Magic_Smithing
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Ch: 95
🕑 Added 2021-04-12 03:04:24 +0000 UTC“I think we might have celebrated a little too soon,” I sigh at the three glass containers of engraving ink sitting on our workbench.
In our excitement, Sandra and I completed the second batch of engraving ink; and seeing how both the first and second batches appeared stable, we couldn’t help but make a third. We should've stopped after the second batch, but what's done is done. It's been a little over two hours since the first batch of engraving ink was completed, and if by now it hasn't turned into black sludge on us like all the other failures, I think we’re in the clear on that front.
But as if to spite all our success, I think I see one more problem we have to deal with.
“What is it?” Sandra asks me, removing her face mask for the day.
“It’s the first sample,” I tell her.
"What's wrong with it?" Sandra moves over and picks up the glass container of brownish-black ink, holding it up to the dipping sun to get a better look at its contents.
“The problem is how much mana it’s absorbing,” my frown deepens.
“Is it not completed?” Master Del asks, walking over to see our final results. Tabitha walks next to master with a blank expression, seemingly not interested in what's happening. Tabitha might not be interested in the crafting aspect of my life, but I notice her eyes focus on the engraving ink in Sandra's hands and the other two containers on our workbench. She looks interested for a second before all her excitement seems to vanish like it was never there in the first place. I bet she’ll be more excited after I figure out how to enchant my gear.
But first, we still have one more problem to solve. "The mixture itself is completed," I explain to master and a seemingly bored Tabitha. "All that's left is to let the engraving ink absorb ambient mana until it's ready."
“Then what’s wrong with it?” Sandra offers me the first batch of engraving ink.
I take the offered container of ink and focus on it with Sense Mana. "It's been two hours since we completed this batch, and I can hardly see a change in the amount of mana it's absorbed. I'm not sure how much time it will take for the ink to absorb enough mana.”
“Is it that bad?” Sandra frowns, understanding the problem.
“After we bottled each batch, I took note of roughly how much mana was in each of the solutions," I move over to our workbench and pick up the little notepad I use to record ideas and observations. "The first solution had roughly 157.38 points of mana in it. That’s pretty low considering the ingredients it’s made from.”
“Hold up,” Sandra interrupts me. “You can tell exactly how much mana is in each of those solutions!”
“Not exactly,” I shake my head. “I can only sense to a hundredth of a mana point.”
“Only a hundredth, she says,” Sandra huffs under her breath. “I need to pick up my training.”
“I’m used to monitoring my mana levels when I practice my magic skills, so it’s not that hard to gauge the rough amount of mana in an object if it isn’t too massive or too small,” I explain to my friend. “Each container holds about half a liter of ink and weighs about 75 ounces,” I read from my notes. “We can assume the solution needs to at least double or triple the amount of mana it currently has.”
"So, how much mana has the solution absorbed over the last two hours?" Sandra asks me with bated breath.
"In the last two hours, the ink has only absorbed .13 mana."
Sandra hisses ad recoils like she just touched something hot. “That’s it; that’s nothing,” she exclaims.
“I know, but I think I might have a solution,” I grin back at her.
Sandra puts her hands on her hip, “Then you were just trying to make me worry?”
Sandra’s accusing glare is dangerous, so I explain myself before she has another mood swing and tries to throw a fireball at me. Again. "I'm not sure how we can improve the inks mana absorption rate, but I was thinking, why do we have to wait for nature? I can just inject my own mana into the ink until it's saturated enough."
“Are you going to stick your finger into the ink and release all your mana?” Sandra sarcastically asks.
"I thought it'd be a little more refined than that." Moving back over to our workbench, I swap out my notebook with my engraving pen. I uncork the stopper from the engraving ink container and start stirring the mixture with my pen. “My engraving pen is a great conductor for mana. I’ll push my mana through the pen and into the ink, all while stirring it.”
“Just expelling your magic won’t have that much of an effect,” Tabitha offers her opinion with a blank expression.
I smugly grin at my combat teacher, “Who said I’d only be using Expel Mana?”
Thanks to all my recent training, it's child's play for me to expel my mana and inject it into my pen. That's where my control would typically start to become muddled, but thanks to my practicing with Mana Threads, I can use Mana Manipulation to keep control of the mana channeled through my engraving pen like it’s an extension of my body.
I essentially use Inject Mana twice to pour my mana directly into the ink. Today I've only used my mana to keep Mana Skin active, so I essentially have almost an entire mana pool to experiment with the engraving ink.
"Let's see how much mana the engraving ink really needs?" I say in a boasting manner, dumping my mana into the solution.
I start off with a confident smile on my face, but maintaining it becomes strenuous after I continue to dump more and more of my mana into the few cups of engraving ink with no end in sight. Sure, some of my mana is lost in the transfer, but not much. How much mana does this ink need!?
“Are you ok, Aaliyah?” Sandra notices my strained expression and the sweat starting to form on my forehead as I continue to feed my mana into the ink. Sandra knows Mana Skin keeps the air around me at a perfect temperature, meaning the only reason I would be sweating was if I was overexerting myself.
“I’m fine,” I grit through my teeth. “It’s just taking a lot more mana than I expected.”
300 mana, 400 mana, the engraving ink devours every bit I pump into it.
“I think that’s enough, Aaliyah,” master warns me when my arm starts to shake.
I choose to ignore master and push forward; I know my limits, and I'm not there yet. 600 mana, which's over half my mana pool channeled into the engraving ink. That’s close to what I used to blow up those bandits back then. And yet, the engraving ink is still readily devouring the mana I feed it!
“That’s enough,” I hear Tabitha’s cold voice behind me. At the same time, I feel her gauntleted hand grasp my shoulder.
