The sun moved across the sky, coming to rest low on the horizon, causing rays of red to tint the heavens. Around them, the glass looked black in the dim light, an endless sea of oblivion as the cutter raced across its featureless surface. A breeze swept the deck, wafting away the tendrils of smoke from its burned surface. The single large sail bulged in the breeze, carrying the ship toward the endless horizon with great speed.
Milling about the deck was an improvised crew of stunned players who were grateful to be getting away. Heather was leaning over Umtha as the goblin woman carefully placed the egg into its container.
“That didn't hurt the egg, did it?” Heather asked as the container closed.
“No,” Umtha replied with twitching ears. “But must deliver soon.”
“So we used up some of its time,” Heather pressed with a nod.
Umtha looked up and gave a curt nod in answer to the question. “Egg hold power can be used but meant for other purposes. Give crystal; egg need it now.”
Heather remembered the small crystal shard that came with the egg and fished it out of her pouch. She placed it in Umtha's hand and watched as the crystal was tied to the case's lid.
“So the egg and the crystal are a pair?” Heather asked as she watched Umtha work.
“Crystal control egg power. Will cause it to grow slowly. Egg ready when get to mother.”
Heather raised a brow as she asked what the egg needed to be ready for, but Umtha waved her away. The goblin woman was keeping her secrets as always, but right now, Heather didn't care. She was more interested in the blue ring on her finger, and the panel was opened. She turned away and walked to where Frank and Quinny stood near the front of the craft, eager to get their opinions. Frank noticed her approach and asked why she was still wearing the crown. She explained there was no reason to take it off and wanted to explore the class options while it was on. She then ran a finger around the ring and opened a translucent display that hovered in the air.
“A lilithu devil,” Quinny read as they all gathered around the display.
“Why is it so much higher than the other classes?” Heather asked as she studied the options.
Frank squinted at the stats as he absentmindedly scratched at the helm on his head. “Maybe it kept the stats from the previous life?” he offered.
Heather looked at him with an incredulous glare. How could it have kept the stats or anything about the previous life? She voiced her concern, but Frank suggested it might be related to essence and her strange connection to Hathlisora. It was a reasonable answer and one that made Heather wonder what else might be left from these past lives?
With a tap, she opened the sub menu for her racial abilities to see her fire immunity and resistance to disease, poison, and something called black sight. Tapping on that option, she was surprised to find out her race could see in the dark, even seeing through magical darkness. She could also see through intense heat and smoke, not suffering any loss to heat shimmer.
“That’s useful, I guess,” she replied and looked lower to see several gray bars. On the bars in bold letters were the words, ‘ability unavailable.’
“What does that mean?” Quinny asked with a pointed finger.
“I have no idea,” Heather remarked as she considered the strange bars. “Why would I have racial abilities I can’t use?”
“Maybe they unlock with levels,” Frank suggested with a shrug.
Heather considered the idea and had to agree that they must be unlocked with higher levels. She was curious what powers remained hidden under those gray bars and what heights her newfound class could achieve. It still concerned her that this new race was so much higher in level, somehow preserving something of its previous use. More importantly, how had a panel object survived? Why hadn’t it despawned with its owner? She considered the nature of the ring and the strange material that matched the staff she found in the treasure room. That staff was made by Hathlisora and left for Heather. Could the ring have been made in the same way? The voice in the crown suggested these items, and more had been left intentionally to complete her task. More importantly, the greenstone bracelet seemed to have the magical ability to lead her to them. It had to mean the ring was a crafted item, some exploit of the system made to give her an advantage. It made sense and left her wondering which path was more important. Did the egg take precedence? Or should she be looking for this mysterious hand that the wizard put her on to?
“You should take that off,” Frank said, drawing her from the troubling thoughts. “People recognize this form as Hathlisora.”
Heather blinked and looked to his helmeted face to see yellow eyes looking back in concern. She understood why he would want her to take the crown off, but she wanted to explore more of the class's power. It was also refreshing to be so resistant to the heat, making the warm deck of the cutter comfortable.
“Nobody is going to see me out here,” she replied and looked away. “Besides, I want to explore all my options. If this was left for me, then I am going to figure out how I am meant to use it.”
“And you haven’t heard a peep out of the woman inside?” Quinny asked as she looked on.
“Nothing,” Heather replied. “Maybe she was telling the truth about the ring. She can’t assert control while I am wearing it.”
“I don’t trust the woman in the crown,” Frank said flatly. “I know Blackbast used a spell to detect the truth, but that could have been created. If that woman is significantly higher level or a deception class, even magical means could have been avoided. For all we know, that ring is part of her plan.”
