Ar'Kendrithyst

Chapter 118, 1/2

Chapter 118, 1/2

The pair of them had moved outside of the house, to a plot of grasslands south of Quilatalap’s cottage, a little over a kilometer away. It was a nice place, with rolling green hills and scattered trees. It was a daunting area, though, for just a little bit away rose the 30 kilometer crystal cliffs that bounded the southern edge of the Palace District. Intellectually, those cliffs were so tall and so large that they seemed to be directly above, ready to crush down at any second. But the rainbow auroras hanging in the air blocked most of that enormity from sight. Thanks to those pretty lights, it was easy to put out of mind all of the danger looming all around.

And then there was magic, to completely distract him from the daily trauma of living in this land.

So let’s just forget about the impending deaths and destruction for a little while.

Quilatalap had offered to fill some deficiencies in Erick’s repertoire, and Erick had readily accepted. So here they were.

Quilatalap asked, “Have you made much ‘tricking magic’?”

“Not really, but!” Erick enthusiastically said, “It’s really quite interesting that you can trick the Script into cutting the spells of another mage— No. Wait…” Erick asked, “Is that what is happening with tricking magic?”

Quilatalap smiled. “The Script isn’t as limiting as some people would have you believe. At its heart, the Script is about chopping down highs and evening out lows, and streamlining spellwork. Tricking magic has also been streamlined to a certain degree, but tricking magic itself is as old as magic, and it hasn’t changed much since the Darkness first helped us to learn the first spells.”

“Right! Okay. Well. I have done some of this tricking magic before.” Erick popped out a few blue boxes, saying, “I learned about these [Intent Understanding] and [Spell Breaker] from another. And then I made this [Grand Dispel] from some of that.”

Quilatalap raised an eyebrow as he looked upon [Grand Dispel]. “This one. This is a good spell.” He dismissed the boxes, saying, “You won’t be able to make a [Grand Dispel] much better without going deep into Blood Magic or Wizardry. Your multiplier could have been larger, but you have a chaining sort-of [Dispel] instead. Don’t try to remake that; you’ll never get better. It’s really strong.” He said, “But, that said, [Grand Dispel] seems like an end-stage magic, to me. You might be able to work some higher spells out of that eventually, but don’t try for those today. Today, we’ll do the rest of these tricky [Dispel]s with [Spell Breaker] as the base magic.

“You’re going to want to make eight spells.

“Six spells, one spell aligned against each element, using the respective Elemental Shape. What you do is you take your [Stoneshape], for instance, invert it, and then attach it to your [Spell Breaker]. You will be decreasing [Spell Breaker]’s versatility of working against any small magic, to instead fully meld with all Stone-derived magics. As a word of caution: for any normal spell, this resulting ‘[Stone Breaker]’ will work just fine. For specialty spells, like when facing someone with a [Domain of Stone], you will have trouble making [Stone Breaker] work.

“These first six spells aren’t very great for the simple fact that a boulder thrown at you is still a boulder thrown at you. But a [Stone Breaker] against a spell-empowered wall of stone will destroy that wall of stone for much less than any other option. A [Grand Fireball], packed with a hundred [Force Bombs] and flying at your face, can be turned into a puff of flame with a properly made [Fire Breaker].

“Etcetera. Etcetera.

“The seventh spell is [Force Breaker]. The first six spells are easy to make, but this one is a complicated little spell, For this one, I recommend inverting [Force Wall], [Envelop Item], [Conjure Armor], and [Conjure Weapon], because those four spells are the most [Dispel] resistant Force spells in the Script, and the ability to strip a melee attacker of their weapons and defenses is often necessary.

“The eighth spell is [Ward Destruction]. Now this one is truly complicated, for [Ward] is among the most complicated spells out there, simply because it is so varied. I suggest trying this spell after you figure out everything there is to make with the base [Ward] spell, and more than a few other [Elemental Breaker] spells. You will know you have figured [Ward] out, when you are able to make a good version of every kind of [Ward] described in that way-too-big blue box.

“When you get to that point, then you just invert all of those various ideas into one coherent whole, and combine it with [Spell Breaker]. Thus, you will get [Ward Breaker].

“None of these spells should cost you more than 50 mana, if you’ve made them right. But they will be… What tier is your [Spell Breaker]? Tier four?”

“Tier four,” Erick said.

“So a thousand days to try again if you get any of these spells wrong.” Quilatalap said, “The only one that is truly necessary is [Ward Breaker]. You’re going to want to know every part of that spell before you try for that one. Better to spend a year experimenting, and then get it right, instead of almost three years in downtime.”

Erick thought for a moment. He asked, “So when you say ‘Invert’, what does that mean, exactly?” He added, “Also: Is there some way to [Teleport Spell]? I wanted [Spelleport] for the longest time, and if anything is tricking magic, that should certainly qualify.”

Quilatalap smirked, then said, “Inversion of a magic is rather simple to understand, now that you have a [Mana Sight]. And one small hint. I’ll see if you get it with [Mana Sight] before I divulge the hint.” He held out one hand to the side, “Watch this with your [Mana Sight].”

Erick turned on [Mana Sight], and saw the dense spells upon Quilatalap, like a layer of gravity upon his skin, and upon the world. And then Quilatalap cast.

In the palm of his hand, Quilatalap popped a [Ward]. He hadn’t called it as such, and the spell was invisible to normal sight, but to Erick’s [Mana Sight], and compared to his knowledge of what magic looked like what, Quilatalap had conjured a dense sphere of power that was unmistakably a [Ward]. The archlich moved his hand to the side of the dense space. He conjured a void.

Erick stared for a few moments. “Huh. It’s an inverted [Ward], correct?”

