Ar'Kendrithyst

Chapter 34

Today was Erick’s third day at the farms, and his and Jane’s 30th day on Veird.

30 days was a full month, by the local calendar. All the months were 30 days long. One year lasted exactly 370 days, or 12 months, with one tenday ‘week’ of Festival in the middle of winter. It made sense that their years and months were all perfect; the gods and otherwise had crafted Veird from the corpses of the previous worlds, after all. Currently, Spur was in the middle of spring, and the snows of the far away northern mountains and Crystal Forest were steadily melting, sending water both deep down into the Underworld, and under the sands of the Crystal Forest. He knew all of this not only because he had picked it up over the last few weeks, but also because someone had left a farmer’s almanac in the temple.

Erick was learning a lot of little facts about Veird because of that book. Not only about the timetables of local events, but also [Grow] techniques and ways to ensure that whatever you created could not propagate without natural pollinators, or [Grow]; no one wanted a Kill and Exterminate Quest issued against them by a god or otherwise.

Bees and flowers and seeds were the preferred method of natural propagation, and honey was always great to have. Someone had even brought in some bees to one of the plots of land near the middle of the farm. They were thumb sized bugs that buzzed hard and flew far.

The bees seemed ambivalent to the platinum rain.

The cows a kilometer north loved the rain, though. Erick could hear their happy moos from his spot in the temple, reading with his back against a pillar and his butt on a bench. They kept mooing and Erick kept reading.

They mooed louder. And louder? What—

mooOOOO!

That one was a cow scream. Erick leapt up and out of his seat only seconds after Poi went on high alert.

Erick asked, “What is it?”

As fast as Poi alerted, he calmed. He said, “Mimics attacking from the Forest, but the guards are already on it. Should have raised a wall... yesterday…” Poi paused. He said, “Killzone says they’re not going to raise a wall at all. As long as the area looks undefended, the Shades don’t care. Right now this whole farm looks like a great big target, and… Killzone says that makes them complacent.”

Erick looked at Poi. He didn’t know the man very well, but he knew enough to know when Poi’s professionalism was strained. Erick asked, “You don’t agree?”

Poi remained silent.

“You’re allowed to disagree with your commanding officer.” Erick added, “At least privately.”

Poi said, “Killzone has been at this job for a lot, lot longer than I. He has done well in organizing the army that contains the Shades. He knows the enemy. He knows how they react to certain stimuli.” Poi sighed. “This just means that the Adventurer’s Guild needs to point more adventurers at the mimics. They shouldn’t have been able to muster a mob this close to town.” Poi paused. He said, “It’s possible that they have seen the green and have come to rip it out of the ground, in force.”

Erick asked, “If the crystal mimics clear out everything green, is the whole continent a desert?”

“No, sir.” Poi said, “Only this part of Glaquin is a Crystal Forest.” Poi looked over at the book in Erick’s hands. “Is there no map in that farmer’s almanac?”

The cows had stopped bleating by now. They resumed gently mooing at the rain. Whatever had happened, it was over.

Erick answered, “A political map, and not a very good one.” He turned to the map and stared at the thin black lines and tiny dots. He said, “I’m having trouble with the vastness of this place.”

Spur was located in the lower middle half of a desert, roughly 6000 km from East to West and 4500 km from North to South, with major variations due to the various mountain ranges that surrounded the Crystal Forest. In the whole desert there were only half a dozen markers for cities, while just past the Mondariska mountains to the East, there laid a civilization called the Greensoil Republic, which occupied about the same geographical size as the Crystal Forest, with hundreds of smaller cities and several larger ones, and probably countless unnamed towns strewn throughout. To the West, past another set of mountains and nestled between two ranges, were the Wasteland Kingdoms; a much smaller place, only a thousand kilometers wide, but 3500 km from North to South.

The almanac only covered a quarter of the continent of Glaquin, which was 1 of 4 such massive continents on a planet that was half water. The rest of the continent was largely unexplored, ancient forest. That did not make much sense, considering Earth was almost completely known, and the humans of Earth had done all their exploring without magic that allowed them to fly and dig and survive practically anywhere.

But looking at the distance gauges on the maps and with a bit of mental math, the fact that Glaquin was mostly unexplored began to make some sense.

The Crystal Forest was about 27 million square kilometers large. The Greensoil Republic was 25 million.

Africa, back on Earth, occupied 30 million square kilometers.

“This map doesn’t go into any real detail.” Erick confessed, “And I’m still having trouble understanding the size of Veird. I think your planet is at least twice, no... four times as big as Earth? Probably larger.” Erick was still digesting all that information. He paused. He said, “And the map is political. I don't see forests or otherwise on this map.”

Poi nodded. “The surrounding mountains keep the crystal mimics contained because they don’t like the cold and the mountains are very tall. The only gap in the circle is at the Wasteland Kingdoms; those incani keep the mimics out of their lands as best they can. And the coast, of course. Mimics can't swim. Beyond that are the forests and the grasslands and the cultural and architectural remains of people who failed to hold back the monsters.”

“… So this entire land is a desert because of those guys...”

“Correct, sir. It’s my understanding that people tried extermination campaigns long ago, but mimics either hide or breed, so you can understand how they failed.”

“… And they’re killing our attempts to keep this land a farmland.”

“Also correct, sir. I doubt they’ll get far, though. We can defend against even the largest Monster March, provided they’re just crystal mimics.” Poi looked up. He turned to Erick, and said, “It’s noon. You’ve done almost two and a half hours, so far.”

“Right.” Erick stopped feeding mana to his [Exalted Storm Aura] and set down the farmer’s almanac where he found it. “Time to finish this, too.”

[Telekinesis].

[Telekinesis] has leveled!

Level X!

