I step up next to Samantha at the edge of the boundary for the training mats that are in the center, like the other rooms that I’ve seen so far down here. Well, aside from the room that makes you fight heart demons, but the less said about that one the better, and also this formation barrier around the mats being purple and opaque reaching to the ceiling. Samantha turns her head to face me before starting her explanation, “I have created a scenario with a scaling level of difficulty inside the boundary formation for today’s lesson. Your goal is to advance as far as you can through the various stages, starting with almost benign creatures or beasts which will get stronger and more ferocious as you progress. Eventually, you will likely begin facing apparitions of cultivators, starting in personal duels and then leading to large group settings.
Given your unique situation, you will likely easily advance toward the end of the scenario where you will be facing legendary beasts and Apogee Ranked cultivators. While you will feel pain if you take damage during the event, there are safeguards in place to make sure that the most harm that will befall you will merely knock you into an unconscious state, at which point I will administer healing pills, and we shall end the lesson.” Well shit, that’s a pretty intense introduction to all of this…
Sam continues on, apparently eager to add more fuel to the fire of my budding worry, “This exercise is meant to increase your familiarity with combat in general, however I would advise you to also take it as a moment to test the limits of your core, foundational techniques and abilities. You should also procure that [Mercurial Weapon] if you have not done so already, as this would be the most opportune time to begin familiarizing yourself with its use.”
Oh right! So much crazy shit is constantly happening I kind of forgot about that, as well as buying [Precognition]. May as well do both now that I’m swimming in points and am starting my training montage arc in full~. I go to pull up the system via my soul connection before another thought crosses my mind.
“Sam, what happens when someone wants to make like, a sword and a shield with a single artifact like that? Are there physical limits to the amount of material it can reproduce?” I ask out curiously, my mind beginning to whir as I wait for her answer.
She hums thoughtfully for a few moments before giving me a shrug, “Honestly I am unsure, Amelia. Those kinds of treasures are rare beyond measure here on Mara, likely only a lucky find from a high leveled secret realm or ancestor’s tomb, so my initial judgement would be that they possibly have no limitations of that nature. You may wish to inquire to your spirit just for certainty however, I am sorry to say.”
I lean over and give her a little side hug, shaking my head before replying, “It’s okay~! I was just kind of thinking out loud and was wondering if you knew. Mind if I ask Ios real quick before we get started?”
A small curl of her lip comes across her face, one of her hands coming over to ruffle my hair as she answers back, “Not at all. Just let me know when you are ready to begin so I can activate the final steps for the challenge.”
I nod as she steps to the side, inspecting the shimmering purple barrier in front of us as she gives me some space. Ios, I’m assuming you heard that, what do you think? I ask out mentally.
‘Hey sweetie~! I’ll answer that in a second, but I’m so proud of you for taking the next steps with the girls~!! Honestly, I thought they were going to have to drag you in a room or something before you finally came around to them, hehe~!’ Ios’ chirpy voice clips out into my mind, the instant blush flashing across my face in a heated wave. Thankfully Samantha already moved away some, so I quickly turn around from her as I mentally glare at my eldritch roommate.
‘Oh relax, honey, I’m mostly just teasing you~. I am proud though, that part was true. So! The [Mercurial Weapon] line of items. At Peak Heaven Rank, this is what the item says in the system:’
[Mercurial Weapon (Peak Heaven Rank)]: This ancient and otherworldly weapon is as unique as it is powerful. This artefact increases your base physical stats by 10% when wielded, and has the ability to absorb the effects of other weapons to gain their unique ability score adjustments, primary, and secondary effects and store them inside of itself. The weapon that is absorbed will forever be destroyed, but all of its effects will be transferred to the Mercurial Weapon. Only one ability score adjustment, primary, and secondary effect can be active on the Mercurial Weapon at a time, but the user can change any of those elements at will provided there are more stored inside the artefact.
The Mercurial Weapon can manifest and take the shape of any one or two-handed weapon, including the usage of shields, claws, or other dual handed options. It cannot create both a ranged weapon and the ammunition for it simultaneously, either needing to be one or the other. If it is used to create ammunition, a single piece will be created that will always return to your person after firing and never break or be interrupted in its flight to or fro unless a being, effect, or barrier one Rank higher than the treasure interferes. Sufficient natural barriers will also halt its flight as normal and return the ammunition to your possession. If you have multiple of the same Rank of this treasure, only one 10% buff will be applied to your stats.
Holy shit, that’s insane!! So it can eat anything I feed it and then I can mix and match the unique effects as I see fit? Just whenever?? Like, even the 20% soul damage from the winged spear?? I exclaim excitedly inside my head, my mind buzzing with the undeniable epic item’s implications~!
