Timothy looked around the third level of the preparation room to see racks upon racks of various items, weapons and armor. Each of the racks was made of a dark wood with three to four shelves each, depending on what they had to offer. There was a small rack to his left that held nine pairs of gems resting neatly on red pillows made of soft crushed velvet. His curiosity peeked, he walked over toward the rack and examined the rows of gems, three pairs to a shelf.
Each of the pairs were carefully arranged atop the pillows, as if they were on display in a fancy boutique store. As he was looking over the various gems, he wondered to himself if he would have a chance to take some of them. That seemed too good to be true but why would they have this here? Rift had been saying all along that this is a prep room, it would be a pretty cruddy one if he didn’t get some starting items. Timothy went to grab one of the red gems.
“NOT THAT ONE!” Rift yelled as he entered the room from the hole in the floor. Rift’s tone and volume made Timothy nearly jump out of his skin, worry setting in that those gems were not for him.
“Oh…okay. Sorry I just kinda figured…,” Timothy was cut short when Rift continued.
“I am just messing with you. They are fine to touch, but don’t pick up more than your limit. At least not for very long,” Rift said.
“You’re a jerk! You know that, right?” Timothy jeered.
Rift smiled, “You know, I have been so stressed out about this scenario and you for so long, and now that you are safe from fading away, I can relax. It is a nice feeling,” He gestured to the rack, “Go ahead, pick one up.”
Timothy looked at the rack, eyeing one of the red gems before picking it up between his thumb and index finger. There was an odd sensation as he did, there was a power there, not in the gem but through it. It was more like a doorway to the magical world all around him, than containing the magic itself. Thankfully, his time with Khloe allowed him to understand how to use the gem. He opened the magical pathway and let the power of heat and fire flow into him, turning his other hand over and exposing his palm.
A small fire flickered in his hand, “Now this,” Timothy said as he looked at Rift, “This is cool!“
“Congratulations on using your mana for the first time! It is a wonderful feeling, like seeing the world for the first time, isn’t it?”
Timothy nodded, “It is. I can feel the magic running through me. I can feel my mana fueling and shaping the flame. It makes me feel like everything is connected.”
“That is, because it is. Most people do not get the opportunity to feel or understand this, but yes, everything is connected,” Rift said in a winsome tone, “The magic does not simply surround us, it is a part of us. You are one of the lucky few that will truly understand this.”
“So, I can only pick three gems?”
“Yes. Any more than that and you will start to experience mana feedback. It is most unpleasant,” Rift said.
“I remember Howard saying something about feedback, but I was not able to pull the knowledge from him. I didn’t know about it when I was in the first door and forgot to think about it in the third. What does it do?” Timothy asked.
“It is a resonance of magic in your body and soul. Sort of a magical loop that starts off small but quickly grows painful the longer you hold more gems than you should,” Rift explained.
“Can I try it to see what it is like?”
“Go for it. I am here to remove the gem if you get stuck,” Rift said.
Timothy picked up a blue and a purple gem at first, with each gem his awareness of the magical world grew. The blue allowing him to sense, but not see, the water mana surrounding him. It felt cool and refreshing as if he was floating in a pool of water on a hot summer day. The purple one felt like it connected him to the fundamental laws of the universe, kinetic and potential energies were everywhere. This level of power surrounding him made him feel so small and insignificant, it humbled him to say the least. Then he picked up the clear gem, and this is where everything went wrong.
Rift was right, at first he barely felt anything, but within a few seconds the loop hit, and it hurt. The pain grew faster and faster, doubling with each passing second. The pain was racking his body and scouring his soul, making his stomach turn sour, luckily it was empty. It felt like a physical manifestation of the audio feedback that happens when someone puts a microphone too close to a speaker. He wanted to let go, but his body refused to act and then…the pain was gone even faster than it started. Rift was standing in front of him with the gem in his fingers before setting it back on the pillow.
“You will be able to hold them for longer the more powerful you become, but that has its limits as well. For instance, after your first wall you may have a minute or so,” Rift said after he finished replacing the gem on the shelf.
“How long can you go before it starts to become an issue?” Timothy asked as he gestured toward Rift.
“About a day, but the feedback isn’t the only issue. Once you pick up an extra gem you will not be able to channel mana. Even the slightest feedback disrupts the flow of energies, so it is best to not take them,” Rift shook his head as he remembered something, “One thing you should know is that normals can carry as many gems or gem items as they want. Since their bodies are not open to magic they are not susceptible to feedback.”
“But I thought normals could use a gem?” Timothy asked.
