Chapter 240, 1/2

Chapter 240, 1/2

The sky was dark, and so was Melemizargo, his white-fanged maw curled in a gentle smile, high above Erick and Jane. His wings, his neck, his body, and his tail, spread outward like solid black voids, but with scales that glinted in the subtle light of his eyes and in the distant light of the sun, hiding behind the clouds above.

Erick stood next to Jane, on the white crystal dais that was Melemizargo’s public-access throne, while the God of Magic sat slightly curled on his own, raised white crystal dais. Clear crystal spires ringed the ‘throne room’, some of them only meters wide and meters tall, while others were thick as buildings and reached just as high, each of them filled with shadows that curled and danced in the presence of their god.

They were in the middle of Ascendant City, located on the southern half of Ascendant Mountain, right at the cliffside edge that separated the halves of the split land. Melemizargo’s tail even curled over that edge, and then flipped the other way, back into view. He was happy. Inordinately happy.

And Erick had a choice.

He could allow himself to truly wallow in the fury at the machinations that led him to stand here with his daughter at his side, where both of them were vulnerable to whatever horrors would come from searching out the Sundering. Or, he could be productive. Melemizargo had given out his task to Erick, to solve the question of the Sundering, but he had also given him permission to seek out every single bit of information and power that could be used to strengthen Veird for the coming expansion.

Erick wanted those strengthening magics.

There were some concerns, though.

Erick said, “I have some concerns.”

“Speak your concerns, and let all know that I am listening.”

Erick was going to ask some tough questions. He hoped that Melemizargo would answer them truthfully, and that those answers would be acceptable.

“Long ago you said that you consider this world to be fake, and only recently you have changed positions on this. As a part of that previous view on the world, you thought that some outsiders might have been trying to get information or something else out of you, and that you needed to fight back with all your might against their intrusive inquiries.” Erick asked, “Wouldn't we, trying to solve all of Veird’s problems with Old Cosmology magic, intrude upon that sanctity of the Dark that you were so paranoid about protecting?”

Melemizargo listened, his eyes focused on Erick. There was a flicker of anger there, but he crushed that anger. He nodded, then said, “I’m still the God of Magic, and that Mantle is not passing now, or ever, or at least until I am sure that we truly are outside of this life raft of Veird, and are able to continue expanding uninterrupted. This question of malicious actors desiring power from me remains a paranoia that I experience, but you sorting through my memories of the Old Cosmology does not endanger my Mantle of godhood. To me, what is happening now, is that I am showing you a treasure hall and you are free to pick from the trinkets and books that you find, but the hall itself is still mine. That will not change.”

Erick’s question had been a potentially very dangerous one. But Melemizargo had given a good answer. It was one that Erick could easily believe, for now.

Erick moved on. “How do you see this plundering of the Dark going?”

“Any way you desire,” Melemizargo said, calmly.

As though Erick hadn’t just called it a ‘plundering’.

“A perfect outcome for me would be for both of you to make many different copies of yourself, and to send them out into the Dark together, while you two remain here, and safe. To that end, I have one dungeon with multiple dungeon slimes ready to copy both of you many times over, and the crack between the southern and northern halves of Ascendant Mountain is filled with dungeons that give base mana regeneration per major accomplishment therein. Your repros can go in there and gain base power, to bring you closer to the originals’ power. 99% of the tasks in those dungeons are the killing of monsters, and 1% is touching the dungeon cores themselves, for a final reward.” Melemizargo said, “I expect copies to go and get about 10,000 base mana per day down there in the canyon. After a month, with around 250,000 mana production per copy, they should be able to survive the dark well enough to dive multiple times before they meet their accidental ends.

“I also expect that nothing will happen right away.

“All I care about is that somethinghappens in the correct direction, eventually, and that we’re set up to eventually and inevitably go in a positive direction.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

“Gather the brightest minds of your generation. Ward the walls. Set up in another location that more fits with your desire for security, though I will still go to that location and make it mine, but whatever makes you feel more comfortable is fine with me.

“As for actual targets in the Dark:

“Perhaps a visitation of the shadows of Old Wizards is in order? Someone to teach you all the various ways in which the final ascent to True Wizard might happen?

