Chapter 8: Gods, Priests and a Prophet

Benjamin

Staring at the empty seat across the table, Benjamin cursed. His opponent wasn't there and yet he still couldn't beat him.

"This is why I hated playing you all the time. Calling us friends; you don't even give me a chance."

Imagining the smile of his opponent, Benjamin cursed again and focused on the table.

If I take it easy on you, how will you ever get better?

Ignoring the voice in his head, Benjamin tried to see the moves his opponent was planning. Considering he was playing against himself, you'd figure he always knew what the opponent was doing; unfortunately his opponent was only reacting to his moves and didn't plan ahead.

"This is stupid. I can't even beat you when you're not here."

Pushing the King over, he heard someone from the other chess table snicker. He knew they were laughing at him, but he didn't care. What would they know anyway? They all lost to Tobi so many times that they stopped playing him. Benjamin had lost to him so many times that he was now losing to himself - but at least he'd had the gutts to contrinue trying.

"How about you play me?" The laughing boy asked as Benjamin finished setting up for the next game.

Lifting the clock onto the table, Benjamin told him it was a five minute game and hit the starter clock. He didn't offer his opponent the choice of colours, he always played better when he went second so his opponent was white.

Seventeen moves later, Benjamin recognized the pattern. He'd always struggled with memorizing patterns but he'd seen this one many times against Tobi. Usually however, it was the other way around. Benjamin would be the one who appeared to have the stronger table and then Tobi would...

Benjamin smiled and moved his Knight. His opponent bit the bait and took it. Remembering nothing but Tobi's moves, Benjamin moved each piece one after the other.

"Check."

His opponent frowned and moved out of check.

"Check."

Frowning further, he hesitated and glanced at the clock as time ticked away.

"Check."

Looking at the clocks, Benjamin had two minutes remaining, his opponent had one. Benjamin sat back and let his time tick away, "I thought you would have folded by now."

After packing up his things, his opponent asked where he was going, the game wasn't finished.

"The game is over. Rook to A7, followed by your move which at best makes the game last one more turn and you lose your Rook. The turn after that, my Rook moves to A8, game over."

Without another word, he slung his bag over a shoulder and started to walk out. He'd left his clock behind but imagining he looked kind of cool the way he walked off, he decided to come back and get it when everybody else had left.

Feeling the phone in his pocket vibrate, Benjamin checked it and looked at the message he'd received:

From Niamh: AevitasHave you heard?! Skea-Tech is reopening the servers. I need help finding Tobi when I get online. Will you help? My group needs a good Cleric really bad and you're the best one we know.

[reply] - [delete]

Hitting the reply button, Benjamin hesitated. Niamh was pretty popular, it was hard to stand up to the popular people even in University. On the other hand, she had dated a Chess Geek like Tobi- she was no longer a mythical being that existed on a different plane of existence.

To: Niamh; Re: AevitasAfter what you did you think Tobi wants to see you?

Bite me and go die.

Proud of himself, Benjamin sent the message and smiled. Only then did it dawn on him what the message had actually said.

Aevitas is opening it's servers?

Repeating the words in his head, the smile broadened and his heart hammered. He had to get to his computer; fast.

Contacting all his friends around the world, Benjamin sent a mass email consisting of more than 1,300 Aevitas fanatics. Geeks from around the world that loved nothing more than becoming the heroes they'd read about in comics. They were an army to be reckoned with and they were all 'Pro-Tobi'.

After his message was sent out, Benjamin went back to the forums that had sparked worldwide interest in Tobi. A forum board that had leaked information on Tobi being human and starting in Brackley. Checking the posts, Benjamin hoped to see how bad the situation would be. Despite Benjamin having over a thousand online contacts that were supporting Tobi's life in Aevitas, there were plenty who hated Tobi.

Claims that Tobi adjusted his pod to get locked inside the game was just one of many. The fact that the servers were closed because of him had also earned thousands of haters. The online discussions had turned -in some cases- to a war of allies and enemies. The biggest concern was an unknown person by the online name of Liam. He'd written just a single post: 'If the servers are reopened, I will definitely kill that Tobi guy.'

Everybody knew that part of Skea-Tech's reason for closing the servers was to protect Tobi. The legal stuff was only part of it. They suspected Tobi might really die if he dies in game. Most didn't support the theory, but Skea-Tech had definitely said as much. It was for that reason Benjamin had never expected the servers to reopen.

The response to Liam had been by a person named Calamity: 'You will have to kill me first.'

Benjamin didn't know who either Liam or Calamity was, but Calamity seemed to be pretty famous. The posts following those two comments exploded and even made it to the news. If things were still bad, Tobi might be in trouble when the servers open.

***

Tobi

Watching Vallen closely, Tobi tried to understand the lesson he was being given. Unfortunately, Vallen was an elemental mage and the lessons were not going well at all. Everything he said, did or explained was the complete opposite to what Tobi experienced though his own magical application.

"Vallen, I think there is a reason elementals can't use Arcane magic."

Frowning, the older mage asked what he meant.

"My magic doesn't work like that. I don't have mana coursing through me like blood through veins. Nor does it travel around my body as if following some nervous system. My magic isn't flowing through me at all. My mana sits within me like a pool waiting to be drawn from. And even that is a terrible description for what I sense inside."

