Chapter 518: Chapter 515: Arcane Improvements

“Why are you naked?”

Jadis wasn’t surprised by Bridget’s question. The orc woman had just returned to the room carrying a large tray laden with cups and several tall pitchers of what was undoubtedly sweet tea. She had only been gone on her errand for ten minutes at most, so not much should have changed in the bedroom. They were supposed to be in the middle of their group level up discussion, so there was no need for nudity.

And yet, Jadis was naked.

Rather, more specifically, Syd was naked. The other two of Jadis’ bodies were still clothed and in the same seated positions they had been in before Bridget had departed. Only Syd had shed her garments. Though Kerr looked like she was sorely tempted to follow her lead.

“Sleep of the D,” Dys explained as she got up to help Bridget with the drinks. “The ritual isn’t actually all that complicated, or lewd, though it will take a while. I figured I would put my extra selves to use and perform the ritual while we talk so that we have its effects tonight.”

“Oh,” Bridget said as she allowed Dys to take a couple of the pitchers. “That’s good thinking, I guess. It’s not going to be too distracting, though, is it?”

“Fuck yeah it’s distracting,” Kerr complained as she stared at Syd’s bare butt. “She’s right in the middle! Comment oses-tu balancer une pomme comme ça devant moi?”

“Perhaps we should rearrange ourselves,” Aila wisely suggested. “That way Jadis can perform her ritual unmolested while we continue with our discussion.”

Everyone agreed to the proposal and started shifting their seats so that they were more to one side of the room and out of Syd’s way. The ritual required Jadis to be in the approximate middle of the enclosed space for the duration of the act, so she didn’t have the option to stand off in one corner.

“This won’t affect any of the spells Aelius has in place for us, will it?” Sorcha asked as she settled down in her new spot next to Aila. “Not sure how all those effects interact.”

“There should be no conflict,” the redhead responded. “Aelius’s wards against spying have nothing to do with sleep, so they won’t interfere.”

“Warding spells rarely interact poorly,” Severina added as she took a cup from Bridget. “They would have to be at cross-purposes to cause any issues.”

“How long will that take?” Bridget asked as she motioned to where Syd was standing with her hands held out in front of her.

“An hour,” Dys answered. “And that’s with my Ritual Time Reduction. Not a terribly long time, so I could definitely cast it in the field wherever we happen to camp for the night, so long as the space is enclosed.”

“I just hope it works in the Leviathan,” Sabina said after gulping down a mouthful of tea. “It’s hard to know how a spell like that would interact with a mobile enclosed space like an airship or a cart or regular ship or anything, really. I mean, if you cast it in a tent, would it go away as soon as you take down the tent, or would it stick with the tent all folded up?”

“Good questions,” Dys said as she settled down between Thea and Sorcha. “We’ll just have to experiment and see. Just like with a lot of my other spells. That said, I think it’s best we move on to someone else.”

“If you’re up to it?” Jay asked quietly, still holding Eir close against her.

The priestess had gotten her emotions under control for the most part, though she was still a little weepy-eyed. Nevertheless, she pulled away slightly from Jay and turned around so that she was sitting in the Nephilim’s lap while facing the rest of the group.

“Of course,” she said with a confident, reassuring smile. “I am very much ready to continue. Who is going next?”

“Should probably do it in order of levels gained, yeah?” Kerr proposed.

“It’s as good an order as any,” Bridget shrugged in agreement.

“I object,” Dys shook her head emphatically. “I’m freaking dying of anticipation over here. I want to know what tertiary classes Aila and Thea got! Sure, Aila would go first by that order, but Thea would be fifth and I sure as shit don’t want to wait that long.”

Thea blushed and ducked her head low at how ardently Jadis declared her eagerness to see her new class options. However, Dys noted that the shy soldier still leaned in against her side in a covert display of affection.

“Then I suggest Aila and Thea go first,” Severina spoke with the calm assurance of someone who had brokered many compromises between arguing parties. “After that, we can go by descending order of earned levels.”

“At least I’m not last,” Sorcha grumbled. “I’m happy with my options, but I know I can’t bloody compare to what everyone else is going to be talking about.”

“Maybe,” Dys put a hand on top of the goblin’s head. “But don’t be hard on yourself like that. Your witch class is powerful.”

