~Long chapter today. Hope this makes up for the recent short ones.~
-
I opened my eyes in shock, trying to figure out what just happened.
*Thud.* We hit the ground.
*Groan*
Orin groaned from pain on top of me.
I looked up to see what happened, thinking that Matthew stepped in or something, but instead I saw the black book floating in the air with Orin's sword held between its pages, almost like the book closed on the sword.
"Are you two alright?" Matthew shouted as he ran over, along with one of the healers.
"Jack!" I heard Ark shout and noticed him running over, too, along with the others.
I stared blankly, trying to piece together what just happened.
Once Matthew and the healer reached us, they knelt down and helped Orin off of me.
The healer began checking him for any injuries while Matthew glanced at me and the black book, clearly confused as well.
"Jack, are you ok?" Ark asked as he reached us and gave me a small hug.
I nod slowly and pat him on the back and say, "Y-yeah. I'm ok. Just... confused."
Matthew, after checking on Orin, who was now unconscious, started checking on me and asked, "Can you describe what you remember happening?"
"From the beginning or just when things went wrong?" I asked.
He looked me in the eye, curious. "So you know what happened?"
"Partially. I threw my spear, Orin deflected it, and the protection charm on his sword broke. I braced myself, as I didn't have enough time to warn him or dodge. I closed my eyes, heard some weird noises, then Orin smashed into me."
Matthew nodded and asked, "And what about that book?" He pointed at it, still midair.
I look at it and say, "It's mine. I keep it stored in a pocket in my sweater. It is an artifact, but it's only able to store information and float on my command within 10 ft of me. But it has no combat ability."
"Did you command it to do anything to protect you?" he asked.
I shook my head. "No." Technically, it wasn't a lie. I did give it commands, but none to protect me.
I looked at the book and said, "Please give me the sword."
It moved on my command and dropped the sword carefully into my hands.
It was still heavy and thankfully not damaged.
'I have no idea where Orin got this or how much this would even require for repairs.' I thought.
I looked at the book and asked, "Did you act on your own to defend me?"
The book opened to a blank page and wrote in common[1].
{affirmative: holder was in danger and action was required to prevent serious injury.}
Matthew looked shocked and said, "Is this a spirit artifact?"
I nod and say, "It is, but it is destroyed when I die. If you tell anyone, please add that fact."
He nodded and asked the book, "How were you able to stop the sword? The force behind the blow was immense, so that most other swords would break. Yet somehow you're unharmed... or should I say undamaged?"
{Answer Unknown: I was aware I am unaffected by nonmagical attacks; however, the force-nullification was unexpected.}
"Force nullification? Does that mean you can act like a barrier or shield?" Matthew asked.
{potentially: more data is required before any conclusive answer can be provided.}
Matthew nodded and looked at me. "Be very careful with this item. If people find out about it, they might try and take it by force, regardless of whether it can only be used by you."
I nod. "Don't worry. This isn't the first time I have had something someone else wanted. And I'm the one still alive."
He looked at me and nodded, and stepped away to talk with the healer treating Orin.
I sat there thinking about this new development.
I had thought about using the books as possible spellcasting focuses or something similar, and when Ark and I got back to the greenhouse yesterday from our trip to those spirits, I had gotten the chance to try it out, and I found that I could with immense ease.
However, now that I know they can also block any attack, I had one very overpowered thought.
'I can use them as both shields and as spell casters.'
Smiling as one mind went over the logistics and applications of that, I decided to look around at the other students.
Most seemed shocked by our fight and didn't seem to be thinking about the book. However, there were a few who seemed a little curious or suspicious.
And then there were a few noble boys who were watching Terra closely as she walked towards me, her with a worried face and them with a hostile, confused, or shocked expression.
'She really does just ignore her admirers, huh?' I thought as I remembered once, a few years ago, when she returned for the summer to the Rondo estate.
Erik, her father, asked if she had any admirers, and she annoyedly said she did, but they were all cowards, more focused on failing to try to intimidate any boy she talked to than get within 10 feet of her.
They don't even emit bloodlust, so ignoring them was easier than one would originally think. She could honestly not look at them and forget they even exist within 2 to 3 minutes.
And I couldn't really disagree with her, seeing it for myself.
"Jack, what was that?" Terra asked as she reached me, snapping me out of the memory.
I shook my head clear and looked up at her.
"This book is a spirit artifact, an item that became a pseudo spirit after a while. It protected me from Orin's last attack," I said, lying a bit about the book.
Zek looked at me, confused. "What do you mean by 'protected you from Orin's attack'? The protective charms were in place."
"Not sure how, but he broke the protective charm." I shrugged as I took out a healing potion from my storage ring.
'I don't normally drink these, but my body hurts too much to care.' I thought as I pulled the cork and drank it.
Zek and Terra paled.
"Th-that isn't possible," Terra said. "Those are high-grade magic items made by fourth-year enchanters! Orin can't use magic; he shouldn't be able to break the charm."
I felt some of the pain subside as the potion started to work.[2]
"I know. But that is what happened, and I have no idea how," I said as I slowly started to get up with Ark's help.
Terra frowned and got to thinking, but I interrupted her.
"But that doesn't mean I can't find out," I said, grabbing my spear and putting it in my ring. Thankfully, I was still able to walk with a little soreness that was quickly fading.
