I closed window after window of the blue boxes until only a few remained. The two blue boxes that showed my skill evolved twice.

I had thought that the skills would only evolve if you had them at the time of the order advancement, but apparently the skills evolved to match your order level.

It wasn’t too surprising. It was something I had considered, but it was a nice thing to know.

My time in the library was coming to an end. I was originally only going to spend a few hours here and gather a few books for my trip, but upon hearing that I couldn’t take any books I ended up spending the majority of my day here.

I decided to call up and review my new skills before I set out on my adventure.

“Description: Disguise. Glamour. Clone.”

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:DisguiseNovice10%Disguise is a basic illusion spell that allows the user to wrap a thin veil of mana around themselves to distort and change their appearance. The higher the level the more detailed the appearance. Cost 10 Mana a minute.

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:GlamourNovice10%Glamour is a basic illusion spell that allows the user to create small illusions. Glamours are undetailed illusions. They are usually quick and meant to be use as a trick, but the higher the level the longer the duration and the more detailed it can become. Cost 30-80 Mana, depending on the illusion.

Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Skill Experience:CloneNovice10%Clone is the 3rd Order evolution of the skill replication. This skill allows the user to make a basic clone of oneself and have it perform simple actions. Cost 150 Mana per clone.

The first two skills were incredibly useful to me in my current situation. They may be able to hide the fact that I am not actually a tank from Gwen and her party.

The last one of the other hand was a huge mana drain and at its current level I didn’t know if I could use it in combat or…at all. I would have to think about its uses and how to apply them on the way.

I gathered up the books and tomes that I had taken off the shelves and returned them back to where I found them.

Once I was done I made my way toward the stairs. Originally, I was hoping to have found further instruction on fencing, but that would have to wait until I made it to a bigger city.

I made my way down the steps and up to the librarian in order to say goodbye. She had her nose stuck in a book again just like the first time that I went up to her…surprisingly it wasn’t the same book. She was a pretty fast reader.

I knocked on the desk a few times in order to announce my presence and she simply looked up an smiled.

“Leaving already little Thak.” She made an adorable expression that almost made me want to stay.

“Places to be…people to see.” I said rhythmically.

“Well come back anytime. My doors are allows open…and maybe in a few years I’ll show you my back door.” She licked her lips.

I knew she meant that in a perverted way, but for some reason the meaning behind it kind of flew over my head. Did she mean it in the literal sense that she wanted to pull me into the back room or in a physical sense…well you know.

Instead of replying I merely winked. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

She sat down back at her desk and I made my way to the libraries exit. The library was the last stop on my list…well I also needed a map and some directions, but I could always persuade a merchant along the way.

I took to the streets and followed the roads back the way I came. The streets were bustling with people and the smell of food was in the air.

‘I guess it’s almost dinner time for most.’ I thought as I passed by the familiar entertainers guild. I pondered whether or not I should pay Kah’zar a visit before I left, but in the end I was more afraid of running into Rea than keeping up formalities with Kah’zar.

Between meeting Rea’zar and Yre’las I was beginning to think all Cherubim had some unique personality trait…either that or I had the oddest luck with woman.

I scanned a few shop stalls on my way towards Nulia’s gates. I was hoping to find a detailed map of the Ibigord continent.

I had a terrible sense of direction and without a map I would most likely get lost. It was the only thing that I disliked about Ethaessa. They had no quest finding function or map I could pull up. They said it was all part of the realism…to be submerged into a second world.

My conversations with the vendors all seemed to run the same though…

“Do you have any maps of the continent or the surrounding area?” I asked.

The vendor would look up at me with a smile and pull out a large selection of maps with different textures and tones.

“Sure I do. We have the ones that cover the entire world. We have continental maps, regional maps, sectional maps. Whatever kind of map you can imagine. Most of them run around 50-70 Gold.”

I needed a map, but I had nowhere near enough money to buy one. My entire worth if I sold off all my items would probably equal 15-20 Gold.

Hell I was still wearing my beginner equipment for the most part, except for my weapon and belt.

So instead of buying a map I sold off a few of the items that I had acquired from farming that field of monsters. I was able to make a decent amount of coin. 1 Gold 2 Silver.

