Time continued to pass by without too much excitement. Preparations were being made behind the scenes, and announcements were revealed to the public.
Vee and I obviously avoided being roped into anything like that, so we spent most of the time either playing with magic, doing a bit of hunting, or lazing about.
Both Vee and I were hopeful to reach [Dimension Magic LV 5] as soon as possible, as it would theoretically unlock Riftmancer for both of us. Not to mention whatever new spell component from the actual magic itself, and after [Expansion] proved its worth, we were eager to see what the next spell would be.
Naturally, we eagerly investigated our two new Mana manipulation traits to compare the differences, which was relatively easy to do since we both had [Ritual Casting] and the benefits of [Companion Bond].
Vee's [Mana Shaping] was actually quite remarkable, allowing her to effectively throw raw spells around. It basically flew in the face of everything I'd previously learnt about magic, which the mischievous spider took absolute delight in.
"There's no way Mother designed this; it must be from someone else, I'm sure of it!" Vee confidently declared, snickering to herself. "So if I use it, then I'm basically slapping her in the face!"
Despite her open blasphemy, as Llewel had called it, there were no apparent repercussions, and my "slap the spider" quest must have been a one-time deal. Still, I had to think she was close to the truth as this seemed like a nearly different magic system entirely, hastily tacked on the side with glue.
Vee could throw around raw corrosion or dimension Mana, and the result would depend on the effort she exerted. During our trials, she could effectively make acidic fireballs and other "not quite spells" with considerable ease. From my perspective, it was a raw hunk of Mana forcibly beaten into shape to hopefully produce the desired magical phenomenon.
Vee had also attempted it with dimensional Mana, but the only result she managed was a spell that teleported the object or person hit with it a few feet in a random direction. Hardly what I'd call a useful spell, but it might at least disorientate an attacker, assuming it didn't teleport them directly behind us.
My skill, on the other hand, was the complete opposite, and to get the best benefits from it required me to weave intricate spell formations not unlike what I'd done to create [Displaced].
My newfound dexterity over Mana was a game-changer, and I could precisely move, edit, or replace certain features with surgical precision. This also made layering spells far easier, so much so that I questioned my previous time and effort. If I had this beforehand, I probably could have created [Rift Door] in a day.
Since Llewel also had [Mana Weaving], I could pick his brain for ideas or features around it. Most of it was stuff I'd already done through brute force, such as taking components and splicing them into other spells, but he also explained and demonstrated a different method entirely.
Effectively, you could weave isolated spell components with the capacity to be stitched together into a complex spell as the end product. It was like a giant patchwork quilt becoming a magnificent work of art, although it was pretty tricky, depending on how you approached it.
Still, compared to what I was doing before, it seemed much more straightforward. Rather than the entire spell unraveling and causing a backlash, only the individual component would break, retaining progress and diminishing the mental anguish.
There was also another benefit, although it meant I'd need to recreate the vast majority of my spells into a new format, as I'd built them as a whole construct rather than a patchwork. However, doing so would create a framework for something I had technically been trying to achieve already.
Whenever I gained a new affinity, I'd always try to create a corresponding debuff and affliction, going through all the time and effort to replace the incorrect Mana while retaining the desired effect.
By creating a framework, I could have a patchwork ready in a debuff formation, for example, and simply add a new patch for the corresponding magical affinity. If all went to plan, it would be a simple matter of just removing the "fire patch" to replace it with an "ice patch" and so forth.
Of course, this spell framework had other benefits, as I could create more potent effects by just adding more patches! If I had a framework that produced "exploding magic balls" and added one fire patch, I'd get [Fireball], but if I added extra fire patches to the quilt, I could have an [Upgraded Fireball].
This obviously wasn't free and could theoretically drastically raise my spell completion time, but the effects could be extraordinary. Plus, if I had my [Sub-Cores] helping, then I could likely bypass most of the drawbacks.
Speaking of upgrades, Vee had tried out that feature of her [Mana Shaping] and was delighted by the results. It was like what I'd do when I overcharged a spell by empowering it, except the result was almost instantaneous and effortless.
Vee could take any existing system-registered spell and dump a ton of extra Mana into it, and the spell would hold. It even had the unexpected benefit of having her spells be far more robust and difficult to tamper with during our [Counter Magic] duels. Her victories against my poor unlinked [Sub-Cores] had become drastically one-sided as a result, and so I allowed them to finally join the network and start getting power-leveled.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Seeing Vee's unexpected boost in [Counter Magic], I'd hoped to also get an equivalent upgrade, and I did… but it was a far cry from her improvement.
My spell weaves, patchworks, frameworks, or whatever you wanted to call them, were nearly impossible to manipulate into another spell. To change a patchwork [Icicle] into a [Fire Arrow] would require identifying all the ice weaves and replacing them with fire, not something easily done.
I was pretty happy about this benefit, but there was a catch—my weaves were relatively easy to just be destroyed. Vee could pull apart a single crucial patchwork, and my spell would fail catastrophically. Of course, I could resist such tampering as usual, but it seemed like a massive downside I hadn't considered before.
What's the point of making a big, complex tapestry of spell components if anyone can just pull apart one small section and my entire spell collapses?
Obviously, I could simply avoid casting outside of the safety of my Mana aura, but I was feeling quite down in the dumps about it when Llewel came to my rescue.
