Chapter 43: Expediency is Best
“How do we do this?” John asked.
“How did you absorb your first essence?”
John shuddered from the memory, “At the time, I made the mistake of directly absorbing it. That was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It’s like I sent one million volts of electricity coursing through every vessel of my body, and yet I just wouldn’t die. I hope I don’t have to do that again.”
Eufemia said nonchalantly, “After I saw him go through that, I hired a ritualist and got it done, not that I could absorb it directly anyway.”
Nara was glad she didn’t absorb hers directly, and gave her thanks to Amara and Chelsea.
“I have a ritual room in this suite,” Encio said.
“Of course you have a ritual room in your suite,” Eufemia said and rolled her eyes.
Encio gestured to the room, “It’s a hotel catered towards adventurers. They should have a ritual room.”
“Speaking of,” Nara remembered, “There’s a shower but no toilet. Let’s get this done before someone has an accident.”
“And why is there no bathroom?” Eufemia said, “But there is a ritual room?”
“What do you mean? Essence users don’t poop,” Nara said matter-of-factly.
“Did you have to say it like that?”
“Okay, we don’t excrete. Any better?”
“No.”
They moved to the ritual room.
“You think we should call over Aliyah for this?” Nara asked, “I’d guess she knows that fancy multiple-essences-at-once ritual. I don’t.”
“It is rumored to have better results for the first ability,” Encio said, “I had mine done that way as well.”
“Where do you think she’s at?”
“Either the Academy or the Arlang compound. Have you been there before?”
“I’ve passed by to be able to astral jump there. Once I get close enough, I should just be able to voice chat with her.”
“You’re new telepathy function? It did sound useful. Actually, Sen’s older sister Maya is known for her communication abilities in her Sovereign Confluence.”
Encio, as always, was a wealth of random useful facts. He was too practical to be the truly random fact guy, with pockets filled with tidbits about strange animals, obscure practices, little known benefits.
“I still need to figure out its range, along with whether astral jumping will disband the party in the first place. I hope not, even if it's not that difficult to re-establish. I’ll be right back. Just a dimension away.”
She closed her eyes, and let herself slip through the dimensional boundary like water slipping past rocks in a river.
She was at the edge of the Arlang compound. It was actually marked on the map Amara gave her. The great families were well known enough that their residences were landmarks. They all had a compound circling the outer perimeter of Sanshi. Most adventurer families made their compounds in the outskirts. They doubled as bastions against monster waves, and were built were land was more readily available. They usually kept a portal user on hand and didn’t suffer commuting into the city.
Compounds usually contained all an adventurer could want. Residences for all their family and extended family members, training grounds, storage facilities, mess halls, reinforced walls, array protections and arrays for maintenance, and other buildings. For an established silver adventurer, hiring a staff of normals to cook and maintain the grounds was easy enough, and they were desirable jobs due to their safety.
It wasn’t just the main family that stayed their either. Usually, the family of team mates were invited to compounds, especially in smaller, less protected cities. Sometimes they only moved in near monster waves, other times they stayed full time. Nara thought compound life would be too claustrophobic for her. Now that the world was just a hop, skip, and a jump away, she couldn’t go back to staying in any once place for too long.
Nara couldn’t enter the compound unless her aura was registered...well she could, but she didn’t. She didn’t want alarms to blare and defenses to activate against her. Aliyah was at the compound today, as was Sen. Their two names lit up in her contact list to indicate they were within range. She started a voice chat with the two of them.
“Hello?” Aliyah’s hesitant voice came through the chat.
“Hey! Aliyah! I was wondering if the two of you were available today to help conduct that fancy two-for-one essence ritual,” Nara said, “I may have recruited some new party members.”
“...”
“Look I have a good reason, I promise,” Nara said, “One of them is an outworlder from my world. I can hardly separate him from his partner.”
“That is a good reason,” Sen reluctantly admitted, “I can’t begrudge you for teaming up with a fellow outworlder.”
“From the same world? What are the chances of that?” Aliyah mused.
“Yep, and he’s going to be a healer. He’s got all the essences for it already. Outworlder abilities and all that. Apparently, they get you your essences very quickly. Some sort of survival mechanism.”
“And the other?”
“Mirror, Light, Adept, Refracting. She got her essences too from teaming up with him.”
“With me and Aliyah...” Sen mused, “that’s a decent party balance. I’d need to see all your abilities to make sure.”
“I don’t mind if you want to look, but you’d need to get Encio’s permission for his. And the other’s for theirs.”
“Of course,” Sen agreed, “Can I take it that you’re willing to team up with the two of us?”
“As a trial first, if you’re okay with that.”
“Every team is a trial,” Sen said, “Nothing can be forced in place.”
“Huh. Like established bands breaking up, I get that.”
There had been no contract when she registered herself with Encio as a team at the Adventure Society. She was free to remove herself whenever, despite the four-month period they had agreed upon. Iron rank parties were notoriously amorphous as members joined and left, especially when things went wrong and true colors were revealed.
“Then, are the two of you free today?”
