Adil had arrived in the hall of research, the spinning crystal in the centre now illuminating the place. He stepped towards the crystal. Looking through the glass he saw how drones brought material from their still continuous excavating. To his side he noticed Steve delegating commands to a person that was growing redder by the minute.

"And when you bring the tea, don't forget to leave it in for two minutes. It tastes better that way." Steve said.

"Will that be all. Sir." Replied the major.

Steve looked towards Adil and drew a broad smile.

"Hi, leader sir."

"I see you've got a new worker."

"Lady Morganna said I could get my own apprentice if I wanted to do more, urr, than get tea."

Adil furrowed his brows at how patronising an apprentice task seemed to be.

"So you chose the major?"

"Well, you did say he was under my command."

"Right." Adil brushed off the new information and went over to Morganna.

On Adil's approach, Morganna drew to his attention."Ah, squires, and the pretty one too."

Swift was idle in the background, trying to chew through a few more crispy mushrooms.

"Hi," swift added with an awkward wave.

Adil looked over to him and then back to Morganna, wondering how he hadn't noticed Swift, illuminated by his flaming cape in the back of the room.

"Right, I was wondering if you could check people's mana. See if using it would still poison them and shorten their lifespan."

Morganna looked towards Adil and appeared to have a stark expression. "When you use your mana do you feel it make you weak?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"When you use it have you ever felt a rebounding effect as though your mana pulls you after you have done using it? It would be as though the mana is controlling you and not you controlling the mana."

"I don't believe so, why?"

"It is strange you can be so strong yet know so little. As essence is the tempered mana within a person, a person or thing's essence is a more crystalline form of mana, semi-permanent and able to be altered. When a person normally uses their mana it pulls at and infects their essence. The cave prevents this. It is something the spawn crystal changes within a person. I have reason to believe it could stop all damage it does to a person."

"You couldn't have told me before?" Adil asked almost patronisingly.

"I didn't expect you not to know, in fact, it has come to my attention the title of squire has little bearing on your competence. Now leave me be now, so I might understand more of what you clearly do not."

"Ok, but in fifteen minutes come to the front of the large cavern, I'm going to address everyone."

Adil sulked slightly walking away, he looked towards Swift getting a slight smirk in reply and wondered out the door. He had an army to equip and the faster everyone could use mana the better.

Adil went to the front of the large cavern and waited, he saw the occasional person start gathering, they spoke and conversed. Eventually, larger amounts of people seemed to appear, as the final ones moved in they appeared to be in the rags you would get after a recent death.

Over a hundred members of his guild were now present. Griffon coughed and shouted for attention at the sight of me waiting. Each person in the guild seemed to grow silent, a few of them awkwardly shuffling about, Morganna smiling down but others stoutly held their chin high. Adil felt it was his time to talk.

"Hi, everybody. I have in this bag, something you will all need to perfect the use off. An item that will give us a massive advantage against anything and everything that we as a group will be up against. But first, to use it you will have to use magic."

The room went like *aah omg Adil you're so cool* he thought. *and professional, pretty professional*.

"Now I know this is a big favour, but I hope if I help you with this, you will help the cave with whats to come."

"You have to be joking," a voice shot up. A man in a soldiers uniform, he was quickly punched in the arm by another one.

"Do you not care if we die?" Asked the other one.

Adil ignored them,

"Now who wants to go first?" He asked, the room turning deathly silent.

"Surely someone would love to jump at the opportunity."

One of the soldiers put up a hand before it was pushed down again by another.

"Why are you so hesitant?"

"Mages don't live very long do they." A younger one of them said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if they're human, people that use magic tend to die in a few months." Another said into his ear: "He obviously knows that."

After a moment of pause, Adil said.

"Come again?"

"Well, you know. Their arms turning funny and growing veins and that, and sometimes they even turn. Like.. into monsters.."

"Then how come the priest or frost mage was so old?"

"Because he's a high up in the church, the church has a special blessing from the high elf."

"Well, now you have my blessing," Adil said, seeming to give shaky and hesitant glances from the ones around him.

The room grew silent, a few shuffles and disconcerting coughs. Morganna giving a sly smile.

"Who wants to go first?" Adil asked wide armed amongst the crowd

One of the younger soldiers stepped forward. He saw into the bright eyes of the man, the soldier was awkwardly wearing blate amour seemingly too big for him. Further, he was clearly intimidated by Adil's presence. Adil put his hand to the boys head.

