Sign: Snake
Buffs: Serpent’s Kiss (Romance twice as easy)
Debuffs: Curse of the Unspecified (Start the game with no gender, no name, and no other identifying feature)
EXP: 1,215
Alchemy
Coagula (LVL 0, 54 SKP) Ready to level up!
Solvé (LVL 0, 29 SKP)
Theoria (LVL 1, 13 SKP)
Botany
Sowing (LVL 0, 5 SKP)
Tending (LVL 0, 10 SKP)
?
Cooking
Fire (LVL 1, 28 SKP)
Water (LVL 0, 24 SKP)
?
Homesteading
Fire Tending (LVL 0, 7 SKP)
Tidying (LVL 1, 84 SKP)
?
Speech
Logic (LVL 1, 13 SKP)
Linguistics (LVL 0, 31 SKP) Ready to level up!
Cajoling (LVL 0, 10 SKP)
Total SKP: 301
Inventory:
Auros: 0
Cards of Destiny: 5 of ?? Discovered
Names: 4
Evengeline, The Pure Snow (Holly)
Vitas, The Wind Thief (Sparrow)
Gillygad, The Stiched-Up Wonder (Pitchfork)
Zinia, The Serpent’s Caress (Snake)
Passive Skills:
(Theoria LVL 1) Pure Substances: Some metals are especially luminous. Some hands are more precise than others. These hands shall become sharpened scalpels, made of the most luminous Silver. Higher maximum Quality points are possible for all potions.
(Fire LVL 1) Ignited: The Elemental branch of magic lends this Sorcerer the ability to cook faster using fire. Prepare fried or baked meals twice as quickly. Get burnt less.
(Tidying LVL 1) Dirt Buster: The magical branch of Purification lends this Sorcerer the ability to ‘Bust Dirt.’ Dust and grime accumulate at an infinitesimally slow rate on objects you have cleaned.
(Logic LVL 1) Rhetoric: The magical branch of Entreatment lends this Sorcerer the ability of heightened ‘Rhetoric.’ The structure of your arguments is smooth, regular, and orthogonal. Spirits and people are more likely to agree with you.
Just before I answered yes to unlocking and aligning my new spell Growth, I saw my EXP go down by 100 points. Then, the edges of my vision began to fade out, and I felt myself drop to the floor like a sack of bricks.
I woke up in a vaguely familiar place. I had been to this place exactly once before when I had picked my Sign, the Snake.
I was floating, in the middle of a deep indigo sky, and the Signs formed a ring around me.
There was something different this time.
Some constellations glowed much brighter than others.
I turned myself in a full circle, examining each constellation.
Some, like Palm and Rabbit, were completely grey, barely visible.
Some had a slight yellow tinge, making the constellation stand out more against the night sky. These were, I was beginning to realize, Signs that I was more or less, familiar with. Oak was one of those. Arrow was another.
Holly and Sparrow both were quite bright, glowing with intense yellow-red light. I guessed that was because I had received the names of the Patrons of both: the frozen Evengeline for Holly, and the flighty Prince of Vagabonds named Vitas for Sparrow.
Snake shone very brightly, a throbbing red that made it difficult to make out the constellations next to it.
Then there was Pitchfork. It practically vibrated with a cascade of colors, shifting an iridescent blue, then pink, then red, then yellow, then white and blue again. I couldn’t look at Pitchfork for too long, as it was much too bright.
I turned myself around again,
As an experiment, I tried picking one of the dullest Signs, just to see what would happen. I picked Ladle. I heard a thump.
Not enough Influence to align to this Sign!
Interesting. I didn’t know much about Ladle, besides a dropped hint here or there. I didn’t even know anything about the Patron spirit.
I really should have listened to the Sorceress. She had specifically told me to finish my reading on all the Signs. If I had done that, I would be able to choose whatever Sign I wanted.
Oh well, I would have to make do with what I had.
Experimenting again, I picked one of the softly glowing Signs.
Align Growth under Arrow? (Weak Influence)
Sacrificial Growth
All ingredients enchanted with Sacrificial Growth add one point (Weak Influence) to the Quality of healing potions when used as ingredients, BUT using the spell takes a heavier physical toll.
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That could be useful, I thought. I had already needed to make Nestor's Bitters once, and I was sure that I would make some manner of healing potion again.
