The OP Lich is a Returnee

Book 2 – Crafter

Prologue – Trade Chat

(Magical World Disharmony Server, General Chat)

UsualSuspect, manoutoftime, muon, MewTwo, Avariel, Chummer, Golddigger, CrazyCelt, Blaze, DoYouEvenLyft?, MarcoPolo, MightMakesRight, MacD, Inquisitor, OrangeQueen, Lizard, RedFox, SemiSolidSnake, BabyShark, Not_the_Face!, Scholar, Anonymous3, Anonymous4, Anonymous7, Anonymous9, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot, DigDug, Backlog, DarkAvariel, Knocker, GrimDark, BloodForTheBloodGod, BackDat@55Up and DarkAngel are in the chat.

muon: So, the Magic Soccer World Cup is coming up. Brazil is looking like a big favorite this year.

Blaze: You’re kidding, right? They’ve got that one superstar, and a bunch of scrubs. Italy all the way.

MarcoPolo: I don’t know. I think we’ll see a couple dark horses this year.

RedFox: Whatcha mean, Polo?

MarcoPolo: Remember that little demonstration that the Lost Sleeper allowed those college students to put online?

MacD: Sure, it was like dropping a boulder in a puddle. EVERYONE saw that.

MarcoPolo: Well, I know for a fact that some of the teams that don’t have a big talent pool have started working to try and incorporate those ideas into their training.

BabyShark: Huh. That makes sense. Trying to get an edge. But the World Cup is in a couple months. The Lost Sleeper had forty years to build up to what she showed off on that vid.

Scholar: That’s true, but you wouldn’t need much to bridge the gap between the magical skills of the higher-skilled teams, allowing them to focus on physical skills, which most countries have plenty of, thanks to FIFA.

UsualSuspects: Yeah, but they’ll be taking time away from training to figure out how to do what she showed them.

Knocker: But if they have nothing left to lose…

UsualSuspects: True.

BabyShark: Anyone know if the Lost Sleeper will get involved somehow? I know undead are prohibited from competition, but there are still ways she could get involved.

muon: Does she even care about the Cup?

Avariel: Huh. She hasn’t mentioned anything about sports, that I know of.

TheLichQueen has entered the chat.

Backlog: Even if she is interested in the Cup, does she even have time for such things? I heard she was starting up a studio or something?

CrazyCelt: Yeah, there was a blurb in the news about it. She was going to start making those not-CADs they used in that world she and the other Sleepers were yoinked to, right?

Not_the_Face!: Like any of us will ever be able to afford something like that. Probably something for the uber-rich, until more people figure out how to do it.

BackDat@55Up: Yeah, but she’s an Akagawa, and the paparazzi saw her visiting some of the family’s business holdings. Specifically, the ones that manufacture CADs.

TheLichQueen: It seems I logged on at an opportune time.

UsualSuspects: Who are you?

OrangeQueen: Look at the name, Sus.

UsualSuspects: Oh, come on! Isn’t that a bit too on the nose to be real?

TheLichQueen: Would you prefer NotArthas?

UsualSuspects: What?

SemiSolidSnake: I get that reference!

Scholar: It is a reference to a fifty-year-old game. One of the big characters was a guy named Arthas, who became the ruler of the undead horde threatening to overrun the world.

GrimDark: That’s not ominous at all.

TheLichQueen: Hell, I earned the name. Why wouldn’t I show it off?

Golddigger: So, are the rumors about you starting a crafting studio true?

TheLichQueen: Yes. The plan is to get some traditional crafters together, and give them some solid backing so that they can make their products, while giving them a bit of a magical boost. From what I’ve seen, this world still hasn’t discovered proper Enchanting yet, for instance.

Scholar: What about the rifles the Purifiers used in that attack on you?

TheLichQueen: Good question. Weapons like Sanctified Spellrifles are really just extremely specialized CADs. Sure, they’re ‘dumb’ CADs, so anyone can pick one up and use it without TOO much difficulty, but at the end of the day, they’re just CADs.

Scholar: And Enchanting is something different?

TheLichQueen: Of course. A CAD is a device that, like a focus, directs mana (or magicules) to fit the user’s will. An Enchantment is a permanent effect, augmenting the item’s base state in some way.

TheLichQueen: For instance, I have an item that suppresses my power passively, limiting how much of my magic I can call on, but also keeping my power from overwhelming those around me just from being in the same room.

TheLichQueen: That is an example of an Enchantment, not a Focus, because the ring’s effect is sustained by ambient mana, rather than my fueling it.

muon: So, Miss LQ, we were actually wondering about the Magic Soccer World Cup, and whether you were going to get involved in it somehow.

TheLichQueen: Surely, you’re not asking if I’ll be a contestant? I’m pretty certain there are some rather clear rules about qualifications, and being a living dead girl, I don’t qualify.

muon: Sure, but there’s no rules against undead being coaches, or advisors. There was even Anton Tilea, a vampire who coached for the Romanian national team, before the Purifiers killed him.

manoutoftime: Those fuckers deserve a special hell for that. Tilea was a wonderful man, by all accounts. And under him, the Romanians made the finals twice!

GrimDark: The locals were none too happy with them. Never went to trial, because the locals got to the cell before the cops could. Day after Tilea’s funeral, a line of pikes showed up outside the stadium, with the entire cell impaled upon them like a pig on a spit. And the cell’s leader had a sign around his neck, saying, “For Anton.”

BloodForTheBloodGod: Yeah, I remember seeing pics. That was brutal. Didn’t police think it was the rest of Tilea’s vampire family?

Inquisitor: Sure, they did. The kind of strength needed to jab steel rods into concrete isn’t exactly ‘normal human’. But all the vampires had alibies, so the police dropped it.

GrimDark: Not that they bothered looking too hard in the first place, seeing as the ‘victims’ were terrorists.

muon: Anyways, are you going to be involved at all in the World Cup, LQ?

TheLichQueen: Well, I know the students I was playing around with when I was visiting my sister learned a lot from my demonstration. And pretty much every sporting organization in Japan, as well as the Self-Defense Force, have reached out to me to help devise training regimens. But if you’re talking about any kind of active involvement beyond that, then no.

Avariel: Any particular reason why?

TheLichQueen: Well, One: I’ve only been back for a few months, and I haven’t even tried the sport, yet. Two: Doing more than I already have would probably give the team an unfair advantage. And, Three: I’m busy with other things, like my studio.

Scholar: So, when can we expect to start seeing items from your studio? And what is it called?

TheLichQueen: The studio is Athelian Arms. And while we get the studio up and running, and get working on products, we’ll be doing a partnership with Phantomline. I can’t go into details, but I think people will love what we have planned.

Chapter 11 – Training

It felt weird to be dressed in a modern business suit and skirt, of all things. Oh, I had worn elegant gowns, religious vestments, regal armor, and all manner of other things before, but a women’s business suit? This was the first time. Thankfully, the tailors who adjusted the fit knew what they were doing.

This was it, the first day of Athelian Arms, my new crafting studio. Well, maybe not the very first day. I’d already interviewed the people on the business end, the office manager, company accountant, and house counsel (conveniently from another branch of Wolfram & Hart). I even had a personal aide or secretary, now.

Speaking of which, there was a knock on the door to her office, and, three seconds later, the door opened, revealing my secretary, Asari Hisa. “Shachō, the woodworker is here for his interview.”

“Send him in.”

I watched the man as he walked into my office. Eto Shiro was average height and looks, and he wore his suit and tie like he was profoundly uncomfortable in it. Given the information I had on him, he probably had to buy or rent the suit for this meeting.

He was an artisan, using traditional woodworking tools and styles to make exquisite pieces. Obviously, his work was more artistic than functional, unless you counted their use as furniture or art pieces, but that was fine. There were plenty of very useful enchantments you could put on objects, even ones as mundane as a table or chair.

I motioned to the chair. “Please, Eto-san, sit. Did you have a good trip?”

“Hai, Akagawa-dono. But I will admit that I am not entirely sure why you wished to hire me for this studio. I know from the news, that you are wanting to make tools to help with magic, but I am not exactly a magician, and I am certainly not a computer technician.”

“Ah, yes. Well, as I’m sure you’ve seen in some of the interviews I’ve done, I do not use CADs as this world’s magicians do. Instead, I use a ‘focus’, which is roughly equivalent to the aiming assists you see in some CADs. Instead of doing the computations for me, it helps me focus and channel my intent into the spells.

“To put it in terms you would readily understand, it is the difference between the Craftsman and the Artisan. The Craftsman measures precisely, follows instructions, and builds very precise pieces, the same way, every time, and in great numbers. The Artisan, however, will produce things that are often of superior quality, but it takes more time and effort to do.”

Eto nodded. “And there is some advantage to… artisanal magic?”

I chuckled. “Yes, and no. It is better at the low end, for simple things, like ‘I want to hit that thing with magic’, and for the more complicated things, like creating undead. However, for a lot of the spells people would use in real life? A CAD would allow them to get similar or better results, for less effort.”

“So, the CAD style would be a mass-produced chair you get from the store, while the focus style would be either a quick and dirty three-legged stool or a finely crafted and engraved traditional chair?”

“Exactly! This studio will be focusing on the high-end things. For that, I need crafters who know their trades. And they need to be either in the traditional styles, or at least not mass production styles. But they need to know their business, so that I can get straight to teaching them the next steps to make their works… magical, for lack of a better word.”

Eto took a breath. “Well, I am a master artisan and craftsman, but I’m not so old to believe that I can’t learn anything new.”

“Excellent! So, will you take the job?”

“Will I be forced into only making pieces you order, or will I be able to work on my own projects?”

“We’re going to use commissions at first. I have a couple metalworkers, a blacksmith, a glassblower, a leatherworker, and a tailor all coming in, so there may be some cross-discipline projects, once people get used to working here. For instance, a staff might use your woodworking skills, but require metalworking for some of the fixings, and glassblowing for a finishing touch.

“As for private projects, so long as the commissions are on track, well, that is up to you. Anything you do above the commissions that you want to sell through the studio and our connections? Go for it, and you’ll get a cut of the sale. Anything for personal use, or to do as gifts? We’ll charge for any materials you use, and if you use any of your coworkers’ work, they might charge you for the labor, but go ahead. The only way to get better is to practice.”

I paused for emphasis, and then said, “However, there will be a noncompete clause in the contract. So, don’t go selling the pieces elsewhere. I’m going to be teaching you things that no one else in this world knows, after all. I know the techniques will get out eventually, in some form, but the longer we have some exclusivity, the better it will be for us all.”

Eto nodded slowly. “I see. Then, I guess the only question would be what is the pay going to be? If I’m not going to be selling my work on my own, I would like to know what I’d be getting paid for my time.”

“Of course. The base pay will be 4.2 million yen per year. Any items you sell besides those expressly commissioned by the company, which are sold through us, you get 30% of total sale, with the cost of materials deducted from that number. If you had any coworkers contribute to the project, they split your take for that project.”

The man’s eyes widened. Not surprising, since 4.2 million was slightly above the average yearly salary for a senior artisan. “Akagawa-dono, I must confess that my wife would do unspeakable things to me if I did not agree to these terms. Especially with the opportunity to learn more. I accept.”

“Excellent!” I smiled, and slid a stack of contracts across the desk to him. Once he was finished signing all the dotted lines, I leaned back in my chair. “Now, since you’ve signed, you are free to go, and I’ll see you on Monday, two weeks from now. However, if you aren’t in a rush, I can begin the teaching, so you will have something to practice between now and then.”

Eto’s eyes widened slightly. “Should we go to the shop, then?”

“Oh, no. This is something we can do right here. In fact, it would be better here, since this room is warded to keep outside magic out. No distractions in here.”

“All right, I’m ready.”

I smiled. He wasn’t ready, not really. No one ever was. Any descriptions of what was going to happen was a pale shadow of the actual experience.

“So, how much magic training do you have?”

“I was able to get into one of the Magic High Schools, but did not have the aptitude to go further. Plus, I was more interested in my trade. I was not able to push things to the same extent as the top scorers, but I was able to at least not fail my exams.”

“That’s perfectly fine. The important part is that you’ve learned to touch magic, to sense it, yes?” He nodded, so I continued, “Then I want you to close your eyes. Feel the magic in the room.”

“All right.”

“Now, you should feel your magic, and start to pull on it, like you would do when casting. Don’t release it, though. Hold on to it. Let it collect, and grow in you. And then, allow a little trickle to go out, throughout your body, circulating. Some of it will be ‘lost’, so draw in a little more to replace it.

“This is going to build your magic pool, and help enhance your body. In time, you’ll even see results for your mental abilities and mana conductivity. But that will take time, and practice.”

“This is the thing you showed off at the American university, yes? Makes you stronger, right? What effect will this have on my work? I don’t exactly brute force things with what I do.”

Ah, good, he was making the connections without me saying them outright. Some people were incapable of thinking for themselves. I was glad Eto was not one of those.

“Well, your strength will improve true, as well as your health and endurance, both of which are good for anyone, but you can also improve your dexterity, allowing you to more nimbly handle your tools, for more precise details and cuts. Your eyes will sharpen, allowing you to more keenly see the wood you’re working, and find any imperfections that might be present.”

Eto nodded. “I can see that being useful, yes.”

“This is just at the basic stage. Once you have mastered this, I will teach you how to select and shape materials so that their natural mana conductivity is retained, even enhanced, allowing them to be better conduits for spellwork. And then, eventually, I will be teaching you to weave the most basic enchantments into your works.”

“Enchantments, like the fairy stories and the old tales from the myths and legends?”

“Indeed. Even the simplest enchantments, like a mending spell so that your table ‘heals’ itself over time, can be very useful. Or, if you wanted something that was a little more active, there’s always the wooden pendant that helps protect the wielder from harm, or a cup that neutralizes poisons, or a pantry that keeps the food inside fresh far longer than it normally would. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, the power of the magic, and how much power the materials can sustain.”

