Magic_Smithing
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Ch: 71
🕑 Added 2021-01-01 07:14:19 +0000 UTCMaster Pacore the Deathless Point of View:
"You would think a man of my age would be able to handle anything, but we're only two days into the march, and I'm already bored," I complain out loud.
The gentle rocking of my private carriage makes me want to fall asleep. This is the only part of my job I hate; if I could simply teleport from one battlefield to another, my life would be complete.
“Is there anything I can get you, Master Pacore the Deathless?” A female attendant asks from just outside the carriage.
I give the girl a side-long glance and see she’s keeping pace with us while keeping her head bowed. It’s always annoying when the attendants assigned to me refuse to look me in the eyes.
“The only thing I want is to reach Drey faster,” I grumble.
“I’ll inform the commander immediately.”
"Wait! No!" I try to call the girl back, but she's already off in the distance heading towards the front of our procession.
"Kids these days; taking everything I say too literally," I stroke my beard. "Do you have the same problem?" I ask my guest sitting across from me.
All I get in return from my question is a look that could kill a lesser man.
“Need anything; a cup of water perhaps? I wouldn’t want people saying I’m a bad host,” I offer with a smile.
“I’ll take a sword or maybe a knife if you're offering; anything with a sharp edge will do." General Pitz grits through her teeth in frustration.
"And what would you do if I gave you a weapon? You can barely move your limbs, let alone pick up a knife and thrust it hard enough to scratch my skin. I don't think you could gouge out my eye even if held still until we reach Drey." I poke fun at the woman. I rarely get to converse with someone I've beaten in battle and longer since I've had a decent conversation during a campaign march.
"Give me a blade, and we'll find out." Lady Pitz bares her teeth at me like a wild animal, which pushes me over the edge.
I can't help but bust out laughing at her empty threats.
The general has twenty of our finest sealing bands placed all over her body. Four bands on each of her arms and legs and another four around her torso ensure her Stamina and Magic pools never rise above 10%. They also have the effect of restricting physical stats by 50%. An average person would be in a coma if they were subjected to such restrictions, and only people like general Pitz and myself could remain awake after being sealed to that extent.
“Why are you dragging me along with you? What happened to my men?” I can see she wishes to move and grab me, but the general knows she would merely fall to the floor of my carriage if she tried to move.
"Did you think I would leave someone like you unsupervised?" I raise an eyebrow at the general. "As for your men, they're safe back in Teeburn."
“If any of them should come to harm, I’ll rip you limb from limb!”
“I’m honestly surprised you still have so much fight left in you… I see where your subordinate got it from.” I give the helpless general a large smile.
General Pitz visibly winces when I mention her steward. “Are you talking about Christopher? Did he survive your taking of the fort?”
It was a wise decision to keep the general separated from her men. She only woke up recently, and I'm the only one she can turn to for information, forcing her to keep our conversations going longer. "You would've been proud of him," I tell my traveling companion. "He was one of the few people that could meet my gaze. He refused to answer any of my questions until I told him you were alive."
"That fool." Though the general hangs her head in apparent shame, I catch the hint of a smile on her lips.
A brief silence falls between us as I wait for the general to start the conversation this time. I'm sure she has many questions, and she would be a fool if she didn't try to get information out of me.
Finally, she decides to speak, and she doesn't hold back, "why are you doing this?"
"Is my strategy that complicated? I take Drey and the following cities while the bulk of my men prepare Teeburn to hold off your reinforcements. I thought a woman such as yourself would've already noticed based on the size of my forces."
The general doesn’t take my bait and only gives me a cold glare.
Apparently, she’s not as easy to rile up as I thought. “Oh!” I feign realization. “You mean why we’re attacking Olebert in general. That’s top-secret information, very need to know.”
“Are you going to tell me or not!?” General Pitz interrupts my grandstanding.
I want to look offended by her actions, but I'm having too much fun to remove the smile from my face. "I'll consider telling you… if you answer some of my questions first."
“Like what?” Lady Pitz asks me with no small amount of suspicion. “I won’t betray my liege or house.”
“And I would never ask you to,” I reassure her. “Call me curious, but where did you get that final arrow from? I was under the impression you used all your dwarven arrows repelling our earlier advances. I was quite surprised when you managed to strike me in the end. Did you get it from a local blacksmith?”
She must have been preparing herself for a difficult question because Lady Pitz's facial features give nothing away. Her mask doesn’t so much as crack as she answers my question. “I wish I could say we had talent like that out here, but I'll have to disappoint you. That final arrow I used was a sample product from the capital. In the end, it couldn't withstand my skills; otherwise, our positions would be quite different right now."
The general and I lock eyes. I might not have taken the time to level my noble skills enough to detect lies but the general needs another 50 years before she can deceive me. If she had that arrow earlier, she would've used it. She must've gotten it right before my forces arrived, meaning the blacksmith has to be local.
I file that bit of information away for later and decide to move the conversation along. "That's disappointing. What about your hobbies? I hear Lady Pitz is quite the hunter."
“And?” She gives me a challenging look.
"I'm merely interested, is all," I tell her. "My specialty is more towards fighting human opponents, and I'm curious how the experience differs.”
“Then you should go find a monster to see for yourself,” she snaps back.
