Magic_Smithing
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Ch: 83
🕑 Added 2021-02-20 06:52:47 +0000 UTCMaster Pacore the Deathless’ Point of View:
As my men tear my tent down for me, I adjust my armor and take in the morning air. The smell of the forest enhances the spring breeze.
I hear the forest birds chirping in the distance, creating a soothing melody anybody would enjoy.
“Do the flying rats never shut up?!” Young Jason complains nearby. “Is it too much to ask for some peace and quiet?” Poor Jason curses, starting to develop dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep he’s been getting.
“Still not used to the sounds of the forest, I see,” I chuckle at the city boy. “You know the birds won’t hurt you, right?”
Young Jason frowns and looks like he's considering stabbing me. "Not all of us are invincible as you, sir," Jason venomously retorts. "When something snaps a branch outside my tent, it worries me. If I had your stats, I wouldn’t care about the noises at night either. It must be nice knowing nothing can hurt you."
I give young Jason a sad smile. “I wish that were true, Jason. But there are still many things in this world that can kill me.” Looking out into the forest, I remember the dragon’s breath and how much damage I suffered from blocking it.
Jason nervously looks around our camp, thinking I’m talking about the invisible beasts the village head warned us about. “Do you think they’re watching us?” He nervously asks me.
Jason is too preoccupied scanning the woods to see the smile on my face. "Perhaps, what do you think, General Pitz?" I ask my silent companion standing next to me.
“There’s nothing out there," General Pitz dryly remarks. Even suppressed as she is, General Pitz would be the first of us to notice any danger trying to creep up on us.
The general’s words calm young Jason down. “That’s good to hear. I’ve been expecting some sort of monster to pop out of nowhere since we entered the forest.”
"I know, it's too bad we haven't seen one yet," I grin at Jason. General Pitz hums in agreement; she must be interested in the invisible beasts as well.
“The two of you are nuts,” Jason nervously scans the tree line once more before my men finish packing up our supplies.
I offer General Pitz a hand to help her back up on the jelen. Usually, she’d swat my outstretched hand away, but General Pitz has reluctantly started to accept my help over the last few days and lets me help her mount the animal. It’s fun to tease her at times, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect her.
Since we started heading to Spotted Creek Village, I’ve noticed a slight change in her emotions. The general tries to keep up a neutral facade around me, knowing I’m always keeping an eye on her. But in rare moments, I see an excited look on her face. A look that’s appearing more frequently the closer we near the village.
The general’s excitement has only fueled my curiosity, and after pushing hard yesterday, we should make it to the village in under an hour if we hustle.
“Why would anyone build a village this far out?” Young Jason complains as we start trekking down the forest trail. “No one travels this deep into the forest.”
“I wouldn’t say that. This trail has seen more travel than most of the villages we’ve been to. If you look closely, you can see the signs that a cart has been through here in the last month. And if it weren't used, this trail would be much more overgrown than it is." Jason is surprised upon hearing this and tries to look for the details he missed as I point them out.
I mention it out loud, but I notice this trail has obviously been frequently used. One particular set of wagon tracks is especially deep, meaning something heavy was delivered to the village recently.
Our trip remains uneventful until one of my forward scouts slowly drifts back to the middle of our formation, where young Jason and I are walking next to General Pitz on her jelen.
“Sir,” the scout motions to the side of the trail.
“I noticed,” I tell him. The scout nods and moves back into position
“Noticed what?” Jason curiously asks me.
I ignore Jason's question and look up at General Pitz. We make eye contact with each other, trying to read each other's minds. I make no effort to hid my happy expression while General Pitz remains stone-faced under my scrutiny. Her only tell is that she's gripping the jelen's reigns too tightly.
Jason notices our stare-down and asks worriedly, “what is it?”
“A scout,” I finally tell him, without turning away from the general.
"So, every village has had scouts waiting for us." I don't look at Jason, but I can hear the confusion in his voice.
“Those were hunters watching the roads,” I explain to him. “The person who just spotted us was above level 50, not something you usually see in a small village.”
General Pitz decides to break our eye contact, choosing to stare ahead of us rather than pretend she doesn't know anything.
I briefly consider this might be some sort of trap to recover the general, but I quickly dismiss that possibility. We’re too far away from any of Olebert’s forces, and visiting this village wasn’t even on our original schedule. That doesn’t take away the fact someone above level 50 was watching this road.
“Level 50!” Jason exclaims.
I can understand his shock. Even in Scholl, where strength is revered and rewarded, it's rare for villagers to reach level 50. If a person reaches level 40 in their lifetime, it's because they worked hard for it. But for a villager to reach level 50, it takes talent, drive, and opportunity altogether. Unless a villager joins the army and receives help, they rarely pass the level 50 mark.
The squad I brought with us consists of two scouts around level 50, fourteen soldiers around level 45, a mage at level 53, another mage at level 57, their two guardians at level 62 and 64, while the commander is level 72.
It takes on average five years of training for a villager to reach the levels required to be a soldier and even longer to reach a higher-ranking position.
As soon as someone reaches level 50, they're considered superior, and the nobility tries everything they can to draw in such individuals. So, why is someone like that out here?
“Men, keep an eye out. This isn't a typical village we're heading to!"
“Sir!” They all sound off together, acknowledging my orders. Jason pales a bit and moves closer to me, knowing I’m the safest person to stand next to should something go wrong.
A spark of excitement lights a fire in my chest.
What kind of village produces a level 50 woodsman? I can’t wait to find out!
**********
Aaliyah’s Point of View:
“That was a nice little warm-up run,” I joke to mom.
"Funny," mom wheezes out as she wipes the sweat from her face.
We've just finished our morning run together, and I'm about to start round two, where I use my movement skills. Mom has leveled up her Running skill quite a bit since we started running together, but she's not to the point she can keep up with me if I use any of my skills.
“You think we can finish brothers tassel when I get back?” I ask mom as she starts to catch her breath.