“Hmph. Tables and cups are well enough, but I expect you wanted a woodcarver more for those pendants, and the staff thing you used on TV. Since the name is Athelian Arms, and all.”

“And you would be right, of course. But don’t think I will ignore the potential of less warlike items, either. I’m sure that there are plenty of people who would just love to have a statue or woodblock carving that was enchanted to promote health and safety to put in their child’s room. Or a simple wooden bracelet, enchanted to keep the wearer cool in the summer heat and warm enough in winter that they don’t need a coat.”

Eto’s eyes opened, and he stared at me in wonder. “Something like that is possible?”

“Anything is possible, Eto. Literally anything. A single man can move an entire mountain by himself. All it requires is knowledge, power, and time. The more of one you have, the less of the other two you need.”

Eto nodded slowly, barely breathing. “This is going to change the world, isn’t it, Shachō?”

“First, shachō is fine, when we’re in the office, or in public. In the workshop, buchō is fine. Or even Akagawa or Akagawa-san, though I can understand why you might be uncomfortable with that. In the office, and in public, we have roles that respect and courtesy demand we play to, but in the shop, we are all crafters, working together. If I wanted to lord over people as a queen, I would have just stayed in the other world. Understood?”

Eto nodded once, and then said, “Then, in that spirit, Eto-san is fine, in the shop.”

“Good. Now, about your question. The world changed forty years ago. But just because the earthquake is over does not mean the changes aren’t still happening. There are aftershocks to consider, or the worry of the quake sparking others. And then there is the possibility of a tsunami.

“So, if you consider my returning to this world as the tsunami following the earthquake of the Awakening, there will be bound to be some changes from the flooding, and other things. Hell, even without me, the Awakening has continued changing the world, as more people gain magic, and find new ways to use it. Or as creatures change, and gain magic. The changes from the Awakening are still ongoing.”

Eto gulped, and I smiled. “Lucky for you, then, that you’re now part of the group that is riding the wave, rather than trying to stand against it. And if anything does happen, I look after my own.”

“Well, I’m suddenly very glad I signed that contract.”

Chapter 12 – Phantomline

“Ah, Frau Akagawa! It is so good to see you!”

I smiled at the man. He was Kaspar Oesau, the research chief of Phantomline’s R&D department. Headhunted from one of the universities that created the first experimental CADs after the Awakening, he was the brains behind the R&D department. Fortunately, he also had a reliable office manager, so his focus on research and prototyping did not negatively affect the division.

“Oesau-dono, I’m happy to meet you, as well. I’ve heard nothing but good things about your work.”

“Hah! Please, call me Doctor, or Chief, if you like.”

I smiled. “Then you must call me Akagawa, at least while we’re in the lab. I heard that you ran your lab with a focus on results, rather than strict social protocol.”

Oesau laughed, as he led the way to a work room, with one wall that doubled as a digital whiteboard and several computers. “If that’s a nice way of saying that I would rather cut to the chase, as the Americans would say, and get to work, rather than engage in pointless small-talk or waving honorifics around all day, then you’re absolutely correct! One of the few things I miss from the university in Berlin.

“So, let’s get down to business, shall we? I’m so excited for our work today. Your wealth of knowledge might allow us to advance our technology by decades, if we apply it properly.”

He walked over to the whiteboard, and picked up a stylus. “Now, from the data you gave me, it appears that this ‘focus’ method you use is more of a blunt object than the CADs we use. It is a club, while the CAD is a scalpel. Both are very good at what they do, but trying to hit a golf ball with a knife is as useless as trying to do surgery with a hammer.”

“Correct. It lacks the precision and efficiency of a CAD, but a focus can have a far quicker reaction time, and be more flexible in what it supports. With that in mind, my first thought was to create some simple foci, that could be mass-produced, or possibly even a hybrid product.”

“Hmm. Are you talking about a combination, like a CAD device attached to a focus device? Or a true hybrid, something that could get the benefits of each?”

I shook my head. “A true hybrid is probably out of reach anytime soon. Even I have no way to guess how well that would work. But a combination device should be possible. Perhaps starting with one of those specialized CADs that people produce?”

“Interesting. Any field you’d look at first?”

“Yes, I was thinking we start with something simple. A you already have gun-style CADs that can fire spell-enhanced rounds, yes? Well, why take that basic setup, and change it slightly? Add the functionality of a focus that allows you to project a shield spell, for instance.”

“The military would love something like that.”

“It gets better if you start considering different enchantments. Actually, real enchantments would probably work better for a lot of devices, but enchantments are impossible to mass produce. So, those would have to be special orders.”

“Hmm. I’ll want to know about that ‘enchanting’ stuff, but for now, let’s focus on the focus part. How do you make something a focus?”

“Well, there are a couple ways of doing it. The most effective is taking highly magical materials, infusing them with intent and will while they are used by a master craftsman, reshaping and reinforcing the finished piece’s mana circuits, which then turns the piece to a natural focus for mana. For mass production, the trick is to use engravings to form artificial circuits, not unlike a circuit board.

“Now, these artificial circuits can’t just be left open, since the mana would just disperse in the air, so it needs to be inlaid with some material, making it even more like a circuit board. Different materials channel mana better, just like different metals are more conductive to electricity. Are you with me so far?”

“Yes. And I assume that the less conductive, the more difficult it is to create a general focus?”

“Exactly. But with a more specialized focus, to create a shield, for instance, you restrict different variables. On the face of it, this is no different from a CAD, but that is without considering elements.”

“You mean like the basic magical elements, right, and not the periodic table?”

“Yes. Earth, Wind, all that. Because of my nature, if I channel mana into a spell, I am going to get the best results with Necrotic. I can use other elements, but it is like deliberately walking at different strides. Some, like Fire or Water, just need me to devote more thought and concentration to it. Others, like Holy, are like trying to take strides of 1.5 meters, which would be damn near impossible for me, under most circumstances.

“Now, I have better ability than most, due to my nature, and being a Hero, and years of practice. For most people, they can likely get one element well, and then a couple others with effort. Maybe.

“Now, any of these can be used without a focus, if you have the right affinities and raw ability. But there’s also ‘untyped’ mana, which takes a lot of training to unlock without a focus. Think of it like pure H20, where a person’s natural mana is going to have minerals, impurities, and all that stuff in it, which turns it into one element or another.”

Oesau nodded thoughtfully. “So, this ‘untyped’ mana, is there any advantage to using it?”

“The biggest pure advantage would be when conducting ritual magics. Stripping out elements makes it easier to meld your magic with another, who might have a different element. That can be very useful for any ritual leader, since not needing to manage the elements, and keeping them from clashing, makes the whole ritual easier.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about element interactions before, but I’ve never seen live combat magic outside a test facility, so I didn’t know how accurate the reports were.”

“Well, I can promise you that different elements most certainly clash or interact with each other. Wind and Water may interact, becoming Ice, while Earth and FIre might become Lava. On the other hand, Fire and Water try to cancel each other out, as would Lightning and Ground. Trying to make even the simplest spell out of canceling elements is incredibly difficult, and usually not worth the effort if you pull it off.”

“So, a Water shield is best against someone using Fire attacks.”

“Exactly. Except that when you have spells of the same element, they can either pass through each other, or they compound each other, in ways you might not expect. Naturally, this isn’t something you want to happen in a fight, so being able to change elements is critical for anyone who would take magic to the battlefield.

“Now, from what I’ve seen, CADs are great at countering specific effects, but their precision makes them bad for general defense. Most CAD users focus either on evasion, or on toughening their body to withstand attacks, rather than defense. If we were to create a shield focus, however, then the user could create simply create a shield of their element, once they know how, and then, if they come across an element that is bad for them, turn to untyped. This would take more mana, but it would be much more effective.”

“And being restricted to a single spell, the focus circuit work could be machine done?”

“Yes, just like how circuit boards for a Commodore 64 are infinitely less complex than one for the latest gaming PC would be. However, despite being simpler and having less processing capability, the Commodore still works just fine, if all you want to do is type text files. The Shield spell and the Missile spell are the two simplest, most basic spells any mage in the other world would learn, so anything could be made into a focus for them.”

“Would this circuit need to be on the outside of the weapon?”

“No. In fact, it is better if it is not. A damaged mana circuit is like a faulty electrical circuit. It might work, with less efficiency. It might go wild, and cause random effects. It might just stop working. Or it might decide to blow up in your hand. So, putting the circuit on the inside of the material would be best.”

“Ok, that’s a solid idea for the first hybrid down. But what about people who live in areas where firearms aren’t allowed? Despite the occasional magic beast, Japan and Germany, for instance, still have strict gun laws.”

I paused for a moment to consider that. “In that case, a bracer or bracelet of some kind. If we strip out the CAD part, we could actually make it so that it could channel both the Shield and Missile spells.”

I’d barely said the words when I realized the problem. “No, they would need a class, or more experience with foci to use that, and not accidentally shoot when they wanted a shield. So, matching bracelets, one on each arm? Dominant hand to shoot, off hand to defend?”

Oesau nodded, typing rapidly on his computer. “Yes, yes. And one of the basic CAD designs is a bracer, so the Shield spell could be incorporated into one of those.”

“You know, let’s start with that one, before the firearm. That has a wider audience, and it will start getting people used to the focus. And once I teach you the basic pathways, you’ll be able to make them in a variety of forms. Phantomline could start up a jewelry line, for instance.”

“Oh, the front office will love that. It would require some startup, but we could make a killing on defensive items. And specialty items could be done for more money.”

“Exactly. They’ll eat that up.” I stood, and went over to the whiteboard, and picked up the stylus to write on the digital wall. “Right, now let me show you the basic circuits you need to make foci.”

I spent the next two hours giving examples of the most basic magic circuits, and then started building them, showing Oesar how to create foci not just for Shield and Missile spells, but also the building blocks for creating other spells. He eagerly drank in everything I could pour out for him, and not only took constant notes, but asked several very good questions. The scientist was an excellent student.

In fact, he was so good that he started sketching up new designs right away, pulling the building blocks I’d given him together in ways that a more experienced person might not have ever considered. Of course, that is partly because a few of the ideas he created would end up being cursed items, or explosive failures, if they were made for real. It didn’t take much to make a circuit design dangerous. As the old computer programmers used to say, ‘GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out.’

Still, once I pointed out the most serious errors, he knew what to look for, and wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. Which was good. Magic was like engineering. You do it right, everything’s good. Might not be pretty, but it is good. Do it wrong, and there’s the very real chance that people die.

Still, we didn’t have all day to play with the circuit diagrams. Oesar was a very busy man, and I may have filled out most of the positions at my studio, but I still wanted someone with more mechanical abilities, that I could try and turn into an artificer, and a chemist that I could teach alchemy to. I hadn’t had any luck at that, so far, since most people with the kind of temperament for the work weren’t exactly the type who liked working for others. Also, most people in the other world acknowledged that you had to be at least slightly insane to be an artificer or alchemist. Most were far more than ‘slightly’.

At any rate, there was still one thing I really needed to do before I called it a day here at Phantomline. I took a breath, and then said, “So, with business out of the way, my father told me you had a custom designed CAD that you wanted me to try out? Something about it being designed especially for magical creatures?”

Chapter 13 – Oversight

We relocated to a testing chamber, where several devices were set up for testing. The chamber itself was built to try and contain any ‘mishaps’, but I doubted it was rated to handle an explosion the likes of which would happen if my power ran out of control. After all, the building wasn’t exactly made of adamantium.

Oesau wasn’t the only one here, either. There was one other there, a man of clear Japanese ancestry, wearing a simple, Eastern-style business suit. “Ah, Chief. I was hoping you would be finished soon. I’m very much looking forward to this.”

Oesau nodded, before turning to look at me. “Ah, Akagawa, allow me to introduce Koyama Shijo, a researcher from the Magical Affairs Department. He’s been helping with the project to create CADs that will function for magical creatures.”

Koyama nodded once. “Yes, as you know, something about magical creatures makes it so that traditional CADs don’t work properly for them. While they can make spells, unfortunately the efficiency rate is something like 20% of that for normal users. However, when using their supernatural abilities, the efficiency rate is on par with normal CAD use.”

Oesau grunted. “Yes, it has been a problem that has plagued us ever since the Awakening, and the first magical creatures showed up. Something about the mental structure of magical creatures causes their magic to interfere with CAD use. Even people who were changed into magical creatures, and were proficient in CAD use before the change, find their efficiency rate tops out at 40%. The best anyone has been able to figure, it has something to do with the ‘wiring’ of a magical being.”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, I can see how that would be a problem. What is the government’s interest in this? Seems a relatively minor thing to get involved with, no?”

Koyama sighed. “Well, as you know, magical creatures account for fifteen percent of the population in Japan. That is on the high side globally, but not too far out of line. And many of the magical creatures have abilities that make them natural spies and combatants.

“If they could control their powers better, then they would be an effective force, especially if they were able to increase their numbers, like Vampires and Werewolves do, and still keep their ability to use a CAD. Just the prospect of a Werewolf being able to use reinforcement magic to increase his defense even more than it was before, is enough to warrant our interest. And that’s not even considering a Vampire’s myriad abilities.

“Naturally, these abilities are well enough on their own, but if you’re looking for a… well, an edge, to be frank, then you currently have to choose between being a powerful mage or being a supernatural creature. And that creates weaknesses. Weaknesses that can ruin plans.”

I sighed. “So, you’re Intelligence, or Military. Or perhaps representing both? And why are you being so open about this with me? And why here, instead of some private conference?”

Koyama grinned. “The why here is easy. Phantomline has been working on the R&D to try and find a solution to this problem for years, on a government grant. As for why saying this so openly, the profile we have on you suggests that you likely would suspect something, anyways, and being open would have a better chance of getting you on side, or at least not working against us. Frankly, there are a lot of people who are very keen on making sure you don’t go calling us your enemy.”

