Memories Maketh Man
For close to a week I hunted.
Acted both as predator and prey for undead monsters that fit in neither category, long enough that I abstained from sleep or drink. Things started to blur together. For a time I thought it was just my mortal form falling apart as the injuries and stress started to pile up, and I'd be mostly correct.
Of course that 'mostly' was the key word in my scenario, and under ordinary circumstances that is where such a thing would stop. I'd push my body too far, or run out of gas and that if I were in fact luckier than I believed. Then I would have to stop, rest, and recover while the kids continued to build some distance.
But the undead just wouldn't stop, for a while I could push my mana or prana or what have you, and set off a bomb that would draw their back attention to me. It just never stayed that way, and that one big bastard, a veritable amalgamation of corpses would only be distracted for a moment before ignoring me.
I stopped keeping a leash on the wolves, wouldn't have done that a month ago. Something about it just felt right, it might've been the mental weight lifted from my metaphorical shoulders. Wrangling a bunch of mutts with magically induced migraines while beating a zombie to death. . .
Lines had to be drawn somewhere. I refused to break my principles, so my body bent and my paranoia was overshadowed by frustration. These things were never meant to live again, seeing someone attempt to bargain with them made it so much easier for my control to slip.
The meaning of hesitation had been replaced with one synonymous with suicide.
A hunt without anything to gain was just slaughter, and while my wolves reveled in it. I passed out shortly after I reunited with the children. With the last thing I saw was a woman with golden hair standing guard over Edel's injured form, it was enough to satisfy the protective side of me.
THE HOURGLASS
As I lay near comatose on some floor, I opened my eyes to see nothing at all.
Not with the others in the makeshift campsite they'd made or a hostel, but in this empty place. Whatever it was my seventh sense was going absolutely bonkers, as my various extrasensory abilities tied to magic we're having a conniption.
For a moment I had been lulled into believing that this was the land of dreams since it lacked the aches and pains of my mortal coil. Would be quite nice to remember something from a dream for once. Maybe it was the fact that I couldn't, could never normally recall my dreams that tipped me off in the end.
'Where am I now?'
Everything was hazy, the same sort of fuzzy energy residing within an old CRTV seemed to embody all my current sensory inputs. I almost missed the new world that I had been dropped into, at least the magic and monsters made some modicum of sense. The former was painful at worst, while this was several leagues more confusing.
The sand was blowing past me in a myriad of directions, some blew past with a swiftness that I could hardly comprehend while other particulars lazed about. Lingering in the air acting as if gravity didn't exist. A part of me simply wished to stare at it all intermixing for as long as I could, as being so discounted from my pain it was a welcome reprieve.
You don't realize how valuable being able to afford the time to collect your own thoughts is until you have to fight for your life. Considering whenever I decided to stick my nose where it was uninvited I got bitten, well, I am quite content to take a breather. Dream or not.
Facing hordes of the undead wasn't on my bingo card, honestly since going camping with my dumbass friends none of this was. I never joined theatre as a kid, and at this point my improvisation skills could help me put on a pretty good show. Still a nerve racking concept, but I've killed enough basterds that public speaking should be the death of me. Gods. . . I suppose this is as good of a time as never to pray without feeling like stopping to do so would be a waste of precious time.
'Debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Father I ask that you strengthen this sinner with the knowledge that you are beside him, upheld with your right hand and with you there is nothing he lacks.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, of corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Heavenly father, you are our healer, guide me through this time of darkness and land of despair.''
It felt odd to pray after so many years, though it was funny how it took me this long to do so. Though I wish that I still have my physical body to speak the actual words, but you take what you can get. When I next had a chance the rest of His choir were owed a hymn or two, maybe even a cringey ass haiku. Also, the heavenly court of this world could probably benefit from a pantheon of its own, but that would have to wait.
Admittedly I was waiting so long that 'waiting' any longer to unwind from the chaos of my life that it was starting to border on sloth. The idle thought was enough to kick me into gear, lurching forward from a mix of fear and responsibility. I almost passed out from the motion, feeling faint as the world around me came into focus.
This place was much stranger than I had initially assumed, where the only similarity was shared with the forest I had fallen asleep in having a floor. Having a floor was exactly where the similarities stopped as dirt, stones, grass, weeds and trees were all absent. The moments we're akin to eternity, stretched and contorted where each new step I took led me to Nowhere.
'Huh, neat.'
It took me a moment to realize that I was made of the same, and understanding dawned upon me as I witnessed this place without the use of my true eyes. Blood, bone, and flesh replaced with swirling tendrils of sand. The situation that I'd found myself in reminded me of Anna, as the dominion she led induced a similar level of dissociation.
An entire Second Self in place of what I had brought with me from earth, if the imitation I lived in was some sort of mixture. Well, then this was purely magical as opposed to when I usually rely on my physical body. The information was first nature, as easily grasped by my mind as any other concept entirely native to earth. It was. . . disorientating.
My focus was equivalent to existence. The rules were so different that had I not first been dipped into another realm. One where magic was interwoven in a more subtle manner, then this abrupt shift would've rendered me asunder. In any other circumstance I would simply be another grain of sand, simply to be a card reshuffled so the local laws would remain intact. Rising to my feet, a body of condensed sand formed around me in a shoddy attempt to mimic the human form. Whatever central particle was considered the 'real' me gained structure and connections with a whole slew of matter, if this shit could even be compared in such a way.
Weight was a nonfactor with magic, it simply didn't operate in the same manner that you would treat physical implements. My own personal research on the various intricacies involved in the practice was quite limited, but I had hoped to pick the brain of my fellow mage on the matter. Unfortunately it seemed that would be put on an indefinite hold.
Instead, I was here.
