Bog Standard Isekai

They were still on the way to where Lurilan had spotted a Mud Slider when noon drew near, meaning it was nearly time for their call with Lumina.

Brin and Hogg had a brief discussion about whether or not to include Lurilan, and decided that they might as well. Anything that they couldn't discuss around Lurilan they really shouldn't speak of out loud at all, especially not over a long-distance spell.

They asked Lurilan to find a secluded spot, and he brought them to a clearing in a copse of trees up against a hill that blocked the line of sight in every direction.

Still, Brin decided to be careful and mask them all in a wide cylinder of invisibility. He didn't even need to use the new [Split Focus] elements of [Multithreading] they'd been practicing. Two directed threads and a hefty drain on his Mana took care of it with a barely noticeable effect on his perception of time.

He and Hogg went through the long process of setting up the communication spell. Hogg had spent some time running Brin through the words of Language in the spell that Brin didn't know, but he still needed Hogg's help to get it working. Doing it alone would require several days or maybe weeks of concentrated study, and neither of them had thought it worth wasting their one-week cram session on that.

When Brin finally finished his part of the spell, it was a few minutes after noon. Hopefully Lumina didn't mind.

He pushed his Mana into the spell, felt it connect with Hogg's portions, and Lumina appeared. She was facing the wrong way, and when she turned around she greeted them all with a warm but weary smile.

"Oh, good, you made it. I was beginning to worry. Is that Lurilan? Excellent! Hogg, am I solid?"

"You are," answered Hogg.

"In a manner of speaking." Lumina stepped forward to take Lurilan's hand in both of hers. "It is a true pleasure to speak with you again, my friend. I must beg that the existence of this communication spell remain a secret."

"You have my word, of course," said Lurilan.

"Thank you. Now, we haven't much time." Lumina dropped Lurilan's hand and turned to face the rest of them. "Please understand that I don't expect this to be a relationship where I command and the rest of you obey, but I don't know how much time we have right now, so in the interest of expediency I will tell you what I believe must happen and then we can discuss it with whatever time we have remaining."

"Get on with it, then," said Hogg.

"Right. Ahem. Hogg, you must come to the Tower. Brin, you must accept Galan's offer and travel to Prinnash. Lurilan, I didn't expect to see you today, but I could use your help as well. If you're willing, come to the tower as well."

Hogg frowned and folded his arms. "Explain Brin's part first."

Lumina winced apologetically and said, "I'll explain Lurilan's part, since it's the shortest. The kingdom would use your unique Skill to seek out deserters and impressment avoiders. You would be well-rewarded, and it would help my political position, but again, the choice is yours."

"And for Brin?" asked Hogg.

"In short, Frenaria is not safe for him. The time is not far off that the bulk of our armies will be mustered in Prinnash for the invasion of Arcaena. There is never a more precarious time for a kingdom than when all its strongest and most loyal men and women are fighting in a foreign field. The [King] will rely on the peerage to maintain order, and he will be ready to overlook many their excesses for the sake of harmony. In Prinnash, you will be surrounded by those strong and loyal soldiers, and you will most certainly not be involved in the actual assault of Arcaena itself. You will train with the [Knights], but a newly formed Lance will always stay well beyond the front lines. It's the best compromise between advancement and safety that I can think of."

Brin’s emotions were mixed. There was something alluring about training with [Knights], and he'd been so involved with the plots of Arcaena that he never liked the idea that the war against her would happen without him. On the other hand, it felt like he was being exiled. "Wouldn't I be safer at the Tower with the two of you?"

"I can't guarantee that this is where I will stay. And in full sincerity, I do not know how safe it will be even with me here. Even for Hogg this will be a place of great danger, though that will be compensated with even greater opportunities. The idea will be to have Hogg arrive first to clear your way. Those among my adversaries who might try to... inopportune a subordinate [Mage] of mine will quickly find that Hogg is not an easy target. They will break themselves against him, leaving your time here without danger or stress. I believe you will come to the tower, eventually, no matter what I do, but it need not be before you are ready. You're also a bit young, you know. Sixteen is acceptable, but eighteen is the most common. Fourteen is much too young."

