Vol. 2 Ch. 6

Author's Note:

Recurring Characters:
Peter: Protagonist of soul scripts
Mariah: Mother of the Protagonist.

Code explanation at the end of the chapter for reference.

Feel free to point out any inconsistencies.

Edited and Proofread by Shanaya Stephens.
…

(In Mariah’s Dream)

“Umm…”, Mariah grumbled. She twisted uncomfortably on her bed. The sunlight from the nearby window had made her agitated. She furrowed her brows, and covered them in a daze

“Mariah!” A shout from downstairs doused her plans of slumber. “You’ve slept enough. Get up!” The voice added, carrying a weight of unspoken consequences.

Mariah shuddered, a tingle raced up her spine. “I’m up,” She yelled, opening her eyes. She punched the pillow with half-closed eyes. She stretched her arms, as a muffled yawn escaped her lips. Her shoulder-length hair strands were now matted. She straightened the folds of her night gown to a presentable degree.

Instinctively, she held her palm to her mouth and the staleness of her breath left her disgusted. “Yuck!” She said, her face twisted in disgust, pushed her hand away in reflex.

Closing the door behind her, Mariah sluggishly walked towards the washroom. As her steps turned around the corridor’s end, she almost bumped into Matteo–her younger brother.

“Watch where you're going!” Matteo muttered, taking a step back before circling around her.

Unlike Mariah’s golden hair, Matteo had inherited their mother’s rich brown. Now fifteen, he was beginning to eclipse his sister in height. Mariah didn’t like that one bit.

“Huh?” She frowned, stepping to the side to block his path.

 “What did you say, whelp? I didn’t catch it the first time. Say that again!” she said, raising an eyebrow. Matteo lowered his head and chose to remain silent.

“Ohh!” Mariah exclaimed, advancing a step further into his personal space. She grabbed his hair, pulling his ear closer to her lips, and whispered, “Not in front of me, you hear? Know your place, little shit!”

“Let go! It hurts…” Matteo winced as his face twisted in pain.

“Apologise first,” Mariah insisted, holding him still.

“Mom!” Matteo yelled, and she realised she had to let him go. Almost immediately, she released him.

“Mariah! Stop bullying your brother.” She recognised her mother's voice from before. It had startled her awake.  “When will this girl grow up?” The voice mellowed down.

“I will remember this,” Mariah glared at him.

Matteo rolled his eyes and stepped aside to make way for her. Leaving her brother behind, she rushed to the washroom and closed the door behind her.

…

Mariah descended the stairs, looking all prim and proper—her smooth hair caught the light, dangling freely over her shoulders as she walked. A crescent moon locket rested against her neck, and a subtle smile played on her lips. Her shoulder-length hair bounced with each step, adding to her charm. She wore a sky-blue tunic that reached her knees, split at both sides for the ease of movement, with rose patterns intricately stitched across the front. Rather than a skirt, she had chosen slim trousers that complemented the tunic. A narrow leather belt cinched at her waist, accentuating her slender figure.

Coming down the stairs, she glanced around the tavern. Near the staircase was the door to the kitchen, and beside it was the reception counter, which was left unattended.

‘Mother must be busy with something,’ she mused, turning her face away. Regulars and some new faces sat at the round tables, chatting or eating freshly cooked breakfasts. Mariah’s stomach grumbled, and she briskly walked into the kitchen.

Surveying the kitchen, she decided that the kitchen was no different than an active battlefield at the moment. Gregor—her father and his two apprentices—Branna and Oliver—worked tirelessly to meet the demands of their patrons.

“My dear!” Gregor exclaimed, his voice booming across the whole kitchen. His apprentices spared her a glance with amused smiles on their faces. “Last night was pretty fun, wasn’t it?” Gregor asked before chuckling. Mariah felt her cheeks turn red.

“It was alright,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned eighteen last night. To celebrate, she had some extra strong alcohol. She didn’t remember what happened after.

“Really? I thought it was great,” Branna said, her lips curled up in a large grin.

