EFB 4.55 - Wards and Wills
4.55 - Wards and Wills
4.55 - Wards and Wills
It was always a good idea to get some fresh air after talking to Fenian. That guy had so many grand designs going on at the same time, it left Theo feeling drained. How could one man be so single-minded? The alchemist shook off the dust of ambition and went off to check on a few projects. Projects always made him feel better.
Outside of the manor, in the heat of the Season of Fire, things were normal. The alchemist stood on the roads edge for some time, waving at people as they passed by. A breeze blew in from the east, bringing with it the faint scent of the sea. There must have been a powerful gust pushing up from the bay, flooding over the harbor and then the town. The sparse grasses that grew throughout town shook, as though through anticipation. Theo took a deep breath and headed off to the boiler shack.
One advantage of turning mundane buildings into core buildings was their longevity. From what Theo understood, the buildings would never decay so long as there were supplies to keep them repaired within the town. Broken Tusk had infinite storage for materials, allowing them to stockpile absurd amounts of materials. It was part of the strategy that Aarok and Luras cooked up, which wasnt much of a strategy at all. Turtle up, and hope they could outlast whatever it was that came to get them.
The boiler shack was an unassuming building between the Artificers Workshop, and Mianas ranch. It rested among saplings and a scatter of unused lumber, humming away endlessly. Even at a distance, the alchemist could feel that the building was ready for an upgrade. Unlike the temple, which seemed hellbent on remaining without upgrades forever. Inside were a group of boilers, fed by copper pipes that snaked their way underground.
Theo pressed the first [Monster Core] into the building, nodding to himself as the building accepted it. He didnt get the same feeling he got from true seed core buildings. It was as though this building was siphoning power from the town itself, much like the synergistics upgrades. The alchemist thought about those synergy upgrades as he shoved cores into the building. They were useful, but expensive.
There were several things to note about the way incorporated core buildings worked. As Theo leveled the building up, he observed that the building did not expand in size with every level. Next, the boiler shack leveled past level 5 without receiving an upgrade. That seemed like a low cost to pay for the chance to make any building a core building, and as the shack reached level 10 he finally got a prompt to apply upgrades.
Of course, this process was different as well. He wasnt presented with a list of three things to pick from. He was presented with one option, which was automatically accepted by the building. Anything was better than nothing. Theo inspected the Level 10 upgrade.
[Efficient Purification]
All water purifying devices within this building will operate more efficiently.
Less resources to run the shack was good. The shack contained both artifices to purify the water, and a backup alchemy based system. While his original plan was to only use alchemy to purify the water, it was soon made evident that they should take advantage of the natural resources of the land. Motes were in abundance. Why not use them? The alchemist continued on with the upgrade, intent on seeing what Level 20 would bring him. As expected, Level 15 brought nothing. At least Level 20 brought something interesting. He inspected the option, only after it selected itself.
[Rapid Heating]
The time required to purify water by heat is halved.
That was a pretty good upgrade. Theo knew little about how long the individual boilers took to heat the water up. The [Flame Artifice] design Throk had used to design the shack was pretty old. They made up for this fact by putting a bunch of heating elements in there. It was likely that the upgrades the alchemist just applied only brought the boilers up to standard. That was a better alternative than bothering Throk for another job.
One less angry Marshling to deal with, Theo muttered, exiting the building.
Level 20 was fine for now. The boiler shack didnt really need upgrades. Not like the other production buildings in town. It was just a fun thing to do. Before heading off to inspect Zizs work, he renamed and inspected the building.
[Boiler Shack]
[Love Shack]
Owner: [Broken Tusk]
Faction: [Southlands Alliance]
Level: 20 (2%)
Rent Due: 4 Days
Expansions:
[Efficient Heating]
[Rapid Heating]
Heh.
The harbor was an interesting mix of people. Laedria had recruited a few foreign workers to help her build the boats. Theo didnt recall seeing another trade ship enter port, but brushed it off. She also drew from the rowdy natives of the town, bolstering her flagging work force. The bulk of her people were sailing to Tarantham or the lizard islands. Those mysterious islands, just a hop and a skip over the ocean to the south, still didnt have a name in the alchemists mind. The Elven shipwright was far too busy to speak, but gave in to brief pleasantries before vanishing behind a half-completed boat.
Focusing on building a fleet of trade-style ships, Laedria had thrown herself into her craft. Theo knew nothing of boats, but they floated. Better still, they moved when the sails caught the wind. Shadows swirled nearbythe last stretch of shaded area from here to the beachand Rowan sprung forth. He looked frustrated. Maybe slightly annoyed.
