by Kyle Johnson
Thus, Aranos soon stood in the back room, staring at the spines of the various Skill Books and pacing. He knew that he needed to work on his Skills, but there were a lot of things that needed doing. He needed to make a few Enchanted items for Lorsan to sell while he was away; he needed to think about new Spells or upgrade his old ones for the journey ahead; he needed to meet with the High Dreamer and train before he left, to see if he could get his Skill closer to the Expert level; he was at Adept 5, now, so he needed six more levels, and he doubted he’d get them before his party had to leave Eredain and head for the High Roads.
That was another thing; he was still assuming that he’d have a party to travel the High Roads with. Certainly, he could depend on Geltheriel and Silma joining him, but Rhys the Druid and Saphielle had commitments in the Stronghold and couldn’t just abandon them. He didn’t even want to consider trying the High Roads without a healer, and having Saphielle as a main tank allowed Geltheriel to fight as a rogue/assassin, the way her Class and build were designed. Silma could take either role; she was tough enough to tank, especially with the armoring Enchantment he’d placed on her necklace, but she was quick enough and hit hard enough to fight as a DPS, or damage-dealer.
He shook his head and took a deep breath. He couldn’t do anything about any of that right now. Those were all things that had to be done, but right now, he was in Durlan’s private collection, and that meant he needed to look and see if there were any new Skills he’d like to grab, anything that might help him on his Quest.
At first, when he’d discovered the amazing synergy his Master of Skills Title had with Skill books, he’d honestly thought the Title might have been broken. After all, it basically allowed him to learn any Skill, regardless of restrictions, in about fifteen minutes. After that, he still improved his Skills at an accelerated rate, so not only could he learn them, he could technically become an Expert or even a Master in just about every Skill. That seemed way too powerful…at least, until Geltheriel had explained that, even with his gifts, he still only had so many hours per day to train and practice Skills.
Sure, he could learn – he glanced at the nearest Skill book – Chandlering? Didn’t that have something to do with candles? It didn’t matter; he could learn it, no problem. When, though, would he practice it? He’d get it at the Student level…and it would probably stay there. Even if it were something more useful, like Weaponsmithing, it might be months or even years before he got around to getting it to the Expert level.
He already had a dozen or so Skills that were important and that needed his attention. Some of those were critical for his Sorcerer Class, while others were important for his High Enchanting, his main crafting Skill. In either case, if he spent more time on, say, Weaponsmithing, that would be less time he spent on other Skills that were more important, or time he couldn’t spend on his Class, Stat training, or adventuring and leveling up. The real boon to the Master of Skills Title was still that it let him train Skills more quickly, which is all it originally did. The synergy bonus was awesome at first but now was seeming less and less useful.
Still, maybe if he found a really awesome, restricted Skill – one that gave him real advantages either in combat or in his Class – he could add it to his repertoire. He could technically possess seventeen books in his mental library right now, based on his Wisdom Stat, and he only had seven. Of those, Goldsmithing had reached the Adept level, and he wouldn’t be gaining as much from the book as he once had – and he used the Skill quite often, so it did level up naturally just from practice. He supposed that meant he could add one more Skill book to his repertoire without it being a big deal.
He walked to the section of Durlan’s library for restricted Skills. He’d glanced at it before, but nothing in it had really seemed useful to him. There were Skills here like Weather Calling, which he supposed for a Druid or Storm Wizard might be useful, or Immovability, which would probably be a good Skill for a tank. Neither of those seemed like they’d really help him, though, which was the problem with most restricted Skills, so far as he’d seen. They were restricted because if you weren’t the right race or Class, you probably weren’t going to get much use from them.
Two of the books did catch his eye, though. One was labeled ‘Battlesense’, which sounded like something that could help his party in combat. If it gave him the ability to mentally see how a battle was going, he would be able to keep them from being flanked or surprised by enemies. He doubted the Skill would be that powerful, at least at first, but he figured it was worth trying. If he didn’t end up using it, it wasn’t that big of a loss.
The second book, Soulbinding, was a little harder to decode. It could be talking about making Soul Bonds, like the kind that he and Silma had. It could be a crafting Skill that would let him forge Soul-bound items, the kind that couldn’t be stolen, destroyed, or lost when he respawned, which would be very useful. It could also be some sort of domination Skill, allowing him to bind the souls of others to do his bidding, but that seemed unlikely; that would probably be the province of specific Spells, not a Skill that, technically, anyone could learn.
However, what intrigued him most about that Skill is that, in any of those cases, it probably had to involve manipulating Soul energy, and he thought that Soul mana was one of the Enhanced mana Aspects that he needed to unlock next. Even if it didn’t turn out to be a useful Skill, if it unlocked a new Aspect, it would be worth the spot in his mental library.
He grabbed the two books – at the last moment, he also snagged Arcane Lore, since it would be nice to get that up to the Adept level – and sat down at the desk Durlan provided to his customers, who usually paid in platinum for the privilege of using this library. Skill books were rare and valuable, because they contained the remembrances of a Master or Grandmaster in each particular Skill. Using one could grant an NPC the Student level of a Skill in a week and the Adept level in a month, when that would usually take them years. Players mastered Skills far more quickly, but even then, it could take days of constant practice to get a Skill to the Student level normally, when Aranos guessed that a Skill book could do the same in about two days and could get someone to the Adept level in a week.