Shaking his head, Vallen insisted that Tobi wasn't sensing things properly. How was he to survive a battle if he had to draw on mana before using it? He had to have it ready at his fingertips at all times.

"Vallen, I am telling you. You might know magic more than I do, but I know my own body better than you. I can feel the magic, I can draw from it and even move it to any part of my body; but it doesn't flow like blood or a nervous system. As soon as I release the hold of my mana, I feel it rush back to the pool and wait to be drawn from once more.

For elemental mages, I am sure you are exactly right. But I am not an elemental. I can't use water, lightning, earth, air, larva, fire, ice or any other variation that might exist. I use Arcane. You told me I need an Arcane Mage as my Teacher, right? Maybe this is why."

Sighing, Vallen gave up. "Perhaps you are right. I guess we will call it a day. If you have nothing else to do however, you should head to the arena behind the Research Academy Building. You will find a mage there by the name of Tomos; he can teach you a bit about using magic in fights. You will find that magic is different depending on the situation and, knowing how to use it in battle is the same no matter what kind of magic you use."

Tobi nodded but made no indication that he planned to go. He'd been caught up in the celebrations for two days after the chess tournament and then had to finish getting his Elven Carpentry to Intermediate. After that it was mage training every day and he'd learned absolutely nothing. There was only a few days left until the Travelers returned. He was running out of time.

Cursing himself for calling players 'Travelers' again, he tried to remind himself that he wasn't part of this world. Not really. The feeling that he was losing his identity had returned and it was unsettling him. The same thing had happened twice before; The first time he had a plaque made, the second time he made a chess set. Now he was forgetting himself again and didn't know what to do about it.

Some days he felt like himself but other times he completely forgot that this world wasn't the one he was born in. He hadn't been trapped that long, but his old world seemed like a memory, or dream. It was more confusing when you added Tobi the Baker into the mix. All three people seemed to have ever-so-slightly different personalities.

Granted, they were all similar, but there was definitely a shift between all three versions of himself. The biggest difference was his range of emotions. Tobi of Brackley had been passive and weak, patient to the point of retarded. He could hardly recall the entire year that passed during that time, just snippets of memories.

Tobi the World Chess Champion was much livelier but impatient. Everything was to be done now, now, now. He was also pretty self-centered and unfocused. Tobi the Chess Champion was always thinking about his next task and never on the task he was actually doing. Even with Chess, it was always the next move, the move after that. Sometimes, he even went so far as to plan the full game before he took his first move. Which was ridiculous and impossible.

Then there was Tobi of England. The man who didn't want to play a VR, had a bad temper, loved chess, went for morning runs, applied to a University in a foreign country and ended up with a broken heart. Truly he didn't want to return to the broken heart, but Tobi of England had a family. A family he loved and wanted to see again. If it weren't for them, that Tobi might have actually disappeared inside this new world.

Even when he reminded himself he was 'Tobi from England', there was always something missing- a part of himself that had always been there and failed to come with him to the VR world. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he knew he needed it in order to stay as himself.

Looking from the Research Academy Building to the Residency, Tobi decided to head back to his room; he'd try to remember to find Tomos some other time. It wouldn't hurt to know how magic used in battle is different to common use. Meanwhile however, he wanted nothing more than to sleep. He was getting tired quite a lot lately.

---

Waking in a cold sweat, Tobi pulled at the clothes sticking to his skin.

Confused by the phenomenon, he had a feeling that this kind of thing had happened before. It had been a long time ago though; in another life perhaps.

Looking around his room and failing to see the darkness that was there, Tobi's sense of de-ja-vous grew stronger. He knew he must've had a dream, but he could only vaguely remember what a dream was.

What had he even dreamed about anyway?

Turning to look at the chess-board on his bedside unit, he seemed to sense the answer; the answer that was waiting for him on the board.

Slipped off his bed, Tobi picked up the pawn from in front of the King ande moved it forward two spaces. The dull thud of placing the pawn down echoed in his ears and seemed to bounce around an empty space in his head.

As a single thought came to mind, all foggy confusion was blast away by memories and emotions.

Lucy!

The thought of Lucy hit his chest like a wrecking ball and knocked him back onto his bed. Clutching his shirt above the heart, Tobi remembered his life.

Truly scared for the first time in living memory, Tobi searched for his strongest memory of his family and focused on it. He'd woken confused, but that wasn't the issue. The person that woke up had not been him. It had been Tobi the World Chess Champion. The fear gripping at him started to ebb as he tried to play down what he was thinking.

As his heart started to calm, Tobi focused on his breathing and making sense of his thoughts. Feeling as though small embers had kindled deep inside, Tobi focused on them. The embers were something he recognized as part of himself. As familiar to him as the anger that was trying to override his fear. Kindling them into new life, he imagined it as a small flame you'd find on a candle..

Almost wanting to smile, Tobi thought of how a part of himself had always been missing. Perhaps this had been the part of himself that had been missing. This was Tobi, this was who he was. Calm and collected on the outside and a raging angry beast on the inside.

