Seeds of Discordia

Liam and Vesely talked for a couple of hours. The first thing she asked him was which of three Focus Points in the Field of Shadows were his highest and what level was it. She was surprised when he answered. She wasn’t so much surprised that the Utility (Shadow) was his highest, rather she was more surprised that it was already at level nineteen.

She then asked about the others. He told her that his Affliction was next at level fourteen and Shadow Control was at level eleven. After that she asked him what spells were the highest in each Focus Point. After he answered she looked like she was thinking somethings over.

After she finished thinking she told him not to get Shadow Hands to level twenty and to wait on using it until the other two Focus Points were at level nineteen. She had then asked about if he had other elements which he responded that he had Gravity and Lightning. She told him he should try to make Hands out of those elements when he could and surprised him when she informed him that while Hands made of out Elemental Mana were good for crafting, they actually had something that could help out with a fight.

Lightning Hand if used to punch or slap opponents, could cause a Paralyze Debuff depending on the level as well as how many times you attack with them. He could also use it to make certain Alchemical ingredients like Liquified Lightning Mana or even to charge some Lightning Mana into Poisons while working his Poison Craft.

Gravity Hand had an effect that it would cause a creature to gain a Heavy Debuff if used like the Lightning Hand. Other Elemental Hands had different effects and she kind of hinted that if he wanted to pursue those it could come in handy. While it wasn’t wise to get so many different fields, having different Elemental Hands could help confuse targets or those who sought him out to kill him.

Liam liked the idea, but felt he should think more about it after trying to get Lightning Hand and Gravity Hand. It would be awesome to have different types of those Hand abilities and have them create different Debuffs or effects, but at the same time he did think it would be too much for him. As he thought about this he did think of a certain Kitsune who might be interested in it since he was a melee fist fighter.

After that she told him he needed to read the Knowledge Theory book she had given him. It would help raise his Shadow Control Focus Point as well as help him get an ability or two that were better than Shadow Orb and Shadow Swarm. The two spells were great if he needed to shoot from long range or when he needed to get extra damage done in conjunction with his Lunar spells, but he felt that the mixture of his Afflictions from both the Field of the Lunar and Field of the Shadows could easily fit that role.

As they talked she asked him what the shadows meant to him. He didn’t really know how to answer that question. She had told him to say just what popped in his head without really thinking. He had answered that he felt the shadows were something that helped hide him better when trying to move around when he didn’t want people to see him. He also added that he felt the shadows created the best blinding effect or binding.

She nodded at his response halfheartedly as she thought about his answer. She muttered something about that was probably why his Utility (Shadow) and Affliction were higher than his Shadow Control. While his answer was good, it was really subpar at best because he essentially knew next to nothing about what the Shadows could really do. What he could really do with the shadows if he really set his mind to it. However, before he really started thinking more into it Vesely threw him a curve ball that confused him.

“Thinking about what the shadows mean to you really helps the field set your path. However, don’t think that everything you believe you think it means to you will go down that way,” Vesely sated.

“What do you mean by that?” Liam questioned.

“Fields of magic are tricky. If you believe you have a certain Field of Magic figured out because you view it a certain way it will send you a surprise in the form of an ability that has nothing to do with it. For example, did you think shadows could affect the mind in the way it does?” Vesely explained.

Liam thought about it. She was right. His Affliction spells had effects that were either tied to the mind; like his Blanket of Darkness that blinding and attacked the nerves of the eyes that were directed to the brain and his Shade’s Corruption that had a chance to cause a Confusion Debuff. Plus adding the Whispers from the Beyond Debuff that could appear on both him and the target if exposed to too much Shadow Magic.

“Why is that?” Liam asked, curious to know more about it.

“Before I answer that, tell me, has anyone ever told you about Advanced Fields of Magic?” Vesely asked.

Liam felt like he had heard about it before. He took a couple of minutes to remember what was said and replied, “I have heard about it before, but I think all was said was some Fields of Magics could receive one if certain conditions were met.”

Vesely nodded her head. “That is both correct and incorrect. Not all Fields of Magic can turn into Advanced Fields of Magic, that we know of. Fields of Magics are still a mystery and are being studied even to this day. The reason why some Fields of Magics have an Advanced Field is because, like you said certain conditions were met in order to Advanced them. There are also two different types of Advanced Fields of Magic but the topics of those can be learned at a later date. For now what I want to tell is that what we currently understand is the Fields of Magic that we know of are basic. Advanced Fields are the next form of the Fields of Magic.”

“So you’re saying that Fields of Magic are just the beginning of the specified magics it focuses on?” Liam questioned as he scrunched his brow.

“Yes. Using the Field of Shadows for example, it is the basic for what it Advances to. There are different higher forms after the Advanced as well, but like I said that is something you’ll learn once you get farther into your Magic Knowledge Theory,” Vesely explained. “While it is good for you to understand what the Shadows mean to you and for it to create abilities or skills to create a path right for you, what you receive now can drastically change once you advanced into the field. For example, you are already getting abilities that affect the mind. Usually that happens after it Advances to the next form.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “That’s…”

“A lot to think about? I know,” Vesely nodded in agreement. “You normally wouldn’t learn this so soon, but your level in the field and the path it seems to be setting in has me concerned. I am going to write some stuff down for you to look into and what you should focus on before it advances, but I will say this.” Vesely gave him a stern look, “Do not level your Shadow Hand to twenty until your other Focus Points to either nineteen or twenty.”

“Why?” Liam asked.

