With his face on the dark ground, nose in the dirt, and grass blades tickling his eyes, David let out a sigh of relief. He could feel the pressure put on him by the Ambient Source lessen considerably, for he had eight-point of Resilience as of that moment.
Status
Name: Deviant (David Anderson) Son
Blessing: Blessing of The Source (Unique) – Resilience + 1 every Level
Title: Trespasser (Unique): Locked
Level: 1
Arcanist, Class level: 1
Class Perks: Source Sight
Attributes
Health: 6%
Stamina: 9%
Well: 100%
Alacrity: 5
Constitution: 5
Perception: 4
Strength: 5
Mind: 9
Resilience: 8
Charisma: 4
Attribute points: 0
Still, the Source answered his previous command. Showing him the Arcane Magic Archives.
"Long live the Queen—" he exclaimed. For David's world turned into an ethereal, azure-ish representation of a massive athenaeum with hundreds upon thousands of tomes made of ethereal light.
The athenaeum was entirely artificial, made of Source. He knew he had not been transported anywhere. He could still feel his body touching the dirt and had a vague sensation of Erin picking him up. However, in front of him lay a boundless collection of shelves with tomes of every kind.
The library probably spawned for an indefinite space, and to solve his doubts, the Source came in his aid.
The Source
These are the Source's Archives. Just like the Source, the Archives are ever-growing and ever-expanding. It contains all the knowledge it has accumulated in eons.
You can only access the Arcane Magic Archive. Increase your Class level and achieve other masteries in other forms of Magic to have access to other wings of the Archive.
Arcane Magic Archive:
You have a One-Time-Only free Magic Skill Unlock Token of the Arcane Magic Archives.
There were many metaphysical directions to the Archives, and somehow, David had a vague feeling as to where they would bring him. But he could not move toward the other directions. If he desired it, he felt the connection to the Archives grow weaker. Instead, he focused on the Archives related to Arcane Magic.
Hundreds of bookcases appeared, and each shelf contained hundreds, thousands of tomes. There was an uncountable number of bookcases in each Archives segment, and they were numbered based on the required levels.
When he wished to read the first among them, the whole library moved, shifting in space and coming toward him.
Level 1:
Arcane Missile: Cast a long-range missile made of untainted Source, useful to damage targets from afar. 1% Well filling per cast. Instantaneous No cooldown.
Level 2:
Arcane Wave: Cast a medium-range wave of untainted Source, useful to push opponents aside. 5% Well filling per cast. Instantaneous. 3 seconds of cooldown.
Level 4:
Arcane Construct: Conjure an object made of untainted Source. It can hold any type of item indefinitely or until shattered. It follows the caster around. 10% Well filling per cast. 10 second cast time. Limit to 1 Construct. 1 minute post-breaking cooldown.
Level 7:
Arcane Blade: Conjure a blade made of untainted Source, useful to attack targets at close-range. 10% Well filling per cast. Limit to 1 Blade. 10 second cast time. 1 second of cooldown.
Level 11:
Arcane Power: The next Skill or Magic-Skill you cast will be cast with twice as much Mind. 50% Well filling per cast. Instantaneous. One minute cooldown.
Level 16:
Arcane Discharge: Discharge your Well in the outside Ambient Source. Instantaneous. 1 day cooldown.
Level 22:
Arcane Shield: Conjure a shield made of untainted Source. It can defend from many weak-to-medium attacks before shattering. 50% Well filling per cast. Limit to 1 Shield. 1 second cast time. 1 minute post-breaking cooldown.
Level 29:
Arcane Circle: Conjure an Arcane Circle to cast Magic Skills. 1% Well filling per cast. 5 seconds cast time. Cooldown based on the cast Magic Skill.
Level 37:
Arcane Armor: Conjure an arcane armor made of untainted Source that enhances your physical attack and your physical and ethereal defense. 80% Well filling per cast. Limit to 1 set of armor. 50 seconds cast time. 5 minutes post-breaking cooldown.
Level 44:
Arcane Link: Link objects together through threads of untainted Source. It can be used to bind an object to the caster or other targets. It can last indefinitely or until shattered. 1% Well filling per thread. 1 second cast time. No cooldown.
Level 54:
Arcane Cancel: Disturb and Cancel a Skill or a Magic being cast by your target; already applied effects will not be dispelled or canceled. 30% Well filling. Instantaneous. No cooldown.
Level 65:
Arcane Blink: Displace your body and everything linked to it toward the desired direction. Caster's body and object integrity are boosted by the caster's Mind. Distance is determined by the caster's Mind. 100% Well filling. Instantaneous. 1 minute cooldown.
Level 77:
Arcane Enhancement: Strengthen Alacrity, Constitution, Perception, and Strength with the user's Mind. Maximum Enhancement based on Resilience. It can last indefinitely or until canceled or dispelled. 100% Well filling. 1 minute cast time. 1 day cooldown.
