Télécharger l’application
2.56% Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic / Chapter 10: History of Neloron

Chapitre 10: History of Neloron

Sera and Gerald slowly crawled away, hiding in the tall grass. After about thirty minutes, they finally dared to relax. There was no sign of their pursuers.

Gerald finally couldn't resist his curiosity anymore and asked, "What was that about demons? Do you know anything about it?"

"You didn't hear?" Sera asked in surprise.

Gerald shook his head.

"There are some rumors about Demon sightings in the Central Buronian Empire. Apparently, a few small towns near the Forbidden Border got devoured by them. I don't know much though," she said.

"Forbidden Border?" Gerald was confused.

"Yeah, you know the Border between the Empire and Forbidden Lands," Sera explained while looking at the confused Gerald's face. "You really don't know?" she frowned.

Gerald just shook his head, again.

Sera gasped, she couldn't believe her ears. "Were you living under a rock your whole life? How is it possible you don't know anything about the most famous land on Neloron?"

Gerald just shrugged his shoulders with a smile and said, "Please explain. I would love to know more about it."

"Ugh," Sera was annoyed. However, she still tried her best to explain, "Let's start at the beginning. There is a legend going back approximately ten thousand years. At that time Mana was abundant and mages covered the skies. Back then the human race was a minority unlike now. Back then Elves ruled this continent. With their high Mana capacity and long lifespans, on top of their amazing achievements in magic, they were almost like gods. They could move mountains and dry up seas with a wave of their hand."

"Wow!" Gerald tried to imagine that. It was almost unbelievable. If he didn't see it, he probably couldn't believe it. But he did. It was all possible with modern technology. You only needed a lot of money and time. However, doing that singlehandedly seemed like a fairy tale.

"I don't know how much of that is true. Anyways, ten thousand years ago the giant Elven Empire got invaded. In the middle of the continent, a portal opened, out came monsters, and they were controlled by said Demons. They had only one job and that was to kill every living being on the continent."

Sera paused for a while to organize her thoughts. She looked at Gerald walking next to her. His eyes were wide open and he was absorbing everything she said, like a sponge.

She gave him a light smile and continued her story, "At first, as the people were unprepared, bloody massacres occurred. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in just the first few weeks...Or so the story goes."

"Luckily the experts of the Elven race reacted quickly to slow down the invasion. After a few months, all races gather together to fight the common enemy. The allied army consisted of mostly High Elf mages with their legend-rank spells. There were also the Herculean Dwarves. With their superior physical abilities and amazing magic armors, they took the vanguard in battle."

Sera took a deep breath and continued with a softer voice, "Apparently the humans were so weak that they couldn't even fight and were only there as support or servants. Can you believe that?" She said that last part with anger and disappointment.

Gerald slowly nodded, "Yes…" It was understandable that people were useless. Humans had weak bodies so it was no wonder that they were only supporting a war between worlds.

Sera's eyes burst out with anger as she looked at him. Gerald quickly shook his head and tried to correct himself, saying, "I mean no, of course, I don't believe it. It's just an old legend. They always get changed over time. How could humans be so weak? No reason to get upset over minor details."

"Hmph, whatever." Sera didn't try to argue.

"What happened next?" Gerald was still interested in the story.

Sera rolled her eyes, 'Every freaking five-year-old knows this story. How the fuck doesn't he know it?' she thought to herself, but then still just gave a light sigh and narrated the rest of the story.

"So, the allied army pushed the beasts back to the Forbidden lands from where they came. At first, the allied army had the advantage, but slowly they came to a stalemate. Reinforcements kept coming through the portal and it didn't look like they were ever going to stop. After a few years of battle, the war suddenly came to an end."

"No one knows what exactly happened, but the portal supposedly collapsed and the monsters disappeared. At the same time, all magic disappeared from the continent and all the strong mages exploded on the spot or went completely crazy, dying shortly after."

"Without Mana, Elves lost their insanely long lifespans and Dwarfs lost most of their superior physical strength. Although Elves still lived for one hundred and fifty to two hundred years, it was not enough to offset their insanely slow reproduction speed. Added to the fact that they suffered massive casualties in the war, they quickly lost grip on the Elven Empire. Without magic, they were even weaker than humans. In a few millennia, pure-blooded Elves nearly went extinct. They had to mix with humans to survive. "

"And then?"

"Dwarves didn't want to compete for land so they retreated into the mountains to the north. Humans slowly took over the continent without a need to fight. It has been a good five thousand years since we became the dominant race. Of course, after the magic collapse, the world went back a few thousand years. We somehow managed to recover, although we are still far away from the past glory."

Geral was amazed as he was listening to her. Turns out this continent had a long and interesting history. At their peak, they were possibly even more advanced than modern humans on earth.

