Tec Mage Chapter Thirty Eight: The Problems With Intimacy
Atlas had set him self up in a very comfortable camp just out side of the city limits. He was no longer welcomed in the city because of the rumours the duke had spread, Atlas could still visit the city but everyone would look at him with frowns and shops would charge up to three times the normal price. Finding information about any magic users was even harder, the Avians would stay quite or even lie to throw Atlas off his mission. It was lucky that Atlas had gained a skill that showed the colour of the soul, black was the colour of deceit and when ever Atlas saw that colour he would ignore the advise of the Avian.
Atlas was lying under a tree while reading, the baby spider was now behaving better than before and was allowed to come out of the box with out supervision. At the moment the baby spider was waving his front legs in the air, in between the two legs was a net of silk web. Every time a bird came close to the baby spider it would try to throw it at the bird, it had already caught two birds with this method and each bird was warped up hanging from the tree.
Forge was flying in the air scaring birds into the path of the baby spider, Forge's wing span had increased and now Forge could fly freely with out resting.
Atlas had camped out of the city but he could still see people enter and leave. Atlas was searching for anyone that had a great amount of mana leaking from them, he had learnt while in Ledern kingdom that anyone with a large mana pool would leak mana. Only magic users would own a big enough mana pool for it to leak, with his ability to see mana in it's raw form Atlas could check the Avians with out them knowing, this was the only way open for him to search for the Magus who would very likely own a massive mana pool.
Atlas wasn't pushed for time and he had all the comforts he needed like a running water supply, shelter and a heat source, Forge was helping the baby spider to level up while Atlas read his books. The days passed peacefully with Atlas checking who entered and left the city while he studied.
Days passed with no luck but this didn't bother Atlas, he always had something to do. At the moment Atlas was levelling his Alchemy skill, with his invention Alchemy's Big Boy Travelling Companion Atlas was able to make potions quicker and easier than other adventures
"Ding"
Your Alchemy skill has reached Expert level 1
Atlas had just finished a new powder mix to increase mana regeneration when he received the message, he was slightly disappointed when he didn't get any bonuses for being the first to reach expert in Alchemy.
Thinking to him self Atlas wondered what kind of person could beat him to expert level when he him self had Alchemy's Big Boy Travelling Companion and the Lamps Of Growth, both of those increased the speed in Alchemy. The lamps would increase the speed of plants growth meaning Atlas didn't have to search for plant materials in the wild and the big boy allowed him to create potions on the move.
Alchemy, Expert level 1
Able to make potions and salves out of plants
intermediate lets users use animal body parts and even minerals in their potions and salves
Expert users can make pills
Your Affinity with Earth will increase by 50 per level in Alchemy.
Earth-based magic resistance has increased by +30%. Fire and Water-based magic resistance has increased by +10%
Levelling Alchemy skill was all thanks to his Alchemy's Big Boy Travelling Companion, not only did it allow for potions to be completed faster and safer with lower percentage of fails but unlike other Alchemist Atlas could make potions on the move with only a 5% increase in fails.
Atlas concentrated on the new pills he could create, potions were easy and quick to make but the experience was incredibly poor now Atlas was a expert Alchemist. Atlas also found that potions were needed to create pills, certain herbs and minerals needed to be crushed in to dust and then a reduced potion mix was added slowly until the herb dust absorbed enough liquid to be rolled into a ball. Atlas held a pill to his eye.
"identify" said Atlas
Mana regeneration pill (poor quality)
The crushed herbs and reduced potion has fused together and created something greater than the sum off the parts. Though smaller than a potion it's power is doubled and is a more potent medicine.
Effects: increases mana regeneration by 100 for 10 seconds
Atlas weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand Atlas's enchanted Alchemy gauntlets could hold 32x more potion mix than a normal test tube and administer it directly in to the body with just a push on top of the gauntlets. Then there was the pills, the pills used up less of the potion and so more pills could be made.
Atlas saw while the gauntlets were useful in a fight the pills had the potential to make more money, Atlas made pill container using a stone that was lying near by and started to fill the container.