“Correct.” Quilatalap waited with a small smile on his face. His lower fangs showed, a little. “But that doesn’t tell you anything, does it?”

“… No.” Erick sadly agreed.

Erick turned his attention back to the void, trying to understand.

Calling it a ‘void’ was perhaps not correct. Quilatalap had already provided the words for such an item. It was an inverted [Ward]. Simple! Except… Not quite so simple.

Erick held out his own hand, and channeled mana through [Ward]. A sphere of white light held above his hand, sounding much like an edge. A demarcation, where the world was slightly different inside, than it was on the outside.

Erick held out his other hand, and channeled mana through [Ward], but… differently. It was an attempt at… At something else. White light flickered from his hand, and instantly became one with the surrounding mana. Like he was dropping ink into a world of bleach; the mana flowed away, reshuffling itself back into the manasphere.

No. That was incorrect. It wasn’t… It wasn’t destructive enough.

Oh!

It was Destruction!

That’s why [Ward Destruction] was called [Ward DESTRUCTION]! It was the Destruction Esoteric Element!

Or… Was it?

Erick had never touched a Destruction spell before. He had certainly read of them, though. So he tried what he had read, using the barest bit of Mana Altering, and condensed a breaking of the world into his mind, and into his magic.

A globe of flexed gravity took hold of the air; a denial of existence. A breaking. A Destruction.

“Huh.” Erick said, “Destruction mana?”

“Yes!” Quilatalap enthusiastically said, “You got it! You figured out the secret!” He strongly added, “Don’t try to actually use Destruction in a spell. You will kill yourself.”

Erick eyed his hand that he had just channeled Destruction from. “Uh… Okay.”

Quilatalap noticed, and said, “Channeling Destruction isn’t that bad. It’s like channeling Fire mana; that won’t actually hurt you.”

“… Right.” Erick had channeled Fire mana before, and it hadn’t hurt. He did so right then, producing a prominence of flame without actual heat.

“See! All good. Just don’t make a Destruction spell.” Quilatalap returned to being enthusiastic, as he laughed, and said, “That’s the secret to inverting spells. You combine the starter spell with Destruction, and you end with something attuned to the spell you want, but inverted.”

“Huh.” Erick looked at his hand, and channeled Destruction, producing a mana prominence that was more world-breaking white, than normal white. Archmage Opal had never spoken of Destruction mana, but then again, he hadn’t heard of that particular ‘element’ until well outside of his time at Oceanside. He looked to the two orbs still present in the air beside Quilatalap, and asked, “You do magic a lot differently than they do at the arcanaeums, and elsewhere.” He added, “All the Elements. And No math.”

“Math is useful for describing the world, but magic is more than the math.” Quilatalap said, “Magic is communion with the greater self to enact a change upon the world.” He added, “More cynically, magic is all about creating impressions in the manasphere, filling those impressions with your power, and enabling those impressions to do what you want them to do. Some people come to magic through math. Some don’t. No way is wrong.” He added, “But one thing is always true: In all my understanding of magic, the systems of mathemagic, the elemental systems, harmonic, spiritual, ritual, formation, talisman, tree-based, soul-based, or any other… When a person finds a way that works for them, if they continue along that path, then things usually work out for them.”

Erick listened, and then he acted.

He channeled a few inversions from his hands, listening to their Destruction, and their desire to break what had been whole. And then he cast to the left, flashing a breaking into the world. There was no target, because Erick didn’t need one for this.

And it worked. The ideology behind the first six spells was easy to understand. One blue box appeared. And then, with five more casts, each twenty seconds apart, came five more boxes.

Stone Breaker, instant, long range, 50 MP

Trick a spell of Stone into breaking.

Fire Breaker, instant, long range, 50 MP

Trick a spell of Fire into breaking.

Water Breaker, instant, long range, 50 MP

Trick a spell of Water into breaking.

Air Breaker, instant, long range, 50 MP

Trick a spell of Air into breaking.

Light Breaker, instant, long range, 50 MP

Trick a spell of Light into breaking.

Shadow Breaker, instant, long range, 50 MP

Trick a spell of Shadow into breaking.

“That’s six elemental breaking spells. 50 mana cost.” He asked, “Is there a [Prismatic Breaker]?”

Quilatalap smiled wide. “Yes.”

Erick channeled his new spells through his palm, all at the same time. This proved to be too much, though, so Ophiel helped. And then, surrounded by a harmonious destruction, Erick cast.

A burst of shadow erupted from his hands, impacting the land beyond.

A blue box appeared.

Prismatic Breaker, instant, long range, 300 MP

Trick an elemental spell into breaking.

Quilatalap’s smile got even wider.

“Huh.” Erick said, “That felt rather natural, actually.”

“How so?”

“Like… Like the cohesion of a disparate unwanting. A harmonious junction of denial.”

Quilatalap held his hand out to the right. “Break this, if you could?”

A small spire of multicolored, floating crystal appeared, two meters from the orcol archlich. It was perhaps three meters tall; a bit taller than its caster. Erick felt a strange sort of power roll off of the crystal, like a gentle breeze. As that breeze passed, he felt his nearby Ophiel grow intrinsically stronger, their lightforms shifting into something more powerful, while those in their sunform felt nothing.

“Oh.” Erick asked, “It’s a rift? Or something?” as he flicked ripping shadows at the working.

The crystal spire broke back into the manasphere, like it was never there.

Quilatalap laughed, a great big belly laugh. “Yes! It was a rift!” He said, “It usually takes students years to be able to [Dispel] that! And you just popped out your [Prismatic Destruction], just like that. Or— Which spell did you get?”

“[Prismatic Breaker].”

