- Day 18 -

Departure, Part 2

With Bella in charge, everyone rushes around, completing the various tasks she gives them with record pace. I don’t know what it is about her, whether it’s her commanding visage from atop that regal tanned horse, or just the fact that she’s staying on top of everyone's movements. But within just ten minutes the cart is fully packed, set up and ready to leave the Capital with everyone in clear high spirits for the journey ahead--

“Good job everyone, but let’s not let up now eh”, Bella shouts out as she rears the horse around, ”Risk, up front with Sybil. Katharine, ride on the right side, I’ll take the left. Aburi, you stay on the cart and rest up. Let’s keep up the momentum and ride out!”

A slight empathetic cheer rings out hollowly from everyone, and the cart begins rolling forward.

Hmm. It niggles at me, sitting back here doing nothing as I feel a little useless, but I can’t argue that Bella clearly has everything under control without me. From where I’m sat, with the tarp now up, I’m not able to see outside of the wagon, but it's clear that I should just leave everything to her for now.

...It’s uncomfortable to admit, but I may have ‘control’ issues...

“How you doing back there?”

Risk asks, not long after the cart started moving.

“A bit bumpy, but not uncomfortable… Though I’d prefer to be up there.”

“Well, continue to rest up for now. We’ll switch out once we’ve been travelling a while.”

“Fine.”

I say while clicking my tongue. With the noise from the moving cart though, I doubt my displeasure of staying back here was conveyed to him.

I complain and moan, yes. But part of me knows I’m better off listening to him. The sharp pain behind my eyes may have died down, but my head is still both spinning and pounding on me like some out-of-tune concussion band. I’m thankful that the tarp is up as it's blocked the morning sun, making the back of the wagon dark. It’s helping to control the dizziness that’s being caused by these random flickerings of light that are still running across my vision. With my eyes closed, it’s even worse. I see them flickering through endlessly--

...Was that what I think it was?

My thoughts suddenly interrupt themselves by a glimpse of a flash that seemed to say something I could understand. A collection of words that clearly reference the wave. As I attempt to concentrate on what I saw, more pain occurs, and it pulls further and further from the grasp of my desperate mind.

ARGH. This frustrates me to no end! That’s clearly important information, but I can’t focus on it cause of the damn pain!

“You okay?”, Risk asks, pulling the frontend of the tarp open, letting in a blinding light that reveals both Sybil and Risk’s concerned expressions looking back at me. I had thumped the floor in my failure to access the meaning of the flash, which most have alarmed both of them.

“I’m… I’m on the cusp of realising something, but this damn searing pain is preventing me from seeing it! I lost control there, sorry, ignore me.”

“Hm…”, Risk pauses for a moment, ”Have you tried meditating on it?”

“Meditating?--”

Hmm… Might work. Yeah, I should try meditating on it, the pain I mean. It’s in the same place as the flashes after all, and although I don’t subscribe to the lifestyle, I do know it can help collect thoughts. Besides, what else am I going to do back here?

“--I haven’t. It’s a good idea, I’ll try it. Thanks.”

Risk lets out a quiet chuckle and smiles to Sybil before dropping the tarp back down. As it falls, I catch her widely smiling back at him. I’m not sure, but I think they both just past a judgement me. Ah, whatever.

...

I’m not sure how long has past since I started this, but it’s clear that this was indeed a good idea. While it’s a given that telling AE to ‘show me everything’ was a stupid and colossal mistake, it has yielded some unexpected results. The rush of information that flowed into my head seemed mainly incoherent at first, and though most of it still does, I’ve been able to assemble bits and pieces by heeding Risk’s advice and meditating. My mind still continues to race which is causing waves of headaches like you wouldn’t believe, but I have managed to hold on to a number of flashes as they spun through.

By struggling to hold on to a flash, an intense, sharp pain starts to build. This was where I was failing before. Struggling to hold the image is the mistake; instead, I needed to focus on the pain, as the pain is my mind seemingly trying to pull pieces of data together into something understandable. By doing this over and over, I’ve made sense of a few bits here and there, which makes me confident that I should be able to make sense of all of this in due time. How much time it will take, or how long these flashes will continue are both questions I cannot answer, but the value of the information I’ve obtained thus far is unquestionable. Intriguingly, it’s even lead me to better understand what AE really is.

When AE first spoke to me, it’s explanation of its existence was vague, almost mystical, born out of my desire for knowledge and understanding for a world too exotic from my own. While this isn’t false, neither was it the full picture. What I failed to understand or perhaps realise prior was that AE is not a skill, but actually a part of my own consciousness. I don’t really know how to better explain this, but it’s easiest to think of AE in the same manner as I do my subconscious. But instead of maintaining the health and functions of my body, it actively seeks and absorbs information. It’s not a skill, it’s part of my own consciousness; it is me, I am it. Albeit, a stripped down version, subservient to my main consciousness, to the thinking ‘me’.

