Within a dusty, dank, dark, long-forgotten armoury deep within the lower reaches of the prison known by its inhabitants as Ghigrerchiax, Ori sat and drew for the first time in weeks. On the rough parchment, more like stuck-together shavings of wood than smooth sheets of paper, his drawing implement, a stick of wood with one end charred into a flaky mass of coal, sketched schemas only he could understand. Using geometric shapes to denote types of frequently used glyphs, Ori planned out the coming enchantments—his two goals before leaving the suspect safety of this long-forgotten den and finally forcing his way out.
If it were up to him, Ori would turn this room into a bastion, slowly building out with ever more lethal enchantments, its perimeter taking over the entire complex corridor by corridor, eventually turning this prison into his base.
But it was not up to him.
He didn’t have the luxury of time. With the likelihood of Earth-based humans languishing somewhere within the prison, Ori was already suffering under the mental burden of having the power to do something and not already doing it.
Instead, he decided upon a middle ground between rushing in feet first, unprepared or turtling.
A chime Ori had been expecting came from the edge of the desk. He approached the source, which was now full. Vision of the Progenitor cast its luminous gaze, and his impression of a lead weight deforming a stretched-out plane of silk was close to the depth and volume of mana he could feel from the artefact. It was far more than the amount he had used in the first summoning, and Ori hoped that having more mana during her recreation would help somehow.
He lifted and connected to the source, the mana density almost flooding into his own network and burning is veins. With a grunt, Ori wrangled it all, his will pressing upon an amount of mana closer to the capacity of a Greater or Sovereign ranker than Awakened.
“So, you have no idea what happens if you shove, what, ten, twenty times more mana than you need into a summoned elemental?” Ori asked.
“I’m sure someone somewhere has been foolish enough to try. Perhaps they didn’t survive the attempt? That should be a hint.”
“Good point,” Ori said, as he cast Mirror Protection followed by Light Shield, the faint, shimmery barrier forming overlapping bubbles over his and Freya’s form. Freya groaned in consternation and admonishment. “Actually, it’d be best if our overlapping barriers overlapped completely,” Ori decided, making his way towards Freya before re-casting Light Shield, the four opalescent domes providing scant light in the greasy gloom.
“At least do it outside? If I die in this, you're going to have to kill another god for me to make up for my Peritia.”
“It will be fine; I’ve done a hazard assessment and everything.”
“What?”
“Just, it’ll be fine. Lysara, return to us.”
Mana drained from the source and reformed as a glowing ball of white-hot light in the centre of the clearing. The stink of ozone burned off Ori’s sinuses, the fine hairs all over his skin danced and itched under the tremendous electrostatic charge. An arm-thick bolt of lightning sparked from the corner of the room into the ball, the sound surely loud enough to alert every demonic creature within a mile were it not for the tonnes of rock between each cave and carved-out corridor. Ori hastily cast more Light Shields, despite the first four holding as his comprehension of his affinity with Flux grew ever so slightly under the electromagnetic pressure.
A brief scream, a flash of light, and a concussive blast that might have turned Ori’s lungs inside out were it not for six of the barriers around him shattering to absorb the impact, and a familiar, if slightly larger and more energetically charged, ball of lightning floated serenely in the centre of the room.
“Hey,” Ori offered, not quite sure if this was the same Lysara as before.
“Ori?” she said, seemingly confused. “What happened?”
“How do you feel, and what’s the last thing you remember?” Ori asked instead.
“I… You ordered an attack on a Sovereign-ranking demon, a Warden, it… Did I die?”
“Kinda? Our bond, and something about the nature of elementals, allows me to recall your elemental soul far easier than a normal awakened one, especially now with my new classes. How do you feel?” Ori said.
“I feel… the same? Slightly stronger. Hmmm, it appears that I can…”
A torrent of Peritia raced towards Lysara and the familiar sight of someone's Page of Fate being rewritten washed over him.
“You Awakened?” Ori asked, somewhat confused. “Weren’t you already Awakened?” he asked, looking between his familiars.
