Amdirlain’s PoV - Culerzic


    Resonance had slowly improved, allowing her to isolate individual beasts among the Abyss’s mind-piercing racket. Lairs she found were saturated with the malevolent vibrations of drakes, spiders, and dozens of other predators. Needing a break, Amdirlain drew back on Resonance’s perception range and signalled Torm to leave. Before she could consider teleporting herself, she found them already in her sanctuary’s library.


    “After a while, the din gets too much, though shifting through the noise out there pushed Resonance up two levels,” stated Amdirlain. “I think I’ll give my brain a break; want to spar for a bit before I contact Erwarth?”


    “I’m surprised she hasn’t already been in touch,” replied Torm, and the faintest of smiles showed before they reappeared in the sparring hall. Weapon racks that hadn’t been present earlier were now set along the walls; their contents ranging from thumb-length knives to heavy-bladed polearms.


    Before Amdirlain could ask, Torm’s smile broadened. “Isa brought them along while we were hunting, which is why I’m surprised Erwarth hasn’t been in touch.”


    “I only saw the Sisterhood using daggers, a compact recurve bow, and what I’d call a long sword. I’ll ask her if you can start me on the basics of any weapons until I’ve got a concealed chamber ready.”


    “Are you still cutting out a new chamber for it?”


    Amdirlain hesitated and then gave a sharp nod. “I am, and I think I’ll put it at a new site completely. We’ve unpacked a library here and now weaponry, so let’s not risk compromising this site unnecessarily.”


    “What’s the closest you want them?”


    Amdirlain gave a casual shrug. “At least twenty thousand k apart should be fine. While putting all my hideouts in the same geographical region could be risky, it''s more important to have terrain that won’t result in a flooded chamber.”


    “The Zealots’ Maze extrudes from the same rock as these plains, but it''s unpleasant,” advised Torm.


    “I’ll make the initial extraction quick, and then we can get beneath its surface,” offered Amdirlain.


    With a nod from Torm, they teleported, and Amdirlain took in the scene before them. Pointing accusingly towards the sky were twisting lines of rock needles that rose from the plain. From each needle, hands or strange limbs waved and raked the air. Though she could make out the bulging eyes of the damned experiencing eternal suffocation, only their various forelimbs and eyes weren''t enclosed.


    A fresh arrival fell from the sky almost right before her, and a spike of mud rose from the rocky plain to greet its fall. The impact splashed the mud upwards, and the notes tightened. With the snap of a steel trap, the music of the ground changed, and it hardened into black stone.


    Pushing out through Inventory, Amdirlain absorbed a square of stone some five hundred metres down and did the honours of transporting them. Though there was plenty of space for them both in the five-metre square chamber, after what they’d just seen, it was tightly claustrophobic.


    With a well-practised routine, Amdirlain immediately started expanding the chamber. Slabs of stone rapidly changed into dust but Amdirlain didn’t slow until she’d doubled the chamber’s dimensions. Once she had spare space, she moved to the chamber’s side and released the initial block of stone to vaporise it.


    Rather than cut a passage downwards, Amdirlain repeated the process by absorbing another block five hundred metres below them. This time, she angled it off to one side, in the hope it would be harder to find if something stumbled onto this space. With the proximity of the damned’s suffering no longer sitting uneasily upon her mind, Amdirlain started cutting a spiral staircase downwards. Though unsure if she’d use it for anything beyond the domed training chamber she currently had planned, Amdirlain left landings every twenty metres in case she wanted to expand later. The process took them another six hundred metres beneath the surface before she stopped.


    With the nearest suffocating song far beyond the range of her Resonance, Amdirlain cut a corridor two metres by two, straight ahead from the stairs. Once it had grown thirty metres long, she started the domed chamber. The corridor didn’t join at floor level, rather, she used its ceiling to mark out the dome’s base. Once she''d hollowed out the dome, Amdirlain cut a shaft ten metres down and set stairs spiralling around its perimeter.


    From the floor to the peak gave them just over thirty metres of air space, with a fifty-metre diameter. Though Torm didn’t comment while she was working, Amdirlain could sense his growing amusement. The brief twitches and the way his hand occasionally brushed across his mouth might as well have been neon signs.


    “Out with it?”


    Gesturing broadly at the chamber’s expanse, Torm gave a rueful smile. “Aren’t you going to experiment to ensure you can even get it to work before carving a circle this size?”


