-oOo-

-oOo-

Two brooms spiraled into the air, ascending at a sixty-degree angle. Sandy shore and deep green jungle fell away from a pair of girls. Nine tall mountains loomed, their slopes covered in thick vegetation. Five broke past the tangle of life, showing gray stone and rocky tops. The three tallest rose so high that their caps were sealed with white snow.

Funny, because Sylvia was already higher, yet the air remained warm.

The silver-haired witch leaned forward, her climb transforming into a curve then a horizontal rush. Twin tufts of fluff trailed behind her. Curly tresses danced under the sun with silver gloss and pink sparkles.

At least here, in the Cloud Island Wilderness, there was no one to make fun of her for it.

"There are eagles in the mountains!" Sylvia shouted in reminder.

Emily zigged playfully, taking the lead. Her broom was faster than the one Sylvia rode. The brunette's blue dress fluttered, the frills and folds perfectly accentuating her delicate figure.

"We can always fly higher," Emily sang.

"I want to see how the phantasms react," Sylvia reminded.

Frost covered slopes grew larger until they dominated their vision. The summit of the second-largest mountain was ahead. Sylvia directed her broom to the right, veering away from the peak. Eagles with feathers of brown and red circled the mount's craggy rocks, riding the currents.

A sharp cry sounded. Soon it was joined by others. A hundred calls echoed off the cliffs. Birds began to rise, below, behind, and in front. The layers of wings were like a great cloud, the nearest bursting into a blaze of fire which somehow made the eagles fly faster.

Sylvia watched warily, giving the peak wide berth. A cavernous vale yawned beneath her, glacial cliffs giving way to stone then thick jungle.

A lance of lightning flashed. Two phantasms were skewered like chickens on a kebab. The cloud island eagles fell before bursting into a flaming pyre. From the ash emerged new raptors, wings spread as they transformed their plummet into a glide.

Sylvia leveled her own staff. "■■■ ■ ■■■!"

A line of brilliant blue shot from crackling quartz. Her lance pierced through an eager phantasm at the head. Then the bolt jagged, cascading along a tight cone to pierce another pair of beasts.

Bang!

A third bolt ripped from the brunette a hundred meters ahead. Emily held her staff in hand.

Sylvia readied another strike then she held back.

As the witches flew, the flock fell further and further behind. The mountain that had been so towering started to fade away. The skyward side of Starlight was laid out below them. Rivers rolled down the mountain in gorgeous waterfalls before pooling in a giant lake. Streams flowed from the broad body before spilling over the island's edge.

And beyond that point lay a hundred kilometer gap of azure. Puffs of white clouds filled the endless blue, a thin veil shrouding the face of Pyrinas. Through the gaps, Sylvia caught glimpses of the main island and its distant rivers, plains, swamps, and forests. Above and to the west, the witch spotted a darkened shape: a small island floating in the sky, a finger extending from the Three Sisters Archipelago.

Emily shouted over the roar of the wind. "Looks like we're faster than them!"

"Too bad I don't get any experience when killing at a distance," Sylvia groused back after catching up to the petite brunette.

Experience points were earned when her body consumed fresh essence spilled from a dead phantasm. But her System could only pull from so far. If Sylvia wanted her delicious reward, she had to be within 30 meters of the corpse when it dissolved.

So, while sniping was fun and fast, it yielded no profit.

If this were a game instead of life, Sylvia would've sent a nasty letter to the devs.

Minutes later, Starlight fell away beneath them. As the last patches of green fell away, Sylvia slammed into a sudden wall of wind. The sky howled. The witch shook. Stooping, Sylvia pointed her broom into the gale until she stabilized.

Then it was gone as quickly as it came.

No. She was wrong. The silver-haired witch looked back to see Starlight sliding to the east.

"The air in the gap travels at a different velocity!" Sylvia shouted over the sound of her flight.

"Mmm," Emily noised back. "We'll be a little off course."

