The information on ‘Firebolt’ was surprisingly in-depth. It made sense that the game would have to use complex physics engines when managing all of the objects in the game, and a spell directly goes and breaks those engines so that brings it to an entirely new level of complexity. He just just hadn’t thought that learning a spell would require him to understand those complexities. It described how the Firebolt is formed from the Fire Affinity and Mana and then how it is released and travels to it’s target.

Fucking skillshots! I’m going to have to practice this a lot, or only use it close range. Oh well, you have to start somewhere and I am sure that there are more powerful spells down the road. Hell, I am just learning this all on my own, who knows what I am missing out on. Also, this is a Fire Affinity. I have no Fire Affinity at all, but my Shadow Spell skill is supposed to let me cast spells that require an Affinity, so let’s see how that works out.

As he had done for Identify he mentally active his Shadow Spell skill and watched as a fog of shadow poured out of his body and onto the vellum. It was like watching rain run down a window pain and hit another patch of water and then break apart again. The ink started to run and be absorbed by the shadows and slowly it all pulled back into his body again.

This time he didn’t pass out, his body did sort of slump back in the chair as his mind was overwhelmed by a parade of imagery. There was a different feeling this time, however, as if the shadows and the spell were mixing in his body, churning and tumbling about. Eventually the internal tempest slowed, and then halted and he could feel it all sort of fall back into place.

System Notification Skill Increase: Shadow Spell is now Beginner 5 (+2) New Spell: Shadowbolt Created

Holy shit! Does that say Created? I think it has always said Discovered when I learned something new before. Is Shadow Spell actually creating new spells from the bones of other spells for me? Oh hell yeah!

He mentally called up the interface to check out this new arcane spell.

Shadowbolt This spell was created by Kalamedra, the First Disciple of the Void, from the Fire Affinity Spell ‘Firebolt’. It’s damage and mana cost are the same as Firebolt, but it deals double damage in areas of Low or No Light, and half damage in areas of Bright Light. Damage: Variable Mana: Variable

Well, that is awesome. Not overpowered, as I am guessing that Daylight probably counts as a Bright Light, but very useful from dusk through dawn, and indoors, and probably dungeons as well. It’s cool that my name will live on in the game as well, if I ever teach the spell to anyone else. Come to think of it, I don’t think I saw anything online about Shadow magic. I wonder if the coming of the VOID brought it here?

YES IT DID! BEFORE YOU, MY DISICPLE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO SHADOW CASTERS IN KORAL. NEW MAGICS ARE DISCOVERED AND LOST IN THIS WORLD WITH A SURPRISING REGULARITY, BUT THIS ONE HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN. JUST AS YOU ARE THE FIRST SHADOW ELF, YOU ARE ALSO THE FIRST SHADOW AFFINITY MAGE. A PROGENITOR OF SORTS.

Kalamedra felt like his molars were going to explode due to the pressure he was applying to them as the VOID’s mental voice invaded his skull. He kept forgetting that even if he spoke his master’s name mentally that the voice would respond, and make his head ache with the force of that spectral communication.

“Great, I am the lone Shadow mage, and Shadow Elf, and follower of this guy. Talk about a loner! At some point I really need to acquire some flunkies. Ha!”

He rose from his chair and walked out of the shack, into a nearby copse of trees. Might as well try the spell in a non-bright area. He mentally gave the command to form a shadowbolt and he felt the shadows around him contracting into a single point, a ball of darkness that manifested in front of him. He grabbed it with his right hand and tried to think back to his many seasons playing fastball.

He threw the ball of shadows, which did not seem to have much weight but did have a firmness to it that could be grasped, in a sidearm motion at a tree about 20 feet away. The shadowbolt flew away unerringly towards the tree and struck slightly to the right of center on the tree with a concussion and explosion of wood and bark.

As he was creating the shadowbolt he felt that the damage the bolt could do was limited by the mana he put into it. It was interesting that the spells were on a sliding scale, you could make it small or big. He could only assume that as you got better spells, they just got better effects or something. Definitely knowledge to be pursued down the road.

