Abyssal Road Trip

Amdirlain’s PoV - Demi-Plane

With Gilorn sitting in the darkness of the empty Demi-Plane, the specks of light within her frame looked even more like stars.

“Let us work on this one together,” proposed Gilorn. “While it’s unlikely I’ll gain any levels, at least I can help you gain more time to progress your skills.”

“I’d appreciate it,” accepted Amdirlain. “Should I try to play the baseline of the Demi-Plane?”

Gilorn hummed warily. “Let’s get your harp playing up to speed on simpler projects first, shall we?”

“I’ll just duplicate the last Demi-Plane and work on improving my performance,” advised Amdirlain.

“Would you like me to point out other spots I noticed?” asked Gilorn. “A few key changes would streamline the performance.”

“Your advice would be welcome.”

“Then let me show you these sections you sang.”

With that, lines of musical notations appeared along Gilorn’s neck, and she dove into three key points.

“What’s next?” asked Amdirlain when Gilorn stopped.

“Let’s just focus on those for now. Start us off, and I’ll follow your lead,” ordered Gilorn. “Then, once you’ve got all the songs in progress, tell me more about the construct you created. It seemed similar to the guardian golems.”

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

Amdirlain stretched out on the white sands as their duet ended and listened to waves rolling in. The adjustments Gilorn had advised her to work on had reduced the time the second Demi-Plane had taken, and Amdirlain smiled at the notification that appeared when the last song ended.

[Crafting Summary (Category: Planetary Biomes and Constructs)

Interlinked self-sustaining biomes with day-night cycle x 1,104 (50%)

Dungeon complexes x17,823

Gathering challenges x94,239

Mithril-composite Construct x1

Total Experience gained: +49,623,850,000

Olindë: +49,623,850,000

Olindë Levelled Up! x7

Harmony [G] (18->20)

Resonance-Prince [G] (3->4)

True Song Genesis [G] (28->36)

Dance [G] (25->28)

Perception [S] (151->155)

True Song Architecture [G] (32->35)

Physical Geography [Ad] (22->31)

Planetary Biome [M] (56->60)]

Singing with Gilorn stretched my skills, and her inflections in parts of the songs changed many meanings. I wonder how a chorus of a few thousand Lómë would compare.

The material strength of these constructs is far beyond what I fought in the Maze, giving them a greater capacity for Class emulation. I’ll need to set them up so the slimes can control them; they should just need some tweaks to their pseudopod responses.

“That was helpful,” noted Amdirlain appreciatively.

“Your singing continued to improve throughout, but your True Form has worsened,” observed Gilorn.

Amdirlain nodded and absorbed the shadow vines before she released her True Form. Her shoulder joints compressed and shifted further about, displaced by the pressure of her wings that moved towards the outer edge of her shoulder blades as her neck elongated. While some of her spine’s hunch had eased, it had done so because of a further alteration in her hips that had set Amdirlain’s torso on a pronounced lean. Thousands of spines now breached her scarred flesh, and the ruptures leaked a black, oily ooze that turned her body into befouled rapids. The substance dissolved after a brief exposure to air and only that kept it from staining the ground with its corruption.

“I might have to see if levelling my other classes has a lesser effect,” commented Amdirlain. “I’m looking like one ugly dinosaur.”

“I’ve only met one Fallen in person, so unfortunately, I’m not in a suitable position to advise you,” Gilorn said. “You might wish to speak to Silpar on the matter. Where is he at present?”

Amdirlain coughed and returned to her Elven appearance. “I told him it wasn’t necessary to hang around.”

“You sent him on his way?” Gilorn asked. “I thought his purpose was to bodyguard you while you worked, Amdirlain.”

“Yeah, that’s what he signed on for,” agreed Amdirlain.

“What’s going on?”

“I felt like I was in a straight jacket of expected behaviour around him, even though it’s apparently not the cloister’s custom to judge each other,” admitted Amdirlain.

“Are you being a rebellious young lady objecting to an elder’s oversight?” Gilorn laughed.

