how far wed get in this weather before we had to turn around for some reason. You refuse to take this seriously? Edwin leveled a t re, Look, if youre just going to do all this empty posturing and bluster, no, Im not going to take this any more seriously than you seem to. Like, you keep saying all these things which just I cant really seem to understand how a real, breathing person could say it with a straight face. Start from the beginning, because Im pretty sure that being an Adventurer still means I get the legal protections of a citizen, and I see a couple of guardsing this way. They will not aid you against me. Edwin sighed, his responses spilling out, Look, you can say these sorts of vaguely ominous-sounding threats all you want, but the fact of the matter is that without knowing anything about who you are or what sorts of things youre trying to threaten me with, its just not effective and makes you sound like youre just trying to mess with my head. Like yes, thats a very neat trick, grabbing me mid-stride and all, but unless I have context for that, all it means is that you have some sort of fun Skill that I havent seen before. Specific ultimatums, not this uncertain mess. There was a moment where the avior seemed decidedly confused, and Edwin took it as a win. Then he opened his beak again, Very well. I am Imperial Enforcer Finnas Eshrais Reffiel. You will face justice for your numerous crimes, and the guards will not prevent that from happening. Well at least Edwin knew he was dealing with now. See? Much better. Youve established your credibility as a threat, given me a more concrete thing to look out for, and now I actually know what Im dealing with. Its an improvement, but you still need to work a bit on the specificity. For example, what crimes? What would justice look like? he asked, After all, I did all your stuff. Paid the gate entry fee- at the merchants rate, Ill have you know- have been staying pretty much out of everyones way and Ive even been helping take care of the weather tower or whatever you call it. He paused to think, Is this actually about the about little kid who kept heckling me? he realized, I did my best to not hurt him, just sort of shoo him away. As though you have any right toy a finger upon a proper citizen, ouw. Okay, getting better, Edwin wasnt nearly as calm as he was letting on, but he kept his fear from showing. There was no sense in letting the enforcer know his little intimidation was seeding, after all. Who knew that emotional repression might have practical applications? But if you really want to go all-out, you should really make sure that you signal both that you know who I am and what Ive done, that you dont care, and youre going to mess me up regardless. Something like, I dont know, Edwin Maxlin, Ally of the Empire or not, you have crossed me for thest time, now you will be exiled or something like that. Edwin Maxlin? Oh, have you heard of me? ...Yes he growled, eyes shing with some Identify-rted Skill. Even better! Then you can mix in a few personal barbs, really paint a vivid picture of everything going on. In lieu of replying, the avior backhanded (backwinged?) Edwin right in his face, sending his neck cracking back painfully but predominantlyunching him through the air over the river. ...Well, shoot. That wasnt what he had wanted. Edwin righted himself with Unbound Tether and brought Flight into y, hovering above the ice. Meanwhile, the enforcer was nowhere to be seen. Huh. Apparently his name-drop and reminder of his status worked better than hed anticipated! It was a bit strange that his identity hadnt shown up on Identify for an Enforcer, but maybe that didnt always work or something like that. There were many reasons he might not have checked anything beyond Edwins status as an adventurer, ranging from simple forgetfulness and overconfidence to.. well, there was probably something else but he couldnt think what that might have been. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief as a torrent of dyed emotions began assaulting his mind now that the immediate danger had passed. Well, at least it looked like hed been given a free pass to remain in the city. Or, perhaps the Enforcer would be back before long with backup? Who knew. He was in one piece, mostly unharmed, and not that worn out. He sighed. It was close to an unmitigated disaster, and could have gone much worse very easily. He knew that a day on the town likely wouldnt go great, but he hadnt expected it to go this badly. He should have just stayed in the tower; at least there people pretended to like him. Pierash greeted Edwin when he slunk in through the door, the toorge eyes of a halfling able to present a very convincing semi-skeptical re. Well arent you just a right mess. Did you try to swim down the waterfall? What? I dont look that bad, do I? A few injuries, and I know you have Health from all your yammering about the ce. That any of it stuck means it woulda been bad. Not much of a mess, but a mess all the same. Edwin sighed, Its fine I think. Why does everyone hate adventurers so much? he vaguely groused. Oh, lots of reasons. Is there anyone who isnt likely to spit at me when I pass them on the street, or anywhere where its notmon? Like seriously, from day one of being in the Empire its been nothing but thinly-veiled insults about me at best, open hostility at worst. Likee on. Why even have adventurers if everyone hates them so much? Oh, thank you. He epted a mug of hot cider with a nod, sipping at the beverage. Oh, well I imagine most folks wont be bothering you about what your Skills are. But they cant well tell you that when they see you now can they? Those all who remember when there were no Adventurers are still prettymon and definitely louder. Just be d they have to treat you as good as they do, or yed never be allowed in a city. Good? Edwin incredulously raised an eyebrow, I had to deal with some hunter who randomly started to insult me and Rih and get very up-close and personal, then when I shoved him away and went about my day the Enforcer came out to personally try and bully me. Thats good? Well, what do you know about your kind? You mean Adventurers? Edwin rified, Uh, what do you mean? Like their history? For almost all of history until recently, if you werent under Management you were an ouw. You proved you didnt want yourmunity, they didnt want you. Then oh, about a hundred and twenty years ago, Xares decided that they might still be allowed in society in exchange for but the barest lip service to tradition andw. Andw isnt public opinion, Edwin summarized, but why all the hate? Adventurers are just harmless. So what if they dont follow one singlew? Where did you grow up? A really, really long way from here. What was your home like with outsiders? Ou- oh, like foreigners, you mean? I mean depends on who you asked, I suppose. For me and my circles it generally didnt matter. There were those who just hated foreigners though, yes? Those who thought nothing good cane from beyond their own home? I always thought it was a bit overblown but yeah, I guess so. Thats what adventurers are, but proven. Proven? What do you mean? Adventurers are those who we thought were our kin, who respected our traditions and customs, then decided to throw it all away. They are foreigners disguised as proper citizens. They share not our values, and have decided wholeheartedly that they are not like us, not of us. That their former kin are but dust. They rejected their citizenship, it is only fitting that they are rejected in turn. It sounds like you dont like adventures either? Of course I dont. Theyre immoral, rash, reckless individuals who seek only their own glorification at the expense of all others. But? But that doesnt justify being awful to them, nor does it justify treating those who had no say over their condition in such a horrid manner. Were better than that, she sniffed, And that describes most of you in residence, other than that hounds boy. Even with him, his parents clearly failed to raise him properly, if hed trust a dog over his registrar. I guess? a thought crossed his mind, Youre aware of our n, right? To create a contraption which will remove the need for a resident mage? I am. Doesnt it annoy you or whatever? Why might it? I have no desire to ensure that another stiff-feathered noble roosts here, and certainly love seeing the ingenuity of you mages. That it ruffles the feathers of the governor and enforcer only helps my approval. Wont it mess up your thing, though? Like, if theres nobody here, what will happen to you? Oh, I imagine Ill stay here. My Charter is with the city itself, they cant remove me from the tower, and not having a mage in residence makes my life far simpler. Thats good, I suppose. I wouldnt want to ruin your life by ident. Perfectly alright, young man. Now, you seem to be finished with that cider. Are you nning to hold onto that mug all night or shall I deal with it? Huh? Oh, right. You can take it, I guess. Excellent. I believe the Lady is in your sitting parlor, run along now. Oh, thanks Edwin didnt know how to address the halfling so just sort of awkwardly trailed off as he watched her vanish around the corner. He wrenched his mind away from that particr gaffe before it could start to dwell on the mistake, and with just three strides found himself at the doors of their primary sitting room. He took a brief moment totally not about pushing off human contact to admire the intricately painted carvings covering so much of the door before pushing his way inside and tossing his jacket to the side. True to what hed been anticipating, Rih was lounging near the firece, quietly ying her flute. At his entrance though, she looked up and stopped ying, the unearthly tunes fading into echoes. Edwin! Wow, what happened, youre a mess. Ohe on, its like one bruise! he protested, to no avail. Nuh-uh, Im not hearing it. What happened? He sighed and settled in for another recap of his day. At least he had someone nice to talk to now. Level Up! Skill Points 10281091 (Average level: 55; Min level: 24) Adaptive Defense Level 4548 Alchemical Analysis Level 4144 Alchemical Dismantling Level 4953 Anatomy Level 4344 Arcadian Elixir Level 3637 Basic Thermokinesis Level 3640 Bomb Throwing Level 5860 Fey''s Caress Level 4346 Fresh Air Level 4546 Longstrider Level 5254 Memory Level 6667 Numeracy Level 5054 Outsiders Almanac Level 136137 Overcharge Level 2730 Prototyping Level 4144 Refining Level 3740 Ritual Intuition Level 5052 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6265 Skillful Assessment Level 5052 Stamina Maniption Level 412 Unbound Tether Level 1924 Watchful Rest Level 4044 Chapter 112: Rillah Interestin Chapter 112: Rih'' Interestin'' Edwin bonelessly sank into the couch in pure bliss. He hadnt even realized just how tense and sore hed been after his altercation with thew had been until Rih had pointed it out and then fixed it, giving him the greatest shoulder massage hed ever felt. it might have also been the only massage hed ever had,e to think of it, but it was still borderline magical if not actually supernatural. That was so so nice, he admitted, Was that a Skill, or just practice? Im not Lefi, Rihughed, But Heightened Sensations definitely helps with this sort of thing. Makes it all so much more fun. She traced a Skillden finger along his arm, and he shivered at the feeling of pleasure it brought along with it. Could have fooled me, Edwin groaned. He tried and failed to sit up before he called on Flight, grabbing his shirt with Unbound Tether. He didnt pull it on immediately, instead looking dejectedly at the small hole at the center of its chest and corresponding bloodstain, Guess I need to see Lefi about this. Nah, toss it this way. Youve got Mending? Of course! Its so useful, how could I not? Fair enough. Can you do his whole instant-fix trick? Not quite but I wish I could. Its just far too high-level of an effect for Repairing, but She slipped his shirt on, and the fabric almost seemed to ripple for a moment, colors shifting before settling in a turquoise color and cut that fit much better on her, Whoops! I can fix that. With a bit of focus, Edwin watched as several Skills flowed throughout his shirt, restoring it to its proper shape and green color. She slipped off the outer garment- Edwin wasnt able to not stare, even though all she was doing was undressing to her normal level of clothing- and tossed it back to him. What was that? The hole and staining waspletely gone, and it thankfully fit him just as well as it had before in addition to being perfectly clean. Oh, Custom Fit. It makes anything I use always benefit from the effects of my Skills, as well as a few other perks. Very convenient. He approved. Well, thanks. I think I could stand to rx a bit, though, and Im a bit peckish so Im going to make myself some dinner, Ill be back soon. Ooh, you cook? You any good at it? Did this somehow nevere up before now? Edwin raised an eyebrow, I guess Im a decent cook, though a bit out of practice, I have a Skill that makes everything I make super tasty, were just not sure if its addictive. Is your food that good? Well, Ive got a Skill... havent we talked about it? he asked, but Rih shook her head. I dont remember this. I could have sworn Anyway, Arcadian Elixir improves the nutrition and taste of foods and other edible stuff I make, but it makes everything else taste significantly worse, and we dont really have any way to tell if thats the result of the Skill just being that good, or its actively making other stuff taste bad. Oh, thats fine! I have a Skill for that! Wait, what? Well yeah. How am I supposed to try everything if I can be waid by trying the wrong thing? Refreshed Tastes and Cleanse Pte both get rid of poisons, alcohol, and even addictive Skills really easily. Alcohol is just a type of poison, Edwin feltpelled to point out, But neat? Do I want to know how you have two Skills dedicated to that? I eat a lot of different stuff, try lots of foods. I dont rmend most dirt, but there are ces where its rather tasty. Ooookay, I guess. Ill make stuff for you as well, I suppose. You dont happen to have any other Skills that might be useful for me to know about? Ohe on, Edwin, she jostled his shoulder, Isnt it way more exciting this way? Learning about me as you go along, getting little bits about my capabilities and talents as we travel together? Okay, first off- yes, that may arguably be more fun, and I definitely would like to travel with you and learn nevermind. Anyway! Im also in the business of not dying, and being able to do things in a way thats reasonable and practical. Knowing the full scope of what you can do is useful. Look at just now! If I had known you had these poison-cleansing Skills earlier, then I could have wrapped up this whole question ages ago. Besides, you know my Skills, so why cant I know yours? I thought that you were going to tell me about them at some point anyway. I will! And I am, you just havent been asking. Youve been way too busy with your alchemy and enchanting to talk to little old me. You know why Im doing that. If you want me to not work on your recement machine, just let me know and Ill I dont know, work on something else on my research list. But I digress. I want to know what your Skills are, just give me something. After dinner, then. We can talk while we eat. Edwin sighed, Fine. I wont bother you for a little while as Im cooking, then. It being the middle of winter meant the towers kitchen, cer, and pantry didnt have ess to that much variety, but it still had a decent amount of preserved foods, and Edwin returned not muchter with two empanada-like beef pastries. Basic Thermokinesis made cooking seriously easy, as there was no preheating or anything required. There was a bit of nuance to it, of course, to make it not taste like he cooked it in a microwave, but hed had practice. Its good! Does your alchemy help you make food? It does, actually. It mostly lets me know the right temperature to use, when somethings cooked, that kind of stuff, but Im not entirely sure if thats just general practice Ive gotten from potion-making or not. Its definitely not as effectivepared to doing actual alchemy, but it still counts a bit. Well, its good. Well-done, too, not just the Skill voring things. You can tell the difference? No, but I can guess. She finished her food with just a couple more bites and nodded, The Skill was also good. Its about oh, worth maybe two mid-level Skills? Definitely puts it a bit below Skilled cooks but for a single Skill thats really good. Especially since it has other effects, and its only mid-level itself. How how do you know all this stuff? Oh, lots and lots of food, she smiled, Five high-level musical Skills is good enough to serve as entertainment in any tavern and most courts, and thates with a meal made by someone who knows what theyre doing. Its always a great time. And the verdict? Is it addictive? Does it make other food taste worse? One minute, she sprung to her feet and dashed out of the room. While she was away, Edwin took the opportunity to start to update his Arcadian Elixirs Almanac entry with theparisons to other vor-rted Skills. Yep, Rih nodded as she sat back down, chewing on a piece of bread. Woah, that startled me. Sorry, what? Your Skill makes other stuff taste worse. It does? Dang it. Any idea by how much? Eh, about the same as it increases? As Im sure youre familiar with, a good Cook will make everything way better, so even with the penalty their stuff will still be better than a Skill-less cook could make. That does line up with what Ive seen, I suppose. He sighed, I guess that means Im not cooking for most people, then. You, Inion, and myself are the only people Imfortable using it on. She cocked her head in curiosity. Well Ill never be without it as an option, so no matter how strong it gets I can always just make my own food. Inion is basically immune to it, because it apparently just tastes like food from her home. Then you you can get rid of it, right? Rih looked off to the side for a moment, and a light blue Skill ignited at her mouth, sweeping through her entire body in an instant. She took another bite out of her bread and nodded, That did it, yeah. Okay, yeah. You, Inion, and myself. Anyone else, I dont want to subject them to that. Hows it going to work for you when you want to eat something you didnt make? I promise you, youre missing out if you just eat your own stuff. Im trying to figure out some kind of spice I can put on food I eat, that might help trick the Skill into thinking I made the food its a work in progress, and not a terribly high priority one. Anyway! I have questions. He mentally clicked a pen and pulled up her Almanac entry, Tell me about yourself. Seasonal Dancer of Whimsy Rih (AdventurerRih) Bard, Mage, and Wanderer. Rih (nost name?) Seasonal Dancer of Whimsy (current) Half-elf, about 24 years old Bard-ish (really good flute yer) adventurer mage, fond of traveling. Has wings and can fly, likes dancing. Skill list: Magical Autumnal Gust, Updraft, Harvesting Winds, Cutting Gale Basic Isochronal Magic, Isochronal Magic, Greater Isochronal Magic, Mantle of the Seasons Chilling Grasp, Chill, Ice Maniption, Winter''s Flurry Spark, Dancing me, Fire Snake, Mesmeric re Unweathered Form, Greater Unweathered Form, Idyllic Appearance, Mercurial Shape Vivacious Caress, Bountiful Energy, Enhanced Stamina, Energetic Wellspring Physical Breathing, Deep Breath, Smelling, Read the Air Dancing, Eternal Dance, Delicate Steps, Meandering Steps Drinking, Pouring, Bottomless sk, Endless [Carrying Cer] (Note: This is apparently a thing on Joriah, a portable spatially-expanded room full of alcohol) Eating, Diverse Pte, Refreshed Tastes, Cleanse Self Flexibility, Seasonal Shift, Mystic Anatomy, Gusting Wings Flying, Dancing Wings, Powerful Flight Mental Hearing, Perfect Pitch, Natural Tune, Song of the Wild Reflexes, Quick-Witted, Pause for Thought, Worthy of Notice Seeing, Eye for Novelty, Mana Sight, Detailed Mana Sight Combat Spearmanship, Spear-Dancing, Sidestepping, Fluttering Steps Social/Musical Charm, Good Impression, Calming Touch, Allure Language, Polyglot, rity of Intent, Inspiring Speech Music, Flute-ying, Flute of the Ancient Hollow, Melodious Focus Sense Motive, Discern Lie, Between the Words, Social Savvy Utility Bedy, Self-Control, Heightened Sensations, Memorable Night Cooking, Greater Cooking, Advanced Cooking, Harvest Feast Identify, Common Knowledge, Wanderer''s Guide, Musician''s Ear Repairing, Passive Maintenance, Greater Passive Maintenance, Custom Fit Status, Status Log, Travelogue, As Weaving, Tailoring, Hardy Clothing, Twirling Dance Attributes: Charisma, Dexterity, Health, Intelligence, Mana, Perception, Seasonal Mana, Speed, Stamina Magery: Has mana which ebbs and flows with the seasons. In spring, this predominantly is life/rain-rted; in summer, fire; in autumn, wind; and in winter, ice. Her strongest element always corresponds to the current season, and her second-strongest depends on how far into the season it is. Early-season, its whichever season just ended. Mid-season, its the season opposite (such as summer during midwinter), and near the end of the season, its the season just about to start. She never loses full ess to all of one mana type, but near the solstices and equinoxes the off-season elements (summer and winter in spring and autumn) be all but unusable save for minor uses (like starting a fire in fall, or a faint breeze in summer) Her Visualization is that of a storm which fades in intensity with overuse, and can summon lightning by freecasting. Personal notes: Really nice, seems to care a lot about me. She definitely makes an effort to ensure Im included whenever feasible, is definitely actively trying to get me morefortable around people- probably at Lefis (LefiForolova) request. Unknown how she would react to more personal questions, or how much she actually likes me versus is just trying to reassure me. Unknown how trustworthy she is for sensitive conversation. Unknown how avable she is for generally doing stuff. Thats quite the note-taking Skill you have there. Well, considering it cost a fortune and is nearly level 140, so Id hope so. Im also so d I can tag multi-word phrases these days. Makes the Skill list so much easier. Anyway, I have questions. She grinned, Ask away. Okay, so putting aside the fact Ill want to try and catalogue the details of all of these Skills at some point, such as the Path you used and all that- Oh? A junior Registrar-aspirant, are you? Edwin raised a finger, ready to rebut her im, then he thought better about it and retracted his point, Maybe. I more just want to well no, thats basically what a Registrar does. Basically I just want to learn how Skills interact and what the logic beneath different Paths are. So yeah, what Registrars do. Someday, I want to be able to perfectly predict what Ill get from a Path, just like they mostly can. But what about the joy of discovery, of not knowing what youll get? Ohe on. You cant tell me you got all these Skills just by taking what sounded the most fun. She shrugged, Pretty much, actually, other than the ones I got as a kid or with Lefi. Well I like to be a bit more prepared, I guess. I need to know. I could have guessed from you evolving Flight. Edwin paused, trying to parse whether or not he should feelplimented, insulted, both, or neither. Im just going to move past that What the heck do your Isochronal Magic skills do, and why do you have three of them? Yes, I know theyre evolutions, but yeah. I feel like Im giving an interview. Ugh, I dont like this. Its my magic Skill. You know, sort of like how you have your Mana Infusion? Its what helps me actually use magic easily. Basic helps me channel more mana, The normal version helps me channel it with more detail, and Greater makes it stronger. Brighter mes for the same effort, that kind of thing. Its kinda tricky to exin. Mantle of the Seasons, she forestalled his next question, Makes whatever season Im currently in even stronger. I thought that was something that was just part of how your mana worked? It is! The Skill just makes it stronger. Huh, okay then. What does Read the Air do? Oh, that lets me get a general sense of whats going to happen. Like when something exciting is imminent, or if theres festivities happening nearby. How does that work? Intuition. ...Fair enough. And you dont have Walking? She shook her head, Walking is boring. Dancing is better in every way. He raised an eyebrow. I have better footwork than most guards do thanks to that Skill, Ill have you know. Sure you do. But what about if you want to, oh I dont know, walk somewhere? Eternal Dance. I just have the order mixed up, so what actually matterses first, and it applies to my whole body, even if Im flying. Point, he conceded, I know Id like my flight to be easier or work with Longstrider. His eyes skimmed over the list, I dont want to bore you Edwin, its fine. You had a stressful day, talking is a great way to unwind. Yeah, but I feel like Im interrogating you and I dont want that. Would you rather me regale you with stories of my every Skill and how Ive used it? I have a lot of stories. Edwin thought for a second, Maybe one day, that would be nice. It just seems like a great way to get distracted. Oh, getting distracted? she shed an impish grin and summoned a prismatic tongue of fire to her hand. Edwins attention was immediately consumed by the Mesmeric re, watching its brilliant colors dance and intertwine with such magnificent depth, the scintiting light hypnotically attractive He shook his head and closed his eyes, Howd I do? Not bad. Not as fast as youve been before, but still under a minute. Edwin opened his eyes again, and his gaze was once more drawn to the dancing fire, but already being in the right mindset (and with Adaptive Defense already in the right state) kept him from being sucked in for more than a few seconds. Ill take it, I guess. And your Carrying Cer, which is apparently a thing? Some spatial expansion Skill that also reduces the weight for what you carry? Yeah. Im really happy with that. It was originally only useful for drinks, but Custom Fit made it now work with anything. Its amazing, and packing became so much easier since I got it. There seemed to be an obvious problem with that, What happens if you hand something affected by it off? So long as I carry my bags more than anyone else does, it works just fine. If I dont wear it at all for a long time, then itll also wear off, but Passive Maintenance basically means that will never happen, so I dont have to worry about it. Its way better than Packing because its no struggle at all. Oh yeah, Packing, Edwin frowned, Howe you dont have that? I couldnt get it. You couldnt? She shook her head, Its my elf half, I think. Easier to me him, anyway. I might be able to get it, but why bother? It all turned out just fine, so its perfectly alright. Huh. Okay. What about your Flexibility stuff, then? That makes it easier to use spells on me, plus some other stuff. With my Updraft, even before I got my wings I could use it to fly into the air a bit like your Unbound Tether skill. Neat. And Gusting Wings Are my wings, yes. That was quite the Trophy to get those. Youll have to tell me about it sometime. Worthy of Notice? Oh, jumping ahead a bit now? It seemed noteworthy. She shot a yful re his way, but he just smiled, It lets me always see what the most interesting thing nearby is. How does it determine what the most interesting thing is? Usually, whatever is the most immediately impactful to me. The barkeeper in a tavern, or maybe a cool adventurer, but usually just whatever has the most potential around it. Great for learning new stuff! I bet. Is it literally a metagaming Skill? Edwin muttered. A what Skill? Right, you could hear that. Just a well, what Lefi would call a Quest sense. She chuckled, You know what? Thats not too far off. So can you what, use it to find just the right book in a library for what you want to do? She nodded. Lucky. Thats me! Edwin rolled his eyes in agreement before continuing, You only have onebat Skill? Whys that? Well, Im not a warrior or hunter. I fly away from problems, and the only reason I even have that one is because Lefi insisted I get it way back when. Yeah, that doesnt look like you took it in a reallybat-oriented direction, did you? he mused, Are those dancing-rted? They can be. Edwins eyes skimmed down the Skill list, Is your Flute a trophy Skill? In response, she held out her hand, and a brown-green Skill stretched into existence, materializing the simple yet elegant May I? he asked. Rih nodded and handed him the woodwind. It was so perfect if he hadnt known it was a Skill, he might well have guessed it if not for how real it felt. He could see the wood grain making up its stock, feel its weight pressing into his hand, two turquoise stones embossed into the wood, the two fabric bands near its end silky smooth and with a vague, indistinct pattern. The wood itself near the mouth of the flute had some sort of intricate pattern carved into it, though he couldnt tell what it was. What does it do? Ah, now that is my secret. Edwin raised an eyebrow as Rih reimed her instrument. A girl needs some tricks, you know. And this she ran her hands lovingly over the wooden body, This is one of them. Can I ask what Melodious Focus does, then? Oh, that helps me use spells and Skills through music. Edwin, your eyebrow is trying to escape. He scowled, bringing his errant eyebrow under control, before turning back to his list. Apparently you should be doing the cooking? Edwin joked, Thats what, four Skills? Hey, none of them are vor-based. Honestly, most of them arent that useful for me. Diverse Pte already lets me eat a lot of stuff that I otherwise couldnt, Advanced Cooking just makes it edible for other people. Harvest Feast is magical and annoying to level, but lets me make this absolutely enormous meal during autumn with the help of my magical Skills, and it has lots of really cool effects, but I missed my chance to use it this year because I was stuck here. She sighed, But its alright. I had fun with you, Lefi, Yathal, and Kyni which wouldnt have happened in the same way without me being here. Edwin smiled, Youre too nice. Its true! Anyway, moving on You have Bedy? I know, Im such a stereotype. What? In my defense, it was very worth the Skill. No, the stereotype. Oh, that Adventurers have a Skill for everything you could ever want? Including everything in bed? Ah, Edwin felt his face flush slightly, I get it. Now, its not the worst stereotype to have, and a lot of people are jealous of it because of how rarely the Registrars grant it. But adventurers dont have to worry about that, do we? So, the rumor goes, we have Skills for- I said I get it! She chuckled, Where did you think my nickname came from? Now, it is a rather clever pun, Ill give them that, but its more than just that. What nickname? Ohe on, theres no way youve never heard anyone call me daywasr. Especially not from what you said happened today. Polyglot doesnt trante it for me, he shrugged. She frowned, What level is it for you? Ahh seventyish? It should definitely trante for you by then. Keiach, thats more than I got my Polyglot to, you should be able to understand everything so long as they stick to onenguage at a time, she paused and narrowed her eyes, Do you ever swear? Um, no? How ufortable does swearing make you? I mean, Im used to it, but I usually just try to tune it out. Rih startedughing. Ohe on, what is it? She brought herughter down to a chuckle, Xares above, thats hrious. Ive never heard of someone handicapping their Polyglot to not trante any foulnguage before. Oh, this could be so much fun. Anyway, daywasres from weather and a fairly derogatory term for whore. Hence, the pun. It took Edwin a moment to properly parse the words, un-tranting them until he caught the original pronunciation. Weather in the localnguage was apparently dayser and whore was wasr. As much as he disapproved of the insult he had to admit it was rather well done. You doneughing? Yep, I am. Oh, thats hrious. Happy to be of amusement. What do Travelogue and As do? Travelogue includes ces I go on my Status Log, and As gives me a unique System disy about information for ces I visit. What do you mean? Well, for cities that usually includes the name and ss of the most notable people. Here, thats the Enforcer and Governor, but also that Lefis in town, plus a handful of others. It saves me so much trouble, when I can just immediately see if I have someone to avoid in a city I go to, let me tell you. Who do you need to avoid? Former lovers? Maybe. Edwin chuckled, Well, that does sound useful. What about Wanderers Guide and Musicians Ear? Are those simr things? She nodded, Wanderers Guide is a bit like As, but gives more historical information. Usually a bit boring, and Musicians Ear lets me Identify sounds. Theres nothing better for learning new songs, Ill tell you that much. What about animal cries? That too. Huh, neat. And then I suppose Twirling Dance lets you actually, I dont know. Im kind of impressed you got Weaving to evolve into a dancing Skill, though. Oh, thats actually a bit of abat Skill. If I use some scarves which are around here somewhere, I know, it helps me tie up people. Huh. Howd you get that? Well, I was wondering what Grappler would do to Hardy Clothing. It was myst Skill to evolve that tier. Was it worth it? Well, she grinned, It has its uses. Edwin nodded absently, And your attributes? What about them? Intelligence. Does that Yes, it makes me smarter. How does that work? It helps me deal with all of my mental Skills, think faster, and recall stuff easier. Huh, neat. That actually sounds really useful. It is. What about Seasonal Mana? How is it different from just normal Mana? Well, its more my mana. Everything I do will be more seasonal, stronger, easier to use, and it helps with some of the same stuff as Mana. You know, the size of my storm, how strong the storm is, that kind of thing. But dont you have Skills for that? Oh sure, just like I have social Skills but also Charisma. They arent exclusive, and the Attribute has all the effects of those Skills plus more and is easier to use besides. Makes sense. So then jumping back a bit, how does Worthy of Note differ from Eye for Novelty? Well you see Edwin gritted his teeth in concentration. It had already been a bit of a stretch to get his potion-like mana to make an autove, but hed done it by Visualizing his mana going through an autove, and mimicking the internal conditions of being superheated yet unable to boil, and then by replicating that sensation within a closed container, Edwin had found it mimicked the effects slightly. He was trying toe up with an easier method, but hadnt had much luck yet. All that to say, maintaining a single manave was hard enough. But maintaining two? It was straining the limits of what he could actually hold onto at one time. Topensate, hed made both as small as possible, but that carried its own difficulties. In front of him sat a moderatelyplex Apparatus, a sealed sphere held several feet off his workbench and sealed entirely within a second Apparatite container maintaining its own manave at the same strength as the first container. Underneath the first container, a grate set at an angle led into a small bowl filled with his Refined heated water. When he would release the first manave, the pebble would fall and roll down the grate into the water, while the powder it had been surrounded by would fall through the grate for collection. Once the pebble had adequately absorbed its new trait, he would release the seal on the outer manave, and hopefully everything worked well. At first he had just tried to just set the pebble on a shelf of sorts and only dissolve that, but doing so dissolved his manave. He felt like it had to do with his perception of what was going on. After all, the manave was basically just a freeform spell of his, albeit a simple one, and he needed what essentially amounted to training wheels to get his magic to do anything. Maybe one day, he could do this sort of thing with no setup, but one step at a time. This should work, he felt. The stones base trait would be dissolved away in the inner autove, and then removed when it was released. However, it would stay under the same conditions at all times so it would never settle into a new state. It would go from normal, to empty but supported, to filled with its new trait. Speaking of which Edwin felt the stones heat capacity trait finish disassociating. Removing the stone from the powder (or the other way around) would remove the trait as well at this point, and Edwin did just that, dissolving the tiny sphere it had been held in. Edwins left hand immediately started cramping up as its magical burden was released, but he couldnt tend to it yet. He watched the pebble bounce just as he had predicted with Prototype, once, twice and roll. It dropped into the liquid perfectly with barely a ssh, and the powder all collected in its bowl beneath the grate. All ording to n. A few bubbles seeped out from the stone as it sat, absorbing heated water. It only took about a minute for it to stop, but Edwin let it sit for a bit longer despite the increasing strain of maintaining the manave. Eventually, Edwin released his hold over the manave, and dissolved the Apparatite cap keeping the system sealed. While there wasnt technically any heat involved in the process, it still radiated something strongly approximating high temperatures, no doubt a side effect of Edwins spell. He fished out the pebble from where it sat, dropping it in cold water. Edwin retrieved the stone after a minute sitting in its third and final location. While it was chilly for a moment after he pulled it out It was warming up. Hed done it! He had made a rock inherently a higher temperature than it should have been! He let out a quiet cheer, not wanting to disturb anyone or attract too much attention and nced at his notifications, feeling like he already knew what hed find there. Congrattions! By sessfully imbuing the magical attributes of one substance into another, you have unlocked the Essential Alchemist path! Edwin grinned. Complete and total sess, it would seem. Now, to figure out all the ways to do this better. Level Up! Skill Points 10911112 (Average level: 56) Alchemical Dismantling Level 5354 Alchemy Level 9596 Anatomy Level 4445 Arcadian Elixir Level 3739 Basic Thermokinesis Level 4041 Mana Infusion Level 9192 Memory Level 6768 Numeracy Level 5455 Outsiders Almanac Level 137138 Polyglot Level 7071 Refining Level 4043 Ritual Intuition Level 5253 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6566 Skillful Assessment Level 5253 Stamina Maniption Level 1214 Unbound Tether Level 2426 Chapter 113: Alloying Insight Chapter 113: Alloying Insight Are you Are you freaking kidding me? Edwin didnt swear, but that part of him was being heavily tested, No! No, thats not Rih dropped down right next to him, Whats up? Gah! What the heck, Rih! What was that for? He frowned, Were you were you on the ceiling? I was close to it. What were you doing there? No, how long were you there? Oh, not long at all. I came when you called and decided to surprise you. Well, I suppose you seeded there. Wait. I didnt call you? You called for me? Are you alright, Edwin? Lefi burst into the room almost right on queue. No I no, never mind, Edwin sighed, I was just testing out Bomb Throwing. Did you manage to figure out whatever you were testing about it? You mean my testing to figure out why the Skill triggers really unpredictably? Yeah, I did. Marvelous! Lefi cheered, moving closer to p Edwin on the shoulder, which Edwin didnt dodge. You did? Congrattions! Rih wrapped him in a quick hug, which he enjoyed immensely. It was all too short, though. Inion appeared from somewhere, seemingly materializing in the few inches between Edwin and Rih after they disconnected, What happened? she asked breathlessly, which made Edwin mentally frown. What had brought everyone here so quickly? Ohe on, I wasnt that loud! Edwinined, Why did all three of you decide toe visit me at the exact same time? We heard- Rih started, only to be cut off. There were many explosions from this room for hours, followed by sudden rtive quiet and shouting, Inion interjected, I wanted to make sure you were alright. ...Okay, thats fair, he conceded, I always forget how loud they are because Adaptive Defense helps make up for everything my earplugs dont cover. What happened, then? Inion asked. Well, I just told Rih and Lefi, but I was experimenting with Bomb Throwing and I finally figured out what makes the Skill trigger. Oh you did? Good job! she congratted. Yeah, well if I could exin my findings to people Just go ahead and tell us, Rih added, Or well be here all day. It might be easier if I show you, he sighed. A quick tug on Unbound Tether summoned an Infused Phosphorus pellet to his hand, and he showed it to his spectators. See this? This is a fire pellet. When ignited, the pellet expands into a fireball. Edwin held the pellet between his fingers and pushed with his Tether, sending the projectile hurtling towards the open window. As it passed over the windowsill, he twisted his hand to help trigger Firestarting. WHOMP The fireball enveloped most of the windowsill, momentarily blocking the view outside with white-orange mes. Then, it subsided into white smoke and some drifting kes of ck phosphorus slowly settling into ce. See? No Bomb Throwing activation, because it wasnt a bomb and I didnt throw it, Lefi looked like he was about to ask something but he preempted it, Wait just a minute still. Next I want to show you what happens when I throw a fireball bomb, he exined, holding up an identical object to what hed just used. He once again pinched the bomb between his fingers and pushed it with his Tether. As before, he twisted his hand as it flew through the windowsill- though this time he waited until after it was mostly outside. BANG The fireball wasrgely made of white mes, but the apanying shockwave was unmistakable. From experience, he knew the fireball was about three meters in radius, from the base explosions one, and itpletely nketed the exterior. Its exactly what I think it is, Edwin exined. Rih frowned, So whats the difference? No, no. I mean, its literally what I think it is. If I perceive something as a bomb, itll trigger the Skill. If I think of it as something else- like as a pellet- it wont. If I dont think of anything, well I still need to do some more tests, but I think its the same as when I consider my projectile an explosive, namely that it sometimes triggers and sometimes doesnt. While I still need to do a bit of testing, he shot a re at Inion, who looked very ready to try and take words out of his mouth, Im pretty sure it then depends on if Ive ever thought of myself as making a bomb somewhere previously. Now, there does seem to be a lower limit to what counts as a bomb- I cant make a rock explode no matter how much I try- but I still need to figure out the exact criteria. So then it does respond to how you think of it? Is that so surprising? Lefi asked. Well, no. I actually tested it, back when I was first experimenting, because that seemed like a very magic-y thing. However, I think I messed up the experiment because I didnt realize its whatever is most recently thought about the object, and its super sensitive. I had to really, really focus to figure it out, absolutely no wandering thoughts. Aw, that must have been torture. Guess I should have been here. It would have been way more fun! Oh why, so you could distract him? Yup! Theres gotta be some point where my Skill just upies all of his spare attention and keeps his mind from wandering. It would be fun! Oh, so you think you know what would be good for him? Ill have you know that- That actually sounds like it might be useful, Edwin cut in, We should probably experiment with that at some point, yeah? Most excellent! Lefi was clearly eager to go back to whatever he was doing before he ran to check in on Edwin- that was actually quite nice, now that he thought about it. All three of them cared enough to see that he was alright or, he supposed, it might be that they came in the hopes that hed blown himself up at longst. He chose to interpret it as the former. Bill was such a good pony. Despite being stuck in an outbuilding somewhere between a stable and a barn for several months, he seemed perfectly content to just stay indoors, particrly as the weather was so cold. When hed asked Lefi, because of course he knew about horses, the adventurer had said it was actually a Skill most good beastmasters and trainers encouraged their beasts to take, namely Stabling (or Kenneling, for creatures such as dogs). It allowed them to not get restless in rtively enclosed spaces and require very little exercise to stay healthy. He felt moderately confident that he knew which Skill was the one in question, actually. A faint brown aura surrounded and flowed around Bills body while he was in the stable, interacting with a simr-looking Skill that permeated the stables. While Anatomy was more focused on humans still, giving the horse a physical check-up still fed into the intuitive knowledge the Skill granted him, and so far as Edwin could tell, the pony was doing just fine. You make this too easy, you know that? he told his horse, stroking his mane. In response, Bill shook his head, neighing slightly before nuzzling towards Edwins side pocket. Little rascal, Edwin withdrew for a moment, pulling out a carrot from the suspicious pouch and handing it off to the uining animal. He spent a little more time with Bill, brushing his fur, but that was about it. Edwin had other things to take care of, after all. The solstice wasing up soon, ording to Rih. It was one of four days in the year where she was all but totally cut off from all types of mana except for the one associated with the season she was in, but the power of that one type of mana was correspondingly massive. However, it meant that she would be totally incapable of doing her job- which required more wind mana than she could realistically call upon- properly or even essing most of the towers enchantments. A single day wouldnt do much, of course, but in general shed be almost incapable of using the towers magic for about a week before and afterwards, until she could call upon more than the smallest mote of wind mana without totally exhausting herself. While there was no way that Edwin would have anything ready by that point which could actually do anything useful, it was a bit of a reminder that grumpy Enforcers or not, he did have a project to work on. While his foray into Alchemy Essentia was interesting, he couldnt help but feel like hed drifted slightly off-course from his original primary goal of recing Rih. In a good way! She was decidedly irreceable in lots of other ways. he had never managed to imbue his new shirt with warmth, unfortunately. He found himself unable to Refine the traits he wanted to get out of the process, as even when he Infused the garment (or any other cloth for that matter), it didnt seem to have the same mana-structure hed found inside of magical substances like stone or metal. Maybe because it was so full of Skills, and that was a sort of not-magic that didnt really interact with Refining. He probably should have checked that first, honestly. It was arguably wasted time, but it wasnt really, because now he knew how to perform some form of alchemy essentia, so he didnt mind one bit. Actually, now that hed done the procedure so many times between his practice runs and the actually important ones, he felt he might be able to start branching out slightly Anyway. He should talk more about the weather. His basic design for his mana umtor hadnt changed much from its initial inception. It still consisted of three parts. First was the gatherer itself, which would scoop up the ambient wind mana and deliver it to the storage, the second part of the device. The final part was the injector itself, whatever hed use to take mana from the storage and feed it into the enchantments. Fortunately, the tower seemed to be adaptable enough that so long as he provided enough magic to it, it could take care of itself. Whoever made it was really impressive, to make such a critical job into the mages equivalent of turning a hand crank. That just left Edwin with the challenge of actually making his umtor. He was imagining some sort of mana structure, a funnel made of something repulsive to wind mana. Then, some kind of filter- made out of wind mana, perhaps?- that would block everything but that single type of mana, and then it would feed into the storage? Prototyping sadly didnt work with magic. Levels in the Skill had practically been flying inparison to how much he used it, though he wasnt entirely sure why. Regardless, while it did allow him to simte an entire alchemy set, perfect for Apparatus, it didnt give him any information on how to influence mana. Maybe after his next tier-up. The storage was still key. Depending on what he was able to make, that would influence both parts 1 and 3, because he didnt know how to get mana into or out of it yet. Mi was the obvious candidate, yes, but there were still so many issues that trying to use the flower might present he didnt know Well, it had been some time since he hadst tried to refine Mi. Perhaps his manave would help in that regard? If he could somehow set up the situation where he could extract the mana-absorption trait from the dried petals well, no. That would require him to Refine the petals first and then he could manipte them with his manave. It was a pity he couldnt Refine the flower petals while they were in the manave, because the loosened magical bonds between the different traits might help him in his endeavor, but even with additional practice, if he tried adding any mana to the setup besides what he needed for the device to function, it would all unravel. Perhaps he could do it bit by bit? The main problem with trying to Refine mi, after all, was that the nt would absorb all of his mana before he could actually Refine it. The only problem was how long it would take to get any kind of meaningful results. A half a petal of mi would produce almost no dust or liquid, but if he could use what little he had in his manave, he could then speed up the process somewhat by directly extracting the desired property from what he had. Or maybe, he realized, his Visualization would help? If he could somehow make an acid-like manifestation of his mana, would that help eat away at the mi? Hed triedbining Refine with his visualization, of course, but concentrating his mana was still really slow and yielded really tiny amounts of workable mana. He hadnt tried using an acid, but it was conceptually simr to how his manave functioned, so maybe? It could work. Hed have to give it a try, probably also with really tiny amounts of mi so as to sessfully overload its absorptive effects. Edwin nodded to himself. It was worth a try, if nothing else. It wasnt easy, of course. Nothing ever was, when it came to mana, but after a few days brainstorming different configurations to synthesize acid, he had a breakthrough. Because of how many things boiling water could already dissolve, he started with that, but then turned down the temperature, while still keeping the dissolution at full strength. To do that, he had to make a virtual manave separating out the differentponents of his magic within his own magic, then pull out the temperature of the water, imagine purifying the resultant dissolving water, and only then did he have the right kind of vaguely-acidic mana hed need. Even thinking about it after the fact made Edwins head hurt, and without Inion and Rihs guidance for stretching his visualization, and how toyer his visualizations for moreplex results, he would have never managed it. As it stood, he used everyst level he had in Visualization and definitely felt theck of any further. It was a lot. But he could do it! Trial seven. Using five milligrams of crushed mi petal and thirty seconds of mana channeling, he narrated to Almanac. With his not-boiling acid potion-mana (a thought which made his whole setup feel even more ridiculous) on hand, Edwin triggered Refining. In his mental image of his mana, he had a hearty supply of acid, but then he fed it over a Bunsen burner burning a Refining me- pure white and almost painful to look at- and boiled off what was left of the non-boiling water. Mana didnt always make a lot of sense, apparently. What mattered to his visualization was apparently that hed made something close enough to an acid that he could then treat it as though it were one. He hoped that one day hed be able to apply it to more things, but one step at a time. In any case, by the time Refining was done with its preparations, he had just a tiny amount, just a few millimeter-equivalent sized drops of concentrated Refining mana acid. Hed already prepared his target mi with more on standby, and there was nothing more he could do. With a deep breath, he allowed the mana to drip onto the mi. Instantly, half of what hed brought was just gone. The dried and crushed petals absorbed it like a sponge, cutting off his connection to the mana. Then, it overloaded, dumping simr but disconnected mana into the mixture and almost disrupting his attempt. This was as far as his previous trials had gotten- the mi absorbing and discharging his mana until he had nothing left under his control. This time though, he felt the corrosive nature of his acid at y. The mi had released its mana really easily, the instant it reached saturation. That was probably a good sign? Hed need to rely a lot on Alchemy for this, he could already tell, and possibly just have to figure out what he did after the fact. It pained him, but if it was the optimal way to go about things. Well, hed make it work. He felt the mana structure of the mi unravel beneath his fingertips. Doing it like this damaged it somewhat, but he could make do. He didnt need it to be that strong after all, he was more after the effect and if the final substance didnt hold onto mana as tightly that was almost a benefit. Bit by bit he broke down the little mi he had, and as soon as the tiny pile was deconstructed, he added another dried petal. He didnt know what trait he was refining, but that wasnt really an issue. It wasnt the first time hed tried adding in additional Refining substance to an ongoing Refinement, but it wasnt any easier than the first time he tried. The fresh mi scooped up a hefty amount of his Refining mana, but enough fortunately remained that he could keep the reaction going, and with just a bit of a mental twist, the mi began to dissolve. Nearly an hour and a halfter, Edwin came out of his Refining trance,pletely mentally exhausted. Even his magic felt tired, having spent so long trying to corralrger andrger amounts of disconnected mana. The results were well worth it, though. Arge pile of white dust sat before him, practically radiating possibility, and flickering with magic. One moment, it felt like nothing, the next moment like a dry wind, followed by a gushing spring or a brilliant light, then a raging fire and Huh. What had he created? With a bit of trepidation, he pushed a tiny bit of mana- just freecasting, a single drop of neutral potion-mana dripping onto the pile of mi. Instantly, the flickering sensations Ritual Intuition fed him vanished, reced by a steady sensation of typeless mana emanating from the substance, as though it were his exact shade of personal magic. Edwin grinned. Well, you never knew what you might find. Hed wanted storage, but it looked like hed found his filter. He cut off the trickle of mana he was feeding the pile, and the flicker returned immediately. Interesting. No retention whatsoever? A bit of testingter, hed developed a working theory for what he had on hand, and noted it in his Almanac log. Results: Sess! Hypothesis for resulting material: Standard Refined Mi seems to have excellent mana-emission and mana-absorption properties, though only of a single type at a time- defined by contiguous mass. It might be able to work as a conductor, but it definitely would work as a filter. Weird that that was the default result for Refining Mi, but maybe it had to do with his methodology? Further testing required. With his initial ns for mi somewhat scrapped, Edwin found himself in the position of needing to find a new mana storage device or did he? Hed revised his ns to try and simplify them a fair amount: instead, hed plug the filter directly into the ritual circle. All that he would need for that was a substance that was easily workable and mana-conductive. He was in a port, and while the alchemical options avable were really sparse, surely he could find something that conducted mana. Heck, it was built into the tower, the lines etched into the floor. While he hadnt yet figured out what element they were mainly made of, he knew it wasnt iron, gold, silver, or copper. Thetter two were included, just in rtively small quantities, but there was some element present that he just didnt know what it was. It was the weakness of Alchemical Analysis, he realized. If he hadnt been able tobel a substance in another object, he wasnt going to find out what it was. For all he knew, the lines might have been made of mostly-pure titanium. Or maybe tinum. Heck, it might have been apletely new element not found on Earth. How that might work he had no idea, unless it was either seriously radioactive or thews of physics and chemistry had been edited to make more room on the periodic table. He might be able to test that, actually? Hed look into itter. Some ying around with Alchemical Analysis had also revealed that he could determine species! Namely, it told him that Rih was 50% Human, 50% some unknown species (which he promptlybeled as elven). There was probably some clever way to use that new capability, but he didnt know what use that might be. Maybe as a way to identify if people were rted if he could tag people based on heritage instead of just species, but that wasnt too generally useful except as a way to help him avoid putting his foot in his mouth. (Interestingly, it also revealed that Lefi wasnt 100% human, only about 90%, but what the remaining 12-ish percent was remained a mystery that the adventurer himself remained frustratingly unhelpful in cracking.) Anyway. Perhaps he could make something that was conductive to mana? Perhaps he could work with copper. It had decent electrical conductivity, perhaps he could edit that in some way to make it magical conductivity? If he could refine out the electrical conductivity of copper and rece that with a mana conductive trait? While he couldnt ignore the filtering trait of mi, it was technically conductive in that it could decidedly hold mana while also not keeping the mana trapped. It was definitely close enough to at least try, and Alchemy whispered that it might just work. Sounded like a n to him. Also, he might need to reevaluate his habit of ignoring Alchemys baseless information when doing exploratory research. He needed to find the weird patterns before he could understand them, after all. It took a really long time to Refine metals. Like mi, they had a really high mana capacity, but fortunately unlike the annoying flower, he retained his connection the entire time and so didnt have to resort to any particrly fancy tricks to render down Refined materials. It just took time and power. Lots and lots of time. It felt a bit like corrosion, to Refine copper. He could feel his mana, acting like an acid, slowly dissolve the metal one atom at a time. It stole away nuclei and electrons one at a time, snatching them from their established crystal structure and binding them to mana itself. Did Infusion have something to do with bonds or electrons? Perhaps Refining worked by interrupting intramolecr bonds somehow, reducing it to a powder? He hadnt encountered any Refining products that ended up as a gas, but that didnt mean they didnt exist. Still, by cannibalizing a pile of ves he eventually assembled a decent amount of copper, which he then Refined into a faintly green pile of Refined dust. In theory, it should be superconducting but Edwin didnt really have any way to test it. It still served as an excellent trait-solvent, though. Edwin had redesigned his manave a few times, with thetest iteration being a single Apparatite sphere he could just rotate to move his sample from one trait-powder to the second. It was tricky making sure that the powders wouldnt mix, but he got it without too much difficulty. He triumphantly loaded up the device, ran through the procedure and Nothing. Well that was disappointing. A bit of prodding showed that he did sessfully remove conductivity from copper, but there hadnt been any change in the mana conductivity. He shouldnt be that surprised though, he didnt have that much experience with Essentia and this was a bigger change than the native temperature of an object. Annoyingly, his normal cheat of asking Rih or Lefi what the substance Identified as didnt work, as it only ever came back as alchemical copper. Apparently custom-made, brand-new totally novel altered variations of a metal didnt count asmon knowledge or something. Truly, life was fantastically unfair. He kept most of the failures forter testing. The solstice hade and gone to no particr fanfare in the tower. The weather had been mild, Rih used very little wind