80 Gateway (1/2)

”So, what's the plan?” Sarah asked.

Still having used the small boat to carry them all, the party had just spent the last few hours under Rainer's flight spell. With the exception of Lilia and Luna, who either played with Tiamat or napped, every member of the party had a passive way to pass the time. Whether meditating on the improvement of their Aura pool in the case of Gunthar and Kara, or attuning her Affinity in the case of Sarah.

Rainer reminded himself to teach Lilia the starting point for how to attune it herself.

They now sat in a small clearing in the jungle, away from both the town and the farmland to the east of it.

”For what?”

Sarah shrugged before deciding then to think far more generally than she and likely Rainer had intended, ”For establishing the Academy.” After all the thought interested her as well, though for reasons different than her brother's. The idea of having an organization to protect them from any overzealous Mages wanting their bloodline was a thought Sarah had many times growing up.

A darker thought to bring said forces back to Earth entered her mind as well.

She had always wondered what her life, and that of her family's, could have been like if their Grandfather wasn't alone, but instead a leader. One who controlled a world power rather than wielded personal strength.

”The first and easiest step…probably an etiquette teacher. Like it or not, we're going to have to deal with nobles. Nobles that already have a low opinion of mages. And royalty, and whatnot.”

”Does a noble's opinion of you truly matter?” Kara asked. Nothing about Rainer made one believe he had any respect for those in political power.

”Of me? No. They really can't do anything to me. And before long I doubt they could do anything to any of you…But me also affects what I'm the leader of.”

”For the Academy it matters,” Kara spoke, understanding.

”Plus, you'll have to deal with the fallout of charming half their wives with your Charisma,” Sarah chipped in.

”But that's for later,” Rainer added, having not even decided which King he would start with. Though at the very least, learning about the Wolf King's territory and nobles might be a needed first step.

”I hope your 'that's for later' was referring to the etiquette teacher…”

”So now I'm charming the etiquette teacher too? You have strange tastes, Kara.”

”Strange enough to fall for you.”

”And Luna!” The fairy chimed in, looking quite proud of herself on her perch, said perch being Rainer's head.

”And Luna,” Kara said with a smile, ”So the immediate goal?”

”Head to the largest cities in the Wolf King's territory and look for anyone from his line to talk to.”

”I think she meant why did you drop the boat off in the middle of a humid jungle with bugs everywhere,” Sarah grumpily corrected.

”I'll Void-walk us into the Port Town, no reason to go through the gate,” Different from a small village, it'd be far harder to point them out as not having gone through the proper procedures. And Rainer didn't particularly wish to leave a trail behind given their altercation with the Skyborne Guild.

”And we'll go find a thug and have him take us to his leader?” Sarah questioned, having already heard Rainer's plans to use the seedier parts of society as a tool to gather information. She herself thought it a good plan, given that criminals clearly had to understand the landscape of power to exist at all in a world so heavily based on one's own personal strength.

”I'll go alone.”

”Rainer?” Kara said, confused. Weaker she may be, but she was hardly weak enough to be counted as a liability when dealing with some criminals in a small port town.

”Stop pouting, you unfairly cute Demon, these are criminals. If they hit on you or look at you funny I'm obligated to react or it'll cause problems. I need to project a certain image.”

Sarah kept herself from rolling her eyes at how a random compliment made Kara move her tail side to side even as the wolfkin's face betrayed nothing. ”And what about our finances?” Once more stopping herself from rolling her eyes, this time at Rainer for how little worth he placed on money, even on the far more valuable Fae Gold. Giving a coin of Fae Gold to a sailor because he was forced to explain the basics of sailing was something that should be reserved for people with a vault of them, not a small bag.

”I'm meeting with criminals. What's a few coins from people who don't deserve any in the first place?”

It took several Void-walks from the nicer section of town where they got a room, using most of their remaining money, before Rainer started nearing his less-wealthy intended destination. Using both [Soul Detection] and [Aura Detection], he continued to walk across the Void, taking care not to be seen.

His search turned up no Auras of any significant power, but he did find something that drew his attention. He felt a Soul that contained something oddly familiar, something he recognized as Draconic in origin, that was currently in distress.

”What are you looking so scared for? If we kill you, how will we get our money?” The question was followed with a whimper and a growl.

Void-walking into the alley with the interesting soul, Rainer saw a beaten boy and his now collapsed dog lying in front of him.

”Casey, this damn mutt tore my pants…”

”Well there you have it, we'll put the little mutt of yours out of its misery. Maybe next time you won't miss your payment,” The man added moving forward to step on the downed animal.

