It took him until mid-afternoon to finish up the academy, though he’d still need to add things like textbooks, stationary, and the various supplies that an academy would need. As for seating, he’d just gone with lecture-hall style rooms, tiered with fixed desks and comfortable chairs.
Even the library was empty, much to his shame. He didn’t even have enough books to fill his own library in his house, so filling something over ten times the size would take a while.
It had only been a couple of days since Matun had left to return to Myrmeze, so he figured that he had another week or so of time before he would need to head to the capitol. Which meant that he still had quite a bit of time before he’d need to start travelling with the younglings to their various villages.
Which meant that he would have lots more time to explore….
Leaving things to J2, Joram used [Astral Construct] to create a construct in the shape of… well, it was a bit hard to describe. It sort of looked like a cross between a small helicopter and a dragonfly, with the wings on the side. He even coloured it like his favourite blue darner dragonfly, that blue/black colouring was just awesome.
Anyways, the cockpit was where the head would be, making the view from the windscreens amazing. He loaded it up with [Improved Flight] a couple of times, impressed that he could now do that, along with [Improved Speed]. On a whim, he tried to imbue it with his [Running] Skill and was surprised to find that it had worked, though it translated to [Greater Speed], which puzzled him a bit.
However it had happened, he found that the construct, now and [Astral Ally], was fast. Like, crazy fast. It was awesome!
Especially higher up. He could see so far that his heart flipped a bit in his chest at the view. It was spectacular. From the west, it was nothing but a vast ocean of green, but to the east he could see that it was mostly grasslands, farmlands, and such. The further east he looked though, the fewer farms he saw until they vanished probably ten kilometres or so away from Kirkwall.
He saw that the redwood forest actually dipped inwards a bit where Kirkwall stood, then extended a bit more again to the north and south. So, he turned west, not wanting to attract too much attention.
Grinning, he accelerated, taking the construct to its maximum velocity in under five seconds. The g-forces were… significant, but he easily stayed conscious. Heck, probably due to how strong his body was, he didn’t even feel light-headed when he got to top speed.
He enjoyed the flight, choosing an altitude a few kilometres above the canopy. As he flew, he began to notice that the trees were getting taller and larger. Taking a closer look by dipping down as he slowed his flight, he found that the leaves were a slightly different shape. Heck, instead of the feather-like, coniferous-like leaves that sequoias had, they very much looked like maple leaves now, though almost two metres across.
Now even more curious, he set his construct to hover in place and used [Dimension Hop] to exit and held himself aloft with [Telekinesis]. He then moved closer and used [Delve] to inspect the tree.
It was… unusual, to say the least.
It felt similar to the redwoods he’d been harvesting, but more… vibrant. Remembering that he had [Analyze], he used it, then blinked.
World Maple
As a descendant of the World Tree, the World Maple has been blessed with a few of its progenitor’s traits.
- Dramatically increased size,
- Dramatically increased vitality,
- Dramatically increased lifespan,
- Dramatically increased durability,
- Dramatically increased Mana Pool,
- [Aura of Peace],
- [Aura of Purity].
* Note: If a World Maple grows long enough, it may awaken [Spiritual Wisdom].
He was… very impressed. He was now even more interested in the World Maple, wondering just what [Spiritual Wisdom] would do for a tree… or what it even did. Then he remembered that he had a Help function that came with his Status. So, he opened it and searched for [Spiritual Wisdom].
Spiritual Wisdom (SPR) (Legendary)
This Skill grants the user several benefits:
- Once acquired, the user gains sentience,
- Gains an expanded Mana Pool,
- Gains +1 Spirit for every 2 Ranks in this Skill.
- Once in the Advanced Tier, the user gains sapience,
- Gains the ability to gain other Skills,
- Gains the Skill [Spiritual Communication].
His jaw dropped.
Holy mother of… he thought, astonished. Then a thought occurred to him so, on a whim, he tried to use [Mindlink] with the World Maple.
Nothing.
Slightly disappointed, he pulled himself high enough so that he could get back inside his [Astral Ally] with [Dimension Hop]. Once inside, the sat thinking for a bit.
If he could find one that had awakened its [Spiritual Wisdom], he was sure that he could communicate with it. And with a [Mindlink], he was sure that he could use that connection to use [Legacy of Creation] to make Skill Books out of those amazing Skills.
But how could he find one? [Detect Thoughts] had a very short range, shorter than even the span of a single World Maple, as did [Detect Psionics], which could be altered to detect magic as well…. But, if he could combine that with something like [Hypercognition], along with a Clairsentience Power with a good range….
Setting M3 and M4 to working out how he could make an item that could incorporate those features, he instead manifested [Augured Answer] with the question: “From where I am, in which direction is the oldest World Maple?”.
Once more [Quick Manifesting] showed its worth, as the normal 10-minute manifesting time was reduced to just under three minutes. A moment later, “North by northwest” came to mind, giving him his answer, along with another System notification that he decided to open as he got his ride going.
Congratulations!
You’ve unlocked a Hidden Quest!
