Ch. 59 – Void Between ‘Verses (Patreon)

“Finally!” Felix let out a relieved sigh as he sank into the hot tub with a large, frothing mug of cold beer. Tinuriel hopped in next to him, a pony-keg perched on her shoulder as she settled into the warm liquid next to him.

“Time to enjoy life a bit,” she said as she held the spicket up to her mouth and guzzled several gulps of what smelled like moonshine and made Felix’s nose wrinkle. Near immediately, her cheeks reddened, and she giggled, putting an arm around his neck.

Lucifer chuckled across from them, sipping from his cup of red wine. “We’ve done a lot of good. Thousands in total from Zephelam are resettling into the VBV. All Crises in another ‘Verse dealt with.” He took a sip and leaned back. “The System is in a better place.”

The sound of familiar voices echoed in the Recreation Room and Felix looked over to see Roy and Melanie, hand in hand, walking in their direction. “Oh!” Melanie said as she held her towel tight around herself. “We didn’t know you were here tonight.”

Felix gestured to the empty spaces, “Come on! It’s been a while since we’ve all just…enjoyed life.” He took another swig of beer.

Lucifer got out and left for a few minutes as Roy and Melanie joined the group. He returned a few moments later with much, much more alcohol. Soon the drinks were flowing, and camaraderie was in the air.

Roy – who was quite drunk – looked over at Felix, “You’re doing a good job. But…we’ve got problems to deal with.”

Felix frowned and shook his head, “No! No work tonight. We can just…leave it for tomorrow.”

Roy chuckled and raised his glass, “Right! Tonight is for celebration!” He looked at Melanie and smiled, the type of smile that only those who are madly in love share with one another. “We’re having our ceremony on Ethdellin in a few days.”

Melanie giggled and looked at Felix with the same, madly-in-love grin. “We want you to officiate it.”

Felix felt a rush of emotions. He felt honored, a bit full of himself, but more than everything else – anxiety. “I…I’ve never done something like-”

“Sure, he’ll do it!” Tinuriel replied as she pulled Felix into her chest. “He better! Or else I’ll punish him!” She growled to him, “I might punish you anyways…”

Felix pulled himself away so he could breathe and laugh. He calmed down after a moment and turned to Melanie. “I’d be honored. But I’ll need some help with the words.”

“I’ll write them. I am quite skilled at wordsmithing.”

Felix sank into Tinuriel’s arms and finished off his drink. A little down time. Some Loot Forging, leveling up…and then to another ‘Verse.

Melanie insisted that she purchase the two proper dress outfits for the celebration. Felix had been fitted for a suit before when he went to prom way back in High School – when his grandpa gave him his old suit and took him to a tailor. It was nice being the focus of attention for fancy clothes he would have never dreamed of owning.

Tinuriel, on the other hand, was completely out of her element. Every time a needle even came close to her skin to alter the fabric, she would lurch away out of instinct. It made for a tense and yet somewhat humorous afternoon.

The wedding came day rather quickly. Felix felt underdressed compared to every other person present – those of high nobility and fashion were immaculately dressed and adorned with gemstones that looked incredibly expensive. Tinuriel was stunning as he expected, wearing a very revealing dress with a large slit along the side showing off her legs, and every time he looked at her, he grinned like an idiot.

Roy and Melanie had nothing but eyes for each other all throughout the ceremony in the throne room. He was dressed in his full Dark Lord armor, and she was the very definition of regal in her attire.

The time for the vows eventually came. Felix walked up front. You ready?

Oh yeah. Just let me take over.

Felix thought about Lucifer taking over, and slowly he felt awareness of his body and sensation of his surroundings fading away, until he was able to just hear and see what was going on. Lucifer had taken control of his body temporarily. I can take control back at any time, he thought.

Correct. You’re still the captain of this ship.

Let’s not refer to my body as a boat.

Felix heard the odd dissonance of his own voice as Lucifer – using his mouth – delivered a passionate and flawless sermon that was seemingly penned by a virtuoso in the realm of wordplay and speechcraft. It was amplified even more when he used a Class Skill.

<Beacon of Free Will>

And the room became enraptured to the presentation. Okay, enough time in the spotlight. Get to the vows.

