“Rai. Are you aware of how bothersome it is that you’re the only one who can initiate these conferences?” the Chancellor said. “You contacted me a total of three times: once to let me know you had landed and that you had lost one member of the ship’s crew, once to let me know you made contact with the natives, and just now to let me know you are almost back. Two months, and only three touch-ins. We are going to need to finish reverse-engineering that device so that we can have two-way messaging if you’re going to be so lax in the future.”
“…That’s fair,” Rai said sheepishly. “You’re probably not going to like what I have to say about our results either. We’re coming back with another record tetra, but nothing else physical. We were able to study artifacts for several weeks, but not take anything with us, since they were in the possession of the natives. We were able to forge a somewhat friendly relationship with the natives by winning a battle tournament where we proved our mettle not just against other competitors, but also their Emperor. Isa and I are on good terms with the Emperor as a result. We can probably leverage that if we ever attempt to make further diplomatic contact with the Orochi people.”
“That’s fine. The fact that this expedition produced results, even if you aren’t bringing back physical objects, is enough. To be honest, there are a number of faculty that thought this was a wild goose chase, so this is good. I take it you’ll be handing over the record tetra for study? It’s not locked to you, is it?”
“No, it’s not. Your main problem is lack of understanding the language. I think it’s time we reverse-engineered the Strap of Tongues; I was the only one who could converse directly with the serpentsia – that’s what the race of people are called; Orochi is the… nationality, I suppose? Anyway, it would be in our best interest to figure out how to enable everyone to understand foreign tongues. The modern common tongue is spoken by pretty much everyone who has had contact with any of the continent’s civilizations in the last five hundred years, but any place that’s been isolated for longer than that might not speak it. Also… speaking the ancient tongue will be really helpful in getting information from any record tetras we find.”
“Agreed. So, tell me all about what happened.”
“So, after we made contact with the Orochi…
“… and then Isa and I returned to the city…
“… and we launched the ship…
“… and now here we are.”
“I see. Sounds like you and Isa had a pretty rewarding trip to the Magic Tower. Fourth tier and fourth circle, and Isa evolved. This is practically unheard of, to reach Master status at such a young age. When were you planning to share that mana circle meditation technique with us?”
“Er…”
“You weren’t planning on keeping it to yourself to get an advantage, were you?” the Chancellor said, her tone making it clear that she knew he was planning to do exactly that. “Are there any other things you’ve been hiding?”
“…One.”
“And that is?”
“I found a research journal and another record tetra in the Dragonia ruins… for unethical biological experiments on people and beasts. Based on the little I had the stomach to actually read/listen to, I think they were trying to create superior life forms by making chimeric creatures. I really don’t think those should be studied. I shudder to think what would happen should they fall into the hands of somebody willing to attempt to recreate the experiments.”
“I… see. I understand your reluctance, but they still represent insight into the imperfect nature of the Tower Era. If you hand them over to me, I promise you that I will safeguard them from any dangerous people.”
“I will consider it. By the way, speaking of biological experiments, Isa and I were exposed to high concentrations of the mysterious energy. The Magic Tower does have a Biology department, doesn’t it? I was thinking that perhaps we could be studied a bit to see what sorts of changes it has created by us processing it.”
“That’s probably a good idea, if for no other reasons than your safety and that this is the only way we’ll be able to study the energy. The existence of a mysterious star energy distinct from the life energy qi or the world energy mana makes the expedition worth it on its own; people would quite literally kill to have the chance to study it… so I will be taking an active role in assigning who may and may not even be privy to the information, let alone participate in the studies. Which reminds me: Evergrass scholars, if you breathe a word of this, I will personally hunt you down.”
“Understood,” the Evergrass scholar in possession of the orb said with a slightly shaky voice.
“I assume that applies to me as well?” Lord Henrik said mildly.
“Of course. We absolutely cannot allow Eternity to find out about this. It must not be allowed to leak to anyone who doesn’t already know. Rai, I assume you’ve kept the details of it hidden from the others in the expedition?”
“Of course. There’s a reason I’m having this conversation while standing on deck instead of down below where most people are. It’s not that I don’t trust the people you’ve chosen, but this seemed like the sort of thing that might cause a bit of a stir.”
“Indeed. Well, I’ve spent enough time talking; I have other obligations. I’ll see you when you arrive.”
“See you then.”
“So, I take it you’ll be wintering at the Isle of Heaven’s Reach, then?” Lord Henrik said.
“Probably. I certainly need some down time before I go on another expedition, and I’d like to help the Magic Tower with their study of the artifacts and the Dragonia record tetra. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely come back and touch base with you before any future expeditions.”
“Of course. I do look forward to hearing of your adventures in greater detail. It’s unfortunate that you did not acquire any new artifacts, but I’m sure that you will in the future. Shall I give your regards to Torval? I believe he is planning to return home after the winter, if you can escort him.”
