==[[ System Interlude by Naron ]]==

A Beginner's Guide to Powers, granted by local ordinance to Beatrove, in his 80th year.

I don't even know why I'm writing this. Honestly, I can't even begin to comprehend why a noble's child would need a book about this kind of thing, of all things, but then again I'm not paid to ponder the thoughts of a child. I've been paid to write a lesson on introductory concepts simply because the child is too scared of other people. Honestly, I'd be amazed if he could even read this, considering he is reportedly only 2 years old. So, I guess I might just be writing this for the future version of that kid. So, hi.

Your old man decided that I should probably tutor you, me being a local teacher and all, but when I first saw you in person, you decided to scream and run away from me. I mean, I can understand why someone might do that as my form is pretty scary to someone that young. It still hurt my feelings, though. If you can find it in yourself to not think about my appearance while reading this, it would probably help. Well, you probably don't remember, do you? I guess I should probably describe myself, not too many of my kind are in Aldemere, let alone in central Guansong.

I am a Kobolt. That basically means I look lizard-like and have an innate ability to control the natural forces. To be sure, I'm probably a bit more experienced in the lightning aspect than most of my kind, excluding the war mages. I have a mouth that juts out of my face and eyes that are slitted. I have a somewhat long tail. My scales are a particular shade of brown, though I forget the particular name for it. My hands are more like claws, so you can understand how difficult it is to write anything down without--(/\///)

Sorry. The quill broke again. Made the ink splotch a little. Anyway, you'll probably find more of that in my future writings. After all, I'm supposed to be a personal tutor. I guess that's as much as I can say, as your father is currently standing over my shoulder. Yes, I can see you sire. I'll get to the descriptions now.

For someone like us, basically mortals, there are three ways to get natural powers. Now, I won't be talking about some of the more complicated bits until much later, so for now I'll just focus on our natural strengths and the mere basics of them. Of these, I'll try to teach you a bit of them later on. Be sure to note, that there will be other tutors that will likely be more specialized in those particular fields I'm not too good at. Now, onto the main purpose of this little literary work. Powers.

As I was saying, well I guess the better word for it would be writing, before, there are three main ways for a mortal to achieve power. Of these, two are more widely known and probably easier to do than the third.

The first is probably the easiest way to achieve power. Before I go into depth about this, I must first state that I would not want you to pursue this path to achieve power and I think your father would agree with me on this. Most who delve into this type often have to break their 'thought container' for it to properly function. The consequences of which are usually death if they are not able to control that first burst of energy. I understand that for those at your age, you probably put those learned mages upon a pillar, but you must remember not to head down that path. I am told that this is because your older sister is already making a hallmark in it. Also, breaking your mind is simply not advisable under the circumstances. You are, after all, the first son your father's ever had.

The second way is the second easiest and also the way that I will be trying to teach you, that of the body. The body is essentially an instrument for one's own will. If you push yourself in the right ways, and have the right amount of energy to perform those actions, you can harness that energy to bless your body with specific qualities. Some of those are simple in mind and concept. For example, one could harness their energy to make oneself able to endure scorching heats or become resistant to blades. What I aim to teach you is something more complex, that being putting the touch of affinity to your body without suffering the consequences that getting a natural one would afford you. For example, I have managed to put lightning into my bones. I am now the fastest in my family, even better than my wind affinity brother. This has also enabled me to inflict paralysis, albeit only for a short time, upon those who touch me without consent. Once you get over your fear of me, I would much rather try to show you this in person and walk you through the steps rather than simply speak upon them.

Your father has expressed some concern that I haven't talked about the third way to earn power yet, so I'll go into what knowledge I have upon it. I honestly don't know what he expects me to say about it though. I've only had passing occurrences with monks, but I guess I should probably try to give you some introduction to the ideas of one who may be a future tutor. If you couldn't tell already, the three paths to attain power lie in the three main aspects of what makes a person. For magic, one must free and control the energies of the mind. For enhancement, one must connect and control the energies of the body. So, what's the last thing missing? Why am I writing a question in a book? I'll just state the answer plainly, it is the soul. You must understand that I personally do not know what messing about in the affairs of souls actually do. I haven't had much experience with it, other than seeing others use it to perform actions that I thought weren't possible. Ending a fight without a spell nor a weapon. Having the world around you perform to your whims and not forcing yours upon it all. Things like that.

