The feint is a deceptively powerful technique despite its apparent simplicity. The ability to train your opponent into expecting an action of yours means you've already seized control over the flow of an encounter. The moment before to the moment after, you've effectively narrowed down your opponent's moves. Many combatants acquire a mind for this combative flowchart, able to trace a bout with the effectiveness of a [Seer]. The problem lies with those that rely on reflex and reflex alone, or those with powerful intuition. Gods forbid one with [Battle Intuition]. They have more time to react, thus more choices, and therefore the flowchart becomes large and messy. I will teach you to create this sequence of actions and reactions in your mind, teach you what to expect, teach you how to respond, and teach you to forget it all and simply react. I will teach you combat.

-The Art Of Combat, Coby Tuuli

In Jayke's mind, he had named the dwei [Guard] Red. If not for his position and role in the Marketplace Between., then for the blood that covered him. Admittedly, the blood was green worm blood, but the sentiment was the same. Worm blood caked in sand.

It was clear Jayke was the slower of the two. Much slower. They had fought two or three of the worms but none were larger than the previous which had shattered Jayke's shield. When at times it seemed like he fought alone, a single, decisive blow, would kill the worm outright. He drew most of the creatures' ire and Red took the opportunity to end them. In truth, Jayke could do nothing but withstand one or two blows depending on the creature's size, and draw blood on occasion.

The cowering myconid was perhaps the first time he'd seen the people scared. "Thank you! Thank you!" The lanky glowed with colorful warmth and relief. Yellow to Jayke's eye. "It's been burrowing around my shop for the last hour! You can't imagine feeling it passing under you knowing it could come up and take a bite any second!" He cried a range of emotion Jayke could only fathom through the tone of his mental speak. He was addressing Red while Jayke stood politely to the side and behind him. The myconid did seem to notice Jayke, if for none other than his appearance.

It was times like this Jayke got a glimpse of his companion's character.

The myconid turned to Jayke, his mushrooms calmed in color and he spoke. He gestured to Red, "He suspects more civilians near the food shops. It is free food for the worms after all. There might be people stuck." The shroom man relayed. "He says keep it up."

Red saw Jayke's nod and they headed off. It was with confidence that Red sent the civilians off, perhaps trusting them to find their way, or sending them to more [Guards] closer to the stone building. Jayke was left out of the loop in that regard.

Soon the food hit Jayke's nose. It was hard to mask the scent, no matter the storm. His stomach grumbled-

A keening cry filled the air, sharp enough to pierce the dull beating of the wind. High and encompassing. The mother worm. It screamed loudly in pain and agony, rage. Then the sandstorm quickened and thickened, and suddenly Jayke realized that whoever decided to take on the mother worm had their hands full. That confirmed it, the storm was the worm's doing.

Jayke firmed his grip on sword and shield, following Red's form through the storm. The dwei could make his way easier through the sand, Jayke could tell after the second fight.

They began clearing food stalls. Red whipped the flaps to the tent open. The noise of scattering sand filled the muted tent. Empty. Empty save for the meat skewers stored in the working area. Red checked the front counter, the one exposed to the elements, and peered outwards. Visibility was worse than ever before, barely ten feet forward.

Jayke pulled the table cloth away and peered under, only to find a pile of sticks used for the meat. He did this twice more with the same results. It was one of the less disturbed shops.

Red tossed something to Jayke and, to Jayke's deep dismay, he didn't catch it by the handle. Though he was surprised he had caught it all laden with shield and sword. He reached over and adjusted the strap on his shield arm.

He looked from the saucy skewer unethically clutched in his hand to the one who threw it. The dwei man stared blankly at Jayke with rainbow eyes, any emotional or expressional nuance was completely lost to Jayke. He did, however, grin and accept the morsel. His hand was covered in sauce, but better that than sand and the skewers were completely fine in that regard. He adjusted his grip to something that gods wouldn't frown upon and ripped at the food the same way that Red did.

Apparently, the dwei had sharp teeth.

Red caught the stare but Jayke was already crouched down cleaning his hands in the sand.

The ground beneath them vibrated and both became poised for battle. Like Jayke, Red seemed no stranger to battle, he simply readied himself. In the mental sense, Jayke was right there with him, but in terms of actual technique, his martial skills were lacking. It drew Red's curious eye, but perhaps the fact was mitigated by his magic.

Then the sandstorm abated. It was like the air conditioner suddenly going off. When you suddenly realize how quiet the room is. The feeling was mirrored when an entire storm could just stop. For no longer than a minute, it was steady gentle raining of sand.

Then in the distance, cheering.

Jayke hadn't stayed long. After cautious moments, it was clear the worms had all left. Myconid and dwei guards poured into the food section of the market escorting civilians. Red made his way back to the oasis. A small wave goodbye was met with confusion but the dwei quickly realized Jayke wasn't following. He nodded once and left Jayke to his own devices.

