Chapter 108: Plunging into Water (2)

The Leader of Black Cult stared at his Soul’s captor as he approached the tower. He nearly lost his breath as he saw the Mage’s eyes.

They glowed a piercing blue with unimaginable power. And yet it was the pupil, the pupil that he by no means should be able to see from such a distance, which disconcerted him the most. It was the same swirling darkness that Void Lords held in their eyes. The same darkness that preceded untold death. Darkness only the few who survived being in its presence could ever discern.

The Mage had changed. And Amertiyus’ previous thoughts on the Mage wielding the power of the Void but not actually being a Void Lord faltered. Were it not for him being one of the few Devils who frequently interreacted with other races he would have fully believed the man in front of him to be a full-fledged Lord of the Void.

But alas, he could tell otherwise. The pinkness of his skin, the strange roundness of his ears, the…blue… of his eyes. He was not of their kind regardless of the power he wielded. He was a race Amer had never seen in these lands, and that left him curious where Agmar had first encountered this so called Fledging Lord of the Void.

But that just made him significantly more frightening. It was as if he was not a dragon, but a man who stole the dragon’s flame and now burned with its power. Such a thing could not compare to a mere Void Lord in his mind.

How frightened he would truly be if Amer knew that his comparison to a dragon had quite a bit of truth, couldn’t be said.

Amertiyus held in his fear as best as he could. It would not do to appear too weak even if he now knew any further fights would likely no longer be a struggle. The man was different than before. His attack with a far stronger call of the Void at the end of the fight, seemed to be a permanent improvement. Amer was no stranger to revelations that came at the precipice of death.

Soon, the Mage stood in front of him waiting for words. And when several moments passed in them simply exchanging glances he took it upon himself to start.

“So? What exactly can you give me for your Soul?” Rainer asked being never one to beat around the bush.

He was not happy with the figure in front of him in the slightest. Whether it was the curse placed upon him by his likely subordinates that had inadvertently led to [Miasmic Conversion] or his part in hurting Jor, Rainer had little sympathy. But the prospect of a trade and the fact that he had not been directly involved in Rainer’s troubles swayed the [Archon] towards at least trying for peace.

That, and seeing the Devil in front of him had the exact same capacity for Mana as Aura as his other version, led him to believe his strength was no greater.

But as he thought over his words, he found himself having to push down a grin despite himself. Trading in Souls and being the one who had the leverage with a Devil brought him a decent amount of joy. Slowly, Rainer let his power slip away, no longer tensed to remove the Devil’s head at a moment’s notice. No reason to burn away Mana when the Devil didn’t even seem ready for battle. Not that Rainer truly let his guard down, watching carefully with [Arcane Sight].

Amertiyus calmed slightly as Rainer’s eyes returned to normal, only a slight film of magic causing a subdued glow.

Not that he’d forget the feel of such power anytime soon. A calm brought about completely unknown to Rainer, who was not yet aware how focusing on his Void abilities affected his appearance.

“Well, why don’t we adjourn to my tower and we can decide just what it is you want of mine?” Amertiyus said before introducing himself, both shocked at the Mage’s bluntness and pleased by it. He was far too old to find joy in small talk, “My name is Amertiyus, Leader of the Black Cult. Should you find yourself in need of Soul Mages to hire, we offer quite a reasonable price. Regardless of past transgressions that may have occurred,” He added, realizing that all the members of his cult sent into the mountain were more than likely dead by this Mage’s hand.

While he was slightly put out at losing those he trained for several decades, it wasn’t too personal for him. And it was technically in self-defense.

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“Let’s get to it, Amer,” Rainer said, and then followed the Mage into his tower. “Rainer Nvos,” He simply added, as the doors shut behind him.

Entering the blank stone room, Rainer sat on a wooden chair, lacking even the slightest cushion. Curious about where the wood came from in this otherwise completely barren place, but not enough to bother asking.

While [Mana Reading] lacked Rainer’s full faith, [Arcane Sight] had yet to fail him, and he saw nothing to be worried of in here. Even the secrets of Draconic Magic and other powers before it were revealed to his sight, and in his mind, the Devil in front of him lacked such a qualification to hide from it. [Void Detection] still, however, provided an extra layer of security.

Amertiyus sat across from Rainer, his apprentice bringing poorly made stone cups and filling them with a black liquid as the two men looked at each other in silence.

“You do not seem one for needless conversation,” Amer noted, and Rainer did nothing to dissuade him, “I wish for half of my Soul returned to me and for relations between us not to be marred by past…mistakes,” Amer added at the end. In truth, he just wanted his Soul-Half back and to not meet the Mage in front of him ever again. Whatever worked towards the goal suited him.

