“Anything that you don’t know now can be discovered while you play, so let’s start creating your character. What would you like your avatar’s name to be?”
“Indigo.”
“Okay, Indigo. While you can make as many cosmetic changes to your character as you would like, none of these will become Boons, at least, not right away. What cosmetic changes would you like to make?”
A pale, gangly boy with scattered freckles, dark brown hair and deep blue eyes appeared. He was entirely nude, and you could see the man’s bony shoulders and rapier thin frame.
“Could you make me shorter and a little more filled out?”
The man shrunk a few inches to average height and his shoulders widened. After it ended, he just looked normal. Not too tall, nor too thin. Not even all that handsome, but he was satisfied.
“Would you like to change your voice?”
“Yeah, could you make my voice a little deeper?”
“He surveyed the manse and pronounced it acceptable. All the architects sighed in relief.”
The speaking voice gradually grew deeper. When it was an octave below his regular voice, he spoke.
“That’s good. I don’t need to make any more changes.”
“Now you choose a Boon. Choose carefully, remembering that, outside of your Boon, you will be essentially the same as you are in real life. Unless you choose a source of magical energy, all spells and certain other abilities will be unavailable to you.”
“Each player automatically gets one Rank 1 Boon on character creation. However, this is the first day since the release of Metamorphosis, so you must have been an early adopter of our game. As such, I am authorized to grant you one more Rank 1 Boon. Ask for whatever Boon you wish, with the sole exception of time travel, but be aware that it may be higher Ranked than you may like.”
“I want to be able to fly.”
“Flight is a Rank 5 Boon.”
“Is there some way I could build up a skill to the point where I’d be able to fly?”
I mean, the Boon system sounds like you can ask for anything if you can make a toned down version.
“If you can come up with one, maybe. I could give you the ability to jump a little higher, but all that would build up to is the ability to jump higher and higher. I could give you the ability to make yourself a little lighter, but that would end with you becoming a human hot air balloon. You wouldn’t be able to control your flight path, which is part of the definition of any Flight skill.”
Damn. Oh well, guess I’ll have to earn myself a Rank 5 Boon ingame then. But what she said was interesting. Make me lighter? Mess with Newtonian physics? That sounds really fun.
“Can I have the ability to control gravity?”
“If you want to control gravity outside of your body, then that would require magic. Would you like to create your own magical energy and a magical system specifically tailored for gravity magic or choose an existing magical energy source and try to learn gravity magic ingame?”
“I’d like a custom energy source.”
“Will this energy source be able to work with any magic system but the one you will create? The magic source will be stronger if it is more limited.”
“No, I’d like it to be specialized.”
“And would you like to optimize the magical source for gravity magic? It’ll make gravity magic more effective and efficient, but will leave you unable to cast other types of spells even if your magic system is expanded to include other types of spells.”
“Sure.”
“What would you like to call it?”
“Graviton.”
“Alright. Would you like an external manifestation of the Gravitons? It will give you a greater supply, at first, but magic you work with gravitons will be more difficult to control.”
“No thanks.”
“Alright then, what would you like for your second Boon?”
“Can I have the ability to see magic?”
“Passively or actively?”
“Passively.”
Having to activate the ability to see would cause all kinds of problems.
“A Rank 1 Boon will grant a limited version of magic sight, able to faintly see the weakest spells in progress. As the skill advances, you will be able to see more powerful spells more distinctly. Would you like an external manifestation? It’ll make the spells more visible, but with it, occasionally a spell that should be visible won’t be.”
“No, thanks.”
Reliability is more important than initial power.
“Your Boons indicate that the most appropriate place for you to be born is in Epheme, the academic city, home to the Aphasian Academy of Magic. Good luck.”
The room disappeared and he began to feel a shell enclosing him. He was curled up on himself in a comfortable way, but the shell was hard, nevertheless. He pushed with his legs, trying to stand up. After a few seconds of struggle, he broke through the top of the ovoid.
He was in a small, square room, seamlessly made of a stone that radiated a little heat. He looked down to see that he had emerged from an egg, totally naked. The egg was dark blue, speckled with white spots; it looked a lot like the night sky. He stepped out of the eggshell, and looked around. There was nothing along any of the walls, not even a door. No cracks, nor anything visible. He looked up, and saw, a few feet above him, a stone ceiling. There didn’t seem to be any exit from this room.
Well this is shitty. A bug right off of the bat. I’m going to have to log off and report this. Wait. If there aren’t any windows or light sources, how can I see right now?
He looked around the room for a glowing that would give something away as the source of the light. Then he happened to look down, and saw a magic circle, which radiated a faint light, which the walls reflected. There were three concentric circles, with a space in the middle just big enough to accommodate a person. Between the lines were a bunch of symbols that Indigo couldn’t recognize.
In the middle of the smallest circle was a line that simply said, ‘Stand Here’.
Indigo walked into the center of the circle. A blinding light flashed, and when he opened his eyes, he was in a circular hall, made of stone. It was bigger than the square room had been, and it had other magical circles ringing the room, similar to the one in which he now stood. In the center, there was a bigger circle. There was a popping noise, and a woman appeared in the middle of the bigger circle, only ten feet or so from him.
He panicked for an instant, thinking he was still naked, until he went to cover himself. When he touched cloth, he realized that he had gained clothes when he had been teleported.
He looked down at himself. It looked like he was wearing indigo robes – like those that magicians wore in all of the other games.
The woman who had just teleported turned, looking around the room. She spotted Indigo and walked over to him.
“Hello there, new Morphon.”
As she drew closer, Indigo saw that she was a woman in her mid-thirties. She had long, well-kept brown hair and warm brown eyes. She wore royal blue robes, with wide sleeves, cut off at the elbow. The band of light blue cloth that wound around her waist emphasized her curvaceous figure. She continued speaking.
“What’s your name?”
“Indigo.”
“Alright, Indigo. I’m Elissa, the head of the Epheme branch of the International Morphon Alliance, the IMA for short. It is mine to introduce you to the world. So follow me, I’ll take you to a more comfortable place.”