“True, but they will never use the gem to its full potential since they will never be able to channel mana through it and they cannot use a caster gem. In their case the gems function off the ambient mana around them, most going to waste because they cannot direct it,” Rift informed Timothy.
“It sounds like there is a loophole there waiting to be exploited. I will have to gather information and experience on this and see if I can figure something out,” Timothy said as he placed the three gems back on their pillows, “Let’s have a look around.”
“You’re not picking those gems?”
“Not yet, I want to see what else this place has to offer before I choose anything,” Timothy said.
Timothy and Rift went picking their way through the gem wielder section looking at the various weapons and armor. The choices were almost endless, ranging from simple melee weapons such as staves, all the way through some exotic ones like kamas. The next aisle was filled with various ranged weapons from throwing darts to large crossbows, he was definitely nerding out. Some of the weapons were adorned with gems, some were not and the same held true for the armor. The was the same vast range of armors in the next aisle over, he couldn’t get enough of what he was seeing. He felt like a kid at Christmas.
He ended up eyeing up a staff with a cat’s eye gem on the top that would allow him to see magic. He figured this would be a handy spell for him to have access to without the need for mana. In his tabletop experience, detect magic was an underrated spell that people often overlooked to keep a damage spell at the ready. He tended to start every battle with that spell so he could gain some insight into the enemy’s arsenal. This allowed him to make informed decisions when deciding who to engage and how to engage them.
The armor that he picked out was nothing special and not magical. He tried on a few different robes but found them awkward and somewhat uncomfortable. He ended up saying, To hell with it, to himself and grabbed a padded white clot shirt and dark pants. These fit him a whole lot better, allowing him to move easily without any extra cloth getting in his way. The last item he took was a blue cloak with a reddish-orange hood and trim. The robes may have bothered him but the cloak felt right, and dammit, he wanted to look like a wizard!
The last few items he grabbed from this area were boots, a belt and a pair of gloves. The gloves were the only thing that had anything special about them, there were empty sockets on the palms of each. These sockets looked like they were made to hold gems, five sockets on each hand. These were the only item that came with a small roll of parchment that accompanied them on the shelf. He unrolled the parchment and looked the script over, but he was unable to read it and the words did not change, unlike the placards on the beds. He turned it over and showed it to Rift.
“Are you able to read this?”
Rift took the scroll from Timothy, “Yes, it is the common language of Draconous. It says, ‘Quick Change Faceted Gloves: Allows the wearer to quickly change gems, forgoing the need to forge gems in and out of the sockets. Can hold a max of 10 gems. Requires a bond to the user. Caution: Does not cancel out the effects of feedback.’ That is different,” Rift said as he looked up from the scroll and at the gloves.
“These will serve you well, I have never seen anything like it,” Rift paused and looked at Timothy, “Do you think you can bond these without using that power?”
“I can try but I should be safe now, right? What does it matter?”
“I have a suspicion of what that power is doing, I want to research it and study it before coming to a conclusion. In the meantime, I would suggest holding back from using it, especially in a dire situation. I think it will leave you exposed for some time afterwards,” Rift said.
“What do you think it is? And, I don’t really use it, I think it is more like it uses me. The power is a geyser of energy that rises up inside me. The few times I tried to restrain it was like wrestling a firehose, it was barely controllable.”
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“Then that is something we will need to work on in a safe environment. We can’t have you using that when your life is on the line and then you pass out for three days,” Rift’s stern expression giving Timothy pause.
“That makes sense. Can we work on this together?”
“Yes, but some other day. I will need to rest before I can hope to study you with any degree of competence,” Rift shook his head, “That being said, I think you need to try and bond it to you. If the power manifests, we will deal with the consequences then. At least you will be safe here,” Rift said.
Timothy winced, “Famous last words.”
Timothy decided to finish looking around the room before attempting to bind the gloves to himself. There were three sections left that he had not yet investigated, two of them piqued his interest more than the third. The one was filled with all types of spells while the other had a simple placard on the top shelf that said ‘Outworlder bonus abilities’. The last section held utility items such as torches and backpacks that he decided could wait until later.
“All right! Some extra abilities, maybe I can score some more mana or the ability to carry more gems.”
The outworlder bonuses were limited to five different abilities but they all looked like winners to Timothy. Each had their own little placard in front of it naming the ability and giving a brief explanation.
Language Adaptation: Allows the outworlder to read, write, speak and comprehend most languages. Rare, dead and magical languages may not be affected by this ability until the user gains a base understanding of the language.
