As my mind comes too my vision clears as I rapidly blink my eyes to help focus them rubbing the bridge of my noes with my left hand. I begin to sit up from where I was laying down my right hand pushing into the soft grass and dirt. Shaking my head as things begin to focus I hear the sounds of soil being tilled, a crackling fire, boots steeping on the earth and plants and what sounds like a raven cawing nearby. Snapping my head up I take in the area around me.
I seem to be at a green campfire under a red moon. In the center of a field in the middle of the night a raven is sitting on a scarecrow to my left and stopped cawing as I look at it. Standing up I turn around trying to make sense of what is happening last I remember was the light when I touched the stone in the Pendant.
As I try to focus I hear a voice speak with a soft whisper like voice that cracks almost like it has not been used in years. “So it appears my guest has awoken welcome Thomas Lincoln I am to be your guide it seems. Please come sit with me so we may speak young man.” Slowly turning I see a Man step forward. His hair is Grey and goes to his shoulders framing a pale grey face with pointed ears peaking out from beneath the strands. His eyes are a deep green and seem alight with energy as his sits down next to the fire. Meanwhile he wears clothes that are simple breeches and a brown shirt covered in dirt and grass clippings in his left hand is a simple metal hoe.
As he sits while I watch him I look around a few more times noticing that the twin moons are not within sight. With a frown I turn my body to the right and keep my left hand at my waist ready to summon flames to defend myself. As I do the raven hops off the scarecrow and places itself on the mans right shoulder.
Once ready do I finally speak, “Who are you and how do you know my name? Also how did I get where ever here is.” I question the man trying to conceal my nervousness.
With a smile the man speaks, “Do not worry young Thomas the explanation is simple this is a vision of sorts your body is perfectly fine standing in front of what ever fragment of the Divine Plaque you resonated with. I am, hmm, I suppose you can say a guide to help you, and the one who will bestow your class on you. So please sit this vision will last however long you need for time is something we have in spades here.” The man waves his hand across from him at the other side of the fire and I watch as the ground parts allowing a flat rock to rise in a seat.
Pausing in my actions I look at his face for a few moments then at his tool and finally the stone in front of the fire. Before making my way over and ease myself down onto the stone surface. If he wished to harm me nothing I could do would matter the way the earth responded I felt no mana from it. It would mean either his control is impeccable, or he is so strong that his mana is all around us constantly and dense enough that I cannot tell the difference when he casts or not. Neither option is a good sign for a fight in my favor so its best to follow what he says.
As I settle in he nods before speaking once more, “I’m sure you have questions but please allow me a moment to explain first. This vision is a event all who are bestowed a class experience. Whether through the Plaque, the Obelisk, or a Revelation all will experience a vision. However as each person is unique everyone's vision is as well. In order to aid in forging your path an individual is assigned a guide to assist them during this vision.”
As he speaks I frown before interrupting, “Who is assigning guides for people and why have we never been told about this vision before? Also how were you selected to be my guide?” I question him instantly.
The smile on his face grows a bit more and he answers, “I’m afraid the one who assigns the guides it is something I do not know, back when I first gained my class I had a guide as well and they were not aware either it is a mystery. As for the vision that is a bit harder to explain, The visions do not remain with you after they happen due to a disconnect with the body and soul. All that will remain is a vague impression, and a question that I will give you to define you’re journey.”
He pauses for a minute to let me process that over a few seconds. Then continues, “As for how I was selected i suppose it has to do with the journey I took a part of it resonates with your soul in a fundamental way. Also I was told by my own guide he mentored a dozen others in the past but for myself, I have only mentored two other individuals besides you Thomas. I suppose this might also come as a surprise but everyone of us who acts as a guide has reached a point where our journey ended in some way.”
“Wait let me get this straight, You are a dead man helping to guide me because of how I think and my soul.” I speak skepticism clear in my voice.
He looks at me for a moment then laughs for a solid minute before he winds down into chuckles before speaking. “I apologize for laughing but you make it sound so simple but also slightly wrong. When did I say I died rather I said my Journey ended. It is up to you to find what that means for yourself but safe to say I am not quite dead.” He speaks with a small smile on his face and shoulders shaking slightly.
I spend a few moments to try and make sense of what he means by the fact he is not quite dead. Is this man saying he is Undead, or stuck in some state between life and death. The other part that is bothering me is that he is a guide but if I can not remember this meeting how will he help me after this meeting. Deciding not to worry about that for the moment I think it would be best to focus on what I’m here for the bestowment.
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Taking a deep breath of the night air I ask, “So if you are here to aid me how may we go about this? You said you would give me a question I assume you already have a idea of what to ask?”
The man just smiles and responds “I am afraid it is not as simple as that. It shall be a bit of a test and discussion on yourself and values you hold. Once we reach a strong foundation and I settle on a question that will guide you I shall. But until that point it is best to take it slow after all time is no issue.”
