The Land: Predators Read online

  Philosophers had been tackling this particular question since consciousness had evolved on Earth and hadn’t made any headway. Richter was willing to bet it was the same in The Land, and the only ones who felt they had a definitive answer were normally perpetrators of the worst acts imaginable. Any action, no matter how heinous, could be justified if you had a “righteous” cause to drive you forward and you were acting in the “common” good.

  It wasn’t like alignment was the only thing on Randy’s status sheet anyway. The man had literally been commended by the Universe for his loyalty three times. It didn’t mean the man couldn’t ever break his word, but there was no ambiguity about the increased penalty if he were to do so. Considering everything the Spy had sworn on when making his Blood Oath, if he ever broke trust with Richter, he’d be in a world of shit. In fact, considering there was a 750% increase in penalties, the guy might actually get Walter Pecked. Instead of gallons of marshmallow dropping from the sky though, it might literally be a god-sized dollop of toxic shit. When you looked at it that way, Richter had more reason to trust Randy than almost anyone else.

  The Pleasing Visage ability made him a bit uncomfortable as well. It seemed that the man was intrinsically more likely to make others trust him. An extremely useful skill for a Spy, Richter supposed, but how could he be sure about his own choices? It all came back down to the Blood Oath and the fact that Richter had already decided to trust him. Either he was in or he was out.

  He was in.

  Richter waved the Spy back down into his seat. He decided that if he wished for the two of them to trust each other, then he needed to show trust in turn. Now that they were Companions, Richter felt comfortable sharing a few facts he hadn’t disclosed yet.

  “You ushered in the New Age?” the chamberlain exclaimed in disbelief.

  Richter nodded and told him about the Chaotic Shard, the release of energy and how it had triggered the end of the Epoch of Banished Gods and the start of the Age of Chaos.

  “What exactly did you see here in the village when the new Age began?” Richter asked.

  The chamberlain shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe what he had seen, “The sky rippled, like a pond struck with a stone, only the stone was the size of a moon. The sun had risen, but the blue disappeared and nothing was between me and the starry cosmos. Then a new sky reappeared, but it was filled with green clouds and floating islands the size of cities. A few seconds later, another sky appeared, and then another. The shifts began to occur faster and faster until the stars appeared again. They raced across the sky as if a thousand years had passed in a moment. Slowly, they stilled again, and I could see the original stars once more. The sky rippled one last time, and the blue of mid-morning reappeared.”

  “Was there anything else?” Richter asked. He was kinda pissed that he had missed such an awesome show. He had been stuck underground when the New Age began and it seemed a bit unfair that he had missed the light show when he was the reason it had happened. He huffed in irritation. Whatever.

  Ran’dolphinius thought for a moment before speaking, “I was only able to see our original sky for a moment before the blue of day returned, but I thought I saw a few more stars than there should have been. As I said, however, it was for just a moment. I could have been mistaken. I checked once night fell and did not see any extra stars then.”

  Richter filed that information away and just kept on asking questions. In addition to the revelations already shared about his chamberlain’s past, there were other, more welcome surprises.

  “I have gained many skills over my century of life, Lord Richter. Now that we are Companions, I am sure that you can see them. I will be happy to share them with you as well as my knowledge. You would most likely be interested in my three masteries first. I am a master of Water Magic, Small Blades, and Stealth.”

  “A master?” Richter asked, his eyes widening. “That means you can teach magic?”

  “I was hoping that you would be interested, my lord. By your leave?” Ran’dolphinius raised both hands.

  The chaos seed nodded eagerly and the chamberlain placed one hand on Richter’s head and the other one on his chest. A cool, crisp feeling spread through his body and with it came knowledge. His eyes widened and he knew!

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Find Water. Casting this spell allows you to sense sources of water within 100 feet of your location. This is a spell of Water Magic, level 1. Cost: 17 mana. Duration: 10 min. Range: 100 feet. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: N/A.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Summon Weak Aether Carp. This spell summons a level four magical fish to serve you. This is a spell of Water Magic, level 5. Cost: 42 mana. Duration: 12 min. Range: 7 feet. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 43 minutes.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Teatro’s Weak Water Casting. This spell created by the Water wizard Teatro allows you to cast Novice rank Water, Life and Dark spells while underwater. This is a spell of Water Magic, level 4. Cost: 65 mana. Duration: 2 hours. Range: Self. Cast Time: 4 seconds. Cooldown: 1 day.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Purify Drink. This spell will clear a cup, flask, skin or other small holding container of any weak impurities, poisons or diseases. This is a spell of Water Magic, level 3. Cost: 16 mana. Duration: Instant. Range: 4 feet. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: N/A.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Water Damage. This spell will add +1 Water damage to any weapon. Provides +1% chance to afflict a struck enemy with Weak Slow, decreasing their movement and attack speed by 10%. This is a spell of Water Magic, level 3. Cost: 26 mana. Duration: 22 minutes. Range: 5 feet. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 27 minutes.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Swift Swim. This spell increases your swimming speed by 50%. This is a spell of Water Magic, level 4. Cost: 28 mana. Duration: 8 minutes. Range: Touch. Cast Time: 1 seconds. Cooldown: 21 minutes.

