Book of Thoth

Once Calida left my temporary abode, I gave myself a moment to gather my thoughts. She had, once again, navigated me into a corner, but her motivations became a lot clearer now. I remembered the tutor I had in middle school, and his lesson on maternal pack behaviours. How an old lady was able to lift a shelf several times her weight to save her baby with raw adrenaline alone, or how tigresses will fiercely defend their cubs at the cost of life, limb or territory. In a regard, I could only lament over how much of a hole I'd been dug into.

Since her motivator was not cold power grabs, cutting out her opponents or anything else of the sort, but rather a hot-blooded vengeance, cutting back on her now would be far too risky. Strong emotions being involved make people take irrational decisions, and with how much she knows, and how little I do, this would spell nothing short of certain doom for me. I'd be walking into traps I might not even be aware of, not to mention I don't know how powerful she is, and what sort of witchcraft she might possess.

That's right. Magic. I could use some knowledge of it as well. Physical strength was good, but given the more rudimentary implements in sight, tinderboxes, boiling pots, earthen ovens and so forth. One might surmise that magic is not a common aspect of everyday life. This, could be my chance, my proverbial pistol in pantaloons.

I checked my anima, it was high, unreasonably so. My choices, words, actions, all of them seemed to accrue a considerable portion of anima. I had felt its familiar hum many times through the day, and in a way I was starting to believe that there may be other forces at play here. This village was surely going to be the start of something, an event or series of which that had some major effect on the world. Given that, the Voice was adamant about anima being gained only by changes to the timeline brought about because of me, I figured it would be in my best interest to find out, or try to, how the original timeline may have played out.

I had a choice in mind, the aspect of Khaemweset, a supposedly skilled and famous sorcerer of Ancient Egypt who was said to have, at one point, possessed the legendary Book of Thoth. This would perhaps help me attain some form of magic, not to mention, I hope that I might be able to mimic the Book of Thoth, for that would be a good source of knowledge. Maybe like a fantasy version of wiki, at least I hoped.

This time, the pain burned through my head and chest. Like a combination of the worst migraine ever possible with terrible acid reflux. Words, inscriptions, shapes and various other sensitivities pervaded my every sense. It felt like I was submerged into an ocean, seeing the water and the land, like a layer of existing that I had never been able to see before. My every intelligible thought felt less so than the last, overwhelmed, waking up; like a blind man who's been blessed with sight. I had never seen the world in this vivid colour before. 

The symbol of an inscribed book with half-eye burnt into my skin now, I fell to the floor once again. The seeming pain of these aspects appeared to be linked to that which they improved. I didn't feel smarter, but more aware; of aspects of reality that I had been blind to my whole life. The flames that I formerly commanded out of instinct now appeared in patterns, symbols, meaning. My will, written as programmed instructions by my mind like second thought.

And then came a book, it was blank for the moment but somehow the instructions on how to use it were seemingly burnt right into my memory, a familiarity that felt like centuries of mastery rather than a moment of wonder. All I'd have to do is ask it a question, or for a solution to my predicament. There were, however, a few quirks around the book:

The Book of Thoth can only be used once after sunrise and once after sunset. 
The Book of Thoth, if asked a question it can, or may, not answer, will expend its use for the solar or lunar phase regardless.
The Book of Thoth will only bestow its user with information relevant to the query, it can't determine the result of any course of action taken.
The information provided by the book must be utilised with the user's discretion, the Book may only very rarely prescribe a recommendation.
The knowledge granted by the book is determined by the specificity of the query, a more informed question will gain a more informative set of answers.

And the cardinal rule; the Book of Thoth, is unable to account for, interfere with, predetermine or predict the actions, motivations and entropy of any being with free will and sentience. 

Just when I thought it was done, another bright golden glow enveloped me. And everything slowed down around me, and that familiar baritone of speech flooded my mind.

"Well done Tetsu-sensei! Two aspects from Ancient Egypt? You must be quite the Egyptologist. Anyway, the more you ingratiate yourself with the aspects of one folklore, you'll gain benefits and powerful artifacts from that folklore or mythos at an exponential rate. Although you don't earn anything now, it is good to consider as you progress, no?"

And once more, before I could make head or tail of it, the voice disappeared. My mind returned to its wishful abandonment, left with its own thoughts once again, a state of affairs that I had rather come to prefer. And yet, as the moon rose in the western sky, another realisation hit me. The time prescribed by the witch was nearing, and rather than rest I had lingered far longer than I realised or intentioned due to my new aspect acquisition. 

I closed my eyes, and opened the book, it was the most valuable item in my possession currently, and I opted to expend its nightly charge now. What I asked from it needed to be precise, well thought and constructed. 

"Oh revered Book of Thoth, I desire knowledge of the arcane that I will need the most in my upcoming endeavour with the witch, to ensure our survival and victory over whatever rigours we are to face."

A voice beeped in my mind.

"Invocation Learnt: Turn Undeath"