Reaching out her hand, she hesitated and looked back. She curtseyed to me before making another move. How does she even know how to curtsey?
Her finger stopped a few inches from the closest droplet of Aether and slowly moved to touch it. As the quicksilver-like substance came in contact with her Firazite flesh, it looked like it was sucked into her finger and was gone in an instant.
She stumbled backward, and I moved to catch her.
“Don’t!” Shamash said, stopping me from doing so.
Falling, she was soon lying on her back completely motionless. She began to crack.
Out of instinct, I cast Forced Learn to see what was happening inside her. Instead of casting it with a huge surge of mana, I began funneling a constant stream. I hovered in the cloud of Fire Mana inside her. The Aether was everywhere like a current of electricity spider-webbing in all directions. The storm continued. It turned into the longest use of Forced Learn I’d ever cast. Outside of my magically enhanced focus, it may have only been a few seconds, but it felt like minutes to me. Still, something was happening. I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
Every mana particle in the cloud of dust began to spiral in the same direction. Like a twister, it began to funnel faster and faster. Then I saw it. The mana was condensed into a physical spiral that began so small it was impossible to see. But it quickly became visible as it grew, and the speed of its growth intensified as the cloud of mana was devoured. And then, it was finished. The spiral was no longer visible, for it was surrounded in a burnt orange casing. Like the beating of a heart, mana was pushed from the new mana orb to fill the queen’s body. Holding Forced Learn became too much and I was expelled from inside her.
I blinked my eyes open. I’d collapsed to the ground and found myself sitting with my leg sprawled out and my hands propping me up from behind.
“Elorion,” I heard Travis say. “You alright?”
He was bending over me. I nodded that I was.
A few popups were staring me in the face.
You have unlocked the Blue Magic, Firazite Manipulation!
You have unlocked the Blue Magic, Core Creation!
Firazite Manipulation
You are now able to shape, purify and condense Firazite ore.
Even if it was limited to Firazite, having the ability to magically manipulate ore could be a game-changer for Arcane Engineering. Or more general crafting for that matter. With enough Firazite, who knew what was possible…
Colossal Blue Magic - Core Creation
I was stuck staring at the first line for a moment. I had only learned one Colossal Blue Magic spell and that was Magma that I had gained from Xaphan, the Primordial Cat.
“Being able to witness the creation of a core is very rare,” I heard Shamash say. He was standing behind me. I was too excited to be creeped out.
Rank: Novice
Level: 1
Lesser Orb Creation
Cost – 4,000,000 MP (400,000 MP with buffs)
Success Requirements:
The caster must channel mana into a funnel and wind it down into a tight spiral. The process’s length and success depend upon the caster’s skill.
Note: The type of orb created depends upon the mana’s source.
My mind was beginning to swim with ideas when I noticed the Faeastein Queen. Not only had she changed on the inside, but so had she on the outside. Any trace of mineral imperfection was gone, leaving her as smooth as steel polished into a mirror finish, but the skin of her face held a soft orange finish. Her eyes had become an even lighter shade of orange with dark red pupils that made them look more human than monster. It wasn’t only her skin and facial features that had become fairer, but her body had slimmed down to that of an athletic girl in her prime.
I felt the heat rise in my Incubus face as I caught myself trying to see past the seam of her tightly fitted armor. It was indeed part of her body, little more than tight-fitting red platemail, and had been produced when she changed. However, it was a deeper red than her skin and looked as if it was wrapped over her form like she were wearing a suit of clothing.
She sat up a moment later in an exhausted, but smooth motion. When she saw me sitting a few feet away, she smiled without the rigidity she’d once possessed.
Travis gave a long whistle after seeing her. We both moved to help her up. He ended up taking one hand and I took the other. She spoke in her own tongue.
“She said thank you,” Shamash said. “She’s rather remarkable. I’ve seen her kind before, but never in this evolved state. Who would have guessed that her race lives to try to reach a Fire Vein, but rarely ever make it because they never gain the power to do so?”