The predatory grin on Rainer’s face as he rubbed a ring on his finger bothered Amertiyus quite a bit. But at this point, he could do little else as he hoped for a trade for the missing half of his Soul.

“I have no issue with returning what’s yours. Provided you explain how such a thing is even possible in the first place.”

Amer raised an eyebrow. He was not opposed to trading this technique. Its requirements were difficult enough that it couldn’t come back to bite him, especially as the Mage in front of him already proved far stronger. And it was worthless as a secret. He doubted more than a handful of individuals across all seven planes of the Abyss could replicate it.

He returned the grin earlier as he called for a servant to bring his research on the matter. It was an open secret among his apprentices, and none, even his most promising ones, came close to accomplishing it.

“And I wouldn’t mind a further gift. After all, you owe me for far more than a piece of a Soul for your participation in otherwise unsavory ventures…” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Amer’s grin vanished as Rainer’s power flooded the room once more. He remembered this technique from when the Mage had first exited the mountain and all but petrified the Devils around him. It seems the trading wouldn’t be as straightforward as he thought.

He recalled too how the Mage had thrown off his curse, and even now seemed to have no residual effect from it. He used his strongest one during the fight, one that would take even a powerful [Devil King] weeks to throw off completely, if not kill a lesser one.

He took a healthy swig of the alcohol in front of him and hoped he’d leave this discussion alive and whole.

The two sat in silence as they awaited the return of the servant. Rainer glanced at the black liquid in his cup but wouldn’t drink it based on the information in [Appraisal] and [Arcane Sight] alone. Poisoned alcohol did not give him fond memories. That, and this place itself was hardly a bastion of cleanliness.

Soon after, the nervous apprentice brought a plain black book, clearly of a low quality. Rainer noted the condition of the home belonging to even a supposedly high ranked Devil and wondered if this was the standard of living in this plane or if Devils were truly that far down on the food chain.

Neither were good prospects for him if even advancing to the next tier with [Voidwalker] wasn’t enough to get him home.

A thorough look with [Arcane Sight] and a use of [Magic Detection] showed the book as harmless. He opened and skimmed quickly through the pages, only pausing on important parts of the ritual or spell formula and diagrams. The rest left to [Sleep Learning]’s memorization abilities. Minutes were spent in silent before Rainer closed it shut, and deposited it in his spatial ring.

An application of Blood and Soul Magic.

Rainer grew quite excited at the prospect of Blood Magic, given his [Draconic Magus] title. Within his mind already existed plenty of rituals on Blood Magic from the hidden library of Nalmar, but they lacked a primer. It was calculus without first learning addition. Normally, it wouldn’t be an issue for Rainer; he’d simply practice, like the creators of the spells did.

Of course, when practice required virgins or torturing someone to the point of a mental breakdown to bring more power and emotion into the blood, it wasn’t an option for most.

The strongest form of blood magic may deal with self-sacrifice, but the hidden library had been free of that, focusing mostly on what makes blood magic considered a darker magic in the first place. And reworking the rituals to work otherwise and still be effective would not be a short task.

But now he had a man in front of him that could teach him from the start.

It was only a question of how to get him to do it as a friend rather than as an unwilling but cooperative enemy. Learning such a dangerous thing when your teacher is out to kill you would not be wise, [Mana Reading] or not.

Rainer held back a sigh remembering that Amer had tried to speak with him when they first met. But in the end, the only reason they could even have such a discussion was likely that Rainer proved himself too great of an enemy to have.

Now he needed to prove himself a friend one wanted to have, instead.

“Would just releasing it here be fine?”

Amertiyus nodded, finding himself a bit gladder about his decision to negotiate.

Rainer held his hands together and focused as if casting a spell, with the only purpose being to hide the existence of his ring. No reason to give Amer any chances to be greedy.

And with a flourish and expenditure of Arcane power in the form of [Arcane Invigoration], he commanded the ring to release the Soul.

Rainer watched with interest as Amer seemed to inhale the now loose Soul and sigh contentedly as it returned to its original place.

The two looked back at one another. Amer was curious as to why the Mage was still there without any further demands while Rainer wondered how to broach the topic of exchanging information and a more accurate map of where the Abyssal Dungeon existed.

Seeing the tactic work well before, Rainer decided the man in front of him reacted well enough to bluntness.

“So, what would it take for a friendly exchange of Magic?” Rainer asked, no longer an imposing giant in presence, but seemingly the ordinary 20-year-old he once was.

Amer furrowed his white brows, while a portion of his beard twitched a bit at the sudden change in mood. Before offering a genuine smile with his sharp teeth.

“What catches your interest?”