“Yes, please do. And we’d be happy to.”
Rai deactivated the Conference Pendant and sighed. Less than two days and they would be back in civilization once more.
Our birthdays are coming up soon, he thought. Mizeiya… I don’t care how long it takes. I will be reunited with you. I will find a way to resurrect you, and we’ll be together again, I swear on your sword. Just wait a little longer.
-x-
Two weeks later, Rai and Isa were finally introduced to the new research team operating under the name Star Research Division. The team was small, consisting of only five people: a mana specialist, a biologist, a qi specialist, a magical engineer, and an assistant.
“So nice to meet you!” a calico cat beastfolk woman said brightly. “I’m Felicity, the biology expert on this team. I’ll be the one studying your blood and your bodies the most.”
“Wilco, mana specialist,” the long-gray-haired elven man said. “All scholastic mages study mana, but few actually delve into its intricacies as deeply as mana specialists. We study not just what it does, but how it does it. I know that this mysterious star energy isn’t mana, but hopefully my expertise will enable us to understand it better anyway. Also, you said you augmented your mana hearts with it, so I will be looking to see how it interacts with your mana.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“The name’s Irons, qi specialist,” the olive-complexioned dwarven man with his braided black beard said. “Like Wilco, I’m an energy expert, but I study qi instead of mana. Like Felicity, I’ll be looking at the effects of the star energy on your bodies, as well as its interaction with qi, since you augmented your qi cores with it.”
The young pink-haired gnome woman with goggles on top of her head grinned. “Orchid, magical engineer, at your service! I’m in charge of all the gizmos and stuff, like the combat dummies and measuring devices. If it’s a magic item and has moving parts, I’m your gal!”
“I’m, um, just the research assistant,” the human teenage girl with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair said hesitantly. “My name’s, um, Alicia.”
“Well met,” Rai said with a smile. “As you know, I’m Rai and this is Isa.”
Felicity stepped up close to Isa. “Weren’t you a kobold until recently? You evolved, right? That’s fascinating! Monstrous race evolution evidence is mostly just anecdotal rather than provably observed, thanks to the fact that the other races don’t tend to get along with the monstrous races. It’s supposed to be quite rare. What was it like, evolving?”
Isa placed a hand on Felicity’s forehead and slowly pushed her back. “Too close, cat lady. Anyway, I was conscious the entire time, directing the evolution. It was… weird. I kind of expected it to be painful, but it wasn’t. It didn’t feel good, either. Just… strange. Now, when I finished evolving, that felt good. I felt like a whole new me.”
“Fully cognizant? Wow! And you had to direct the changes yourself? What if you’d messed up?”
“The divine spirit snake did say that messing up was likely and disastrous. I guess I just got lucky?”
“Lucky nothing,” Rai said. “You’re just that good.” He grinned at Isa, who snorted in response.
“We’d like to get some basic readings,” Wilco said. “We’ll need to take blood and tissue samples as well as get you to do some simple exercises, cast a few spells, and perform a few arts.”
“Sure,” Isa said.
“We may have to improvise a bit with you,” Irons told her. “Most tools are designed for us most soft-skinned peoples.”
“I don’t mind if you’re a little rough. I can handle it. Swarms, I’m pretty sure I could take getting stabbed through the heart at this point. …I’d prefer you didn’t try that, though, just in case.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Felicity assured her. “Alicia, if you could get me the S5 knife?”
The assistant handed her a knife designed for removing scales from beasts.
“Hold out your arm.”
Isa did, and Felicity cut off a section of scales. Isa didn’t even wince at the pain.
“Ooh, nice scales! Tough, too! Ahem. You’ve got a high pain tolerance.”
“I’m a Berserker.”
“Makes sense. Alicia, scalpel. …Er, why is this not working? Your flesh is too tough for the scalpel to cut through? Maybe if I really apply pressure… ah, there we go. Was your flesh always this tough?”
“No… that’s new. I guess it’ll slightly reduce the damage I take from physical hits, which should be useful.”
“Anyway, that’s a flesh sample, and with this vial, I’ll also get a blood sample. There we go! Now, to get samples from Rai… Okay, done. Now, let’s run some physical tests for you two. We’ll have you run through some exercises, from the very basic to things like jumping and climbing.”
Over the next several hours, the two followed instructions, which showcased just how much stronger Isa had become. She also found climbing to be extremely easy, using her claws to latch onto the surface and scale it rapidly – she could even climb across a ceiling with handholds at full speed.
Rai, on the other hand, found that his already skilled acrobatic abilities had been boosted by the mysterious energy suffusing his body. When he was asked to do a long jump to test his jumping distance, he didn’t even bother to take a running start; instead, he simply crouched and sprang forward, easily clearing three dozen feet. A few more tries to test his limits showed that he could, if he managed everything just right, jump about forty-five feet. They then tested how high he could jump: eighteen feet was easy, and his maximum was just under twenty-three feet.