Telekinesis X, medium range

Move large objects around you for 5 minutes per level of the spell. Fine control. 100 MP

Quickly move large objects around you for 1 minute per level of the spell. Fine control. 50 MP

Erick dismissed the spell, and began working on [Airshape] as he stepped down the temple steps, walking home, with Poi slightly behind and to the left.

- - - -

[Airshape] has leveled!

Level 6!

Airshape 6, 1 minute per level, medium range, 35 MP

Move medium amounts of air around you for 1 minute per level of Airshape, OR gain fine control over small amounts of air.

Exp: 25/1300

His mana was pretty low now, and he hadn’t even made it back to town.

Aurify.

Mana Shaping.

[Airshape].

Erick breathed, and Reality breathed with him. He felt the eddies in the air, the evaporating moisture from his rain, and the gentle respiration of the plants near him.

“Sir,” Poi said. “We are in public.”

Erick cut the spell. A few of the farmers around him were giving him a wider berth than normal; some of them were still collecting the lasts of the short day’s harvests, while others did not step onto the road as Erick walked their way.

Erick nodded, said “Sorry about that,” and kept on walking.

Erick went right home, [Cleanse Aura]d himself for a few seconds inside, making sure to clip the bathroom and his bedroom, then curled up on his nice new bed. The movers had installed the beds yesterday while Erick was at the farms and Jane was home. The rest of the furniture would be coming soon enough.

- - - -

Erick woke up an hour later, full on mana, just in time to greet Al and Jane coming through the front door. After making all of them sandwiches from a leftover roast, Erick grabbed a rod of [Treat Wounds] he had bought from Ulrick Ulrick and handed it to Jane. She frowned, but nodded. All of them moved into the back yard. It was time to make some magic!

Erick turned to Al and Jane. “Thanks for spotting me.”

He popped a large [Weather Ward] across all of them, and Poi. Then he popped a [Temperature Ward], too, to keep the area at a nice and cool 75ish Fahrenheit.

He began, “A—

“Are you… Are you just going to start? Just like that? The [Ward]s are good, but...” Al looked out across the flat Human District. “You shouldn’t do this so openly.”

“Jesus Christ, Dad.” Jane had been holding in her displeasure, but it was coming out now. She quickly said, “You have [Stoneshape]. Put up some walls.”

“Uhhh.” Erick winced. “I don’t think walls are a good idea.”

“Should I put up some walls?” Al frowned. “Or perhaps we should move into the Forest?” He pointed at the city wall. “It’s not a far walk.”

“No no no.” Erick thought. He said. “Put up a very very large visual distortion [Ward]. That would be better.”

Al nodded.

The air glittered with light, then all around, maybe fifty feet away in all directions, a bubble appeared, and the world outside that bubble turned a bit fuzzy.

Erick asked, “Poi? We’re clear?”

“We have been for an hour now, sir.”

“Thank you. It should stay in the sky. If not, that’s what the [Temperature Ward] is for.” He paused. He pointed at the city wall. “Just so we’re clear… There’s nothing over the wall, way over in that direction, right?”

Everyone stared at him.

Poi announced, “We are now ordered to vacate the city, and to do all this out there. Killzone is coming and will meet us in the designated location.”

Erick frowned.

- - - -

North of Spur, Erick, Jane, Al, Poi, and Killzone stood under several different [Wards], along with Zago, who had arrived in the middle of setting up, running across the sands, yelling, ‘Wait for me!’.

Erick gazed across the land. There were a few agaves and a lot of tiny creatures out there, but this spell shouldn’t hit any of them. Erick had done his research in the Mage Guild’s library; if this spell worked, it wouldn’t affect any of them.

But… if there were crystal mimics out there…

Erick gazed at the sky, and opened himself to the manasphere. Meditation felt like second nature; it felt right, it felt good. Meditation felt like a connection to something much greater than himself. He was a little part of a great, great system, like a diver at the bottom of a tropical ocean, staring up at a vast weight of warm life overhead.

Erick spoke to that vastness now, and it rushed to hear him speak.

“A cleansing wind to sear the land of all corruption, damn the damned~

“Of breath of life and death I sing, to all who fear to hear the ring~

“Of cleansing wind to sear the land of all corruption, damn the damned~

“Out life comes, slithering, in this domain of [Withering].”

The manasphere shifted; 500 mana ripped out of Erick.

He fell backward into Jane’s arms. She jabbed him with the glowing rod of [Treat Wounds]. Erick managed to stay awake, sitting on the ground. Jane applied another hit of [Treat Wounds].

Nothing much happened beyond the visual distortion [Ward], out in the desert. The air was a bit thicker here and there, like someone had thrown a low powered [Cleanse] across an exceedingly large area. But that was it. If they were outside of Zago’s [Distortion Ward], they might have seen something more than a general impression of the new spell.

Zago asked, “What did—”

Monsters screamed in the desert.

A notification appeared.

You have slain Crystal Mimic A!

95% participation!

+20693935 exp

Then another.

You have slain Crystal Mimic C!

95% participation!

+20693935 exp

And another.

You have slain Crystal Mimic B!

95% participation!

+33483491 exp

A few more notifications popped. Erick recognized two of them.

Congratulations!

You have created a new Basic Spell. Your spell has been added to your skills for free!

The spell you have created will appear in the Script after a year and a day.

Your spell is the alpha version, and will shift with time and use.

The spell that appears in the Script might be different.

Here is your spell:

Withering 1, 1 minute per level, super long range, 500 MP

Purge all water from all monsters in super large area, dealing every second. Cleanse the land around every monster killed in this way.

Particle Mage Only.

Rozeta thanks you for enriching the Script.

+3 ability points.

