Malvorik watched as Weylan carried a crate through the dungeon. Maneuvering along narrow ledges in cramped sewer channels and down ladders and steep staircases. He had paused in the bathing room behind the sewers. Then he'd continued to carry it through the entire dungeon to the new alchemy room near the heart room. He placed it carefully on an empty stone table, stepped back and stretched his aching back. The box began to glow and then dissolved into glittering sparks. Weylan jumped forward and stood ready to catch the contents. Completely unnecessary in Malvoriks opinion since he was obviously able to undo the packaging and padding carefully enough for the complex glass alembic to safely sink to the table.
<Thanks. A few of the duskgnomes will take over from here. They are born alchemists.>
Weylan nodded and walked towards the exit. The corridor led in one direction back to the underground city of the duskgnomes, in the other... He stopped and looked through the long corridor to the dungeon heart. This corridor was the only place in the entire dungeon from which the heart crystal could be seen. The line of sight went through the room with the boss monster, through the exit to the heart room, directly onto Malvorik. The glowing crystal hovered two meters above a depression in the floor. A figure stepped into his path in the boss room, blocking his view. He had seen the final boss of the dungeon briefly once before when rescuing the duskgnomes, a giant chimera made of a rat and an ogre. This time he wore chainmail, steel arm- and shin guards and two war hammers, one in each hand.
<You are welcome to look at me from a distance, but please note that my final boss has the order to kill anyone who tries to enter my heart room. A certainly understandable security measure.>
"Of course." He nodded absently and continued to keep an eye on the final boss. "Trulda and I have some ideas for quests we should take on. Quests that..."
<Quests that no revenant wants to take on. Yes, I've been informed. Trulda has already contacted me via Selvara and given me a lengthy lecture. I've taken the liberty of thinking a little about how I can support you.>
"Can I have a chain mail shirt like that?"
The heart crystal flashed in amusement. A lurking strangler, who had been waiting out of sight in the boss room until now, scuttled out on his disproportionately short feet. He carried a visibly heavy sack over his back. He laid it on the floor in front of Weylan and opened it. Then he took out several bundles.
<You went to a lot of trouble. The action with the dungeon moss was brilliant. I also can't imagine how I could have gotten all the equipment I needed to build duskgnome City and my alchemy lab without your numerous purchases and transports. I'm also well aware that you invested some of your own quest loot when I couldn't give you enough gold. Gold will still be a problem in the near future, but I thought it would be appropriate to create something for you.>
The dungeon crystal flashed brightly: <The first is a customized sleeveless chainmail. The rings are seamlessly manifested directly from a single piece of hardened steel, making the chainmail highly resistant to even chain-breaking arrows and spear thrusts. Each ring contains a fine core of mythril. Enough mythril to enchant the whole thing, which of course I did straight away. It took days to make the rings. Now it also provides a small degree of protection against magic, especially fire magic. It absorbs spells up to level 1 and fire spells even up to level 3. However, the protective enchantment needs a few minutes to regenerate after a hit. So don't overdo it. Each individual ring is wrapped in dark fabric. Seamlessly woven. That means it makes practically no noise.>
Weylan accepted the chain mail reverently.
<The second package contains matching undergarments. The fabric wrap is a little too thin to wear comfortably next to the skin.>
Arm and leg protectors perfectly fitted to him completed the armor. The material was thin enough to be concealed under loose clothing. Weylan put it all on and tried it out. "This is fantastic! Feels like light winter clothing, not armor."
The strangler pulled a smaller bundle out of the sack and unwrapped an amulet. A finger-length crystal in a complex weave of silver wire hung from a leather necklace.
<Now it's getting exciting. I can't yet say for sure whether the amulet will work. It contains the only manastone I've been able to create so far. During the battle, there was a moment when my boss monster defeated enough enemies to temporarily push my mana supply above its usual maximum. Creating a manastone seemed like the most sensible use. Even if it can only store enough magic to cast a single level 1 spell. But that's not its real purpose.>
"What can the amulet do then?"
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<Well... That's just a theory. I've been thinking about the information you got at the academy for a while. If I'm wrong, the mythril setting is wasted, but I can make that in small units. Only manastone needs to be created in one piece to be stable. I'm quite confident that at least this part of the artifact will survive.
"What a..."
<Pay attention: You have the advantage: shadow affinity, right?>
"Yes, I've already told you several times."
<But you have no magic talent, no active mana channels and therefore no controlled access to mana, right?>
"Correct, for that..."
The heart crystal interrupted him again: <For this you have, among other things, a bonus to sneaking in shadowy surroundings.>
"Exactly."
