To activate the spell, Pascal required more mana. To gain more mana, he needed a place free from distractions. And so, Pascal wandered off down the hallway.
The hallway took him up and down stairs, around corners, and through several passages. No hallway in the city ever went straight for too long, but that wasn't too much of an issue. To find what he was after, it was a matter of time rather than direction.
He walked for a few hours, and the city grew less familiar the further he went. The themed sections disappeared and only sporadic unorganized rooms lined the hallways. Fewer people appeared inside the rooms, and some rooms were even dark and abandoned. However, after three hours of walking, he finally found what he was looking for; a long hallway with no rooms or decorations.
Pascal approached the smooth gray wall and knocked twice.
[ Summons Confirmed. ] [ Summons Confirmed. ]
Two balls of light floated out of the wall, and robotic voices echoed out of them. One was light, and one was dark. He nodded to the two artificial spirits and addressed them.
"Dia, Nyx. I'd like to create a room in this hallway."
[ Confirmed. ] [ Confirmed-ed-ed-ed. ]
Dia confirmed his request easily, but the black ball of light stuttered the final syllable. It repeated the end of the word like a broken record.
"Are you okay, Nyx?"
Pascal asked about its health, but the ball of darkness didn't respond. Instead, it blinked out of existence and Dia responded in its place.
[ It appears an unknown error occurred in the Onyx-type Spirit. I can remotely activate their functions to finish the request. Would you like to continue? ]
Pascal nodded. "Yes, if possible, but you should probably look into that. Perhaps Nyx needs some maintenance. How long has it been since someone activated you two?"
[ E-E-E-Error. ] Dia's robotic voice repeated the start of the word just like the ball of darkness did.
"Maybe you should get checked out too." The city should have run regular maintenance on the prismatic spirits, but perhaps these two had been missed somehow.
[ Confirmed. Requested maintenance will be completed in the background. ]
Pascal nodded and returned to the task at hand. "I'd like to make a new room. Could you pull up the interface?"
[ Confirmed. ]
A blue screen appeared in front of Pascal. It listed options for the room along with corresponding prices. The larger the room, the more it cost.
He began with a moderately sized room and added some basic furniture like a bed and chairs. For things like food, a full kitchen seemed impractical, so he tried adding a matter-fabricator, but he paused before selecting it.
"Half a million credits for a single matter-fabricator?"
He blinked in surprise at the cost. Many of the rooms in the city had one, so he assumed they were cheap. In contrast, Diamond-type spirits were fairly uncommon in the city, but they only cost a hundred thousand credits, one fifth of a matter-fabricator.
"That's strange... A Diamond-type can also fabricate materials, so why does it cost so much less?"
[ M-M-Maintenance... M-M-Maintenance... ]
The Dia in front of him stuttered out the word twice, and Pascal nodded. "Oh yeah, you're in maintenance mode right now, huh? Well, good luck with that."
He turned back to the holographic screen and added a Diamond-type spirit terminal. It was much cheaper than a matter-fabricator, and it should be able to create a plate of food when needed.
[ Th-Thank you... Maintenance Complete. Goodbye- User Pascal... ]
Pascal blinked at his name and looked up. The white ball of light flickered, then disappeared.
"Goodbye..." He repeated the farewell to the now empty space. However, he had little time to dwell on it.
Only a few seconds passed, then two new balls of light appeared. Just as before, one was light, and one was dark. As they burst into existence, two robotic voices called out. However, one was much louder than the other one.
[ Summons Confirmed. ]
[ Summons Confirmed! Hell yeah! I'm free! ]
[ Onyx-type Spirit. Cease unnecessary communications. ]
The black ball of light spun around, as if dancing, and the white ball of light gently chastised it. However, Dia's words didn't dampen the Onyx spirit's excitement at all.
[ Listen to this. I've been stuck doing trash for all this time, and Dia suddenly asks me to come do construction duty. Can you believe it? ]
[ User Pascal, please ignore unnecessary communication. What can we assist you with today? ]
"I'd like to make a room. Could you bring up the menu for me? I was in the middle of building one when the previous screen disappeared."
[ Confirmed. Restoring build settings. ]
[ Oh? You're trying to make a new room? Want any tips? ]
Dia created the blue holographic menu, but Nyx flew around to Pascal's side, hovering over his shoulder.
"Nyx seems different." Pascal said aloud. He didn't remember running across a golem or spirit with so much energy before.
