The carriage wheels clattered and rattled over the cobblestones. The cushioned velvet seats kept most of these vibrations away from the young occupants inside the vehicle. Three on one side, four on the other, six students, and one teacher. The smallest of them all, a halfling girl with an amazing Fate, was silent, out of her element. On her lap, I rested immobile as mimics are wont to do. My perception was keen and I was aware of every subtle movement and magical disturbance, though. I didn't need eyes to see anymore, the ones around my cover and spine little more than mere decorations by now.
The only male in the group was discreetly studying my master's every reaction. Barbara was self-conscious and afraid, my little display of unorthodox summoning magic too powerful for this bunch of apprentices. She also had time to cool down, savor her adrenaline crash, and replay the events. Her previous elation at my crafty solution was slowly dissolved as she considered the many implications of what we did, the social ones being the biggest of them all.
So part of her indignation was worrying about losing me.
She huffed but I could sense her sour mood slowly waning,
The halfling closed her eyes and shut me out. With her arms crossed in front of her modest chest, she tuned everything out.
I wanted to protest that I hadn't overdone it. From what I read about me in mom's book, back in the day, I would purge his House and make the King kneel and weep. That duel was me showing a lot of restraint. Alas, I knew she would remain stubborn until she calmed down. It was useless to try anything until she calmed down. So I used this time to rest a little bit and work on {Mental Mastery} with meditation and mental exercises. With my maxed-out learning rate bonus at 700% and Fast-learning points to burn, I could improve my Proficiency as if its score was around 40. It meant a few hours of training for every point. The downside was that I couldn't improve the learning rate any further. Not even temporary bonuses worked.
Nobody talked while the carriage crossed out of the city and traveled for a couple of hours to the Labyrinth entrance. It was discovered several years after the city was built next to the artificial lake Snowdrop created with the equivalent of a magical nuke. When we stopped, everyone went out to stretch their bodies. The trip in the cramped carriage and the tense atmosphere had severely harmed their muscles. The only reason it was bearable was that the occupants were lean teenagers still not in their fully grown bodies.
Barbara stayed near Hamilton's group but did not interact with them. She kept two paces between her and them, staying closer to the teacher. The other students around us complained about the ride, bragging about how better their parents' enchanted carriages were compared to the crap the Academy hired. They even complained about how their tuition was badly spent.
Little these brats knew that their luxurious school life was subsidized by the lower-class students who got none of that. Instead of creating professionals and leaders who would push civilization further, the Academy was a giant day-care center for young adults and a festering cesspool of social segregation.
The teachers spoke of safety, group cohesion, staying with the hired Adventurer bodyguards, obeying the chaperone, and so on. The overeager teenagers were bored, I was bored. It went on for a while but I woke up from my musings and mental exercises as two centaur men and four satyr women approached us.
"Oh, great. Who opened the petting zoo's doors," one of the girls next to Hamilton snickered in a whisper. Now I understood why they were glad to push Albert out of their group.
"Greetings," the lead centaur said. I was impressed at the amount of corded muscle displayed underneath his linen shirt. "I am Atrion, and this is my part, the silver hooves."
> > Level 67 male centaur [Pridelands Defender]
"Well met, Adventurer Atrion," our chaperone replied as they shook hands. She had to look up because the guy was three meters tall from hoof to head. "I'm Mrs. Blatherwick, the chaperone of this student group. Introduce yourselves," she said to her wards.
> > level 54 female quarter-elf-gnome-half-human [Mystic Instructor]
"I'm Isaac the third son of Margrave Hamilton," the golden-haired, well-proportioned, toothpaste-smiling nobleman said with a flourish.
> > Level 36 male human [Wizard]
"Lady Eleanora of House Cheverton," an auburn girl with a very small button nose, slanted eyes and sallow cheeks curtsied. She looked fully human despite her species report.
> > Level 29 female half-satyr-human [Sorceress]
"Squire Melinda Bennets," the second girl to the left with a chin-height straight black hair and deep-set eyes that made her look perpetually angry or suspicious saluted.