After the physical tests, they moved onto magical ones to see if augmenting their mana hearts had increased their abilities beyond what achieving fourth circle would alone. They were unable to determine whether the ability, possessed by both Rai and Isa, to cast first circle spells at maximum potential at will (rather than having a variable range of effect), was truly related to the mysterious energy or not, but Wilco suspected it wasn’t when they described it as a matter of proper focus. After all, they couldn’t use purely mental magic and max potential magic at the same time, which suggested that it was simply a matter of actual mastery and concentration rather than an extra boost coming from another source.
Rai and Isa both said that they felt a pool of mysterious energy in their mana hearts, and after some experimentation, they discovered that it could be used to enhance – or energize, as Isa described it – certain spells. There was a limit – only three spells could be enhanced before the well ran dry – but each spell they chose to boost had a different effect. Some dealt more damage and/or had a larger area of effect; others could target extra individuals or had rider effects. Isa expressed concern that they had wasted all the energy, but Rai said that it felt like it was primed to regenerate, just like mana.
Practicing combat with the dummies proved only two things: that Isa was now more accurate than ever with her halberd, despite still going all out to achieve as much damage as possible, and that the dummies had not been designed to withstand the kind of damage output Isa was capable of. They had to turn to other testing methods. Using magic scrolls, the researchers pitted them against summoned creatures, and Irons instructed them to see what they could accomplish with the pool of mysterious energy in their qi cores rather than simply taking down the foes as quickly as possible.
Here, Rai’s and Isa’s new capabilities differed. By using a third of the energy in his qi core, Rai found he could slightly change his passage through time, slightly slowing the world down around him to increase his ability to dodge for several seconds and enabling him to counterattack any foe that missed him in that time period – no matter how many attacks there were. His form blurred as he moved at impossible speeds to accomplish this.
Isa, on the other hand, could enable herself to use arts at the same frequency as regular attacks, essentially doubling the speed at which she could pull them off, using one third of the star energy per extra art.
The day eventually ended, and they discovered that their supply of expendable mysterious energy did indeed replenish overnight when they went for another battery of tests the next day. Over the next few weeks, Orchid created more dummies which she turned into automatons for the two of them to practice against, given them a way to train that didn’t involve fighting each other. In the following weeks, they worked on arts, spells, general combat skills, and, in Rai’s case, assisting with studying and reverse-engineering magic items as well as going through the record tetras.
The Isle of Heaven’s Reach was far enough south that the winter was mild, but it still snowed during the middle of the season, and it was on one such snowy day that Rai found himself standing on an external balcony high up the Magic Tower, staring off into the distance.
Happy Birthday to both of us, he thought sadly. I’m twenty-two, and you would have been twenty-five. But you’re stuck at twenty… and will be until I can bring you back. Mizeiya…
“There you are!” Isa walked up from behind him and sat down next to him. “I was looking for you. Your father told me today was your birthday. I was hatched in the first month of spring, so I’ll be eight soon. We’re basically the same age, developmentally. Whatcha thinking about?”
“My girlfriend. She had the same birthday as me; she was three years older. This winter has been pretty productive so far; we’ve succeeded in reverse engineering basically everything except my ring, the smithing gear, and the record tetras. We have a much clearer picture of things, too. The Tower Era was truly a wondrous time, but it was filled with its fair share of problems. We’ve pretty much confirmed that instead of second circle being average and fourth circle being considered Master, in the tower era third circle was average and sixth circle was considered Master, and that ninth circle is the maximum mentioned. Can you believe that? Ninth Circle!
“…Anyway, despite it all, I find myself feeling kind of melancholy. I miss Mizeiya as much as ever. I know for sure now that I can bring her back, but I don’t have the slightest clue how. I don’t even know where to start looking, other than searching for the next Tower. I still think that the desert should be out next target, but the Chancellor is insistent that it’s too dangerous. We might have to go with just us.”
“She won’t like that.”
“She’s a research and business partner, not my boss. And she’s not a real partner, like you. Your input, I respect. Hers is starting to get on my nerves.”
Isa grinned. “Damn straight! I say we do the desert! We’ll have to take the cornucopia, though; otherwise… water. Even one of those canteens wouldn’t help, since it just draws water in from the air, and in the desert, there’s not much of that. Or so you’ve said.”
“Yeah. We’ll need to make sure we’re fully prepared; it’s not called the Desert of Death for nothing. We should head out in the spring, after meeting with Lord Henrik and taking Torval home.”
“Sounds good to me. So, I hear that humans like to celebrate their birthdays. What are you going to do?”
“Nothing, really. Ever since Mizeiya died, it’s a sad time for me.”
“Well, we can’t have that! Come on, let’s go down and spar!”
Rai exhaled a short laugh. “All right, all right. Let’s go.”