"Stay your hand, Pathseeker." The Quarass's voice was stern. She might not have any [Ruler] skills to impart her authority into her words, but she still new how to issue a command that would give anyone pause. "This is not treachery. This is a command from your [King]."
Despite her words, Gazi drew her sword and leveled it at her. "Flos would not have wanted Trey dead."
"And neither do I. It is a simple thing to revive someone after they have drowned for a scant few minutes. It does not require magic, or an artifact, just the knowledge of how to do it." Knowledge she'd learned a dozen lifetimes ago and which had proved useful on countless occasions - outside of Chandrar.
"Explain yourself." Gazi's voice was cold and promised death if not obeyed.
"The path to getting powerful classes is long and hard, or short and dangerous."
"So you've put him in a situation where he might die?"
"Yes." The Quarass turned to look Gazi in her eyes, only one of which was locked on her. "The threat must be real. An acted out farce will only result in being a [Troubadour] or a [Bard]. It is vital that Trey experiences what he thinks is his death if he wishes to get a class that is strong enough to be of use."
"So you drowned him?"
"It is quite the stroke of luck." The Quarass let herself smile. "For sand, the best class evolutions are about combining it with a liquid. That allows for shaped constructs of far greater strength and speed. It also will expand what substances Trey can command. The water from a drowned man that does not have the ocean's blessing offered?" She shook her head. "THAT is potent. Doubly so for the water from an oasis. Triply so for his own [Water of Last Breath]. Ten times as powerful for a body of water untouched by the hand of any other!"
It was such a fortuitous find that she'd been tempted to try drowning herself, if only she could have trusted Gazi or Trey to successfully revive her body. Even without a class that meshed nicely, water powers were always sought after in Chandrar.
In fact, Trey should be thanking her for not going with her first idea.
Gazi's face was as expressive as a stone mask, but she sheathed her sword. "Fine. But if he dies-"
"No need for pointless threats." She moved the carpet so it was a few inches from the newly stilled surface. "You may get his body now. We'll need to go up above for the next part before I resuscitate him."
Gazi dove into the water. Despite her armor and the lack of light, she would have no trouble saving the boy. The Quarass was completely certain about that. Sure enough, after only eleven seconds had passed, Trey's soggy and lifeless body was heaved out of the water and onto the artifact.
That was the only real flaw in her plan. It was best to not get flying carpets wet.
She guided the carpet back to the top as only someone with centuries of practice could. As soon as they passed the edge of the hole, she had it hover just above the ground so it would be easier to collect what was currently inside of his lungs. The more water that came from inside of Trey the better. She didn't want to dilute his [Water of Last Breath].
"Lady Pathseeker, please form a pile of sand right there by the edge."
The Half-Gazer grudgingly obeyed, and the Quarass set about reviving the boy from another world. She'd spent more than one life as a [Healer]. It had been vital to understand how to non-magically repair the body, especially when magic had died.
It was a shame so few understood that, or how to save a drowning victim. True, most [Sailors] and [Pirates] just took the offer of the deep, so the need wasn't truly that vital... but still.
She checked his mouth for obstructions and tilted his head to ensure the neck was straight and air and fluids could pass in and out. Then, she inhaled deeply and forced her breath into his mouth. The Quarass then put her hands on his chest and pushed down with all her might.
Hmm...
She was still used to a bigger body. Her current form lacked the strength and mass to solidly compress Trey's chest. A part of her worried that she wouldn't be able to backup her claims. That would be serious trouble and might mean the end of her current life - if the way Gazi was staring at her meant what she thought it meant.
The Quarass pushed her doubts aside and repeated the process. Breathe for Trey. Compress his chest. Take a mouthful of healing potion and force it down his throat. Over and over. Perhaps she should have Gazi do one half of this? She was bigger and stronger... and would probably either crush Trey's ribcage or be too worried about that and thus be less effective.
Also, while it looked like she was kissing the child, the true purpose was to force air into his lungs. Gazi might mess that up too without proper training or practice. No. She'd just have-
Trey coughed.
The Quarass quickly turned his head so the watery froth that escaped from his mouth splattered over the sand pile Gazi had made.
"Trey!"
"Give us a moment more, Lady Pathseeker." She commanded as she positioned Trey's body while elevating the carpet high enough for it to act as a place to sit. The boy bent over and emptied his stomach on the sand pile that was now between his feet. "Trey! Focus on the sand! You need to take control of it if you want to live! Form it into a golem! Let the sand and water mix!"
That was a lie, of course, his life wasn't in the balance. It was clear that he needed the guidance and motivation to do this last step. The Quarass found the threat of death a good incentive for people that were dazed and confused. She looked up at Gazi and gave a subtle nod of her head.