I like this one a whole lot. Good Job, Erick. ~Rozeta

There were some leveling notices, too, but he’d deal with those later.

“Help me to my feet, Jane. You can dismiss the visual distortion, Zago. It’s over.”

Jane easily pulled him upright as Zago dropped the distortion [Ward], revealing the northern deserts in all their sandy flatness, and the faint twirl of thick air still wafting across the land; If Erick wasn’t looking for the remnants of his spell, he would have thought it a heat mirage.

Erick pulled out [Withering] and handed the spell’s blue box to Zago and Killzone, then he handed out more copies to Al and Jane. Zago read her copy a few times. Killzone read his once and smiled wide, before dismissing the box. Jane seemed to frown a little, while Al chuckled, both of them summarily vanishing the boxes Erick gave them. Zago held on to hers until Erick spoke.

Erick said, “It’s a spell that targets anything with a 10 or more mana rad inside its body, then purges all liquid water from those targeted creatures. Supremely simple. Highly useful for killing monsters, and nothing else. This is about as comfortable as I am with killing.”

“I’m glad we came out here,” Killzone stressed. “Rads accumulating in intestinal pockets is a more common ailment than you’d think, Archmage.”

“I read that in the library, which is why I focused on rads worth 10 mana or more. [Withering] should ignore almost anyone with minor rad poisoning. But besides that, this spell wasn’t the one I planned on casting inside the city. That one would have stayed in the air.”

Killzone smiled, nodding. “Then this is a mighty good spell you got here. I feel privileged to have witnessed the first cast of [Withering].”

“I’m guessing a [Weather Ward] would stop it.” Erick said, “But the point is, is that you shouldn’t need to use a [Weather Ward] for almost all applications of this spell.”

Zago finally spoke, “There’s an even chance that Headmaster will be absolutely livid that you invented his spell out from under him, or relieved that you chose to go this particular direction. You’ve created something… Something very good for the world.”

“Aye.” Al said, “This was good, Erick.”

“I wholly agree.” Killzone looked out across the land. “But did you manage to kill those monsters out there? Or did the spell end before that?”

“I got notifications for 3 mimics. A, B, and C.” Erick said, “I’m going to wait for my mana to come back then go see what they look like. I… I don’t think this was a kind death.” Erick gazed at the Crystal Forest. “Not sure where they dropped, either. [Withering] seems to cover a lot of ground.”

Killzone exclaimed, “It certainly does!”

Zago asked, “Are you going to try for another spell today?”

Erick shook his head. “No. This…” He sighed. “This was a toll.”

Zago and Al frowned. Jane sighed at Erick.

Kilzone spoke softly, without malice, “Crystal mimics are a blight. There is no end to them. You could fly across the land with this as an aura and still not make a dent in the never ending horde.” Killzone said, “Or maybe you could. It’s okay to kill the bad things, you know. They would kill you if you gave them a chance.” Killzone gestured at the desert. “This whole Crystal Forest is them trying to kill everyone except themselves.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy kill—”

“Shu—!” Killzone spoke a bit louder, more animated. “Those fu— Those monsters kill people every year. The shadowcats— We succeeded in killing them, but...” All mirth vanished from Killzone. “They killed 7 young adventurers. Did you know that?”

Erick said, “I thought—”

“You don’t think! That’s the prob—!” Killzone stopped himself. He calmed. Authority filled his voice, “I expect to see you learning with the other rookies in a few days when Mog’s monthly class restarts. Be there. You need to learn of the dangers a spell like yours can negate from this world.”

A breeze flowed across the Crystal Forest, kicking up scattered sand.

“You’re completely right, Killzone. Sorry.” Erick said, “I intend to be at those classes.”

Killzone relaxed. “Good. Good.” He asked, “How are the new guys working out?”

The new guys were one middle aged orcol woman named Teressa, and one young redscale named Rats. Rats had a real name, but he went by ‘Rats’. Teressa was twice as silent as Poi and constantly in armor, like she was some silent war golem waiting for orders. They were both off… somewhere. Doing something. Erick wasn’t exactly sure. They had worked out the schedule for guarding Erick on their own; when they weren’t around him, they were doing whatever they wanted to do.

“Well. As far as I know. One is usually at the house, one beside me, the other… not sure where.” Erick said, “And that’s fine.”

Killzone nodded. He said, “Then I’m off. Good luck with Mog’s classes, Archmage.”

Killzone vanished in a black blip.

Erick turned to Jane. “Want to search for monster corpses with me?”

“Yes.” Jane smiled. “I do want to search for monster corpses with you.”

Zago said, “One moment.”

She glittered violet as she pointed into the desert. Three pillars of dark purple smoke began to rise off in the distance.

“The smoke won’t last long. But you should be able to find the bodies before it wears out; targeting rads is a difficult skill, but one supremely necessary for any growing mage, and especially for an Archmage.” Zago bowed. “I shall take my leave, Archmage.”

“Thank you. For the smoke.”

Zago smiled. “No trouble at all. Thank you for letting me witness history.”

Zago vanished in a crash of purple light.

Erick sighed out, “I really need to get [Teleport]. That looks convenient.”

Al laughed. “You make yourself weak if you [Teleport] everywhere! Those two just have too many duties to attend.” He gestured toward the desert. “Come! Let us walk the sands and find your bounty.” He started walking toward the closest purple pillar. “It looks rather close!”

It looked far to Erick, but he didn’t complain.

They walked in silence.

A lot of things were currently bothering Erick, but one stood out from the rest.

Erick asked, “Jane? Al? Am I being too much of a pacifist? I think I upset Killzone.”

“Yes.” Jane answered, instantly. “You have this power to make the world better. Use it.”

