Chapter summaries
From The Heretic Knowledge Vault
I Used to Believe
A pregnant elf (Sarine Elle) worries to her husband about the health and safety of her half elf child in a world where the half elves are sometimes born “wrong” and elves and half elves are at war. Her husband tries to reassure her.
Two thousand years pass. Sarine appears as a mysterious cloaked figure in a western-style town. She asks questions of the locals and approaches a man drinking alone in a bar (Derren Felmel). A short conversation about local murders unnerves the man. Sarine apologizes, then cuts his throat and resumes travel as a mysterious cloaked figure.
Psychotic Mage Chick
A young half elf girl (Meji Hinadori) discusses with her familiar (Ellis) her predicament in school. She is failing and needs a spectacular senior project in order to graduate. In class, she announces her intention of becoming “An Insane, All-Powerful Demigod” and enslaving all of reality. This announcement is greeted with laughter and doubt, rather than surprise or horror. Her teacher attempts to dissuade her, but gives up when it becomes apparent that Meji has no plan at all, and likely won’t even make it out into the world sufficiently to be in danger.
Angered by being ridiculed, Meji attempts actual research. Thanks to a Deus Ex Machina spell, she discovers that precisely the information she needs to accomplish her task may be located in the “Heretic Knowledge Vault” in Veracia. Meji is determined to locate the power she needs to show up her teacher and classmates, so she begins her journey by taking a warp gate to Saus.
Dead Leaves
Introduction of the Ensigerum, though they are not named in the story yet. A monk (Warrel) times a girl (Sara Amraphel) as she eliminates a room full of men armed with guns. The girl is berated by her teacher for even as a novice allowing one of the Gewehr to so much as put a bullet hole in her sleeve.
In Saus, Meji and Ellis witness several men bullying a naïve young man, and are threatened by the bullies. Meji “resists” the bullies with perhaps excessive force. The young man (Chris) expresses his gratitude at length. Meji and Ellis finally turn invisible to escape the wannabe hero’s chatter and resume their journey only after he’s gone.
Outside town, Meji encounters a group of police searching for a Gewehr assassin. The assassin (Jon Amraphel) attempts to use her as a hostage. Meji electrocutes the police and threatens to turn in Jon for a bounty. He saves Meji’s life and decides to travel with her and pretend to be her bodyguard.
The Best of Intentions
Jon reveals that the reason he is being hunted by the police is that he was turned in after an assassination. He and Meji journey to Emerylon together before splitting up. There, Jon is ordered by his boss to lay low indefinitely, and there is a brief discussion of the recent Ensigerum attack.
Meanwhile, Meji breaks into the church library only to discover that another half elf (Ian Samael) is already there and he has the book she wants. Upon being discovered by a nun, he and Meji escape the library together. Jon leaves the Gewehr hideout just in time to be informed by a search party that two mages tried to burn down the vault.
Attachments...
Outside Emerylon, Jon meets up with Meji and Ian. After a bit of male bonding, they all decide to travel together, and Ian reveals that his reason for wanting the book is to heal his sister and some others from his village who are sick.
Camped down for the night, the trio discusses the prevailing explanations for the existence of the various races in the world. Meanwhile, Sarine terrifies the surviving bully from Saus.
