“AHHH!” Will screamed, scrambling away from the monsters before him. Stray rocks clattered away under his hands and feet, throwing disproportionately large shadows behind them, changing the visual landscape of his retreat. A larger shadow approached, moving with intent.
Fueled by adrenaline, he pivoted, deflecting a fast approaching spider leg. The spider it was attached to, easily the size of a horse, chittered at him in rage. “Why are they so big?!”
Silently, a shadow dropped from above as Nina gracefully landed on the mega-spider. She easily slipped a blade into the beast's head, ending it. “It’s a Domain. Things are usually weird like that, right?”
“That doesn’t mean they have to be so big! They could have been dog-sized, or even cat-sized! That wouldn't have been so bad!” He quickly ducked behind his shield as a clump of sticky webbing flew through the air at him. Instead of hitting the shield, it went into the shield, before just as quickly coming back out. A spider charging toward Will had a half-second of confusion before it became stuck in its own webbing, rooted to the spot.
Sedately, a silver hand holding a dagger flew up around the spider. It struggled to free itself, but its struggle was quickly put to an end. “Eh, a Domain like this, we’d be facing whole swarms of the things if they were that size. After our little surprise encounter with a swarm-type Boss, I don’t think our party has the right skill-set for that.”
“I just feel like smaller ones would be a little–” Will grunted, going to a knee as he thrust his shield above his head. A sharp leg thrust into the surface of the shield, entering almost all the way up to the joint. Simultaneously, a reflection of the leg thrust out, spearing into the spider. “--easier to handle.”
“You’re doing such a good job keeping their attention though!” Annette called out from a small alcove up on the wall. Her bees, those few that she’d called out, were tirelessly distracting and blinding the monstrous spiders. Unable to sting through their hard exoskeleton, it was what they could manage in the fight.
Annette stepped to the edge of her alcove, holding her staff aloft. The layered surface of the hive at the end split, revealing a brief glimpse of golden comb, capped combs full of honey, combs with larvae, and empty comb. The view into the hive was interrupted as a clump of wax, roughly head-sized, rocketed out and speared into a spider climbing on the ceiling above Will. It dropped, and Annette sat back in the wax comb she’d conjured on the wall, watching the fight.
Putting his sword to use for the first time in minutes– No, Will shook his head, I’m just being judicious. You should always practice good judgement with weapons. He stabbed the fallen spider. Looking around the cavern, he sighed. This is a better matchup… But spiders? Really?
“Well, all I can do is get through it, I guess.” He muttered. Smacking his sword against his shield, he yelled out. “All right you big creepy creatures! Let’s get this over with!”
-=-<^>-=-
For Tarrus, it had been another normal day. He’d woken up, grabbed some breakfast at what was quickly becoming his favorite restaurant, gone to work, done some enchanting, and headed home.
For his parents, it had evidently been a whirlwind of a day.
Tarrus stepped into his family’s house here in Gran, a place that had slowly begun to feel more and more like a home, and found something amiss. Perhaps his fathers framed leaf pressings were askew on the wall. Perhaps his mother had changed the scent of candle she used.
Perhaps it was the strangers wandering through the hallway.
On seeing him, one of the individuals, loaded down with books and binders, called out. “He’s back!”
Tarrus stepped back, slinging his backpack around to the front. He quickly reached in, grabbing a flame-expelling strip of metal. Something to distract at least…
His caution turned to confusion as his mother, Astrid, came careening into the hall. “Tarry! Finally! I have some questions for you.” She grabbed his hand and started pulling him along. “Your dad was messing with his rock collection, and he noticed some interesting things in your collection box. I wanted to ask where you got them.”
They were in the living room now, along with Mark. While it could still serve the purpose of a living room, one could be forgiven for thinking it was a display room. Much of the decor was intended to show off things that the family had found in the area. Evidently a tradition since before his rebirth, their home in Scalis had a similar aesthetic direction.
His mom was still talking. Tarrus floundered in confusion for a second. This is too much. I need to assert some control, and get some information. He cleared his throat. “Silence! What is this I hear about finding something in my collection box?” He cast his mind back. All I’ve put in there are my enchantment experiment cast-offs. What would be interesting in those?
Astrid opened her mouth, about to launch back into it, when Mark held up his hand. “Maybe I should explain? You can get a bit intense, Astrid…”
She paused for a moment, indignant, before deflating. “Okay…”
Mark nodded at her, smiling. “Okay. Where to begin…” He put his hands together, a considerate expression on his face. He gestured at Tarrus. “You know that your mother and I can’t do magic as well as most people.”
Tarrus nodded. “You both have low magic potential.” His mother put her hand on his shoulder. They’d known he had aspirations that involved being a powerful user of magic. He knew they felt guilty that he’d never be able to achieve those dreams. He still saw flashes of it in their faces from time to time.
Like now.
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He thought their guilt was somewhat amusing, and definitely misplaced. It’s clear to me that the reincarnation spell I devised severed some part of my soul related to magic potential. These two may well have been the first couple to have a child with a compatible magic potential for my soul. In a world of increasing ambient magic, I may never have been reborn without these two.
He gave Astrids hand a light squeeze, and flashed her a smile. No sense in letting them carry that burden too long.
Mark nodded. “Yes. We both have low magic potential, so we can’t cast spells that require a fine touch. But… We do have our own special magic.”
