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Chapter 181: Eldritch Gazer
🕑 Added 2022-06-07 07:43:01 +0000 UTCRuluna has progressed fast in her ability to track my perception!
She’s managed to get past my perceptive knot; instead of trying to follow the complex perceptive information path, she instead hoped around and followed it until she found the exit or until a new loop which greatly increased her chances of finding the knot’s exit. I’m not angry about this turn of events; rather, I am pleased to know my weakness in a controllable situation rather than a dangerous one. I can improve and revisit my ability to hide my perception, but I feel like thee will never be an obstacle or way to hide that can’t be defeated.
It’s been four months since I started working on the flagship, and I’ve been keeping up with my training. Yrania doesn’t go near the villages and only stays on Temple Island with Safyr. I guess that Safyr has forbidden her from visiting since she doesn’t want people to be emboldened and bothering her.
In other news, I’ve finally discovered the mana transforming inscription I needed! It’s still inefficient, and I’ll need to research the most effective form, but I finally have it! I’ve barely started researching the most efficient coreless inscription, and it will likely take another month or two. However, even if I get it done, I will still need to wait for enough materials to make the Airship reactor.
I’ve been keeping up with my armor deliveries to the Lunaley, and I’ve taken the initiative to obtain more materials to hopefully get the airship reactor finished faster. I was right when I guessed that the Lunaley had someone who once had [Manipulate Mana], but since it’s not common knowledge, there must be a reason why.
The obvious thing is that it’s either suppressed, was suppressed, or encrypted in a way that most could not work out until it was forgotten. It’s possible that the Lunaley now has advanced methods for decrypting hidden messages, or it was a bluff to try and get a better deal; however, from my argument with Vulpun, I get the impression that he really did value my knowledge less than he normally would.
Or maybe I’m wrong about him; I’m not a specialist in diplomacy and can’t wait to pass Tusile off to him. Either Case, I want a new method to hide from trackers, but how? I can fake a perceptive source that will fool most, but the more skeptical trackers, or those that know how I do things, will look further, and that’s why I have perceptive knots; however, now that those can be beaten, all they do is buy me time.
I’m not counting that I can hide from all but the best trackers with my low perceptive pressure, I already have an example of someone beating that, and it only takes one time to put me into a very bad situation.
Obviously, a combination of all of my perceptive techniques is best, but a new way is needed; but what even is that? I can try to improve my perceptive knots, but how will it overcome its weakness? Perhaps a four-dimensional perceptive knot? But I can’t even look into the fourth dimension with my [Sense Space] yet… perhaps peering into other spatial layers is a shared breakthrough? What’s the harm in trying?
I focus on pushing my perception through the spatial layer, and with increased perceptive pressure, I easily break through the layer. Alien mana fills my perception, strange and unknowable. Their color is unlike anything I am used to with normal mana; the concepts they represent are impossible in the normal layer.
Ting! Sense Magic has met the requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 920!
46th Breakthrough: You have seen into different spatial layers; this will help you understand alien and normally unstable mana
It seems that seeing into other layers is shared breakthrough, which means I can probably get it for my [Sense Soul] as well, but I’ll do that later. For now, I have a new method on scrying safely; I can observe the shadow of the normal mana on other layers, at least, in theory.
Is it even a ‘layer’? That implies a separation, a break between each layer, but that isn’t true.
[Sense Magic] should have little, if anything at all, to do with space; it can’t look beyond this realm as far as I understand it. However, ‘layers’ aren’t actually separated by boundaries since all layers make up this realm; it’s more like they are simply out of focus which is why they cast a shadow.
So why haven't I noticed the shadow of the alien mana before? That is simple, at least for this layer; there is a uniform spread of mana, so it casts the same amount of shadow everywhere, making it look like there is none.
I flick through several layers, observing how each of the mana are different and how they look at their base components. They aren’t anything special when looking at their composition, MM, and elementary particle, and their MM force is a little wonky but nothing impossible. Unsurprisingly, it’s just another form of mana; rather, it’s their elemental ‘direction’ that is alien in a way I can’t fathom how to even begin to understand.