"Maybe," mom answers coyly. "If we don't finish your brother’s tassel today, we can always finish it during your next break." Mom smirks at me, knowing my dislike for sewing. Give me a hammer or some other tool, and I'm good to go; ask me to sew a three-inch seam, and my Dexterity immediately drops to zero.
“Why do I get the feeling your stalling on purpose?” I narrow my eyes at mom.
“I don’t know what you mean,” mom cocks her head to the side, smiling like a saint.
Now I know she’s stalling!
I'm about to make a snappy remark when a bell starts ringing in the distance.
“Is that?” I ask mom as her eyes widen in fear. A few other villagers going about their day nearby freeze for a second before running off in a panic.
That’s the emergency bell ringing! There is only one thing that can mean.
Scholl is approaching the village!
"Get inside, mom!" I fling open our door with my right hand and push mom inside with my left. Once she is inside, I follow her in and run to my room, not bothering to remove my shoes.
“Aaliyah!” Mom chases after me and stands in my doorway, watching me throw on my armor. “Stay here with me,” she pleads as I put my helmet on.
"I can't," I tell her as I grab my axe resting nearby. I double-check my dagger and sword are correctly fastened before I move to leave my room.
Mom blocks the doorway with tears in her eyes. “Please,” she begs in a quiet voice.
I swiftly move over to mom and wrap her in a hug. “I have to go,” I whisper in her ear.
Her grip tightens around me, not wanting to let go, so I pick her up and move her out of my way. I gently separate myself from my mother and make for the front door.
“Lock the door after me!” I tell her, slamming the door close as soon as I'm outside before mom can argue with me.
I wish I could stay with her, but I know where I need to be.
Using Double Step, I run towards Camden's house. There's been plenty of discussions should Scholl come to our village and everyone knows where they should be. Those with non-physical builds should hide in their homes while everyone else gathers at Camden’s house to be given a weapon.
When I arrive at the headman’s house, people have already gathered and started helping to drag all the weapons out from Camden’s basement. The spears I made are being passed around along with the other weapons that were stored with them. As villagers arm themselves, I see Camden wearing a set of worn leather armor, standing next to his family and Ronald.
All three of Camden's children are wearing nicer sets of armor, especially Sandra. Mages are the first ones targeted in a fight, after all.
My special armor and the large axe I'm carrying stick out in the crowd, and I'm quickly noticed.
“Aaliyah!” Sandra quickly sees me and calls me over.
Villagers step aside as I make my way over to the small group.
“They’re here?” I ask as soon as I stand in front of Camden.
“They are,” Camden says in a somber tone. “Ronald spotted a whole platoon of them approaching.”
“They noticed me,” Ronald briefly mutters.
Shit! If they noticed Ronald when he was hiding, then they have to be around his level or higher. Why the hell are people like that coming to our village?
“How is everything going here?” I ask, trying to keep the nervousness from my voice.
“People are grabbing their weapons and moving towards the front of the village. We’ll try to keep Scholl from entering,” Camden hastily explains.
“How far out are they?”
“Twenty minutes,” Camden tells me.
“You should head over and start organizing people into ranks,” I suggest to Camden. “I’ll go get master.”
“That won’t be needed.” I’m surprised to hear master’s voice.
We all turn to see Del walking over, wearing his armor and carrying his largest hammer.
“I wasn’t sure you would be joining us,” Camden looks relieved to see master.
Del scoffs at Camden's remark. "I'm here to watch over my apprentice, not help the village," master says that but I don't think anyone believes him.
“No matter the reason, I’m grateful,” Camden briefly bows his head.
I expect master to demand a proper thank you, stone kin style, but he doesn’t. Master Del just turns to me. "Stay next to me, kid. Your mother will kill me if something happens to you."
“She’ll kill both of us,” I lightly joke.
Master and I share a smile which is quickly interrupted by Camden. “We need to head to the front of the village.”
Time is of the essence, so our group of people rushes to the front of the village together. Camden Starts organizing everybody based on their weapons. The people who were given a sword from Camden's collection are also given one of the bucklers I made and put on the front lines. Most of the villagers are armed with the spears I made, and Camden must have considered the possibility of Scholl attacking our village because his plan isn’t something you’d think of on the fly.
Camden orders those with axes to chop down the nearby trees and stack them to create a rudimentary wall. He instructs the villagers with spears to stand behind the logs and stab anyone who tries to get over them. It won't do much against people with high physical stats, but every bit helps.
While everyone is scrambling around preparing everything, I see dad join the party in his thickest tunic, wielding his best axe. Dad scans the crowd and sees me looking at him. He walks over to me, and I can see the sad look on his face.
“Mom?” I knowingly ask him.
Dad nods his head. "It was hard to leave her in that state." He must have gone back home before he came here and saw mom.
“Aaliyah, if something should happen, I want,” dad starts telling me in a somber voice.
I stop dad before he can raise any flags. "Whatever you want to tell me, we can discuss it after we apologize to mom for leaving her home."
Dad looks like he wants to say something else but stops when he sees my resolve. “Later then,” he mumbles.
Dad still looks tense, so I help him the only way I know how. I lightly elbow him, "you looked pretty heroic there for a second. Show that to mom, and we'll get off scot-free."
Dad smiles a little. “I’ll think about it.”
The two of us work together to help erect more log barriers until another scout runs up the trail and informs everyone that Scholl is five minutes out.
“Alright, everyone, get into position!" Camden shouts. "You four, back up! You two, move forward! Nobody is to attack unless I order it! A fight is the last thing we want, but show no fear to our guests!" Camden reminds everyone that our goal is to show our strength, so we aren't taken advantage of, not start an unwinnable war.
We have log barriers on either side of the clearing with a gap in the middle. Camden stands in the opening, with a line of villagers in front of him, ready to negotiate with whoever is coming. Master, dad, and I stand next to Camden, being the best physical fighters, while Sandra stands in the back with the archers, guarded by brother.
