Knowledge of Powerlessness

Crystal almost fainted from shock. Was it broken? It should be impossible for someone to have that many affinities, especially having both Unholy and Holy affinities. Crystal decided that it'd be a hassle to go back and check it, so she simply decided to have cautious optimism about the situation. She'd look for some books on all six, technically eight, forms of magic she could learn, and if she couldn't use all of them then she'd resell the books. Though, if she was being honest with herself, she was pretty sure that something was just wrong with it.

Crystal took note of her situation and inspected her map. She was looking for a city that was known for its magic… She found it. Creyva, the city founded on the grounds where they first discovered Arcane magic. Well, discounting Necromancy and whatever other subsections of Spiritual magic were Arcane-like, but that's beside the point. Creyva was a month's walk away, and Crystal was getting seriously sick of walking. There had to be another way…

She pulled out the card Gegov gave her. It was blank. What did he mean by "when you know the importance of my name"? Would there be any clues in Teachings of the Night, maybe? It seemed like a wellspring of information.

Crystal took out the booklet and got curious about how many pages it had. Crystal looked at the table of contents, and… 529. A pocket booklet shouldn't have that many pages, but Crystal flipped to the end, and it was indeed page 529. So there was magic to make books longer than their physical appearance suggested, huh? She supposed a divine book would do that.

Crystal read the section about different syndicates, cartels, and general groups like that. She read, and read, and read. Until she saw it; Gegov Williams. He was infamous for finding budding talent and introducing them to a group he had connections to. Crystal pulled out his card.

"Well," she said, "I figured it out, Gegov Williams."

"Good job," a raspy voice responded.

Crystal turned around, and unsurprisingly, it was Gegov. There aren't many people with a voice as grating as his.

"So," she said, "what're you gonna do with me?"

Gegov leaned on a tree.

"Honestly? I dunno," he said. "I'm not sure there are any groups that'll accept you."

"Why the hell not?" Crystal asked sternly.

"Because of your abnormality," he said. "You were able to use rudimentary Necromancy at age 12, began to learn intermediate Necromancy at age 15 and now you're using both Necromancy and Skiamancy at just 18."

"Is that all that bad?" Crystal asked.

"Nobody wants to harbor someone as potentially dangerous as you," Gegov said.

Crystal was done with this conversation already.

"Well, if you're not gonna help me-" Crystal began to walk away- "then I'm getting a move on."

"Wait," Gegov said. "You don't know what the implications for being able to cast every magic is, do you?"

Crystal stopped in her tracks.

"You mean you know something?" Crystal asked.

"Indeed," Gegov said. "But, I'm not sure if you're ready to learn it."

"What?!" Crystal shouted. Gegov was seriously rubbing her the wrong way.

"Now, now, you'll learn what I mean for yourself in time," Gegov said. "As an apology for not being able to get you into any group, allow me to do you a favor."

Gegov spoke the incantation of a spell, mist swirled around Crystal, and she found herself just outside of a city.

Crystal blinked twice and looked around. Gegov was gone, and so was her Dread Knight. Crystal's eye twitched as she was trying to figure out what he could know about her situation. Of course, she couldn't think of anything. She'd learn in time, huh… Crystal wondered if she would.

Putting that aside for now, Crystal took note of her surroundings. She was inside a massive crater, surrounded by stone. Only a couple of evergreens were within eyesight, and the city's walls were made of what appeared to be magically-shaped stone, creating a massive dome. There was only one entrance, and it had guards. Looking inside the entrance, it looked like the interior was as dark as it was outside. She could smuggle herself in, but considering that this was a favor according to Gegov, and according to her memory, this city was without a doubt Creyva. So, there were likely a million snags waiting for her in it if she were to just teleport in.

Crystal decided to attempt to enter legally first. If she followed the rules and kept her head down, nobody would bother her. That's what she thought, anyway. She approached the guards and asked to be let in.

"Well," one said, "you'll need to wear this."

He pulled out a thick, silver bracelet. It didn't look significant in any way.

"It prevents you from casting spells," the other said, "but we'll remove it from you when you leave. Of course, removing it yourself would be dangerous."

Crystal figured this was so nobody murdered anyone else with magic, and the fact that you can't remove it by yourself means that nobody's going to leave without passing through the front door first. She agreed to wear the band and was let in. Crystal was surprised there weren't more problems, but she figured she should consider herself lucky.

