Standing in the arena’s rings during sunset gave off a sense of peace, ease, and Zahn could almost smell the freshly-mown lawn of late august heat sinking over the horizon. Opening his eyes to look down from the lovely interlocking shades of red and purple against the thin clouds, he faced a man who gave some semblance to the Guide that met him so long ago in the tutorial. He stood tall and broad, his back curved enough to leave him forever leaning forwards and his dark brown cloak’s many strands hung over his front. The material itself was woven and strung together from so many hides and skins that the shaman looked like a trapper or wild man rather than a mystical summoner of the spirits. Beneath the thick winter’s cloak he remained decked in wrapping layers of fabric and leather, with each new layer of coat or shirt tightly secured by its own accompanying belt or bandolier. From his appearance alone, it seemed he intended to thicken up his attire enough to act as armor while he wove his spellwork. As they faced one another in the largest central ring, the Player briefly contemplated trying to simply talk the man down before triggering his Mana Sight and focusing on his opponent with Observe to learn what he could before making up his mind.

The various wrapped and tucked layers each carried their own type and intensity of magic, so dense that even the three silk sleeves on each arm had their own layers of protection. Where each sheet of protective mana had its limits and clearly only did its own small effort, the patchwork assembly of interlocking layers shielded the shambling shaman as effectively as magical plate armor - and the combined light gave off enough of a shine to put the Custom off balance even before his Observe finished its activation.

The vagabond in question noticed his change after lighting up his eyes, and the old man gave a coughing laugh that echoed alone off the stone walls. “See something, boy?” His voice was wet and raspy, a combination that if in the old world Zahn could have thought meant smoker’s lungs. “I see you have some magic tricks of your own, and I’m glad I wasn’t just seeing things that day. It’s high time we talked.” He settled back on his heels and straightened up, taking a strong posture as the ability finally finished its cycle.

Level: ??? | Shaman Brouhaman

HP: 958 | Disposition: Pained

With both his Observe and his relatively normal Player-vision agreeing on the difficulty, he rolled his neck as he spun up his mana. Focusing on him gave the man a fully red skull next to his health bar, showing a nice and easy indicator for just how outmatched the low-level Player was that evening. Starting with his classic attack, the Custom hefted his short blade and sent a packet of mana into his throat to launch flames.

Seeing the glow, the old man smirked and stepped hard before dragging his foot across the sands. “Fine. We can talk after our little bout. It’s likely warmer in your commons than out here to begin with.” As he finished speaking he drew his dragging foot back to center, and a ripple raced across the sands separating the opponents. Opting to change position rather than keep his shot’s angle, the lowbie leapt off the ground to roll in a somersault and see the wave change angle in a curve to chase him. “Won’t be so easy son, you’re facing me not it!”

The old man’s advice trickled in as the lowbie hefted his ass across the ring, trying to keep ahead of the pulse in the sands. As it traveled after him it gradually got wider, growing from a dinner plate past a trash can lid and quickly approaching the size of a family dining table. The surge of earth chased him relentlessly, each time he ducked to the side or changed direction it simply copied him and when he aimed for its master the old man just chuckled.

“Thanks, I’d hate to chase you about.” Swinging his clenched fist the man missed by a mile - and followed up his attack with an incantation. “Earthen Spear: Fist.” Zahn was mid-step past the caster with his eyes trained on the threat, monitoring both the old man and the strange ripple in the ground that continued to chase him. Without anything watching his path, the Custom ran directly into the new spell.

A thin column of rocks, dirt and roots burst as a unit from the man’s right, directly in Zahn’s trajectory. The mass ended in a clenched fist copying the Shaman’s own right hook, burying itself deep in the Player’s gut and stopping his momentum cold. The lowbie wheezed at the surprise attack and grabbed at the overgrown arm in his navel before the odd ripple finally caught up. Having reached the width of an automobil, the strange mound revealed itself to be a ball growing into a hill directly under his feet, pressing him into the fist from the other direction as it expanded.

-81 Health. Shaman Brouhaman used Earthen Spear: Fist.

-47 Health. Shaman Brouhaman used Earth Surge.

“Before you go,” the old man’s voice sounded from right next to Zahn’s ears, “I plan to meet you again in your commons. We have something to discuss, and I believe you can be of use to me. Pleasant rebirth.”

