Chapter 22: Kit Up and Roll Out

  The walls and ceilings rumbled, and dust fell as if a constant low-grade earthquake was underway.

  Already, the pocket reality was distorting; new rifts appeared in the wall by the second, showing nothing but infinite blackness beyond. Floor tiles vanished as the timer ticked down, leaving the strange space looking more and more incomplete.

  Time Remaining: 12:24

  ‘Ciao for now!’ The wisp, within their shared vision, faded away, only to be replaced by a sea of exclamation points that flooded into their notification space.

  Another roar hit with a force that shook the windows, causing them to crack; tiny shards of glass twinkled in the light, drifting toward the ground as if snowflakes in winter.

  “On task, we deal with the prompts that Sparky left, and then we move on and gear up. This place isn’t going to hold for much longer,” Tobias said, taking command.

  Riley nodded, “Agreed, we’ve got enough to worry about. I’m with you, Tobias.”

  “Attagirl,” Tobias praised as Riley inwardly smiled and reached for the updates.

  You have absorbed the Tears of Feos and incorporated the remnants of a dead God of magic into your very being. Congratulations!

  While this shard grants you access to and knowledge of a lost system of magic, be warned mastery will take time! There are no instant paths to deftness or competence!

  You have been afflicted with the debuff “Soul Burn”

  This description has been truncated as details have already been shared with you. You’re welcome.

  Time remaining until healed: Unknown

  Be warned, this condition will manifest with a myriad of effects. Any attempts to pull magic through your wounded spirits will see those effects become instantly debilitating.

  Alright, Tobias, on to the good stuff.

  You have unlocked a hidden inventory within a sacred sword.

  You have been granted the following items:

  Blade of the Damari Rangers (Safe)

  Class: Masterwork, Uncommon Tier 1-10

  This ancient blade is inscribed with sigils with which you are now familiar. Pulling ambient mana into them from either your spirit or the environment (ether) will produce a magical effect.

  This item has an astral space incorporated into it, granting you an additional ten slots of storage.

  This item is currently soul-bound to you, meaning that anyone who tries to take it from you is in for a nasty surprise!

  You have been granted Advanced Principles of Damarian Magic Volumes 1-3

  These tomes detail advanced magical theory regarding the system of magic you are just beginning to discover. They just scream ‘nerd,’ so they scream ‘you.’

  Damarian Battle Tabard (Safe)

  Class: Masterwork, Uncommon

  Tier 1-10

  Forged out of etheril and inscribed with Damarian sigils, this armor absorbs 20% of all incoming damage via magical means alone. It is capable of self-repair and self-alteration to better fit the user.

  This item is currently unbound; equipping it will soul-bind it to you.

  And finally, drum roll please:

  Ward of the Summer Knight (Safe)

  Rare Legendary Artifact

  A gift from the Summer Queen Tatania to Utred, this item will grant the user a mana ward shield that, with practice, can be shaped and manipulated.

  This item is currently unbound; equipping it will soul-bind it to you.

  You have brought together the two knightly wards of the lost fae courts. Congratulations! These items will work in balance and fortify each other, granting you an additional 10% reduction to all incoming damage until exhausted.

  And for dessert, you have been gifted 4 comprehension crystals, but I would absorb them later.

  Principles of Damarian Swordsmanship 1-4

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  These crystals will instruct and imprint a lost form of swordsmanship from the Damari school, mixing magical theory with martial combat. As with all things, knowing is one thing, but true mastery takes time, diligence, and practice.

  You have been gifted the following magical abilities:

  Ether Sight: Now, with focus, you can view the wild ether flowing around you, allowing you to perceive the currents of power that are flowing from the Greater Astral.

  Ether Shaping: Not only can you see the ether, but with focus, you can now conduct it, streaming it according to your will. This ability can be used to charge magical objects, as well as your Damarian sigils.

  This ability is currently at Level 1-3 and will grow with use. That’s a hint!

  Sigil projection:

  An aspect of Ether Shaping, you can project any known symbol, including a casting circle, utilizing the wild ether that is around you, allowing you to manifest magical effects. Be warned, you must have perfect knowledge of the sigil in order to project it effectively.

  The shard you have incorporated has granted you access to the following sigils: Ice 1, Fire 1, Geos 1, Healing 1, Ward 1, Shell 1, Water 1, Holy 1, Life 1, Nature 1, Light 1.