Quest: Find every descendant of the World Tree
- Rewards:
- Skill: [Create: World Tree]
- Unknown
- Unknown
- Unknown
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M4 stopped their flight as Joram sat there, dumbfounded into a stupor.
‘Avi?’
‘Yes, Joram?’
‘There are Quests,’ he sent, then passed along the image of his Quest Window.
‘Wow…’ was all Avi sent back, accompanied by a sense of wonder.
‘Yeah.’
Another minute passed before Avi seemed to recover.
‘The System must like you if it’s trusting you to not only find the descendants of the World Tree, but to also give you a Skill that can create them.’
Joram nodded, feeling the weight of that… expectation. Or perhaps “responsibility” might be a better word for the feeling. Something that had started off as an idle fancy had turned into something… special.
‘Are you going to do it?’ Avi asked as her intense curiosity leaked through their connection.
‘Yeah, I am,’ he sent back, nodding to himself as he got his ride going again. ‘Never mind the benefits of completing the Quest, it’ll be worth it to just find every kind of descendant of the World Tree,’ he sent, then sent along the description of the World Maple, as well as the description of [Spiritual Wisdom].
‘Wow,’ Avi sent, once more awed. ‘Those Skills…. If you could plant those trees around here, and in the city you’re planning to build, then… wow. The possibilities are just…. Wow.’
Joram nodded again. Even with the few things he’d already thought of, the utility of having descendants of the World Tree in any settlement were vast.
‘Ah, now Asami is telling me in no uncertain terms that you “MUST” complete that Quest,’ she sent, now amused.
Nodding, he sent along his assurances that he had every intention of doing so before getting back to the search. He kept his speed low, not wanting to miss a clue as he searched.
A few hours later when M3 reported that they had something that might work, he stopped his flight again and reviewed the proposed item.
It was… cool. Its form was a pair of glasses, in that wide trapezoid shape he preferred. Its function, though, was simpler than he’d thought. It combined the effects of a [Farsight] ability that increased how far you could see and a basic [Detect Magic] function altered to instead detect raw mana.
He also learned that they’d used [Spellcraft] to create a new Skill just to do that, giving him [Mana Sight]. Both Skills had also levelled up once, pleasing him greatly. He then quickly used [Summon: All] to bring into being the glasses, paying the Dust required to make the glasses permanent. He then used the necessary Dust to enchant the glasses, putting them on when he was done.
Anxious to test them out, he looked at the ocean of trees below and found that he could see faint auras round the World Maples. Nothing too strong, nor anything more than about five kilometres away, but at least it was something.
Grinning, he activated his Assimilation Protocol and felt the glasses vanish from his face, as well as the feeling of his… essence… expanding. It was always a thrill to Assimilate something, making him want to keep making things and assimilating them. But he reigned himself in again, not wanting to go overboard with things.
He already had issues where [Touchsight] had caused him great embarrassment when his roommates were changing, making it necessary to “turn off” [Touchsight] until they were done. If he wound up with other abilities that caused him similar issues, he’d need to assign one of his Minds to just keep track of them all.
Shaking his head, he got back to work. It was so fun, in fact, that it more felt like a game to him. A pleasure to do.
As he searched, and unbeknownst to him, a wide grin spread across his face as his eyes began to practically twinkle in delight.
* * *
“You still haven’t asked him?” Asami asked, looking… annoyed.
Erys frowned, looking away from Asami. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to ask, nor that the task wasn’t important. It was just that it was… surprisingly difficult to broach the subject with him.
“… no,” she finally replied, knowing that Asami already knew the answer to any question that she asked.
“You really should. Especially if it really is as… dire, as you think it is,” Asami said, also frowning.
“It is,” she said, thinking about dimensional instabilities and actual, real, demons… and worse things.
Asami looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped when Joram came in, also pausing when he saw them in his study.
“Hi?” he oddly greeted them as he gave them a questioning look.
“We need to talk,” Asami said as she got up and made her way over to the door and closed it behind Joram.
“What’s up?” he asked, sounding… wary.
Asami looked over at her with a firm look that Joram noticed. Looking more worried than wary now, he turned to look at her as well, making her shift uncomfortably for reasons she couldn’t quite explain.
“So, I was actually on my way to investigate a dimensional disturbance when I came across you experimenting,” she said, not wanting to remember the embarrassment of being so thoroughly beaten.
“Okaaaay…?” he said, drawing out he word as though prompting her to explain further, so she did.
“Experiments like yours, although dangerous, aren’t particularly damaging to the walls of our reality. Other experiments, though, can be. And are.
“Experiments with the [Summon] Skill have been generally banned by every ruling body on the continent. In ages past, Skills were made that could [Summon]… abominations and horrors from outside our world, all in an effort to gain a weapon that could be used against their enemies.
“People call the residents of the Demon Continent ‘demons’, but that’s really just ignorance and superstition. In those ages past, true demons had been called and used as weapons of war. Not only that, but so had [Heroes].
