As Dream had guessed, Riddick did indeed get scared.
As soon as the mana wave hit, he popped out of bed.
"...A class 3?"
Riddick was put on full alert, though when he remembered where he was, he calmed down a bit. There was no way those foxes could've tracked him here.
"Where's the boy?"
Riddick walked outside the house and could sense a huge source of mana a little ways away. He hadn't really noticed it before since his mind was on other things.
He walked around the workshop and saw a big capsule made of intertwined roots. The mana fluctuations came from inside.
He walked up to it and pressed his hand against the roots. This was when he felt the true extent of the mana being moved.
"...Good god. What are these roots? Are these for the trees? Why is there so much mana moving through them? And...Boy? You're in there?"
"Old Man! Don't come in here!"
"You are in there!"
Riddick exclaimed as Dream's voice came from inside the capsule. He was in the center of those mana fluctuations!
"I'm fine. It's just my project."
"What the hell kind of project are you working on? How did you get ahold of so much mana?"
"I'll be done in a bit, so just wait in the house. I'll explain then."
"...Very well."
Riddick took his word for it and went back to the house.
.............
After half an hour, Sophia notified him.
[It's done!]
"Sweet."
Dream smiled at the notifications. Throughout the whole thing, [Magic] had leveled up 6 times while Material magic actually leveled up 3 times. Both skills were now level 30.
Not only that, but Sophia leveled up twice. She was now level 61.
[The fog update has already taken effect. The update for the mana concentration will take a while though.]
"That's fine. Let's go talk to the Old Man."
Dream stood up and exited the root capsule. He walked over and entered the house.
"So what was that?"
When he walked through the door, he found Riddick sitting on the couch. He went over and sat across from him.
"That was the core than powers this entire dome with mana. I was editing the enchantment on it so that the fog outside would confuse animals. That way those pesky clan whatevers won't be able to enter."
"You can do that?"
"Of course. Though it took almost a week of analyzing to actually understand, so it could be said that only I can do that. Unless the master enchanters of this world are more extraordinary than I think they are."
"Hmm, they are extraordinary. But nevermind that. How about you tell me what the hell you did with yourself. And why are your mana levels so high? Did you really level up that much?"
"Heh."
Dream chuckled a bit. Until two days ago, he hadn't leveled up that much.
"Alright, first off, I'm level 155."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. Though that's only because I killed that person who was about to decapitate you."
"...Oh, right."
Riddick remembered how he had seen Dream that day and how the fox's head exploded in front of him.
"From that kill alone, I leveled up 53 times. Before then, I was only level 102."
"...You might've leveled up more if I hadn't taken most of the experience."
"Yes, he was very weak, which was the only reason I got the kill easily."
"Indeed. So what about your body? If it weren't for the fact that you look mostly the same, I would think you're another person entirely. Or it would be better to say, another thing."
"Well, funny story. I actually built myself a body. It's much better than my previous one."
"...You built yourself a body?"
"Yes."
"..."
Riddick put on a dumb face. He wanted to say such a thing were stupid, but the proof was right in front of him. Dream was so different that only a built body would explain why he was so different. Hell, he could sense the mithril inside of him.
"So...Is that really Mithril inside your body?"
"More precisely, I've made my entire skeleton out of Mithril."
"...You're a mad man. Even crazier than Graff."
"I prefer to think of myself as a passionate intellectual. Anyway, I rebuilt my body after I got my second class."
"And what is your second class?"
"It's called [Master Artificer]."
"You got a Master class at only class 2?! How is that possible?!"
Riddick was finally at the end of his wits hearing that and shouted. Dream recoiled at the sudden zeal.
"I can imagine it's not common, but damn."
"Of course it's not common! I've only heard legends of a class 2 being a Master, and they usually had to do with the Rulers of the Empires when they were young."
"But didn't you say that there were people with the word grand or great at second class?"