Still folding his arms, Hogg shook his head. "There's another option. He could pretend to be a normal [Glasser] and lay low until the whole war blows over." R

Lumina clasped her hands behind her back and stood up straighter, her face becoming a mask of perfect courtesy. "Yes, that is true. Brin, you would have to change your name and face, and you could never let your disguise slip. You'd have to be a normal [Glasser], keeping all your new inventions and ideas in your mind. You would have to leave Blackcliff; too many people know you there already, and you couldn't go to Hammon's Bog. But yes, anywhere else would be fine. That is an option. My thinking was that you would wish to enter either the Tower or the war. I hadn't considered anything else."

She was looking awfully normal, which made Brin think hard about what she wasn't saying. "How screwed would you be if I just up and disappeared like that?"

"It would hardly be an issue," Lumina said, too quickly, with a wave of her hand.

"She's a grown up, she can take care of herself," said Hogg.

Only Lurilan gave him the honest answer. "She names an heir who disappears at wartime before being presented at court? It would place suspicion on her in a time when the [King] is at his most vulnerable, and therefore at his most paranoid."

Lumina glanced to the side. "I have perhaps one minute more. Brin, I won't rush you and I don't wish to decide for you, but--"

"I'll go to Galan," Brin said, and then gulped down a bit of acid. Not that he resented needing to leave, but everything was changing so fast.

Lumina was clearly relieved, though she tried to hide it. "Good. One last thing, I did look into the matter of your investment into a caravan. You have a sum worth eight hundred pieces of gold deposited here in the Bank of Steamshield. Well done! Do I understand that this is nearly double your initial investment?"

"I put in five hundred. But yeah, that's awesome! Will I be able to transfer it to Prinnash?" asked Brin.

Lumina seemed flabbergasted by the question. "What? No. I mean, regretfully not. But I will write to some acquaintances in Prinnash and have them make some monies available to you for the purchasing of armor and other necessities. We have perhaps thirty seconds left before I'm discovered. Anything else?"

"When is our next call?" asked Brin.

"Too risky, until Hogg is here. We'll correspond by letter. What else?"

"I will come, but I need a better bow," said Lurilan.

"May the gods bless you, my friend," Lumina answered. "Now if there isn't anything else--"

Hogg said, "Lightmind. I don't trust any of the [Illusionists] here, and without [Persistent Casting]--"

"I'll see if I can get someone to enchant one into glass. Now I really need to--"

"I miss you. It was wonderful to see you," said Brin.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She rushed forward to wrap him in a hug, both arms going around his head to bring him in. Since she was made of hard light it felt like being hugged by a boulder, but he appreciated the gesture. "The same to you, my beautiful boy. Be well in Prinnash. If at all possible, stay out of the assault of Arcaena. Stay safe until we meet again."

He wasn't able to answer that, as Lumina faded from view an instant later.

Brin waited a moment to make sure she was really gone and then tore down the spell and returning his threads.

He glanced at Hogg, not sure what to say. This was it. They were really splitting up. He found he really didn't want to talk about it, not yet.

Hogg probably felt the same, because he spit on the ground and said, "Frustrating woman. She says she won't order us around, but I doubt it ever entered her mind that we weren't going to do exactly what she wants."

Lurilan shrugged. "It was an easy choice for me. I wasn't in the city for the surprise conscription, but eventually someone will invite me to join the war. I would either need to fight or let my name become mud forever. This gave me another option."

"It doesn't really change much for me, to be honest. I was going to go to Prinnash for [Filial Piety] anyway. And Hogg, don't tell me you're not looking forward to learning at the Tower."

Hogg said, "I'd be lying if I say I haven't been dreaming about that my whole life. But there's a reason I haven't gone already. Once I'm there I'll be in the system. They'll have expectations for me. Noctis' Starry Night! I bet Lumina is expecting me to swear an Oath to her."

"Better that than the [King]," said Lurilan.

"True," said Hogg.

"What's so bad about the [King]?" Brin asked.

Hogg shook his head. "Where to even start? Think about this conscription. Think about how the [Heralds] are still out there telling people that there isn't going to be a war."

