Haven's Addiction

After a few days of rest I woke up refreshed and alert like I had never felt before. Not only that, but I was buff. Not just a few pounds lighter, but completely ripped. I had a six pack, pecks, and arms that weren’t toothpicks. It was like the Spider Man movie where Peter Parker wakes up after being bitten by the radioactive spider and sees himself in the mirror as a much more buff physique than when he went to sleep. I spent the better part of the day trying to figure out the cause of the sudden change.

Granted a full week of 24/7 physical training had been intense, but would it really include that drastic of a change? Muscles grow by being pulled and stretched to the point of cells breaking, and then growing back stronger than they before. The healing potions and spells that healed my various injuries in the Danger Room weren’t localized. I doubt they could tell the difference between torn muscle cells and a cut on my arm. A rigorous workout that would normally take a couple days to heal from was taken care of instantly. I essentially got several months worth of physical training in a week.

I still continued to utilize the training room on a daily basis, but now the majority of my time went into their massive library. Not only was the library gorgeous, but insanely huge; like the Library of Congress huge. I was informed by the librarian that the Gold clan had amassed one of the largest libraries in the entire world. Again it seemed that whoever sent me to this world put me in just the right place. They transported me to the exact location where I could get all the equipment I would possibly need at my brother-in-law’s stash. (I’m sure he wasn’t appreciating it very much right now with the Graxis knocking at his doorstep and his weapons cache gone.) Then I was placed right in the hands of someone who would pay me a kings ransom for what I had. Now there were the resources of this castle at my disposal.

Not only did it have the premier in training facilities, but also the greatest wealth of knowledge I could possibly find all in one place. The books were written in a language I had no hope of deciphering on my own, but thanks to the glasses Fenton provided me with I was able to read every single book available. I couldn’t do it for more than a couple hours at a time without developing a terrible headache, but quickly learned how to pace myself so I could get as much information massed as possible.

From what Drognaus said, I was certain of the accuracy of what the Mystic told me. I wouldn’t be able to bring back any of the items I procured when I returned home, but I would retain all of the knowledge I gained. The library was my Holy Grail, I just needed to drink up enough of it.

The keeper of the Gold library was a veritable genius, and possibly insane to boot. She was a strange young lady who dressed very eccentric. The choices in clothing were bizarre in both color and material, even for Haven. Her features were very slender and came to a point, everything from her long fingers to her pointy chin and ears. At under 4 feet tall she resembled what I would expect a fairy to look like, minus the wings.

The rest of her features are difficult to describe because they changed on a daily basis. Each day brought something new, and nothing ever seemed to be repeated. She apparently had as weird and eclectic a wardrobe of colors as she did in quantity of styles. They were all bright and multicolored too, exactly what you would expect from a fairy. Both her hairstyle and color changed on a daily basis as well. After the first few days I thought she wore wigs or dyed it daily, only to find out that she used magic spells to conduct the changes.

Her personality was sweet and bubbly, always willing to help. She was not at all like the stuffy bookworms and old maids I associated with the library. She was more like the kind of person you would meet when out clubbing at 2 in the morning. Although her passion for books and knowledge vastly exceeded any librarian I ever heard of.

As the sole occupant who attended to the library, she had an in depth knowledge of every book there. While she didn’t know exactly what each book held, she was like a walking card catalog. By simply asking her what you were looking for she could point you to a list of books and their exact locations in the library, and she was always spot on.

While she came off as being perky and innocent, there was a serious side to her that could be downright scary at times. When I first came to the library she gave me a tour with her sweet melodic sing song voice. Then I made the mistake of asking right away about any information they had on the Graxis. At first I thought she was going to have me thrown out of the library. She stared me down hard enough to make me cringe. I swear I think her face momentarily turned a weird shade of purple. Then she got downright scary. She gave me scowl so evil and heinous that I immediately apologized, backpedaling as quick as I could, asked about something else. She wouldn’t speak to me the rest of the day, which was probably for the best. Since that glare she gave me looked like she was about to shove a pen all the way into my eye sockets far enough to write on the back interior of my skull, I wasn’t about to push it any further at the moment. Like I said; scary.

It took prodding Drognaus the following day to make any progress in getting her assistance. “How am I going to learn anything about saving my world if I don’t have access to the information?” I asked him.

“My apologies,” he said. “Security precaution. Aelwin is our Guardian of knowledge,” he put particular emphasis on the word ‘guardian’, “and some information in the library is strictly classified.”