"There's a big difference between a Grand or a Great and a Master. A Master is just that, a Master. Among everyone else, they're at the top of their skillset. Though, I wonder why you chose to be an artificer. They're craftsmen, not fighters. Like an engineer or carpenter. What were your other choices?"
"Let's see... There was one for an engineer, one was a gunner, thermal mage, blacksmith, enchanter, and then the last was a Warlock."
"A Warlock?!"
"Woah, chill out Old Man."
"Don't tell me to chill out when a mere class 2 was allowed to become a Warlock! Why didn't you choose that?!"
"I-I didn't know what the hell a Warlock was! For all I knew it was some weird dude who played with poison and skeletons."
"...Well you're half right. They're sorcerers who combine their magic with alchemy. There was once a Warlock at the Spire who was just as feared as that Mana Weaver I told you about."
"What happened to him?"
"He died to one of his own concoctions. He also destroyed an entire Spire right in the center of capital city in the process. Not only was none of his body found, but several dozen people died. Most of his research was lost as well. It was a big blow to the alchemy community. But besides the point. I'll have you know that he was a class 3! And you were able to choose that class at class 2!"
"...I still don't think I would've chosen it."
"What?"
Riddick looked at him like he had been offended. Dream just massaged his forehead.
"Look, I don't know hardly anything about alchemy. Plus, I can do better stuff with enchantments and such. Sure my class is only a crafting type, but my strength does not lack at all. In fact, the only reason I have my strength is because I was able to craft. I crafted this body, my weapons, and my armor. I can manipulate mana and matter like it's a part of me, and that lets me do some amazing things. I think if I had become a warlock, I would be weaker than right now."
"Hmm, maybe. But still. I can't believe those were even choices. Did you know Graff is a magic engineer? And he's at the same level as me."
"Huh. Though I was able to make better stuff than him. What was his mana at?"
"I think A. He had pretty much gone through his potential though."
"What's your mana at?"
"A+. I haven't crossed the barrier to S level mana."
"Hm. Well, now you'll be able to focus on your skills. So no rush."
"What about you, Boy? What're your plans in all this."
"Hmm..."
Dream delved into thought. What were his plans? Everything was kind of thrown out the window just recently.
"...Well, there is one thing that I'll be doing soon. I'll be going to sleep. But it'll be for about a week."
"You're going to sleep for a week? Why?"
"My body actually hasn't been completely rebuilt. I need that week of sleep for it to finally be completed."
"Interesting. Do you need me to protect you?"
"Well, there aren't any threats here, so not really. But you need to rest, so you should stay anyway."
"Hmm...Very well. I'll stay until you wake back up. But after that, I'll be leaving."
"You have an idea where you want to go?"
"The Spire. It'll be important for my advancement. Maybe you could go with me. There would be no need to avoid attention, and maybe you could enroll in the academy."
"Would the academy help me at all?"
"It might, or might not. What it would do for you, however, is give you a social life. Ever since you came to this world you've been with us. You haven't made any other friends, and unless you get out there, you'll remain a loner craftsman who stays isolated in the woods doing crazy stuff. The academy would be a good place to start. And there's one other reason to go to the Spire. One you'll need to consider soon, by the looks of it."
"What's that?"
"You're going to be coming up on class 3. I have absolutely no doubt that you'll get there, it's only a matter of when. And one of the things you'll need to do upon reaching class 3 is creating your mana pathways."
"I remember you saying something about that. That humans have to make them but not animals."
"Indeed. Though it gives certain advantages in return. A class 3 human mage will almost always beat a class 3 animal mage. But since animals don't need to make them, this means that they have far more class 3's than humans do. We have quality, they have quantity."
"I see. So what does the Spire have to do with this?"
"The Spire has its own techniques for creating mana pathways. Should you be powerful enough and affiliate with them, you would receive those techniques to use. The same goes for The Sword School and even the Mountain. They each have their own techniques. So unless you want to be stuck figuring it out yourself, I highly suggest you go to an Empire and learn at least one technique. Your best option among them would be the Spire since you handle magic. At least in my opinion."