mana, and the days marched on. Outside there had been some celebration going on near the shortest day of the year, but after how his trek into the city had gone, Edwin was more than happy to stay inside and mess around with his potion set. Edwin wished he could say he gained some clever insight over the next few weeks and his dozens of Essentia experiments, but honestly all he was gaining was sheer practice. The levels he earned in Alchemy were helpful, sure, but what he primarily refined was his own technique, and the ways he could tweak his manaves function to more effectively swap traits. He hadnt had any luck in just directly editing a substances natural traits, just swapping simr ones between substances. The only real change hed encountered with his copper-editing experiments was mixing in a bit of Refined copper dust with his Refined mi dust. He also found that for this kind of trial, the margins for sess versus failure was measured in milliseconds. His copper had to go essentially straight from dissolution to recement, and that was only possible because it didnt matter if copper got mixed in with the mi. Those two discoveries were actually rted, but that was besides the point. Because of the massive difference in densities between the two substances, he could separate them againter, but it added even more time onto an already time-consuming procedure. Heck, starting his manave already took nearly half an hour thanks to the volume of mana needed in its use. This time, though, he knew it. Hed seed totally, and the copper wouldnt glow but do nothing else, it wouldnt just make all the mana he tried to pour into it just skate right along the surface, it wouldnt suffer any of the many unique failures hed experienced over dozens of experiments. This one would work, he could feel it. The workbench in front of him held a single crystal ball, suspended off the table by Apparatite supports. The crystal ball was far from clear or even solid, and held in its center was a tiny bowl, just barelyrger than the copper disk- formed from half-a-dozen ves beaten into a uniform mass- it held. A faintly green-tinted copper powderpletely enveloped the disk, and arge pile of white dust was mounded at the bottom of the sphere. Edwin took a deep breath, and pulled on his mana. He fed it through Basic Thermokinesis me and the Unbound Tether press, through a Refining crucible and ignited in Bomb Throwing. It was lit on fire with Firestarting and filtered through Feys Caress. Over time, thebined pressure and heat was imbued into his mana, and it was in turn fed into the crystal sphere. If Edwin had his eyes open, he would have seen a slightly reddish glow begin to suffuse the manave, but Ritual Intuition told him everything he needed to know. Alchemical Dismantling was at full work, gently coaxing the copper to magically melt and mix with the copper it was surrounded by. Bit by bit, the metalplied, its structure weakening under extreme conditions. Then,plete copse. The coppers conductivity disassociated, and the copper dust it was buried in shifted and flowed. Edwin flipped the contraption upside down with a sharp shake, sending white and copper powder flying into the air, mixing andbining around the copper disc. He could feel the magical aspects of the mi mixing with the familiarity of the copper and then it settled into a single pile, flowing smoothly into the copper disc. With a triumphant grin, Edwin unsealed the container as he allowed the manave to dissipate. The air inside hissed as the pressure was released, and the fire-like mana sted out like actual hot air. With what basically amounted to Apparatite chopsticks, Edwin delicately fished out the copper disc at the center of all of this. Was it glimmering slightly? This was a big moment, all that was left was to drip a bit of his basic mana against the coin and see if it conducted it properly. With bated breath, he summoned a drop of mana at his fingertip and let it fall where it promptly sshed against the metals exterior with minimal absorption, the disc apparently no more mana conductive than normal unmodified copper. Dangit. He hadnt mixed the copper and mi enough, it seemed. Or maybe hed used too much mi? Should he try introducing just a bit of magic to the familiar conductivity, instead of the other way around? Okay, maybe next time hed seed. He had a good feeling about this one! Level Up! Skill Points 11121142 (Avg level: 57) Adaptive Defense Level 4849 Alchemical Analysis Level 4447 Alchemical Dismantling Level 5455 Alchemy Level 9698 Anatomy Level 4547 Basic Thermokinesis Level 4144 Bomb Throwing Level 6062 Improbable Arsenal Level 4243 Outsiders Almanac Level 138139 Prototyping Level 4445 Refining Level 4346 Ritual Intuition Level 5354 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6667 Stamina Maniption Level 1419 Unbound Tether Level 2629 Chapter 114: A Mana on a Mission Chapter 114: A Mana on a Mission Though it was tricky, Edwin was eventually able to properly give copper the mana-conducting properties hed been aiming for. It was quite the ordeal all told, with significant amounts of trial and error, where each experiment had a tremendous amount of cleanup. At least copper and mi had drastically different densities even when Refined, so it wasnt too hard to separate them out. After so long, he couldnt help but feel satisfied watching- sensing, rather- his drops of mana soaking into the metal on contact, then radiating out again over the course of a few seconds. During that whole process, it became impermeable to other types of mana, like the behavior of the metal without the conductivity trait imbuement. Now the only problem was making sure it would only ever ept wind mana. While he thought of several ways he might be able to aplish that, most of them still required a mage to keep a battery topped up. For obvious reasons, that wasnt an eptablepromise. Instead, he needed to make a self-sustaining filter. The next step The next step would truly test his resolve and skills, he knew. He read through every Almanac note that he had from both the Zosiman Grimoire and his time in Panastalis alike, and all of it had led to a single, horrifying conclusion. He could do this. Attuning an object to a type of magic was a well-documented field, and copper was especially easy. It probably wouldnt even be that technically challenging. Hed just need to use Panastalin alchemy techniques. Naturally, given the fact hed never sessfullypleted a single potion using the directions their tradition had created, this also presented a bit of a problem. However, he felt that there were just a few tweaks he could make to the procedure to make itpatible with his own brand of alchemy. The theory was simple: hed take some of his filter-copper and attune it to wind mana permanently, by essentially alloying it to a substance which was itself air-attuned. ...except it wasnt actually an alloy despite using one in construftion, and what he was using for attunement was just the air itself, or at least condensed air mana and Well, it wasplicated. Condensing air mana was in theory rtively straightforward. Hed had a lot of practice making a manave at this point, after all, and a condenser was just the reverse of that. Of course, because making something hot was much easier than making it cold, especially when using Basic Thermokinesis as a base, it was nowhere near as nice and neat as it should have been. If his mana were a gas, this would be so much simpler. Then he could just create a mana-heat pump and make a mana-refrigerator. Manafrigerator. Manerator. Manainator. Manarefrigeratorinator. Refrigerators worked by taking a gas and almost squeezing heat out of it, putting it under immense pressure. Charles Law did as Charles Law did, raising the temperature of thepressed gas, and then thermodynamics did as thermodynamics did and let that heat bleed out of the system. That way, when the pressure was released, the gas expanded back to arger volume, and heat would be pulled back into the system, cooling its surroundings. If you had the right setup, you could make sure all the heat was dumped into the air away from where the cooling was happening, and that gave you a heat pump, the basis for refrigeration, air conditioning and efficient heating units. Unless Well, his mana did behave like a liquid most of the time. Perhaps he could set up a heat pump mana pump. Yeah, he liked that way more than manarefrigeratorinator. If he set up a mana pump based on a liquid, it might still work, hed just need to pull a vacuum around a drop of liquid which he totally could do with Apparatus, actually. Huh, yeah. That might actually work. It might not be as effective though but what about if he used a liquid that was just shy of being able to boil? Or that boiled at room temperature? His potion-mana was flexible in that regard- hed made it both mmable and non-mmable at different times when trying to make his manave- so a liquid with a high heat capacity that boiled at just barely above room temperature would be an excellent refrigerant probably. Actually,e to think of it, werent there liquid refrigerants? Memory pulled pentane to mind, as it boiled at about 35 Celsius, but he couldnt remember if it was an actually good refrigerant. It was a pity he couldnt exactly synthesize the mana-equivalents of specific chemicals with his visualization yet, but he might get there one day. For now well, he could definitely Visualize a potion that heatlessly boiled and bubbled within its container. That would work for his purposes, he felt. Now, he just needed to do it. You know what I dont get? Inion looked up, I have no idea what youre talking about. Well, with this, he indicated the partially-assembled refrigerator, Mana is this weird thing that doesnt seem to care about pretty much anyws of physics, but it can be manipted like its a gas. Its your visualization. What? Your science stuff, and alchemy? Ya, you act as though its a thing in the world, and it behaves like it should. Wait, it applies to mana that isnt mine? How did you think artifacts work? Like magic items, artifacts? I mean, I guess I assumed they were a trophy Skill or something, or the result of a Skill like Mana Infusion, he shrugged. I dont think Ive ever seen a properly enchanted item that might not just be the result of a Skill no wait, Lefi has that one tooth ne, but it might still just be a Skill. But well, actually I suppose this is a magical item, isnt it? Look at my little alchemist, all grown up and making artifacts, she teased. Edwin grinned, Im d youre proud of me, mom. You know, for someone who ims to not know anything about magic, you sure seem to have a lot of experience with it. Comes with age, if youd respect your elders. Elders? Forget respect, you belong in a museum. Oh now Im supposed to go in the museum, mister Im-not-from-this-world? At least Ill havepany. Oh believe me, youll... Because nothing involving magic was easy, it took Edwin nearly two days of work before he actually managed to properly Visualize a mana pump that actually worked the way it was supposed to. Even then, it took a ton more work before he got it working at the proper scales. He could at least make it somewhat easier on himself by making a crystal apparatus to mirror his mana maniption. Of course, since he wasnt actually using any liquids or the like for this experiment, it all looked empty to the eye, but he could feel just how brimming with mana the entire contraption was. A tightly-wound coil of hollow apparatite encircled a funnel and corresponding pipe. In theory, air- and air mana- would be cooled by the mana pump, condense along the surface, and run down into a waiting collection jar. Working with so muchb-like hardware reminded him a bit of his research, actually, which in turn idly made him wonder how people back on Earth must have been getting on without him. It had been a couple years now, after all. It was just it was just Edwin stopped and set down the apparatite pipe he was working with. He closed his eyes, clenching his hand into a fist as he took a deep, deep breath. He breathed out into his hands as he reached up to wipe away some of the wetness around his eyes. He was fine. He was here, he was happy ish. At least as happy as hed been back on Earth, anyway. He was doing his dream job, he had friends- or close enough- he could do this. He was fine. He was fine. He dried his hands with Basic Thermokinesis and picked up the pipe he was working with, holding it in ce while he slowly summoned the connecting piece that would hold it in ce. It was important that this was apletely airtight seal, because while it wasnt technically effective in holding in energy, his mana wasnt energy, was it? It was a potion. In this case, a near-boiling potion, but a potion nheless. So, airtight seals would definitely help keep his potions in ce. Edwin had actually found that he was able to manipte far more mana than his extremely-restrictive Basic Mana Maniption strictly allowed for, but only in very specific circumstances, among which this counted. After all, he saw mana as a potion, as an actual thing which could be manipted. That was why this should work. If he did this with a physical setup, hed be basically making liquid nitrogen and oxygen, probably with a fair amount of ice condensing a snippet of the entire atmosphere. How else would you condense atmospheric mana? Finally, he got the contraption set up in its entirety. On one side, a reservoir with plenty of surface area awaited being filled by refrigerant mana. It was in turn connected to a set of tubes and pipes which snaked around the entrance to his collections sk which it would pull heat from. Then, all that would work together to condense atmospheric mana and let it drip onto a specially prepared mi flower that he was using as a makeshift battery for this experiment. To keep the pressure differential up, and thus allow for actual transmission of heat, there were two valves attached to the entrance and exit of the reservoir, and at the entrance of the reservoir (where mana would flow afterpleting the full course of pipes) hebined a ball-bearing one-way-valve with a te one-way-valve to, well, only allow mana one way through the piping. His role in the entire setup was serving as the vacuum pump, pushing mana from the tubing through the valves and back into the reservoir, re-pressurizing the gas into a liquid and squeezing heat out of the mana through abination of spatial expansion and contraction (thanks to Improbable Arsenal) and raw mana muscle. He double-checked all of his connections, ensured that everything was in working order. He triple-checked everything to make sure nothing was out of ce. He let loose the valves, letting the mana vaporize, felt it draw in heat from its surroundings, and started repressurising mana as fast as he could manage, shoving that umted heat back into the reservoir.. Nothing happened. Hmmm. It didnt seem to be a problem with his theory- he could definitely feel heat being pushed out of the reservoir, and his vacuum pump setup was working about as well as he could hope. Well maybe if he Crack. That probably wasnt good. Still, it could be worse. Hiss. At least it didnt explode? Three design iterationster, Edwin finally had something that should work. Instead of trying to condense air as it passed through an open-topped container, he had a closed and sealed vessel, which he had filled with air while expanded with Improbable Arsenal. When he dismissed that Skill, it of course put the gas under pressure- about seven atmospheres if his math was right. He wasnt sure that putting the air under pressure would make that much of a difference, but considering he was Visualizing air mana as behaving like actual air, higher pressure should result in a higher dew point for the mana. The core mechanism of the pump remained intact, but had a few key differences, mostly centered around the actual cooling side. The most obvious difference was that it was made out of copper. While the apparatite pipes technically worked, and were really easy for him, they didnt have the greatest thermal conductivity as well as not always being able to withstand the intense temperatures and pressures when made super thin, breaking rtively easy and wrecking a lot of hard work. Hed thought that it shouldnt make a difference because there was no actual temperature or pressure maniption going on, just magical equivalents like when working with his manave, but it seemed as though hed been mistaken for some reason. Maybe this was just too many levels of abstraction from his actual mana that he was directly controlling? Something to test in the future. He also made a note to himself to really, really delve deeply into what the loosened limits of Sappers Apparatus did at such a high level once he left Sheraith. It was entirely possible he could get something super-strong and super-conductive if only he knew how, but copper was easy enough for now. To make his tubing, all he needed to do was create a mold out of apparatite, and pray that it didnt shatter from the thermal shock of melted copper being poured into it- though apparently Lefi had a Skill for that, because of course he did. With the copper tubing thus formed, it was simple enough to substitute it into his existing design, but instead of being wrapped around the outside of his container, hed made it into a protruding shape from the top of his container. He wasnt actually sure if it made a difference in terms of how effective the condenser was, but it at least removed ayer of instion and was, critically, easier to make. It also should drip directly onto his mi blossom as well, which was a bonus. Moment of truth Edwin filled the reservoir with refrigerant-mana, and he could immediately feel the vtile potion begin to boil. That was put to a quick stop when he pressurized the container, but came back with a vengeance as he opened the exit valve. It really was kind of impressive, the amount of force he was able to put his mana under. To do this for real, hed need a really strong air pump and chemical refrigerants he didnt even know how to start trying to synthesize. But here he was, able topress a refrigerant by hand and manually run an entire mana pump. His Skills definitely helped, but he felt rather proud of himself nheless. He supposed that this was what his mana was really good at. He couldnt use it directly most of the time, but he could use it as a lever for even more impressive feats. Speaking of impressive feats... Within just a few minutes, he felt a buildup of air mana along the copper heat sink. It slowly coalesced, shining brightly to his arcanaception and feeling like so much air, so much windpressed into a shining drop of mana. It felt like gentle breezes and violent hurricanes, vicious tornadoes and encouraging updrafts, the gentle warmth of a summer evening and the charged atmosphere of a thunderstorm. It carried a depth that was well past what Edwin had anticipated but was absolutely perfect for what he needed. He looked on with wonder as the miniature atmosphere condensed, collecting into a single drop of natural potion-like mana at the end of his copper condenser and falling with a satisfying drip onto the waiting petals of the mi beneath it. The flower greedily slurped up the mana, and the process started anew. Edwin held in his whoop of triumph. It was working! Actually, truly working! He had spent so long on this stupid little contraption, but this was proof! He could work with atmospheric mana like it was a physical substance, even if only in limited circumstances. He could make what he needed for his mana umtor, he Another drop of air mana fell into the mi, vanishing without a trace. To work properly, the mi would need to be almost at saturation, and when it was filling in at the rate of one drop per minute at most... ...Hed be at this for hours. I really should update my level-up window, Edwin mused, ying with the notification as heid in bed that night. Hed initially included the average level in his pop-up to help reassure him he was getting closer and closer to his goal back when he was trying to hit tier 2, but it didnt really measure his progress towards the next tier anymore. After all, he was at least waiting until Alchemy hit level 120 so he could get the Alchemy Specialist path and possibly even beyond that, if he decided he wanted to take more 90-point Paths this time around. Because Specialist paths were 90 points, that was two right away that he definitely wanted to take. Then after that, hed absolutely need Essential Alchemist, and he wanted to take Realm Traveler this tier. Oh! Scientific Revolutionary as well, and of course Material Scientist. Then Physicist and Schooled Mage- he hoped that one might help Prototyping and his Visualization interact in some way- and No, bad Edwin. He wanted all the Paths. All of them. Oh, right, he also needed to earn the Artisan path to get Dexterity, and probably take Schr at some point because it was likely to unlock Intelligence. Oh, but what did he want to evolve Stamina Maniption with? Cough. Right, right. Hed cross that bridge when he got there. He just wanted all of the Paths, was that really so bad? But to get all of the Paths, hed need to know how many he could afford Edwin flexed his Status skill, removing the average level marker he usually kept up, recing it with the level of Stamina Maniption, Alchemy, and how many 60-point Paths he could afford with his current Skill Point total. Oh, should he subtract sixty from that to ount for what hed evolve Stamina Maniption with? That might be a good idea. Oh, and- Keep it simple. He couldnt help but grumble at himself slightly, but he did eventually keep the setup rtively straightforward. Level Up! Skill Points 11421147 (Alchemy: 99; Stamina Maniption: 19; 13/25 60-point Paths) Yeah, that would work just fine. His Alchemy might nearly be breaking into the triple digits, but he knew better than to think it meant hed have an easy time getting it to 120. Hed been gaining levels in the skill zingly fast by his normal standards, at nearly one a week at times, but that was because he was diving headlong into the wonders of alchemy essentia for the first time. Well he had time. He hadnt fully decided what he would do when they left Sheraith, but hopefully Lefi and Rih would be traveling together towards the coast. That way, hed be able to keep traveling with them while he went to get abysite and visit Farport. That was a problem for another day. Future-Edwin could deal with that when he was older and wiser. Current-Edwin really ought to get to sleep. He idly wondered if blue light from System text had the same impact on brains as blue light normally did, in that it caused it to wake up slightly. Maybe not? So far as he could tell, System messages were entirely hallucinatory, with no physical or opticalponent. Pulling up a System message should then be the equivalent of imagining a blue sky, right? He was getting distracted again. Okay, no more messing around, he needed his rest. Sleeping. It was time. After days of experimentation and hours of constant work, Edwin had finally managed to saturate his mi blossom with enough atmospheric air mana to attune his filter-copper to the local air magic. Hed tried a few rted experiments with Rihs wind mana to get some practice, so he knew he wasnt going to waste the precious atmospheric mana to some stupid mistake. So long as he followed his notes and his Alchemy skill, it would all go fine. He couldnt use Rihs personal mana for his actual experiment for a few reasons, most notably that it didnt actually match atmospheric mana all that well. It was permeated from top to bottom with the sensations of motion and change, and while good enough for the towers enchantments to ept it as a power source- they could ept anything- using it as the filter for his mana umtor would result in almost no mana actually being umted. Hed checked. Extensively. At least the filter-copper was reusable- the attunement process involved flushing out all lingering traces of mana anyway, which included all previous attunements. He could even reim the gold used but he was getting ahead of himself. Before him, an apparatite sphere rested over a powerful but tiny me, and within rested his ingot of filtered copper. In turn, his mi flower sat atop the copper ingot, covered ever so gently by a small disc of gold leaf, draping over the petals like a stiff cloth. The entire contraption was at as good of a vacuum he could pull- which was actually pretty impressive these days- to prevent the blossom from catching on fire as he heated it all to absurd temperatures. Wilting was fine, but burning was not. Lefi had been kind enough to provide him with the needed coins, not that he needed that much- about one gram of gold was enough for the gilding, which was in turn about a sixth of a penny-sized grai. His half-kilo of copper came from about fifty ves Refined into being proper filters, and then melted together. Ah, gold-based economies. It made acquiring precious metals so easy. His entire setup was apparently leaning fairly heavily into alchemy essentia, which wasnt nearly as intimidating as it had once seemed. It was all about changing the structure of a substance, and while it wasnt quite the same as chemical bonds it wasnt entirely different either. While the more advanced forms of the discipline were the equivalent of editing atomic nuclei, this was far simpler and crucially, possible at his current skill level (and Skill level). Because gold and copper were so alchemically simr to one another (both of them being colored metals with simr melting points and in the same column of the periodic table- which Edwin felt was important even if it wasnt listed in Zosiman), when they alloyed there was a brief moment where the magical structure of the copper loosened to allow ingress to the gold and its magical structure, of the sort he could induce in his manave. However, unlike with his manave, there were no traits being removed, just the synthesis of pre-existing ones. By cing the mi between the gold and copper, he was including the flower in that reaction, sensitizing the gold to another type of mana, and when the metals mixed, the gold would carry with it just enough wind mana to rece its normal purity. In Panastalin terms, he was creating a potion with copper as the base, gold as the primary, and mi as the tuner. It would work even better if the flower was gilded, but Edwin was sure that his setup was sufficient for his purposes, and didnt involve risking his mi blossom in yet another fiddly alchemical reaction that could burn up all his hard work in an instant if he messed up. There was more going on, and he was determined to figure out what, but for now the reaction had shown that it worked, and that was ultimately what mattered at the moment. Edwin kept stoking the mes as he waited for the gold to melt. He was very d that Apparatite just didnt melt, and was borderline immune to damage from temperature. It definitely became more brittle with extreme heat or cold whether magical or mundane, but it never shattered or melted so long as he didnt expose it to too much thermal shock. For this, he was using a magnesium fire and slowly lowering his apparatus into the crucible. After his experiment was suspended five centimeters above the fire for a few minutes, Edwin sensed the change moments before it happened, and he quickly wrapped the entire system in a thinyer of mana to help iste it. He barely finished when the gold leaf began to melt,pletely enveloping the dried, shriveled mi flower. He could feel there was still atmospheric mana trapped in the remnant, whatever property of the flower that made it so good at absorbing magic still holding true even as it was heated to unreasonable temperatures. But, as the gold melted over it and, a few momentster, the copper began to melt and mix, he felt a brief sh of intense magic. It faded away almost instantly, but left behind a faint sense of potential. An endless sky, shapeless but full of possibility. Edwin released his mana istion grip on the system, and the liquid metal immediately turned almost invisible against the normal airs mana. Sess. In an effort to maximize the surface area of his newly-finished copper, Edwin once again enlisted Lefis aid in metalworking to beat his ingot of copper into as thin of a sheet as possible. By the end of it, he had a disc nearly as thin as paper and about a meter and a half in diameter. That was good, but still not sufficient. A copper circle did a lot to block wind, after all, not harness it, so Edwin then found himself using Construction and Alchemical Dismantling to cut and shape the metal into approximately the shape of a fan, then reinforced it with some apparatite and copper supports. It all went surprisingly well. It was just mechanical cuts and fastening and the like, which while not something he had a ton of experience in, was far simpler than the alchemical problems he normally found himself dealing with. He even had Rih test it, having her unleash a rtively anemic gust of wind at the contraption. While the amount of wind mana was low, the fan worked admirably as it spun on its mount. With every rotation, more wind mana was allowed to pass through and the more the fan picked up. Because the density of atmospheric mana was higher in the air than in the copper, it was drawn into the metal and radiated out closer to the floor, where it could then be absorbed into the towers enchantment. The enchantment was actually pretty impressive, or so Edwin felt, because of just how readily it absorbed any kind of air or wind mana to power itself, like an eternally dry mana sponge if the sponge was then used to run a hydroelectric power nt. He couldnt help but feel that the mechanical side of his creation worked great, at least once he liberally cheated with magic, both in the Skill sense- using Prototyping for perhaps the first time in the context it was meant for and leaning on well-used Construction techniques- and in the alchemy sense. He might not have had slipstone, that magical mortar variety that had basically no friction- though he probably could have made more lime if he had really tried- but Infused sand still acted pretty much like a superfluid, meaning it made for an almost perfect grease once he had it properly contained. Everything that should spin did, and everything that shouldnt, didnt. Because of how much he was using Sappers Apparatus, it looked more crystalline than metal, but he didnt really see that as much of an issue, particrly when it let him explore his more creative side when decorating the supports. That everything went so well on the mechanical side of things just made his failures on the magical part of the device all the more frustrating. It wasnt even a true failure in any particr area either- all of the individualponents of the device worked just fine. The windmill filtered atmospheric mana and transmitted it to a copper wire running to the floor, the filter-copper sessfully radiated mana it just wasnt radiating enough in the relevant section, so the enchantments stayed underpowered. What Edwin eventually diagnosed was that there just wasnt a reason for the copper to radiate mana preferentially near the floor over any other surface- and it had a lot of surface area. Hed need some way to keep the rtive mana density lower near the enchantments, that would create a bit of a vacuum and thus radiate more mana in the appropriate area. Refining was no help, still. The solution was bound to be in mi, but the flower continued to eat all the mana he sent its way unless it was specifically corrosive- and in that case, the mana storage trait was ruined, rendering it useless for this. Ultimately, ssic alchemy came to the rescue. Mi still worked just fine in potions and everything that didnt involve Refining, and if his Alchemy skill was good at determining how he could use Refining, it was fantastic at potions. It only took a few tweaks to his overcharge-barrier potion to bring it back to mana-sensitive, and by adding a few touches of Refined copper and ground glowleaf, sealing it all in with a rousing boil, he created a slightly luminescent, milky-white potion held within an apparatite crystal custom-made to fit into the gaps between his mana engine and the corresponding section of the enchantment. Personally, Edwin couldnt help but feel particrly satisfied with his ability to take a potion meant to temporarily inhibit mana from running rampant through his body and turning it into a mana sink that was actually useful in real life! It was always such a fun feeling. It was amusing how much the final device had inmon with his initial prototype. He had his copper turbine as the wind mana umtor and filter, the potion as his storage, and then a small container meant to aid in the transfer. When the wind blew, the minuscule amounts of mana it carried with it would be blown across the fan and absorbed. It would then be carried through the copper and be absorbed into the mi potion. Once the potion hit saturation, it overloaded and emptiedpletely, charging up the enchantment. Then the cycle would start anew. Edwin allowed the system to run a few cycles, wind blowing through the open top of the tower as the turbine spun to face the wind. As the airs speed increased, so too did the rate of charge and discharge the enchantment was epting the new source of mana no problem, there werent any creaks and groans He stepped back, put his hands on his hips, and looked with satisfaction at his creation. Sess. Congrattions! For imbuing a substance with an elemental affinity you have unlocked the Elemental Alchemist path! Congrattions! For fashioning a useful device primarily out of metal you have unlocked the Metalworker path! Congrattions! Forpleting a lengthy,plex, personal project utilizing your own Skills you have unlocked the Artisan path! Congrattions! For creating aplex magical devicebining multiple disciplines you have unlocked the Artificer path! Congrattions! By crafting a mana umtor you have unlocked the Mana Harvester path! Level Up! Skill Points 11421156 (Alchemy: 100; Stamina Maniption: 21; 13/25 60-point Paths) Alchemical Analysis Level 4748 Alchemical Dismantling Level 5556 Alchemy Level 98100 Improbable Arsenal Level 4344 Prototyping Level 4548 Refining Level 4649 Ritual Intuition Level 5456 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6768 Stamina Maniption Level 1921 Unbound Tether Level 2930 Name Edwin Maxlin Age 2 Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 37 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 100, Alchemical Analysis 48, Refining 46, Alchemical Dismantling 56, Sappers Apparatus 68 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 44, Feys Caress 46, Ritual Intuition 56, Mana Infusion 92, Unbound Tether 30 (Flight 60), (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 30, Longstrider 54, Fresh Air 46 Stamina Maniption 21, (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 55, Prototyping 48, Anatomy 47, Polyglot: 71, Memory 68 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 62, Adaptive Defense 49 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 139, Watchful Rest 44, Skillful Assessment 53, Arcadian Elixir 39, Improbable Arsenal 44 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 1156 13 60-point Paths, 12 30-point Paths Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Artillerist 0/60, Sapper 0/60 Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Mystic Alchemist 0/90, Essential Alchemist 0/90, Elemental Alchemist 0/60, Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90, Attuner 0/30, Schooled Mage 0/90, Mana Harvester 0/60 Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan Spider-yer 0/60 Attribute Artisan 0/60, Schr 0/60 Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Metalworker 0/30, Artificer 0/90 Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Athlete 0/60 Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90, Insomniac 0/30, Sleepless Disciple 0/60, Student of Power 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched, Skilled Arcanist Chapter 115: Conversensational Chapter 115: Conversensational You got it working? Rih perked up from her slouched position by the fire. I mean, you dont have to sound so surprised, but yes. Now, I want to keep an eye on it for a couple weeks just to make sure no problems pop up, mind you, but it should be fine. Thats amazing! I had no clue you were that good with crafting. Have you obtained any new fascinating Skills then? Lefi asked. Ummm Edwin flicked through his notifications, Not that I can see. Oh huh, I got potion-making and coppersmithing. No, I dont see anything too noteworthy. Oh yeah, that does remind me. He waved his hand through the popup, dismissing it, I got the Artisan path from that. Marvelous! I recall that was one of your current endeavors? Yeah. I got it forpleting a lengthy,plex, personal project utilizing my own Skills. I hadnt thought about it, but it does make sense. Did you get any other fun Paths? Well Edwin read off his other Path notifications- theyd been dismissed, of course, but recording it all in Almanac was basically second-nature at this point. Interesting. You continue to find Paths which I have never encountered or even heard of, Lefi mused. They definitely sound fun. Indeed. I suspect your Mana Harvester path may in fact be a Trophy path, the adventurer noted, It certainly sounds akin to one, though it is strange that you would obtain one for such an impersonal project. Usually such are gained upon forging ones self a spectacr suit of armor, or a generational sword, perhaps even a ship. Edwin shrugged, Dont look at me, youre the System expert. Anyway, the umtor. It should work fine, especially if all those Paths mean anything, but I just want to make sure and its not quite good enough weather for leaving anyway. How long will itst? Rih asked. Im not sure. Ill be shocked if itsts more than a few years without maintenance- the wheels will probably get jammed up, and its not impossible that the potion might be broken. But if that doesnt happen I mean, most of the things properties are inherent to the materials, and I dont think the traits I modified and added will ever fade. Ill probably see if Pierash is interested in learning how to take care of it, because it would not be hard. She wouldnt even have to grease the thing, with how much sand I stuffed in there. What Im hearing is I get a vacation? I mean, youll still need to stick around for a bit in case I need you for something, but yeah, your daily chores should now be automated. Sweet! Hmmm whatever shall I do. y your flute, Lefi and Edwin answered in unison. And probably dance, Edwin added. Alternatively she might decide to fly around, Lefi countered. Well thats a given. Hows your Powerful Flight going, by the way? Fifty-seven. If I got some help from Lefi, I might get it before leaving Sheraith, she pointedly said. Sorry, little Snowbird, you know theres not much I can aid you with for that Skill. Yeah, I know but that doesnt change that I want you to, she pouted. So anyway, whats the n? Leave early spring? Thats what, three weeks away? Indeed! And the n? I have a new quest to embark upon! While the young ones have learned much, they still have far to go, but they must return home to truly appreciate all theyve learned and face the evils therein. Are there actually evils hiding back at their home? I have learned it is best to not bet against such a thing. Fair enough. Rih? Dont know yet. Well see where the wind goes. What of you, Edwin? Do you n to venture with us still, or where does thy adventure take you? Eh towards the coast, maybe? I need to look into it more. But first he breathed a sigh of relief, Im going to take a few days off- no goal or research, just ying around with my Skills. Then I dont know, maybe Ill put some more work in on my greenhouse. Ooh, do you want to y catch with Unbound Tether? You know what? Sure, that does sound fun. Lead the way. So where has Yathal been, anyway? It feels like I havent seen him for a month. Youve barely seen me for a month, why would you see the kid? Inion asked. Well I dont know. It just seems like I would have heard him or something during all of that. Also Im sorry, I just got so wrapped up in everything that I just couldnt... Youre free to spend your time however you like. You doing your alchemy is so fun to watch. You werent even there most of the time. Pah, like Id need that. Kind of creepy, but okay. Anyway, I take it however I like doesnt include being with Rih? Shes not good for you. You dont get to choose how I spend my time, you know. That is my decision and my decision alone. Im just trying to save you, and youre too blind to see it. Its for your own good. No. Edwin put his foot down, Were not getting into this right now. Beyond the fact that nothing good has evere from the phrase doing this for your own good, I wanted this to be a nice, rxing chat with you about whats been going on during my time in theb. Well fine, if you insist I do. So what has Yathal been up to? Well you know, since he got Polyglot a couple weeks ago hes been all over the ce. Kynis been keeping him safe but Ive run along with him a few times as well, and hes been running with the local kids. Really energetic, you know? Im sure. Well, at least hes been quiet most of the time. Inionughed. What? She shook her head, not answering. What? Ohe on, dont give me that. He isnt that loud these days is he? Just you wait and see. Youre still nning to wait until the day we leave for you to let the city know about the umtor? Edwin snagged the boulder they were ying catch with out of the air, pushing Packing to its limits as he returned it to the flying girl. Rih nodded, That way, they cante up with reasons why it wouldnt count or try to break it. They wouldnt do that, would they? ...Ah, who am I kidding. They totally would. That wouldnt mean youd have toe back, would it? She shook her head, I was to help until another has assumed your duty, which the umtor definitely works for. If they then break it, well thats just their problem. Its not something I need to worry about. You arent worried about it, are you? Edwin waved his hand, Ah, not especially. It was a fun project, but Im still just giving it away. What happens to it beyond that I dont care about that much. Like dont get me wrong, it would be very cool if something I made stayed in active use for years and years toe, but its also not why I made it. I made it to free you of your responsibility and because I wanted to. It was fantastic practice for sure, but I also can think of a dozen ways I could improve it. So sure, if they smash it to bits Ill be somewhat sad but Ill cope, and its not my problem. I try not to be sentimental about stuff for all that I fail. Unbound Tether wasnt even close to strong enough to toss around the boulder they were using, but it was a really effective way for both of them to train while having fun. Multitasking! You had fun making it and thats what matters? Sure. I learned a lot and found the experience valuable. The stuff associated with it, who cares? Rih raised an eyebrow and prompted him to continue with a giant rock, as she caught, spun, and returned the stone from her position above him. ...Also I made peace with the idea that stuff I make might be immediately invalidated back when I made a cannon then promptly got a Skill that turns me into a railgun. You sure you made peace with the idea? Because Ive seen your wagon these days. Okay, so I know I still have the whole thing strapped to the roof, but its a lot of apparatite. I dont know when it might be useful again. Cant you just make it all up again? I mean yeah, but theres hundreds of kilos of the stuff in that construct, it would take me hours to conjure that much. Oh, because its so much easier to repurpose parts from a cannon for whatever little piece you may want? Look, can we talk about something else? he grunted slightly as he caught the stone, Packing pushed in a new way. Huh. Was that a twinge of Stamina usage? Something to look intoter, Like how are you going to keep them from immediately pulling you back like they did initially? Oh, that? Have you ever paid your service tax? My what? No, I cant say that I have. Well, its this thing the Empire does where instead of like paying the tax collector, adventurers can be recruited into a situation where theyre needed. You know, I think I have heard of that, actually, but the enforcer who talked to me said that because Im an Ally I actually have to do it or something, because most of the time adventurers ran? Oh yeah, its always possible to run. Its almost expected sometimes, but theyre marked as tax evaders in that province which nobody really cares about because of how minor it is to Wanted List. But the Enforcer here is no fun and would hunt me down anyways. Doesnt surprise me. Ill just need to remember to hide from future Enforcers, if I stand a chance of being waid for half a year suddenly if I dont. But you, hiding from the Enforcers? Now thats something to imagine. Hey, Ill have you know Im excellent at hiding from people. I spent months in Panastalis and never once met the rival alchemist to my sponsor, and I only met the alchemy Guildmaster when she sought me out. I assure you, that was not an ident. Oh please, theres no way youre better at that than I am, and I can never go more than a few days before Im noticed by what feels like everyone in the province. Well maybe if someone didnt have a half-dozen hey look at me Skills, they wouldnt have to deal with so much attention. Its not half a dozen, she protested, though herint was offset slightly by the massive rock she was holding above her head while flying. Oh, youre right, its eight? But I was dodging attention even before I had the option of hiding away and not interacting with people. You, on the other hand, go around acting as a bard wearing shy clothing and an eye-catching ss. She shook her head, flicking her hand in dismissal. You know Im right, Edwin teased, returning the rock. I dont know anything about what youre talking about. So have you decided what youre going to do yet? she asked, quickly changing the topic. I no, not really, Edwin admitted. Well, okay, thats not actually true. I have a whole list of what I want to do, I just dont know what to do next, and I dont want to be a drag if I go with you guys... You wont be a boulder! Come with us! she offered again, Itll be way more fun. What did you end up deciding on? Or are you still nning to follow where the winds blow? Well, I think Im wanting to head to Rhothos and actually visit my mum this time. I was getting close, but didnt quite make it there before I was called to Sheraith, so Ill be heading along with Lefi, Yathal and Kynigos. Now that the kids a little less shy and the pup has more experience on his paws, they might make a decent guard pair a few years from now. Whats so special about Rhothos, anyway? Like its clearly the center of a lot of activity, but why? Lots and lots of food, and more recently an agreeable Enforcer. Its a great ce for us. Theres other ces that are also good, but Im partial because its home. Fair enough. I might join you. I dont know. Whys that? I just have other things I need to do and that I want to do. I have alchemical ingredients to get, experiments to run, people and ces to visit. And theyre all towards the coast. You dont have anything you need ind? I mean, I guess I could try and get my payment from Panastalis for services rendered and I really should check in with my Registrar. Great! You can get that done, then! Come on, you know youll enjoy it. Its just so little. Thats two tasks among so very many Im trying to deal with. Im just not sure if its a good use of my time. Other than for the people, his brain whispered. Come on! Youll enjoy it. I I still need to think about it more. The air inside Edwins greenhouse was hot and humid as he cut a few mi flowers for harvest, as well as trimming back the more bush-like nts to properly encourage their growth. To his left, Inion summoned a bit of water, chatting as they tended to his garden. It was really only thanks to her that Edwins garden was turning out as well as it was. The crystal pots, filled with soil taken from the Verdant, were exceptionally thirsty for mana. While Edwin could take care of them on his own, other than if he tried to grow talsanenris, they wouldnt flourish nearly so much. Instead, the feysbination of water-like mana, natural gifts as a nature spirit, and relevant Skills allbined to make Edwins greenhouse as good if not a better environment for magical nt growth as the Verdant itself. Edwin, stop being ridiculous. You dont need them. He raised an eyebrow, I thought you approved of me being with other people, and that you liked Lefi. Oh, theyre fine, but you dont need them. Of course not! I dont need anybody, not really. But I like them, I like working with them just like I enjoy working with you. You dont need to be here, but here you are anyway. You came up with a way to grow nts easily year-round! What, was I supposed to stay far away? You know, Im still surprised youd never encountered a greenhouse before I made this one. Like sure, you- I was asleep for several millennia, of course Im notpletely aware of whats new in architecture. Like sure, you were asleep for ages, Edwin finished, and they didnt have widespread ss back then, but you didnt have this kind of thing back in Arcadia or whatever? No. Why, though? But that doesnt mean you have to help me take care of it to have the ability to enjoy it. No, I dont really care about whatever youre nning to say to countermand me, you didnt need to, but you clearly wanted to. You do lots of things you dont like. Yeah, he tly replied, Like going for years without any friends. I definitely didnt like that. I dont really care what yourtest excuse for why you dont like Rih is, I know that you dislike her, but Im not going to pass up a chance for an actual human friend just because you dislike her smile. You dont know what shes doing to you! Well, what is she doing to me then? . Yeah, thats what I thought. If you dont have any actual things you can say about Rih, just dont even bother. Pass me the watering can, would you? Inion handed the teapot-like creation over, and Edwin epted it with a nod, pouring about half of it out around the base of his mi. Im going to go with them, Edwin decided. What? You cant do that! You have ns, things to do! Yeah, and you being so insistent that I not go is making me suspicious. Besides, all the stuff I want to see isnt time-dependent, and sticking with Lefi helps my Skills level anyway. Its not why Im here. Well then why are you here? Im being interesting. Isnt that what you wanted? he snapped, Im not your littlepdog for you to order around, toe, sit,y down, and roll over at yourmand. You wanted something interesting? This is me being interesting, deal with it or leave. Maybe I will. I wont stop you. I have other people I can be with! They wont stick around like I will. Theyll leave you when you need them most. Oh, like potentially haring off because Im traveling with a person they didnt like? Inion stayed tellingly quiet as she snatched a handful of mulched talsanenris branches, spreading it around the firevine shoot she was tending to. Silence fell in the greenhouse for several minutes before Edwin broke it, I dont want to leave you, you know. But I will if you make me. I know that youre just looking out for me, which I do appreciate, and I know I wouldnt even be alive right now without your help. But I think youre looking for something that just isnt there, and I cant help but wonder if youre not that different from me, just without realizing it. Like you? I just dont see what ya mean. Im awful with people, and because I know Im bad with people I ovepensate for that and make myself annoying in other ways. I second-guess myself constantly, say stupid things, and otherwise drive people away in so many different ways because I cant figure out what people do like. Yes, I know that about myself. Ive spent years trapped in my own head, Im aware of my prison even if I cant figure out how to escape. I think you might just be doing something simr, just without realizing it. You dont want to lose me as, Edwin cut himself off before he finished his thought, lose me as your ything. Lose me to Rih, so youre jumping at every shadow and trying to find some reason why I cant go with her. I told you before, Im not jealous. Edwin raised an eyebrow but didnt say anything right away. He pulled out a particrly tenacious weed from his talsanenris pot, I dont want to choose between the two of you, you know. Im not limited to only a single friend and if I could Id have both of you. Its only your insistence that keeps me from spending time with both of you at the same time. As soon as that woman stops manipting you Ill tolerate her. Allmunication is maniption, Edwin shrugged, Especially here, where it seems like any random person I meet might have some sort of social Skill. And dont you go pretending that you arent constantly trying to manipte me yourself. At least Rihs maniption seems to be for my benefit. And again, if she is manipting me he sighed, Im not sure I really care? Its like like Ive been falling for a really long time, and now Im not. It doesnt make a difference for me if its because I hit something solid, or because something caught me and is just holding me in ce. All I care, is that Im not falling. Youre not used to Skills. If you had more exposure to people, more time spent getting yourself used to dealing with Charisma and even normal social Skills, then you wouldnt be nearly so obsessed with her. Im not Im not obsessed with her. Shes the first person you havent tried to dismiss as irrelevant. Thats not entirely true. I know shes just being nice to me as a favor to Lefi, I just hope I just hope thats not the only reason. Ya. Ohe on, I dont try I dont Shes not a true friend. Shes a potential one sure, but Then stop obsessing over her. No, Edwin shook his head, No. Thats not what I dont want to give up He set his pruning dagger off to the side, trying to gather his thoughts, Youll find other people who arent trying to manipte you! No. I wont. Look at me. Im an alchemist from another world, a mage and with the eyes of everyone up to Emperor Xares himself on me. Simply saying my name was enough to get an aggressive Enforcer to back down. Im a literal and figurative gold mine, Ill never find someone that wants to befriend me just because of who I am as a person, there will always be some aspect of what I can do for them that will y a part of their calction. Seems cynical. Well, then I guess Im a cynic, but I dont believe it wouldnt enter into someones considerations at the very least. Rihs not using me just for what I can make, after all. Inion raised an eyebrow, You just spent two months making something just to make sure she didnt have to do her job. Thats different. Somehow. I dont know how. It just feels different to me. Ya, because she has Skills. What will make you happy, Inion? Me never having friends other than you? Is that it? Because thats not happening, hed finished with his work in the greenhouse, but leaned against an invisible wall as he watched the fey float cross-legged in front of him, Everyone in this world has Skills, am I supposed to just dismiss them all? Inions face was unusually readable, Edwin getting the distinct impression she was trying toe up with some suitablepromise. So, the only logical conclusion was she was putting on a deliberate show and he needed toe up with a solution before she could find one. Look, Im slow to make friends. Ill... I have a kind of test or something that lets me know if shes actually interested in me, like I want to be the case, or is just trying to manipte me for he paused, Actually, what do you think shes trying to manipte me for? As though you didnt spend thest two months working on something for her? Like I just said. Well, okay but you thought she was manipting me even before I had any idea about that, or before she even knew I could do that. Bah, youre a mage. They dont need a reason to see why digging your creek into their river would be good. You being an alchemist and an outsider just makes that clearer. Oh, like you, then? Thats uncalled for! Oh, is it then? I used to have a test for how Id be able to tell who was actually interested in being my friend, Ill have you know, and... Edwins mind finally caught up with his mouth, and he trailed off. Wow. He hadnt been expecting to think of that today or ever, really. It had been what, five years? Six? Not since he had started college, not since And what? Edwin, what happened? Nothing, nothing. Im fine. Dont worry about me, he brushed her off, It doesnt matter. Well okay, so long as youre able to hold yourself together. ...And you never passed it, he mentally finished. At least their conversation passed on to more pleasant content after that. So Im also leaving additional storage crystals there, Edwin pointed out the chest in the corner of the room, That way if the one in the umtor breaks, you have recements. Now, Alchemy is telling me they shouldst a really long time if they arent broken, probably on the order of decades, so it shouldnt be often you need to do anything with those. Now, youll know that its the crystal thats acting up if this indicator here stops pulsing. Now granted, itll stop pulsing if any of the other steps are broken instead, so make sure you check the other spots as well. Edwin was really proud of himself for getting the indicators working- they were redundant for him, yes, but hed managed to make a glowleaf solution that only glowed when exposed to magic, and from there he was able to tune the sensitivity up and down until it suited his purposes. He wasnt entirely sure how they worked, but well, in all honesty it wasnt as important that he fully understood everything he was doing. It was a nice goal but it was just so infeasible for some of the cooler things. Hed hit level 100 in Alchemy after all, and while it seemed likeprehension was important for leveling the Skill, actually benefiting from it was more along the lines of utilizing the instinctive knowledge it gave him. So hed had to loosen his normal guidelines a bit. Make the crazy device first, figure out how it workster. Honestly it would probably be advice he could stand to integrate into more parts of his life, but that wasnt relevant yet. So long as it stays lit, it shines bright? Uhh sure, the halfling was fond of odd turns of phrase that never seemed to quite trante properly, but he could generally get a decent idea of what she meant, The lights themselves Im pretty sure willst ages, but if you can somehow pick up a mana sensing Skill then youd just be able to sense the different parts yourself. Oh, Im not some two-bit ouw like you seem to think I am, nor am I a fool. Even if I could get that kinna Skill why would I be such an ouw? ...Right. You know, I spend so much time with adventurers I kind of forget thats a thing every once in a while. Anyway, is everything making sense so far? Polish the turbine but the other stuffs fine, make sure to leave the sand in when cleaning it- But not when its in the wrong ces like- Yeah, not when its in the wrong ces like between parts that arent joints, she cut him back off, Im well aware. Heh. Well, sorry, Im just not used to people actually listening to me, I guess. So it would seem. Anyway, yeah. Do you think itll hold? Ah, well thats a tricky question now. Itll certainly cover all of what the towers for if it can even do half what you think it goes and does. Itll just be those once-a-decade storms when they already go and need some extra help, but from my experience, it should be quite sufficient otherwise. Um, thanks? Edwin awkwardly said, Any questions? Or does it all make sense? I think I can figure it out. Its part of the tower now, and thus is a part of my domain. You have Skills for that? Oh but of course. Huh. I mean I guess anyway. If you think of any before we head out, let me know. That will be on the morn, yes? Yeah. Thats when Rihs letting them know about this thing, and we want to get out of here before the political falloutes crashing down around us. Its a good thing shes on board, because I would not have thought of that in time. Yes, well it will be a relief to see that furry menace leave atst. What? Fur gets everywhere! And whats worse, that mongrel has Skills that fight against my own. No, I will be quite happy once he no longer is here to sully up the furniture. Hm, fair enough, I guess I didnt really think of it that way. Of course you didnt! You wanderers never settle down long enough to understand the pain of maintaining a ce like this. Sorry? You should be! Bah, kids these days. ...So anyway, if you dont have any more questions for me Im going to go keep packing up. Edwin awkwardly fled, throwing himself down the massive staircase. Tomorrow would be a big day, after all, and there was lots to prepare. Level Up! Skill Points 11561162 (Alchemy: 100; Stamina Maniption: 23; 13/25 60-point Paths) Improbable Arsenal Level 4445 Polyglot Level 7172 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6869 Stamina Maniption Level 2123 Watchful Rest Level 4445 Book 1 Cover Reveal! Book 1 Cover Reveal! Hello, one and all! It is my absolute pleasure to unveil the cover art for volume 1 of The Way Ahead,ing to Audible and Kindle April 19th: And