Prismatic Education Begins With A Spark 26 (MTG/Multicross)

Prismatic Education 26

Leyline Invocation was a powerful spell that compressed the power of multiple lands into a single fractal, but at the same time, it left me with a single land’s worth of mana afterwards. So until the lands replenished their power, I was left with my usual elemental magics. More importantly, the generated fractal had several conditions to it.

I had to use the sea serpent formula to shape it for aquatic battle, and the command program is more simple than I like. Gonna have to balance shooting while controlling it, and I can’t use Lightning unless I want to cause collateral damage. The ship is damaged enough already…

The giant ship had clearly endured a lot of damage, both directly from the sea serpent or the waves it sent. If not for the magically manifested bell floating above it, providing a defense in the form of shockwaves as it tolled, the ship would probably have sunk.

The fighters had naturally noticed the presence of the second serpent, and some of them were keeping a wary eye on me even as they continued to fight. I quickly came to a decision about what to do next, and that was to display my intention to fight on their side.

Rock-Water-Cold-Water-Cold-Rock! Shape: Shredding Drill! Charge up!

The distance to the serpent monster was too far for my projectile to hit, even with an empowered shot, so I directed my fractal to attack as well. I endured the unpleasant falling sensation as it slithered forward with its long body propelling it, its head held slightly above the moving tides. 

In response, the monster counter-charged, performing a vertical snaking motion that saw its sharp dorsal spines tear through any living thing above it as it surfaced. The swimmers in the water quickly got out of the way of the two titans. I continued to hold my spell, which was now a spinning spear of rock with multiple icicles along its conical shape.

Moments before they made contact, I fired off my spell, sending a whistling spiky projectile aimed at the serpent’s head. It quickly jerked its head aside, but not enough to avoid it entirely; a horrendous wound was gouged out the side of its head, causing it to release a screech of agony. At the same time, I leapt off my fractal, letting my Slow Fall keep me floating. 

There was an explosion of seawater as the two serpents collided, the force sweeping those in the water away, swimmers and monsters alike. Even the giant ship itself was swaying dangerously, on the verge of capsizing with some people falling overboard. Two sinuous bodies wrestled against each other, coiling and twisting as they sought for dominance. Fangs, natural and magical imitations, snapped at each other, while tails sent water shooting to scary heights with slaps.

Right, that will buy time for a bit. Time to bolster the ranks!

“Hey! Who are you!?” One of the fighters shouted up at me, even as he cut a fish monster in half with his sword. “Where did you come from!?”

“Later! I’m here to help!” I yelled back, lifting my staff above my head once more, while my grimoire floated out of my hand and flipped to a different page.

Shield-Life-Life-Life-Life! [Prismatic Magic: Golden-Yellow Blessing of the Green Sun!]

The combination of the two magics created several emerald orbs around me. Instead of settling down like the mines they initially were, a golden emerald glow radiated from them, healing all those around me. Normally it would heal the fish monsters as well, but I had adjusted the spell to exclude them. There were cries of shock and relief as injuries healed and wounds closed, exhaustion replaced by vitality. Considering how much stamina was sapped by having to fight in the water, it was a warmly-received act.

Huh, looks like some people got their heads still in the game. I noticed some of the fighters were giving commands, either to regroup or to handle the small fries while the two serpents were tussling. And this clearly isn’t a straight-out assault.

Some were gulping from small vials, which were health potions by the looks of it, their injuries fading at a slower rate compared to mine. While they healed, their comrades who were healthier helped to fend off the fish monsters, who were attacking once more.

“Look out!”

I snapped my head around, and backhanded a leaping grey eel out of the air. Ow! That was harder and faster than I thought! If my body hadn’t been strengthened, it would have ripped my arm off entirely! 

The hasty block saw me knocked down a little, though not enough to drop me back into the water. A bandana-wearing man speared the eel out of the air, nodding as though to reassure me that it was taken care of. Other fighters formed a defensive perimeter around me, valiantly protecting me against further attacks. Despite the powerful waves caused by the tussling serpents, they did a remarkably good job of maintaining it.

“That crystal snake yours?” 

The speaker was a handsome man with scale armor that didn’t hide his muscular body. He treaded water easily, despite the thick metal sword he held in one hand. I recognized him as one of those giving commands earlier, though he had been some distance away when I last looked, so he had to be a very good swimmer. Even though I was looking down at him, the warrior had the bearing of a leader.

I nodded. “Yeah. It won’t be enough to take it down though, so you better get ready.”

As powerful as my fractal was, it was coming off worse in the fight. The serpent had sharp fins that cut into my fractal’s body as they thrashed around, destabilizing the magical equations that comprised its structure. By my estimate, it would eventually lose cohesion in another few minutes. But it would have inflicted a great deal of damage in return; the leviathan had large chunks torn out of its body by my fractal’s jaws, bleeding heavily into the ocean and sending the fish monsters into a frenzy. 

