Hello this is a collection of potential stories, random musings, and other things that I written up that I Just wanted to share. The only real connective tissue between my various stories is Note, who is only mostly sane, moral or consistent there is a reason he is in discord. Lets see how he messes with infinity shall we?
Discordant Stock Cuttings...
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Art 1.01
Part 1 - Fuck the World I'm Building a Dungeon!
2010, January 1stI, Zordrain Grovoche, may have made a mistake.... Well more like the remnants of a prideful moreons soul made a mistake. Making a deal with Master Note but dam it all it is not worth being here. Beings of that power scale are dangerous no matter how congenial a mask they craft, but what can I do but work with what I have? Let me get the preamble out of the way and I can get more into why the boy was stupid.
My first life was acting as a mercenary under a parahuman named coil, who went by the name Rex. Real sick son of a bitch but he had dirt on Rex so there was nothing he could really do unless he wanted to share a cell with a large man named Bubba. He somehow survived the 'change in employment with Tattletale and somehow left before most of the city-breaking disasters that washed through Brockton Bay. Settled into working security for a small-time rogue that repaired cars using a power that looked like it was time manipulation when the world popped. There in the void, Rex was found by Note and the Bargain was struck. That is where I come in.
What was once Rex became Zordrain, a thirty-six summer old half-orc from the continent of Viloth, apprenticed under the famous Dungeon Crafter Zute, a gnome of prodigious talent that pioneered mechanical dungeons. The tricky Gnome that taught a young me how to survive in such a dangerous industry and taught me all I needed to know to drive miss behaving adventures mad with minigames and puzzles. Though I found I had a talent at crafting large natural dungeons, mixing the two made more than one adventurer curse my existence and lead to me gain mastery certifications in Dungeon Creation, Biosynthesis, Summoning, and Artifice.
I have made a dozen dungeons with the greatest being the Temple of Mechanist Priesthood, a cult group that is dedicated to a mechanical god of some sort. Over three hundred floors it has been standing for three years and none have beat it yet! An entire building filled with rooms of mechanical beasts and technological servants of this god. I incorporated a ritual into the building to allow them to build 1.5X faster per hundred floors. Their cult has become a war engine on the Dracon continent almost overrunning the Elemental dragons due to the sheer numbers. Where was I... Oh yes basically everything was going good and I was preparing to form my personal dungeon! A techno-magical monstrosity.... But then it all came crashing down as I was yanked from my home dimension and sent here with my new/old memories and a load of extra knowledge with only one thing I know for certain.
"This world deserves none of my kindness." The main reason I have been so successful as a dungeon architect is because all the puzzles and minigames I create are intuitive and actually reward completion, preventing a lot of unnecessary damage. This world is getting the not-so-nice DM...
Now that my rant is done, where was I... O yes.
"Why a Garbage can? With those giant plastic bags filled nasty shit..."
I am currently in the south end of Boston outside an Irish pub cluttering up their garbage can. Life is wonderful and everything sucks. I'm nowhere near my secret layer either...I have a secret lair? It's in the North end under a pizzeria that has been there for a century. Odd to know something but not have a why.
I pulled myself out of the can and dusted myself off. That Everclean perk that entity gave me is quite useful even if I could manage the same with a prestidigitation. Still watching refuse shiver off my form was satisfying. I will probably need to summon a devil to restart a library thinking on magic. Perhaps an archfiend would be amiable to trade a stronghold for a library?
"Um, sir? Are you ok...Wo that is a lot of green..." a wiry young man with a bit of peach fuzz on his face attempted to get me nervously. Thank goodness Rex learned a few languages. I got reincarnated in a pair of leather pants and a jacket.
"I am a fine young man, don't worry about it. Now, do you happen to know where I can get a map?" The question came out in extremely rough and harsh English. Locally it would sound similar to a heavy Russian accent with a strange lilt on the A...
"Um... Yes! Yes, I can get a map Mr..."
"Call me Zor."
"I can get you a Map Mr. Zor we don't need any trouble."
"Not looking for any son, just a bit lost. Now how much would the map cost I have a few coins but i'm a bit light at the moment"
"ON THE HOUSE! ... um please leave soon. I just got this job and I don't want the bar busted...." He was twitching nervously.
I rolled my eyes. Pretty sure this guy is just nervous about the parahuman nonsense instead of racism but still rankled me.
It took me almost an hour to make my way to the complimentary safe house shifting around fencing and other obstacles using a bit of enchantment. Minor ones at best but moving through difficult terrain has never been a problem for me. I got a glimpse of no less than twelve caped weirdos running around causing trouble, ranging from fighting, thieving, showboating, and one stripper this place is strange and a bit different from Rex's memories but close enough that I know that I should be cautious till I have a good lay of the land... It doesn't help that everything feels alien. I got to the pizzeria and shuffled around the back into an old storage shed, the trick to this thing is that the shed is an actual shed but the front mat slides away to reveal an elevator. Into a cozy little complex that in all honesty looks more like an executive sweat than an underground structure... Now onto the important things; a bath, a nap, and research... maybe pizza.
2010, January 10th
I spent a little over a week researching and only left the secret base to go shopping for food and pawn a few phones. I cobbled together no tinker or better but it covered my food bill, for now, I really need to decide where to put my personal Dungeon down... Anyway I remade a teleporter watch my master showed me a while back, he invented it for servicing parts of his larger dungeons and it only really works in a small area of relays but setting up two near a grocery store and a few places to shop works great. Normally teleportation is a bit tricky but master Zute taught me everything he knew about the subject during the construction of a teleportation maze.
One of the interesting thing learned more about was the extent of the invasive soul alterations was and released the extent of some of the alterations. The body Mod seems deeply entwined into my soul now... witch I suppose is good? The Survival Perks Tuneup was nice got rid of a trick knee I had from an accident involving a drakeling. Metavore is very comforting since my current diet consists mostly of pizza and this Italian sausage stuff, its great! Everclean as I mentioned is convenient though I have found that there is limits siting in a pool of water dose clean me up but it is extremely basic. I am clean not feeling refreshed like one would feel after a hot bath. The most important and well difficult to think about perk right now is Touchup... A complete reformatting of who I am available once per jump it is available. Me just showing up did not activate the perk since Rex didn't jump... my soul just reincarnated... I could become human, this is a big decision its changing who I am, but well I don't blend in at all around here. Even in the more racist empires there where other races wandering around. And well nothing like that exists in this dimension there are only Humans and those Case 43s wich is setting off my mad scientist scene like crazy. If who wherever is responsible for those things caught me masquerading for one... I could be abducted faster than you can say 'No probing'. In the end after trying to purchase a meal with out an illusion across town almost leading to me getting shot at for being green... I became a human male... honestly after the switch the only thing that was a noticeable change was the lack of tusks. I retained my white hair, strong build and superior facial hair.
I used the internet and lots of divination to determine how badly the drawback I chose affected, almost an 80% increase in the parahuman population. Most of them cap out at a rating of 5 or less thankfully but it seems that parahumans occur in more small groups than before which means I have adventures! One can not underestimate the use and value of adventures in Dungeon development, especially in a world where they can generate novel materials or open dimensional rifts to worlds filled with elements. This will be entertaining, to say the least.
A quick survey of the claimed territory near my lair and found a wonderful abandoned pet shop far away from major borders of any large gang territory. Its in south boston near the coast. With one or two small groups in the territories that should be a perfect amount of... Challengers pulse several hero groups through the areas so they should get curious after a while. With a bit of work, I quickly bought up the property and set up a bank account for later...
2010, January 13th
A few tarps, some signage materials, and more than a few frightened looks quickly saw to it that I had everything I needed to hide the dungeon for now. There was evidence that the abandoned pet shop was cleared out of anything useful long ago and looks like it was barely standing due to time and nature. The fumigation tarp covering the two-story building was amazing with a few 'in construction employees only signs' none of the local hoodlums came close or even paid the structure any attention.
The place has been abandoned for ages. With large kennels and knocked down rows of shelving rotting away due to the water damage and time; the cash register is long gone and the counter looks like someone went at it with a sledgehammer. Dressed in my construction attire, jeans, and a denim duster. Say what you will about this world but the attire is very nice. I got to work.
I began by setting up a summoning circle using some salt. Diabolism is a useful practice and honestly cleaner than necromancy and it is surprisingly easy to set up some 'safe' contracts with lower-ranked devils as a dungeon crafter mostly because we are some of the few that summon 'utility' devils and demons. I called upon my tried and true workforce for general work, Builder Devils, some of the best cheap labor around since they only take mana as the cost of summons. Within the circle, a half dozen child-size imps with a range of brown rock-like skin tones appeared in a flash of fire. Equipped with hard hats and tool belts they looked ready to work, and more adorable than devils really should.
"Master Zordrain! You have been gone for so long! Where did you go?" They asked in slightly broken Zoesian a harsh language that is common to lower devils.
"I summoned a batch of you last week? For that bridge project in Yon?" It was a small thing for an out-of-the-way village. Got a good herd of bulls out of the deal... I wonder where they went...
"That was at least two years ago on the mortal plane wasn't it?"
"Can't get the damned time correct....popping universes... forget that I have a new job for you. In case you haven't noticed we are in a new universe and they have no magic or dungeons as far as I can tell. They have power through warlock-like packs with large space rocks though."
"Realy!" "Empty?" "How do they make pickled brains?" they clamored in confusion. Not that I blame them, mana-based beings like Devils, Demons and Celestials rarely if ever enter the mortal planes let alone mana-poor areas.
"Quiet! I have a long-term job for you. I am going into business for myself around here so I need some hands around here. The core is getting installed downstairs but his place is a mess not fit for an enchanted mirror let alone a core. Ready to build?" The devils began to clamor and get excited! "Good now for the pact. Mana for service, will you be bound by these accords." From a pack I presented four slate tablets I carved with rules and guidelines to keep these devils in line, most just use verbal agreements but these are cheap and easy to make with a bit of earth manipulation. A holdover from my Anglomaniacy teacher always went on and on about tablets being the best for unbending rules for some reason.
"Good! Good! We agree!" The pact was sealed with a burst of mana.
"Clean this place up! Strip the interior and turn everything into standard bricks; the tarp surrounding build a frame to hold an enchantment in place." They bolted out of the circle once they got the order. Builder devils are not very good at complex order but striping is well into their skills.
I began another summoning. While I would like another option: an elite devil will work best for a foramen right now and there is already one I would be willing entree. A devil under Tholriuth a devil king of Knowledge and Trickery called Vigorn. In the past, he has been a contract for one of my associates and ended up eating the guy's eyes when he failed to meet his end of the bargain but that is the danger devils. Also why one never gambles personal bits on daemon deals? I placed several more runes in the summoning circle just to be safe and the circle filled again but this time with a pale blue oni with long spindly fingers and a gray robe appeared looking quite interested in what was happening.
"Greeting Vigorn; I want to contact you for extended service. Are you available?"
"I am currently uncontracted but what is the service?"
"I need some higher end help and a manager for construction. Having seen your work before with Carle, I know you are quite skilled despite eating his eyes. The moron Burnet that Tome of Advanced Golemancy by Granta Doronse before summoning you didn't he?"
"O That one was quite fulfilling, though I was looking forward to the read..." Higher devils are dangerous because they are tricky.
"Hmmm I'd accept that with a contractors agreement and a Solomons bind on your service." The devil twitched and looked annoyed. Solomon Bind is a form of Diabolism and Angelism magic that forces Daemons and Celestial beings to place the contractor's orders above their lords or kings as long as they are contracted. This can backfire badly if the contractor abuses the being but is the safest way to employ long term since the being is completely unable to harm the contractor.
"Hmmm fine, but I will need to check with my King."
"I will summon you in two hours."
A quick while later and the Builders are around a fifth of the internals are gutted and the fumigation guards are holding strong. I spent the two hours taking a nap, I expected the forced nap time to be annoying but to be honest they are quite nice... Only threw a wrench at the builder once when they tried to wake me. I summoned Vigorn again.
"Master Tholriuth has accepted and stated his wish to contact you to built a proper dungeon cult locally at your leisure. '' Excellent Archdevils pay very well.
"Let's get to work," the seventeen tablets I prepared for the Solomons Bind and the general contract began to circle Vigorn and he quickly agreed to the terms.
For the next few hours, we drafted up the first floor of the dungeon, and redesigned the top building. As the public front for this entire operation, strong wards and defenses are a must. The top building will also have a few rec rooms and a warp room for future use. Thinking about how to protect myself tapped into one of the newer knowledge given to me from the Keystone Dungeon Perk to make a simple spell. I was always good at large-scale enchantment but the info and talent compressed in the perk are DANGEROUS with how potent this methodology could make the spells... The dungeon will act as a focus for a widespread divination magic that will lead me to what ever I seek and guide me away from danger, focusing solar and lunar energies to generate the guidance of the stars. I saw a similar enchantment on a temple dungeon only it called upon the guidance of a deity of Fate and Death for protection. It should grant me this boon so long as I am with in range of the dungeon.
Since this is both my personal dungeon and probably one of the best divination focuses around it needs to follow a certain pattern or theme. Knowledge, Day and Night, and gambeling will probably work best to amplify the whole guidance effect. Keystone enchantments are heavily affected by the composition of the dungeon so this should boost the results by a fair margin.
Lost my self...
The Witch– Perhaps you are the fourth Sanderson sister, maybe you're just the sort that would work with them, or perhaps they're just competition? You certainly have supernatural abilities. You're not necessarily evil, but you would probably be good at it if you decided to be.
Salem Cemetery–You appear at the gates to this rather extensive resting place, and if you check you'll find they're not locked. If you can safely set foot inside, feel free to have a look around. Just don't step on the graves, as not only is it in somewhat poor taste but a black cat lurking around one of them will certainly take offense.
"This is not my bed." I woke up uncomfortable in a pair of plain kaki pants and a simple gray t shirt and hoodie lying under a tree clutching a book and a broom. The autumn moring would be beautiful with birds singing and the crows cawing and the autumn leaves are fluttering to the ground in a picture perfect way. The only problem is that when I went to sleep last night it was the winter, it had just snowed three feet and I was swaddled in my bead with that new heated blanket I got for christmas...
"Alrighty... I... am not crazy? People with mental issues normally are at least aware that something is off... and I cant think of a single psychosis that would lead to believe time travel?" Realizing wool gathering is not going to do anything inspecting my surrounding and what I was holding could help.... "Also I should not have gone from a having a temperpedic layer of fat to looking like I actualy know what I'm doing in a gym?" Its weird I actually have defined muscles now, I've never had muscles like that it always struck me as a waste in effort. Lets focus on what I got.... Besides a tune up since I really don't like where my mind is going with what is responsible for my bodies change.
"So the broom is obviously a broom... yah? And a book leather two kinda strange. Aaa!" The book was weird and creepy as hell. Made some sort of leather that has stitching and metal clasping, it was setting off strange feeling in the back of my head. Then the clasp blinked and I saw an eye.
Scrambling back away from the book it took me a few moments to calm down. "What are you?"
I warily poked the book with the broom.... Nothing happened though the eye blinked a couple times. Swallowing my own concerns, I picked it up getting a bit weirded out as the thing purred a bit... though I'll take that over growling or something. The thing opened by itself and started to flip through the pages.
"Index... spells, potions, curses, enchantments, rituals... voodoo? hoodoo? Necromancy... a spell book? Wait wait... leather book, weird eye? Authored by THE DEVIL.... Why is it glowing red? This is The Book... from Hocus Pocus... how why?" I'm at a lost this thing shouldn't exist it especially in an alive and magical fashion. A sinking feeling filled me as I felt a key in my pocket and nothing else.
"I'm not home any more am I? Like not the same reality?" I muttered out loud heedless to how crazy I sound, something about this is reminding me of some Fanfic or story I read. "Wait, did I just become one of those Isseki people? Different universe, objects of power, confusion at reality? Body alteration and potentially magic?"
Almost answering my question my key let out a quiet chime one would expect from a phone. Suddenly I... Knew what was happening as in I KNOW like I sat through a intense orientation for a millisecond. Grabbing my head in a sudden migraine I realized that I am in deep trouble.
"I have a magic book and I assume magic of some kind... probably similar to Winifred's so magic lightning, telekinesis, flying brooms and spells." I picked book up and there seemed to be a connection that snapped into place as I acknowledged my powers... Book started to fly.
"Handy... can you pull up an introduction on how to do the basics please?" the book purred again and began to flipping through the pages by an unseen wind. "Lets see... Witches first spells... home keeping basics... Aunt flows guide to the red flood... nope... Introduction for the Newly Indited? That one would work... Magic exists in the world as a witch you have the power to collect and channel that power. There is several methods to channel that power, the most broad categories are Free-from, Spells, Potions, and Rituals. Free-form magic is very flexible and instinctive most witches have an elemental expression, telekinesis, and the ability to power an object for flight. Spells are structured magic that is invoked with words and magic, these can be manipulated to alter the spell or hide its activation. Potions cover all sorts of workings focused through physical mediums. Rituals are powerful magic that blends the other three methods that can cause powerful effects to occur....." Reading through I realized that I was not going to be able to remember everything so I need to prioritize.
"Book a couple easy spells for me to remember please." Suddenly book gave me a page detailing a couple free form spells that are more like visualization exercises backed by magic. One for what amounts to witch lightning that Winifred uses in the movie, a guide to how to use telekinesis and finally and most important to me right now is how to charm with ones voice. I spend a few minutes reading how to charm and did the warm ups..
"Hello.... Me o my... Potato potato... Wambadt... why dose my voice sound... musical?" Giving in to a strange urge I... sing. This might sound like a simple thing but I am tonedeff, I have not for the life of me been able to hold a tune, a note, a rhyme in my entire life. So when I began singing out a few song and it sounded good... not just good great! I was half way through Spooky Scary Skeletons when I was interrupted by a couple of chuckle head causing a ruckus on the other end of the grave yard. They look vaguely familiar... humm hoo cares. I walked out of the the graveyard not really having a plan other than enjoy the day and possibly show off some magic, "Now how do I get money and a bag for my stuff?"
Playing around with the telekinesis bit of my magic is fun very intuitive, thus I have a genius plan. I wandered into down town and found a nice ally to wait in. "Right book if you would, a spell for summoning and cleaning loose money?" The pages fly and ruffle.
"Search and santer, Through crack and crevice bring me my Faughter..... I don't think that works grammatically but not bad." A thin mist flowed into the street like a morning fog clinging to the ground and filtering into the gutters. I hum a haunting melody that echos through the streets as the magic gets to work I have no idea if this helps but it feel right. For about thirty minutes I stood there humming as cash come flittering through the streets coming from the sewers and occasionally getting caught on the winds.
"Um... book a cleaning spell if you would? A clap and a little bit of this and..." I performed a triple spin and snapped twice.... I have a feeling that most of these spells are a bit silly... or at least the most simple ones since they seem to be mini rituals. Will need to learn more.
"Not bad 300 dollars is great! Thank you tourism..." that is more than enough for right now long term I will need to think about something else... O... I could be a Busker or a singer for a club... I never thought that would be an option but well I seem to be built for this now.
I made two quick stops. At a thrift store I picked up a old saddle bag and then I hit the market and little boutique shops offloading about 150$ intotal for magic stuff... now once might ask what sort of magic stuff could possibly be in the market? Salt I bought a 25lb bag of salt for about fourteen dollars... I forgot how much inflation happened dam I'm depressed now. Anyway I got ingredients using a nice little cheat sheet the book had under the heading of 'Witches necessities and suppliers' lists of herbs that the stores don't have so I compensated with buying bulk and picking up some non perishable... I don't think there should be so many creamed things on the shelfs still right? Is this town just weird?
A few hours have passed and it is evening I could try and side step this entire adventure but that sounds like it would be... dangerous. Why well I'll tell you why the devil and fate or what ever you want to call it, reality has a flow at least that is what I believe. Not to say that Fate is set in stone but I really dont wan't to fight against the current when I could just as easily just tweak thing here and there and let the drama play out. Like for example I am setting things up at the school bewitching the principle and other acts that the sandersons are meant to show up and do a set. Then the band is to play for a while then it is my turn, tweaking the enchantment and switching it around for a more... beneficial purpose is simple enough according to book.
On going enchantments have two weaknesses alteration and re-casing. Alteration is the easiest and the most uses method for white practitioners where changing the conditions the spell functions on and redirecting the magic in a useful way. For example cursing a family with the pox can be altered to be cursing a family from expressing the pox... this leaves the curse in place and makes the target not experience negative side effects of the pox even if they are teaming with the stuff. Re-casting essentially echos the previous spell then changes the spell far more than alteration would be capable of, though it is far more energy intensive compared to alterations. For example changing the magic of a curse of famine into a blessing of harvest this scale of change is possible but requires more than the amount that cast the curse in the first place. Carful for if your power wanes during casting the spell could be come so weak it simply collapses instead of being changed.
.....
...
..
So I made a mistake I did not think I would be sniffed out by the sandersons so soon. Instead of following along with the the plot soon after casting their spell they caught up to me.
"Well well well what do we have here?" Winifred said in a superior tone.
"A boy? But he smells like master?" Mary said confused letting out a low growl as she talked.
"Is he masters son? Do you think I can play with him a bit?" Sharawas uncomfortable in how close she was.
"No no not master son but a Warlock I haven't seen one of you in ages, why are you here?" Ok I may have a way out of this situation...
"I Was here on a commission to bless this group by a very generous benefactor... but since you lot cast that enchantment I'll be lucky to break even after the penalties!" A light thrum of static shot between the curls in my hair with out my knowledge.
"What do you mean?" Winifred asked having been pushed out of her train of thought. "We have not found any magic anywhere since we have returned from the greave!" she did one her dramatic flourish.
"Of course you have not found anything, we need to be a bit more subtle I'm... new at this and I know that."
"A novice you say?" Sarah asked breathily giving me some very uncomfortable looks. The other two let out a humm of interest.
For some reason this just inflamed me "I'll have you know I am quite good at performing working!" Winifred was gaining a smile like the cat that caught the canary and the other two where giggling, cackling more like it.
"Well then prove thine selves cast a spell..." She was obviously leading into something when I snapped
"I'll do you one better!" Marching up to the stage I interrupted the extended set throwing the band off, leaving the croud dancing to a mess of noise.
Hazily I feel the connection I have The Book it's pages ruffling in a flurry in my pack safe away from the Sandersons. Magic apparently relies heavily on knowing what to do, the Book cheats by feeding me subconsciously what I need. Its why the Sandersons are so dam dangerous, they managed to enchant an entire hall of people with no aid of a book... from what my senses are telling me Winifredd is technically the only Witch in their little coven but her two sisters act as amplifiers and minor grimors of knowledge. Each of them 'know' some part of magic that the lets them enact magic that would be impossible otherwise; makes my blood run cold thinking how dangerous they must be with their book and a little bit of time. That is if I wasn't full of irritation.
I set the beat with a clap and enchant the band they are now under my thrall like Winifred did but I have an edge I actually know something that the band should at least be familiar with and the croud should know.
"I was working in the lab late one night...When my eyes beheld an eerie sight" It was a more up beat version of the original... I did add a few twists to enact the magic. I changed the reference from he did the mash into as kanoume ein party teraton.
It was intoxicating I could feel it, the croud their hearts their energy. It was vibrating in my bones in my soul, bounding with the time of my song. I pulled the sandersons magic out of the people and twisted and re threaded it. It was like taking apart a knitted scarf and then crocheting a hat from the yarn, odd and challenging. Can feel the Sandersons a hostile font of power that forced my magic to bend around them, I really don't think I could force them to do anything unless I out wit them. They are severely damaged from my senses apparently three hundred years of hell's embrace is not a healthy experience magicly.
"I suppose the novice has some talent..." Winifred said in an imperious tone.
"Winny what should we do?" Mary asked eyeing the people around her, "he changed the spell, they will break free!"
"Its no matter, he didn't destroy the spell just reweave it. He won't be interfering for the next few hours and the people should continue to dance for the night at the very least."
"What's his spell do winny?" Sahrah looked around in confusion.
"Since he had to include our spell, the people will experience better vigor for the next week. If he had been able to cast his original spell I believe they would have had experienced greater vigor for the next three moons... good potential in this one, will need to see if we cant... convince him later to help with a few enchantments especially with his ritual work."
The sandersons soon left as I was stuck playing several sets to songs that I barley knew. At least I delayed them a bit maybe the kids will get an advantage due to that?
...
..
.
So um... leaving dance hall the party was still going full swing. I am drained, dam magic is horrible on the stamina, vision is going in an out. Why the fuck did I think casting an enchantment that size without practice was a good idea? Pride? No it was something deeper, like instinct...
Blundering around outside I soon found a bench and watched the night sky for a little while. Soon there was a strange rumble and the sky was filled with the screaming sandersons and a green smoke and flame. Well looks like the night is progressing just fine. What should I do now?
"I'm gonna read in the cemetery. Where the hell did my broom go to?" I looked around confused over this ... I tried to call it but I go what feels like an ask again later in response.
"I guess its walking."
Found a nice little tree to settle down under, and opened up the book to read. Hours passed and I soon began to understand the that more than just skills got downloaded into me, I gained some skills... magic and knowledge. The information that I gained instinctively was the bare basics, while I need the more intricate details and options from the book, the info give me a decent foundation. Reading I familiarized my self with the sort of breath of power that was now at my fingers... though it is disconcerting how little of this book was actively evil... thankfully not everything was... morally bankrupt honestly a lot of it was more alternative living sort of thing, the Devil was not the first author but the seventh. Hecate, Pakhangba, Marduk and even Odin where authors... With the Devil being the... collector of sorts he is horrifying.
"Book do you have any warnings for magic users?"
Users be warned while most magic is very safe, over reaching and messing with life force is very dark magic and can stain ones soul unless proper safety measures are taken....
On and on the book went giving some fairly straight forward warning and guidelines. The particularly vile magics seem to come directly from the Devil and his black heart.
A screech and an echoed 'Danny' echoed through the night. I came upon the last act of the fight and billy had just lost his head. Smiling mischievously I wait a moment just before Winifred grabbed Danny I, summoned her to me. Quite a lot of scratching was had.
"What the devil? Warlock what are you playing at stealing my prey and how in creation are you standing on hallowed ground?"
"Mrs. Sanderson lovely to see you again, hunting children now... tut tut tut have you no shame?" I said ina trading voice wagging my finger as I pushed the child behind me. Keeping an eye on the three witches is difficult but I'll manage.
"Danny!"
"Preposterous a warlock could never stand upon hallow ground how have you not been turned to stone!" above Winifred was raging. Dam these kids are good at getting the witches mad.
"Now Winifred don't deny your self, only the evil are burnt on hallowed ground... dose explain why your so hesitant to even scratch at the ground. While I am not saintly, I'm certainly not evil."
Danny was scared and made a brake for her brother, I had to send out a zap of lightning to keep Mary off her and Max. Dawn was coming fast only a few more minutes and the sisters time will be up, abandoning reason the three began dive bombing the children on their 'brooms'.
In an odd twist of fate Danny still got caught and Max drank the concoction to get the witches off of her... however my interruption meant that the witches have lost the initiative. One by one they burst into lights and turned into statues in Winifred's case.
"Well that worked out better than I thought it would. Zombie dude why do you feel like an empty bar?"
I think my frank comments threw off their happy ending moments considering how the love interest allison was giving me the side eye. Turning around I noticed the Binks going into the afterlife, "oop sorry to interrupt... um have a good time ont the other side!"
"Who are you?" Max asked regaining his grip on his bat. "Just a passing warlock ran into the sandersons earlier you lot got very lucky if we were not on hollowed ground things would have gone very different."
"Those mad women not likely." Billy the showed that he had some brains in his head as he nodded in agreement.
"They where witches, and experienced ones at that. If they weren't naturally infernal at this point they would have had your guts for garters at this point, probably snacking on a kid pie to. Now why do you feel strange dead dude?"
"Perhaps its because I'm a zombie?" He said in response.
"Maybe hummm.... Do you want to be alive?" I don't know why I was aking this but something was tickling at the back of my mind. A need to ask a need to help...
"I just want to rest, honestly Winifred the trollop couldn't have been good enough to send me back to sleep."
"Wouln't you like to return to your love ones?" There was a tingle in my chest and suddenly I knew.
"Well perhaps..." he looked glum eliciting sympathy from Max and the gilrs.
"You do deserve to rest..." at the last word the world got tranquil and Billy shined slightly yawning and wandered into his open grave ignoring the world.
"Good night all...hope to see you all much later..." He murmured and settled in truly dead because to my snes there was no more magic on him...
"Now that is useful... how far dose it work?" Suddenly I shimmered in a different light and I knew I had only a few moments left in this world... though its not the end like billy... lest mess with the kids.
"Well apparently I have to go to, last advice time. Danny lighten up on your brother he is just a boy he can be dumb. Allison dot worry he gets better more later and I recommend you take the book and candle and hide them away; not the Musume either like lock box at the bottom of a well. Max invest in phone companies they will be big and home delivery; also remember to practice with cherry stems and learn to like cats." By the end of my comments Danny was giggling some of the last comments flying over her head but the looks of alison and max hinted at how uncomfortable I made them. Cute couple now "See you later."
Where am I going next? Home? Or somewhere else?
Salem Cemetery–You appear at the gates to this rather extensive resting place, and if you check you'll find they're not locked. If you can safely set foot inside, feel free to have a look around. Just don't step on the graves, as not only is it in somewhat poor taste but a black cat lurking around one of them will certainly take offense.
"This is not my bed." I woke up uncomfortable in a pair of plain kaki pants and a simple gray t shirt and hoodie lying under a tree clutching a book and a broom. The autumn moring would be beautiful with birds singing and the crows cawing and the autumn leaves are fluttering to the ground in a picture perfect way. The only problem is that when I went to sleep last night it was the winter, it had just snowed three feet and I was swaddled in my bead with that new heated blanket I got for christmas...
"Alrighty... I... am not crazy? People with mental issues normally are at least aware that something is off... and I cant think of a single psychosis that would lead to believe time travel?" Realizing wool gathering is not going to do anything inspecting my surrounding and what I was holding could help.... "Also I should not have gone from a having a temperpedic layer of fat to looking like I actualy know what I'm doing in a gym?" Its weird I actually have defined muscles now, I've never had muscles like that it always struck me as a waste in effort. Lets focus on what I got.... Besides a tune up since I really don't like where my mind is going with what is responsible for my bodies change.
"So the broom is obviously a broom... yah? And a book leather two kinda strange. Aaa!" The book was weird and creepy as hell. Made some sort of leather that has stitching and metal clasping, it was setting off strange feeling in the back of my head. Then the clasp blinked and I saw an eye.
Scrambling back away from the book it took me a few moments to calm down. "What are you?"
I warily poked the book with the broom.... Nothing happened though the eye blinked a couple times. Swallowing my own concerns, I picked it up getting a bit weirded out as the thing purred a bit... though I'll take that over growling or something. The thing opened by itself and started to flip through the pages.
"Index... spells, potions, curses, enchantments, rituals... voodoo? hoodoo? Necromancy... a spell book? Wait wait... leather book, weird eye? Authored by THE DEVIL.... Why is it glowing red? This is The Book... from Hocus Pocus... how why?" I'm at a lost this thing shouldn't exist it especially in an alive and magical fashion. A sinking feeling filled me as I felt a key in my pocket and nothing else.
"I'm not home any more am I? Like not the same reality?" I muttered out loud heedless to how crazy I sound, something about this is reminding me of some Fanfic or story I read. "Wait, did I just become one of those Isseki people? Different universe, objects of power, confusion at reality? Body alteration and potentially magic?"
Almost answering my question my key let out a quiet chime one would expect from a phone. Suddenly I... Knew what was happening as in I KNOW like I sat through a intense orientation for a millisecond. Grabbing my head in a sudden migraine I realized that I am in deep trouble.
"I have a magic book and I assume magic of some kind... probably similar to Winifred's so magic lightning, telekinesis, flying brooms and spells." I picked book up and there seemed to be a connection that snapped into place as I acknowledged my powers... Book started to fly.
"Handy... can you pull up an introduction on how to do the basics please?" the book purred again and began to flipping through the pages by an unseen wind. "Lets see... Witches first spells... home keeping basics... Aunt flows guide to the red flood... nope... Introduction for the Newly Indited? That one would work... Magic exists in the world as a witch you have the power to collect and channel that power. There is several methods to channel that power, the most broad categories are Free-from, Spells, Potions, and Rituals. Free-form magic is very flexible and instinctive most witches have an elemental expression, telekinesis, and the ability to power an object for flight. Spells are structured magic that is invoked with words and magic, these can be manipulated to alter the spell or hide its activation. Potions cover all sorts of workings focused through physical mediums. Rituals are powerful magic that blends the other three methods that can cause powerful effects to occur....." Reading through I realized that I was not going to be able to remember everything so I need to prioritize.
"Book a couple easy spells for me to remember please." Suddenly book gave me a page detailing a couple free form spells that are more like visualization exercises backed by magic. One for what amounts to witch lightning that Winifred uses in the movie, a guide to how to use telekinesis and finally and most important to me right now is how to charm with ones voice. I spend a few minutes reading how to charm and did the warm ups..
"Hello.... Me o my... Potato potato... Wambadt... why dose my voice sound... musical?" Giving in to a strange urge I... sing. This might sound like a simple thing but I am tonedeff, I have not for the life of me been able to hold a tune, a note, a rhyme in my entire life. So when I began singing out a few song and it sounded good... not just good great! I was half way through Spooky Scary Skeletons when I was interrupted by a couple of chuckle head causing a ruckus on the other end of the grave yard. They look vaguely familiar... humm hoo cares. I walked out of the the graveyard not really having a plan other than enjoy the day and possibly show off some magic, "Now how do I get money and a bag for my stuff?"
Playing around with the telekinesis bit of my magic is fun very intuitive, thus I have a genius plan. I wandered into down town and found a nice ally to wait in. "Right book if you would, a spell for summoning and cleaning loose money?" The pages fly and ruffle.
"Search and santer, Through crack and crevice bring me my Faughter..... I don't think that works grammatically but not bad." A thin mist flowed into the street like a morning fog clinging to the ground and filtering into the gutters. I hum a haunting melody that echos through the streets as the magic gets to work I have no idea if this helps but it feel right. For about thirty minutes I stood there humming as cash come flittering through the streets coming from the sewers and occasionally getting caught on the winds.
"Um... book a cleaning spell if you would? A clap and a little bit of this and..." I performed a triple spin and snapped twice.... I have a feeling that most of these spells are a bit silly... or at least the most simple ones since they seem to be mini rituals. Will need to learn more.
"Not bad 300 dollars is great! Thank you tourism..." that is more than enough for right now long term I will need to think about something else... O... I could be a Busker or a singer for a club... I never thought that would be an option but well I seem to be built for this now.
I made two quick stops. At a thrift store I picked up a old saddle bag and then I hit the market and little boutique shops offloading about 150$ intotal for magic stuff... now once might ask what sort of magic stuff could possibly be in the market? Salt I bought a 25lb bag of salt for about fourteen dollars... I forgot how much inflation happened dam I'm depressed now. Anyway I got ingredients using a nice little cheat sheet the book had under the heading of 'Witches necessities and suppliers' lists of herbs that the stores don't have so I compensated with buying bulk and picking up some non perishable... I don't think there should be so many creamed things on the shelfs still right? Is this town just weird?
A few hours have passed and it is evening I could try and side step this entire adventure but that sounds like it would be... dangerous. Why well I'll tell you why the devil and fate or what ever you want to call it, reality has a flow at least that is what I believe. Not to say that Fate is set in stone but I really dont wan't to fight against the current when I could just as easily just tweak thing here and there and let the drama play out. Like for example I am setting things up at the school bewitching the principle and other acts that the sandersons are meant to show up and do a set. Then the band is to play for a while then it is my turn, tweaking the enchantment and switching it around for a more... beneficial purpose is simple enough according to book.
On going enchantments have two weaknesses alteration and re-casing. Alteration is the easiest and the most uses method for white practitioners where changing the conditions the spell functions on and redirecting the magic in a useful way. For example cursing a family with the pox can be altered to be cursing a family from expressing the pox... this leaves the curse in place and makes the target not experience negative side effects of the pox even if they are teaming with the stuff. Re-casting essentially echos the previous spell then changes the spell far more than alteration would be capable of, though it is far more energy intensive compared to alterations. For example changing the magic of a curse of famine into a blessing of harvest this scale of change is possible but requires more than the amount that cast the curse in the first place. Carful for if your power wanes during casting the spell could be come so weak it simply collapses instead of being changed.
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So I made a mistake I did not think I would be sniffed out by the sandersons so soon. Instead of following along with the the plot soon after casting their spell they caught up to me.
"Well well well what do we have here?" Winifred said in a superior tone.
"A boy? But he smells like master?" Mary said confused letting out a low growl as she talked.
"Is he masters son? Do you think I can play with him a bit?" Sharawas uncomfortable in how close she was.
"No no not master son but a Warlock I haven't seen one of you in ages, why are you here?" Ok I may have a way out of this situation...
"I Was here on a commission to bless this group by a very generous benefactor... but since you lot cast that enchantment I'll be lucky to break even after the penalties!" A light thrum of static shot between the curls in my hair with out my knowledge.
"What do you mean?" Winifred asked having been pushed out of her train of thought. "We have not found any magic anywhere since we have returned from the greave!" she did one her dramatic flourish.
"Of course you have not found anything, we need to be a bit more subtle I'm... new at this and I know that."
"A novice you say?" Sarah asked breathily giving me some very uncomfortable looks. The other two let out a humm of interest.
For some reason this just inflamed me "I'll have you know I am quite good at performing working!" Winifred was gaining a smile like the cat that caught the canary and the other two where giggling, cackling more like it.
"Well then prove thine selves cast a spell..." She was obviously leading into something when I snapped
"I'll do you one better!" Marching up to the stage I interrupted the extended set throwing the band off, leaving the croud dancing to a mess of noise.
Hazily I feel the connection I have The Book it's pages ruffling in a flurry in my pack safe away from the Sandersons. Magic apparently relies heavily on knowing what to do, the Book cheats by feeding me subconsciously what I need. Its why the Sandersons are so dam dangerous, they managed to enchant an entire hall of people with no aid of a book... from what my senses are telling me Winifredd is technically the only Witch in their little coven but her two sisters act as amplifiers and minor grimors of knowledge. Each of them 'know' some part of magic that the lets them enact magic that would be impossible otherwise; makes my blood run cold thinking how dangerous they must be with their book and a little bit of time. That is if I wasn't full of irritation.
I set the beat with a clap and enchant the band they are now under my thrall like Winifred did but I have an edge I actually know something that the band should at least be familiar with and the croud should know.
"I was working in the lab late one night...When my eyes beheld an eerie sight" It was a more up beat version of the original... I did add a few twists to enact the magic. I changed the reference from he did the mash into as kanoume ein party teraton.
It was intoxicating I could feel it, the croud their hearts their energy. It was vibrating in my bones in my soul, bounding with the time of my song. I pulled the sandersons magic out of the people and twisted and re threaded it. It was like taking apart a knitted scarf and then crocheting a hat from the yarn, odd and challenging. Can feel the Sandersons a hostile font of power that forced my magic to bend around them, I really don't think I could force them to do anything unless I out wit them. They are severely damaged from my senses apparently three hundred years of hell's embrace is not a healthy experience magicly.
"I suppose the novice has some talent..." Winifred said in an imperious tone.
"Winny what should we do?" Mary asked eyeing the people around her, "he changed the spell, they will break free!"
"Its no matter, he didn't destroy the spell just reweave it. He won't be interfering for the next few hours and the people should continue to dance for the night at the very least."
"What's his spell do winny?" Sahrah looked around in confusion.
"Since he had to include our spell, the people will experience better vigor for the next week. If he had been able to cast his original spell I believe they would have had experienced greater vigor for the next three moons... good potential in this one, will need to see if we cant... convince him later to help with a few enchantments especially with his ritual work."
The sandersons soon left as I was stuck playing several sets to songs that I barley knew. At least I delayed them a bit maybe the kids will get an advantage due to that?
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So um... leaving dance hall the party was still going full swing. I am drained, dam magic is horrible on the stamina, vision is going in an out. Why the fuck did I think casting an enchantment that size without practice was a good idea? Pride? No it was something deeper, like instinct...
Blundering around outside I soon found a bench and watched the night sky for a little while. Soon there was a strange rumble and the sky was filled with the screaming sandersons and a green smoke and flame. Well looks like the night is progressing just fine. What should I do now?
"I'm gonna read in the cemetery. Where the hell did my broom go to?" I looked around confused over this ... I tried to call it but I go what feels like an ask again later in response.
"I guess its walking."
Found a nice little tree to settle down under, and opened up the book to read. Hours passed and I soon began to understand the that more than just skills got downloaded into me, I gained some skills... magic and knowledge. The information that I gained instinctively was the bare basics, while I need the more intricate details and options from the book, the info give me a decent foundation. Reading I familiarized my self with the sort of breath of power that was now at my fingers... though it is disconcerting how little of this book was actively evil... thankfully not everything was... morally bankrupt honestly a lot of it was more alternative living sort of thing, the Devil was not the first author but the seventh. Hecate, Pakhangba, Marduk and even Odin where authors... With the Devil being the... collector of sorts he is horrifying.
"Book do you have any warnings for magic users?"
Users be warned while most magic is very safe, over reaching and messing with life force is very dark magic and can stain ones soul unless proper safety measures are taken....
