[Amelia] Chapter 18: The Beast King

[Mysticsage]

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon

Amelia's heart froze as her hand immediately went to her mouth and her eyes hardened slightly as Amelia came to understand that this wasn't just some prank Nyx was pulling. Clutching him close to her chest she sucked in a large breathe before burying her head in his darling boy. Just this morning she had promised herself that no matter what came her way that she would handle it.

It apparently only took her til noon for her to break that vow to herself, if she wasn't so heartbroken she would be laughing like a lunatic.

"Fate just loves hitting me with trucks I guess," she thought to herself. "Just when I felt like I was getting my stride,"

Buried within Nyx's warm back, the smell of citrus and bergamot clung to her nose. It took her a moment to speak but when she did find her voice at the moment she was surprisingly strong.

"Nyxilous, you are a punk, and I've raised you to be a loving man. They said you never left my side while I was injured, for you to remember what was happening in this world a year prior would normally be impossible since you were living with me, Cameron and mom and dad in the other world."

"I think based off of your sudden change of speech mixed with the memories was brought on by the unlocking of that new power," [/b]she paused

"I don't think that this is something either of us can fight easily, but I promise that I'll stay by your side no matter what. Even if it means dyeing part of your hair blue again like Cameron did to remind you of your roots." She said with a firm smile.

"So, don't try to fight it to hard, it will probably just give you a headache in the end. Try going a little deeper what specifically do you remember?"

Saying she doubted they could fight this mess made her want to scream, but a voice in the back of her mind kept her mind clear despite her stormy heart. No matter what happened Nyx was part of her family and she would love him no matter how he changed. And if she wanted any sense of stability going forward her only option was to dive into the chaos head first and start fishing for clues.

If she could understand what exactly was happening to her friend maybe their was a way to control it

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon - After the conversation

As Amelia took in the information doing her best to memorize the names of the various goods as she quickly stumbled her way over to her bag at the edge of the bath to pull out her notebook and a pencil to jot things down.

486 Creators, in other words, gods, who have various titles
All made the various worlds 6 are stewards for this game
Anema = Air
Pyra = Fire
Hydrea = Water
Gea = Earth
Caliga = Darkness
Luxa = Light

As she finished jotting that down her notes quickly something about the planet's mannerism stuck in her mind. If this was all some kind of twisted game, then those goddesses could be seen as administrators of sorts on the side of good. Just as if this whole world was some kind of battle simulation. Her mind raced as the analogy sank in especially if she took into account things like her status screen or friends list.

The gods were using programmed interfaces as a way of organizing each and every action a hero attempted.

Even outsiders like Amelia were logged regularly in whatever divine bookkeeping the various systems constantly kept track of. If anyone had full access to the various higher level administrative systems in place it would be one of the goddesses, but the planet itself naturally had to have access to some of those records as well.

She bit her lip as she ran the numbers, in case the planet refused to answer a second time or if she was somehow locked out she needed to push for one or two more advantages. If this game went so far as to alter the memories of the people they forced into being pieces well then she could rest easy by getting some rare information,

"Before our link ends can you show me any information you have about any worthwhile or rare resources near me and their gathering areas? If I could find the places that we could use to grow stronger we might have a chance. I can give you access to my mind more directly so that you don't need to worry about translating. Things like rare beasts and their spawning grounds, gemstones, rare plants, leyline location metals, any area with a level requirement. Anything you have on hand for my region could be of untold help."

Amelia will pour more spirit as needed to get the memory transfer ability to make it so the planet can download anything it can.

As she did her best to focus on opening her mind, her last question entered her mind, "Can you grant me access to anything like a morphing grid while you're at it? look at my memories if there is a system in place akin to what I mean, surely with the shifting there must be a subsystem of magic that you would have access to that would fall into that category."

"Thank you for the time you have given me so far,"


Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening


On hearing her true name get called out so openly, she looks around to see if anyone could have heard the outburst and quickly approached him.

Realizing that chastising him would just add a bad taste in an already bad day she chose to ignore that first problem of her persona, in favor of keeping things moving, so she simply took the bottle from Ragnar in one swift motion taking a light swig to steady her fraying nerves before handing it back.

"Today has already been a day Father, can we walk and talk while you show me to the lab? You also may want to have more of that stuff on hand. I come barring complicated and possibly bad gifts. I hope you take it well, but I certainly need to take this time crafting also as a kind of confessional. I could really use something that makes me feel useful today."

