The Arcane Emperor

Chapter 75 Magus of Cursed Lightning

Rainer stared dumbly at the unexpected scene in front of him. He nearly lost his grip on [Void Detection] at the shocking scene of a man apologizing for his centuries old son. Or rather a figure that old and powerful bowing to a 20-year-old. Not that said man would ever think Rainer to only be 20 years of age.

But scenes of Yarik being partly responsible for the all but dead Luna who laid beneath the Fae Queen's throne surged through Rainer's mind.

Operating his [Acting] skill, Rainer pushed back those thoughts as much as he could. Though he didn't drop his wariness for combat. His eyes flashed to the staff that had appeared in the [Master of Cursed Lightning]'s hand. With Yarik's father's right hand resting on it, the short staff appeared more akin to a cane. A single blue gem topped it, with greenish runic marks across the length of it, held in place by metal bindings, likely mithril.

[Staff of Storms: A short staff improving the power of Lightning and Wind. 75% General Improvement to Lightning Magic and Skills and Wind Magic and Skills.]

Rainer's eyes showed a bit of surprise at the percentage. Such a thing wouldn't be possible as a Trial reward. This was made by an Enchanter's hands.

Off to the side, Kara and Sarah stopped their pseudo-spar, and Sarah had long since restricted her Mana Pool as she always did. She appeared as a young teenage mage with no more than 30 Mana, albeit a bit wet from falling into shallow waters.

From the apology earlier, she connected this mage immediately to Yarik and the Skyborne from Rainer's story.

She thought it was a sad thing for both their worlds to have such organizations of mages. It made her brother's goals all the more appealing. Such organizations weren't all evil by any measure. Earth and its humans would be overrun with the supernatural if not for the Council. In fact, they had quite a clear policy of non-interference with the mundane.

"It is of no matter," Rainer responded, doing his best to portray an uncaring Magus of a far higher station than the man in front of him, "Nothing more than a bug following its instincts. How can it know whether it is biting a cow or a man capable of swatting it?"

If the statement bothered the older mage, he didn't show it.

Though, the lack of reaction confirmed a thought in Sarah's mind. She briefly tensed at the memories that went through her.

"That is good to hear. It would be most unfortunate if our fellow Mages from the North thought ill of us. Once more, I Yazir Van, offer my apologies for the actions of my son."

While George was mostly tight-lipped with his encounter with Rainer, his son, while less knowledgeable of Rainer, was less discreet. By now the rumor of a powerful Foreign Magus from beyond the Forbidden North had already spread amongst the guild's younger generation and beyond.

And eventually, whoever knew of Yarik's battle, defeat, and near death spread that news as well. It wasn't long before the connection between those two events was realized.

Servants were always gossiping about their masters.

Rainer did nothing besides sitting back down from where he was watching Kara and Sarah spar. His legs hung over the pier. His posture didn't particularly matter when it came to [Void Call] or [Void-walking].

"Perhaps in the spirit of cooperation, you might share with me some simpler spells for dealing with ocean travel? My younger sister and I are most interested in a body of water so large. We have never seen one in person."

"It can be arranged," Yazir answered simply, before thinking of someone else who would easily agree to give the mage in front of him these spells.

It wasn't as if the foreign magus couldn't trade for such things from the Tideborne Guildmaster. That man was far too amiable for the position he held and even expressed interest in meeting the foreign Magus. Which made him a loyal ally and easy to manipulate, despite the former slave's insistence on blocking and destroying the slave trade. Though Yazir had to admit it was an effective measure, with all the Merfolk feeling safe enough to assist both Hunters and sailors alike. Even if that wasn't the man's intention with blocking the trade.

Even worse was that the man refused to prevent any Southern Continental children from reaching the Guilds that opposed the Tideborne or Skyborne. It took all Yazir had to even convince him to at least up the price in Magicite for the more talented ones instead.

Plus, the rumor of the foreign magus bringing freed human slaves to Grimlar Pass only made the Tideborne Guildmaster more eager.

Yazir made no moves from his original spot, further down the pier. His son's retelling of how this Mage killed Elijah, a powerful tier 2 Aura user, was quite frightening. Not that the mage was otherwise weak at long range, but no reason to offer him more options.