He followed me into the library the next day. “Give him access to all information concerning the Graxis,” he informed Aelwin. “But nothing more.” I couldn’t help but wonder what else he held back, but at that point I was too excited to be finding books on the Graxis to care.

She complied instantly with a perky smile and led me to them. It reminded me of a computer giving a friendly tone after providing the correct password to gain access. I was excited at first, but it turned out to be more of an inside joke than anything. In the books she directed me to there were never a mention of the Graxis by name. The closest any text ever came referred to them as ‘the scourge of the realms’ or ‘the parasites of the realms’ in several books on the history of Haven. Drognaus was right, Haven was so terrified of the Graxis that they wouldn’t even speak of them, as if saying the name out loud would make the demon appear.

Each of these books seemed to confirm the same thing, which went along precisely with what Drognaus had told me. The scourge traveled from world to world obliterating anything in their path, taking over that world, and then moving on to the next. They carried a strange mix of magic and science that was unstoppable. As a result the two were never to be mixed together again. Since Haven favored magic, science was effectively banned. While there were no actual laws prohibiting the advancement of science and technology, the collective fear of those few who survived the wrath of the Graxis was so great that it became an unspoken rule.

The Graxis looked to be an unstoppable force that would eventually consume all of existence until two people stood in their way. Not much is said about them, and I haven’t found anything that disclosed their names any more than the names of the Graxis. In a world devoid of magic and reliant on technology, much like ours, the dynamic duo were a complete enigma. No books I found gave any indication that they knew where The Pair came from, but were grateful for their arrival.

The dragon and the man held off the Graxis invasion force just long enough to get survivors to safety. They then sought out the aid of 12 dragons from other worlds. Each of the twelve were of a unique species, each from completely different worlds, and each the most powerful of their race. Apparently an inter-species collaboration of dragons was completely unheard of, as some of them had been clashing as enemies since the dawn of recorded time. Yet they all had one common enemy; the Graxis. The fourteen of them took on the Graxis invasion force and annihilated them without abandon. The attack from dragons on a world that was supposed to be devoid of them caught the Graxis completely by surprise.

As it turned out, the Graxis put all their eggs in one basket. They went from one world to the next, dominated it, and took it over until it was no longer habitable before they moved on to the next world. Obliterating the invasion force was the majority of the Graxis that existed. Wiping out the rest was simply a matter of mopping up. Apparently they forgot to ring out the mop because a few of the Graxis must have survived in hiding for thousands of years, re-amassing their army before attacking Earth.

I could see why Drognaus and his crew were so intent on helping me now. The Graxis were very selective in choosing their targets, making certain they would prevail before the first attack ever began, which was why the surprise of the dragon counter-attack was their downfall. Beating our world would be a cinch for them, they had done it before. If I succeeded in defeating them, the threat would be over. If I failed they would use our world to expand their army so they could eventually be strong enough to take back Haven.

The history texts continued to fascinate me as I delved into them, trying to find what exact methods were used against the Graxis. The dynamic duo who started the whole counter insurgency seemed to disappear from the face of existence. It was as if they had swooped in from the heavens, summoned forth the dragons to repel the invasion, and returned from whence they came without a trace. As for the 12 dragons summoned, they chose to stay in Haven.

The Twelve were instrumental in rebuilding the world after the devastation of war. They weren’t just powerful magical warriors, but some of the most powerful magical beings in all existence. So powerful, in fact, that some texts speculated that they rivaled the gods themselves. The result of the conflict with the Graxis left the world in such a state that it was in complete ecological chaos. Volcanoes and earthquakes were set off all over the planet, completely changing the landscape. What should have left the world uninhabitable for hundreds of thousands of years was corrected in a few dozen thanks to the dragons magic.

The name Haven was chosen because the world was, from then forward, a save haven for all who suffered at the hands of the Graxis. After the rebuilding of the world, the landscape was finally habitable, but completely empty. Most of the worlds the Graxis dominated were left as barren wastelands in their wake, barely able to support life. All of these refugees were given a safe haven here. Haven was, quite literally, a blank slate ready for populating. Any trace of the old world, as well as the Graxis, was completely gone.

The rebirth and re-population of the planet marked a new era. After the ecosystem was stabilized, the first wave of refugees were brought in to celebrate year one of this new era. The Twelve were then the undisputed rulers of Haven for nearly two thousand years.