Mapping: Allows the outworlder to create a map of the area in their mind’s eye. Once a map is known it can be recalled from memory at will.
Loot: Allows the outworlder to consume a corpse in fire, turning the spent energy into various types of matter. This will range from coins to magical items depending on the amount of mass and magic consumed in the flames.
Fast Travel: Allows the outworlder to move quickly between towns that they possess a domain. Simply owning a house will not suffice, the domain must be owned on a physical and fundamental level. Creating the link between two domains is a taxing endeavor, leaving the outworlder drained for some time.
Fast Learner: Allows the outworlder to learn skills, spells and mundane knowledge at a faster rate than ordinary people. The rate depends on the complexity of the subject.
“How many can I pick? It doesn’t say,” He asked as he looked at Rift.
“I don’t know. Try picking them all and see what happens.”
Timothy went to touch one of the plaques, but when his fingers got within about an inch of it, he felt something. The knowledge came to him in a flash, he now knew that as soon as he touched one of those plaques he would bind the ability to himself. He pulled his hand back and turned to Rift.
“I think it would be best if I came up with a priority list. As soon as I touch one of those,” Timothy pointed to a plaque, “I will gain the ability. There is no returning it.”
“They are all promising utility powers,” Rift commented, “Which one will you choose first?”
Timothy paced for a bit, thinking, “Some of these are the shiny treasure at the end of the rainbow but I think I need to start with smart first,” he looked the five over again, “The loot and fast travel seem like the most powerful but the first is a no brainer for me. It has to be the language adaptation power.”
Timothy reached out and touched the plaque, a surge of power hit deep inside him, as if it was attaching to his soul. His initial inclination was to resist it but soon he realized that the sensation was similar to when he chose the gem paths. He focused his attention inward, closing his eyes, he could almost see the rune etching itself into his soul. It was like having an itch on his back, his mind making a mental image showing him where to scratch, without seeing it with his eyes.
“Say something without your mask translating it,” Timothy asked of Rift.
“How do you feel?”
“I feel fine, but please, say something without translating it,” Timothy replied.
“I did, and you obviously understood it and replied in the language I used. Common. That power will suit you well in the new world, good choice.”
“So, I don’t even need to concentrate on the power. That is nice!” Timothy nodded to himself and turned to the shelf again.
He reached out and touched the second ability he wanted, Fast Learner. The effect on him was identical to the first power and he did not resist, letting it etch itself onto his soul. When it finished, he opened his eyes and looked at Rift.
“Is there anything you can teach me that I would have no knowledge of prior to now?” Timothy asked with exuberance.
“How about a first level spell?”
Timothy’s eyes went wide, “Oh! Hell yes!”
A purple gem glowed dimly on Rift’s sleeve as he raised his right hand and pointed at the wall, “Maki-to,” a bolt of force shot out of his finger and quickly darted across the room, slamming into the wall.
“Your verbal component may not be the same as mine, all it is used for is to create a mindset. It doesn’t even have to be a real word,” Rift told Timothy.
Timothy closed his eyes again and thought back to the moment Rift began to cast the spell. His gestures were quick and precise, but Timothy remembered them all in detail. He did a dry run of the motions without opening himself up to the magic. Mentally, he laid his motions over Rift’s. There were minor corrections to make, it seemed like his mind knew what to do but his body needed to practice it. This would not give him abilities automatically, but he could already tell that it would make things much easier for him. On the third dry run he matched the gestures close enough that he believed it would work.
“Time to grab a gem,” he said as he walked over to the shelf and plucked a purple gem from the pillow.
He held the gem between his fingers and thumb of his left hand and opened his soul, allowing the magic to be shaped by his mana. He extended his right hand and pointed a finger at the same spot Rift’s bolt hit.
“Bolt of force!” Timothy said in English.
The gem flared, the magic coursed through him and out his outstretched finger forming into a small purplish bead. It then shot off just as fast as Rift’s and struck the same spot in the wall.
He turned to look at Rift, “How was that?”
“Well done. That usually takes days for someone to learn to the extent that you performed it. You even hit the same spot, good aim. Are you ready for another?” Rift asked.
“Yes, but not yet. I want to finish with the outworlder wall first,” he looked at Rift, “I am torn between map and loot next; do they sell maps in your world?”
“They do.”
“Then that settles it,” Timothy said as he touched the loot power.
