Augmented Aspects [Steampunk], [Progression], [Gamelit]

Chapter 369 Warning: Parental Advisory: Brooms Dressers and Some Magic…


Warning: Parental Advisory: Brooms, Dressers, and Some Magic…

So, the system lies.

That's what I've learned. I knew that it was always off about magic, and Qi, and well anything dealing with using any form of energy in a conducive way other than electricity. Yet, I had hope. Hope that the system kind of knew what they were doing and giving me a direction to go towards.

Yet I was completely wrong in my faith in the system. Worst of all, looking back, I realize that most of the spells used were props. They had to be, I mean they looked and felt magical to all of my senses, yet I cannot copy them.

Trust me, I can memorize a magical structure. So the fact that these walls were built with magic only was easily noticed. Meaning that logically, I should be able to replicate the same process, if I used magic in the same way. But so far everything I do has come up empty.

Initial findings.

Quadrupled findings by observing flow through Raygunnr.

Had a ten-fold increase when realizing that rifling or twisting the spell to an optimal ratio to the frequency or spell can be completed multiple times, going out ten complete revolutions until snapping in half.

Also, mana coatings are brittle.

Increased base number of perfect casted sheets used at a time has factorial impacts on distance, and on amount of focus needed.

Those were my notes that I had for myself. There was a size ratio needed for more perfectly casted spells that would all be linked together, meaning the more spells I used the larger the sheets of mana would need to be in order to be folded in and on top of each other. Yet, I felt like I was missing something stupid. Something so trivial that it would not need to be said.

Which is why I don't know if the system is completely wrong, somehow misremembering, or if I am missing something clearly obvious.

"You still having problems with your fountain spells?" Raygunnr asks.

"They are not fountain spells!" I hiss back in Mana Language, but then stop myself realizing that this is all Raygunnr trying to get under my skin as he still thinks he is a comedian.

"All right, all right, why don't you tell me what you are doing and what the problem is? As I see you have gotten your distance to improve by quite a vast margin?" Raygunnr, asks.

That's when I go over my notes, how spinning the spells at a ratio equal to the frequency of the energy being used can be cast and recast at the end of the last spell, on to ten times before they start breaking in half. Then how I only need to cast with ten sheets at this experimental size due to there not being any real change, other than size of the sheets needing to be created for more spells being overlapped.

"And you are sure you saw this spell being cast correctly?"

I pause, wondering if it had all been a hallucination, but then realize it wasn't.

Shiver.

Even now just thinking back to that month of torture is enough to cause me to have a physical reaction.

I nod.

"Okay, crazy theory question time," Raygunnr begins.

Sigh.

With this, I realize I am about to get another one of Raygunnr's crazy conspiracy theories. You wouldn't think he was crazy at first, only after prolonged exposure does he relax and show his true persona, but these crazy thoughts are there. Still, they do add a counterpoint to logic, which sometimes is needed as a way to break through in scientific theory, even if my thoughts are only aimed at trying to refute his claims and get our projects back to being grounded in reality.

"So we know that the system has, or at least had an incomplete understanding of magic, Qi, and all the other voodoo arts that you do," Raygunnr begins, and instantly assaults me by claiming what I do is voodoo. Then pausing, I realize that I might actually be able to twist karmic threads to perform acts of voodoo, or at least acts that are akin to voodoo.

All it would take is taking some of the karmic threads, particularly nastier ones and maliciously binding them to people in such a way that they would be bound with a magical anchor, until some task was created. There it wouldn't be magic causing bad events to happen so much, as me blocking positive karmic events from being able to be associated with someone, until the curse was removed.

Thinking about the construct, I focus on Karmic energy, build it up in the shackling method that my mind tells me would work, and then I use Robealing magic to see if it would form an anchor linking the negative thread to Raygunnr. This is of course what happens when you are forced to spend every waking minute with someone for close to twenty days, you start cracking and mentally wondering how bad could things truly get?

