Black Magus

Etan Za'Darmondiel.

***

"Fuck yeah! I've been waiting to use my new arms!"

A small part of me knew better. But I wanted to ask or at least learn about the cause of her excitement. But alas. The ever-energetic Iris Cole leaped into motion before her words were even spent.

What happened next had to be replayed on the VoidNet over and over again to be made sense of.

While hovering a few meters off the ground, Iris extended her arms and legs as if she were cheering and closed her eyes. A flash of deep blue overcame her, seeming to peel strips of her upper arms and thighs away like ribbons. Like a cascade, those ribbons peeled away more and more of her arms and legs, spun about like a corkscrew, and vanished from sight until all was left were metal caps at the end of her severed arms and legs, both radiating with enchantments and divine power. I could only begin to study them before the ribbons returned en masse, cascading away from those hubs as they spun and compressed into new limbs.

The ribbons from her thighs materialized and secured into place with a series of satisfying clicks, eventually forming thin but squat legs of mithral coupled with some type of material that grew into a thin coat of blue and white feathers. As ribbons kept clicking into place, forming feathered knees and ankles, the fur continued spreading upwards to her lower back to reach around her waist, blossoming into a skirt-like plume of feathers just before the synthetic flesh around her ankles formed into a pair of talons. From her arms, the ribbons compressed and clicked into thin, hag-like bones that grew to a span of nearly two meters before they ended in elongated finger-like hooks. Then the feathers grew. Like magic mushrooms in the Darkworld, the feathers grew by centimeters within seconds; forming within moments, a wide pair of wings that began flapping at once, sending powerful gusts over the lot of us.

"Oh, yeah." Geri suddenly rocked back after squinting at her for several seconds. "I forgot you can do that."

"That's right!" Iris cheekily beamed.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes away from the panels and windows detailing the many blessings and enchantments imbued within her synthesized flesh. In hindsight, however, I should have realized it before. Iris Cole was far from normal. That much had been true from the start. But to think she could create interchangeable limbs and store them away in a pocket dimension was… unthinkable.

As she took to the skies, the illusions born from the networks took my mind away from the mechanical human and pulled my eyes towards the south, where a large checkered flag waved tantalizingly above some distant mountain beneath some rather exhilarating words.

{Challenge: 1/2: Measure your top speed in the following categories. Unpowered. Mana Bolstered. Ki-Fueled.}

{Challenge: 2/2: Measure your maximum range of travel.}

Only Amun utilized his obstacle course, leaping across chasms in the sky as he went from obstacle to obstacle, laughing his way through a suspended course only a maddened artificer could build. And while we raced and ran, we also watched him train his agility in ways few others could. Past massive swinging axes and through fields of arrows, he dove and danced, uncaring of the many scars and arrows littering his form. Down slopes riddled with holes and caltrops, he slid; flipping and spinning on the ground to evade the many traps set within. On and on until the seemingly infinite course ended and he fell to the ground to take up a sprint with the rest of us. Then he teased and egged us on to go faster as he leaped over boulders, skipped through canopies, and flipped over rivers while Iris dipped and weaved at his tail.

That served to push Geri and Freki into their wolf forms. Using platforms and wakes of flame and frost, they bounded and pushed themselves through the skies to catch up with Blude, Redd, and Sam, swimming furiously through the skies just behind me; unrelenting for two entire hours.

{Personal Record Updated. Unpowered Top Speed: 27.2 Meters per second.}

It seemed we all got the message at the same time. However, it was clear only a few of us had any grasp of the art. Me, Amun, and Iris flooded the ambient area with arcana as it gathered in our bodies, nearly shocking my legs still until I remembered who adopted her. Then we left the others in the dust.

I managed to keep pace just behind Iris. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch up to the speedy child. Much less her adoptive father. She even changed back to her legs at some point, allowing me to close the distance before she opened it with an evil giggle and a sudden burst of speed.

I experienced an epiphany as their bodies faded across the distant plains. Their secret- or rather, their abundant speed came from splitting their focus in two. Rather than ponder it as I normally would, however, I simply tried it and took half of my focus to direct my arcana into creating an air-slicing wedge placed before me. I learned what speed truly was, after pressing forward. It was like taking a drug for the first time. Terrifyingly exciting. The world became a blur of white and green after I took that first step and felt the veil of air cease its push against me. Thus I activated the powers given to me to slow my perception of time down to a crawl, and I realized. With a slight misstep, I would be left as a puddle of gore on the face of some rock or tree.