Roaming around the town, it looked like none of the shops were open this late in the night. They were mostly singular buildings in rows, made of stones or bricks, and the roads were proper brick. A fairly wealthy town. She'd have to wake up in the evening to have a shot at anything. Crystal's Shade was an amazing alarm clock, so she was confident she wouldn't wake up late.

Finding an inn to stay at for only a small trader's piece, she bathed, washed her clothes, filled her Waterskin, and slept in a proper bed for the first time in what felt like forever.

…

"You're sure it was her?"

"Yes. Very."

Two men were conversing. One is the guild master of the adventurer's guild. The other was a guard that saw Crystal enter Creyva.

"This is sudden," the guild master said. "She got here way too fast."

"Yes," the guard said. "I was a little surprised."

"No matter," the guild master said. "I'll notify Vanessa and Jonathan. They've tussled with her before, they'll know her tricks. And besides…"

The guild master looked out the window, cracking a smirk.

"Vanessa's eager to get her payback for that wound."

…

Crystal awoke to a vague sense of dread. Must've been the change in environment throwing her schedule off. That, or the fact that Day's Hatred was still in effect. That certainly wasn't helping, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was hunting her down. Well, she *was* a fugitive.

She headed out immediately and saw the town bathed in an evening light. However, the sun didn't shine in. Plant-like bulbs were hanging all around the dome's top, emulating the brightness of the sun. Seems like there aren't any street lamps either, flame-based or not.

Crystal explored some bookstores, found some beginner's guides on Fire, Water, Earth, and Air magic for just 100 trader's bills, one on Holy magic for 500 bills, and left it at that. She didn't need an Unholy one, and a true Unholy grimoire would cost her most of what she had. Although, she would appreciate learning more about Dark magic.

Crystal retreated to her inn, and read the books through the night. She couldn't use any of the spells in the book thanks to her bracelet, but eventually, she learned Spark, Splash, Compress, Gust, Heal, and Flash. Very mediocre spells overall. Spark released a magic spark that could light highly flammable things on fire, Splash made a pitiful splash of water, Compress hardened earthen materials like metal or dirt a little bit, Gust made a gust of wind, Heal would close superficial wounds but not heal internal damage, and Flash made a quick burst of bright light.

Crystal had studied the books until sunrise and wasn't able to digest them all. She desperately wanted to learn Fireball, but the mechanics behind it were just too different from what she was used to. After an exhausting night, Crystal slumped back into her bed to sleep the day away, letting her Shade be on high alert. It was a shame her Dread Knight wasn't here, but it's not like it'd be let in anyway.

When Crystal woke up, she went through the same rigmarole. This time, though, she didn't find a single book. The storekeepers seemed pretty on alert around her. She blew it off, thinking it was the way she looked. Her years of hardship didn't lead to her looking like a very kind person.

She decided to leave town at night, having the guards at the entrance take off her bracelet. Now, though, she was completely stranded, so before she truly left, she asked the guards where the nearest town was. Her country map didn't list every little town and village, so she was wondering if their answer would be different from the map. It was.

The guards said there was a small village without a name to the West not too long ago, and pointed it out on her map, but nobody had checked on it in a while. The nearest big town was several days north of there, a city called Gigana, which is mostly a residential place and where the lord of the land lived. Crystal was in an Earldom currently. She had been in a Barony before, but Crystal was horrible with remembering noble titles, and didn't exactly care who was in charge of the chunk of dirt she was standing on. She thanked the guards and left.

As she was using Shadow Hop to get around the stone wasteland she was in, Crystal kept feeling like something was watching her. She ignored it, thinking that they couldn't keep up with her teleportation, and left the massive crater. She was atop a short but wide mountain. A former volcano? She wasn't sure, since she only heard stories of volcanoes. Either way, she made it to the ground below. Lush grass swayed in the gentle breeze, and the trees softly shook. Crystal didn't understand how anyone could live in a stone hellscape like Creyva. The forests of the world were just so pretty. Seeing how indifferent nature- no, everyone was- while she was in a constant state of panic made her feel a little envious. But, as the trauma began to finally settle, she heard footsteps. She'd have time to process her feelings later, but right now, living to see that day took priority.

Out of the literal woodwork, a knight and cleric stepped forwards. Not just anyone, though- the ones that had caused Crystal's army to be annihilated. She gritted her teeth but didn't act rashly. In a contest of strength, she lost ten out of ten times. However, just after she Shadow Hopped out of their sight, a bolt of lightning struck the spot Crystal had been in. They spotted her.