Level 90:
Arcane Aegis: Conjure a sphere of untainted Source around the user. It can defend once from any attack. 90% Well filling per cast. Instantaneous. One day post-breaking cooldown.
Level 105:
Arcane Seal/Dispel: Seal and Dispel Source constructs, Skills, links, other seals, abilities, living, nonliving, and every other sealing and dispellable declination made of Source. 50% Well filling. Cast time based on the target. No cooldown.
Level 121:
?: ?
The archive continued on, but everything started to become blurry after a certain point. Dave wanted to understand more, to find out more, but he understood that it was still too soon for him. The amount of knowledge at his disposal was crippling.
Still, each bookcase contained the knowledge to bestow him with a Skill, and, focusing on the ethereal knowledge that he would receive from it, he understood that one entire bookcase summarized into a circle.
In front of the related bookcase, the circle appeared in its full shape, parallel to it, hovering in mid-air and made of an indefinite number of threads of Source.
The first one looked a lot like the circle at his right wrist. Indeed, it was identical.
The second bookcase that was related to the Arcane Wave Skill looked much similar to the previous one. Although, at closer inspection, it appeared to be similar in many ways, yet dissimilar in even more so.
Each magic circle was nothing like the other, if not for minuscule details that he could hardly notice.
David knew he could lose himself in that place. There was an incredible fascination in it that kept drawing him forward, asking for him to stay, yet he couldn't. He could feel his body's conditions grew worse. He was by no means getting better, and although it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, he had found the only Skill that would be able to help him. It was there in front of his eyes. He had to take that Skill and only that Skill.
The moment he chose—
Arcane Discharge: Discharge your Well in the outside Ambient Source. Instantaneous. 1 day cooldown.
—the Arcane Magic Archive dissipated in front of him, imploding into Source fire then slowly and gently disappearing into shimmering traces of dust. The jungle reappeared in front of him.
Arcane Discharge reaches level 1. Instantaneous. 1 day cooldown.
Erin was by his side. Trying to put some sort of leaf in his mouth.
"I'm sorry, Davi," she shook her head. "Even though I'm a Biomancer, even though I've studied how to change myself for most of my life…I cannot beat Source Poisoning…it's incurable. I'm sorry. What—what can I do to ease your pain?" Her eyes showed her pity.
"Wait…I've—" cough. "I've chosen a Skill that will…" he couldn't speak. He was too weak for it. So he signaled to her to move aside, slightly pushing her away. For he had no idea what was going on.
David's gentle push didn't even make her waver, he was too weak for it at that moment, but Erin understood.
Her eyes were slightly reddened as she looked at him, she sat to his side and closed her eyes.
David sighed. Then he wished to call upon his new Skill—and nothing happened.
His eyes grew wide. Why? Why had nothing happened?
Then he noticed, he understood. He had no way to activate the Magic Skill as he did his others, for it was not placed in the Fast or Heavy Magic Skills slot. Then, how could he activate it?
Only the Source could answer his question.
He manifested the Archives once again.
There was no need to move one's body in the archives, he simply wished, and he moved forward, or maybe he stood still, and the archives came to him, he couldn't notice any difference. The only bookcases from which he could draw knowledge now were those of which he had already unlocked, so he reached the bookcase containing the knowledge about his chosen Skill, Arcane Discharge and he understood.
Dave had to form the Magic Circle somehow. That was the only way to utilize Skills not bound to his Skill slots. But how could he do something like that? There was no way he could draw such a complex circle, not in his condition, not on the ground, not without hours to relearn how to draw all over again. He wasn't even that good at it.
He left the archives, and the world appeared once again in front of him, or to be more precise, the ground did.
"How…" he croaked, "how to change…Skill in slots?"
"Oh, Davi…" Erinnya came forward; her gentle eyes shone with the desire to help him out, she seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I told you, you need to perform a Ritual of Skill. You need a big surface and Crystals from the Source; you can't do it without those…"
"Is… there—" cough, "no other way?"
"Maybe…maybe if you had a Token for it—but they are rare, maybe if you had a Source Box you could—"
David had a Source Box. The Source had told him that the creature had dropped something, a Tiny Source Box.
Maybe it was his chance; maybe he could defeat the odds.
So, without any reason to wait, he called for the Source, with his mind, and ordered it to open the box.
The Source
Opening Tiny Source Box.
You have received (1) Skill Slot Change Token.
His eyes grew wide. "Use it! Use Skill Slot Change Token!" He rasped.
The Source
What Skill Slot do you want to Change?
Fast Skill Slot/ Heavy Skill Slot?
David judged that his new Skill could be considered Heavy, for it had a long cooldown, so he chose the Heavy Skill Slot.
The Source
Which Skill do you want to place in the Heavy Magic-Skill Slot?
The question listed his option, which at the moment amounted only to his new Arcane Discharge Skill.
The very moment the change took effect, his Source Sight activated, and the Source drew a new full-body circle around him; without further ado, he used it.