“Because you need more Shadow Control practice. While it is amazing you have been able to get your Shadow Hand to the level it is, you probably can’t control it the way you should be able to if you had the Shadow Control Focus Point close to the same level,” Vesely explained.

“I still don’t understand,” Liam stated. “What does the Shadow Control Focus Point have to do with my Utility (Shadow) Focus Point ability Shadow Hand?”

Vesely sighed. “If you have a chance. The next city that has a Magic Tower or Academy seek it out and see if you can get a copy of a Knowledge Theory called Focus Points and how they are tied to their respected Field. It will explain everything. As much as I would love to go into all the details there are still some things I need to ask you not related to this.”

This made Liam stare at her.

“I need you to tell me exactly everything that happened in the Black Dungeon. With that information we can try and see if we can create counter measures to prevent it from happening again,” Vesely stated.

Liam nodded, understanding what she meant. He spent another hour explaining the events that happened inside. He answered questions that she was confused about and did his best to omit or change the parts that he needed to keep secret. He felt like he did a good job since Eri hadn’t said anything to him during his telling. After that was done, he reactivated his Spirit Weave, donned his disguise, and left the building. Vesely informed him to come again before he left the island so he could shop one last time at the Dark Nest.

After Liam left the room, Vesely placed her mask back on her face and let out a sigh.

“I didn’t think you’d go as far as to reveal your face and name to him,” A cool and indifferent voice suddenly stated.

Vesely turned to look at the individual who had dispelled the Illusion Magic they had used to cover their presence. Her cheeks turned slightly red, and she was happy that her mask was able to hide it as she said, “I felt that it was the best route to make him understand I don’t have any hidden motives. After all, it was you who said he doesn’t trust people easily, Wild Card.”

“I did say that, but he trusted you way too quickly,” Nabal stated. “It seems like he has matured a bit compared to his time in the Tutorial Area.”

“Is it true he talked back to Nalia?” Vesely asked.

Nabal let out a chuckle. “He did. He also went as far as to call her a Weasel Bitch.” Vesely laughed at that. “I wish I was there to see her face. That bitch acts so high and mighty it was about to time someone attacked that ego of hers. But to think a low leveled guy like him would have the gall to do it. I think I understand why you like him so much.”

“I like his approach to skills and abilities. He has an unorthodox method of using and seeing things,” Nabal corrected her. He then smirked as he added, “The fact that he doesn’t stand down in front of those who are stronger than him is just a bonus.”

“That part of him has me worried,” Vesely stated. “He reminds me of three specific individuals. Those three have a lot of eyes on them right now and have had multiple attempts of assassinations on their lives because of it. However, this one…it seems like he doesn’t need to do anything. It’s like chaos follows him wherever he goes.”

Nabal smirked at that. “You’re right about that. That’s why we have someone keeping an eye on him. If anything were to happen I am sure he would be fine.”

“Speaking of that. What happened to the Mayor and Morshire?” Vesely asked.

“My leader took care of them,” Nabal replied.

Vesely raised a brow at that. “Really? I would have thought you would have wanted to do that personally since he is your apprentice.”

Nabal shook his head. “I am just as shocked as you are. He vehemently stated he was going to do it alone. He didn’t explain why though.”

“That is…very concerning,” Vesely stated.

Nabal shrugged. “I think he was just bored. He hasn’t had any reason to kill another recently so he might have just wanted to stretch his legs.”

“I guess that’s something,” Vesely muttered as she eyes Nabal. A smirk slowly formed on her face as she said, “So did you send him here because you knew he would be in my neck of the woods, and I could help him with his Shadow Magic?”

“To be honest…That Shadow Magic is a surprise to me,” Nabal stated.

Vesely looked surprised.

“He held most of his secrets to his chest and didn’t reveal them. Which is a good thing. I believe he still has some he hasn’t or doesn’t want revealed, but he is a mystery to me. I have some ideas or theories, but he keeps surprising me,” Nabal stated. A smile grew on his face as he added, “Like for example, did you know my nephew just joined his group?”

“Gimmel is here on the island?” Vesely asked. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, apparently he was trying to join some sub-par group, but an elf was just trying to use him as a pack mule,” Nabal scowled.

“You’re not going to kill that elf are you?” Vesely questioned.

Nabal shook his head. “No. However, I am going to send a letter to the guild they are trying to join and pressure them to not let them in. I’m also going to tell them to personally say it is because of that elf why they are not going to join them.”

Vesely shook her head. While she loved the side of him that drove him to protect those he cared about, his petty methods when he couldn’t outright kill the person doing the slighting was just…petty. “So…how long are you here for?”

Nabal looked at her. He let out a sigh of his own as he said, “I just wanted to check up on him and see how he was doing. We are getting ready to head out to the next place ourselves.”

“Still trying to find the perfect place?” Vesely asked.

Nabal nodded. “We have a lead on one, but we’re looking more into it while taking out some competition for the place.”

“Let me know if you need any help. You know the Fiddler’s Spider Web is capable of almost anything,” Vesely stated. She then added with a cautious tone, “And that my duties and loyalty to him, as part of the clan, will always waiting.”

Nabal placed a hand on her shoulder. Vesely gave him a smile as he said to her, “You know he isn’t like the others. He won’t use you like how the others use the other branches. Unless it is something he absolutely needs you to do that he can’t…he just wants you to do what you want. If anyone from the clan tries to pressure you or make you turn sides then make sure to let us know.”

“I will,” Vesley smiled. “And currently what I want to do is help that poor naïve young man not get himself killed.”

Nabal smiled as he shook his head.

“What?” Vesely asked.

“Funny you say that…”