58 The Soul (1/2)
Cold winds rushed outside a gray stone castle. A broken and bloody demon lay before a throne where his assailant sat.
What a foolish attempt…
The long white-haired Demon thought while sitting in his throne. With pale skin and crimson eyes, along with two large horns which curved around his head, he contemplated the ludicrous attempt at blackmail that had just befallen him. His age appeared no more than a human of 30 years, though his eyes gave a feeling of age beyond that.
The blackmail was perpetrated by the same [Demonic Werewolf] which had sold him information on the existence of the Half-Demon in the first place. He had returned for a larger payment under the threat of spreading the information to other Demon Princes apart from Talrai.
Yet his plan failed before it even started. For he had already sold the information to one other Demon Prince.
At this point it is to my advantage if he properly set up a failsafe to spread the information to all Demon Princes. Else I'd need to do it myself.
Talrai was one of the weaker Demon Princes, but he did not view any others as true competitors. He saw them as no different than common brutes who relied far too much on their personal power. All but one. The very one the werewolf in front of him had stupidly sold information to before coming back to blackmail Talrai for more money under the threat of openly spreading the existence of the Half-Demon.
Demon Prince Fang was most certainly a brute, but common he was not. Talrai knew no amount of his planning or machinations could stand against that monster of a man. So, his only choice was to bring every Demon Prince into the fray.
”Clean up this mess,” Talrai spoke to a guard, pointing at the disfigured werewolf as his blood-red robes ruffled. Not even a plea for his life escaped the werewolf. Talrai found a method torturing Demons by forcing them to change forms repeatedly. He enjoyed it as an exercise for his own Aura as well.
He sank back into thought. The prospect of a female Half-Demon and the prophecy that follows would be too much for any Demon Prince to resist. Most of them had reached their status in a desire to rule.
And the prospect of ruling over all Demon-kind would be far too tantalizing to any self-respecting Demon. And the chance to sire heirs far beyond anything they could have imagined did not hurt.
For the first time in millennia, the Demon Princes would invade beyond their lands. Even amidst his failed plan to keep the Half-Demon's existence to himself, he couldn't resist the excitement he felt. A grin crossed his face as he looked forward to the coming carnage and slaughter.
”You mind repeating that Luna?”
”Strong Soul Affinity,” The Fairy replied before returning to Rainer's coat.
Rainer shook his head as he put away the usual questions one would ask in such a situation. He knew because he didn't ask for specifics she never told him the first time. He knew Luna considered it ”low” back when she first told him only because the Fairy was using the people she knew as a comparison. He knew that perhaps the whole world would be low in comparison to Kara's Talents, let alone his own which technically granted him the equivalent of an Affinity in every school of Magic.
Looks like I'll have to rethink my teaching plans…
Originally, the plans for his first apprentice involved the creation of the methodology that eventually every mage at his academy would learn by.
Such an idea served his goals perfectly while under the assumption that the boy's Talent could hardly be called a talent. But now, he wondered if Kara's recent acquisition of Mana might make her a better student for his eventual books on the [Faraan Runic Language].
”So, Theodore, what do you know about a Soul Affinity?” He asked the undead who was quite interested in the recent revelation as well.
”For one, there is no spellbook dedicated to Soul Magic. Most well-known would be the Death spellbook, but Soul Magic can be influenced by many elements and types of Magic. And a large part of my current state is a result of studying someone who had an Affinity for Soul. They naturally did what I had created a skill for. Though, I took it to a higher level.”
Rainer nodded. He imagined that his own skills might eventually beat any Fae when it came to Body Enchantment. In the end, there was no evidence that Fae had any idea how they manipulated Mana within their bodies to form Runes. Natural ability had to have its limit, he thought.
A limit he'd surpass.
”Speaking of which, how is your progress?” Theodore asked.
Rainer scratched his head awkwardly. He had a habit of moving from one thing to another quickly, and if he hadn't finished something before moving on it may stay that way for quite some time.
Learning Theodore's skill for enhancing his Soul had hit a roadblock. And until his recent discovery of being unable to refresh his Soul in [Sleep Learning], he lacked a proper means to learn it safely and quickly.