‘This girl—,’ Mariah stared at her with narrowed eyes. Her hands closed into fists. She needed to confirm if she had blurted out something embarrassing.

“Be glad Aunt Elena was kind enough to use her skill on you first thing in the morning,” Oliver said, frying some vegetables. “Otherwise, you’d be holding your sorry head until late afternoon.”

Mariah nodded, her heart warmed with gratitude. ‘Oh, mother! She is just like a coconut—hard on the outside, but soft on the inside.’

“Here,” Gregor said, handing her a platter filled with a loaf of bread, a glass of lemonade and a warm stew. “You must be hungry if you dragged yourself into the kitchen.”

Mariah leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his right cheek. “I love you too, Dad.” She turned quickly and rushed outside. Behind her, Gregor let out a resounding laugh, Oliver shook his head with an amused grin, and Branna chuckled.

…

With her breakfast in hand, Mariah made her way to the nearest table from the reception desk. Her mother was still absent, but the hungry girl was too hungry to worry. She took her seat and helped herself with the food. She tore a piece of bread and dipped it into the stew before she savagely popped it into her mouth. A delectable moan escaped her lips.

“Aye, your father is an expert at what he does,” Colin said, eyeing her eating style with mild amusement. He was sitting in the rightmost corner, with an empty platter.

Mariah nodded, unable to speak with her stuffed mouth. Colin shook his head and started to talk with others at his table.

In his late forties, he was a regular at the tavern. Mariah pitied him a little. Being a widower shortly after he was married, he frequented the tavern for a drink and stayed till ungodly hours

‘I guess he really loved his late wife,’ she mused, remembering plenty of nights when she found him sobbing in his chair.

“So it’s true then?” The man sitting beside Colin asked him. Colin adopted a grim look on his face and gave a curt nod. Mariah focused her ears on the gossip. She loved them.

“Huh,” The man—Kosmin, sighed.

“To think Peppa’s death will have such an effect on the party.”

“Of course it will,” Colin barked, slamming his fist on the table. “Most folks don’t like to be in an adventuring party led by a betrayer. Adventuring is a risky job, even for non-combatants. Especially in a renowned group like The Thorns. They have dealings with plenty of rich merchants and a few noble families.”

Colin continued, “Peppa was a nice woman and an even better warrior. I knew her. She was a cautious woman. That bastard was Peppa’s right-hand man for half a decade. That’s the only reason he was able to betray her like that in a dungeon.”

He laughed mockingly, “Fate is a fickle thing. I’m sure he didn’t expect someone to be there to witness his betrayal.”

“Can’t they just kick him out instead of disbanding the party?” Kosmin asked, a curious look in his eyes.

Colin shook his head, “When the party was created, they likely wrote a contract. It’s a common practice. One of the clauses must have ruled out kicking the bastard away.”

“What do you think will happen now?” Kosmin rubbed his chin.

Colin shrugged, “They will try to make a new party. But without Peppa, I don’t have much hope for them. A party needs a good leader as a pillar to hold it together. My best guess is, they will end up getting splintered into smaller factions.”

A hand pressed on Mariah’s left shoulder. She turned and found her mother standing behind her. Elena’s lips were curved in a threatening smile. “Are you done eating?” She asked, tightening her hold on Mariah’s shoulder.

“Yes,” Mariah whispered, giving her a little nod. She gulped in fear.

“Then, mind telling me why you are still lazing around when there is so much work left to do?” Elena asked, grinding her teeth. “I have collected bedsheets from all the guest rooms. You will find them in the back. Go there and wash them. Remember to dry them under the sun after you are done.”

Mariah quickly nodded and got up with an empty plate. She swiftly deposited it before rushing to the backyard.

Mariah opened the back door and glanced around. All the bedsheets were being soaked on the left side in a few buckets filled to the brim with water. She made her way to them and started to work.

…

The sun was still bright in the middle of the sky when Mariah laid the final bedsheet on the metal wire to dry. She sighed, resting her hands on her back and stretched.

