Arthur was in somewhat of a panic as he left Calum’s domain. “What do I do? Is my soul going to make my head explode?” he mumbled to himself as he wiped up the blood that had run freely from his nose. Arthur put his messy hands into his bag and ‘stored’ the drying blood.

Casper appeared from his chest and floated toward the church that looked like a library. The phantasmal canine put out his front and back legs as if to point with his whole body “Information. I guess that’s the best I can do for now.” Arthur hustled towards the church; no longer willing to waste any time.

Afflictions:

Soul-Body Recoil

Brain damage: -6% focus

New Eyes: -5% accuracy

New Hands: -5% accuracy

New Legs: -10% tenacity

37 hours 58 minutes 16 seconds

until full backlash occurs

Arthur checked the timer frequently out of anxiety. The phantom dog was scooped up in the berserker's arms as he ascended the front steps and entered the building. Arthur was not surprised to see bookshelves lining each and every wall.

An elderly clerk sat at a desk in front of the entrance. Paperwork and notebooks were neatly set next to an in-tray. The woman herself was tiny. She held a large book with almost alien looking writing on the cover. Arthur tried to analyze the book out of curiosity.

Old Gnomish

Cookbook

Rare

You cannot study this book

without translating the text from

the language it was written in

The gnome lady bookmarked her page and moved her attention to Arthur. She wore a dark blue robe with a nicely cut collar. “Welcome young man. I’m sorry to say we don’t allow pets in the church.” She pushed her small oval glasses against her face. “Oh no, don’t worry ma’am. Casper is non-physical.” Arthur replied.

She smiled warmly and nodded. “I see, carry on then. Need help with anything?” Arthur looked up and into the church as he hummed.

What he could only assume to be magicians and scholars flipped through books or had quiet but somewhat heated discussions about seemingly random subjects. He noticed the staircase and forked hall behind the front desk looked weirdly off.

Then he glanced back at the front of the building where he came in, on either side of the front door were two separate hallways that spanned far past what made sense. He realized that the church was bigger on the inside than on the outside.

“uhh… need books about inflictions and souls, please ma'am,” Arthur said while reeling from the magic architecture.

The receptionist nodded and trailed her finger back toward the rest of the church in seemingly random directions.

“Past the testing box are some of the more weighty books on souls. The Affliction book section is the part of the church with the mana fountain.”

She just went back to reading as Arthur nodded dumbly and started walking up the staircase and down one of the curved hallways

Arthur was walking and taking in the deep blue colors of the carpets and the fine woodwork of the shelves as someone popped into existence in front of him, making him startle and drop Casper.

They had intense crimson eyes that glowed; casting the light off dark charcoal-colored skin. The expression of the face that lacked any visible nose shifted. The voice that rasped out was oddly nasally, and utterly unthreatening

“Oh, sorry about that!” the dark-skinned mage with bright pink hair grinned sheepishly and chuckled while they apologized simultaneously. The cute pink robes also contrasted against the scary-looking eyes and noticeably inhuman features. They grabbed a book off the shelf and teleported away again. Arthur put a hand on his chest and took a deep breath as Casper gently floated to the floor and started walking ahead.

Further down the curved hall, two human middle-aged men in contrasting colored robes threw books at one another while shouting. It seemed to be a completely useless gesture of aggression for both men since every book slapped against the other’s identical magic shield. From what Arthur could hear it was a fight over which ink was best for penning scrolls and spell books.

Arthur thought about the idea of being a tourist in a different universe. Something about finding out magic was real and infused the world around him made his heart swell. Things that could only be fantasy back on earth were made manifest. That was only made obvious by the ghost-dog familiar that led the way ahead of him.

They came unto a space lit by an almost too-bright ethereal blue that radiated from what could only be a mana fountain. The base of the fountain took the shape of a squat silver basin that was only raised two feet from the floor. The container spanned several yards wide and despite being called a fountain, had no visible bottom and could better be called a well.

Arthur noticed a lattice made of metal chains was installed near the surface so people couldn't fall in and sink too far into the fountain. He watched as Casper trotted up to the pool and began drinking from it.

Arthur wasn’t surprised that the magical animal was capable of slurping up pure magic, but as Casper lapped at the pool he felt odd pulling deep in his body. The sensation felt like it came from his heart but Arthur realized it was coming from the same place he felt the connection with Casper.

Arthur looked into the liquid magic and felt an urge overtake his actions. Without even a clue of what the result would be, Arthur tilted forward without bending his knees and let himself hit the surface of the fountain without bracing himself. Little air bubbles swirled around his head, he was surprised that he had no issues holding his eyes open. He began to realize how dumb what he did was just as a new text box appeared in his vision.

