“Adrianna Riftmire,” announced the blue and gold-wearing Navy Officer in front of the barrier, within the assessment hall of the Empire’s Distorted Depths Navy Battalion Branch. Finally ready for her part, she stepped forward and crossed the red line symbolising the starting point of the magic barrier. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw that most of the participants were bored and ignoring her, clearly waiting for the assessment to end so they may receive notice of either acceptance or refusal into the Battalion.
Seems I need to be flashy with my magic to get these guy’s attention. I’m pretty sure they have sound-cancelling magic built into the barrier as well, so I have to consider that.
She looked up at the 24 assessors sitting in the armchairs above her and waited.
“You’re Adrianna Riftmire?” asked the one in the middle, a battle-scarred dirty-blonde-haired man dressed in the blue-gold of the navy. The others wore colours of red, green, white, and even violet, indicating their allegiance to other Battalions.
“Yes sir,” responded Lucy, bowing her head in respect. She was not part of the military, nobility, or other Empire Factions, and therefore should not salute. The man nodded in acknowledgement of her respect.
“You may raise your head. As you were told, we’ll issue your tasks, and you must not tell those outside what it was we asked you, regardless of the fact they can see your actions. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir,” she answered.
“Very good. Now, as you have registered as a mage, I want you to shoot one fireball at the training dummy in front of you.” The dummy in question was made of bronze metal, the height of a normal human, and was enchanted with self-repairing magic.
Without even nodding, she raised her right hand in the gesture of a gun, and a marble-sized ball of condensed fire coalesced an inch away from the tip of her index finger, in front of a red-orange glowing circle. She activated it, shooting it at the dummy, and it blasted through the centre of it, punching a hole. The Navy Captain raised an eyebrow at her magic.
“That was… unnaturally high power and speed. Okay then, if that’s too easy, I’ll give you thirty seconds to shoot as many of these targets as possible when you say you are ready. Do not manipulate any mana until you say go, because our sensors will detect it.”
Lucy nodded her head and then said, “I’m ready.”
The instant she did so, 20 white illusory targets appeared on the walls of the square area she was in, moving quickly. Without raising a hand, exactly 20 fireballs, the same as the one from before, formed a ring around her as they sat in front of orange mana-circles, and with a small gesture from her hand, they slammed into the targets around her, each fireball matching the target. The targets disappeared as soon as she did so, and several of the assessors’ leaned forwards in interest. A few of the participants behind her had also looked up, interested in what she was doing.
“You seem experienced with orders. Captains, what do you say I should do, test more spells, or move on to the next task?”
They discussed amongst themselves for a bit, before the Navy Captain looked back to Lucy.
“We’re moving on to your speciality. What kind of mage are you?” The red-wearing Captain, a member of the Empire’s Main Army Battalion, listened intently for her answer.
“I’m an illusion mage.”
There were several sighs from the other Battalion Captains, and the red-wearing one leaned back, disappointed, while the Navy Captain just raised an eyebrow at her answer.
“And what makes you think an illusion mage is suited for the constant battles of the Distorted Depths?”
She looked up at them and answered without a waver in her voice.
“I’m capable of fighting multiple opponents at once, with my magic being automated and capable of minor self-driven action.”
The Captains watched her intently, curious about what she meant. Lucille expected this, as normally that was an answer summoners were more likely to use. The battle-scared Captain in the centre just nodded his head and gestured with his hand.
“Well then, let’s see it.”
Lucy looked to the floor next to her, manipulating the mana around her to coalesce into a vague shape. The purple-blue illusion magic slowly changed colour until a quadrupedal form reaching up to her waist appeared. It breathed slowly in and out but didn’t move otherwise. She placed a hand on the black-furred, green-eyed beast beside her.
“This is a lesser Direwolf. Found in the weaker forest regions of the Wolvenheim area, they are normally low-ranked monsters that are strong enough to defeat a Rank-1 if the Rank-1 is not careful. They can reach a User level equivalent of 80.”
The Captains looked confused and a bit pitying, because they thought she had made a mistake, and the people behind her laughed a bit, while the red-wearing Captain walked forward and looked down at her, condescending.
“Young lady, while a tamer has the limited capability to use spells, they can by no means be referred to as a mage. I must praise your application of the fireball spell, but this monster-”
“I say this with all due respect sir,” she interrupted, keeping her cold blue eyes on him as she spoke, “But this is not a monster. So, I can by no means be referred to as a tamer. Please let me continue my demonstration.”