”No!” the strange hybrid-race boy shouted.

Rainer moved forward, hilt already in hand. Yet before he could act, he found himself frozen. The boy rushed to cover the dog's body with his own beaten one. Barely even managing that as the dog, herself tried to do the same. The boy took a kick for his efforts alongside a chuckle from the group surrounding him.

Loyalty…

How often did dogs offer it that it became assumed? A part of their inner nature. And yet when was that loyalty ever returned?

Defiant eyes stared at the assaulters, who merely sneered at the interruption and went on. A sight of sharp and short metal denoted they'd have their way despite anyone blocking.

Or at least they would have.

Fate showed herself a fickle mistress.

A flash of Arcane left the leader of the group headless, his killer not even bothering to check him with [Appraisal]. Movements that carried no weight behind them ended the others. Balance above all else and a reliance on an ability to cut with no effort. A skill tailored for such actions. Actions that looked no more than simple gestures with one's hand to end a life.

Effortless.

Rainer spared only a slight glance towards his leveled up skill.

[Arcane Blade Mastery has reached level 2]

[Experience Gained: 0.01%]

The boy, loosely clinging to consciousness already, didn't last much longer after a pointed but gentle use of [Arcane Presence].

”Luna, heal them both,” With a glance up and down the alley he found no witnesses. The fairy returned to full height, needing that to fully control the full strength of her now stronger Flame than in the past.

A warm fire of violet and silver covered the downed pair. Words of Spirit Magic followed, Luna putting both of them to a deeper sleep soon after.

Rainer looked on to the scene with [Arcane Revelation]-covered eyes, checking to see whether he needed to intervene. It was in this moment he checked the strangeness he noticed earlier, now knowing it related to the black furred dog.

A touch of magic?

He wondered, confused. Had he not viewed Tiamat so often and so closely, who was nearly all Magic and a small part Aural, and nothing else, showing her heritage as a Monster, he wouldn't have recognized it in the dog.

Looking closer, he saw the signs of a Monster as well. Though, it appeared so faint as to not even matter…

In all other cases but this one.

[Canine, Female, Level 1 Adult Dog]

A simple [Appraisal] showed no difference from the ordinary. An ordinary that was clearly not the case to Rainer's eyes.

Placing a hand on the not fully healed animal, Rainer poured his own Mana in, moving along the Magic addled parts. He gently brushed the fur, remarking how well she seemed to have been taken care of.

[Skill Gained: Canine Anatomy level 3/10]

A combination of crossover from skills, past knowledge, and his viewing with [Arcane Revelation] granted a high base level.

Mixed into the black, hints of silver appeared. As the mana flooding the dog temporarily overpowered Luna's spell, the dog's eyes could be seen, including the violet flecks now spotting the brown iris.

[Familiar contract initiated, Make Yami your Familiar? Y/N]

He wasn't planning on taking in every kid he found in a bad spot, but he saved him. And making sure he didn't die in the street the next day mattered to Rainer.

So, Rainer rejected it. But with his Soul's new sensitivity, he held onto the tentative connection using his [Soul Manipulation] and [Mana Manipulation].

It, being a connection of Souls with Mana as the medium. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he found the action far more taxing than expected and his Mana began quickly depleting.

Luna, finished with her healing, flew quietly back into Rainer's jacket.

With a final herculean effort, a creative use of [Devil's Soul Language] to create a small gap in the boy's Soul, [Soul Detection], Rainer attached the budding connection to the boy, now aided by the tiny pool of Mana and Aura the, formerly ordinary animal now Monster, had. And a touch of something beyond just the manipulation of Soul and Magic.

[Canine, Female, Young Draconic Dog lvl 1]

[Soul Manipulation has reached level 4]

Rainer let out a deep sigh, his Mana having fallen to 40 points. He glanced at the three headless corpses, lacking even the tiniest remorse as he looked in their jackets for any money. There was a chance that the boy, looking 15 or so, wasn't innocent in whatever he did. Maybe if it was just him, Rainer would have intervened, but left them all in mostly fine health.

But he found little sympathy for abusers of the truly innocent.

Before he could dispose of the bodies with Arcane-Fire, a burning sensation on his shoulder gave him another solution. A suction force devoured the bodies, their mass disappearing into the strange abyss that was a serpent's maw.

Souls and all.

Rainer stood in the same alley across from the brown-haired [Half-Lizardkin], a loyal companion resting by the young hybrid's side. Strangely, he lacked a second half. Or perhaps normally for a hybrid without enough blood to be considered the half of something else, and subsequently receive system bonuses or negatives, Rainer wondered.