The knight and cleric nodded at each other, then wordlessly began searching. Crystal was hiding in the trees while using Sense Life to see their movements. She could easily escape, but she wanted to kill them. They ruined her work. She couldn't leave that unpaid. Crystal noticed that the cleric was sluggish. Was she still suffering from the gut wound Crystal had given her? That was a while ago, so Crystal had figured that a healer would've patched it up by now.

Regardless, Crystal considered her options. She already knew that the knight was strong enough to resist Soul Drain, and thus Soul Pierce, so that wasn't a good finisher. She did, however, have a dagger. No matter how strong someone is, a slit throat is fatal. Crystal Shadow Hopped to a tree near the knight and cast Soul Pierce. It wouldn't kill him, but it would still hurt.

The knight collapsed. Crystal cast Cage of Agony and Induce Fear back to back. Using Shadow Hop to get down to him, she tried to slit his throat, but the cleric cast a lightning spell at Crystal, forcing her to back off. The spell swerved off and left a nice dent in a tree. That spell had lethal intent. The knight was still in crippling pain and was feeling an unimaginable amount of fear, but he was able to stand again. This guy was tougher than tempered steel.

Crystal had been grazed by the lightning bolt, so she used Heal to patch herself up. It wasn't a perfect solution, since the flesh below the skin was still injured, but it would prevent infection and bleeding. Crystal couldn't afford an infection.

She considered her options and had an idea. She sent out her Shade to attack the knight, while she Shadow Hopped over to the cleric, immediately casting Tranquil Still and fighting with her dagger.

Crystal and the Shade's pincer attack had begun.

The knight felt a deep pain in his back. He was bleeding, but couldn't see what injured him. He kept getting cut and stabbed but from no visible foe. Then, while fighting Crystal, the cleric shouted something.

"It's a Shade!" she yelled.

While the knight was trying to fight the Shade, Crystal was pushing the cleric to her limits. Crystal was far more dexterous than the cleric, so she was easily able to stab and dodge. Warrior's Spirit was helping Crystal's relentless offense. It took everything the cleric had to block Crystal's stabs with her staff.

The knight yelled out in pain and managed to get a good hit on the Shade. Worrying for its safety, Crystal called it back and relented. Now, Crystal stood, with her Shade half-emerging from her sleeve like a snake, facing a bloodied & battered knight, and an exhausted cleric. They were still within Tranquil Still, so the cleric couldn't heal. However, it meant that Crystal couldn't kill the knight either.

"It seems we've reached a standstill," the knight said between ragged breaths.

"Standstill?" Crystal said. "You're the ones who're tired."

"How are you, a mage, skilled with a weapon?" the cleric asked, breathlessly.

"Desperation," Crystal said simply.

The knight stood up straight.

"Nobody's ever pushed me this far," he said with a smile. "I'm Jonathan, and she's Vanessa. What's your name?"

Crystal raised an eyebrow. They weren't after her bounty? Furthermore, what's with the introductions?

"Crystal Stren," she said. "I thought you knew that."

"I suppose we should've," Vanessa responded.

"Crystal, huh?" Jonathan said. "I'll remember it well."

He took out a small stone and began to crush it in his hands. Realizing what was about to happen, Crystal dropped Tranquil Still and cast Flash to try and distract him, but it was too late. The recall stone had been used, and the two vanished. Crystal stood in the silent forest, before realizing that, yet again, she had failed to kill them. She gnashed her teeth, then looked into the bright night sky.

"Goddamnit!" she screamed.

She still couldn't finish a battle. She still didn't have the strength she needed to win. She was still too weak. She knew that it was a common problem among Unholy mages, but she refused to accept it.

Twice had those two beaten her, and twice had they let her live. It was almost insulting. Crystal couldn't fathom letting someone who had wronged her live, unless there was some kind of benefit for it all, so why? Why were they just letting her live? The first time, they had sent her to prison, and this time, they were wounded by her, but surely both times they could have just killed her and been done with it all. So why?

Crystal decided on something. She didn't necessarily want revenge on the kingdom. Not in the "kill everyone for catharsis" sense at least. She'd rather attempt to form her own country than do that. But, if there was one thing she wanted to do before that, she wanted to kill Jonathan and Vanessa. To redeem her past self, and to prove to both them and herself that they should've killed her when they had the chance.

For the first time in a long while, Crystal had a clear goal.