The Way Ahead

Chapter 93b: On Tracks

So is there really a point to all of this? Other than you demonstrating how utterly outmatched I am against people like you, both on an Attribute and Skill level, Edwin complained once his nose had finished healing. A broken nose was far from the worst injury hed gotten lately, but it was still quite annoying and kept him from wanting to talk.

Worst of all, Adaptive Defense kicked in only after hed taken the damage, meaning it was both harder and more painful to set it back in place than it had been to first break it. Next time, hed know to disable the Skill first.

But of course! It is valuable to learn ones own limits!

An its fun to watch! Yathal pitched in, Kyni barking his agreement.

Lefi chuckled, And its fun, yes.

Glad one of us enjoyed themselves, Edwin grumbled, though his heart wasnt really in the complaint, So just so I can see how completely outclassed I am, Im hearing? I could have told you that after a random solitary bandit managed to put a hole in my chest. I suppose technically the hole was kind of my fault, but thats besides the point.

Lefi glanced at Inion, who shrugged.

Could you talk to me instead of her? Edwin snapped, Honestly. Im the one being trained here! Inion doesnt know everything about me.

Of course! It is simply that she is more aware of your level of strength on an objective scale.

Her info literally predates the Empire! I know about as much as her when it comes to how strong I am compared to the average adventurer or citizen.

Lefi raised an eyebrow, and Edwin shrank away, Fine. He grumbled, Ill go sit with the other kids, then.

He slunk off to where Yathal and Kyni sat in the grass, floating down and giving Kyni a good scratch between his ears. As intelligent as a person or not, he was still a dog and loved pets as much as any other canine.

He idly wondered if he could or should get a dog now that he was on Joriah. Hed always wanted one as a kid, but his family was gone from the house too much for it to be viable. It wouldnt be fair to the dog, hed always been told, and while he agreed with the sentiment, both then and now he still really wanted one. But he wasnt sure if he would really be able to adequately adopt and care for one. His personal goal of feeding himself daily failed a long time ago, how could he remember to do the same for an animal he adopted? Bill contented himself with whatever grass they found on the roadside, but a dog would be much more demanding.

It still would be nice, though. Yathal and Kyni were utterly inseparable. Other than when they passed another traveler on the road, or when some noise or scent would catch the dogs attention. Hed rush off to make sure whatever it was wasnt dangerous, maybe give a friendly bark or two to let them know everything was alright, then hed be right back to Yathals side, or serving as the boys steed at times when he wasnt just riding on the carriage.

Sometimes, theyd work themselves into a puddle of boy and dog, each comforting and drawing comfort from one another. Other times, like right now, they would just be sitting next to each other. It was obvious that Kynigos loved his boy orders of magnitude more than anyone else, and would do anything for the kid.

It was really sweet, and Edwin wished he had that sort of dependability from someone. Or just someone who was willing to spend time in preference to that of anyone else. Even Inion clearly preferred the company of Lefi over him. It just

Edwin sighed.

He couldnt fault people for preferring to spend time with certain people. Heck, he absolutely played favorites with the people he did like versus those he didnt. You could only have one person who you most liked spending time with anyway, but was it too much to ask for somebody who would choose him over any other given person when given the chance?

He absently scratched Kynis stomach- the dogs head was claimed by Yathal, of course- and looked around at the vivacious locale theyd chosen for their campsite.

Theyd exited the forest about a day prior, and Edwin was happy for the change of scenery. Where they currently were camped was against a small hill a short distance from the road, the lush grass spilling out like an emerald carpet in all directions as far as he could see. The smells of the early-autumnal forest had also been exchanged for those of a windswept plain, the faint scent of late-summer wildflowers carried on the breeze and into Edwins nose as he breathed in. As he laid back into the grass, he stared into the sky. Far overhead, a hawk circled in its never-ending hunt, and Edwin sighed in relief.

It was nice, he decided. While Lefi and Inion continued to talk about whatever- presumably him- and Yathal sat in silence watching them, Edwin picked a blade of grass and idly peeled it apart.

Whats that? Yathal asked, and Edwin dragged his attention back to the wider world.

Whats what? Edwin asked, looking around. He didnt see anything too unusual, what could the boy be wondering about?

That white thing. Over there! the boy pointed to a part of the sky, but Edwin couldnt see anything of note that way. It was mostly clear blue sky, was whatever he saw obscured against the

Wait, the cloud?

Thats not a cloud! Its waaaay too big and puffy! And too white!

Edwin chuckled, What, have you never seen a cumulus cloud before? he asked, before catching himself and frowning. It had been a year and a half since hed arrived on Joriah, and there had still only been a single time hed seen it rain. Even that one time wasnt natural, so was it possible that

Have you ever experienced rain? he asked Yathal.

Oh, there was a couple of times! When I was a kid there was this one time that the Emperor himself brought rain and the sky turned really gray. It was all really wet for a long time and it was really annoying out in the field.

