"Nathan!" Samantha exclaimed. "We told you, no attempting to contract with that dragon! If it gets pissed because-"

"You mean the one in the Appalachians?" Master Torzin asked, and the seniors looked back to him.

"Yeah," Nathan responded. "Though I wasn't considering making him my familiar. Not yet, anyway. I'm still getting over the headache from contracted Ichtvar. But a being as old and powerful as you, you might have some idea of something that can be used to lessen how much he demands."

"Not really," Master Torzin shrugged. "I'm the one who worked out the current arrangement. Twenty magical items are crafted for him each month, with a delivery every few days. It takes a hundred enchanters, a lot of resources, a permanent gate to a 'dead' world to harvest a few resources before the protective magics are too weak to resist the toxins in the air, and a lot of mana."

"At least we know how he got clearance," Keith whispered to Nathan.

"Whispering isn't that effective," Master Torzin said. "Considering all five of us are awakened. On the topic of Endariv, the dragon over there, I'd say that Ichtvar might be able to negotiate him down a little on the resources front. It's costing the U.S. quite a lot of money, and the only reason it's worked as long as it has is because a few other nations are interested in not wanting a fifteen-century-old dragon going on a rampage."

"Ichtvar?" Nathan asked. "What does he have to do with the dragon?"

"Ichtvar is a sort of father to him," Master Torzin explained. "His flames were the ones that warmed the dragon's egg. He was there at Endariv's birth. So Ichtvar might be able to lower the demand. Endariv is mostly interested in magical items."

Nathan thought for a few minutes, feeling Keith nudging him and giving him a knowing look. The senior was pretty sure that his martial arts instructor had more in mind than just the negotiation, but there was a possibility that Nathan and Ichtvar might be able to.

If the System couldn't register and replicate his cards yet, then it was likely the dragon hadn't seen an enchantment like that. If the dragon was doing it out of curiosity to see what the 'mortals' would make, then Nathan's cards might prove useful, but only the ones that could be used multiple times unless it was something special.

"Alright," Nathan removed his blazer. "Though I'll need to approach with something decent as well, in case Ichtvar fails. Let's spar, sir."

"Done with all the talking?" Master Torzin asked.

"Yes," Nathan handed his blazer to Samantha, then removed his tie and shirt, handing those to her as well.

The other seniors stepped off the mats to watch as Master Torzin and Nathan bowed to each other. Then, the two began sparring, and Nathan quickly noticed that the other demigod was matching his speed and strength, taking every blow, so he began easing up on holding back.

Eventually, the pair were moving at Nathan's quickest speed. To the agents that had entered the gym, the pair were only visible from time to time, their strikes against each other resounding out with loud cracks and echoes from the force and speed. The sound was the source of the agents, who came to investigate the sudden thundercracks sounding out from the gym.

After nearly an hour of sparring, Nathan collapsed onto the mats, having been thrown there by his master, who extended a hand and helped the senior to his feet.

"How did you keep up with me?" Nathan asked. "I went past what Michael was doing and stopped holding back."

"I can match or overcome my opponents," Master Torzin explained. "In strength and speed, and I can resist any attack thrown at me. It's a combination of power from my mother and self-enhancement magics. If I wanted to, I could throw down with most any mortal foe, including ones with twice your strength and speed."

"Dragons?"

"No," Master Torzin shook his head. "Unfortunately, Endariv is much too powerful for me. If he were a thousand years younger, I could likely take him. As it is, even my quickest speed would probably be slow to him and my strongest punch unnoticeable against his scales or hide."

"Damn," Keith whistled as Nathan pulled the rest of his outfit back on. "Can we spar magically? My mana's about the same as Nathan, though I have more magical power than him, and it's not every day I can actually spar."

"Sure," Master Torzin said. "Let me perform an enchantment real fast."

"I thought you said you couldn't help Nathan with enchanting because you weren't too good at it?" Samantha asked.

"To be clear," Master Torzin said. "I learned this enchantment specifically as a barrier enchantment. It's a different type of enchantment that protects the environment from magical damage. I learned it so that I could train others without worry. I already have a similar one running in this room, which is why Nathan and I sparring didn't affect the room."