Feeding the flame everything he had to offer, Tobi realized how long it had been since he'd felt like himself. He'd thought it had only been since he entered Aevitas, but he was so wrong: He hadn't felt himself since Niamh broke him all that time ago.

The power bubbling up inside grew and warmed him from the inside. Unlike the calm mana that he'd been cultivating for months, the little fire inside did flow throughout his body- and eager it was eager to escape from its cage. As the beast sent pulsing waves of raw power coursing through his body, Tobi felt like he had finally woken up; and he liked it.

Coming slightly to his senses, Tobi's emotions calmed slightly; but the energy that pulsed inside remained. Wishing for the first time that he'd been an elemental and his his element had been fire, Tobi imagined his anger as a fuel for explosive flames.

Remembering that the anger inside was not always good, he started to reign it in properly. There had been a time when the demon inside had consumed him and he fought with everyone. A look was all it would take to set him off; that's when his dad tried to get him into sports like Boxing to try and vent it out of him.

He'd never taken to Boxing- or Karate for that matter which had come next. Hapkido, Eskrima, Kendo, Jeet Kune Do; he'd tried many but they were not for him and he sucked at them all. He wasn't interested in doing or learning fancy moves. Then came Tai Chi and at last he got himself under control. The anger inside was easily controlled and manipulated. It was like listening to music. Just how music affects a persons mood, Tai Chi got his anger under control.

Thinking himself an idiot, Tobi thought of his mana and how he'd once thought of mana as qi [chi]. If that was the case, the place he needed to go to learn how to use his magic was obvious. He couldn't be sure, but it was definitely worth checking out. He knew for a fact that Cohol had a martial hall, he just hoped the man was able to teach him.

---

Walking the lonely streets in the early dawn, Tobi wondered if he should have told Vallen where he was going. The man came to collect him every morning and might be a little surprised to find him missing.

Pushing his thoughts away and keeping part of his mind on the sensation inside that he thought of as anger, Tobi hovered between his choices. He still wanted to go to the church, but more than just to let them know that players were returning. He wanted to know about the Gods and their powers; and if they even existed.

Deciding on the church, Tobi turned toward the strange building. When he'd first ventured into the city he hadn't recognized the building for what it was at all, but that was partly because he'd thought it would be the same as Brackley. Unlike the church back in Brackley which appeared similar to those found in England, the one in Cohol was more like a Monastery. A large building at the front for the congregation and a U shaped building at the back for the Priests and Acolytes.

He wasn't sure what made him hesitate when he finally reached the doors to the church. Probably the fact he'd never entered any form of religious establishment in his life. There was also the possibility that it was due to the fact he didn't believe in religion. A God, yes; but religion; no. Shrugging, Tobi pushed the church door open and stepped inside.

Finally entered a church. He noted to himself, almost amused.

"Good morning, friend. It isn't often we get visitors so early."

Tobi had intended on speaking to the first priest he came across. Instead, he paused in shock and hesitated.

The church was nothing like he'd imagine it to be. The room opened into a wide space with six different statues lining one wall and another six lining the other. A small praying mat rested before each statue.

None of that mattered though, what mattered was the statue at the very end that stood alone: The 13th statue. She was so big that her head almost touched the ceiling and her wings extended to the top corners of the room itself.

"Who is she?" Tobi asked pointing. He knew exactly who she was though, he recognized her instantly.

"She has no name; or if she does, we do not know it. We don't know much about her either, only that she is worshiped by the Gods themselves. The Gods will not answer a prayer in a building that does not have her likeness represented."

Walking forward, Tobi asked why there was no mat placed before her for worship.

"We do not pray to her, the Gods forbid it. They say our petty problems are not for her to resolve and she-"

"-screw the gods." Tobi interrupted as he walked directly towards her.

Taken aback, the Priest stuttered and stopped in his tracks.

Standing in front of the statue, Tobi looked up at the familiar face. An angel of rare beauty with dark hair, dark eyes and a wicked smile. He remembered wondering if she was good or bad, but looking at her now she appeared to be both- and yet neither.

"Do you remember me?" Tobi asked.

He heard the Priest walking over quickly, but Tobi ignored the approaching footsteps. He expected her to answer.

"Are you ignoring me? Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

An audible sigh escaped the statue and the Priest froze in place. Turning to look, Tobi noticed that the man had prostrated himself into a bow he'd seen in Chinese movies; both hands placed on the floor with his head pressed onto them.

Turning back to the statue, he was almost surprised to see her floating in front of him. The statue no longer seemed to exist, just her floating in the same way she had when they met.

"Hello, Tobi."

"...So you answered after all. What is going on, why am I still here?"

"I have my suspicions, but I cannot confirm it. Nor can I undo what is done."

"So there is nothing you can do for me?"

Glancing at the Priest, the angel-woman shook her head, "I have been trying since the beginning. Around this world there is..."

To Tobi's amazement she seemed to glitch a little. Her face changed to one of pain.

"I am sorry, Tobi."

Without another word she was gone and the statue returned to where it had originally been.

You have gained Divinity.The Gods along with Priests and Priestesses have witnessed you converse with:

'The Unnamed Being'.

The Gods do not understand why she has answered your call and have marked you as their vessel.

All Gods of all religions and faiths will seek favour from you.