Again, it etched itself into his soul, but this was not an ability he was willing to try here. Now that it was a part of him, he knew how it worked, and it was not pleasant. The loot power would consume a recently deceased body in fire, converting the mass into energy. Then it would convert that energy back into mass, creating a new item for Timothy to loot. He explained the effect to Rift and they both agreed that it would be best to try that power at another time.
Timothy decided that the map ability would be the next ability for him. Fast travel would be nice but if he was going to a new world he wanted the opportunity to explore it, not just zip from place to place. He walked over and tried to touch the map ability, but it was as if his finger and the ability were two of the same magnetic poles. His finger just slid to the side, unable to touch it. He moved to the fast travel ability but had the same effect.
“I guess I only get three.”
“Looks that way,” Rift said as he looked around the room, “You about ready to wrap this up?”
“Yep. I might as well bind those gloves to me now, right?”
“This is the safest place,” Rift agreed.
Timothy put the gloves on, they were a bit big for him, but he decided to continue anyway. Most of the games he played made magic items size themselves to the owner, he was betting this would do the same once bound to him. He settled in and relaxed his mind, concentrating on the gloves, he could feel the residual magic hiding in them, like a fire that you can smell but not see. Once he locked onto that power he pushed his will out towards it and to his surprise, it worked! His will surrounded the magic and pulled it to him, connecting the two, the gloves shrank to his hand. It was comfortable, almost feeling like a second skin.
“That was way easier than I was expecting,” he said.
“I was expecting to have to catch you as you passed out… again,” The two looked at each other before bursting into laughter.
After the two composed themselves Rift continued, “You still have to find a gem item. Do you need any help picking something out?”
“I will take all the help I can get.”
The two spent some time going through the various items on the racks. Timothy would hold something up, Rift would explain what it does and then give his opinion. The two would sometimes debate if an item was good or not, then they would either place it back on the shelf or set it to the side as a possibility. Until they came across a special dimensional bag. This bag would allow a caster to carry twice as many gems as they normally could without feedback. While the gems were in the bag they couldn’t be used, but the bag, in combination with his gloves, would allow him to interchange gems as necessary. This was the gem item Timothy ended up choosing.
With this choice made the two finished gathering everything up, getting it all into a pile before Timothy started equipping himself. The six caster gems he chose were fire, water and force, which he inserted into the left glove immediately. The other three were placed directly into the bag because the moment he touched them the feedback started. They were air, life and dimension.
With that done he put on his padded armor and cloak. Grabbed a backpack and some mundane items to go in it, picked up the staff with the cat’s eye gem and looked at Rift.
“So, what other spells can you teach me before I go?”
They spent the next few hours going over some of the more basic spells, Timothy learning each with ease. Some were taught to him by Rift while others he went to the spell rack and learned from the scrolls, he wanted to know how to learn spells both ways. The longest part was waiting for his mana to regenerate after every few spells he learned. All total he was able to learn seven new spells, giving him a total of eight before he was not able to learn anything new. His mind, body and soul felt like they could not handle any new information about magic. Each new spell over the eighth slipping away from all three with each attempt.
“I thought you said that we could have as many spells as we want?”
“You can, but you can only learn a certain amount at a time. Consider yourself lucky, most people can only handle one or two at a time, you got eight,” Rift said.
“Oh, I am not complaining, just wondering,” Timothy responded with a smile, “I guess that’s it, huh? Time to move on.”
“Yep. Once you go through that door you will be taken to Draconous,” Rift reached into his pocket and pulled out a small brown leather bag, “Take this,” he tossed it to Timothy, “Some coin to get you started.”
Timothy caught it, “Thanks,” he paused, “Does that mean you are not coming with me?”
“I can’t right now, but I will be there eventually,” Rift said, heavy with regret, “There are things I must do before I may return to Draconous.”
Timothy wanted to press for more information but the look on Rift’s face told him it was not the time or place. He walked over and extended his hand, the two shook.
“Until next time then,” Timothy said.
“Until next time,” Rift repeated.
The two finished their goodbyes before Timothy made his way to the door exiting the prep room. Rift watched him leave as he stepped through into another portal of swirling rainbow light that would lead Timothy to Draconous. When the door closed his body relaxed, letting go of a tension he had grown so used to that his muscles felt alien to him without it. He looked around for a place to sit down but couldn’t find a chair anywhere in this room, so he summoned one.
The moment he sat down exhaustion hit him, he was tired and weak from the past few months. Add to that the release of the anxiety and tension he had been dealing with for a very long time, he thought he would be able to sleep for months. He removed his mask, dropping it to the floor, and started to let his eyes drift closed when a loud sound echoed in the room.
DING! Welcome to level 24.