“Oh, come on, you must have some great stories to help pass the time,” I push the subject. “What about that time you managed to kill a mountain hydra?”
Instead of barking an insult at me, Lady Pitz looks at me, surprised. "How did you hear about that?"
“People talk,” I ambiguously inform her. “When I was informed you were defending the fort, I went over every scrap of information we had on you. It’s rare, but some people call you a dragon slayer.”
I didn't know it was possible, but the lady sitting across from me actually looks angrier than she did when she first woke up in my carriage. "Only young fools call me that, and only once before I beat the snot out of them. Like they understand the true monsters of this world." General Pitz huffs in displeasure and looks away from me.
“Come now,” I draw her attention back towards me. “Hydras are of the dragon bloodline. You should feel proud for slaying one.” I try to butter her up so she’ll talk more.
"I slew the beast, did I?" The general scoffs at me. "I used a tier 4 water attribute poison on all my arrows to whittle away the beast’s health over a span of 12 days. Do you think I deserve the title of dragon slayer?” Her eyes challenge me to disagree with her.
"Maybe not dragon slayer, but I think you deserve credit for your kill. You found the beat's weakness and used it against him. There is no such thing as underhanded in a fight, and it's the same whether your opponent is a monster or another warrior." I take a swig of my nearby waterskin that's filled with wine. After a few gulps, I offer it to the general. She looks between me and the offered alcohol a few times before she slowly raises her hand like she's frail and takes the offered drink.
“Don’t think this means I’m telling you anything," she snaps, noticing my smile. Lady Pitz proceeds to sip my wine and coughs as soon as it touches her lips. "What is this!?" She stutters.
"My own personal wine," I inform her. "It's hard for me to get drunk with my ridiculous physical stats, so you can imagine how strong I need my drink to be."
“It’s practically poison!” Lady Pitz holds out the waterskin towards me.
“I guess you could call it that.” I take my wine back and quickly gulp down another mouthful before setting it aside. “Feeling better?” I ask my grumpy companion.
"Yeah, I'm magically better," she sarcastically answers. Lady Pitz's cheeks are slightly red after what I guess could only have been half a mouthful of wine. She might not have the same stats as me, but her body is strong enough to survive a few sips of my wine even suppressed.
I notice Lady Pitz looking solemnly out the carriage window. "What's wrong? We may be marching, but I can get you anything you might need."
General Pitz looks back at me with the red gone from her cheeks. "I don't understand, and it's frustrating me. You kept me alive, and you've split your forces. You may hold Teeburn and make your way over to Yleles, but there is no way you can conquer any further into Olebert. Tell me now, what is the reason for this invasion?!"
I rub my beard and think over the general's question.
Taking a deep breath, I let out a sigh. “Lady Pitz, are you aware of the geography of our kingdom?”
She furrows her eyebrows in deep thought. “The kingdom of Scholl is known for its rocky landscape that protects it from invaders and the large lakes that your settlements are built around. That’s all I know.”
“Yes, that is how outsiders see our lands. We are viewed as an aggressive kingdom because of our view on levels and stats, but that is only a small part of our culture. You see, most of our lands are completely barren, and only the strongest can safely traverse the terrain. The six great pools are the only reliable sources of water and farmland, meaning the six great pools support 90% of our people."
"That's interesting to hear, but why are you telling me this?"
“To give you perspective of what’s happening in my homeland," I tell her. "Our greatest lake is known as the Heart of Scholl, and it single-handily produces 30% of our crops."
“And something happened to the lake, didn’t it?” Lady Pitz quickly sees where I’m going with my explanation.
I nod my head somberly.
"Did it dry up?" My coach-mate asks.
"No, that is impossible. Underneath our kingdom is an extensive network of tunnels that connect all the great pools together. The tunnels stretch from the farthest pool all the way to the coast. That's how the beast made it to the Heart of Scholl." I grit my teeth in frustration. “The beast turned the Heart of Scholl into its lair and kills anything that steps within a mile of the pool."
General Pitz looks at me in bewilderment. At least she has the decency not to ask why our army hasn’t slain the beast yet. She silently waits for me to continue.
"We tried to drive off the beast, but nothing worked. Even the greatest of us banding together could only hold it back for an hour. I'm sure you have an idea of what plagues us," I meet Lady Pitz's eyes.
“A dragon,” she says with a twinge of fear in her voice.
I ball up my fists in my lap, trying to hold back the rage I feel for the creature of legend. "Indeed, a pure-blooded sea dragon. Our people estimate it's above level 400, and that isn't the worst part."
General Pitz's eyes widen. "No, it can't be."
"Sadly, yes. The dragon is building a nest. Dragons can linger in a spot for years, but they only build a nest for one reason…”
"…To lay an egg." Lady Pitz finishes my sentence. "Oh, gods!"
"Dragons will viciously guard their nest until their egg hatches. We can't get anywhere near the creature's nest, so we have no idea when that might happen. If an egg is already laid, it could take up to 15 years for it to hatch, and if the dragon hasn't laid yet… it could be half a century before it leaves."
"That's why you invaded!" Lady Pitz growls. "You came to take our farmland. What is wrong with you people?! Did the idea of asking us for help or paying for crops never enter your king's mind?!"
