“News From the Front:


    BREAKING: Traxian Forces Skirmishes with Abenstadt Peacekeepers along Line of Delineation - Is War on the Horizon?


    Carradorian Breakthrough Along the Grand Valley - Traxian Forces Forced into Stalemate.


    Thousands Dead in Meltonian Reprisals - Orc Raids Intensify


    Gratian Civil War Continues for 23rd Year - No End in Sight! Is Peace a Dream?


    Traxian Legions Annex Old Folstina, War with Lucuria Imminent - War on Three Fronts?!


    Diplomatic Masterstroke: Veronan Chancellor Ozztelith and Potomian Ambassador Iasos Sign Non-Aggression Pact


    Opinion: Recent Armed Battle in Grand Library - Traxian Infiltrators? Should You Worry?”


    - ??Arterian Affairs, Special News Edition Vol 4


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    The monstrous humanoid hefted her onto its shoulder and carried her like a log, restraining her movement and almost snapping her neck. Aryana was terrified, petrified at the sudden explosion of violence all around her. The village of Brightfields was in chaos, citizens fleeing every which way whilst town guards struggled to grasp the situation. Legionaries stormed in from side streets and engaged robed cultists wearing crow masks in open combat. Every few steps, Aryana could see the adventurers desperately riding towards her, yet she knew they were just a little too far before from the monster and saving her. She had to act, and she had to act now.


    She struggled to reach her blade but found no way of loosening the monster’s grip. The creature darted here and there, barreling through alleyways without a care. It squeezed a little harder and she felt her ribcage straining against the pressure, her bones on the verge of cracking. The pain intensified enough that Aryana’s hand tensed up and stopped moving, her mind focused entirely on mitigating the pain. Relief only came when some angered citizen hurled countless curses at the monster as it passed, throwing down his bottle of alcohol and drenching the creature and herself in a sickeningly nauseating liquid. What made it worse was her arrow wound, the gaping hole left behind after the creature’s sheer strength had accidentally pushed the entire arrow through, feathers and all. Aryana was on the verge of passing out when the alcohol seeped downwards and seared her wounds with a horrific pain.


    She found herself with lessening options and managed to crane her neck towards the fleshy monster. Better free now and die later, she winced at the thought and bit down hard at where she presumed the creature’s neck was. Metallic bitterness flooded into her mouth as bile, tainted blood, pus and the after taste of alcohol rocked her senses. She fought the urge to vomit and took a second, deeper, bite. This time her teeth made purchase deep within the sinewy muscle, and as the monster cut through another alley, its natural momentum jerked her backwards, tearing out a solid chunk of flesh with her.


    It howled in pain and before the vile formless flesh could even settle in her mouth she found herself soaring through the air. It was a moment of clarity, of fear and acceptance. She smashed against the side of a house and pain rocked the entirety of her being as she felt more than one thing crack within her.


    “There! Stop them!” A voice yelled.


    In her pained stupor, she immediately spewed the tainted skin flesh out, fearing abominable side effects. She then turned to find Captain Monsitori and two legionnaires rushing towards the monster, one firing an arrow that flew harmlessly past the creature whilst the other two held spear and shield in their hands. It was enough however, to draw the muscular monstrosity’s attention away from her. Only now did Aryana get a true glimpse of the monster that had caused her such pain. It stood no higher than a normal human, but the skinless mutated pustulating muscles which writhed and jittered uncontrollably demonstrated was evidence enough that it was less than human. Upon being struck by the arrow, the creature’s head looked like what she could only describe as something between a skinless canine and human amalgamation. The displeasure it felt was clearly evident in its narrowed hollowed out eye sockets. To her horror, she found what looked like what remained of a scholar’s robes fused to the hind legs of the creature. It’s him, it’s the rogue scholar, what in the holy spirit’s name is he?


    "Get moving." The captain yelled.


    Her hopes were quickly shattered when she saw the legionaries simply bypass the creature. They… are running… past? Realisation slowly dawned on her when the clash of weapons quickly echoed down this alleyway, and her eyes widened at the monster that seemed to now look down at her with a smirk on its inhumane face. The legion… were… the traitors? But the captain… the report he gave me... was it meant to be a trap? To bring me here?


    Metallic footsteps quickly rounded the other end of the alley and another squad of legionaries arrived. Aryana felt her mood collapse only to see these ones throwing their javelins at the creature. Two even spearing it across the torso. The former scholar roared in annoyance and snapped the javelins, ignoring Aryana and bounded straight for the newcomers. So not all bad… but will they… Her questions found a natural conclusion as within but a few blinks of her pained eyes, the scholar had reached the legionaries and viciously began cleaving and decapitating them. Blood, guts, and limbs were left splattered across the alleyway, entrails still dangling from bodies cleaved into two, their screams trapped within their throats as they died. Metal and armour did little to save them from the scholar’s claws and when he turned back towards her with a dark grin, she felt a guttural fear rise up from within her.