Eventually, I flip to the strangest layer yet; there are many types of mana congregated in a mountain-sized form that should have cast a shadow on the normal layer, yet there is none. However, that isn’t even the most surprising thing; the mana resembles a being's mana signature! The closer I look, the more I can make out its form, a large mass of writhing… something.
I analyze it tentatively.
Ǝ̸̢̟̹́̂̈́͜͝l̵͕̱̟͒̄͘͜͝b̴͔̝̭̠̾̏̚̕ɿ̵̬̩̠̱͗̄̓̎i̸͉̳̦̽͌̈̓͜Ɉ̷̨̩̬̙̓̐͆͠ɔ̷̛͉͖̺͛͒̃ͅʜ̵͇̮̦̭̐̅̒̓ ̷̛̲̼͔̘̀͊̀Ɔ̴̭̱̻̯͊̈́͘͝ơ̶̦͓̺͎͛̎̕υ̵̡̫͕̹͗̀̓̾n̸̗̦̥̯̎̈̓̽Ɉ̸̘̼̋̅͊͘͜ͅǝ̵̰̜̠̞̀̈́̂̊ɿ̵̤̗̞̝̿́͛͝ƨ̴͎̩̱͚́̎͗̚ǝ̸̣̙̝̔͒̓̌͜ǝ̴̱̹͕̺͌̅͂̋ɿ̵̪͖̗̬́̓̃͝ (Grand), Level 782 Ƨ̵̧̤̲̂͋̒͜͠ʜ̷̮̹͍̠͋̾̿̔ɒ̶̬̜͙̘͗͑̆͑b̷͕͎͖͕̔̌̐͗o̵̮̳̘̥͋́̃̌w̵̧̰̥̃̋̈́̕͜l̵̝̼͎͊̑̿̿ͅǝ̴̥̻̳̪̇̃̈̄ƨ̸̮̰̣̫́̍̒̇ƨ̶̣̠̖̞͛̀͆̈́ ̸̡͕̬͓̋͛̈́͒Ƨ̴̟̲͔͆͂̊̂͜ǝ̴̢̗̺̏́͋̕ͅn̶̰̙̣̦̑̓́̕Ɉ̸̟̻͚̬̉̑͘̚i̵̡͔͖̭̒̉̐̌n̶̢̛̘͕̻̈́̈́̊ǝ̶̣̣̼̤͗̓͐̍l̷̛͚̬̰̋̑̋͜ (Grand), Level 554 Я̶̯̥͍̝̋͒̿̚ǝ̴̛̟͚̞̼̓̂̕Ɉ̴̤̩͇̱̋͐͑͂ɒ̸͎̮͉̦̍̑̊̆l̴̡̫̤̹͐̊̓̎i̴̲͖̩͍͗̇̔͠ɒ̸̯̹̮̱͛̒̄͘Ɉ̸̢̨̠̺́̍̓͊ö̸͈̦̹́͂̆̓͜ɿ̴̜̙͈͔̀̊̕̚γ̷̞̻̰̬͒͋̌͗ ̶͉̭͓̤̎̅̈͠Ӛ̷̹̩̺̪́̎͑̌ɒ̴̮͉̠̪̀͐̈̆z̵̫̻̰̣̄͛́̉ǝ̵̢̡̲̀͐͑̆ͅɿ̴̘̰̝̟̋͐̈́͝ (Major), Level 648 ꓘ̴̨͓͖̟͒̐͑͠i̶̖͕̗̹̒̌͌̽γ̶̙͎̐͌̅̉͜͜ʇ̷̤̳̜̫̐̓̍̕ɿ̴̠̞͔̜̓̑̚͝ƨ̸̪͇̻͚̀̎̇̇b̷̜͕̙̳̎̉̐͗ Bond
As soon as I recognized that this was a living being, a dreadful sense of doom and being watched assaulted me, and a split second later, my head feels like it's going to burst open! The scent of blood fills the air, and as I clutch my head, I feel my hair wet around my ears.
