Salt's massive use of the domination spell would make it seem very easy too simply takeover an empire. The fact was Salt had used up almost, 1/3 of all the mana he came prepared with. There was also the fact that the simple domination spells had massive downsides overtime in about a month, it would have half the effect it had now. Plus, the victim would have severe brain damage lowering the effectiveness of the domination substantiality. But for now, Salt could use his wealth, and spells to make the work easier.
A massive upside Salt did not expect was for the Scribe tome. His control over it and its subsequent usefulness, went beyond what he had thought in the beginning. Unfortunately, a weakness in his casting has been Uncovered, it would seem when Salt laid down massive spells or workings of the arcane. The outer portion of the spell circles failed to meet his standards. So, after going to the three public central libraries in the capital kingdoms where he uncovered this flaw. Salt decided to spend an entire day in the Central Library of the Empire Capital, upping the efficiency of the copying and his own skills.
Unfortunately, this was also where his hubris got the better of him. As one of the librarian shadow guards had smuggled in an incendiary device. And the subsequent firestorm lost him 1/3 of the library stacks. People were starting to pay attention, so in a bid to end this quickly and quietly. Salt decided to infiltrate the palace, with his usual backlog of notice me nots and Perception, dulling spells. As well as approximately 40 arcane servants, Salt's first target was a small information office in the Shadow Guards barracks. But as his Tome was Copying, He noticed a small ledge. Sending servants down, led to an underground labyrinth. Levitating his servants over the Maze Salt had reached the edge of an underground city. it was Heavily warded and seemingly abandoned, Salt Let his servants search the main boulevards and plazas.
The deeper into the city Salt went. The more mana Permeated The air, until there was enough that Salt did not need to use his own Stores To upkeep the spells. Stopping and taking his time salt started sending out weaker servants with investigation and documentation scrolls. As he himself started construction of an aspect and concept reader ritual. As Salt tried to curb his mana use So as not to alarm whatever was down there. He must have, paradoxically, have triggered a warding, as all his servants snuffed out at roughly the same time.
As Salt felt the road behind him collapse, he marvelled at the engineering as he could not feel the manner in which the signals were sent. As he went through the maze, he would have felt most mana constructs, so he therefore surmised that however it was triggered the execution must have been manual. And the knowledge of how to do that Would be knowledge he could bargain with. Excited at the prospect, but still careful Salt renewed his determination for the aspect and concept reader ritual. But before he was half finished, He felt the tremor through the earth beneath him, and his own eyes could pick up the detection of aspect shadow.
Sending out stationary sunbursts, Salt quickly started to modify His ritual into a second son/sun. The small problem he had now was that he's servants Were infused with the aspects of shadow. This was to help them blend, but in this case. It made them very, very susceptible to whatever was controlling the shadow. Luckily, he had a couple of scrolls of unmodified arcane servants, but whatever guardian Salt had triggered. He would He thought need more than just 2nd circle servants. Regaining most of the mana used on the servant's Salt concentrated and conjured two pieces of the light bringers. Setting them two separate points in the room, Salt camouflaged himself in the roof above the entrance the Guardian needed to enter the room. And waited.
Shadow mana though something salt had used extensively for its versatility. Was not something he had Experience fighting against, so when most of the ground in the hall he was Hanging from Became teeth Rushing towards each other. Shredding both his light bringers quite thoroughly with a remarkable efficiency and consistency that one seldom sees in both the Earth and shadow spectrums. Salt quickly rethought his approach, creating and sending small wizard servant with a Wizards greeting. I quite specialised little space inside A scroll this time where a wizard could Store a sliver will and thus speak to each other. Salt waited for a time.
After an hour when Little had materialised, Salt decided to meet strength with strength. Cladding himself in spectral force Salt Drove through the Earth itself Centred on the greater Mana mass He could feel in the caverns below. Going through the earth with the speed of a Peregrine in a dive. He punched through 2 calm caverns before Umbral creatures started Dogging his steps. There was only a few of them, but they were all 3rd circle, so Salt sped up. Getting through the 3rd cavern unmolested He came upon a rift into A shadow Plane in the 4th cavern. It seemed to him like the umbral creatures shovelled dirt into the Rift and Living Shadow stuff came out. If it had been any other planar rift Salt might have been ecstatic in most of these cases, you could use the rift as a sort of mine. But as of yet, no one had been able to use a shadow mine Without its slippery nature collapsing or taking more wealth to operate then could be extracted.