“Perhaps I can help you step into Paradox, and pull out a version of you which has already ascended to Wizard, while simultaneously stripping them of their Wizardness, to better secure this current era?” Melemizargo said, “What will nothappen right now, though, is that you will notgive me any answers at all. Instead, you will stay here for as long as you desire. There are many resources here, at Ascendant Mountain, that do not exist anywhere else in the world. My Shades are just one such resource.”

The Dark God of Magic flicked his wings, shadows going wide. Shades appeared. But not all of them.

“Hollowsaur and Treant are here, in the wild dungeons of the canyon and in the cultivated gardens of the northern slope.”

Hollowsaur and Treant were exactly as Erick remembered them from a few years ago; the last time he had seen them. Erick could have visited them at any time, though, because both of them had worked in this land since it was established.

Both were male orcols, nearly 3 meters tall and just over 3 meters tall, respectively. While Hollowsaur wore ceremonial leather armor crafted from beasts he had killed and harvested himself, Treant wore some leaves, and his skin was more brown-bark, than brown-colored. Both of them bowed to Erick.

“Lapis is a relatively new addition to Ascendant Mountain who has taken to making useful artifacts for people to find inside of my dungeons the world over, and under.”

Lapis was an androgynous dark-skinned woman without any hair on her head, who wore a slick black dress. Her eyes glowed bright white, as did all the Shades and Melemizargo, but Lapis’s eyes were the kindest Erick had ever seen from a Shade, which made a bunch of sense. Lapis had fulfilled the ‘1001 good deeds’ requirement of her “Repent Sinner!’ Quest years ago. Now she was on the 101 year wait.

Lapis bowed to Erick.

“And then we have Fallopolis, my Culler.”

Fallopolis stepped out of the shadows, also looking exactly as Erick remembered. She was a grandmother of a woman, with frizzy white hair that was barely kept in check by a hairband, a rather masculine cut to her suit, and a black staff of kendrithyst crystal floating beside her, ready to be gripped and wielded at a moment’s notice.

She did not bow to Erick. She did nod, though.

“Fallopolis will be your primary contact when I am not available, but if you wish to speak to me at any time, just come up to this Throne, or speak wherever you are, and I will hear my name.” Melemizargo said, “Aside from that contact, we have the Well of Darkness located below this Throne. That is where you will be searching for dungeons that might lead to answers in the Dark, so I suggest you go figure out how that works, for the Well of Souls and Shadows is not exactly me, so it takes some getting used to in order to work it properly.

“The Well will also serve as a [Scry] mirror, to let you find Jane or her copies or your own copies when they’re out there delving in the Dark. All of the Shades know how to use it well, so learn from them when you can.”

Melemizargo stopped talking, and waited.

Erick took a moment, and asked, “Why don’t you just know what caused the Sundering?”

“Because The Sundering was an obliterating event, erasing its own passage through the Old Cosmology, and all I have are partial reconstructions of the past.” Melemizargo said, “I doubt you’ll be able to find proper, exact answers to that disastrous question at all. But you should be able to see tracks left in the Dark. Events where the Sundering started. Planes that were known and then gone, but which left records left on fragments of worlds that survived for a while.

“Lapis has been searching for the Sundering in the Dark for years with little to show, but she still has quite a lot of records about that search, and not just her own. I have been asking ‘what was the Sundering’ for a very long time, Erick, and many people have done research into this topic. You will have unfettered access to that information when it proves necessary, but for now, smaller access is granted.”

Erick scowled a little at not having full access to all records right away. “Why ask me for this? WhyJane? Why hasn’t anyone been able to figure this out before now?”

“Shades simply dissipate inside of me. So they’re no good for proper searches in the Dark.

“I’ve been insane for a long while, so there’s that.

“I’ve only been able to invite people into the Dark recently, with the dungeons, which was one of the major reasons for the dungeons in the first place.

“And so, I would need to either appoint a Champion to gather more information, which I have agreed not to do, or I would need a paladin capable of truly delving into the Dark, of which Jane is that person. Though she has yet to actually accept her paladinhood, so it is what it is.

“The other major solution is to have a Wizard, True yet or not, piece together what is out there into a cohesive whole. And that’s you.

“Know this, Erick. I cannot do it myself. I have tried. My memory is a fragmented mess, but I am still a God. I can still put myself back together rather well, and your Particle Magic has helped as an anchor for my mind. You have given me an edge to hold myself together. And that is terrifying, for many different reasons.

