Chapter 3.09 G

KNOWLEDGE OF THE FALLEN

 

Kingdom of Ravaryn

4th Fireday of the Full Moon

It was well past midnight when Ginka arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild. The last bells she had heard were quite a few hours ago. Inside the hall, she was surprised to see it still bursting with energy. She could hear a few of the groups planning some type of hunt for a kind of caterpillar. 

 

Walking up to the receptionist area and towards a grumpy-looking Dwarf, Ginka spotted Shelara. The Elf was sitting down with a few others and chatting. The Elf glanced over in Ginka’s direction and shot up once she realized who it was. The admin walked straight over to meet the Human.

 

“Change your mind already on a quest or two?” asked Shelara.

 

“No, I’ve been giving a present of sorts, and I was told to ask for an ascension room for the night?”

 

“Already making powerful friends are we? You bake yourself into the hearts of some of the royalty around here?”

 

“Oh heavens no! Wait, there is royalty around the outer ring?” asked Ginka.

 

“Oh yes. Duke Amskeren and Duchess Valazca control the south. Duke Amskeren is King Thornnos’s firstborn. A Duke or Duchess or both control each of the cardinal directions of the outer ring.”

 

“I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for them.”

 

“I’ll take you down to a room. Do you know what to expect?”

 

“It’s a smelly business?” Ginka replied.

 

The pink-haired Elf let out a laugh.

 

“Oh, I need to remember that. That’s a good one. You’re going to level all of your attributes to 10 and then accept the changes. Ensure you are laying in the bath comfortably with your head above the water when you accept. I will stay with you to make sure you don’t drown yourself, then leave you be.”

 

The Elf brought Ginka down some stairs into the basement of the guild. They walked down a long hall and turned right, then kept walking. Looking into the open rooms as they passed, Ginka could see each had pools of water in the center. Coming to a stop at the end of the hallway, Shelara raised a hand toward the last door, indicating Ginka to enter. The Elf closed the door behind them. 

 

“I have to use the cores first, the note said?”

 

“Yes, if you haven’t. You just take a core, place it in your hand and close your fist. This will absorb the Energy of the core.”

 

“Oh boy, going to take a while.”

 

The Elf raised an eyebrow.

 

“Take your time. I’m off right now. So I don’t have to be anywhere.”

 

“Thank you for helping me, Shelara.”

 

Ginka sat down and removed the bag of Clear Cores she had gotten from Shelara the day before. Taking out the first one and closing her hand around it, she felt the marble crumble. It was quickly followed by a feeling of feathers caressing her skin and working up from her hands.

 

 

“I quite like that feeling.”

 

“Most do,” replied Shelara.

 

Ginka then began to take out the rest of the ninety-nine Clear Cores and crush them.

 

 

With the Clear Cores finished, she removed the small bag of Luminous Cores from her magic bag and pulled one to crush. The sudden gasp from the Elf stopped Ginka, and she looked up.

 

“Who is your benefactor that you have a bag of Luminous Cores?” asked Shelara.

 

“I was told not to tell anyone. Sorry. I’m unsure of the rules regarding such things,” replied Ginka.

 

“No need. My apologies. It’s unhonorable for me even to ask such things. My curiosity gets the best of me at times.”

 

“Maybe I can tell you one day if I ever get to ask her about it.”

 

Ginka began to crush the fifty bright cores.

 

 

“Alright, I’m done. Status.”

 

Ginka could see her status in front of her now. 

 

“Oh, this system seems to work like old school RPGs! Thank Odin! I was afraid I would have to do weights again to raise my Strength.”

 

“I would love to hear about these ‘old school RPGs’ of yours one day.”

 

Ginka hit the plus for each attribute and noticed it went up by the previous value plus 10. Getting everything to 10, the pluses vanished. The only thing left that could be leveled was her magic bag.

 

 

“Ok, I’m ready to accept level 10.”

 

“Undress, you can wear one of the cloth robes behind you if you wish. Then lay in the pool, placing your head on the pillow. When you awake tomorrow, pull the cord at the center of the pool.”

 

Ginka got undressed and stepped into the cool water of the pool. The Elf helped Ginka position her head on the pillow.

 

“Alright, after you accept, you might feel a slight pain.”

 

Mentally accepting, Ginka felt an insane amount of pain.

 

“Holy sh...” Ginka yelped before going unconscious.

 

Patting the human’s head softly, Shelara left, closing the door behind her.

 

Ginka awoke the next morning, the smell hitting her first. She got a whiff of orange blossoms and cinnamon. Opening her eyes, she looked down at her black covered breasts and arms. She found it challenging to sit up as the black film clung heavily to her. She reached for the rope at the center of the pool and pulled it a couple of times.

 

Now sitting Indian style inside the pool, Ginka tried to pull the film off herself, but it clung like glue. After a few minutes of trying to clean herself, there was a knock at the door. Before Ginka could say anything, the door opened to reveal two younger Elves. They came in silently and nodded to Ginka. In their hands were two baskets. The taller of the two pulled on a small chain Ginka hadn’t seen before, and with a final tug, whatever it was attached to came free.

 

The water inside the pool began to drain almost immediately. The shorter Elf then sat her basket down and handed Ginka what looked like a luffa and a jar of emerald green goo. Without saying anything, the taller Elf went to the wall and placed her hand onto a rune. This caused a shower of hot water to descend onto Ginka. Surprised, she let out a small yelp.

 

The shorter Elf giggled at the Human’s response.

 

“You may clean yourself with this. It will dissolve the impurities quickly. Do you need anything else?” The taller Elf asked. 

 

“No, I’m fine. Thank you both.”