“Lesser creatures and beasts are those who can’t or might struggle to access the Library of Fates even with all the Peritia they’d need to Awaken. Somehow, you’ve helped her breach this barrier,” Freya said, her expression of rueful appreciation belying her deadpan tone.
“How, was it all the mana?”
“Possibly, though you being who you are likely had just as much impact.”
“So why does it still say she’s a Lesser Elemental?”
“She’s still a Lesser Elemental, just one that can access the Library of Fates. For elementals, the evolution pathways are quite clear: Lesser, Greater, Divine, or Primordial,” Freya answered.
“It says I can select two classes out of the following options,” Freya interrupted, her words catching both of their attentions. “Storm Elemental, Lightning Elemental, Emissary of the Bondweaver, Storm of the Bondweaver, Familiar of the Bondweaver…” Lysara continued to rattle off a selection of storm-related classes with names each more exotic than the last.
“Beyond the fact that unique classes are far more beneficial, there isn’t really much advice I can give you. Most of the legendary classes would be things most would die for, while Ori’s preposterous existence is something I’m gradually coming to terms with. If you choose to tie your fate with his, choosing one of the unique classes would be an apt choice.”
“Understood,” Lysara said, her form growing visibly brighter but more acquiescent. Her colour deepened at its darkest points, despite the arcs of lightning thickening and brightening.
Ori grinned. “So, are you going to tell us what you picked, or leave us in suspense?”
“My choices weren’t too... shocking,” Lysara replied, before sharing the classes she picked with them over their bond.
> Class Title: Potential of the Bondweaver
>
> Rarity: Unique
>
> Rank: Journeyman
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> Per Level Bonus: +10 Intelligence, +10 Will +10 Presence
>
> Class Traits: Enhances the user's potential and growth, granting accelerated learning and mastery over elemental magic. Increases the Bondweaver's and any Bondeds control and versatility over spells with an elemental affinity by user's level value + 50% while within 20-yard proximity or within the user's line of sight. A further +50% is added to spells of a lightning-based affinity.
>
> Description: This unique class is granted to those who wish to express the potential of the Bondweaver. The user gains heightened Intelligence, Will, and Presence, accelerating their mastery of elemental magic. This class also enhances the Bondweaver's elemental control and versatility, making the pair a formidable force in both offence and defence. With skills that boost magical learning and adaptability, the user can quickly adapt to new challenges and environments, making them an essential companion in dynamic and unpredictable situations.
>
> Class Spells: Arcane Insight, Lightning Conduit, Capacitive Resonance
> Class Title: Source of the Bondweaver
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> Rarity: Unique
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> Rank: Journeyman
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> Per Level Bonus: +20 Intelligence, +20 Wisdom, +10 Presence
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> Class Traits: Transforms the user into a living, bottomless arcane source of mana with no capacity limit.
>
> This boosts the user, the Bondweaver's and his bonds, Mana regeneration by 10% * user's level, regardless of range.
>
> Drains all ambient mana and neutralises excess charge within a 50-yard radius.
>
> Description: This unique class endows Lysara with the ability to become a living arcane source, acting as both a mana battery and generator. The user gains increased Intelligence, Wisdom, and Presence, turning them into a powerful conduit for magical energy. This class dramatically enhances the Bondweaver's and the user's mana regeneration and energy output, ensuring a continuous and potent flow of arcane power. Additionally, the class grants proficiency with electrical and material affinity spells, amplifying their potency and efficiency. The user operates as a bottomless source of mana with no capacity limit, facilitated by a quantum-paracausal process that sustains infinite mana generation. However, this immense power comes with the cost of draining all ambient mana and neutralising excess charge within a 50-yard radius, potentially disrupting other magic users and devices in the vicinity.
>
> Class Spells: Ground, Reservoir, Electrostatic Surge, Arcane Dynamo, Undying Spark
Reviewing the classes and spells, Ori couldn’t help but be humbled by Lysara's choices and the affirmation they represented. She had effectively dedicated herself to becoming his Source, supporting him and his bonded allies with mana regeneration that could only grow in time. The immense potential of her spells, especially their combined effects, was impressive.