On the Third day While Atlas was preparing ingredients for his pills he spotted a Avian enter the city, his appearance was of a cockerel. The red comb on his head wobbled as he walked in to the city, Atlas could tell that the mana this Avian was leaking was normal but the thing in his hands was different. A bright light was shining from a piece of round circle metal, when Atlas looked at the circle again without his soul perception it was a plane piece of metal, this metal had some thing that looked like a soul.
After telling Forge to look after the baby spider Atlas followed the Avian, he was hated by the Avians but if he entered the city with a baby giant spider and a Imugi the most fearful of creatures according to Avians Atlas hunch was that they would be attack without hesitation.
Through the streets Atlas received the usual dirty looks and remarks from passing Avians, it sometimes upset Atlas that he was being treated like this but today he was concentrating on the Avian with the metal that held a soul.
Following the Avian Atlas came to a building with a sign out side in big bold letters.
"Beginners Training Hall" Atlas said out loud.
Atlas had completed the basic training and had been told by Borin the training hall instructor that there was other more advance training halls, Atlas hadn't set out to complete the beginner training but now he was here he decided to try it just so he could raise his terrible intimacy.
As Atlas entered the building a bright cheerful voice called out.
"Welcome...........oh it's you" the bright welcome was followed by a disappointed and annoyed tone.
"Hi, are you the training instructor" asked Atlas.
"Your intimacy isn't good enough to ask me that" sneered the rooster.
Even asking who he was needed a small amount of good will, Atlas intimacy with the Avian was rock bottom, word had gotten out that Atlas was not to be trusted.
Atlas looked around, he was searching for the metal he saw before. There was no signs of the metal that held a soul.
Briefly giving up on the metal soul Atlas spoke with the Avian.
"I've come to take the beginner's training" said Atlas, he was hopeful that this would raise his intimacy with the rooster Avian just like completing the basic training had raised his intimacy with Borin the training hall instructor.
The rooster Avian wasn't impressed.
"I don't care what you do but let me say that a lowly mage will fail and i wont help you, you will die" replied the rooster as he flapped a wing in the direction of a pitch black passageway.
"God damn it, i don't deserve this" thought Atlas as he entered the dark.
The rooster Avian huffed and ruffled his feathers, in the roosters mind there was no way a mage could pass this training hall, what the rooster had failed to say was that no combat skills would work and that included magic.
Out side the pitch black passageway the rooster listened with hardly any interest, he was waiting for Atlas to start screaming for help. Even though he said he wouldn't help Atlas his job demanded that he save Atlas at lest once.
Bangs and clangs could be heard as metal smashed against metal in the dark passageway, the terrible screeching of metal rubbing up against metal caused the roosters neck to extend in pain as the noise entered his ears.
"Not long now" thought the rooster, he knew that in the dark passageway waited 10 infinite steel men that adjusted their levels to match who ever entered. It was only a matter of time before the freeman lost, especially since he was a magic user and wisdom and intelligence was a wasteful stat when dealing with the infinite steel men.
More clangs as metal hit metal came from the darkness, there was less noise and the rooster was sure it was coming to the end, when he could hear no more he lazily got of his butt and slowly walked in the pitch black passageway. Walking along the pitch black room the rooster's foot would hit scraped metal and fallen weapons
The rooster nodded "I see he got one of the infinite steel men, not bad for a mage" but his mind soon changed as he encountered more fallen infinite steel men.
Near the end of the passageway the rooster spotted Atlas, he saw that the freeman was hunched over one of the infinite steel men and on the tips of the freeman fingers was a high powered blue flame.
Now that Atlas had finished the trail he could use his magic, controlling air to make oxygen and controlling the fire from his fire ring Atlas had created a wielding torch with his fingers. Atlas was currently cutting into the steel of the infinite steel men, he had passed the test and now he could use his combat skills but as his eye techniques returned to him he could see that there was a glow coming from the core of the steel men, it was the same bright light he saw the rooster carrying as he entered the city.
Atlas pulled out the round glowing metal and identified it.