“Obviously,” huffed Amdirlain. “Getting called a child was a tad insulting, even if I can logically understand that I’m not old enough to be considered an adult. I’ve not exactly had a typical Anar or Lómë childhood.”

“I wanted to seal that oaf’s mouth up. Should I take away his True Song and remove his classes?”

“What?” blurted Amdirlain.

“Orhêthurin was furious with the Anar and Lómë, and taught me songs to remove their True Song Power and related capabilities. I never understood why she needed me to possess the capability to do so,” said Gilorn. “Perhaps she foresaw her own death.”

No, just believed and even craved what Kronos had told her. Yet she sealed Gilorn away in that stasis field? Was there some limit on the stasis that I couldn’t hear?

“Let’s not take that route,” said Amdirlain.

“True, merely being insulting doesn’t merit annihilating someone’s foundations in life,” agreed Gilorn. “However tempting it would be. Did Silpar imply you were a child? Is that why you dismissed him from your presence?”

“No,” clarified Amdirlain. “My history and other things had Silpar’s hovering, getting on my nerves.”

“What part of your history?” chimed Gilorn. “It’s rather long.”

“This life, not Ori’s. A stalker who’d been obsessive about me, even finding out where I’d lived and watching my window, cursed me, and sent me back to this realm.”

“Oh,” murmured Gilorn.

“My changes won’t matter once I break free of the curse, so it’s just a short-term ugliness,” continued Amdirlain. “I’m not vain enough that the appearance matters. I’ll hide it so it’s not unsettling to others, however, it feels a little weird whenever it shifts about, so I’ll have to be careful that I’m not in a serious fight when that happens.”

“That should only matter if you’re in a physical altercation,” said Gilorn, her frame flashing briefly.

“Unless I’m using Dance to smooth the musical flow and drive through someone’s greater magic rating,” countered Amdirlain.

“Do you drive up your classes quickly and afterwards improve your abilities?”

Amdirlain wrinkled her nose. “I get impatient to be free, but then I realise how selfish I am and calm down. If my levels were high enough, I might accept the change before I rein myself in.”

“Very well. In that case, we need some exercises to push your True Song and increase any other skills you need without pushing your level too fast,” stated Gilorn. “You mentioned a few earlier, but what powers and skills do you want to work on with me?”

“True Song, Resonance, Dance, Perception, True Song Architecture, and I need more knowledge about planetary formations and lifeforms,” stated Amdirlain. “I received an orb with knowledge from a Goddess of Life, but it only contains information from one world.”

“You used that world for the basis of the land masses here?” questioned Gilorn.

Amdirlain nodded and stretched a foot through the white sand, enjoying it trickling between her toes. “Most of her followers are on the world that the Lómë live on.”

“Then, for the last three, I’d suggest we study the contents of that orrery that was in my case,” declared Gilorn. “You mentioned needing thousands of these?”

“That number is a bit high. I don’t think I need one for each Qil Tris city,” admitted Amdirlain. “I gave that number to keep myself busy and ensure I didn’t take the species upgrade too early.”

“What counts as a high?” questioned Gilorn.

“Their entire world is close to the size of this hollow Demi-Plane,” Amdirlain coughed, and she drew her clothing back on.

Gilorn emitted a merry run of notes. “Oh dear. Your goals might sound ambitious for their expansion, but you know they are still relatively minor.”

“If I did the rest of that three and half thousand by myself, it would get me to level 340 in my Olindë Class,” reported Amdirlain. “It gives me the biggest improvement, at least attribute-wise.”

“What about your other two Prestige Classes?”

“That’s it. If I push both of them to the same level, that puts me sixty-two levels over what I need for Empress Malfex. Then, I can get extra levels by progressing Fallen and my last Class.”

“That’s if you do the work yourself, yet singing with someone is a way to stretch your capabilities,” advised Gilorn. “What else could you use these hollow worlds for?”

Amdirlain chewed her lips momentarily. “There is the Formithian species that has invaded many worlds. While I’d like to isolate them, the problem is that hollow demi-planes would be unsuitable for the Formithian as their nests rely on the warmth in the depth of a world for their hatching chambers.”

