(Vol 2) Chapter 38: The Spellslinger's Threads

She would make two more priests when she was less drained on her FE. But while she had the opportunity, she did have Bast copy over a bunch of ‘normal’ books, expending an FE to have up to 100 slots for the beginning of a library. It was a general assortment. She was sure to get some that were storybooks for entertainment purposes…

Namely because she wanted to copy them into the Maze realm so Marjorie had some material to keep herself occupied.

Time for a little visit to check up, improve her environment a little more, and begin to glean some knowledge of magic. I know we both want that.

She made a little doorbell ring sound before she arrived, and found Marjorie on the balcony having tea, looking out on a lovely blend of sky, like a sunset.

Sammy had offered the cityscape, but she asked Sammy not to make it, preferring more novel things to ‘semblances that couldn’t measure to reality.’ Marjorie liked her floating castle. So Sammy forged the sky to have a day/night cycle, with continuous beautiful vistas when the sun was behind clouds, where it would eventually disappear for a dark sky of stars.

“Welcome, Your Majesty — could you add some occasional rain?” Marjorie requested as Samantha took a seat at the balcony table. “I love the rain. A little thunder and lightning is fine, too.” Dark clouds suddenly gathered, and the sky rumbled. A light drizzle began, and Marjorie smiled pleasantly. “Ah. Perfect. Care for tea? The magic tea maker — you truly outdid yourself on that one.”

Samantha grinned. “Sure.” Momentarily, as if it were already known she would agree, tea ‘floated’ over to sit in front of her. Brought by an invisible servant she’d made for ‘the queen.’ She wasn’t really a queen but that was how Sammy thought of her.

Sipping and enjoying the aromatic blend — she’d stolen the taste from the memory of Tashome’s brew — Sammy looked out on the gentle rain and asked, “How’s the courtyard been? The garden?”

“Beautiful. And the butterflies were a wonderful choice. I could watch them all day.” Idly, Marjorie’s fingers traced her facial scar.

“Sorry that I can’t fix that directly. I could fashion an illusion to layer over it, however…”

Marjorie looked over at her puzzled, then looked down at her hand and realized what she was doing, lowering it. “Oh. No, no, please. I prefer it, as I told Bast. I’ve earned the right to it, I’d say.”

“Of course.” Sammy did not really get it, but it was her choice. “So, I’ve got some books I can fully copy over…”

“From Bast?! Do you have A Courtly Affair?!” Then Marjorie blinked and looked away. She cleared her throat and went back to being her usual dignified self. “Naturally, I’ll take everything you have, if it isn’t too much trouble, Your Majesty.”

Smirking for a moment, Sammy sipped her tea and made sure her face returned to neutral. “I believe that is indeed among them, Lady Marjorie. Also, Bast suggested a pet.”

“That would be fine. I like dogs. I had a Northern Fetcher some years ago that lived to a ripe old age. I think I’d like something unique. And smaller, maybe…”

A cute black, white, and tan patched beagle was suddenly hopping up into a surprised Marjorie’s lap, who gasped and took it in both hands to hold it up… it then proceeded to lick her face to her rich peels of laughter. “Oh! Well, aren’t you just perfect! In fact, that’s what I’ll call you, hmm? Mr. Perfect.”

Mr. Perfect woofed in response, tail wagging.

“Now, I’ll warn you, Marjorie,” Sammy said in a serious tone, “I can’t take out the bad. He’ll be pissing and shitting everywhere at first, so you’ll have to train him yourself. Possibly some puking as well. These dogs are notorious droolers and pukers. And eaters. He’ll eat everything. Like a goat.”

Marjorie looked at her askance. “Wh-what?”

Sammy nodded slowly, sagely. Then she couldn’t hold it and her face broke into a snorting grin. “Kiddiiing!”

Her queen was utterly shocked for a moment, then she made a quite satisfying ‘you little brat’ glare with her eyes squinted. “You absolute rogue! Rapscallion! Hmph.” She hugged the dog to her cheek as though he’d been the one insulted. Her voice shifted to the ‘doggy talk’ tone. “Mr. Perfect would never! Would you, Mr. Perfect? No, no, you wouldn’t…”

Samantha could only watch on in delight as Marjorie doted on the cute doggo. A match made in heaven.

Leaving her to it, Samantha moved into the bedroom and created a shelf, then began copying the books there. She was relieved to see that the text appeared to translate perfectly between her realm and the Maze, though it still required doing it one by one, deliberately. In the end, it was a nice little collection to start off with.

When she was done, Marjorie came in, the dog running around sniffing everything within, including her creator, who leaned down to give him some pets. Marjorie smiled happily at the shelf as she inspected the titles. “Thank you, Goddess — that will keep me occupied. It has been a while on many of these.”

“Of course. Marjorie, I am interested in spells, as a level 1 wizard. I understand you have many and have taught some to Bast. I am just getting started, with Identify and Icebolt.”

“Yes, many, learned over many years. Level 1 spells especially. Cantrips as well. Learning spells after your first two is quite a trial, especially at first. You have to learn more about how to research and design yourself, to speak your own unique reflection into the casting. Stamp it with your soul. And of course, you need examples and input from multiple sources. Teachers, primarily.”

“And that’s where you come in!”

“Find more. It speeds things up considerably. Especially if they're at a higher level.”

Sammy felt a sudden dread at the thought that popped into her head. Zadkiel. Ah, fuck… that would be trouble. And difficult for him to find the time. “Noted! Until then…”

“What would you like to focus on? Offense, defense, utility?”

“It’s not easy to choose! I know I don’t need anything illusion-wise. Eventually, Forcebolt would be great, but I guess other things take priority. Is there anything that protects against mental effects?”

