Astrum Irae

I guess I'll add in some content to this one-sided conversation.

"So, it seems that I should not mention I currently don't belong to a religion."

"Actually, it can't hurt. We believe that any other other religions are false, but we don't force it on others. In other words, it's Empyreanism or nothing."

"That's nice. Then, for now, I'll withhold any religious practices until I settle down. Well, I guess it's my turn. Simply put, my body appears to be near-indestructible. I don't know why or how, but it is and I plan to exploit that fact as much as possible."

"Wow! If that's true then you could really prove to be indispensable at this fort."

"Yeah, but keep it under wraps. I only told you because we traded info. Also, if it's okay with you, I'd like to ask a few more questions."

At this point, we haven't seen anything other than forest. I'm a bit curious how far out we are from the fort.

"Alright, I'll keep a secret for you. Ask away."

What a nice chap. I'll definitely help him out if the need arises. Speaking of helping out, I wonder what the fort and military are like. I want to ask, but I suppose it'd just be more fun to wait and see for myself.

"I have some questions about the magical side of things."

I draw out my words hesitantly in a questioning manner.

Let's keep it vague for now so if there really isn't any magic I won't look too crazy.

"Oh, you don't know about magic?"

"Does it exist?"

"Absolutely! I'm taken aback that you don't know anything about such a fundamental part of all of the inhabitants of Empyrea's lives. I don't use magic recreationally, so I'm not too knowledgeable about it. At the fort, we have some magicians who can help you out if you're interested, though. I can, however, explain the common knowledge stuff. The earth contains mana, which gives everything life. Mana exists most everywhere, much like the air we breathe. Mana can be used by people's bodies to create magic spells, which can scale from small sparks to the current strongest magic spell, which is [Overheat]."

"[Overheat]? That sounds curious. What is it?"

"[Overheat] is, from what I've heard, a combo of fire and air magic which creates a pocket of unbearably hot air wherever the caster chooses. The reason for its power is that it can be formed around an enemy's head, instantly causing blisters and burns. If the spell isn't interrupted for more than a few seconds, the liquids in the head boil, causing the entire head to secrete pus and blood. Of course, causing an unbearably painful death."

"Wow, that's crazy. You mentioned fire and air magic. How many others are there?"

This info is good, yet there's a nice feeling of disappointment welling up deep in my chest. Why hasn't large scale magic been developed yet? I'm rather worried such a thing isn't possible for humans. Hopefully, the prerequisites for AOE magic just hasn't been developed yet, and it'll show up in the future. I'm rather looking forward to seeing an entire legion being wiped off the face of the globe. Well, that'll come in time. For now, I shan't skip the basics.

"Air, water, fire, earth, and strength magic make up the main 5 magic schools. Most of those have only barely been discovered and are very weak right now. In fact, only fire and strength have been developed for combat purposes.

"In the capital, there's a district where the 5 universities of each school are located. There, they research and make new spells in efforts to strengthen their school."

Hmm… this is quite interesting. Oh what am I kidding, I'm ecstatic right now. I would really like to know the capabilities of each school, but of course, that's not possible.

"What exactly does each school do?"

"Well, I don't know the capabilities of each school right now, but the schools about physical things allow users to manipulate and create the materials of each school. Strength magic increases the user's physical strength, such as defense and offensive power. All the exemplary soldiers use simple spells from this school in battle. In fact, what you have going on is like an extreme form of [Shell], a defensive spell."

Wow, so every school has a broad range of capabilities. I'm guessing that there's branches in every school, too. I personally am rather interested in throwing a lightning bolt at someone.

So, we have physical reinforcement and elemental magic. Any of the schools could destroy a world with enough power if you think about it. You could become OPM, flood the world, delete all of the air, liquidize the planet, or create violent earthquakes until everything is gone. Well, a human body probably couldn't handle that much mana running through itself.

"Hey, by the way, I never caught your, uh, name mister."

"Oh, it's Syfeid. May I ask yours?"

Oh, crap. I haven't thought of a new name for myself yet. I would love to refrain from using my previous name, as leaving that life behind me would be preferable. Hmm, I guess I should go for something with power and meaning. How about Rigel, the star. It's short and has meaning. Perhaps not in this world, but it does have meaning.