    Back at the entrance to the alleyway, she spied Captain Monsitori''s traitors being cut down by the Slayers, their swift work almost rivalling that of the scholar. But, before they could assault the creature, it had already leapt at Aryana and looked ready to take her away. She didn’t even bother reaching for her sword, the futility of the fight already evident to her. With a growing sense of pessimism and defeat, she surrendered herself to the scholar and soon found herself being hoisted away, the alarmed shouts of the adventurers barely reaching her ears as they dashed away through the chaos filled streets.


    <hr><hr>


    Sophie awoke with a start, her mind draped over with a heavy blanket of grogginess, her eyes seeing not much else besides the dull grey bricks above her. She groaned out loud at the sudden awakening, pain wracking her body even as her mind finally escaped whatever dark place it was hidden in. It felt much like her time in the void but worse, at least within the nothingness there was the entity and now Elaria. This however, was horrifying, for it felt as if her mind was simply locked away somewhere, and she remembered nothing but the pain from when the scholar reached over the table and stabbed her. Stabbed me? Gah! The scholar! Fuck!


    In a panicked flurry she threw herself out of bed only to freeze as she caught sight of the environment around her. She was in a small room with only a night table and chair for company alongside her bed. Strange motifs and weird heraldry decorated the walls and she found some strange cylindrical device humming with a low droning sound. The device glowed faintly blue and when she reached down to pull out her necklace, she found the small sapphire gem from the void also glowing ever so slightly. Curious, she reached forward only to immediately break out in a hacking cough, the exhaustion and fatigue her body felt pushing her to a weakened point. Sophie cursed under her breath and flinched when she heard a small commotion outside her door, her coughs likely having attracted those who had captured her.


    The door clicked open and Sophie found herself bewildered by the sight of two armoured men filing in first, flanking the doorway as an older man wearing similar armour but sported an animal hide draped over his shoulders. Behind the old man was a much younger and far more menacing figure, cloaked in darkness and a long blackened coat and mask that hid most of his features. He carried himself in a style that she found quite familiar, and when she caught sight of a small starry sigil that hung off his belt, she immediately knew who it was. An inquisitor.


    “So she is awake.” The inquisitor grumbled with a hint of annoyance.


    “I suppose your conjecture is correct then, honored ser.” The old man bowed respectfully.


    “Hmpf, as it should.” The inquisitor tutted, “Still, it is concerning that I stand correct. This might mean a… beginning… a new revolutionary way of understanding a body’s reaction to mana.”


    “And would that be bad?”


    “You don’t need to humor me Sir Danneth. Depending on the implications, it could be far reaching indeed.”


    Unable to contain herself, Sophie broke out in a few more coughs, an uneasy feeling building up within her. It did however, draw the attention of the new arrivals, and she herself under intense scrutiny by the inquisitor before he cleared his throat.


    “Tell me, gentlemen. Do any of you feel… a little more exhausted, but at the same time itching to move?” He asked the others without looking away from her.


    Sophie saw the guards trade looks with each other before they looked at the older man who just nodded.


    “Uhh… a little now that you mentioned it.” The one on the left replied.


    “Didn’t really think about it before, so I guess not?” The one on the right shrugged.


    “Heh, a little ill at ease I suppose.” Danneth chuckled.


    The inquisitor nodded knowingly before staring into Sophie’s eyes.


    “And you, do you feel anything strange?” His nasally voice asked.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Sophie grunted and hacked out a few more coughs before she nodded, “Mmm… pain… ugh.”


    “Hmm… as I expected.”


    “Inquisitor?” One of the soldiers asked.


    “Her body. It… how shall I put it… she is less than… something beyond a half elf.” The inquisitor frowned and tapped his chin before clicking his tongue, “Tell me, girl. Do animals, pets, wild or otherwise seem to despise you, avoiding you at all costs? Perhaps you’ve also earned the ire of the dead, their spirits, reanimated or otherwise always seem to hunger for you?”


    Sophie looked skeptical but nodded ever so slightly, flashes of her time in the Mistveils and beyond crawling back to the surface.


    “Hmm and since when?” He pressed.


    “Since… small…?” Sophie rasped between coughs, “Very small.” She acknowledged. Her mind reeled from the admission, the vague shapes of a great bear like beast haunting her vision as the creature fled at her approach.


    The inquisitor hummed to himself, casting curious glances between Sophie and the machine before he nodded to himself.