    “Naughty Torm, making assumptions are you?” teased Amdirlain, and she waved a reproving finger. Tapping her foot on the floor dramatically, Amdirlain extracted a four-metre radius disc from the chamber’s midpoint, leaving an impression only ten centimetres thick. “That’s the initial test limit. I’ll extend the depression if I need to cut out failed attempts until I can get the circle working. After I can carve it a few times, I’ll cut the outer floor downwards to match and work on the bigger version. Let me find out what is going on with Erwarth.”


    “I contacted her while you were carving,” advised Torm. “She’s currently sparring with Ilya; asked to advise her when you''d finished. She’s got that crystal block and the True Song needles you wanted, ready to pass along.”


    “Excellent,” cooed Amdirlain, clapping her hands eagerly. She laughed when it echoed back to her.


    Releasing a Message to Erwarth, it was only a few minutes before Amdirlain got a response and created a Gate in the depression’s centre. Amdirlain didn’t recognise the view of the cavern behind Erwarth, but the Lóm?’s song thrumming from the crystal walls washed through the Gate and dispelled the lingering echoes of torment that had clung to them.


    Erwarth hadn’t significantly changed appearance this time, only shrunk to a Human height and removed her wings. Her hair was in a loose braid that spilled down her back, and as Erwarth turned towards them, Amdirlain felt a weight of worry lift from her shoulders. Though no energy leaked across the Gate’s threshold, the Celestial energy in her eyes was enough to elicit a sigh of relief from Amdirlain. The sound earned a brief smile from Erwarth, and she tossed a cloth bag through the Gate.


    “Storage bag with your goodies, but don’t retrieve the crystals until you’ve got a working concealment circle. I don’t know how much noise any of them will make outside a grotto’s purification song,” warned Erwarth. “There are some extra texts in there you’ll need, and I’ve sketched out the circle. Both the complete circle and marked references to all the warding runes you’ll need.”


    “You’ve done all the research for me?”


    “Yes, but by the time the circle is working, we’ll have gone over the lot. I expect you to understand how it hangs together,” cautioned Erwarth.


    “Yes, ma’am,” Amdirlain shouted and snapped to attention.


    Erwarth fixed her with a droll stare, studying Amdirlain as she held herself still. “Really?”


    “You’re such a drill sergeant, I couldn’t help it,” teased Amdirlain, and she motioned to the cutout section. “That big enough to practise?”


    Erwarth considered the depression Amdirlain had cut and shot her a look of amusement. “It is; glad to see you didn’t intend a larger one to start.”


    “I’ll meet up with Munais and deliver the materials we harvested then return,” stated Torm, and he vanished as soon as Amdirlain nodded.


    “How’s the boyfriend handling the Abyss?”


    “Seems Isa or Sarah like to share, but the same applies to you. How are you handling being back in the Abyss?”


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    “Sarah asked me to check on him, seems she feels a debt. I’m mostly within a grotto’s protection or picking off Sisterhood investigators that show up occasionally. He’s having to deal with its energy in the raw state?. My parents are at least still alive, except for N?r, none of the others’ families have endured.”


    “So far he seems to be okay. It''s clearly uncomfortable, but he is keeping up the calm front better. I think my arrival removed a burden of worry from him,” replied Amdirlain, choosing to stay clear of the casualties suffered among the Lóm?.


    Giving a nod of understanding, Erwarth continued. “How do you feel about him risking himself?”


    “He’s a nut job, who’s far too good for me, but he gives me something to live up to when I’m not sure I have it in me. So having him around helps,” responded Amdirlain, after she retrieved the texts from the storage bag. A thought was all it took to create a reading stand, and she absently separated herself from it.


    Erwarth wrinkled her nose when she saw Amdirlain’s connection to it sever. “I thought you weren’t doing that anymore.”


    “Protean fixes me in a moment and for something so small, Pain Eater doesn’t even flicker,” Amdirlain retorted, waving her off as she set the largest of the texts atop the stand.


    “Your Pain Resistance evolved?” asked Erwarth, with a hint of distaste in her voice.


    Giving her a brief smile, Amdirlain opened the text to the first bookmark and settled it in position. The diagram appeared to be a geometric puzzle formed without the boundaries of a trio of circles, and Amdirlain could see how the pieces linked, even if she didn’t understand all of it. “Yeah, I’m such a masochist, but at least now I know exactly how much I’ve hurt myself. Right, let''s get started. This diagram is only a three-circle layer; aside from the fact it looks like hundreds of runes, this seems like it will be a cinch. What’s the catch?”


    “You must place the runes precisely along the circles’ circumferences, and you’ll need to repeat the full pattern as the circle expands. It means you need to calculate the circumference based on the space you’ll need for the runes. You’ll understand why they’re a pain once we get into it.”