Elissa led him to the center of the room and said “Elissa An’epheme. My study”
A white flash consumed the world, replacing it with…another room. They stood in a small alcove, on a slightly raised stone platform on which a magic circle was etched. Across the room was another alcove, in which a workbench on which was an odd collection of connected glassware, filled with all different colors. Elissa led him out of the small alcove, so that he could see the rest of the room. To his right, in a slight indent, was a magic circle, etched in crimson. The parts of the room between the alcoves were lined with bookshelves. To his left, on a slightly raised platform, was a huge desk, covered in neat stacks of paper and all manner of old books.
They moved to the desk and sat down, she behind, he in front. Unlike most desks, however, this one was not designed to make the person in front of it uncomfortable, so Indigo didn’t feel awkward.
“So this is the world we live in.” With that, Elissa began to explain all about Aphad, the solar system, and the struggle of civilization.
“And that’s the story of our world, now about the city of Epheme. You may or may not know, but Epheme is an academy city. That is, our city is highly steeped in the tradition of teaching and learning and researching. We research and teach every sort of thing – history, geography, combat – almost anything you can imagine. However, as you might presume, the vast store of knowledge attracts the practitioners of the arcane. As such, one of the focuses of the city of Epheme is the teaching of and research into the magical arts.”
“You came here because your Boon is related to magic, right? Morphons with magical Boons make up most of those born here. What is your Boon?”
“I asked for the ability to use my own system of magic and the ability to see magic.”
“Two Boons? That’s impressive. And your own magical system? That’s an adventurous choice. Have you made a decision as to how you would like that to manifest?”
“It’s going to be gravity magic.”
Elissa’s eyes shot up, “Wow. That might be a bit much. Did you specialize the source for gravity magic?”
“Yes. Is that bad?”
“Mmm. Not necessarily. Gravity magic tends to be higher level in the broad-spectrum magics. I don’t know of a specialized gravity magic system. I think that gravity spells require too much power for any beginner for there to be any specialized gravity magics. However, if you make appropriate choices when designing the parameters, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If you weaken the spells as much as possible, then the cost of your weakest spell might be within your reach.”
I don’t want to do that, though.
His reluctance showed on his face, because Elissa continued, “If you don’t want to do that, then there are only two ways to grow your source until you can cast spells. One is to earn a Rank 4 or 5 Boon, and then ask Ava to increase your supply. The other is to grow to understand how your magic source works. If you can do that, then the efficiency of your spells should go through the roof.”
“How fast would it be to earn a Rank 4 or 5 Boon?”
Maybe a few ingame weeks? I’d be willing to spend that much time.
“It’s really hard to say, but without any greatly useful abilities, it can be very difficult to earn Ava’s favor. If you try to find something you’re good at, and then train that for a long time, you can probably gain enough favor for a Rank 4 or 5 Boon. I’d estimate at least a month to learn a useful skill, and a few more months to elevate that skill to a level where you would earn Boons. From then, it would only be a month or so. All told, half a year-ish?”
“Okay, how about the other one? What do I have to do to understand my energy source?”
“This will take a little bit of an explanation, so relax a little.”
Indigo sat back in the chair, from the edge he had been perched on.
“The traditional wisdom was that each magical energy originated from something different. For example, ki was supposed to originate from life, mana was supposed to be created inside of each person, aether was floating all around us, chi came from the flow of the body, chakra came from the realization and release of all earthly attachments, and so on.”
“Alright. A few hundred years ago, a sorcerer named Isthan was in the mountains, searching for mana stones when he was trapped by a cave in. At the time, he didn’t have enough mana or aether to cast a spell that would allow him to escape. What he did have was multiple energy sources – aether and mana. So he rewrote a basic, aether-based, empowerment circle so that it would empower his mana and allow him to escape. When he activated the circle, he saw that the aether that he was channeling into the circle was being translated into mana, through another form of energy that he had never seen before. He escaped and began researching this form of energy.”
“He discovered that it didn’t only connect aether and mana. It was the transition between all magical energy sources. He called the energy Universal Spell Energy, because it seemed to be the energy that underlies all magical energies.”
“He discovered that rewriting an empowerment circle with no defined end point for conversion would result in an amount of Universal Spell Energy that dissipated after a short time. However, he couldn’t harness the energy to cast a spell. No matter what he tried, nothing worked. After a few months of attempting to discover how to work with the energy, he decided that it might be impossible for him. He announced his discovery to the academic community of the time, and his results were quickly corroborated. Others have tried to harness Universal Spell Energy, but none have succeeded.”
“Isthan’s discovery prompted the magical practitioners to take a closer look at their energies, both at the origins and at the endings. They discovered that in converting their energy to a phenomenon was highly inefficient. Almost nine tenths of the energy spent is wasted, only one tenth of a spell’s energy cost is the creation of the phenomenon. This prompted the magical community to examine their methods of spellcasting for greater efficiency. Doing so increased the efficiency of their spells, although not to 100%.”
“If you do something similar, that is, try a bunch of methods of casting spells, you will hit upon more efficient methods. Of course, this would only work if you were already able to cast spells. So for you, you must know about the origins of your energy source. The traditional origins of the magical energies were not completely off. However, Isthan’s discovery that they all spring from the same energy source implies that the multiple origins are in conflict. In other words, how can the same energy source be created and transformed in multiple ways?”
“There are two main theories to explain this. The first states that Universal Spell Energy is actually only another energy source, but serves as a transitional state of energy. This is supported by the fact that no one has discovered a naturally occurring source of Universal Spell Energy. The second theory is that Universal Spell Energy in its pure form exists as a higher dimensional form of energy, and we can’t see it or harness it because we are limited to the four dimensions we exist in (that is, depth, breadth, length, and time). Thus what Isthan created was a means of temporarily bringing this magical energy, in its pure form, into our four dimensions. The implications of the second theory are that all magical energies are created when certain actions reduce some Universal Spell Energy to a four dimensional energy.”
“This second theory is widely more accepted, largely due to some interesting corroborating evidence. Mana and aether and many other energy sources do not have a specific means of increasing available suppy. Conventional wisdom for these sources was that your ability to harness energy grew with your level and with casting spells. However, ki and many so called ‘physical’ magical energies have other means of increasing their energy supply – such as the air herding that initiates into the martial arts learn. Thus, it was hypothesized and has since been proven, that there is a similar means of doing this for all energy sources.”
