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♦ System Board >> General Chat

Topic: Merit Board Leaders Posted: 11 months ago

QuestBasher (Original Poster)

Hey, everyone. Let's talk about the Merit Board. Right now the top five are:

1. MrDeepPockets

2. CutestSilverBird

3. SecretProtagonist

4. ResearchKing

5. QuestBasher

I get CutestSilverBird at 327, but how did MrDeepPockets earn 1,143 points? That's just insane. I barely managed 209, and I got lucky enough to be offered a couple of quests.

Edit: All new users should visit "System Board >> Special Offers". You can trade money for merit points. There is also a listing of community quests for those without fat wallets.

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► Npc72 [Posted: 1 week ago] CutestSilverBird, already steady in second place, jumped by more than a thousand last night for a grand total of 10,539 points. She's now within spitting distance of MrDeepPockets, who has 11,053. ResearchKing is at a distant third with 7,231.

► QuestBasher [Posted: 1 week ago]

I saw 1,500 drop all at once. Cutie must've completed a big quest. Every time I see her score, it shocks me that she's still not on these boards with us. How much longer do you think?

► Npc72 [Posted: 1 week ago] Cutie keeps buying skill books, so who knows?

► SecretProtagonist [Posted: 6 days ago] The merit board is ridiculous. I wouldn't give a shit if ResearchKing was at the top, we all know how he earns his points. Cutie's fine too, given everything she's put in the library, I'm sure she's pulling her weight.

But why is a rich guy allowed to buy his way into first place? That's fucked up.

► Npc72 [Posted: 6 days ago] Don't worry, MrDeepPockets is going to lose his crown sooner or later. Twenty pages back he was whining how unfair it was that merits points cost more with every one you purchase.

► SecretProtagonist [Posted: 6 days ago] It does? By how much. I've never bought a merit point, so I wouldn't know.

► Npc72 [Posted: 6 days ago] It's the same progression as experience points. $10 for the first point. $20 for the second and so on.

So our good friend, MrDeepPockets, must've dropped half a billion to get that much merit.

► SongGirl [Posted: 5 days ago]

Go Cutie! Girl Power!

► Npc72 [Posted: 5 days ago] I'm rooting for Research King. He's the man.

► QuestBasher [Posted: 4 days ago]

Holy shit, Cutie just showed up in another thread.

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► SongGirl [Posted: 4 days ago] Wait, which one?

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 4 days ago]

Hello folks, Silver here. In case you're wondering, I haven't been lurking. Instead, I've been stuck in Hell. It's a nasty place with demons and fire everywhere. I've had to save every merit point I earned just to avoid being roasted on a spit. Did you know demons eat souls?

They do and it's horrible. The screams *shudder*. I can never forget the screams.

Also, don't call me Cutie. Call me Silver or SilverBird. I'm trying to change my username, but I can't seem to find the right place to do it.

► WiseGuy [Posted: 4 days ago]

If you want to change your name, you have to make an Administrator Request under User Profile. Just write your new name in the box and wait for FlameKeeper to approve it. He's usually pretty quick.

► Npc72 [Posted: 4 days ago] LOL. Good luck. MrDeepPockets still can't get his name changed. Apparently, after you've gained "too much name recognition", the administrator will reject all your requests.

Either that or MrDeepPockets pissed him off.

► SongGirl [Posted: 4 days ago]

That's so mean. Don't worry, Silver. I PM'd FlameKeeper to let him know he should approve.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 4 days ago]

To be fair, the administrator is the universe's biggest asshole.

► WiseGuy [Posted: 4 days ago]

Uh, how did you get that avatar?

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 3 days ago]

…. Next question, does anyone know how to change their avatar?

► Npc72 [Posted: 3 days ago] Hey Silver, do you have another big quest lined up? Also, what crazy things have you been up to? We've been speculating for ages on how you got your hands on all those magic books.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 3 days ago]

I do. I've been told to go hug a tree. Apparently, that'll earn me 3,500 merit points. =)

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► SecretProtagonist [Posted: 2 days ago] Don't listen to her. Cutie's a troll. Just a minute ago she was insisting she's actually a seven foot tall man.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 2 days ago] Seven foot tall and three hundred pounds of pure muscle!

I think the admin hates me. Not only am I unable to change my name, my avatar is a chibi anime girl.

► Npc72 [Posted: 2 days ago] Next time don't call him an asshole.

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♦ Boards >> Guides >> Magic

Topic: Unraveling Magic, Pt 4 Posted: 3 months ago

ResearchKing (Original Poster)

Today, I am posting part 4 of my series on magic. For interested parties, I suggest reading parts 2 and 3 first. Part 1 has since been refuted by the numerous books that can be found by using the Library feature. For anyone serious about this topic, I have a recommended reading list in my second thread.

