by Aleron Kong
Richter and Elora also spent time alone, discussing various things. The conversations, unfortunately, stopped after one day, but one of the topics they covered was about the pixie queen’s status page. First, they spoke of the adjustments to her characteristics. It turned out that there was indeed a significant alteration in her numbers in light of her size. At thirteen inches, she was considered ‘tiny.’ Tiny creatures normally had a 50-60% reduction to Strength, a 20-30% increase to Dexterity and Agility, a 20-40% reduction in Constitution and a 10-20% reduction in Endurance. Racial differences could make even more profound impacts on character stats, but it explained why her numbers were so skewed. She told him that was one of the reasons that she was having such a hard time distributing her characteristic points.
Through their talks, she also explained her abilities. Celestial Pixie Song was the racial ability pixies had to evoke strong emotions and summon images with their music. The ability could be evoked at any time, but special songs could only occur at certain times. The Song of Joy and Remembrance, for instance, could only happen at royal pixie births. Elora admitted to never having known the song to give such powerful and lifelong buffs. She could only think that it must have been the combination of her race evolving to be celestial and also most likely because it was the first birth seen in the land for centuries. Elora said she doubted that any future Songs of Joy and Remembrance would have such an effect.
She also described the ability Tree Communion. It was fairly self-explanatory, but there were facets that Richter hadn’t been aware of. Each female pixie could bond to a tree, and that allowed the pixie race to continue its lifecycle. Female pixies could bond to a tree once per year, and two children would result from that union. Royal pixie queens were different in that they could produce offspring twice per year and one hundred young would be produced. Richter also learned that bonding to the tree meant that a pixie could not travel beyond a certain distance from the tree they were linked to. Doing so would cause the pixie to weaken and risked damage to the tree as well. This distance increased as the bond deepened and the pixie leveled, but apparently never completely disappeared. Elora didn’t seem distressed by this, however, and in fact told Richter that there were boons to the Communion such as increased mana regeneration.
The ability Fate’s Companion dealt with the creation of a meidon. As Richter had already seen, some pixies and sprites were predestined to bond. Elora said she had never witnessed a bonding before, but she had been taught about them by her mother. The stories she had been told said that both the pixie meitu’meidon and the sprite meitu’meidon were changed by the union. It made Richter wonder if his friend would be different when he emerged from the silver shell.
The last ability, Force Blast, was used for offense in battle. The pixies could apparently focus their mana and fire it in a concentrated blast. That was what he had read about when he analyzed the various types of sprites. Something that was shocking was that Elora could access the extra effects of all four of her offspring. Her Force Blast ability let her use Dark, Air, Life or Water effects. She told Richter that all pixies had always had the capability to weaponize their mana, but that the extra effects had only existed since she had bonded to the Quickening.
Richter found it very interesting that Elora’s Blast ability seemed more evolved than that of her children. Her Dark blast not only blinded, but also disoriented enemies. The Water attack slowed, but could also freeze. The Air strike could stun and also be used continuously, not allowing enemies to recover. Elora finally said that after comparing her healing ability to some of her children’s, hers appeared stronger. The change might have been because she was royal, but he hoped it was just because she was of a higher level and that her children could have stronger offensive abilities as well.
The next thing she explained was her skills. Elora revealed that only royal pixies could cast spells. Despite her royal blood, though, Elora said she had never had a high enough affinity to cast spells before. Being level one in four of the Basic Elements had been a surprise to her. She told Richter that her Herb Lore skill had been earned through dedication, however. For years, she had followed her mother while they struggled to stay ahead of the plague that had ravaged her people, and everyday had still been spent in service of nature. Her resistances, she could only assume were part of her new celestial nature as she had had no resistances prior to bonding to the Quickening.
Richter had a crisis of conscience when he finished getting all of this information. She was a journeyman in Herb Lore and was also above level ten. That meant one vitally important thing: she could go for a trial. The decision of convincing her to test for a Profession was made even more attractive by the fact that she still hadn’t allocated her characteristic points. If the same rules applied as when he had gone for his own Trial, then she would get nine levels worth of talent points. On the other hand, Elora was a new mother. Wouldn’t it be wrong to send her to get her Profession, especially as Nexus seemed to grab people as soon as they so much as thought about going for their trial? Ultimately, he just couldn’t help himself, “Do you plan to go for your Profession soon?”
“It is interesting you would ask, my lord,” Elora said. “I have been considering that very thing.”
Richter looked around quickly, but no giant hand appeared. He whipped his head back and forth like a crazy person until Elora asked if something was wrong. Befuddled, Richter, said no. Then a sound like a trumpet rung out. A small black disc appeared in the air near Elora. Rather than grabbing her, however, a black plank extended out from the portal towards her. Right after that, a bundle of red carpet unrolled, stopping at her feet. A moment later, out walked Nexus, dressed in a formal black doublet with gold buttons. It was strange seeing the giant shrunk down to only a foot in height, but it was definitely him. He stopped at the end of the platform, only inches away from Elora who was looking at him in alarm and surprise.