“A clean variant, then. Sometimes there is too much Destruction. But…” Quilatalap sighed; a contented sound. “Ah. This is nice. I don’t think I’ll be able to teach normal students for a long time. You’ve ruined me, Erick.”

Erick smirked. “I gave you that ring. A good 45 Intelligence should do wonders for new students.”

“That Intelligence is part of your current success, but I’ve seen more than my fair share of smart idiots in my life. Even if your Wizardry is helping you, I’ve sensed none of that so far. You’re just good at this. Giving my future students a lift up with something like 45 Intelligence would help most of them, but some would still never get it. Besides—” Quilatalap waved a dismissive hand, saying, “Intelligence is not sticking around. If the Relevant Entities and Melemizargo ever decide to come together to remake the Script, I do not see them allowing for the easy acquisition of magic.”

“You think so too, huh?”

“Hmm. Well. I said what I said, but perhaps a better way to think of it is… Intelligence was created to enhance the capabilities of the mind, and that is a rather taboo subject when it comes to the gods.” Quilatalap said, “Melemizargo created Mind Magic, and that’s been a horror show for as long as it’s ever existed.”

Erick’s eyes went wide for a long moment. And then he said, “Ah.”

“Intelligence is probably going to be another problem like Mind Magic, but vastly more limited, and possibly changed all together in the future.” Quilatalap said, “So let’s get you powered up while we can.”

Erick almost stopped everything by asking what Quilatalap got out of all this. If Ar’Kendrithyst went away, or rather, if all the Shades here died, then wasn’t he vulnerable to the rest of the world? Wasn’t he here, in this place, because it was the only safe place for him to be?

Or maybe that wasn’t true?

Whatever the case, Erick couldn’t continue to accept help from the man until he knew a little bit more about him. So Erick asked, “Why are you helping me, Quilatalap?”

“I’ve got three gods that like you, and that’s more than a good enough reason to entertain the idea of assisting you in your magical career. Just to entertain the idea, though.” The 3000 year-old archlich nonchalantly added, “But my reason for helping you is that you’re an exemplary archmage, and I like teaching good students. That is my joy in life, and my reason for being. And then there’s the fact that ever since Kirginatharp called you an archmage that you’ve done nothing but good with the power that came your way. And you’ve only been at this magic-thing for a year! That’s insane! So, I will do what I can to help you in some small way, and so, I’ve decided to help you fill some holes in your spellbook. It’s not power, for I don’t often teach people how to gain power. It is utility, and the ability to stay alive, and you, Erick, certainly need some help to stay alive when the meteors start falling.”

Erick tensed. He asked, “What will happen to the people caught in the crossfire?”

“They’ll try to get out of the way. Most will succeed.” Quilatalap said, “Gods willing, if this thing ends with me in any position of power and not running for my life, I will see about reviving those who wish for such a thing, but I doubt many will. The people around here generally don’t like accepting [Resurrection]s.”

For a long moment, Erick thought.

He didn’t want to be the man who put down the monsters. He never had. But he knew the necessity of such actions. He felt that he had broken himself of his tendency to shy away from the ultimatums of life on Veird. But at the same time…

Hollowsaur took joy in killing those who came for his creations, in setting a boundary and laying treasure just beyond that boundary. He wanted to kill people who he could easily label as thieves and intruders. Was it possible to help Hollowsaur turn his desire to kill into something less destructive? He obviously cared about his little green people, and they cared about him.

Or was that thought too naive, and to what degree was it naive? Did Hollowsaur actually care about his people, or was that another layer of his ‘this is mine; you come here, I kill you’ line in the sand?

And what about Farix? He wouldn’t harm a child, and he wouldn’t harm someone if that harm would cause harm to a child. ‘Don’t kill children’ was a low bar, but in being able to pass that bar, Farix had hinted that he still had some sort of morality within him.

And yet… What of justice?

… Yeah. What of justice? Did justice matter? Or was kindness more important, when it came to guiding the powerful back into the light? Or, had these people ruined their chances at redemption long, long ago?

Even Hitler had a dog. But he deserved death.

Shades deserved no less.

And yet… Melemizargo’s insane touch might have had something to do with the decisions the Shades made when they became Shades. Before they were Shades, they were just people, looking for power and destruction, and they got it. They became powerful enough to become the law of the land. They became powerful enough to write their own laws.

But what of everyone else, and their innate right to be free of undue influence and danger?

And what of this world?

Was Erick unfairly ascribing a lenient morality to a world that could literally not support it? The only true ‘law of the land’ was you either followed the idea of ‘Polite Society’, or you didn’t. You either saved your murdering for outside of social interactions, or you didn’t. All other laws stemmed from ‘Might makes Right’.

… Even back on Earth, ‘Might Made Right’. Violence had just been turned into something that was solely the right of the State. Only the police could murder and get away with it, everyone else was forced to play nice.

… In that way, the society the Shades had built in the Brightwater was oddly similar to what Erick had grown up with.

But.

No.

They were not the same. The Shades were tyrants who killed to ‘make the world stronger’. But this world didn’t need more strength. Veird needed more compassion. More understanding. Less power, and more vulnerability.

But at the same time, the Shades still existed. And might still made right. So, like with the Black Star of Koyabez, was it better to end a threat now, or to let it lie in hopes that it could get better tomorrow?

Not too much time had passed since Erick fell to silent thought. Quilatalap graciously waited.

Erick asked, “Quilatalap. How do you deal with people that wrong you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “A philosophical conversation?”

“Not a long one. But, yes.”