The Half-Gazer sighed. "You need to do it, Trey." She clearly wasn't enthusiastic, but was also pragmatic enough to not let the situation be for naught. "Form the sand."
Trey dry heaved. Seeing as there was no more water to expel, The Quarass brought a potion to his lips and forced it down. "Drink." His throat and chest were no doubt in quite a lot of pain, and the potion would ease it so he could focus. "That's good. Now you need to form the sand. Make a golem and you can rest."
Trey glared at her for a moment before turning his attention to the sand. It drew together and formed a humanoid shape. It was rough at first, but the features sharpened until it looked like a miniature Gazi. The creature raised up its sword and swung at her.
The Quarass calmly kicked it away.
It held its form. "Good job. Now lay back and focus on breathing."
"Why?" Trey's breath was ragged as he reclined on the carpet. "Why did you do that?"
She could've played the [Fool] and asked if he meant saving his life, but his intention was clear. "To give you a class. [Sand Mage] can grow in many ways. With this, you should at least become a [Sand and Water Mage]. A [Mage of Breath] or something similar would be better. Making golems will become much easier for you, and you should be able to expand your scope to at least water and mud. Though your soaked sand will be far more potent than regular wet dirt."
"I hate you." There wasn't much strength in his voice, but Trey also wasn't lacking resolve.
The Quarass ignored him. Her plan had worked perfectly. He would get a better class, and be less likely to die in future battles. Flos would be happy.
"What now?" Trey fumed as he made Minizi again. It was easier and easier each time. The Sand moved and flowed with speed and strength. It pissed him off that the Quarass's casual disregard for his life seemed to have actually worked in providing him power.
"The conference is wrapping up. We'll head to the north." Gazi stayed further away than normal.
"So it's just back to Relm? Back to being trapped in the castle?"
"No." She shook her head. "We're heading towards Tiqr. This will be the part of our journey that you'll play a larger role in."
"Oh? So my drowning wasn't my reason for being here?" He couldn't keep the heat from his voice, nor did he care to try.
"Trey." Gazi's voice softened. "I had no idea what the Quarass's plans were. She had no idea that there was a lake where A'ctelios Salash once stood when we set off. This was not a planned event. Her actions were... severe, but they did prove to be beneficial."
"I hate her." He clenched his fists. "And you just watched!"
"I leapt after you." She put her hand on his shoulder. "But she managed to delay me long enough for her to speak. It... was a difficult choice. I knew she would use the carpet to harass me, and that I would have to kill her to get to you. If she was false, I would have done so, but my [King] trusts her and so I chose to believe her words."
"She could have warned me!" He felt tears forming in his eyes. He felt them more precisely and vividly than he should have been able to.
"She told me the threat must be real to gain the proper class. Knowing of it beforehand would have made her actions moot."
"Then she shouldn't have done it! I didn't want that!" He looked at the mini Gazi he'd made. "I don't want this!" He kicked it, but instead of spraying across the ground, Minizi only stumbled back slightly. His foot had left a dent, but it quickly smoothed out without any thought or effort on his part.
"The Quarass knows how to lead her kingdom. How to make it strong. How to shape her people into blades for her to use." Gazi paused and let out a sigh. "But I do not think she remembers what it's like to be mortal. She has absolute confidence in what she does because she's done it countless times before. She will not be swayed by either your anger or your tears."
"So... what? I should just accept it?"
"Yes." He looked up at her in shock. "The weak must learn to accept that they are weak. It's the only way for them to grow stronger. The Quarass would not try something like that against me or the other seven - even if she considered such an action appropriate or necessary."
"Because you're strong."
"Yes." Gazi nodded. "She's been strong and weak. Strength is something she respects. If she didn't, her country would not have survived for as long as it has."
"So I should just suck it up?" That pissed him off, but it also made him want to prove himself. To prove that he could do it.
"That's for you to decide. I would not waste her 'gift'. Take the class when it's offered. Make it yours. The Quarass may have helped you get it, but it is YOUR class, not hers. Remember that."
"Alright."
Trey still didn't talk to her as he got back on the carpet. Nor did the Quarass speak to him. They flew away from the ruins of A'ctelios Salash in silence.
...
[Sand Mage Level 18!]
[Skill – Create Water Golems obtained!]
[Skill – Create Admixture Golems obtained!]
[Skill – Imbue With Breath obtained!]
...
"So what's going to happen?" Trey decided to be the bigger person and speak first. He was still angry, and refused to accept that what the Quarass had done had been for his benefit, but he was also bored.