“In those ancient times, the Skill [Summon: Hero] had been created. It dragged Outworlders to our world. It also, for reasons unknown, had the side effect of granted the one brought over… exceptional abilities.
“Records from that time tell of those [Heroes] gaining at least one Attribute that was ridiculously high, as well as exceptionally rare and powerful Skills that they could use. One such example was Irymis, a woman of great talent when it came to using [Dimensional Manipulation] and [Spatial Manipulation],” she said, then paused when she saw Joram’s eye twitch when he heard the ancient [Heroine]’s name.
“I’ve heard of that name,” he said, shaking his head. “In fact, I learned those Skills from a staff named after her. A staff that I got for clearing that goblin dungeon,” he said, confusing her more than a little before he went on to explain.
That he’d gotten a [Relic] from clearing a mere Rank A Dungeon was… shocking. That he’d gotten an item with the very Skills that could help deal with the current instabilities she’d detected was… beyond coincidence in her opinion. Was the Great Protector acting…?
Asami looked at her seriously before turning to Joram and studying him. In turn, Joram looked between both of them for a few moments before sighing.
“So, I guess there’s a possibility of more heroes and demons being summoned or something like that?” he asked, looking concerned.
“That too,” she said, nodding. “I’m more worried about what might come through a [Dimensional Rift] if the ones messing around with those Skills and Spells screw things up badly enough,” she finished, practically growling at the end as she thought of the untold destruction that could occur in that case.
“So, you’re going to go and help Erys investigate what’s going on,” Asami said, nodding as she crossed her arms.
Joram once more looked from her to Asami and back again a few times before nodding.
“I don’t see a problem with that,” he said thoughtfully. “Is it far?”
“There’s a stretch of forest northeast of here- though nothing as magnificent as this one- a few hundred miles away. That’s where I’ve felt the strongest fluctuations, anyways.
“It shouldn’t take very long to get there, but it might take a bit longer to investigate,” she said, now thinking of doing things a bit differently than she’d originally planned to, seeing as how she wouldn’t be alone now.
From there, they went over the outline of the plan. They would first locate the sites in question then investigate things remotely. Should said sites be in violation of the laws that had been set and enforced since ancient times, then they would go in and remove the offenders.
As for what, or who, had already been brought over, they’d have to play it by ear. If the being or object was too dangerous to allow to exist, then they’d “remove” said existence. Otherwise, they’d once more play it by ear.
Joram, though, was of the opinion that any sapients brought over shouldn’t be judged hastily. She agreed, though under the caveat of any hostile intent directed their way. If the sapient was actively trying to kill them, then they’d take necessary precautions up to, and including, destroying the hostile entity.
She got the feeling, however, that Joram still might be hesitant to remove hostile entities by destroying them, so she’d keep an eye on him. No need for his naïveté to get him killed, after all… even if it was only one of his [Clone]s.
Thus decided, they wrapped things up and set the departure time for tomorrow morning. Now happy that her mission could progress, Erys decided to explore Joram’s strange library.
- - -
Hmm, I should really prioritize getting that augment for [Fission] finished… Joram mused as he idly strummed away on his guitar.
Technically, he was J2, which meant that almost all of the additional Minds provided by his use of [Schism] were working on the augmentation option rather than producing Dust and working on understanding the Psionic Library left by Altaea. Still, though, it would be quite the task. Especially since he’d be accompanying Erys on her errand.
An errand that worried him more than a bit, given its nature.
It was all sorts of weird to be in a world that actually had the [Summon: Hero] trope, to be honest. Sure, he knew about summoning and all it entailed… well, most of what it entailed. But, pulling in an outworlder and them giving then the [Hero] Path was… a lot.
Especially since he had [Summon: All].
Considering that it really meant “All”, he was reasonably sure that he could also pull off a hero summoning if he tried to. Which was… scary, if he was being honest with himself. For many reasons.
Like, just pulling a random person from their everyday life into his world. Having what he’d consider a moral responsibility to take care of said person. Bearing any grudges that said person might have for being pulled over and then stranded in another world, never mind whatever else may be dropped on their shoulders. Like the classic trope of “You must save us from [x, y, or z]!”
He sighed, then started playing The Unforgiven II by Metallica as he thought.
Had it been a coincidence that he’d arrived in the area? Was that goblin dungeon there before he’d arrived? Or had it come into being when he’d arrived? With what he thought he knew of space-time; had he been pulled to Iria at a specific time? Or had it actually been random?
Given the existence of a System, were things being manipulated by it? Or, once again, was it all a coincidence? A coincidence that he got the [Staff of Irymis]? [Creationist], a Unique Path? Random people with enough power to experiment with various summoning spells that just so happened to catch the attention of Erys, a [Dimensional Guardian].
For that matter, why hadn’t his arrival pinged on her radar?
Then he switched to The Sound of Silence, though the Disturbed version, and wondered if this world also had gods. Maybe the various World Trees were the closest things to gods here. Who knew?
He looked over at where Erys was still admiring his collection of various anime and video game paraphernalia.
I guess I’ll just have to ask, then.