Wraithwood Botanist

"I guess I could just use my free requests to get the other two…" I thought aloud.

I had plenty of diamond-grade free requests. It seemed foolish to even consider turning down an epic reward when I could get the other a moment later. Moreover, after learning about the world and its magic, I might end up using my epic request to get a mana core tutorial.

Soul Manipulation was the best choice.

I chose it and got a notification telling me it was added to my tutorials tab. Then I went straight to it, skipping Equipment and Spells. I wasn’t overly excited—it just seemed logical. Before I could use spells, I needed to build a mana core, and getting equipment wouldn’t help me any time soon. There was only so much time in the trial. I’d look at equipment during the night.

I opened the tutorial window and chose Soul Manipulation.

—---

You are using a tutorial for the first time. Would you like an introduction?

—---

"Yes," I replied. I was expecting to hear Lithco’s sarcasm, but what happened went far beyond my expectations—and filled me with fury.

"Oh, so you’ve finally decided to listen to a person’s advice," Lithco’s voice said.

A man suddenly appeared in front of me. He was about average in height, had long hair—for a man—and wore garb I’d imagine Sherlock Holmes or an aristocrat would wear if the tailoring were contemporary. The outfit included a button-up t-shirt, a vest, and slacks, in addition to a pocket watch and his unbridled depression. He was slightly transparent liquid but otherwise had full color.

Something about seeing the man who acted super concerned and then put me onto a Level 500—or higher—monster really pissed me off.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Lithco said, talking outward instead of in my head, "my name is Lith—"

Kline used his Pounce with Sharp Bite skills to lunge at Lithco faster than I could see. He sank his teeth into the man’s thigh—but he wasn’t physically there—so Kline flew right through him. Yet he didn’t crash headfirst into a tree and embarrass himself. My cat landed feet first onto the bark, dug its claws in for traction, and jumped backward, swiping at Lithco’s back. He flew through again, hitting the ground, turning and snapping and hissing.

"Oh, joy, he’s just like you," Lithco drawled. "Learned behavior is truly the downfall of humankind."

I sighed and picked up my bristled cat, hugging him against my chest as Lithco walked over to a plant and picked it. It ripped off, but the original remained, leaving him with a duplicate. It was eerie.

"As you can see, I’m not real. The English term for this form is augmented reality, but let there be no mistake: my software mimics reality down to the most minute detail, so what you see is both true and fake. Now observe." Lithco pulled out a chair, table, mortar and pestle, and other equipment out of thin air, setting them up and sitting down.

I used Identify on the plant before he set to work and was disappointed. It was remarkably… ordinary.

—---

Perendia - Whorled Arrangement, Green Leaves with Black Spines on Stem

Poison Tier: 0

Poison Level: Mild

Key Facts:

Contains a natural oil used for repelling common insects.

…

Poison Facts:

…

—---

There wasn’t anything particularly flashy about it, but after getting the poison book, I understood that there was immense information I wouldn’t get from my current identify skill. I needed more books.

Still, the plant was remarkably… typical. It looked like any other plant in Earth’s forests, with a whorl design—the kind where there’s multiple leaves that sprout out from the same point in a circle. It was common to the point of being mundane.

"Tutorials turn me into your personal tutor," Lithco explained, "not only in words and notes but in person. It’s a dynamic process that develops over time, and the lectures I give are contingent upon the items and equipment that you have on hand." Suddenly, the plant in his hand froze through magic, becoming stiff and releasing white gas like dry ice. Then he put it into the mortar and started grinding it.

"What did you just do?" I asked.

"Nothing that you can do at this time," he said, "which’s the point. Now observe." He ground another plant that he pulled out of thin air and added a powder from a jar. Then he mixed water in it—and threw it against a tree. It burnt a hole right through the bark and beyond, creating a sickening sizzle of acidic smoke that smelled sweet and toxic simultaneously.

"W-What the hell was that?" I stammered.

"Something useful to have in a killer forest," Lithco replied dryly. "Get a tutorial for it, and I’ll help you make it. And as much as I loathe it, I’m forced to help you master it to the degree specified, no matter how many questions you may have about it. Now that the introduction is out of the way, let’s talk about soul manipulation." He sighed, putting his palm out. All the tables, chairs, and equipment suddenly turned to the size of miniature toys as they floated into his hand. Then he flicked them behind his head, and they disappeared through an alternate dimension.

Show off.

"Sit down," he said. "This will require your full concentration."

I nodded and checked the ground outside the shelter. No poison. No traps. I sat down.

"Every sentient organism has a soul," Lithco said. "On Earth, a soul is simply will itself—an identity mixed with the ability to think and feel and act independently. It’s essential, but it’s not tangible. Here—it is. Mana weaves our bodies, minds, and souls in a rich tapestry, allowing us to directly enact our will on the world. Close your eyes and repeat after me. Ch’e viara in tal’arvalis."

I tried and failed the first attempt, but after a few attempts, a dozen sighs, and at least two scoldings, I managed to say it.

"Good," Lithco said. "Now say it a few dozen more times."

