Book 1 Chapter 10: Sanctuary
Malcom was the only one tempted by the 'Silent step' boon ability. Everyone else shrugged it off as useless as it wasn't befitting or at the very least needed right now.
Ana brought her hands off the man who had spoken to them even through his pain, "He will do okay…they all passed out though."
Solomon looked to Jack who sighed before picking up the man's friend and wife. He slung them over his shoulder and waited near the entrance. Solomon was the second strongest, so of course he carried the man who spoke to them. They couldn't leave them here, and each in their own way owed the man for his knowledge. He had given them a path to the sanctuary so of course they had to pay him back, plus if they were going there anyway why not bring him for more favor?
He also said he was a part of a group there, so building bridges before even getting there wasn't a bad idea.
Jaeger led the group, while everyone else surrounded Solomon and Jack.
They took the turns, and soon a light within the fog permeated the surroundings. The closer they got, the more they felt like they were looking at light through the end of a tunnel.
*Woosh*
They all felt a strange barrier being stepped through, and looking back indeed something was keeping the fog away miraculously.
In front of them were multiple blocks of shops, and small amounts of people moving between them. It was a street set in a line, which Y'd off in two directions with one large round edge building cutting the street in two. It seemed that the safe zone went down each of the y's streets about half a mile. Including what was behind them, there was a mile stretch of safe space.
Indeed, it wasn't big.
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A man in a dark cloak was tapping his fingers pacing back and forth, it wasn't until he heard footsteps did he look off towards the wall of fog kept back by the barrier to see several people walk in.
At first he didn't recognize any of them, but when the faces of those they carried came into view he stepped forward and halted them.
"Where are you taking them…?" He asked in a dry posed tone.
"To whoever is their group or friends, to safety" Jaeger said striking back with his own tone.
"Oh…I see…" His taught body didn't show it, but his eyes looked relieved, "Well…I am one of those friends" He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a dagger on his arm. Solomon reached his right arm around and pulled up the person's sleeve he was carrying. Indeed, they had the same tattoo.
Jaeger shrugged, "I am at least thorough…want us to take them to where you want?"
"Uh no…no…" He snapped and 2 burly men came forward, and when they saw the man Solomon was carrying they rushed forward to hold him as best they could. He seemed to be held in high regard, which might also be why he lived when 17 others didn't or rather those that followed him into the portal with his friends and wife.
The man who had stopped them looked over the three people with a weird glint, Ana stepped forward "I healed them…don't worry they will be okay, they just need rest." The man nodded in understanding before disappearing with the two men into a shop.
Jaeger sighed, he was hoping they would pay him or something but karma can always come back around later if they waited for the man to heal up.
Malcom was looking around constantly, "Guy's there is a lot of magical energy permeating this place." Everyone else obviously couldn't see it, but they did feel refreshed and reinvigorated since coming here.
Alexandra stopped a person in robes walking by and asked them where to get information on things for those that first came here. The man looked at her like some beginner, but was nice enough to point over to a strange domed shaped building.
Jaeger had a strange glint in his eye, as did Alexandra.
"This wasn't here before…" They all walked closer and found that everything about the dome shaped building wasn't from anything they had seen. It looked ancient in fact.
Two statues of a robed man were at the entrance of a gate leading up to a set of stairs. The Dome shaped building was merely the entrance! When they finally got a full view unobstructed by the buildings around it, they saw a large domed building set upon 4 sky scrapers that faced inwards. It was like a bowl set on top of 4 pegs. Inbetween the pegs and right below the bowl was a platform that went around like a disk between the four pegs and people were moving back and forth on it.
The statues turned and looked at them as well, their heads swiveled as if looking at them and in particular Jaeger.
In the entrance-looking mosoleumesque building was a man behind a desk with several slots in the wall behind him filled with books. He casually wrote without stopping before placing a book behind him and taking out another.
"Hello?" Ana asked as everyone else looked around.
"Oh I'm sorry…hello, Ana was it? Nice to meet you all"
"How did you know my…" She took a step back.
"I am not a player, I am a medium for his lordship to use and the person who allows entrance into the building up the steps. However that is only granted to certain people…and things like me. What information are you looking for?"
"Isn't this a temple?" Alexandra asked coming up to the large desk, peering over its contents.