A few of the Captains looked a bit shocked and enraged at her attitude, while the Army Battalion Captain went red in the face as he looked like he was about to shout. The Navy Captain held up a forestalling hand to the red-wearing Captain, a silencing look on his face. He turned back to Lucy.
“Riftmire,” he said, his face stern. “If this was the navy, I would demote you three ranks for having that attitude towards your superior. However,” he added, seeing the army Captain next to him about to say something, “It's true you haven't finished your demonstration, so I will let it go just this once. Watch your words in the future and continue with your demonstration.”
“Yes sir.” She nodded, turning back to her Direwolf with an outstretched hand. “This,” she began, “Is not a monster. It is the model I have spent the most time perfecting, so its mana may resemble the chaotic and abrasive nature of monster mana, but it is not real. It is purely a construct. And,” she continued, “It is capable of doing minor functions on its own. That includes simulating the primitive mind of a real monster, so it can attack when directed and respond to threats. It's not the only monster I can mimic.”
She waved a hand and the Direwolf lost form, growing taller, transferring to two legs, and gaining a wooden club in one hand, dragging on the floor. It lost its hair, revealing green-brown skin, a bald head, swollen belly, and gangly limbs. When it had reached twice her height, it stopped growing. She gestured to this new form of her construct.
“This is an ogre. This will not be unfamiliar to you, as I assume you have all fought it before in your time.”
The captains nodded, all of them quite interested in her ability to change the illusion to other monsters. The Navy Captain nodded and asked her another question, while half the people behind her watched.
“And why do you think this will benefit the navy?”
She waved a hand in response, and the form of the ogre changed again. This time, she added more of her illusion magic into the mix, making sure to appear very slightly drained. The viewers, including the captains, all let out slight gasps of shock as a towering 10-metre-tall, grotesque tentacle wriggling about within the room was revealed. With sticky grey-blue skin on its outside, and pink suckers winding their way up the inner part of the slimy tentacle, it was not pleasant to view. A few of the people behind her flinched even as the Navy Captain was beginning to show a smile on his face, eyes wide and eyebrows disappearing into his wild hair.
“It’s easy for me to design constructs that suit the environment I am in. This includes the tentacle, which was built as a prototype battle construct for the Distorted Depths, although there are some key details I’m sure the Navy Captain will recognise.”
The man in question nodded, chuckling. “Indeed. This belongs to no form of monstrous octopus or other tentacled creatures I am familiar with in the ocean.”
She nodded at his answer. “Because they are made from my own magic and no currently existing spell, I create them myself. I can alter my constructs to suit the situation when needed. This construct here has no basis for its structure, so unfortunately, it also does not have its own abilities, unlike my other monsters.”
The Captains nodded in understanding, and she could see a few pondering her magic’s implications. However, she hadn’t yet managed to gain the residual energy of all of them to complete her identity. This was actually because a few participants were asleep. It seemed she needed to show a bit more. The scarred Captain in the centre raised an eyebrow at her statement.
“So, your constructs can use abilities? Are they physical? That’s not something illusion magic can do, to my understanding. I’ve only heard of illusion magic mimicking spells.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
She nodded and used the tentacle to pick up one of the bronze dummies surrounding her. A few captains look excited, likely thinking of how to poach her from the navy battalion. If she grew stronger, she could easily cause widespread devastation when copying the stronger monsters. The dirty-blonde-haired Captain grinned widely.
“I believe we’re almost done. Do you have any stronger spells for us today?”
At that question, her normally expressionless face changed slightly. The captain looked curious at her reaction. Lucy ‘hesitantly’ nodded.
“I do have another spell I could show you but… I’ll explain first. When designing my constructs, I aimed for realism. This means adding details like shadows, sound, involuntary movement, and presence.”
She could see the Captains nodding along in understanding so far, so she continued.
“I have also tried to mimic the chaotic and twisted properties of monster mana. It doesn’t always work, but it enables me to use their strong auras to scare away weaker monsters. It also enables me to use some of their more… esoteric capabilities when directing my monster constructs. I’ve managed to recreate the warning call of a King-ranked monster I heard, along with the effects of its mana during that time, for a brief few seconds.”
