PftA (Revised) - Chapters 37 & 38

A/N: I know I said I'd only be posting one chapter at a time until I finished, but have an extra!

Chapter 37 – Delving St. Louis

“Spear or staff?” I asked, wanting my guardian’s opinion since he’d already delved the rift.

“You’re a spear user, right?” he asked, confused by the question.

I shrugged. “I’m actually more proficient with the staff, but I’m trying to get used to using different weapons.”

“Sometimes it’s better to specialize, or at least have specialized weapons. Too many options can be more limiting than you might think,” my guardian advised. “Regardless, given your spells, you’d probably be fine with a staff. Most of what you’ll find in this rift will be sensitive to magical attacks, so that will likely be your best avenue of attack.”

I reached into my bag and retrieved the staff I’d made from the materials I’d collected in the last rift. Handing it to my companion, I asked, “What do you think about this?”

Robert gaped at the item.

I’d used two of the larger branches I’d taken from the tree in the last rift and formed them into enchanted fighting batons that could be connected to make a solid staff. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the enchantments to work once the two pieces were joined.

Well, they’d work, just not how I wanted them to.

When separated, each weapon held its own preset spells I could cast with just a small amount of mana focused into the predetermined trigger. Since I already recognized I couldn’t make the enchantments work how I wanted them to, I’d settled on making each baton as powerful as possible with the elements I had access to.

Earth and Water.

I was very grateful that Rhona had set it up so I could trade the Water-attributed materials I’d gathered in the last rift for materials from other types of rifts.

“That’s an interesting setup. Where’d you get the idea?”

“Black Widow,” I replied, though I’d been reminded of the style by the trainer in-game. Seeing his blank look, I explained. “She is a fictional superhero who used fighting sticks that could connect into a single piece. She was pretty badass until they killed her off.”

Robert seemed unperturbed by my admission and handed the weapon back. “I’ve heard stranger inspirations than stories. Have you fought with these rods before?”

“Only in the game,” I replied with a touch of trepidation.

“No better time to test things out than when you have someone watching your back,” Robert said with a nod. “Let’s get to it.”

I disconnected the two pieces, holding one in each hand, ensuring my fingers were aligned correctly to trigger the embedded spells. It was one of the weaknesses of my design, but I’d created grooves to ensure I could feel the correct placement, even if I didn’t have time to look at my hands.

With an excited breath, I stepped forward into my second rift of this timeline.

= = =

“I thought this was supposed to be a Space-dominant rift,” I said uncertainly, looking around at the defeated mobs. They were large, bat-like creatures with long, spiked tails that identified as Cave Chordons – whatever that was. They had all been level one, but their attacks weren’t strong enough to break through the Barrier I’d used.

I hadn’t even needed to use Gravity Bomb or Bolt to whittle down their numbers.

To be fair, I likely hadn’t needed to use them in the first two sections of the Water rift either, but I was still getting used to the idea of getting into melee range with opponents. It took some time.

None of the creatures had shown any indication of having a Space affinity. Most had weak Ice or sonic attacks that abruptly stopped once they touched my Time-based Barrier.

“It is. That doesn’t mean it’s all you are going to encounter. You also got Poison cores and Force gems in the last rift,” he reminded me.

“Yeah, but none of them were Space-affinitied,” I complained as I grabbed one of the bodies and started extracting the mana core. “Is any part of this creature valuable aside from the core?”

My guardian laughed. “The whole thing is valuable. Here,” he said as he started collecting the creatures, “I’ll store them all in my ring. I’d hate to miss out on the wings.”

I looked at the thin, meatless wings and shivered. “You eat those?” I asked, aghast. My question only set Robert off again.

“Ascenders, no!” he gasped as he controlled himself. “They are an alchemic ingredient! Who would want to eat bones and sinew? Well…” he rubbed his chin, “Dwarves or Orcs might. Orcs are barely sapient, though. Dwarves will eat anything.”

“Those are real?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. The seventeen-year-old me would have had no way of knowing anything other than humans existed just yet. Sure, they were present in the game, but nobody had said anything about other humanoid races.

“Of course they are real! Didn’t you see them in the game? Everything you see is real. Keep that in mind while you’re playing. The whole thing is one big training simulation to prepare your population for the realities of the universe,” he said.