“How long can you keep up this healing?” He immediately asked.

“As long as it's needed.”

He took a deep breath. “GATHER THE WOUNDED!!!” He shouted, no, roared.

The roar echoed around the ocean, and I could almost see the water displaced by the sound. However, the rest of the fighters immediately moved to do as he said; those who could swim dragged their injured members over to me, with others clearing a safe route for them. The moment they entered my healing range, they quickly recovered, and joined the rest in helping.

“Maxim!” A stunning beauty of a female warrior swam over, followed by a trident-bearing man. “Why aren’t we attacking?!”

“We need to protect the ship as well!” Maxim replied, his tone urgent. “Marlon! Gather your familia members and go back to the ship! Protect it from the other monsters!”

“Aye!” The trident wielder saluted, and headed off to do as told.

Oh crap. The shockwave sent some of the monsters towards the ship, and the bulk of the fighting force is right here. It’s my fault! My fingers clenched around my staff.

Maxim turned back to me. “Focus, mage!” He ordered me, causing me to blink and straighten my back. “You’ve given us a chance, but this isn’t over until we slay the Leviathan!”

I could hear the capitalization in the way he referred to it. So the giant monster really is called Leviathan? “Right. What do you need me to do?”

“Just keep healing us. Though I won’t refuse any other helpful spells if you have any!” He cast an intrigued glance at my floating grimoire.

Several other swimmers came over, drawing Maxim’s attention as they looked to him for orders. 

Helping spells, huh? Alright, I got some. But first… My feet finally made contact with the churning waters, but I didn’t sink.

[Prismatic Magic: White Pedestal]

A stable platform appeared beneath me, granting me firm footing. I took the chance to study my surroundings, ignoring the surprised looks of the swimming fighters.

The fighting force was made up of several humanoid races of both genders. There were humans, elves, and dwarves, but the animal-like races among their number were nothing like the loxodons or leonins I was familiar with; the animal features were more like ears and tails tacked onto a human body. 

What was more interesting was their physical abilities and equipment. While all of them wore some form of metal body armor, there was one guy who was actually wearing full plate armor, yet he somehow had no trouble staying afloat, sometimes even better than others wearing less armor than he was. Others flitted through the rough waters far easier than one would expect, almost as though they had some kind of magical enchantment that helped them do so. It took a few moments before I identified the reason.

Oh I see… it’s that cloth wrapping they have draped around themselves. It’s got some kind of spirit-type magic inherent to it.

Meanwhile, Maxim was giving the rest of the fighters a speech. “Now is the time! Can’t you feel it?! Fate is on our side, with this timely aid! We WILL slay the Leviathan! Just like we slayed the Behemoth!”

The responding cheers were surprisingly strong, even if some of them received a mouthful of seawater from an errant wave. 

But for me, it was the hook I needed. The lights of courage and valor had been reignited in their spirits, and lumimancy classes had taught me just how to use that. My last mote of mana, White in color, filled my body from the plains in Arcavios.

“Well said!” I boomed, drawing everyone’s attention as I wove the spell into existence. “This is your moment! Set your hearts aflame with courage! Let your valor shine! Surpass your limits! And with the heroism you embody… CARVE YOUR NAMES INTO HISTORY!”

My grimoire burst into a brilliant white blaze, which spread to everyone else around me. Exclamations of shock resounded from all around me, even from those watching from the vicinity of the ship.

“What is this?! This power…!”
“I feel so strong!”
“Amazing! Incredible!”
“L-Limit Off…?!”

Another memory fragment came to mind, giving me the feeling as though I ought to recognize this world, but I shook off the distraction. As I pointed my staff at the pair of serpents, Maxim did the same with his sword.

““ATTACK!!”” We shouted in unison.

“UUUUOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!” 

With one last screech, the heavily wounded sea serpent shattered my fractal, and turned to face the furiously swimming warriors. Glowing figures shot out of the water, meeting it head on with swings and stabs of their weapons. Every attack released bursts of brightly blazing energy, shattering the remaining scales of the aquatic beasts and penetrating the weaker flesh beneath. 

The denizen of the sea that sought to submerge all that faced it into its dark depths, was being beaten back by the radiance of the brave heroes. The man in full armor met its crazed charge with his broadsword, and halted it completely alone. The female warrior swung her swung skywards, raising a pillar of light that halfway severed the beast’s neck. The spines that had killed and injured so many were broken by the repeated attacks of the others. Even the mages on the ship contributed, the bell releasing a powerful burst that saw blood gush from the multitude of wounds.

It didn’t succumb easily, fighting back with its powerful movements. Yet any who got injured, if they didn’t die right away, returned to my side, where my healing restored them to fighting condition and ready to return to the battlefield.