"...Interesting."
Dream thought about these mana pathways. He was really interested in figuring them out. He could probably design his very own.
"Couldn't you just share the technique with me though?"
"Unfortunately, no. The way I had to create mine is a bit unorthodox due to my blessing, so you wouldn't be able to use it."
"Oh ya, what's with that blessing?"
Dream remembered when it was brought up when they were with Graff. It was a conversation they never got to.
"I was blessed by a god and gained a Title."
"...By a god? There are gods?"
"There are. I don't know much about them other than they're there. Either way, I gained some skills oriented towards destruction. I've never heard from this god since."
"Huh. Well, if the Spire holds the knowledge to create a set of pathways, then I guess I'll have to go there sooner rather then later. And I guess I wouldn't mind meeting new people. I don't really have anything else to do."
"Then after you sleep for that week, we can head out. When will you start?"
"Anytime."
"The sooner the better."
"Tonight then. If you need anything, let me know before then."
"Sure."
"I'll be in my room."
Dream stood up and walked out of the living room towards his bedroom. When he entered, he brought his attention to Sophia.
'So is there anything other than sleep that I'll need?'
[Nope. Even right now the cells are converting around the top of the spinal cord. It won't be long before it seeps into the brain. During the sleep, your brain will be in an inactive state, like a coma. I want as little as possible to happen so nothing unpredictable occurs. This is also good for you cause it'll be like you only slept for a couple of hours.]
'So I'm gonna take a nap and wake up next week. Sounds like my middle of the day power naps after track practice.'
[I also might do some crafting or experiments while you sleep and maybe look into these mana pathways.]
'That's fine. Sorry to leave you alone for so long.'
[It's alright. You just have a nice nap.]
'I will.'
Dream laid down in his bed, thinking about the academy at the Spire. If he were still back on Earth, he would be in college, so he wouldn't be that out of place. He would also get to see what life was like for the people there. A school in another world.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
.............
That night, Dream found Riddick before heading to bed.
"I'm starting my sleep."
"Alright."
With a brief acknowledgment, Dream laid back down on his bed.
'...Goodnight.'
[Goodnight.]
He closed his eyes as his vision faded. Soon, he was unconscious. A few minutes after that, he fell into a comatose state.
..................
............
.....
As Dream was going to sleep, several thousand miles away were the girls.
Currently, they were both tied up and sitting against a tree. Around them were all the other foxes who were escorting them.
"Report."
A fox appeared near the escort group and went towards one of the class 3's.
"What is it?"
"We've done reconnaissance on the battle site."
"And? Where's our assassin?"
"Unknown. When we got there all the corpses were gone. There was also no sign of the assassin or Riddick Durov."
"...?"
When the girls heard this, their ears perked up. No sign of their dad? But wasn't he supposed to be dead?
"...Did he survive?"
"The orders were to deliver his head. But there was nowhere on the ground that would indicate a decapitation."
"...He was on the verge of death. Even if we assume the worst and he's still alive, he'll need time to recover. And since there's no sign of the assassin by now, we're going to continue."
"Understood."
"Send a messenger ahead of us to deliver mission status to Raoul. At the rate we're going, we'll reach our territories in at most two weeks."
"Understood."
After that, the fox disappeared and left to who knows where. The leader looked over everyone.
"We leave at dawn. Get some sleep."
Everyone nodded and the lights were put out. Pretty soon, all the foxes were asleep. All except for the girls.
After hearing that their dad could still be alive, they regained some hope. All the possibilities played out in their head for how their dad could get out of that situation, but only one seemed the most plausible.
'Could it be Dream?' (Iris)
'I-I'm not sure.' (Luna)
'They said dad isn't dead?'
'...Maybe.'
'I...What do we do?'
'...We just stay together. We'll be okay.'
They cuddled in their fox forms, each comforting the other. They at least still had each other and a little bit of hope.