Huh. Well, okay then. Interesting that Rhothos had such a dramatically flourishing ecosystem if it basically never rained, but maybe the Rhothos river helped in that account? Along with the Verdant and whatever magical nonsense it provided, of course.

Was that your only experience with clouds? he asked, before immediately regretting his choices. The kid had just said that he had seen clouds before.

Well, no. But clouds are really small and wispy, not like that, he said, and Kyni barked his agreement.

Well that there is what clouds are generally like, and what most parts of the world will experience. You just dont get rain because of the mountains, I guess.

Whys that?

Well, youre in its rain shadow if I were to guess... Hey Lefi! he called out, getting the attention of the well-traveled adventurer, Have you ever been to the other side of the mountain range in the Verdant?

I have been much farther afield than that in my adventures! Why, one quest I undertook-

Great, great, Edwin cut him off before he could get carried away, What was the weather like there? Was it as dry as here, or was it rainy?

Lefi laughed, I scarcely saw the sun! It was all mountains and valleys leading straight into the ocean itself, and there were nigh more rivers than dry ground! Now, I had an adventure there at one point where-

Okay, cool. Thanks, he redirected his attention to Yathal, Yeah, thats because of a rain shadow. Basically, water is picked up over the ocean and carried in the form of clouds until it can fall out as rain. However, because of the mountains, a lot of the water is kept from getting to this side of the Verdant and it all rains out either in the mountains or on the far side, where it just goes back into the ocean.

If I were to guess, that cloud there means were getting closer to the coast, and the mountains arent blocking as much of the sky as they once were. We might even get some rain here soon!

I dont think that sounds fun. Can we not?

Edwin chuckled, I mean, we dont have much of a choice. Rain is a common occurrence most places, and a needed one when you dont have a huge magical forest and river making sure your home isnt a barren wasteland.

Better that than havin rain. Make the cloud go away!

Sorry, Yathal. Not much I can do in that regard.

So! You have powers you are ignoring, my friend!

I mean, I havent figured out how to use Refine, but thats not for lack of trying. I just dont dwell on my failures all that much.

Eh? Refine? I meant your Overcharge! Its such a powerful Skill, yet you never utilize it!

Edwin had given up on trying to figure out how Lefi knew so much about his skill list. Inion was probably helping him or something. I mean it hurts a ton when I use it, and Inion cautioned me away from overuse. Something about black goop buildup or whatever?

I told you, Edwin. Itll be alright if you dont overuse it!

Yeah! Thats what Ive been doing!

How many times have you used it in the last four months youve had it?

Twice? Edwin knew where this was going and he couldnt say he was happy about it, but what could he do?

Ya! Thats not overuse! Thats neglect!

Fine, Ediwn grumbled without any real weight behind the complaint, Ill train my Skill. It just hurts, you know?

Truth be told, he had been meaning to try and use it more often. His Adaptive Defense might have been at a high enough level to help offset some of the worse effects of the Skills use at this point for all he knew, and it was too valuable a trump card to leave wholly unused. But complaining about it slightly when his trainers prodded him into working on it was his way of dealing with the soreness he knew hed be dealing with.

Okay, fine. Lets get this over with. Just remind me to prioritize getting some unicorn derivatives, okay?

The magical animals, true to their Earth mythological counterparts, were exceptionally pure- a property that extended to their horns, hooves, blood, and more. That made them useful in everything from antiplague treatments to antidotes, and were on Edwins list of substances to stock up on.

You know, if you wanted unicorns, were going in the wrong direction.

Yeah, I know, Edwin sighed. Unlike their more mythological counterpoints, real unicorns (a thought Edwin still couldnt believe he seriously had) were more cervid than equine. That meant their natural habitat was sparse, warm woodland like that found in the southern reaches of the Verdant. They could live elsewhere, naturally, and there was apparently a family that lived in snow-covered lands where their white coats served as highly effective camouflage, but Edwin wasnt keeping his hopes up to encounter any arctic unicorns in his travels. He personally suspected that arctic unicorns might have been the original species, with the normal variety having migrated south. How else would an animal evolve a pure white coat if not part of a snowy environment?

But were also heading in the direction of one of the biggest trading hubs on the continent, he mused, We might be able to find some horns there.

Unicorn horns werent like rhino horns or elephant tusks, fortunately. Though he had no doubt they were still hunted for the rest of their body parts, unicorns in particular shed their horns every year like their deer cousins and so were more readily available than they might have been otherwise. Overall, it mildly pleased Edwin that unicorn horn could be sustainably harvested.

Granted, he didnt expect that they were, but that fact didnt particularly bother him. Unicorns were just another magical creature, no particular degree of sapience in common members of their species greater than any other animal.

There was apparently an exception to all of this in the form of the Noble Unicorn, but Inion had refused to elaborate on that when he had asked her to confirm what the book had said. Whatever. She said that there was no way the writers of the book had experience with it, and that their observations of the common unicorns primary properties were close enough to accurate as to be useful for him.