“I know when to stop,” I grumble, pushing the last bit of mana I’m willing to spend today into the engraving ink. Tapping my engraving pen on the rim of the glass container, I make sure not even a drop of engraving ink is wasted as I remove my pen from the solution.
Seeing how I'm following her orders, Tabitha removes her hand from my shoulder and moves back next to master.
“How much mana did you use?” Sandra questions me.
“Can you hold this for a minute?” Instead of answering Sandra, I offer her the container of engraving ink.
“I can feel the difference in it now,” Sandra gasps in amazement when she takes the ink from my hands.
"You should; I poured 650 mana into it," I finally answer Sandra's question while wiping the sweat from my face.
“650!” She exclaims, looking at the glass container in her hands. The ink has become glossier than it was, and as Sandra shakes the container in her hand, you can tell the ink has become less viscous.
“Well, more like 627, I lost some of my mana in the transfer,” I point out to her.
“That’s still a lot of mana,” Sandra remarks. “It’s amazing how much it can hold,” she holds the ink up to the falling sun again.
“And it’s not even done absorbing mana yet," I can't help but look at the other two containers of engraving ink and frown. "At the rate the other two are absorbing mana, it would take them 400 days to match the first sample.”
“There must be a way to speed up the process. There’s no way alchemists or enchanters would wait that long,” Sandra suggests.
“My people have no problem with waiting,” master remarks.
I’m about to point out to master we humans aren’t as patient as stone kin are when Tabitha takes a step forward, drawing everyone's attention. "Most likely, a mana gathering array is used,” she notes in a bland tone of voice.
“Mana gathering array, what’s that?” I curiously ask Tabitha.
"It's a large enchantment engraved inside cabinets, closets, or even an entire room; it all depends on what you're charging. Most nobles have them installed somewhere in their house so their staff can charge multiple magic items without the need to call in a mage. The enchantment draws in ambient mana and condenses it, so magic items designed to recharge on their own do it faster," Tabitha explains it to us like this is common knowledge.
"Then an alchemist puts the ink in one of those enchanted cabinets, and it charges the ink faster," Sandra summarizes Tabitha's mini-lecture.
“Then we need to place the engraving ink in a place with a lot of mana,” I think aloud.
“The bottom of the mine!” Sandra shouts out my idea before I get a chance to.
“I was just about to say that,” I sulk.
“Should’ve been faster,” Sandra playfully sticks her tongue out at me.
“You-,” I start to say confidently but quickly realize I don’t have anything snappy to say back. “You grab the ink while I grab a crate from master’s house,” I turn away from Sandra so she can’t see the embarrassed look on my face.
“Hurry up, we’re running out of daylight,” she playfully shouts at my retreating form, holding back her laughter.
"Yeah, yeah," I grumble, fetching the crate from master's house. Sandra puts the three glass containers in the crate and takes it from me with a smile.
I grab my war hammer just in case, and we start making our way towards the mine. Tabitha stays behind with master knowing we’re just taking a quick stroll.
"It will be interesting to see how quickly the ink charges at the bottom of the mine," Sandra strikes up some friendly conversation as we walk down the forest trail. "Want to take a guess at how long it will take? I say fifty days.”
I balance my hammer on my shoulder and rub my chin with my left hand. So, she’s guessing it will charge eight times faster, huh? I think back to the mana levels at the bottom of the mine. The mana there is roughly twenty-two times what it is on the surface, but just because it’s that high doesn’t mean the ink will absorb it that fast. Plus, I think Sandra is forgetting the first sample isn’t finished charging all the way yet. “I’ll say forty days, but it doesn’t matter that much.”
“What do you mean?”
I grin at Sandra. "No matter how long it takes for the ink to charge, it will always be quicker for me to do it myself."
“What about the mana cost?” Sandra raises a questioning eyebrow at me.
"That was just because I was trying to see how much mana the ink needed. I could spare 100 mana a day to speed up the process. Even if it takes me fifteen days to fully charge the ink, that's still a lot better than four hundred or even forty for that matter.”
"You're only saying that because you have the mana to spare," Sandra looks down at her midsection. "Part of my mana pool is protecting my baby, and the rest I need to practice my skills and spells. I don’t think I can waste 9% of my mana every day charging engraving ink.”
“You make it sound like you’ll be pregnant forever,” I joke.
“It feels like it,” Sandra groans.
“Isn’t it a little early for you to be saying that?”
“I’m allowed to complain all I want,” Sandra glares at me with fire in her eyes.
“Point taken,” I take a quick step away from Sandra.
I give Sandra some space for a few minutes and wait until we enter the quarry before I move back next to her. “Can you handle the light? I’m a little tapped out at the moment,” I grin at Sandra, trying to judge whether she’s still mad at me or not.
“Sure, I can handle it, no problem,” Sandra beams back at me.
I have officially given up trying to read Sandra.
Would I ever act like that if I ever decided to have kids? As soon as that question pops into my head, I nearly stumble over a rock at the entrance to the mine. Sandra is too busy casting her magic to notice, but that random thought throws my mind into chaos.
I'm a woman, I've long come to terms with that fact, and I'm quite comfortable in my own body. But I have been focusing every minute of my time trying to improve my skills and overall level to reach my goal of traveling the world someday, that I've never considered any other goals in life. Do I want a family of my own someday? And what would that family look like?
Somehow, I can’t picture myself as a typical mom, and that’s ok. I'll continue working towards my goals, and if I should have a Disney moment where I meet my significant other someday, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
“You ok, Aaliyah?” Sandra’s question pulls me out of my thoughts. “You’ve been quiet for a while.”
Glancing around, I see we are nearly to the end of the mine already. Wow, I really wasn't paying attention. "Just thinking about my future," I chuckle, trying to reassure myself as much as my friend.
“Oh, were you thinking about traveling the world, slaying monsters?”