Another part of him focused on traveling with his lightning at a moment's notice.

Before Yazir could relay a request to meet elsewhere, the supposed younger sister hopped onto the pier

"Sarah Nvos," She cheerily introduced herself with an outstretched hand. She knew what the momentarily confused look on Yazir's face was about, but decided to misinterpret it as something else.

"You just join hands and shake them once or twice. It's the greeting of our homeland. Don't let my brother over there bother you. He likes prodding at people, an unfortunate character trait. He meant nothing by what he said earlier. You have my apologies."

Yazir sensed at her Mana Pool in a way that would be considered rude by Earth standards and yet finding neither passive magics nor anything hiding her true strength, he approached the girl that likely was the young teenager she appeared as.

Seeing the young girl's older brother not even glance in this direction, along with his careless attitude from earlier, an idea formed in the old mage's mind. Given too that a greater mage of such a degree allowed even a family member to speak to him in such a manner illustrated just how important this girl was to him, or perhaps their organization.

The two possible guards filled to the brim with Aura were another thing. The younger girl in the background went unremarked.

Yazir offered a friendly smile as he approached the girl. Seeming all the while a kind old man, he most certainly was not.

Damn it Sarah, what the hell?

Rainer thought. He knew she was strong, but there was such a difference in age and level that he had no idea what that sister of his was doing. Never dropping his use of [Void Detection] since the start, so long as Sarah wasn't by his side it didn't particularly matter where she was in his range.

He covered his eyes with [Arcane Sight] as he continued his nonchalant attitude and glanced over at the pair.

Reaching out her hand, Sarah tripped and fell into the older mage.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah remarked.

"It is of no issue," The mage responded. He had already checked her for enchanted items and found none. The girl herself was entirely unremarkable, apart from a beautiful appearance.

She was a perfect target. Even if they actually managed to retrieve her, the curse of his lightning would have already delved deep into her after only a few hours of proper use. Too weak was she to resist otherwise.

Removing it would be impossible! Even the former Serpent King could only watch his prized son die in agony even after he expended half his treasury to acquire Unicorn's blood and a prized alchemist.

But as quickly as the plan came, so too did it fade from his mind.

His goals did not lay here. He looked towards the 2nd Tier Dungeon and his chances at ascending to the legendary third tier. What was waiting a year for potential revenge?

Even more so, he knew too little. And it was highly likely the organization backing him would be present at the Dungeon meet. No, it was too great of a risk to act now, perhaps not ever. There was no long-term harm done to his son. Nor could he guarantee that those behind this mage could not make that same leap to the third tier he planned.

And not when his goals were so near. He was even prepared to work with the damned Wolf King in attacking the Dungeon. What was making nice with the Mages in front of him compared to that?

He was here to make peace and perhaps even see if he could gain another supporter for the Dungeon Raid, not to enact a poorly thought out hostage plan.

Yazir made to help Sarah regain her footing only to suddenly lurch in pain.

Hidden from his sight by her body, Sarah let out a mana-charged jab into the older mage's stomach. Only his enchanted robe saved him from likely fatal damage. But it didn't save him from the severing of his Mana Pool right after.

"What-," Yazir exclaimed before a hand on his head forced him to kneel. And before he could react, he screamed out in pain. Sarah's eyes glowed bright blue with Mana as she stole from the largest Mana Pool yet. Power overflowed and a small part became her own, permanently.

Seconds passed as Yazir's ragged cries filled the air. His powerfully enchanted staff shuddered in his white-knuckled grip, but there was no relief to be found.

Matheus?!

Yazir thought in his pain-filled panic, before trying to remove the shackle on his Mana Pool as he had prepared for an eventual meeting with the Hunter's Guild master.

And yet, even with his attempts and amongst his cries, his Mana Pool decreased and decreased. His method of defense slowly dwindled.

Rainer had already Void-walked behind Sarah after her attack. He hadn't had a clue what Sarah was doing, but he only cared about making sure nothing happened to her. Before he could try to understand the situation, a loud boom of thunder resounded out.

A massive surge of magic followed as it erupted in the sky. A great vertical eye formed, a mix of an illusionary flesh and lightning.

