158. The Mind Pillar Ascends (Patreon)

Much to Lukas’s disappointment, Mira was still fast asleep. However, color had returned to her cheeks, covering the dark veins that crept up her cheek. He pressed his palm against her forehead. Mira’s temperature had dropped.

Well, that’s a relief.

The effects of mana exhaustion had faded. Mira’s fever had followed. She had pushed herself beyond her limits, completing her Confluence. Lukas wasn’t sure whether it was intentional or her twin dragonfires had taken over, forcing the birth of her familiar. When he leaned over Mira and kissed her forehead, a soft, almost-feline hiss reached his ears from a corner of the room, making him jump.

It was the dragonling. Mira’s familiar stayed low to the ground, appearing ready to pounce. Lukas threw up his hands and backpedaled.

“Relax, little buddy,” he said, in the gentlest tone possible. “I don’t mean her any harm. Just worried and checking on her.”

The dragonling hissed again. 

“I guess you don’t know me too well, but you being here is a good sign. Right? Mira must’ve woken up to summon you.” Lukas hesitated. “Or did you manifest all by yourself to protect her? Either way, I think it's excellent that you’re here.”

Even though the dragonling’s back and the spiny hairs on his relaxed, the tiny fangs remained out. The black filling them and his claws faded into a dull grey. 

“We both want to take care of Mira and protect her,” Lukas said. “With you around, I’ll need to worry about her far less.”

The dragonling’s mouth closed, and it tilted its head to one side. Lukas had to fight down a chuckle when the spines growing out of the back of its head and neck lost their rigidity and flopped to a side, reminding him of a confused puppy. 

“That's right, buddy. I'm a friend.” Lukas took a step towards the dragonling, hand outstretched. He took it as a positive when the familiar didn't retreat or cower. Instead, he watched Lukas with surprising intensity. His nostrils twitched, and he took a careful step forward. “See. I don't mean you or Mira any harm. We both love her.”

The dragonling abruptly went rigid again, hissed, and snapped his jaw so fast that Lukas didn't get the chance to react. He whipped his hand back, but a moment too late. The tiny pointed teeth left a deep scratch along the side of his right hand. 

“Son of a bitch,” he whispered, struggling not to yell. He took a step back, clamping a finger down on the cut just as blood began to spurt from it. Assistant Spindle manifested, floating over his left shoulder. Lukas called forth crimson and emerald strings and woven them around the injured finger. He had little experience in healing magic, but trusted his ability to fix such a minor wound. 

Meanwhile, the dragonling leaped into the air, clumsily flapping his wings. Instead of taking flight, he jumped, using the powerful downdraft to launch himself higher. He landed on the bed, spun to face Lukas, and hissed again. 

“At least I can trust you to do your job well.” Lukas sighed. He left the bedroom for his study, closing the door behind himself. An angry red line now ran down his left middle finger. He had successfully closed the wound. It didn't feel deep enough to scar, and he chose not to work on it any further. Time would do the trick. Given his inexperience with Life magic, he didn't want to take any risks. 

It wasn't a particularly rare attunement, but most people used it to enhance themselves or accelerate their body's natural recovery instead of using targeted healing. The role of healer demanded extensive medical study and practise. Merlin had encountered reports of things going drastically wrong because of the misuse of Life magic. Tumors and mutations were a common story. At the same time, there were records of healers regrowing tissue, organs, and limbs and staving off death. Lukas found it best to avoid serious injuries altogether. The idea of eventually getting a clone that specialized in healing interested him, but more for the sake of people important to him than himself.

The time had come for a much-awaited and vital ascension. Lukas considered Spellweaver his most valuable ability after Shadow Clone. It was the secret to his success. In fact, he believed Spellweaver was responsible for all of his other abilities’ continued growth, and he couldn’t wait to see what the next tier would offer.

First, Lukas wrote a note for Mira, letting her know he was going down for his Mind ascension and didn’t know when he’d be up. Given how her color had improved and the familiar’s presence, he was sure she would be up and moving in a day or two. 

Next, he dispelled three of the five Spellweavers. Lukas wanted the Shadowsteel Fortress to progress as fast as possible, but protecting his inert body and Mira took priority. Ace and two Stalkers took their place. He also dispelled and resummoned Oberon. 

“I want all hands on deck, watching and protecting the building,” Lukas said. “Help Merlin with the fortress, but conserve enough magic for battle.”