As Adil tried to connect his mana with the boy's essence he was once again brought into sight of the young man's past.

He was at the scraping something off his foot under a stone bridge in a well-built city. The bridge was a fair amount higher than where he was, the space above high enough he could rest against the wall.

"You're not really going to try out for the church's army are you?" Asked another boy.

"Yeah, and I'm going to be the best soldier."

"Do you think they would let some lowborn whores child be a soldier?"

"Shut up Derek," he said and threw the rock he was using to scrape the shit off of his shoe at him.

Derek laughed, Adil somehow knew they were both born from people in the same brothel.

"What makes you want it so bad?" Derek asked in a serious tone now.

The boy smiled towards him, a glint in his eye. "I like the way they look in their shiny armour."

"If you like scrapping shit off things, you can just do that, see all the armour you want."

"I don't want to scrape shit, I want to be a soldier." He said. he took out a small piece of shiny metal from his pocket, he had taken it as a memento, some broken piece of armour he had shined. He looked into the gleam of the metal and had the subtle thought to himself, this is only the beginning.

Adil broke out of the dream-like vision and saw a light emanate around the young lad. The soldier caused gasps from everyone around as he forced his mana into a pure light dazzling everyone around.

Notification

Elon has developed the ability to control light mana. He has the trait flash, able to momentarily blind select targets.

As Adil went through the process of unlocking their magic he slowly grew to understand how the world was, the world of the people in his guild. Though not everyone stepped forward and furthermore, not everyone could get their magic unlocked. Many of them

The soldiers here were a unit of misfits. Many sent on this mission because of their upbringing, because they were mercenaries, criminals, or in some way handicapped. Others because they were incompetent yet only held in the military because of politics and upbringing. The goblins, they were peaceful, their life tortured by the taint, thoughts incoherent in their strife, Each of them living difficult lives.

He held hands over Urakle, a name that made Adil think off a cross between batman's Barbra Gordons, "the oracle" and Steve Urkle, the one famous for saying "Did I do thaaat?"

When he was drawn into Urakle's memories he saw him looking over at one of the other goblins, he was partly cured of the curse along with many of his brethren that had met Morganna. In the vision he was small, one of the goblin's that roamed the maze.

Urakle was looking down at a bunch of ants, he had arranged them to go along specific paths, digging out slight lines in the dirt. Adil could almost hear Urakles thoughts.

*Yes, Yes. Efficient, your mindless running served no purpose.*

*Now they bring food to their queen, do they not know who their real master is*

*A Beatle has arrived, the ants will win, I have given them the advantage if they do not surely they deserve their fate.*

*Hah, they won but their actions were miserable, I will redouble the plan and lead them to further heights*

He drew a line across the dirt, reducing the light exposure and giving the ants a set path, after a while, it appeared that the nats were waiting for the path to be set before they moved on.

*Ah, so you do know who your master is*

*good,*

he laughed to himself, and contemplated the future, knowing full well, it was only the beginning.

As Adil was brought back into reality, he saw a stern expression from the goblin. He resonated with a newfound power that cascaded from him in waves of purple and black.

"Please do not tell anyone else what you just saw," he chimed.

Notification

Urakle has developed the ability dark clone. He can create a clone of himself out of mana and command it according to his will.

Another peculiar case was that of Harold, the man with an unusually loud voice.

After placing his hand on the man and connecting with his mana Adil came to see a vision of Harold standing on the street staring at everyone else, a man caught a small ball thrown his way.

"NICE CATCH GRIFFON DO YOU TRAIN OFTEN?"

"Thanks, mate and no I dont," Griffon replied.

"NO PROBLEM GRIFFON, YOU MUST BE NATURALLY TALENTED."

"Thanks again, really, but you can ease up on those compliments."

"OK,"

Then, Adil, had a strange thought come through,

*this is only the beginning.*

Exasperating Adil when he saw the pleased expression on Gerald. The slight glow permeating his skin and the expression of awe he had upon coming out of the vision.

Gerold exclaimed "THANK YOU OH GREAT LEADER."

Notification

Harold has developed power over the mind affinity. Using compliments Harold can give buffs to those around him.

notification

You are complimented,

Take 5% bonus to stamina regeneration.