“And who is ‘us’, exactly?”

“The government of Japan, of course. Though I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised if I told you that there were other governments with their eye on you. When you agreed to give some pointers to the Olympic teams and the Self-Defense Forces for body strengthening, it was decided that you were worth more as a willing partner than an unwitting or unwilling asset, especially considering your statement about what you did in the other world to the governments that wronged you. And your castle eliminated any question of preemptive hostile action.”

I sighed. Part of me really wished that I could just slip into obscurity, but I knew that would never happen. I was too powerful, in too many ways, to be ignored. The next best thing was something exactly like this, with a government actually wanting to work with me, rather than wanting me to work for them. And I really didn’t want to see how many governments I would have to annihilate before people got it through their heads not to mess with me if things went a more confrontational route.

“Very well, I assume that you have some kind of specific question in mind for me?”

“Yes, you are the first supernatural creature we’ve seen that is able to use powerful magic outside of their ‘normal’ abilities, rather than just throwing power around half-blind. That you are clearly able to use powerful magic with these foci of yours means that there is something we are missing when we try to translate traditional CADs to supernatural beings. I was hoping that these tests would bridge the gap in our knowledge, somehow.”

“And what would this knowledge be used for, exactly?”

“Well, obviously the government has interest in recruiting promising talents, in a variety of fields. The SDF, especially, is hoping for anything that would give us an edge in geopolitics. Especially with China becoming a powerhouse under their new Emperor. After he finished the reforms that sent the communists to the firing squads, he started expanding the military even further, with the intention of retaking all land that had ever been part of China.”

I nodded slowly, going over what I knew of the situation. I was still catching up on the history of the world over the last forty years, but the collapse of the Chinese Communist Party following the Awakening, as magic altered the playing field, was something I had read up on. The country had briefly fragmented as warlords took over, but reunited under Emperor Zhu Zexian, as he conquered or incorporated the others.

Once he’d ‘reunited’ what China had been before the Awakening, Emperor Zexian set his sights on everyone and everything that had once been part of China. Blatantly invading nations like Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam drew a lot of criticism from the international community, but all the powers that could have intervened were too busy with domestic troubles to risk ‘adventuring’ in Asia. He had propaganda in spades, however, displaying evidence of the corruption of the local leaders, and executing them for it. The evidence was even real, most of the time.

The new Chinese Empire was run as a strict meritocracy, according to reports, which allowed for upward mobility, or even just the illusion of upward mobility. That actually made the Empire fairly popular in the conquered areas, as regimes that had been… less than democratic were swept away. Sure, the Empire was a monarchy, and not even a constitutional monarchy, like the British, but the common people saw their old oppressors getting thrown to the dogs, and the new regime bringing opportunity, so the number of people who wanted to go back to the old ways weren’t enough to be a threat.

Oh, I was sure there was a dark side to it. There always was, after all. Power attracts a certain type of person. And even for those who have power thrust upon them, power itself, and wielding it, was a drug that could corrupt even the purest hearts.

I shook myself out of those thoughts and looked Koyama in the eye. “Well, given my limited understanding of this world’s magic, and the way you don’t practice long-term enhancement, that is the most likely source of the problem. Supernatural creatures automatically have some enhancement, which is what gives them their abilities. So, the CAD technology is probably having trouble reading, or interfacing with, enhanced bodies.”

Oesau grunted. “Then, as expected, it is an interference issue. The real question is how to clean up the signal to prevent interference.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh, you already have an idea on why it isn’t working correctly?”

Oesau smiled. “Well, since the CADs work with supernaturals, even with atrocious efficiency, we know that it is possible. Unfortunately, as we tried to enhance the reading and scanning capabilities, efficiency actually went down. The readings were very similar to radio interference.

“Given your revelation of long-term enhancement, that comparison is likely closer to the truth than we initially thought. The CAD works by picking up brain waves and magic, and then processing them to make spells. If supernaturals have more magic in them, then the inefficiency is due to a signal-to-noise ratio issue. So, for the past ten years, we’ve been working on ‘scrubbing’ the input streams. The trick is in trying to scrub the streams, without scrubbing the ‘legitimate’ inputs.”

“Ah. That makes sense. The reason that a focus works is because it is a guide for the mage using it to create spells, rather than a tool trying to manage the spellcasting process based on user input. But that is why you can only be as precise as the will behind the spell.”

I considered the problem for a moment. “For a CAD, the precision is also the downfall, it seems. How do you calibrate a CAD for a normal mage?”

“We do a surface-level brain scan, and then adjust the settings to those base values. Surface-level gets us the ‘background noise’ level, which we can then set the CAD to ignore unless specific inputs are put in.” Oesau paused. “You’re suggesting doing the same process, but for magical ‘noise’?”

Koyama frowned. “The extra scanning by the Device in the field will reduce overall efficiency, and have an impact on battery health and processor load.”

“Yes, compared to typical CADs. But if you adjust for the magicule frequencies, then back-end efficiency for supernatural users will rise dramatically.”

“That isn’t something normal CADs will be equipped for. You would need to increase the size of the device to install the additional equipment.”

I cleared my throat. “Gentlemen, perhaps we could try a proof of concept before worrying about making it viable? It may be something more than just baseline mana ‘noise’. The type of mana might be important, as well. All creatures have a type, or types, of mana that they are predisposed to. However, supernatural creatures, as you call them, all have much more highly aspected mana than ‘normal’ people, which affects how they cast spells.”

Oesau frowned. “Sorry, I’m still working on this concept of magicules having aspects. What effect would mana aspects have on the spellcasting process?”

“Well, being a lich, my mana is heavily aspected towards necrotic spells. To cast a pure fire spell, I would have to convert my mana to Fire as I cast. This means that necrotic spells are easier for me to cast, while Fire spells take more effort. Tell me, how do you test the efficiency of those CADs for supernaturals?”

Koyama answered, “There are a few basic spells that are used as benchmarks across all CAD models, with basic formulae. We then track magicule throughput compared to the outcome of the spell. Each spell is cast several times, and an average is taken. Those averages are then averaged again across all spells in the test. These procedures are set out nationally, but the international standard mirrors this approach.”

Oesau nodded. “But the model doesn’t account for mana aspecting. We knew that some people were better at certain types of spells, but we attributed it to natural talent and skill, like with sports. With mana aspecting, it would be more like different types of vehicles designed for different functions, on different terrain.”

Koyama groaned. “In that case, you mean for the past forty years we’ve been trying to force a tank to race against a sports car, or forcing the sports car to go through a swamp, and wondering why we haven’t been getting the proper results? There are going to be a lot of people who are going to be very upset about all the wasted opportunities, if nothing else. This is going to change everything!”

I chuckled. “Well, we’re not exactly free and clear, yet. There’s still the matter of testing to see if the mana aspecting is the cause, and then figuring out a solution. Unfortunately, that solution may be as much hardware as it is software, and there’s a limit on how much I can help with that, since I am forty years behind the times on both.”

Koyama shook his head, laughing. “Oh, the academics in the office are simply going to love this.”

Chapter 14 – Demonstration

Fortunately, we were in a magic R&D lab, and all the necessary equipment was close at hand. Rigging a magic scanner to perform the same as the brain scanner for CAD calibration was easy enough. Jury-rigging the software to perform the same function as the brain scanners to set a baseline was a bit more complicated, but copying parts of the brain scanner software meant it didn’t take too long. Oh, sure, it was just a quick and dirty hack job, and it would have to be patched, reworked, and optimized before it could go ‘live’ to the public, but for a proof of concept test? It’d do.

So, the next step was to do side-by-side tests. Koyama volunteered to be the ‘control’, to test that the systems were working as intended. Since he hadn’t done any mana strengthening, and regularly used a CAD, this made him a good baseline, since we could compare the readings on the normal setup to the new one.

Oesau nodded as the readings on the second set of tests came in, with modified scanners. When he put them up side-by-side on the main display, I couldn’t see any difference in the readings in the brain scans, which was good. However, when the efficiency tests with the test CAD, using the same hardware but the two different calibrations, were done, the result was a surprise to everyone.

“It is only a 0.2% change, well within the normal margin of error, but the deviation between two baselines, from the same person, on the same hardware, running the same spells should be less than 0.05%!”

I grinned at Oesau, and nodded. “A 0.15% increase in efficiency isn’t much, especially for casual users, but high-end users, like athletes and military members should see some major benefits to this. Now, I guess it is my turn.”

Both Oesau and Koyama were showing their ‘nerd’ sides quite freely, with the prospect of a breakthrough on a problem that had plagued CAD designers for almost forty years. Oh, the benefits from this setup, if it worked, would be extreme, certainly, but that wasn’t why they were so excited, not really. They were academics, scientists, and here was a science problem that might finally be solved.

I sat in the machine’s chair, and let them hook me up to the machine. The process we had worked out for the tests was fairly simple. I would do the same series of tests five times.

The first time, I would be in my ‘human’ illusion, using the unmodified CAD settings. This would give us a baseline on the efficiency with the normal CAD. It would also serve as an overall control for the tests.

The next three rounds would be me in human guise, with the modified CAD, then followed by me in my true form, with first the unmodified CAD, then the modified one. Finally, I would be in my true form, while using the modified CAD from the second test. If our hypothesis was correct, then the modified versions would have greater efficiency than the normal versions. Switching between my forms would show whether efficiency would change depending on the level of ‘noise’.

Unfortunately, we quickly ran into a problem. The brain scan that was essential to getting the process rolling wouldn’t work. According to the scanner, I literally wasn’t sitting in the chair. Of course, that only made sense, since my mind, my soul, and everything that made it up was in my phylactery, and even in my human guise, the flesh on my bones was little more than a physical illusion. There was no brain or nervous system for the scanner to read!

Naturally, that caused a hard stop to the proposed tests, but the two scientists were only slightly annoyed. After all, an unexpected result was the best part of an experiment, according to Oesau. They had a test procedure down, now, which they could try to use on magical creatures who still had their flesh intact.

We were, at least, about to check the magic scans, and they did see that my body had a substantial level of ‘background noise’, like they normally found on the brain scans. So, at least we knew that the second part of the test was not without merit. If they could find another creature, one that had a fleshy brain, then there was a good chance that they could get the proper readings. The feeling that we were on the cusp of something great was palpable in the room.

Of course, since I couldn’t use the CADs, Koyama suggested that we get some readings on me using my spells with a focus. After all, they had the tech here to record and analyze active spells, so why not make use of it, and see if there were any more differences between me an ‘normal’ mages? Naturally, I jumped at the chance to show off just a little.

The room we went to for the test was MUCH more heavily reinforced than the one we had been in, and about the size of a high school gymnasium. At one end, there were a trio of much-maligned target dummies, providing a set of excellent targets for offensive spells. I’d have to limit the amount of power I put into things, but this would work.

“You may begin when ready, Frau Akagawa.”

Gripping my staff, I looked up at the observation bay, and nodded to Oesau. He switched to a more formal tone, since we were with an official, and this was being recorded, so I returned the favor. “Understood, Doctor. I will be using about one percent of my full power, and we can ramp up from there if the instruments are having trouble.”

Turning to face the dummies, I took a breath, and worked to tamp down on my power as much as possible. The spell would still be lethal to most commoners, who hadn’t done a good deal of mana strengthening, but it would be survivable for higher-ranking human officers. With a thought, the necrotic bolt flew, and smashed into the center dummy like a gunshot.

OK, it may have been significantly more powerful than a little handgun. There was currently a hole in the forehead of the center dummy, right where my spell had hit. I was a little surprised at how effective it was, to be honest. I didn’t use single-person ‘bolt’ spells that often anymore, and when I did, I was fighting people who were strong enough that they would just be pissed off at a shot like that.

Oesau’s voice sounded a little shaken when he spoke up. “Kinetic impact reading is… 9095 Joules of force on impact. That is roughly equivalent to an antimateriel rifle in the .50 caliber range. If that was a person, they’d be likely to have anything above their neck still attached to their body.”

Koyama sounded like he was going to be slightly ill. “And you said this is only one percent of your power, Akagawa-sama?”

I chuckled as I looked up at the observation window. “Yes, though I am a bit surprised at the result, as well. I haven’t had to use a Necrotic Bolt spell against a target that wasn’t shielded and reinforced with magic in a long time. Like most people, I don’t go around shooting civilians in the head, to see how much damage I can do.”

Oesau took a breath, and then said, “So, just so we have a frame of reference, what are the qualities of this Necrotic Bolt spell?”

“Well, the first spell any mage learns is a ‘bolt’ spell. It is nothing more or less than mana given shape by intent, and fired at an enemy. The type of bolt depends on the element, naturally. Fire mana gives you a Firebolt, for instance. If you do it with untyped mana, then it is a Magebolt.

“The elements don’t typically do extra damage or anything like that on their own, but they do have secondary effects. My necrotic bolt, for instance, would cause necrosis around the wound, interfering with healing magics. It also has the benefit of healing undead.

“A Firebolt may set the target on fire. Acid Bolts leave corrosive acid on the target, with obvious effects. Water Bolts have a good chance of knocking someone over, and are particularly effective against fire elemental enemies. A Lightning Bolt can stun living foes like a tazer, making it very useful in a fight. A Magebolt has the unique ability of being pure force, making it useful against ghosts and other ethereal or incorporeal foes.

“A mage learns the ‘bolt’ spell first, for obvious reasons. As they advance, the spells begin to vary more, though people still group them by general type. A ‘missile’ spell, for instance, sends several, less-powerful, bolts at a target or targets. However, instead of being straight-line effects, these spells are more like guided weapons. There are also ‘chain’, ‘cone’, ‘line’, ‘ball’ and other such spells.”