“Something like that,” I just smile along with Sandra. There’s no way I’m telling her I was thinking about the prospect of a family. I have a feeling I’m not prepared to open that can of worms with a pregnant Sandra. "I was thinking about all the progress we made today and what the results might be tomorrow,” I shift the conversation without Sandra realizing it.
"Yeah, but you forget one thing," Sandra tells me.
“Yeah, what’s that?” I ask.
“We still need to clean up when we get back.”
"The best part of the day," I sarcastically remark with a straight face. Sandra and I laugh together all the way back to master's clearing.
**********
“Goodnight, master,” I wave to Del. Sandra joins me in waving, while Tabitha locks eyes with master with an expression that screams, 'fight me!'
"Night; I'll see the three of you tomorrow." Master nods encouragingly to Sandra and me but purposely avoids acknowledging Tabitha in any way, shape, or form.
Too bad for master, Tabitha isn't discouraged so easily. "Yes, see you tomorrow, Del-Razen. We may spar then."
I snort through my nose, trying to hold back my laughter, while Sandra has her hand up to her mouth, barely holding herself together. When did Tabitha learn master's full name? Master was not prepared to hear his full name and freezes just long enough for Tabitha to consider his silence as a sign of agreement. "I look forward to our rematch tomorrow."
Master doesn’t even recover after Tabitha disappears down the forest trail leading to the village. He just stands there with his mouth open, not understanding how his goodbye could be turned on him in such a way.
“I think she broke him,” Sandra whispers to me.
“Probably,” I whisper back.
“Got to give her credit, though,” Sandra remarks. “She doesn’t take no for an answer.”
Sandra turns to leave, so I yell one last thing to master, breaking him out of his stupor. “Don’t stand out here all night!”
As Sandra and I start walking towards the village, we hear Del yell behind us, "What just happened?!"
At least I’ll get a small break when the two of them spar; I chuckle to myself.
The sun is almost entirely over the horizon by the time we make it to the village and walk past Sandra's house. I probably shouldn't consider it Sandra's house anymore since she’s moved out, but that doesn't matter at the moment because Camden is waiting outside with a letter in his hand.
“How’s my little girl doing?” Camden spreads his arms and ambushes Sandra with a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”
Sandra awkwardly returns the spontaneous hug. “It’s been two days, Dad,” Sandra deadpans.
While the two of them have their lovely father-daughter time, I cast a glance at Tabitha, who's watching everything take place before she retires in Camden's house for the evening.
“Dad, why are you waiting for us outside the house?” Sandra asks, finally separating herself from her emotional father.
“Oh, right,” Camden straightens himself out and hands me the letter. “This came for you thirty minutes ago. I figured you’d be stopping by soon, so I didn’t send one of my boys out to deliver it.”
“It isn’t for Tabitha?” I cock my head to the side. The last message sent to the village was an update for Tabitha from Pacore, and I can't think of a reason someone would send me a letter… unless it were urgent! The letter isn't sealed or anything, so I have no idea who it's from.
I unfold the paper to see three words staring back at me:
“Contact Giovanni immediately.”
I glance up from the letter at Camden, wondering if anything else was sent with it, but he only shrugs his shoulder.
Alright then.
I turn to Sandra and ask, “Can you make it back to your house without me?”
Sandra gives me a ‘really’ look. “I’ll take that as you trying to be a good friend and not you looking down on me.”
"Thanks, see you tomorrow," I offer a quick farewell before taking off jogging towards my house. Mom is going to be mad when I tell her I need to take a quick trip into the forest before dinner.
When I get home, I’m forced to explain why I’m heading back out again after grabbing the hidden magic transceiver from my room, but after mentioning the emergency message I received, Mom nods in understanding. "Alright, but be safe and hurry back quickly," she tells me before giving me a quick hug and an encouraging push towards the door. I smartly choose not to comment on mother’s generosity and take the chance to bolt out of the door before mother changes her mind.
My plan was to sprint into the woods as soon as the door closes behind me, but I'm frozen in place as soon as I step outside and come face to face with Tabitha. The way Tabitha is standing suggests she had been waiting for me.
“Going somewhere?” Tabitha asks with a blank expression that is honestly a little terrifying in the fading sunset.
“I have to take care of something really quick,” I start inching myself to the side, not taking my eyes off the woman.
“I’ll join you then,” Tabitha takes a step closer to me. Damn, how do I handle this? Giovanni told me the communication magic tool is incredibly rare and not to show it to others. Plus, I doubt Giovanni would be happy if I brought Tabitha along with me to our emergency meeting.
"That's quite alright," I tell her. "I just have to handle something private."
Tabitha’s eyes narrow, “You aren’t running away, are you?”
I can’t help but snort at her question. “Yes,” I sarcastically reply. “I’m choosing now of all times to run away.” Shaking my head, I let out a sigh. “I have no intention to run away from you and Pacore. There’s just something private I need to take care of. If you’re that worried, you can wait here until I return. It should only take me an hour at most.”
Tabitha stares me down, thinking over my proposal. “Alright, I’ll wait here for you. Just this once.”
“Thanks,” I offer a smile to the stony-faced woman. “I’ll be back soon,” I reassure Tabitha one more time before running behind our house and into the woods.
Pushing Sense Mana to the max, I use my skill to navigate the almost pitch-black forest and make sure Tabitha isn't secretly following me. I only gave myself an hour, so I need to hurry.
Though I'm rushing through the forest, I don't drop Sense Mana for a second. Not only am I using it to navigate, but I also need to keep an eye out for predators. The chameleon spiders are all but a thing of the past now, and the hunters have once again started spotting farkas tracks around the village. The wolf-bear hybrids are most active at night, and objectively speaking, I'm a tempting snack.
