What is mana? A question many great minds have grappled with throughout the history of our land, and yet it is one which as of now remains unanswered. Some theorists argue it is the force which binds all of existence together, that from which we came from and to which we will all one day return. Others, in particular clerics, argue that it is a gift from the gods to help raise us up to more than we once were. This controversy however is not the focus of what I write here, instead this book aims to endow you with a knowledge of the fundamentals of magic.

Unless you are one of the vastly lucky or talented individuals who have the ability to cast spells chantlessly using only their will, you will have to have a thorough and proper understanding of magical theory in able to effectively cast magic. Only after hours of strenuous practice may you rise to the ranks of those who can cast while uttering just a word. Those who reach the heights of chantless casting are figures who stand at the top of this world, not for the skill itself but rather the endless hours of practice it represents. I do not write this to discourage your enthusiasm, instead this a warning to those of fickle heart. The path of an Archmage is a long one, be prepared, for the pursuit of magic is one which encompasses your lifetime.

A treaty of Magic, Archmage Ricard Griffenheart the Great

Waking up to a vastly different soundscape to the usual sounds in the Forest Jacob started his day with a quick breakfast while checking his notifications.

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Congratulations! Due to recent strenuous activity and awareness of your surroundings you have gained the following stats. +1 End, +1 Strength, +1 Control, + 1 Perception.

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This enabled Jacob to start his day with a sense of accomplishment before heading off towards the river with the help of his new Pathfinder skill. Paying vastly more attention to his surroundings than he did yesterday Jacob utilised his stealth skill to avoid any further encounters with goblins, earning himself a couple of skill levels.

Reaching the river just after midday, Jacob let out a sigh of release, as simple as it sounded he had managed to complete his goal of getting to the river. Not only had he done so but one the way he had snuck past several vicious goblins and even beaten one in a fight. Reflecting on the recent past Jacob realised just how far he had come.

After a quick break he headed further downstream, driven to final reach some resemblance of civilisation. Arriving at a pool in the late afternoon Jacob decided to camp here for the night given the trees ringing it offered a safe resting place. Furthermore this was Jacob’s first time to clean since arriving in Pangea, as he all of a sudden realised just how much he must smell.

Placing down his backpack and stripping off, Jacob stopped just before approaching the pool seeing his reflection for the first time since arriving in Pangea. The person staring back at him was at the same time both still recognisably him but also vastly different.

On Earth Jacob while not in amazing shape had always been fairly sporty, however he always carried some extra weight with him, a bit of chub if you will. The Jacob staring back at him from the pool however was not only leaner, but also slightly bulkier gifting him a defined and athletic look.

A look which complemented his now chiselled jaw which was if anything moving to looking gaunt. His piercing blue eyes finally reached his hair which was relatively unkempt its golden colour showing through the copious levels of dirt that marred it. Shaking his head Jacob stopped his vanity session and dived into the pool.

The cool refreshing water sluiced the outermost layer of dirt off Jacob, as he relished in the novelty of submersing himself in the water. Scrubbing his skin red it took Jacob the better part of 30 minutes to finally feel clean, by which point he was starting to shiver. Climbing out of the pool Jacob lay in the remainder of the days sun to dry off before washing his dirty clothes which truly reeked.

With most of what had become Jacob’s favourite day on Pangea coming to an end, he had a quick supper before settling in for the night.

The next morning Jacob was awoken by noise of a series of grunting noises, startled awake Jacob spotted four goblins surrounding his second set of clothes which he has left on a rock to dry. The goblins were sniffing his clothes, seemingly in an attempt to catch his scent, luckily they were not too far away from Jacob and he counted four in total.

They started to wander in his direction, just slightly downstream of the pool next to a faster flowing section of the river. Without much time to think Jacob quickly came up with a plan, deciding to slowly climb low enough that he could drop from the tree without harming himself. He planned to drop down on top of he goblin at the back of the group, and hopefully hamstring the next goblin in line before they can react. After that aware that he had little chance of survival Jacob thought he would just have to make a run for it, separating the goblins out before fighting them separately.