On and on the book went giving some fairly straight forward warning and guidelines. The particularly vile magics seem to come directly from the Devil and his black heart.
A screech and an echoed 'Danny' echoed through the night. I came upon the last act of the fight and billy had just lost his head. Smiling mischievously I wait a moment just before Winifred grabbed Danny I, summoned her to me. Quite a lot of scratching was had.
"What the devil? Warlock what are you playing at stealing my prey and how in creation are you standing on hallowed ground?"
"Mrs. Sanderson lovely to see you again, hunting children now... tut tut tut have you no shame?" I said ina trading voice wagging my finger as I pushed the child behind me. Keeping an eye on the three witches is difficult but I'll manage.
"Danny!"
"Preposterous a warlock could never stand upon hallow ground how have you not been turned to stone!" above Winifred was raging. Dam these kids are good at getting the witches mad.
"Now Winifred don't deny your self, only the evil are burnt on hallowed ground... dose explain why your so hesitant to even scratch at the ground. While I am not saintly, I'm certainly not evil."
Danny was scared and made a brake for her brother, I had to send out a zap of lightning to keep Mary off her and Max. Dawn was coming fast only a few more minutes and the sisters time will be up, abandoning reason the three began dive bombing the children on their 'brooms'.
In an odd twist of fate Danny still got caught and Max drank the concoction to get the witches off of her... however my interruption meant that the witches have lost the initiative. One by one they burst into lights and turned into statues in Winifred's case.
"Well that worked out better than I thought it would. Zombie dude why do you feel like an empty bar?"
I think my frank comments threw off their happy ending moments considering how the love interest allison was giving me the side eye. Turning around I noticed the Binks going into the afterlife, "oop sorry to interrupt... um have a good time ont the other side!"
"Who are you?" Max asked regaining his grip on his bat. "Just a passing warlock ran into the sandersons earlier you lot got very lucky if we were not on hollowed ground things would have gone very different."
"Those mad women not likely." Billy the showed that he had some brains in his head as he nodded in agreement.
"They where witches, and experienced ones at that. If they weren't naturally infernal at this point they would have had your guts for garters at this point, probably snacking on a kid pie to. Now why do you feel strange dead dude?"
"Perhaps its because I'm a zombie?" He said in response.
"Maybe hummm.... Do you want to be alive?" I don't know why I was aking this but something was tickling at the back of my mind. A need to ask a need to help...
"I just want to rest, honestly Winifred the trollop couldn't have been good enough to send me back to sleep."
"Wouln't you like to return to your love ones?" There was a tingle in my chest and suddenly I knew.
"Well perhaps..." he looked glum eliciting sympathy from Max and the gilrs.
"You do deserve to rest..." at the last word the world got tranquil and Billy shined slightly yawning and wandered into his open grave ignoring the world.
"Good night all...hope to see you all much later..." He murmured and settled in truly dead because to my snes there was no more magic on him...
"Now that is useful... how far dose it work?" Suddenly I shimmered in a different light and I knew I had only a few moments left in this world... though its not the end like billy... lest mess with the kids.
"Well apparently I have to go to, last advice time. Danny lighten up on your brother he is just a boy he can be dumb. Allison dot worry he gets better more later and I recommend you take the book and candle and hide them away; not the Musume either like lock box at the bottom of a well. Max invest in phone companies they will be big and home delivery; also remember to practice with cherry stems and learn to like cats." By the end of my comments Danny was giggling some of the last comments flying over her head but the looks of alison and max hinted at how uncomfortable I made them. Cute couple now "See you later."
Where am I going next? Home? Or somewhere else?
What to do with a shop? 1.1
I heard a voice, "Hello, Little one, you were lost along infinity when I found you." blearily, I saw a crystal tree with a trunk of gold and leafs shining with all the colors of the rainbow. A light wind blew, and chimes sang in the breeze; the voice was back. It was like grandmother calm and caring, like it was reading a lullaby... "You have been changed and gained a tiny piece of my truth, magic unique in the world, and an opportunity has been presented. To help others and be enriched in turn... Your connection to the world will change what once was a dream and should become more real. Promise me one thing grow and refract wander into the worlds you visit..."
Hello, and welcome to the Socketed Shop System!
You have been saved by a passing [ERROR] revelation deemed damaging to the soul's strength level. Redefining, mediation received. Your patron saved you from infinity and, in doing so, connected you to the Garden of Gems. You have gained access to shop systems due to your Patron's mercy.
Collecting data...
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..
The shop system grants the following:
"Good luck, little one. Have fun and try not to destroy reality by mistake."
I sat upon an uncomfortable chair in a small cubicle of a bedroom barely large enough for me to lie down in... across from me was a small wardrobe. The room was grey and drab.
"Ooo I almost forgot, have some start-up cash." the voice said again, and a small pile of bills appeared on my bed.
I took a half hour to inspect my new situation, and it could be better; lots of growth potential. I have access to a magical supplier. It exchanges potential for objects and acts as an extremely expensive vending machine that adapts based on what I am exposed to. I have snacks, water, and some exceedingly simple accessories. Stocking cost me most of my money. The only really special thing I bought was a few Japanese good luck charm-looking things, they caught my fancy. I have a very basic bathroom with a wash basin instead of a normal sink and no shower... It doesn't even have toilet paper but a duvet thing. Poking around, I found that this was an extra-dimensional space the void outside my door was very unnerving though the film that prevented me or objects from leaving was very welcome.
With the inventory set for now, I was stuck with nothing to do but wait for people to come... Out of sheer boredom, I thought about the whole Garden idea and well discovered that there is more to this than just being stuck in an interdimensional space. I can call Crystalline Power into the world with a bit of focus. Only my Garden whispers that these are gems/stones/potential small pockets of concepts and reality that can empower individuals, objects, and spaces with supernatural abilities. In addition, I can connect those gems to other gems and the world using threads that are connections... A lot of brain-twisting concepts boil down to magic in my mind.
Idly appraise one of the good luck charms...
Poor Charm of Luck: It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident.
Honestly, those seem fantastic, considering I don't think magic was a thing in my old life. With a flex of will guided by the Garden, the space in front of the charm opened up. I carefully placed a Phoenix Heart, one of the gems that bestow renewal, restoration, and hope. Its warmth can ignite attributes, multiplying them at the cost of their temporary weakness. I don't know what that means, though. With only a single place to put the gem, I socket it and close the rift.
Poor Phoenix Charm of Luck: A simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, while holding promotes recovery and hope, it reduces the recovery period of the owner by a small amount.
That is a nice boost in utility. Let's try one of the green ones.
Poor Verdant Charm of Luck: a simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, while in possession, it promotes healing and provides a small amount of sustenance that reduces hunger pains and the effects of starvation.
Repeating the process with one more charm resulted in something different.
Poor Verdant Charm of Luck: a simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, while in possession, it promotes healing and boosts stamina.
"So this wouldn't result in repeatable effects? At least not yet, right?" A chime from the garden confirmed my thought. So Eventually, I should be able to pick and choose how the stones change things. Once I know more in the afternoon, I meditate on the stones when suddenly a chime comes through the store.
The door opened up, and a kid came running in. A little girl that looked vaguely familiar, short with light taupe hair and pigtails, she seemed a bit on the young side, but whatever. "Hello, welcome to Jewel in the Rough inter dimensional pawn and trade; how can I help you?" The little girl looked around in confusion at the small store, barely 80 square feet room with a counter and a few shelves taking up most of the room.
"Um... I was just wondering what you sold—I've never seen a door in this ally."
"Not much right now, just opening up, but I have some snack; or a good luck charm garnetted to work, or you get a two-for-one discount on the next purchase."
"How much are those good luck charms? A... a friend of mine got hurt because of me, and I want to help."
"Well... If he is that injured, I would recommend this; a Phoenix Charm of Luck should help him keep his spirits up and get better faster." the girl stares at the object in confusion and then nods. "I'll take it!"
"That will be 50$."
"What the hell! I thought you said that these were charms. Arent, they like 5$ at most!"
"Well, these work, so either buy them or don't..." maby that was to hard of a sale
She clicked her tongue at the situation but caved and handed over 50$, not bad for my first sale.
You have made your first sale!
Store size upgraded and storage options expanded...
Cautiously a few moments after the girl left, I tried exiting the building. Bracing myself, I open the door into... a prompt?
"Select designation: Void, The Soul Prison of Death... "........ Better than the void?
Outside was a gothic cobblestone road. To my right was a road with cars, and to my left was a box of stray cats... "Ho, thank gems that I am not alone anymore... wait, gems? What is a god? The opposite of the devil is Gems ... I guess the Garden is possessive?"
Shrugging my shoulders, I wander over to grab a bit of takeout from the place next door. Ten minus later, I have a hero sandwich and fries twelve dollars poorer. I aslo found out that this place was where that Soul Eater storie happened... I think that girl was one of the main characters as well. Not sure how to feel about that.
The last few days have been interesting; first and foremost, my store's location moves around without a care in the world. Though apparently, I can always return within five minutes of walking.. The best boon is that once I designate someone as a Customer, they can find the store though it seems random. The store shop has expanded as well to offer local equipment and materials, the problem is that well the mark-up is horrifying it only enchanted example that i could get close to breaking even... a belt cost me 180$ and that would be for a basic one that should cost 20$ anywhere else... I now know how the store balances things out at least. Make deals with locals or go shopping my self... One of the more interesting things I figured out was socketing gems in myself though I admit to doing some testing.
"You my friend, are going to help me."
"Mrow?" The cat didn't move from the counter once I set him down.
"I have a bit of magic that can affect living things."
"Mrow?" The cat licked its arm.
"It should help you. Wish me luck, Gems were doing this..." A glowing green gem appeared in my hand, and a rift appeared in from the cat. "Two sockets? Strong little fella, aren't you?" The cat slowed down, and from the whispering from the Garden, I knew the cat was sedated and that sophont being would need to consent first. "Let's start a simple test."A Verdant Seed entered the socket and closed up. The cat had a slight shimmer, and his coat gained a healthy sheen; his paws became green. The cat, done with being an experiment, jumped from the counter and onto a large leaf that grew from the ground as he fell. The plant caught him and quickly crumbled into dust, slowing his fall. "Neat... what happened with another gem?" Taking a few minutes to wrangle the magical cat that grew grass knots to trip me.
"Mrow..."
"Relax, this should help you more," I socketed another green gem and used a thread to connect the two. Interestingly, the gems glowed, and a strange synergy occurred. Closing the rift, the cat became more green and healthy looking. "How are ya?"
"Mrow." A small patch of cat nip manifested, and I lost the cat to drugs... "Well, I think that was a success."
I opened a rift connected to me, two sockets... "Why do I have the same as the cat?" The Garden echoed in my head... The sockets are representations of the object's quality and compatibility. Naturally, objects can have between one to six sockets; objects can gain up to thirteen with time and effort. Two is generally the average for most mundane cases... Exilant quality, superb materials, or even exceptional examples can have more... Is this a comment against my fitness?
"Whatever, Let's try this..." I socketed a Phoenix Heart and Verdant Seed. I felt magical for a moment then I attempted to use a thread... between the two sockets. It didn't quite work something wasn't quite clicking. Still, I closed the rift, and I suddenly knew I could spawn small plants, have a bit extra stamina, and can last longer with less food. Most important is a regeneration factor that left me feeling refreshed. "Might as well try..." I tried giving myself a shallow cut, a light one, but a superficial cut faded away over a minute or two. "...Sweet."
Hello, and welcome to the Socketed Shop System!
You have been saved by a passing [ERROR] revelation deemed damaging to the soul's strength level. Redefining, mediation received. Your patron saved you from infinity and, in doing so, connected you to the Garden of Gems. You have gained access to shop systems due to your Patron's mercy.
Collecting data...
..
..
The shop system grants the following:
- Conflict can only occur in designated shop spaces if you designate an exception, such as a training arena or similar space. All magic will fail, physical means will result in targets becoming indestructible and experiencing no change, and more esoteric methodologies will fail.
- All language is understandable due to the connection to the Garen of Gems and the exposure to infinity.
- The system can translate the value of all forms of currency and convert said money.
- Gain the ability to appraise all matters through your exposure to Infinity and refined by the Garden of Gems.
- Extradimensional locations can be bough altered and manipulated using the Garden of Gems and the Shop System.
"Good luck, little one. Have fun and try not to destroy reality by mistake."
I sat upon an uncomfortable chair in a small cubicle of a bedroom barely large enough for me to lie down in... across from me was a small wardrobe. The room was grey and drab.
"Ooo I almost forgot, have some start-up cash." the voice said again, and a small pile of bills appeared on my bed.
I took a half hour to inspect my new situation, and it could be better; lots of growth potential. I have access to a magical supplier. It exchanges potential for objects and acts as an extremely expensive vending machine that adapts based on what I am exposed to. I have snacks, water, and some exceedingly simple accessories. Stocking cost me most of my money. The only really special thing I bought was a few Japanese good luck charm-looking things, they caught my fancy. I have a very basic bathroom with a wash basin instead of a normal sink and no shower... It doesn't even have toilet paper but a duvet thing. Poking around, I found that this was an extra-dimensional space the void outside my door was very unnerving though the film that prevented me or objects from leaving was very welcome.
With the inventory set for now, I was stuck with nothing to do but wait for people to come... Out of sheer boredom, I thought about the whole Garden idea and well discovered that there is more to this than just being stuck in an interdimensional space. I can call Crystalline Power into the world with a bit of focus. Only my Garden whispers that these are gems/stones/potential small pockets of concepts and reality that can empower individuals, objects, and spaces with supernatural abilities. In addition, I can connect those gems to other gems and the world using threads that are connections... A lot of brain-twisting concepts boil down to magic in my mind.
Idly appraise one of the good luck charms...
Poor Charm of Luck: It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident.
Honestly, those seem fantastic, considering I don't think magic was a thing in my old life. With a flex of will guided by the Garden, the space in front of the charm opened up. I carefully placed a Phoenix Heart, one of the gems that bestow renewal, restoration, and hope. Its warmth can ignite attributes, multiplying them at the cost of their temporary weakness. I don't know what that means, though. With only a single place to put the gem, I socket it and close the rift.
Poor Phoenix Charm of Luck: A simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, while holding promotes recovery and hope, it reduces the recovery period of the owner by a small amount.
That is a nice boost in utility. Let's try one of the green ones.
Poor Verdant Charm of Luck: a simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, while in possession, it promotes healing and provides a small amount of sustenance that reduces hunger pains and the effects of starvation.
Repeating the process with one more charm resulted in something different.
Poor Verdant Charm of Luck: a simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, while in possession, it promotes healing and boosts stamina.
"So this wouldn't result in repeatable effects? At least not yet, right?" A chime from the garden confirmed my thought. So Eventually, I should be able to pick and choose how the stones change things. Once I know more in the afternoon, I meditate on the stones when suddenly a chime comes through the store.
The door opened up, and a kid came running in. A little girl that looked vaguely familiar, short with light taupe hair and pigtails, she seemed a bit on the young side, but whatever. "Hello, welcome to Jewel in the Rough inter dimensional pawn and trade; how can I help you?" The little girl looked around in confusion at the small store, barely 80 square feet room with a counter and a few shelves taking up most of the room.
"Um... I was just wondering what you sold—I've never seen a door in this ally."
"Not much right now, just opening up, but I have some snack; or a good luck charm garnetted to work, or you get a two-for-one discount on the next purchase."
"How much are those good luck charms? A... a friend of mine got hurt because of me, and I want to help."
"Well... If he is that injured, I would recommend this; a Phoenix Charm of Luck should help him keep his spirits up and get better faster." the girl stares at the object in confusion and then nods. "I'll take it!"
"That will be 50$."
"What the hell! I thought you said that these were charms. Arent, they like 5$ at most!"
"Well, these work, so either buy them or don't..." maby that was to hard of a sale
She clicked her tongue at the situation but caved and handed over 50$, not bad for my first sale.
You have made your first sale!
Store size upgraded and storage options expanded...
Cautiously a few moments after the girl left, I tried exiting the building. Bracing myself, I open the door into... a prompt?
"Select designation: Void, The Soul Prison of Death... "........ Better than the void?
Outside was a gothic cobblestone road. To my right was a road with cars, and to my left was a box of stray cats... "Ho, thank gems that I am not alone anymore... wait, gems? What is a god? The opposite of the devil is Gems ... I guess the Garden is possessive?"
Shrugging my shoulders, I wander over to grab a bit of takeout from the place next door. Ten minus later, I have a hero sandwich and fries twelve dollars poorer. I aslo found out that this place was where that Soul Eater storie happened... I think that girl was one of the main characters as well. Not sure how to feel about that.
The last few days have been interesting; first and foremost, my store's location moves around without a care in the world. Though apparently, I can always return within five minutes of walking.. The best boon is that once I designate someone as a Customer, they can find the store though it seems random. The store shop has expanded as well to offer local equipment and materials, the problem is that well the mark-up is horrifying it only enchanted example that i could get close to breaking even... a belt cost me 180$ and that would be for a basic one that should cost 20$ anywhere else... I now know how the store balances things out at least. Make deals with locals or go shopping my self... One of the more interesting things I figured out was socketing gems in myself though I admit to doing some testing.
"You my friend, are going to help me."
"Mrow?" The cat didn't move from the counter once I set him down.
"I have a bit of magic that can affect living things."
"Mrow?" The cat licked its arm.
"It should help you. Wish me luck, Gems were doing this..." A glowing green gem appeared in my hand, and a rift appeared in from the cat. "Two sockets? Strong little fella, aren't you?" The cat slowed down, and from the whispering from the Garden, I knew the cat was sedated and that sophont being would need to consent first. "Let's start a simple test."A Verdant Seed entered the socket and closed up. The cat had a slight shimmer, and his coat gained a healthy sheen; his paws became green. The cat, done with being an experiment, jumped from the counter and onto a large leaf that grew from the ground as he fell. The plant caught him and quickly crumbled into dust, slowing his fall. "Neat... what happened with another gem?" Taking a few minutes to wrangle the magical cat that grew grass knots to trip me.
"Mrow..."
"Relax, this should help you more," I socketed another green gem and used a thread to connect the two. Interestingly, the gems glowed, and a strange synergy occurred. Closing the rift, the cat became more green and healthy looking. "How are ya?"
"Mrow." A small patch of cat nip manifested, and I lost the cat to drugs... "Well, I think that was a success."
I opened a rift connected to me, two sockets... "Why do I have the same as the cat?" The Garden echoed in my head... The sockets are representations of the object's quality and compatibility. Naturally, objects can have between one to six sockets; objects can gain up to thirteen with time and effort. Two is generally the average for most mundane cases... Exilant quality, superb materials, or even exceptional examples can have more... Is this a comment against my fitness?
"Whatever, Let's try this..." I socketed a Phoenix Heart and Verdant Seed. I felt magical for a moment then I attempted to use a thread... between the two sockets. It didn't quite work something wasn't quite clicking. Still, I closed the rift, and I suddenly knew I could spawn small plants, have a bit extra stamina, and can last longer with less food. Most important is a regeneration factor that left me feeling refreshed. "Might as well try..." I tried giving myself a shallow cut, a light one, but a superficial cut faded away over a minute or two. "...Sweet."
What to do with a shop? 1.2
"Welcome again. Who's your friend there?" My first customer has returned; the shop grew a small amount: 90 square feet in the end. I bought out a few bobbles figuring healing Items and magic items were going to be my big seller for a while.
"Hello, my name is Tsubaki. I was hoping to get a good luck charm for my partner."
"Nice to meet you..."
"I'm Maka, um sorry about not introducing myself earlier... how did you make those things?" Nice to confirm who and where I am. Death city has been surprisingly subdued in terms of hints.
"The charms? Just a bit of magic, I know. Now you wanted to get a charm, young lady?" The two customers froze and looked prepared for a fight. "Now, now... none of that; this is a respectable establishment, No Fighting." There is a strange ring of truth at the end of my statement, and those two can sense it.
"Let's see... I have a few charms... This one, I think, could be perfect..."
Phoenix Charm of Luck: A simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, holding allows individuals to push past their current abilities at the cost of reduced stamina.
"Your friend should burn brighter with this, though be careful burning too bright can be dangerous. Costs 50$"
"Alright... I suppose."
"Lord Death, could you please take a look at this please?" Tsubaki asked shyly, she is such a sweet girl despite the rough start she had.
"I bought one as well from a merchant in town. He claimed they were magic, but there was no madness I could feel, and I couldn't see his soul when I met him the second time." Maka's report helped some, her soul sight should have shown at least an impression of his soul, and I should have sensed one powerful enough to blind her. Seh then froze and looked strangely at Tsubaki, "Did you get his name?" she asked and got a shake of the head back.
"I'm glad you bright this in girls, especially if Soul was exposed to one for so long... Girls, you seem to have stumbled onto something a bit peculiar. What bargain was struck for these talismans? Be detailed."
"He only asked for 50$ each, a bit expensive, but they seemed nice. He said there was no fighting in the store and was very clear about it; I could feel the rule in my bones. Is soul in danger!"
"If the other talisman is anything like this one, no, not in particular. These appear to work as described. However, they lack resonance with the sway of magic wave-length witches normally experience. They are sertinly magical in nature, though they seem to be connected to an entirely separate resonance... This one seems attuned to hope and renewal. I will pop by Soul latter on today but this seems to be perfectly safe. Honestly, it is one of the more potent examples of beneficial magic I've seen since that young witch joined the academy..."
"So it is fine..."
"Indeed... in fact if you could run an errand for me," Now that I focus I could feel it a little conection out side. Though I suppose it is lucky that it seems to be contained by my soul for now and not particularly violant.
"Of course, Lord Death..."
'.... and I wish you welcome to Death City; please be certain to keep within the guidelines of sales I have enclosed. Banishing an interdimensional connection to the city despite being entirely possible is far to time-consuming if unnecessary... In addition, I will be sending along a seal that will grant you full legal protections... "
Well did not expect to be under scrutiny of Lord's death so soon, the guidelines he included is fair enough it is his city he gets to decide what gets put in. Especially since it is also inside his soul... Now that is creepy thought in itself does he feels all those people walking around?
"Thank you for delivering this, please come again... in fact come back in a few month's time. I will have a gift for Lord Death at that time..."
"Alright." Maka agreed easily enough...
Honestly, I want to run a shop not play politics, though I guess it is a rule politics trails after power... I manifest one of the Pheniox Hearts idly, and if these aren't power, I don't know what would count. As Maka leaves, she purchases a belt, I modified.
Phoenix guarding - Grants the wearer a minor regenerative effect and allows the wearer to overcharge their healing, even being able to heal moderate damage in exchange for fatigue. 200$
She rumbled angrily at the price, but the utility more than makes up for the price. The fact that I bought the belt for 30$ has nothing to do with it...
Congratulations on your 10th saie!
Unlock Customizations
Unlock Investments
Unlock Expansion
New world connection established
I barely hold a straight face as I usher out a nice old lady who bought a charm for her ailing daughter... Once she was out of sight dove into the newly unlocked options that, for the most part, cost an arm and a leg. Why the hell does establishing a freezer cost 20 thousand dollars? Expansions cost thousands at a minimum and then there are the more esoteric upgrades like establishing a smithy and alchemy post ect... money-grubbing...
I can afford nothing, oh well... nothing to do about it. However, I felt something strange time dint quite fit,
"Do not worry, little one, it is just time shuttering... you shall soon learn its eddies." The echoing voice answers me in a fey tone.
I have a full body shiver, "That voice is odd... familiar yet alien... what is this about time?"
I let out an aggravated sigh and retreated to my room to sleep... I dreamed of endless Gardens and Crystals shimmering in mid-afternoon shadows.
Time feelt to slip away as time passed... and I woke up with strange knowledge filling my mind... now who is knocking at the door? Falling into place behind the counter, my wheres have grown to include various bits and bobs... to enchant healing and even one or two that will allow magical plants to occur.
"What is place?" a tan teen walked in behind him was a similar-looking girl and a short teen with a bald head and tattoos... knowledge filters into my head, it's becoming more obvious with time, but each realm gifts me some info each time I connect... At first, it was hidden by my previous 'knowledge' with the less well known plot its more obvious.
"Welcome to Jewel in the Rough Inter-Dimensional pawn and trade; how can I help you?"
"What are you talking about? Dimensions, is this the spirit world?" The monk wonders aloud...
"Should you know the answer to that? You're the Avatar, for crying out loud!" The taller teen said.
"He has shiny bags, and bread things, and meat in even more clear stuff..." the kids freaked out for a few moments, excited over the new things.
"Yes, the packaging in some of the worlds is a bit different, but we can transfer them over to your own storage methods upon purchase. If you insist, you may take them as is, but... the packaging is not the best for the environment as your world lacks the methods to deal with them. I would not wish to enter into conflict with the spirits, so beware..."
"What are these? They feel different?" The monk came upon a few of the enchanted pieces of clothing I have in the shop.
"Those are artifacts, magical objects I have created, you can either purchase or trade for them."
"Magic, phe that isn't real?" The teen shouted out dismissively.
"Yet spirits are?" He flinched at the retort.
"What does this one do?"
"A.. that Vines embrace, an enchanted bracelet capable of enhancing the holder's stamina and allow for the growth of short-lived magical plants."
"Really?" The young monk has stars in his eyes. "Costs... two hundred fifty silver bits." about three hundred.
They sputter at teh price, "what can I say, magic can be expensive." I create a in my hand a rose to accentuate the point; "Worth it, though."
"Um... How about these?"
"The Charms cost 46 Silver Bits. the ones you have there protect against getting hurt and make the holder slightly luckier."
They break into a huddle and begin whispering to each other, it's rather cute. They broke and put on a bunch of salesmen look. "Well, friend, I would love to trade you this genuine water-bending scroll for your using pleasure..."
"O? Let's take a look,"
Water Bending Scroll: Written by an unknown author this scroll details an ancient attack pattern known as the whipping tentacles. A methodology focused on creating fast pace water whips and attacks. This cost 50 gold - 5,000 silver.... 20,000$
"This would more than cover it... the scroll is worth... 50 gold due to the rare attack methods detailed within. In addition, it's made from real jade, nice artwork as well. Tell you what, I'll turn a few pieces of equipment into artifacts especially made for you, and... one of you may become empowered."
"What do those things mean?"
"That thing is worth 50 gold! Why didn't we sell that thing in the last Village!"
"Two artifacts each and one person gets an empowerment... how to put this, empowerment is granting magical effect directly to an individual... This can be fantastical power or a long-lasting boon..."
"How much would it cost normally?" Fair, he doesn't want to be zipped.
"100 gold minimum," I said flatly, I know what these sockets are worth I'm willing to accept a loss to help this lot especially if I get them to pick up treasures and the like. The lanky teen is sputtering.
"Your lying," the blind one noticed my fib...
"It would normally be more but you lot seem like a good investment." She beguines to grumble in annoyance, causing the tall one to go white.
"Um... what would the enhancement do?" the eldest asked.
"Well, that depends on how focused you want to get; want to make magic plants? You can do it. Heal from wounds in minutes? Done. a collection of a few lesser powers easy..."
"Wow..."
"I..I... can I be the one who is empowered?"
"Soka, how can you be so..."
"That makes sense. Do you think you could to do the plant thing?" The tattooed boy said in excitement, good humor on this one.
"What, no! Shouldn't Aang get stronger? He is the Avatar..." the girl said, grumbling for some reason.
"It's fine, besides we can always come back and get another one if this works out right? And wel... Soka almost got really hurt last time he got overwhelmed..." the tattooed boy said, concerned.
"Alright enough, sappy stuff..." I said with a roll of my eyes.
"So what do you do? How do you fight?"
"I...I... I am good with swords and boomerangs. Not the best... I fight with my brains, and... I'm alright with a spear." He was grasping at straws at how to describe his martial ability. The girl, probably his sister looked uncomfortable at his weakness.
"So, honest with yourself, do you consent to change?" At his nod, a rift opened in front of the young man, three slots shining in brilliant voids. "Well aren't you lucky, I get to try my hand at my best work..." I take a Drakenstone, something new the garden granted me. The stone is angular hard and sharp, unscarred by any blade. Rumbling. Deceptively smooth, gliding over skin, where it should leave harsh wounds. I slot it in and establish a Conduit thread connecting him and the stone. Smiling full of teeth, I grabbed a Phenoxe Heart. He is a warrior fighting strength; if only I had something to help with aiming or luck... I wove the treads, causing them to undulate and sink into his flesh and blood. Finally, I grabbed one more Phenoxe Heart and tied it to his heart... Sealing the rift I watch as Soka under gose an interesting change. His hair gained bright red highlights. A tattoo bloomed under his shirt, barely peeking through, new ones bloomed on his skin like scales like armguards. When his eyes opened, he gained a fleck of gold in his eyes.
"Expect your skit to become resistant to physical attacks, your healing should be greatly increased and a decent strength boosts when you really need it... Now on to the rest of your artifacts..."
"Hello, my name is Tsubaki. I was hoping to get a good luck charm for my partner."
"Nice to meet you..."
"I'm Maka, um sorry about not introducing myself earlier... how did you make those things?" Nice to confirm who and where I am. Death city has been surprisingly subdued in terms of hints.
"The charms? Just a bit of magic, I know. Now you wanted to get a charm, young lady?" The two customers froze and looked prepared for a fight. "Now, now... none of that; this is a respectable establishment, No Fighting." There is a strange ring of truth at the end of my statement, and those two can sense it.
"Let's see... I have a few charms... This one, I think, could be perfect..."
Phoenix Charm of Luck: A simple charm altered using the shopkeeps magic. It grants the holder a minor boost in mundane luck and reduces the severity of one accident. In addition, holding allows individuals to push past their current abilities at the cost of reduced stamina.
"Your friend should burn brighter with this, though be careful burning too bright can be dangerous. Costs 50$"
"Alright... I suppose."
"Lord Death, could you please take a look at this please?" Tsubaki asked shyly, she is such a sweet girl despite the rough start she had.
"I bought one as well from a merchant in town. He claimed they were magic, but there was no madness I could feel, and I couldn't see his soul when I met him the second time." Maka's report helped some, her soul sight should have shown at least an impression of his soul, and I should have sensed one powerful enough to blind her. Seh then froze and looked strangely at Tsubaki, "Did you get his name?" she asked and got a shake of the head back.
"I'm glad you bright this in girls, especially if Soul was exposed to one for so long... Girls, you seem to have stumbled onto something a bit peculiar. What bargain was struck for these talismans? Be detailed."
"He only asked for 50$ each, a bit expensive, but they seemed nice. He said there was no fighting in the store and was very clear about it; I could feel the rule in my bones. Is soul in danger!"
"If the other talisman is anything like this one, no, not in particular. These appear to work as described. However, they lack resonance with the sway of magic wave-length witches normally experience. They are sertinly magical in nature, though they seem to be connected to an entirely separate resonance... This one seems attuned to hope and renewal. I will pop by Soul latter on today but this seems to be perfectly safe. Honestly, it is one of the more potent examples of beneficial magic I've seen since that young witch joined the academy..."
"So it is fine..."
"Indeed... in fact if you could run an errand for me," Now that I focus I could feel it a little conection out side. Though I suppose it is lucky that it seems to be contained by my soul for now and not particularly violant.
"Of course, Lord Death..."
'.... and I wish you welcome to Death City; please be certain to keep within the guidelines of sales I have enclosed. Banishing an interdimensional connection to the city despite being entirely possible is far to time-consuming if unnecessary... In addition, I will be sending along a seal that will grant you full legal protections... "
Well did not expect to be under scrutiny of Lord's death so soon, the guidelines he included is fair enough it is his city he gets to decide what gets put in. Especially since it is also inside his soul... Now that is creepy thought in itself does he feels all those people walking around?
"Thank you for delivering this, please come again... in fact come back in a few month's time. I will have a gift for Lord Death at that time..."
"Alright." Maka agreed easily enough...
Honestly, I want to run a shop not play politics, though I guess it is a rule politics trails after power... I manifest one of the Pheniox Hearts idly, and if these aren't power, I don't know what would count. As Maka leaves, she purchases a belt, I modified.
Phoenix guarding - Grants the wearer a minor regenerative effect and allows the wearer to overcharge their healing, even being able to heal moderate damage in exchange for fatigue. 200$
She rumbled angrily at the price, but the utility more than makes up for the price. The fact that I bought the belt for 30$ has nothing to do with it...
Congratulations on your 10th saie!
Unlock Customizations
Unlock Investments
Unlock Expansion
New world connection established
I barely hold a straight face as I usher out a nice old lady who bought a charm for her ailing daughter... Once she was out of sight dove into the newly unlocked options that, for the most part, cost an arm and a leg. Why the hell does establishing a freezer cost 20 thousand dollars? Expansions cost thousands at a minimum and then there are the more esoteric upgrades like establishing a smithy and alchemy post ect... money-grubbing...
I can afford nothing, oh well... nothing to do about it. However, I felt something strange time dint quite fit,
"Do not worry, little one, it is just time shuttering... you shall soon learn its eddies." The echoing voice answers me in a fey tone.
I have a full body shiver, "That voice is odd... familiar yet alien... what is this about time?"
I let out an aggravated sigh and retreated to my room to sleep... I dreamed of endless Gardens and Crystals shimmering in mid-afternoon shadows.
Time feelt to slip away as time passed... and I woke up with strange knowledge filling my mind... now who is knocking at the door? Falling into place behind the counter, my wheres have grown to include various bits and bobs... to enchant healing and even one or two that will allow magical plants to occur.
"What is place?" a tan teen walked in behind him was a similar-looking girl and a short teen with a bald head and tattoos... knowledge filters into my head, it's becoming more obvious with time, but each realm gifts me some info each time I connect... At first, it was hidden by my previous 'knowledge' with the less well known plot its more obvious.
"Welcome to Jewel in the Rough Inter-Dimensional pawn and trade; how can I help you?"
"What are you talking about? Dimensions, is this the spirit world?" The monk wonders aloud...
"Should you know the answer to that? You're the Avatar, for crying out loud!" The taller teen said.
"He has shiny bags, and bread things, and meat in even more clear stuff..." the kids freaked out for a few moments, excited over the new things.
"Yes, the packaging in some of the worlds is a bit different, but we can transfer them over to your own storage methods upon purchase. If you insist, you may take them as is, but... the packaging is not the best for the environment as your world lacks the methods to deal with them. I would not wish to enter into conflict with the spirits, so beware..."
"What are these? They feel different?" The monk came upon a few of the enchanted pieces of clothing I have in the shop.
"Those are artifacts, magical objects I have created, you can either purchase or trade for them."
"Magic, phe that isn't real?" The teen shouted out dismissively.
"Yet spirits are?" He flinched at the retort.
"What does this one do?"
"A.. that Vines embrace, an enchanted bracelet capable of enhancing the holder's stamina and allow for the growth of short-lived magical plants."
"Really?" The young monk has stars in his eyes. "Costs... two hundred fifty silver bits." about three hundred.
They sputter at teh price, "what can I say, magic can be expensive." I create a in my hand a rose to accentuate the point; "Worth it, though."
"Um... How about these?"
"The Charms cost 46 Silver Bits. the ones you have there protect against getting hurt and make the holder slightly luckier."
They break into a huddle and begin whispering to each other, it's rather cute. They broke and put on a bunch of salesmen look. "Well, friend, I would love to trade you this genuine water-bending scroll for your using pleasure..."
"O? Let's take a look,"
Water Bending Scroll: Written by an unknown author this scroll details an ancient attack pattern known as the whipping tentacles. A methodology focused on creating fast pace water whips and attacks. This cost 50 gold - 5,000 silver.... 20,000$
"This would more than cover it... the scroll is worth... 50 gold due to the rare attack methods detailed within. In addition, it's made from real jade, nice artwork as well. Tell you what, I'll turn a few pieces of equipment into artifacts especially made for you, and... one of you may become empowered."
"What do those things mean?"
"That thing is worth 50 gold! Why didn't we sell that thing in the last Village!"
"Two artifacts each and one person gets an empowerment... how to put this, empowerment is granting magical effect directly to an individual... This can be fantastical power or a long-lasting boon..."
"How much would it cost normally?" Fair, he doesn't want to be zipped.
"100 gold minimum," I said flatly, I know what these sockets are worth I'm willing to accept a loss to help this lot especially if I get them to pick up treasures and the like. The lanky teen is sputtering.
"Your lying," the blind one noticed my fib...
"It would normally be more but you lot seem like a good investment." She beguines to grumble in annoyance, causing the tall one to go white.
"Um... what would the enhancement do?" the eldest asked.
"Well, that depends on how focused you want to get; want to make magic plants? You can do it. Heal from wounds in minutes? Done. a collection of a few lesser powers easy..."
"Wow..."
"I..I... can I be the one who is empowered?"
"Soka, how can you be so..."
"That makes sense. Do you think you could to do the plant thing?" The tattooed boy said in excitement, good humor on this one.
"What, no! Shouldn't Aang get stronger? He is the Avatar..." the girl said, grumbling for some reason.
"It's fine, besides we can always come back and get another one if this works out right? And wel... Soka almost got really hurt last time he got overwhelmed..." the tattooed boy said, concerned.
"Alright enough, sappy stuff..." I said with a roll of my eyes.
"So what do you do? How do you fight?"
"I...I... I am good with swords and boomerangs. Not the best... I fight with my brains, and... I'm alright with a spear." He was grasping at straws at how to describe his martial ability. The girl, probably his sister looked uncomfortable at his weakness.
"So, honest with yourself, do you consent to change?" At his nod, a rift opened in front of the young man, three slots shining in brilliant voids. "Well aren't you lucky, I get to try my hand at my best work..." I take a Drakenstone, something new the garden granted me. The stone is angular hard and sharp, unscarred by any blade. Rumbling. Deceptively smooth, gliding over skin, where it should leave harsh wounds. I slot it in and establish a Conduit thread connecting him and the stone. Smiling full of teeth, I grabbed a Phenoxe Heart. He is a warrior fighting strength; if only I had something to help with aiming or luck... I wove the treads, causing them to undulate and sink into his flesh and blood. Finally, I grabbed one more Phenoxe Heart and tied it to his heart... Sealing the rift I watch as Soka under gose an interesting change. His hair gained bright red highlights. A tattoo bloomed under his shirt, barely peeking through, new ones bloomed on his skin like scales like armguards. When his eyes opened, he gained a fleck of gold in his eyes.
"Expect your skit to become resistant to physical attacks, your healing should be greatly increased and a decent strength boosts when you really need it... Now on to the rest of your artifacts..."
Art- Intro
A loud crash and an echoing popping noise echoed in the void. A flash of color echoed out into the dark void before returning to its dark light, leaving not a flickering flame, bubble, puzzle, or painting...But a Soul. Soon after a cosmic being made of the ticking of gears and the epic of ages and the chaos of cheese appeared. Compressing itself into a small humanoid being that took the soul into its hand.
"I am really sorry about this. A cosmic gear misaligned during my last trial run and well, your reality popped...." The soul hovered, flaring erratically and briefly went purple then yellow panicking and fretting at its state of existence and the general fog of its mind.
"Actually your reality quickly reformatted and repaired itself, you see realities are extremely resilient and even having them torn to pieces has them pull back together almost immediately. The problem is that this mending is never quite perfect most of the time it is simple. A Tv remote being on the wrong side of the couch or a general sense of Deja Vu; then there are more EXTREME problems." The little soul flashed blue and yellow polka dots in rage and worry at the fact that it should have a body and returned to white in shame as the entity raised an eyebrow at its tantrum.
"Sadly you were an... artifact in the system." More flashing colors in confusion. "You no longer quite fit in the world you were in and the next closest world is too far away for your soul to survive the transition naturally. However, I was the cause of this issue so I want to offer you a chance. I normally take a mortal and have them jump around the multiverse in some world I and my coworker's curate... No, I am not god just a simple Cosmic being my non-de plume that you would understand is DISCORDANT NOTE or just Note to you. I would offer you an option to get placed back into your world as you know it isn't in the best condition and will probably shatter soon due to those parasites..." The soul flashed violet and emitted a buzzer sound trying to will the entity to get to the point, "Interesting you shouldn't make any noise in your state. Hem anyway yes two parasites called Entities rather dumb crystalline beings that fold across dimensions and treat reality as their cosmic prettier dish. All in an effort to survive past the [End] of the universe sadly they are too blind to recognize souls and how they cycle through the cosmic wheel. The [Beging] and [End] are two sides of the same coin... but I am on a tangent." The Being shaken itself out of its reflection. Pitiful things those Entities are blind to reality.
"I can send you back with memories of a new life and options for a way to make the world shake and tremble... it comes with a cost though." The soul was still for a few moments. Then fleshed quickly in questioning Note on the cost.
"You would become contracted to me, your soul will reincarnate into whatever world catches my fancy and your goal will be to shake things up. To borrow from a brilliant teacher: Get messy, make mistakes. Find a way to make the world more interesting. I don't care much about how just that most of the multiverse could do with some shuffling. Your ego won't survive the reincarnation since when I normally contract Jumpers they are whole enough that I can set up protections against that sort of thing or at least their world has it on archive... you don't. However I should be able to integrate a more interesting 'Body' modification " The soul flickers in contemplation.
"So what do you want? I leave the decision to you..." It flashed Green and Blue causing the being to grin a maddening grin. "Fantastic!"
"Now I use a point system to make this entire process simpler and keep track of how much your soul can handle. You won't be going through my normal First Jump Gauntlet and Body mod doesn't do much without a body so we are adlibbing!" Numerous documents and RAW information came streaming past the soul and the being... "You really need an identifier since names and egos will come and go. What do you think?" The soul flashed green and silver in rapid succession.
