The Fusionist Book 5 -- Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“That’s… it? That’s all you need?”

Larek nodded, eager to get moving.

“Yes, that’s all we need,” he confirmed, looking at Nedira to ensure she didn’t need anything else. She appeared to have mostly recovered from her near-death experience and subsequent healing, though he knew from how long it took her to wake up that morning that she was still feeling some of the exhaustion effects that had plagued her during her recovery. Fortunately, her increased appetite after she woke up was easily satiated given the increase in food being harvested from the nearby fields, as well as from the teams of hunters going out and killing the local monsters for their meat. In just the few days that they had the Fusions that Larek had created for them, there wasn’t a single person that was still starving and they now had a surplus that they were storing in case they needed it.

To help preserve some of that food, Larek had given Vanders and Fendra his original Void Pocket +1 bag that he’d created, as well as two other ones that were even larger at Magnitude 2 and 3. He had experimented with making progressively larger versions of the Fusion to ensure that he wasn’t hitting his limit of Pattern Cohesion costs, which was why he stopped after first making a Magnitude 4 and then a Magnitude 5 Void Pocket. The base Pattern Cohesion for a Void Pocket +5 Fusion was 18,750, though with his bonuses granted to him because of his Specializations, it was 40% less than that total; despite the hefty decrease, he was hesitant to try a Magnitude 6 version because he would likely be cutting it close to his maximum at that point.

Not that he really needed to push it to that point, of course. The growth of the void space inside of each subsequently larger Fusion was substantial, and it wasn’t a linear progression. At the same time, it wasn’t exponential growth, either, but somewhere in between. For the Magnitude 1 version, it could hold a total of 10 cubic feet of space – which was impressive all by itself.

At Magnitude 2, the pocket could hold 50 cubic feet.

Magnitude 3 increased this further by a factor of 6, at 300 cubic feet.

A total of 2,000 cubic feet was possible at Magnitude 4.

And finally, at Magnitude 5, the Void Pocket granted 15,000 cubic feet – more than he ever thought he would ever need for storage. It was the equivalent to a room that was 30 feet by 50 feet with 10 foot ceilings, which was a larger space than he thought he’d ever be able to fill up. In fact, since he didn’t add any additional mental phrasing to the Fusion, he was doubtful that he’d ever fill it up completely – unless he just started to shove in all sorts of things without a phrase, of course. All of that was to say that it was more than was needed at the moment, and even after obtaining two dozen large packages of freshly butchered monster meat, loaves of freshly baked bread bundled into 10 wrapped bunches of a dozen each, and a dozen large baskets of fresh vegetables, he’d barely put a dent in the available space.

Thankfully, he had used the Magnitude 5 Void Pocket Fusion on a large sack instead of a bag, one with a large 3-foot-wide opening, allowing him to place larger items inside; he quickly discovered after some experimentation with his original creation that as long as something was bundled together when it was shoved inside the bag, it would count as a single item for his mental phrasing. This allowed him to have 120 loaves of bread which only took up 10 phrases instead of 120, because they were bundled together by the dozen.

Retrieving items from the Void Pockets was extremely easy, as well – as long as you remembered what phrasing you used to place an item inside. If you forgot, it was easy enough to stick your hand inside – which felt oddly cold and strange – and continue to mentally name off numbers until you got what you wanted, but that typically didn’t happen that often. For instance, it was easy enough to remember that “One” through “Twenty-four” were meat, “Twenty-five” through “Thirty-four” were bread, and so on. Only if he had wildly different items inside would it become complicated, but by that time he would have to start taking notes.

Then again, Larek could simply cheat and manipulate the Fusion so that he changed the mental phrasing to whatever he wanted it to be without having to redo the entire thing. His Pattern Manipulation Skill was even more incredible than before, and changing such things was almost as simple as a thought, though it still took some focus to ensure he didn’t mess anything up. That proficiency also applied to his Fusions, especially his newest one, which was made even easier to create than the original – even at higher Magnitudes. Each version he made took around 90% of the time it took him for the previous one, thanks to his higher Skill Levels and familiarity with the Fusion; while they still required a hyper-focused state to maintain his concentration on all of the different elements, each subsequent Void Pocket he made was a lot less stressful for him and didn’t push him to his limit anymore.