The girls flew on. Sylvia found herself suspended in a sea of cloud and sky. Gazing down, the witch wondered what would happen should she fall through the bottom of the world. Would her frail body be dashed against Unus Mundus, her soul freed then drawn into the one world?

Or would she instead pass into the astral flow before being tossed into the Great Gyre?

Sylvia shuddered. Death would be better than being lost to the starry void. If that happened, she'd best cast a suicide spell quick while her soul was still close enough to be drawn to its anchor.

"I might've been worried over nothing," Sylvia admitted several minutes into the gap. "We should reach Pyrinas in a little over half an hour."

Emily smiled.

Sylvia gazed up, pondering their position. "Should we put on a little more height first?"

"I don't know," Emily replied, sounding unsure. "There are a lot of little islands floating in the skies around – "

"Above!" Sylvia screamed in interruption.

A falcon fell from the heavens.

The creature was less a bird and more a missile. The giant beast dove through the azure sky, wearing feathers of white and gold. The falcon spread its talons, ki creating a blade twice the size of the mighty creature's feet.

Ba-psh!

Emily conjured a water shield in a blink. The raptor smashed right through it, shattering the sheet into a spray of liquid. Talons cracked off the brunette's mystic barrier, the force heavy enough to send her into a brutal spin. Whomph! The beast's wings spread, dive transforming into explosive flight.

Kiaoo! The falcon let out a cry as it swept around for another strike.

Rage sparked in Sylvia's heart. She pointed a hand and spat, "■■!"

Lightning flashed. The bolt tore through the phantasm's wing. The injured creature tumbled, slewing to the side as it plummeted into the clouds below.

"Sylvia!"

Ah.

With a sinking feeling, she looked up.

Seven kilometers away, half obscured by white clouds, was a tiny island. A little rock not even a hundred meters across. From it plunged two more falcons. Their giant bodies tore through the sky like bullets fired from a gun.

That was if bullets had a wing span wider than a bus was long.

Fudge.

"■, ■!"

Not one, but two water shields formed in front of her. A white winged falcon smashed through the first before reflecting off the second. The shock of the blow threw Sylvia into a corkscrew spin, her broom sputtering. Petals fluttered in the wind as the witch stabilized herself.

The third falcon whooshed by. Sharp claws caught Emily, crashing into a wall of glacial ice. This time the beast was blocked. Still, the potent talons cut deep into the frost, slicing the frozen scale in half. The impact sent Emily into a wobbling spin which she quickly corrected.

The first of the great birds rose from the depths behind.

"■■."

Lightning struck again, searing through the raptor's beak and face. The phantasm jerked to the left, missing its chance to finish the brunette.

Sylvia summoned her staff, expression tight as she closed with her companion.

"Seems you were right," Emily said with a silly smile. "This really wasn't a good idea."

Whoomph. "■"

The second falcons whipped around. Talons crashed into a shield of water. Without the weight of its dive, the impact was less shocking, but the blow was more square. Claws of ki pierced in, passing through Sylvia's spell to gouge her ribs and neck.

The witch grit her teeth, quickly drawing runes in her mind for a counter response.

"■■!"

Another bolt tore through feathers, making the third falcon veer off. Nearby, Emily quickly chanted, weaving runes and frost. Three glacial scales took form, one after another, forming a barricade around both witches.

"Sylvia," Emily said firmly as the birds circled. "We've already lost."

The silver-haired witch looked back, not understanding.

The brunette gave a sweet smile. "See you back at base."

Whomph! Kiaoo! A shadow of gold and white swept by. The delicate brunette transformed into a spray of blood. A triumphant falcon swept around.

Shock. Dismay. Then…, Sylvia relaxed. Her staff melted, ethereal shadow sinking into her soul. Her broom faded with it. The witch fell straight into the forever blue.

Emily was right. It was already over. Sylvia had burned too much mana. Even if they defeated these raptors, she'd never make it to the other shore.