"I can already say it… sorta," I grumbled.

"It’s not about being able to say it—it’s about using it. Just do it."

I frowned and closed my eyes, chanting "Ch’e viara in tal’arvalis" on an endless loop. Soon, my world turned into a soundless void, black and pure. I thought I’d disappear, but Kline put his paw on my leg, anchoring me to the world.

That’s when I felt it.

Kline.

Kline was a tiny house cat, but he suddenly felt heavier and larger, like a large dog lying on your lap on the couch. He also felt dominant and dangerous—what I imagined my tiny cat should be after watching him attack that enemy. This was Kline’s… soul?

Lithco’s voice suddenly cut through the darkness. "The soul is the ability to imprint your will on the world. It allows you to dominate and intimidate those with weaker souls. It allows you to communicate with animals and feel a deeper connection with your spirit beasts. It increases the intensity of your attacks. It is life itself."

Lithco suddenly came into vision, and he sat in front of me, holding a plant that looked like a cobra coiled or a whip rolled up. He sat it down.

"When your soul interacts with yourself, it’s called aura," Lithco said. "Aura allows you to increase the power or sharpness of your attacks, increase your concentration, and strengthen your body. But that’s only the beginning. The soul can force people into submission, communicate with people or beasts on a subconscious level, and allow you to shape the souls. This type of soul manipulation is called neara, and it is the basis of soulmancy. With this type of soul manipulation, your soul dominates another, shaping, taming, and cleansing it so that you can breathe it into living or recently deceased objects. Observe."

Kline suddenly appeared right next to him, a copy—a reflection. I could see Kline’s energy in an outline.

Lithco closed his eyes, and the aura around his "Kline" lost its form, turning into whisps, churning like semi-transparent, getting whisked in a bowl—painting white streaks over gray. Kline’s soul turned vicious during the process, snarling and snapping and biting, just like the animals in the Diktyo River. Only this animal felt alive—it felt like Kline. That made me open my mouth to scream, "Wait!" but no words came out.

The real Kline increased his pressure on me, reminding me he was still alive and well. Still, watching Lithco shaping Kline into a thin rope made me feel uncomfortable—terrified even.

"Once you forge the soul, you add it to a plant." Lithco whisked the soul into the plant, and the plant’s entire base shimmered with white light and aura. Suddenly, it exploded like a worm from Dune. I shot in the air and thrashed and struck and flailed wildly—violently—trying to break free from its soul. It was a far cry from the wandering reapers that felt alive—it looked feral.

"You’ve just seen me shape a soul and put it into a plant," Lithco said. "Now it’s a killer plant—but it lacks purpose or meaning. So it aches and hates. And that is something you cannot change with soul manipulation. Soul manipulation is only a stage of soulmancy—so it won’t help you. Not now. I would focus on alchemy so you can build your soul core."

My stomach dropped, left suspended above my aching hips. For some reason, I felt an irrepressible desire to learn soulmancy—to learn it over botany or science or poisons. It felt like going down this path would allow me to understand plants on a deeper level, cutting to the very essence of life itself.

Naturally, I didn’t need it now. It’s not like this powerful technique was going to disappear, and there were more pressing needs I needed to attend to. Still, there was a feeling of urgency burning within me.

"What else do I need?" I asked.

"A lot," Lithco said. "This path would take up every free request you get for decades—at a minimum."

His words pierced through my lungs, and I looked away.

"Normally," Lithco said.

My head shot up. "What do you mean, normally?"

"The best way to learn anything is through a Legacy. Legacies are the equivalent of having Einstein tutoring you on their uncompleted research. They provide separate quests and reward you with exhaustive skills, tutorials, spells, and equipment by completing quests that spur mastery of your study."

"How do I get one?" I asked erratically.

Lithco chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "You’d usually have better odds finding a needle in a haystack the size of Texas, but…" The blackness disappeared, and I found myself back in the area I originally woke up in, watching the wandering reaper attack. Then the scenery switched, and I found myself watching the Treskirita moving underground and the animal souls on the Diktyo River creating faces in the fog. "You’re a lone botanist in the Forest of Souls," he said. "Sick as it is, your situation’s pretty amusing and it’s captivated the gods’ attention—hence the legacy quest. So you’re in a prime situation—now, it’s just a matter of attracting the right god. In this case—a botanist god that specializes in soulmancy."

I balled my fists, trembling with anger.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

"It’s just… I get that gods are recruiting people for their armies so they’re watching people, but still. It pisses me off that gods are ’amused’ watching me suffer. That’s seriously fucked up."

"Then get a legacy," Lithco said apathetically. "The moment you do, only your patron god can watch you. Think of it like… you’re a cat in an animal shelter. People are window shopping, poking, prodding—judging you. Then someone finally adopts you, and you’re in their care. You go behind their doors and they’ll feed you and provide you with resources."

That sounded better. A lot better. "So how do I do this?" I asked. "Attract the right god?"

Lithco’s answer left an icy chill crawling down my spine—but it also made me buzz with nervous excitement.