A Mage Rising: (The Chronicles of Herst 2: A LitRPG Saga)

by Thomas Whipple

  When Azzaria started whispering into Thia’s ear Dolan nudges me. Nodding at the two girls he quietly tells me “I don’t envy ya with the trouble your three girls are going to cause ya.” At that moment there is a lilting giggle that sounds out from Thia. Azzaria and Thia are looking at me now and I feel like a steak for some reason.

  I turn back to Dolan to quietly reply “You are a wise man Dolan.”

  The rest of the meal was otherwise uneventful. Thia obviously made a good impression on everyone, Hildre and Enora even gave her hugs before we left. The first thing we do is hit up the armory. Now that Thia can actually hold a weapon I want to find her something that will help her. All the casting focuses I saw in the armory before were not really suited for me since I have so many magic types unlocked, but since Thia has only Air magic at this point there should be something there for her. The four of us walk in and I wave to the wall that has all the magical items on it. “OK Thia, find something you like.”

  She walks forward and starts scanning the items there. Quickly passing up the staves, Thia makes her way over to the wands. She stands there staring for a moment before she picks up a Wand that looks like it is made of glass. When she turns it in front of her face a smile forms on her full lips. As I watch, the clear wand appears to change different colors. The effect is like looking through a prism. I recognize the effect from a bar of elementium that I Identified from the treasury once. I walk up to her and use my skill to view this particular item.

  Elementium Wand of Paralysis: A wand made of Elementium and designed as a focus for Air mages. Increases the chance of paralysis from lightning based attacks by 20%. Item class: Rare. Durability 150/150. 20% increase to the power of Air spells. 5% increase to power of all other elemental spells. +10 INT. +10 WIS. +5 VIT.

  “Nice choice Thia. I can enchant it more when we are done here. Anything else you want to look at?” She nods to my question, already looking distractedly at another shelf with items on it. She walks over and starts picking the objects up and looking at them. Some are skulls while others are metal balls or even one that looks like a Thurible. She finally settles on a silver colored orb with designs across its surface. That particular shade of silver reminds me of something, but it is just out of reach in my mind. When I step up next to Thia I hold my hand out to her and she places the orb in my palm to examine. The weight that lands in my hand tells me it’s solid and about the size of an orange. What brings back the memory that was slipping away is the weight. It’s pretty light but definitely solid and I know what it is. “It’s Titanium. I didn’t know there was any on this world.” I hadn’t seen any bars of it in the treasury before. I’m using a two handed staff so I didn’t Inspect these off hand items much when I was here earlier. That explains why I didn’t see this item’s description the first time around.

  Titanium Casting Orb: A Titanium Orb that is meant for casters. When this item is equipped by a user it can be sent to float above the shoulder to allow the free hand for dual casting. Item class: Rare. Durability: 200/200. +7 INT. +7 WIS. +4 AGI.

  That sounds amazingly cool. I’ll need to look for what else has that whole floating over the shoulder property and see if I can learn it. My guess is that it takes the place of the magic amplification enchant in the creation process. “I can add enchants to this as well” I tell her before handing it back. She smiles brightly at me and then turns her attention back to the orb. A moment later it starts to lift off her left hand and hovers about six inches above her left shoulder. The symbols and the patterns on the orb release a soft blue glow that is not very noticeable in the well lit room. Still holding her new wand in her right hand she turns back to me expectantly. From our bond I can tell she is done, and pleased with her new toys.

  “You aren’t done yet” I tell her. I turn to Timbre and say “Come here Timbre and change for me please.” She gives a yip and trots over to me, changing mid way.

  When Timbre gets next to me she says “What now?”

  “You both need a backup weapon. Maybe more than one, but at least one for now” I tell them. I then lead them both over to the opposite side of the room. “Azzaria and I already have daggers, and I think it’s a good idea that we grab one for each of you now. Looking through the rack of daggers I grab two identical ones and hand them over.

  High Steel Dagger of Agility: High steel dagger made with speed in mind. Item class: Common. Durability: 50/50. +5 AGI. Base Dmg: 25-30.

  I get a double sided hug from my companion and familiar before we head out of the room. None of their gear that I just gave them has a sheath or anything so I’ll need to visit Jerick before we head over to the clothier. First though, we head downstairs to the crafting room with all the Mana Crystals. I grab a few and set all the new gear on the table to get started. For all the items I add the Haste enchantment that increases the attack speed by five percent for all of them. Then I take a moment to decide on the active spells I want to add. I like the combination of Burning Palm and a dagger so I add that to both. For the wand I want to add something that is not air magic but will compliment her lightning. I use my Waterspout spell as a base and it adds a slightly weaker version of that is called Water Gun. For the orb I go with a defensive spell and add Mana Barrier.

  I wasn’t paying attention to the amount of mana I was using when enchanting. All of the sudden the headache I didn’t notice ratchets up to unbearable and my vision tunnels. I stumble back a step when I bump into something soft and warm. Then my vision goes dark for a moment. When my vision starts to clear I feel like I am floating on warm fluffy clouds. It takes me another moment to realize those aren’t clouds my head is nestled into. I am lying across the laps of all three girls and my head is firmly planted in Azzaria’s womanly mounds. When they notice that I’m conscious again I get a warm smile from all of them.

