Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
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Pallesia: Chapter 129 - Magical Mount.
🕑 Added 2024-04-14 08:07:39 +0000 UTC“Please…” Lee begged as he heaved in lungfuls of sweet, desperately needed air. “Think of the spells…”
“NO! I am not some steed or mount meant to carry others.” Em hissed out as she began to leave Lee behind.
Before, when Em had attempted to ride in the wagon, Lee decided to hop out and walk alongside Em as they talked shop about magic. It was unfair that she had to walk or scuttle everywhere they went, and he decided that if he was going to get in shape, some exercise was needed.
He just wished that he got some breaks.
It took about fifteen minutes of speed walking for Lee to tire himself out. In his mind, this was a lot more than he thought he could do. He took it nice and slow when he trekked through the Shadowgrove in the past—having been on high alert, afraid of monsters much more than he was now.
Lee called out in wheezing breaths. “Em, I know you’re not some mount or steed. You know you’re not a mount or steed. We all know you’re not a mount or steed. I just thought that if I was to… be carried by you on your back, we could both talk about magic and spells without any breaks. You said it yourself: I’m a thin twig. You could do it with ease. Isn’t it annoying having to keep pace witht he wagon and stick your head in the back to talk?”
Em was still keeping pace with the wagon, and she did notice that he was falling behind. Em clenched her teeth as her eyes flickered about, conflicted. “It’s about honor—the principle of it all.”
The stitching he felt in his side was ramping up in intensity as he grasped at straws—but he felt the tiniest bit of weakness, so he grasped it. “I’ll let you add your Weave of Reflection to my spellbook…”
Em was at his side in the blink of an eye, lifting and placing him onto her back. “Welcome aboard. Now, hand it over.”
Lee laid flat on his back on the hard metallic chitonous body of Em. While he knew she was large, he didn’t expect himself to be able to lay flat on her back with little trouble. He peeked over the edge and watched how her eight limbs worked mechanically as they carried her and him along the dirt road.
Em twisted her human half around in some grotesque display of flexibility as she made ‘gimme’ gestures with her hands. Her grin was wide as her excitement leaked through.
Lee summoned his spellbook, grasping it by the chain, and held it out for her. Before she could snatch it from his grasp, he pulled it back and spoke earnestly. “Only your Weave of Reflection. This book costs a few hundred gold and only has eight spell slots. This is the only spellbook in the world that contains healing spells. I trust you a lot, and you saved my life. Do not make me regret this.”
Em’s excited grin mellowed out, and she met his eyes. She gave him a resolute nod. He held out the spellbook and let her take hold of it.
Em gingerly held the spellbook in her metallic gauntlet-like hands and gently opened the cover, revealing the golden pages held within. She ran her fingers across the pages as she read across something in mid-air, probably having used Identify.
“How do I add my spell?” She asked.
“Place your hand on the pages and cast your spell on it.”
She placed her hand on the empty pages, and the glow of moonlight mana formed on her palm. Lee felt an errant question in the back of his head, almost like he was asking himself a question. He didn’t need to state the answer, as he already knew it. She had his permission to use his spellbook.
The moonlight mana was dragged into the pages of the spellbook, and seconds later, Em let loose a shaky breath. She snapped the book closed and inspected it once more, reading words in the air. Then, she handed it back to him.
Lee grabbed the offered chain and used Identify as well—Trust but verify.
Genesis of Healing’s Spellbook (Epic) - This spellbook has been linked to Lee Barnes, the Genesis of Healing; it is enchanted with Self-Repair, Self-Cleaning, and Soul-binding. Capable of holding eight different spells.
4/8 Spells.
Mend Wounds.
Purifying Light.
Touch of Remission
Weave of Reflection
“Thank you…” Em said in an uncharacteristic tone of genuine thanks.
Lee looked up to find her facing away from him, starting at the road ahead. He stared at the back of her head, her short black pixie-cut hair flowing against the breeze. She never met his gaze.
“No thanks needed. Your spell saved countless people. It’s perfect for the spellbook. All the spells within save lives.” With a smile, Lee flipped the book open and placed his palm against the golden pages. “Now, I think it’s my turn to steal a spell from you.”
Em peeked over her shoulder as Lee used his own spellbook to teach himself a spell. Without a moment of notice, Lee felt his mana flutter and shift between base mana and moonlight mana as the spellbook shined a glorious light. Lee closed his eyes and focused on the feeling. His mana shifted, ebbed, and flowed like an ocean current. Lee watched the tides churn within himself as he felt a bubble forming in his head, like a headache. It slowly ramped up in intensity, becoming a migraine before it popped, releasing all tension. The whole process took roughly ten seconds.
Spell Shared!
Spell Name: Weave of Reflection.
Spell Description: Using the reflective nature of the moon, create a lattice of webs to form a wall in front of a targeted location. The web lattice will reflect any one spell, ability, or skill before unraveling. If reflecting a spell, siphon any latent mana from the spell on contact.
