Velvet looked at her new paper sheets. Until now, she had used normal paper sheets and her own magic to do the paper figurines, but the ‘Crafting for Dummies’ had opened her mind.
Artifacts were made enchanting the prime materials. So, if one wanted, for example, good paper for magic, the best one would be made by finding first a piece of land full of magic, usually where dryads and other tree-like entities lived… And use the magical tree of your choice to make the paper. Usually killing the creature that lived there.
That was the most high quality way. Another one would be growing a tree while fertilizing it with compost made from magical beast waste, which was the common way.
Velvet found a few of those sheets of paper, then the next step came.
Originally, she just enchanted the paper and made it into paper figurines. Now, knowing about the addition and compatibility law, she could add some steps.
Compatibility meant the things that could mix without fully transforming something. For example, something that broke the compatibility law were her exploding paper figurines. By mixing a fire spell with paper magic, they reacted and exploded, but she lost the paper figurine that way. The opposite was the strengthening spell that made them harder to break. That one was compatible.
Some things worked because they broke the compatibility law, while others worked because they didn’t. The addition law only applied to the things that followed the compatibility law.
Addition meant the things that could be added to something without ruining its original purpose.
So, if Velvet were to mix fairy dust and gunpowder in the paper, the figurines obtained should be able to teleport and have increased explosion strength.
That was an addition chain. The original spell went:
Normal paper sheet + Velvet’s own magic = Basic paper figurines.
Now:
Magical paper sheet + Fairy Dust + Gunpowder + Velvet’s own magic = ???
So she tried that. The paper figurines bloomed from the sheet, slowly spinning. Every time they spinned, they teleported to a different part of the room.
“Hm…” Then, the figurines started popping colorful, blinding lights uncontrollably, as if they had become miniature fireworks.
That was bad. Velvet stopped them fast, before they burned down the room and the materials. It was a true closed room chase, since the figurines didn’t stop teleporting.
She ended up putting some blessed water in a broom and whacking them with it. Still, they ended up making a mess of the room.
Oh well, free of charge.
It seemed that fairy dust and gunpowder did not follow the compatibility law.
“That’s why you wear protection and experiment…” She sighed. “Still, the fairy dust IS very good.”
She heard Hyde's voice in her head. “Five minutes.”
Velvet grabbed a reddish bottle at random. “Salamander wast-… Uh, that sounds no compatible and weird.”
“That’s what a coward would say. Mix it.”
“You are just curious about the result. I have five minutes Hyde.”
“Are you a chicken?”
“... You want salamander shit? Okay.” She started making a new paper sheet. “... Why is it so red?”
Velvet finished it again, and summoned the paper figurines. This time they still spinned and teleported, but didn’t pop. Still, they had gained some… strange paper hands, like a salamander.
“If they end up being fire resistant, I’m stepping on you.” She didn’t try them, the time was running out, so she made some charms, picked all the magical paper sheets in case her new figurines were useless, or she had to make more, and every random material that fit in her pockets. Even gunpowder. She even found some seeds similar to Gertine’s, pocketing them.
The time ran out, and the door opened.
Velvet removed the protective gear, since there was a sign that ordered to do so, before grabbing the paper figurines to put them in her clothes, where they were supposed to go.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
But, every time she grabbed one, it just teleported from her grasp. Also, they seemed to have become a bit slippery, some type of… slime covering them.
“Are you challenging me?” She cleaned her hand with the wall.
“They are as obedient as you, look at them spin.”
“Hm, I can just use them on the first mage that crosses my path then.”
Velvet crossed the door, followed by the paper figurines, arriving at a maze.
Illuminated by some strange bugs that crawled on the wall, which was covered by blue ivy, the maze had five meters of height, and the width varied between one to five meters, which Velvet found very appealing to ambushes.
She sent two paper figurines to the front, two to the back. Even if now the door was behind her, that would change once she started moving. Made two to teleport on top of her, and the remaining four kept close to her.
The catgirl had mentioned that she could find artifacts to use, so she paid special attention to anything out of the ordinary.
She didn’t know how many mages were inside the maze until the necklace that Mirrs gave to her vibrated a bit. Injecting some magic onto it, a string of words ran through her mind.
Calling yourself that and being the first to lose is coolawesomely lame.
“Ah.” Velvet couldn't help but say.
Gamblers passive ability was a pain in the ass. She was sure they would end up meeting.
Velvet matched her gaze with a skull with rubies for eyes. “You understand my pain, don’t you?” She grabbed it with one hand, lifting it. “The pain of mocking someone and finding them the next day when you are alone…”
The necklace vibrated.
“Ah, it sounds so good, but also so baaad…” She loved finding stuff, but the opposite sounded atrocious. Still…
She could set an ambush that way.
Alrai would end up finding her anyway, his gambler passive making it obvious, so she could just add fire to it.
She also didn’t want to throw the skull, to be honest.
Walking until she found a four way crossroad, she started setting some traps, making her paper figurines observe the surroundings. Then, she climbed up the wall, until sitting on a rock close to the ceiling, after burying several seeds and lust charms in the inner part of her trap. She also buried some in the earth under her, in case she had to jump.
Then, she waited, holding the skull in her arms.
The traps consisted of weakening, slowing and dizzying charms on the outside, and some plant ones on the inside.
She had used a lot of materials to restore the strength of the lust charms that the difference in Paradigms caused.
Free things were the damn best.
If a mage wanted to cross this place, they would find themselves weakened before being beaten up by weeds. All while Velvet watched.
A paper figure teleported in front of her, making some signals.
Someone was coming. Plural, actually.
By the way they were running and gasping, it was someone escaping and someone chasing.
Good. They didn’t even think about a third person joining, running at full speed inside the trap. After all, they had been running all that way without problems, why would problems arise now?
The charms hit them at once, slowing them. The first person tripped and rolled on the ground, being caught by a plant in a second. The second got luckier, since she was getting ready to defeat the running one, she was ready to attack, even after being weakened.
She even managed to slash a few plants with a sword made of ice.
“You coward!” The mage shouted, looking around. “Come out! Don’t you have any balls?!”
None whatsoever. Velvet thought, not making any movement to reveal herself. And Ethra called my provoking skills childlike…
The mage shouted all the time, she seemed to be specialized in close combat, so Velvet being hidden did ruin any chance for her to counterattack.
The other mage, Velvet barely saw them, covered by weeds as they were, tried to convince her to team up, but she still ignored them.
After whacking them with plants for a few minutes, the first mage disappeared with a puff of smoke, followed by the other mage.
So that’s what happens once someone loses.
That translates to money, right? So even if I lose one fight, I still won money.
“Found you.” A voice sounded deep in the path in front of Velvet.
A paper figurine teleported in front of her, even when the warning was late.
She saw Alrai jumping and sidestepping her charms, getting closer. She also saw him playing with something. It was a yo-yo. He tossed and swung it around, making some very cool tricks, in Velvet's opinion.
Once he arrived very close to where Velvet was, he stored the toy in his clothes.
“My beloved third wheel, I have no qualms about serenading at you from down here, but I would very much prefer for you to come down.”
“Oh, but my dear jester, a show is more enjoyable from the public position.”
Alrai laughed, a nice laugh that was unnerving deep down.
“This show requires a volunteer.”