“And you’re only getting stronger the more time you spend around the marble stud,” Kerr hooked a thumb over her shoulder at Syd.

“Thanks…” Sorcha mumbled, clearly embarrassed by the supportive spotlight.

“So, should Aila or Thea go first,” Jay said, purposefully taking the spotlight away from the witch so that she could recover her composure.

“Aila, p—please,” Thea said, motioning towards the arcanist. “I can wait.”

“If that’s what you prefer,” the redhead said agreeably. “However, before I begin, I want to check my math. Jadis, can you confirm your current status sheet totals for me?”

Jadis rattled off the new numbers, confirming that Aila’s math had been accurate. The only skill she had taken that had affected her attributes had been the fifteen point increase to her Eldritch stat, but that had still made a noticeable difference. Thanks to her multiplicative skills, both natural and replicated, fifteen points had transformed into forty-five, which was a gigantic boost by most people’s standards.

“There, that’s me done,” Dys leaned forward, her expression eager. “No more delays. What did you get for your tertiary class?”

A sly smile graced Aila’s freckled face as she pretended to look down at her journal.

“Wouldn’t it be best if I started with what I gained for my primary class and then work my way down the list from there?”

“No!”

Both Jay and Dys shouted their disagreement with that notion, with Kerr’s voice added to the mix. Surprisingly, even Alex added her own objection, though her manner of speech put her slightly out of sync with the others.

“Please… Tell us…”

“Very well,” Aila’s smile transformed into a broad grin as she spoke, her happiness unable to be contained any longer. “My third class is called Bonded Magister of the Arcane Soul!”

Without a second of hesitation, Jay leaned over and pulled Aila into her arms for a hug. The maneuver was made slightly more difficult than it normally would have been by the fact that Eir was still sitting in her lap, but that didn’t stop her. It just meant that the slightly surprised elf was swept up into the embrace, a situation that none of the women involved objected to.

“Nice job, Aila,” Kerr said sincerely. Having moved to stand next to the three, she had her hand on the redhead, a genuine smile on her face. “I knew you’d get that bonded class.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Eir whispered into Aila’s ear from where she had been squished up against her. “It’s amazing!”

“I don’t even know what a magister is,” Jay managed to get out around her wide grin. “I am so fucking happy right now.”

“So am I,” Aila said, her face buried against the side of Jay’s face. “So am I.”

The warm moment lasted for several minutes as the others expressed their cheer and offered their congratulations. The hug between the three eventually turned into a huge group hug as others joined in until everyone was involved. However, the embrace came to an end when one of their number voiced the obvious question.

“So, what does the class do, exactly?”

Sabina’s innocently asked inquiry caused Aila to stir. Forcing her way out of the pile, she did her best to resume the look of a detached scholar studying an interesting new topic. Which was to say, she failed miserably at the façade, since she couldn’t keep the smile off of her lips.

“Here. I’ll read out the class description.”

“A little vague,” Aila added after she finished reading. “But that’s to be expected from what I understand of bonded classes. I read up on them while in the capital and all of the scholarship I studied said that all such classes tend to have less detail in their descriptions. Likely something to do with the necessity of putting implicit trust in the partner you are bonded with.”

“Still sounds plenty powerful to me,” Jay mused. “Greater ritual workings? Anyone know what those are?”

“Yes, I do.”

While Sabina looked like she was about to vibrate out of her skin, it was Severina who spoke up first.

“You are familiar with them, too, even though you might not know the term. The walls of Eldingholt are an example.”

Jadis’ eyebrows went up at the information.

“You mean the colossal arches that have super powerful magic shields that no army has ever pierced? Those walls?”

“Those walls,” Severina confirmed. “The towers we passed on the way here are another example, as is the Haliax River’s blessing. That is a divine ritual rather than an arcane one, but the principle is the same.”

“It’s a large scale, long lasting, super strong and super difficult spell,” Sabina exclaimed with all of her pent-up excitement. “There are hardly any classes that gain the ability to perform greater workings… ever! Almost all of the people who could were heroes or the companions of heroes! I’ve only read about greater workings in books since I don’t think anyone alive today has a class that can let them do rituals like that!”