Was just about to. Ahem.

Felix only saw straight ahead but heard Roy speaking from his left and state very terse and courteous vows. Brief, but poignant. Did you help with that?

I offered to help them both. Melanie didn’t want my help.

And soon enough, Felix heard why. Melanie had crafted an intricate poem as a wedding vow. Filled with words that Felix was not familiar with the meaning of – the translated vocabulary escaping his lexicon. But it sounded sincere and passionate regardless of his interpretation.

After a solid three minutes, the ceremony concluded, and a cheer was raised. And back to you.

Felix felt himself in control of his body once more – no longer just a passenger but in the pilot seat. He smiled at Tinuriel who was clapping louder than anyone else at the ceremony by nature of her massive Might stat.

Roy and Melanie separated, and she turned to Felix, dipping her head as she curtsied. “Thank you, Felix. Without you…this wouldn’t have happened.”

Felix chuckled, “I’m just happy to help.”

The afterparty went deep into the night. Tinuriel got absolutely wasted, so Felix dragged her back home into the VBV and the two slept well into midday.

Hey.

Mmm…what?

You going to spend all day lounging in bed?

Maybe.

Get up. We have ‘Verses to fix.

Fine. Felix pushed himself up and shook Tinuriel awake. Thanks to a VBV Function, any possible hangover did not affect them. Tinuriel went off to go see her sisters in the Forest City while Felix went down to the Crafting Station. I haven’t used the Alchemy Lab in a while. I wonder what the Leviathan stuff can be used for.

He went inside and placed the Leviathan Hide on the table, only for an error message to greet him. He tried the tooth and the same message appeared. Last, he placed the Primal Water-Shard. A recipe appeared in his vision. For something called an Endless Flask. He set to work following the instructions that appeared in his vision – crushing the shard inside a special beaker before combining it with some powders that appeared in a cabinet just as the recipe called for them. After ten minutes he had a small, iron flask that could dispense an endless amount of water at varying rates of flow depending on how he turned the top.

That’s a valuable tool, Lucifer commented.

Endless water? I agree. But also, dangerous if left uncapped and sitting somewhere – that’s how you flood the whole Universe. He walked over to the Loot Forge across the hallway.

[You have placed a <Leviathan Hide> on the Loot Forge. Select one of the following options.]

·         Waterwalk Treads

·         Armor of Water Breathing

Walking on water or upgrading armor. We can already breathe underwater with Air Bubble. Easy choice. He brought the hammer down and equipped the boots.

[You have placed a <Leviathan Tooth> on the Loot Forge. Select one of the following options.]

·         Talisman of the Tides

·         Tsunami Horn

Either something that lets me control the ocean or summon tsunamis. Easy pick. He brought the hammer down and put the Talisman into his inventory.

[You have placed a <Loot Forge Essence – Sea Serpent> on the Loot Forge. Select one of the following options.]

·         Sea Serpent Submarine

·         <Dragon Dance <Sinuous Strikes>>

Felix clicked his tongue. Tough choice. I already know that I can store larger objects in the inventory, like the Glider from Heficyre. Can it store a full-sized submarine?

Right now? No, the warehouse can only store one vehicle. But you could use a VBV Room to make a Vehicle Bay.

Do that.

Done. You have 1 Room remaining and 4 Functions remaining.

Felix brought down the hammer as the Sea Serpent Submarine was added to his inventory. Okay. Now to look at this Leviathan Dungeon Core.

Why not combine it with the Death Dungeon Core in the Core Transmorpher?

Why not. Let’s give it a whirl. Felix went to that portion of the Crafting Station and set the swirling, grey and blue orb onto the second pedestal. Small claws reached up and gripped it. He reached up and pushed the button on the pylon. The two orbs were lifted before the small claw-arms oriented towards each other. Then, they moved forward as the Dungeon Cores were fused in a flash of light that forced Felix to shut his eyes. As the brightness faded, he squinted at the new Dungeon Core that was held aloft by the two claws coming out of the pedestals. He picked it up, and felt the cold, rough exterior as something within lashed back and forth.

Abyssal Dungeon Core. Sounds ominous.