Rainer explained his interest in Blood Magic, Soul Magic, as well as the numerous amount of Tier 5 spell he had to offer in return.

“Not enough. I have little use for Elemental Magic. At most for past transgressions, I can teach you some basics or give you a few books.”

Rainer frowned, understanding that Amer assumed trying to force him to teach Blood Magic wasn’t on the table. Which was the truth, but certainly didn't help the [Archon] in any case.

“Have you planned to take a second Tier Trial anytime soon?” Rainer suddenly asked.

Amer paused, before responding positively. He had only switched back recently when assisting the [Devil King]s in hunting the man in front of him.

“A Fourth Trial,” He said.

“Then how much would information on the item you’ll receive at the end be worth?”

The Devil raised an eyebrow not having a clue at what he was getting at. Everyone knew it was just a gift for completing the Trial. Some theorized rarer classes gave better gifts but there was evidence for both ways, and Amer had nothing but evidence that it was seemingly random given how many mages he’s trained.

“If it’s worth your teaching on Magic, can I have your word you’ll teach me?” Rainer added after the silence and employed [Mana Reading] far more attentively.

“Acceptable,”

And so, Rainer explained. The points that titles gave, how one had a time limit to make the item, likely to prevent any pre-planning when combined with a memory wipe.

Amerityus was an ancient Devil. He was no stranger to negotiation even if as he grew older most duties of leadership tired him. He could tell that at the very least the man in front of him believed every word he said. And a sensing of his Soul, a strange one at that, lead him to believe it was the truth as well.

“Deal. Though I assure you, my only fear of your strength is that I’d have to die to finish you off. And I have never taken being tricked lightly.”

And with the Mage not even faltering at the threat, the Devil retreating his hostility as his mind inadvertently became flooded with the things he could create and the easier titles he could pursue. Rainer’s list of Tier 5 spells suddenly became tantalizing. Such a thought of this being the goal, for him to think such a thing, entered his mind. But the Mage’s conviction and his own excitement in what he said tabled those thoughts for now.

Rainer decided to put a final nail in the coffin, wishing the man in front of him to teach with all of his ability. An ability he’d certainly take advantage with [Sleep Learning].

“I wouldn’t mind taking you with me when I leave this plane either. It’s quite the awful place.”

“To another plane of the Abyss?” Amer asked amused. It was egregiously costly to travel between the seven planes, but it was possible for him.

“To another World,” Rainer said emphasizing World, before going to an explanation of where Agmar had dragged him from.

Amer lifted up his cup, Rainer joining him in the gesture before asking a question.

“Is this drink poisoned?”

“Yes” Amer responded.

Rainer couldn’t keep the confusion off his face, even with his [Acting] skill. That was a lie. He wondered if it was a joke and with a smile drank the alcohol, having already checked for anything magical with [Arcane Sight] as well.

They talked for several minutes, seemingly about how Rainer defeated the [Devil King]s in the tunnel.

“They gathered in a single place, perhaps all fighting to devour me first?” Rainer said towards the end of the conversation. Amer kept the knowledge of his actual role in the hunting party a secret.

“And it was simply a matter of laying them to rest in a tomb of Ice.”

“They were quite weak [Devil King]s, fortunately for you.”

Rainer titled his head curiously at that random lie, thinking over the others he told during their small conversation. It was such a strange jab at him.

“So, you can spot lies as well?” The Devil Mage suddenly asked. It was not the first time he met someone with the skill, though it had been centuries since anyone else had the capability of reading his Soul for lies.

Rainer sighed, his face taking on the look of a child caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

“Then to a partnership,” Rainer said brushing it off as best he could and downing the black liquid.

It took all of Rainer’s constitution and resistances not to cough at the heat and taste of the alcohol. Though he failed at the end.

“Looks like I have more than Magic to teach ya,”

Soon after a short discussion on how much better the Alcohol of the place he was from is, Rainer asked the question both of finding hunting grounds and the place of the Abyssal Dungeon. Both things Amer agreed to.

“So, can you teleport us directly to the Abyssal Dungeon,” Rainer asked, using [Arcane Invigoration] to clear up any of the alcohol in him.

The decision coming would most likely not be one he wished to do inebriated.

“I can just direct you there,” Amer responded before suddenly becoming confused, “Can you not travel across the Void freely?”

Rainer frowned for a moment before answering. It was revealing a weakness, but it wasn’t particularly useful to the person in front of him.

“No, only within my Detection range. Alternatively, if I have a Familiar Bond to aim at, then it’s just a question of power. Distance, even between Worlds, is only a matter of power then.”

Rainer added, explaining how exactly helping him train would be in Amer’s benefit as well.