"I'm going to go shower," Nathan told Master Torzin. "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome," Master Torzin said. "I still expect you to be training with me twice a week. No matter how much you know, I'm three hundred thousand years old, have been in seven dimensions, and on more than two hundred worlds. I know more combat things than you will probably learn in the next century."

Nathan nodded, then started to leave.

"And once they get the forge installed, you're doing more metalworking with me."

Nathan groaned, then grabbed Samantha's hand pulled her along.

"Metalworking?" She asked after they had left the room.

"Master Torzin wants me to work jewelry and stuff," Nathan sighed. "Doing fine crafting. Now that I know about this crafted portion of my soul, I think it's because of that. From my understanding, most artifacts are some form of jewelry or other metal item."

They reached Nathan's room, and he grabbed a change of clothes, then Samantha grabbed a change from hers, and they made their way to the showers, sharing a showerhead.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Oooh," Samantha moaned as Nathan washed her. "How are you even resisting? I know you've got to be as sensitive to touch as I am, since you're awakened."

"With great difficulty," he answered, causing her to laugh. "I have a gift arriving for you in the next few days, by the way."

"What kind of gift?"

"Keith told me," he responded. "About a company that creates magic dildos. It was apparently started by a pregnant woman who wasn't able to exert herself very much during the pregnancy due to health issues."

"And these dildos do all the work for me?" She asked.

"Yes," Nathan nodded. "No exertion on your part, just insert and let it do the work and bring you to orgasm."

"And… you ordered one?"

"They're custom-made," Nathan informed her. "Molded to the desired dick, as long as the owner approved."

"Approved?" She asked. "Wait, you molded your dick for a dildo for me?"

"I had William do it, too, so you had a smaller option."

"That's not-never mind!" Samantha laughed. "What happens after it's made? To the mold, I mean?"

"It's destroyed unless permission is given to keep it."

"And any copies of it?"

"The government apparently regulates this," Nathan told her, and she gave him an incredulous look. "Yeah, surprised me, too. Something about a wizard getting pissed when he found out that an employee was selling dildos made using his mold. I didn't pay attention when Keith was telling it to me. Now shut up and let me finish washing you, you keep moving around."

Samantha turned back around so Nathan could finish washing her legs and ass, and after he finished, he began cleaning himself. They rinsed off and dried, then dressed, took care of their dirty clothes, and rejoined the others in the gym.

The sparring match between Keith and Master Torzin was over, and Master Torzin was teaching Michael, William, and Keith a few martial arts moves. When he finished, three teens left for the showers, and Nathan gave Samantha a kiss on her check.

"Can you give us some privacy?" He asked.

"Do I need to be jealous?"

"Only of Katie," he told her, gently pushing her off the bleachers. "I just want to talk to him about some stuff."

She nodded and left, and Nathan waited for Master Torzin to sit beside him.

"I've erected a privacy barrier," he informed Nathan, who raised an eyebrow. "It's a form of wind spell, so unless your psychic friend utilizes his power, no one will overhear us. What did you wish to discuss?"

"The things crafted souls in the past have essentially confirmed."

"That," Master Torzin said. "You remember the theory that the souls are stored for the next iteration of the universe?"

Nathan nodded.

"The crafted souls is the reason behind that theory," Master Torzin explained. "Seeing the three of you is what pretty much confirmed it to me. Those of us who know about crafted souls noticed that there were two types of 'shaping' in the souls. The first was the kind I described about the three of you: where it's something the Well of Souls shaped during the crafting of your souls."

"And the second?" Nathan asked.

"Tendency towards certain things," Master Torzin answered. "Or rather, some affinity for certain types. You, Samantha, and Keith don't have those markers, but every other crafted soul we've seen have. A sort of imprint, if you will, one that wasn't purged from the soul."

"An imprint?" Nathan asked. "What kind of imprint?"