[Throndir]

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon

You have gained a new title『Idolized』
You have gained +1 SP

Nyx nodded at your explanation.

"Ever since I received this new title, I have been feeling a bit more than myself. There are times where I feel much bigger than myself, both physically and mentally as well." Nyx said as he looked at you with a far-off look in his eyes.

"I remember... a different life. I was the king of a nation of animals. It was normal... In fact, in our world, we had creatures we called humans that were used as pets occasionally and weren't all that bright. Then I remember my kingdom splitting and disappearing before my very eyes. I found myself instead near a forest near the Idorian Magic Kingdom. I had found out then we were at war with a demon called Maou Folgias. I remember a futile attempt by the Idorian Magic Kingdom to push against Maou's castle, and along the way, we had run into a forest where we met a fairy and a heroic squirrel by the name of Pili."

Nyx scrunched his face up as he tried to remember the fuzzy details of his memories that seem to both be and not be his own.

"I trained him. I saw the value of teaching one other who was very much like me. The others went ahead for their push, I promised them I would catch up right before we storm Maou's castle."

Nyx grew silent.

"I remember getting killed."

You now have access to Nyx's character sheet, but give me some time to clean that up properly, his sheet is still on a very old version. I'll message you the link, and also link it from Amelia's sheet once its ready.

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon - After the conversation


When you attempted to allow the link between the two of you, you once again received a familiar notification.

Ability not yet unlocked.

But a moment later, you saw the red glow of Spirit, and a moment later, the notification disappeared. Almost immediately a flow of information started to appear in your head. It felt very much like when you had shared Adhelm the images of clothing, although this time you were on the receiving end of the memories. Not only that, the amount of information being shown and funneled into you was nothing short of extraordinary.

The memories weren't quite implanted, it was as if you were being shown the memories and images of locations of what you needed. But you feared that the amount of information you were being given would have been too much to retain.

You were granted information on grounds of various creatures both on land, underground, and the seas. Locations of gem and ore veins, from precious stones to mithril and orichalcum. You were granted locations of rare plants, some magical in nature, but all had their uses. Next, you were shown a network of leylines that ran throughout the undergrounds of the world of Velothia.

When your question of a system similar to the morphing grid was asked, the network of leylines was once again shown to you. Finding the transfer of knowledge to be much quicker than the world's slow speech, you were instead imparted with the idea that the leylines acted as a source of mana for those who knew of that knowledge and the ability to tap into it. At the same time, you felt an acceptance from the leylines themselves, and you somehow knew that if you were able to tap into a leyline source, you would be able to make use of the stored mana. Though it wasn't something that could transform you into a colorful warrior to fight evil, it was the closest match to what you had been thinking of.

As this is Share More Than Words rather than the extended version of that which is Memory Copier, you will need to roll knowledge to access these memories. For each piece of trivia/knowledge, you want to know about, you'll need to roll a corresponding check that would match the best.

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

"News of some sort? I'd always be willing to lend an ear of course. But first, let me show you the brewery." Ragnar said as the two of you made your way deeper into the complex.

For as large the cathedral was, there weren't as many nuns and priests that you would have expected, though, a few did simply pause and nod at farther Barnabas whenever they neared. The stained windows all depicted each of the goddesses, with the exception of the Goddess of Water. And you also noted the fact that the Goddess of Light was shown most predominantly over the rest. Various torches were used to light up various halls, but nearing towards the bottom where the brewery turned lab was, you had noticed a shift of the lighting used to glowing gems.

"Glowing gems." Barnabas explained. "A passing trader sold them to me, and they are supposed to be powered by mana. It makes as a good light source and requires less maintenance than the torches."

Soon enough you made it to Ragnar's brewery. You noted that a table was set aside with a few alchemical supplies on top such as an alembic, crucible, vials, and other tools and materials. Apart from the table, you also noted the various barrels and a few distillers that looked like they were in use.

[Mysticsage]

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon

"You are not dying anytime soon I won't allow it," Amelia said with a firm finality lingering in her voice as she saw the far off look in her cat's eyes. Without saying a word she hoped that he would understand that she would throw herself in harm's ways again in a heartbeat if it meant he was kept safe.

"And I don't know about these other humans in these new memories, but those notions - you can toss right out. Because I'm more than happy to prove them wrong, and how capable I am, as often as you need, but you may not like it," she chuckled with a warm smile. She made sure to scratch him around the ears and pet him down the back in the way she knew he enjoyed even if he hated to admit it. She figured that in a moment like this having something physical, like touch, to ground him to this life - to her - would be helpful.