Plummeting through a beautiful, azure sky, Sylvia gazed up. A huge bird filled her vision, giant talons spread wide.

From now on, you shall be known as the three sisters roc, Sylvia thought.

Thud.

She knew no more.

-oOo-

"Brother."

Sylvia drifted through void, a distant voice whispering.

"Brother, I have been waiting…. Waiting for so long."

The darkness called to her. A deep longing filled her soul, a voice familiar yet unknown. She reached out. Seeking. Wanting.

Before she could touch it, Sylvia woke up.

She floated, arms splayed in a pool of amniotic fluid. Her pastel pink eyes, each iris a fractal universe, gazed up at smooth stone ceiling. Long strands of silver hair spread out beneath her like a blanket.

"I died again."

The resurrection pool had undergone major renovations. To fix it, Sylvia and Emily had stripped out another two meters of rock. Then they had taken thousands of droms of stone and used ki to shape it into the walls. Enchantments had followed, serving to harden the rock and hide the caves' presence.

Quality wood had been laid after, pipes to channel the ether. The thick beams followed the hall before, expanding out in a hundred-meter circle. More stone had been packed in to fill the gap. Then a layer of blood stone tile was laid on top – meticulously enchanted, of course.

To fill the pool, the room relied on four bronze basins, each set on pillars. A wooden core was wrapped by decorative stone, so the bowls received ether directly.

Sylvia sighed then stood. Her legs sank to the bottom of the pool. The thick, warm, sticky liquid came up to her chest. The witch swam as much as she walked toward the exit. Stone steps brought her out of the fluid. The essence evaporated off her body once exposed to air.

The experience was oddly refreshing.

Opening the door, Sylvia entered the hall as naked as the day she was born.

Well, technically not. Her first rebirth had provided a white dress. Sylvia's pool wasn't that posh.

Sylvia entered the bedroom. Emily's bed was to the left and Sylvia's to the right. The walls and floors were now covered with polished wood beams. Ether light orbs, some hand enchanted by herself, were placed in sockets reminiscent of a modern house.

The asteri threw on her old school robes. Then she put a beret atop her head, the navy blue one with little pink flowers.

"The color doesn't go with my shoes," Sylvia muttered, projecting her blood bone heels back into place. Pink ribbons wrapped around her calves, with big bows at the back.

Oh well. She wasn't here to be fashionable, and she didn't have Charm Club breathing down her neck.

Just Emily, who was half a Charm Club in and of herself.

Sylvia exited the room, her long silver hair weaving itself into a braid. The witch checked her status.

Name Sylvia Swallows Class Common Witch Level 256+60 Exp 738 / 2570 HP 411 / 411 MP 1046 / 1046 Str 15 Mag 81 Vit 10 Spr 100 Agl 35 Wit 75

Seeing her rising attributes always brought a small smile.

The dying sun greeted Sylvia as she stepped outside. The orange glow came from the eastern edge of Starlight, half occluded by the hills and mountains. An awning hung over the porch, providing shade in the face of the fading light. Three weeks ago, Emily had gone around the rim of the stone adding enchantments, so the temperature was eternally pleasant.

"You're awake."

Sylvia froze.

Eyes like a galaxy of umbral green looked back at her, a sparkling nebula that echoed the pillars of creation. Perfectly coiffed, shoulder-length green hair glinted in the glow of the setting sun. The deep brown undertones were set alight with fire.

The woman sat in a wicker chair, an adorable smile upon her lips. Her poise and posture, the picture of femininity and elegance.

Emily Clark.

Esmeralda Vallenfelt.

The faces overlapped in her mind.

"I didn't fix it because only the two of us were here," Emily said uneasily when the silver-haired witch stared too long. "I can change it back, if you want?"

"No. It's fine," Sylvia replied. She pulled back the second chair and sat beside the witch. "You're beautiful."

"I'm more than beautiful. I'm adorable," Emily declared haughtily.

Sylvia relaxed. That was the little lady she knew and loved. "You are indeed."