"Identify"
Artificial Simple Soul For The Infinite Steel Men
A simple fake soul, basic orders are written in the soul to fight and attack, made from simple metal the process of making the soul has been lost to time but the creator's name has gone down in history as Alberich
Atlas was shocked, he had been searching for a clue to the where a bouts of the hidden magi but instead he found his master's master.
Atlas had two masters one was Alison the magus and the 2nd was a journal he had found that was written by Dr Alberich, in the journal many recipes and advise on alchemy and enchanting had been written. Dr Alberich life story had been written too, it told that Dr Alberich took his masters name after he left him. Now Atlas had found a clue completely out of the blue, Atlas had found a artificial soul that his master's master had created.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING" cawed the rooster
The sudden call from the rooster had made Atlas jump.
"The duke was correct, you can't be trusted, that's a thousand year old relic you have taken apart" cried the rooster, his voice no longer resembled that of a rooster but sounded like a crow.
"What's the problem, wasn't i suppose to destroy them. They came at me as soon as i entered, i had to defend my self" explained Atlas.
The rooster cawed at Atlas "......just how did you beat the infinite steel men" the rooster had doubts in his voice, he couldn't believe that a mage had passed.
".....I used there own strength against them" Atlas was 100% sure the Avian had hide the fact he wouldn't be able to use magic in this test. If it wasn't for his eye technique that allowed him to see mana in it's raw form cutting out Atlas wouldn't have known until it was too late.
"Impossible" cawed the rooster.
What Atlas didn't know was the infinite steel men changed their level depending on the users level. With the added stats his spring vest gave him Atlas was able to judge and use his martial arts skill in Aikido. The main point in Aikido was to use your opponents strength, blend the power in your opponent and use it for your own needs.
Atlas had used the infinite steel men own strikes to destroy the others, when ever a strike came towards him Atlas would enter the infinite steel men's space and push the strike in to a new and occupied space.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Atlas was successful because of his low level, a level one that had completed the basic training would have a much better chance at completing this training hall than a level 200 warrior that held no extra bonus stats.
The rooster Avian couldn't except it, the more he thought about it the fluffier his feathers became from annoyance.
"NO, NO, you must of cheated some how" cawed the rooster.
Having such a low intimacy with the Avian race Atlas couldn't catch a break.
"I refuse to believe that you passed the test, in my eyes you fail, now leave and never again darken my training hall door" the rooster raised his wing and pointed at the exit.
"Ding"
Due to the lowest intimacy of the Avians the instructor has refused to acknowledge your passing the training hall test, no fame will be awarded and if asked the instructor will deny that you have passed.
But it is undeniable that you have passed, your next actions will create a new skill.
Atlas was barely taking notice of his message, most of his attention was directed at the Rooster, anger and rage swilled in his mind and heart. Clenching his fists his soul flared up and his mana started to leak out of him in huge amounts, this was totally unfair.
Atlas was angry with the Avian race as a whole, he had helped so many people and in turn they made the world a better place. You reap what you sow but here was a entire race that hated him and for what reason, just from a single word from the duke Atlas's name was mud.
"Ding"
Mana Infused Fluctuation Beginner level 1
Being a enchanter you are familiar with infusing you mana in to items, now when your mana leaks it will boost your allies stats and decrease your enemy's stats, Mana Infused Fluctuation has no effect on the user
+1 to all stats for allies
-1 to all stats for foe
Distance of effect 6 meters
"You cheating worm, leave. I said leave" the rooster had raised his voice.
Atlas dropped the infinite steel man's artificial soul on the ground with a clunk.
"What are you doing, that's the very core of the infinite steel men. If you damage it it will need to be repaired, there's is no replacement" wailed the rooster.
Atlas turned to leave but not before he kicked the artificial soul, panicking the rooster jumped on the artificial soul and shielded it with his body.
It made Atlas feel a bit better and he even over looked the contradiction of something so valuable and delicate being used as a fighting machine core.