I of course don't cast that spell, as mentally forming it and mapping its processes out mentally was enough for me to realize my theory could work, despite not having cast the karmic spell. That's when I see multiple things happen all at once, first I see both a thick positive karmic chain further bind me to Raygunnr. Then as if karma wanted to mock my traitorous thoughts about asking how bad things could get, I feel something click into place in my mind and receive a system message.

Chime.

Hidden Quest Completed: Magical Powers by Any Means Necessary (Completed): You have created a completely new form of karmic magic, dubbed Voodoo Magic. With this magic you can block positive karmic events from impacting people until conditional requirements are met. Congratulations! Rewards: Experience, Skills, Titles, Badges, World's First Achievements.

Experience Gained:

500,000 / 250,000 / 250,000

Ding

Level up!

Level up.

Divinely Akashic Qi Master has increased by 5 levels to level 546.*

Quintessential Ethereal Simulacrums Master has increased by 4 levels to level 564.*

Quintessential Ethereal Healer has increased by 6 levels to level 785.*

Yes, once again all of my classes have gone up in level, and I still have a number of choices to make for each. The only problem is that, I don't have time to truly sit back and think about what changes needed to be implemented in my classes to help us survive these next few qualifying rounds.

Fortunately, the need for choices is able to be avoided for the moment as more and more system messages bubble up to the top, forcing me to acknowledge them right this instant.

New Skill Gained! Karmic Bond Creation Casting has reached level 1! Karmic Bond Creation Casting is a Dexterity, Personality, Sociability, Attractiveness, Perception, Intelligence, and Willpower based skill.

New Skill Gained! Voodoo Karma Casting has reached level 1! Voodoo Karma Casting is a Dexterity, Personality -1, Sociability -1, Perception, Intelligence, and Willpower based skill.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Normally, I would be excited by seeing not one, but two new skills appear. Unfortunately, these skills are a bit of a poison pill, particularly with the one reducing Social Attributes, right after the first one increased my Social Attributes. Only after thinking about the process do I realize that Karmic Bond Creation Casting can be good or evil, while Voodoo Magic is strictly about causing negative karmic effects to linger on a person. I also pause, realizing that I had Karmic Weaving, as a skill, and only after focusing o the difference did I see what the true distinction was. Weaving involves a spell, or quick use of energy that will go, perform a task and slowly disperse. While Karmic Bond Creation Casting is the art of creating a lingering effect that will eventually bind to the soul if given enough time.

For a moment, I try to think about good applications of this process. Applications where I could bless people and their lineages, like some evil fairy godmother. Only to realize that this is exactly what I have become. At least I know for a fact that this is how some of the people, even those of the Midnight Hunters, have come to view me.

Realizing that there are so many implications for this Skill and new ability that can literally bind families to a certain fate, whether good or bad is an interesting experience. Of course, my mind immediately deflates after realizing that my first time thinking about this process involves my focusing on negative effects. No wonder Voodoo Karma Casting would removes positive social Attributes. This is a message to me and others, that cursing others, and their lineages can be done, but it will come with repercussions. The least of which will be Attribute decreases from continued use. I also assume that anyone who uses such powers would have negative karmic events occur to them in equal measure. What is the saying, misery loves company? Thus my forcing misery on others should include my company, or the company of those who wished the evil acts to begin with.

I am already getting that this is a terrible act, when I get the next set of system enhancements, my shiny new titles.

New Title Gained: First Karmic Bond Creation Caster: You are the first person to have a working ability to cast and use Karmic Casting. Effect: all actions involving Karmic Creation are increased in efficacy and potency by 25%. New Title Gained: First Heretical VooDoo Bond Creation Caster: You are the first person to have a working ability to cast and use Voodoo Bond Creation Casting. Effect: all actions involving Voodoo Casting are increased in efficacy and potency by 25%.

Yeah, both of those Titles were a bit iffy. Well, the first one had positive benefits, while the latter had much to be desired. But that is what was to be expected when you just try to see if you can do something evil. Sometimes just thinking bad thoughts, and partially manifesting what those thoughts would look like, is apparently enough to cause a severe backlash from the world. Now the world is on a roll and I cannot help but ride out these alerts and updates to the end, as yet more system messages come.