"But I'm not as pretty as Sylvia is cute," Emily teased, eyes shining in the sunset.

If Sylvia had a heart instead of crystal lump, she was sure it would've gone thump. Esmeralda Vallenfelt was fond of girls. Perhaps Emily was fond of her.

This realization left her confused.

A part of Sylvia still saw herself as a five-foot-nine three-hundred-pound slug of a man. The notion that a woman as beautiful as Esmeralda Vallenfelt might be interested in her sounded like a cruel prank. A different part feared that if she chased this fragile feeling, the relationship they had might shatter before evaporating into nothing.

Eric was a man of few friends. Emily's bond was incredibly precious.

Then, lingering in the shadows, was a final recognition. Emily Clark was nothing more than an echo of Esmeralda's soul. Sooner or later the two would become one. And when that happened, who would be the girl sitting across from her?

"Turn around so I can do your hair," Emily said.

Words stuck in her throat, Sylvia picked up her seat then pivoted it. Soft fingers touched her scalp, teasing her silver tress.

"The ribbons are probably at the bottom of the plane by now," Sylvia mustered.

Along with her black and white school robes, she thought sorrowfully. As of today, Sylvia owned two outfits. Her current navy robes and her Witch-Princess Dress with its bountiful, pink lace.

At least she still had all her hats. Sylvia had made sure to save her precious hat.

"I picked some flowers while you were asleep," Emily said playfully.

Pink ones, Sylvia suspected. The silver-haired witch had seen Emily eyeing prospects. And if not those, Sylvia was quite sure Emily knew a spell to 'correct' the color.

"You're taking this well."

The emeraldette chanted, adding soft curls to Sylvia's long silver locks. Sylvia leaned back in her chair. The sensation was pleasant.

"Death is a necessary component of the afterlife, my adorable apprentice," Emily said gently, sounding very much like Lady Vallenfelt. "I have passed through the veil many times. To drift through Unus Mundus is a blessing, not a curse. It is best to set mortal rules behind you and let the instincts of life come to pass."

"Tch. I'd rather 'git gud'," Sylvia sneered.

The imp giggled. Then Emily took in a sharp breath. "Oh my! This is super cute. I should've done it this way before."

Should Sylvia be glad there were no mirrors in the house? Or should she be horrified that she wouldn't know what atrocity Emily had inflicted?

"So, what's our plan then?" Sylvia asked, changing the subject.

"■■■," Emily chanted, then she hummed. "Mmm, I don't think we can cross that gap on a broom."

Pink sparkles spread through Sylvia's hair. She boldly ignored them. After having suffered this before, Sylvia was already impervious. Super girly pigtails no longer disturbed her stalwart heart.

…

Wait a minute.

"I suspect the best solution is to use a gate," Emily continued. "But while this might help us cross the channel between Starlight and Pyrinas, it will do little to aid us through the island itself."

Since the little lady was done playing with Sylvia's hair, Sylvia picked up her chair and turned it around so she was facing Emily. A beautiful emeraldette looked back at her, chin gently held by an open palm.

"We still lack waystones," Sylvia pointed out.

There were probably thousands of small and tiny islands in the skies above Pyrinas. If they all had those rocs ready and waiting, their only choice would be to skim the land no more than a few hundred meters up. That, or give up flying altogether, but a land-based trip might not be any safer.

And flying low would leave them vulnerable to the less nimble fliers, of which the Cloud Island Wilderness had many.

Emily looked reluctant. "We'll have to make one then."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Make one?

Ah.

Sylvia snapped her finger. "The cosmic sap."

"It's for emergencies… but…."

The silver-haired witch nodded, indicating she understood.

"We need to keep 320 or preferably 340 droms in reserve," Sylvia said, punching numbers into the System's cheap calculator. "How much would we need to make a waystone?"

"About fifty, I think," Emily said, considering.

Sylvia frowned. "That's cutting it pretty tight."

