AN: Welcome back, to the Game of Artifice. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many views and people showing interest so quickly after posting the last chapter. So I'm glad to know you all like it. Although feedback is still encouraged.
Once again for honorable mentions. A very old Gamer fic, which I'm still not sure if it takes first or second place in my favorites, A Wizard's Game, by Grademaster. It's not ongoing any more, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2 - Who are you calling Little?
System Alert: Mana Thread-3 has been Broken
Analysis Results: Lesser Beowolf [+]
The Thread Alarm worked just as intended, a minimized blue screen notifying me of a tripwire being crossed. This brought me great joy. What did not spark joy was whatever a beowolf was. I was hoping for a rabit. Was the system just specifying local breeds of wolf? Analysis did tend to be specific like that so it made sense. It still wasn't a good sign though. I wasn't confident in my abilities to slay a wolf, regardless of whether it was supposedly lesser. Not to mention, one wolf probably meant more were following it.
One Lesser animal? Maybe. A whole pack of beasts? I stood no chance. I could only hope it was just a straggler.
"Shit." I grabbed my knife and took a deep breath, bringing my supplies back into my Inventory just in case I had to flee. Maybe I was infringing on their territory or something.
"Okay, Thread Three. That's… south." I muttered, turning towards the direction of the magic wire.
The underbrush rustled and with a low growl a peculiar creature emerged, and locked eyes with me. I had never seen anything like it. It gave me chills… A black monstrous creature covered in bones, dripping black sludge from its mouth. It looked more like a werewolf than an actual wolf. It radiated pure bloodlust. It wasn't hungry. It wanted me dead.
"Oh no." I felt my voice squeak, and that high pitched yelp was enough to set the beast off. It lunged out towards me, leaping through the air with claws aimed at my throat. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but for a moment time felt slow.
I didn't even have time to prepare a magic bullet, acting on instinct and flinging my knife out towards it. Mana flowed with it, creating a shimmering pale blue aura around the blade. It extended out with the slash and cut into the beast while sending it flying back and tumbling across the ground, laying still.
"Holy shit…" I mumbled, clutching my chest and panting heavily. I'm not ready to die again, that was way too close.
Mana: 2390/2500
I can definitely do that several more times without getting tired then, which is a relief.
Skill Unlocked: Basic Dagger Mastery - Tier 1!
The user is a beginner at weilding daggers and other small bladed weaponry. Don't poke your eye out though.
Skill Unlocked: Lesser Imbuement - Tier 1!
The User is a beginner at the Art of channeling Mana into an Object and granting it temporary magical properties
"Two whole skills just for that?" I murmured. Is that how I created swords coated in fire or lightning? That sounded incredible. Even without an element, pouring just 100-ish mana into it did that much? It was definitely a skill I wanted to invest in.
A low growl interrupted my thoughts.
That thing didn't die?
Immediately I staggered back and tried to push Mana into my knife once again. The beast growled softly as it pushed itself back up onto its paws. I swear the thing gave me a death glare before it lunged towards me like I had insulted its mother, and its Sister.
I was barely able to dodge to the side, slashing at its leg with another Imbued strike. As It howled in pain and turned to glare at me, I had a horrifying realization. Whether it was Magic Infused or not, a knife was still a knife.
This might be difficuly… but I had no hopes of running away from it. I didn't have the stamina for it. I slashed again wildly as Beowolf swiped a set of giant claws towards me. My random slashes all missed, aimless flailing that only kept it from the claws digging into my chest.
I screamed in pain as I felt the claws dig into my hand as I staggered back. It was a shallow and small cut, but it burned.
"Damn it!" I panted heavily through tightly clenched teeth and sent it flying with a burst of mana from my first. It was tossed back and skidded across the ground. This time I didn't plan to let it get back up. I rushed in and slammed a mana filled dagger down into its skull. I winced a t the sickening sound of crunching bone plates and a splash of some… black ooze that got on my hands.
And then the beast began to dissolve? The ooze as well. It all faded into ash or smoke that blew off in the wind. What kind of creature disappeared upon death? A spirit?
Lesser Beowolf Slain!