Something about my new form made me aware that I was not alone in this pocket, there was a light that shook the very foundations.
She sat at the center of it all, her realm the only thing that stood out amongst the sands. Stepping out of the desert set in the infinite twilight, the green light shining from her hair painted the world with the only source of light this place had. Whatever this place was, and I was truly starting to get tired of slipping into other realms.
Calling it a mystery how I managed to slip through would be an understatement, it might've been a case of those once in a million glitches in reality. Theoretical physics isn't my field of study, but I'd imagine a life like this should've been impossible.
Mounds of sand transitioned over to polished stones should've registered at some point. Regardless, a purple miasma had started to seep up from the cracks in the stones, and clung the underside of my feet. I was half tempted to compare the stuff to a symbiote, but that would be insulting to Venom and the other parasites throughout fiction. This stuff was actively toxic, the pieces of me that it stole wouldn't respond with the rest of my body to move away from it. No pain came from it, but I was still diminished by it all the while.
Upon closer inspection it appeared that the purple liquid had always been present, just hidden away from sight. A simple wave of my hand and my body began to shed the muddy clumps that formed as it attempted to latch onto me.
The chemist in me desperately wanted to know its composition, but the magician rightly advised me to approach things more cautiously. Even if this body didn't carry the same scars, I still remembered them. My curiosity would have to take a back seat, but I made sure to take mental note of it.
'Hello?'
The young/old girl/lady remained chained to her cracked throne, unable or unwilling to comment. It was ornate, hand chiseled from one solid piece of rock while the array of chains had left cracks in the throne. A later addition by my estimation. My bet was on being unable considering that her chest wasn't shifting, honestly what the fuck was with their realty and women meeting such fates?
The vibes were simply rancid.
If I was to consider anything possible. It could be this world's Hecate, the same outworldly senses I used to conjure magic had gone from second to first nature in this pocket dimension. That of course led my to ponder where the rest of the pantheon had fucked off too, because someone like Uriel should've kicked me to the curb by now.
My grains of dust just plinked off the chains wrapped around her body. Washing over the metal that had the barest resemblance to a hand, let alone sporting a set of fingers to accurately grasp anything, but I did have an idea. A stupid one, but it was worth attempting before moving on.
'If it's stupid, but it works, it's not stupid now is it?'
Something about my own form being relegated to a discount sandman, while this girl was leagues more distinctive set off several alarms. That is if my own hypothesis about the relationship between cognition and existence was even partially correct, the implications might've made me hesitate. Alas, if long term consequences were often considered, I would have never gotten hooked on nicotine in the place. Hindsight and all that.
[Player Phase]
Soothe went off with a bang, but instead of a slow and steady glow of light that would infuse her body with energy. . . It trailed off as it tried to find purchase in anything within range, my own magical field repelled the hyperactive mana. Even if I was slowly learning the limits and new rules of this place. The rings of golden sigils shattered for a reason that was beyond my understanding, 'Ah, shit.'
Winging it didn't appear to be my smartest move as the goop had decidedly changed tactics.
[Enemy Phase]
All of the taint sprang to life, bubbling up from the seams in the floor as vapor gushed forth. The woman's importance rose by several factors as her glowing hair rapidly dulled and faded into a dark shade of blue. It threw this world into darkness as the only source of light disappeared, and I mentally berated myself.
'Why can my life never be simple?'
Healing magic, to my very limited knowledge on the subject matter, shouldn't have triggered a reaction like this. Regardless, the purple gunk had taken offense if the way it attempted to cling to the soles of my feet was anything to go by. While it had been passive and annoying before, now it was actively being absorbed into the cracks I had left in my form.
Pretty funny if it weren't for the wedge of a foreign presence that was forming in my brain. My new body had become a sponge for the stuff, and was being torn apart by the substance at the same time. It was starting to actually piss me off, 'You are not on the guest list.'
'Get,' My arm thinned as they formed the edge of blades, cutting through the mud that had been made of my fake flesh. Thin pillars grew from the amputated stumps to carry me on stilts back to the edge where the whirlwind still reigned, 'Out.'
Hesitation was death, and to be roman was to refuse to die easily.
Even so my faceless foe was undeterred, as it too was clever. Collecting itself to climb over the stones so as to chase after me, but that had not been its initial state. Being purely reactive versus potentially proactive meant a world of difference, one that would only become more apart the longer this went on.
Both of the worlds that I had come to know seemed to work off the same framework, even if one had a few quirks. Conjuring the necessary magic to cover the cracks with sand was as easy as doing the math to heat air to create artificial winds. Usually I would just default to fire, but combustion required more than heat, and so wind turned out to be my best recourse. It was just insanely tedious, but if this pocket of existence had one thing going for it. That would have to be the near 100% sterile environment that would've made the perfect place to experiment.
Not to mention that running the calculations was infinitely more difficult in this place while keeping track of grains of dust numbering in the millions. Staying on the border allowed me to draw on the infinite on one side, while having a clean slate on the other. Thus I could throw the metaphysical version of the 'sink' at the sentient lake of malicious magical oil that was trying to follow me.
Admittedly my solution was probably scuffed beyond imagination, but given the taint was currently writhing under the sand? I was pretty sure that it was screaming in frustration by the way lone tendrils would occasionally punch through the sand only to be covered up by one of the self perpetuating dust tornados.
I had reformed somewhat, pulling on the lazy storm that lay just beyond this throne room's border to increase my own mass. Parts hardened in a basic crystalline pattern for a rudimentary skeleton that hummed with magical power. While it wasn't perfectly accurate, I could work with three fingered hands and stiletto legs. The rest was sent into constant motion in every direction across my developing body, filling in the gaps where flesh, muscle and fat should've been.