He expected that answer from Jane. The only major stress in Erick’s relationship with his daughter had always been, and would probably always be, Erick’s pacifist nature.

Al took more than 0 seconds to formulate his answer. “It is a good thing to realize that violence begets violence, but monsters… Anything with a rad inside of it… They’re not capable of anything except violence.”

Erick asked, “Do they peacefully raise young? Do they communicate with each other? Do they see people arriving with swords and decide that they have to fight for their lives? Are the monsters monsters because you force them to be monsters? Or… what?”

Al walked across the sands, silent again.

They arrived at the first corpse. It looked like crystal agave ten foot tall with all the water removed; a withered crystalline succulent that had cracked open under internal pressure, so dried out that the flesh that hadn’t turned to powder had instead turned solid and blue. The crystal mimic had turned into massive sapphires, scattered across the sand.

Among the rubble there were lumps of blue-brown gunk, gently pulsing, trying to move. Juveniles. Barely able to live on their own, because of him, because of a spell he—

“Dad.” Jane said, “I know what you’re thinking, and you're wrong. These things are not innocent babies left abandoned by a mother you killed. They are the juvenile form of a plague.” She stepped across the broken corpse, moving straight to the middle of the body with a [Conjured Weapon] in the shape of a mining pickaxe. With a quick strike against the largest lump, Jane split the monster’s hardened center in half, revealing a glittering rad to the light. “Hell. These things attack all life that is not them or the natural agaves. They are not part of an ecosystem. They are monsters who destroy the land to suit their own needs, without regard for the lives they displace.”

Erick sighed. “Jane… please.”

“Dad.” Jane grabbed the rad from the corpse. She stared at Erick. “Please.”

Erick stayed silent.

On the way to the next corpse, Al spoke, “Your daughter is correct. Rads drive monsters insane as soon as the rads attach to the heart. There have been studies where people have tried removing rads without killing the monster… Some of them have succeeded. What results is an empty body, without a soul, without a mind. As soon as the rad reaches the heart, the soul is consumed and whatever was is no more.”

“… Is the rad a monster’s soul?”

Jane shouted, “That’s your takeaway?! Fucking hell!”

“I’m trying to understand, Jane!”

Al spoke, “Rads are crystallized magic which is poisonous to all living things. They’re naturally expelled by all people and all animals. But this is not the case for monsters. Monsters are born with rads inside of them. For us, rads are only a problem after they’ve torn through the digestive tract and traveled to the heart. Once they attach to the heart, they consume the soul and transform the brain.” Al stressed, “Monsters are born with rads already inside of them. They cannot be saved, they can only be exterminated. Erick. This fixation you have with believing that monsters are not monsters… It is foolish in the extreme; it makes you look like a fool.”

Erick asked, “What if you were to take the rad out of the body without killing them?”

“This has been done. The result is a living corpse, unable to do anything except drool and shit.” Al went on, “And if you’re thinking of starting with two living corpses, and breeding young to remove the rad at the stage of conception, or some other variation of a theme, know that this has already been done a thousand different ways. The result is yet another living corpse. These experiments have been done many, many times before, by people much more learned than I.”

They arrived at the second crystal mimic.

Al pointed to the shattered blue corpse. “This is a kinder fate than most. You killed it within seconds, without damaging the environment. You even [Cleanse]d the remains! There are toxic monsters out there that most adventurers cannot fight, who use poisonous magics and corrupt the land. Go to the Wasteland Kingdoms and see the truth for yourself, if you must. Witness the corruption of toxic monsters left unchecked by naive young minds. Journey to Oceanside and see the experiments they still perform, for the sake of people like you and the occasional uneducated noble, to inform you that which the rest of us already know.”

Erick stared at the blue gems of a corpse.

Al said, “Most monsters are not evil. They kill. They corrupt. This is their unalterable nature. If you want to give them your pity then you are welcome to do so, for kindness is more beautiful than green land in the Crystal Forest. But know this: mercy for monsters means death for us all.”

Jane swung her pickaxe against the solid corpse. A glittering rad tumbled out from hard blue flesh.

Erick looked toward Spur, then beyond, to Ar’Kendrithyst, as they walked toward the third corpse.

Al and Jane followed his gaze, but said nothing.

Poi said, “Those monsters are evil. They were all people, once upon a time. They each inserted a rad into their body and let it consume them, their transformation from person to monster guided by the Cult of the Dark Dragon, Melemizargo. If those creatures had their way, your [Withering] would be turned around to affect only those without rads inside. The Shades would spill out from their half-prison and sing the Song of Melemizargo to the rest of the world, corrupting people into shadeling worshipers bent on helping their masters.” He added, “Luckily, even if they did manage to corrupt your spell into their own version, we can pop a [Weather Ward] to prevent its use against us.”

They arrived at the third corpse, and Jane did much like she did before. When she was done and the crystal mimic was nothing but blue litter, she handed all three rads to Erick.

He looked at them. Really looked at them.

Each of them was the same size, roughly worth 10 mana, or 5 gold, depending on if you were to use them in enchanting, or as currency. They were each a clear whitish, pointed ovoid crystal, which a jeweler on Earth would have called a marquise cut. Unnaturally faceted, unnaturally brilliant, they glittered with unnatural light.

But what was ‘unnatural’ in a world of monsters?

Erick thought.

… Monsters are natural, but so is arsenic, and death, and pain, and sorrow.

He looked across the Crystal Forest, to the north, the west, and the east. He picked the direction with the most agaves, though any direction he picked would likely end up with the same result. In the end, he chose northwest, and northeast.

[Withering].

Air shifted in front of him as mana slipped out, following channels it had already burned in the Script, and in his body. He turned.

[Withering].

Another 250 mana slipped away.