Plus, he didn't want to let things fester. Not like how his relationship with Flos had. Not with Gazi.
"The Southern City States have been notified. It's up to them to deal with the... areas."
"Will they be able to?"
"Who knows? The size of the large one is impressive, but it's no A'ctelios Salash. It can be contained, if not killed. I doubt anyone will try the same approach as the former residents." She paused. "No. On second thought, many most assuredly will. It will be eaten in hopes for powers, which means it will be sought after and regulated. I predict two cities will arise."
"Two?"
She nodded. "Yes, Trey, two. One to farm and contain the flesh garden-"
"That's horrible!"
The Quarass turned and gave him an impassive look. "Oh? So you're now objecting to that as well? The likelihood of [Slaves] being used is non-existent. The flesh of A'ctelios Salash is banned in Roshal for good reason."
"Because [Slaves] would eat it and break free." Trey replied darkly. A glimmer of a plan formed, but was immediately discarded. It wasn't like he was a [Smuggler], and who would eat fingers anyways?
"The gift of A'ctelios Salash always gives power, but rarely doesn't exact a worse price. But, yes. [Slaves] would be far more eager to make such a deal. Many would be desperate enough to not care that it would end in their deaths one way or another."
Trey didn't know what to make of an arm-harvesting city, even if by its very nature it didn't have [Slaves]. "You said two cities."
"Yes, the other one will be much more contentious."
"How so?"
"With some work, the chasm where Tombhold once stood will be a thriving city. The council of Merreid had decided to aid it with a simple wall - to keep the sand out. While it won't be as impressive as the walls of the Labyrinth City, it will suffice to keep nature from reclaiming things until the war is over."
"The war? What war? Aren't we too far away for Relm to march?"
She gave him a condescending smile. "Not a war involving the King of Destruction. Not yet."
"Then who?"
The Quarass shrugged. "Whomever wishes to build a city around the largest oasis on Chandrar. All the neighboring countries will want the location. Even far-off places like Nerrhavia's Fallen, Roshal, and the Empire of Sands might try for it. Or at least they would if it wasn't for Flos to the north. No, the most likely participants will be the closest kingdoms. They all have the most to gain with a expansion, and the most to lose with new ownership of an old trading spot."
I felt a little bad about not doing anything, y'know, magical around Teura. My Oversaturated debuffs would worsen if I exerted myself, and even if they wouldn't, I didn't have anything I wanted to Craft with mana. I have five new skills from my destruction of A'ctelios Salash, and none of them screamed 'use me' - either as a Skill themselves or as something to sacrifice to something else.
Plus, I was really resource shy at the moment.
I'd basically stripped the battlefield bare of scrap. I'd head over to the desert to Craft simple components from sand, but there wasn't really a need for that. I'd gone and made a dozen tiny hidden bases that were buried below and drained away sand and Crafted video games.
Only, this time, my machines were for stock-piling and replenishing my Inventory instead of providing entertainment to the masses. While I couldn't automate the final Tinkertech construction, I could get plenty of electronics I could use as the components for most everything.
Naturally, it was slower than doing it in person, but this way I only had to head out with Sibby once to plant the seeds. I'd use a buried teleportation pad when I came back to gather the fruits of my labor. Each plant could convert several tons of sand before running out of space to store the finished goods.
It would take a little less than ten days for that to happen, so I basically needed to go around gathering the end product once a week. A dozen sand dunes vanishing every week would become noticeable after a while, but my harvester units would only need a month or so before I was topped off again - at least with raw materials. I still needed to Craft the video games into bombs, suits, lasers, pylons, and the like.
This was especially important because I could add 'Inventory' to those things and allow them to become much smaller cubes for storage. My carrying capacity wasn't exactly limiting these days, but keeping ones Inventory tidy was a skill like any other.
At least Teura seemed content to watch the Crafting process, even if it didn't contain any magic.
She was upfront about wanting to gain an [Apprentice] class that could grant her versions of my own Skills. With time, said class could consolidate and turn her into... something. Neither of us knew what the outcome might be, but as an Half-Elf, she was patient.
That was probably also why she was fine spending her time studying the Blight. Her 'teacher' had told her to do it, and by following my instructions, she leveled [Apprentice]. It seemed exploitative to me, but it was what she wanted.
So... okay, I guess?
I wondered if this was one of the reasons why feudalistic governments were the apparent norm on this world. The main reason had to be that a singularly powerful [King] or [Queen] could elevate a country significantly. However, the idea that people got tangible rewards for working for them?
If I cared more about politics, I could probably write a paper or something. Possibly come up with a way to manipulate the system. But games that relied on predicting how other people behaved were too random and not very fun. It was one thing to develop a winning strategy, it was another to convince others about the merits of your ideas.
