Skill Hunter: A LitRPG Adventure, page 34
“If you learn to process lunam, do you lose the ability to process mana? I-I mean, you did, clearly, but I mean… as a rule,” Ike clarified quickly.
Ket’s lips quirked up. He chuckled. “No, no. I understood. Almost always, yes. Our bodies aren’t built to handle more than one flow of magic. Some would even argue they aren’t built to handle magic at all. There are a few who master both, but… there are downsides to everything.” He shrugged.
Ike waited, but Ket offered no more. He pressed his lips together. I am interested in handling lunam directly, since I’m stuck down here for the foreseeable future, but… not if there’s a serious cost or downside. Remembering the book, he looked up. “Do you mean the insanity?”
“Insanity?” Ket and Tana exchanged a glance, lost.
“It… it was in a book I read. Something about lunam causing madness…” Ike grimaced, embarrassed. Faint red spread over his cheeks. And now I’m asking the people who use lunam every day if the stuff makes you crazy? I must be the one who’s crazy, directly insulting them like that. “S-sorry. Ignore me.”
Ket snorted. “No, no. I know those myths. I feared the same when I first entered the Abyss. As far as I can tell, lunam doesn’t cause madness. But then, doesn’t the madman always claim he’s sane?”
He shook his head and continued. “I can’t say for sure, but I think there’s no more truth to those stories than there is truth to the boogeyman.”
“Right. Sorry,” Ike said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Lunam does have a few unique properties, though. Things I find fascinating. If you’re interested in a discussion on the intricacies of the mana system versus the lunam system, I’d be happy to engage you in conversation,” Tana piped up.
Ket broke out into a grin. He scuffed the top of Tana’s head. “She used to hound me nonstop to hear more about how mana works. I remember her toddling after me, no more than knee-high, asking more questions about theoretical magic than most grown mages cared to discuss.”
Tana blushed. She pushed her hand away. “Well, I have limited opportunities to study mana, after all. Of course I’d be interested.”
“I’d be happy to discuss with you, but… I don’t have much formal training. I mostly picked things up on my own,” Ike confessed.
“Oh, that’s fine, that’s fine!” Tana assured him. “All insight is valuable. The practitioner often knows more than the theoretician.”
Ket leaned toward Ike. “She uses big words when she gets excited.”
Tana thwacked him on the side. “Hush!”
Grabbing his side, Ket staggered away, mock-injured. “Ow, ow, ow…”
Ike grinned, a warmth welling up in his heart. This, here, walking this trail, felt more like home than his uncle’s villa ever had. Someone else’s home, maybe, but home nonetheless.
Abruptly, Ket stood tall. His expression turned somber, and he lifted a finger to his lips. “Quietly. We’re close.”
Tana nodded. She fell in directly behind him, copying his steps. Ike did the same. Loup melted into the woods, vanishing entirely. The three of them approached a cliff. Ket pushed a branch down and gestured for Tana and Ike to look.
Ike stepped forward. Instantly, he jerked back. No way. But that’s—
60
BELOW
No way.
A thousand doll bodies lined up below him. All of them looked exactly as Rosamund had after she’d degraded, at least in their base form. Smooth porcelain. Ball joints. Their eyes shut, they stood in perfect ranks. Their faces differed, as did their hair, but they all wore the same uniform and carried the same two swords crossed on their backs. Ike furrowed his brows. “Why that uniform…?”
“It’s the uniform of one of the large sects on the far side of the Abyss,” Tana offered. She looked at Ike. “We feared that the sects were planning an attack on the city and went to the Brightbriar Sect to offer a warning, but…” She trailed off. Pain flickered in her eyes.
“But we were waylaid along the way,” Ket finished, stepping in to finish.
“Then, the city lord doesn’t know?” Ike asked, startled.
Tana shook her head.
Ket pursed his lips. “We were unable to deliver the message,” he said, but no more.
Ike glanced at Ket, then back at the army. His brows furrowed. Rosamund—the fake one—looked just like these things. At least in general form. Was she a plant? A spy? A replacement? Did I do the city lord a favor by destroying her?
