Arc 1 - Ch 8: "A Lesson on Death"

CHAPTER 8 - "A Lesson on Death"

This web novel is a draft of the story. Please expect frequent changes and updates as I see fit. Enjoy! -Cloki

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Siegfried: "You mentioned how death for me was not permanent, and how if I died, I would respawn. How does this work? It sounds awfully familiar, almost as if I've seen it in a show before..."

Camriel: "Respawning is a strange power, there are actually other people in Provincia who have the ability to respawn when they die. I do believe Azure is one of those people, like you, Siegfried."

Siegfried: "WHAT? Well, how exactly does respawning work??"

Camriel: "When you die, your body is sent back to wherever your save point is located. However, all personal progress that you have made will be wiped. Time will not be reversed though, so if you meet somebody along the way, and then die, and respawn at a point before you met them, although time itself has not reversed, that person will have no recollection of who you are. So be careful, as losing your progress when you die could mean losing a lot of valuable time. I see you are infected with a curse. As the nexus of light does not have any direct connection with Provincian magic, I, unfortunately, cannot remove this curse from you. However, if you were to die right now, you would respawn at the Formai Inn, and because time itself had not reversed, you would have lost about 3 hours of your curse timer, leaving you with now 18 hours to break the curse, instead of the initial 21."

Siegfried: "What if the curse kills me?"

Camriel: "If the curse kills you, you will die for good, as time does not reverse, and curses are permanent until removed manually."

Siegfried: "Well, shit... I need to get this curse removed from me ASAP. Camriel, how do others perceive the concept of respawning? Do you just appear before them or something?"

Camriel: "Respawning is a well-known ability here in Provincia, so although somebody may not know who you are, seeing a body randomly appear is not an uncommon sight, and people will make the assumption that that person had just recently died, and respawned. However, the actual ability to do so is quite rare. Only a few hundred people are known to be able to respawn.

Siegfried: "How does one know that they are able to respawn, and how is the ability acquired?"

Camriel: "Respawning is one of the many "Ultra Abilities" that someone can be born with. You and Azure both have this ability, however, Azure has not realized this yet for herself. Do not mention it to her, let her discover it on her own. You can respawn infinitely, however, dying of natural causes, such as old age, or in this case, your curse, will secure your permanent death."

-An "Ultra Ability", also sometimes referred to as a "Blessing" is an ability that you are born with. Ultra Abilities cannot be learned, you must be born with that specific ability already acquired. It is unknown how Ultra Abilities are spread through families, or how people are born with them. There are countless ultra abilities, and it is not uncommon for people to be born with one. They come in all forms, for example, someone could have an ultra ability which gives them the ability to cook any dish they want with ease, or somebody could have an ultra ability that allows them to see in the dark. Another example, the rarest Ultra Ability, is known as the Spiritual Affinity, which lets one turn themselves into a spirit, and perform Spirit Magic (Also known as Pure Magic). It is the most powerful Ultra Ability, and only 7 people have been documented to have this ability.

Camriel: "The reason respawning is a really good ability to have, is because you won't ever have to worry about not being able to defeat anyone! As long as you keep trying, and getting stronger, you eventually will defeat your opponent. However, this is not the case with Hasher."

Siegfried: "I think I'm starting to understand now, Camriel. When you mentioned earlier that you had granted me an "extra ability", is this referring to the Ultra Abilities? Is there a second ability that I have?"

Camriel: "You have three abilities, Siegfried. The first is being able to communicate with me and borrow my power, which only you possess. The second is the ability to respawn, which you and Azure share. The third, I cannot tell you about. You must discover this ability on your own."

Camriel: "You are free to discuss any ultra ability of your own if you wish. Ultra Abilities are well known through Provincia, and people often boast about theirs to gain the respect of others."

Siegfried: "I see... thank you Camriel. This clears up a lot of confusion."

Camriel: "Also, because you and Azure are in a party, if either of you dies, both of you, regardless if one party member is alive or not, will all teleport back to whoever died's respawn zone. It is highly recommended to group up together before accomplishing a large task so that your save-zones are consistent.

Siegfried: "I see. What if someone else joins our party, but does not have the ability to respawn?"

Camriel: "If someone else joins your party who is unable to respawn, and you were to die, all three of you would respawn, regardless of if they possess the ability or not. However, if they were to die, they would be gone for good."

Siegfried: "Interesting. So, technically, I could sacrifice myself to save my party members if I had to."

Camriel: "That is correct, Siegfried."

Camriel: "Anyway, time is ticking off of your curse clock, I must send you back now. Azure-san is wasting mana."

Siegfried: "Thank you, Camriel..."

-Camriel then cast a spell of her own. Saying nothing, and simply waving her hand, she sent Siegfried back to Provincia, and he awoke with a startle-

Siegfried: "AH, SHIT, WHERE AM I!"