“Not in the empire,” Sev added as she settled down on a cushion. “Not since Archwizard Iris passed away approximately eighty years ago. I believe there may be a high priest in the Verdant Sea that is capable of greater works, but I am not certain.”

“If he’s still alive,” Kerr shrugged. “Old Harker is something like ninety years old, last I heard.”

While Kerr commented on the possible fate of her countryman distractedly with a far-off look in her eyes, she focused her sharp attention back onto Aila after a few seconds. With a sly grin that showed her sharp teeth, Kerr addressed the newly titled magister with a taunting tone.

“Well, I’m glad you finally got your bonded class. Shame you couldn’t have gotten one with a more impressive-sounding title, though. Magister of the Arcane Soul? Hardly compares to Slut Sniper, does it?”

“I don’t know that anyone will be able to live up to such a regal class name,” Aila replied dryly. “However, I am far from disappointed with what I have been blessed with.”

“I still don’t know what a magister is,” Jay spoke up as she settled Eir in her lap more comfortably. “What’s the deal? Is it some kind of wizard?”

“It’s an arcane class that is capable of performing both active and ritual spells in equal measure. There were only a few references to the class in the books I read, but my understanding is that the class focuses on a wide breadth of arcane skills and spells, with a focus on versatility. Magisters are not specialized, but they are not so broad in their capabilities that they lose power and effectiveness, either. Considering the flexible nature of my Arcanist class, I feel Magister is a logical progression of power.”

As Aila spoke, Jadis couldn’t help but grin happily. Her redheaded lover was clearly in love with her new class, even though she was trying to maintain a respectable air of composure. With how overjoyed Aila was, Jadis would have been glad to let her wax on about the magister class and its many possibilities at length. Except, they still hadn’t looked at any of Aila’s skill choices yet, and they had to get through everyone else in the group after her. Jadis resolved herself to being the one to push the discussion along, though there was one more question about the nature of Aila’s tertiary class that she had to ask first.

“What do you think Arcane Soul means?” Jay wondered aloud. “It sounds kind of like how Bridget and Sabina have ‘of the Reborn’ in their class secondary class titles. It definitely isn’t a reference to Nephilim being reborn through me, though.”

There was no immediate answer to Jay’s question, not even from Aila who looked thoughtful about it. When Eir eventually spoke, she did so with a quiet conviction that was hard to argue with.

“I believe it is a reference to Aila’s drive. Her will. Even though she was forced to accept the humble Cart Driver class as her primary, she never stopped struggling to become one who wields the arcane arts. I would say the title is an acknowledgement from the gods. She is a true Arcane Soul.”

Aila appeared taken aback by Eir’s words. Mouth opening and closing for a few seconds, she found her voice after taking a deep breath.

“Thank you, Eir. That… that was very sweet. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but… thank you.”

Jadis was entirely certain of the truth of the sentiment, more so than even Eir was, she guessed. She didn’t press the point, though. Aila would need time to get used to the deserved accolade. Once she was at the point that she was casting greater works, Jadis was sure that not only would Aila see the truth, but so would the rest of the empire.

“Well, if you’re ready, how about we start reviewing the skill and spell choices available to you?” Jay suggested with a fond smile. “I’m ready to see how much more powerful you’ve gotten.”

“Yes,” Aila nodded, taking just a moment to center herself. “First, I’d like to explain the three skills I took for my arcanist class during the battle. I’ll begin by reading out their descriptions.”

“Offered to me at level twenty-seven. A decent fifteen-point boost, five points to each of my vital casting stats. I took it mainly because it immediately gave me fifty points of magic to spend.”

Indeed, it was nothing special in terms of stat boosts, but considering the circumstances of its acquisition, Jadis agreed that it had been the right choice.

“Ah, so that’s what that was,” Jay exclaimed. “It worked wonders on that damn centipede.”

“Chosen for my level twenty-nine slot. I was hoping to find a spell I could use on the Greater Demon that would be powerful enough to end it but wouldn’t cause harm to you or Eir due to proximity. I couldn’t exactly use an explosion at that range.”

“An excellent spell choice,” Severina chimed in. “There are too many mages who fail to learn close range spells, depending on their power at long range rather than accounting for the possibility that an enemy might close the distance before they can slay them. It is a problem even in the army, as the prevailing philosophy right now is that siege mages should focus on their ranged, high damage spells and rely on their comrades to protect them. I and many others in more specialized fields have been trying to shift that line of thought.”

