by Aleron Kong
She just kept smiling at him. It honestly started getting a little weird to Richter, so after a minute or two he asked, “Well, will you?”
Without losing the grin, she said, “Absolutely. I have told you before that such aid would come at a price, however.”
Richter’s lips wrinkled in a sour twist. He had no problem paying for new spells, but she could have mentioned it before he was kneeling in front of her. He was basically in the opposite of a power pose. The chaos seed had a sneaking suspicion that she had planned it that way. Still, there was nothing for it now. “Of course,” he said almost magnanimously, “what can I do to help my generous ally?”
Hisako rapped him on the head lightly, yet another reason she had wanted him kneeling, he was sure. “Do not be fresh. I have warned you about that before.” She fixed him with a pointed look until he mumbled something that sounded like ‘okay’ with perhaps a little something extra added at the end. It was apparently enough, though, because she continued, “Great battles loom ahead. Your settlement is young, but has great potential. It already has great resources in fact. I would ask that you help to outfit my warriors with enchanted weapons. I could not help but notice that you know a Life damage enchantment.” Her voice turned coy at the end.
“You couldn’t help but notice, huh?” Richter asked. He was really starting to get irritated that he was having to kneel while having this conversation. His knee was also starting to throb a bit, which didn’t help his mood. “What else did that spell tell you about me?” he asked suspiciously.
Her smile deepened, but she ignored his question, “If you would provide ten short swords, high steel or better, that were enchanted with Life damage, I would happily give you spells now that will help you greatly.”
You have received a Quest: Steel for Magic I. The Lady Hisako has asked you to provide ten short swords, high steel or better, enchanted with Life damage. Reward: Spells from Lady Hisako right now. Fail Condition: One month passing without delivery. Penalty for Failure: Loss of Personal and Village reputation with Hisako and the Sprites of the Hearth Tree respectively. Yes or No?
Richter blinked in surprise. He had honestly been expecting a larger ask. His mouth opened to agree, but then a thought occurred to him, “I would happily do this for you without anything in return.”
She tsked and shook her head at him, “You are really quite bad at haggling, Lord Richter. Being kind is one thing, but don’t be a fool. As a leader, you must negotiate for the benefit of your people.”
Richter nodded and looked chastened, as if that hadn’t already occurred to him. “You’re right, Lady Hisako. I do need to think of my people. You know,” he said raising one finger as if in inspiration, “it just occurred to me that we could make a more formal agreement. If I were to say, oh, I don’t know, agree to provide ten enchanted swords per month for the foreseeable future, you might send me some experienced craftsmen to help grow my village.”
Her eyes narrowed, and a crafty glint entered her eye, “One craftsman for ten swords sounds very agreeable.”
The chaos seed sighed regretfully, “Any sprite is worth a mountain of gold, I fully agree. Unfortunately, I do not believe that only one craftsman would free up enough workers to be able to meet such a large order of enchanted swords each month.”
“How, pray tell, does a builder, crafter or alchemist keep your smiths from working?” she asked.
“If I have learned one thing from your lessons about nature, it is that all things are connected,” Richter responded, bowing his head. “Either way, I do of course agree to provide you with ten enchanted Life swords.”
He had apparently overplayed his hand because he received another, harder, rap on the head. Hisako softened it with a laugh, though. Richter heard her mutter “Fresh” under her breath, but then she placed one hand on his head and the other on his chest. Power pulsed down her arms, and he knew!
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Minor Slow Heal! Restore 90 missing health over 60 seconds upon casting. This is a spell of Life Magic, level 9. Cost: 56 mana. Duration: 60 seconds. Range: Touch. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 1 min.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Mend Bone! Fix small, uncomplicated breaks in bone. Must be targeted to each fracture. This is a spell of Life Magic, level 8. Cost: 59 mana. Duration: 1 second. Range: Touch. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Summon Weak Gold Fox! Summons a magical fox that will heal you and allies for one hundred points each. The fox may heal five times before disappearing. This is a spell of Life Magic, level 10. Cost: 102 mana. Duration: 14 minutes. Range: 11 feet. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 4 hours.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Static Life Shield! Creates a magical sphere around you comprised of Life magic. The shield has 100 HPs. Shield defense strength +3 (+9 vs Death attacks). Ineffective against Life attacks. Only your Life-based spells may leave the boundaries of the shield. Physically touching your own shield will dispel it. This is a spell of Life Magic, level 10. Cost: 127 mana. Duration: 5 minutes. Range: Self. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 38 minutes.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Summon Minor Chokespore Arachnid! Summons a level twelve Chokespore Arachnid. This is a spell of Earth Magic, level 9. Cost: 117 mana. Duration: 14 minutes. Range: 8 feet. Cast Time: 4 seconds. Cooldown: 92 minutes.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Minor Chitin Carapace! Covers the target in a flexible carapace. Natural armor increased by +6. This is a spell of Earth Magic, level 9. Cost: 68 mana. Duration: 25 minutes. Range: 3 feet. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 27 minutes.