But by the Gods, it was thrilling.

{Personal Record Updated. Bolstered Top Speed: 92.5 m/s.}

A manic grin overtook me as I read the words, causing my heart to pace in ways I hadn't felt in years. I found my body acting on its own as if I had trained to do this. But in truth, it had only ever been a theory of mine. And so, with a simple burst of arcana paired with a release of my ki, I used the innate powers of my species to release my tether from the ground just before activating Step with the Wind.

I learned what fun truly was after kicking off the ground. It was… intoxicating. Unhealthily addicting. Yet I was not finished. I found myself utilizing the knowledge given to me to collapse the vacuum I created at a point just behind me while the perks of my class activated, releasing virtually solid plates of ki from my foot, kicking out to meet it.

Finally, through the power of my Astral Pulse Step, I caught up to Amun and Iris. I could not be frustrated to find the former still treating this like a game. Not with my intrigue at the latter, propelling herself with jets of fire screaming from the hubs on her severed limbs

{Personal Record Updated. Ki-Powered Top Speed: 352 m/s.}

{Badge Earned: Supersonic.}

{Goal: 2/2: Measure your maximum range of travel.}

I continued dancing across the peninsula for two more hours, absorbing the endless stream of information shown to me through the VoidNet. Animals. Locations. Landmarks. The border to Vrur. Even people. And of course, our destination- Redagh, the land of druids. It was a place I had never been. As was Bakewia and the Principality of Nevstan, and now the open fields of the Southeastern Vrurian Empire. I had never been beyond the Shujen Kingdoms. Now, I was treating the Bodhi Peninsula like Nydorden Halls. And soon, I would go far beyond these borders. Eventually, I would go across the Mortal Plane.

This was freedom, I realized. The type of freedom that could only be granted by Gods.

Silently vowing to make the most of my circumstances, I began exploring my limits, focusing on expanding my consciousness to the realm around me. In doing so, I came across an interesting spectacle and I pleaded for us to stop.

"Tired?" Amun teased. And though I was a bit winded, that was hardly it. I pointed down to a colossal fault running up most of the vast country. From this distance, only a small roil of brown energy could be seen pouring from it. But that changed nothing. "That is an Intense Mana Zone attributed to the earth."

His eyes snapped to the abyssal chasm and visibly wowed at the sight of perpetual earthquakes, dust storms, and landslides. "Really?" He asked with a budding interest, despite him certainly sensing the virulent mana flowing from the chasm.

"I guarantee many magical creatures attuned to the earth dwell down there. As does earth elementals, I am sure. But that is not what interests you and I. We were here for the side effect of such potent energies."

By then, the others caught up and collapsed to the ground at once. But I paid them little mind for now. "Specifically, we are here for the potent ki found within the creatures that call this place home." I paused, preparing to take up my role to the fullest. "Life thrives in mana. There are different types of mana for different beings. Wicked or cursed for fiends, divine for celestials and Gods. Necrotic for undead. In high enough concentrations, mana drives evolution. Simple creatures grow stronger, larger, or more intelligent. They then mutate, some becoming giant or dire versions of themselves, others becoming magical. Few, those in the vicinity of a Life Tree or a powerful divine tree, become the so-called divine beasts.

"Such creatures are great emitters of ki. As are the environments in which they dwell." I gestured around us. "Continuing down the path means learning to use this environmental ki to boost the energy within ourselves. Effectively opening the first ki pond."

"Hmm. It would be the perfect time for the rest of you to train." Amun scratched at his chin for a few moments. "But only three of you have any undead. And none of you have any doppelgangers."

"Another of your aids to turn men into monsters?" I asked, ignoring the answer presented to me.

"Yes and no." Amun shrugged. "The spell was passed down from my grandfather to my father to me. It was the first real sorcery I learned. It was how me and my vassals trained throughout our childhood, which only made it harder. After all, imagine fighting yourself every day."

"Why don't we have them again?" Iris asked as she made loops in the sky.

"You're not just a human anymore." He said, looking up at her. "You and those under you are Augmented Humans. A new phenotype, created through my divinity. On top of that, I gave you some of my blood and genes. You're my daughter, so you're a Goddess through and through. You two are celestials and sorcerers of the seasons. Albeit cursed and corrupted." He pointed to Geri and Freki. "As such, your doppelgangers no longer exist. For all intents and purposes." Amun paused turning to Blude and her girls. "You all will be the divine version of Geri and Freki. Only, they'll merge with your body, spirit, and soul while keeping your mind separate. And since you haven't killed your parents, your memories and personalities won't be all scrambled.

