Chapter Three Hundred And Thirty Three – 333
Atar stood at the top of the steps, staring nervously at a white stone door before him.
"Atar! Did you see that lantern? Analyze calls it a Beacon, but can't give me any lore entry on it." Alister came up the steps behind the fire mage, still looking backward. "Strangest design too. I wonder what it doesOh." He stopped, Atar in his way. "What's going on?"
"Look at this door, Alister. It's...gorgeous," Atar said softly. He walked forward slowly, reverently, as the many script circles gleamed atop the perfectly polished planes of the door. "Echo, force, structure, all of it called out, reinforcing itself against entry. If it were locked, this room would hold out against any number of Journeyman Tiers. Even an Adept for a span of time."
"It is certainly impressive. The exacting demarcations are finer than most I've seen," Alister agreed. "But you're scaredand don't lie to me. I know you too well. A force ward, no matter how well made, is not enough to scare you, Atar."
The fire mage blew out a shaky breath. It had been a rough stretch of days. Battle and mayhem had ruled over all their lives, all in an effort to access this Temple. Atar looked around, noting the details of the short hallway that he'd overlooked. Overlapping stars and vines were carved into and out of the stone in wide bands that arced overhead, while along the floor there were panels of small creatures running and...frolicking? They were strange, furred things, with too many legs and bushy tails; nothing he had seen back in the Expanse where he'd been born.
In the end, Atar was worn and tired and stretched too thin from Mana drain. He'd recovered all of his Mana pool by that point, but the fatigue remained, as the two of them had been spending long hours studying the remains of the Archon's foul reservoirs. They disgusting pits had been sundered by their attacks and then Felix's cleansing of the area, but enough remained that the two mages were piecing together their purpose. The Archon had been capturing monsters and sacrificing them to the reservoirs, until the interiors were slurry pits of flesh and fluids, all of it bounded by stones inscribed with the madman's Profane Sigaldry. They both found it fascinating, a new type of sigaldry invented by a singular being. And yet it was awful. Even looking at the the few remaining scraps hurt their eyes.
"I'm just tired. And Felix called us up here for something. You think he's mad we're looking into the Archon's sigaldry?" Atar looked to his lover, but Alister only shrugged and walked closer to the door.
"You've known him longer than me, but Felix seems fair-minded. We've been advancing the knowledge of our arts, nothing wrong with that." Alister raised an eyebrow at Atar. "You think he'd truly punish us for it?"
"I don't know. Felix is...he is more than he appears. Every time I think I have him pegged, I find something else, some other impossible side to him. It's infuriating." Atar walked up quickly, lifting his arm. "But it's easier to just get this over with."
They opened the wide door together.
Beyond was a pristine chamber in the shape of a nine-pointed star. Each pointed alcove contained slabs of stone and a selection of silver and gold implements, mimicking the materials in the center of the room, which featured a similar set of slab stone in the shape of another, smaller star. Basins and covered bins were all around the central area, all of it in stainless white stone that had been polished to a mirror shine. Above them all were hanging orbs of thick glass, each filled with red-gold flames. Strangely, the flames were steady and not flickering at all, bright enough and numerous enough that the entire chamber was evenly illuminated.
"Avet's own, it looks like a sea of stars," Alister whispered.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Atar jolted. In the center of the room, at the crux of everything, Felix stood. He was smiling and also gazing around the chamber, as if proud.
How'd I not see him?
"The Forge was lot more utilitarian, but this is just," Felix groped for words.
"It's art," Alister said. He ran his fingers across the smoothed top of the central formation. "I can sense the interplay of sigaldry through everything. It's like arrays were used to make all of this."
"It was. A pattern from a Dwelling Stone, reward for earning my Stronghold. Gave me a few crafting halls and some storage. Still haven't checked the Alchemy Lab or Storage, though." Felix sighed.
Atar looked closer at the so-called Autarch. The man looked tired, which made no sense to the mage; if he had the Endurance and Vitality that Felix possessed, Atar would have felt practically immortal. "You called us here? That spirit of yours made it sound urgent. How'd it reach us, by the way?"