Favouring one God above the others will cause resentment from the other Gods.

To prevent their wrath, it is recommended that you do not favour any God over the others.

You will be recognized as the chosen one wherever you go.

The effect will be different depending on which race you are dealing with.

Dragons (among other races) will challenge your power if you come across them. They see themselves as equals to the Gods and would love nothing more than to fight a Deity. How you handle them may cost your life.

+100 Piety.

You have gained the title 'Prophet'

You have gained the title 'Gods Chosen'

Some people may mistake you for a God.

"Tobi?"

Turning to the voice, Tobi saw a young woman stood at a side door. As she looked around the room, she looked back to Tobi in confusion.

"Did I miss something?"

Looking over his shoulder, Tobi seen that there hadn't been just one Priest. There were a half dozen and a couple of Priestesses. All of them were prostrated on the ground and didn't appear to know whether or not they should get up.

"Er, you could say that. Do I know you?"

...

Due to the unsettling looks of the Priests and Priestesses, the woman beckoned for him to go with her.

Confused, and trying to make sense of the system notification he'd just read, he'd complied without thinking.

"So what happened?"

Tobi shrugged, "I came in to the church to meet the Gods and tell the Priests that the Travelers will be returning. At least, that was my plan until I seen the Unnamed-God-Woman. I recognized her from a long time ago and called out to her. When she answered, everyone prostrated themselves and I spoke with her. Something happened though and she disappeared. Then you came in. Who are you anyway?"

The woman seemed to be collecting her open mouth failed to make any sound, "I, er...hmm."

Tobi waited for the explanation. From the moment he'd spotted the angel woman, his thoughts had deserted him.

"Do you not recognize me at all?" She finally asked.

Searching his mind and trying to recollect his wits, Tobi tried to recall her face. She was on the pretty side, not really the kind of face you would forget. Long, full and wavy brown hair (his ideal type), beautiful brown eyes that was half a shade lighter than her hair, slender figure but just about reaching the curvy side and lips that could only be spoiled by something like make-up.

"Nope, I would definitely remember you."

As she smiled and caused his heart to pound a little, Tobi knew without doubt that he'd never seen her before.

"If you have never met me before, then who bought all your sweet-cakes at the market on seventh day? When you finally got a shop, who visited every week without fail and always asked for the recipe?"

Tobi seemed to remember something like that happening, but that girl had been a kid. A cheeky but cute girl around the age of fifteen or sixteen. Her voice was on the deep side but still pleasantly feminine. He'd never really paid her much attention though.

"That girl was a kid."

"I was seventeen! And I am almost nineteen now. Just for the record. Did you not even miss me after I left?"

Feeling a little guilty, Tobi apologized, "I wasn't really myself back then. I probably didn't even notice you had left."

Puffing out her cheeks like some cartoon character, Tobi bit back a smile and hid it poorly.

"Who knew you'd fill out so well though?" Tobi asked as he looked her over.

"Oh, all those times I tried it on and you only notice now?"

Raising an eyebrow, he tried to remember if a single person had ever tried it on. Madam Bakewell had been provocative for a day or two, but she just wanted him under her thumb. She didn't like competition. Other than that, nobody had ever dropped any kind of hints at him.

Then again, he probably wouldn't have noticed if they had. His mind (and heart) had been- occupied.

"I always knew you were special."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Tobi asked what she meant.

"The first time I saw you, you were sat in front of the church. I'd been sent on an errand to get groceries. I noticed you straight away and even walked in the wrong direction to get a better look.

When I came back an hour later you were still sat there; in the exact same position as when I'd left. It was weird. Then a man wearing crazy yellow clothes shown up when I was trying to get your attention.

Some time later, when I was out with two Priests and a Priestess, you approached us. The Priests were bad-mouthing Travelers and you told them not to worry. You said the Travelers would be gone soon. You even said on what day.

The Priests didn't believe you, but I did. When the Travelers did disappear, they started following you around and keeping an eye on you. I found out about a few months later. They knew I liked you and guessed that I would tell you, so they sent me away to here...and you didn't even notice I was gone!"

With his mind racing and trying to keep up with everything that had happened so far, Tobi's thoughts finally rested on a detail that hadn't even come up.

"Didn't you know I was here though? I held a big chess tournament. You should have heard I was here, why didn't you enter?"

"I wasn't allowed. I have been cooped up here since shortly after the Quest was announced. They considered sending me away again, but I liked it here, so I swore I wouldn't go out to find you."

"Quest? What quest?" He'd heard everything she'd said and would address it in a minute, but he couldn't remember any quest so asked about that first.

"Battle of the Minds Quest. A Chess Tournament in Cohol for all the world to enter. Of course, the notice was too short so not nearly as many people could enter as would have liked. Still, the reward was almost tempting enough to break my promise. I would love to unlock Logic and I bet your original chess set is very valuable right now."

That was a Quest? I can create Quests too?

"I can still get you Logic, I will just bring the chess set here. What is your name anyway. Sorry if I knew it, but I don't seem to remember it."

The girl shook her head, "Acolytes don't have names. The Gods give them to us as a mark of entering Priesthood. Normally it is achieved after a year but I've been an Acolyte for three years and still not been given a name. I think they may not like me."

