A Strange Green Stone

Intrigued, Sora took the stone in his hand and observed it more closely: it emitted a faint light that illuminated the palm of his hand. It didn't seem to give him any strength, but he preferred to ask his system to analyze it to be sure.

“System0, use Collector's Catalogue on this stone.”

[ Negative ]

[This is not a species living on this floor.]

“Ah shit. In that case, use the Equipment Scan.

[ Affirmative. ]

[ EQUIPMENT SCAN ]

[ - Type : ___ ]

[ - Name : ___ ]

[ - Status : ___ ]

[ - Level : ___ ]

[ CAPACITIES ]

[ - ___ : ___ ]

[ SKILLS ]

[ - ___ : ___ ]

“Okay. So I'm not allowed to know. What the hell? I guess I don't have much choice, I'll have to ask someone for help, maybe Emma or Nerris will know what this shiny stone is for.”

Sora sighed, tucking the stone away in a pocket of his pants. This riddle would have to wait, and although he was frustrated that he couldn't solve the mystery alone, he consoled himself by telling himself that more experienced allies could help him figure it out.

Before leaving the clearing, he took one last look at the spot where the plant creature had been defeated. A slight sense of emptiness hung in the air, as if the confrontation had left an invisible mark. This feeling followed him as he continued on his way, watching the shadows around him.

Minutes passed and, despite the weight of his recent reflections, Sora felt a kind of euphoria. Not only had he survived a difficult battle, but he was now in possession of a mysterious object that might well give him an edge - or perhaps even unlock some unknown knowledge about this world. His thoughts drifted to Emma and Nerris. He could already imagine the reaction of Emma, always so serious but ready to share a knowing smile, and that of Nerris, whose knowledge seemed to extend far beyond fighting skills.

As he approached the entrance to Grimpoint, a thought crossed his mind: what if this stone was more than just a trophy? Perhaps a test, a key, or even a trap designed to lure in reckless adventurers. This idea added a touch of vigilance to his excitement, and he clutched the stone lightly in his pocket, as if to assess its symbolic weight.

The sun was slowly setting, casting the many shadows of the buildings around him.

Finally, the familiar structures of the Order appeared in front of him. As he crossed the aisle, he noticed a few members practicing their weaponry under the watchful eye of strict instructors. Among them, concentrating on a group of recruits, he recognized Kieran, who greeted him with a nod.

As he entered the Order, Sora spotted Emma behind one of the counters, leafing through a stack of papers spread out on her desk.

Sora made his way over to her, determined to get his reward and get some answers. But before he could speak, Emma looked up, observing him with her usual piercing gaze.

“Sora, you're back! And in one piece too. You seem to have vanquished that Tangle Vine, if your smile is anything to go by.” She said, smirking.

“Of course I did! I couldn't lose a second time to a plant. It would have been a real shame.”

Emma let out a small laugh, before regaining her seriousness as she looked at Sora with a gleam of amusement in her eyes.

“Well spoken,” she replied, nodding. “But before you tell me all about it, you need to go and fill in your report.”

Letting out a sigh, Sora took the sheet of paper Emma handed him and sat down at a table away from the little bustle that reigned in the Order at this hour.

The silence of the room allowed Sora to concentrate, although he had never liked writing these reports. This time, however, he felt a certain satisfaction in putting down on paper the details of his fight against the Entangled Vine, describing attacks, parries and, above all, the moment when he had discovered the luminous stone.

When he had finished, he looked up to see Emma watching him discreetly from her desk. With a smile of satisfaction, he stood up to hand her his report.

“There, all done,” he announced, placing the sheet in front of her.

Emma scanned the document quickly, nodding. “Impressive, Sora. You've made progress.” She raised her head, a proud smile on her lips. “I see my training is starting to pay off. But if you want to be able to climb the Tower, you'll have to be capable of much more than that.”

Happy, but aware that Emma was right, Sora suppressed the slight smile that had begun to appear when she complimented him. “By the way, can you tell me what this stone I found is?”

Sora took out his stone and placed it on the desk in front of him. A faint green glow reflected off the dark wood of the desk. The same glow was also visible in Emma's eyes, as she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I've never seen this kind of stone before. From the glow it gives off, I think it's an artifact, but finding one on this floor is almost impossible. Most of the time, when such objects are brought back to us, they're either unusable or fake."