Zahn tried to answer, gagging with the pressure on his belly forcing air out of his body. He couldn’t inhale, and the constant pain was only growing each second. Dragging his fingers across the construct he tore out roots and pebbles but made no progress towards freedom as his hands stiffened and his vision began to fade from the edges.

Falling into his seat as if having just tended the fire, Zahn patted at his leg for his Grimoire before he remembered he’d just respawned. The dark Shaman sat in his little couch circle around the warm coals as Ethan spooned the man a bowl of soup.

“Okay, that sucked.” Rubbing his stomach, the lowbie nodded at the caster. “Another half level gone just like that so you can prove you have impressive spells. That perfectly smooth stone wall outside the altar room must have been your handiwork as well, given your obvious expertise working with rocks and stone.”

The old man grinned, “Just listen to him trying to butter me up, boy. You’d think not an hour ago his version of greeting was to spit fire. Truly, manners come from exacting discipline on your children.”

Ethan nodded along, smiling as he filled two more bowls. “Surely your wisdom ages as finely as your do, master Brouhaman. He’s behaving better already.” Handing the food to his ward, the blonde picked up his own spoon. “Fun duel, nice to watch. You plan on teaching him those spells, or something else?”

Zahn stopped mid-slurp, his spoon somewhere between cushions. “Wait, you’re going to teach me Earth magic?” The Shaman in question ignored him, eating his food and making appreciative noises. The lowbie glanced between the two a moment before logic burdened its way into his skull. “Ah, excuse me. You mentioned being useful before, master Brouhaman. I take it you intend to offer me something like lessons in exchange for something you think I can do for you?”

The elder smiled again, setting down his bowl. “He does learn, see? One beating and he already knows some basic manners.” Turning from Ethan, he finally addressed Zahn directly. “Your obvious flattery didn’t just fall short young man. You may heap praise on my stonework, but somehow you broke through it without even a scratch. I honestly expected to find a pick and stone saw on your person, but the only thing in your possession remains a certain magical book.” He paused to straighten up, the shadows from the central fire highlighting the lines in his face. “I am no fool, young Player. I would offer you a deal, this one time and no other. Do I have your terms?”

The pause stretched longer than Zahn was comfortable with. “Ah, pardon?” When the caster didn’t answer, he looked over at Ethan, “Is there some ritual around Player knowledge or deals I’m supposed to know going into this thing?”

The blonde snorted into his stew as the old man groaned in protest. “Surely you jest, inter-world traveller?” Zahn cocked an eyebrow as the descriptions became more flowery, “Have not your kind oft made deals that cannot be broken? I have no wish to be beholden to your beck and call three times hence, I have only the desire to broker knowledge for knowledge, magic for magic. Would you truly begrudge me even this meager bargain?”

Zahn waved hands between them, “Woah, woah. Calm your shit old man, I don’t want your fuckin’ soul.” Evidently the wrong words, as the Shaman clutched at his pearls with a white face, but he continued. “You’re not talking like we’re having a conversation and I don’t recognize whatever ceremony you’re trying to pull here. If you want to make a deal, I’m willing to talk about it sure. What’s up with this ‘three times hence shit’ anyways?” He looked between the Gladiators, “you can’t mean I could summon someone like a familiar?”

Brouhaman scowled, staring at the lowbie for a few moments of silence before finally answering. “I have only heard legends of Players capturing souls and summoning Locals, I simply wish to not visit that danger. I offer basic instruction of my magics, in exchange for taking your breaking spell from you.”

Ethan chimed in before Zahn could, still dabbing at his lap with a napkin. “No, don’t take that. He’d rob you of the spell in the process so negotiate for ‘copy’ instead.” The elder Shaman scowled at him, as Zahn grinned at the exchange.

“Thanks for the tip. Anything else jump out at you?”

“Whom do you bargain with, he or I?” The brown-robed caster stood as he raised his voice, his shadow filling the room as his voice filled their ears. “Do not seek to partial the bargain on his behalf, you have not been drawn into the dealings!”