of course, if nothing else, by buying the book you get to look at that marvelous cover more often, and surely that''s reason enough, yeah? Chapter 116: A Rapid Giveaway Chapter 116: A Rapid Giveaway The tower was pure chaos. Well, it was honestly rather organized, but at the moment it felt chaotic. Edwin hadnt properly appreciated just how much stuff hed gotten during his stay until he actually needed to put it all in one ce. Most of it was alchemical products, including a lot of failed experiments and byproducts of sessful ones. A lot of it was apparatite, but the stuff didnt go bad and it was still clean, so there was no need to dismiss it now only for him to summon it againter. Of course, because of the insane volume of stuff that he had, Edwin had found himself in the position of needing a few more chests and crates to store it all in. Improbable Arsenal had actually gotten to the point where most cheap bags and other containers were actually less effective than his own Skill. Granted, a ten-times expansion was far from the biggest hed seen, but he also didnt really feel like spending one of his few remaining grai on a wooden box with a hundred-times expansion. Hed actually briefly toyed with the idea that he might be able to make a business out of applying Improbable Arsenal to pre-made boxes and selling the thenrger containers, but it didnt work for a few reasons. The primary reason was that over long periods of time, the Skill did fade. The mana he Infused into the container gradually bled out into the surroundings, the Skill weakened, and it all faded. It took a few months, hed found, so he could easily fleece people if he wanted, but he didnt want to. Why bother? He was an alchemist, he could make health potions, he remembered how to make porcin, he was already a gold-printing machine if he decided to get rich at any point. The one thing that didnt seem to lose potency was his apparatite, if he used Improbable Arsenal while conjuring the crystal. While it meant he did have options for long-term constructions beyond just refreshing the Skill every so often, it was too fragile to be useful storage for most people and he didnt really want to sell it anyway. In any case, for his personal use he could pretty easily make crystal boxes and vials for his substances, then buy a few wooden boxes and chests without any spatial expansion for just a few ves (they had apparently been made by an apprentice, not that youd know it from the quality of their woodwork) and expand them himself. It still took ages to pack everything away properly. Part of that was admittedly because Edwin also wanted to sort his stuff while he was at it, but it also was just really time-consuming to take down his entireb and greenhouse, then relocate their materials and contents into his wagon. The potted nts returned to their shelves and were reattached, drying racks relocated to the ceiling, some local nts had been dug up while wintering and needed their own ces to be stored. While Sheriath didnt have any known overtly magical nts it did have a few with mundane uses, and it didnt hurt to take a few saplings from the garden. All the chaos involved just made it more embarrassing when Rih showed up fully packed in a single bag, a leather satchel not muchrger than Edwins two hands. Really? Edwin hefted the bag, feeling that it barely weighed twenty pounds. The satchel wascrafted out of fine leather, a scroll of parchment rolled up at the bottom and held securely in ce below the main pouch by a pair of metal sps. What? I like it. He peeked inside her sack and couldnt help but double-take, What the heck is your Skills level? Oh, Endless Carrying Cer? Just level forty or so. Thats the level my Skill is at, but this has to be three times as strong. How? She smiled, Its a good Skill. And its helped by a lot of my other Skills. Its bound to be. Sheesh, I wish itsted more than a day or two on its own. I could use that much space. You have an entire cart. And Im trying to bring an entireb with me. Whats your point? Nothing, I suppose. Is there somewhere I should put this? Its all a bit messy. Huh? Oh, right. Just hang it on one of the outside hooks, Id say. You off to your meeting? No, not quite yet. Their court is in session, but its not my time to report until closer to noon. How does that all work, anyway? I dont think I ever asked. I think you might have at one point, but its not really worth remembering. A couple dozen nobles sit at this big desk, with the governor at the center and they ask me a couple questions while trying to make themselves sound impressive. It could be done in six minutes if they actually stayed on topic, but theres just so much posturing it might take an hour. Better you than me, he teased, earning a yful swat from her. Good luck. See you on the other side. Where are you off to? Now that you reminded me, I should check that Lefis stuff will fit in the wagon. I bet hell be happy to not have to carry it all, but well, he probably has his own spatial expansion Skill, doesnt he? Rih just shrugged as they turned in opposite directions. Lefi did not have a Skill of his own for spatial expansion, a fact which Edwin felt very momentarily proud of as a single area in which he was actually better than the omnpetent adventurer. Then, of course, Lefi had to go and lift Edwins entire cart with a single hand and carry it outside when they were trying to get it around the obstacles in the stable. Edwin could have probably done that, in all honesty, but it wouldnt have been anywhere near as effortless. At least everything found its ce in the end, and other than a brief scuffle involving Yathal having somehow misced his shoe- and how it ended up on the roof of the tower he could only wonder at- it was blessedly uneventful. All that was left now was to actually leave the city, and theyd be free once more. Edwin had all but forgotten how impressive the Sheraith gates were. The twin waterfalls, he reminded himself as the mistake of past-Edwin thinking they were rainbows came mming into the forefront of his mind, framed the massive doorway perfectly, allowing a trickle of people in and out. A gnome with the color palette of a sunset scrambled past the cart, darting between theparative giants surrounding him before effortlessly scaling the interior wall on unseen handholds, slipping into the gatehouse above. With a bit of closer inspection, Edwin realized that the waterfalls werent painted- they genuinely were blue. And also granite. He suspected Skill shenanigans, though without closer examination he couldnt see if Skillful Assessment would give any insight into if the Skill was still present. At least the way out of the city should be a lot quicker than when they came in. He just hoped Lefi would get his weapons back without any issue. Almanac told Edwin that the Experienced Lirasian Gatekeeper was apparently present when he came into the city, as was the Junior Gate Guard functioning as his assistant, not that Edwin remembered either of them. I see your month or two turned into half a year, Adventurer. Indeed! It was not intended, but the snows came early this year. You shouldnt have been here when they came, but that is decidedly not my problem. The man turned and said something to his assistant that Polyglot seemed to be blocked from understanding. It wasnt a very good block, Edwin could have easily overpowered the effect just by trying to listen in, but why bother? It might make them mad if they detected it, and it probably wasnt important if their bodynguage was anything to go by. True to form, they waved Lefi and Yathal through just a momentter, and it was Edwins turn. Good riddance, I see. Look, I didnt get into any trouble other than what found me, he defended himself. Yeah, yeah. Dont really care. Get along. So I had some weapons to pick up? It took a fair bit of wrangling, but Edwin eventually managed to retrieve, among other things, no less than seven daggers, six swords ranging from a foot long to as tall as Edwin himself, five gold-colored ils, four different shields, three short tridents, two halberds. And a full sash of throwing knives, his internal monologue sang. I dont know why you need this many weapons, he leveled a stare at Lefi, Nor how you could possibly use them all, but seriously what the heck. One must always be prepared! Five! You have five ils, and theyre all made out of brass. Why. And also how. Where do you keep all of these when they arent piled in the carriage? Inion emerged from where she was hiding in the back of the wagon, slipping next to Edwin. He gave her a quick smile as she brushed against him, distracted from hisints against Lefi. I hope it wasnt too cramped? He was d that Inion had in the end decided toe along, but shoving her in a barrel of water to smuggle her past the gates probably wasnt the mostfortable. She shook her head, It was just fine. Now hop off. Ill drive today. Really? he raised an eyebrow, Today was my day. Bill and I have an understanding. Ill take care of it, now shoo. He shrugged, Okay? Itll be nice to stretch my legs, I guess. Edwin hopped off the wagon, trying to figure out what Inions game was today, but after a few moments without sess, shrugged and turned back to keep talking with Lefi. Unsurprisingly, the adventurer had already moved to speak more with Yathal, leaving Edwin behind. Ah well, he could appreciate just being on the road as much as anyone, and while his muscles had atrophied after several months of less constant use- his training had definitely fallen off a fair bit, particrly towards the end- his Skills and Stamina had not, so he wasnt suffering too much from just walking. It just gave him the chance to appreciate the sights, and he could always fly if his legs ever got sore. The fields, so full of ready-to-harvest crops when they entered the city, were now barren dirt save for a few opportunistic weeds popping up here and there. The road still carried a few traces of the recent cold, a couple snow drifts piled at the edge just off the stonework. The air was as clean as anything Edwin had ever experienced, carrying with it the scent of recent rain, and the faint trills of birdsong were just barely audible over the tter of the wagon. It was a nice day. An hour after theyd left the city, Kynigos barked something to his boy, who perked up immediately. Huh? Oh! Yathal started spinning around, searching the area for something. Curious, Edwin decided to see what it was the boy was looking for. Within seconds, he spotted Rihs figure about a kilometer back, her face beaming as she looped and dove through the air, her wings the color of frosted grass. Oh hey, Rih got out, Edwin noted at the distant figure. Aw man, I wanted to see her first! Maybe next time, when you get Seeing to a higher level. We gonna stop and wait for her? Nah, Edwin shook his head, Look at the rate shes going, shell catch up before too long. Although He thought for a moment before a grin snuck across his face. While level thirty in Unbound Tether was just barely too weak to fully lift himself up- he estimated he could output about seven hundred Newtons of force at this point, which could cut his effective gravity nearly in fourth- Rih was a bit lighter than Edwin, and he could toss her around with rtive ease if she wasnt fighting back. He hadnt tried this recently, but perhaps he ought to give her a bit of help catching up? While Unbound Tether couldnt hit the moon, a mere kilometer was well within its range. He mentally reached out with his Skill, attached it to the tiny figure and pulled. Far off, Rih jerked slightly as gravity suddenly seemed to change around her before she adjusted and tucked her wings in for a dive. While she was well out of range for Numeracy, Mathematics came in and saved the day. Assuming she was about 55 kilos, he should be elerating her at about 11 meters per second per second, so then whenbined with gravity speeding her up by around ten meters per second per second she was experiencing about a forty-five degree angle dive by flying straight forward and abined eleration of about sixteen meters a second. That would total something like seventy meters a second at terminal velocity? He wasnt sure how her wings interacted with it Further testing required. It took about thirty seconds for the speeding figure to finally reach them, but as she got close enough Edwin cut off his Skill- he didnt actually want to be hit by the girl, after all. While potentially amusing, being struck by someone flying at 250 kilometers per hour would not be good for his continued health. He neednt have worried overmuch, as Rih swept her wings out on approach, bleeding off massive amounts of speed in seconds and gliding to a stop right in front of him. Edwin! sheined, yfully swatting his shoulder as her wings faded away. He justughed, What? I wanted to give you a hand. Mmm. Fine. But a little warning next time? And how, may I ask, would I give you a warning when youre that far out, exactly? Well, you could she trailed off before ring at him, Okay, you win this round. Ill forgive you if you do it againter. He chuckled, Deal. You know, I think its strong enough to properly lift you now. Im probably a bit heavier than you and Im almost there when not too geared up. Speaking of gear We had to toss your bag inside when we went through inspection. Second chest on the left. Thanks, she ducked inside, slipping past Inion. The fey pretended to not notice her, but the slender girl had no issue getting past her regardless. She reemerged a couple secondster with her bag slung over her shoulder, and was still adjusting it as she nimbly hopped onto the road and stepped up to walk- eh, she was more dancing then walking- beside him. So, howd it Edwin started, but found he was already drowned out by the booming voice of thest member of their little adventurers party. You rejoin us at longst! Did your quest conclude admirably? Her smile grew slightly wider as she nodded in recollection, Oh yeah. You should have seen their faces. So I was standing there like any of the other boring meetings, and they were talking about how despite their best efforts they still hadnt gotten an adequate recement, yadda yadda, and the whole time Im trying to not just straight-up yawn just because of how boring it all is. Then this one real pain, Soraes, decides to puff his feathers by saying how I clearly cant be trusted because I said Id have troublee winter and spring but they hadnt had any kind of poor weather. Another noble said that it was probably just nature doing my job for me and I hadnt really been needed after all. Edwin couldnt hold back his chuckle, and Rih smiled even wider as her eyes twinkled, So naturally I took great delight in saying that no, as a matter of fact, I wasnt lying. Nor had the natural weather been incredibly calm, but he was right that I hadnt been needed, nor would I ever be needed again, and I was leaving the city right after the meeting. Now that set off a whole chain of amazing responses. They ranged from using me of being a faithless adventurer leaving the moment I could- lets be fair, I am- to saying I was sabotaging their city, and it was absolute pandemonium until Governor Kosvelista brought it all under control. He demanded I exin, and I mentioned that youd made an artifact which could rece the role of the city mage altogether, and they wouldnt have to keep trying to find anyone, since they were clearly having so much trouble. Edwinughed, but Yathal looked confused so he exined that, There were two nobles far, far away that were both trying to get the job, but they didnt know Rih knew that. So when I made the spinny thing upstairs, I made it so neither of the nobles could get the job. He nodded in probably-not-understanding, but he at least looked less confused so Edwin returned his attention to Rih, who had paused in her exnation. Their feathers spun such lovely shapes, let me tell you. There were a few screeches about shoddy craftsmanship, intentional sabotage, and undermining authority. I just blew back at them that my tax was to serve until a suitable recement had been found, which your little artifact definitely counted as. Some tried toin that I was flying off and leaving them with something that would clearly break immediately, but they shut up when I said it had been in use for over two weeks and had stopped one storm I wouldnt have been able to prevent without it. Wait, it did? When was there a storm? Oh yeah. It would have been a big one. Im surprised you didnt feel it. I promise it was there though. Youre the weather mage, he shrugged, I was just making sure the machine worked, and I didnt oh! Was that the day the local wind mana like doubled or something? Week and a half ago? There wasnt much consistency in what counted as a week from what Edwin had seen, but since it was Rih, a week and a half was nine days, which Yep. Thats actually good to know. I mean it should have worked but its nice to know for sure. Sorry, you were saying? Yeah! Stop interrupting! Yathalined. Excuse me for wanting to know how the debut of my greatest creation so far went. Yeah, well youre a bluequill. Kynigos barked something that Edwin got the distinct impression was an admonishment along the lines ofnguage, prompting his boy to stick his tongue out at the dog. Now that set off a whole new set of arguments, a lot of which arent suitable for young ears. Hey! Im almost ten! Thats basically an adult. And what tier are you? One he grumbled, But I know if Kyni let me then Id get to tier three quick! Youll get there eventually, Rih reassured him, Theres no need to rush it. The older you are when you be an adult, the stronger you are. Its true, Edwin confirmed, Im only tier two and look how strong I am. Wha! Yathal looked betrayed, Youre not an adult either? Howe you get to be all grown-up then? Because I made sure to level my Skills when I was young so I grew up big and strong. And you know Lefis only tier one too. Yeah, but hes Lefi. He doesnt need to be all grown-up to be awesome. Well, thats what my situation is too. Do you have a buncha Skills like him too? Rih chuckled, I dont think anyone has Skills like Lefi does. Well, maybe everyonebined does, but hes got pretty much any Skill hes seen. It is simply the burden- Let me guess, the burden of being Exceptional? It is simply the burden of exceptionalism. Edwin rolled his eyes, Sure. Im certain thats what you were about to say. Youre just mad I predicted it. s, being as Exceptional as I is not an easy task, though you make a valiant effort. Rih swatted Lefis shoulder, Stop getting distracted, you lug. Now, where was I? Arguments that Yathal isnt old enough to hear about, Edwin reminded. Right. So, lots of arguments. I managed to shut most of them up by saying you got Paths for it, but then they started using you of trying to pluck them with maintenance. It took ages before I could sneak a word in, but I eventually managed to say you were giving up all im to it, it was a gift, and that youd trained Pierash on how to keep it running for at least a decade. You should have seen their faces in response to that, ah, such a sight. The thought that a would be taking over? It kept going after that, of course, but I managed to sneak out before it got too bad, and no Task break! You know, in the abstract Id almost feel sorry for screwing over people. But at the same time, I cant say Im actually sorry for automating a superfluous task and screwing over a bunch of nobles jostling to get themselves a cushy job. I know! Messing with people who deserve it is so much fun. Off to the side, Edwin noticed Inion perk up slightly, which made sense. Fey ssically loved puncturing inted egos and providing someeuppance, and this story definitely qualified for both. So congrattions! Youre now officially a nuisance. Why, because I gave them a nigh-priceless treasure? Yep! Edwinughed, a mischievous smile creeping across his face at the thought. He had a notification pending from the looks of it, and he curiously pulled it up. Congrattions! For giving away an expensive artifact with no expectation of repayment you have unlocked the Phnthropist path! That was strange. Why did it only update now? Path? she asked. Edwin nodded, Any idea why it only just now awarded it, and not when you actually let them know I was giving them the umtor? She shrugged, It happens sometimes. Yeah, but doesnt the System know everything? Why did it wait until just now? Its never had any problem awarding me a Path for something I didnt know I had done before. Rih just shrugged again, Who knows? Hmm. Hey Lefi! Lefi didnt know either, but he did have several stories of him in a simr situation- earning a Path well past the actual actions taken to unlock it, when he found out that it had urred. At the same time, he also had stories about him learning about events which happened nearby, but he had neither heard nor seen. Proximity, perhaps? Was everyones System individual and they couldnt share information, so it could only read what should be earned based on the individuals perceptions, or they were close enough? But then how would Skills like Common Knowledge work? Or just in general, Skills which provided information to the individual that they didnt have before. Come to think of it, did Common Knowledge actually call upon some form of crowdsourced knowledge repository, or did it draw on some kind of objective truth behind the System? Hed dismissed it as likely just being the former, but if it was based on the same kind of knowledge as his Alchemy did, maybe he was missing out on something really useful. Clearly, the answer is to just stick with Rih, who has lots of Skills like that and can fill in all my gaps of knowledge His eyes drifted towards Rih, who had paused her dance to talk to Yathal about something. He didnt hear their exchange, but herugh was unmissable and almost brought a smile to Edwins face all on its own. Yeah, if shell have me. It would be nice to have a friend. It would be oh so nice. Ideally well, ideally Rih would sometime soon pass his test for friendship, and he could he wasnt sure. Be more forward? That would be awkward, but odds were good that by the time she passed the test- assuming it ever happened- hed be much morefortable about being honest around her. Not that she was ufortable now, but He shook his head, and his fingers idly reached for a string bracelet that hadnt been on his wrist for years. As Rih started ying her flute once again, Edwins mind couldnt help but wander back slightly to a time before No. He was not going into that now. It was thinking about Earth as well as already-painful memories. This was a good day. He wasnt allowed to feel bad. He did keep half an eye out in hopes that Rih or Inion had noticed hispse into sadness, but no such luck. He was absolutely awful with emotions, he knew. For both his own and those of others, his strategy essentially amounted to ignore it and hope it goes away, which he knew wasnt conducive to making friends. He also didnt know how to fix that, though. Even on the off chance he did recognize when someone had an emotion, he wasnt able to muster up the social courage to do anything about it other than provide slightly-awkward advice. So it was kind of hypocritical of him to hope that anyone else might be any better in regards to him. Then again, it was really only a test to see if someone actually cared about him and his emotions or they were just pretending or being polite, so he could definitely pass the test with other people. Noticing when someone was feeling bad, then actually trying to find out what was wrong with them- even through a light dismissal- that was definitely within the realm of possibility. Right? He wasnt being unreasonable, surely. All it would take was someone just pushing a bit, when he was feeling sad, not just telling him to cheer up, but actually trying to find out why he was sad and not settling for an empty titude or two. Rih was inquisitive and empathetic, so surely shed be able to figure out if she tried. Until then, hed just wait, apparently. Wait and hope. That was no call to be sad now, though. The sun was shining, the air was clear, and he was on the road again for the first time in what had to have been six months. He was just a level or two from true, nigh-limitless flight, and he had quite fun traveling partners, each doing their own thing. Rih was ying a phenomenal, upbeat tune to which Yathal was loudly singing lyrics both off-key and off-beat. Kynigos scrambled ahead, chasing a bird off from where it had perched on the road ahead of them. Despite a heroic leap from Kynigos, the bird he was chasing got away, and the dognded in a heap. Then he picked himself up, shook himself out, and promptly started running after the next bird. Lefisughter boomed out at the scene, and even Inion smiled. Edwin grinned. What a great day. Chapter 117: Cutting it Short Chapter 117: Cutting it Short Edwin hovered slightly off the roof of the carriage, Flight serving as a basically perfect cushion to protect him from the endless rattling of the cart as it rolled down the road. Far above, the white-oveying-green wings of Rih soared through the cloudless sky. He always enjoyed watching her which sounded really weird when he thought about it in that way, but it was true. She was two levels shy from her evolution target of sixty-one, and then shed officially be fourth-tier. A stray gust of wind caught Edwins hair and blew it into his face, making him frown in annoyance and float to more of a seated position. Hed need to give himself a haircut before too long, it wasnt like they He caught himself. Of course theyd have barbers here. Fantasy people still needed haircuts, even if it was color-changing or animated or flickered like golden mes. Heck, he could probably get Lefi to give him the best haircut of his entire life. He floated to where the Adventurer sat, one hand on Bill the ponys reigns as the uining workhorse pulled along Edwins carriage. There was a tiny part of Edwin that still had trouble reconciling the appearance of a sixteen-year-old boy with the probably century-old omnpetent figure he actually was, but two and a half years was a long time to get used to the bizarre. Hey Lefi, you dont happen to have a Haircutting Skill, do you? he asked then shook his head, Nevermind, of course youd have it, stupid question. Rather, I dont suppose I could get a haircut from you? They never As a matter of fact, friend Edwin, I do not! Oh cool, so as I was saying wait, did you just say you didnt? Edwin dropped down to float next to the Adventurer as he consulted his Status, There are basic-level Skills you dont have? So it would seem. Indeed! I will dly give you a haircut. So you can get the Skill, now that you realize you dont have it? The annoyingly wide ever-present smile on Lefis face grew even wider, You know me so well. They stopped for camp somewhat earlier that night, Lefi quite eager to rectify the newfound hole in his Skillset. Having both initiated the process and with the most normal hair out of all of them, Edwin went first. Despite some slight misgivings, the end result was actually really impressive. For all that Lefi might not have had a dedicated barber Skill, thepounding effects of at a minimum twenty rted Skills made for a phenomenallyfortable and quality haircut by the end of the process. Yathal was next in line, more than willing toply with the request of his hero. As the boy slowly lost the appearance of a wild, untamed child to Lefis knife, Edwin examined his new haircut in a reflective pool that Inion conjured, You know, I like it. In the past, whenever I had my hair this short my ears would always get ufortably cold, but Adaptive Resistance pushes past that. I thought it didnt help with difort? Rih asked. It doesnt, Inion supplied. So I dont know why that makes any difference. I mean if youd let me actually answer for myself, I could tell you. The fey just rolled her eyes and floated off to chat with Lefi about something, which was a bit more than Edwin was really expecting- shed actually removed herself from the situation for once. Anyway, the way it feels like Adaptive Defense works for me is that theres this pool of defense that it can supply. If I stick my hand in a fire, it works to cut the heat from the mes before it gets to my hand and tries to burn me. Its not instantaneous, and definitely has some level of upper bound, but at almost level fifty it does a pretty good job of protecting me from whatever might hurt. I mean, it also fades after a while, and I think thats just because it switches to protecting me against stuff like UV radiation and general atmospheric pollutants, because it sticks around way longer when I stay inside and that means I might be aging slightly slower and youre not following any of this, are you? No, she admitted, But its fun to watch you get so excited over this sort of thing. Its very human. Is that apliment? He wondered, but didnt voice. Right, so anyway. Adaptive Defense will interpose itself between me and whatever external force might be present, but it doesnt go away just because the stimnt does. So when I get really cold it sticks around until something else reces it. So you got really cold at one point and now youre just gliding on that Adaption? Spent an hour outside in the cold without my coat on, he shrugged. And you didnt ask me to help with this? I didnt want to bother you Edwin, it would take all of three seconds to use Chilling Grasp on you, and I can guarantee that it would be more effective than sitting out in the cold for an hour, and way morefortable. Okay, okay. It doesnt take an hour though. Like ten minutes was enough for this, he vaguely indicated his ears. Hmm. How fast does it change over? Well, the speed varies somewhat. Its definitely based on how damaging something is, as well as my level. Well, only sort of my level. I think it still takes the same amount of time for the full Skill to change, its just that as the Skill gets stronger, theres more for it to actually switch and a smaller fraction of the Skill has a more obvious effect. Rih nodded in understanding. Also oh, thats a thought. Remind me to try that out a bitter. Try what? Right, sorry. Adaptive Defenses speed seems to key off of Stamina. At least, I definitely sense Stamina working whenever its switching targets. Rih nodded in understanding, You want to see if your Stamina Maniption will let you manually change what your defense is against. Yeah. It might make it actually useful for once against something that I actuallye across without needing like an hour under its exposure. Or if nothing else, keep my resistances at a level where theyre actually useful. That would be nice. I dont want you getting frostbite just so you feel moderately warm. We can get you a coat, you know. Eh, my torso is fine. I swear this thing is heated sometimes. But maybe I should get a hat or something, yeah. It certainly wouldnt hurt, he mused. Lefi says its your turn! Yathal cut in. His haircut was over, and while not quite as short as Edwins new hairstyle, was still significantly more trimmed than Edwin had ever seen. There was probably some kind of clever name for the kind of cut that the boy had but blight if he knew what it was. Oh is it now? she asked, And you look very dapper, she told Yathal, reaching over to ruffle his hair slightly- earning a quiet protest from Lefi. She stood up from her seat, fingersbing through her hair to free it of the loose braid she normally kept it in, allowing it to fall to its full length about halfway down her back. Edwin reflected it was kind of amusing they were talking about him being cold, in really thick travel andb gear, when Rih had more skin exposed than covered on her entire upper torso, but seasonal ice mages did as seasonal ice mages did. Or would it be her fire mage talents that would render her morefortable in the cold? Come to think of it, how would cold resistance even work. Well no, that was stupid. It would just be an instor of some sort. That was the one kind of resistance that actually made sense, definitely more than Well no, poison resistance also made sense. Social Skill resistance? Eh, it seemed to act on the brain not dissimrly to emotions or presumably drugs, so no, actually that didnt really make sense unless he could configure Adaptive Defense to protect himself from his emotions. Actually Rihs haircut didnt take long, certainly not long enough for Edwin to figure out how he could use Stamina Maniption to affect Adaptive Defense, let alone how he could turn it against the parts of his brain that annoyed him. But it was enough for a bit of a start, and he felt decently confident that with a bit of practice and likely a few more levels in the Skill hed make it. By the end, Rihs hair had lost several inches, bringing it to just below her shoulders, and Edwin wandered over to where she and Inion were engaged in some very animated discussion about. Ah. They were arguing again. Well couldnt you just think about someone else for once? Its my hair. And no mangy little mortal is going to touch it with their rusty little knives! My hair is wonderful and it will not be touched! Oh excuse me miss princess. I didnt realize that you care more about your hair than all of usbined! Ha! As though you arent the exact same. I know all about your kind, and what sorts of things you get up to! At least Im honest about what I do, I dont hide behind a smile and a lowered attachment to a part of me. Friends! It is alright, I neednt cut Lady Inions hair. I assure you, there simply is no need! Theres no need to fight over such a trivial matter. Yeah well its not just this and you know that full well! If you dont want to lose even a single hair for the group, Im so happy to know that we can count on your help if we ever actually need it. Will you decide to help us out only if you dont get dust on your talons? When was thest time you decided to actually help instead of foisting it off to someone else? You havent driven in almost two weeks! Hey, hey, Edwin protested, I offered for that, I didnt realize it would be some big thing that grew into all this. Neither seemed to hear him, and they just continued to escte in volume and vitriol heedless of his protests. Edwin wasnt sure if even they fully were cognizant of what they were saying, he certainly wasnt able to follow the ovepping shouts. They only stopped when Lefi physically stepped in, grabbing each of them by the scruff of their neck and hauling them apart, Thats enough. his voice was stern, Edwin is trying to talk to you. Edwin was stunned by this revtion, and took a moment to collect himself, Oh, um right. Um. Can you guys just not, please? Um. Yeah well you tell her that/Only if she stops! they yelled simultaneously, then red daggers at each other. What changed anyway? I mean I know you guys dont get along, but like you could at least tolerate each other. I also thought both of you were... never mind. Edwin mostly counted himself lucky that Inion was keeping herself as constrained as she was. He knew from experience just how terrifying the fey could be when he was truly threatened. Now that he thought about it that made her ims that Rih was mentally manipting him ring somewhat hollow- if she genuinely thought that, she would be much more aggressive about trying to stop Rih, wouldnt she? He shuddered slightly at the memory of the alien-looking Inion utterly brutalizing thest person to truly threaten him he definitely wanted to avoid that. How about this, Lefi stepped back in, Both of you, take a break. Inion, hop into a river. Rih, you fly a cloud. Neither of youe back until you can look the other in the eye and not get mad, got it? Good. Now go. Yathal is being more mature than both of you right now. The praise made the kid puff his chest out in pride, but that broke down into giggles when Kyni gave him a big congrattory lick. Meanwhile, Rih and Inion couldnt resist each throwing out a final barb, and Edwin was very d that Yathal was apparently distracted by his Companion and hadnt heard them. Then they were gone, and with them, most of the tension in the camp. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief, Honestly, most of the time they behave so maturely and properly, then you put them in the same room and its like they turn into quarreling kids. Lefi shrugged, Its not unusual when well, its not that rare, shall we say? Humans, Edwin sighed, then frowned, Wait, thats not urate. People. Lefi chuckled, sat down at his own temporary barber salon while Edwin got their campfire started. He was about halfway done gathering wood- Firestarting meant he never had to worry about how dry it was, which was nice- when Kynigos suddenly sat up from his rxed position by the cart, giving out a quick bark. Were gonna have people, Yathal tranted, And Kyni doesnt think theyll be friendly. He wrapped his arms around his legs, pulling himself into a bit of a ball. Edwin nodded, turning to Lefi, Whats even up with all these bandit groups, anyway? It was never this bad in the past when I traveled. I just had my single dedicated random encounter, but this is the third one this week. Many turn to piging during the winter months, Lefi exined, trying to cut a lock of blond hair- hed extinguished the golden mes that normally covered his head while trying to cut it, which made it lose luster and animation. As their viges might not be able to support all those within it, some might be cast out and forced to fend for themselves. Other times entire viges may take to raiding their neighbors for supplies while the Couriers are more restricted. Here in particr, were skirting slightly along the edges of provinces, so theres fewer patrols, less opportunity for criminals to be hunted down, so more take the opportunity. Then, of course, we look like a tempting target to those whock a significant range to their Identify. Hm, fair. I keep forgetting that most people have an Identify range of like four meters, he mused. It is very useful for the likes of us, but it is rare that those with no adventure in their life would have much cause for it, yes. Any idea how long out they are? Edwin asked Yathal, Or how many? Uhh Kyni says a few minutes? And more than one, but maybe some tryna hide? Eh, good enough. Should I get my stuff? The first time theyd encountered bandits, Edwin had been fairly nervous. His encounters with the more murderous or extortive variety of ouws hadnt gone terribly well previously, but Lefi essentially trivialized the possibility. If he couldnt just straight-up intimidate them into leaving, he was easily the best fighter Edwin had actually seen in action other than maybe Tara. Well, that was the assumption at least. The four times their encounters had actuallye to blows, they were practically blink-and-miss-it affairs. Lefi had mentioned that Edwin should get practice at some point, and he didnt travel carrying all of his weapons any more than his travelingpanions did. Lefi shook his head, though, Should it prove applicable for you to fight, it would be better that you utilize just what you carry on you. So, what? Like three fireballs and six smoke grenades? Is that truly all you have? Well, no, but its not that far off Look, Im just very hesitant about carrying high explosives on my person, okay? But if you want healing potions, that I can help you with. It will be sufficient. Should you need aid, I will be there. Hope we arent interruptin nothin, a voice yelled out, But yell have ta pay the road tax if ye wanna camp here. A young man- okay, a few years older than Edwin- in mismatched clothes emerged from the nearby treeline. While most of his getup was unkempt, as were those of his allies emerging behind him, the sickle he carried gleamed with light and two distinct Skills. What would this tax be then? Lefi called out. Lets say oh, half of what youve got in that there cart? Edwin suppressed a grin. Well, if they insisted there was definitely some stuff that hed love for them to get. Possibly at 200 meters per second to their temple. Do you want me to get them? That phrasing is way too perfect. Not this time, I do not think. I believe they have anotherpatriot hiding nearby, and I do not wish for you to potentially be put into jeopardy. Someone hiding? Fine by me. Lefi didnt reignite his hair as he strode forward towards the motley crew, leaving his weapons and even his haircutting dagger behind. Edwin knew from prior experience that while Lefi was insanely good with all of his weapons, when he was actually fighting instead of training, he rarely actually used any of them. Instead, he preferred using everything in his surroundings and his own opponents weapons against them, and this would be no different. He was, after all, only outnumbered six to one. Hello, friends! I believe theres been a bit of a misunderstanding, but I believe I may be able to help you in other ways, Lefi started. Has that ever worked? Edwin asked the air, not really expecting a reply, but Yathal piped up from his ce beside Kynigos, still speaking quietly enough his voice didnt carry far. It did this one time a bit after he picked us up. There was this one guy who tried to mug us and Kyni wanted to protect me but he just kicked the guys legs out from under him and then helped him up and tried ta teach him about how ta properly hold a sword. By the end of it, the guy was really sorry and happy. He followed us to to to the next city, and Lefi got him set up as an Adventurer. Huh. Well, good for him I guess? Edwin idly wondered if Lefi had some sort of Persuasion Skill that he was trying to level. It wouldnt surprise him. Honestly, if he didnt have it, that would be the real shock. Two Skills that the Adventurer didnt have in a single day? Edwin cast his Perception back to where Lefi was exchanging words with the Protective Lirasian Rancher that seemed to be the small bands leader. It wasnt going well, which wasnt that much of a surprise, but there was apparently some hidden bandit somewhere? Edwin flexed his Perception trying to pick out a humanoid figure somewhere, but no luck Hmm. The lead bandit drew back his arm, preparing to cut down Lefi with his sickle. Then the mans chest exploded. A shower of blood and gore burst out where the bandits lungs had been mere seconds prior, a ck partially-curved de piercing the mans heart- the only remaining recognizable organ in the viscera spilling out- and pulling it back on a thin silver chain. The heart vanished into ck smoke, being seemingly drunk in by the khopesh-like de as the weapon struck out once more, burying itself in the back of the next bandits head. From there, it was a very bloody few moments of carnage that left Edwin mostly shell-shocked and all the bandits very dead. Lefi had found the time to react to the carnage, sheltering his face behind an elbow that nheless left him fairly covered in blood. He didnt remain dirty for long, though, and with just a quick brush-down, all the blood that was on him simply dripped off. What the heck had that been? He looked at Yathal. The eight-year-old was frozen in ce, eyes wide and unresponsive to Yathals prodding nudges. The dog in turn looked very concerned about his boy, but Edwin didnt have much time to really check on him, not when there was something dangerous about. A hooded figure emerged from the woods, looking almost like a living shadow slinking away from the cover and approaching them. As it drew closer, an even smaller piece of shadow broke away and flew towards the fallen bandits, resolving into a raven- a Skill of some sort, not an actual creature- and picking over the fallen bodies of the bandits. Edwin pulled out a fireball, the magically enhanced white phosphorus hidden in his palm as this new reaper drew closer and closer, Thats close enough! he yelled. Hello there! Lefi called out at the same time, How may we help you? Bah, the shadow spat out, and the obscuring effect faded to show a tall,nky figure, face gaunt and pale like a skull, a silver scar crossing one eye and standing in sharp contrast to almost pitch-ck hair the color of a moonless sky. He stalked dangerously towards them, an intimidating figure of... What the heck am I thinking? Edwin frowned. That was a mental Skill, he could tell, but it just affected his internal monologue? Biased his thoughts? Hm. Well, while the exact Skill at y was tricky to pick out, Skillful Assessment simply revealing the man- well, boy if he was being honest- to have a figure absolutely full of ck, red, and purple Skills all so intertwined it was difficult to tell where one began and the previous one ended. If he dedicated enough Perception to it- toning back Numeracy and his arcanoception topensate- he could pick out a reddish-purple Skill with a structure simr to Rihs Good Impression, so that was probably the culprit. With his mind now free of Skill-induced biases, he was able to take a proper look at the new arrival. He was a bit shorter than Edwin, wore a ck longcoat that was both a Trophy Skill and made of some kind of leather, and wore so many belts, each with at least one knife strapped to it. On one hand, a manacle attached to a silver chain connected his wrist to the same ck khopesh-like de that had heralded his arrival. Edwin could already feel a headacheing on, and the guy hadnt even opened his mouth yet. Youre wee. They would have killed and gutted you all. Bandits dont care about your feelings, what you want, or whatever pathetic pleas to emotion you were preparing to spew at them. Youre lucky I was around to save you. Edwin raised an eyebrow, and he could even imagine Lefi being taken aback by the boys utter dismissal of them. Did he just not have Identify, or did he not use it? Lefis currently-disyed ss was as an Adventurer-Mage, and nobody would think a mage wasnt able to take care of themselves, even if Lefi was just a fake-mage, that didnt really matter. Well, friend. What brings you out here? Im not your friend. And I was tracking these bandits, they took something from me and I want it back. His raven returned to his shoulder, and the Edwin sighed, the Ebony de of Midnight Darkness turned his scowl to even more of a re, Great. Its not here. Well, guess I need to track down their hideout now. I suppose you had beste with me as to keep yourselves out of trouble, but dont. Get. In. My. Way. Understood? It might have been wishful thinking, but Edwin could have almost sworn he saw Lefis fingers twitch in frustration at the neers attitude. They did look about the same age, and Edwin would be lying if he didnt cringe heavily about the sorts of things that he aspired to at that age, but he just took it just too far. At least he could take sce in the fact that he was at least not alone in his feelings Yathal had wide eyes, and looked almost starstruck. Oh great. The Way Ahead Book 1 is Now on Amazon! The Way Ahead Book 1 is Now on Amazon! You all... probably didn''t read the title, so here''s the good news! Volume 1 is now for sale as an ebook, audiobook, and paperback! Reviews are an enormous help, but if you want to see the freshly-revamped story of Edwin''s early days to remember fondly (or not-so-fondly) they''re there for the taking! (And of course, any excuse to show off my cover) Chapter 118: Pizza Cutter Personality Chapter 118: Pizza Cutter Personality That was so cool! Yathal yelled, You were all like woah, and then slice and chop and they didnt even see iting! Howd you do it? You saying something, kid? the neer asked, Speak properly or dont at all. I know! Getting big and strong, just like you. Thats what I wanna do. Just you watch me, Ill do it too! Hey there kid, stay back. Quit bbering and go y with your dog." Yeah! I know, it was so cool! Can you teach me that? Wait, they were just talkingpletely past each other, what was... Oh right. You dont have Polyglot, do you? Edwin asked, I know Yathal doesnt because hes still pushing Language to sixty- Kyni barked. Sixty-six, whatever. Doesnt matter right now. But youre what, tier three? He sized up the Skills slowly beating within the boys body, trying to get a feel for their nature and density. None felt that high of a level, but there were quite a fewplex Skill structures present. Not quite soplex as Inion, more than the average citizen or Lefi, more on par with Rih, Tier four? And you didnt take the single most useful Skill in the entire System? Words are meaningless. The onlynguage I need is the one of blood and Skills. What did words ever do? Found empires, topple tyrants, create civilization, enlighten entire swaths of people as to the nature of reality? Tell you what your Skills can do? Nothing but dust on the wind. The moment anyone finds themselves out of their depth, the first thing they always want to do is talk. Its disgusting, they dont have the strength to defend themselves so they debase themselves pleading for mercy or proiming their innocence as though that has anything to do with their survival. Are you listening to me at all? What makes you worth listening to? We have stuff to say? Edwin shook his head, Never mind. It is impressive that you have achieved such a high Tier at such a young age, young Dont call me young, dont you go dismissing me just because of my age. Ill tear you inside out if you arent careful, you little brat. The de was back in the boys hand and aimed at Lefis throat. Lefi took a half-step back and raised his hands in a cating gesture, Peace. I apologize for offending you. The raven-haired rogue nodded grimly, scowling as he stowed his weapon once more, flitting like a shadow Edwin squashed the slight influence he felt from the Skill, twisting his perceptions to make the kid seem more intimidating than he really was. It wasnt powerful, but it was annoyingly persistent, and Adaptive Defense didnt deem it enough of a hazard to actually defend against. Not that hed want it to un-defend from the cold, that was much too useful. Though Rih did offer to help him out if he needed it next time and he wouldnt mind taking her up on that offer Bad Edwin. Stay focused, he blinked and tried to pull his inner thoughts back in order,ing to an amusing realization. Heh. So much for words being meaningless. Good. So whats your name? Edwin finally asked. I have no name. None that the world hasnt already taken from me. I am but a nameless shadow of vengeance, so you may call me just that. I am Dark Shadow of Vengeance. Edwin sighed. Hmm ording to Alchemy and a brief consultation with some of his alchemy notes, he could make a fairly effective bright pink dye with mostly just what he had, assuming he could get some wait, a pink was a kind of flower? Was that where the color name hade from? He privately swore to give the guy a coat of bright pink paint at some point. He didnt expect it would have much of a positive impact on his behavior, but it would at least be amusing to see, and honestly that was all he could really hope for at this point. So then what are you avenging? My parents. I never knew them, but I managed to track down an old friend of theirs, and before he was murdered, he told me that my parents were exceptionally wealthy and powerful, to the point where they inspired jealousy in the eyes of their neighbors. So, they were murdered and their killers never brought to justice. So now, Im hunting down everyst clue I can find about them, trying to discover who wielded the knife which threw me to the streets. I am a perfect weapon, carefully crafted to discover secrets, prying them from the lips of scum who may have them if needed, and return the same kind of care to those who helped my parents murder as they showed me. Thats what Sanguine Shadow is for, finding the things I cant see. He summoned his shadow-raven once more, giving it a brief stroke with his hand before sending it into the air, where it flew off into the distance. So did you ever get actual advice from a Registrar? Im not sure how you got to your current ss choices. As though Id ever let them strap me into their little chairs and pick apart everything that makes me me. No, Ive crawled my way from the ground since I was born. Edwin felt the boy- he refused to call him by that absolutely absurd name, hed go with Bob. Nobody scary could be called Bob. Okay, that was decidedly untrue. Humor of name and actual danger were entirely unrted, but it would be much harder to take them seriously. Actually, he wondered if he could Edwin pushed at the Skill, and he felt Polyglot click surprisingly easily. Hed need someone to actually say Bobs name, but if he did it right, it should trante for him as simply Bob, and probably the other way around as well. Where was he? Oh, right. There was a mental Skill probing at his defenses. Well, it seemed to have subsided after his momentary distraction, so mission sess? Whatever. A quick query to Memory filled him in on what hed missed. I grew up on the streets, you see. No mother or father to coddle me, make me weak. No, all I ever had was what nobody could take from me. My Skills and my fists. So I used them, and I used them well. By the time I grew up, everyone knew better than to mess with me. They did, Id kill them and use their head as a stone to throw at the next fool who wanted to pick a fight. Well that was a morbid picture, though Edwin couldnt help but wonder how long these heads usually sat around before being used for. Were they dposed at all? I learned real quickly that none of the other kids were my friends either, and the ones that said they were were always the worst. I threw a bunch of their heads over the years, though a few just ended up dying on me, being too weak to truly survive the moment I left them alone. So, better to be alone. I was fast and I was strong though, and my little corner always had fresh blood from thetest little punk trying to prove themselves with their stupid, weak little Imperial sses. That weakness isnt for me, so I embraced the darkness. The Imperials all use the light, you see, and it weakens them. So I knew better, and the night became mine. I was reborn in the darkness, molded it, made it my ally and my kingdom. But evil still lurks in the bright rays of day, so I must venture beyond my home to confront it, and to spare the innocent for one more day. So what brought you out here? Lefi prompted. Yathal was sitting wide-eyed and in awe of Bob. Edwin didnt know how much he could understand of the morbid tale, but he hoped it was minimal. The trail for my parents murder is old, so I need to find everyst possible lead that might exist, and one of those leads was a silver and gold medallion which belonged to my mother. I had it for some time, after I pried it out of the cold, dead hands of the assassin who killed the avior who knew my parents friend, who was also murdered while I was asking them questions, and their killer enved me for several years as an assassin. Eventually, I got good enough I was able to assassinate my employer and took the medallion back, and tried to uncover what the writing on its back meant. I nearly had deciphered its secrets when a pickpocket swiped it from me. I taught the pickpocket a lesson in why you dont do that, of course, but he had already passed it along to his fence. He, I needed to beat out that hed passed it along to a merchant headed south, but before I could track down and find that merchant, I discovered that hed been murdered and eaten by a river drake. Then, that drake was killed by a hunter who This is getting ridiculous, Edwin mused as he tuned out the endlessly-talkative man, Are all adventurers living caricatures, or is this just really unlikely? And if its the former, what am I a caricature of? Then, after I escaped my envement, which is what gave me this scar, I found that it had been stolen by another bandit who had been recruited into arger group of malcontents, and theyd settled down and were preying on helpless travelers in this area. Unfortunately, they were exceptionally good at hiding themselves, so I prowled these woods for a week, waiting for them to show themselves before you came along and finally baited them out. Unfortunately, none of them have the medallion on them, which means it must be back at thatir, which, now that I have some of their blood, Sanguine Shadow is now able to look for. Thats so cool! How can I get a raven of my own? Howd you get that sword? Am I as strong as you were when I was at my age? Whered you get that scar? Whats the chain on your wrist for? Whyd you kill all those people. Well, other than it looking cool anyway. Can I... Bob stopped paying attention to Yathal altogether as his shadow-raven swooped back in, and he looked at it for a few seconds before nodding tersely, Excellent. Sanguine Shadow here has found the banditsir. It is not far from here, but you had beste with me for your own safety. I suppose you may as well benefit from my intervention as well, you may have all that they plundered which I am not interested in myself. Just mind yourselves, I do not want to have to save your pathetic little lives again today. If Im going to go through the trouble of ensuring your safety once, I may as well ensure that your meaningless little existences arent snuffed out before dark. Was that apliment, or an insult? Edwin wondered aloud, quietly enough that only Lefi and Kyni were likely to hear him, I genuinely couldnt tell. Lefi let out a bark ofughter, Why must it be either? Point, he admitted as Bob started to walk north, and Lefi moved to follow him. Were going along with this guy? he asked. He does not mean us harm, so you neednt fear him thusly. No, Im not worried about him, Edwin shook his head, I more just cant believe were humoring him. Ah, well this certainly does seem to be an interesting diversion, does it not? Interesting? I guess technically, in that its not what were usually up to. Precisely! It is, after all, not as though we are in any particr hurry. And? We have time isnt exactly sufficient on its own. And I believe that this could be a valuable experience for Yathal. That got a distinctly raised eyebrow as Edwin incredulously pointed at where the kid was still eagerly trying to talk at the brooding man, heedless of thenguage barrier Valuable in a good way? How? Hell quickly see the faults in the approach, and gain a greater appreciation for proper behavior. Hes eight. Nearly nine. Thats not the, he sighed, How long has it been since you were that age? Some decades. Right. And I suppose you were just as exceptional in your mind as you are now, yeah? Yeah. I think you may be forgetting just how influential the cool older kids can be when youre finding your footing. And him? Mysterious, brooding, and utterly unppable? Yeah no, thats about the coolest you can get at that age. If were lucky, Yathal will just not want to cut his hair for a long time so that it can fall slightly over his eye. Worry not! All will be fine. I know how these things fall by the wayside. Are you sure? Edwin was more than willing to concede that he had no idea what normal behavior was, so if Lefi was certain I am. Okay Edwin sighed, So then should we really all go, though? I cant imagine well actually get that much out of this. Of course! This is clearly a sidequest of grave import, it is imperative we are not separate for this! Who knows what fascinating thing we might uncover that we all would want to be together for. Then should we call the girls back? Were already separate, after all, and I dont want them to show up to all this mess while were off with Bob. Lefi raised an eyebrow. Wait, did my trick not work? That would sound really weird if it didnt, Im sure. No, it functioned admirably. I merely was surprised, by your decisions. Edwin shrugged, Not sure how to respond to that. Anyway, calling them back? The Adventurer nodded, Though strife would not be beneficial, I will inform them that we will be leaving for a short time, and allow them toe to their own conclusions. He stepped away, a set of Skills blossoming in the air around him and pulsing outwards. As he wasnt the intended recipient, Edwin of course heard none of the Discrete Communication, but the Skill- derived from abination of Whispering and Shouting- was one he was fairly familiar with by now. Depending on how far away they were, the message might take a few seconds to reach Rih and Inion, but theyd hear it soon enough. Sure enough, less than a minuteter, Edwin felt the bundle of magic that heralded Rihs return, and she swooped down, alighting gently atop the carriage before hopping down. Finally, Edwin would have someone else on his side that Bob was absolutely insane and should be avoided. Oh, whos this? she asked You may call me Bob, but I am the one responsible for saving the sorry hides of your travelingpanions. Oh, is that right? You saved my friends? You shoulda seen it! It was so cool! He didnt even need to try, he just walked up and wham, they all exploded and lost their heads! Hes got this really cool sword that even Lefi doesnt have thats all curved and is super duper sharp! Just a little flick and then blood! Well that sounds very impressive, she agreed, reaching down and picking up Yathal, Have you been nice to him? I tried, he pouted, But he cant understand me. Hm. Well, do you see what we mean why Polyglot is so important? Yes Id take it now if I could! Im sure you would, she smiled. So, you saved them? Correct. I was hunting down a coven of absolute scum, bandits who prey upon the weak and defenseless, and yourpanions were to be their next targets. So, I stopped them. Well, Im sure we would have managed. Are you responsible for that ruffian? Bob pointed at Lefi. Am I responsible