The next five minutes are tense as everything becomes quiet. The sound of marching footsteps slowly grows louder until the first two Scholl soldiers round the trail and stop when they see us. Both of them are in light armor and don't look surprised to see us.
One of them whistles, and the rest of Scholl's soldiers neatly march into sight, unperturbed by our show of force.
I feel my chest tighten as I scan the soldiers. I don't use Sense Soul to its full potential, but I use it to gather a rough estimate of everyone's level. Most of them are in the '40s, four of them are in the '50s, two are in the 60's range, one above level 70 like me, and….
Oh, fuck!
I feel the blood drain from my face when I scan the lady on the jelen and the old man standing next to her.
Both of their souls are massive, easily eclipsing masters!
They aren't as terrifying as the soul eater, but both of them are surely over level 100. And their gear!
The woman ridding the jelen is wearing multiple magic bands that seem to contain and hide her true power. But the old man with feathers in his beard, he's wearing a full set of invisible armor! The magic contained in his equipment is ridiculous. The magic Gem hidden under the plate on his back is the size of a fuckin apple!
The old man scans our fortifications, smiling and nodding like a proud grandfather at his grandkids. He’s not worried in the slightest.
I need to warn Camden before he pisses off a pair of monsters!
**********
Master Pacore the Deathless’ Point of View:
Would you look at this!
I can barely contain my excitement. The last five days were worth it to see such a great village.
Young Jason gulps loudly, seeing the armed villagers leveling their weapons at us. And what great weapons they are! Which one of them was the talented blacksmith who made them?
I scan over the weaker villagers until I see the pair standing next to who I suspect is the village headman. I have to keep myself from shouting in joy when I see the stone kin. Those hermits never leave their mountainous kingdoms.
So why is he here?
The answer is obvious when I don’t sense much mana in him. He’s an exile then, one who can’t use magic. Was he able to make those spears without sensing magic?
No, I doubt it.
Then the red-haired child standing next to him, maybe? I try sensing her mana levels and am surprised not to feel anything. That means she's wearing a mana obscuring magic tool. What level is she?
I activate Measure Opponent, a skill I gained after countless battles, only to choke after inhaling too quickly.
"Master Pacore," young Jason looks at me, concerned when I start coughing.
"I'm fine," I shoo the boy away and glance up at General Pitz. She's staring at the girl with a shocked expression as well
, as she should. I've never met someone who has reached such a high level at such a young age in all my years of living.
Not even royalty can level that fast, and they have an entire kingdom behind them.
I examine the people around her just to make sure my skill isn't broken. That's when I notice other individuals of note. The headman is over level 50. I spot the archer who observed us earlier, also above level 50. Each place I look, I see more talented individuals hidden amongst the villagers. They even have a mage in the back, readying a spell. She and the boy next to her also have a high level for their age.
“Talent, everywhere,” I whisper to myself.
I look back at the red-haired girl next to the stone kin and see she's paled a bit since I last glanced at her. She's looking between General Pitz and me with obvious worry in her eyes.
She can properly judge a person’s strength too?!
I want nothing more than to rush over to the girl and demand she become my apprentice.
“Welcome, soldiers of Scholl. Spotted Creek Village welcomes you!” The headman waves his arms in a grand gesture, with the confidence of a small army backing him.
It’s hard to suppress my laughter. The headman has quite a few strong people backing him, especially that stone kin. But all his bolstering is pointless with me here.
It becomes even harder not to laugh when I see the red-haired girl snap her head to the side and look at the headman like he's lost it. She hurries to his side and whispers in his ear.
The headman's confident smile immediately turns into a look of utter dread. To his credit, the headman fixes his expression like a seasoned politician before any of his villagers' notice. She must have warned him of my strength.
Let’s see how he deals with me now? “And what a welcome it is!” I confidently take a step forward. “Do I take this as a sign your village objects to Scholl’s rule?”
The headman grounds his teeth, thinking of an answer, while the girl moves back next to the stone kin. Both of them look ready to rush in despite knowing they wouldn't win. If they do attack, I'd have to hold the two of them off while the commander deals with the rest.
The headman takes a few deep breaths and finally finds his answer. “Our village does not object to Scholl’s rule. You can’t fault our reactions when you march a platoon of soldiers to our village. We may be weaker than you, but we won’t roll over when threatened.”
Good, I like this man. Despite knowing our strength, he doesn’t bow under pressure. He’d be a village head in Scholl as well if he were born there.
"Then you'll be happy to know this is merely my escort," I motion to my men. "I'm traveling to local villages as the representative of Scholl like our letter said. You did get our letter, right?"
“We did.”
"As an official representing Scholl, I need people to keep me safe." Spotted Creek's headman frowns. I hear a few snickers from the soldiers around me, but we're too far away for the villagers to hear them. "How about this, I leave my men here, and you sit down with my two advisors and me?" I gesture to young Jason, who looks like a nervous rabbit, and General Pitz.
I've successfully put the headman in a difficult position; he either has to acknowledge he's scared to be alone with me, to his entire village, or risk a private meeting.
The headman is displeased by my ultimatum, but as a good headman should, he takes responsibility for his people. "I accept; the three of you can follow me, but I'll be bringing along a few of my own trusted people too."
"Of course," I grin at the headman.
I help General Pitz down from the jelen and pat Jason on the back, reassuring him everything will be alright.
While we walk over to the headman, I see him whispering with the stone kin and the red-hared girl. Both of them nod and take a position on either side of him. I was hoping he would bring her along. It's only natural they escort us because the two of them appear to be the strongest fighters in the village.
We reach the front line of villagers who are still leveling their spears at us. It’s nice to see they don’t have much fear in their eyes.
"Let them through." The headman issues an order, and the villagers warily part enough for us to walk through them. "Nicolas, you're in charge. If you hear any commotion from the village, assume the worst."
"I understand, father." The young man who resembles the headman glares at me as we approach. It makes sense that the headman's child is just as capable as his father.
When I stand in front of Spotted Creek’s headman, I expect him to at least flinch a little under the weight of my pressure, but he straightens his back and looks me in the eye. “You can follow me this way.”
