We move on to take a better look around the place, going into the hall. Azzaria stops in her tracks when she leaves the room and turns to the doors. When I take a look I can see that there is nothing there. The doors no longer have anything on them. We look at the blank doors for a moment but move on shortly after. Down the stairs we enter the large hall again. Looking around for anything hidden we see that the double doors in the center of the back wall are also blank now. Walking up to them, I place a hand on the handle. There is a little spark of static when I touch it, but I grip the handle and pull. Since last time it was locked I tugged on it pretty hard, and nearly fell on my butt again today when it opened easily. Light pours out of the open doors and I have to cover my eyes and let them adjust after being in the dim hall. The others join me and we step into the room. It's another hall like the previous room but only about half the size and with two rows of columns that form a walkway down the. All the walls and the pillars are smooth and flawless but with no decoration at all, which I find odd. What gets everyone's attention though is the floating crystal at the end of the hall that is emitting the light.
Azzaria mumbles something that sounds like disbelief, and when I look to her she motions me on. Stepping forward we walk the hall to the end and I stand in front of the glowing crystal. It looks like a crystal clear gem about the size of my head, but white light is emanating from it. Wary after the last time I saw this I am still intrigued enough to reach forward and lay my hand on it. The crystal starts to grow brighter and it is hard to see. When I try to pull my hand away I can't, and it is starting to get warm. I start to panic with the image in my head of my hand turning to ash and blowing away, but it ends as suddenly as it began. I feel a tug inside my chest and notice a new connection forming to my soul, like Thia's, and then my hand comes free. As soon as I am released I get an explanation.
You have made a connection to an Ancient Mana Fount. You and the mana fount will now share traits. As the one bound to the Mana Fount you are now in control of the area around it. As the owner of this place you now have access to its development menu.
You gain the title Bound to Power.
As I am reading I notice the crystal is turning nebulous with little stars appearing and then little solar systems forming inside. It looks exactly like a crystal version of the tree I chose for my subclass.
You can make this location an altar to your patron god. This is permanent and cannot be undone without killing you. Do you wish to do this Yes/No.
I thought I would be mad at the goddess that was probably the one to rip me away from my life on Earth, but I'm not. When I actually think about it and how it allowed me to meet Timbre, Thia, and Azzaria all I can feel is a deep gratitude. Yeah I have faced death on multiple occasions, but I have never felt so ALIVE as I have since I came here. With that on my mind, I focus on yes. After that the crystal starts to lower itself as the stone under it appears to liquefy. The stone rises to meet the crystal and the stone forms a large cube about 4 feet on all sides. The crystal sinks into the center of it and as it does the whole thing takes on the same appearance as the crystal.
"Beautiful" I hear Azzaria sigh from behind me.
"It is." Before I get out another word there is a bright flash and a pulse of energy spreads out in a sphere from the altar. We all turn away as the wave of energy flows over us leaving a slightly tingly feeling all over. When we all turn back to the altar, there is a woman standing on the other side. Her robe is like looking into the depths of outer space, and her skin is pale yet healthy and glowing. Elfin, pointed ears and delicate features counterpoint her shining hair and fiery eyes of violet. I tried to use Identify but the result was all question marks and it made my head hurt like I'm starting to get a headache.
"You shouldn't do that, my champion. At least not until you are much stronger." She is looking at me when she says this and I freeze up for a second at the absolute beauty before me. I break out of it quickly, remembering that I have no idea who she is or what she is doing here. Looking over to Azzaria I am surprised to see that she is kneeling, Timbre has her head lowered, and Thia is looking between them and the mystery woman. Turning back to her she speaks again. "To answer your question, I am Gwydia." My mouth falls open, and so many questions flit through my mind that I can't even hold one to ask. "I am only able to show myself to you since this place is now dedicated to me, but I don't have long. To answer what you have speculated at, yes, I brought you here."
Finally I gain control of my tongue enough to ask "Why?"
"I had withdrawn from this world for so long that magic has begun to fade. Fewer mages come into being each year and more knowledge is lost. I brought you here to start spreading my influence. When I saw you embrace magic in your game, and the passion for it that grew within you, I knew it was you that I needed to champion my cause. That of returning knowledge and magic to this world."
Taking a moment to think over what she said, all I can say is "Thank you."
A smile curls her lips at that, then she turns to Azzaria. "My dear, please stand." Azzaria does while Gwydia speaks to her. "With the formation and dedication of the altar to me, you absorbed enough energy for me to unlock a magic type for you. I will let you choose and permanently raise your resonance for it as a reward for being such a true friend to my champion. What would you like me to focus that energy on?"
Surprised, Azzaria takes a moment to think. "Life please, so that I can heal him if he is injured. It happens far too often."
Gwydia actually giggles a little at this and then points at Azzaria for a moment. I feel an odd shifting in Azzaria, like the mana just flopped over or something. "It is done" says the goddess. With that she turns to me and says "This world is harsh and you are aware of only a small fraction. You are doing well though, keep up the good work." With that she gives me a little wink and is just gone. One moment she is standing right in front of me and the next there is nothing there.