“If you don’t wish to spend the time to earn a higher Ranked Boon, then you should try to find a meditation that will allow you to feel your energy source. Of course, to do this, you must first finalize your energy source.”
“I think I understand what you have said so far, except for finalizing the energy source. What does that mean?”
“Right, unknown magical energy sources granted by Boons or discovered naturally have to be finalized, that is, defined. For this to happen, you have to set up a system of magic that uses that energy source.”
“Alright, so I just need to create a system of magic?”
“Pretty much.”
“So, how do I do that?”
“Say ‘Character Window’ then ‘Creation’ and Magic System should be an option.”
“Character Window.”
Character WindowAvatar NameIndigoAlignmentNeutralLevel1Fame0TitlesNoneCurrent PathsNoneHealth100Stamina100Strength10Agility10Vitality10Wisdom10Intelligence10Luck0Dexterity0Magical EnergiesGravitonUnfinalized – the amount will be determined when the magical system is createdSkills and SpellsCreation WindowInventoryOptions
“Creation Window”
Creation WindowSkillSpellMagic SystemPath
“Magic System.”
Magic System Creation WindowAs this is your first time using this window, all of its functions will be fully explained to you.Magic System Creation is a little complicated. In analyzing the magical systems of the real world, the creators determined that there are a number of qualities that differ between each system. The major ones are ‘How it is activated,’ ‘the time required to cast, the power and the cost of the magic,’ ‘How the magic affects the world,’ and ‘Whether or not the magic is connected to some higher entity.’ Taking this into account, the creators decided that the best way to make the Magic Creation System was a step-by-step process that sets the parameters of the magic system. Don’t worry about getting too involved. The system will take care of most of the work, just set the parameters and the system will use those to write a number of spells, create the activation processes for the spells, and create special effects that accompany the magic.Would you like to begin creating a magical system that will pair with Graviton?
“Yes.”
Magic System Creation WindowActivation ProcessThe first step is determining how the magic will be activated.How would you like to activate your magic? You can choose as many ways as you like, though you should know that if there is a greater amount of effort involved in activating magic, the spells will be more powerful. You can even choose a quick way and a more involved method of activation, to get variable power on your spells. Also, know that choosing a means of casting that doesn’t involve noise will automatically generate lights – silent casting (and multicasting, too) is a technique specific to each system that allows the casting to go unnoticeable, but it is only learnable at a high skill level.
I wonder. Don’t most magic systems require some other language that you have to learn? However, do I want to be limited to that? Wouldn’t it be cool to also have a means of silently casting magic, like hand gestures?
“Could I have both another language in which a sentence or two can set the parameters for a spell – power, direction, location, that sort of thing – and then activates it, and a set of hand gestures which do the same?”
Magic System Creation WindowActivation ProcessAlright. Would you like to move to the next step?
“Yes.”
Magic System Creation WindowPower, Cost, and TimeThe next step is determining the power, the cost and the time required to cast the magic.Spell power is in a direct relationship with both cost and time. That is, the less time and cost you ask for, the less powerful the spell will be. In general, this is a variable even within magical systems, however there are a number of questions that have to be answered.1. Would you like the cost of magic to involve something other than Graviton, like a material that will be used up when the spell is cast? (having other costs will increase the power of the spells)2. What is the general time frame for casting the spells – measured in seconds, minutes, hours? (the longer it takes, the more powerful the spell will be)3. If a spell is interrupted, is there backlash? How strong is the backlash? (risk increases power of the spells)4. If the spell is interrupted, does the spell cast with the unspecified parameters randomized or does it fizzle out? (fizzling out will decrease the power of the spells)
I want this to be the most combat ready it can be.
“For number 1, no. For number two, seconds or minutes depending on the strength of the spell. For number three, yes, backlash equivalent to the strength of the spell cast. For number four, the spell casts with the unspecified parameters randomized.”
Magic System Creation WindowLimitations and Physical InteractionsThe third step is determining how the magic affects the physical world.This question encompasses the types of spells you’re able to cast. For example, if you wanted to limit yourself to emission and control fire spells, your answer would be fire creation and control. The more limits you place on your system, the more powerful it will be. Keep in mind that you can also have as many systems of magic as you like, so you can create a large number of very limited magic systems that control different things. However, the disadvantage of this is that each magic system creates its own skill that influences the time, cost and power of the spells for that system. Those who use one broad system will advance that skill quickly, but those who use a large number of limited systems will have to advance each of their individual skills. If you choose to use only one, limited magical system, your spells will be very powerful, however, you will almost certainly run into an enemy that you will not be able to defeat because of their specific magical resistances.You have chosen to limit Graviton to this system, and to further limit Graviton to gravity magic only. Therefore, choosing to create a broader system will only have the effect of reducing the power of your spells, unless you gain another energy source that will work with this magic system. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose to limit this system to gravity magic only, in order to increase the effectiveness of your spells in this system. You can always create another system later, should you gain another energy source.
“Alright, then, I’d like it to be limited to gravity magic.”
Magic System Creation WindowConnections and RelationsThe penultimate step is to decide whether or not to connect your magic to a higher order entity.Connecting your magical system to a higher order entity will increase the power, but it can make your magic capricious. Earning the displeasure of the deity will drastically decrease the effectiveness of your magic. Sometimes, placating them is difficult, other times, it is easy.
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll do without the volatility.”
Magic System Creation WindowNamingThe final step is to decide a name for your magical system.
“Newton.”
Take that, laws of science.
Magic System Creation WindowFinisherNow that you have finished designing your magical system, you will now be assigned a quest, adjusted for your level and your abilities. Complete it, and you will be able to create and use spells in your system.
Magic System Creation Quest: NewtonRankGDescriptionYou have designed your own magical system. In order to be able to use it, you must complete a task suited to your abilities.TaskSee 3 different gravity spells cast.RewardNewton system
Indigo turned to Elissa and asked, “It says I have to see three different gravity spells being cast. What should I do?”