Sure, I could turn them into meat paste with my hammer, but I’m already on a time crunch. Luckily that thought doesn't jinx me, and I make it to the spot I can connect with Giovanni in record time. I wasn't able to move this fast in the woods before I started training with Tabitha. Both my footwork in and out of battle has seen a lot of improvement as of late.
Pulling the communication device out of my pocket, I start channeling my magic into it. Gods, I hope this connects quickly. I don't want my mana pool to drop much lower while I'm out here all alone. Maybe I can figure out a way to extend the signal after I get used to enchanting things?
"Aaliyah?" Giovanni's abrupt voice pulls me out of my thoughts. We've never connected this fast before. Was he waiting for me to call him?
"I'm here," I reply to the magic tool. "What's the emergency that required me to take a moonlight stroll through the woods?"
"Has anyone shown up to your village?" Giovanni answers my question with his own.
"Not that I've heard of, and people showing up is kind of a hot topic around here," I joke, hoping to break some of the growing tension I'm feeling.
“You need to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious the next couple of days,” Giovanni tells me in an ominous voice. I can’t help but glance around me when I hear such a warning, even though Sense Mana tells me nothing is in my perception bubble.
“What’s going on?!” I demand. “What happened?”
The line goes quiet for a minute before Giovanni answers in a solemn voice, “Grey has fled Drey.”
So that’s why he wanted me to contact him, “You think he’ll come for me?”
"No," I hear Giovanni sigh on the other end. "We have reason to believe he's heading for Teeburn. However, Grey still has plenty of associates in the area, and we can't take chances that he'll try something nefarious with you."
“We still have a contract with one another,” I remind Giovanni. “Grey would be crazy to try something when he already thinks I’m bound to him.”
“Normally, I would agree with you," Giovanni responds in a sorrowful voice that makes me nervous. "But I can't underestimate the man further."
It doesn’t sound like Grey left the city quietly. “What happened?” I swallow a nervous lump in my throat.
“Grey fled the city, but not without leaving an alchemical bomb in his office.”
“Oh shit!” I can’t help but exclaim.
“Indeed,” Giovanni continues explaining. “The fire is out, but news of the devastation is still trickling in. My people report a third of the branch is destroyed along with countless documents. Fourteen people are confirmed dead, while three others remain in critical condition. One of the injured being my best receptionist.”
“The lady who worked the front desk,” I mumble, recalling the nameless receptionist that seemed to read me like a book.
"Yes," Giovanni confirms my suspicions. "She was… is, one of my best people," Giovanni corrects himself. "She was the one closest to the explosion," Giovanni tells me with anger building in his voice. "Grey warned all his people to leave the building beforehand, and we can only assume she was his target."
“And she’s still alive?” I can’t help but ask. I have experience with surviving explosions, and though I don’t know how strong an alchemical bomb is, I can guess it’s stronger than my overcharged flame spell. The receptionist was intimidating to deal with but not in a physical sort of way; I can’t see how she would survive such a blast.
"She was lucky," Giovanni cryptically tells me, barely holding back his growing anger. “Grey!” I hear Giovanni growl out the name like itself is a curse.
I can’t believe Grey would do such a thing.
No, that’s not right. I can't pretend like I know the man. After all, I've only met him twice, and both times I didn't see how much of a snake he was. I just find it hard to believe a man could do such a thing.
Bringing my arms up, I wrap them around myself in a comforting manner. The magic and wonder of this world sometimes makes me forget evil people aren’t exclusive to my past life. There will always be people who don’t care who they hurt as long as it furthers their goals.
This is a grim reminder that I can’t take everyone at face value. When I finally leave the village, I'll come into contact with a lot of new people, and it would be foolish of me to think a few of them won't try to use me, whether it's for my blacksmithing skills or my relationship with Pacore.
“Do you think my family is in any danger?” I ask.
"I'm not sure," Giovanni honestly replies. "Even now, I have my best agents tracking down every one of Grey's people, but I can't be certain we'll get them all. And Grey himself is still on the loose; it's anyone's guess as to what his plans are now that he's committed an act of open rebellion in Scholl's territory."
“Scholl is aware of what he did?”
"They are," Giovanni informs me. "I've sent letters to Lord Bullok; he's the person sent by Scholl to run everything, as well as Pacore, detailing Grey’s horrendous actions. By tomorrow morning, Grey will be the most wanted man in the area.”
“But you don’t know where he is,” I point out.
“We don’t,” Giovanni replies dejectedly. “That’s why I needed you to contact me immediately.”
“Is that the only reason?” I question Giovanni.
There's another long pause in the conversation. "Is it right that you can still break your contract with Grey? The distance doesn't matter?" Giovanni asks me.
“I can,” I answer.
"And you can make it backlash?" Giovanni further asks.
“If you want to ask me something, be clear about it,” I say into the magic tool.
“I want you to make him suffer!” Giovanni finally snaps. “The bastard stole money from the branches vault, betrayed the company that’s supported him all these years, and worst of all…!” Giovanni takes a few deep breaths between all his yelling. “And worst of all, he hurt my people! If there’s anything you can do to make Grey suffer, I’ll be eternally grateful,” Giovanni pleads to me.
“I think I can do that," I respond in a reassuring voice. Grey was already on my shit list, and hearing about what he's done only strengthens my resolve. "I'll contact you tomorrow morning, letting you know how it went."
“I appreciate your help, Aaliyah. Remember to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. Once you terminate your contract with Grey, he’ll see you as fair game,” Giovanni reminds me.
“Let them come,” I grin into the magic device. “I’d like to see Grey’s lackeys try anything with Tabitha here.”
“All the same, be careful. I have to continue coordinating with my men in Drey. If anything and I mean anything at all happens to you or your village, contact me immediately."