“Now for us to truly begin why not introduce yourself and tell me what draws you too your path so far.” The man requests
Taking a moment to decide I eventually nod, “Fine, My name is Thomas Lincoln, I’m 18 and what has drawn me to my current path.” I trail off for a minute grimacing as I recall the storm and screams around me as the cart I was in accelerates while being pelted by arrows. “I want to be able to protect those around me and find my place I belong even if I have to go down a path others would not.”
Keeping a steady look I stare at the man across the fire watching his reaction. His face is calm with small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His green eyes seem to light up as he gazes at me almost becoming ethereal.
After a minute of silence he finally speaks, “I see a powerful drive with a common but one that is something everyone desires.” He chuckles this time before gazing at the red moon above, “I have always wondered is it those who accept the common desires who gain greater might or those who desire higher things who reach the heavens. But now I see why I was chosen to be your guide more than even my own mentor was mine.”
With a wave of his hand the Elf like man causes the flames before us too swirl and form a image of a skeleton. Looking at the floating image I spot several marks and feel the connection with it coming to realize that Flint is now being examined.
“A intriguing creation young Thomas, while it may seem rudimentary too infuse your affinities into your creation I am sure you recall your mentor informing you that it is anything but.” The deep green eyes trace every detail and as he waves his hand the bones dissipate into energy flows tracing the color of the man.
“A fluid core of death with veins of fire is incredibly potent and the earthen shell keeps all that power contained in a dense package. Your natural affinity towards earth is impressive enough but still second to your death affinity makes it work properly. If your fire affinity overtook the earthen one the skeleton would collapse under its own explosive strength.” The break down of Flint is impressive enough but the implications on my affinity is confusing.
“Excuse me but I though fire was my secondary affinity. Also my fire affinity is stronger than my earth affinity because off how often I use it. The earthen shell is also the outer layer of my core so I thought that was my third affinity do you believe differently?” I explained too try and find clarity in what he means.
The Crow caws before taking off as the man shakes his head smiling. “I am afraid that might be a common misconception based on how a core is built. A cores foundation is the primary and if you have a second it is the shell however a third affinity in a core is placed where it will provide the best buffer between the energies. If you had a wind affinity then it would be the outermost layer while water would intermingle with the earthen layer.” His words are concise but no less shocking.
“For now however that will be enough lessons I cannot tell you everything if you wish to grow. The knowledge of a cores layout is important enough to bend that however. For now we must move onto why you are truly here.” The grin that forms is soft as the man looks to the sky a blows a strand of hair off of his face and runs his hand to smooth his hair back. “Tell me Thomas what do you think the purpose of the Awakened undead are?”
At the sudden change I stare at the man for long moment before shaking my head to consider his words. From what Elrich taught me there are three major types of undead, Animated, Wild, and Awakened. The Animated are the most obvious as they are raised by necromancers. Wild appear in times of great death and tend to attack everything living. But the Awakened are the rarest of the group fully sentient undead that can begin as either Animated or Wild and tend to form small groups and interact with the living before vanishing. When they appear wild undead tend too calm and cease attacks on the living and vanish with the awakened leading to many speculation and small amounts of fear.
Looking at my hands and the dirt I give my answer. “The awakened are a mystery one which has stumped many necromancers and cleric. They seem to evolve from a standard undead but at the same time can be created by practitioners of necromancy only rarely however.” Pausing I consider what we know and give a hypothesis I had from the memory of that night. Watching from the cart pulling away as a warrior in grey with a dozen weapons in his body fight off bandits as zombies rise by his side. “Personally I always thought they had a purpose to mitigate wild undead's presence and keep them from rampaging but I also had a small suspicion they are meant for more what it is I do not know.”
As I look towards the Elf I see the fire has taken on the memory from the night I lost my mother and I see the same grey figure clearly his gaunt skin pale and stretched as he grasps the body of bandit and it withers away. The Elf's face is both alight with glee and his eyes burn brighter than every increasing by the moment.
His voice begins to echo around me in a whisper as the flames burn more and the figure in the image stays solid. “Then Thomas Lincoln I charge you with seeking thus. To go where death reigns to seek the awakened and find the place of balance. Your quest is hard and the goal is anything but simple. What is Undeath's Purpose in the Cycle? Now head forth young Acolyte and seek your answer””
With that last word the flames collapse and the last I see is the Elf’s radiant smile and the nod of the wight with piercing green eyes as it salutes towards me. Then the world goes dark and a I feel a soft cushion beneath me as the memory slips away like water with only a question and the glow of the eyes remaining. As I open my blurry eyes I see the other newly bestowed and hear a sharp ringing in my head as pounding of feet is heard outside the door.
Should I switch to third person POV or stick with the first person POV?