The momentary burst of magic caused a minor disruption in Sarah's ability. With a desperate attempt, Yazir tried to jump away with lightning, channeling power through his staff.

He made it only a couple dozen feet towards the eye before adding in his own cursed lightning to the spell, unknowingly using the last of his Mana that lacked a pool. He fell dead moments later, his true Mana pool already removed and face pale, contorted in fear and pain.

The shock from losing his Mana Pool was too much for an ancient mage that consumed enough Magicite to keep himself alive as a small guild received as a whole.

The great eye crackled, its lightning now partially cursed.

And with a burst of power, it shot out towards the younger Nvos. A secondary power beyond the lightning and curse added in, bolstering the power.

With an outstretched hand, Rainer appeared in front of Sarah. [Arcane Awakening] surged to its maximum as a plating of Arcane froze him and covered his body just as a surge of lightning hit him head on. The power of [Arcane Awakening: Shield Mode] primed to defend its user.

[Skill Gained: Lightning Resistance lvl 1/10]

His powerful shielding only lasted for a moment, as the partially cursed and empowered lightning broke the barrier. The magic surged through his body, held back only by the [Arcane Invigoration] now cycling in contention.

The pain ravaged him as he desperately tried to find the mages casting this spell. Yazir had not come alone.

[Lightning Resistance has reached level 2]

Yet his [Void Detection] found none. And the detecting skill became distorted around the sheer power of the eye. A part of Rainer even felt the lightning trying to flow through him and lash out elsewhere, so he tightly clamped down on it.

But a flash of black fur interrupted his vision. And his pain.

Runic lines glowed as Kara both created a shield of Aura and clad herself to the brim, rapidly expending her massive resources.

Rainer wasted no time, [Void-walking] in rapid succession, trying to find the perpetrators. Gunthar in the meantime, rushed over as well, jumping in front of Sarah in his [Devil King] form as Kara lacked the same control to keep the spell from spreading.

Then, Rainer finally found his target. Nearly a mile away stood a Tier 2 mage in enchanted gray robes of the Skyborne.

Rainer, realizing his body refused to move, let out a furious and fast [Void Call], and the Tier 2 Mage lost his head in the twisting darkness of the Void.

Just as the Group Spell improved multiplicatively from added mages, assuming they had the needed skill, so too did it lose power with this one's death.

With the Group Spell collapsing, Rainer Void-walked all over the place, searching for the others, but they were gone in a flash of lightning. Hurrying back to his party, the [Archon] collapsed to the ground after confirming their safety. Kara was already covered in Luna's flame and seemed unaffected by the bit of cursed lightning that coursed through Rainer. He guessed it had all been used up on him.

Not passing out, Rainer was for once quite displeased at keeping his consciousness amidst the severe pain. But nonetheless used this opportunity to cycle both [Arcane Rage] and [Arcane Invigoration] to clear out the curse in its entirety.

Kara rushed over to him, no worse for the wear, having been fully healed by Luna as Rainer laid on the ground.

"Rainer! Are you okay?" The wolfkin kneeled over him. Luna already fluttered over, a comforting flame moving throughout his damaged body.

Rainer could only respond with a pain filled grin, not up to talking as of yet.

A few minutes later and seated on the ship, Rainer grimaced again as another jolt of pain went through his body.

Now shirtless, he saw the jagged scar lines that covered his entire body. And felt the curse that had once taken root.

Curses of the soul and curses affecting flesh both had different advantages and drawbacks. Soul curses were far deadlier, but souls were strong, resilient things. Especially if one had an exceptional amount of Aura or Mana. So long as one could overcome the curse itself on their soul, healing was a natural course, assuming the Soul hadn't been damaged in the same way it was when a True Sacrifice was done.

But curses of the flesh were the opposite. They were less deadly, sure, and easier to remove when it came to the curse itself, but healing the aftermath proved far more difficult.

The scars that victims of a lightning strike often took, at least on a small portion of their body, along with a redder skin from the sheer heat and burns now covered the entirety of Rainer's body. They were concentrated on the hand he outstretched towards the continuous bolt of lightning.

And both the resulting pain and damage seemed far too resistant to healing. Rainer could only grimace thinking of what could have happened if Yazir had been at full strength.