She continued to pet him for a moment silently before continuing quietly just for him to hear over the sounds of the bath, "As I said, I'll always be here for you. We'll work out whatever changes happen to us together as a team. So don't be afraid to share any of these new thoughts. I want to learn about what is happening to us."

She then loosened her hold on him just enough so that he could escape as needed even if she could sense that he was more comfortable with the idea of a bath than he had been even days before.

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon - After the conversation

The sheer amount of information that filled her head at once, in less than a few moments, was dizzying. Eventually, as the world around her began to swim she had to brace herself on the side of the bath and then realizing she would have to do better to try and not lose her balance, she staggered her way entirely out of the bath to avoid falling and hurting herself.

She felt the blood rushing to her head and her cheeks flushing as the information refused to stop. However, just before the ordeal became overwhelming the moment was over. As she finally could breathe easily again Amelia slumped back onto the tile floor letting the chill from the bath set in as she put her hand to her heart feeling it beat.

She knew she should be writing notes at this moment but her brain was to scrambled to stay that organized. It was only the taste of copper running down the back of her throat that made her snap out of her stupor as she realized her nose was bleeding slightly.

"Thank you," she finally managed through the link. Those two words were the only thing she could even attempt to say, but those words did nothing to convey the sea of emotions she was feeling at that moment. Her only hope was that as she had gotten information from the planet, that the planet had also felt how deep her gratitude went for what the planet had done. Now mentally fried she could only keep the connection open for a few seconds longer before it dropped entirely.

Amelia needed some time to sort through everything she had just gained.

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

As her anticipation built as Ragnar lead her deeper and deeper into the church, and once she saw his personal lab the stress from earlier in the day melted away in a moment. She took in every detail that she possibly could, from the gem lights, to the casks, and the various bits of equipment It reminded her of her father's restoration workshop back home or a local brewery.

"Ragnar, I am very impressed," she giggled to herself, "this feels just like home. this is exactly what I needed."

"Look Nyx a proper workshop!" She exclaimed as she found a place off to the side where he could sit.

While looking around she felt tears welling up at the corner of her eyes as she could almost smell her father's cologne. Refusing to let those waterworks start, she wiped away the start of the tears and did her best to smile.

"Ragnar, do you mind giving me some help tonight? I'm a little shakey after everything today and I don't want to ruin anything you have here this really is perfect." She said her voice quaking despite her best effort as she grabbed Ragnar's hand and shook it in thanks and to ground herself.

After a moment of looking at Ragnar's hand, she looked him in the eye new tears there before letting go and going to the lab desk and began pulling out notes and various bits from her bag that she had gathered around the castle.

"I don't want to waste much time we should get started, all three of us!"

Going over her various notes she begins to discuss various bits with the two boys and discussing different things she needed to make. While she started to organize smaller projects she gave nyx some instructions on how she wanted him to test energy transfer with. If this world really was some kind of trial created by the gods, she knew they would need better equipment. The gamer in her knew that the key to any kind of exploration, grinding, or raids was to have a variety of equipment and consumables at hand.  In particular, things like potions, antidotes, or things that strengthen one's attacks like poisons, resins, or even things like grenades.

The only thing was that they didn't just spawn in a shop like a game. If they wanted anything to exist someone had to make it. So the only thing to do was apply the scientific method and hope for the best.

The first step was to decide what to make first, and only one thing came to mind. The one thing that was a cornerstone to all games in the modern age and was sacred regardless of the form it took, the healing item. More specifically the healing potion in their case, since they had brewing equipment on hand.

If the demon hordes had not even started in earnest then things were going to get bad on a biblical scale, and even the best defenses would fall with time. So they had to make sure every fighter could have a chance at survival. Even if they could recruit animals nyx had just told her someone in this world had the means to kill him. Numbers with no staying power therefore meant nothing.

Healing potions and the profit they held was the answer to a number of problems facing her at the moment. So all she had to do was, stay calm and channel all the scientists she read about. The Sally Ride's who went into space, the Alan Turing's who broke an unbreakable code machine.

Just start one step at a time.

Opening her notebook to a fresh page she wrote
Quickly while desperately looking around the room for anything that could help her.

Spoiler

HEALING POTION

[/size]


Question :

is it possible to make an item that heals the user without them needing to know a method of healing or near someone who does?
           What form is the most optimal?
            How much and what can it actually heal?
            Will it expire?
            Side effects?
            Costs?
Can that process become renewable and mass-produced?