"Perhaps I can sum it up like this. [Witch] is a dangerous Class, as you well know. But in terms of dangerous Classes, it has nothing on [King]," said Lurilan.

Marksi chirped and puffed up his chest, and Brin had to guess what he was thinking. "No, dragons can't be kings." Brin didn't know that for sure, to be honest, but best to stop these ideas before Marksi could latch onto them.

Marksi pointed at Brin.

"No, I don't think I want to be a [King], either."

Marksi grunted derisively but then remembered what they were about. He danced in a circle and then darted towards the trees and back again, trying to urge the group onward.

"You're right," said Lurilan. "We had a purpose in coming out here today."

The group headed out through the trees. They passed through trees and fields, following Lurilan and an excited Marksi.

Brin barely noticed where they were going. He ran through the long-range communication spell from [Memories in Glass], seeking to learn it enough that he'd one day be able to cast it on his own. Mostly, he wanted to get his mind off his coming journey.

The others also seemed to be in an introspective mood and didn't speak much, which made the rest of the journey pass quickly.

It was late afternoon when Lurilan finally called for a halt. Brin looked up and saw that they had arrived at the edge of a swamp.

For the first time, Brin felt very keenly that he wasn't in the Boglands anymore. Homesickness didn't really hit him when he was comparing home to something completely different. When he compared Hammon's Bog to the dry fields and healthy forests they had around here it was easy to ignore, but it wasn't until he saw another swamp that he realized how this was definitely not the Boglands.

In short, the swamp sucked. Instead of monstrous, moss-covered trees that loomed oppressively into the air pulling the light out of the sky, he saw the same kind of ordinary trees you'd find anywhere. There were few bushes, only one random vine hanging down, and an instantly recognizable path of dry ground leading straight through. No chance of accidentally falling in a sinkhole down to his neck or sinking his feet into knee-deep mud and pulling it out covered in leeches. Pathetic.

It was so strange that he was homesick for a place he’d only lived for two years. If he went somewhere mountainous, would he be homesick for his old life, or was that really in the past now? He wasn’t certain he knew the answer.

He hoped the swamp would be more interesting the further they went in, but he was wrong. A single bullfrog croaked in the distance, but there were few birds and no swarms of biting insects, though he was pretty sure it was because Lurilan had a Skill for that. The trees never really became thick enough to provide consistent shade, leaving him uncomfortably sweaty, and just like he had expected, the ground stayed dry and firm. At least that would allow them to leave quickly when this was over.

“Here,” Lurilan whispered. “It’s nearby. Marksi, I’ve brought you close enough. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Marksi nodded and his scales immediately started shifting color to match the green and brown of the landscape. He crept past a patch of tall grass and then Brin couldn’t see him anywhere. Even though Marksi had camouflage instead of true invisibility, Brin found it nearly impossible to spot him when he was in stealth mode.

He relaxed his eyes, keeping them unfocused and tried to look at everything and nothing at once. He was looking for some slight motion, a slight twitch or twist of color that he’d normally dismiss or ignore. Marksi would never show more than that.

He didn’t end up seeing Marksi, but he spotted the target. A little frond of red stood up from the surface of a lake, heading away from them. He used [Inspect].

Ruby Crested Mud Slider

Level: 12

As far as Brin understood, animals didn’t really have levels, but they could advance in power by acting out their natures, and then the System assigned them a level-value based on that power when someone used [Inspect]. This beast was pretty weak. At that level, it would be a surprise if it had the beast core Marksi wanted.

In his old life, he would’ve called it monstrously huge; after all, the snake was seven feet long. But after all the monsters Brin had seen, he had a hard time being intimidated. He knew that the snake was venomous enough that it could likely kill him in a single bite, even with the help of [Scarred, but Healing], but was that all? It didn’t seem strong enough to be a real challenge.

It was about a hundred yards away, but Brin could see it clearly because of how sparse this swamp was. It moved across the pond at a casual speed; things as venomous as this Mud Slider didn’t need to fear all that much in this world, as wild creatures quickly learned to stay away.

It reached the shore and began to slide across the mud. Out of nowhere, Marksi appeared and bit into the snake’s spine, right behind its neck.

A quick flash, a sudden frantic jerk, and then it was over. The snake was dead.

