Vol. 1 - Chapter 17 - Caught by Thieves

Finishing his first training session, Mathias went to the square fountain nearby to get a bucket full of water and use it to clean his body covered in sweat, after that, he went back to the shop.

Eating some freshly baked pastries made by Fayrene to fill his stomach, the two went back after eating to continue their work on the dress, which began to take shape like the sketches Fayrene has done.

Mathias observed and studied all of Fayrene's movements and actions like he was Neo downloading the Matrix, while at the same time assisting her with the equipment she needed, and at the same time starting to do the handwork himself.

Cutting the fabrics that she would later use for other projects and placing the thread on each of Fayrenes needles to ease her work. In this manner, she would be fully efficient with her movements while Mathias was beside her, feeling the process of making the dress so enjoyable compared to her making it alone.

"Mathias, I need another thread on the needle. Bring the purple thread, please." said Fayrene after taking a needle that had the wrong threat placed on it.

"Aye, mistress. I got them ready just for you." chuckled Mathias next to Fayrene while quickly moving to the tailoring table and picking a roll with purple-coloured thread that he later placed on the workstation.

Fayrene kept on sewing on the fabrics with delicate movements while Mathias was there assisting her with cleaning the chalk marks, straining the fabrics so she could cut them precisely, and so on.

He really enjoyed himself, doing all this work, especially when she would let him cut the fabrics and even try to sew the parts that didn't require much skill.

'Ohho, if I don't show off to my mom at Christmas when I come back home with those smooth sewing movements, I can't consider myself a bragger.'

'What else should I learn? I know cooking, I know how to wash clothes by hand, cleaning my place, so I don't get intoxicated by mushrooms and spores, and now with this new ability of sewing. I am complete! I reached my final form. Hah, easy, I start sounding edgy again.'

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Fayrene, who watched Mathias wide smile as he was sewing, also gave off a smile before giggling.

"Is something on my face?" asked Mathias, who was sewing some straps of the dress calmly.

"No, I just found funny how happy you seem to be able to sew. Remembering how pathetic you acted just 6 days ago, this is a large step forward."

"Ahem, you know, Fayrene, there is something from where I am called needlepoint tapestry where you can create drawings and pictures by sewing with different collared threads. It is like how an artist would draw on a canvas, only that with this form of art you would use the sewing techniques and a unique canvas."

"Really? There is such a thing? Do you think it could sell well with the people in the city?"

"You bet, Fayrene. Probably if we do that, we will be the first ones on the market. We could take commissions from people about what pieces they want, and we would start sewing the tapestry. What money you would make from creating clothes, doing tapestry would yield the same if not more until other competitors appear on the market."

"I don't know, Mathias, I don't even know what you are referring to. Can you try making an example for me, and maybe I might consider?"

Hearing her soft agreement, Mathias nodded his head and said to her calmly.

"However, while we might do the tapestry, don't forget your roots. Your clothes and ideas are dazzling and could make any wealthy lady jealous of your creations."

Fayrene blushed a bit, remaining quiet. Lucky for her, Mathias was focusing on sewing the fabrics at that moment.

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Mathias finished his work and left Fayrene to take over. Both worked until night approached, point where they stopped and prepared for another day.

Following this, Mathias took the opportunity to read a bit the Arcane Tome and pick up the basic spells mentioned by the Archmage, something that Fayrene had no complaints about, knowing that he wouldn't put her in danger.

Standing at her chair while she went to the bathroom to prepare herself for sleep, he began reading on the Archmage spells, starting with the [Arcane Missle].

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A spell formulated to guide and enhance your control over the mana while releasing a projectile conjured by mana.

The more control you have over your mana, the easier it will be for you to concentrate and release the projectile.

For you to utilize the spell, it requires you to have a complete understanding of the spell structure and formula. >

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This spell porpoise is to strengthen and amplify your mana and intellect for a period of time, undefined, being something that is standardized by your Mana Core and intellect.

Compared to [Arcane Missle] or [Arcane Barrier], this spell requires more time to study and understand the spell structure and formula.>

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This spell little apprentice, along with Arcane Missle, should be your closest friend while fighting against someone.