Anyway, I hope this helped at least get a grasp as to what you are going to have to deal with in the future. Besides politics, economy and such. Basically noble things. Since this is basically the introductory for the absolute basics, in the future there will be more chapters containing how the powers relate to gods, the first occurrences of powers in history, the habits that might form from others that dabble in them, as well as more detail on how each power works. Keep in mind these installments will be written every other day, so once you're able to read, I just want to say I'm sorry for the impeding coursework that you'll have to deal with. I hope that this helped at least a little bit, Marwall before we head more in depth into the history.

==[[ ]]==

"Well...it looks to me like this is a fine mess.' His eyes gained a bit of clarity as he looked out over the plains, some of the spikt existing from his pores and soaking his fur. The monster seemed to be green in its entirety which meant it was either one of three things. It was meant to camouflage amongst the grasses, it had some element of poison in it, or it was made up of plants. To Marwall, it was more than likely the first or the second than the third. Plant monsters were a rare thing to begin with after all. Having one appear out here seemed almost like an impossibility due to the desert to the south.

Marwall was debating whether or not it was worth it to try and just run away. He figured that running away is, almost always, the most appropriate action to take. In this case though, there were a few problems regarding that. The first, was that the alpicus was almost the slowest drive one could ask for. Sure, it was one of the better haulers, due to the muscles it had, but it was undeniably slow in terms of endurance running. If he wanted to get away with his life, he'd have to run on paw. However, that came with its own set of problems.

Marwall wasn't all that strong. He could, at most, only carry one or two bags of his goods out of the 35 that he had, given that most of them were heavy metallic items. He would lose much of his income if he left the carriage behind too. It also came with the fact that his legs weren't exactly made to carry anything heavy in the first place. His best bet, to him at least, was to just grab his pack and abandon all the hard earned cash and goods. That was the only way he could run away and still keep his life.

Since that was an obviously unacceptable outcome to him, he'd have to stay and fight. However, that was something that he hadn't really done before. Sure, there were mock battles he was a part of before he became a merchant, but even then he hadn't seen the need to train his strength or his speed. The only thing that he could possibly use, was his teachings.

So with a slight doubt creeping up inside his thoughts, and his body shivering in anticipation, he brought to mind all he had learned in his 35 years. His body gained the strength of stal, his claws became serrated, and his eyes became slits. Gaining the attributes of earth and darkness, was not an easy task, however. Trying to maintain balance between two differing attributes was a task in and of itself. One attribute was all that most could easily handle and controlling two attributes took focus beyond the attention of most people. Thankfully, enhancement also had the dual effect, in this case at least, to get rid of the alcohol that was within Marwall's body faster than the single enhancement he was using before. Now he could see and judge quite clearly, and he was happy to say that he wasn't being paranoid.

However, even that small glint of happiness did nothing for what was ahead. His enhanced perception and clear mind now filled in some of the blanks. The creature ahead was a monster and it was green, as he had originally perceived. However, his original assumption was now proven incorrect. It was indeed a plant monster. He noted the lithe build as well. Whatever it was, while it had bulk, its hunched back and four thinnish legs easily gave evidence what this thing was made for. Speed. It was meant to overtake any escaping prey and maul it to death. What troubled Marwall, though, wasn't the creatures frame, but his lack in knowledge. He had never met or had known anyone who had met a plant monster, of course.

The only thing he was certain of, was that there was no Vian domain around here, so the monster couldn't have been made from anything belonging to her It might've come from Marank's in the caldera that was nearby, but he was more known for monsters of flesh lately, rather than anything else. It could be an escapee from Deryl's dominion, but that was a couple of towns away. If it was able to get this far and nobody had sent anything by mail to warn travelers along the roads, then either this thing was something that had been able to sneak all the way into the interior of the kingdom, or Marank was finally taking a personal approach to plant-type monsters after two centuries of his work.

However, his analysis of the beast was cut short when it suddenly vaulted towards him. Sure, it was still a few heront away, but it was able to cross several of them within one second. If he didn't do anything now, he'd most likely die a painful and horrific death...Well, it was either that, or the monster feasted on some other emotion besides pain, but in Marwall's opinion, it was better to be safe than sorry.

So, with as much concentration as he could muster, he used the only ability that he had been born with. [Earth Wall]. He entombed himself within a large walled off square. He made it about a carriage and a half away from him in all directions, as he didn't want to spook his alpicus too much. It was one thing to be safe with a sudden wall in-between you and a large predator, it was another to be completely enclosed with the feeling of being trapped. With that, he waited. Waited for the sound of pounding or scratching, or even the earth moving beneath his very feet. If it was a plant type monster, it wouldn't be all that impossible for it to use roots to trap prey.