Equipment was another thing I most likely needed to be worried about. The skills that I had acquired from training with my master for the most part negated the need for armor…but that was only if I fought monsters that were below my current order.

I knew from the forums that I could loot equipment from monsters that I slayed so that was my first course of action. I mean why should I pay for something when I can kill for it.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts I realized that I was already at the gates that separated the town of Nulia from its surrounding farmland and forest.

Two sullen looking guards glanced at me as I walked by.

“You wouldn’t happen to know the way to Lachlin.” I asked curiously.

The guard looked at me for a few seconds before responding in a bored tone.

“Theres no direct path from here. If you had started in Veratha you could have taken the King’s Highway to the south, but the only way to get there from here is to cross through the Twisted Hollow and the Bog of the Barons. Then you should meet with the end of the King’s Highway and eventually hit Lachlin.”

The man prattled on dumping a lot of information onto me. I was beginning to figure out why he was so bored. If I had to stand in one place all day and answer everyone’s questions…well I would probably go insane too.

Once he was finished I thanked him for the information by giving him a silver coin and took off into the forest.

The Twisted Hollow was the name of the wooded area that my master lived on the edge of and I knew the creatures that lived in those woods…intimately.

As I jogged through the familiar woods I noticed the shadows of creatures weaving in and out of the tree’s.

Wolves…my lovely little friends. The ones that hunted me when I was weak. That preyed on me when I had nothing.

Who was the predator now?

“For once I was weak, but now I am strong. My enemies hunger, while I live on. The vanquisher they called me…and blood I doth seek. I hunger for wolves and the wolves are meak.”

I laughed as I sang the words that came to mind. The Song of Renewal activated and gave me a boost like never before. It was the first time I had activated it since it hit the intermediate level.

Once renewal hit the intermediate stage the stat boost that it provided was doubled as well as the time duration, which means it would last for twenty minutes.

I unsheathed the rapier that I held at my side and turned to face the demons that knocked at my door.

The first of the wolves lunged at me with an open maw.

“Rapid Thrust.”

I channeled my mana into the blade and filled the wolf with so many holes that he died before he was able to reach me.

I was used to fighting 1st Order Horned Rabbits and 2nd Order Vigorous Pythons…a pack of mere 1st Order Direwolves was no match for me now.

I didn’t even bother to use Song of the Slumbering on them, because that wouldn’t even make it a fair fight.

Channeling more and more mana into my blade I ripped apart wolf after wolf…until an idea popped into my head.

What if I used my new abilities with my rapier? It was something that hadn’t occurred to me before, but if it worked it might become a formidable weapon to use on my enemies.

I just needed to make a simple stabbing Glamour. It was something I could recall easily from the amount of time I had trained with my weapon.

If I was able to do this I could increase my proficiency as a melee combatant. I could literally add magical feints into my attack combination…but no one would know they are feints.

I practiced drawing my mana to my shoulder and to me head in order to cast the illusion, but it was proving more difficult than I bargained for.

Every time I paused to figure something out…another group of wolves would come from the distance, because of the cries of their fallen foes.

The outer rim of the Twisted Hollow didn’t have any real strong enemies, but the sheer amount of them turned them into a real threat.

My blade was slick with the wolfs blood and I was panting heavily after so many back-to-back altercations.

I was beginning to grow tired and was taking more hits from the surrounding wolves.

Finally I gave in and sang the Song of the Slumbering…

“My mind is racing…the ages turn, but now its time to quietly discern. Slumber and sleep is for the weak…now turn on over and cry for me.”

It wasn’t my best song, but it was hard to think of something whimsical and pretty sounding in the middle of battle…especially when I had to sing the words.

A few of the wolves started to fall to the ground and pass out, but some of them were able to resist the pull of my song.

The ones that were able to resist were probably the leaders of each of the individual groups.

Conserving the remainder of my mana in order to test out my new skills. I wheedled away at the health of the remaining wolves until none remained…unless they were sleeping.

Level Up +1

I was psyched about the level boost, because now I had points to distribute and a skill to figure out how to use.

From what I read in the books in the library, Spells were based on imagination and mana control.