“Aren’t you being paranoid, boss?” Oberon asked. “The guy who killed me was in Tortuga, and given the number of people watching this place, we’re pretty safe.”

“Just because they’re watching us doesn’t mean they’ll help us,” Ace stated. He procured his signature cowboy hat from the journal’s storage. It came out when gambling or combat were on the horizon. “Can I be in charge? I promise not to let you down.”

“I want to say yes, but you’re too chaotic for this close to home,” Lukas answered. “In my absence, Merlin is in charge. I might be overthinking things, and nothing is going to happen. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Ace, I want you patrolling with the Stalkers. Perhaps get a disguise off Oberon and steal luck off any goons or spies around. We’ll need it if things go wrong.”

“That sounds fun.” Ace grinned. “Fine. I didn’t want to be in charge anyway. It’s boring.”

Lukas returned to the basement. The ascension tub was ready for him. He climbed in before using the Essence of Arcane Projection.

Spellweaver is ready for the ascension to the next tier. 

Your arcane projection skills will improve considerably, increasing the maximum range and traveling speed of your spells. Assistant Spindle’s arcane capacity and quantity of strings will also increase.

All of your fundamental arcane abilities have reached a competent level. Magic created with Spellweaver will have increased stability, making them more challenging to interrupt and unravel.

Intent-focused spells will cause considerably less mental strain, and your instincts when it comes to identifying the attunement and purpose of alien spell strings are considerably improved. 

Please pick one of the following:

Weave Intelligence: Shape intelligent constructs using arcane threads. The complexity of tasks they can complete scales with the spell’s power and the intricacy of the weave. The construct will last until its magic runs out or the script drawing ambient energy fails.

Eternal Tapestry: Weave spells directly into the arcane realm, creating tapestries to bind to people, objects, or places. Only you or talented spellweavers may unravel them. They’ll persist indefinitely, refueling themselves over time. Material and environmental limitations will struggle to hinder you.

Through The Ether: Arcane defenses and wards will struggle to stand up to your arcane might. You may project your spells through them, reducing the loss of effectiveness, if not bypassing everything altogether. Defenses and magic also connected or bound to the ether will resist your magic all the same, depending on which magic’s presence in the arcane realm is stronger.

“That’s strange,” Lukas said more to himself than the three clones in the basement.

“Didn’t Weave Intelligence come up during the last ascension?” One of the Spellweavers asked.

“Maybe the literature about shards being alive and having a will of their own is true,” Merlin stated. “The shard already has a path it wants to go down. Our job is getting it there. What I find most curious is Eternal Tapestry. Isn’t it unusually close to one of the conjunction options for me? What was it? Magic Binding?”

“It is.” Lukas frowned, reading through the options again. “The wording is slightly different, and it seems more potent.”

“That’s the difference between a tier-three and a conjunction ability, I suppose.” Merlin stood over the tub, studying the journal closely. “This is considerably better. The direct combat potential isn’t particularly great, but this is perfect for developing the fortress, warding, traps, and enchantments. We’ll spend considerably less information on construction and binding spells to structures and rooms.”

“It certainly feels like it,” a Spellweaver added. “Best of all, it won’t be limited to a Specialized Clone. Since it's passive, any clone can use it. Will spells woven directly into the arcane realm make them harder to detect?”

“I don’t think so, but I’m sure we can make them harder to conceal.” Lukas turned his attention to the final option. “Thoughts on Through The Ether?”

“If Eternal Tapestry is born from Spellweaver and all our arcane fundamentals reach competency, Through The Ether comes directly from the essence,” Merlin explained. “Bypassing enemy disruption, sensory and protective wards is valuable. If we’re lucky, the next tier will come with the same option. I can’t help but wonder what kind of results we’d have if you let me upgrade the essence.”

“And lose it to one of your experiments? No, thank you.” Lukas chuckled. “I’m fine with you experimenting on trash essences, but not something that took us over a year to find. Our shitty arcane projection is improved, mental strain is reduced, and ol’ Spindle is also getting a buff. I’m satisfied.”

“Not to forget, our spells will be harder to unravel even without Eternal Tapestry,” one of the Spellweavers said.

Lukas locked in his decision.

Are you ready to ascend the Mind Pillar?

“I am,” he said, losing consciousness.

Darkness descended on Lukas as everything became heavier. Considerable time had passed since his last ascension, and there was no telling how long he would be out.

