Just a Guy and a Gate to the Multiverse - Chapter 25 (Patreon)

Chapter 25 - Advanced Magic

Eragon’s transformation into a half-elf had changed everything for him. It wasn’t just the physical changes, which removed every imperfection from his body while making him look like one of those ethereal elves. He was no longer held back by his crippling scar. Instead, he had to actually learn how to hold back.

I learned that the hard way during our first spar. While he was pulling out his sword, he accidentally threw it at me, and it lodged a few centimeters from my head, deep into the trunk of a tree.

Death by a sword that slipped out of someone’s hand… that would have been embarrassing.

“I said I am sorry!” Eragon apologized again while we were on our way to our lessons with Oromis.

“Shit happens. I am not sulking about that.”

“Then what are you sulking about?” the pointed-eared bastard asked cheekily.

Fine, I was sulking, but I had a right to!

It was just unfair that this guy, with his Deus ex Machina bullshit, got all his seemingly unsolvable problems taken care of and was now stronger than me. At this point, I could rival him in swordsmanship technique, if not surpass him, but he was outright stronger than me.

He was strong, even by elven standards. For comparison, with the current limits of my body, if I was one tier above an Olympic-level human in all stats, then an average elf was another tier above me. Strong elves or peak Dragon Riders were another tier or two above that.

I could fight the average elf and win, even with my physical stats being one tier below theirs. Most of them didn’t dedicate themselves to swordsmanship, even though they were still better than most humans.

But I stood no chance against peak elves or someone like the current Eragon. And that was not all that had improved. His mind, perception, and every aspect of his body had improved too. Right now, he was still nerfed by the overstimulation of his enhanced senses. Once he gained a solid understanding of his own strength and body, the gap would be even bigger. At least in a fair fight.

Obviously, with technology, I had my own ways to deal with anyone in this world. Most elves or Dragon Riders wouldn’t be able to survive a sniper shot to the head. Sure, they usually had wards against physical projectiles, in other words, arrows, but a sniper bullet far surpassed the force of an arrow.

It would drain them of their lifeforce. Maybe they could block one, but what about another shot? Or the shot after that?

Honestly, the magic of this world could probably deal with a sniper bullet. It was a pretty flexible magic system that was more a battle of wits and information than just raw power. As long as you knew what you were dealing with, you could handle it.

But that was the point. I was a complete unknown, and this was my biggest advantage in this world.

Just like how they dealt with arrows effectively, a good mage didn’t stop or block them midair. No, they redirected the arrows, which cost far less energy. The same would work for a bullet, but it would still drain a lot more energy than redirecting a far slower arrow.

Yet what would happen if I used some kind of high-caliber weapon with a high fire rate? The only one who could realistically handle it was Galbatorix, with the energy of thousands of dragons backing him up.

I also had laser weaponry. It didn’t shoot a physical projectile, so who had a ward for that? While good mages also had methods to sense presences through their minds and lifeforce, the range was quite limited for most of them. Once again, only Galbatorix was the exception right now, with his mind enhanced by the Eldunarí. And even he had a range limit. While he could extend his mind all over the continent, he couldn’t exactly sense everything going on there at the same time.

In the end, like me, no matter how much power he had collected, he was still human.

And he also had some glaring weaknesses that could be exploited, especially by me.

But right now, I was here to learn everything the elves had to teach me about magic while also improving my swordsmanship and combat abilities to their limits. And I had improved. I had gotten a lot better on a technical level.

I shouldn’t have been sulking because someone was doing to me what I did to those Paladins in the Jumper universe. Rather, I should have seen the positive side. It didn’t matter that it was a Deus ex Machina solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem. Besides healing him, the fact alone that it was possible for someone to become permanently so much stronger through magic meant I should be able to do something similar!

Eragon was, after all, not the only proof. Galbatorix and Murtagh were proof too. So were Shades, who often had a regular human physique before being possessed by Spirits. Yet once they became Shades, they were able to fight the strongest elves on equal physical terms.

