Chapter 228: The Best Option Comes First

    I thought over Etja’s claim, calling to mind the other times I’d seen a Deific ability. Yaretzi’s Thunderdome had been Deific, but I hadn’t ever found out what it cost the Littan to use the skill. It seemed like the kind of thing he was reluctant to use, given that the psychopathic soldier had waited until he was an inch from death to activate it. Zura had sunk the Littan fleet with a Deific spell called Geul’s Embrace, which cost 2,000 mana and could only be cast by the Zenithar of Geul.

    Yara’s Holy Waters and the Tears of Tyranny we’d used against Hysteria had been Deific, and those were extraordinarily valuable consumables created by a goddess and an avatar, respectively. Then there was Hysteria’s Divine Favor. Anything with a Deific effect was, presumably, very expensive to use or could only be used a limited number of times.

    The Heavenly Gates evolution wouldn’t add any additional cost to my portals and teleports. They would instruct the universe to do what I asked, and only something with god-like powers could stop it.

    “The Closet entrance is a portal,” I said. “The System wouldn’t be able to keep me from opening it inside Delves.”

    [Correct. Nor could a Delve Core such as Throne create weaves that hinder your teleports in any way. You would not need to bypass teleportation wards by going strangeward, as you call it, because the wards will be useless against you.

    “I’m getting pretty good with that ability, though.”

    [It is only a matter of time before you encounter foes who can foil movement through higher dimensions. Even Throne had such weaves in the making, but had not finished installing them.]

    “All right. Could I hide other Delvers in the Closet, go into a Delve, and then have a small army come out to help us beat it?”

    [I do not see why not. Although, there are ways to make that tactic unsound. Regardless, there are any number of things we could construct within the Closet that could not be accessed via an inventory space. Imagine, if you will, a three-hundred-foot cannon with a portal at the barrel.]

    “Offensive uses aside, we would always have a safe line of retreat,” said Varrin. “Unbreakable access to rest and resupply.”

    “Or we could just leave Delves we don’t like,” said Xim. “Go into the Closet and take a Checkpoint.”

    [This goes much further than Delves. Anyone aside from avatars or gods would have no way to block you. You could teleport the entire party into an enemy fortress, no matter how secure their countermeasures.]

    “What about devotees? High-level clerics or avatar flunkies?” I asked. “We’ve seen other people use Deific abilities.”

    [The chance that an individual has a Deific-grade counterspell granted to them by a divine being is exceptionally low. Perhaps there is one individual in the world with such an ability. I even find that much unlikely. Remember that your experience has been an outrageous divergence from the norm.]

    “And you guys aren’t worried about going deeper into camp Dread Star?”

    Varrin grumbled in consideration. “The entity has been a boon thus far.”

    “A bit rough the last time we chatted,” Xim added. “But it ended up helping us out. Sam’lia urges caution with the Dread Star, but not avoidance. It isn’t evil, it just... is.”

    “This feels like a really important decision,” I said. “One that we probably shouldn’t make while under the influence of... you know.”

    “Fuck me,” said Xim. “I almost forgot about that.”

    “I didn’t!” said Etja. “Since, you know, I literally can’t.” She smiled. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, and Grotto is on board as well.”

    “Even so,” I said. “There’s a degree of risk. The two of you might be affected in other ways.”

    “Then we should focus on that above everything else,” said Varrin. “I know that we agreed not to alter our plans based on the potential presence of manipulation, but this is something new. Refusing to act on it would be absurd.”

    “Agreed,” said Xim.

    “Makes sense,” said Etja.

    [I still believe you should accept it before the Dread Star revokes the offer.]

    “Just, let’s look at the other options at least,” I said. “Maybe the best one wasn’t offered first. Who knows? Maybe Yara has something in here as well.”

    [She does not.]

    I rolled my eyes and looked at the next evolution, sharing it as I went.

    Tactile Telekinesis

    You may fly at your normal movement speed. You gain a bonus X% to flying speed where X is equal to your Dimensional Magic skill level.

    If you would be forced to move, reduce the distance of that movement by a number of feet equal to your Dimensional Magic skill level.

    Increase your lift capacity by a number of pounds equal to 1,000 times your Dimensional Magic skill level.

    Increase your maximum throwing distance by a number of feet equal to twice your Dimensional Magic skill level.

    “Oh look,” I said. “A flying brick evolution.”

    “What in the hells does that mean?” asked Xim.

    “It makes me fly really fast, prevents stuff from knocking me around, and makes me super strong.”

    “You can already fly,” said Etja. “And Gravity Anchor keeps you from getting knocked around.”

    “The lift capacity increase is substantial for you now,” said Nuralie. “But it would not be much of a bonus by Strength 70. Since you are building Strength anyway, I do not think it is very good.”

    I heaved a sigh. “And the bonus to throwing range isn’t that big of a deal because of my Blunt evolutions. Fine. Next!”