I paused, to make sure they were keeping up, and then said, “Now, this is just with the basic attack magics, the brute force options designed to deal raw damage to an opponent. There are plenty of other ways mages can attack each other, obviously, like the spells I used against those idiots who attacked me. Displacing souls from bodies, and then trapping those souls in a suitable container, are specialties of the Necrotic element, since it is most closely tied to death. Other elements could do similar, if they tried, but it would take a great deal more time and effort to pull off.”

Koyama nodded slowly. “I see. The difference between different mages is that they have elements that they are more talented in, which affects their potential at the higher end, since you likely need more and more power to convert mana from one type to another when dealing with higher level or more complicated spells. Right?”

“Exactly, Koyama-san. And most people only have a single elemental ‘affinity’. A few have two, and three is all but unheard of. You’re more likely to have someone with ‘Untyped’ affinity, actually.”

Oesau raised an eyebrow. “Untyped Affinity?”

“Yes, there are a few people who are either so balanced in their affinities, or they have so little affinity with any element that their spells are naturally the untyped version. This allows them a great deal of flexibility with the lower-level magics, naturally. They do have trouble accessing the higher-level magics of other branches, but they compensate for it by being the best at non-elemental spells, such as those dealing with the Mind, Space, and Time.”

Even without my enhanced eyesight, I would have been able to see Koyama’s wince from where I stood. “Mind? As in mind control?”

“Yes, and like the slave magics I’ve talked about before, though that is more along the curse branch of magics, rather than active Mind Control. Now, any element can deal in things to manipulate the mind. However, most of these things are essentially hypnosis, and manipulating someone into doing as you wish. True mind control, however, can literally rewire a person’s mind, making them be whoever you want them to be.

“Now, Necrotic and Holy are the only two elements that can come close to the untyped affinity’s true Mind Control. However, they do it by manipulating the soul directly. This is how a Necromancer instils loyalty and maintains control over his undead minions, for instance, while a Priest can use their powers to ‘purify’ a soul, and ‘reforge’ it in their faith’s image.

“Suffice to say, when someone is the victim of true Mind Control, or Soul Manipulation, the person that they were before is, for all intents and purposes, dead. The person that remains may have their body, their memories, but they are no different than someone who suffers a traumatic brain injury, and wakes up from a coma a completely different person. This makes it all but impossible to reverse. You can overwrite the ‘fake’ person with something similar to the original, but it would be like an artist painting a sunset, rather than the sunset itself.

“Thankfully, less total versions of mind control, whether they are through illusions, or hypnosis, altering or implanting memories, or even something as nasty as a curse, can be removed with far less trouble. Better still, there are usually no lasting effects, other than perhaps the need for therapy, if the person was tricked into doing something they were not proud of, or if they were the victim of a particularly nasty curse, like slave magic. Unfortunately, the other world did not exactly have the concept of psychology or therapy, more’s the pity.”

“What did they do, in those cases?”

“If they were poor, or middle class? Develop all the coping mechanisms you might expect of someone with untreated mental trauma, possibly leading into substance abuse, and mental illness. For those with wealth, or connections, they would seek out an untyped mage who knew true mind control, or a priest or necromancer who could perform soul manipulations, and get them to… edit the offending memories. Not removing them, but blunting the impact of them, turning them into a data point, like something that happened to someone else.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Oh, certainly. It was why those kinds of things were often accompanied by rather exacting contracts, to ensure that there was no foul play. And the different countries and mage guilds watched those with the proper affinities carefully, especially as they grew in power. By the time they got the skills necessary to pull something like that off, they were made well aware that anyone who used that power without… restraint, or regard for the law, would find themselves being hunted by all the mages, because they could not risk the whole world uniting against them. Even if they were more powerful than commoners, there were far more commoners than mages, and the mages had to sleep sometime.”

Chapter 15 – Studio

Finally, after two weeks of working with Phantomline to develop the prototype mass production focuses and work on refining CADs, I was back in my studio. The work had been productive, of course. I learned new things about this world’s magic, and, with my help, the team at Phantomline had finally managed to create a prototype CAD that could filter out a magical creature’s natural magic, allowing them to use CADs like normal mages, though they still hadn’t found a way to get the brain scan to read me. At any rate the new CADs were set to be announced to the public next month.

More importantly, as I said, I was back in my studio, and ready to work with all my new workers. They’d all been training with the basic mana drills that I’d taught them, so they were ready for the real deal. Walking into the ‘workshop’, which was really a warehouse full of machines and tools to craft with, I could see that everyone was present, and ready for the next step.

“All right, everyone. Glad to see you all here. Now, when I hired each of you, I promised to teach you techniques that you’d never seen before. I’ve already given you the first piece, and I’m happy to see you’ve all been growing your mana pools. That’ll come in handy with what we’re going to be doing next.”

I took a breath, and then said, “Now, I have not taken any certifications in this world, obviously, but in the world that I was summoned to, I would rate as a master craftsman in each of your crafts, though some of the techniques I learned are foreign to this world, because they require mana. The staff you’ve all seen me use was made and enchanted by me. In fact, all of my equipment was made and enchanted by me.

“This is not me bragging, but a way to tell you why I am able to give you new insights into crafts you have rightly earned the title of Master in, which will allow you to produce masterworks that shatter your previous expectations. Each of you will be trained in the skills needed to enhance a piece’s ability to hold and channel mana, to imbue a work with mana in its creation, and the basics of enchanting. I do not expect all of you to master enchanting, as you have your fields, but I will work you all until you would qualify as journeymen in the other world.”

Dennis Kant, my master blacksmith, raised a hand to speak. Finding him for the studio was a real bonus for me, since he was the nephew of one of my classmates. I’d known that Isaak’s family had run a traditional blacksmithing shop that had been handed down through the generations, so I was surprised to see one of them walking away from the shop. But then, he was the youngest of the three brothers currently running the shop, so this was a way for him to strike out on his own, and make a name for himself. The ‘family business’ would still be there when he was ready, and would be stronger for what he could now bring to the table.

“What is it, Dennis?”

“Well, the requirements to be an apprentice, journeyman, or master are simple enough in this world, even if you go back to medieval times, but I was wondering what the qualifications were in the other world?”

I nodded, and said, “Great question. Becoming an apprentice in a craft was simple enough. You found someone to train you, and you practiced until they thought you had enough skills to be able to make something that could be sold. After that, you were a journeyman until you produced a masterpiece, something that the other masters in the field acknowledged as something of the highest quality.

“Going from apprentice to master could take anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand hours of training, depending on how talented you were in the field. That’s five to seven years of eight-hour days, five days a week, training your skills. Now, obviously not everyone has the talent or drive to become a master, but for those who could, that’s generally how it goes.

“I am, as you all know, a Lich, an undead creature. This means I do not need as much sleep, as my body doesn’t tire. So, what would take someone five to seven years to accomplish, I was able to do in one to two, training nearly twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And I was in the other world for forty years.

“The first ten years, I spent conquering Athelia, and cementing my control over the nation, while training my magic. The next eight years, I spent learning crafts, so that I could outfit myself with whatever I needed, in a pinch. Then, there was two years of building alliances, before I came to the Demon Lord’s attention. After that? Twenty years of war, as I pushed the Demon Lord’s forces back, step by step, but I still found time to keep my skills sharp.”

Dennis nodded, and I looked at the rest of the room. “Any more questions? Remember, we’re all masters, here, so don’t be shy.” When there were no more questions, I smiled, and said, “All right, so let’s get to the first step towards enchanting, and that is Imbuing.”

There was a collective sense of everyone moving to the edge of their seats. After all, this is what they were here for. It was why they were here, instead of running their own shops. They wanted to be on the cutting edge of something new, and this was something this world had never seen before.

“Imbuing an item is nothing more or less than infusing mana into the item during its creation. It sounds simple, but it takes practice to keep an even flow of mana while you are going through all the other actions of crafting. You have to keep the flow steady, even while you are measuring the strokes of your hammer, if you’re forging, and so on.”

There were nods of recognition. They were all masters, after all, so they knew how hard it could be to try and concentrate on something else while working, and not have the end product suffer. But time and practice could make that second nature.

“Now, why imbue an item?” I picked up a cast iron fire poker that I had brought in just for this demonstration. It was a solid piece, rigid and inflexible. Bending it into a circle like it was string made everyone take note.

“Simply put, imbuing strengthens items. A sword that has been imbued will hold an edge longer, and be harder to chip. An imbued vase will be harder to shatter. Leather armor that has been imbued will be harder to pierce. A staff that has been imbued can be swung with great strength, and not break.

“Because, as you know, one who has grown their mana pool, and infused their bodies with mana to strengthen it, will be stronger than a normal person. At its most basic level, imbuing allows a craftsman to make objects that will better hold up to rough use by individuals who have increased abilities. If this poker had been imbued during its making, I would have had trouble bending it. Depending on the strength of the one imbuing it, I might not even have been able to manage it at all.”

I set the poker down, and said, “Imbuing also has the ability to synergize with enchantments, when they are put on. An imbued piece will take less effort to enchant, and the enchantment may have a slightly better effect. But we won’t go into enchanting until later, when you’re ready for it.

“Now, imbuing is a simple process. While you’re crafting, I want you to focus on your mana, as I’ve showed you, letting it circulate through you. And then, as you’re forming your piece, I want you to focus on letting a portion of that mana flow through your hands, or your breath, if you’re blowing glass, into the piece.

“You’re going to fail, the first few times. Either your intent or flow will be too weak, or you’ll try too hard, and end up overloading the piece, or you’ll miss the pacing, and not have enough mana to finish the imbuing. Too weak an imbuement or running out of mana and the worst that can happen is that you ruin a piece, but overloading it can be explosive. None of you are strong enough for an overload to be a real danger to anyone other than yourself, thankfully, but since I’d rather none of you died, you’ll all be wearing protective gear.”

Again, more nods, as people accepted that this was a reasonable precaution. And none of them were offended when I told them that they were going to fail the first few times. Every one of them had been a novice once, after all.

“So, I’ve brought in some basic materials for each of you to work with, and I’d like you to start crafting something, and try to imbue it. I’d recommend something simple, like a bracelet or dagger, so you can give more focus to the imbuement process. I speak from experience that it is not easy to get the hang of at first.”

I grinned at them. “I would offer to show you the process, but this is like when I taught you to fill your mana pools. A description only goes so far, and without a special talent to see the flows of mana, you have to rely on feel. So, don’t worry about screwing up, these first few times. But, as an incentive, the first piece each of you manages to successfully imbue, I will enchant for you.”

That was a nice little carrot on the end of the stick for each of them, so I waved my hand to let them get to work. I wasn’t going to be idle, of course. That was no way to run a studio, after all. No, I was going to start on the first commission we’d gotten.

Customer: Melissa Roberts (Agent)

Customer Details: Ms. Roberts is representing the British royal family as an agent. Intended recipient is the current monarch.

Request: Protective talisman or charm.

Additional Requirements: The royal family is always concerned with security. They are looking for a defensive item, which can be worn either openly or discretely, with a variety of outfits of differing formality. At minimum, the item needs to protect from gunshots, other projectiles, and explosives.

I looked over the information that Miyano, the office manager, had taken down. It was a simple enough request. Oh, there was other information, including the budget, and other such things, but that didn’t matter for my crafting, at the moment.

The current monarch was the King, but he had only daughters. I could just go with something masculine, and then sell another item when the kids grew up, but I wanted to do something that would work equally well, for both men and women. This wasn’t just because it could be used more, but because it would enhance the challenge. Something that could be worn by both men and women, in various levels of formal (and not-so-formal) wear, was not easy.

Even just designing it to be worn under clothes wasn’t a solution, since formal gowns for women often had varying degrees of cleavage and back shown, depending on the style of the time, and just how formal the situation called for. So, it needed to blend in, regardless of the outfit worn.

Or did it? There were items that could disguise themselves, using a glamour to make themselves invisible, or changing to match the item they were worn with. Sure, the items associated with them were usually related to spies and espionage, but they existed, which made this easier. I could have a single item, that the user could change the image of to suit their needs.

With that in mind, the next question was what kind of item it would be. A hat or headband of some kind would be out of the question. Sure, it could be made to shift to fit different hairstyles, but there were plenty of times when formal wear would not work with something in the hair.

I was leaning towards an amulet or necklace. They could be made easily enough, and they fit a wide array of outfits, for both men and women, especially if you could change them according to the wearer’s tastes. And even for the situations where they couldn’t be worn openly, if it was flat enough, it could rest under the wearer’s shirt, and still be fine.

Yes, an amulet would do nicely. Now, I just had to make it.

Chapter 16 – Forged

So, the first part of designing any item was picking the materials. The materials decided what kind of things you could do with the form of the final piece. The materials determined the piece’s strength, how hard it was to damage or warp. The materials determined what kind of detail you could put in.

Of course, those more functional concerns weren’t the only things to consider when making a piece. You had to consider the person you were making the piece for, after all. Steel was a great material for detail work, but wasn’t really something you’d recommend for royalty. Platinum was useful, but, again, kind of pedestrian for something that a royal would use. No, it would have to be silver or gold.

Now, the difference between silver and gold was simple enough. Both were precious metals, but silver tarnished more easily. Also, somewhere between 10% to 15% of the population was allergic to silver, compared to about 9.5% for gold, and there were some people who were allergic to the other materials alloyed with the gold. On the other hand, silver was more widely used, so it could fit in better with the wearer’s casual wear, and it already had associations with health, which could be used symbolically to enhance the protective value of the magic. So, both gold and silver had their high points.

Or I could go with something more old school. The ancient Egyptians used electrum in a lot of jewelry. Even used it as a covering for the pyramids. Electrum is just a natural alloy of gold and silver. But there’s a man-made version called green gold, which is significantly easier to find, and gives the finished product a yellow-green look. And I could then use silver engravings to complete the look.