> >Level 31 female half-dwarf-human [Arcane Squire]
"Clara Hatto," the girl on Hamilton's right with light brown wavy hair and slightly curved ears held Isaac's elbow as she introduced herself. Ten gold says they are dating horizontally.
> > Level 32 female half-elf-human [Elementalist]
"Lady Elizabeth the second daughter of Baron Epps," a tall girl with bombshell curves and at least an H-cup squeezed underneath her robes, gave them just a nod. Her Class focused on using her MP pool to boost herself for short periods. She also carried a composite short bow.
> > Level 33 female quarter-orc-elf-human [Enhancer Mage]
Finally, the halfling carrying me felt all eyes on her. "I'm Barbara Ambrose," she almost stuttered with her own name.
"Good," Atrion said. "I'm sorry, Miss Ambrose, but what is your Class?" He asked, a bit embarrassed to break protocol and admit he couldn't {Appraise} her.
"I'm a [Cyrstallomancer]. I do everything a wizard does but my crystal magic is stronger."
The tall centaur nodded. "Let me explain a few things. We will hike for two days straight. We need to put some distance between us and the other groups to get some good monster spawns. Other delvers will be in the labyrinth but we won't go too deep. This," he took a fancy lantern with arcane symbols engraved, "is a [Soul Lantern]. It uses the magical energies of the Labyrinth to shed light, and when we camp it will keep monsters from spawning next to us."
> [Soul Lantern]
>
> Price: 69 gold coins.
>
> Materials: Steel, monster Core, glass.
>
> * Sheds light in proportion to the ambient mana level.
> * When stationary for more than 36 minutes, it repels soul fragments in a 200 meters radius.
>
> - A proprietary magical lantern that few know how to make.
I stared at the lantern, trying to study its enchantments. It was a new invention and I was excited to study it. Maybe eat it to learn how it was made.
She did, and the answer dismayed me. "They're not for sale," Atrion remarked bitterly. "The Guild loans them to us, Adventurers."
They went on and on with the safety orientations for the labyrinth. I had an idea for an improvement over that lantern, so I used my daily {Suppress Curse} to bring my full self to the fore.
I tuned them out and opened a hollow space between my pages, like those secret agent books. There, I took a small base-class Core the size of a black pepper and wrapped it with living silk. I hammered a few gold leaves around a tiny and narrow ribbon of living silk into a flat ring and placed the Core inside, making it look like a miniature Saturn. Then I put another ring around the first, joining them with two small diamonds cut as two cones joined at the base. The two rings could rotate around each other by moving. A third ring wrapped the previous two but rings two and three diamond articulation sat at ninety degrees from the first. I kept adding more gold rings and diamond joints until I had a tiny and delicate armillary sphere.
On the inside of each band, I engraved a sequence using the runes for Light, Mana, Storage, Shield, Soul, Flow, Movement, Hearth, and Protection, among others. The sequence repeated on each ring and I wished I had engraved them before I assembled the whole thing but I think the runes could be ruined if I tried. Those tiny diamonds were very sharp. I mixed Pixie dust and my own adhesive to fill the engraved runes. The outer rings had small squares of dragon scale to add some resilience.
Once I finished the mundane item, I enchanted the sphere. The world outside kept shifting as people went on with their lives but since Barbara wasn't in danger I ignored it.
*
*
----------------------------------------
*
*
They hiked for three days with only minor encounters with low-level monsters; all the other groups went into separate directions as cluttering together would dilute the experience for everyone.
Barbara sighed. Nethe was not answering her mental calls although she was curious what the tiny book was doing. Sometimes it wiggled, vibrated, pulsed, or even emanated a strong magical aura. The familiar drew the attention of Mrs. Blatherwick a few times when its aura caused the lantern to pulse with a bright light.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Was she too harsh on the mimic? It was hard to remember that it was a newborn creature two months old. Sometimes it sounded wise and ancient, sometimes foolish and even uncouth. But she wanted to talk to it, apologize for what she'd done, and know its feelings. The gloom of the massive cavernous tunnels of the Labyrinth and the shadows its irregular stone surfaces cast didn't help her mood. She liked being under the open sky, feeling the sunlight on her skin.
