The Fusionist Book 3 -- Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The Martial trainee simply crossed her arms and looked completely unperturbed after being practically yelled at. Nedira had kept her voice down, as they didn’t need anyone listening in to their conversation, but the intent was there.

“I told you that I would handle getting us some rooms, and I did just that,” Vivienne said calmly in response. “The cost in gold, by the way, is a complete rip-off and virtually on the level of highway robbery, but I knew that walking into the place. I’ve met Innkeepers like this before who believe their establishment should be exclusive to those with money or those who are important enough that having them stay for even a night would be a large boost to their reputation. The moment she said 15 gold for the three rooms, which is almost enough to buy this Inn in most small towns, I had a feeling she would refuse us lodging even if we paid the entire amount. I had to bargain her down to four, which was a feat in itself.”

“I don’t care about the gold, as we have more than enough to pay the full amount she wanted; it’s the Fusions that I don’t get!” Nedira complained. “Didn’t you get that we’re trying to downplay our connection to the Fusions that have already been seen? But now you’ve gone and put Larek in danger!”

Larek couldn’t help but agree with Nedira, but he assumed that the Ranger had some reason for having him go along with it. He was proven right a few seconds later as Vivienne explained.

“We don’t have anything to worry about. Innkeepers are greedy by nature, and anything that would give them a leg up on their competition they keep close to their chest. There is absolutely no way that she will tell anyone where the Fusions came from, as that would be revealing the source of something that is exclusive to her own establishment. Unless a Gergasi shows up and compels her to talk, of course, but that isn’t likely. Not even a Noble could pressure her enough to fess up, even with a bribe or threat of physical violence. The Inn game can be more cutthroat than you could probably imagine, but there are a few things such as this that are fairly universal and can be relied upon if you know how the game works.”

Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Nedira, a little more subdued, asked, “What about those two at the bar? Won’t they blab to anyone who asks? They certainly heard our conversation.”

“Those two? Naw, they were her employees.  Good enough outfits that I almost didn’t place them at first, but their boots gave them away. They won’t say anything and risk the cushy job they have here, so we’re safe from them.”

Impressed by her knowledge and answer for everything, Larek finally took a look around the room they had entered. His first impression of it was that it certainly appeared as though it was worth the expense they had paid, given that it was at least twice as large as the room he shared with Verne and Norde back at Copperleaf – but it was much more richly decorated. Draping wall coverings in deep red and purple gave the space an elegant feel, which was only enhanced at the beautifully carved furniture, including the two beds sitting across from each other and were larger than any that he’d ever seen before. Their size was large enough that he didn’t think he’d have any problem with his feet sticking over the end, and they were wide enough that they could sleep at least 5 or 6 people comfortably.

The large window at the end of the room looked out onto the bustling Central Square, but had gauzy curtains that could be pulled to prevent most of the people outside from seeing within, as well as some thicker ones that looked opaque enough to fully block out the light. There were a pair of stained-wood wardrobes standing in opposite corners, and what looked to be nightstands near each side of the two beds, all crafted with intricate carvings that looked like they took a long time to create. All of this was enhanced by a giant, fluffy red-and-purple rug that covered at least two-thirds of the polished hardwood floor, giving the room a comfortable feel.

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea, given that anyone from the SIC can simply walk inside and see those Fusions.”

Vivienne shook her head. “Unlikely. Based on the pay structure of the SIC, it is unlikely that any of them would frequent this Inn, as there are likely a dozen others throughout the entire town by this point which would be much cheaper and friendlier. Even if they do, by the time they discover who created the Fusions, we’ll be long gone. Besides, you’ve already promised to give them some of our ‘extra’ Fusions, so they are less likely to look into the lamps at that point.”

Vivienne seemed to have an answer for everything, but at that point Larek didn’t really care all that much. What he wanted to do was get clean, rest and relax, and eat before he tackled the Illuminate Fusions for the lamps – and not necessarily in that order. Before he could claim one of the beds, the interrogation turned to Bartholomew.

“What was that all about, Barty? Some sort of ‘Noble’ thing?”