“Silence!” I roar. “You will not disrespect my king in front of me,” I demand with fire in my eyes.
Lady Pitz doesn’t turn away from me and holds eye contact. I can immediately tell she’s prepared to die and that she won’t bow her head to me no matter how I threaten her.
She remains silent, and I slowly reel in my intimidation skills I subconsciously activated.
“Master Pacore the Deathless, is everything all right?” I hear the female attendant I sent off earlier ask from outside my carriage.
"No, leave us until I call," I order the young girl away in frustration.
“As you wish.” I hear her footsteps as she moves away from the coach.
I look back at my traveling companion now that I've regained my composure. "My king did not decide to invade Olebert on a whim," I stress. "There were many debates on how we could obtain the food we need for our people. We diverted more hands to our two port towns, hoping to catch more fish and sea plants, but we have yet to see any results."
"It was estimated we could purchase the extra goods from our neighbors, but our kingdom has never been considered rich. Our coffers would be depleted long before the dragon ever left. In the end, it came down to two options; we could slay the mythical beast or take the best farmland we could from one of our neighbors."
“I see,” Lady Pitz says with a neutral expression.
“We’ll take Drey, Blaiton, and Yleles, and that’s where you and your men will come in,” I tell the captive general before taking another drink of my wine. “We’ll trade your lives and the lives of any other nobles we capture in exchange for the land we’re occupying.”
“And you think everything will happen that smoothly?” Lady Pitz looks at me like I’m a rookie commander in over his head. “Olebert won’t stand still and let you take lands that rightfully belong to us!”
I grin like a starving animal. “I sure hope so. It was disappointing how easy it was to take Teeburn. The spies I had mixed in with the people fleeing teeburn reported Drey has no chance or resistance. But I hope Olebert lives up to your expectations, or this will be the most boring campaign I've ever participated in."
My excitement must have displeased the general because she turns her head away from me and doesn’t look like she wants to continue talking anymore.
I can understand her frustration; I myself feel silly knowing my country had to go to war over crops. Even our ancestors that went to war for any reason possible had never cited food as the reason. And then there's the difficulty of the fighting ahead. I relish a good battle, but every person we kill is one less hand to work the land.
Depending on how the local lords try to repel us, it could set our plans back even further if we kill too many conscripts. I have until the new year to secure our position before the refugees from the Heart of Scholl will arrive to help with the farming.
I have to take three cities and a lord's residence, all while killing as few of their soldiers as possible.
Even if I enjoy a good challenge, this is too much even for me.
But I can't stop now. The dragon has tormented our lands for a year already, and the food shortage is starting to be felt by everybody.
I will not disappoint my king!
I'm the undying shield of Scholl, and I will not fail!
I sit back into my seat and close my eyes, feeling the rocking of the carriage. Every second that passes, we grow closer to Drey, closer to saving our people.
**********
Aaliyah’s Point of View:
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" I shout as I run down the forest path.
How am I supposed to enjoy my run when I’ve confirmed I was somehow screwed over in my contract?
I pull up my status page for the third time today, hoping somehow it will have magically change since the last time I saw it.
LV: 72 Experience:880,183/ 911,219
Health: 2,400/2,400
Stamina 1,288.17/1,633
Mana:812.94/1,020
Vitality: 240.00
Endurance: 100.00
Strength: 150.00
Dexterity: 145.00
Senses: 62.31
Mind: 65.07
Magic: 102.46
Clarity: 78.55
Status Points: 0
Skills:
Tier 1:
Meditation (LV78), Running (LV76), Blacksmithing (LV69), Hammer Skills (LV57), Axe Skills (LV55), Cleaning (LV51), Chanting (LV50), Mining (LV48), Drawing (LV46), Trading (LV45), Cooking (LV39), Dagger Skills (LV31), Wood Carving (LV31), Acting (LV32), Sword Skills (LV31), Sewing (LV24), Pugilist Skills (LV4), Spear Skills (LV2), Alchemy (LV2)
Tier 2:
Sense Mana (LV79), Double Step (LV61), Charm (LV50), Measurement (LV46), Hammer Arts (LV41), Axe Arts (LV36), Writing (LV32), Intimidating Shout (LV31), Mathematics (LV30), Increase Price (LV21), Lower Price (LV20), Steady Hands (LV16), Dagger Arts (LV12), Sword Arts (LV14), Gourmet (LV7), Marching (LV5), Shout of Valor (LV3),
Tier 3:
Expel Mana (LV62), Mana Manipulation (LV60), Precise Strike (LV40), Double Strike (LV40), Weighted Strike (LV37), Flash Step (LV21), Contract (LV7)
Tier 4:
Mental Resistance (LV53), Mana Skin (LV53), Inject Mana (LV52), Extract Mana (LV31), Magic Blacksmithing (LV25), Empowered Spell (LV9), Air Walk (LV1)
Tier 5:
Sense Soul (LV38), Soul Manipulation (LV6)
Tier 6:
Soul Devourer (LV2)
Increased Skill Levels
Trading (LV43-45) 6,600exp
Acting (LV32) 1,600exp
Increase Price (LV18-21) 7,800exp
Contract (LV6-7) 1,950exp
Skill Experience: 17,950exp
Crafting Experience: 1,843exp
Fighting Experience: 0exp
Total-experience Gained: 19,793exp
Seeing exactly where I gain my experience has been a big boon for me ever since I could better organize the information from my soul.