    “Still not allowed to just yank the stone out?”


    “Now why would I let you do that?” laughed Erwarth. “Get measuring. This isn’t an aspect of the Wizard Class you should have neglected. While an Artificer’s runes are far more flexible and enduring, there is still plenty a Wizard can do with a decent knowledge of runes.”


    “True, Yngvarr’s imprint plate showed me that,” admitted Amdirlain.


    Though Erwarth let Amdirlain work undisturbed initially, that only lasted while she marked the main circles in place. After that, they began to pore over the theory of every rune, both individually and how it interacted with the surrounding elements. They hadn’t even finished the discussion on the first rune when Amdirlain received a notification.


    [Rune Lore [J] (40) -> [Ad] (1)]


    “Looking to push my Rune Lore along?”


    Erwarth nodded and pointed to the rune Amdirlain had just chalked in place. “You’ll need to redraw that one. I took it easy on you with Gail’s circle, as I knew what Ebusuku had planned. This endeavour rests entirely on your circle, so by the time we are done, I expect you to know everything there is to know about it. Not just the Rune Lore, but I’ll be cramming the Magic Circles'' knowledge into you.”


    Amdirlain set back to work, and Erwarth’s interrogation and instruction continued at a rapid-fire pace. When he returned from meeting up with Munais, Torm had only a moment''s respite to see Amdirlain scrubbing out some chalk marks before Erwarth tossed him another storage bag.


    “You need to catch up with your own knowledge and skills. I’ll give you both some time to spar and stretch each day, but you’ve lots to learn,” Erwarth informed him. “Some demons use magic as easily as mortals breathe. While Amdirlain has options to bypass it, you could drag her down if you get stuck in a magical trap she didn’t spot.”


    “I won’t argue. Just tell me which text? to read first,” replied Torm, and he started to unpack.


    “Once the circle is complete, the others will also come to spar and teach you both weapon skills,” explained Erwarth. “We don’t expect you to be Grandmaster rank in every weapon we can teach you. What we want to ensure is that you can cut down most foes with whatever is at hand, and buy time to get away from the rest.”


    “You planning to fill up my entire century Planar Locked with instruction?”


    The question earned a knowing laugh from Erwarth. “I’d fill up a few millennia if I could get you to sit still long enough. Between weapons, True Song, magic, not to mention your Ki or Psi options, you’ve a broad range of capabilities. What I want to do is ensure you can effectively use them.”


    It was some eight hours later before Erwarth called a halt, and Amdirlain reluctantly agreed. With the Gate’s closure, the Abyss’ miasma seemed to press tighter about them, but Amdirlain pushed the sensation aside.


    “Are you trying to learn everything in a day?” asked Torm, carefully setting a bookmark in place.


    “Not everything,” replied Amdirlain, and she plucked a tiny container from the storage bag, drawing a hiss of concern from Torm.


    “I remember bringing items of True Song crystal into the Abyss; it doesn’t ring out, unless you have things like the purification field in place. Erwarth was more referring to the crystal block, as that would cause a bit of noise.”


    Opening the lid, Amdirlain found nearly twenty thin needles the length of her middle finger inside and stored all but one into Inventory.


    “What’s the plan?”


    “The only thing important about the needles is that they’re an example of the crystal’s song in an uncluttered state,” explained Amdirlain, and she waved the needle like a conductor’s baton. “Exactly what I need to learn the song for making more of it.”


    “I find it amusing that you and Isa emphasise the word song differently,” observed Torm.


    The observation had Amdirlain wrinkling her nose, and her eyes gleamed with suppressed glee. “Well, I’ll just say Isa has a different perspective on many things. Did you want to spar or continue studying?”


    “Sparring is tempting, but Erwarth’s right; I need to get better at magic,” replied Torm. “Though I still need to keep up my combat practice, perhaps we should set a routine as you did with your monastery stay?”


    As he flowed to his feet, Amdirlain told herself that she was just admiring his grace but coughed when he fixed her with a smile. “Thank you for the compliment.”


    “Don’t tease,” protested Amdirlain. “I’ll admit you busted me.”


    “Such a hardened criminal indeed,” laughed Torm before motioning to the needle she still held.


    Amdirlain gave a casual shrug. “Can’t touch, and I’ll try to keep the ogling to a minimum. I’m sure there is a place for damned that took their desire to watch too far.”