Now, I knew I wanted an amulet of some kind, so the question was, what kind of amulet? A gemstone was the initial thought, but perhaps a shield, with the royal family’s crest? Wait, if the item was typically going to be hidden behind a glamour, then I could do an inverted stela look, which would allow for more engraving, to enhance the effect of the eventual enchantment. But the crest changed slightly with each monarch or member of the family. So, I would need a way for the engraving to change with it.

Well, that would require magic, but the underlying design could be used to guide it, and make that step easier. I was going to make this a powerful item, akin to an Artifact, so I wanted to limit who could use it. I could link it to a specific bloodline, so that anyone not of that blood would not be able to wear it, or even touch it. That would also make any questions about legitimacy of the heir irrelevant.

Oh, there were ways around such an enchantment, of course. But they all either required an understanding of enchantments that was not present in this world, or advanced blood magic. And if a blood mage talented enough to overcome my enchantment got hold of a royal’s blood, then the royals would have much bigger problems than someone running off with their jewelry.

Properly anchoring a blood enchantment meant that I would need a bloodstone. That was mostly a symbolic thing, of course, since a true enchanter could anchor an enchantment to anything, but using a bloodstone was safer, and less prone to corruption if exposed to wild magic. An enchantment designed to work only for a certain bloodline, that wasn’t anchored by a bloodstone, could easily be twisted into a curse by wild or corrupted mana flows. And giving potentially cursed items to royalty was always a bad idea.

So, that was the amulet sorted. Now, about attaching it to the person’s body. It would have to be a chain of some sort. Simple links would work, but I wanted to showcase some artistry in the basic form. A Cuban link chain, where the links were formed so that they lay flat against the body, would do nicely.

Heating the metals to combine and alloy them properly was its own process, but one common enough in the world. I was going with 18 karat green gold, so a mix of 75% gold to 25% silver. That was a good mix for ‘daily wear’ items that still wanted to look good. 22 karat was too soft for anything that would see daily use, meaning I’d have to put more magic into reinforcement and less into the actual enchantment.

To properly alloy the two metals, I needed to heat them. Gold melts at 10640C, while silver melted at a comparatively more reasonable 961.80C. That was still quite hot, of course. Fortunately, I had a crucible and a furnace, and I knew how to use them.

While I worked, I took a moment to chat with the Karasus. Karasu Sawao and Karasu Kinu were a married couple, and the metalworkers I hired for the studio. Of course, they both had different styles that they used in their work. Sawao favored solid pieces, including some jewelry like rings and bracelets, but mostly lager pieces that could get into the realm of sculpture, while his wife favored more delicate work, like earrings and necklaces, with beautiful engravings. But it was the pieces where they combined their talents, with the fusion of delicate wires and chains running from a beautifully engraved base, that brought them to my attention when I was making hiring decisions.

The two were excited at the opportunity to work with masters from a variety of fields, and positively ecstatic to be learning new techniques. From what they told me, they had been pushing each other in their training during the time between their interview and now, and it showed. I was hopeful that they would take to imbuing and enchanting as eagerly.

Once the silver and gold were alloyed, I pulled the crucible from the furnace and began working the metal. Now, this is where I deviated from standard metalworking practices. I did not have an ingot mold to pour the liquid into, and I didn’t use any rollers or similar tools to form wire from the molten metal. Instead, I used simple force magic to mold the metal into the shape I wanted.

This was a complicated technique, but necessary when dealing with some of the higher-level materials, unless one wished to create an entire shop’s worth of tools and machines from, say, Adamantium to be able to work with the metal. Oh, a blacksmith’s forge could have a hammer suitable for hammering adamantium into plate armor, or even the basic rings of chainmail, but for the fine, delicate work? Magic was easier, at least for the initial shaping, while you were imbuing the material.

Of course, I didn’t need to do this with a simple gold and silver alloy, but I wanted to show the techniques my new students would need if they were ever going to get into the higher classes of materials. After all, a visual show of what magic in the crafting process could do was always helpful. Plus, it had been a while since I’d done any proper crafting for myself, so keeping my skills sharp on something that I could more easily mend if I messed up was a bonus.

I had a kilogram of my newly alloyed metal. Three quarters of it, I formed into wire, imbued with my magic, that I could use for the chain. The remaining quarter, I began imbuing as I flattened it, turning it into a pendant with a ring large enough to fit over the chain I was going to be making next at one end, while the imbuement strengthened the material. When I was done, this amulet would be all but indestructible, if I had anything to say about it, but until that was done, it would respond to my magic, allowing me to finish the crafting process while imbuing the piece, without needing to rely on tools made from rare materials or trying to force my magic to inscribe runes on the finished product, even if I were working with one of the high-tier materials.

Just below the ring, I set the bloodstone. It was a round gemstone, exactly 1.27 centimeters in diameter, with a solid face 1.1 centimeters in diameter. This is where the blood enchantment would reside.

The flat of the amulet was ten centimeters long, with straight sides before they angled to a point at the base, like you would see in ancient monuments. This gave me a flat surface that I could work with. Now that I was at this point in the process, I could let this part sit, for a moment, while I worked on the chain.

The Cuban link chain is different from a normal chain because of its oval design, and the way that the individual links are curved so that the finished result looks like the whole thing was woven or braided. Also, instead of alternating ‘flat’ and ‘raised’ links, like a stereotypical chain, the resulting chain lay flat against the body, like the rings in chain mail, but with more contour, as the links in the chain were designed with aesthetics rather than protection in mind.

Taking the imbued wire, I used my personal tools to start clipping the wire, bending and flattening it into the links of the chain. There were tools available for everyone to use, but any craftsman would tell you that there is a noticeable difference between ‘their’ tools, and anyone else’s, even if they were the same make and brand. There was also something to be said for knowing exactly how the tools were stored and maintained, as well. It was no different from a chef having his own knives, or even a soldier knowing every facet of their weapon and kit, that they could take apart and put back together blindfolded, because they knew the weight and feel of each piece.

“Excuse me, Akagawa, but how are you doing that?”

I looked up from the process of making links one at a time, to see Kinu watching me, intently, eyes full of wonder. With a smile, I said, “I assume you’re talking about how I’m closing the links, rather than the process of making them, since I know your skill. I am sealing each link in the chain with a hint of metal and fire magics, so that they truly have no beginning or end. I’ll do this with each link in turn, until the final link loops back to the first. Obviously, I’ll set the pendant on the chain before that happens.”

“I assume that there’s a reason for it, beyond simply looking cleaner?”

I nodded as I went back to forming the chain. “Indeed. While I could just make the chain normally, either leaving tiny gaps or using some means to weld them shut, that would make the chain weaker than if it were truly a solid piece. The difference wouldn’t be enough to matter for normal wear, but it could affect the enchantments, especially when you’re dealing with higher-quality material and more complex enchantments.

“There’s also the symbolism to think about. Just as symbols and intent are important when shaping magic to cast spells, it is just as important, if not more so, in enchanting. Symbology can work to strengthen an enchantment, or it could weaken it. A warding enchantment on a paper wall would be weak, unless there was more to anchor it. Take that same paper, and fold it into a happi coat or a cloak, and it is no longer ‘paper’ but a ‘coat’ or ‘cloak’, which the enchantment can work with to shroud the area guarded by it.”

“How do you know what symbol is best?”

I smiled as I continued my work. “That, Karasu, is up to you, as a crafter. As I said, it is your intent that focuses the magic while you imbue a piece, and later enchant it. The symbols that matter to you, will work better for the magic than the symbols that matter for others. Some symbols have more universality, such as paper ripping, while the cloak shrouds. Granite may convey strength and permanence, while glass can be used to enhance clarity or improve vision.”

“I see. So, what is the next step?”

I sealed the final link on the chain, and said, “Now, I get to enchant an item so that it is fit for a king.”

Chapter 17 – Enchanted

There were four pieces of any enchantment. First, you had the materials, which would hold the enchantment, and conduct mana into it. Second, you had the symbology, which could strengthen or weaken the enchantment. Third, you had the inscriptions, which ‘programmed’ the enchantment. And finally, you had the magic, which ‘installed’ the enchantment.

I already had the first two steps done, so now I needed to work on the third step. This was actually both the simplest and most complex step of the enchanting process. The difference between simple and complex was in setting the instructions for the enchantment.

In our first year at the International School, we’d been sent through a computers and technology class. Basically, it was a class to make sure that everyone at the school could use the computers, and taught us a bunch of things about databases and the like. One thing it also included was basic programming. As in BASIC, the computer language.

Oh, it wasn’t anything in depth. I think the most complicated thing any of us programmed in that class was a replica of Pong. But the basics of computer programming definitely applied when dealing with enchantment, especially when you considered GIGO and the KISS principle.

The KISS principle was the simplest one. Keep It Simple, Stupid. The more complicated an enchantment was, the more carefully you had to go over the wording to be sure that what it said matched what you wanted to happen. The enchantment to make a sword sharper, or to increase the protection a suit of armor gave you? Simplicity itself. An enchantment to ensure that only the husband of the bride could impregnate her? That was a LOT more complicated!

Which led to the GIGO concept. Garbage In, Garbage Out. A simple equation z = x / y is easy enough to program in. But what happens if y is 0? Your program fails. If you’re just doing a exercises for Algebra homework, that just means you get an error, and the class laughs at you.

If you were doing an enchantment, however, that kind of mistake could turn a supposedly beneficial item into one carrying a deadly curse. Some of the most dangerous items in the other world had come about because of unfortunate enchantments with accidental effects. The example my teacher gave me, while I was learning enchanting, was that of the Slippers of the Dancing Queen.

The entire shop wasn’t even pretending to work as I went into the story, but that was fine. They were here to learn, after all. I would be a poor teacher indeed if I didn’t hammer some of the dangers into their skulls first, so they wouldn’t make the mistakes other people did.

“In the land of Rafrad, the King was married to the daughter of the Astren tribe in the north, to forge an alliance between their peoples. Rafrad was a noble country ruled by the aristocracy, while the Astren were a warrior people who put more faith in one’s skill at arms than their skill on the dance floor.

“Queen Svolhu was a mighty warrior of her people, a ferocious fighter who, with her legendary greataxe, Spinecleaver, slew a dragon in single combat, or so all the bards proclaimed. But the battlefield of the ballrooms and palaces of Rafrad were alien to her. She could barely perform the steps of the simple dances commoners used, because her body knew only the rhythm of combat. The complicated and delicate dances of the nobility were simply impossible for her.

“This was a weakness that saw Svolhu mocked by all the nobles, the aristocrats viciously cutting her down with their words whenever they could pretend that she couldn’t hear. In her despair, she turned to the local enchanter for help. If learning the dances was impossible for her, was there not some way to use magic to help her pretend, at least enough to keep up appearances?

“The enchanter took her dancing slippers, and enchanted them with magic to allow her to dance with the most talented of the Rafradian nobility. When one said the word of command, they would begin dancing in perfect time to the music they heard. With that alone, Svolhu would have been happy.

“But the enchanter wished to impress the Queen, in a bid to become the official court enchanter. So, he added several powers to the slippers. First, he gave the slippers the power to meld into her feet, so that the queen might always be ready to dance, no matter what fashion demanded of her for footware. Second, he enchanted the shoes to grant the wearer stamina while dancing, so that they would be able to keep dancing long into the night. And finally, he gave them the power to force others to dance along with her, so that the nobles who insulted her might be made to dance to her tune.

“It was a masterful piece of work, an enchantment that was sure to please the Queen. But the enchanter made one terrible mistake. He made the command words for the spells in the Rafradian tongue. Queen Svolhu could speak Rafradian, but her accent was no different from that of an American trying to speak Japanese.”

I nodded at my audience’s winces. They all knew how badly a foreign accent could mar someone’s speech. Even if they were saying the proper words, it was easy to believe that they might not be understandable to a native speaker. And, when magic was involved, this became a big problem.

“At the first ball after Svolhu received the slippers, she spoke the word of command to begin dancing, and all was well. But when she tried to speak the word to stop, the shoes did not understand her, for her Astren accent made it sound like the word used to make everyone dance with her. Now, this on its own would only qualify for a minor embarrassment. If that was all, then the tale would be that of a woman who tried to gain skills she did not have by cheating, and the whole thing would likely never be thought about, outside her own lifetime.

“But that was not all, and it is here where the actual mistakes in the enchantment came to light. For, in his haste to impress the Queen, the enchanter had forgotten to include any limiters into the enchantment, save for the command words. She could not properly pronounce the word to stop, and so the slippers made her keep dancing, past the point of exhaustion. And because the slippers heard the word to force others to dance with her, the entire hall, everyone who could see the queen, began dancing with her.

“Servants who had been outside the room, and were unaffected by the spell, cautiously entered the ballroom, and found themselves unaffected. Seeing this, they tried to separate the dancers, dragging those closest to the doors out of the hall, to see if breaking the line of sight would end the effect, but it was not so. Those caught in the enchantment’s web would continue dancing until the enchantment stopped.

“A maid who served Svolhu mentioned the enchanted slippers, and suggested that, if they were removed, the spell might end. Four of the kingdom’s knights entered the hall, and attempted to subdue the queen, so they could remove her shoes. But that was not as easy as it might seem, for Svolhu was still a mighty warrior, and her body was ingrained with the reflexes of one who has lived upon the battlefield.

“Despite herself, she fought against the knights. When they tried to grapple her, or even tackle her to the ground, they found that any injury done to her, no matter how slight, was translated through the enchanted slippers to all those affected. Yet, somehow, they managed to pin her to the ground, though it took the four of them, struggling with all their might, to hold her down, and keep her steady.

“And it was then that the final tragedy of the slippers was revealed. Once they melded into the wearer’s skin, only the wearer could remove them. And Svolhu was incapable of doing anything but dancing at the moment, even though the music had long since stopped.

“The only way to stop the macabre dance was for the Queen to die. But killing her would kill all the rest of the dancers, effectively decapitating the entire nobility of the country, since the damage was replicated on the other dancers. Even if they were knocked out or put to sleep, their bodies danced on.