“I will,” I agree to Giovanni’s demands. I can only imagine what struggles he must be going through. “Best of luck to you.”
“To you as well,” Giovanni replies before our connection is cut.
I stash the communication magic tool in my pocket and tiredly rub at my eyes. Here I thought I would be able to get a good night's sleep before my training with Tabitha tomorrow. Oh well, at least I'll finally get Grey's stupid contract out of my soul.
But first I need to get back to the village and have dinner with my family.
**********
Clothes changed, teeth brushed, hair combed out; everything's taken care of, I can finally go to bed.
Spreading my arms, I lean back and let gravity do its job. My bed welcomes me with a soft embrace after what was a pretty eventful day. Sandra and I have basically solved the engraving ink issue, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, tomorrow we'll have an accurate timeframe to make engraving ink. That should've been enough excitement for one day, but then I had to go and get that letter from Giovanni.
I still have a hard time comprehending Grey’s actions, to willingly endanger so many people, most of which had nothing to do with his and Giovanni’s rivalry. You wouldn’t be far off calling him a monster.
I made it back to the village before Tabitha came looking for me, but the rest of my night felt muted after my conversation with Giovanni. Bad news tends to do that to people. I know I don't have strong ties to Silver Herd besides my working relationship with Kervin, but hearing about such a needless tragedy tends to bring down the mood.
I spent most of dinner explaining the success Sandra and I had today, but in the end, I had to tell my family about the explosion in Drey and about Grey fleeing the city. Dad was surprised such a thing could happen, but mother was oddly unfazed by it all. She said stories like this were all too common in the larger cities and especially the capital. Apparently, greed has blinded many to try such foolish things; mother also noted almost every story ends with death.
"Is it wrong I agree with that statement?" I ask myself as I roll into position on my bed and pull my covers up. I believe Grey deserves to be punished for his greed and what he did in Drey.
Or is that what I’m telling myself to justify what I’m about to do?
Closing my eyes, I dive into my soul. When I open them again, I’m standing on my little patch of grass in the center of the clearing I always appear in, surrounded by my artificially created plants.
My always blooming rose garden is always lovely to look at, and even my work in progress birds of paradise brings a small smile to my face. I've perfectly leveled the ground since I have no reason to worry about rain in my soul.
Around my patch of grass are multiple stone pathways leading to different sections of the clearing. I take a path to the left that leads over to my Picasso tree and the plaque hanging from it representing Grey's contract. At this point, I've decided to leave the tree as it is, considering it a piece of funky art rather than a sad attempt at replicating a… I think it was supposed to be an oak tree?
Oh well, I shrug my shoulders; it doesn't matter anymore.
What does matter is this, I reach out and grab the plaque that’s fused with my weirdly shaped tree. Using Soul Manipulation, I dislodge the ornament without leaving so much as a dent on the tree.
The plaque feels heavier than I remember, but that's reasonable since the sign has the same amount of experience crammed in as half of my landscaped clearing. Mom said a person's Contract level dictates the strength of each contract and how many a person can have active at any one time.
Grey definitely didn't skimp on our contract. Since Sense Soul hit level 40, I've been able to look deeper into the plaque I created out of Grey's experience shards, and I've noticed something interesting.
There are actually three skills mixed into our contract. The primary skill and easiest to piece out is, of course, Contract, but there are two other skills mixed in with it, and I think they are what make the contract so much stronger than the contracts I've formed with Kervin. I don't have anything even remotely resembling them, so I can only guess what they do.
But no matter how interesting it is to look at, it's been in my soul long enough. I can't help but stare down at the plaque in my hands.
I always planned to remove the contract from my soul, but my conversation with Giovanni is still fresh in my mind.
I promised to help make Grey suffer, and there is a method of removing Grey's contract that I've thought about in passing that would surely do just that.
I've grown more accustomed to controlling my soul, and it would only take some meditation for me to drag this plaque out of my soul and back into the real world. The experience would dissipate and return to Grey, nullifying our contract while simultaneously causing him some pain if Kervin is to be believed.
That’s how I originally planned to expel Grey’s contract, but if I really want to hurt him…
A slight tremor runs through my soul as I gather excess experience points and merge them with trace amounts of mana circulating throughout my soul. Two ghostly tendrils extend from my back and grasp either side of the plaque with ethereal claws.
If one-sidedly breaking our contract and sending Grey’s experience points back to him causes pain, what would happen if I devoured the experience and made it my own?
I’ve been reluctant to experiment with Soul Devourer since I got the skill, but this seems like a good time to test out some theories I’ve been postulating.
I wouldn't be devouring Grey's soul core, only the experience he used to try and tie me down. A fitting punishment if there ever there was one. And if I lose my sanity like I did when I killed the soul devourer, there isn't much I could do; there's only so much experience I can take.
The more I think about it, the more it seems like a good idea.
If I’m going to test my tier 6 skill, I might as well test it on a monster!
My two tendrils of soul and mana envelop the plaque, and I recite the name of my skill.
“Soul Devourer!”
**********
5,950 words
Yes, I know, another cliff for all of you to stand on. Hate me if you must, but not even I expected this little mini acr to take this long. The story just seems to expand by itself, and all I can do is try and do you guys justice for supporting me as you have.
I'm doing a little better but still feeling tired all day and unmotivated. I can confidently call it depression, and I've ignored it for long enough. Only leaving the house once a week is probably a bad sign.
Choosing to give up my day job probably didn't help either, but my family has been supportive the last few days, and I'm going to talk to my doctor about it soon.
If you find it hard to get out of bed or feel motivated to do anything, please talk to someone. Talk to your family, friends, or your doctor; it really helps.
Sorry for the ranting; I just had to get that out.
Please tell me what you think of the chapter, and as always, stay safe.
