Chương 4: Omnimancer 4: Naked One

Jax followed closely behind Nimashi as they circled around the massive base of Luxspire Peak. To his credit, the snake flew pretty fast. A little over seventy miles an hour, though if he wasn't mistaken, Nimashi was speeding up when Jax matched his velocity. It was as though the snake refused to accept that Jax could match him. It escalated to a point where the snake was visibly struggling to go any faster, writhing as it slithered through the sky.

Jax didn't have the heart to tell him that ninety miles an hour was less than half his top speed, which he knew down to the mile thanks to the [Speedometer] he'd picked up from the Utility section for a mere 10, 000 Aurum. Along with [Altimeter], [Compass], [Minimap], other useful passives like [Threat Radar], which highlighted the relative danger level of any nearby lifeform in shades from white to red, and [Weakpoint Targeting], which showed vulnerabilities on anything he wished to attack.

As for the relatively leisurely speed, that was fine by him. His oxygen mask and snow goggles might have made the otherwise-brutal wind bearable, but any faster and the windchill would get uncomfortably cold. At least he didn't have to worry about Nimashi being too winded to defend himself if a beast attacked. This close to the base of the peak, monsters were few and far between, and the serpents in the air all bolted the moment they saw Nimashi. Which was weird, now that Jax thought about it.

They never got out of the way for him. Quite the opposite, actually—the monsters up high had largely ignored him, while the ones at the bottom always made a beeline for him, thinking him easy prey. It was always their last mistake. You'd think they'd have learned eventually, but he supposed dumb monsters would be dumb monsters. Jax followed Nimashi all the way to the eastern face of the mountain, where an ocean stretched to the horizon. The same one that Jax had seen from high up.

Without even glancing back, the serpent dove straight into the water.

"Shit," Jax muttered, hovering above the waves. How deep does that go? He couldn't tell. And though he had oxygen, it wasn't a diving setup. The regulator wasn't watertight—it wouldn't let him breathe underwater. Just as he thought Nimashi had abandoned him, the serpent broke the surface, cocking his head and blinking in a surprisingly adorable gesture.

"Is something the matter?" the serpent boomed.

"Uh… just give me a moment," Jax replied as he brought up his HUD, joining the School of Water for a lowly 40, 000 Aurum. Welcome to the School of Water. For entering into this school, you have gained a permanent 25% boost to your Lux regeneration rate. Congratulations! You have reached Level 578. Previous Level: 574. 4 Levels gained. Congratulations! For learning three Elemental Schools of Magic, you have earned the Boon [Triple Elemental].

Triple Elemental: An exceedingly rare breed, Triple Elementals stand in a league of their own. The Goddess Luxor bestows you +50% potency with all Elemental Magic. Pyrohydro, Biohydro, and Electrohydro spells are now available. Jax had scarcely begun to appreciate just how much he enjoyed seeing the levels tick up and the boons roll in when the u nderstanding of water flowed into his head.

Its bond with Life, its devastating synergy with Fire, its fearsome kinship with Lightning—all of it poured into Jax's mind, nearly overwhelming him. There was just so much there. So many possibilities. So many insights. Jax shook his head. There would be time to ponder all that later. He scanned through the short list of spells under the School of Water... only to find the spell he wanted missing. There were spray spells, spells that created a deluge of water... but nothing that let him breathe underwater.

Luckily, the hybrid multischool section had what he needed. One that belonged to the Tier III combined Biohydro school, costing 80, 000 Aurum. Congratulations! You have reached Level 586. Previous Level: 582. 4 Levels gained.

"Shol'ven nav'ma ai, nev'ko te'lem vaan, ve'sholaa ven'nav rek'zholen!" [Aqualung], as the name suggested, let him breathe underwater. Apparently indefinitely, according to the description, and like the other multischool spells, there were thankfully no [Lesser] and [Greater] variants to eat up his precious Lux Bux either. Jax chanted the spell, half-expecting a second pair of lungs to grow on him. When that didn't happen, he deposited his yellow 8000-meter suit, boots, and thermal long johns into his inventory.

He ignored the serpent's judging eyes as he stripped.

"Ready."

"Then follow me, No-Longer-Yellow Jacks. It pleases me that you have accepted the glory of your pink bare form and glittery eyes." Jax replied with a wry shake of his head. The snake oscillated between sass and depression so fast it was giving him whiplash. Wait, glittery eyes? Just in case, he summoned the snow goggles from his inventory and stared at his reflection.

"Holy shit," he muttered, staring at the iridescent wellspring of light that shone where black irises and pupils should have been. Aside from the white of the sclera, his eyes had turned into a kaleidoscope of rainbow-colored light. As shocked as he was by the transformation, even through the distorted reflection of his goggles, they were mesmerizing. Too mesmerizing. Were eyes like that normal on Wakanya? Not one of the monsters he'd seen had it. Did its people?