  “What happened?” I groan. That gets a whine from Timbre, and a quiet “Idiot” from Thia with a fondness in her tone.

  It’s Azzaria that gives me the full answer. “You pushed yourself too hard. After that last enchantment your mana was almost completely depleted. I tried to warn you but you were so focused that I don’t think you heard.”

  We still have a lot to take care of so I start to get up, only for all three of them to hold me still. “How long was I out?” I direct my question to all of them, but Azzaria answers me again.

  “You were only out for a few minutes. You still need to let your mana replenish. Even then you should wait some time to use any again and then you should take it easy for the rest of the day.”

  Taking a deep breath I settle into my pleasant pillows for a few minutes, just letting my mana recover. After I’m above fifty percent they let me up and we walk to the main square. There are a few curious looks at Thia but everyone is friendly as we head toward Jerick’s shop. Half way across the plaza I hear the rapid tapping of tiny feet. Knowing what is about to happen I brace myself and turn toward the sound with open arms.

  “Uncle Vol!” The little missile cries before slamming into my chest and clinging to me like a baby koala bear.

  I wrap my arms around Zia and give her a firm hug before setting her down. “It’s good to see you Zia. How is your training going?”

  “It’s great. Thank you so much for helping me to become a mage like you. I’m level three in Neutral type magic now. I have a little trouble aiming though.” All of this comes out in one breath and I interject before she can get her wind back.

  “I have something that could help you with that.” When in the armory I remembered the apprentice staff that I was holding on to for her. It was a little too tall for her so I had already enchanted it with an autofit feature. I take the staff out of my storage and hand it over to her. Looking at it she frowns.

  “This is great uncle, but it is too big for me” she tells me solemnly.

  I smile at her. “Nonsense. I already took care of that. Just hold it and focus on the size it needs to be.” She holds the staff in both hands then scrunches her fac
e up as she stares at it. A moment later the staff shortens and is just as tall as Zia. She smiles at me and I add a warning like last time. “Make sure you only use it to train when your mommy or daddy is there to watch you.” Nira smiles at me with appreciation for a moment then calls Zia over again. The girls and I wave them goodbye as they head to the training ground and we continue our walk.

  At Jerick’s shop we find him behind the counter like usual. When he sees us come in he greets us and then takes notice of Thia. I make introductions and we get to business. “I need two more belts, the same ones like mine will work if you have them, and a sheath for each to place this dagger” I say, pointing to the one in Timbre’s hand. “Also a pouch to store that” I point to the orb that is still floating next to Thia, “and a holder for her wand.”

  Jerick takes a good look at the belt I am wearing then heads over to one of the shelves to my right. He grabs a few things then comes back. “This should do for all of it. Everything else will attach to the belt.” On the counter is everything I asked for. The belts with a potion pouch already on it and the other things to attach sitting next to them. The girls get their new belts on and I take out some potions to give to them for their new belts. Thia gets half mana and half health potions while Timbre gets one mana and the rest health. I pay Jerick without haggling and we step out the door.

  Next stop is the clothier shop. Faulst is behind the counter like always and he has a bright smile when he sees us. The smiling fox looks to Thia in her elfin form and then back to me with a questioning eyebrow raise. “That is Thia. She decided that Timbre had a good idea and decided to do the same.” Derl told some of the guards about Timbre’s naked assist during our rescue of the villagers. The story spread and everyone knows about Timbre now.

  Faulst just nods in understanding. “So what can I do for you all today.”

  “Well, today is Thia’s first day shape shifted and she has no clothes. Right now she is wearing one of Azzaria’s outfits. I would like you to get her a few sets of traveler’s clothes. I was also wondering if you had wizard robes or something like that?” Faulst nods at the question so I continue. “I would like a couple sets for her that are a yellow color to match her.” Thinking of our impending trip I add something else to the order. “She will need a couple brown ones with an oversized hood too, designed to hide her form. And let’s not forget, a pair of slippers in each color that fit her.”

  Without a word, Faulst starts grabbing things off of shelves. I watch for a moment, but then Azzaria grabs my arm and starts to usher me out despite my protests. She is insistent so I give in to her wish. Before I close the door I see the three girls all talking amongst themselves, pointing at different items. I close the door, trusting Azzaria to think of the essentials for my familiar and wait outside. It felt like it took forever but was probably only thirty to forty five minutes. When they emerge from the shop they aren’t carrying anything so I have no idea what else they may have purchased. They must have placed everything in their storage items. One thing I can tell is new is the pale yellow dress and matching slippers that Thia is wearing. The robe is tight and shows off her figure but not so much as to be restricting.

  The last place I have planned for us to visit is Pora’s jewelry shop. She is the only jeweler in the town that I know, and she did a great job on the armlets she created. This is good since I want her to make their matching twin for the other arm. “Hey Pora. How are things?” I ask as soon as we enter.