[Arcane Invigoration] plus [Arcane Rage] added to Luna's flame easily handled the minor amount of Cursed Lightning, but the damage just wasn't healing. At least not visibly.

Rainer with [Arcane Invigoration] monitored the progress, but found it to be so horribly slow he knew that at the very least his body would stay weak for several days.

Even more so…he recognized another power in the Group Spell. He wondered if that was a deadly secret of theirs that made them so strong in the first place. Divinity. Nothing more than the tiniest sliver, but powerful nonetheless. Were Group Spells, in fact, some sort of exchange with a higher power?

"Rainer I…" Sarah didn't know what to say. Either at her ambush not being as effective as planned or the fact that those other mages waited in ambush with such an insanely powerful spell. Eyes slightly reddening, she ran over to hug only to remember his injuries.

In this brief pause, she immediately noticed that no one else seemed worried at all. As if her brother hadn't just been nearly killed. Was she overreacting?

"Rainer I'm so sorry. I had no idea there was anyone else. If that had hit me instead…"

But to her surprise, Rainer didn't look angry at all.

"No apologies. Whether those other mages were reinforcements or a trap, we'll never know. If Yazir had been at full power when they attacked..." Rainer shook his head, "even just the tiny additional Cursed lightning did this to me," he added, waving at his body, only to grimace in pain.

Sarah nodded in response, everyone else's calm attitude influencing her. She went over in her head again why she felt such a sudden urge to see Yazir as an enemy needing to be killed. It was more than just his Mana Pool or the history he had with Rainer.

He apologized too easily. Brushed off insults too easily. Switched personalities too easily. Smiled too genuinely when she tripped. It reminded her of the first mage who had organized a kidnapping of her after her grandfather and mother disappeared. His sickly-sweet words of amiable conditions as she sat restrained. All of them were like that.

And she knew of the so-called level 25 2nd tier dungeon meet. If this man advanced to the third tier before Rainer, would he be so amicable? No. He'd kill him without restraint and probably keep her as a hostage in case whoever he thought was backing Rainer came looking.

Rainer frowned as he thought over the situation again. He had considered himself improved at handling his anger. And yet not acting against Yazir the moment he appeared could have led to his own death or Sarah's. Was he confusing inaction with managing his temper? Or had he made a correct decision that could have led to a bad outcome nonetheless?

Even more so, he wondered why Sarah had lashed out like that…her time on Earth, while he was uselessly abusing his [Sleep Learning] to live an easy life, what was Sarah doing? He sighed, knowing he could only ask.

And the Group Spell…

Rainer's idea of opposing the Mage Guild after experiencing one of their Group Spells felt further away.

Mages were horribly outnumbered on this world compared to Aura users. And while one versus one a mage often had the advantage, but the Aura users numbered too many, especially considering Demon-kind.

Mages should be at a disadvantage.

And yet exactly what allowed the Mage Guilds to rise and keep that power were the Group Spells developed and unique to the various guilds. They were not additive but multiplicative in power. Even Yazir's unknowingly final effort was enough to change the spell from being easily blocked by Rainer to life-threatening, curse notwithstanding.

Of course, the training required was equally demanding to its power. But with lifespans that surpassed centuries, so long as a Mage reached the 2nd Tier and had ample doses of Magicite, success with the spell was an eventual certainty.

It was exactly what made a relatively common tier 2 mage like George so valued. By himself, he wasn't particularly impressive even as a tier 2 mage. But so long as he was skilled enough to enact their guild's Group Spell, he became a valued force.

"A warning, or explanation of your magic, however," Rainer added with a now pointed look fueled by the pain across his body, "would have been appreciated."

Sarah winced. The polite language definitely did not match the tone.

"I don't know…I didn't want you to think differently of me."

It wasn't hard for Rainer to guess that her current Mana Pool was not a result of just training. Especially after the huge increase from stripping Yazir of his Mana Pool. At least he thought that's what happened. He still needed to discuss that with her. Both the screams and way Yazir died did not paint a pretty picture.

But rather than any sort of change in how he viewed his sister, he instead viewed himself as a useless older brother. If he hadn't been so weak would she have had to do any of that?