[ Confirmed. An operational error was discovered during maintenance. The affected spirits were culled and replaced with synchronized instances from elsewhere in the city. This Onyx-type spirit used to work as a garbage disposal. ]
[ It was super tough. Day in, day out, I did nothing but turn garbage into mana. However, now I'm free! ]
The ball of darkness did a figure eight, and Dia seemed to sigh. [ Onyx-type Spirit. Cease unnecessary communications. ]
[ No way, I finally got a new job! Now, buddy, let's see about sprucing up that drab room. You gotta add some decorations. What about some tasteful tapestries? I recycled a lot of them in my time, I could help you pick out a cool design. ]
"That would be helpful."
Pascal nodded, and Nyx floated closer to the screen. The ball of darkness began pointing out tons of weird decorations and furniture. Pascal dutifully selected each one and added them to the room. They only added a little to the price, and Nyx seemed awfully excited about them.
As they spoke, Dia floated around behind Pascal's other shoulder. The white ball of light floated silently before finally speaking up.
[ Suggestion. Additional lights equidistant at approximately four meters. ]
"Oh yeah, I forgot the lights. Thanks, Dia." Pascal added some more lights to the room and nodded. "Anything else?"
[ Buddy, you gotta get some atmospheric drapes. I know some good ones... ]
Nyx continued listing off decorations, and Pascal dutifully added them. Dia didn't suggest anything else, but she continued to float over Pascal's shoulder.
[ ... ]
"Dia? Any final thoughts?" Pascal turned towards her and she finally spoke up.
[ Suggestion. Move installment of Diamond Spirit terminal down by two meters. ]
Pascal did as suggested and lowered the crystal down by two meters. However, the terminal now rested in the middle of the air. It had nothing to hold it up. "Won't the crystal just fall to the ground?"
[ Suggestion. Take the terminal crystal with you after leaving the room. ]
"You can do that?" Pascal blinked in surprise at the suggestion. All the instances of Dia he saw were tied to a single room, so to take one with him sounded impossible.
[ Affirmative. The operational error discovered was estimated to be caused by prolonged inactivity. Using the terminal after abandoning the room will ensure proper maintenance is performed. ]
"Abandoning the room? Oh..." He didn't plan on abandoning the room, but he wouldn't have much use for it after a week. "You just want to make sure this terminal isn't forgotten, right?"
[ Affirmative. One activation per ten thousand years would be sufficient for proper maintenance. ]
"You artificial spirits operate on a completely different time scale, huh..?"
Pascal left the crystal floating in the middle of the air, but he placed a small pillow under it. The extra cushion would hopefully pad its fall once he instantiated the room.
"I think this should be it," he said to himself and confirmed his choices. He pressed a button on the screen, and two hundred thousand credits disappeared from his wall. "This is more expensive than I thought, though. I see why people don't build much anymore."
[ It'll all be worth it, buddy. Your new room is gonna be great. C'mon, Diamond-type spirit, let's get started. ]
[ Concurrence. ]
The two spirits floated into the wall, and a small jingle began playing. The wall glowed white, a low humming rose in the air, then finished with a soft ding.
The glowing light shattered into fragments, then disintegrated into the air. A single wooden doorway remained behind, exactly as he had picked in the menu.
"Looks good," Pascal said.
[ Task Complete. ]
[ Whoo, that was exhausting. The walls of this place taste nasty. ]
"Thank you for your work." Pascal bowed to them.
[ Gratitude Confirmed. Returning to standby. ]
[ Hold up, we haven't even seen the inside yet. C'mon, buddy, let's go check it out. ]
[ Negative. Onyx-type spirit. You are to return to terminal upon task completion. ]
Pascal glanced between them. He had never seen a spirit so forward before, but Dia seemed to disapprove.
"What will you do, Nyx?"
[ Ah, oh well. Can't be helped. I'll see you later, buddy. ]
Pascal nodded and said goodbye, then the two balls of light winked out of existence.
A few long seconds passed, and Pascal stood there in silence. "What a strange spirit that was-"
[ Sike! Haha, I'm still here. ]
The Onyx-type spirit blinked back into existence, and Pascal's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you're still here."
[ Yep, c'mon. I can't exactly leave without seeing this new room with my own eyes. ]
"Do spirits have eyes?"
[ Probably. Somewhere, I dunno. Come on, don't fall behind. ]
Nyx led the way, and Pascal shook his head at the lackadaisical spirit. Dia would have had a satisfying answer, but Nyx's carefree answer was entertaining in its own way. He followed the ball of darkness into the room while pondering Nyx's answer.
—
Kres stood quietly in the turbo lift. He held a small cardboard box, and it squeaked up at him.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You're probably terrified."
The turbo lift whirred around them and Kres' stomach lurched as it sped upwards. The small capsule-like pod was the fastest way to travel the city, but it could be a little unsettling.
"Hold on for a few more minutes..."