Or is it a very common shape? Maybe all kinds of mages create doll clones, and these are just standard doll clones.
Or maybe…
Ike shook his head. There was too much. Too many questions in his head. I need to learn more. Right now, I’m just making wild guesses. I still don’t know why the city lord took a fake Rosamund out of the Abyss, or conversely, why my Rosamund was a fake to begin with. I mean, hell. Maybe he took the real Rosamund out of the Abyss after I did him the favor of defeating the fake… I don’t know. Really, I should just say I don’t know what the hell is going on with Rosamund and the city lord.
Figuring that out will unlock so much, but I have no idea how to learn anything more about Rosamund or the city lord. I’ll just have to keep going and see what I can discover.
Ket glanced at Ike. “You’ve been silent for a while. Have you seen something like this before?”
Ike hesitated, then shook his head. “No, I… am just dumbstruck by all this. I’m just a kid from the slums. All this cities attacking cities stuff is way over my head.”
It’s not that I don’t trust Ket and Tana. I don’t, yet, but that’s beside the point. More importantly, all my ideas right now are wild guesses. I don’t want to cloud an actual investigation with nonsense.
Besides, I don’t really want to reveal Rosamund. She’s my ace in the hole—the reason I can still fight right now, aside from eating monster meat and absorbing monster cores. If I reveal her… well, it’s not like I think Ket or Tana will betray me. No, the problem is, all it takes is one slip-up on their part, one casual mention of her to the wrong person, and my ace in the hole becomes a huge burden. Down here in the Abyss, where you have to swap to lunam or stop being a mage, I’m willing to bet people would die to have something as handy as Rosamund’s head. And I’d rather not have to stave off all the mages in town as a lowly Rank 1.
Monster meat… Ike looked over his shoulder. He’d have to go back and collect the rooster and maybe dig up some of the other chicken later. If nothing else, the rooster was definitely worth the walk. Based on the amount of mana its core had given him, its meat was sure to be rich as well.
Plus, now that I know there’s a town, I can sell some of the excess chicken. I’m sure there’s mages who would be more than happy to eat some mana-rich meat.
His brow furrowed. He looked at Ket. “The monsters down here have mana, not lunam. How?”
Ket lowered the branch, once more obscuring their view of the doll army. He shrugged as he led them away. “Monsters process magic more primitively than humans do. We humans need mana, or need lunam. As far as I can tell, monsters just absorb ‘energy,’ and their bodies then turn that energy into whatever they need.”
“Humans can’t do that?” Ike asked.
Ket shrugged.
Tana stepped up, looking Ike in the eyes. She walked backward for a few steps, backing down the forest path. “No. Unfortunately, as Ket said, humans have more sophisticated cores and mana paths. It means that we need a particular kind of energy to use magic. Actually, what you’re absorbing from monsters isn’t mana or lunam, but instead that primitive magical energy. The monsters take the refined form, lunam, and lower it back to its primitive form, energy. You can then absorb that energy, whether you use lunam or mana, and process it into whatever your body needs, be that mana or lunam.”
“Why don’t we do that? It sounds useful,” Ike commented. He ducked a branch, pushing leaves out of his way.
Tana shook her head. “You know how monsters generate skills in their own bodies that we then take and use in ours? It’s like that. Monsters’ bodies are built in a way to process any kind of mana, but in return, they can only ever learn the skills their bodies are built to learn. Humans, on the other hand, can use any skill, as long as we’re compatible with the skill in question. We don’t have to be born with bodies that know how to cast fireballs in order to cast fireballs; we can absorb a fireball skill at any age and learn to cast fireballs. But in return, we need to use a more refined type of energy—mana or lunam—to cast the skill. It’s a trade-off.”
“So if we used raw magic, we’d only be able to cast whatever spells we’re born with… Kind of?” Ike asked, a little lost.
Tana wiggled her head back and forth. She turned back around to watch the path. “More or less.”
“And humans are born with no skills, so we’d be able to cast nothing. But Loup was born with the ability to eventually form lightning skills inside her body, so she can use raw magic to cast lightning,” he surmised.