‘That’s right~! It is kind of a shame about the ranged stuff though, but if you stacked the right modifiers on the bow or crossbow it can create and then pair that with ammunition you’ve inscribed, it’ll be a deadly combination for anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be down range of you~! You’re going to be awesome~! Hehe~!’ Ios says as she joins in on the building celebration, her own delight at seeing me get stronger always present and always very sweet~. I’ll have to show her proper appreciation later, provided she doesn’t be too much of a troll in between now and then. However, it also starts cementing my growingly more certain idea~.
I hear a cough sound out inside my mind which makes me smile, knowing that she heard all of that~. I turn my thoughts back to what I was originally planning, since having the full read out from the system confirmed my theory, at least somewhat. I turn off Luck and then refocus on the soul connection to the system, pulling up the store page as I lock in.
You have purchased [Mercurial Weapon (Peak Heaven Rank)] x2 for 3,000 Points!
Remaining Shop Points: 36,550
You have purchased the Active Skill [Precognition lvl 1] for 1,000 Points!
Remaining Skill Points: 1,751
The skill settles onto my status screen as I reactivate Luck, two silvery circles dropping into my waiting hands, both nearly weighing nothing but the power emitting from them evident even for me. With a wide smile, I ignore Ios asking why I bought two of them, closing my eyes to focus my Qi senses down to the new additions to my arsenal and trying to… activate them? Maybe should have asked how this part is supposed to work, how to get them to move or mold into what I want. Really killing the momentum of the moment now.
Samantha comes back around this time, I hear her footfalls against the wooden slatted floor beams as she approaches my side. She begins speaking in awe, her voice quiet and humble before she turns it into a question, “Incredible~. I have never seen one of these before, but I can feel their latent power and potential is immense, even in this starting state. Why did you procure two of them, Amelia?”
I sigh as I open my eyes, some of the wind coming out of my sails as I can’t seem to get the treasures to respond to me in any capacity no matter how much I poke and prod with my Qi senses. “Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, but if you and Ios keep asking it’ll just take the fun out of it…” I pout out, sitting on the floor to try and get into a more meditative stance. Samantha just chuckles a bit and sits next to me, content to play along with me at least for now, which I greatly appreciate.
It takes some doing, but eventually I feel something click inside of me, and it happened in the weirdest way. I was getting frustrated, again, that no matter how much energy I pulled in and flung to them, nothing seemed to react or change at all, so then I just turned and focused on gathering enough Qi to try and… overload them or something, since nothing else was working. Right about that time, I felt two nearly identical presences try to poke in and merge with the energy coursing through my flow model.
Curious, I turn my soul avatar’s gaze in their direction, seeing both [Mercurial Weapons] essence just at the edge of my soul scape. I don’t feel any hint of true intelligence in them, if anything they’re acting more… simplistic. Like a piece of iron getting pulled by a magnet more than a creature wanting to go somewhere.
Ios, I cautiously ask out, are they trying to become part of my soul scape? Is that why just flinging Qi at them isn’t working?
“Hehe~! I knew you’d get there eventually~! My Aims is so smart!! Yup! While they aren’t true intelligences, these artefacts aren’t some simple and dull weapon or tool. They are unique, specially created treasures that need to be bonded with their user in order to function at all.” Ios says happily, her soul avatar coming up to give me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek as she jitters with joyous energy. I smile back as I return the favor, my mind firmly cementing the idea about spending some good time with her again from her cute antics~.
I look back toward the two items on the edge of my inner reality, still a bit trepidatious about letting some foreign items in. Well, I guess it wouldn’t be the first time I did that technically, but I don’t think the manuals count. They feel natural to be here with me, after all.
“Don’t worry, honey.” Ios says reassuringly, “These two just need to be a part of your network, to feed into the same connection as your other paths so that they are bonded to you and can react to your subconscious input. At this Rank, they don’t have the intelligence or will to influence you in any way, shape, or form. I double and triple checked for you~. Now hurry up and bond with them so that you can show Sam and I why you bought two highly sought after, highly visible, and well known uber treasures for Mara’s level of power.”
…Fuck. I guess I didn’t think that part of this through… Oh well, I doubt having two would have been any worse than just having one when it comes to how people are going to react. I nod, giving her yet another kiss on the lips before closing my eyes and focusing on the two waiting guests. Instantly they are pulled in past the membrane of my soul scape, flying directly to orbit around my soul avatar before coming to rest on my wrists, their liquid forms molding and closing so that they sit comfortable across my avatar’s skin.
“Huh.” I say neutrally in my echoey voice as I raise my arms up to inspect them. “I thought that would be more… complicated? And while it is quite the fashion statement, I don’t know if I want to wear bangles 24/7 while I’m in here…” As soon as I voice the thought, they both fly off to orbit around the pale surface of the moon in the network instead, and I feel the connection not quite sever, but become much less in tune between myself and the treasures.