There were about as many rumors about the origins of The Twelve as there were about The Pair. Some theorized that The Pair were gods who created The Twelve at the time of the Graxis invasion, and kept them there to be the overlords keeping peace in Haven. The fact that Haven’s history is riddled with just as many, if not more, wars than my world, it seems that this theory was completely off. Most likely this theory was perpetuated by The Twelve to give them a sort of divine right. Either way, the introduction of hundreds of different sentient species from thousands of different worlds converged in one place proved to be a melting pot for disaster, no matter how noble their original intentions may have been.

At least they were smart in overcoming the language barrier right away by implementing the translators. Whenever anyone in Haven gains a full grasp on language, they are given a translator like mine. Even with this communication tool it didn’t stop people from fighting. The Twelve ruled as dictators, each controlling a dominion of their own territory. They would hold a regular meeting to discuss matters of state. It was at one of these meetings that a small group of rebels who defied The Twelve confronted them. No records I found seemed to know for sure what happened on that day. The only thing for certain was that The Twelve were gone. They vanished just as quickly as they came, without a trace.

The tyrants were gone only to be replaced with a multitude of other tyrants who were constantly at war with one another. Each species in Haven tried to claim their own stake of land and did their darnedest to protect it. Some of the dragon clans, kinsmen of The Twelve, tried to maintain order, but people were obviously tired of being ruled by dragons. Haven fell into chaos for decades. In looking at how much turmoil Haven had been in ever since, it seemed like The Twelve were the lesser of two evils.

It wasn’t until recently that the world began to be civilized again. They now had their own sort of united nations between major countries in order to keep the piece. The implementation of their court system was the major contribution of this new regime that seemed to eventually eliminate all wars. By using magic they could determine if any suspects brought before the court were lying or not. Sentencing would be swift and brutal, but incredibly accurate.

It seemed like I had come to a dead end in finding out any more information on The Twelve, but there was a plethora of info available about dragons as a whole. There are about as many different species of dragons as there are every other creature in Haven. Dragons seemed to live up to a lot of their stereotypes. The color of their scales not only indicated their species of dragon, but their abilities as well. Red dragons are resistant to heat and fire, breath fire, and use a variety of strong fire based spells. White dragons are resistant to the cold, breath supercooled air, and use cold based spells. Yes, dragons use magic too, and seem to be in a league of their own. The most adept and powerful spellcasters in all Haven have all been dragons.

The physiology of dragons is amazing. They have so many traits from different animals that it is impossible to tell where they originate from. They have scales like lizards, are warm blooded like mammals, have wings like bats, and can breath underwater like fish. They are fast, incredibly strong, highly intelligent, powerful with magic, their skin is nearly impossible to cut, they rarely sleep, they can literally digest anything they eat, are immune to practically all diseases, and not a single dragon has ever been recorded to have died of old age. One popular theory about the origins of dragons is that they are pinnacle of evolution that every species will eventually attain if they survive long enough. Whether this is true or not, all of the books I found agree on at least one thing; dragons are at the very top of the food chain.

I did find a lot of useful intel on the creatures and species of Haven as well. In a world as mystical and strange as Haven, the creatures of legend and fables are as real as you and I. Werewolves weren’t just commonplace, but came in every sort of creature imaginable. There is a world out there comprised entirely of lycanthropes who can change into their animal form at will. Gone is the wolf man who is cursed to go on a killing spree every full moon. While it is possible to infect lycanthropy to another through exchange in bodily fluid, it is not at all like in the movies.

Even vampires exist that aren’t anything like the myriad of books and movies have depicted them. They are real living beings who survive on blood. They aren’t undead creatures who stalk the night seducing women, feeding on villagers, and creating more like them. They are a species of living beings like everyone else who are trying to make their way in the world.

Other creatures I read about in the library were far more than I could begin to describe. It seems the theory of creationism is correct about how intelligent life originated. God, the original creator, did craft man into his own image. Every sentient creature I came across in Haven seemed to confirm that. While Humans share their dna with monkeys, the other citizens of Haven seemed to be derived from other animals. Apparently the image of the original god is that of a bipedal creature, because that is the direction that each of these species took from their respective animal. It’s like he plucked each animal in existence up, altered it in his image, gave it intelligence, and placed it on its own world.