But there was nothing.

Nothing except a single voice saying, "Hey, are you okay in there?"

Marwall's eyes widened. The voice sounded...off. Sure it was able to speak common tongue fairly well, but he could detect an undercurrent of some other sounds. It was a skill's effect and not an actual language that someone had learned. The only thing that Marwall could think about that was [Mimicry]. Some monsters were known to have that ability to lure their prey into a false sense of complacency. He wouldn't be fooled so easily. That was when a different voice rose above the din. Well, it would almost be a complement to call it a voice. The sound it made was like the branches of trees trying to find a harmony with wind, while rubbing together quite aggressively.

'Two monsters? But I only saw one. Wait, what if...' Marwall thought. He couldn't exactly take down his wall to check.

"I know Plant. They're the first thing we've seen in ages that have been walking around. I should've known you might've scared him off." More creaking.

"Look, I get it. You're big, but it isn't like you can control what size you are." Some sharp snaps followed by a rustling.

"Alright, well how are we supposed to talk to them anyhow. It isn't like they've even said anything." At this, Marwall remembered an application he found for Earth Wall a while back. Reversing it, gave Earth Pit, while diminishing the power he gave it, allowed him to adjust its height/depth. He wasn't too sure if it worked sideways, but he was at least willing to try. If nothing happened, he'd assume it was just two monsters and try to make a tunnel underground for his alpicus. If something did happen, however...Well, there would be an interesting story there. He poured his focus into the effort of doing something so delicate, and then released his concentration with a sigh. He had done it. He had written when there was no paper. He had done something new with his ability, something that made all his previous purchases of paper appear a bit less necessary.

"'Who are you, friend or foe?' What the ~place of eternal damnation~? Wait, could it? Me and Plant are friends! He's a good boy. We're sorry if he scared you too bad." Ahh. Marwall sighed in relief. It was just an expert tamer. Dear merciful gods. His heart wouldn't stop pounding. He feared that if it was a monster it could just climb over the wall. It wasn't like he could make a ceiling over his enclosure. He changed the words.

"Yeah, don't worry. He's perfectly tamed." A slight rustle.

"I know I know. You're a wild animal who can't be contained, look it's fine. This is the first ~gods damned~ person I've met in forever that wasn't actively trying to take over my mind. I feel like he could at least help us, alright?" A slight shift in lettering.

"Alright. We'll make sure to stay still. I understand you might be a bit frightened of his appearance though, so I would suggest maybe...not screaming at him. His ego is very fragile." A sharp snap.

"I just thought you might appreciate it if he wouldn't bad mouth you in the future, ok? I'm not trying to imply anything here. " A brief rustle occurs before dying down to nothing.

"So...are you going to pull down your walls or are we going to sit out here without seeing you?" Marwall prepared himself before releasing the walls. They fell back down to earth, with only a slight outline regarding where they were pulled up from the ground. Light filtered back into the space properly and he was slightly blinded due to his enhanced vision before he saw what had made his alpicus tremble in fear.

It was a wolf. Sure, it was made of moss, leaves, ivy, and wood, but it was still a wolf all the same. It was also a fair bit bigger than an average wolf. It was only slightly less tall than his alpicus, and before he could bring up his walls again, he noticed the...thing sitting on top of it. He didn't really know what to make of it. It wasn't kobolt, ev, orc, or even a bast like him. Sure, it had the same traits as a lot of them, preferably more taken after the ev, but it's body was built slightly different. It's legs were far thicker than any ev's, and it had no fur on it's visible body, like a bast's. It did not even have a tail like a kobolt, and it's nose wasn't like an orc's. An undiscovered tribe, maybe. It would certainly make sense, judging that the only things on its being were plant coverings and a leafy satchel dangling off of its shoulder.

"Oh my god, you're wearing clothes. It's been so long since I've had any proper ones. And look at you. You're so short, it's adorable! You're almost like a [cat] that I used to have around." There was a brief rustle from the wolf, before Marwall inwardly sighed. He motioned them to come closer. He guess he couldn't fault it for gushing over him like that. If he hadn't seen one of his type before, he'd doubt he'd seen his either. While this was almost a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for him, he supposed, he dreaded having to deal with this...man, it appeared. Tourists were always the hardest to deal with, in his experience as a merchant.