As we made our way forward, the large cavern we’d arrived in suddenly twisted and shifted into an entirely new environment. It was the first clear sign that the rift contained Spatial elements.

No longer were we underground. Now, we stood beneath a verdant canopy, surrounded by trees much larger than they should have been. It was almost as if we’d shrunk. In fact, a quick examination of the ground showed even the grass was much bigger than expected. The blades were tall and thick, like elongated leaves growing directly from the soil.

I felt like Alice for a moment.

“Trippy,” I murmured.

“Yes. It is disorienting to find oneself suddenly at a quarter of one’s normal size,” my guardian agreed primly.

I wasn’t sure if his estimate was accurate, but it was good enough. If we’d been reduced in size that much, what I was seeing made a lot more sense. And if he was right, that meant that whatever mobs we encountered would be significantly larger than they would normally be.

I wondered if they would stay that size once removed from the rift. It probably depended on whether we shrunk, or the environment grew.

“Be prepared,” he whispered as I made my way forward, my staff already separated into fighting batons and at the ready.

Seeing a flicker of movement through Mana Sight from my periphery, I swung my baton only to find nothing there. Shaking my head, I continued forward, stepping over the thick roots that crawled between the enlarged blades of grass and under patches of blue-green moss.

I noticed Robert collecting the moss as we walked through the oversized forest. It was probably valuable, too, even if this wasn’t necessarily supposed to be a resource rift. I doubted Atlas would bother creating a rift without resources to extract, even if Rhona was somewhat catering to me.

Hearing a soft buzzing noise, I froze and carefully scanned my surroundings. In a tree up ahead, I could see a hole near one of the branches. It sounded like the noise was coming from there.

“Bees?” I asked my companion.

He shook his head. “No, though they are similar to hornets on Earth, perhaps. They don’t sting, though. You’ll have to watch out for their bladed legs and wings. These are likely to have some Space affinity, so be alert.”

“That seems a bit difficult for an LT1 rift,” I said with a frown.

“It’s not, really. Sure, they are dangerous for someone in the first tier, but you should be fine unless you get swarmed. The blades are small, even with our reduced size. I’ll help you if you need it, don’t worry.”

“Are there more than the bats?” I asked, eyes widening. There had been a ton of bats in the last section, but Robert hadn’t so much as called out a warning.

“The bats weren’t much of a threat. They were like a welcoming committee, really. A welcoming committee that awards experience with little risk,” he added. “Just use your Barrier spell and Pause. I’ll make sure you don’t get attacked from behind or anything. You have a healing spell, right?”

I nodded. I didn’t remember mentioning it before, but I’m sure Rhona had shared my basic capabilities with him.

The hornet creatures seemed to notice me a few moments later, and a couple of creatures angrily flew in our direction. Before they arrived, I used Identify to ensure they were still level one.

Astervespid – level 1

Based on the name, it was clear this species had some relation to the element of Space. I’d collect every bit I could to use for materials. But before I could do that, I needed to defeat the approaching mobs and clear the nest.

If I were still normal-sized, the approaching hornet creatures would have been about the size of a large cat. Instead of the black and yellow coloring that those living on Earth would likely expect, the mobs were different shades of purple – the color representing Space. It had no armor that I could see, though the wings and legs shimmered with a metallic sheen that gave the impression of solidity.

I waited for the mobs to get in range of my spell before casting Pause several times to capture as many flying mobs in its effects as possible. I missed a few, so I prioritized attacking those that still posed a threat. I didn’t want Robert to need to get involved if I could manage it without him.

Though I could have just spammed my strongest Space spells like I’d done in the last rift, I was trying to actually train this time. Treating the attacking mobs as targets in Fruit Ninja or Beat Saber, I  aimed for the squishiest parts of their bodies, hoping the center of the creatures would be susceptible to blunt damage.

The blows connected, sending the unfrozen astervespids sailing toward a nearby tree. The mob behind it made a vibrating sound, likely calling for reinforcements. I shot a bolt of water toward it, only to see the creature disappear and reappear several feet to the side.

It teleported! I thought excitedly.

While I could also teleport now that I’d relearned the spell via Direct Casting, the mana cost was not worth it at this point in the encounter. With my Barrier still in place, I closed in on the creature and swung, missing once again when it dodged my attack. I felt like the creature was baiting me, just trying to occupy my time until my spells timed out and the rest of its swarm was released.