Jax was forced to shelve his thoughts when Nimashi dived. Stowing his goggles, he followed, icy salt water slamming into him like a cold plunge. Refreshing, in a way—it was the first real bath he'd had in weeks—but he'd much rather prefer a long, hot shower. Without the salt. Then there was the matter of breathing, which he suddenly realized he'd already been doing subconsciously.

He'd thought he would have to fight every instinct in his body to force himself to breathe underwater, but surprisingly, there was none of that. The spell must have been compensating for him. That, and probably a whole list of other things to make the experience livable. Handy, that. Jax got a move on before he lost Nimashi, following him deeper and deeper.

The massive snake could swim far faster than he ever could, and it wasn't long before Nimashi returned, offering his back Without even a second of hesitation, Jax took him up on the offer, grabbing one of his scales, securing himself to the beast's back as they surged downward. Yelping with glee and surprise at the sudden acceleration, Jax held on with every ounce of strength as they dove deeper. Colors disappeared one by one until only blues made it through, bathing the ocean floor in monochrome light.

Just as he was marveling at how different everything looked, Jax spotted movement in the distance. Golden dots. Just a few at first, then hundreds, then thousands, all lining the walls of some deep underwater chasm that plunged into a black abyss. It was when they then dived into that chasm that Jax realized those dots weren't natural at all. There was an entire city down there. A city of intelligent beings. The chasm walls were peppered with the lights from abodes carved into the cliffs.

And at the bottom, translucent airdomes grew crops of all sorts. Water-people with webbed hands and feet swam this way and that, peering intently at Jax and Nimashi with oversized, slitted eyes, but otherwise leaving them alone. More and more lights appeared as they swam, and Jax realized this wasn't just a city—it was a full-blown metropolis. Based on the unending sea of lights and the hundreds of domes, Jax guessed the city was home to several hundred thousand. Maybe even a million.

What kind of people lived on the ocean floor? Jax wondered. What were their day-to-day lives like? Their culture and technology? And how did they develop that way? It reminded him of that lake last night—the one that had seemed so magical, so placid. The more he saw of Wakanya, the more his thirst to explore it grew. Deep underwater, following a shady serpent into gods-knew-where, he felt giddy with excitement. What else was down here? Monsters of the deep? More civilizations?

Did these water people have other cities, far off in the abyss? His curiosity nearly drove him to let go of Nimashi and check it out, but reason won out in the end, and he stayed put as Nimashi slipped into a hole in the chasm wall. Maybe the snake would have some answers. They swam through winding tunnels, illuminated only by the blue light radiating from Nimashi himself, until they surfaced into an air dome.

Bright lights flickered on overhead as Nimashi flew up into the cavern, curling up on a hill in the distance while Jax struggled to pull himself ashore. At first, he thought his feet slipped on loose sand, but that wasn't it at all. It wasn't until he stood on the shore, staring down at the plethora of oddly shaped objects that poked his bare feet, that he understood. Coins, goblets, plates, bowls—there was an entire hill of the stuff. All of it made of... copper.

"This, uh, wouldn't happen to be your hoard, would it?" Jax asked, almost fearing the answer. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Behold!" the serpent declared, swinging his neck across the cavern, beaming with pride.

"The great Nimashi's hoard! Is it not the finest hoard your eyes have ever seen?"

"Uh, yeah. Absolutely," Jax said. It was also the only hoard he'd ever seen, but he didn't feel the need to let the depressive dragon know.

"I, er, see a lot of copper. You wouldn't happen to have any gold, by any chance?" Maybe in one of those other rooms? Jax wondered, peeking behind the serpent to the two connected chambers full of what looked like more copper. Nimashi turned to him as if he'd just uttered heresy.

"Gold? Gold? What use would I have for that overly shiny and gaudy metal?"

"I don't know," Jax said.

"I just figured if you were going to hoard something, it'd be gold. Or maybe silver?"

"Useless trinkets. Copper is, by far and away, the best. What use would the great Nimashi have with gold?" the serpent said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, you know what? You're absolutely right," Jax said, taking a seat on the pile of copper near Nimashi and holding up a coin.

"Copper is definitely the best." The snake nodded.

"Indeed. You understand now."

"Right. So, you wouldn't happen to be able to answer some questions for me, would you?"

"You will spare me?"

"Uh, well I—""I shall bequeath to you my entire hoard. My life's work. My hundreds upon thousands of hours of toil."

"This is your hoard?" Jax asked, peeking again at the other chambers nearby.

"This one room is your whole hoard."

"Y-yes?" the serpent replied hesitantly. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you? Jax thought, chuckling to himself. Still, he felt a twinge of guilt about robbing him blind, even if it was just a third of everything he had. Much like a dragon, this was clearly very dear to him. And even if Nimashi had tried to kill him earlier, nothing bad had actually happened to Jax. And while Nimashi clearly had issues, he didn't seem so bad. He could've just ditched him when they got to the ocean, after all.