As Dream had guessed, Riddick did indeed get scared.
As soon as the mana wave hit, he popped out of bed.
"...A class 3?"
Riddick was put on full alert, though when he remembered where he was, he calmed down a bit. There was no way those foxes could've tracked him here.
"Where's the boy?"
Riddick walked outside the house and could sense a huge source of mana a little ways away. He hadn't really noticed it before since his mind was on other things.
He walked around the workshop and saw a big capsule made of intertwined roots. The mana fluctuations came from inside.
He walked up to it and pressed his hand against the roots. This was when he felt the true extent of the mana being moved.
"...Good god. What are these roots? Are these for the trees? Why is there so much mana moving through them? And...Boy? You're in there?"
"Old Man! Don't come in here!"
"You are in there!"
Riddick exclaimed as Dream's voice came from inside the capsule. He was in the center of those mana fluctuations!
"I'm fine. It's just my project."
"What the hell kind of project are you working on? How did you get ahold of so much mana?"
"I'll be done in a bit, so just wait in the house. I'll explain then."
"...Very well."
Riddick took his word for it and went back to the house.
.............
After half an hour, Sophia notified him.
[It's done!]
"Sweet."
Dream smiled at the notifications. Throughout the whole thing, [Magic] had leveled up 6 times while Material magic actually leveled up 3 times. Both skills were now level 30.
Not only that, but Sophia leveled up twice. She was now level 61.
[The fog update has already taken effect. The update for the mana concentration will take a while though.]
"That's fine. Let's go talk to the Old Man."
Dream stood up and exited the root capsule. He walked over and entered the house.
"So what was that?"
When he walked through the door, he found Riddick sitting on the couch. He went over and sat across from him.
"That was the core than powers this entire dome with mana. I was editing the enchantment on it so that the fog outside would confuse animals. That way those pesky clan whatevers won't be able to enter."
"You can do that?"
"Of course. Though it took almost a week of analyzing to actually understand, so it could be said that only I can do that. Unless the master enchanters of this world are more extraordinary than I think they are."
"Hmm, they are extraordinary. But nevermind that. How about you tell me what the hell you did with yourself. And why are your mana levels so high? Did you really level up that much?"
"Heh."
Dream chuckled a bit. Until two days ago, he hadn't leveled up that much.
"Alright, first off, I'm level 155."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. Though that's only because I killed that person who was about to decapitate you."
"...Oh, right."
Riddick remembered how he had seen Dream that day and how the fox's head exploded in front of him.
"From that kill alone, I leveled up 53 times. Before then, I was only level 102."
"...You might've leveled up more if I hadn't taken most of the experience."
"Yes, he was very weak, which was the only reason I got the kill easily."
"Indeed. So what about your body? If it weren't for the fact that you look mostly the same, I would think you're another person entirely. Or it would be better to say, another thing."
"Well, funny story. I actually built myself a body. It's much better than my previous one."
"...You built yourself a body?"
"Yes."
"..."
Riddick put on a dumb face. He wanted to say such a thing were stupid, but the proof was right in front of him. Dream was so different that only a built body would explain why he was so different. Hell, he could sense the mithril inside of him.
"So...Is that really Mithril inside your body?"
"More precisely, I've made my entire skeleton out of Mithril."
"...You're a mad man. Even crazier than Graff."
"I prefer to think of myself as a passionate intellectual. Anyway, I rebuilt my body after I got my second class."
"And what is your second class?"
"It's called [Master Artificer]."
"You got a Master class at only class 2?! How is that possible?!"
Riddick was finally at the end of his wits hearing that and shouted. Dream recoiled at the sudden zeal.
"I can imagine it's not common, but damn."
"Of course it's not common! I've only heard legends of a class 2 being a Master, and they usually had to do with the Rulers of the Empires when they were young."
"But didn't you say that there were people with the word grand or great at second class?"