Background information
Various forms of medicine in this world but the only thing of substantial strength is rare healing magic like Nyx's recovery power.
   
Recover is the most versatile thing found yet, because it works on objects as well as people.
(More forms may fix more problems experiments needed)

We know that recover is light magic energy due to experimentation on the door at the sewers. (Door needs further study, something locked away? Possible tie to the six stewards )

We also know that Nyx is capable of manipulating some forms of similar energy with the energy transfer ability, i.e. people and candles and such

He can then give that energy to other living creatures or store it in certain objects

Specific nature of why certain mediums store energy and others do not unknown

Is mana tied to molecular or chemical structures or is it something vaguer like defined by the stewards

So far only things like people, things from dungeons, and items like my staff seem to work with possibly large amounts of energy loss.

Items do exist that use stored mana to create effects. See gem lights and staff. ( study gem lights and other projects while Nyx tests powers)


Hypothesis:

If we can find a medium that Nyx can store energy in that can be consumed, applied, or worn to cause an effect hopefully he can then also store healing in such a medium. (Note, the possible road to philosophy stone?)


Experiment : possible mediums

Test 1 -dungeon crystals
    success
    Unknown amount saved
     At time tiring
     Possible use as equipment

Test 2 - ordinary water
   fail

Test 3 - holy water
    linked to 6 goddesses?

Test 4 - alcohol
     produced by care by Ragnar perhaps his connection will make the difference

Test 5 -seeds (wheat and from alcohol making )
     Possibly count as a type of living creature
     Do possible healing plants exist? Check plants memory?

[close]

As Amelia wrote more and more notes, talking things over with Ragnar and Nyx trying her best to distract herself from the pain building in her body from the tension of the day she let herself fall into the stability of the scientific method. She let it's structure help her compartmentalize what she could and could not confront, elevating some of her dread  of the unknown future.

After all, that was one of science's key roles, to allow people to interact and begin to comprehend that which is far too big for any one person to understand. Science brought with it the illusion of comfort and control no matter how small or short-lived she would revive herself with its methodology even if she failed at her goals. She let herself sink into that regimented, methodical thinking putting her fears in a box for a moment while her brain hyper-focused on the task at hand.

That being said, that didn't stop her from clinging onto both Nyx and Barnabus in turn, like a life preserver out in a dark ocean.

Notes
I have 5 hours of training left today
Goals
experiment with healing
Start to Learn alchemy
Make special fertilizer
Begin to make special booze

As a result of Amelia wanting to feel in control of something small, and feel like she can actually help people with the problems she is facing by breaking them down into smaller bits, she will draw on her powers as a familiar subconsciously

Spending spirit to unlock  "Stats" extension naming Sage archetype to boost int and various skills to help nyx

Amelia task 1 learn from Ragnar the basic principles of alchemy and brewing.

Nyx's task 1-  test mediums to see if any can store energy holy water, alcohol, and seeds in that order

If a pop up appears for any he will spend spirit on them prioritizing seeds at

Ragnar- instruct Amelia and Nyx on alchemy and brewing, different mediums, and so on


Amelia will also tentatively try out the new memories looking for anything to do about healing plants with her modified int

During the time that everything is explained and organized Amelia looks for an opening to tell Ragnar what she learned from the planet about the gods and goddesses.

[Throndir]

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon

Everyone was silent. Matilda had proceeded to continue cleaning the animals. The animals themselves were quiet, perhaps unsure how to take what they just heard. While Nyx began to purr when you gave him pettings.

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon - After the conversation

Hero point earned for communication with the World.

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

"The brewery used to be a storage, at least before the good goddess decided to make me the head priest of the country." There was a hint of pride in his voice as he talked about the brewery underneath the cathedral. "As far as things under a cathedral, I would say this is on the plainer side. I've heard rumors that the church in the Xalaster Orthodoxy keeps a dungeon under theirs."

Ragnar softened when you began to show your vulnerable side, but when you began to go over the notes, Ragnar sensed the change and wholeheartedly began to help.

Spending spirit to unlock  "Stats" extension naming Sage archetype to boost int and various skills to help Nyx.

You focused on Nyx, with imagining him becoming smarter or more knowledgeable. The red glow of Spirit then begun to engulf him.

Amelia task 1 learn from Ragnar the basic principles of alchemy and brewing.