This could of course all have been propaganda used by People who wanted a monopoly on shadow stuff. But Salt did not have the luxury of Second guessing the knowledge he already had, especially not with the Paragons on the loose. So, with a medium to heavy heart Salt set too cleansing the rift Utilising the only thing he knew was effective against Shadow. Fire.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
What was not talked about in the books he had read that fire were excellent at cleansing the concept of Shadow. Was the God-awful smoke but seeing as it had some mana inside of it, He left two servants with Gas collecting spatial equipment. As he laid down a second, second son/sun ritual, right in front of the rift. Feeling that he had wasted enough time and wealth, Salt started to head towards the palace. And the library that he was sure dwelled within its walls. Taking his time and going from Minister to Minister, Salt at the end after an entire day searching Found the first of the three secret libraries of the empire. At least the ministers were pretty sure there were three, setting to, copying and lamenting the loss of his time Salt had less than two days left. Until the new library was Acknowledged.
Lamenting his loss of time, but also his Arrogance in thinking He would only need three of The Mana Staffs he had brought. The mundane world was Vast Truly, truly unimportant but vast. Going through the copied knowledge to see where the other, Secret Imperial libraries were. And of course, indulging in his hobbies of bookworm hunting and collecting the myriad Grave setting, and burial rituals of differing civilizations. Salt felt he had great success with one and was well on his way to making an anti-contempt and anti-ghost token, that he could use literally everywhere. But the bookworm hunt that was beyond him, He felt he had done the right thing and gone to a more mundane place. But he lacked expertise, So the chances of finding A bookworm untainted by an aspect Where is good as nil.
If there was ever a repeat of this, He would spent some extra wealth, and get some professional hunters in. But at least he had learned how to use his tome mastery on his scribe tome This made the entire thing easier to control. Especially with the newborn tomes he had just Made for the mundane, and mundane secret Knowledge. Reading the myriad of forbidden rituals, this specific empire had been Trying out over the years. He could find very little variation of thought or ideal, most of the projects was in the vein of give me massive warriors. But they had also dabbled in the ever-popular Realm of Citizen, mind control and indoctrination.
Very little of the research was actually tenable, but as he read and double copied it. Some of it could be sold. But he would have to look for customers as the Methodology Was incredibly crude using mechanical Ways to administer alchemical Compounds. If nothing else, it would be a data point If he ever went down this route or was hired to go down this route.
When it was only one day away from His first deadline. Salt Found himself with 18% of the secret library, And maybe 2% of the public. Strangely enough, it was harder to get into the public libraries, mostly because the empire had Gone to war, footing with the rebellion Ably led by the Paragons. With only one day left and not wanting to come back to this shithole, Salt Prepared to break into the royal vaults.
Salt had gathered Information that there was a secret history there. Plus, there was also a few sceptres and swords heirlooms, which would help with the legitimacy of the rebellion. It was true, the Paragons that had not helped them this time, but do not burn all bridges. Was a survival saying, Salt Had taken more than a bit too heart.
Seeing as this was his final day in Morrow Heights and Bob would not come to pick him up for six hours. Salt decided to regain some of his used mana, now normally Salt would have harvested the mundane for all they were worth. But such an atrocity would find their way to his allies' ears. Salt Then settled for paralysing the high command, taking out the local war college, and destroying the Messenger Guild. None of these things were things he could do if there was a wizard to stop him with a counter ambush on unfamiliar ground. The first and 2nd Circle, Mages that inhabited the city was simply not good enough. They lacked investigation spells that would locate him. Movement spells that would keep up with him, the simple coordination of forces that would allow them to confront him. And the shared damage per second to get through his Shields.
After his harvest of some critical parts of the empires ability to go to war. He felt his erstwhile allies, would forgive him when he had things to take care of. Taking care not to harm the royal Imperial family, though plundering what he could from their vaults. After Bob had picked him up, and he had delivered the heirlooms. He felt an itching in his bones, He had been too safe for too long. If he did not shape up, he might as well be a corpse in Nersinia.
After his trek through the land of ever paper, it was almost comforting to meet Manfred the Paladin again. Though the feeling subsided quickly, with the latter's opening sermon. Being pointed as more of a cruise missile towards Certain battlefields and fronts, Salt Happily complied when they asked for his help as an evocation battery. Maybe some killing would Take his mind off how useless this trip had been.
Taking his mood out on the enemy, Was cathartic. But it gave him nothing of value other than acting like training dummies. Not a single mage of any Calibre had taken the field, nor could he charge any of his Items or batteries with The Souls or life force of his enemies. Against the mundane, he was little more than an adult among children, a needless maker of meat. After having killed his fill, Salt performed the burial rites and laying to rest ceremonials. Trying to rid himself of the aural contempt that came with murder. Many would call it a superstition, but he knew for a fact that untreated contempt Could be used in many, many curses against you. It could also, in a strange way, damage your fate. Begging of further bloodshed and saying his Goodbye's, He had Bob teleport him to his nearest portal.
Only taking the time to sell his now no longer so useful staffs, and a majority of his finished scrolls. Salt Headed for his new home, his new workshop, And the toil and wonder of magic anew.