“Perhaps save that conflict for after you restore yourself to a Primordial state,” said Gilorn.

“If I can,” countered Amdirlain. “I’m told it’s not a certain thing.”

“No, there is no ‘if’. You will,” Gilorn said sternly. “No defeatism from my student, thank you very much, young lady.”

“Sorry, móðir,” muttered Amdirlain.

Gilorn hummed happily. “That’s more like it. Shall we set a schedule?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Let’s start with one each night,” proposed Gilorn. “It will take less than a year to fulfil what you need for Qil Tris. We can then set up other hollow demi-planes as training locations for other worlds, or do you believe Qil Tris is the only place that deserves them?”

“Two a night,” countered Amdirlain. “I’ll handle them separately to working with the Lómë. If that gets off the ground.”

“Oh, it will. I think you walking away will make those interested even more eager. Why not ask Gideon to provide a list of worlds and the songs to use if we can’t get them from the orrery?” asked Gilorn. “If those in the Titan’s forge simply make the material of the worlds, it allows you to do the more complex parts of the atmosphere and species. We can do the three hundred and fifty demi-planes you wished for the training and then stretch True Song further with those worlds.”

“The creation of a planet’s core, mantle, and crust being a physical strain, but essentially the same melody sung until it’s completed,” said Amdirlain. “That makes sense, and Gideon has wanted me to populate worlds for some time now.”

“Demi-planes are also not a long-term solution for populations for an obvious reason,” advised Gilorn.

“The lack of the Material Plane barrier,” stated Amdirlain.

“Exactly, no Demi-Plane can gain that barrier, so demi-planes are not a permanent haven,” stated Gilorn.

Amdirlain nodded. “Alright.”

I have half a year to figure out what to do about the ghost caverns. Or do I leave them as is? Qil Tris is a pressure cooker that allows them to gain Tier 7s. If I close off the ghost caverns, the frequency of anyone obtaining those classes would likely drop to almost zero.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Gilorn. “You’ve got a fairly ominous frown going on.”

“I wonder whether it would be right to remove an avenue of growth from people,” explained Amdirlain.

“Did you create the situation to allow them to gain strength?”

“No,” admitted Amdirlain sourly, and she explained the situation with the ghost caverns and the pantheon’s curse.

Gilorn chimed. “My first recommendation is to leave it until you are no longer cursed. Don’t make your burden greater. Gail has told me your quote about good people allowing evil to prosper by doing nothing, so forget using that argument. My question is: what would happen if the formithians showed up on their doorstep?”

Amdirlain burst out laughing. “The formithians would have an awful time.”

“Let them retain their path of growth,” advised Gilorn. “Though I might have an idea, it would need verification.”

“Alright, I’d better get back to the monastery before my morning class,” said Amdirlain. “Do you want to come with me or go to Foundry?”

“I’ll come with you, and when you have spare time, you can practise,” replied Gilorn.

“Is there an advantage to me using you as a harp and not just singing together?” questioned Amdirlain.

“Yes. Singing with you, I add my capability to yours, but as an instrument, I magnify your songs,” explained Gilorn. “For now, the former is greater, but the latter is far more beneficial in the long term.”

Amdirlain nodded and transported them both to the Outlands.

She’d been careful to arrive within the forest, well out of sight of the fields, but Amdirlain sighed as she took in those present on the mountain and in the expanse controlled by Liva’s Domain beyond it. Gilorn floated beside Amdirlain as she rose above the trees and started for the boundary; the moment they crossed it, she teleported them to her courtyard. The place was unoccupied, and Amdirlain took Gilorn to the training hall. Once there, she released the construct she’d created while working on the Demi-Plane and teleported it to the far side of the hall before going upstairs.

As she settled on an upper platform, Amdirlain heard not one but three new arrivals on the Domain’s edge. While Anna and Hestia moved to Livia’s house, Mars arrived on the road outside Amdirlain’s courtyard. Though the second connection to his Mantle was evident, he looked like a common soldier with a battered set of legionary’s gear, leather cuirass, rectangular shield, and a long spear casually clasped in his hand. He shifted the weapon to hold it and the shield together and reached for the gate’s latch.

