The First Archmage

(Marty)

A steam-like substance seems to float away from my body, from every pore across it. It feels a little heavy, and prickles. It's warm, and feels almost like a loving embrace. It feels strange, but powerful.

Aura.

I have finally unlocked it, after three weeks of Aura Meditation. Or at least, trying to Aura Meditate. But I finally have the Skill, now, which allows me to passively increase the might of my Aura.

Focusing on Sensei's instructions, I sense the flow of Aura, and pull it back to my body, stemming its flow and preventing it from escaping. Gavin managed to unlock his Aura at the same time, though it looks slightly weaker than mine.

"Congratulations," Sensei tells us both. "You succeeded, and at the same time, too. Could you tell me your values."

"One-oh-two," Gavin huffs.

"One-oh-eight," I respond, earning a glare from my fellow trainee.

"Decent-sized pools," Sensei nods. "Impressive. Usually, it's under forty at first, but still higher than most Resources, which hover under fifteen, most of the time. You both have fine talent with Aura."

"Now that you have awakened it," he says. "And learned Meditation and Aura Meditation, I have a single question to ask of you two: do you wish to train to become Chain Monks, or do you desire to simply train? Or would you rather leave us, now?"

"I want to be Chain Monk," Gavin clenches his fists. "I already have Mana unlocked."

"Really?" The Monk asks. "That's impressive, most don't already have it."

"I had it available when I gained Access," Gavin states. "Are you going to make me wait with slowpoke over here, or can I join the others?"

"You will study under me," the Monk says. "I, too, am a Chain Monk, and you are already behind the other students, but too far for the next batch to be ready for you to join, once they begin. We will see if Marty here is capable of awakening his Mana, if he has it at all."

"That could take months!" Gavin complains. "The other applicants haven't done it yet, either!"

"Mana," I look at my right hand, holding it in front of me. "My grandfather said that my family has a high affinity for Mana. He said that, when he gained Access to the System, it took him three days to awaken his Mana, and he wasn't even trying. He had eighty-six Mana when he did."

I inhale, focusing, then exhale, visualizing a power flowing through me, one different from Aura. As I do, a faint blue light begins to surround me, Mana unlocking.

"Six-three," I say. "Not as high as my grandfather's."

"Still impressive," the Monk nods. "And yours, Gavin?"

"Five-nine," he answers through his teeth.

He does not like being outdone. At all.

"As you are both ready to be Chain Novices," the Monk says. "You must decide: will you begin the journey to this power we wield, or will you choose another path?"

"I already said I want to be a Chain Monk!" Gavin snaps.

"I would like to learn the arts of the Chain Monks, Sensei," I give him a bow.

"Very well, then," Sensei says. "It is time to shave your heads."

"What?" Gavin asks, eyes widening in horror. "No! You can't cut off my hair!"

"It is the rule," Sensei says. "Either you lose your hair, or lose your status as a student here. The choice is yours."

"I will be sad to see my curls go," I touch them. "They are apparently unusual in this region, though bountiful where I come from. The attention is not unwelcome."

To be honest, I am really only saying that because I know Gavin gets attention from his blond hair, and that that is probably why he doesn't want to lose it.

Gavin huffs, then reluctantly agrees to losing his blond hair. Sensei pulls out a razor and some cream, and first hacks off the hair, then shaves us bald. After, he rubs an ointment onto our heads, handing each of us a small tin of it once he's finished.

"This ointment," he says. "Will keep your hair from growing back, as long as you rub it in every day. If you don't use the ointment, you'll need to shave it every day, which is why we use the ointment."

Gavin grumbles, but accepts the tin, and the monk dismisses us for the day, telling us we will have the rest of today, as well as the next two days, free from training. Then, we will begin our training with martial arts and chains.

I make my way out of the temple and down to the Quest Board, taking on a few Quests.

After the two and a half days of 'rest', Gavin and I return to our training area to meet with Sensei to begin our martial arts training. He teaches us basic moves, drilling us day after day until we can perform a series of moves, flowing from one to the next. He requires Gavin and I to fight each other. I think Gavin's a little bit more aggressive than he should be, but that's probably partly my fault.

The urge to agitate him is too strong. He's getting better about controlling his anger, as we both receive punishments whenever something happens, but his anger is still violently worse than mine. I got past the violent part of it a long time ago.

In addition to the martial arts training, Sensei also teaches us to expand our Aura and manipulate our Mana, ensuring both are emptied completely several times throughout the day. Every two weeks of training, he grants us a full day of rest, which I use to perform Quests.

Quests become a huge thing to everyone. Every now and then, I can hear Nies giggling to himself, and know that he's happy to have so many people worshiping him. He's still sad about Gavin, and keeps checking in on my progress finding his Hero, but his Hero really doesn't want to be found. At all.

That kind of makes it tough. Besides, how I am supposed to find someone a god can't find?

That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

After six months of martial arts and training our Aura and Mana, Sensei introduces us to the chains. Thick and heavy, he has us wrap them around our bodies and practice our martial arts wearing them.