Felix wagged his hand. "My Seal is strongest in my Stronghold. Pushing his voice around is becoming easier, so long as he does it from the center. But that's not why I asked you both up here."
Atar wanted to protest; he wanted to hear everything Felix could tell him about his Seat and Seal. The bits he'd heard of the massive array beneath the Temple were enticing in the extreme. But it was Felix's secret to dole out, if he wished. Atar let his protests die out and nodded. "Then why?"
"So it turns out Strongholds have ranks. Levels, of a sort, that determines what features it can access," Felix said.
"Of course," Alister nodded. "You established a Home. I've heard the stories."
"Right. Well, the second rank of my Stronghold, coupled with my Authority as a Territorial Lord, opens up some options. Most important of those is a line of communication between us and Haarwatch."
"Haarwatch?" Atar asked. "Why? How?"
"Since Felix was ensconced as the Autarch of Nagast, his Authority has engulfed and superceded Lady Boscal's own," said the sword at Felix's waist. It pulsed and flared, and in Atar's limited senses it had a faint haze of green-gold. More than faint, actually. "She is a vassal of Nagast, now."
"Oh she'll love that," Atar chuckled.
"That's exactly what Harn said," Felix sighed. "Hopefully she's not too mad. Not much I can do about what the System does" Felix cut himself off and bit the inside of his cheek.
"Felix?"
"Hm? Oh, I was thinking ofnevermind. It's not important." Felix waved his hands and one of the countertops began emitting a strident light. Mana vapor, white and undifferentiated, began to swirl atop it. "We have a store of undifferentiated Mana, apparently. Not sure how, but it'll refill itself once its depleted. Takes a few days though, from what I can tell. This'll let you utilize more than one or two types of Mana, giving the arrays a little more flexibility."
"Highest Flame, that's amazing," Atar said. Alister ran his hands through the vapor, easily visible in the environment. "I can even see it all. The sheer detail..."
"Mm, yes. Apparently these rooms enhance your sense of Mana. I noticed it earlier in the Forge. Frankly, that alone is worth a ton; without my own Manasight I'd have been in the dark in too many situations to count." Felix smiled, as if to himself. "Anyway. I called you up here because I need to reach Rank II, and the best way to do that is to improve the Stronghold. Harn's already taken over as the Master of the Forge, but I have need of a Master of the Glyph."
Atar and Alister traded stunned looks. Alister even stuttered. "F-felix. That's...an honor. Truly."
"Less of an honor than you might think. I don't have enough resources yet to do any truly interesting work." Felix gestured to bins and covered receptacles cleverly placed around the chamber. "We need more monster cores, Tier I wood and stone, and a number of other things in order to even make the two arrays I have on file."
"On file?" Atar asked, and Felix simply gestured to the center counter. The top deformed, rising up to create a finger-high plinth, and on top of that plinth was a book. It was large enough to need two hands to hold it, but it was thin, anemic really. Felix casually flipped it open.
"These," he said. A rush of undifferentiated Mana poured into the book and up into the air, transformed into purple and gold vapor. Augmentation and light. A System screen appeared before them all.
Glyphtome Of The Stronghold!
At Rank I, The Following Arrays Are Available:
The Following Arrays Have Been Inscribed:
Flame Geyser - Ritual, Offensive Array, Tier I
"These are copies of a Territorial array I have access to...but transcribing them into the Glyphtome rendered them an entire Tier lower. They're not bad, I guess, just a lot less than before." Felix shrugged.
"A Glyphtome," Atar said in reverence. Elder Teine had possessed such a treasure, but he'd never let his apprentices so much as touch it. "The beating heart of a Glyphworks. A master record of arrays."
"Well, the beginnings of one, at least," Alister said. "Those arrays are impressive though, and the material costs aren't too terrible. Not out here."
"Why" Atar couldn't believe he was about to say this, but it had to be said. "Why aren't you taking the role of Glyphmaster? Your Sigaldry Skill is higher than both of ours." Alister looked up from the Glyphtome, curiosity plain on his face.