Hot day, Rowan said, grimacing.
Theo fished a vial of the cooling gel from his inventory, holding it out for his bodyguard to take. Rowan tried, and failed, to dump it over his head. Instead, he slathered it on his skin, breathing a sigh of relief. The alchemist tried some of the gel, putting thin strips of it on his neck. The effect was immediate and intense, as though someone was holding ice cubes against his skin.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
This stuff is pretty nice, Theo said, leading Rowan toward the retaining wall of the canal.
They walked along the canals edge like kids on railroad tracks. The water flowed from the river, racing through the tract of land before impacting the rushing seawater. Rowan had a few things to say as they walked. Both he and Sarisa were interested in actually training with Theo and Tresk. A desire for more power wasnt at all uncommon for people. It didnt really matter what world they were in, they always wanted either themselves or things to be better.
Been a few slow weeks, huh? Rowan asked.
The coast was in sight by the time he asked the question.
Damn. Thanks, Theo said.
And I helped! Alex proclaimed.
Yes, youre a good goose. Who's a good goose? You are!
The underpinnings of the ward felt slightly different. All that work to get the spellwords attached to the right spots had left something of a mark on the tower. Something Theo could follow with his weak senses, tracking connections throughout the building. He couldnt tell exactly what it was, but his latest mage ability for his core had changed the spellwork.
How fast do you think Xolsa would come if I called him? Theo asked, examining the ward.
Immediately, Tresk said.
Theo sent an alert for the wizard to come to the tower, then read the description on the ward.
[Defense]
[Advanced Ward]
Creates a reactive barrier. Barrier only responds when attacked.
Trigger:
Detect Attack
Duration:
5 days.
The second tier version of the [Defense] ward wasnt much to look at. But the magical base of the ward was powerful. The principles he learned from the action were more important than anything else. Theo could ward the walls. With whatever he wanted to, so long as he had Tresk nearby. The Marshling wouldnt mention it, but the effort she put into overpowering the town was vast. Something deep within her had drained away, leaving exhaustion in its wake.
Easy as pie, Tresk said, hiding her shallow breaths.
Lets check it out while we wait, Theo said, leading the way down the stairs.
The group gathered on the causeway, standing far enough to see the effects of the shield. But they were close enough that Theo could toss a dagger to activate his new ward. Once everyone was assembled, he removed an unimbued knife from his inventory and tossed it with force, directly at the tower. Before the weapon could clatter against the white stone, the familiar shield sprung up. It moved in uneven patterns at first, as though it was struggling against its own shape. Shimmering white energy blasted outward until it formed the shape of a bubble covering the entire tower.
Thats a big shield, Rowan said, gazing at the spectacle.
We should shoot it with a rail gun, Tresk added.
Honk!
The ward settled down after a while, collapsing into the tower and becoming inactive. The group chatted about the new defensive measure while they waited for Xolsa. After a few minutes, his shimmering portal of blue and silver sprung up along the causeway. The wizard stepped out, Zarali following close behind.
Hey guys, Theo said, waving. Look what I did.
Youre studying? Xolsa asked. Without being berated by me? Magical experimentations, and I didnt need to slap you upside the head?
Our little Theo is growing up, Zarali cooed.
Xolsa chuckled dryly, then held out his hand. A webwork of arcane symbols sprung out, forming an ever-expanding circle from his palm. The air stung with magical power, visible motes of energy flowing from the Elfs body. Without warning he closed his fist, sending a ripple of power over the waves to either side.
There are some very interesting interactions going on here, Xolsa said, withdrawing a small black notebook and a pen. He took some notes. Im glad you called for me. This might help me understand a problem Im
The Elf narrowed his gaze, spinning around to glare at his portal. A confused-looking Half-Ogre stepped out of the portal. Uh. This isnt the town
Xolsa stomped over to the lost adventurer, shoving him toward the glowing portal. Give me five minutes. Ill point the portal back to town when Im done here. Shoo! Off with you!
The adventurer fell into the portal, hands held up defensively as the Elf banished him. With a frustrated breath, Xolsa turned back to the group. Now. Where were we? Right. Magic. Your bindings are weak. Anchors are almost non-existent.
But it worked.
Im proud of you, Theo, Zarali said, clapping her hands.
But the ward was a team effort. Without Tresks willpower the spell wouldnt have formed. Those underpinnings werent complex, it was the opposing will that made the task hard. The alchemist settled on his first analogy as the correct one. Painting a picture versus connecting distinct pieces of an image. While he wanted to do it, Theo decided not to shoot their new tower with a rail gun.