Theodore said nothing more as the rest of the flight was spent in mostly silence. Rainer had enough control over the flight spell to take out the books he received from Mira and begin skimming them in preparation for memorizing them in [Sleep Learning].
Rainer's thoughts turned inward as he put away the last book. For the time being, [Voidwalker] was crucial enough that he couldn't switch the class unless in a safer environment. So, he wondered over just what he needed to prepare for any sort of 2nd Class Advancement for [Voidwalker], however far into the future.
First was [Void Manipulation]. [Arcane Energy Manipulation] proved a requirement for every useful 2nd Tier option for [Arcanist] and he imagined [Void Manipulation] wouldn't be excluded. It gave him some hope for with [Arcanist] one was expected to have Manipulation skills. Whereas [Voidwalker] had no such class bonus to assist in gaining [Void Manipulation] beyond passive bonuses.
[Void Manipulation] then could unlock far stronger classes than [Arcane Energy Manipulation] did. He didn't forget either how he had overpowered that [Devil King] and shut the spatial crack with [Void Manipulation] either. It was clearly a powerful skill.
Void Seer, Void Grasp, Void Call
He then thought over the three skills he had gained or could gain from the [Voidwalker] skill store.
Rainer laughed as he thought over how much he'd enjoy having [Void Seer] were he more of a pervert. He drew glances from his party, but they returned to their own thoughts, used to his strange behavior.
Combined with Fae tracking Magic, he wondered if he could use it to extend [Void Detection] toward a specific target. Or, at the very least, use [Void Seer] alongside it.
Returning to serious contemplation, he didn't view [Void Seer] as a skill crucial to his 2nd Tier Advancement, at least not as crucial as [Arcane Rage] was in obtaining the requirements for [Archon] Class.
Then there was [Void Grasp], while certainly useful in fighting against teleportation or gravity Magic wasn't as particularly groundbreaking when compared to [Arcane Rage].
None of the three may be important…
He thought, but could not be sure until he took the plunge and tested [Void Call]. It may be a less literal meaning of call, in that it called forth the power of the Void rather than calling something.
Then there was advancing beyond [Archon]. With [Arcane Rage] to [Arcane Awakening] it was a matter of removing the weakness of [Arcane Rage] in destroying his body. For [Arcane Awakening] he viewed the next step as making it more permanent.
Even if he reached the point where his Mana regeneration surpasses the cost of [Arcane Awakening], it wouldn't be permanent. Constantly using [Arcane Awakening] required the mental equivalent of breathing on purpose. Even a stronger mind would find itself wearing down, or slipping.
And with the added Charisma the all attribute bonus gained him, he knew any permanent version of his Runic lines would only be a plus, regardless of how it may seem objectively.
They arrived at Grimlar's Pass in the middle of the night. Elru covered the group in a weak Glamour as they soared overhead and toward the Inn Maya should be staying at.
Several uses of Detection skills around the Baron's Mansion determined the existence of another large Aura presence besides the Baron himself. But compared to others, Rainer ventured the presence was at the low level of the 2nd Tier at most. Likely to be a remainder of Mier sent to watch over affairs.
He found the Fae soon after. Even with her Glamour, discovery provided little issue for the [Soul Detection] using [Archon].
Sensing only Maya within the room, Rainer went alone. Alone, except for the usual pair of Familiars inside his overcoat. As usual, he kept up his guard in the form of [Arcane Sight] and a low level of [Arcane Awakening].
Following a knock on the door, he was let in with no issue.
”I wrote and explained half the spells I know. The tier 4 ones I-” Maya said cautiously before she was interrupted.
”You'll save the rest until I make good on my deal?” Rainer responded.
Maya let out a sigh of relief at him not reacting poorly to her omissions. She felt that she needed some assurance in their deal beyond a promised future work arrangement.
”More motivation never hurt,” Rainer said as he took the stack of papers she already wrote down, ”Does anyone in the Fae Realm know of your…political affiliations?”
”No?” Maya asked confused.