Coming to her feet, she was shorter than before, but her mana shone brighter. I let go of her hand immediately, but Travis seemed to forget he was holding it.
She pulled her hand from his, causing him to realize what he was doing, and he took a step back. Lifting her hand to the base of her head, she let out a surge of mana and red vines seemingly sprouted from her bald head. They twisted themselves together in intricate patterns. Almost immediately it was clear what was starting to form. It was a crimson tiara. Even without hair on her head, it seemed to be all that was needed to tie her look together.
With that done, she turned to me with fondness in her eyes. Once again she curtsied before me, but this time she held the position and began to speak. She waited as Shamash translated each phrase.
“Thank you for helping me to fulfill my purpose. I feel like waking from a dream for the first time. My name is Degima. I find that I don’t know what I should do next. If you are willing, I would like to travel with you as you originally requested. I will help the young master with his training and give my support wherever it’s needed. Is that desirable?”
It was a position I never dreamed I would find myself in. The formality of her whole request made me feel like I’d stepped into a period piece where royalty existed. It was one part fascinating and another part repellent. The whole ownership of people and the superiority of classes was abhorrent to me. I needed her to understand that, but how?
Holding out my hand, I almost begged her to take it and rise from what had to be an uncomfortable position.
She took it and stood, beaming up at me.
I almost stopped myself from what I was about to say when I saw how she looked at me. “Yes,” I began as Shamash relayed my message. “You can remain with us for as long as it’s safe, and we will help you find a home if necessary. You aren’t and will never be a slave. Unless you endanger me or my friends, you’ll always be welcome.”
She bowed her head as if accepting my terms. The smile never left her face.
After she’d let go of my hands, my nerves started to calm. That is, until I heard another voice from the shadows.
“If I may be so bold,” Kulnath said, appearing near the back corner of the shrine. “Forgive me for the intrusion, but I felt what was happening and had to see for myself. Queen Degima, congratulations on your evolution.”
She happily responded.
“Elorion, it’s you that I wanted to address,” he said before turning to Shamash. “Master lich, I beg your forgiveness, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of the special benefits that Core Creation presents for someone that isn’t of a Monster Race.”
The lich was quiet as he studied the orc in silence. As the moments passed, it became too much to bear so I interrupted. “Benefits?”
Shamash slowly turned to face me. The silence lingered and I wasn’t sure if I should be frightened or falling asleep. In the end, he spoke. “As a human, your mana is mixed with your blood. It’s a characteristic of every humanoid race. The monster races, on the other hand, hold and manipulate their mana through a mana core. All of this you know. It’s possible, though, with Core Creation, for a human to form their own core. It won’t change the fact that your mana will still mix with your blood, but it will allow you to further refine your mana. I’m able to teach you, but I
won’t interfere with Kulnath’s goodwill.”
The orc bowed at the waist. “Thank you for your grace,” he said, then wrapped his arms behind his back and addressed me. “The only drawback is that it can be dangerous.”
Chapter 14 – Friendly
With Shamash’s mana enclosure raised up around us, I sat Indian style across from Kulnath. Even while sitting he was a head taller than me. Using mana manipulation, he cast a simple light orb between us and sent it into a small orbit.
Up close, it was impossible to deny how human he seemed. Green tinted skin and an underbite were small features next to the personality and intelligence that I saw in his face. That didn’t mean I trusted him, but Shamash didn’t seem concerned so I looked past my worry as much as I could.
Suddenly the orb stopped. With two fingers, he pinched the side of the light orb, then pulled. “Much like pulling a thread, you must draw your mana into a spiral.” The trail of light that he dragged with his fingers followed an orbit similar to the one I’d seen form in Degima. When it reached a full circle, he wound another tighter circle inside of it. “Trace the inside of your spiral’s outer path. If you draw it too tight too quickly, your mana won’t build enough momentum and will degrade the spiral, making it spin out of control and dissipate, or worse, explode.”