The young Martial trainee rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. “Yes, basically. There’s a… I’m not sure how to say it, but a connection of sorts between us that have a stronger slave bond to the Great Ones, and we can recognize it immediately upon meeting others. By subtly acknowledging the bond, and that we were on a special mission, I deflected any questions about why we fled Thanchet after the Scission appeared. Otherwise, he would’ve questioned why we didn’t stay and help fight the monsters that emerged from it, as expected by those of the peerage and the SIC. It also got us an escort to Whittleton and will hopefully help whoever is in charge of the forces here from interfering with us, otherwise I have a feeling they would try and requisition us to bolster their numbers. It’s rare that such a thing occurs, but it’s been known to happen, especially between different Noble houses.”

That also made sense to Larek, so while everyone else continued to argue about how precarious their position was in the town, as well as plans about how quickly they could get all the supplies they needed for the rest of their journey, Larek walked over to the nearest bed, plopped his bag and staff down on it, and announced, “I’m taking a bath.”

That, thankfully, was enough for the others to leave off their conversation as they realized they were also tired, dirty, and hungry. Larek didn’t take too long in the bath, as he knew the others wanted to bathe as well, and with Bartholomew nonchalantly watching the bathing room for threats while he got his business done, he was in and out within 10 minutes. Once he was clean, including a quick scrub of his robe to get most of the stains out, Larek lounged on his bed for a few minutes in his damp clothing, waiting for the others to finish.

It took nearly an hour for everyone to get the baths they wanted, which gave Larek more than enough time to create an Extreme Heat Fusion on a gold piece from his bag. With it activated on the floor of his room, the ambient temperature rose significantly for a short time, which was more than enough to dry off his robe and the clothing of everyone else who had washed their outerwear in their baths. It was slightly uncomfortable because of the heat, which made Larek think about a way he might be able to make a Fusion in the future that would be ideal for removing the moisture out of clothing without having to practically cook the person inside.

But he had more important things to do, such as stuffing his face full of delicious food. The late lunch they received vindicated the expense of their stay at the Inn, as whoever had cooked it had to have had a high Cooking skill, as all the roast meats, freshly baked rolls, and even the salad of mixed greens had something extra to it that made him salivate even as he ate it. If he was being honest, it was the most delicious meal he’d ever had in his life – and it was only basic lunch foods. He couldn’t wait to see what dinner had to offer later that night.

After they were all done, stuffed to the point where Larek thought everyone would have to roll themselves up the stairs, he went over to the bar where Grenda was still polishing the bartop with the same rag she had been using before. “I’m going to take the lamp chimneys now, if that’s alright with you?”

“Absolutely.  However, if you cannot finish them by 5pm when dinner starts, I’d rather you do it after or in the morning. The lamps look tacky and unfinished without the chimneys, and we can’t have that.”

He nodded in understanding. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” Enlisting the aid of the others, as it would be extremely difficult to carry up all 10 glass lamp chimneys himself, they brought them up to Larek’s room and laid them on the bed where he indicated, before he moved onto the mattress as well. Now that he had bathed, eaten, and even relaxed a little bit, he was able to fully appreciate the softness of the bed as he said comfortably on it; it was so soft that he thought he might have trouble sleeping, but he put that worry off for later.

“Larek?” Penelope asked, interrupting him before he could start working. “Viv, Kimble, and I are heading out to the marketplace to look for supplies. Is there anything specific you need?”

That left Nedira, Bartholomew, and his two roommates to stay inside the Inn with him, so he nodded. They were also going to stay in his room at the moment while the others were gone, he noted, instead of going to their own. Just as it was at Copperleaf, Verne and Norde were staying in his room and sharing the other bed, but the sleeping arrangements was a little different for the others. In one of the other rooms, Nedira would have a bed all to herself while Penelope and Vivienne were to share the other; in the third room, Kimble and Bartholomew would have their own beds. All Larek cared about was that he didn’t have to share his large bed with anyone, leaving him all the room he could possible want while he slept.

“The only thing I need is another set or two of clothes that will fit me, which might mean they have to be custom-made,” he answered after some thought. “The same goes for Norde and Verne, as along with my own robe, their student robes make them stick out too much. I can easily place Fusions on whatever you get, so there won’t be any loss of coverage – though see if you can find long-sleeved shirts, as those will make coordinating areas of ambience easier.”

