078, 2/2

Erick opened the front door to the house. “Hello, Krigea. We just got through packing the books away.” He stepped to the side, toward the crates of books ready to be taken back to the Headmaster. “Come on in.”

Krigea, the seafoam green short orcol liaison between Erick and the Headmaster, paused. She stared at Erick. She asked, “You uh. You are?—” She stepped past the dense air over the door and said, “You are you. Sorry. I heard but I did not expect the change to be so drastic.”

Erick smiled, saying, “Neither did I. Apparently Fatigue Immunity is rather rare.”

Krigea stepped toward two of the crates, saying, “Rather rare, yes. Only 2 or 3 people out of a thousand are Scions of Vitality, when you take into account the number of people who never reach 50 in a single Stat, and even then you’re only looking at 3 out of a hundred.” She gestured to the crates. “Did you discover how to [Scan] through [Polymorph]?”

“No, but if [Eyes of the Goddess] still manages to narrow down the range to 500 kilometers, then I think I might be able to pull off the search the rest of the way. Still not sure, though.” Erick said, “If I can find her killers then I will do that. Hopefully she’ll go away after she’s had her revenge.”

Krigea hummed a little, then said, “Hopefully.” She perked her head up. She paused. She looked to Erick, and said, “The Headmaster would like to speak to you before you go.”

“Sure. I already have a pot of coftea prepared. I’m just waiting for him to show.”

“Then I will say goodbye, Archmage Flatt. The Headmaster will be right along as soon as he finishes a prior engagement.” Krigea put her hands on the crates. “Until we meet again.”

She blipped away in bright green light, taking the crates with her. Erick stared at the spot she vanished from for a moment. And then he went to the kitchen and conjured a [Heat Ward] to get the coftea brewing. After a moment, he decided to do a few more things upstairs in one of the empty rooms.

It wasn’t too long before a bright gold light blipped on the other side of the open door to Windy Manor. The Headmaster stood outside the dense air that protected the house, waiting. Erick, who was sitting on the couch reading, promptly dismissed Krigea from [Prismatic Ward]’s permissions and included the Headmaster.

He stood up and greeted the Headmaster, “Welcome, Headmaster.”

“Good afternoon, Erick.”

“Come on in. Come on in, the coftea is ready. How do you like yours?”

The Headmaster stepped into the house, saying, “With a dot of cream and a spoonful of sugar.”

Soon, the two of them were sitting around the coftea table, while a large pot of the hot brew sat on the table, next to extra cream and sugar. Erick had poured drinks for both of them then handed the Headmaster his mug. Both of them sipped their drinks.

The Headmaster said, “I hope you and your people have found your time at Oceanside to be time well spent.”

“We have.” Erick said, “Rats is only 30 people away from completing his [Greater Treat Wounds] quest, and he’s gained quite a lot of knowledge about many different diseases and parasites. Teressa is going strong with her Mana Sense. She’s out to 20 meters, and seeing an hour into the past. She’s almost qualified for [Witness] but I understand she needs to get to a full day in the past. Kiri has managed to make a [Familiar] with her own mana pool, just like Ophiel, as well as gained part of an education that I think was wrongfully denied to her before now. Poi is… Well I think he’s happier now that I’ve learned to defend myself a little bit better.” Erick smirked, adding, “Though the target on my back seems to be getting bigger by the day.”

The Headmaster smiled. “That it is.” He added, “It is a shame that Kiri did not try to come to Oceanside before she went to the Tower. If you feel it prudent, you may tell her that I am aware of the situation around her unfortunate dealings with the nobility and the professors at the Tower. There is already a slight shakeup happening over there, but I cannot deal with that situation myself; I have merely sent a fixer in that direction. What happened to her will likely happen again, but hopefully not with the Tower’s sanction.”

Erick almost asked after what exactly happened to Kiri, but that seemed a violation, so he did not.

The Headmaster must have understood Erick’s facial expression, because after he sipped his coftea, he said, “As far as I am aware, it was nothing overtly horrible. Just people in charge abusing their authority, as some people are wont to do. It is a problem I find quite a lot, now and then, and that I am usually able to pinch before it becomes a real problem.” He repeated, “Usually.”

Erick relaxed. He said, “Besides all that, I learned a great deal more than I thought I would.”

“As have I.” The Headmaster said, “I will not be asking after your methodology on light, though. Not right now, and likely not ever.”

