Delve

Rain was shivering in the frigid morning air next to the pile of logs he had built up in the center of the dirt circle. He'd been trying to get the fire started as Tallheart had shown him, but the stubborn wooden splinters refused to catch. It had rained again overnight, and the wood was sodden.

Fuck it. Immolate.

Rain activated his fiery aura, forcing as much power into the skill as he could without extending the range. He hadn't checked his messages yet, but he expected it had leveled several times from all the practice and he didn't want to risk burning down the hut. The hot wind that blasted out was several times stronger than it had been the day before. The wood quickly started to dry, steaming as the water evaporated. The dew on the grass surrounding the dirt circle flashed to steam and the greenery started to yellow.

Rain didn't relent, seeing that there wasn't anything important within the expanded range of the aura. He held the skill, watching as the grass all around him started to smoke, then broke out into fire. Still, he didn't let up. The entire circle of grass was burning now, and the pile of wood in front of him was smoking.

Some of the smaller logs in the pile started to burn, the now thoroughly dry wood catching quickly. Rain smiled and canceled the aura, standing to make sure that the fire wouldn't spread. It had only been around five seconds since he had started. He sat back down when he saw that the grass fire had already burned itself out. The grass outside of his range had been too wet to catch from the heat, and the grass within it had turned to ash before the fire could spread.

Now that's more like it.

The ground around him in a five-meter radius was charred and covered in ash, and the fire in front of him was roaring. He had to scoot back, the intensity of the flames being uncomfortably warm on his skin despite the lingering chill in his bones.

"Well, that's one way to start a fire," Val said, walking through the circle of ash towards where Rain was sitting. Rain activated purify, watching as the white light rolled over the ground, washing away the ash as if it had never been and leaving only bare dirt. Val looked at the disappearing ash, then at Rain, taking a seat next to him.

"Good morning," Rain greeted him. "You look miserable. You should have slept in the hut with us."

"No thanks, I don't trust that roof. I'll dry out by the fire. That was pretty impressive, by the way. I could have sworn that skill wasn't this strong the day before."

"It wasn't. I had only just gotten it, so it ranked up a few times overnight."

"Ah, I see. But still…" Val trailed off. "Anyway, how's the shoulder?"

"Better. Still hurts," Rain said, slipping a hand through the hole in his shirt to check the bandage. The hole didn't line up with the injury, having come from when Val blasted it when Rain had thrown it as a distraction. Still, it was large enough for him to snake an arm through to reach his injured shoulder. It seemed Val had some control over the diameter of the beam. His shoulder was sporting a large burn, rather than the pencil-thin hole that had been bored into the skull of the lago.

"I still can't believe you have so little health," Val said, shaking his head.

"I know, I know. Like I said yesterday, I'm not mad about my shoulder. Don't beat yourself up over it. I just need to get Tallheart to make me some armor... Maybe don't shoot me again until then, okay? Actually, please don't shoot me again, ever." Rain winced as he pulled his hand back out of the hole in his shirt.

"That would help, to be sure," Val said. "There's not much I can do against someone in plate right now."

"Really? I saw your aim when you hit that lago… Why can't you just shoot 'em right in the face?"

"One, lago don't dodge, two, warriors tend to wear helmets, and three, metal armor would attract the shot even if they didn't."

"What? Why?"

"The same reason mages don't wear armor."

"Oh, Jamus told me about that, but I didn't think… So it works even if you're the target, not the caster? Does the metal attract mana or something? That's what Jamus said. Isn't it just light, though, once you cast the spell?"

"You need more help than I thought," Val said, sighing. "This is basic stuff. Yes, metal attracts mana, and no, it isn't 'just light'. All mage spells that create something are just mana constructs, no matter the form."

"Really? I saw someone summon a wall of ice that lasted for ages. It was even melting and everything. You're telling me that was just her mana?"

"Yes, still just mana. Depending on the spell, it might last quite a long time, but eventually, it would revert to its base form and disappear."

"Oh. That makes sense, I guess. So if I was wearing armor, your mana would be drawn to it?"

"Yup. That's one of the downsides of being a mage. You have to punch through the armor. An archer could just plant an arrow right in your eye socket."

"Ah. That's not a fun image. Oh hey, I just had an idea. Do you think you could go into the city today and buy me some? Armor, I mean. I have some Tel, but it isn't enough to cover my debt. Tallheart doesn't have the metal to make anything, and I don't think I can afford to wait. Getting back into the city is no use to me if I'm dead. How much does armor cost, anyway?"

"If it isn't enchanted? Not too much. Sure, I can get you some, but I'm buying myself breakfast as payment. I don't fancy cold lago and ration bars. Cough it up, I'm hungry."

Rain dug around in his pocket, found the small pouch of Tel, and tossed it to the man. "Be careful, that's all I've got."

"I know what to spend it on better than you do. How are you even alive with defenses like that? Why haven't you bought armor already? I mean, it's not a bad idea, armor and auras. The metal won't affect them much, as they aren't targeted. Without it, though…"

"I haven't had a chance. I'm new at this."

"You don't say. There weren't adventurers where you're from?"

"No."

"You'll have to tell me where that is, sometime," Val said, climbing to his feet. "Well, no sense waiting around. I'll get you some armor, and a new shirt. Mind if I get a few other things too?"

"Don't go crazy."

"Right, but you've got to spend money to make money. We'll need supplies for our run on the lair."

"Sure, just…watch out for greedy merchants."

"Are there any other kind?"

"Hah," Rain laughed and waved at Val's departing form, thinking of the mustachioed man who had sold him his first set of clothes. Yes, but I can't say they're the norm.

Rain pulled up his training overview now that he was alone and warm from the fire. Tallheart had wandered off somewhere, as seemed to be his morning routine. He reviewed the dialog, wincing at the experience notification for health use.

Experience for getting hurt. Rain shuddered. Nothing fun about that. That guy at the guild with the scars is insane. What did Jamus say his class was? Vivificant? That must be the health-regen equivalent of Dynamo. What is Animus, then? Bah, I'll ask later. No sense agonizing about choices I could have made now that it's in the past. Attributes.