Tristan was nudged by something and groaned as he opened his eyes. The Matriarch was kneeling on the ground in front of him, hand pushing against his shoulder. "Ah, you finally awaken."

"How long was I out?" Tristan asked as he sat up.

"I spoke with you less than an hour ago, and then came down here a few minutes past, and have been nudging you. I wanted to check your meditation in the new location – but it seems you have unlocked the next layer of the vault instead."

Tristan pushed himself to his feet, took a staggering step and put his hand out to the wall to steady himself. Reverse-spin, he thought as he spun his essence crucible to suck in the ambient essence in the environment, refilling to the brim and making him feel full of energy. "I'm good. Let's take a look and see what is in here."

The Matriarch got up and stood aside as Tristan went into the next chamber. Similar in shape to the last one; a circular hollow with another door at the other side with four rings facing him. There was another pedestal – but this one was not spread out like a flower. It was akin to a single root, shaped into a square with knotted protrusions. Atop it was another one of the stone boxes.

"Just because I am curious," The Matriarch walked forward, reached her hand towards the box, and a jolt of lightning jumped from the box onto her finger. She pulled it back, hissing in pain. "That confirms it; fairy dragons cannot interact with these boxes." She glanced back to the other chamber behind them with the still-fallen stone box. "That will be an eyesore."

Tristan chuckled and slid past her due to the narrow confines of the passage. He felt along the grooves on the sides of the box, his fingers finding the small grip-lines. He tried pulling up with all his might, and it barely moved up. "Guess I have to do the pry method," he stated as he moved around to the right of the box. Shoving up with all his might, he was able to tip it enough to get his arm inside, and then he got his other hand under it and shoved the thing upright before it went crashing to the ground.

Atop the knotted root was another scroll which doubtless contained some poetic Elvish words of wisdom, and a folded, long-sleeved tunic that was a deep, cream color with lines of icy-blue trees stitched into a design along the bottom. The Matriarch spoke, "Zeltana's armor was not really "armor" in the way yours is. She relied on her speed and agility to ensure avoidance of harm. In a way, this is perfect for you, since her armor pieces will easily go underneath your dragonslayer set."

Tristan grabbed the tunic and unfolded it, "I wonder what it does?" he asked aloud as he held it up to his chest and held it against his torso. "Looks like it'll fit decently. We'll have to check it with that artifice spell soon here." He handed it to The Matriarch, who held it reverently. Tristan unfurled the scroll and began to read it aloud.

Inheritor of my mantle

who seeks to sample

the power I held,

the might with which I swelled,

Your third reward for embracing my role

that you have discovered with this scroll

is a tunic you should wear well.

When fueled with essence it will fell

Mighty foes with the wrath of trees.

Plants will curl up and then freeze

pinning those you seek to harm in place,

Allowing you to strike them in the face.

And now to learn a bit of lore

about how to go to war

with other Realms you seek to graft

to the Fey Realm. You must craft

a staff from the Forest's Heart.

Then you can depart.

Go to the edge of the Realm

and strike the boundary like a bell.

The Matriarch frowned as Tristan rolled up the scroll and handed it to her to add to the other two. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"She…Zeltana swore to me that the Incursions and Delves that happened were due to other Realms brushing up against ours or being done by hostile invaders. Now…I cannot help but wonder if she brought the Plague Realm upon us that required her to seal away portions of the Fey Realm and forced her to sacrifice herself to cleanse the land."

That thought disquieted Tristan, "You've never seen her-"

"No!" The Matriarch shouted, clearly upset and her voice filling with emotion as she trembled slightly. "To think…she brought it upon the Realm. And for what? Land? We had plenty of that!" She was sucking in trembling breaths.

Tristan walked over to her and gently embraced her, "It's done and over with," he said softly. "You cannot change the past…maybe she did, maybe she didn't. It's okay."

The Matriarch pushed herself away from him, "Apologies, Lord Tristan. I didn't mean to lose composure like that."

"Don't apologize for feeling," Tristan replied. "Never apologize for that." He reached out a hand to her arm and squeezed it gently. "I'm here to talk if you need to."

She nodded and smiled a little bit as she calmed down. "Thank you for that. Now…I'll take the scroll to the bookshelves, if you wish to take the tunic to artifice?"

Tristan nodded, took the offered item, and followed her to the central spire. She sprouted wings and flew up along the interior of the tree, but Tristan moved over to the central spire of the tree. I don't think I'll be using a staff to open other Realms any time soon. But I should have the staff, at least. Plus, maybe if it's from the Queen's Wood, I could artifice it.