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Static Earth Shield! Creates a magical sphere around you comprised of Earth magic. The shield has 200 HPs. Shield defense strength +5 (+15 vs Air attacks). Does not protect vs Earth attacks. Only your Earth-based spells may leave the boundaries of the shield. Physically touching your own shield will dispel it. This is a spell of Earth Magic, level 10. Cost: 136 mana. Duration: 10 minutes. Range: Self. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 24 minutes.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Mirror Image! A duplicate image of yourself is summoned nearby. It will duplicate your actions with small variations to take terrain into account. Number of images is determined by Light Magic/5. Max 5 images. This is a spell of Light Magic, level 7. Cost: 61 mana. Duration: 8 minutes. Range: Self. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Weak Magic Missiles! This spell produces colorful balls of magical force that fly unerringly towards the enemy. Each sphere causes 4-5 points of magical force damage. Each sphere can be directed towards different enemies. Number of missiles is determined by (1 + Light Magic/5). Maximum 7 missiles. This is a spell of Light Magic, level 5. Cost: 38 mana. Duration: Instant. Range: 100 yards. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Richter mind swelled from the sudden and almost simultaneous flood of information. He drew in a ragged breath and coughed as it came out. A tear formed in the corner of one eye. It wasn’t exactly pain, but more that his brain needed time to process of all of the new spells. He went down on all fours, and, for the next few seconds, it was all he could do not to tip over. Even the awesomeness of learning two shield spells and one of his old favorites, Weak Magic Missile, couldn’t make him rally. The chaos seed remained kneeling until his head stopped spinning.
When his breathing was under control, he looked up and saw Hisako looking at him. “I didn’t expect you to be quite so… generous with new spells,” he said.
She reached out and touched him lightly on the cheek with an open hand. Her voice was kind when she said, “Such is the bounty of being an ally of the Hearth Mother. Now that that is completed, however,” her voice grew deadly playful, “let us formalize our trade agreement.”
The two of them spoke for a quarter of an hour, battering lightly back and forth, but they agr
eed on terms easily enough. Richter hoped his negotiations with other heads of state would go as easily, but he had a feeling that the agreement was reached quickly because of the strong relationship between himself and the Hearth Mother. She even agreed to supply a certain amount of filled common soul stones each month, if he agreed to make the enchantments rank three or better. When they were done, they were both satisfied. He agreed to supply even more weapons each month, but got a great deal in response. Richter was rewarded with a series of notifications.
Quest Update: Steel for Magic I. You have accepted payment for ten swords enchanted with Life magic, high steel or better. Deliver the swords within one month or suffer major penalties!
Congratulations! You have created your first Trade Treaty with another settlement! The terms of this treaty cannot be cancelled for half a year, though it can be renegotiated at any time with the consent of both parties. Failure to fulfill the terms of a Trade Treaty can have SERIOUS consequences. Early delivery may be negotiated and looked upon favorably.
The Mist Village offers:
The Hearth Tree offers:
15 enchanted swords per month:
Material - High steel or better
Enchantment rank - 3 or better
Quality - Superb or better
Skilled craftsmen:
1 worker with Construction skill, Journeyman or higher
1 worker with Crafting skill, Journeyman or higher
1 worker with Farming skill, Journeyman or higher
1 worker with Bowmaking skill, Journeyman or higher
30 soul stones per month, filled with common souls or better
Before finalizing the treaty, Hisako warned him that her builder might not be completely effective in the village. Because Richter was a human, she thought his settlement might be considered “human.” Sprite buildings were often grown as much as built, so while her builder would be able to create buildings, the magical perks might not take hold. Richter thought about her words, but then remembered how his Limitless ability seemed to be bleeding into various facets of village life, research being the latest. He told the Hearth Mother that he wanted to give it a try. She just shrugged and acceded, but also reminded him that the treaty couldn’t be cancelled for half a year.
Richter felt like it was a chance worth taking. He also had something else on his mind, because, in addition to finally creating a trade treaty, he had received a new skill!
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Diplomacy. As the leader of a settlement, your words and deeds have the ability to affect hundreds. Perhaps one day, millions. Increase this skill to improve the regard other leaders have for you and your policies. Diplomacy can be advanced by representing your settlement in dealings with other settlements, factions, guilds or powerful figures as well as holding to other deals that you have already made. You may now earn diplomacy points. “Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.”
Current Diplomacy Points (Mist Village→ Hearth Tree):0
Not even leveling made Richter as happy as gaining a new skill, and this one seemed like it could help his entire village! He was also eager to learn how Diplomacy points could be used. A moment later, a thought occurred to him, though. Did Hisako already have the Diplomacy skill? He had thought he was getting the better end of the deal, but now he was starting to wonder. His swords were Core forged after all… Richter narrowed his eyes at the Hearth Mother for a moment, but then just let it go. The truth was, the trade treaty would benefit them both. It was also a sign of just how far his relationship with the sprites had come.