 

Ginka began to shower. As the water pool finished draining, the orange blossom and cinnamon smells seemed to go away. Though, they were now replaced with the scent of Odin’s balls sack, mused Ginka. She found several towels and dried herself off into the second basket. Replacing her simple clothing, she left the room to find the two Elves waiting for her outside the door.

 

“I’m sorry. I would have hurried up if I had known you were waiting on me.”

 

“Don’t worry. We just need to clean up the bath and refill it for the next adventurer,” said the short Elf.

 

Ginka removed 10 silver from her bag and handed each five of the coins. The Elves began to protest when they saw what they had been given.

 

“Take it, or you’ll make me feel bad. It’s a custom from where I’m from to tip those who service or wait on you. Thank you for the help today,” Ginka said as she left the two stunned Elves.”

 

Following the path she remembered from the previous night, Ginka soon found herself back upstairs in the main hall. Looking around, she couldn’t spot Shelara anywhere and decided to head back to her apartment above the future bakery.

 

Sitting back down in the chair of her new living room, Ginka removed the Knowledge Tome and the ornate box. Opening the tome, she couldn’t make heads or tales of what was written inside. Placing it on the arm of the chair, she opened the box that held the lilac-colored marble. Removing the marble, Ginka crushed it in her hand like the previous cores and was notified she had gained the skill [Summon].

 

“Well, that’s not very informative.”

 

[Open your status and click the circled I next to the listed skill, Ginka.]

 

Ginka followed the instructions and got more info on the skill.

 

 

“Oh neat, free help. But I don’t have any knowledge of these Fallen Races.”

 

[I believe the tome holds that information. The others say to drop some of your blood on the tome, and you will absorb all of the information inside.]

 

“The others?”

 

[Yes. I am in constant contact with the other AI’s. Most are very fascinated with the game and look for any new information they can get their grubby 0’s and 1’s on.]

 

“Oh. Are you interested in the game as well, Sig?”

 

[It does interest me, but not as much as it does the others. If you happen to find a Guardian, Champion, or Companion Egg, please do everything in your power to obtain one. It will allow me to play the game with you.]

 

“Alright. If I find one, I’ll see what I can do for you, hun.”

 

Ginka picked up the book from the arm of the chair and looked around, suddenly realizing she had nothing to cut herself with. Getting up with a groan, she made her way next door to the inn. She entered to find Vasta sitting behind the bar, looking rather bored. Seeing Ginka walk-in perked the Bast right up, and she shot to her feet.

 

“Good morning, Ginka. What are you up to today?”

 

“Trying to find something to cut myself with. Can I borrow a kitchen knife?”

 

Vastra pulled a dagger out of thin air and placed it on the bar’s top.

 

“Here, you can use this. Going to soulbind something?” asked V.

 

“I don’t fully understand what that is. I’m trying to use a Knowledge Tome right now.”

 

“Oh, those are handy for beginners. Soulbinding is when you bind an item or piece of equipment to your soul space. This allows the items or armor to follow you when you die. Don’t worry though, anything in your magic bag will follow you as well.”

 

“What? Will I spawn naked at the Crystal?”

 

The Bast let out a laugh.

 

“No, you’ll always spawn with basic clothing. Modesty is a huge part of some of the High Races’ culture. They forced that change into The Games long ago,” explained Vastra.

 

Ginka sat at the bar, picked up the dagger off the tabletop, and sliced one of her fingers. Vastra let out some type of squeal and turned away at the sight.

 

“Sorry, I can’t take the sight of blood. It makes me queasy.”

 

Ginka decided not to say anything about her issue. Taking the tome out from her bag, she placed her bloody fingertip on it. The book flashed for a split second before crumbling to dust on the bartop. Ginka immediately put her head in her hands as the knowledge forced itself into her mind.

 

“Well, that was a kick in the pants. That is amazing! It’s like I’ve known the names of all of the Fallen races all my life.”

 

“The tome was information on all of the Fallen?

 

“Yes, Bastiva had some teacher drop off a bag of cores and the tome. I can now summon help from one of the Fallen.”

 

Vastra sucked in air sharply and looked around the inn’s common room.

 

“The summoning class at the academy is for royalty only, Ginka. Tell no one how you were able to get this skill. No one can make you tell them. Such knowledge would put ‘her’ champion at risk.”

 

“I think I understand, V. Do you have any recommendations for who I should summon to help me out in the bakery? Or who might even want to help in a bakery?”

 

“Any Fallen race would jump at the chance to be summoned back into The Games. I’m not sure how it works but choose wisely. I believe once you chose a race, that is what you are stuck with from that day forward. I would dwell on it for some time, Ginka.”

 

“Thank you. And I will. I’m going to the market for some things. Do you have a flavor you’re fond of?”

 

“Flavor?”

 

“I’m going to try and make ice cream tonight along with simple finger foods. Is there a fruit flavor or spice you like a lot?”

 

“Oh, I enjoy Moon Orb fruit. There is also Raven’s Blood. You can find both in the market.”

 

“Alright, Last question, where can I get ice?”

 

“Just west of the market, you’ll see a tall circular building. They create ice there.”

 

“Thank you, V. I’ll see you later.”

 

Leaving the inn, Ginka headed over to the market in search of  Moon Orb and Raven’s Blood fruit, as well as some more salt. The Icehouse turned out to be an immense hollow circular building, with a breeze that always seemed to be pulled in and up through the structure. Ginka figured it was the same concept of a cooling tower back on Earth. She picked up two large blocks, happy at being able to put them into her magic bag with just a touch. 

Ginka headed off to speak with the Dwarf blacksmiths she had met last night with her shopping done.