“Okay…” I mumble as I raise my hand to my chin, “So, they will still work if they aren’t bonded to my soul avatar, but the connection is thinner and feels kind of… sluggish? It’s still present, yet I can feel some kind of mental lag when I go to focus on them. But when they were on my arms, it felt like they were almost a second and third pair of hands, like using them was going to be as easy as breathing…”
While Ios doesn’t say anything back, I can feel her exuberant emotions from here as well as her eyes drilling into the back of my head. I let out an amused huff, turning back to see the look of utter pride, bliss, and admiration on her face with a wide smile and eyes sparkling. “Oh sweetie, you’re so amazing! Don’t mind me, I just love watching your mind work~!”
Laughter erupts from me as I shake my head, not really used to seeing her so all over me like this, at least not when I’m not in the middle of a breakdown or being a sad girl. I turn back to the bracelets and will them back to my wrists, their silvery bands flying and clicking into place as they rest comfortably on my skin. With a satisfied smile, I give Ios one last hug and kiss, since she’s being so extra cuddly nice today~, and then bring my consciousness back into the waking world.
I look over towards Samantha, who seems to also be meditating while she was waiting on me, faint traces of Qi floating around her as she focuses. I stand up and stretch a little, the movement making her creak her eyes open as she gives me a little smile. “Ready to demonstrate why you obtained two incredibly desired treasures only mentioned in legend, little pup~?” She says as she also stands, dusting off her butt as she looks over to me with a cheeky raised eyebrow.
I nod happily, my excitement brimming as I focus my will on the two bands of pristine silver metal. They fly into shape, one forming into an ornately ‘crafted’ longbow, the other a broad headed arrow. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Samantha about to say something before she stops dead in her tracks, mouth open and eyes going as round as saucers as my own smirk rises to my face.
Glyphs, symbols, and connecting lines are etched all along the surface of the arrow, the most prominent ones being a smattering of connected explosion runes, a sensor rune, and a Qi storage rune at the base of the arrowhead. All along the shaft of the arrow are runes that, when combined, reduce drag, stabilize flight, alongside my favorite addition: a Qi sensing glyph. All of them are interconnected to each other, meaning all of the effects apply to the arrow as a whole. So in essence…
“Samantha, let me introduce you to something from my old world~! A heat seeking missile! Mwahaha!!” I cackle like a madwoman as I hold my instrument of destruction aloft, crimson hair bouncing behind me as I laugh while Samantha takes a few steps back. I take a deep breath and turn to her, my manic grin wide as I behold the slight trace of fear mixed with astonishment in her eyes, “And this is just the start~! I didn’t know if this would work, to be honest, but now that we know it does, I can basically enchant any weapon however I see fit on the fly, on top of the other bonuses they provide of course!”
I jump up and down for a second, each movement of the arrow making Sam nearly gasp in shock, but I’m too high on the rollercoaster of accomplishment to hear her pleas~! “Oh! I wonder if I could make one that makes the arrowhead work like a shaped charge like RPG’s are supposed to do, if I can remember what dad said about how they work… something about the copper in the charge getting super-heated upon impact and then being shot out by the force and gases? Ios, do we have manuals or something for Earth weapons so that I can recreate their effects?”
In a beyond rare showing, Ios becomes speechless, not giving me any answer at all for a few moments before softly whispering out, ‘My gods, what have I done…’ in a mixture of absolute despair and euphoric realization. An odd mix, to be sure, but Samantha’s reaction is even more telling as she stutters a few times before finally exclaiming, “Wh- How di- Amelia!! You are holding something that could level half of this estate!! Please reform it into something less volatile, for my sanity!”
Her desperate words finally pierce through the almost intoxicating high of emotions, finally letting me come down from my nearly deafening elation to reality once more. I cough in embarrassment, reforming the arrow to be a much more tame affair with just the Qi seeking aspects still attached to the shaft. I sheepishly turn towards Sam, dismissing the bow to scratch my head as I say apologetically, “S-sorry, Samantha. I just got a little… excited about the prospect of what this means. I wouldn’t ever actually use that around you guys, or inside the estate. I was just wanting to show you something cool that I thought you would like…”
Samantha – who has had a hand raised to her heart this entire time, it seems – finally calms down with me and breathes out a sigh of relief when she notices the much less imposing implement of destruction. She walks steadily over to me, her legs only slightly wobbling as she rests both hands on my shoulders. “Amelia,” She begins in a careful tone, “That was nearly the most single destructive thing I have ever seen produced, outside of specific treasures or effects that are meant to cause widespread destruction.” I lower my head in shame but am stopped as she cups my chin and raises my face back to hers, her emerald eyes smiling even if there’s a lingering worry behind them.