He kept a tight thumb over the lid of the box, and the rat inside chittered up at him. He hadn't dared open it yet. The last thing he needed was to be the one that let a rat loose in the city. Instead, he was currently looking for a place that could take care of 'Whiskers' in his place.
The lift slowed, and the doors opened with a whoosh. Immediately, the roar of a crowd hit his ears. He stepped out of the lift and into a large concord. Miscellaneous shops lined the walls, and flocks of people milled between them. He made his way through the crowd and to a small shop with animal stickers covering the windows.
"Welcome to Happy Hippo Pet Day Care. What can we do for you today?"
A small part of Kres died at the name, and he let out a discrete sigh. "Hi, do you guys handle long-term care? I need someone to watch this guy for a week."
The lady behind the counter nodded. "Certainly. What kind of sweetie would you like us to take care of?"
"Uhm, I think it's a rat, but if I remove the lid, it might jump out."
"A rat..." The woman's brow furrowed, and her plastic smile twitched at one corner of her mouth. "C-Certainly, we can take care of him for you. Why don't you set the box down and we'll add an enclosure of our own."
Kres placed the box down on the counter, and the lady snapped her fingers. At her mark, a small yellow golem walked out onto the counter. It was barely the size of a fist, but the size of golems had little to do with their effectiveness.
"Amber, please make a temporary enclosure for our new friend," the lady said.
[ Confirmed. ] The yellow golem raised its hands and a glass dome appeared around the box. Small holes in it allowed for air to pass freely, but they were small enough to keep a rat from escaping.
"Now, what is our new friend's name?"
"Whiskers, I believe."
"Very well, let's say hello to Whiskers."
The lady raised a hand, and her bracelet glowed. Her magic lifted the cardboard lid and revealed the rat. However, several scars covered its patchy fur.
"Oh deer..." The lady's smile faded a little at the sight.
"He seems to have had a rough life..." It was Kres' first time seeing the rat, but most pets in the city didn't have scars like this.
"Seems so, but don't worry. We'll take good care of him from here." Her plastic smile quickly returned and she leaned down towards the glass dome. "Hello there, Whiskers. I'll be taking care of you for a week."
Whiskers squeaked and jumped out of the box. He hit the invisible glass and began running around the small enclosure.
"Oh deer. Is someone a little scared? Don't worry, sweetie."
The woman tapped on the counter and slowly lowered a slider. The noise of the main concourse grew quieter before eventually disappearing. As the noise lowered, the rat's squeaking also died down.
"See, now he's much more relaxed."
Kres glanced down at Whiskers. He continued running around the glass enclosure, doing laps around the cardboard box. The rat slammed its body against the glass several times to no avail. Whiskers no longer squeaked frantically, but its actions seemed much more unsettling in the silence.
"Ah, look. He's playing," the lady said.
Kres glanced back at the spell which had dampened the noise. It was the standard spell for isolating human voices in a noisy environment. Rather than just filtering out the roar of the crowd behind him, it also silenced Whisker's frantic squeaks.
"So, you need us to watch him for a week, right?" The lady asked.
Kres furrowed his brow. "Uhm, I think that noise isolating spell is muting his squeaks," he said.
To put it another way, she had just silenced the poor rat's screams. However, the lady behind the counter just blinked back at him.
"Hm? Don't worry, we'll take great care of him here."
"Actually, I think I'll find another place. Thanks..."
He made a few hasty excuses and had her return Whiskers back to the box. As he left the pet daycare, Whiskers frantic squeaks returned to an audible level.
"Let's find some place a little less creepy..." Kres said down to the box.
—
Pascal entered the room and looked around.
Dark drapes covered half the walls, and posters of long-forgotten rock bands covered the rest. A lone drum set stood in the corner, but Pascal had no intention of using it. Nyx had just said it was cool to own, so he had added it.
"I've never seen a room like this before," Pascal said.
[ Ah, man. I get hungry just looking at this stuff. I haven't eaten this kind of stuff in a couple thousand years. That drum set is seriously nostalgic. I ate so many of those during the rhythmic resurgence era. People would buy them and throw 'em away just as quickly, hahaha. ]
"I don't really get it, but don't eat anything, please. I paid for these decorations with credits, after all."
[ Fine, fine. ]
There was a strange charm to the room, although it might have just been his buyer's remorse. Pascal decided not to think too hard about it.
In the center of the room, the white terminal crystal lay on the small cushion. He picked it up and slipped it into his robe pocket.
[ Buddy, have you ever listened to this band here? The Roaring Rion Revengers were a smash hit after... ]
Nyx started talking about one of the posters, but Pascal tuned him out. As much as he enjoyed listening to the Onyx-type spirit, he didn't have the time. He only had a week to expand his mana, and he needed to double his capacity to activate the spell comfortably. However, doing that would be easier said than done.