"Why not just weave in some backup patchworks? Or better yet, have traps in your spells that assault any would-be tamperers?"
"I honestly didn't think I could do that."
"It's often not worth it, but it can certainly catch enemies off guard. You could make one of your weaves look vital to the spell construct, but instead it's a scapegoat or, better yet, a trap."
"A honeytrap! I love it," Vee chimed in. "It's very fitting, just like when your foes suddenly realize that you're not actually a helpless elf, but instead a dastardly slime! Also, all this modularity is pretty cool. If I wasn't quite happy with how well my own suits me, I'd be pretty jealous."
Ignoring my displeasure at being called a "dastardly slime," I had to agree it was undoubtedly fitting. My biggest advantage was when my opponents didn't realize I was a slime, allowing my cores to evade all harm.
While I wanted to create traps, scapegoats, or backups, I first had a much more daunting task ahead: creating initial frameworks for all my spells. It would require a considerable amount of time and effort, effectively abandoning my previous work, but it would be better in the long run.
And with this, I should finally be able to create another aura spell! I could create a patchwork framework for auras and then slot them in, maybe even have multiple effects in one aura! But first, I need to get the basics down and rework my attack spells; no sense jumping ahead even though I'm badly tempted to.
There was one final bit of advice I had received from Llewel on the subject. Patchwork spells allowed more flexibility with multiple affinities, even opposing ones. You could either have the opposing Mana types far away from each other in the spell framework, or you could weave their segments in a way that created enough of a buffer to not affect one another.
"Although until you get to a higher level in [Mana Weaving], I don't think you will be able to accomplish the latter," he warned. "Still, practice makes perfect, and if you managed to get this far with just the simple [Mana Manipulation] skill, then I'm sure you'll inevitably figure it out."
I was obviously grateful for the advice, although I felt like I had a lot of work ahead of me.
Well, nothing is stopping me from using existing spells until then. Especially since I still want to get to the next level of [Dimension Magic] as soon as possible.
I provided Llewel with some extra slime for his own alchemical experiments as a token of appreciation for the skill and advice he shared. Although he seemed conflicted, as he was hoping to settle debts with me.
I mean, at the end of the day, it's just slime to me. I can eat some stuff and get more. But if everyone keeps treating it like liquid gold, then I'll keep exploiting it. Vee's definitely suggested I do so, and it will be an interesting trial to see what I could offer as potential rewards for my dungeon.
I hoped that during our "vacation," I could hopefully find a dungeon that wasn't part of the alliance. Although I wasn't exactly sure how I'd differentiate between them, I simply hoped I'd figure it out along the way.
In theory, I could teleport to Ygdran or Qhilleeqeth and ask them about any dungeon I come across. I definitely need to experiment with long-range teleportation.
Vee and I had quite a few coordinates now, although all of them were currently in various elven territories. If we found a good spot to plant our home tree, we could create a base of operations.
***
In what felt like no time at all, we were heading back to Caelthal. The party had been thoroughly planned, although the subject of it had apparently been met with mixed reactions from the rest of the elven community.
Most of the ire seemed to be directed towards Llewel, who was effectively a peasant being elevated to royalty. His Chronomancy obviously helped to alleviate some of those concerns, but some elves just couldn't be reasoned with.
The other form of outrage was some of the other branches who were hoping to elevate their own status by marrying Sylthaeryn. Although their complaints were considered minor and swiftly ignored, as the higher branches dismissed them as petty squabblers lusting over heights they could not reach.
That's not to say the higher branches weren't also upset. Unfortunately, by defeating the dungeon, taming Vee, and unlocking Elementalist, I'd unexpectedly become quite the catch in their eyes. Alas, I was but a slime, and so their desires would never be met.
Loreleia sadly had to spend some of her political goodwill to turn them down without causing a schism. Apparently, she had even spun up quite a story of how Llewel and Sylthaeryn knew each other from before, and now, with our common magical interests, we were almost inseparable.
I didn't really care, but I once again felt sorry for Llewel, who would be taking all the flak when Vee and I skedaddled to continue our adventure.
"Do you think they will attack the party?" Vee suddenly asked while we were relaxing at the Feirelle mansion.
We were currently enjoying tea and lunch with Loreleia, Paeris, and Llewel before the evening activities.
"I'd certainly hope so," Loreleia said with a smirk. "That would be the swiftest way to smite them completely and utterly. However, even if they were panicked enough to attack both of us, it was done outside of Caelthal, and I can't believe they would be foolish enough to attempt anything here under such strict supervision."
"Indeed. I've been closely monitoring security and haven't seen even a whiff of suspicion," Paeris confirmed. "It certainly would be a juicy target, and that's likely why they are avoiding it under suspicion of a trap."
"In all likelihood, assuming they haven't given up on their plans, they've likely started looking for a weaker branch to target," Loreleia added. "My ascension has been confirmed to many, so now the Feirelle branch is likely too hot a target to consider. And since no action has been taken against them, there's a chance that they believe we haven't pieced together the culprits."
"The benefit of having such a willing captive to spill all their secrets," Paeris said, barely hiding his smirk.
"Well, anyway, I'm looking forward to tonight," Vee replied.
I'm already waiting for it to be over…