Hisako had always been fair, but when they had first met, she had also almost sentenced him to death. Through his words and deeds, he had increased their relationship from neutral all the way up to ally. Richter was positive that neither the treaty nor the spells he had just received would have happened without their close bond. It was just another example of the unspoken laws of The Land exerting themselves in his daily life. Sometimes Richter felt resentful at having his actions unknowingly dictated by unseen forces, but then he realized it wasn’t too different than his life on Earth. In The Land, it was just more readily quantifiable.
He started to leave, but she put a hand on his elbow. Though she didn’t grab him, he still stopped moving and looked at her askance. Hisako pursed her lips before speaking, “As I was assessing you with my spell, I noticed something strange.”
“Speak freely,” Richter said.
“You may not know this, but the mana for your magic comes from an intangible reservoir within you. This is called your mana core.”
“I hadn’t heard it put in exactly those words,” Richter replied slowly, “but I do feel something inside me being harnessed when I cast spells.”
“Yes. You are feeling your mana being pulled from your core. A magical field permeates your entire body and the bodies of all living things. It is often called an aura. The magic can typically only be utilized once it coalesces in your core. Some call it a mana pool and some call it a reservoir. No matter what the term, it is the repository for your magic. When you increase your Intelligence, your mana core grows larger. It also makes the mana it holds more condensed. That is why increasing Intelligence makes spells slightly more powerful and harder for others to resist. When you increase your Willpower, you increase the refill rate of your core. Your entire magical field becomes more vibrant which makes it easier to harness usable magic. A secondary effect of strengthening your magical field is that it increases your general arcane resistance slightly. Are you following?” she asked.
Richter nodded. Nothing she was saying was terribly surprising, but it was still good to have a concrete understanding of the power he wielded. Seeing his eagerness to learn more, she continued, “One thing that we sprites do to our young magi is circulate this energy through their bodies, especially into their hands as most spells are focused there. Doing that reduces the risk of spell miscasts and makes the casting of higher level spells easier. What I saw when I was assessing you with my spell was that your mana pool is only loosely connected to the rest of your body. You have some channels that have formed by your spell casting or when you imbue arrows, but they are very inefficient. If you like, I could use my own magic field to manipulate yours. This is something I would not generally recommend, as it leaves both parties vulnerable. Because I regard you so highly, however, I am willing to do this.”
Once again, his relationship with Hisako seemed to be coming into play. Not really seeing a downside, he nodded. Seeing his assent, she raised both arms, but this time she just held her hands upright, palms flat. She motioned with her hands, and Richter did the same, placing his larger hands flat against her own.
Hisako, the Hearth Mother, would like to access your mana core. Do you wish to allow this? Yes or No? Alert! Doing this can allow the other party to cause you great and irreparable harm!
Well, she did warn him, Richter thought with a grimace. Still, if you can’t trust a sorceress that looks like a cross between a Scottish druid and a Japanese geisha, who can you trust? He chose “Yes.”
Hisako nodded, somehow aware that she had been granted access and said, “This might feel… a bit weird.” A strange tickling began in both of his hands and traveled down his arms and into his chest.
“That’s not so b-” was all he got about before pain slammed into his mind like a semi crushing an ice cream cone. All he knew was black.
CHAPTER 19 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 15,386 EBG
“Ow. Ow! Oooowwwww! What the fucked just happened? Who’s been kicking me in the head?” Richter shouted as he regained consciousness a few seconds later. It had felt like she had ripped his asshole up through his body. His arms throbbed as if he had tried to grab lightning and his head felt like he had been drinking shitty vodka all night.
“You’re welcome,” she said with a grin. “Before you complain any further, I think you’ll find a prompt waiting for you.”
&n
bsp; Glaring daggers at the masochistic Master, he checked his notifications.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Mana Manipulation. There is more to manipulating the arcane mysteries than words and gestures. The Hearth Mother has aligned your mana field to allow for easier casting of spells and decreased possibility of misfires. Learning this skill has unlocked the basic attack spell of all casters.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Manifest Mana. This spell has no specific affinity for any type of magic. Instead, the power and effects of this spell are determined by the skill level of Mana Manipulation. Successful casting of this spell makes your mana tangible in the physical world. At skill level one, the cost is 100 mana and, if thrown at an attacker, will cause 1 point of magical force damage. This is an unaligned spell, level 1. Cost: variable. Duration: Instant. Range: variable. Cast Time: variable. Cooldown: N/A.
“I hope there is more coming that that!” Richter exclaimed. “I mean I appreciate all the previous spells, but this Mana Attack is straight garbage. It certainly wasn’t worth you ripping my taint through my mouth!”
“Shush,” Hisako admonished him. “I do not know what your ‘taint’ is, but I believe I can guess. If you reference it again in my presence, I will acquaint you with some of my other spells.” ‘Acquaint’ had a suitably ominous undertone, so Richter apologized despite the continual throbbing in his arms and head. Mollified, she continued, “Had you undergone some type of formal training, anywhere in The Land, you would have learned this spell first. While the damage is laughable initially, as you level your Mana Manipulation skill it grows. You are missing the main point, however. Have you noticed the somatic component of this spell?”