He'd chosen not to.

"Tell you what," Jax said.

"I'll just take half of your hoard. How's that sound?" The serpent's eyes went wide. He slammed his snout down in front of Jax.

"You are most kind, Naked One. I will remember this act of kindness. Thank you. Thank you so much. Ask me any and all questions. Nimashi the Wise shall answer."

"Alright then," Jax replied.

"What can you tell me about this area?"

"What would you like to know?" the serpent asked.

"Well," Jax said, "it's been a while since I've done an inspection around this area. I'm checking to see that everything's in order, you see."

"An inspection?" Nimashi thundered.

"Under whose authority?"

"That's, uh… Luxor's. Of course."

"Oh yes, yes, of course," Nimashi said quickly, quieting down.

"Indeed, my brothers and sisters diligently patrol this area in the name of the Goddess."

"I don't doubt it," Jax said, closing his eyes and giving the snake a knowing nod.

"And by 'this area,' what do you mean exactly?" The ancient serpent looked at Jax inquisitively before replying.

"I speak of Luxspire Peak, of course. The tallest in the world." Jax nodded.

"Yes, of course. And your duty?"

"To prevent anyone from accessing the summit, as per the Goddess's orders." Well, isn't that curious, Jax thought.

"Right, right. Good. You've done a good job of that," Jax said. The serpent raised its neck proudly, tongue flicking. Not too tough to impress, Jax thought, but that worked for him.

"The Goddess truly appreciates the work you've done here," he continued.

"Did she tell you why she gave you that order?" Nimashi hung his head.

"I'm afraid I am unworthy of knowing the thoughts of the great Goddess."

"Aren't we all?" Jax said.

"Now, if you'd hear me out on a few more of my questions…"

"Indeed, indeed," Nimashi said.

"Ask away, Naked One."

"The nearest big human settlement. Can you tell me which one it is?" The serpent blinked.

"I beg your pardon, but the affairs of the lessers are not my concern. You know how they are, living their short lives—here and gone before you know it. The blink of an eye."

"Very true," Jax said, nodding seriously, wondering if the snake had simply forgotten that he was speaking to one of those humans.

"Short lifespans. Such a pity indeed. I don't suppose you'd know what language they speak, then?"

"That too seems to change so often. I care not for the affairs of the lessers."

"Uh, right. The lessers. Hard to keep track when they just keep dying, you know?" The serpent shook his head sadly.

"Such is their lot."

"Look, do you at least know which direction I should head to get to the nearest big city?" Jax was wondering what this snake did know. For a creature that claimed to have lived for centuries, he wasn't exactly a well of information.

"Oh! This I know!" Nimashi replied, as though he'd been thinking the same thing.

"Head due west, and you'll run into a smattering of them, I imagine. Perhaps about a hundred miles from here." Jax nodded. That lined up with what he'd marked down earlier. West it was, then. Before Jax could ask him anything else, the snake suddenly bowed his head.

"I… I fear I have failed terribly, Naked One. I have grown too weak, as to fail even at your weakest spell. It is unacceptable—truly unacceptable." The serpent smashed his head down on his hoard so hard that coins went flying. Jax stood up and extended his arms.

"Whoa, whoa! No need to beat yourself up. I was, uh, testing you, after all."

"Truly?" the dragon said, peering at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah! Of course. You know that thing I said earlier about it being a weak spell? Well, I just meant weak for someone as strong as me. I'm pretty sure that was at least a hundred times more powerful than what any human could come up with. Really."

"You speak true," Nimashi said, nodding to himself.

"Humans are weak creatures, after all." There was an awkward pause, and Nimashi averted his eyes.

"Then… am I fit to continue serving the Goddess?"

"Oh absolutely," Jax said, patting the snake's snout.

"Tell you what. I'll uh, put in a good word with her because you've treated me so kindly and all."

"Oh…" the serpent's voice cracked. Were those tears welling up in his eyes? Jax kind of felt bad for taking anything of his at this point. He was kind of stupid, sure, but also innocent.

"Now tell me," Jax said, "why is it that you can talk, but your brethren higher up on the mountain don't? Would've saved me a lot of hassle."

"My brethren? Oh, you mean those Horned Serpents. They are nothing like me." Jax stared at him blankly.

"Well… okay," Nimashi admitted.

"There may be some resemblance between us. Distant, at best. But the fact remains, my poor brothers and sisters lost their minds seeking power. Do you have any idea how lonely it is with so few of us? Not that I'd want to see old Gurangatch's withered snout more than I have to. I tell you, just because he's ancient doesn't give him any reason to neglect personal hygiene!

""Stinky old people are pretty gross, yep."