The headman leads us through the quiet village while the girl and stone kin keep an eye on us. I see him leading us to an impressive house that must be his home, but I'm too excited to sit indoors. "Your village is beautiful," when I break the ice, all three of them cringe.
“Thank you,” the headman awkwardly replies.
“Your village is doing much better than the others we’ve visited. I don’t suppose you would show me your fields?” He doesn’t have a reason to deny my request. It’s safer for him if we stay outside.
"I suppose that's ok; follow me this way." The headman shifts our course and walks us through the rest of the village.
But now that we have a simple dialog going, I don't need to hold myself back. "I was told you had a goblin problem. But I can see how you handled it. Did you fend them off yourselves, or did the local lord send help?"
"News of the war had already reached the village by the time we noticed the goblins. The local lord said he'd send hunters after it was taken care of." The headman sounds awkward, mentioning the fact we were expected to lose. I glance at General Pitz to see her reaction, but she's working hard keeping a neutral expression.
“I’m guessing that didn’t work out,” I joke to the headman, seeing how he reacts to my jab.
“No, it didn’t.” He flatly answers me.
“Must have been thanks to these two,” I grin at the girl walking to our left. She looks me straight in the eye, and for a moment, I feel naked under her gaze.
"The whole village participated in the hunt. We lost good people," The headman notices my interest in the girl. I'm not the only one either, General Pitz might be keeping a straight face, but she hasn't taken her eyes off the girl since she started escorting us.
“I could only imagine a village facing the threat of a horde on its own. You did well repelling them,” I offer my sincere praise, but I don’t think the headman sees it that way.
"We survived," is all he answers.
“And the magic beasts?” I ask. “The last village said you unleashed them on the forest.”
“Some blamed us, yes, but most understood it was out of our control. They were hunting the goblins and forced them out of the magic dense region of the forest."
"I'm curious, what were the beasts? I was hoping to see one on the way here, but nothing appeared. Are they really invisible?" As I ask my questions, I cast a side glance at the girl again; she's still watching my every move. "Did you help hunt them too?" I ask the red-haired girl to her face.
"That's none of your business," she icily tells me. I can see that she's cautious of me, but I get the feeling she's trying to think of a way to defeat me. She has the same look as Tabitha does when we spar.
The headman tries to bring my attention back to him. “The magic beasts turned out to be giant spiders that could camouflage themselves in the trees.”
"That sounds interesting," I pretend to switch my focus to the headman, but I'm more interested in the young girl. Now that I'm close to her, I can tell she's much younger than Jason. Her vitality makes her exact age hard to predict, but I'd wager she's around twenty. "Are they still in the forest? I can send my men in to clear them out if you want?" I offer.
"There's no need," the headman tells me. "When it started to snow, we were able to spot them. We haven't seen one in quite a while. If any of them survived the frost, I'm sure they retreated to the deeper parts of the forest by now."
“That’s a shame,” I remark. “But it sounds like you managed to kill a few. Does that mean you have magic beast materials?”
The headman glances at the stone kin before answering me. “All the materials were given to our village’s blacksmith or sold in Drey.”
"I don't suppose you have any extra, do you?" I ask the grumpy-looking stone kin.
“No,” he flatly responds.
“Worth a try, I suppose,” all three of our guides frown at my flippant remark.
We leave the village, and I'm not surprised to see a large field hidden behind the village. It looks like they just planted some new crops too.
“If you got our message, then you know that we’re looking for food. I don’t suppose you’d reject a few extra hands if we sent them to your village, would you?”
“We have plenty of farmers,” the headman flatly responds to me.
"A pity, but I'd figured you answer like that. Young Jason here will go over some of the minor details." Now that we're away from all the spear-wielding villagers, young Jason is much more relaxed. He moves up and confidently starts discussing taxes with the headman.
While the headman is preoccupied with Jason, I turn to the spitfire redhead. “That’s a nice axe you’re carrying. I take it your friend made it for you,” I motion towards the stone kin who’s now glaring at me.
The girl doesn't respond and only blankly looks at me. She'd probably turn her head away if she didn't need to watch us. It's too late for her not to draw attention to herself.
“There’s no need to be so cold with me,” I let out a soft chuckle. “If you’re going to stare at me like that, you can at least give me your name.”
The girl grits her teeth before reluctantly answering. “It’s Aaliyah.”
I smile not only because I got her to talk but because I didn't miss the slight jolt her name sent through General Pitz. "Aaliyah, that's a beautiful name, just as beautiful as your axe and armor. I especially like the maker's mark, a flower on a hammer, that's quite unique."
Aaliyah tightens her grip on her axe. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She lies beautifully.
I may be old now, but I still remember what Charm and Acting influence feels like from my younger days. The former is surprisingly higher than the latter, but she does have a wild beauty to her. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to remain unaffected by her, but I've already seen how special she is.
I'm almost certain the arrow the general used against me came from this village. The spears the villagers were using match the ones Olebert's soldiers in the fort were wielding. Based on the stone kin's hammer, he doesn't work with magic materials, while Aaliyah uses a kaglese axe, which is popular with Olebert knights.
All the evidence points to the girl in front of me being a once in a millennia genius.
Aaliyah flinches when I smugly grin at her.
Now how do I make her mine?
**********
Author’s Notes:
5,100 words.
DUN, DUN, DUNNNNNN! Cliffhanger!
Yes, I decided I needed two chapters to cover everything.
How did you like Aaliyah's, General Pitz's, and Pacore's first meeting? The three prominent characters finally meet.
On the next episode of Magic-Smithing! Egos collide! How will Aaliyah handle Pacore? Find out Sunday…
Maybe Monday! 😊(Old DBZ Outro Reference)
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always, stay safe.
P.S. In case anyone was wondering, I managed to get some Pokémon cards at Target this morning. I only had to wait in line for four hours to get them. Worth it; great nerd moment.