"Wait. I am confused. Acolytes don't get names? Do the Gods come down and give you a name themselves?"

"Yes. Every sixth day we hold a ritual. Each Acolyte will pray to a God and ask for a name. If they bless us with one, we will follow that God forever. Most people pray to one God over and over, but I change God every week. I like them all, so I can't pick just one. Probably why they won't give me a name."

"I can't imagine Travelers doing that." Tobi replied as he imagined thousands of Travelers waiting to be named by one of the gods.

The girl laughed, "They didn't. They totally skipped Acolyte and just became Clerics. They would pray to a God and unlock Piety, do a little training, learn healing spells and leave. They were normally done within a day or two.

Nice to be a Traveler, eh?"

Tobi nodded thoughtlessly and then shook his head, "No. And I am not going to keep calling you Acolyte or 'Girl'. What name would you like?"

Raising an eye-brow in amusement, she didn't reply.

"I am being serious. If you don't want me to name you, I will ask one of the Gods to do it."

Still she didn't say anything.

Slightly annoyed at the amused expression, he decided to give her a name anyway.

"Well, whether you like it or not, I will just call you Selene. If I ever shout that name, I am shouting you. Even if it isn't your name, you should respond if I call out to you."

You have given a name to an Acolyte.

With her new name, Selene is now a Priestess in the eyes of the church and Gods.

As Selene was not named by a God, she is able to pray and worship any.

If Selene chooses to worship a single God, it will be seen as favouritism from you.

You have used your Divine ability, +20Piety.

"Oh. Didn't see that coming."

Looking at Selene, Tobi watched as the robe she wore changed from a dull grey to a pearling white. Remembering that the other Priests and Priestesses had different coloured robes, he asked her what it meant.

"Really?" She asked as she appeared to close 'Gods Window', "You just named an Acolyte and you don't even know what the robe colours mean? The colour represents the God you worship. Or the Alignment of the God. Black for the Unholy, Blue for the Neutral and Red for the Holy."

"So what is white?" He asked pointing at her robe. "And how in the hell is a God, 'Unholy'?"

"I have no idea why my robe is white. Only Travelers wore white and only if they didn't favour any particular God."

Tobi nodded, "Good, you can't favour any of the Gods."

"Gods Window told me as much. It said that favouring one of the Gods would affect your standing with them. I have never favoured one of the Gods anyway, but we still have a problem."

"...?"

"The first God I pray to will see it as favour and the other Gods wont like it."

"Damn it. This just keeps getting better."

"How don't you know what an unholy God is?"

Tobi shrugged. The answer was easy, he'd never studied the religions. The little he knew he'd picked up in books that mentioned them in passing.

"I will teach you if you like. Now I am a priestess I can even travel with you, if you wouldn't mind my company."

Ignoring the way she said the last part -along with the sly look and smile- Tobi agreed. Having someone to explain the Gods to him was something he'd definitely need. There was other business he need to attend to though, he'd been at the church longer than he intended.

---

Still confused about everything that happened, Tobi decided there was nothing left to do but move forward. He needed to see Lorry and tell him what 'The Unnamed One' said.

He also had to learn about the Gods. His actions had somehow caused things to escalate in a way he couldn't understand. Who do they think he is anyway, Jesus?

Looking at the Statues of Gods as he went back into the main hall, Tobi sighed. To make things more uncomfortable, all the Priests froze and looked at him. One even appeared confused as to whether or not he was supposed to bow. His body almost jittered as he seemed to attempt to bow whilst simultaneously tried to stand up straight.

"You don't have to bow." Tobi told the man.

As the relieved Priest straightened himself and straightened his robe, Tobi turned to the Unnamed One.

"I don't like referring to you in my mind as the Unnamed One. To remedy that, I will refer to you as Selest, meaning Heavenly. If you don't like it, well, you will have to find a way to let me know and tell me your real name. Anyway, as you no doubt know, I have named this Priestess Selene which means moon. Her name is given in favour of you, not any of the other Gods."

Despite naming Selene first, he figured that anyone listening would take it as fact; even if it was the Gods who probably knew that she'd been named first. The Priests at least would believe that the former Acolyte had been named after the Unnamed God.

Expecting a window to tell him whether or not he managed to name her, Tobi waited. He'd just about decided his naming had failed when the window finally appeared.

The Unnamed One has accepted your name.

Although her names are many, they are known to few.

To the Gods, she is known as 'Mother', to all of Anderon, from this day forth, her name shall be Selest.

She will not accept the same name from different Races.

Other Races will want you to name her for them as well.

Choose Wisely.

"You really like pushing my buttons." Tobi growled at the statue as he closed the window. The extreme likeness of her wicked smile seemed to twitch a touch higher as he said it - that could have just been his imagination though.

Turning to the Priests and Priestess in the hall, Tobi told them that he was taking Selene with him. None argued so he just made to leave the hall with her close at his heals. Turning back as he reached the door, "I almost forgot. The Travelers will be returning in 3 days. Thought you might like to know." And with that, he left.

...

"Where are we going? And how did you just give the Unnamed One a name?"

"How did you know she accepted the name?"