My head shed leaves from branches made from fragments of my own being, a trade that allowed me to grasp information with a wide net. Standing on the edge I could finally see the things hidden from me, extending my reach with branches made from dust painted a tapestry. The corruption spanned from now all the way to eternity, hidden in every pore that stretched over infinity. Coming here had drawn its attention, distracting it from a battle of dominance to pierce the sands.
The time that it bought me was short lived, but I could've sworn that the passage of events was occurring too quickly. Partitioned into sections for a nonsensical tune that I couldn't hear, I was only aware of it by the periodic vibrations that shook the air. Of how it shook the leaves free from my scalp when I should've been immune to the laws of decay in this state.
Nothing could've prepared me for insanity on such a scale, and I understood why creating a body to inhabit was such a battle of wills. A moment later the information slipped between my fingers.
Amongst others the Call of Cathulu had been a book to describe such a place, maddening puzzles that would've broken the minds of lesser men. This was going to shatter me on a whim, at that point to be the target of something unknowable would just be overkill. I felt all the near liquid sand I had arcing across my body molt off my body as a wave of the dark purple taint moving at mach 'Fuck You' washed over me.
-[ERROR] HP ~ 31/31
-2 Mv ~ 2
I was burning- freezing- dying- fading- falling- rusting- Alive.
The new air currents I had forged to carry dust past the throne room's border shattered, and finally allowed pools of the corruption to form. Something pertaining to the taint finally clicked in my head, one of the abominations had a similar substance on its deathbed. But instead of evaporating, it only continued to sprout some new insult breed as a personal insult against mother nature.
In this place the distinction was most apparent, my entry to this other reality was a jagged rock against these waves. These 'things' stood out in a similar manner as I did, their vaguely human shapes continued to form and evolve with every step they took. Stumbling towards me with their arms outstretched, twitching uncontrollably with every new step each one would take.
Plenty of the miasma already coated my limbs, tightening and pulling every time I lifted my feet to take a step. I couldn't draw on any of the dust like I previously had been able to, but there probably wasn't any left. There was only purple mud strewn across the ground, caught by the wave as it had tried to take me under at the same time.
[Player Phase]
Against anyone else it would've been enough to trap them in place, greatly reducing even my superhuman mobility. I couldn't run from something like this, another wave of the liquid would just find me or whatever these things we're would eventually catch up to me regardless.
Several rows of soldiers had been created, and it seemed the gunk had some capacity to think tactically. Arranging three soldiers armed with what appeared to be miasma that had hardened into a blackish metal fused to their bodies. Keeping a lone archer hidden behind their forms as it struggled to create the necessary particulars that a bow requires.
Lv. 5 Fighter (Counterfeit Servant)
HP: 30 Mv: 2
Str: 10 Lck: 7
Mag: 0 Def: 7
Dex: 7 Res: 7
Spd: 7 Cha: 0
Active: [Fighter Mastery: Bloodlust] - Unit gains 1 to Atk per enemy within 1 tile.
But to me it was an opportunity, while one of their number was occupied I advanced. Focusing on the tips of my fingers where in a split second I broke a piece off to toss at my target, fully concentrating on the object once I felt it had traveled far enough.
BANG!
A clean arc of intense electrical energy crossed the valley between us, and blasted a hole in the chest of the strongest one amongst the vanguard. Purple smoke plumed outward and was accompanied by an outpouring of puss from where the humanoid had been struck. The second aftershock latched onto the liquid and caused the creature's exoskeleton to shatter under the pressure.
21 (Base) 5 (Bonuses) - 7 (Resistance) * 2 (Speed Difference) = 38 Damage!
40 Experience!
[Enemy Phase]
The other three jumped on the opportunity that I presented, with the other members of the vanguard taking up my left and front. While the third had abandoned attempting to form a bow in favor of molding its weapons into an axe like the others. (14 Def : 11 Dmg 3 Mt Iron Axe) Fortunately, none of their attacks found purchase despite raking my body with a multitude of strikes meant to overwhelm me.
By the time they had tired from their assault, enough flakes had been broken off of my false bones that I wouldn't have been able to predict the path my lighting would take. So I transitioned over to the formulas that could conjure a string of flames, brightening the area with an array of orange runic circles. I couldn't rely on oxygen, but I figured that the laws of magic could make some use out of the fragments floating in the air.
Pausing in the middle of a fight really wasn't the best time to second guess myself.
21 (Base) 6 (Bonuses) - 7 (Resistance) * 2 (Speed Difference) = 40 Damage!
42 (*2) Experience!
Whatever movements that they were in the middle of committing came to an abrupt halt as the oil sustaining their hydraulics spilled forth. Their glassy skin rippled from the heat before shattering into hundreds of shards as the liquid inside splashed onto the floor like broken water balloons. Even as I cut their numbers from three down to one, the oil retreated to rejoin multiple human lumps that were being assembled in front of the woman's throne.
Much like the other three that I had killed, the last broke without having accomplished anything meaningful. Or at least it hadn't been of use until my focus turned back to humanoid forms that had finished developing. Marching in formation as they left behind another set of human sized cocoons coated with oil, and ones that were larger than their predecessors.
Lv. 10 Archer (Counterfeit Servant)
HP: 31 Mv: 2
Str: 15 Lck: 9
Mag: 0 Def: 9
Dex: 11 Res: 9
Spd: 9 Cha: 0
Active: [Slinger Mastery: Wind Up] - Spend a turn and extend your range weapons effective range by one tile, effect lasts for one turn. [Archer Mastery: c] - Unit gain 1 range, and
[Fighter Mastery: Bloodlust] - Unit gains 1 to Atk per enemy within 1 tile.