He even managed to increase a few of his Skills that hadn’t already maxed out, though not nearly as much as the original one had accomplished. A few more increased in Level after he decided to take advantage of his new storage space over the last day of Nedira’s recovery to create a plethora of Fusions that he thought he might need in the future, especially as he traveled home. Fortunately, another beneficial aspect of the Void Pocket was revealed when he placed a staff inside which had his VREP Fusion on it, just to see if it would fit and wouldn’t harm the Fusion; it not only didn’t harm the staff or the Fusion on it, but it also seemed to halt all ambient Mana flow while inside.

That sounded as if that could be a disaster, as then the Fusions would run out of Mana and start to fail. However, because time seemed to stop inside the void, there was no need for the Fusions to absorb any ambient Mana to keep functioning. What that meant was that he could place as many Fusions inside as he wanted and they wouldn’t come to harm; what it also meant was that he could place them together and they wouldn’t cannibalize each other as they attempted to absorb any hint of Mana around them.

Therefore, as long as he was quick about it, he could stack dozens of similar Fusions together in a box and then place it inside the Void Pocket; normally, they would begin to fight each other for ambient Mana, destroying most of them in the process, but they didn’t have that problem in the void. In other words, he’d found a way to transport as many Fusions as he wanted and didn’t have to worry about them falling apart as their areas of ambience fought with each other.

So, he created Fusions that he thought he might need during their travels, especially if they came across similar towns or cities that were suffering as Tarvada had been. Using his Focused Division Skill, he created dozens of Furrow Field and Strong Watered Growth, as well as a few Secure Hideaways on some additional steel plates that Vanders provided to him free of charge. He also had more medallion necklaces, bracelets, and anklets with stat boosts, Skill boosts, and healing Fusions, as well as a few dozen more staves that had the VREP Fusion – so that they would never be without one again. Since he time, he also used some simple stones to create his offensive Fusions again, including a padded box with over a hundred Weaken stones, and separate boxes of Binding Thorns, Frozen Zone, Healing Shelter, and Stone Shredder Dome. With a few of them stored on his belt at all times, joined by his newest axe (to replace his lost best friend) that was also provided to him by Vanders, he was as good to go as was possible.

It cost the people of Tarvada a generous helping of accessories and steel plates, as well as the fruits of their labors in the fields and the Aperture monsters that were slaughtered for their meat, but he felt it was a more than fair trade. In essence, he was leaving them in much better shape than they had been when he first arrived, which was what he had been hoping for when he agreed to help them.

Of course, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Nedira needed a safe place to recuperate, he probably wouldn’t have stayed long enough to do everything he had done, but he had to admit that he was glad for the excuse to help. He wasn’t planning on doing that everywhere, of course, but if he could assist here and there as they journeyed to the northeast toward Rushwood, he didn’t mind taking a few minutes every once in a while to pass out some Fusions to those in need.

“Then… you’re really leaving? We can’t convince you to stay?” Vanders asked pleadingly, but Larek could tell he didn’t think it would work.

“No, we have to go. By now, you should have everything you need for not only Tarvada to prosper, but for you,” he answered, looking at Vanders, Fendra, and the few “Providers” that were watching Nedira and Larek getting ready to leave, “to get out there and start closing the nearby Apertures that have grown out of control.”

Vanders nodded. “That’s next on our agenda. As for the Calamities—”

“That’s a whole different beast to face, I know. But I’m sure someone will find a way to put a stop to them,” Larek said as confidently as he could. Of course, he had no idea who could possibly close them if no one had any success in doing so up to this point, but that wasn’t really his focus at the moment. From what he had heard over the last few days, the massive Calamity Apertures were at least being contained and not growing much larger than they already were, so the people of the Kingdom still had some time.