“We are,” Aliyah said. “I need a few minutes to tidy up my lab, but I’ll be ready with Sen soon. Where shall we meet you?”
“Encio’s place at the Jade Garden Hotel.”
“We’ll be over in an hour,” Sen said.
As promised, Sen and Aliyah arrived within the hour. They introduced themselves to John and Eufemia.
“I am Sen Arlang, and this is Aliyah Sahar.”
“John Aurelius.”
“Eufemia Teresina.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
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While the four were discussing the rituals, Nara asked Encio a question.
“Did the party break when I jumped dimensions?”
“It did not.”
“Hm, nice. I couldn’t voice chat with you at that distance, however. Next time I should try to see if I can voice chat past dimensions.”
“While it is sensible to determine the constraints of your ability, assuming your Astral Domain, a part of your soul, operates like any other dimension would be a mistake.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. I guess it would make sense if my ability operated within my own soul.”
“The Celestial Book trials is an opportunity to test that out. Have you made your decision?”
“Yeah, I’m going to go. Remember when I said I have a chat with Traveler? He said that the library of the cult of the Celestial Book may have information on dimensional travel.”
“The library is only accessible to those that make it to the end of the trial.”
“Either I succeed, or I don’t. I’m not going to stress out about it.”
“The trial space is only accessible once.”
“But, maybe not for me.”
Encio’s eyes narrowed in thought, “I understand what you’re getting at. But—”
“Yeah, it’s not something I’m betting on. Who knows if I can astral jump into an astral space to begin with, and whether I can do it into one with specific restrictions.”
Encio nodded confidently, “Of course, with me, you have the best chance of success possible. Rest assured.”
“You don’t even need any awakening stones. You’re still going?”
“I can always give them to your new party members. The Adventure Society does not prohibit it ether.”
“That’s really nice of you.”
“I think its miserly when those with means deny those without. I could sell those, but it’s no benefit to anyone but myself. As long as we are a team, I act now as I would years down the line,” he grinned, “You’re seeing the best parts of me.”
“So you can save the worst parts of you for later?”
“The two of you, waste not want not. The first ritual is ready. Who is going first?” Aliyah called out from the ritual room.
“You’re first,” Eufemia said to John, “Your ability, your honor.”
John shrugged and stepped into the ritual circle, “As long as it's not as bad as that first time. I had to go take a lie down after that.”
He removed the two essences from his Detective’s Stash and placed them at either side of the ritual circle. The ritual activated, and the two essences subsumed in a whirlwind of magic that mirrored Nara’s own.
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-Party member [John Aurelius] has absorbed [Magic Essence].
-[John Aurelius] has absorbed 2 of 4 essences. Progress to Iron rank 50%.
-[Magic Essence] has bonded to the [Spirit] attribute, changing the [Spirit] attribute from Normal to Iron 0. Master all Magic Essence Abilities to increase the [Spirit] attribute.
-Party member [John Aurelius] has awakened the Magic Essence Ability [Crystallize Mana]. [John Aurelius] has awakened 1 of 5 Magic Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Crystallize Mana]
Conjuration (restoration)
Cost: Low mana
Cooldown: None
Effect (Iron): Create a crystal that floats around you, accelerating mana recovery. Crystal is impervious to damage, but vulnerable to dispel effects. If dispelled, crystals grant an immediate burst of mana. You can have a single mana crystal at a time.
-Party member [John Aurelius] has absorbed [Renewal Essence]
-[John Aurelius] has absorbed 3 of 4 essences. Progress to Iron rank 75%.
-[Renewal Essence] has bonded to the [Speed] attribute, changing the [Speed] attribute from Normal to Iron 0. Master all Renewal Essence Abilities to increase the [Speed] attribute.
-Party member [John Aurelius] has awakened the Renewal Essence Ability [Mana Tide]. [John Aurelius] has awakened 1 of 5 Renewal Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Mana Tide]
Special Ability (recovery)
Cost: Low mana
Cooldown: 2 hours
Effect (Iron): Draw mana from the astral to replenish allies. Mana recovery begins slowly and escalates over time. Local dimensional conditions may impact the rate of recovery.
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The confluence—the shadow of the three other essences—coalesced before John.
The Immortal Confluence was a mixture of the red of life force, the green of healing magic, swirled with brilliant gold and a soothing silver. It shone like a luminescent opal, casting rays of invigorating light onto the walls of the ritual room.
Aliyah had already explained to John what to expect. After a moment’s pause, he grasped the confluence, taking the magic cube within himself as he had done once before. With the body and soul already bolstered by three essences, this final step was not painful.
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-Party member [John Aurelius] has absorbed [Immortal Essence].
-[John Aurelius] has absorbed 4 of 4 essences. Progress to Iron rank 100%
-[Immortal Essence] has bonded to the [Power] attribute, changing the [Power] attribute from Normal to Iron 0. Master all Immortal Essence Abilities to increase the [Power] attribute.
-Party member [John Aurelius] has awakened the Immortal Essence Ability [Vigor Wellspring]. [John Aurelius] has awakened 1 of 5 Immortal Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Vigor Wellspring]
Spell (boon)
Incantation: “From within wells unending vigor.”