It also meant they could only afford one. Which was enough to get to Pyrinas, but not enough to create a chain of waygates if the path proved too difficult.

"Mmm," Emily sounded in agreement. "But I don't think it's a good idea to be regularly crossing the channel. The gate spell demands too much ether and, if I try to toss the anchor, the positioning will be unreliable."

"There's a third issue," Sylvia added. "I can't cast the gate spell yet."

She, quite simply, wasn't strong enough. Sylvia had been pumping her magic stat to resolve the issue, but right now, she couldn't control the sheer volume of mana on her own.

Emily giggled. "Look on the bright side, at least you'll get to collect experience points."

"And, after I gain another ten to twenty levels, I'll be able to open gates on my own," Sylvia laughed.

The two leaned back in their chairs. Today, at least, they'd relax. Plenty of time for work tomorrow.

-oOo-

Frosty peaks faded beneath them.

The pair of witches passed over Starlight's mountains like before, a rapid ascent followed by a swift race on their brooms. The only difference was that the witches had added another half-a-kilometer of altitude.

No need to upset the eagles.

As lake and jungle revealed themselves on the skyward side, Emily and Sylvia descended. Vast gusts broke on Starlight's eastern cape as the island traced its orbit around the plane. Near the surface, the land's world logic dominated, returning the skies to still. But, if they were a bit further out, the wind would turn erratic. A steady roar of one hundred twenty kilometers per hour was the norm.

Gusts could add another sixty to that.

Having experienced these forces, Sylvia became aware of how difficult it would be to fly across the channel.

"What do you think?" Sylvia asked.

The silver-haired witch gazed out onto Pyrinas. A water lens floated in front of her eyes, amplifying her vision. This was a twenty-eight rune spell called farsight. The magic was akin to a pair of binoculars, allowing thirty times zoom. Though they remained within the island's domain, Sylvia welded herself to the sky with waltz of flowers to still the shake of her vision.

"I think I'll aim for the plains over there," Emily said gesturing. "I bet those rivers lead all the way to Pyrinas's heart."

"Are you sure you can throw it that far?" Sylvia questioned.

"Mmm, maybe? I'll give it a try! ■■■ ■■■■■, ■."

Emily raised her staff, chanting a string of runes. Mana was catalyzed into realm by the emeraldette's core. A knot of magic was suspended on the staff's sapphire tip.

The green-haired witch swung her silver and ebony weapon like a fishing rod.

Which, in a sense, was exactly what Emily was using it for.

Ordinarily, a gate spell consisted of two structures. An outer wreath made from two runic threads and the path generated by a ninety-eight rune knot. When the spell was cast, the wreath would be formed first, creating the structure for the gate. The knot would then be thrown through the wreath.

By doing so, a mage could probe through the wreath, sensing for a location. A waygate would be a beacon, locateable regardless of distance. Without one, the witch could still extend a mental arm, feeling for an optimal place to open their path.

However, if Emily relied on this method, the range would be limited to two dozen kilometers.

The gap between islands was far too vast for that.

Instead, Emily used a different trick, which was to directly throw the knot toward her destination. This method, however, was problematic. Just as a fisherman's line might be diverted by small errors or external forces, the same could happen to the spell.

Which was why Emily had attached a small beacon to the ball of runes.

Sylvia watched it fly through her watery lens. A knot of runes streaked across the channel, their trajectory captured by the causality magic layered atop of her spell of farsight. At first, Sylvia thought the throw might reach, but then an astral gust blew the runic knot off course.

The spell sank into the azure depths below.

"Maybe you should aim a little closer," Sylvia suggested. "There is a forest near the hills a bit to the east. The tree cover might be better than the plains anyway."

"Sylvia, that is a swamp," Emily refuted with clearly punctuated words. "A disgusting, stinky, muddy swamp."

Fair enough.

The emeraldette cast her spell again, this time flicking her staff with half the enthusiasm. Technically, there was little need for the motion. Magic was more about intent than physicality. Sure, swinging the staff might add ten to twenty meters a second to the knot's velocity, but such an addition was basically meaningless at these ranges.