Heather was suddenly alarmed to realize the woman could have been lying. She had put trust in Blackbast's spell to reveal the truth; now, there was doubt. She held up her hand to splay her fingers wide and study the strange ring. Was there some way to know for sure that using it and the crown was safe? Nothing came to mind, and she certainly knew too little about the mechanics of the world to begin making guesses. She would have to trust it was safe and hope she could discover a way to prove it.
“What are you three doing?” came the seductive tones of the cat woman. Heather turned to see her standing on the charred deck just behind them; her hypnotic green eyes focused on her with terrible intensity.
“We were talking about the crown and if I should take it off,” Heather replied, determined not to flinch under that gaze.
“I see,” Blackbast purred as she folded her arms. Heather noticed the twitch of her tail that indicated irritation. She then realized that Blackbast had been steering the ship and quickly looked to the right to see Legeis now at the wheel that steered the craft.
“I have explained to him how to steer and what course to hold us on,” Blackbast said as she noticed Heather’s gaze. She waited just a moment before pressing a question and asking what Heather wanted to do about the crown.
Heather explained that she felt it was wise to keep it on and learn how to use her newfound powers. However, there were some concerns, not the least of which was that the woman in the crown might have lied somehow. Heather was shocked to hear Blackbast admit that her spell could have been deceived. However, Blackbast felt the woman was genuine. There was a desperate need for Heather to follow the trail and complete the mysterious task.
Frank voiced his concern that Heather’s current appearance was recognized by her enemies as Hathlisora. She couldn’t keep the crown on once they returned to populated areas or risk being recognized.
“Will they recognize me? Surely other people are playing lilithu devils,” Heather argued.
Quinny agreed there were but suggested that Heather must have a very distinct look for one of them. Frank agreed that Heather's appearance must be distinctive enough that it is easily recognized. It was clear that she wasn't going to be able to keep the crown on for long, but then Blackbast spoke up.
“I may have a solution for this problem,” Blackbast said with a gentle purr. She reached into her pouch and drew out one of the black slave collars, and held it out for them to see. “If you wear this, I will have some say in your appearance. I could help disguise you from your enemies.”
“You can?” Heather asked in a halting voice as her eyes fixated on the collar.
“As your owner, I can make cosmetic changes to your appearance to make you more suitable for your task.”
Heather smirked at the idea of what Blackbast meant by task. Her slave girls were expected to serve in her temple and be available to the guests. Obviously, Blackbast didn't mean that here, so she considered the option and reached for the collar.
“So you can disguise me?” she asked.
Blackbast nodded and explained how it worked. Blackbast could make minor cosmetic changes that would persist so long as Heather wore the collar. She could take it off any time she wanted, but the alterations would vanish instantly.
Heather wasn't comfortable with the idea of wearing the collar, but Blackbast was only offering help. With a shrug, she fixed the collar around her neck and clicked it in place. A moment later, Blackbast waved a hand in the air and spoke a word of recall. Heather smiled to notice the spell she frequently used herself and was surprised to see what looked like a metal mirror appear. It was the size of a large book with raised metallic edges around a smooth screen. In many ways, it resembled her original panel but lacked the lights down the side.
“Now, let’s see what we can do to hide you,” Blackbast said as she tapped at the glass.
Heather felt strange to be standing there while another person decided on how she would look. She cried out a moment later when her body began to tingle. Blackbast laughed and tapped the glass, causing a sensation of movement in her body. She looked down to see her chest was slightly larger and covered it with her arms in shock.
“Is that really necessary?” Heather balked as Quinny began to giggle.
“I just wanted to make you jump,” Blackbast said with a smile. “Now, let us try something more practical.” With that, Heather's scalp tingled, and her hair lengthened to her waist, curling slightly and turning a dark red. Her skin then tanned to a copper tone giving her an exotic complexion. Her eyes went from red to more of an orange and had a slight glow. Finally, her lips went soft red, giving her face a haunting beauty.
“That’s amazing,” Quinny said as she and Frank watched the transformation. “Just those little changes make her look completely different.”
“I can make her a little taller,” Blackbast added and adjusted something that made Heather dizzy.
“This feels so weird,” Heather remarked and looked at her hands.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Can you do anything with the horns?” Frank asked as she considered her new appearance.
Blackbast purred out a long hmm and tapped at the screen. Heather didn't feel anything this time, but Frank leaned in closer to look at the top of her head.
“You can’t change the shape?” he asked.
“I can change the color or make them smaller,” Blackbast replied and tapped at the screen.
“Smaller is better,” Quinny said as Heather reached up to touch the tips of the metallic horns.
“Wow, they are half the size,” Heather remarked as she ran a finger down them.