All the Captains looked immensely curious at her statement, and the middle Captain gestured for her to go on. She had a slightly wary expression, and asked them, “I’m not sure the barriers protect from this kind of mana usage. Are you sure you want me to do it here?”
A few of the Captains had ‘knowing grins’, underestimating the chaotic nature of monster mana, and Lucy’s ability to manipulate something similar and very strong, and so had full confidence the barriers would be fine. They all gestured for her to go on.
She sighed. “I suggest you cover your ears.” And then, quicker than most could react, she activated a spell, her hands covering her ears.
Lucy had plenty of experience with spiritual resonance, and so knew how to protect herself from the worst of it, but none of the people inside the assessment hall knew how. So, when she cast the spell, a chaotic storm of mana surged and pulsed out, disrupting the internal workings of the barrier, which fractured in places, and causing a few to have internal mana conflicts.
At the same time, a pulsation of spiritual energy erupted from behind the barrier, bringing with it a strange sense of disassociation and a terrible headache for everyone within the assessment hall. In addition, a terrifying roar that sounded like a million electric guitars screeching in horror echoed around the hall for a few seconds, making everyone who wasn’t prepared in the way of having their hands on their ears cry out in pain, a few even bleeding from burst eardrums. They even felt the hall vibrate for a few seconds from the aftershock. The room was deathly silent for a few minutes after that.
Lucy, now heaving in exhaustion from the ‘mana loss’, was half bent, hands on her knees, and looking up at the assessing captains, all looking at her with varying ranges of shock, mild terror, greed, and confusion.
“That,” she said, through half-taken breaths, “Was the sound of a Monstrous Elder Drake’s territorial call I had the misfortune of hearing in the past. As you can see, it’s very good at sending a message, which I think would be a useful ability for the navy of the Distorted Depths.”
While all the participants and Captains were looking at her in a stunned state, she could hear the familiar chime of a System notification. Ignoring it, she knew her work was done, and she straightened up.
“Is my assessment over?” she asked impatiently. The Captains all blinked for a few seconds, and, with a big grin, the battle-scared, blonde-haired Navy Captain nodded to her.
“I think we have decided on a verdict, but please wait with the rest of the participants until we have completed our selections. Thank you for your time, Adrianna Riftmire.”
…
A few hours later, Lucille, still disguised as ‘Adrianna Riftmire’, was walking away from the clerk's desk with a small envelope in hand. Inside was her pass that would give her entry to the White Squall Navy Fortress in the Distorted Depths Region, an isolated Ascendant City that required special permission to enter. She was to turn up 2 months later and enter the elite cadet training camp with Commander ‘Merrow Arkenast’s’ patronage. Commander Arkenast was apparently the ‘Navy Captain’ in charge of the assessment, who was decidedly not a Captain. Lucy knew this from her past, but it was still good things were the same as she had experienced.
Before she reached the doorway to the hall that led outside, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She turned, and there she found the red-wearing military Captain, the one who had accused her of not being a mage. He looked flustered from his rush to catch up with her, holding up a hand to get her attention.
“Ah, Miss Riftmire. Here you were, I almost missed you.”
She faintly raised an eyebrow at the man. He looked a bit embarrassed by her reaction and quickly tried to get out what he wanted to say.
“Do you think you could perhaps consider… ah, wait. Introductions first. Seif Rodgers.”
He held out a black-gloved hand to her, and she hesitantly shook it. He gave her a sheepish smile.
“I know we got off to a bad start, but please don’t think my attitude reflects the attitude of my battalion. I just didn’t think the Beast Realm had a mage of your… calibre and was quick to judge. I apologise for that.”
At that, she looked at the man more closely. With slicked-back blonde hair, and the good looks typically found in the Empire’s nobles, she could place him as having a noble title of some sort. He had light blue eyes, and if it weren’t for the calluses she felt on his hand when she shook it that indicated he wielded a weapon, she would assume he was a battlemage of some kind. She could place him in his mid to late twenties.
It seemed she had been staring for too long because he was awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as she gazed at him, and so she took a step back and dipped her head to him.
“No, it was my fault. I let my emotions rule my actions, and I shouldn’t have responded that way to someone who would hold a higher rank than me in the future.”
Captain Rodgers nodded and put a fist to his mouth, coughing and gesturing to the envelope she held in her hands.
“Would you consider placing your future in the hands of the Empire’s Main Army Battalion instead? We can teach you much of the same, with access to even a few more resources than the Navy can. I believe you can use your talent just as well, if not better within the main forces of the Empire.”