I watched as his light orb slowly turned into a long strand that spun in on itself like a whirlpool. He took his time drawing it.
“Such an explosion could be dangerous,” he continued. “But it’s not the most dangerous part about creating your own core. The real danger is that you are doing it inside your own body. You won’t be able to see your work, and if the orb does explode, it can do real damage—even kill you if you’re trying to create a master orb, or greater. I highly suggest you practice making orbs outside your body until it becomes like second nature.”
I looked past the magic diagram he was drawing in the air and saw how much focus he was putting into the simple drawing. I had to ask. “Are you a blue mage?”
He shook his head. “No. The Path has never led me to a Blue Magic Vein. They’re extremely rare, and even those in the wilds are usually claimed by the closest people in power. Although, holding them is sometimes difficult, so they may send expeditions periodically to train their young.”
“Then how do you know how to do this?”
He gave me a snorting grin. “I’m not a blue mage, but there are a few elders in my tribe that are. Each member is given an orb as a child to speed the refinement of their mana. The monster races are at a great advantage because their orbs develop naturally. It allows them to possess much more mana than the Beast and Humanoid races. With such orbs, my tribe has found a way to help bridge the gap.”
If it was true that their cores allowed the monster races to possess more mana, then perhaps the Head Mistress’s advice to focus on Wisdom was wrong… If she naturally had more Mana than I would, then without focusing on Intelligence, perhaps I would never be able to match her.
When I didn’t respond, he added, “To answer your question more directly, it is technically possible for anyone to create a mana orb, but it is extremely difficult. Tell me, what is the essence of Blue Magic?”
His question shook me from my contemplation. “Stealing abilities from others.”
With a turn of his head, he looked at me from a different angle. “Oh?”
“Is that incorrect?”
“Not entirely. It would be more accurate to say that it allows you to become extremely sensitive to magic, allowing you to mimic the magic of others. Of course, it’s not simple mimicry, because someone that masters Blue Magic can sometimes even surpass the creatures or phenomena they mimic. This is why very few creatures would ever dare something like creating their own mana core. Only Blue Mages have the natural aptitude to mimic a core’s creation with any real proficiency.”
With a wave of his hand, his magic spiral disappeared. “Now it’s your turn.”
With all his explanations, the main thing that left me confused was why he felt it was necessary to explain it to me in the first place. I’d learned Core Creation, so all I had to do was cast it—or was that not the case? It was a colossal spell of which I only had one other—Magma. That one was expensive but rather easy to cast. The only drawback was that even its fumes were dangerous and as likely to kill me as my enemies.
Doing as he asked, I prepared myself. I had nearly enough mana without buffs, but Master Mind Buff would only benefit me if there was more to casting the spell than normal. For the cost of 78,600 MP, I boosted my Wisdom and Intelligence by 4,500, giving me the benefits of 10,000 Wisdom and nearly 1,400,000 MP.
I watched for any changes in the orc but saw little besides the tightening of the lines of his face as I increased my power tenfold. It seemed he’d expected this much. I cast Core Creation.
There was the normal drain on my mana, but I could immediately tell something was different. The source of my mana was in my blood, so when I used it I felt exhaustion throughout my entire body at once when I used too much. That much remained the same but the pull of mana this time was much sharper. It was almost like the Light Mana in my blood was being sucked out.
It wasn’t painful, exactly. Not so much that I couldn’t ignore it and focus on the pooling mana that seeped from my palm. I held my hand out, palm up, and my mana began to form the outer layer of a spiral on its own. I could tell already this spell was different. Just as the orc had instructed me, I began to direct my Light Mana tightly around the outer ring. As different as it was, guiding my mana’s path was easy enough. It didn’t require me to use my hand as a conductor, or spinster, but it was simple as remembering what I’d seen happen in Queen Degima as I’d watched her core form. The outer rings of the mana core wound slowly with little effort, but the process sped as the core shrank in size. Not only did it speed up, but instead of pulling the mana, it was more like trying to drill a path with a delicate string. The real difficulty was in keeping a clear head while exerting such a focused effort.