"I am not calling you Gaagii George Griffiths the twelfth first off you are the first you not the twelfth and that is to many G's. How about Coral?" The soul flashed a few times expressing its dissatisfaction and general distance at being named afterAnthozoa (subphylum).
"How about Will? No, Clark? Demens? Lux? Libra? Fine, how about Art?" The soul began to flash in excitement at the last one.
"Art, I suppose that's a good name. That actually gives me an idea... Your home Reality is full of Worms, Heroes, Villains, and Conspiracies. However, one thing that it sorely lacks is some wonder.... I will grant you a bonus document to your native one... Let's add a challenge to your coming egos." -Please Reference Jump Info for specifics.
"So you get the Dungeon Building Jump Doc and the Generic Worm Cyoa jump Doc as resources. I will integrate you back into the world as close as I can to your previous life." The soul flashes a bit. "Are you sure? Well I suppose that would make inserting you easier, no attachment to your last life?" The soul Flashes Red!
"Before I forget - I wanted to test out something... You will get a 'warehouse' though I am not quite sure how it will handle jumping considering how unstable it is rightnow..."
"Ok ok let's get to it then."
Initiating Drawbacks - 100%
The Cycle Begins Anew: [+200cp] At some point in the next five years a new entity will arrive and scatter shards. This will noticeably increase the number of parahumans running around which will increase the amount of conflict in the world.
Street Level: [0] Can't think of a specific fanfic, but just want to hang out having adventures with your favorite characters and not have to worry about cosmic imponderables or the impending apocalypse? By taking this toggle you gain a measure of plot armor oriented towards preserving you from the worst parts of the metaplot. Barring other drawbacks, you now have a fiat guarantee that the Extinction Cycle will not start until after the end of the jump, regardless of events.
Ferret Lady [+108]: You're just plain weird. You know that right? It's something everyone notices about you, even if you have a stack of those perks that make people not notice oddities or not care about oddities. I mean, if you have some of those, people will try to pretend they don't notice that you're as odd as three oddities in an oblate olive oldsmobile… but it doesn't mean that you're not a giant weirdo. Exactly how or why you're so weird is anyone's guess. This doesn't make you unlikable, but may mean that people are a bit freaked out by you and even your friends and loved ones might, from time to time, just stare at you as you do something that makes no damned sense to anyone besides yourself. You might even wonder why you're doing things. I mean, I sometimes have entire conversations with myself and I'm the one this perk… I mean drawback is based on. Meta huh? No, the extra 8 CP do not carry over from jump to jump. Yes, I'm a lunatic.
Nap-Time for Jumper [+50]: You have to take a 2 hour nap every day or you get cranky. This is in addition to whatever sleep you normally have to get. If you don't need sleep at all, it's two 2-hour naps a day. Naptime must be at least 2 hours after you wake up from a full sleep cycle, whatever that is for you, and at least 4 hours before bedtime.
Sweet Loot [+600CP]- Adventurers can now find items from your Warehouse as loot in the Dungeon. Nothing is safe. Nothing is sacred. Tighten security and pray.
The Jumper can voluntarily place their items as loot or have them 'conveniently' show up on the list.
Formatting Reality - 100%
Fraying Fate - 100%
Modding Flesh - 100%
Chasing Destiny - 100%
Inserting Soul Art - 100%
History Recreation - 98% -------- Entity [Warrior] imploding due to safeties ---- re-equipting big bad and alterations initated
History Recreation v2 - 100%
"I am really sorry about this. A cosmic gear misaligned during my last trial run and well, your reality popped...." The soul hovered, flaring erratically and briefly went purple then yellow panicking and fretting at its state of existence and the general fog of its mind.
"Actually your reality quickly reformatted and repaired itself, you see realities are extremely resilient and even having them torn to pieces has them pull back together almost immediately. The problem is that this mending is never quite perfect most of the time it is simple. A Tv remote being on the wrong side of the couch or a general sense of Deja Vu; then there are more EXTREME problems." The little soul flashed blue and yellow polka dots in rage and worry at the fact that it should have a body and returned to white in shame as the entity raised an eyebrow at its tantrum.
"Sadly you were an... artifact in the system." More flashing colors in confusion. "You no longer quite fit in the world you were in and the next closest world is too far away for your soul to survive the transition naturally. However, I was the cause of this issue so I want to offer you a chance. I normally take a mortal and have them jump around the multiverse in some world I and my coworker's curate... No, I am not god just a simple Cosmic being my non-de plume that you would understand is DISCORDANT NOTE or just Note to you. I would offer you an option to get placed back into your world as you know it isn't in the best condition and will probably shatter soon due to those parasites..." The soul flashed violet and emitted a buzzer sound trying to will the entity to get to the point, "Interesting you shouldn't make any noise in your state. Hem anyway yes two parasites called Entities rather dumb crystalline beings that fold across dimensions and treat reality as their cosmic prettier dish. All in an effort to survive past the [End] of the universe sadly they are too blind to recognize souls and how they cycle through the cosmic wheel. The [Beging] and [End] are two sides of the same coin... but I am on a tangent." The Being shaken itself out of its reflection. Pitiful things those Entities are blind to reality.
"I can send you back with memories of a new life and options for a way to make the world shake and tremble... it comes with a cost though." The soul was still for a few moments. Then fleshed quickly in questioning Note on the cost.
"You would become contracted to me, your soul will reincarnate into whatever world catches my fancy and your goal will be to shake things up. To borrow from a brilliant teacher: Get messy, make mistakes. Find a way to make the world more interesting. I don't care much about how just that most of the multiverse could do with some shuffling. Your ego won't survive the reincarnation since when I normally contract Jumpers they are whole enough that I can set up protections against that sort of thing or at least their world has it on archive... you don't. However I should be able to integrate a more interesting 'Body' modification " The soul flickers in contemplation.
"So what do you want? I leave the decision to you..." It flashed Green and Blue causing the being to grin a maddening grin. "Fantastic!"
"Now I use a point system to make this entire process simpler and keep track of how much your soul can handle. You won't be going through my normal First Jump Gauntlet and Body mod doesn't do much without a body so we are adlibbing!" Numerous documents and RAW information came streaming past the soul and the being... "You really need an identifier since names and egos will come and go. What do you think?" The soul flashed green and silver in rapid succession.
"I am not calling you Gaagii George Griffiths the twelfth first off you are the first you not the twelfth and that is to many G's. How about Coral?" The soul flashed a few times expressing its dissatisfaction and general distance at being named afterAnthozoa (subphylum).
"How about Will? No, Clark? Demens? Lux? Libra? Fine, how about Art?" The soul began to flash in excitement at the last one.
"Art, I suppose that's a good name. That actually gives me an idea... Your home Reality is full of Worms, Heroes, Villains, and Conspiracies. However, one thing that it sorely lacks is some wonder.... I will grant you a bonus document to your native one... Let's add a challenge to your coming egos." -Please Reference Jump Info for specifics.
"So you get the Dungeon Building Jump Doc and the Generic Worm Cyoa jump Doc as resources. I will integrate you back into the world as close as I can to your previous life." The soul flashes a bit. "Are you sure? Well I suppose that would make inserting you easier, no attachment to your last life?" The soul Flashes Red!
"Before I forget - I wanted to test out something... You will get a 'warehouse' though I am not quite sure how it will handle jumping considering how unstable it is rightnow..."
"Ok ok let's get to it then."
Initiating Drawbacks - 100%
The Cycle Begins Anew: [+200cp] At some point in the next five years a new entity will arrive and scatter shards. This will noticeably increase the number of parahumans running around which will increase the amount of conflict in the world.
Street Level: [0] Can't think of a specific fanfic, but just want to hang out having adventures with your favorite characters and not have to worry about cosmic imponderables or the impending apocalypse? By taking this toggle you gain a measure of plot armor oriented towards preserving you from the worst parts of the metaplot. Barring other drawbacks, you now have a fiat guarantee that the Extinction Cycle will not start until after the end of the jump, regardless of events.
Ferret Lady [+108]: You're just plain weird. You know that right? It's something everyone notices about you, even if you have a stack of those perks that make people not notice oddities or not care about oddities. I mean, if you have some of those, people will try to pretend they don't notice that you're as odd as three oddities in an oblate olive oldsmobile… but it doesn't mean that you're not a giant weirdo. Exactly how or why you're so weird is anyone's guess. This doesn't make you unlikable, but may mean that people are a bit freaked out by you and even your friends and loved ones might, from time to time, just stare at you as you do something that makes no damned sense to anyone besides yourself. You might even wonder why you're doing things. I mean, I sometimes have entire conversations with myself and I'm the one this perk… I mean drawback is based on. Meta huh? No, the extra 8 CP do not carry over from jump to jump. Yes, I'm a lunatic.
Nap-Time for Jumper [+50]: You have to take a 2 hour nap every day or you get cranky. This is in addition to whatever sleep you normally have to get. If you don't need sleep at all, it's two 2-hour naps a day. Naptime must be at least 2 hours after you wake up from a full sleep cycle, whatever that is for you, and at least 4 hours before bedtime.
Sweet Loot [+600CP]- Adventurers can now find items from your Warehouse as loot in the Dungeon. Nothing is safe. Nothing is sacred. Tighten security and pray.
The Jumper can voluntarily place their items as loot or have them 'conveniently' show up on the list.
Formatting Reality - 100%
Fraying Fate - 100%
Modding Flesh - 100%
Chasing Destiny - 100%
Inserting Soul Art - 100%
History Recreation - 98% -------- Entity [Warrior] imploding due to safeties ---- re-equipting big bad and alterations initated
History Recreation v2 - 100%
Seeking Success 01
A field of gems, a crystalline landscape of ideas and concepts as far as the eye can see. I am upon a hill with a solitary tree with a trunk of gold and leaves of a rainbow barely a few feet away from the bottom; the world becomes indistinct, like abstract art. Beyond the sea of abstraction is a never-ending garden with piles of gemstones stacked randomly. I should be concerned or worried, but I feel like I'm floating; dreaming? Is this a dream? I noticed my hands were covered in flickering Bronze light, filling me with warmth. I see several gemstones floating around me, and in some deep instinctual part of me, I know them and how to use them - Sockets, gems, threads - I can learn more once a month or expand one I already have.
A chiming voice fills my mind "A chance to explore an option to wander, life to repeat and live again. Expect trouble in a barely known world, the first of wonder and opportunity. Work hard and have fun, for when all is done, nothing will change, yet everything will."
"That's very clear..." a peal of tinkling laughter filled the hill, and I fell asleep... I woke up.
My memories swam for the first few minutes I was awake. I am someone new? How odd, yet I am who I once was. A typical 25-year-old American guy stuck in the loop of job applications after the whole global virus madness, and yet I was Nikki Tomohisa, a fifteen-year orphan that recently got lucky enough to get included in a private academy; something about this is familiar. I can't place my finger on it, though.
It's a Sunday, so I have time to be introspective. I felt something chiming at the back of my mind, and I knew... I had access to some sort of magic. One I barely recognize from my other life as some sort of idle thought experiment he once used, but now it's real. Not sure what to feel about that, but magic is cool.
"I could experiment a bit?"
"So I have stones, gems, little bits of crystallized reality or concepts that affect the world. What do I have?" An echoing chime and knowledge filled my head like it was always there, just hidden.
Forge Stone
Demon Tears
Arcanite
Evanescent
Dreamer's Guard
Following along that came the knowledge of how to craft threads of power that can connect the stones and the real world... I could disperse the power, Have the power Leap between objects, and Fray between the specific powers...
As I got up, I caught sight of myself in the mirror–clad in a pair of pajama bottoms, I noticed that I was very different from how I used to look—at least in my previous life.
"I'm a twig?" I started poking at my stomach and my arms in confusion. "How? I have a shit diet in this life. The orphanage barely taught me how to boil water... Genetics... Reality is an ass..." grumbling at how the majority of my previous life was fighting to reduce my weight and in this I start as a twig and need to work on gaining a healthy weight if my memory serves.
"Whatever... let's start with something that probably won't hurt much if it fails."
I grabbed one of my ties; I have three secondhand... but I can survive if I destroy one. "A Forge Stone, let's just slot it in..." The tie had unreality ripple around it, and within, I saw a single open slot for it to enter, I carefully filled the slot and closed it back up. This resulted in an amazing change the tie cleared and became a lush red with a thin amber border... Cautiously I made a slight cut along the end, and slowly the threads came back together though it took a few minutes.
"Dam, that is useful."
"I wonder what the best stuff I have for this is?" I poked around my little apartment to see how many sockets my stuff generally has. Most of the stuff I use has between one and three... however one thing that has six options was the refrigerator.
"I had no idea that the landlord got this thing brand new that was nice of him..." Now I don't think I should use my stones on well a fridge... seems kinda silly, so I gather up a few useful options. Cautiously I started on my school uniform. Following my instincts, I fill up the two openings on the shirt with Dreamers Guard and Archanite, fraying the connection so only the mental protection and otherworldly wisdom can manifest, I can barely prevent the magic from shifting the entire shirt, but there is still a blue and purple etching on the collar of the shirt.
In the back of my mind, I feel a faint success. Looking at the thing, I realized that I could tell what it would do, not exactly, but enough. I will be protected from mental tampering and have a sixth sense for power... how does that work? I repeated on the other shirts and grabbed my shoes to try something new.
Each shoe has three slots, they were a going-away present from the matron at the orphanage I once lived in. There were lots of problems in the Japanese orphanage system but there were some kind people... I was depressed since I was going to grow out of them soon, but well now I have magic.
I took a forged stone and slotted it in the shoes, it grew a bit, and looked far better quality. I try them on, and they are the perfect best fit I've ever had and comfortable, too... now for the real magic and, well, a gamble.
"No pain, no gain... besides, this could save my life if there is any trouble."
"First, the Demon Tear, Frey the power, so only the transformation ability remains..." A slight stutter, but the glowing web of purple and amber remains stable, "Then Evanescent, and then Leap the thread between the two shoes and me..." The web starts to shake but soon calms down, revealing a complex pattern. Closing the unreal space, I found the shoes had changed again. They gained a slight purple tinge, and the bottom of the shoe gained a new tread patterned after teardrops.
I looked out the window and saw that I had wasted most of the morning... "Might as well head to the market." I grabbed a jacket, feeling a bit exposed. I slot an Evanescent stone. The jacket became blue and feels very comfortable, a bit cool, though. It took a few moments of walking, but I noticed that... the Evanescent stone didn't just make me magically fast, but I felt like I could run or hide if I wished. It felt freeing, especially as I took the passed around several grumpy-looking people.
..
..
..
.
"Shit, that is the world I'm in now?" I spied someone in the market, a schoolmate that I have not really talked to but knew of. My past self has seen her before, Risa Gremmory, the queen bee of the school I now attend, more importantly, a Devil in the most literal sense of the word. I wouldn't have put everything together if it wasn't for the anime memorabilia she was fanning over. Thank the Garden I have the Dream Guard option at this point; I am not getting mind fucked by Satan's bratty baby sister. I am not getting turned into a pawn to get her out of a marriage that she could just work to a solution for if she focused for ten minutes.
Ignoring the magical issues at hand, I look around for a second-hand store and possibly a store for magical stuff; there have to be at least a few... I found bupkiss in terms of magic. Satan probably scared everyone away, now that I think of it. I found a nice second-hand shop, and the owner helped me find a belt and gave me a good deal on some necklaces. It took a bit of asking, but he sold me a nice silver-plated cross, an impulse buy if there ever was one, but enough biblical things are crawling around that it could save my life. Especially once I upgrade it. I am broke now. The school has a few different programs to allow orphans to attend for one reason or another. I fall into the 'is great for our image' group, so I get a basic stipend in exchange for participating in various charity programs...
A chiming voice fills my mind "A chance to explore an option to wander, life to repeat and live again. Expect trouble in a barely known world, the first of wonder and opportunity. Work hard and have fun, for when all is done, nothing will change, yet everything will."
"That's very clear..." a peal of tinkling laughter filled the hill, and I fell asleep... I woke up.
My memories swam for the first few minutes I was awake. I am someone new? How odd, yet I am who I once was. A typical 25-year-old American guy stuck in the loop of job applications after the whole global virus madness, and yet I was Nikki Tomohisa, a fifteen-year orphan that recently got lucky enough to get included in a private academy; something about this is familiar. I can't place my finger on it, though.
It's a Sunday, so I have time to be introspective. I felt something chiming at the back of my mind, and I knew... I had access to some sort of magic. One I barely recognize from my other life as some sort of idle thought experiment he once used, but now it's real. Not sure what to feel about that, but magic is cool.
"I could experiment a bit?"
"So I have stones, gems, little bits of crystallized reality or concepts that affect the world. What do I have?" An echoing chime and knowledge filled my head like it was always there, just hidden.
Forge Stone
Demon Tears
Arcanite
Evanescent
Dreamer's Guard
Following along that came the knowledge of how to craft threads of power that can connect the stones and the real world... I could disperse the power, Have the power Leap between objects, and Fray between the specific powers...
As I got up, I caught sight of myself in the mirror–clad in a pair of pajama bottoms, I noticed that I was very different from how I used to look—at least in my previous life.
"I'm a twig?" I started poking at my stomach and my arms in confusion. "How? I have a shit diet in this life. The orphanage barely taught me how to boil water... Genetics... Reality is an ass..." grumbling at how the majority of my previous life was fighting to reduce my weight and in this I start as a twig and need to work on gaining a healthy weight if my memory serves.
"Whatever... let's start with something that probably won't hurt much if it fails."
I grabbed one of my ties; I have three secondhand... but I can survive if I destroy one. "A Forge Stone, let's just slot it in..." The tie had unreality ripple around it, and within, I saw a single open slot for it to enter, I carefully filled the slot and closed it back up. This resulted in an amazing change the tie cleared and became a lush red with a thin amber border... Cautiously I made a slight cut along the end, and slowly the threads came back together though it took a few minutes.
"Dam, that is useful."
"I wonder what the best stuff I have for this is?" I poked around my little apartment to see how many sockets my stuff generally has. Most of the stuff I use has between one and three... however one thing that has six options was the refrigerator.
"I had no idea that the landlord got this thing brand new that was nice of him..." Now I don't think I should use my stones on well a fridge... seems kinda silly, so I gather up a few useful options. Cautiously I started on my school uniform. Following my instincts, I fill up the two openings on the shirt with Dreamers Guard and Archanite, fraying the connection so only the mental protection and otherworldly wisdom can manifest, I can barely prevent the magic from shifting the entire shirt, but there is still a blue and purple etching on the collar of the shirt.
In the back of my mind, I feel a faint success. Looking at the thing, I realized that I could tell what it would do, not exactly, but enough. I will be protected from mental tampering and have a sixth sense for power... how does that work? I repeated on the other shirts and grabbed my shoes to try something new.
Each shoe has three slots, they were a going-away present from the matron at the orphanage I once lived in. There were lots of problems in the Japanese orphanage system but there were some kind people... I was depressed since I was going to grow out of them soon, but well now I have magic.
I took a forged stone and slotted it in the shoes, it grew a bit, and looked far better quality. I try them on, and they are the perfect best fit I've ever had and comfortable, too... now for the real magic and, well, a gamble.
"No pain, no gain... besides, this could save my life if there is any trouble."
"First, the Demon Tear, Frey the power, so only the transformation ability remains..." A slight stutter, but the glowing web of purple and amber remains stable, "Then Evanescent, and then Leap the thread between the two shoes and me..." The web starts to shake but soon calms down, revealing a complex pattern. Closing the unreal space, I found the shoes had changed again. They gained a slight purple tinge, and the bottom of the shoe gained a new tread patterned after teardrops.
I looked out the window and saw that I had wasted most of the morning... "Might as well head to the market." I grabbed a jacket, feeling a bit exposed. I slot an Evanescent stone. The jacket became blue and feels very comfortable, a bit cool, though. It took a few moments of walking, but I noticed that... the Evanescent stone didn't just make me magically fast, but I felt like I could run or hide if I wished. It felt freeing, especially as I took the passed around several grumpy-looking people.
..
..
..
.
"Shit, that is the world I'm in now?" I spied someone in the market, a schoolmate that I have not really talked to but knew of. My past self has seen her before, Risa Gremmory, the queen bee of the school I now attend, more importantly, a Devil in the most literal sense of the word. I wouldn't have put everything together if it wasn't for the anime memorabilia she was fanning over. Thank the Garden I have the Dream Guard option at this point; I am not getting mind fucked by Satan's bratty baby sister. I am not getting turned into a pawn to get her out of a marriage that she could just work to a solution for if she focused for ten minutes.
Ignoring the magical issues at hand, I look around for a second-hand store and possibly a store for magical stuff; there have to be at least a few... I found bupkiss in terms of magic. Satan probably scared everyone away, now that I think of it. I found a nice second-hand shop, and the owner helped me find a belt and gave me a good deal on some necklaces. It took a bit of asking, but he sold me a nice silver-plated cross, an impulse buy if there ever was one, but enough biblical things are crawling around that it could save my life. Especially once I upgrade it. I am broke now. The school has a few different programs to allow orphans to attend for one reason or another. I fall into the 'is great for our image' group, so I get a basic stipend in exchange for participating in various charity programs...
Fire and Vice 1.01
"To whom it may concern,
If this ritual has been successful, I have shuffled off the mortal coil and this world at large. I am quite old and bored with this world and tired of the constant meddling of Checkerface where it doesn't belong. Convinced his people's Tri-ni-sette ritual is the all end of the world when it forces his people's preferred soul flame types to express dominantly globally... Obsessive Jack ass... So many soul frequencies have been quelled due to his interference. My good friends Nick and Penny can't make up for the general annoyance this world has become to me. They are more fond of the drama and plan on remaining for many years to come.
Back to the important part of this note. I should be dead, the cost of removing a soul completely from this world's Soul Sea is the introduction of another. Thus if this ritual has been successful, you should be a new soul in this world and very confused. I charmed this and the booklet under it to remain up-to-date and understandable to explain the world around you. There are hundreds of societies and groups scattered throughout the world. So study up and prepare to traverse them all because, from my initial theories, you should have unique access to the powers of the universe.
There are several gifts I left you in recompense for forcing this situation on you. (Know that magic enforces debts and promises). First and foremost, I left a soul-familiar egg; once you touch, it will develop into a companion for you and channel your power. They will be capable of shapeshifting into weapons for your protection but remember they are a companion first and foremost.
Second I left you the structure around you. Tower of Worlds, the focal point for my ritual and my crowning achievement capable of pulling on creation itself. Once the ritual has been completed, it will activate the secondary structure I left behind to generate your boon. The tower is capable of manifesting any and all material or knowledge native to the world it resides within, using complex scrying enchantments to glean instructions from the World Records. However, this structure is limited it cannot generate infinite rare resources producing far less compared to more common and simple materials. These will be idealized materials and lack natural materials' unique aspects. Knowledge-wise, only non-protected knowledge should always be available due to the nature of the World Records, anything in circulation or has been public at some point is available for reference. Unpublished private journals, family libraries, secure sacred texts, and secured libraries are generally elusive unless those are given to academic libraries... Finally, this tower had the ability to teleport twice a year on the equinoxes; instructions can be found in the booklet.
Third, a suppression chain that will protect your energy signature from detection be sure to wear it outside the tower. Many people would love to get a hold of a person of your potential abilities.
Contact Nick and Penny if you need help, I recommend contacting them soon.
I leave you with my best wishes and hope you find happiness.
Waking up in a puddle of goo was unpleasant, realizing that you died was worst. I lived a reasonably regular life working construction and then died in an accident involving a cat, a steel girder, and a taco truck. Not fun, but thankfully quick. I remember death was peaceful until a strange yanking feeling started. Then a mind-bending void that was both too colorful and dark at once; it was so cold and hungry.
I woke up in a puddle of goo, in a body not mine yet it is. "I... look awesome! Where the hell did my kegger top go?" What the hell?! "Is that my voice? Greetings. I am Anthony Ginovani! Nice! Ok, let's find out what is happening!" suppress the panic attack!
Now I'm talking to myself, great.
Thank goodness there is a towel on the lectern. It's fucking cold, and I'm naked, covered in afterbirth. Once I finished reading, the chamber changed, and the egg and the chain appeared on the lectern.
"Might as well." Picking up the egg caused it to glow a light white color. More afterbirth splattered onto my face. "This is going to be a thing, isn't it?" I asked quietly, sputtering out the greasy and strangely pork-flavored goo.
"Chuff!" My hands were filled with a small patchwork-colored ferret. It had an intelligent glint in its eyes despite being so young. It let out a little cheer and wriggled in happiness; I could feel an echo of the mood.
"Your a cute little thing, aren't ya? Would be cuter if we were not covered in goo."
"Chuff!" The little fella nodded.
"Let's find a bath... y." "Chuff!" he stopped me and motioned to the chain and ring. "Alright, I'll wear the chain; how do you know about it anyway?" Flashes of impressions passed through my head. "So we can think at each other?" "Chuff!"
A grumble filled the room and I ran to find the bathroom. I expelled a hellish grease me like evil tar. "Chuff!" Images and knowledge dredged up from when an aunt of mine gave birth to my cousin. "I don't care if this is normal for newborns! I'm a goddam thirty-year-old man stuck in an 18-year-old's body! Not an infant!"
"Squick" memory of coming out of that growth and the goo, along with a swaddled baby.
"...alright, so this is my new birthday, great, but why am I copying the exorcist from my but? Couldn't that bastard make me appear as you did? Why aren't ya exploding?"
"Squick!" Magic!
"Asshole."
After an hour and a half of agony and a series of cleansing baths, I was finally clean, and Cosmo was puffy. I soon realized there was a problem. "Cosmo, I don't think the guy conveniently left any clothing... Let's look around."
Inspecting the tower took a few hours. I got used to walking around naked in my new home, and there are worst places to be trapped naked. Not a scrap of clothing in the building; I searched from top to bottom. I found numerous Workrooms set up for numerous crafts and the like, a giant library that took up five floors by itself. An entire floor is devoted to being a luxurious home, bathing area, and even a beautiful kitchen.
"I think this is the closest thing to clothing the guy left in here," I said, holding up one of the bolts of clothing.
When the guy said the Tower could provide everything, he meant everything. The Forging had loads of metals, tons and tons of Iron, copper, and Aluminum. There were only several bars of gold or silver, and one sample only had a few Kilograms worth of the metal, something called an Oraculum composite...
The Jeweler had lots of cheap stones and scant handfuls of precious jewels. Numerous other labs littered the tower, all filled with resources for their craft. In the Tailor's room are bolts of cloth, denim, wool, leather, and random animal product.
"Chuff!"
"I don't know how to sow. Nanna always took care of the clothing."
"Squick?" Images of how-to books.
"That... is a good idea. Let's see if the library has helped." It turned out it did, lots of help since clothing making can be considered the most widespread knowledge in human history next to farming and hunting.
"I'm gonna end up making all my own stuff, aren't I?" I said out loud as I read through how to make overalls.
"Squick!" Thoughts of a pocket for Cosmo to sleep in filled my head.
On - Expressions of Magic and Power
Magic is a catch-all term for the supernatural energy spectrum encompassing primordial creation. This power is then divided into numerous different 'methods' or 'instincts' developed over generations. Most are Soulfire, Magicka, and Qi, which are the major examples of how people express power. Soul fire utilizes will and potential; Magicka uses belief and concept, Finally Qi uses life and focus. Each uses a different part of the person using it, but all can be called Magic. All people capable of using one could use another, and many of the more powerful examples of each craft rely on a little of the other powers to fule it. Today most societies that use the powers are hidden behind the mist that resulted from the meddling of the Tri-ni-sette Ritual, confusing the world flow and generally forcing those with access to one power to miss others despite this not being the purpose of the ritual merely a side effect. Most simply refer to magicks as magic and soul fire as Flmaes.
If this ritual has been successful, I have shuffled off the mortal coil and this world at large. I am quite old and bored with this world and tired of the constant meddling of Checkerface where it doesn't belong. Convinced his people's Tri-ni-sette ritual is the all end of the world when it forces his people's preferred soul flame types to express dominantly globally... Obsessive Jack ass... So many soul frequencies have been quelled due to his interference. My good friends Nick and Penny can't make up for the general annoyance this world has become to me. They are more fond of the drama and plan on remaining for many years to come.
Back to the important part of this note. I should be dead, the cost of removing a soul completely from this world's Soul Sea is the introduction of another. Thus if this ritual has been successful, you should be a new soul in this world and very confused. I charmed this and the booklet under it to remain up-to-date and understandable to explain the world around you. There are hundreds of societies and groups scattered throughout the world. So study up and prepare to traverse them all because, from my initial theories, you should have unique access to the powers of the universe.
There are several gifts I left you in recompense for forcing this situation on you. (Know that magic enforces debts and promises). First and foremost, I left a soul-familiar egg; once you touch, it will develop into a companion for you and channel your power. They will be capable of shapeshifting into weapons for your protection but remember they are a companion first and foremost.
Second I left you the structure around you. Tower of Worlds, the focal point for my ritual and my crowning achievement capable of pulling on creation itself. Once the ritual has been completed, it will activate the secondary structure I left behind to generate your boon. The tower is capable of manifesting any and all material or knowledge native to the world it resides within, using complex scrying enchantments to glean instructions from the World Records. However, this structure is limited it cannot generate infinite rare resources producing far less compared to more common and simple materials. These will be idealized materials and lack natural materials' unique aspects. Knowledge-wise, only non-protected knowledge should always be available due to the nature of the World Records, anything in circulation or has been public at some point is available for reference. Unpublished private journals, family libraries, secure sacred texts, and secured libraries are generally elusive unless those are given to academic libraries... Finally, this tower had the ability to teleport twice a year on the equinoxes; instructions can be found in the booklet.
Third, a suppression chain that will protect your energy signature from detection be sure to wear it outside the tower. Many people would love to get a hold of a person of your potential abilities.
Contact Nick and Penny if you need help, I recommend contacting them soon.
I leave you with my best wishes and hope you find happiness.
- Gilgamesh the first, Hero of all - Terror of all"
Waking up in a puddle of goo was unpleasant, realizing that you died was worst. I lived a reasonably regular life working construction and then died in an accident involving a cat, a steel girder, and a taco truck. Not fun, but thankfully quick. I remember death was peaceful until a strange yanking feeling started. Then a mind-bending void that was both too colorful and dark at once; it was so cold and hungry.
I woke up in a puddle of goo, in a body not mine yet it is. "I... look awesome! Where the hell did my kegger top go?" What the hell?! "Is that my voice? Greetings. I am Anthony Ginovani! Nice! Ok, let's find out what is happening!" suppress the panic attack!
Now I'm talking to myself, great.
Thank goodness there is a towel on the lectern. It's fucking cold, and I'm naked, covered in afterbirth. Once I finished reading, the chamber changed, and the egg and the chain appeared on the lectern.
"Might as well." Picking up the egg caused it to glow a light white color. More afterbirth splattered onto my face. "This is going to be a thing, isn't it?" I asked quietly, sputtering out the greasy and strangely pork-flavored goo.
"Chuff!" My hands were filled with a small patchwork-colored ferret. It had an intelligent glint in its eyes despite being so young. It let out a little cheer and wriggled in happiness; I could feel an echo of the mood.
"Your a cute little thing, aren't ya? Would be cuter if we were not covered in goo."
"Chuff!" The little fella nodded.
"Let's find a bath... y." "Chuff!" he stopped me and motioned to the chain and ring. "Alright, I'll wear the chain; how do you know about it anyway?" Flashes of impressions passed through my head. "So we can think at each other?" "Chuff!"
A grumble filled the room and I ran to find the bathroom. I expelled a hellish grease me like evil tar. "Chuff!" Images and knowledge dredged up from when an aunt of mine gave birth to my cousin. "I don't care if this is normal for newborns! I'm a goddam thirty-year-old man stuck in an 18-year-old's body! Not an infant!"
"Squick" memory of coming out of that growth and the goo, along with a swaddled baby.
"...alright, so this is my new birthday, great, but why am I copying the exorcist from my but? Couldn't that bastard make me appear as you did? Why aren't ya exploding?"
"Squick!" Magic!
"Asshole."
After an hour and a half of agony and a series of cleansing baths, I was finally clean, and Cosmo was puffy. I soon realized there was a problem. "Cosmo, I don't think the guy conveniently left any clothing... Let's look around."
Inspecting the tower took a few hours. I got used to walking around naked in my new home, and there are worst places to be trapped naked. Not a scrap of clothing in the building; I searched from top to bottom. I found numerous Workrooms set up for numerous crafts and the like, a giant library that took up five floors by itself. An entire floor is devoted to being a luxurious home, bathing area, and even a beautiful kitchen.
"I think this is the closest thing to clothing the guy left in here," I said, holding up one of the bolts of clothing.
When the guy said the Tower could provide everything, he meant everything. The Forging had loads of metals, tons and tons of Iron, copper, and Aluminum. There were only several bars of gold or silver, and one sample only had a few Kilograms worth of the metal, something called an Oraculum composite...
The Jeweler had lots of cheap stones and scant handfuls of precious jewels. Numerous other labs littered the tower, all filled with resources for their craft. In the Tailor's room are bolts of cloth, denim, wool, leather, and random animal product.
"Chuff!"
"I don't know how to sow. Nanna always took care of the clothing."
"Squick?" Images of how-to books.
"That... is a good idea. Let's see if the library has helped." It turned out it did, lots of help since clothing making can be considered the most widespread knowledge in human history next to farming and hunting.
"I'm gonna end up making all my own stuff, aren't I?" I said out loud as I read through how to make overalls.
"Squick!" Thoughts of a pocket for Cosmo to sleep in filled my head.
On - Expressions of Magic and Power
Magic is a catch-all term for the supernatural energy spectrum encompassing primordial creation. This power is then divided into numerous different 'methods' or 'instincts' developed over generations. Most are Soulfire, Magicka, and Qi, which are the major examples of how people express power. Soul fire utilizes will and potential; Magicka uses belief and concept, Finally Qi uses life and focus. Each uses a different part of the person using it, but all can be called Magic. All people capable of using one could use another, and many of the more powerful examples of each craft rely on a little of the other powers to fule it. Today most societies that use the powers are hidden behind the mist that resulted from the meddling of the Tri-ni-sette Ritual, confusing the world flow and generally forcing those with access to one power to miss others despite this not being the purpose of the ritual merely a side effect. Most simply refer to magicks as magic and soul fire as Flmaes.
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Art 1.02
Part 2
2010, March 3th
I summoned up more Builder Devils and worked with Vigorn to set up the strongest bones the dungeon could have. Replacing the flimsy brick with enchanted granite, steel girders alchemicalised into a gnomish honeycomb manasteel beams, and finally burning runes into the structure. I argued with Vigorn for a long time about limiting the building into a divination focus he wanted to expand it into a fate weaving device and said he knew a demon that could help but fate is a temperamental force and not one I want to mess with when there are at minimum on outer god parasite wandering about.
The interior has been stripped clean and the upper floors are nicely furnished though several discrete inquiries to local shops. Apparently, the merchant perk is super effective in an area where villains you do not want to mess with already operate. I have a fully furnished office and the other rooms are filling out slowly due to low resources. I was tempted to summon up some imps to start stealing but funds would be an issue once the dungeon is up and running. There is a reason dungeons are considered an artificial miracle even by divinity and demonic forces. A dungeon at the end of the day is a mana reactor using the complex decay of the void to generate even more using said mana in a stable fusion reaction to generate solid and real matter... Dangerous and Wondrous is the bare minimum any dungeon can be due to its innate powers. Mechanical cores rely on manual building having sacrificed the manipulation aspects of the core for greater material and space generation, the good thing is that the construction can be done by anyone. Summoning up some imps and Kobalts, bind them to the dungeon an easy fix for a developing dungeon...
While waiting for the BD's to have everything finished up between putting some personal touches on the building and working on several sketches for the initial floors I began tinkering with the Tinker tech Chash... It is a wonder of technology to be honest. Reading through some at random showed that I really need to pace myself or nothing will get done, thankfully the cache is organized in 'tech levels' 1-20 though the cache only has one example of level 20 technology something called 'Nano reality condenser' in simplified language... I really don't want to know, but about 90% of the blueprints show up to tech level 19 things like Universals galaxy-wide warp field and magnetron manipulation generators. Heavy stuff that looks ridiculously complicated that runs on the oscillation of the universal axis and stuff like that.... In all honesty, I feel comfortable up to levels 3-4 which have seemingly billions of schematics for all sorts of objects. I selected two to tinker with in my spare time; a laser that works through an electron gell-thing and a mini builder bot that is honestly worst than the run of the mill magitech bot but has potential if I can fiddle with it enough.
"Do you think it's ready? It has only been two months." I asked Vigorn if he has been working sleeplessly with the BD's to complete the initial construction.
"As ready as it is going to get for now, honestly, you are far more particular than my last contractor. He would have put down that core during the first week."
"That guy also got his eyeballs eaten."
"They were delicious and I see your point," Vigorn said with a slight smirk.
We traveled into the core room. The heart of the dungeon and difficult to craft since they are almost immediately pulled into the out-of-phase dimension that dungeons generate as they grow. How else can you have thousand-floor dungeons take up a single mountain? The room is made of black and white marble with a barely functioning star map using silver stars and bronzed constellation outlines for 88 Hellenistic constellations that will circulate the observation sphere. All along the ground, I inlay several different runic geometries that should help stabilize the magic... Over all the room like most core rooms looks appropriately auspicious. I took out the mechanical core from the pack on my back. The Mechanical core in the un-activated form looked like a glowing metallic ball covered with crystalline runes along all several axies I approached the plinth in the middle of the room. "Slowly now." Floating the sphere with a bit of magic I began to spin it faster and faster closer to the plinth till it was in the center of the room. The opening hymn is an old practice that few dungeon builders preform in the current era, it is never the same but it embeds a feel into the core and focuses it's intent.
"Like the horizon that meet the heavens and the earth
So to are you boundless.
Shatter the constraints of this world and become a wonder, a miracle.
The Dungeon of Armillary Solace - Heavenly Surveyor"
The core exploded into concentric rings of an Armillary sphere the machines around the room shutter as the core takes the room. The entire building vibrates as the rings begin spinning erratically till a wave of mana rolled off the sphere. Just as quickly as the light show began it stopped leaving the Armillary sphere-looking core spinning in the air the plinth having disintegrated in the start-up.
My hands splayed out, conducting an invisible orchestra integrating the core into the greater spell and etching work done on the rest of the building. Man surged through dormant channels, and the star map came alive and began rotating tille it matched the sphere. Faintly stars began to rise out of the stone into a star field that flowed above my head, it s the little things that make dungeons into the mortal miracles that they are known for. The major magical pathways are filled and the Keystone enchantments are beginning to charge up, within a ten days the major enchantments should be running and the divination focus should be active.
"Never seen one in person, always believed that it was just an exaggeration that cors are magical but that was something else...." Vigorn said in a soft voice.
"It will get more fantastic with time and a lot of elbow grease. Lets get some rooms done I need to place a call out to some kobolds and poke around for some mechanical bits for the core to learn. Maybe some of those wind up toys..."
"I really hate to recommend this but couldn't you summon up a mechanist? Those celestials, while annoying, know what they are doing with machinery..."
"Perhaps one would help but you are right they are too rigid for most dungeon environments, helping with deign and repair should be fine. Had to work with one for a project and he was annal retentive to the extreme." Vigorn looked pleased with trash-talking the celestial.
Using the link to the dungeon core I began my invisible orchestration again. Bring out several schematics I preloaded them into the core directing the mana to develop seven rooms, four are going to be challenge rooms for minigames, and two are going to be used for minion usage. Space warped and rumbled as the rooms came into being.
"File in!" The devils appeared in eager flares of sulfur. "Would you lot like to contract with this dungeon or remain freelance?" Of the twelve present seven entered into a contract with the dungeon, and Vigorn glee fully took command getting them to work on processing everything....
"Alrighty the dungeon will start synthesizing materials and you lot should be able to summon them, lets get to work and drive some adventures mad!" The devils chitterd excitedly at the prospect and Vigorn gave a throaty chuckle.
2010, March 4th
Opening the door into the warehouse is a bit weird to be honest, the place is a blank star field with the only anomaly being the wooden door into the benefactor lounge... I am avoiding that thing for the time being. I collected the contact listing from one of the few structures standing in the void. They appear to be a series of shelves made of stone next to the contact listing is an interesting sphere the size of a softball... I pocketed it. Brushing across my mind was the 'Warehouse AI'. The simple mind reminded me of the imps that have served me in the past. Capable of action and thought but almost no personality, my connection to the entity behind all this informed me that it should grow and change during each of my lives... what an odd thought that my soul has chosen countless reincarnations instead of rest. The Warehouse or should I start calling it Home? The warehouse feels more malleable than any other structure I have ever worked with. I'll need to experiment but I have things to do now.
It wears a leather-bound tome with bright canary yellow coloring... upon the front was MMSS Inc . Quickly exiting the warehouse into my lair was a relief... creepy place... anyway. The MMS was weird each page had three to five being listed out by type, behavior, habitat, and alignment. Finally, on the last page were numerous shifting options to contact the service: a number to call, a postal address, and a psionic/magical message wavelength. Over this thing is really cool and I wish I had it back in Viloth all that time convincing a band of goblins to move in wasted...
I called up a troupe of Kobalts; "What you want? This is the Monster Messaging Service and Staffing hot line how can I help you today?"