<Why?>
"What do you mean, why?"
<How exactly does this advantage make you better at sneaking?>
"I'm not following you right now."
<As Master Hephtagan correctly recognized at the academy, you have an unconscious, uncontrolled access to shadow magic.>
Weylan shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. He had been really tired and the explanations were far too theoretical for him.
"How can I consciously access mana? Do you know a feat that I can learn?"
<All the ones I know are firmly linked to a specific character class. You'd have to spend a few years studying magic at an academy and then take a level in mage. Not that that's a bad thing. In the long run, it would certainly be a wise decision.>
"But I need power now, not in a few years' time."
<I agree. Then we'll just have to... outsmart the rules of the universe a little bit.>
Weylan looked around nervously. That didn't sound particularly safe. He had no desire to meet one of the moderators. That didn't end well in any of the bard's stories.
Malvorik had no qualms about this, however, and continued cheerfully: <I would really explain the theory behind it in detail, but in short, we only need to channel enough mana through your channels once, until you have enough available to actively use them. If you do that, you'll get the right talent. I have a plan for how we can channel a large part of my mana pool through your body.>
That didn't sound any safer either. Malvorik quickened his pace as he got more into his subject, <I designed the setting of the mana stone so that it channels mana directly into your body. Since I didn't integrate a spell matrix, the amulet has no active function. The extra mana will seek an outlet. Your body will use it subconsciously, but cannot utilize so much at once. You have to get the excess under control. If my theory is correct... well... just put it on. Directly on the skin.>
Weylan put the amulet around his neck and tucked it under his clothes. It felt cool, but then a kind of warmth emanated from it. After a few breaths, an almost imperceptible tingling sensation followed, spreading from his chest through his body.
"It's tingling. What should I do now?"
Malvorik drew mana deep from his supply into his mind and pushed it into the mana crystal. The artifact's matrix channeled it further into Weylan's body.
The assassin raised his hands in front of his face and looked at them indecisively. A pattern of blue light became visible under his skin. Mana pulsed through his veins. His body began to feel warm. He threw his head back and laughed: "I can feel it! Magic! I can feel the magic. It permeates me..." He broke off as the heat continued to rise. Irritated, he looked at his veins, which were now starting to shine more brightly. The feeling of comforting warmth turned into uncomfortable heat. Then to pain. "Stop it! Stop!"
Malvorik concentrated on the mana currents in Weylan's body. Tiny explosions of mana appeared wherever his mana streams were blocked or constricted.
<I think it just clears your channels. The pain is an insignificant side effect. Just ignore it.>
Weylan collapsed to his knees and shouted incoherently.
The dungeon crystal was irritated. He went through several methods of analysis. The mana channels were not only cleansed, they ruptured. The living tissue around it was taking noticeable damage. Malvorik concentrated on directing the mana and keeping it on track.
Selvara flew into the room: "What's that noise? Malvorik? What are you doing to him?"
<I'm trying to activate his mana channels. There seem to be complications.>
"Complications? You're killing him! Cancel that!"
Malvorik stopped directing mana to the amulet and was about to start talking to Selvara again when he stumbled. Weylan's cries became higher and louder instead of stopping. Worried, he analyzed the magical currents again. The mana stone was still drawing power and the flow became increasingly stronger.
<I... I don't understand. The amulet should draw magic from the surroundings, but that should only work very slowly.>
"You can analyze it later. Direct the magic away from him! He's bleeding from his eyes and ears!"
<I'm already doing that. But the surrounding mana continues to flow into him. I can't stop it.> He ignored Selvara's growing panic and Weylan's screams. The assassin was already lying on the ground, twitching.
Malvorik took a step back in his mind. Why did the amulet work so strongly? The effect was like an inverted hole in a shaken beer keg. He looked at the mana. It had no particular affinity... except his own, of course. A sparkle ran across the surface of the dungeon heart. His equivalent of a human slapping his hand against his forehead. Of course. He had created the mana stone. It was tuned to the frequency of his magic. All magic in his dungeon had the same affinity. The mana level was higher here right next to his heart room than anywhere else. Mana of the same affinity attracted each other. When he used magic to direct the mana flow, the mana he used to do so was also attracted. He only worsened the effect. He finished his attempt to channel mana away from Weylan. His mana channels continued to spark. Flesh withered. Wounds burst open. Blood seeped from every orifice.
<Selvara, get the dryad. Now!>
The dungeon fairy whizzed away.
The screams died down with a final whimper. Malvorik did not interpret this as a positive sign. He thought about it. There had to be a logical solution... The crystal flashed brightly. That he had only just thought of it...
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