"YES….and no. We don't worship his lordship, we merely gather those who seek knowledge and the study of magic. Yes, your next question is that he can indeed galvanize your magical abilities….and yes…to you, Malcom was it? He does indeed have a massive library of all his given knowledge….Jack, oh yes your question is a good one, you can earn the right to certain books, yet some are locked away and only granted to those deemed worthy…others you must trade potential for. Wind? Seems you only have air affinities, but it is pure so within the hall of wind…or the back left leg over there, is a lot of knowledge and skills you can pick up for a price based around your affinity…Alexandra, what a wonderful name, you have a lineage of fire even purer then Jacks…seems you have the aura of a conjurer, I recommend going into that path. You…"
Everyone was look at the man like he was some fortune telling psychic, as the very word to begin a question popped up in their brain he grabbed it somehow and answered their questions. When he looked over to Jaeger he had a strange glint in his eye, Anticipation? Admiration? It was hard to read.
"You…hmm…alright…okay…yes right away your lordship…" His eyes closed for a second before opening.
"He deems you worthy, it will come at a cost…but he seems to want to give you quite the gift if you trade him."
"Huh?" Jaeger pointed at his chest.
"Uh yes you….Also Malcom, he really likes those like yourself with that power…it like Jaeger is also linked to magic, even if you do not feel it…you could take many paths. He just wanted me to say that, Jaeger right? You can go up if you would like."
"Is there a time limit?" Jaeger asked in retort.
"Huh?...oh, uh I guess not" The man didn't seem completely human, but even he looked estranged that Jaeger wouldn't go right up.
Jaeger continued, "Are there places to stay here, how far does the sanctuary go up"
"To the sky and back of course, like you call it this is the ground section. The middle section is linked to the platform of the tower behind you, while the Dome is only linked to the highest reaches of the area. Think, with so many people could we have a square mile or two? No of course not" He smiled, got up and pointed over to a building across the street.
"Is that…is that a tavern?" Jack said amused with a cheeky grin.
"Yes…several things were moved to make space for things, you will find within the tavern that when you buy a room and enter it…it might be a room that looks down from up there" He pointed up to the scrapes, and then waved his hand to other buildings.
Malcom gave a weird look as if confused, "You mean it transports you to those rooms?"
"Of course, in fact those rooms have already been warped. You can upgrade your rooms, In a sense those rooms aren't the size they seem…you can have a mansion quite large in one of those rooms. They are dimensional rooms, this also saves space and is quite useful when you add alchemy rooms and training rooms to use. Those cost things though, completing quests or bringing back skills. There is also currency, but you haven't picked your watches up have you."
Jaeger pulled his sleeve back as if to signify no.
The man chuckled and sighed, "Here…the lord seems to like you so much, I might as well give you these as a gift." The air warped as 6 things dropped from the air. Ana missed catching hers as it slipped through her fingers, but Malcom nimbly caught it and handed it to her.
The watches weren't spectacular, in fact each was different. Ana had one with flowers set into a leather wrist strap with the watch made of a white jade. Contrarily, Solomon's was pitch black and seemed to be a metal. Jack had a white one, which was clear and showed the internals while Malcom had one that had runes for where the numbers would be.
Alexandra had a crimson colored watch that seemed to have little flames burning within the internal structure. Jaeger though had a steel metal watch with chain mail for a strap, within the watch was radioactive isotopes that glowed to show the hands and numbers. A switch on the right could cast a light into the watch from the corners of the glass to glow the isotopes back up.
"Why are they different you ask?" The man smirked as Jaeger was going to open his mouth but quickly kept it shut, "Yes, why?" Jaeger asked anyway.
"Well because it shows your personality…See for Jack, he has a wind affinity and thus his is clear like air…for Ana she heals people, and thus like plants she helps people grow, Solomon likes armor and his pure metal watch shows this as well as the dark color. Malcom can see magic, and thus when he uses his ability the numbers will appear only to his eyes. Interesting right? Yours is very durable Jaeger, can take shocks or heat easily, and the isotope is just plain useful wouldn't you say? I felt you would like that"
Alexandra looked at him, the man opened his mouth but she held a finger up, "Why didn't you mention me?"
"Isn't it obvious? You have a fiery personality, and the watch has the essence of fire within it. Like a furnace, hot to the core"
She smiled, and brushed her hair as if she was complimented which caused Jaeger to laugh.
"Tap the top of the watch with your index finger and slide it off away from your arm into the air." He sat back down and got back to work.