“No?” Erick was taken aback. He said, “I actually have some of the experiments set up in the rooms up there, waiting for us.” He thumbed toward the second floor of the house, to his work room. “I even asked everyone to go and do whatever they wanted for an hour or two, while we talked in private. I’d much prefer to teach someone like you all of this, so that you know what to look for when someone invariably turns this into a weapon.”

The Headmaster hummed, small and concerned, glancing toward the second floor.

Erick waited.

The Headmaster refilled his coftea, as he said, “There is a fact about magic that is seldom taught in arcanaeum, because it is a life lesson best learned outside of academia. That fact is this: Everyone’s magic is different. If you know what you’re about, then you can do great things with your own personal foundation holding you high, and strong.” He sipped from his mug, then said, “My light magic might not fit in as nicely as it could in this world, into this New Cosmology, but I have developed it with a great deal of my self invested into the magic. To cut a tangent short: I know what I’m about.”

Erick smiled. “Poi says the same thing.”

The Headmaster spoke without sarcasm, “He is a wise man.” He paused, as he turned serious, saying, “Going back to that tangent, for I feel you might actually need to hear this… There is another meaning to that notion. When you stretch it out, and apply it to every single archmage you will ever see, you will find that they all have one thing in common. You have it. Poi has it, though he is not one to actually reach for tier 8 spells, but all of the spells he does have are well made and low cost. Hocnihai had it. Kiri, if she manages to find herself, she will likely gain it later in life, though this business with her using [Lightshape] in her [Familiar] does muddy the waters. I am sure she will eventually find her Truth again. Your daughter is actually a lot more lost than you might suspect. She wants to be everything, and [Polymage] can do that, but it is a dearth of vision that will limit her [Polymage] to name-only. But she is young. Kiri is young, too. Some never find their Truth, but I suspect those two will eventually find their way.

“I say all this to tell you, and warn you, that Truth is a big deal in magic. The Script limits this to a major extent, because of what we suspect malformed Truth did to us.

“The Old Wizards had Truth in abundance, you see. Too much, is the theory. None of us know the whole story, but enough of us know enough to understand the most likely culprits for what actually ripped apart the Old Cosmology. Insanity. Sociopathy. Narcissism and megalomania. Any of these taken to the extreme and nurtured in a climate of hatred and vengeance would create an alchemist’s cache, waiting for a spark to blow the whole thing.

“It is not a mistake that Ar’Kendrithyst is full of evil personified, or that Melemizargo enacted the Cursed Blood against his fellow dragons.

“Then there are the Ancients that live around the world; old and new monsters that constantly work for the Darkness to ensure the destruction of people like you and I. The Quiet War is yet another facet of Melemizargo’s master plan to rip apart the Script and Veird, for you see it was he that showed the Old Demons how to manipulate the Script to destroy the alvani people, and to create the incani.”

Deep worry pulsed through Erick’s mind and body as the Headmaster spoke of Jane, but that emotion was almost overshadowed by the cold that came over him when the Headmaster spoke of Ar’Kendrithyst. Numbness came after that, as Erick listened.

“Fighting those Shades will be a large undertaking, not only for the fight itself, but that they might use such a fight to precipitate a truly disastrous event.” The Headmaster said, “Melemizargo doesn’t lose, you see. He is insane in the way that all gods are insane; they are Truths that exist beyond the knowing of mortal and immortal alike. The gods anchor themselves to the people of this world and our shared needs in order to keep their minds in tune with our own. Melemizargo usually doesn’t anchor himself in this way. But recently, he has.

“This sort of anchoring is always followed by some awful event. Speculating on the nature of such an event is best left to other gods, but it is up to you and I to do our part to not be swayed by the Darkness.” He added, “And I got a little away from myself, with all of that.”

The both of them sipped coftea for a minute.

Eventually, Erick said, “I thought you wanted to talk about monster hunting and the light slime dungeon payments and the nature of light— Or… Not that last one, at least.”

The Headmaster said, “Sometimes tangents are important.”

Erick breathed out, thinking.