As I reached the heart of the spiral, I could feel the thread wishing to divert from its path. I denied it its desire like defending a spinning top from an intruder that wanted to make it wobble. The thread’s tendency to spin out of control was met with a conflicting tendency to follow the path until the final whole was made.
I was startled as soon as the spiral was complete, for the process wasn’t over. Kulnath was ready with further direction. “Now you must fill the spiral with your mana. It is no longer necessary to guide its path, for it has already been trodden. Simply give it mana.”
The final step was as straightforward as he said. I flooded it with the required mana, and, like a hungry demon, it devoured all I gave it. I watched as the Light Mana Orb started to take form. The spiral was its engine, but its remaining outer shell was its stored fuel. As it neared its final moments of creation, it glowed with piercing light that would have been impossible for a normal human to look upon without seeing afterimages later. The final layer of hardened mana covered it like wrapping paper, then it solidified and dropped into the palm of my hand. It was like a gemstone the size of a dime—a Lesser Light Orb had been formed.
Normally, casting a 400,000 MP spell wouldn’t exhaust me in this state, but it was as if more had been taken from me than mana. It wasn’t nearly as bad as mana sickness and disappeared after a few moments thanks to the help of my natural regeneration.
I smiled down at the orb that was once incredibly rare for us to find. Now I could make an almost unlimited supply. With these, perhaps I wouldn’t need any Light Mana materials after all. I got another pleasant surprise.
Core Creation
Rank: Novice
Level: 2
Looking up at Kulnath, I was caught off guard by his paralyzed state. I’d heard a little tension in his voice in his final instructions, but I hadn’t expected this. He stared at the Light Orb as if it was a forsaken thing.
“Is something wrong?” I said as softly
as I could.
His eyes shot up to mine and he continued to stare. He shook his head awkwardly slow, before turning to look at Shamash who stood nearby. When he looked back to me a semblance of the kind orc had returned. “I assumed you had learned Blue Magic from a vein, but, if you would be so kind, what are your talents?”
I hesitated, but a nod from Shamash alleviated my immediate concern. “Light and Blue Magic.”
He stroked his chin as if he had a thick beard. “No wonder our lich friend favors you. No novice Blue Mage can create an orb with such ease—and certainly not the first time. Blue Mages aren’t exactly rare in the Underworld, because Blue Magic Veins are highly sought by all even if the veins themselves are rare. But natural Blue Mages are something else entirely. They’re as rare as their vein counterparts. Your ability to mimic creature abilities and magic will be unchallenged except by a few.”
Reaching forward, he closed my hand over the orb and held me tight while drawing me closer. “It’s still best to be cautious before placing an orb inside you. Spend the time to master the process and, in time, you will be able to create more powerful orbs, and even have multiple cores.”
“That’s enough,” Shamash insisted. “Thank you, master orc, for your kindness. I’m sure the young master will not forget it.”
As if frightened, Kulnath sprang to his feet and gave a full bow in the lich’s direction. “Of course. Thank you for indulging me.” He then turned to me, only bowing his head. “I hope our paths cross once again, young master. I will take my leave.” A few moments later, he was gone.
Offering his hand, Travis helped me to my feet. “That was sudden,” he said, meaning the orc’s departure.
“I fear you don’t understand the reason the orc was so willing to help you,” Shamash responded and appeared before us. “Such gestures are not usually free. He’s powerful enough that he could’ve attacked and killed you both. That would be difficult with me around, but not impossible. Instead, he decided to gamble. If you live long enough, you will become powerful. With a lich in your service, that is guaranteed. If need arises, he will seek you out and ask a favor in return for his kindness today.”
Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series Page 11