“One by one, the guests began dropping, for the pampered nobles did not have the stamina of a warrior queen from the north. Svolhu danced until she died, the last to fall. Only then, could her slippers be removed.

“But the deaths of so many, combined with their dying curses, had changed the slippers. Once pure white, the slippers were now blood red, and their powers had changed with them. Now, simply putting on the slippers would cause the wearer, and all who saw them, to dance the dance macabre once again, until the cycle of death repeated itself.”

I sighed, shaking my head. It was a tragic tale, after all, but an important one to tell, if her students were to learn from others’ mistakes instead of their own. “And all of this because of the cruelty of women, a queen’s vanity, and an enchanter who made his enchantments more complicated than they needed to be.” I looked at my students, and grinned. “So, when you begin your own enchantments, remember to always check your work.”

And, with that, I turned back to my own work. The enchantment I wanted was a complex one, after all, and it wouldn’t do to follow the footsteps of the enchanter in the tale. Especially since, following the chaos of the Rafradian nobility being wiped out, and the civil war that followed, the country was renamed as Haerth, and its new ruler was the man that would come to be called a Demon King.

To simplify the enchantment, I broke it into sections. The first, and most important, would be the Blood Enchantment. When activated, that would bind the amulet to the wearer’s bloodline. No one who was not of that bloodline would be able to pick up the amulet, much less wear it. To try would be to invite a fate worse than death. But for one who was of that bloodline, they would be able to wear the amulet, and access its other enchantments.

The actual bloodline enchantment was simple enough. Not because the actual ‘programming’ was simple, but rather because it was such a common enchantment, especially when dealing with royalty, that the formula was already written and ready, like getting a piece of code from an online repository. Anchoring it to the bloodstone was child’s play for me, allowing me to move on to the next part of the enchantment.

The protective aspects of the enchantment could be handled in four parts. You had protection from physical harm, protection from poisons, protection from disease, and protection from mental manipulation. Each protective aspect had ‘detection’, ‘passive defense’, and ‘active defense’ parts.

Each section started with some generic formulas, which I then refined with the restrictions I intended to place. For instance, when dealing with protection from poisons, without any restrictions, it would not only block things like birth control, or any other medications the wearer might take, but it would also block the effects of alcohol and other recreational substances. That might not sound like a problem to some, but I knew many people would simply take the chain off when they wanted to drink, which would leave them unprotected, and vulnerable to attack. That wouldn’t be my fault, naturally, but it was bad design, and I couldn’t have that.

So, I worked for quite a while on the poison protections, to ensure that the protections didn’t give the wearer a reason to take off the protections. The same thing with the protection from harm. I had to limit it to external sources, or the wearer’s muscles would atrophy because they were never worked. In fact, the only area where the protections were not limited hardly at all was the mental protections. Those, I just locked down so that anyone trying to manipulate the wearer’s mind would have about as much luck as if they were trying to mind control a brick wall.

The final two parts of the enchantment were the simplest of all. Causing the chain to change shape to fit the wearer’s will at a mental command was simple enough, as that was a secondary function of a very common item, a hat designed to disguise the wearer as any other creature of their basic size and body type, with the hat changing shape to fit the form and clothing style the wearer decided. Protecting the chain from damage was also an incredibly simple enchantment, since I did not have to deal with any restrictions, just make it so that the chain would never rust, shatter, break, stretch, or even so much as scratch. Someone would have to be, well, on my level to affect that chain.

It took me the whole night, and most of the next day of constant work, but, soon, I had completed my first complex enchantment in this new world. As I pushed my magic into the piece, cementing the final pieces of the enchantment and binding it together, I could feel the mana flowing through me. The magic was young, raw, primal when compared to that of the other world, but it could not help but obey my will. And then, it was done, a piece fit for a king.

Chapter 18 – Travel Arrangements

With the amulet complete, I then turned to making arrangements for delivering the item. The contract did not say how the amulet was to be delivered, and I was not about to simply send this thing through the mail. It was far too powerful to be allowed out in the wild.

More importantly, if some idiot decided to ‘test’ it before the royals got it, they’d either have to bind the amulet to their blood, or they would find it to be just normal jewelry. The first option would mean I’d have to go and spend a great deal of energy to ‘reset’ the enchantment, and the latter would damage my reputation because of user error. Neither was acceptable, especially when I was just trying to build my business. Oh, I intended on having written instructions with the item, but you could never trust people to read the instructions!

No, I would have to deliver the item personally, if only to ensure that nothing bad happened. If it were a lesser piece, or a lesser client, then I would just use a trusted courier, but a blood-bound piece for royalty was not something you just put in the mail. Really, going in person was the only sensible solution.

That just left the business of arranging my travel to the UK, and finding out what kind of meeting this would be. Even an ‘informal’ meeting with royalty required proper dress, after all. Even for a casual meeting, you couldn’t just show up in a t-shirt and jeans! It would be a scandal!

Which meant that I might need to go shopping. Oh, I had my wardrobe from the other world, but those were all in the other world’s style, and many of them were designed to fit upon my bones, rather than flesh. I was, after all, a lich, and while I wasn’t exactly prone to vanity, it was important to have clothes that fit properly to your body when dealing with others.

And that brought up another question: what form would I go in? My true form had more gravitas about it, but I knew it could be intimidating to many. Flesh and blood creatures did not like being reminded of their mortality, after all, and there were few more stark reminders of one’s mortality than seeing an undead lich walking towards you. Even the best people tended to get a bit uneasy at that, while the more cowardly or righteous would become hostile, which was a different kind of trouble.

On the other hand, my human guise did not exactly convey greatness. I was only sixteen when I was summoned to the other world with my class, and when I wore my human form, that was how I looked now. Even if people knew my true nature, my looking like a young girl threw them off, and did not lend itself to grandeur.

The problem was that changing how I looked, to age myself up, would require a complete reworking of the spell, and that wasn’t something I really wanted to tackle on a whim. The original spell worked into the enchantment on my ankh was the product of five years of research and testing, before I finally found a way to make it work. A key component of that spell was that it relied on my mental self-image to make my flesh. And changing that self-image was not something you could do easily.

Of course, I could always use a glamour to change my appearance slightly. It wouldn’t even need to be a major glamour, just a subtle one, layering on top of my human form. Hard to detect, even at close range.

But that was also problematic. In the other world, appearing before royalty or other powerful leaders wearing a glamour was considered to be an insult. Exceptions were made for creatures with natural glamours, or those who were inherently dangerous to look upon unshielded, like a Medusa, or emissaries from the edges of reality, where what was real and what was not blended together in madness. But for anyone else, even other kings and queens, it was considered a grave insult.

Now, obviously, that was in the other world, and didn’t necessarily hold true for this world. But some things were universal, and even if it wasn’t considered an outright insult, if the glamour was discovered then it would likely be seen as a sign of insecurity on my part. The potential ramifications of that were not something I cared to think of, at the moment.

Fortunately, I had people who could help me with these decisions. Which is why Holly Gibson, my publicist, was coming out to the castle today, along with Lilah Morgan, my attorney. We had a call scheduled later with Ms. Roberts, but with an eight-hour difference between London and Tokyo, I decided to invite the two of them to come out to my place around five in the afternoon, and we could have dinner after the call.

I felt it in the wards as Lilah’s car passed the boundary of my land. At a thought, the gates were opened for her, allowing the car to pass through all the way to the inner courtyard. Looking through my scouts’ eyes, I saw that Lilah had brought a driver, this time, since I had mentioned that I was fine with her bringing one. After all, she had been fairly wiped out last time she came over.

Wearing one of the kimonos I liked to wear around the ‘house’, I met the two women at the door. “Hello again, Morgan-san, Gibson-san. I trust you had a pleasant trip out?”

Holly nodded. “Yes, thank you, Akagawa-san. And might I say that your home is simply exquisite! Really, the description Lilah gave me doesn’t begin to do it justice.”

I smiled. “Ah, thank you. I hope the guards aren’t too off-putting? I know most people aren’t used to being around this number of undead.”

Holly shook her head. “Oh, no. Well, not completely. I’ve done work for a necromancer before, and a couple of my other clients are vampires, but this is certainly the largest group of undead I’ve seen at once.”

“Well, I’m glad. Unfortunately, I’ve found that it is necessary to keep the archers on the walls, since some nosy individuals have tried sneaking drones across the property line to spy on me. They shoot down at least one or two a day.” I saw Lilah’s face grow concerned, and held up a hand. “Oh, don’t worry, I have been very careful to only take down the ones flying into my domain, so none of them have fired on anything off my property.”

Lilah nodded. “That’s fine, then. If they are sending the drones onto your property, then they have no legal complaint if they are shot down. Just to be clear, they were shot by regular weapons, right? Nothing problematic?”

“No, just the archers with their bows.”

“All right, that’s fine. Guns might have gotten a bit more problematic, especially given the firearms laws in this country, but a bow and arrow? Especially on your property? I’ll tie them up in court for generations if they try.”

“Excellent,” I said, before looking to my watch. “Well, it is half past five now, which means that it would be about nine-thirty in the morning in London. I left a message with Ms. Roberts, the agent for the royal family, informing her that we would be calling at ten, their time, to discuss how to deliver the item they commissioned from me. That gives us a little time to prepare, and come up with our game plan.”

Holly nodded. “Just so I’m clear, if you could sum up why you couldn’t just mail the item like a normal package, what would you say? Preferably in words that the non-mage population can understand.”

Ah, she was already preparing how to spin it. This is why I liked dealing with professionals. “I would ask them if they would send the Mona Lisa or any piece of art on a world tour by simply walking down to the post office and mailing it with international shipping, or whether they might consider it worth enough that they would insist on having someone with it at all times, so that they could keep track of the painting as it moves.”

“That’s a rather tall order. You are comparing your work to one of the all-time masters, after all. What if people say you’re being too arrogant?”

“Well, I won’t deny a bit of pride, certainly. This piece is, unquestionably, one fit for a king. And I would challenge anyone to make a piece of jewelry that can match it for its effects. I am the only one in the world who can do it, currently, so, without any arrogance or false modesty, I would say that I am entitled to call myself the greatest master of enchanting in the world.”

The publicist nodded sharply. “All right, I can work with that. Especially if I play up the fact that this is a unique piece, that is unmatched elsewhere.”

Lilah spoke up, “So, with that part handled, what were you thinking, for the delivery?”

I took a moment to collect my thoughts. “Frankly, I would insist on a meeting, to hand over the piece, and ensure that the binding works properly. It won’t function until it has been bound, but once the binding is in place, only those of the king’s bloodline will be able to pick it up, much less put it on.”

Lilah blinked. “Oh, my. That will definitely have some interesting implications. And not just because of the scandal if it brought the parentage of some of the members into question. How far out on the family tree will this enchantment reach? Would the King’s brother be able to wear it, for instance?”

“An excellent question, Lilah. How I have the enchantment worked, it basically would apply to anyone within two degrees of separation. So, the King’s parents, siblings, and children would be one degree, while his grand-children would be two degrees. This keeps the circle small enough that there is little chance of it being infiltrated by those who wish the king harm.”

“Hmm. But what about succession? Will the item be worthless once the grand-children pass on?”

“I thought of that, too. When the current owner dies, someone within those two degrees of separation may bond the amulet to them. The amulet cannot be re-bound while the current owner lives.”

“And if there is no one within two degrees?”

“That… is complicated. It would take someone with a good knowledge of blood magic and enchanting to rebind it at that point, who has enough skill to maneuver around the snares I put in the enchantment itself as a security measure. I could do it, but I doubt anyone else on Earth could, not at the moment.”

Holly nodded, reentering the conversation. “So, possible, but difficult, especially with the knowledge we have. That’s fine. I can spin that as justifiable security, given the capabilities of the piece. Even if they were only half the power of what you sent over, most people would easily see the need for security.”

Lilah nodded, as well. “You seem to have a solid concept for how things should go already. What would you like our help with?”

“Well, first, there’s the decision about what form to take. Do I go as the Lich Queen of Risen Athelia? Or as Akagawa Kaori, a humble craftswoman? I would rather not use a glamour to hide myself, as that could be an insult, and it would at least make me look like I have something to hide, so it will be either my lich or human forms, for sure. And then I would need to decide how to dress! Most of my outfits fit for royal gatherings are a bit… archaic, shall we say, for this world’s fashion.”

Lilah chuckled. “And, even when dealing with the royal family, there’s a limit to how archaic your fashion can be, right?” She paused, and then looked over to Holly. “What do you think?”

Holly tapped a finger on her chin. “I think it will depend on whether it is a formal meeting or not. If it is formal, then you should go as the Lich Queen, with all the pomp and circumstance you would when visiting another royal in their capitol. If it is more casual, then going as your human form would be more appropriate.”

She shrugged. “You’re going to be on the news, regardless. If there is one family more constantly watched by the press and the paparazzi than the British royal family, then I don’t know who they are. So, a private meeting where you go in and out without being seen would probably be impossible, unless there was actual skullduggery or magic used to smuggle you in. But, even then, the story would get out, eventually, so it really comes down to the image you and the royals want to portray.”

I nodded, and looked at my watch again. “Well, I think it is about time to call. We’ll handle this, and then you two can help me pick out clothes, based on what is decided.”

Both women grinned widely. Holly leaned in, “Do you think that I could take some pictures with my phone while we do the ‘fashion show’? Some casual pics, showing you in different outfits, especially outfits that aren’t from Earth, would drive people wild! We’d only post the ones that you weren’t going to wear on the trip, obviously. No sense spoiling the surprise, after all.”

I chuckled. “Of course, Holly. Just don’t be surprised if there are funny comments when you post pictures of a skeleton doing gravure idol shoots in their home!”