*This may have been a mistake* Adil thought to himself. The varied abilities people have appeared to be profound.

About to finish Adil had an old man in worn armour come towards him, when Adil looked at him through his mana sight he could see a strong energy within him, a seemingly untapped potential. Adil placed his hand on the man.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Oh, well, I was ready long ago."

Adil was brought into the man's mind. He felt a push, it was as though there was a barrier preventing Adil from reaching the man's essence. Adil pushed harder, tinging his tendrils of mana with a dagger-like arrowhead of electricity. He shot through the barrier and went into the man's essence.

Notification

You have disabled a barrier set up around a person's essence. Their memories are now released.

Adil was suddenly brought into the memory.

He saw a man with a great smile, proudly wearing his armour standing in a great corridor of a divine building. The front of the door opened and A man in priestly robes walked in. The outside held bustling people shouting as if in a riot. Suddenly the man in armour knelt in respect for the priest. The priest appeared to be in a rush and paid little attention to him.

Then the man saw the priest drop something, a small gem that rolled away from his robe.

“Sir!” The man shouted, but only got a disdainful look in reply as the priest hurriedly walked on.

The man looked around and then quickly went to grab the item before following the direction the man had walked.

He heard talking in a room and thought about entering, how he should not disturb the people inside but should give the item to them regardless. He doubted his very actions and instead decided just to wait.

He overheard the talk inside.

“I am sorry to bother you sir, but the peons again pester for answers. They wonder why they must starve whilst you live comfortably.” The priest chimed.

“The humans follow their religion, they do not believe that the church is without reason. There is no need to answer the questions, the church is and always has been absolute. You only have to ask for faith.”

“You are gracious with your words as you are with the humans.

*hah*“Surely you jest, the humans are just a resource to be controlled. A disposable asset that those of higher design might use to their fit. I merely say that if we help or do not it will not affect their loyalty.”

“As you say it must be sir.”

“Of course.”

“Yet I must ask, why hunt those that use magic when it’s use would do little more than shorten the lifespan of the humans.”

“The answers will come in time. It is fear. There is a revolution coming to the world of magic and we cannot let the power slip from our hands.”

The soldier waiting outside was lost in thought from what he had heard. He dropped the gem he was holding, and it clattered on the ground. The priest quickly walked outside and met the soldier's gaze as he was attempting to pick it up seeing a slight worried smile on the soldier’s face.

Adil was brought out of the memory. Suddenly a floor of mana rushed forward, Adil had a mental glance quickly into a memory of the soldier at a younger time playing around in the mud. The mana that was rushing out appeared to have a brown hue to it.

Everyone around appeared to be taken back in shock at the sight of the man, gasping for air as the brown mana was released into the air. Mud appeared to be coagulating over his skin and dripping to the ground. Soon a blue vein appeared over patches of skin, and his eyes looked a shade of blue.

Notification

Guild member Christoph has developed an earth shaping affinity. He has developed the ability of mud flow.

Mana stability unstable

Enable spawn crystal mana use to prevent guildmembers forced mana overdrive?

Yes/now

Estimated requirement 0.7% mana.

Adil quickly chose yes and saw the mana stop leaking, appearing to be now contained. The man passed onto his knees and the blue started retracting from his skin. Gasps came from the audience as they saw the mana poisoning retracted. The mud coating his skin was brushed off.

“Get him something to drink and help him wash the mud off,” Adil said to a few waiting nearby.

The looks of the others in the area seemed to suggest they were off-put by the process. Adil had gone through half of them, and even that half appeared to be worried about what had occurred.

“I think that’s enough for now, if you want to continue we can do this at a later date.”

The masses departed leaving Adil to stand and contemplate on what happened. Morganna had a puzzling expression in her eyes, she walked over to Adil.

"What did you just do?" She asked.

"There was a block around his essence, suppressing a memory. I released it and his mana went out of control."

"that shouldn't be possible." She insisted.

"I think I've heard that from you before."

"It's that when I look at you, and your friend's they do not seem to be different. But your power stretch beyond what is normally capable. You have abilities which would shake the fabric of society."

Adil just raised his eyebrows in insistence for her to continue.

"You will need to keep what you have just done a secret, there are many who wish certain things not to be known. Certain things you may be one of the only keys to releasing."

"When it comes in useful, I'll let you know."

"Child, you do not know what you have, or likely are," Morganna said and began to walk off.