“I have found that philosophy can flow rather long, depending on the depth of the problem, and I see you having some Big Thoughts behind those white eyes of yours. But that does not mean I will not oblige this detour.” Quilatalap said, “So. How to deal with someone who wrongs you: In my own affairs, I believe that everyone is their own person, out to get what they can, but limited by the circumstances around them. So I don’t begrudge people who wrong me.” Quilatalap said, “I also don’t give them the opportunity to do it again, but violence is rarely my own solution. Usually, I make myself scarce, and let time take care of my problems. It’s an easy stance to take when you’re immortal and very good at defending yourself. But at the same time, I recognized that it is easy for me to say that, when I have the power to enforce such an option. Not many can say the same.”

Erick said, “Perhaps, a better question would have been: How do you deal with those who wrong others?”

Quilatalap was quick to say, “All tyrants must die.” He added, “But in my own perspective: the tyranny of this world is a tiny, tiny thing. We are not dealing with the corruption of world-spanning cultures, or with powers rising from the depths successfully taking over society after society. We are not dealing with the wholesale murder of nations because some man in some room decided to press a glyph. Compared to the sights I have seen, you have never seen true evil, Erick, no matter what you may believe, and the Shades are far and away much more insane than they are true evil. All this world has is petty warlords, minor kings, and children playing with other children.”

A wind blew across the green fields, twisting the grass like it was seaweed at the bottom of an ocean.

Erick kinda felt like he was at the bottom of an ocean, too. Never seen true Evil? How could Quilatalap say that? Erick had seen evil when he rescued those people from Dorofiend’s lair. He had seen evil when the Halls of the Dead tried to summon a Breach Demon, and before that, when they killed Odaali with the Daydroppers. Thankfully, he had never seen Evil back on Earth, but maybe he would have been a better man today if he had seen true Evil before coming here, and seeing Evil in the white eyes of every Shade.

“Evil is not a matter of scale, Quilatalap.” Erick said, “Evil is a matter of quality.”

Quilatalap sighed, then minutely gestured to everything around him. “I am not blind to the horrors I see around me, Erick. But the Shades used to be the best of us. Their ‘Trials of Darkness’ have always been this deadly, but they used to be more… They used to be better about the process, about the journey and the destination. Less horror. More honor.

“But a lot of the people who come here... They misjudge the depths. They misjudge the power. They are young and stupid and they think themselves invincible. They think themselves ready. They try, and they fail, a great deal of the time. And it was their prerogative to try. To reach for power, and succeed or fail on their own merits.”

Erick let that percolate, for if he spoke his thoughts, he would have started to yell, and he did not want to yell. So he changed topics. He asked, “Are any of the current Shades redeemable?”

Quilatalap looked away. Then he looked to Erick. He asked, “What’s the next spell you want to attempt?”

That answered that question firmly enough.

Moments passed.

Erick said, “I will try to make this one, now.” He channeled some spells through his hands, along with Destruction mana, and harmonized the resulting sound. He cast to the left. A flicker of shadow leapt from his fingers and a blue box appeared.

Force Breaker, instant, long range, 75 MP

Trick a Force spell into breaking.

“That’s [Force Breaker]. For the next one... I think…” Erick held up a hand, and channeled mana through [Ward], but wrong, producing a shadowy glow of non-light. It wasn’t Shadow, but it was something shadow-like.

Tentatively, Quilatalap asked, “Are you going to try for [Ward Destruction]?”

“… No. Not today.” Erick considered his next needed spells. “Let me think about what's next.”

Quilatalap nodded, then said, “Let me know when you want assistance.”

While he was waiting for the global cooldown to come back, Erick decided to ask one of Jane’s questions. “Ever heard of a buff spell that makes one regenerate more mana than usual?”

“It’s not a spell, but there is a way to do this.” Quilatalap said, “Through the use of your mana sense, and flicking Meditation on and off, you might be able to see the way that mana flows into your soul. If this doesn’t work, you can try using weak mana potions to see this flow. Once you understand the flow, by using your aura you will be able to purposefully pull in extra mana into the well of your soul.

“But understand that this is a skill of last resort, and there is no resulting Blue Box for this ability. It is one of those things the Script does not automate for you, for it is dangerous, and will likely harm you when you try to force this mana into your soul. It is like when you use too many strong mana potions, and just like in that case, you cannot do this action too often, for you risk condensing rads into your body.” He added, “Personally, I think this is an unnecessary skill to learn because it promotes the wasteful expenditure of mana. Learn to cast more efficiently, and this skill becomes a waste of time.”

Erick nodded along, considering all of that.

He decided on his next spell. He cast to the left, chaining together the Destructive versions of [Mana Sight], [Soul Sight], and [Blood Sight], onto the Audio and Visual options of [Ward]. He didn’t have [Witness], yet —he’d need to be able to look a day in the past to be able to get that spell— but maybe he didn’t need to go that deeply into this particular working.

A large sphere appeared, looking like rainbow static. A blue box appeared right after.

Sealed Privacy Ward, instant, medium range, 500 mana

Disrupt all light, sound, mana sense, and life sense as it exits a large area. Lasts one hour.

When ended, Sealed Privacy Ward further disrupts all mana sense within the space.

Erick smiled. Then he stuck his head inside the space.

From the inside, the rest of the world looked normal; he could see out without impediment. Pulling his head out, and adjusting his senses toward the mana, he couldn’t see inside, but when he stepped inside, he could sense the interior, and the exterior, just fine. Good. The spell disrupted mana sense in one direction, just as he hoped it would.

He ended the spell. It collapsed in a crushing rainbow of shadow and light.

Erick blinked his mana sense into the past, and had a look. If he had done it wrong, he would have been able to see his own head, peaking into the formerly protected space. And he sort of saw that, but there was also a great deal of static and overlapping blind spots overlaid upon everything. Not a perfect [Privacy Ward], but it was close enough, for now.