My time with the elves was gradually coming to an end. While my swordsmanship had stagnated and was now only improving through experience, I should have also learned almost everything about magic. Now, only the really big stuff remained.

Soon, we arrived at Oromis’s place in the glades outside of Ellesméra. The old Dragon Rider was seated on a stool in front of his hut, sipping a cup of tea.

“Have you entirely recovered, Eragon, from the potent magic of the Blood-oath Celebration?”

“I have, Master.”

I couldn’t help but snort. “How humble you pretend to be in front of our teacher. He gave me an utter beating. I was completely outmatched by his speed and strength. I have no doubt that he will beat Vanir in their spar tomorrow.”

“These are indeed joyous news,” Oromis said, nodding patiently.

“If it were possible to beat Galbatorix with physical strength, the elves would have done so a long time ago,” Eragon said, silently shaking his head.

“It seems your wisdom has also grown considerably during your time here,” Oromis said with a smile, but he didn’t choose to give Eragon an explanation about the Eldunarí yet. Instead, what followed was a stretch of silence, something I had long since gotten used to with Oromis. Maybe this was just what age and immortality did to you.

At length, Oromis said, “Glaedr explained to me, as best he could, what was done to you during the celebration. Such a thing has never before occurred in the history of the Riders.… Once again, the dragons have proved themselves capable of far more than we imagined.” He sipped his tea. “Glaedr was uncertain exactly what changes you would experience, so I would like you to describe the full extent of your transformation, including your appearance. Albeit, there is someone who may know more about it.”

Crafty old man…

After giving a quick summary of his changes, Eragon couldn’t help but ask, “Who knows more about it?”

Oromis gave me a look.

“Matt, how?”

“He knew this would happen. There are many things he has foretold.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? Do you know what I went through?” Eragon asked.

“I knew this would happen, but there was nothing I could do to affect it. If I had said anything earlier, it would have only taken a valuable lesson from you,” I explained calmly.

He stared at me for a long moment with a bit of disappointment before sighing. “I see. So what exactly happened there?”

“Ah, it is not time for me to tell you yet. I’ve got a plan for how to win this war. For now, you need to finish your studies under Oromis. You will know the truth once you visit the Rock of Kuthian.”

“Wait, you know where it is? I’ve tried to find information about it, but nobody knew anything.” Eragon couldn’t help but exclaim. This was one of the pieces of advice he had received from the werecat Solembum.

“I do know. Oromis did too. Many people did.”

This time, Eragon looked at Oromis. “You do?”

“It sounds distinctly familiar, but his words were speaking about the past.” The elf shook his head.

“The memories were erased from the world to protect the secret from Galbatorix.”

“Then how do you know?” Eragon immediately pointed out the flaw.

“I was simply not in range when the spell was cast,” I said, which was the truth. “And I am not going to tell you anything yet, just in case. My mind is uniquely protected. Even if Galbatorix manages to capture me, he won’t be able to pry the information from me. That is not the case for you or Oromis. Once the time is right to move, I will reveal everything to both of you. My preparations are almost complete.”

I sent a quick mental message to Oromis. Please don’t tell Eragon about Murtagh yet. He won’t be able to beat him either way, but he won’t capture Eragon. If something should change, I am confident I will be able to interfere.

Both the old and young Dragon Riders looked at me before nodding in acceptance.

I had a plan. A win-win plan for everyone but Galbatorix and those loyal to him.

———

One is all, all is one.

Once again, it was a lesson I learned. The last time I learned it was under Teacher Izumi during my survival training, in preparation for my alchemy lessons.

Back then, I learned it by observing nature through my five senses and understanding how everything was a connected circle. This time, I learned this lesson on a much deeper level. It was still interesting how, in two different universes, my teachers tried to teach me the same lesson.

In order to take the next step in my lessons, I needed to be able to sense the lifeforce of the world around me. Even though I had started over a month earlier than Eragon with this kind of training, I completed it far later.

Well, as a Dragon Rider, he had a natural advantage over me. The first step was always to be able to sense the minds and lives of other beings. It was something he was naturally able to do the moment he bonded with Saphira.