“The fact that a simple Wizard’s exploration of a new universe is enough to pull myself together should terrify you, because I should be beyond you. I am eldritch. I am unknowable. Except, I obviously am not all that. The very fact that you were able to pull me out of my insanity is crazy. But it happened.

“And I don’t know why.

“I have a theory, though.

“My theory is this: Whatever caused the Sundering is still out there,still actively hiding, and it is doing a very good job of hiding, but for some reason, Particle Magic fucked it up, too.

“Thatis why the Relevant Entities of the Script agreed to this. Thatis why this is happening now. You’re notlooking for the previous causes of the Sundering. You’re looking for the active causeof the Sundering.” Melemizargo breathed out. “Or maybe the Sundering was left far behind, and Particle Magic destroyed whatever remnants of it existed, freeing me from my insanity. Either way, find the answers, Erick, and let us put this horror to a proper End.”

Erick felt sweat break out across his body at the thought of the Sundering still being active.

And so, Erick simply said, “Okay.”

Melemizargo breathed out again, relaxing another fraction.

And that was enough talking for him.

Melemizargo gave Erick the smallest of nods, and then he vanished backward, his voice trailing, “I look forward to Ending this horror, Erick and Jane, and to civilization once again spreading out to the New Cosmology.”

The Shades spoke in unison, “To the New Cosmology.”

Erick felt another chill, even as clouds disappeared and light chased away most of the shadows.

And then Fallopolis stepped forward, being more personable, as she said, “Hello again, Erick. We have lodgings for you and your daughter, if you wish to use them. Or you can bring a cloud castle in.”

“My gods,” Erick mumbled, the depth of what had just happened leaving him a little shaken. And then he gathered his wits, and strongly said, “Let’s get to the housing! Get this shit show on the road! Know now that I’m gonna be changing everything I don’t like around here, Fallopolis.” Erick opened a small [Gate] to the library in House Benevolence. “Goldie? Are you there? Or are you already here?”

Goldie stepped out of the Shadows near Melemizargo’s Throne, saying, “I’m here, my King.”

“Good.” Erick looked around, breathed deep, and then said, “What about Farix and Queen? Or are they not involved in this?”

Fallopolis said, “Farix is at New Brightwater, but he can be made to come here if you desire it.” She added, “Queen is in Nelboor at the moment, working on several Quest-points right now. I heard they’re at a delicate stage. She will obviously report here for duty if you need her to be here.”

Erick felt some of his anger drain. “No. Unnecessary.” He breathed again, centering himself... And then he noticed Fallopolis, Treant, and Goldie’s all-white eyes seem to flicker to the top of Erick’s head. His horns were out. Well that was fine. They could stay out. But he had also grown a decimeter in height. He had no idea when all of that had happened, but that extra height could stay, too. He fixed Fallopolis with his gaze, and said, “Let’s see the lodgings, and to the Heart of Melemizargo; the Well of Souls.” He said to Lapis, “I would see your work.” He said to Goldie, “Do you want to stay, or go back?”

“I’ll stay, my King. I would like to act as your Hand in this arena.”

Fallopolis raised an eyebrow in Goldie’s direction, then said to Erick, “I would call upon you later, if Goldie is going to be acting as your Hand in this land.”

“Lovely. That’s acceptable. I’ll see the rest of you later.” Erick gestured away. “To the lodgings we go, wherever they are.”

Jane started walking left, saying, “They’re this way.”

Because of course Jane had already been here, and knew where to go.

Goldie also started walking to the left, nodding, her giant black sword hovering behind her like a plank of black steel.

Fallopolis, Lapis, Treant, and Hollowsaur, all bowed to varying degrees, as Erick followed behind Jane and Goldie, to the east side of Melemizargo’s Throne.

- - - -

Erick stepped down a wide white staircase, deep into a canyon of clear crystal, following his daughter and the former Shade of Assassination, through lands that reminded him a lot of Brightwater, back in Ar’Kendrithyst. Back when he first went into that land, he had stepped down a similar staircase, and all around had been skyscrapers of crystal with sky bridges and little courtyards filled with plants and a whole bunch of different living areas, all filled with shadelings walking around in fugue-states. Those almost-people played out their lives as though they were real people, and not barely-sentient souls of the Old Cosmology stuck walking tracks that their lives used to walk, so very long ago.