Calibrating…
Materials Unable to be Harvested
Insufficient medium needed to store Grimm Essence
Title Received! Little Huntress
"What the… slow down. I-Insufficient medium to harvest Grimm Essence?" I winced, stammering a little as I tried to process the influx of notifications. Wound first, notifications second.
The dripping blood felt warm and gross. I could only pant softly as I grabbed a spare shirt from the Storage and ripped a steip of cloth from the shirt. I poured some water onto the cut with a wince, hoping that would be enough to clean it. Afterwards I crudely bandaged it with the ruined top as tightly as I could.
"D-Damn it… System, explain the harvest crap." I muttered softly, watching as the shirt was stained red.
To Prevent Corruption or Damage to the User's soul, the System will not store or collect hazardous materials such as Grimm Essence unless the User has a save vessel for storing it.
"I guess… that's sm-smart." I winced, having to bite down on my lip sharply as I tightened the bandages with more scrap cloth. "What's… Grimm Essence?"
Grimm Essence is the Essence collected from the Creatures of Grimm.
"...perfect." I sighed at that. I'd worry about Grimm Essence and collecting it later. If I even wanted to. For now I needed to get myself healed and to safety.
Mana: 1897/2503
I had plenty of Mana left. It seemed that Perk really did give me a decent starting mana pool, so I could waste a bit. There was no way I was sticking around after that. I couldn't flee in my current condition, but I couldn't let another one find me either…
I groaned and stared up at the sky, pausing as a thought occurred.
Mana Thread
Concentrating as best as I could with the pain, I wove a single thread of mana out of my palm, and then another, and another, and so on. I wove them together with a bit of concentration into a solid rope.
"Eheh, perfect." I grinned weakly, as the blueish rope of mana shot up into the trees, wrapping itself around a branch and letting it pull me up onto a sturdy branch to rest.
"Now System, damn it, are there… uh, crap, do any of those books mention healing?" I asked aloud, worried about the blood loss. Shallow cut or not. I was…
I was scared of dying again.
I thought having magical powers would make things a breeze, but of course I end up in a world full of monsters. Of course I get a weak power that struggles against a lesser monster.
What a scam…
After a bit of a delay, various windows popped up. Tabs on healing potions and alchemy, mindscapes for mental defense and healing of the mind, and… regeneration and reinforcing the body.
That was the one.
It wasn't proper healing magic, but it would have to do for now. It'd come in handy too.
"Time to… practice some more…"
The basics of Mana Reinforcement is channeling Mana throughout your body. When done properly it makes you faster, stronger, and even enhances the body's regenerative properties. You're stronger, faster, you feel less pain but have sharper senses. Physical activities aren't as exhausting either. However when done incorrectly you suffer something called 'Mana Burn' on your muscles, it was like a small bluish burn on various parts of my body. And it stung. A lot.
Thankfully Mana Burn didn't last long.
I wasn't sure if it was just a very minor thing, or if it was because of my Arcane Attunement perk, but Mana Burn faded away in a matter of moments. Regardless of the cause of it, I was glad it was a very temporary thing.
After more practicing with the Mana Enhancing trick, I managed to get it down. After a few more attempts, I was able to keep it going for longer periods of time. After a few hours, my wound was almost completely healed. In that time I only saw one other Beowulf, and I just fired at it with Magic Bullets until it died. Thankfully it was only a Pup, even weaker than the earlier one. It gave me plenty of time to heal properly.
Keeping up constant enhancements and firing magic bullets was a bit Costly mana-wise though.
Mana: 1536/2506
My maximum Mana capacity went up by one again though, which was… nice? It wasn't a lot, but better than nothing. The real treat was my Mana Manipulation.
Basic Mana Manipulation - Tier 2: You can Manipulate Mana at beginner levels.
Increased Efficiency in spells
It didn't really add anything to the skill as far as I could tell, but I guess it showed I was making progress in Mana Manipulation. Something was better than nothing, after all.
"Hey System. Open the Analysis Logs." I asked, sighing softly. I was feeling better, but still tired from that fight. But a few things were bugging me. "Show me the Lesser Beowolf, tell me about what Grimm are."
