David sat at the edge of the oasis' crevice; he knew there was no way he could simply go down there and fight the creatures inside.
"If you, my familiar, solved the Quest, would I get credit for it?" Dave asked the blue and red Loong who surreptitiously drifted in the air on top of his head.
Wushu stopped, then made his acrobatics for "I have no idea," then he added something more specific, "I'm not going down there ever again. Forget it."
David shook his head, "What kind of familiar are you? Piss-wad…" as he said that, Wushu frowned, then his mouth started emitting sparks.
"Alright, alright...I'll think of something myself," he conceded.
"Wait," Dave realized, "I could go down there with my new power, right? I mean, if I knew how to use it." But then, how could he really use that power? There had to be a way not to end up in some random zone or inside of a wall…
"Eew…" The thought of his body turning into a paste by arriving inside of a wall was not exactly the most captivating idea.
"Maybe I should ask Erin." But Erin knew nothing about Trespassers; she knew them only by name.
Still, he couldn't use his power—not for now, because his Health was dangerously low, and his Well almost completely full.
So, Dave planned how to use his current powers to prepare himself for facing the queen.
Unyielding reaches level 3. Well empties 3% faster.
He sat straight, hands under his chin. But he didn't lie to himself, he was scared, yet at the same time, excited at the thought of doing this Quest. It was the weirdest of things.
Before he could entirely focus on analyzing—on finding a way to study his Trespasser's power, which the Source didn't really care to explain in detail, he thought about what would be the most useful Skill for the intrusion in enemy territory. The first thing that came to his mind and probably the most useful about them was Stealth.
Stealth would be of tantamount importance in actually managing to pass near creatures and go unnoticed; it had revealed lacking, but he had a fix for that, or at least so he hoped so.
Dave still had twelve Skill-tokens. It would be kind of a waste, but then again, if the Ancient was right in her judgment, the Source would give him only quests that he could take on. If creatures managed to discover him under his current level of Stealth, maybe increasing it further would do the trick for him. And from then on, he could level it up by utilizing it while in enemy territory.
If experience had taught him something...while in critical situations, his Skills would level up faster. "Is it clichè?" David asked himself, "Might be. But it kind of makes sense. We learn faster when under stress; studies prove it…does it?"
Did studies really prove that? He had no idea, but he didn't care. Had he been given something? Yes, and as always, Dave would take it.
So, he entered his Stealth and even started meditating, waiting for his Well to discharge and his life to recover a bit. It was counterintuitive because, for some reason, the two things felt completely opposite to one another.
It really wasn't one of the easiest things he had ever done.
First, he broke out by one of the two Skills as soon as an aimless thought passed through his mind, yet slowly, through trial and error, and with a long way to go for his Well to empty, he continued on his adventure to real meditation.
David was by no means an expert and had barely unlocked it, yet his urgency and his slight experience with it gave him that little bit of edge he needed to keep trying and reach interesting results.
After a rather long while, trying to mix the two Skills revealed not to be the dumbest idea he had ever had. On the contrary, the two Skills seemed to challenge each other, spurring one another—maybe elbowing one another, increasing the difficulty, and promising him good progress.
Beating his obstacle, Dave slowly fell into the mindfulness peculiar to meditation, or at least so it hoped. At the same time, ever so slowly, he felt himself disappear from the world. He descended into a profound emptiness of thought, then he started feeling something that seemed to be slightly dangerous—something preoccupying.
He could not feel his own presence anymore.
Where was he? Could he feel his own body in the world? Was he still there?
Somehow he knew that he was, but he couldn't address this new feeling of absence, as if he was there yet, at the same time...wasn't.
What kind of feeling was that? He couldn't answer, but at the same time, he did not wish to leave that peculiar state, yet inevitably, his anxiety started building up. With the passage of time, or at least of what it felt like for him, David grew more anxious; he couldn't feel slowly becoming part of an alien world, even more alien to him than Arthan. He felt distant, breathing, but not alive. Present yet absent.