There are so many different species out there. Despite the vast number of different races, they really aren’t all that different from each other. Obviously they all look differently, but they all breath, eat, sleep, poop, breed, and experience the hardships of life just like the rest of us. Some are faster than humans, some stronger, some have sharpers senses of smell, sight, hearing, or touch, some can breath underwater, some can regenerate from injuries at an alarming rate, and some are much more adept at magic.

It continues to amaze me the more I learn about the different species of Haven, because despite their different physiology and cultural backgrounds, they really aren’t all that dissimilar. Just like the vampires who are simply wanting to survive and thrive. They aren’t bloodthirsty monsters that stalk people in the streets at night in order to survive. Well, some do, but no more so than in any other society throughout the galaxy when in desperate times. The differences between cultures aren’t that far apart from our clashes either. There are still fights over who are the chosen ones, and most wars are started because of a clash in religious beliefs. You can’t trust an Orcin because they will rob you blind. Don’t let Gobliks around your children or they’ll eat them for dinner. Brenlings will cheat you out of every penny you have if you give them the opportunity. Stereotypes here are just like those back home, only with different names.

The most amazing discovery of all about the species here was the fact that there are humans, and quite a thriving number of them. Although it is hard to tell now because the gene pool has been deluded between species that are compatible with so many half-elves, half-dwarves, half-orcs, and even half-halflings (which would make them what, quarterlings?), that defining a specific species lineage would be a challenge. If it was possible for me to be here, then it would make sense that other humans could make the journey as well. There have been people who have disappeared without a trace throughout history, it would seem plausible that they ended up here. That would explain what happened to the Myans. Maybe they saw what was coming, found an opportunity to go to Haven, and took it. If their calendar really did show the end of the world, it wasn’t that far off. Hopefully I can still prove them wrong.

I spent every day in the castle with a rigorous routine. I would start at the library doing as much research as I could tolerate through translation lenses. Since nobody was allowed to remove any of the books from the library, I went through the text as much as I could. Aelwin made it abundantly clear that anything removed from the library would result in swift and immediate retribution. In all honesty, after the initial inquiry about the Graxis, she scared the living crap out of me, so I was never tempted to try my luck at sneaking a book out. After leaving the library I would trade off between meditating to enhance my Psionic abilities, taking lessons from Erik, the mage in charge of mystical instruction, visiting with Q about his latest concoctions, and running training scenarios in the Danger Room before going back to the library until my brain hurt again.

My rounds in the Danger Room were usually at the end of the day. It took longer to get suited up and be fully prepared to take on a scenario and usually left me physically exhausted afterwords. While I could have used the vitality elixirs again, I didn’t want to overtax my system. There was no telling what the effect of my week long stint using it had done to my body already. I didn’t want to take the chance that it could cause irrevocable harm and delay my return home.

The Psionic meditation progressed in leaps and bounds. I was exceptionally good at reading various energy signatures. I even learned what kind of magic a mystical aura resonates. While I hadn’t figured how to use any spells yet, I could tell what kind of magic was at work. Illusions, alterations, charms, wards, and invocation spells all gave off a distinct signature that could be read.

I also became very good at moving objects around through Psionics with some degree of precision. My biggest breakthrough came when I figured out how to move very large objects. I thought there couldn’t be much of a difference between moving small or large objects, especially when just launching it into the air.

One day I was in the Danger Room meditating in front of a large boulder the size of a beach ball, trying to get it to move. I could feel the energy of gravity holding it down to the ground. If I could apply energy as an opposing force to the gravity it would make the boulder essentially weightless. The mass of the boulder compared to a latex ball full of air shouldn’t have made a difference from a gravitational standpoint. I was able to provide a counter balance of energy over the top of the boulder encompassing the entire surface area against the gravity that was holding it down, but with limited success. It wasn’t until I applied the balance to the underside of the boulder that I was able to send it flying across the room with ease.

The reason I had such difficulty was the notion that gravity pushed down on the rock holding it to the ground, when in all actuality the gravitational force was pulling it down. As I refined it, the force needed to counter gravity became much simpler. Instead of summoning a force of energy equal to the force of gravity, which is pretty insurmountable, I was able to create a sort of energy shield around the surface area on the underside of the desired object. The shield didn’t make the object immune to the effects of gravity, but worked more like an umbrella forcing gravitational energy to go around the object. With that shield in place I could fling a Buick across a stadium like it was made of paper. With practice I applied that same energy shield I created to make an intangible shield against other forms of attack. Not only could I now throw large objects around like the Hulk, or send it flying on it’s own through telekinesis, I had a way to protect myself from physical attacks.