He opened the first book, Battlesense, and immediately, a screen popped up in his vision:
Warning!
The Skill Battlesense is Class and Race restricted!
Would you like to transfer the Skill book “Battlesense” into your mindscape? (Yes/No)
He quickly selected ‘Yes’ and felt a swift, sharp pain in his temples as the book’s knowledge was transferred directly into his mind. He still needed to study it to gain its benefits, but now he could do so at his leisure, not requiring the physical book. While apparently this was something that anyone with a mindscape could do – which meant anyone with the Meditation Skill – it wasn’t commonly known among the elves. Aranos didn’t really want to spread that information, either, because doing so might harm Durlan’s livelihood, and the old shopkeeper had been very good to him. Granted, that was for the sake of his niece, but he’d been a good friend, regardless.
He picked up the Soulbinding book and also added it to his mindscape, ignoring a similar warning about its being Restricted, then returned both books to their places and sat down in the chair, closing his eyes. He allowed his thoughts to drift inward, flowing deeper into himself, until his consciousness swam down into his mindscape. He opened his eyes and smiled; originally, the mindscape had been a 10’ radius dome with chaotic swirls of rainbow-colored mana floating outside it. Now, it was a rectangular space, 30’ high, 70’ wide, and 120’ or so long. He’d put archery targets, a pair of combat dummies for weapons training, crafting stations for blacksmithing and leatherworking, and a large, holographic screen displaying his current Quests. The main focus of the room, though, was the glass pillar that extended from floor to ceiling and was filled with the chromatic spirals of his aspected mana.
He was tempted to spend some time working on his spirals, expa
nding and enhancing them with more layers, but that sort of thing went better when he had the increased flow of a mana crystal to draw from. He could have spent the time learning about his new House, but honestly, he wanted to do that when he had either Lorsan or Durlan handy to ask questions of. That meant the best way he could spend his time was on his Skill training, and since he did have two brand-new Skills to learn…
Decided, he took the Battlesense book from the bookcase holding all nine of his memorized Skill books and sat down in the perfectly designed chair he’d fashioned for himself. By expending mana, he could make or alter anything he wanted here in the mindscape, except for living or even animated creatures. The space wasn’t heavily decorated, but that sort of thing wasn’t really his strong suit. Interior design wasn’t a huge priority when you lived in a tiny apartment and spent the vast majority of your time in front of virtual computer stations.
He opened the Skill book and placed his hand on the open pages. Rather than reading it, he closed his eyes and willed himself down into the book. What he’d discovered when he’d first started using Skill Books was that they weren’t just the writings and teachings of ancient Grandmasters; they were actually copies of those Masters’ memories, knowledge, and Skill. Anyone who possessed the willpower could project themselves into the book and, rather than simply reading about a Skill, could train with an image of that Master and their memories.
Aranos opened his eyes to the sound of battle and blinked to find himself standing on top of a tower, looking down onto a chaotic melee that raged below. Tall, smooth-skinned beings held a shield formation against a horde of dark, hulking creatures that looked sort of like deformed ogres. Aranos watched as the unarmed ogres crashed into the wall, their immense mass and bulk causing it to buckle and bow inward in several places. Almost instantly, though, additional shield-bearers shifted into the line, pressing forward and halting the monsters’ charge.
“Do you understand what you see, aleen?” a voice spoke from beside Aranos, causing him to turn quickly. One of the tall, smooth-skinned creatures stood beside him, dressed in simple plate armor with modest gold chasing around each seam. The creature’s face was wide with heavy features but was completely hairless. Its skin was deep bronze, and it stood more than a foot taller than Aranos.
“Umm…a battle?” Aranos guessed, knowing that the answer was lame and would probably be unsatisfactory.
The speaker shook its head – Aranos had no idea what gender it might have been, with its long, bright-golden hair and its form obscured by the heavy armor – and looked at him disapprovingly. “If that is all you see, then you have no place attempting to learn the ways of the daiva, half-fay. Look closer.”
Aranos looked back toward the battle and watched carefully. At first, it looked to be a simple enough matter: the ogre-like creatures kept charging, while the smooth-skinned creatures – which he guessed were the daiva – held their line. After a moment, he realized that even as the line continually gave way, the defenders were somehow still advancing, as if every breach in their line was an opportunity for them instead of their enemies. The daiva were unbelievably well coordinated; Aranos never saw them interfere with or hinder one another, each always just seemed to know where they needed to be, and they moved like the fingers of a single hand.
“How are they doing that?” he asked with a bit of disbelief. “How are they being pushed back, but still taking ground instead of giving it up? And how do they seem to work so well together?”
“Ah, you do see,” the daiva at his side nodded approvingly. “That is the way of the daiva. We were battling the Darkness when your elven ancestors hid from it in caves, and when your fay kindred were naught but shadows of power, carried by the wind across this world. We are the warriors of the Light, and battle is our calling and our joy.”