"You understand!" Nimashi bellowed.

"Truly, why is the world so uncouth?"

"You can say that again," Jax replied with a chuckle.

"Truly!" Nimashi thundered, easily twice as loud and completely missing the joke.

"Why is the world so uncouth!?"

"Uh, yeah. Yep. You got it," Jax replied with a wry shake of his head. Some people…Or horned serpents in this case.

"So you're telling me that getting stronger makes you go insane?"

"It is the sad truth," Nimashi said, nodding his head.

"I'm afraid it is the inevitable fate for all of us who seek too much, who grow too greedy—as the Goddess wills it."

"As the Goddess wills it," Jax echoed, frowning. Did that apply to all creatures? Or was this just a quirk of Nimashi's species? And why would Luxor allow something like this? Mysteries upon mysteries, and Jax doubted he'd get the answers from his friend Nimashi here. The conversation turned to lighter topics, and before he knew it, they'd chatted a full hour.

He had, of course, peppered the snake with various questions about the local terrain—details about the countries and the surrounding lands—most of which turned out useless. He also asked Nimashi whether people being summoned from other worlds was common, but again, the serpent had never heard of such a thing. Nimashi only knew about his people and the mountain, though he was happy to go on at length about the gossip in the Horned Serpent community.

It seemed old wives and mythical monsters shared more in common than Jax had ever imagined. Maybe it was because he was just happy for someone to talk to, but Jax felt a kinship with this snake. When it finally came time to leave, he found himself feeling a little sad.

"Well, Nimashi, it's been fun," Jax said, petting the large snake's snout. He placed a hand on the hoard and willed it into his inventory. He'd been wondering if he'd have to pick up each coin one by one, but no such hassle was required. Half the hoard vanished in less time than it took to blink, and Nimashi flailed in the air as half of his long body flopped unceremoniously to the ground below. Jax glanced at his inventory.

"Thirteen million, two hundred forty-six thousand coppers… not bad." He looked back at the snake, who eyed his missing hoard longingly.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know if these humans convert copper into other forms of metal, would you? Like silver or gold?"

"Gold again?" Nimashi said, looking almost disgusted.

"I'm afraid not."

"Figures," Jax replied.

"Well, friend… I admit, it was good finally talking to a friendly face," Jax said, and he meant it. The days alone and on the run had taken their toll—nevermind the whole 'transported to another world' thing. With some reluctance, Jax bid the great horned serpent farewell before diving under the water once more, through the tunnels and out to the home of the Qalu water people, as Nimashi had informed him they were called. He tried to commit as much of the route to memory as possible.

To explore that culture, of course. Definitely not to check in on the old snake from time to time. Surfacing, Jax aimed west, landing only long enough to put on his clothes before circling around Luxspire Peak, heading for the nearest human settlement. He had a whole world to explore, and no speed was fast enough. Nimashi watched the Naked One disappear into the water. What a strange creature. To think that yellow form was so far diverged from the truth of him.

Nimashi could never have guessed how different the strangely named 'Jacks' looked underneath. So much like a regular human with those sparkly eyes and pink skin, and he'd become more visible, too, and Nimashi puffed his chest at the thought. What being wouldn't be enriched by his presence? Did all humans have pink skin, though? And those eyes… Come to think of it, hadn't those clothes felt familiar as well? It reminded him of another, but who? Someone important, surely? Someone he'd met?

Nimashi dredged through the haze that was his faltering mind, eyes glazing over, but the memory eluded him, and he slumped upon his hoard, exhausted from the exertion.

"Can't be that important if the great Nimashi can't even remember them," he muttered, chuckling to himself. But what a curious human that Jax was. A Trimancer, at the very least…. It set Nimashi's mind at ease, having lost to him. Truly, this Jax was a worthy servant of the Goddess. The thought of it filled Nimashi with guilt, though it swiftly gave way to pity. The pathetic human didn't know that Nimashi had not just one, but two other hoards. Nimashi's laughter echoed through the cavern, booming and maniacal.

Pitiful human indeed. Servant of the Goddess or not, lessers were all the same. For him to be duped so easily… But then, why did the knot in Nimashi's chest tighten at the thought? What was this sensation? He sniffed, looking around at his hoard. Was it just him? Or did his copper no longer seem to shine quite as brightly? Nimashi gazed out at the empty pool where the human had once stood. It had been an enjoyable chat.

He idly wondered if he would cross paths with the small naked human again, but he knew he was not worthy. Not worthy to accompany the little Archmancer. Not qualified to take him upon his back. Truly, who was the pitiful one now? The ancient creature's eyes glinted in the dark as a spark lit somewhere deep within his great chest. A tiny thing, to be sure, but undeniable. Perhaps it was time for a little change of scenery, after all. Yes. Yes, that sounded quite nice indeed.