Silently and using the leaves to hide himself Jacob snuck out along a branch in line with the goblins approach, freezing as the first one passed under him. As the last goblin passed underneath him, he dropped from the branch pointing his sword down which pierced the back of the goblins neck as he fell on top of it.

As the body fell forward, he left his sword buried in the ground, rolling forward and pulling out his daggers attempting to make two quick slashes through the hamstrings of the next goblin in line. Retreating quickly to the corpse of the first goblin he sheathed a dagger and retrieved his sword into his dominate right hand.

Unfortunately, his attempt to hamstring one of the goblins did not go as well as planned, scoring barely two weak hits that only just penetrated the goblins fairly leathery skin. This left Jacob facing three goblins, so he quickly took off dodging round them and heading downstream still holding to the what he realised was an increasingly slim hope of civilisation. As he sprinted off the three goblins chased after him, thankfully the one he scored a hit on started to lag behind.

Knowing that he could not keep moving at this pace Jacob turned and sprinted back at the leading goblin, taking it by surprise and buying himself a few seconds to fight it without interference from the others. In a desperate attempt to keep it off balanced he launched the dagger he still gripped in his left hand at it, which by some miracle found its mark, albeit contacting the goblin with the handle.

The dagger achieving its purpose Jacob managed to land a solid blow to the goblin’s chest, opening a gash across its stomach. Absently Jacob noted the blood and guts that slipped out, however his attention was quickly taken by the next goblin in line which had closed in on him during his brief moment of inattention.

Throwing himself sideways Jacob attempting to avoid its spear jab, he was only partially successful, the spear catching him in his left shoulder. With a grunt the adrenaline coursing through Jacob allowed him to persevere through the pain, as he raised his sword up cutting off the Goblins left hand, before he could deal a finishing blow the enraged goblin jumped at him knocking him to the ground.

Losing grip on his sword with the goblin attempting to strangle him Jacob had to resort to his final knife stabbing the goblin over and over before managing to push its limp body away from him. He was met with the snarling face of the final goblin stabbing down at his face, reacting quicker than he thought he could he rolled away, before pushing himself up and taking a few quick steps to gain some space.

Bring his hands up Jacob realised he was now empty handed, his confidence in defeating the final goblin dropped. He slowly backed away only to stumble and fall flat on his arse, as the goblin made a leap for him.

In desperation Jacob, screamed and thrust his hands out in front of him to ward the goblin off. This action was accompanied by his will reaching out to that warmth in his stomach, which roared up through his arm in response and released a wave of concussive force which hit the goblin causing its chest to cave in as it was sent flying back into the river.

This was the last sight Jacob saw as he once again passed out, succumbing not to physical exhaustion but the burning pain that was left behind following the warmth’s passage up out of his navel and through his arms.

Authors Note:

Titles: Otherworlder

Name: Jacob Lockerby

Race: Human lvl 5 (150/1600)

Class (lvl): Ranger (Tier 0)

Second Class* (lvl): n/a/ (unlocked at race lvl 10)

Health: 100% Health Regen: 2.3% per day

Mana Points: 180 Mana Regen: 12% per hr

Stats: unallocated - 3

Strength: 15(13) Dexterity: 14 Perception: 12(11) Constitution: 13 Agility: 13 Endurance: 15 (14) Intelligence: 18 Control:9 (8) Magic Power: 21

Skills: Forestry Novice (3/10), Trapmaking (3/10), Fighting Proficiency, Climbing Novice (5/10), Free Running Novice (1/10), Dagger Mastery Novice (2/10), Dual Wield Mastery Novice (1/10), Sword Mastery (4/10), Meditation Apprentice (4/10), Stealth Novice (3/10), Mana Sense (1/10), Pathfinder Apprentice (1/10)

Traits: High Grade Mana Affinity, Enhanced Health Regen Weak (2/10), Enhanced Mana Regen Weak (1/10), Tough Body Weak (2/10)