Now, for those who have been following along, my last post covered the art of enchantment. It ended with a proposed method to create an ether gathering circle here on Earth. To accomplish this, I used salt runes (see part 3, page 32). Salt, as we've discovered, has a strong tendency to absorb and hold ether. If a salt crystal is sufficiently saturated and has the correct physical shape, it can operate as a surrogate rune.

To create the circle, I aligned the runes into a grouping and shape (described below). By this means, I was able to generate a detectable ether gathering effect. This revealed a number of curious interactions, the first being…

(click here to see more)

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► Griffmiss [Posted: 1 month ago]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I'm working on an enhancement to my arithmancy linter. The System gave me a quest :).

The next feature is for rune sequence reduction. Basically, take a group of runes and generate a smaller set that produces the same effect. The math is pretty complicated, but I think I'll be able to handle it. But to maintain the meaning across iterations is trickier. I'm probably going to need some kind of Large Language Model. Since you're all smart fellows, I figured you'd have useful links.

Also, I'll need a few testers when I'm done. *Wink*, *wink*, *nudge*, *nudge*.

► WiseGuy [Posted: 27 days ago]

I've been trying all week but I can't get my ether gathering circle working. Can anyone help me figure it out?

Pics of my setup

► ResearchKing [Posted: 26 days ago]

By looking at your array, I can detect three serious errors. First, the salt is crystallizing unevenly. This will lead to poor yield and performance. See part 3, page 35 for more details on how to prepare the salt solution.

Next, you must take care when evaporating the water from the mold. Salt runes are very delicate and must be evaporated in a controlled environment. Exact instructions from my multiple experiments can be found in part 3, page 57.

Finally, and I cannot not stress this enough, you must not remove the salt structure from the plastic. I have done so with success but only after many trials. So long as you use the 3D models and the filament I recommended, you should have no issue engendering an ether reaction even while the rune is contained.

► WiseGuy [Posted: 24 days ago]

Okay, I went through all your instructions again from the start. It's working now. Thanks for the tips ResearchKing!

► DrSodium [Posted: 2 days ago]

I just had a brilliant thought. Rune printers. Did you know there's a thing called spell catalysts? Apparently it's an enchanted item that creates rune strings on demand. Enchantments are runes. So catalysts are runes that create runes.

Get it?

So, what's to stop us from using salt runes to produce magic runes? Then, we can use those magic runes to enchant a small object. Boom. A big rune becomes a small rune. We make a whole set, and use them to create a giant printer that prints any rune on demand. Then, we can use that printer to make a better printer and so on.

Instant revolution baby.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 2 days ago]

That won't work.

First off, matter absorbs ether like a sponge. This is why the netherworld describes material worlds as either high or low ether. Earth is a low ether world, which means the ether in the atmosphere isn't enough to 'fill the sponge'. As such, any ether construct – like a naked rune – will rapidly evaporate unless held to its shape by a will or intent.

But the bigger problem is that enchantment doesn't work like that. Runes have to be pressed and melded into a phantasmal object, which also requires intent and direction, which catalysts lack. It's not like people haven't tried making automatic enchanters before. Some even had limited success. But nobody has ever produced anything practical.

Also, I'm not sure it's possible to enchant true matter. Matter is material not phantasmal.

► DustyLibrarian [Posted: 1 day ago]

Cutie, do you know which books talk about rune printers or similar objects?

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 1 day ago]

Amazing Inventions of the Colonial Age, 3rd edition. And call me Silver.

► DrSodium [Posted: 1 day ago]

First off, before you shit on an idea, you have to try it. If you haven't, shut up and let those of us who've spent the last six months actually studying magic do the talking.

And where did this phantasmal-material mumbo jumbo come from? You're just making shit up.

Go away Cutie.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 22 hours ago]

You're an idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about. And, as for how I know all this, I happen to have a skull with an ancient demon trapped inside that answers all my questions.

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► Griffmiss [Posted: 21 hours ago]

DrSodium, show a little respect. Silver's been on the leaderboard for ages. Every book about magic in the System Library was collected by her. And all the magical skill books have her name on them. Like, seriously, all of them.

Which, if you know how blank skill books work, means she learned the contents of every single one. Speaking of which, thanks for Fundamentals of Arithmancy, Silver. It was super helpful :) :) :).

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 19 hours ago]

Buy moar books. I neeedss it.

On nom nom. Merit points are delicious.

► Npc72 [Posted: 16 hours ago]

Just watch out, Silver does, in fact, make a lot of shit up.

► ResearchKing [Posted: 9 hours ago]

Thank you Miss Silver, your comment was enlightening. That matter has a broad tendency to absorb and trap ether explains why I've had trouble increasing the ether levels to those expected. It seems a new set of experiments are in order to identify the ethereal qualities of various materials.

I proposed two initial measures: Capacity and Conductance.