It was Maxim that dealt the final blow. The man had climbed up the serpent’s back, running and leaping among its coiling and thrashing movements. Blinded by the blood and many wounds, the Leviathan didn’t notice until it was too late; the man jumped one final time, directly above its head, and plunged his shining blade down into its skull. The light that empowered him pierced straight through, exploding out the bottom.

The serpent froze, then swayed, and slumped into the water, dead.

I didn’t see who started the cheer, but every fighter there, even those struggling to stay afloat by holding onto planks of wood, roared in triumph.

Hm, for a sudden entry into this plane. This wasn’t so bad. I’d say it was pretty damn awesome.

Then my platform vanished, dropping me into the sea.

…

“So this is where you are.”

I turned to look over my shoulder, spotting Maxim approach. The man still carried his sword, but it was in a sheath at his side, and he was now wearing normal clothes instead of armor. I wasn’t surprised that he knew where to find me, as I had a pair of men nearby as escorts no matter where I went on this ship.

“Admiring the result of your work?” He asked, standing next to me and looking at the corpse of the Leviathan.

After its death had been confirmed, members of the fighting force affixed chains to the body, which were attached to the ship that was now heading back to port with it in tow. They clearly had some intentions for its remains, but I didn’t feel inclined to guess as to what.

“I’d say everyone else contributed more,” I replied, glancing at him from the side of my eye.

He chuckled. “No need to be so humble. That last spell of yours, you really turned the tide there.”

“Is that a pun?”

“Pun?” Maxim blinked, before realizing what I was referring to. “Ah, tide! Hahahaha! That was unintentional!”

I smirked in shared humor.

“But I speak the truth,” The man continued, “Many of us owe you their lives. Your serpent bought us the time we needed to regroup, and your healing was a literal lifesaver.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll accept that thanks.”

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, what is your name?” The man looked at me with a friendly expression.

“Roy D. Staff, traveling mage.” I took the chance to change the subject, “Anyway… I’ve got some questions that I was hoping you could answer.”

“Of course, I’ll be glad to. What would you like to know? The identity of the lad staring at us from over there, perhaps?” 

Guess he’s not just the serious leader type, if he can joke like this. I looked in the direction Maxim indicated, spotting a tall teen spying on us from around a corner.

He gave off the impression of a lion, with a mane-like head of blond hair and golden eyes, but instead of looking like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey, there was obvious awe and hero worship in that gaze that was directed at us.

“He wasn’t actually part of the force, you know,” Maxim confided to me quietly, “The brave lad stowed away on the ship, and we only found out after the battle, when rescuing those that fell overboard.”

“Uh huh. Anyway, my first question is…”

As I asked questions and Maxim answered them, my mind started putting the pieces together. I actually did have knowledge of this world, and it was another one that I thought of as fiction previously.

Gods and goddesses, descending to the mortal realm with their divine power sealed, granting the mortal races their blessing, forming familias under their respective rules. Said blessing was called the falna, allowing a mortal who had received it to grow in strength and power the more experiences they had. This was what allowed them to survive against the monsters that plagued the land, monsters that stemmed from a place called the Dungeon.

On a hunch, I guessed, and Maxim confirmed to me, that the name of the place where the Dungeon was located, was Orario. After that, I had no further doubts that this was the same world I knew of in my memories. However, just like my visit to Clover Kingdom, I appeared to have been in a different point of time from the setting I was familiar with.

Maxim was the captain of the Zeus Familia, while his counterpart Juno, the stunningly beautiful female warrior I saw, was the captain for the Hera Familia. Both Familias had reigned uncontested in Orario for centuries, whereas I had the impression that they had been driven out after suffering a crushing defeat against a fearsome monster, leaving the Loki and Freya Familias as the newest top dogs in the Dungeon City.

Once again, I made another guess that Maxim helped to confirm, that the final monster the two Familias aimed to defeat was a black dragon. Commonly referred to as the One-Eyed Black Dragon after the wound that an ancient warrior hero dealt to it in ages past, it was the final target of the Three Great Quests, and the only one left after the Behemoth and the Leviathan. Maxim was intent on seeing it through, but I had my reservations, especially since he wanted me to go along to assist.

“But don’t worry,” He assured me, “We’ll properly prepare before setting out to defeat it. For now, how about coming along to meet everyone? There are a lot of people who would like to thank you.”

As I accepted his invitation, following him down belowdecks, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a good idea to tackle this adventure.

Afterword: And there we have it. This new world is Danmachi! I’ve chosen this setting in my Tensei Skill Shop story before, but that was the ancient history time. This time, I chose the timeline of the Zeus & Hera Familia heyday, as they are tackling the Three Great Quests. Two have been cleared, and only the ominous third one awaits…

If you follow the LN series, with the 19th volume, you can probably guess why I selected this one. 

Thanks again to all my readers, and please leave your thoughts on the battle scene.