Perk: Impulsive

Hidden Effect Uncovered

The thread connecting you to

your vessel is impossibly strong,

though it is frayed due to

The infinite amount of distance between

Your soul and the original vessel.

You are currently able to feed mana to your

original vessel through this thread.

‘I have perks?’ he wondered why he couldn’t see any perks on his main status screen. Arthur re-read the notification in puzzlement. So he could now transfer mana over to his old body; in the best-case scenario, it helped Atreus somehow. Arthur didn’t see any problem with trying it, but he just had no idea how to move the mana through his soul. He put a foot on the metal lattice and pushed his upper body into the open air.

The first thing he noticed was the half dozen people now standing around the fountain looking at him with a mix of confusion and concern; the second thing was just how quickly the moisture evaporated off his hair, leaving it perfectly dry in seconds as the liquid mana escaped.

Arthur looked over at Casper who had started gently floating toward him. Before he could think of his next step the dog retreated into his soul where Athur felt him do something strange. His chest felt like it was expanding on its own like there was a third lung nestled in front of his heart.

Mana points transferred: 46

Arthur watched as the number on the notification ticked up rapidly. As it rapidly passed 400 he felt a tingling throughout his body, he looked down at his hands and saw they were slowly turning pink. Then he started registering the pain that burned under his leather armor.

Mana points transferred: 1146

You have taken 16 damage

from mana-burn

Arthur began screaming and cursing as he quickly waded through the mana pool. “It burns! Holy fucking shit it burns!-” his foot caught on the lattice that ironically was supposed to help prevent people from drowning and burning to death in the fountain of pure power. He fell forward and splashed back down, luckily he stopped himself from inhaling any of the liquid.

Mana points transferred: 3796

You have taken 47 damage

from mana-burn

Before he got his footing again he felt two sets of hands grab onto him and roughly pull him up and out of the fountain. He groaned in pain as the last of the mana evaporated from under his clothes. The webbing on his hands was trying to split from the magical burn and he shakily took out a health potion and took a deep drink.

As his skin slowly returned to a normal color and repaired itself he looked up and saw one of the only people he’d actually recognize from this world. The young man was in a beautifully tailored robe that was a deep purple and decorated with expensive-looking golden patterns and charms. His pale face reflected the blue light and made him look like a smurf.

“What the hell was that, man? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Standing over him was the warlock he came to town with. Filantriam helped Arthur to his feet.

“An experiment?...” Arthur offered the excuse lamely.

The blond mage sighed and ran his hand down his face. The gesture of disappointment.

“Was it successful?” Filantriam asked.

You have successfully

transferred 4206 mana points to

your original vessel

“Maybe!” Arthur said with mock confidence. He looked at the young mage again, eyeing his intricate garment. “Is that a battle robe? It looks pretty damn cool.”

Robes of the Destructive Healer

Masterwork Cursed Attire

This robe will stack curses and afflictions

upon anyone who isn’t the mage of a

Healing/Destruction duel nature

You do not have the required lore to

analyze this item's positive

attributes or functions

Filantriam smiled warmly and ran a hand over the front of the robe. “I’d never thought I’d see this attire again.” His voice had switched back to the oddly soft and humble side of the warlock’s personality. “It used to be a family heirloom, but It got snapped up by a thief and sold to a private collector some years back…” He clicked his tongue, some bitterness working its way back into his voice. “It cost a lot to get back.”

Filantriam’s eyes trained on Arthur and he unleashed his annoyance.

“Where did you run off to at the bank?” Filantriam said. Arthur blinked

“What? Why not?” Arthur’s response was so simple and honest that it made the more knowledgeable mage recoil like it was an attack on him personally.

You have inflicted

Filantriam with:

Annoyed

(+5% focus)

(-5% accuracy)

The warlock gaped at the berserker. He glanced around at some of the mages still sidling away while talking about the dumbass that had fallen face-first in the mana pool.

Then Filantriam got closer and spoke in a hushed tone at Arthur. “You’ve just been carrying that kind of money around in your bag?” Arthur shrugged in response.

“Yeah? I told you I’m not from here, dude.” Some venom working its way into his voice. “Don’t assume I know the rules, especially the ‘unspoken’ ones.” Filantriam raised his hands and made some space between them. Remembering that he was speaking to a berserker.

Suddenly the other person that had pulled him out of the pool spoke. It was an old voice that sounded rough and quiet from centuries of use. “That gold in your bag is like a beacon to thieves of all kinds.”

Arthur looked down at the hunched figure in a deep blue robe. It was an ancient-looking lady with dark skin and stark white hair. She clutched a walking stick made from dark wood. The length was inlaid with a spiral of shiny gold that led up to a matching golden pommel. Arthur didn’t know how he didn’t notice her earlier, and the light of the fountain didn’t reflect off her as it did with Filantriam.