for this ruffian? Rih asked, You know what, yeah. I am definitely responsible for him, I shouldnt have left him unattended for so long, and what makes you ask? Oh, hes just very rude and brusque. You ought to teach him manners before someone less tolerant than I decides to cut out his tongue. I will keep that in mind. Thank you so much for your generosity. Good, you recognize my benevolence. Nowe on, I do not wish to have to rescue you again from whatever bloodthirsty rabbit decides to maraud you while I am upied, it is time to plunder the bandits nest. Well, dont you have any friends that could do that for you? Rih prodded. Friends? Who needs friends. Unreliable, untrustworthy, more trouble than theyre worth, I certainly dont need them. Well, if you had them, one of you could just stay here and keep an eye on us, couldnt they? Also, they make you happy. And just have them die on me as well? Never. Happiness is but a fleeting illusion, wasted by the endless cycle of attempting to befriend some random person. Far more trouble than its worth, not that its worth much to begin with. Edwin had a sudden, horrible realization. Was this what he sounded like to people? Almost certainly. Ugh. Well, hopefully he wasnt this bad with his moping, but it was a very slim hope. At least he knew that he had a problem, and wasnt that half the battle or something? Please tell me youre just having fun with him, and not actually buying into his nonsense, Edwin asked Rih when she fell back far enough to walk alongside him. Oh, you know me so well. I havent found someone so much fun to prod in ages, she giggled. Even you werent nearly as prickly when we first met. Oi! Sheughed, Wait, perhaps you still are. I- that was- I meant h. Edwin gave up on figuring out a clever retort and settled for swatting Rihs arm, Keep this up, and Im dyeing you bright pink as well. Oh, I think it''d be worth it. Contrary to what Edwin was imagining, the bandit hideaway was neither a fortress or spacious cave, just a small farmhouse on the outskirts of the forest. Just outside loomed the burned-out husk of a barn, and the fields immediately around it were overgrown and untended. The house itself, while not in great repair, at least looked habitable. The interior was nothing too special, only about twice as big as the outside and made with smooth-cut lumber for the walls and the floor. While only a single story tall, there did seem to be a basement or cer of some form, but it was of less interest to their little band than the pile of discarded stuff in one corner. There was plenty of wooden utensils and containers, sacks of food, and a few boxes of coin, but onemodity in particr caught Edwins eye. Ooh, lead. Why the heck do they have so much? he asked confused, looking at the pile of dark metal he uncovered after moving aside a bag of wheat, mostly fashioned into ingots. Theyre brigands. No doubt they managed to obtain the Unintelligence Attribute and raised it at the expense of everything else. It would exin why they decided to remain together, if nothing else. Look over there, you can see where their previous leader was betrayed and killed. Edwin looked over to the corner of the room, where a slight discoloration of the wood did make it look a bit like a bloodstain. You can see the struggle y out perfectly. He was sitting in a chair right there, talking to someone on the other side of that table. Then, his second-inmand snuck up behind him with a dagger. de under the armpit, that close to the heart blood will flow like a river, and he was dead before he hit the ground. No doubt there was a Skill used, but the former second-inmand left the stain as a reminder of why they all obeyed him. Im pretty sure this is wine, Edwin noted, frowning at his Analysis report, Not blood. As though I dont know blood when I see it, pouring around me like such unending tides spilled from the bodies of my enemies. Yeah, Edwin. Cant you tell the difference between blood and wine? I know you dont like either of them, but surely you the great alchemist can figure it out. Rih teased, and Edwin shot back a re, rolling his eyes. Not you too, he protested. Oh, but you heard the great and mighty Bob, didnt you? You wouldnt doubt what a mason told you was stone, would you? Let the artist of blood tell you all about his medium. Theres no beauty in blood, no more than the rest of the world. It clots and stains, drenching everything it touches in its stench. My hands are simply more stained than most, with a stench that will nevere clean. Now thats just dreadful. Edwin, do you still have some of that super-soap? Super-soap? I have no clue what youre talking about. You know, that stuff you were talking about that you used to get out the sap from the trees? For your home? Back in the Verdant? Oh, that stuff. No, I used it all up, and why would I still have it anyway? That was like two years ago. And besides, its not even useful as soap, its just an alchemicalpound meant to remove water from wood. Its probably thest thing youd want to use on yourself. Huh. So no? Yes, thats a no, Rih. Anyway, dont mind me, but I could use this much metal he busied himself packing away the lead. Without a bag, it was a little awkward, but he had enough pockets to make it work once he really pushed Improbable Arsenal. No, no, no! Bob yelled in frustration. What would be the matter, friend? Not your friend! And the medallion! Its not here! Now theres a shock, Edwin muttered. Rih gently cuffed his shoulder in admonishment, but he just shrugged at her, What? Oh right, you werent here for that. Hes been looking for this thing for five years at least, but it keeps on slipping past. Little harsh though, isnt it? He shrugged, If he seemed actually sad rather than melodramatic Id be a lot more sympathetic. I just cant let myself actually feel sorry for him, because hes just so ridiculous. He paused for a moment as he picked over a bit more of the loot scattered around. There wasnt that much noteworthy, Bob having imed the most obvious valuables, but they would have their food stocks resupplied, and he had ideas for the several hundred pounds of lead hed gotten. Still, if he stuck around for much longer he looked at the moody ouw, who was muttering to himself darkly, Skill-enhanced shadows obscuring his face He was going to need a lot of pink dye. Chapter 119: Splitting Edge Chapter 119: Splitting Edge Night had fallen by the time Inion finally returned to their camp. Yathal had given up on trying tomunicate with Bob and was instead sitting by the fire, stroking Kynigos head as he stared into the mes. Bob was brooding off near the treeline, Lefi was trying to give himself another haircut, and Rih yed a soft, quiet luby on her flute. Edwin, for his part, was messing around with some of his newfound glut of lead, a few possibilities for it dancing around his mind, but it would take extensive testing before they were actually realized. As usual, Kynigos was the first to note the approach of anyone near their camp, letting out a quick yap to get their attention, a bark just as much a greeting to Inion as a heads-up that she was back. Most of them made no move to wee her back, because why would they? Of course, there was one person around who didnt know otherwise... Stop right in your tracks, foul creature! Oh, did nobody exin to Bob that they had another member of your group? Oops. Well, someone should probably exin the situation before he identally hurt himself or Inion with the sword he was waving around. Oooh! Now who might you be? Inion, of course, was both instantly enamored with Bob and wholly unfazed by the semi-animated sword he tried to stab her with. She simply moved and transformed into water to avoid his strikes while she closed the distance. I am a Bob, and you will not harm these people while I draw breath. Stay where you are, and I wont show you how I got that name. Oh, youre a Bob. I didnt know. How fascinating. Well, now that I know, I will be sure to keep that in mind. Now, if youll excuse me, one of the humans in that group is mine. Never! You will not im their lives while I live, and should you seed, I will ensure your final moments are filled with oceans of your own blood and- Bob! Its alright, shes with us. Edwin spoke up, just trying to get him to shut up already. What? This creature is with you? He shrugged, Yeah. Shes well, not harmless, but definitely on our side. Bob eyed her suspiciously, You might have them fooled, but not I. I can see into your ck and twisted heart, I will be waiting for you to slip up even momentarily and then I will end you. I do not know what sorcery you have worked upon them to make them believe you, but know that I will never fall victim to it. I will sit here in silence until the weight of your crimes drives you to confess. That is when I drove my de straight through his heart, killing him in an instant for daring to defy me, Bob boasted. Hed been talking nonstop for the past half hour or more, telling Inion all about his dark and troubled past. Oh, youre delightful. Delight implies that I have so much as a single ray of sunshine within my personality I have not smothered myself. You will find no such impurities within me, Bob sneered. Of course not, Inion reassured the boy, Youre positively terrifying. I simply find terrifying and pitch-ck hearts to be delightful. Its good that you can find humor and delight in such bleak situations. It is far more than I am capable of, because who would ever enjoy or appreciate me? No such ephemeral, fleeting emotions such as joy are worth pursuing. Oh is that right?Yes. The only thing truly worth pursuing is the death of those corrupt and inept enough to rot this entire society from the top down. They are far too strong to be within my reach, but one day I will topple this entire awful system, starting from the very top. Right! That is quite enough, young man! Lefis hand suddenly snaked out and grabbed Bob by his cor, lifting the brooding ouw wholly into the air, that sort of plotting is something I will not stand for. Put me down right now you cretin! he demanded, iling. Hey, put him down! Yathal added. Aww, dont take him away! Blight, finally. Edwin sighed in relief, Ive been waiting far too long for someone to shut him up. Ohe on, it wasnt that bad. Were you listening to the same thing I was? I swear, he must have used the words blood, darkness, and shadow, more than not in all of that. Ohe on, it wasnt that bad. Felt like it, he muttered. Rih said something else, but he waved her off gently so he could properly enjoy Lefi giving Bob a proper talking-to. Beyond your n, which is not only suicidal but absolutely certain to bring the wrath of much of the Empire down upon us should you ever murder a single state official, it truly is a marvel that you have survived this long with the absolutely miserable daft fool. Tiers are useful, but if you dont have a good base to build on, what good will it do you? That you can pull your sword back to your hand- do not think I failed to notice, young man, I will not be interrupted- may be quite the party trick, I am certain, but if you cannot pierce through the hide of a beast, what good will it do you? None whatsoever. You are in dire need of proper education. As though you would know what I need! None have bathed in the blood of their enemies so much as I, living within the darkness requires I forever grow and tier up! Who wants to break it to him? Edwin muttered. Rih bit back a giggle. I just want to see how long it takes him to figure it out, she whispered back. I dont think hes going to get it, though. That just makes it better. Should you continue on like this, you are almost certainly headed unto your death, you realize? Give me the embrace of death! It is better than this living death the governors force down our throats day in and day out. Even if I die in my pursuit, all I want is to kick whatever bastard killed my parents to that side first! Lefi just loudly sighed in response, Clearly, you are in serious need of proper education and training. Your hopes to kill the Empire are tly not going to happen by any metric, but we may entertain your other desires at least in theory. If you try to get between my parents amulet and me you will die! I think you will find there are much more pressing reasons to postpone that, not that I couldnt aid you in your endeavors. Edwin frowned in thought, Wait, does that mean Bobs going to be traveling with us? It could, but more likely Lefi! Yes, Snowbird? We need to chat! Certainly, Lefi went to put Bob down, then hesitated and looked at his iling figure, kept off the ground by what Edwin suspected was a dedicated Skill, given how Lefi really shouldnt have had the proper leverage to hold someone his own size off the ground that easily. Inion, could you Edwin stepped in before Lefi could think things through himself and vaguely gestured at the struggling adventurer, Keep him busy for a few minutes while we talk? Oh, my pleasure! She swooped in, grabbing him out of Lefis grasp, Now arent you just the greatest? Let me go, you filthy bird-wed harpy! I will end your line in blood and fire! I am the shadow of vengeance and you will release me! A, so adorable! Come on, lets get you just a bit morefortable she flew off to the far corner of the camp, a flood of water spilling out from her and engulfing the pair in a bubble. Yathal scampered over to try and get a peek in. He was repelled by the bubble as though it were solid, but that didnt stop him from shading his eyes in an attempt to look in on the distortion, and Edwin idly hoped he didnt see anything scarring. Lefi brushed off his hands and walked over to where Rih and Edwin were sitting. So what are we thinking? Edwin tried to insert himself into the discussion by starting it up first. He didnt really feel qualified to have a meaningful discussion about stuff that really didnt involve him, but he wanted to feel included. I know not. Bob- Edwin noted with a bit of satisfaction that Lefi had apparently pulled a simr Polyglot trick as him- is unlikely toe along with us to the heart of Rhothos, and by Xares does that boy need help. Caught the mentor bug again? Rih asked. If you wish to describe me improving the odds of survival for my charges tenfold as the mentor bug then yes. Hey, no need to be so prickly. Apologies, Lefi sighed, It has been a long day. Rih nced off to the side guiltily. Regardless, it is in our best interest to ensure that he does not overly harm anyone else in his grand quest, lest it strike back at us once more. We dont want a repeat of Thorishell, yeah. Indeed. Thorishell? Rih waved him off, Ask meter. So youre gonna take him on, eh? I do wish to, but unfortunately I still need to ensure my current charges arrive to work with Essith, and that she understands their situation, before I can travel freely once more. I cannot leave them now, and that supersedes my desires to aid Bob. He will not stand for such a detour either, and I cannot feasibly shadow him once he were to leave. What about, Rih offered, We split up? You can take Bob with you and try to track down his medallion, and I can keep taking Yathal and Kynigos to Valenasis and Corith. Just give me a stone for when she asks, and Ill take care of everything. Wait, Edwin asked, I know I should have probably asked this a long time ago, but why exactly are we going back to somewhere so close to his home? What was all this for then? He needed to experience grander horizons! Meet influential new personalities, learn of the wonders of the world! Meet me while I was locked away in my tower. That as well! Would you not say that traveling to new locales and seeing fantastic experiences is worthwhile for its own sake? I mean maybe? But I still dont track. Rih filled in what Edwin was missing, Lefis first step, essentially every time he meets a new person to mentor, is to take them on a massive journey, either to nowhere or in a big circle, to get them used to traveling and letting him show off a bit. Constantly moving lets him adjust what they might need, be it a lot of people, a specific person, or just opening their mind to all of everything thats out there. Hes really got a scheme going. This happens a lot? He took it a bit down when I was a girl, but yeah. For a few weeks or a few months, sometimes even a year or two, until theyre ready to go out on their own and generally be fine. I think I was with you the longest, but that was more just enjoyment. Lefi confirmed with a nod, You traveled with me for quite some time after my mentorship drew to a close. And Yathal is ready? Hes not even nine. His travelingpanion is among the most responsible and capable individuals I have met in quite some time. Kynigos will do an admirable job attending to his boy while another I know teaches him more of a Skillset suitable for them. The guard thing? Indeed. I have worked with Essith a few times now, she is quite willing to train Adventurers to join her escortpany. However, had she met Yathal before his current state it would not have gone particrly well. He was far too ingoing and scared of his own existence to truly grasp the unique situation he is in. So now hes returning to his home to see That it is not truly his home anymore. If I have done my job adequately, it should not feel hostile so much as limiting. That what he had then was existence, but iplete and insufficient. That sounds harsh. So too are those who long for a home they can never have, memories that were never true, and die as a result. I lost far too many to their pinings and doomed ambitions to return. I will not allow it anymore. Right. The guy was a hundred or older, he must have been through this a lot, Just how many people have you mentored? Many, he sighed, a tiny Skill ring up at the base of his skull before fading once again, Too many lost, but many saved. Edwin shifted awkwardly, but was saved by Rih, So its a n then? Tomorrow, you head off with Bob and I keep going with Yathal and Kynigos? Will he like that? Kynigos will keep him in line. Hell be sad, but theres not too much we can do about that. And what about me? Rih looked slightly taken aback, Arent you going to keep heading to Rhothos with me? I mean if Im wee? Of course you are! I told you that much. Besides, your cart is super useful and even if that was all you had to offer its still so nice to not have to worry about carrying the heavier stuff. Well, at least I can be useful, a part of Edwin whispered, If only what I brought to the table was more than just a wagon and a horse. Shut up, me. She said even if I didnt bring anything else clearly theres something else that she likes or she wouldnt have phrased it that way. Unless shes just trying to be nice and not hurt my feelings. Its not like there are any actual friends whod want to keep me around. Shut up, me. Im starting to sound like Bob. Now that was enough of a thought to shock him out of his spiral, Sorry, what was that? I think I zoned out for a second. So are you going toe with me? I mean, you dont have to if you dont wanna, I just wanted to offer it No, no. I mean yes, yes? Anyway, Id lo Id really enjoy continuing on with you? Sorry Lefi, I dont mean to leave you abandoned like that. Worry not! It is not you who is abandoning me, it is I abandoning you! That was loud enough for Yathal to hear, who looked over at them with a wide-eyed expression. That was ill advised of me to say, was it not? Rih had her head in her hands, and while her words were muffled beyondprehension, the meaning was utterly clear, Yes. That was a very, very bad idea. So are you noting with me? Edwin raised an eyebrow. What? Of course Ille with you, its just Inion looked longingly in the direction Lefi and Bob were wandering. What? You finally found someone whos even more of a trainwreck than I am and now youre wondering how badly you really want to stick with me? What? No, no. No, no no. No. Edwin raised an eyebrow, I thought that fey were supposed to be good at lying. Well by my Skills shes being fully truthful, Rih pitched in. Not sure if that helps or not though. Neither am I. So what, you miss Lefi already or something? He was just so fun. Like if youd poke him hed squeak, but angrily! He was such great fun, and I wasnt done with him yet. How very reassuring, he tly replied. Well, w-have fun. He caught himself nearly waiting on her, but that actually, he wasnt sure why he felt like saying were ready when you are tripped his social alerts, but maybe there was something? Or he was overthinking things again. Whatever. He hopped up on the wagon, and with a quick snap of the reins, set Bill on his way. It was going to be a lot quieter without Lefi around, he knew, but that might not even be such a bad thing. This would be fun, he felt. Yathal looked sad, of course, but he wasnt moping either. Instead, once Lefi and Rih had finished exining to him their full n, he was very keen on learning how to be a Proper Fighter, just like Bob! He hadnt realized just how cool fighters could be without being guards, after all. He just thought that adventurer Fighters were weird like you and Rih and Edwin. Hes not wrong, Inion had teased when she heard about the incident, Lefi acts more like hes in aedy than an actual fight, Rih sings at people to make them go away, and your primary weapon is just shoving people around. Not, you know, the actual weapons you spend so much time making. Hey, in my defense, it was going to be overkill to use a fireball on that deer. And it would have ruined the taste. Throwing it around like a rag doll may have been a bit much, yes, but it also worked! Oh, of course it did. It was just also really weird, she cheerfully agreed. Edwin couldnt really argue with that. Lefis presence, and his Exceptionalism Aura or whatever it was that the Skill was called, had for a very long time elerated Edwins skill growth to an utterly insane degree. He hadnt properly appreciated how much, he felt, until Rih exined shed had more Skill level-ups in the time she spent with Lefi than the two years since shed seen him before then. Of course, for whatever reason his Skill didnt apply to Powerful Flight, the one she was actually trying to level quickly, but Edwin couldnt get anyone to exin why that was the case. Rih insisted that it wasnt her secret to tell, and that Lefi might tell him one day, or he might figure it out himself. Inion said much the same thing, but ced a much greater emphasis at how amusing his random spection was. There was clearly something going on about the aura- if it even was one- but heck if Edwin knew. Whatever. Lefi was gone now, so it didnt matter. What did matter, on the other hand, was re-exploring all of his new Skills. Normally, understanding and mastery of a Skill was what managed to level it up, and then it grew in scope a bit more and then figuring out its new capabilities continued to level it but Lefis presence had elerated his leveling so much that for the vast majority of his Skills he didnt know their limits. Sappers Apparatus was the most obvious example. Its level bonus was nebulous enough that it may well have picked up entirely different modes in thest forty-odd levels. Considering how much Edwin used it and how much it defined his experimental procedure, he was decidedly interested in exploring what it could do now that it was nearing level seventy. That was actually absurd. The average person only raised the Skills they wanted to evolve to an average of thirty- though Adventurers and plenty of others went to level sixty instead- and here he was, with a Skill he barely understood the limits to, at level sixty-nine. Man, Lefis Skill-boosting thing is insane. Oh, if only you knew. Yeah. If only. Wouldnt that be nice. It would! Just be d you still have my token. Yes, yes. Your little token, which helps him out so much but nobody else. I dont think anyone asked you, you little blightleaf. Edwin sighed. At least, whatever they were really mad about seemed to have been worked out of their systems for the time being, and now it was just their standard bickering. They could stand one another, they just... Inion in particr took every chance she got to snipe at Rihs statements, which was fine, Edwin supposed. They could sort out their own problems, hopefully before too long once Inion finally figured out that Rih wasnt mind-controlling him or anything. In any case Edwin prompted himself, Right. Apparatus. So, now he was figuring out what he could do with Apparatite. The first thing he noticed was that all of his previous measurements were invalid, at least if he wanted them to be. His previously observed properties still seemed to more or less be its default state of being, but Edwin could now change its density somewhat. ording to Numeracy, he could roughly halve or double its density for a corresponding change in strength, but no change in refractive index. It did change color, however. Normal Apparatite was tinted very slightly the same shade of blue as Edwins System notification, but when he either increased or decreased density, the color changed ordingly. That made him wonder if he could change its color any, which after an hour of experimentation (and a lot more marbles in his pouch) he could definitively answer with no. ...He then proved himself wrong not ten minutester when he tried to make a flexible rod, and it came out greenish. It wasnt that flexible, all told. It was a millimeter thick and about fifty centimeters long, but it was wobbly and nowhere near as rigid as usual. It still shattered into colored light- green, this time- the moment he tried to bend it any further, though. Once he realized that, a whole new world opened up. Color corresponded with physical attributes? Talk about a two-for-one deal. With that new bit of information in mind, his attempts to mess with his apparatites properties were significantly easier. None of them were easy, and including even a little bit of non-standard color doubled or more how long his conjuration took, but by keeping his testing constrained to fairly small marbles, he could still run a new trial every five minutes or less. It was definitely better than most of his experiments back on Earth, that was certain. Blue corresponded to strength, green corresponded to flexibility. The next color Edwin found was ck, which increased opacity. Red appeared to be corrted with heat capacitance, or possibly just heat resistance. In any case, it survived being in the fire way longer than either green or blue apparatite. There were probably more, but Edwin wasnt able to figure them out quite yet. It felt like there was a wall that he was hitting, but without any new levels, he had no idea how urate that idea was. Whatever. There was plenty more to work on with the Skill, like his speed and finesse. ---- Traveling was a bit more annoying without Lefi around, but it wasnt that bad either. Not having a supernaturally omnpetent camping partner meant that all their chores took a bit longer, and were done just a little bit worse. Rih and Edwin swapped off cleaning duties on the days where they bothered actually cleaning the dishes they used- namely, on the days when Edwin didnt just dismiss and conjure the apparatite making them up. It only took about an hour if he used basic Apparatite, after all. Their cooking pot was the only thing not made out of crystal, and Rih mentioned a few times that she felt like nobility, with tes and bowls and utensils for everything. It was a bit of a fun realization to have, that his habit of eating on crystal every night wasnt, in fact, normal here. Cooking also got slightly more inconvenient, but that was just because it still wasnt safe for Yathal and Kyni to eat Edwins cooking. Arcadian Elixir just made things too risky, the Skill providing an absolutely massive bonus to the vor and nutrition of anything Edwin made, but at the cost of making anything Edwin didnt make significantly worse. It was very fey-like and great for him, but without any kind of information on how long the effects lingered, other than that it being more than a week, they werent about to risk Yathal suffering from malnutrition or Skill withdrawals after they parted ways. Edwin, of course, didnt need to worry about not eating something made by the Skill, Inion was mostly unaffected by it, and Rih could use her own Skills to break its effect. At least Rih was a good cook. While anything she cooked entirely on her own tasted really nd to him, she had enough levels in the appropriate Skills to make anything taste good. It was, all told, not so much an issue as it was just inconvenient. It really was a running theme, that everything went just a little bit worse without Lefi. Other than the bandit problem. By sheer coincidence, after theyd parted ways with Lefi, they must have been traveling predominantly in better-patrolled territory, or it was gettingte enough in the season for the winter bandits to be stamped out, but they didnt encounter a single bandit group for weeks on end. It was just a coincidence, Edwin kept telling himself. There were dozens of possible ways he might have been able to attribute it to malice or intention, but none of them fit. It was just a coincidence, no matter how uneasy it made him feel. Notifications, he queried. He needed something to take his mind away from jumping at shadows, after all, and he may as well be satisfied at his progress for it. Level Up! Skill Points 1162 1184 (Alchemy: 100; Stamina Maniption: 28; 14/25 60-point Paths) Adaptive Defense Level 4952 Alchemical Analysis Level 4850 Anatomy Level 4748 Arcadian Elixir Level 3940 Improbable Arsenal Level 4546 Numeracy Level 5556 Outsiders Almanac Level 139140 Polyglot Level 7274 Skillful Assessment Level 5355 Stamina Maniption Level 2328 Unbound Tether Level 3034 Congrattions! For driving a carriage filled with goods you have made a significant distance, you have unlocked the Traveling Craftsman path! Congrattions! For making food for your travelingpanions several times, you have earned the Trail Cook path! Chapter 120: Growing from Rocks Chapter 120: Growing from Rocks It being spring, the Rhothos river had once again burst its banks, flooding a huge swath of the valley. It felt strangely nostalgic being back in the area, particrly given that hed only been gone actually, something like a year now between his time at Panastalis and Sheraith. That was weird to think about. Anyway, thest time hed been here for it, Edwin hadnt been fully able to appreciate the sights, but now? There was an absolute tapestry of Skills at y while everyone worked. Some farmers walked atop the water, nting river-based crops in fertile ground while others waded up to their waist to do the same. The river itself was absolutely teeming with life, hundreds to thousands of fish happily swimming every which way, nibbling on weeds while leaving the actual crops alone, an effect that Edwin identified as split between the fish and the nts themselves. Wait, was that Inion? Well, it was a bit of her presence anyway. As soon as theyd gotten within sight of her home river, shed made a beeline for the water and promptly discorporated, leaving the rest of them behind. He didnt really mind that much, but he wished that the fey would just be honest with him in regards to how much she actually wanted him around. Is it an ocean? Yathal had asked in awe. Rih had chuckled, No, its not an ocean. Oceans are way bigger, they stretch on further you can see and are deeper than you can imagine, and hold up the entire world. Thats not how oceans work, though, Edwin protested, Rock doesnt float no matter how big you get it. Now thats just not true. What? Oh, some Skill would make it possible I suppose, but thats not the point. Rock doesn''t float unless actively being held up by something- which I would say doesnt count as floating, personally. No, not even with Skills. Theres the stone ships, you know? I do not, no. Yeah, these big ck stone things. Theres only like two of them, but theyre super cool. Bit warm to the touch, but they can float! Wait, what? ckstone ships? I mean I guess you could make a ship out of them? It is strong enough, even if it were that thin, and it would provide quite the strong hull. I want to see these now. Oh so now you believe me? Well, if its a boat thats different. Its not that hard to make something float, but solid rock, like continents, wont float on water. They float on liquid rock. Liquid rock? Please. Well, magma. Its magma thats underground, right? he mused, then shook his head, Nevermind. Polyglot would take care of it anyway. But thats just liquid rock, so yeah. Continents float on liquid rock, but they dont float on water. Oh yeah? So then why do the Stoneships not sink then, smart guy? Rih yfully jabbed him in the arm. I mean buoyancy? Its not thatplicated right, you guys dont have physics sses here. Um, what do you know about why things float? What do you mean? They float because they float. Theyre lighter than water, so they float. What else is there to it? Okay, well yes, but Okay, let me start from the beginning. So this naked guy in a bathtub realized all this at once? Wait, thats what you got out of all of that? Archimedes in the tub? Well hes the most memorable. I have it! she shouted. Yes, yes. Eureka. Anyway, thats not the point. Well, it kind of is the point? Anyway, does stuff make more sense now? Nope! Ugh. Ill try this again, he started summoning a few models out of Apparatite, Okay, so buoyancy Does it make sense now? So youre saying that wood boats dont float because theyre wood, but because they what, bigger than water? Theyre less dense. Everything- Everythings being pulled down by gravity, yes, and the things that are heavier are pulled down more. No, theyre pulled down the same amount. Gravity is a constant for everything and everyone, its just that heavier things are well, theyre harder to move out of the way, so lighter things just sit on top of them. Uhuh. So you make a ship lighter how? By making it mostly air. The stone, or wood, or metal, or whatever that makes up the ship might be way heavier than the water it moves out of the way, but because of the air inside of it, it cant sink. Edwin felt a cold nose bump against his hand, and he looked down to see Kynigos at his side. Oh, hello there Kynigos. Whats up? He yipped softly, and Edwin frowned, Agreement oh! You understand what Im saying? The pup nodded, and Edwin chuckled as he gave him a good scratch behind the ear for a reward. How does it feel that Kynigos figured this out faster than you? he teased. Oh, shush you. He has Intelligence, Wisdom, and Learning. Of course he can figure it out. Dont you have Intelligence? Yeah, and you dont. Maybe if you did youd be better at teaching this. she shot back, But I think I understand now. Its like if youve got an updraft pointed at a feather, the feather goes up because its being pushed by the wind but if you try to put anything on the feather it sinks. Thats about right, I think? Edwin shrugged, Well, its close enough. Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh, right. Oceans. That was an hour ago. Was it? Well okay, what do you want to talk about then? Im just done for now. Well okay then. Still, he wasnt about toin. Much more talking and Adaptive Defense might move to protect his throat. He fished out his canteen and took a big gulp of water, loving the sensation of letting his parched throat rehydrate. It was the little things, sometimes. s, Rih being maybe-annoyed with him didnt leave Edwin with a whole lot of options. He watched Kynigos bound around for a couple minutes before remembering why he didnt usually do that. Kynigos was like a perfectly-behaved dog to the point where it legitimately didnt feel real. I mean, he is a magical sapient dog with more mental Attributes than I have, so not sure how thatpares. I guess it checks out that he doesnt really feel like a dog. He sat in silence as Bill trundled along up the road. He he wasnt really good at people, he knew. His mouth tended to run ahead of his brain, but not in the sticking his foot in his mouth sense, just in a not stopping to think if what he was saying was actually worth saying, and it tended to drive off what few people were actually likely to be friendly with him to begin with. It wasnt great, but what was he supposed to do? It meant that, when he was actually thinking about what he wanted to say, he usually tried to make that be nothing. He wouldnt say anything unless he was prompted in some way. Hed also had to learn that people randomly asking him questions wasnt always a prompt to tell them everything that he knew about a subject so he tried to follow that, deflecting answers instead of answering them head-on. Of course, that deflection also meant that anyone who might be actually interested in him and his emotions had quite the challenge ahead of them. As soon as any conversation drifted towards him, he immediately locked down to prevent oversharing- he had some very bad experiences always reying in his mind as to why- but that would also mean that, if someone really, truly wanted to find out how he was and what his emotional state was, theyd have to prod him and then not take his brief dismissal as an answer. Theyd need to push a little bit, make sure that he actually was alright, or was whatever the socially-appropriate emotion was to have at the time. If they did push, didnt take a dismissal as an answer, then hed maybe, finally have a friend? Someone who actually cared about him beyond politeness, someone who he knew wasnt just trying to spare his feelings was that too much to ask for? Yes, a part of him whispered, I should be perfectly fine with no friends, nothing solid, why do I even need other people anyway? Theyre obnoxious, too loud, bothersome, and demanding. Im better on my own, and I definitely need to stop moping before anyone notices. He sighed, refocusing on his surroundings. What had he missed? Hopefully nothing too important, hopefully he hadnt zoned out right when someone was trying to talk to him Nothing. There he was, sitting all alone on the cart as it trundled along the road, rattling him with every step Bill took. He didnt have anyone he was ignoring because nobody was trying to talk to him, there wasnt any major stuff happening that demanded his attention. It was just a normal day, and he should try to enjoy it. Edwin felt a flicker of strange magic trigger his mana senses, snapping him out of idle spection and back into the present. It didnt feel like Rihs abilities, and it was way stronger and more defined than the normal background, were they under attack? Off to the left there. It was a farmer. Huh? Well, no, not a farmer. Thanks to Seeing, even from hundreds of feet away he could pick out tiny details on the mans build and outfit, which was definitely a cut above what most of the farmers wore. He wasnt built like a physicalborer, and while he couldnt tell thanks to the mans borate outfit, Edwin suspected that even he might have more muscle on him than the man did. The Skills woven into the fabric were really intricate, indicating a level of expense above even Edwins own outfit. That looked like self-cleaning, waterproofing, durability,fort, and even self-repairing effects. Very much not a farmer, then. Self-repairing garments were ludicrously expensive from what he recalled, and Oh! Magic again. That was interesting, it felt a bit like hm. Edwin got an image of budding life, of a tree branch blossoming and bearing fruit, as he focused on the magic. A life mage, perhaps? It would fit. The mans hair was cut short, but a very vivid green that matched the magic he had around his hands, raining down like sparks as he passed through the plowed fields. Everywhere the specks of lightnded, a small shoot poked its way out of the dirt a few momentster. He was still slightly out of Identify range, but getting closer all the time. Eventually though, he drew close enough that Edwin could check. Vivacious Tender of the Bountiful Fields Hmm. Given that ss name, and the Skills Edwin could pick out, he guessed that the mage was probably tier five or six. He was able to pick out the basic Skills of Walking, Identify, Status, and Language no problem- confirming his guesses with Identify, but other than that he strained his eyes. Was that okay, the Skill that he was using to spread the life-sparks definitely resembled Rihs Vivacious Caress, but didnt look quite as high level and seemed a lot less focused. Then that maybe no, that was a different Skill altogether. He shook his head. Hed need to track down a bunch of people and really study their Skills if he wanted to ever have his spection confirmed. Not that it was any easier to really analyze someone so high-Tier. Skills just spread into a giant mess of tangled webs and strands, as they built upon one another and started influencing their peers constantly. He checked his notifications, hoping that nothing. s, Lefi leaving and taking his skill-growth aura really impacted Edwins leveling, and he hadnt realized by how much until it was toote. Ah well, he wasnt in any particr rush. He yawned, the afternoon sun warming him up just enough to make him a bit sleepy, and turned his attention back to the road. So then, the governor insists that we have a face-off to determine who was really worthy of the job. So I pulled out a merry old Veteran Cornal, whereas she tries to y On the Hills, if you can believe it! So sure, she did do it just fine, but it was so boring. Like oh good job, you know how to tap a string. You know who else can do that? A magpie! No, seriously. I once saw one pluck out the first couple notes. I assume it was an ident, but you can never tell with those little birdbrains. Edwin chuckled. Even if he wasnt quite able to follow all the musical references, Rih was an engaging enough storyteller as they sat around their campfire that night, stationed around a Curan shrine. So what happened then? Oh, I won of course. But because of extenuating circumstances she still got the position. Im sure the circumstances in question had absolutely nothing to do with where she slept that night, but what can you do? Yeah, isnt that supposed to be your thing? Rih rolled her eyes, flicking a small stone at him in retaliation. With barely a second thought, he caught the pebble in Unbound Tether and sent it right back at her. A twitch of her hand let her dodge the projectile, and she finally settled on just rudely flicking her wrist at him. Edwin didnt retaliate this time, instead just sipping at his soup. It really was incredible, what just a few vegetables tossed into a pot with a hearty dose of Skills could taste like, while being insanely filling. So the shrines, he asked, Whats up with them? You dont know about Cura? Well, I mean I know a bit from what Lefi and Inion told me. Some god that in the old times would wander thends and reward people who hosted him, and that spread into these little waystations throughout the Rhothos region in time. But thats about it. Oh is that where theye from? Neat. Didnt know that. But you dont know about Cura? He wasn''t worshiped or anything back home for me, Edwin honestly admitted, Honestly, Im kind of surprised that there arent more worshippers and gods that are worshiped around here. I think I can count on one hand the number Ive heard about. Did you expect more? I mean I dont know? Yeah, I dont know. Its just weird, I guess. Theres practically no religious presence here, Lefi is the only person I actually know that I know adheres to a gods teaching and even that I dont know that much about. Why would you expect something different? Well back home for me, there were lots of religions and it was one of the biggest thingsthat defined people. If you werent part of a religion, that was notable in itself. Why was it somon? I mean,muning with a higher power? Having purpose in life? Answers to lifes biggest questions? Rih shrugged, Why bother trying to make good with some sort of higher power when you can be more powerful with that same level ofmitment? Mooching off people with power? Strength by association? Honestly, not sure. It seems like power or poprity always attracts people happy to make themselves notable via association." Weird. Just tier up a time or two and be strong yourself. Okay, but what about the other stuff? Lifes great mysteries? A purpose in life? Who cares? Its not like that sort of stuff really matters, and its not hard to figure out a good purpose given half a chance. I suppose it does make some amount of sense that the gamification of everyday life might result in a slightly lesser obsession with finding the meaning of life, but that barely covers any of it, he mused. Mostly, why bother? Theres stuff right here on Joriah to deal with, who cares about what some super-powerful may or may not hear or care about you individual could think. Weve got much bigger and more local work to deal with. But what are the gods? Where did theye from? Who made the world? Rih shrugged again, Dunno. Dunno whod care, either. I care much more about how much dinners still left in the bowl? Oh, plenty, go for it. he nodded, and Rih set in on her task. When she returned, Edwin pulled back on his line of questioning, No, but seriously. Whats up with everything? Whats the meaning of life, who made the System, how does it work? She raised an eyebrow, gulping down a mouthful of food before responding, You question that sort of stuff? Okay, first off, I question everything and you should know that. Secondly, dont you? Eh, not really. I want to get stronger, obviously. What more do you need? And the System is as the System does, you may as well ask why the sun rises. Because the is spinning at unimaginably vast speeds as it orbits an absolutely enormous ball of basically fire, and that gives the illusion of the sun rising and setting. How did one go about proving heliocentrism? Not that it really mattered to him, but it would be nice to have it as a standard even if hed need to figure out the orbital periodicity Rih was talking again. He quickly used Memory to pull up what shed said before he started listening. You know that, but you cant answer your questions? Well obviously not, if I did know I wouldnt be asking, and I still have trouble believing that nobody questions this. Are there religions about the mysterious thing that probably gives you magical powers? Cultists who sacrifice people to it? Schrs who try to figure out where ites from? Nah. Why would there be? ...I guess its just me, then, Edwin sighed, ah well. I suppose its just one more thing for me to figure out on my own. Hepsed into silence, staring into the fire. He felt so alone in his task, and for whatever reason it was all the more prevalent out on the road. Maybe it was some general positivity aura around Lefi that offset his tendencies to mope? Was he truly so helpless on his own? Granted, that thought didnt really help his general feeling of loneliness and he was starting to slip into self-fulfilling loops again, so nope! Edwin? Huh? What? You alright? You zoned out there pretty hard. What? Oh, yeah, Im fine, he sighed. Rih assessed him for a moment, her he was pretty sure that was Social Savvy lighting up. She didnt say anything, though. So, it wouldnt be tonight. That was alright, though. Hed been waiting a long time for someone to really take an interest in him, he could wait a while longer. They didnt quite pass through Vinstead. The city was a few days journey out of the way, and with no real reason to head that way, they didnt bother. Instead, they made their crossing at a fairly major bridge, a stone wall which thanks to what looked like a drainage-rted Skill allowed the floodwaters of the Rhothos- and the fish, somehow- to pass straight through. It was still solid to Edwin, he had checked, but it did make him really curious what that Skill was and how he could get a variant for his alchemy. Some sort of selectively permeable membrane? Yes please. It would be so perfect for purification of everything from water to powders depending on how it worked. Unfortunately- or perhaps fortunately- Rih was driving the carriage the day when they crossed over, so Edwin had to keep up with the group and not spend several days figuring out what the perfectly-fit cobblestone would or wouldnt allow through. The rocks themselves were all fit together too perfectly for him to slip one out easily, so he had to leave them were they were. Sadly, copying the rocks onto himself with Feys Caress didnt work, whatever Skill was responsible for their supernatural properties not transferring alongside the material structure. Meanwhile, the soil was no less Skill-infused, thin but unmistakables of Skill light wove through probably half the fields they passed, farmers and their kids sowing seeds by hand wherever they were seen. Of course, the rtive Skills of the farmers was readily apparent. Kids usually tossed a couple seeds at a time, scattering them coarsely across the ground. Adults, meanwhile, tended to throw by the handful, clouds of seeds falling and providing ample space for one another. There was one exception, a middle-aged farmer whose sowing was downright preternatural, hundreds of seeds flying and burying themselves into the soil with such perfect regrity Edwin had to blink to ensure he wasnt seeing things. But no, he wasnt, and unsurprisingly that farmer, despite having the same Lirasian Farmer of Plenty ss that several others had, had basic Skill levels at least double what most of the others had. Someones a perfectionist, he muttered to himself, enjoying the almost hypnotic patterns traced out by the seeds against a perfect blue sky. Valenasis was a fair bit bigger than Edwin had been imagining. Far from the tiny collection of houses that made up most of the viges they passed through, it was something of a regional city a couple weeks south of Vinstead about the size of Dangit, Edwin scolded himself. So what didya do this time? Inion had rejoined them as they pulled away from the Rhothos, much cheerier after reuniting with her actual bond after a year. Honestly, Edwin wasnt sure how fey could simultaneously be intimately bonded with something to the point where simply leaving it could seriously impact their well-being and also be fine after about a year apart, but what did he know? Oi! Thats not fair. It might have been something someone else did, it doesnt have to be me who did something. So was it someone else? ...No, he conceded. So! What didya do this time? Well, Valenasis looks like its about the same size as Panastalis, and that reminded me that I meant to stop by there and get my payment, but I guess it slipped my mind? Inion furrowed her eyebrows, and considering she was floating upside-down at roughly eye level the actual effect was more along the lines of her raising said eyebrows. Look, I think I was experimenting with Apparatite around that time. Its about the only way I wouldnt have caught my Almanac signposts or reminders. Only you would get so wrapped up in studying a Skill they forget to get paid. Yes, well its their loss. Ill just get my money next time we pass that way. You wont forget again? Edwin brushed the fey off as they approached the city. Unlike Panastalis, Valenasis had a proper wall, albeit a small one, and only a single guard at the simple wooden gates. After a brief discussion about paying the gate toll, they paid the small handful of coins required and were waved along. Inside, a chaotic collection of houses and buildings vaguely kept in check by a spiderweb of streets stretched out before them. Yathal looked very emotional, and hopped up onto the wagon next to Rih. She put her arm around him infort, and Kynigos curled up next to his boy, head nestled in hisp. I didnt realize that cities this big had shepherds, Edwin quietly noted to Inion. Because Valenasis didnt have a river running through it, she had just hidden in the wagon as a barrel of water while they entered. Hm? Whys that a surprise? Well, its just that it seems like that would be the sort of thing youd do more out there, he waved his hand at the rolling grasnds that made up much of thendscape past the citys immediate surroundings, And not here, where theres already so muchpeting for space. Inion looked at him like he was an idiot. What am I missing this time? he sighed. Thats exactly the point of a shepherd. They keep livestock safe and in one ce out in the wild, letting the flocks expand and take up loads of space out there, then bring them back when theyre needed. That that makes sense. So then where would they be kept around here? Why are you asking me, instead of the actual former shepherd on the cart? He really doesnt look like hes up to a question and answer session right now. Since when have you cared about that sort of thing? Hey, thats not fair. Ive always cared, I just have a really hard time figuring out when- Edwin froze. Hey Edwin, she poked his shoulder, Dont you go zoning out on me like that. Finish what you were saying first. Edwin? You there? Come on, you look like youve seen a ghost. Yeah, he agreed. Inion looked around, scanning the light crowds of the small city, Where? They all look pretty alive to me. Thats the problem, Edwin absently muttered, They shouldnt all be. Hed only caught the briefest of glimpses, buried deep within his pile of System notifications that came with Identifying everything and everyone, but he knew he wasnt mistaken in what he saw. And that meant that this little stop had suddenly be way moreplicated. Salutary Alchemist Niall ? Helpful Ouw alchemist who showed me the Zosiman grimoire Chapter 121: Something is Ahand Chapter 121: Something is Ahand So what Im getting, Rih summarized, Is that Niall is the guy who taught you alchemy? Well, sort of. They were sitting in Edwins cart, having finished stabling Bill at the inn theyd picked out to stay in. Hed insisted they wait before he expanded on what was going on with Niall until they were in a more private area, and the mostly-abandoned stables worked well enough. The odds that any of the horses or goats would tell on them were very low, after all. Yes, yes, you already knew some stuff. But he introduced you to Zosimus? Zosiman, or rather his Grimoire. Taught you how to make healing potions, and then turned out to be murdering passers-by for potion ingredients? Well, he did a bit more than just teach me Yes or no, Edwin. Edwin reluctantly nodded. Then you beat him and all his goons up, took their stuff, and dropped them off at the closest town? More or less; I met with some guards and they took him off my hands. Im aware, Im summarizing. You just finished telling me this. Well then dont get details wrong, Edwin protested. Its close enough for a summary. Whatever, Edwin grumbled, But yes, fine. And so all this time you just figured he was dead? Well yeah, why wouldnt I? The guards told me theyd take and execute him, but my presence wasnt required because it was the word of an Adventurer over that of an Ouw. That is true, Rih agreed, For all that Adventurers are hated, we do have legal weight, which can be very useful. So yeah, why would I think any different than him being dead? You guys talkin about the alchemist? Yathal asked, making Edwin jump. He hadnt noticed the dog and his boy approach, and that someone might have eavesdropped made him really nervous. Are you thinking of someone in particr when you say that? Yathal looked to Kynigos, then nodded, Yeah. The guy who showed up an healed the Magistrate. Really tall but not that strong? Edwin shrugged, I guess, seems moderately likely but you know him? He nodded, a furtive look crossing his face, Kyni didnt like him an so he wanted ta protect me. He showed up one day an kicked out the magistrates old healer, sayin that hed do a better job keepin him alive, and he did. Mum said that the magistrate wasnt doin very well before he came along and she thought he was basically a mage. Then he offered that I work with him for somethin and Kyni didnt like that. He said I should just listen to him and that the alchemist didnt wanna help me. I really love Kyni and so when he said I should listen to him I did and then mum he started to tear up, but Kynigos began to furiously lick him and he broke into giggles instead. Rih turned to Edwin, So what do you want to do? Hes your nemesis, so I dont want to intrude. Edwin rolled his eyes, Youve been spending too much time around Lefi, I think. Hes not my nemesis, hes just my former mentor, turned against me because of a difference in philosophy and thought long-dead? But definitely not your nemesis. You know I said it like that intentionally, right? Of course. Well, Im of two minds, Edwin sighed. On the one hand, I want to know what hes doing here, how he survived, and how to stop him if hes still being a menace. Maybe he really did just do a better job of healing the magistrate and got a pardon that way, but then I want to know how he got himself in a position to heal the guy being an Ouw sentenced to death, and did a better job than someone with an actual ss for it. I just sense foul y. On the other hand its firmly not my responsibility, and thest time I tried to pit myself against him, it didnt go well and was a phenomenally stupid idea. Is the smart thing to just take off and leave this all behind us? It might be, Rih agreed. We werent nning on staying more than a day or two anyway, and then you can take off and leave him alone, just making sure to never return here. Just run away, never find out whats going on with him or what hes doing, forever left wondering about this grand mystery. Did you have to say it like that? Of course. Edwin sighed, This is probably an awful idea, but I also cant just not know, not if hes impacting peoples lives. Its not your problem, part of him shot back, This kind of thinking is how you got into trouble the first time. But also, does it really matter if its my problem or not? I just want to know. Then again, if I go poking into this, Niall will learn that Im still around, and I doubt hell be happy to see me. How can I be certain that he doesnt already know Im here though? Edwin, you know I cant actually read your mind, right? Rihs promation brought with it a few giggles from Yathal, but that might have just been residualughter from Kynis treatment. Right, Im just thinking about what I should do. At the moment, Niall probably doesn''t know Im here, probably. I cant imagine the guy who dedicated his life to killing everyone tangentially rted to Imperial authority would just let me walk away if he realized I was around. Ive gone through a bunch of ss changes after all, and picked up more than a few new scars- he felt where a few faint lines still traced themselves along his face, ...and I need to shave, Edwin realized. Ill have to pull out the knife this evening. Anyway, my point is that Im pretty much a different personpared to when I met him, and even if he did somehow see me, how would he recognize me? You said he didnt have any physical Paths, right? Edwin nodded in confirmation. Well, that might mean he has a bunch more mental Skills, and that may include recognizing you. I mean, its possible. But considering we haven''t gotten any kind of visit from him or someone hes connected to, he either didnt recognize me or didnt think it was worth following up on. I dont want to change that. Didnt you think something simr about you getting away from the dwarves, but when you actually did stop they caught up? No? I dont think I said something like that anyway, and I wouldnt say thats true, strictly speaking. Rih shrugged, Maybe Lefi or Inion said something like it. Maybe. Anyway I guess, while were here, it might not hurt that much to look around. Try and figure out a bit of whats going on, but if there''s something happening Im not getting involved. Rih chuckled, Whatever you need to tell yourself. Are you done here? She turned to Yathal and Kynigos, wrestling in a pile of straw. They didnt seem to hear her at first, so she cleared her throat and that got their attention, Yathal scrambling to his feet while Kynigos poked him in the back of the legs with his nose, buckling the boys legs and making him copse in a heap before he picked himself up again. Yes, miss Rih. Ah, he was trying to be extra polite then. It wouldnt really make a difference, but while Rih talked to the pair, Edwin slipped off to his room, flying directly to its window and mbering in through the open shutter. He needed to figure out what was happening, why Niall was alive and wandering the streets, and what if anything he needed to do. That would be tonight, though. For now, he wanted to try and work on Sappers Apparatus. He could feel another version of the crystal just beyond his fingertips, but he didnt know what it was Edwin slipped across the night sky silently, if awkwardly. Since passing level thirty, Unbound Tether was able to support his entire weight, effectively removing the distance limit for his flight. Unfortunately, it was immensely awkward to fly with the Skill unbound, in the sense that he had precise control over what it attached to, but was also forced to manually control said attachment. Whenbined with the fact it could only push or pull, flying with the Skill was significantly more awkward than its prior form. Still, it was silent and left almost no trace of him as he jump-flew from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding the handful of avior still out this time of night. He technically wasnt actually hiding, but he still wanted to feel stealthy, and it was rather difficult when a brown-feathered humanoid taller than he was was busy pping