The other students asked her about the summon but she had no idea. Nethe said it wasn't his strongest summons and the girl worried for her familiar. The teacher was obviously instructed to keep an eye on them to see if the little monster was dangerous or not.
"Ambrose, you're up. The next monster is yours,' Mrs. Blatherwick called.
> > Rabid Toothmouth Mole.
She looked at the creature. Her {Appraise} level was too low to display its level, gender, or other information. She needed to train it but with Nethe, she never needed to worry because it shared with her its results. Worse yet, the mimic could do it without the other party's becoming aware of it.
The Toothmouth Mole was a meter long from snout to tail but it had no mouth on its head. Instead, it had four tentacles sprouting from underneath its stomach that ended with worm-like circular sets of teeth. It would strike with the tentacles and attempt to latch them onto flesh, where it would start to chew its way through a creature's body. Severing the tentacles would do nothing to stop the mouth from chewing as it worked independently and the monster could regenerate its tentacles within days. It would just keep lashing and clawing until its prey was dead, then eat the meat left behind, regrow its tentacles, and seek the next morsel.
"It's ensnared," the teacher remarked. "Kill it so we can move on."
She focused on one spell-crystal in her invisible bandolier. "{Crystal Strike}!" She chanted. A massive spike of crystal as tall as her sprouted from the ground underneath the Rabid Toothmouth Mole, skewering the monster.
> > You skewered Rabid Toothmouth Mole for 12,844 HP of damage (Base 71 [3d12+50] x1,74 Willpower x3,8 Skill x1,5 Earth Magic x2 Crystal Spec x4 Boost x0.76 armor [reduced] x3 Critical).
>
> > For killing level 36 Rabid Toothmouth Mole, you gained 5,2 million Exp (Base 237,305 x3 Exp Share x1,25 Labyrinth x1,95 capstone x3 Mystic Hunter)
>
> > You reached Crystallomancer/Halfling level 8 (1st rank).
>
> > You gained 4 Attribute Points…
Four levels in a single kill. She hoped the obfuscation from her bandolier hid it from the people around her. The exp awards were insane. Again it was because of Nethe. She did the math and confirmed that the mimic had three (capstone) Perks. And a lot of things she had no hope of understanding unless the book decided to share it with her.
She prayed to the Matriarch. Nethe's mom, the person who blessed her with an awesome Perk in her previous life. Instinctively, she rubbed the book hanging from her side with her hand. She could feel it shaking and scratching inside and wondered what it was doing. She had no way to make it answer, though. All she could do was wait and worry.
"A splendid strike, Miss Ambrose," Mrs. Blatherwick said, then continued as she glared at the noble girls of their group. "I see that the rumors about you using less noble means to earn your spot in this expedition were completely unfounded. You are working on your [Spellcaster] proficiency and I can see the benefits of your Class' inherent specialization. Congratulations."
She dispelled the gloom for a moment and grinned as she received well-earned honest praise. The girl curtsied the teacher and went back to her spot with the students while the Adventurers dealt with the monster's carcass.
*
*
----------------------------------------
*
*
To begin the enchanting session, I engraved the tiny Core with the rudimentary commands. Form a mental link with its owner, move to where the owner wishes or follows, keeping the distance and relative position but avoiding obstacles and attacks. Project a tiny shield of Force around itself that will mostly bounce the sphere away instead of damaging it. Absorb ambient mana and convert it to MP. Store the MP and shed light upon command. Once stationary, it would block spawns even further than the lantern.
I was very happy with the end product even though it wasn't a mass-production item.
> [Traveller's Armillary Sphere] - Level 0
>
> Price: 2 gold coins.