"I saw it bounce off the side of Pyrinas this time. About ten kilometers down."

"Nnn," Emily noised unhappily. Her cheeks puffed in that too, too cute way.

"The 'swamp' is about thirty kilometers closer," Sylvia pointed out.

Emily looked stubborn. "I can do it."

"Don't burn all your mana, you have to carry us across after," Sylvia reminded.

"■■■ ■■■■■! ■!"

This time Emily swung her staff so hard it whoomped through the air. Sylvia couldn't help but compare the witch's demeanor to Esmeralda's cool elegance. In some ways, they were so similar. In others, so different.

"Ah!"

The ball of runes sailed far and true. For a second, it looked as though it would land on target. Then, when it reached Pyrinas's shore, it was pulled sharply to the east. The light dropped squarely in the middle of the swamp.

...

"Fate has spoken," Sylvia said deeply and dramatically.

"Nooo!" Emily whined.

Sylvia's lips quirked. "Come on. Maybe you'll find something in the swamp you love."

"Mmm," Emily sounded unhappily before murmuring. "What's there to love in a swamp?"

Despite this, the green-haired witch chanted, weaving the wreath around the path she'd cast. Realm element mana poured into the structure. A hole was rent into the world, swirling with blue-green light.

Emily turned to her companion, big umbral green eyes glistening. "Sylvia, I'm counting on you to protect me from all the nasty things."

"Sure," she answered deadpan. "I'll be your knight in shining armor."

"And you have to heal me with your cuteness," Emily insisted.

…

"And, and, in the future you have to wear matching dresses when I ask," the witch continued. "In fact, from now on you should only wear cute dresses with lots of ribbons and frills."

Sylvia did what any wise man would. She escaped through the gate.

Voomp!

The silver-haired witch found herself floating a meter above mud and water. Black trees with broad roots stretched up out of the swamp, branches bare and leaves rotten. Moss and mushrooms covered the trunks. A matting of dead vegetation made up the floor.

Sylvia's nose scrunched. The swamp, as Emily feared, stunk.

Dismounting her broom, the asteri set her weight on a squishy mix of peat and muck. Petals of ki spread through soft ground, easing the pressure so that her heeled shoes stayed firm. Sylvia didn't notice her action, her pastel pink eyes intent on her surroundings.

Thin threads were draped across treetops. Webs were strung between the trunks. The strands were so thin and light they were near invisible.

At least they would've been, if not for Sylvia's pure starlight eyes.

Instead, the silk gleamed with pale light, granting an eerie faerie-like beauty.

Voomp!

Emily crossed through the gate, the swirling portal collapsing behind her. Sylvia raised a hand in warning. Then she triggered two System granted magics.

Observe Terrain. Track Threats.

Her map filled with detail. Then her surroundings lit with near a score of red dots. Spiders. She could see them creeping along the trees. Their long legs were like bare branches while their carapaces blended with the dark bark. Claws clicked against wood, barely heard as the predators inched closer and closer.

"Enemies," Sylvia whispered.

The silver-haired asteri teased wind ether from her staff, careful to avoid disturbing their surroundings. Though most demons lacked otherworldly eyes, many creatures could feel or sense the reverberations of magic.

Sylvia didn't want to alert her foe before she was ready.

Emily scooted close, the hem of her bell-like skirt brushing against Sylvia's thigh. With the two back to back, Sylvia felt rather than saw the faint buildup of the element ice.

"I will clear the top," the emeraldette said firmly.

"■■ ■■■■," Sylvia muttered, drawing a ring of runes.

"■■■ ■■■," Emily whispered in tandem.

Then they moved. The emeraldette cast a misty ball into the sky. The air exploded into a freezing swirl. Ice crawled up matte black limbs, sinking deadly white fingers into the arachnids' innards. The spiders at the edge fled with their lives intact. Another managed to drop from the trees in time.