around. Well, whatever. He didnt really need to sneak around. He just wanted to be out and about when there were fewer people doing just that. Far overhead, the crystal moon shone down on the city, providing enough illumination to see. It only took a few minutes for him to find where hed spotted Niall earlier in the day, a rtively major crossroad near the poorer side of the city. Edwin had never much enjoyed spending much time in the slums, and usually avoided it not out of principle so much as simply being irrelevant to him. But that was neither here nor there. He had a mystery to solve. ...somehow. He hadnt actually thought this far ahead, hed just thought that hed go out and figure out stuff, without really thinking about the how. Edwin sighed. He didnt even have the excuse of Lefi polluting his thoughts this time; that was just him not thinking things through adequately. Well, hed make it work. He should investigate the slums, after all. If he were a crazed bio-alchemist obsessed with creating life who had presumably gotten some sort of pardon, hed be experimenting on the poor and homeless. If he were really lucky, maybe hed see Nialls minions grabbing someone and dragging them back to his hideout. And then and then what? He couldnt just go charging head-first to Niallsir, that was certain. Hed be most definitely outssed by anyone with abat ss, and. Well, I havent actually tested myselftely, and I do have my new lead shot. I spent six months training with Lefi! Im sure I can manage myself against some petty minions or thugs He shook his head, Bad Edwin. Overconfidence is the body killer. If it were just Niall, he was confident about his chances. But even then, he shouldnt be thinking of violence as a first resort. It was possible that hed been reformed and was now quietly ying the role of a town alchemist, but that seemed so unlikely as to not even be a real possibility. The Niall he knew was almost rabid in his hate of the Empire, so then why would he be living in a town unless he was forced to? Gah, spection was pointless. He didnt know anything near enough about human nature to try and figure out what was going on, and that was why he was investigating. Heck, really this was just another research project. It wasnt like he had some sort of mystical insight into the workings of the universeunless there was a Skill for that? Oh man, it would be so great. Hmm. Would it be Physics, though, or philosophy. Philosophers were like Physicists after all, in that they thought they were the best and that they were the source of all truth in the universe. Unlike Physicists, however, they were wrong. Where was he? Mystical insight, how the universe worked Ah! He just interrogated it until it revealed its secrets, and this would be no different. The only trick would be finding him. Edwinnded in the town square hed spotted Niall in, calling on Memory and Visualization to try and recall the scene earlier that day. It turned out alright, but didnt help him figure out anything he didnt already know. Niall had been in the back corner of the square, near an alleyway that twisted around a block of shops and houses. Hm. Following the alleyway brought Edwin closer to the citys center, closer to the affluent part of town. Here, the streets were nicer, the buildings cleaner, the shops offering higher-ss wares. It was all unusually quiet at this time of night, but there were a few figures moving around. A pair of city guards, illuminated by an almost too-brightntern, caught Edwins eye as they patrolled around. They noticed him, as well, and cut directly towards him. Edwins first instinct was to run, or fly, but he tamped down on that thought as soon as it manifested. There was no reason for that hopefully. His off hand grabbed a smoke bomb just in case, but he kept walking at the same pace hed been going at. You there! Halt! There was a Skillced in the words of the Lieutenant City Guard, butpared to the sorts of mental effects Edwin was used to, it wasughably weak, just giving him a momentary pause in his stride. Then he stopped anyway, not needing to get off on the wrong foot with them so early. Yes? Whats an Ouw like yourself doing here? I mean, Im an adventurer? Anyway, I have as much of a right to be here as anyone else. If you mean out thiste at night, I just wanted to see the sights with fewer people around. Neer, then? Yeah, just arrived today. Did you now? And you so quickly forgot about the curfew? Curfew? Edwin asked incredulously. That was even a concept here? Nobody is allowed out on the streets at night. Yeah, thats not a thing, he was fairly confident, anyway. Also, while the streets were seriously quietpared to what he was used to, they werent entirely empty. Not as empty as a curfew would result in, anyway. He was pretty sure that something was going on, even if he couldnt quite figure out what. Youll need toe with us, the guard said. His partner leveled her spear at him, and Edwin eyed them both warily. Im going to have to decline there. Ill head back to my ce, but Im not heading anywhere with you two. Grab him, themand was spoken so softly Edwin almost missed it at first. That was enough for Edwin, and heunched the smoke bomb in his hand at the ground as hard as he could. Bomb Throwing fed into it, and with a small poof the world went white. A hand still gripped Edwins arm, and another blindly tried to grab him, but he easily avoided it, striking back with a shove enhanced with Unbound Tether. The guard stumbled back a half-step before a Skill shed up her legs and stuck her fast to the ground. That was annoying, but manageable. Edwin dropped to the ground, suddenly shifting the direction he was dragging on his captor, then pushed Unbound Tether as hard as he could. It still wasnt enough, so with gritted teeth he activated the potion containers around his arm. The mixture of mana-repellent and mana-absorbent potion flooded into his muscles, letting Edwin use Overcharge and pull. He still wasnt strong enough to break the Stand Ground Skill the guard was using, but he did escape her grip for just a moment. A moment was all he needed. Mana Infusion flooded into Longstrider, Longstrider fed into Unbound Tether, and Edwin jumped, hurtling into the air at breakneck speeds, leaving the cloud of smoke hed made far behind. It was only then that he realized what a mor was going on, with the first guard calling for reinforcements and the sounds of armored figures jogging towards them. Fortunately, Edwin was very, very fast going in a straight line, and he shot into the air, constantly elerating until he was a mile above the tiny city below and its few lights. He stayed there, bobbing up and down slightly while the chilly night wind blew past him. That was strange. But he didnt get any answers. At the same time, he didnt think he was going to get any answers tonight either. Hed have to wait for the morning and poke around the area in the daytime. It would be way busier, but hed make do. For now, he just needed to get back to his room, and that ugh. That might prove slightlyplicated. Edwin concentration was broken as his arm felt like it had been lit on fire. Thirty seconds had passed, and Overcharge had worn off, sending its bacsh shooting through the formerly empowered limb. It was the least of his worries though, as Unbound Tether had snapped and sent him falling from the sky. AAAAAHHHHHH Is it good or bad that I was so high up? Farther distance to fall, but more time to get it back up! Unbound Tether! The Skill refused to take, and Edwin mentally cursed. Unbound Tether! Unbound Tether! Unbound- The fourth time, it finally took, and Edwin began to slow down, stabilizing a few hundred feet above the town, a tiny dark figure in a very dark sky. Below him, a few lights were rushing about, but he didnt care much about those. That was all just noise. Nothing of substance. He silently flew back to his inn, perching on the roof for a minute. He tried to slip inside silently, stealing back to his bed, but was foiled by a figure sitting on it, a sight which made Edwins heart jump into his throat before he realized who it was. I suppose thats you that caused all that ruckus? Inion asked. ...Yeah, he admitted. What are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping in the cart? I was, ya. Then there was a buncha shouts and I came to check on you. You snuck off again, she stated. He stayed silent. Edwin. Look, it seemed like a good idea at the time. She sighed and looked away. What? I wanted to see some stuff, and I didnt want to bother anyone. Going at night seemed like the most logical way to do that, because there wouldnt be anyone around on the streets, nobody here cares if youre out at night, I was in full kit, and I left all my other valuables here. I was careful! He quietly protested, never raising his voice above a loud whisper. She pointedly looked out the window. Okay, that was something I was not expecting. I didnt even know that the Empire had a concept of a curfew, let alone one implemented if they even do. Theres a part of me that expects to find out its just a ruse to try and arrest people for Niall to experiment on. Oh, dont give me that look. I know thats probably not whats actually going on, but thats the only ce my brain is going. Something is going on here, I know it, and I want to find out what. I just I know that no matter what, its not my fault if something happened after I left Niall. His actions are on him, they arent my responsibility, doubly so after I gave him tow enforcement. But I also need to know. Come on Inion, you know how I am. I do, she conceded. You get incredibly self-destructive so long as theres even a drop of knowledge to be gained. Thats a little unfair, he tried to protest. Im back now anyway. It was fine, I only got into a little scuffle and I didnt hurt anyone. I just need a good nights sleep to wipe away my use of Overcharge, and Ill be as good as new. You didnt let me watch. Okay, I guess thats true, but there wasnt much to see. I also dont think its my responsibility to make sure youre always watching when I do something? Just that Im not allowed to stop you from doing it. Inion looked unconvinced. Can I just get some sleep? You cane tomorrow. Im not done here. Tomorrow, hed get to the bottom of this. Chapter 122: Blood is Thicker Chapter 122: Blood is Thicker Edwin slipped through the crowds, keeping a wary eye out for the guards dotted around every so often. He knew that the Empire had an Identify evolution known as Wanted List, that more or less helped them spot rulebreakers, but Rih or Lefi or whoever it was that had told him didnt know any details about how it worked. Depending on how it worked, he may or may not have a giant target on his head that hed broken curfew the night before, but there was nothing he could really do about that other than be aware and ready to fly if he needed to. He wasnt entirely sure what he was looking for other than the vague hope he happened to spot an Almanac tag rted to Niall, but Rih was somewhere else trying to track down leads as to where the alchemist was set up by talking to people. Inion stuck rtively close to Edwin, by contrast, only slightly floating off the ground as they idly chatted. Did you feel that? Edwins head turned on a swivel, trying to narrow down where the sensation hade from. The flicker? the fey confirmed. Edwin nodded. It had felt like life, but not the clean, nt-like life that was rtivelymon in Rhothos, but more of a visceral life. It felt like blood and tissue, pulsing and writhing. Yeah. Any idea where it came from? That way? I dunno, it was so fast. The area they both thought it hade from was a row of merchant buildings, which meant a small shop underneath a usually wooden apartment. There was only one reason that Edwin could think of for one of the ces to have any magic going on whatsoever, but that may have just been the result of several hours looking for someone explicitly associated with blood and viscera. Looking at the shops, none were obviously potion-rted, but the one at the end held a stylized sign of a bundle of herbs and was especially well-made from slightly bluish stone. As they watched, its door swung open to let an imperious-looking human back out onto the street. That one. Edwin muttered, and Inion nodded in agreement. That was a lot of medical Skills on him, none of which were his. Wait here, Edwin told her, Or not here, but just outside. Im just going to take a peek, but if things go bad itll be a lot better if Niall doesnt know I have anyone else with me. If you do insist on watching, he said with a sigh, At least turn invisible or into water or something? I dont know, just do your thing. She didnt protest, which Edwin optimistically took as agreement, and he took a deep breath as he walked to the door and gently pushed it open, peeking inside. The interior wasnt exactly richly furnished, but it did look to be a moderatelyfortable waiting area, with a few chairs and a table. There were two other exits to the room, one to the left a stairway leading up, and the other a curtain-covered archway leading further back into the building. At the center of it all, cleaning up what probably wasnt blood but definitely looked like it,was the exact man Edwin was looking for. Niall was significantly better-off than thest time Edwin had seen him, not that it was a high bar, but even before being stuffed into shackles hed had a somewhat unkempt and wild look to him, but now he was significantly more refined. He wore high-quality clothing even nicer than Edwins, spotless despite very clearly beingboratory clothing, and a vibrant red in color. His gaze locked onto Edwin. Welp, there went any hope of potentially remaining incognito or unnoticed. Alchemist! Come in, speak with me, the Statuary Alchemist snappily called out as he stood up, tossing the stained rag hed been dealing with into a woven basket sitting in the corner. Huh. That seemed way less vitrolic than Edwin would have anticipated. He hesitantly pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped inside cautiously, mentally reviewing where his lead shot and smoke bombs were as he entered. Yes? Did youe to join my research? No? Edwin asked, confused, Mostly, I was traveling through, I didnt really expect to find well, this here. Did Niall not recognize him? Well, it had been a while, Edwin was dressed and carried himself really differently, and he had apletely different sspared to what hed had back then, not that Hedge Alchemist and Alchemist-Errant were that different, fundamentally. Actually, it was a bit odd that it hade back around slightly. Or what kind of hedge was being used in Hedge Alchemist? Another time, he scolded himself. ...suppose you wish to join me, then? he tuned back into Nialls offer just in time to miss most of it. Memory filled in that he had been annoyed that his offer to alchemists for a good job outside of the normal Guilds- something of a fledgling guild itself really- but most left instead. I dont know enough about what youre doing for any real answer to that. Like I said, I just wandered in because I heard rumors about a healer alchemist and wanted to investigate. Really, I didnt even know how to find you, this was kind of just blind chance, it was hard to call it luck, given Edwin would much sooner have not stumbled onto Niall this way, but he took what he could get. Well! That can most certainly be amended. Come with me, I will show you my workshop and let me persuade you. Okay lead the way I suppose. Edwin shrugged, but nced back outside as he did so. This wasnt ideal, but if he ran off now then came backter, Niall would have just as much time to prepare as he did. Inion knew where he went, so if he went missing theyd know where to look. Hed also refilled his Overcharge potion set, so even if Niall did recognize him and was just a really good actor, hed probably be fine. He was, if nothing else, confident in his ability to sucker-punch and run, even if Niall had a squad of minions on-call. Hopefully it wouldnte to that though. Niall beckoned Edwin to follow as he passed through the curtains into the next room. Here, most of the architecture was stone, and off to one side an array of cauldrons bubbled over unnaturally steady mes, tended to by an Apprentice Smith who couldnt have been older than thirteen. The opposite side of the room was conversely upied by a row of magical nts, most of which Edwin recognized, but talsanenris was conspicuously absent. The third side mostly just had arrays and piles of tools and containers, and the fourth wall had a pen with several blobs of blood. Slimes, perhaps? The squishy spheroids ranged in size from Edwins thumb to his head, but slowly oozed around their respective containers while being stubbornly resistant to Edwins attempts to identify them. They had a lot of blood in them, that was certain- though the exact amount really varied- but they didnt have any individual Almanac entry and didnt register as a creature to Identify. Most concerning in the room was the table at the center, however. It was just about the right size for a human to be strapped down on it and dissected. There was even a gutter around the edge for blood or something to drain. Edwin really hoped that he was wrong about its purpose though. The girl tending the mes looked at Niall as he entered, and with a jerk of his head, she was sent out of the room, slipping past them. Meanwhile, Niall extracted a pair of tall stools from underneath one of the benches and passed Edwin one, while he climbed on the other. Its been quite some time, hasnt it now? Niall didnt turn back to face Edwin, instead picking up and tapping some kind of stick against the countertop. So you did recognize me, he sighed. What, were just going to sit here and talk like were friends? I always did love to talk, Niall replied smoothly. But you really should hear me out. I might be able to make it worthwhile. I truly have offered a few of our kin a job, some have even epted. Id offer you a drink, but I doubt youd take me up on it. I dont drink even when I do trust the giver. Anyway, why shouldnt I just blow you up here and now? Like you said, its been a while, and Ive learned a lot since then. He smirked, Oh, you can try. But it wont do anything for you. Im immortal, you know. Theres no way thats true. Youd have a more impressive ss if nothing else. In response, the alchemist grabbed a knife from the counter, dropped his hand onto the wood, and without even flinching cut off his own thumb. Edwin took a step back. What the heck. Even if- yep, there it was. A Skill blossomed in his hand, budding and growing into a new digit- even with supernatural regeneration, that was still an insane amount of determination, to just chop off his own thumb like that? Niall tossed the severed digit at Edwin, who deflected it with a quick burst of Unbound Tether. The alchemist raised an eyebrow at the sight, but didntment on it, Immortal. Stab me if you want, itll do nothing. I really should thankful, that you were so weakst we met. Had you killed me back then, well I might have actually died! But now? Oho. You and two other attempted assassinationster, well. Here I am. Here I thought you couldnt get any physical Skills. What happened to that? Or is this some kind of alchemical effect instead? It is! Isnt it impressive. While proper Health potions may be tricky, they are most rewarding, and by incorporating the Regeneration attribute, a simple regrowth potion can be amplified with some goil root and blood essence to more vigorously encourage full metabolic regeneration, and once that was taken and its Path rewarded, Alchemic Healing could be upgraded to grant well, I probably shouldnt say quite so much. Wait, you can make potions permanent via a Skill? I didnt know that was possible, thats kind of impressive. Wait, no. Thats how I got Stamina Maniption. It is! I believe that it is an important step in the development of true life, but I am thus far incapable of properly instantiating the System into a subject before it is brought to life, so it grows moreplicated. Yeah, that does sound tricky. Well, what if Edwin shook his head, pulling himself back on-topic before he really got off-topic. You were supposed to be executed. What happened to that? Ah, you know a guy who knows a guy. Then I got the magistrate in on it and I didnt even have to live in a broken-down tower! I was technically executed, but you know, a bit of a fall never hurt me. They ask questions, I make a potion, they want more, and I provide. Everyone wins. Once they saw what I could do, they were almost falling over themselves trying to get on my good side. But the Empire? You hate it, or was that just a ruse? You think thats gone anywhere? Nialls easygoing behavior dropped away for a moment as he mmed a fist into the table before he regained hisposure, No. I still hate them all, theyre all dead to me, but they can be just so useful. And far morepetent than the dunderheads I used to employ. A personal alchemist, after all, is so terribly useful, particrly one as talented as I. As you can see, I recently perfected my process to create blood oozes, and so long as I keep it fed, I can use it as a pre-processed blood source, and it serves as a marvelous basis for potions. I believe with a few changes I might be able to properly be a full potion, and if I could them make it replicate? Could you imagine? Potion slimes! Create incredibly challenging brews once then never again. Okay, that is actually kind of cool. It is! It is most wonderful. Of course, because someone destroyed all of my notes, I have had to spend a fair amount of time rebuilding my knowledge. Now, that wasnt too terribly difficult, mind you. Every city has its own set of castoffs andyabouts who will never amount to anything if I didnt give them purpose. Some even survive. Did you know, if youre careful enough, you can put blood back into a person? Blood transfusions? Yeah. You need to be careful though, theres some nasty diseases which can be spread by blood contact, and if their blood types are different thats just asking for trouble. Im no fool, I wasnt about to mix different bloods, at least outside of a test. No, no. Not like youre imagining. Not like avior and humans- though I imagine thats pretty likely to not go well anyway- I mean just different humans can have different types of blood, depending on some stuff, its tooplicated for the moment to exin, and why am I telling you all of this again? Because you are like me, a true man of the brew. You seek knowledge and mastery above all else, and you cannot help yourself but seek it in a vain hope it will grant you strength. This was, Edwin decided, one of the weirdest conversations hed ever had, and it wasnt helped by him keeping Flight half-activated and ready to rush through the door if it went badly. You dont have strength. Not true strength, not the kind which I have and can grant you. Youre still too happy in your own little bubble, having never lost, never suffered. But I can still sense the ruthlessness that could blossom ready to be tended. Oh, you whos willing to cut up your own friends for parts. I at least never did that. I wouldnt. Oh, you wouldnt would you? he spread his arms in a look at me gesture. I knew you for all of three days, and then it turned out you murdered people, Edwin protested. Thats not the same as backstabbing an actual friend. Speaking of which, I cant help but notice youre missing your minions. Did they end up under your knife? You! Niall held himself back for some reason, but hed grabbed a dagger and began brandishing it at Edwin, who readied a lead shot pellet. You dont get to talk about them. Werent you just calling them dunderheads? You. Dont Talk. About. Them. Okay, okay, Edwin hastily retreated. Sorry. So still working on making proper life? he threw out a potential distraction for the alchemist totch onto, and it worked startlingly well. Yes! I am so extraordinarily close I can nigh sense it. Blood is such a wondrous ingredient, one I can truly never get enough for. The blood oozes are just the next step, but I hope Ill . Soon, I think I might be able to move onto proper reanimation, then creation! Nice, nice. So how are you recing your prior, ah, resupplies. Oh, that? Ha! I have no need to prey upon the chance traveler anymore. Im a fully sponsored alchemist, sullying my hands with the unpleasantries of resupplying is beyond me. Yeah, Edwin didnt buy it. He was a bio-alchemist, that would require a lot of test subjects if nothing else. Probably from the vagrants hed mentioned previously yeah, definitely the vagrants. Or maybe they were just his guinea pigs? Caught, had a potion shoved down their throat, and tossed back out? He could hope. Personally, I thought it was just as much a chance to get back at the Empire as a legitimate need for materials. Well, there is that, but I hmm. No, I dont need to tell you that. What, you dont want to exin your evil n to me? I cant tempt you into a monologue wherein you tell me your secret weakness or whatever? No, no, I dont think so. Though I resent the suggestion this is my evil n. I have not done, nor will I do, anything unwarranted. Yeah, Im not buying it. That is not my concern, Niall dismissed, then looked up and past Edwin, Ah. It took them long enough. Without barely even a nce, Edwin jumped out of the way. Dangit, he wasnt paranoid enough. In the doorway to the workshop, a pair of armored guards stood menacingly, the full weight of an intimidation Skill pressing on Edwins consciousness. Master alchemist, you sent for us? Yes, he replied, That man there? He threatened me. Get him below, and next time leave a man with me. What if hed been attempting to kill me or my assistants? That was far too long. Edwin jetted across the floor away from the guards, as he assessed his options. There was a window in the wall above the nts, a door in the far corner, and of course guards in the near corner. He just didnt know where pretty much anything was, and how likely hed be to get either stuck or trapped while exploring another route from this room. Ouw. Come with us. Edwin backed away, knocking over his stool, Yeah, how about no. Im pretty sure that something, something Im an adventurer, something something, I have rights? Unsurprisingly, his heartfelt and deeply moving speech did nothing to sway the guards and one reached for a coil of rope hanging from his belt. Before he could draw it, however, Edwin sted Unbound Tether at the guy as hard as he could, pushing them apart as he darted for the far doorway. It was, unfortunately, not an exit, but instead a stairwell leading down. That probably wasnt where Edwin wanted to go, but the guards were right behind him and he didnt have many alternatives yet. If nothing else I get to see whats down here. He jetted down the staircase, the spiral nature of it barely an impedance to magical flight, but he didnt need to go down very far before it opened up to a dingy well, dungeon. There were two distinct portions of the room, one half a cross between torture room and researchb, a horribly bloodstained table with shackles built directly into the structure standing in the middle of it all, and the otherrger portion a cell. There were about a dozen people imprisoned there, all d in simple shifts that couldnt be called rags because they were all in one piece. They werent chained up or anything, but some had their eyes closed while leaning against the walls, others were sitting in ce staring into nothing behind the bars. None reacted to his presence. From what he could see, there werent any especially interesting sses present among them. The majority were some variation of Beggar or had the Homeless appetion, a couple were actual ssed Ouws, a couple Bandits, and one Wandering Peddler. Ouws and Adventurers, Edwins intuition whispered. It made a certain level of sense. Just like Edwin had beenpletely in his legal right to go after and kill Niall and his posse the first time theyd met, Ouws had no legal protections whatsoever. In fact, getting rid of unwanted elements was probably seen as a good thing by the powers that be. They all looked to be in good enough condition, but a couple were decidedly emaciated and underfed. Edwins thoughts instinctively detached from his emotions, a tiny thread idly wondering how people with the Eating skill could starve before being mercilessly crushed. The fact Niall was holding prisoners for bio-alchemical experiments wasnt a surprise, and he refused to let himself freak out about it. Hed practiced for this sort of thing, and as much as his mind kept throwing half-formed snarky thoughts at him about that fact, he needed to focus unless he wanted to join them. He jetted into the center of the room, standing lightly near the dissection table, and waited for the guards toe at him. One did, momentster, his rope in-hand and bright with some Skill. It looked like a subdual ability of some sort, perhaps some kind of Arrest Skill? It was reminiscent of the authority-type Skills they used sometimes, perhaps it was an alternate evolution? That wasnt what was important now, though. In some ways, Edwin had cornered himself, yes. However, he also had far more room to move down here, and that was exceptionally important. He didnt have time to hold anything back either, this would need to go fast and hard. Okay, so first step will be Overcharge. Full-body, I think, then Longstride and hope that the guard isnt fast enough to grab me His strategizing was cut short as the guard snapped out his rope, the cord uncoiling and stretching out towards Edwin like a hungry snake. Overcharge! He activated the Skill, but it was just a bit too slow, and the rope snared his arm before the Skill could reach that far, interrupting his power-up and leaving his right arm far too fragile for his liking. So, instead of using Longstrider to get past the man, Edwin braced himself andunched the Skill in such a way that he collided directly with the guard. CLANG Edwin dropped out of stretched space having aplished precisely nothing more than making the guard take a half-step back. Stand down, or I will begin to use force. the guard warned Edwin. Yeah, like Id let myself end up behind those bars, he retorted, mind racing. The rope on his right arm continued to tighten, binding more and more of the limb in its skill-blocking effect. Hmmm. A quick study of the binding made it look like it wasnt much more than just a normal rope. Oh sure, it was as supernaturally strong as most of the goods here, but that wouldnt stop it from burning.The guard grabbed Edwins other wrist, but empowered by Overcharge as it was, it was less fight-ending and more just inconvenient. He was able to wrestle it until his hand was directly in front of the guards face, the cold metal holding his fist just inches from the guards hyper-focused expression. Clearly, it wasnt easy for him. Feys Caress. His hand instantly became metal, and whenbined with Overcharge, Edwins mere flick of his finger was enough to break his opponents concentration, and he wrenched his hand free, bringing it around to the rope- still suppressing Skill usage in his right arm- and tapping it. Infused Firestarting. The rope didnt burst entirely into mes, but that was alright. What mattered was that the bit of rope between Edwins hand and the guards hand did, and it spread from there enough for him to snap it. As soon as the cord and its Skill fell away, his arm was flooded with mana, bringing it to the same level of strength as the rest of him. Now, the guard almost looked like he was moving in slow motion, and he could easily step back, re-orient, and Longstride his way to the stairs. Well, into the stairs, but thanks to Overcharge he barely even felt the high-speed collision into the stonework, and thanks to Flight he didnt even need to reorient himself. Edwin flew up the stairs even faster than hed descended, bursting into the workroom and bowling over Niall in the process. The alchemist went flying into the center workbench, cursing loudly for the guard to get back in here. A momentter, the armored figure did just that, now apanied by two more guards. With no time to waste, Edwin withdrew a knife from his belt and- His entire body screamed in agony as Overcharge expired. He dropped to the ground as using Flight suddenly felt more like driving knives into his back than a rxing midair suspension, but he was close enough to Niall to drive the dagger into the mans chest, more on instinct than anything. The sensation was not pleasant, but Edwin was running on pure adrenaline and barely even let himself notice it, shoving disgust away to be dealt with . He gritted his teeth, knowing what he needed to do but not looking forward to it, and he called on his magic once more. It felt like he was injecting fire into his veins, but he needed to Overcharge. His entire body felt like it was on fire, but the rest of the world sharpened back into perfect rity. The closest guard wasing at him with a sword- that was bad. There were footsteps from the stairs behind him- also not good. Niall didnt seem to be particrly bothered by the dagger stuck up to its hilt in his gut- not great, but less immediately worrying. There was a tiny window in the far wall made of several small panes of ss- that was workable. Edwins hands fished out a smoke bomb, flicking it into the floor below. Instantly, the entire room became impossible to see through, but he already knew where he was heading. A wild sword swing hit Edwins thigh as he jetted through the air, cutting through Overcharges protection like it wasnt even there, and his Health immediately went to work patching it up. He barely even felt the ss as it shattered around him, his body barreling through the tiny gap onlyrge enough because of his incredible Flexibility. Smoke billowed from the workshop as Edwin fled into the sky, Unbound Tether pushing him further and further. The pain redoubled as Overcharge stopped, cutting Edwin off from his magic temporarily. He kept flying through the air, simple momentum sending him on a long arc. Overcharge, he numbly reactivated the Skill. The encroaching darkness retreated. Wind whistled past his ears. He began to plummet from the sky. Thud. Chapter 123: The Right Ingredient Chapter 123: The Right Ingredient Edwin roused from unconsciousness to an absolutely massive headache and the vague sensation of being lightly on fire. What happened. Ugh. He didnt even have the strength needed to properly wonder out loud if this was what a hangover was like, and if so how hed gotten drunk. That seemed unlikely, so his brain poked at the general haze that was his recent memory. Unfortunately, all his effort only rewarded him with a headache, so he changed tactics. Notifications? He cautiously pushed, ready for anothernce of pain, but was pleasantly surprised to not have to go through it. Level Up! Skill Points 1184 1198 (Alchemy: 100; Stamina Maniption: 29; 14/25 60-point Paths) Adaptive Defense Level 5254 Basic Thermokinesis Level 4445 Fey''s Caress Level 4647 Longstrider Level 5455 Outsiders Almanac Level 139140 Overcharge Level 3035 Skillful Assessment Level 5556 Stamina Maniption Level 2829 Unbound Tether Level 3437 When it rained it poured, apparently. Hed been struggling to improve anything since Lefi left, but you fight a few guys and then Skills juste raining down. Oh yeah, hed been fighting. And hed used Overcharge a bunch of times in quick session. That hadnt been such a good idea, he was finding out. The fact that even after sleeping he felt this bad was not a good sign, but what else was he to do? Well, he could have run away the first time he saw Niall, not that that was ever any kind of real option. He also could have mmed the door and run when he ran into Niall, but then he wouldnt know all that he did now. Could he have just run when the guards showed up? Well, he basically did. Could he have talked his way out of the situation? Edwin would have winced if it wasnt too painful, his ipleteugh providing more than enough additional agony for the time being. Yeah, that was never going to happen. Oof, did he hurt though. A once-over with Anatomy told him that he didnt have anything broken, but Stamina and Health were both working overtime trying to get his body cleaned up. Ritual Intuition didnt have anything of note on it, and Perception didnt help him get any clearer a picture of his surroundings. Well, what could he do differently, then? He doubted Niall was actually genuinely immortal, and a chunk of white phosphorus shoved down his throat would definitely make him want to die even if he was, but there was no way hed actually be able to get there, not if he had guards around him. Hed really screwed up, not going straight for the kill while they had been alone Edwin shook his head. He wasnt going to just straight-up murder someone because they might be harder to killter, what was he thinking? It was never going to have been an option to kill Niall while they were talking. But it did put him in a tough ce where he definitely couldnt fight Niall now, not when he was ready for just that and was unlikely to go anywhere without a bodyguard. So then what could he do? Edwin wasnt entirely sure how long heid in ce, nor when he drifted off to sleep- if he even did, Watchful Rest always made figuring that outplicated- but when he woke up again, night was just starting to fall. With a groan, Edwin hauled himself upright and blearily blinked awake. There was an Edwin-sized furrow in the ground, grass ripped up and stones disced starting a little ways back and leading perfectly to, well, him. The city of whatsitcalled was nowhere in sight, but Edwin could guess which direction it was in fairly easily. Edwin, naturally, was filthy. Not only from the dirt slide, but also just from ayer of what almost looked like soot covering every inch of his skin. It was, of course, the ck goop Overcharge overuse tended to make, just far more prevalent than normal. A bit of testing confirmed that his saliva was also inky ck, his sweat matched, and while he wasnt able to check he suspected his eyes were as well. Ick. Hed need a very, very long bath to get clean and yeah, he wasnt going to be able to get back into the city after that little stunt, would he? He could give it a go, and if he came in from the sky he might be able to, but the odds of a guard spotting him- and him having triggered Wanted List- were just so high. At least hed slept off the more painful parts of Overcharge usage, so he could walk and use magic again. There was a slight crick in his neck, but that seemed likely that it was just from sleeping in an awkward position. Whatever! He could make it work. A literal pain in his neck and some dirt caked onto his skin was perfectly fine, it was just a shame that he didnt have Cleaning himself. ...Actually. His mana was a potion, and cleaning stuff was decidedly a potion-like effect. He could probably make some cleaning potions, actually. Hed just need to get some soap Essence and mix it with something pure, probably nonhomogenously. Then there would be the twin stages of cleaning and cleanliness, and yeah. If I make a bath bomb, would Bomb Throwing apply? Hmm. Ill have to see if I can convince myself enough to make that work at some point. Bubbles everywhere! In any case, that would require his fullb, and Edwin didnt have half the stuff hed want to make something like that. But he did have his magic, and that was what had gotten him thinking about this to begin with. He started inside his chest. His mana didnt exactly sit near his heart, but it was close enough to work as an approximation, and there he began his brew, sitting cross-legged in the Rhothos grasnds. He was trying to make a solvent, and that meant taking the clear water that served as the basis of his mana and emphasizing that part of it. Its temperature was increased as its pH dropped, bing not exactly corrosive directly but something adjacent to it. Power flowed and boiled, but he wasnt done. Here, inside his own body, he wasnt strictly limited to physicalws. What mattered much more was his imagination, and he had a lot of that to go around. Nitrogen was stripped from the air and broken down, forced into his watery mana and creating a proper acid. To counteract its natural corrosive properties, Edwin drew on something a bit less chemical- namely, his Purify skill. Filtering his mana-acid through the Skill changed it to a gentler type of corrosion, one which only purified and refined instead of burning and destroying. Not that it makes any kind of physical sense. I dont know what the ck stuff is made of on any level other than the atomic- predominantly carbon, not that that was any kind of surprise- so I cant make a tailored solvent for it. Removing filth isnt a physical process, it doesnt know what the impurities are, Id just need to figure out something which dissolved what I didnt want while leaving what I do. Shut up, me. Youll wreck the magic. Just make it so it wont dissolve skin or clothing, if you have to. Magic made things so much moreplicated than they had been on Earth. It was the observer effect magnified a hundredfold, where not only the presence of an observer could change the oue of an experiment, but also the identity of the observer. Still, he couldnt help but think as he released the spell and watched the ckyer of grime dissolve and drip away, it did make some things way easier. Well, like any tool, it had its limitations. What mattered as he used it was he kept in mind its limitations and he didnt try to use it where it didnt help. Blight, he was an idiot. Edwin dropped out of the sky like a stone, eyes shut tight and trying to fight back against the unpleasant sensation of freefall. Before he hit the ground, he caught himself and not quite so gently as he would have liked,nded next to the stable where Bill and his carriage were being kept. Okay, so once he checked here, hed go up to his room and then if none of hispanions were there then His thoughts were cut short in a good way when he saw a familiar slender frame rummaging around in the carriage. Rih! he softly called out, his mind starting to race ahead towards all the things he needed to do. She spun around, eyes widening in shock as she rushed over to him, Edwin! Youre alive! I am, yeah. How long has it been? Just overnight. What happened? Ran into the guy I was looking for, had a bit of a chat, had to run from some guards. Iunched myself out of the city,nded maybe a mile that way? Anyway, I passed out and wanted to make sure it hadnt been too long. Doesnt matter. Sounds like quite the adventure you had out there. You could say that. Wheres Inion? I could ask you the same thing. Last I saw her the two of you were together. Ugh, is she out looking for me? No clue, but maybe? I guess I need to leave and try to find her, then? You need to get out of the city anyway. Theres been quite the stir this morning, and As is warning me theyre on the hunt for an Adventurer, which Im guessing is you. Probably, yeah. Anyway, Im here mostly to give you a heads-up. I need to get to Vinstead, and Im going to be going fast. Vinstead? Why Vinstead? I know someone there I need to talk to, he admitted. He didnt like bothering people and making them go out of their way for him, but sometimes Okay, lets go. Oh. Edwins brain short-circuited. He blinked, trying to reset it. Edwin? Yeah, Im okay. Um, sure? Like yes please! Dont get me wrong, Id love to have youe along. Um, but I dont know how well it would work? Like I dont want to leave my carriage and Bill here alone, and like wheres Yathal and Kyni? I also dont know how to let Inion know that Im alright and I can definitely do most of that stuff before I leave but like I just wasnt really anticipating Edwin. Edwin, its okay. You seem stressed. Yeah, yeah, Im fine, he dismissed. A part of him hoped that shed push past it slightly, for all that this wasnt an appropriate time for a heart-to-heart. Hmmmm, she eyed him suspiciously, Well, okay. Well go do that stuff, and then we can go. But Inion and Yathal and Kynigos will really slow me down. Heck, I dont know if youll slow me down. She raised an eyebrow. You think youre faster than me? Unbound Tether provides constant eleration. If you have a top speed, Ill pass it before we make it there. How urgent is this really? Its its, he forced himself to breathe, Its moderately important, but a few hours a few hours. A few hours wouldnt make that much of a difference? she finished, voice calm and reassuring. He gratefully nodded. Well then, we can find the others and let them know, and then we can fly off and leave them here. I dont think itd be a good idea to be an adventurer here, though. They should probably leave. Thats alright as well. Edwin, Edwin. Hey, stay focused on me. Sorry, sorry. Its just been a bit of a day, and being here and thinking about stuff and Edwin. Yeah. You were saying, sorry? Its alright. They can leave, they dont need to stay here. Look, they can take the cart, and then they have a ce to stay if they go off-road. Edwin nodded, Yeah. Yeah, that works. What did you find out yesterday, anyway? Wait, that was off-topic. Sorry, my brain is just in a thousand ces at once. I was trying to make a n, you see, but I wasnt expecting to run into you so quickly so it wasnt entirely formed and I Edwin, youre just elerating. I know, but the more I think the more I realize that I still need to think about and this is a big deal, theres people dying and being dissected and Niall really is alive and people are looking for me. Right. Rih tapped his nose with a Skillden finger. Edwin immediately felt a bucket of cold water wash over his thoughts. Without prolonged contact, it wouldnt keep him calm, but the brief use of Calming Touch was still enough to get him mostly focused on what was important, which was of course. Rih grabbed his hand, and while the contact was distracting in its own way, it was more than offset by the sustained Calming that it provided. He breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks. I needed that. No problem. Now, are you able to focus? Yeah. Yeah, I think so. What did you learn? Nothing relevant anymore, I dont think. I learned that yes, Alchemist Niall did show up a couple years ago and has spent time since then acting as an effective physician for some of the nobility. Theres also rumors that hes secretly a blood-crazed maniac and kidnaps children to eat them, as well as another suite of the standard rumors going around. No mention of him being an Ouw or Adventurer though. Plus some more details I can fill you in onter. It sounds like you already know what youre doing anyway, so I think what I found is mostly redundant. No, no, he reassured her. That sort of thing is still useful and good to know, I just learned the most critical bit of information and wasnt really anticipating that I might just stumble into him. She chuckled, Its okay Edwin, you dont need to reassure me. Im more than happy to help you out, especially after you helped me out back in Sheraith. I mean, it wasnt that much, you dont need to make a big deal about it, you dont Im still getting distracted, arent I? You are, yes. Yathal and Kynigos were easy enough to find; they were just in the inn, sitting next to the firece on the main floor. Leaving was slightly moreplicated, as when Edwin stepped outside of the inn, a pair of passing guards spotted him, calling out for him to stop and submit. A brief but panicked flightter, Edwin had managed to lose his avior pursuers by diving into and hiding inside a near-ish river and pulling himself along underwater quite a ways. By the time hed emerged, theyd apparently called off the pursuit. It had been somewhat terrifying, seeing how fast they were able to fly while d in armor, but yeah. As he emerged from the riverbank, he nearly had a heart attack when he ran into a figure inches in front of him. There you are. Ive been looking all over for you. Have you been movingtely? Good to see you too, Inion. Youve been looking for me? I felt yound out here somewhere, but then when I get out here youre gone and youre somewherepletely different! Then I see a few birds chasing a rock and well here you are. You have not been anywhere close to safe, and you should know better. Sure thing. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that he gave a quick rundown of the situation, to which she didnt seem happy about. Youre flying off with that woman all the way to Vinstead? Youll never make it back. Iming with you. I dont think you can fly fast enough to keep up. I want to make it there today if possible, and its already gettingte. If you can, sure, whatever. I dont care enough to fight you. But if you were able to just keep Yathal and Kynigos out of trouble The dog can do that. I dont doubt it. Can he keep the cart out of trouble though? Im not babysitting. Isnt that what you already do with me? She narrowed her eyes, Thats different, and you know it. Okay, maybe it is. But fine. Just do whatever you want, I dont care. But Im not slowing down for you. He didnt quite manage to hit his goal of leaving the same day, but it was more important that Yathal and Kynigos got situated in their safe haven, a small indent in a rocky patch of the grasnds some ways from the main road, yetrge enough for the carriage to fit- which admittedly required Edwin and Rih to to pick up and carry the vehicle part of the way. It was apparently a frequent hidey-hole for the pair back during their shepherding days, and they would be fine for the day or two this trek should hopefully take. Unbound Tether wasnt exactly uncapped in speed, but the constant force the Skill provided still meant he could go ludicrously fast. He was flying at least twice normal terminal velocity at this point, and Rih was struggling to keep up. She was practically glowing in wind magic, and the exertion was taking a toll, if not as much of one as hed anticipated. Heck, at this rate he might have to break before she did. His Skill didnt use much mana, but hed also never used it for three hours straight before. Inion had, perhaps predictably, fallen behind almost immediately. She might have turned around or might have carried on, but her flight seemed to max out at a quick run and she wasnt even in sight at this point. He hoped she wasnt bitter, but what choice did he have? It would be days of travel at her speed, and that was too long. There was no gate guard halting them when they flew over the walls of Vinstead. Instead, he and Rih simply joined the clouds of avior circling above the city before setting down on one of the empty balconies of the citys garrison to catch their breath. That was wow, that was a rush, she gasped, then took a deep breath to center herself and allow a Skill to wash throughout her body in rejuvenation. Do you want a hit? Edwin held up a hand, I want to try by myself first. Closing his eyes, he reached for his Stamina. Because his flight was magical instead of physical, the attribute was rtively undepleted, meaning it was incredibly easy to pull on it with his Stamina Maniption and wash across his body. It got rid of some of the lingering soreness, but didnt do much to reduce his wariness. He turned to Rih to ask for her pick-me-up Skill, only to see her staring off into space. I leveled from that! she eximed. You did? What, your flight? Ya! Mercurial Shape too, but thats the big one. One level away from my tier goal! Thats awesome! Congrats. Sorry, you wanted my attention for something? Just the yeah, thanks. Oh, that feels good. Where are you going to be? You dont want me along? Oh. Uhhh. Um. So, Im still getting used to the idea that its an option. I flew how long exactly, and youre surprised I want to meet with this friend of yours? Uhh, yes, actually. She assessed him, expression unreadable, Were going to talk about thatter. Okay, sure. Later. It wouldnte up again. It never did. Id just feel I dont know, awkward with you tagging along? I dont know! Im just doesnt matter. he protested the look she gave him. Gah. He was doing so badly, but he didnt know what to do better. Further testing required though testing might also wreck a potential friendship so She shook her head, Whatever. If you dont want me along for this, its your business, your friend. Ill visit my registrar while Im here, see about some advice for my imminent tier-up. When youre done, find me. Ill go flying once I finish chatting. Oh yeah, registrars. That would be a good ce to start. Do you know where Tara is? he blurted out. Ah! Adventurer Edwin. It is most wonderful to see you again. I imagine you possess some new and exciting Skill for us to ponder over? Rizzali was once again absent of any visitors; did he even do anything all day? He dropped in at odd hours, but the gnome was always avable and only once had he seen any evidence of any other person meeting with him. Annnnd hed been asked a question. Um, yeah actually. Two, but can that wait? I need to talk to Tara, is she around? The gnome nodded, I do believe that Lady Tara is in, and if that is the case she can be found in the back court. You have some urgent message for her, then? Well kind of urgent? Its not something I particrly want to dy over anyway. Ille back and tell you all about my Skills because yeah, theyre very cool and I want to talk to you about them. Surely it would make more sense to speak with me now? Unless what you need to say has life and death importance and intense time criticality, will Lady Tara note to find you as she has previously once she haspleted her current tasks? That was a good point. Though yeah, he couldnt tarry forever, he also probably shouldnt just go barging in on his Imperial liaison, particrly not after having been absent for so long. For someone as sword-happy as the Enforcer, it might not go particrly well. He checked himself for social Skills, but didnt notice anything. He steadied his mind. It is kind of life-critical and I do kind of have people waiting on me. Ah! But will taking a few minutes out of your day be such a harm? Lady Tara is already aware of your presence, I am certain, and she wille as soon as she is able as is her duty. I guess youre right? Of course I am, such is my profession. Was that a joke? So, do tell of these discoveries of yours. So, the first one I found is probably the less exciting one because its an evolution of Flight. At least, you know, for Empire stuff. But for me its awesome because... So, with that I noticed with the right potion I could get my mana to kind of interact with my Stamina, and then when I leveraged that, I was able to get a new basic Skill. Namely, Stamina Maniption. Theyd already had a fairly long and fruitful discussion about Edwins Unbound Tether. Rizzali hadnt known anything about the Skill, nor knew of anyone whod ever gotten it, but was just as excited as ever to discuss possibilities with it. Apparently, there had been someone whod gotten the same kind of Flight skill as Edwin, and theyd managed to leverage it into a Skill known as Ative Invincibility by tier four. It seemed unlikely that Edwin would get it, for all that Arcane Defender was a possible Path for him to earn, but it was still interesting to learn about. Once that had wound down, however, conversation had shifted to Edwins new skill, and Rizzali barely seemed to contain his excitement. Do you know what this represents? Nope. But if I were to guess, non-magical mages or something? Yes and no simultaneously. It has long been theorized that there must be some alternative to magic, as once every few decades or so, someone with no magical talent nheless develops exceptionally mage-like Skills. And the obvious answer isnt they just unlocked Mana and got Skills for it, like I did? No, thats impossible. Nheless, it has been a mystery for centuries, but the knowledge that there are indeed Skills which enable maniption of other Attributes does answer that question most handily. I do not understand why you all are so certain you cant unlock magic through the System. Blight, I know there are Skills which are basically magic anyway. Honestly, that might be all of them. Anyway. Thats not whats important. Im still somewhat figuring out how Stamina Maniption works, but it seems to bergely based around, well, physical Skills. Im not actually sure if it could be used to mimic magic more than anything else? What do you hope to upgrade it into? Im still somewhat undecided, honestly, but Im thinking that Health Maniption might be the way to go. I dont really have a good way to unlock that, despite trying a few times, so getting it from stamina maniption seems like a good possibility. Not a terrible goal. For that, I would say those Paths which might normally grant the Regeneration attribute might aid you in that regard. Alternatively, Automedic might be what youre looking for, as well as Stubborn Survivor. I will need to investigate beyond those, however. If you return tomorrow I may have more information for you. Awesome. I guess, while Im here, my current n is to tier up after Alchemy reaches level 120 and I get the Alchemy Specialist path. Ambitious. Are you prepared to spend multiple years dedicated to this pursuit? And what of your magical Skill? I daresay that it would be ever more useful than mere Alchemy Specialist. Maybe, he confessed, If I do get Mana Infusion Specialist that might be cool, but I also dont really want to spend even more years of my life trying to maximize it when I could use the Artificer path on it or something and get something simrly cool. Thats not a bad idea, no, and to be honest I was kind of thinking about that to begin with. There really isnt a strong reason Id need to take all my Paths at the same time and I am unsurprised to find you here. I mean, I did stick around for that very reason. I need to talk to you. Tara had changed in the time since hest saw her. Not that much, but she nheless had. Normally he might not really notice, but Visualization and Memorybined to highlight every new line on her face- two- and a faint scar running along her arm. She also seemed a bit less something, but blight if Edwin knew what. She had the same ss, too, but now Edwin was able to get a better glimpse of the Skills she had running. There werent many, but the unmistakable shape of her authority Skill was constantly lit, as were a few other general physique-enhancing abilities. Lady Tara, always a pleasure. Good to see you, Rizzali. I wasnt interrupting, I hope? Of course not, Lady Tara. We had already finished our primary discussion and were speaking about a potential future. Good man. I never understand how you manage to get so much done in so little time. Registrars Seal, he smiled. She gave a small nod in response before fixing her piercing silver gaze onto Edwin once again, You had best have good exnations. I probably do? She spun on her heel, flicking her wrist to get Edwin to follow her up the stairs. Youve assaulted guards recently, Tara stated once they had found a private room. It was in self-defense, he protested. Such is no guard. If a town watch seeks to apprehend you, there is no self-defense, merely resisting arrest. They were going to lock me up to have that one Ouw alchemist I told you about dissect me. Tara froze. Exin, shemanded. You informed me he had been executed. Yeah, well thats what I thought as well. Apparently he wasnt though, and has spent thest couple years grabbing random people and pulling them apart for, well, parts. He also ims to be immortal, but Im not sure I buy that. I cannot speak for what sorts of Skills one such as he might possess. Did you discuss it with Rizzali? Edwin shook his head, Im never sure what I should tell him. Imend the thought, for all that it is not needed in this case. Registrars know most of the secrets of the Empire, and only rarely is dispensation given to hide a Skill from them. Like with me, and my stuff. Indeed. How sure are we that Registrars arent part of a giant conspiracy to control the Empire, given how important they are to, well, everything? She chuckled slightly, You are not the first to think as much, and you are not entirely incorrect. They are, after all, one of the few branches of the Empire which reports directly to the Emperor himself, and embody his wisdom and experience. Sure, whatever. Not important. Anyway, Im getting distracted. He quickly gave a breakdown of the situation as best as he could summarize. So yeah. Theres a former bandit who used to be kidnapping and dissecting random travelers now doing the same to random people, with the support of the local government. What sorts of individuals? Edwin shrugged, Didnt really stick around long enough, given he was trying to make me join them, but like adventurers and ouws I guess? Are you certain he is actually viting anyws? I have no clue, you kidding? I would have stuck around longer to try and figure it out- heck, I wasnt even trying to let him know that I was around- but when we talked and he called the guards on me all those ns kind of went well, out the window. Hm. Presuming he is ying ording to the rules, I see little problem with his endeavors. I will need to investigate that he is not actually pursuing adventurers, however. What? Hes kidnapping and torturing random people and thats just fine? She held up a finger, I said assuming he is being careful, which I do not know for certain is true. Should he satisfy himself using ouws, it is unlikely there is substance for me to intercede over, depending on the nature of his supposed torture. Adventurers, however, do have value to society. Edwin raised