“What are you doing?” Breanne called as she floated in her spectral form to join the group.
“Blackbast can make cosmetic changes to my appearance while I wear her collar,” Heather answered and spun around. “Now, I won't be recognized as Hathlisora.”
Breanne shook her head and suggested she take the crown off. Heather responded with her desire to explore the new powers and put them to use. She further explained that it was meant for her to wear in the first place. They needed to understand why. Breanne argued that a power unknown was leading Heather and that the crown might be a tool to ensure control. They both discussed the ring and the fact that the voice in the crown promised the ring would give Heather control. Frank stepped in to share his fear that this was a lie and that the voice may be strong enough to resist a detect lie spell. He further pointed out that Blackbast had already agreed this could be true.
“It’s a risk,” Breanne said with a shake of her head. “But you seem to like to take risks.”
Heather smiled and looked across the glass; a little risk made life exciting, didn't it? She couldn't believe she had just thought that but let it pass. This world was changing her point of view, and it was probably better to embrace the change than keep fighting it. If she had any hope of getting home, she needed to adapt, learn and grow. That thought made her pause as she glanced over her shoulder and saw Frank. He didn't want her to go. She knew he wanted her to stay, and thanks to him, she now had her doubts. Was this so bad a life to live?
“I can't learn the thing I need to learn unless I take some risks,” Heather replied and turned back. “Speaking of which, how long until we reach the port on the other side?”
Blackbast shrugged and suggested it would be a few hours still, so Heather excused herself and headed for the palanquin. She would spend that time pouring over the book dedicated to the basics of magic. She had theories that needed proving, and that book would be the best place to start. Hopefully, it would shed some light on the confusing ideas in the book of necromancy and advance her studies there. She crawled through the magic door and into the small room where piles of books waited for her to devour. She grabbed the tome she wanted and sat at the desk to begin her task with a smile as a familiar form tapped at her leg.
“So this is where you have been hiding,” Heather said as she reached down to pet Webster. The spider was so much more than a simple animal. He was intelligent to a degree and able to communicate telepathically. Thanks to the chain of magical doors, he was able to travel between the ship and their lairs at home, where he busied himself with hunting birds or rodents.
“Is anybody bothering our homes in our absence?” she asked and opened the book to begin. A chirp rang out as the spider answered that nobody was there. “Too bad,” Heather said as she thought of Frank and how much he would enjoy players coming to his graveyard. “They will come soon enough; there were some in the forest already.” Another chirp rang out in agreement, and she smiled as the first words passed before her eyes.
Diving in deep, she began to study the book in earnest, its pages laying bare how the magic system worked and proved she should have access to far more spells. It also said she had no access to holy spells, but she was also a flower singer, and that meant she had access to nature which was very close to holy. By terms of the rules, that meant she should be able to access holy, but there was a challenge. One rule claimed that a player with two magical classes would have two blocked schools, the two that opposed the magic classes. So instead of gaining more access, you would have less. She wondered then what would have happened if she had picked a holy class as well? Surely they couldn't bar her then?
An hour rolled by, most of it spent studying a single spell she was now ready to try. Standing up, she spread her hands in the air over the table and visualized the outcome. With three simple words, a shimmer of white appeared and formed into a simple white plate, followed a moment later by a pile of apples. She had successfully learned her first new spell and could conjure basic food. According to the spell, she could only conjure raw items, fruits, and cooked meats, but oddly it allowed loaves of bread. If she was willing to invest a large amount of power in the spell, she could summon more advanced foods like cakes, soups, and things that required ingredients and time to prepare, but the cost was ridiculous. Casting such a spell while inside an area listed as your home was significantly less expensive, and she smiled at how easy that would be. In seconds she could walk through a second magic door and be in her home. Even if all she did was summon raw ingredients, her cook Monica could turn them into better things.
“Well, we don't have to worry about starving anymore,” Heather said with a pleased smile. A chirp made her look down as Webster asked her if she could summon giant insects for him. She made a face as the idea of summoning giant bugs flooded her mind. Surely that didn't count as food, but maybe the school of conjuration gave her options? Flipping through the book to the section on conjuration basics, she sat back down to see just what a newbie could do. An hour later and she was disappointed that the best she could do was summon a magical light. A single candle or a glowing ball that floated in the air was all the book would teach her. It hinted at fantastic things from simple tools to powerful minions and something it called elementals. She would never be able to reach the true heights of the class, but surely something more useful could be gained.
