Pivot of the Sky

Metatro smartly stopped digging . Amon said he was mage, then let it be . After all, it was useless to talk about it here . He poured some wine for Amon and looked at him with eager eyes .

The caveman’s wine was made from fruits found in the mountains . It was sour and opaque, but it had a special sweet aftertaste that was not present in other wines . Amon drank the wine and asked, “Your great-grandfather was a priest of the Marduc Shrine, but his final message violated the oracles of the shrines . What’s your take on it?”

Metatro thought seriously and answered, “He had obtained the divine power in the shrines and gotten the chance to practice the magic, becoming a sixth-level mage . He had given out his oath to the shrine, and his hard training for the extraordinary feat and enjoyment . If Marduc really exists, my great-grandfather owes him nothing . He’s gotten what he deserved . ”

“Who told you this?” asked Amon thoughtfully .

“My grandfather told me . That was what my great-grandmother had said when consoling him . She also said that if Marduc had saved my great-grandfather, we should especially thank him . If not, it’s normal that a man finally face all that he experienced . ”

Amon nodded, “Your great-grandmother was a great woman . It was unfair that your grandfather lost the position of priest, but what your great-grandfather has experienced had nothing to do with Marduc, if he ever exists . As for learning magic, without the shrines’ permission, it’s against the oracles . What’s your opinion?”

Amon was now a sorcerer himself, so he definitely wanted to know Metatro’s view on it . Metatro smiled and answered in a low voice, “Do you remember those Ironbacks when you saved me? They were using some skills that resembled magic as well . Which shrine had given them a permission to do so?”

Amon smiled too, “Mister Nietzsche has learnt his first magic from your ancestor’s scripts, to which he was grateful for . His gratefulness will be my gratefulness as well, I can teach you magic . Since you are an advanced warrior, you have already awakened the inside power . You should know that you cannot practice magic and body arts at the same pace . ”

Metatro saw hope in Amon’s words, so he immediately stood up and greeted, “I know that perfectly well . Since I am advanced warrior though, I can have a second awakening . Perhaps I can awaken the divine power . This way, I can learn some primary magic and that would already be great . If I have the chance to be a great warrior, I…”

Amon cut his speech, “Don’t go too far, let’s get back to the awakening . I want to awaken your power in a very special way, though it might be difficult for an advanced warrior . If you succeed, you might experience some tests, and it may take a considerable amount of time before you can achieve a higher level of body arts . ”

“If only you taught me magic, I would take any risk and price for it . ”

Metatro’s choice was wrong and right . The two ignorants now got together for an impossible thing . In every shrine in each country, only fifth-level or higher level mages could host the rites to awaken the divine power . Also, only a great mage could host the rites for advanced warriors .

It was only a very special case that Gabriel could host the rite for Maria . Maria was the candidate of the Adoratrice, and Gabriel was an advanced mage besides being a great warrior . Thus, with the help of the Gods’ Tear, Maria had succeeded . Hardly anyone could copy her methods to success . As for a second-level mage hosting the awakening rite for an advanced warrior, that was something which has never been heard of in the continent .

None of the above was in Amon’s knowledge, since Crazy’Ole had never told him . Metatro never had the chance to learn about magic, so naturally he knew nearly nothing . However, the rite that Amon was thinking about was not those typical ones held in the shrines . Since he knew nothing about them, he decided to awaken the power of two sides for Metatro . He said meditatively, “I can give it a try in my own way, I cannot guarantee anything though . You should’ve know that very few people can actually awaken the divine power . Wait a few days . I’ll find you when I’m ready . ”

“I will be plenty grateful as long as you are willing to give me a chance . If I do not succeed, it will only prove that I don’t have the luck, and I’ll be able to give up with peace . ”

Crazy’Ole had told Amon that he might as well teach others with the way he knew if he ever wanted to confirm it . Normally, Amon would not do it, but Metatro was totally voluntary, and with great enthusiasm at that . Hence, Amon thought that there was no loss in trying . However, Amon didn’t expect that he would have a second volunteer for his experiment this quickly .

