“What is that?” Jason asked.
“This is called a living document,” Farrah said. “It stores large amounts of information and is connected to a central record. When the central record is updated, the information in the tablet changes. This one has the full list of every essence and essence combination known to the Magic Society.”
“Is that different to the Adventure Society you mentioned?”
“Yes, but we can explain all that once we get back to civilisation,” Rufus said.
“The tablet is lot more expensive than a paper copy of the list,” Farrah said, “but it’s smaller and doesn’t have to be replaced when the list is updated.”
“Does it get updated a lot?” Jason asked.
“There are all kinds of essences,” Farrah explained as she kept her eyes on the shifting text of the tablet. “Many of them are extremely rare. Most people go for tried and tested combinations, but there’s always someone trying new things. Ah, here we are.”
She found what she was looking for in the tablet and the text stopped changing about.
“We can look up an essence and see what combinations are known for it, as well as any restricted combinations,” Farrah said. “Looks like your sin essence is in the rarest category. There really aren’t a lot of them going around.”
“Is it restricted?” Jason asked.
“Not by itself,” Farrah said. “Not a big list of known combinations. Looks like there is one restricted combination. Never heard of the succubus essence before. Probably because it takes two insanely rare essences.”
“What about the essences Jason has?” Rufus asked.
“Hold on. Dark, blood and sin, right?”
“That’s what I have,” Jason said.
“That combination is actually here,” Farrah said. “It produces the doom essence, another one I’ve never heard of. Not restricted, so good news.”
“Did you say the doom essence?” Jason said.
“I did,” Farrah said, putting away the tablet. “Sounds imposing, right?”
“Is that something I really want to run around with?” Jason asked.
“Of course you do,” Gary said. “Who’s going to mess with the guy with the doom essence?”
“Did it say what kind of abilities it produces?” Rufus asked.
“Affliction specialist is what’s listed,” she said.
“Affliction specialist?” Jason asked. “Is that like a ‘death by a thousand cuts’ kind of thing?”
“Yeah,” Gary said. “Ongoing damage, debuffs.”
“Did you just say debuffs?” Jason asked.
“Yeah that’s where—”
“I know what debuffs are,” Jason said. “I’m just wondering how directly my ability translated that word.”
“So what do you think?” Rufus asked. “Afflictions are an uncommon specialty, and the exact opposite of what Farrah does. Her damage powers are immediate and explosive, but she exhausts herself quickly. An affliction specialist is weaker in short fights but unparalleled in drawn-out conflict.”
“I don’t know,” Jason said. “I don’t know what’s good.”
“I say go for it,” Farrah said. “There aren’t a lot of affliction specialists, which will put you in demand.”
“You’ll get called out for all the big fights, too,” Gary said. “When it comes to the really tough monsters you want staying power. In a battle like that, someone who burns through all their mana like Farrah is just trashy.”
“Hey!”
Jason looked at Rufus.
“What do you think I should do?”
Rufus gathered his thoughts for a moment before answering.
“Affliction specialists usually don’t have abilities that will hit hard and fast. That gives them a harder time with what most people consider the easy fights,” Rufus said. “As a trade-off, they become more and more dangerous the longer a fight goes on. They have endurance. An enemy others will exhaust themselves fighting, an affliction specialist can fight multiples off at once. It isn’t an easy path, though. It requires good judgement to avoid losing a fight before you really get going.”
“There’s also the intimidation factor,” Gary said. “Smart people don’t mess with affliction specialists. Poisons, curses, setting your insides on fire. Even if you kill an affliction specialists, you might be a dead man walking. No one wants that kind of enemy.”
“There is certainly a social factor,” Rufus said. “Affliction masters scare people.”
“Should I do it, then?” Jason asked. “Use these essences I have?”
“My advice would be yes, you should,” Rufus said. “It doesn’t matter if the easy fights aren’t quite as easy. The hard fights are what matter. You’re going to need skills to make it work, which you don’t have right now. But I can teach you.”
“Now there’s an offer not to refuse,” Gary said.
“Agreed,” Farrah said. “Rufus’s family runs one of the most exclusive prep academies for adventurers in the world. Kings go to that school. If he’s willing to teach you, let him.”
“We all owe you, Jason,” Rufus said. “If it weren’t for you, we’d be dead right now, and we aren’t going to forget that. So we’ll do our best to help you find your feet as an adventurer. Maybe you can eventually discover a way home.”
“Thanks,” Jason said. “Although, I wouldn’t have gotten out of there without you either. If I’d just ran out of that chamber I’d be in the middle of the desert. No water, no idea where I was or where to go. Even if the cultists hadn’t chased me down, I’d have died out there anyway.”
“I don’t know about that,” Gary said. “You seem to have a way of turning situations around.”
“I think turning the sun around is a bit beyond me,” Jason said.
He placed a hand on the blood essence sitting on the table.
“Alright,” he said. “I guess we should do this before Anisa comes out.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” Farrah said. “I left her buried in documents in the study. I think she’s going to read every piece of paper in the whole manor to make sure she doesn’t miss anything.”
“That’s good,” Jason said, “because I have an awakening stone that seems a little questionable as well.”
Jason picked up his two essences and stood up. He was concerned about passing out again, so he led them off the terrace and onto the grass where they all sat on the lawn.
“So how does this work?” Farrah asked.
“I just kind of do it,” Jason said. “I want to try something this time, though.”
He held up the blood essence in his hands.
“Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me when I held aloft my magic cube…”
He raised the cube above his head with one hand.
“What in the world are you doing?” Farrah asked.
“I told you, I’m trying something,” Jason said. “I didn’t expect it to work, but it wouldn’t be the least plausible thing I’ve seen in the last day.”
Jason lowered his arm back down.
“I’m starting to suspect that it isn’t just that you’re an outworlder,” Rufus said. “I think you might be strange in any world.”
21
I Have the Power
When Jason had used the dark essence, it had turned into smoke, painfully invading his body until he passed out. The blood essence instead melted over his hand, becoming a viscous liquid that crawled up his arm and started coating his torso as it seeped through his pores and into his skin. It savagely burned its way into his flesh, leaving him sprawled on the ground as he fought to endure the pain. Gritting his teeth, he barely managed to stave off unconsciousness. By the time the pain subsided, he was on all fours, rapidly panting. His clothes were wet with perspiration.
You have absorbed [Blood Essence]. You have absorbed 2 of 4 essences.