>
> Materials: Monster Core, Gold, Diminutive Diamond, Pixie Dust, Dragon Scale Fragments, Mimic Adhesive, Living Silk.
>
> Hardness 100 (250). Durability 1,300.
>
> * Sheds light upon command. Light levels can display ambient mana levels.
> * The user will know the Labyrinth depth.
> * Flies at speeds up to 5 m/s.
> * Can be moved by mental commands by the user. It follows the user unless instructed to stay in one spot.
> * Projects a spherical shield of Force around itself. Reduces incoming damage by 150.
> * When stationary for more than 5 minutes, no monster spawns within 350 meters.
>
> - A delicate proof-of-concept masterpiece made by the former Goddess of Crafts. It combines the efforts and expertise of several lifetimes. The listed price does not reflect either craftsmanship, rarity, or the identity of the crafter, though.
> > You gained 3 points in Enchanter [ 782 / 803 ]
>
> > You gained 2 points in Gnome Machinist [ 349 ]
>
> > You gained 7 points in Jeweler (*) [ 465 / 482 ]
>
> > You gained 1 point in Rune Scriber (**) [ 428 ]
Once again I suppressed the Exp award. Couldn't have Barbara leveling up all of a sudden again. How long did it take me to finish this thing?
*
----------------------------------------
*
Too long, it seemed. I focused everything inward and only paid attention to Barbara's health. Since she never took any damage, I just went along with her.
I "looked" at my surroundings again and found the group camped in a dead-end tunnel in the Labyrinth. The noble ladies talked to each other while Babara drank some soup at the far end of the tunnel with a forlorn expression, wrapped in a blanket and sitting on her bedroll. The Silver Hooves camped at the mouth some fifty meters away, keeping watch as the first line of defense. To barbara's left Mrs. Blatherwick, and to the right Hamilton watched the chattering women.
We gained four levels, it seemed. As her familiar, I had no choice on whether to level up or store the Exp as I didn't have a tally of my own. I was focused inward crafting for almost a week, it seemed. The System didn't have a proper way of tracking time like an internal clock.
It seems my awakened self noticed I'd leveled up and left instructions for me. "Select {Bodyguard} and {Poison Resistance I}." I did as she (me) advised.
----------------------------------------
> You gained the Perk, Bodyguard (uncommon): Select 1 creature no further than (Dexterity/10) meters from you. You may attempt to parry or block attacks on their behalf.
> Bodyguard combined with Warden Avenger.
* Warden Avenger (1/7): +5 Physical Attributes. Select (1+Soul/10) creatures (Dexterity/4) meters from you. Any damage or debuff that would afflict them is redirected to you. Sacrifice (1,000) HP to deal 3x damage. Spend (1,000) MP to deal 2x damage and ignore 25% of defenses. Declare a vendetta against someone who grieved you or your people. Take 25% less damage from them, resist effects 25% easier and those are 25% shorter. Deal 100% damage or 500% with a spear to them. You can sense direction to the vendetta's target. Issue a challenge. Targets who lose a (Willpower) contest may not attack others. If you refrain from striking outsiders to the duel, take 40% less damage from them. Spend 1,000 MP to deal 3x damage to challenged targets. They cannot flee unless they win an Ego contest. Against Royals, you may bet services, land, or titles against equivalent offers. If you win the challenge, you gain 3x Exp.
> You gained the Perk, Poison Resistance I (uncommon): You take 25% less damage from poison and the debuff duration is 25% shorter.
> ERROR. You already have a superior Perk.
* Truesilver Hero (1/7): +15 to all Attributes. Title: [(Truesilver) Hero/Heroine]. Your entire body contains traces of Truesilver. Your attacks count as Truesilver and deal 2x damage to demons and undead. You are immune to damage from silver, Disease, parasites, Poison, Venom, Rage, and Mental Manipulation. Mental attacks on you rebound and drain an extra 3x the cost from the caster. You can compartmentalize threads of thought and feelings, isolating them to focus on another issue. For every 30 minutes in a hostile environment, gain additive 6% resistance, maximum 90%. 7 days outside it reset the buff. Once the 90% maximum is reached, the tick to regain is 5 minutes.