I wonder if Anna told him?

With a reassuring pat atop Gilorn’s neck, Amdirlain teleported to the steps

Upon seeing her, Mars stopped with one hand on the courtyard’s gate and gave her a sheepish smile.

Amdirlain nodded politely. “Hello, Mars.”

“I’ve been told the locals call you Lady Am,” Mars said. “Is Am too familiar? I don’t think it’s right to use your full name where anyone can hear it.”

“Am is fine. You’ve said you’re my shield brother after all,” replied Amdirlain, and she beckoned him to come inside.

Mars stepped through the gate and bashfully scratched his bushy beard. “I couldn’t even sneak up on you.”

“Were you really trying?” inquired Amdirlain.

“Not seriously, but I still guess I’d fail as a scout trying to get close to you,” chuckled Mars. As he crossed the courtyard, his weapon and shield disappeared into a storage device, and he unbuckled his helmet.

Amdirlain shook her head. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve done a fine job in that role.”

“I just learned to listen twice over,” muttered Mars. “Once to you, and once to Anna.”

Though she could hear Anna’s strained chords, Amdirlain wondered what he knew. “How is she doing?”

“She’s better each day, still hurting far too much for my comfort,” replied Mars. “Despite what she says, I can see it in her gaze, but I don’t pry. Just listen when she wants to talk.”

I advised him to listen, but I couldn’t accept Sarah’s offer to do the same.

Amdirlain motioned to the door behind her. “Come on in.”

“I hope you have a beer or something,” said Mars.

“I’m pretty sure I can manage refreshments you’ll enjoy,” responded Amdirlain, and she turned towards the training hall, hand lightly clasping the handle.

Mars shrugged. “As long as it’s not berry leaves in hot water.”

“That got anything to do with the world you were exploring?” questioned Amdirlain.

“The elves didn’t know about fermented drinks, just different types of berries and mushrooms boiled in water,” explained Mars. “Some of them had a bit of kick from how they reacted, but frankly, tasted like a weird soup.”

“It sounds like they’ve adopted you,” said Amdirlain. “Certainly, your Mantle has a connection to their world now.”

“They used to just forage for their favourites in the forest,” stated Mars. “Given what you said about elven agriculture upon other worlds. It was simply a matter of ensuring they knew how to replant them so they had more control and set up a watch so they wouldn’t lose the harvest to the local wildlife.”

I’d heard some say beer was one reason humanity got into crop growing; to each their own, right?

“With their favourite recreational produce in one spot, they also needed to arrange for food,” noted Amdirlain.

Mars’ smile lit up his face. “Hestia was shocked, and you take it so casually.”

“If they’re not hurting themselves or others, I’m not judging anyone,” replied Amdirlain. “I’ve got some enchanted items that can provide whatever refreshments you’d prefer.”

As Mars reached her, Amdirlain pushed open the doors, but despite the surprise she sensed in him, he ignored the sights beyond and stepped close to clasp her shoulders. “It is good you are well, friend. Livia told me of your battles against the Eldritch.”

“Oh?”

“You need to learn to dodge better,” declared Mars. “First, you had your chest torn open with me and lost your legs in another fight. You gave the young lady a scare that I’ll tell you.”

As he stepped across the threshold, a brief frown crossed his face.

“This dimension haven is strange. Just as you couldn’t sense it from outside, once inside, sensing the exterior will take time,” advised Amdirlain.

“You’ve grown much stronger to manage that against divine senses,” said Mars.

“I’m stronger than I was when we last met,” agreed Amdirlain. “But it’s more about what you’re used to than my strength. You’ll adjust to it over time. Livia can already sense the general interior.”

Mars laughed. “I’d take comfort in your increased strength if not for your tendency to find ever stronger foes to fight.”

“How else am I meant to get stronger if I don’t fight tougher foes?” countered Amdirlain.