I didn’t give it a chance.

Instead of bothering with the lone teleporting hornet, I turned back to the others and activated the enchantments embedded in my batons to do more damage. Triggering the [Water Blade] and [Earth Blade] enchantments on the batons, I used them like dual-wielded swords and cut through the bound creatures. The mana blades were much more effective at defeating the creatures than using blunt force.

I could feel Dual Wield helping to mitigate some of my lack of experience with the weapons. I hadn’t focused much on swords in training, and it showed. Still, it worked well enough against the helpless creatures.

Unfortunately, maintaining the blades required me to constantly channel mana into the weapons. I also didn’t want to drain my resources too much.

“Your Black Widow can manifest blades as well?” Robert asked when I released the enchantments and turned around. The lone mob that had evaded my earlier attacks sat wrapped in vines on the ground. Not bothering to use an enchantment, I reattached my batons and smashed the cat-sized creature with my newly reformed staff.

“No,” I shook my head. “It is something I added, but it’s hard to activate when the weapon is in staff form.” I looked up at the hole that almost certainly led to the astervespids’ nest. “Should we go up there?”

“Absolutely, but there will almost certainly be more of these creatures within,” he said as he collected the oversized bodies.

“I can carry some if you want,” I offered. I’d brought the spatial bag from the last delve – something I’d expanded and modified since then. I’d even managed to infuse enough Time mana into some thread to allow me to add the [Stasis] enchantment to the bag. Now, I didn’t have to worry about casting or maintaining the spell as long as I kept the materials suffused with mana.

Getting a Time core or two would certainly help with that.

“It’s fine. I have a lot more space in my ring than you have in your bag,” he countered. “These things aren’t going to shrink once we leave, either. They take up a lot of space.”

Once again, I considered how much friendlier Robert had gotten since the beginning of our first delve. I tried to think of what might have made him so much nicer, but all I could think of was my willingness to share information about the interface upgrade. I knew people in the Alliance were pretty tight-lipped about the upgrade, but it seemed wrong that they hadn’t even shared the information with a fellow Mage Academy student.

I’d probably been luckier than I’d realized in partying with Ros and his group during the other timeline. The fact that he’d grown up in a noble family before getting disowned because he hadn’t manifested an affinity upon awakening wasn’t hidden from the party, nor was the fact that he’d had a lucky encounter that awakened an Arcane affinity a couple of years after he left home.

It was the rarest affinity known.

Ros hadn’t felt the encounter was lucky since his best friend had died as a result. It was the one thing he asked me to try to change if I made it back. I had every intention of keeping that promise. It was the least I could do for all the help he’d given me.

We took our time approaching the tree housing the nest to give me a chance to recover my mana. As we got closer, the branch moved, drawing nearer to the ground. I could sense space shifting and distorting as we got closer through my affinity to the element. No additional mobs approached, and we suddenly found ourselves in front of the opening.

I looked around and noticed we appeared tens of feet in the air, though we hadn’t climbed onto the branch at any point. One moment, we were next to the oversized growth while standing on the ground, and the next, we were on the branch, elevated to its original height.

Magical shenanigans.

The hole looked bigger than before. It was also possible we’d gotten smaller. Regardless, our path forward was clear.

There were two larger astervespids in the entryway of the nest. Both were level two. Not wanting to hold the spells any longer than necessary, I immediately attacked, testing out a different enchantment by triggering a barrage of ranged [Water Blades] and sending them toward the two sentries. The blades cut into the closer of the two creatures while the other flickered away and avoided the attack.

I probably should have used Pause on the creatures first.

When the second creature appeared, I hit it with the spell and rushed forward. It was a lot easier to be bold when my opponent was helpless, though that didn’t say very much for me. I gave a mental shrug at the thought as I quickly activated [Water Blade] and decapitated the creature.

“Can we take a break? I’d like to fully replenish my mana before we go any further,” I said as I pulled a pair of cheese danishes out of my bag. They were the pre-packaged kind, but I loved them. After losing access to all of the packaged and processed foods of my childhood, I’d developed a strange sort of nostalgia for the unhealthy food item.

I offered one to Robert. To my surprise, he accepted and sat beside me, leaving plenty of space between us for me not to feel crowded but sitting close enough to seem companionable.

