by L Travern
Firestar's request would allow Matthew to show much more knowledge than he was supposed to have, while also not revealing the peak of what he knew.
As a token of gratitude for Firestar being so damn perfect at his questioning, Matthew decided he would give everyone in there the best lesson on artificing of their lives.
"Artificing is the art of working materials and creating treasures with it," he said. "What we call treasures are nothing more than magically enhanced items, and their grades are, from lower to higher: Mortal Item, Magical Item, Artifact, and Relic. Each grade can be further divided into Lower, Higher, and Peak quality.
"The different grades provide different benefits. Lower Mortal Items are nothing more than common items forged using magical techniques, with no special effects. Even a common sword created by a klutz might be better than a Lower Mortal Sword, depending on the materials used, but from Higher Mortal Items onwards, things change. Not only the items effects get better on each grade, the techniques required to create them become much harder, and the materials involved become much more complex to work with.
"Mortal Items provide bonuses based on the materials they are made from, and that's all. Magical Items add magical formations to the fold. As for Artifacts... Well.
"As you know, magic requires intent, and Artifact artificing is nothing but magical. The Third Imbue Intent spell is usually merely used to teach Three Stars Mages how to better control their mana by playing with magical puppets created for such purpose. But when creating an Artifact, the Third Imbue Intent spell or one of its higher leveled versions must be used at all times. From the drawing of the item on paper, which becomes an obligatory part of the process, to the picking of materials, the working of the materials, the addition of cosmetic details, and so on. The artificer must constantly 'tell' the materials what they will become, which formation will be placed on them, and their final purpose. It may sound simple but creating an Artifact may take weeks or even months, and from the moment the mage starts, he can't stop! Try telling a piece of metal how it will become an awesome sword day after day, without exterior contact of any kind as to not contaminate your intent! It isn't a coincidence that many an artificer go crazy as time passes.
"And that's only one aspect of the technical part of it. When talking about materials, it's obvious that simple steel couldn't hold enough magic to become a Higher Magical Item, while low graded magical formations would be unable to get a hold in Dragon Leather.
"Furthermore, some materials like Dragon Leather has its own elemental characteristics depending on the dragon it came from, and not only can't it accept any type of formation, it can't be assembled in just any item. Going even further, I just said how intent is important in the creation of Artifacts, and artificers capable of creating Artifacts must also consider the intent of the material itself!
"Dragons are prideful beings and Dragon Leather would never accept to become some Lower Artifact, and even a Peak Artifact might be difficult to create with it. It would also never accept to become a toilet cleaning Artifact. I speculate that learning how to remove the original material's intent from it, or how to better work with such intent, might be one of the differences between Relics and Artifacts... But I digress.
"What you asked of me was to 'describe how to create a Lower Artifact Sword with twelve-percent fire element amplification.' This task can be divided into four parts: intent, design — including the drawing, material selection, and formation imbuement —, forging, and formation placement.
"First, intent. One must use the Imbue Intent spell with the final product, a Lower Artifact Sword with twelve-percent fire element amplification in mind. So, let's start with some details about the sword: who will use it, a warrior or a mage? What will the sword be used for, slaying foes physically, or only for fire element amplification while a mage keeps his distance? Is it a weapon intended for attack or defense?" He asked.
"A mage, amplification only, attack," Firestar replied.
Matthew nodded and used the Imbue Intent spell while focusing on the purpose of the sword. "So, the artificer must keep these things in mind from now on. Even more details could be thought about the item, which would bring forth even more potential from the product. It doesn't matter much if the product ends up being used as intended or not, but the mage must will a product with such characteristics to come into fruition all times and he must believe in it with all his heart.
"Second, design. Since it's a test, let's suppose we're creating the item from scratch instead of just drawing it using the formula that was taught me." He said that, but he was obviously creating it right there, right then. "The pommel of a Lower Artifact Sword could use many different materials, but only twenty-three of them could be used for fire element amplification. For the blade, there are forty-one possibilities. There are a hundred and two possible combinations of pommel and blade, however, the ones that not only can be used for fire amplification but should be used for it, are only fifty-two. Now, keeping these materials in mind, and the final intent of the sword, one must think about all the fire amplification formations that could be placed in such materials, and think on how they could be adapted to be put in the sword. Ancestors are fair, Disciple has already studied such formation before and believes that he already knows the answer. If Ancestors would be so kind as to provide junior with paper and pen..."
Firestar waved his hand, and those materials came out from his spatial ring, appearing in front of Matthew.
Matthew took the paper in his hand and used magic to mentally control the pen as it started drawing on the paper. Contrary to what he said, he had designed the entire sword including the formation as he spoke, and now he only had to do the final adjustments to it.
He kept talking and drawing, and finally, he concluded his explanation, including how to smith the sword, and how to properly place the formation on it.
To him, the most difficult part, keeping his Imbue Intent spell going without being contaminated by the audience, was extremely easy. His willpower had been tempered by eons of adventures. How could he fail in something as simple as that?