Cost: Moderate mana
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Effect (Iron): Grant an ally a boon of the tireless energy, greatly increasing health and stamina regeneration for a moderate duration. Additionally gain increased resistance to health and stamina drain.
-Party member [John Aurelius] has absorbed 4 of 4 essences. All of his attributes have reached Iron Rank.
-[John Aurelius] has gained damage reduction against Normal Rank damage sources. [John Aurelius] has gained increased resistance to Normal Rank effects.
-[John Aurelius] has gained the ability to sense auras.
-[John Aurelius] has gained the ability to sustain himself using sources of concentrated magic.
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“Wow,” John said, staggering, “I haven’t felt this way since that one explorative weekend in my university days.” He looked up, puzzled, “I feel incredible. Have I taken drugs?”
“No, John,” Aliyah said, “Do you remember what I said earlier? It is imperative you enter the washroom right this moment. Here.” She gently grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the washroom.
“Uh...alright. If you say so miss,” he said, staring at her with a confused expression but acquiescing.
While John was otherwise occupied, evident by the sounds of retching from beyond the closed door accompanied by running water, Aliyah prepared the next ritual circle, completely unperturbed.
“It’s time for you now, Eufemia. Are you prepared?”
Eufemia stared back at the washroom. Even the soundproofing did not completely block the sounds of John’s misery.
“Let’s just get this over with.”
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-Party member [Eufemia Teresina] has absorbed [Light Essence]
-[Eufemia Teresina] has absorbed 2 of 4 essences. Progress to Iron rank 50%.
-[Light Essence] has bonded to the [Speed] attribute, changing the [Speed] attribute from Normal to Iron 0. Master all Light Essence Abilities to increase the [Speed] attribute.
-Party member [Eufemia Teresina] has awakened the Light Essence Ability [Light Ray]. [Eufemia Teresina] has awakened 1 of 5 Light Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Light Ray]
Special Ability (light)
Cost: Low mana
Cooldown: None
Effect (Iron): Fire a piercing ray of light dealing heat and mild disruptive-force damage.
-Party member [Eufemia Teresina] has absorbed [Adept Essence]
-[Eufemia Teresina] has absorbed 3 of 4 essences. Progress to Iron rank 75%.
-[Adept Essence] has bonded to the [Recovery] attribute, changing the [Recovery] attribute from Normal to Iron 0. Master all Adept Essence Abilities to increase the [Recovery] attribute.
-Party member [Eufemia Teresina] has awakened the Adept Essence Ability [Martial Gift]. [Eufemia Teresina] has awakened 1 of 5 Adept Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Martial Gift]
Special Ability / Special Attack
Cost: Moderate mana
Cooldown: None
Effect (Iron): Gain the ability to use a known special attack of a target. This may make your version of the ability higher or lower rank than the original, including losing or gaining additional effects from higher ranks. This ability has the same cost and cooldown as the original ability. Ability chosen cannot be changed until the ability is off cooldown. Chosen ability is available until changed.
-------
Same as John, a confluence formed once Eufemia had absorbed her third essence. The Refracting Confluence scattered light like a quartz prism, streaks of rainbow painting the walls like a toddler with unsupervised access to expensive acrylic paints.
She looked up to meet the eyes of John, who had quietly exited the washroom, looking peaky and dull. He flashed her an encouraging but weak smile and a thumbs up.
The confluence melted away like liquified rainbow, but not a drop escaped her outstretched fingers.
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-Party member [Eufemia Teresina] has absorbed [Refracting Essence]
-[Eufemia Teresina] has absorbed 4 of 4 essences. Progress to Iron rank 100%.
-[Refracting Essence] has bonded to the [Power] attribute, changing the [Power] attribute from Normal to Iron 0. Master all Refracting Essence Abilities to increase the [Power] attribute.
-Party member [Eufemia Teresina] has awakened the Refracting Essence Ability [Reverse Power]. [Eufemia Teresina] has awakened 1 of 5 Refracting Essence Abilities.
Ability: [Reverse Power]
Special Ability (curse)
Cost: Variable
Cooldown: Variable
Effect (Iron): Reverse the effect of the next use of a target active-use ability or the next active-use ability. This effect has a short duration. You must know the ability. If the target does not have the ability, this ability will not take effect. You can reverse the inherent abilities of a magical creature. Reversal causes positive effects to become negative effects, and vice versa. If there is no applicable reversed effect, the ability is nullified. The cooldown and cost of this ability is equal to the target ability. The cooldown of this ability only takes effect when the target ability is used, or otherwise has a 30 second cooldown if the ability fails. If the targeted ability has no cooldown, both this ability and the targeted ability are unavailable for 1 minute.
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Both newly minted essence users were now settled, nursing their nauseous heads with warm cups of milk tea as well as a variety plate of snacks Nara fetched from a nearby café.
“Now what?” Eufemia said, her voice suppressing a groan.
Encio placed a tablet on the table. It was the Adventure Society auction catalogue, “Now we buy stones.”
“Hell yeah,” Nara cheered, “Time to get stoned!”