"The Gods told us in one of their windows: The Chosen One, Tobi of Brackley has named the Unnamed One. From this day forth she will be known as Selest to all man and their kin."

Tobi shrugged, "I have to go do some training. My magic training was going nowhere and I think I know why. I have been trying to learn Arcane Magic from an Elementalist. I might as well have been trying to learn to swim by jumping off a cliff whilst doing the breast stroke. As there is no Arcane Magicians in Anderon, I have a different idea on how to control it."

Reaching the training hall, Tobi smiled at a half-forgotten memory. The memory was from the day he entered Aevitas when he'd read his fathers' notes. After first thinking of mana as chi, he should have headed straight to a martial hall yet it never even occurred to him before that morning. His fathers' notes had called Martial Artists 'users of chi instead of magic'. It made perfect sense to Tobi: What better way to learn to control it than through martial arts?

"Why are we here? I thought you wanted to learn magic."

"I do." Tobi answered and walked straight in.

The Martial Artist hall was roughly how he expected it to be: A bunch of mats in the center with training dummies on the sides.

Looking around, the room seemed to be missing the one thing that mattered most; the instructor.

"Well, if it isn't Tobi of Brackley, World Chess Champion."

Really... I think I am getting too many titles.

He still couldn't see the man but he knew the general direction the sound came from.

"Where are you looking?" A voice asked from directly behind him.

Hiding his surprise, Tobi turned to see a man of equal size and build yet older in years. Probably around sixty or so. Ignoring the mans' question, which had obviously been rhetorical, Tobi asked what kind of Martial Art the man taught.

"What do you mean; 'which one'? There is only one. I remember Travelers asking me if I teach all kinds of weird stuff, but I had no idea what they were talking about. I teach you how to use your body, what your body is capable of and how to use your soul-energy to cause internal damage to your opponents."

Tobi nodded as he rearranged 'NPC Talk' into what made sense. The man was basically telling him that he taught 'Kung Fu' instead of wǔshù. [Any skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial arts]

"I am more interested in soul-energy. You see I am a mage, or will be. I can't use the elements though, I use Arcane Magic. They call it life magic and no mage at the guild can teach me what I need to know. I believe that what you teach will be the key to controlling my magic."

The man stroked his chin as he considered Tobi's words. He appeared to be interested but not necessarily willing.

"What about your... friend?" The man asked as he gestured to Selene. The way he phrased the question seemed to be asking if Selene was a friend or 'other'.

"Selene is my friend. She is allowed to do as she wishes, obviously. She is a Priestess and will be accompanying me to teach me about the Gods."

Turning to Selene, the man asked why she wore white robes like the Travelers once had. After she told a summary of the story, the man seemed to be all the more intrigued by Tobi.

"My name is Samson. I will teach you our methods of controlling soul energy, but I am not sure it will be of any use to you. Truly your timing is unfortunate; my master died just six months past and he would have definitely been able to help you.

Well, no matter. We work with what we have, yes? When would you like to begin?"

"Now is good." Tobi replied instantly. "Do you want to join in too, Selene? You never know when a little CQC will come in handy." [close quarters combat]

---

Two days under Samson's tutelage was harsh. Before learning to control soul energy, he'd had to learn several forms. After the forms, he had to use them in practical application. Samson punished him severely whenever he failed to execute it properly. "Severely" being a counter attack that caused a lot of physical pain whilst doing very little damage to his health bar.

Locks and arm-bars were especially effective. Even without the damage to his health, he still asked Selene to fix his bruises and such every hour or so. She was currently resisting a smile whilst she included a massage on his back with the healing he'd asked for. He wasn't exactly averse to pain, but why endure it when a beautiful healer can get rid of it in no time at all?

"Oh to be young again." Samson called in mocking at Tobi's treatment.

Ignoring the provocation, Tobi tried not to enjoy the massage too much. Mostly however, he just hoped he wasn't wrong about this. The Travelers were due to return any day and he was still level one. Even with his crazy stats, he'd be fodder against the high level players. Especially the players that grew properly and didn't rely on stat gains.

Lorry was only level 89, but his stats were way above the average. A level 89 raised at the bear minimum would have 5 health per level, 5 mana per level and 5 Distributable points per level - plus the 40 distributable points you start with. That would add to 455 Health, 455 mana and 495 distributable points.

Although Lorry didn't show Tobi his user window directly, Tobi knew for a fact that Lorry had crazy stats. His strength, agility, attack, dexterity and Intelligence -according to Lorry when emphasizing his point of how to grow properly- exceeded 900 points. Almost double the distribution point ability. That didn't include things like Endurance, Stamina, Speed and Piety that Lorry had unlocked; and nor had he mentioned wisdom or HP which he definitely had some stats in too.

Tobi still had a long way to go with his stats and he still needed to work out how to properly apply his Arcane Magic. Vallen had been right when he said magic needed to be ready to be used at any time. Drawing from his mana pool before using it would just cost him his life.

"Your healing looks done, young Tobi. I think your friend is just enjoying your body."

Blushing a little, Tobi turned to look at Selene. Her face immediately gave away that Samson was telling the truth. He'd been about to tell her to take things more seriously but he didn't think he could. He was definitely weak against Selene and she was pushing her boundaries every chance she got. She didn't even blush at being caught, she just looked angry at Samson for telling Tobi what she was up to.