    “P-problem?” Sophie groaned.


    “No… well, maybe.”


    “Inquisitor?” Danneth pressed.


    “She… I told you she was likely a special case, yes?”


    “That’s correct, inquisitor.”


    “I also said, she was likely to heal soon after I bought the battery.”


    “And she did.” The old man nodded.


    “It seems, my dear friends. And this is not to leave this room.” He warned without a hint of irony, “That our dear half elf here, is a Cursed One, or Mana Sink, if we’re being more technical.”


    “A mana sink?”


    “Indeed, if her words are to be believed, then the likely reason she can heal her wounds so quickly and the reason why creatures found in nature try to avoid her are one and the same.” The inquisitor stepped back to pace around the room, “After conducting tests whilst she was unconscious, I can deduce that her body is an unnatural abomination to the order of this… this world… this plane of existence. It was constructed in an eerie facsimile to replicate the functions of a normal being, but not quite.”


    “And the mana sink is…?”


    “Her body, Sir Danneth. Her entire being absorbs latent mana from the environment around her. Hence why prolonged contact might cause one to feel irritated or some slight sense of unease, nothing major. But,” He turned to Sophie, “you said that animals tended to avoid you?”


    Sophie gave a hesitant but weak nod, herself also intrigued at his words though she tried not to show it.


    “That is because they are primarily creatures of nature, beings that are locked in-step with the growth and cycles of the land. Though they don’t function with mana as, say, a spell does. They can feel the disruptions much more acutely than higher beings such as ourselves. Hence why in disaster zones that involve magicks we rarely see any creature, wild or otherwise, be willing to venture into them. The mana flow is, shall we say, disrupted so greatly that they find it almost anathema, even if the feelings can gradually fade after long exposure.”


    “So you’re saying her body drains mana from her surroundings?”


    “Correct. Think of it like a constant void of mana in an area, though perhaps not as extreme. Or rather, she is much like a sink in that she collects and fills with latent mana. But as with every sink, there needs to be a drain. It just so happens that hers is... quite extreme compared to the collection part. So it feels as if she''s devoid of mana completely, in that sense.”


    “And the mana battery you brought, since glowing means it''s active… then…”


    “You are correct. She is draining the energies right out of the battery, at an alarming rate, and unconsciously, I might add. Thus if all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, then my hypothesis here is that the reason why her wounds can heal… hells, pardon my language, that she is even alive now, is because of the mana intake.” He sucked in a deep breath, like someone who had stumbled upon a mystical revelation, “This is… if it is, in fact, all confirmable, something unprecedented. She is physically healing her injuries by using the very mana in the air to repair those wounds far more efficiently than normal healing magic.”


    "More effective? What makes you say that?"


    "Think of normal light class spells as being able to both calm the nerves, in essence act as painkillers. But, also repair the major neural and mana pathways within a person''s injured body. These repaired pathways then, which often coincide with arteries or veins or organs, allow for recovery far swifter than simple stitching or bedrest can provide. But," The inquisitor held up a hand, "tissue, muscles, and areas or the body further from such pathways might still see lasting damage that takes far longer to heal. Think, bruising or tissue damage. Which is also why when say, someone gets their skin burnt, healing magicks can only do so much, and the scars will remain to naturally heal. After all, the skin itself isn''t an artery or vein, hence the effectiveness of the magic drastically decreases even if it soothes the pain they feel."


    At that, Sophie’s mind began racing. All the unexplained phenomena, the surprising resilience of her body despite her injuries started to make sense. If what the man said was true, then whatever the entity did to her, meant she was more abnormal than she thought. And my heart… I guess its really… I just really don’t have one, huh?


    “Huh, never thought about it that way. But what about creatures like Rovers or Manawryms?” Danneth asked.


    “Wryms and the sort are beastial, feral even. They are simply drawn to high magic sources. Rovers and other tempestial demons are sentient, yes. But, their forms are warped, twisted in inhumane ways. And… well…”


    “So twisted even a peasant can see one coming a mile away.” A guard muttered.


    “Precisely. For whatever their plans are, we can simply see them coming, know instinctively that they do not belong.” The inquisitor lowered himself to look at Sophie and held the weight of his chin in his right hand, “You, however, are fully cognisant it seems. Not just that, I don’t sense or see any… distinctive mutations. In that sense, you are very much made of the same flesh and blood that Sir Danneth or myself are made of. With the one exception being your mana… sinking? No, your mana leeching capabilities. It is neither spellbound nor a ward, what your body is doing is very much instinctual. Now that, is unnatural.”