At camp Forge was in the tree resting his wings and the baby spider was in his box moulting, after catching enough food the baby rainbow spider would moult every day. The spider was now almost as big as the box he was kept in, in total it had grown twice it's original size and each one of its eyes had a deep, clean and different colour to them. After absorbing the eyes from the dead queen mother giant rainbow spider the baby rainbow spiders speed in growth had raised incredibly, never before had there been a rainbow spider with a full set of rainbow eyes at this young of age.
Atlas entered the camp and sat him self down, he had enough of the Avians. At first he tried to work with them to inspire some trust but with their bird brains they forgot the good deeds and only remembered what the duke had said in not trusting Atlas, now he wasn't going to hold back.
Atlas sent out his mana sparrow cloud and mana mouse wave to search for the magus, the only reason he didn't do it before was that the Avians were scared of the sparrows and the mana mouses had a habit of taking things that weren't nailed down. Atlas did think how bad the sparrows would be if he let them loose but now he didn't care.
It wasn't like Atlas was sending them off to kill, they only needed to find the magus. So what if the Avians were a little scared Atlas was sure they soon would forget about it because of their bird brains.
Atlas didn't do this on a whim, he had tried to increase his standing with the Avians but for every good deed he did the Avians would forget it the next day, their minds just wouldn't remember the good deeds.
After the mana mouses had left their bag Atlas noticed there was still things left inside, Atlas strength had risen to a degree that he didn't notice the tiny weight from the bag. Mana mouses weighed nothing but took space so Atlas had enchanted the bags to have even more space inside at the cost of weight.
Looking though the items the mana mouses had picked up Atlas was impressed, nothing was rubbish and only things of great cost had been placed there.
Gems, silver broaches, ancient coins, even the dukes personal seal was in the mix but what stood out the most in all of this shimmering lustre was a pale blue speckled egg the size of a fist.
"Identify"
A Avians egg, it's species comes from the crow family
Another baby to look after Atlas rolled his eyes, he had far too much on his plate with the baby rainbow spider. Quickly he packed the items back in the bag, when the time came for the egg to hatch that will be the time he would have to worry about it, you never know it might not be fertilized.
Atlas packed away the camp, everything was back to how it was. The raised earth that made a triangle tent like wall had melded back in to the floor like nothing had happened.
In town the mana mouse wave spilt apart and each mana mouse went their own way, the sparrow cloud hovered over the city and dived in to the Avians homes. This caused a great up roar, the mana mouses went without notice but the mana sparrows invaded any home they liked with out worrying about the consequences.
Though out the city the Avian took to the sky to avoid the sparrows invading search, the city became chaos. Avians moved to avoid the sparrows, the clumsiness of the Avians on land caused destruction of pots and merchandise. Avians trampled over other Avians just to avoid the sparrows, none of the destruction was directly the fault of the sparrows it was all down to the Avians fear of sparrows that caused the damage.
The sparrows searched everything high and low but couldn't find anything linking to the magus, on the other hand the hidden mouses found a strange Avian who walked the streets with out worry or care. The other strange thing was the mana sparrows were totally ignoring him like he wasn't even there.
The mana mouses had intelligence and when they saw this mysterious Avian walking the streets without worry or fear towards the mana sparrows their curiosity peaked, they had to follow.
Atlas was reading a history book when the sparrows returned empty handed, Forge had taken the baby spider in to a dungeon for levelling and so Atlas was alone. No sparrows came forward to offer their memory's to Atlas, Atlas knew that they hadn't found anything linking towards the magus. The sparrows perched them self on the tree Atlas was resting under and waited for the mana mouses to return.
A hour later the mana mouse condensed back in to their mouse wave and returned back to Atlas, all but 4 mana mouses climbed back in their enchanted sack, these 4 had memory's they thought Atlas would be interested in.
After absorbing the memory's Atlas had a clear picture of things in his mind, these 4 mana mouses witnessed a Avian walking the streets with out the mana sparrows noticing them. They followed the Avian in secret, the Avian left the city and walked to a hill side and then disappeared with out a trace. The 4 mana mouse looked all over the hill but couldn't find the Avian where about, after finding nothing they returned back to Atlas.