“You mean like, they can detect it somehow?” Arthur asked. The old mage nodded slowly. But it was Filantriam that answered for her. He spoke quickly and concisely.

“That’s right. Any class or job that revolves around money has a skill that acts like a wealth compass.”

Arthur rubbed at his chin as he thought about it. He remembered how that merchant dwarf had mentioned going out of his way to come back to town and how he had instantly narrowed in on Arthur when he rolled in. The dwarf had made it pretty obvious that he could feel how loaded with cash the berserker is.

“Why don’t you have a wealth sense skill? You’re a tier-three gambler.” The old lady spoke up. All of the sudden she sounded a lot more… sturdy to Arthur. The Berserker went quiet. He didn’t know what to say. He had played games with similar concepts to the weird leveling system he was dealing with now. That didn’t mean he could explain the actions or choices of another person.

“I don’t know, should I?” Arthur didn’t mean to sound like an asshole. It was a genuine question but the tone of voice he used made it sound like a challenge. Arthur felt bad letting his bad attitude work its way out in front of an elderly woman. He noticed Filantriam flinch when he heard what Arthur had said.

A dark chuckle peeled from the old woman's throat and she tapped her walking cane once against the floor. “Actually; it makes you less suspicious. If you aren’t a merchant, having that skill makes anyone who can see your status immediately wary of you. A lot of greedy bastards take the skill regardless.” As she spoke Filantriam was visibly getting tense from the candid way they were both speaking to one another.

Arthur nodded, thinking nothing of it. “That makes sense…” He turned his attention back to the now-sweating warlock. “Is this your grandma?”

There was a drawn-out moment of silence where even passing mages stopped and looked back at him. Suddenly the little old lady started cackling madly. “He is quite the idiot just as you said, Butchard.” She reached out slowly, Arthur watched in confusion and annoyance at being insulted by some geriatric-

Arthur yelped in pain as an iron grip wrapped around his wrist and pulled him down to her level. “You have no idea who I am do you? That I can read your every passing thought? That I am far from the half-dead elder you think I am.”

Her voice had become dark and heavy with power. She opened her heavy eyelids and revealed blue orbs of light that cast a shadow off the berserker despite the heavy presence of the mana fountain.

In his mind, Arthur floundered. Filantriam slowly took steps backward as he watched Casper come bark at the powerful mage in what oddly looked like a pleading way. Suddenly Arthur and the old mage disappeared in front of them in a bright flash of light.

You have been teleported

a vast distance.

Arthur stumbled back onto the rough earth and swung his head around. It was dark enough for his eyes to need to adjust. It was clearly night time but the giant moon that took up a third of the sky reflected pleasant pale light unto the mountain valley. He looked back at the smiling mage with terrifying eyes and paled.

“Do you think I'm still just a little old lady?” Arthur choked on his words and his mind went blank. All he could feel was fear and the sensation of eyes being on him. He realized it wasn’t just her predatory gaze he was feeling. A sound like boulders scraping together reverberated around them.

“Why don’t you play the knight and protect this helpless woman!” She cackled again as Arthur noticed the form of multiple giant reptiles surrounding them. Arthur focused on the biggest form that was rising right in front of them. Arthur hadn't noticed them at first because their thick scales were the same color as the stone around them.

Elder Mountain Drake

Great Beast

Level: 230

HP: 475,440/475,440

Afflictions:

none

Arthur froze in place as the massive beast splayed its winged talons and roared thick black smoke into the sky above them. He shakily reached his hand into his bag, to get something. Anything that might prolong his life a little longer.

Then there was a great build-up of cosmic blue light around the head of the ‘walking stick’ clutched in the old woman’s hand that lit the world like a magical flare. Then she pointed the staff forward as the Drake looked back down upon its prey.

A beam of light erupted from the head of the staff. It expanded to over a foot wide and it burned into the creature as it screeched in agony. Arthur still had the window from analyze opened and watched as the six-digit health bar rapidly drained away. Arthur's hair was blown back by the wind being generated by the terrifying blue laser.

At first it was just fast and steady, then in huge chunks as vital organs failed the massive animal. The head flopped to one side as its entire torso was carved out of it with massive quantities of pure magical strength. The beam cut off as It fell to the ground in a floppy heap and in a pool of blood.

The half dozen smaller drakes fled into the sky; far away from the font of power that had just torn their leader in half. Arthur shook in his boots as he gazed down at the little old lady that had just slaughtered something he had no chance of surviving against. She spoke softly now knowing she had gotten her point across. That she was to be treated with respect, and fear.

“We should get back to the church.” She smiled, holding out her hand. “You have a lot to learn, young man.”

Insight Obtained:

Important Life Lesson,

Never underestimate a mage.

+3 Intelligence