Chapter Four:
Getting to know a Witch
-System Online-
Castle Of Dreams
'This is the third time I've woken up in an unknown location, I'm no longer phased by it now…When did my life get so eventful? I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm starting to miss school and it hasn't even been a week.' Looking back up, I find myself in a silent staring contest with the pale young woman. 'What did she say again? Something about a castle of greed? Ugh, this headache sucks…I knew I shouldn't have crammed all that information in just one night.'
I finally break the silence after a couple minutes of trying to make a coherent sentence in my head. "Listen Erica."
"Echidna." She corrects, the smile on her face unaffected.
"Err, Right, Echidna. Can you take me back to the mansion? I was doing something before I was rudely taken here."
"Sleeping on the floor of my library? And you are in the mansion, your physical body at least. Your consciousness is here at the moment."
"And where is here exactly?"
"The Castle of Dreams is situated in my tomb, and my tomb is in the Sanctuary."
"The Sanctuary?...Oh! The village in the forest next to Roswaal's Mansion?" I saw it on the map, it's relatively close. The only issue being that there doesn't seem to be any roads leading to it.
"The very same." She confirms.
"So? Why did you bring me here?...Wait, did you say tomb?"
"So you noticed, yes I did indeed say tomb. I haven't had a physical body for four hundred years, my soul has been placed here in the Castle of Dreams. And as to why I have brought you here…I want to propose a deal."
"A deal?"
"Yes a deal, but before we begin, would you like some tea? Freshly made." She says, standing up and placing a cup of tea in front of me along with some biscuits.
"Uh, sure? Wait. How does that work? Didn't you say my physical body is back at the mansion?"
"..." So she won't tell me.
"Whatever, as long as it's not too sweet." And it's not, the tea isn't too sweet that it completely overwhelms the taste and the biscuits are the right amount of sugar to accompany the low sweet tea. It is by all means the perfect blend of tea and biscuits. Even my headache is starting to pass the more I drink. 'Just what is this? Observe.'
Echidna Tea
Rarity: EX
Tea made with common tea leaves and her 'fluids'
'...What?' Setting the cup of tea back down, I can only stare at the screen in a mixture of disgust and shock. 'Her fluids? What fluids?!'
"What is that expression for? I can assure you that I didn't place any poison in the tea."
"...You're fluids…Why?" I ask.
"Oh? So you noticed. Don't worry, it's just a small amount of my saliva." Yeah, no. I'm not drinking anymore of that.
"Haah, So? What's this deal you were talking about?" Sighing, I start to feel my headache return again.
"Oh my, aren't you impatient?" My tired glare is the only answer I give her. Not bothered in the slightest she continues. "I'd like to propose a contract between us."
"Contract? Like a spirit contract?" One of the many books I read last night went over the basics to spirit arts and how contracts work. I can't claim to be an expert, but I get the gist of it.
"Yes, something like that. However instead of giving me mana, you will allow me to see things through your eyes in a sense. In exchange, I shall guide you towards what's in your best interests." She says, offering her hand towards me. "What do you say? Are those terms agreeable?"
Instead of answering, I go over the screen that shows up in front of me.
[Contract Request]
The Witch of Greed, Echidna has proposed a contract.
Contract Terms
-Shared Senses with 'Echidna'
In exchange
-Echidna's Knowledge of the Future and Magic
Do you accept these terms?
[Yes] [No]
'This seems too good to be true…Is there a loophole she's looking to exploit? And if so, what is it?' Staring at her for a sec, I try to find anything wrong but come up empty. 'Best way to find out is ask I guess.'
"That's all you want? Nothing else?" I ask.
"That is all." Her hand still outstretched.
"How long will this contract be held?"
"For as long as possible." Still as calm as ever, almost as if she was confident that I'd agree to the contract.
"I see…I refuse." As a growing young man, I appreciate not having my privacy breached. So a contract where I have to share senses with an attractive young woman doesn't seem like the best idea.
"Please reconsider! I mean, if you'd like I could add my body to the contract." Her calm smile is replaced by a more desperate expression, in her desperation she tries pushing her more sizable assets up as if it would change my mind.
"Still no." I say looking away out of embarrassment.
Recollecting herself, she stares at me in confusion. "...Can I know as to why you refused both of my offers?" She asks.