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Arcane Insight could be cast on anyone Lysara chose, providing them with an enhanced understanding of magical constructs and auras. Lightning Conduit allowed her to control the charge of an entire region, dominating lightning effects such as natural storms or hostile spell effects.
Capacitive Resonance acted as an aura, amplifying electrical and magical energies for all allies, significantly boosting the potency of nearby spells and devices. Ground neutralised excess electrical energy, which could be combined with Reservoir to store large amounts of lightning energy. In battle, Electrostatic Surge could be used to unleash a powerful pulse, dealing significant damage to enemies, both living, mechanical and unliving alike.
Arcane Dynamo could convert electrical energy into mana and vice versa, ensuring an endless supply of electricity as long as mana was present. Finally, Undying Spark showcased Lysara's determination and resilience. Once cast, and provided no mana nullification effects were in place, Undying Spark made Lysara impervious to annihilation for ten minutes. Exclusively usable by elemental beings, this spell was Lysara's answer to her previous demise, hopefully ensuring her survival in situations few living entities could withstand.
“Woah,” Ori said simply, while Freya remained silent, her thoughts indiscernible. “I’m honoured. Thank you for your choices and your belief in me.”
“These classes were the best choices to further our goal. You get stronger, I get stronger. A virtuous cycle. A positive feedback loop,” Lysara said in a way that made Ori believe she was smiling.
“Yeah, it does, but still.” Ori exhaled a turbulent breath. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Ori Suba.”
“So, I actually summoned you to help us. We’re in a place that’s not very secure. Even at this moment, infernals could be making their way towards us, seeking our harm. I need you to give us early warning. Sink into the ground and use that flux sense you’ve got to keep track as far and wide as you can. Feel free to take out weak and vulnerable targets of opportunity, but otherwise use your ability to sink beneath everyone's feet to keep yourself safe, if not hidden. Reckon you could do that?”
“Yes, Ori. I now have a detection radius of just under one hundred yards. Should I centre my presence under this room, or move towards a specific direction?”
“Centre is fine for now.”
“I have detected thirteen infernal demons between Awakened and Nascent ranks within the current radius. Confirm kill order?”
“Err, you can do this without giving yourself away?” Ori questioned.
“Affirmative.”
“Then, yeah, do it.”
Silence followed, but as Ori watched his Peritia and his Deathclock, he was shocked to see it rise by over a week. The power to order executions on creatures unaware of his presence was terrifying. He filtered the emotion through his various selves.
The White mage was appalled.
The Bondweaver was silent.
The Wandsmith was impatient.
The Duælist was impressed.
The Demon Bane hungered for more.
Ori shook his head, clearing it of negativity as he appreciated the convenience of Lysara’s new... awesomeness.
“Erm, thank you and keep it up. I need to get back to work.”
Returning to his enchantments, Ori studied the design. Freya, peering over his shoulder, asked the question he had just internally answered.
“What will you call it?” Freya asked.
“The enchantment? I was going to call it a Sword or Wand Array, but they’re not really either, so I’ll just stick with Array.”
“I believe I understand what you’re trying to do—”
“Oh yeah?” Ori said, surprised. Freya snorted.
“Six identical weapons, something that can channel like a wand, cut and stab like a short sword, with upgradable enchantments, designed to be soul-bound with harmonic and soulcraft affinities. It seems you’re attempting to leverage the class trait of the Duælist to the utmost.”
“Min-maxing, yes. I double the bonus per weapon held. With me casting your newly evolved Astral Hands, that should make two to the power of seven, or one hundred and twenty-eight times the damage instead of sixty-four times. When I do more damage, I have greater defences, and with overflow damage, even my Light Shields should block damage from higher rankers. I was also hoping to craft Invariance and a Will bonus into the weapons, but I don’t think I can find the right reagents here. As it stands, Will of the High Human only lasts three hours, so anything to extend that length beyond increasing my level—”
“Will enchantments are a terrible idea. Moving the locus of your will from your centre weakens it and offers vulnerability. Worst-case scenario, you need only increase your level to fourteen to get the full twenty-four-hour duration for your racial ability. A much fairer trade-off than having your will shatter due to shifting its locus.” Freya’s seriousness forced Ori to take notice. Each time she shared knowledge against his intuition, he couldn’t help but wonder and absorb her wisdom. There were so many hidden pitfalls, so many undocumented ways to cripple oneself or reach a dead end.