  Richter fell to the ground gasping. Arcane equations and calculations spun through his mind as his lungs seized. His neurons screamed as they realigned to accommodate so much new information. Spell theory that had taken months, years or lifetimes to create became as familiar to him as tying his shoes. Ran’dolphinius reached down to help him up, “Are you alright, my lord?”

  “Yeah,” Richter replied. “That just always feels like a kick to the mind nuts.”

  The chamberlain blinked once or twice before a small smile stole across his face, “Yes, my lord. It can be. Still, it is impressive that you can retain so many spells at such a low Water magic skill level.”

  A flash of adrenaline shot through Richter’s body, “What do you mean ‘impressive’?”

  “Merely that I did not believe you would be able to absorb all six spells. I thought perhaps three, maybe four, but learning all six is quite a feat. It speaks well for your future growth as an aquamancer.”

  Richter’s head still ached and it put him a bit on edge, “Why wouldn’t I be able to absorb all the spells at once? What is it I don’t know?”

  Ran’dolphinius blinked twice, then said carefully, “You do know that there is a limit on the number of spells that one can learn, do you not, my lord?”

  “News to me,” Richter said sitting back down on the bed. His temples were throbbing!

  Alma had been looking worriedly at her master, but once he was off the floor, she relaxed. Before Ran’dolphinius had bent the knee, she had been ready to attack the man if needed. She had planned on unleashing a Psi Blast followed by a quick casting of Weak Lightning Bolt. Then she would have physically attacked and tried to use her psi poison on the chamberlain. She was smart enough to understand how tense the situation had been. Even though she’d liked the chamberlain before, if he had posed a risk to her master, he would already be dead. She knew that as surely as she knew scale scratches were heaven. Now that the moment had passed, the dragonling found she was glad an attack hadn’t been necessary. Not because she was afrai
d of violence. Fresh blood was even better than scale scratches, but she had always liked the chamberlain.

  Both men were unaware of the thoughts passing unseen behind Alma’s draconian eyes. Instead, the chamberlain was pondering what Richter had just said. His liege had made the comment in an offhand fashion, but he’d seen him use magic from all eight Basic Elements and some Deeper Magic. Was it possible that Richter really didn’t have a limit to the spells he could know at one time?

  Ran’dolphinius licked his lips as if tasting the idea. That was more than a little bit unnerving for Richter because it once again revealed the sharpness of the half-undine’s teeth. “I do not have a rare skill like your Analyze, my lord, but my Profession allows me a Talent to know what skills you possess and what their levels are. I know, for instance, that your highest-level magic skill is Air. It is level fifteen and is followed by Fire at level twelve, then Life and Earth magic which are both level eleven. Your Water Magic, in contrast, is only level five. What I do not know is how many spells you possess in total, my lord. Would you mind telling me?”

  Richter looked at the man and considered the request. He didn’t really see a reason not to share. He was already trusting Randy with his life and his training, after all. It was just against his nature to share personal information unless absolutely necessary. He pushed his suspicion back down and decided to answer, but he also decided against providing the names of every spell.

  He accessed his spell lists and began to count.

  AIR MAGIC

  Name

  Level

  Effect

  Weak Lightning Bolt

  12

  Casts a lightning bolt from your hand. Damage: 15-20. Chance to stun your target for 1-2 seconds.

  Weak Aided Flight

  1

  Fires Projectiles 10% faster than normal

  Weak Air Push

  1

  Summons a column of air ten feet in front of you, one foot in diameter. Does no real damage, but will knock enemies back and possibly prone.

  Weak Errant Wind

  1

  Increases dodge of your party to projectiles by 10%. Only works outside.

  Glitterdust

  1

  Creates a 5x5-foot area of shining, sharp dust. Reveals hidden creatures and objects caught in the AoE. Chance to blind creatures susceptible to such attacks.

  Weak Haste

  1

  Increases movement and attack speed by 10%

  Gentle Rain

  1

  Summons a small rainstorm

  EARTH MAGIC

  Name

  Level

  Effect

  Weak Static Earth Shield

  10

  Creates a magical sphere around you comprised of Earth magic. The shield has 200 HPs. Shield defense strength +5 (+10 vs Air). Ineffective against Earth attacks. Only Earth-based spells may leave the boundaries of the shield. Physically touching your own shield will dispel it.

  Summon Minor Chokespore Arachnid

  9

  Summons a level 12 Chokespore Arachnid

  Minor Chitin Carapace

  9

  Covers the target in a flexible carapace. Increases natural armor by +3.