I can easily see which of my skills have leveled and how much experience I've gained from crafting activities, including negotiating.
Looking at the results of my meeting with Mr. Grey makes me feel the need to punch a tree with all my strength as I can over my status page again.
Both Trading and Increase Price saw huge gains after my discussion with Mr. Grey, but one skill did not. Contract, the skill I was expecting to soar through the roof after I signed with Mr. Grey only gained two levels, and it was only at level 5 to begin with.
If that wasn't a good enough indicator that I was bamboozled, I only gained 1,843 experience after agreeing to such an important contract. I've gained more experience trading with Kervin.
I would have to be an idiot if I didn't see the writing on the wall. However, I've been going over the contract in my head for hours, and I can't find anything that screams 'gotcha.' Did Mr. grey write something in invisible ink? No, I was watching every move he made; there was nothing hidden in that contract. In fact, the contract seemed relatively short and to the point.
I almost trip over nothing as I suddenly realize what's wrong with the contract; it's missing too many details!
Back on Earth, you would be lucky to find a contract shorter than three pages. Hell, every time you updated an app, you would have to agree to ten pages of who knows what.
I still don't know what Mr. grey left out of the contract, but I'm sure mother will have an idea once she sees it.
I'm disappointed in myself for not noticing sooner. If I didn't have the skill to counter contracts, I would be in big trouble right now rather than complaining about how I didn't level my skills as much as I wanted to.
I wonder if this is a sign, I'm getting overconfident with my abilities? I thought the contract business was beneath me like it didn't matter, and I allowed myself to be duped. Just because I'm stronger than most people doesn't mean I'm invincible.
I'll need to be more careful in the future, especially now that I know Mr. Grey has some sort of plan for me.
While I alternate between berating myself for my slipup and complaining about my missed skill levels, I finally spot what I’m looking for just up ahead.
I spot Sandra's search spell, meaning I'm closing in on them. Deactivating my mana obscuring amulet, I chose to approach them without scaring them this time.
As I round the bend in the trees, I spot Sandra and brother, who both look happy to see me despite how I left them last time.
“You’re back already!” Brother shouts in disbelief as I approach their slow-moving cart.
I choose to shrug like it’s no big deal. “I told you I’m fast.”
"Did you have any trouble in the city?" Sandra asks, concerned like an older sister.
I don't feel the need to lie to them, so I answer truthfully. "There were some small hiccups. The city is in worse shape than I thought. Everyone is trying to leave Drey, and the guards are taking advantage of that. After seeing Drey for myself, I'm all, but sure it won't hold once Scholl arrives."
I walk up next to their cart and go into detail about my experience in the city. Sandra makes fun of me for forgetting my pad at home while my brother awkwardly tries to tune me out for that part of the conversation. I even tell them how I visited Silver herd and arranged for numerous materials to be delivered to the village before Scholl arrives.
"You signed a contract," Sandra looks at me concerned after I finish recanting my short tale. "You have to take contracts seriously, I had to sign one before I started practicing under my master, and even now, it affects me."
“What does your contract entail?” I curiously ask.
"It was a basic mage apprenticeship contract. It was really long, so I'll sum it up. Basically, I can't teach anyone anything I learned from my master until I buy out his magic rights."
“What are magic rights?” I scooch a little closer to the cart.
"Purchasing magic rights from a master means you bought the right to teach others," Sandra tells me.
“That sounds stupid,” I scoff at the idea of charging someone twice for the same knowledge. “Why is that even a thing?”
"It's how mages ensure unfaithful or disgruntled students don't pass around their spells. Think about it, what would happen if one mage paid for their apprentice to study under another mage and have him relay everything back to the master? If you wish to teach others, you have to compensate the master for their knowledge."
“Wait! Does that mean we can’t swap magic ideas?” I ask in astonishment.
Sandra gives me an awkward smile telling me everything I need to know. “We can talk about magic; I just can’t teach you any of the spells I learned.”
“I guess that isn’t all bad,” I reluctantly say, kicking a pebble into the nearby bushes in disappointment. I was somewhat hoping my spell repertoire was going to grow when Sandra came back.
"And don't think I didn't notice how you changed the conversation," Sandra gives me a knowing look. "What exactly did you agree to in your contract?" And like that, Sandra went from a cool older sister to mom in under a minute.
Lying doesn't feel right, but I don't feel like divulging my screw up. I look up to Sandra, who's sitting next to my brother, driving the cart. "It's a little personal, but believe me, I have it covered," I reassure her.
Sandra must see my resolve because she lets out a reluctant sigh. "Ok, if you say so. But if you need anything, make sure you ask."
“I will,” I nod in agreement.
Walking next to the cart, I’m reminded how much Sandra and brother support me. I psych myself and tell them what I should’ve said as soon as I saw them.
"Hey, Richard, Sandra, I want to say I'm sorry for how I acted two days ago. Both of you were just caring about me, and I overreacted. I'm really sorry," I anxiously glance up at the two and hope that they'll forgive me.