The daiva turned to face him. “You will learn this and more, aleen. I will teach you how to feel a battlefield, to know at all times where your enemies and allies stand, and to understand without thought how to exploit every advantage your enemy gives you. Now, come into the tower, and let us see how well your mind understands a battlefield.”
Aranos spent what felt like several days under the daiva’s tutelage. They played a game that was similar to chess but with far more complex rules, since how each piece could move depended on what part of the board it was on and what pieces were next to it. The daiva told him stories of great conflicts, and they watched recreations of various battles, with the creature constantly pressing Aranos to dissect what was happening and why. Aranos even got to lead a squad of daiva in several mock battles against others of their own kind.
Aranos lost every game and each battle resoundingly, but he learned a bit from each loss, and by the end of their time, he was starting to gain a feel for the battlefield and lost a bit less quickly. He could almost sense when his enemies changed their formations and where their attacks would come. Although he didn’t yet know how to take advantage of those shifts, at least he could better defend against them.
When at last he rose from the daiva’s memories, he was mentally exhausted but excited to see what benefits the new Skill would give him. Rather than pull up his notifications, though, he replaced the Battlesense book and took down the Soulbinding one with a minor sense of trepidation. He took a deep breath, placed his hand on the pages, and willed himself into the book’s memories.
He opened his eyes and, with a feeling of rising dread, realized that he was standing in a dark, shadowy room. There were no windows that he could see, and the room had a heavy, musty scent to it. A patch of shadows moved, revealing a figure shrouded in a black, voluminous robe, its face completely hidden and invisible.
“Interesting,” a soft, sibilant voice hissed from the depths of the figure’s cowl. “It is exceedingly rare for a Lightborn to seek out my arts; even rarer is it for one to enter my pages directly.”
“Uh, well,” Aranos said hesitantly, “I was curious about this Skill. I don’t even know what Soulbinding is; is it some kind of Enchantment?”
“Pah,” the creature hissed. “Soulbinding is much, much more than simple Enchanting. It is the secret to the power of the gods themselves, aleen, and you stumble into it unawares? Foolishness! Why should I grant my knowledge to you?”
“That sounds very powerful,” Aranos replied neutrally, not wanting to antagonize the cloaked figure; he didn’t know if it was possible for a Skill book’s memories to refuse to train him, but he also didn’t want to find out. “Maybe the problem is that I just don’t understand; could you explain what Soulbinding is, so I can know what you’re offering?”
“Hrmm,” the figure grumbled. “You may be correct. Soulbinding is an ancient art; perhaps it has been lost over time. Perhaps, knowing the art, you could restore its greatness to the world!”
The figure lifted a withered, bony hand from under its cloak, clutching a black gem in its grip. A small, weak pulse of energy beat at the heart of the stone, its light a pale, golden fluttering that did nothing to illuminate the darkened room.
“This is a Soul Stone,” the creature hissed, holding forth the gem. “It is the basis for the Soulbinding Skill; within it is the captured soul of a slain enemy, used now to empower my Abilities.
“As you likely know,” the figure continued, holding the stone close to its hood, “when a being dies on Ka, their soul – that spark that makes them unique – travels to the halls of whatever god they served. There, all that they were – their memories, dreams, Skills, Classes, and all the rest – is given to their god as an offering, emptying their soul to be born anew on Ka.
“However,” the creature hissed, “those who know the secrets of Soulbinding can interrupt that journey. I can capture a soul, drain its energy until nothing but the vaguest flicker of self is left, and then release it to continue its travels. By so doing, I gain power as the gods do!” The creature held the gem aloft triumphantly as he spoke.
Aranos frowned. “Do you have to trap and drain soul
s to use the Skill?” he asked dubiously.
The figure sighed. “It is the surest method to power,” it insisted. “Allow me to teach you; here, in this place, no true soul can be harmed; yet, when you see the power that can be gained, I am certain that you will lose your reticence and embrace the art!”
It can’t hurt to learn it, Aranos mused. At least, not here. I can’t see myself ever using this – there’s no way that trapping and draining souls isn’t going to Corrupt me – but knowing it doesn’t mean I have to use it, right? And if it teaches me how to tap Soul mana…
The next few days were ones that Aranos wasn’t eager to recall. He first learned to sense a soul’s passing, then how to guide the soul into a specially prepared gem that trapped it, helpless to escape. The instructor – he never saw its face and had no idea what it was – taught him how to tap the inherent power in a soul, how to use that power to boost the effect of his Spells or Enchantments.
The problem was, connecting to a soul to drain it also opened Aranos to the agony the soul felt from what was, in all honesty, Aranos devouring it. There was no way to tune that out; his teacher in this art seemed to relish the pain it was inflicting, but Aranos felt disgusted by it and was having greater and greater difficulty stomaching the Skill, even in this imaginary realm. He wasn’t particularly squeamish – he could even be ruthless if the need arose – but profiting from another’s agony seemed…almost blasphemous.
It wasn’t until the fifth day of the mental training that he found a way to use the new Skill without befouling himself. His teacher produced a cage with some small, helpless creature inside of it and slit the animal’s throat effortlessly, instructing Aranos to capture the hapless soul in a gem he had previously prepared.