"I'm looking for a troupe of Kobalts..."
"Yes, I see any preference in work experience. Demonic, Religious, Cultist, or Draconic experience is a must for a well-rounded Kobalt. Also, any particular wish on the sub-specie or coloration of the Kobalt? Development level?"
"I don't have any particulars in mind beyond having them be well versed in trap making and tinkering; they won't be doing much fighting directly so a calmer temperament or a tricky temperament would be preferred."
"A trapper... That is doable how many do you need and do you need a breeding population?"
"I need twelve for now and a breeding population would be acceptable... though only adults are going to be contracted to a dungeon so they need to be prepared for that..."
"I see... I see... I have a clan grouping that is looking to relocate... it would cost 3,000$ local, and if you want, I can throw in a Kolbinoid sorcerer for 200$?"
"Hmmm.... I'll take that is a wire transfer accepted or a direct summoning?"
"Interdimensional wire transfer is acceptable sweety..." A little while later, after some annoying clerical work... "Alright, that is good to go! Your minions will appear at the designated warp point in two to five business days Sidgle Calendar... About Three local."
That was relatively easy... I wonder about some of the higher-end minions in the book... There are darklings, goblins, minor daemons, celestials, elementals, fae, and many more though none are listed as being very powerful... not really an issue with a dungeon's core. One of the significant benefits of binding oneself to a core beyond the resurrection ability within the dungeon is the mutagenic capability of the core. A weak kobalt could become a dragon-kin with enough mana investment, developing further to have fantastical powers is reasonably straightforward for dungeon masters to guide and develop, especially at lower floor levels where the mana density is higher than natural.
2010, March 7th
The skulk of Kobalts appeared in the dungeon bright and early. For the clan they had the roughed-up look normal to most Kobalts humanoid lizards with intelligence and culture that ranges from medieval to caveman-esque. The is group according to the MMSS receptionist is coming from a dragon layer that was wiped out... they are dressed in a collection of brown clothing and hemp. The Sorcerer that was taken on is a bit taller than the rest and colored yellow, and is clothed in a hemp robe.
"Alrighty, individual introductions can come later, for now just to check you all are alright with entering a dungeon pack?"
The Elder of the Kobalds and the Sorcerer came forward, "Yes! Yes! Clan Brumu will become dungeon kin!"
The Sorcer was a bit calmer and squeaked, "Daess will become dungeon kin."
"Excellent now I understand Clan Brumu has experience trapping?"
"Lost of practice! Hunt swamps and Cliffs for the last lord.."
"Very good I have some devils that will teach you how to build better traps, and you will help with building several, and hopefully you can help me make more." this led to a lot of excited chittering, and with a flash of light each of the Kobalds where bound to the dungeon.
"Daess you are a sorcerer, correct? What were your teachings?" I looked towards the little sorcerer. The rest of Clan Brumu were eyeing them in interest, one of the benefits of dungeon keeping is the built-in sope opera that comes with collecting numerous being in a mana-charged area... nothing like the fall out of a love triangle between a hydra, demi-lich, and an animated suit of armor- dungeons are weird romance wise. Like that, though the child ended up becoming the boss of the 70th floor of that dungeon, a steel-skinned necrotic hydra is a scary thing for an unprepared adventures party to face especially one with family angst.
Daess's response broke me from my soap's memory. "I am of dragon-kin; lightning and storms in blood! Got Taught from Dragoning welp to teach welp!" That explains the little bit of pride the little drake has, he was a dragon whelps first practice student, not a very common practice where I came from but the Kobalts normally end up being very competent if more arrogant than most. The Bruma Clan ood and ahhed, causing Daess to preen.
"A bit of lightning could be useful around here. When the next floor develop, I will set you up with a nice station. For now, how good are you at enchanting?"
Daess drooped "Not so good, can make stone spark a little... I be very good at spell slinging though Mastar Kalekinth's Dame was very pleased with my learning."
"That is alright Kalekith probably didn't have time to finish your tutoring; Vigorn is the manager and will help teach you how to enchant and help you prepare for adventures." with another flash of light, the yellow kobalt became dungeon kin, and I just set up both Vigorn and Daess for some headaches.
2010, March 13th
The privacy screen is starting to fail, it was never supposed to hide an entire dungeon, and all of the locals are incredibly paranoid when it comes to anything 'stranger effect' related even simple illusion or hypnosis effects are terribly scary to them... I heard about that one singer that can hypnotize with her voice getting really popular and is starting to get surrounded by controversy due to her power. She has a show soon... maybe I could recruit her... I can just give her a jumping stone to the dungeon, those things are relatively simple to make and only take a day or two.
The local minor gangs are getting to curious about what is behind the tarp, and the ward patrol that passes through there is convinced that snooping is well within their remit. On a smaller level, such as a door or passage way the effect should be extremely potent, but it is diffuse over an entire building. It is hard to hide a building with a simple sign, especially as the Heavenly Serveyer enchantment is starting to function fully night sky is far brighter than it ever was in the city, riveling the light in downtown Boston. The moon is luminescent, and it is making the news as people have gradually noticed that the sky is far more bright than it ever has been. During the day, it is also noticeable as children's moon became a daily occurrence lately despite it remaining the same for the surrounding states. The PRT is frantically trying to figure out what is happening, the only reason it is not a full state of emergency is that the effect has been benign.
While the side effects have been plaguing the locals, the enchantment has been a great boon to me. I performed a few divinations the other day, and the information was highly accurate and detailed. I added when the best option to get a new human underling would be, and apparently, the whole give cannery a warp stone is the best option also, I need to provide her with a power filter that targets warlock packs and a note that words can hurt. The other divination I performed is to find the first customer and what they would want; a complex ritual later involving several candles and a computer tablet brought up several profiles—many of the local gang leaders and several more international groups. Apparently, the government was not in the market right. One that stood out was Accord, a gang leader to the west of me that is famous for his Thinker ability to make complex plans. With Blank working there really should be no danger from him since his Thinker power should be unable to predict me. His compulsive and violent OCD will be unpredictable since it could lead to a power interaction, pulse I remember from Rex's life that he was associated with Coil. Anyone that would willingly associate with that creep should be watched with caution. The ritual suggested something interesting it gave me imagery of clockwork and a picture of the bane god of tyranny and machinist the god of clockwork.... I think something like the spell 'Eternal order' should work well. 'Eternal order' is a divine spell that essentially forces the world to act in a supernatural orderly way, a great curse to use in melee combat as it turns even the most adept combatant into a predictable enemy. A bit of tweaking it could reduce disorder in a more general sense of the word... or I could use an enchantment that warps his power, so it no longer changes his viewpoint and reduces his OCD issues, perhaps making his plans less destructive? I seem to remember that many of his plans ended up having 'side effects' like preventing a candidate from being elected, but a more corrupt one takes their place... something to think about.
2010, March 21st
The new floor... is ready to manifest and the clocking is going to go down in a few days think we have enough time to place several rooms down for the second floor. The first is developed but just needs some personal touches a full two dozen 'adventuring' rooms and a dozen staff and game rooms. I have a nice facility set up for tinkering and forging equipment and loot for the dungeon. Bribing adventures is a time-honored and vital part of dungeon management. Especially ones with strange dimensional parasites that should generate novel materials and unique supernatural phenomena fueling dungeon growth and inspiring advancement.
I have had the Kolbalts trained up in sword play, and Daess has helped by teaching them how to channel a little bit of lightning into their blades like a third the strength of a taser. The Kobalts are extremely excited about adventures and are extremely proud of the traps and tricks. I had intended to allow Vigor to be the floor boss, but we decided that he should have one of the later floors though he is filling in until one of the Kobalts are ready to take the mantle Daess is going to be the second-floor boss. He is very excited about it too, trying to come up with a 'supervillain' rant after hearing the news. Tomorrow I plan on removing the tarp and just letting who ever is around into the dungeon.
2010, March 3th
I summoned up more Builder Devils and worked with Vigorn to set up the strongest bones the dungeon could have. Replacing the flimsy brick with enchanted granite, steel girders alchemicalised into a gnomish honeycomb manasteel beams, and finally burning runes into the structure. I argued with Vigorn for a long time about limiting the building into a divination focus he wanted to expand it into a fate weaving device and said he knew a demon that could help but fate is a temperamental force and not one I want to mess with when there are at minimum on outer god parasite wandering about.
The interior has been stripped clean and the upper floors are nicely furnished though several discrete inquiries to local shops. Apparently, the merchant perk is super effective in an area where villains you do not want to mess with already operate. I have a fully furnished office and the other rooms are filling out slowly due to low resources. I was tempted to summon up some imps to start stealing but funds would be an issue once the dungeon is up and running. There is a reason dungeons are considered an artificial miracle even by divinity and demonic forces. A dungeon at the end of the day is a mana reactor using the complex decay of the void to generate even more using said mana in a stable fusion reaction to generate solid and real matter... Dangerous and Wondrous is the bare minimum any dungeon can be due to its innate powers. Mechanical cores rely on manual building having sacrificed the manipulation aspects of the core for greater material and space generation, the good thing is that the construction can be done by anyone. Summoning up some imps and Kobalts, bind them to the dungeon an easy fix for a developing dungeon...
While waiting for the BD's to have everything finished up between putting some personal touches on the building and working on several sketches for the initial floors I began tinkering with the Tinker tech Chash... It is a wonder of technology to be honest. Reading through some at random showed that I really need to pace myself or nothing will get done, thankfully the cache is organized in 'tech levels' 1-20 though the cache only has one example of level 20 technology something called 'Nano reality condenser' in simplified language... I really don't want to know, but about 90% of the blueprints show up to tech level 19 things like Universals galaxy-wide warp field and magnetron manipulation generators. Heavy stuff that looks ridiculously complicated that runs on the oscillation of the universal axis and stuff like that.... In all honesty, I feel comfortable up to levels 3-4 which have seemingly billions of schematics for all sorts of objects. I selected two to tinker with in my spare time; a laser that works through an electron gell-thing and a mini builder bot that is honestly worst than the run of the mill magitech bot but has potential if I can fiddle with it enough.
"Do you think it's ready? It has only been two months." I asked Vigorn if he has been working sleeplessly with the BD's to complete the initial construction.
"As ready as it is going to get for now, honestly, you are far more particular than my last contractor. He would have put down that core during the first week."
"That guy also got his eyeballs eaten."
"They were delicious and I see your point," Vigorn said with a slight smirk.
We traveled into the core room. The heart of the dungeon and difficult to craft since they are almost immediately pulled into the out-of-phase dimension that dungeons generate as they grow. How else can you have thousand-floor dungeons take up a single mountain? The room is made of black and white marble with a barely functioning star map using silver stars and bronzed constellation outlines for 88 Hellenistic constellations that will circulate the observation sphere. All along the ground, I inlay several different runic geometries that should help stabilize the magic... Over all the room like most core rooms looks appropriately auspicious. I took out the mechanical core from the pack on my back. The Mechanical core in the un-activated form looked like a glowing metallic ball covered with crystalline runes along all several axies I approached the plinth in the middle of the room. "Slowly now." Floating the sphere with a bit of magic I began to spin it faster and faster closer to the plinth till it was in the center of the room. The opening hymn is an old practice that few dungeon builders preform in the current era, it is never the same but it embeds a feel into the core and focuses it's intent.
"Like the horizon that meet the heavens and the earth
So to are you boundless.
Shatter the constraints of this world and become a wonder, a miracle.
The Dungeon of Armillary Solace - Heavenly Surveyor"
The core exploded into concentric rings of an Armillary sphere the machines around the room shutter as the core takes the room. The entire building vibrates as the rings begin spinning erratically till a wave of mana rolled off the sphere. Just as quickly as the light show began it stopped leaving the Armillary sphere-looking core spinning in the air the plinth having disintegrated in the start-up.
My hands splayed out, conducting an invisible orchestra integrating the core into the greater spell and etching work done on the rest of the building. Man surged through dormant channels, and the star map came alive and began rotating tille it matched the sphere. Faintly stars began to rise out of the stone into a star field that flowed above my head, it s the little things that make dungeons into the mortal miracles that they are known for. The major magical pathways are filled and the Keystone enchantments are beginning to charge up, within a ten days the major enchantments should be running and the divination focus should be active.
"Never seen one in person, always believed that it was just an exaggeration that cors are magical but that was something else...." Vigorn said in a soft voice.
"It will get more fantastic with time and a lot of elbow grease. Lets get some rooms done I need to place a call out to some kobolds and poke around for some mechanical bits for the core to learn. Maybe some of those wind up toys..."
"I really hate to recommend this but couldn't you summon up a mechanist? Those celestials, while annoying, know what they are doing with machinery..."
"Perhaps one would help but you are right they are too rigid for most dungeon environments, helping with deign and repair should be fine. Had to work with one for a project and he was annal retentive to the extreme." Vigorn looked pleased with trash-talking the celestial.
Using the link to the dungeon core I began my invisible orchestration again. Bring out several schematics I preloaded them into the core directing the mana to develop seven rooms, four are going to be challenge rooms for minigames, and two are going to be used for minion usage. Space warped and rumbled as the rooms came into being.
"File in!" The devils appeared in eager flares of sulfur. "Would you lot like to contract with this dungeon or remain freelance?" Of the twelve present seven entered into a contract with the dungeon, and Vigorn glee fully took command getting them to work on processing everything....
"Alrighty the dungeon will start synthesizing materials and you lot should be able to summon them, lets get to work and drive some adventures mad!" The devils chitterd excitedly at the prospect and Vigorn gave a throaty chuckle.
2010, March 4th
Opening the door into the warehouse is a bit weird to be honest, the place is a blank star field with the only anomaly being the wooden door into the benefactor lounge... I am avoiding that thing for the time being. I collected the contact listing from one of the few structures standing in the void. They appear to be a series of shelves made of stone next to the contact listing is an interesting sphere the size of a softball... I pocketed it. Brushing across my mind was the 'Warehouse AI'. The simple mind reminded me of the imps that have served me in the past. Capable of action and thought but almost no personality, my connection to the entity behind all this informed me that it should grow and change during each of my lives... what an odd thought that my soul has chosen countless reincarnations instead of rest. The Warehouse or should I start calling it Home? The warehouse feels more malleable than any other structure I have ever worked with. I'll need to experiment but I have things to do now.
It wears a leather-bound tome with bright canary yellow coloring... upon the front was MMSS Inc . Quickly exiting the warehouse into my lair was a relief... creepy place... anyway. The MMS was weird each page had three to five being listed out by type, behavior, habitat, and alignment. Finally, on the last page were numerous shifting options to contact the service: a number to call, a postal address, and a psionic/magical message wavelength. Over this thing is really cool and I wish I had it back in Viloth all that time convincing a band of goblins to move in wasted...
I called up a troupe of Kobalts; "What you want? This is the Monster Messaging Service and Staffing hot line how can I help you today?"
"I'm looking for a troupe of Kobalts..."
"Yes, I see any preference in work experience. Demonic, Religious, Cultist, or Draconic experience is a must for a well-rounded Kobalt. Also, any particular wish on the sub-specie or coloration of the Kobalt? Development level?"
"I don't have any particulars in mind beyond having them be well versed in trap making and tinkering; they won't be doing much fighting directly so a calmer temperament or a tricky temperament would be preferred."
"A trapper... That is doable how many do you need and do you need a breeding population?"
"I need twelve for now and a breeding population would be acceptable... though only adults are going to be contracted to a dungeon so they need to be prepared for that..."
"I see... I see... I have a clan grouping that is looking to relocate... it would cost 3,000$ local, and if you want, I can throw in a Kolbinoid sorcerer for 200$?"
"Hmmm.... I'll take that is a wire transfer accepted or a direct summoning?"
"Interdimensional wire transfer is acceptable sweety..." A little while later, after some annoying clerical work... "Alright, that is good to go! Your minions will appear at the designated warp point in two to five business days Sidgle Calendar... About Three local."
That was relatively easy... I wonder about some of the higher-end minions in the book... There are darklings, goblins, minor daemons, celestials, elementals, fae, and many more though none are listed as being very powerful... not really an issue with a dungeon's core. One of the significant benefits of binding oneself to a core beyond the resurrection ability within the dungeon is the mutagenic capability of the core. A weak kobalt could become a dragon-kin with enough mana investment, developing further to have fantastical powers is reasonably straightforward for dungeon masters to guide and develop, especially at lower floor levels where the mana density is higher than natural.
2010, March 7th
The skulk of Kobalts appeared in the dungeon bright and early. For the clan they had the roughed-up look normal to most Kobalts humanoid lizards with intelligence and culture that ranges from medieval to caveman-esque. The is group according to the MMSS receptionist is coming from a dragon layer that was wiped out... they are dressed in a collection of brown clothing and hemp. The Sorcerer that was taken on is a bit taller than the rest and colored yellow, and is clothed in a hemp robe.
"Alrighty, individual introductions can come later, for now just to check you all are alright with entering a dungeon pack?"
The Elder of the Kobalds and the Sorcerer came forward, "Yes! Yes! Clan Brumu will become dungeon kin!"
The Sorcer was a bit calmer and squeaked, "Daess will become dungeon kin."
"Excellent now I understand Clan Brumu has experience trapping?"
"Lost of practice! Hunt swamps and Cliffs for the last lord.."
"Very good I have some devils that will teach you how to build better traps, and you will help with building several, and hopefully you can help me make more." this led to a lot of excited chittering, and with a flash of light each of the Kobalds where bound to the dungeon.
"Daess you are a sorcerer, correct? What were your teachings?" I looked towards the little sorcerer. The rest of Clan Brumu were eyeing them in interest, one of the benefits of dungeon keeping is the built-in sope opera that comes with collecting numerous being in a mana-charged area... nothing like the fall out of a love triangle between a hydra, demi-lich, and an animated suit of armor- dungeons are weird romance wise. Like that, though the child ended up becoming the boss of the 70th floor of that dungeon, a steel-skinned necrotic hydra is a scary thing for an unprepared adventures party to face especially one with family angst.
Daess's response broke me from my soap's memory. "I am of dragon-kin; lightning and storms in blood! Got Taught from Dragoning welp to teach welp!" That explains the little bit of pride the little drake has, he was a dragon whelps first practice student, not a very common practice where I came from but the Kobalts normally end up being very competent if more arrogant than most. The Bruma Clan ood and ahhed, causing Daess to preen.
"A bit of lightning could be useful around here. When the next floor develop, I will set you up with a nice station. For now, how good are you at enchanting?"
Daess drooped "Not so good, can make stone spark a little... I be very good at spell slinging though Mastar Kalekinth's Dame was very pleased with my learning."
"That is alright Kalekith probably didn't have time to finish your tutoring; Vigorn is the manager and will help teach you how to enchant and help you prepare for adventures." with another flash of light, the yellow kobalt became dungeon kin, and I just set up both Vigorn and Daess for some headaches.
2010, March 13th
The privacy screen is starting to fail, it was never supposed to hide an entire dungeon, and all of the locals are incredibly paranoid when it comes to anything 'stranger effect' related even simple illusion or hypnosis effects are terribly scary to them... I heard about that one singer that can hypnotize with her voice getting really popular and is starting to get surrounded by controversy due to her power. She has a show soon... maybe I could recruit her... I can just give her a jumping stone to the dungeon, those things are relatively simple to make and only take a day or two.
The local minor gangs are getting to curious about what is behind the tarp, and the ward patrol that passes through there is convinced that snooping is well within their remit. On a smaller level, such as a door or passage way the effect should be extremely potent, but it is diffuse over an entire building. It is hard to hide a building with a simple sign, especially as the Heavenly Serveyer enchantment is starting to function fully night sky is far brighter than it ever was in the city, riveling the light in downtown Boston. The moon is luminescent, and it is making the news as people have gradually noticed that the sky is far more bright than it ever has been. During the day, it is also noticeable as children's moon became a daily occurrence lately despite it remaining the same for the surrounding states. The PRT is frantically trying to figure out what is happening, the only reason it is not a full state of emergency is that the effect has been benign.
While the side effects have been plaguing the locals, the enchantment has been a great boon to me. I performed a few divinations the other day, and the information was highly accurate and detailed. I added when the best option to get a new human underling would be, and apparently, the whole give cannery a warp stone is the best option also, I need to provide her with a power filter that targets warlock packs and a note that words can hurt. The other divination I performed is to find the first customer and what they would want; a complex ritual later involving several candles and a computer tablet brought up several profiles—many of the local gang leaders and several more international groups. Apparently, the government was not in the market right. One that stood out was Accord, a gang leader to the west of me that is famous for his Thinker ability to make complex plans. With Blank working there really should be no danger from him since his Thinker power should be unable to predict me. His compulsive and violent OCD will be unpredictable since it could lead to a power interaction, pulse I remember from Rex's life that he was associated with Coil. Anyone that would willingly associate with that creep should be watched with caution. The ritual suggested something interesting it gave me imagery of clockwork and a picture of the bane god of tyranny and machinist the god of clockwork.... I think something like the spell 'Eternal order' should work well. 'Eternal order' is a divine spell that essentially forces the world to act in a supernatural orderly way, a great curse to use in melee combat as it turns even the most adept combatant into a predictable enemy. A bit of tweaking it could reduce disorder in a more general sense of the word... or I could use an enchantment that warps his power, so it no longer changes his viewpoint and reduces his OCD issues, perhaps making his plans less destructive? I seem to remember that many of his plans ended up having 'side effects' like preventing a candidate from being elected, but a more corrupt one takes their place... something to think about.
2010, March 21st
The new floor... is ready to manifest and the clocking is going to go down in a few days think we have enough time to place several rooms down for the second floor. The first is developed but just needs some personal touches a full two dozen 'adventuring' rooms and a dozen staff and game rooms. I have a nice facility set up for tinkering and forging equipment and loot for the dungeon. Bribing adventures is a time-honored and vital part of dungeon management. Especially ones with strange dimensional parasites that should generate novel materials and unique supernatural phenomena fueling dungeon growth and inspiring advancement.
I have had the Kolbalts trained up in sword play, and Daess has helped by teaching them how to channel a little bit of lightning into their blades like a third the strength of a taser. The Kobalts are extremely excited about adventures and are extremely proud of the traps and tricks. I had intended to allow Vigor to be the floor boss, but we decided that he should have one of the later floors though he is filling in until one of the Kobalts are ready to take the mantle Daess is going to be the second-floor boss. He is very excited about it too, trying to come up with a 'supervillain' rant after hearing the news. Tomorrow I plan on removing the tarp and just letting who ever is around into the dungeon.
Fire and Vice 1.02
Two weeks later,
I've spent the last few days getting used to being naked since learning to tailor slow going and reading alleviates the boredom. I have no reason to leave, yet the Tower generates ingredients and supplies, so I take my time to learn how to make suitable clothing. Also, reading naked in your home is a surprisingly pleasant way to pass the time. Which do you think I should read, the introduction to soul fire or the next in the series of charms?
"Soul fire it is. Soul fire is the manifestation of one will power or magic filtered from creation through the soul, granting it a tinge of personality. There have been numerous types of soul flames in history, but seven characters have become the most commonplace for the last 300 years (circa 3300 BC). Sky Orange flames of Harmony, Storm Red flames of Destruction, Mist Indigo flames of Construction, Cloud Violate flames of Propagation, Lightning Green flames of Hardness, Sun Yellow flames of Activation, and Rain Blue flames of Tranquility. Later in the book, more soul types can be found, but due to the commonality of these flames, they work as the best example...."
I couldn't put the book down and ended up reading it as I ate dinner, chicken dumplings with ginger sauce tonight. I got to an exciting part, and the results made me choke on a dumpling.
"The easiest way to determine your base flame type is by manifesting your Will using the exercise described in the Training guide section and channeling it into a bowl of water with powdered Hematite, Selenite, and Serpinte. The flames should leave streaks of color depending on the color of your flame type. So how the fuck did I end up with a fucking rainbow for my fires?" All the colors listed and seven more appeared in the water, shimmering in barely restrained jubilation.
"Chuff!"
"You might be right. The guy did say that my soul would be weird... I think I can..." I pulled on the yellow fire of Activation and the Blue fire of Tranquility and tried and mix them. A sputtering occurred, and I had a new fire flickered into existence over my hand. Green, but not quite the same as the Lightning or Forest Flames... My mind sunk into my soul, the physical world falling away, leaving energy and concepts to dance and weave in the mired light of creation. I pushed the new flame into an apple from the fruit bowl, and the apple began to hold the strange cloying flames; following my intuition, I dropped the apple. It slowly fell at a crawl like a feather till it hit the table, hitting like it was a 40lb weight. "The Flames of Patience? Looks like it retards movement yet vastly increases momentum; it also seems to ensure action... I can make new flames?" I pulled up the book and skimmed till I found an answer.
"...Some individuals are born with the innate understanding of how to mix and harmonize multiple flames into a unique new flame type. This type is then bound to the user and is generated automatically, like other flames. Generally, it is only a single type of unique Flames they can create. These Flames will display unique properties occasionally derived from their component parts. One of the most feared and well-known variations is the Flames of Envy, which drain the heat of other flames and even the life force of others to empower the user. Few peoples have this ability, and it's believed to be genetic; there have been whispers of those capable of learning to mix all flames at will..."
"Chuff!"
"No, I doubt this will change much, not like I need to make thousands of flames to accomplish things I have magic." I paused in thought, "Could I mix flames and magic..." A quick flex of my will channeling magic through Cosmo resulted in my light charm with mist flames, resulting in a slightly more solid light becoming slightly more natural. "Hum seems stable... will take time, but I think Flames can grant normal magic more oomph."
One week
"What do you think, Cosmo?" I spun around in my best work yet. It took three weeks, but I finally learned enough magic that I could be a reliable tailor—a tan pair of skinny pants held together by a drawstring and a loose white shirt straight from the pages of history. To top it all off, I made a green shall and a green floppy hat; I'm fully clothed for the first time in about a month. Though a rough leather apron for the kitchen was a must.
"Chuff!" The little ferret twirled around in a circle, exited as I was. I made a hood for the jacket so Cosmo can hide near me when he wants to nap.
"Now... do I actually want to go outside?" I stopped and questioned myself. Cosmo tripped on air and did a cute little face fault. "Seriously, I honestly don't feel comfortable leaving just yet. I don't know a lot of magic yet, and I feel vulnerable. I know only a hand full of spells not used in tailoring; I got lucky, and the flame rings the guy left can barely be used as a focus for most spells... screwy old man hiding away so much junk behind magical puzzles. More importantly, I feel really relaxed."
"Sqeek?" Cosmo scrambled up my jacket and sat on my shoulder, pawing at my face.
"I don't plan on staying here forever... just for the next couple weeks... I can get an actual wardrobe set up and read up on some traveling magic. The Tower is locked up tight from the review, and I can pop back whenever with a bit of magic. I could even learn how to fight a bit I have been obsessing a bit too much..." really, outside of learning this so-called Newt-level New European Charms and Late-Roman Transfiguration I have worked my way up to Tailoring with the best of them.
"I also need shoes." Both I and Cosmo look down at my bare feet.
"Squeak?"
"I am not transfiguring my clothing, just the thought of it makes me shiver. Besides, this means I can learn some runes and enchant the stuff."
"Squeak!"
"That does make sense, sure I'll set up a ritual to survey the area." I saw a lovely tome on the subject the other day, Histora Rose Compa
Modern Japan - Namimori - Sub-Culture Mafia Retirement Community
Namimori Japan, is a prefecture/town far from other large communities in a valley surrounded by farmland and woodlands. Despite its picturesque location, this town is home to a subtle underground criminal community. Numerous criminals proficient in the usage of Soul Fire call this town home, deciding to retire and thrive in the location leading to almost 70% of the businesses and homes having illicit modifications to cater to this select clientele.
Obstentasintly it is under the rule of the Vongola Famiglia however, due to recent incompetence and little interest, very little active management occurs. Playing lip service to their rule is still expected due to local powers not caring to seize the territory. However, numerous mini Yakuza gangs get their start here and migrate around the country; mooks are easy to recruit here since everyone and their mother have at least a little moral flexibility. Due to the intense concentration of soul flames steeping into the land, only some magically get picked up from this town.
I've spent the last few days getting used to being naked since learning to tailor slow going and reading alleviates the boredom. I have no reason to leave, yet the Tower generates ingredients and supplies, so I take my time to learn how to make suitable clothing. Also, reading naked in your home is a surprisingly pleasant way to pass the time. Which do you think I should read, the introduction to soul fire or the next in the series of charms?
"Soul fire it is. Soul fire is the manifestation of one will power or magic filtered from creation through the soul, granting it a tinge of personality. There have been numerous types of soul flames in history, but seven characters have become the most commonplace for the last 300 years (circa 3300 BC). Sky Orange flames of Harmony, Storm Red flames of Destruction, Mist Indigo flames of Construction, Cloud Violate flames of Propagation, Lightning Green flames of Hardness, Sun Yellow flames of Activation, and Rain Blue flames of Tranquility. Later in the book, more soul types can be found, but due to the commonality of these flames, they work as the best example...."
I couldn't put the book down and ended up reading it as I ate dinner, chicken dumplings with ginger sauce tonight. I got to an exciting part, and the results made me choke on a dumpling.
"The easiest way to determine your base flame type is by manifesting your Will using the exercise described in the Training guide section and channeling it into a bowl of water with powdered Hematite, Selenite, and Serpinte. The flames should leave streaks of color depending on the color of your flame type. So how the fuck did I end up with a fucking rainbow for my fires?" All the colors listed and seven more appeared in the water, shimmering in barely restrained jubilation.
"Chuff!"
"You might be right. The guy did say that my soul would be weird... I think I can..." I pulled on the yellow fire of Activation and the Blue fire of Tranquility and tried and mix them. A sputtering occurred, and I had a new fire flickered into existence over my hand. Green, but not quite the same as the Lightning or Forest Flames... My mind sunk into my soul, the physical world falling away, leaving energy and concepts to dance and weave in the mired light of creation. I pushed the new flame into an apple from the fruit bowl, and the apple began to hold the strange cloying flames; following my intuition, I dropped the apple. It slowly fell at a crawl like a feather till it hit the table, hitting like it was a 40lb weight. "The Flames of Patience? Looks like it retards movement yet vastly increases momentum; it also seems to ensure action... I can make new flames?" I pulled up the book and skimmed till I found an answer.
"...Some individuals are born with the innate understanding of how to mix and harmonize multiple flames into a unique new flame type. This type is then bound to the user and is generated automatically, like other flames. Generally, it is only a single type of unique Flames they can create. These Flames will display unique properties occasionally derived from their component parts. One of the most feared and well-known variations is the Flames of Envy, which drain the heat of other flames and even the life force of others to empower the user. Few peoples have this ability, and it's believed to be genetic; there have been whispers of those capable of learning to mix all flames at will..."
"Chuff!"
"No, I doubt this will change much, not like I need to make thousands of flames to accomplish things I have magic." I paused in thought, "Could I mix flames and magic..." A quick flex of my will channeling magic through Cosmo resulted in my light charm with mist flames, resulting in a slightly more solid light becoming slightly more natural. "Hum seems stable... will take time, but I think Flames can grant normal magic more oomph."
One week
"What do you think, Cosmo?" I spun around in my best work yet. It took three weeks, but I finally learned enough magic that I could be a reliable tailor—a tan pair of skinny pants held together by a drawstring and a loose white shirt straight from the pages of history. To top it all off, I made a green shall and a green floppy hat; I'm fully clothed for the first time in about a month. Though a rough leather apron for the kitchen was a must.
"Chuff!" The little ferret twirled around in a circle, exited as I was. I made a hood for the jacket so Cosmo can hide near me when he wants to nap.
"Now... do I actually want to go outside?" I stopped and questioned myself. Cosmo tripped on air and did a cute little face fault. "Seriously, I honestly don't feel comfortable leaving just yet. I don't know a lot of magic yet, and I feel vulnerable. I know only a hand full of spells not used in tailoring; I got lucky, and the flame rings the guy left can barely be used as a focus for most spells... screwy old man hiding away so much junk behind magical puzzles. More importantly, I feel really relaxed."
"Sqeek?" Cosmo scrambled up my jacket and sat on my shoulder, pawing at my face.
"I don't plan on staying here forever... just for the next couple weeks... I can get an actual wardrobe set up and read up on some traveling magic. The Tower is locked up tight from the review, and I can pop back whenever with a bit of magic. I could even learn how to fight a bit I have been obsessing a bit too much..." really, outside of learning this so-called Newt-level New European Charms and Late-Roman Transfiguration I have worked my way up to Tailoring with the best of them.
"I also need shoes." Both I and Cosmo look down at my bare feet.
"Squeak?"
"I am not transfiguring my clothing, just the thought of it makes me shiver. Besides, this means I can learn some runes and enchant the stuff."
"Squeak!"
"That does make sense, sure I'll set up a ritual to survey the area." I saw a lovely tome on the subject the other day, Histora Rose Compa
Modern Japan - Namimori - Sub-Culture Mafia Retirement Community
Namimori Japan, is a prefecture/town far from other large communities in a valley surrounded by farmland and woodlands. Despite its picturesque location, this town is home to a subtle underground criminal community. Numerous criminals proficient in the usage of Soul Fire call this town home, deciding to retire and thrive in the location leading to almost 70% of the businesses and homes having illicit modifications to cater to this select clientele.
Obstentasintly it is under the rule of the Vongola Famiglia however, due to recent incompetence and little interest, very little active management occurs. Playing lip service to their rule is still expected due to local powers not caring to seize the territory. However, numerous mini Yakuza gangs get their start here and migrate around the country; mooks are easy to recruit here since everyone and their mother have at least a little moral flexibility. Due to the intense concentration of soul flames steeping into the land, only some magically get picked up from this town.
Young Justice - Mxyzptlk Mixup
July 5th
A deep rumbling filled the room as I gasped wake, stuck in a strange specimen tube. I knew something was very wrong, especially since there was more info in my head than there was when I went to bed last night.
Here's the skinny kid. It's me, Mister Mxyzptlk, I may have done a thing, and you got knocked loose from creation not good. I'm not a manager for the dead, but Death would be pissed if she found you in that shape, possibly mad enough that I would actually meet the end. So I fix ya... sort of. You are no longer dead, which is good; bad I couldn't find where you were supposed to go, so I had to improvise. I found this reality interesting but not quite to my tastes so leaving you here was a good compromise. I put a lot of info in your head about the area and about the powers you picked up from the trip. Really sorry about the trouble; the good news though it helped me impress a broad, and I got a date! Have fun I'll probably remember to check up on you in a few months your time.
Ps: Ya might want ta get out of there and grab the brat while your at it, a freebie for helping with the date. Down the tunnel Two lefts and a right head for the top floor.
"Gota get out then." the world slowed for a second, and I blinked out of the specimen tube. I land in a gangly mess, with legs to short arms and the same fingers... "I think sixteen? Why did it need to be sixteen? I was a mess at that age," Twisting my shoulder till I heard a pop as my shoulders loosened up, then the next. "Let's see if I can manage it just a twist to the left and pinch." Three phantoms appeared in creation as light twisted around their form. They appeared to be ghosts of some sort, not really physically there and from a variety of backgrounds, but all had very dated wardrobes and false characteristics where face should be.
"Keep watch? Any scientists or creatures come in, you can fracture."
"Yes, sir..."
In another tube, a redheaded teen was strapped down, missing an arm. Searching over the machinery, I grumble at the lack of clear instructions, it took a few moments, but I stumbled my way into opening the chamber and defrosting my fellow test subject.
Fire burning my veins, chaos laughing in my body, reality crystalizing and shattering. A laughing brat and a cat. Injections and grafting that shatter the body, A being from beyond giggling and everything smoothing out and realigning soothing the fire.
Yeah, that is a lot to unpack...
"Up ya go, dam, your heavy, or I'm just weak."
"Master? I help?"
"... you're a ghost thing. How could you help?" One of my minions came up and grabbed the brat, holding him up and floating up higher till it looked like a parent trailing their kid around. "Well, that's convenient. Let's get going."
"May I explore Master?"
"Stay close, find the most complicated systems, and ruin them. See if you can't spin up a few more friends." I said and they snickers happily.
The clean medical hallways rumbled and shook, and bits of sealing crumbled down, making me nervous. A weird monster bared my pat, squat toadlike, and scaly, worst they were psychic.
Return-sleep-Sedation-Back to the chambers.
My minion dropped his charge into my grasp, and I began to tire. Rage filled my mind. "Break them." My minions smiled in the blurred fog where their faces were meant to be split formed, revealing sharp jagged teeth and hand sharpening to claw. It screeched, its claws trailing along the wall and causing irregular cracks to form, and it dove into the weird imp, causing it to let out a psychic shriek. The creature quickly began forming at the mouth; another minion came out from the being's head, giggling like a child. The new minion looked like a child as well, young and boyish compared to the shriveled looks my other minions had. Before my eyes it began to dry out it should be done in a few hours.
"Hurry the new one can help me keep us moving, keep the way clear." I shouted, struggling with the redhead, "You better make this worth it, or I'm never letting you live this down, whoever you are."
We stumbled through the facilities passing many of those toad things, and the apparitions feasted on their minds shattering them whenever they attempted to subdue us. I now have six minions floating around though only the initial three are finished. The three that were formed from the toad minds or tech were too new and about as strong as myself. Though Minions started to giggle and whisper horrible things about what they will do to my enemies.
A door bared out the path at one point, my minions just giggled, phasing into the door, and I could feel them animating the door to move out of the way. Opening wrong in the process, like double doors instead of the hatch seal like it, was built.
"Got to go, got to go find the path got to go," my minions chanted as we passed, reaching the end.
In and out, in and out, the minions floated around me, ruining everything they could get their hands on, possessing guns and knives forcing them to float around them, tying themselves to the equipment. I have a gun on my arm as well - possessed by my first minion- helping my arm move the gun and aim.
I could hear roaring and shouting, getting closer, "Master needs to go up, follow us." My minions floated up into alcoves up the giant hole giving me a secure path to blink along.
"Freedom, how lovely. Hum.. the moon looks beautiful." I said with a sigh, my friend waking up with a grumble. "Now you wake up. I carry your ass out of a crumbling building, and you only wake up at the boring part? Lame!" I mutter, annoyed at this entire situation; now I just need to find out what did Mister Mxyzptlk mean by interesting? He is a DC character that floats about generally causing trouble. Hopefully, he was telling the truth, and my situation was just covering his own ass. I can live with enlightend self intress.
"What do we have here?" a man in a green body suit surrounded by a glowing green field of power.
"Someone who wants some food and a nap? How about you?... Lantern... Hale? Hal? Something like that. Can you make sure I defrosted my buddy, right? I didn't really understand what I was doing?"
"Huh?"
"Keep up Ya Green Flashlight! Check the read head with ya ring and let me take a nap!" I said annoyed feeling my consciousness start to slip away.
"Oh before I forget, minions don't break anything or hurt anybody unless they try to harm me I'm going to sleep... Follow along if they move me somewhere."
Minions - Basic Ghosts six
July 6th
"God, how could I miss something like this." Green Arrow asked in distress.
"No one could have expected something like this, Ollie."
"While Red arrows situation is a huge breach in security and a travesty, this meeting is about the individual that brought this to our attention. Hal you scanned and interacted with the kid and his... self-labeled minions." Batman all but demanded a report.
Hal let out a huff, "the kid is weird, acted as he knew me but couldn't pin down how, and just assumed he was in charge. Considering the ghosts I get why he has that attitude. They inspected the entire base while he was asleep in shifts and followed his orders exactly; no harm was done to anyone or anything though they keep causing trouble. It takes a lot of personality to order things like that around. The ring can't make heads or tails of the ghosts he has following him around, but Zatanna could get a better read on them. Kids has a weird system the ring barely recognized him as a human, some weird energy is flowing around him and the ghosts. However there was one thing that the ring confirmed he is a 'clone' sort of."
"How could he sort of be a clone? And a clone of who?"
"The DNA is a 50% match to Wonder Woman. We are narrowing down the other donor but it appears that Mordu and Kalron make up the other section of the Genome." There was concerned silence over the news.
"His mind is also guarded to an impressive degree, I could read some of his recent emotions, mostly confusion and annoyance. The ghosts began to give me a warning of sorts as I got close to learning his memories. They began to affect my mind, stealing my focus and coming close to damaging my mind." Martian manhunter shifted, annoyed and grimaced. "Once I retreated they giggled and left me alone waving their finger. They appear to follow instructions well but bend the rules clearly coming close to harming me yet remaining light enough to merely be annoying. I recommend caution; we can assume each and every one of the creatures is psychic to some level."
"Seems like we need to talk to the kid to figure out what to do with him. At the very least he deserves the benefit of the doubt since he brought speedy back..." Flash shrugged his shoulders.
A deep rumbling filled the room as I gasped wake, stuck in a strange specimen tube. I knew something was very wrong, especially since there was more info in my head than there was when I went to bed last night.
Here's the skinny kid. It's me, Mister Mxyzptlk, I may have done a thing, and you got knocked loose from creation not good. I'm not a manager for the dead, but Death would be pissed if she found you in that shape, possibly mad enough that I would actually meet the end. So I fix ya... sort of. You are no longer dead, which is good; bad I couldn't find where you were supposed to go, so I had to improvise. I found this reality interesting but not quite to my tastes so leaving you here was a good compromise. I put a lot of info in your head about the area and about the powers you picked up from the trip. Really sorry about the trouble; the good news though it helped me impress a broad, and I got a date! Have fun I'll probably remember to check up on you in a few months your time.