The fundamental usage of this spell could be said to be coming from my primordial ancestors who became the High Elves, and it is the lifeline of any arcanist.

For what use would be the attacking spells if your defense is similar to the newly bred Kobolds, creatures serving that Dragon Queen Tiamat. This is why you have to get used to this spell.

Learn and study the spell formula diligently, my distant apprentice.>

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The spells formula as they were shown in the book were, aside from being written in a foreign language that he or Fayrene understood, also contained a complicated activation formula that he had to understand to cast it.

Then, when he saw Fayrene get back in her sleeping clothes, he asked her while massaging his head.

"Fayrene, how did you manage to learn [Arcane Missle], [Arcane Intellect] and [Arcane Barrier]? I can barely make sense of these spell structures and arrangements, not to talk about the language I have to cast it."

Hearing Mathias, she coughed a bit while moving to the table and gazing at the spell he was reading and said with an awkward tone.

"I don't know how to explain to you how I learned those spells. I just read the incantation in my mind and then concentrate on my mana core and later cast the spell."

"Wait, what? This means you didn't even have to figure out this complicated diagram and how each node of the spell is positioned?" asked Mathias, feeling baffled by what Fayrene confessed, while turning his head at her, seeing her laugh awkwardly.

"Hey, haven't I told you I am not really capable of teaching you and that there are also many things I don't understand? Well, now you should know why I told you that."

"Then can you show me how you do the [Arcane Barrier]? Maybe I will get some inspiration." asked Mathias while staring right at Fayrene's face.

Fayrene pondered for a bit before nodding her head, agreeing with his request, and with a long breath and exhale, she turned serious from her awkwardly laughing state.

Mathias composed himself and gazed at Fayrene, whose face turned serene, and slowly he could feel some mana appearing around the room. Later, in one minute of silence, her body began to slowly emit a gentle white-purple light that started to deepen with each second she had her eyes closed.

It was when Fayrene opened her eyes that shined with a white-purple light around her body, an aura of white-purple enveloped her in a protecting sphere.

"I don't know if you understood what I did there. But in a sense, I try to focus on the incantation and cite it in my mind, and then guide my mana core to carry the power for the skill." explained Fayrene, while her body was inside a white-purple sphere, radiating with intense energy, a visual effect that made Mathias believe that these spells weren't regular.

"Sigh, I doubt I will be able to mimic that. My visual memory is only good for exterior images, not things going inside me. However, many thanks for showing me how the spell works. It means a lot in reassuring my commitment in trying to learn those spells at a faster rate."

"Mathias, no need to rush. I will let you read the tome for as long you wish. Just don't do something stupid like me that you will regret." rushed Fayrene to remind Mathias about the consequences of rushing himself with the arcane magic.

Nodding his head and thanking Fayrene for her patience, he let her sleep while he continued reading the arcane tome and finding many empty pages that had him pondering.

'How could this be? Empty pages, is there a mechanism for those pages to fill up? My INT stat is too small for me to read the blank pages? Or I don't have the right Mana Core for this?'

'Hah, that Archmage sure thought of many things to keep his magic existing after all this time. Who is he? He talks about some reset and not being able to escape into the Astral Dimension. That he is the only one of his kind to be alive. This information should be important for the later part of the game. Most likely. I am holding on a rope, but how long it is, I have no clue.'

'Parasites? Archangels? Archdemons? The parasites should be the Gods of this World, but why call them as such? There's even the humans who got scammed by the parasites, Gods in this case, triggering the second reset?'

'By the Lord, this is really complicated, so I will try to solve this puzzle when I reach at least half of their level and power.'

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Mathias put his worries and lingering thoughts at the back of his mind, and after he got enough of reading, he closed the tome and moved out of the room with the smoothest steps he could possibly walk around. Why? Because he didn't want to wake Fayrene, who was sleeping so gently in her simple bed.

She was at her weakest in those moments, even revealing her burnt right arm that was slighty covered by bandages

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Back at his quarters, he looked at the game timer showing 2:10 AM and felt that he had nothing better to do since he wrote the chapters for his story in his first session.