“Yes.”
“I think I’m getting it now,” Ike murmured.
“If you aren’t, I’m sure Tana will be happy to help you out,” Ket said with a chuckle. “It’s been too long since someone’s been willing to put up with her lectures.”
“Lectures? I’m just trying to have conversations about theoretical magic. Is that too much to ask?” Tana said, shaking her head.
Ket chuckled again. He gestured them on. “It’s not much further to the town. Let’s keep going. At this rate, we should reach home before nightfall.”
61
THE TOWN IN THE ABYSS
As Ket had said, the sun was low in the sky when he pushed back a branch to reveal the town. Ike startled, a little taken aback. Even though Ket and Tana had forewarned him that it was smaller than the enormous city and undercity he’d grown up in, it was still surprising to see how small it truly was. It barely spanned further than the distance from his uncle’s villa to the far end of the processing plant. A stone castle dominated the far end of the wall, built atop the hill. The wall climbed down the sides of the hill and encapsulated a small portion of the flat beyond. Most of the buildings within the walls were made of the same stone as the walls. Few wooden or shambling slum buildings stood anywhere. For the most part, the houses were clean and well-built.
Well, if this city is comprised of people who fell into the Abyss, it would be comprised entirely of hunters and mages. Ordinary people aren’t allowed beyond the walls. Even if they were and, by some miracle, survived the fall, they’d almost certainly die before they reached this town. Whether the citizens of this town fell in accidentally like me or were banished like Ket, they all have some rank, and thus, a system and the superhuman strength and skills that come with it. There might be few people in this city, but all of them are mages. They’re strong enough to defend the city and hunt monsters. Strong enough to carry stone from distant quarries and build extravagant houses, if they’re so inclined.
“Welcome to Abyssal,” Tana said, smiling.
“Abyssal?” Ike asked.
“Not the most creative name, I admit, but to be fair, our founding fathers were somewhat beset when they built the first walls,” Ket explained with a small, knowing smile.
“It’s a good name,” Ike said quickly.
Ket chuckled. He nodded at Ike’s feathers. “I’ll warn you that the town’s prices are going to be a bit low for monster parts compared to what you’re used to. The one thing we have in the Abyss is an abundance of monsters. Even rare monster parts like that are going to go for cheaper than goods from the surface.”
“Oh,” Ike said. It makes sense, I guess.
“Plus, there’s only so many of us. The economy is a little bit of a flatline down here, since there’s not much fresh income. Prices are going to be a bit lower than you’re used to, in general.” Ket paused a moment, then shrugged. “But then, it’s not like you’re leaving anytime soon. Consider this more a ‘get-used-to-it’ warning than me telling you not to sell monster parts.”
“Right… I understand that,” Ike said, agreeing. If the queen only had one escape crystal, and it was gone, then that implied that no one in Abyssal knew how to escape the Abyss. I guess I’ll be living down here for a while. At least until I’m as strong as the city lord. Strong enough to escape.
He paused, then, thinking of something. “You know, the city has a bit of a monster problem, right? Not enough monsters. But the Abyss has plenty. Would that—”
“We’d only be a temporary patch.” Tana pointed upward, at the Abyss’s walls, visible from where they stood. “We’re but a narrow segment, compared to the forest outside. I believe we’re something like the city’s final, last-ditch reserves. The final wildlands, preserved in the hopes that the Abyss will spawn a monster powerful enough to allow the city lord to rank up.”
“To… what?” Ike asked.
Tana nodded. “The city lord is on the verge of ranking up. He’s been there for a long time. So long, in fact, that he’s likely running out of life force. But he set no limits on the killing of monsters in the sect’s territory, in hopes of growing stronger warriors.
“And he succeeded, but at a cost. It was fine when the city was young, but now that the city is a large, mature sect, he faces the consequences of his own decisions. All the lower-ranked monsters he and his friends killed hundreds of years ago are dead. They have no chance of ranking up and becoming powerful monsters that the city lord can, in turn, kill to rank up. The city lord used them to empower himself and his friends. But now there’s nothing left.