However, before I follow through with these experiments, I first need a means to accurately measure the amount of ether in the current environment.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 3 hours ago]

The System converts ether into soul essence – experience points – through the process of respiration. The rate of conversion is proportionate to ether density. So, in theory, the System itself should be able to judge ether levels.

► FlameKeeper [Posted: 27 minutes ago] (System Administrator)

I added an ether counter feature to the merit shop. Enjoy.

► CutestSilverBird [Posted: 21 minutes ago]

Hey! Fix my name and avatar!

► FlameKeeper [Posted: 15 minutes ago] (System Administrator)

(►_◄) From now on, all references to Silver or SilverBird will be automatically corrected to Cutie. (►_◄)

► Npc72 [Posted: 2 minutes ago]

And now, I'm starting to suspect Cutie might actually be a seven foot tall man.…

Edit: Damn, he really did it.

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"You f – fff-udgin bastard!" Sylvia shouted, barely catching her cuss.

Lucifer was the god damned Devil. Literally. First, that asshole stuck her with a chibi twin tailed avatar with pink hair and silver eyes. Now, he had everyone calling her Cutie.

Sylvia wanted to punch the smug blond in the face. He was insufferable.

She knew she wasn't being entirely fair. Emily was just as bad or worse. But the brunette was too cute to hate and, more importantly, everything she did she did with love. Prometheus was jerking with her because he was a sadistic jackass.

"The Devil is a burnt custard, who could've guessed," Sylvia grumbled.

To be entirely fair, she had called him an asshole. Because he was an asshole. But also because she knew that Lucifer knew her personally, which made the barb all the sharper.

Leaning back in her wicker chair, Sylvia checked the time.

Five minutes.

The silver-haired witch rested on the shield island she'd named Gate Point. In front of her was a stone arch built from a blend of space stone, void rock, and realm brick. The phantasmal materials had been carefully smelted with her ki to create a smooth frame that fit firmly into its granite foundation.

Assembling the gate had required a full week of effort. Prepping the ingredients had taken months.

One hundred thousand runes had been engraved into the frame, with the essence aligned to support the flow of magic. The final assembly alone had demanded Sylvia carve an additional eight thousand runes of various sizes. The interplay between individual bricks and the macro structure was complicated. Sylvia suspected she would've failed a few times if she had not spent a skill book to master the creation of gates.

Which did serve to improve her generalized enchantment skills. So, there was that.

"If everything goes to plan, you'll soon get to show your stuff," Sylvia said, patting the gate affectionately.

The common gate spell cost 500 mana to cast. An interplanar gate demanded far more energy. Roughly 15,000 points by the System's measure.

Sylvia had 997 mana points in total. Even if she had the chaos ether on hand, the price was well beyond what she could afford. And even if she could, there was still a limit to how much energy Sylvia could control at once. In general, the asteri could pump no more than 120 to 140 mana equivalent into a spell.

Fire magics allowed double that. Slow spells like gate? She guessed she could muster between 300 and 400 at most.

Needless to say, interplanar gates worked on entirely different principles than the common waygate.

The frame Sylvia had built was a catalyst. As ether circulated through the structure, the spell would form naturally. With this, the witch could bypass her limited strength. That wasn't the only difference. Interplanar gates existed in linked pairs. This provided support to the resulting tunnel on both ends. Then, to further stabilize the spell, the law element was added.

Even fate played a role, though only when attuning the distant frames.

That left one final issue, the power source. In this case, the generator that would drive the gate was Lady Vallenfelt's cosmic ash.

"Time to get started."

Nervous, Sylvia checked the blue window floating to her left. The screen was opened to her Networked Grimoire with the feature set in feedback mode. A pair of spells were listed. As the runes were chanted, the System would tick them off in green if she formed them right or red if she made a mistake.

"Even if I muck the magic, I can just try again," Sylvia reminded herself. The silver-haired witch drew a deep breath. "■■ ■■■ ■ ■■■…"

Sylvia started to cast. Her role wasn't to open the gate. It was to use fate magic to amplify the receiver. The first step, therefore, was to conjure a catalyst circle. Fate magic required fate natured mana. The advanced elements couldn't be blended like the secondary elements. They had to be catalyzed using either a tool, a trait, or a spell.

"… ■■■■■ … "

And the spell was not simple. The one Sylvia invoked consisted of three hundred and twelve runes.

As the asteri chanted, spectral shapes formed in a long chain. Sylvia swirled the strand, weaving them into a complicated circle. Once complete, the witch burned pure mana, transforming it with her core. Streams of void and causality flowed into the circle, the last augmented by a touch of ether. The circle spun, transmuting the energies to generate the element fate.

The hard part was over, but her work was not done.

"■■■■ ■■■■■."

Fate mana poured into a simpler, fifty-eight rune spell. Sylvia pressed the magic into the gate's waystone. The apex of the arch glowed with power. The world reverberated. An echo spread through the ground. A wave jumped from island to island treating the entire plane as a giant antenna.