However, I was discouraged by the words ‘weak influence.’ I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I guessed that I probably wanted the strongest possible influence for my spell. Since it was repeated again in the description, next to ‘one point,’ I guessed that if I were more familiar with Arrow, it would grant me more Quality points towards potions.
I took a look at Snake next.
Align Growth under Snake? (Strong Influence)
Alluring Growth
All other plants grown in a five-foot proximity (Strong Influence) to the enchanted plant receive a growth bonus, BUT enchanted plants only grow in the darkness.
I was starting to understand how aligning my spell would work. Just like everything else, I would receive a positive and a negative effect. It was up to me to make sure the good was worth the bad.
The positive for Snake was very tempting. I could use Growth on one plant, and it would help all my other plants too! But, then I thought about where I would put all those plants, to keep them in the dark. The solarium was very bright. The kitchen was usually full of sunlight, too.
I supposed I could stuff all the plants into the storeroom, but I rather enjoyed having them in view. And, the storeroom was tiny.
All in all, I wasn’t sold on Snake’s influence.
Next, I went to the brightest Sign, Pitchfork.
I was a little confused as to why that one should be brighter than Snake. I was under the Sign of Snake, after all. I had seen and talked to Zinia several times. Surely, Snake should be the brightest?
My only guess is that when I had learned about the Patron of Pitchfork, Gillygad, I had somehow forged a stronger relationship with that Sign, than even Snake. He had shared a piece of his life with me, and I learned of the same terrible truth that Giles Gadsby saw, how dreams are-
And everything is-
Hollow on the inside, and folded in on itself like thin paper-
I focused my mind. I didn’t want to fall into that same hole again.
I looked back at Snake. Was there some kind of fatal understanding that I could learn from Snake? And if I did, would Snake glow as brightly as Pitchfork?
Time would tell. For now, I selected Pitchfork to see what the Influence would be.
Align Growth under Pitchfork? (Overwhelming Influence)
Wild Growth
Enchanted plants grow ten times faster (Overwhelming Influence), BUT enchanted plants sometimes disregard their original form.
Ten times faster! That was a huge bonus! I was a little wary of the negative effect, as I wasn’t sure exactly how it worked
Methodically, I went through each Sign available to me, to see if one of the bonuses was better than what Pitchfork offered.
Some of them were very straightforward, like Oak, which started a process where the enchanted plant’s Alchemical potency intensified over time (the description made it sound like this process would go on forever until the plant was dead). But, I could not keep other plants in a certain proximity to the enchanted one. The buff was quite good, I thought, but I didn’t think the house on Austere Way was big enough to keep one plant per room.
Some were rather obscure and difficult to understand. Sparrow offered a buff that made enchanted plants that could grow anywhere, but claimed that the plants would then be prone to ‘wander.’
Nothing really came close to Pitchfork. I just couldn’t pass up such a huge growth bonus.
Just before I finished aligning my spell, I remembered something from the last time I was in this celestial space. I looked up. Directly above me, faded and dull, was Star, the thirteenth constellation.
I tried to align my spell to Star, but as I expected, I wasn’t able to.
Not enough Influence to align to this Sign!
(Discover the Starchild’s real name).
That was very familiar. When I tried to pick Star as my Sign, that was the exact message I got. I would have to ask Tess more about this Starchild business when I got back to reality, and she got back from chasing down Aleister.
I returned to the decision at hand. I selected Pitchfork, and answered ‘yes,’ when the text prompted me to align my spell.
Growth, Level 1 (Enchantment) Spell Aligned!
Wild and Overwhelming Growth (LVL 1)
The symbol I had seen earlier now came into view, right under the sign of the Pitchfork. It throbbed and began shifting its colors, matching the iridescent bright glare of the Sign above it.
I felt a sharp pain. I thought something must be stabbing my finger, but I could not see my hands or the rest of my body. My vision started to go black, and the band of Signs around me dissolved.
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I practically ran downstairs when I woke up back in the house on Austere Way.
I learned a spell!
Useless no more! I thought to myself. I could … grow plants! It was probably a small step, but it felt like a huge achievement to finally be able to do real magic!
More good news awaited me downstairs. Cheerful was back!
I merrily chatted with him, asking him about his journey.
Prompted by my questions, Cheerful went on a long tangent (often repeating himself) about where and how he flew. He described his journey in complicated geometric calculations, using the setting and rising sun as his shifting azimuth, along with magnetic and invisible ley lines, that covered the earth but also tended to move. I nodded along happily, not really understanding a single word that the bird told me, but happy to have someone to speak with again.