“Three? That’s easy. I myself know that many. I can demonstrate them for you.”
“I would really appreciate that.”
“Alright. I’ll do it over here.” Elissa stood and walked over to the red circle that had been etched into the floor. She spoke a word and the circle flared, and a slight haze started to distort the light passing through the air above the circle. Then she began chanting in a strange musical language. A few seconds later, a strange distortion in the air, warping the light reflecting off the other wall, appeared in the circle with her. Nothing happened, though, and the distortion disappeared. She began chanting again, but nothing visibly occurred, even after she had finished. Soon after she finished, she began again. This time, small spherical distortions surrounded her, seemingly changing her appearance.
A small bell sounded and a system message appeared.
Magic System Creation Quest: NewtonRankGCompletionYou have seen three gravity magic spells. Check your Skills and Spells Window for more information about the Newton system.RewardNewton system
You are the first player to create and finalize their magic systems. For this, you have been awarded one Rank 1 Boon. Go to the Options Screen to use it.
Fuck yeah! That’s awesome. A Rank 1 Boon with no
Elissa stepped through the shimmering red curtain and it collapsed, “Did that do it?”
“Yeah, I think it did.”
“Good. You should check out the spells that come with the system, just to give yourself something to work towards.”
“Alright. Skills and Spells Window.”
SkillsnoneSpellsNovitiate Newton System I, 00%Emission: Tiny Gravity Sphere (Novitiate - Weak)
Manipulation: Increase Gravitational Pull (Novitiate - Weak)
Manipulation: Decrease Gravitational Pull (Novitiate - Weak)
Enchantment: Minor Weight Manipulation (Novitiate - Weak)
“These spells look pretty weak.”
“You might think that now, but even beginner spells can be quite useful if used properly.”
“Maybe.” Indigo wasn’t convinced. “Anyway, what do the words in front of the spells’ names mean? Like Manipulation or Emission.”
“Those are classifiers. Spells can be roughly divided into a number of categories. Each reveals the spell’s primary and most obvious use. For example, Emission type spells create something. Manipulation type spells temporarily change the properties of something or move something around. Of course, there are spells that don’t fit neatly into any category and spells that can be used in many ways. For example, an Enchantment type spell normally enhances or adds properties to objects or entities. Usually you might use such a thing to enhance your own gear, but if you were to be fighting an enemy with a fire blade, you could use an ice enchantment to cancel the effects of the flames. That isn’t the primary use for Enchantment spells, but it’s possible to do. It’s better to think of the classifiers as suggestions rather than hard and fast rules.”
“Alright.” Indigo replied.
“Now that you’ve finalized the system, you should check your spell costs – just say ‘Check the name of the spell that you are checking’ – and your energy source, see how much work you have to do.”
I hope it isn’t much.
“Check Increase Gravitational Pull.”
Novitiate Newton SystemSpell NameIncrease Gravitational PullTypeManipulationRankNovitiate - WeakCostVariableLengthSustained - ChunkBase Initial Cost10 GravitonsVariable Cost1 Graviton per 20 poundsChunk Length5 minutesRenew Cost5 GravitonsDescriptionThis spell increases the gravitational pull on its target by 100 pounds for 5 minutes, but the gravitational pull can be increased in chunks of twenty pounds for the cost of 1 extra Graviton per twenty pounds per five minutes.
“Character Window.”
Character WindowAvatar NameIndigoAlignmentNeutralLevel1Fame0TitlesNoneCurrent PathsNoneHealth100Stamina100Strength10Agility10Vitality10Wisdom10Intelligence10Luck0Dexterity0Magical EnergiesGraviton2Skills and SpellsCreation WindowInventoryOptions
2! Fucking 2?! This shit is insane, what the fuck am I supposed to do now?
His shock was written all over his face. Elissa noticed.
“Yeah. I kinda suspected that that would be the case. You don’t even have enough to cast your weakest spell, do you?”
“Maybe. Check Tiny Gravity Sphere. Check Decrease Gravitational Pull. Check Minor Weight Manipulation.”
Novitiate Newton SystemSpell NameTiny Gravity SphereTypeEmissionRankNovitiate - WeakCostFixedLengthSustained – ContinuousInitial Cost20 GravitonsSustain Cost.05 Gravitons per secondDescriptionThis spell emits a small sphere which pulls things toward it. You can set which targets you would like to be affected by the gravitational pull, and you can freely move the sphere. However, the pull that the sphere exerts will be too weak to affect small or mid-sized objects at all, and the pull it exerts on larger objects will only barely affect them.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Novitiate Newton SystemSpell NameDecrease Gravitational PullTypeManipulationRankNovitiate - WeakCostVariableLengthSustained - ChunkBase Initial Cost10 GravitonsVariable Cost1 Graviton per 20 poundsChunk Length5 minutesRenew Cost5 GravitonsDescriptionThis spell decreases the gravitational pull on its target by 100 pounds for 5 minutes, but the gravitational pull can be increased in chunks of twenty pounds for the cost of 1 extra Graviton per twenty pounds per five minutes. If the target weighs less than the amount by which the gravitational pull is reduced, then the spell makes them weightless.
Novitiate Newton SystemSpell NameMinor Weight ManipulationTypeEnchantmentRankNovitiate - WeakCostFixedCost20 GravitonsVariable Cost1 Graviton per 20 poundsChunk Length5 minutesRenew Cost5 GravitonsDescriptionThis spell enables an object or entity to increase or decrease its weight. This will not affect the mass of the object or entity.
I got too excited. This gravity magic will obviously be useless for a long time. Luckily, I have a different Boon, now. I can ask to strengthen the system. However, that wouldn’t solve the actual problem here. Low-level gravity magic is clearly not well suited for combat. For one thing, all of the spells require more Gravitons than I currently have, and for another, all of their effects are useless for combat applications. Nevertheless, I should try to increase my Gravitons anyway, because high level gravity magic is probably some boss ass shit.
“Yeah. I don’t have enough to cast any of my spells and they’re all super weak, anyway. However, I did get a Boon for creating my own magic system.”