“We’ll see what we can find. Anything else?”

Larek thought about it for a moment. “Simple necklaces with some sort of medallion on them? Possibly some other accessories that I can place Fusions on? If I’m going to make some stuff for the SIC members here, I need something to put them on – because I’m not about to go and add Fusions to all of their robes and armor.”

The three that were about to leave looked at each other before turning back to him. “Yeah, I think we can do that.”

He couldn’t really think of anything else for himself, and they would likely know better than him what they were going to need on their journey across the Kingdom, so he left it at that. As soon as they left, with Bartholomew locking the door behind them, Larek settled down to work on his project. He had already been planning it out after he received the “commission”, but now that he had a chance to devote the rest of his attention to it, he finished up his design of the final formation.

What he wanted to accomplish with this Fusion was two-fold, but fortunately both of the Effects were something he’d already done before – even though the material was largely new to him. The first Effect was simple enough, as it was just to strengthen the glass so that it would be very difficult to break. The second was the Illuminate Effect, which was also straightforward – except that he wanted for it to be adjustable based on whatever the person adjusting it wanted.

The problem with that was conforming an Effect to mental commands was something that was available in Advanced Fusions, which was something he couldn’t do yet. Granted, mental commands were easily able to turn a Fusion on or off, but having it change the Effect based on the thoughts of the one interacting with it? Not something he was capable of. Therefore, he needed some other way to ensure whoever was using it could select the correct Illuminate Magnitude they wanted.

At first, he had been stumped at what to do, other than trying to fit on a number of different smaller Fusions, all with different Magnitudes which could be turned on individually. This seemed like a waste, however, and could become confusing, especially since non-Mages couldn’t actually see the Fusions to know which one they were activating, though they could “feel” them a little when they were there.

He knew he could make it work in a single Fusion, so he worked on how he could allow for the change of light levels without a mental command aspect of it. In the end, the solution made him believe he was trying to make it too complicated, as it didn’t need to be fancy; it just needed to work.

The answer? Taps.

With a 4-by-4 grid formation, he placed the Illuminate Effect in the upper lefthand corner of the grid, followed by Magnitude 1, Magnitude 2, and Magnitude 3 sections along the top row. The next row contained an Input that would measure the number of finger taps against the glass in a 2-second timeframe; next to the Input were 3 Variables, all corresponding to the different Magnitudes. So, if someone tapped twice upon the glass within 2 seconds, it would activate the Magnitude 2 Illuminate Effect.

Underneath that row was a fourth Variable, which would react to 4 taps on the glass chimney, which would deactivate the Reactive Activation Method next to it, which was also tied into the Inputs, Variables, and the Illuminate Effect above it. With just a Mana Cost section to tie it all together, he was fairly certain that the Fusion would work as intended. He still had to test it, of course, but he was fairly confident in the design.

The last 5 sections of the lower right-hand corner of the grid formation was relatively simple in comparison. There was a Splitter between the Illuminate Mana Cost and the Mana Cost for the Strengthen Glass portion of the Fusion, and then all it took was a Permanent Activation Method, the Strengthen Effect, and a Magnitude of 9 to ensure that it was durable enough to prevent it from shattering easily.

After firming up his design in his head, he was about to start when he remembered that he still had to allocate his recent influx of Aetheric Force toward his Skills. With a total of 916 AF to spend, he did a little math and decided to finally raise his Multi-effect Fusion Focus Skill up to 17 from 10, spending a total of 910 AF, leaving him with only 6 AF remaining. Since he was creating a Fusion with multiple Effects, he figured he would get more out of this than any of his other Skills at the moment, as he would only be able to increase the maximum Skill Level for 2 of his Level 30+ Skills with what he had.

When that was done, he took a deep breath and started forming the grid formation he had planned out. He was only making a single one at the moment instead of attempting to divide it up 10 times to add Fusions to all the lamp chimneys simultaneously, as he wanted to ensure it worked – and was unsure how much it would actually cost in terms of Pattern Cohesion yet. He had an impressive pool of 7,200 Pattern Cohesion, but draining a large chunk of it all at once was always excessively draining and didn’t want to push it.