Comments
Kyfe
Nobody was expecting the high level commanding general to personally make the rounds to the "insignificant" villages. They would've assumed only a platoon commander, which typically isn't a strong enough person to see through her. So it makes sense.
pipMcDohl
your stalling < you're
lenkite
I am so confused on why she didn't hide herself. Her Mother and her Master have both warned her that people will be force high-level youngsters to their service. If Scholl was coming, she should have either hid in her house or better yet - retreat to the forest for a few days.
bob barker
creative and innovative work comes with unexpected developments, and it is that way by nature.
Sondadir
Or Aaliyah, like a typical protagonist of xianxia, declared to have a High-level Master who chose to withdraw himself from the world. - "Do you really believe that I was able to reach such a level on my own? Naive! "
Michael Weis
A writer should be able to us by now when the chapter is coming out this close to the deadline.
Randall C
I don't know the wait allows us to think up some more interesting if unrealistic alternatives: Aaliyah drops the serious act and goes all fan girl over the armor and prisoner bracelets. Completely ignoring social norms and examining them in depth while they are still being warn (and ignoring the folks wearing them).
bob barker
Kosnik. You're killin' us here.
I just keep refreshing this page, but the next chapter has not appeared....
Justin
Normally I'm patient and fine with delayed chapters.... Not for this one.
Sheeprat
Sunday not Monday got it??
Steven Palmer
I've re-read 4 times and live it. The corrections make a difference in the reading flow. Will probably read again 1 or 2 more times until next release.
Steven Palmer
Watch dbz ad, nine of that bullshit filler. Had about 100+ episodes of filler
Brad Johnston
i feel like Aaliyah's mom would know about him, maybe Del? If Pacore is as old as he appears with his vitality included, he might have heard of him in his travels in the human areas?
Sondadir
I believe she already has. In Pacore's point of view he says "For an instant I feel naked under her gaze"
Hunendora
Hmm, Pacore hasn't seen fit to introduce himself, and here he is asking for Aaliyah's name. Rude much? If he did introduce himself without his title, would anyone recognize him?
Black Unicorn
This was AMAZING I loved it in a way I hope Pacore can get her and in a way I don't. She could learn a LOT from that old man, but would it be any good to her that's vary hard to say. On the other hand if she stay's free she won't get the kind of training a man of Pacore's power can get her. I just hope that if he does try to get her for real he see's that she's worth WAY WAY more as a blacksmith allowed to make her own path that he merely levels out for her then anything else but that's rare in old powerful people. Ether way this next chapter is going to have to tie this up or we'll all scream bloody murder over 3 cliffhangers in a row.
yawn
Please release the new chapter this sunday
Death2Shrimp
Kosnik your a legend. This chapter was awesome. I do hope she peers into his soul just to unnerved the hell out of home and let her know she is not to be messed with.
Nematrec
Aaliyah has no idea that she's the general she sold the arrow to. Nor that the bands supress her, just that they *hide* her true strength. As far as she's concerned the general is part of Sholes forces
Sky
You used 'horde'. That was breaking immersion for me so badly. Thank you so much, and keep up the good work!
Alteron
I wonder if Spotted Creek Village once upon a time was a stopover on a road leading to the other side of the forest?
Yod
Sup with ppl thinking pacore is acting out of character? Jeeeez rly? The old guy took xyz people over years under him and honed them. This is something that he likes and enjoys to do since i dont think anyone could force him take disciples over decades. Even now he has lot of them. He is acting same with *young* jason(shielding him under his umbrela) and giving him space to grow as asset to scholl. Ofc he is interested in newfound unpolished gem that managed to get 70+ in backward village which even royals cant do. She literaly made an arrow that destroyed his heart. Old grandpa simply got teaching thrist since she is best of best for her age. There is more to characters than: War junkie/relaxed grandpa
Pawzom Lz
So you would rather the archer general whose name I cant remember obtain her for herself and her family as she has already shown a desire for ages ago, or that the olbert whatever kingdom that is taking fucking forever to send reinforcements and with nobility that clearly dont give a shit compared to Scholl obtain her? Or maybe you would prefer her village/family is wiped out and she manages to escape(maybe with her master), cause these are the only 3 things other than her becoming Pacore's(who while battle crazy, doesnt seem like a bad dude) apprentice.
Stylemys
Was that not obvious to people? He mentioned desperately wanting to ask her to be his apprentice before they even spoke. Meanwhile, literally nothing about his character up till now has suggested he's some sexual predator or anything.
Wewwew2
Can't wait for Aaliyah to kill Pacore. I really do not like his presence in the book:(
ZCochraine!%
Beyond getting 10 stat points ever level to out into any stat, no, stats don’t change based on total level. They probably get modified by skills and their combos. Don’t forget that Pacore is giving a creepy smile, thats also a big enough reason for a no. Plus, if he tries using his skill, Mental Resistance is going to get in the way and Aaliyah will do everything she can to resist anything he throws at her.
Jachin Nelson
I think the 'make her mine' comment is more along the lines of. 'Mine to train' or 'Mine to raise to greatness and glory' still a little weird but it's less possessive and more associative
Malchome
Well he at least did get to meet one of the hidden monsters of the forest.
Serran
I have a question that has been bugging me for a bit. Does a higher level magnify stats? Like each level increases the effectivenes of all stats by maybe 1% and after Level 100 this goes up to 10% or something? I am asking because Aaliyah jumped has a high strength stat and jumped about 2 to 3 meters standing. General Pitz seems to be able to jump over the walls of a castle which I am guessing are at least 10 meters in height, likely up to twice. Given that we know that Pitz is an Archer with the same Mana as Aaliyah and the need for high dexterity and some investment in the other physical stats I very much doubt she has more than twice the strength Stat. All this leads to my observation of Pitz being significantly stronger than I would be expecting. Maybe Skills make up the difference. I would like to know for certain though. Regarding Pacor's dream of taking a new Aprecentice, we do need to remember that Aaliyah already has a Master she is very happy with. I doubt Pacore would give her the freedom that she currently enjoys. I think that alone would be pretty much a dealbreaker on going just because he made a good offer. Also she is not particulary interested in going to the Battlefield as a profession which is a further inclination to say no. That said Pacore has the power to force the issue. He is also intelligent enough that this would lead to Aaliyah killing him. Even without knowing her actual age she is the highest level person of such a young age that he has ever encountered. We have seen in the chapter how impressed he is. Pacore has shown himself intelligent, he will know that she will most likely reach similar heigths that he has. If he made here his apprecientice against her will she will most likely learn everything he tries to teach her and use it against him. All that ignores that Pitz is still there and might be able to do something.