The Headmaster sat straight, saying, “Monsters come and go, but they hardly ever ‘go’ without the assistance of people like you and I. I would be happy to arrange for a similar situation as you have with your Adventurer Guildmaster Mog, though our timelines would be much more reasonable than needing you to defend from an attack on Oceanside, which is something I would never ask of you.” He said, “I have arrangements like this with many archmages the world over, to solve various problems like an Ancient Unicorn that might pop up from time to time. Your ability to multiply your mana through Ophiel’s own pool is a rare ability indeed, and would put you at the top of such a list, if you wish, since this ability makes you able to be the first sword in many confrontations, without risking the rest of my people. I would see you paid accordingly for your troubles.

He continued, “As for the dungeon. I have spent over three million gold getting that place up and running, and though I will be charging a hundred thousand gold per [Lightwalk], of which I expect two per month, I would appreciate it if you would not take advantage of your option to utilize the space until I have gotten some of my investment back. You will, of course, be getting 25 thousand per [Lightwalk] produced.” He looked around at the Manor, saying “This location is 5000 gold per month of maintenance, paid mainly to the groundskeepers for all the work they do and the protection they provide, though a thousand does go to taxes. Do you wish to keep Vinsez and Powell in employment? Or should I instruct them to look elsewhere, or to rejoin the pool of adventuring Elites?”

Erick smiled. He was much more comfortable talking about money and fiscal responsibility than about evil Truths that plagued the world that suddenly seemed more dangerous than ever before. He said, “Vinsez and Powell have been wonderful, and I would see them continue to keep the grounds of Windy Manor in top shape. I would pay them for their time guarding the residence out of the money coming to me from the dungeon.” He added, “But how about that lightmask I put in there? That’s the real money maker.”

The Headmaster set down his mostly empty coftea cup on the table, and began, “25 percent.”

Erick countered, “A hundred percent.”

“What?” The Headmaster balked. “Impossible! No way.”

“A hundred percent of sales, and any enchantments have to be made by the person questing for [Lightwalk]. No exceptions.”

“That is so arbitrary.” The Headmaster put on a professional, disapproving frown. “35 percent, and I will still use it to make equipment for my own people.”

“Nope.” Erick said, “Come on now!” He explained, “It’s a reward for finishing the purpose of the dungeon. It’s gotta be special. Either you let people quest for it or it just needs to get erased.”

The Headmaster quickly said, “50 percent and I will be using that ‘lightmask’ to make equipment for my own people.”

“I can go in there and erase it, you know.” Erick joked, “I could erase it right now from right here.”

“Do you think I would be irresponsible with such a capability? Is that what you’re trying to prevent?”

“Are you dodging the purpose of a quest item at the bottom of a dungeon?”

“This is not some adventure you have created using my resources. It is a farm, with products growing for eventual sale. Surely you see the benefits of allowing this new magic into the world under the control of someone who would do right by it?”

“What I see is people having higher Stats than what you’ve seen for the vast majority of your time on Veird.”

“Now you’re just being contrary. By your own volition you have spread Stat items near and far—”

“Oh. That’s right. You can’t do the diamond growing anyway. I mean. I guess you can just pluck them from the walls of the dungeon, but that seems rather short sighted. But you can’t do the silver coating, either.” Erick said. “I guess I’ll take 75 percent, and let you have at it.”

“… 50 percent.”

“Fine fine.” Erick said, “75 percent, and I want you to at least respect the fact that someone should quest for [Lightwalk] before they go make themselves an item.” He added, “You were just talking of Truths. This could be one of them. That was certainly the intention I put into that lightmask, anyway.”

“… I will let those who quest for [Lightwalk] make themselves an item, if they wish, for free.” The Headmaster said, “But I am going to be experimenting with that lightmask myself, and equipping my people with items that will ensure they can overcome the monsters of this world. I stay out of most politics, and most personal problems, but people come to me expecting me to kill their local terrors without issue or complication. Artifact Stat items will ensure that my people don’t die on those frontlines, Erick.”

Erick offered, “Want me to enchant a mobile purple lightmask on a diamond for you, or something? You can leave the one down there for questers.”

The Headmaster paused. He said, “Okay.” He added, “Done. 75 percent.”

Erick smiled. That was a better rate than Erick had expected, for something anyone could do once they understood the trick. He poured out the last of the coftea from the stone pot, into his cup, and into the Headmaster’s. With a thought, he [Cleanse]d the pot, spilling a tiny stream of thick air into the room. With another thought, he cast a permanent, two meter wide purple lightmask onto the coftea pot. Everything turned purple, because he was in the lightmask effect. He set the pot on the table in front of the Headmaster.

