The Dive: Birth of a Wordsmith (21 page)

Dariel quickly spoke up,
interrupting the head elf. “Actually, there is one more
matter.” She looked over to me. “I promised you a
separate reward, did I not?” At the leaders’--I really
should learn his name at some point-- glance, she quickly explained.
“Apologies. I told you of the requirements to become a human
mage, but I felt that the reward for doing so was something you
should witness firsthand.”

At that, I understood what
she meant, and pulled out my grimoire. Immediately, the leader of the
elf clan was stunned. “Is that..?”

“
It is. I am sure
that this is why the requirements are so strict for the humans.”

I raised a hand at their
conversation. “Okay, still not sure what entirely is going on.
Apparently this book is special, and can gain extra powers, but I
still am fairly uninformed here.”

Dariel blushed a bit
before explaining. “Sorry. That book is one of a set known as
the Deific Dictum. Exactly how many there are is unknown, but each
book possesses its own set of powers. From the markings on the book,
that is the Guardian Tome. I can’t tell you what abilities you
will get with it, because most of our knowledge in this field has
been lost. You’d have to visit an ancient library to find out
yourself, or discover through experience. What I can tell you is that
it is said that when one of the Deific Dictum has reached its full
potential, it can turn its user into a godlike being.”

The older elf added at
this point, “Of course, the definition of a god can vary
widely. It could mean anything from a large boost in power to the
ability of creation itself. And the races needed for the books aren’t
widely known either. You will need blessings of the four prominent
races, but there are said to be others. It may be that you will have
to meet with dragons before unlocking the true power you hold.”

“
And of course,
meeting the wrong dragon would be quite bad for my health..” I
sighed, looking down at the book in my hand. When Dariel held out her
hand, I gave it to her.

“
As thanks for your
assistance in this matter, which served as the difference between
peace and blood, I grant you the blessing of the elves. May it guide
you in your darkest hour.” A faint light emanated from her hand
and flowed into the book. When she handed the book back to me, I
noticed an immediate change.

The Worldlore ability
seemed incredible, and as soon as I closed the window I noticed its
effect. Above everyone’s head, there now floated a name like in
most games. Of course.. my first major reaction came from seeing the
clan leader’s name.

“
Uh… sir…
Pardon my asking, but are you and Dariel related?”

He tilted his head at my
question. “Why do you ask?”

“
It seems that this
blessing allows me to learn certain facts about people by looking at
them. I noticed that you share a last name.”

“
Ah, yes. Most of
our clan have the name Vinehaven. But as for your question, yes.
Dariel is my younger sister.”

Okay, I was stunned. It
was a good ten seconds before I reacted, slowly turning my head to
see Dariel blushing with a grin. “You know, I didn’t hide
it from you, you just never asked. I mean really, anyone else would
have at least wanted to know the name of the person they were
negotiating with, right?”

I couldn’t help but
laugh at her reasoning, “Yeah, yeah, you’ve got a point.
Just wasn’t expecting it is all. Guess I should have been,
since you were always able to meet with him directly. But either way,
thank you. I am sure this will be a big help to me in my travels.”

Apparently annoyed that we
were talking without him, the clan leader--I should call him Hathuel
now I guess-- cleared his throat. “With that settled, I trust
our business is concluded?”

“
Oh.. sorry, yes.
I’ll head back with the hunters now to explain this to their
village.” I put away my grimoire, and glanced to the other book
I had been given. Taking into account my past experience, I decided
not
to use Speed
Reading on it while we were in a forest full of hostile animals.

Denise stood up next to
me, nodding. “I hope that they haven’t done anything with
Midnight while we were gone.”

I shook my head. “They
haven’t.” I had been keeping an eye on Midnight’s
status. As a member of our group, I could see his health at the
corner of my vision, and it hadn’t changed yet.

Raising an eyebrow, Denise
looked at me. “Foreigner stuff?”

“
Foreigner stuff.”

Accepting that answer, we
walked out of the hollowed out tree, and made our way to the hunter’s
cages. It seemed that they had undergone a bit of a change as well,
as there were no longer wooden bars locking them into the tree. “You
guys ready to go home?”

The head hunter, who was
apparently appointed as such because I used him as the liaison last
night, nodded. “Yes. It will be good to go back.”

A few of the elves seemed
reluctant to help the other humans get back to the ground safely, but
with one look from Dariel they complied.
Huh…
I guess she has authority of her own here. Did I just get a great
companion?

Once on the ground, I
looked to the human in charge of the hunters. “Are you able to
return on your own from here? I must return to my journey.”

That seemed to catch him
by surprise, because he was momentarily stunned. “You do not
wish to return for a reward?”

“
No, I have already
been rewarded for my part in this matter. If you feel there is need
for more, than ensure that the peace between the humans of Chioatl
village and the elves of the Vinehaven clan is one that lasts.”

“
I.. understand. We
will do our part to keep the peace. Thank you for your assistance,
stranger.”

I smiled to the hunter.
“My name is Jin. Also, if you could ensure that they free my
horse when you get back, that would help. He’ll find me soon
enough.”

