"Good, then you can address me as Ashurbanipal." I replied with the reassuring smile I could muster. The father kneeled down with his head to the ground and thanked me profusely. I helped him back up and reassured him that it was alright. Perhaps this is how they express gratitude here? A bit of an overreaction.
The father was tending to his son. I made my way to the destroyed caravan, where some of the survivors were still alive. Nyx remained near the father, and the ground was covered in the corpses of pig-like orcs and humans. I approached a few of the remaining survivors, who appeared to be in a state of fear.
I wasn't going to waste healing potions on all of them. They were valuable, and I couldn't afford to be careless with them. So, we might have to leave them to their fate. At the very least, we should carry them as far as we could.
Upon examining the remains of a man who appeared to have been cut in half, I observed that the upper half of his body, including his head, torso, and arms, lay on one side. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was slightly open, as if in a state of surprise or shock.
I squatted down to the man and placed my hand on his head, attempting a dual casting.
[Silent magic call of ancestors] — [Silent magic Control Amnesia]
I could feel my mana draining, nearly making me nauseous. Control Amnesia required a significant amount of mana to cast, and even more to maintain its effects. I hurriedly took the most essential information, such as our location and destination.
Call of Ancestors was a spell unique to shamans in Yggdrasil that enabled communication with deceased NPCs. It was essential for completing certain quests and proved useful in dungeons, as sometimes the corpses of enemies were used as decorations. By communicating with them, players could gain an advantage and learn more about the challenges ahead.
Control Amnesia was an intriguing spell in-game, although it was not commonly used due to its limited usefulness in most situations. Its effects included disrupting another player's map information, item descriptions, and potion names. The only practical application was its impact on map information, as it made it impossible to use gates or teleport to a specific location affected by the spell. In the new world, where everything had become real, the spell allowed me to peer into peoples past and manipulate it.
Dual casting these two spells simultaneously was impossible in Yggdrasil. However, in the new world, it became possible. This realization came to me in the moment as I stared at the corpses. Sometimes my genius… it's almost frightening. :^>
I halted the casting, feeling my mana cease to drain, and the nauseous sensation disappeared. I released a sigh of relief. It was intriguing – did losing mana have a physical effect on the caster, or was it due to the specific spell used or the rapid loss of mana? When I used Incinerate, I did not experience any side effects, so it was likely either tied to rapid mana usage or the effect of casting a powerful spell. That was my best guess.
I redirected my gaze to the few survivors and approached them. After a few minutes had passed, they appeared to be more calm.
"Be at ease, its safe." I said in a calm tone, with a smile on my face. A few of them tensed up. Was it the smile that unsettled them? Perhaps I was unattractive? However, it wasn't my usual appearance – I had based it on Nyx. Maybe she was unattractive as well?
It was best not to mention it. Speaking of Nyx, she approached me, and I allowed her to take the lead. She introduced herself and us to the survivors.
"He's right – you are safe for now," Nyx said. "I am Nyx, and this is Ashurbanipal, and Benjiro. We are... travelers, that's right!" The remaining survivors appeared to be somewhat relieved.
"Mhm, we saw that you all were being attacked, so we came to assist," I said, maintaining a neutral tone. "However, we don't work for free, so I will be expecting some form of compensation." It was a bit impolite and insensitive to ask for payment immediately after they had suffered such misfortune. However, I needed to understand this world better, and its monetary system was one of the most, if not the most, critical aspects.
Some of the survivors looked at one another, clearly concerned about the compensation.
"Fear not, I will not ask for more than you can afford. I am not so heartless as to bankrupt you," I said, attempting to reassure them and avoid creating enemies from potential allies.
"Thank you, Sir Ashurbanipal," the father, who was with his son, said, expressing his gratitude again. It seemed as though he was the leader of the caravan. How fortunate I was.
"Of course," I replied with politeness. "I look forward to being compensated. By the way, where are you heading?" I asked out of curiosity. Of course I knew, but I wanted to hear it from him.