I'll need Training rolls for Amelia to learn Craft (alchemy) as a class skill. State how many rounds of Training you're doing and length, then roll the dice.

Nyx's task 1-  test mediums to see if any can store energy holy water, alcohol, and seeds in that order

Nyx himself had Greater Mana Sensitivity, so he was able to report changes as he transferred mana into the various liquids through 《Energy Transfer》.

The holy water was able to retain mana.

The alcohol managed to retain some mana, though it wasn't nearly as bright as what was put into the holy water.

The seeds were able to retain some mana, though it wasn't nearly as bright as what was put into the holy water.

Through Nyx's Greater Mana Sensitivity, he was able to tell that both the seeds and the alcohol retained roughly the same amount of mana. As a test, Nyx was able to confirm that there was about a 90% loss of mana when transferring it into the alcohol or seeds. The holy water had a loss of about 50%. Either way, he felt that it was far from efficient compared to when he was transferring mana into the crystal from the Goblin Cave.

Since the goal was the creation of a healing potion, attempting to transfer his own life energy into it, or someone else's, Nyx received the 'Ability not yet unlocked' message. He did further 《Energy Transfer》 experiments as well. He tried to transfer the heat from the crucible, but received 'Ability not yet unlocked'. He had other ideas too, such as transferring the light from glowing gemstones. He was able to transfer the mana back and forth, but when he focused on the idea of 'light', he received 'Ability not yet unlocked'. Ever since training with Kurt and knowing about ki, he focused on the river within himself and tried to transfer it out, but received 'Ability not yet unlocked'. Lastly, as a joke, he focused in on Father Ragnar Barnabas' laid back personality and spoke the keyword for 《Energy Transfer》. His eyes grew wide at the experiment.

"Father Barnabas, forgive me for trying that... It didn't work. I received 'Ability not yet unlocked'. However..." Nyx then turned towards you. "I received a title 'Attempted Divinity'. This makes me think this blessing encapsulates more than I would have guessed. If the ability is not yet unlocked, it means it can be in the future right? Would that then transfer Ragnar's laid back attitude or some other quality of him? How is that even 'Energy'?"

"Laid-back energy perhaps?" Ragnar laughed, though the looks in his eyes told you he was relieved that the experiment didn't actually work.

Along with 《Energy Transfer》 experiments, he proceeded to do on his 《Restore》 ability. When a seed didn't have any mana in it, and he took a bite, of it, he was able to restore the missing portions. However, the moment he filled it with some mana through Energy Transfer, he was no longer able to use 《Restore》 on it. It only worked again, after he transferred the mana back out.

He also did some further tests on himself with 《Restore》 to get an idea of exactly how much it heals. He had also tried out other things with his ability. He ripped up a piece of parchment, and was able to restore it as expected. Next, grabbing a graphite pencil with his mouth, he made a simple mark, then erased it. He focused specifically on the erasure of the mark and triggered 《Restore》, to his surprise the mark he made came back as if he never erased it in the first place. He triggered 《Restore》 again, this time focusing in on the piece of parchment and the writing, and soon enough the mark he made with the pencil disappeared. As another test, he both ripped the piece of parchment, made a few scribbles, and erased a bit for good measure then triggered 《Restore》 without any clear direction. This ended up restoring the piece of parchment but leaving the contents as it was. He repeated the experiment and ripped the parchment again, and this time when he used 《Restore》 he was thinking about restoring the parchment to no longer be ripped, nor have any scribbles. This worked, though he noticed that more MP was used.

"Something I've already taken for granted, but it seems as if ability usage really is determined by one's will and expected results. Though it seems there is a 'default' use for the ability as well."

Nyx ended up being relatively thorough with his experimentation. However, as the hours went on, the red glow of Spirit began to fade away, and Nyx was running out of new ideas, not to mention he was running low on mana with all his testing even though he was using small amounts for each test.

If you have any more follow-up experiments, feel free to state them. Since you used SP on Nyx, I had Nyx do some of his own experiments, but if you think of anything more that he can do, go ahead and state them and we'll have it covered for this set of experiments.

Mana Transfer

• Works with Crystals, 100% efficiency
• Works with Holy Water, 50% efficiency
• Works with Seeds, 10% efficiency

Life Transfer

• Recieving 'Ability not yet unlocked'

Heat Transfer

• Recieving 'Ability not yet unlocked'

Light Transfer

• Recieving 'Ability not yet unlocked'

'Laid-back energy' Transfer

• Recieving 'Ability not yet unlocked'

Restore on Beings

• 2 MP is 5 HP.