Ps: Ya might want ta get out of there and grab the brat while your at it, a freebie for helping with the date. Down the tunnel Two lefts and a right head for the top floor.
"Gota get out then." the world slowed for a second, and I blinked out of the specimen tube. I land in a gangly mess, with legs to short arms and the same fingers... "I think sixteen? Why did it need to be sixteen? I was a mess at that age," Twisting my shoulder till I heard a pop as my shoulders loosened up, then the next. "Let's see if I can manage it just a twist to the left and pinch." Three phantoms appeared in creation as light twisted around their form. They appeared to be ghosts of some sort, not really physically there and from a variety of backgrounds, but all had very dated wardrobes and false characteristics where face should be.
"Keep watch? Any scientists or creatures come in, you can fracture."
"Yes, sir..."
In another tube, a redheaded teen was strapped down, missing an arm. Searching over the machinery, I grumble at the lack of clear instructions, it took a few moments, but I stumbled my way into opening the chamber and defrosting my fellow test subject.
Fire burning my veins, chaos laughing in my body, reality crystalizing and shattering. A laughing brat and a cat. Injections and grafting that shatter the body, A being from beyond giggling and everything smoothing out and realigning soothing the fire.
Yeah, that is a lot to unpack...
"Up ya go, dam, your heavy, or I'm just weak."
"Master? I help?"
"... you're a ghost thing. How could you help?" One of my minions came up and grabbed the brat, holding him up and floating up higher till it looked like a parent trailing their kid around. "Well, that's convenient. Let's get going."
"May I explore Master?"
"Stay close, find the most complicated systems, and ruin them. See if you can't spin up a few more friends." I said and they snickers happily.
The clean medical hallways rumbled and shook, and bits of sealing crumbled down, making me nervous. A weird monster bared my pat, squat toadlike, and scaly, worst they were psychic.
Return-sleep-Sedation-Back to the chambers.
My minion dropped his charge into my grasp, and I began to tire. Rage filled my mind. "Break them." My minions smiled in the blurred fog where their faces were meant to be split formed, revealing sharp jagged teeth and hand sharpening to claw. It screeched, its claws trailing along the wall and causing irregular cracks to form, and it dove into the weird imp, causing it to let out a psychic shriek. The creature quickly began forming at the mouth; another minion came out from the being's head, giggling like a child. The new minion looked like a child as well, young and boyish compared to the shriveled looks my other minions had. Before my eyes it began to dry out it should be done in a few hours.
"Hurry the new one can help me keep us moving, keep the way clear." I shouted, struggling with the redhead, "You better make this worth it, or I'm never letting you live this down, whoever you are."
We stumbled through the facilities passing many of those toad things, and the apparitions feasted on their minds shattering them whenever they attempted to subdue us. I now have six minions floating around though only the initial three are finished. The three that were formed from the toad minds or tech were too new and about as strong as myself. Though Minions started to giggle and whisper horrible things about what they will do to my enemies.
A door bared out the path at one point, my minions just giggled, phasing into the door, and I could feel them animating the door to move out of the way. Opening wrong in the process, like double doors instead of the hatch seal like it, was built.
"Got to go, got to go find the path got to go," my minions chanted as we passed, reaching the end.
In and out, in and out, the minions floated around me, ruining everything they could get their hands on, possessing guns and knives forcing them to float around them, tying themselves to the equipment. I have a gun on my arm as well - possessed by my first minion- helping my arm move the gun and aim.
I could hear roaring and shouting, getting closer, "Master needs to go up, follow us." My minions floated up into alcoves up the giant hole giving me a secure path to blink along.
"Freedom, how lovely. Hum.. the moon looks beautiful." I said with a sigh, my friend waking up with a grumble. "Now you wake up. I carry your ass out of a crumbling building, and you only wake up at the boring part? Lame!" I mutter, annoyed at this entire situation; now I just need to find out what did Mister Mxyzptlk mean by interesting? He is a DC character that floats about generally causing trouble. Hopefully, he was telling the truth, and my situation was just covering his own ass. I can live with enlightend self intress.
"What do we have here?" a man in a green body suit surrounded by a glowing green field of power.
"Someone who wants some food and a nap? How about you?... Lantern... Hale? Hal? Something like that. Can you make sure I defrosted my buddy, right? I didn't really understand what I was doing?"
"Huh?"
"Keep up Ya Green Flashlight! Check the read head with ya ring and let me take a nap!" I said annoyed feeling my consciousness start to slip away.
"Oh before I forget, minions don't break anything or hurt anybody unless they try to harm me I'm going to sleep... Follow along if they move me somewhere."
Minions - Basic Ghosts six
July 6th
"God, how could I miss something like this." Green Arrow asked in distress.
"No one could have expected something like this, Ollie."
"While Red arrows situation is a huge breach in security and a travesty, this meeting is about the individual that brought this to our attention. Hal you scanned and interacted with the kid and his... self-labeled minions." Batman all but demanded a report.
Hal let out a huff, "the kid is weird, acted as he knew me but couldn't pin down how, and just assumed he was in charge. Considering the ghosts I get why he has that attitude. They inspected the entire base while he was asleep in shifts and followed his orders exactly; no harm was done to anyone or anything though they keep causing trouble. It takes a lot of personality to order things like that around. The ring can't make heads or tails of the ghosts he has following him around, but Zatanna could get a better read on them. Kids has a weird system the ring barely recognized him as a human, some weird energy is flowing around him and the ghosts. However there was one thing that the ring confirmed he is a 'clone' sort of."
"How could he sort of be a clone? And a clone of who?"
"The DNA is a 50% match to Wonder Woman. We are narrowing down the other donor but it appears that Mordu and Kalron make up the other section of the Genome." There was concerned silence over the news.
"His mind is also guarded to an impressive degree, I could read some of his recent emotions, mostly confusion and annoyance. The ghosts began to give me a warning of sorts as I got close to learning his memories. They began to affect my mind, stealing my focus and coming close to damaging my mind." Martian manhunter shifted, annoyed and grimaced. "Once I retreated they giggled and left me alone waving their finger. They appear to follow instructions well but bend the rules clearly coming close to harming me yet remaining light enough to merely be annoying. I recommend caution; we can assume each and every one of the creatures is psychic to some level."
"Seems like we need to talk to the kid to figure out what to do with him. At the very least he deserves the benefit of the doubt since he brought speedy back..." Flash shrugged his shoulders.
Boiling Connection 01
"So this is just because of your board?" I ask, concerned.
"Yup!" The ridiculous being of incomparable power pretending to be a beach bum. "I was wondering what to do, and you kinda just fell onto my radar, and I thought, why not. You are dead after all, and most of the afterlives in your dimension kinda stink."
"How bad could it be?" I probably should not have asked. For a single moment, everything was white, and a pervasive feeling of apathy came over me. Nothing... void... my life was...
Back! We are back! I began to panic, breathing heavily and twitching.
"Yes, it's pretty terrible. So drink these innocuous bottles of junk, and I'll send you off to somewhere weird... I'm thinking this dimension where the continents are made of titan corpses." He said, rubbing his hands in excitement.
"....any negatives? I just want disclosure. I figure a deal like this is more compulsory than at-will..." Let's be honest here, I am less than a gnat to this thing, no matter how he looks.
"Negidives? Nah, nah, nah. This is a favorite for me, my dude. I'm doing you a solid here," the being replied, still lounging on his beach chair. "But if you really want to know, I'm gonna be watching ya like sopes. Will be entertaining, and tell all your ghost buddies that I'm the man. Or monster. Or whatever." He grinned widely, revealing a set of sharp teeth. "Now drink up and prepare for your journey to the land of titan corpses!"
I picked four veils at random from thousands. "Hum... Home, Sorcerer Lord, Bubbling Caldron, and The Rune Smith... not bad, you got some potent ones."
"Sorcerer Lord is cool."
"I was talking about the Bubbling Caldron, that thing is legit terrifying. Renders anything and everything down into a Conceptual Brew, think the very base essence of matter, energy, reality... It even channels other powers... That thing gives me the willies." The beach bum shivers a the empty vile.
"Then why hand them out?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Ah, this stuff isn't mine it's a metaphysical representation of the randomness of the universe... It's universe goo the number of potions you took is how much your soul can handle."
I consider this seriously; I just drank universe goo. Is that good for you? "Ok...."
"Anywho. Watch the landing." He said with a sharp grin.
"What?" A portal opened beneath me, and I fell. The strange ethereal beach gave way to purple-red skies and the smell of rot and sulfur... With the ground several hundred feet away.
"Fuck you Ya bumb!" I shouted to the heavens. I scrambled to think of what to do, but none of my powers gave me an option The Sorcerer Lord's powers is still filtering in, The RuneSmith was the same and other options were just objects... Wait! I know!
A black cauldron appeared before me, hurdling away, "Called the Caldron; how can I... Home home home thinks of home." The rim of the caldron wavered and became a portal. I flung myself inside, falling to the floor of a cozy cottage. When I gathered myself the feeling of mystique struck me. The interior is dimly lit, with flickering candles casting strange shadows on the walls. The furniture is made of dark, aged wood, and the floors are covered with plush Persian rugs.
At the centerpiece of the room, several large, ornate bookcases filled to the brim with ancient tomes, grimoires, and other occult artifacts. Strange symbols and glyphs are etched onto the walls, and a few taxidermied animals - mostly ravens and bats - are mounted on the walls.
A fireplace crackles in the corner, filling the room with warmth and comforting light. The armchairs and sofas are covered in rich velvet and brocade fabrics and are scattered with velvet cushions embroidered with arcane symbols.
Everywhere you look, you see curious trinkets and strange objects - a crystal ball on a stand, Gyroscopes and old carving tools, a rusted cauldron standing by the work table. It's a place that's both welcoming and mysterious, definitely, the place I would want to settle into for a long night of delving into ancient secrets and unlocking the mysteries of the universe or baking cookies.
Thunk!
Peaking outside of the door I saw that we landed. "And round one gose to the Mystic Malt Master... actually, I like that one. Maxwell Stone the Mystic Malt Master works with the whole caldron and sorcerer idea."
A wave of nausea washed over me knowledge flooded my mind; Magic from the Boiling Issles: Abomination, Potions, Construction, Oracle, Herbology, Runes/Sidgilery. Knowledge of a completely different styles of magic covering the basics and Alchemy, Golemancy, Clockworking, Mind and Door magic... Runesmithing filled my mind as the base sixteen duality phases filled my mind My eyes crossed, and I fainted.
"He fucking knew..."
As I slowly regained consciousness, my head throbbed with sharp pain. It felt as if my mind had been twisted and stretched in a way that I had never experienced before. I struggled to my feet, my body trembling slightly as I tried to steady myself. "Knowing things suddenly hurts. I don't want to do that again. House?" I asked, looking around in bewilderment.
To my surprise, the entire building shook in response to my question, and a hand emerged from some obscure corner of the room. I watched in amazement as the hand began to tap its fingers in agitation and snap a few times, as if trying to communicate something to me.
"I'm sorry, I'm new to this whole magic thing. I was dead a few moments ago... So, uh, where's the bathroom?" I asked as politely as possible, still reeling from the experience.
The hand snapped again and motioned for me to follow. I followed the hand through a winding hallway until we arrived at a gothic bathroom. The room was spacious, adorned with black marble, and featured a large clawed tub. The air was scented with the delicate aroma of sage, and flickering candles cast dancing shadows on the walls.
"A shower should help me clear my mind." I said to myself as I stepped into the tub, and let the warm water envelop me. As I looked in the mirror, I saw a reflection of a young 15-year-old with fiery red hair and deep brown eyes, and an imposing body covered in an intricate network of empty tattoos that appeared to be waiting for magical inscriptions to fill them.
"That's not right, making me go through puberty a second time. I had just finished!" I raged inwardly, the memories of my younger teen years flooding back. Hormones, migraines, and acne – it was not a pleasant time.
After my bath, my mood was much improved, and I felt ready to explore the house. As I wandered around, I realized that the house was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was top-notch, with an awe-inspiring kitchen, a library filled with ancient books and scrolls, an alchemy laboratory full of strange and wondrous occult equipment, a ritual chamber with floating crystals, a greenhouse, a workshop filled with tools and crafting equipment, and a handful of other rooms that seemed to be phasing in and out of existence waiting for a need to arise.
As I settled down for dinner, I realized that I might be in for an adventure of a lifetime. The hand was cooking up a delicious stew of beef and potatoes, which was just what I needed after the long day I had.
"This might not be so bad," I said to myself, savoring every spoonful of the stew. I was excited to see what the future held for me in this magical house.
"I can't go out without some protection, but I can't make any protection without ingredients. Which is outside... a pickle."
Hand or rather one of the many Hands that staff my home was tapping a finger annoyed at my indecision. It began to sign quickly, running through dozens of signs "Stop being a baby and man up, if you don't find something to do you're going to turn into a shud in."
"Always nagging with you." I huff, the Hands are very pushy but kind. "Fine-fine... can I take lunch?"
The Hand snapped a few times, causing a few lunch boxes to show up. He signed, "Don't come back until you have had a decent adventure.
"So mean." The door out was... more of a portal at the moment, my home is outside of reality. I had how to operate the thing added to my head. Dozens of dials, levers, and runes manifested like illusions calling for arcane knowledge, experience...
"Hand?" Cheating using the help. It snapped annoyed and called a flock for help, they floated and ran through dozens of permutations till the doorway stabilized. Next to the door, there was a section of runes that lit up circling around. I knew this one of the runic languages that got added to my mind not powerful but full of true none the less.
"The realm of the Fallen Titans... The boiling Issles? Hey! That's where the guy was sending me. Why not somewhere else?"
The Hand signed furiously. "Interdimensional navigation is a complex and challenging art that requires a deep understanding of the underlying principles of magic and the ability to manipulate them to bend space-time. It requires a great deal of skill and experience to create a bridge between the dimensions, and even the slightest miscalculation can result in catastrophic consequences. Not only must one be able to locate the correct dimensional coordinates, but also master the techniques of astral projection, gateways, and portal creation. It's a daunting task that requires unwavering focus, a steady hand, and a deep understanding of the fundamental laws of magic! Besides relative coordinates need to stabilize before more locations are accessed."
"...Ok then... I'll just be going." The Hands have some serious tension when it comes to 'moving' the house.
Outside I was greeted by a large crater. Huh, must have been my fall oh look my caldron is still here. Turned to its side, it grew large enough to act as a doorway..."Up ya go, dam your heavy."
"Now... what do I do?" I look around and it was just wilderness...
"... I'm gonna play with the pot... I'll try putting rocks in it." The rocks liquified down into a grey liquid.. Looking into it all I saw was [Stone-Endurance-Titan-Hard-Grounding] "Ooo, pretty colors and its so weird. I think I get why the bum was so scared of this thing." I stared at this contemplating the secrets of the universe when another thing got thrown into the cauldron. It was all [BloodThorns-Blood-Poision-Hemophilia-Paranoia] I began to twitch as the two materials began to interact, I could alter the process, but it was too pretty.
"Ooo your right that is pretty," A small fluffy thing with a skull said. It was adorable, could I keep it as a pet? I could name it Fuzznugget and love it forever. I stare at it for a moment... then shrug.
"I know... want to throw more things into it? I only understand like two/a fifths of what this thing can do... also don't climb into it... you might not come out."
"Right only throw enemies into the pot of doom... I have a smart minion!" Aw, it has a napoleon complex!
"Of course mighty... um... do you have a name?"
"I am the Mighty King of Deamons! Now help me move this Mummiefied Wartworth." The little fella was trying to push a bundle of mushroom-like warts that grew on a rock... they were vaguely twitching.
"That sound like a good idea... wait I was going to do something... dang it being a teen is annoying I only got good at remembering things by twenty-two... But the cute thing." I mutter quietly. Before rushing to help the cute furry thing. Thanks to my body upgrade I moved the warts into the pot carefully removing the fluffy thing. The mass melted quickly [Mummiefied Wartworth-Infection-Desication-Rehydration]
"Wait I wasn't to try something," I said picking the fuffy thing off the ground. Squeaking king tried to move but clutched to my head with a grunt when I placed it on my head. "Watch, I can change the brew." Casting my hand out it straightened and wriggled like fixing my way into a glove, it felt weird but second nature to me. "Move the Rehydration, to the ground, twist the poison into the Desiccation, and reroute the infection... add a dash of ... Hey little buddy do you know anything around her that relates to flowering?" the little fellow watch memorized.
"Um...Grab that Vlax-pixie demon." He pointed towards a strange small critter that was sweating a lot. Figuring I might as well, I used a quick spell that griped the critter in an aura.
"These things aren't like... people right? Persony?'
"Who cares." The little fella said.
"Let me eat your face!" The thing struggled and revealed fangs.
"...Not people enough for me." I tossed the critter into the Cauldron. It dissolved, cursing me [Vlax-Sweat-Hunger-Teeth-Blooming]. It added a little bit of something to the cauldron. "That should do it. Move that finagle this, Little fella, King add a bit of spit."
"Yes! Spitting!" He hoked a bit of phlem into the pot. So did I.
"What did I make?" I conjured a short-term ladle and potion vile. The brew bubbled and shivered, my eyes glazed for a moment: Destructive Revitalization Brew.
"Can we throw it at my enemies?"
"If your enemies are bugs, sure." I really don't care... "And they aren't people I want to dislike the things I kill."
"...I guess that makes sense," King said his spot on my head.
King guided me to a nest of creepy monsters with large human eyes and fangs. "They bit me earlier."
"Works for me." I tossed the brew into the nest, and hundreds of the bugs faded into dust. All around the nest plant life bloomed creating a small jungle causing me to marvel a bit.
"Victory is mine!"
"So Know anywhere with a lot of weird junk to throw into the pot? Or at least something interesting to do? I'm a bit lost... I'm Max Stone."
"Eda's place has lots of junk we can use!"
"Yup!" The ridiculous being of incomparable power pretending to be a beach bum. "I was wondering what to do, and you kinda just fell onto my radar, and I thought, why not. You are dead after all, and most of the afterlives in your dimension kinda stink."
"How bad could it be?" I probably should not have asked. For a single moment, everything was white, and a pervasive feeling of apathy came over me. Nothing... void... my life was...
Back! We are back! I began to panic, breathing heavily and twitching.
"Yes, it's pretty terrible. So drink these innocuous bottles of junk, and I'll send you off to somewhere weird... I'm thinking this dimension where the continents are made of titan corpses." He said, rubbing his hands in excitement.
"....any negatives? I just want disclosure. I figure a deal like this is more compulsory than at-will..." Let's be honest here, I am less than a gnat to this thing, no matter how he looks.
"Negidives? Nah, nah, nah. This is a favorite for me, my dude. I'm doing you a solid here," the being replied, still lounging on his beach chair. "But if you really want to know, I'm gonna be watching ya like sopes. Will be entertaining, and tell all your ghost buddies that I'm the man. Or monster. Or whatever." He grinned widely, revealing a set of sharp teeth. "Now drink up and prepare for your journey to the land of titan corpses!"
I picked four veils at random from thousands. "Hum... Home, Sorcerer Lord, Bubbling Caldron, and The Rune Smith... not bad, you got some potent ones."
"Sorcerer Lord is cool."
"I was talking about the Bubbling Caldron, that thing is legit terrifying. Renders anything and everything down into a Conceptual Brew, think the very base essence of matter, energy, reality... It even channels other powers... That thing gives me the willies." The beach bum shivers a the empty vile.
"Then why hand them out?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Ah, this stuff isn't mine it's a metaphysical representation of the randomness of the universe... It's universe goo the number of potions you took is how much your soul can handle."
I consider this seriously; I just drank universe goo. Is that good for you? "Ok...."
"Anywho. Watch the landing." He said with a sharp grin.
"What?" A portal opened beneath me, and I fell. The strange ethereal beach gave way to purple-red skies and the smell of rot and sulfur... With the ground several hundred feet away.
"Fuck you Ya bumb!" I shouted to the heavens. I scrambled to think of what to do, but none of my powers gave me an option The Sorcerer Lord's powers is still filtering in, The RuneSmith was the same and other options were just objects... Wait! I know!
A black cauldron appeared before me, hurdling away, "Called the Caldron; how can I... Home home home thinks of home." The rim of the caldron wavered and became a portal. I flung myself inside, falling to the floor of a cozy cottage. When I gathered myself the feeling of mystique struck me. The interior is dimly lit, with flickering candles casting strange shadows on the walls. The furniture is made of dark, aged wood, and the floors are covered with plush Persian rugs.
At the centerpiece of the room, several large, ornate bookcases filled to the brim with ancient tomes, grimoires, and other occult artifacts. Strange symbols and glyphs are etched onto the walls, and a few taxidermied animals - mostly ravens and bats - are mounted on the walls.
A fireplace crackles in the corner, filling the room with warmth and comforting light. The armchairs and sofas are covered in rich velvet and brocade fabrics and are scattered with velvet cushions embroidered with arcane symbols.
Everywhere you look, you see curious trinkets and strange objects - a crystal ball on a stand, Gyroscopes and old carving tools, a rusted cauldron standing by the work table. It's a place that's both welcoming and mysterious, definitely, the place I would want to settle into for a long night of delving into ancient secrets and unlocking the mysteries of the universe or baking cookies.
Thunk!
Peaking outside of the door I saw that we landed. "And round one gose to the Mystic Malt Master... actually, I like that one. Maxwell Stone the Mystic Malt Master works with the whole caldron and sorcerer idea."
A wave of nausea washed over me knowledge flooded my mind; Magic from the Boiling Issles: Abomination, Potions, Construction, Oracle, Herbology, Runes/Sidgilery. Knowledge of a completely different styles of magic covering the basics and Alchemy, Golemancy, Clockworking, Mind and Door magic... Runesmithing filled my mind as the base sixteen duality phases filled my mind My eyes crossed, and I fainted.
"He fucking knew..."
As I slowly regained consciousness, my head throbbed with sharp pain. It felt as if my mind had been twisted and stretched in a way that I had never experienced before. I struggled to my feet, my body trembling slightly as I tried to steady myself. "Knowing things suddenly hurts. I don't want to do that again. House?" I asked, looking around in bewilderment.
To my surprise, the entire building shook in response to my question, and a hand emerged from some obscure corner of the room. I watched in amazement as the hand began to tap its fingers in agitation and snap a few times, as if trying to communicate something to me.
"I'm sorry, I'm new to this whole magic thing. I was dead a few moments ago... So, uh, where's the bathroom?" I asked as politely as possible, still reeling from the experience.
The hand snapped again and motioned for me to follow. I followed the hand through a winding hallway until we arrived at a gothic bathroom. The room was spacious, adorned with black marble, and featured a large clawed tub. The air was scented with the delicate aroma of sage, and flickering candles cast dancing shadows on the walls.
"A shower should help me clear my mind." I said to myself as I stepped into the tub, and let the warm water envelop me. As I looked in the mirror, I saw a reflection of a young 15-year-old with fiery red hair and deep brown eyes, and an imposing body covered in an intricate network of empty tattoos that appeared to be waiting for magical inscriptions to fill them.
"That's not right, making me go through puberty a second time. I had just finished!" I raged inwardly, the memories of my younger teen years flooding back. Hormones, migraines, and acne – it was not a pleasant time.
After my bath, my mood was much improved, and I felt ready to explore the house. As I wandered around, I realized that the house was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was top-notch, with an awe-inspiring kitchen, a library filled with ancient books and scrolls, an alchemy laboratory full of strange and wondrous occult equipment, a ritual chamber with floating crystals, a greenhouse, a workshop filled with tools and crafting equipment, and a handful of other rooms that seemed to be phasing in and out of existence waiting for a need to arise.
As I settled down for dinner, I realized that I might be in for an adventure of a lifetime. The hand was cooking up a delicious stew of beef and potatoes, which was just what I needed after the long day I had.
"This might not be so bad," I said to myself, savoring every spoonful of the stew. I was excited to see what the future held for me in this magical house.
"I can't go out without some protection, but I can't make any protection without ingredients. Which is outside... a pickle."
Hand or rather one of the many Hands that staff my home was tapping a finger annoyed at my indecision. It began to sign quickly, running through dozens of signs "Stop being a baby and man up, if you don't find something to do you're going to turn into a shud in."
"Always nagging with you." I huff, the Hands are very pushy but kind. "Fine-fine... can I take lunch?"
The Hand snapped a few times, causing a few lunch boxes to show up. He signed, "Don't come back until you have had a decent adventure.
"So mean." The door out was... more of a portal at the moment, my home is outside of reality. I had how to operate the thing added to my head. Dozens of dials, levers, and runes manifested like illusions calling for arcane knowledge, experience...
"Hand?" Cheating using the help. It snapped annoyed and called a flock for help, they floated and ran through dozens of permutations till the doorway stabilized. Next to the door, there was a section of runes that lit up circling around. I knew this one of the runic languages that got added to my mind not powerful but full of true none the less.
"The realm of the Fallen Titans... The boiling Issles? Hey! That's where the guy was sending me. Why not somewhere else?"
The Hand signed furiously. "Interdimensional navigation is a complex and challenging art that requires a deep understanding of the underlying principles of magic and the ability to manipulate them to bend space-time. It requires a great deal of skill and experience to create a bridge between the dimensions, and even the slightest miscalculation can result in catastrophic consequences. Not only must one be able to locate the correct dimensional coordinates, but also master the techniques of astral projection, gateways, and portal creation. It's a daunting task that requires unwavering focus, a steady hand, and a deep understanding of the fundamental laws of magic! Besides relative coordinates need to stabilize before more locations are accessed."
"...Ok then... I'll just be going." The Hands have some serious tension when it comes to 'moving' the house.
Outside I was greeted by a large crater. Huh, must have been my fall oh look my caldron is still here. Turned to its side, it grew large enough to act as a doorway..."Up ya go, dam your heavy."
"Now... what do I do?" I look around and it was just wilderness...
"... I'm gonna play with the pot... I'll try putting rocks in it." The rocks liquified down into a grey liquid.. Looking into it all I saw was [Stone-Endurance-Titan-Hard-Grounding] "Ooo, pretty colors and its so weird. I think I get why the bum was so scared of this thing." I stared at this contemplating the secrets of the universe when another thing got thrown into the cauldron. It was all [BloodThorns-Blood-Poision-Hemophilia-Paranoia] I began to twitch as the two materials began to interact, I could alter the process, but it was too pretty.
"Ooo your right that is pretty," A small fluffy thing with a skull said. It was adorable, could I keep it as a pet? I could name it Fuzznugget and love it forever. I stare at it for a moment... then shrug.
"I know... want to throw more things into it? I only understand like two/a fifths of what this thing can do... also don't climb into it... you might not come out."
"Right only throw enemies into the pot of doom... I have a smart minion!" Aw, it has a napoleon complex!
"Of course mighty... um... do you have a name?"
"I am the Mighty King of Deamons! Now help me move this Mummiefied Wartworth." The little fella was trying to push a bundle of mushroom-like warts that grew on a rock... they were vaguely twitching.
"That sound like a good idea... wait I was going to do something... dang it being a teen is annoying I only got good at remembering things by twenty-two... But the cute thing." I mutter quietly. Before rushing to help the cute furry thing. Thanks to my body upgrade I moved the warts into the pot carefully removing the fluffy thing. The mass melted quickly [Mummiefied Wartworth-Infection-Desication-Rehydration]
"Wait I wasn't to try something," I said picking the fuffy thing off the ground. Squeaking king tried to move but clutched to my head with a grunt when I placed it on my head. "Watch, I can change the brew." Casting my hand out it straightened and wriggled like fixing my way into a glove, it felt weird but second nature to me. "Move the Rehydration, to the ground, twist the poison into the Desiccation, and reroute the infection... add a dash of ... Hey little buddy do you know anything around her that relates to flowering?" the little fellow watch memorized.
"Um...Grab that Vlax-pixie demon." He pointed towards a strange small critter that was sweating a lot. Figuring I might as well, I used a quick spell that griped the critter in an aura.
"These things aren't like... people right? Persony?'
"Who cares." The little fella said.
"Let me eat your face!" The thing struggled and revealed fangs.
"...Not people enough for me." I tossed the critter into the Cauldron. It dissolved, cursing me [Vlax-Sweat-Hunger-Teeth-Blooming]. It added a little bit of something to the cauldron. "That should do it. Move that finagle this, Little fella, King add a bit of spit."
"Yes! Spitting!" He hoked a bit of phlem into the pot. So did I.
"What did I make?" I conjured a short-term ladle and potion vile. The brew bubbled and shivered, my eyes glazed for a moment: Destructive Revitalization Brew.
"Can we throw it at my enemies?"
"If your enemies are bugs, sure." I really don't care... "And they aren't people I want to dislike the things I kill."
"...I guess that makes sense," King said his spot on my head.
King guided me to a nest of creepy monsters with large human eyes and fangs. "They bit me earlier."
"Works for me." I tossed the brew into the nest, and hundreds of the bugs faded into dust. All around the nest plant life bloomed creating a small jungle causing me to marvel a bit.
"Victory is mine!"
"So Know anywhere with a lot of weird junk to throw into the pot? Or at least something interesting to do? I'm a bit lost... I'm Max Stone."
"Eda's place has lots of junk we can use!"
verycoolname
Not actually cool
I like the dungeon story. It has style.
Art 1.03
2010, March 22nd
POV: Sidro Valle - Krusher
As the leader of the 3rd ward team in the north end of Boston, part of the over 30 wards, I found myself in a bit of a predicament. Despite being sixteen and expected to be responsible and dependable, I couldn't resist the temptation to enter the random, super mysterious marble building that had sprouted up in place of the abandoned pet shop. The building emitted a creepy glow and gave off a dangerous vibe.
Weld, always the stickler for the rules due to his respect for Director Armstrong, voiced his concerns. "I really don't think that we should go in there... We should call it in to control," he suggested.
Wisteria, fiddling with his chainmail suit and eyeing the structure in excitement, chimed in. "I think a quick look around would be fine. If we find it empty, we can call it in. And if it's occupied, then we can definitely call it in," he proposed. Lady Minute, Sharad, remained indifferent, not caring either way, though she kept her gaze fixed on the building.
The marble monolith, resembling a hybrid between a bank and a mystic's house, was adorned with large braziers of fire, adding to its eerie atmosphere. As we entered, a hologram materialized before us.
"Does everyone see this?" I asked, seeking confirmation. "This one is going to be weird, isn't it?" Lady Minute commented.
The hologram greeted us as adventurers and informed us that we were the first group to enter the Dungeon of Armillary Solace, promising riches and glory. It laid out the dungeon's laws, including prohibitions on teleportation, limited reality warping, and adventure death, except in the boss room. It also mentioned the suppression of prior knowledge and the consequences of defeat or seeking outside help.
"Greeting Adventures congratulations on being the first group to enter the The Dungeon of Armillary Solace! Riches and Glory wait. Please be advised as a dungeon wide Laws:
1: Teleportation between rooms and out of the dungeon is prohibited.
2: reality warping is limited to a per-room basis and can not overtake more than 30% of the room.
3: Adventure Death is prohibited in every room in the dungeon except the Boss room 'caution is advised.
4: All non-personal prior knowledge of challenge answers is prohibited within the dungeon and will be suppressed before entrance; and returned on exit.
5: Defeat of Challengers results in the loss of Loot or a tithe of a power scan.
6: Outside help is prohibited.
For those unfamiliar with dungeon etiquette, challengers roam through the rooms of the dungeon facing a battle and mental challenges in order to delve deeper and collect loot. Please enjoy the challenge and happy hunting. Rooms will be labeled with several different symbols that the challenger will learn by their own experience, however, Boss Rooms are marked with a skull and crossed bones. " The hologram timed out and faded away.
"So... shall we explore?" I could hardly contain my excitement. It was like those dungeons from the Earth Alpha game imports! What kind of loot would we find? I couldn't believe we were the first ones here!
"Let's go! Ward Team 3 ready to go!" Wisteria eagerly leaped in and exited, prompting the rest of us to rush in after him. Unbeknownst to us, our communicators had cut out as we entered the dungeon.
POV: Bastion
"Sir, Ward Team 3's communicators have cut out. The last update indicated they were looking into that strange building downtown..."
"What building?"
"Um... It was just some private construction..."
"By whom?" I had a bad feeling about this, especially since the technician seemed unnaturally confused.
"Does it matter? It was private construction..."
"Send a Protectorate team out to investigate their last known location. Hopefully, it's nothing too dangerous and just interference." I hoped Weld and the others were alright. Director Armstrong would be furious if Weld ended up getting hurt or worse during a simple patrol.
POV: Fred Millar - Wisteria
This place is so cool! The material feels like some metaphysically enhanced steel and charged stone. And that room with the gear markings? I couldn't help but bolt into it with excitement, although in hindsight, it might not have been the best idea. But hey, I have my net launcher and my ceramic chainmail, so I should be fine.
"Wait up, you idiot!" Sahra shouted, bursting my bubble. I slumped a bit, hoping she would be impressed with my bravery.
"It's fine. It wasn't a skull marking," I defended myself.
"We have no idea if that thing was lying in the first place!"
The room was adorned with a series of targets, and in the center stood a small fountain filled with smooth stones. The walls were made of white marble and black slate, while the targets were bronze with silver chain netting. Small holes curled in silver-colored metal adorned the walls. Weld seemed extremely alert, his arms turning a darker color, indicating his preparedness to touch some metal. I had coated my equipment in plastics to help him if needed.
On a plinth, there was a small projector and speaker. The message instructed us to hit the correct targets, know the zodiac signs, and find the path forward. Failure would result in stardust raining upon us. I scoffed at the supposed danger, picking up a stone and hearing the speaker call out "Camelopardalis the giraffe." I loaded the stone into my launcher and aimed at what I assumed was the Giraffe target. At least I hit the target. But then, a resounding "FOOL! Cancer!" echoed through the room, making Sahra cover her ears. One of the holes lit up and fired a small ball of white light, hitting my armor. I staggered back with an "oof" and fell to the ground, sore but not seriously hurt.
"Maybe we should retreat?" Weld suggested, eyeing the exit, which turned out to be locked with a bar made of some strange metallic stone.
"The door is locked, and the lever has 'admit defeat' spelled out on it. Considering we have no idea what the defeat condition actually is... what should we do?" Weld asked, clearly nervous.
Lady Minute walked up to the fountain, grabbed a rock, and said, "Let me give it a go."
"Leo Minor," she threw the stone. Another shout followed, "Capricorn," as she threw another. She continued until ten more constellations were called out, reaching "Tucana," which earned her a "FOOL! Cassiopeia!" Twelve force balls were fired, and Lady Minute managed to dodge nine of them before the last three struck her, causing her to let out a muted groan. She got up with a groan and waved me away as I tried to help her up.
"With a glare, "Let's try that again." She grabbed the pebbles and started anew. This time, she hit six targets before getting tripped up. "Taurus!" I exclaimed, realizing
she was aiming in the wrong direction. "Next to Orion!" She switched targets and continued, throwing "Sagittarius" and finally "Mensa," causing all the spouts to glow. Everyone tensed as small glowing balls emitted from them, hovering and swirling around the room.
"Success! The knowledge of the heavens has been shown!" The door unlocked visibly, and two new doors appeared on the walls, flipping around as if they were part of the wall. The fountain rose in the air, revealing a small bundle of metal rods in a compartment at the bottom.
"What are these?" I wondered aloud.
"I have no idea... I don't recognize the material, but it feels very sturdy. If I could get it back to the lab, I could make something cool out of this," I mused, already thinking of the possibilities. Perhaps a net to catch the thief that had been causing trouble lately.
"Tinker later. We need to keep going. What choices do we have?" Sahra asked.
"A hand of cards and a sword and staff. I think that means the door to the right leads to a game of some sort, while the left door implies a fight with something," I suggested.
"Let's try the game. I really don't want to find out what the Director would do if we chose to go through the door labeled 'fight.'"
The next room was peculiar, with marbled flooring and a black slate wall. Various symbols, the zodiac symbols, adorned the room. "Whoever built this place really likes stars," I remarked.
"Yes, yes! Boss loves stars!" We all jumped as a short reptilian-looking being revealed himself from the table. Finally, we might get some answers!
"Welcome! Let's play a game! No, no, the boss went over this... Let's play a game! Yes!" Ezkes exclaimed with excitement.
"What game?" Krushauer asked cautiously, unsure of what to expect.
"Black the Jack! My name is Ezkes of the Brumu Clan," Ezkes replied, his enthusiasm undeterred. "Could you explain some things for us as we play?" Krushauer inquired.
"Um... let me ask the boss," Ezkes said, performing a strange hand motion. An orb of energy appeared, and he spoke in a strange language, seeking guidance from his boss. The orb sped out of the room through the walls. "I'll explain the game while the boss answers. Shall we play Black the Jack? If you win, you get a reward; if you lose, you lose what you've gambled. If you have nothing to gamble, you gamble defeats. Shall we start? Who's playing? How many hands shall we play?"
"I'll play, and let's make it the best of thirteen hands," Weld volunteered, moving to sit in the stone chair, surprised by its comfort. "It's comfortable... I don't think I can remember feeling comfortable. Hmm, I'll gamble defeat... Can I get a copy of the power scan?" Weld asked, hoping for a favorable response. "Maybe? The boss will look into it, maybe he'll trade," Ezkes replied.
Krushauer looked disgruntled at the situation, but it was too late, and the game began. Ezkes dealt the cards and gave Weld a stack of gold, silver, and copper chips. Weld nervously touched one and looked intrigued when nothing happened upon contact. "What are these made of?" Weld asked, examining the chips.
"Metal. Gold, silver, and copper are metals. They are currencies. You use currencies to buy things and pay for things," Ezkes explained, speaking to Weld as if he were a slow child, which sounded unintentionally condescending due to their broken English.
"No, I mean when I touch metal, I usually get stuck to it, but here, it feels like there's a barrier preventing that," Weld clarified.
"Oh! That's an enchantment. It protects the currencies and keeps them in this room. No stealing unless you're very clever," Ezkes explained, winning the first hand as Weld had a six and five.
"You don't sound very worried about us stealing," Lady Minute commented, puzzled by Ezkes' nonchalant attitude.
"Adventurers take things from dungeons. That's how dungeons work. Adventurers kill monsters, get loot and currencies, buy more things, and continue fighting in the dungeon," Ezkes explained, looking confused as he won the second hand as well with a pair of nines.
"We are heroes! Heroes don't kill people!" Weld expressed concern, cautious of Ezkes' previous mention of being a monster.
"But I am a monster. Kobalts are part of monstrous races... We are very tricky, especially dungeon kin like me, Ezkes. Dungeon kin don't die in the dungeon. Boss said Ezkes can explain more once adventurers leave the dungeon. He also mentioned something about the entry law..." Ezkes trailed off, making everyone uncomfortable. As heroes, they couldn't simply enter a private place unless a crime was occurring. "Boss forgot to put up a sign until adventurers entered," Ezkes added.
"But you just said that you expect us to kill you?" Lady Minute asked, confused by the contradictory statements. Weld won the third hand as well with a pair of twos.
"Ezkes just said dungeon kin don't die. We get killed, and the dungeon holds us until it builds a new body
, and then we fight again. Sometimes we play games, like Ezkes is doing with Weld, or we build things, or we have breaks watching the picture box... like the show 'Top Gear'! Cars are so cool. Boss said he's building a racing thing in another dungeon later, and Ezkes can be a driver there!" Ezkes explained, trying to make sense of his existence.
"Did your boss create you?" I asked, curious about Ezkes' origin.
"No, no, no... When a mama Kobalt is very impressed with a papa Kobalt, they go to the meeting cave, and..." Ezkes started explaining, but I interrupted, feeling embarrassed.
"We get it. Thank you for clearing that up!" I interjected, not wanting to hear the details of Kobalt procreation.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed. It's a natural part of life, important!" Ezkes chided, placing down a winning hand.
Weld smirked, and the rest of the group chuckled, while Krushauer snickered at the exchange. Weld won the fourth hand, causing Ezkes to mutter in annoyance and glare at the deck.
"Why did your boss build this place?" I asked, fascinated by the intricacies of the dungeon's construction and the charged walls.
"Oh! The boss built the dungeon because he's a dungeon builder. It's what he does. He also mentioned that this building is good at divination and helps the boss find things, like customers. He mentioned something about large golems... Endbringers..." Ezkes won the next two hands, and the group fell into contemplation.
"So, the building senses danger?" Weld asked, puzzled, barely winning the sixth hand.
"Yes... mabey? Ezkes not good at divination..." Ezkes clarified. Weld won the next two hands by a slim margin.
"We saw this sign at the beginning, what is that about?" Lady Minute asked, raising a valid question that had been on everyone's mind, including mine.
"Those are Dungeon Decrees! Rules that adventurers have to follow," Ezkes explained, winning the hand just barely.
"What happens if they don't follow the rules?" Weld asked, his attention divided as Ezkes played a flush.
"They have to... um... the Boss called it 'compel... jymptones...'"
"Mastered?" Weld asked, distracted by the game as Ezkes emerged victorious.
"Yes! Mastered! That's the word the Boss said to use instead of 'enchanted'... I don't know why adventurers aren't slaves," I voiced my concern about the implications of being mastered through reading.
"No matter, since Ezkes won for dungeon kin! First win for Ezkes! Adventure Weld is defeated!" Ezkes said happily as the room brightened, and Weld started glowing with a golden color.
"What's happening?" Krushauer asked, grabbing Ezkes' shoulder, as there was a field surrounding Weld.