“Alright,” Ori sighed, scratching those ideas off for now.
“As for Invariance, just loop enough toughness enchantments together, and it would be as good as Invariance for now and more useful on other demiplanes at that.”
“You mean… But doesn’t that… But then... what’s stopping someone from just doing that with every enchantment until they are impossibly potent?”
“You run out of space eventually. Even the finest enchantments struggle at the fourth fold loop.”
“Really?” Ori said, his mind spinning as a slow, crazed smile broke out on his lips.
“Ori, I don’t like that face.”
“I can’t help it, it’s my face,” Ori said, his grin turning into a full-bellied laugh.
“You are truly starting to worry me now, Ori. What insanity has your despicable mind come up with now?”
“You have my memories. What was it that I studied, Freya? Back on Earth.”
“Photo... lithography. Oh.”
Ori’s mad cackles echoed through the armoury as he frantically redrew his enchantment schemas. Meanwhile, Freya shuddered, watching in horrified fascination.
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It took a day for all of Ori’s enchanting work to complete. In addition to the two main projects, he crafted several potable water sources that passively collected mana and converted it into permanent water, handy given his current dehydration despite racial advantages and the armoury’s water stores. He also made several enchantment breakers and used Echo Shaping to re-shape jeans and trainers almost destroyed by fire and conflict. After a failed test using the standard toughness enchantment, and knowing he could repair the items with transmogrified leather in the future, Ori left further enchantments for another time.
He picked up a square segment of leather, turning it into a hooded poncho that finally covered his chest, and placed a bunch of his newest creations, some more looted wands, sacks of purified grain, and several interesting melee weapons into his void storage ring.
Ori’s left hand tightened into a fist. Around it, a Silver and Orichalcum wrist guard covered a section of his arm. It had been less torturous to do than he had expected, but he had managed to completely re-shape and re-enchant his previously crushed Dreamwalkers' Ward. With his arcane sight, it gleamed with absorbed energies and affinities. Beyond the enchantments, Ori was also pleased with the segmented structure that allowed for decent flexibility of his wrist. The overall shape had taken several attempts to get right, but upon completion and naming, Ori received these details:
> Enchantment Name: Dreamwalkers' Lesser Aegis
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> Characteristic Requirements: Domain > 5
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> Other Requirements: Dream-related affinity, Hardbody shaping material
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> Effects: Passively projects a three-foot radius field around the user, converting magical and ranged attacks into dream-like aspects that can be manipulated as if within a dream. This ward consumes the user's mana regeneration to maintain its effect. The user can switch from the passive defensive field to a focused dream domain with a one-foot radius around the wrist guard.
>
> Description: The Dreamwalkers' Lesser Aegis is a refined version of the Dreamwalkers' Ward, designed for those with a developing affinity for dream manipulation. This aegis melds dream essence with protective warding, transforming magical and ranged threats into manageable dream-like entities. By tapping into the user's dream affinity, the ward converts harmful effects into aspects that can be controlled or mitigated as if they were elements within a dream. Unlike its more powerful counterpart, the Dreamwalkers' Lesser Aegis does not defend against physical melee attacks. Instead of using charges, it passively consumes the user's mana regeneration to sustain its protective field. The aegis maintains a smaller, three-foot radius around the user but allows for greater flexibility by enabling the user to focus the ward into a concentrated dream domain with a one-foot radius around the wrist guard. This focused domain allows for more precise manipulation of dream-like effects within proximity for enhanced defensive and offensive capabilities.