"Now I have to wait."

She rocked back and forth in her chair, a worried smile spreading across her lips. A few minutes from now, her teacher would send a signal. If everything worked as intended, the gates would attune. After that, a path could be opened.

Though Observe Item insisted her creation was correct, Sylvia feared her enchantments contained a mistake. At the same time, she felt a touch of excitement. Soon, she'd be accompanied by a beautiful brunette.

Ten minutes passed without a reaction.

Sylvia checked the mirror pad. No notes. The asteri cast her spells again. Sylvia had enough mana to hold the resonance for a full hour. If things didn't pan out by then, she'd repeat her efforts at the same time tomorrow.

"Even if things go sideways, there are plenty of pages on the mirror pad," Sylvia murmured.

Especially since Sylvia had sent three new notebooks to her teacher by way of Belkis.

Another seven minutes passed. Sylvia started to chant. Before she could reconstruct the catalyst circle, the world pulsed.

It wasn't a heavy feeling. The shift was faint, like a puff of air on her face. A second pulse followed the first. Then a third. Stronger and stronger, as the distant magics zeroed in on her gate.

She felt the world shudder when the two frames linked, a ripple in space and time.

Sylvia hopped up out of her seat. Her crystal core did not beat, but it felt as though her heart pattered.

"A couple more minutes at most," Sylvia murmured eagerly. Then she froze. Her eyes widened. She pawed at her hair. "Snickerdoodles!"

Ah, fuck. She cussed. Four more weeks. Wait. Never mind that. The silver-haired witch quickly unwound her french braid.

Chaos trembled.

If the pulse before was light, then this was deep and heavy. She could feel the quivering chaos in her chest. A reverberation struck her, as powerful as the base blasting at a rock concert. The frame of the gate began to glow. Tremendous flows of ether poured into it, not from the starry void beside, but instead through a tunnel carved through space itself.

A spark lit in the center. The element realm poured out like a flood, carrying with it an undertone of law and chaos.

Then, that spark turned into a swirl. A whirlpool of green and blue expanded until it filled the gate's frame entirely.

A petite brunette leapt through.

"Sylvia!"

Emily was like a bullet. The little imp crashed into the silver-haired witch, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"I missed you so, so much."

Ribbon in hand, Sylvia's hair spilled free like a waterfall of glossy silk. The witch hesitated for a second, then she returned the hug, her own arms holding the brunette close. Warm. Soft. Emily smelled like home.

Emily peered up with her dark emerald eyes. "How have you been?"

"Lonely," Sylvia answered honestly, swaying lightly as she enjoyed the closeness.

"I'm here now," Emily returned softly. She stayed in place for nearly a minute longer, then she shoved the other witch back. Emily's dark green eyes were stern. "Sylvia Swallows. What have you done with your hair?"

…

"Would you believe me if I said the gate blew my ribbons out?" Sylvia tested.

The brunette's expression made clear that she was not amused. "Hmph. Just for that, I'm doing it as I please for an entire year!"

Ha. Well. At least here, in this world, there wouldn't be anyone making fun of her for it.

Which might well be Emily's evil plot.

Sylvia's pastel pink eyes gazed past Emily. The gate shimmered with the blue and green swirl. Sylvia watched as four crates were pushed through one after another. The boxes floated for a moment before setting themselves down. Only then – Voomp – did the portal close.

The silver-haired witch peered past her friend at the crates. Sylvia wondered what Esmeralda had delivered.

Opening a gate came with overhead. After, an additional price was paid for every drom transported. Efficiency demanded that they should shove as many goods through as possible in order to get their money's worth. By Sylvia's calculation, her teacher should've sent a few thousand droms in materials.

Though, Emily herself accounted for five hundred all on her own.

Souls were heavy. Living bodies too. The more powerful the demon, the more droms they would weigh.

Sylvia smiled, imagining the brunette's nasty look. Not that women worried about their weight here in the nether.

"What did you bring me?"

"Materials," Emily answered seriously. "Blood stone, channeling wood, talisman paper, three more basins, and a realm crystal."

Sylvia pinched her chin between thumb and forefinger. "The blood stone is good. The resurrection pool isn't performing like I'd hoped."

"Mmm," Emily hummed. "That's why I brought it. I read all your notes. But the most important thing is this."

The brunette lifted a glass bottle. Inside was a green-tinted liquid beset with streams of pitch black. All throughout, stars twinkled. Sylvia took the bottle in hand. She could feel the thickness of the essence from the pressure it exuded on the world. Since Emily didn't say anything, she hit it with Observe Item.

Ding!