The remaining three phantasms froze to death within seconds.

At the same time, Sylvia tossed a wind scythe as though it were a frizbee.

The buzzsaw screamed through the air, a swirling, razor sharp gale. It sliced through two eight legged creatures at Sylvia's fore before twisting through the trees to sweep back.

"■■, ■, ■, ■!"

Small bullets of water followed Sylvia's scythe. The first shot shattered the half-frozen carapace of the phantasm that fell. Two more splintered through a spider's head and torso, leaving it crippled beside a tree. The final shot relied on the System's guidance, piercing straight through an arachnid's core, slaying it instantly.

The forest filled with shrieking phantasms. A wave of spiders, each massing more than a witch, skittered forward.

Shooff. Splut, sp-splut.

Only for Sylvia's wind scythe to barrel through the group from the side, claiming three legs and two lives. Without missing a beat, the silver-haired witch erected a frost shield to secure her defense.

"■■."

Emily was also casting. "■■■■ ■■■, ■■■■ ■■■."

Two wood elemental spells were thrown out. The runic chains sank into a pair of trees. The trunks shuddered. Then the branches bent sweeping down to scatter spiders. One unlucky creature was caught by a wooden arm, then squeezed until the ichor shot out.

The emeraldette rushed in their direction. Sylvia was a step behind her, pausing to add another scythe to the chaos.

"■■ ■■■■."

This blade swept forward, killing a spider in the direction of their retreat. At the same moment, her first scythe met its end, plunging down on a phantasm's back.

"■■■ ■■■."

Under the cover of the trees, Emily turned, dropping frigid cold on their pursuers. Four more phantasms froze to death. Sylvia's wind blade flashed around, finishing two more before circling to their opposite side to kill a third.

Track Threats.

"■■."

A water knife ended the spider with a smashed-in skull. Sylvia let Emily's animated tree brutally murder the five legged straggler. The green-eyed witch gazed around, searching the swamp.

"We're clear."

Emily gave her companion an aggrieved look. "Sylvia, this is why I didn't want to come to a swamp."

She was never going to hear the end of this, was she?

"What's that ice spell you were using?" Sylvia asked, changing the subject.

"Arctic gale," Emily answered. "It's good for clearing weaker phantasms. But your use of wind scythe is very impressive. I don't think I could weave it through the trees like that."

"My wind blade skill book is finally paying off," Sylvia admitted. That had been her second-worst investment, only surpassed by her mediocre book on cultivation. "Teach me arctic gale later."

"Of course, my adorable apprentice," the emerald-haired asteri accepted, sounding pleased. Then her umbral eyes lit up. "Ah! Sylvia! Look!"

Without waiting for a response, Emily jumped up into the air walking atop a bed of petals. Her black and silver staff swirled, gathering a long thread of webbing.

"It's spider's silk, Sylvia. Spider's silk!" The girl was bursting with excitement. Her left fist was clenched and waving.

…

Sylvia's eyes swept over the battlefield, where the corpses of phantasms were already disintegrating. Sticky ichor and chitin was scattered across the floor of a pungent swamp. Black trees rose, the few leaves brown with decay like a scene from a horror movie.

"We need to build a farm. A farm with ten spiders. No, no. A hundred spiders!" Emily continued to gush.

How the hell was she supposed to respond to this? Oh, wait. Sylvia knew exactly what to say.

With big, watery, pastel pink eyes Sylvia looked at her enthusiastic companion. "Emily, heal me with your cuteness."

The green-haired girl paused for a moment. Then – glomp – she pulled Sylvia into a warm hug.

You know, swamps and deadly monsters aside, life here in the wilderness was pretty good.

-oOo-

Grimoire:

Glacial Scale

Runes: 57

Mana: 100 to 300; 25%

Hit Points: 850 to 1750

Defense: 250

Duration: 180 seconds

Similar to frost shield, the spell glacial scale creates a shield sized plane of ice. However, this shield comes with a flaw. A glacial scale is merely translucent, making it hard to see foes hidden beyond. This problem is mitigated, however, if the glacial scale is placed upon a barrier frame.