A violet wave of Source propelled all the Source Poisoning that had accumulated into his body to leave it immediately. The wave extended a few meters in the nearby area, and he felt born anew.
The relief he felt was such that David fainted and was welcomed by the gentle embrace of slumber.
***
Cyana's team had recovered her brother's body while she, her captain, and a couple more members of the Special unit had found a trace that led them to an abandoned building.
The place was littered with trash, excrements, and as Cyana kneeled by the remains of a fireplace, it was soon clear that somebody had abandoned it by less than an hour. The remains were not warm anymore, but the traces of soot that had reached up to the hall's ceiling were new, and so were the carbonized traces of books.
The hall was open, exposed to the wind, yet most of the ashes were still there; if they had been exposed to the wind for long, there would be no remains of them. It was clear to anyone, although she was no Scryer, such things were clear even to her basic observation abilities.
The team's scout, and Scryer, in this case, was Five, although he was not a true Magician, for he seemed to be half Rogue for what she could tell. She did not need to do his job for him, and he would do it much better than she could ever hope to do.
Her job was one, and only one—to eliminate their targets, she was the team's Striker.
Cyana's own targets were the useless being that had killed her big brother, and if the Captain didn't allow her to, she would be more than happy to return the bastard to the Empire alive, possibly in more than one piece.
"Three," Captain Virael called.
Cyana took a second more than she should have to answer, but she did.
"Yes, Captain!" She replied, standing straight and stomping on the ground with her right hoof.
The Captain did not look as displeased as she believed he would be.
"Three. I'm sorry about your loss. But for this mission, you need to be focused, or I will have to send you back home."
"It won't happen again, Captain," she said coolly.
He studied her face, well, her dark helmet.
His eyes were so intense that she felt naked under his gaze. Maybe he knew what she was feeling; maybe he knew what was going on in her head; maybe he—no. She had to focus. No daydreaming.
"Fine. Then listen. Five has found traces of the responsible. As it seems, it's like you thought. It's not from this world. It must have traveled through your brother's magic, and since he has essentially killed him he has stolen his Title of Trespasser but he should have hurt himself. It's unlikely that he could align so quickly to this world's atmosphere. He must have received help from somebody, but they quickly left, likely for the jungle." Virael's look went in the direction of the not-so-distant jungle. "It's going to take much more than one Scryer to single out a lifeform's movement in the middle of that lush jungle, not to consider the Myst-callers' mist. But we can act faster than that. We shall form a small team of three individuals to recover the target, and we will depart immediately."
Cyana shook. She wanted to be part of it.
"Captain, if I may speak," she asked.
"Allowed."
"I want to be part of the team. I will not fail you. I'm driven, but I have everything under control," indeed, she was trying with all her strength to restrain her emotions. She spoke slowly and clearly.
"I wanted to offer to you the chance to be a member of the team, but only if you are in the right frame of mind, number Three. So, can I count on you?"
Virael did not allow her to answer, for he continued, "Your brother had a mission that went above my rank, but the command has imparted me with the task of understanding what has happened. Wherever this target that has taken your brother down has come from is unknown to us, and it has to remain as such. Still, it cannot be allowed to escape, present himself to the general public, or even—Source forbid—contact any Blood Fey rebels member. Having a Trespasser among them is…unwise," Virael stated.
She stomped again, "I won't fail you, Captain."
"Good, I believe so. Now ready yourself, we depart as soon as One has finished with her sketch. It will be you, Five, and me."
She did not know what the Captain's specializations were, but at his root, he was a Fighter, while Five should have been a Rogue, and she was a Mage. It was a balanced team, and they would not fail. Whoever had done that to his brother would be caught, secured, and if she could help it, he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
Although a small, well-hidden, part of her desired to kill the responsible of her brother's death with her own hands, the Empire's teachings, the Kva'ri, and its creed, saw every form of life as precious, and murder was not contemplated as part of a balanced individual, so she would have to discard that piece of her, that craving for revenge, or she would lose balance. Kva'ri would help her, but this was not the moment to fall back in her Mind Temple.
Before she knew it, One, the team's Scryer, had finished the culprit's sketch. A Scryer's seering abilities allowed at least that much and although specialized units would do further seering, what she had drawn was very detailed.
The picture showed a being that Cyana had not seen before, but the data extracted from the cells that had remained inside her brother's corpse showed that it had the lowest amount of Resilience among any other known race. How had that creature survived in this environment? She answered her own question right away. He must have used the Survival Token and received the external help Five had hypothesized.
But then, how? Why? Her brother was a paragon of her race; of course, he would have such a unique Title but how had he failed at the hands of such a puny thing? Survival Tokens should not have such a drastic effect.
Captain Virael brought her out of her reverie. "It's settled then. We shall look for this creature. Number One, gather everything and bring a copy of this to The Headquarter. Everyone will be on these creature's lookout from now on." He turned toward Three and Five that had joined her, "We depart now, and we will retrieve this creature. For the Empire."