Getting up and straightening out the Gi that Samson provided, Tobi asked for an estimate on when he'd be ready for using Soul Energy.

"A week, maybe?"

"A week? I doubt Travelers waited that long. What did you teach to them?"

"Different things depending on the person. They aren't like us though, they had strange abilities. Not least of which was that ability to come back to life after four days."

"That's fine, teach me as if I were a Traveler. If it proves useless, I will have to begin my journey anyway. I am almost out of time."

Frowning, Samson asked why he was in such a hurry and why it mattered that the Travelers were returning. Tobi evaded the question the best he could, but it didn't seem to be working.

"No matter. Let's just complete the final form. That is what I taught to every Traveler. It will gather all of your energy in one spot and you can release it in your strikes. Come."

Tobi nodded and moved back to the practice mat. Mirroring each of Samson's movements, Tobi slowly learned the form. When the form was finished however, Samson continued from the start, allowing the end of the form to move straight into the start of it. They continued like that for ten minutes, getting faster each time.

Tobi's energy, despite his decent Stamina, was quickly dropping. He'd had the Energy bar on display throughout his training each day; he was trying to keep track of how much energy it cost him to perform the movements. As the bar was normally Green, it was with surprise that it turned purple.

Right on cue, Samson called for Tobi to focus on his soul energy inside without stopping the forms. Looking inside himself, he quickly tried to locate the pulsing angry monster that existed within. He also tried to find his mana pool. Neither existed, and yet both existed. They had merged into one and were coursing his veins exactly how Vallen had described Elemental magic.

"Gather the power in a fist and punch the air."

Tobi did as he was bid and punched the air. A sound like hitting a small drum echoed in the hall.

"Good. Harder this time, more power."

Tobi repeated the punch when his forms allowed a punch to be struck. This time he gathered his power in a way similar to when he used Sonic Boom [Lions Roar] but gathered the magic in his fist instead of throat. His target was a doll across the room.

Two booms followed. First in the air where he struck and then again when it hit the dummy across the hall. His mana immediately dropped by 80 and his Energy dropped by 3. Both Tobi and Samson stopped what they were doing in surprise as they stared at the dummy.

New Spell: Arcane Strike.Arcane Strike has the ability hit two consecutive attacks. The first will push an enemy away, the second will cause the damage which may push the enemy back further.

If Arcane Strike is used on an enemy at distance, the first strike will not count.

Distance an enemy is pushed back will depend on weight, strength, resilience and other factors.

Minimum push back distance is currently one yard.

Mana Cost: Casters choice.

Damage: Depends on mana applied.

See Advanced Window for more information.

"How did you do that?" Samson asked as he stared at the dummy that now missed a head.

"I applied some of my magic, but very little. I wanted to see if the power was stronger. It didn't do what I expected though. I am sorry about the Dummy."

Samson waved a hand dismissively as he went to the dummy. The damage was pretty impressive- especially considering it cost him only 80 mana. The problem was the forms. He couldn't exactly use forms to cast magic all the time. After explaining as much to Samson; Samson told him to recall what it was like having his soul energy ready to be used.

Checking inside himself (yet again), Tobi sensed the mana and 'anger' had once again become to different entities. Half suspecting what Samson would try to explain, he tried forcing the 'anger' into his mana. The little monster wasn't so easily moved though. Trying instead to move his mana to the monster, the result was instant.

He couldn't really see what was happening inside his body, but how he imagined it and how it felt was very vivid. The monster was usually a small ball of fire that would suddenly explode into a raging beast when he lost his temper. When he applied his mana, the little flame was suddenly infused with blue energy. Once fused with each other, it was a feeling he couldn't explain at all; pure power, adrenaline and electricity combines -maybe.

"Looks like you got it," Samson called, "come punch this dummy."

Tobi nodded. He had to give a good portion of his concentration to the mana flow in order to keep it going, but it wasn't overly difficult. Not much harder than controlling how fast or slow you breath.

Putting up a pose similar to a boxers stance, Tobi gave a light punch to the dummy. Feeling as though his arm shattered, Tobi was blast backward in a world of pain.

You have received 105 damage.

Holding back a scream and cradling his arm, he watched a blurry Selene rush toward him. Her healing spell was already taking affect but she was convinced that healing worked better if the target was closer. As his life filled back up, the pain quickly started to disappear. It was the first time in Aevitas that he experienced such pain. He doubted that level of pain was felt like Travelers, they'd all quit for sure.

With the pain abated, Tobi checked his mana; he'd used 800 mana on that small, light jab. Deciding he definitely still needed training, Tobi looked at the dummy- or he tried to, the dummy no longer existed and there was visible damage on the floor.

"Er, sorry." Tobi called to Samson as Selene finished her healing. She'd fully healed his health bar in seconds, but she didn't stop the healing spell until all bruising had disappeared too.

"That..." Samson said to the floor, "was awesome! I so wish I could do that! Was that magic again? Where did you learn it?"

"Awesome?!" Selene yelled back, "Look at the damage he did to himself. What kind of idiot hurts himself that badly by touching a training dummy?"