>
> Notes: Crafting the Dreamwalkers' Lesser Aegis requires a solid understanding of dream-related magics, rare reagents, and spell inks. While less demanding than the Dreamwalkers' Ward, it still necessitates access to a domain. This artefact is typically accessible to skilled enchanters of high rank. Users must have the ability to withstand and manipulate the ethereal nature of dreams, as the ward's effects can blur the lines between reality and illusion. The Dreamwalkers' Lesser Aegis is ideal for lucid dreamers with Dreamwalking aptitude. Due to its passive nature, concealing the Aegis' presence may be challenging against those with moderate perception abilities.
A circular disk appeared around Ori’s wrist. At first, it was a ghostly grey object, but it soon solidified into something that would be recognisable to many men from Earth.
“Impressive manifestation on the first try,” Freya said, genuinely impressed.
“Thank you. Shame it disappears when I throw it,” Ori said, standing behind the red and blue painted shield.
“Why on wild luck would you throw it?” Freya squawked.
“You’d never get it.” Ori sighed in feigned exasperation, knowing that even if he explained it, it would still be lost on her.
Finally, Ori summoned his Array, and the world seemed to hold its breath. There was a sharp, high-pitched sound just beyond hearing as all four of his Aetheric Hands manifested with blades that appeared to be long, sharp daggers as much as wands or any spellcraft-related items. The polished metal gleamed, despite the clear grain boundaries that refracted light in prismatic colours. The edges seemed to impart an understanding of sharpness just by looking at them.
While Ori couldn’t manage the four-fold loop enchantments Freya had suggested, he had come close enough with sharpness, toughness, resistance, harmonic affinity, and channelling proficiency to make a significant difference. He held only four of the six blades right now, and yet the effect of their presence was palpable. Despite this, Ori still saw room for improvement. He had used only traditional enchanting techniques, but with a few more tools and a new process, Ori foresaw seven and eight-fold enchantments being possible. As the Array howled, each blade slicing air molecules apart with every motion, Ori wondered just how much sharper something could get.
“Rawr, time to slice ’em up, innit.”
“Now I wish I’d never given you the inspiration. You’re as likely to hurt yourself, or me, with those… things. Just keep them away from me. They are far more terrifying than the demons.” Freya huffed.
Ori unsummoned the weapons from reality, and a psychic, almost imperceptible pressure seemed to lift from him. He realised that perhaps there was more to Freya’s discomfort than just her general pacifist tendencies or squeamishness.
Ori reviewed the results of his naming once more as he prepared to leave the armoury and seek out the Celestials.
> Artefact Name: Prototype Array of Duælism
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> Type: Experimental Multi-Weapon Array
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> Characteristic Requirements: Toughness > 100, Strength > 285, Intelligence > 100
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> Other Requirements: Duælism, Harmonic and Abyssal affinity
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> Effects: Grants an 1800% increase to sharpness, toughness, and physical and arcane resistances and range to Breath, Grace, and Intent extensions. Conversely, the range and coherence of harmonic and abyssal spells are increased by 1800%, while aspects of sharpness, toughness, and resistance are added to all spell effects.
>
> Description: The Prototype Array of Duælism is an experimental artefact crafted to explore the concept of Duælism in multi-wielding combat and spellcraft. The weapons within this array are honed to an extraordinary degree, offering an 1800% increase in sharpness. This allows them to cut through most mundane materials with ease. Their toughness is similarly enhanced, ensuring that the blades remain unbroken and effective under most situations. With an 1800% boost to physical and arcane resistances, the array provides near-impervious protection against conventional and magical attacks. Beyond its physical enhancements, the Prototype Array of Duælism significantly amplifies the range and coherence of harmonic and abyssal spells. This staggering 1800% increase allows the wielder to cast spells with unprecedented precision. This dual enhancement ensures that the array is not just a set of weapons but a channelling focus for powerful and far-reaching magical effects.
>
> Notes: The Prototype Array of Duælism requires proficiency in both physical and magical combat. The wielder must be skilled in dual-wielding and possess affinities for both harmonic and abyssal magic. The artefact’s complex enchantments are accessible only to enchanters of high rank.