Azure: "Siegfried, it's okay, I healed you. You're with me on the Aqua Trail. We lost control of the sprint spell, and you took a tumble and hit your head, you were knocked unconscious.."

Siegfried: "How long was I gone?"

Azure: "About 20 minutes, not long at all. I was worried you had for sure died!"

-Siegfried was aware of his encounter with Camriel moments ago and was now aware of his and Azure's ultra ability. However, he was unable to notify Azure of her ability, she had to figure it out on her own.

Siegfried: "How's your mana vat? How much mana did you spend on healing me?

-Siegfried knew that Azure's healing spell was fruitless, as Camriel was the one truly responsible for bringing Siegfried back from his temporary coma, still, he was anxious as to how much mana she had just wasted...

Azure: "My vat is nearly empty.. This mana flower isn't producing mana quick enough, and it's almost 2:00... how much time is left on your curse clock?

Siegfried: "Well, we left the inn at about 11:00 this morning, and Physalis said I was cursed about 3 hours before then, meaning I was cursed at about 8:00 in the morning. If it's 2:00 now, that means I have about 18 hours left on my curse clock. I think we should go find more mana flowers quickly and see if we can restore your mana before I lose too much time."

Azure: "I agree, luckily, the Aqua Trail runs through a forest, and the entrance to the forest is straight ahead. But be careful, we don't know what dangerous animals or monsters could be lurking in the woods. For now, because I don't have much mana left, if we are in danger, match the aura of the threat, and they will leave us alone."

Siegfried: "I gotta remember how that spell goes again. Sphere...Spare...sparre"

Azure: "Sphaera"

Siegfried: "That's right, thank you Azure-san. Alright, let's head into the woods and see if we can't find any mana flowers around here. Perhaps we could boil them in water and create a pseudo-mana potion?"

Azure: "We would need a capsule capable of holding water, and a fire to boil it under, but I don't see how that wouldn't be possible. Let's give it a try, Siegi-kun."

Siegfried: "Would you stop with the crazy nickname, Azure-san!?"

Azure: "heh.. we'll see."

-Siegfried and Azure head into the woods together in an attempt to find mana flowers to create a mana potion for Azure. Upon entering the woods, Siegfried notices a strange aura floating about. It feels awfully familiar, but Siegfried can't put his finger on where he's felt it before.

Siegfried: "Azure?"

Azure: "You feel it too, Siegfried?"

-Both were now aware of the mysterious aura looming about. This was no ordinary aura that you might see around a mage, this was a widespread aura. It was the aura of the entire forest. It represented a thick fog, with numerous animals roaming about.

Siegfried: "This aura is definitely different than the ones Daichi was showing us. I think we better keep our guard up, Azure..."

Azure: "I'll stay close to you Siegfried, let's not split up, First, we will search for the mana flowers, as they're the most important ingredient in the potion, and if all else fails, we will have them in our possession so we will be able to use them in their pure form regardless. Next, we will search for a source of water, and perhaps a place to start a fire. Unfortunately for us, I don't know any fire magic, so we will have to manually create a fire using the materials around us."

Siegfried: "Do we have a capsule to hold the water?"

Azure: "There's one over there *points behind Siegfried*, perhaps we could use that metal basin laying on the ground to hold the water."

-About 40 feet away from the party, lay an empty metal basin. It was exactly what the party needed. All they had to do now was find mana flowers, a source of water, and a way to create fire. All the while, time was actively ticking off of Siegfried's curse clock. He had about 17 and a half hours left before he would die...

Siegfried: "Well, if it isn't too heavy, we will try to fill that with water, and suspend it above a fire. I can rig it up to some sticks and stones and suspend it above a potential fire if you can find a river for us to use it with."

Azure: "I know of a major river that flows through this forest, however, I'm not too sure how far away we are from it. Here, let's grab this basin and get moving, we haven't much time left.

-The large basin was quite heavy, but Siegfried managed to carry it with him. Together, he and Azure went to try and find a river to set the basin up at, as well as some mana flowers to brew with...

~~IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION~~

???: "I wonder how that kid and his partner are doing. Before long, their group will be reduced to one..."

[???]: "Sir, do you think it was really necessary to curse that young man, simply because he disregarded joining Hasher's Cult?"

???: "Listen, that boy isn't who he appears to be. It is required of us to assassinate him as soon as possible. If he gains strength, he could be a potential threat to our agenda..."

[???]: "...understood, is there anything you would like me to do, Rigel, sir?"

Rigel: "...make sure those two aren't following me.. the last thing I need is a pair of dumbasses that I have to deal with... we aren't far from Oakheart, and I'm sure those two are suspicious of me already. His curse has most definitely shown its effects by now, so it's only safe to assume that they are after us. Go stop them, that is an order."

[???]: "Yes sir, Rigel, sir"

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