A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands

Chapter 9: Introspection

Prophecy is a rare gift granted to only a select few by the River God. The ability to see the future by classical definition means that the temporal is a straight and defined path. Knowing the future if even for an instant would mean that all destiny is set and shackled. However the flow of time is not straight and predestined, instead, it is curved like a river around islands of primordial chaos and Entropy that stain the very fabric of our existence. The unique gift for those with oracular sight is that they are able to see most, but not all, possible threads of the future and through their own agency eliminate unwanted paths to serve the temple of the God of the Wend and Way.

- On the Prophecy of the Gods by Gideon de Salavia 376 A.C

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The next day I was jolted awake by shouting. A tray of food was slid into my cell by one of the guards. My stomach rumbled as I picked up my meal. On the tray was a crudely carved wooden bowl filled with some sort of thick gruel. I hesitantly tasted the liquid, uneasy at the meaty chunks within. The flavor was bland with the texture of chewed salty cardboard, but I still hungrily slurped down this rough repast. My first ‘civilized’ meal in this new world, I thought miserably to myself.

The meal did wonders for my mental condition. For better or worse, I had encountered civilization. According to my Identify spell, the inhabitants were at least human. Being fed must surely mean that I wouldn’t be killed, at least not so soon.

Despite my recent dire ‘cultural exchange’ with the locals, I was for some bizarre reason cautiously optimistic. I felt, no hoped, that with that there was at least a little room to maneuver and improve my fate. This was a very different situation from killing murderous amphibious fish. Yet humans could be every bit as cruel as monsters. I remembered yesterday’s savage beating and swore vengeance against the men who had found me.

I now had a chance to review my situation and to take a little stock. The previous day was just an unskippable story event, I rationalized to myself. My rest had refilled my Health to just a little under my maximum, and my Mana and Stamina were full. I noticed that likely due to the beatings and forced march, I had gained a point of Constitution.

Almost automatically I cast Heal, an ingrained habit from a lifetime of playing online roleplaying games, to keep my Health full. This time the familiar sensation of magic engaged me with a new twist; the shifting and pulling of my body came slower and stronger, like water in a dam building up with pressure. A pulse flowed through my core with a greater warmth that was incomparable to any castings I had previously experienced, leaving me a little tired when the spell finally ended.

You have learned Silent Casting (lvl.1)

So instinctive was my casting, I had forgotten to say Heal; the somatic component of the spell completely forgotten. I had simply willed the spell to be. Wonder filled me as I considered the implications of this new ability. A potential ace in future encounters. They would be unaware of what spells, if any, I was going to unleash upon them. However, I did note that this method of casting took a little extra time, perhaps a scant few seconds. Still, time could be an eternity in the heat of battle.

Carpe Diem, one of my father’s quaint familiar quotes, rose unbidden to my mind. It meant to seize the day, and I intended to take full advantage of my situation, despite the dire straits I had found myself in. Surreptitiously, I moved to the bars of my cell, checking that no guards were watching my next actions. I decided to train my body while waiting for my Mana to recover. In my cell, I started a number of exercises; jumping jacks, press-ups, crunches, and even using the barred window frame for pull-ups. Every time I rose my chin above the shutter’s barred bottom ledge, I caught a glimpse of the small square, now empty, and the main thoroughfare that ran alongside it. I continued to pull myself, arms screaming with effort until my Stamina reached zero. Still straining with all my will, I could begin to taste blood at the back of my throat as I finished my last pullup. Panting heavily, I saw that I had pushed myself so hard that I had caused some damage to my Health, dropping by a single point.

Next, while waiting for my Stamina to recover, it was time to train my mind. Sitting cross-legged on the straw pile in the corner, I closed my eyes and reviewed my past actions from coming into this world to this moment. What could I have done differently? What lessons have I learned? Taking a deep breath I pushed deeper into my past, attempting to review random nuggets of information from half-remembered lessons. I mulled over a myriad of topics, ranging from mathematics, science, economics, and history, to astronomy and religion. Focusing on science, I reviewed what I knew about atoms, particles, charge, and bonds; the very fabric of the material world that I once knew, trying hard to reinstate my previous knowledge and understanding. For my efforts, I was to be rewarded.

You have gained 1 Intelligence

The notification flashed across my mind and I laughed with pure joy. The local culture that I had encountered was nowhere near as developed as my own world. As a student in the modern world, I stood upon thousands of years of accumulated knowledge and wisdom. What was taught so casually in a classroom would take me far beyond the scholars of this small settlement, perhaps even of this world. I realized that I might have finally found my edge to survive in this cruel place.

Throughout the day I continued much in the same way. I trained both my mind and my body in the cell, thankful for the security of its walls. During my training, I gained a single point each in Constitution and Strength. Every time a small voice urged me to lie down and take a rest, I thought of Bogurchu and the scarred man. Remembering the touch of his fingers across my face brought a shiver of revulsion, and I redoubled my efforts. My body was becoming stronger, my limbs felt more powerful, my movements more graceful, and my breathing a little more even when I pushed myself to the fullest.

However, the most startling change of all was in my Intelligence. As the attribute grew, I found that I could recollect things more clearly, and concepts that I was taught but did not fully understand came easier to me. Slowly, as my burgeoning intellect grew, I was able to recall a greater depth of obscure facts I already knew but thought forgotten. This in turn allowed me to increase my Intelligence attribute again, which propelled even more clarity of thought.

Breathing deeply, I settled myself. If Intelligence was learning, knowledge, and retention, then Wisdom must surely be the correct application of Intelligence. With my new intellect, I drew up in my mind Aesop, Plato, Socrates, and the other great classical thinkers. I thought deeply on the implications of morality and man’s place in the universe, situating the arguments of these great thinkers. As the day turned to dusk I was rewarded for my efforts with a notification that I had gained a point in Wisdom.

Opening my eyes, I noticed that sometime during my meditations a new tray of food had been delivered. Checking the contents, I saw what looked like the sorry remains of a root vegetable placed in with my gruel. I had to take sustenance wherever I could find it, and I promptly devoured my meal, leaving the tray by the entrance to my cell. It would do me no favors to antagonize my jailers by making their job difficult.

The idea of planning some sort of daring escape at this stage struck me as similarly foolhardy. My encounter with Borgurchu and his men had left an indelible mark of fear on me. I made excuses to myself, doubting that I would last long on my own in this high-level zone. I decided to play it safe and wait for the next story event on this quest arc. I needed to improve myself and get stronger.

I continued my mental training well into the night, this world's pale moon lighting my cell with an argentine blue. Before sleep took me, I remembered that today was probably my ex-girlfriend’s birthday and I wished her the very best wherever she was. What if time flowed differently in this world to my old one? For all I knew, the days were longer here and it was getting steadily harder to keep track of the time. I was wise enough now to know that it was neither of our fault that things had ended the way they had.

Life and circumstance could make monsters out of anybody.