The air shifted in an 180 degree arc of land, north of the city, hitting maybe four square miles. Maybe less, maybe more. The effect was not immediate. But here and there, Erick witnessed heavy twists of wind, slipping into the sky like dust devils. [Withering] was a spell that killed, pure and simple. Erick had created it for this reason; he would use it to ensure his world was a bit brighter, even if it meant putting down monsters. He just expected to use it as a last resort, not as a tool to wield against an unending horde.

Notifications rolled in. Erick noticed them, and put them away. He did not turn away from the death he had caused, not today, not ever again. He turned to a stunned Jane, a sad smiling Al, and a proud Poi.

Erick walked toward the city. The other dead mimics and their rads could stay wherever they fell; he was done harvesting corpses. Maybe in death, their bodies could nourish the land in ways they prevented their entire lives.

- - - -

Erick laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, and at various boxes.

After the first [Withering], the subsequent two had slain 6 of one level of monster, probably level 30, according to what people had told him about mimics, and 5 level 31s. All of them were for 95% Participation. Phagar, the God of Death and Time, must have approved of his spell.

Erick stared at his new Status box.

Erick Flatt

Human, age 48

Level 31, Class: Particle Mage

Exp: 15104040/217830900

Class: 6/6

Points: 33

HP

100/100

150 per day

MP

600/600

1050 per day

Strength

10

+0

[10]

Vitality

15

+0

[15]

Willpower

20

+0

[20]

Focus

35

+0

[35]

Favored Spell waiting!

Favored Spell waiting!

10 points into Strength. 1 point for Strong.

… 5 points in Vitality. 1 point in Enduring.

Erick paused. He felt… Considerably different. Like he was… a teenager again?

Whoop there’s an erection! Ha ha! What the fuck?

Erick laughed at nothing in particular.

But then gloom returned and everything calmed down a bit. This must be why everyone at the Adventurer’s Guild likes Scion of Strength. Or maybe it’s the Vitality. It has to be the Vitality. Pornstars would go for Scion of Vitality, wouldn’t they? Well bully for them, Erick felt better about himself, but he had a long way left to go.

16 points left. Just enough for the big one.

Erick threw 15 points at his Focus, then bought Scion of Focus.

He slipped outside of himself.

- - - -

He opened his eyes and saw clouds.

“The Five Scions are a special category of skills, because we designed them that way.” Rozeta, the Dragon Goddess of the Script spoke from one side of Erick. She was a four mile long dragon again, gleaming prismatic and golden white, in an endless blue sky filled with fluffy clouds. She had stopped speaking to zip around the sky, or maybe she zipped around the sky because she had stopped speaking. When she spoke again, she was in front of Erick, her house-sized head large enough to see the entirety, but not close enough to threaten. “50 points in any one stat, or 25 in all of them; these are investments. These are seeds planted for a future harvest, unlike taking a skill to acquire immediate power. Tell me: What are you investing for, Erick Flatt? What do you hope to reap?”

She was speaking of hope, but Erick's thoughts went straight to fear.

He knew exactly what he did not want. He did not want to see his daughter die. He did not want to cause a black hole. He did not want to kill anyone. He didn’t even want to kill monsters, but he was starting to make peace with that necessity.

But Rozata was speaking of hope, and Erick couldn’t help but eventually think about what he did want to happen in his life.

He also knew he didn’t want to be governed by fear. Fear had made him fuck up his magic. Fear had driven a wedge between him and his daughter. The fear of other people for Erick had caused them to guard Erick like he was a fragile egg, able to be cracked under the least amount of pressure.

Killzone, Jane, Al, Poi, and probably a great many other people… They had all looked upon Erick and seen a weak person; someone to be protected.

Jane had taken it upon herself when she was younger to protect her father, seeing clearly at a very young age the same facts that everyone saw.

But the way Erick saw it, the way life had been on Earth...

Erick made a life out of helping people…

Other people had taken it upon themselves to help Erick.

This was normal. This was civilization. Erick had always considered this the best possible version of life. But there was a disparity, right now. On Spur, Erick was failing his own responsibilities to the social contract.

Erick realized a truth.

Jane was leaving him because she couldn’t be around him anymore. She had protected him for too long, and seen that he was all too willing to get himself into trouble, just as much as he was unwilling to ensure that he made it out the other side intact. On Earth, this had not been a major threat, no matter what Jane’s personal opinions declared. But on Spur, this was a problem. The people of Spur would likely leave him behind, too, if he didn’t step up to the plate.

Jane was right. She was wrong, but she was also right. Erick always had a handle on the local gangs and problems on Earth. He knew who to talk to to solve the problems in his neighborhood, he knew how to help the gang kids that needed help; sometimes that help came from inside the gangs themselves. He knew how to talk his way into extra medical care for his poor clients. He knew who and how to threaten to get the court to back off from others who were already trying to be better people.

But… On Veird, all of that was useless.

Because Erick had forgotten a basic fact about life.

You cannot help others when you are powerless.

Right now, other people were helping Erick, but that would not last.

Because, right now, Erick was powerless.

Right now, he needed actual, willingness to kill, anti-assassin, knowing your neighbors and counting on them, power. He needed to clear the Crystal Forest around Spur. He needed to turn the land green. He needed to hold his fate in his own hands, and then help everyone around him.

He needed to not be a burden.

Rozeta had not moved the entire time Erick thought.

She said, “You have found your fields and readied the soil. You have planted the seeds just in time for the first rains of the season. I hope your garden blooms brightly, Erick Flatt.”

- - - -

Erick awoke to blue boxes.

Erick Flatt

Human, age 48

Level 31, Class: Particle Mage

Exp: 15104040/217830900

Class: 6/6

Points: 0

HP

444/444

444 per day

MP

600/600

6000 per day

Strength

20

+0

[20]

Vitality

20

+0

[20]

Willpower

20

+0

[20]

Focus

50

+0

[50]

Favored Spell waiting!