Size: 9 square meters in any rectangular form. Variable.
Cost: 25 MP + Variable.
After reading the description, Lee raised a brow in surprise. With his class perks, he had a seventy-five percent cost reduction for advanced tier spells. With this cost being twenty-five, the original cost must be one hundred. The size Em had used during the battle with the basilisk covered the entire street. It must have cost her everything she had to cast.
“Well, well, well. It seems you’re better at spellcasting than I gave you credit for. I didn’t think you had a magic type of class.” Lee said.
“I don’t.” Was her response.
Lee looked up only to see Em turning back to face the front, not wanting to meet his gaze. Lee tapped his fingers on her metallic chiton as he remembered a discussion they had in the past. “Are you tingling? You said you tingle when I touch you.”
Em shrugged.
Lee was beginning to worry that he had done something to offend her, as she was definitely ignoring him to some degree. “Well, let’s brainstorm some more spells. Your idea about making a cloud was interesting, but as I said, clouds are just water. They won’t be fluffy to lay on.”
Em raised her arm to swipe at her face before turning around with a grin. “You don’t know that for sure.”
“I know a great many things. I’ll teach you some of them.” Lee said as he used Darken to write out more ideas along. Em added in ideas or her own input along the way, and they returned to ‘normal.’
Lee decided not to bring up the tiny red line of blood on her metallic forearm, where her tears were wiped away.
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That night, everyone was camped out in a small alcove along the side of the dirt road. Several other wagons were already around the area, and Jeremy told him these tiny alcoves were rest areas. He was assured that these rest spots would become more common as they continued their journey away from the kingdom's borders.
Lee had just unloaded their previous camp onto the ground and considered his job finished. They could sort through the mess and properly pack up this time. He didn’t appreciate having a cluttered mess in his Hidden Cache, but it was his idea to speed up the process. He couldn’t fault them for that.
Lee sat on a rickety wooden log by the campfire and looked over all the spells he and Em had created during the day.
Create Ice: Create tempered ice cubes from ice elemental mana. This consumable ice will not melt from temperatures under 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cost: 2 MP + Variable.
Sonic Boom: Target a location to create a loud rupturing pocket of air, creating a shockwave. Deals more damage to closer targets. Does not damage those behind cover.
Secondary effects: High chance of deafening those too close to the casting location.
Cost: 0 MP + Variable.
Homing Light: Shoot a missile of concentrated light toward a target, dealing damage. The following casts of Homing Light will seek out the target unerringly. The target will faintly glow, with the glow increasing in intensity the more times Homing Light connects.
Cost: 0 MP + Variable.
With a cup in hand, Lee smiled as he filled it with Create Water, then added a single ice cube from Create Ice. It was a shame that a single ice cube cost two mana, but he would accept it for convenience. He grabbed a few more wooden cups from their cooking supplies, filled them up, and did the same for everyone else's drinks. It cost him eighteen mana to fill everyone’s drinks with ice, but the ice should easily last for the rest of the night.
He got up and passed the filled cups of ice-cold water to everyone once they finished setting up their tents and started relaxing. Kendri covered his cup with a hand and tipped it over, draining all the water before refilling it with brownish alcohol—the ice cube floated to the surface amidst the brownish liquor. Surprisingly, Regina and Annalise asked him for some as well.
Lee stuck to his plain and pure water.
Em had spun in a circle on her pile of mattresses and furs, stomping clusters of cushions to make a nice indent for her to lay upon. Small talk had started, and Lee gazed around the campfire at everyone amidst their conversations. An ember of warmth pulsed in his chest at the sight.
There was no looming threat beneath them, seeking to erupt from the earth. He was relaxed by the fire, rejoicing in the fruits of his day's labor. Em wasn’t being looked down on or frightening anyone nearby.
Kendri and Jeremy were actually getting along. If that could last a week, he’d be surprised, but he’d take what he could. Annalise chatted with Regina, and it looked like they were familiar with one another. Having met previously if he had to guess. The rest of Home’s Hommage had gotten rid of their ire and joked around the campfire. The ranger and the priest dared the fighter to ask Kendri for some liquor.
As he gazed atop the flickering flames, Lee realized something special.
Everything was… turning out okay.
Comments
James Squibb
It is growth and it takes time. I thoroughly enjoy the pacing you have created!
Tyler Kimball
I have plans to make her more... 'normal.' Really, she needs to find someone she can trust. Most people view her as a monster, or some unwanted abomination. Lee and the quad from the Wall of Shadows being around her all the time has dampened those reactions for the most part. From what Lee has seen so far, most of it has been tame. It's not always going to be like that.
Tyler Kimball
WHOOPS! Haha.
Academic Geek
TFTC! The spell count on Lee's spell book should be 4/8 now because of Em's spell right?
James Squibb
It was nice to see the softer side of Em.
Wintermelody
Thanks for the Chapter