Each glacial scale has a size similar to a tower shield. Its structure is extremely hard and tough. Despite its size, the scale can be positioned quickly, even when set at a fair distance from the caster. Due to this strong innate levitation, a mage will not feel inertial mass from a glacial scale unless attempting to maneuver at very high speed.

The scale's hardness is one of its great perks. Weak attacks are unable to damage this shield at all. Moderately powerful attacks will be weakened, improving the spell's efficiency. For this reason, the scale should always be placed on the outermost layer of any assembled barrier.

Arctic Gale

Runes: 93

Mana: 200 to 2000; 20%

Attack: 200 x 5

Penetration 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 pierce, 100% multiplier

Max Range: 150 x Mysticism meters

Velocity: 50 m/s

Area: 15 to 47 meter radius

An advanced ice magic that chills a broad area. The ice creeps into the body, slowly penetrating all defenses over a three-second period. Arctic gale is a highly effective spell at killing hordes of weak creatures. It also has the added feature that the caster can exclude themselves and, with practice, their companions from the effect.

Before manifesting, arctic gale travels in the form of a misty ball. Though the range is decent, the spell itself is quite slow. Only when detonated does the gale appear. Since the spell stays stable for 3 x Mysticism seconds, the magic can be held and released at an opportune time, representing a persistent threat.

One additional feature is that the penetrating ice will freeze and chill its target, slowing motion and action. The severity depends on the percentage of target's HP lost to the spell. This effect will slowly wear off over time, the exact duration depending on the caster's Magic: Dominion and victim's Spirit: Integrity.

While arctic gale can be effective against weaker foes, it is not so useful against very tough or fast moving enemies as they can often escape the area of effect before meaningful damage is dealt.

Animate Tree

Runes: 117

Mana: 90 to 270; 33%

Attack: Droms*5 + 150 (max: 1000)

Penetration 30 pierce; Grapple: Attack pierce

Max Range: 25 x Mysticism meters

Duration: 1 to 9 minutes

A complicated wood elemental magic that temporarily animates a tree turning it into a defender. Only trees with at least 10 droms of wood essence can be animated. The tree will thereafter exert strength comparable to a Class II phantasm, augmented by the essence of the tree itself.

That said, while the striking strength isn't high, an animated tree is able to exert tremendous slow force. This means that weaker demons will find the grapple nigh inescapable. Indeed, the animated tree can squeeze even toughest enemies to death.

Beastiary

Three Sisters Roc

Species: Bird Phantasm

Lv: 270

Hp/Mp: 975 / 280

Atk/Def: 345 / 50

Celerity: 190%

Exp: 2182

A bird with a wingspan of fifteen meters and a mass nearing a metric ton. The three sisters roc is a hunter that lives on the high islands of the Cloud Island Wilderness, often flying overhead waiting for a chance to attack any creature that would dare touch the sky.

This falcon has a high flight speed and incredible eyesight. It can spot human sized prey from ten kilometers away. When diving, their velocity can reach 800 km/h. During horizontal flight they travel at a steady 200 km/h.

Abilities/Traits:

Large – This beast is big, granting ~20% Size Reduction to inappropriately scaled attacks

Rending Talon – Creates a spectral echo of their talons for +100% reach and 165% attack.

Preternatural Grace – The speed, reflexes, and precision of this creature are all passively enhanced.

Black Spinner

Species: Insect Phantasm

Lv: 125

Hp/Mp: 426 / 151

Atk/Def: 135 / 80

Celerity: 159%

Exp: 337

Abilities/Traits:

Whisper of Silk – Webs created by this creature are nearly invisible and as light as air

Spinner – 30 mp – Can shoot webs or weave them to trap foes.

Poison Bite – If a bite attack does at least 13 damage, it will inflict 100 poison damage over ten seconds.

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