Looking back on that moment, and knowing what he now knew, Erick could tell that the shadelings around here, in these skyscrapers and in these living spaces, were actual people. Humans and incani and harpies and goblins, and all the other races of Veird, were present in this place. And they all noticed Erick, Jane, and Goldie, walking down a staircase that did not connect to any of the nearby crystals. Erick walked through the lands of shadelings; separate, but seen.

It was better than walking through a land of ghosts. It was better than walking ‘invisibly’, knowing that if the residents did see you, that they would go dark-shit insane and try to kill you.

As it was, these people all bowed at Erick’s passing, some going all the way to their knees to press their foreheads against the skybridges they walked upon, and against the floors of courtyards that hung suspended between crystal spires. All conversation stopped. All sounds ceased, save for the wind blowing through the crystal city, through the second largest shadeling civilization here on Veird.

This all sort of reminded Erick of the actual largest shadeling civilization on Veird; Candlepoint. Except a lot more layered.

In four minutes, Jane led them from Melemizargo’s Throne, to step onto a large white-and-clear crystal courtyard; one of the largest around. To the left and the right were sky bridges that encircled the area under the Throne, providing what amounted to a ‘wall’, separating the shadeling side of Ascendant Mountain from the rest of Ascendant Mountain. Behind Erick lay an inhabited city. Further forward lay lands of real monsters, and cultivated danger. That’s where sentinel golems prowled and adventurers killed those sentinels, to gain keys to the greater dungeons, which also lay ahead, in that land of white crystal, deep shadows, and grand dungeons.

Jane headed right, along the border sky bridge, following a wide gap in the crystal city.

Erick followed. Almost no one walked this road for it was guarded by guardians who hovered above and to the sides, ready to kill anyone who came this way without keys, or without permission.

Jane soon came to the end of the road, to where a large open space held out from the crystal lands like a cliff-balcony, reaching beyond the city, to stick out over the canyon. She turned right. Erick glanced to the left, and saw the northern slope of Ascendant Mountain, about 3.5 kilometers down, looking like a carpet of green with a few brighter colors here and there. Between the northern slope and this southern rise, lay a dark canyon filled with monsters and dungeons... somewhere down there in the shadowy mist—

Jane pointed forward and spoke for the first time in the fifteen minutes they had walked here, “That’s where we’re staying.”

It was standard crystal housing, looking from the outside almost like a skyscraper, like the upscale hotels of Treehome. The whole thing was white and opaque and boxy, but there were also tan areas, shadows in corners, and glinting gold here and there. Some balconies on some of the windows offered great views of the north, and also of the east, where the sun would rise over a land of crystal, and mountains.

Jane walked up to the entrance, and then went into the crystal tower.

Erick easily followed, and so did Goldie.

“A whole hotel to ourselves?” Erick asked, as he looked around the lobby, and saw for himself what awaited him. Luxury. And a lot of it. “I suppose private pools for bathing quarters are nice. If a bit much.”

There were four servants in the hotel, each of them shadelings. Three of them were in the kitchens, located about 40 meters away and down in the bowels of the hotel, all kowtowing in Erick’s direction. The fourth was kowtowing beside what was obviously a concierge desk, right in front of Erick.

Erick said, “Rise, and tell me what you’re here for.”

The interior space of that black archway of people... wavered.

“That’s a dungeon portal,” Erick said, looking up at the stone bodies pretending to be a simple archway. “That’s a dungeon in there.”

Lapis nodded. “Yes. It’s a hidden dungeon. Shadelings sometimes come out of the Well, but mostly they exist in the shadow city inside this grand dungeon. This portal is the entrance into that dungeon... It’s easier to see and understand than to explain.”

Erick was apprehensive about walking into a dungeon—

But Jane walked forward, Lapis followed.

Erick put aside his lack of trust, and spoke as he walked, “My first instinct is more along the lines of ‘what can Veird get out of this’, to prevent subsequent catastrophes, especially since it appears we will be dealing with Wizardry. How do you feel about focusing our efforts in that direction? And if we should happen to cross the Sundering, then—” Jane and Lapis had already crossed into the dungeon space, but now Erick followed, stepping through the archway... And nothing seemed to happen. He couldn’t even tell if his magic had been minimized, for it was all still working as it should. Even his staff still floated beside him. “... If we should happen to cross the path of the Sundering, then it will happen when we’re more prepared for that event.”

Lapis nodded as she continued to walk toward the Well, saying, “A more prudent use of resources could not be had.”