Chapter 19 – Royalty

In the end, it was decided that the meeting would be a formal, though ostensibly private, affair, at Buckingham Palace. Instead of going low-profile, however, they would be announcing that a new, unique piece was being added to the crown jewels. So, a formal gown fit to my undead frame, with my own crown jewels, was the outfit of the day.

When I stepped off the private jet we’d taken from Tokyo to London, there was no coach or limousine to meet me, but that was by design. I tapped my staff to the tarmac, and a portal to my pocket dimension opened. From the portal came my carriage, pulled by two skeletal steeds and driven by a skeleton coachman dressed to impress, with the symbol of Risen Athelia upon the doors.

Two death knights in black armor and riding upon undead steeds in plate barding flanked my carriage. They each carried a lance and shield, with a sword at their side. They were to be my guards, not that I needed guards. But image was important, and important people had bodyguards, especially when carrying valuable items, so I had a token force, fit for a necromancer.

A police escort formed up around us as we rolled off the tarmac. Our procession was met with little fanfare but much interest, as people stopped and looked at the display while we made our way to the palace. Of course, there were pictures taken from every angle, since my arrival had been announced ahead of time, but that was the price of being famous, and meeting famous people.

The trip to the palace was uneventful, but that was as expected. Even the arrival at the palace was handled without incident. The carriage pulled to a stop, and the coachman dismounted to open the door for me. One of the knights dismounted, as well, and rested his lance in a rack upon the coach designed just for this, before following me, while the other remained, mounted and unmoving, by the carriage.

My guard stayed by the door when it finally came time to meet the King in one of the palace’s private receiving rooms. The King was young. Well, young for a king, anyways. The former Queen had lived a long life, unnaturally long. The tabloids had long suggested that there was some kind of magic keeping her alive, as it was only five years ago that she passed away, at the age of 130.

She had lived long enough, in fact, that the first two spots in the line of succession had opened up before she passed. Her son had, apparently, died of natural causes, a complication from a particularly nasty flu, but the grandson unfortunately met his end in a grislier fashion, a result of an automobile accident. It was on the 50th anniversary of his mother’s death, leading some to tabloids to speculate whether there was some kind of curse at play.

Regardless, the King was only in his forties, and had held the throne since his great grandmother’s passing. He was sitting in luxurious chair, across a small table from another, similar chair. Obviously, the room was designed for private meetings. As I entered, I saw the telltale look of someone forcing their emotions to remain off their face. Understandable, given what I looked like.

I bowed my head respectfully, as I would always do when meeting foreign leaders in their homes in the other world. The move was designed to show respect, both for their position and the fact that this was their territory, without conveying fealty or subservience. I may have left my kingdom behind, but I was still a Queen, and would not bow to anyone else.

“Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to meet you this day.”

The King nodded, and said, “And you as well, Ms. Akagawa. Please, sit. We have heard much of your exploits since your return. In truth, We agreed to this meeting as much to get the chance to meet you in person, as to receive the piece you made for Us.” His eyes left me for a moment, and focused on the staff. “Leave us.”

When the room had emptied, the King looked back to me, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Now that they’re gone, let us deal with business quickly. Afterward, I would love to hear more about your adventures in the other world, if you don’t mind sharing. The thought of waging a forty-year campaign boggles the mind.”

“Of course, your Majesty.” I reached into my pocket dimension, and withdrew a black wooden box, sliding it across the table to him. “As requested, this amulet will provide ample protections for the wearer against most threats. However, because of its power, I thought it best to ensure that it never fell into the wrong hands. As such, there is a binding ritual to complete before its powers will activate.”

I walked him through the process of binding the amulet. It was simple enough. A drop of blood, and an incantation, and that was it. Simple, but that was just on the surface. But there was more than just the surface at play.

The King’s eyes went wide as the binding was complete. “What is this?”

I smiled at him. “That, your majesty, is the magic of the amulet, informing you of its properties. This binding ritual has an ‘Identify’ spell worked into it, so that you, and those who come after you, may know the amulet’s abilities, and its limitations.”

“Yes, I see it. Or, know it. Like with air. It will filter out poisons, but it won’t create air if there is a vacuum. Those are the limitations you’re talking about?”

I nodded. “Yes. Or like how there are ‘thresholds of harm’ in some of the protections. You will be able to enjoy a nice beer, but the protection will kick in before you can black out from the alcohol. You may catch the common cold, but pneumonia won’t affect you.”

“Why is that, exactly?”

“Well, for the alcohol, I feel it is bad design to assume that the royal family will forever abstain from alcohol, or need the use of medications. If you completely lock things down, for instance, you would have to take off the amulet whenever you got a headache for some aspirin to help. And for disease, it would even prevent vaccinations and normal immune responses from working, leaving you unconscionably vulnerable if you took the item off years later, to say nothing of if a child wore it from an early age.”

I shook my head. “And also, the protections can be overwhelmed. For instance, a single gunshot would bounce off you, but it may only last, say, fifteen seconds against a minigun. Maybe twenty or thirty, depending on how accurate the fire is. That is not very long, but it will allow you to find cover before the protection runs out, and needs to recharge.”

“And it will work with any other protections I might have?”

“Yes, active protections, like a shield spell, will not be affected by the amulet. If you get any other passive defenses, you’ll want to test them, to make sure the magic doesn’t interfere. Think of it like drug interactions. Most of the time, the magic doesn’t care, and most of the time when they do interact, it is harmless, or merely annoying. The few times it is not, however…” I shrugged as I trailed off.

The King nodded. “Better safe than sorry, I understand.” With that, he slipped the amulet on, and, in a moment, it shimmered, and changed into a series of golden squares, linked together and bearing the symbols of the different countries making up the United Kingdom. Then it shimmered again, becoming a gothic-inspired piece of jewelry, with a silver dragon and a golden lion, before changing once more to be a simple gold chain that he could wear under his shirt.

Shaking his head, he smiled at me. “Simply amazing work, Ms. Akagawa. It is like something out of myths and roleplaying games, despite the world we live in, but made real. This takes a load off my mind, I must admit.”

“Oh, why is that? I will admit to some interest in why you commissioned me to make the amulet. After all, the royal family is always very well protected, as far as I know. Has something happened?”

The King sighed. “Simply put, tensions have risen over the last forty years. It started with the fallout from when people in certain areas voted to leave the European Union, while those in others did not. The fallout from that was only starting to be settled when the Awakening happened.”

I nodded slowly. “I heard that it was a complicated time for everyone involved. Obviously, I am only going off old reports that I’ve found on the internet, so I don’t really have any basis to judge.”

“Well, suffice to say that the rise of actual magic, along with some people warping into new forms that resemble those out of our myths and legends, caused a rise in tensions. And then religious groups found out how to channel belief into spells without a CAD, producing ‘miracles’. Obviously, dropping religion into the mix did not improve the situation at all.

“It started over in Northern Ireland, naturally. The Troubles returned, and with a vengeance, as radicals gained power in the chaos. It was even worse than during the 1970s, by the numbers. People were dissatisfied, and they were scared, and they lashed out. And people lashed back at them, until things grew out of control.

“Then, it started spreading to Scotland and Wales. They were already unhappy because of the business with the European Union, and the Troubles starting up again only fueled tensions. There was very real worry of an all-out civil war, but, so far, the violence has been contained to Northern Ireland, for the most part. But the tensions keep growing, and some of the rhetoric has called for more active measures.”

“How bad has the violence been?”

“Fairly bad, especially of late. Shortly before I took the throne, the Prime Minister and several key members of the Cabinet were assassinated. The perpetrators were caught, but the news that they had also planned a rocket launch on the palace shook the country. More recently, there’s been some talk that they might have had a good idea.”

“And so, when you heard of me, and what I could do, you wished to see if I could help.”

“Exactly. A bit of extra protection seemed prudent, despite the fact that I am one of the most protected men in Britain, if not the world. While the monarchy is largely symbolic, a successful attack on the royal family would threaten to destabilize the country, or send it down very dark roads indeed.”

I nodded slowly. “Symbols are powerful. They are ideas, and ideals. They can keep a people together, or drive them apart. Even the destruction of a symbol can send shockwaves through a society. I remember, before my summoning, that the United States still bore the scars, twenty years after two buildings were destroyed in a symbolic attack.”

“Indeed. Even an unsuccessful attempt on a member of the royal family would send shockwaves throughout the kingdom, but a successful attack? And especially against the reigning monarch?

The King laughed. “Let me just say that the ramifications of something like that were enough to get both the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition to tell me, as firmly as they could without risking jail time, that more precautions needed to be taken. Those two absolutely despise one another. And here they were, practically arm in arm, telling me off for questioning the necessity of more protections!”

I nodded. “Then it would seem that, despite their differences, they at least care about the future of the country. After all, either side could twist an attack, and the aftermath, to their advantage, if all they sought was power. To work with an enemy to avoid that? It speaks to their character.”

The King nodded. “Indeed. Which is why I agreed to their request. Though I did make it so the funds would come from the royal family’s coffers, rather than the Government’s. If it were something that would protect the palace, or the Parliament building, then that would be Government’s place to foot the bill. But just for myself? I’ll not have the kingdom paying that tab.”

I nodded, and was about to speak, when, unfortunately, the sound of gunshots rang out INSIDE the palace, along with an explosion!

Chapter 20 – Attack

My eyes snapped to the door, even as I rose from my chair. Quickly, I looked through the eyes of my knights. Nothing outside. The guards weren’t even reacting as though there was anything wrong. Inside, however? That was another story.

The human guards outside the door were down. Looking through the Knight’s eyes, I could see that four were dead, with two others wounded pretty badly. One of them would need healing magic pretty quickly, or he wasn’t going to make it. My Knight, however, was uninjured. A grenade wasn’t enough to do more than scratch his shield.

Looking down the hallway through his eyes, I saw that it was filled with gunmen. Or, that’s what it looked like. If one trusted their eyes, then there were over fifty men in that hallway, all armed with assault rifles, and some of them even holding grenade launchers! If you looked closely, however, it soon became clear that those fifty—no, fifty-five—men looked awfully similar to each other, almost like there were only eleven, and they’d each been copied five times.

I recognized the spell, of course. Maybe not this exact implementation, but illusions designed to increase or hide one’s numbers were an essential part of a magical battlefield. Oh, everyone got gushy about the big, flashy spells, like fireballs and lightning strikes, but illusions and divinations were truly the most powerful spells on a battlefield. After all, unless you wasted power blindly throwing fireballs, you couldn’t kill what you couldn’t find.

Fortunately, my Knights were undead, which made them immune to some of the more common illusions. Sure, their ‘eyes’, such as they were, saw the illusions, but that wasn’t their only sense. They saw Life, and the illusions needed to fool that sense were quite a bit more complicated. My Knight saw them clearly.

So, there were eleven men, all dressed in black, with matching white hats, and all armed and ready to kill. I recognized the group as the Púcaí, a revolutionary group from Northern Ireland. One of the Púcaí raised his grenade launcher, and I threw a shield over my knight and the two wounded guards. As the grenade wasted itself against the shield, I turned to the King.

“Eleven men, probably Púcaí, or meaning to impersonate them. They’re using illusions to make themselves look like a larger force. You have four dead, one wounded, and one dying out there. Will you allow me to assist?”

The King took a breath, and then nodded. “Yes. Please handle them. But, if it is not too much trouble, can you take some of them alive? I want to know who did this, and how they pulled it off.”

I nodded, and drew a pair of potions from my storage. “Give these to the two who are still alive. I believe it would mean more for them, coming from their liege, than from me. They are healing potions.”

The King nodded, firmly, but didn’t say anything. He’d been in the military, like the rest of his family. He knew there was a time for talk, and a time for action. And this was no time for talk.

A touch of my ankh, and the gown I wore was replaced by my armored dress, the same one I had used in a thousand battles over the long campaign in the other world. The ring that suppressed my aura and a portion of my powers slipped into a pocket designed for it. Then, I reached into my storage again, and felt my staff rest comfortably in my hand. Stepping forward, I threw open the door, ignoring the bullets that were now peppering the shield I’d thrown up.

As I stepped in front of the downed guards, the King moved quickly to unstopper the two potions, and pour one down each throat. I didn’t bother looking at that, as I knew what the healing potions would do next. Instead, I was looking at the gunmen.

“There he is! Kill him! Daire, deal with the undead!”

That shout from one of the attackers was all I needed to hear. They were here for the King, not me. And ‘deal with’ me? Hah. I saw what they were planning, as soon as one of the men traded his assault rifle for a crucifix, and began speaking Latin.

Unfortunately for him, I was not so easy to deal with. There was a brief flash of holy power, as he tried to do his spell, but it broke against my shield. All things considered, I decided to maintain the shield, and just allow my Knight to deal with things. With a wave of my hand, I sent him forward.

To those who hadn’t seen one of my Knights in action before, the speed they moved was something unbelievable. They were actually faster and stronger than they had been in life. Not by a terrible amount. More like if you took the difference between a human in peak condition and someone who is gym fit, and added that to the peak human.

Before the priest could attempt another spell, he was distracted by the sword stabbed through his chest, like a character from one of those ‘Souls-like’ games who missed the block. That was particularly fitting, since the sword was enchanted to steal the souls of its victims, allowing me to interrogate, or torture, them at my leisure. Too bad there were no bonfires to save him, or his friends.

The other ten men focused fire on my Knight, but it was no different from the experience on the talk show set. My creations may have only had a portion of my power, but they were all far more powerful than anything in this world. Sure, they weren’t invincible (I doubted my average Knight could do more than get run over by a tank unless they had extra magic bolstering them, for instance), but against humans? They did not have nearly enough guns to take on my one Death Knight.

But they did not have time to consider that, for my Knight was already upon them. His blade swung down in a slashing strike, and the only reason his blade didn’t cut clean through his next target was because cutting through the rifle that had been held up in defense, which, along with the man’s collarbone, slowed his strike enough that he could not cut cleanly through the spine. The knight threw his newest victim off to the side, and advanced into the group.