"...and so, this Redstar Sword would be born," he concluded. "Disciple disrespected Ancestor's orders and created a sword with fifteen-percent fire amplification instead of twelve. Disciple begs for Ancestors to be lenient when deducting points from Disciple."
Everyone was looking dumbfounded at him.
Chapter 9 - Seeds
Chapter 9 - Seeds
Those of lower ranks in the family might believe that he had read about that Lower Artifact 'Redstar Sword' in a book but most of the Champions and even many of the Notable Mages, had no doubt that he had just created a Lower Artifact on the fly, in less than six hours, while explaining the entire process.
The way he had spoken was proof enough of that. It was like the difference between a math teacher explaining a complex operation as he solved it, in contrast to explaining something he had solved previously.
Even those who believed Matthew to have read about the sword somewhere were still impressed at his explanation. It was clear that he had not only memorized everything, he had also understood what he had read, which was a mighty feat for a twelve-year-old dealing with Lower Artifact artificing!
"Not bad," Firestar said after a moment, downplaying Matthew's achievement. "Explain the... The... Tyler-Grand Theory on how to translate Fifth level spells into Inscribed Formations."
Matthew almost laughed. There was obviously no Tyler-Grand Theory, and now every Five Stars Mage had just been put in on the ruse. Transforming Fifth level spells into Inscribed Formations was something that was currently being studied by the best researchers in the family; if there was such a theory, everyone would know about it.
He couldn't stop his smile. "Of course. The Tyler-Grand Theory is based on the... Stewart-Little Theory of Elemental Equivalence for Inscribing, which is based on the Alphonse-Edward Theory on Alchemy," he said, bulshitting it all from the beginning. Then, he proceeded
to explain his own theory on Alchemy, on Elemental Equivalence, and finally, on how it all related to translating Fifth level spells into formations.
This lesson took almost twelve hours.
"How can the Valdian Martial Arts be improved to allow warriors to advance beyond the Five Stars level?" Firestar's brother asked.
This time, Matthew did smile. Asking about Martial Arts would completely destroy the façade of him being tested. No mage should be tested on warrior material, much less a kid on his way to the Three Towers!
And it was just what he wanted. As soon as he answered this question, the game would be irrevocably on.
He would have no trouble answering what was asked either. He had been a cultivator back on his old universe and his martial arts were only second to his energetic manipulation mastery. He had long understood how to improve the pitiful Valdian Martial Arts.
Of course, revealing perfect Martial Arts like the one he knew was something that could bring disadvantageous consequences far in future, if it was ever used against him. He would mix something in it to protect himself, just in case.
"To begin with, it's already a miracle that any warrior manages to become a Five Stars Warrior at all by using the Valdian Martial Arts," he said without any finesse. "The Valdian Martial Arts have so many mistakes in them that the seventy-percent death rate before reaching the Two Stars level, and fifth-percent death rate before reaching Three Stars level is a blessing from the heavens! Let's begin with the base belief included in it, that 'warriors are a power of nature created by the world to balance physical prowess against magic.' This is ridiculous and stupid. Warriors are incomplete mages and pretending to be anything else is only detrimental to them. By pretending, they refuse to use the mage knowledge they could use and instead create bogus martial arts that strain their bodies beyond what they can take."
A big commotion arose at that. There were many theories about the differences between warriors and mages, and the family had never chosen to officially support any of them.
"Do you support the Yarns Theory on Genetics, then?" Firestar asked, the sound of his voice enough for everyone to remember his presence and shut up.
"Obviously," Matthew said. "Any half-assed Champion Mage can use the Gene-Seeing spell and check the theory for themselves. Claiming the spell is only an illusion spell but not pointing any flaws in the spell signature is bullshit spurted by arrogant mages who don't want to be related to warriors and prideful warriors who don't want to be incomplete mages.
"I'll ignore the arrogant mages but as for the prideful warriors, I'll let them know that being incomplete doesn't mean they are necessarily inferior. There are many techniques that could make them compete toe to toe against mages in direct confrontations as long as they accept the truth.
"Let's start with the set of repetitive moves called 'weightlifting' that are used to strengthen their bodies. They are stupid. Mages have long since created spells that tear their own muscles, infuse them with mana and regenerate them, strengthening them at a much faster rate than weightlifting. The spells that mages use and the martial abilities that warriors use are two different kinds of skills, but they are still closely related. It's easier to translate one into the other than it is to translate a spell into a formation, which requires turning something three-dimensional into something two-dimensional, not to mention all the materials involved. Therefore, why not take the already existing mage spell and turn it into a martial ability? The spell signature for the First Muscle Strengthening spell is like this, and its equivalent martial ability signature would look like this."
Matthew used a simple Light Drawing spell to draw the signatures on the air and show them to everyone.
"See the similarities? Moving ahead, the martial moves in the Valdian Martial Arts are ineffective and dumb, almost useless in a proper fight. To make it better without going into a complete overhaul, I would change the first set of moves into this..." He started showing different moves on the stage. "...the second into this..." He went on.