J H
I know you've been releasing chapters a day late lately.... but with that cliff don't do us like that for the next chapter please!
Steven Palmer
15 I think
Ensos2
Did Deathless assume the wrong age ("but I'd wager she's around twenty") or did I miss YEARS of the protagonist's life just like that. I thought she was still 16 if not younger.
FancyPantsu
I don't think I can survive waiting until Monday...pls be Sunday!
Andy Le
Man.. sometimes I wished I didn't discover this story until its completion. One of my favorite storys . Keep up the great work 👍
Tatsu D
Based on what we have learned about the old man, it looks more like he is looking for a new toy, not a student.
IJustWannaRead
Worse comes to worst she can always just eat his soul....highly doubt that’ll happen tho.
Stylemys
I’d be surprised if they didn’t convince Pacore to leave her be until her first Solstice Party. That’s repeatedly been brought up as a major milestone and seems to be a marker of adulthood. No way will Pacore want word to get out that the Scholl army forcefully took an underage girl from her parents in one of the villages. People would assume the worst when hearing something like that. It would undermine the entire image they’re going for to promote cooperation.
BookDragonling
Finally, they meet! I'm excited to see what happens. I'm hoping Aaliyah has to go with them, whether by choice or force. She could learn a lot from them and she was planning on leaving the village at some point anyways.
Sondadir
No, that's not possible. The contract states that all goods that Aaliyah produces, except those destined for the village must be sold to Grey. So it's Grey who gets all the benefits.
ZCochraine!%
Yeah, just his creepy smile is a dealbreaker for working for him frankly. Plus, I think it will Aaliyah that annihilates his reproductive organs, shes the one with mana injection and mana thread and some strength, so if he doesn’t have his armour on, are maybe even if he does, he can just ruing it by injecting mana and shredding the organ. Plus that would be a valid strategy with mana thread, restrain him in the air and bore into him with mana and infect his mana veins till he passes out, or she forces him into a contract when she loosens only one hand to handshake with. She could also use the sir solidifying effect of Mana Thread to pull out the mana gem and turn off his armour. Sure its still great material and he has his stats, but he’s still lost some advantage. Or, Magic thread might let Aaliyah infect the runes in his armore and just ruin them. Or back with the gems, infect it and shatter it from within.
Pancho
i just join the patreon at the right time to catch a bad case of cliffhangeritis. just my luck
Lesley Douglas
Thanks for the chapter, Aaliyah a child of two worlds knowledge. The fact that she can read all the magical items the Deathless has on him means she could be the death of him. Giving enough time Aaliyah could figure out how to defeat or overcome each of those items, leaving her against Just against his stats if she fight him long enough some skill would be born to be the beginning of his end. If General Pitz's had the information Aaliyah now has before her fight with him, he might not have been the victor or would have been closer to death than a long time. For someone who complains about his inability to have a challenge or death sure invest in a lot of magic items/gems to keep him alive and keep others from have one good day with him. Upon hearing deathless plans, you guys are looking towards his match up/battle with Aaliyah, I am waiting for the war with her mother when she finds out that some crusty old deathless thing/man proposes taking her 15 year old daughter, supple, innocent and young away from her. Yeah, first any ability to have children he has would be gone, he feathers hanging with what's left, following by his fingers knuckle by knuckle for thinking of taking her. Yeah that's where my money is. Aaliyah would be dumb to follow deathless, she should use her contract talent to best him or appease him until she can figure him out.
Banana banana whos the best The banana king he said
I think he can sense his armor
Nate
i don't think the dragon is important anymore with the new farmland. since this is a crafting novel.
Francisco Javier Ortega Tejada
I have a question for master pacore: Have you ever forgot where you leave your invisible armor?
Sobek
My suspicion is that Aaliyah will be the one to kill the dragon
Blackmoon11
BOO! It ended right before the good part. She really is stuck between a rock and an even bigger rock. She cant win in a straight fight, she is going to need to be deceptive if this needs this to work. If she could stall him long enough to dig her mana threads through his armor, and maybe channel an empowered fire spell through it and cook him like a lobster, it probably wouldn't kill him, but enough to make a statement. The whole thing is moot, Pacore is a serious masochist, the more she manages to hurt him the more he will want her to join his little club. I bet somewhere in the heavens, a bitchy goddess is breaking out the popcorn.
thomas holder
Been waiting for this, good shit my dude!
Jeff091
I agree, but: 1) Kosnik is one of the few authors who don't hide the Patreon cash income, it is already substantial (the only author, they are how i gauge storys like 2) it will take a month or two for those chapters to trickle down to royalraod chapters and attract new patreons
NotAMartian
YES! Finally the story begins to advance! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the world, character and tension building we've been getting. That said I was really getting impatient to see story development.
Jonathan
He'd wipe the forest floor with her. Thirty or more levels on her, dedicated high-level enchanted fighter gear, a dedicated fighter build and who know how many decades of experience fighting and killing people...
Atli
Looking forward to the next couple of chapters!
Håvard
Hm I whonder if he where to end up unable to get her to join him, whould he leave people behind to guard her? Train her? Help her? It's noted he have more than one mage with him. Are they all unable to train her beacuse of their contracts? Depending on how much of her deal with Grey he learn abaout he might be more willing to leave an trainer in order to pay for furture work from her. However those are probably his personal mages so he need them for the war. Mc can't sell her work to others however she might be able to use it un order to pay for services from others. In short barter economy, I pay you in thise swords for your spell.