He spun his essence crucible and poured the energy into the Gloves of the Growth Shaper, activating the stored Plant Shaping spell within. He slung the tunic over his shoulder and used his fingertips to take out a large, stick-shaped chunk that was the size of a quarterstaff. He then put his fingers into a ring shape and ran it up and down the length to make it uniform. He squeezed slightly at both ends to make them slightly knotted so it couldn't just slip from his grip; and to that end he also twisted the shaft in his hands, making a textured surface for grip.

Letting the essence fade, he held the staff in front of him with a smile. And now to artifice, he thought as he headed outside, to the crafting area, and grabbed ink and paper. He set the tunic on the table and performed the spell gesture for Discern Artifice.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Tunic of Coiling Frost

Hampering Growth (Third) [Flora] [Ice Elementalism]

Upon touching the ground, the wielder may designate a circular area within one-hundred feet. Thirty feet from the center of the area, in all directions, existing plants will grow and entangle those in the space – halting movement until they are dealt with.

That was curious to Tristan. Huh, he thought. It has two spell types. I didn't know that items of artifice could have that. Tristan both-direction-spun his essence crucible and spoke aloud with the voice of the Realm, "Matriarch, a moment please."

She flew down from the top boughs as he ceased the crucible spin. "Yes?" She still sounded disquieted and somber.

Tristan gestured to the parchment, "There are two spell types stored. What does this mean?"

The Matriarch leaned over the counter and contemplated it for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Ah. A blended spell."

"Blended spell? Is that like merging two or more spells? Making custom spells that combine multiple spell types?"

"Yes, that is feasible."

"Just imagine the combinations I could come up with!" Tristan began talking rapidly, "Like combining illusion with ice elementalism to make an invisible projectile! Or fire elementalism with flora to make burning plants!" Tristan felt extremely enthused at the idea of making his own spells that blended multiple spell types. "Is there a formula or recipe for making spells? Blended ones, too?"

The Matriarch nodded emphatically as his energy seemed to rub off on her. "Yes. First, making a new spell. It is an arduous process of trial and error. It involves several components. First you have to determine the Order which then determines how much essence is required."

She held up her hand, and a sphere with the colors of the rainbow appeared in her palm. "A First Order spell could have varied cost depending on the spell type – teleportation would be more taxing than illusion. With me so far?"

Tristan nodded, "Makes sense."

"Next you would have to design a spell phrase. The higher Order spell, the more complicated and intricate the spell phrase must be. It should reflect the intent of the spell effect you are trying to create."

"What about language?" Tristan asked.

"You can use any language, but some spell types do not agree with certain languages. For example – a Vantir using Death's Breath as their language for a rejuvenation spell would find their efforts stymied. The magic just doesn't "take hold" with a language so diametrically opposed due to it being from the Undying Realm, and rejuvenation inherently being about restoring life."

Tristan nodded, "That's why Dragon's Tongue works with elementalism spell types, because they are so tied to it. But Elvish works just as well for ice elementalism for Winterbloom, wind for Fallthorn, etcetera?"

"Correct. Shall I continue?" The Matriarch asked with a raised brow.

"Please."

"Next, you would come up with a gesture that acts as the conduit for the spell. Again, the gesture should have something to do with the spell effect. Such as Command." She placed her index and middle fingers next to her lips, "This spell has to do with the spoken word, so the gesture has to do with the mouth."

"And the gesture has to be more complex for the higher Order spells?"

"Correct. The last step is experimenting. Testing. Seeing if the spell phrase and gesture manifests the desired effect or fizzles entirely."

"What about blending spells?"

She smiled and lowered her hand, the orb of rainbow essence dripping through her fingers before vanishing into nothing. "You desire to blend two different spell types. Using your earlier example; you want a First Order ice elementalism effect – Frost Flurry, and a Second Order illusion effect – Minor Invisibility, to make your invisible projectile. The resulting spell would be Third Order in essence capacity, and relative gesture and phrase complexity."

Tristan nodded, "That makes sense. It also explains why making a custom blended spell must take so long to come up with. You have to muddle about with…combining the spell gestures and spell phrases. That could take some time. But the essence cost should be easy to figure out, since you would already know the Order."

The Matriarch nodded, "Indeed."

"Last questions," Tristan stated. "You mentioned custom spells using a single spell type, and blending existing spells of different types…what blending two existing spells from the same spell type? Or creating brand-new blended spells?"