Zahn watched as the blonde warlock visibly shrank away, keeping his eyes on his soup. When he looked back at Brouhaman he had a yellow light dancing behind his eyes and seemed to project something towards the cringing man. So, magic tricks huh? Focusing on his intent and willing the warmth in his chest to move, the Player also stood up and closed his eyes to focus.

“Hey, Shaman dude. About that,” the lowbie slowly opened his eyes as the purple light began shining from his marked forehead, illuminating the sudden shift in Brouhaman’s attitude. “I like when someone wants to speak up, make a deal less shitty for me. I wish he did a few weeks ago. Stop trying to stop him, ‘kay?” Staring at the caster with Mana Sight fully activated and whatever his forehead tattoo was called on blast, the mix of blue and purple lights reflected against his victim’s eyes as a triangle of colored spots.

“I seek from you, Player.” The elder’s voice was choked, nearly a whisper in its raspiness. “I seek a bargain, nothing more. Do not take my soul, I beseech you.”

“Dude.” Zahn flipped off the light show, re-opening the flood gate in his neck and letting the mana drop. “Cut the shit, just stop trying to magically intimidate my only ally here.” Once again releasing the energy almost dragged him down with it, needing a muster of internal effort to remain as clear-headed after losing the mana enhancements to his brain.

Ethan perked up from his spot on the couch. “Uh, what? Magically intimidate? Zee he’s a tier-”

Brouhaman scowled again, looking between the two. “It was nothing, he was trying to bargain on your behalf!”

Zahn sat back down and rubbed at his eyes, “Just fucking. Is it so hard to not try to screw me over? I know what you want, a copy of my opening spell.” Emphasising the word copy as he looked up at the Shaman, he found the old man settling back in his seat as well. “You offered basic knowledge. My understanding of that is you fuck with spirits, what good is that? What are you actually offering me here?”

The dignified caster looked insulted, “You did not just accuse me of molestation of the elemental form. The very idea!” Before he could be corrected, the elder soldiered on. “I speak with the elemental spirits, and I can offer you knowledge. Either understanding of my spiritual lore, deep in its complexity and value, or the basic workings of Earth-type magic.”

Zahn’s eyes lit up with excitement as he glanced over at Ethan during the offer. The Warlock looked excited too, and it seemed obvious which choice was right. He wants the opening circles after all, so it just makes sense to get the spells and unlock how to use it for real. The old shaman wasn’t finished in his lecture, soldering on as the Players listened patiently.

“Of course, it cannot be overstated how the weight of this decision must be burdening you; I can understand any of the other brutes in this establishment may simply select magic for more power but you understand the portent of what I offer. Indeed, the knowledge of the spirits and how to speak their tongues cannot be overstated. Though there are no higher spirits in this area alone, as the plateau was raised by mere mortal magics, there are traces of some older-”

“Yeah I’ll take the spells, thank you. So, you want a copy of my opening pages?” Zahn flipped through his summoned book, finding the glyphs and patterns within moments. He looked back up to see the deflated caster pulling a face as he made his way over.

“In what manner do you wish to honor and enforce our bargain? I am not such a fool as to think you would become beholden to the laws of our lands.”

The Custom thought for a moment, before remembering his father’s words and holding out a hand to shake. “We’ll shake on it. Where I’m from, a handshake is as good as a contract, and is to be honored just like one. We shake, let’s add some mana to make it fit in this world, and go.”

The elder Shaman grasped the offered hand gingerly, gripping with as much force as he dared. Zahn’s eyes stared at nothing as he tried to muster up his mana to move, and felt the warmth answer and flow down his arm. As his mana stopped in his hand, he could feel the other man’s skin far more acutely and briefly contemplated counting the warts and bumps. Before any mischief could be made, a cold ball appeared against his own hand and he could feel the invasive effects of mana identical to the classroom. His body even began to respond appropriately, sending more mana to his head and hand to try and fight off whatever invader dare approach.

Without intending to, both men spoke in unison. “Deal.”

They released hands, Ethan staring from his couch with wide eyes at the sheer ridiculous factor of making a mana-bound oath for a simple spell swap.

“I must emphasize, the knowledge of speaking with spirits-”

“I only have one earth-type ability, and maybe if I had better elemental magic skills I never would have been trapped here to begin with.” Zahn was adamant about unlocking uses for his hard-earned knowledge, and no amount of knowledge that would be useful later could compare against getting freedom now. “Could you please guide me for this exchange? I’ve never traded magic spells before.”