an eyebrow, Seems more generous thanst time you talked about us. Also seriously, torture? It isrgely thanks to their sacrifice that we are able to continue our expansion of Skill knowledge. Oh, is that it? You provide valuable exploratory research, yes. Beyond that, the Empire is more than capable of taking any findings and utilizing it optimally. That you may have a few years of additional usage of a particrly new Skill does not make you the master of it. That someone chose to abandon reason for madness does not change even if that madness has some utility. Edwin sensed he wasnt going to win this particr exchange and pulled back, Anyway. Why is it fine if its just ouws? Theyre still people! They provide no value. If he is capable of forming some value from them while remaining within thew, why would we care? I dont know, dont you see any value in human life? Well okay, not just human life, but you get my point. Edwin, every individual who does not contribute to society is simply a drain upon it. Rhothos has an insane amount of food, it matters that much if a few people dont contribute? That we have extra is not cause to be foolish with what we do possess. Besides, it is not as though we forbid them from purchasing food, we simply do not give it to them. And turn a blind eye whenever someone decides to cut them open for parts. She rapped the desk suddenly, re-sharpening Edwins focus, It is not challenging to be an Adventurer. If they desire aid from the government they may provide their knowledge back to it. Otherwise, they are responsible for their own protection, is that not fair? Theres just so much in that. And I dont know. But theyre still people. Cant you get that? Whether or not theyre your people, how can you stand back and just let them get hurt? Dont you have any empathy? There are thousands of hurting citizens as well. Do we ignore them for the ouws? Why does it have to be a choice? Why cant you help both? Heck, why arent you already helping the citizens? We are, yet. she took a deep breath. Very well. Regardless of our differences in opinion, it is important both in my role as liaison and Enforcer that I investigate this situation to ensure there are not adventurers involved, and that no otherws are being vited. She stood up, and Edwin got to see her armor Skill re and assemble around her. It looked a bit like Sappers Apparatus, interestingly. Though that did make sense, given they were both Trophy Skills. Awesome. So, uh. Should I You areing with me. Is there something you can do to get rid of this thing that apparently tells everyone I defended myself from guards? If what youre telling me is true, yes. Otherwise, Im leaving it. Ohe on. I will ensure you receive a fair trial. So not like what happened when I met the governor. Let us not discuss that here. Okay, what should we talk about then? You are most wee to simply remain By Xares, how long have you been able to fly? Chapter 124: A Sense of Wounder Chapter 124: A Sense of Wounder Enforcer Lisana, the Watchful Captain greeted them, pulling his spear into a salute, How may I be of assistance today? Armorer Nel. Im investigating a trollish. What do we have avable? Is that so? Guisals would be ideal if the trollish is a troll or hydra. Instantly cauterizes anything. I recall that one. Guisal was the Eternal Forgemaster, yes? Astute as always, Lady Enforcer. The Tornde would be preferable if the trollish is limited in regrowth. Edwin, what do you know of your friends regeneration? Um, he hesitated, Its strong? Or at least fast. Alchemically based? Probably has something to do with his blood and potions given what I know about his speciality. Not sure if fire would be effective against him. The Tornde then. As you wish, Enforcer Lisana. Sorry, Im confused. Whats going on? Dont you just conjure your sword out of the same Skill you use for your armor? Well, it is always better to be prepared for eventualities, and while our armory possesses nothing close to the variety of the Capital ah, thank you Armorer Nel. Tara epted a sheathed dagger positively brimming with Skills. Edwin spotted some sort of repair ability in constant flux with a Skill trying to break it, and half a dozen other pairs of Skills fighting for dominance but locked in stasis between the two of them. Thus, to prepare to fight a trollish, we require proper tools. Ah, I got it. So trollish means someone has the healing powers of a troll, then these weapons have Skills imbued into them by their creators- Deadly de, or maybe Eternally Hot, something like that, which cover abilities you might not have on your own but persist with the object because yeah. I think I follow, at least for the most part. Tara gave a terse nod hidden behind her shining silver helmet as she led them back out, Astute reasoning. They started traversing thebyrinthine route back to the surface, which made Edwin start to wonder why they bothered making everything so hard to get to. Was it about defense? Defense from what? They had some truly absurdly powerful people working to protect the Empire, and actually, now that he thought about it... So something Ive kind of been wondering, Edwin softly prompted, Is why doesnt Emperor Xares do something about this sort of thing. This sort of thing regarding what, exactly? Well, like your job. If he can see everything everywhere, why cant he just swoop through the continent and kill every single monster and bandit in one go, or intercept criminals like Niall before they start to prey on people? Hmm. The simplest answer is that he chooses not to, that we might be challenged and grow ourselves. He is still but one avior, for all that he hears and sees all, and rules far too much to patrol it all. Really? Edwin asked incredulously, The guy practically seemed like a demigod when I spoke with him. For one, I spoke to him for hours but it was only like seconds in reality. If hes that fast, surely he could be anywhere pretty much whenever. Registrars are capable of something simr, yet do you think Registrar Rizzali ought toe visit you? Wait, they do? Actually, that makes sense. How did I not notice that? How would that work? Is it like some sort of time dtion, or is it more like a speed-up effect? Whats the trigger for it? How- Tara said something. What was that? Sorry, I was distracted. Clearly. Regardless, even so, you should not consider your experience with the Emperor to be typical. He simply does not intervene save for against direct treason, disloyalty, or disobedience. And a governor threatening an Ally of the Empire counts? Correct. Do not expect him to save you from your own stupidity, merely from the stupidity of his direct inferiors. Why does he even leave stupid people in charge? When I asked that same question, I was informed it was due to the alternatives not working as hoped when attempted previously. Fair enough? I dont know, it still seems kind of strange to me. But then again, Im not a three thousand year old god-emperor, so maybe Ill leave it to the experts. Correct. That is indeed what is most effective, Tara said pointedly. Okay, sheesh. I was just asking. No need to be so sharp. Tara didnt respond, and Edwin frowned slightly, Sorry if that cut a bit close? Or are you d I de it? Just stop. Rih was blessedly easy to find. Enormous green magical wings were obvious on multiple senses, and all it took was a tug from Unbound Tether to get his Rihs attention. So, um, yeah. Tara, this is Rih, Rih this is Tara Lisana you guys know each other, dont you? Rih gave a momentary, shallow bow, Rih DeLariss, at your disposal. Adventurer DeLariss. Ah, of course. Were you the one involved in Sheraith earlier this year? I never did hear who your recement was, did Lord Forsiths girl emerge victorious? I do believe Ive heard of you beyond that as well, though I cannot recall That was me, yes. I dont actually know who my recement was, because they hadnt picked one when I left. Id actually still be there, but Edwin helped me fulfill my responsibilities another way. And call me Rih, please. And I wouldnt be surprised, your predecessor certainly loved throwing Lefi in a cell for a few days whenever we passed through, and whether or not I was tossed in as well, it was always memorable. He did have his oddities. Dont approve, eh? I think Ill like you. It is not my ce to judge the wisdom or judgment of my predecessor. Really? Whose is it, then? Like, wouldnt you be the perfect person to do just that because youre the closest to being in his exact position as anyone could be? Tara red at Edwin, who raised his hands defensively, Look, Im just asking. How else will you do better, if you dont try to improve? Regardless of my thoughts on the matter, whats done is done and I do believe time is precious in this, is it not? Yes! Edwins brain snapped back on track, Yes it is. And we really should be working on that. How fast can you go? It is part of an Enforcers duty to be ready for immediate deployment wherever in the province they may be required, and Rhothos is no Smo. I can keep up with you, whatever odd flight Skill you may possess. Edwin was skeptical but didnt say anything out loud, instead just shrugging, Well, are we ready then? Rih. Anything left for you here? Do you want a hand with your flight speed? She shook her head, which Edwin took to mean she did want to leave and didnt want his help. Alright, lets a thought hit Edwin, and he turned to Tara, You can fly, or something like that, right? Something like that, yes, she curtly replied, But we have wasted enough time now, we are leaving. To Valenasis, now. With that, she stepped up into the air and started running across the sky, using some kind of Skill to ah, neat. She was conjuring miniature barriers beneath her feet and using them as stepping-stones for her run. Impressive, though Edwin couldnt help but wonder just how many Skills were integrated into her armor if it had just so much versatility. Actually, that made him wonder why her Skills werent moremon, but maybe they just required really rare Paths? That was probably it, actually. Tara hadnt been lying when she said that she could go fast. She was slower than Edwin at his top speed, but she was faster than Rih. Eventually, at Rihs prompting, hed grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him. It felt really nice, being able to help in such a direct way, for all that his brain kept getting distracted by how soft her skin felt under his fingers. Edwin was pulled out of his musings by a subtle but insistent mental tug, and frowned as he slowed, releasing Rih. Hang on, I feel something odd. Woa- Unusual? Unusual how? Rih red her wings to catch herself, pulling into a hover. Tara likewise came to a midair stop from her sprint, looking at him. I just feel like Im needed? One moment, Ill be right back, he switched his Tether to pull him in the direction his gut was telling him to go, and sped off to the cries of hispanions. Adventurer? Adventurer Edwin! Ill be right back! He jetted over to where he felt the impulse originating from, a small hill followed by a gulf. Inside the depression, he saw a person huddled up hold on, was that... Inion? he asked incredulously. The fey looked relieved to see Edwin as hended next to her, like she had been exhausted and was only just now catching her breath. Color was rushing back to her face, and Edwin could actually feel the parched pond that was her mana pool fill back up with water until it was once again a shaded spring. Once he was in reach, she desperately reached out and grabbed his arm, relying on it for support. You alright? I dont she panted, I dont do well when far from my bond. I was worse before you showed up. Your bond? Like the Rhothos? But you havent been close to that in ages. Well our deal offset that a bit. But also lots of rivers flow to the Rhothos, she sped his shoulder and dragged herself back into the air, color returning to her skin. It means Im rarely in any danger. There just werent any Hm? Edwin frowned at her trailing off, and cast his senses out to try and spot what had Of course, Tara chose that moment to catch up. The armored figureunched forward in a glittering arc, her sword lighting up with a half-dozen Skills as she struck at Inion. Woah! Edwin barely had time to react, but fortunately Overcharge was all but instantaneous, and he managed to shift his body to be in the path of Taras attack, hoping that his enhanced durability would be enough to protect himself and Inion. It did not. Her sword barely seemed to even slow down as it stabbed straight through Edwins shoulder, cutting skin and muscle and bone like butter. Well. Thats not good. It didnt hurt, not yet. He was, however, very acutely aware of the chill in his back that was the metal of Taras sword. His mind cleared of everything unimportant, he had a sword in his shoulder, what did he need to do for that? Overcharge was in full effect, so every second felt like ten times that, he had time to process. ...he was immediately proven wrong when Tara withdrew her de at a speed which even his Overcharge-enhanced self could barely track. One moment, the de was inside of him, the next it was gone and several Skills rushed to the wound. Okay. So he needed a bandage and a health potion, he could- The pain hit. Edwin copsed to the ground, the pain overwhelming his mind, constantly distracting him and screaming that he needed to pay attention to his shoulder. It felt far worse than most of his previous significant wounds, and he clenched his back, trying to keep as much blood in as possible, but his right arm refused to cooperate. Internally, he was aware of his Health and Stamina rushing to the site of the injury and trying to knit the flesh back together, but for his bones that was going to be a very long process. Externally, he was dimly aware of yelling going on while he fumbled around in his belt looking for one of his health potions. Given that it was, for once, his right arm out ofmission, he struggled a fair bit more than usual in trying to find the correct vial. Even once he did find it, his fingers refused to cooperate in actually bringing it to his mouth until a soft hand caught his, snatching the apparatite container deftly from his trembling fingers. Edwin desperately tried to retrieve the stolen medicine, but before he could track down the thief, cool relief was pressed against his wound, drops of water infusing his shoulder and bringing him a hint of reprieve. ...perception, refocus. a voice floated past, and Edwin thought in confusion before he grasped the intent. Around him, he dragged his Perception to full-bore focus on his hearing. The rest of the world dropped away, the pain fading into obscurity and the light going dim. Even his awareness of his own body faded away, but he didnt panic thanks to staying perfectly in control. His mind, free of the all-hands-on-deck alert that was having his shoulder nearly cut off, was able to rx and think properly, processing the noise in the background. Edwin, Edwin can you hear me? He nodded, probably. Having no proprioception was weird, but Stamina Maniption informed him his head was moving in a vaguely nod-like pattern, so it was probably fine. Okay, good. How do you use this thing? Its all crystal. Cap at the top just put it in my mouth. He returned a bit of Perception to the rest of his head, giving him a bit of awareness of someone holding his head upright. Rih, he was pretty sure, hesitated for a moment before gently pressing the top of the vial into Edwins lips. Once it was there, he dispelled the apparatite cap and downed the potion. With that on its way, he felt more confident in allowing his Perception to rx back into its normal state. The pain returned, just as bad as before, but by carefully moderating his Perception he now could properly appreciate what was going on. Rih was at his side, her hand resting on his very bloody shoulder, her spring magic doing its best to stem the tide of blood flowing from his stab wound, though it was fighting against at least three Skills lingering in the injury. Meanwhile, Tara was holding Inion at swordpoint, but they werent actively fighting. That was probably an improvement? The gasjai were you doing? Tara demanded, somehow noticing Edwins attention. Hey! You were the one who just decided to stab Inion. I was hoping Id be able to do something to stop you, he protested, then winced as the motion made his shoulder twinge. What Skills were those? That is confidential. Gee, thanks. Thats real helpful in knowing what I need to do here, he grumbled, turning his attention to the mass of magic fighting in his arm. His Stamina and Health were the most prevalent, he could see. Health was steadfastly trying- and even seeding slightly, with a second wave the potion had provided- to close up the flesh wound. However, as it tried to do its job, a dark gray-ck Skill ate it up, annihting the Attribute and keeping the injury open. That was fought by his Stamina, at least, but that particr Attribute had its job cut out for it as it also defended his Perception from a sparkling whitish Skill that tried to overwhelm him with pain and onest one which was holding back Adaptive Defense? Hmm. That gave him a bit of an idea, but he put it on hold while he finished assessing the battleground. There were more Skills trying to help him after all. He could see the gentle streams of Rihs spell, the Skill forming some sort ofplexttice which mana flowed through and turned into Stamina and Health that matched Edwins own and helped to replenish his losses. There was also a faint energy outline of where all his arteries and bones and tissues should be, which he managed to Identify as Anatomy- and of course the harmful residue left behind by his Overcharge usage, damaged tissue and ck goop making everything even moreplicated. With the situation properly surveyed, he returned his attention to his original idea. Instead of just using his Stamina to try and disperse the harmful energy present, he leveraged it into his Adaptive Defense, trying to make the Skill work at his whim. It felt a bit like wearing very thick gloves- except not at all because Stamina Maniption was using an entirely different set of proprioceptionpared to his fingers- and the glove was also covered in grease. He did manage to fashion his defensive Skill into something of a spike and stabbed it into the heart of whatever Debilitating Strike Skill kept threatening to make Edwin ck out from the pain. The Skill, when used in such a direct manner, activated quickly and hardened itself against the whitish sparks flying from the opposing Skill. Soon, with ever-increasing pressure from Edwin, the entire attack broke apart in onest cascade of sparks that sent spasms through even Edwins extra-dampened pain sensations. He breathed a sigh of relief, his Stamina pulsing with his lungs, and allowed his awareness to expand more, for all that he kept it focused on the struggle in his shoulder. He next tried to get rid of the Wounding Attack, or whatever kept eating his Attributes, but even with his Adaptive Defense spike he found himself rebuffed by the third Skill in y. Hmm. It seemed sharp, in a way, and it cut deeply into whatever it struck. It was probably partially responsible for breaking his Overcharge to begin with, but that didn''t particrly matter at the moment. It couldnt cut Attributes, and that meant Edwin just needed to overwhelm it with just needed to overwhelm it with A scowl flickered on his face. Stamina Maniption wasnt working the way he wanted it to. He just couldnt get the proper volume behind his will to properly enact his will. It was like trying to put out a campfire with a teaspoon- one that leaked, even. It was almost frustrating how snappy his Mana was. For all that it was strictly rate-limited by his System, he could still build up an impressive amount beforehand and use it all in one go. That was from a certain point of view the basic idea behind his potions, after all. Hm. Could he do something simr with his stamina? It wasnt totally outside the realm of possibility. Stamina was kind of like his movement after all, and with his Unbound Tether charging, he definitely moved in the wait, wait, move camp. Heck, his Overcharge worked not that dissimrly he needed to focus. With his new strategy in mind, he umted stamina as fast as he could, ready to be unleashed at a moments notice. A bit of experimenting found that his lungs were an ideal ce to store Stamina; they were, after all, already intimately tied to the Attribute. Breathe in, breathe out. Each breath brought more Stamina to where he wanted it, and all too soon what he could properly hold back was eclipsed by the amount he was trying to control. Just before it lost all cohesion, Edwin pushed it at his shoulder. The tide of energy washed through the wound, washing away bits and pieces of Taras Skills. It wasnt going to be enough, though; he could see that clearly. It was just too undirected, and didnt have enough punch behind it. Using Overcharge wouldnt work either, the uncontrolled flood of energy would probably hurt him more than it helped Oh, right. Edwin Infused his Stamina Maniption. The Mana permeating his body woke up, and started pouring into the Skill structure he guided his Stamina with, filling it with a second wind of strength and power. Even a bit of Health got caught up in the new torrent of internal energy, but not enough to unlock an associated Skill quite yet. Edwins magical physique was more than enough to overwhelm the barely-hanging-on invading Skills, their light and structure being snuffed out in the blink of an eye, broken into pieces and ruined. Only then did Edwins health potion and Rihs continuous stream of new Health and Stamina finally get the chance to fully do their job, and his bleeding slowed and stopped. Numeracy helpfully informed him it had been seventy-four seconds since hed started, and Tara was looking at him with something. He hoped it was some vor of admiration, particrly given the number of tricks hed had to pull out. Edwin tried to roll his arm, but Anatomy, his Stamina, and pain receptors alike all screamed at him that he wasnt ready for that. Instead, he settled for stretching his left arm, trying to release some of the built-up tension. That was so unpleasant. Did you really have to? You did not inform me that firstly, you knew and were friendly with a fae, and secondly that you were going off to meet her. I arrive and you are not only being grabbed by a fairy but totally nonresistant to the contact. A creature well known for their ability to ensnare the mind. Do you perhaps understand now? Edwin winced, Oooh. Yeah, when you put it like that, I see what you mean. After all, if someone he knew said they felt something strange before running off, then next time he saw them they were apparently deeply enthralled by a creature known for mental tricks, hed probably jump to the same conclusions Tara did. Sorry about that. I believe you have been punished suitably enough. I have never seen one of my foes ignore a Debilitating Strike so easily, though I suppose it is rare that it both functions and they survive long enough that fighting it off would be viable. Edwin idly noted that Polyglot red when Tara had said the name of her Skill, but was more preupied trying to parse what hisnguage Skill couldnt help him understand. That sounds like apliment. Was that apliment? he asked Rih. She sighed, Yes Edwin, that was apliment. Nice to have it confirmed. Anyway, Tara, could you please stop holding my fr- Inion at swordpoint so she can give me a hand with fixing my shoulder? Rih, no offense, but her healing is way better. Oh, is it now? Edwin sighed, and nced at Tara. Had she sighed as well? He thought hed heard something, but she remained in full armor so he couldnt tell. Can we just try to get me back on my feet for the time being, please? Edwin gritted his teeth as the much more mundane pain of an injury made itself aware, a dull ache that felt more like a muscle cramp than the sensation of having a big part of his back split open. Tara reluctantly put down her de and allowed Inion ess to Edwin. As she knelt behind him, her soothing water stinging only slightly as his Health leapt with renewed enthusiasm in its efforts to fix him. Edwin dutifully yed along, trying to use his Infused Stamina Maniption to push around Health. It didnt really work, but it did seem to be enough to get his First Aid skill to start working at fixing him up as well. It would still be some time before he was back to full form, but at least he was well on his way. Anatomy helpfully informed him that any sudden movements would likely break his scab, but he could avoid those well enough. So anyway, yes. Tara, this is Inion. Inion, this is Tara. You allow a fey to count as your friend? Hey, Inions saved my life several times and helped me find my feet in the Verdant. I almost would say I trust her more than you. Oh, almost now? Im sorry, would you trust her to heal you better than I would? Edwin winced. This was your friend who aided you within the Verdant? Why did you not inform me of what it was? Look, it didnt cross my mind? I dont know, I dont record every stray thought I have with my Almanac. Just most of them, Inion quipped. And besides, youre asking me why I didnt think of something, which was probably just because I didnt think it was important? Tara sighed, resting an armored hand on her helmet. Behind her, Edwin caught a nce of Rih holding back augh. Then she narrowed her eyes and moved to where Inion was healing him. What are you doing? You heal him like that, itll scar. Oh Im sorry, I didnt know you knew how to do it any better. Well I do, and if you feed the Skill like that on the surface then the skin will heal before the internals will and then as his muscle repairs itself Enough! Tara snapped, Fix him and be ready to move again soon. I care not how nor what squabbles the two of you have, work together and get him in the air quickly. We do not have time to waste. That shut up the two girls working on Edwins back, and even just thinking about that made him bark out a quickugh, only to instantly regret it when it split the tender skin back open, blood running down his back once more. What? Tara demanded. Its nothing. What? I said, its nothing. Well, okay. Its just that... this isnt exactly how I imagined it would be like to have three girls fighting over me. Rihughed, Inion made no noise but he felt her hands tremble slightly, and Tara just looked to the sky, where he could just about make out a muttered curse. Adventurers. Chapter 125: Bad Blood Chapter 125: Bad Blood Edwin had half expected Valenasis to be a ghost town when they arrived, but on second thought he wasnt entirely sure why. Certainly, the hundreds or thousands of people going about their daily lives didnt care that some random Adventurer hade into town, made a bit of amotion, and then run off. The same thing would apply to the guards and other local people of power; why would they leave on the word of some random non-citizen? It did mean Niall was likely still around as well, because Edwin realized that from his perspective he would have scared Edwin off, after which the Salutary Alchemist could return to his regrly scheduled dissections. That Edwin might return just a couple dayster with an enforcer in tow probably wasnt even a consideration. He had to admit, however, that having a high-ranking government official just wave away inquisitive guards was very satisfying after his prior experiences. Rih had gone off to retrieve Yathal and Kyni, but Inion was metaphorically clinging to Edwin, standing within arms reach of him at all times. Even being brought near a river didnt seem to be sufficient for her to properly recover,pared to whatever strength their contract gave her. Her floaty presence attracted more than a few curious eyes, but Taras shining armor made her the biggest attention ma in the group. Edwin noted an almost conspicuousck of homeless and poor out on the streets, but thanks to Memory he knew it was just his brain ying tricks on him- there just werent that many vagabonds in the Empires cities outside of specific slums, for whatever reason. Personally, Edwin suspected strict enforcement of some stripe, but the optimistic side of him hoped it was just easier to be a productive member of society no, Ouws meant they were just kicked out? Ah, whatever. He couldnt solve all of societys ails and he wasnt the right person to try anyway. Hed focus on what he could affect. A slightly too-fast motion with his arm caused his shoulder to twinge in pain as his not-quite-healed bones flexed. Inion was right there before he could even say anything, a bit more healing feeding into his back. Hed gotten quite a bit from the experience, so it wasnt really a loss, but it would be a day or two before his severed bones were fully healed. Man, that was a weird thought. Level Up! Skill Points 1198 1229 (Alchemy: 101; Stamina Maniption: 33; 10/25 60-point Paths) Adaptive Defense Level 5460 Alchemical Analysis Level 5052 Alchemical Dismantling Level 5657 Alchemy Level 100101 Anatomy Level 4851 Arcadian Elixir Level 4041 Fresh Air Level 46 47 Longstrider Level 5556 Mana Infusion Level 9293 Memory Level 6869 Numeracy Level 5657 Outsiders Almanac Level 140141 Overcharge Level 3536 Refining Level 4647 Ritual Intuition Level 5657 Skillful Assessment Level 5557 Stamina Maniption Level 2833 Unbound Tether Level 3740 For putting yourself in the way of a devastating attack for the sake of another, you have unlocked the Self-Sacrificial path! For overpowering the Skills of someone significantly stronger than you, you have unlocked the Undaunted path! For using Stamina to dispel multiple hostile effects, you have unlocked the Internal Endurer path! For ?????, you have unlocked the Feyblood path! The Feyblood path worried Edwin probably an adequate amount. The only time hed seen question marks in a Path notification was with Lefi, but apparently there was something mysterious about how he got histest fey-oriented option. It clearly had something to do with Inion, but what? Something to, once again, worry about when he wasnt standing right outside of Nialls door. Hed gotten an honestly insane amount of levels in the past two days, which he could only guess was the result of being in genuine danger for the first time in a very long while. That, and he must have been close to a level on a bunch of them, but He was getting distracted again, and Tara was looking towards him like shed said something. Shed already dismissed the guard that had been standing outside, and was preparing to enter ah, of course. A quick flicker of Memory confirmed what shed said, and Edwin was up to speed. Uh, sorry. Ready now. Good. You are toe with me, fey, you remain out here. Nuh-uh. No way are you taking Edwin away from me. I will not have your presence interfere with my investigation. Bad enough that you refuse to stay upon the ground within the bounds of the city; your simply being seen is liable to present a drastic change in behavior in the Ouw and thus contaminate my findings. Oh, but Edwinsing with you? This was his investigation, and he shall remain with me. Hey, its alright. Youll be right here, just watch and see if I go crashing out of a window or something, yeah? She red at him, Fine, she spat, But dont get hurt. Wouldnt dream of it. Wonderful. We have wasted enough time now. Fall in after me. The Enforcer spun on an armored heel and pushed the door open, striding inside and towards Nialls workshop in the back. Rashal! I told you I wasnt to be disturbed! Nialls voice snapped out, Im in the middle of very important research and I cant have any disruptions! Shoo, before you make things go bad oh, you arent Rashal. There was a part of Edwin that felt phenomenally satisfied with how the mans enthusiasm wilted as the fully-armored figure of Tara strode into the room, the realization of just how much he had screwed up sinking in. Ah, the alchemist squeaked, My apologies, sir. I thought you were my assistant, the foolish girl tends to get a bit squeamish about my work, you see, she cant quite stomach some of the more intensive procedures, and is wont to distract me at key moments. Niall kept talking, but Edwin stopped listening as he realized just what the experiment he had been in the middle of was a middle-aged human, dried blood caking several parts of the body. Oddly, despite registering as human, and ordingly not dead, the man had no ss disyed upon Identification. Anatomy helpfully informed him that this was likely due to him being technically and practically dead, but enough of his individual cells were still alive as to not properly be dead. Hold on, how does that work? People who have died in front of me switched pretty quickly despite tissue death not setting in for some time afterwards. As he wondered it, Alchemy piped up that it was most certainly due to some alchemical preservation method in use, which sounded reasonable enough. There was definitely some Skill running through the mans veins, but Edwin had never seen anything even remotely simr to it to know if it was partially responsible. ...with the blood and its use. Marvelous girl, you see, but only once the harvest is finished. Oh! And I do so deeply apologize, sir, Ipletely neglected to thank you for returning my escapee. I will take him from your hands now Edwin remains with me for the moment, and I demand to see your full workshop to ensure that it is inpliance with Imperial Law. You do? Its confidential in ordance with what Magistrate Tolk Tokl Is irrelevant. Furthermore, what was your Language level? Thirty, sir. I didnt have a need to progress beyond. I suppose then, that I will be having a word with Magistrate Toklkoricthail for selecting a ruling name so difficult to pronounce for a basic linguist. Edwin, can you pronounce it? Tokl Tokelkoauri... Edwins mind flitted back to another particrly annoying name that he didnt want to have to say, and grabbed Polyglot, wrenching it intoplying. Robert. Tara seemed taken aback, How did Hm. What level was yournguage? Thirty-six. It was an early one. And you ah. I see. That was rather clever. Now, I apologize for the distraction, but it is time for you to show me something. Now wait just one minute. I was told by Magistrate R-Ro. Nevermind. I was told by the Magistrate that my experiments were to remain a secret, and just who are you that you think you can just ignore that? That is simrly irrelevant, beyond the fact that I have full rights to insist you show me your experiments to ensure theyply with Imperialw. Oh, I say its very relevant. My experiments are top-secret and if word about them got out things would That is irrelevant. As Tara spoke, a Skill which seemed to echo past her own body and draw on something more began to stir within her. Was it leaning on some Skill of Xaress, perhaps? I am your Rightful Authority, and you willply. While Edwin couldnt quite identify exactly what the Skill did, its primary use was clear. Taras words did not convey her exact station, but did the certainty that she outranked any and all local authorities, as well as the knowledge that it was neither forged nor faked. It was honestly an impressive amount of information and certainty present in a single word. Two words? Polyglot was weird. He idly marked it with Almanac. Now that that misunderstanding has been cleared up, you will take me to your experiments. But of course, sir. I, uh, do apologize for my prior behavior and Im certain you will Silence. Now show me. These are Citizens. Tara tly stated, something akin to Identify shing at the dirty, ragged individuals in the basements cells. Layabouts and thieves, Niall dismissed with a wave of his hand, None of them were amounting to anything on their own and I required further subjects in the name of knowledge. Their sacrifice has been most illuminating, and I am certain that you would see the results as worthwhile, just as the Magistrate did. They are Citizens. All convicted criminals! I see no such information upon them. Well, I cannot speak for how your Skill may work, sir, but all of them were found to be breaking multiplews which carried with them a sentence in line with their experience here. What were thesews, exactly? Taras words could nearly cut skin with how sharp they were. Misceneousws against thievery and improper use of public property, impeding official activities, and the like. What? Were they standing in the middle of the road? Edwin used. Niall didnt respond. Answer the question, Tara insisted. No. Though he wilted under Taras gaze, for all that her eyes werent actually visible. Its not dissimr? Its legal! Its legal. The Magistrate himself desires my experiments continue, and as you well know, sir Enforcer, it is the duty of the Magistrate to set punishment for various infractions. Edwins gaze wandered to the prisoners in the cells. They sat, lifeless and with bloodshot eyes for the few who even had their eyes open. All of them had a matching scab on their arms, cut into for some reason Edwin couldnt figure out, and not a single one seemed aware of their presence. It was pitiful. Tara stared Niall down, but despite a bit of cowering didnt capitte. Eventually, Tara relented, turning towards the stairs and waving to follow her, Come along, Edwin. Were leaving. No, you do not get him for this monstrosity. What? Youre not doing anything about him? Oh, would you look at that. The little weakling, hoping that he could get others to do what he cant do for him, Niall taunted, and Tara hesitated in her step slightly. The alchemist hastily put out an apology, Uh, no offense to you, sir Enforcer sir. Just after the previous times weve met, hes always been so quick to get other people to do his job for him, but now hes all alone. How do you like that, you I apologize once more. Adventurers, Tara muttered. Hes not an Adventurer, though, Edwin protested, And youre just going to let him get away with this? I do not care, she spat as she stomped up the stairs, Edwin following close behind, Adventurers and Ouws, both of you can burn. Ive never done something like that. I never would. Do you think hes going to stop? Hes just going to keep going. Screw what hes technically allowed to do, youre an Enforcer. Xares himself is the only person you report to, and hell understand! The Magistrate alone is He sighed, skipping in front of the Enforcer as they passed through Nialls upper workshop, You have to do something. No, she came to a sudden stop, finger resting against Edwins chest as she cut him off, I do not. It is not my station. He was not incorrect in that Ouws andwbreakers duly sentenced are permitted to be used for his profane experiments, and it is not my station to question that. So what? Youre just going to let this happen? Those were citizens, Tara. Citizens. I know you dont care about Ouws and Adventurers, they could all die painfully for all you care, but youve always talked about your precious citizens. And theyre in there, dying under his knife. Youre just going to walk away from that? From all of them? Because the local petty tyrant decided that he was going to publish loitering with a death-by-torture sentence? Silence. Whats the matter? You dont like me saying that yourws and your code is stupid? That it cant protect the very people you im it does? I said silence. Yeah! And I dont care. Several parts of Edwin were in open rebellion, trying to get him to shut up, but he was on a roll and nothing would stop him. Niall is killing people. Painfully. I cant just walk away from that, and I cant believe you can ei Silence. Edwins protest died on his lips to much internal rejoicing, even as other parts of him rebelled at being forcibly stopped from speaking. Allow me to make one thing perfectly clear to you. I do not like Ouws, Adventurers, or your friends. All of them are grating and annoying, stubbornly insistent on being different and troublesome simply for the sake of being troublesome. You, due to your past, are forgiven of that crime alone, as you knew no better. Edwin raised an eyebrow, hopeful that she might actually be about to say something positive about him. Regardless, I do not like you. Every time we meet, you unrelentingly make me question myself and my elders. You break every rule I live my life by and encourage me to do the same. You are a problematic element and it is only thanks to the desire of Emperor Xares himself you remain alive and not cut down where you stand for your endless insubordination. However, for all of your endless whining, I cannot in good conscience say that you are wrong. And for that, I loathe you all the more. Edwins mind was thoroughly spinning as he tried to keep up with the Enforcers rant. It seemed like it might be heading in a positive direction, maybe? And therefore, I me you entirely for what I am about to do. Remain here. She spun on her heel and with weighty steps returned to the basement, hand reaching for the sheathed sword at her belt. So probably positive. Edwin strained his Perception as far as it would go, but other than some indistinct voices he couldnt hear anything that was going on, until there was a cutting shink. Then there was a lot more noise, several voices joining in a chorus of chaos. Edwin nearly went downstairs, but while he was still debating the merits of not waiting here like hed been told, rapid footsteps very different from Taras armor climbed the stairs. He readied one of his lead pellets; while deadlier than he might use, Niall was as fair game as anyone would ever be. The offending alchemists head bobbed up the stairs just a few secondster, and his gaze fixed on Edwin with hate in his eyes, You-urk! Nialls cry of indignant rage was cut off by a tiny, fragile sphere of apparatite, barely a centimeter across and filled with lead, striking the back of his throat. The crystal, as weak as Edwin could possibly make it, cracked under the sudden impact, and the greatly-expanded interior of the bullet suddenly vanished, increasing in size by an order of magnitude. Shards of bone and drops of blood flew everywhere as the back of Nialls mouth was reced with dark metal. A hole tore itself in the mans throat, widening as the pseudo-explosive (for all that Bomb Throwing didnt recognize it as such, annoyingly) fell to the ground with a final nk. But despite the insane amount of blood pouring from his nose, eyes, mouth, and throat, Nialls sickeningly hateful gaze stayed fixed on Edwin. He should have pressed his advantage, he knew, because Niall was acting like losing half of his lower skull was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but he froze long enough, stunned at the visceral sight, that Nialls skin knit itself together in the interim. You! Yes, me, Edwins mouth was working on its own volition a lot today, it seemed. Well spotted. Niall raised his blood-soaked hands and lunged at Edwin, who activated Longstrider and stepped away, narrowly avoiding crashing into the tables and benches spread through the room. Niall reached out to grab Edwin. But he easily outsped the man, pulling away and turning the grapple around, holding tightly to the alchemists wrist. It proved to be a bit of a mistake, however, as a Skill red and blood began to seep from Nialls skin and forcibly absorbed into Edwins hand. He jerked away, but it was toote. Already, there was some sort of poison creeping through his blood and trying to sink into his tissues. He didnt know what it was, but it was alchemical, poisonous, and absolutely brimming with Skills. With his Attributes still depleted from fighting off Tara earlier in the day, he couldnt just expel and destroy it like he had previously. However, as it was an alchemicalpound, he did have more than a few other options at hand, so to speak. He chose the simplest. Feys Caress, he thought, not bothering to maintain cohesion as his forearm turned to what looked an awful lot like blood and dropped to the ground. Hed get it backter. Niall took advantage of Edwins distraction to try and sneak past him and out into the street, but a yank with Unbound Tether sent the man sprawling and scattering across the floor. The alchemist rose to his feet, and used some Skill in his blood to hold himself fast as Edwin gave him another yank with his Tether, providing enough unexpected resistance that meant Edwin found himself almost knocked off his feet instead, but swapping to Flight ensured he didnt go sprawling. Before Edwin could figure out his next n of attack, blood began seeping from around Nialls eyes, the mans sclera turning red as some type of Skill began to wind up. Youre still so weak, arent you Edwin? Getting other people to do your dirty work, never going for the killing blow until its toote. Youre weak, too weak. Now, and forever. What happens now, what happens in the future? Thats on you. I really would thank you, but I think a much better idea is- There was a visceral tearing sound, and Niall was bisected from shoulder to hip, his wound looking more like someone ripped a piece of paper than actually cut him in twain, but as his body fell to the ground he saw the armored, imcable visage of Tara holding what looked more like a floating collection of metal shards than an actual sword. Howd he get past you? Edwin panted, eyeing the mans puddle of blood spilling across the floor. He really hoped that it wouldnt mix with his arm, that would be annoying. A quick trick which should not have worked. He cocked an eyebrow. I decapitated him and went to free his captives. During that time, he reattached his head and activated some alchemical trap in the lock, gluing my hand to the bars. By the time I had cut myself free he had already made his retreat. And this will do better? It is arger wound, it should be more difficult for his regeneration to ovee. Come, help me before he repairs himself. Help you with what? Remove his parts from one another, make it all the more more difficult to heal. Can I get my arm back first? Edwin waved his stump, the iron hed transformed the end of it into the only thing preventing him from bleeding out. What did you do? Poor Tara, she was clearly getting all the more fed up with him. He tried to poison me with something, so I just transformed my arm into the poison to stop it. What I think oh. Thats not normal. Is it your arm? No, not that. Ive just never seen blood give a ss when Identified before. Tara dropped the half of Nialls body she was wrangling, Damnit, she swore, Is it damnit. It is. Or damn well close enough as to leave the Registrars to argue about it. Can you catch me up? You said he touched you, Taras normal sword manifested in the blink of an eye, inches from Edwins face, How quickly did you get rid of the poison? Uhh pretty much instantly? Where are you from? Truly, not your cover story. Okay, seriously. Whats going on? Answer. Earth! The United States. Four-three-zer-hey! the sword darted out and carved a thin line along Edwins cheek. She stared at the wound for a moment, then nodded. Adequate. I will need your solemn vow of silence once this crisis is over. Do I have it? What? Whats going on? Do I have it. Uh probably. I dont know! Whats going on. Theres a Skill, an immortality Skill in particr, known as Being of Blood, an upgrade of Sacrifice of Youth, that turns its user into their blood, as well as any blood which they have imed. It is insidious and nigh impossible to properly detect, and I should have known this was a danger long before now. So youre saying that hes turned himself into a blood-borne disease. And what, can he reform himself? Take over people? Yes, and yes. If he has had anyone under his knife or Skills, they are most likely infected, possibly without even knowing it save by Identifying their blood. ...and if hes been serving as the primary alchemist for this town for months, or years She nodded grimly, Anyone, or everyone, could be him. He is likely very far afield, if he is at all intelligent, and we could be dealing with a gue that willst for years toe. Chapter 126: Red the Earth Chapter 126: Red the Earth So what do we do? I have no idea, Tara admitted. The Blood Hive was a cautionary tale told to me in training, of the dangers that came with allowing Skills to run rampant, the importance of the Registrars and the dangers of Ouws and Adventurers. It was never something which was actually presented as surmountable, never- she sliced off the arm of the body on the table and Identified the bit of blood leaking from the wound, an action which Edwin mirrored. Statutory Alchemist Niall ? What the Blight does this guy think he is, no you cant treat people like oh shoot, Im recording. Damn. It was never taught as something which could be defeated by us. Previously, it took Emperor Xares scouring a province entirely to be rid of it, and it was a newer infection then. Anyone and everyone with blood, and possibly some of those without, is suspect. What about me? How do you know Im not taken over? I do not, Tara turned towards him, and he saw her eyes in the helmets slits, afraid, But this is beyond anything which I am capable of dealing with, and you are the only one who stands any chance at solving this problem. You have additionally shown significant resistance to Skills, said honestly that you were not infected, and your blood does not Identify as that of our target. What? Why me? You- you said Xares. He could do it. Cant he get involved for this? He could, Tara agreed, and Edwin felt relief and anxiety spike inside him equally, But it would involve scouring Rhothos and possibly more to bedrock. You, on the other hand, are an alchemist. An adventurer alchemist, at that, among other qualifications and thus the only candidate for a less violent solution. Even if the Alchemists Guild might somehow be capable of devising something, they are weeks away and susceptible to whatever influence the Ouw is able to leverage. You are, as much as I hate to admit it, the only one who feasibly could do something about this. But I dont know the first thing about Then figure it out. she snapped, You wanted to save lives? Do it. She pointed at where Nialls torn corpsey on the floor, That thing right there? Killing it is how you make an impact on this, thats how you make yourself useful. I just Edwins head was full of static, constantly rushing between possibilities and options, he didnt know the first thing about Nialls powers let alone how to counteract them. He iled around hopelessly, brain stuck in a loop of thinking about Niall, and his blood, and Edwins missing hand, and then back to Niall. Ha-hua-ha, a wetugh burbled from Nialls upper torso, breaking the silence, and Edwin spun around to see hateful eyes ring at them, I told you, I told you. You cant kill me, Im invincible. You shoulda-shoulda killed me then-then. But you were weak, weak, weak. Just a little drop, little drop didnt hurt me, didnt kill me, but its harder on you, on you. Youll drown in blood, next to the flood, oh until youve run. Youre insane. Oh, Im dying-dead-dying! But Ive never been better. Ive got my blood everywhere, everywhere. Family, family, friends. Who cares-cares? But Im here. The corpse on the table sat up abruptly, Im there! it sang before copsing once again. Im everywhere, Nialls body took to its feet, the tattered half of a shirt fluttering to the floor and revealing a churning mass of blood hard at work knitting together the formerly fatal wound. He shot them a grin, only to have Tara ram the Woundde straight through his skull, shattering it in a spray of blood. Well that wasnt nice, the cadaver on the table protested, only to have Tara lop off its head. Come now, Edwin, the decapitated skull continued, blood slowly seeping from its stump, My fellow seeker of knowledge. Youve bound to have felt limited before, surely? Can you really begrudge me for not wanting to be shoved to the side? I wanted to be connected, wanted to make sure I couldnt be shoved out. And the System provided! Ah, the lovely System. Youre babbling, Edwin gritted his teeth as Tara cut the chattering head in half, And insane. Well, perhaps I am, Nialls main body reformed its mouth, only to have Tara destroy it once more, But in my defense, I did just die. My minds a little fritzy, surely you wont hold that against me? Edwin opened his mouth to respond, but Tara preempted it by chopping Nialls head off once again, tossing this one into the corner of the room. Do not allow him to distract you from your mission. He cant distract me from- Edwin frowned, looking at Inion as she floated absently into the room. ...cting weird as well! Oh, I see how it is. You two are just standing around talking even after the guys killed. Dont bother giving me any thought, waiting for you all this time. Inion, its only been oh, ten minutes. Wow, I kind of expected you to not wait even that long. She harrumphed, I can be patient. But apparently you were just being all forgetful of me. Sorry, there was other stuff that kind of took priority in my mind. Oh? And whats more important than me. The possible death of everyone in the entire province of Rhothos. Inion paused, Oh. Well then, couldnt you have warned me? Edwin shrugged, Sorry? Good." "Anyway, what were you saying when you came in? Oh yeah. People were acting weird. They were behaving oddly? Oddly in what manner? She shrugged, I dont know. Just strange. I dont think I can exin it, honestly. Its a fey thing. Edwin and Tara shared a nce. Let me catch you up. Overall, he at least only seems to be able to really get information from one ce at a time. He was surprised by us arriving, which means his blood infecting the townsfolk didnt warn him. But we also know he can take control of people that his blood is inside. Or maybe, thats just the result of his experiment and he cant do that to most people? I feel like if it were the case that he could just body-snatch random people there would have been one of his victims that came in here, rather than just some people acting strangely, Edwin finished. Now we must determine some way to permanently end the man before it gets out of control. How is it not already out of control? Because destroying his head slows him down, Tara exined as she mangled thetest skull Niall had regrown before the errant alchemist could sneak even a word in edgewise. However, we must still assume that he is otherwise totally uncontained. Calling in the legions or Emperor Xares himself would do us no good for we do not know all of those who must be in before the threat is put to rest. We must somehow kill the man himself, and trust that it causes all his vestiges to perish alongside him. Okay. Well I guess its on me, then. I need to figure out how to kill someone who doesnt even have a body and can regenerate from anything and could be anyone on the continent. Unfortunately, yes. Im the only trustworthy person here, anyone else could Edwin sighed and tried to bury his head in his hands, but was stymied by his missing right hand. He suspiciously eyed the puddle of blood that was previously his arm, Identifying it. Alchemist-Errant This is my arm. Well, forearm technically. And it recognizes that as distinct! Neat. It wasnt definite proof, but hed have to take the chance. Of course, if he focused on different criteria when Identifying it he was informed it was part of Niall, but Edwin wrinkled his nose as he knelt down to the floor, touching his stump to the puddle and using his training from Inion to collect the blood into a hand-shaped red, liquid sculpture. It looked nauseating, and he took a deep breath as he dismissed Feys Caress. Immediately, he felt the tug of Nialls poison return, trying to infect and convert his blood to the same Skill-infused substance it was made of. Apparently, transforming his hand entirely into Nialls blood suspended any infection going on, probably because there was nothing to infect? Whatever, he was getting distracted. He still wasnt helpless, though, and now he had even more tools at his disposal. Edwin marshaled his Stamina to the best of his ability and threw it at the tainted blood, running Alchemical Dismantling at full bore. It copsed under his assault in mere moments, and he breathed easily as he flexed his newly-reimed hand. As Edwin turned back to Tara, he found the Enforcer once again with her sword at his neck. blight, Tara. Could you like aim at my heart or something? I keep worrying that if I swallow too deeply Ill get my throat cut. In response, Taras de flickered to the side of Edwins face and opened up another narrow cut. She Identified his blood, then seemingly content turned her gaze to Edwin properly, You fought it off again? Yeah. It honestly wasnt as hard as I anticipated, but I dont know how well the average person might manage it. Not very well, I would hazard, Tara noted, While I can only hope that it is not so severe as the first Blood Hive, as it appears that our friend- she stabbed Niall in the face again as he tried to reform, Does not possess so many Skills nor the levels to be truly so terrifying. The first Hive could assumeplete control over any infected, utilize all of their Skills, manifest in all of them simultaneously andmunicate instantly between all, in addition to possessing all of theirbined knowledge. Yeah, Niall definitely seems more limited than that, thankfully, he agreed. He probably only really has Im going in circles again. Edwin sighed, Im going to get some fresh air. I dont think being in this room that smells more and more like blood is doing me any favors. We must stay together and in proximity to his body. It is the only way we can be certain that none of us be infected. Tara, I need space. You want me to use my brain? Great. I cant do it in here, not properly. I just ugh. Look, you know I can fight off the Skill, and Inion might be able to tell if Im acting weird and warn you if I do somehow sumb. We cannot afford to have you lose. Ill be careful. Ill be really careful. Heck, Ill head up on the roof. Maybe I can figure out what Inion sees that looks suspicious. He could not, in fact, figure out why everyone seemed so suspicious, for all that he felt the exact same way. Nobody was acting that strange on the outside, but there was distinctly something going on internally. People walked normally, talked normally, and carried on their normal days. But underneath it all, something had changed. Tara imed she saw no difference, but Inion swore there was, and her confidence made Edwin confident he wasnt just imagining it as he sat on Nialls roof, watching the masses and trying to collect his thoughts. It was eerie, really. Any and possibly all of their lives depended on him, and none of them even realized it. Hed need to do the impossible, and he couldnt even He sighed. No point moping about it. He needed to focus on what was actually important, and freaking out under the crushing weight of hundreds or even thousands of lives on him certainly qualified. A sh of color among the flying figures entering and leaving the city caught Edwins eye, and he looked up to see Rih flying on her own, wings spread in full springtime manifestation. He waved at the girl, and she corrected her course to more urately hit him, something Edwin aided with Unbound Tether. You made it! Wheres the duo? You leave them with the cart or are they on their way? Theyre missing, Rih wasnt panicking per se, but it was obvious from her tone and bodynguage that she was close to it. I found where the cart was, and even the cart itself, but Yathal and Kyni were both missing! Also your pony, but theyre gone! And it''s all my fault! Woah, woah. Hold on there. Edwin didnt know how he might be able to deal with an emotional Rih, but hopefully he could head it off before it got too far? A few emotional minutester, Rih had calmed down some and was able to exin what shed found a bit more clearly, and Edwin had been able to provide insight into his own findings in that time as well. Rih had flown out to where they had left the boy, dog, and cart, but when Rih had arrived there was no sign of anything alive. The cart looked basically untouched, which ruled out bandits, but even Bill the pony wasnt present, and had been carefully removed from his enclosure. Rihs Skills were saying that they had left willingly, but what counted as willingly was always a bit tricky. If they were lucky, hed just gotten bored and wandered off right as Rih came to check in on him. Worst-case well, it was best not to think of that. Rih pulled out her Calming Touch on herself again as Edwin finished exining what was going on with Niall, and the lovely light blue Skill looked so nice inparison to the almost... Oh, Oh! That was the problem. Every single person in sight other than himself, Tara, Inion, and Rih had a faint red tint to all of their Skills. It wasnt overpowering, or even apparently active, it was just there. Its the Skill, it has to be, he realized. It wasnt actively doing anything, it just literally colored everything around him. I figured it out! he yelled as he rushed inside. Tara started, You- Nialls words were cut off once more as his head began to reform. You know how to kill him? What? No. Why would you oh, yeah. Duh. No, I didnt figure out how to kill him, sorry. I figured out what was suspicious about the people outside. Also, I found Rih. But its a Skill. Everyone outside has a sort of faint red sheen from a Skill coloring everything they do, but the four of us are clean. That set off a bit of a conversation about what exactly Edwin was able to determine from his Skills- not much- and how confident he was correct. Thanks to Outsiders Almanac, Edwin could