Brin couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Sure, he was glad Marksi had killed the snake without getting hurt, but he’d sort of expected it to have one more trick up its sleeve. Maybe it did, and Marksi’s ambush had killed it so quickly that it hadn’t had time to use it, but Brin didn’t think so.

They approached easily through the mostly-tame swamp, and Marksi was dancing a victory jig when they arrived. He showed off, miming his sudden and overwhelming victory again and again. Lurilan, Hogg, and Brin all took turns praising him.

Lurilan knelt down, cut into the snake, and pulled the flesh to the side to reveal that the snake did indeed have the prize they were looking for. It had a beast core.

Marksi reached in and plucked it out, darting away with his prize. He looked sort of guilty, like he expected Lurilan to scold him for snatching it, but the [Hunter] smiled indulgently. “It’s yours. You earned it.”

Marksi peered at the crystalline organ clutched in his claws. It was a dull red, and unreflective.

Brin felt a sudden wave of revulsion. He didn’t want Marksi to eat that. That beast core was different than the others; it wasn’t an incidental prize that he’d gained as a side-effect of helping Brin. This was the first beast core that Marksi had chosen for himself. In a way, this was akin to Marksi’s System Day. The core he chose now would go on to guide his evolution far into the future, maybe for the rest of his life.

Did he really want it to start here? With this? That snake had been small and pathetic. It was weaker than it should’ve been, and much too cocky in its weakness. Sure, it might be able to kill things high above its level, but that didn’t change the fact that it was still a worm. He wasn’t upset about it; that was its nature. That was poison.

That was not Marksi.

He saw at once that the little dragon felt the same as the little scaly face twisted in disgust.

Hogg and Lurilan hadn’t seemed to catch on yet. Hogg called, “Well, what are you waiting for? You’ve done it! Take your prize.”

Marksi did not like being told what to do, and Hogg’s prodding broke the last of his hesitation. He threw the core on the ground and turned his back with a “Hmph!”

“What? You aren’t going to eat it? Whyever not?” asked Lurilan.

Marksi curled up so that he could cross his arms. “Hmph!”

“Dragons know what’s good for them,” said Brin.

Hogg shook his head. “Listen here, Marksi. Lurilan marched up and down this forest all week trying to find that for you. You can’t just refuse to eat it without an explanation.”

Marksi didn’t move.

Brin spoke up, “I don’t think he should eat it either. This is his first core from a solo kill; it needs to be perfect. And now that I think about it, I don’t think poison suits him. When we were looking through those books he wanted us to search for creatures that breathe fire or hunt with their fore-claws. I think he’s better off looking for something like that. Although, I do feel guilty for making you search for it all this time.”

“Well, it’s not as bad as all that. [Hunters] never search for just one thing,” said Lurilan. “But I must admit that I’m perplexed.”

Marksi looked downcast. He picked the beast core off the ground and scooted over to Lurilan. The [Hunter] leaned down, and Marksi pressed the beast core into his hands, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.

“Are you sure?”

Marksi nodded.

“Very well. I can sell this for a tidy sum. I’ll take the poison sac, too, if you don’t mind. You killed it very neatly and I see that the sac was preserved.”

Marksi nodded again, looking happy to be able to do the [Hunter] a favor.

“But we will all eat the meat, and I won’t have you turning your nose up at that! Remember what I told you about killing carelessly.”

Marksi was happy to agree to that, and seemed to regain his happy mood when he saw that no one was going to force him to eat the core.

“Don’t worry, Marksi. We’ll find a monster that’s perfect for you,” Brin said.

They stayed at the side of the pond in the second-rate swamp and built a campfire. Hogg found some drying logs to use for seats, and Lurilan roasted the snake meat on spits, somehow using a few pinches of spices from his pack to turn it into some of the best food Brin had ever eaten in this world.

Tonight, they would have to trek back and they probably wouldn’t get home until well after midnight. He didn’t want to think about the parting that would come after that.

But for now, he was here, with friends and family, snacking on something delicious and swapping stories of the adventures they’d seen and the monsters they’d killed. It was nice. Stupid Davi and Zilly, this is what good-byes should be like.