Sitting next to his pupil, the old man sighed. “The task we have agreed upon is not a trade of spells, as you don’t have the magicks of Earth, yet. Show me what you have.” Taking the offered tome, Brouhaman flipped the page back and forth before grunting at the only green pages showing the open spellform. He murmured to himself as he ran a finger over the circles and then the runes before turning back to Zahn with an even stare. “I cannot read this.”

The lowbie blinked and looked back, taking the book and tapping the page. “Well, this is what opened your wall. It’s the same pattern as what I picked up back in the Dungeon, and it opened up to a safe room on the first floor.”

“There is no safe room in the maze,” Ethan chimed in from his side of the seats. “If there was an altar on the top floor everyone would know it. There are so many deaths before reaching the first town it’s not even funny, and if you die without an altar you’re gone. Eaten.”

Zahn blinked at the sudden insight to his romp over a month ago. “So, if say you got surrounded by a bunch of minotaurs and were saved by a flock of friendly arrow fire…”

The blonde snorted out a laugh. “You’d owe that archer your life, and you’d be kissing his feet for the next few days. Cook his meals, what not. Why?”

The Custom thought back to his limited interactions with the Ranger in question, going so far as to even instruct him in Jump and how to move around a melee combat. “Nothing, just remembered a story. But yeah no, this was carved in a wall on a long straight hallway a few turns away from that final battlefield, with the fallen pillars? Yeah, thirteen circles interlocked in a line and feeding them mana activated the ‘open door’ button and let us in. There’s even some seats and a water fountain in it.” The warlock sat staring with bug-out eyes at the statement, soup forgotten in his lap.

“And you retained this copy after activating said door, young Player?” The Shaman studied the patterns again, tapping the runes within the circles. “You must have discovered the correct combination within the lock to such a wondrous area.”

Zahn nodded back, “Yeah, and it let me open your wall too after I filled it with mana. Not ashamed to say, scratching circles in soot is a pain that I don’t want to repeat.”

Shaking his head, the old caster stood. “It seems our bargain cannot be completed.”

Zahn jumped to his feet, spilling his dinner as he grabbed the man’s arm. “No way, we have a deal. Teach me Earth magic, then maybe I can use this thing.”

Considering his pupil over his shoulder, Brouhaman huffed a long breath out his nose before looking pointedly at the hand gripping his iron-hard forearm. Zahn relented and mumbled an apology as he gathered up his soup bowl. The Shaman sat back down further away and fussed with his cloak as he gathered his thoughts.

“Your tutelage should begin with knowledge of the spirits, else you may not wield my magicks properly or at all. The first thing you must know, is each thing is already spoken for.” He gestured around the room before pointing to the ground, “Each thing you see and hear has a master, and must be convinced to change to your own will in the stead. When you command a lump of Earth itself to move, you may collect a rock under your own influence, but that is only at the will and mercy of its master who surrendered the rock to your will. Each space of the ground you may deal with is filled with the energies of its master, and that is the energy you must subvert to gain control.” Zahn nodded along silently, absorbing the lecture while wondering where it would be leading. The elder noticed his impatience and pointed at the ground again. “Test for yourself. Beneath these rugs and planks there lies gravel, stone, dirt, sand. Send your own mana into the ground, see with your accursed glowing gaze and watch.”

Not sure where he was going with the lecture, the Custom pressed his palm to the old rug he’d already spilled soup on and pushed, sending his body’s mana downwards in a wave. Through his Mana Sight, he could easily see his own mana looking like a light blue food coloring spurted into someone’s drink. As he watched the glow he could see the closest shapes outlined were flat, running laterally like planks of wood. Beneath that looked like a mass of static, but after the distortion came slow and thick, flowing as if molasses. He looked back up to his instructor confused as he turned down the sight to see him better past his enchantments. Brouhaman smiled at the frown, waving back towards the seat.

“Now you have seen, but do now know what you have seen. Your own mana may easily flow through lesser claims, such as the air, but when you try to reach down into the denser claimed materials you are stymied. When you have learned to attune to the Earth itself your mana will behave differently within Earth’s bounds, but you will still be dependent on the Master of your domain. Claiming your own benevolent Master will be essential to obtaining a Blessing from Earth.” He stopped and leaned back, giving Zahn’s wide expression a solemn nod.