When finally, the state of near mindlessness he had reached with difficulty was torn away from him, David fell forward, catching himself on his arms as he fell with his face toward the ground.
It was the deep of the night; no, the sky was much too clear for that, it was almost Dawn. His breathing was hard. Erin sat by his side, and Wushu slept near him.
He was sweating cold, and one after the other, the message from the Source, that at this point he understood was put aside while he meditated, reached him all at the same time.
Meditation reaches level 18. Improve mindfulness by 18%
.
.
.
Meditation reaches level 32. Improve mindfulness by 32%
Stealth has reached level 15. Mask your presence to other beings with 15% efficiency.
.
.
.
Stealth has reached level 31. Mask your presence to other beings with 31% efficiency.
Survivalist reaches level 13. Adapt to external forces + 13%
Curse Resistance reaches level 7. Resist low-level curses with a 7% increased efficiency.
Multitasking reaches level 4. Split your focus in two with 4% increased efficiency.
Unyielding reaches level 6. Well empties 6% faster.
Some of those Skills seemed to increase with time and for the fact that he was being affected by some conditions, like the amulet hiding his Status or his physical conditions, but Meditation and Stealth had increased because of their usage. Yet, he wasn't exactly thinking about that; he was thinking at the weird feeling he had felt.
"You have gone very deep," Erin said; her eyes were still closed as she spoke, and her body had recovered entirely.
David couldn't help but be shaken by seeing her arm and leg entirely regrown; they were just as pale as he remembered them. "Oh, Erin. I'm sorry; you healed before I could get you what you needed."
"Don't mind such small things, Davi," she opened her eyes, "You went very deep, did you not?"
"I did? Well, I didn't even put a foot inside that crevice, actually. I sent Wushu; I'm not that dumb." The sleeping Wushu shook his whiskers, but he didn't wake up.
Erin chuckled, "No, I meant with your Meditation, and you were using Stealth as well. With that amulet and your Stealth flaring, I actually didn't notice you for a couple of seconds."
"Oh, for a couple of seconds, I must be extraordinary then."
She shrugged, "No, not really, but know that Meditation and Stealth are two opposed Skills. One reaches for Mindfulness the other for Mindlessness, they work exceptionally well together, but it is dangerous using them in such a way. For you will join the Aether, a world where you are susceptible to many more things than you should normally worry about," Erin said.
"Well, I was sarcastic, but, I guess knowing when to stop is the key. Well, thank you once more, Erin. Really all you do is saving me," Dave chuckled.
Erin smiled, and she seemed content with his appreciation.
"Erin, listen...meditating made me free my mind a bit, yet I have no idea how to use this Trespassing thing. I have no idea how to go back home with it, not that it's really my priority right now, but if I did, would I lose my powers with the absence of the Source? I don't want to lose access to magic."
Erin got closer, leaning with her back on Dave's own. She felt as tough as a tree's trunk.
"I don't really know how to answer your questions, David, even the Ancient didn't have answers about Trespassers; I can't even tell you how you could use it; or how the Source would react to your presence, yet it's possible...that you might lose access to the Status."
"And what do you think that would entail?"
"It would mean losing your ability to intercept the Source's communication, but you might still be able to use your Skills. Maybe that is how that Fiend you killed acted when he got to your world," she answered.
She left him to think about his options as she scribbled in the mostly dry earth, then she started speaking, "You must know that every type of Magic has rules that are set in stone. You might have to start from studying those, choosing a subject, summoning your Source Sight, and Meditating might help you better understand the way the world works, but it cannot teach you what can be only felt. I believe that like your opponents' power, those that are classified as Wardens, developing those powers is a question of…feeling."
"My opponents, eh…what do they do?" Dave asked, "The Ancient has spoken to me about it, and I remember Randiallen being a Sentry; that's like the first Rank of the Warden Title, right?"