"Huh?" She looked up at me as I walked over to Orin's sword.
I picked it up, careful about the weight, and examined it, checking for any signs of abnormal magic or other reasons the charm broke.
"Book, begin appraisal," I said in a whisper, making sure that only my friends and Terra could hear.
Terra looked at the book in wonder. "You told me about those before! I thought you said they were broken or something?" she asked.
I tilted my head slightly. "I said they wouldn't work for a while, not that they were broken."
I told Terra about them a few years back when she found them once. I gave her the whole spirit artifact story and how it can cast [Appraisal] and take down notes, not the more dangerous abilities or how it's tied to my true nature as a primogenitor.
She took a moment to think and shrugged. "Maybe. It was a few years ago, so I don't remember fully. But at least you have them back now."
I nod and say, "Thanks." Then I noticed Zek and Araki staring at me.
"Yeah?" I asked.
Zek looked at the books, then at me. "I have seen the books before, but never got the chance to ask. What are they, and can they really use [Appraisal] magic?"
I nod and set up a soundproof barrier.
"They are actual spirit artifacts, like I told the professor. Mainly, they are just notebooks that can help me write things down and run calculations for me while I am focusing on other tasks. They can also cast [Appraisal]. It's able to focus on multiple targets, too and even provide more information than normal.
"There are some more special abilities they have and such, but I plan on keeping that to myself," I said.
Zek nodded and looked at the sword. "Do you think the sword is what broke the charm?"
I shake my head. "Not sure, but I thought I should try anyway."
The book paused and flipped itself to an empty page.
{No magic or abnormalities detected on the sword.}
"Hm. What about the charm?" I asked.
{[Appraisal] commencing.}
Nodding as I continued to talk to my friends, I decided to also have a third mind talk to the book, as I had a question about earlier.
^Earlier, when Matthew asked about how you stopped the attack and how you intervened. How much of what you told him was actually true?^ I asked the book telepathically as I studied the charm.
^some parts but not all: all 3 books are aware that we are indestructible, but not that we can nullify the force from attacks. At the moment, the priority was to ensure you remained unharmed.^
^Well, I appreciate the help, but why? The attack was strong, sure, but it wouldn't have killed me. A few broken bones at worst.^
^Factoring in the current situation, known information on the shadow, and that your expected recovery time from an attack of that strength, even if in optimal settings like meditating in a spirit forest or layline convergence, it would have been at a minimum, 3 days.^
'Ah. So it is capable of thinking about that. It acts so much like a computer, I guess I forgot it is fully sapient. Kind of feel bad about that.' I thought to myself.
Shaking off that thought, I responded, ^And the shadow is expected to move within 2 days. Good thinking, and thanks.^
^Affirmative. Fighting the shadow requires you to be at full strength in body, mind, and soul. However, there is also what's happening in the arena basement that may be a factor/problem.^
^The basement? What's going on down there?^ I asked, looking at one of the larger gates.
^Unknown: I detected a faint pulse of magic earlier around the end of the fight... Notice: [Appraisal] complete^
'That was fast.' I thought.
^PROBLEM DETECTED!^ it said, sounding panicked.
^What's wrong?^ I asked, worried.
^[Appraisal] of the charm is complete. The charm was dispelled by an anti-magic spell or artifact. The spell only affected a certain area but dislodged mana from matter, making it hard for you to sense it since you were focused on avoiding a serious blow in the physical realm and not magical.^
^When did the anti-magic spell activate?^ I asked, already knowing the answer.
^I'm sorry for not connecting things earlier. The spell was cast just before Orin's charm broke.^
"GGGRRROOOOAAAHHHH!!!!!" A deep guttural roar came from the gate.
"There's a troll in the basement!"
-
(Sorry, these explanations are long.)
[1]: The books are not written in a language known in Primus. This allows Jack to use them without anyone being able to know what he wrote.
Languages follow a similar system to they do in D&D, where there is a language specifically for most races, but also a common language simply called Common. Languages like Latin or English do not exist there.
Jack uses Latin for his custom spells and such to prevent anyone who doesn't know the language from guessing what the spells do. And even if he meets someone from Earth, it is very doubtful they would know Latin.
As for the books, all mages use some sort of code or made-up language for their spellbooks to prevent others from stealing them and their research. Jack does the same with the books, using some made-up language. (Sorry, I never mentioned this before. It slipped my mind.)
-
[2]: Healing potions are not instant healing. They simply increase the body's natural healing process in both strength and speed. However, this comes at a cost of needing energy, as energy cannot come from nothing.
For us, when our bodies heal, it would take energy like calories from food, excess fat, or even muscles, depending on what is available. During the natural healing process, the body would use small amounts of energy over a certain amount of time.
However, when a healing potion is taken, the whole process speeds up, causing more energy to be used in a shorter amount of time. When the energy left over from food is gone, then the potion will use the excess fat in the body, and when that is gone, it will break down the muscles. After that, the potion will likely just kill you.
Depending on the potion, and if the drinker is flesh and blood or magic, mana could be used as an alternative energy source, but the resources are rare and expensive. Jack's body might be modified by spirit magic, but he isn't at the point where mana could be used as an alternative.
This effect was shown back at the start of the book when Terra and her parents found Jack in the woods.