“Thank you for all that you’ve done to help us, Larek, and I apologize again for what Borex—”

“Think nothing of it,” the brand-new Martial Pattern Fusionist said, holding up his hand. “In fact, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention that I was here; too much attention can be, as you can imagine, problematic.”

The Martial Provider nodded and agreed. “I think we can do that. It’s a small price to pay for all that you’ve done for not only us, but for everyone in Tarvada.”

With a few more exchanged words that were a bit overly thankful for his taste, all of which was becoming a little uncomfortable to Larek, he walked out with the Void Pocket sack held tightly in his left hand, while his right hovered near his new axe. While he was fairly certain that these people he’d helped wouldn’t try anything at this point, it was also clear that they didn’t want him to leave; at this point, after his experiences over the last year, he wouldn’t put it past them to try and keep him there against his will.

Thankfully, his and Nedira’s journey out of Tarvada was completely unhindered even as they were accompanied outside and past the walls. He couldn’t help but smile in pride as he saw the volunteer farmers – though he supposed they weren’t volunteers anymore, as it was their job now – working with the Fusions he had created in the fields. Everywhere he looked, he saw the crops that were planted in various stages of planting, growing, and harvesting, and large teams of people were transporting the finished product back to the refugee areas outside of the walls in addition to bringing it inside. There was a general feel of prosperity and excitement when before there was only sadness and impending death – a definite change for the better.

As they walked to the northeast, Vanders and the few Providers that had accompanied them stopped at the edge of the fields, and Larek and Nedira gave them a wave as they said goodbye for the last time. They walked for another 10 minutes or so until they were behind a small hill that blocked them from the view of those they left behind, where the Fusionist stopped.

“Set that down for a moment, and I’ll see about getting us some transportation,” Larek said, and he set his new Void Pocket sack down on the ground. Nedira did the same with her own Void Pocket +4 bag, which was smaller than his own, but it also held some various food items – just in case something happened to the main one. She immediately sat down next to it, her breathing already slightly labored from the exertion of traveling even this far, and laid her staff across her lap as she watched him work.

“Let’s just hope this works, because I’ll feel really embarrassed if we have to go back to Tarvada,” he told her with a slight grin. She didn’t look amused, but she also didn’t say anything that would interrupt what he was doing.

While he was confident, he hadn’t exactly made anything like this before, nor used it in the way he was planning. Thankfully, his new Pattern Master Specialization helped him greatly here, as he could now manipulate up to 25% of his maximum Pattern Cohesion instead of his 10% limit of before. To get a better understanding of what that meant, he looked at his Status to see all that had changed over the last week or so.

Larek Holsten

Martial Pattern Fusionist

Healer

Pattern Master

Level 35

Advancement Points (AP): 10/25

Available AP to Distribute: 49

Available Aetheric Force (AF): 485

Stama: 2300/2300

Mana: 3720/3720

Strength: 115 [230] (+)

Body: 115 [230] (+)

Agility: 115 [230] (+)

Intellect: 186 [372] (+)

Acuity: 140 [280] (+)

Pneuma: 2,070 [4,140]

Pattern Cohesion: 41,400/41,400

Mage Abilities:

Spell – Bark Skin

Spell – Binding Roots

Spell – Dousing Spray

Spell – Fireball

Spell – Furrow

Spell – Ice Spike

Spell – Lesser Restoration

Spell – Light Bending

Spell – Light Orb

Spell – Localized Anesthesia

Spell – Minor Mending

Spell – Nature’s Renewal

Spell – Pyroblast

Spell – Rapid Plant Growth

Spell – Repelling Gust

Spell – Static Illusion

Spell – Stone Fist

Spell – Wall of Thorns

Spell – Water Jet

Spell – Wind Barrier

Fusion – Acuity Boost

Fusion – Adjustable Illumination +8

Fusion – Adjustable Illumination +10

Fusion – Agility Boost

Fusion – Area Chill

Fusion – Automatic Ice Repulsion Field +8

Fusion – Automatic Strong Temperature Adjustment +10

Fusion – Binding Thorns +1

Fusion – Binding Thorns +10

Fusion – Body Boost

Fusion – Camouflage Sphere

Fusion – Directional Illumination +7

Fusion – Directional Illumination +8

Fusion – Extreme Heat

Fusion – Flaming Ball

Fusion – Flying Stone

Fusion – Frozen Zone +1

Fusion – Frozen Zone +10

Fusion – Furrow Field +6

Fusion – Graduated Illumination Strong

Fusion – Graduated Parahealing

Fusion – Healing Shelter +1

Fusion – Healing Shelter +8

Fusion – Healing Surge

Fusion – Icy Spike

Fusion – Illuminate

Fusion – Illusionary Image

Fusion – Intellect Boost

Fusion – Intellect and Acuity Boost

Fusion – Left Gust of Air +4

Fusion – Left Gust of Air +7

Fusion – Mage Skill Hexa-Boost +10

Fusion – Mage Stat Boost Suite +10

Fusion – Martial Skill Hexa-Boost +10

Fusion – Martial Stat Boost Suite +10

Fusion – Muffle Sound

Fusion – Muffling Air Deflection Barrier

Fusion – Multi-Resistance

Fusion – Multi-Thruster +6

Fusion – Omni Boost +10

Fusion – Paralytic Light

Fusion – Paralytic Touch

Fusion – Perceptive Misdirection +1

Fusion – Personal Air Deflection Barrier

Fusion – Pneuma Boost

Fusion – Red and White Illuminate

Fusion – Repelling Barrier

Fusion – Repelling Gust of Air

Fusion – Right Gust of Air +4

Fusion – Right Gust of Air +7

Fusion – Secure Hideaway +10

Fusion – Sharpen Edge

Fusion – Space Heater

Fusion – Spellcasting Focus Boost

Fusion – Stone Shredder Dome +1

Fusion – Stone Shredder Dome +6

Fusion – Strength Boost

Fusion – Strength and Body Boost

Fusion – Strengthen and Sharpen Edge

Fusion – Strengthen

Fusion – Strengthen Area +1

Fusion – Strengthen Area +10

Fusion – Strong Watered Growth +7

Fusion – Temperature Regulator

Fusion – Tree Skin

Fusion – Variable Elemental Gust Sphere +7

Fusion – Variable Repeating Elemental Projectile +8

Fusion – Water Stream

Fusion – Weaken +10

Fusion – Void Pocket

Martial Abilities:

Battle Art – Furious Rampage

Battle Art – Consuming Speed

Battle Art – Tactician Mind

Mage Skills:

Spellcasting Focus Level 40[50]/50 (500 AF)

Magical Detection Level 42[50]/50 (500 AF)

Pattern Recognition Level 45[50]/50 (500 AF)

Pattern Manipulation Level 50/50 (500 AF)

Multi-effect Fusion Focus Level 55/61 (610 AF)

Focused Division Level 56/61 (610 AF)

Mana Control Level 61[61]/61 (610 AF)

Fusion Level 61[61]/61 (610 AF)

Pattern Formation Level 61[61]/61 (610 AF)

Martial Skills:

Blunt Weapon Expertise Level 1/35 (350 AF)

Stama Subjugation Level 2/35 (350 AF)

Bladed Weapon Expertise Level 3[13]/35 (350 AF)

Unarmed Fighting Level 3[13]/35 (350 AF)

Throwing Level 19[29]/35 (350 AF)

Dodge Level 23[33]/35 (350 AF)

Pain Immunity Level 20/20 (N/A)

Body Regeneration Level 38[48]/50 (500 AF)

General Skills:

Cooking Level 8

Beast Control Level 9

Bargaining Level 10

Writing Level 11

Leadership Level 16

Saw Handling Level 15

Reading Level 17

Long-Distance Running Level 20

Speaking Level 23

Listening Level 44

Axe Handling Level 92

He still had all 49 of his AP to spend but hadn’t yet because he wasn’t sure where to put it all – and hadn’t really wanted to think about it while he was busy working with Fusions and getting ready to leave. Now, though, he had a chance to think about what it was he needed going forward. As had been the priority lately, he still needed to become faster and stronger, while at the same time increasing his total Pattern Cohesion – which was becoming more and more important every time he used it in a new way.  The best way to do all that was to increase his Martial stats – so that was exactly what he did. Adding a single AP every few seconds to Strength, Body, and Agility, he used 30 AP to bring those three stats to 125. He immediately felt a difference in his body and the way he could move, though the change was relatively slight; he thought he would discover how much had actually changed once he got into a fight against a monster or two.

As his Body stat went up, so too did his Pneuma stat, which hit a total of 2,250 before his boosts, and 4,500 with them. That equated to a new Pattern Cohesion maximum of a whopping 45,000; when he considered that he could now use 25% of that externally, he realized that he could manipulate 11,250 Pattern Cohesion for whatever he wanted to use it on.

With 19 AP left, he was debating on using it to increase his Martial stats again, but decided against it. After pumping so much Mana into his Fusions over the last few days, he realized that he could always use a higher Mana maximum, so he pumped the last of his AP into Intellect, bringing it to 205. Looking again at his stats, he was more than satisfied with what he saw.

Strength: 125 [250] (+)

Body: 125 [250] (+)

Agility: 125 [250] (+)

Intellect: 205 [410] (+)

Acuity: 140 [280] (+)

Pneuma: 2,250 [4,500]

Pattern Cohesion: 45,000/45,000

With his new ability to manipulate more than twice the amount he could previously, as well as a higher maximum Pattern Cohesion, Larek got to work on his new transportation. While he had enough practice with his Pattern lately that he could make something more complicated, he kept it simple instead. Pulling out his Pattern Cohesion was even easier than it was before, and he quickly pictured it as a solid, open-topped box that was 5 feet wide on each side and had 5-foot-tall walls. The only bit of “flair” he added to it were four extrusions on the inside of the box that would act as handles that they could hold on to while it was moving, but that was it.

“It’s… basic, I guess?” Nedira said with skepticism in her voice when she saw his Pattern-based creation.

“I know, I know; it’s not too fancy, but it just needs to work for now. If I find that I can maintain something with a little more customization, I’ll change it up.”

Larek practiced moving it around with his mind, finding that it responded instantly to his thoughts, which also meant that it moved fast. He immediately saw some problems with that as it would probably hurt even him if he was in it and stopped or started too abruptly, so he spent some time practicing with smaller, slower movements that were a lot smoother. Once he got the hang of it, he jumped inside and practiced with him in the box, immediately finding that it strained him a little more with his additional weight. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but he knew that after a while it would start to become too much; the strain was only made worse when he moved too quickly or went up higher than 50 or so feet from the surface for some reason. All of that meant that he’d have to take it relatively slow and stay near the ground instead of flying high into the sky like he originally imagined, but at least it seemed as if it would work.

When he was confident he could both maintain his flying Pattern box and control it with smooth movements, he set it down, reabsorbed the Pattern Cohesion that he’d invested into it, and then walked over to Nedira.

“Ready to go?”

Nodding, she said, “More than ready.”

With a slight yelp, Larek picked her up slightly and formed the box around them so that she wouldn’t have to climb in, before placing his bag and her bag in opposite corners of the conveyance. Nedira sat with her back against one wall and held onto one of the handles nearby, and while Larek did the same with the one in front of him, he rose into the air about 15 feet and started moving it northeast.  He immediately sensed that the strain was slightly higher on his concentration with Nedira’s weight inside, but it was barely noticeable compared to when he had gotten inside the first time. He was doubly glad that he had created the Void Pockets now, because they made everything inside the bags weightless; if they had been forced to carry their supplies the old way, he’d probably have to stop every few minutes – if there was room for it in the first place, of course.

Now, though, he thought he could go for at least a few hours before taking a break. And each hour they moved to the northeast was another hour closer to home.