“Understandable,” Aila nodded along. “Too much specialization creates weaknesses.”

“What about the skill that triples your magic recovery?” Jay asked, interrupting the two before they started discussing military policy and best magic practices for the next hour. “Does it apply to your Will?”

“No, it does not,” the magister shook her head.

“It’s a companion skill to my Nephilim Wellspring. I am supremely grateful that it also applies to other outside recovery sources. Otherwise, I never would have been able to cast Spectral Armor on you last night.”

“Not unless you took five minutes to give Jay a quickie,” Kerr interjected. At Aila’s deadpan gaze, the therion held up her hands defensively. “Not exactly practical in the moment, I admit.”

“We should purchase more enchanted canteens,” Sabina commented. “Or I might be able to make something? A barrel? Is a barrel too much?”

“I’m not filling a barrel,” Dys laughed at the smith’s suggestion. “But we can see about more canteens.”

“Anyway,” Aila took back control of the conversation. “I put the six free attribute points I gained leveling up to thirty-two in Arcanist into my Focus attribute. Other than Jadis’ Eldritch increase raising my own Arcane stat, my status sheet has no further change until we go through my available options.”

“Looking pretty strong there, Blue,” Jay said with a teasing grin. “Now, let’s see how much stronger you get once you apply another twenty-one levels worth of skills and attribute points.”

Getting through the six levels Aila had gained in her Cart Driver class were simple enough. She had earned six free attribute points, which she promptly distributed between Focus and Arcane. By putting four more points into Focus, she bumped the stat up to sixty total. The remaining two points were added to the ever-growing mountain of Aila’s Arcane might.

In terms of skill selection, there wasn’t much to choose from. All were related to comfort and safe transportation when driving a vehicle, which wasn’t anything Aila intended to focus on. Except for one skill, which they all agreed was a fair option, since it promised some future growth for the class in a unique direction.

Aila suspected that since Exotic Vehicle Expert didn’t specify the type of vehicle, it was a skill that could unlock a new branch of Cart Driver skills that wouldn’t ordinarily be available. There really wasn’t much data to go off of though, since those with the Cart Driver class rarely got it above level thirty. By reaching level thirty-four in the unassuming worker class, she was charting new territory.

Since the rest of the options were unappealing, Aila used the remaining two slots to increase her Lesser Arcane Improvement to the fifth tier. That gave her another ten points in her Arcane stat, which wasn’t an impressive amount, but it was still more power for her spells.

With her primary class out of the way, Aila returned to her secondary class, Nephilim Powered Arcanist. Counting the additional six levels she had gained in the class after her level ups in the field, she had three more skill slots to fill. She also had six more attribute points to assign thanks to the even levels, which she wasted no time putting into Arcane as well.

“Any skills you can exclude right off the bat?” Dys asked.

“Two, I think,” Aila answered.

“What’s a bat?” Sabina asked at the same time Aila spoke.

“Nephilim thing, don’t worry about it,” Dys quickly assured the smith. “Are the skills bad or something?”

“No, they aren’t bad,” Aila answered with a thoughtful look on her freckled face. “Just not optimal. One would give me a variation for the shield spell that would allow me to cast it on others rather than myself. That has potential, but the description indicates that I can’t have more than one shield up at a time. If I used it on Eir, for example, I wouldn’t be able to cast the shield spell for myself without dismissing the one on her.”

“That’s a decent bit of protection,” Bridget commented, “your shields are strong. But I feel like your spectral armor is better, no?”

“I can cast multiple spectral armors,” Aila agreed. “And its defenses are just as strong. The shield would offer an extra layer, which again, has its uses, but I don’t think it’s the right choice.”

“Okay, shelving that one,” Jay nodded along. “What about the other one that you want to exclude?”

“It’s an attribute improvement passive skill. Endurance and Will. Useful, but I think the remaining four options are better.”

“Okay, give us those then,” Jay encouraged Aila to continue. “We just need to eliminate one of those four and you’ll have your new skills all picked out.”