Material Cosmic Sap Type Epic Resource Weight 386 droms Value 300,000 soli Sap drawn from a cosmic ash. This is a rare essence that contains enormous amounts of astral energy. If refined into amber, it can be transformed into a source for any of the chaos domain elements. If burned or used as fuel, it can provide the equivalent of 27,792 mp. This is raw ether and does not contain intent. As such, it can only be used by a magical tool or specialized equipment able to process this energy.

Mages may also consume this sap to offset chaos element spell costs.

The event log scrolled after, showing Sylvia's beautiful bounty. Ca-ching!

Reward: +78 pts – Nether code: Cosmic sap

"Cosmic sap," Sylvia said, eyeing the bottle before returning it. "To open the gate from our side, I take it."

"It's for emergencies," Emily said, firmly. Then stars shone in the brunette's umbral eyes. "Enough about that. Show me our house, Sylvia. Show me. Show me."

How could she resist such adorable insistence?

"Sure." Sylvia gestured. "This, right here, is Gate Point. It's one of eight shield islands overlooking the Cloud Island Wilderness's only natural harbor, Chaos Lagoon. My ship, the Utrecht, is anchored over there."

Emily sniffed the air. "The primordial ether is very thin."

Which was a feature rather than a bug. Most methods of flight relied on wind, whether they were wings or brooms. This meant, few phantasms could cross the starry void. Gate Point was unreachable by all the creatures of the plane Sylvia had thus far witnessed.

Also, being beside the void meant having abundant astral ether. It wasn't of much use right now, but if Sylvia built up the interplanar gate or added a waygate, she'd be thankful.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I live on Starport island, just off the beach," Sylvia said, laughing at the brunette.

Emily gave her a dirty look. "Starport."

"It's one of two islands in the Cloud Island Wilderness that touch the starry void," Sylvia explained. "And Nemesis is never going to have a port, so I thought it fit."

Emily's gaze was dead. She pronounced the words again, slowly. "Star. Port."

"What's wrong with that?" Sylvia said with a scowled.

"Starlight! It should be Starlight!" Emily retorted, shaking her little fists. "You're a starlight witch from the Starlight Nether Witch Academy. How can you name the island starport when there's starlight?"

The silver-haired witch groaned. "Fine. We'll call it Starlight then."

"See, it already sounds more magical," Emily swayed happily.

"Help me with the crates."

Sylvia cast a quick levitation, wrapping her chair and two boxes with a ten-meter rope of air. Emily's spell came a touch quicker than Sylvia's own, expertly snaking around two crates. The brunette's smooth casting served as a reminder that Emily was Esmeralda's clone.

A fact Emily was hiding no longer. The System label of C-III/High hung over the brunette's head.

Sylvia had a terrible itch to check Emily's attributes. She held herself back. It'd be rude to cast Observe Opponent without permission.

Crates floating in the air, Sylvia crossed the void on a path of petals. Emily followed right beside, leaving behind her own trail of flowers.

Sylvia did her best to not think about how magical girly they looked.

The two landed on the beach. Sand scattered under Sylvia's pink pumps. The silver-haired witch barely noticed, her ki dispersing through the ground so that her heels stayed firm on the soft earth. Emily landed just as gently, eyes sweeping the shore with excitement.

"It's so beautiful."

"The jungle is hot, muggy, and filled with all manner of murderous creatures," Sylvia supplied, taking the role of a terrible tour guide.

Emily clapped her hands. "How exciting. With all those phantasms to hunt, you'll surely reach the second consolidation in a few months."

"Five or six," Sylvia replied. She pointed. "The house is in that rocky hill over there."

"Sylvia, that's not a house. That's a cave," Emily explained.

"It's a hobbit home," she returned, deadpan.

The brunette giggled. "More like a dwarf house." Then her eyes lit up. "Oh, you made a chair for me too."

They passed over the beach and into the clearing Sylvia had cut from the jungle. Most of the tree stumps had evaporated. If the few remaining didn't disappear on their own, Sylvia planned to nuke them and let grass and dirt take their place.

Beyond the lawn was the porch. Flat dirt had been replaced by a slab of textured stone. Sylvia had a table and a wicker chair setup on top, the spare still suspended by her levitation spell. The territory totem that helped drive away phantasms had been moved five meters closer to the jungle.

"I'm thinking about adding a wood awning for shade and a stone path down to the beach," Sylvia said. She pointed to where the rocky crag hit void. "And a dock over there to tie up the Utrecht. It's fine floating out in Chaos Lagoon while I can keep an eye on it, but I don't want to leave it when we venture toward the plane's core."

Plus, she'd already moved the third gargoyle from the ship to Gate Point. With the vessel closer, she could better protect both the Utrecht and her home.

"That sounds very romantic."

"Maybe I should set up a few chairs on the beach," Sylvia teased.

"But there's no water to play in," Emily sighed. "Mmm. But it would be fun to dress you up in a cute swimsuit."

Sylvia shifted uneasily. Master likes girls. Suddenly, the atmosphere held a different tone.