"Weld is being scanned by the dungeon, and the dungeon is learning," he explained as the glow faded, leaving Weld looking confused. Then a new silvery blue light formed around Weld. "The dungeon can't learn everything, but a little bit is easy. Now the dungeon is sending Weld out of the dungeon in defeat." After a beat Weld disappeared.
"Where did he go?" Krushauer shouted at Ezkes in worry, while I prepared my net launcher.
"He's outside the dungeon in the waiting room with bagels. I mentioned that," I responded.
"Let's go, you can come with us..." Krushauer suggested.
"No, Ezkes can't leave the dungeon. Adventures leave the dungeon. Ezkes lives in the dungeon and needs to ask the bosses for Blacks de Jack shows. Ezkes will win even faster next time I face challenger Weld," I explained, reaffirming my dedication to the dungeon.
"Let's just go; we're probably in trouble anyway," Lady Minute suggested, realizing the consequences of our actions.
As we left the dungeon, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion, we were greeted by Visor and Deep Wave, two Protectorate heroes who didn't appear pleased to see us exiting the building. Nearby, a large screen displayed a green man with tusks. "And here they are. That metal fellow will be exiting right about..." Weld excitedly emerged from a door near the entrance, munching on a grey bagel with an intense look on his face.
"Hi, guys! They have bagels that taste really weird..." Weld began, causing Visor to interject.
"Weld, you can't really taste..."
"That's why they're weird. They taste really spicy but really good," Weld replied, his enthusiasm evident.
"Oh dear, the devils really shouldn't leave their food around like that, but it's good to know that it doesn't melt your insides," I commented, slightly concerned about Weld's unique experience.
"Besides all that! Who are you, and what is the point of luring our wards into your building?" People around us started recording with their cellphones, murmuring among themselves.
"Ah, that's why you're worried. I didn't lure them; they entered my building because 'it was creepy' before I had the chance to put up the warning signs..." I realized we were in deep trouble. As the guy spoke, signs appeared around the entrance stating, 'Warning! Entering Dungeon. Beware of Danger! Entry beyond this point is consenting to the following non-responsibility waiver!' A sheet of paper materialized under the sign. "All combat within is to the death, all challenges are to completion. You have
been warned, don't enter unless you are prepared for a fight."
"I see... who are you anyway, and what is the point of this place?" Lady Minute inquired.
"What an excellent opportunity for an introduction! I've always wanted to do one of these dramatic introductions!" The dungeon began to glow with eldritch light, and a rumble filled the air. "I am the magnificent Zordrain, Dungeon Architect extraordinaire! This marvelous building is the Dungeon of Armillary Solace! A marvel of ingenuity that grows and develops wonders and marvels! Adventurers enter for riches and glory, facing foes and challenges alike to collect their loot! At the heart of it all, within the Dungeon Core!" A magical device appeared briefly on the screen, emanating a captivating aura. "Upon the core, a challenger can steal a sliver of power for themselves, rising to wondrous heights in power!" The guy returned to the screen, looking like he was having a blast. "All are welcome to challenge! But be warned, entering means waving your right to remain in one piece. Please leave a message at this number if you wish to inquire about a dungeon of your own!"
The screen blanked out, and the building ceased glowing. Lady Minute sighed, rubbing her temples. "Now what?"
"Now we head back to base five, and you lot are in so much trouble!" Visor asserted with a stern voice, her authoritative tone reminiscent of a mother's scolding.
POV: Sidro Valle - Krusher
As the leader of the 3rd ward team in the north end of Boston, part of the over 30 wards, I found myself in a bit of a predicament. Despite being sixteen and expected to be responsible and dependable, I couldn't resist the temptation to enter the random, super mysterious marble building that had sprouted up in place of the abandoned pet shop. The building emitted a creepy glow and gave off a dangerous vibe.
Weld, always the stickler for the rules due to his respect for Director Armstrong, voiced his concerns. "I really don't think that we should go in there... We should call it in to control," he suggested.
Wisteria, fiddling with his chainmail suit and eyeing the structure in excitement, chimed in. "I think a quick look around would be fine. If we find it empty, we can call it in. And if it's occupied, then we can definitely call it in," he proposed. Lady Minute, Sharad, remained indifferent, not caring either way, though she kept her gaze fixed on the building.
The marble monolith, resembling a hybrid between a bank and a mystic's house, was adorned with large braziers of fire, adding to its eerie atmosphere. As we entered, a hologram materialized before us.
"Does everyone see this?" I asked, seeking confirmation. "This one is going to be weird, isn't it?" Lady Minute commented.
The hologram greeted us as adventurers and informed us that we were the first group to enter the Dungeon of Armillary Solace, promising riches and glory. It laid out the dungeon's laws, including prohibitions on teleportation, limited reality warping, and adventure death, except in the boss room. It also mentioned the suppression of prior knowledge and the consequences of defeat or seeking outside help.
"Greeting Adventures congratulations on being the first group to enter the The Dungeon of Armillary Solace! Riches and Glory wait. Please be advised as a dungeon wide Laws:
1: Teleportation between rooms and out of the dungeon is prohibited.
2: reality warping is limited to a per-room basis and can not overtake more than 30% of the room.
3: Adventure Death is prohibited in every room in the dungeon except the Boss room 'caution is advised.
4: All non-personal prior knowledge of challenge answers is prohibited within the dungeon and will be suppressed before entrance; and returned on exit.
5: Defeat of Challengers results in the loss of Loot or a tithe of a power scan.
6: Outside help is prohibited.
For those unfamiliar with dungeon etiquette, challengers roam through the rooms of the dungeon facing a battle and mental challenges in order to delve deeper and collect loot. Please enjoy the challenge and happy hunting. Rooms will be labeled with several different symbols that the challenger will learn by their own experience, however, Boss Rooms are marked with a skull and crossed bones. " The hologram timed out and faded away.
"So... shall we explore?" I could hardly contain my excitement. It was like those dungeons from the Earth Alpha game imports! What kind of loot would we find? I couldn't believe we were the first ones here!
"Let's go! Ward Team 3 ready to go!" Wisteria eagerly leaped in and exited, prompting the rest of us to rush in after him. Unbeknownst to us, our communicators had cut out as we entered the dungeon.
POV: Bastion
"Sir, Ward Team 3's communicators have cut out. The last update indicated they were looking into that strange building downtown..."
"What building?"
"Um... It was just some private construction..."
"By whom?" I had a bad feeling about this, especially since the technician seemed unnaturally confused.
"Does it matter? It was private construction..."
"Send a Protectorate team out to investigate their last known location. Hopefully, it's nothing too dangerous and just interference." I hoped Weld and the others were alright. Director Armstrong would be furious if Weld ended up getting hurt or worse during a simple patrol.
POV: Fred Millar - Wisteria
This place is so cool! The material feels like some metaphysically enhanced steel and charged stone. And that room with the gear markings? I couldn't help but bolt into it with excitement, although in hindsight, it might not have been the best idea. But hey, I have my net launcher and my ceramic chainmail, so I should be fine.
"Wait up, you idiot!" Sahra shouted, bursting my bubble. I slumped a bit, hoping she would be impressed with my bravery.
"It's fine. It wasn't a skull marking," I defended myself.
"We have no idea if that thing was lying in the first place!"
The room was adorned with a series of targets, and in the center stood a small fountain filled with smooth stones. The walls were made of white marble and black slate, while the targets were bronze with silver chain netting. Small holes curled in silver-colored metal adorned the walls. Weld seemed extremely alert, his arms turning a darker color, indicating his preparedness to touch some metal. I had coated my equipment in plastics to help him if needed.
On a plinth, there was a small projector and speaker. The message instructed us to hit the correct targets, know the zodiac signs, and find the path forward. Failure would result in stardust raining upon us. I scoffed at the supposed danger, picking up a stone and hearing the speaker call out "Camelopardalis the giraffe." I loaded the stone into my launcher and aimed at what I assumed was the Giraffe target. At least I hit the target. But then, a resounding "FOOL! Cancer!" echoed through the room, making Sahra cover her ears. One of the holes lit up and fired a small ball of white light, hitting my armor. I staggered back with an "oof" and fell to the ground, sore but not seriously hurt.
"Maybe we should retreat?" Weld suggested, eyeing the exit, which turned out to be locked with a bar made of some strange metallic stone.
"The door is locked, and the lever has 'admit defeat' spelled out on it. Considering we have no idea what the defeat condition actually is... what should we do?" Weld asked, clearly nervous.
Lady Minute walked up to the fountain, grabbed a rock, and said, "Let me give it a go."
"Leo Minor," she threw the stone. Another shout followed, "Capricorn," as she threw another. She continued until ten more constellations were called out, reaching "Tucana," which earned her a "FOOL! Cassiopeia!" Twelve force balls were fired, and Lady Minute managed to dodge nine of them before the last three struck her, causing her to let out a muted groan. She got up with a groan and waved me away as I tried to help her up.
"With a glare, "Let's try that again." She grabbed the pebbles and started anew. This time, she hit six targets before getting tripped up. "Taurus!" I exclaimed, realizing
she was aiming in the wrong direction. "Next to Orion!" She switched targets and continued, throwing "Sagittarius" and finally "Mensa," causing all the spouts to glow. Everyone tensed as small glowing balls emitted from them, hovering and swirling around the room.
"Success! The knowledge of the heavens has been shown!" The door unlocked visibly, and two new doors appeared on the walls, flipping around as if they were part of the wall. The fountain rose in the air, revealing a small bundle of metal rods in a compartment at the bottom.
"What are these?" I wondered aloud.
"I have no idea... I don't recognize the material, but it feels very sturdy. If I could get it back to the lab, I could make something cool out of this," I mused, already thinking of the possibilities. Perhaps a net to catch the thief that had been causing trouble lately.
"Tinker later. We need to keep going. What choices do we have?" Sahra asked.
"A hand of cards and a sword and staff. I think that means the door to the right leads to a game of some sort, while the left door implies a fight with something," I suggested.
"Let's try the game. I really don't want to find out what the Director would do if we chose to go through the door labeled 'fight.'"
The next room was peculiar, with marbled flooring and a black slate wall. Various symbols, the zodiac symbols, adorned the room. "Whoever built this place really likes stars," I remarked.
"Yes, yes! Boss loves stars!" We all jumped as a short reptilian-looking being revealed himself from the table. Finally, we might get some answers!
"Welcome! Let's play a game! No, no, the boss went over this... Let's play a game! Yes!" Ezkes exclaimed with excitement.
"What game?" Krushauer asked cautiously, unsure of what to expect.
"Black the Jack! My name is Ezkes of the Brumu Clan," Ezkes replied, his enthusiasm undeterred. "Could you explain some things for us as we play?" Krushauer inquired.
"Um... let me ask the boss," Ezkes said, performing a strange hand motion. An orb of energy appeared, and he spoke in a strange language, seeking guidance from his boss. The orb sped out of the room through the walls. "I'll explain the game while the boss answers. Shall we play Black the Jack? If you win, you get a reward; if you lose, you lose what you've gambled. If you have nothing to gamble, you gamble defeats. Shall we start? Who's playing? How many hands shall we play?"
"I'll play, and let's make it the best of thirteen hands," Weld volunteered, moving to sit in the stone chair, surprised by its comfort. "It's comfortable... I don't think I can remember feeling comfortable. Hmm, I'll gamble defeat... Can I get a copy of the power scan?" Weld asked, hoping for a favorable response. "Maybe? The boss will look into it, maybe he'll trade," Ezkes replied.
Krushauer looked disgruntled at the situation, but it was too late, and the game began. Ezkes dealt the cards and gave Weld a stack of gold, silver, and copper chips. Weld nervously touched one and looked intrigued when nothing happened upon contact. "What are these made of?" Weld asked, examining the chips.
"Metal. Gold, silver, and copper are metals. They are currencies. You use currencies to buy things and pay for things," Ezkes explained, speaking to Weld as if he were a slow child, which sounded unintentionally condescending due to their broken English.
"No, I mean when I touch metal, I usually get stuck to it, but here, it feels like there's a barrier preventing that," Weld clarified.
"Oh! That's an enchantment. It protects the currencies and keeps them in this room. No stealing unless you're very clever," Ezkes explained, winning the first hand as Weld had a six and five.
"You don't sound very worried about us stealing," Lady Minute commented, puzzled by Ezkes' nonchalant attitude.
"Adventurers take things from dungeons. That's how dungeons work. Adventurers kill monsters, get loot and currencies, buy more things, and continue fighting in the dungeon," Ezkes explained, looking confused as he won the second hand as well with a pair of nines.
"We are heroes! Heroes don't kill people!" Weld expressed concern, cautious of Ezkes' previous mention of being a monster.
"But I am a monster. Kobalts are part of monstrous races... We are very tricky, especially dungeon kin like me, Ezkes. Dungeon kin don't die in the dungeon. Boss said Ezkes can explain more once adventurers leave the dungeon. He also mentioned something about the entry law..." Ezkes trailed off, making everyone uncomfortable. As heroes, they couldn't simply enter a private place unless a crime was occurring. "Boss forgot to put up a sign until adventurers entered," Ezkes added.
"But you just said that you expect us to kill you?" Lady Minute asked, confused by the contradictory statements. Weld won the third hand as well with a pair of twos.
"Ezkes just said dungeon kin don't die. We get killed, and the dungeon holds us until it builds a new body
, and then we fight again. Sometimes we play games, like Ezkes is doing with Weld, or we build things, or we have breaks watching the picture box... like the show 'Top Gear'! Cars are so cool. Boss said he's building a racing thing in another dungeon later, and Ezkes can be a driver there!" Ezkes explained, trying to make sense of his existence.
"Did your boss create you?" I asked, curious about Ezkes' origin.
"No, no, no... When a mama Kobalt is very impressed with a papa Kobalt, they go to the meeting cave, and..." Ezkes started explaining, but I interrupted, feeling embarrassed.
"We get it. Thank you for clearing that up!" I interjected, not wanting to hear the details of Kobalt procreation.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed. It's a natural part of life, important!" Ezkes chided, placing down a winning hand.
Weld smirked, and the rest of the group chuckled, while Krushauer snickered at the exchange. Weld won the fourth hand, causing Ezkes to mutter in annoyance and glare at the deck.
"Why did your boss build this place?" I asked, fascinated by the intricacies of the dungeon's construction and the charged walls.
"Oh! The boss built the dungeon because he's a dungeon builder. It's what he does. He also mentioned that this building is good at divination and helps the boss find things, like customers. He mentioned something about large golems... Endbringers..." Ezkes won the next two hands, and the group fell into contemplation.
"So, the building senses danger?" Weld asked, puzzled, barely winning the sixth hand.
"Yes... mabey? Ezkes not good at divination..." Ezkes clarified. Weld won the next two hands by a slim margin.
"We saw this sign at the beginning, what is that about?" Lady Minute asked, raising a valid question that had been on everyone's mind, including mine.
"Those are Dungeon Decrees! Rules that adventurers have to follow," Ezkes explained, winning the hand just barely.
"What happens if they don't follow the rules?" Weld asked, his attention divided as Ezkes played a flush.
"They have to... um... the Boss called it 'compel... jymptones...'"
"Mastered?" Weld asked, distracted by the game as Ezkes emerged victorious.
"Yes! Mastered! That's the word the Boss said to use instead of 'enchanted'... I don't know why adventurers aren't slaves," I voiced my concern about the implications of being mastered through reading.
"No matter, since Ezkes won for dungeon kin! First win for Ezkes! Adventure Weld is defeated!" Ezkes said happily as the room brightened, and Weld started glowing with a golden color.
"What's happening?" Krushauer asked, grabbing Ezkes' shoulder, as there was a field surrounding Weld.
"Weld is being scanned by the dungeon, and the dungeon is learning," he explained as the glow faded, leaving Weld looking confused. Then a new silvery blue light formed around Weld. "The dungeon can't learn everything, but a little bit is easy. Now the dungeon is sending Weld out of the dungeon in defeat." After a beat Weld disappeared.
"Where did he go?" Krushauer shouted at Ezkes in worry, while I prepared my net launcher.
"He's outside the dungeon in the waiting room with bagels. I mentioned that," I responded.
"Let's go, you can come with us..." Krushauer suggested.
"No, Ezkes can't leave the dungeon. Adventures leave the dungeon. Ezkes lives in the dungeon and needs to ask the bosses for Blacks de Jack shows. Ezkes will win even faster next time I face challenger Weld," I explained, reaffirming my dedication to the dungeon.
"Let's just go; we're probably in trouble anyway," Lady Minute suggested, realizing the consequences of our actions.
As we left the dungeon, feeling a mix of frustration and confusion, we were greeted by Visor and Deep Wave, two Protectorate heroes who didn't appear pleased to see us exiting the building. Nearby, a large screen displayed a green man with tusks. "And here they are. That metal fellow will be exiting right about..." Weld excitedly emerged from a door near the entrance, munching on a grey bagel with an intense look on his face.
"Hi, guys! They have bagels that taste really weird..." Weld began, causing Visor to interject.
"Weld, you can't really taste..."
"That's why they're weird. They taste really spicy but really good," Weld replied, his enthusiasm evident.
"Oh dear, the devils really shouldn't leave their food around like that, but it's good to know that it doesn't melt your insides," I commented, slightly concerned about Weld's unique experience.
"Besides all that! Who are you, and what is the point of luring our wards into your building?" People around us started recording with their cellphones, murmuring among themselves.
"Ah, that's why you're worried. I didn't lure them; they entered my building because 'it was creepy' before I had the chance to put up the warning signs..." I realized we were in deep trouble. As the guy spoke, signs appeared around the entrance stating, 'Warning! Entering Dungeon. Beware of Danger! Entry beyond this point is consenting to the following non-responsibility waiver!' A sheet of paper materialized under the sign. "All combat within is to the death, all challenges are to completion. You have
been warned, don't enter unless you are prepared for a fight."
"I see... who are you anyway, and what is the point of this place?" Lady Minute inquired.
"What an excellent opportunity for an introduction! I've always wanted to do one of these dramatic introductions!" The dungeon began to glow with eldritch light, and a rumble filled the air. "I am the magnificent Zordrain, Dungeon Architect extraordinaire! This marvelous building is the Dungeon of Armillary Solace! A marvel of ingenuity that grows and develops wonders and marvels! Adventurers enter for riches and glory, facing foes and challenges alike to collect their loot! At the heart of it all, within the Dungeon Core!" A magical device appeared briefly on the screen, emanating a captivating aura. "Upon the core, a challenger can steal a sliver of power for themselves, rising to wondrous heights in power!" The guy returned to the screen, looking like he was having a blast. "All are welcome to challenge! But be warned, entering means waving your right to remain in one piece. Please leave a message at this number if you wish to inquire about a dungeon of your own!"
The screen blanked out, and the building ceased glowing. Lady Minute sighed, rubbing her temples. "Now what?"
"Now we head back to base five, and you lot are in so much trouble!" Visor asserted with a stern voice, her authoritative tone reminiscent of a mother's scolding.
verycoolname
Not actually cool
This had me snickering. Ezkes was great.
Hellmouth Dungeons 01
Once upon a time, Sunnydale was home to thirty-four churches; however, one of those churches suffered an 'accident' from a fight between three unimportant yet troublesome demons. It was briefly the residence of a Gent Wisdom Demon but quickly grew annoyed with the neighboring Kiss of Vampires which continually did Renaissance reenactments. Said wisdom Demon in its hurry to leave, forgot several reagents and artifacts which are responsible for an... opportunity for the use of higher beings. There a Sludge composed of run of Hellmouth goop, old consecrated wine, rotten communion wafers and blood congealed. A Soul stone containing a damaged soul, Blessed silver, Divination bones, and Brain Mushrooms flared with power as a wave of power came from the Hellmouth. The slurry of magical ingredients and divine power congealed into a person. The man pulled himself out of the mess gasping in his breath as he solidified; magic fluctuated in the air as something new came into being. With each breath, a bit of mana and the breath came in, and exhaling released more revitalized mana, cleaning of taint and enhancing the area. The witch will lead to some very strange problems down the line.
He puked up a glob of mess and took several ragged breaths before he spoke,
"Not the way I expected this to go, but better than being trapped in that cage." He took a large wiff of his environment analzying the chemical, spiritual, and magical composition of the environment using a his new innate abilities. A living Dungeon Shaper has a lot of options when it comes to magic. Adam noticed the musty old drapes around the church, just lying thre being useful. A few transfiguration spells and a workable set of clothing is magiced up.
With a small bit of excess drapery a fedora hat was formed. "Well lets get the lay of the land and pick out a base..." It was a bright and sunny morning perfect for a few hours of exploration before settling down his first and perhaps only dungeon. "Who knows how the system will work."
"Hum... this place is sucky." Sunnydale, California, from what I can tell, is a particular flavor of hell on Earth. A suburban one. A terribly hot one. Most importantly, though filled with hellish energy, slowly soaking into anything and everything, all coming from the dam able high school of all places. Few places could claim their high school experience was actually hellish, but the happy residence of Sunnydale can boast true.
"I'm just going to settle down around that old church. Doesn't matter really..."
Manifesting a core was hard, like tearing out a portion of your soul. A small fragment began to burn as it was converted to crystalline fractals that spiraled into itself. Mana smoke began to bellow off of the core as it revved up; a small wave of power filled the church, and reality wavered for a moment.
"Now the fun beguines..." Reality bloomed.
Pov: Xander
Buffy has left on summer vacation, leaving Willow and me feeling like we are the only ones aware of the vampire issue... Worst, Willow went on a program retreat because of some crazy idea her parents had and won't be back till next week...Giles was neck-deep in watcher paperwork and researching how to lay the Master's bones to rest properly. There were no Vamps. It seems like the master's death drove everything underground or out of town.
Yet I'm still patrolling... avoiding the rents more like it.
".... It looks like it came straight from the Addam family wedding planner." The condemned church was not far from my house, strangely enough, but was abandoned. Now that I think of it, the whole line of 'the church was condemned because of termites' was probably Sunnydale syndrome in action.
The grounds were misty, and numerous tombstones littered the front of the churchyard. If I remember right, this was one of the first churches built in town and acted as a graveyard decades ago. The occupants probably left long ago, but I am glad I brought some weapons just in case. Five stakes, a quirt bottle of holly water, and a hunting knife Uncle Rory got me way back before high school.
Cautiously I inspected the churchyard and found nothing, just like the rest of town. Everything was 'dead' or laying low, this is ridiculous why am I even doing this? I'm no Slayer...
There was creaking in the church.
The church interior has been twisted into a large entrance hall with twelve statues depicting strange beings. Each seems powerful yet uncaring to the world around them. They should be creepy and give me major creepy vibes, but I got nothing. It is more unnerving than the statues themselves. A small rumble and a gurgle and a small being flickered into existence. It was a small woman in a dress, no larger than my hand flying around on dragonfly wings. There was several boxes and tables between the statues.
She chittered in a light voice. "Welcome-welcome! You are first! First to Dungeon!"
"What? Tinkerbell, please slow down. What are you, and why is the church suddenly nondenominational?"
The pixie fluttered about for a moment before responding. "This world not have dungeons? I explain then. Dungeons are places where adventures go and fight, battle, trick, and play to grow and learn. The Dugneon harvests energy from the struggle to grow. The environment around the dungeon changes and improves. This dungeon has contracted with twelve gods to provide boons and challenges for adventures, if you impress the god, you might get blessed."
"So, like in those games... it doesn't eat people?" I looked around, realizing that nothing would answer that; not even Vamps confirmed that sort of thing unless they had their fangs at your neck.
"Of course, all that die in the dungeon is consumed and becomes fuel." The pIxey answers cocking its head in interest at my discomfort. "Isn't that what you lot do with nature?"
"Who occupies this relic!" A giant blue-skinned demon asked, rumbling through the structure.
"The Dungeon of Jinlock, welcome-welcome! Riches and danger for those who brave depths! Challenger comes to test their metal!"
"Hum... This is not a new nest... less danger for my welp." the demon stood tall inspecting the area, and then its eyes landed on me. I had my hand on my knife handle while it inspected me.
"One of the slayer's followers?" It let out a weird warble, "Good, not a cultist. Boy your name."
"Xander. Why...why are you here?"
"Inspecting a disturbance near my home. Generally, my people are immigrants from an extra-planar dimension."
"No invasions or eating people?" I started to relax marginally. I might not be the smartest person in the world, but this being is telling the truth, and I have read a few of Giles's books; many neutral species of demons are just strange-looking people.
"No, pork consumption is against my people's religion; people are just as bad." the being rumbled.
"I never thought I would be thankful for being a long pig..."
"My clan is the Vasera, hailing from Tír na Stoirmeacha Báistí (Land of Rainstorms); I am known as Ned."
"...so your Ned the demon."
"I prefer daemon since demons have negative conditions." The being continued deeper into the building.
"Alrighty then. Hey, where are you going?" I jog a bit deeper but linger back before entering the next room.
"I will investigate this building to determine the danger to my welp, the previous resident was a decent neighbor, better than the vampire kiss down the way. Though they did move out at least temporarily."
"I could think of a way to get rid of them for good, could drive Buffy through if they come back."
"That would be appreciated."
I decided that following after Ned was the best bet, "I watch your back, and you watch mine?"
"We have an agreement. How do you fight?"
"Brawling, some knife fighting, and stakes... don't have a teacher."
"Humm... you must find one; your stance is to lose. I am, as you said, a 'brawler' I possess great strength, as is the average of my clan. My skin is quite thick as well most blades can not penetrate it."
"Thank goodness you're friendly then."
"Wait-Wait, no boon no challenge?" the pixie came before me, pestering about and motioning to the statues."
"And what would the boon and challenge of that one be?" I gesture to a white being with several shining stars embedded into his being standing perched upon the blade edge of a large scythe.
"Verech the Bastion of Harvest. God of Death and Bloodletting. He grants those who ask boons allowing sharper weapons and bleeding but you are worst at evading while holding the boon."
"Hum... several of my kinsmen would find that deal interesting."
"And that one?" Pointing towards one with several glowing hands and an elaborate headdress and robes.
"Nejava Weaver of Truth. God of Truth and Defiance. Grants the boon of speed allowing quicker motion in exchange for worst evasion."
"Do we have to take the boons?"
"No-no options greater rewards with greater danger. Wach grants a benefit each grants a detriment. Some will cling to those who ask as they match god's ideals."
"Good, I take no blessing but that of my god. Thank you for the offer, however." Ned then gave a bow to the assembled statues and the pixie before heading on.
"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, hurrying after the demonic man.
He puked up a glob of mess and took several ragged breaths before he spoke,
"Not the way I expected this to go, but better than being trapped in that cage." He took a large wiff of his environment analzying the chemical, spiritual, and magical composition of the environment using a his new innate abilities. A living Dungeon Shaper has a lot of options when it comes to magic. Adam noticed the musty old drapes around the church, just lying thre being useful. A few transfiguration spells and a workable set of clothing is magiced up.
With a small bit of excess drapery a fedora hat was formed. "Well lets get the lay of the land and pick out a base..." It was a bright and sunny morning perfect for a few hours of exploration before settling down his first and perhaps only dungeon. "Who knows how the system will work."
"Hum... this place is sucky." Sunnydale, California, from what I can tell, is a particular flavor of hell on Earth. A suburban one. A terribly hot one. Most importantly, though filled with hellish energy, slowly soaking into anything and everything, all coming from the dam able high school of all places. Few places could claim their high school experience was actually hellish, but the happy residence of Sunnydale can boast true.
"I'm just going to settle down around that old church. Doesn't matter really..."
Manifesting a core was hard, like tearing out a portion of your soul. A small fragment began to burn as it was converted to crystalline fractals that spiraled into itself. Mana smoke began to bellow off of the core as it revved up; a small wave of power filled the church, and reality wavered for a moment.
"Now the fun beguines..." Reality bloomed.
Pov: Xander
Buffy has left on summer vacation, leaving Willow and me feeling like we are the only ones aware of the vampire issue... Worst, Willow went on a program retreat because of some crazy idea her parents had and won't be back till next week...Giles was neck-deep in watcher paperwork and researching how to lay the Master's bones to rest properly. There were no Vamps. It seems like the master's death drove everything underground or out of town.
Yet I'm still patrolling... avoiding the rents more like it.
".... It looks like it came straight from the Addam family wedding planner." The condemned church was not far from my house, strangely enough, but was abandoned. Now that I think of it, the whole line of 'the church was condemned because of termites' was probably Sunnydale syndrome in action.
The grounds were misty, and numerous tombstones littered the front of the churchyard. If I remember right, this was one of the first churches built in town and acted as a graveyard decades ago. The occupants probably left long ago, but I am glad I brought some weapons just in case. Five stakes, a quirt bottle of holly water, and a hunting knife Uncle Rory got me way back before high school.
Cautiously I inspected the churchyard and found nothing, just like the rest of town. Everything was 'dead' or laying low, this is ridiculous why am I even doing this? I'm no Slayer...
There was creaking in the church.
The church interior has been twisted into a large entrance hall with twelve statues depicting strange beings. Each seems powerful yet uncaring to the world around them. They should be creepy and give me major creepy vibes, but I got nothing. It is more unnerving than the statues themselves. A small rumble and a gurgle and a small being flickered into existence. It was a small woman in a dress, no larger than my hand flying around on dragonfly wings. There was several boxes and tables between the statues.
She chittered in a light voice. "Welcome-welcome! You are first! First to Dungeon!"
"What? Tinkerbell, please slow down. What are you, and why is the church suddenly nondenominational?"
The pixie fluttered about for a moment before responding. "This world not have dungeons? I explain then. Dungeons are places where adventures go and fight, battle, trick, and play to grow and learn. The Dugneon harvests energy from the struggle to grow. The environment around the dungeon changes and improves. This dungeon has contracted with twelve gods to provide boons and challenges for adventures, if you impress the god, you might get blessed."
"So, like in those games... it doesn't eat people?" I looked around, realizing that nothing would answer that; not even Vamps confirmed that sort of thing unless they had their fangs at your neck.
"Of course, all that die in the dungeon is consumed and becomes fuel." The pIxey answers cocking its head in interest at my discomfort. "Isn't that what you lot do with nature?"
"Who occupies this relic!" A giant blue-skinned demon asked, rumbling through the structure.
"The Dungeon of Jinlock, welcome-welcome! Riches and danger for those who brave depths! Challenger comes to test their metal!"
"Hum... This is not a new nest... less danger for my welp." the demon stood tall inspecting the area, and then its eyes landed on me. I had my hand on my knife handle while it inspected me.
"One of the slayer's followers?" It let out a weird warble, "Good, not a cultist. Boy your name."
"Xander. Why...why are you here?"
"Inspecting a disturbance near my home. Generally, my people are immigrants from an extra-planar dimension."
"No invasions or eating people?" I started to relax marginally. I might not be the smartest person in the world, but this being is telling the truth, and I have read a few of Giles's books; many neutral species of demons are just strange-looking people.
"No, pork consumption is against my people's religion; people are just as bad." the being rumbled.
"I never thought I would be thankful for being a long pig..."
"My clan is the Vasera, hailing from Tír na Stoirmeacha Báistí (Land of Rainstorms); I am known as Ned."
"...so your Ned the demon."
"I prefer daemon since demons have negative conditions." The being continued deeper into the building.
"Alrighty then. Hey, where are you going?" I jog a bit deeper but linger back before entering the next room.
"I will investigate this building to determine the danger to my welp, the previous resident was a decent neighbor, better than the vampire kiss down the way. Though they did move out at least temporarily."
"I could think of a way to get rid of them for good, could drive Buffy through if they come back."
"That would be appreciated."
I decided that following after Ned was the best bet, "I watch your back, and you watch mine?"
"We have an agreement. How do you fight?"
"Brawling, some knife fighting, and stakes... don't have a teacher."
"Humm... you must find one; your stance is to lose. I am, as you said, a 'brawler' I possess great strength, as is the average of my clan. My skin is quite thick as well most blades can not penetrate it."
"Thank goodness you're friendly then."
"Wait-Wait, no boon no challenge?" the pixie came before me, pestering about and motioning to the statues."
"And what would the boon and challenge of that one be?" I gesture to a white being with several shining stars embedded into his being standing perched upon the blade edge of a large scythe.
"Verech the Bastion of Harvest. God of Death and Bloodletting. He grants those who ask boons allowing sharper weapons and bleeding but you are worst at evading while holding the boon."
"Hum... several of my kinsmen would find that deal interesting."
"And that one?" Pointing towards one with several glowing hands and an elaborate headdress and robes.
"Nejava Weaver of Truth. God of Truth and Defiance. Grants the boon of speed allowing quicker motion in exchange for worst evasion."
"Do we have to take the boons?"
"No-no options greater rewards with greater danger. Wach grants a benefit each grants a detriment. Some will cling to those who ask as they match god's ideals."
"Good, I take no blessing but that of my god. Thank you for the offer, however." Ned then gave a bow to the assembled statues and the pixie before heading on.
"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, hurrying after the demonic man.
Heroic Critters 01
July 5th
A deep rumbling filled the room as I gasped wake, stuck in a strange specimen tube. I knew something was very wrong, especially since there was more info in my head than there was when I went to bed last night.
Here's the skinny kid. It's me, Mister Mxyzptlk, I may have done a thing, and you got knocked loose from creation not good. I'm not a manager for the dead, but Death would be pissed if she found you in that shape, possibly mad enough that I would actually meet the end. So I fix ya... sort of. You are no longer dead, which is good; bad I couldn't find where you were supposed to go, so I had to improvise. I found this reality interesting but not quite to my tastes so leaving you here was a good compromise. I put a lot of info in your head about the area and about the powers you picked up from the trip. Really sorry about the trouble; the good news though it helped me impress a broad, and I got a date! Have fun I'll probably remember to check up on you in a few months your time.
Ps: Ya might want ta get out of there and grab the brat while your at it, a freebie for helping with the date. Down the tunnel Two lefts and a right head for the top floor.
"Gota get out then." the world slowed for a second, and I blinked out of the specimen tube. I land in a gangly mess, with legs to short arms and the same fingers... "I think sixteen? Why did it need to be sixteen? I was a mess at that age," Twisting my shoulder till I heard a pop as my shoulders loosened up, then the next. "Let's see if I can manage it just a twist to the left and pinch." Three phantoms appeared in creation as light twisted around their form. They appeared to be ghosts of some sort, not really physically there and from a variety of backgrounds, but all had very dated wardrobes and false characteristics where face should be.
"Keep watch? Any scientists or creatures come in, you can fracture."
"Yes, sir..."
In another tube, a redheaded teen was strapped down, missing an arm. Searching over the machinery, I grumble at the lack of clear instructions, it took a few moments, but I stumbled my way into opening the chamber and defrosting my fellow test subject.
Fire burning my veins, chaos laughing in my body, reality crystalizing and shattering. A laughing brat and a cat. Injections and grafting that shatter the body, A being from beyond giggling and everything smoothing out and realigning soothing the fire.
Yeah, that is a lot to unpack...
"Up ya go, dam, your heavy, or I'm just weak."
"Master? I help?"
"... you're a ghost thing. How could you help?" One of my minions came up and grabbed the brat, holding him up and floating up higher till it looked like a parent trailing their kid around. "Well, that's convenient. Let's get going."
"May I explore Master?"
"Stay close, find the most complicated systems, and ruin them. See if you can't spin up a few more friends." I said and they snickers happily.
The clean medical hallways rumbled and shook, and bits of sealing crumbled down, making me nervous. A weird monster bared my pat, squat toadlike, and scaly, worst they were psychic.
Return-sleep-Sedation-Back to the chambers.
My minion dropped his charge into my grasp, and I began to tire. Rage filled my mind. "Break them." My minions smiled in the blurred fog where their faces were meant to be split formed, revealing sharp jagged teeth and hand sharpening to claw. It screeched, its claws trailing along the wall and causing irregular cracks to form, and it dove into the weird imp, causing it to let out a psychic shriek. The creature quickly began forming at the mouth; another minion came out from the being's head, giggling like a child. The new minion looked like a child as well, young and boyish compared to the shriveled looks my other minions had. Before my eyes it began to dry out it should be done in a few hours.
"Hurry the new one can help me keep us moving, keep the way clear." I shouted, struggling with the redhead, "You better make this worth it, or I'm never letting you live this down, whoever you are."
We stumbled through the facilities passing many of those toad things, and the apparitions feasted on their minds shattering them whenever they attempted to subdue us. I now have six minions floating around though only the initial three are finished. The three that were formed from the toad minds or tech were too new and about as strong as myself. Though Minions started to giggle and whisper horrible things about what they will do to my enemies.
A door bared out the path at one point, my minions just giggled, phasing into the door, and I could feel them animating the door to move out of the way. Opening wrong in the process, like double doors instead of the hatch seal like it, was built.
"Got to go, got to go find the path got to go," my minions chanted as we passed, reaching the end.
In and out, in and out, the minions floated around me, ruining everything they could get their hands on, possessing guns and knives forcing them to float around them, tying themselves to the equipment. I have a gun on my arm as well - possessed by my first minion- helping my arm move the gun and aim.
I could hear roaring and shouting, getting closer, "Master needs to go up, follow us." My minions floated up into alcoves up the giant hole giving me a secure path to blink along.
"Freedom, how lovely. Hum.. the moon looks beautiful." I said with a sigh, my friend waking up with a grumble. "Now you wake up. I carry your ass out of a crumbling building, and you only wake up at the boring part? Lame!" I mutter, annoyed at this entire situation; now I just need to find out what did Mister Mxyzptlk mean by interesting? He is a DC character that floats about generally causing trouble. Hopefully, he was telling the truth, and my situation was just covering his own ass. I can live with enlightend self intress.
"What do we have here?" a man in a green body suit surrounded by a glowing green field of power.
"Someone who wants some food and a nap? How about you?... Lantern... Hale? Hal? Something like that. Can you make sure I defrosted my buddy, right? I didn't really understand what I was doing?"
"Huh?"
"Keep up Ya Green Flashlight! Check the read head with ya ring and let me take a nap!" I said annoyed feeling my consciousness start to slip away.
"Oh before I forget, minions don't break anything or hurt anybody unless they try to harm me I'm going to sleep... Follow along if they move me somewhere."
Minions - Basic Ghosts six
July 6th
"God, how could I miss something like this." Green Arrow asked in distress.
"No one could have expected something like this, Ollie."
"While Red Arrows situation is a huge breach in security and a travesty, this meeting is about the individual that brought this to our attention. Hal you scanned and interacted with the kid and his... self-labeled minions." Batman all but demanded a report.
Hal let out a huff, "The kid is weird, acted as he knew me but couldn't pin down how, and just assumed he was in charge. Considering the ghosts I get why he has that attitude. They inspected the entire base while he was asleep in shifts and followed his orders exactly; no harm was done to anyone or anything though they kept causing trouble. It takes a lot of personality to order things like that around. The ring can't make heads or tails of the ghosts he has following him around, but Zatanna could get a better read on them. Kids weird. The ring barely recognizes him as a human, e possesses an uncategorized energy. However, there was one thing that the ring confirmed he is a 'clone' sort of."
"How could he sort of be a clone? And a clone of who?"
"The DNA is a 50% match to Wonder Woman. We are narrowing down the other donor, but it appears that Mordu and Kalron make up the other section of the Genome." There was concerned silence over the news.
"His mind is also guarded to an impressive degree, I could read some of his recent emotions, mostly confusion, and annoyance. The ghosts began to give me a warning of sorts as I got close to learning his memories. They began to affect my mind, stealing my focus and coming close to damaging my mind." Martian manhunter shifted, annoyed and grimaced. "Once I retreated they giggled and left me alone waving their finger. They appear to follow instructions well but bend the rules clearly coming close to harming me yet remaining light enough to merely be annoying. I recommend caution; we can assume each and every one of the creatures is psychic to some level."
"Seems like we need to talk to the kid to figure out what to do with him. At the very least he deserves the benefit of the doubt since he brought speedy back..." Flash shrugged his shoulders.
A deep rumbling filled the room as I gasped wake, stuck in a strange specimen tube. I knew something was very wrong, especially since there was more info in my head than there was when I went to bed last night.
Here's the skinny kid. It's me, Mister Mxyzptlk, I may have done a thing, and you got knocked loose from creation not good. I'm not a manager for the dead, but Death would be pissed if she found you in that shape, possibly mad enough that I would actually meet the end. So I fix ya... sort of. You are no longer dead, which is good; bad I couldn't find where you were supposed to go, so I had to improvise. I found this reality interesting but not quite to my tastes so leaving you here was a good compromise. I put a lot of info in your head about the area and about the powers you picked up from the trip. Really sorry about the trouble; the good news though it helped me impress a broad, and I got a date! Have fun I'll probably remember to check up on you in a few months your time.
Ps: Ya might want ta get out of there and grab the brat while your at it, a freebie for helping with the date. Down the tunnel Two lefts and a right head for the top floor.
"Gota get out then." the world slowed for a second, and I blinked out of the specimen tube. I land in a gangly mess, with legs to short arms and the same fingers... "I think sixteen? Why did it need to be sixteen? I was a mess at that age," Twisting my shoulder till I heard a pop as my shoulders loosened up, then the next. "Let's see if I can manage it just a twist to the left and pinch." Three phantoms appeared in creation as light twisted around their form. They appeared to be ghosts of some sort, not really physically there and from a variety of backgrounds, but all had very dated wardrobes and false characteristics where face should be.
"Keep watch? Any scientists or creatures come in, you can fracture."
"Yes, sir..."