”Good. Then you'll come back to the Fae Realm with me. I have some business here, but I should be ready to leave in an hour.”
”I do not think it is wise, even if I let you in through a Fairy Ring…”
”Don't worry about it. I'm an Ambassador,” He said with mock pride.
”I imagine they were quite happy to reward you for your deeds…” Maya said a bit confused at the title but not really bothered by him having a status amongst the Fae Courts.
”See you'd think so, but not really. Took far too much work and I couldn't even get the tier 1 spells from these schools of magic out of them,” Rainer said as he waved the stack of papers of Mind and Illusion Magic she gave him before putting them in his spatial ring. He realized he probably said too much, but his frustrations overwrote that.
”Oh, I had another request for you,” Rainer said, and Maya merely nodded.
”Who was that Mage you hired to attack us?”
Maya grimaced slightly but seeing her new employer didn't have any anger on his face calmed herself.
”The Guildmaster of the Blood Soul Guild.”
”And their base?” Rainer asked growing a bit excited at the prospect of stealing magic with their likely strongest member dead.
”Within the Country of Mier. I can lead you to the closest Fairy Ring to them if we are to head to the Fae Realm in any case.”
After the display during their fight, Maya ventured the remainder of the Guild that required Raspard to support them was hardly a dangerous threat to the man in front of her. A small Guild of Dark Mages could hardly compare to the defenses boosted by an official and powerful Guild like the Skyborne.
”Thanks. I'll be back in an hour,” He added before leaving the room.
”I shall be waiting,” Maya said as she thought of the one she held dear.
Rainer entered the Baron's mansion with no issue. The guards on duty recognized him and let him through right away. In part, Rainer wished to speak with the Baron as soon as possible not just for his Chef but to see what the altercation with Yarik led to.
”Lord Magus,” The second Aura presence within the Mansion bowed towards him. Both he and the Baron had in fact been awake
”It is a pleasure to see you once more, Lord Magus,” Charles then spoke, doing away with the familiarity due to the secondary presence.
”A pleasure. Charles, might I speak with you alone?” Rainer asked, his party waiting outside. He in part hoped to test them and see if they attacked when he lacked his guards. But seeing no hostility, he guessed that Yarik had kept his recent actions a secret. Rainer thought over if whether he should leave a message with this 2nd Tier expert of Mier before deciding to ask his party for their thoughts on the matter.
”It is good to see you again, Rainer,” Charles said standing to greet Rainer. They exchanged a few pleasantries along with Charles' personal thanks in handling the issue in the North.
”I'm here to pick up my Chef; I'd prefer to handle it right now. I'm in a bit of a rush.”
Charles nodded and was fine with ignoring the late hour. He went with Rainer toward the Inn owned by the person teaching the young Chef.
”You know, he mentioned he was quite impressed. It is a rare thing to gain any cooking skill so quickly, especially without a talent for it. One must be quite the hard worker to accomplish such a thing.”
Rainer simply nodded, lost in thought over the prospect of Soul Magic.
Charles entered the Inn first as Rainer followed behind. The proprietor was still up tending to some later customers. Rainer noticed several of them had bandages on their ears, but he paid it little mind beyond a small curiosity.
After a short conversation, the Inn's owner headed upstairs. The noise in the place stalled as they recognized not only the Baron but the appearance of stunning foreign Lord Magus who had been rumored to be friends with the Baron.
Following Charles to a back room, Rainer spoke up after a few minutes. The rest of his party was outside as Rainer worried just what sensory abilities someone with a Soul Affinity may have. With further knowledge from Theodore, he understood it wasn't just a magic affinity. There were other factors involved in the Affinity.
While he'd eventually share most of his secrets with his future apprentice, it wouldn't do for him to start yelling out about undead and fairies.
Having a goblin among his party certainly wasn't the best idea either. Furtak, however, stayed behind in the Fae Realm for the time being. Rainer had named him an Initiate of his Order, meaning it was unlikely he'd have any issue. On top of him being Fire-Touched, a source of fear existing in many Fae of the Courts given their issues with one who was Wind-Touched.
”What's taking so long?”