The lowbie bounced back to Ethan, watching the interaction. “What’s he mean with Blessing?”

The blonde clapped his free hand to his face, shaking his head. “Please ignore that, wise one. He is in need of your lessons, and I’ll handle…” He looked at Zahn with defeated eyes through his fingers, “I’ll handle the rest.”

The old man looked concerned with his eyebrows almost meeting, but continued the lessons without comment. “Very few have been able to earn such a boon from their own Masters, but so long as you are not foolish enough to make an enemy of the one who grants you power the rewards will be great. Reach not too deeply into the realm of the spirits, else they shall equally reach into you.”

Apparently finished with the lecture portion of his lesson, the Shaman flicked his wrist in a circle before pointing downwards to summon a metal wand from nowhere. The weapon shimmered into existence in his right hand and immediately began to glow green with its own inner light. The handle was twisted around on itself with a number of small gemstones giving off the emerald light in the hilt, while the long branch of the focus stood smooth and gray with countless green runes dancing across the surface like lights. Zahn sat captivated, staring at the very magical weapon in normal and mana sight drinking in the details. With his Mana Vision he could see each of the runes running around under the iron surface was in fact a complete pattern identical to his spellforms, with only their central prominent symbol showing up on the top of the weapon. The hilt had a number of what looked like wires running through it, looping around space outside of the metal borders to wrap around its owner’s wrist and ending somewhere inside his arm. As the old caster turned his weapon towards the Player’s face he could clearly see whichever spell had been activated, as the spellform lit up and copied itself into the center of the wand. Staring down the barrel, he could see the lines from the Shaman’s body ended up nesting into spots on the complex circular pattern, feeding power into specific points to fuel the spell.

“This may hurt.” The voice came from far away, seeming to echo through Zahn’s mind before the meaning caught up with him. Light flickered into life on the invisible wires, rapidly filling the lines before powering the spellform and launching something green at his head. The Custom tried to duck and dive to the right, leaving him with the spectacular view of a spell launching out a wand before arcing through the air to chase his face and punch him through the eye.

“Oy, watch it!” Ethan objected as the lowbie hurtled himself into the other man’s lap, before catching the spell in his face anyways. He shoved the single-digit to the floor while retrieving his lost spoon and pointing it at Brouhaman. “Should have warned him it’s bright, the lil’ fuck tried sitting in my lap.”

Zahn reeled on the floor, seeing bright patterns flicker over themselves in one eye and a spinning common area through the other. The green shifting lines and runes began to slow, and he slapped an arm on the seat of the couch he’d fled from. “Thaaaat fucking hurt. I thought you wanted to teach me magic old man?” Finally mustering into his seat, the Custom rubbed at his eye with the hell of his hand.

“I did,” the unperturbed caster slurped from his own bowl.

Glaring at him with his one good eye, Zahn picked up his Grimoire to dismiss it when the alert he’d set up earlier blinked at him insistently. Holding the magic book he used his mental digit to pop open the alert and see what waited inside.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the School of Earth Magic!

You now have access to the following spells: Earth Shape, Earth Shift

You have observed the following Runes: Unknown Pattern

He blinked the alert away, looking back at the old man drinking his dinner. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” came the calm reply. “For my end of our bargain, you still must honor yours.”

Zahn scowled at the reminder as he looked into his Grimoire and found new pages. Inserted in front of his unlocking pattern sat a new chapter cover page for Earth and followed by two new spells. Their names seemed self-evident but trying to read the effects from the Magi script seemed impossible. None of the syntax he’d been making sense of in the Tome seemed reflected on the spell pages and the spellforms themselves had no descriptors for the runes inserted into them.

Flipping back to the pattern, he looked at the green writing with new eyes and considered how to unlock it. “I think I know how, but you’ll have to work with me here.”

Ethan gagged on his soup as the old man stood, “I have been bringing myself to your level all evening, little Player.”

Zahn joined him, walking his book over to a stone wall and waving away the complaint. “Yes, yes, that’s not what I mean. I can probably draw it with Earth magic, but I’d need something to open and I can’t make a wall. Can you do something with this?”