"Sarah…you've heard what has happened since I've come here. Let alone what I did on Earth."

"I know but…I…"

Rainer smiled, "I will admit having you back was a nice relief from the life I'm now leading. But I knew from the start you weren't the little sister from my fake memories. You should already know I think differently of you from the fact I got them back. And did anything change?"

"No…except I think you make fun of me a bit more."

"Your imagination. How can someone as beautiful as me who makes even his little sister fall in love do something so evil?"

"Ah huh. Not making fun of me at all."

"Now shoo. Go help Gunthar and Luna organize our gains. The timetable's been moved up."

On top of enchanting the ship, Rainer had hoped to borrow some magic related to sailing. Whether that be navigation or the water-breathing and depth protection magic that either Merfolk or Tideborne Mages provided for Monster Hunters.

So, studying the natural magic of the Merfolk was first on the list. Merfolk who couldn't possibly breathe enough oxygen solely through a couple of random gills on their neck.

Magic needed to be involved in even that.

But now in a rush, he'd need to put that off until he met more of their race. And he had been planning an undersea trip with Kara, figuring the wolfkin would enjoy hunting on the ocean floor or around reefs. He still remembered their talk about what she wanted to do with her life, and part of it had to do with adventuring. Though that conversation ended with Kara admitting she was only faking a lack of certain skill when Gunthar was teaching her things. Which resulted in a pained squeal from the Undead, unintentionally listening in.

Speaking of untalented apprentices…Would Sarah be interested in learning Aura from him?

Unlike Rainer with the [Arcanist] class, Sarah had no equivalent to help her learn Aura.

Previously mentioned wolfkin sat in front of Rainer dressing the blistered hand that had taken on the bolt of lightning directly. The blisters would heal on their own, Rainer merely didn't want to see them, hence the wrapping. Though, they too suffered from the curse and resisted any healing.

He could try and use a smaller bout of [Absolute Rebirth] but wanted to experiment with that in [Sleep Learning] before betting on it. His dual usage of [Arcane Rage] and [Arcane Invigoration] already delivered a similar effect, but he felt the spell might be more effective in ridding the flesh from curse damage.

Rainer smiled at Kara, thinking that the situation prior to this seemed familiar.

"What's with that goofy smile?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking of the first time you saved me."

"You stole the experience that time too."

Rainer laughed, staring at Kara for a bit longer before speaking.

"I love you."

His blunt declaration on top of staring into her eyes with his far-too-bright blue eyes and far-too-dark pupils left her blushing.

How is having eyes like that even fair…

Thankfully, he saved her from further embarrassment by ending his words with a kiss. At least, that was the plan. But his forward movement left him in moaning in pain.

Kara bit her lower lip, holding in a giggle, before returning to bandaging his hand, "I love you too."

Her mind drifted as she continued her care for his wounds. She thought about her relationship with the man beside her. For all his issues with his temper, never did it turn to those he cared for. If anything, he was a bit too understanding in that regard. She wasn't even surprised when she learned Amer had been partially responsible for hunting Rainer in a devil-filled mountain for days and then nearly killed him afterward.

Of course Rainer ended up friends with him.

The situation with Laneth revealing an important secret only compounded that. Even Quera's mother pushing out her literal savior as if he was garbage didn't even bother Rainer in the slightest, beyond a slight frustration over her rejecting his absurd gift of a [Fruit of the World Tree]. She even threw the fruit at him after he tried to leave it behind on a table.

Even this most recent event…What Rainer said made sense. But it was also a convenient way not to blame his sister despite the high chance that Yazir hadn't come with negative intentions? After all, with the Dungeon meet coming up, why would such a powerful 2nd Tier Mage make such a risk?

He also often locked himself in both mind and body when stuck on a magical problem, but he seemed to put that same level of thought into other things, making up for it.

And then there was the third part of their relationship. She wondered if she should try to spend some alone time with the Fairy to get to know her better.

And while she certainly liked the Fairy and was attracted to her, she couldn't say it was anything like what she felt for Rainer. And for all she could tell, Luna only cared about her because Rainer did. The little fairy had been more than happy to set up their first date, but that had been for Rainer more than anything else.

