Arcanist In Another World-Chapter 81: Choice
Sebastian came holding a tray over his hands, the wine glasses clinking as he shuffled his way to the chairs, looking like a stuck-up fellow from a high-standing family who got offended in a way he had never experienced before. He placed the tray gently over the table, waited for a few seconds to hear a word from Master Archibald, and removed himself from the hall when none came.
Actions and consequences, Sebastian. We’ve all been through the same.
Valens sipped the wine he was offered after Sebastian’s silent departure. He gave himself time to think through the matters they’d discussed with Master Archibald.
On the surface, it looked good. More than good, in fact, which made him suspicious if he would be limiting his options by accepting this invitation. But then, the man told him there were no restrictions for the members of the Magi Guild. Being a member was free of charge.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in any world. Something’s not right here.
“You’re questioning my motives,” Master Archibald said. “Thinking perhaps there’s a secret agenda here that you’re not aware of, a sort of plot that involves the bright minds of the world. Something is not right, you must be asking yourself. Surely there has to be a purpose shrouded behind all these fancy walls and golden lights. Well, allow me to offer a word to you.”
“I’d be glad to hear it, Sir,” Valens nodded.
“These walls,” Master Archibald waved a hand around them. “These glasses,” he took his own wine and swirled the wine inside. “These floors,” he tapped a foot down, and the marbled ground answered with a rich thump. “And mostly, the land we’re given by the authorities, even if some of them hate our guts. Tell me, what do you think is the reason why we’re granted these things for free?”
Valens narrowed his eyes. He had a few guesses, but he wasn’t sure enough to speak them out.
“Let me rephrase it,” Master Archibald smiled deeply. “What do you think is the most expensive thing in this world?”
“Information,” Valens answered without giving it a second thought.
Master Archibald blinked at him. Slowly, he leaned back in the chair, peering into Valens’s eyes as though he was seeing him for the very first time. “You’re right,” he muttered, much more silent than his initial confident voice. “It’s information.”
“And you have it,” Valens said.
“Indeed,” the old man nodded.
“More than anyone else.”
“That’s… right.”
“You’re hoarding the talent,” Valens pressed on. “By using the share of burden as an excuse, you’re simply gathering all the bright minds under a single dome. Surely you’re keeping each other up to date with certain things happening across the world. Things that might not be available to the broader public.”
“That’s true,” Master Archibald said.
“But why?” Valens asked. “If what you’ve said is right, you’re not a Guild that tries to have a say in the matters concerning the welfare of this world, are you? If you’re purely academic in your ambitions, then other than being in good faith with the Mages of the world, I cannot think of any alternative as to why the authorities would try to court favor with you.”
“They’re not trying because they seek our good faith,” Master Archibald said, shaking his head. “They’re trying because they know we’ve learned our lessons from the past.”
“Your lessons?”
“Do you know the story of the Five, young Valens?” Master Archibald asked, and continued when Valens made it clear it was the first time he had heard that. “It’s one of the rare tales that involves us humans, and we know for sure that it happened in the Ancient Age. It tells the story of a group of five people who carved a Haven out of the Broken Lands for us to escape the terror of the Tainted Father. We call it The Carving here in Melton, although others have referred to it by different names. Of those five, one of them was Resni.”
“Resni?” Valens arched an eyebrow. “The Resni in Resni’s Guild?”
“Exactly!” Master Archibald leaned closer. “We call him The Divider since he was the one who laid all the boundaries of our Haven’s Reach and separated the lost from the living. Are you perhaps aware how our ancestors rewarded his efforts?”
Valens frowned. “I’m afraid not.”
“He was butchered in cold blood by none other than the captain of that five,” Master Archibald said gravely. “Damon was a mighty warrior, an undying man who shouldered the heavy weight of our fate upon his shoulders. Killed more Terrors and Dreads than anyone has ever seen in their lives. He was something beyond human. An existence nearly rivalling the Divines themselves! After the Surgemasters abandoned us, he was our last hope along with the members of his group, but in the end, even he feared what might become of Resni. He feared what he represented.”
“So he killed him?” Valens sucked in a deep breath.
“Not just him, but all the others,” Master Archibald said. “He butchered Laran the Shield, beheaded Terek the Wise, and murdered Bart in his sleep. But for us, there is no doubt that Resni’s death is the one that mattered the most. Because without him at the helm, the Magi of the world became targets of the Divine Orders.”
“How surprising,” Valens scowled. “Humans turned against each other when there’s no one else left for them to fight.”
“What is history but a vicious circle that repeats itself?” Master Archibald said. “It is our duty to take lessons from it. The Ancient Ones are gone now. Most of them went into hiding with the end of their era. There remained nothing for us humans to sink our teeth into but ourselves.”
“What of the Broken Lands, then?” Valens asked. It seemed an inconceivable notion to say such a thing when they had innumerable monsters and creatures trying to seep into Haven’s Reach with each passing second.