Jane stopped ten meters before the edge of the black pool, where a thin line of gold had been inlaid into the otherwise-white floor, like a ring encircling the whole pool.

Erick was glad that she had stopped, because his mana senses ended at that pool of black. There was nothing there as far as he could see, or sense. Using his All-Seeing Eye... Was not something Erick wanted to do in this location, right now, not knowing anything at all about what this Well of Darkness could actually do, or how it would respond to such an overt attempt to pierce its secrets. Despite how placid it was, and how silent it was, that black pool felt alive in a way few other things could ever hope to be called ‘alive’.

Jane seemed ready to open her mouth normally, and speak normally, but then she changed that idea, and spoke softly, “How does this work?”

Her quiet voice filled the entire cavern.

Lapis’s voice was much more normal. “Melemizargo is not actually here unless he wishes to be. This Well is for communication with the OverDark, which is not a real thing, but the idea is easier to get across when speaking in blasphemous, incorrect terms. Remain behind the gold line, and your words will barely reach the Dark. Step forward and brave oblivion by speaking your heart, praying for answers you can use.

“Using the Well properly requires speaking clearly in both word and action and magic.

“But at the same time, to speak to the Well of Darkness is to reach for True Magic.

“This is not for the weak. This is not for the unsure. If you harbor any of that within you, then to use this area is to invite oblivion to scour you clean from the world as it drags you down into its depths for proper answers.” Lapis said, “Those who have no Truth are the most vulnerable to the Well. Shadelings and Shades are least vulnerable, unless we actually touch the well, and then we are rather more vulnerable than most. An archwarrior, almost-Paladin of Melemizargo, and a secured Wizard dragon, should be reasonably safe, as long as you have clear ideas of what you want to know.

“Directly asking about the causes of the Sundering is not a good line of inquiry.”

Erick thought for a moment, then spoke with solidity, “I’m going to rattle off some inquiries that do not go against your warning, if that is safe to do in this location.”

His voice remained normal, for it did not spread out to fill the cavern, as Jane’s had. Thanks to Lapis’s words, and that small experiment of Erick’s, Erick understood that Jane’s query of ‘how does this work’ was way too open ended, while Erick’s own words had been more declarative than questioning. Jane noticed what Erick had noticed, and rapidly came to the same conclusion.

Lapis said, “Words stated instead of questions asked are a safe way to test your words before they become questions.”

Erick nodded.

He did not cross the gold line as he spoke, his words rippling the surface of the waters, “Evil gods responsible for great losses, and the possibility of those Evil gods somehow gaining a whole lot more power, even power over the Dark Itself, could happen if we searched for dead, Evil Gods in the Dark.”

The not-question had been a major one. But the Well did not react, save to ripple slightly. Could have just been the wind, though.

Erick would ask actual questions later, but for now, he continued with the not-questions. “Ancient magics that were responsible for great destruction, somehow gaining power over the Dark, could threaten Veird if we searched for those.”

Just another ripple.

“Destruction Wizards would be dangerous to find in the Dark.”

Just a ripple. Though perhaps it was a larger ripple than normal.

Erick decided to ask a Sundering question, or at least something closer to that sort of danger. “The possibility exists that the Dark Itself would want to purge the Old Cosmology, and cause a Sundering-like event.”

The Well rippled angrily. A low growl-like sound, almost too soft to be called a growl, echoed through the area.

“Perhaps the Sundering was caused by Xoat waking up and reconstituting all of the Old Cosmology back into himself, killing all the Old Cosmology in the process.”

The Well did nothing at all.

“The Sundering could have been caused by forces outside of the Old Cosmology, here in this New Cosmology or in other universes, of which the Fae often traveled freely.”

The air thrummed with distant power. Black water rippled deep.

Erick had held back his Intent from his words, perhaps because he was only preparing the air and the Well of Souls for the real questions, or perhaps because he had truly been trying to keep things simple, for now. But something called to him in those black waters. Erick had been teasing the Dark, and the Dark wanted something substantial.

Erick found himself stepping to the golden line on the marble ground.

He did not step far over that line, but he was close enough. And then Erick began to unfurl the power of his core, to let his intent seep into his voice, because what he truly wanted to know was not what caused the Sundering at all, even though that was what everyone else wanted, and why he was here, and why this was happening at all.

He wanted something more.