Tilting his head, Tarrus glanced at his enchanted scrap materials on the table. “And this… ‘special magic’ led you into my collection box?”
He nodded, scratching at the back of his head. “Yeah, pretty much. I know it sounds weird,” he said, putting his hands up, “but I’ve always had this… spark I feel now and then. About people, places, things. And when I follow that spark, good things happen.”
Astrid nodded vigorously. “Very good things. I started a few companies on some of his lucky sparks, you know.”
Tarrus started, looking over his shoulder at her. “Companies? You’ve owned businesses before?”
She nodded, grinning in a way he hadn’t seen from her before. Like a predator re-living its greatest hunts. Mark chuckled. “Yeah, your mother has always had a knack for business. It helps that she read people, too.”
Walking around to sit next to Mark, she pointed at herself. “That’s my special bit of magic. I can read the emotions of people near me. Helps with catching liars and crooked businessmen.”
Tarrus frowned, trying not to think about if that made him feel vulnerable or exposed. Instead, he tried to process this new information and apply it to his past. Special abilities related to magic like this aren’t unheard of, but… “Why haven’t I heard of this before? I’ve never seen evidence of…” He trailed off, flashing back to small memories.
His mom, who often said her hobby was managing the family's finances. What family had finances that needed managing every weekend for hours at a time?
His dad, who always came back with new items or stories. He glanced at the displays around the room. I guess that one could have been a bit more obvious.
Astrid nodded, sensing – apparently literally– his growing acceptance. “We haven’t talked about it much, because none of it has really been a part of our lives since you were born. I sold the businesses, and your dad hasn’t had any big sparks since then.”
“‘Since’ when, exactly? What was this last ‘big spark’?”
Mark pointed at him. “Since you were born. You were my last big spark.”
Astrid bumped his shoulder, grinning. “Well, technically it was when you were conceived ,but…”
Mark blushed, and Tarrus threw up his hands. “Agh! Cease this line of thought, immediately!” He was sickened. Thankfully, he had something to distract him. If I was the result of his last lucky feeling… That feeling might be why I was reborn. But… Where do those feelings of his come from? He can’t be clairvoyant– I refuse to believe that there is natural magic that can see into the future. He considered his father. Perhaps an impulse sent from a sentient third party? Like a guardian angel–. He grimaced. –Is what a lesser magician would think. A benefactor then, and one that aided me as well.
A minute or two had passed in silence, his parents silently watching him mull it over. He shook his head. “Bah, I’ll have time to think on it later. What was this ‘big spark’ that has you excited?”
Excitedly, Astrid tapped the table. “These! These enchanted items, where did you get them? Did you make them?”
He nodded. “They’re scrap, cast-offs from practice and experiments. This is what all the fuss is about?”
“Well, yes and no. In their current state, I think they aren’t useful for much. But, having messed around with these a bit, I have a few ideas on products that could sell well.”
Tarrus’ eyes brightened. “Well, I have been thinking that I need a bit of money lately…”
Astrid rubbed her hands together while Mark smiled from the side. “Excellent! This is what I had in mind…”
-=-<^>-=-
With a vicious strike, Nina cleaved through the remainder of the Boss spider's exoskeleton, severing vital connections inside its body. In the shock of the attack, it lost its balance, tumbling to its side. With the body no longer able to support the movement of the legs, they curled in on themselves, and then all went still.
And then Will struck the Boss again.
Brushing some silk off her clothes, Anette walked past. “It was already dead. Their legs curl up like that when they die.”
Panting, he wiped off his sword. “I know. Just had to make sure. I don’t want to see any more spiders today.”
She passed him a wax comb full of honey. “Are they really so bad? I don’t think they’re much different from bees.”
He gave her a flat look. “Bees are so much better. They’re kind of cute, they fly, they’re peaceful AND,” he said, pointing at her, “they won’t try to eat me.”
She nodded along with his points. “Mhmm, they are cute, they do fly, they’re not all peaceful AND,” she pointed at him, “some of them eat flesh. Or so I’ve heard.”
“Oh. I’m so glad you shared that with me. That’s really the kind of information I wanted to come away with today.”
She chuckled. “Happy to help. By the way, wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of item after the Boss?”
“Already on it,” Gerald called out. He had several silver hands floating about, pulling a large silk sack from the ceiling of the current room. One of the hands rose up with a dagger, and hacked through the silk. His hands reached deep in and pulled the hidden item out.
“Hey, shoes! Hmm.” He looked at them appraisingly. “These are a… fashion choice, for sure. Any of you kids want some new shoes?”
The shoes, which looked more like slippers on close inspection, were designed to mimic the appearance of a spider. The feet went into the thorax, which had a little head on the end, and legs coming off the side.
Nina scoffed. “They look stupid. I’ll try them out.” She put them on, and tried walking in them. The legs moved as she did.
“Ew, gross,” Will said. “They’re enchanted, right? Try putting some magic in and see what they do.”
“Mm, not really the best practice,” Gerald groused, before sighing. “And, she’s already doing it.”
Nina grinned, taking a few experimental steps. “Hoho, this is gonna be fun.” She took off running, straight at a wall.
Without breaking stride, she continued up the wall, running for several seconds before the magic gave out. She hit the ground, and started cackling.
Gerald dragged a hand down his face. “Annette, have some healing ready. I think we’re gonna be dealing with this all the way back.”