My lessons in magic, however, weren’t yielding as positive results. I put too much unconscious effort into applying scientific theory to the concepts of magic. For the most part the logistics of magic made sense to me, but apparently I was over thinking it because I just couldn’t grasp how to make it work. Much like with Psionics, I felt like I was on the right track, but looking at it the wrong way.

Sensing and channeling magical energy I got, it wasn’t that far away from Psionics. They were like AC and DC currents, different frequencies of energy but still electricity. I just couldn’t seem to actually channel the energy in the right way. For example, a simple spell to start a fire. I could do it with Psionics by agitating the molecules in the desired object to the point that they ignite. With magic I had to channel the energy through something that would act as an ignition source, like a piece of flint or a chemical component, in order to release the fire. Erik said that there were ways the spells could be done without a catalyst, but that was for advanced spell casting I wasn’t prepared for yet.

I could make the fire, I wasn’t totally inept, but I couldn’t focus the energy properly to make the spell work right. When using it on the candle the whole thing would either go up in flames, set something else in the room on fire, or would just warm it up without sparking ignition. One time it even had the opposite effect. I somehow drew all the heat energy away from the candle and ended up freezing it solid.

My research into how magical items worked went better than my ability to cast spells. I think I’ve got it figured out, and as soon as I could get the spell angle handled I would be able to put together my own magically enchanted items in no time. The possibility of this kept my going, despite repeated failures, through many sleepless nights. I still slept only a few hours a night and filled my time in in the wee hours with research and experiments.

Magical items really aren’t all that different from technology. Just like Psionic energy, it is a different way of using it. Take for example a magic wand that can shoot balls of fire on command. First you have a wooden wand, organic materials seem ideal for some reason. Something to do with life energy having once passed through it. Then you need a power source, a sort of battery that holds a charge of magical energy. Then all throughout the wand a series of intricate runes are carved into it. While the runes look artistic, they are actually functional. Each of the runes on the wand are like the pieces of a circuit board. Each piece serves it’s own purpose. They aren’t just carvings either, they have a specific spell cast upon them as they are carved. When all of the enspelled rune components are connected together in just the right order with the power source, they create the desired effect, just like the circuitry on a computer. I am certain that once I get the spell part figured out I will be able to follow the blueprints of enchanted items already created to make my own, and boy are there a lot of blueprints to choose from.

In researching the recent history of Haven it seems more and more like my world, but with magic replacing technology. The advancements and uses of magical items have become quite commonplace. There are everyday household items that are magical equivalents to what can be found back home; stoves, storage cabinets like my bag of holding, self cleaning cookware, nonflammable light sources, home defense charms, and even transportation devices that flew or levitated; which would explain why the carriage I took around New Haven City was such a smooth ride.

I arrived right at the boom in magical technology in Haven. Someone recently come up with a power source for magical energy that is stored in a special crystal, much like a battery. This has revolutionized how magical items are made. It used to be that placing energy into the vessel was the most difficult and dangerous part of the process, but not anymore. As a result, people are experimenting with their enchantments like never before, learning that magical items can be mass produced by having each individual component created separately, assembled, and then connected to the power source. I got here just in time to see Haven’s version of the industrial revolution.

Even their court system uses magical items. A triumvirate of judges each bear ‘rings of truth’ that allow them to tell whenever a person is lying, putting criminals on the fast track to prison; effectively eliminating long lines in the judicial system, drawn out court proceedings, and innocent people being imprisoned. When someone is accused of a crime they are brought before the judges and are simply asked if they did it. It’s difficult to imagine what my world would be like if we had a court system like that. No one would dare commit a crime. If they got caught they would definitely be convicted, and quickly. Haven truly is a paradise; it’s a world without lawyers.

All of my work has apparently paid off. Drognaus came to inform me that they have a very important mission they are sending a team out on, and they need me to be a part of it. Tomorrow I will be heading out on a real life mission. There will be no Danger Room safety precautions to keep me from getting killed this time. I feel like I’m in a role-playing game as a first level character about to head out on my first quest. Unlike the RPG’s I used to play on my computer, I can’t go back to a previous saved game if things go horribly wrong. Every mistake I make will be there for all time, just like Drognaus kept telling me.

I definitely won’t be able to sleep tonight.