The Devil stared at him in shock. To blindly teleport without a Sight ability? Such a thing was ludicrous. He did not fully understand the abilities of Void Lords, but he at the very least knew they had a Sight ability to Void-walk.

“I will take you there. Perhaps we add my [Far Sight] spell in another trade?” He added.

Rainer had seen his answer had bothered the Devil, but without him elaborating, there was little he could do.

They stood still for close to a half a minute before Amer activated the long-range teleport, landing them both at their target. He considered for a moment it might have been a trap, but with [Void Detection] open he managed to trace along the connection of whatever Amer was doing, and see the destination ahead of time.

This was an ability he needed to trade for. Especially considering [Void Seer] seemed to only work within [Void Detection] as well, making it superfluous for [Void-walking].

Rainer stood in front of the Abyssal Dungeon. All around it were ruins of stone and metal, worn away by time, far different than the ones in the cavern. Yet in the center of it all the Dungeon entrance stood proudly. A single pillar of a metal darker than the night rose into the sky.

Placing his hand against it, Rainer began looking through his classes.

[Mage of Tongues: One who bends the power of Language to their own strength. Their words become Magic, their decrees: natural law. 100% General Improvement and growth to Magic Language related skills and spells. 25% General improvement and growth to all Magic related skills and spells. Allows the combination of two separate words of powers. +3 Intelligence, +1 Affinity per level after 1.]

Rainer suddenly recalled the spirit magic chants of Luna and other Fae that seemed like more than one voice speaking at once.

[Draconic Mage: A caster of blood who bends the very magic of dragons to their use. Their blood flows strong with power far beyond the common mage. 100% General Improvement and growth to Draconic Magic related skills and spells. 50% General Improvement and growth to Blood Magic related skills and spells. 25% Improvement to all Manipulation Skills. + 1 Intelligence + 1 Willpower, +1 Affinity per level after 1.]

[Arcane Speaker: One who uses the strength of Arcane and influences the world with their words. A wielder of Language and Arcane in concert. 100% General Improvement and growth to Magic Language related skills and spell. 50% General Improvement and growth to All Magic related skills and spells. +2 Intelligence + 2 Affinity, +1 Willpower per level after 1.]

[Summoner: A holder of the sacred bond between Mage and Familiar. One who binds creatures of Magic to themselves, willingly or not. 50% General improvement and growth to one’s Familiar’s skills and spells. 50% General Improvement in the Summoner’s spells and skills that are in contrast to the strength of one’s Familiar. +2 Affinity, +1 Willpower per level after 1]

A distinct lack of Void Mage-type classes left Rainer confused, but he paid it no mind as he continued looking for what would be first to level.

[Arcane Bladesmen: As a seeker of the Arcane, the true origin of magic, all secrets of the universe await thee. Wields his magic in his blade and lets his foes know of the Arcane’s versatile power. 60% General improvement and growth to Arcane spells and skills. 25% Improvement and growth to all skills and spells. 25% Total improvement to Aura and the [Arcane Blade] spell. Allows the initial learning of any skill far easier. +1 Intelligence, +1 Affinity, +.5 Strength, +.5 Dexterity, +.5 Aura Control, +.5 Aura Attunement, +.3 Willpower, +.5 Arcane Attunement, .05 All Attributes per Level after 1]

[Cryomancer: Wielder of the power of Ice and the spreader of Frost. Controller of Ice. 75% General Improvement to Ice skills and spells. 25% Improvement to Ice Manipulation skills. +1 to Affinity, +2 to Intelligence, +1 to Willpower per level after 1.]

So, the limit is the mancer class without a higher affinity, or perhaps even stronger title?

Rainer thought to himself seeing the [Pyromancer] class as well, alongside the previous [Chronomancer].

With Tiamat by his side, Rainer knew for sure he’d find use out of Draconic Magic, and so opted for that to be his first.

[Eldritch Draconic Mage: A caster of blood who bends the very magic of Eldritch Dragons to their use. Their blood flows strong with power far beyond the common mage, and even lesser dragons. The power of the Arcane, Aura and Miasma are available to thee. 100% General Improvement and growth to Draconic Magic related skills and spells. 50% General Improvement and growth to Blood Magic. 15% Improvement and growth to all forms of healing. Aura can infuse blood with power alongside Mana and Arcane. + 1 Intelligence + 1 Willpower, +1 Affinity per level after 1.]

So that answers the question of what Tiamat is made of…

“Are you done here?” Amer asked impatiently. What kind of person comes to an Abyssal Dungeon without already knowing the class they were switching to? The Devil was, of course, oblivious to the untold plethora of titles Rainer had.

“Yeah, all good,” Rainer responded, picking the obvious choice for what he was learning.