"There's a big difference between a Grand or a Great and a Master. A Master is just that, a Master. Among everyone else, they're at the top of their skillset. Though, I wonder why you chose to be an artificer. They're craftsmen, not fighters. Like an engineer or carpenter. What were your other choices?"
"Let's see... There was one for an engineer, one was a gunner, thermal mage, blacksmith, enchanter, and then the last was a Warlock."
"A Warlock?!"
"Woah, chill out Old Man."
"Don't tell me to chill out when a mere class 2 was allowed to become a Warlock! Why didn't you choose that?!"
"I-I didn't know what the hell a Warlock was! For all I knew it was some weird dude who played with poison and skeletons."
"...Well you're half right. They're sorcerers who combine their magic with alchemy. There was once a Warlock at the Spire who was just as feared as that Mana Weaver I told you about."
"What happened to him?"
"He died to one of his own concoctions. He also destroyed an entire Spire right in the center of capital city in the process. Not only was none of his body found, but several dozen people died. Most of his research was lost as well. It was a big blow to the alchemy community. But besides the point. I'll have you know that he was a class 3! And you were able to choose that class at class 2!"
"...I still don't think I would've chosen it."
"What?"
Riddick looked at him like he had been offended. Dream just massaged his forehead.
"Look, I don't know hardly anything about alchemy. Plus, I can do better stuff with enchantments and such. Sure my class is only a crafting type, but my strength does not lack at all. In fact, the only reason I have my strength is because I was able to craft. I crafted this body, my weapons, and my armor. I can manipulate mana and matter like it's a part of me, and that lets me do some amazing things. I think if I had become a warlock, I would be weaker than right now."
"Hmm, maybe. But still. I can't believe those were even choices. Did you know Graff is a magic engineer? And he's at the same level as me."
"Huh. Though I was able to make better stuff than him. What was his mana at?"
"I think A. He had pretty much gone through his potential though."
"What's your mana at?"
"A+. I haven't crossed the barrier to S level mana."
"Hm. Well, now you'll be able to focus on your skills. So no rush."
"What about you, Boy? What're your plans in all this."
"Hmm..."
Dream delved into thought. What were his plans? Everything was kind of thrown out the window just recently.
"...Well, there is one thing that I'll be doing soon. I'll be going to sleep. But it'll be for about a week."
"You're going to sleep for a week? Why?"
"My body actually hasn't been completely rebuilt. I need that week of sleep for it to finally be completed."
"Interesting. Do you need me to protect you?"
"Well, there aren't any threats here, so not really. But you need to rest, so you should stay anyway."
"Hmm...Very well. I'll stay until you wake back up. But after that, I'll be leaving."
"You have an idea where you want to go?"
"The Spire. It'll be important for my advancement. Maybe you could go with me. There would be no need to avoid attention, and maybe you could enroll in the academy."
"Would the academy help me at all?"
"It might, or might not. What it would do for you, however, is give you a social life. Ever since you came to this world you've been with us. You haven't made any other friends, and unless you get out there, you'll remain a loner craftsman who stays isolated in the woods doing crazy stuff. The academy would be a good place to start. And there's one other reason to go to the Spire. One you'll need to consider soon, by the looks of it."
"What's that?"
"You're going to be coming up on class 3. I have absolutely no doubt that you'll get there, it's only a matter of when. And one of the things you'll need to do upon reaching class 3 is creating your mana pathways."
"I remember you saying something about that. That humans have to make them but not animals."
"Indeed. Though it gives certain advantages in return. A class 3 human mage will almost always beat a class 3 animal mage. But since animals don't need to make them, this means that they have far more class 3's than humans do. We have quality, they have quantity."
"I see. So what does the Spire have to do with this?"
"The Spire has its own techniques for creating mana pathways. Should you be powerful enough and affiliate with them, you would receive those techniques to use. The same goes for The Sword School and even the Mountain. They each have their own techniques. So unless you want to be stuck figuring it out yourself, I highly suggest you go to an Empire and learn at least one technique. Your best option among them would be the Spire since you handle magic. At least in my opinion."