She looked down at her envelope and then back at him. She frowned slightly.
“Unfortunately, that’s impossible.” She held up a hand to forestall the words of the Captain and shook her head.
“Not because of any perceived fault of your own, as I decided on this after extensive research into the resources of both battalions. And,” she added, seeing that the captain was about to continue attempting to persuade her, “The Main Army Battalion can’t suit some of my main needs.”
Rodgers looked confused at that, and she held out a palm to show the miniaturised form of the Direwolf formed with magic. She looked up at the Captain as realisation began to dawn on him.
“My magic is focused on mimicking monsters. It can work with magical beasts and other non-humanoids too, but mostly monsters. And the Distorted Depths is currently the place where I can see and research some of the strongest monsters we know, with the abilities I currently have. The Main Army Battalion is unfortunately used to fight humans, which is not where my skillset lies. I could potentially contribute to the Main Army in the future,” she added, “But before that, I need to see some of the strongest monsters in battle, where the likelihood of me dying is significantly lower than if I entered the wilds or outer planes on my own. So, I can’t show the future talent you see in me currently until I have managed to learn all I can from the Distorted Depths region.”
Nodding, Rodgers sighed and ran a gloved hand through his blonde hair. He clicked his tongue. “No wonder Commander Arkenast was so certain I would fail. Never mind, while I couldn’t gain a wonderful talent for my Battalion, at least I cleared up any issues with someone who will be one of the rising stars of the future,” he said with a grin.
“And,” he continued, “Considering you already have the acceptance pass, you may as well be part of the navy already, so…” He lifted his right arm and did the same salute as the clerk she had seen earlier. “For the Eternal Authority of the Empire, Navy Cadet Riftmire.”
She looked silently at him for a second before mirroring his action. “For the Eternal Authority of the Empire.” With a happy nod, he turned away, and she did the same, both going their separate ways.
----------------------------------------
Seif Rodgers closed the door behind him as he entered the room of Navy Commander Merrow Arkenast. The blue-gold-dressed Commander looked up from his documents and Rodgers stood still, saluting.
“Captain Rodgers reporting, sir.”
Commander Arkenast nodded in acknowledgment before looking back down at the form he was reading. “I see you failed?”
Rodgers grimaced and nodded. “Indeed. I should’ve realised why she wanted to enter the Navy in the first place. I’m just glad I apologised.”
The Commander nodded again at that. “You’ve been warned not to underestimate the abilities of some of these ‘backwards’ Users as the nobility of the Empire central refers to them. Use this as a learning experience. Although, I can’t fault you for this one, reading her profile.”
Rodgers raised an eyebrow and Commander Arkenast held up the document he was reading, revealing that it was the form Lucy had filled out with the details of ‘Adrianna Riftmire’.
“Level 40, age 21, human, and from the Mystical Realm. However, the clerk has written an additional note that said, ‘When asked why she was not in the registry, responded that she was from an outer plane of the Mystical Realm that was destroyed’. Apparently, not many made it.”
Rodgers rubbed his chin in thought. “I thought she was a noble at first. So, she’s not from a hidden family of some kind?”
The Commander shook his head. “While she might’ve been a kind of noble on that outer plane, she’s not a true noble by the System’s standards. And I’ve put in a request to be forwarded to the All-Aeon Athenaeum on illusion magic with the same characteristics as hers, but it will be at least a month before we receive feedback. If there are no details, we might be looking at a unique school of self-taught illusion magic, never seen before.”
Rodgers groaned. “It would make sense and annoys me even more that I couldn’t get her if she’s that kind of genius. Do you think she’ll leave after copying a few monsters?”
The Commander thought for a moment before shaking his head. “For self-taught magic, it seemed rather high quality. If she’s a researcher, then she might be looking to discover the magic of monsters in far greater depth, and the Distorted Depths will provide her with the best examples. We’ll have her for a few years at least, or until someone uncovers the body of a primal beast or some other primordial creature.”
Rodgers chuckled at that. Nobody had ever discovered one of those, and it would be the All-Aeon Athenaeum that would get their greedy paws on it first, not some little girl.
“Then I should congratulate you on obtaining such a talented new member. I’m sure in a few years she’ll be an Officer the other Battalions would be jealous of.”