Metatro didn’t leave after expressing his gratitude to Amon . He smiled awkwardly and said, “My dear mage . The cavemen here call you the gods’ emissary . Their headman, Lynk, told me that he was willing to offer all his efforts for you . In fact, he was urging me to ask you if he could be taught as well . Now that you have agreed to teach me magic, may I ask, what price would he have to pay to be your student? ”

Metatro deliberately avoided asking whether Amon would be willing to teach Lynk . Though Amon did not think much of it . Herding one sheep was no different from herding two, he replied, “I can give him a try too, but I’ll need to talk to him first . Let him come and have a talk with me . ”

Lynk was waiting just outside the door . He bounced in with joy after hearing Metatro calling for him . Amon and Metatro had just finished the terrine of wine, and the meat at the corner was gone too . Who knew how Schrodinger managed to stick it into its stomach without being scalded by the burning hot stone . Amon let Metatro leave the room, and proceeded to talk with Lynk . They chatted a bit about the tribe and Amon found that this tribe had a delicate relationship with Duc .

This tribe was the largest and the most powerful one in this mountain . They occupied the entirety of the high terrain with the most prolific woods for picking and hunting . The most important reason that made them incontestable for other tribes was that they knew how to forge iron products . There were more than a furnace in the biggest hole .

The skill had been passed on for generations . Lynk’s great-grandfather’s great-grandfather had learned it from outside . He used to be captured in wars between tribes, and got sold to a town far away as slave with his peers . They were trained to mine, smelt and forge iron . They were forced to work hard in very poor conditions .

They stayed twenty years in that town and had learned many things . Lynk’s great-grandfather’s great-grandfather managed to become a small head in the mine in charge of several other slaves . He finally found a chance to flee with some other cavemen . Since then, the iron smelting skills were brought to the tribe and passed on till now with the whole story . However, no one knew how to write in this tribe, so the story was just passed down verbally .

Reciting it to Amon, Lynk asked nervously, “My dear emissary, can I still learn the divine magic if I don’t know read and write?”

The answer would be a standard “no” in the shrines . Amon thought for a while and answered, “You still can, but it would be harder for you, with many troubles . You’d better learn to read and write . ”

On hearing Amon’s answer, Lynk felt almost jump up with excitement, and he fell to prostrate, “Thank you my dear emissary, thank you for granting me the opportunity learn the divine magic! My tribe is at your service any time . If I am asked which deity has blessed me the divine power, I will definitely say it’s God Amon!”

His last statement scared Amon . He was still in the dark for solving the secret of deity . Now this dwarf just gave him the title of god as if it were a piece of rock! Amon shook his hands, “You don’t have to do this . I can’t even promise you a success . It depends on you too . I promise to give you a try because I had already promised Metatro . But I have the impression that you already know a little magic . You have a magic staff!”

Lynk raised the parangon-implanted bone, “This is the elder wand . I did know a little of what you call magic, which has been taught from generation to generation among the elders . Only the one who masters it can become the elder . ”

Lynk knew a bit of magic, the earth magic . He could apply the most basic and simplest earth magic without having much understanding of it . Since there was no written record of it, he did not know how his ancestors got to know this magic .

……

Amon stayed with the cavemen in their tribe as the gods’ emissary, although he was basically treated as an actual “god” . And he had two students to teach . After several days of meditation, Amon brought Metatro and Lynk to a remote place in the forest and told them secretly —

“No matter what you have learn, I want to begin with the initiation rite . You two, especially Metatro, try not to think what power you are going to awaken . Divine power or bloodline power, it does not matter . Forget it all . Forget that it’s your second awakening rite too . Imagine that you’re starting from point zero . ”

“The awakening of power is accompanied with the awakening of desire . The desire may come from the body as well as from the soul, it’s manifested in both sides . You have to learn not to be subjected to it . First of all, you should learn to focus and look into your mind and body . Pray to this Terroculus, I shall lend it to you two . You can take turns to use it by day . ”

“Lynk, you have to remember that you should train your body like the brave men in your tribe do . Or you can learn martial arts from Metatro . As for Metatro, you must forget the differences about magic and body arts . You are just waking up a power, the initial key point is to attain a serene balance by only focusing to your inner self . There’s no need to question which god it is given by . Of course, it may be very hard to pray without a specific god to pray to . ”

Lynk tried to make some compliment, “Not hard, not hard at all, just pray to god Amon!”