  Pora’s face lights up when she sees us. Not surprising as the last time I paid her a visit she got a very useful and valuable item as payment. “What can I do for you today?”

  I return the smile easily and respond. “I need you to make a match for the armlets I had you make last time. This time I will be paying in coin though.” I punctuate the statement by placing the required orichalcum and thumb sized diamond, sapphire and emerald on the counter in front of her. I also place 50 gold coins on the counter for her work. It is overpayment since I provided all the materials, but I think that it’s a good idea to keep a good relationship with the only jeweler in town. Plus, I’m very satisfied with her work.

  Knowing it will take a few hours before I need to enchant them I tell Pora to have them all ready to enchant at the same time and that I will be back in a couple hours. Looking to the girls I say “I am going to go try to finish the road along the area that I was interrupted doing yesterday. What do you girls want to do?”

  Azzaria looks to the other girls and they all share one of those looks that only women can understand then turns back to me. At the same time they chorus “Shopping.” My heart cringes a little at the realization that I now have three women to spend my money instead of just one. Azzaria continues “Thia and Timbre have no provisions stored away, so we’ll hit up the general store and Enora’s potion shop. Do you need anything?”

  At least she is considerate enough to ask me if I need her to spend more money for myself. That does remind me though. “My mana pool is much larger than it was before. I could use a few mana potions that are stronger than what we have. We all could use stronger potions I think.”

  “Will do!” she says excitedly. All three girls file out of the door giving me a kiss on the cheek as they pass.

  Hearing a chuckle from behind me I see Pora shaking her head and trying to suppress her merriment. I just roll my eyes at her and leave the shop. I race to the south gate to pick up where I left off, getting there in a few minutes thanks to my increased AGI and the speed it brings. As I’m running I reflect on it. I must be as fast as an Olympic runner and I am not really pushing it either. When I get to the gate it has been a few hours since my blackout earlier so I figure I’m safe to use magic now. I start raising tiles of stone to form the road, using the town’s mana to augment my efforts and speed it up. In a little under two hours I’m able to get the road that runs along the inside of the wall finished.

  After running back to Pora’s shop I see the girls walking up as well. I wave and follow them in. Inside Pora is still tapping away on one of the armlets. Azzaria hands me 10 new blue potions. When I use Identify on them I can tell they must have been expensive, but they are exactly what I need.

  Strong Mana Potion: Using this restores 500 MP instantly and another 500 MP over 30 seconds. Item class: Rare.

  “Thanks babe. These are exactly what I need.” I don’t ask how much they cost though, since I’m pretty sure that I don’t want to know. Turning to Pora I ask “Are they ready?”

  She sets the one she is working on aside. “That one is ready for you. The others will be ready in a moment.” I look over the cuff of orichalcum and see that they all match their counterparts from before. This time I enchanted them differently though. The first is the one with the emerald set in it. For Azzaria I enchant it with the strongest AGI enchant that I can. This adds fourteen AGI. As my enchanting ability gets higher this will increase. I also add an autofit enchantment to it. Last I add Mana Barrier as the active skill and link it to the gem for charges so that it can be used without draining the user’s mana. This gives it ten casts of the spell. The recharge rate for them is one charge per day.

  For the other two armlets I add the enchantment to automatically store the user’s items upon shifting. This is the same one that I placed on Timbre’s necklace, but the better material for enchanting means I can add more enchantments and the durability isn’t penalized. I also add INT for the one with the diamond and VIT for the one with the sapphire. They each gain seven in their stat. They also get the Mana Barrier active enchantment and autofit like Azzaria’s. Each armlet is strong with 250 durability, the same as their counterparts, but as jewelry they have no armor value in their descriptions.

  As I finish each I get a grateful smile when I hand it over, then the girls all gather round to look at it while I move on to the next. Finished with the last one I hand it over for the girls to look at and turn to Pora. “Would it damage them if I had you etch them with a design?”

  �
��Normally it would, but I have a special talent that lets me do so with out damaging the item or its enchantment. What do you have in mind?”

  At the moment the armlets are just plain bands, but I wanted them to further match their respective selves. “For Thia’s I want you to etch Thunderbird symbols, and wolves for Timbre.” I take a moment to think and remember a conversation Azzaria and I had. When she was young her parents used to call her a panther cub because she would hide in trees all the time and surprise them by jumping out. They said she was an ambush predator like the panther. “A panther for Azzaria’s armlets should be appropriate. Will it take long to do?”

  “Just watch” she tells me with a smirk. She calls each girl over and they give her the old and new armlets. Pora holds them in her hand for a moment and they are enveloped in a soft, silvery glow. When they are done, they all have the appropriate animal etched into the bands. The designs bring to mind the stylized representations Native American art often has. This reminds me of my old life in Arizona where you could find these sorts of things all the time. I expect to feel homesick or miss my old life a little, but just feel contented with my current situation.

  The designs are a big hit with my girls and they all give me a hug, though Azzaria’s is a little teary. “You remembered about my parents” she states, her voice thick with emotion.