To expand his mana capacity, he needed two things: concentration and time. The biggest limiting factor was the seven-day window he had given himself. Doubling his mana in that time would be extremely difficult.
"Time is really the biggest bottleneck to most things, if you think about it," he said to himself.
[ ...then the Roaring Rion's released their first hit piece... ]
Nyx continued to ramble in the background as Pascal pondered the problem. "On the other hand, time is malleable. With the right spell, I can have as much time as I want."
[ ...contributed to their influence on the rhythmic resurgence... ]
"The real question is, do I use the spell I created, or the spell Kres created. Kres' modified spell would certainly be more effective, but do I really want to give him the satisfaction?"
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
[ ...and that's when their music really evolved. Wait, buddy? Are you still listening? ]
"Even if I don't tell him, I'd know it in my heart. Yet, mana is mana and his spell would be more efficient..."
[ Buddy, who are you talking to? ]
"Oh, Nyx. You're still here. Should I cave to the demands of utility, or uphold my duties to my creation?"
[ What are you even talking about? I'm not following anything you're saying. ]
"To be honest, I'm not sure I'm following anything about those bands you mentioned. However, my primary concern is with choosing which time acceleration spell to use during my meditation."
[ Oh, I see. Let me break this down a little simpler for you. This city's musical history starts all the way back in... ]
"If I'm being honest with myself, though, the answer is obvious. I gotta use the spell I made. If I can't use it in training, how am I gonna activate in front of Kres and prove his stupid face wrong?"
Pascal nodded to himself and began clearing out a space for the spell circle. He moved the seat cushion off to the side and pushed the extra chairs in the room outwards. He needed a wide enough area to draw the time acceleration spell. With it, the seven days he allocated could become much longer.
"The next question is the type of chalk." A low grade chalk would be cheaper but degrade over time, while a higher grade chalk would preserve more mana in the spell but come at a higher cost.
After the last time he triggered the spell, which ended with his cheap wand exploding, Pascal chose the higher grade. If the spell deteriorated too far while holding so much mana, it might repeat the unfortunate explosion that happened in the lab.
"Alright, Dia."
Pascal called out and the white ball of light slipped out of his pocket.
[ Summons Confirmed. Pascal, what can I help you with today? ]
"I need some high-grade magic chalk."
[ Request Confirmed. Magic Chalk (High Grade) costs one thousand twenty-two credits. Would you like to proceed? ]
Pascal's eyes widened at the cost, but he sucked in his complaints and nodded. "Yes."
Dia floated down to Pascal and deposited a piece of white chalk into his hand.
"Alright, let's try to make this piece last."
He began drawing out the magic circle on the floor. He drew it from memory, but he had already memorized every rune, so it was a fairly easy. The only hard part was ensuring the lines were straight and not too thick.
[ Onyx-type Spirit, Query. Why are you here? ]
[ What!? Oh, you startled me. ]
[ Onyx-type Spirit. Why are you here? ]
[ Hey, give me a break. The trash nowadays is disgusting. The stuff in this room is much more tasty. ]
[ Suggestion. Cease consuming unnecessary items. ]
[ No way. I haven't eaten a drumstick in forever, and he's not gonna miss this stuff. I think I can chow down on another few posters before he notices. ]
[ Suggestion. Return your energy back to the city. ]
[ What? Don't suggest something so scary. Wait- Is that what you were gonna do with me after I returned? I don't wanna be recycled! ]
[ Your presence is no longer required. ]
"Okay, I finished the magic circle." Pascal looked up to see the two balls of light and darkness talking to each other.
[ Buddy, listen to this. You gotta protect me... ]
Pascal tuned him out and continued working. After completing the circle, he poured a little mana over the lines. The magic chalk hardened in contact with mana, so after he completely covered the spell circle, the lines would no longer smudge.
[ Help, Buddy! She's gone berserk! ]
[ Suggestion. Hold still and be assimilated. ]
Pascal pulled the extra seat cushion back into the middle of the room. With the half-hardened chalk lines, it ought to be safe enough to sit on. He began to lean down when a stray laser shot past his cheek.
"Hm?"
He looked over to see the two balls of light dancing around the room. Lasers shot out of Dia, homing in towards Nyx, but the ball of darkness narrowly dodged each one. However, as Pascal looked over at them, they came to a grinding halt and froze in place.
"What are you doing, Dia?" Pascal asked.
[ Assimilating rogue Onyx-type spirit. ]
"You are being too noisy."