"Well, what I wanted to say is something else. After the war, the battlefield became a Forbidden Zone for all races. That's because, for some reason, there is no vegetation or animals. Well actually they are, but it's only dangerously poisonous plants and some rare monsters that were left behind. But they never left that area, so it was fine as long as no one went inside," Sera explained.

"However now there are rumors saying that they are coming out and attacking nearby towns and travelers. I wonder if it has anything to do with the increase in beast population."

Gerald was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, the beast inside forests are getting more and more aggressive, and their population is increasing rapidly. There are even some new monsters popping up in areas where they were never seen before."

"So that's how it is. I heard something similar from Bloodhorn village. As you said, they have problems with wolves," Gerald commented while trying to get Sear to tell him more.

"Yeah but that is nothing. Bloodhorn village is at the most extreme corner of the continent. It's really far from the Forbidden Land. The closer you get, the worse it becomes. Or so I've heard. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me anymore. My team is dead and I am too weak to go alone. I will have to go report to the Guild first and I'll see how it goes from there."

Gerald nodded. Then he suddenly remembered something "Hey, what was that thing you drank before?"

Sera looked at him weirdly and said, "Are you serious? Don't you know anything about this world or what?"

Gerald smiled weirdly while scratching his head, "Something like that. I have many questions. I hope I'm not bothering you too much."

"Ah~" Sera sighed. The road ahead of them was long and she didn't have anything better to do anyway, so she decided to tell him what he wanted to know. "It was a healing potion. It speeds up the healing process. Every warrior should have a few just in case."

"But why do you have it as a powder? Wouldnt it be more convenient to have it ready to drink at all times?" It didn't seem logical that you have to prepare the potion after you got hurt. Those precious seconds could be the difference between life and death. Or at least that's what Geral thought.

"That's absolutely true. Unfortunately, that's for high-grade potions. And I can't afford those. I can only get low-grade Healing Potions and they have a lot of impurities. If they stay in liquid form for too long, they quickly lose the healing effect," Sera explained.

"Ooh, that makes sense," he said. Soon after he got another question, "Yout said it's a low-grade potion. What does it do? What about other, higher-grade potions? "

"You wanna know everything, eh? Where were you for your whole life to know nothing? Sure, fine. We have plenty of time, might as well tell you," Sera said and then took another potion out of her pouch.

"These things aren't that strong and their effect lasts only a few hours. They can stop wounds from bleeding and they also work as a mild anesthetic. They are the most basic medicine, that is used for first aid, no matter what is the problem, because they have no side effects. They do also speed up the healing of wounds, but the time required for a noticeable effect is about a few days. If you try to heal yourself just using low-grade potions you might as well buy a higher grade. The price won't be that much different."

"Now, medium-grade healing potions are much better. They can do everything low-grade potions do, but much better. They are usually used to heal small to medium wounds, and they can heal them in a few days to a weak. They are a more refined and concentrated version of the low-grade potion. They also use the same ingredients."

"High-grade potions require more expensive and rare herbs and ingredients. Not many alchemists know how to make them and that's why they are extremely expensive. They can heal big, nasty cuts and can even connect torn limbs back if they are reattached in a few hours. Smaller wounds heal at the speed a naked eye can see. A not too serious cut or stab wound can be healed in just a few hours," Sera explained.

"Holy shit, that's insane! If we could mass produce that on Earth it would be so convenient. And make billions of dollars in the process, haha," Gerald laughed like crazy at his ideas.

"Err, what? Why would you want to make potions on dirt?" Sera was looking at him like he was crazy.


Chapitre 11: City of Geldern, Part 1

Gerald immediately froze. He almost exposed his origin so he quickly tried to change the subject, "Khm, anyway... just ignore my nonsense. These potions are some good stuff. But are there any that are even stronger? Potions that can, for example, regrow limbs?" he asked.

Sera looked at him in surprise and said, "So you do know something, huh? What you are thinking of is the Elixir of Life. It can bring you back from the brink of death, heal insane wounds in minutes, and even regrow limbs. Supposedly they can even make you younger and extend your life."

She turned to look at Gerald to see his reaction. When she saw his bulging eyes staring at her, she jumped back in fright. She quickly continued, saying, "Don't get any ideas. These potions are exclusively for the Royal family and no one else. You can't even buy them no matter how much money you have."

Gerald immediately felt disappointed. 'Goodbye immortality' he thought.

"Besides, it's not like there are many of them. They are made by the best alchemist in the Kingdom, and even he could only produce one or two per year in the best conditions. The process is so complicated and the materials are so rare, that he can only make a few every decade."

Sera mused as she remembered something, "There is a rumor, that the top alchemist is actually keeping some of the potions for himself. After all, he did live for more than a hundred years already and although he looks extremely old, he is supposedly in really good health for someone that is supposed to be with one foot in the grave."

"I guess the royal family doesn't care about the potion that much?" Gerald curiously asked.