Commander Arkenast waved a hand. “I have to see how she’ll do first.” He smirked. “I’ll be keeping a close eye on Adrianna Riftmire to see what she’s like. As the first person I’ve ever given my recommendation to join the elite training camp, I’m expecting a lot from her.”
Rodgers nodded. “I look forward to seeing what she’ll become by the time the Millennium Chapter arrives.” He raised an eyebrow at the Commander. “Unless one of the other Battalions draws her to their sides.”
“Ha. Not a chance.” Commander Arkenast smirked. “The Generals and Main Navy Admirals will be seeing my wrath if they dare try to transfer her without my permission.”
Rodgers nodded. He saluted the Commander. “Then sir, I believe this application was my last mandated task?”
Commander Arkenast gave him a nod. “Yes. Thank you for your work. I permit you to return to your Battalion in the central Empire. Officer Rodgers, you have now left my command.”
With a smile, Seif Rodgers responded, “For the Eternal Authority of the Empire.”
“For the Eternal Authority of the Empire.”
----------------------------------------
Lucille, now without being disguised by an illusion, made it back to her room in the inn and found Scytale relaxing on her bed. Sitting down next to him, she started to pull off her boots.
‘It worked?’
Yep. The notification popped up. Now is the point my real plan begins.
‘Wow, so villainous. Well, come on now, let’s see this skill!”
The winged snake started jumping up and down excitedly. She shook her head at how he was more eager than her but laid back on the bed after her shoes were removed.
“Share notifications and Status with bond Scytale,” she said to the empty air. A System message popped up.
[Do you want to share your notifications and Status with Scytale? This can be disabled at the Obelisk. Yes/No]
As normal, she pressed [Yes] and called up the notification she received in the assessment hall.
[Available Primary Skill: Alter-Ego]
Desc: With extremely high prerequisites to gain, this main skill gives you another body. Freely customisable by the User, you can alter as much or as little as you want, using it as an independent User by itself. None shall realise your connection.
Info: Accepting this main skill occupies one primary skill slot, and gives you the Unique Origin, Isolated Will, Controlled Form and System-Backing subskills.]
‘Wait, do we need to go to the Obelisk for this? I thought that’s how you usually select main skills.’
That’s only when it involves a class. These isolated main skills can be selected whenever I want.
She tapped on the skill and another message popped up.
[Do you want to select this primary skill now? You have 1 main skill slot remaining at Rank-0. If you select this skill, you may not gain a class until Rank-1. Yes/No]
She smirked and tapped [Yes]. The instant she did so, she felt her soul strain in some way, and then this strange cold sphere of energy formed below where her heart would be. Aware it was the existence of the main skill in her body, she ignored it and opened her status, clicking on the new main skill. It was exactly what she wanted, and she loved it.
[Primary Skill: Alter-Ego | Type: System/Clone ]
Rarity: System
Desc: Created by the System for its most important subordinate, it was made to aid the subordinate in using two identities at once, with no possibility of connection. Note: As this is a System skill, no alteration may be made to the skill in any way, whether it be by merging classes, trying to tier up the skill, or adding skills to its sub-skill slots, of which it has none.
Subskills:
Unique Origin - Because all Origin Skills are unique to the individual, the Alter-Ego will have a unique skill too, selected from a combination of several traits of the User’s choice.
* Grants the Alter-Ego a fully functional independent Origin Skill. User can influence the outcome somewhat. Limitations may apply.
Isolated Will – The Alter-Ego is another body, which means it must be capable of functioning without directly being controlled, and when in isolated pocket realms and regions without access to its other counterpart.
* Grants the Alter-Ego a semi-independent consciousness. Spiritual energy signature will be slightly different. The Alter-Ego’s consciousness will act, for all intents and purposes, as a second soul, when disconnected from the User.
Controlled Form – The Alter-Ego is not used to be a second copy of the User. It will have another identity separate from the User and therefore must have its own looks, classes, skills, and abilities.
* Grants the User customisation of the Alter-Ego before release, including selecting race, classes, bloodline, titles, aspects, skills, physical features, and affinities. Limitations may apply.
System-backing – Without verification, any Alter-Ego would fail to pass identity checks. The System will take care of this for you.
* Grants the Alter-Ego a ‘backstory’ customisable by the User. The System will support all details if there are no contradictions in the backstory.
[ ]
It seems they had some customisation to do.