"Lastly." Amun turned to me with a curious sigh. "A certain someone has expressed interest in you. Don't ask, 'cause I won't tell." He quickly said, smirking at me. "But we'll be meeting her soon enough."

"Soon enough." I echoed trepidatiously.

"We only have two more stops until then." Amun cheekily nodded. "That said, you all are warlocks, true. But you're also my proxies, for now. I've given you all a chunk of my divine power that will one day grow into your domains. A much larger chunk than my clerics, clergy, and paladins, but a chunk nonetheless."

"A chunk." Freki cackled maddeningly, shaking his massive head.

"More will come as I move further down my path," Amun said matter of factly, prompting another cackle from Freki. "The point is," he continued, "you all can do much of the same things I can do. Including some variation of the doppelganger spell, not to mention necromancy."

"In truth, that is one of my monastic abilities," I admitted. "I can detach my true self and have it operate independently. Though it is invisible and cannot speak."

"Use the same concept but with the magic I gave you," Amun said, beaming with a child-like enthusiasm.

With a nod, I focused on the small well of absurd power orbiting mine and simply withdrew. No limitations were imposed on the well. Only my intentions were used to dictate how much energy was needed to conjure a flash of violet light through my eyelids.

When the light faded, I opened my eyes to see dozens of ethereal copies of myself staring at each other with wild eyes. Then the others scrambled into motion, releasing energy from their wells to reveal exceptionally strange clones. Bodies of amorphous water, steam, and ice from Blude and her girls. A being of flickering light from Iris. And from Geri and Freki, something spectacular. Geri's clone was a wolven woman. But it had not skin and fur but a body of vines and flowers frozen solid. As was Freki's. A wolf of burning brambles, smoldering vegetables, and charred leaves.

The look on Amun's face could not have been more excitable as he encouraged us further. "I've found that after casting the spell with the voice and then giving the Doppelgangers existential conditions, it makes a more complete version of the copy."

"You even made deals with your doppelgangers." I chortled. But Amun only shrugged.

"Eh, I suppose. I tried it and learned the clones can share experiences with the originals and take in information from me through eye contact. By that point, I decided to have them be permanent assistants to the people I helped in Maru. They'd be teachers. Trainers. Therapists. Friends. Coworkers. Whatever they needed. Now, though." He chortled. "People use them to boost production or care for their families during the day and keep operations running at full speed throughout the night."

That gave me an idea. As it did for several others, it seemed, as we all dismissed our clones and took several minutes before reforming them as Amun explained.

Knowing I could summon many clones with a fraction of my total energy, I focused on withdrawing the same amount of energy and dreamed up a single being of supreme excellence before I released the constriction, allowing as much energy as needed to merge with my voice as I firmly said. "I summon thee, Naate, Supreme Astrosage."

Naate formed as what appeared to be a solid copy of myself, bathed in the ethereal purple glow twilight, interspersed with bands of golden-orange gas and twinkling stars for eyes. After a moment of study, I instructed him to produce two clones and grinned wide at the success. Then prepared the energy in my voice once more. "Overall, the primary directive of all Astrosages is to assist me in my endeavors." Pausing, I turned to Naate and bowed. "The Supreme Astrosage's directive is to oversee and manage the two Prime Astrosages and all others created by them." After receiving a bow, I split my gaze between those straddling him. "The first Prime Astrosage's directive is to be an educator of the highest order. You are to work in the Astral Archives, training and teaching all who are allowed to enter whatever they should need to learn. So too shall you work beyond. Teaching and training those in need of learning."

I received a bow following the order and thus turned to the other. "The second Prime Astrosage's directive is one to be done in secret. Across all schools of training or learning in the Legio Noctis, you are to silently assess and recruit those suited for the black ops project."

After a final exchange of bows, more divine magic and some of my arcana were withdrawn from my wells and sent funneling into the three clones. With it went the ethereal glow surrounding their bodies. Into their flesh, it merged to create solid beings identical to myself. Minus the golden streaks in their black hair as opposed to my still-white locks.

When I finally turned, I saw identical copies of the rest of the Troupe, staring at me with raised brows and flickering eyes while they read on and on about the project.

Freki was the first to bear his grin. "Now that sounds interesting."

"We'll have time to do all that later." Amun waved the matter aside with a temporal domain cast around the area. "Now is the time for training. So get your subordinates out here. We'll only be here for a few days."