"Didn't really like either of your offers, the second one even less. Your total lack of self worth makes you look too desperate, and it's not what I'm looking for in a contract. But I'm not a complete ass, I have a counter offer for you. If you're still interested of course."
"Yes, of course!" Didn't she listen to anything I just said? Actually, now that I think about it, she did say she's been stuck here for four hundred years…
"Hold it. Before I even propose anything, what is it you're looking for?"
"I pursue knowledge, I wish to learn everything about the world." So that's what she wants, considering the current era this world is in, she might be interested in the more modern stuff.
"Huh alright then…I've got it. In the next 30 days you will teach me everything you know about magic. In exchange, I will let you go through most of my memories." I may only be 19, but knowledge about the modern-day world is probably worth a lot, in this world at least. "Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention. If it's not obvious, I am not from this world."
Contract Sent
If she wasn't leaning towards yes before, she sure as hell is now. Outstretching my hand, I look at her expectantly. It doesn't take long for her to accept it, shaking hands on it, the contract is made.
Contract Formed
"So how is this going to work? Do you want to see my memories now? Or later?" I obviously didn't think it through all that much.
"We can start whenever you'd like, but I will be summoning you here every time you fall asleep."
"Is that it? That's fine with me…If that's all can you take me back? My head is killing me right now."
"Of course, sleep well my Apprentice."
"I'm not calling you teacher…" I notice my body starting to fade from my feet.
"That is fine…Oh, before you go, a little reward for overcoming my expectations." Standing up, she starts making her way towards me until she is right next to me. Placing a hand on my shoulder, she pulls me closer to her. Now buried in her 'assets', I feel her other hand tilt my head back up.
Finally able to speak and breathe, I try to ask her what she's doing, keyword of course, is try. The second I open my mouth to speak, I find myself locking lips with the albino Witch. After a few seconds or so, we finally separate.
"Oi! What the hell was-" Placing a finger on my lips, she shuts me up completely.
"I'll see you tonight. Don't be late, I mean it." I can only nod embarrassedly, blush on my face, I feel myself fade away into sleep.
Saving…
Ren's Room
"Ugh…Who hit me on the head?" The headache hits me like a truck the second I wake up.
"You did, I suppose." There's only one person who has such a childish prideful voice.
Looking down to my right, I find the blonde librarian looking over me. "Beatrice? What are you doing in my room?"
"I wouldn't be here if you hadn't decided to quite literally fall asleep on my floor." An annoyed look in her eyes appears as she says this.
"Ah. I'm sorry about that, I didn't break anything did I?" Sitting up, I apologize with a small bow of my head.
"Nothing other than a cut on your face. And since you've made a complete recovery, I shall take my leave now. In fact." Standing up from the small stoll she was sitting on, she starts heading to the door. Stopping right before she opens said door, she turns back to me. "...You…that per…" Whatever she said was too quiet for me to understand.
She leaves without another word. 'That was weird…And that dream too…Was it all just my imagination? Guess there's only one way to find out. Contracts.'er
Contracts
Contract with Echidna -
30 D 23 H 57 M Left
"Guess not…" I turn and face out the window, doing and thinking about nothing.
…
'I really don't want to do the daily quest, but I have to. I miss my old life so much…but that's why I have to do it, to get that back.' Getting up and out of bed, I start with the first on the list. Push-ups.
…
…
…
[Daily Quest Complete]
Claimed Rewards - 3 of 4
'That was fucking exhausting…Both mentally and physically.' Collapsing onto the uncomfortable chair, I dismiss the window with a tired wave of my hand. 'My body is not accustomed to a 20km run. Actually now that I think about it, there are few people who would be…Huh? What's this?'
Shop Stock has Refreshed
Open [Shop]?
[Yes] [No]
'Completely forgot I unlocked this. I'm not sure if I have any currency, but I'll check it out anyways. Open Shop.' The list of items is insanely expansive, ranging from a blade worth over 7 billion G to a set of armor worth only 400 G. G is probably the currency for the shop, which I have now noticed I have 5 thousand.
'Should I spend it on something? 5k is probably a lot for a beginner like me…' Scrolling down the page for God knows how long, I finally find something that both interests me and is within my price range.
Sorcerer's Robe
Price: 1000 G
Effects:
Increase Magic Resistance by 50%
MP Replenishes 100% Faster
Increase Int by 10
Buy?