Sora felt a wave of disappointment, but was further motivated by the idea that the object might be exceptional. Emma touched the stone with her fingertips, observing the green light. She remained silent for a moment before straightening her head.

“I don't think anyone from the Order would be able to help you with this. But maybe Ideor can. He's the alchemist a few blocks from here. He often receives members of the Order who wish to buy a sacred weapon or artifact. If you tell him I sent you, he'll surely be able to help you. But before you go, let me give you your rewards.”

Emma rose from her chair, took Sora's report and headed for a room behind her desk.

She emerged a few seconds later, holding a small cloth purse and a black box. She placed them on the counter and stared at Sora.

“Here are the ecus you were owed, and in this box is your new badge."

Sora grasped the purse and box with some excitement, his heart beating faster as he opened the lid. Inside rested a gray metal badge, engraved with the Order's symbol as well as the floor to which he belonged, but another particular detail interested him: a black border, a sign of his new rank within The Order: Obsidian.

“Congratulations, Sora,” Emma said with a warm smile. “This badge testifies to your progress and the first step you've just taken. From now on, you'll have access to new, more challenging quests, but also to the more attractive rewards that go with them.”

Sora nodded, feeling a mixture of pride and determination. “Thank you, Emma. I sure hope I don't stay too long at this rank so I can finally start climbing the Tower.”

Emma nodded with an amused smile. “Patience, Sora. There will be no shortage of challenges to help you climb the ranks, but don't forget that each level also brings its own responsibilities and dangers.”

She gave him a sign of encouragement before resuming her seriousness. “Now off to Ideor's before he closes up store. The man has a gift for discerning the true nature of mysterious objects. And be careful... he likes unusual experiments."

With a final bow, Sora headed for Ideor's store, his badge firmly attached to his belt. Twilight enveloped the street in a golden light, and despite the shadow of mystery surrounding the stone, he felt ready to face this new chapter in his adventure.

He soon found Ideor's store: a narrow building whose windows were covered with dark curtains, filtering green and blue glows from within. A bell tinkled as he pushed open the door and found himself surrounded by vials, scrolls and strange objects. Scents of herbs, molten metal and other indefinable substances wafted through the air, creating an enigmatic atmosphere.

At the far end of the store, an elderly but vigorous man, dressed in a loose-fitting tunic and multi-lens spectacles, looked up from his work. His eyes were bright, and a smile played across his lips as he caught sight of Sora.

“So... what have you brought me here?” asked the alchemist, his face lighting up with voracious curiosity.

Sora placed the stone on the counter, and the green light illuminated the vials and instruments arranged around it. “Emma said you could help me identify this object. She thinks it might be an artifact."

Ideor took hold of the stone, examined it from several angles, then murmured a complex incantation. After a moment's silence, he gave a satisfied smile.

“Well, my ancestors, that's a very interesting stone you've brought me... This stone contains an unusual energy. It must be ten years since I've seen one with such beautiful energy. It seems to capture the surrounding Ushi and could... yes, with the right approach, it could become a catalyst.” He looked up at Sora, a serious expression on his face. “But be careful, young man. This power is not to be placed in the hands of just anyone.”

Intimidated and extremely eager to know more, Sora looked at Ideor with a most piercing gaze. “Can you tell me more about this stone?”

While rubbing his nose with one hand and holding the stone with the other, Ideor didn't take his eyes off the shiny stone he was staring at. ” First of all, tell me what your rank is.”

“I've just passed Obsidian.”

Raising his eyes above his multiple lenses, Ideor looked Sora up and down before expressing a sigh. “In that case, I think I can say with certainty that this object would be unsuitable for you."

Sora clenched his fists, trying to hide his frustration behind a mask of calm. “What do you mean, it wouldn't suit me? You just said it contains powerful energy... Isn't that precisely what I need to move forward?”