If you think of the spell like gas and the mana like fire…well actually that’s a bad example. That would get me killed.

Anyway the mana is applied to something and you have to control the mana to control the spell. The more mana you use the more powerful the spell.

I sort of skipped over these parts since it wasn’t as interesting than the other information in the books.

I applied mana to my mind, because the mind was the temple for illusion magic just like the throat was for Voice and Song Magic.

Pulling the mana through the pathway in my mind I drew it down to my shoulder.

I was hoping that the glamour would activate right away, but the only thing that happened was a small blur. It seems that I either need to apply more mana or strengthen the thought of the image in my head.

I continued to picture the image of myself thrusting forward and striking down my imaginary enemies with my blade. I pushed more and more mana into my shoulder until the image became clear.

The technique had cost more mana than I had anticipated, but I was sure that after a while of using it I would be able to cut that down.

I practiced the technique while moving. I decided to walk around and pick up some of the loot that the dead wolves dropped.

I was able to scrounge up about 2 Gold, but I was much happier about receiving the equipment. It wasn’t top tier…or frankly even good, but it was better than my starting gear that provided almost no defense.

Torn Leather VestType:LeatherDurability:13 / 15Quality:CommonA Leather Vest that was stolen by a pack of wolves when they killed the adventurer who wore it. +10 Defense and -2 Luck.

Mangled Cloth PantsType:ClothDurability:7 / 10Quality:CommonA pair of pants that were stolen by a pack of wolves when they killed the merchant who wore them. +5 Defense and -1 Luck.

Rugged Leather BootsType:LeatherDurability:11 / 12Quality:CommonA pair of boots that were stolen by a pack of wolves when they killed the merchant who wore them. +7 Defense and +3 Agility.

I stashed a lot of the really bad equipment and kept the ones that were somewhat usable. I was sure by the end of this journey I will have thrown most of this wolf loot out.

My next goal was to figure out how to mask my gem and change my armor, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. I have a mountain of loot and a forest of creatures that are begging to be killed…I might have lost sight of what my end goal actually was.

Chapter 15: Status

Status WindowName:KaiAlignment:NeutralLevel:15Class:BardRace:CherubGender:MaleTitlesSongscryerFame:120Infamy:950-Health:400 / 400Health Regen:3.5 / SecMana:500 / 500Mana Regen:4.5 / SecStamina:550 / 550Stamina Regen:6.0 / Sec-Strength:39 (+44)Agility:48Vitality:43Intelligence:54 (+5)Wisdom:64 (+5)Endurance:63Luck:32 (+44)-Attack:10-15Defense:25 (+65)Physical ResistancesSlashing:15 (+39)Piercing:15 (+39)Crushing:20 (+39)Elemental ResistancesFire:10%Water:10%Wind:10%Earth:10%Light:10%Darkness:10%

Skills/Abilities:

Spoiler : Iron Skin: Intermediate Lvl 3 (28%)

Willpower III: Intermediate Lvl 2 (36%)

Seven Pathways Meditation: Novice Lvl 8 (18%)

Mana Manipulation: Novice Lvl 9 (83%)

Voice Manipulation: Novice Lvl 6 (13%)

Music Mastery: Novice Lvl 6 (42%)

-Song of Renewal: Intermediate Lvl 1 (34%)

-Song of the Slumbering: Novice Lvl 5 (35%)

-Song of Sorrow: Novice Lvl 3 (2%)

Sword Mastery: Novice Lvl 5 (35%)

-Rapier Mastery: Intermediate Lvl 1 (72%)

+Rapid Thrust: Novice Lvl 4 (32%)

Illusion Magic Mastery: Novice Lvl 1 (67%)

-Disguise: Novice Lvl 1 (0%)

-Glamour: Novice Lvl 1 (87%)

-Clone: Novice Lvl 1 (0%)

Equipment:

Spoiler : Swift Iron Rapier (10-15) Atk – (17/30) Durability

Torn Leather Vest (+10) Defense (-2) Luck – (13/15) Durability

Mangled Cloth Pants (+5) Defense (-1) Luck - (7/10) Durability

Rugged Leather Boots (+7) Defense (+3) Agility – (11/12) Durability