Fun.

After a month of that, the chains begin to feel natural as we move, and Sensei makes gives us lighter chains. Then, he teaches us how to infuse our Mana into the chains, to control and move them around.

As we begin to learn to do that, we begin to spar with both martial arts and the chains, moving the chains ourselves and with our Mana, using our Aura to enhance our defenses against the chains and other physical attacks, as well as to strengthen the chains.

Mixing Aura and Mana in the chains is difficult, and Gavin and I both have our frustrations pushed to the limits to keep them from breaking. We go through so many chains trying not to break them, it's annoying.

We do manage, eventually, to create the perfect balance of Aura and Mana within the chains, and begin to fight with greater skill.

Once our skill fighting with chains is great enough, Sensei teaches us how to form them with magic. This takes us back to the slower days of meditation, before we began to learn how to fight. We sit, and we focus, and we will the chains into existence.

Once we are able to do that, Sensei has us train with those chains. Not a fun thing, nor an easy one, since we have to infuse them with Aura while also extending or shortening them with Mana while also sustaining them.

I just want to throttle Sensei.

A year after we unlock Aura, Gavin and I pass the test to become full-fledged Chain Monks, and the moment we do, we receive the Class for it, an automatic thing.

Chain Monks (Tier I) 1: Masters of martial arts and chain-fighting, your melee combat skills are a force to be feared. +2 AGI, STR, CON, MNA, ARA every Level

"Congratulations," Sensei tells us as he hands us our grey gis. "And welcome to the Ranks of the Chain Monks. You two have done well, and come far, since you arrived. Matured a great deal, even if you two do not get along very well."

"It isn't enough," Gavin complains. "We still hit it well after those who came with us."

"Actually," Sensei says. "You two being segregated from them ensured that you two interacted from them minimally. The path to Chain Monk typically takes five years from unlocking Aura. You two completed it in less than one."

"What?" Gavin looks completely and utterly confused.

"We're the first people to arrive," I look at him. "In the last three years to reach Chain Monk. That's over five hundred people."

Gavin stares at me with his eyes wide.

"I asked over the weekend, during our off day," I tell him. "On the status of our other applicants, and then inquired about how long. We've actually hit Chain Monk faster than anyone they have had here at the temple in more than a century."

"And yet," he says. "It still isn't enough. Aren't you still looking for your god's Hero?"

"I am," I nod. "I was actually wondering if you could help me with something."

"Like what?" He scoffs.

"Something a bit more private," I say. "I'm thinking I might know how to draw the Hero out, if it's possible. Nies said he thinks I'm the best chance he has at doing it."

You are. Gavin owes me lots of offerings, for this. Well, he owed me lots before, but I'm not letting him get away with this.

Sure you are, you lazy bum. How is such a lazy god the origin of quests? That doesn't make any sense to me.

"I'll get you offerings, Nies," I tell him. "But I'd rather you not be looking at me or this area for the next week. Would you be willing to do that for me?"

You know that as soon as I do that, Gavin'll show up just to spite me.

"Maybe," I say. "But hey – if he does, I'll contact you directly."

We have a deal. I'm holding you to it.

"And if I don't?" I ask. "What are you going to do, sleep on me?"

Um… I'll send Ekre after you.

It's bad enough you're sleeping in my realm constantly, now, I am not going to go annoy your Champion for you.

Please?

No.

Please?

No.

What if I gave you a sundae? With a cherry on top?

No.

But there's a cherry on top.

No!

You're mean.

And you're annoying! Stop sleeping on me, too! I was trying to eat when you decided to take that nap!

You make a comfy pillow.

Haku no vu lasu!

Are you doing a Gavin impersonation, now?

Shut the hell up, Nies.

"Nies?" I say. "Do you think you could convince the other Divine to turn their eyes away from here? I know it's been a year and a half since Gavin went missing, but what I'm doing might draw him out, and it'll be more likely if no one's looking, based on what you've said about Gavin."

Which is a lot. Nies talks about him a lot. Seriously. Almost every time we talk, Gavin gets brought up, and it's something to do with something Gavin did. Apparently, the reason he picked Gavin for his Hero was because Gavin pulled Blood Oaths out of people without discrimination for who they were or what their rank or status was. He didn't care, and did as he pleased.

And caused chaos wherever he went. Nies seems to enjoy that. Chaos, I mean. For a lazy god, he sure seems to have a lot of active attributes to his power. Just what happened that made him so lazy?

Yeah, I can do that. I can just put a block on the entire area.

Please don't.

Done. Only I can tap into it until… shut up, System. Only I can tap into it until… yes, I'm aware Father's able to do it. Don't think I won't tell on you. Only I can tap into it until – I'm getting Dad.

What the System kept interrupting him about was irrelevant. What Nies was saying was that only he can tap into it until he lifts it, though our Father could technically also tap into it. I'm only able to stay in communication with you because I'm hijacking Nies's link to you, by accident. This normally only happens with Gavin, but it seems that all of Nies's chosen have this trait.