Elissa’s eyebrows shot up. “Another Boon? Ava must truly favor you if you already have three Boons.” She paused, and shrugged. “So what are you going to do with it? Ask her to increase the size of your energy source?”
“No. None of my spells will be useful for a while, so I was thinking that I should ask for something else, something that would let me fight monsters. What do you think?”
She pondered this for a few seconds. “Well, you were born in one of the magical capitals of the world. Epheme is a fantastic place to learn all kinds of magics, if that is what you want. I suppose you could also learn to fight with other means, but considering where you were born, it’s probably best to ask for a different energy source. That is, if you do want to fight monsters.”
“What would be the best energy source to ask for, then? I don’t think I want to make another foray into creating a magical system.”
“In terms of combat readiness, you would do well with picking up mana. It works with many magical systems, and the meditation method is already well known. Plus, I could teach you a number of magical systems optimized for combat that work with mana. Combat-optimized means that the spells have short cast times and high damage potential. This is opposed to other magical systems, which generally have longer cast times and are used to enchant objects, erect buildings, summon knowledgeable entities, transmute things.”
“Alternatively, you might consider picking up emlat. It’s fairly limited in its range of magical systems, however, I know someone who has been able to use her system to great effect with regards to combat. She became quite famous as an adventurer at one point. She uses emlat, and I might be able to convince her to teach you her magic.”
I suppose the question is, do I want a versatile energy source, that’ll allow me to do pretty much anything, or do I want possible access to some incredible combat potential? There’s no question. I don’t want to spend my time in town making things. I want to be out there, fighting monsters.
“I’m thinking I’ll go for emlat.”
“Alright then. You don’t know how to access your Boons, right? In order to use one, you go to the options window, and one of the options should be Boons.”
“Options Window.”
Sure enough, one of the options was labeled Boons.
“Boons.”
You have 1 Rank 1 Boon, would you like to use it?[warning, do not attempt this in an enemy-filled area. Using a Boon will return you to the egg, leaving you vulnerable to attack]
“Yes”
The world disappeared. The room where he had first created his character returned, with the slim woman standing there. She didn’t look surprised.
“Hello again. You know, you’re the first person to return to me. I think you might have a promising career ahead of you. How is the Newton system working out for you?”
“Not so good.” Indigo smiled to make it a joke.
“Yes. I thought that might happen. I probably should’ve warned you, but I forgot.” She seemed apologetic, but she perked up again, soon. “You might be surprised what you can do with it though. Combining gravity magic and other magics can have…interesting effects. Here, for forgetting to warn you about the gravity magic, I’ll tell you a small secret, it might come in handy. Ready?”
She leaned in, as if imparting a secret, even though no one else was around.
“Mhm”
A secret? Hopefully it’ll be useful.
“Magical energy is actually made up of non-massless particles.” She leaned back, smiling, as if she had done him a great favor.
Seeing his confusion, she continued, “You’re smart. You’ll know what that means.”
It dawned on him.
If magical energy is a non-massless particle, that means powerful enough gravity magic can affect other magical energies. That might be interesting. But wait, how would that be useful?
Ava spoke, “Anyway, what Boon would you like?”
“Could I have emlat?”
“Alright then. Until next time.”
“Bye.”
The room faded back to darkness. Once more he felt the eggshell around him.
I really, really hope I’m not naked right now. That would be really awkward.
He pushed outwards, and this time, it took almost no effort. The shell broke very easily. Elissa was reading something on her desk but she looked up when she heard the cracking of the shell. He wasn’t naked.
Thank God!
“Done?” Elissa asked.
“Yup.”
“Alright then, let’s go meet my friend. I’ve let her know that we’re on our way.”
Elissa stood, and walked past him, past the inscribed magic circle. Indigo followed. On the far side of the circle, there was a plain, unremarkable wooden door. She opened it, and stepped out into a hallway. He followed her down a long corridor with stone floors and tall ceilings. It gave the impression of a medieval castle, but it had large windows every few feet, all down the passageway. Indigo looked out the windows. Outside, three stories below, was a cobblestone street, along which a number of people walked – enough to be called busy, but not so many that they were jostling each other. Across the street, there was a long stone building, three stories high, giving the impression of a medieval town. However, that was only above the first story. At ground level, the entire side was made of glass. Through it, Indigo could vaguely make out that there were people gathering around tables.
When they reached the end of the corridor, they entered a stairwell, lit from above by a skylight. They descended all the way to the first floor, and exited into an alcove, off of an atrium. The hall was circular in shape, with a mosaic floor. In the center of the room was a small circular pedestal. Hovering above it was a ball of golden light.
Elissa walked past the pedestal, towards the door.
“What’s that?” he asked her. When she turned around, he pointed at the small ball of golden light.
“Oh, that’s a access terminal for the Central Intelligence in this building.”
Elissa saw that he was confused, so she continued, “The Central Intelligence is the spell construct that keeps this place running. Most buildings have something like it nowadays, but ours is an old model.” She said that proudly, almost boasting. She continued, “It’s been in operation for almost fifty years now.”
“The older it is, the more experience it has dealing with all of our various quirks. New models are more efficient and powerful, yes, but older models have personality. Semi-literally.”
Indigo was still confused.
“So what is it, exactly?”
“A Central Intelligence? It’s a spell construct – which is a colloquial term for complex spell that continually runs for a period of time – that functions as the caretaker for this building. The CI keeps the place clean, it repairs damage to the building, it can run basic health scans to keep the inhabitants from dying unnoticed, and it can do a lot of other things too. It used to be that only buildings built on a Convergence Point could operate a CI, but now with the whole bioelectricity thing, pretty much every building has one.”
“Convergence Point?”
“A convergence point is a location where two or more leylines cross. They’re a huge source of magical energies. Older CI’s were built to run off of the magical energies of the Convergence Points.”
“Leylines?”
“Leylines are lines of magical energy, running just under the surface of the planet. Generally, standing above a leyline only aids a little in magic, but Convergence Points can provide a serious boost.”
“Okay, then. I’m not sure I entirely understand what a Central Intelligence is. You said it had personality? Does that mean it’s alive? Sentient?”