He took extra care to not allow his body to pull mana from his soul while he showed the moves. That would make him begin threading the warrior path and if he did so before pubescence, his prepubescent bonus on growing his mana pool would cease.
"Finally, considering the martial abilities contained in the Valdian Martial Arts, it would be better if their signatures became like these, and their actual use changed to this and this..." He started explaining it all.
"With these simple modifications," he said after three hours, "it won't be difficult for an average warrior to reach level 6, Notable Warrior, with the talented becoming level 7, Champion Warriors, and the absolute geniuses among them, level 8, Eminences," Matthew said. This caused a huge commotion among the spectators. "Now, the question would be: is the family bold enough to allow its warriors to become that strong? It would bring about great change to the family's structure. Junior believes it to be beneficial, especially since mages could also use these skills to improve their bodies without the previous risk of death, so only laziness would allow the warriors to overtake the family. But it's up to Ancestors to decide."
Even though this reply 'only' took three hours, it was much more profound than the previous two. People started discussing his last provocation, even the Ascenders. Matthew just stood there, waiting for the next question while considering the consequences of what he had just done.
Warriors were basically mages that couldn't use magic outside their bodies. Although he hadn't been able to pry all the details from Firestar, he knew that this world wasn't one that looked kindly at warriors or at people who wanted to give warriors more power. He wasn't sure about all the consequences of his actions except that he would be hunted down by the powers that be. But at least most warriors on the continent had just become potential allies for he had no doubt word about the Valdian Martial Arts would spread, which was exactly what he intended.
Suddenly, he felt a pull on his sleeve and turned to see the slapped boy, Elliot, looking at him with awe in his eyes. "You're amazing!"
Theodore appeared behind Elliot and nodded. "Yes! Amazing!"
Matthew smiled. "If you work hard, you can become almost as amazing as me in the future."
"For real?" Elliot asked.
Matthew nodded. "For real."
The eyes of both boys shone as they looked at Matthew in veneration. He ignored them and went back to his musings.
* * *
In the end, the Ascenders asked three more profound questions and declared Matthew's score to be a hundred. The battle didn't happen, for Theodore simply forfeited the match before it could even begin.
Matthew was declared the winner of the competition, which took three days from beginning to end.
As to avoid being in the Royal Capital when the Asshats came for him, he decided to start his trip to the distant Three Towers the day after.
* * *
The morning was a cold one and a thin rain was falling from the sky. Despite this, most Ascenders, Eminences, Champions, and Notable Mages of the clan had all come. Even many lower leveled mages and a huge number of warriors were present.
He looked around but was unable to find his father among those present.
"Master, where is Disciple's father?" He asked Firestar.
"Didn't I tell you?" The man asked with a surprised expression. "Last month, the Brigadier said that either we promoted Major Notable Firebreather or the Brigadier herself would retire. War is everywhere, and we couldn't chance to lose her, so we bowed to her wishes, promoting your father. The same day he was made into a General, the Southern Tribes invaded, and he was dispatched to deal with it."
Matthew looked south and sighed. Unfortunately, his own travels would take him west. "How's the Three Towers treating my grandad?"
Firestar hesitated a bit before looking at Matthew in the eyes and saying somberly, "He is perfectly fine."
Matthew sighed again, understanding that Firestar was saying that his granda
d was having issues. However, he didn't dwell much on the subject.
Each person had their own destinies, with their own obstacles on the way. His mother was dead, his father might die in the south, and his grandad was suffering to the west.
As terrible as that might sound to the faint of heart, overcoming obstacles brought growth, and to mages, even those considered failures like his father, stagnation was worse than death. They pursued magic with their all, and magic couldn't be chased if one's heart was hindered by the lack of conflicts to overcome.
Firestar was a great example. Matthew hadn't told the man the issues in his path towards the Overlord realm, he didn't even know the man's issues. And yet, by answering questions from Matthew, which were a kind of obstacles on their own, he had found something he missed and became a Quasi-Overlord, only one step away from becoming an Overlord.
Of course, Matthew would intervene if certain death was involved or if things crossed his bottom line, like if his father was captured by enemies. He would also seek retribution if people close to him were killed, but for the most part, he would live and let live. The most he did behind the scenes was giving small tips here and there, like planting seeds that could germinate or not.
The seed he left for his father was hiding the solution for his magical failure within the improved Valdian Martial Arts. After living with the man for six years, how could he have failed to detect the man's issues in hindsight, now that he had so much knowledge of magic? Now, it only depended on his father to be humble enough to train as a warrior despite being a mage.
As for his grandfather, the seed was planted the last time he saw the old man.
And for his own gains, he had left plenty of seeds for the family by answering the questions on the competition, and in his discussions with Firestar over the years. Even if he had hidden most of his capabilities, just his questions had helped Firestar in becoming a Quasi-Overlord. As long as the old man wasn't completely stupid, which he had shown himself not to be, the family would profit quite well from the bits that could be learned in their conversations.