I finished Crafting a spare suit of power armor, which used up the most of the raw materials I'd brought back from the desert.
"Interesting." Teura slowly walked around it. "Is it safe to touch?"
"It is." I paused at the un-voiced question. "Go ahead." I motioned. "It's much smoother than it looks."
The Half-Elf ran her fingers over it while I yawned and stretched - not because I was tired or sore, it just felt like the appropriate thing to do after standing still for an hour. I was essentially pantomiming what I would do without Gamer's Body. Plus, it did have a psychological effect, so it wasn't just play-acting.
I checked my status.
[Debuffs:
Oversaturatedx10]
Hm. I frowned. I should've lost another one by now, it had been more than a day with no change. That meant that I needed to do something proactive. But what?
"What is it?" Teura looked up from my armor.
"What's what?"
"Something is bothering you."
I crossed my arms. "What makes you say that?" I was certain I hadn't given anything away with body language. I didn't really have 'tells'.
"[Master's Status]." She tilted her head. "Ah, there it goes again! Am I annoying you?"
"No, no, nothing like that." I ran a hand through my hair. "It's just that 'Master' has a special meaning on Earth Bet."
"It's taboo?"
"In a sense. Mainly in relation to people being called that under the context of using powers to compel humans to do things."
"Ah, I understand." She nodded. "I'll try not to blindly obey you, and also to not say 'Master'."
**Teura is amused.
I gave her a flat look. "I can tell when you're being cheeky, you know."
"What? Me?"
**Teura is mischievous.
**Teura is slightly defiant.
"Yes. You."
"Fine." She smiled slightly. "But you should tell me what's on your mind that has you worried. That's one of the things an [Apprentice] is supposed to pick up on."
Hm. She was a talented [Mage], and my Oversaturated debuffs were a magical problem.
"I'm not healing from using too much magic as fast as I should be."
"Oh?"
"The rate has slowed down." I flexed my hand as I felt at the... presence of mana inside of me. I'd gotten pretty good with moving it around to specific locations within me from all the practice I'd gotten forcing it into my hand so Sibby could eat it and help me drain my... whatever it was that you called the structures that held mana within me. "I should be almost recovered by now, but my healing seems to have stalled."
**Teura is concerned.
"That's unfortunate. The standard method for dealing with too much mana is to use magicore to pull it out. But..."
"But?"
"Your body is different, Archmage."
"That's true." I let out a breath. "Still, we can try. I'll make a few different potions and send them to Wistram in exchange for some raw magicore."
**Teura is eager.
"What kind of potions?"
"Hmmm..." A smile spread across my face as I got an idea. "I'll try... mana potions!"
**Teura is confused.
"Okay?"
"It's killing two birds with one stone." I paused before continuing. Should I tell her this? It wasn't much of a secret, and I'd accepted her as my [Apprentice]... "I'll concentrate my mana into a finger, cut it off, and then use that as..."
**Teura is disgusted.
"Perhaps a different way? Two birds with two stones?"
"Okay, okay." It was probably for the best anyways, since I needed Sibby to do the actual amputation and she would want to eat the remains herself. "But what should I use instead? What's rich in mana that I can experiment with to see if my idea works?"
"Weaker mana potions?" Teura offered. "I could go buy some for you. Even after a war they should be plentiful enough."
"Ah, good point." I nodded. "Okay."
Teura smiled and left towards the transporter room.
I wasn't sure what my end goal with this was. Ideally I'd get a more potent mana potion that would be worth something in trade. I'd done similar experiments with Archmage Viltach where I'd used Power Drain to transfer mana from one piece of magicore to another to effectively supercharge it.
It was possible that the same method could be used to make a higher quality mana potion.
Or not.
They were alchemical creations after all, not batteries like magicore. It was apples and oranges. Similar, but hard to compare exactly.
Besides, I couldn't exactly use Power Drain with mana at the moment anyways. Not without exacerbating my wound. Crafting, however, was different. Without sacrificing a Skill to it, it didn't use mana anyways. And while I certainly wasn't about to lose a skill to make a single potion, it was possible that I might learn a new Crafting 'recipe'.
It may or may not wind up as economically viable. I had little insight into the profit margins of [Alchemists] or how potion strength related to price. Even if it cost more than the equivalent [Alchemist]-made potion, that wasn't the point. I just needed something that the [Mages] in Wistram would trade for. Money wasn't really an issue.
Of course, by that note, I could try and trade money for magicore directly. That should also work, but you couldn't get the best materials in the magical academy with cash. Rare resources or knowledge were the only way to get the best items.
...