Brother and Sandra share a quick look before both turning towards me. “We would also like to apologize to you, Aaliyah,” Sandra says with a soft smile. “We shouldn’t have tried to control you, no matter how much we care about you.”
“Yeah, we're just as sorry as you are, little sis." Brother chimes in. "The two of us should know better than anyone what it's like to have people question your decisions when you're 15." Brothers joke earns a small laugh from Sandra and me.
“Thanks, but that doesn’t excuse the skill I used on the two of you.”
"Yeah, please don't ever do that again," Brother gives me the same look master did after I used Sense Soul on him for the first time.
“I promise,” I quickly agree.
"Speaking of the skill, what was it?" Sandra has all the curiosity of a cat. "I've never experienced a skill like that before, and it lets you view our levels? How does that work?"
I know she won't stop asking until I tell her, so I give her an outline of my skill, not divulging its tier. "You can think of it as an invasive scanning skill. It mostly lets me see a person's level, but it can show me other things too. Like when I scanned you, I noticed something weird in your stomach. Are you…?"
“Woah!”
“Woah!”
Both Sandra and Richard flail in their seats, stopping me before I can ask my question.
“That’s something personal between your brother and me that we still need to discuss,” Sandra points out while placing her hand on her lower abdomen.
It’s hard to hold back my excitement.
I look at Sandra, who seems to be glowing even more than the last time I saw her, before turning to Richard. "Dad and Camden are going to kick your ass."
“No, they won’t.”
I smirk at my brother. "You're right; mother and Sarette will get you first for not being officially married yet."
Brother pales at the mention of mother, and I start laughing. Sandra can’t help herself and giggles along with me at Richard’s expense.
It's great talking to Sandra and messing with Richard, but I can't stay here much longer. "If you promise to be nice to me from now on, I might decide not to tell everyone when I get back to the village."
"You're leaving?" brother asks, surprised, and Sandra stops laughing. "Why?"
"For the same reason; I'm scared of mom too," I point out. "I promised her I would be back as soon as possible, and that doesn't mean I can walk next to you guys for the next week. Besides, someone has to let our families know the two of you are safe."
"She has a good point," Sandra agrees with me.
“I know, I know,” Brother mumbles and sets the reins down. The sickly looking bivol doesn’t so much as change direction or pace even though brother is no longer holding the reins. Was he just pretending to control the beast?
Both Sandra and brother dismount their cart and move to hug me.
The three of us exchange goodbyes, and I definitely, positively, didn't tear up when we separated from one another.
“Hurry up and make it home,” I call out behind me as I jog away.
“Stay safe!” The two shout back at me before I can no longer see them.
I quickly gain speed and start soaring through the forest. If I push myself a little harder, I can probably make it home in time for dinner, I happily think to myself.
It's incredible what family can do for you. Before I saw Sandra and Richard, I was frustrated and angry, but my day feels brighter somehow after talking to them. I guess you can call it the magic of family…
Ok, that was a little too sweet even for me.
I laugh to myself as I make my way home, optimistic I can overcome any challenges I might face in the future as long as I'm careful and have help from my loved ones.
**********
Author’s Notes:
5,000 words.
I know the ending is a little sappy, but I felt it was right to end 2020 on a positive note.
I'll keep it short so that you can celebrate the new year. Please tell me what you think below, and as always, stay safe.
Comments
Svish
that would go against the author's own rules.... remember, we had him show us kervin's pov- where he tells us that she can reverse the effect of the contract completely onto him... which means either nothing happens... or if something does, it should be her getting the 20 levels.
Jean Fere
Oh there's worse just take a look at "In Loki's Honor were the entire level/magic/skill system gets adjusted to nerf the MC
Xan
Brandon, I think the spirit of the contract might matter more if it didn't state that it should be followed to the letter ( not the spirit). That also might be a gateway for more loop holes. I.e. I forget if it says something about anything future related but since we all live it the present/past, it should never technically be applicable.
Cyryl Chołodowski
In the real world it kinda works... If the contract isn't too important to the damaged party they just don't give a fuck to look for you.
Aaron Martinez
General Emily Pitz comes off as childish here, too much salt and vinegar.
austin kutz
Or use the energy to attack and covert it back to levels and experience
Desurtfawks
The contract is just paper. The spirit of it is now bound to their souls. I doubt changing the name of the village would allow her to get out of it.
Lemon Hedgehog
Or rearrange her current stats, if she has a magic intensive day, she could move 50 out of strength to boost mind or mana. Then put the stats back once the task (engraving I can assume) is done
Phil
By that logic, she could just change her name. in fact anyone could do the same and get out of any contract they wanted. Come up with 'hacks' and loopholes all you want, unless you want to read actual legal contracts let the in-story characters do the interpreting. If that doesn't sit well for you, just imagine that the magic and soul juice involved enforces the intent of the words.
Phil
Hmm, well he is supposed to drop all contact with the headquarters once Scholl takes Drey. I just assumed he was betting on the Scholl occupation being more permanent, and using that time to establish himself independently enough to safely break away from the company (with a golden goose in the form of Aaliyah). Was that not his plan?
Patrick Schuldt
Contracthack no.1: Change the name of the village -> Aaliyah of Spotted Creek Village is no longer correct amd the contract is invalid.
