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[Omen of the Witchblade] Chapter 58 — Give it Time
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 00:33:04 +0000 UTCDespite the comfort available, Mel slept uneasily that night. Gwen and Thomas had offered Mel a hide sleeping bag stuffed with feathers and imbued with a warming script that required a paltry [Copper Rune Coin] to keep active all night long.
For the first time since arriving in the Convocation, Mel was warm, clean, and well-fed, with a plump bed to sleep in. Unfortunately, she woke up every few hours regardless of that comfort.
There were some things that took time to adjust to.
She was so used to sleeping in small bursts whenever she could that her body had a hard time letting its guard down. Just being able to sleep for two consecutive hours was a blessing.
It was easy to forget about all the comforts she was used to. All the tiny liberties and freedoms she gave up in exchange for vigilance and survival.
Now, surrounded by two other capable Magi, Mel should be able to let down her guard and get a full night’s rest without fear.
Eventually.
It would take more than one night of safety and comfort for her body to be convinced that she was out of the woods. Mel was okay with that. She didn’t feel any need to rush the process.
Every time she woke up, she slipped out of her sleeping bag and toured the small encampment. It was well-defended, with only one way in and out. The exit was a natural chokepoint, and the sheer stone walls would be difficult to climb.
However, they were still exposed to the elements. There was no roof overhead. Not that Mel expected one. If they were searching for hunting grounds or a dungeon to explore, they would need to move quickly once the surrounding area was searched.
They weren’t trying to eke out their lives here. Much to Mel’s relief, Thomas and Gwen didn’t share a sleeping bag. So she wasn’t going to be waking up to any intimate boning sessions. Mel had been fairly sure there was something between them. The way they looked at each other when they didn’t think anybody was watching them was telling.
Now that the shoe was on the other foot, Mel found herself ironically finding ways that she could make the area more livable and permanent.
You’re not Sabrina.
Mel walked over to the glowing coals of the campfire that kept the surrounding area warm. They cooked whatever was in the pot, low and slow overnight.
Unable to help herself, she opened a nearby crate and peeked in. There were several segmented boxes inside. Each one held a different type of ingredient. Mel pulled out a box filled with…flour?
How the hell do they mill flour in the field?
[Gleam Flour]
(Copper Rank, Crafting Material)
(Common)
Finely milled gleam wheat.
Mel replaced the box and took out what looked like a carrot. Instead of orange, it was a deep purple and large enough that she probably could have used it as an impromptu weapon.
[Gloam Carrot]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
A dark carrot that grows at high elevations. Their unusual coloration makes them difficult to spot at night, the only time they can be harvested.
Imprint: When eaten raw, sates hunger, replenishes vital resources, and temporarily increases night vision.
More than aware that she probably should have asked, Mel took out a small box containing a cluster of delicious berries. They were a cross between a strawberry and a raspberry without all the annoying pips.
[Blisterberry]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Common)
Despite its unappetizing name, the blisterberry is a delicacy known throughout the multiverse for its sublime mixture of sweet and tart flavors, and its brilliant red hue.
Imprint: When eaten raw, sates hunger, and replenishes vital resources.
You’re not wrong, Mel thought, reading the bit about the name. However, despite no longer “starving” as Gwen would put it, they tasted just as good as last night.
Mel popped a few more into her mouth and then replaced the box, feeling a little guilty. There was clearly enough food that they didn’t have anything to worry about, but some part of her was still used to rationing.
Slipping back into her sleeping bag, Mel opened her inventory and took out the items she looted from Warren.
The first things were the aspect coins. They clearly spelled out which aspects he had. She had gained a lot of aspect coins over the course of fighting other Coppers.
It was one of the most common things she received when defeating another Copper. Usually, it was only their strongest aspect, but sometimes–like with Warren–all of their aspect coin types dropped.
Unfortunately, Mel could do nothing with any of them. You couldn’t convert one coin type to another. She would have to trade with somebody, but up until this point, Mel had nobody to trade with.