After a few minutes I finally break the silence "Well, that was unexpected. I guess I kind of own this place now. We should clean up though. Don't need all the dead bodies stinking up the place."
"They aren't the only ones who stink" Azzaria says while pointedly looking in my direction.
Not being able to argue that point I just shrug my shoulders and respond "Can't say your wrong there. I need a shower. Maybe we can find one that works around here."
"Aren't you an enchanter? Shouldn't you be able to make one work?" With all the fighting for our lives I nearly forgot. Answering honestly "I don't know. Maybe? I will have to look into it later but for now I say we clean this place up and look around before we head out to the river and wash up." Getting confirmation from everyone, a huff from Timbre I take as one, we get started removing the bodies and eggs to a spot outside and out of the way where I light them up with fire. The fire attracted a few left over possessed that were nearby but they were easy to deal with now that they aren't staying in groups. We wait around the fire to take care of the stragglers and during a lull I ask Azzaria a question. "What is a Mana Fount?"
"It's said that they are where multiple magical ley lines converge. When the pure mana pools because of this convergence, some of it starts to seep up through the ground. After a long time the mana will form a gem of pure compressed mana so tight that it is clear. This is important because mana crystals can be found like the ones we saw in the store room earlier, but they are blue. The stronger the crystal, the lighter the color. A Mana Fount though, is also linked to the convergence of ley lines below it. That is why you became owner of the immediate area. It is said that some of the strongest churches in the world have Mana Founts for altars. I didn't know if that was true, but after what I have seen today, I believe it."
"But what does it do?" I ask her.
"I think it might be different for each one, and probably based off the god or goddess that it was dedicated to. One thing I believe is the same for all of them is that they can provide blessings. It could be a temporary one t
o a person or even permanent as is sometimes known to happen. It can also be used for inanimate objects. Gear for high up Paladins and Priests is often blessed in this way."
"I know your parents told you some, but how do you know about all this stuff."
She looks over at me shyly and looks down again before answering quietly. "I read a lot. I even used to borrow books from people around town when I was young."
"That is good. I might want to borrow a few books to read myself sometime."
We are interrupted by more of the remaining possessed. By the time we are done with this batch the fire has died down and no more are coming. It's starting to get late so we head back in and I stay on the bottom floor for a better look at the storage room down here. Giving them a more thorough inspection still doesn't reveal anything new. In the room that has the mana crystals all over I go to the door that we couldn't open in the back. Ever since I touched the crystal and took control of it I have had a vague sense of the area in the back of my mind. When I put my hand on the handle I willed it to unlock before pulling. It worked, but to my disappointment there was a dark tunnel that looked like a natural cave. From the little light that went into the cave I couldn't see much other than a relatively straight cave. We followed it for a little ways but without more light we called it. Returning to the door I lock it once again.
Back in the hall on the second floor we go to the door in the back on the left. Having successfully opened the door on the bottom floor I want to try these two doors. Going straight to the one in the back of the room, it opens just like the one downstairs. Inside is obviously the armory. Racks line the walls and the center of the room, with about half of them occupied. I check out the weapons and armor that are in the room and none of it is any use for me. There is a staff here or there, but it is either the same as the one I have or has restrictions to elements that I use. On the back wall there are shelves with only a few items there. One ring had plus one too AGI so Azzaria took it. I got a couple rings to add to my collection.
Silver Ring of Minor Mana: Plain silver band that is enchanted with a strong mana enchantment for the materials used. Item class: Rare. Durability: 20/20. +50 MP.
Gold Ring of the Focused Mind: A ring of braided gold that is enchanted to increase the focus of a mages mind to aid in casting. Item class: Rare. Durability: 20/20. 2% Increase to power of all spells and decreases chance for interruption.
There was also a few other things on the shelves like throwing knives and arrow heads but nothing of note. This armory would be great to arm a regular force for this place, if there was anyone else here. Heading out of the armory and closing it up I look at the room with the two vault doors and a table in the center. It must be a place for people to gear up when given things from the armory. Stepping over to the other door I open it now and peek in. I had been expecting something like this but I can't help but be amazed. It is far better than I was hoping for. I have found the treasury of this place. This room has shelves carved out of the stone walls and a heavy duty metal table down the center. But it isn't the design that inspires me and Azzaria with awe. It is the over abundance of precious metals and gems that captivates us.
There are coins of copper, silver, gold, and even platinum on some of the shelves, while stacked on the ground there are bars of metals. Anything from iron and steel to mithril and a few bars of something called starlite. I ask Azzaria about starlite since I have heard all the other names of metals in fiction or real life back on Earth.
"Starlite is one of the rarest metals with magical properties. It is said to be found in the core of some falling stars. I don't know much more though since it is so rare there is little about it commonly known."