  If you want more, you’ll have to crack those books or discover more tomes in the course of your journey. Don’t get greedy on me now.

  Finally, yours truly, your celestial information system has undergone incorporation of a deific shard expanding my current knowledge database. This will augment your ability to analyze as the database of magical items on board has increased! What’s more, this encounter with divine energy has allowed this system to evolve further, reflecting more of the personality of its host, along with an enhanced ability to identify and process the environments and threats you will encounter.

  Congratulations!

  Tobias closed his eyes and reached out toward the sigil for fire, visualizing its details.

  Within his augmented vision, a sigil began to flash in and out of place before snapping in around him, flickering like a dying light bulb.

  Pulling at his power, a migraine ripped through his skull. In a heap, he collapsed, still holding the sword; he thrust it down. The metal pierced the stone, parting it effortlessly, as he stopped, seemingly kneeling before the image of Galdor in front of him as blood dripped from his nose.

  “Ow...” He shook his head as Riley did the same.

  “Even I felt that one,” Riley agreed, blinking wide-eyed.

  ‘Pull from without, not within, dumbass; unlearn what you’ve learned!’ Sparky admonished, her voice drifting like the echo of a thought.

  The floor bucked as another roar shook the space. It flashed briefly back to ruin until it snapped back to its more pristine shape like their reality itself was making one desperate final stand.

  “Let me try,” Riley reached out for the sigil Heal 1.

  It began to flicker around her, snapping in and out until nominally stabilizing, centered within a casting circle.

  As it glowed beneath her, she didn’t reach for her power but instead focused on one of her new abilities.

  Ether sight.

  A picture of the room formed; behind closed eyes, she could see Tobias existing like an orange-hued particle fountain. A crisscrossing lattice of white particles made up the ceilings and doors. She could see the sigil that appeared in her overlay, glowing below her, flowing like water in a channel, all the while letting off wisps of ethereal flames.

  “Riley, we need to hurry. There’s only eight minutes left!” Tobias admonished.

  “Don’t rush me. I need to see if I can get this before whatever tries to gank us next in this place has its chance,” she chided while watching the currents of mana drifting through the air.

  “Shape it...” she muttered as the world dropped away. Focusing on her breathing, she let it become her world, turning her visualization outward and projecting her will out toward the sigil.

  Gossamer streams of power began to diverge, racing through the sigil and casting circle, causing it to glow brighter and brighter until a flash forced her to pull away from her power.

  A healing aura rocketed out from around her, slamming into them both.

  Tobias straightened, his eyes blinking wide. Riley inwardly relaxed while their health bar slammed full.

  “You just seem to have a better instinct for this kind of thing,” Tobias praised.

  Riley could feel the regret tingeing the words, “You’ll get it. I might be an instinctual caster, but you’re the one who really has a passion for these things. For me, it’s just what I do; for you, it’s who you are.”

  “If we have to fight, that’s just going to make things harder. I don’t have time to practice, and you’re still slow,” he replied, gripping his sword tighter.

  “So I’ll be the artillery, and you’ll be the infantry,” Riley replied.

  “It’s a good strategy, but you’re going to have to be mobile too. I doubt whatever we face is going to patiently wait for you to cast,” Tobias, as he spoke, set down the sword, only to don the tabard and the ward bracelet.

  As he slid it on, it began to shimmer, as if phasing in and out of reality, only to contract down, fitting perfectly to his frame, as the ancient ward of the Summer Knight glowed with a verdant green light.

  New items have been soul-bound to you.

  With a flash, a kite shield of ethereal energy flashed into existence over his left arm, and another roar ripped through the space.

  4:30

  “Oh, I like this,” he grinned malevolently.

  “It’s perfect, really sells the look, but I suppose it’s time to go, isn’t it?” Riley swallowed hard, her nervous concern plain across their bond.

  Tobias nodded solemnly, the weight of fate hanging upon the both of them, “Should we gather their bones? We have the astral coffin.”

  Riley paused to consider, “Yes, let’s take them back to Calaria and find a good resting place for them there. They deserve that much.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Tobias held out his hand as they vanished into the astral coffin within their inventory, only to wince in pain.

  “Ow...” He shook his head while the world spun. Wincing, he focused on the door, straightening on shaky legs.

  “Come on, Riley.”

  https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/81852/second-tier-sorcery