She nodded, "Indeed, old-Randiallen," she said, emphasizing the word, "Is a Sentry. Thus he could see everything, everything of what happened around him. You cannot hide something from a Sentry. They see through every hidden Status, through every manifestation, nothing can be hidden from them. Just as they can appear differently from who they are, hide their Status to the world."
"Well, that's something, isn't it?" Yet, after saying that, Dave shrugged, "My powers are sexier."
Erin snickered, "Try to learn how to use them before speaking."
"Yeah, like that's easy…Anyway, I have other questions," Dave continued.
"Ask, young-Davi. You are entitled to know, surviving this world is still a challenge for you, and it will be for a long time, for as you are now, you are in more danger than it looks," Erin confirmed his fears.
"Exactly. Erin, what are we going to do now? We escaped them for now, but do we have to keep on running away? Is this what my life is going to be?" Dave asked. "Because I don't like that. I don't want you to get dragged into this either. If we're lucky they didn't notice your presence, and I'd be sincerely thankful for that."
Erin smiled, "Before anything, know that you are not bound by anything in this world, or any others for what matters, but before trying to go wild with your Trespassing, I believe you should consolidate your powers. Maybe a period of study would help you," she noted, turning toward him.
"Are you going to teach me?"
She shook her head, "I wouldn't be enough. I couldn't turn you into a Biomancer even if you wished so; you should have taken Blood magic as your magic foundation for that. But I can help you find someone that can teach you your way through magic. It's a long road from here, so long that our pursuers may find you before we reach it. So you should come into your powers before we try to reach it, and—I'm sorry to say—but you'll have to do it as soon as possible."
"There are so many things I wish to ask you now, but…" He sighed, "I think I'll start with something that you might answer. You were meditating before, right?"
Erin nodded, "My meditation Skill has evolved twice; why?"
"Well, I was meditating when I started…fearing for my life. Is that normal?" David asked, fidgeting.
"You feared for your life?" Erin frowned at that.
"Yes. I felt as if something was…actively looking for me as if I could not escape this—thing that was trying to find me."
Erin's eyes grew wide as she clutched David's hand, "Did you reach for it? Did you touch it!?"
Her tone made Dave pale. "No, no—absolutely not. I left that stance before I could understand what it was, but it was drawing near. Why?"
"I believe…" she turned toward the city. At the moment, it was not visible because of the trees, but it was indeed there. "I believe that you might have joined the Aether, unknowingly. Making yourself noticed in the process. So, I believe that somebody might have been actively looking for you, David. Keeper," she said, "Keeper might be powerful enough to retain their sentiency inside of the Aether. Maybe the Fiend's Keeper might have grown serious because you escaped."
She kept staring at the city, "Even if this is only a conjecture...this is not good," she stated. "Maybe we should leave right now. I think I have a place for us to hide."
"Wait, he knows about my location then?" He asked, alerted.
"No, if you didn't touch him he couldn't have established a connection, but you might have made him aware of your presence; he rules over this whole continent."
"Shite…"
"And yet, we cannot leave, not right away. If Quests cannot be refused, I have one right now. And I don't think I should abandon it. Or I won't be able to level up."
She nodded, gravely. "Then let's get on with it. I shall help you."
Dave nodded, "Thank you, really."
She shook her head.
Dave looked at her with an apologetic gaze of thankfulness, then began explaining, "It says that I must take out the Night Scraptster queen from exhausting the oasis. I believe she's underground, inside this crevice, but I have no idea how to reach it. Maybe with your hand, it'll be easier."
Erin nodded. "I changed five out of my six Fast Magic Skills. I can support you almost as best as I can and help you up. But we should really get on with it."
Dave nodded. "Alright then, let's go there the regular way," he got up, dusting his ass off, woke Wushu up, who reluctantly took to the air, then turned toward the crevice.
"Wait," Erin called, I'll go first, but before that—" she placed a hand on his forehead.
The Source
You received a momentary buff. Alacrity, Constitution, and Strength + 16%. 16 minutes duration. 1.6% Stamina per minute.
You received a momentary buff. Health and Stamina recovery double. 16 minutes duration. Well filling 1.6% per minute.