“Of course I am delighted by such an implement~, as well as in awe of your talent. I was just concerned that, in your mania, you would try to actually use what you had wrought and endanger not only yourself, but the rest of us as well. I am sorry for doubting you, but the moment did not inspire a well of trust after such… troubling laughter and glee.” I sigh into her hand, realizing that she is 100% right. I did kind of lose it there for a second, but I would never do anything to hurt any of them or damage the estate. Well… at least not without a good reason for that last one…
“Yeah, that’s fair. I was just so caught up in succeeding so extraordinarily that I went off the deep end for a bit. Again, I promise I wouldn’t ever use something that insane around or on you guys, or while we’re indoors. I’m not that much of a maniac~.” I respond as she chuckles and takes a step back, leaving just one hand on my shoulder now.
“Well, at least you admit that you indeed have a touch of insanity about you~.” She jokes as she gives me a wink, making me smile back to her with my own mirth filled eyes, “This is an extraordinary development, one which you must show the Mistress as soon as possible. The fact that you can not only embellish such intricate inscriptions but do so without the typical instruments required is ludicrous, to say nothing of the destructive power you can now wield. And you say you can create effects on anything that the weapons form?”
I nod as I change the bow and arrow to a Viking style round shield and a decently lengthed longsword in the Anglo-Saxon style, its grip shorter than normal since I just intend to use it one handed as the long, pointed dual blade extends outwards about three feet. The shift in weight is awkward as the two land in my hands, even with my enhanced stats, as I get used to the change in balance and center of gravity. On the shield, I put reinforcing runes, shielding runes, as well as a unique creation that I don’t even know will work or not.
Essentially, its a modified Qi gathering array, made in such a way with conditional clauses to only activate when any Qi strikes the front surface of the shield, at which point it begins ramping up its absorption effect by a rather significant margin. The idea is that any Qi based technique or attack will not only be mitigated by the shielding runes, but also absorbed by the amped up gathering array and then stored for either my use or to use as a counter blast if the attack or technique is still too strong to overcome.
The sword is much simpler, just having some glyphs that increase the sharpness of the blade’s dual edges and then a few to strengthen the item in general, just in case. Both the shield and sword have Qi gathering and storage arrays of course, in the shields case on its back so it doesn’t interfere with the special part of the system and can still power the other runes. Samantha once again stands in shock, her knees nearly giving out from under her as she mutters “Dear Heavens…” in a whispered breath.
At this point, all the happy feelings from showing off have pretty much been chased away. As much as I like being the one to shatter minds for a change, I’d rather be getting praise than making people I care about feel bad about things that I’m doing, especially when those things are fun and interesting to me. But I can’t really blame either her or Ios – who’s still suspiciously quiet on the Earth weapon question – since I think I may have just legitimately become a walking nuke with these new toys~.
I dismiss both the weapons with a heavy exhale, returning the treasures to their bracelet personas as I walk over and give Sam a hug. “Hey, it’s obvious I don’t understand just how impactful this is yet, but you’re freaking me out a little. Ios is being quiet now too, so can we just forget about this for now and get started on the training?”
I feel Samantha shake her head a few times, knocking the utter ridiculousness of my existence free from her mind no doubt, as she returns the hug in a tight grip of her arms. “I apologize, little pup. I did not mean to make you feel like this was a negative outcome, I was merely shocked – yet again – by you.” She leans down to kiss the top of my head which honestly does a lot to dispel some of the off vibes the situation somehow devolved into before she continues, “Let us enter into the training space and clear our heads. Now that you have obtained such rare gifts, I will periodically tell you to switch what weapon you are using. I will pause the scenario to explain any form or fighting style you do not know briefly and then resume it so that you obtain combat practice. Do these terms sound fair?”
“I mean…” I say as I lean back from her, a bit of hesitation evident on my face, “I truly just know how to use the spear, and any ranged weapons, so if you’re going to be making me switch out a lot, can you at least do it on the weaker opponents until I get a good grasp on whatever I’m using? I don’t wanna get wrecked by some woolly mammoth because you told me to use an axe for the first time.”
Samantha chuckles as she pats my head comfortingly, “I know not what that is, but the idea is clear enough. Very well, we shall use the initial rounds of the course to go over the various weapons to a satisfactory degree, as well as having you use them in a real environment. After that, I expect you to transition to whatever tool I call for and use it without concern. Now, come. We have dallied long enough and if you wish to gain some decent experience today, we should get started.”
Samantha gives one last pat of my head and then takes my hand, leading us both past the shimmering purple barrier and into whatever chaotic mess she’s about to throw at me.