My new opponents were tougher and had finally figured out how to create actual archers, evident by how two of them were armed with bows. The two of them loading an arrow, and firing once they closed the distance while their allies stood their ground. Lances raised to fend me off from approaching me instead of rushing towards me like they had chosen to last time.
Lv. 10 Guard (Counterfeit Servant)
HP: 32 Mv: 2
Str: 9 Lck: 9
Mag: 0 Def: 12
Dex: 9 Res: 10
Spd: 9 Cha: 0
Active: [Conscript Mastery: Hunker] - If this unit's position doesn't change this turn, incoming damage from attacks will be reduced by 2. [Guard Mastery: Ever Vigilant] - Enemy units cannot move through tiles adjacent to this unit unless they are a flyer or a mounted unit.
As they opened fire in unison, I stood my ground so I could gather the mana necessary for a stronger counter attack. Figuring that it would be better to trade blows with the archers at this distance, than to close it and risk getting poked to death by a trio of black spears.
15 (Base) 5 (Weapon) - 14 (Defense) * 1 (Speed Difference) = 6 Damage!
-6 (*2) HP! ~ 19/31
I hadn't been pierced by either of the arrows, but neither seemed to slow down the bright white sigils spinning around my hands. Didn't mean that the coordinated strike was any less concerning, forming small boreholes where the arrows were lodged in my body. Even without eyes I could feel the cracks splitting off both sides where the arrowhead cut through the basic lattice structure.
With the absence of water in the air the resulting ice was a dirty gray color from the mixture of dust, slime, and a few fragments of my own body. For the two arrows they had gotten off in this short exchange, a flurry of frozen shards traveled through the air. The biggest ones measuring up to a foot wide and as thick as my thumb flew through the air just a tad slower than the projectiles they launched at me.
Trapped in the moment the spearmen in front raised their circular shields expecting to have to weather some of the assault. Some did hit them, the largest fragments that bled enough momentum that they fell short of their targets. Others were too small to be of use, peppering the pulsating cocoons with crystalline splinters that were even further away than I had expected to reach.
21 (Base) 7 (Bonuses) - 9 (Resistance) * 2 (Speed Difference) = 38 Damage!
90 (*2) Experience!
LEVEL UP!
'\[12/'
Mage
HP: 31 1 Mv: 2
Str: 14 0 Lck: 9 0
Mag: 21 1 Def: 14 0
Dex: 11 1 Res: 22 1
Spd: 15 1 Cha: 8 1
183 Experience points until the next level up!
Close to a minute passed before they fell to the onslaught, each icicle taking out a chunk of armor that allowed the one that followed to do even more damage. A long time ago I would have called this sort of fight absurd, something straight out of a fanciful play or thrilling reenactment.
Even detached as I was from the action in a body that lacked the ability to feed my soul with fear, I shuddered to consider what awaited me. I knew better to breathe a sigh of relief when the cocoons had stopped pulsing, and the line of guards seemed to confirm it. Advancing on me the moment that I turned to try and destroy them before they unleashed what they held inside.
While they couldn't hope to hurt me, their constant strikes alongside a magic trick made it nearly impossible to just barge my way through. (14 Def : 9 Dmg 5 Mt Steel Spear) Translucent golden caltrops impeded me if I tried to go around, forcing me to grab the guards by the throat so I could burn them to death. Only for the next in line to take his place, and for even more glowing spikes to appear in front of my path. Launching themselves as to place shackles around my ankles, restricting my movement until I dealt with the one responsible.
They were here to buy time, anyone could've figured that out, but it was the manner that they went about it that made me raise a brow. Nothing in my magical arsenal could put them down fast enough so much that collectively had stalled me for a full minute or two.
Getting in my way whenever I was going to start making any significant progress to close the distance, and yet they weren't swarming me. A more calculating approach that followed a logic not too similar to that of the archers that had first engaged me. In attacking together, the hope would be to take me off the field in one fell swoop while risking retaliation if it didn't go accordingly.
Never thought that I'd be impressed by bullet sponges, but I suppose this new year has been one full of surprises.
22 (Base) (6-2=4) (Bonuses) - 10 (Resistance) * 2 (Speed Difference) = 32 Damage!
69 (*3) Experience!
LEVEL UP!
'\[13/'
Mage
HP: 32 1 Mv: 2
Str: 14 0 Lck: 9 0
Mag: 22 1 Def: 14 0
Dex: 12 1 Res: 23 1
Spd: 16 1 Cha: 9 1
289 Experience points until the next level up!
Under normal circumstances an easy fight would be a blessing, and at some points during the early days that I had come here avoiding a battle entirely would be even better. But I had learned, as well as anyone else could while having their chest caved in or sustaining other grievous injuries. Even back home the Colosseum was more of a relic than actively used for bouts.
She was still up there on her throne, whether it counted as a prison was none of my business, and I really shouldn'tve poked around. None of the green was back, I think even her clothes had changed, but I couldn't be sure. Medieval fashion wasn't really a class you could take back in college, doubted I would've bothered with it even if they. On the other hand you should never turn your nose up at easy credits.
There was still time to do some damage, those things were currently in the process of. . . being 'birthed' I suppose. Calling that process the same as the more natural alternative felt vile just to think about.
While I only had about a moment's worth of time to decide. It was clear from the clumps of oil behind the ones hatching that this was going to go on forever if something didn't change, 'One must truly imagine Sisuphis happy.'
Few things stood out in this place, which only made what remained so much more important. Even if I managed to pull some sort of victory out of my ass by eliminating the next two waves, would it even matter? Where did it leave me if I couldn't deal with the source, too focused on the symptoms. . .