Samson waved a hand as if it wasn't important, "He just need more training to get it under control. If I weren't the last instructor here, I'd definitely ask to follow you to wherever you're going. I want to learn Arcane magic too."

Smiling, Tobi asked the man if he knew any magic already. Samson explained that he didn't. Soul Energy required a fusion of energy and mana to work. Using magic in conjunction with that reduced their time able to fight but increased their power. Samson would prefer to die fighting than by running out of energy and getting killed in some stupid way.

"I don't really get it, that's not exactly what happened with me. The first punch did cost energy and mana, but I am not sure it is how you meant. Anyway, if you don't know any other forms of magic, maybe you can learn Arcane. If I ever learn how, perhaps I can come back and return the favour of the lessons someday."

Samson nodded, "I will look forward to it. I wouldn't use your ability until you have been trained though. Looks like it could kill you if you use it unwisely."

Tobi nodded.

Quest Created: Lessons in the ArcaneSamson of Cohol Martial Hall expects lessons in Arcane Magic.

It is not yet known if he possesses the ability, but he expects instruction to find out.

Requirements:

Either attempt to teach Samson Arcane Magic or have an expert try.

Must be proficient enough in Arcane Magic to properly teach someone.

Rewards if successful:

-Maximum Intimacy with Samson

-Bonus rewards are possible.

Failure:

-Unknown.

This quest has a B class difficulty if you teach him yourself but D class difficulty in finding another to teach him on your behalf. Bonus rewards will change accordingly.

Quest was automatically accepted.

"Will you be leaving now then?" Samson asked as Selene helped him to his feet.

"Yeah. I need to get to the Elves to learn Arcane Magic. I don't know how to go about it though; especially with Selene accompanying me. I could end up just getting us both killed."

Samson nodded, "Yeah, especially if you go to the Dark Elves in Whispering Wood. Still, that's easier than heading to Llysfaen. Either way, you won't have an easy journey. What do you plan on doing?"

Tobi shrugged and looked to Selene, "Level up some and then set off?"

Selene didn't seem to care, "As long as you start putting some effort into learning about the Gods, I don't mind what we do."

"And here is me thinking the God lessons were just an excuse to follow me."

"I... I still plan on giving you your lessons either way."

Samson chuckled and called back their attention. "Your training is far from complete, but you now know how to use your magic with minimal preparation. That at least should help in emergencies. Beyond that, I suggest you be careful and fight with caution from a distance. Also, if you decide to go to Llysfaen, you should head to the docks this evening. Look for Captain Braddock, he is a former Pirate, but he can be trusted if you pay well."

Tobi thanked Samson for his help and grabbed his bag off the floor. After promising to return some day with knowledge about Arcane Magic, he and Selene left the martial hall.

"Any idea who this Captain Braddock is?" Tobi asked as the pair headed toward the mage guild.

"Yes. He trades goods between Cohol and Chadú. To walk around would take about two months, sailing depends on the ship and weather but it's been done in day."

Considering the Geography, Tobi understood perfectly. On a map, the travel between Cohol and Chadú was a simple straight line West to East. Walking however would mean walking around. Not too dissimilar to that of Barcelona and Rome in the real world.

"What is Lybernia like, have you ever been?"

"No."

Catching the disapproval of her tone, Tobi wondered if she disapproved of going. She knew his plan though and hadn't said anything. He would be sure to ask her before they actually departed. First though, they could use one more nights' sleep before the journey. He also needed to get his stuff back off Vallen and find out what the Brooch was that Ranall had given him months earlier.

"We will be leaving the mage guild today, make sure you pack everything," Tobi advised Selene as they enter the guild gates, "I will meet you at your rooms a little later."

---

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Authors Note:

Spoiler :

Sorry for the late update. Had some family drama that got in the way. My own fault too, mostly. I will probably start updating weekly from now on due to life reasons.

If I can, I will post new chapters quicker than weekly and even try to maintain posts every other day, but I can't promise that at this time.

With this chapter, I struggled a lot. [A LOT]

I have reduced this chapter down to less than a fifth of it's original size. I cut out pretty much EVERYTHING that wasn't absolutely necessary.

I read, edited, re-read, edited, wrote, rewrote and re-read this chapter so many times that I actually started to hate the chapter. It was getting to the point that I lost the will to even write the chapter anymore.

For those that like the chapter and are glad that it has been posted, your thanks should go 60% to UltraGhoul who helped me by giving a second opinion on the piece. Were it not for him, I would probably not have posted this for another 3 or so days.

Really, I came to hate this chapter so much I didn't think I would ever get around to posting it.

There were other things Tobi should have done and experienced in this chapter, but as I cut out so much, it will mostly be going into the next chapter.

Like I said, I edited and rewrote this so many times I don't even know how many it has been. As a result, I can't stomach reading the chapter again today. If there are any mistakes I missed, please let me know and I will try to get around to fixing it.

His experience in the Martial Training along with the waking from the nightmare, his rekindling of anger [the monster inside] and some of his training ... all of that was originally thousands of words long. I hope what I cut it down to doesn't disappoint, but I have truly reached my limit on this chapter.

~Aspirer <3