“Oh, fairest queen. I, a humble Auditor, do offer your august presence the opportunity of Trial. You have progressed in your skills and level and deserve the opportunity to reach your potential. Though you will need to be apart from your loved ones for a short time, afterwards you will be better able to provide for them in perpetuity and also care for your celestial tree. The choice, of course, is yours my lady, but I offer my humble services in this endeavor.” The cosmic figure dipped into an elaborate bow.
Nexus’s polite speech accomplished two things. Elora was put at ease and began to smile. Richter grew suspicious and began to scowl.
“Can I go speak to my children first?” the pixie asked Nexus.
“Of course! This is your right and responsibility, your ladyship. If I may suggest, have them check in with Lord Richter regularly. He, I am sure, will safeguard their continued health while you are apart.”
“Would you watch them, my lord?” Elora asked. She clearly wanted to gain her Profession but was concerned for her children. Her soulful eyes pulled at his heartstrings. That was how Richter became the nursemaid for nearly one hundred children all at once. Elora flew up into the limbs of the tree once he said yes.
“What are you up to, asshole?” Richter asked the ebon-skinned man.
“Whatever do you mean, Lord Richter?” Nexus asked benevolently.
“You know what I mean!”
Nexus smiled evilly, “What I know is that I am only here because of events you set in motion, fuckface. Let’s stop talking about it, though. It’s babysitting time for you.”
Elora flew back with all of her children in tow. Hearing almost a hundred flying children shout “Unca Wichter, Unca Wichter” all at once as they vied for his attention was suddenly less cute than when he had heard it before. Elora thanked him again and, without further ado, flew through the black portal. Nexus walked after her, but turned back at the end and looked at Richter. The chaos seed was already getting stressed at trying to wrangle flying children that had super speed. They made eye contact and Nexus smirked.
“Bye,
douchebag,” was the last thing the man said before going through the portal himself. The disc popped out of existence. Richter ground his teeth and thought about how much he hated that guy!
CHAPTER 32 -- Day 117 -- Kuborn 7, 15368 EBG
Several other important events happened over the days after he had escorted Mosea to the village. The first of which was Tabia completing the quest, Prove Your Worth.
Your Quest, Prove Your Worth, has been completed. Tabia has created a noteworthy potion for you. Beyan has forfeited the contest as he has not created a potion. Tabia has won the right to be placed in charge of the Dragon’s Cauldron, second only to yourself and Sion. Will you keep your word and give her this honor? Yes or No?
Richter didn’t hesitate to select ‘Yes.’ Not only had he intended to honor the terms of his agreement anyway, but when he made the quest, the prompt had been clear of dire consequences if he didn’t. Also, the fact of the matter was, he needed someone to run the Cauldron, and Beyan would be focusing more and more on his magic. Richter placed his hand on the central cauldron and gave her access secondary only to Sion and himself. She beamed and looked around at her new domain while he examined the kickass potion she had made!
You have found: Potion of Gaseous Form. Potion Class: Unusual. Potion Level: Elixir. Strength: Processed. Weight: 0.1 kg. Swallowing this potion will change your body into a semi-gaseous form for one hour. 35% less damage received from physical attacks. The imbiber will be seen to flow across the ground. While this does not cause true flying or levitation, the rate of falling will be decreased by 35%. x 37
She had outdone herself! Richter’s comment that he hoped the potion didn’t make him gassy was met with a flat stare from the alchemist, but he let her inability to recognize great comedy go. These things would come in handy! She had also used the Cauldron’s special ability to make more copies of the original potion. Tabia apologized that she had run out of ingredients before she could get the max of forty potions, but he waved her apology away. Richter had been happy with what Sion could do with the mana and health potions, but the chaos seed saw the true power of the Cauldron now. It had taken a week of painstaking work to make the four doses of the gaseous potion that her journeyman rank in Alchemy allowed. The fact that she could make dozens more in the blink of an eye, with a 100% success rate no less, was astounding!
As happy as Tabia was to have won, the dark skinned elf was silently gnashing her teeth at hearing how Beyan hadn’t even tried to win, especially since she had been busting her hump for the last week. Richter had a feeling that the gnome’s little prank might backfire when he had to work under her. The brown-skinned elf kept her composure in front of her new lord, though. Both she and her wife had bent the knee several days prior to Sumiko forming the meidon, and the sprite had said they were both operating in the village with true intentions.
The elf’s eyes lit up when she saw the shiverleaf fronds. She made a big deal about the size of the plants and said she could make six or seven potions out of each. This was good because the only recipe they knew for the luck potions was at an elixir level, meaning there was a high risk of failure. From what Richer had been told, a journeyman in Alchemy had only a 50% chance to successfully make an elixir. The Cauldron increased that by 10%, but it still meant that she might go through two or even three measures of the plant before the potion was created. It also meant though that if it was successfully made, one plant would be enough to make all four doses that were allowed at her skill rank. Unfortunately, she told him that the recipe would take at least five days of work to finish. She asked if she could bring other villagers with the Alchemy skill to help. He just smiled and told her that she was in charge now. The elf smiled back as she realized the truth of what he had just said: she was running her own lab! Richter left her with a massive smile on her face.