PortlandPhil
They were expecting a representative to collect taxes and discuss new rule, not a war party of high level soldiers and mages. Rape and pillage are common in ancient warfare. Caution is better then being taken unprepared.
Swinter
I don't understand the hostility the villagers are showing. I can understand worry, caution and even fear. But why the hostility? Yeah, they're ostensibly an invading force... But they're clearly of the same general culture seeing how everyone's speaking the same language. It's not like they have any love for their current "country" either, since they're basically a self sufficient village that only treats with their "country" when the taxman comes around. Outright hostility makes no sense. Especially when they're as polite and courteous as shown here. It makes Aliyah and the others come across, at least to me, rather petty. Mind you. As they are a small village in the boondocks I can understand hostility from an isolationist perspective, but that's not what we see. They're hostile to them because they're Scholl, which seems like something they should be more indifferent about, especially based on the discussions that's been given leading up to this. Plus, they've all shown to be reasonably rational. The outright hostility shown seems... Stupid in the face of it.
Michael
Thank you for another great chapter 😀 I was wondering though if master Del speaking normally in front of the villagers when he joins them while everyone is arming themselves is a mistake by him or the author 😋
tibbish
No word of a hard limit cap in story but effectively due to the increasing xp costs per level + the time required to do so levelling has a 'soft cap' for people based on their lifespan. It was already mentioned in story that humans are rarely above lvl100 and most beings that are well above 100 are dwarves and such because they live longer.
tibbish
The author is already in hell, now they want us to join them there!!!
Sheeprat
May you burn in cliffhanger hell you monster
Håvard
Well in some worlds it's not nonsense. Metal very often conducts magic and works the same way lightning rods do, just for magic. So an mage in heavy plate armor trying to cast spells end up sending the mana into there own armor. With enough skill they might work around it if they can't then they have to chose between heavy armor and external magic. It also have the benefit of giving heavy armor users an defence against low to medium strength spells.
Imspinnennetz
Aaliyah gains significantly more experience from crafting than she gets from battle. I don't see the point of her engaging in battle with troops when she can get bigger rewards for fighting mana beasts in the forest and crafting new equipment with the animal parts. Also she feels uncomfortable killing without a good justification and experiences nightmares after every conflict.
Zap
If she were to go with Pacore and follow him to the next battle she could absorb a lot of XP... just sayin.
Dantalia
Fudging cliff hanger!!!!!!!! this was too mean of you author! I am almost in tears because I can't read the next chapter when I am literally shaking in excitement!
Jonathan Seah
Yeah, I really hope it doesn't come to a fight and Aaliyah somehow killing Pacore like a shounen anime would do. I suspect her soul manipulation skill could probably do it but that would be terrible and not just for the personal consequences that come with using it. Plus a violent confrontation is really not in anyone's best interest, Scholl's or Aaliyah's, so I hope no one is carrying any idiot balls here.
bob barker
Thanks for doing this hard work, Kosnik. The last three chapters have been quite enjoyable. They've had plenty of action and plot progression. IMO if this keeps up, the Patreon cash will become pretty substantial.
Kelan
P.s. i feel like the patrons are divided into 2 completely opposing camps hahaha, those that want her to join scholl and those that don’t want her to do that and instead stay independent.
Kelan
Are we finally seeing pacore’s character break? I mean we already know the reason he is acting the way he is is to manipulate the people into thinking scholl is benevolent but now that he’s seen Aaliyah I’m sure his greed will force out what he is actually like. Then again in my eyes I’d rather have Aaliyah become her mum’s slave than join scholl. Besides becoming pacore’s “apprentice” would mean martial skills and not blacksmithing otherwise she wouldn’t be his apprentice.
Tetsuki
What also has always been on my mind is there a hard limit on skills? Like lvl 100 or is it open end. Skill evolution seems unlikely because you can derive new skills from a lower tiered one, like we see it with magic or her airwalk.
Sondadir
She is fifteen, practically sixteen.
Bonobo
Thank you, loved it! Hope you don't dbz the action too, where Aliyah charge a soul-kameha for 13 chapters 😁, still nice cliff
Meschmee
Would be nice if Aaliyah was able to unlock the Generals bracers, she might not have to touch them either.
Tetsuki
How old was the mc?
Melting Sky
From what we have seen and heard of local nobles, Pacore and Scholl are probably much better prospects for Aaliyah than the scumbag Olebert duke she would have eventually been dealing with. Scholl seems to be more of a meritocracy where a person's personal power, character and skills carry some real weight rather than in Olebert where all that matters is whether you have noble blood or not. Pitz is a bit of an exception to that rule, but the rest of the local nobility seem to be a bunch of cowards who shamelessly use and abuse those who are below them in station. The nobles in charge of Drey took all their commoner subordinates and threw them under the bus while they fled regardless of how talented they were. The King knew the fortress Pitz was sent to defend would likely fall and his primary order to the man he sent to keep an eye on her was to make sure she survived and returned in one piece. He didn't care about the thousands of commoner lives he was sacrificing, only the life of the valuable noble general. She threw a huge wrench in the plan by being far more honorable than her peers and deciding to risk her own life on a suicide mission in order to aid and hopefully protect those she led from having to face an unstoppable enemy commander.
Sondadir
Oh, love the little Tidbit on the fact that Sandra wears armor. I am relieved that this story do not buy into the whole "Mages do not wear armor" nonsense.
Andrew
Thank you!
White Neko Knight
This is something our Smith will have to deal with all her life. People in power, people with power, and people searching for power will always try to use and restrain her. She'll have to pick and choose which bonds will help her and which will hinder her. I wonder which Pacore will be.
Melting Sky
The problem is the General is a POW and in no position to negotiate anything more than a bathroom break at the moment. What Aaliyah does have going for her is Pacore seems like an honorable man unlike 90% of the local nobility and more importantly Aaliyah has a contract to work exclusively with a certain scumbag merchant or it will level drain and half kill her. As far as Pacore knows that contract is unbreakable.