I recalled that most of the Analysis screen had been minimized, which was honestly a relief because I didn't need several massive blue screens blocking my vision mid-fight. However I was definitely curious about what a Beowolf even was.
Lesser Beowolf: The Lesser Beowulf is a younger and weaker variety of your Average Beowolf. Like all Creatures of Grimm, these have a strong hate for all people, but are rather reckless due to their youth. They are attracted to negative emotions and use that to locate their prey.
As spirits of darkness and destruction, they do not need to eat, sleep, or drink. Thus they can fight without tiring. The Creatures of Grimm can be found everywhere on Remnant, and dominate most of the wilds.
"Remnant, that must be where I am… weird name. Ugh, of course I got a world plagued by darkness monsters." I groaned softly at that, feeling dread in my gut. Couldn't it have just been a normal fantasy world? That would have made things so much easier.
Learning about Grimm is another thing I'll have to add to the research list I suppose. If they really dominate the wilderness, I need to find the nearest civilization, and fast.
Although… There was also that title… I opened up my User Status window once again.
User Status
Name: Sybil Elysium
Title: Little Huntress
Age: 16
Race: Humanoid
Mana: 1569/2503
Special Stats:
N/A
"Who are you calling little?" I huffed, frowning at the screen in annoyance. Of course, the system didn't respond to that, and simply opened up a window.
Little Huntress: You might not be big or strong yet, but you've slain your first Grimm. With a proper weapon, Training, and Aura you'll be fresh on your way to becoming a Huntress.
User receives a minor physical boost when fighting Grimm
Big and strong? Sometimes I really wanted to punch whoever wrote these things. Still… a physical buff almost made up for the little comment. "So titles give effects..."
I definitely needed to get my hands on a nice strong Title then. A minor physical boost would be very useful, since even fighting a single Grimm left me utterly exhausted. If a single scratch can take hours of healing time, even the smallest boost could make a huge difference.
Maybe I could work a bit more on barriers and defensive spells as well.
"System. Defensive magic sections, please." I asked aloud, skimming the windows as they popped up.
Reinforcements, Barriers, Wards…
Wards could be interesting for sure, if I was too weak to fight I might as well just prevent them from getting near me at all. Providing that I could ward against Grimm at least.
"Show me offensive spells." I asked again.
Several blue windows replaced the others, talking about Imbuement, Mana Constructs, Reinforcement (again), and so on… There were some interesting notes for sure, like how adding a spin to my Mana Bullets would improve accuracy and damage, but something was bothering me.
"Show me Ice Spells." I corrected, looking for anything elemental in general really. Ice would just be more useful for its versatility until I got stronger. Plus, Ice probably included water stuff, which meant I could drink it.
Only two windows popped up, one mentioning Ice as an ingredient for some rituals, and the other mentioning something about Affinities. It was on the very last page of the book about Basic Mana Manipulation.
Now that you have mastered the very beginning levels of controlling your mana, you should talk with your Master or Teacher about what Affinities you should learn first. Odds are they will have a specialty they will teach you in, such as Ice, Storm, Space, or they may have you get started in one of the beginner Elements such as Fire, Earth, Air, Water.
You can learn more about Affinities in the next volume: Affinities & Attunements. A hardcover 1st edition copy only costs 20 Gold Pieces.
"...what kinda college textbook bull is this?" I audibly groaned, looking up at the canopy above me. I couldn't even start on elemental magic yet? "System. Show tabs on Affinities."
Thankfully, a few more windows popped up. None of them very helpful but some mentioned meditating, or stuff about understanding the element. A lot of it sounded like esoteric nonsense about conceptualizing it, if I was being honest. Then again, this was magic I was talking about. I couldn't expect it to be normal.
Did I have the time to meditate though? Looking at the sky and canopy above, it wouldn't be long until nightfall. I doubt I could find a safe resting place before it got dark. My best bet would be to tie myself to the tree and sleep here.
Guess it was meditation time.
The Next Morning…
Downloading…
Downloading…
Update Complete!