Isabel greeted him with her customary hug and warm smile. The happy elf exclaimed in delight when he showed her the shiverleaf fronds. The fledgling Life mage hustled him down the stairs of the herb shed and into the basement. Isabel grabbed a mist light that was hovering outside of the door to light their way. Richter was happy to see his people making good use of the mobile glowing globes. The gardener wasted no time walking to the back of the room, stopping in front of the pool. She told him that she had already had mist workers line the bottom of the pond with dirt. Warning him to stay clear of the back of the pool, because that was where she had planted seeds for the stillwater lantern, she took each of the fronds that Richter had collected and harvested seed pods from their bases. He was pleased that the entire plant wasn’t required to grow more, but was less pleased by what she said next.
“I believe the deeper you plant these, the better, Lord Richer.”
“Me plant them?” Richter asked.
“If you would rather I do it, that is fine,” Isabel responded, slowly reaching up to unfasten the clasp on her shirt.
“Bah, bah, bah! I’ll do it,” Richter grumbled. “I brought muck from the cave I found it in, should I add that to the dirt at the bottom?”
“That is a wonderful idea,” Isabel said brightly. Richter removed his armor again and placed it in his bag, grumbling under his breath. He cast a suspicious eye at Isabel, fairly certain he had just been manipulated into getting wet. Thinking back to the earlier years of his life, he figured it was just karma.
Richter removed all of the muck from his bag, mixing it with the dirt Isabel had put at the bottom of the pond and buried the seedpods. Swimming back up, he saw Isabel holding the rest of the fronds.
“I will take these to Tabia, my lord. I assume that she is now running the Cauldron?”
Richter nodded and laughed, “So you knew that Beyan would have to forfeit because of his trial?”
Isabel sniffed, “No. I just assumed that a woman of Tabia’s quality would naturally triumph over any man.” Then she gave him a bright smile and swept out of the room.
Looking after her in bemusement, he called after her, “Can I at least get a towel?”
There was no response.
CHAPTER 33 -- Day 119 -- Kuborn 9, 15368 EBG
Richter continued his daily schedule. His power continued to grow, and he was able to first write and then learn two more spells.
Congratulations! You have created a spellbook: Book of Gentle Rain. Durability 11/11. Item Class: Common. Quality: Above Average. Weight: 0.3 kg. This spell summons a small rainstorm. It can be cast inside. This is a spell of Air, Level 1.
Congratulations! You have created a spellbook: Book of Weak Cure Disease. Durability 11/11. Item Class: Common. Quality: Well Crafted. Weight: 0.3 kg. This spell will cure most common diseases. This is a spell of Life, Level 1.
A wonderful surprise came when Richter realized that creating the spell books not only leveled his Scribing skill, which had reached level five already, but it also leveled the spell skill he was writing about!
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 9 in Life Magic. New spells are now available.
Richter made sure to teach the new spells to any of his people that could learn them. The capitalist side of him wanted to start charging for the magic, but the pragmatic side of him knew that having more people who could water the crops or having more people who could prevent disease was a positive thing. He received sporadic updates that his relationship with certain villagers had increased, but his decision was further justified after he had taught the cure disease spell to all thirty-two of his Life magi.
5% of your population has the ability to halt common diseases before they spread! +1 to village Health.
It wasn’t a huge boost, but Richter would take it. After all, there were all those sayings like, ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns do grow,’ and that other one about the motion of the ocean.
The chaos seed also stole extra time here and there to go see the skath eggs. Each day, the sense of life he felt from them increased. The twins told him that spending time with the eggs would increase his Animal Husbandry skill and
the Exotic Beasts subskill. He didn’t know if he simply didn’t allocate enough time, but the skills stayed at level one. One day at lunch, though, Deera came running up and excitedly said, “It is time!”
Richter dropped the piece of meat he had been gnawing on and started running towards the meadow. When he saw that the sexy, but low Agility woman couldn’t keep up, he picked her up in a cradle and kept running. Even his battle-hardened body had a hard time sprinting for miles while carrying someone else, but he kept at it. His green stamina bar was close to empty when he got to the lake on the western side of the north meadow, but what was important was that he got there in time!
The chaos seed put Deera down and looked at the steel enclosure that now encircled the baby skath nest. He thought back to a few days ago when he had stood here with Roswan. It hadn’t taken Krom long to make the simple steel fence, but the builder was needed to properly install it. When Richter had shone the taciturn elf the skath nest, though, the man had made his customary noise, but somehow had also added a ‘Yum!’
“Grrrruuum,” Roswan had said while staring at the nest. “Big eggs.” The elf’s eyes had widened slightly, and his fuzzy caterpillar mustache was crinkling with a faint, half-hidden smile.
“Back AWAY from the eggs!” Richter had shouted. He was convinced that if a pig had wandered by at that moment, Roswan would have pulled a skillet from his back pocket and started to make a fire. As it was, the twins had picked up on the vibe and physically positioned themselves between the eggs and Roswan, until he and his fellow builders had buried the fence into the ground. Afterwards, Richter gave discreet instructions to the guards to stay close to the nest and not to let Roswan near it under any circumstances.