“Sort of. A CI is a limited form of an artificial intelligence. It has the ability to learn behaviors and best practices about upkeep of the building, but you could never hold a conversation with one longer than it would take to ask for something. It isn’t really able to learn anything outside of its parameters, which are updated as necessary, but are never really all that broad.”
“Okay. I think I’ve got it now.”
“Alright. We should go, then. My friend is a little flighty.”
Elissa once more started towards the door. However, when they were on the threshold, a voice came from behind them.
“Professor Elissa,” the voice was androgynous. It spoke calmly, as if unhurried, but the voice carried. It wasn’t a shout, more like an amplified speaking voice. When Indigo turned back to see who had spoken, he couldn’t see anyone, but whoever it was continued to speak.
“You asked me to remind you if you didn’t issue an Identification Card to one of the new Morphons.”
Elissa, who had paused at the sound of her voice, turned back to face the room, “Did I forget?”
“You have yet to issue a card to the one who accompanies you. I have transported a blank card to your front right pocket.”
“Thanks, Sai.”
“You’re very welcome, Professor.” Elissa turned towards Indigo, who was displaying his confusion on his face.
“Sai is our nickname for our CI. He was reminding me that I forgot to give you an ID card. So here it is.” She produced a blank white card, about the size of a driver’s license, from somewhere in her robe, and handed it to him.
“Say ‘Register’”
“Register.”
The blank card filled in with his personal information – his height, eye color, hair color, and the number and Rank of his Boons – and a photo of him, above a small letter G.
“This ID will grant you access to the services of the IMA, will act as a passport into most countries, and will auto-assign a rank based on a whole bunch of factors. Your rank sort of determines how good your treatment is, and a few other things too, but it’s mostly unimportant. With that, let’s go.”
Elissa led him through the doors, out onto the streets. She set off down the sidewalk, and he followed close behind. They passed people on the sidewalk, in all shapes and colors. One was a man with an elephant head, another a woman with green skin and dark green hair. In the middle of the street, there were just a few car-like vehicles passing by, going fairly slowly. It was odd, because none of them emitted the roar of the engine that was so prevalent in real cities.
They walked quite a ways. Elissa leading in relative silence. They passed all manners of people, and all kinds of shops. Although the architecture of the city was largely old-timey – no buildings above three stories, all of them made of stones of differing shapes and sizes, held together by a large quantity of mortar – there were entirely incongruous elements too. The bottom floors of some buildings seemed to be shops – they had replaced the stone front with large, plate glass windows. Through those windows, Indigo caught sight of all sorts of transactions happening.
Some stores seemed ordinary – some sold groceries, others were clearly restaurants, a lot were cafes, and one seemed to sell books – others, not so much. Indigo saw a store that seemed to be selling animal pets, but the pets visible through the window looked nothing like any animal he had ever heard of.
Half an hour after they set off, they arrived in front of a plain building, with a few windows, but no glass storefront. There was a painted sign hanging above a small wooden door that was set below street level, with stone stairs leading down to it. The sign had an image of a small wooden stick on it.
“This is it.” Elissa said. She turned to him with a serious expression on her face. “She can be a little…obstinate, so don’t say anything you don’t have to. She’s a great teacher, though.”
“Alright.”
They descended the stairs and opened the door. A bell chimed, and they entered the room. The area around the door was clear, with a long wooden counter along the left side on which was a small, silver bell. There was a door behind the counter, across which a black curtain was drawn. To the right was a small area with a few comfortable chairs sitting in a circle. The whole back wall was dominated by small squares (only a few inches in height) carved into the wall itself. Some of the squares had a small circle stamped on them, with something written inside, but he was too far away to make out what it was.
Elissa rang the bell. A voice came from behind the curtain.
“Yes. I’m coming.”
Soon after, a woman drew back the curtain. She had blue eyes and messy brown hair, pulled back into a bun, and freckles covered her face. She seemed middle-aged, in her forties or fifties, wrinkles just beginning to touch the corners of her eyes and her lips. As she emerged, she seemed a little harried, although she was very businesslike. When she saw who it was in front of the counter, she relaxed.
“Oh. Hello, Elissa, didn’t know it was you. I haven’t seen you in a month. What’ve you been up to?”
“I’ve been looking into the effects of potions which employ enchanted wennig, lately. It’s fairly interesting stuff – the power of the effects seem to be dependent on a number of different cycles. But that’s not important right now. Flyss, I’d like to introduce you to Indigo. He’s a new Morphon. He’d like to learn combat magic, and I told him of your repute as a combat mage.”
Flyss grimaced, and looked at him. She didn’t seem to like what she saw.
“Please, Flyss. He’s already got emlat, all he needs is a little guidance.”
“Oh, alright. I’ll give him a test. If he passes, I’ll teach him. But it won’t be for free. I need a shop hand, to do a few odd jobs I haven’t gotten around to yet.”
Elissa turned to him, silently asking him whether that was okay with him.
Hmm. Learn from one of the greater combat mages in return for working for her. How long will I have to spend to achieve competence, I wonder? Actually, does it even matter? I thought I wanted to do the combat stuff, because that’s the stuff that usually is the most interesting, but if this game is as good as it says it is, the noncombat should be as good. Well, if I don’t like it, I can always just delete this avatar and start over.
“Yeah.”
Flyss smiled. “Alright, I’ll give you the test now. Wait here.” She turned and went back through the curtain. Indigo and Elissa waited in silence for a few moments, before she returned, carrying a crystal hemisphere the size of his fist. She set it down on the counter.
“This is a crystal imbedded with a spell of my system, all you have to do is place your hand on it and channel emlat into it.”
She watched him intently as he put his hand on the hemisphere. Because he hadn’t picked an external manifestation for the energy source, accessing it was intuitive. He simply channeled that energy through his hand and into the hemisphere.
A sea of images flooded into his mind. With each image came a glyph and a sound. After what felt like an eternity, the visions started to portray more abstract words – like justice or equality. Finally, the visions subsided, and the room returned to his sight. Although it felt like it had been an eternity, neither of the women had moved at all.
