A New World, An Immersive Game Experience

After meeting with everyone Eldrian headed to training with Constantin, during which Constantin pressed on why Eldrian felt so immersed in the game. While he wasn't a therapist, he tried to understand Eldrian's mindset, hoping to be able to apply some of it to himself; in the hopes of progressing quicker.

At this time Constantin also mentioned that he felt Eldrian had become decent at punching and kicking. Though the punches and kicks were just basic ones and separate, so he taught Eldrian some different methods of punching and kicking. Slowly easing Eldrian into the style he himself had learned long ago, moving from basics to a mix of actions. Into a full routine of actions, such as how to react when someone comes at him with a knife.

Sweating heavily after the training, Eldrian quickly took a shower to clean himself before diving back into the game.

...

Waking inside the game Eldrian quickly cast Fos, the Tier 0 light spell, a small ball of light appearing above his head and floating to the middle of his tent. Eldrian was trying to get more used to using Fos. While Floga did just as good a job at lighting, it had the danger of lighting things on fire. While the chances were low, Eldrian felt it was better to shift to Fos; being able to practice his long-term control over a different spell was a bonus to doing this.

The reason for even needing a light was because it was still early in the morning, the sun a few hours from rising. Using this time Eldrian continued to read the notes he had been given, when he got bored of the theories and speculations on the corruption, he shifted to one of the magic books.

Most of the things in it were things he already learned, was taught, or had figured out on his own. Still, he read it all. The book he started with was actually on rejuvenation magic; Anthos, Anthizo, Anthisma, as well as the following Tiers of this spell up to Tier 4. All of the spell modules were similar, in the form of a leaf with more and more detail added to it with each Tier.

Eldrian felt skipping even a word would be really dumb, seeing as this was explaining how the spells worked. It didn't do this just from a magical aspect, as Eldrian had been approaching things. It also touched on the belief of how it worked, of what energy was. What was stamina, mana, life, health, souls?

Eldrian himself had wondered about that, but quickly this had gotten lost between all the dots he tried to connect to figure out how to reach Tier 2. Reading these passages quickly reminded him of the abilities he had created, or rather semi-created. He still needed to use them again to actually create them.

Having had a past experience, Eldrian found all these theories and hypotheses much more interesting than anyone normally would. He wanted to try experimenting, but he knew that this wasn't the time or place. It was the same reason he didn't try meditating. He remembered all too well how disorientated he was when the maid had woken him. He didn't want to seem even more useless to everyone in the group, most already considered him a burden.

Not being able to experiment didn't mean Eldrian wouldn't contemplate. As such he hadn't even reached the Tier 2 spell, Anthisma, before hearing everyone else starting to wake. Putting the book away Eldrian quickly struck down his tent, packing it neatly back into the bracelet.

He kept his inventory as open as possible since using it felt slightly easier and required less effort. He knew that the fuller it became the harder it was to focus on the thing he tried to take out, hence keeping it emptier would allow him to access everything in it quicker. His best weapons were all in the slot inventory that only took one of something, yet size didn't matter. Eldrian didn't quite know how that inventory worked or even existed, but it was truly useful for separating things he needed in an instant.

With this done everyone started setting out after Evale had finished meeting with the tower captains. The rest of the journey to the forest was also peaceful, with the group reaching it before midday.

Looking from the hill they had climbed over, Eldrian marveled at the fort as well as the trees spaced a short distance from the walls. The forest was really dense, reminding Eldrian of the Avgi forest of the Alicorns. He wondered if there were any special creatures inside this forest, and if they might help them stop the corruption.

The fort was built with its focus on defending against attacks from the forest, not from the plains where they had come from. The walls were free from trees, a clearing of at minimum 50 meters surrounding the entire fort. The walls of the entire fort was almost visible, with those nearest to the party only 20 or so meters. While those at the back slowly increased up to 50 meters in height. Allow everyone on the walls at the back to see over most of the trees in this forest.

To the front there was a single gatehouse, which the part they were heading towards. At the back there was four more, allowing those inside the fort to sally out should they need to. In the center an impressive keep rose up behind the walls, a magic tower growing even taller from its back.

Upon reaching the gatehouse, the gates were quickly opened for them. Similar to the cities, the inside of the fort was mostly loose buildings with farms spreading over the area. Covering most of the inside, at least to the North; where Eldrian and the others came from. To the South, against the forest, buildings were far denser, the roads there also all paved and wide enough to allow two carriages to pass.

"You must be the inquisition party!" A deep muscular voice shouted as soon as everyone finished walking through the gate.

"Yes, I am Evale. The leader of this party and mission. " Evale replied, quickly stepping forward and greeting the centaur in worn plate armor. His entire figure hidden behind the layers of metal, even his hooves covered in some type of special metal boots.

"Good, come follow me." The centaur said, quickly leading them into the barracks and up onto the wall. Ramps built on the inside of the barrack to allow easy access for the centaurs and even mounted troops. "I am Fanon, the commander of Pyknos Fort." The centaur continued as they started their climb.

"I hope we can work well together, Fanon," Evale replied in response, to which Fanon quickly started complaining, now that the formalities were done with.

"Our situation has become more and more irritating. While we have warned the locals of the corruption and increased monsters, they simply don't care. They claim that this is why they pay taxes and that we should do our jobs... Entitled pricks, they don't know how tough it is on the frontlines!"

"What are you doing about it?" Evale asked, not condemning or accepting Fanon's complaints.

"Nothing, I told them there are monsters and they headed in to hunt. Goddam idiots can die for their idiocy, we defend the fort. Not the forest." Fanon grunted with slight satisfaction.

"Then what is it that has become more irritating?" Evale asked, clearly seeing that the deaths of those civilians didn't even phase Fanon. While this slightly bothered her, she understood the position he was in. If it was her town, then she would also focus on defending it. If her people headed out even after she warned them, then it was on them, not her.

"It's the damnable night attacks. I know undead are generally stronger at night, just because none of their ranks are weakened at that time. So it was expected, what wasn't expected was them to just launch a couple of flaming arrows, along with some infected corpses, and then run into the cover of the forest."

Evale frowned upon hearing this, along with everyone else. This did not bode well for them. If the undead was already active in the still healthy part of the forest, then this mission just became a great deal harder. Them using tactics just multiplied this increase.

"If not for the fucking trees, I would have charged out to just end this!" Fanon spat this with deep hatred. He really wanted to just cut all the trees in a kilometer range at this moment. That would enable them to just run the undead down if they dared come into range.

The only reason the forest was so close is since generally there weren't any monsters in the forest. Hence they had slacked their pruning of the forest to allow more magical herbs to grown near the forest. The first hundred meters was still much less dense, but it hindered mounted combat greatly.

"What do you want us to do about that? We are just here to confirm the cause of the corruption." Evale asked, understanding well Fanon's standpoint. She had often needed to defend her home under terrible circumstances. Living on the edge of the kingdom was never a blessing. Never.

Hence she knew the troubles that came with the territory, but she couldn't really help. Their party was strong, but small. It was meant to move about quietly until they managed to find the cause. Not to start a war against the undead.