Jayke had instead picked up his books. He was surprised to find Chee still among her shop. Somehow the place was cleaned of both worm blood and carcass.

She chimed, "Take! Take! You helped my shop you deserve the reward!" Even between her speech, she was already throwing books back on shelves. "To think I would slay a Great Sand Worm!" She hummed.

"I helped didn't I?" He said.

Chee chuckled. "Not in my stories." She smiled arranging her books. For a moment, Jayke caught the glimpse of a child who enjoyed reading about fantastic stories.

"Well thank you then. I'll throw anyone looking for books this way." Jayke bowed slightly before leaving, the expression lost on the whiskey shadshin.

"Any customer that comes through here would do the same. Be off!" She waved, too busy to care.

The Marketplace Between was not perfectly desert. In fact, it was set between both Blueglow Forest and the Desert Blurr. It was a given there were a few rock outcroppings that littered the bazaar, not too many that they overpowered the shops but enough to give the place texture. It was one such place he was searching for.

He found one, ducking under two leaning boulders and stepped into the door that appeared there.

His [Safehaven] was much the same as he left. A circular room complete with a table, chair, and bed. About as large as the old sanctuary back at the compound, which was to say generously so. There were alcoves set into the walls, he presumed they served as shelves. There was a lot of space to fill up.

First, he took his maps out of the container. Unfurling them, he was afforded a view of everything from Blueglow Forest, the Desert Blurr, to the Mountains of Rune. The Wyldergrowth was marked off the map, on blank parchment. That was where Jayke had indicated he had come from to Terk's great surprise.

Layering the separate maps upon each other, he pinned them to the wall using the small bag of push pins Terk had provided so that they lined up just so. He placed the rest of the healberries on his table. They were held in a small sack given to him by Terk. The map container he leaned against his wooden table, and his water container went on the table with the berries. Lastly, he placed his books on the table. They were The Origins of Skills and Abilities from or by - Jayke hadn't figured it out whether they were a series or a group - The Untethered Tomes and The Feel of Magic by Coby Tuuli. He unstrapped his shield and laid his sword down.

He sat down, unwinding from the day's events.

His eyes drifted to the map - the small square in the Desert Blurr which was colored green. The Dungeon that Terk had mentioned. His mind drifted for a moment.

Jayke's vision flashed blue, stealing his attention. He focused on it.

Hidden Event Quest Completed: [Market In Peril] (Rare)

The Marketplace Between is hounded by Great Sand Worms capable of manipulating the very sand in which they burrow! Fend off the Great Mother Sand Worm and scatter its younglings, brave the sandstorm, and secure the lives of non-combatants.

Rewards: EXP based on contribution

x3 Great Sand Worms slain

x2 Non-combatants saved

Level Up: Level 2 [Protection Mage] -> Level 5 [Protection Mage]

A rush passed through Jayke as he read the prompts. Upon reading the completion it seemed to actually grant him a reward that caused him to level up. Though, he felt he had leveled up during all the commotion too. Three whole levels in a day, Jayke wondered if that was good.

The Quest would've been more shocking if he hadn't seen them mentioned in the books he had received from Chee. The Origins of Skills and Abilities briefly covered the possibility of acquiring said Skills through Quests. Though Jayke wasn't entirely sure what Quests entailed and how to get them, he had a better understanding now.

"I know so little of how this... world works." He sighed. "Get used to it, Jayke." He muttered. Wherever that pod had brought him, it definitely was something entirely different from what he knew. That meant he needed to get his bearings.

He took The Origin of Skills and Abilities from the table and moved to the bed, propping himself up against the headboard and opening the book.

Then he began to read.

Pushing the events of the day to the back of his mind, Jayke did what he had been doing for the past year in solitude. He adapted and learned. A weak mental state often led to ruin, but luckily for Jayke, he had one stronger than most.

The book was interesting reading. The opening paragraph of which hooked Jayke immediately.

Like the immovable laws of magic and the secret maths of the physical, the growth of the world is governed by rules just as absolute. It is a force as powerful and true as gravity, bearing more potential than even raw mana. [Philosophers] and [Wisemen] have long pondered its existence, most everyone accepts it as commonplace, and few ever question it. To some, it is simply the World, or a function of the gods. Some have called it the Great Template, the Governor of Growth. To old men, as curious and awed as when they were young, it still holds their hearts as simply the System.

The System, a name perhaps too technical and unwieldy for a force of nature as mysterious and flexible as it is. Nevertheless, the name fits its function in the world. When an individual conquers foes, achieves great feats, increases their understanding of various subjects, the System is there. It is the mental view of your own growth, whether in your eyes it is a heavy tome wherein you are the sole subject, or whether it is represented by a voice in your ear. The manner in which the System presents itself is of as much mystery as the System itself.

