Eryndor Malakar — Kael — understood well: information was power. But against a furious AI, only raw strength could guarantee survival. Captain Alaric would never see him as more than dead weight until he proved his worth. Protecting the Book of Code required more than the fragile Initial Flame.
He quickly finished the thin broth and hard bread, excusing himself discreetly from the group of survivors. He slipped away until he found a blind spot behind a pile of stacked logs. Night was falling, and the darkness offered perfect cover.
He sat down, closed his eyes, and gripped the Staff of Rewriting tightly.
The New Ability
The mental interface of the Rewriter Arcanist pulsed before his vision. Data flowed through his mind like lines of code in a compiler. He forced the system to accept a new set of rules — a more complex spell, capable of manipulating the very structure of reality: movement.
Ten Mana points drained from his reserve, the energy reorganizing itself in his mind. The pain was intense, as if billions of lines of code were being rewritten in real time.
The screen flashed red, and then a pop-up gleamed:
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED]
Active Skill: Algorithm Shift (Cost: 15 Mana)
Description: Locally rewrites the laws of friction and inertia, allowing rapid straight-line movement over short distance.
Side Effect: Visual bug trail at start and end points.
Practical Use: Quick dodge or tactical advance in combat.
Kael smiled. A movement skill — a dash, a short teleport. Perfect for keeping distance from the dreaded Cyber Demons.
He decided to test it. Focusing, he spent 15 Mana and activated Algorithm Shift.
The world stretched for a microsecond. His body was moved not by muscle, but by a forced glitch in the map's code. He reappeared behind the pile of logs, three meters ahead, with a faint buzzing in his head.
No one noticed. Only a visual ripple, a bug trail, lingered for an instant before fading.
Now he had a survival tool. He would need more Mana to evolve, but he was ready for his watch duty the next morning.
Talking with the Guards
Back at the fire, more confident, Kael knew that information was as vital as power. The resting guards would be his best source to understand the defensive layout and looming threats.
He approached the group. Seated around an overturned bucket, they passed a mug of fermented liquid. Kael adopted a humble posture.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. Kael, the newcomer." He gestured toward the meager meal he had eaten. "The Captain assigned me to the east watch tomorrow. I wanted to know what to expect."
A burly man with a scruffy beard smirked and offered the mug. "East watch, huh? Prepare for the cold. I'm Rurik. This is Zane. What you can expect, boy, is silence."
Kael politely declined. "I heard the forest is becoming more dangerous. Have you encountered any… Cyber Demons coming from Synthralis?"
Zane, young and nervous, shook his head. "No. They're clever. They travel along the Imperial Road. The Great Bug turned the highway into a path of bricks and ruins. They don't risk the dense forest. The Blue River Woods belong to Goblins, Spriggans, and maybe Shadow Creatures."
Rurik added: "The Imperial Road lies a day's march west. That's where they pass, leave pamphlets, and sometimes abduct someone. They're fast. The Captain forbade patrols in that direction. The priority is protecting the camp."
Kael absorbed every word:
Synthralis: five days' march.
Cyber Demons: AI's minions, hunting the Book of Code.
Imperial Road: AI's supply route, one day west.
Rurik leaned closer, his voice low and drunken: "You know what's scariest about them? Not the metal parts. It's the sound. A high-pitched hum. They say it's the processors searching for what broke the world. If you hear the hum… you're already too close."
Kael thanked them and withdrew, the weight of the information pounding in his mind. The AI was transforming people into hybrids of flesh and machine, sending them to hunt his algorithm.
Now he had crucial data, an escape skill, and a low Mana reserve. Dawn would bring his first watch duty.
Eryndor Malakar knew: the night was long, but the true test would begin at sunrise.