___________

“I don’t think El-Prime has enough vision,” Ace stated, walking with Oberon down the street adjacent to their home. Both of them wore disguises, masking their appearance. “Given all the real estate, we could do so much more with the soulspace.”

“What did you have in mind?” Oberon weaved Dreamfigre between his fingers. He saw no threats in the vicinity, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help his fellow clone with shenanigans.

“Bar. Spa. Entertainment”

“And a gambling den.”

“That was a given. The confluence could become a traveling hotel, tavern, or even an adult themepark.” Ace’s voice reached a crescendo as he added a touch of drama to his spiel. “Just imagine it. We could set up in a different town, city, or village every few weeks. People come in, trade, enjoy themselves, get drunk, and give us all of their money and intel. Then, they move on happy, and we go elsewhere.”

“Idyllic concept. But it could just as easily go wrong. What happens when people lose all of their life savings or valuable treasures, and we end up making enemies? The boss wants a peaceful life, staying under the radar.”

“Do you really think that will be possible if he gets Zaun and Company up and running? We’ll be big, powerful, and the only entity with coil or railguns, assuming we ever pull those off. We’re going to draw attention anyway. Jealousy and competition will follow. Our best bet is to lean into it and cement our presence in the public eye. Make us beloved and ensure whoever enters our funland has the best, most unforgettable time of their lives.

“Oh, apologies, my good man,” Ace said, giving the man he had bumped into a bow. “I didn’t see you there.”

The man grunted, looking Ace up and down before returning his attention to El-Prime’s home. He was a familiar face and had been watching them openly for well over a year. The gold aura around him lost luminosity. Ace needed more than a simple touch to send his fortune into the red, but it didn’t feel necessary. If El-Prime’s concerns proved true, and someone was coming for them, he wanted the watchers wary. They’d likely inform their bosses or the city guard. Not everyone keeping an eye on the building was an enemy, after all.

“It would give me a fun little playground for my magic,” Oberon said after leaving the man behind.

“Exactly! Pump them with happy dreams and leave them wanting more. Maybe once you have your Dreamatorium going, you could weave together something ensuring everyone in the confluence has a great time. Add Bowie to the mix, and we’re set. Joy and pleasant dreams.”

“Give people a more family-friendly and non-addictive high.”

“That’s right.” Ace grinned. “I knew you’d come around. There was the one Confluence with a wandering inn. We could take it one step further. Make things bigger, better, and absolutely fabulous. Black jack and hookers, baby!”

“I don’t think El-Prime would go for the latter. Things could get messy fast. But, if you can strike a good balance of stealing and giving out luck, we could run fair games so people don’t think things are rigged. Nice dreams. Good music. We can have a good economy going for outsiders who make the soulspace their home.” Oberon grinned, releasing the Dreamfire spell he was working on. “Very well. I’m sold.”

The eyes of a woman intently watching the pair glazed over. She stared through and past the pair as Ace approached, taking one of the many flowers she was holding. “Aren’t these gorgeous?” He asked, taking two out of the bouquet. “Snow lilies are the wife’s favorite!” He pressed a couple of coins into her free hand, using the extended contact to take her luck and push her into the red. “Thank you, my good woman. And have a lovely day.”

“You, too, kind sir,” she slurred, shaking her head. Her eyes refocused for a moment. The woman looked between the pair and the window to El-Prime’s bedroom.

“Thanks for that,” Ace said. “She’s a tough one. No amount of charm makes her crack.”

“You come on a bit too strong and fairly camp,” Oberon said. “Annoying almost.”

“Nonsense. I’m lovable, and you know it.”

“Sure. Sure. Back to the topic at hand. How do we convince El-Prime to go through with it? He’s not going to budge easily.”

“We convince the others. He will follow. More importantly, convince by doing. If Morph brings in Astrid’s Jotun tribe and we hide them in the soulspace—”

“It’s a captive audience for the best ever time!” Oberon exclaimed. “Evidence will give us a shot at winning over the boss. Then, he’d be stupid not to do it. I get the feeling the Jotun will be hard to crack, though.”

“Are you kidding? Gambling, drinking, and singing are all they do when not at war. Astrid’s tribe might be more stoic and serious, but between you and Bowie, I’m sure we can crack them.” Ace thoughtfully studied his next subject as he continued. “Our biggest challenge will be convincing Merlin. Because when he chronicles this memory, he might very well highlight it for El-Prime. Then it’s fucked.”