Atlas was thinking he didn't have any other leads to follow and it was a little surprising that his mana mouse lost sight of the Avian and the sparrows didn't even notice him, yes Atlas decided to follow this lead.
Atlas stood at the foot of the hill that his mana mouse had lost sight of the Avian, at the moment he was alone. Forge was still hunting with the baby spider and Atlas left a small sparrow cloud at the old camp waiting for them.
Looking at the hill Atlas concluded that there was nothing special about it, he had climbed to the top and to the bottom a couple of times Even his complete mana mouse wave couldn't find anything, no dungeons or hidden doors.
"Perhaps it some kind of magic" thought Atlas.
Activating his magical aura of the eye technique Atlas was blinded, stumbling back and sheltering his eyes Atlas couldn't believe his eyes. The whole hill was dazzling with mana, it wasn't the usual faint aura of mana that everything emitted but a swirling bright multitude of condensed mana. Even more strange was the shape it took, the mana was covering a house that held a massive telescope protruding out of the house's roof. When Atlas had climbed the hill not once did he sense anything apart from a grassy hill.
The mana was hiding the house from sight, a special type of illusion was placed on the house, not only sight but touch had been changed to confuse anyone who came here. To the out side world it was a normal hill.
"Amazing" was the only thoughts Atlas could think.
Atlas eyes accommodate to the mana, he straightened him self up and knocked on the front door.
"Thump, thump" even though Atlas knew there was a house and he was hitting a wooden door it still felt like earth that he was hitting, without his eye technique he doubted he would of find this place.
At one of the windows of the concealed house appeared the Avian Atlas had witnessed though the memories of the mana mouses, frowning slightly the Avian pulled his curtains closed and then answered the door.
At the door appeared a Avian seagull but this was also a illusion, in the swirls of mana shaped Avian stood a small man, a dwarf.
"Yes" said the dwarf disguised as a Avian.
Atlas was at a lose at what to do, he realised that by asking about magi to the Avian disguised dwarf he would come close to breaking the rules installed to protect hidden magi.
Instead Atlas said just one word "Magus"
The little dwarf looked shocked, from his robe he pulled a knife, the mana shaped Avian illusion that disguised the dwarf didn't move an inch.
"Wait, i was sent" Atlas tried to explain.
"By whom" asked the Avian disguised dwarf.
It took some careful and selective explaining to the Avian disguised dwarf just to explain who Atlas was and why he had came here, Atlas had to make sure that he didn't disclose the where about and name of his master. In the end a skill answered all the questions.
The skill Magical Aura Of The Eye was a skill gained when the class of magus was accepted, showing the skill to the Avian disguised dwarf made things clearer. If this skill was shown to anyone apart from a magus then they would think it to be just a skill but a magus would understand that the welder of the skill was a official magus or an apprentice to one.
The Avian disguised dwarf instantly understood who Atlas was, after all only a magus had that skill and only a magus apprentices would seek out master magi to learn from them.
After completely understanding the Avian disguised dwarf invited Atlas in.
In the building stood the usual things a home has, kitchen, living room, bedroom and all these things were connected with out walls on a single floor, the Avian disguised dwarf lived alone and didn't need walls so a open planed building was the way he lived. What caught Atlas eye was the studio that held a massive telescope that popped out of the roof, in that area was a massive amount of diagrams and calculations of the position of stars, plants and comets and their orbits in the solar system.
Atlas was offered a seat and a single drink of water, before Atlas could say anything the Avian disguised dwarf released his magic. In the Avians place stood a dwarf with a thick brown beard and in his hand he still held the dagger.
"Before you say anything, i know why you are here" said the dwarf.
"Really" Atlas brought the cup of water to his lips.
"Yes really, the only reason for a apprentices magus to look for a new masters is to learn their unique magic" said the dwarf.
"How about it then" Atlas placed the cup down.
"In this life there is a quid pro co, you do something for me and i will teach you my illusion magic" explained the dwarf.
End Of Chapter Thirty Eight