Restore on Things without Mana

• Works. Uses more MP for larger damage.

Restore on Things with Mana

• Recieving 'Ability not yet unlocked'

"The rules for my abilities are interesting... It doesn't seem to work with objects that require mana. But it does work with people that does have mana. At what point is an object a living thing that can be restored?"

Do possible healing plants exist? Check plants memory?

Roll a Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (nature).

[Mysticsage]

two full 2 hour training checks for craft alchemy

Attempt 1

Rolled 1d20+10 : 4 + 10, total 14

Attempt 2

Rolled 1d20+10 : 7 + 10, total 17

Crafting magic fertilizer will spend however much mana

Attempt 1

Rolled 1d20+13 : 16 + 13, total 29

knowledge checks with sage blessing


Nature for healing plants

Rolled 1d20+19 : 14 + 19, total 33

Geography for location of leylines

Rolled 1d20+19 : 17 + 19, total 36

[Mysticsage]

If possible I would also like Nyx's help with the training

[Mysticsage]

Mendernich - Bath
Day 17 - Noon - After the conversation

Jump to side thread to see Nyx's response to the conversation [Nyx] CH 18.1 Silent Guard Duty

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

Amelia tried her best to focus as Ragnar taught her the various in and outs of alchemy, and yet despite both of their best efforts most of what he said just refused to stick. Her mind was still too busy sorting through what had happened in the bath earlier in the day and apparently, she had reached her limits.

"I'm sorry Father Barnabas, but I really struggling to pay attention," she said as her face flushed and she rubbed the bridge of her nose annoyed at herself. "I asked you to put all this together, and yet I feel like I'm just wasting everyone's time, real responsible of me I know."

She pushed back from her seat, doing her best to stretch to try and get the blood to flow to her head, in a hope that more blood would somehow rid her of the building exhaustion. She had to juggle too many balls at once, and if she dropped even one of them she feared what the consequences could be.

Yet she knew holding everything in and trying to organize her thoughts on her own would take far too much time and effort and would lead to her causing equal amounts of damage in the long run. Looking around the room again she could tell Nyx was doing his best to support her as well with his various experiments. She needed to get her head back in the game and soon or she would be simply wasting all their goodwill.

Sitting back down at the desk with a dejected thud as she dramatically puffed out her cheeks in a mild pout. Closing her eyes she took a moment to inhale then exhale before looking at the two of them.

"Do you mind if I unload somethings on you both?" Amelia asked before settling into a full explanation of what she had done in the bath to communicate with the planet.

"So, it turns out," she said midway through, "that there are a little less than 500 unique deities that have a hand in this world. So there's that-"

The entire time she rambled about her experience she made sure to watch Ragnar for any visible reaction to any of the bombs she was going to drop.

"These 500 deities seem to be unified and organized by six elemental deities at least that's what the planet said, and they seem to generally fit with the various myths of the gods from your church and the churches of the other nations." She paused.

"If my hunch is right, then that would explain why the nations were chosen for the Shifting in the first place. They chose kingdoms with strong beliefs in their unified power to be apart of this project. If the planet is correct then the real threat and the reason all the heroes are here is even yet to begin." Her words hung heavily in the air.

"So many nations have already fallen: Thyra's home, The Elves, the kingdom of mages, the kingdom of beasts," Amelia paused looking at Nyx.

"And it's only been the overture. What will happen to this world once the show really begins in earnest? Felencorp isn't wrong, but I don't think simple strength will be enough. We need to get creative at the very least." She said ending with her head in her hands as she tried to organize her thoughts and poke at what the planet had gifted her for clues.

"The planet gave me a lot of information, and that book that changed as soon as I arrived but I don't know what that gets us yet. Ragnar, your the head priest and really the only one who might be able to figure this stuff out with the help of the others. But I just feel like every time I take a step forward I fall into another pit trap." She said looking up with a weak smile.

"I'm afraid I'll just be a burden when things get bad, but I refuse to give up if only out of spite. The planet did give me names for the elemental gods, if those names are recognized in the world maybe they will be useful for channeling their power with your prayers?"

"I don't know if that helps at all but from what Conrad said perception is important so I figured you might be able to use these old names as a means of drawing out more power because a name is more solid- I don't know I was grasping at straws. I know you said that the goddess in your faith don't have names but I was hoping you could test it" she said watching Father Barnabas for a reaction.