    “Is Throne supposed to follow us around now?” asked Etja. “The System gave her to us as a reward, but forcing her to come with us is kind of–how do I put it? Evil. Yep, definitely evil.”

    [I have taken it upon myself to watch over Throne. She would benefit from my guidance and has little recourse other than to obey the System’s wishes.]

    {I am a tool for the will of my creator!}

    [I can also work on teaching her some independence.]

    {I don’t need any of your independence, corruptor!}

    “Weren’t you disobeying the System with how you ran this Delve?” I asked.

    {No. Not directly. Listen, I don’t need independence from the System, I just need it to let me do whatever I want. And what I want is to get away from you freaks.}

    [A shame. I was hoping to provide you with a full upload of 0024’s Sixty-One Methodologies of Psychological Harm. I have not been able to discuss it with anyone in some time.]

    {I’ve decided that I will allow you to take me along!}

    [Excellent. Rather than following the party through the bitter cold, perhaps you would like to join me while I survey my growth vats?]

    {You have growth vats? Are you on the Animal Husbandry track?!}

    [Yes. I also have Golemancy, Architecture, and Botany. I can assist with your necromantic pursuits via my expertise in Spiritual Magicks as well.]

    {Hmph! Very well. I will allow you to teach me. Where are you, anyway? And how do I get there?}

    [Arlo, you can deposit Throne into your inventory. I will retrieve her on my end.]

    “Easy enough,” I said.

    I grabbed Throne and sent her into my inventory. She let out a squeal as I did so, but I liked to imagine it was one of excitement and enthusiasm for her upcoming lessons with Professor Grotto, rather than one of indignance and alarm.

    “I forgot to ask, but does anyone else have new evolutions to discuss?”

    “I got three at once!” said Etja. “Mystical, Incantation, and Exemplar all made it to Level 40. But I’m gonna spend some time thinking about ‘em. I’ll ask for advice if I need it.”

    “That’s a lot of evolutions all at once,” I said. “But sure, take your time. We’ll bed down here for a day or so to recover.”

    We chose to camp out in the obelisk chamber since the pleasant decor and gentle glow stone lighting established a more comfortable mood than our shitty stone situation room inside the Closet.

    We chatted and shot the shit while Etja made dinner. The mage had recently taken the Cooking & Hospitality intrinsic, so the rice and beef tenders dish was absolutely incredible. After a big meal, we crashed into our bedrolls and spent the next day working on individual pursuits. Nuralie did some alchemy, Xim meditated, Etja worked on her mana shaping, Varrin oiled and cleaned his armor and swords, and I read a book.

    I couldn’t be in work mode all the time.

    Okay, eventually I got bored of the book and made my first wand.

    I took out some scrap rosewood that had once been part of a beautiful armoire, then cut it into shape with a small dagger. It wasn’t quite the right tool for the job, but it was good enough. Woodworking tools went on my shopping list.

    There were three main components to the most basic wand. Internally, there was the root, which was a rod where the spell matrix was imbued. Next was the leaf–the power source–which could take any shape, though it was usually a disk contained within the pommel. The third piece was the bark–the external housing that protected the wand’s internal components.

    These terms were taught to me by Grotto, and I enjoyed the nature theming.

    Obviously, lacking the relevant crafting skill, my first wand was kind of shit. Carving the spell matrix was tedious and required a high level of precision I wasn’t used to. The bark also needed to fit over the root snugly, and hollowing out a cylinder of wood with the exactness of a machine made me wish for a drill of some kind. Finally, there was the leaf, which was probably my biggest disappointment.

    “Five mana capacity,” I said, holding up the finished product.

    I didn’t have any sealant or glaze, so the wand still had a fresh-cut, unfinished look. Even so, I was satisfied with the overall aesthetic. It looked better than half the wands I used to see at renn fairs and prop stores. Of course, it had taken a ruby chip to make, so it was roughly 1,000 times more expensive than any of those.

    “I’m underwhelmed,” I added.

    [You should be happy you succeeded on your third attempt.]

    I glanced down at the discarded failures and grunted. “Sure, I guess.”

    [The intrinsic skill will result in rapid improvement. Go ahead and imbue the spell and you should be offered the skill.]

    I channeled a bit of mana into the wand, giving me a single-use Wand of Reckless Shortcut. I tossed my first creation to Etja since she was the only other person who met the spell’s requirements. Despite the wand’s amateur design, she seemed happy with the gift.

    The System prompted me, and I accepted the Wandmaking skill. Woodworking would have been more versatile and still allowed me to make wands, but Wandmaking was more focused. I didn’t have time to become a carpenter. Unlike Smithing, Wandmaking was something I’d easily be able to practice during brief bouts of downtime.

    After the day passed, we grabbed another solid night of rest. The next morning we set out to head even further north, toward the tallest and most frigid mountains in all the lands. And by ‘we’ I mean I hopped back into the Varrin harness while everyone else stayed warm and cozy inside the Closet.

    On the way, I got a notification I’d been waiting for.

    You remember the Dread Star’s true name.