"I'm interested, don't get me wrong. But I can't be...everything. No matter how much I might want to be." Felix smiled ruefully. "The Master is not only what sort of bonuses are conveyed to the Stronghold and to the works produced, but they're to handle the day to day and Quests that arise from the process. I've no time, not for these and the rest that are coming my way." He tapped the book again. "Turns out, however, it doesn't stop me from using the rooms. So I'll be coming to bug you plenty."
He clapped his hands. "So! Which one of you is it gonna be?"
"Atar."
The fire mage looked in surprise at Alister. The nobleman turned mage grinned. "Don't look at me like that. You're leagues better at this stuff than I am. You built an untested battle array in the field. So no false modesty."
Atar flushed with pride and affection and a touch of embarrassment. "Well, my Sigaldry Skill is nearing the Adept level. I'm sure some practice in here will truly push it to Temper."
"Good. It is quite beneficial for the Glyphworks if the Master Tiers up. It adds a touch extra when calculating the bonuses the Hall provides." Karys voice was pleased. "An excellent choice, Felix."
"Thanks, Karys. Okay Atar. You ready?" Felix stepped closer to the mage, who felt an instinctive desire to back up.
"Ready for what?"
"Your promotion." Felix reached out and tapped Atar on the forehead.
Of a sudden, Atar's Mind was filled with a flurry of sensations, from the smooth feel of cold stone to the blazing hot vibrations contained within the reservoirs around the Glyphworks. He felt almost one with the chamber, exalted above simple flesh. That faded quickly, however, and Atar suddenly became just Atar again. A notification window popped before his eyes.
Congratulations!
You Have Been Made Master of the Nagast Glyphworks!
Glyphworks, Tier III!
Journeyman Tier Advancement Detected!
The Following Bonuses Now Apply:
3% Increase in Production Speed
-1% Resource Loss
3% Increase in XP Generation By Completing Craft Quests
0.01% Increase in Stronghold Offense and Defense per array added to the Glyphtome
Complete Quests to Advance The Glyphworks!
Advance Yourself To Increase Bonuses!
The Following Quests Are Available:
Compile Your Legacy I
Create 10 new arrays and add them to the Glyphtome for future use.
Reward: Title, XP, Varied
Many Hands Make Light Work I
Recruit more inscriptionists to your Hall. Production Speed will increase by a small amount per new recruit, dependent on their Tier.
0/10 Inscriptionists Recruited
Reward: Title, XP, Increased Production Speed
Gather Resources I
A Glyphworks needs fuel to power its arrays and formations. Secure the following resources to satisfy your Hall's requirements.
Resources: x50 Monster Cores (Tier I and above), x500 lbs of Wood (Tier I and above), x1000 lbs of Stone (Tier I and above)
Reward: New Hall Function, XP
"By all that burns," Atar whispered. "This is...it's amazing."
Felix laughed. "That's what Harn said. You got about the same bonuses he did, too. Good. It seems it's about level across the Tier."
Atar shared the details of what he saw with Alister. If he were being honest, he enjoyed the way the man's eyes popped at all the details.
"You have some Quests too, which is great. I'd say let's get started on those as soon as you can. I'll handle the resources; I have the Henaari scouting out the land around us. My resource list has already started filling in."
"Ah yes. That's...perfect." Atar was a bit dazed. He walked around the central, star-shaped counter and slipped through a gap to reach the Glyphtome. "I have...so many ideas already. Alister! We can formalize the force transfer array we used during the battle!"
"Yes! Of course!" Alister's eyes lit up in excitement and he too hurried over to the counter. "But first, make me one of your Inscriptionists."
As if with a limb he hadn't before possessed, Atar reached out and selected Alister, mentally marking him as a "recruit."
Congratulations!
1/10 Inscriptionists Recruited!
Alister saw something appear in his vision, but he simply swiped it away. "Okay. Time to get to work then."
Atar grinned. "Well past time. Start jotting down the central glyph and I'll start on the radial modifications."
"Of course, Glyphmaster."
"Shut it," Atar laughed.
He never noticed when Felix left them.
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