“Yes. Pentagram is strong against anything but requires being stationary within the circle. More specialized, however, is Spirit Ward, which prevents possession and aids against other forms of charm effects, control, suggestion, so on. This adds two levels. One level is added for any sort of supernatural malus using a level comparison.”

“Sounds very handy. I should probably go with that first.”

“Every little bit helps, certainly. But don’t think it accomplishes much against the Dominion. Against even a minor god they’d send a whole veteran team of their best, and even without one of the Seven, these are double-digit powerhouses of varying specialties. Spell protections would be stripped with ease even if you had enough to equalize. The only defense is your own team of spellcasters. Or equivalent.”

“I see.” I need some of those Antimage types on my team. “I’ll keep that in mind. My plan remains to hide indefinitely for now and grow my order wider and taller. But I will still learn the spell. Bit of a no-brainer. Do lower-level spells of the same type known help you learn higher-level versions?”

“Tremendously, yes. Specialties are typical, like spell ladders. One spoke up to the next. Not technically necessary, of course, just easier. I’m an exception, for example. I don’t have specialties, but more like a half-completed scaffolding of a wide complex. Perhaps I’d have a tower or two eventually.”

“Hmm. If I could specialize in having a bunch of layers of protections and wards, I suppose that would be a sensible ladder. To stall my enemies, in a future where I’m high enough level to last for any length.”

Marjorie nodded slowly, eyes squinted in thought. “This is what knights do, typically, in the physical sense. A duel is a slow breakdown of defense bonuses. As I said, a team requires a team, but you could certainly make it easier on your support by having your own foundation.”

“I can’t learn anything else if I get mind-wiped or whatever, after all.”

“Indeed. Very well. I can help you start down such a path, at least.” Marjorie took a few steps into the center of the room, away from anything else. Her hands began tracing runes in the air. “Observe carefully the casting of Spirit Ward, Samantha. Stand across from me, and let your mind be carved and etched by these forms…”

Sammy spent the next two hours watching, listening, and practicing, progressively putting together the 3-dimensional-like runic construct that would become the spell. Marjorie demonstrated other spells, such as Pentagram, which then recalled to her mind her observation and absorption of the spell as cast by Bast in combat.

The study could be likened to a spiderweb — she made anchorages for the spell point by point, making a frame to hang the rest on. Then she needed to fill in the strengthening radials upon which the spiral would hang and make a functional construct ready for ensnaring target reality…

New Quest unlocked: “The Spellslinger's Threads” — Learn at least 2 Core spells and design your own spell to 50% completion.

● Rewards: 3 exp in [Wizard], final X% needed for unique spell, 50% completion of another Core spell.

Hmm. Design my own? I wonder what that entails…

When she asked Marjorie about it, the seasoned sorceress nodded and shrugged. “It normally takes years to complete the unique spell, but you do seem to be an exceptional student already. When you have a prototype — sometime in the first few percentages — there is a dangerous test phase that requires a level equivalent comparison to 10, obtainable through study, rituals, preparations, material sacrifices, and so on, all done just so. This is the most time-consuming aspect.

“But you won’t know how close you are. You’ll absolutely want level 2 as a leg up. And the maximum of five percent completion before the Spellbreak, as it’s called. If you pass, it will bump to ten percent and may be developed further. If you fail… Well, you don’t want to, I’ll put it that way. If you hit 9, that’s not bad, but any less and bad things happen.”

“Oh.” Samantha certainly felt some trepidation. But then she realized something and barked a laugh. “Actually I think I can just cheat! I can automatically succeed in comparisons via Alter Fate.”

Marjorie blinked, and then her eyes widened. A hand came up to her mouth. “Oh my… that would… yes, that is quite a cheat. Marvelous! That could make the process for you merely a few multiples in time frame compared to a normal spell. But of course, you should absolutely do it for the quest.”

“Hell yeah!” Exciting! But what do I even go with? Fuck if I know. I’ll need to get a better sense of what common lower-level spells can do, and what gap can be filled with it. I have time, though. Still need to learn the protection spell and one other. “So, Marjorie, did you complete this quest? At level 2?”

Marjorie’s eyes slid away, and her cheeks colored. “Ah, well… yes, Your Majesty, but it’s really quite terrible, nothing worth mentioning…”

“Welp, I’m dying to know now, so please go ahead with it!”

Rubbing her neck, Marjorie reluctantly muttered, “Lover’s Bond… a two-person aphrodisiac… I’d prefer not to elaborate… I was a silly, stupid girl…”

Samantha couldn’t keep her face straight, though she kept laughter down to snickering. “I’m sure there was at least one very big fan of your work, hehe…”

“Goddess, please!”

“Sorry, sorry…” Sammy cleared her throat. “So you never designed any others?”

“By the time I might be so inclined, I realized I would draw attention by being too innovative and conducting such elaborate constructions. I was lucky not to be scooped up by the Dominion in my younger, brasher days. I had to cool it, unfortunately, and various other matters took precedence besides.”

“I see. A shame, because you’re brilliant! You’ve been a great teacher, Marjorie. I think I have a lot to meditate on from this session… On that note, I do need to get some full-on meditation in. I’ll achieve level 2 in Wizard once I finish out a quest for it.”

“Excellent. I’d recommend you do so as soon as possible, then. Additional levels help tremendously with learning spells, especially those lower level than you. It has been a pleasure, Your Majesty, and I look forward to your next visit.” Marjorie curtsied.

Samantha inclined her head graciously. “The pleasure is all mine. Farewell — and happy reading!”

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