“I have no complaints about that, but learn to dodge better, that’s all I’m saying,” insisted Mars. He kissed her on either cheek, the bristles of his beard scratching against her skin. “Now tell me of all your battles since we last met, sister.”

Amdirlain blinked in surprise at his easy familiarity. “Those would take longer than I have time to cover.”

“Then tell me what you can before your first training session today,” Mars declared as he released her shoulders. “I’ll come back to hear others when you have time, or whatever else you want to discuss.”

Do I have a sign on me? Why is everyone offering to listen to me?

“Why?”

“You’re my battle sister, isn’t that obvious?” questioned Mars. “Why wouldn’t I take time to help you?”

Amdirlain sighed. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why the offer? I’ve had lots of people offering to listen to me lately.”

“Something Anna said: people give the best advice about things they know best or crave the most,” replied Mars. “You gave excellent advice about listening and keeping Anna company. If you are craving someone to listen to you, then maybe you are giving out a vibe people are picking up on. I might not be the person whose company you crave, but I’ll listen if you need a friendly ear. I’ve been told I’ve grown skilled in that area.”

I don’t know if what I crave has been mixed with Orhêthurin’s desires. A vibe? Is that another side effect of Muse’s Insight?

“What about Anna?” Amdirlain asked. “You came here together.”

“I’ve other avatars, and I’m sure she’d come and listen too if you want a bigger audience,” chuckled Mars. “She’s not the jealous type.”

Amdirlain grunted. “I’m not sure I’ve got anything coherent to discuss.”

“Oh?” inquired Mars attentively, his posture open and relaxed.

Rather than explain, Amdirlain headed for the stairs that led to where Gilorn was sitting.

When Mars stepped onto the platform, he took in Gilorn’s black, star-speckled appearance and sat down without comment.

“Mars, this is Gilorn, Gilorn, this is Mars,” said Amdirlain, casually waving between them.

“You named a harp?” questioned Mars.

“Why? Do you only name your spears?” questioned Gilorn. “And Am didn’t name me, Orhêthurin did.”

Mars’ eyebrows lifted sharply towards his hairline, and he snorted in surprise. “You talk? Goodness. I should get used to taking things with Am at face value. Whatever she tells me from now on, I will believe immediately.”

“That sounds like a wise plan,” Gilorn agreed. “She’s a very adept pupil.”

“You’re easily impressed,” said Amdirlain.

He waved about them. “All the enchantments you’ve got in this place, I shouldn’t have been sceptical about your introduction to Gilorn. With a place like this, a talking magical harp shouldn’t be a surprise.”

“I’m not a magical harp,” corrected Gilorn. “I’m a crystalline lifeform.”

“You look like a harp to me,” replied Mars

“That’s because I was created to be a harp, but Orhêthurin took things further than she had originally intended,” advised Gilorn. “When she realised the outcome of her improvements to my song, she completed the process instead of reversing my sentience so I wouldn’t remember being fully alive.”

Mars inclined his head politely. “Then it is an honour to meet you, Gilorn. Though you are the first crystalline lifeform I’ve met, I can’t sense the life force or any enchantment within you.”

“That is because Orhêthurin does excellent work,” stated Gilorn. “You’re respectful to Am and genuine in your affection for her, so I think we’ll get on fine.”

“I never lie about liking someone. That would be a waste of my time and theirs,” laughed Mars.

“How so?”

“If someone I disliked thought we were friends, they might try to spend time with me and spoil my mood,” explained Mars. “Then I’d have to spend time getting rid of my bad mood after they left instead of enjoying life.”

“You have a very straightforward outlook,” stated Gilorn.

“I’m a soldier. I like to keep things simple, and I’ve no time for false friends,” stated Mars. “Am did right by my worshipers, has fought by my side, and has done right by me, so she’s my friend. If she needs an enemy killed, I’ll happily fight beside her to kill it and trust that she’ll have my back in battle. Plus, she has already provided some excellent foes to face on the battlefield.”

“Glad you liked them,” said Amdirlain.

“The Eldritch I prefer dead, and demons I could have kept crushing for days,” replied Mars. “We should do that again sometime.”