Quilatalap asked, “No [Witness], yet?”

Erick frowned. “Nope.”

“Going to have to remake that one.”

“Yup.” Erick moved right along, asking, “What about a lingering [Dispel]? And [Counterspelling], too?”

“Let’s consider the second desire, first, for [Counterspell] is the spell at the heart of all lingering [Dispel]s, which is itself a new spell, known as [Suppression].

“There are three ways to [Counterspell]. Active counterspelling is when you have a good mana sense on the target and you can see how much mana they’ve put into a spell, and then you [Dispel] that spell, as it is happening. This leaves you open to spells slipping through your counters. This type of counterspelling does not use the [Counterspell] spell, and is the most mentally taxing version of the practice of shutting down an opposing caster.

“The second version of [Counterspell] is through the use of the spell, [Counterspell]. This version has a half-second window where you can cast the [Counterspell], and the enemy cannot cast whatever spell they were trying to cast. In this version of [Counterspell], you must still choose how much mana you wish to spend.

“With enough practice, and enough skill with your active mana sense, you can know, roughly, how much mana you need to spend on your [Counterspell].

“The third, and most dangerous way to [Counterspell], but also perhaps the cleanest, is instead of using [Dispel]s normal functionality of ‘spending X mana to remove a spell of X cost’, you instead open up your mana pool, allowing your [Counterspell] to automatically pull from you enough mana to automatically spend that Variable cost to fully counter whatever spell the enemy might be casting. This [Counterspell] includes [Intent Understanding], so you’re at tier 3 for this sort of working, at least.” Quilatalap said, “The problems with such a working is that you might end up at zero mana, when you try to end the enemy mage’s major spell, or you might be tricked into gutting yourself by a mage using a specifically [Dispel]-resistant magic. The most often result of using a [Perfect Counterspell] is an economically countered spell, but you must be aware of the edge cases when considering magic like this.”

Erick thought about that for a moment, then asked, “What’s [Suppression]?”

“Now here’s where things get truly tricky. [Suppression] is throwing a ‘sticky [Dispel]’ onto a target, for 10,000 mana or however much, and then that [Suppression] automatically counters everything the caster does.” Quilatalap said, “In this way, the third, automatic-version of [Dispel] is the best [Counterspell] to use when making your [Suppression], for obvious reasons.”

Erick nodded, saying, “Because it can use the mana put into the working as needed, instead of in possibly-useless discrete chunks.”

Quilatalap smiled. “Exactly!” He added, “In all cases of [Counterspell] and [Suppression], you’re going to want the best version of [Dispel] you can make. In some cases, that means using [Prismatic Breaker] to make your [Suppression]. In other cases it means using your [Grand Dispel].

“[Counterspelling] is a very, very large field of metamagic. But most people don’t even bother, because most people fight monsters, and monsters use skills that can’t really be countered. The only real use of [Counterspelling] is for when you’re fighting other people.” Quilatalap said, “But, by that same measure, if any death squads ever come for you, you’re going to want to know how to [Counterspell].”

“… A cheery thought.” Erick asked, “How to make a sticky [Dispel], though?”

“There’s at least ten good ways to go about that. One of the best ways is if you take your [Counterspell] and Mana Alter it into clinging Ooze or cloying Gloom, depending on your own proficiency. Another method is to link the [Counterspell] to a [Bind] spell, which is in turn made from an offensive [Conjure Armor]. I prefer the ooze version.”

“I’ve never tried ooze or gloom before. Let me… try…” Erick pointed to the side, and shot off something that was halfway between a [Water Bolt] and a [Stone Bolt], with a heavy emphasis on splashing and sticking.

Erick saw the resulting spell, and was instantly embarrassed. Quilatalap made no remarks, but then he saw Erick’s reaction, and smirked.

Since Erick’s magic was white, the glob of white stuff that splatted across the ground made a rather distinctive splooping noise, and possessed a rather distinctive look. Its resemblance to certain other physical substances was too close to not be remarked upon.

Quilatalap joked, “Green just looks like snot. Red is bloody boogers. Ooze never looks pleasant.”

Erick chuckled.

Quilatalap asked, “Would you like to try to learn counterspelling?”

“Yes! So how do we do this, with the 20 seconds between each spell, I mean?”

“Before the Script took over, it used to take multiple moments to cast a spell, so the disruption of spells was a much easier affair. And necessary, too. Counterspelling was much easier than actually casting most magic. But with the advent of the Script it takes less than a moment for spells to activate, and the pendulum has swung the other way.” Quilatalap said, “However, in the time dilation of Shadow’s Feast, those ‘instant’ cast times become something much larger.

“There’s an easier way, though.” Quilatalap said, “Counterspelling auras is the best way to learn.” A small shift took place in the air around Quilatalap. He smiled. “How many times will it take you to counter this?”

Erick gazed upon Quilatalap with the majority of his mana sense and with four different Ophiel each utilizing one each of [Soul Sight], [Blood Sight], [Mana Sight], and a secondary mana sense, just to be sure. And Erick was stumped. He had no idea what spell was surrounding the man. Quilatalap’s soul was the same as it ever was; an abyss of nothing lined with teeth. His blood looked normal enough, and flowed in most of the normal ways one would expect, while also possessing a lot more life than Erick would have expected from someone that was supposed to be ‘undead’. [Mana Sight] revealed the archlich’s aura, of course, but that aura seemed like nothing more than a shift in the world, a turn to the side, like… gravity?

“A gravity aura?” Erick asked, as he flicked a low powered, high intent [Dispel] at the man.