Favored Spell waiting!

Strong 3

Multiply your base HP by 2.22

Requirements: 20 Strength

Exp: 44/300

Enduring 3

Multiply your base HP regen by 2.22

Requirements: 20 Vitality

Exp: 44/300

Scion of Focus

Multiply your base MP regen by 4

Immune to Mana Exhaustion

Requirements: 50 in Focus

Erick also awoke to Jane sitting in a chair at the foot of his bed, reading. She noticed him. She put her book to the side. She looked at Erick, in that resigned, quiet way a person gets when they’ve had enough and they’re going to inform you of the decisions they’ve made regarding you.

Erick waited for her to speak.

“I’m very jealous.” Jane sighed. “[Withering] is a perfect spell, and if I hadn’t been so absorbed in my own messes, I… I’m not sure what’s different about us, Dad...”

Okay. Maybe Erick had read that wrong. This didn’t seem like she was mad at Erick, but maybe at herself? That was a possibility. … Erick had never seen Jane angry at herself. This was a new experience.

Jane continued. “I tried making some magic of my own. Light based spells. Photons and all that. Didn’t work. So I threw myself at this [Polymorph] spell idea… The alchemists fucked up the potion, which is normal, so I have to go out there and kill more and collect more… Gold and specimens and rads and all of that… But in the meantime, you revolutionized fighting monsters. You went about it a lot differently than I would have.” She paused. “I’m just… what I’m trying to say is that I’m very jealous. And I don’t know how to handle this. It’s really weird and I don’t like it.”

Erick sat up in bed.

Jane sighed.

Erick said, “What about your cellphone? Weren’t you going to do something with that?”

“That’s why I got [Scry]. But if your phone is out there, it’s out of my sight, and [Scry] doesn’t work like I want it to work. At the same time I was trying all that, I was also working on a version of [Mend] that would restore electronics to full charge. Also didn’t work.” Jane sighed. “I think my problem is fundamental. I’m not sure where I’ve gone wrong. How do you do it?”

Erick considered.

“Have you felt the manasphere? Really felt it?”

Jane looked around. “Yeah. I’m looking at it right now. Nothing… seems special about it, but if you’re trying to sell me some mumbo jumbo horse shit about some mystical—” Jane paused. Exasperated, she mumbled, “That’s exactly that, isn’t it?”

Erick laid out a theory he had been holding close to his heart. “Magic is alive and the Script is a chain. I’m not judging what the gods and everyone else had to do to survive coming in to this reality, but what I’m saying is that magic is a lot more than what you think it is. Magic is alive, and I think monsters are magic’s way of fighting back against the Script, in the only way it knows how to fight; primal and full of emotion.”

“What you just described is one of the major tenets of the Cult of Melemizargo, and while most decry all of that as untrue, it certainly seems true. At least factually. But facts are messy things, Dad. Facts aren’t always true, especially when it comes to 1400 year old facts.”

Whatever Erick had expected from his big revelation, it was not that!

Erick was too stunned to think very clearly. Erick scoffed. “Name one fact that isn’t true!”

Jane explained, “Back on Earth, movies were grossing more and more every year. Some would have said that it’s a fact that movies today are better than they used to be, because it’s a fact they’re making more and more money than ever before. But it’s also a fact that the population of Earth is increasing, and that inflation exists. Which one is a truer fact? They’re all relevant. They’re all true.” Jane concluded, “But some facts are more true than others.”

Erick scoffed again. “Name another.”

“Violet exists on the edge of blue, but violet is not purple. Purple doesn’t really exist. It only exists in your head because your eyes have three color receptors, and through some funky brainy way, the brain is tricked into combining light from both far ends of the spectrum into what we see as purple. Our eyes tell us that purple exists in the world around us; this is a fact. Purple doesn’t actually exist; this is another fact. Both are true, and they directly contradict each other. One of them is more true than the other though, in my opinion.”

“You always were so factual.”

“Because I like order.” Jane said, “Took me a while to realize order isn’t very ordered, though.” She looked at Erick. “Have you had any other realizations today?”

Ah! Now she goes to the part where she’s rightfully mad at me. Clever.

But two can play at this game.

Erick joked at her complaints, “Yeah. With Vitality and Strength at 20, and with the relevant skills, I want to hit up the local red light district. Does Spur have one of those?”

“Gross.”

Erick laughed again, then said, “How about this then: The Script is unbalanced to reward people with better bodies with investments into Strength and Vitality, while Willpower and Focus do nothing but allow more magic.”

“True; they did that because magic broke their universe, because warriors were powerless in the face of unlimited magical power.”

Erick confessed, “Okay. So. That makes sense, when you put it like that.”

Jane waited, frowning.

Erick sighed. He said, “I have realized two things: You can’t help others from the bottom of a hole, and I’m at a bottom of a hole. I’m sorry, Jane. I’m going to start clearing monsters from around the farm, starting tomorrow. Helping out the guard and keep the farms safe; that sort of thing.” Erick said, “I just got Scion of Focus, so I’m going to burn through all my skills tonight, leveling them to 10. Then it’s time for the flight spell, and maybe another Particle spell. Don’t know if I’ll get that far tonight, though.”

Jane slowly smiled. She relaxed.

“Do you want some help with your magic?” Erick teased, “It’ll be like highschool again!”

“No thanks.” Jane stood. “I’m going to start dinner. Are you going to do a [Strike] and healing spell rotation like I did to raise your Strong and Enduring to 10? Do you have a healing spell yet?”

“Ugh! No. None of that. Can’t I just, like… hit myself, or something?”