Once outside, he looked at the bright moon and walked to the courtyard, taking a seat on the green field.

"Should I try moving outside the city and try myself against some wild beasts? By normal standards, they are supposed to be active at night."

This thought stuck hard in his mind, making him unable to plan another schedule for this night. Moment where he finally got on his feet, changed himself in the [Cidarian Clothes] and [Saharan Hunting Boots] and began walking to the South Gate, relatively close to his district.

Getting off from his close neighbourhood, he could feel the stillness of the district sink in silence. It looked like only Mathias was the one strolling on the dark streets of Titan districts, but as he was approaching closer to the gate, he heard all of a sudden the sound of sprinting people close by.

This sound was getting closer and closer to him, having Mathias alerted, contemplating the next set of action.

'Don't tell me? Are they after me? Thieves? Isn't this too fast for me to encounter them? I am still weak and can't face strong NPC's. Let's hide for now.'

'[Raven's Movement]'

The moment Mathias sorted out his plan, he activated [Raven's Movement] and began running to another alley of the district, leaving in his path some shadowy raven's feathers to drop on the ground.

Mathias's speed was something that even he got shocked. He never imagined he could run so swiftly as if he was an Olympian, but it only lasted for one minute when his MP hit the bottom of his MP vessel since [Raven's Movement] consumed a considerable amount of MP for each second.

He peeked from where he was hiding under the cover of some wooden boxes, seeing minutes later some hooded people, amounting to 3, wearing only black.

They stood in place to where Mathias was standing not too long and said to each other.

"Why do I get the feeling we encountered Crow? But why would he choose to move off?"

"No idea, but if the one we saw really is Crow, we shouldn't follow up. The boss told us to keep our hands in the pockets when it comes to high profile people inside the periphery."

"Tsk, you are right. Let's move and search for another target since that bastard Michael seems to have taken another contract. Where was that one?" inquired one of the hooded guys, who pronounced the name 'Michael' with a hateful tone.

"I heard from other hunters in the city that he choose to go for the Fold Kingdom and fight some Mummy Lords."

"Damn, that desolate kingdom? Do they even got money to hire that bastard?"

"Probably not, but are profiting over that idiot."

As the third hooded person said that, they moved from their place, making Mathias exhale at ease.

Waiting some minutes more at his hiding spot, he exited from his hiding and resumed his path to the South Gate. Not encountering any obstacles in his way, he got to the tall gates made of solid stone blocks.

Staring around, barely seeing some guards in this night time, he moved to the gate to exit the city, but immediately he heard some guards yelling in his direction.

"Hey, you! Where do you think you going at this hour?"

Looking up at the gate, he could see 4 guards looking at him, with one of them yelling at him.

"I wish to hunt some wild beasts, is there any problem?"

"Arghh, you are one of those crazy guys. Do as you wish, but be warned, if you go to the forests at this hour, you will be met with all sort of lower races lurking there creating trouble for us city guards and the noble knights."

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"I see. Thanks for telling me this, but you guys should view me and my other brethren who go outside as a welcoming thing. We are getting rid of the beasts giving you a hard life without asking for much. Don't you think I am right?"

The four guards looked at each other, and their faces seemed to shift in agreement with what Mathias just mentioned.

"Well, all we can do for you, young man, is to give our prayers and for you to not die too fast." said one guard, who moved back to his station, along with the other guards.

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Mathias, who settled the problem of the guards, started to move on the stone road leading outside of Titan, for which Mathias could see similarities with how the roman roads looked like. The difference between this road and the old roman stones that still kept their form was that this road was levelled so flat that you could walk barefooted on it and not feel any sharp stone digging into your flesh.

Soon, Mathias saw in the distance the forested zone that the road he was taking traversed, point where he moved in the direction of the forest, and suddenly stopped in place when he heard the shrieks of some boars.

Bringing Ragnius in his hand, he started to saunter inside the forest, and as he was doing that, he only commented with a 'YOLO' mentality, while around him, all sort of beastly sounds could be perceived.

"Here comes nothing. Let's see how fast I get killed by those beasts."