Reaching out to the comatose bluenette on the throne my left arm was surrounded by a ring of golden runes, and I-
20 (Base) 7 (Weapon) - 14 (Defense) = 13 Damage!
-13 HP! ~ 6/32
-I lost one of my arms almost immediately, and I didn't even try to hold either of them up to brace for the impact. The brackish metal that covered the axe racing through the air and caved in my shoulder before landing behind me. While I wasn't dead on the spot it still sent me reeling backwards, and onto my ass.
Seemed they had stalled long enough, focusing on rest in the enemy's five person fireteam was similarly damning. Either in bulk or the fact that one of them was wheeling what felt to be balista of sorts, and I knew it would nail me before I managed to get to my feet. Wasn't like the throwing axes that one of them had nailed me with hadn't already taken me out of the fight. I'd argue that in my particular case that going this far was a tad overkill but. 'Seemed someone was quite upset about my range advantage~'
The thought would've brought a cheeky grin to my face if this form of mine could support such a thing. But I'd have to settle for knowing that I forced the filth with so much effort to get rid of little old me. Ten to one wasn't all that bad of a ratio for what it was worth.
Wasn't in much of a position to brag about that, only hulking behemoths of false men lumbered over me with a massive black mace in his hands. They had spent a good while waiting for me to attack, to do something rather than resign myself, but this didn't matter. In the time that it took for the puppeted warrior to lift his weapon for the execution the others had already shattered my other limbs. I felt no pain from the loss, as it was just a bunch of reinforced dust.
Honestly I expected to last longer, but it appeared that luck wasn't on my side tonight. I just wished that this all could make a bit more sense-
. . .
. . . . .
Knowledge Gem (2x)
60 Reason Experience, 40 Mage Experience, 4 Knife Experience, 2 Faith Experience
. . . . .
. . .
THE WILDS
"Ugh. . ."
I woke up to a cold sweat that had taken over my entire body. The sudden shift of weight that left my chest shook my body back to the land of the living. My nerves sent a discordant jerk through my nerves to jumpstart my cognitive functions to keep me from falling back to sleep. Only remaining half aware of my body doing this because its magical counterpart's had never shut off during my nap.
"Edelgard! Adolf is waking up-!"
Every single one of my nerves had been left feeling like I'd slept on my own arm, the familiar yet painful tingly sensation was a bitch. Made even worse because it wasn't something that I could fix since the pain only seemed to affect me on a spiritual level. Not that specific explanation made sense, maintaining a reliable train of thought was proving to be incredibly difficult.
"Don't be so loud Bernie, we don't want to wake him and the others up. They need all the rest that they can get-"
Simply put, shit sucks. Not to mention that all the magic backlash is multiplied by the physical wounds that I've sustained. At some point I had learned how to turn off the ability that allowed me to translate the local language, every bit of magical energy saved took minutes off my recovery time.
"-rry! Goddess that smells great, Edelgard, you're so much better at this-"
Honestly the best comparison would be that one time I took a nap in a sauna after a long session at the gym. Let it be said that I recognize my mistakes, and have never been so careless ever again.
"-it's nothing. Now help me take a bowl for everyone."
Part of me wanted to shut down the connection with my familiars to dump the excess sensory information, but I quite literally can't muster the strength to focus long enough for it to take effect. It's a small mercy that both of them decided to just nap alongside me for the most part. Being wolves as they are, they are quite soft, and that in of itself helps them earn their keep.
"[Hey, mister [Adolf, wakey wakey]~"
I grunted in Burnie's general direction as my body reflexively accepted the warm bowl on my behalf. Just setting it on my lap as I slipped back to the edge of unconsciousness, the young girl's audible huff brought to mind the mental image of her pouting at me. The thought occurred to me that I should probably figure out what their names actually are.
"[Lady] Hresvelg please, [such an] expression [is] unbecoming [for one of such noble] history."
The new voice reminded me of why I had given up on the task of trying to get people's names correctly. Adding different accents along with such an archaic manner of speaking along with a language had been such a triple whammy that I had given the idea up. Not that the girls seemed to mind that much, though one of our newest companions didn't seem to see things the same way.
My dream came back to me in pieces, intermixed with sights and sounds that didn't have a non-magical equivalent. It was a mess of contradictory information that I didn't quite care to dig deeper into while a pounding headache attempted to drill a hole in my skull, "Ugh. . . Fuck my life."
While looking down at the bowl filled with steaming vegetables, it occurred to me that eating was just about the last thing I wanted to do. My appetite had died in the same sort of ditch that I wanted to crawl inside of.
Our camp was off to the side of one of the main roads, two horses tied to the same tree a few feet from the campfire. My eyes lazily trailed my surroundings in an effort to settle the nausea that came from feeling as if the whole world was spinning.
In the blink of an eye the fire that the kids we're prodding at to try their hand at breakfast ballooned in size, and one of the older women pulled them away from the flames. Could've been either of them all of their voices felt like someone was shouting whilst a mile away. What was it with this world and blondes getting into trouble? Given the track record of the girl's, platinum blondes still counted towards whatever metric fate was using to keep score.
Felt as if God himself was mocking me with sly references to my abject failure of a love life, and I was not amused.
God only knows how much I craved a good, long smoke. Between turning myself into a human sized radiator, and fighting for my life I had been able to largely ignore the worst of it. I was just glad that I didn't need to worry about dropping my drinking habit, but I had firmly decided to ration what I had. Being as irresponsible as I had been in the past simply wasn't in the cards, not when a bunch of kids were depending on me to keep my cool.
Wasn't how I initially imagined how sobriety would go, but beggars couldn't be choosers after all.
The sight of the campfire that had been snuffed being reignited with the flick from one of the women's wrists brought me back. Noting the greater effectiveness of the trick over my initial attempts at doing the same when I first started experimenting with magic. Bathing a stack of logs and tinder with a furious stream of flames hadn't gone exactly to plan.