“Alright then, now begins the real test.” Flyss said. She pulled a thin stick about a foot and a half in length out of her pocket. “Tell me what this says.”
She began waving the stick in the air. The tip of the stick left a thick, glowing white line in the air. When she had connected the two ends, it became apparent that she had drawn a circle. Then she began to chant, in the language he had just learned. The odd thing was, although he knew what each of the words coming out of her mouth meant, the order seemed to be all mixed up. To him, it sounded something like,
“Of gust, wind, gentle blow.”
As she chanted, glyphs with the same meaning as the words she was chanting appeared cut out of the thick circle she had drawn in the air.
Of course! The thing gave me a translation of all of the words from English to whatever language that was, but it didn’t give me any grammar. I’ll have to take the words and put them in some sort of meaningful order.
“The gust of wind gently blows?” he asked.
Flyss smiled.
“Sort of. It’s more like: Blow, gentle gust of wind. It’s a command, rather than a statement. I suppose that you’re close enough for me to pass you. I’ll take you on as an apprentice.”
“Cool.”
Elissa spoke up, “Alright then, if that’s all, I’ll have to be going. Indigo, come back to the IMA if you need any help. Flyss, come visit some time, we really need to catch up.”
“Yeah, we really should meet again sometime. I’m pretty busy now, but in a week or two, most of it will be wrapped up. I’ll come visit then.” Flyss said.
“Great, I’ll see you then.” Flyss waved goodbye as Elissa opened the door and left the shop. Then, she turned to him.
“Okay then. I suppose, now that you’ve learned it halfway, I suppose I should teach you the rest. You see this circle? Why hasn’t it disappeared?” The circle that Flyss had drawn was still there, with the words inscribed in it.
“I don’t know.”
How does she expect me to know this stuff?
“Then guess. Why do you think that the circle hasn’t disappeared yet?”
Why is this circle so important? Well, the phrase that she said sounded like an incantation, so maybe this is how she casts magic? So is it because she hasn’t released the spell yet?
“Because you haven’t finished casting the spell?”
“Correct. This spell hasn’t been completed yet. So far, I’ve said what this spell is going to do. What I have not yet done is input the place where it will happen. You see, spell casting in the magical system that I use – the Lyrian system - is diphasic. In the first phase, we input a command such as the one that I did. The second phase inputs the coordinates where the spell effects will originate. The second phase can also be used to limit the effects of the spell to specific areas or targets, but in the case of most combat spells, you won’t have the time to target such specifics. As a practical demonstration, I’ll complete this spell circle.”
She said a word, which Indigo knew meant ‘physical realm.’ The glyph for ‘physical realm’ appeared in the middle of the circle, much bigger than the other glyphs. The spell circle glowed brightly and a breeze began to flow from the center of the circle. After a few seconds, it cut off, and the spell circle faded into nothingness.
“So, in the case where you want the spell to originate from the circle that you drew, you can just use ‘physical realm’. If you want it to originate someplace else, then you will have to perform a spell to determine the coordinates beforehand.”
“Alright. Are there any other means of casting a spell? Isn’t drawing the circle and chanting fairly time intensive? Is that stick you were using necessary?”
“Yes, there are several methods of casting a spell. The way I showed you is the easiest to control, and the safest. Strictly speaking, a lot of the method that I just showed you is unnecessary. You can leave out the circle, its purpose is to provide a safeguard against magic surges. You can also cut out parts of the incantation, as long as you hold the image of the other glyphs. Technically, you could even cast a spell just by envisioning the whole series of glyphs. However, the more you leave out, the more difficult it is to control. If miscast, the spell can blow up in your face, pretty spectacularly. The wand I used isn’t really necessary, but it helps focus and channel emlat better than I would without it.”
“What about combat? How do you cast spells when facing an enemy?”
“In general, most people stick with the drawing the circle and the full incantation method. This means that most Lyrian spells take at least a few seconds to cast. In terms of combat, this makes the Lyrian system a little dangerous if you aren’t in a team with someone who can take the first few enemy attacks. If you know you’re going to run into an enemy, though, you can do a few things to really give yourself an edge. You can summon a guardian or set up some defensive wards, or, if you have a lot of time before, you can enchant something.”
“Summon something? What can you summon?”
“All kinds of monsters and spirits and entities. Basically, if you know its true name, you can summon it to your aid. There are a number of entities that the Lyrians summoned frequently, and their true names are well-documented. Be aware that summoned entities can be difficult to control well, and summoning one you cannot control will end badly for you and all those around you. Most weaker entities will not be so difficult to control, though.”
“Who are the Lyrians?”
“Who were the Lyrians is a more accurate question. They were an ancient people who built a civilization deep in the Yucadi rainforest around their system of magic. The Lyrians used magic to hunt, to farm, to make clothes, to construct their temples and houses. They did almost everything with magic, right up until they died out a few centuries ago, from a combination of internal discord, disease and an increase in the number of high-leveled territorial monsters in their area.”
“Well, it sounds like the Lyrian system can do anything.”
“It can. It isn’t a combat optimized magic system because it was always intended to be able to do anything its creators needed it to. It has no boundaries. If you can describe something in the Lyrian language, you can do it with a spell.”
“That’s…pretty amazing, I guess.”
And that makes my gravity magic pretty much worthless, given that I can replicate the effects with the Lyrian system. Well, maybe not. I should try to discover the meditation method to increase my number of Gravitons.
“Anyway, you’ve learned the words of the Lyrian language, but in order to cast spells that function the way you intend them to, you need to understand the grammar of the language. That’s what I’ll teach you while you work at my shop.”
“How long do you think that’ll take?”
“Oh, anywhere from two to four weeks. Once you have all of the words down, learning the grammar is fairly easy.”
That won’t be so bad, I think.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Eager, aren’t you? Well, the workshop could use a deep cleaning.”
Flyss turned and went through the curtain. Indigo walked around the far end of the counter and followed her through the curtain. On the other side was a small hallway. Immediately to his left was the first stair in a staircase. To his right, Flyss stood where the hallway exited into a larger room. She beckoned him forward.