"Let's take the crates inside," Sylvia said quickly.

Sylvia manipulated the invisible rope with her mind. The levitation spell floated the wicker chair so it rested beside the other. Then, she adjusted her magical grip, releasing the chair while holding the crates.

Done, the silver-haired witch opened the door to her house.

The interior had undergone a subtle change. Instead of a cave, the space was closer to a stone hall. Eventually, Sylvia intended to put up wood panels and some ether light lamps, but the gate had taken priority for the last two weeks. The hall sloped down, terminating when it reached the resurrection pool. Sylvia could see the faint traces of blood ether lingering in the air.

Emily frowned the moment she entered.

Rather than probe, Sylvia led her friend to a small side room she was using as storage. The pair floated the four crates inside, stacking them atop one another.

"There's only one bedroom, I'm afraid. But I did bring beds from the servant quarters on the Utrecht."

"Then I get to sleep in the same room as Sylvia again," Emily said happily. Her smile turned into a frown, her eyes drifting down the hall toward the pool.

"Do you want to check it now or should we go over the situation first?" Sylvia offered.

The brunette's cheeks puffed.

"We'll discuss our plans before fixing your mistake," Emily decided. Unusually serious, the brunette headed back outside.

That bad, huh. Well. Both issues had to be dealt with.

Stepping back out into daylight, Sylvia took one of the chairs before projecting the System map onto the table. The entire Cloud Island Wilderness was laid out in three dimensions. Most of the map was a wireframe sketch. Only the nearby territory was filled in with excruciating detail.

"We're on Starlight island, here," she said, gesturing. Oh, look. The System had already renamed it. Traitor. "It's one of the four poles, the others being Iron Pole to the south, the Lightning Pole to the east, and Frost Pole to the west."

She paused.

"All those names are tentative."

That's right, System. This island wasn't officially named Starlight yet!

"It's standard convention to have the sun rise in the east," Emily reminded.

"I'm aware," Sylvia accepted. "But the whole island group is spinning. So the sun rises and sets in a new direction every day."

The silver-haired witch let her map spin, showing seventy-two hours in a single minute. The image perfectly depicted the problem.

"I see, since the four poles are arranged almost equidistant, you're using them as directions instead," Emily realized.

"Yes, that's why I call them the poles," Sylvia said. "The world tree is right in the middle of the central island. You can't see it now because the mountains are in the way, but trust me, this image is to scale."

"It's quite a bit bigger than my ash," Emily murmured. "And you can't call it the central island. You have to give it a real name."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. Since she had no ideas at hand, she had the System pull up the words core, central, and axis in various languages.

"Pyrinas then."

"Sylvia, you are so boring," Emily accused.

Sylvia raised a brow. "I'm not the one naming everything starlight."

"Starlight is pretty."

Sure. Sure. Emily just loved starlight. No. Not just Emily. Both Ladies Vallenfelt were obsessed with the word starlight.

"If you don't like it, come up with a better name," Sylvia said, rolling her eyes.

"Hmph. Then these islands will be the Three Sisters," Emily huffed, before pointing at the giant islands floating over the world tree. The massive pieces of land were surrounded by an archipelago of smaller islands. "This one is the little sister, that is the middle sister, and finally the big sister."

The brunette peered across the table.

Sylvia decided not to ask.

"As I was saying, the world tree is in the center of Pyrinas. That means to reach it, we must first traverse 60 kilometers of mountain and jungle, then cross 100 kilometers of open air. And all this just to put us on Pyrinas. After, we still have 250 kilometers of terrain between us and our destination."

Emily pressed her lips. "That is only three hours by broom."

"There are lots of eagles in those mountains," Sylvia said. "And they don't take kindly to anyone flying near them. But I'm actually more worried about the open sky. I took the Utrecht out ten days ago to get a better scan of the coast and saw a stream of wasps fighting a flight of wyverns near Lightning Pole."

"Nether beasts warring over territory," Emily murmured. She sighed. "The Three Sisters are probably filled to the brim with flying phantasms too."

"I was thinking invisibility," Sylvia proposed. "Assuming you know how to cast it."

Invisibility was a complicated magic. The hard part wasn't turning invisible. That was easy. The real trick was erasing the ether signature. Demons and phantasms were sensitive to magic. A careless spell of invisibility was like hiding in the dark after spraying yourself with perfume, bells hanging off every limb.

Everyone would notice.

True invisibility, the kind that rendered a mage undetectable, was high magic. And many of those spells would not work in conjunction with a broom, which made them kind of pointless.

"I do not," Emily said, shaking her head. "It is easy to buy spell books containing basic magic, but the higher level spells tend to be secret."

Sylvia had run into the same issue back on Tartarus. Originally, she had hoped to buy thousands of spells to fill her Networked Grimoire. However, she'd quickly discovered that spell books rarely touched on the advanced magics. The ones which did shared spells of low value, like construction or harvesting magics, or rune sequences so famous they were effectively public domain.