    Sophie held her breath as his words sank in just as the flashes of the past few weeks of memory finally caught up. It makes sense, she let out a horrified whisper for herself, everything he said makes sense. Her mind even brought her to her last recorded memory, or when she had been wounded by the scholar. She remembered the strangeness of his silken garb, how she had unwittingly touched it and how he had then immediately recoiled as parts of him seemed to morph before her very eyes. I… I broke his… spell? But… oh no, I remember the guards, Aryana… Aryana!


    “M-my friend.” Sophie croaked, “Ary… ugh… is she…?”


    “Inquisitor, may I?” The old man asked.


    The inquisitor seemed to ponder for a moment before stepping aside, but not before he muttered a line that sent shivers down Sophie’s spine, “At least I can see why Viktor’s so interested in this one.” He knows, and he doesn’t seem like the type to let me go…


    “Your friend,” Danneth’s voice dropped to a friendlier level, stealing her attention away from the inquisitor, “is currently helping us hunt down the man responsible for putting you in this state. Don’t worry, she’s in good hands.” The old man put on a reassuring smile. For a moment Sophie almost believed him, but then she noticed the expression on the man’s face change. Something… something’s wrong… something’s definitely gone wrong… oh Goddess.


    “But.” The inquisitor interrupted, “I do have one more… test… that I would like to perform, with your permission of course.”


    “Oh… of course inquisitor.” Sir Danneth replied, his expression a mixture of surprise and reluctant acceptance, “Uhh, if you don’t mind me asking. She’s awake already, so why here? You’re not planning on putting my legionaries under any dangers are you? Surely the church would be a better place for this.”


    “Hmpf.” The inquisitor grumbled, clearly a little annoyed, “It won’t harm your people, assuming that my theories remain correct.”


    “Assuming?”


    “It is the best I can guarantee. Besides, I would very much prefer to do this inside the cathedral under close supervision. But someone informed the upper echelon about… this incident. Hence my arrival here. It seems our little half elf here has friends in high places.” The inquisitor almost sneered, his expression making Sophie flinch just a little, “Therefore, I’m not allowed to move or really touch a hair on her head.” He tsked.


    “Ah… so to do it within the cover of the Legion’s fort…”


    “Means the superiors won’t really hear about this, provided you offer some measure of discretion.”


    “Heh, ballsy move inquisitor. Though I’ll admit, I am a little more than curious after having already met her companion.” He met Aryana?


    “She-she… is she…?” Sophie croaked and the inquisitor held up a hand, silencing both her and Sir Danneth who looked on the cusp of answering.


    “Now, now. I need you to focus on this, young elf.” The inquisitor pulled what looked to be a small gem, colorless and dull grey, “I need you to focus on this and see if you can make it both absorb and expel mana at the same time.”


    “H-huh?” Sophie tilted her head weakly.


    “Gah, simpleton. If my theory is correct, not only can you control mana, but because of your natural absorption, it also means you can better direct the latent flows of mana. Imagine, say, focusing and creating a corridor of mana, surround by a lack of mana, thus forcing the flow towards a target. Like a... a river that cuts through a desert, or better yet, a sink with a drain, but we are redirecting the piping underneath. So what I want you to do, in terms you’ll understand; is for you to draw in what mana you can from the battery, and then focus it onto the crystal until it too, also glows. Then I’d like you to visualize someone you know, say this friend of yours, and then try utilising the crystal to absorb a bit of their mana. Manipulating the crystal’s composition until it gets filled by this foreign mana, essentially transferring the battery’s mana into them, and theirs into this.”


    “But how? Aryana… won’t she-”


    “No, not if she has indeed set off with Sir Danneth’s men. Troubling as it may be that there is a criminal on the loose, even I would rest easy in the company of a squad of legionnaires. Besides, I doubt you can even call forth mana from... well... wherever they are right now. It''s just mere conjecture I''d like to test for now.”


    “They’re good folks, they’ll keep her safe.” The old man agreed.


    “So? Are you ready?” The inquisitor asked.


    Sophie managed a slight scowl when she realised that this wasn’t something they’d likely back off on, “Fine.” She grumbled, still displeased at the situation, “But she-”


    “She’ll be fine, feel a little irritated at most. If it even works.”


    Sophie was still skeptical, but with a tired sigh, she nodded, taking care not to agitate her throat anymore than she should.


    “Perfect.” The inquisitor looked pleased with a self satisfied smirk on his face, “Now, look at the crystal, visualize, and close your eyes. Embrace the tingling sensation you might feel, for it is the very mana that sustains you.” The man paused, waiting for a response even as Sophie closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, trying her best to detect whatever it was the inquisitor was talking about. Focus… gotta focus and… sorry, Aryana. Sorry if this hurts.