"Bloody Hell! I feel incredible! What is this!?" Dave was filled with a sudden rush of wellness; he felt ready to climb a mountain.
"These are two of my Fast Skills. I have one more, which is an attack Skill and, the other three are Heavy Skills, you'll see them, or hopefully, you won't need to," saying so, Erin got on the ground and fastly drew a Magic Circle in the dirt, it took her less than thirty seconds even though the complexity of the Circle was much higher than the one David had produced up to that point.
After she activated it, a terrible scene took place.
From Erin's hip, her leg bone, likely her femur, started bulging out of her skin, then ruptured it, and she gripped it with her hand; she literally pulled it out as if it was a sword, then her hip healed, and the leg looked perfectly fine.
David stared through the entire process, horrified. "Alright, I think I'm gonna throw up."
Wushu reacted differently; he signed something in the air, "It reminds me of the Ancient," in the air.
David didn't even consider him. "That was disgusting, Erin…I don't ever want to be a Biomancer, thank you," Dave commented.
She chuckled, "Are you sure? So you do not want this blade? It cost me twenty-five percent Stamina to make, and it's tougher than metal, like my bones." She said that with a smile on her face as if she had done the most natural thing in the world.
"Your bones are tougher than metal?"
"Perks of being a Biomancer. Who says that Magicians are fragile? If that was so, Fighters shouldn't be able to release those insanely powerful attacks, don't you think so?"
"So…my bones could become tougher than metal?" Dave asked.
"Yes, if you were a Biomancer, alas...you can't anymore," she said, displeased.
"Yeah…it's better that way, that's not the magic tricks that make people awe I'm looking for, these make the people "eew"."
Erin shrugged, then she made another magic circle and did it again. After she was done, she offered the blade to David. "Take it; you'll need it, trust me."
"Do I have to?" David looked at it, disgusted.
"You can use your info to gauge its attributes, although, at your level, you won't be able to see much," she said.
Dave used his Detailed Info all the same.
Bone Blade
Durability: 100%
Attack Power: 168
"Attack Power of 168, is that a lot?" Dave asked.
"It's a good attack. That is the sum of my Constitution and Strength," Erin said as she buffed herself.
David realized it a little later, "What!? How come they are so high! Do they get that high?"
Erin laughed, "Thank you for your compliment, Davi. But they are that high because there are a couple of Biomancy Skills that respectively increase Constitution and Strength by one point each. They are direct, permanent buffs that I have already maxed."
"Wait, so there are Skills that can do that? Permanently add points?"
"Yes, of course there are, But you must specialize first. Mine can do that; other specialization can do other things. You'll find out with time. You still need to reach and pass level twenty before you can think about that, so take it easy," Erin answered with one of her beautiful and calm smiles. Dave believed it was the blessing of old age.
"But, now we need to be decisive, Davi. We need to strike hard, fast, and get on with this, for we are in trouble, and I won't allow them to take you away." Her eyes became steady, focused, "You are my responsibility now."
"Yeah? I don't remember signing the adoption papers."
Erin turned her head confused.
"Right…no adoption system in this world, I bet you guys never really needed it, in the first place. Your relationships must last forever."
"Indeed they do. Those of your people do not?" She asked.
Dave opened and closed his mouth, "Yes...yes. Something like that."
Still, Erin shook her head, "Enough with the idle chats. If you don't take the blade, I'll carry them both. There is time for peace and time for fighting, and now it's time for the latter." Saying so, she preceded him down the crevice. Instead, Wushu…Wushu had stopped in mid-air.
"Wu? Aren't you coming?"
The dragon answered with an anti-clockwise turn.
"Are you really not getting back there?"
Another similar sign.
Dave sighed, "I've gained a new mother and a dog scared of his own shadow. Someone up there must be having real fun by looking at me."
As David slowly descended down the crevice and saw that Erin's hair was lighting up the darkness with fluorescent green light, he started thinking that maybe even Biomancy might not have been that bad after all.