“The city lord knows it as well as his enemies do. They mock him by sending monsters of just low enough rank that the monsters’ skills are worthless to him, with thousands of years to go before they rank up—long after the city lord dies. He’s trying to keep up appearances. By sealing off the Abyss, he’s acting as if he has an ace in the hole hidden within, but…” Tana shook her head.
“There’s no monster like that in the Abyss?” Ike guessed.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Tana said. “The city lord is Rank 4, so the monster would have to be at least a Rank 4 monster, if not Rank 5, to be useful to him.”
Hmm. Rosamund implied that their enemies didn’t know. But then again, she is a sheltered brat. What would she know?
War is looking more and more likely. Do his enemies know it, too? That the city lord has no option but war. Is that why they sent the doll army? Ike considered it, but his brows furrowed. He shook his head. That still doesn’t feel right. There’s still something I’m missing. But what?
“Let’s not stand out here talking all night,” Ket said. He gestured them on. “The forest around here is dangerous at night. We’ll be safer inside the walls.”
“I slept out under the stars,” Ike offered. It’s not that dangerous at night.
Ket waggled his finger. “You were at the fringe of the true Abyss. Here, in the depths, it’s a different story.”
Ike bowed his head. He nodded. “Right. Sorry.”
“Besides, we don’t all have a handsome wolf like yours to guard us at night,” Ket said, tossing a wink at Loup.
Loup lifted her head at being addressed. She looked at Ket, then glanced to Ike for guidance.
Ike ruffled her ears. “I could use some real food, anyway.”
“Excellent. Onward!”
62
ENTERING THE TOWN
The closer they got, the taller the walls loomed overhead. A pair of guards stood outside the gate, each one emitting a Rank 1 aura. Ike eyed them, a little hesitant, then edged a little closer to Ket and Tana. Good thing I ran into these two. I would’ve had a hard time getting through the gate alone.
“Welcome back,” the right-hand guard greeted them.
Ket nodded and passed through. Tana followed, and Ike stepped forward after them.
A spear dropped down and blocked his way. Ike jumped back, startled. The guards stepped out, keeping him from entering. The right one narrowed his eyes. “Don’t recognize your face. New here?”
Ket turned back. “He’s with us, Ryan.”
“Is he? Does that get him in, hmm?”
Ike looked at Ket. The hell’s going on here?
Ket sighed. “Ryan. Don’t be a hardass. You don’t get to haze everyone who walks in the door.”
“It’s a tradition,” Ryan said, clicking his tongue.
Tana had been quiet all this time, but suddenly she spoke up. “Let him pass.”
Ryan sighed. “Well. If Her Majesty demands it…” He lifted his spear, and a second later, so did the other guard.
Ike blinked. Her Majesty? Is Ryan being sarcastic, or is Tana the queen of this little city?
No… Surely they wouldn’t have sent their queen as the messenger, right? But then, it is a very small city. The city lord might not show them any respect, as low-rank and small as they are, unless they sent their highest-ranked, and ranked, official.
And didn’t she just mention that their queen died? That is, the highest-rank individual in Abyssal. Yeah… yeah. She might actually be their queen. Or princess, or something. I don’t know how their hierarchy works.
“Mark yourself lucky, kid,” Ryan said, narrowing his eyes at Ike.
Ike nodded at him. He looked the man in the eyes, refusing to be intimidated. And if you come after me, I’ll give you a beating to remember. I’m not falling for that bullshit anymore. You’re Rank 1, the same as me.
Loup trotted toward the gate. Both of the guards pointed their spears at her.
“She’s my dog,” Ike said. He looked at Ryan. “You aren’t afraid of dogs, are you?”
“That’s not a dog. That’s a wolf!” Ryan snarled. “A wolf monster, at that!”
“Ryan,” Ket snapped, his patience gone. His hand curled into a claw, and black energy glowed faintly over his fingers. For a second, Ike caught a glimpse of the man he’d used to be, back when he was a mage—the way his eyebrows curled and his eyes narrowed, the vicious hatred for a relatively minor offense.