As fun as that was, I want to try and get that last spell converted. This place is probably not a good spot to stay in, and I need to get out into the world and start trying to get more information and levels. I have come a long way but I am so isolated out here, I have no idea what is going on. Also, it is a Massive game, I am going to end up meeting some other Travelers sometime.

He returned to the shack and once more began to study the tome. The last spell that was understandable was the one labeled ‘Summon Familiar’. Being a long-time gamer he was of course acquainted with how this spell was used in other games. Generally a mage would summon an intelligent creature to be his or her helper, like a weasel that could spy for it, or a crow that could look down from on high. It would be interesting to see what Shadow Spell did to it.

He had the process down by now, so he sat there and stared at the page in the book as he mentally activated Shadow Spell. The tendrils of darkness snaked their way from his body to the page, from the page to his body and back and forth. Once the page was cleaned of any trace that a spell ever was written there his mind began to hum as his skill worked at crunching the magical formulae.

Once he was back to himself he saw the familiar notifications.

System Notification Skill Increase: Shadow Spell is now Novice 2 (+2) New Spell: Summon Shadow Created

Another new spell? Oh man, I love that this is what I chose. Everyday I live here is better than anything I experienced out there. Something to be valued and treasured and protected, yes of course, but also something to be exploited and enjoyed.

Summon Shadow Just as the mages of elemental and divine affinities have their helpers, so do the Shadow casters of Koral. Created by the first Shadow Mage Kalamedra, this spell summons a shadow from the Shadow Plane to assist and serve. If the shadow familiar is destroyed, or dismissed, they may be re-summoned for the cost of 100% of the mage’s mana pool up to once a day. Shadow Familiars have variable skills and abilities depending on the amount of mana used to summon them and also which ones they have learned or been taught.

He rested for a few minutes to get his bearings once more, feeling eager to try out this last new spell. Once his mental faculties had returned to a normal level, he focused his energy on casting ‘Summon Shadow’ and felt a very weird sensation as his mana pool was completely drained.

The shadows in the shack seemed like they were flowing out to the same point in the middle of the room, the very air shuddering as a singularity of shadows was being formed. Kalamedra’s view went crazy as everything started to stretch, as even the light was drawn into the point and it throbbed and expanded. It seemed like everything just turned to black for a second, and then it all returned to normal. There was, however, now a humanoid shadow moving around in the middle of the room of it’s own volition.

Upon noticing that he was looking at it, the shadow started waving at him in an exaggerated manner. Kalamedra forced a weak smile and wave back half-heartedly. This was not exactly what he had expected.

Greetings Summoner! I am proud that you have chosen me as your shadow! In all the ages of the past no one has actually summoned one of us to this plane, so I have the honor of being the first!

The voice was speaking directly into his mind, and it was feminine. How do you determine a psychic communication’s gender? Kalamedra had no idea, but it still had a way that it sounded in his head and he knew that it was so.

Great, more psychic communication. Just what I need is more people poking around in my head. Oh, fuck! Can she hear this? Shadow, are you listening?

He spent a moment trying to push his mental voice to the shadow, but he didn’t notice any response from them. “Are you able to hear my thoughts? Can you hear what I am thinking at you?”

Oh, no! Are you trying to communicate with me telepathically? Does Summoner have the skill of telepathy? I must be failing to understand you.

“Uh, no… I don’t have the skill of telepathy. I just didn’t know if you could read my thoughts. And you don’t have to call me Summoner, you can just call me Kala.”

I am called Xyllowerjakshmi, but you can call me Xyl. You must be an amazing mage to summon me, at such a young age, to this world full of Light. Oh thank you so much, Kala.

Kalamedra squinted at the shadowy figure. Without discernable facial features it was a lot harder to read someone’s intent, but he was pretty sure she was fucking with him.

