As mages, preparations are key to their might. Norris in particular adheres to this rule almost to paranoia. His favourite character, Klein Moretti, from his previous life had left its impact. A magician never performs unprepared.
Norris had contingencies in place for unexpected situations like this. Running and escaping are core techniques for home and travel.
He swiftly cast a series of spells to mask his trail and confuse any potential pursuers. With a flick of his wrist, Norris conjured a cloud of swirling, death-infused mist that obscured his escape route. The mist disrupted the tracking abilities of other mages, making it harder for them to follow his trail.
Next, Norris invoked an arcane spell, temporal displacement, creating a localized distortion in the flow of time. This allowed him to move more quickly and unpredictably. "That should give me some breathing room," he thought. Despite these precautions, Norris knew that he couldn't shake off all of his pursuers. Other skilled mages could still follow his tracks, albeit with greater difficulty.
As Norris ran, he mentally replayed the events leading up to his detection. His spell, meant to gather information, had instead broadcast his presence to the entire realm. A quick brainstorm and he realized that the issue lay in the impurity of his death energy.
As a living being, his energy signature was still tainted by his vitality and soul energy, making it distinct from the pure death energy of the undead.
That's not all. His spell's energy signature didn't match the Death Realm's ambient energy. This could make it easier for the undead to pinpoint the source of the spell – and its caster. if his theory was correct, he might actually be f***ed
"Ah, damn it," Norris muttered to himself. He knew that adapting his energy signature to blend in with the Death Realm's ambient energy would take time.
This had rendered him useless. Without his energy, he'd become a useless mage. The ambient energy in the death realm too poisonous to use.
The only way to cast spells now in the Death Realm was to use the energy obtained from The Mysterious Lady, the God of Magic, creator and ruler of the arcane realm.
All energy originates from the warp.
Arcane energy is created by the goddess of magic converting the chaotic energy of the warp into a more orderly form.
The more complex the spell a mage wants, the more arcane energy is required
Furthermore, spellcasting with arcane energy demands strict calculations. It could not be harnessed through feelings or intuition. This makes the process tediously slow, better suited for experimental purposes than combat.
Fortunately, Norris had trained in swordsmanship, and his body was honed for combat. He drew his sword, its familiar weight a comforting presence in his hand. How his current self, with only bones could carry this sword was a mystery. Maybe his bones nourished by the death realm.... Norris shook his head. Now wasn't the right time to think about it. Survival first.
Norris. thinking about the challenge and countermeasures took a deep breath. No! Undead don't actually breathe.
With a simulation of taking a breath, Norris steeled himself for the battles that might come.
He would need to quickly end the battle as his energy traces were still active.
Norris traversed the desolate landscape of the Death Realm, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of shelter. The twisted, nightmarish terrain stretched out before him, with jagged rock formations and skeletal trees reaching towards the sky like bony fingers.
After what felt like hours of walking, Norris spotted a dark opening in the distance - a cave-like structure that seemed to yawn open like the mouth of some ancient, fossilized beast. He quickened his pace, hoping to find refuge within.
As he approached the cave, Norris noticed that it seemed... untouched. The surrounding area was free from the usual signs of scavenging or battle, and the air around the entrance was heavy with an unsettling stillness.
Despite his reservations, Norris stepped inside, his sword at the ready. The darkness enveloped him, and he waited for his eyes to adjust.
That's when he saw the adept skeleton warrior, standing motionless in the shadows. The skeleton's glowing eyes fixed on Norris. It sensed the intruder and by instinct raised its sword, ready to defend its territory.
Norris already at alert, reacted the moment the skeleton moved.
He charged forward, his sword flashing in the dim light. The skeleton warrior's hollow eyes met his, its blade slicing through the air with deadly precision.
Clang! Norris's sword met the skeleton's, but he stumbled backward. This much was expected. The warrior's blade shone with condensed dark energy, a hallmark of an adept warrior. This was something he couldn't do. His swordsmanship was mortal swordsmanship after all. Swordsmanship learnt as self defence and swordsmanship learnt as a way of survival was different after all.
The skeleton warrior pressed its advantage, unleashing a flurry of strikes that Norris struggled to keep up with.
Clank! Clank!
Norris slowly inched backwards struggling. Norris's foundation in mock combat allowed him to defend himself, but the skeleton's instinctual experience gave it a clear edge.
Screee! Norris's sword scraped against the stone floor as he dodged a particularly vicious strike.
Despite his best efforts, Norris found himself on the back foot, desperately trying to keep up with the skeleton's relentless assault. But as he fought, Norris adapted, his reflexes quickening, his technique improving. Thankfully, the adept skeleton was unintelligent.
However, even as he adapted, Norris knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer. The skeleton warrior was too strong, too experienced. And if he kept fighting, he'd only attract more unwanted attention.
With a burst of clarity, Norris realized he needed to end the fight quickly. He reached for his arcane energy, focusing his mind on a single, decisive spell.
Norris focused his mind, drawing upon the arcane energy within him. Various calculations and runes filled his mind.
He cast a spell, creating a localized distortion in the spiritual energy surrounding him.
The air seemed to ripple and distort, creating a series of "echoes" that made it seem like Norris was in multiple places at once. The skeleton warrior's glowing eyes flickered, its soul struggling to keep track of Norris's true location.
Norris took advantage of the confusion, darting to the side and striking from an unexpected angle. His sword sliced through the skeleton's ribcage, finding its mark in the undead warrior's spine.
The skeleton's body crumpled, its bones scattering across the cave floor. Norris stood victorious, his chest heaving with exertion.
He took a moment to catch his breath, his mind still reeling from the intensity of the battle. He realized that he had to be more careful in the future, taking into account the unique abilities of his enemies.
For now, though, he had won. And that was all that mattered.
Power Level
Level 1:Initiate Realm
Level 2:Adept Realm
Level 3:Sublimation
Level 4:Legendary
Level 5:Myth