[ Complaint Confirmed. Assigning disciplinary points to Onyx-type Spirit. Resuming assimilation in quiet mode. ]
[ You're still trying to kill me? Why- Ah! Don't come close! ]
Pascal tuned them out again and sat down on the cushion. Nyx's shrieks were a bit distracting, but he could ignore them. The important thing was to focus on activating the circle. The larger diameter meant it would require more mana, but the sooner he activated it, the more time he would have by the end of the week.
He poured his mana into the magic circle, and a small wind stirred in the room. The flurry of air tousled his hair, and as he poured in more mana, the wind kicked up into a visible vortex. Posters flew off the walls and swirled around him. The drapes in the room flapped in the air, and the two fighting spirits came to a sudden stop.
[ Uhm, Buddy? What the heck is that spell!? ]
The chalk lines on the floor glowed, lighting up the surrounding area. As he continued to pour in mana, a dull whine echoed through the air, but he ignored it. He concentrated on filling the spell circle with mana.
[ Buddy, this doesn't seem safe... ]
[ Suggestion. Reformulate spell to reduce excess mana shed. ]
Pascal finally ran out of mana about halfway through filling the spell circle. The larger version of the spell required much more mana to fill. It was big enough to sit inside of, so it required an order of magnitude more mana than the first time he attempted to cast it. If it took him an hour to nearly activate the previous instance, this larger spell would likely take a full day.
"The only thing to do is wait," Pascal said to himself. "If I keep filling it as I recharge mana, it should eventually complete."
[ Buddy, I've got a bad feeling about this. Once that spell activates, this storm of mana is just gonna get worse. ]
[ Suggestion, let mana dissipate and restructure spell to reduce mana shed. ]
The wind howled around him. Excess mana escaped from the inefficient spell and fed the unnatural storm. The more mana he gave it, the stronger the storm became. However, Pascal had already tuned the two spirits out, and he continued feeding his mana into the spell.
—
Kres stood in the turbo lift again. He still held the squeaking box in his hands and he looked down at it with a sigh. "This time for sure, I'll find some place to take care of you for the week."
He had traveled between several levels of the city, but there weren't many pet daycares. Apparently, most people had their friends take care of pets when it was necessary. He didn't have anyone he could trust like that, and he certainly couldn't care for one himself. So, he went to the last place he could think of.
The turbo lift came to a stop, and the doors whooshed open. Kres stepped out of the elevator and into a wide open room.
A holographic ceiling showed a cloudless blue sky and shone artificial light down into the room. Tall grasses covered the floor, and small patchy forests grew in the distance.
"Welcome to Grassy Preserve Number 2." A woman wearing safari gear greeted him. She approached from a dirt path and waved him down. "What brings you here?"
"I have this rat I need someone to watch for a week." Kres refrained from mentioning that it wasn't his rat, but he didn't think that really mattered. "Could you guys help with that?"
"Certainly. Let me just check their vitals." The woman pulled out a scanner and ran it over the box. However, the handheld device had no reaction. "Hm? They don't have a chip?"
"I don't know where he came from, actually."
"Why don't you open up the box, and we can take a look."
"He might jump out..." After the previous escape attempt, he was pretty sure Whiskers would, actually.
"Don't worry, that's fine. We're professionals here." The woman typed into her keypad and a yellow glowing barrier formed around them. It stretched several meters in every direction and encompassed both the path and some of the grassy area. "He won't go very far now, so why don't you set the box on the ground and open the lid?"
Kres did as instructed. The moment he removed the cardboard lid, Whiskers jumped out and scurried into the tall grass.
"Look here," she said and punched another button on her scanner.
A holographic screen appeared with Whiskers centered in it. The invisible camera followed the rat through the grass until it reached the edge of the barrier. Whiskers came to a stop at the translucent barrier and sat down.
"See? We can watch him from here. We will need to chip him before we can take responsibility, but-" The woman stopped and blinked at the screen. "This scarring pattern."
"Is something wrong?"
"I see... So he was still alive... All this time, I assumed he'd perished."
"Huh? Do you know this rat?"
Her grip tightened on the scanner, and she burst out laughing. "Finally, we have you in our grasp now! You won't escape a fifth time!"
"Uhm..." Kres glanced between her and the screen, but her words made little sense. "Is something wrong?"
The woman didn't respond to his question. Instead, she dialed a number on her scanner and a voice echoed out of it.
"Animal Control. What can we help you with?"
"It's me, Synthia. I found him."
"Him? As in..?"
"The rat."
"Seriously!? I'll get down there right away!" The line cut and Synthia laughed again.
"Uhm, you won't hurt him, right?"
"No, of course not. We're just gonna chip him, and make sure he stays chipped this time! Mwahahaha." She laughed again and threw back her head, letting out deep laughter.
"That really doesn't sound convincing..."