“Yeah… look. I’m just a guy trying to make his way in this world, and one of the spells that I have summons you. I don’t think I am so awesome, but I am still not going to take any shit off you. Pretty sure from what the spell’s particulars are that I can compel you, so let’s not get off on the wrong foot. I want to work with you, and I am sure there are ways you can profit from this experience as well, but if I have to I’ll make you my dog and when I say hunt, you’ll hunt. So, don’t fuck with me.”

The resounding silence echoed in his head for a few moments. A smirk crept onto his lips, which he could not suppress. He slammed the magical tome shut with a *bang* and put it into his spatial ring.

Hmm, you are not what I expected at all.

He laughed ruefully. “As soon as you expect something from me, you’ll be disappointed. I have no interest in conforming to anyone’s expectations, merely in surviving and thriving in this world. Alright, time to get back on the road.”

He belted his sword back on, made sure he had all the bits and pieces he had taken out of his ring put back in it, and walked out the shack’s front door. As the late-afternoon sun shone down on him, he was trailed by two shadows, one of which seemed to move on its own.

As he walked through the woods, Kalamedra considered his current state of affairs. He now had means of defending himself with his Shadow Form skill, sword-fighting, and long range with his Shadowbolt. He also had a summoned creature to assist him, if they could come to workable terms. A smart-ass shadow seemed like something that might be amusing in a novel, but really be fucking shitty in real life.

It’s time to go into more civilized portions of the world and find out what the heck is going on. Learn a little bit more about how magic works, and maybe some sword skills. Also, I’d like to see what magic items they have out there. Long-term I need a place to stay, besides the woods, and also find some companions. Doesn’t matter if they are Travelers or locals, but I will have to be very careful to not reveal myself. I think the only safe path is to never acknowledge I am a Traveler, or that I know anything about them.

Eventually he came to that main road, and kept heading east, back towards Far Westburg. Once he got around that town he would come to Yulinh, which he had heard was rebuilt. Yulinh was now it’s own city-state, controlling the countryside around it and ruled by it’s own set of nobles. It was supposedly lawless territory from the edge of Yulinh’s territory through Goran’s Gap, and then until it came to Dar’shon’s land.

Do you even know where you are going? Seems like you are just headed down this road to nowhere. I’m just asking. Of course, I’ll go where you lead, that’s a shadows work, but just putting one foot in front of another isn’t going to get you anywhere worthwhile.

Kalamedra struggled mightily to avoid rolling his eyes in frustration. He could only hope that he would either learn to block out the summoned shadow, or that he could knock some of the rough edges off. It was just too valuable to have a familiar, even one so chatty…and bossy.

He trudged on for a few more hours, his boots keeping his feet comfortable and his body now more accustomed to long bouts of walking. He felt something behind him, something watching him. It had that feeling you get when someone means you no good.

Hey did you know someone is about to cut your head off? I didn’t think you noticed, but maybe you did.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t think. Kalamedra let his weight fall forward, carrying him into a roll. As he moved he felt a slight rush of air as something cut through the space his neck had previously been occupying. He didn’t pause to look back, but rolled forward once more, and used his momentum to do a forward flip, and then he flipped to the side.

System Notification Skill Increase: Acrobatics is now Novice 1 (+1) Skill Increase: Dodge is now Novice 1 (+5)

“Thanks, Xyl” he mumbled. He pulled his sword out, as he turned his head to look behind him. Two tall hobgoblins were standing in the road, one with a sword that had obviously just aimed for Kalamedra’s life, and the other with a wicked looking axe. He could see another hobgoblin in the treeline, his orange-ish brown fur blending in with the tree trunks, with an arrow pulled back to his ear.

A huge bugbear was running towards him with a massive maul in his hands, raised as if he was prepared at that exact instant to brain Kalamedra. An evil grin lit up Kalamedra’s face as he looked at his next set of training dummies.

“Now this is a proper fantasy fight. Try not to make this too easy!”