Surviving The Myriad Worlds (A Multiplanar LitRPG)

"This sounds serious," Dante said nervously.

"You could say that, but give me a moment before we go into it." Pauwna began rummaging through a bag she had left by the door while he watched in confusion. She eventually came up with a strange object. A metal egg covered with hairline cracks — though on closer inspection it was clear that the cracks were script written so small that several of the runes could be contained on a grain of rice. Pauwna set it down on the ground, where it balanced without any assistance. She grabbed the top and pulled it off with a twist, revealing the bottom of many smaller paper-thin eggs contained within like a matryoshka doll. She tapped a crystal at the center, then replaced the top.

"Our words are now shielded. To anyone listening, we will be having an inane conversation about our lives before this. For the record, you were a clerk."

Many thoughts raced through Dante's mind, many alarming. "Is someone listening to us?" he asked in a whisper.

Pauwna snorted, which devolved into wet hacking. He nearly stood up to try and help her and she raised a hand to forestall him. "You don't need to whisper. Even if you scream, it will not be heard outside the confines of this room. To answer your question, yes someone is listening to us. While we are on this ship you should always assume that. Probably after that too. After all, you have caught the eye of the First Princess. For quite some time, if I am not mistaken." She enunciated that last sentence carefully.

Dante felt the need to defend himself. "Ahzi healed me when I first came to this nation along with many other wounded soldiers. I didn't know that she remembered me until I addressed her in the battle. That was the first time I even spoke with her. Is that such a big deal?"

"Is it a big deal? Dead gods preserve me." Pauwna spoke the lost to the ceiling. "The Wʉlian Empire was the strongest in the known world a mere few decades ago and it was not close. Even in its diminished state, it is still a formidable nation with the potential to rise once again. The actions of its next monarch are watched closely. Including who they associate with. That makes you," She pointed at him, her sharp finger digging into his chest, "important to everyone in the royal court. And beyond."

"Ah." Dante paused to absorb that nugget of information. "With everything I had going on, I never had time to think about it. I never wanted anything like this."

"Too bad. Nobles will never let go once they get their teeth into you. And they won't let go until you are dead."

This was exactly what I didn't want to happen. I don't need any more attention or else they might figure me out.

"Could I run away? This was never my fight."

The look she gave him after that remark was a little sad and he belatedly remembered how much this fight meant to her. Dante regretted saying it a little, but was the truth. He liked Pauwna, quite a bit in fact, but it was the truth. He wasn't strong enough to effect the fight either way.

"Oh, was that your plan? I suppose it makes sense, though it would never work. The Wʉlian Empire has made keeping order in its ranks a science. Their enforcers are quite adept at finding deserters. You were doomed the moment you were healed by them and they acquired your blood. They have specialists that can track you anywhere in the nation. You are not nearly strong enough to escape them and No citizen would shelter you."

Thought as much, but had to ask. Guess I have to face my problems.

"Alright, I'll keep my head down and only talk when needed. I can't imagine that I'll remain the center of focus for long. Especially with this new enemy approaching."

"That's a good mindset, though doomed to fail."

"Why not?"

"Because you are an awful liar. Nobles focus on charisma and can judge you with barely a glance. I've heard the experience is similar to mind reading."

"That exists?"

"You won't have to find out unless you rouse their suspicion."

Dante's mind whirled. This was not a problem he had considered and was finding that he had no ready answer. There were too many unknowns. "I could raise my charisma?" he offered.

Pauwna shrugged. "Too little too late, though it wouldn't hurt. No, we must rely on other measures. Tell me that you at least have a defensive social skill?"

Dante opened his status and scanned through it before finding the skill he was looking for. "I have [Deception] at level 2," he offered.

The look on Pauwna's face was not encouraging. "That's better than nothing, I suppose. Funny that you have that when you are so bad it."

Pauwna walked over to one of the weapon racks against one of the walls and picked up a training sword. She smacked it against her palm, nodded to herself, then walked over to him. "Get up."

She can't possibly be trying to spare me right now? With those injuries? I do not doubt that she would win, but I don't want her to reinjure herself.

"Whatever you are planning, I can't use aura," Dante warned as he stood up. "I strained myself earlier and need rest. The healer also said I should strain myself too much."

"The healer is being careful, a luxury we cannot afford. Your injuries were not that serious and a quality healing potion would have basically fixed you up, much less the First Princess's personal physician. As for the aura, It's not what we are training now anyway. No, we will focus on other things. We have limited time, so the training will be multi-faceted. First will be strength training." Pauwna rapped her training sword against his knobby knee. Dante tried to swat it away, but she was far too quick for him. "I won't always be around to carry you when you are incapacitated by your ability. You need to carry yourself or find some other alternative. Fortunately for us, you are so weak that bodyweight exercises will suffice for now. Now drop and give me twenty."