I immediately retreat my perception as I fall to the ground with a scream and curl up as the pain slowly subsides. And that’s when I see it, dozens of shadows swarm around my house as if they are looking for something, each one a writhing and squirming.
I lay as still as possible until the shadows drift away, floating back up toward the sky. It seems they can’t detect me, but I also can’t see the shadow of the one that attacked me.
So that’s what Gaze attacks feel like.
I heal myself and start debriefing myself on what had just happened. Whatever that was, it used gaze attacks, at least two of them as well as perceptive pressure, although it was not as strong as I can make it. It also stopped attacking when I stopped seeing it. Is that because the attack was in perceived self-defense, or was it retaliatory? But the perceptive pressure also stopped; can they only see me if I see them?
Whatever it is, I am sure it has a retaliation base class or skills utilizing gaze attacks, and it called for help. What’s more concerning is that I can’t see its shadow, only the ones that came to help it.
Yet another reason to be wary of the layers. I don’t know what kind of alien monsters are out there, and not all cast a shadow. But why is it here? It’s almost as if it was positioned here to look for enemies. It can attack anyone who sees it, regardless of which layer they are on, something spells have a hard time doing. But gaze attacks? They attack where you are looking, no matter where that is.
I should stick to the layers I know are safe from now on.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Governor Ora Ara Van looks out his window at Vanu city; they’ll be at the gates soon.
“Remember, I’ll handle Alysara; you do the trade,” Ryn says sternly.
She keeps an ornate jewelry chest in her lap, the continents inside one of the most valuable things in the world.
“She’s the one we’ll be trading with!” Van complains. Sometimes his sister can be so troublesome. “How can I simultaneously do the trade but let you do it instead?!”
“It’s not my fault your bone-headedness almost cost us her favor last time!” Ryn argues back. “Besides, it’s your idea to trade this for her to marry into our house! How stupid can you get?!”
“She’s far more valuable than some material we’ll never use!” Van argues back,”In two hundred years our family has not trusted anyone to make something of it.”
“That’s because no one has been good enough to make something out of a legendary material!” Ryn says. “You’ve seen Alysara’s skill, she’s more than worthy to make something of it, but we can’t just give it away!”
“If we give it to her for her hand in marriage, then it will stay in the family! What’s the problem?”
Ryn groans, “She’s going to see right through you! We need to hire her services instead to make something out of it, build a good relationship with her, not try to obtain her like she’s an item!”
“Alright! We’ll do it your way,” Van says, throwing his hands in the air. “What should we have her make it into? A weapon? A crown?”
They promised it to rule together, which means they both should agree to something before doing it, but as the one who was elected as governor, Van holds tie-breaking power, something that he rarely uses. His sister has rarely led him astray, and he agrees that she might be a little smarter, but his father always praised him for being wise enough to know who to listen to.
“A ruler does not have to be great,” his father would say. “Just wise enough to listen to great people.”
It was his father’s influence that helped him become governor over his sister, so he must do his best to surround himself with great people who know what the best is for his city and citizens.
“A weapon. A legendary material should always serve a function that will help its user.” Ryn answers.
They pass through the gate without issue, and soon the carriage stops in front of the Order of Flame’s headquarters, where Alysara will be. Headmaster Vulpun and Archmage Ruluna are at the entrance waiting for them.
“Governor Ora Ara Van, And Lady Ora Ara Ryn, we welcome you to the Order of Flame’s Head Quarters. Ambassador Alysara is already inside.” Vulpun says, bowing to them while Ruluna mimics his movements.
“We brought the Items you requested,” Van says as the coachman carries a crate from the back of the carriage.
“Thank you, the Lifedrop Necklaces will be given to you inside,” Vulpun says, escorting them inside and to the meeting room.
Alysara is already inside, but Van immediately notices the slight difference in her. The way she stands, the movements of her tails, the beauty essence in her clones, it seems like she’s advanced a lot in her Bond since the last time he saw her.
“Greeting Governor Ora Ara Van, Ora Ara Ryn,” Alysara bows as they enter. “I hear you have a trade proposal for me?”