“[Swift Movement] and a healing spell is also an option. Moving fast feels amazing, and is incredibly useful. You should consider a healing spell. I like [Rejuvenation].”

“… I’m out of points— And my [Ward]s regenerate 6000 points per hour! Why do I need a healing spell?”

“Invent another spell! You need a healing spell, Dad. If not for you then for those around you. Go to the Interfaith Church and do some research.”

“Fine fine! But!” Erick teased, “Speaking of inventing magic: Where’s your tier 3 spell!”

“… It’s a work in progress.” Jane walked out of the room, saying, “I’m working on dinner, right now! You go work on your magic!”

Erick followed her out of the room. Teressa, the large orcol woman in grey armor, was seated in her chair at the end of the hallway. She stood up when Erick came out, then followed him down the stairs and outside the house, maintaining a respectable 5 to 7 foot distance the whole time. All of Killzone’s people seemed to be all about that respectable distance; it probably had something to do with [Interception].

Outside of the house, in the stone yard, Erick cast magic.

It took him half an hour, but [Stoneshape] hit 10.

In the next thirty minutes, [Airshape] hit 10, too.

The whole time he had been using Mana Shaping. That hit 10, as well.

Dinner came, and went. Erick stepped back outside and kept training. Next, came [Force Shrapnel: Bludgeoning Aura]. That quickly hit 10, along with Mana Altering, and produced, funnily enough, [Billiard Ball Aura].

The sun was beginning to set by then. Erick went inside and grabbed a wooden spoon from the kitchen. In the dining room, he started breaking it with his newfound strength, over and over, casting [Mend] to set the spoon to rights each time. Getting that spell up to 10 was a damned slog, but he did it!

Al showed up after dark, just to see if Erick was okay. Erick showed Al his Status, and Al smiled wide.

“Scion of Focus?”

“I did, Al. And it feels great.” Erick smiled. “I think I’ve spent dozens of thousands of mana since I woke up. I’m not quite sure, but I am sure that magic is wonderful. I’m very glad you pushed me toward Focus.”

“I am glad you took my advice!” Al chuckled. “You did well out there, today. [Withering] is being discussed all over town. People want to see it in action.”

“I need to get that up to 10, too. Then a [Withering Aura] and a flight around across the land outside of the farms, after I invent my flight spell. Gotta drive back the monsters. That sort of thing.”

Al smiled softly. He nodded. He said, “This is a good look on you. Not just the Focus, but you went for Strength and Vitality, too. This was a good decision.”

“Strength and Vitality is a good feeling! I’m getting erections every 10 minutes. I haven’t felt this good in 25 years.”

Al laughed, wide and happy. “We need to go drinking! I will be your spotter and we shall get you a proper bed warmer for these cold Forest nights.”

Erick laughed.

- - - -

Al helped Erick set up the nightly [Alarm Ward]s around the house, then set up some final [Absorption Ward]s of his own. Al left with a promise from Erick to go drinking tomorrow.

Erick was drained by the time he went to bed, but he wasn’t Exhausted. He still had [Force Beam] and [Blink] to level to 10, but those weren’t that important right now. He’d make his [Mend Aura] and [Group Precise Flight] tomorrow, too. Heck! He still had to actually play with all of the spells he had leveled, both to get a feel for how they worked, and because magic was damn cool.

Ohh! [Thousand Hands Aura] made from [Telekinesis] and stuff. That sounds like a good one.

Erick looked over his Status before going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Erick Flatt

Human, age 48

Level 31, Class: Particle Mage

Exp: 15170962/217830900

Class: 6/6

Points: 0

HP

444/444

444 per day

MP

600/600

6000 per day

Strength

20

+0

[20]

Vitality

20

+0

[20]

Willpower

20

+0

[20]

Focus

50

+0

[50]

Favored Spell waiting!

Favored Spell waiting!

Scion of Focus

Multiply your base MP regen by 4

Immune to Mana Exhaustion

Requirements: 50 in Focus

Strong 3

Multiply your base HP by 2.22

Requirements: 20 Strength

Exp: 96/300

Enduring 3

Multiply your base HP regen by 2.22

Requirements: 20 Vitality

Exp: 96/300

Discipline X

Multiply your base MP by 3

Requirements: 20 Willpower

Concentration X

Multiply your base MP regen by 3

Requirements: 20 Focus

Clarity X

Reduces spell costs by 50%

Requirements: 10 Focus

Meditation X

Always Resting

Requirements: 10 Willpower

Mana Shaping X

Alter spell AOE in better, subtle ways, 10 MP + spellcost

Alter spell AOE in better, moderate ways, 30 MP + spellcost

Aurify Unlocked

Alter AOE in better, major ways, 100 MP + spellcost

Alter AOE in better, extreme ways, 300 MP + spellcost

Change any spell into an AOE spell, or freely alter the AOE of any AOE spell, 500 MP + spellcost

Requirements: 10 Willpower

Aurify 2

Transform an AOE spell into a semi-permanent effect surrounding yourself, based upon the parameters of the Aurified spell. Increase an instantaneous spell to a 1 second duration in order to create an aura.

Able to support 1 aura at a time.

You may choose who or what is affected by your aura.

Doubles the range on an Aurified spell.

Exp: 68294/1000000

Mana Altering X

Bludgeon, Slash, of Piercing Damage

Force to Light, Blinding, Variable Cost

Invisible Force, Variable Cost

Force to Thunder, Disorient, Variable Cost

Force to Fire, Burn, Variable Cost

Force to Ice, Slow, Variable Cost

Force to Lightning, Paralyze, Variable Cost

Force to Decay, organic damage, Variable Cost x1.5

Chain, Variable Cost x2

Combine Effects, Variable Cost x3

Generate new effects. Variable Cost

Requirements: 10 Willpower

Cleanse X, instant, short range, 10 MP.

