Once they entered the agreement, Sotarr took some time to review their skills and progress and learn about Rathos and their bloodline. He asked many pointed questions about things they didn’t know or that weren’t included in the shared information package on the network.
Afterward, he shared schematics for an arena enchantment that would allow anyone to fight and train in a safe environment. This was a glaring omission in their otherwise solid preparations for their colony and the rewards they had acquired from the trial. While there were limits to what Sotarr was willing or able to share, the runework needed to create an illusionary arena was not one of them.
"Your efforts to increase your planet's mana density and promote its overall health and growth are admirable," Sotarr said. "However, they lack scope."
He then introduced an interplanetary array formation centered on the Lagrange point between Lacustrine and Nautilis. Thanks to the strong water aspects of both the moon and the planet, they were compatible enough to establish a formation that would allow their energies to cycle, refining both celestial bodies in the process—similar to a form of dual cultivation. This practice, Sotarr explained with a chuckle, was fairly common. Interestingly, opposing planets, like those with fire and ice aspects, worked even better, though such pairs were extremely rare.
Initially, they had planned to construct a defensive space station at the Lagrange point for protection. But Sotarr, with a smirk, suggested, "Why not do both? The energy cycling between the planets will generate an abundance of excess energy—more than enough for the station to make use of."
"Is it really alright with the system for you to share this kind of knowledge with us?" Riseth asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
Sotarr shook his head. "The trial is over, so sharing information isn't as restricted. However, if I overshare, it might negatively impact your records. That's why I've provided you with the basic enchantments in both cases. Improving upon them will be up to you and your quaint little clan unless I deem it necessary to speed up the process."
Sotarr's appearance and the information he shared caused quite a stir within the clan. Nessyra almost delayed her departure, but Sotarr made it clear to her that she wasn't his student and that he would only share or involve himself with the clan if he deemed it necessary or beneficial for his two disciples' growth.
Construction on the arena began almost immediately, as many clan members were eager to use it for training and sport. The space station project was also accelerated, scheduled to start upon Nessyra's return. The shipwrights were now focusing on creating construction ships to build the station in orbit between Lacustrine and Nautilis.
For the first few days, Sotarr instructed Alistair and Riseth to create simple enchantments involving the arcane substrate to improve their fine control of magic and utilization of their concepts. These items were distributed among their crafters, particularly the enchanters, as learning tools. The goal was for them to discover the substrate independently, allowing for advancement through discovery rather than simply being told about it.
The only clue they were permitted to give was the necessity of a sight or intuition-based skill, which most of their crafters possessed in some form. James, while not an enchanter, was the first crafter to notice. His wide assortment of visual-based crafting skills allowed him to pick up on the substrate, something he had previously seen in the Alpha AI Core but had deemed far too complicated. The simplified enchantments created by Alistair and Riseth made the substrate much more accessible, opening new avenues of crafting he had previously considered out of reach.
Alistair initially wondered why they were training enchantments instead of their core concepts before being told that he was training his directly linked concepts, which was the only hint Sotarr gave them for now. He promised to explain in more detail once they improved their control over their magic or if they figured out enough of it by themselves before he ran out of patience.
As they continued honing their core concepts through their enchantment techniques, both Alistair and Riseth found that the more they practiced, the quicker they became at creating nodes and cores, manipulating them into increasingly complex and powerful enchantments. After nearly a month of working on such a microscopic scale, they’d passively gained over 20 points in their control stat. Yet, the true testament to their progress was the noticeable improvement in their magical power and precision.
Sotarr, recognizing this, instructed them to test their skills in the private arena array they had built around a mana crystal, which they’d retrieved from the Heart of Mana’s excess deposits. The crystal hovered in the corner of their living room, its glow soft yet brimming with potential. Initially, the arena array, courtesy of Sotarr’s enchantments, had been a simple, flat battleground. But with their newly refined enchantment abilities, they had expanded its capabilities to simulate a variety of terrains. They also discovered that by integrating monster cores into the crystal, the arena could simulate those creatures for combat practice, as the crystal eagerly absorbed and integrated the cores into its expanding matrix.