In another tube, a redheaded teen was strapped down, missing an arm. Searching over the machinery, I grumble at the lack of clear instructions, it took a few moments, but I stumbled my way into opening the chamber and defrosting my fellow test subject.
Fire burning my veins, chaos laughing in my body, reality crystalizing and shattering. A laughing brat and a cat. Injections and grafting that shatter the body, A being from beyond giggling and everything smoothing out and realigning soothing the fire.
Yeah, that is a lot to unpack...
"Up ya go, dam, your heavy, or I'm just weak."
"Master? I help?"
"... you're a ghost thing. How could you help?" One of my minions came up and grabbed the brat, holding him up and floating up higher till it looked like a parent trailing their kid around. "Well, that's convenient. Let's get going."
"May I explore Master?"
"Stay close, find the most complicated systems, and ruin them. See if you can't spin up a few more friends." I said and they snickers happily.
The clean medical hallways rumbled and shook, and bits of sealing crumbled down, making me nervous. A weird monster bared my pat, squat toadlike, and scaly, worst they were psychic.
Return-sleep-Sedation-Back to the chambers.
My minion dropped his charge into my grasp, and I began to tire. Rage filled my mind. "Break them." My minions smiled in the blurred fog where their faces were meant to be split formed, revealing sharp jagged teeth and hand sharpening to claw. It screeched, its claws trailing along the wall and causing irregular cracks to form, and it dove into the weird imp, causing it to let out a psychic shriek. The creature quickly began forming at the mouth; another minion came out from the being's head, giggling like a child. The new minion looked like a child as well, young and boyish compared to the shriveled looks my other minions had. Before my eyes it began to dry out it should be done in a few hours.
"Hurry the new one can help me keep us moving, keep the way clear." I shouted, struggling with the redhead, "You better make this worth it, or I'm never letting you live this down, whoever you are."
We stumbled through the facilities passing many of those toad things, and the apparitions feasted on their minds shattering them whenever they attempted to subdue us. I now have six minions floating around though only the initial three are finished. The three that were formed from the toad minds or tech were too new and about as strong as myself. Though Minions started to giggle and whisper horrible things about what they will do to my enemies.
A door bared out the path at one point, my minions just giggled, phasing into the door, and I could feel them animating the door to move out of the way. Opening wrong in the process, like double doors instead of the hatch seal like it, was built.
"Got to go, got to go find the path got to go," my minions chanted as we passed, reaching the end.
In and out, in and out, the minions floated around me, ruining everything they could get their hands on, possessing guns and knives forcing them to float around them, tying themselves to the equipment. I have a gun on my arm as well - possessed by my first minion- helping my arm move the gun and aim.
I could hear roaring and shouting, getting closer, "Master needs to go up, follow us." My minions floated up into alcoves up the giant hole giving me a secure path to blink along.
"Freedom, how lovely. Hum.. the moon looks beautiful." I said with a sigh, my friend waking up with a grumble. "Now you wake up. I carry your ass out of a crumbling building, and you only wake up at the boring part? Lame!" I mutter, annoyed at this entire situation; now I just need to find out what did Mister Mxyzptlk mean by interesting? He is a DC character that floats about generally causing trouble. Hopefully, he was telling the truth, and my situation was just covering his own ass. I can live with enlightend self intress.
"What do we have here?" a man in a green body suit surrounded by a glowing green field of power.
"Someone who wants some food and a nap? How about you?... Lantern... Hale? Hal? Something like that. Can you make sure I defrosted my buddy, right? I didn't really understand what I was doing?"
"Huh?"
"Keep up Ya Green Flashlight! Check the read head with ya ring and let me take a nap!" I said annoyed feeling my consciousness start to slip away.
"Oh before I forget, minions don't break anything or hurt anybody unless they try to harm me I'm going to sleep... Follow along if they move me somewhere."
Minions - Basic Ghosts six
July 6th
"God, how could I miss something like this." Green Arrow asked in distress.
"No one could have expected something like this, Ollie."
"While Red Arrows situation is a huge breach in security and a travesty, this meeting is about the individual that brought this to our attention. Hal you scanned and interacted with the kid and his... self-labeled minions." Batman all but demanded a report.
Hal let out a huff, "The kid is weird, acted as he knew me but couldn't pin down how, and just assumed he was in charge. Considering the ghosts I get why he has that attitude. They inspected the entire base while he was asleep in shifts and followed his orders exactly; no harm was done to anyone or anything though they kept causing trouble. It takes a lot of personality to order things like that around. The ring can't make heads or tails of the ghosts he has following him around, but Zatanna could get a better read on them. Kids weird. The ring barely recognizes him as a human, e possesses an uncategorized energy. However, there was one thing that the ring confirmed he is a 'clone' sort of."
"How could he sort of be a clone? And a clone of who?"
"The DNA is a 50% match to Wonder Woman. We are narrowing down the other donor, but it appears that Mordu and Kalron make up the other section of the Genome." There was concerned silence over the news.
"His mind is also guarded to an impressive degree, I could read some of his recent emotions, mostly confusion, and annoyance. The ghosts began to give me a warning of sorts as I got close to learning his memories. They began to affect my mind, stealing my focus and coming close to damaging my mind." Martian manhunter shifted, annoyed and grimaced. "Once I retreated they giggled and left me alone waving their finger. They appear to follow instructions well but bend the rules clearly coming close to harming me yet remaining light enough to merely be annoying. I recommend caution; we can assume each and every one of the creatures is psychic to some level."
"Seems like we need to talk to the kid to figure out what to do with him. At the very least he deserves the benefit of the doubt since he brought speedy back..." Flash shrugged his shoulders.
verycoolname
Not actually cool
I really want more of this. I dunno why exactly. Maybe it's his attitude and the shenanigans that will inevitably ensue from someone like him with his powers in his position.
Lost Magician Wanted 01
"So... this isn't Canada," I exclaimed in annoyance, surveying the vast wilderness and the disappointingly small medieval castle town. Alongside me were my worldly possessions: an expanded steamer walking trunk, a pet carrier for my dog, and a suitcase.
"Someone is playing yet another trick on me, just like the first time. New things are rattling around in my head, and it's weird... I don't like this," I grumbled. My peaceful afterlife had been rudely interrupted by some bastard who found amusement in sending me into a twisted children's book. In the afterlife, there were blackjack and hookers! Seriously, it was way more chill than I expected. And my grandpa was living it up with a group of cougars and their attractive daughters, who even hit on me when I arrived! It was beautiful...
But then that asshole threw me into a nameless universe with no powers, no abilities whatsoever, except for a knack for cooking in a world filled with crazy witches and wizards. Harry Potter was supposed to be a children's book, but the world it portrayed was far from child-friendly. It took years of hard work and determination to carve out a decent life for myself. I had to learn runes, potions, and rituals that I could barely perform because I was a fucking squib. The only useful thing that asshole granted me was immunity to hostile magic, but even then, it wasn't foolproof. Anything too strong could blow right through those protections.
Finally, I managed to establish a successful business selling potions and learning rituals, earning enough to move to the Canadian countryside. I thought I would be free from the clutches of insane Death Eaters, extremely bigoted governments, and Dumbledore's manipulations under the guise of "for the greater good." Honestly, I thought Death Eaters would be the biggest threat in the world, but no, it was Dumbledore, with his attempts to erase memories and giving murderers two hundred chances while imprisoning regular people for genuine mistakes so they could "learn their lesson." I almost had an aneurysm the first time I heard him spout that tripe. If I wasn't a squib, I would have been trapped in his web.
So there I was, on my way to Canada, one of the more tolerant places for adult squibs, at least the useful ones. And then, my portkey glitched a little, nothing major, just a stronger spinning sensation. Bam! Medieval shit-ville.
A wave of nausea washed over me as I received a welcoming message.
"Testing testing, good reception excellent. This is Bob. I am the supervisor for the being that sent you to your last world illicitly. A real tragedy that, since it is the world we send souls to be cleaned, is something of a negativity sink. Worst, he took all the energy meant to outfit you to blow on well... the closest thing you lot would understand would be hookers and blow. Now I have a giant mess and lots of miss placed souls and mountains of debts. Not good, my entire division could shatter."
"So here is the deal you were relocated to a new world to stabilize our books and all the nice little perks you were meant to have you get to enjoy. You even get an extra few local boons. Don't die too soon. The paperwork would be a mess..."
"...This one doesn't even have plumbing."
So after a half hour of raging at nothing I took stock of what I really have and... I may have to thank whoever sent me here. I am now an actual wizard. All those spell books I've hoarded to break down into arithmancy for rituals can actually get used.
"Lumos." A swish of my new seven and three-sevenths of an-inch Jacaranda and Wampus Cat whiskers wand. A small light filled the end of my wand. Its beautiful working magic is amazing. I sniffled back a cry, "I have been dreaming of doing that since I was dropped into that shit hole."
Barking brought me out of my reprieve and reminded me of what else I can feel happy about. My grey Great Dane/Blink-dog weighing in at 190lbs and three feet tall, Rex came with me. I've had him for the past two years and is my Familiar, he is just a lovable pile of fluff. His kennel was barely acceptable, but my new trunk has living quarters installed. A three-story house decorated to my tastes and filled with all my stuff and some new treats, including a brewing setup that is to die for filled with all sorts of ingredients.
"Hey buddy, looks like we are going to need to get used to somewhere new. At least the ass gave me access to a toilet and a shower," I said while Rex flopped his giant head into my lap. "Plus he gave me so many neat things so I guess it works out. Besides, the last world kinda sucked."
"Let's do some exploring, who knows, we might find something about the world that is interesting... other than messing around with Medieval peasants and lords. I'm thinking making enchanted woods could be fun besides the woods are so wild around here that it could be rather beautiful."
"My Lord!" The guardsman came running, half-panicked and seemingly out of his mind.
"What is it? I'm busy. Unless the fat king is coming to bring me bags of gold, it better be something important," Lord Templeton bellowed from his small solar. Lord Templeton, a dour and stoic man, had been consumed by spite since the death of his wife three years ago.
"Sir, there have been sightings of dragons!"
Enraged, Lord Templeton hurled a pewter goblet at the guardsman's head. "You moronic fool! Dragons have been extinct for ages! If you ever fall for such a damned lie again, I'll have you thrown in the dungeons! Go to the stables and shovel shit for the rest of the day!" The irate Lord shouted, dismissing the guardsman who had rushed into his solar with talk of a dragon.
Despite the Lord's dismissal, rumors persisted and stories began to circulate. The tale of the dragon became a favorite among children, who often wished for fantastical things to happen. Little did they know that the world was indeed changing, preparing to embrace magic once more.
Shapeshifting, the ass that first punted me into harry potter's world stole shapeshifting from me. Literally any animal, natural or magical, is available with a bit of practice. Becoming a dragon is awesome, and exhausting but an indescribable experience. A fire burnt through my veins, I was fire, I was death, and I had a scratch at the tip of my tail.
"Rex stop chewing on my tail." I blew a hot puff of air at my dog. He just barked at me and tried to get me to chase him, laughing I transformed into a mastiff and gave chase.
As children often do, a trio of troublemakers decided to venture into the woods. Being the children of local woodsmen, they were familiar with the safe areas and knew how to deal with the wolf packs that roamed the surrounding woods. Today, however, they stumbled upon something new, and unlike adults who would be wary, the trio remained young enough to be curious.
"What do you think it is?"
"A flower."
"I know it's a flower, but it's glowing white."
"It's pretty. Do you think Maecy would let me court her if I give it to her?"
"Like her parents would entertain the likes of you. They're merchants. It would take a bag of silver to turn their heads more than a pretty flower."
"I think my mum would like it. You know how ill she has been feeling, carrying another babe..."
"True... Take it to Auntie."
"Yeah, Auntie would enjoy it..."
One of the children picked the flower, intending to give it to his ailing mother. As he held it, the soft glow of the flower shifted into a cheerful yellow, resembling daffodils, astounding the children. In the days that followed, the mother's health improved, their daily toil became easier, and the close-knit family prospered.
Meanwhile, a duo of scoundrels wandered into the woods, seeking a hidden spot away from the road to set up their base. They had been impoverished since the day they were born, enduring a life of hardship. After years of struggle, they lost their patience, and in an act of desperation, they killed a manager and took his silver, deciding to become bandits in the process.
"So we hide back here and throw these rocks at the guards. Knock 'em out and take the merchants' gold."
"Hey, look at that."
"It's a flower."
"A glowing flower, that's weird. How much do you think the Grey Rats would pay to see this thing?"
"Huh, a few silver at least." The bandit grinned, revealing a gap-toothed smile, and yanked the flower from the ground. Its glow transformed into a poisonous purple, resembling belladonna flowers. Days later, the two scoundrels were apprehended, clutching the flower, as the guardsmen dragged them to the cells, awaiting their procession to the Wall.
This tale became a recurring story throughout the Vale. "Beware all who pluck a white bell, for your heart will be weighed and measured for the rest of your days. Yellow bells ring with the kindness of maidens and the care of crones, while purple bells toll the breath of strangers and the ire of lords."
"According to the elder of the last village, this should be the city of Seaguard..."
"Like everything else looks kinda shitty. Why don't we skip this one and head over to the Forest? A bit of enchantment, and it could be a cool forest,"
We headed over to the local forest and found a nice secluded spot, I selected a sprig of herb. A lovely foxglove, "First a rite, seven-pointed star for perfection and wisdom, the runes for Lovarmuh (Luck), Ric (Award), Xokhud (Kindness), Uruz (Energy), Gocs (Greed), Ren (Echo), Trek (Trick)."
"A lucky flower that rewards kindness and punishes greedy people... who knows it could help a lot of people or deal with a bunch of assholes..."
I smirk proudly as I channel more magic into the flower, forcing it to sprout and spread seeds. Repeating, till I was standing in a field of Tricky Fox flowers. I then sunk into meditation and forced the flowers to return to seed and shoot through the forest, adding it self into the ecosystem.
Several months since the wizard passed through, and all was well, other than a bear stealing a cow or pig every few moons, but that is a normal occurrence in the untamed lands of westrose. Something strange began to occur, shapes shimmering in the lake. Fishin boats losing their nets, shark skeletons washing up on shore and massive bear tracks coming out from the waters.
"I'm telling you I saw it a massive bear came out of the water! Worst it had a trio of little grey cubs swimming behind it. Looked like sharks they did!"
"Shut up ya drunker! Everyone knows bears live in the damned forest."
"I saw it by the seven I saw it!"
The local tall tale of the sea bear became a legend, and eventually, fact as a maester of the citadel barely survived an encounter with one some years later.
"Huh, this is interesting," I mused, glancing at the injured creature before me. Rex, my loyal dog familiar, barked and looked at me expectantly. He may not be the brightest, but he's always by my side. Before he became my familiar, he was even dimmer... as dumb as a post.
"Well, I guess I should start brewing," I said, raising my wand. With a few flicks of my wrist, I summoned a floating 800-pound pregnant bear towards me. She was out of season, heavily dehydrated, and clearly in distress. Surprisingly, she didn't struggle against the magic but whimpered in pain.
"Don't worry, little missy. I'll take good care of you."
First, I cast some healing spells to alleviate her pain and mend her wounds along her legs. Then, I brewed a potion to help restore her strength. The Philter of Shark Strength, a nifty concoction that grants the drinker powerful bite strength, endurance, a sixth sense for living beings' locations, and the ability to breathe underwater as an interesting side effect. Mama bear would need all the help she could get to protect her babies, so a little boost should make a difference.
"Sir, twelve times counter-clockwise, then a single turn more... ground shark teeth, Rem's blood, Piffle dandruff... squashed armadillo liver, not creamed or crushed, it must be squashed... Finally, three drops of blood from a fish." The potion emitted a puff of silvery smoke and settled into a pearly grey-blue color.
"Don't worry, Mama Bear. You'll be nice and strong for your babies," I assured her. Taking the vial, I performed a spell I had observed a few times but never attempted myself until now. Devenora vapeurite, a nifty spell that transmutes a potion into a gaseous vapor cloud, which can then be directed into a person's lungs. It's quite remarkable.
"Rise and shine, Mama Bear. You should be all set, and we're near a nice lake now, so you'll have plenty of water," I said as I directed the vapor cloud towards her. She chuffed and nuzzled me in gratitude before venturing off into the woods.
"You be a woods witch?" a crusty old man asked, singling me out as a magic user in this world. I quickly realized that the people here had a sixth sense for magic and probably had the ability to produce potions or runes themselves if they weren't all consumed by their zealous religious beliefs. To make matters worse, I had read texts that casually mentioned necromancers and something called shadowbinders, but condem regular magic users. All be cause the necromancers have a funny religion around them. These people were foolishly prejudiced.
"What do you want?" I inquired, slightly annoyed by the interruption.
"Please, please, my village is overrun with a pox, and the maesters refuse to solve the problem," the old man pleaded.
I rubbed my eyes, contemplating the situation. Helping a village plagued by disease was a worthy cause, but I needed to clarify my role. "I'll help, but I'm no woods witch—just a simple wizard. Would you consider me a Maester of Magic?" The old man seemed momentarily confused but quickly nodded in agreement. A quick scan revealed numerous health problems he was facing.
"Not me, sir, but my village. My grandchildren are all stuck there. It's been over a day since I left..." he explained anxiously.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best. Now, which way to the village? And have you ever ridden a horse or a donkey?" I asked, preparing to transport us swiftly.
"Huh? Yes, I have, years ago, during a skirmish for my lord," he replied.
"Good. Hold on tight and think of the way to your village. No spurring or whipping, please." With that, I transformed into a horse, allowing the old man to climb onto my back. He panicked initially but soon realized we were heading in the right direction and urged me to go faster. Along the way, he described the symptoms afflicting the village—people coughing up blood, suffering from extreme fatigue, and struggling to breathe. I couldn't help but acknowledge the old man's astuteness.
As we arrived at the deserted village, which was rather large for these parts, I couldn't help but wonder why the lord had neglected such a valuable resource. What a foolish decision.
"Is everyone in their homes?" I asked.
"Yes, the few of us who are unaffected had to stay. Some tried to flee, but the lord's men are watching the roads to kill anyone who appears sickly," the old man replied.
"What a shining example of chivalry. Come on, we'll go house by house. But let me heal you first. I need your help—everyone probably knows you, while I am just a random man poking and prodding them and telling them to drink without you there."
"Alright, but my family next, please, good sir..." he requested. After conducting a more detailed scan and performing a physical inspection, I felt relieved that I could likely treat this disease assuming everyone else had the same affliction.
"Humm... It seems to be a bad case of Croup... and a touch of dehydration." I muttered aloud.
"Dammit! The herbs to treat it are out of season and don't grow this far north... It would cost hundreds of gold to get enough medicine..." he despaired, tears welling up in his eyes. Several people came to their doors, coughing and swaying from exhaustion.
"Hey, you've got a wizard to fix your problems, not a stuffy old maester or a woods witch," I declared confidently. I clapped my hands, and my trunk skittered into the middle of the village. It opened up, and I retrieved my wand. I had always wanted to mimic this scene. I began conducting from my chest, and a
cauldron, a table, logs, and cabinets floated into the air. A negligent flick to the ground flattened the area, and the table settled with cutting boards and tools. The cauldron found its place nearby, and the fire roared to life, while water filled the vessel from an ever-full pitcher.
The old man swallowed thickly, silently praying.
"Time to get to work. A Maiden's Blush elixir should clear out the worst of it, followed by a spell to eliminate any lingering pus..." I started brewing. This was the Black Cauldron of legend, capable of infinite potions once brewed, with all the necessary ingredients, adaptive coating, and heating to replicate any tool's perfect quality. But right now, the most important thing was the flawless perfection of the potion.
"Sir... will this help everyone?" the old man asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
"I'll go around and make sure this is the only illness that has taken root. But the Maiden's Blush elixir should be able to deal with most common illnesses." Hours flew by as I treated, cast spells, and administered potions to over one hundred and eighty people in the village. Each person had one or two ailments resulting from living in this wretched time period. About 120 individuals still had improperly healed bones from past injuries, which they had ignored instead of having them properly reset. I might have gone a bit overboard once the lung disease was treated. Numerous arms, legs, ribs, and even two pelvic bones vanished and regrew using skeletal-grow.
People were terrified yet grateful for my intervention. The fact that the brew I used to heal everyone was named Maiden's Blush probably had something to do with it. Apparently, it was the name of one of the faces of their god—a fortunate coincidence, if there ever was one.
"Someone is playing yet another trick on me, just like the first time. New things are rattling around in my head, and it's weird... I don't like this," I grumbled. My peaceful afterlife had been rudely interrupted by some bastard who found amusement in sending me into a twisted children's book. In the afterlife, there were blackjack and hookers! Seriously, it was way more chill than I expected. And my grandpa was living it up with a group of cougars and their attractive daughters, who even hit on me when I arrived! It was beautiful...
But then that asshole threw me into a nameless universe with no powers, no abilities whatsoever, except for a knack for cooking in a world filled with crazy witches and wizards. Harry Potter was supposed to be a children's book, but the world it portrayed was far from child-friendly. It took years of hard work and determination to carve out a decent life for myself. I had to learn runes, potions, and rituals that I could barely perform because I was a fucking squib. The only useful thing that asshole granted me was immunity to hostile magic, but even then, it wasn't foolproof. Anything too strong could blow right through those protections.
Finally, I managed to establish a successful business selling potions and learning rituals, earning enough to move to the Canadian countryside. I thought I would be free from the clutches of insane Death Eaters, extremely bigoted governments, and Dumbledore's manipulations under the guise of "for the greater good." Honestly, I thought Death Eaters would be the biggest threat in the world, but no, it was Dumbledore, with his attempts to erase memories and giving murderers two hundred chances while imprisoning regular people for genuine mistakes so they could "learn their lesson." I almost had an aneurysm the first time I heard him spout that tripe. If I wasn't a squib, I would have been trapped in his web.
So there I was, on my way to Canada, one of the more tolerant places for adult squibs, at least the useful ones. And then, my portkey glitched a little, nothing major, just a stronger spinning sensation. Bam! Medieval shit-ville.
A wave of nausea washed over me as I received a welcoming message.
"Testing testing, good reception excellent. This is Bob. I am the supervisor for the being that sent you to your last world illicitly. A real tragedy that, since it is the world we send souls to be cleaned, is something of a negativity sink. Worst, he took all the energy meant to outfit you to blow on well... the closest thing you lot would understand would be hookers and blow. Now I have a giant mess and lots of miss placed souls and mountains of debts. Not good, my entire division could shatter."
"So here is the deal you were relocated to a new world to stabilize our books and all the nice little perks you were meant to have you get to enjoy. You even get an extra few local boons. Don't die too soon. The paperwork would be a mess..."
"...This one doesn't even have plumbing."
So after a half hour of raging at nothing I took stock of what I really have and... I may have to thank whoever sent me here. I am now an actual wizard. All those spell books I've hoarded to break down into arithmancy for rituals can actually get used.
"Lumos." A swish of my new seven and three-sevenths of an-inch Jacaranda and Wampus Cat whiskers wand. A small light filled the end of my wand. Its beautiful working magic is amazing. I sniffled back a cry, "I have been dreaming of doing that since I was dropped into that shit hole."
Barking brought me out of my reprieve and reminded me of what else I can feel happy about. My grey Great Dane/Blink-dog weighing in at 190lbs and three feet tall, Rex came with me. I've had him for the past two years and is my Familiar, he is just a lovable pile of fluff. His kennel was barely acceptable, but my new trunk has living quarters installed. A three-story house decorated to my tastes and filled with all my stuff and some new treats, including a brewing setup that is to die for filled with all sorts of ingredients.
"Hey buddy, looks like we are going to need to get used to somewhere new. At least the ass gave me access to a toilet and a shower," I said while Rex flopped his giant head into my lap. "Plus he gave me so many neat things so I guess it works out. Besides, the last world kinda sucked."
"Let's do some exploring, who knows, we might find something about the world that is interesting... other than messing around with Medieval peasants and lords. I'm thinking making enchanted woods could be fun besides the woods are so wild around here that it could be rather beautiful."
"My Lord!" The guardsman came running, half-panicked and seemingly out of his mind.
"What is it? I'm busy. Unless the fat king is coming to bring me bags of gold, it better be something important," Lord Templeton bellowed from his small solar. Lord Templeton, a dour and stoic man, had been consumed by spite since the death of his wife three years ago.
"Sir, there have been sightings of dragons!"
Enraged, Lord Templeton hurled a pewter goblet at the guardsman's head. "You moronic fool! Dragons have been extinct for ages! If you ever fall for such a damned lie again, I'll have you thrown in the dungeons! Go to the stables and shovel shit for the rest of the day!" The irate Lord shouted, dismissing the guardsman who had rushed into his solar with talk of a dragon.
Despite the Lord's dismissal, rumors persisted and stories began to circulate. The tale of the dragon became a favorite among children, who often wished for fantastical things to happen. Little did they know that the world was indeed changing, preparing to embrace magic once more.
Shapeshifting, the ass that first punted me into harry potter's world stole shapeshifting from me. Literally any animal, natural or magical, is available with a bit of practice. Becoming a dragon is awesome, and exhausting but an indescribable experience. A fire burnt through my veins, I was fire, I was death, and I had a scratch at the tip of my tail.
"Rex stop chewing on my tail." I blew a hot puff of air at my dog. He just barked at me and tried to get me to chase him, laughing I transformed into a mastiff and gave chase.
As children often do, a trio of troublemakers decided to venture into the woods. Being the children of local woodsmen, they were familiar with the safe areas and knew how to deal with the wolf packs that roamed the surrounding woods. Today, however, they stumbled upon something new, and unlike adults who would be wary, the trio remained young enough to be curious.
"What do you think it is?"
"A flower."
"I know it's a flower, but it's glowing white."
"It's pretty. Do you think Maecy would let me court her if I give it to her?"
"Like her parents would entertain the likes of you. They're merchants. It would take a bag of silver to turn their heads more than a pretty flower."
"I think my mum would like it. You know how ill she has been feeling, carrying another babe..."
"True... Take it to Auntie."
"Yeah, Auntie would enjoy it..."
One of the children picked the flower, intending to give it to his ailing mother. As he held it, the soft glow of the flower shifted into a cheerful yellow, resembling daffodils, astounding the children. In the days that followed, the mother's health improved, their daily toil became easier, and the close-knit family prospered.
Meanwhile, a duo of scoundrels wandered into the woods, seeking a hidden spot away from the road to set up their base. They had been impoverished since the day they were born, enduring a life of hardship. After years of struggle, they lost their patience, and in an act of desperation, they killed a manager and took his silver, deciding to become bandits in the process.
"So we hide back here and throw these rocks at the guards. Knock 'em out and take the merchants' gold."
"Hey, look at that."
"It's a flower."
"A glowing flower, that's weird. How much do you think the Grey Rats would pay to see this thing?"
"Huh, a few silver at least." The bandit grinned, revealing a gap-toothed smile, and yanked the flower from the ground. Its glow transformed into a poisonous purple, resembling belladonna flowers. Days later, the two scoundrels were apprehended, clutching the flower, as the guardsmen dragged them to the cells, awaiting their procession to the Wall.
This tale became a recurring story throughout the Vale. "Beware all who pluck a white bell, for your heart will be weighed and measured for the rest of your days. Yellow bells ring with the kindness of maidens and the care of crones, while purple bells toll the breath of strangers and the ire of lords."
"According to the elder of the last village, this should be the city of Seaguard..."
"Like everything else looks kinda shitty. Why don't we skip this one and head over to the Forest? A bit of enchantment, and it could be a cool forest,"
We headed over to the local forest and found a nice secluded spot, I selected a sprig of herb. A lovely foxglove, "First a rite, seven-pointed star for perfection and wisdom, the runes for Lovarmuh (Luck), Ric (Award), Xokhud (Kindness), Uruz (Energy), Gocs (Greed), Ren (Echo), Trek (Trick)."
"A lucky flower that rewards kindness and punishes greedy people... who knows it could help a lot of people or deal with a bunch of assholes..."
I smirk proudly as I channel more magic into the flower, forcing it to sprout and spread seeds. Repeating, till I was standing in a field of Tricky Fox flowers. I then sunk into meditation and forced the flowers to return to seed and shoot through the forest, adding it self into the ecosystem.
Several months since the wizard passed through, and all was well, other than a bear stealing a cow or pig every few moons, but that is a normal occurrence in the untamed lands of westrose. Something strange began to occur, shapes shimmering in the lake. Fishin boats losing their nets, shark skeletons washing up on shore and massive bear tracks coming out from the waters.
"I'm telling you I saw it a massive bear came out of the water! Worst it had a trio of little grey cubs swimming behind it. Looked like sharks they did!"
"Shut up ya drunker! Everyone knows bears live in the damned forest."
"I saw it by the seven I saw it!"
The local tall tale of the sea bear became a legend, and eventually, fact as a maester of the citadel barely survived an encounter with one some years later.
"Huh, this is interesting," I mused, glancing at the injured creature before me. Rex, my loyal dog familiar, barked and looked at me expectantly. He may not be the brightest, but he's always by my side. Before he became my familiar, he was even dimmer... as dumb as a post.
"Well, I guess I should start brewing," I said, raising my wand. With a few flicks of my wrist, I summoned a floating 800-pound pregnant bear towards me. She was out of season, heavily dehydrated, and clearly in distress. Surprisingly, she didn't struggle against the magic but whimpered in pain.
"Don't worry, little missy. I'll take good care of you."
First, I cast some healing spells to alleviate her pain and mend her wounds along her legs. Then, I brewed a potion to help restore her strength. The Philter of Shark Strength, a nifty concoction that grants the drinker powerful bite strength, endurance, a sixth sense for living beings' locations, and the ability to breathe underwater as an interesting side effect. Mama bear would need all the help she could get to protect her babies, so a little boost should make a difference.
"Sir, twelve times counter-clockwise, then a single turn more... ground shark teeth, Rem's blood, Piffle dandruff... squashed armadillo liver, not creamed or crushed, it must be squashed... Finally, three drops of blood from a fish." The potion emitted a puff of silvery smoke and settled into a pearly grey-blue color.
"Don't worry, Mama Bear. You'll be nice and strong for your babies," I assured her. Taking the vial, I performed a spell I had observed a few times but never attempted myself until now. Devenora vapeurite, a nifty spell that transmutes a potion into a gaseous vapor cloud, which can then be directed into a person's lungs. It's quite remarkable.
"Rise and shine, Mama Bear. You should be all set, and we're near a nice lake now, so you'll have plenty of water," I said as I directed the vapor cloud towards her. She chuffed and nuzzled me in gratitude before venturing off into the woods.
"You be a woods witch?" a crusty old man asked, singling me out as a magic user in this world. I quickly realized that the people here had a sixth sense for magic and probably had the ability to produce potions or runes themselves if they weren't all consumed by their zealous religious beliefs. To make matters worse, I had read texts that casually mentioned necromancers and something called shadowbinders, but condem regular magic users. All be cause the necromancers have a funny religion around them. These people were foolishly prejudiced.
"What do you want?" I inquired, slightly annoyed by the interruption.
"Please, please, my village is overrun with a pox, and the maesters refuse to solve the problem," the old man pleaded.
I rubbed my eyes, contemplating the situation. Helping a village plagued by disease was a worthy cause, but I needed to clarify my role. "I'll help, but I'm no woods witch—just a simple wizard. Would you consider me a Maester of Magic?" The old man seemed momentarily confused but quickly nodded in agreement. A quick scan revealed numerous health problems he was facing.
"Not me, sir, but my village. My grandchildren are all stuck there. It's been over a day since I left..." he explained anxiously.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best. Now, which way to the village? And have you ever ridden a horse or a donkey?" I asked, preparing to transport us swiftly.
"Huh? Yes, I have, years ago, during a skirmish for my lord," he replied.
"Good. Hold on tight and think of the way to your village. No spurring or whipping, please." With that, I transformed into a horse, allowing the old man to climb onto my back. He panicked initially but soon realized we were heading in the right direction and urged me to go faster. Along the way, he described the symptoms afflicting the village—people coughing up blood, suffering from extreme fatigue, and struggling to breathe. I couldn't help but acknowledge the old man's astuteness.
As we arrived at the deserted village, which was rather large for these parts, I couldn't help but wonder why the lord had neglected such a valuable resource. What a foolish decision.
"Is everyone in their homes?" I asked.
"Yes, the few of us who are unaffected had to stay. Some tried to flee, but the lord's men are watching the roads to kill anyone who appears sickly," the old man replied.
"What a shining example of chivalry. Come on, we'll go house by house. But let me heal you first. I need your help—everyone probably knows you, while I am just a random man poking and prodding them and telling them to drink without you there."
"Alright, but my family next, please, good sir..." he requested. After conducting a more detailed scan and performing a physical inspection, I felt relieved that I could likely treat this disease assuming everyone else had the same affliction.
"Humm... It seems to be a bad case of Croup... and a touch of dehydration." I muttered aloud.
"Dammit! The herbs to treat it are out of season and don't grow this far north... It would cost hundreds of gold to get enough medicine..." he despaired, tears welling up in his eyes. Several people came to their doors, coughing and swaying from exhaustion.
"Hey, you've got a wizard to fix your problems, not a stuffy old maester or a woods witch," I declared confidently. I clapped my hands, and my trunk skittered into the middle of the village. It opened up, and I retrieved my wand. I had always wanted to mimic this scene. I began conducting from my chest, and a
cauldron, a table, logs, and cabinets floated into the air. A negligent flick to the ground flattened the area, and the table settled with cutting boards and tools. The cauldron found its place nearby, and the fire roared to life, while water filled the vessel from an ever-full pitcher.
The old man swallowed thickly, silently praying.
"Time to get to work. A Maiden's Blush elixir should clear out the worst of it, followed by a spell to eliminate any lingering pus..." I started brewing. This was the Black Cauldron of legend, capable of infinite potions once brewed, with all the necessary ingredients, adaptive coating, and heating to replicate any tool's perfect quality. But right now, the most important thing was the flawless perfection of the potion.
"Sir... will this help everyone?" the old man asked, hope flickering in his eyes.
"I'll go around and make sure this is the only illness that has taken root. But the Maiden's Blush elixir should be able to deal with most common illnesses." Hours flew by as I treated, cast spells, and administered potions to over one hundred and eighty people in the village. Each person had one or two ailments resulting from living in this wretched time period. About 120 individuals still had improperly healed bones from past injuries, which they had ignored instead of having them properly reset. I might have gone a bit overboard once the lung disease was treated. Numerous arms, legs, ribs, and even two pelvic bones vanished and regrew using skeletal-grow.
People were terrified yet grateful for my intervention. The fact that the brew I used to heal everyone was named Maiden's Blush probably had something to do with it. Apparently, it was the name of one of the faces of their god—a fortunate coincidence, if there ever was one.
verycoolname
Not actually cool
Great. You made sea bears. And the locals don't know how to draw an anti-sea bear circle, either.
Ninjapanda
The lazy ninja
No he made lake bears you need to draw a anti-lake bear square
Hellmouth Dungeon 02
This is quite odd. I've fought demons, vampires and been possessed, yet this place is simply magical. The first room we entered was a large courtyard-looking area; the 'walls' of the area were a field of stars giving the room just enough light that flashlights weren't needed. I could hear the chirps and click of insects and birds.
"Be ready; I smell large mammals."
"Knife it is, then."
A few moments later, a small pack of wolfs stalked out of the dark in a clearing near a small grouping of stones. I would have missed them if they were slightly faster; vamp fledglings are better at stealth and faster. Ned was looking around for the wolfs; his sense of smell alerted him to them, but he was unable to lock onto them. I could hear and see them well enough. I readied my knife and whispered to Ned, "Two to the left and three to the right near the rocks."
Ned bellowed a challenging roar and charged the trio of wolfs. While they were occupied, I ducked and dodged lunges from the wolfs, managing to cut one of them in the flank. The fight was difficult but freeing I could actually fight the wolfs compared to most vampire grouping we would run into. No Buffy yelling at me for taking risks or Willow fretting about safety. In the back of my mind, I could hear a drum beat. It was probably just my heartbeat.
The fight continued for a few moments but we killed off the wolfs without taking injury. I panted in exhaustion while ned was simply taking a deep breath.
"Controle your breathing and hold your arms up, if your body is similar enough to Vasera it should help you recover control over your body. You must have more training," We watch as the wolves shimmer and gather into mots of pale gold light and condense into objects. Four pouches and a dagger.
"Hum... quite useful. Two contain cash; one has the teeth from the beast and a bundle of herbs Ketteseed- useful in many spells. The dagger is good quality, better than your own." Ned placed the dagger in my hand; it felt very good in my hands. It had a guard of wolf fur and looked similar to a large wolf tooth.
"Let us continue." Ned rumbled, inspecting the surroundings. "Collect flowers that look like this," pointing down at a few flowers we were about to pass. "Moon Poppys is rare since The Tower Of Bewrick cut trade several years ago." It feels like Ned is treating me like a child, and I would be more annoyed if he couldn't throw me and was more of a dick about it. Honestly, he reminds me of Giles... why is it that every male I meet is a better father figure than my own?
I shook my head and followed along. "What do the moon poppies do?"
"Many things my people use them in medicines that make up for the lack of moonlight in this dimension compared to the land of rainstorms. We develop thicker skin under the moonlight, which is important in such environments."
"Yeah, wish humans had that," we collected a small bundle of flowers on the walk deciding to fill the silence, I explained what I understood of what dungeons are at least based on pop culture. So far, this place is filled with stereotypes. I think Ned is smiling.
We left the first room, and the next was a similar forest courtyard. But this time, there were more wolfs and also a root-filled zombie.
"This one lacks the smell of death and fades away like the others..."
"If this is a dungeon, it probably spawned it like that... conjured it instead of turning a person into it."
"Hum... good necromancy smells terrible."
"The dead parts or the magic?"
"The magic thought the dead flesh is also unpleasant. Stay on the balls of your feet when preparing for complex foot work speed is important in dagger fighting." Ned continued giving off-handed advice as we collected the loot. More money, fangs, and an interesting drop from the zombie a vile of liquid with a heart on the front. On the back is a list of injuries.
Shaking the potion, I decide to trust my gut, "This is a health potion, I think. It has a list of injuries that it helps with. Mostly flesh wounds and internal bleeding."
"Hum... good I may not be in much danger here, but options to keep you healthy are good."
The next few rooms were similar, with increasing numbers of the root-filled zombies, I should have brought my shovel. Thankfully the wolf danger has remained sharp enough to disable the zombies. As the number of zombies increased, the rooms changed from open woodland into ruins of old stone buildings. Looking within, there were chests filled with mostly more money and loot.
"I don't even know what to think about this." Picking up what could at best be called an armored sports cup was more like a scaled G-string.
"Hum... I believe this dungeon has a strange sense of humor." He held up a poncho that was covered in a vine motif when he thought about wearing it altered to his size.
"Well... I'm not changing into this right now. It might be useful later, but right now, it's dumb to be naked in the middle of dangerous territory."
"Good, you understand situational awareness..." Ned rumbled, making me wonder what his general opinion of people is. Though, to be fair, we did set up a town and live on the Hellmouth I wonder about our survival instincts too sometimes.
During the delve, I picked up shinguards, arm guards, and magic pair of gloves. The pair of gloves have the ability to grow claws that are sharp as daggers, and they can't penetrate the gloves. Really useful especially since they don't seem to interfere with my dagger handling.
Ned got many pouches of herbs, arm guards, and his poncho, which turned out to magically have extra durability ─wolf fangs can't pierce it, but still a poncho. Most notably he picked up a bow staff and looked pleased by the acquisition.
"Welcome fair adventures," A large zombie knight bellowed, the first speaking being since the pixie. He was a horrifying monster of obsidian plate and mushrooms, shambling forward and holding a sword of black stone. His voice was rasping and moist like he was filled with a bubbling mucus. "I am the floor boss Nectzek the of the Black-Rot."
"What is your purpose? The purpose of this location..."
"The pixie did share the fact that the dungeon developed in a world devoid of such pleasures. I shall grant you an explanation!" It rumbled in excitement. "Dungeons exchange your efforts for growth! Dungeon bosses are pinnacles of our floors! A mighty peak challenge for those who seek it! In the event of our defeat, we grant tremendous rewards! Beware for each level shall become more and more deadly! Death holds no sway over forms such as mine own."
"And what about when we reach the core? Every dungeon possesses a core?" I asked curious about how my knowledge of dungeons from fiction matches this reality... since Buffy came to town, I feel like I'm going crazy half the time.
The knight flinched and gurgled, "The core is..." It let out a gurgle again. "Master has asked me to withhold such information for the occasion that you succeed he wishes for the pleasure of explaining himself. Just know the destruction of the core is dangerous." He shook off his consternation and prepared his sword once more. "Be prepared for battle mine foes." The knight launched himself forward from the ground leaving behind him a trench following after him.
We split apart and began battling the Knight, Ned punching him and trying to avoid the knight's swings, and I stayed back and took potshots while he was distracted. The Knight was ferocious, attacking constantly and forcing the growth of mushrooms that released spores that irritate the skin with each step—making entire sections of the battlefield hazardous.
"Got ya!" I shouted, ducking under a swing from the knight and stabbing my original knife into his leg, limiting his movement and raking my claw along his waist taking, damaging the straps of his armor. As monstrous as the creature is he is still dressed as a mortal.