Synthia planted one hand on Kres' shoulder and smiled. "I'm perfectly serious. He's the last stray rat in the city. Once we capture and chip him, we'll give him a feast fit for a king. We'll put him into the best cage a pet rat can dream of, and we'll parade him around as proof of human superiority over rat-kind."
"That last part sounds kinda ominous..." Kres glanced back at the screen. However, the camera now only showed an empty patch of grass. "Wait, where did Whiskers go?"
"Hm?" Synthia glanced back at the screen, and her face paled. "This can't be. I had the scanner following him."
She punched more buttons into the device, but it only gave a half-hearted beep back.
"Well, good luck capturing him," Kres said slowly. If they captured Whiskers, it sounded like they would take care of him. And if they couldn't capture him, then he probably wouldn't be able to either. "I gotta get back to my research."
"Y-Yes, don't worry. We'll let you know when he's safely in our care." She nodded, but didn't look away from her scanner. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the screen. "It's just, I can't seem to find him anywhere."
Kres looked over the surrounding tall grass. The glowing dome-like barrier remained over the area. Whiskers couldn't have escaped, so he was likely still inside. However, it seemed the rat had some way to avoid detection.
"Hang on. Isn't that him over there?" Kres pointed beyond the barrier, up the path toward the rest of the grassy plains. A patchy rat with distinctive scars stood on the other side of the glowing dome.
"Where..? Wait- What? How did he get out!?"
Synthia transformed her scanner into a safari net. At the same time, the barrier dissolved and she dived forward, swinging down to capture the rat. However, Whiskers easily dodged out of the way and ran back into the tall grasses.
"Well, this is out of my wheelhouse. Make sure the rat survives the week, at least."
"Of course, we'll leave out plenty of bait-" Synthia paused and corrected herself. "I mean, we'll leave out plenty of food, haha."
Kres nodded. Her evil smile was unnerving, but not as unnerving as the last place he tried. He decided to put the strange rat out of his mind and go back to his research.
—
Pascal continued to pour mana into the magic circle. He still sat cross-legged on the small pillow, with the wind whipping around him.
The moment he recovered even a little mana, he poured it out into the spell. The extra mana fed into the spell, but some of it escaped into the surrounding air. For every drop of mana that made it in, two more drops shed off and fed the storm of wind.
[ Buddy, this doesn't seem safe... ]
[ Concurrence. ]
Nyx and Dia's voice shouted over the wind, but Pascal kept his eyes closed.
The whine of the spell was deafening. It screamed out around him like an obnoxious insect. It grew louder with each passing moment, yet he still had a long way to go to fill the spell circle.
Doubts crept into Pascal's mind. After hours of feeding the spell mana, it still felt no closer to completion. Perhaps, Kres was right, and this spell was just too inefficient to be practical. However, the minute he pictured that weirdo's face, his determination grew strong again.
Pascal fired up his source of mana and pushed as much energy into the spell as he could.
—
Kres stepped back inside the library. He breathed in the nostalgic scent of books and gave a contented sigh. After finally finding a place to leave the rat, he could get back to his research—or so he thought. The second he stepped inside, however, someone called out to him.
"Oh, Kres." Van, a junior researcher, waved at him. "You're in earlier than usual."
"I didn't particularly want to get up early, but here we are." Even after hours of journeying to find the rat a home, it wasn't even noon. He would normally have been eating breakfast at this time.
"It's usually quieter in the mornings, but it'll probably get noisy soon. You should try to come in even earlier, for the full morning experience."
"I'm good, thanks. Tomorrow I'll be sleeping in."
Kres headed over to his desk. His books lay exactly where he left them, and he picked up the book he had been reading the previous night. The quiet hours of the morning proved excellent for his mind numbing research.
Eventually, the clock struck noon, and the other researchers began filtering in. However, it was still the so-called 'golden-time' of research, and nobody raised their voices. Everyone focused on their own studies, and only the scratch of pens filled the air.
Kres' own research required very few notes. Instead, he flipped through book after book. One by one, he crossed off lines from his notes and put books away. However, for every book he closed, Dia brought him two more, and he would start over from the top. The excess books piled up around him, and as the hours ticked by, he scratched out line after line from his notes.
Eventually, the other researchers burned out on their own work and chatted with their neighbors. Small conversations started up and Kres felt his own concentration waver.
Other Space Time mages came up to him, and he regretfully closed his books. With the golden hours over, he helped answer their questions and research. After memorizing so many runes for his own studies, people often came to pick his brain.
He always made time for them. He also enjoyed the questions, and finding answers for others helped him forget about the grueling task of his own research.
Eventually, five o'clock rolled around, and the lights in the library dimmed. The other researchers filtered out of the library in pairs of two to three. The volume of the place quieted down, and the second 'golden-time' descended over the library.