Ungrave
Well, count me nervous when the general says that at the end. Sounds a bit like a creepy shoujo novel antagonist. Funny how he got her age so wrong too. Thanks for the chapter!
GraveLurker
OK! IS ANYONE ELSE HOPING SHE USES MANA THREADS TO MAKE PSUDO KEVLAR FOR HER MANA BARRIER? MAGE ARMOR! MAGE ARMOR! MAGE ARMOR!
Rallaster
Absolutely! I would love a Gen. Pitz POV.
Roethan
Yeah, that would be pretty good! Maybe mention the gem powering it to really grind his gears.
Chad Hagner
Oooooh what a cliff!!!! Really good chapter I hope she gets him good, you know his old ass will want to spar with her!
Redbeard
I really want two things to happen next chapter. I want Pacore to name drop that General Pitz is the lady next to him and that she's his prisoner and maybe for Aaliyah to drop the fact that she knows that Pacores wearing armor, since to others it should be invisible. Something along the lines of Pacore complimenting her armor, and maybe Aaliyah saying yours isn't too shabby either.
Shade
I hope Aaliyah gives Pacore a hard time over his age when he tries to recruit her, and she reprise her knight Aaliyah persona, indicating she’s not ready for such commitment with such an old person and that she d rather have Emily Pitz. Might clash with the dramatic tension going there tough. At least one comment about a creepy old man eying a beautiful young lady with a burning gaze? And last Aaliyah is safe cause Pacore has proven to be unable to beat a dragon, while her mom is much more terrifying, even more so when one attempt to take away her brood on a merry adventure.
Erriballon
Go to McDonald's they give them out in the happy meals .
Imspinnennetz
I presume that Pacore noticed the spears when he inspected the surrender of the troops at the fort. Kaglese is rare and difficult but I expect that the ultra rich should be able to afford any such goods.
Imspinnennetz
I hope that Aaliyah uses the fact that both Pacore and Emily will both probably want to recruit her for their nation to get the best possible deal. I believe that she should be also able to delay any apprenticeship by playing them off each other.
Hayden Lux
I feel like the rationale at the end is a little off. Pacore doesn't seem like the type to randomly examine all the enemy soldiers' weapons. Rather than him recognizing the spears, I feel like he should have recognized the fact that her weapons are kaglese and the arrow was kaglese. After all, they would be a similar color and that would be easier to pick up on than the spears. And unlike the spears, which would just have been discarded by the soldiers, he would have actually faced the arrow in combat and so would have paid more attention to it than random spears on a giant battlefield littered with weapons. Plus, if I remember correctly kaglese wasn't popular because of how much work kaglese is to smelt, and transporting the ore when it is heavy and mostly waste would make it less desirable too. So I feel like it wouldn't be popular amongst the knights or blacksmiths for that reason and that rarity combined with the fact that the arrow was kaglese would be a better tip-off.
Sial28
One of your best chapter (perhaps the best)! But such a cliffhanger proves that you're a sadist!
Melting Sky
Given the situation, I don't really think she had a way out of this. A polite show of force was wise given that what they were expecting was just some minor official and and some run of the mill soldiers who may or may not have been in the mood for some looting and entertainment at the expense of the locals. It would have kept people like that in check and ensure they stuck to doing their official duties. Instead they ran into freaking Pacore the Deathless out on a stroll to satiate his curiosity. Even if she had hidden, I doubt it would have worked out since Pacore is perceptive enough to figure out Del wasn't the one who outfitted this entire village with magic conductive gear and I doubt it would take more than a few sentences from him to intimidate an answer out of some of the lesser villagers.
yawn
I wish I can see the trademark aaliyah put on her works.. please draw it
S. Nutter
Cruel, cruel cliff hanger... but the perfect moment for one too...
your_sweetpea
This is probably my favorite chapter yet! I don't think I've ever been so anxious for the next chapter, either!
Sondadir
He's still looking for apprentices, he mentions that his people were good, but none had grown as powerful as him.
Tim Maguire
"It becomes even harder not to laugh when I see the read-haired girl" >red-haired
Carl Mason
Great chapter, and that is about what I expected from Pacore. Frankly, that is what I expected from Pitz as well before she was zombified.
Justin
Well normally I dont mind a delayed chapter. BUT this next one better be on time!!! Thanks for the chapter!
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter, really enjoyed it. That said, Pacore's last thought seemed out of character - he seems like he would think how to make her join and actively work for Scholl, instead of personal ownership.
Vyktor
Moaaarrrr! Mooooaaaaarrrr 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I want to read everything at once! Someone lend me a time travel machine! I need to go a few years in the future to read a few thousand chapters at once (and maybe look the jackpot numbers, but that optional, if I don't forget to search them...). 😢
Steven Palmer
On pins n needles! Lol want it now!! Lmao Thank you for your amazing work.
Jackson Ragland
This chapter makes me so fkin happy
Will mILLER
Yesterday? We needed it two weeks ago. No need to rush though.
Jacob
Thanks for the chapter
Forestfire
thanks for the chapter. been hitting refresh like a junkie for the last hour
Drew Kerstens
The wait for the next chapter is going to kill me. I don’t even know what else to say
Alteron
Thanks for the chapter, really looking forward to the next one.
Neric
Thanks you for this new chapter, but now I really want the next one... I hope to see General Pitz view point of this encounter.
Frapz
thanks for the chapter, I look forward to the next one
ZCochraine!%
She better kick in the nuts latter for smiling creepily. Or even say that him behaving how he did deal break some stuff. You do not smile like that and expect a good relationship.
J3_Haustkottr
At least Sunday/Monday isn't too far off, 'cause the emotional part of my brain is like "We need the next chapter, and we need it yesterday."
Tijay Arnie
Was just curious if there was a place for fans to gather like a discord or something
Kosnik4
Corrections