“This rift almost feels like a puzzle. Would we have been able to bypass the hornet nest?” I asked.

“It’s not a puzzle, but the path would have been forced on us regardless of our approach. They would have attacked differently if we kept walking and avoided the astervespids. If we hadn’t attempted to enter the nest, we would have eventually found ourselves outside the entrance with no other way forward. Space-dominant rifts are weirder than most,” he replied before biting into the sweet pastry.

His face scrunched a bit at the taste and texture, but I paid it no mind. It was a bit over-sweet, but that’s how I liked it. Just like soda. The fizzy drinks I’d found on Pylos and Olym never quite scratched my soda itch.

Maybe I should make something that can recreate my favorite foods. It would be challenging but not overly so…probably. Transmutation was a real thing now. I’d been eyeing the spell since awakening. I even knew some of the runes that could be used to obtain the effect, though I would need to either learn or create several more to establish the controls required.

If I could make the device, spending a portion of my time until the apocalypse finding and storing the recipes for my favorite foods would be well worth the effort. It would probably be a huge hit once things started getting disrupted.

I smiled at the thought and let my mind daydream about the foods I could try and record for future use. Not only would it help a lot of people, I’d probably get rich off of it.

Money wasn’t my focus, but it was always nice to have. Excellent food was the real prize.

Chapter 38 – Progress

I pulled up my status, curious to see how much I’d gained so far. I’d set it up so anything beyond the experience cap was automatically assigned to the upgrade, just like I’d done in the game. Delving practically on my own gave me many more points than delving as part of a group, though it was certainly a lot more dangerous. At least, it would have been if Robert wasn’t watching my back.

I assumed I’d lost out on some points just because he was with me, even though he hadn’t gotten involved but one time. It was almost like something knew he was there to protect me, and his higher tier somehow impacted my experience gains.

͠ ͠ ͠

Name: Emie Mercer

Level: 0 (300/100)

[Progress toward Upgrade: 810/10000]

Profession: N/A

Affinities: Time, Space

͠ ͠ ͠

Health: 110 (2.2/min)

Stamina: 200 (8/min)

Mana: 150/150 (6.5/min)*

͠ ͠ ͠

Attributes

Strength – 9

Agility – 12

Vitality – 11

Intelligence – 15

Wisdom – 13

Perception – 12

Unallocated: 0

͠ ͠ ͠

Spells

[General]

Deflect

Detect Lie

Enhance

Flare

Identify

Illuminate

Mana Bolt

Silence

Spark

Target

Universal Translation (passive)

[Time]

Barrier

Grow

Haste

Heal

Pause

Restore

Slow

Stasis

[Space]

Anchor

Compressed Space Bolt

Create Dimensional Space

Gravity Bomb

Recall Item

Telekinesis

Teleport

͠ ͠ ͠

Skills

[General]

Academics

Athletics

Direct Casting

Fauna Harvesting

Imbuing

Jewelry Making

Mana Manipulation

Mana Sight

Material Processing

Medical Knowledge

Meditation

Research

Spatial Sense

Spell Modification

[Specialized]

Alchemy (Novice)

Artificing (Novice)

Cooking (Novice)

Enchanting (Novice)

Tailoring (Novice)

Woodworking (Novice)

[Combat]

Batons (Novice)

Dual Wielding (Novice)

Quarterstaff (Novice)

Spears (Novice)

Wands (Novice)

͠ ͠ ͠

While I hadn’t been able to learn any more spells directly from spellforms, I had gained three new Space spells. Telekinesis was actually a bit of a surprise, especially since it did something similar to Recall Item. When the new spell appeared on my status, I’d been experimenting with Recall Item, attempting to wrap an item with Space mana and directly move it instead of folding space around it.

It took surprisingly little mana to use as long as I didn’t try to move anything too large. Weight didn’t matter so much since Space mana could be used to negate gravity, but size was important – no matter what the naysayers said.

It gave me a strange sense of relief to see my most important specialized skills displayed on my status once again. Interestingly, one of the skills that I hadn’t been trying for but would have expected to fall under the specialized category ended up being a general skill, even though it was crafting-related. It seemed Jewelry Making wasn’t crafty enough to count as being specialized. Perhaps if I learned some light Smithing and Gem Cutting, they might combine and manifest into Jewelist.