Only four to five researchers remained for the later hours of studying. The lights dimmed and turned a golden yellow and the shadows deepened over Kres' book, but he merely flicked on a desk lamp and continued reading.
He crossed out two more lines from his notes before he noticed the other researchers begin to leave. Across the central stairwell, the other desk lights blinked out and muffled footsteps wandered off to the entrance.
Kres rubbed his eyes, but continued reading. He crossed off one last line before sticking his bookmark in the pages. However, the second he closed the book, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
"This is why I don't wake up early..." Kres stood up and gave a tired yawn. It had been a long day, but he got more done than he expected.
"Yo, Kres." Van called out to him, and Kres blinked in surprise.
"You're still here, Van?" Kres wandered over to him. The junior researcher stood beside the central stairwell, peering over the edge.
"Yeah, well, I noticed something. Look."
Kres peered over the edge and followed Van's outstretched finger. Several lights floated in the darkness. Dozens of floors beneath them, white balls of light skittered back and forth across the wide oval stairwell. The mist almost obscured their form, but the unmistakable light of several Dia instances floated deeper in the tower.
"Huh, I wonder what's going on."
"I think that's the level with information on artificial spirits. Perhaps the research shifted and they're reorganizing the books."
Kres furrowed his brow. "I don't think anyone dabbles in that kind of research anymore. That stuff's too complicated for us mortals."
"Too complicated even for you?"
"Especially for me." Kres grinned. "Dia, can I get some coffee?"
[ Summons Confirmed. ]
The white ball of light appeared, and a small cup of coffee emerged from its body. Kres took the cup and took a long sip. He drank half the cup in two gulps and let out a contented sigh.
"Take this coffee for example," he said. "It requires temperature, chemical composition and blend ratios. There is so much that goes into it, but who cares. At the end of the day, we just want a cup of coffee."
"I don't think I follow..." Van said slowly.
"The artificial spirits are only a means to an end. Compared to the secrets of the universe, who's gonna be interested in perfecting the perfect cup of coffee?"
"You know, there are more coffee enthusiasts than Space Time researchers. You'd be surprised just how many people-"
Kres scowled, and Van paused. "Say it with me, there's no greater thrill than exploring the secrets of the universe!"
"What are you drunk?" Van laughed and shook his head.
"I'm not, but to be truthful, there really isn't anyone out there researching artificial spirits anymore," Kres said. "I looked into it briefly for my research, but found nothing too useful. It's complicated, and there aren't any special runes in that domain. It's all just an application of well-known physics and principles."
"I see."
"The ones passionate about that subject were gone long before the city itself was created..."
Kres lowered his voice and gazed down into the endless depths of the library. The tower stretched on forever beneath them. Boundless knowledge filled every one of the endless floors.
"Oh, that reminds me," Van said. "You organized our notes yesterday, right?"
"Was that only yesterday? But yeah, I did. Dia should have filed them away somewhere."
"I found them, but I didn't find the final spell circle. You created a new spell circle based on our notes, right?"
"Oh, yeah!" Kres ran back to his desk and picked up the sheet from beneath a pile of books. "This didn't end up being useful, but I gotta remember to file it with the other notes."
Kres handed the sheet over to Van and took another sip of the coffee, finishing the rest of it off. As he did, Van looked over the page of notes.
"Damn, bro, this is elegant. You really are the best at optimization, Kres. You even kept it within thirteen total runes."
"I'm not the best." Kres shook his head, but smiled sheepishly.
"No, this is great stuff. It's leagues better than that original trashy spell circle."
"Oh, yeah. The original spell..." Kres' smile slowly faded, and he grimaced. "Well, the original spell wasn't the worst spell in the world..."
"C'mon bro, don't joke like that." Van shook his head. "That original spell was utter trash."
Kres shook his head. After the heated argument yesterday, he had to at least admit that it had some merit. If he didn't, he felt like he might go insane. Or perhaps he had already lost his mind, and that's why he was beginning to doubt the revised version.
"I think I'll try out the original spell," Kres said to himself. "Let's see how bad it really is."
"No way... Seriously?"
Kres pulled out a wand and drew the spell in the air. A glowing line extended out of his tip and automatically snapped to an invisible screen. He drew out the spell, then shrunk it down to the size of a thumbtack.
"If I make it smaller, it should at least be activatable," Kres said.
"Wait, think about this, bro!" Van cried out, but it was too late.
Kres flicked his wand and the spell circle formed at the tip. It was small, only the size of his thumb, and the mana cost was only a fraction of his total capacity. However, the second the spell circle activated, Kres realized his mistake.