“I’m trying to decide on another melee Class to increase my quickness. Once I’ve got that figured out, I’ll want lots of combat,” advised Amdirlain.

Mars eagerly rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. Let me know when you’re ready. I’ve heard you’ve organised some training here, so I expect it won’t be soon.”

“Between the training and other things, I’ve likely got a few busy years ahead of me,” admitted Amdirlain.

“I’m in no rush—years or centuries, whatever time you need. Impatience is for young soldiers, those who survive their impatience learn better. Will you tell me about this place?” Mars questioned, waving out at the barriers for the sparring and spell-casting areas. “Livia said you’ve been giving students combat training, not just teaching them drills. You’ve got enough space here to have legions conducting combat exercises.”

“It was just individual combat training, not on a group level,” corrected Amdirlain. “It’s only been one session so far, but I mentally projected scenarios to each student, adjusted according to their skill, and used some effects so they could feel the resistance of strikes and blocks.”

“Interesting,” murmured Mars. “How many do you think you could train at once?”

“I’m not exactly sure, it’s more complicated than teaching affinities,” admitted Amdirlain. “If I was running the same drill for each student, I’d be able to manage a few thousand. The tailored version requires more effort, but at least a few hundred.”

“Tailored in what way?” asked Mars.

“Mental projections of foes with suitable strength for each student, and responding to their attacks and counters.”

“I see, since not everyone has the same strength, you have to mix it up,” acknowledged Mars. “Adds to the complexity of helping them.”

Amdirlain put a hand on a tray, created a litre stein for each of them, and passed him one. “Anyway, I’ve been neglectful in my hospitality.”

“I can smell the hops in that,” commented Mars appreciatively, eyeing the amber liquid and the thin white head atop it. “Though I’ve never smelt beer quite like it before. It is beer, isn’t it?”

“One from my home world,” replied Amdirlain, and she clicked her glass against his. “To good health.”

“And many dead enemies,” Mars grinned before taking a large gulp. “Cold beer? The taste is different, but good.”

“I’m glad you like it. This was my brother’s favourite,” said Amdirlain, taking a modest mouthful.

“He drank a lot of different beers?”

“Beers could be accessed from all over our world. There were hundreds of brewers, each with multiple beers. I can’t tell you how many there were, thousands for sure,” replied Amdirlain. “He had belonged to a group since he was twenty-one, and they sent him sixteen different beers each month. Some had flavours he found odd, but this one he liked. It’s from a craft brewer, so there was a limited supply. Still, he’d share it with me when I spent time with him and his family.”

“A fond memory of drinking with your brother?”

“Family time was always good. He was the best big brother a pesky little sister could ask for,” confirmed Amdirlain. The jealousy from deep in her Soul rose again and the feel of Orhêthurin’s emotions were clear. “I miss all of them.”

Ori only had one daughter, and she ended up having to kill her. Why? Isa mentioned she recalled relief. Did Ori kill Ólneth only to protect Mori or for another reason?

Mars lifted his glass. “To family.”

“Family,” returned Amdirlain.

Amdirlain heard another Avatar of Mars turn up at the Domain’s edge and raised an eyebrow.

“This me is going to sit here and listen to you or the quiet in here,” explained Mars, motioning down the slope. “That me will tend to whatever meeting Anna nervously invited me to today. She thinks I didn’t notice her increased Mantle strength, but I also have a connection to another world, so I know the signs.”

“Just as long as you clarify, I didn’t tell you,” said Amdirlain. “I told her I wouldn’t.”

“Tell me what,” Mars replied, going wide-eyed in pretend surprise.

“That I’m a mess,” said Amdirlain, opting to change the subject. “Do the Romans have any traditions about past lives?”

After giving a tiny headshake, Mars slowly sipped his beer.

When was the last time I just sat still? Even on Qil Tris I was pushing my Resonance while sitting in the apartment, aside from enduring the resistance training, which most people wouldn’t count as time relaxing.

Amdirlain eased back into her seat, drank her beer and enjoyed the comfortable silence.