While AE can access the wave; my mind, as now fully evident to this idiotic ‘me’, is not capable of processing all the information that’s there. As such, AE is not capable either. When I maxed out [Analysis] without thought, if AE had not been born, I would have died there and then without a doubt. AE is not just a simple interface for the information on the wave, it’s a two-way regulator, able to control the information that wants to flow in and out. As AE is not able to instantaneously read and sort the entire wave, it instead uses something akin to a queried bubble search to find what I’ve asked for. By doing this, we are able to obtain information linked to what we are after and download it into my mind.

My theory on protected information was also wrong. What I considered ‘protected’ information does actually exist on the wave, as all information exists there, it’s just not as easily accessed. Sticking with the internet analogy from before, you could say the information is firewalled off, existing on a machine with restricted access. While it is possible with a lot of time and concentration to access. With AE’s; no; with my current operating capacity, it’s almost impossible... Honestly, it’s an incredibly complex system, and my understanding of it is basic at best, but I can say this. There is nothing ‘divine’ about the wave, it’s clearly technological in nature. That’s right greeny, I’m starting to grasp what the waves really are!

I’ll continue to meditate for a while longer. There’s still more to be learnt!

...

As time went on, it was exactly as I feared. The information spinning in my head began to dissipate more and more until becoming impossible make sense of. Short of risking my life again and accessing the wave directly once more, I’ll have to settle for what I’ve gleaned. As disappointing as this is, I can’t really complain. I’ve learnt many interesting things, and in all honesty, I don’t know how much more of that pain I would have been able to endure anyway. I imagine burning alive to be akin to it, to be honest.

So, another tidbit that I gleaned shed more light on the information wave and my ability to access it. Every bit of information, and I really do mean every last bit, exists somewhere on the wave. For example, by knowing the name of a book I want to read, if AE can find the unprotected machine--

Better yet, let’s call it a ‘node’ instead of 'machine'. The term fits better with the internet analogy I’ve been using for all this.

If AE can find what I’m looking for, a book for example, referenced on a node, AE can download it and show it to me via the optic nerve interface thingy. This sort of searching can be inverted as well. If AE knows the location of a node, it can show me everything inside it.

For example, as I’ve been to Zero’s library, AE stored the location of that node on the wave and kept metadata on what’s there in a sort of ‘cache’. This allows AE to provide me with a quick reference list and from it, I can choose what I want to see. This has far-reaching applications beyond just reading books from Zero’s personal library anywhere in the world, but for now, it provides me with an opportunity to learn what I know I’ve needed to learn since meeting the Prince.

AE, show me a list of books in Zero’s library that contains information on detection type skills.

[** Retrieved to optic interface **]

...Open ‘Art of Darkness by Jovah D. Lening’ for viewing.

[** Retrieving requested text **] [** Displaying ‘Art of Darkness’ on optic interface **]

Marvellous AE; simply marvellous! Right, let’s take a look.

[ ‘Dark Resonance’ learned ]

This skill could best be described as a sonar type skill. By casting it, anything with a heartbeat is detected within its activation range. It’s a level eight spell and requires significant mana. The spell is slow to cast but remains active for 15 minutes, making it impossible for a living creature to hide within its large range.

[ ‘Spectral Shadow’ learned ]

While not what I’m looking for, this will be useful. The skill creates a shadow that can be used for scouting. It’s expensive in MP and does not last very long, but it’s also only level five and simple to cast. I should be able to make use of this...

[ ‘Dark Sight’ learned ]

This was more the type of spell I was looking for, though this one can be considered trash. The spell allows you to see any object that’s hiding its presence, visually or otherwise but narrows my own visual perception to sixty-five degrees. Unless sitting on a play park roundabout like some lighthouse torch. I fail to see how this could be considered a useful skill--

“Aburi, we’re going to stop for a bit.”, Risk abruptly shouts out, making me jump, ”Let the horses get some water and stretch our legs.”

“A-Ah, right, good idea. I need to jump back to the city and pick up supplies too before we get out of range, so that’s a good idea.”

I’ve been so engrossed in all this that I kinda forgot all my original plans for today. Being so far behind schedule now, I’ll probably need to let everyone proceed on without me while I sort what still needs to be done back in the city. I guess I should also probably leave everyone's luggage here before heading off as they’ll probably need it before I get back too.

*Blink*

The wagon starts to come to a slow stop as I frantically pull out all the bags from inventory one at a time, doing my best to arrange them so they can be easily accessed. Eventually, I finish wading through the bags and pull open the heavy tarp covering the back of the wagon.