So! Do you intend to expand your repertoire by actually utilizing your Skills?

Edwin sighed, Fine. I dont suppose you have some sort of training-assist Skill or whatever? I dont mean Exceptional, but like a Skill that helps you utilize ones I have.

My friend, I have Skills for everything.

Awesome. So when were done lighting my body on fire, maybe we can figure out how Refine works?

Overcharge

The strength rushed through Edwins body once more, empowering his every twitch and thought as mana permeated the fabric of his body and imbued it with immense strength. This time, though, he was trying something different. This time, he was attempting to concentrate the effect in his right arm.

At minimum, it should help Edwin fight off the full-body pain and fatigue that he usually felt during these training routines. At best, it might improve the efficacy of the Skill itself, magnifying its strength by focusing its area of effect.

It was hard, though. Edwins Mana of 33 was higher than any of his other Attributes, and his Basic Mana Manipulation was only 9. Sure, Mana Infusion was one of his highest-level Skills, but that didnt help him all that much given it was already incorporated into Overcharges effect.

Still, he tried. Inion was holding his hand, providing him with moral support as well as being literally on hand in case he needed immediate medical attention. Lefi was standing a bit further back, blasting Edwin with a mix of beneficial Skills- including the dangerous Inspire Courage- imbuing him with the certainty that he would manage it this time.

Off in the corner of his awareness, Numeracy continued to tick up as he tried to fight the effect back to no real avail. Ten seconds, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen He tensed up in preparation for

The high passed, and Edwins entire body sagged with the unique sensation of electrocution and exhaustion combined with being set on fire from the inside out. It was getting better, though. Once Overcharge had passed the ten-second mark, Adaptive Defense had begun to have a noticeable difference on the intensity of the Skills backlash.

The switch still wasnt instantaneous though, and while Edwin had found that with repeated use of Overcharge he could bring the pain down to maybe a third? Pain was hard to measure. So was harm, for that matter, but that was what Adaptive Defense supposedly guarded against!

Pain notwithstanding, he was learning a lot about his Skills. Adaptive Defense, for example, had a pool of resistance which was automatically applied to whatever was harming him most at any given time. The more he was harmed, the faster the switch. Once it was applied to a single source, it stayed tuned to that source until another form of damage began pulling the Skill towards it instead.

If he just let it go naturally, it would typically direct itself towards UV radiation and sunlight over the course of about six hours or so, protecting him from the heat of the day and sunburns. He could still tan, though, which was awesome. He had Skill-empowered sunscreen!

Its bias towards actual harm meant that he couldnt, in fact, level the Skill with or leverage its effects towards tickling, much to Inions chagrin. Well, really it was his chagrin, because she wouldnt stop trying. Gah. What happened to the days when she was perfectly content letting Edwin do whatever he wanted with himself? He missed those days. Yes, they had involved her throwing a lot of heavy and sharp things at him while he was blindfolded, but no actually, now that he thought about it, hed take the tickling.

Edwin? Hows it going? Did it work? Inion brushed her fingers against Edwins grimacing face, pulling him back to reality.

Fine Edwin ground out, I was successfully distracting myself there for a while, but it hasnt fully faded yet. And no, no luck. Its still my entire body.

Very well! Let us go once more unto the breach! Onward!

Edwin sighed. This couldnt possibly be healthy, could it? But Anatomy wasnt yelling at him yet about any strange fluid buildups, so

Overcharge.

One, two, three

Edwin lay limply in Inions arms, looking up at the sky. For the first time in a long, long time, the stars were partially obscured by dark clouds drifting across the nightscape. It was an interesting shift in the weather, and while it hadnt rained yet, Edwins intuition told him he should expect a drizzle the next day. His muscles burned to the point he could barely even flop around without using Flight- though calling on his mana was its own special kind of torture, and the day had objectively been a failure for his goals. Even now, he couldnt so much as spare a single fingertip from Overcharges effects.

He was just glad it didnt require any effort beyond momentary thoughts to play with his Status, though, as it helped him remember why exactly he enjoyed traveling with Lefi so much. The past couple of weeks really had been fantastic for his levels, he had to admit.

Level Up!

Skill Points 720773 (Average level: 43)

Watchful Rest Level 2830

Anatomy Level 3940

Sappers Apparatus Level 4749

Outsiders Almanac Level 132133

Adaptive Defense Level 2730

Fresh Air Level 3133

Flight Level 3840

Overcharge Level 820

Longstrider Level 3233

Alchemical Analysis Level 2728

Feys Caress Level 3638

Skillful Assessment Level 3440

Prototyping Level 2528

Basic Thermokinesis Level 2226

Arcadian Elixir Level 2426

Memory Level 6263

Polyglot Level 6667

Numeracy Level 3640

Mana Infusion Level 8687

Ritual Intuition Level 2628

He wasn't sure, though, if that was really the best part.