18.4

ACT 963161069-26889.20.02-Eve-Smith-Silver Prime

Eve grumbled to herself that all those cooking shows made it look easy. Put the meaty dish in the oven; seconds later, it is perfectly cooked. Such fake news! The same instant gratification couldn’t be applied when using Soul Cooking. It took more than a few hours to fix an uneven bite in the meta-magic comprising Ralph’s core. Indeed, the runes did make it easier. The temperature wasn’t a problem either with expert Heat control. However, due to the highly experimental nature of the process, nothing went right the first time.

Eve had been forced to use Witch’s Dust to resolve it.

The cooking process was repeated multiple times after the first attempt, with the World Tree commenting on the side. By the end of the second day, Eve was seriously debating deforestation. She was working through the contract with the annoying tree looking for loopholes. The final hissing outpour of steam saved the wood worshiped by elves. Once the silver-runed box was opened for the last time, Ralph’s newly processed body became visible.

Well, at least it isn’t as bad as the first time. Eve thought, looking at the older man with a critical eye. He’s not bald or in pieces this time, so that is a solid plus.

“Is he supposed to be…brown and green?” the World Tree asked, confused.

“Yes,” Eve said with a firm tone. The green hair and nails were due to the alteration at the skeletal level. She suspected the brown was the result of so much processing. No matter what, Eve had no plans of admitting to any mistakes. If anyone could pull the new look off, it would be Ralph.

A crisp slap rang out as Eve applied the most effective method to wake a sleeping individual. One green eye opened and glared at her balefully. The brown-skinned green-haired zombie rose from the silver not-coffin and sighed.

“Is the pain finally over? You an evil chef?” Ralph said as he rubbed his cheek.

“Ah, you were conscious of all that?” Eve said without expression.

“Thankfully, only the tiniest bit towards the end, but it was enough to inform me that someone was baking me alive. Is this something you learned from Maddy?” Ralph said, moving to climb out of the silver, not-coffin cooking box before realizing it was floating mid-air.

“Nope, I stole this method from another plane of existence,” Eve said as the not-old-anymore butler climbed out of the silver not-coffin. He looked very fit for his new age.

Soul Cooking appears to have an excellent effect on the body. Eve thought, looking at the now middle-aged man. Ralph did a few exercises testing his newly formed body before turning a flat stare at Eve. “Were you planning on letting these elves stare at me forever?”

The witch rolled her eyes and pulled a set of male clothes from Storage. Tossing them to Ralph, she said, “Why would I deny the pleasure of eye candy to others?” With a flicker of will, Eve crafted a body mirror from Witch’s Dust. The shocked expression on Ralph’s face was worth every snide tidbit.

“Am I immortal now?” Ralph asked with a raised eyebrow. He started to flex in the mirror. It was a profoundly ingrained male instinct to do such things.

“Most certainly not. The little ritual you did to murder your brother ripped a piece out of your soul as compensation.” Eve said, watching the older man nodded. “It also took a huge chunk of your life force with it. Charlotte was most distraught. I spent some time hunting down an appropriate solution. Be aware there are safeguards built into this body. If you don’t hold up your end of the bargain regarding Kudzu’s seedling….”

Ralph glanced at her from the side, “That was unnecessary.”

Eve shrugged, “I despise gambling, no matter how lucky I’ve been with it. If possible, I remove risk whenever I can.” Ralph held her gaze for a moment and turned away. It was an apparent dismissal of the subject. She would stand by her decision, though. People had firm morals until the prospect of hundreds or thousands of years came into play. Even the most upright individual’s code would erode given enough time. Steel didn’t last forever, much less the ‘human’ heart.

“What happened to my Blessings?” Ralph said finally after several attempts that echoed in the ambient mana.

“Right, the brown skin and green accessories are a side effect of repair. In the same vein, your old Blessings have been altered to a new ones.” Eve said right as Ralph hit on the right frequency for his gift.

“I can grow weeds,” Ralph said, staring at the ground where a small patch of healthy grass had appeared. Eve noted he completely missed the wild-eyed, almost fanatical looks given by several female wood elves.

Nature appears to be a big draw. Eve thought as two of the female wood elves swiftly approached the duo. Those are the eyes of women willing to do almost anything. Scary!

“Nature Affinity is pretty rare. I figured I would provide two assistants to help him learn.” The World Tree said with obvious glee.

Eve gave a side glance at the tree and said, “What? The only assistants on hand were beautiful young women?”

“There’s no need for sub-par training,” Kudzu said from the flower piece on Eve’s hair.

The two plants took their bickering to non-vocal methods at Eve’s mental insistence. Turning away from the green discussion, she looked at both elvish women. They were typically fit specimens, both sporting swords instead of bows. The common misconception that wood elves required specific weapons was false. Eve suspected wood elves spread the misinformation in all dimensions just like fake news. Such propaganda could cause enemies to underestimate them.

Be that as it may, she cut in front of both thirsty girls. “Mr. Ralph will be accompanying me back to his home plane. I’m afraid it won’t be possible to bring either of you with me.”

I can’t go as anything other than a construct. Eve thought, watching both women whisper among themselves. No need to mention that moving Ralph isn’t here. Only a reverse-summoned construct allowed for safe testing.