He had a straight and long tail of red scales, with black feathers covering the end. Slightly pointed otherwise-human ears tipped in small black feathers made it clear he held the blood of some sort of mix. It was just a question of which species.

[Half-Lizardkin, Male, Classless]

Now awakening, the boy blinked his blue slitted eyes with red scales underneath them covering tan-skin.

”Finally awake?” Rainer asked, tossing a bound stack of magically created papers into the boy's lap. And soon after a small pouch of coins liberated from the Aura user of the group. The [Archon] wrote a basic primer on Aura use in this place's language while he waited for him to wake up. The boy had no Talents to speak of, but it couldn't hurt. Though he likely couldn't read in any case.

A lick from the boy's nearby companion and a strange message brought the Half-Lizardkin back to reality.

Jean stared at the figure imposingly standing in front of him for the briefest moment. His last memory being the sight of a dagger meant to take his dearest friend's life. Even less time did he spend on the bag of money now in his lap as he recognized the slightly altered, but ever-loyal companion licking his face.

Tears dotted his eyes, to be then buried in the fur as he gripped her to him. In usual dog fashion, she pretended to want to escape the hug all the while enjoying it.

A few long seconds later, Jean wiped his eyes and finally saw the message in front of him.

[Familiar contract initiated, Make Yami your Familiar? Y/N]

”Well, are you going to accept?” The strange man's voice brought him back to reality.

Jean blinked a few more times, before absentmindedly accepting, not even understanding what it meant.

”You should head to the World Tree Branch,” The angelically beautiful man added, his visage now clearer with the fogginess leaving Jean's eyes. The man's body and face now glowed with strange angular lines of Violet shining even through his clothes, ”You should have at least an okay class available now.”

”Well…” the figure continued speaking, now slightly distracted and looking off into the distance, ”Good luck.”

Jean blinked his eyes rapidly, now almost convinced the man had only been some strange illusion. That is, until he looked at the status screen he could now see from his familiar.

”Thank…you…” He, in confusion, mumbled into the empty alley way, now fully aware of the heft coming from the bag of money on his lap. Though the strange binding of paper, a far greater proof of what just happened, attracted his attention far more.

”I'm…a Monster Tamer…” He mumbled to himself in disbelief. An Okay class…As if having a monster, a Draconic one, as a true familiar would only grant an Okay class…

Jean started laughing to himself, causing his nearby companion to bowl him over, and lick his face again.

”I'm fine, I'm fine…” He said, pushing her far enough away that he could at least breathe. He spared no time, grabbing what was on his lap and getting up, before taking off in the sprint. Yami followed directly behind him.

A light laughter could be heard. He knew what this could mean. A rare class. It was precisely why any Talent was valued. If one had a rare enough class whether it was as a Monster Hunter, a member of the army, of the royal guard, any would happily support them in their future.

And so, he ran, seeking the World Tree branch and a far different future.

In a dimly lit room, several feet below the ground, a meeting took place. A black-haired man looking in his 20s, leaning back against the front of his desk, addressing the small group in the room.

”We'll pull back in Baker's District, I don't-”

But any further speech was halted.

A stifling pressure erupted across the room as the [Grand Bladesman] lost his words. In the center of the underground room, a figure covered in Violet angular lines and two eyes of glowing power appeared.

No warning, nor sign spoke of his coming. The world turned a shade of a violet, a shade that stopped any of the otherwise battle-ready men from even reaching for their weapons. A shade that saw the tier 2 mage previously relaxing in the corner shaking. Spells that were once familiar in use, all but forgotten.

”I require a moment of your time,” the voice spoke with friendliness, even as the Gravity in the room pushed them down.

”W-who the fuck are you?” the [Grand Bladesman] stumbled out. He reacted without even thinking. Only a moment passed as he took in the strange angular lines covering the Magus' body.

And then the man vanished.

A powerful hand gripped the stunned Aura user's face. The unknown figure grew in height and size. And so too did the room itself grow in weight.

His jaw frozen in movement and noises of bones cracking with a surge of pain brought Tanner to the present. In front of him irises of pure swirling darkness, outlined in a glowing blue met his own brown. The rest of the room vanished and only the eyes remained, the entire world feeling as if it had closed in on him. All of existence declaring him as nothing more than a speck of dust.

His breathing hitched and his muscles tensed, and yet lacked the use of Aura he trained for so many years. The words that came next brought about just as much terror as they did relief.

”I wasn't talking to you.”