"We should get going sooner rather than later. I can enchant the ship in the middle of the ocean if need be. Besides, we have a compass, and we basically just need to head south and we'll find an island, eventually. Or maybe reach the Southern Continent…who knows."

Kara looked at him absolutely exasperated. She didn't know where to start. Even if the wolfkin lacked knowledge on sailing, she at the very least viewed it as far harder than that.

"And if we get lost in the middle of the ocean…?"

"Then I'll just Void-walk us back," Rainer answered, closing his eyes as he did his best to ignore the soreness in his body. Though he still kept a part of his mind on [Void Detection]. It wouldn't do to be ambushed again.

Kara sighed, momentarily forgetting that impressive bit of magic. Before the sigh turned to anticipation. An enchantment with Void-walking seemed almost a fantasy for an Aura user. Combined with her transformed state, such an ability surpassed what any Demon should be capable of.

With the help of his party, Rainer attempted to unfurl the sails. Yet lacking any real knowledge of how to do so, the [Archon] Void-walked several times to further down the pier, and grabbed an older looking Sailor.

The man did not even have a moment to protest as a scene of checking shipping lists changed to a wooden vessel. He blinked his eyes several times as he tried to understand what happened only to see a man dressed in a clearly enchanted overcoat holding his arm.

The grey-haired man stared nervously at the mysterious mage who somehow made him appear on a ship. He merely waited for the mage to let him know what he wanted of him.

"Tell my companions how to unfurl the sails. We couldn't care less about putting them back up, so if something can be done faster with cutting, let them know."

"Ah, but Lord Magus… the closest port from here is quite far. This ship would not survive a storm with its sails set…" The sailor tried to protest that idea. He didn't want to be blamed for them being stuck at sea in the future. He completely ignored the suddenness of being brought here, knowing any pleading related to that obviously didn't matter to the powerful mage.

"I teleported you here. I don't fear the open sea. Now come on," Rainer said, pushing a coin of Fae Gold into the man's hand.

His eyes widened a bit at the lustrous gold before he began giving out commands. It took a bit of time before he was comfortable actually giving orders, but soon Rainer joined in, making use of flight to help both Kara and Gunthar.

The group moved in a rush and it wasn't long before the sails were ready, though after a few needed cuts to speed up the process, they were no longer capable of being furled again.

Without any fanfare, Rainer grabbed the old sailor and Void-walked him back where he found him. And with a few normal coins of silver and warning to carefully sell that coin of Fae gold, left him there, with a story no one would ever believe when he told it.

Rainer returned to the ship moments later. They couldn't stay here for long and wait for him to get enough of a handle on enchanting to make the ship no longer need sails.

It was time to leave.

So, with a quick getaway planned, blowing magically manipulated Arcane-Wind into the sails seemed the best option. And with an open ocean in front of them, aim wasn't particularly important either in the short term.

They merely needed to get away from any oncoming mages. If any were coming at all. Or worse, the relationship between the Skyborne and the Tideborne was closer than originally imagined.

Manipulating a chair for himself out of Arcane-Terra, Rainer plopped down at the back of the ship. A fanciful thought of trying to use magic to fly the ship outright went through his mind, but a quick use of [Eldritch Flight] told him it wasn't happening.

And he wasn't ready to test out [Void-walking]. At least not in reality.

Luna stood behind him, hands on his head as she operated her flame inside his body.

Holding the recently gained staff in his hand, [Arcane Revelation] covered his eyes as he committed the staff's enchantment to memory. His confidence in learning enchanting quick enough to improve the ship didn't come from just [Sleep Learning], the Mana-Well, or the legacies of Nalmar. It came from [Arcane Sight] and now [Arcane Revelation]'s ability to see the inner workings of enchantments. Without all these factors, he would never head out into open sea to float around until he finished the enchanting.

Even then, that was mostly due to having an out with [Void-walking]. Without that, he'd just cut their losses and head back to the Fae Realm and off to a far different port, leaving the recently purchased boat behind.

But so long as he got far enough away, he doubted that, since even the Fae struggled to track his Arcane-laden Mana, how could the Skyborne succeed where the Fae experts in tracking failed? Assuming they even came after him without first licking their grievous wounds.