ANS Ver. 1.01 ‐ Test Model
System Online
Skill Unlocked! - Meditation - Tier 1
The user passively regenerates mana a little faster, and when actively meditating the user experiences additional increased Mana recovery.
Allows User access to both the Soulspace and the Mindscape.
?
Error
Affinities Tab added under Status!
I groaned in pain, my back sore. In all those movies and books I had seen in my past life. None of them prepared me for how absolutely awful sleeping on a tree branch felt.
"An affinities tab…?" I rubbed my eyes clear and processed the text before me. More question marks and errors… what kinda system did I get stuck with? "What error?"
Error Number 401
"401… isn't that an authorization issue? Wait, no, why would an HTTP error apply to a soul based operating system?" I sighed in exasperation as I tried to wake myself up a bit. Maybe Error 401 meant something different with this system.
Once I properly woke up, I began untying the rope that held me to the tree before returning it to Storage while my mind wandered.
Either it made no sense, or my rudimentary computer knowledge wasn't enough to help me here. Maybe I should poke around with the System's Code… Although the mental image of my soul having a computer error quickly dissuaded me from that idea.
At least this affinities tab should help me with magic. It was a bit convenient though. Did the system update according to my desires? If so, that was pretty ridiculous. Only way to really know for sure is to wait until the next update.
For now, I'd rather not look a gift horse in the mouth. "Open Affinities."
User Affinities:
Primary Affinity: N/A
Innate Affinities: All Dormant
Other Affinities: N/A
Well isn't that just perfect for little old me?
"...why am I even surprised at this point." I rolled my head back against the tree with a thud. Nothing was easy with this stuff.
I could mess with the meditation skill more when I needed to sleep again. As much as I wanted to read more stuff about magic… that wasn't as important. For now, my top priority should absolutely be finding civilization. I didn't want to travel across the forest floor with the Grimm… could I travel through the treetops?
With Analysis I could absolutely figure out which branches would and wouldn't support my weight. It was just a matter of crossing between the ones that were too far away.
Maybe… platforms? Perhaps my early morning brain wasn't thinking clearly, but if it was magic, surely a floating platform was possible. The only way to know was to try, I suppose.
"Here goes nothing…" I bit my lip and took a deep breath, finding a steady branch as a goal. I held my hand out and felt my mana flow. It was still an odd sensation, drawing the gaseous energy from the pool in my soul. It only grew harder to control once it left my body.
However I concentrated and made it take the shape of a small circular disc. It was lopsided, far from a perfect flat circle, but it looked solid. Like a translucent platform in the air. "Now a few more… System, link the platforms to the interface and supply them with enough mana till I get across."
Mana Construct-1 Linked
"...wasn't sure that would work." I bit my lip and made another platform.
Mana Construct-2 Linked
"...please don't break under my weight." I whispered, a quiet prayer to whatever gods this world may or may not have. I placed my foot against the first platform…
A stabbing pain entered my forehead, as I felt the system pull more mana from me to ensure the platform could support my weight. Although even then it felt… unstable.
I didn't linger, not wanting to risk it breaking because I stood still for too long. Stepping from platform to platform, I reached the next branch, clinging to the base of the tree to avoid falling. If a small cut took hours to heal, I didn't want to figure out how long a broken bone would take.
"Ha… damm, I did it." I chuckled to myself as I dismissed the platforms behind me. Maybe being super light and short wasn't too bad when you're climbing trees.
The Skill: Basic Mana Manipulation has Increased by One Tier!
Mana: 2419/2513
"Damn, an entire skill level just for that? Weaving a rope was way harder than making a lumpy circle…" I blinked, pleasantly surprised. I wasn't entirely sure if I understood the requirements for skills to gain or increase skills. If it was just doing something, wouldn't I have gained a language skill by now? Or a survival skill? Or uh… a magic gun skill?
And were skill levels gained by specific actions or simply repeated use? It wasn't clear to me yet. To gain a skill, I probably had to do certain actions, but leveling it… I wasn't sure.
But… at least I could successfully travel between trees. It took almost one hundred points of my mana though, for just two small platforms. Must have come from the System drawing more to support my weight, along with keeping it in the air. So the amount I could travel was pretty limited.