Having been immersed in the darkness for more than a while now, the brightness of a mid-afternoon sun easily dazed me as I jumped off the cart and onto the firm green grass below, stumbling my footing slightly on landing.

Gah, sunlight, I hiss at thee!

It took my eyes a good minute to adjust before I could see the deep blue, and yet slightly cloudy sky clearly.

“Feeling better?”

“Um, much thanks. I see it didn’t rain then?”

I ask Bella while following alongside her as she walks her horse over to the stream we’ve pulled up beside.

“Just a bit of drizzle, I think we’ll get lucky and make it to Axxen before it lets loose.”

Axxen. It’s the first village outside the Capital on our path towards Aslogia, and the furthest point I can [Warp] to with full mana. It’s also where Sybil and Sarah are from, though Sybil's exact origins are a mystery to both her and myself right now.

Speaking of Sarah, I should probably pay her a visit and deliver her chest of gold while we’re there. Rack up some of those good deed points and all… It has nothing to do with the promise of Axxen stew and my glutinously curious stomach. I’ll remember to pick it up from the basement.

“Right, better go get our supplies from the girls. If I’m not back before the horses are rested, just head on to Axxen without me. I’ll catch up before nightfall using warp.”

“Right, I’ll let the others know.”

“Oh, and I put all the gear in the back of the wagon. In case any of you need your stuff.”

Bella gives me a nod and carries on tending her horse, pulling a tuft of something from its hoof. She looks... happy. Is she just glad to be out of the city, or is she like Sybil and just loves horses? Either way, she seems softer somehow today, as I watch her stand there, brushing her horse, barely paying me any notice. Hmm.

*Zip*

HP: 5440 / 5440 MP: 19,147 / 31,279 ST: 3626 / 3626

“Eek!”

I teleport away from the group and right into the main room of the house back in the Capital. Unfortunately, I did this while Kate was carrying what looks like folded bed sheets towards the stairs. My sudden and unexpected arrival made her jump, throwing said sheets into the air and forcing her to give an adorable little squeal of surprise.

“Ah, sorry Kate!”

I quickly apologise while rushing to help her pick up the clean laundry. Her expression cycles a number of emotions in quick succession; Annoyance, ‘you scared me!’. Joy, ‘Ah, you’re back!’. Before devolving into ‘I want to burn you alive’. The last one is probably because I’m struggling to keep my laughter in.

“Could you not have returned outside, or to your bedroom? Why the living room? Hm? I ask you why Master. Sometimes I think you do these things on purpose!”

I do. If I’m honest, I do do it on purpose. I like to be a little bastard from time to time. I mean after all, what’s the point of having an instantaneous movement spell if I can’t use it to scare people?

“I’ll... take it under advisement. Sorry, Kate.”

“If you’re sorry, then stop laughing!--”

“Ah, you’re… back?”

Millie comes out of the kitchen to see me helping pick up laundry while being reprimanded by Kate. She naturally looks confused.

“Kate clumsily dropped them--”

“Because you made me jump!”

“Oh...”

Millie pauses for a moment with a raised brow and smile, looking on while I finish helping Kate pick up the sheet before changing the subject entirely as I walk over towards the kitchen.

“I’ve cooked four meat hotpots, twenty-four loaves, and one pot of stew Master. There would be more, but we ran out of cookware and ingredients. Hannah and Gruff are out again for more.”

“Millie, that’s amazing. We’ll be able to eat your home cooking while we trav...”

As I walk up to Millie, I by chance look into the kitchen, only to lose my ability to speak at the sight of it all.

There is indeed four meat hotpots, twenty-four loaves of bread and one pot of stew. But ‘Pot’ and ‘loaf’ though? Not really adequate descriptions… Pot should be replaced with barrel and loaf, well, what do you call a square, oven-sized brick of bread? From what I can tell, without any need for rationing our portions, we should have more than enough food for most, if not all, of the trip.

“M-Millie, you know there’s five of us travelling right?”

“I-I do, don’t worry, once Hannah returns with what I need, I’ll make more Master!”

“That’s not. That’s not want I meant...”

Her earnest eyes and happy expression make me unable to say anything on the matter. If she wants to keep cooking, I won’t stop her.

“I-I mean, thanks Millie. We’ll be thinking of you when we enjoy our... hearty meals.”

*blink*

I store all the piping hot food and bread in my inventory while giving her a solemn pat on the head. Her happy expression becomes more joyous with all smiles as she playfully throws my hand away.

“You’re welcome Master.”

“Right, I’ve got to run to the adventurers guild and do some errands, I’ll be back once done.”

*Zip