Rainer cast [Arcane-Spatial Domain] on top of beginning to manipulate the wind. He alternated strength between the two actions, trying to find the most efficient balance. Minutes later the port was already behind them as he channeled his magic. He lightly hummed, letting Arcane flow into the air and assist in manipulating the now Arcane-Wind.

He could already feel the staff strain in his hand as the enchantment started becoming undone. But the hardest part was getting the ship in motion on top of manipulating the Arcane-wind in an efficient way to move the ship. Once he accomplished that it was merely continuing it.

"Can you talk?" Sarah asked, coming beside him, having seen him relax as he fell into a rhythm.

"You want to explain your abilities? Or what happened the month grandfather and mom disappeared?" Rainer offered, letting Arcane influence his voice so that the air stayed teemed with it.

He didn't even particularly care that she went after Yazir as she did. Were Yazir stronger than him, or if Yarik was for that matter, Rainer had zero doubt either of the two would kill him with a smile on their faces. Rather, he was more worried if it bothered her. Not the life lost, for Rainer already reasoned this was nowhere near the first man she killed. But in case she felt guilt for what happened to her brother.

Her also being worried about what he thought of her brought up his own changing morality. Or perhaps one that was twisted to begin with.

A scene, where the first thing he did in this world was open the skull of a goblin on the insane chance there was some sort of loot, flashed through his mind.

Not exactly normal…

Sarah started her story from them vanishing and leaving her alone. For the first few days it was fine, but she may have made a mistake. The secret had gotten out. She guessed it was likely from the diviner she visited, or perhaps from the usual checks some people performed on the Nvos family.

Knowing that it wouldn't be long before the council stepped up, Sarah did her best to portray herself as an easy target. She even carried only a single enchanted item, a necklace Rainer only saw with the use of his [Arcane Sight]. It was a time to get stronger, and the mages coming after her proved to be the perfect stepping stones.

But first, she mentioned her training since she discovered just what her Mana Manipulation could accomplish after a dangerous practice duel between her and grandfather. The older mage was unaffected, simply bursting with Arcane and easily shrugging off the accidental blocking of his Mana Pool, but they went forward training with that ability. Towards the end, even he struggled and believed if he was caught off-guard he might not recover in time to stop her from stealing his Mana.

Sarah later discovered she could drain Mana with those tendrils of Mana, only for the attempt on her grandfather to be abruptly stopped as they both realized what she was truly doing.

After that, their grandfather took up some bounties for rogue dark mages, helping Sarah get her Mana Pool to where it was. Rainer was bothered by this, given what he saw happen to Yazir. But not bothered with Sarah…

"I convinced him, Rainer. It took me forever. I didn't want to be weak. If I didn't harden myself they'd only do far worse to me and you in the future."

"And after…that…he just kept helping you do it?"

"What did it matter after the first time? And…Grandfather had no idea how much time he had left. It could be 100 years just as much as it could be 5. His resistance to what's called Magicite here was already nearly capped, and the other methods are less reliable."

Seeing the depressed look on her face, he realized perhaps by seeming harsh on Grandfather it went over to her as well.

"Sarah…I can't imagine what it was like. Growing up knowing the weight of the family's safety rested on your shoulders. You did not do anything wrong. Back then or today. Yazir was an enemy, through and through, no matter his intentions today. The people you targeted, I'm sure grandfather did his research. And the people who captured you…I would have given them far worse."

Sarah let out a sigh, leaning a bit closer to him.

"So, how do you use it?" Rainer asked. Reluctantly, he found himself unable to blame his Grandfather. Without him around, they were all doomed to terrible fates. So, their grandfather helped Sarah gain strength, and she readily agreed. He just hoped he could give her some normalcy where she wouldn't have to continue bearing such a pressure on her shoulders.

Sarah opted a demonstration of just blocking his Mana Pool, only to watch in shock as Rainer immediately sensed and waved away the tendril of Mana with an Aura-clad hand.

"Were you using your [Arcane Sight]?" She asked.

"Nope, just [Void Detection]. Once I felt it, I easily saw it."

"That goes along with the disadvantages of it. And why I let myself be captured by the first people that came after me."

That first one had been too easy. The leader of that organization had talked her ear off about willingly marrying him, and then changed to a more forceful tone when she didn't respond. By then it was already over.