The Matriarch sighed slightly, "Very passionate about this, aren't you?" Tristan nodded eagerly, and she shook her head, "Like a duck to water, you new essence-weavers. Very well. Yes, you can blend two existing spells from the same spell type, just as you would from different spell types using the process I described earlier. Creating a brand-new blended spell is just like making a brand-new spell…but even more time consuming because you are starting from scratch."

Tristan smiled and dipped his head in a nod, "Thank you for your patience. In summary; blending existing spells – whether the same spell type or different – is easiest, because you are just trying to fit the two gestures and phrases together like a puzzle." She nodded, and he continued, "The next hardest is making a new spell for a single spell type, because it is a lot more trial and error." Once more, she nodded, "And the most difficult is making a new spell using two spell types, because it requires a lot more testing."

"That is correct. You stated it succinctly." She sighed, "I do hope that is all the essence-weaving teaching you desire today, Lord Tristan."

"I'm more than sated. Thank you."

The Matriarch gestured to the tunic, and she had a slightly melancholic look on her face. "This is but one of several pieces of Zeltana's usual battle gear. She had a full, lightweight outfit and of course her maul. I would imagine that the more vault doors you unlock, the more of her outfit you will reveal along with the scrolls."

Tristan nodded and slipped his shirt off, wriggling into the tunic and finding it fit him very well. "Either she was muscular, or I am not," he commented.

"As I said, if you were female, you would be mistaken for her."

Tristan folded his other tunic up and set it to the side. A fairy dragon flew down, snatched it, and flew off with it – presumably to launder it, he assumed. He leaned against one of the trees and crossed his arms, "And we may learn more about the Fey Realm that even you did not know. But that begs the question…when did she create these vault doors? I doubt she had time between fighting the Plague Realm and sacrificing herself to save the Fey Realm."

"She sealed these vaults before that time of tribulation," The Matriarch replied with a frown. "That does explain why her clothing – sorry, her armor – was a slightly different hue. She had already sealed it…perhaps she knew that…" she went silent once more and frowned. "Now I cannot help but wonder if she knew what Realm she was opening access to."

"Were you preparing to fight or anything like that?"

The Matriarch's face scrunched up as she had a look of "I'm thinking" writ across her face. "I…do not recall. It was a long, long time ago. And I do not have perfect memory."

Tristan walked over to the pool in front of the Queen's Wood – averting his gaze from the few nymphs who were chatting with fairy dragons. "Excuse me ladies. Could you ask Thallia to come here?"

He heard a splash, and glancing down saw that all of them had vanished into the waters. A few seconds later, Thallia rose from the water – a spout that pushed her up to Tristan's level and then kept fountaining there holding her aloft. "Yes, Lord Tristan?" She was, thankfully, covered by the spouting water for decency's sake.

"Before Zeltana sealed your portion of the Realm…was she preparing for conflict?"

"Not that I recall," Thallia stated.

Tristan looked back to The Matriarch who had walked over to join him, still with a contemplative look and furrowed brow. He spoke, "It sounds like Zeltana opened an Incursion to another Realm and might not have expected the Plague Realm on the other side. She had you close the rift temporarily, while she fled here to prepare her last will and wishes, as it were. Then the whole self-sacrifice to the tree thing. I doubt she intended to plunge the Fey Realm into chaos and discord."

"She was a firebrand despite her icy disposition most times," Thallia stated with a smirk. "A bit snooty because of her station, but respectful when necessary. A saucy bitch through and through that I loved spending nights with. But when she got angry…she would show it."

The Matriarch smiled faintly, "That is just like her. I am happy my memories are not all negative. And…I hope- no, I know that she did not intend to bring horrors upon our Realm. It was an accident."

Tristan pointed to the crafting area and the staff he had made, "Well, I have the means to open up these Incursions if we ever want to test it out."

"No!" The Matriarch said loudly.

"What is this about?" Thallia asked.

Tristan glanced at The Matriarch, "I am not saying we do it right now. But it is something worth looking into down the line if necessary. I don't foresee that being required for a long, long time." He looked to Thallia and rapidly explained the contents of all three vault scrolls, ending with, "-that staff will let me open an Incursion or Delve…I think."

Thallia nodded, "Intriguing. I agree with The Matriarch – which I don't often do – this should wait until it must be done. I do not think there is a good way to test it out, either. Perhaps this Archon you've spoken of with realmwalking knowledge could provide insight? In any event – unsealing the other parts of the Fey Realm…even if I detest those filthy, dirt-encrusted gnomes…that comes first."

"Agreed," Tristan stated. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a staff to artifice and a routine to get back to."

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