Alistair stood in a plain arena, his body somewhat ethereal, but that was normal for an arena enchantment. On the other side stood Riseth. This was the first time they were able to fight each other seriously. Part of him rejected the idea of fighting her, but the other half looked forward to it, and he felt the same emotions mirrored in her. Sotarr looked down on them from a stand, his voice ringing out loud and clear, "Begin!"
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Nessyra let out a frustrated sigh. Almost everywhere she went to recruit, she found planets embroiled in internal conflicts. Neshan had been no exception; jealous factions had attacked the Zekaria Corporation, igniting a corporate war to weaken their position and steal their ship-building techniques and skills, deeming the Zekaria Corporation too powerful. Fortunately, the corporate war was already petering out when Nessyra arrived, and Satari reassured them that the losses had been within an acceptable margin.
The situation resulted in a surge of refugees and individuals seeking to leave their home worlds, adding significantly to Nessyra's workload. She had already intercepted multiple spies, some from Neshan's rival corporations and others from the Blackmarket Syndicate, attempting to infiltrate their ranks. Sorting through this influx of people was proving to be a challenging task. The Blackmarket Syndicate had also attacked the Kaiakos not long after their arrival in Earth's orbit, and they had been fortunate that Sol's fleet had come to their aid. Without that intervention, the damage to the Kaiakos would have been far more extensive than it already was. "James won't be happy about this," she thought with another sigh.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
While on Neshan, Nessyra learned of the formation of the Aegis Coalition, or simply 'AC', which was diligently recruiting members to unite against invaders from other universes. The AC was nearing completion of a universe-spanning network to coordinate defense efforts among participating factions. Multiple advanced species, already allied with each other, had begun constructing massive defensive installations at the nearby establishing bridges, huge space phenomena connecting two universes. These efforts aimed to stop the invaders at their proverbial doorstep, with numerous factions sparing no expense to ship materials and warships to the closest establishing bridges, particularly those located in galaxies nearest to the bridges.
She had tentatively declined the AC's offer to join, stating that she lacked the authority to make such a decision. Still, she assured the representative that, given the Clan's leadership, they would discuss it and certainly consider contributing to the AC's efforts if possible. Nessyra told them they had already participated in space battles against the Blackmarket Syndicate, which had earned her some respect, as the Syndicate frequently ambushed supply lines headed for the bridges, which resulted in the Syndicate being marked as hostile invaders and traitors by the AC. To Nessyra's surprise, the AC representative had offered to pay the bounty for the confirmed pirate kills as a mercenary force. Still, she declined this as well, preferring to establish a good rapport with the AC and stating the Syndicates were their enemy as well, which she was quite sure had warded off any unfavorable designation for their clan by the AC.
She wasn't surprised when she found that Earth was even worse off than Neshan, engulfed in a full-blown war for supremacy, with Sol fighting almost everyone who didn't join his faction. Nessyra had to give credit to Sol, as a much larger number of factions had chosen to join him than she had expected. Most factions fought for their independence on Earth, while some were out for blood, and the Blackmarket Syndicate acted like vultures, profiting from the misery created by the conflicts. Despite Sol's best efforts to keep them out of his system, the pirates and smugglers of the Syndicate managed to frequently bypass the patrolling fleets, selling weapons, tools, and necessary goods for war and taking slaves, among other things, for payment.
There had also been a surprising number of beastkin factions emerging, further complicating the situation on the ground, many of which were also applying for refuge with their clan. If Nessyra had thought the number of applicants on Neshan was overwhelming, it paled in comparison to the flood of applicants from Earth. Most had to be turned down as they would bring the chaos and violence with them instead of leaving it behind.
She was pulled from her thoughts by a message informing her of another applicant—one her assistants hadn’t been able to get a good read on. His Grade was too high for them to handle. She stepped out of her body, leaving behind an illusion of herself sitting in the chair, appearing to work. It was a skill she had long relied on for safety; defending from a seated position, even for someone like her who primarily used mind magic in combat, was never ideal.