"I don't remember my name, however from now on I'll go by the name Rigel. Nice to meet you, Syfeid."

"Nice to meet you, Rigel. Ah, great timing. This, my friend, is our base. Its name is Fort Crusade. Ironically, we didn't name it. It was taken from Dreida."

As he said that, I look up to where he is staring and see a large fort built on top of a hill just above the rest of the forest's trees. It is just a couple hundred yards away, and we should get there in just a few minutes.

"You may think it's small, but the main body of the military is stationed a few miles back. This fort is used for mere recon."

"May I ask why the Dreidans didn't collapse it during their retreat?"

"That's because our covert forces silently took down the entire base in 1 night, from what I've heard. It was a few years back when this happened so the information has gotten a bit scrambled."

Covert forces? Taking down an entire military base in 1 night? This country might have some rather scary people hidden away. It's best I don't get on the country's bad list after all.

We approach the gate the leads into a mine-like hole in the hill where the base was. There are 2 guards stationed outside, and they seem to be talking as we arrive, and stop to address us.

"Yo, Syfeid. Nice to see you alive and all, but who's this?"

One of the guards questions us.

"This is Rigel, he was looking to enlist here to help the war effort so I led him back here. And don't worry, he's not Dreidan, I confirmed that."

Did you? I did ask some rather obvious questions but couldn't anyone? I feel like there's a strong lack of security right now. Perhaps he has some method unknown to me, whatever.

"Alright. Did you tell him that we're about to charge those bastards within a few weeks?"

Woah, that guard has enlightened me to some vital information. All the time I have to hone my skills is a few weeks? Well, it's not impossible. I'll at least get used swinging a sword around in that time-frame.

"There wasn't a need to. He's plenty prepared, haha."

No, I'm not! Whatever, I'll refrain from saying anything unnecessary.

"Well, a few weeks is a bit short, however, I'll prepare as much as possible until then."

We walk into the opening, leaving the guards behind. It is dark, with only the light from the entrance to guide us through. After walking straight for a couple of seconds, Syfeid stops and takes a right hand turn into a small opening in the rock.

"Here, there's a ladder here."

After saying that, he started elevating through a hole in the ceiling. I follow after him and feel suffocated by how small the hole is. With the rocks behind me occasionally jabbing into my back, I continue until I feel that the ladder has ended.

"Here, now turn around and grab onto the ledge."

This is certainly very complicated. I do as I was told as pull myself up onto said ledge and see another entrance similar to the one we arrived in ahead. Syfeid starts walking towards it and opens it to reveal a familiar base.

"We made this secret entryway that even the Dreidans don't know about. The main gate is on the other side of the hill, so I took you through this way. Well, let's go. I'll introduce you to the head of the fort."

"Alright."

The head, huh? Well, I should be able to be let in despite being young. I'm probably already an adult by this world's standards.

We pass many more guards on our way in and weave our way through to the commander's room. Syfeid knocks and opens the door to reveal the man himself.

"Hey, commander. I'm back from recon and I can report there's nothing amiss."

"Alright, thank you for your report."

The commander is an older fellow who looks to be about 55 or so. He's sporting a buzz cut with his blond hair. He doesn't have anything else of particular notice, though.

"Oh, but who's this young chap, Syfeid?"

"This, sir, is Rigel. I found him out in the woods without his memory. He wants to enlist here for now."

I suppose that's a sufficient introduction for me. Let's be polite now and introduce myself properly, though.

"As introduced, I am Rigel. I don't currently have a surname and wish to help in the war effort. I can use a very strong [Shell] spell but that's it. I also have no history in swordplay to my knowledge."

I took a sharp bow and keep my head held low. Hopefully, my honesty won't get the best of me here. I personally believe that lying is wrong except for situations where it truly benefits me. After all, if it's to benefit myself then I will gladly throw away my morals. I did withhold the information that I really only want status, obviously.

"Is that so? Well, I have no reason to decline if Syfeid declares you're not a spy. Come with us to the courtyard I'll we'll see your ability."

Success.

"Yessir."