"...Interesting."
Dream thought about these mana pathways. He was really interested in figuring them out. He could probably design his very own.
"Couldn't you just share the technique with me though?"
"Unfortunately, no. The way I had to create mine is a bit unorthodox due to my blessing, so you wouldn't be able to use it."
"Oh ya, what's with that blessing?"
Dream remembered when it was brought up when they were with Graff. It was a conversation they never got to.
"I was blessed by a god and gained a Title."
"...By a god? There are gods?"
"There are. I don't know much about them other than they're there. Either way, I gained some skills oriented towards destruction. I've never heard from this god since."
"Huh. Well, if the Spire holds the knowledge to create a set of pathways, then I guess I'll have to go there sooner rather then later. And I guess I wouldn't mind meeting new people. I don't really have anything else to do."
"Then after you sleep for that week, we can head out. When will you start?"
"Anytime."
"The sooner the better."
"Tonight then. If you need anything, let me know before then."
"Sure."
"I'll be in my room."
Dream stood up and walked out of the living room towards his bedroom. When he entered, he brought his attention to Sophia.
'So is there anything other than sleep that I'll need?'
[Nope. Even right now the cells are converting around the top of the spinal cord. It won't be long before it seeps into the brain. During the sleep, your brain will be in an inactive state, like a coma. I want as little as possible to happen so nothing unpredictable occurs. This is also good for you cause it'll be like you only slept for a couple of hours.]
'So I'm gonna take a nap and wake up next week. Sounds like my middle of the day power naps after track practice.'
[I also might do some crafting or experiments while you sleep and maybe look into these mana pathways.]
'That's fine. Sorry to leave you alone for so long.'
[It's alright. You just have a nice nap.]
'I will.'
Dream laid down in his bed, thinking about the academy at the Spire. If he were still back on Earth, he would be in college, so he wouldn't be that out of place. He would also get to see what life was like for the people there. A school in another world.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
.............
That night, Dream found Riddick before heading to bed.
"I'm starting my sleep."
"Alright."
With a brief acknowledgment, Dream laid back down on his bed.
'...Goodnight.'
[Goodnight.]
He closed his eyes as his vision faded. Soon, he was unconscious. A few minutes after that, he fell into a comatose state.
..................
............
.....
As Dream was going to sleep, several thousand miles away were the girls.
Currently, they were both tied up and sitting against a tree. Around them were all the other foxes who were escorting them.
"Report."
A fox appeared near the escort group and went towards one of the class 3's.
"What is it?"
"We've done reconnaissance on the battle site."
"And? Where's our assassin?"
"Unknown. When we got there all the corpses were gone. There was also no sign of the assassin or Riddick Durov."
"...?"
When the girls heard this, their ears perked up. No sign of their dad? But wasn't he supposed to be dead?
"...Did he survive?"
"The orders were to deliver his head. But there was nowhere on the ground that would indicate a decapitation."
"...He was on the verge of death. Even if we assume the worst and he's still alive, he'll need time to recover. And since there's no sign of the assassin by now, we're going to continue."
"Understood."
"Send a messenger ahead of us to deliver mission status to Raoul. At the rate we're going, we'll reach our territories in at most two weeks."
"Understood."
After that, the fox disappeared and left to who knows where. The leader looked over everyone.
"We leave at dawn. Get some sleep."
Everyone nodded and the lights were put out. Pretty soon, all the foxes were asleep. All except for the girls.
After hearing that their dad could still be alive, they regained some hope. All the possibilities played out in their head for how their dad could get out of that situation, but only one seemed the most plausible.
'Could it be Dream?' (Iris)
'I-I'm not sure.' (Luna)
'They said dad isn't dead?'
'...Maybe.'
'I...What do we do?'
'...We just stay together. We'll be okay.'
They cuddled in their fox forms, each comforting the other. They at least still had each other and a little bit of hope.