Randydandy
What I don't get is how he is so confident that he will not get killed to get rid of the contract, he is trying to betray his boss who obviously employs assassins
Phil
It's an awful contract for her, no matter how you look at it. Mr. grey has to deliver goods at a predefined price once. All goods produced by Aaliyah, other than goods produced for the village, must be sold to Mr. Grey at 70% market price. He needs to do one thing once. Everything Aaliyah makes from now on forever needs to either be sold to mr. grey or given to the village. You can look for loopholes all you want, but mr. grey doesn't have any constraints and she has one very serious one. Hell he is already planning on offing Kervin, what's to stop him from getting rid of one minor village? There are many ways for him to go about doing such a thing. In short, she's got a permanent leash around her neck, and all he has to do is pay for it with one delivery. There is no world where such a one sided contract is in any way good. It'd be nearly a slave brand for any other craftsman. Of course we all know she can slip it at any time she wants and send all the punishments of the contract to him. If that were not the case, she'd be in deep shit. She'd have opportunities to sneak things past her restrictions, but at the end of the day Mr. Grey has the resources to defend the contract.
Monika Djomi
I've been thinking of something. It has been said that the stat points gotten from level ups are some kind of energy gotten from/converted from experience points. So I think the soul energy gotten is taken into the person's soul refined and then expelled to nourish the various aspects of the person when the stat points are used. From the sacrifice spell she used to kill that lvl 150 thing it's been shown that said energy can be extracted back from the body. So given that, shouldn't there be a way to like convert that soul energy directly to stat points without gaining levels.
Mark Bird
If I had to guess she didn't get any xp because she didn't notice the loopholes.
Desurtfawks
Yeah this motive chapter for pancor should have been before the fight. Least he is becoming more understood.
Desurtfawks
Dude the last chapter was fucking bananas the pay offs for TWI are becoming God tier writing. Problem is new readers have to wade through two million words of to get caught up.
Bookman
The wandering inn is a very slow starter Around the current chapter it beats The song of ice and fire or Game of thrones as its called in the TV series. But yah its not for everyone. Also as Timo Said. A series needs a schedule. Not having one leads to daily disappointments. At least for me. EDIT: Something like every Friday a chapter is what i mean. The other Authors i support on Pantreon. I never check them iregular. I know when the next updates come so i dont think that "maybe there is a chapter today?" I just know there is.
Patrick Schuldt
I really don't get why people like the Wandering Inn that much. I stopped around chapter 10 and i found it soo boring. I thibk i like different stuff than a lot of people.
Randydandy
She could also just take the materials and not produce anything. I don't get how she didn't get more xp for that contract. The loopholes for her are the better ones, just take all yhe materials and only prpduce for the village which then sells it for above 70%. The only thing that clearly has to happen is the sending of the materials, there is no part saying she can't just sell them herself
Timo Immig
The problem with having no dates could be described by regularly checking for updates. If you have an update you get dopamine (your fix) but if there is nothing you will feel dissapointment. This dissapointment leads to the reader gradually checking less in and activly losing interest. This is less a problem for works with a lot of updates (daily chapters mostly), but a story with only 2 chapters per week needs a schedule.
tj oram
Yo for the contract i wanted to point out something it says " All goods produced by Aaliyah of Spotted Creek Village, minus products meant for Spotted Creek Village, will be bought at 70% market value to Lennard Grey." The minus stuff meant for spotted creek village means she could run a scheme where she sells through spotted creek village she gives her goods to the village which then sells it and gives her cut after as another possible way out probably any flaws you guys see in this plan?
Bookman
eople on the Internet (me included) love to have set dates for updates and usally hate it when they apear random. Well 1 more day to see if they do apear 1 per week or not. was hoping for some info as well. I dont mind it slowing down but at least some concrete dates for updates should come. EDIT: Its also one of the reason the Wandering Inn is so popular. You always get your updates on point. In rare cases they get delayed but Pirateaba will always notify something like that beforehand and will also always set the date of the next update.
Monika Djomi
What is the new update schedule like???, 1/WK, 2/WK, 1/ 2wks, ?????
IJustWannaRead
Oh that would actually be kinda funny. Watch him despair and die as he fails to have enough funds.
Stephen Pearson
I'm still betting that she makes so much expensive stuff that he doesn't bring enough gold to buy everything she made at 70% of market prices, and he breaks the contract that way.
IJustWannaRead
Kinda hoping she just breaks the contract after her mom tells her she is basically a slave now. That should give grey the backlash and kill him instantly. Of course, for plot and drama, she most likely either won’t be able too or will choose not too. However, I think it will resolve itself pretty soon as I don’t think merchant friend will die, and mr grey seems to want him dead very soon. It could also be the scholl want to recruit her, but can’t make her a slave because it doesn’t seem like the old guys way. They learn of contract and kill mr grey so that Aaliyah can make them weapons, and she does it either out of gratitude or because she doesn’t have a choice. Just another way it could be solved.
BlueytheGinger
my hatred for Mr grey is growing with each encounter and I hope to the gods Aaliyah kicks him in the balls so hard his head hits the roof...... sorry that type of person pisses me off. Now I'm caught up id like to say dam this is a good story. but Pacore's character is bugging me for some reason like the story is pointing towards him taking Aaliyah and maybe cultivating her skills and what not, or maybe a massive antihero vibe.