Out of curiosity, she skipped ahead again, looking for necromancy. She found the section and was disappointed that the spell it taught was grave mist. She already knew that spell and was rather bored by the book's description of the school in general. There had to be books full of necromancy spells, and once again, her thoughts went to the book of necromancy she owned. It was more of a guide to the principles of the school and the nature of the world. It contained very few spells but referenced a dozen other works and the spells they contained. Come to think of it, she hadn't even finished half of its pages, and for all she knew, the back of the book was full of spells.
“I am glad to see you are applying yourself,” Blackbast purred, causing Heather to straighten with a jump.
“Don't sneak up on me,” Heather groaned and turned around to see the cat woman's hypnotic eyes. “How did you get in here so quietly?”
“I am quiet as a cat,” Blackbast replied with a smile. “Have you learned anything?”
Heather nodded and explained the two spells she added to her list. She also expressed her disappointment that there were no useful necromancer spells. They spoke at length about what she was hoping to learn, and Heather brought up the necromancers books. Blackbast suggested Heather get the book so she could see it. Heather shrugged and recovered the book from where it was hidden in their home. Presenting to Blackbast, she laid it on the table and opened the cover to explain the code.
“So the whole book is written in code?” Blackbast asked as she traced a finger along the key. “But the key to reading it is in the book? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I didn’t think so either,” Heather admitted but went on to explain how that same code appeared in the necromancer circles.
“So it is a part of the magic language,” Blackbast purred and looked down, her eyes narrowing on the collar around Heather's neck. “You look good in a collar. “Are you sure you don't want to be my pet?” Blackbast purred and swished her tail.”
“And now you are being creepy,” Heather replied.
The cat woman laughed and returned her gaze to the book that lay open before her. “Oh, I am only playing with you. I am well aware of how you feel about it.”She paused and considered the code again as an idea formed.
“Perhaps the reason the code is here is because they wanted to make sure you would be able to read it.”
“You mean me specifically?” Heather replied with a shrug. “Which would be more evidence that this was all planned, and I am a pawn in some larger game.”
“Perhaps not a pawn,” Blackbast said as she stepped back. “You appear to be the most important piece on the board. You are the queen.”
“Then who is the king I am protecting?” Heather prodded as Blackbast shrugged. Neither of them knew for sure, so Heather pressed another point. She reminded Blackbast of Frank's concern over the voice in the crown being able to lie. Heather realized Frank was right to be worried, and his fears too often proved to be accurate.
“Perhaps one of these other books will shed some light on it,” Blackbast urged as she considered the sizable piles stacked on crates.
“What I really want right now is access to more spells. I have been made aware that there are dozens of them per level, but I get two per class at most. The only way to learn the others is to find somebody to teach them to me or a book with a written example.”
“How odd this book of necromancy does not contain the spells,” Blackbast commented before stepping back. “I need to relieve Legeis from steering the ship. We should see the town in about an hour and be docked twenty minutes after that.”
“Good,” Heather replied as she flipped the pages of the book to allow a hundred of them to pass by. Blackbast left her to work and returned to the ship, giving Heather a moment to study the page before her. It was a guide to an idea called a nexus. Places in the world where something called ley lines of magic intersected. In these places, magic was much stronger, and spell users could manipulate magic well above their ability. It commented that the necromancers built many of their circles on such places to manipulate the magic further.
It was a fascinating concept and one she wished to explore but would have to wait until the other tasks were done. She began to wish she had more help, other necromancers she could task with exploring some of these concepts while she worked on her quests. As she pondered the thought, Frank entered the room via the doorway to the palanquin. Legeis followed behind, and both of them made their way to the table, where she idly flipped a page.
“So, what are you both up to?” she asked.
“Legeis wants to use his workshop, and I am going to investigate the area around our lairs,” Frank replied as he looked over her shoulder. “You are reading the necromancer book?”
“I was just flipping pages,” she replied before flipping another.
Legeis leaned over to look at the pages with his goggles and scratched his cheek.
“How do you read that mess?” he asked.
“It’s in code,” Heather said. “I made a key to translate it.” She held up the loose paper and then set it down next to Webster as she went back to the pages.
“What’s all the white script?” Legeis asked.
Heather sat back in her chair with a confused look. “What white script?”
“Here on the page, there’s a white lettering under the black ones,” he said.
She looked at the book and swept a hand over the page, unable to see anything but the dark glyphs. “I don't see any white lettering.”
“Oh, it must be the goggles. Special lenses give you detect magic and night vision.”
“Detect magic?” Heather repeated and wondered. Early in the book, it discussed how some spells were common to all schools, and one was detecting magic. It then listed the description of the spell and how it worked. She had searched her panel and found no mention of it, so she disregarded it, but now she wondered if that wasn't the book trying to tell her something.