"For a certain sex or type of being," Master Torzin responded. "Rather than simply having the person or creature with the soul having an affinity for certain things, the imprints meant their souls were more compatible with certain types of beings. Being a male or female, sapient or monstrous, affinities for certain types of magics beyond just what the soul's shaping made – stuff like that."

"And you believe those come from the past?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," Master Torzin nodded. "From their past lives, in past universes. It could be that souls crafted by the Well of Souls take on some of the traits of the first incarnation they live, or that they're imprinted over many incarnations, taking on the repeated traits as their affinities. Unfortunately, without any concrete knowledge, this is all but a theory."

"But a decent one," Nathan nodded. "If the Well of Souls ran out of souls to send into our universe and needed to generate new ones, does that mean our universe has had more beings with souls born than any past universe, if past ones did exist?"

"That's the theory," Master Torzin told him. "So, Nathan – was there anything else you wished to discuss?"

"Yes," Nathan answered. "Could you write down everything you know about enchanting? Without looking stuff up or getting answers from others?"

"I already told you-"

"I'm aware," Nathan said. "I just want to see what you have. You mentioned you knew some, just that it's not something you paid attention to."

"I will," Master Torzin said. "And I expect you to train with me tomorrow."

"I'll be here at five," Nathan told him. "As usual. If you aren't here, then my training with you won't occur."

Nathan stood and left the gym, making his way to Keith's room, where he waited until the magician arrived.

"Hey," Keith said. "Lurking?"

"Can you write down everything you know regarding enchanting?" Nathan asked.

"I already gave you-"

"The book," Nathan nodded. "But I want to know what you know. The runes, the formations, the theories – all of it. But only what you know, not what others do. And can you have your lady friend do the same?"

"Sure?" Keith responded. "But why?"

"Sometimes," Nathan said. "Things can be missed when you only have one or two viewpoints."

"And you think," Keith said. "You might discover something new if you have several peoples' knowledge and wordings combined."

"Correct," Nathan said. "Now, you said in the game that you were attempting to create a gate to another world, but from the sounds of things, some have been made before."

Keith sighed at Nathan's comment, aware his classmate wouldn't let up until he found out the full extent of the project.

"My friend and I," he told Nathan. "Were trying to make a gate to another world – one that was less-costly to create. However, that wasn't the main project we were collaborating on. We were working on two projects, and the other one was more important."

"What was it?" Nathan asked.

"A bomb," Keith answered, and Nathan raised an eyebrow. "To kill the dragon in the Appalachians. I told you a nuke wouldn't even bother it, right?"

"Yeah."

"We were trying to create the magical equivalent of a nuke," Keith told Nathan. "Something powerful enough to overcome a dragon's power, shields, and natural resistances. We'd leave a massive crater in the mountains, but we'd also no longer have to deal with the dragon."

"Can I have those notes, too?" Nathan asked.

"Sure," Keith said, then frowned. "You're not planning on tricking the dragon into thinking the large, fancy enchanted rock is a bomb, are you?"

"No," Nathan snorted. "But seeing it might help me with more cards."

If he could enchant a card to act as a bomb, either triggered remotely, after a set amount of time, or under pressure, then it might help in some Survival Challenges or in a scenario where he's under attack from a lot of monsters at once. Keith's notes would give him some idea of what was needed for it.

Bombs were a new concept to Ichtvar, who was apparently very out-of-touch with certain aspects of humanity. He thought they were just fireballs with a boom.

"Alright," Keith said. "I'll see if I can get them here without issue. Probably won't be, since they-"

"And speaking of your buddy-buddy relationship with Samtol-"

"We're not buddy-buddy," Keith snorted. "He just wants me to help with a few things, and they'll overlook me hacking them."

"See if he can get me the research and notes of enchanters," Nathan said. "From the enchanters themselves. And if I can't get that restricted knowledge, including the stuff that started an Ice Age."

"You're not planning on starting an Ice Age, are you?" Keith asked.

"No," Nathan answered. "But it might help me with other projects."

"I'll see if he will," Keith sighed.

"Good," Nathan said. "See to it that you do."