She was the other mage in our small group, taught the proper way of going about this whole magical business unlike how I stumbled into it. Her partner had referred to her as 'Constance' or 'Konstanca', honestly none of them had the same accent. It had made learning the local tongue an absolute chore even if my own magic could fill in some of the gaps. Could've sworn that she was carrying a damn umbrella over her shoulder to boot, but that would simply be ridiculous.
Probably was older than the twins too, but that could be chalked up to not having gone through hell like they did. Didn't change how I felt if I assumed them to be older than they appeared, they still spent an indeterminate amount of time in a prison cell. But I knew for certain that a certain lady knight was in my general age bracket, and the less.
Both of the girls that I had been safeguarding fell on different sides of the localization nightmare, but had Germanic tinges to them. Of the two, the older one's name could be broken into two easy parts. Taking the first half of 'Edel-gard' was easier than switching down from a light tone to a lower one at the halfway point.
'Benedikta's' name was leagues harder, resembling the naming conventions of those hailing from the Soviet Union or the Polish Republic. Could've been west Roman dialect for a version of Bernadetta, or Bernadette. The Dark Ages did funky things to Latin before the reunification finished taking root. Without being able to take a look at how it's supposed to be written, there was a chance that several letters were silent. Didn't help that everyone said it while emphasizing a different part of the name whenever it came out of their mouths.
Nothing took me out of it more than hearing fucking 'Cassandra!' come out of Konstanca's mouth while running on fumes. I called a time out and just ignored the implications in an effort to delay passing out. Must've been her who caught me, and dropped me against this tree once my batteries ran dry.
I was grateful for being done a solid, and I wrote down a mental note to buy her a drink of her choice for it. Didn't change the fact that one of them just spoke a greek name, a very shit and older sounding dialect, but greek nonetheless. Sunday school had beat the language into my skull.
"Morning," The woman in question dropped to the floor beside me to watch the kids squabble around the crock pot. Giving her a small nod, I offered the bowl of soup that was actively getting colder over time as it went unattended. She raised a brow at me but took the food after inhaling a good whiff, "[Sure you don't want some]."
"I'd love to, but to just look at it makes me sick. Best not to waste it if you can take it in my place," I explained while hand to bowl over off of my lap and into her waiting hands. Her stomach literally growled, causing her upper neck and cheeks to take a scarlet hue. The embarrassment must've been more than could bear as she turned ninety degrees to hide some of the red coloring her features, "Pffft~ Put it to good use."
The thought that she was 'cute' did cross my mind before I squashed it a moment later after it bubbled forth.
"You're [going to make a] little [girl's heart break," Cassandra murmured in between bites with a higher pitch than her tone usually as her voice returned to normal after a cough. While she was teasing me it was clear that she was torn between eating and coming up with good quips, "Hmmm, [you] missing [out by the way. It's not half bad, certainly [puts] Christophe's cooking [to shame]."
"I don't doubt it. . . You two going north?" The question had to be asked now that I had caught up with the kids, and traveling in a group would be safer for all involved. Cassandra just replied with a 'so~so' gesture while her mouth was full, "Hope you don't mind that we hitch a ride with you."
"[Of] course [not. The] border [is only a day away, probably [less if we leave soon. Do you all have a clean] change [of] clothes?" I got the implicit message hidden in her words as she side-eyed my bloodied clothes that featured a sizable amount of wear and tear. The living threads were hard at work siphoning off excess magic to stitch themselves back together, but that would do anything for the blood and mud. Clothing from Earth would've drawn more eyes than this, "Figures. [Well, just stay by me, and try not to] escalate things [if] anyone [tries to start] anything."
She didn't look much better, but it was still leagues beyond the appearance of a rabid homeless man that I had developed. I definitely needed to shave, and a long soak would do wonders on the soul. Stating that I'd kill for a fifteen minute shower would be redundant, as I'd already done more than that for less.
Big Brother and Sister woke up soon after that, groggy and uncertain as their eyes had to be re-dilated. Their senses reconnected with mine in chunks, and it seemed that they could tell that the three cooks were adding meat to the soup now. Stumbling over each other as they raced to get their fill, releasing whines and pitiful growls once they closed the distance.
While the twins had spent enough time to grow accustomed to their antics and develop a bond with the tamed wolves. Konstanca reacted just as one would expect her to, and would have to be calmed down just as it all devolved into chaos.
"[I'll never] understand magicians [and their] familiars. . . Gah, [the] horses [hate my guts. I'll] handle wrangling [the kids and] getting [us back on track," Cassandra just sighed as it all went to shit like she'd seen this sort of thing happen a million times before. She made a request while pointing out the bored equines off to the side which had seemingly devoured all the weeds in close vicinity, "Can you get them ready for us]?"
Taking in the view of the lady knight straight out her tunic in the morning sunlight I gave my answer, "Yeah, good luck with that by the way."
Still cold as balls, my cloak had managed to repair about half of the damage so I didn't have to worry about the freezing winds as much. It was the first time in a long time that the idea of a hot coffee sounded heavenly, at least not since I left that warehouse gig.
2:34 P.M. -, Februarius, 2th . . . No Signal Available 31% /...]
A change in scenery had served us all well, or maybe it was because things were starting to get warmer. Fuck if I know, not like it was so simple that I could just check my phone for details on the weather. Even my laptop disagreed as to what day I was living in, telling me that we we're still in Ianuarius. While my phone thought we were in the later half of Februarius.
Figured that I was somewhere in the middle. My full body headache had subsided at least, time heals all wounds and all that. The saying was pure gobbledygook, but something at the back of my consciousness insisted that the concept held some merit.