But… if I made smaller platforms, and made as little as possible by jumping between them instead of short steps maybe I could ration my mana a bit further.
Not to mention that my maximum mana capacity seemed to be increasing little by little. It was very small, but I wasn't complaining. Although I should also try and figure out a way to increase it properly, if that was even possible.
One thing at a time though. I had to get moving.
Analysis, just the basics
Basic Beowolf: An average Beowulf that has recently matured. One of the most common types of Grimm found in the regions around Vale. It isn't very strong, but caution is still advised to the User.
Caution advised? That was an interesting note. Was it comparing the strength of the Beowolf to me? Analysis seemed to keep getting better, if I was being honest. But even based on my previous fight alone I knew I definitely couldn't take it in a direct fight. The other one was only Lesser, meaning this one would be way tougher.
However it didn't seem to be leaving, just… sniffing around the ground. I was fairly certain it could tell I was nearby, just not the exact location. Analysis did say they could sense negativity, but I don't think I was being super negative?
Either way, it showed no sign of going away any time soon.
I only had around half my mana left, having used a good bit of it while traveling. While I could jump most trees, some sturdy branches were too far and needed platforms. Not to mention, jumping that much was physically taxing due to that dumb flaw. So in a fight I'd… definitely die.
The only real way I could handle it was indirectly.
I always found the concept of guerrilla warfare to be cool. Traps and stuff, at least. Not… actual war. That was bad. But tricks and traps were worth a shot.
I bit my lip and tried to make a thin thread of mana, pushing as much energy into it as I could, almost condensing it to keep it small while durable. I didn't want it to snap like my tripwire alarms.
I watched nervously as I sent the wire down, snaking it down the tree and through the grass. The further it got away the harder it was to concentrate and control it, even though it was still connected to me. The hardest part was tying a knot out of the damn thing. Trying to get such fine movements made my head throb.
The Skill: Basic Mana Manipulation has increased by One Tier!
I let out a soft exhale as the pain suddenly faded, gone as fast as it came. The movements became slightly easier to control.
When the knot had been formed, I pulled the thread causing the loop to fasten around the Beowulf's legs, pulling it up suddenly with all my willpower. Hearing the beast yelp was enough to make me grin as it slammed into the base of the tree and was dragged up, left dangling helplessly in the air. I tightened the knot further while pouring more Mana out.
It was draining, but I practically shoved mana into it as I willed it to tighten further.
Finally, it gave.
Not the thread, but the monster's legs. They were severed clean through by the thread, making the Beowolf fall to the ground with a thud. I didn't plan on giving it a chance to call for help either.
Condensing mana into a single construct just like with the thread, I created a potent mana bullet. Then, I applied a spin to it this time before I fired. Unlike a real gun, there was almost no sound aside from the projectile whipping through the air. My eyes widened as it ripped a hole straight through the Beowolf's throat.
"I was uh, aiming for the head…" I chuckled to myself awkwardly, watching as it faded to ash and smoke.
Basic Beowolf slain!
Calibrating…
Materials Unable to be Harvested
Insufficient medium needed to store Grimm Essence
?
Skill Unlocked - Beginner Marksmanship: Tier 1!
This is your rifle, this is your gun. Or bow. Most weapons that fire projectiles fall here. Even throwing rocks. The user is a beginner with most ranged weapons.
-Increased Precision when aiming
One of Three requirements met for a Title Upgrade!
"Woah…" I chuckled softly, feeling quite proud of myself. A new skill, Mana Manipulation was upgraded again, and a potential upgrade?
Although… Mana Manipulation leveled up awfully fast. Maybe another Perk benefit? If so, that was very nice.
I wasn't all too pleased about the constant question marks and errors this System gave me, but maybe that Arcane Attunement Perk was stronger than I thought.
"System, what are the other requirements?" I asked aloud.