That little display caused the men to start to lose their nerve. My skeleton wasn’t phased by their illusions, and their priest trump card had proven woefully inadequate. They began to panic, and one turned to run.

I couldn’t have that, now. With a snap of my fingers, a wall of black flames burst up behind the attackers. The runner didn’t care, or maybe he noticed that the black flames didn’t even singe the paint on the walls, and tried to force his way through. Maybe he was figuring that a getting few burns was a healthier proposition than trying to deal with my Knight.

He was wrong.

I was a Necromancer, after all. Those flames didn’t burn paint or stone. They burned Life. The man barely had time to scream as he passed through the flames. I allowed them to open for a second, afterward, so that the remaining men could see the desiccated corpse, looking like it had been dug out of an Egyptian tomb, rather than having been a living would-be assassin just a moment before.

As my Knight began going for maiming or crippling blows, hacking off arms and legs, rather than going straight for the quick kill, I said, in my most ‘charming’ Lich Queen voice, “Unworthy fools! Fall to your knees and pray for mercy, or the Lich Queen of Risen Athelia shall rend your souls. No peace, no afterlife shall ever be open to you. Your eternity will be nothing but torment.”

Then, as they were still trying to defend themselves from the Knight’s attacks, I hit the base of my staff against the ground, and a burst of necromantic power pulsed out. To their horror, the attackers saw their former comrades rise up jerkily, like zombies out of a movie, and turn to face them. Even more disturbingly, their lost limbs began animating, as well, with one severed arm grabbing its former owner around the ankle.

“See now, your fallen already begin their torment as tools of the Lich Queen!”

That was too much for them. There were six remaining out of the eleven, and four of those were missing limbs. They were broken, and all too eager to surrender. I released the wall of deathfire and the shield I had been holding, and set my Knight to guard them.

The two remaining guards stood. Both were shaken, but the potions I had given them were the good stuff. Oh, they tasted horrible, by all accounts, and the pain of the healing was roughly twice that of the injury itself, but that was all by design. Potion addiction was a very real concern in the other world. Best to make potions a last-ditch option, rather than something people seek out.

Looking back at them, and the King behind them, I said, “Your Majesty, as these brigands attacked you in your house, I would turn them over to your loyal guards, so that they may know the Justice of your lands.” It was a very formal way of speaking, but some situations demanded formal tones. After all, I had proclaimed myself the Lich Queen, and we were no longer behind closed doors, so acknowledging his authority in this matter was only right.

He seemed to be on the same wavelength, because he drew himself up to his full height, and said, strongly, “As King of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms, I thank you, Queen Akagawa. Please trust that these knaves shall know justice, as provided by the courts.”

Then, he turned to one of the guards. “I believe there has been quite a racket so far. Where are the rest of the guards, Captain?”

“Sir, I am unable to reach them on the radio. Some sort of jamming in effect, Sir.”

“May I assist, your Majesty?”

“If it pleases you, my Lady.”

I reached out with my senses, and quickly found the reason, now that I was looking for it. There was a barrier in place, covering this wing of the building. A very subtle one, that kept all sound from leaving this area, and blocked radio transmissions. It did not, however, keep me from projecting my senses through it, or communicating with my undead outside.

Stretching out further, I felt more barriers, over two other areas. The kitchens and a security office, it looked like. Peering through, I saw more corpses, and the lingering energy of their killings. It was fairly obvious, now, where the attackers had come from, and why no alarms were raised.

With a wave of my hand, the three barriers shattered against my power. “The barrier is down, as are the ones over the kitchen and what appears to be a security office. Death has visited those areas, as well.”

The guard nodded, and immediately raised the alarm. Once reinforcements arrived, I had my Knight stand down, and deanimated the bodies of the fallen. I was just extracting the souls of the fallen from my Knight’s blade, storing them in gems so that I could properly interrogate them later, when I noticed that one of the servants appeared, at the end of the hallway, looking furious. I knew it was trouble when he took a breath, and then began to charge forward, despite the guards turning their weapons on him.

“Mori, temerator animarum! By the Flames of Purification!”

A bolt of black lightning struck him in the chest, and he collapsed to the ground, as his soul was ripped from his body. He did not even have a chance to pull the cord on the suicide vest that was now clearly visible. All eyes turned to me.

I just shrugged. “Those Purifiers talk too much.” That got a couple uneasy laughs, before I looked back to the King. “It seems that my coming here has acted as something of a lightning rod. Might I suggest that we adjourn, for now, and continue our discussion some other time?”

The King nodded. “Unfortunately, I think that would be for the best. Though, if I might impose upon you to tarry long enough to replace that man’s soul, once the vest is made safe? If the Púcaí have joined forces with the Purifiers, then that is worrying news indeed.”

Epilogue – Elsewhere

Four individuals met in a darkened room. No names were shared. Those who knew about this meeting already knew who the other attendees were. There was no need for introductions.

Each individual represented a faction of power. While they were not the nominal heads of their factions, what was decided in this chamber would be carried out. One way or another.

On an unseen signal, the political representative took a breath. “It is now the appointed time. What is the news out of the United Kingdom?”

The intelligence representative leaned forward. “The attack happened on schedule. The Púcaí have taken responsibility for the attack. Despite the attackers’ failure to achieve their primary or secondary goals, their leadership believes that this proves the government is not invincible, that they can be hurt.”

The political representative nodded. “That is fine. I know that it was always doubtful that the attack would succeed. What of the religious group?”

“Sources inside the government confirm that the Purifier involvement was discovered. The agent was found, and apparently killed before he could detonate a suicide vest. The group’s culpability in the attack has not yet been leaked to the public.”

“Apparently killed?”

“The Anomaly used a lightning attack, similar to the one during the talk show, to neutralize the Purifier agent. If the attack is the same one used then, that would mean that the soul of the agent was removed from his body. However, as with the last case, the Anomaly has shown that they are capable of putting souls back in their bodies with little effort, likely due to their necromantic abilities.”

The science representative nodded. “Yes, that would be consistent with the data we’ve collected. Thanks to the political faction’s resources abroad, we were able to obtain the ones who carried out the talk show attack. The results of the testing have been mixed.”

The political representative frowned. “Explain.”

“I will preface this by saying that ‘Necromancy’ and ‘Soul Magic’, as some are calling them, are not heavily studied, as of yet, due to the tendency for early experimentation in those fields to run out of control, leading to rather disastrous results. To limit risks to our countrymen, we have moved experimentation to the research facilities run by one of the shell companies in the United States, operating under one of the umbrella corporations so that we can disguise the movement of research materials.”

“We understand. Go on.”

“The Anomaly’s spell is an advanced form of Necromancy, this much is obvious. While the mechanic is unclear, we have determined that the spell must untether, for lack of a better word, the consciousness, or the soul, from its flesh and blood container. We believe the process is similar to those found in astral projection, but in a weaponized form. It is suspected that this is also why, after this attack, the Anomaly used another spell that forced the attackers to effectively ‘possess’ a crystal or gem that they were carrying.

“Alternatively, it is possible that this magic is an offshoot of the process to create a lich. While the Anomaly is the first recorded lich since the Awakening, it would fit speculation raised in various non-scientific sources if this were true. According to all our current information, the process of becoming a lich involves separating the soul from the body, binding it to a vessel that can hold it, and then ‘possessing’ the body it had.

“If this second theory is correct, then the Anomaly has weaponized aspects of the magic that allowed them to survive after the alleged assassination attempt in the other world. In either case, we will need more study before we can come up with a countermeasure to that attack. While it is possible that barrier magic can stop it, the Anomaly’s magical power may allow them to simply overwhelm any general defenses put in place.”

The political representative nodded. “And have you been able to replicate it?”

“Unfortunately, no. We started work with the test subjects acquired from the talk show attack, since it was theorized that their ‘tethers’ would already be loosened. During vivisection and testing, we were able to achieve tether release, and got a lot of good data from our instruments. Sadly, retethering them to their mortal bodies was unsuccessful, and it was decided that we should terminate their bodies.”

“That is unfortunate, indeed.”

“Yes, but the data we recovered did show some potential. The souls or projections of the test subjects lingered after the initial experiment, and we were able to use technology designed for containing astral projections to trap the three souls. We are running experiments, and hope to find a way to tether these souls to other vessels.”

“Very well. Continue your efforts. Are your current resources sufficient?”

“In terms of technology and computer infrastructure? Certainly. However, there has been a request for more test subjects.”

“Get with the intelligence group after this meeting to arrange something.”

The intelligence representative nodded. “We will do that. Also, we are currently reviewing files, and are looking into operatives, or potential operatives, who have an aptitude for necromancy. As you know, while the ability is little understood, because of the dangers all the major governing bodies do tests, to keep control of such individuals. We are hoping to recruit one of them, if we can find a suitable individual.”

“What for?”

“While we all agree that a direct confrontation is inadvisable at this time, there is potential for getting an operative into place, to learn the Anomaly’s secrets. So far, we have noticed that the Anomaly appears to enjoy educating others about the magic of the other world. It is hoped that, if we can find an operative with the suitable aptitude, they can approach the Anomaly, looking for training.”

“And thereby giving us the information we need to counter them in the future, if needed. This would be very useful, if it can be made to happen. Are there any such operatives?”

“According to testing records, there are only three thousand individuals worldwide with an innate potential for ‘necromancy’. Most of those are unsuitable, for one reason or another. We have a short list of one hundred names, and should be able to find a suitable applicant, who has the necessary intelligence and aptitude, not just for the magic, but also for clandestine work.

The military representative nodded. “Getting the Anomaly’s knowledge of the undead would be ideal. I have seen the security footage of the attack. The one undead present ignored a grenade blast at close range, as well as small arms fire. It was completely undamaged. And once the Anomaly set it to attack? That ‘knight’ was incredibly skilled, to the point that it was able to maim and disable, instead of killing, which is much easier. Several of the attackers lost limbs!”

“You were impressed, then?”

“Yes. If we had even a squad of soldiers who could act in such a manner, they would be one of the deadliest special operations teams in existence. However, this also means that the Anomaly, and their army, are far too dangerous to be confronted directly.”

The political representative nodded, and turned to the intelligence representative. “The military representative makes an excellent point. Is there anything in the UK attack that would link back to us? We should not expose our hand until we are certain of victory, I believe.”

The intelligence representative shook their head. “No, we used multiple cutouts. Upon hearing of the attack’s failure, the low-level cutouts met untimely ends, and their computers were examined, to ensure that there would be no possible links back to us. Fortunately, most of our direct involvement was in getting the two groups to meet, and providing some intelligence necessary for the attack. We are covered.”

“Excellent.”

Dramatis Personae

Akagawa Family

Akagawa Kaori – The Archlich, the Lord of the Dead, Lich Queen of Risen Athelia, Hopebringer, Demon’s Bane, the Dark Hero. Forcibly summoned to another world along with her class, she became a lich in order to survive an assassination attempt by the Demon King. After the Demon King’s demise, she returned to her world.

Akagawa Teiljo – Kaori’s father. Head of the Akagawa Company. Also father of Tatsuo and Eri.

Akagawa Kanon – Kaori’s mother. Wife of Teiljo. Also mother of Tatsuo and Eri.

Akagawa Tatsuo – Kaori’s younger brother. Currently an executive at the Akagawa Company, and heir apparent to take over. Father of Genjo, Teika, and Kaori (younger).

Akagawa Hiroko – Tatsuo’s wife. Former in-house counsel for the Akagawa company. Mother of Genjo, Teika, and Kaori (younger).

Akagawa Genjo – Nineteen when Kaori returned from the other world. Currently studying in university.

Akagawa Teika – Fifteen when Kaori returned from the other world. Currently attending private school.

Akagawa Kaori (younger) – Five when Kaori returned from the other world.

Akagawa Eri – Kaori’s younger sister. Currently working on her thesis for a Doctorate of Thaumaturgy at the University of Seattle.

Officials

Marcus Fairchild – Captain and commander of the Seattle Police Department’s Magical Containment Unit, which is essentially like a SWAT team for magical threats.

Koyama Shijo – An official with Japan’s Magical Affairs Department, though his actual work is as a liaison to the military and intelligence services.

Friends/Associates

Lilah Morgan – A human turned into a Demon during the Awakening, working for the law firm Wolfram & Hart. She has been retained as Kaori’s attorney.

Holly Gibson – Hired by Lilah Morgan on behalf of Kaori to serve as her PR spokeswoman and coordinator. Based in Seattle, but works for a company with headquarters in Japan.

Kaspar Oesau – Head of Research and Development at Phantomline. Involved in the project to create CADs useable by magical creatures, as well as the mass-produced focus project.

Athelian Arms

Asari Hisa – Kaori’s personal secretary/aide. Hired from a local talent pool in Tokyo, she is eager to learn, and an efficient worker.

Miyano Hideo – The office manager at Athelian Arms. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the studio, and sourcing materials.

Eto Shiro – He is a woodworker, specializing in traditional Japanese styles.

Dennis Kant – Nephew of Isaak Kant, one of her classmates who was summoned to the other world. He is a master blacksmith, and his family has been running a traditional blacksmith shop for generations.

Karasu Sawao and Kinu – Husband and wife metalworkers and jewelry makers. Sawao favors larger, more solid pieces, while Kinu handles delicate pieces and detail work.

Further Reading

Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):

Frozen Soul –

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT

Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):

Volume 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB

Omnibus 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Complete 1-20 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R5CHNNP

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):

Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL

Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):

Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):

Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF

Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

SCI Stories (Dark Supervillain story):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RL93VQN

Winterborn (Dark Fantasy LitRPG):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S3S3K8

Dark Fate (Postapocalyptic GameLit):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086S35WZ6

The OP Lich is a Returnee (Isekai Light Novel):

Book 1 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094YR8JTD

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T