Konstanca caught my eye during a brief moment that I had taken to check my phone, tracing a line across her lips at the look I must've been giving her. Cassandra was riding with her when it turned out that her horse was far more stubborn than she had alluded to. It was a wonder how they had even gotten this far with such a temperamental steed, then again I had bribed her steed with a granola bar to allow me to ride him.
'Excitement,' A wave of emotion washed over me a few seconds later, and I gave my fellow magician an unimpressed upturned brow. The odd use of magic wasn't beyond my capabilities, but it was far more foreign to anything else I had practiced. Calling her out on it would go nowhere as she joined in on the conversation that the other three were in the middle of, 'Curiosity.'
'Rebukement,' The woman had been doing this the whole day, just prodding at me while claiming to have done nothing of the sort. It wasn't an entirely foreign concept to me despite how needlessly childish I considered it to be, 'Threat.'
This was different, and if she intended to drag my origins into the light I'd-
'Apology. Apology. Apology,' The response was almost immediate, a several backpedal from where a deep sense of guilt spilled forth. Replaced by a wave of interest free of possible ulterior intentions as her gaze was dead set on the road ahead of us, 'Curiosity, Sincerity.'
I hadn't expected it, but I should've considered the possibility. My heart slowed back down and the veil of paranoia that had fallen over me was lifted. Had I been focused on my wolves that took up the task of acting as our rear guard I would see their pinned back ears straighten out.
'Skepticism. . . . Acceptance,' With a clearer head I grumbled under my breath as Bernadikta adjusted her grip around my waist, and I let my irritation slip away. The brief shot of anger borne from defensiveness left me drained, and only made the wounds spike with pain whilst in the middle of healing. As nothing appeared ahead of us that demanded my immediate attention I decided to offer some sort of explanation, 'Reluctance, Nostalgia.'
'Understanding,' . A slew of hyperactive emotions slammed into my skull the moment that we we're going to return back to a comfortable silence.
The last feeling caught me off guard, my mind whirling to life as I glanced over at the young woman. Konstanca seemed to have been expecting this reaction as she pulled an intricate looking silver pocket watch from under her bodice. She held the trinket just above her breasts with a look that told me that she found this whole situation incredibly amusing, 'Solidarity.'
'Tolerance,' I didn't get paid enough to deal with the shengnagin of four different women.
"[Care to share what are you two] conspiring [about]?" The older twin's voice broke the flow that both prior conversation had been using, and brought the group's attention to the two of us
"A query or two about my pups," Edel rolled her eyes as she accepted my white lie while Berne had a betrayed look on her face as she pulled harder on my coat. The girls almost liked my company and much as they adored the mutts. Since the day she had woken up I recognized that the poor girl would've benefited greatly with some anti-anxiety medication, "Magic and all that."
"[They are] matters [best left to us] adults," Konstance somehow managed to make the whole situation worse as Berne ended up looking even more scandalized by her implications, "There's [no need to worry your] little [heads over it]."
"[Huh?! What's that] supposed [to mean]?!"
Edel was thoroughly unimpressed as she gave a 'seriously' look while Cassandra covered her face with a hand, and the two other girls started up a new argument. Well it more like Konstance taking great enjoyment out of goading Berne with obvious bait, but just in case. I made a request of my fellow magician to get ahead of potential disaster, 'Leniency.'
'Reassurance.'
Chapter 8 Note: ()
- A lot of the prayer section I took from Romans, been a while since I read the bible, should really acquaint myself with it. Better than listening to 2nd hand interpretations of what happens in the damn thing.
- I've started playing more fast and loose with the [phases, to try and give people a better reading experience.
- Probably should update all the past chapters with the new descriptions and flavor text for combat scenes.
- A lot of the neat little tricks that I've put into the fights probably should take the form of their own combat arts or unique spells, but the fact of the matter is that the scenes flow better if I don't do that. I have started to write the whole, 'I hit u, roll for crit. You hit me, roll for crit.' rinse repeat, but that shit gets old fast. The more that I wrote it that way the worse I felt, as I was taught that needless repetition like that was to be avoided. I don't worry about it often, because I'm not trying to balance mechanics for a PVP video game but I'll try to keep things from FE3H relevant in this story the best I can.
- I'm not super into Fate as a series but I need watch myself before I start referencing magical circuit and shit. Been using mana and prana, to offhandedly reference mana in the environment and the later as magical energy from an individual. Double checking revealed that, that is not in fact what those terms mean. So I'm going to postpone in universe discussions about the mechanics pertaining to magic until I fully understand the concepts that I'm stealing from another franchise.
- The whole magicians using emotions for comunication is quite limited, and is more of a nontraditional use of magic. Think of it like radio communications but if you used the human brain to do the leg work. It's not enough for a spell book, but on the same level as using magic to cool drinks or light a campfire. Helps flesh Constance out as someone who tries to make the most out of the magic she's given.
- I think the location titles are a much needed addition, breaks up the jumps in time or perspective quite nicely in my opinion.
- While I don't necessarily want to comment farm, but I'd appreciate a certain kind of feedback on something. How do you feel I'm doing with the characterization of the characters in question?
Personally with the context that I've added to their lives, I think Bernadetta is probably the closest to canon, or just plain makes sense. While I'm taking a small detour with Edelgard where she is supposed to come off as a colder than normal child her age, but not to yet the point where you could see her becoming the flame emperor. That nice sweet spot is where I'm aiming, and why I swapped a Bernie interlude for a Edelgard one this go around. Cassandra/Catherine is definitely one of the ones I'm taking some liberties with, she is not quite as jaded and with her new ability I want people to see how she agonizes over choices and tries to bargain for the lives despite 'knowing' the future. Anna is a mix of a bunch of her different versions, and I'd done decently with her in my own opinion, but I think her character might suffer since I'm kinda using her as a plot device. Of course my depiction of her, and all the others are subject to change, but I just want to establish a benchmark.