From there, it was just a simple step further to sense other minds. But I had to learn that first step naturally, which took a lot of time for someone who was born in a world without magic.

And then I had to master sensing everything around me at the same time while not focusing too much on a single thing. It was harder than it sounded.

But today, I finally managed it. I became the forest and its inhabitants.

Leaving the glade behind Oromis’s house, I returned to him. “I finally did it. I sensed everything there was around me.”

Oromis looked at me as he paused his writing. Was that surprise in his eyes? I had gotten rather good at reading the emotions of the elves. What they didn’t show on their faces, their eyes would reflect.

“Tell me,” was the short answer I got.

And for about an hour, I recounted everything I had experienced through this sixth sense until Oromis raised his hand and said, “I am convinced; you heard all there was to hear. But did you understand it all?”

“I don’t think so. There is too much to be understood at once, and even then, all I can sense is but a fraction. But I understood that one is all, all is one.”

For a moment, I could see even more surprise in his eyes as he pondered my words.

“One is all, all is one. The cycle of life. You have once again surprised me, student. You already understood more than most elves would from that lesson. Even Eragon didn’t reach that conclusion. It was always impossible to understand it all. But for a human, you are exceptionally talented,” Oromis praised me.

“Am I really?” How could I be talented? I had just raised my talent twice with my World Attunement. Admittedly, a lot about the magic of this world was related to the mind and intelligence. I was always a bit smarter, and the additional stats from the Fallout world should help too.

“You are already on a level beyond most human magic users. We don’t share our knowledge easily. You should know that by now. You have already gained more than most in exchange for your own knowledge, but this, this is Glaedr’s and my gratitude for returning his leg. The only ones I know of who have dived this deeply into magic are the human Dragon Riders or the legends of old,” Oromis chuckled as he stood up. “Come, lend me your shoulder and help me outside, Matt. It’s time for you to learn what only the most advanced elves and Dragon Riders are taught. Even Galbatorix may not know of it.”

Finally, it was here.

Once we reached the edge of the glade, Oromis began to speak. “What does magic cost?”

“It costs energy, specifically a caster’s lifeforce, beginning with the biological energy in our bodies that we call stamina. A spell costs exactly what it would cost if I did it by mundane means.” I had done my research.

“And does it need to come from your own lifeforce? Your own body?”

“No, I can store it in the gem of my ring, after all.” I held up the ring the elves had gifted to me. I had been storing any energy I had left over inside it each day.

“Good, but that is not the only source. Today, you sensed the lifeforce and consciousness of even the smallest lifeforms all around you.”

“So it can come from other sources too?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“Indeed. You would have to enter the consciousness of the being—or beings—who are going to provide the energy,” Oromis explained. “I want you to extract a sphere of water from the stream, using only the energy you can glean from the forest around you.”

“Yes, Master Oromis.”

That was why it was important to be able to sense everything around me at once instead of focusing on a single thing. I already knew that explanation and could have done it earlier today, but I chose to wait for Master Oromis to properly teach me.

If he had withheld the information, I would have done it once I left the elves.

I reached out to the world around me—the plants, the animals, the insects, the organisms in the ground, everything—while consciously excluding Oromis’s presence. The elf already had a hard enough time with his crippling injuries.

Once I had all the sources of energy around me, I commanded the water in the Ancient Language, “Up!” while visualizing a sphere of water.

A sphere of fresh water floated silently in front of me for just a moment. And just as I had already expected, a wave of death spread over the area as every creature and lifeform I was connected to began to die away. The small animals stopped moving and fell over, while the grass and plants all around me withered.

It was Oromis who spoke first. “You already realized that would happen, didn’t you?”

“Yes, this was another lesson from you, wasn’t it?”

“It was necessary. I have observed you the entire time you were here. You are a good person, although very human in many aspects. You needed to understand the serious price before using it carelessly,” Oromis warned me.

“I understand, Master, but I can still use a clever formulation to limit the cost before it becomes deadly, can’t I?”

“This is true.”

But before I could question him further, something distracted me before excitement surged through me…

[ End of the Chapter ]