Jaeger did so, and tapped and flicked his finger out. A display that followed his arm came up, it wasn't large but displayed several things.
'Attributes, Skills and Boons, Quests, Currency, Watch skills, and then several blank spaces.'
The man didn't even look up as he wrote, "Attributes are related to your body and its potential…it will say your affinities, and the grade they are or your powers and its abilities, even what genes you change whether they beast or otherwise… Skills and boons are a given, ones that are set or that you have available, current Quests given by the gods or the mission given within a portal as well as certain goals therein, the watch skills are what you upgrade the watch with…for yours, you currently have a light up display, but those are innate and the true 'Light' upgrade allows your watch to cast a flash light like light from it forward….there are other ones as well, some nice and some entertainment based. Lastly, the blank spaces count as slots for certain things like an item…like a dimensional space, when you upgrade an item it will be in your watch…if you have a skill, you can also place it on the weapon instead of yourself."
"Amazing…" Solomon looked up, "When I clicked Attributes it showed me a bunch of numbers for my strength, speed, endurance, dexterity, Perception as well as my power called 'Density Manipulation' with words under it describing it 'Within one inch of the body or closer the user can manipulate the density of a given item, object, person, armor or otherwise with a molecular structure. Potential for techniques based around fighting, flaw: Only within an inch of the body. Cannot be upgraded' isn't that cool?"
Everyone else nodded, Malcom looked at his power "Sage eyes: Allows the user to see the flow of magic and other incorporeal energies. Potential for upgrades within Divination, Perception, type, and power combination" 'Interesting…'
Alexandra's had a string of numbers, and with hers said 'Fire affinity: 8% power' "8%? Damn that's lower than I thought."
Ana's said what she already knew as well, 'Light of healing: Several times a day the user of this power can heal others or themselves, to a certain limit. Potential for applying buffs, and upgrading healing limit.' mine has potential to get stronger, which is honestly great"
Jack was much like Alexandra's except that his said 'Wind affinity: 16% Power' which meant that the number didn't apply for how pure their affinity was, but the overall training and control they had.
Jaeger couldn't help but touch his attributes to see as well:
Strength: 24
Speed: 28
Endurance: 20
Perception: 28
Dexterity: 24
"Interesting…" Jaeger looked over to his power which had a strange name 'Internal Artificial Element Mimicry': User can mimic materials, elements, and combine these combinations through theory or practice with their body. Current limit: 3.'
"Hmm…" Below it were several spaces relating to each thing he had tried so far, this was quite useful!
"Thank you" Jaeger looked to the man, but the only response he got was a smile.
'What was interesting was that in 'Lightning' it had an affinity rating of 15%! Magic truly was a part of it as a power, or was it magic? Lightning depending on how much he put into himself would heighten his attributes; L3 would give him a +100 to his speed, which was why he was so damned fast.
'Earth' would heighten his endurance depending on the type, but lower his dexterity and speed to the low tens. Some raised Strength, speed, endurance, perception in the case of lightning, and dexterity for others. It seemed depending the material or thing he mimicked would depend on what gains he got through the attributes. Lightning and metal still seemed the best.
Jaeger stopped himself from going over the math in his head, and followed everyone over to the tavern. It seemed that instead of the fog, like the city before there was rain within the sanctuary. Everyone didn't mind though, it brought this place back to feeling normal. However it would sometimes slow to a drizzle, or just have clouds high above.
Within the tavern were several people of varying styles and types grouped up at random tables or corners. It felt so, so…role-play esque? Instead of the style around the city, a lot of the people here had robes or armor on with large swords or staffs of different look.
A man with a grizzly beard was behind the bar across the room shining glasses and serving ales and drinks.
Jack walked up, they were both the same height which was surprising because jack was already in the region of 6'5 or so. Jack looked like a grizzly bear, while the bar keep looked like a lion. They sized each other up and then clasped hands and shook them, "Names Jack".
"Nice to meet you Jack, names…names Zak" They looked at each other funny and laughed. The man poured him a drink, and they began to chat about random things. Everyone came over to the two brick shit houses wondering what they were talking about, but the ladies stopped with blushes once they heard.
"Hey got some good lay here?" Jack asked with a smirk.
Zak nodded, "Loaded"
They laughed and clinked drinks, how did men bond this fast? It was inhumanly strange.