The room was clearly a workspace – there was a large table in the center of the room, and a counter ringed the edges of the rectangular room. On the counter that ringed the room, numerous books were stacked on top of each other and various reams of paper stood next to them. There were more random objects on the counter too; a crystal ball, a pointed hat, a cauldron, a metal gauntlet. The countertop seemed to be arranged in no particular order, chaos reigned. The table, on the other hand, was oddly neat. There was a long gnarled staff that lay lengthwise on the table. Near one of the table’s corners was a sheet of paper with words and drawings on it. Other than that, there was nothing else. Just the staff and the paper.
“This is my workshop. This is where the magic happens.”
“Speaking of, what does your shop sell?”
“I do custom work on magic items, mostly – enchantments, spell constructs, and tools for magic use.”
“Tools?”
“Like the wand I used earlier. I can also make magical focuses, even for other magical systems and magical energies. This staff I’m working on now is one of those.”
She gestured to the staff on the table.
“Okay, I’m going to start working. It would be great if you would start by dusting the countertop. There’s a supply closet over there.” She gestured away from the hallway, towards a small wooden door.
Indigo rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
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Indra continued training his skills – he spent his days trying to fill that battery, and his nights teaching himself to ride. He didn’t see Farune all that often. He was quite shocked when he finally logged off after his third day – only 9 hours had passed on the outside – even though he felt like he had been in there forever.
When he got his next chance, he logged right back in, and started up again. In just an ingame week, he reached Novitiate Electricity Production V and Novitiate Electricity Control V. That night, he completed all of the non-optional objectives for the Novice Bike Rider’s Path. A message appeared, and he came to a stop to look at it.
The Novice Bike Rider’s Path
Objectives:
Shift gears smoothly: 20/20
Shift through all of the gears on your bike: 6/6
Downshift gears smoothly: 20/20
Bank smoothly into a turn: 15/15
Hit the top speed on your bike: 5/5
Beat another novice in a race [optional]: 0/1
Beat the best time for a novice on a racecourse [optional]: 0/1
Total: 66/66 100%
Current Gains:
+5 AGI on a motorcycle, + .005% max AGI per character level
+5 DEX on a motorcycle, + .005% max DEX per character level
+5 LUK on a motorcycle, + .005% max LUK per character level
You have completed all of the non-optional objectives for The Novice Bike Rider’s Path. Would you like to complete the Path and accept your rewards?
“No.”
Waiting until I can finish off the optional objectives will probably give me greater rewards.
With that, Indra set off again, honing his motorcycle riding skills, so that he wouldn’t lose in the upcoming race.
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[/hr]
“Anything that you don’t know now can be discovered while you play, so let’s start creating your character. What would you like your avatar’s name to be?”
“Tara.”
“Okay, Tara. While you can make as many cosmetic changes to your character as you would like, none of these will become Boons, at least, not right away. What cosmetic changes would you like to make?”
A nude, pale white woman appeared. She had short, straight brown hair and hazel eyes. She was a little plump, but not so much that it was immediately obvious. At 5’8” she wasn’t too tall, but she wasn’t short, either. More than anything else, a passerby would describe her as average. She didn’t like it though. She didn’t enjoy being average.
“Can you make me thinner?”
The nude woman lost weight until she was razor-thin. Her stomach was so small that her ribs and the lines marking the edges of her abs showed.
“That’s all.”
Most would not consider her beautiful, even now, but with her cheekbones visible, she changed from girl-like to woman-like.
“Would you like to change your voice?”
“No, thanks.”
“Now you choose a Boon. Choose carefully, remembering that, outside of your Boon, you will be essentially the same as you are in real life. Unless you choose a source of magical energy, all spells and certain other abilities will be unavailable to you.”
“Each player automatically gets one Rank 1 Boon on character creation. However, this is the first day since the release of Metamorphosis, so you must have been an early adopter of our game. As such, I am authorized to grant you one more Rank 1 Boon. Ask for whatever Boon you wish, with the sole exception of time travel, but be aware that it may be higher Ranked than you may like.”
“Can I transform into animals?”
“Limited forms of shape shifting, like changing body parts, would be a Rank 3 Boon. Complete shape shifting into a limited number of forms would be a trained version of the Rank 3 Boon’s skill or a Rank 5 Boon. Shape shifting into most forms would be a Rank 7 Boon, or an upgraded version of the skill granted by the aforementioned Boons. Complete ability to shape shift would require an upgraded version of the skill or a Rank 14 Boon.”
Mmm. I don’t know. I want something nature-like, something I can’t get by ingame means, like, maybe being able to speak to animals and plants.
“Can I have the ability to speak to animals and plants?”
“As one Boon, you can have a skill which will, raised to a high enough level, allow you to speak to all living things, however that ability would be greatly limited, at first. At first, you would only be able to converse with beings that are sentient, but low in intelligence. As you raise the skill, the ability to speak with more and less intelligent entities will appear. Would you like this Boon?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like an external manifestation of this ability? In this instance, the external manifestation will have no effect.”
“Sure, could you make both of my eyes a deep green?”
The nude woman’s eyes lost all traces of brown, replacing it with a deep green.
“What would you like for your second Boon?”
What else would be good to have? Some kind of ability I can’t get normally.
Tara was stuck. After a few minutes, AVA spoke.
“I see that you are stuck. May I make a suggestion?”
“Sure.”
“If you are a nature lover, then you might consider a Boon that would allow you to more easily navigate rugged environments, such as a better sense of balance or a calming presence that will reduce the hostility of wild animals.”
“Mmm. That second one sounds pretty good.”
“Alright, then. Would you like a calming presence to be your second Boon?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like it to be passive, or active. If it is passive it will be weaker. If it is active, you will have to activate it, at the cost of stamina or a magical energy.”
“Active.”
This thing will have to be as powerful as it can be, to be useful.
“Would you like an external manifestation? It will make the calming presence stronger, but more costly to sustain.”
“Sure. Can I have a small leaf tattoo on my left bicep?”
A leaf appeared on the naked woman’s left arm, just below the shoulder. It was small enough that it didn’t wrap around her arm, even as slender as her arm was.
“Perfect.”
“Alright. With your Bo