New Feat Recorded: Karmic Bond Creation Caster (5,000): You have pioneered the art of Karmic Bond Creation Casting to affect the fates of others. New Feat Recorded: Heretical Voodoo Bond Creation Casting (1,000): You have pioneered the art of (Heretical) Voodoo Bond Creation Casting.

Seeing the badges I pause, as I almost thought they would be worth the same value, but then realize that no, this made sense. Karmic Casting to affect fate would be much more important than an particular way to focus on negative castings.

There is a pause as I can feel the gears of the world slowly grinding on behind everything. Yet, all I can do is sit and wait for the last hammer to drop. Of course, said hammer blow is interrupted by the giant metallic anvil that is Raygunnr.

"Holy shit!? You know I was just joking about that Voodoo Magic thing, right? You knew I didn't mean anything by it?" Raygunnr asks, a note of concern Mana Language sequences. How I can tell there is concern in mana, I don't know. Maybe it is due to our increasing bond, but I can see that there was a note of concern in those notes of Mana being expressed.

"You know I keep telling you that you are not funny!" I hiss back in Mana Language.

There is a moment of silence as we both come to a moment of understanding. I went out today, with the goal of finally learning how to cast a perfectly cast spell, and apparently took a left turn and learned Voodoo casting instead.

Then the message I had been waiting for occurred, the message where the world outed me for manifesting a karmic Voodoo curse that would have made it so Raygunnr was forced to suffer without any good karmic events. Realizing that this thought process was bad, despite my ultimately dismissing the negatively charged Karmic bond that would have bound itself to Raygunnr's soul, before it could fully be manifested.

World Announcement: Rejoice for the art of Karmic Bond Creation Casting has been generated and brought to the world by Dr. Spiritlight, with Raygunnr noted as a helpful contributor.

Phew.

Seeing that world announcement, I relax slightly, knowing that this was far nicer than I deserved. With that thought, I saw a seemingly dull karmic bond that had somehow built up between Raygunner and me get dismissed in a plume of disintegrating energy. Of course, it is only after I see that particular chain disappear that I receive the next system message.

World Announcement: Beware for the art of Karmic Voodoo Bond Creation Casting has been brought to the world by Dr. Spiritlight, with Raygunnr noted as a helpful contributor.

Yeah, that would have been too easy not to have my name associated with the creation of Voodoo Bond Creation Casting.

"Oh, my goodness, this is great! I get co-authorship of these two new Karmic Bond Casting forms?" Raygunnr poses, excitement clearly evident in his communications. A fact that is emphasized by the way he jumped up, and broke out into a slight dance pose, before realizing I was supposed to be in charge of us moving.

I shake my head.

"Oh come on, you know these are terrible to be associated with," I state.

"Are you kidding? I am attributed to creating Voodoo! Call me Papa Midnight, right now!" Raygunnr began, as he made a flick towards his head at an imaginary top hat that he was now pretending to strut around with.

"BLEH!" I croak as I feel disgusted for just being associated with this apparent contribution.

"Oh come on, this is amazing!" Raygunnr states and I can tell that he legitimately means every word of what he is saying, which only makes it worse.

"What's so great about it, you've forever had your name associated with what could possibly be one of the worst events to happen in our world." I protest.

"Yes, but that's just it, I will forever be known for being noted as a contributor to creation of Voodoo magic!"

"It's not magic, it is literally as it states, Karmic soul bonding with negative effects or intentions."

"Go on?" Raygunnr gestures with a hand roll that implies he likes everything that he has heard so far.

"You take Karmic threads," I begin, but am instantly cut off by having my own hand involuntarily rise. Only after a second do I realize this a sympathetic reaction of the bond between myself and Raygunnr increasing, where I can now move under his guidance as well.

"Yes?" I huff out, taking back control over my own appendage. The movement made by Raygunnr appears to be more of a suggestion than anything, but I still find myself doing out of habit. Especially now that he is trying to see how much more he can make me do.

Break dancing moves.

Yes, he even resorts to dancing to see if he can catch me off guard. After a second of me just sitting there arms crossed he stops and finally asks the question he raised my hand for.

"What are karmic threads? You know for those listening at home."