“Eliminating one of these is easier said than done…”

“Well, you’re taking the sexy skill,” Kerr pointed out immediately. “No question. Even if it wasn’t powered by fun times, that’s still a damn good skill.”

“Indeed,” Aila agreed while trying to hide the involuntary blush that graced her cheeks behind a stoic expression. “An extra twenty-five percent increase to my damage output on select spells is powerful, no question. The issue is, the other three options are all good as well. I’m not sure which one to not take.”

Jadis had to agree. Aila was spoiled for choice with four excellent skills that offered different forms of utility to her existing abilities. It was a good problem to have, but still a problem. One option needed to be ruled out so Aila could cement her choices.

The obvious skill to knock off the list was Arcanist’s Force Platform. It was a niche skill, one that could be used to catch Aila if she were falling, for example, but was limited to the degree that she couldn’t even cast it on other people. However, one aspect that Severina was quick to point out was that mages with flight spells often started with similar spells that allowed for hovering, or at least stationary positioning in mid-air. If Aila wanted access to flight, Force Platform was a literal steppingstone to reach that end.

Once that had been determined, the choice came down to Arcanist’s Weapon Burst versus Aerial Spell Bombardment. The former would be great for boosting the first strike power of those who used melee weapons in their group, while the latter was an increase to Aila’s range while airborne. Both were good options, with pros and cons. As the group discussed the two choices in earnest, one thing became clear to Jadis; if Aila took Weapon Burst, it was for the sake of others, while Aerial Bombardment would be for herself.

“You should take the bombardment skill,” Jay said shortly after Aila had finished going over the pros of the Weapon Burst spell. “It’s better for you, especially if you want to become a mage who can fly.”

“I do want to fly, one day,” Aila replied after a moment of hesitation. “But I can’t fly yet. It’s impossible to say how long it will be before I can fly, so for now, Weapon Burst is the more logical—”

“Aila, you can fly,” Jay interrupted her lover’s speech. “In an airship. The bombardment skill would make it even easier for you to park the Leviathan over a battlefield and just rain down destruction from on high. Plus, with that platform spell, Severina could take you somewhere high, you cast that, and then you’re hovering two hundred feet over the ground where you’re safe from most attacks, casting spells with impunity. That’s the better choice for you.”

“But for everyone else—”

“Weapon Burst would be great for us, no doubt,” Jay cut the arcanist off again. “But it’s not the end of the world if we don’t get it right away. Just bookmark it for the future, since chances are there will be a level where you don’t like any of the skills made available.”

“That spell has its own problems, anyway,” Dys pointed out. “After the first hit, it’s gone. Think about it. My first swing of an axe last night was against a possessed bird, nothing that I needed the extra help to kill. Either I would have had to not use my axe until I went up against something truly powerful like the giant crab, or I’d have to run over to you so you could cast the spell, then I run back to hit the enemy. It’s not super practical for most battles.”

“You c—could carry extra weapons that, ah, have the spell cast on them,” Thea helpfully interjected. “For b—backup.”

“Sure,” Jay readily agreed. “And I’m certain I’d use them, as would you and Bridget and Severina. That said, I don’t think that burst spell is as vital for Aila’s personal progress as the bombardment skill is. That’s the one she should take so she can become stronger.”

The group was silent then for a few moments as they digested Jadis argument. Eventually, Aila nodded slowly, the resolve growing in her expression.

“Thank you, Jadis. That… is a fair assessment, I think. I will take the bombardment skill. However, I will bookmark Weapon Burst as top choice for any spare skill slots I may have in the future.”

“Unless something even better comes along,” Jay grinned at her. “You never know.”

With agreement achieved, Aila made her permanent selections, finishing off all she needed to do for her secondary class. There was a brief spate of conversation as the group shared ideas for how Aila could utilize her new spells, however, the discussion didn’t last long. By that point, everyone was just as eager as Jadis was to know more about Aila’s tertiary class.

“So?”

Aila looked up at Jay, blinking innocently.

“Yes?”

“Don’t even try it,” Jay waggled a finger at the sly grin that spread across the redhead’s face. “No more teasing. We want to know all about your amazing, extraordinary, super duper magical third class. So, spill it.”

“Well,” Aila drawled. “I suppose I’ll start with the first spell it gave me…”

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