Dexter’s ears flicked as he perked up from his little bed, sensing the shift in energy. He knew the drill—time to hide his power and act the part of the lazy pet instead of a potential threat. They’d been through this before. There had been a handful of actual assassination attempts during these interviews, though most were simply strong individuals seeking to join them for their own reasons. She hoped it would be the latter, but she remained prepared for anything.
A confident knock signaled the arrival of her guest. A human male entered, characterized by mostly shaved black hair, sharp facial features, a beard, and a healthy tan. Nessyra recognized some features that suggested a heritage from Earth's southern regions, often referred to as 'Latino.' However, he had clearly evolved into a different human subrace she couldn't quite place. Her Identify skill registered him as [Andrés - lvl 107]. His high level was impressive for someone seeking refuge, which in itself was suspicious. What unsettled her more was the strongly veiled hostility he directed toward her. His level was almost equal to hers, and he was clearly more combat-oriented. This made him far more dangerous than she was comfortable with. She discreetly ordered Levine and her fellow lawyers to be on standby nearby through her Akashic Link skill, as she didn't want to immediately tip off the man in front of her.
Nessyra scrutinized the man for any sign that he had seen through her illusion, but there was no indication of such. She had her illusion speak up.
"Welcome, Mr. Andrés. I have been told you wish to apply as a member of our clan, and I would love to hear a little about yourself."
He gave her a toothy smile that made her intuition tingle; it was a fake smile. "Yes, I come from some meager means from before the initiation but have been doing well for myself, as you can see," he said, stretching his arms out to display himself. "It is simple, really. Most of my family died before the initiation, and the rest perished during the trial or upon our return, so nothing truly keeps me on this rock. The Ryser clan seemed like a great opportunity for a fresh start, certainly better than joining the wars," he added, still wearing the same toothy smile. Even without her skills alerting her to the half-truths he was spinning, Nessyra felt increasingly uneasy.
"I am sorry to hear that," Nessyra's illusion said, showing some sympathy. "I will have to ask some questions to see if you are a good fit and what you can provide for the clan, if that is alright with you?"
"Of course," he said, idly rubbing his fingers, a nervous gesture accompanied by a noticeable rise in hostility.
"Excellent," Nessyra replied, before proceeding to ask a series of questions about what he could offer to the clan and what his expectations were. Her lie-detecting skill indicated that he was spinning an intricate web of half-truths, presumably to avoid getting caught by a lesser social skill. However, Nessyra's skills were anything but lesser; not even her assistants would be fooled by his play. She had made sure of that. His body language and her intuition told her he was likely to attack her soon, and she hated herself a little for putting herself into this position without better preparation, having only a handful of defensive enchantments and a small team close enough to help her almost immediately. She sent them a message to disregard stealth and come to her aid immediately.
"Are you part of or have any connections to a faction hostile to the Ryser Clan?" Nessyra's illusion asked. Either the question or sensing the approaching lawyers triggered Andrés, who, overcome with bloodlust, leaped over the table in a blur. His wicked blade slashed through the illusion's neck, severing its head.
Dexter sprang into action, using his telekinesis to slam Andrés into the metal office wall. The slightly irritated Andrés as his eyes met Nessyra’s real ones, realizing the sensation had not been quite right.
"Tricky puta! Taking somebody's head off feels much more satisfying than that," he spat as he threw a dagger-like spell at Dexter, who jumped out of the way as Andrés charged her with that wicked blade.
Her teleportation skill was being restricted and the restrictive magic placed on Andrés didn't seem to slow him much. The barrier she erected, while partially stopping the first strike, still shattered under the second, leaving her with a slash across the stomach. She and Dexter's Mind magic assaulted Andrés, who strained heavily but somehow managed to power through despite their best efforts. He had likely been picked exactly because he was strong against mind users.
This had technically been according to her plan; she wanted to lure out assassins such as this. But as the pain radiated through her body, she wondered if she had been too careless this time.