Since I’d only been putting premade pieces together, it probably didn’t count for the better skill. It was probably similar to how Imbuing and Enchanting weren’t the same, though they did a lot of the same things. One was a knockoff version of the other – a lesser skill for those incapable of performing well enough to get something better.

Maybe I was being too critical.

I’d already gained more spells than most would at the end of Tier Two, possibly even Tier Three. From what I’d seen, few learned spells outside of what the system provided, not because they couldn’t be bothered but because it was so difficult without a significant connection to one’s element or a dedicated tutor.

Those with strong or exceptional affinities had a much easier time. I’d been told that but hadn’t fully appreciated it until my affinities improved and I saw how much easier it was. Still, I knew of several with such affinities who focused solely on growing their professions instead of working with their affinities. They rarely bothered with purchasing spells once they reached a new tier unless it was directly related to their profession. I understood it, especially with the increased cost of learning spells through the system.

Had I been accepted into the Enchanters’ Academy when I petitioned for entry after leaving Earth in the first timeline, I’d probably have focused on growing my profession without bothering to learn any spells that didn’t directly relate to Enchanting. I hadn’t been looking for power then, only stability.

“I guess you’re finished?” Robert asked with a knowing smirk as I dismissed my status.

I flushed slightly. It was pretty obvious when people were messing around on their interface.

“Yes. Thanks for giving me a few minutes,” I said as I stood up. I stepped toward the winding stairway at the back of the open space. “Up or down? Or does it even matter?”

“Not really. I’m pretty sure either direction will take us to the next section,” Robert replied.

Down it was, then. There was no reason to burn my calves and thighs going up if it would take us to the same place.

The stairs wound around the inside of the tree, seeming to get larger with each loop until I no longer noticed the curve of the staircase. The pathway was no wider than it had been at the start and was still only large enough for one of us to pass at a time. The wooden walls were smooth, taking on an almost petrified consistency. Through Mana Sight, I noted several strands of brown Earth mana had appeared in the green and purple mana that made up the wood.

“Can you harvest any of the wood from the walls? I don’t think I have enough strength to carve anything off,” I said as I examined the swirls of mana within the hardening wood. I could do so many things with pieces of wood containing Earth, Nature, and Space mana.

“I should be able to handle that,” Robert said before a large chisel and hammer appeared in his hands. I raised a brow at the sight, curious about why he had such items in his spatial storage, but ultimately, it was not my business. I gratefully accepted the thick sheets of hardwood before moving on.

By the time we reached the end of the staircase, the Nature mana within the walls had been almost fully replaced by Earth mana, though the amount of Space mana seemed consistent. Given the makeup of the walls, I fully expected to find myself somewhere underground, so I was surprised when we appeared at the top of the tree.

I looked back at the staircase, amused by the spatial hijinks once again displayed. Robert was right. Space-dominant rifts were weird.

= = =

“Why are all of the mobs in this rift able to fly?” I groaned after missing the latest dive-bombing avian that seemed to phase through my strike. I was trying to limit my use of Pause since the mobs were only coming in pairs. Between my Barrier and the enchantments I’d added to my staff/batons, I shouldn’t need the added handicap against a few mobs.

The attackers were some kind of feathered birds with sharp talons, but they were nothing like what I’d seen on Earth. The creatures looked a bit like an owl with their large eyes and round, flat faces, but instead of small beaks, they were huge, taking up nearly half of their faces. The creatures also had a sharp, deep purple horn growing from the center of their white foreheads.

Except for the first one that attacked. It actually had a shimmery, pearl-colored horn, but it looked like an albino version of the others, though it identified the same way.

[Frenzied Strikers – level 2]

The attacking bird continued to swoop down, attempting to spear me with its sharp horn. Casting Haste, I smashed the creature with the Earth baton, knocking it to the ground. After following up to ensure it was defeated, I waited to see if another set of mobs would approach.

This one made the third pair since we’d left the safety of the stairwell.

“Not everything in the rift can fly,” Robert said, insinuating the boss was a land-based creature. I doubted there would be another section before we reached the end, especially not in an LT1 rift.

Robert added the body to his storage, and we continued, balancing on the wide leaves that made up the path forward. Falling would be bad, but I couldn’t be sure it would be immediately fatal with all the spatial shenanigans involved. I’d probably just land on one of the lower branches, not that I would test that theory.