“Would it be possible to pay to accompany Mr. Ralph?” one of the elven girls asked.

Eve’s mind slowed as she considered possible scenarios. None of them were detrimental to her long-term goals. “Are you certain? It would be a one-way trip.” She certainly wasn’t going to babysit the two elves. Ralph and Charlotte would have to handle them on their own.

“That’s fine.” Both elves chorused.

Eve didn’t want to waste further time, so she lumped all three together in a silver not-coffin box. Dropping the box into her shadow, a Reverse-Summon circle flashed under her feet. Space twisted as she locked onto Charlotte’s world using Iantha, Bennie, and Kudzu’s seedling. Once the seedling was strong enough, it would provide a spatial lock alone.

Dropping the silver not-coffin into her shadow, she initiated Spatial Steps. A timeless moment in between worlds occurred. Everything worked perfectly until Eve felt a separate and distinct Summons pulling on her frozen form.

Shit, it’s going to pull me off track! Eve thought as Crystal Core spun up, highlighting several options. No, none of these options work. Remove anything that prioritizes me. She watched as Crystal Core struggled to obey a command that didn’t have her best interests at heart. Her mind flickered, settling on a choice.

It wasn’t possible to save herself and her passengers. The logical choice was to stabilize her position and cast them off. It was the right choice, the best one, the optimal option. Eve couldn’t do it, though. Crystal Core allowed her to see how badly things would go if she did that. Ralph was a vital link for Charlotte, and abandoning all the effort she put in didn’t sit well.

Also, there was the factor that Eve was pissed.

Someone had Summoned her at the wrong time. Someone had interfered in an easy trip. She would never know their names if she cast off her passengers and saved herself.

Decision made Eve twisted in the space that wasn’t space. She pulled the silver not-coffin box out of her shadow and positioned it. A kick launched the box on the course to Charlotte’s world while the recoil pushed Eve out of alignment. She allowed the Summon to take hold of her ripping her out of transit.

As she was pulled through the Crystal Wall of a world, she shunted her excess power into the Library of Dust. Charlotte’s world, along with Oblivon, made the practice second nature. It wouldn’t do for the world to reject her existence.

Space slowly stabilized around Eve, but she was already watching her Status shift.

Name: Eve Smith (Hidden)

Level I

Basic Abilities:

Strength (SSS-1499)

Endurance: (SSS-1499)

Dexterity: (SSS-1499)

Agility: (SSS-1499)

Magic: (SSS-1499)

Developmental Abilities:

Witch’s Dust

Witch’s Body

Crystal Core

Skill:

Dust Manipulation I

Sword I

Magic:

Dust Magic I

Spatial Steps I

Curses:

Immortality (???)

Hunger V (Blood)
Thirst V (Blood)

What. The. Fuck. Eve thought, red clouding her vision. Crystal Core pulsed, snapping her out of the unproductive rage. Concentrate, fool! She admonished herself, instantly taking in the scene around her. A male elf was positioned with his hand extended, palm upraised at her. Beneath her body was a circle drawn in blood, the crudest Summon circle possible. Before she could take her pound of flesh from the elf, he collapsed unconscious.

Eve snapped her attention to what appeared to be a small adventuring party to the right. A human woman and a girl with bestial features were within reach. Standing slightly apart were two younger men with enormous backpacks.

A horrible screeching noise came from a group of ants behind the elf who had summoned her. The racket was terrible and only served to become a target of Eve’s anger. Cool air caressed her completely naked body as she formed her Jian instantly out of Witch’s Dust. A glance at the two women's clothing allowed her to copy their kimono and pants combination.

“Erica, we need to run!” one of the men wearing a large pack said. Even as he spoke, he was undoing the straps, his eyes wild in fear.

“We can’t leave Thomas!” Erica replied.

Eve ignored them, bending low to the ground in a sprinter’s position. She watched the strange adventurer party look at her in confusion before she moved. The world twisted around her body as she utilized Spatial Steps I. Even if the world was different, the mechanics of her power didn’t alter.

In a fraction of a second, the screeching was silenced as every single ant disintegrated into an ashen powder that vanished. There was a tinkling noise like rain as glowing crystals dropped on the tunnel’s rock floor. Dead monsters dropped crystals here. Good to know.

“E-Erica…” the man without a pack whispered in shock.

“Thomas summoned a Demon; we will all die down here.” The second woman said with despair evident in her tone as she slumped against the wall.

Eve ignored the idiots and moved over to her Summoner in a burst of speed. She poked him with the Jian and grinned as a small cut appeared. The problem with summoning in a hurry was people forgot the essential precautions. Rushing a summons was a lot like asking for food. Any food. Poisonous or not.

It was a horrible idea to reach outside known reality like that.

She raised her foot and paused. The numbers on her Status meant nothing to her. For all she knew, she had the strength of ten thousand men. Kicking in irritation could pulp the irresponsible moron. That would be a mistake.

Killing is mercy. Eve thought, looking down with cold eyes. Polyglot allowed her to understand the whispers of the elf’s adventuring team. Killing is mercy to this moron, and I’m in short supply of that right now.

Eve turned from the downed elf and stared at the individual known as Erica. She smiled a sickly sweet smile that caused the four to tremble and said, “Would you mind answering a few questions?”