"The more time I have to connect tendrils of Mana the better. With Yazir being so close, and him seeing me not even as a slight threat made it easier. The whole walk over, and then the handshake and trip I was further connecting. By the time I hit him and blocked his Mana Pool and began the process, it was too late for him to do anything. The closer I am, the better. Anything farther than 10 feet and I struggle."

"Anything else?"

"If they are currently casting. Makes it difficult if not impossible unless I have a decent advantage in Mana size. You really want to know my weaknesses huh. Should I be worried?"

"Most definitely," He joked, converting more Arcane Power as he continued to manipulate wind. The only tier 5 wind spells he had were tornado based, rather than a straightforward push, so that wasn't an option. He imagined there existed more specific spells for sailing, but he knew none of them.

"Looks like you gained quite a bit," He remarked, appraising her.

[Human, Female, Manaborne lvl 20]

[Title: Manaborne]

"How is it not rude to appraise someone?" She guessed he appraised her after his statement.

"I don't know. Fae seem to consider it no different than looking at a person."

"Make a chair for me?" Sarah asked, looking out over the sides of the increasingly speeding ship. It started out slow as if she wasn't even able to tell it was moving. But staff in hand and Arcane filling the air, that pace increased further and further.

Rainer created another chair, and Luna made a cushion for it without being asked. Unlike the high-Constitution Rainer, Sarah would not enjoy sitting on a chair made of hardened dirt.

"Thanks, Luna," Sarah said.

When it came to the recent skill store, Sarah was, in fact, enjoying herself. Both skills were intriguing, though she guessed what the supposed third missing one was given the content of the other two.

But Rainer had told her that classes often compensated for perceived failings if they were at a certain level of rarity. Which, given her receiving a skill and attribute point every level, [Manaborne] was at the highest known one.

"Did your skill store make up for having a bonus-less class?"

Sarah nodded. That had been hard to swallow, seeing as she didn't have any other mage classes currently available to her.

After checking the state of the sails, both Kara and Gunthar headed up to the back of the ship with the rest of them. Not minding their presences, Sarah started talking about the skills she had available.

"[Enchanted Blood], and [Enchantment Manipulation], were the two available. I'm guessing the third would have been the one I already know, [Enchanted Flesh]. I picked [Enchantment Manipulation]. I only got 1 skill point per level, so I couldn't choose anything else,"

"Only, she says…" Gunthar remarked, watching the slowly disappearing coast for any pursers. On his finger now was the most recently acquired Spatial Ring, its contents still unexplored. Luna had rejected the ring, citing it wasn't proper for a maiden to be a pack mule.

"Is that normal?" Sarah had been a bit disappointed when she couldn't buy both skills.

"Not in the slightest."

Sarah shrugged as if it wasn't her business.

"I'm thinking I'll manipulate that robe of Yazir's to something for me to wear once I get a handle on this skill and it isn't limited to just actual enchantments," Sarah remarked before enchanting her own body and then focusing on her hand. She easily crushed the terra-manipulated chair, "Before I could only enchant my whole body evenly but now, I can focus on different body parts. I still don't know the limits and the skill description doesn't say much."

Sarah glanced over at Rainer only to sigh in defeat.

"Can't you at least let me be special for a few days? And stop making your eyes glow."

"Hey don't worry. I probably can't copy your [Enchanted Flesh] skill," Not yet anyways, "But [Enchantment Manipulation]…" Rainer remarked as he watched her use both skills with [Arcane Revelation].

He didn't fully understand what the skill did, but for the most part once enchantments were set, they are unchangeable. For him who wielded [Arcane Revelation] in combination with a skill like [Enchantment Manipulation], he wasn't sure what he could accomplish.

Rainer stopped using the skill as he refocused on manipulating the wind. The staff buckled under his hands and just before it exploded into shards of wood he dropped it, the enchantment already in disorder and useless. The bonus left him, but with the motions already started, the ship continued speeding forward unabated.

The coast grew farther and farther away, and their journey south had begun in earnest. A tinge of Arcane filled the air as Rainer hummed a sailing tune, drawing a small laugh from Sarah as the two sat without words.