Purge an area equal to the level of the spell in meters of all Toxins, Disease, Filth, and Corruption.

Cleanse Aura, short range, 10 MP per second.

Continuously purge all Toxins, Disease, Filth, and Corruption in a 10m sphere centered on you.

Mend X, instant, touch, 10 mana.

Touch a complicated large object, or a small common magical item, and restore it to its prime.

Ward X, instant, short range, 24 hours

Create a Small Ward that can have Minor Effects, or prevent Z damage from attackers. 10 MP + Z

Create a Small Ward that can have Small Effects, or prevent Z damage from attackers. 15 MP + Z

Create a Special Ward. Variable Cost

Create a Medium Ward that can have Small Effects, or prevent Z damage from attackers. 20 MP + Z

Create a Medium Ward that can have Medium Effects, or prevent Z damage from attackers. 25 MP + Z

Personal Ward: Any Ward of any type can be made Personal, to move with you. Original Cost x2

Create a Large Ward that can have Medium Effects, or prevent Z damage from attackers. 30 MP + Z

Create a Large Ward that can have Large Effects, or prevent Z damage from attackers. 35 MP + Z

Create a Ward with another Spell attached to the interior. Spell activation based on Z invested into Ward. 100 MP + Z

Your Wards regenerate Z based on your Rested MP regen rate.

Special Wards can be made Permanent. 250 MP + Variable Cost

Minor Effects: Bug Ward, Temperature Ward, Alarm Ward

Small Effects: Visual Disruption, Audio Disruption, Weather Ward

Medium Effects: Area Hostile Visual Disruption, Area Hostile Audio Disruption

Large Effects: Drain Hostile HP/MP, Gravity Ward

Special Ward: Eschew all other effects in order to shape, color, and illuminate a ward however you wish. Skill level at Mana Manipulation determines final outcome. Variable Cost

Gravity Strainer, instant, medium range, 65 mana, 1 hour duration.

Conjure a large, freely moldable space where specific objects turn near-weightless and fall to a designated point.

Force Beam 2, instant, medium range, 25 MP

A piercing, slicing beam of hardened mana that deals 25 + ½ WIL damage for 2 seconds

Exp: 175/200

Force Shrapnel X, instant, short cone, 5 MP

Sharpened forward blast of mana that deals 25 + WIL damage in a cone

Billiard Ball Aura, short range, 5 MP per second

Crashing balls of mana bounce erratically, inflicting 25 + WIL damage per hit.

Blink 5, instant, 25 MP

Instantly move from your location to another within , max range 10m per level of Blink

Exp: 50/800

Stoneshape X, medium range

Move large amounts of stone and sand around you for 5 minutes per level of the spell. Fine control. 100 MP

Quickly move large amounts of stone and sand around you for 1 minute per level of the spell. Fine control. 50 MP

Grow X, instant, touch or close range, 5 MP

Cultivate a single plant, or induce plant growth in an area equal to spell level in meters.

Growth Aura, 5 MP per second.

Induce growth in the plants you choose in a 10m radius around you.

Telekinesis X, medium range

Move large objects around you for 5 minutes per level of the spell. Fine control. 100 MP

Quickly move large objects around you for 1 minute per level of the spell. Fine control. 50 MP

Airshape X, medium range

Move large amounts of air around you for 5 minutes per level of the spell. Fine control. 100 MP

Quickly move large amounts air around you for 1 minute per level of the spell. Fine control. 50 MP

Particle Mage:

Call Lightning X, 1 minute per level, super long range, 500 MP ~{Favored Spell}~

Prepare the sky to strike an area or object of your choice for . If used in an active lightning storm, Call Lightning’s duration is as long as the natural storm. Every lighting bolt called reduces the duration of Call Lightning by 1 minute, or a natural storm by .

Particle Mage Only

Lightning Aura, 1 MP per second, super long range ~{Favored Spell}~

Prepare the air around you to strike for . One strike available every 50 MP.

Particle Mage Only

Exalted Storm Aura, 1 MP per second, super long range ~{Favored Spell}~

Anoint the land with blessed rain, rapidly growing all to and restoring vibrancy to all other plant life and soil. If used in a , highly nutritious beans will sprout after .

Particle Mage Only

Withering 5, 1 minute per level, super long range, 500 MP

Purge all water from all monsters in super large area, dealing every second, then Cleanse the land around every monster purged in this way.

Particle Mage Only.

Exp: 400/800

Particle Mage

Your ability to unlock new Particle spells is greatly increased.

If you witness a Particle spell and you understand it, you may unlock that spell for free.

Your ability to affect the Particle spells of others is greatly increased.

Your own Particle spells are less affected by the abilities of non Particle Mages

Your Particle spells deal more damage

You take less damage from Particle spells.

- - - -

BreeEEE! BreeEEE! BreeEEE!

An [Alarm Ward] blared. Erick shot up out of bed, his feet landing on the cold stone floor. Night hung heavy outside and inside his room. There had been a lightorb in his room. What happened to the light?

Mana Shaping.

[Special Ward].

A string of lights sprung out from every edge of his room, and every other edge of his entire stone house, inside and out, like immaculately placed Christmas lights suddenly switched on.

Except for in one upper corner of his bedroom, by the window, where the lightorb had been.

An eight foot wide spider made of darkness waited there, seven long legs latched into the stone, one long leg touching the [Alarm Ward] of the closed window, triggering the spell again and again.

Mana Shaping

[Wither—

The spider vanished faster than the speed of thought.

Erick rushed out of his room, screaming, “Where the fuck is everyone!”

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