Dante stared at her for a moment before receiving a swat to his ribs. "Try blocking that next time. I am moving at a speed you can react to. It will give you [Martial Arts] experience. Now do the push-ups or else I will double it."

This is going to suck, isn't it?

He obediently got into position. Thwack! "Ow! What was that for?" Dante rubbed his stinging rear.

"Your body should be straight as an arrow and your legs together. Your chin better touch the ground."

Making the corrections, he did the first push-up. Strangely, it was much easier than he remembered the last time he had tried this. Finishing the twenty left him slightly out of breath.

Surely having an increase of one strength wouldn't lead to this much improvement?

"Hmm, that didn't leave you as winded as I expected? Do you have a high endurance? Maybe twenty? No, twenty-five?"

Down came the sword and Dante managed to flick an arm towards it before he was stabbed in the pectoral. "Hey, what was that for?"

There is no way I can block her attacks. I can barely perceive them.

"You looked away from my face when I guessed right. I will give you credit for not looking away entirely. You have adapted to Sūnsian customs well. Remember to correct this flaw. Also, give me forty push-ups."

"How is this meant to increase my strength?" Dante asked as he began the first few push-ups. His next words were between push-ups. "I did hard labor plenty when I was on the battlefield and my strength hardly increased."

"A few reasons." Pauwna had found a cushion somewhere and was settling into it with a weary sigh as she overlooked him. "The food you eat on the battlefield is shit. Bad for strength training, good for energy. The food you eat here is different. I can smell the meat on you. Make sure to continue taking advantage of that. Also, the exercise you get on the battlefield is limited to a few muscles. We will be working on all of them. Lastly, your increased constitution allows your muscles to recover faster. They can be worked out more often without injury. Now tell me, are you a criminal?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Dante knew that he was being tested and kept his eyes still focused on Pauwna's. Apparently, it wasn't enough. Down came the practice sword again, and he was left with a new bruise on his back.

Why does everyone in this world like to smack me around during training? Is it all in service to some sick plot to level a skill?

"You may have not diverted your eyes this time, but you stared harder as soon as I asked the question. Don't change your behavior, that makes it only more suspicious."

I am so increasing my charisma when I level. I am tired of being read like this.

"How did you know?"

That had been one detail that he had not wanted Pauwna to know about him.

"I didn't know for sure, but it was small things. The way your fingers twitched when you looked at the screening artifact. You always look for the exits every time you enter a room. Don't worry, your past is your own. I do not hold it against you."

"Thanks. For not assuming."

She nodded and he finished his set.

And on it went. Pauwna would ask a question, Dante would inevitably do something wrong, and receive a strike. It was an altogether unpleasant process, but a worthwhile one.

[Deception] has advanced to Level 3

Eventually, Pauwna called for a break and Dante fetched a waterskin from his cabin along with the cheese and bread that the kitchen was willing to give him. More cheese than bread, in hopes of advancing his strength. They sat together and ate. Pawna only ate a few mouthfuls of both, which was in sharp contrast to her usual amount. Then spent the rest of the time with her eyes closed in silence. Dante tried to not let that worry him. Instead, he asked a question that had been bothering him for a while.

"How is it that I have been deceiving people for weeks, and yet [Deception] leveled only after a few hours of practice?"

Pauwna opened one cheek eye to regard him lazily before responding. "There are a few factors that go into leveling anything. The first is the level of your opponent. I am considered mid-high rank and you are low rank, so that helps. This is how nobles rank up their spawn. Usually, a high fee is charged. You should feel honored. The next important factor is unique situations. Using a skill creatively will give you a bonus. It is why we will be changing the training method tomorrow."

Silence reigned and Dante finished his meal. He was glad that he didn't have to eat in the mess hall with all of the other soldiers again. The first time had stressed him out enough. Dante wanted to break the silence but wasn't sure what to say. His eye chanced upon the scrambling artifact egg.

"Where did you get that thing from?"

"Can't say, it would put others at risk. Suffice it to say, that my organization had more allies than you might think and magic that transports objects is not uncommon."

"You must be someone pretty important to get such a thing so quickly after asking."

Pauwna gave him a pointed look and did not answer. Dante coughed into his hand, "Right, privileged information and all that. Sorry for asking. That said, could I possibly take a look at it?"

Pauwna looked baffled and a little cautious. "Why? Are you an artificer of some kind?"

Artificer huh? So that's what they call people who make things like this. I like the sound of that.

"No, but I would like to do it one day. Especially since magic has been closed off forever to me." Dante said with great bitterness. That was his second biggest regret concerning how things turned out.

Pauwna tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I hadn't considered that, but you are absolutely right. Your build is excessively defensive focused and it is too late to change that now without crippling yourself. Enchanted items could give you a dearly needed offensive boost. And you can do it entirely through skills, no abilities required. Though you will never be as strong as an artificer who has dedicated his build to it. However, there is one thing I am confused about. Why do you think you can never use magic again?"