"The names were:
Anema, for the goddess of Air
Pyra, for the goddess of  Fire
Hydrea, for the goddess of  Water
Gea, for the goddess of  Earth
Caliga, for the goddess of  Darkness
Luxa, for the goddess of  Light"

"Maybe try blessing your alcohol with a prayer to Luxa? Or maybe try a random thought and try a god of alcohol like Dionysus? He is a god of alcohol and I feel like he would favor you. That is assuming that book holds weight. Or hell if there is 500 why not pray for both of them?" Amelia said as she pulled random thoughts from her mind.

"We can have Nyx fill it with mana first so that it's the most powerful that something might happen." Nodding at Nyx to begin to fill at least slightly the alcohol with some of his mana. She hoped that if he did take this information poorly shifting her ideas to focus on his booze would soften the edges. She was afraid of so much happening that was out of her control and she didn't want to lose the father because she had done something that possibly put his faith at risk. She knew he was laid back and willing to reform but this would be a real test to see how far he was going to follow her lead.

"I wouldn't do all of it just enough so you notice a color change." With that off her chest, she finally sat back in the chair. But now came the hard part she had zero idea how Father Barnabas would take this all.

[Throndir]

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

With Ragnar's aid, you were able to get some progress done in learning about alchemical creations. Ragnar had even shown how some things were created. You felt that without his help, you would not have had any success at all.

Craft (alchemy) Training: 2/8

You spend an hour creating the fertilizer. With both the alchemical materials before you, along with your infusion of mana, were able to make it.

https://www.aonprd.com/EquipmentMiscDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Instant%20fertilizer

Knowledge (nature) on healing plants: 33
From the burst of information that you were shown through your link with the world, you realized that there was indeed something that was once called 'Mage's Gift'. This particular flower dripped a continuous supply of mana-infused liquid that puddle around it. Unlike most plants, the Mage's Gift used mana itself to grow, and treated it as nutrients. It continually gathered mana from the environment, with the excess mana being turned into liquid. The liquid, when consumed, had a double effect of both healing wounds and restoring mana to the user.

Knowledge (geography) on ley-line locations
There were many leylines, however, there were specific large leylines throughout the world. One of them directly passed through Mendernich.

[Mysticsage]

make request on Ragnar

Rolled 1d20+14 : 19 + 14, total 33

[Throndir]

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

Ragnar Barnabas listened intently as you described what you had learned from your link with Velothia.

"If indeed Luxa is the name of the Goddess of Light, such information was never written down on anything, even the other churches refer to the goddesses as the goddesses. However... that sort of common knowledge doesn't extend to everyone. For example, you, Amelia, or even other heroes that roam this world. Many of them come from worlds with no goddesses. From what we've found, many of the cities, towns, and villages that come through in the Shifting all have a common link between; that they have at least one of the goddesses as worshipped beings. Many times the only sole like we have with other countries is due to our shared faith in the Goddess of Light."

"But anyways, a prayer to a god named Dionysus..." Ragnar repeated as he had a far-off look in his eyes. "I must admit that the idea would normally have been absurd. A priest of the Goddess of Light to offer prayers to another deity, one not even of the pantheon that this nation believes in. However..." He paused for a moment, but remained silent as he simply began to take care of some of the alchemical materials to be used in the training. From the way he looked deeply at nothing in particular, told you that he was considering something.

Diplomacy (make request): 34

"However... If the Goddess did send you here to this country, to meet with perhaps the only Head Priest willing to throw the rules out the window, then perhaps the Goddess did indeed decide that even this is passable." Father Barnabas finally said.

"Very well, let's try it." Ragnar said with a grin.

"Energy transfer!" Nyx repeated his keyword taking Ragnar's positive reaction as the cue to transfer the mana. You felt your own mana drain, and you saw it fill one of the bottles of alcohol that Ragnar kept within reach.

Ragnar nodded a silent thanks towards Nyx, but then picked up the bottle and stared at it for a moment.

"Hmm... Just a thought from how I've seen magic work so far... Father, try using your mana, and state the prayer as you would a spell... Since I've been spending all this time experiment with my own blessings, we might as well try this too." Nyx suggested.

"Will do, man." Ragnar said before pausing, "That is... King of Beasts." Ragnar corrected himself only for Nyx to laugh warmly.

"Fear not, you are one of the chosen few of Amelia's."