Comments
Ember
I've been loving this story! Thank you for posting so much of it for free! If your suffering from depression your frankly going to NEED therapy it's even more important than the medication for it. A few guided conversations can do quite a lot to put your life into perspective. I hope this story of yours continues far into the future even if its at a more leisurely pace.
Engraving ink to tabitha is the study of individual transistor sequences to you. Some people might be able to use it (powerfully), but they are rare and far between. Perhaps a more pertenint question is why they allow Sandra to be there. She can absolutely use it, and her help may not be worth the access.
theend
Engraving ink is one of the best kept secrets in the world because how valuable it is. Despite that, they let Tabitha stay around and learn everything as well? Should have send her away and keep this secret to themselves.
ShotoGun
Try writing something else in your spare time to help the writers block. It might help.
Chemnerd263
Okay, so I love the chapter, and the Cliff isnt as bad as some people are saying (but it is bad). I'm not a fan of uaing the Soul Devour skill at all, but as long as she only uses it in a passive way I think it should be fine... I always thought the "right" way to use that skill was to absorb an extra tiny bit from crafting or skill experience. Make all her efforts just a little bit more potent.
Jachin Nelson
She hasn't really killed anything since getting it
Jachin Nelson
It's not something i've seen before, however i think it maybe true in this story (not confirmed in anyway just speculation). That liking/loving someone might be a matter of the soul, but being attracted to the physical form might be a matter of the mind/body. Personally i think this is a good message overall, but who am i to say
theend
The part where Aaliyah thinks about her future and possible children makes me curious if it has ever been mentioned whether she prefers men or women as partners? "Significant Other" can mean either, but I think it was mentioned at the beginning that she was interested in women in her previous life.
Limbus
I love your writing.
Black Unicorn
I love this chapter and many of the ones before this as well. I'm most sad my grandmother is dead she would have loved it as well and I'd bet she'd have asked you to let her help you get it published it is that good in my eyes. I just hope that if you do go that route keep writing it here as well I'd love to read the published and unpublished forms of a book this good.
Rui Lourenço
Awesome chapter. When you're worrying about your novel just think: Readers can forgive a lot if a novel is just fun to read. And this? This is fun as hell. One of the few things I'll always read even if I'm in the middle of reading something else.
Håkan Friberg
Thanks, don't stress about the novel to much. For you it's a big part of your life, for us? It's just a book. Learn from it and know you are the one with the highest expectations for each chapter. I myself just enjoy the ride, both the good and the bad. Just a reminder most is awesome :)
Infinate Fail
this is such a good chapter! We got progress on engraving ink, progress on grey, progress on her soul skill, and the development of her thinking about family making. The dialogue felt natural, and almost every character had a line or two. Great chapter!
Jean Fere
Good stuff could have done without the cliff
Timo Immig
Yeah cats keep you sane. Sadly the two that I had both died of skin cancer and where I currently live pets are not allowed.
Asps_sp
Thank you for the amazing chapter!
Alteron
Thanks for a great chapter, really looking forward to the next one.
ZeroRelevance
Finally, I’ve been waiting for her to use it since she got it, no idea why she’s been waiting so long to use that clearly powerful skill
Frapz
excellent chapter, anxiously awaiting the next
Jachin Nelson
Aaliyah stumbling at the thought of becoming a mother was unreasonably funny to me for whatever reason
Allan Devine
Good luck with the depression, if there are any peer support groups in your area they can be very helpful as can cbt, plenty of material about that online, both have proven track records. Your story is bringing pleasure to thousands and that's a supported fact. It is however only a part of your life and living well isn't a bad ambition. Take care and good wishes on your mental health journey.
Bookman
My Cats are keeping my depression at bay. There is just something soul healing to petting theses balls of floof. A dog would works as well. There is a big need to take the dog out to walk, to go the park to play with other dogs, to go to the dog trainer and train your dog together with others just like you. The Moments when that floofs jump on your bed and demand to be pet is just priceless. If you do consider taking a pet just know that you are responsible for their well being and survival. Pets are magic against depresion but they are also a lot of work. They are also expensive. A Dog through his/her entire live (Around 16 years) costs average 11.000$ That includes all food, doctor apointments etc. A cat can age a lot longer. Average i say about 18 - 20 years but there are outliners living up to 30 years. Indor cats life a longer then outdors for hazard reasons. Speaking of Hazards its a very crushing expirience to see your pet die. Pets turn into part of the family and its allways a terrible expirence to see them die or worse lost. My first cat died in her sleep at age 25. My second got run over by a car at age 2. The Third who was its sibling disapeart in a snowstorm at age 3. I had to give away my 2 next cats at age 3 due to moving reasons. They died at age 14 to poison. (Some maniac left poisond meat on purpose outside.) My current cat mad it all the way to age 14. He looks like he wont make it past 16 (Bone illness) Now reading this should quit depressing but as a pet lover i have to tell you the good and the bad. Live is after all not Black and White. Its crushing to see your loved Pets die but i will always take in another one. For as no matter the hardship in live and death, the way they heal my mind and soul from even the most stressful days is something i can never live without. For some strange reason they can sense your mood and my current cat always comes running at me when i am stressed, demanding to be pet.
Thanks for the chapter and be well my good author.
Ragmas
No judgement here. I'm getting put on lexapro (antidepressant) myself. Just take care of yourself. Do I wish there were more chapters, of course! Your writing is fantastic. But you have to take care of yourself first and foremost. Then once your better...........let the chapter bombardment begin!!!