Choices (optional to participate in) Reputation Stages: Nemesis Monster Villain Scoundrel Rival Mixed Collaborator Ally Patron Champion Idol.
NEW!
1) Available until Chapter 13~14 ish.
This revolves around project Homeward Bound, which will lead to Alcides returning to 'Earth' in some form or another. Depending on the progress made certain different outcomes will occur. Regardless of choice, Alcide's personal skill will undergo a change to reflect the plot. Note: Alcides will soon become one of TWSITD's subject of interest, the following choices will influence what from that takes.
be alerted to Alcides' existence.
Universal Consequences: Reputation with Revisionists will reach Patron. Reputation with Nobility will reach Collaborator. Reputation with Insurrectionists will reach Rival. Reputation with Theophagists will reach Villain.
] [Focus on Past] 3 Homeward Bound completion. Improvements to relationships with Cornelia, Lambert, and Hapi. Factions: Reputation with Monarchists will reach Ally. Reputation with Transhumanaists and Perpetuals will reach Collaborator. Reputation with AMC will reach Rival. Finally, the creation of the Heretic faction will be delayed.
] [Focus on Present] 2 Homeward Bound completion. Improvements to relationships with Cassandra, Shamir, Christophe, Anselma, Lonato, Ashe, Edelgard, Bernadetta, Dimitri. Factions: Reputation with Monarchists will reach Ally. Reputation with Perpetuals will reach Scoundrel. Reputation with AMC will reach Nemesis. Finally, the Heretic faction will be created.
] [Focus on Future] 1 Homeward Bound completion. Improvements to relationships with Ingrid, Dimitri, Felix, Sylvain, Glenn, Gilbert, Ashe, Anna, Edelgard, Bernadetta , Mercedes, Annette, Christophe, Lambert, Anselma. Factions: Reputation with Monarchists will reach Patron. Reputation with Perpetuals will reach Scoundrel. Finally, the creation of the Heretic faction will be delayed.
2) No Time Limit.Available until Chapter 15.
- Once in a lifetime opportunity, a character's canon rewrite. Be warned! I have many terrible things in store for multiple characters, plus you already know what happens in canon, so you are only getting this once. You can comment complex conditions under which this will activate as in saving it for later to keep certain characters alive longer, like if you'd keep a character alive even if they should've died. No retcons. This is not comparable to Sothis's time reversals, and most cannon character deaths will just be downgraded to mortal wounds etc.
] [Rewrite] Write in.
Character Sheet and Details
Lv [13] Mage; Alcides. Experience: [24/313]
HP: 33 (40%)
Mv: 4
Str: 14 (35%)
Lck: 9 (30%)
Mag: 23 (60%)
Def: 14 (35%)
Dex: 13 (40%)
Res: 24 (60%)
Spd: 17 (50%)
Cha: 10 (20%)
Class Growths: (Mage) HP: 5%, Str: 0%, Mag: 10%, Dex: 5%, Spd: 0%, Lck: 5%, Def: 0%, Res: 5%, Cha: 0%.
Critical Chance: 11% = [(Luck Dex) / 2]
Dodge: 9% = Luck Ability bonus
Attack Speed: 5.8 = Speed [Inventory weight (Strength / 5)]
Personal Skill: [Deserve to Die] - Foes within five spaces take 3 extra points of damage.
Ability 1: [Fiendish Blow] - describe. [Mage Mastery required: 64/80]
Ability 2: [Logos, Lv 1 - Grants 1 range for spells per whole new Reason letter grade above F. (C = Rng: 3)
Ability 3: [Pathos, Lv 1 - Increases the user's max uses of spell by 0.1 per partial letter grade beyond F. (Note: I draw the line at keeping track of spell/weapon usage, it's cringe.)
Ability 4: [Ethos, Lv 2 - Grants the ability to use magic that is lower than or equal to this skill's placement * 2. (Faith: E = 4 Mt Currently)
Ability 5: [Monk Mastery: Prepare] - Spending an action will store any spell that can be triggered at any later date as an action with no reaction from foes.
Ability 6:
Other Abilities: [Blade Prowess, Lv 1] - Grants 5% to land a crit while using bladed weapons.
Learned Spells: [Blaze] - Mt: 3 Crit: 15 Rng: 0 Lv: F Can inflict Burns that reduce physical defense equal to might on critical hits. [Frostbite] - Mt: 4 Crit: 0 Rng: 0 Lv: F - Gains 30% critical hit chance against burning targets to trigger shock and skip the target's counter-attack, the target's burning status will be removed regardless if a critical hit is triggered.
Skill Levels: Reason (191; B), Knives/Daggers (74; C), Authority (26; E), Faith (27; E)
Proficiencies: Reason. Cavalry.
Deficiencies: Faith. Swordsmanship.
Inventory: Steel Knife (1 mt, 10% crit, 1 wt), 1 Blessed Tome (4 wt) [Soothe] - Mt: 0 Crit: 0 Rng: 0 Lv: F A spell designed to treat inflammation, and reverse damage dealt to an ally. The healing output delivered is equal to the caster's level of magic. 1 Flame Tome (4 wt) [Firenado] - Mt: 6 Crit: 45 Rng: 0 Lv: E Strikes every target in a line equal to spell range, and inflicts Burns that reduce physical defense equal to might on critical hits. (0) Vulnerary, traveling pack (5 wt), Knowledge gem (0 wt). Total wt = 14
Currency: 2049 GP