I wonder how Heath is doing?
She rubbed the pocket where Heath’s coin was stashed. She almost used its magic to call out to him, but she needed more time. It wasn’t that she was afraid he was dead, she just needed some time to readjust to a life around other people. Magi would be more understanding of the oddities such adjustment might bring out.
If she decided to stay.
I wonder what the hell Mayhem aspect does, Mel couldn’t help wondering, holding a [Mayhem Coin]. It was a fiery red-orange coin that depicted natural disasters on each face.
Like all other aspect coins, Mel could feel the powerful condensation of mana held within.
She stashed the coins, resolving to ask Gwen and Thomas if they could use them.
[Vile Contract]
(Copper Rank, Armor)
(Epic)
An unknown gold alloy with a gem of unknown make and origin. Vile things swirl and slither beneath its surface. The Vile Covenant is one of the oldest and strongest from Old Lormar before the gods and their stewards were slain.
Imprint(Spent): Place a droplet of blood on the gem to trigger [Bastion of the Defeated].
[Bastion of the Defeated]: Channel the power of faith, converting all of your Copper followers into Starborn Children. Those unable to endure the transformation are rendered into usable biomass.
Mel grimaced. So that’s what Warren had done. How could he have done that to his own people? It didn’t make any sense to Mel. He professed to care for them, but when push came to shove, he was like every other selfish brat. He only thought about himself.
If all of the Stolst gang was turned into those things…Mel shivered. She didn’t want to imagine what was going on with the remnants of the Stolst gang.
The only silver lining was that they still had a great deal of Mundanes. At least the weak people would be spared.
In one way, she didn’t have to worry about them coming to seek vengeance on her. On the other hand…they were horrors from beyond the stars. The sort of thing you read about in a Lovecraft novel or found on Aldim, among other places.
Mel had been hoping that the multiverse was free of Outsider meddling and cults, but apparently not. According to what Gwen said, this was something that Lormar was known for.
Mel didn’t know why she had been given the [Vile Covenant]. The imprint was spent. Even if she wanted to use it–which she did not–there was no way she could. It was a onetime use.
There had to be another use for it, but Mel didn’t know what that would be. This was the first time that she’d been given something that the wielder had carried, but was already in a used state.
Unable to make sense of it, Mel pulled out the next piece of loot, a heavy gold ring.
[Ring of Greater Water Breathing]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Rare)
A goldsteel ring etched with a pattern resembling cresting waves. When viewed from certain angles, the image of a muscular man and his cat can be seen riding the waves. The Deeds of this fabled duo have imparted a strong enchantment to this ring.
Imprint: Enables water breathing at the added cost of additional stamina expenditure. Improved stamina efficiency when swimming.
Mel cleaned off the ring with a spare cloth. It was so dirty and uncared for she couldn’t see what the description suggested at first.
Then, true to its word, she could see a cat and man blissfully surfing, frozen in time. For some reason, she thought they looked happy. Content.
Mel slipped the ring on her finger. She didn’t feel any different, but if she had it when she fought the Bloodletters things might have been different.
Still not sure how I survived that. Mel grinned to herself. If Gwen and Thomas want good hunting, they can’t get much better than hunting one of the plateau beasts.
Mel wasn’t sure they were up to the task. She had been certain that even if she worked with the Bloodletters–fat chance–that they still would have lost.
At least she was able to get them off the board. Without realizing it, they had been the last major obstacle between her and Warren.
Who told you that you would rule the Convocation, Warren? Who told you that I was a Magi?
Thinking about Warren always rubbed her the wrong way, though it was a comfort to know that he was dead. And that he died in pain, as he deserved. The peaceful embrace of death was too good for the likes of him.
Mel pulled out the [Empyrium Gem]. Her quest reward for killing Warren. She rolled it around in the palm of her hand, watching the cold light of the stars shimmer across its surface.
Mel tucked it back into her inventory. She wasn’t a leader, but then again if Warren could be, why not her? She couldn’t do a worse job than he did.