"Here you are, Archmage." Teura handed me a clinking bag.
"Did you run into any problems?"
"No. Half-Elves are a common enough sight even in Tiqr."
"Oh?"
"Chandrar might be known for it's large Stringpeople population, and while Humans, Garuda, and Beastkin outnumber us, Half-Elves are not such an rare sight."
"Hm." I nodded. "And the countries that attacked didn't field Half-Elves either."
"Exactly." She nodded. "But I do know several Spells that I could've used to move about more easily if it came down to it, but that wasn't the case."
"Alright. Time to experiment."
Teura moved to the wall and sat on a bench while I browsed my Crafting recipes. The obvious one to use was my Mana Potion blueprint, which was really just an energy drink that I added Meditation to. Infusing Skills into food didn't grant knowledge or ability. It granted the benefit. Thus, Meditation provided MP.
A small vortex appeared and I fed it two mana potions, vial and all. I slotted the pixels in place out of habit. I'd made sooooo many of these that I could do it in my sleep almost. Half a minute later, I was holding a pixelated vial.
Note to self: don't include the vials in either the materials or the end result. It would be more convenient to simply re-use the glass vials. More efficient too. Now, let's see what the end result is.
[Mana Potion]
I need more detail than that, but I don't want to push mana into Observe to get it.
"It worked, but I can't say how well it did."
"Please allow me, Archmage." Teura gracefully stood up and walked over before taking the potion from my hand. She uncorked it, sniffed it, and then poured a drop onto her palm. Well, a cube, not a drop, but while it looked strange, it reacted like an actual drop of liquid.
She re-corked the potion and placed it in one of her pockets before using her free hand to swirl the 'drop' around on her skin. The pressure was too much, and the pixelation effect broke. Teura continued to spread the blue liquid for a few moments before scooping it up and rubbing it between her fingers and thumb.
She sniffed it again, and then licked it off the tips of her fingers. She winced.
"Well."
"It tastes disgusting, but that's to be expected." She closed her eyes. "Yes. I can feel a tiny bit of mana coming from it."
"Excellent!"
"Indeed. Now we should go to the spell room so I can cast enough to need a potion."
The spell room was really just a storage closet. A large storage closet that was reinforced because one never knew exactly what one might wish to store. Teura had commandeered it as a safe location to practice offensive magic.
If we get more [Mages] from Wistram, I'd be sure to include a more interactive location for practicing magic when I expanded the base.
"[Valmira's Comet]." A scintillating orb formed briefly in front of Teura before crossing the space between her and the wall in a flash. A rainbow explosion of cascading light rippled from the impact point.
Despite the flashy effect, it didn't leave a mark. My base didn't have any resistances, but that didn't matter to magic. What it did have was a rather large HP pool, as befitting a structure instead of a person. It could also regenerate - at the cost of its MP reserve, but that was a far smaller drain on its resources than the teleporter.
"[Valmira's Comet]." Teura launched another projectile after the first. It made me a little jealous. I didn't have that Spell, and thus couldn't experiment to see just how much mana it cost even if I was willing to use mana in my current state. Still, I got the impression that just one contained about half as much mana as I had stored in my body.
And that amount was a good ten or twenty times more than how much mana I'd started with!
Then again, my impression was based on how much my 'soul' hurt from being close to the spell while it was invoked. So I could be wildly off the mark. Even if I was, the implication was clear. Without Optimize's help, I wouldn't be working with mana at all, but that was hardly a new phenomenon.
In fact, I was fairly certain that the Grand Design of Isthekenous was doing the same thing for every single spell-caster on this planet to a lesser extent. [Mages] clearly understood principles of magic, but there were aspects of Spells that... just worked.
"Okay." Teura nodded and then drained the potion I'd made.
**Teura is disgusted.
"And?"
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. "It's a mid-grade potion." She smiled as she opened her eyes to look at me. "I'd say that about a quarter of the mana was lost, but that still means it's of a much higher potency of the base potions! You could make some high-grade potions for a fraction of the price an [Alchemist] would charge!"
"Good." I smiled back. "In fact, I think I can do even better." Not with how much mana they could contain. Only trial and error would see how much Crafting could compress potions. Even if it didn't have a limit, [Mage]'s did. A potion that contained more mana than a person had would be poison.
No. The main draw was that I could experiment with the MP part and leave the mana to the materials. MP might be important, but if it wasn't, I could make potions that actually tasted good. It took so many points when making food to imbue them with an effect. Even with my high level in Cooking, I couldn't really combine taste and function-
Threat Sense triggered.
I wasn't about to be attacked or anything, but someone was watching me. Someone aside from Teura that was.