"Because I have the [Mana Ascetic] trait, it locks me out of using mana." Despite his words, Dante felt a spark of hope in his chest. He had mostly come to peace with that fate over the last week, but the need remained.

"Ah right, you are correct in that you can never use mana to fuel your spells again. All of it has been reserved to fuel your passives."

The flame petered out.

"But you can still use stamina or health instead. True those abilities are harder to unlock and have other risks besides, but they exist."

The ember of hope flared into a raging inferno.

"Really? You aren't just saying so to encourage me?"

Pauwna looked taken aback by his enthusiasm. "When have I ever lied to you? And where is this coming from? I think this might be the first time I've seen you so interested in something."

Dante realized that he had drawn uncomfortably close to Pauwna and drew back. "Sorry. I guess you could say that it's something of a dream of mine. Magic is … uncommon where I am from. You could say it's something of a myth. I've always been interested in it."

"Don't apologize. I prefer you like this. In all of the time I've known you, you have always seemed — " Pauwna appeared to be searching for a diplomatic way of putting it. "Listless. Without a future maybe? Seeing you that animated about something? Well, it made you look striking."

That is rare. A compliment from Pauwna. And the look she is giving me … It couldn't be.

Could it?

Dante must have been misunderstanding things. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Another reason to increase charisma.

"So," Dante said more to break the moment than anything, "I wanted to ask your advice for my next specialization. It's for my … highest rarity ability"

"Oh?" Said Pauwna, smiling one of those smiles that made his stomach flutter. "Please do tell."

"I've got an option that allows the repulsion to affect my body and empowers it when I do so. It even reduces damage a little."

"This is pretty typical of the system. It always likes to offer an aggressive heel turn to defensive skills. As far as those options go, it's a pretty decent one. You would never near the strength of a martial class, but would be able to overpower any mage. The extra mobility would be nice, if your mind could keep up. The most valuable is the damage reduction. The system rarely offers that. It's a good option, but makes you more of a generalist."

"The second is called [Force Conduit], it's a little unclear but I believe it allows my aura to imprint on my surroundings and become semi-permanent — "

"No." The playfulness was gone again from Ren's tone. "That would be impossible to hide and you would never leave the capital again. Much less the nation. Are you determined to be imprisoned or something?"

"Ok, moving on. The last is the least impressive sounding and also a bit nebulous. It says that it integrates my mind with my aura and improves how well it works with my aura skills as well. Oh, it also lets me blend other auras into it."

"That one. Definitely choose that one."

"Really? What is so good about it?"

"Abilities that boost the effects of skills are always very good. It's like getting three advancements for one. Blending mind and body is better than you give it credit for, it will make using the ability more natural. You want to use magic, right? That will help boost you with that. But the true gem is the last one. Blending auras? Unheard of. Depending on the future auras you unlock, the potential is massive."

"With such compelling arguments, how could I not be convinced?."

Dante opened his interface and locked in the option.

[Overloaded Warding Flesh] has acquired the specialization [Force Paragon]

But Dante didn't see it. His world was expanding. [Force Paragon] had always fed him a stream of information, most of which he ignored. He didn't have the spare focus to take it all in. He wasn't even sure what most of the information was about. That had changed. All of those streams of information had become part of him, as natural as his sense of sight or touch. He could feel every surface in his aura, feel the individual gases in the air, and sense the presence of something ephemeral flowing through the cabin. It was still overwhelming, though not as bad as before. It certainly took less time to switch between senses.

And the aura itself, it was as much a part of him as his right hand. Dante stretched it experimentally and it rushed to his command. The things that he could do with this … It would make the flying spears look quaint.

"You look satisfied with your choice," Said Pauwna with a teasing tone. "And here I thought you didn't trust me."

Dante didn't have to turn to know the expression on her face. His aura relayed that information to him just as surely as his eyes did. He could even feel the texture of her lips. Dante pulled his aura back from her with a start.

Nope, that's going too far. I am going to have to enlarge the auraless space around people. Imagine if I did that to Svōl. I shudder at the thought.

"Yeah, you could say that."

They ended their training succession soon after that. Pauwna could not keep her eyes open and, with the help of his new enhanced aura sense, he was pretty sure she had reopened several of her old wounds. Dante helped her back to the healer's quarters, which were a few ship levels above them and towards the front, where they both got an earful from the team of healers there. Dante nearly was forced to stay in the infirmary, but he successfully argued that his power was disruptive to the other patients.

Ren was already asleep when he entered their room and he climbed into his bed. There was a letter on his pillow with a royal seal, but he placed it to the side. Dante was far too tired to deal with that. He couldn't even read it anyway. He groaned as his bruises and recent muscle soreness made themselves known. Pauwna had not gone easy on him. Dante soon followed Ren into sleep.