"Good, a clever opponent is always the most fun!" Nectzek bellowed. Catching Ned in the side gives him a shallow gash on his side. Ned rumbled in displeasure but continued to pummel the guy. The fight reached a crescendo soon after gaining
"Exilant fight!" Nectzek shouted, rattling the surroundings as they respond to the creature's excitement. Ned landed a solid palm thrust on the Knight's chest, causing a snap to be hurd. "Fantastic, well done... and farewell..."
He was consumed in motes of golden light that came together to form a... shovel. A blade of obsidian clad in runes, a maroon oaken handle along the handle, and an inscription in an odd language was engraved.
"I mentioned the shovel once! I've never even used a shovel as a weapon before!"
"The dungeon seems to have a strange love of jokes."
A chest clicked open towards the back of the room ─ A large wrought iron thing. Ned opened it, finding more money bags and something interesting a set of gauntlets with spikes.
"Let's go further..." I said quietly to Ned.
"If it's more than a single level longer, I do not believe I can continue. I must awaken early tomorrow for an appointment."
"What do you even do? You are... distinct."
"Daemons that emigrate to earth generally either learn spells to hide or purchase an amulet of disguise," Ned explained patiently even nodding at my point. He does have blue skin.
"Spookie thought, not you or other neutrals, but I was almost demon lunch a few too many times," I grumble, getting a surprisingly sympathetic look from Ned.
"Be ready; I smell large mammals."
"Knife it is, then."
A few moments later, a small pack of wolfs stalked out of the dark in a clearing near a small grouping of stones. I would have missed them if they were slightly faster; vamp fledglings are better at stealth and faster. Ned was looking around for the wolfs; his sense of smell alerted him to them, but he was unable to lock onto them. I could hear and see them well enough. I readied my knife and whispered to Ned, "Two to the left and three to the right near the rocks."
Ned bellowed a challenging roar and charged the trio of wolfs. While they were occupied, I ducked and dodged lunges from the wolfs, managing to cut one of them in the flank. The fight was difficult but freeing I could actually fight the wolfs compared to most vampire grouping we would run into. No Buffy yelling at me for taking risks or Willow fretting about safety. In the back of my mind, I could hear a drum beat. It was probably just my heartbeat.
The fight continued for a few moments but we killed off the wolfs without taking injury. I panted in exhaustion while ned was simply taking a deep breath.
"Controle your breathing and hold your arms up, if your body is similar enough to Vasera it should help you recover control over your body. You must have more training," We watch as the wolves shimmer and gather into mots of pale gold light and condense into objects. Four pouches and a dagger.
"Hum... quite useful. Two contain cash; one has the teeth from the beast and a bundle of herbs Ketteseed- useful in many spells. The dagger is good quality, better than your own." Ned placed the dagger in my hand; it felt very good in my hands. It had a guard of wolf fur and looked similar to a large wolf tooth.
"Let us continue." Ned rumbled, inspecting the surroundings. "Collect flowers that look like this," pointing down at a few flowers we were about to pass. "Moon Poppys is rare since The Tower Of Bewrick cut trade several years ago." It feels like Ned is treating me like a child, and I would be more annoyed if he couldn't throw me and was more of a dick about it. Honestly, he reminds me of Giles... why is it that every male I meet is a better father figure than my own?
I shook my head and followed along. "What do the moon poppies do?"
"Many things my people use them in medicines that make up for the lack of moonlight in this dimension compared to the land of rainstorms. We develop thicker skin under the moonlight, which is important in such environments."
"Yeah, wish humans had that," we collected a small bundle of flowers on the walk deciding to fill the silence, I explained what I understood of what dungeons are at least based on pop culture. So far, this place is filled with stereotypes. I think Ned is smiling.
We left the first room, and the next was a similar forest courtyard. But this time, there were more wolfs and also a root-filled zombie.
"This one lacks the smell of death and fades away like the others..."
"If this is a dungeon, it probably spawned it like that... conjured it instead of turning a person into it."
"Hum... good necromancy smells terrible."
"The dead parts or the magic?"
"The magic thought the dead flesh is also unpleasant. Stay on the balls of your feet when preparing for complex foot work speed is important in dagger fighting." Ned continued giving off-handed advice as we collected the loot. More money, fangs, and an interesting drop from the zombie a vile of liquid with a heart on the front. On the back is a list of injuries.
Shaking the potion, I decide to trust my gut, "This is a health potion, I think. It has a list of injuries that it helps with. Mostly flesh wounds and internal bleeding."
"Hum... good I may not be in much danger here, but options to keep you healthy are good."
The next few rooms were similar, with increasing numbers of the root-filled zombies, I should have brought my shovel. Thankfully the wolf danger has remained sharp enough to disable the zombies. As the number of zombies increased, the rooms changed from open woodland into ruins of old stone buildings. Looking within, there were chests filled with mostly more money and loot.
"I don't even know what to think about this." Picking up what could at best be called an armored sports cup was more like a scaled G-string.
"Hum... I believe this dungeon has a strange sense of humor." He held up a poncho that was covered in a vine motif when he thought about wearing it altered to his size.
"Well... I'm not changing into this right now. It might be useful later, but right now, it's dumb to be naked in the middle of dangerous territory."
"Good, you understand situational awareness..." Ned rumbled, making me wonder what his general opinion of people is. Though, to be fair, we did set up a town and live on the Hellmouth I wonder about our survival instincts too sometimes.
During the delve, I picked up shinguards, arm guards, and magic pair of gloves. The pair of gloves have the ability to grow claws that are sharp as daggers, and they can't penetrate the gloves. Really useful especially since they don't seem to interfere with my dagger handling.
Ned got many pouches of herbs, arm guards, and his poncho, which turned out to magically have extra durability ─wolf fangs can't pierce it, but still a poncho. Most notably he picked up a bow staff and looked pleased by the acquisition.
"Welcome fair adventures," A large zombie knight bellowed, the first speaking being since the pixie. He was a horrifying monster of obsidian plate and mushrooms, shambling forward and holding a sword of black stone. His voice was rasping and moist like he was filled with a bubbling mucus. "I am the floor boss Nectzek the of the Black-Rot."
"What is your purpose? The purpose of this location..."
"The pixie did share the fact that the dungeon developed in a world devoid of such pleasures. I shall grant you an explanation!" It rumbled in excitement. "Dungeons exchange your efforts for growth! Dungeon bosses are pinnacles of our floors! A mighty peak challenge for those who seek it! In the event of our defeat, we grant tremendous rewards! Beware for each level shall become more and more deadly! Death holds no sway over forms such as mine own."
"And what about when we reach the core? Every dungeon possesses a core?" I asked curious about how my knowledge of dungeons from fiction matches this reality... since Buffy came to town, I feel like I'm going crazy half the time.
The knight flinched and gurgled, "The core is..." It let out a gurgle again. "Master has asked me to withhold such information for the occasion that you succeed he wishes for the pleasure of explaining himself. Just know the destruction of the core is dangerous." He shook off his consternation and prepared his sword once more. "Be prepared for battle mine foes." The knight launched himself forward from the ground leaving behind him a trench following after him.
We split apart and began battling the Knight, Ned punching him and trying to avoid the knight's swings, and I stayed back and took potshots while he was distracted. The Knight was ferocious, attacking constantly and forcing the growth of mushrooms that released spores that irritate the skin with each step—making entire sections of the battlefield hazardous.
"Got ya!" I shouted, ducking under a swing from the knight and stabbing my original knife into his leg, limiting his movement and raking my claw along his waist taking, damaging the straps of his armor. As monstrous as the creature is he is still dressed as a mortal.
"Good, a clever opponent is always the most fun!" Nectzek bellowed. Catching Ned in the side gives him a shallow gash on his side. Ned rumbled in displeasure but continued to pummel the guy. The fight reached a crescendo soon after gaining
"Exilant fight!" Nectzek shouted, rattling the surroundings as they respond to the creature's excitement. Ned landed a solid palm thrust on the Knight's chest, causing a snap to be hurd. "Fantastic, well done... and farewell..."
He was consumed in motes of golden light that came together to form a... shovel. A blade of obsidian clad in runes, a maroon oaken handle along the handle, and an inscription in an odd language was engraved.
"I mentioned the shovel once! I've never even used a shovel as a weapon before!"
"The dungeon seems to have a strange love of jokes."
A chest clicked open towards the back of the room ─ A large wrought iron thing. Ned opened it, finding more money bags and something interesting a set of gauntlets with spikes.
"Let's go further..." I said quietly to Ned.
"If it's more than a single level longer, I do not believe I can continue. I must awaken early tomorrow for an appointment."
"What do you even do? You are... distinct."
"Daemons that emigrate to earth generally either learn spells to hide or purchase an amulet of disguise," Ned explained patiently even nodding at my point. He does have blue skin.
"Spookie thought, not you or other neutrals, but I was almost demon lunch a few too many times," I grumble, getting a surprisingly sympathetic look from Ned.
verycoolname
Not actually cool
I like Ned. I kinda want to see Xander try to explain the dungeon and Ned to the other Scoobies.
Save me From Spider! 01
Within shadow crest manner, the mistress of the house was preparing a ritual. A simple little ritual to show her an eligible bachelor, she loves her father but he is so overprotective. Even mundane boys she flirts with sometimes end up suffering a minor hex or something if he catches wind. It is killing her social life, and using this lovely little ritual -The Hearts Rest Solace.
"The heart is a weary thing, and all manners of woe can befall it. This rite gives practitioners a chance to heal to live, and to move on from their woes. There is no guarantee with this ritual, only that if it is successful, what has been hurt may be healed. Just what I want, something to help my heart a bit. Love the wording. Most grimoires are not so romantic. The circle is set, the ritual components are nice a fresh, and I have a notebook to record all the details." Zatanna began the ritual slowly drawing well of power.
"From the corners of creation draw forth a Lover and healer. O' Pillars of Creation sent me an interdiction. Bring me to hope, bring me comfort, bring me love... " The ritual chanting continued, and it was honestly exhausting for Zatanna.
A flash of light marked the completion of the ritual; it did not result in a clear image of one who she could learn to love... but a pillar of light and smoke. Chimes resounded through the house.
"Zatanna! What are you doing? You know You're not allowed to perform any unsupervised Conjuring," Just as Zattarra was calling shields to protect himself and his daughter. The summoning finished, and the smoke cleared away.
"Misstress you have called?" A deep voice echoed in the smoke. A small cantrip from Zattarra had the smoke clear away, revealing just how sideways the ritual went from how Zattanna thought it would. A man or a teen on the cusp of manhood stood in the center of the circle. He was sort of dressed, if you count a loincloth barely covering anything and a lot of rippling muscles and tattoos.
"Who are you identify yourself!" Zattarra barked. Causing the man to freeze and look around at what was happening. Slowly the main seemed to realize something and gained a look of hope.
"Um, I am Andrew... I was told a Large spider woman was summoning me and that we were meant to go on a quest to save the world...? I was going to be the 'plaything' of said creature..." The man gave a shudder through his body as he looked around again, making sure there were no spider monsters.
"I do not know of what you speak, but my daughter has summoned you now answer!" Zattarra was slightly more relaxed as the man made no aggressive movements.
"She's not a spider?" he asked quietly.
"...No?"
"I guess you saved me, miss." He let out an explosive breath and continued. "I died, and instead of going to the Pearly Gates, I was sent to this thing that said I was going to get reborn and well... I'm not sure I should say how old is your daughter?"
"Fourteen," he said tersely.
"Ah, no, I'm definitely not getting into detail about that then..."
"Tell me!"
"Zatanna no."
"Do it, you owe me!"
The man began to wrestle with himself over the decision, but she did save him."It was the simple Lovecraftian interdiction, I get powers but was going to be a spider queen forever, mate..." He began to shiver. "Spiders eat their mates." He whispers in terror a feeling that was shared with the room's other inhabitants. "The thing gave me powers, stuff that would let me survive the spider but not escape because of her own boons... but I'm safe, right? Please say I'm safe?"
"You are well. To my knowledge, there are no giant spider queens on this planet... so the ritual my daughter used stole you away? How?"
"I don't know what rite did she use? I didn't get a lot of magical knowledge, but I know generalities and data."
The men turned to Zattanna, who was lost, staring, and the mostly naked guy. A sharp elbow from her father broke her out of her daze and heavy blush. "I used the ritual of heart's rest and solace. It was supposed to show me a vision of a cute boy I could date. Since someone keeps scaring away the boys, I talk to." She said seriously, glaring at her father. He glances at the mostly naked man.
"I'm like seventeen, and I have a no-dating-under-aged-magician's rule," I said in a hurry. The poor girl pouted in disappointment, though more importantly, the father was mollified.
The wizard looked annoyed and thoughtful... "Is one of your powers attuned with healing properties?"
"Yes... I can restore almost anything to a previous state. Especially myself..." The man ended with a shiver.
"I suppose the ritual stole you while you were traveling between realms. Come, I want you in clothing if you are to remain in my home. I will help you settle since my daughter rudely kidnapped you with her ritual."
"Ah, don't be too hard on her. She did save me from endless spiders..."
"The heart is a weary thing, and all manners of woe can befall it. This rite gives practitioners a chance to heal to live, and to move on from their woes. There is no guarantee with this ritual, only that if it is successful, what has been hurt may be healed. Just what I want, something to help my heart a bit. Love the wording. Most grimoires are not so romantic. The circle is set, the ritual components are nice a fresh, and I have a notebook to record all the details." Zatanna began the ritual slowly drawing well of power.
"From the corners of creation draw forth a Lover and healer. O' Pillars of Creation sent me an interdiction. Bring me to hope, bring me comfort, bring me love... " The ritual chanting continued, and it was honestly exhausting for Zatanna.
A flash of light marked the completion of the ritual; it did not result in a clear image of one who she could learn to love... but a pillar of light and smoke. Chimes resounded through the house.
"Zatanna! What are you doing? You know You're not allowed to perform any unsupervised Conjuring," Just as Zattarra was calling shields to protect himself and his daughter. The summoning finished, and the smoke cleared away.
"Misstress you have called?" A deep voice echoed in the smoke. A small cantrip from Zattarra had the smoke clear away, revealing just how sideways the ritual went from how Zattanna thought it would. A man or a teen on the cusp of manhood stood in the center of the circle. He was sort of dressed, if you count a loincloth barely covering anything and a lot of rippling muscles and tattoos.
"Who are you identify yourself!" Zattarra barked. Causing the man to freeze and look around at what was happening. Slowly the main seemed to realize something and gained a look of hope.
"Um, I am Andrew... I was told a Large spider woman was summoning me and that we were meant to go on a quest to save the world...? I was going to be the 'plaything' of said creature..." The man gave a shudder through his body as he looked around again, making sure there were no spider monsters.
"I do not know of what you speak, but my daughter has summoned you now answer!" Zattarra was slightly more relaxed as the man made no aggressive movements.
"She's not a spider?" he asked quietly.
"...No?"
"I guess you saved me, miss." He let out an explosive breath and continued. "I died, and instead of going to the Pearly Gates, I was sent to this thing that said I was going to get reborn and well... I'm not sure I should say how old is your daughter?"
"Fourteen," he said tersely.
"Ah, no, I'm definitely not getting into detail about that then..."
"Tell me!"
"Zatanna no."
"Do it, you owe me!"
The man began to wrestle with himself over the decision, but she did save him."It was the simple Lovecraftian interdiction, I get powers but was going to be a spider queen forever, mate..." He began to shiver. "Spiders eat their mates." He whispers in terror a feeling that was shared with the room's other inhabitants. "The thing gave me powers, stuff that would let me survive the spider but not escape because of her own boons... but I'm safe, right? Please say I'm safe?"
"You are well. To my knowledge, there are no giant spider queens on this planet... so the ritual my daughter used stole you away? How?"
"I don't know what rite did she use? I didn't get a lot of magical knowledge, but I know generalities and data."
The men turned to Zattanna, who was lost, staring, and the mostly naked guy. A sharp elbow from her father broke her out of her daze and heavy blush. "I used the ritual of heart's rest and solace. It was supposed to show me a vision of a cute boy I could date. Since someone keeps scaring away the boys, I talk to." She said seriously, glaring at her father. He glances at the mostly naked man.
"I'm like seventeen, and I have a no-dating-under-aged-magician's rule," I said in a hurry. The poor girl pouted in disappointment, though more importantly, the father was mollified.
The wizard looked annoyed and thoughtful... "Is one of your powers attuned with healing properties?"
"Yes... I can restore almost anything to a previous state. Especially myself..." The man ended with a shiver.
"I suppose the ritual stole you while you were traveling between realms. Come, I want you in clothing if you are to remain in my home. I will help you settle since my daughter rudely kidnapped you with her ritual."
"Ah, don't be too hard on her. She did save me from endless spiders..."
Lost my self... In the Talismans
Blinking awake.
"So this is new..." I was in yet another world. I could feel something different about me; magic seemed stronger if I had to guess, and I now have loads of new knowledge in my head.
"Am I one of those new-age crazy persons with actual magic?" I reviewed the hundreds of rituals for various blessings of the moon and other bullshit...
"I am a funcking bullshit wiccan arn't I? Where am I?" I decided there were a few easy ways to deal with this situation.
"Search and santer, Through crack and crevice bring me my Faughter... Something is off about the chant..." It's strange it feels like I could manage that by doing something else... Oh well, 400$ is not bad.
"Book, let's get some lunch."
"Huh, there's a note... Connect to the Fire Blossom Company... boss, please call... We are sorry about the Hair curse. We were just surprised..."
It took a bit of digging, but I now have a criminal empire, The Fire Blossom Company. It's pretty neat. Thankfully, they mostly commit 'soft' crimes like theft, robbery, hacking, and black market goods trafficking... the whole gentlemen's criminal sort of deal, so I'm not too annoyed with them. According to my new memories, I am the 'heir' of the last head; the 'family' takes care of its own. Even those who are more interested in the occult than the family business? The boss of the whole thing and the executives were... odd. The best I can figure out is that they are not quite human. When I asked, they giggled, large burly men giggling in light fae tones it was creepy. They would say: "Never mind, we are paid up. Treat us as members of this prestigious company and nothing more..." It's frustrating, but generally, I have to accept the situation. I control a sizeable criminal empire. I do get a good chunk of change, so it's nice.
I also learned that whatever caused this gave me maybe three curses to suffer under during my stay here. The first is relatively simple: I am now a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. It was terrible; two of those liquor candies had me sloshed for three hours. The second is weirder and less normal: white anime hair. The fluffy, always messy kind that everyone and their uncle uses to make their main character special. People kept pointing at me and I didn't like it, worst a granny thought I was her dead husband, and it was creepy.
After some snooping and divination magic, I found out what sort of world I was in.
"Jackie! The coolest thing ever happened! I ran in mid-air and didn't fall! I can Fly." A small child in an orange jumpsuit claimed in excitement. Ah, the home dimension of the infamous J-team... Loved that cartoon as a kid. Living in a world with them running around makes me excited.
I sat on my broom, watching contently under a small camouflage spell. None of the Chans or Toru noticed me because I was far away and they were too busy. Other people, namely numerous people on the street, pointed and stared at the weird sight; some even assumed I was a promotion for something.
"It's not like I particularly need the talismans, and I don't feel like getting too involved... pulse that little tidbit of potential I can feel. It has to do with part of what's behind this. I have options. I could help the good guys, the bad guys, or just watch... though I could just watch and make sure the plot gose as it should. Would rather not fight Shendu as a dragon if I can help it."
Toru kidnapped Jade, making me feel a bit conflicted. If I remember right, she has a talisman in her stomach, and he will cut it out of her...
"That won't do. Book... show me a spell to protect against blades." I follow the kidnapping
"No, that's baldness, blemishes, blue balls, and ah-ha, blade deflection only good for three uses..."
"Scale and fissure, steel and flame blunt the bite of the blade." The spell finished nicely.
Watching the following action as the two Chans escaped their capture made me want to enjoy the ridiculousness...
"Why not? This should only take a few months; maybe a vacation watching the madness would be fine. Gives me a chance to research properly... and get some research materials in the first place."
A short time later, I was having a celebratory drink, happy about the entire situation—no end-of-the-world disasters yet and some fun. However, I still don't understand this sensation of choice. I could feel options for how to interact with the Talismine treasure hunt... I think mostly observing sounds safe for now. I can practice and prepare to be a more active participant later. After all the Chans deal with many a mystical occurrence over the next few years and I may be here a while.
Pov: Jade Chan
We found the Ox and Snake talismans it was an amazing adventure! Mexico was fun, Pako is a good guy, a little naive, assuming Toro was stronger than Jackie, but he's a kid that is to be expected. Paris was cool, but Viper was amazing... wish she was less of a snake to me and Jacky though. Oh! She could date Jacky and be my cool Aunt, and she would have to be better... Humm, this requires some thought. But there is a more important thing to think about.
"Uncle are you sure you didn't use like a watching spell? Every time we go out to get a talismine I get this prickly feeling like we are being watched."
"Jade is getting the willies? Non-sense Uncle hasn't detected any spells scrying you and the whop is warded. Perhaps Shendu used his shadow kan to record?"
"This is getting old."
"If life makes you weary, do be a deary why don't and teary." Spring Hill Jack - a gnome with attitude and rusty shoes, and the current bane of my existence. Clad in an old worn pee coat and a set of I love Nevada sunglasses and hats. The first time he appeared, I was surprised and worried, but I got lucky and found out his weakness. A pinch of salt and he turns to stone. It is a short and simple banishment... sadly water frees him.
He is not terribly dangerous, strong, fast, and vicious, definitely. Cunning and clever, not so much. He is convinced that I am of the Magnus bloodline responsible for cursing him, so he turns to stone in the presence of salt. Worst yet, he is convinced that eating me will remove that pesky weakness of his. If I didn't have access to magic, I would be in trouble. Thankfully I do.
"To the heavens, you may flee, but never shall you escape me." He rhymed and menaced the best he could, springing towards me as I fly high in the sky away from the aquarium where the Hare Talisman showed up. The bastard interrupted me while laying a curse on Ratso, so he had an itchy left toe... I may have taken to cursing the henchmen and the J-team with various annoyances to liven things up. Nothing noticeable or horrible, itchy toes, runny noses, tied tongs, and occasionally distracting light. The worst part of Jack's interruptions is his terrible Rhyming.
"From the bottom of the sea and the depth of mines, bring salt to thine own palm." Annoying grammar besides the spell has saved my hide since the troll started on my case. A pile of salt appeared in my hand, and I blew it into the troll's face.
"Foiled I may be, but our battle we shall be embroiled again." He turned to stone with a sharp grim etched on his stone face. He fell and got stuck in a shop's roof.
"Annoying bastard. Why can't you stay dry? You have no boon or curse to remain damp I've checked enough." I let out an about huff and had the book come before me once again.
"Now Book, you know the page... Perfect:
With nary a care, Away;
To Cave Lost and Cavern Deep;
To Volcano Hot and Vally Dry;
Away I send you. Gone from this land and my sight."
The troll was sent to who knows where the curse is a simple banishment that is a mix of local Wiccan practices and the Book's unique brand of occultism. It's not precise, but it will send him to an uninhabited place that is supposed to remain dry... how long does that last? Who knows?
Unknown to myself, banishing Spring Hill Jack so often resulted in odd weather patterns in many deserts: extra water, more lakes, caves flooding, etcetera. Spring Hill Jack is freed and finds his way back to me to give me a migraine. Each time, he brings souvenirs, which is odd.
Time went on, and I observed the highlights of the Chang family as they rode roughshot through the world in search of the talismans. Jade in particular, became fantastily entertaining, just like in the show, though danger-prone. The number of protection spells I had placed on her over the course of the great treasure hunt, heck, I placed spells on those bozos from the black hand to what is with this place and the amount of danger!
Before me Shendu conjored his castle in all his mellow dramatic of victory as he began to call his draconic legions. The Chans fought and began to strip Shendu of his talismans I may have blessed Jackie a bit
"Trap or Tresuer,
Cut and Mesuer,
Grant the Man a Masnures luck"
It's not the strongest spell, but it should keep him in one piece just in case it's not exactly like the show. I'm still surprised no one has noticed me yet. I hovered and watched as Jackie made the last move, stealing Shendu's last talismans but losing them all in the end. On some unknown signal, I knew I completed one of these 'scenarios,' whatever was causing me to travel about set up. I have observed one of the greatest Treasure hunts this world has ever known, and now I understand. I could feel the Treasures of something or other pinging nearby and the talismans ringing in my ears. Pulse this weird smell filled the air that I believe came from the talismans it smelt of power, money, and oddly cinnamon.
I mechanically opened my bag just in time for twelve copies of the talimines in dark black to fall from the sky. Not sure what to do, I absurd the decaying "That was really spectacular, but I should get the original talismans back with the Chans the Black Hand probably will cause some trouble, and the Fire Blossmes don't need the extra trouble now that the Black Hand is on the back foot."
I floated down to the wreckage of the fortress following my newly acquired treasure sense. The talismans where laid out in this dusty soot. Just as I grabbed two heard the springs.
"Back again from lands most grating, a dry plane by the name of Gobie did I navigate." Spring heel Jack narrated as he got the drop on me, kicking me through the air. Surprisingly I didn't break anything shaking my head clear within a small pile of broken timber. Apparently, I grabbed the Horse and Dog an not any of the actively malicious talismans.
"Oh well lucky for me that would have really hurt if not." Jack is predictable, but every once and a while he jets the jump on me.
"Now then: Jack be nimble, Jack be slick, Jack can do not but slip." A quick spell and began my dance with annoyance. While on the broom it's easy enough to take care of him but on the ground, I have to catch in by surprise. The twerp has several sensitive points on his back and arms.
"One two three pressure points, five six... I really hate you, you know that you twerp."
"A feeling I do hold in my heart and brow, Hatred clear, now hold still and drown."
"You can barely rhyme too!" I exclaimed as I covered him in a bit of salt and banished him once again. Remounting my broom I took to the air in a huff and found the Valmont and minions gone along with the rest of the Talismines.
Deciding to be blunt about a couple weeks after the big battle I wandered up to Uncle's rare finds; the worn-down shop had a thin veneer of normalcy. It's backed by a spell of some sort since the vibes are strong here.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Uncle. Is he in?" I asked the rather sumo wrestler, who I assume is Toru.
"Yes, he is researching in the back may I know what your purpose is here?"
"Just having some antiques appraised... possibly sold."
"Very well."
I was left alone in the front for a few minutes and found this lovely Ming dynasty vase. A brilliant patinaed white and some lovely emerald dragon themes going on. "Uncle will see you now." an old weather voice called out by the desk.
"Exilent I have brought two good luck charms I found in an old wreckage in China recently. Been feeling rather good about them but felt they weren't really for me." I pulled out the Dog and the Horse talismans. Content with the fact that I have my own set not tied to the weird dragon.
"IYAA Why do you have the Horse and Dog Talismine? They are not your uncle will be taking these now, thank you!" The old man rambled and snatched them from my hand.
"Hey!" I snaped my fingers and had the talismans hover back to me. Thank you glue and paper, the talismans are tricky to manipulate with magic but targeting the paper is easy. I had them hover near by hand.
"No no no. I'm here to sell its really rude to just take things you know Wizard." I mutter to the old man.
Uncle narrowed his eyes and Toru growled towards me holding a broom defensively.
"So as I was saying, I'm willing to part with these lovelies as I have no desire to get tangled up in dark hand business or have issues with section 13. So I will trade the Talismines for... that vase over there." I gesture back to the white and green vase.
"...Uncle will have section 13 pay for the vase now leave the talismans and go Warlock."
"Hey, now no need to name call I'm but a humble Practitioner. Thou you may want to warn the spooks that those jokers have the others, was a bit distracted due to an annoyance when collecting these, and I so was looking forward to making more off this whole venture."
Jackies pov
"So who is the guy that dropped of the Dog and Horse Talismines anyway?" Jade asked deep within section thirteen. Captain black was having a general debriefing and Jade tagged along once again.
"He is Antonio Altar de Salonia, Age twenty-two, he is listed publicly as a historian in ancient religions and is known as a quirky but intelligent source of ancient knowledge."
"I believe I read a paper he wrote on ancient voodoo practices...."
"Publicly everything lines up, however under the surface, he seems to be deriving a large part of his earnings and luxuries from the Fire Blossom Cartel a criminal empire that rivaled the Black Hand. Espionage, black market deals, fraud, drug running you name it they generally have a hand in the pot. However, unlike the Black Hand, the Fire Blossom Cartel acts strangely peacefully for criminals. Several of the lower members call it a 'gentle' or 'soft' crime."
"So, More thefts and schemes than assassins and murder?" Jade asked innocently. Sometimes I feel like a bad bad uncle she has gotten into so many of section thirteen's darker data banks.
By Captain Black's frustrated face palming, he agrees with me. "Yes, Jade generally they stay way from the darker aspects of crime or directly harm those operations hens why they have been lower on our priority list than the dark hand. However, with the new information that the Fire Blossme is receiving magical support, we will need to increase our surveillance of them. More importantly, is the warning about Valmont and his men, they are cornered and pacing magical heat."
An alarm rang through the building, and every agent winced in unison, grabbing at their ear piece. "Move, we have word that the Dark Hand is currently robbing a mint."
"So this is new..." I was in yet another world. I could feel something different about me; magic seemed stronger if I had to guess, and I now have loads of new knowledge in my head.
"Am I one of those new-age crazy persons with actual magic?" I reviewed the hundreds of rituals for various blessings of the moon and other bullshit...
"I am a funcking bullshit wiccan arn't I? Where am I?" I decided there were a few easy ways to deal with this situation.
"Search and santer, Through crack and crevice bring me my Faughter... Something is off about the chant..." It's strange it feels like I could manage that by doing something else... Oh well, 400$ is not bad.
"Book, let's get some lunch."
"Huh, there's a note... Connect to the Fire Blossom Company... boss, please call... We are sorry about the Hair curse. We were just surprised..."
It took a bit of digging, but I now have a criminal empire, The Fire Blossom Company. It's pretty neat. Thankfully, they mostly commit 'soft' crimes like theft, robbery, hacking, and black market goods trafficking... the whole gentlemen's criminal sort of deal, so I'm not too annoyed with them. According to my new memories, I am the 'heir' of the last head; the 'family' takes care of its own. Even those who are more interested in the occult than the family business? The boss of the whole thing and the executives were... odd. The best I can figure out is that they are not quite human. When I asked, they giggled, large burly men giggling in light fae tones it was creepy. They would say: "Never mind, we are paid up. Treat us as members of this prestigious company and nothing more..." It's frustrating, but generally, I have to accept the situation. I control a sizeable criminal empire. I do get a good chunk of change, so it's nice.
I also learned that whatever caused this gave me maybe three curses to suffer under during my stay here. The first is relatively simple: I am now a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. It was terrible; two of those liquor candies had me sloshed for three hours. The second is weirder and less normal: white anime hair. The fluffy, always messy kind that everyone and their uncle uses to make their main character special. People kept pointing at me and I didn't like it, worst a granny thought I was her dead husband, and it was creepy.
After some snooping and divination magic, I found out what sort of world I was in.
"Jackie! The coolest thing ever happened! I ran in mid-air and didn't fall! I can Fly." A small child in an orange jumpsuit claimed in excitement. Ah, the home dimension of the infamous J-team... Loved that cartoon as a kid. Living in a world with them running around makes me excited.
I sat on my broom, watching contently under a small camouflage spell. None of the Chans or Toru noticed me because I was far away and they were too busy. Other people, namely numerous people on the street, pointed and stared at the weird sight; some even assumed I was a promotion for something.
"It's not like I particularly need the talismans, and I don't feel like getting too involved... pulse that little tidbit of potential I can feel. It has to do with part of what's behind this. I have options. I could help the good guys, the bad guys, or just watch... though I could just watch and make sure the plot gose as it should. Would rather not fight Shendu as a dragon if I can help it."
Toru kidnapped Jade, making me feel a bit conflicted. If I remember right, she has a talisman in her stomach, and he will cut it out of her...
"That won't do. Book... show me a spell to protect against blades." I follow the kidnapping
"No, that's baldness, blemishes, blue balls, and ah-ha, blade deflection only good for three uses..."
"Scale and fissure, steel and flame blunt the bite of the blade." The spell finished nicely.
Watching the following action as the two Chans escaped their capture made me want to enjoy the ridiculousness...
"Why not? This should only take a few months; maybe a vacation watching the madness would be fine. Gives me a chance to research properly... and get some research materials in the first place."
A short time later, I was having a celebratory drink, happy about the entire situation—no end-of-the-world disasters yet and some fun. However, I still don't understand this sensation of choice. I could feel options for how to interact with the Talismine treasure hunt... I think mostly observing sounds safe for now. I can practice and prepare to be a more active participant later. After all the Chans deal with many a mystical occurrence over the next few years and I may be here a while.
Pov: Jade Chan
We found the Ox and Snake talismans it was an amazing adventure! Mexico was fun, Pako is a good guy, a little naive, assuming Toro was stronger than Jackie, but he's a kid that is to be expected. Paris was cool, but Viper was amazing... wish she was less of a snake to me and Jacky though. Oh! She could date Jacky and be my cool Aunt, and she would have to be better... Humm, this requires some thought. But there is a more important thing to think about.
"Uncle are you sure you didn't use like a watching spell? Every time we go out to get a talismine I get this prickly feeling like we are being watched."
"Jade is getting the willies? Non-sense Uncle hasn't detected any spells scrying you and the whop is warded. Perhaps Shendu used his shadow kan to record?"
"This is getting old."
"If life makes you weary, do be a deary why don't and teary." Spring Hill Jack - a gnome with attitude and rusty shoes, and the current bane of my existence. Clad in an old worn pee coat and a set of I love Nevada sunglasses and hats. The first time he appeared, I was surprised and worried, but I got lucky and found out his weakness. A pinch of salt and he turns to stone. It is a short and simple banishment... sadly water frees him.
He is not terribly dangerous, strong, fast, and vicious, definitely. Cunning and clever, not so much. He is convinced that I am of the Magnus bloodline responsible for cursing him, so he turns to stone in the presence of salt. Worst yet, he is convinced that eating me will remove that pesky weakness of his. If I didn't have access to magic, I would be in trouble. Thankfully I do.
"To the heavens, you may flee, but never shall you escape me." He rhymed and menaced the best he could, springing towards me as I fly high in the sky away from the aquarium where the Hare Talisman showed up. The bastard interrupted me while laying a curse on Ratso, so he had an itchy left toe... I may have taken to cursing the henchmen and the J-team with various annoyances to liven things up. Nothing noticeable or horrible, itchy toes, runny noses, tied tongs, and occasionally distracting light. The worst part of Jack's interruptions is his terrible Rhyming.
"From the bottom of the sea and the depth of mines, bring salt to thine own palm." Annoying grammar besides the spell has saved my hide since the troll started on my case. A pile of salt appeared in my hand, and I blew it into the troll's face.
"Foiled I may be, but our battle we shall be embroiled again." He turned to stone with a sharp grim etched on his stone face. He fell and got stuck in a shop's roof.
"Annoying bastard. Why can't you stay dry? You have no boon or curse to remain damp I've checked enough." I let out an about huff and had the book come before me once again.
"Now Book, you know the page... Perfect:
With nary a care, Away;
To Cave Lost and Cavern Deep;
To Volcano Hot and Vally Dry;
Away I send you. Gone from this land and my sight."
The troll was sent to who knows where the curse is a simple banishment that is a mix of local Wiccan practices and the Book's unique brand of occultism. It's not precise, but it will send him to an uninhabited place that is supposed to remain dry... how long does that last? Who knows?
Unknown to myself, banishing Spring Hill Jack so often resulted in odd weather patterns in many deserts: extra water, more lakes, caves flooding, etcetera. Spring Hill Jack is freed and finds his way back to me to give me a migraine. Each time, he brings souvenirs, which is odd.
Time went on, and I observed the highlights of the Chang family as they rode roughshot through the world in search of the talismans. Jade in particular, became fantastily entertaining, just like in the show, though danger-prone. The number of protection spells I had placed on her over the course of the great treasure hunt, heck, I placed spells on those bozos from the black hand to what is with this place and the amount of danger!
Before me Shendu conjored his castle in all his mellow dramatic of victory as he began to call his draconic legions. The Chans fought and began to strip Shendu of his talismans I may have blessed Jackie a bit
"Trap or Tresuer,
Cut and Mesuer,
Grant the Man a Masnures luck"
It's not the strongest spell, but it should keep him in one piece just in case it's not exactly like the show. I'm still surprised no one has noticed me yet. I hovered and watched as Jackie made the last move, stealing Shendu's last talismans but losing them all in the end. On some unknown signal, I knew I completed one of these 'scenarios,' whatever was causing me to travel about set up. I have observed one of the greatest Treasure hunts this world has ever known, and now I understand. I could feel the Treasures of something or other pinging nearby and the talismans ringing in my ears. Pulse this weird smell filled the air that I believe came from the talismans it smelt of power, money, and oddly cinnamon.
I mechanically opened my bag just in time for twelve copies of the talimines in dark black to fall from the sky. Not sure what to do, I absurd the decaying "That was really spectacular, but I should get the original talismans back with the Chans the Black Hand probably will cause some trouble, and the Fire Blossmes don't need the extra trouble now that the Black Hand is on the back foot."
I floated down to the wreckage of the fortress following my newly acquired treasure sense. The talismans where laid out in this dusty soot. Just as I grabbed two heard the springs.
"Back again from lands most grating, a dry plane by the name of Gobie did I navigate." Spring heel Jack narrated as he got the drop on me, kicking me through the air. Surprisingly I didn't break anything shaking my head clear within a small pile of broken timber. Apparently, I grabbed the Horse and Dog an not any of the actively malicious talismans.
"Oh well lucky for me that would have really hurt if not." Jack is predictable, but every once and a while he jets the jump on me.
"Now then: Jack be nimble, Jack be slick, Jack can do not but slip." A quick spell and began my dance with annoyance. While on the broom it's easy enough to take care of him but on the ground, I have to catch in by surprise. The twerp has several sensitive points on his back and arms.
"One two three pressure points, five six... I really hate you, you know that you twerp."
"A feeling I do hold in my heart and brow, Hatred clear, now hold still and drown."
"You can barely rhyme too!" I exclaimed as I covered him in a bit of salt and banished him once again. Remounting my broom I took to the air in a huff and found the Valmont and minions gone along with the rest of the Talismines.
Deciding to be blunt about a couple weeks after the big battle I wandered up to Uncle's rare finds; the worn-down shop had a thin veneer of normalcy. It's backed by a spell of some sort since the vibes are strong here.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Uncle. Is he in?" I asked the rather sumo wrestler, who I assume is Toru.
"Yes, he is researching in the back may I know what your purpose is here?"
"Just having some antiques appraised... possibly sold."
"Very well."
I was left alone in the front for a few minutes and found this lovely Ming dynasty vase. A brilliant patinaed white and some lovely emerald dragon themes going on. "Uncle will see you now." an old weather voice called out by the desk.
"Exilent I have brought two good luck charms I found in an old wreckage in China recently. Been feeling rather good about them but felt they weren't really for me." I pulled out the Dog and the Horse talismans. Content with the fact that I have my own set not tied to the weird dragon.
"IYAA Why do you have the Horse and Dog Talismine? They are not your uncle will be taking these now, thank you!" The old man rambled and snatched them from my hand.
"Hey!" I snaped my fingers and had the talismans hover back to me. Thank you glue and paper, the talismans are tricky to manipulate with magic but targeting the paper is easy. I had them hover near by hand.
"No no no. I'm here to sell its really rude to just take things you know Wizard." I mutter to the old man.
Uncle narrowed his eyes and Toru growled towards me holding a broom defensively.
"So as I was saying, I'm willing to part with these lovelies as I have no desire to get tangled up in dark hand business or have issues with section 13. So I will trade the Talismines for... that vase over there." I gesture back to the white and green vase.
"...Uncle will have section 13 pay for the vase now leave the talismans and go Warlock."
"Hey, now no need to name call I'm but a humble Practitioner. Thou you may want to warn the spooks that those jokers have the others, was a bit distracted due to an annoyance when collecting these, and I so was looking forward to making more off this whole venture."
Jackies pov
"So who is the guy that dropped of the Dog and Horse Talismines anyway?" Jade asked deep within section thirteen. Captain black was having a general debriefing and Jade tagged along once again.
"He is Antonio Altar de Salonia, Age twenty-two, he is listed publicly as a historian in ancient religions and is known as a quirky but intelligent source of ancient knowledge."
"I believe I read a paper he wrote on ancient voodoo practices...."
"Publicly everything lines up, however under the surface, he seems to be deriving a large part of his earnings and luxuries from the Fire Blossom Cartel a criminal empire that rivaled the Black Hand. Espionage, black market deals, fraud, drug running you name it they generally have a hand in the pot. However, unlike the Black Hand, the Fire Blossom Cartel acts strangely peacefully for criminals. Several of the lower members call it a 'gentle' or 'soft' crime."
"So, More thefts and schemes than assassins and murder?" Jade asked innocently. Sometimes I feel like a bad bad uncle she has gotten into so many of section thirteen's darker data banks.
By Captain Black's frustrated face palming, he agrees with me. "Yes, Jade generally they stay way from the darker aspects of crime or directly harm those operations hens why they have been lower on our priority list than the dark hand. However, with the new information that the Fire Blossme is receiving magical support, we will need to increase our surveillance of them. More importantly, is the warning about Valmont and his men, they are cornered and pacing magical heat."
An alarm rang through the building, and every agent winced in unison, grabbing at their ear piece. "Move, we have word that the Dark Hand is currently robbing a mint."