Title Upgrade Requirements:
Little Huntress to Novice Huntress:
-Slay a proper Grimm (1/1)
-Unlock your Aura (Incomplete)
-Gain a Proper Weapon (Incomplete)
-Name your Weapon (Optional)
-Pick an Emblem (Optional)
"Huh… is this like a quest?" I frowned thoughtfully. I knew whatever I had was similar to a Gamer, but I hadn't expected a proper quest.
Error
Subject:Quest Not Found
"...of course not." I wondered if that was Karma for even complaining about the errors. "Hmm… damn, that took a lot out of me."
The adrenaline must have been fading because I felt the weariness seep in.
Mana: 848/2637
"..woah." I wasn't sure what to be more surprised by. The fact that killing it took so much mana, or that I had gained over a hundred points of Mana.
What was so special about this time? The exertion? Maybe it was like a muscle?
I definitely needed to take some time to read more of those books, because it really made no sense.
First though, it was time to rest for a bit. I took out some rope from my Storage and fastened myself to the tree, taking a deep breath and beginning to meditate.
Meanwhile…
Qrow Branwen was not exactly a professional man. Skilled? Absolutely. However, quite frankly, in his opinion, he was the last person for this kinda job. He'd be the first to admit that a Bad Luck Charm that reeks of booze wasn't exactly the greatest representative when you're trying to recruit someone to your secret shadow organization.
Or maybe he was just complaining because he really didn't want to be here. Like, he really did not want to be the person doing this job.
After all, who would?
"Search all of the Great Emerald Forest forest he says…" The drunk grumbled with an exasperated sigh. "Like that's easy."
The Great Emerald Forest was a much larger forest that overlooked not only the canyon where the Emerald Forest was, it stretched on for ages, covering most of the north eastern regions of Sanus. That's where the super creative name came from. That, and some of the trees grew really tall.
He didn't have an exact location, nor was he some living magic compass. All he could do was turn into a bird to cover more ground. Which, spoiler alert, wasn't that helpful when he could barely see through the canopy.
"I told him this wasn't a one man job…" He groaned, mumbling to himself as he slung his pack of supplies over his shoulder. "You understand why I'm frustrated, right?"
He looked down at the lesser beowulf flailing underneath his boot, trying—and failing—to claw at him. It just growled in response, not understanding a word of what Qrow was saying.
"...what am I even doing?" The realization of the fact that he was complaining to a Beowulf of all things sunk in and he swung Harbinger down to cleave its head off, letting the beast fade away to ash and dust.
Qrow let out a lengthy sigh and grabbed his flask, taking a squig before shaking it a little and listening to the sound, it was almost empty. "I definitely didn't pack enough for this trip…"
Thankfully he had a few refills left though...
Back to the search he went.
It was nothingness again. More so than before, and yet… not entirely. Distantly, I could almost feel an echo of the tree bark against my back, pressing through my shirt. Yet it was barely there. I couldn't feel the cold atmosphere of the emptiness I had once lingered in.
Looking down I could see my new body, so that was a change. It was just me in an endless void.
"What is this place...?" I muttered softly, only to look up at a soft ding. A small blue window appeared before me.
You have entered your Mindscape!
AN: Not exactly a serious cliffhanger but just a small bit. It has been… a very, very, very long time since I've written Qrow. Although this is a slight A.U. I hope he was still in character. I felt the scene was humorous though. But yeah, Sybil isn't being found immediately. She's a subtle blip in a very big world. There's a lot of searching to do before anyone finds her.
But a good bit of how everything works was revealed. Grimm Essence and Harvesting, System Errors, Requirements and Title Upgrades.
Young Sybil still doesn't understand entirely how Mana works, but then again in a survival situation you can't spend all your time reading. Even if you do have a good amount of food and water stored in a magic hammerspace.
The way I have skills level up and the effects they have is a bit interesting but she hasn't figured that out either. I'd love to hear your theories. Especially on what types of magic you all think Sybil may have laying dormant.
Although Affinities may be familiar to those who have read the fic I mentioned. Although the biggest similarity is in Name alone, I did draw a smidge of inspiration. You all will see the differences as time comes though.
Until then though, I hope you all enjoyed it! A review of your thoughts always helps, and if you have theories I am willing to reply if you want! No spoilers though.
Until next time!