We were attacked by two more groups, though they each held three frenzied strikers instead of the pairs that had attacked before. The fight was a little more difficult, but I figured out I could create a slowing field around me while casting Haste on myself to shift the fight more in my favor.

Given how fast the strikers flew, I needed every bit of advantage I could get if I was going to limit myself to non-magical offense. It felt like good training, and I wasn’t getting hurt, blowing through my mana, or cheating by using Pause. I counted it as a win.

“That’s the exit?” I asked, pointing to the visible portal ahead while I sat to recover my mana.

“Yes, but there is a guardian that blocks the way. It shouldn’t be anything you can’t handle, though,” he replied as he looked over the edge of the extended leaf platform.

Between our location and the exit sat a net of purple and green vines with small, violet leaves. The net dipped down before curving up and attaching to a huge purple leaf that housed the exit platform. I didn’t see any creatures or threats, but I believed Robert when he said there was one.

After meditating to speed my mana regeneration, I reactivated Mana Sight and examined the area. Finding a series of vines that shined much brighter than their surroundings didn't take long. Though they spread along several paths, they all appeared to be connected. Wanting more data before engaging with the boss, I used Identify on the questionable sections.

[Deimos Vine – Boss – level 3]

Unsure what to make of the creature’s name, I decided to play it safe and keep my distance.

“Will we lose access to the portal if I destroy the net?” I asked. I could probably teleport to the other side…or wrap Telekinesis around us and float us across…it would almost be like flying. I’d always wanted to fly. How had I not realized the possibilities before?

“No. As long as you leave some part of it connected, I can repair it with my magic,” the Nature Mage replied.

Since I wanted to preserve as much of the net as possible, I focused my attacks on the glowing pieces that I suspected made up the vine creature. Using only the ranged enchantments I’d added to the batons, I sent a variety of Earth and Water-attributed [Bolt] and [Slash] spell effects toward the vine creature, testing the effectiveness of each enchantment.

When the boss suddenly surged in our direction, I sent a quick combination of Gravity Bomb and Bolt to finish it off as I jumped backward, nearly knocking into Robert. Not missing a beat, my guardian sent vines to snatch the larger pieces of the creature to keep them from falling through the holes in the net, an effort I appreciated since it would have sucked to have lost all those materials right at the end.

“I thought you were going to avoid that combo this time,” Robert quipped as vines sprouted from the torn edges of the net and laced together to make a new weave.

“Yeah, me too,” I said as I hauled myself onto the large purple leaf after crossing the thick netting. It was awkward crossing it, but not overly dangerous. Even when my foot slipped off the vines, there was no real risk of falling. “It startled me when the boss came at me. I just reacted. I wasn’t sure if it was going to cast some kind of spell or not.”

I wondered what kind of core the boss would have. It hadn’t gotten a chance to cast any magic before I slaughtered it, so I couldn’t assume much, even within a Space-dominant rift. I’d already seen multiple mana types represented in the rift, so I wasn’t willing to bet on the boss’s affinity.

I eyed the small chest in front of the swirling exit portal. “Do you want to open it?” I offered, fighting my inner loot monster. Robert shook his head.

“It was your delve. I’m just here to observe,” the Nature Mage said as he easily crossed the hazard. The vines beneath his feet seemed to solidify, creating a solid surface for him to cross as he walked. He looked so casual that I wasn’t sure if he even realized what was happening.

Inside the simple chest was a small piece of wood engraved with the rune for [Repulse]. Curious, I used Identify.

[Repulse] Talisman – Tier One

I’d need to study the item more closely since it felt like the talisman did more than just push things away when activated. I was fairly certain there were some other aspects of the enchantment embedded within the base itself, though I wouldn’t be sure until I could check it more closely.

I smiled as I followed my protector. The delve had gone well, and I suspected I’d have a lot of materials to work with by the time I finished processing everything. I hoped the shimmery pearl-horned owl creature had a Time affinity. It was certainly possible, given its coloration and the connection between Time and Space.

It would be amazing to obtain even a small amount of Time-attuned materials. I couldn’t wait to start making spatial storage with [Stasis]. It was one of the most in-demand items that I knew of. At least, it would be until my food-making device became a thing.