The creation of the new Fusion was easy enough, especially as it wasn’t too complicated, and even the strengthening of the unfamiliar glass materials went smoothly. In no more than a minute, after triple-checking to ensure he got it right without any errors or inconsistencies, he finished the formation and started to pump it full of Mana. With his rotating funnel, the process was done in just over 2 minutes as it filled up completely. As Larek snapped it into place on the lamp chimney, there was a tone that rang out from the chimney that reminded him of someone flicking their finger against glass, but it faded a moment afterwards.

Picking up the clear glass chimney, he tapped it once and smiled when he saw it turn on. The light it gave out was only Magnitude 1, so it wasn’t terribly bright, and so he could look at it without blinding himself; he was amazed to see how incredibly even and vibrant the light was as it passed through the material. What was even more interesting was the way it reflected inside the chimney, as it almost appeared as though the light was being broken up into different-colored beams that eventually blended all into each other. I wonder if I can create different-colored Illumination Fusions? Like one of them being red, another blue, and so on?

New Fusion Learned!

Graduated Illuminated Strong Glass +9

Activation Method: Reactive, Permanent

Effect 1: Strengthens glass to make it more resistant to breaking

Effect 2: Illuminates an area

Magnitude 1: Strengthens glass by 900%

Magnitude 2: Illumination level 1, 2, 3

Input: Finger taps

Variable(s): 1, 2, 3, or 4 taps within 2 seconds

Mana Cost: 67,500

Pattern Cohesion: 850

Fusion Time: 112 hours

Multi-effect Fusion Focus has reached Level 11!

Dismissing the notifications detailing his newly created Fusion and his Skill Level-ups, he looked up to see everyone staring at him and the lamp chimney in his hand. “Here, check it out,” he said abruptly, tossing the glass with its new Fusion on it across the room toward Verne. The boy cried out as he dove to grab it, but the smooth outside of the chimney slipped through his fingers. As it hit the ground, his roommate cringed in worry as he expected it to break, but Larek just grinned as it bounced off the portion of hardwood floor that wasn’t covered by the enormous rug.

“What? It didn’t break?”

Larek shook his head. “No, I made it stronger. Tell me what you think; one tap is the lowest light setting, two is the next, and three taps is the brightest. If you want to turn it off, tap it four times within two seconds.”

As he watched Verne and Norde play with the light, temporarily blinding themselves as they stared directly at the lamp chimney at its brightest setting, he turned back to the other chimneys.  With the success of the first one, and a Pattern Cohesion cost that was high but wasn’t too bad, Larek reformed the pattern he had just created but made it much thicker. Once it was filled with Mana once again, he used his Focused Division Skill to split it up; based on the fact this was classified as a Major Intermediate Fusion, as it didn’t have anything too complicated in its formation to cause it to become a Supreme, he was only able to make 6 equal copies at once, so he added the Fusion to an additional 6 of the glass chimneys. He had to wait another 10 minutes while his Pattern Cohesion regenerated, but as soon as he was basically full again, he finished off the last trio of them. After he was done, he had increased his Multi-effect Fusion Focus Skill by a total of 4 Levels; it wasn’t enough to hit his maximum, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t take much more than what he’d done already to get there.

Satisfied with his work, he sat back and relaxed for a few minutes as he watched both Nedira and Bartholomew look at the one he had given his roommate earlier. While it was still relatively early, he knew he had to deliver these back to the common room before dinner, but he was in no hurry at the moment since the process had been much faster than he expected.

The creation of a new Fusion only emphasized his love of the craft, as it made him feel more alive than ever. He could feel his understanding of Fusions become deeper the more he increased his maximum Levels, and it only pushed him to want to do more. That required killing more monsters, of course, so that was exactly what he was going to do. It was why they were in Whittleton in the first place, to get the supplies they would need to do just that.

After a good 30 minutes of relaxation, just simply lying on his too comfortable bed, he looked at the others and asked, “Ready to help me bring these down?”

At their affirmations, they gathered up the altered glass lamp chimneys and headed out the door.