“What of it?” Master Archibald scoffed. “You might’ve lived your whole life in a backwater region of our world, but you should’ve seen plenty enough while you were in Melton. If not, take a look from that window. Do you see a nation braving the tides of a mighty horde? Do you see, when you look at Belgrave, a population that is deep in a battle against the Tainted Father?”
“I…” Valens muttered. He thought of the men clothed in fancy suits who lived in long, brick buildings, of crowds of people busy trying to get to their work in time, of miners who were mining in pit towns still, and ladies of high statures suffering from the great pain of having to choose from too many colorful dresses.
“I guess not,” he said.
“Nothing has changed but a single thing,” Master Archibald said. “Still, the dwellers are trying to annihilate our people. Still, the Tainted Father is scheming for ways to get his creatures to spoil our fertile lands. In their courts, old cults and secret orders are brewing grand plots to remove the boundaries of Haven’s Reach. The Damned are still out there, but no longer at our doorstep, and we’re no longer living in the midst of ruin and death.”
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“People moved on,” Valens muttered. “They forgot.”
“Yes, they did,” Master Archibald said. “But as you’ve learned now, we didn’t. We remember the times our people turned against us, and we won’t be blindsided once again. That’s why we established Resni’s Guild. It serves as a reminder for all the Divine Orders and the cults that while we’re a group of academic individuals, waiting in our hands is the strength of thousands of Magi from all around the world should there be an attempt against us.”
Valens looked at the man, or rather, what they had managed to accomplish here. It reminded him of the Empire. It had happened before. The Magi of the Empire had united under a single banner, pushing for a change, moving with one singular purpose that was to break their chains.
In the end, it had failed.
But they don’t have Rootmetal here—nothing to stop their march.
If anything, the Divine Orders should count themselves lucky that these men were simply preparing for an ‘in case’ scenario. They could’ve laid everything to waste and marched for the true control of the world with the power in their hands.
Dangerous thoughts…
He shook his head. Dangerous, indeed, but there was one thing he couldn’t understand from Master Archibald’s speech.
“Why didn’t you do anything against Melton?” he asked, curious. “My initial impression was that people thought of Healers as a separate group from the Magi. Never once have I been called a Mage strictly because of my healing skills. I’ve always been the odd Healer.”
“What makes you think that we haven’t done anything?” Master Archibald smiled slightly at his words.
“You did?” Valens’s eyes widened.
“Well, forgive me for saying this, but there are certain matters I can’t disclose to a man I’ve recently met,” Master Archibald said. “If you became a member and rose through our ranks, however, now that would’ve changed things.”
Valens tapped a finger to the chair, trying to stifle a sigh.
Why does every organization in this world act the same? Garran told me the same thing. I can only learn more if I become a member of their circle, that he can only disclose some things after I gave an oath. It almost feels like they’re cults masquerading as simple entities gathered for no particular reason.
He then wondered if he could keep up with… this. Already, he had become a part of two different organizations, namely the Golden Ward and the Midnight Assembly, and now he was facing another choice that seemed equally important.
But the allure… I have to say that the tale about Resni caught my attention. It would be fun to hear more of this world’s past from people who seem to know quite much about it.
“Let’s say that I’m willing to be a member of the guild,” Valens decided to say. “How is that going to work? You’ve mentioned ranks, but I’m not sure what they actually mean. Is there a hierarchy in the guild? A sort of system of steps you’ll go through depending on your expertise, or anything like that?”
“Rather than a strict hierarchy, you can think of it as a system of pairing similar talents with each other to establish a healthier space for exchanges,” Master Archibald said. “After all, there’s little merit to having a Master of a specific field exchange ideas with an Adept of the same field. If we did that, there wouldn’t have been anything for that Master to gain from that conversation.”
“And I’ll be one of those Masters?” Valens asked.
“For that, I will have to see your other spells. At least the ones you’re comfortable with sharing,” Master Archibald said. “You should know that above all, we value one’s expertise in the magical field. You’ve shown today that you’re a Master of Gale, which means you only need another Wind spell at the Master rating to be considered a Master Wind Mage.”
“Wait, now I’m confused,” Valens said. “A Master Wind Mage? What about my other spells?”
“That’s what makes you an interesting case!” Master Archibald laughed. “We have Magi who command an element or two, but not often do we see people who can use spells of different origins.”
“And why is that?” Valens asked. “Is it such a rare occurrence that someone who is capable of casting healing spells has an expertise in the elemental field, or other fields?”
Master Archibald frowned, going silent as he eyed Valens thoughtfully.
Have I said something wrong? He almost seems like he’s… suspicious of me.
Valens stared at him. All of a sudden the cushions around the chair didn’t feel so comfortable anymore. They bit into his skin as if they’d grown thorns in a second. “Master Archibald?” he finally probed.