Dopplerdee
Upside is that Soul Devour seems like it will solve the problem of Tainted EXP from contracts.
tibbish
Establish a routine by making writing your "job". By that I mean have a set regimented hours of the day where you write no matter what, a dedicated work space where you only work and do nothing else, set times for lunch, etc etc etc. Get your drug/therapy regimen figured out too. This is usually a trial and error process on both your AND the docs part since not everyone respond to treatments the same way. So have some patience with the doctors. Have a set schedule for non-work things to do throughout the week to take your mind off things, relax, and de-stress. It doesn't have to be anything big or expensive. Just going out and eating at a OK restaurant is enough. Or going to the library. Establishing a routine for all that takes a while but once you do you'll be far better off. It will keep you moving and keep your thoughts occupied from the depression which will help you deal with it quicker + get you more productive with everything all at once. You don't want to just sit there and marinate in the depression. That will only make it worse!
MadGod
Having a supportive family is great. In my case, the support I got was "Stop messing around and man up already". I had to secretly go see a doctor and get treatment, not that that helped either in the end, I've just been getting worse and worse over the years. I really hope things go better for you and come to enjoy your life.
CyclopsSlayer
OUCH! Stumbled on that damned cliff... lol Be safe, your health comes first.
olyver
Same, I hope you feel better soon.
Scott Fellman
If I didn't have to I would never leVe my bed anymore. The covid quarantine has destroyed my motivation to leave. On the bright side I'm closer to becoming a wise hermit with each passing moment.
GuyWhoReadsALot
Good stuff, thank you. Sorry about your issues, I don't have much advice to offer, but I hope you figure it out.
Alexander Krikorian
If you want motivation to leave the house more, consider getting a dog! I haven't gone out as much as I should, so I'm currently moving to a place with a bunch of walking trails and outdoor stuff to do. As recently described in Re:Trailer Trash, depression is like losing your life's narrative. You need to find something/someone that motivates you. Maybe a pet, significant other, group of friends, hobby, etc.
Atli
Take your time, most of us will still be here even if you decide to take a break for a week here an there to enjoy life a little.
LongtailedOne
@Kosnik4 Dude, please rest. Do not overwork your self because you feel responsible to your patrons. Creative process does not work like that. Not everyone can dish out thousands of words every week, you and me have different approaches to creativity. Binding yourself to a set of rules just for the sake of patrons will damage your creative process and constrict the story. Some people have the words oozing out of their fingers, like pirateaba, and some need to coax them out slowly and painfully. Comparison to other writers would make it unfair to say the least. Please discover your safe zone, where you feel comfortable and stick with it, change your patreon according to it. I love the story you are dishing out and will support you no matter what. SenescentSoul puts out a single short chapter once a week and I support it wholeheartedly because I love the story. As I love yours. Most, definitely not all, of your patrons would keep supporting you if you were to cut back the amount/schedule, and you would have adapt and adjust accordingly, however, as long as you don't give up on the story or burnout due to depression/overwork you will continue to increase your supporters to levels beyond the current amount.
Augustus
Ya, the part of depression where you just want to do nothing sucks since you just end up doing nothing / the same thing everyday, which makes it worse.
Neric
Thanks you for the chapter and writing this novel
Möwe Tom
Thank you for this mighty fine chapter and novel! One of the best of the ones ive read so far!
Nick
Thanks for the chapter.
aantonides .
Getting out for a walk is always good! Go hang out with your friends. Even if you don't feel like doing so. It will make you feel better!
Jack the Dream
Loved the chapter, and I was wondering when she would try to infuse mana right into the ink. Pleased I guessed right. As to depression, I suffered depression to varying degrees for thirty years, found TMS, and it was like waking up in a new world. There is hope and treatments, and never buy into that tortured artist crap.
wd40bomber7
That was a fantastic chapter and I'm quite excited for the next one!
Bonobo
Loved the chapter! I hope you go see a doctor and follow up with the treatment, one trick that worked for me was to go walking /running in the early morning (less people, less noise, less reason to not do it ). There are plenty of ways to get better, just try something that you can do in the moment, and don't plan for more, see if you are capable to do it. I really hope you go out from your home and try to take showers every day, it helped me a lot when I was capable of receiving help.
thkiw
Hehe boi. Vengence.
TheOne320
I currently have the same problem since my time working at home because of COVID-19 started. No motivation to get work done. I always worked better in the office. Fixed times for work and regular breaks are important. I always enjoyed some contact with colleagues during coffee breaks.
rasmus1070
Super nice chapter.
Dave
I am so glad to see the tier 6 skill finally get used. Curious how big a gain she will get in experiance for using it for one, the 20 levels grey should lose from the contract backlash.I mean will our MC gain a couple levels taking all that experiance, will the experiance loss for grey effect his vitality and basically cull his lifespan what did he put his point into?.Damn I want that next chapter.
Carl Mason
I am glad to hear you are feeling better, if only a bit. The chapter was fantastic, and I really liked how some of our ideas were either incorporated into the story or guessed right on the money. That is a fun little bonus. Don't worry too much about our satisfaction with coming chapters, we will gladly wait for great story from a healthy author. You may consider going to a park or coffee shop to do some of your writing process, rather than staying home all the time. I know the only thing keeping me steady some days is interacting with other people. And it is a compounding curve, the better you get the better you will get. The worse you get the worse you will get. Force yourself to keep to a healthy schedule and interact with people in the flesh, hard to do right now I know, especially good people that you enjoy seeing. It helps.
Blood Shade Games
Awesome chapter thank you I hope you get better
Blake Richardson
Thanks for the chapter
Vyktor
The chapter is really interesting and filling, thank you. I want to rand and roll on the ground and cry because I wanted it to be Grey contract breaking chapter, but it's a good chapter (and not women filling BS chapter that can be read in the daily chineses novels - 15 fillers for 1 actuel chapter to advance the story). Thanks you. And go out! Walk a little each day, talk to someone, just a "Hello, how are you today", it can only be a good thing!