Felix took it to the Loot Forge and set it down.

[You have placed an <Abyssal Dungeon Core> on the Loot Forge. Select one of the following options.]

·         Abyssal Affinity

·         Dagger of the Depths

A dagger that drowns the person you stab it with. That’s really messed up.

And that Affinity…It’s rated as Legendary by the System, but there’s a warning as well. Here’s what it says. Warning: Use of Abyssal Affinity Magic/Power Effects will always result in injuries or death, regardless of the Versewalker’s Talents.

Felix took the Dungeon Core and put it back into the Transmorpher. Maybe we can find something more…good to combine with it and make it safer to use. I don’t want to kill if I don’t have to. Hell, that’s how I got those Talents in the first place.

Ready to go level up?

Yes. Can you get Tinuriel?

Already on it.

The two met up at the Recreation Room and jumped into the pool.

[Selection Made: Ascended Animancer]

[This is your 5th level in this Class. You gain access to a new Class Skill]

Finalize.

[Selection Made: Rime Knight]

 The two got out, re-equipped their gear, and headed outside. Lucifer was waiting for them along with the newlywed Roy and Melanie, and Gina. “We have a problem to solve,” Gina said as she gestured to the conference table. She led the way over and everyone sat down at their assigned seat. “This mage tournament you want to organize needs a prize of some type.”

“Is traveling the Multiverse and gaining amazing powers from just being an Escort really not enticing enough?”

Gina shook her head, “To some? Yes. But several of the brightest and best mages – Animancers I suppose as you call them – are hesitant to venture into danger without compensation.”

Felix frowned, “That’s understandable, but going into dangerous situations and solving Crises are what I – we – do.” He looked at Tinuriel and they shared the same, silent thought. He turned back to Gina, “I don’t want to take someone with us if they might flee at the first sign of real danger.”

She sighed, “I don’t know how to resolve it then. If you really want the best candidate possible, they want some type of financial incentive.”

Roy leaned forward as he let Melanie’s hand go. “Let me ask, Felix. Does a person even need prior training to be an Escort in your company?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Felix said. “I can always designate a random person as an Escort to see what would happen.”

Melanie raised her hand, “Try me.”

Felix nodded and focused on her. How does this work?

You want to designate her as an Escort. It will last as long as you want it to. You sure?

Yeah. This is just a test after all.

Done.

Melanie’s face went slack as she stared ahead into space for several moments before shaking her head and coming back to her senses. “That’s a lot of information.” She looked to Roy, “Yes, I’m getting a weird message in my vision that is telling me to choose Classes.”

Un-designate her.

Done.

Melanie blinked several times and glanced at Felix, “Thank you. That was a bit overwhelming.”

Felix turned back to Roy, “Anyone can become an Animancer to fill the role.”

Roy nodded, “What advantages then, Gina, would an already established mage have over a regular person who was graced with these powers?”

“Mages would make the best Animancers simply because they understand how Mana…err, Anima – works. Application and limitation.”

“That’s a bit of a moot point,” Tinuriel said as she held her hand up and spent a single Anima to create an icy flurry in the air above them. “I have a bar in my vision that tells me how much Anima I have left. And handy visual indicators as to how much each Magic/Power effect costs.”

Gina frowned and crossed her arms, “A mage works for decades to build up their control and power. They deserve this type of chance. A regular person shouldn’t deserve this honor.”

Roy frowned, “Oh, so it’s not truly about who is best suited to the role. It’s about having a sense of entitlement because of work already done.”

Melanie put a hand on Roy’s arm, “Peace. We aren’t fighting one another over this. It’s Felix’s decision.” She looked at him. “What do you think?”

“I’d rather have someone that I know won’t run and who will be loyal. I’d offer the role to yourself or Roy, but you both have multiple obligations to fulfill.” He looked to Gina, “I understand your position.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell you what. Forget about it. The whole entire tournament affair.” He looked to Roy, “I want you to tell all of those who have decided to train in the whole defense force you’ve put together. And Gina, you’ll do the same for any magi who have an interest beyond being paid.”

“Tell them what?” The two asked in unison.

“They are going to war.”

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