“So you can see something on the page in white lettering?” Heather asked.
“Yeah, it’s like an image under the dark letters,” he said.
Frank leaned closer and looked at the page scratching his head. “I can see them too.”
“You can?” Heather balked.
“White ghostly letters forming a circle with blocks of notations on the side,” he said.
“Why can’t I see them?” she asked.
“Must need some kind of magical aid,” Legeis suggested. “I have the goggles, and he has some kind of undead sight.”
“Undead sight,” Heather growled. “Of course, they would use that.” She quickly recited the spell to give her the sight of the undead, and the world faded into muted colors as the page of the book changed. She could see them now clear as day, the ghostly letters hidden behind the others.”
“It’s like a book hidden inside a book,” she marveled.
“Can you read it?” Frank asked.
She struggled to make out the text but could only read tiny bits of it. Most of the words were obscured by the dark lettering above, making it impossible to read. She admitted it was too hard to put together but then wondered why she hadn’t noticed this before. She used the undead sight several times to read the book in her gloomy tower. Quickly she flipped back to the beginning and turned pages to see nothing but the regular text.
“What are you doing?” Frank asked as he watched her turn pages furiously.
“Trying to figure out where this ghost text starts. None of these pages have any,” Heather remarked as the pages went by. She grew frustrated until two hundred pages in, she turned open a page that she previously assumed was blank. Now it was lettered in white that she quickly set about translating as Legeis and Frank looked on.
“What does it say?” Frank asked.
“It’s the spell to create a hole into the buffer and hide the book inside it,” she replied. “And how to dismiss the dark lettering so you can read the ghost letters.”
“So you can read it now?” Frank asked.
Heather nodded. “It's just a command chant. Something the book is programmed to respond to.” She practiced the chant silently a few times then uttered the words. “Feros, mol, davwa, ethra, sidri.” The book gave off a black mist as the dark lettering faded, leaving only the white one behind. The pages of the book darkened to make the letters stand out so they could be read.
“They went to a great deal of trouble to hide something,” Legeis said as he looked on the unfamiliar runes.
Heather nodded and read the first line of the page as her heart began to sink.
“What does it say?” Frank asked.
“Toxins complete index of necromancy spells and guide to bending magic.” She read aloud and began to flip pages, a smile spreading across her face. “It's a list and description of hundreds of necromancy spells. She flipped a page and laughed. “Nami's cloud of bats, Therador's haunting beast, Juvin's bottomless grave, they are all named after their creators. This one is called Ivar's in-between.”
“Ivar?” Breanne asked as she appeared in the doorway. “It says Ivar?”
“Right here,” Heather replied, pointing to the page. “Is that name important?”
“Ivar is one of the most powerful of the necromancer kings. He worked magic on a scale unmatched by others. His castle was said to be in three places at once, and he led the project to create the necromancer rings.”
Heather looked down at the spell and shrugged. “This looks like the spell to hide the book. It allows you to send things to the buffer.”
“Why would you want to send things to the buffer?” Frank asked.
“I don’t know,” Heather replied. “Maybe to hide them.”
“Wait, can you call things back from the buffer?” Legeis asked.
Heather shrugged. “I guess so, but it looks like all these spells require special items or ingredients to cast.”
“But, didn’t I just hear you say the book could be hidden in the buffer?” Legeis asked again.
“Yeah, it has an enchantment on it to send it and call it back.”
“And it doesn’t require any special items or materials?” He asked.
Heather pondered that a moment. “It requires a necklace turned to the book. It acts as the anchor to the world, so the book isn't lost,” she said.
“And that’s all?” he pressed.
“Yeah, why do you ask?” she replied, intrigued to where he was going with this.
Legeis laughed. “Think about what you could do with that? You could enchant a chest fill it with important stuff, and send it to the buffer, then call it out when you needed it. I would use something like that to store ammo and weapons. Heck, what would prevent you from sending a whole house like this to the buffer to be called out later?”
Heather blinked and looked around, an idea forming in her head. It would require a lot of research and effort, but if Legeis was correct, a whole world of opportunity was open to her. With a smile, she looked down at the page below.
“It was all here the whole time,” she laughed and flipped a page. “Igwivs rain of bones.”
“Now you have access to their knowledge, so what are you going to do about it? Breanne asked.
Heather tossed her head and looked at her arm. She would copy all the spells into her panel so she could use them later. Some practice would be needed, but she knew there was plenty of time for that. With delight, she returned to the first spells and opened her panel. It would take some time to copy them all, but she didn't care. So many possibilities now lay before her, especially the one Legeis pointed out. What would she hide in the buffer? And what was already hidden there waiting for her to find it?