Timo Immig
First the war is since about half a year during which no trade and few information would be exchanged. Second a spy inside scholl would have to be high enough level to traverse the land. Third the information would have to leave scholl in the first six months and at that point it could be that the type of monster and it's exact strength is not known to the general public. This would be basic rebellion precausion during a monster plague as was demonstrated by the village chief and how he wanted to prove that the monsters are defeatable. Most important that you overlooked is Olebert's king does not 100% trust the general. This can be read in the episodes with the captured commander. He was given instructions directly by the king. It is possible that he was told the information but it was not given to her. And last but not least in a world full of monsters, reports about strong ones could be deemed exagorations often. Meaning it was not deemed credible that a monster of this strength would appear or that scholl couldn't deal with it.
Nick
I agree, news like a dragon attacking scholl would travel like wildfire. Scholl would be chomping at the bit to find new food sources asap as they know that they don't have the food for an extended siege. I can see the strategy in why they waited for the general to expend all of her special arrows before attacking in full. While they would probably accept the large number of low levels casualties (less mouths to feed etc) the loss of their high level warriors (level 70+) would be a catastrophe.
Imspinnennetz
It does not seem like the government system is strongly centralized. Since the taxes are collected by the nobles and then shifted up to the king, I do not think the royalty can afford to maintain a good spy network or large standing army to respond quickly to any crisis. As such Scholl and Olebert's slow response is reasonable if we include time taken for the problem to make its way up the chain of the government.
Scott
True, but I'm not stuck between a giant monster and starvation :)
MadGod
Life isn't a game where you just notice a debuff and go do something about it. It's convoluted, inefficient, and often times illogical, especially when it comes to politics. It's actually impressive it only took them one year to take such action. I'm willing to bet your life has its own share of issues you should be doing something about yet here you are reading this instead.
Melting Sky
She can break low level non magical contracts capable of giving someone a bad hangover for a day without penalty, but it has yet be seen whether she can do the same with a high level contract capable of killing people which was reinforced by her own contract skill and augmented with magic. She is in uncharted waters and playing with fire this time.
Scott
The plot holes in the chapter are bugging me. The problem is the amount of time Scholl waits after having the a major portion of their country taken over by a dragon to do anything about it. A year is too long. If a major population and agricultural region was lost, it would be news that would travel. Merchants and travelers take news and rumors with them. As such, when combined with Scholl's reputation for being combative, any marginally competent government in neighboring countries would realize that there would be a food crisis in Scholl and anticipate raiding for food at a minimum, and invasion to conquer farm land as a possibility. A year is also way too long to wait if you're after farm land. Farming takes time. If you need to replace a lot of farm land you just lost, you need to get it sooner rather than later. So it makes little sense that the rulers of Olebert have no idea what's going on in Scholl after an entire year of Scholl facing a nation changing crisis. If the time line was much shorter, say the dragon coming in, Scholl realizing they would need new land to not face mass starvation because they can't beat the dragon, and then mobilizing for war in a matter of weeks, then it would make a lot more sense that Olebert was caught unprepared for a large scale invasion. Emily would probably have been briefed that there is some kind of crisis in Scholl, but the fact that it's a true dragon could be shocking news to her. Instead of "But I can't stop now. The dragon has tormented our lands for a year already, and the food shortage is starting to be felt by everybody." Replace "for a year" with "enough" and the time plot hole is filled. :) Happy New Year, cheers, and thanks for the story.
Maltec
Let see, abducted and nearly had soul eaten by a eldritch abomination, encounter flipping gods not burning bush type encounters but full exposure sensory overload, learn new skill told new skill created said monster and you might head down that path to in the future, cant talk about this to anyone as talking about tier 4 stuff is discourage, discuss teir 5 is dangerous but hey new skill is tier 6 and involves gods.....yeah going to be in really good headspace after all that with no proper outlet to try and talk it through
tibbish
No ones talking about that because if it came down to it she can get out of the contract whenever she wants with her soul magic.
MadGod
Everyone keeps talking about losing levels and seems to forget that the real problem is that it's a death sentence. Just losing a few vitality points nearly killed her, what do you think would happen to someone who loses 80% of the experience from their soul?
GingerClanger
I'm wondering when will it be explained why MC is so emotionally unstable all the time.. especially lately.. I mean.. ever since the Soul Eater Chapter.. the MC is really weak willed in character
IJustWannaRead
Really hope destroying the contract doesn’t lose her levels. That would be perhaps the stupidest and most blatant nerf I’ve almost ever read in fiction. Tho honestly with the sudden jump (that feels unearned due to how previous progression was), I could see it happening just because Aaliyah is too strong rn. Would still probably read on if it happened, but would most certainly find it hard to accept such a blatant plot nerf.
Melting Sky
This chapter gives us the answer to why Pacore seemed to foolishly offer the General an out for her hopeless situation by offering to duel her. He had a guaranteed win already so this seemed a very foolish move for one so old and revered for his tactics. It turns out he needed to do a minimal amount of damage to the local people and land due to the nature of his kingdom's motives. It was a given that the General would take the duel since it was her side's only chance in Hell of actually holding off the enemy, but it was always a mystery why Pacore was willing to offer the duel to begin with since it provided nothing but an opportunity for his enemy, albeit a small one.