"Oh, they do care. They do care a lot. That potion is a miracle, that's why they let him do that. He is the only one who can produce the Elixir of Life in the kingdom. Keeping him alive and letting him take a portion of the potion is still the best choice. He is basically a chicken laying golden eggs," Sera explained with an excited face.

She, like many others, yearned for the Elixir of Life. It was like a divine treasure, that they could only see but not touch. Except they couldn't even see it. It was something out of a myth for most people.

Gerald nodded, "I completely understand. I would probably do the same." Then he switched the topic, saying, "I don't know much about Geldern. Can you tell me something about the city? I assume you know a bit."

"More questions? Do I look like your personal guide?" she gave him a raised eyebrow. Gerald just smiled and said nothing. He knew women liked to talk. He just needed to nudge her in the right direction and she could tell him everything.

"Hmph. Fine, what do you wanna know?"

Gerald's eyes shined and his smile became even bigger, "Tell me about the city, the people. What kind of work is there to be had? I'm interested in anything you can tell me."

"Alright, then listen carefully. Geldern is a medium-sized city in Myrtana with about ten thousand inhabitants, although the numbers go up to twenty thousand on busy days. The Warrior's Guild is responsible for keeping the eastern part of the kingdom clear from monsters and bandits. During the recent years, they gained much more authority in this area and they are more influential than even the local noble Serrell family," she proudly said.

"Serrell Egott, the Lord of the city is an annoying, greedy old bastard. He tried, many times, to demand more and more taxes from people, even extorting them using force. About a decade ago, the Warriors Guild forcefully seized his authority over Geldern. He tried to resist using politics, bribery, and even dirty tricks, however, he failed in doing so. The citizens don't like him and most merchants, alchemists, blacksmiths, and other craftsmen that are connected to the Warrior's Guild and are also under their protection."

"If you wanna work in the city, you should probably register with the Warriors Guild just in case you have any problems in the future. Besides having connections to the craftsmen and merchants in the city, the Guild also had a massive information network, so if you need any specific information you just need to ask in the Guild. If you have enough money to pay the fee of course."

'Massive corporation swallowing the local business while resisting the tyrannical government. Haha, humans never change,' Gerald thought to himself. "Could you give me a suggestion as to what job should I take? I don't know what skills are required here," he asked Sera.

"I thought you were going to work for the Guild as a warrior," she looked at him in confusion.

"Why is that?"

"Because you can use Fire magic. That's a pretty rare form of magic. If you have the talent and you can learn many powerful spells, you can be extremely successful. The most powerful genius mage in Myrtana is a Fire Mage nicknamed Spark. I don't know what's his real name, though," she said.

"They say that when he was younger he singlehandedly killed over a thousand enemy soldiers with his amazing Fire Rain. It happened half a century ago when the Central Burronian Empire tried to invade Myrtana. After the war, his fame helped spread the recognition for other Fire mages on the continent. That's why I thought you were going to join the Guild."

Gerald nodded, "So that's how it is. I thought everyone can use Fire magic?"

"Absolutely not. For example, I can only use Earth magic and I'm not even that good at it. You are very lucky to be able to use two different Elements. Earth and Fire have really good mixed spells. If you focus and learn a few good spells in the next decade, your reputation could soar and you could become a well recognized and respected mage," Sera advised him.

"Right, right. I guess I'm really lucky to be able to use two Elements. Haha, I didn't even know it," Gerald awkwardly scratched his head. "Are twin Elements really that rare?"

"Yes. It's probably one in ten thousand people. Usually, if you have Light or Space elements as your primary, you get an extra basic Element, " Sera told him.

"Primary what? I thought there are only four Elements?"

"Of course not. There are six: Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire are the basic Elements and there are two more: Space and Light. You don't even know the basics?" Sera was even more surprised. How could someone that uses magic so naturally not know that?

Gerald shook his head and then slightly bent his back, clapped his hands in front of his chest, and seriously said, "Teacher! Please impart thy knowledge onto me!"

Sera facepalmed.


Load failed, please RETRY

État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire

Chapitres de déverrouillage par lots

Table des matières

Options d'affichage

Arrière-plan

Police

Taille

Commentaires sur les chapitres

Écrire un avis État de lecture: C10
Échec de la publication. Veuillez réessayer
  • Qualité de l’écriture
  • Stabilité des mises à jour
  • Développement de l’histoire
  • Conception des personnages
  • Contexte du monde

Le score total 0.0

Avis posté avec succès ! Lire plus d’avis
Votez avec Power Stone
Rank 200+ Classement de puissance
Stone 0 Pierre de Pouvoir
signaler du contenu inapproprié
Astuce d’erreur

Signaler un abus

Commentaires de paragraphe

Connectez-vous

tip Commentaire de paragraphe

La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.

De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.

OK