Starlite is a color of silver that reminds me of a mat finished aluminum and weighs even less. Since I have space to carry a lot, I start to take a few things. I grab 1000 gold coins, 1000 silver, and 100 platinum. I have enough copper already so I start grabbing the bars of rarer metals, including all the starlite. Some of the shelves are stacked with gems either in boxes or out in the open. I reach into the back of the shelf I was looking at and pull out a diamond the size of my fist and the shape of a 20 sided die. Forming an idea in my mind I toss it and a bunch of other random gems into my storage. There is also some jewelry on a couple of shelves, but it is all normal without any benefits other than cosmetic. I offered to Azzaria anything she wanted but she didn't seem interested. I did find a nice white gold tiara that I snuck up on Azzaria to place on her head. She immediately took it off but I caught her putting it into her bag when she thought I wasn't looking.
After we took everything that was practical there was still plenty left in the vault, though that only took up about half of the available room in it. We left and closed everything up before stepping into the hall. As we are walking back to the stairs up I stop us. "Hey, I want to try something before we head up to get some rest. This way we can leave first thing in the morning." She seems confused but I take her hand and pull her to the double doors leading to the altar. Walking up to the nebulous looking block of stone I stop before it and let go of her hand. "You said that an altar should be able to bless things right?" To her nod I say "Using the materials I got from the vault I want to have a new staff made for me. I figure it could only be better to have the materials blessed first." Her eyes go wide and she pulls out a new bow she got from the armory. I take out the large diamond I found and a few bars of the starlite metal, placing it all on the altar. Waiting for a moment, nothing happens. "Do you know how this works?" Turning to her I see her shake her head no "Maybe you should try praying to Gwydia?" Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Putting my hands on the items upon the altar I close my eyes and bow my head.
"Hello Gwydia. I don't know how this is supposed to go, but I would like you to bless these items so that I may make a powerful staff....please?" After I say please I hear a light giggle barely audible even in the quiet of this room, but then the altar starts to glow. The glow starts to creep over the metal and gem I placed on the altar until they are completely covered. A moment later the glow dissipates and I can see the things on the altar again. The metal still looks the same but the diamond has taken on the appearance of the altar, like that of a little galaxy contained inside the now misty blue nebula that is the diamond. Their descriptions also say they are now blessed for me and anything created from them can only be used properly by me. I guess that is a plus, not that I was ever even considering that I would give it to someone.
I step back and Azzaria places her bow on the altar after I store my things. After a brief moment where she bows her head and mumbles so quietly that I can't hear her, the altar glows again and blesses her bow. She picks her bow up after looking at it and her smile becomes so bright I think it puts the altar to shame. "What does the blessing do for you?" She turns to me and gives me a tight hug. When she leans back she reveals the reason she is so happy. "The blessing increased the stat bonuses it had from before and it now improves my life magic. Better yet, the life magic portion grows with me and I am the only one that can use it with the bonus. To everyone else it will just be the same bow it was before." I smile back at her. "I am glad you are happy. Now I think we should go back and set up for the night. With the Ward Stone and the door that I can probably lock, we can both get a good nights rest."
We leave the room and head back up to the master suite. Not the cleanest up here but the bedroom is not too bad and we are going to be laying on our bedrolls. I notice that when I lay my bedroll down that Azzaria lays hers right next to it. There is a fireplace here so Azzaria and I pull out some of the fresh provisions that we have left. While she is doing that I open my messages to see what happened in my advancement today after fighting a boss.
Identify has reached lvl 7.
Earth Magic has reached lvl 4.
Advanced Mana Control has reached lvl 3.
Your Familiar's skill: Ride the Lightning has reached lvl 3.
Water Magic has reached lvl 3.
Your Familiar's skill: Knifewings has reached lvl 4.
Fire Magic has reached lvl 2.
LEVEL UP! You have increased your level by 1. You are now level 11. As a Void Human you get 6 points to apply to your Stats and 1 talent point. As you are a Mage +1 INT +1 WIS are allocated. You currently have 4 undistributed SP and 1 undistributed TP. You can distribute these from your status page. Continue to increase your level to follow the path of true power. Fight for the RIGHT to survive!
LEVEL UP! Your Familiar Thia has increased in level by 1. Thia is now level 11. As your Familiar she gets 5 points to apply to her Stats and 1 talent point. Thia currently has 5 undistributed SP and 1 undistributed TP. You can distribute these from your familiar's status page. Continue to increase your Familiar's level to follow the path of true power. Fight for the RIGHT to survive!
Air Magic has reached lvl 2.
Time Magic has reached lvl 3.
Your familiar's skill: Zapp has reached lvl 6.
Earth Magic has reached lvl 5.
It looks like our battle with the queen was good training for all of us. One thing confuses me though. My air magic skill went up, but I do not have an air spell. I look through the Grimoire and the only thing that makes sense is that my Magic Cloak buff's level is equal to the average of all types in the elemental realm. This must also mean that it counts as a spell for all of them, giving me experience in casting all elemental magic types when used. Starting with Thia I place her SP like this; 1 in VIT, 2 each to INT and WIS. The one TP goes into the Merge ability that caught my interest. After taking it I pull up the description.
Skill: Merge lvl 1
Allows the Familiar to physically merge with the Mage. Increases the Mage's overall power proportional to the Familiar and gives access to Familiar's abilities and skills. Duration: 2 Mins. Cooldown: 1Hr.
A Mage Prepared Page 19