  Weak Sonic Wail

  6

  Creates a sound attack using your voice. All within the cone-shaped AoE suffer damage and risk being deafened.

  Summon Weak Saproling

  6

  Summons a level 5 forest elemental to do your bidding

  Weak Paralysis Beam

  5

  Fires a beam that will lock the target’s body into position

  Weak Acid Sphere

  5

  Creates a ball of acid that can be thrown at your target. Damage: 4-6 per second.

  Weak Rending Talons

  4

  Summons invisible claws to attack all targets within a 10-foot AoE

  Summon Insects

  1

  Summons a host of stinging and biting insects in a 10-foot-wide circle. Causes minimal damage, but impedes concentration.

  Weak Thorns Underfoot

  1

  Creates a field of thorns in a 30x30-yard area. Most likely would not be noticed by anyone wearing stout boots, but the spell can cause extreme discomfort and minor damage to anyone barefoot or to animals.

  Grease

  1

  Creates a slick in a 10x10-foot area, greatly increasing chance of anyone in the area falling down

  Weak Barkskin

  1

  Increases natural armor by +2

  FIRE

  Name

  Level

  Effect

  Weak Fireball

  12

  Fires a ball of flame that detonates upon impact. Flames are spread out from this area, dousing anyone within a ten-meter radius in fire. Chance to cause Burn. Damage: 20-25.

  Weak Flame

  1

  Shoots a weak gout of flame from your hand. Chance to cause Burn. 3-5 Damage per second.

  WATER

  Name

  Level

  Effect

  Summon Weak Aether Carp

  5

  Summons a five-foot magical fish to serve you

  Teatro’s Weak Water Casting

  4

  Allows you to cast Novice ranked Water, Life and Dark spells underwater.

  Weak Swift Swim

  4

  Increases your swimming speed by 50%

  Weak Purify Drink

  3

  Clears a cup, flask, skin or other small holding container of any weak impurities, poisons or diseases

  Weak Water Damage

  3

  Adds +1 damage to any weapon. Provides 1% chance to afflict a struck enemy with Weak Slow, decreasing their movement and attack speed by 10%.

  Weak Slow

  1

  Slows the target by 10%

  Weak Ice Dagger

  1

  Throws a dagger made of ice at your target. Damage: 5-6

  Weak Find Water

  1

  Allows you to sense sources of water within 100 feet of your location

  LIFE

  Name

  Level

  Effect

  Summon Weak Gold Fox

  10

  Summons a magical fox that will heal you and allies for one hundred points each. The fox may heal five times before disappearing.

  Weak Static Life Shield

  10

  Creates a magical sphere around you comprised of Life magic. The shield has 100 HPs. Shield defense strength +3 (+6 vs Death). Ineffective against Life attacks. Only Life-based spells may leave the boundaries of the shield. Physically touching your own shield will dispel it.

  Minor Slow Heal

  9

  Restores 90 missing health over 60 seconds

  Weak Mend Bone

  8

  Fixes small uncomplicated breaks in bone. Must be targeted to each fracture.

  Weak Detect Hostile Intent

  8

  Reveals if any creatures within ten yards have an active deadly intent towards you

  Summon Weak Life Wisp

  6

  Summons an entity comprised of Life magic. Will float in the area and restore a total of 100 health to you or one of your allies.

  Weak Life Armor

  5

  Increases Defense of all armor pieces by +1 (+2 vs. Death)

  Weak Courage

  4

  Improves your Fighting Spirit by +50

  Weak Life Bolt

  4

  Fires a bolt of concentrated Life energy. Damage: 5-10 (10-20 vs Death)

  Weak Banish Undead

  3

  Dissipates the energy allowing a Death creature to exist in this plane unless target resists

  Weak Life Aura

  3

  Surrounds the caster’s body with a golden shield of pure Life energy. Any nearby death, dead or undead creatures will
be discomforted. Any actual contact with the shield will cause damage to the undead.

  Weak Stabilize

  3

  Decreases the rate of bleeding and total bleeding time if a target is stricken with a ‘Bleeding’ status.

  Soul Trap

  1

  Binds the soul of the target to this plane, preventing passage to the beyond at time of death. They will instead be pulled into any nearby empty soul stone of appropriate size.

  Weak Slow Heal

  1

  Restores 30 missing health over 60 seconds

  Weak Cure Disease

  1

  Cures most weak diseases

  Weak Cure Poison

  1

  Removes most weak poison effects

  Call Weak Small Creature

  1

  Calls any non-sapient creature of ‘Small’ size (2-4 ft long) in the immediate area to the caster. Creature will then follow simple commands.

  Weak Charm

  1

  Convinces an enemy that they are your friend. In battle, they will fight for you. Casting this upon a creature lowers their regard for you after the spell wears off.

  Weak Life Beacon

  1

  Shoots a golden flare high into the air. Any creatures within one mile that have a relationship to you of friendly or above will be compelled to come to your aid.