In the case of this reading, we cover only one section of the System albeit one very significant in the scope of things. That is to say Skills.

Jayke hummed a tune as he read muttering to himself. "The screens I'm seeing are a manifestation of this System then." He chuckled lightly. "Probably spent too much time in front of a computer."

Reading on was a crash course on Skills and their functions. As well as the various types one might come across. Of course, this was all assuming that the reader already knew what Classes were. Jayke had a very weak grasp on the subject but he thought he could manage the reading without it.

To Jayke's understanding, Classes were a specialization within a certain set of criteria. Obtaining one, however one went about doing that, meant that Skills aligning with said Class became easier to obtain.

A small section detailed the many ways to acquire a Skill.

The author of the book went on to clarify that it was indeed possible to obtain a Skill without the corresponding Class but the effort required became exponentially harder depending on the niche of the Skill. For example, a [Farmer] might fend off a number of wolves invading his land and thereby cultivate [Battle Sense]. In that, it becomes clear what might preempt the obtaining of a Skill in this way.

More to Jayke's interest was a section regarding Skills and their functions. Generally, there were both active and passive Skills. [Battle Sense] being a good example of a passive [Skill]. For variety, the author gives a non-combat active Skill as an example, [Instant Harvest] a high-level [Farmer] Skill which did exactly what it entailed. There'd only ever been two recorded individuals with the Skill and both became very wealthy and sought after.

Jayke read on, speaking to the air. "That means my [Protection Magic] and [Code Magic] are more similar to passive Skills since for [Protection Magic] I'm not invoking anything the moment I make a barrier."

Active Skills were something you used and one would intuitively know how to do so, according to the text. Passive Skills were more confusing, more often than not one had to discover their quirks. That was not to say that active Skills didn't have their fair share of mystery in their application.

Proficiency Skills were a section that immediately caught Jayke's eye. They were Skills that granted an astounding proficiency in whichever subject they denoted. The example used by the author for these types of Skills immediately retracted Jayke's conclusion of his own Skills. The author remarks that the tell-tale way to identify these types of Skills are that their descriptions do not detail any specific action or effect, only the subject. For example, [Fire Magic] as opposed to [Fireball] the latter which might later morph into the former given enough Skills in a similar vein. [Fire Magic] denoted an entire field of magic encompassed in a single Skill. Likewise, something like [Art of the Sword] might bear similar effects. Whoever possesses such a Skill would demonstrate high competency in the subject.

"Proficiency Skills, huh?" Jayke said. He shrugged. "It fits. But that doesn't help me figure it out in the first place. I'm still lost with [Code Magic]. Maybe the other book...?" He eyed The Feel of Magic by Coby Tuuli and swapped them before returning to the bed.

Cracking open The Feel of Magic initially left Jayke with the same information he had gotten from browsing through the book in Chee's shop. There were many ways for people to access magic, and different methods of directing it. It was, apparently, different for everyone. Not information that helped Jayke at all.

He did, however, delve into those sections regarding each method.

"Emotion, rituals, chants, foci." Jayke frowned. "None of these really describe what I feel with my barriers though." He flipped the text to the next page, his fingers finding the parchment smooth. He eyed the next line. "Instinct." He repeated.

The book was laid to rest gently in his lap as he stared at his hands. He focused on a simple sorting algorithm; insertion sort. He swore for a second that he could feel a keyboard under his fingers as he imagined the small pictograms in his mind that denoted the sort.

His hand glowed light-blue and emerald green, sparks of yellow running through it. Magic within his hands, so different from the hard grey-blue he knew. Because this was moving. Particles of magic moved around, a mess in his hands. Slowly, ever so slowly, he realized that the particulates were being sorted. He brought his hand closer, staring at the magic - staring at insertion sort visualized.

His brow rose. "Woah. Cool." He said, still holding the magic - the algorithm.

Then he threw the bolt of magic on his bedsheets. It dispersed in a flash, barely jostling the cloth.

What followed was Jayke visualizing all algorithms he knew, the easiest of which were the sorting algorithms. The magic was one of the most complex things he had ever the pleasure of interacting with. From Jayke, that was saying something. The various sorting algorithms were fun to watch, but Jayke hadn't given the magic any input or parameters, the fact of the matter was he didn't know how. Given that, he wasn't entirely sure how the magic was sorting anything, furthermore, he wasn't even exactly sure what the magic was sorting. Jayke could only describe them as magical particulates.

It was a long time since he had coded. Of course, like any programmer and engineer, he'd complain and complain all day about the struggle and momentous tediousness of the entire ordeal, but when it came down to it Jayke liked figuring things out.

To that end, Jayke Cipher sat in front of a pile of sand.