Who are you going to lead? she wondered. The Magi? You’d be better off herding cats.
It was true, but then again, the Magi liked a cohesive structure. If Brookmoors wasn’t here to provide it, why not her?
The problem was she didn’t know how Orders worked. There was no other information than they were system-recognized groups of people.
Clearly, the Stolst gang had been something like an Order, but not fully. They were too disorganized to be aided by the system. Still, whenever she examined somebody who had undergone one of their initiations, they had “Stolst gang” in their name declaring their allegiance.
Mel wasn’t well-versed in other groups to know if that was common or not. Could a simple test of loyalty—no matter how grim—evoke a change like that?
Would she become [Mel Harper (Magi) (Copper Rank)]?
It didn’t sound that bad, but there had to be more to it.
[Bladed Weaponry Tome (F-Tier)]
(Copper Rank, Item)
(Rare)
A knowledge tome that teaches initiate tier fighting proficiency with bladed armaments, including light, heavy, and finesse categories. The knowledge contained within solidifies armament training foundation, paving the way for deeper insight into techniques and forms.
Imprint: Study to increase weapon knowledge and training.
Requires: [Novice Basic Weapons Knowledge (G-Tier)]
I can’t imagine Warren met the requirements to use this. He was hardly competent with a blade, Mel thought with cold honesty. She had defeated him rather easily when it came down to raw skill. The only advantage he ever held over her was strength and the power of his aspect skills.
Namely, what she suspected was Mayhem aspect. If he had stuck with using his aspect skills, she might have been in trouble. Of course, he had clearly been afraid and reacted out of self-preservation.
Once her blade was in him, he had forfeited the fight. Only neither of them knew it at the time.
Mel grinned and put a hand on the tome. A pulse of mana unlocked its hidden depths. The book snapped open, and the pages fluttered as if they were caught in a gale. Mel’s mind was filled with advanced maneuvers and ways to handle not just her twinblade, but all manner of bladed weapons.
Shardscript blazed in her mind’s eye, drawing a smug grin across Mel’s lips.
You learn: [Initiate Bladed Weapons Knowledge (F-Tier)]
Now that she had two other Magi around her, maybe she could convince them to spar with her.
Deklin had been an excellent sparring partner. If she missed anything from being around people, it was the ability to spar and learn together.
Her Omen skills and her weaponry skills were nearly impossible to train and improve without a target to test herself against.
That’s not a bad way to think about it. Despite the long hours training with her twinblade, she only advanced to the next tier of weaponry knowledge once she fought the Bloodletters. It’s possible that training is like studying, but the system doesn’t recognize the improvement until you literally “test” yourself against an adversary.
It had become abundantly clear to her that fighting stronger, more capable enemies yielded disproportionally greater runes of experience.
Shutting her eyes and meditating on all that had happened, Mel brought up her standing. Meditation was an important part of growth. It helped to solidify the lessons learned, and most importantly, centered her mind.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to do much of it over the past month.
[Mel Harper]
Race: Human
Standing: [#52] Exile (G-League) [1st Echelon]
Class: Mystic
Rank: Copper
Next Rank: Iron (35%)
She smiled at the progress. Mel had gotten to #91 before finding Warren. He, and all his cronies she killed, must have had far more BP than she thought to nearly double her current standing. She was farther along than she expected, but not enough to hit the top three. Warren had a great amount of BP but proved to be much less of a challenge than she initially figured. She needed bigger, stronger enemies to both progress to Iron, and climb up in standing.
The Bloodletters could have easily taken Warren out whenever they chose, in Mel’s opinion.
But I’ll sleep a lot easier knowing all six of those bastards are dead. Seven if you count Jimmy. Which she didn’t. He doesn’t even get a footnote.
Up until now, Mel had been hyper-focused on revenge, not her own growth.
That was about to change.
Comments
Shawn Treants
Love the Sam and Komachi reference!