The old dragon looked down at the purple pot and chuckled. He picked up his full mug saying, “Cheers,” then took a swig.

“Cheers,” Erick said, then sipped from his mug. “Who are you going to sell to, anyway? Don’t give me a line about ‘only your Elites’, please.”

The Headmaster laughed once. “That was not a lie! I will only sell to them, and only to those who prove themselves capable of the responsibility of having an artifact.” He said, “I outfit my Elites well, but they still have to pay for the best equipment. They get money for this by questing the world over, to rid us of the more dangerous monsters and reap the rewards of those endeavors, or by working their way through monsters on the Lesser Quest board to acquire the grand rads necessary to buy that gear.” The Headmaster said, “The All-Stat items I make from this purple pot will join those already for sale to those who qualify. I will likely charge 10,000 per ring, or considerably less if I cannot figure a way to duplicate your coating and thus make them artifacts.”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Erick offered, “Do you want to buy diamonds from me?”

“No. Thank you.” He said, “I prefer pearls, and I have my own resources for that. I will not be taking the diamonds from the dungeon, either. Those little slimes truly do like all the sparkly lights.” He chuckled. “I feel almost a kinship, there.”

“The option for me to sell you diamonds is open, but that spell should also be in the Script in 6 months, anyway, or something like that.” Erick asked, “Unless you can bypass that restriction as the Second?”

“I cannot. When the time comes, I will have to spend a point, just like everyone else. The Script of the Registrar is a lot more open than most, but that comes with just as many restrictions. I will likely go the harder route, though, and try to recreate the spell myself, to save that point.” The Headmaster set down his empty mug and picked up the purple pot. He stood, and said, “It has been a pleasure, Erick Flatt. You are welcome back at Oceanside at any time.”

“Thanks for having me.” Erick stood, saying, “I might be back, soon enough. I still haven’t solved the [Polymorph] problem, but I might not need to if the [Eyes of the Goddess] says all of my targets are in the same location. Maybe all I need is some normal sleuthing to find them. Or maybe someone else has done all of that sleuthing for me, and I just have to ask a spell a question based on physical form.”

“It is possible. You should know that we never got a lead on the people who attacked Messalina. If we had, I would have sent you off with some mementos from those hunters. If you do feel the need to communicate with that woman, don’t let her get into your head more than she already has.” The Headmaster warned, “She is more than capable of ruining your life.”

“She’s already put a fair dint into my plans by making me respond to her presence at all, but I understand what you’re saying.”

The Headmaster looked into Erick’s eyes for a short moment. He said, “You did not ask, but I feel you should know that the unknown pixie was not a spy for Messalina. He was a distant family member that was visiting without checking in first. Thanks to him, we did discover that the colonies in Nergal’s jungles are in complete disarray, but the pixie teenager knew nothing beyond that. We let him go, with our apologies for his rough treatment and an offer of assistance to those still living in Nergal.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

The Headmaster nodded, then blipped away in a shattering of purple light, taking the purple coftea pot with him. Normal light returned. Gold shimmers hung in the air for a brief moment, before that too, vanished.

Erick sagged back down onto the couch, giving a heavy sigh as he tilted his head back and stared at the high ceiling. Whatever complicated emotion was passing through his head, relief was a major part of it.

Relief from securing funding for further enchanting work, to securing the release of his All-Stat items into the world in a way that put the Headmaster in the line of fire, instead of just himself, to relief that he hadn’t pointed out that pixie only to have them killed—

Erick almost punched himself. He needed to get over that particular emotion if he was ever to lead a fight against a Shade.

Erick breathed deep. He sat up. He removed the Headmaster from [Prismatic Ward]s permissions as he simultaneously spotted a small spider on the edge of the window, near the ground.

… On a whim, Erick blanked everyone’s [Prismatic Ward] permissions, then inundated a purging pulse of magic through the spell in what felt like an appropriate thing to do, if he wanted to get rid of every possible permission he could have ever added. He had been subjected to more than a little bit of mind control over the past few months, and all the spiders around the house warned him that maybe he had accidentally invited other unknown people into his space.

The air around him solidified as the dense air of [Prismatic Ward] held him tight. For a brief moment, he could not breathe. He immediately added himself back to the spell’s permissions, and breathed easy.