Get out of my Champion's head.

As if you listened when I asked you to leave my Blessing Temple when I was offering mine to Gavin.

He rejected you. I was offering.

Make your own Blessing Temple.

It's easier to just hijack yours.

Get off of me.

You're so comfy. I'm going back to sleep.

Their voices fade from my mind, and I look at Gavin.

"Sorry," I say. "He was arguing with a couple of other Divine."

Including the System. Who is their father, and why can Nies just call him when the System is annoying him?

System-Wide Announcement

Due to the System being naughty, he has been grounded.

I guess you can all have twenty-four hours of bonus base experience for Classes.

This exempts Experience from Quests and such.

Don't tell the System I did this.

"Did you two just get that?" I ask, and they both nod. "That was Nies, I think. Anyway, he granted my request, so Gavin, would you mind helping me with this? It'll take about a week to do, I think."

"Fine," he groans. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing much," I say. "But it's secret, so I can't tell you in front of anyone."

Gavin huffs, but follows me out of town and up the mountain, to a series of caves. He doesn't want to follow me, but does because he's already come this far. Once we're deep in the caves, only my glowstone lighting the way, I stop, looking around the chamber where I've assembled some items.

I pull out my tinder and start a small fire in one of the braziers, lighting the fires in the others as well, revealing the chamber. Standing around fifteen feet high and around twenty feet in diameter, it is relatively plain. I have a brazier standing every few feet against the walls, along with four smaller ones at the center of the room.

Also waiting for us are a variety of stones, blocks, and logs, along with fuel for the braziers.

"Don't worry about the smoke," I tell Gavin. "It doesn't look it, but this cave is well-ventilated. That's why the air still smells fresh in here."

"What are we doing in here?" He asks.

"Building a shrine and altar for Nies," I tell him. "I wanted your assistance, since you're physically strong enough, and I know for a fact that you know his Hero."

Gavin stares at me, then starts to deny it.

"You probably don't know you do," I tell him. "But you do."

"I've never met his Hero before," he says. "I'd know if I did, and-"

"Your name," I say. "Your looks. You were approached by someone and told to use that name, weren't you?"

"How'd you-"

"Nies," I interrupt him. "You look somewhat like his Hero, according to him. He didn't tell me that Gavin wasn't your name, but the odds? I figured that the real reason you didn't want to reveal your stats was because you were hiding your real name. It's part of why I didn't want any of the Divine Beings able to look in on us."

"Yeah," he nods. "I come from some islands off the coast, and have wanted to be a Chain Monk since I was little. When I was halfway here, this guy who has some traits similar to mine approached me and asked me to use the name 'Gavin'. He's paying me for it, gave me a ton of money, and even a ring to store it in."

"The spatial ring you were wearing?"

"How'd you know it was a spatial ring?" He asks. "I'd never even heard of one before, and I couldn't find anything in the monks' library."

"Nies mentioned it to me," I tell him. "Said it was one of Gavin's. He also told me that you weren't Gavin, which is why I realized you were probably asked or something into doing it. You seriously just gave in and did it?"

"That other guy?" He says. "Fucking scary as fuck. There was something eerily charming about him, and something eerily dangerous, too. I snapped at him, and suddenly, I felt a pressure on me that made me feel as if the world was going to end. He told me it was a Skill called Mana Presence, and that if he leveraged the full power of it to intimidate me, it would kill me in an instant. If you think I have anger issues, you'd think I'm tame as a puppy once you saw his anger. And why the fuck do you want me to help you?"

"To get this done in under a week," I answer. "And to confirm you've met his Hero. He let you have a spatial ring?"

"He said I can borrow it," Gavin shakes his head. "That he'll be collecting it when he's finished whatever it is he's doing. He didn't say, and got pissy when I asked. Do you really want my help?"

"If you think you have anger issues," I tell him. "Know that I only appear calm on the outside. Just like you, I, too, took more than two months to awaken my Aura, and-"

"You did it-"

"Faster than you?" I ask. "I started meditating six months before reaching the Temple, Gavin, or whatever it is your name is."

He stares at me.

"Noah."

"Pardon?"

"My real name," he says. "It's Noah. The other guy, I guess Gavin, said not to use it, because Nies would know instantly, but he didn't say what. I guess that we'd met."

"Want me to call you that?" I ask. "Since Nies isn't going to be listening in? He promised, after all, and Nies is a god of oaths. The Origin of them, actually."

"Yes," he nods, then hesitates. "Thanks."

"Doesn't come naturally, does it?" I ask, and he shakes his head. I smile at him. "I know the feeling. I used to resort to violence for everything. Overwhelm the enemy, make them know I was superior. Don't let them see weakness for a moment. I came here to get a new start, to start over and try again."

"You've interacted with Divine before," he realizes. "Did your stats and Skills get reset?"

"Something like that," I tell him. "So, Noah – want to help me build a shrine and altar to Nies, the Origin of Oaths and Quests?"

"Sure," he says. "And I'd love to see how that fucker reacts when he sees it."