[Yes] [No]
'This is actually pretty good…Like really good for my level.' Selecting Yes, I equip the robe and am surprised by the lack of change. Still stuck wearing the ridiculous magician's outfit, I double check my equipped Items. 'They're all here and equipped. Now that I actually check, my scarf isn't showing either…Why is that? System?'
"Do not show Equipped Items is active."
'So that's why, Alright. Keep it on, don't want to have to explain how I got the scarf or the robes.' Closing the shop window, I start heading out of the mansion and to the forest. 'Onto dungeon crawling once more.'
Saving Complete
The second I enter the dungeon, the afternoon sun disappears and out comes the moon. I try not to put too much thought into it and activate my stealth skill. Going from tree to tree, I look for a group of wolgrams to get the drop on.
Finding one wasn't too hard, the hard part is taking them all out. Taking out one of Elsa's Kukri, I dispel Stealth and summon a ton of Humas to drop from the sky. The Ice rain takes out most of them, the rest of them are taken out with a good slice.
I'd continue this cycle 4 more times before I finally find myself leaving the dungeon and heading back home.
'No boss yet, but that's probably for the best. 3 level ups though, along with a bunch of junk I can probably sell.' Finally arriving at the mansion, I head for my room. Reaching my room was surprisingly easy, no maids or librarians getting in my way.
Closing the door behind me, I find myself laying on my bed ten seconds later. Opening up my status window, I look over the changes in stats.
Name: Ren "Maxwell" Fujimura
Level: 23 (490/700)
Fatigue: 59/100
Job: N/A
Title: The Player (Temporary)
Hp: 1083/1200
Mp: 155/1050
Strength: 28
Agility: 25 (2)
Sense: 23
Health: 23
Intelligence: 50 (10)
AP: 20
Skills
Huma - Lvl 5/10 - Damage: 30 Int 1.5 - Costs 15 MP per Shard
Stealth - Lvl 3/10
Bloodlust - Lvl 1/10
Observe - Lvl 2/10 - Shows Targets Stats - Costs 5 MP
Poker Face - Lvl Max
Redacted - Lvl Max
Baking - Lvl 7/10 - Increases Baked goods restorative effects by 35%, Baked Goods taste 70% better.
Literacy Blessing - Lvl Max
Armed Combat - 1/10 - Increases damage by 15% when fighting with a weapon
'I've grown a lot from the level 1 with only 100 hp and 50 mp, I'll probably be level 50 in no time…I'm hungry.' Closing the status screen, I try to stand back up, to no avail. 'My body feels too heavy to even lift my hand back up, let alone my entire body. I'm even having a hard time keeping my eyes open…Is she summoning me? The sun's barely…even set! Damn it…Echid…'
Loading Save…
Castle of Dreams
"..Na!" I find myself back in the Castle of Dreams, sitting down in the same chair as before. The same witch as before staring at me innocently, as if she didn't just force me back here.
"Yes? What is it?" She's smiling as if she did no wrong.
"I see you have no shame whatsoever. I wasn't even tired, and yet you still summoned me."
"Oh? You seem quite tired to me. Exhausted even, all of that fatigue and stress you're carrying seems to be bringing you down."
'...How the hell?' "Tch. Don't have a clue as to what you're talking about. So what's it going to be? Teaching or my memories first?"
"...Let's leave your memories for once we're done with today's lesson." I see a brief look of annoyance on her face due to me dodging the question. "Before we start, let me ask you this. How much do you know about magic?"
"I know the basic stuff, Gates, Affinities, Spirit Contracts. Other than that, very little."
"I see, then let's get started on your mana circulation. Just let your Od run throughout your entire body."
"Uh, Ok." 'How do I do that?' Confused on how I'm supposed to do that, my answer comes in the form of a screen.
New Skill is trying to be Learned
Mana Control (Active/Passive) - Lvl 1/10 - (Active) Allows Manipulation of MP - (Passive) Decrease MP cost by 5%
Increases MP Recovery by 10%
Do you wish to learn this new skill?
[Yes] [No]
'So that's how you learn skills from others. Neat. Yes .' I feel a sudden change in my nerves. Everything feels, sounds, smells and looks different. It feels as though I was struck by lightning, no, more like as if electricity was coursing through my entire body.