Whenever one such error happened, it refunded the Perk pick. I delved deeper into my unique Species and Class perk list.
> You gained the Perk, Origami Eidolon(ultra-rare): When summoning only one copy of an origami monster, you can appoint it as your Eidolon. You pay its maintenance cost per hour, not per minute, but you cannot summon another creature until either twenty-four hours from this summoning, or two hours after your Origami Eidolon died or was dismissed, whichever came last.
A paper dragon I could rely on for hours sounded fantastic.
----------------------------------------
I felt an itch as Truesilver formed on my cover, spine, and pages. It seemed to form into small glittering dots, sparsely and randomly placed. I had to compile the Perks necessary to unlock my combinations, and then a way to pass the list along to my previous lives. This one was an outlier since I inherited the book. Without it, I would be completely lost and ignorant.
Speaking of lost people...
She almost spilled the soup as the spoon dropped. "Nethe? Is it you?" Her eyes watered. "I'm sorry I gave you a hard time, Nethe. You were just looking after me."
Barbara put the bowl away and lifted me from her side. She ran a finger along the fore-edge, brushing the tip of my pages.
"Aren't you angry at me? Isn't that why you kept silent all these days?"
I could tell her I was being insensitive and crafting, or I could ride along. Honesty would hurt her and drive us apart. A blank lie would make me feel bad but maybe I could compromise and meet both stories in the middle.
"No! Please don't say that. We are not master and servant. If anything, we are master and pupil, since you taught me so many things. You even helped me… with my dream," she sniffled, and the waterfall started down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."
I stretched two silk ribbons and wiped her tears.
She nodded, then giggled at our foolishness as relief flooded her system. "Yes, I'd like that."
"Deep-fried breaded steak with mashed arracacha and boiled green beans," she salivated as she mentioned the ethnic dish her mom used to make for her on special occasions.
"Second?" She asked with a squeal, clearly amused.
"You better, little book!" She tapped my cover with a finger. "What was it you were doing that took you five days?" She asked with genuine curiosity.
She opened it and saw the tiny transparent engraved crystal orb with the gold rings wrapped around it. Her fingers were small, she was a halfling after all, yet she had difficulty picking the thing up. Mostly concerned she would damage the item.
"Where did you... " she sighed. "Nevermind, your mom."
The rings of the [Traveller's Armillary Sphere] started to rotate and orbit in a dazzling pattern as the Core lit up and the contraption defied gravity, flying in the air and revealing my first design flaw.
The rotating bands of gold were opaque, obviously. The shining sphere in the center of the mass of interlocking rotating rings became a light show as the pure white light shone in spots that ran in circles as the gaps between the rings moved. The reflections on the gold bands also cast a yellow glow around them. It surely was eye-catching. A bit dizzying in the darkness, too. But it was utterly useless as a traveling companion or a lighting implement. The flashes of light would draw attention far further than a stationary consistent beacon.
"Nethe, are you hollowing your insides?" Barbara asked when she had to look away from the glowing gizmo. She sounded a bit concerned I was becoming like the savage chest-things. "Are you becoming a box?"
She snorted. "Right."
"What do you have there?" Lord Isaac Hamilton asked as he approached.
The orb was still there, bothering everyone. I recalled it and stowed the widget in my dust cover.
"Oh, just a thing Nethe made to train [Enchanter]," Barbara lied. "A thing to entertain children," she explained it to him.
That drew an amused smile from the nobleman. "Your mimic can enchant stuff? That's a first. You got yourself quite the familiar, Miss Ambrose."
"Thank you, Lord Hamilton. Nethe is very special," she gushed as she brought me up and held me tightly against her chest. "He's my lifelong companion and very wise and skilled. I think it's all the books he ate… I mean, read."
The pure human in the group laughed. He had the Charisma, that was certain.