    Her offhand statement earned a wince from Torm, and Amdirlain held up a hand before he could answer. “Not sure I want to know, at least not until we’ve any need to go near it. Now, with these needles, I can hear two Anar harmony lines within their song. I’ll need to unlock the Multi-voice Power to sing those parts alone, which could take a bit of practice.”


    Not to mention the Lóm? parts. Four interlocking harmonies just for creating crystals, though I guess that isn’t bad for material harder than mithril.


    “Can’t dig into Orhêthurin’s memories to figure out how?”


    “I don’t think we want me to be glowing like I did cycling Ki,” advised Amdirlain. "Using Yang Mana to consume rot from Ijmti got a massive reaction from far and wide."


    Torm started at her causal statement of a near double calamity, but didn’t let her distract him. “You experienced some memories previously in your soulscape without cycling Ki. When is the last time you’ve ventured into it?”


    “Not since I got rid of the vines. I’ll admit I’ve been hesitant to see what change removing them has caused.”


    “Maybe you can find what you need through it now,” suggested Torm. “Livia said Master Cyrus wasn’t aware of anything like it.”


    “Maybe, but not yet; I might kick myself for delaying later, but I’m still worried about remaining myself,” replied Amdirlain. “Do you want to move us, or should I?”


    “It’s the lady’s choice, of course.”


    Even as she raised an eyebrow, Amdirlain teleported next to the library table. “Currently, I don’t have a title. I’ll leave you to your study. I’m going to do some singing practice.”


    Before he could reply, Amdirlain vanished and reappeared in the main hall. With so few doors between it and the library, it wouldn’t do much to prevent the sounds from reaching him, but it at least lessened the volume.


    When she took a break after three hours, Amdirlain found him still focused on the same text and sat down across the table from him. A few minutes after she’d settled down to wait, Torm made some notes and looked up from the book. “What can I do for you?”


    “Just wanted your feedback, and this depends on Erwarth’s availability. In the Maze, I would train for three hours and then fight the guardians for one. I don’t want to disrupt Erwarth so frequently, so how about we use a 24-hour day, divided into eight-hour chunks.”


    “Eight-hour training stretches might get a bit much,” cautioned Torm.


    “We don’t have to push to fill the entire time, but we should look to switch to other activities at the end of the time.”


    At her statement, Amdirlain caught the ghost of a smile from Torm, the only outward hint of the wary amusement ringing through his core.


    “Eight hours of lessons with Erwarth, then combat training together, and the last for individual practice. The exception, of course, is when we need to gather. Do we switch that out for combat training or individual practice on the day?”


    “Whatever works best at the time, we don’t have to fix it in stone. But since we’re coordinating with Erwarth, it makes sense to have a pattern to follow.”


    Torm tapped his fingers thoughtfully against the table as he considered her suggestion before he replied. “When do you intend to let yourself have a break?”


    “I planned to mix up what I handled in the individual practice,” said Amdirlain.


    “That still isn’t the same as having a rest,” argued Torm. “But while I know this place isn’t restful, it also won’t help to push yourself until you break.”


    “Having the Gate open for eight hours was the most peace I’ve had since I’ve arrived back here,” observed Amdirlain.


    “Then how about one day in five is a rest day, where you just hold a Gate open near one of the Lóm? grottos and enjoy the song?” proposed Torm. “Whether you read something or just sit and listen.”


    “One in ten,” countered Amdirlain.


    “Shall we split the difference at one in eight?”


    Amdirlain stuck out a hand with a grin. “Deal.”


    “If you need a longer rest, just let us know. It''s not as if I’m going anywhere, and Erwarth would do nearly anything for you,” noted Torm. “I should have mentioned that Munais appreciated the materials. It gives her a reason to be in the markets, though she requested we kill something a little smaller next time.”


    “Well, she knows best, but Torm, how rude! Why didn’t you tell me we should kill a smaller one?” quipped Amdirlain.


    “One moment you were next to me, and the next it had a caved-in skull. When was my opportunity to advise?” enquired Torm dryly.


    “Excuses, excuses; men, all the same,” teased Amdirlain.


    Torm took in her mischievous smile and shook his head in exaggerated dismay. “Such a brat!”


    “If I’m the brat, that makes you a sugar daddy.”


    “You have far more wealth than I do, so I propose I’m the gold digger in this situation,” retorted Torm.


    When Amdirlain blurred into her Anar form, the light radiating from her gaze pushed back the surrounding darkness. The outfit of the shadow vines shifted to match the floral summer dress, and Amdirlain spun a circle with a laugh. “Well, my skin tone and eyes are pretty cool. So it’s fine to dig this, right?”


    “Right.” breathed Torm.