be very confident that the red sheen was a distinct Skill that simply showed its presence, and most tellingly, they were all the same Skill, used by the same person. Now, the question was just how to use that. I truly am impressed at his resilience. His body has only gotten faster at healing itself these past hours, not even the slightest indication of exhaustion or depletion of Attributes, Tara noted, breaking Edwin out of his thoughts. Would there normally be exhaustion? I would anticipate as much. Most Skills rely on some level of Attribute expenditure, however minute. Well, they Inion started, then frowned, Nope, cant say that. How convenient that you cant think of anything helpful to say, Rih snapped, Normally you just cant shut up. Well, maybe Im not that surprised you dont know how to say anything helpful after all, now that Im thinking about it. How are you progressing? Tara chopped through Nialls neck, the decapitated skull bouncing and rolling away to join a growing pile of other heads, Surely you must be making some progress with your endeavors. I dont know! This is hard, and I dont even know where to start. I dont know what he can do with it, I dont know if it can be cured, I dont even know what it does, really, other than contaminating Skills and apparently letting him puppeteer a corpse every once in a while. Oh, no those- Slice Edwin flinched as Tara grabbed the head and tossed it into the pile. Could we at least go somewhere else? Weve been over this, Edwin. I know, I know, wed need to bring his body with us and we dont want to risk doing anything which might awaken the blood gue or whatever, but still. I can only look at so many decapitated heads if I want to retain any amount of focus. Then it would be in your best interest to figure something out soon. I dont know! I dont even know where to start with something like this. Im sorry that Intro to Chemistry 101 didnt include a lesson on how to kill a maybe-immortal supernatural blood-based entity without even properb equipment. What do you mean, properb equipment? Rih asked, You can make whatever you want so easily. No, thats just ssware. I dont have any actually, nevermind. I forgot you nevermind. Edwin, what arent you telling me? Look, its not important right now. If we get out of this, we can talk then. Ill hold you to that. Sure, sure, well talk about it alongside my horrible social skills like you said we would after our trip to Vinstead. Thatll be a fantastic conversation that will totally happen someday and wont just be Edwin stood up to clear his head. Damn you all, let- Chop There was a shift in the room. One of Nialls Skills had changed its form slightly, the omnipresent red Skill haze taking on some kind of texture, and Edwin stood up in rm. He quickly Identified the puddle of blood in the room Surgeon Alchemist Niall ? See AlchemistNiall for full entry, an Alchemist Ouw-turned bandit who turned himself into blood and likes to torture innocent people to death for experiments. Uhh, Tara. I think Niall just evolved a Skill. Tara nced over, shed an Identify, and swore, Damnit. Hurry up, Edwin. I dont know! Its been a really, really long day and my brain isnt exactly running at full capacity! Heck, Im burning Stamina just trying to fully stay awake. Then sleep, and solve this problem. How the heck am I supposed to sleep when Im under this much stress? Figure out something, you worthless Adventurer! That shut Edwin up well enough, and he retracted into his own mind. He probably could and should sleep, and it wouldnt even be hard- one tug on Sleeping would put him out like a light, that much had never changed- but he needed to know what was happening, he needed to think, to be aware, to He did have Watchful Rest for that very thing. At level 45, he was essentially half-awake even while fully unconscious, not enough to really pay attention to what was happening and remember but certainly enough to rouse himself at a moments notice. But he couldnt be useful then, or try to be useful, and if he wasnt useful Well, I already am a useless adventurer he bitterly thought, Whats sleeping on the job next to that? Edwin, you should sleep, Rih added, Your wound still isnt fully healed and youve stretched your Perception to its limits already. Oh what, do you also think that Im useless so I should just go sit in the corner and get out of the way? Shut up, I dont want or need your help! Unless you can figure out how to kill something that isnt kible, youre useless. He regretted the words even as he said them, and even said as much but it was still toote, he could tell. The womans eyes fell and she looked away, wandering to the other side of the room, finding great interest in Tara stabbing Niall once again. I- Im sorry, the words died in his throat. Hed been so close to actually making friends with Rih, he knew, and then he had to go and throw it all away, I I think I will get some rest. Anyone else? Nobody acknowledged him. Why would they? He He fought back and crushed the urge to run away- that would be so utterly stupid- but he Im tired and emotional and stressed. Stop judging peoples intentions when I cant do that at the best of times. No matter how obvious it is, wait for morning. He didnt want to leave the room, so instead he simply floated into the air and stayed there. Flight required some amount of effort to keep active, but by tying off the Skill with the visualization of a flight potion that was just a massive set of bubbles surrounding him, he found himself able to stay aloft. The first thing Edwin did when he woke up was check Niallstest ss- Blood Alchemist- and look at hispanions. He was very relieved to see that none of them had left, and none of them had the red sheen he associated with infection from Niall. Tara was swinging her sword with the same amount of fervor as before, having barely moved all night. Rih was off in the corner, her wings making a cocoon around her as she gently slept, Inion hovered tiredly above Edwin, and Nialls pile of heads was growing ufortablyrge, and had apparently copsed at some point, the alchemists skulls having tumbled down thebs stairs. He almost threw up at the sight, the faces in various forms of anger or surprise, though resignation wasnt entirely absent either. Eyes open, eyes closed, sometimes the heads werent even fully regenerated- one had a bit of brain exposed, another had a hideously malformed face. Ick. Did I miss anything? Tara mutely pointed to the corpse, indicating Nialls newest ss, and Edwin nodded, idly checking his notifications. Level Up! Skill Points 1229 1241 (Alchemy: 101; Stamina Maniption: 32; 16/25 60-point Paths) Adaptive Defense Level 6061 Alchemical Analysis Level 5253 Alchemical Dismantling Level 5758 Anatomy Level 5152 Fey''s Caress Level 4749 Fresh Air Level 4748 Polyglot Level 7475 Ritual Intuition Level 5758 Skillful Assessment Level 5758 Stamina Maniption Level 3132 Watchful Rest Level 4546 Ugh. Why did the worst days also have toe with the most skill increases? He actually at least sort of knew the answer to that, but grousing about it almost made him feel better. Well, new day, new Edwin. He had a job to do, and there was research to be done. While Nialls new Skill was still pulsing ufortably, the alchemist also had at least three other new Skills lying dormant from what Edwin could see. The Blood Alchemist must have been continually trying to get new Skills in the hopes that one would let him break out of their current stalemate, and all Edwin could do was hope he found a countermeasure first. So, how did one analyze a supernatural discontinuous blood entity? Well, first step was a microscope. Months of practice had gotten Edwin fast enough with Sappers Apparatus that he could actually assemble one in a reasonable amount of time, which meant he didnt waste too much time with it. The blood looked like blood. He saw some red blood cells, some stuff that looked like white blood cells, and what was probably dust that had settled in the pool of uncoagted blood hed extracted his sample from. Using Alchemical Analysis was no more enlightening, as by every test he could think of about itsposition revealed it was just blood. That meant, unsurprisingly, it was a magical effect hed have to deal with, and that was no fun. Well, not technically magical, as Ritual Intuition liked to tell him, but magical as far as the System was, and how his Refined materials were. Attempting to Refine the blood had definitely been interesting. Pushing the Skill into the blood had a very violent reaction from Niall. It coiled and withdrew, the fluid actively fighting his Skill the more power he tried to push into it. He wasnt even trying to Refine anything in particr, but the blood had charred and congealed when he did overpower it in the end, mana flooding in and killing sells. Not particrly useful, perhaps, given he could also kill the blood by boiling or burning it, but Edwin still filed away the information in his Almanac for the future. There was another shift, and Edwin eyed up the regenerating body Tara held next to her. What new ss was it this time? Blooded Alchemist Oh! Nialls head returned in the blink of an eye, Now that is interest- Rip Interesting. it wasnt Nialls voice this time, but the voice of an unfamiliar man shouldering his way into the workshop. Edwin quickly Identified the neer, fearing the worst given the veiny red Skill stretching like a parasite across his entire body. Blooded Alchemist Tara hesitated, a moment of indecision before she killed the neer proving fortunate as the parasitic Skill retracted and the man sagged, What- What was that? Experienced Cobbler You were controlled by an illegal Skill for a few moments, Tara exined, chopping Niallstest head in half, I am an Enforcer and am working on a solution, but I will require that you stay in the next room over, restrained, until this has resolved. Go sit down. The man, still in a bit of a daze,plied and copsed in the corner, holding his head. Then, the door opened once more, and a new figure walked in both familiar and alien. Yathal! Youre Youre not Yathal, Rih sprang to her feet before hesitating and stepping back. No, the voice that came out of the body was still the same as the young boy that Edwin had been traveling with for so long, but the evil grin stered upon it was totally incongruous with the shy kid he was familiar with, to say nothing of the strange confidence he carried himself with even away from Kynigos, I most certainly am not. Now, perhaps, will you allow me to heal? Blooded Alchemist Chapter 127: Black the Heart Chapter 127: ck the Heart What have you done, you monster? Rih demanded, magic ring around her as she interposed herself between Edwin and the boy, Release Yathal this instant and what did you do with Kyni? Edwin backed away slowly from the doorway, unwilling to get between the furious mage and the puppet? The puppet that was Yathal being controlled by Niall. An idle part of Edwin studied the Skill that was dominating the young boy, a tightly-woven Skill suppressing the normal set of Skills Yathal had and providing some kind of control? Hed need a closer look to be sure, and this wasnt the time for that. At the very least, he could tell it was an active effect. Niall wasnt able to passively steer his victims, it was more involved than that. Edwin felt almost a little guilty, that he wasnt feeling particrly mad about Yathal being controlled by Niall. Theyd been traveling together for half a year or more, but hed never really gotten to know the boy or his dog. Theyd always been happy off doing their own thing, and Really not the time to reminisce about why Im totally justified, honestly, for not reaching out, he scolded himself. Once this was over, hed have a seriousb-through of his brain and figure out what was wrong with him, but that was . Right now, he needed to separate Yathal and Rih before anything unfortunate happened. He wasnt worried about Rih hurting Yathal, of course, but he didnt know if Niall was able to spread his infection through his thralls, and if he was then he had to keep Yathal from touching Rih at all costs. Even as he had the thought, the boy lunged at Rih as she drew a bit too close, barely managing to brush his own fingers against Rihs hand. The change was immediate. Yathal slumped to the floor, breathing softly and steadily, but seemingly asleep as Niall left him. When Edwin looked closely, he could spot the signature red tint of Nialls infection, but there was also an angry red vein lying dormant in the boys arm. Meanwhile, Rih recoiled and Edwin was able to spot the worst- the blood-red Skill of Nialls control grappling with and trying tomand her. She was putting up a valiant fight, a storm of Mana and Stamina trying and seeding at holding the Skill at bay. She was still losing ground, her hand twitching out of her control and veritably glowing red to Skillful Assessment. Then Rihs body blinked white, her Cleanse Self resetting everything in her body to a basic state and chasing away the direct control Skill. Edwin breathed a sigh of relief, only to have it catch in his throat. Her hand was still pink, Nialls infection having set in already. You didnt get it all, he warned, You have some of his blood in you. Can you Cleanse yourself again? What? Youre infected. Get rid of it. Rihs eyes widened in recognition, and in a blink of an eye, her entire body lit up like a strobe light, pulsing Cleanse Self presumably as fast as she could manage. Every use pushed Niall back further and further, until only a hint of pink clung to her very fingertip. Then, it was gone. See? Nothing to worry about. Out. Tara jumped into the conversation, her sword still dripping with Nialls blood now aimed at Rih all-too-close forfort. You were infected, you cant be trusted. No, no. Tara, its alright, I can see that she fought it off. And how certain are you of that? I think decently so? I dont know how to prove it to you, but I can see the Skill? Its tricky because Im pretty sure the infection is intentionally meant to be hard to spot, but it quite literally colors everything the person does. Of course, I cant literally see inside her, but she doesnt look like how Yathal did. You seem fairly self-confident in this fact. But the price of you being incorrect is too high. Is she necessary for you to end the gue? No, Edwin admitted, then amended his statement, I dont know. I dont know what I need. But Edwin, if you dont need me, I can run and hide. If you want to leave, then you can leave. Edwin, thats not Leave! I cant stand all of you constantly pestering me, it makes it impossible to think! If you dont have any ideas or any way to help then yeah! Shoo! Rih reached out her hand in protest, then her breath caught in her throat. While they argued, Niall had apparently seized control over the first guy hed puppeted once more, and the mans arm was firmly sped around Rihs shoulder. Her eyes widened as Edwin watched the infection spread through her arm and reach her chest in a heartbeat. Once more, her body shed white, but the angry red energy overpowered the cleansing Skill. Before Edwin could do anything, another body was on the floor and Rih was stretching oddly as Niall got used to his newest body. Well this is certainly different, but I think I could get used to it. That that was his fault. If he hadnt distracted Rih, then she would still be alright. He was right to try and send her away, why didnt she leave? She should have left, then she wouldnt be infected. Shed be safe, shed be Edwin wanted to fall to his knees, but held it together. Instead, an overwhelming sense of rage broke free of his emotional containment, and before Niall could do anything to defile the body of his friend any more, Rih took a faceful of maximum-strength sleeping potion and copsed to the ground, on top of the man whod infected her. You could have heard a pin drop, and Edwin shrank away from the stunned looks Inion and Tara were giving him. I, uh. I he stammered. He needed to get them away, so that he couldnt endanger them. Both started to speak over one another, but Edwin cut them both off first. Get out. I need space. Im not leaving you, Inion protested. Yeah, well thats what she said, and look at what happened to her now! Edwin, Im not.. I dont need you! LEAVE! hemanded, and Inions eyes went wide. Before Edwin could properly parse what hed done differently, she was just gone, without a trace. Squelch. You stop too! Edwin snapped at Tara, I need to focus, and I cant do that while youre stabbing him every other minute. Cant you go clear the streets or something? Initiate some kind of lockdown? Put Niall in a box, to basically the same end as cutting off his head every minute? Tara paused. Could you have just put him in a box all this time? It did not ur to me to use my Skills in such a manner, however it ought to be possible. Silver flickered around Nialls body, and his headless corpse was suddenly contained in a box too small for him to regenerate fully in. Tara reached over and grabbed it, hefting it onto her shoulder before walking out the door and yelling something infused with a Skill- Edwin didnt listen, waiting for her to leave. The shouting faded soon enough, and left Edwin alone with his thoughts and the unconscious bodies of hispanions and one random guy. Still, it was finally, finally, blessed silence. It was just him now, and that was all that he needed. Once hed used Unbound Tether to properly arrange them in a semifortable manner and locked each of them to something heavy via an apparatite shackle, he sat in silence for quite some time, trying to collect himself. Why couldnt he work better under this kind of pressure? It was too nebulous to properly hyperfocus on, and that meant his brain went everywhere instead. Kyni? Yathal woke up, breaking the silence, and looked around, Kyni, where are you? Hes not here, Edwin sighed, You came in without him. What? he leaped up, and Edwin had to use Unbound Tether to pin the boy against the far wall. Stay over there, buddy. What do you know about what happened? Uh some guy came to the cart, and then a blur. I think Kyni was hurt! Just Uhh. By the corner! Um. You have to help him! I cant Edwin steeled himself. No, he could do this. He had to. He needed to do something right. It had taken quite a bit of time to properly track down where Kynigos was, and Edwin might have almostpletely overlooked him as just another street dog, curled up against a building in an alleyway, if not for Yathal and Outsiders Almanac. At least Tara had apparently seemingly instituted some kind of lockdown, as the streets were mostly empty. In any case, Kynigos looked really rough. Patches of the dogs fur were falling out, and his lips were raised, frozen in a snarl as Edwin approached. He could tell even from a distance that the dog wasnt doing well, but without contact and a sweep of Anatomy, he wouldnt be able to determine why. As he approached, Kyni barked at him and lunged weakly, the dogs eyes clouded, but his legs gave out as he tried to rise, sending the once-noble dog crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of loose fur into the air. Hey, hey. Its alright, he tried to reassure Kynigos, and Edwins voice seemed at least moderately calming as the pup whined pitifully as he allowed Edwin to approach, Im going to see if I cant help. Infused Anatomy, he activated as he gently stroked the mangy fur on Kynigos back. The Skill returned a fairly detailed report on what was going on inside of the dogs body, and Edwin winced. Poison. And not a weak one, either. He couldnt notice any of Nialls Skill present within the pups body, and Edwin partially hoped it was because the man couldnt spread to animals. It wouldnt be that much of a difference, but it was better than nothing. It meant that whatever he learned from this experience would probably be limited, but he couldnt do nothing. He scooped up the dog and flew back to his workstation as fast as he could. Such a pathetic weakling. Just like you, really, Yathals voice came, and Edwin red at the body-snatcher. So much power, yet he utterly refuses to actually use any of it. Not when I yell, or hit him, or feed him poison. He just takes it all like the scrap of rag that he is. Its pathetic, just like you. You arent being clever, Edwin spat back mockingly. Oh, Im controlling your friend, dont hurt me youre just hurting them. Whos really the weak one? He wasnt able to mimic Nialls voice, but he did put as much sarcasm into his response as possible. Where did all this nonsense about the strong and the weak evene from? Last I remember, you just wanted to make life and get yourself a cool ss. Oh, but thats still the case! If I had my way Id be off somewhere just tinkering with myb like I was before you came and screwed it all up! But when you came, I saw that if I ever wanted the chance to properly run my experiments, I had to be strong enough to make sure nobody could ruin me! You taught me that, its only fair I show you what Ive learned! Ohe off it, Edwin rolled his eyes, You said you grew up with bandits, there was no way you didnt see the might makes right way before I stumbled into yourir. Oh but of course I did. You simply produced a new angle to the form than I had considered- the strength to actually do what you can do. Edwin stared at the bandit nkly, trying to feed Nialls statement through Polyglot in such a way the output actually made sense. He failed. Whatever, he had a job to do. He didnt know enough about poisons to figure out what was causing the issue without alchemically analyzing it, and Anatomy didnt help much beyond the rudimentary diagnosis of poison hed already gotten, the Skill focusing primarily on symptoms. Fur loss, fatigue, cell death, a weakening of the immune system, and a magic dampener? He really needed to get a closer look. Edwin carefully summoned an apparatite container and, using Anatomy, collected a tiny measure of blood by cutting into Kynigos nk with a hint of Alchemical Dismantling, sealing up the wound afterwards with a drop of healing potion. A quick Alchemical Analysis confirmed that the sample of blood he was dealing with still contained the poison that Kynigos was fighting against. Good. With the vial in-hand, Edwin fed in a thin strand of mana into it and activated Refining. Unlike Nialls blood, Kynigos wasnt sentient and so put up no resistance as he isted the toxin permeating it. Interestingly, it didnt seem to be an actual physical substance, which honestly made the whole process a lot easier. It was some kind of Skill, definitely simr in some ways to the current gue they were dealing with, to the point that Edwin suspected it might have been a previous evolution of that very power. As he got an up-close look at what it was doing, Edwin realized he was slightly wrong- instead of being a full poison, it was more of a draining effect, the Skill feasting on Health and Stamina directly to strengthen itself. That would exin the symptoms- hed noticed the exact opposite effects in the wake of gaining Health, after all. It also meant he needed to act rtively quickly, before low Health turned terminal. Okay, he could work with this, and it might even help him when he moved to dealing with the full gue. All he needed to do was twist the draining effect to be self-sabotaging. By tweaking the effect to, instead of consuming Health, consumed the Skill? Yeah, he liked that. He finished Refining the bit of blood he had into raw toxin, then carefully fed that through a series of filters both magical and alchemical until it hit the form he wanted. Talsanenris acted as fuel for the antitoxin as well as blocking its direct desire for life, and a bit of carefully directed Refined Firevine burned out the safeguards the Skill had in ce to avoid cannibalizing itself. Then, the most important part: Mi and Synbaline in a very particr ratio modeled after Edwins own Mana-blocker, added to ensure his potion would not attack Health. It was still risky. There was distinctly a chance that his changes didnt protect Kynigos in the slightest but just unleashed a new deadly threat to the dogs life. Edwin just didnt know what else he could do. Healing potions werent doing enough, he needed to do something, anything to try and save the life of hispanion. With bated breath, he summoned an apparatite syringe and injected the potion into Kynigos. At first, it worked fantastically. Edwin could keep track of the potion thanks to abination of Ritual Intuition and Anatomy, but now that he knew what to look for, he could even see Nialls skill be utterly consumed by the antitoxin. Edwin pulled out one of his strongest Health potions and began dribbling the liquid directly into Kynis bloodstream. He felt his heart beat faster and faster as Kynigos breathing steadied, Health returned to his limbs, and he unsteadily sat up, though Edwin held down the dogs back leg to keep his potion syringe in ce. Then, the antitoxin finished consuming the original Skill, and as he feared, it didnt stop. Instead, much to Edwins horror, the newly empowered it turned back to Kynigos Attributes and even Skills. Edwin grabbed a mi solution to try and contain it, but the new potion was already running out of control, and overpowered the dampener before Edwin could so much as pull out an extra health potion. He twisted his mana into a basic talsanenris potion and tried feeding that into the dogs body, but to no avail as the antitoxin just devoured that as well. Kynigos gave a long, shuddering breath and copsed. No. Nononono. No! Edwin tried to Identify Kynigos. No response beyond fur. He Infused Anatomy once again, trying to peer inside his body, but got nothing back. Kynigos? Kynigos! Edwin frantically shook the dogs body, trying to wake him up, hoping that he was actually alright, that he was just mistaken about having having Edwin? Kyni? Whats whats going on? Edwin tensed at hearing Yathals voice, but it was wholly devoid of the normal mocking tilt that Nialls possession usually carried with it, Why does my Skill feel so cold? Im sorry, but I I Edwin couldnt speak. Hed hed failed. No! NO! What did you do! What did you- Yathals voice broke, grief rushing in as he copsed utterly. He let out a wordless cry of grief before Poor little Edwin, too weak to save the people he cares for. This is your fault, you know. If you actually had an Alchemy skill level worth a damn, or if youd just stuck your nose somewhere else where it belonged then the precious little dog would still be alive, Nialls taunting was all the more haunting as Yathals breaking voice was forced to perform devoid of all grief. Shut up, Niall. You you did this. Not me. I did my best. But it wasnt good enough. Now run along, little adventurer. Youre too weak. Yathals voice broke with a sob and he threw himself against his restraints, trying to get free. Edwin couldnt stand it much longer, and he released the apparatite holding the kid in ce. What was even the point? He wasnt heartless enough to keep them separated. Yathal, I- Go away! He draped himself over the body of his former best friend, This- your faul. If you, if you hadn I hate you! Edwin fought back the emotions. He could contain Nialls insults for all that they hit close to home. The man was an enemy, he was trying to throw Edwin off-bnce. But he was also possibly more impartial than his actual friends, as No. No, Edwin. Focus. Shove the emotions in a box, shove that box in another box and pile them somewhere to deal with . Yathals too-young voice, sobbing over the body of his former friend? That was that was a bit, a bit harder to- harder to ignore. Its my fault. I cant do it. If I was better, Kyni would be alive. If I wasnt involved, Kyni would be alive, if I could do anything. Edwin ran. He ran far and fast, Unbound Tether pushing him out of town and into the wilderness, just so he could get space. He barely even watched where he headed, only reallying back to himself in a pile of burned rubble out in the middle of nowhere, head in his hands. He wasn''t able to do this. He was a single person, in too far over his head and against people who knew things way more than him, who had their lives together and far, far better at this than he was. He simply did not know what he was doing. He saw that with the dwarves, with Niall, with Panastalis and the bacteria there, even with Sheraith. A part of him whispered that he had won in all of those situations, that he had managed to scrape together enough grit and determination and knowledge to ovee his obstacles every single time, but that just wasn''t true. The dwarves he''d had a helping hand from karma or something, Niall he''d only won because of Lefi, only the open-mindedness of the guildmaster meant he''d left any kind ofsting impact in Panastalis, and with Sheraith it was Rih and her teachings about magic that gave him the tools needed to make his mana umtor. He wasn''t able to do this, not when he had nobody to help, nobody who knew what was happening. He was, when it came down to it, a failure who always needed help yet never could sustain the kind of help he actually needed. Even Inion, who was the closest he''d gotten in so long to an actual friend... "I''m sorry, Rih. I''m sorry, Yathal," he whispered to himself, blinking away tears. "I couldn''t do it. I knew I couldnt do it, and then I failed. Im just not Im just not good enough." He didnt know the first thing about how to start killing Niall, he was no closer to a solution than a day ago, a week ago, a year ago. He wasnt qualified for this! He was just some random person whod fallen out of the sky and now he was responsible for saving everyone? Why? Why, by whatever god, administrator, or power that had dropped him onto Joriah, did he have to do this on his own? He wiped away the tears, mad at something. Himself, the world, the System, Niall, whoever and whatever he could be. Hed had fine, they were friends by most reasonable metric. He enjoyed their presence, they tolerated his, and it was stupid of him to ever really hold out for more. Besides, if he managed to somehow beat Niall, maybe he would finally be worthy of being their friend? He needed something, and he wasnt going to let that stupid I dont need friends mentality ever get in his way ever again. At a bare minimum, he refused to turn into Bob. But wanting friends was only the first step, he also needed to earn their friendship. And to do that, he needed to free them from Nialls grasp. And for that, well. Normally, Edwin tried to suppress the original idea impulses that his Alchemy skill gave him, leaning instead on the mastery of technique it granted him. After all, it wasnt properly proven information, and while the hunches could be useful for figuring out potential avenues of research, it was far from properly scientific information. There was also a part of him which whispered that it wasnt really him doing the work, just the stupid magical System giving him all the answers, but he didnt have the luxury of that at this point. Using it wouldnt automatically invalidate his efforts to prove himself, he felt, but it would make it harder. But desperation didnt quite allow for such niceties, did it? He needed to use every resource he had at his disposal, and right now that included unreliable Skill hunches. So, he thought, What makes Nialls Skill tick? Its a correspondence, Alchemy whispered back. Theyre linked by virtue of beingpletely identical both physically and magically, a sort of metaphorical entanglement that allows the blood to serve as a conduit and backup simultaneously. Well, that certainly was a lot to unpack, and the scientist in him was still protesting that he couldnt just run with a hunch. But at the same time he wasnt really a scientist, not anymore, nor really ever. Scientists were pirs of . They worked together to attack a problem no matter how insurmountable, be it a gue, war, or annoying math problem. But he was all on his own, now more than ever. He wasnt a scientist. But he was an alchemist. Not a great one, he couldnt spin moonlight into thread or crystallize the breath of life. But he did have one thing that he was certain that Niall couldnt match. Alchemy: Level 102 He may not have been a scientist. He didnt study thews of reality with enough rigor for that or have the supportwork required. But alchemists worked alone, and he was very good at that. But the main difference between a scientist was that a scientist just sought to understand how the world worked. An alchemist tried to break it. And it was time he did just that. Book 2 Cover Reveal! Book 2 Cover Reveal! Hello, one and all! It''s that time again, where it bes my absolute pleasure to unveil the cover art for Volume 2 of The Way Ahead,ing to Audible and Kindle August 9th, with preorders open now: And of course, if nothing else, by buying the book you get to look at that marvelous cover more often, and surely that''s reason enough, yeah? Chapter 128: Fertile Grounds Chapter 128: Fertile Grounds The sheer idea of correspondent objects made Edwins inner scientist want to jump up and down like a child. It was, in effect, a perfect conductor across arbitrary distances, able to transmit non-destructive energy perfectly by adding heat- or Attributes- in one location and withdrawing it in another. Hed need to figure out some way to replicate it alchemically once he was done with Niall Later, he promised himself, fighting off the urge to feel guilty about getting distracted while the lives of his friends were on the line. This was how he was saving them, no matter how little it might feel as such on asion. And he needed to save them, because how else could he bear to see them after letting Kynigos die? Focus. Edwins mind raced. Okay, so Correspondences. That meant there was, essentially, a single drop of blood- it would have to be a drop, otherwise there wouldnt be enough alchemical significance- being mirrored everywhere by the Skill. It had to be two different Skills, wouldnt it? Or even more? Or no, not really. If Niall had managed to make the thing alchemically, which Edwin could totally believe was possible, the guy was a master at life alchemy, then he could probably take a new basic Skill that linked all of his blood together and let him spread out. If Niall had Regeneration of some sort, then perhaps that was how his infection spread, by regenerating inside of new hosts? Or maybe Okay. He needed to focus. The exact mechanics of how Niall was doing what he was doing would be very useful ining up with a cure, but without Alchemy constantly giving him new hints, he was just shooting blindly. He would have to do this the normal way, methodical experimentation. What did he already know from his tests? Well, there had to be some level of self-defense mechanism inherent to the Skill, or else Edwin burning a single drop of the blood would propagate across everything and kill him the moment his blood took any amount of damage. Something which cut off the connection once it was harmed? No, that feel quite right. But there had to be something. He pulled out one of his vials of Nialls blood, making a new container for study, spreading out a drop onto a microscope slide. A momentter, a pair of lenses made a makeshift microscope, and enabled him to take a closer look at the energies involved with his various sensory Skills, pushing Perception to its limits. Ah. There it was. The transfer bond wasnt instantaneous but had a small amount ofg inherent to the transmission. And because the sympathy requires all the blood to be identical, he muttered to himself, If it bes damaged then its broken from the gestalt, protecting the rest. At least, until the separated blood bes identical once again. It was honestly a rather ingenious method of self-preservation for something that came out of apparently emergent properties. If he wanted to actually destroy Nialls blood in its totality, he could use any odd drop he found, sure, but hed need to do it in such a way that it wasnt damaged until after it had resynced with the rest of the blood. It was furtherplicated by the fact Niall had just utterly ludicrous regeneration, and if the destruction wasnt total, hed juste back. Hmmm. Based on all the tests Edwin could run, there wasnt that much Health stored within each drop of blood. It made sense, really. Because Attributes- particrly Health- didnt damage the blood, it might be a valid thing to be transferred, and then given the nature of how Attributes liked to spread out Niall may well not even have the Regeneration attribute! Or well no, the sort of healing that he did wasnt something which Health did on its own. But the source of bottomless healing was probably siphoning off endless amounts of Health from whoever many hundreds of individuals he was parasitizing. Regardless, both burning and poisoning wouldnt work because of the nature of the Correspondence, Alchemical Dismantling and Refining had both failed Could he maybe get Niall addicted to his cooking? I need real answers here. Maybe he could blow him up somehow? Could he somehow turn Nialls blood explosive, then no, that would just kill a lot of innocent people. And still had the same problem that using poison did. He okay. He was an alchemist, that meant he could do this all on his own. The answer was somewhere, all he needed to do was pry the secret out of the universes wed grasp and use that fact to his benefit. He would do this on his own. Putting aside the fact that nobody else was trustworthy, he needed to do this on his own. He didnt have anyone that he could count on, now more than ever thanks to this stupid gue. Anyone could turn out to be an actual enemy at any time, how could he make any n which relied on any of them? He needed something which would work on its own. He needed to do this, and he needed to do it himself and alone. This was a surmountable problem, all it needed was the right solution to be found and then that would be that. Maybe some kind of poison, or magical attack. He could use his biology knowledge to figure out how to make a blood clotting attack? What about evolving Stamina Maniption? It wasnt ideal, sure, but he would sooner live than be perfectly optimal with all of his Skills. It was too perfect for potentially dealing with a foe like Niall. The only hangup was of course that Stamina Maniption was only just past level 30, so hed have to borrow Skill Points from his future advancement, but he could deal with that. Not that it made figuring out what Path he might take which would be most useful for him any easier. None leapt out at him as being a silver bullet, but maybe he just wasnt thinking about it in the right way? Perhaps one of the Healer or Medic Paths would give him Health Maniption, which if it were offensive or worked on Niall might well be a good way to Exsanguinate a lot of people, and probably not even kill Niall. A small part of Edwin worried that Tara might have killed people with her constant face-stabbing of Niall, but there wasnt much they could do about that. Also, there was no assurance that the Skill he got would even affect other people and not just himself, so no. A Skill evolution was not his way out here. Hmmmm. But maybe he didnt need to worry about controlling Health? Mana would probably be allowed through. It coexisted with his blood just fine after all. Maybe he could just allow a bit of mana into the blood gestalt, and see if he could then fry it? That might just work, actually. There were a lot of chemical products which wouldnt be toopatible with life, if he could just change his mana into imitating one of them after Niall had already absorbed it... Edwin picked up the ampule of Nialls blood and brought Mana Infusion to bear. Immediately, it started fighting back against him, just like when hed tried to Refine it. Well no, not quite the same. It didnt feel so much like a forceing from the blood, just a limit to his Skill of some form. It couldnt Infuse living stuff, perhaps? Or maybe it was something to do with the way magic preferred to affect entire objects, Nialls discontinuity interfered somehow? Regardless, a few more minutes of trying without the slightest change in status indicated that it was perhaps a fruitless endeavor, and he changed to just using straight magic to try and make an impact. A thin strand of mana threaded out from Edwins fingers, a trickle of saline, ready to be epted into Nialls blood as sure as any rehydration pack in an IV. There was a moment of suspense as it beaded around the vial of blood, then It went in, and Edwin sighed in relief. Okay, now all that he needed was to twist his spell into something a bit more hostile, and everything would be just fine. Who even needed other people? Edwin had everything he needed at his fingertips. Hed been taught, yes, but it was his own skill, not that of Rihs, that was being proven now. He was useful, he had a ce, and now was seriously not the time for him to sort out whatever emotional baggage he was bringing into this, for all that it kept distracting him. Honestly. It was stuff like this that led him to corralling all of his emotions into neat little boxes, and hed have to spend some time repeating the feat once he had a chance. But for now, this was a simple enough task. The body was delicate enough that a simple change in acidity would result in catastrophic damage, and even supernatural regeneration was unlikely to help someone survive magical concentrated hydrochloric acid in spell form being injected into their bloodstream. So thats just what Edwin did. Nialls blood seemed to veritably screech, Edwins samples of the substance vibrating soundlessly as he gathered them together, stowing them in his pouch. He kept a thread of mana pouring into the vial as he took off into the air, returning to the city. It wasnt a pretty sight. People were on the ground, holding their heads and shaking as Nialls skill ravaged their bodies. About the only person who wasnt on the ground was a familiar-looking figure in silver armor, striding through part of the more densely-packedyer of bodies closer to the town square. Blood drenched the clothes of most of the people around her, but there was no obvious source. Seemed like the perfect time to say hi. Tara. Adventurer Edwin, she tiredly greeted, gesturing at the twitching piles of bodies around her, Was this you? He gave a curt nod, Im feeding some corrosive mana into the overall blood gestalt, which- Dont care. Keep it up. What happened? The bastard gained the ability to control multiple people at once, and said individuals gain his regeneration. It has been quite the battle, ensuring not so much as a drop of blood touches my armor. Are youing closer to a solution? Im working on it. Do not tarry. This is a perilous situation. With another nod, he took off once again to perch on one of the surrounding rooftops. He wanted to keep an eye on the infected with this test. Edwin channeled his mana as fast as he could, creating and concentrating an extra-potent shot of mana acid. Hopefully, the additional shock would overwhelm Nialls passive regeneration and finally kill him. Without killing everyone he was connected to? Edwin steeled himself. Niall had already killed everyone hed poisoned with his Skill. Edwin was just.. halting the spread. Besides, if anyone were to survive, it would surely be Rih. And she was with Yathal, so she could heal him. Except theres no way she has more Health than the guards, and definitely not as much as Niall is bound to Edwin took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and pushed the spell through. The effects were immediate. Whereas before the liquid shook, now it began to almost cken and burn, dissociating and falling apart. It congealed and fractured, bing solid and then turning to ash. Best of all, the people down below werent dead. Sure, they were all on the ground writhing and screaming in pain, and the Skill controlling them had turned the power of ckened, congealed blood, but they were alive! He did it! Hed won? As he watched,paring with his own samples of Nialls blood for confirmation, vitality rushed back into crimson liquid, ash revitalizing itself and returning to full health. He could even feel a corresponding swell in the skill/magic emanating from the fluid. It felt like an infection rushing back into a wound, of rot setting in with death that was nheless still alive, before returning to the normal blood and viscera that he associated with Niall. The people down below, now free of Edwins magical assault, began to return to their feet, looking around in confusion until Nialls puppeteering Skill hijacked their bodies once again. Edwin dropped to his knees in despair. The alchemist really was immortal. Destroying his blood utterly hadnt done it. How the Blight was he supposed to kill something that could on top of everything else? I just need time. As Niall seized control over the puppets below, Edwin tried to feed more acidic mana into his vial of blood, only to have its own energies rip apart the spell construct. It seemed as though Niall had a sort of immune system against magic, and all that Edwins attack had done was give him one fewer tool in his alchemy kit. Maybe maybe Edwin couldnt do this. He also really needed to run, given the assault team of Avior actively heading his way. Edwin eventually managed to escape from his pursuers after a harrowing airborne chase, but now he was once again holed up in Niallsboratory. Perhaps it wasnt the best ce to go, but what else was he to do? It was at least moderately reinforced and had a decently well-stocked alchemyb. Nobody had seen him enter, and Yathal was gone along with Kynigos body and the random Cobbler that Niall had first possessed, so the blood alchemist didnt have any easy spies to find out where he did go. Plus, it had Rih, and while decidedly irrational he didnt know, not really. It was an irrational desire. He should just leave No, he couldnt. He just couldnt. It was stupid, it was irrational, and why did his emotions demand it so strongly. This was exactly the sort of behavior which had gotten him to try and lock away all of his feelings in the first ce. But regardless of the foolishness of attachment to Rih, he would I will not let my emotions get in my way. He would need help, and he refused to allow pride to interfere with that simple fact. He had a better sense of Nialls powers and limitations, and after another attempted magical attack- this time with simted firevine oil, to much the same results as simted acid- Alchemy and Ritual Intuition were providing him a possible solution. He just couldnt do it on his own. It was stupid, just utterly idiotic of him to ever think he could do anything on his own. His failure with Kynigos was testament enough of that. It was just raw pride and desperation speaking when he thought he could solve the Niall problem without any aid. He wasnt an alchemist, just a pretender who couldnt stand on his own, and that meant he well, he needed help. Inion? he called out to the air, Im sorry. I shouldnt haveshed out like that. I do need you. Can you still hear me? He stared at the air in hope for a minute, before sighing. Of course she wouldnte back that easily, hed verbally pped her and banished her? He wasnt entirely clear on what had happened, actually. But regret wasnt enough to undo it, wasnt able to take back what hed said, what hed done. All that it did seem to do was make him blush, his skin heating up as it flushed red. Edwin pulled up a chair and dropped sadly into it, curling into a ball. The fey had been a near-constantpanion for years now, and thanks to him now she was gone. Why did he have to be so awful with people? Shed never once expressed anything but care and concern for him, but hed just refused her overtures of friendship every time, and why? Because she was a fey? She deserved better than that, so maybe it was best that she wasnt around anymore. Inion, he could trust. She didnt even have blood, so Niall wouldnt be able to influence her probably. Not that it mattered, because hed wrecked any chance he might have for help. And so, his eyesnded back on Rih. She was an unknown on every possible level. Hed only known her for a few months, was probably using him for her own ends, and was undoubtedly infected by Niall. He didnt know if shed help him. He doubted that she would trust him enough for it to work, he just needed to try. That was what it came down to, wasnt it? Talking was the superpower of the human race. It was what made science great, what civilization was built on. Taking that first step, the initial extension of trust. Youre just stalling, he used himself. But of course he was. This was terrifying. Give him a spider to fight, dwarves to outwit any day. But this? Every part of him screamed that this was a bad idea, that there was no way she would be willing to help, that she would trust him enough, that I refuse to let my emotions control me. I refuse to let myself sit here feeling sorry for myself. I refuse to let this fear keep me constrained. I refuse to let Niall win. I refuse to make myself lose. I refuse to let my emotions control me. I. Refuse. Edwin opened his eyes. He had work to do. It was surprisingly simple to rouse Rih with his Alchemy skill leading the way. One of the herbs Niall had in hisb created a particrly pungent odor when ground, and by mixing it with some talsanenris oil, he could create an invigorating smelling salt, and when he tested it? Wha- Edwin! Whats going on? Niall. Blood. You were infected. I had to knock you out. Can you run Cleanse Self at a low enough power to wake yourself up from the sleeping potion, and to make it harder for Niall to take you over, but low enough that you dont burn out your connection to him? Of course. Wait, no questions? You know what youre doing, and I trust you. You tell me to keep a connection to the blood alchemist, Ill do it. No, no. You need to challenge me,e up with a better way. I wont, though. And the arguing would just make it go badly. Whats the n? No. You cant just go along with this. My idea will hurt. A lot. You might die. I might die. I dont even know if itll work! Edwin. Edwin. Hey, look at me, okay? I dont believe that I will. I trust you, Edwin. Youre phenomenally talented, and if I were to entrust my life to anyone? It would be you. Youre just youre just saying that. Nobody, he looked away, blinking away some annoying water in his eyes, Nobody could actually trust me like that. Nobody should trust me like that. Dangit, emotions! But I do. I killed Kynigos, he blurted out, I thought I knew what I was doing, but I just screwed up, and now hes dead because of me. I mean, he was dying anyway, but it was still my mistake that killed him. Dont worry about that. Dont worry about that? How can I not worry about it? I dont know what to do differently this time, I havent tried anything, I just he sighed, Look, I care about you. Not that I didnt care about Kynigos, for all that I didnt do a very good job of getting to know him, and I really should have pushed to really interact with the two of them and I barely know what they did, and Im getting distracted, sorry. I just cant, I dont know how, I should have Edwin, its not your fault. I know. I know its not my fault. Its Nialls fault that Kynigos died, but that doesnt stop me from feeling bad about the fact I was the one who actually killed him. Everyone I touch just he sighed, No. Thats not true. I know its not true, but Look at you. You woke up, and within ten seconds are fine with a n you dont even know about, that might cause your death. How? And now you know that Im a failure, that my warning I might kill you is real, and youre still fine with it. What did I do to deserve this? Rih reached out to rest her hand on his shoulder, but a gentle nudge with Unbound Tether prevented the potential infection from Niall. Fortunately, she seemed to understand and took a half-step back before continuing. I told you, I trust you. Youre the best alchemist Ive met. You made the outright impossible real not two months ago, you can do it again. Really? Is that really how you see me? Now I have to deal with that pressure too. Of course not! Ha! Your face! You actually believed that you could amount to anything, you little weakling? Look at you, falling apart over nothing. The words bit, deeply. But Edwin closed his eyes and breathed deeply, Shut up, Niall. It was concerning, that he couldnt see the active takeover Skill dominating every part of Rihs body, but he knew that the words werent hers. They couldnt be hers. What, you think hes controlling me? Please, I can fight off that guy anytime. Hes good, but Im better. Niall, if you dont give her control back right now, I wille up with something else to inject into your Skill thats designed specifically to cause you maximum suffering. Let. Her. Go. You wouldnt. Youd just hurt your little friends too. Oh, I mean that it wouldnt make a difference, because hes not in control. Werent you listening? Apparently you arent my friend, so Edwin held up his vial of Nialls blood, allowing faint strands of mana to spark between his other fingers. After a few more moments of staring the other down, Rih slumped. Thank you. And Im sorry for all of that. How much since you woke up was he in control for? All of it, she whispered. ...Oh. What more was there to say? This happened every time he tried to open up with people, so why did he expect anything else? Im sorry, Edwin, he just So none of it was true? None of it. I tolerate you, but the idea that I might ever trust you? No. Stay far, far away after you murdered Kynigos. Oh, poor Yathal, he needsfort, which you just cant give. Youre unreliable and untrustworthy, more trouble than youre worth. Something broke inside of Edwin, and almost on instinct, he snapped his hand up. Mi plus wind essence, coupled with a bit of phosphorus, instinctively came together in his mana pool, a mote of silence darting out and striking Rihs face. It absorbed all the normal vibrations her voicebox would have made, rendering her temporarily mute. He needed a moment. It didnt quite ring true, but that might well have been wishful thinking. How else was he supposed to react to someone almost-but-not-fully a friend confirming every deep concern hed ever had about them? Heck, it was almost word-for-word what Bob had said, and... No, he shook his head, fighting off the crushing weight of the idea that everything hed just said had been to Niall, that none of it had been genuine, that it was all a mockery, presenting a false face, trying to raise his spirits before crushing them utterly. -thetic little spell, Rih broke free of the hasty construction with a jerk of her head. For whatever reason, that single actionpletely shattered the illusion. His heart stilly in shambles, but for all that he felt dead inside, for all that he wanted to just curl up and die, he refused. With a single bark ofughter, he turned to the impostor with a fire in his eyes, No. What do you mean, no? He was in control- For about thest five minutes. This is a lie. You are a lie. I wont, he closed his eyes, I refuse to listen to lies anymore. Yours, anyone elses, mine. All of it was a lie. But now Im going to tell you something very, very true: I am Edwin Karl Maxlin, and you will stop hurting my friends. He almost kept going, threatening to call down all the wrath of alchemy and science, but before he could, his enemy responded. Niall-Rihs eyes glowered with hate, Make me. In response, Edwin unleashed Unbound Tether at full strength, sting Rih across the room and pinning her to the far wall. A half-step with Longstrider brought them within arms reach, and Edwin called deep within himself for a way to disrupt Niall, a half-formed trick turned into a n. It was just barely out of reach, but he could probably... There was the sensation of someone grabbing his hands, and his eyes shot open in surprise. Edwins skin grew hot, and mana veritably poured from him at a rate hed never experienced before. It soaked into Rihs mana like water to a sponge, and he used the temporarily superb grasp he had on his mana to twist it all into Talsanenris-equivalent. The rush of life energy empowered every cell in Rihs body, from head to toe and from skin to blood. It was enough that even though the magic was beneficial, it wrought a momentary change in Rihs blood and broke its Correspondence to Nialls skill. The half-elf copsed, her limbs folding like a puppet with its strings cut. As Edwin watched, Nialls skill reestablished its connection and attempted to regain control over Rih, but a churning use of Cleanse Self kept the possession at bay. Rih coughed on the floor, You have three names? Edwinughed, the tension broken in an instant, What, do you guys not have middle names here or something? No, she kept coughing, a hacking, wheezing sound that made Edwin flinch. We dont. Where did you say you were from? Ill... tell youter. Once we take care of that man? Sure. Remind me. dly, she smiled, and Edwin didnt have it within himself to keep his hopes in check. How much of that was you, and how much was Him? Ugh. You know, I try to keep a generally decent outlook, but Im not a fan of that. At least he isnt a creep about it, just, oh, trying to crush a friends spirits with my own voice. I will end him. her eyes grew hard, He wasted no time in trying to break you, all of what I said about trusting and admiring you? That was all me. So, friend, whats the n? her smile was weak but undeniably aimed at him I hope- Oh, shut up already. I wish I had something better, but heres the deal. Niall is currently only a single drop of blood, just mirrored endlessly. To actually take him out, we need to somehow burn that drop of blood. That doesnt seem too hard, if its all the same blood. Its a bit trickier than that. See Edwin gave an abbreviated version of what was going on, only needing to rephrase things twice due to him delving too deeply into the technical specifics. Progress! But that whole rebirth through rot thing? Yeah, thats where youe in, and I wish Inion was able to He trailed off, the memory of helping hands assisting him, allowing him to overpower his normal limits reminding him of something from a very, very long time ago. Inion? he asked, waving off Rihs confused look. He wasnt talking to her, but feeling inside his own magic. There. A bit of familiar resonance, trying and failing to connect to the outside. Edwin called that drop of mana to his fingertips, twisting it such that it more closely resembled Inions. A bit of shade, a bit more water, and- It took a life of its own, mana once again pouring from his body in a way that left him oddly drained and slightly lightheaded. In front of him, a very familiar form took shape drifting midair. Hi, Inion. Im sorry. Oh you are now? Thats all you have to say to me? Well, Im going to choose to ignore the fact you lied to me and kept yourself bonded to me instead of changing to the Rhothos like you said you would because this isnt the time for that, but yes. Im sorry. Well, thats fair. But I must say, I expected you to be more mad about that. I have had a very long day, and about all the emotion I can muster is aimed at Niall. Besides, I need your help. Rih looked at Inion warily, but didnt protest. The fey shrugged, How could I say no? Great. Since I guess everyone is here? Edwin half-expected Tara or Lefi to materialize from thin air, to reallyplete the friendship is magic motif he suddenly had going on, but whether fortunately or unfortunately no such thing urred, Heres the n Edwin made a small incision in Rihs arm, pulling out a fresh drop of blood for his experiments. With that in-hand, he took mi as a buffer, synbaline as a numbing agent, talsanenris to keep the reaction going, an experimental blend of firevine and magnesium for power, the former of which was very carefully stripped of all nonmagical vtility. Without a strong enough ignition source, it wouldnt so much as be warm. But once it was exposed to magic, it would ignite in an instant. The actual brewing was something of a blur, Alchemy giving Edwin an entirely second set of instincts for the perfect amount of time to heat, to cool, to stir, to distill. At some point, a huge crowd of people broke into the workshop, but Rih used wind and Inion used water to push them back. Tara might have alsoe around at some point- it would exin the massive holes in the structure around them at least. By the time Edwin was out of his fugue state, the bubbling, fluorescent potion in his hand, he was hovering a few hundred feet above the ground in a bubble sustained by Inion. Around them, Tara was engaging with a flock of avior as a blur of silver, barely keeping up with the dozens of individuals trying to breach their literal bubble for all that she sent them to the ground like bloodyets. Ultimately, Nialls magical signature was fundamentally one of life, as was somon in Rhothos. It made it particrly robust and liable to return from anything, which was why even under near-total annihtion it could absorb Health so effectively to regenerate, it was just a fundamental aspect of the Skill, or person, or whatever. It was muddled enough he couldnt be certain, but the end result was the same. Niall was a tenacious weed that would just keep sprouting so long as the soil was fertile. Unfortunately, they couldnt salt the metaphorical earth with what they had. Edwins magic wasnt sufficiently aligned with life for anything he did to be survivable, nor was it a proper counter. His potions didnt destroy life, they were meant to uplift and empower. Who would have ever thought that not including pollution