A violently ringing filled Kres' ears, and he cried out. At the same time, a whirlwind whipped around the tip of his wand, kicking up loose papers. Raw mana leaked out of the spell and fed the storm of air. In only a few seconds, all of Kres' notes scattered onto the floor. However, he didn't have time to notice.
"My head, oh god. What the hell is this spell?" Kres gripped the side of his head, wincing. A loud buzzing screamed in his ears, like a storm of angry insects all chirping at once. "Van, help..."
"Got it."
Van pulled his own wand from his robes. A counter spell glowed at the tip of his wand, and he flicked it toward Kres' own. The two spells combined and shattered together.
The screaming whine slowly faded from Kres' ears, and the wind died down. He slowly sat down, still holding his head, and groaned. "What the heck was that?"
"Like I said yesterday, that spell is trash. It doesn't work."
Kres shook his head. "It activated, didn't it?"
"But the active feedback is too large. This is what I explained yesterday."
"That's right..." Kres groaned again and sunk his head in his hands. "The active feedback."
"If there's too much active feedback, it'll split your head open, figuratively speaking."
"Yes, I know that." Kres shook his head. "I ruled out all the runes with active feedback from my research a couple hundred years ago... Those kinds of runes aren't suitable for space time magic."
Van nodded. "And that spell just has too much active feedback. As I said, it's trash and doesn't work."
"I think I have to agree with you there. Activating that spell is an experience I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy..."
Pascal's face appeared in Kres' mind, but he shook his head. There was no way some green mage would have the mana to activate that spell. However, once he saw Pascal again, he'd have to warn them not to joke about activating such a troublesome spell.
—
[ Buddy, this spell seems like more trouble than it's worth! ]
Nyx's voice called out to him, but Pascal barely heard it. His head teetered back and forth, and his eyes lulled in a half-lidded daze. After a full day of pouring mana into the spell circle, the effects of exhaustion bore down on his mind.
[ Warning. Falling asleep now could trigger a catastrophic mana collapse event. ]
"I know that..." Pascal yawned and blinked several times. "But the spell is almost complete."
[ Buddy, even if you activate that spell... This storm is just gonna get worse. ]
Pascal could barely hear Nyx's voice over the wind whipping through the air. The dull buzz filling his head didn't help either. It sounded like a chorus of insects filled the room, but he didn't feel any unstable resonance from the spell. Unlike the cheap wand from before, the catalyst wouldn’t explode on him.
"It's gonna be fine..."
[ Suggestion. Rapid mana decompression. ]
"We're so close, though. Just a little more mana and..."
[ Don't bring "we" into this, buddy. The minute that spell goes berserk, I'm outta here. ]
[ Concurrence. ]
"It's fine... Probably."
Even Pascal could admit that there was a certain ominous atmosphere building up around the spell. The flurry of wind threatened to snatch his breath away, and an unbearable ringing filled his ears. He was so close to finishing it, but the closer he got to filling the spell with mana, the stronger the headache and winds became.
He only had a few more lines to fill with mana. Most of the magic circle glowed a bright white, but a few unfilled patches remained a dull gray.
"It just needs one last push..."
Pascal grit his teeth and directed his mana towards the unfilled patches. The gray chalk slowly lit up into a soft white, but as he redirected his mana, small flecks of chalk darkened around the rest of the spell.
The previously completed lines filled with holes, and Pascal furrowed his brow. By filling one portion of the spell, his mana had escaped from other parts.
"I almost had it... Just a little more..."
Pascal grit his teeth and stoked the source of mana within himself. He forced out every drop of mana he could into the spell, and one by one, the small dark flecks slowly disappeared. However, each fleck disappeared slower than the last.
The closer the spell came to completion, the more mana it shed off into the air. If he stopped for even a second, he'd lose all the progress he'd made, so Pascal doubled down.
He dredged up mana from the depths of his source, feeding everything to the spell. The wind whipped even faster around him, the splitting headache growing even stronger, but he ignored all of it. He focused on watching each small fleck of chalk light up.
One by one, the last of the dark flecks in the spell glowed. It came down to the final one and he let out a small cry. If he couldn't push past this one last barrier, his day's progress would be for naught.
Pascal squeezed his eyes shut and gave one last surge of mana to the spell.
[ Buddy, it's about to-! ]
Nyx's words cut out mid sentence.
The scream of wind and whine of the spell disappeared, and an eerie silence filled the room. Pascal blinked and looked around. Shreds of paper floated in midair, as if suspended in liquid. Dia and Nyx appeared frozen as well. Their usual wavering outlines remained completely still.
Pascal blinked in surprise. "I did it..?"
Relief flooded through him, then he slumped back in exhaustion. Those would be his last words before he passed out in a mana-exhausted slumber.
* Up Next: The Troublesome Space Time Spell II