“
I will do so. Thank
you, Jin.”

When the humans walked off
back in the direction of their camp, I noticed that Dariel remained
behind instead of returning with the other elves. “Please,
allow me to escort you to the other side of the forest.” She
smiled to Denise and I. “It was quite nice of you to not ask
for a reward from them.”

I shook my head. “Not
at all. Like I said, I have already received ample reward for this.
Asking for anything else would be greedy.”

“
And yet most would
have done so, or even concealed the fact that the other party already
provided a reward. I feel that I can trust you, Jin. I know that you
will be able to accomplish your mission, no matter what it is.”

“
Thank you, Dariel.
I will be sure to rely on you from time to time.”

“
You’d
better!” She laughed, and then turned around to lead us out.
“I’ve never been on the receiving end of a contract spell
before. I’m actually quite interested to see how it turns out.”

“
Oh, speaking of
which. You seem to know of summoning magic, so what do you know of
the spell that fuses two summoned creatures together?”

“
Just that it is
largely unpredictable. You could combine two powerful creatures and
get a failure, whereas combining two weak creatures could get
something powerful beyond belief. I’ve heard that with the
right component creatures, you can make devils, dragons, and other
magical beasts.”

“
I see. So, if I
find the right combination, it could really be a terrifying spell.”

“
Exactly. But you’ve
got to watch out. It’s possible to summon something that is
beyond your ability to control.”

I suddenly had a flashback
to the eerily still wolfman that seemed ridiculously strong when I
merged with it, and gulped a bit. “I’ll keep that in
mind. My next goal is to learn the basics of item creation magic.”

“
That’s not an
easy magic to master. Maybe you should work on transmutation and
enchanting instead?”

“
Maybe.. I’ve
still got a long way to go on my journey yet. I think, if what you
and your brother told me about this book is true, then I finally
found where to start.”

Chapter
10

After Dariel led us out of
the forest, I summoned Midnight back to us and she returned to her
people. It looked like it would be at least another two days before
we found the next village, so we continued our journey along the
rolling hills of the grasslands. Every now and then we’d stop
to fight one of the giant eagles, and I even managed to successfully
bind one. Given Dariel’s warning, I didn’t feel
comfortable trying any more fusion combinations until I had my
Summoning magic to at least level ten.

When I awoke the next
morning, I was lying alone at the edge of the lake. Slowly, I made my
way to my feet, wary of the distorted noises coming from the
surroundings. Naturally, I walked along the shore of the water, until
a bridge rose up before me. On the far shore, I saw Denise and
Midnight waiting for me, so I smiled and began making my way across
the bridge.

When I was halfway across
the bridge, I looked back and noticed that there was nothing behind
me. No bridge, no shore, just darkness. Turning around, I suddenly
saw the same thing in front of me. I was standing on a floating piece
of stone in the midst of a black world.

“
What’s
happening..” I looked around, trying to find something I could
do. I tried conjuring a light spell, but it wouldn’t come to
me. I tried extending the bridge with a wall of clay, but that would
not work either. I was truly, utterly alone.

“
Is that what you
think, Jin?” I heard a voice resonating from above me, but when
I looked I only saw more darkness. “Do you believe you are
alone, even now?”

“
If… If I’m
not alone, then where am I?”

“
You are where you
were, where you have always been, and where you must remain. Your
path is shared by all who cross it.” Suddenly, I saw Denise and
Midnight again in the distance, just as they had been. “Simply
because you do not see the path, does not mean it isn’t there.”

“
Who.. are you?”

“
You know who I am,
and soon enough you will learn.”

How can I know who you
are if I haven’t learned yet?

In answer to my thoughts,
the voice spoke again. “Because you do not know the knowledge
you already possess. Follow the chosen path, and we will meet again.
Now, walk the path you cannot see.”

Oh god, I hope he means
that literally…
And I also hope that
voice really is a he, it was hard to tell. Closing my eyes, I took a
leap of faith. Or, more accurately, I took a step of faith. Though I
knew that there was nothing in front of me, my feet still landed on
something solid. I kept walking, afraid that if I opened my eyes I’d
realize there was nothing holding me up and suddenly fall into a
never ending abyss.

“
Remember…
Just because you can not see the path before you, does not mean you
can not walk it.” The voice spoke one last time, and then there
was something softer under my feet.

Suddenly, I jerked
forward, rising up into a sitting position and opening my eyes. I was
sitting on top of a large hill, Denise and Midnight close by and
still asleep. Looking around, I noticed that the lake I saw was
nowhere to be found.

Was that a dream? Isn’t
that the first time I’ve had a dream while playing?
Maybe it meant I was adapting more and more to this world? But…
something about it stayed with me, even when the rest of the details
passed.

Walking a path I can’t
see?
I shook my head, the words meaning
nothing to me. And though I tried to lay back down and go back to
sleep, the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon. So
instead, I decided to work on Speed Reading the book on nature magic
before Denise and Midnight awoke.