in his magical ideal of potions might some day harm him? Regardless, that left his al- friends. His friends. They had much the opposite problem. Inions magic was that of an eternal spring positively bursting with life, while Rih was the fresh sprouts popping up shortly after a spring rain. Both could only enhance growth, not stifle it. Even if it had been autumn, Rihs magic was still too focused on wind and not enough on decay. With a nod of confirmation from Edwin, Rih got them started by channeling Calming Touch into her own blood. As soon as the effect transmitted itself to the samples Edwin had, Inion brought her healing magic to bear as well. It veritably sang to Edwin, impressions of a fresh and clear brook washing away all impurities as she bathed the tranquilized blood in it. Then a blood-red vein pulsed along her neck, and Niall was back. They couldnt cleanse Rih yet, her connection to Niall was too important. All they could do was hope that she would be able to fight him off without having to resort to full-strength Cleanse Self. Edwin took a deep breath and calmed himself. This might actually work out better than their original idea. Oohh. Youre so clever, arent you? What, do you think if you heal me then Ill let you live? That you little weaklings can hide in your little bubble and just get away with all of this? Youre leaving all those people to die as you run away with your ws wrapped tight. You and your little friends have your days numbered, and your time is already up. Stick to the n, he told Inion, Its not that different this way. Drop me and get going. With a deep breath, he reached out and grasped Nialls hand. Instantly, he felt the rush of blood through his hand, and Rih staggered away. She grabbed the potion from his hand and smoothly injected it into her arm, shuddering. Meanwhile, Edwin felt the absolutely skin-crawling sensation of Nialls blood creeping inside of him, seizing up his muscles and paralyzing him. His friends jetted away, Inion looking forlornly at him as he began to fall to the streets below. What a weakling. Whats the matter, cant fight me off now that your friends arent helping you? Edwins mouth moved of its own volition, his own voice alien to his ears. You know what? Yep. I am weak. Its just me against the entire world, with nothing but a chemistry set to protect me. Ive got no fighting Skills to speak of, nothing to protect me, just my wits. But do you know what the difference between an alchemist and a scientist is? I assume youre about to spout some pathetic drivel about the value of friendship. Nah. Nothing quite so clich, for all that friends are nice. But an alchemist is an ind, one overwhelming presence taking on the world all on their lonesome. Quite impressive, and they can break the rules of the universe as they see fit. But theyre still only one person. They can be wrong, they can be mistaken, they can fail. But when a scientist fails? They have countless people supporting them, checking them, helping them. Each one provides valuable insight and skills that a single person could never have. They would never be able to fully flush out Nialls life-presence. It was too persistent, too all-pervasive to counter with a bunch of simr types of magic to deal with. There was no way they could get rid of rot, not truly. But what they could do was rece it. Burn down the old, then sweep into the fertile grounds left with something less harmful and more wholesome. Simply put, youre being reced. Overcharge. Overcharge. Overcharge. Overcharge. OVERCHARGE. Edwin cked out as the raw magic flooded his veins. Chapter 129: The Way Ahead Chapter 129: The Way Ahead Edwin woke up with a splitting headache but an oddck of pain anywhere else in his body. It was also rather pleasant remembering what happened all the way up until he passed out, for a change. He must have been out for a while, for Sleeping to have swept all of his normal aches of using Overcharge away. That probably wasnt fantastic, buthe had control over his body again! That definitely was good. It meant his n must have worked, but just to be sure, he delved into his internal body structure with Anatomy. There was essentially no physical damage left. Instead, lingering life-enhancing magic lined his veins and gradually swept away thest few remnant scorch marks as he watched. The potion hed made had worked brilliantly, it seemed. With Overcharge flooding his body, Nialls blood, coursing with mana-absorbing potionpped up nearly all of it. While that would have been damaging enough- whether the ck gunk that came as a result of using the Skill was poisonous or the direct result of burning parts of the body didnt matter, because either would weaken Niall immensely. But that was only the first stage of his potion, because under the extreme magical saturation, his potion became exceptionally mmable, and even the slightest disturbance would light it off. What exactly the disturbance was didnt matter too much, but the backup was Rih directing a tiny scrap of fire mana into her blood. Regardless, it would then ignite and burn Niall to a crisp in mere seconds. That by itself was unlikely to take out the rogue blood alchemist, given his tenacity, and if it somehow did, it would result in countless casualties. But that was where Inion and Rih came in. Both possessed water-based magic, and were excellent counters to being burned alive. But what was even better was the secondary impacts of their mana. Inions fostered life, and Rihs directly grew it. Combined, they managed to chase away the tenacious rot that Niall used to return by recing it, growing in the fertile ash left behind in the wake of his incineration. Choking out the weeds with flowers, essentially. Hed had his doubts, but maybe, just maybe, it was all over. With a deep breath, Edwin cracked his eyes open. He was in an unfamiliar stone room of some sort, wearing rtively in clothes, in a bed that felt absolutely phenomenal. There was a window in the wall to his left, and in front of it... Hey Inion. Edwin! Youre awake, the fey whipped her head around at his voice, floating over to his bedside. I really wish this would stop happening. Do you want me to not wait by your side while you sleep? Edwin blinked, I mean, when you put it like that, yeah? But I mostly meant I wish I wasnt always waking up from grievous injuries, sometimes in strange locations. Mh. Well, maybe if you didnt keep almost killing yourself as a first resort in a fight. Hey, its not a first resort! Or any level of resort. Besides, its happened like three times tops. Panther, she counted on a finger. Last resort. That one bandit. Who? You punched his head off. Ohh, right. That guy. That was just Overcharge overuse, it doesnt count. The first time you escaped from Niall. I hurt myself while escaping, that doesnt count. Inion reached to count off another finger, but hesitated, Huh. Maybe it hasnt been that often? It really doesnt matter, Edwin sighed as he sat up, What happened after I went out? Well, we dropped you and flew off. Dont give me that look. After that, Rih fell to the ground screaming in pain. I really wish you wouldnt look so pleased by that fact. Ha. Anyway, at the same time the bit of blood I had started to boil and burn a little bit, so then I did my part, youre wee, and put it all out. It only took a minute for Rih to stop screaming, and she used her little magic to do the thing and grow invigoration instead of Niall and stuff. It turned the blood really crystal-like, something like liquid rubies. Really neat. But then, however it worked, Nialls body came out to try and do something. It was kinda strange, his Skills had this massive hole in them, like you literally burned out the effect from him. Thats possible? No. Its not. You cant lose a Skill. I just said it looked like that was what had happened. Edwin red at his friend halfheartedly. Anyway, once that happened, Tara came out and sentenced Niall to death for harm, forbidden Skills. Assault on people, all that fun stuff. Chopped off his head and it actually took. Then she had the body burned. Oh, just like that? Inion nodded, Just like that. Feels weird. Like, Im d hes gonehe is gone, right? he pointedly asked the fey, who just shrugged, Whatever. Ill see if I cant run some tests, but it just seems strange that he is gone, and that I wasnt there for it or anything. It just feels unsatisfying. Thats life. I guess so. So where is Tara now? She left, heading back to Vinstead after the execution. Still feels weird. And then were In the old medical clinic. Its been a bit disused, but now that Niall isnt around to block it from being used, we made sure you were somewhere secure while you slept. Rih especially made sure you were safe and healthy. You called her Rih? Not her or that problem? She might not be all that bad, Inion admitted, She seems nice enough, after all. Not three days ago you were telling me how she was the most suspicious person youd ever met. Okay, first off that was three weeks ago, not three days ago, unless you only want to count all the time since you learned about the Blood Alchemist as one day, and secondly, why wouldn''t I trust her? Shes been nothing but nice to you, why would I be hostile towards her? She just wants to help, I figure I should give her a chance. Oh. Oh. It really wasnt that easy, was it? It never would be that easy. Edwins heart began to race, his eyes darting around the room for other signs of unreality in the world around him.Had Nialls Skill evolved again, into something which threw him into an illusionary world that he wouldnt put up resistance in? He couldnt spot anything out of ce in his surroundings, but there was bound to be something. Almanac wasnt returning anything strange, but that didnt mean anything. None of his senses could be trusted. Depending on how insidious the illusion was, his entire mind could be suspect, including his own thoughts. The only saving grace was that Niall hadnt shown anywhere near the sort of power or control needed to create such an insanely detailed illusion on the fly. Maybe he could overload it? But how the heck would he do that? He kept his breathing steady, but it was all he could do to not start panicking as he tried to figure out what weaknesses there were in the grand illusion he was living in, other than Inions unusual behavior. Okay, just something that only Inion would know? Where am I from? he narrowed his eyes at the fey, I need to know youre real. Where are you from? Edwin, youre from Earth. she lowered her voice for thest word, And of course this is real, we won! Im just d that youre safe after all of that. Are you feeling alright? How can I help you? No. No, this wasnt right. Inion was way too calm, she wasnt no, it was all wrong. Edwin flung out his arm, unleashing Unbound Tether to push Inion to the far wall as he sprang up from his bed, flying out of the room and nearly running into Rih herself. Woah! Woah there, Edwin! You seem to be doing well! Rih! I need your no, how do I know you arent just part of it? Part of what? Edwin, youre really stressed and freaking out, and you need to calm down. Give me your hand, and youll feel better. Edwin backed away. Yes, she could be talking about Calming Touch, but what other insane effects might be transmitted through contact? No, he needed to be safe. If he really was trapped in some grand illusion, it was critical he found the limits and. There. Feel better now? Edwin mutely nodded as Calming Touch slowed his panicked thoughts to a reasonable speed and allowed him to look at them objectively. No, it was really unlikely that Niall would know Edwin was from Earth and not know that Rih and Inion shouldnt be getting along. The same thing went for any automated effects based on his own expectations. And if Niall had needed Edwin to touch something, he could have disguised it as a wall instead of having Rih conspicuously reach out and grab his hand. Are you alright, Edwin? Yeah. Yeah, I am. I was just worried that all of this was a lie, that I was still stuck inside of some kind of illusion, that wed lost and Rih gently squeezed his hand, pulsing Calming Touch once again. And that you were some kind of trick. How can I persuade you Im not? Im Im good now, Edwin allowed his brain to sumb to the numbing that Calming Touch brought. He was safe, he was with friends, he didnt know how to handle this, actually. But his mouth just kept running, I just needed to really think through everything and let my mind do something. Part of me still cant really believe that its over, you know? And theres a part of me that wants to forget it ever happened, just go about my normal life without ever acknowledging the amount of faith I had to put into you guys, that my wonderfully sleep-deprived brain resolved to He trailed off as he finally got his mouth under control, ncing awkwardly at Rih, then looked around to see that Inion had also joined them at some point. Fortunately, he didnt have much more of an audience than just that, but all of his derations that he was going to open up and be more friendly with his friends seemed way less certain now. They werent that good of friends, after all; he had only known Rih for a few months, and Inion a few years. Well they werent close friends! He hadnt told them anything super personal about his inner life. He was still waiting for one of them to take an interest in his wellbeing. Like almost literally walking through fire? Heck, not walking through fire, letting themselves belit on fire. What about waiting at my bedside for me to wake up? Calming me down? Uh, I dont know, I just need I think I know exactly what you need. Really? Im kind of uncertain between a long day of just- Edwin was cut off once again, but he couldnt really bring himself toin about it this time no matter how he spun it. It was honestly really, really nice. What do I do with my arms? Am I allowed to return the hug? Whats the proper procedure for this? Shut up, me. Edwin forced his concerns off to the side, eventually settling into the embrace as he wrapped his own arms around Rihs back, and rested his own head on her shoulder, blinking away a few tiny tears that somehow snuck into his eyes. They stayed there for what felt like forever, but he certainly wasntining. Really, all but one of his stray trains of thought faded away. Are all hugs this nice? Further testing was clearly required. Rihs telling of the events that unfolded matched up pretty well with Inions, though she made sure to include one extra tidbit that Edwin found particrly interesting. So yeah, everyone who was part of the whole thing? Yeah, they all unlocked various magic-rted Paths and Skills. The local Registrar has been busy essentially nonstop since then, trying to get everyone sorted out. Who would have ever thought that dumping mana directly into peoples bodies until they cant feel it anymore might possibly result in them getting magical powers? Truly, I have never had that exact situation happen to me or anything. Youre not as funny as you think you are. Aww. Youre still a bit funny, she relented, and Edwin pumped his fist in mock triumph. Ill take it! But I seriously wish I could see everyones face who said I was crazy for suggesting that people could awaken magical talent with their own effort rather than just being born with it. Well, you kind of were. Ohe on, I unlocked Basic Mana Sense through simple exposure and got the Mage path through that. I wasnt crazy. He paused for a beat. Okay, maybe I was, but not about that! Sheughed, a sound which still made Edwins heart melt despite his best efforts. He smiled slightly, Theres a part of me which kind of wants to stick around and help them figure out magic, like how you helped me, but overall I just kind of want to well, not do that. Oh, let me guess. People? People, Edwin agreed. The night sky was just as stunning as the first time Edwin had ever looked up at it and properly enjoyed it. Fantastic colors yed across the tapestry far above, the crystal moon shining down on them all. There was a tiny amount of spring chill to the air, but between Adaptive Defense and his drink, Edwin barely noticed it. There was a slight rush of air as Rih joined him, her wings ring out as she came to a stop. The Skill powering them switched off, retracting the wings as it went dormant. He nodded to his friend in greeting, and offered the mug to her. She epted, gently sipping at the steaming liquid. Rihs eyes widened in surprise. Oh, thats good! What is it? Oh, just something I mixed up earlier. Dried talsanenris leaves, a bit of crushed riststalk, and firevine-dried cordicyle, mixed with a bit of spicenut for good measure. I know talsanenris from what youve talked about before, but what are the others? Niall had them in hisb. Riststalk soothes aches while tasting really rich. Combined with some cordicycle and sweetened with talsanenris, it doesnt cause drowsiness and almost tastes like chocte. The spicenut is just for vor, and Arcadian Elixir does the rest. How did you figure this out? Theres no way you did all your sciency stuff at it, not this fast. That takes you weeks most of the time. Edwin shrugged and chuckled, I had a craving for hot chocte, and a hundred and ten levels of Alchemy did the rest of the work. He toasted himself. Worlds best alchemist! Probably, anyway. By raw Alchemy skill level. And here I am, using vast cosmic knowledge to recreate a kids drink from back home. Rih snagged the mug from Edwins hands, taking another deep drink from it. You know, I might be able to alchemize myself some sort of peppermint-equivalent from pepper and mint. Is that how that works? Heck if I know! But it would be fun to try. he snagged the hot chocte back from Rih and took another gulp before she could drink too much. Edwin eyed the half-empty mug warily. Hed been drinking a lot, it seemed, given how big the cup had ended up being thanks to Improbable Arsenal. The hot chocte had other effects, too. In addition to being delicious, the firevine-drying of the cordicycle meant it had genuine warmth potion effects, and allowed one to partially rest without sleeping. But most importantly of all, it tasted like hot chocte. They sat in silence for a little while, stealing the mug back and forth until it was almost empty. Are you doing alright? This isnt how things go, people dont just ask me how Im doing, they dont care about my feelings or about what Ive been up to or what Ive been doing. Not while meaning it. Theyre just polite. So then why is Rih asking me about this? Is she trying to manipte me, like Inion said? a part of Edwin protested before he just gave up. Allmunication is maniption. Inion said that Rih was fine. And Ive always said that I just need someone else to take the initiative. Cant I actually do that the one time it actually happens? I just want Maybe maybe he could do this. He took one more sip of his drink and sighed, Where would you like to start? How about you start at the beginning? Oh, I dont know, Im not really that interesting. And do you mean the beginning of my life? The beginning of me being here? The beginning of this whole crazy end-the-blood-gue thing? I dont know what I would say, what can I. Edwin. Are you ufortable? Yes! No. I He let his head slump back so he was looking into the sky before responding. I dont know. Im not good at this. I know. I know, Edwin. Thats why Im doing this. Come on, Edwin. You dont have anything to distract you, you can talk to me. Its alright. Edwin shrugged. It was all so fast. I think Im okay, though. Better than I have in a very long time. Having having friends is nice? Yes Edwin, Im your friend. Okay, good. Im really d you reciprocate, because I had this whole epiphany during the whole thing and it would have been really awkward if you didnt reciprocate feelings of friendship and he hung his head, I dont know, okay? I just dont know how this works. I havent had a friend in so long, its. How are you feeling? Lets start there. I feel well, good. Not perfect, Im still too worried that none of this is real, that Im going to blink and suddenly I have no friends again, that I chased everyone away, and I dont know if sharing this is actually helpful, but Ive read that youre supposed to be open and vulnerable to make friends, and I just kind of have to hope that this time itll work out. And now Im worrying that Im talking too much and that that will be seen as a negative. And Im going to stop myself now. Rih patted his back, lightly rubbing his spine in a way that felt absolutely amazing, So, is this mysteriousck of friends rted to your ever-mysterious origins? What? No, even back on Earth, I hadnt had a friend for years. Not No, Im going to keep myself on topic. If you insist, she replied, clearly amused, So then, wheres this Earth? Should we visit? Edwin steeled himself. I dont know. And I dont think anyone does, really. See, about two and a half years ago, I woke up falling out of the sky By the time he finished and Rih was done with all of her questions, the moon had very nearly passed back to the horizon, and dawn was beginning to lighten the other side of the sky. The first mug of hot chocte was long gone, and Edwin had been forced to pull out some backup makeshift drinks, heating them with his Thermokinesis. Thats quite the story, Rih noted. You dont believe me, do you? What? No, no. Of course I do. Its just kind of hard to believe, you know? You can just tell me that you dont believe it. But I do, Edwin. It honestly answers so many questions I had about you. Where your alchemy knowledgees from, yourpletely unknownnguage behind Polyglot, why you get so confused about lots of standard things, whats up with your Skills, and more. Its just also a lot to take in. Edwin didnt really know how to respond to that, so he just took a sip of his drinka sweet drink made from a fruit that tasted remarkably simr to ck currantsand waited for a question. So then, when you say that I and Inion are your only friends Wait, did I say that out loud at some point? You sometimes whisper to yourself when you think. Edwins eyes dted, and he desperately tried to think about any possible incriminating thing that he might have said at any point which apparently people could sometimes hear. Rih noticed his reaction andughed, Edwin, its alright. Youve never said anything bad- though from your reaction, do you think insulting things about us that you dont want us to hear? Um. Rx! Im kidding. Look, that doesnt matter. What does matter is that this apparently means youve never seen some truly spectacr ces. Well see the flying city of VisDaric together! And it will be amazing. Oh actually, you mentioned your home was pretty advanced, is a flying city less impressive for you? Ha. If anything, its probably more impressive to me, because I know all the more just how utterly impossible something like that should be. But then you toss magic and Skills into the mix and well, Im looking forward to seeing what the expanded rules of reality are like. I still dont get how you could not have magic. What did you use to cook things? Huh? I mean, fire isnt magic, its just a chemical reaction. We had fire. So did you have wind? Or weather? Storms? Of course. Driftslides? I have no clue what those are. Oh, thats just when rocks fall off a mountain but instead of hitting the ground they just sort of float around for a while. No. Thats very much magic. But fire and storms arent? I thought you were saying that magic is about energy, or something like that. No, its more about free energy? Energy that can be controlled by a creature. So then how did you move? I can feel the lightning inside of me on a good day, I know its what makes me able to do stuff. What? Oh, um. I dont actually know that I have a good definition for magic, now that I think about it. Ill get back to you on that. But no, we still had electricity, its just not actually magic. You see, electricity is the flow of electrons that.... Neither of them got any sleep that night, not that they particrly minded. Some things were more important than a bit of rest. The wagon was almost fully packed. The closest thing to an actual payment he had gotten out of the whole thing was carte nche to ransack Nialls formerboratory, and while he wasnt about being able to restock on materials he was missing or had run out ofof which there were manyit still felt inadequate for all that hed gone through. But at least ording to the new magistrate, it should count as all of their adventurers duty service tax for at least a decade, and theyd also gotten Inion an adventurers license, so she should be able to legally enter towns now. That didnt matter, though. It wasnt about the stuff, it never had been. It was about the experiences hed made along the way, and even putting aside the bonds of friendship forged in incendiary potion injections, Edwin had noints. Level Up! Skill Points 1241 1322 (Alchemy: 110; Stamina Maniption: 38; 19/25 60-point Paths) Adaptive Defense Level 6163 Alchemical Analysis Level 5360 Alchemical Dismantling Level 5862 Alchemy Level 101110 Anatomy Level 5256 Arcadian Elixir Level 4145 Basic Thermokinesis Level 4548 Fey''s Caress Level 4950 Fresh Air Level 4849 Improbable Arsenal Level 4647 Longstrider Level 5657 Mana Infusion Level 9394 Memory Level 6970 Numeracy Level 5758 Outsiders Almanac Level 141143 Overcharge Level 3647 Polyglot Level 7576 Prototyping Level 4849 Refining Level 4753 Ritual Intuition Level 5862 Sapper''s Apparatus Level 6970 Skillful Assessment Level 5863 Stamina Maniption Level 3238 Unbound Tether Level 4143 Watchful Rest Level 4647 Congrattions! For ending a magical contagion through alchemical means, you have unlocked the guebalm Alchemist Path! Congrattions! For bestowing magic upon another, you have unlocked the Archmage Path! Congrattions! For igniting your own blood and surviving, you have unlocked the Fireblood Path! Congrattions! For igniting over a hundred and twenty individuals on fire with an alchemical potion, you have unlocked the Pyroalchemist Path! Congrattions! For surviving extreme levels of raw mana exposure, you have unlocked the Physical Arcanist Path! Congrattions! By manipting your own blood via alchemical means, you have unlocked the Blood Alchemist Path! Congrattions! For ending a moderate threat to the Lirasian Empire, you have unlocked the Imperial Ally Path! Rih had also gotten the Archmage path, and while Inion remained as tight-lipped as ever about her Status, they were fairly certain shed gotten it as well. Not that it really mattered- at 120 skill points, it would be a long time before any of them were likely to take it. But it was still a really neat reminder of what theyd managed to do. Unfortunately, Yathal was still missing without a trace, and none of the local trackers were high enough level to have any clue where he went. All they could really do was hope that the boy was alright, wherever he was, and that hed be able to take care of himself. At least hes familiar with the area. Rih and Inion were chatting like old friends, which still felt phenomenally weird, but Edwin was happy for the change. He only had two friends on all of Joriah, and that he wouldnt have to choose which he had to spend time with was such a relief. After all, it wasnt like anyone else was liable to pretend that- Edwin ground his thoughts to a halt. No. They werent pretending to like him. He trusted them. Most importantly, he trusted them to be honest with him. If they said that he wasnt a tremendous pain to be around, then he wasnt to them at least. But what about other people? Other people didnt matter. He had two good friends, who would risk their lives for him. Who had more trust in him than even he did. He had friends. Whatever other people said or thought did not matter. Why would it? It was their problem now, not his. He had friends. For real, this time. It wasnt some trick he was telling himself to make him feel better, not some friends for a weekend that would just leave him feeling more alone afterwards than before, not fake friends who would justugh at him when he tried to be vulnerable, or anybination thereof, but actual friends. He had friends. Friends he could travel with, friends who he could depend on, friends who would just be there. Friends were fantastic. And thats thest of it! Edwin called out to the pair, floating up to join them. Rih was resting against a perch on the buildings roof, while Inion simply hovered midair. hear about the- oh hey Edwin. Rih broke off her point about flowers? It sounded like they had been talking about flowers. Everything all ready? Assuming you two are packed? Yeah. The shatterstalk was really tricky to do properly, but I managed it by encasing each one in apparatite, then wrapping that in moss and submerging the entire thing in water, which I of course put in an Improbable Arsenal bag. Then there were the cinderdust moths Edwin, while Im sure that all of those things are absolutely fascinating Oh, they are. Since Alchemical Analysis hit level sixty, its now showing me basic alchemical facts about new things I find, so long as Ive registered that alchemical nature for something else. It means that Edwin. Fascinating stuff, tell me when were on the road. Okay? Unless you changed your mind about leaving by noon. Nope, still the n. Lets get going. He dropped down to the driver''s seat, and the faintest flick of Bill the ponys reins set them on their course. First up, Rihs hometown. Shed be able to see her mother, Edwin might be able to get some unicorn horn, and Inion was just happy to being along. After that? Well, who really cared? There was always more to see, more to learn And above all, always further testing to be done. Edwins Final Status Edwin''s Final Status Name Edwin Maxlin Age 2 Race Extranar Human ss Alchemist-Errant Attributes Health 25 Impact 7 Mana 37 Perception 19 Stamina 30 Skills Alchemical Alchemy 110, Alchemical Analysis 60, Refine 53, Alchemical Dismantling 62, Sappers Apparatus 70 (Purify: 75) Magical Basic Thermokinesis 48, Feys Caress 50, Ritual Intuition 62, Mana Infusion 94, Unbound Tether 43 (Flight 60), (Basic Mana Sense: 82), (Basic Mana Maniption: 9) Physical Overcharge 47, Longstrider 57, Fresh Air 49 Stamina Maniption 38, (Athletics: 81), (Breathing: 76), (Flexibility: 74), (Nutrition: 73), (Packing: 92), (Seeing: 72), (Sleeping: 73), (Survival: 76), (Walking: 74) Mental Numeracy 58, Prototyping 49, Anatomy 56, Polyglot: 76, Memory 70 (Language: 36), (Mathematics: 74), (Research: 50), (Visualization: 80) Combat Bomb Throwing 62, Adaptive Defense 63 (Throwing Weapons: 48) Utility Outsider''s Almanac 143, Watchful Rest 47, Skillful Assessment 63, Arcadian Elixir 45, Improbable Arsenal 47 (Firestarting: 94), (Improvisation: 14), (Status: 22), (Identify: 80), (First Aid: 82), (Harvesting: 76), (Construction: 77) Paths Skill Points: 1322 19 60-point Paths, 6 30-point Paths Combat Assassin 0/60, Bomber 0/60, Giant yer 0/60, Heedless Hunter 0/60, Hunter 0/30, Killer 0/30, Titan yer 0/90, Warrior 0/60, Way of the Empty Hand 0/60, Trapper 0/60, Artillerist 0/60, Sapper 0/60, Undaunted 0/60 Alchemy Alchemical Medic 0/60, Demolitionist 0/60, Makeshift Alchemist 0/60, Potioneer 0/60, Practical Alchemist 0/60, Mystic Alchemist 0/90, Essential Alchemist 0/90, Elemental Alchemist 0/60, Physical Alchemist 0/90, guebalm Alchemist 0/60, Pyroalchemist 0/60, Blood Alchemist 0/90 Science Chemist 0/60, Experimenter 0/60, Researcher 0/60, Purifier 0/30, Scientific Revolutionary 0/90, Scientist 0/60, Engineer 0/60, Physicist 0/60, Mathematician 0/60, Material Scientist 0/60 Magic Aerialist 0/60, Fey Friend 0/60, Feybound 0/60, Feycaller 0/60, Mage 0/60, Magical Gardener 0/60, Micro-Biomancer 0/90, Primal Constructor 0/90, Primal Ritualist 0/90, Realm Traveler 0/120, Fey Supplicant 0/60, Feykind 0/90, Attuner 0/30, Schooled Mage 0/90, Mana Harvester 0/60, Feyblood 0/90, Archmage 0/120, Fireblood 0/90, Physical Arcanist 0/90 Mental Dedicated Student 0/60, Lecturer 0/30, Unbowed 0/90, Canny 0/60, Steady Mind 0/60, Mentalist 0/60, System Almanac Administrator 0/60, Forerunner 0/60, Outsiders Almanac Specialist 0/90, Pioneer 0/60, Skill Researcher 0/60, System Schr 0/60, Trophy ckstone Conqueror 0/60, Deepwoods Panther-Hunter 0/60, Stonehide Vanquisher 0/60, Titan Spider-yer 0/60 Attribute Artisan 0/60, Schr 0/60 Career Brickmaker 0/30, Butcher 0/30, Diver 0/30, Gardener 0/30, Lumberjack 0/60, Merchant 0/30, Potter 0/30, Scribe 0/30, Woodsman 0/30, Metalworker 0/30, Artificer 0/90 Physical Ascetic 0/60, Daredevil 0/60, Survivor 0/60, Physical Laborer 0/30, Athlete 0/60, Internal Endurer 0/60 Traveling Escapee 0/30, Exile 0/30, Traveler 0/30, World Traveler 0/60, Traveling Craftsman 0/30, Trail Cook 0/30 Medical Field Medic 0/60, Medic 0/30, Steadfast Medic 0/60, Medical Lecturer 0/60 Misc Arsonist 0/60, Autopyromaniac 0/60, Burr 0/60, Child 0/12, Expert 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60, Novice 0/12, Pyromaniac 0/30, Razer of the Ruined Tower 0/60, Rebel 0/30, ve 0/12, Trainee 0/60, Traitor 0/60, Brushed by Power 0/60, Lirasian Citizen 0/30, Royal Advisor 0/60, Favored by Power 0/90, Insomniac 0/30, Sleepless Disciple 0/60, Student of Power 0/60, Phnthropist 0/60, Self-Sacrificial 0/60, Imperial Ally 0/60 Completed Paths CharLimitCanttalkmuchNocluewhathappenedDidmybesttohelpyouli, Mage, Skilled Arcanist, Physical Alchemist, Bomber, Linguist, Beginner, Warrior, Path Less Traveled, Athlete, Scout, Unkible, Superior Alchemist, Adventurer, Explorer, Outsider, Skill Researcher, Wanderer,Alchemical Warrior, Novice Pyromancer, Novice Ritualist, Alchemist, Physicist, Engineer, Physical Arcanist, Biologist, Practical Alchemist, Fey Scion, Feytouched, Skilled Arcanist Epilogue Epilogue Tara Lisana sat down, relieved, at her desk. Never in her entire life had she been so grateful to be back from a mission, but Edwin always managed to surprise her. And surprise her he had. She hadnt been certain why Emperor Xares had decided against scouring the entire region to bedrock immediately after her Remote Report, but once again his rity proved prudent. Ultimately, it would only be a minor headache for others to deal with, and thankfully not her. The new magistrate would need to be dealt with by the governor, of course, and the Registration Council would need to dispatch practically a legion of Registrars toe to terms with the new city of mages they had to deal with. At least the Blood Hive had been dealt with, once and for all. She had even gotten a Champion of the Empire path for ying a moderate threat to Liras, so she knew that it had genuinely taken thest time. She still did not understand what exactly the Adventurer had done, but it apparently involved setting people on fire from the inside, and Tara was starting to feel slightly relieved that he seemed at least nominally aligned with the Empire. Not that he would present any kind of grave threat, of course, but he would definitely be a nuisance if he so chose, and with him aiding them he might prove an even more valuable asset in time. It had only been two years, after all, and he had already revolutionized Skill acquisition and the entire path of Alchemy. She idly sorted her way through her reports, fingers brushing against stone upon stone as each informed her of something ongoing. There were reports of a minor elven incursion in a town by the Verdant, a new band of Ouws had sprung up further north, Lefi had picked up a new protege and was grantly defying several ordinancews in the towns hed been passing through, shed have to pick him up and and assign him some banal task as punishment. Or perhaps she could throw him at the elves. Regardless, there was more work to be done. First, however, she was going to take a well-earned day to dpress. A faint ripple of magic bursting out from the northwest, echoing of blood, fire, and flowers, swept over their little campground, and Lefi looked up in surprise. He most certainly hadnt been expecting to feel a magical pulse originating from Edwin, Inion, and the Snowbird. Just what had happened, and what was the bloody sensation which underpinned it all? He would have to wander that way once he got the chance, but for now Bob- Lefi chuckled to himself once again at the little trick hed lifted from Edwin, and the levels it hade with- needed time to find his feet away from any other major influences. The boy had potential! Serious potential, if only he could be persuaded to look past his own misery for just a few moments. That thought brought Lefis musings back around to Edwin. He could only hope that thed learned to stop hating himself as well, as he had far more potential than even Bob. Possibly even more than the Snowbird, for all that that was a stunning thought. He just needed to start trusting himself and his Skills a bit more, because what a treasure trove of Skills it was! Normally, Lefi was able to use his Mirror Power Skill directly to unlock new Skills for himself, but with Edwin everything was so tightly built around two Skills which Mirror Power didnt help him unlock, though not forck of trying. One, some kind of System-connection Skill, was the highest level Lefi had ever seen on a Skill (outside of himself, of course) was tly impossible for him to mimic even with Perfect Reflection and Copy Skills at full usage, and the other- Mana Infusion, hed been informed- simply refused to work properly with his own reflection-like Mana. It should have worked great, hed managed to copy the Snowbirds mana and Skills well enough after all, but there was something fundamental which he was missing about Edwins mana Visualization that stopped him. It didnt matter that much. Hed gotten an item conjuration Skill, a new form of Flight, several alchemy-rted Skills, and even Alchemy itself from thed. He had no grounds toin. But as he shook his head and turned his eyes back to where Bob was sitting against a shady tree, he couldnt help but wonder what was going on with Edwins System-ess Skill. Hed figure it out eventually. There was no rush. Giashal was having a very good day. Not only had the True Outsider not blown himself up with his absurd alchemy stunt, but he also got to watch the System whir and click (metaphorically, of course, it was far too nonphysical to actually make noise) as it pieced together what exactly had happened to hundreds of people as their souls were heavily edited twice in quick session. It was always so satisfying, and had only thrown a single error for him to review! Moderating the System was something of lonely work, but one of the perks was that he could give himself whatever Skills he desired, assuming the System knew how to create it. This included a rather fanciful version of Summon Food, so he toasted himself for a job well done. While hismunication and ability to affect Joriah was intentionally sparse, he was still so d hed managed to apply a couple protective skills as True Outsider Maxlin had slipped in from worlds beyond worlds, somewhere past even the furthest reaches of Void. The kid was an absolute riot, and just what hed needed from the monotony that was the Lirasian Empire. Its not like he really med them, their Registrar program did exactly what the System itself was designed to do, but it did mean there were very few novel Skills which passed across his metaphorical desk for review and more in-depth study. But with the ssh that Maxlin and the Seasonal Dancer had made- with a little nudge from him, anyway- he was bound to see all sorts of new mages pop up once the Registrars figured out how to unlock magic within people. And new mages meant new spells, and new spells meant better Skills for everyone. He took another sip of his wine. To the True Outsider! It had been quite some time since she had felt at peace, but Inion could safely say that she was enjoying it. While as a fairy, her thoughts were unusually constrainedpared to how they normally were, it also meant she was able to experience emotions in a way typically impossible for fey. She could see why so many of her kin liked it, though she was still somewhat undecided. After all, the drawback of her Rules linking her to a single individual was that if that person was, oh mistrustful and skeptical of everyone, that same attitude would bleed over to her. It was akin to, if she were understanding the phenomenon properly, waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Though sleep was still something of a novel experience, she definitely could rte. And even with the downside, she could hardly me Edwin for what shed done to herself. That was another change! She was far more liable to me herself rather than anyone else. Considering how antithetical the concept had been in Arcadia and how the Bond tended to lessen the others tendencies slightly, she could only imagine how much Edwin must me himself for everything, at least by default. He was remarkably well-adjusted for someone with so many bad habits, and now that hed seemingly gotten a handle on his fundamental mistrust of others, she had finally found herself once again at peace. Rih was a pleasant conversationalist as well. While her memories of first meeting the woman were distorted by the emotions theyd been tainted by in the seeding months, Inion was able to once again properly appreciate the half-elfs music and insight into the world. It was quite refreshing, and so very mortal. That was why she had decided toe along for this grand experiment all those years ago. An escape from the gods, an opportunity to strengthen her own soul, and a mortal experience? It was all so perfect. Perhaps she would be able to nudge Edwins Skill acquisitions. His Arcadian Elixir was in almost the perfect position for an Agelessness Skill, and Feys Caress made him so close to transcending mere humanity he might well manage true Immortality as soon as Tier 4. Once hed aplished that, the entire cosmos opened up to them, not just this tiny little bubble of reality. She couldnt wait. Afterward Afterward Well. It''s been quite the year, hasn''t it? When I first started writing The Way Ahead, I was about to graduate from college, figured that if I were to ever write I''d need to do so before I started working full-time, and gave it a go. Since then, I graduated, moved twice (once across the country), got a full-time job, got married, and ended up with one book published, another on preorder, three others in varying stages of publication, and almost half a million words written in thergest writing project I''ve ever done. Basically, it''s been an eventful year. There are, of course, plenty of things that I would do differently were I to do it all over again, but ultimately none of them would have happened because TWA is a serial and not a published book. Plenty of it is just because of how much I improved as a writer over time, part of it is because looking back The Way Ahead is obviously about Edwin''s journey of self-discovery, though I didn''t really realize that until midway through book 3. Ultimately though, I am content with how it ended, and that''s all there is to it. I set out to write a story, and a story is now written; what more could I want? The answer is to write MORE. My next novel is still quite a ways out, and is only really now starting to be legitimately nned, because I learned firsthand how important a n is for me while writing The Way Ahead. Though the premise could still change as I scope things out, the basic idea is that it''s a story written from the perspective of the Evil Overlord bent on conquering the known world, and all the struggles thate with actually ruling huge swaths of the known world. Still loads of magic, adventure, and heroes with just absurdly unfair powers to deal with the whole time, of course. In the meantime, I''m fulfilling something of a dream of mine and writing a fantasy encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia Arcane. If you really enjoyed the worldbuilding of Joriah, or Edwin''s chapters spent doing nothing but trying to figure out the properties of a given material, or how to make a certain potion, this is the ''story'' for you. It is not set on Joriah; there will be very little in the way of Skills and Paths discussed (though perhaps not none), but it is set in the grander cosmology. Joriah is just one tiny little corner of an infinitelyrge multiverse, and so there''s a lot more out there to see. Anything which is stated in the Encyclopedia does hold true to some extent on Joriah, however. Elves have the same biology, it''s the same cosmological structure, magic is the same (though used in different ways), it''s just not limited to just Joriah. If you''re still reading this, you''re very cool. If you aren''t, you''re still cool. If the Encyclopedia Arcane sounds interesting to you, it''s currently up on RoyalRoad with two entries- On the Biology of Elves and On the Structure of Reality- and releasing a new entry every day this week. After that, it''ll change to a weekly release schedule. If you check it out and enjoy it, giving it a rating or a review is huge, because I have no clue how popr this idea might be, but I want to give it as good a chance as I can, and ratings and reviews are very helpful with that. Regardless of if you check it out or not, thank you very much for reading The Way Ahead. It''s only thanks to your support that I ever managed toplete it. Side Story: Of Skill and Ink + Book 2 on sale! Side Story: Of Skill and Ink + Book 2 on sale! Rizzali Skyshale could scarcely contain his excitement as Adventurer Edwin stepped out of his office and left his Conspiracy. Time snapped back to its normal pace, and he checked to ensure that there were none of his charges waiting for his attention at present before he got too deep into the pile of utter,pletely ludicrous wealth of information that hed been provided. The kid would keep him Bright for at least another century, he could tell. Still, it was little constion when he had to deal with the bane of Registrars everywhere: paperwork. As a small measure offort, this was the best kind of paperwork and he was bound to note something fascinating in the Chronicles while he recorded Edwins what was it again? Ah yes, managing to take themon Skill of Packing and somehow leverage it into a Flight skill. Comprehensive Lirasian Registrar Records appeared before him, the massive sky-blue System list which had overwhelmed him so much back in his youth now so routine. Decades of service had fine-tuned both his skills and Skills with organization so what once might have been the work of hours took mere minutes. He quickly navigated to the Mage section, simply checking to see Ah! It seemed as though Flight (Magical, Tether) was a known Skill! Most curious. It was Ah, of course. Mage Andrikan managed to earn that Skill instead of proper Flying as a fledgling, andter used it to great effect as he upgraded it to Self Telekinesis, Force Armor, and Ative Invincibility. Most curious. He would have to mention it to Adventurer Edwin should he decide to employ his services as a Registrar and receive Skill advice. Still, there was no record of the possibility of earning the Skill via Packing, and he added the due notes to both Skills. Given Adventurer Edwins manner of speaking and odd knowledge regarding the nature of reality, he clearly was no random vagabond which Lady Tara found. Perhaps he was from VisDaric? That did not adequately cover his low Tier, however. Perhaps a hidden elf? It would not be the first time, though it would not exin his unusualprehension of the System and ignorance to many of its foundational aspects. Clearly, the boy must be an Outsider, he chuckled to himself. Ah well, it was no great matter. He would likely piece together what he was missing at some point and determine the truth of the matter. There clearly was some possible exnation for the boys quirks, he simply wasnt clever enough to piece it together from what he knew, and he had work to attend to. The remainder of Adventurer Edwins paperwork was noteworthy, but nothing particrly unusual once ones expectations were adjusted to a Mage and an Adventurer who preferred Alchemy of all things. It was almost a pity that the adventurer was so prolific with his Paths, he would have loved to see what the Alchemist-Errant Path might grant, but simrly it was unlikely to be very long before the Adventurer reached a total of 2,400 Skill points spent and unlocked it that way. Come to think of it, he ought to speak with Registrar Seizan, to see if she had any insights from her experiences with Mages. Hed visit herter, once he finished this filing. There was so much new information to be included within the Records after all, and the Archivists required proper paperwork to include it. Course set, Rizzali wet his pen and began to write. ...of the night, see my zing star. You shall see from the coasts of Vorian to the mountains of Tal Vaior those whom I call forth in service. I say unto you that the choices called upon today will be felt throughout history as the day which I ced my talon upon and bent the winds to my will. Espethail, truly? I was under the impression Southern Hero was still regarded as the superior option for Monologue training. Registrar Seizan, Trainee Istiel, Rizzali greeted the orange-haired Registrar and her protege. Registrar Seizan turned as he entered the room, bright green eyes widening as she registered his presence as she nodded, Registrar Rizzali. Pleasure to see you in-wake. Southern Hero is indeed still in favor, but Registrar Sarlial believes that interspersing other performances into the training might yield better results, and Trainee Istiel has a penchant for Espethail. Its my favorite performance, Registrar, he confirmed. Ah, the passion of youth. There were so few other gnomes out in Rhothos and those which were present were not assigned to him. The boys emerald skin veritably glowed with enthusiasm. Most fascinating! Do let me know of your findings. What was your Plot? Ah, well you see, one smith in the outer city I know has managed to use Greater Detailed Goldsmithing to make these really tiny steel stars It was one of the great secrets of the Registrars, both the existence of and method of obtaining the Monologue and Conspiracy Skills. The former was particrly devious, as in order to earn the Scheming Vizier path, one had to sessfully plot the assassination of their governmental superior. Fortunately one didnt have to carry out said n, but the System was very particr in deciding what counted as sessful enough to count. Conspire was rtively straightforward to earn inparison, as Hidden Conspirator was earned simply as part of Registrar training. When precisely was variable, but it was apparently inevitable. Of course, the two Skills were immensely valuable to the point of recing the usually indispensable Polyglot. Monologue set the user in an odd state which slowed the passage of time, but it could only be used while speaking. Conspire then allowed one to include additional individuals in the effect, allowing even a full day in some cases to take mere minutes in reality and was one of the four pirs of the Registrar ss. It also allowed Registrars to speak with one another for truly lengthy periods of time while simultaneously not wasting so much as a second, a fact they took hearty advantage of now that Trainee Istiel would be included. I cannot imagine this is purely a social visit? Registrar Seizan eventually asked. It is not, he exined, I had a visit from one of my charges this morning, a Mage Adventurer, and was hoping to discuss with you some of his options. Ah! Would this be Adventurer Edwin? Indeed. What sorts of magic has he expressed? That is part of what I wished to speak to you about. While he professes a desire to be more of an alchemist, he has magic ranging from the more pedestrian- he has a Heat Object variant, Basic Thermokinesis- to a Skill which empowers his body. He even managed to obtain Flight, Rizzali continued, exining the peculiarities of his collection of magical Skills. Im not sure how much help I will be, she apologized, The majority of my Mage experience is with Nature Mages, and they usually have if not consistency- Rizzali held back augh. Expecting consistency in a Mages build was pure folly. Much of the time, even theoretically replicable Skills reused to work for others following the same methodology. -They at least have simr expressions of their mana and Im more familiar with that. I see. Well, I still have some questions that I hope to pass along. Go right ahead. The visit to Registrar Seizan took scarcely a quarter of an hour in real-time, and he returned to his office immediately after, which made it all the more surprising that he had someone awaiting his return. Ah! I apologize for the wait, Healer Firais. How might I be able to help you today? The Avior inclined his head in respect as Rizzali took his seat, Registrar. I would simply like to upgrade my Set Bone skill, as it reached its threshold. Marvelous! Good job. I hope your patients were left healthy? They were, Registrar. Excellent, excellent. Let me check ah yes, just to confirm, you already have Greater Medicine upgraded? It has been upgraded to Physicians Poultice, yes. Marvelous. And Set Bone is at least level thirty? It is at level thirty-one, Registrar. Marvelous, marvelous. If you could put your points into Medic, we can get this dealt with. Even most Registrars didnt have true ess to the status of others, so the questions were s necessary. In theory one could lie about their Status, yes, but he and his peers were well-versed in finding out such deception and quashing it ruthlessly. Status Registration popped up off to the side of his vision. Lirasian Crasnd Healer Firais Luftfugl would like to upgrade Set Bone to Mend Wing. Allow Upgrade? Y/N He mentally assented, and felt the change manifest in his charge, Congrattions, Healer Firais. Im certain ites just in time? It does indeed. Marvelous. Was there anything else? I would like to put in a request to earn the Dexterity attribute, Registrar. Oh? And why would you like the Attribute? I believe the Attribute would help me perform more delicate procedures. Deft Touch seems insufficient much of the time. Very well, one moment. Rizzali sank deep into Comprehensive Lirasian Registrar Records, searching for potential conflicts the Attribute might have with other Paths. It wasnt a terribly challenging search, and one type which he had extensive experience in, and so came back to himself within just a few minutes. I see no reason to deny your request, though you will have to wait toplete the Path until after you upgrade Healing Rest into Full Recovery. If you do not, there is a chance it would attempt to upgrade into Hospice Bed instead. Come with an extra sixty Skill Points after that point and I will approve the Artisan Path. I advise speaking with a Crafter you know for an appropriate project for you, but the things to make note of is that it ought to challenge your capabilities and be personal to you, something you truly enjoy and can delight in. Thank you, Registrar. You are wee. Was that all for today? The avior nodded, and Rizzali gave him a smile, Marvelous. I hope to see you again soon, yes? Healer Firais departed shortly thereafter, pping his wings and taking off to the roof, and Rizzali returned to his paperwork. There was always paperwork to be done. He was nearly done for the night, finishing up a draft for the ongoing Alchemist restructure now that he had a bit more information from Edwin, when a presence pressed down on the entire structure. Rizzali squeaked slightly. What was Emperor Xares doing here, and why was he upset? He could barely breathe under the intense pressure, but it left as quickly as it had arrived. Rizzali picked himself off the ground where he had fallen, trying to catch his breath. That must have scared a good year off him, though he felt hed sooner lose the year than experience that again. Well, no matter, at least he was gone now, and Rizzali had a meeting to attend. Outsiders to the Lirasian Empire were frequently surprised to learn that the heart of the entire Empires sess, Management, was attended to entirely by gnomish registrars. They always expected it to be the avior themselves, fed lies by their enemies that Management was a method by which their tyrannical emperor kept his popce weak and harmless, forbidden from taking any Skills or Paths which might empower them. Those who promptly discovered that there were scarcely any avior Registrars frequently didnt know how to respond, and always made for the most delightful stories. It still left a simple question, though. Why gnomes? Certainly, while the Skills they were predisposed to meant they were often employed as paper-workers, there was very little that his kind had which obviously made them inherently good at administrative and guidance work. What was so special about them that every single Registrar from thest two and a half centuries had been brightskin? The answer was simple. Gnomes could Dream. Not the pitiful, inconsequential dreams of the feathered and dull-skinned, but true, proper Dreams. Most importantly, they were the only species which could directly upgrade Dreaming into Dream Council, and were ordingly able to keep in constantmunication about their shared passion. The meetings rarely included every single Registrar in the Empire, but it was still an incredibly efficient way tomunicate Registrar-only information faster than even the swiftest courier. It was the only way by which they could reliably keep the majority in the know for thetest developments, and respond to new findings without needing to physically congregate in one location. The Council which Rizzali joined that night was one hed attended many, many times before. He was indirectly responsible for it, after all, and it was likely to continue many years into the future. No, we cannot remove Herbalism! Weve been over this before! While finding a tier two variant of Alchemy was potentially revolutionary, the fact that Edwins method of obtaining the Skill was through Improvisation and Physical Alchemist, neither of which were a part of the current Alchemist ss, meant they would need to determine which of the six Alchemist Skills- Reading, Writing, Herbalism, Mixing, Measure, and Process- should be removed in favor of adding Improvisation, and then what should be done about the leftover Eating Skill. But look here! Farmer Xoracil, given provisional permission to upgrade Hardy Crop with Herbal Gardener. He got Herbalism. Its what weve been looking for! No, its not. Poultice and Potency are far too important. I still think we can rece Reading with Improvisation. Im aware of the importance that Scribe ys in establishing the ss, but I believe there is untapped potential in vor Profile. Unless the speaker made certain to show their identity, such information was indistinct at best given the number of participants and Rizzali''s Dream Council level. It wasnt especially important, however, not for this kind of discussion, and thus uracy of the words spoken was deemed a higher priority. No, vor Profile was a one-off incident, which we believe was influenced by the presence of Perception or the Exploratory Academic ss. Weve found the moremon result is Detailed Appetite. Besides, Mental Notebook is far too important for capturing all the procedural detail of forms which Mixing doesnt record. Rizzali idly wondered what Adventurer Edwins mysterious note-taking Skill was, and if it filled a simr role for him. Considering how expensive it had been, the results must surely have been impressive, if impractical formon usage. Yes, but I believe we can find a variant of Steady Hand that would function simrly if we exchange Marksman for. Attention, Alchemy Restructuring Council, a new voice- this one decidedly identifiable as Administrator Fitzgilleth, Point of order if you please. Tonights search list includes a Sapphire-specialist Goldsmith near Kazath, an Elder-specialist Medic near Sheriath, and were still looking for a Deepwater Diver for Taher Sirandar. There has also been a new development in the Human Lirasian Farmer of Plentiful Harvests, namely a reliable way to obtain its ss Path and use it to grant the Fertile Footsteps skill. Details have already been added to the Records, and best of luck to you all. Then Administrator Fitzgilleth was gone, off to the next Council to deliver the important news of tonight. Conversations sprang up again immediately. A few had gotten slightly sidetracked about the Fertile Footsteps, but the majority returned to where they had been. Yes, but even with the loss of the steady-hand effect there, we can offset that by including Artisan just before the Artist path, which shouldnt influence the ss overmuch and allow the additional Attribute points to umte over a significant amount of time. You expect them to have an extra sixty points in the midst of tier one? When were discussing adding in the Physical Alchemist path? Youre babbling. I do hate to intrude, Rizzali interjected, making his identity known, But today I learned of another early ess Skill, namely Alchemical Dismantling, from thebination of Harvesting and Alchemical Warrior. Alchemical Warrior? Hm, that would significantly streamline the Alchemic Assistant ss if replicable. A Warrior path? For Alchemical Dismantling? How is that considered Warrior-like? Perhaps it is something of a Hunter skill? Akin to how Harvesting upgrades to Dismantling with the Hunter path? Yes, but what of They came to no conclusion that night, not that anyone expected them to. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!