“It… doesn’t make sense,” the old man said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“That question of yours,” Master Archibald said. “You’ve asked as though it were a common thing for you that people can just cast spells of different fields when in fact it’s not. It’s quite rare, hence why we’re even having this conversation. Tell me, Valens, do you suppose a Fire Magus could just cast, say, a Waterbolt?”
I… guess not? Although I’m not sure what the reason could be. Far as I’m aware, the only thing that stopped the Magi of the Empire from casting spells out of their respective fields is the lack of practice and understanding. As long as they put in the work, an Earth Magus can just as well use water-based spells.
Valens lingered awkwardly against the gaze of Master Archibald, who waited for an answer.
What do I tell him? Should I be just honest? Or should I twist the line and work up an excuse— Wait, I do have an excuse, don’t I? I don’t belong to this part of the world.
Apathy tugged at his mind. A clear, and easy exit. He could just have the intellectual part of his brain deal with this rather than laboring through the sudden feeling of crisis that rose from his primal brain. That was what made him panic even though there was scarcely a reason here for him to get nervous.
“I’m not sure,” Valens said, with his voice quivering. He cursed himself for that, but tried to gather his mind and patch that sudden breach in his thinking by following with a clearer thought, “I’m not familiar with what you consider as ‘usual’ here.”
Master Archibald narrowed his eyes at him, one hand propped under his chin. He kept eye contact for a long second before he offered a small smile. “The place where you come from… I suppose you’re not as picky as us when it comes to the matter of Class choices, seeing that you yourself obviously have a special class. I’ve been to such places in the past. I’ve always found it peculiar how common sense can differ from place to place.”
“Yes…” Valens muttered, thankful that Master Archibald bailed him out of that conversation. “You could say that.”
“Anyway,” Master Archibald continued. “A Fire Mage can’t cast a Waterbolt since his fire-mana wouldn’t respond well to a water-based spell. He could, if he wanted, gather water mana from certain sources to handle that problem, but that wouldn’t be quite as efficient. After all, the choice of a Class is not a matter as simple as picking a set of clothes. By accepting a Class, we mold our future with our own hands.”
So wait… If you pick a Fire Mage Class, you can only generate fire-mana from your mana pool? That sounds horrible!
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He still remembered the Lightmaster from the Duality Guild who used only light-based spells in that cave, and the Magi of the guild… they weren’t all too diverse in their choice of spells, were they?
On the other hand I can just cast about anything. I have the Inferno, which is a fire-based spell. Gale and Gravitating Earth, wind and earth-based spells. Lifesurge and Lifeward, which are lifemana-focused spells. And the Hexsurge… That’s Void.
"There’s been a long-standing debate on the merits of picking special classes, especially in the field of magic. Some colleagues of mine stress the importance of sticking with a singular path. In their words, they think becoming a master of something is ultimately a far better choice than becoming average at everything. Some others think the sheer diversity a multi-field Class brings to the table is justification enough for picking a special class. The analogy is that having ten different hands with two or three fingers in each can’t be worse than having only two with a full set of fingers.”
“That’s a rather interesting analogy right there,” Valens found himself smiling at it.
“We Magi sure like to use more words to make a point in some cases, as you would understand.” Master Archibald leaned in and laughed a good while at those words. “But anyway, I tend to be more in line with the former thought of sticking with a singular path. After all, there haven’t been a lot of Magi who could Master spells belonging to different paths. There is a certain Archmage Solmar who gives the most detailed lessons in the Caligian Academy of Magical Thought. He’s a Phaselight Scholar of the Fifth Trial. He is an Adept of Void while being a Master in Light magic, but as you can see, even he is considered an exception.”
“Phaselight Scholar… That sounds extraordinary,” Valens said, closing his eyes as a storm churned madly inside his mind.
What do I do here?
“Extraordinary indeed. Special classes can be like that sometimes. The ones that manage to stay alive after all those horrifying Trials, that is,” Master Archibald nodded deeply. “But let us stay on the topic. I’m quite curious to hear your proficiency in the field of Healing and Mind. Something tells me this fateful encounter of mine isn’t just about me happening upon a Healer who can prove a remedy for my sickness.”
Valens looked at the man, then back at his own hands. His palms were sweaty. His heart thumped in his chest.
Master Archibald, you have no idea…
He shuffled uncomfortably over the chair, turning this way or that to find a good spot. He couldn’t. Whatever he did only further amplified the metaphorical thorns that suddenly grew out of the cushions.
Your body is speaking to you. It is asking the obvious question. What are you going to do? Do you tell him the entirety of your skills and have yourself a fancy position in this Magi Guild, or do you tell just a piece of it and settle for what seems like an ‘okay’ option?
That was a hard choice to make, and Master Archibald’s eager eyes weren’t about to make it any easier.
……