‘I shouldn’t be getting tired cleaning bedsheets with my stats,’ she mused distastefully. She wasn’t tired physically, and she knew it. She just hated doing chores.

‘I should get a cleaning skill,’ she thought making plans for the future.

“So you are finally done,” Elena said, opening the door and glancing around the backyard. Mariah turned around and nodded before walking closer.

“Good,” Elena patted her shoulder. “We don’t have enough stuff for tomorrow. I need to go and make some orders. Handle the reception until I am back, and then you are free for the evening.”

“Can’t Matteo do that? I just got free,” Mariah grumbled, twisting her face in disappointment.

“He’s already helping as a server, and sadly, unlike you, he isn’t good with numbers,” Elena sighed. She stared at Mariah until she agreed.

…

“That will be fifteen coppers,” Mariah said, smiling 

The man nodded briefly as he passed her the coppers, turned around and then left. She sighed before sitting down. Mariah looked around the tavern, watching various kinds of people eating peacefully—rough adventurers, couples, travellers, and small families.

‘I’ll be busy for the next few hours,’ Mariah mused, her lips pressed in a thin line.

As a well-known inn, Brooks Inn was the preferred choice for travellers and adventurers. The rooms on the first and second floors were never fully empty. It was situated on the Guild Street, thus during the lunch hours, not only adventurers and travellers, but even the merchants and craftsmen tended to visit to eat. The same was true for the evening.

Since the desk was empty, Mariah watched listlessly at the main door. Matteo was working tirelessly as a server, helping the workers manage the rough hours. Just then, a girl entered the tavern with a dazzling smile on her lips.

She wore a yellow tunic and a skirt that complemented her raven black hair. They reached down to her hips. Matteo stopped in his tracks to observe her for a few seconds before resuming his work.

Mariah stood up with a smile and opened her arms, “Lidia!” she exclaimed, her body shaking with excitement.

“Mariah!” Lidia exclaimed, opening her arms similarly, and surged forward to hug her over the counter.

…

(Back to present)

{

Invoke –details [HM-1245 “Heal Mind {Holy, Avaris} (Unusual grade)]

}

Peter opened the skill description to understand the skill better and check if it was a viable option to heal his mother.

{

[SkillForge Kernel v.0]

> Fetching full description for Skill ID: HM-1245 

> Grade: Unusual 

> Domain: Mental Healing 

> Aspect: Holy 

> Origin: Avaris Sanctum Archives (Restricted - Tier 2 clearance recommended) 

> Classification: Restorative / Purificatory

> History:

“Heal Mind” is a targeted mental restoration technique instilled with holy essence, originally developed by the Avaris priesthood to soothe spiritual dissonance and heal fractured minds. It channels light-aspected mana to purge lingering trauma, sever compulsions, and repair mild to intermediate mental scars.

> Effects:

— Restores damaged neural pathways (non-physical).

— Dispels confusion, fear, curses, and minor possession.

— Repairs fragmented memory and emotional disarray.

— May induce short-term unconsciousness during deep purging.

> Cast Time: 3.4 seconds to some minutes~ 

> Mana Cost: 210 to an undefined number.

> Cooldown: 2 weeks 

> Range: Touch only 

> Special: Effectiveness amplified by the user’s Faith and Light Affinity. 

> Note: Less effective on minds warped by dark/divine paradox.

> Permissions: Accessible | Transferable (limited) 

> Risk Factor: Low 

> Side Effects: Nausea, headaches, temporary dissociation (rare)

> Recommendation: Suitable for non-demonic mental afflictions, grief-induced fragmentation, and memory instability.

> Tip: …
}


...End of Chapter...

Code Explanation:
Invoke –details [HM-1245 “Heal Mind {Holy, Avaris} (Unusual grade)]

Invoke: A keyword specified to give commands
--details : A flag to the invoke command to get details on a specified category or skill
HM-1245: HM stands for Healing Mind. A naming convention. 1245 is the ID of a particular skill "Heal Mind"