“I cannot pull rock from beneath boards, no.” Brouhaman approached, sounding less irate the longer he spoke. “Perhaps I can pull a sheet for you from the stones in the wall.” Touching the fat bricks, he closed his eyes and muttered something below Zahn’s hearing before leaning back and pulling, bringing a flat sheet of rock with him. From the edges of the panel, the stones in the wall seemed to bleed like liquid flowing in reverse and he extracted more than an inch from each brick in an arm’s reach before he finished. Setting the new sheet of rock down, the Shaman patted the new four foot wide dent in their wall and leaned his project against it. “Your wall,” he announced with a lazy wave.

Nodding his thanks with a cocked eyebrow at the performance, the Custom knelt to his canvas and touched it with his fingertips. Sending mana into the thin material was surprisingly easy, and he found the colors changing from a dim green to his own light blue oddly pleasing.

“I withdrew my own energies from that, to allow yours to fill it. You are welcome.”

Looking back at the Shaman, Zahn blinked and nodded again as he tried to parse what he meant. Shaking his head to focus, the Player flipped to the ‘shape’ page and cast the spell. Pressing his palm against the agate page let the lights flare brighter before dampening to a muted glow and leaving his hand charged with the lights. Swapping hands between tome and target, he pressed his enchanted digits to the rock and flipped back to the page he’d copied by scratch and spit.

“Earth Shape,” he released the spell with a whisper and watched the colors change. His bright blue shifted itself into turquoise before becoming green, gathering in the area he’d envisioned carving the spell into, and shaping the symbols. They stood out from the otherwise flat surface, far too thin and tall for their scale and again pulling on the area around them to grow. When they finished forming Zahn was reminded of impact craters that happened to be filled with some kind of super-sized artwork from the sky. The circles interlocked and carried their own runes, each sitting as pristine and beautiful as he’d first imagined them before carving his freedom.

Zahn blinked a few stinging tears away as he coughed, filling his fingers with mana again and tapping the runes in the right order to activate the magic. Before he could touch the final central rune, the Shaman’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“That’s it, then? The shape and the order?” He nodded, allowing the old man to pull him away from it. “I must attempt this for myself.” Zahn watched as Brouhaman touched the clean stone around the symbols and forced a dark green mana into the rock, hard to distinguish from the magic already filling the surrounding stones. He then touched the shapes in the same order as the Player, reaching the center last and gasping as the small wall obediently broke clean down the middle and pulled to each side, making a scraping noise as it moved across the floor.

“Neat, huh?” Zahn grinned as the old man whiled back on him, eyes wild. “You should have seen the big one, I swear the wall it opened was over a foot thick. Shit’s nuts.”

“Our contract is concluded,” the Shaman announced. He walked at a whirlwind pace to gather his cane and stalk to the door. “I shall see you two in the Tournament.” He opened the doors and left as the Players watched silently, Zahn waiting for him to completely leave before commenting.

“Hard to believe you had a spell he wanted,” Ethan chimed in without preamble. “Usually he just kills his opponent and grumbles his way away, but you actually got magic out of the guy.”

Zahn fell back in his seat, considering his book. “Three spells, looks like.” His page on the mystery pattern now held a copious amount of background symbols, the green text in Magi filling much of the empty space around the patterns he was so familiar with. “I can’t quite cast this one, but I’m sure it’s close.”

Ethan shook his head, putting up the dishes. “Just as long as you don’t hit a minimum level for them, ‘cause I’m fairly sure that old man’s going to beat us into pulp starting next week.”

The lowbie dismissed his Grimoire as he stood and stretched, making his way with the bowls towards the only sink area as he ran the calendar in his head. “Why, we already gave him his duel. What’s the day after tomorrow?”

The blonde Warlock laughed in reply, “I forget, this is your first one. The matches that aren’t watched by the public are a bit less formal, without the stage and all that jazz. You can still get your challenges in, and the Fodder is less restricted.” Zahn nodded along as he scrubbed at the spoons, internally griping at the third set of foodware. “And of course, the rules change. Official bouts are either party-versus-Fodder or a one-on-one match. But these ones, they’re more like a free-for-all King of the Hill.”