Invisibility, alas, didn't fall in that category. Sylvia had hoped Esmeralda had one hidden in her grimoire but no dice.

"Then I was thinking we might be able to gate it."

A waygate acted as a receiver. This allowed a mage to chant their gate spell and teleport back from anywhere on the plane. But the gate spell could also be used naked. In this case, the witch would directly open a portal without relying on a physical structure.

Range, however, was an issue. The common gate spell was limited to tens of kilometers. This, though, was less a functional limit and more a restriction on the senses. Most planes had a horizon. The Cloud Island Wilderness did not.

"I might manage a hundred kilometers," Emily said thoughtfully. "But there's no way I can open a gate near the world tree. Not without a waystone. The flux of chaos would disrupt the spell."

Sylvia nodded. This was a world tree bred by the Fey Federation after all. As such, it was a hybrid of a cosmic ash, a primordial pine, and a tree of life like Yggdrasil of old. A cosmic ash naturally influenced the astral ether. Indeed, the gyre swallowing the plane was most likely a product of the tree itself.

"I bought plenty of space stone and void rock in Tartarus. We're a bit tight on realm brick, but waygates don't need much." Unlike, say, an interplanar gate. "We could gate from Starlight to Pyrinas, skipping the sky altogether. We have to leave a waygate here regardless, so why not use it to port materials and build a new one on the shore?"

"Are you thinking of chaining gates all the way to the world tree?" Emily questioned.

"We have enough for three or four," Sylvia pointed out. "We could do it."

"That would take months," Emily said with a frown. "And you can't make a gate without a waystone."

"True."

They did have a spare waystone, but that was only good for a single waygate. And it was already spoken for. Whatever their plans, Sylvia had to build a frame on Gate Point. Otherwise, it'd be difficult to return home.

Or to open a portal so a dead colleague could meet up.

"Are you worried about time?"

Sylvia's fractal pink eyes gazed at the brunette beside her. A few months wasn't much for a thirty-year-old man much less a demon who'd seen two centuries. So, time in this case was just another word for war.

"The Padure agreed to help Vilhelm," Emily confirmed. "As I feared, the Hoga escalated their support in response. I know Vallen is out of the way, but I fear it'll soon be swept into the war. Then, everything will be gone."

"There isn't much we can do about it," Sylvia said gently.

"Mmm, but my poor academy," Emily mumbled, tears in her umbral eyes.

Of course, that's what she'd care about.

"You could make another one here," Sylvia said, gesturing.

"What's the point if everyone has skill books?" the brunette huffed. "And where are my witches? My cute, impressionable witches reading books among the beds of flowers. My adorable students in the halls, eyes filled with wonder when they witness magic for the first time?"

Emily let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Your pitiful witches are trying their best to not get sold as slaves," Sylvia answered dully.

The brunette thwacked her on the head. Sylvia couldn't help but smile. Despite everything, remembering the Academy summoned warm and fuzzy feelings. There was a certain charm to the school. And no. She wasn't talking about Charm Club.

"I suppose we should try flying it first then."

Emily nodded. Sylvia was wary of the idea. Though she was a demon, she wasn't yet comfortable with death. Grabbing a broom and flying straight for the world tree was the definition of a suicide run.

"It'd be really embarrassing if we spent half a year working our way across only to discover we could've flown there at the start," Emily agreed. "But Sylvia, we have to fix the resurrection pool first."

"Fix it? You haven't even seen it," the silver-haired witch groused.

"I don't have to. It's leaking," Emily said firmly.

Sylvia nodded. "I know. But that can be fixed by reinforcing the walls and adding a proper door."

"No," Emily rejected. "If the ether is leaking, the foundation wasn't set properly. Blood essence will attract phantasms, Sylvia. Unless you want to resurrect only to get eaten by a spider, it has to be torn down and rebuilt right."

Well. That was an image.

Sylvia would reluctantly admit she wasn't an expert on resurrection pools. Sure, she'd used a book on magical construction, but that covered magical construction in general. Resurrection pools were very specific pieces of infrastructure.

Now gates on the other hand…. Sylvia was quite confident when it came to building gates. She might even be better than Lady Vallenfelt.

"Then we should get started right away," Emily declared, bursting with energy.

"Nope."

"What?"

"Nope," Sylvia denied ruthlessly. She rocked back in her chair. "I'm staying right here and watching the sunset."

…

"Sylvia," the brunette said slowly, as though speaking to a naughty child. "If I am not mistaken, it is noon."

Indeed, it was, Emily. Indeed, it was.

-oOo-

Cloud Island Wilderness

A minor plane born from the world tree, Yaalon. This world was set aside by the fifth piece for a Lucifer that follows. The Cloud Island Wilderness is a sphere twisted out of space by the tree's power. Within is an outer band of starry void surrounding a column of atmosphere. The astral band is approximately two hundred kilometers thick, but it thins considerably near the top or bottom of the plane.