“What would be the single greatest thing to bring from the Old Cosmology into this new universe?”

The answer had come throughout the very firmament of the room itself, like a hammer wrapped in towel, the blow blunted only a little. Jane shielded herself right before reality vibrated like a [Strike]. She got sent flying to the edge of the room where she righted herself like a superhero landing on concrete, her legs crunching marble underfoot.

Lapis splashed away in a shower of shadows that almost instantly regathered into a person, much further away from the Well of Souls. She sported wounds everywhere, and her dress was shredded.

Erick withstood the Well’s answer like a stone in a storm of knives, his clothes disintegrating off his chest, and half away from his legs, his All-Seeing Eye flailed about on his neck while his staff huddled behind him, alongside Ophiel.

The answer was simple.

A CREATION WIZARD COMPARABLE TO YOURSELF

Erick fixed his clothes—

Hmm. [Mend] didn’t work properly. Ah. The manasphere imprint of his clothes had been thoroughly trashed, and when [Mend]ed, all Erick had ended up with was even more shreds hanging off of his body. He spent a few moments using [Duplicate] on his remaining fabrics, and then manually [Fabricate]ing them into what he had been wearing, but simpler; just a nice shirt, and nice pants. The shoes could remain obliterated, he supposed.

As Erick did that, he considered the Well’s answer.

The first thing to consider was that there had been no voice, no actual words. Melemizargo might have been the one speaking that answer, but Erick didn’t think he had, because to attempt a trick like that was easy enough to disprove; Erick was going to speak to Rozeta and possibly Phagar later, and they would have words to give regarding this event. Also, Erick certainly wasn’t going to be doing any exploration of anything right now. This was the information-gathering stage.

Rozeta would probably tell him something like ‘the Dark and Melemizargo are technically different, but there is no practical way to tell that difference.’

That line of inquiry wasn’t too useful.

Melemizargo could be lying, or he could truly be allowing Erick to venture into the unstructured Dark, into Melemizargo’’s ‘subconscious’, as it were.

As for The Dark’s answer...

“A Creation Wizard comparable to myself, eh?” Erick heard his voice echo in the air. And then he stepped forward. He was already past the golden line, but now he was two meters from the Well’s edge. He asked the pool directly, “Why does this world need a powerful Creation Wizard?”

TO FIGHT AGAINST ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION

“... Fair,” Erick said, his clothes barely rippled by the firmament’s answer this time.

For a moment, he thought more.

And then Erick turned around and walked away, looking first to Jane, and then to Lapis. Jane mumbled about being okay, though she had blood on her lips and she had needed to regrow her arm. Erick had known she was okay already, but it was good to see that she actually was okay. Lapis was doing fine, too, having changed her sleek black dress into something more matching Erick’s new casual attire; a black sundress.

Erick said, “I’ve seen enough for now. Thank you for the directions, Lapis. I will be coming back on my own, and I’m sure Jane will as well. Where is the dungeon that has all the dungeon master slimes ready to go?”

The cavern had four exits, each of them looking the same as the one Erick, Jane, and Lapis had come in through. Only one led back to reality as Erick knew it, though; all the rest led into a mirror-version of Mount Ascendant, where shadelings in fugue states lived their lives, like the fugue-shadelings around Brightwater had done, back when Brightwater was full of shadelings and that Dark civilization.

Lapis gestured back to that first archway, saying, “We’ll have to go this way to get there, but it’s on the other side of the Throne. We’ll take a Platform around.”

Erick glanced toward the other hallways, asking, “Will the shadelings in the dungeon actually attack right away, if we should go deeper into the dungeon?”

“Yes, and with extreme prejudice.” Lapis said, “They’re deep in the shadow fugue.”

Erick looked to Jane, “Do you want to ask anything?”

“I’ll do it later,” Jane said.

“... Fair enough.”

Erick started walking back the way they had come, away from the Well of Shadows, and back into the sunset light. Jane and Lapis followed. As Erick stepped out into that red light, and all the white and clear crystal spires glowed with the colors of sunset, Erick was reminded of Ar’Kendrithyst, a lot. This place had been called the Second Ar’Kendrithyst by many. It was a fitting title.

Lapis led the way, onto a floating Platform of crystal, saying, “There aren’t many Platforms in the city because they’re a security issue, but I’ve put up a few for your use. Other people are already using them without permission, of course, and then heavily requesting permission when they’re found out, so it seems we might end up with a Platform Network soon enough.”