"No one is listening to us, at most they will just see us communicating like little Christmas lights that are about to go wonky." I reply.

"Okay fine, for those watching at home and assuming they have no clue what Karmic bonds are?"

"You've never heard of bonds of karma?" I reply, trying to make sure I add a slow drawl to my words.

"Oh, those Karmic bonds," he replies but clearly has no clue what I am talking about.

"They are either golden, which is a sign of a good karmic event, or they can come in many darker shades that depict everything from just neutral events linking people, to darker more insidious chains that tie you to past crimes." I reply.

"Oh, so those are those golden thingies that are wrapped around you, and chaining you to me like you are some type of BDSM dominatrix?" He states.

"WHAT?!" I reply.

As he speaks, I can see red karmic chains flashing angrily around him. I know why, as he has clearly stated something dirty, but my mind can't quite pick out what? Which is odd, as I used to have a fairly dirty mind. I think it is with the "BDSM?" part of his statement, but I can't be certain.

Again, there is an odd fuzziness to his words and my understanding of those words, which is kind of concerning the power the system still has over me, even now.

"Uh yeah, you know Brooms, Dressers, and Some Magic? BDSM-" Raygunnr states in a way all but reeks of deception.

"Dressers?" I question.

"Yeah, you know dressers, like the ones filled with old tomes or grimoires?" He pushes.

"You keep your tomes and grimoires in your dressers?"

"Uh yeah, I mean who doesn't like some late night reading. Don't tell me you never kept a book in your dresser?"

I pause, as I always kept at least one book in my dresser, most often the book I was reading at any time. So this does seem to be okay. The more he spoke, the more the flashing red chains of karma began to be placated, as it seemed he would be able to avoid any negative repercussions from the karmic bonds that were dangerously close to detonating on him. Still, I had a few questions.

"Okay, so how does that relate to being a dominatrix?" I press, my mind still fuzzy due to the system clearly messing with me. And while I don't want Raygunnr to get in trouble, I am also trying to understand exactly what the system is doing with my thoughts, particularly as it is clearly scrambling something with my comprehension of words being spoken and past knowledge gained from my life before being virtualized.

If the system is messing with my thoughts on simple definition of acronyms, then what else is it messing with me on?

"Yeah, I mean are you going to let just anyone sweep your floors?" Raygunnr asks. Thinking about his question, I know he is right, I would obsess too much about someone sweeping my floors that I didn't approve of.

"No?"

"Also, you wouldn't let just anyone go through your dresser, now would you?"

"No, eww!" I say, this time adding a grossed out feel to the words.

"And you wouldn't trust just anyone with casting your magic for you, would you?"

At that question I paused, "I mean I do teach Magic as a professor at a college."

"Well you, might not be the full BDSM dominatrix that I thought originally." Raygunnr states in a way that seems to cover the fact that he might have gotten over the worst of this predicament. He hasn't for, while he was skillfully walking himself into a web of lies and distractions, I was busy trying to figure out how to bypass the system's Mind Fuzzing features. By hearing Raygunnr speak, and realizing that the system was trying to help force my mind to accept his garbage ideas, seeing the so-called child protection protocols in place, I found them. Then did what every teenager invariably does when granted ultimate authority, I clicked out of the protections.

Warning: You have removed yourself from safe mode. Content may cause you to become uncomfortable, feel awkward, or question your previously held beliefs, this is good, for this is your new life.

And like that, I felt the last tiny protection break within my mind, as I could finally think. I could think, and worst of all, I now knew exactly what Raygunnr had been speaking about earlier with comparing the golden chains of karma that bound us to my being a BDSM dominatrix to him.

"Eww…" was all I managed to get out. The only good thing that came from his terrible metaphor was the sudden reignition and detonation of pulsing red karmic chains that ensnared Raygunnr and all but tried to choke him, tying him to having to repair his karmic threads. Ironic for someone who was just listed as a co-contributor to Karmic Bond Creation Casting.

Before we could react to his sudden change in karmic status, something else occurred.

Poof.

Yes, where would our world progress be without a sudden onset appearance by her…

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