Rainer sat in the now vacated desk, as its original inhabitant stood obediently in the corner, doing his best not to meet the guest's eyes. To not breathe too loudly. To seem far smaller than his 6-foot height and large body would suggest. To not be even the slightest inconvenience to whatever the man in his chair, or rather, his chair wanted.

[Human, Male, [Flame Warden lvl 1](2nd), Enchanter lvl 16]

Rainer glanced at the reason that he came here in the first place now sitting across from him.

”H-how might I help you?” the grey-bearded man stumbled out, still pressured with gravity even despite his attempts at resisting the magic.

”You could say I'm a foreigner to these lands. Rainer Nvos, of the Arcane Order,” Rainer spoke, already thinking of plans to leave a good impression on at least this mage, though hesitating slightly as he was after all, a criminal, ”I simply seek information that might not be so freely given by other members of society.”

Denor stared at the ludicrously powerful Mage as he resisted the effects of gravity on him. Any thoughts of fighting, however, were put away. He merely wished to ease the pain in his old bones.

The eccentric mage clearly didn't wish them dead or he would have done it from a distance. With Tanner looking like he was barely containing his bladder from sheer terror, some of that inevitably rubbed off on Denor.

That, and the combination of him being able to easily teleport in the magic of the Dragon Isles, alongside his absolute lack of spatial fluctuations in doing so, made Denor deeply frightened of this mage. The casual use of such a crushing gravity, an otherwise impressive act, seemed almost a bit unworthy in comparison.

”Might I have an example of what you seek, esteemed Lord Magus?”

”For starters…how is it the King simply doesn't come and remove you?” A simple yearly tour would rid most crime while providing a training and experience opportunity, Rainer thought.

”They can't often act so freely, leaving important resources unguarded for longer periods of time,” The ambient Magic of the Dragon Isles made it rich in many ways, ”And, after all, they may be the most valuable military resource today, but it is their most talented subordinates and children who are their country's future. Besides…someone with less restraint would merely fill in the gaps.”

”And why not anyone else high ranked?”

The dark-skinned old man shrugged, ”Almost anyone capable of freely traveling isn't strong enough to kill us without risk.”

Rainer only hummed thoughtfully in response. It made sense. The risk wouldn't be worth it to clear up a few criminals that would only be replaced soon after.

And so, it was then what kept these very people in the room safe. Only the King himself and a few other higher ups could kill a tier 2 Aura User or Mage without risk to themselves. And the effort of doing so often wasn't worth the payoff.

”And so long as you don't overstep your bounds or have terrible luck, you're safe from true retribution?”

The [Flame Warden] nodded. It was true that they could run into and anger a powerful wanderer, case in point. But for the most part they need only contend with others of their type seeking their own wealth.

”Now onto other business…”

Having now Void-walked back to the Inn, Kara was the first to speak to the returned [Archon]. They all sat in the same spacious and luxurious room, though a lack of funds had prevented them from getting more than two rooms, Lillia and Sarah being left to share one.

”How'd it go?” Kara asked.

Rainer grinned, taking out a bag of coins from his Spatial Ring. An enchant infused-Sarah, however, soon grabbed it from him.

”Hey!”

”I'll be handling the money.”

Rainer raised an eyebrow at her, but seeing her serious expression , he let it go. Having no idea what brought that on, he didn't particularly feel like asking nor did he care about the money beyond necessities.

”I assume it went well, Sorcerer?” Gunthar asked, ignoring the Nvos strangeness as best as he always tried to.

”As well as it could. There is one huge weakness I've been made aware of. Mobility. Not only is teleporting extremely difficult in the Dragon Isles, the Kings themselves have limited range in acting when they aren't gathered to war against outside forces.”

”Limited how?' Gunthar questioned.

”To say the least, it wouldn't be the first time a King left his capital to find his most Talented wife murdered, his magically altered and extremely valuable magical plants torn from their roots, his vaults raided, or his heirs crippled. Really, so long as there aren't tidings of outside war on the horizon, the Kings are quite brutal to each other. I can only guess that if there's ever a chance of it, we could very well end up with 6 kings of the Dragon Isles.”

”Meaning so long as they aren't all united against us…”

”Then our future Academy is at least partially safe, from their power in any case. But this is a place of far stronger monsters. As well as a place of otherwise rare and secretly kept resources.” Rainer truly gained an understanding just how much Group Spells protected the Northern Continent along with their near monopoly on powerful magic. Whether versus Demons, the Dragon Isles, or the Tarainen Empire.

”Everything else is just usual business, as well as a probable location for not only the King but also most of the royal descendants. The place for our search should start with the Capital.”

”How long should we stay here?” Sarah asked.