Quilatalap’s strange aura dissipated for a moment, before coming right back. You could do that with auras; [Dispel] only knocked out their use in that particular moment. Erick didn’t even get a blue box for his effort, likely because he hadn’t actually done anything besides a normal [Dispel].

Quilatalap smirked. “No spell?”

Erick shook his head. He offhandedly said, “This reminds me that I need to work on my own auras. Or rather, [Greater Lightwalk].”

Quilatalap nodded. “Elemental Bodies allow one to get around most of the Script’s controlling ways, since they are the basis for much of the Script’s functionality.” He added, “We can do that after you try this for a while.”

Erick cast again, aiming a 50-mana [Dispel] at disrupting what was already there. Whatever Quilatalap was casting could not have been more than 50 mana per second, and likely cost much, much lower.

It didn’t cause a blue box to appear, and Erick realized why.

“Oh. Right.” He said, “I should have been aiming at your creation of the aura. Not at the aura’s prominence.”

With some of his characteristically relaxed attitude, Quilatalap said, “I teach people how to [Counterspell] and yet every time it takes them hours before they come up with the same solution I told them. You only took a minute, though.”

“It’s tricky!” He added, “And your soul looks like an abyss lined with teeth. I’m afraid to actually touch too deeply with any sort of magic.”

Quilatalap just smiled, as he silently flexed his maw-ringed soul, knowing that Erick could see. Erick shivered.

Then he cast, aiming at the part between the archlich’s soul and the spell, where he saw mana, soul, and intent, all combined into the creation of an aura as heavy as gravity.

Quilatalap’s aura blipped off. It reappeared a full second later, which was a longer delay to reactivation than the first two times. Was that the true ‘capability’ of [Counterspell]? It might have been, because a box appeared.

Counterspell, medium range, 10 MP + Special Cost

Prevent a magic from being cast.

Costs as much mana as the spell you are trying to counter.

“Got it.” Erick said, “Basic [Counterspell].”

Quilatalap smiled wide as he clapped twice, and said, “Good job! Now that you have put the theory into practice, want to try for an automatic [Counterspell]? It’s the best way to make a [Suppression]. You don’t want to ever use the automatic [Counterspell] yourself, though, for the previously stated worst-case scenarios of trying to disrupt a too-big spell or a [Dispel]-resistant magic.”

Erick asked, “Is there a way to make an automatic [Dispel], too? One that will kill an ongoing magic, without spending excess mana?”

“… Technically, yes. But… Such a [Dispel] would hinder your ability to properly gauge the strength of a particular magic with your mana sense, because once such a spell is in your grasp, you would never need to learn how to use your mana sense to properly gauge the strength of a spell. In such a case, you could just guess at a rough cost, instead of gaining finesse in your spellwork.” Quilatalap said, “Like I said already: You shouldn’t ever use an automatic [Counterspell] in combat, and for the same reason as you shouldn’t ever use an automatic [Dispel]. But for a [Suppression], automatic [Counterspells] are the best at ensuring your [Suppression] lasts for as long as it is able.”

“Then I guess I won’t be trying that, and will instead just move right along.” Erick rapidly harmonized [Counterspell] with [Intent Understanding]. The two spells went together like an understanding discordance, as the spell flashed from Erick’s hand to strike Quilatalap with a flicker of darkness.

Quilatalap’s gravity well flickered, then came right back after a full second. [Counterspell] did work better against auras than a straight-up [Dispel]… So that was interesting.

A blue box appeared.

Harmonic Counterspell, instant, long range, 10 + Special Cost

Drains you of the mana necessary to prevent a magic from being cast.

That blue box was also interesting.

“[Harmonic Counterspell],” Erick said.

“Not too unusual of a name.” Quilatalap said, “I won’t be going further with you for any more counterspelling, though. This field of magic requires the basic spells, and then a whole lot of skill in timing, and calculation, and basic mage battling. You can practice that with Ophiels fighting Ophiels. I also feel that you should try to create some clinging ooze spells of other kinds, before you try your hand at [Suppression]. But, for now, and later, you know what to do. Good luck with that.” He asked, “Anything else you’d like help with?”

Erick instantly said, “The problems of fighting with Elemental Bodies. I’ve got most of my own worked out, but I know I could be doing better.”

Quilatalap nodded, then asked, “Have you gone through the whole list? That’s something a lot of people skip over, but I find it best to start at the beginning.”

“The… List?”

Quilatalap conjured a chalkboard that looked hewn from a quarry, and not taken from any classroom except possibly from a room in the school of hard rocks. Erick almost made that joke to Quilatalap, but it was missing cultural context, and it would have fallen flat. Instead, Erick abandoned the joke and read the words that were written upon the board’s surface, in six different columns. The first column was for Fire.

-Flame Touch, finger fire

-Flame Strike, temporary flame coating on weapon

-Inflame, make flame bigger / burn faster

-Torch, make flame stronger

-Flame Breath, careful for backlash

-Flaming Steps, run across fire

-Flame Shield, reactive shield / no defense

-Flame Weapon, weapon of flame / no defense

-Blessing of Fire, immune to natural fire damage, half magical damage

-Flame Sustain, make a flame self-sustaining

-Flame Armor, reactive flame

-Fireblend, meld with fire

-[Fire Body].

“Oh.” Erick said, “That list. Yeah. I know that.” He read the one for ‘light’.

-Glow, finger-sized light

-Light Strike, blinding flash on hit

-Empower, make light bigger

-Light Orb, a real light source

-Bright Pulse, a small damaging flash

-Light Steps, walk on light

-Light Shield, heavy defensive shield

-Light Weapon, heavy weapon

-Blessing of Light, immune to strong natural light, half magical damage, see through nearby light

-Bright Light, make a light damaging to everyone nearby

-Light Armor, heavy defensive armor

-Lightblend, meld with light

-[Lightwalk]

“Haven’t read that list in a while, though.” And he’d never really practiced with those functions, either.