Håvard
Also that one was an dragon just like an wyvern is an dragon. If this is an actual water dragon not just dragon kin water monster. Well that is something totally different.
Stylemys
The last dragon took her 12 straight days to poison and this one is located deep underwater. That’s bound to make it extra challenging.
Imspinnennetz
I think her mother would have been very disappointed with her brother if Aaliyah was stuck pulling the cart.
Imspinnennetz
Well I can see an interesting route to peace. General Emily is known as a hunter and if she is willing to hunt the dragon using Aaliyah's improved arrows, she can negotiate for the return of the territory. On the contract, the fact that the system informs people when they have been cheated means that at least the system can act as an arbitrator on the market price. Aaliyah can definitely choose to reveal varying amounts of information about the quality of her products to mess up Grey's end of the deal.
lenkite
I am heavily disappointed in Aaliyah. She should have freed that poor Bivok and offered to pull the cart.
ZCochraine!%
She might just be the smith that make the op sword or weapon that the hero uses to slay said dragon with. Maybe even makes the suit if armour. And the hero has to also go on a fetch quest to get the materials for the smith.
Straven
Nice chapter, especially that ending surprise oh I can't wait for the mothers reactions! Thank you for the chapter and happy new year.
Nick
Thanks for the chapter, have a happy new year
D
Uh, i joked about how this story goes to the gutters with aliah going all iseki. Venturing out to kill the demon lord, now we have a dragon... -_-
Rui Lourenço
I'm thinking that maybe she can use soul manipulation to alter the terms of the contract. Now that would be an incredible skill.
meatybyte
Thank you for the chapter and a Happy New Year to everyone! I'm a bit confused why she didn't offer to pull the cart home that way they all can arrive home safe and together. She is strong enough for that right? I still can't fully wrap my head around how her stats match up to non humans. Also since contracts have a soul component and this newest one has a level/exp transfer condition. I wonder what would happen if she tries devouring the link instead of breaking it. Poor master Grey can't order an assassination or sell secrets if he is a dried up husk.
Atli
Good chapter! I want to see if Aliyah can actually break the contract without reprecusions.
Bookman
I think She was so focused on searching the contract for parts that screw her over that she forgot about not having something written down doesnt mean its not coverd.
Haran
She is making so many immature mistakes. It’s frustrating to not see her grow
PloofDoodle
I kind of hope that the undying guy takes the trafers head in hopes of bettering the opinion of those he, the trader, screwed over.
Roethan
That's why you form a raid and challenge him with 500 of your highest ranked people.
TaylorTot
She should try a small experiment where she makes a contract with experience on the line, then brakes it.
CyclopsSlayer
But also totally open ended. She can NEVER make items for general sale, or frankly leave her village. If she is captured by the invaders and forced to make a single crude iron dagger, she'll be crippled.
rasmus1070
Nive chapter
MagicWafflez
eh, play around with a less severe cobtract not one that will kill the breaker... that said, she shouldn't break it until after he shows his true colors, namely after her 1st shipment, when he then tries to gouge prices because she can only sell to him...
Taliesin
She isn't even required to make anything for the merchant. Everything she makes can be "for the village", and the village can then negotiate contracts or sell stuff she made. The contract is pretty useless on either side.
Pagemaster
Are dragons immortal in this story? Because the 3000 year old monster with a tier 6 skill was only 150ish. Is that dragon 10,000 plus years old? If not the gods of this world have little to no balance between the races. Typically human short lived fast growth rate and large potential. Dragons born really strong but has slow growth and more limited potential.
Ungrave
I hope she plays around with the contract a bit before breaking it. I mean, if she could selectively break parts of it that restrict her, she could absolutely destroy anyone who makes a contract with her, so it would be worth looking into. Thanks for the chapter!
Andrew
Thank you!
tibbish
Wait she didn't clue into that guy screwing her on the contract sooner?! Feels like you dumbed her down there. There were so many holes in that contract it was ridiculous. Interesting to hear about the war and the general's thoughts too.
ZCochraine!%
She needs to actually sit down for a while and look around her soul when dealing with contracts, so she’ll probably just do it the night she gets home. Plus she needs to properly study how this kind of contract works and looks just to know.
Acen
there is no way you can concur any further into Olebert. Concur -> conquer
Thundermike00
Great chapter. I loved the foreshadowing.
Vyktor
Thanks for the chapter. It's always good to see that the enemy isn't just an enemy, that they have reasons and needs, we discover a little about the background of this war and some indices of a "maybe later" crafting orders for our preferred blacksmith 😁 And I agree with the precedent comment, she will be a little pissed when she finally understand the contract holes, and Kevin may not be happy to what it mean for him... 😔
Dopplerdee
Nice to know she noticed she was getting cockie but I still think accepting g the deal at all even whne she can break it is dumb when a wrong mobe would cripple her for life before she can break it. Her not breaking it imedietly3 when she found out ahe was played was worse. I still love this story but its a bit frustrating because while I trust where your going getting it one chapter at a time is hard. Ah well still the best story out there.
Kosnik4
Corrections