Erick smiled as he stepped onto that Platform, saying, “Node networks are very useful for eternalizing magic, though Platform systems have a way of failing and dropping people off in midair.”

With everyone on it, the platform took off slowly, rising into the air along a line of light that directed them toward the south, and then east.

“That is the major danger,” Lapis said, resigned to people falling to their deaths for using a Platform network.

Erick could commiserate with that.

“Have you done much further experimenting with [Renew] since last we spoke?” Erick asked, hoping for a better topic.

Lapis chuckled. “It is hard to say exactly which miracle of yours is more impressive, Erick. Elemental Benevolence, the acceptance of certain Wizards in Veird’s society, Particle Magic, any of the other things you have done for us, or [Renew]. Everything about enchanting changed with that one Establishment, though most of the world has yet to truly catch up. I think I’ve done alright, though.” As they flew around the Throne, neither the top nor the bottom visible, Lapis said, “I’ve managed to make self-repairing artifacts and self-creating artifacts.”

Erick’s eyebrows went up. “Really.”

“Both were inordinately difficult, but the repairing ones were slightly easier. I’ve managed a Rod of Storm, based off of your [Call Lightning], that has two charges and breaks after the second use, but by imparting around 50,000 mana the whole rod comes back together, ready for proper use once again.” Lapis added, “Which is 1 use per day, mind you. The second is for emergencies only.”

To understand how large of a breakthrough that was, Erick only had to think back to his experiments with metiron in the Glittering Depths, and how you just couldn’t do that on Veird; you couldn’t make artifacts that made themselves... Without using souls, of course.

Erick asked, “No souls?”

“No souls at all!” Lapis happily proclaimed. “Not even a bit of actualization in that whole experiment. Pure runework and enchanting and all based around [Renew].”

“Congratulations!” Erick chuckled. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to pick your mind about all of that later, you cannot have made a self-creating one without souls. Now that would take Wizardry.”

“Of course. I’d love to discuss all of that later.” Lapis said, “Also... I might not be able to publish my research like a normal person, but perhaps you’d be able to bring that magic out into the world, too?”

She had a look of quiet need about her as she asked for global recognition. She was done with her ‘Repent Sinner’ Quest, but it had become a habit of hers to help others however she could, usually through magical knowledge. It was a good habit. Erick wished to foster that desire.

Erick nodded. “I’d have to know about whichever magic you wish to show the world before I could give my endorsement, but that doesn’t seem like too much of an ask.”

Lapis smiled a little, “I want to show the world both of them.

“The creating artifact was a natural outgrowth of the repairing artifact, but the creating one does have some slime-level souls to it, which you were correct to guess at, for there was simply no other way I could find to make a self-creating artifact happen. Those souls are discharged as slimes of an appropriate element once the item is fully created, though; they do not become slaves to the artifact.”

Erick’s eyebrows went up again. “Huh.” And then he asked, “How?”

With a look of triumph, Lapis said, “To start, the self-creating artifact has quite a bit more depth than the repairing artifact, making use of four different magical theorems, of which [Renew] and Benevolence became a fifth and sixth addition to that quartet, solving the whole creation problem in a rather straightforward sort of way.

“I believe that once you have any type of artifact of high enough quality, one should be able to adhere a self-repairing artifact to the third artifact, which could be of any type, and thus you will have made a magical artifact that repairs other magical artifacts. Though that is, of course, a much more difficult problem than the other two problems, of first making an artifact that repairs itself, and making an artifact that makes itself. The general line of difficulty of creation in making a universal repairing artifact is either a line or an exponent, and I do not know which.

“All of that is made rather superfluous by the fact that [Renew] exists at all, but not all worlds will have [Renew], and thus we must make a magic that makes itself viable wherever it might be.

“And so, to start with the self-creating artifact, which is actually the second step:

“We look upon the Rich-man’s theorem, to explore the cultural relation between gold-platinum-iron, and how each of them has a value based upon common cause. And then we look at Particle Theory, and how iron and oxygen— Ah!” Lapis paused, then she said, “The self-creating item I made was a Rod of [Prismatic Ward]. Not the Solid Ward function, but the anti-magic version. That one seems to be the easiest to self-create, though any sort of defensive [Ward] is similarly easy.” She continued, “Looking at how iron turns to iron oxide...”