Ragnar flashed a final grin towards the cat, but eventually focused on the bottle as he closed his eyes. It was silent for a few moments, but then he frowned.

"Normally... when casting a spell, the words come into my mind on what to say for the particular effect I want to do... But nothing really comes to mind for this. I could still half-ass it though if that's your jam."

Nyx nodded, though he looked towards you as well, to see if you had any further thoughts or suggestions before the priest continued.

[Mysticsage]

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

Amelia took a moment to think tapping her finger on the table as she took in Ragnar's words and looked at the two men looking for her input. She wondered if this is what it felt like to have older siblings. That thought Suddenly sent a chill down her spine as images of her younger brother and her parents filled her mind again.

Almost on instinct, she went to take Ragnar's hand, " Why don't you ask him to fortify and strengthen your body and soul with this wine? He is a very human god after all who represents freedom and other-"

She paused for a moment, "Phyiscal past times. So if there is one thing he could do it would be empowering a good drink."

"-But I think you should make sure to say that he is working as the companion of the goddess of light. I also think we should say it together. Just in case so that I can help with any mana costs," Amelia said with a smile to try and disguise her nerves.



When Amelia stood to join hands with Father Barnabas to begin praying to both gods and see what came of it, Nyx was left to watch them from a distance. However, from his position, something caught his eye - the staff on Amelia's hip. Perhaps it was this place, but ever since they started testing tonight, Nyx had felt his curiosity growing far more active than usual, and while the strange stick had never caught his interest before - at the moment a thought occurred in the back of his head.

It was the only blessing he had ever really seen with a physical form to it, and an object no less. Considering that his Restore power specifically could target objects, was there anything he could do with his power to affect Amelia to be stronger? He did have that new extension that he had yet to mention to anyone called 'Magic Mender'. He remembered Amelia's family in their old world, even if it seemed distant in his memory, dealing with old objects and restoring them to make them more valuable.

If he could restore the staff to a state where it had its full powers unlocked, like stripping the age off of an antique painting to reveal the color underneath that would be a huge boon.

While the two humans were distracted with their own work, Nyx took this opportunity to indulge his curiosity further. Targeting the staff at Amelia's hip he whispered "Restore!" with a clear image in his mind, of his time, watching the antique store.

His hope was that his power could be a key to a very complicated set of locks while keeping everything Amelia had done intact.



After looking over Amelia Nyx turned his attention to Ragnar, he was a few years older than Amelia, and yet he was on par with her physically. A new thought crossed his mind at that realization. What if he could give back time to people like he did objects? However, after a moment of thought, he shook his head. If Ragnar was uncomfortable with the idea of his energy being temporarily taken he probably wouldn't like the idea of suddenly becoming younger. Not everyone could have the courage of a proud beast he supposed.

Though there was a certain aging trainer he could probably test the theory on later. However, was there something he could test on Ragnar now that was less drastic, something to make people stronger? Thinking back he thought about he was growing physically over time and how Amelia had changed in the years he had known her. The word puberty came to his mind.

The chemicals and hormones that made any being bigger and stronger were the most present during that stage of puberty. Could he use his powers to make Ragnar go through a second puberty without changing his age?

Maybe by restoring the chemicals and hormones in his body to start his growth again he reasoned. And if he was lucky he could test it on a few people and see how they were affected over time. After all, if something got out of hand he could just revert it later.

Focusing on restoring the growth and other effects of puberty in the older man with a little smirk he said "Restore!" in a whisper.

[Mysticsage]

attempted casting with Barnabas

Rolled 1d20+11 : 5 + 11, total 16

[Mysticsage]

Refill with 1 hero point

Rolled 1d20+11 : 2 + 11, total 13

[Throndir]

Mendernich - Cathedral
Day 17 - Early Evening

Ragnar Barnabas listened to the suggestions intently. In the middle of it, he had pulled out a notebook, and a pen, and began to write some notes down.

"How about this?" Ragnar said as he handed the notebook to you. Written in Ragnar's scrawl:

Oh Dionysus, companion of the goddess: Fortify soul, strengthen body, 《Good Drink》!

Restore of Staff's Original Abilities
Ability not yet unlocked.

Restore of Growth/Puberty
Ability not yet unlocked.

[Mysticsage]

Looks good to me! Amelia said with a nod as she tried her best to help with the spell.

Out of the corner she could hear Nyx let out a sigh of quiet frustration but nothing seemed to come of it, so she decided it was best to let that lie for now while she and Ragnar did their work.