Ideor smiled a half-amused, half-compassionate smile, as if he'd been expecting this reaction. “Oh, I understand your enthusiasm. But power isn't just about accumulating powerful tools or artifacts. It's about control, mastery and the ability to bear the consequences.” He placed the stone in front of Sora and his gaze grew more intense. “This stone can amplify the Ushi you already possess, but without sufficient affinity and the mastery that goes with it, it could just as easily destroy you.”

Unsure whether this was good news or not, Sora stared at Ideor with a look full of questions. “In that case, could this artifact be of any use to me if I don't have Ushi?”

Ideor's face grew serious, even surprised. He adjusted his glasses as he squinted, studying Sora as if he'd become a rare specimen.

“No Ushi, eh? Now that's some nonsense I've never heard before.” He replied with a frown. “Very few people on this floor have much affinity with Ushi, but it's impossible for a person to be born with zero Ushi.”

Having already experienced this remark, Sora sketched a slight smile before replying. “And if said person had never been born in this Tower, could it be possible?”

Ideor's slight gasp quickly turned into a huge, uncontrollable laugh when he heard Sora's remark.

He laughed so hard that the vials around him vibrated, emitting discordant tinkling sounds. Sora, for his part, didn't know how to interpret this reaction. Ideor finally calmed down, wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye.

“Ah, that's the best one yet! Not born in the Tower, eh? You know, young man, if anyone from outside the Tower could set foot on this floor, we'd be overrun by vagrants and outlaws from another world years ago.” He shook his head, half-amused, half-disbelieving. “Anyway. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you a Ushi test.”

With little choice, Sora nodded and watched Ideor pull out a purple stone with a screen floating above it. Sora needed no further explanation and placed his thumb on the stone and waited for the result, which was expected to appear on the screen any second now.

0.

When the number appeared, Ideor opened his mouth so wide that his jaw clacked with a surprisingly loud sound.

Ideor stood still for a moment, staring at the “0” as if seeing the impossible. Then, as if to convince himself of the validity of the result, he tapped the screen several times, muttered a few incantations and asked Sora to repeat the test with another stone. Nothing worked. The “0” was still displayed, implacable and unequivocal.

“Well, young man,” he finally said in a low voice, betraying a mixture of awe and fascination, ”I must admit that your situation is... unique, not to say mind-boggling. No one known to date in this Tower was born without an ounce of Ushi. And yet, here you are, in the flesh before me.”

Sora listened, Ideor's every word sounding like a verdict on his singularity, but that didn't discourage him because he had inherited another power perhaps even more powerful than the Ushi: The Collection.

“So, to get back to my question, could this artifact be useful to me if I don't have a single ounce of Ushi in me?” Sora asked curiously.

Bewildered and confused at the same time, Ideor stammered a few words before answering her question clearly. “I... I... I don't know... I didn't even know a being could live in this Tower without Ushi, so, unfortunately, I wouldn't know how to answer your question.”

Seeing Ideor's confusion, Sora tried to remain pragmatic. After all, he'd already adapted to many circumstances since his arrival here.

But before he could answer, Ideor chimed in again. “Honestly, with my knowledge of artifacts and alchemy, I'm one of the best alchemists on this floor, but I know my knowledge is ridiculous compared to my colleagues on the positive floors. So, apart from having access to these floors, I don't know how you could possibly have an answer to your question.”

“It was precisely to gain access to these floors that I wished to obtain the skills of this artifact. But since it's useless to me, what would you advise me to do with it?” Sora retorted.

Idéor remained pensive for a moment, his gaze riveted on the stone, then began tapping his fingertips on the worn wooden countertop. “If this artifact can't help you directly, perhaps it could... serve as an exchange,” he said, looking up at Sora, a cunning smile stretching his lips. “Artifacts are always highly prized, especially catalysts of this type, even if no one grasps the true extent of their power and they're only suitable for very few people. If you know how, you could get something more... adapted.”

Sora considered the idea, intrigued. “So you're advising me to trade or sell this artifact. But how do I know I'm not being ripped off on the price?”

Idéor burst into a dry, mocking laugh, casting a knowing glance at Sora. “Ah, my boy, that's the subtlety of bartering. Knowing who to trust and when? That's the question.”

Suddenly with an idea in his head, Sora looked mischievously at Ideor. “What if you came with me to the barter?"