She has somehow grown more beautiful and enchanting over the previous year.
“That is right,” Van says, and Ryn steps forward; she opens the ornate box in her hands to reveal a blazing uncut gem. “We would like to hire your services to make something out of this Fire Elemental Heart.”
Comments
Dragonkinn
continents inside>>contents
Dragonkinn
thee>>there
D
all those names might sound very strange in their language? others might not even be translatable. ^^ and if she really needs a ship, she shoudnt build an airship, but a space ship. that world is vast. even if that turtle only swam with 1knot, taking 2 years is a pretty long voyage, and with skills i doubt it was that slow. so she better has a warp drive to get anywhere in a timely manner. as such, enterprise might be a good name indeed. ^^
Norbert Fuksz
Sounds like a relly good trainIng partner if you think about it...
Nematrec
Eldritch Counterseer (Grand) Level 782 Shadowless Sentinel (Grand) Level 554 Retaliatory Gazer (Major) Level 648 [Illegible] Bond
Michael Hughes
That requires active use. I would want auto pilot and a mobile base of operations to keep my stuff while I am traveling the world. Plus she can't very well carry companions bridal style everywhere she goes. Half the fun of Mass Effect was going back to the ship to interact with your crew to find new dialogue options. Plenty of reasons to want a ship. Plus she could paint it red with flames on the side to make it go 20% faster automatically.
Jemini
She doesn't have a great deal of need for a personal airship. She has wings and the ability to fly 90,000 kilometers.
Michael Hughes
TFTC. Now she can see just how powerful Gaze abilities can be. I am excited for the completion of the airship. Given that she is going to be traveling eventually she should also make a personal airship. Now I am just thinking about what features I would want on a personal airship and what I would name it. Serenity, Normandy, Moya, Enterprise, Galactica, Post Dated Check Loan, Millennium Falcon, Highwind, and more. What would you name your airship?
Iblis
My prediction is that she finds away to trick him into tracking her down making him jump to a hostile layer. Not sure if that would give her the legendary point or not if he dies from the environment, but I'm guessing her clones could survive there while she takes him out if needed. Just keep the trick going so he can't jump to a safe layer, if he can focus that is.
crue
I'm wondering what being that was between those layers. Edit: Oh, nvm, it's in the title. :p I guess the saying is correct then: If you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss will stare into you.
Jemini
Another interesting addition would be if she consults Syfer and she informs her that, due to the amount of training she's specifically done in anti-tracking training, this isn't quite enough and she has to raise the stakes. The raised stakes would be that her real body has to be inside the Nexus.
Jemini
With all this anti-tracking training, I've actually started to wonder about how things are going to go with that legendary assassin guy who wants to make her his empress through marriage. I can totally see a scenario where the two are in some kind of perception Vs. tracker competition. I was actually thinking it would be a rather appropriate legendary challenge. She would first have to find out about the legendary assassin's intentions for her. Of course, she wants nothing to do with that. However, should she be nearing 20, the deadline for her to start having to deal with the gods, and needs a legendary point fast, she could propose a rather crazy challenge. The idea would be, she works it out with him ahead of time. She will keep her perception on him constantly for 1 full day. During that time, if he can track down her real body, she will be forced to marry the emperor. The interesting thing will be if she can set it up so it's a mutual challenge, such that legendary assassin dude can also have a chance at a legendary point. He would, of course, have to declare a dire consequence for failure for that to work. His can be that he will personally kill his emperor if he can't find her in time. (Of course, carrying on the story without it going in a super creepy direction demands that he looses and the emperor threat is removed.) This can then be followed up with him STILL trying to make her his empress, just with the marriage to the emperor thing now off the table.
Norbert Fuksz
I like her keeping his lust in check... they could ruin their relationship with her real quick if they treat her like just another noble open to political relationships in order to get power. You first have to understand who you are dealing with before you propose such things...
Eric Ketterling
hope this gets a ton more chapters this is the first patreon I have used and is well worth the price thank you for another great chapter
Giperman
I like their sibling's energy.
AClassroomSpider
thanks for the chapter!. .