Reid Palmquist
Well, if I remember correctly, the goddesses basically said if she eats people's soul cores she loses her access to the next life. Just gobbling the pseudo-soulstuff that experience represents shouldn't trigger that clause - at least that's what she seems to think, we'll see if that's the case.
Justin
Good chapter! Glad you are facing your issue head on. It's a tough one.
Space Cadet
Great use of Soul Devourer. I was wondering why Grey was going to be penalised for Aaliyah destroying the contract. It makes much more sense if she eats the contract. Well played Kosnik
Mist of Shadows
That last bit is a bit worrying, she seems like she flipped to using a skill she wasn't supposed to use really quickly it's a bit worrying. It's nice to see that she remembered the cave for the ink. I'm looking forward to seeing her actually make some magical items.
ZaA
I'm quite excited for next chapter now
alex
Glad to hear you are looking to get help. Why do I feel as if the soul devour will mix poorly with the two skills within the contract. Like eating not one, but two random somethings that you don't know what it is at all... will she get a stomach ache only the soul version?
Black Unicorn
I'm hoping you have a good time till your next chapter is out and you doctor is able to help you. Please if you feel you need to talk to other people I'm sure some of us here would be glad to lend you our ears hearts and time I for one would.
HardhatDoozer
Great chapter. Well worth the wait. Plus a fair bit longer than usual. As always we’re behind you taking care of yourself, it is in our best interest.
HardhatDoozer
Assuming she knows what runes to draw. Still to be determined.
Steven Palmer
I had goosebumps until the cliff, just ready to fall on knees and cry. Hope you take it slow and steady, reel it back to 2 a week *Cringes* but do what you have to do. Your #1 see you have to take care of yourself first before #2 can be saved. Can't save the princess if the hero can't save himself first.
Black Unicorn
I'm hoping for more then minor pain to that thing (gray) but we'll just have to wait and see.
Bunny Waffles
Good chapter! It truly sucks to hear about what you are going through. I don't know if this will help at all but just getting out of the house, not even really going anywhere but just stepping outside and enjoying the fresh air as it were can really help, or at least it did for me. If it is too hot during the day where you are try either early morning or late evening, or even just late at night. If there isn't too much light pollution just staring up at the night sky can be soothing, especially if you pair it with some soft ambient music.
David Zimmerle
Was honestly hoping she'd never use that skill outside of it's more passive use of gaining more exp from kills.
Seadrake
You did the right thing. The "Best" part about depression is how difficult it is to get treatment, at least in my experience. There are a ton of excuses for delaying and rescheduling appointments. Justifying that is not that bad and you don't need it. Or simply believing it isn't worth the trouble. It's good you made it, a schedule and diary are what help keep me honest and improving.
Weebeedee
Thanks heaps for the chapter man!! Hope things improve, admitting you need some help is a far bigger step than a lot of people realise.
austin kutz
Hey, if you need a small job to get you out of the house and keep you interacting with people, deliver pizza part time. Pizza Hut, Domino's, some local place, doesn't matter. Everyone loves the Pizza Man and honestly it'll make you happy even if you don't make a lot of money. Delivering pizza was the best job I ever had, not in terms of how much money I made, but in how many friends I made. Seriously consider it if you need to interact with people. Even if you're only working three shifts a week at 4-6 hours each it'll still keep the blood moving and keep you in touch with reality. Ground yourself, my friend.
Tom Henman
Really enjoyed the chapter. Depression is a real problem and do all you need to take care of it. Meds do help and counseling can also help. Treat it and you may find you get a lot more productive and enjoy life more as well!
Oblivious
You did very well on this chapter. Thank you
AirSak2000
Great chapter. Just one nitpick is that some proper nouns aren't capitalized. Word like Father, Mother, Dad, Mom, Master are proper nouns and should be capitalized. My mother, my father etc. don't need to be capitalized.
closeded
Your day job sounded super stressful; I can't imagine doing that kinda stuff. If it was eating at you, then you probably made the right choice. Good old 1s and 0s all the way for me; I'd hate being responsible for someone else's well being.
tj oram
If i remember correctly that's only if she devours souls whole i believe
Emma Carlin
Wait, I thought it she ever used her Soul Devourer skill she'd be damned for eternity, never rebirthing again or something?
TaylorTot
And assuming it even works
Wei Tung
great chapter, was wondering when the she would get a chance to use the tier 6 skill
Milandaanza
First I’m glad you’re feeling better. Second? I’m glad she used soul devourer. My thought was that she would try to make the contract act as if grey broke it but this works well. I hope it’s a minor backlash at most. It’s a great way to make the skill relevant without going overboard.
Meudon
gauge the ruff > gauge the rough
Vorquel
Ideally, chapter 96 should either start from Grey's perspective or the perspective of his body guard. The sudden experience loss should have some interesting effects. I especially look forward to what Grey will see in his status page, assuming he doesn't just drop dead from the feedback.
Ricco Goldsboro
Your good personal health is best kept up and the chapter was excellent as always
Andrew
Totally worth the wait, thank you!
Adel A
I thought it was a great chapter and there is nothing wrong with a cliff hanger once in a while.
Jachin Nelson
Really good chapter, I always enjoy your writing. Make sure to take care of yourself. Have a good night
ZCochraine!%
We finaly get to see how that Teir 6 skill works. And one the ink is done, she could make a cabinet to infuse the unfinished ink with mana and shed be set.
isaiah
Loving this chapter and series can't wait for the next chapter!
Rue
I'm super excited to see how her experiments evolve in enchanting and soul devouring. Thanks for the chapter!
Andrew Goudie
Great chapter. I think since this is more of a slice of life story then traditional adventure it's okay for the story to grow and expand, it's character driven rather than plot driven in my opinion. Yes plot is nice, but character growth and power growth is really the essence of the story.
Kosnik4
Corrections
