The sphere of Soul deals with the spirits of the dead and the ethereal. Drawing upon, manipulating, controlling and harming that which is not physical. - Antonio Ravnos

Adrian

Harrold is just looking at me. He knows I’ve won, he can’t deny it nor can he hide it, too many people saw it.

“I want some of whatever it is that was stolen.”

Harrold grins, he is going to try to cheat me.

“Sure, as soon as it is found.”

“You misunderstand. I don’t want what you lost. I want you to find some more and give me that. I’ll not wait for what was stolen to be returned.”

“There is no more.”

Harrold face has moved into a frown. I think he is lying.

“You expect me to believe that what you, an apprentice, had was the only amount? It’s clearly valuable but anything you have; your master or house should have more. Do not lie to me.”

“Are you calling me a liar? If I say there is no more dragon’s blood, then there is no more.”

“And now I can just go ask Magister Talphith if he has some. Do you want to embarrass yourself further?”

Harrold is giving me a death stare, his hand twitches and he grimaces in pain.

“Or I could take some of these tomes that you haven’t misplaced. Do you really think these people could even know what you’re missing is? Will your house or master even believe that they stole it?”

“Fine. I’ll get the blood. I’d better not hear any of this in a rumor though.”

“I won’t spread it if you do a good job instructing.”

I turn my back to him as I move back to my vacated seat near Bryan. I sit down and close my eyes to feign sleep. I spread out my mind and focus on sensing where the various tomes are. I shouldn’t steal anything from here for a while, but borrowing books should be ok.

Harrold restarts his lecture, repeating much of what he said yesterday. I tune him out, my breathing slows. I have been awake since dusk; nobody should question my ‘nap’. I wonder how much will end up being delivered. Can I use his ‘misplacement’ of items to blackmail him?

I shouldn’t, it could draw too much attention. I need to lay low, get everyone able to use their magic and make preparations to leave. I’ll check the bank for a basement or bomb shelter, the building wasn’t well searched by the Althaen and if there is one it’s not out in the open.

If there is start stashing stuff there, otherwise search for a different place to stash stuff. I need to figure out how to make a space pocket, or find a extradimensional space item. I feel a tap on my shoulder, I guess the lesson is over.

I open my eyes and fake a yawn. Bryan can tell that it is bullshit. I still need to tell him what I’ve been doing. I stand up and we leave to go get food. I’m hungry but not as much as yesterday.

Yesterday did not repeat itself. While I took more rations than the others they did not give me any bad looks. Some of the survivors looked sick and couldn’t eat anything. Was I right about the tainted food? We ate in silence and returned to the bank.

When I walk into the bank Talia walks up to me and passes me a stack of papers. Thousands of pages of flowery elven script.

“Sister and me finished it. Do you know what the soldiers were looking for yesterday?”

“The dragon’s blood I drank. Don’t worry they won’t find anything.”

She frowns, I guess she won't like me filtching supplies later.

“Are you going to rest before Kythia and you go for the watch?”

“No, I’m going to check on some stuff around the building and write more of the papers I gave you earlier.”

She nods and begins to follow behind me as I move to the bank vault. I haven’t seen any trapdoors or stairs yet and the only place I have not been is the vault.

When I enter through the hole in the door I see coins and paper bills strewn about. There are a few safety deposit boxes that have been pried open, their contents likewise dumped on the ground. Their contents seem to have just been papers, though I haven’t searched for smaller objects that may be hidden in this mess.

Did someone hold a money fight in here or something? As I walk around the vault one of my steps makes a hollow sound. There is something under me.

“What are you looking for?”

I turn back to Talia, but it was her sister behind her who spoke. I kneel down and start to move the scattered bills away.

“This.”

I find a small metal ring attached to the floor, I turn it. There was some rust on the ring and I have to force it a bit before it moves. The trap door opens and the smell of stagnant air fills the room as a ladder comes into view. How much space will be down here, and is there any supplies already stocked?

I climb down the ladder and my vision shifts to infrared. Everything is the same color but I can see the rough shapes in the room. There is a far wall with a ball attached to it, probably a door, two large cylinders, some boxes, and a pile of small cylinders stacked on top of each other.

I hear the sisters coming down the ladder behind me, I turn they are pulling out something. I close my eyes and can see that a light was turned on through my eyelids. I wait a second before opening my eyes.

“What is this place?”

“A place to hide from enemies, and one to store supplies”

The boxes are labeled as coin rolls. Those won’t be of any help. The large cylinders are full of water but like everything else covered in dust. Stagnant and stale but likely potable. The stack of cans are however all expired by more than a decade. No food but at least there is space. I can hide supplies here.