After his explanation, he deposited a small package in my lap.
I opened it and found a very small plant, just a few leaves and a spindly stalk, planted into a ceramic pot that was the size of a teacup.
Cheerful also gave me a letter, but turning the envelope around, I found the name ‘Tess’ printed on the front. I stuffed the envelope in my pocket, making a mental note to give it to the Sorceress upon her return.
The bird was pecking at an abandoned piece of bread from earlier, the soft noon sun warming his feathers. The morning thunderstorm had passed, and the light filtering through the kitchen window was fresh and lovely. I rummaged through our cabinets and located some apples. I cut them up and set them out for Cheerful, who thanked me no less than nine times.
With Cheerful taken care of, I rushed to the solarium to locate a bigger pot for the new addition to my modest Alchemist’s garden. I found a medium-sized pot, which had already been full of dried dirt.
I dug into the middle, taking out about a teacup size clump of dirt, and planted my new herb into the hole. If I was going to grow this plant magically, I didn’t want it to be cramped in the tiny pot it came in!
I wasn’t sure, but I had a good hunch that this new plant was Amara Dulcis, the last ingredient for my Dancing Tongue potion.
My work repotting the mystery plant got me 10 EXP for Tending. Once I was done, I poured water over the dirt in the pot, and finally, grinning ear to ear, opened up Old Toad’s.
[https://i.imgur.com/C92suBH.jpg]
Wild and Overwhelming Growth (LVL 1)
Accelerate the growth of plants and fungi.
Enchanted plants grow ten times faster (Overwhelming Influence), BUT enchanted plants sometimes disregard their original form.
Open and trace the symbol of Growth over the target.
I looked at my new plant. I carefully traced the Opening Gestures over it, then, keeping the new image of Growth in my mind, I traced it over the small sapling, and waited.
The words which I had read in the Contemplations began to roll through my head again and I could feel a sharp needle-like prickling pain at the base of my index finger, but I preserved and kept looking at the new plant. It started to glow, a faint pinkish-purplish glow suffused the leaves and short stalk.
A new leaf sprang! Then another! My plant was crawling upwards, too! More and more leaves sprang forth as I held my hand over the tiny, but growing impossibly quick, plant.
The prickling in my hand began to sharpen. It felt like someone was trying to drive a screw into my knuckle! I breathed deeply and let the pain and the screaming words about the two colors cascade through me. I tried to pay no mind to either.
When the plant was about 6 inches tall and quite bushy, I let my hand fall, and then cradled it to my chest. Examining the place where the pain seemed to originate, I found a small symbol, just like the symbol for Growth, glowing at the very base of my pointer finger. It looked like it had been burned into my skin. After looking at it for a few moments, the symbol faded and disappeared.
But the pain remained. A dull, throbbing ache replaced the sharp pain of earlier.
The plant I had enchanted still glowed with a faint purplish light, but that was beginning to fade as well. However, if I squinted my eyes, I could still see a thin aura of purple surrounding the plant.
I wondered if the buff given to my Growth spell by Pitchfork was already in effect while I performed the spell, or if it would do its job after the plant was enchanted.
Either way, that was one plant down.
I still had three others. My smallest in size after the new plant was the Allheal, then Belladonna, then Balm. I brought them all out to the solarium to begin my work.
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I had placed all plants into new, bigger pots to accommodate their growth (gaining 30 EXP for Tending in the process). I lined them all up against one of the walls of the solarium and began casting Growth.
My hand felt like it was on fire after the first, Allheal. But I managed to increase its size considerably! Buoyed by my success so far, and my optimism, I continued.
Sticking my hand over the Belladonna and tracing the Gestures felt like sticking my hand into the maws of an alligator. I had to stand there for a few moments to gather enough courage to do it.
But after hovering my hand over the Belladonna for a few seconds, and seeing the purplish glow suffuse the leaves, I simply had to stop. I just couldn’t take it anymore! I couldn’t move my hand at all, and the pain throbbed all the way up to my bicep. The symbol which had appeared and disappeared on my index finger was now visibly puckered and red and had no intentions of fading.
Nursing my right arm, I slouched off towards the kitchen, to send Cheerful off again with my completed Winter’s Kiss, vowing to take care of Balm when my hand felt a little better.