Quilatalap said, “Do you know the true difference between [Lightwalk] and [Greater Lightwalk]?”

Erick had not exactly known before Quilatalap had asked, but seeing it laid out there like this, Erick had an inkling. “I’m guessing that the only true change is the ability to extend the [Lightwalk] well past the limits of my normal aura. But all of these options… I should already be able to do all of this.”

“Mostly correct. The size of your influence is the only real difference between Greater and Normal. But in that size difference, there are things like a Light Weapon not activating at larger than a tiny dagger, unless you’re at that particular level of the Elemental Body. All of the ‘Step’ abilities fall under this category, quite solidly, for to truly use the stepping abilities you must also have the blending and the range of the Greater Elemental Body in question.” Quilatalap asked, “Have you tried all of these functions with your [Greater Lightwalk]?”

“Not really… But—”

Erick took his lightform, and bent it, rapidly copying the abilities he saw on the ‘chalkboard’. His hand became a flashlight, a glowing globe flickered out damaging rays, a two-meter long sword landed in his hand, and then armor covered his body. Most of the abilities listed up there were normal enough stretches of his lightform that he just hadn’t thought to really do… Except for the lightswords. He had definitely used that one before now. Swords made of light seemed a lot more natural than armor made of light. Erick much preferred his sunform to any sort of armor, though this would prevent the necessity of spending a cooldown on conjuring armor, so…

This was good.

Erick said, “There’s just…” He smiled. “There’s just so much magic out there, isn’t there?”

“More than you or I will ever know.” Quilatalap said, “I still make new spells every once in a while.”

“I’m still not very good at enchanting. Or shadow magics.” Erick said, “Still not sure of my problems with those two subjects.”

“It’s not uncommon for a mage to develop a deficiency in one area of spell casting. My own deficiencies are with plant biologies, but I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t learn how to enchant once they actually learned how. The enchanting skills taught in arcanaeum is like approaching a sword fight with your swords attached to poles attached to arms you’ve never used before; it’s just not very good.”

“Ha! I mean… What?” He added, “I know that some of what they teach in arcanaeum is not exactly necessary, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“There is a certain stigma against proper enchanting, for proper enchanting is just the application of soulwork into a container that can replicate that soulwork.”

“… Oh.” Erick tentatively asked, “Necromancy?”

“No. Necromancy is a very crude term for proper enchanting.” Quilatalap explained, “There is a spell called [Greater Conjure Soul], that is the basis of all good enchanting. It is derived from [Conjure Force Elemental], but taken up several tiers and balancings beyond that Basic Spell. The general working is thus: with a [Greater Conjure Soul] in one hand, and the unenchanted item that you have carved and created in the other, you bring them together to make an actual magical item. It’s more complicated than that, but this is what the Clergy does for all of their artifacts. They make their souls manually, and you could leap far ahead in your own enchanting by attempting to do the same.”

“… [Greater Conjure Soul]?” Erick almost didn’t want to ask, but he did. “Like. A person’s soul?”

Quilatalap smiled, knowingly. “Here is where the capable necromancers are separated from all the rest. You can use a person’s soul for the vast majority of crafting soul work. Some of the less scrupulous hedge mages out there will do so, and some of them will achieve much of the same outcomes as a true enchanter, but they’re also murdering people to achieve those outcomes. This is unnecessary, and harmful to proper workings. If you use a person’s soul, you first have to cleanse it of all the impurities that is the life that person lived if you wish to use it for enchanting…

“This is a complicated topic. In the case of enchanting, it is much better to use a conjured soul. In the case of bringing someone back to life, you must use the soul of the original person. Crossing these uses will cause major problems. So. Don’t use conjured souls to make a person; you have a very high chance of creating a monster that will then attempt to eat you. Don’t use sapient souls to create items. Not only is it cruel, but it is unnecessary, and you are making more problems for yourself down the line.

“Anyway. A conjured soul is what you get when you balance out the manasphere then add a spark of life in that balance with a resonant flex of your own soul, or, a tiny piece of your own soul. For the first method of soul creation, there is no cost besides a mild uncomfortableness. After this soul creation, you take the conjured soul and mold it properly to the item. In this way, what you are doing is akin to making someone else cast a spell.

“You have already achieved as much with your accomplishment of [Teleport Other], so this sort of enchanting should be within your capabilities.

“The second method of creating a conjured soul —the method where you use a piece of your soul— costs Experience to craft. You break off a piece of yourself that you are comfortable losing, that will cast the spells or cause the effects you wish to cause, and you stuff this nascent soul into an item, and then the item operates as you would.” Quilatalap said, “This second method does not usually need that much prompting in order to get the conjured soul to cast the spells of the item.

“So, you either teach the conjured soul to cast the spells you want, or you rip a piece of yourself off to then cast the spells without that teaching necessity. More teaching work in step two, or less teaching work in step two, but more personal cost.”

Erick heard and would remember all of that, but he was still stuck on one part in particular. He asked, “So… A conjured soul is... not alive?”

“It could be, if you stuck it in something that had the capability to live. A tree. A slime. Some other biological thing. You will likely end up with a monster if you attempt this. But if you stick that conjured soul in a to-be-created artifact, then the soul will grow to fill the purpose of the item, and then power that item. Some artifacts are alive in a rudimentary sense for this reason. Some artifacts made with actual people are actually alive, for this reason.” Quilatalap said, “It’s a lot more complicated than that. But that is the base idea. Ah! Don’t ever use your own soul to make something until you’ve done soul work on slimes, and such. Using your own soul is only for very, very high-level enchanting. Artifact enchanting. Enchanting where you’re not afraid of losing a part of yourself, forever, in order to have an artifact that does what you want it to do. Or, you know, when you know you won’t actually hurt yourself. Eventually, soul work gets easy, but… Not for a good sixty years of constant experimentation and testing.”