The Cloud Island Wilderness consists of 11 major islands, 237 minor islands, and thousands of tiny islands. The total land area adds up to 356,000 km2 making the usable territory slightly less than that of the Japanese island chain.

Pyrinas

Altitude: 417 km

Area: 213,000 km2

Dimensions: 530 km x 405km

Depth: 49 km

The main island that sprung from the world tree. This island slowly rotates using the Yaalon as its axis. Pyrinas consists of wide and varied terrain including: swamp, lakes, forest, desert, tundra, and mountains.

The Four Poles

A series of four islands which orbit Pyrinas at around the same height as the main island. Each of these have unusually thick ether from one of the secondary elements: wood, lightning, ice, and metal. As a result, all of the islands have unique environments and weather.

The four poles rotate at the same rate as Pyrinas, meaning they always face the same part of the plane's core.

Starlight

Altitude: 428 km

Area: 8,000 km2

Dimensions: 135 km x 60km

Depth: 16 km

One of the four poles and the only island suitable for an astral port. Initially, this land was named Starport, only to be promptly renamed by Emily Clark. Starlight's longest dimension stretches east-west, with the broadest shore being skyward. The shore line starside is notably smaller, spanning only seventy kilometers.

Within the Cloud Island Wilderness, Starlight is used as North, with True North being the line from the world tree through Gate Point.

Frost Pole

Altitude: 402 km

Area: 16,000 km2

Dimensions: 132 km x 120 km

Depth: 19 km

The frost pole consists of tundra and pine forest, all wrapped under the cover of snow. It has a few tall mountains. Of the four poles, this one is used to mark West.

Lightning Pole

Altitude: 456 km

Area: 7,000 km2

Dimensions: 150 km x 46km

Depth: 13 km

A storm wrapped island with tall, thin mountains as seen in The Needles in South Dakota. It has ragged forest and grass covered hills. Of the four poles, this one is to the East. Lightning Pole floats high enough that the island can be clearly seen throughout much of Pyrinas.

Iron Pole

Altitude: 409 km

Area: 7,000 km2

Dimensions: 111 km x 63km

Depth: 24 km

A rugged, rocky terrain filled with hills, caves, and mountains. Vegetation clings to the land but is scant compared to other islands. This territory is rich in metals and ores. Iron pole is set to the South.

The Three Sisters

A triplet of islands, each one higher than the other with all of them floating above Pyrinas. A dazzling array of tiny and minor islands exists around them forming an archipelago. Like the four poles, these rotate in unison with Pyrinas. Thus, to an observer, they always appear in a fixed place in the sky.

The Little Sister

Altitude: 647 km

Area: 2,000 km2

Dimensions: 52 km x 38 km

Depth: 7 km

The smallest and lowest of the sisters. It's roughly a hundred kilometers east-north-east of the world tree. It is home to an army of eagles and rocs and often faces invasions from fester flies and steel needled wasps.

The Middle Sister

Altitude: 716 km

Area: 3,000 km2

Dimensions: 120 km x 25 km

Depth: 8 km

The second largest of the high islands. It's roughly sixty kilometers south-west of the world tree. It features one giant mountain and a series of lakes and waterfalls that pour nearly a hundred kilometers before evaporating into mist.

The Big Sister

Altitude: 783 km

Area: 5,000 km2

Dimensions: 78 km x 64 km

Depth: 10 km

The largest of the Three Sisters, placed only ten kilometers off Yaalon's center. The big sister floats so high up that its peaks nearly touch the gyre. For this reason, its skies are thrown into eternal chaos, sweeping with winds and erratic gusts reaching hundreds of kilometers an hour.

Despite this, the surface itself eases to a howl of no more than 50 km/h. This makes the island difficult to approach except from below.

The Lone Wolf

Altitude: 272 km

Area: 18,000 km2

Dimensions: 137 km x 131 km

Depth: 21 km

A wandering island deep within the sky below. It is one of two islands which fails to maintain a fixed position with regards to Pyrinas. Instead, it follows an unusual, anti-clockwise path.

The Abyss

Altitude: 24 km

Area: 35,000 km2

Dimensions: 198 km x 177 km

Depth: ??? km

A single landmass directly below Pyrinas. Its base sinks into Unus Mundus. Beyond that little is known.

Nemesis

Altitude: 125 km to 715 km

Area: 14,000 km2

Dimensions: 143 km x 98 km

Depth: 27 km

An island that traces an eccentric orbit around the plane. The outer parts of Nemesis brush against the Great Gyre stirring massive astral currents. Nemesis exists entirely within the starry void, meaning the primordial ether is thin. As a product of its position, however, it must be rich in resources from the chaos domain making it a treasure.

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