"You have done remarkably well for your first time, but even from here, I can tell you don't truly have full control of your mana. It is wild and unrefined, and yet you were still able to control it. You have my praise if nothing else…Now, again!" She commands, her authoritative voice betraying her praise.
Loading Complete
"You may stop now." I hear Echidna's voice from beside me, following her instructions, I stop the flow of mana throughout my body. "You have progressed a lot in the span of one day, you are much more efficient with your use of mana. A clear contrast from when you started."
"Thanks." She's not wrong, the skill leveled up 6 times, and the stat increases are too good.
Mana Control (Active/Passive) - Lvl 7/10 - (Active) Allows Manipulation of MP - (Passive) Decrease MP cost of spells by 35%
Increases MP Recovery by 70%
"What now? Is there something else you want to teach me?" Closing the window, I turn towards her. That however was probably not the best idea, I now find myself face to face with my teacher. The distance between both of our faces is miniscule at best. I of course do the reasonable thing and back up by a lot, and what does Echidna do? She just continues staring at me, analyzing me if I had to guess from her blank stare.
Continuing her staring for a little while longer, she finally says something. "I am sure you wish to learn more, but let us move onto your memories, time is ticking after all."
"Alright…What am I supposed to do exactly?"
"Stand still, and let my hand rest upon yours for just for a moment." I stay still, and allow her to do the rest. Feeling her hand on mine for a moment is brief, after a second or so, she lets go and our surroundings start to change. Gone are the quiet planes, in its stead is a hospital room.
Laying on the hospital bed is a woman, and judging by the position she's in…she is currently giving birth. 'This kind of seems like an invasion of privacy, I don't think she…that's my mom, isn't it.'
"What memory is this?" I ask my memory viewing partner.
"Your earliest memory in life, Your Birth."
System Offline…
Hey guys! Short chapter again, but that's fine…
Now let me clear something up. For those who may be confused.
-Every time Ren levels up, his stats go up by one, but he is not given any AP. Also his status recovers, meaning his Health, MP, and fatigue restore back to normal.
Just thought I'd let it be known how it works.
Let me address something else while I'm at it, Character Deaths. Especially, Main Character Deaths.
They will happen obviously, I started with Re:Zero for God sake. I fully intend on killing off a few characters that are important to their respective plots. Or maybe not, I'm still pretty undecided. But most of the current characters will be around for the long run. I think...
I've recently read Inchoate Gamer, a crossover fic like this one. SPOILERS. A little later into the story, the protagonist fails in saving a teammate. Said teammate being tortured, and killed in a very dark and graphic way. There was obviously backlash for doing that, but I felt it was good motivation for the MC. Just a tad bit too dark for me and this story...
Now let's stop talking about sad stuff. Our boy is progressing nicely with magic. And Echidna has taken a great interest in Ren, not romantic…yet. But of course, just cuz he's getting stronger doesn't mean he'll start winning every fight.
Next world isn't until like 7 more chapters so yeah…Status Menu.
Name: Ren "Maxwell" Fujimura
Level: 23 (490/700)
Fatigue: 59/100
Job: N/A
Title: The Player (Temporary)
Hp: 1200/1200
Mp: 1050/1050
Strength: 28
Agility: 25 (2)
Sense: 23
Health: 23
Intelligence: 50 (10)
AP: 20
Skills
Huma (Active) - Lvl 5/10 - Damage: 30 plus Int x 1.5 - Costs 15 MP per Shard
Stealth (Active) - Lvl 3/10 - Costs 16 MP per Minute
Bloodlust (Active) - Lvl 1/10 - Costs 75 MP per use
Observe (Active) - Lvl 2/10 - Shows Target's Stats - Costs 5 MP
Poker Face (Passive) - Lvl Max
Redacted - Lvl Max
Baking (Passive) - Lvl 7/10 - Increases Baked goods restorative effects by 35%, Baked Goods taste 70% better.
Literacy Blessing (Passive) - Lvl Max
Armed Combat (Passive) - 1/10 - Increases damage by 15% when fighting with a weapon
Mana Control (Active/Passive) - Lvl 7/10 - (Active) Allows Manipulation of MP (Does not Cost MP) -
(Passive) Decrease MP cost of spells by 35%
Increases MP Recovery by 70%
Mana Control's Passive applies when casted, so the cost for spells is their base value.
That's all for now
Buh-Bye!