On the other side of the door was a generator. Rusted but it would probably run, there isn’t any fuel for it. I don’t think this place is ventilated enough for it anyways. Talia picks up a can with the picture of an apple on it.

“That food has gone bad. We can’t use it.”

She frowns and puts it back.

“If we can’t use what is here why did you look for it?”

“So, we can hide stuff for when we leave.”

“I thought that we could leave whenever we wanted.”

“Yet we are watched at all times, and when I jumped off the palisade some of the soldiers ran to catch me. . ." I think she gets the point. "Even if we are free to leave, they will not send us off with supplies.”

“That’s true. How are you going to get the supplies to hide though?”

“The same way I got the dragon’s blood. A little bit at a time until we have enough.”

She frowns, I don’t think she likes the idea of stealing. What did she think taking stuff from Outdoor World was? I don’t like it either but if this is what I have to do then so be it.

“You should not steal.”

“I have only stolen what we need to survive, and from those that have tried to kill me.”

“It is still wrong.”

“Your right, but if I have to, I will do what I must.”

Talia stares at me for a bit, “promise me you won’t steal.”

“I won’t make a promise I can’t keep.”

She continues to stare at me, I sigh “I will only steal what we need to survive.”

“No stealing.”

“No, if I have to steal to keep us alive I will; even if you all hate me for it.”

She gives me another stare down, but this time I don’t back down. She turns away before leaving the bomb shelter grumbling. Now I know I have upset her. I quickly check to see if I missed anything down here, but failed to find anything else.

I climb out of the shelter and close the trapdoor. I should take a real nap and write before the watch starts. I don’t see either of the sisters at the bank. Bryan, Abagail and K are going through the English to Elven papers I wrote yesterday.

“Are you going to be ready for the watch tonight?”

“I’m actually not feeling well, you should bring one of the sisters.”

I raise an eyebrow, she appears fine. Maybe she didn’t get enough sleep? I hope the sisters are back when its time. Did they leave over the stealing thing? I don’t think so some of their stuff is still lying around. K would have left with them if they did too.

“I’ll ask them when I wake up then.”

I open my eyes to the grey void, beginning to think the questions to get it to speak.

“Character sheet please”

Gain: Fighter 8 (+5SP, +1 Attribute), Sword 2 (+2SP), Sense Motive 2 (+2SP), Perception 3 (+3SP), Battle Sense 0 (+0SP), Darkness 1 (+5SP), Matter: Transmutation 1 (+5SP), Matter: Telekinesis 0 (+0SP)

Name: Adrian Ravnos

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Skills

Attributes +

Class

SP: 86

Traits

Magic

Languages

EP: 44

I should hold the EP still, but I should have enough for a sphere upgrade. I tap on the SP, a scroll down tab appears.

Attributes

Languages

Magic

Skills

I touch the magic option.

Arcane Power 3

Space 2

Planar 0+

Fate 1+

Life 2

Death 3

Mind 1+

Soul 0+

Primal 1+

Time 1+

Transmutation 1+

Telekinesis 0+

Fire 2+

Lightning 2+

Light 1+

Darkness 1+

What to choose? Fate can manipulate chance, Time would allow me a bit of foresight. Mind for illusions and thought reading? I can’t seem to figure those kinds of things out, energies and matter manipulation I can figure out without the grey dream.

I’m not sure what I am missing to create light without the heat that Fire would create. Not the time to think of that, I can do that on watch. I touch Fate, I could use it to gain what I need with gambling. Some of the soldiers dice and play cards. Then nobody can complain about stealing, though gambling is usually thought to be almost as bad. SP drops by 80, nothing left but to use the Attribute point.

Available Points: 1

STR 16

DEX 19

CON 16

INT 20

WIS 20

CHA 17

APR 18

HP: 260

Mana: 42

Charisma is the weak link in my magic, I touch it. The number changes and my Mana score went up. Why would it do that?

The Grey Dream has not been answering my questions, it hasn’t much since my talk with me-but-not-me.

[We wish to extend another offer.]

So it is still here.

“What is it?”

[A way we can interact with you in the waking world.]

“I think all these screens would block my vision, you would be more hindrance than help.”

[We will not hinder you, only help.]

“And what is your idea of how?”

Is this the temptation that me-but-not-me told me of? Can they still hear the questions within my thoughts?

[One of us would enter your mind, become a part of you. Then that part of us can answer your questions without you having to sleep.]

“That does not sound safe.”

[There is no risk, we only wish to aid you.]

“Not now, perhaps later.”

I don’t even want to share my mind with me-but-not-me, why would I let another in? I sense the void is disappointed with my choice. Me-but-not-me was right, at least partially. This grey mind space wants to live again.