Erick was still concerned. It must have shown on his face.

Quilatalap added, “A conjured soul is a blank slate. A nothing, that has yet to become. By placing it in an artifact that already has a purpose engraved upon it, that soul becomes a working item. A sapient soul… even the barely-sentient souls of slimes, or other tiny things, are more. Real souls have personal choice in their lives. They have branching futures. A conjured soul is not that, for it has none of those things. But don’t trust me. Go ahead and work on some, and you will see.”

“… I don’t think I will be doing that any time soon.”

“Really?” Quilatalap looked at an Ophiel, flying free in the sky above. “He’s a rather good working. If I didn’t know better, then I would already think of you as a novice necromancer.” He added, “Or summoner, if you prefer that terminology.”

Erick changed the subject, “So! [Spelleport]?”

“Oh. Right.” Quilatalap said, “A niche spell, for sure, but I can see the uses. I am guessing you will have to use some combination of [Teleport Other] and [Intent Understanding]. But that might not work. Metamagic to adjust the spells of another is rather difficult. What is the goal of such a spell?”

“Defending from a Red Dot attack.”

Quilatalap thought for a second. He said, “This is just a guess, but you might want to pursue [Gate], instead. It would be rather easy to [Gate] a spell away from yourself, though I saw what you did with that Red Dot, so for such a working… You would need a heavily reinforced [Gate], lined with reflective magics, in order to have your [Gate] survive contact with a spell such as the Red Dot. But to actually [Teleport] a spell away from yourself? My first instinct with a [Spelleport] is that it is either Paradox Wizardry, or metamagic on the level of your [Renew].”

“Damn.” Erick asked, “How do you make that [Gate] spell?”

“I bought it for 10 points.”

Erick’s head drooped, as he cursed under his breath. “… Fuck.”

Quilatalap laughed. “I would never have been able to make it myself, Erick. I’m a hermit. I do know how to make it, though.

“What you do is you walk around the world, stopping here and there, enjoying yourself, then continuing on to parts unknown, or wherever your circumstance takes you. Do not use Spatial Magic to make your trip shorter, for that is an impossible task. That said, do manually cast whatever Spatial Magic you need; if it’s not as natural as breathing, you likely won’t get [Gate]. Do go into the Underworld. Do undertake a journey to the Core. Trust in the journey, for there is no destination.

“Take people with you for part of the trip, or the whole trip, if you want, but it is not necessary. Somewhere along the way, you’ll pick up some, and lose others. Somewhere along the way, you’ll step around a corner, and be exactly where you need to be. You’ll look back, and see that you passed through a [Gate], and the Quest will move on to part two, and the largest trial you will face will be right there in front of you.”

Erick thought for a moment. He said, “That actually sounds really nice. Why don’t more people know this method?”

“Because The Worldly Path is directly overseen by Melemizargo. You went on a small journey when you walked through Kendrithyst, but the Worldly Path is the truest form of the Journey into Darkness.”

“… Ah. I see.”

Quilatalap asked, “Ready for more magic, or got any more questions?”

“I think I’m done with questions for now. You’ve given me a lot of work.” Erick said, “I need to work on some of that, and then get ready for my meeting with Lapis in several hours.”

“Good luck with that. Don’t let her experiment on you. Keep up your soul defenses. Don’t use [Harmonic Counterspell] on her; she’ll notice and drain you dry, just to get you in a compromising position.” He added, “And I have a book for you about enchanting with souls. If the topic comes up, I don’t think she’d try to lie to you, but…” He paused. He said, “I have two books for you.”

Erick gave an involuntary shudder. He said, “I will gladly read those books, but maybe I need to work more on my Elemental Body, too.”

Quilatalap shrugged. “You won’t ever be able to match a Shade’s Elemental Body. The Script both helps and hampers you in this regard. You’re stuck to tier 1 or 1-point-5, if you include buffs. The Clergy has to manually make all their magic, but they’re not restricted to the lower tiers, at all.”

“Oh! That’s another question, then.” Erick asked, “How do I defend against someone turning my lightform into shadows?”

“A good soul defense will take care of much of that.” Quilatalap said, “Let us work on that, actually.” He held up a hand. Three shadow claws, each a meter long, appeared in the air. “These claws consume light. You won’t be able to defend against a Shade’s skills, but you might be able to defend against this, and the only way to defend against a Shade is to start somewhere.” He added, “[Greater Lightwalk] only. Aura only. Don’t put your body into this. Domain-work comes later.”

Erick flowed his light out to form a barrier two meters away from him. “Ready.”

Quilatalap’s shadowy claws tore right through Erick’s light, sucking his radiance into those three raptor talons like a never-ending sponge sucking up a lake. Light became tattered glows, as Erick’s aura ripped away, leaving him with nothing. He fell to his knees as cold enveloped him, like winter had come on while he wasn’t looking.

Erick shivered, whispering, “Holy crap.”

Still holding his shadow talons in the air, Quilatalap said, “Again. Soon as you’re ready.”

Eventually, Erick was ready.

Eventually, he used his Domain.

Eventually, he was able to resist some of Quilatalap’s [Shadow Talons], but all of the archlich’s attacks were glancing blows, and the 3000 year-old necromancer wasn’t even aiming directly for Erick. If he had, he would have struck, and Erick did not think he could have survived a strike from that spell.