The Power of Ten, Book Five: Versatile Wizardry

“Wagh!”

Wagh?

I was sent forward through the sparkling mist wall of astral energies in front of me, and promptly found myself high in the air over a great flat world of unspoiled natural beauty. Clear skies, puffy clouds, green forests, golden plains, dark mountains with icy peaks, gleaming rivers and lakes...

And I was falling out of the sky, the scream bursting out of my lips as it did so.

I blinked, noticing abruptly that I had arms and legs, and my scalp was tingling as white hair streamed past me.

Going through the barrier had materialized a body for me?!

I looked down at the ground a mile below. Okay, I had approximately thirty seconds before I went splat. I could feel the magic, thrumming around me and inside me, and knew I had a foundation built up, even as the wind streaked past me.

As an immediate incarnation, I would come in as a Human/1, with one default Class Level.

On the other side, I had ten Levels at Nine, or enough Karma to reach Nine in ten Classes, one way or another. That actually worked out to one Class at Ten, and four Secondary Classes with four Theurgies to support them.

Surviving this wouldn’t be hard. All I’d need would be a Featherweight spell for the last few feet, and I’d drift down as lightly as a falling leaf.

Default Level One, Generalist Wizard!, I informed my Karma, and felt something snap into place. Inside and between my eyes, a very simple Matrix formed, albeit it was whirling inside some sort of glittery assortment of Star-like Mana constructs I was not familiar with.

Purchased Level One, Arcane Bloodline Sage Sorcerer!, I went on, not having time to Slot spells or Cantrips or anything. The seven little Stars dancing around my Matrix seemed to dance and pulse wildly as Rune Engrams and Slots joined the Valence I Spell Engrams and Core Engrams of my Cantrips. Rainbow ripples of light played over the little Stars, which were definitely showing weird signs of liveliness as they whirled around my Matrix.

I didn’t have a spellbook, or even a Ring to declare a Ring Domain, although I totally would once I got one. My Wizard Levels were thus nigh useless until I did so, or acquired Arcane Theurge Levels, but I wanted the foundation there.

“Choice of spells! Featherweight, and Shards!” It was not the best choice for the latter, except I was going to be building on it quickly, and I couldn’t do that if it wasn’t among my Spells Known.

Without further ado, I Cast the Featherweight, giving it a proximity trigger, and simply held it on the edge of my thoughts as I fell from the sky, doing nothing else save trying to move towards an open area in a clearing so that I wouldn’t be falling through the trees.

Down I plummeted, head turned away from the wind rushing in my eyes. Were those birds over there? They looked pretty big...

---

Thirty feet from the ground, proximity went off and the Featherweight triggered. My plummet whooshed my velocity out into the surrounding area, and my speed dropped to a mere one foot a second.

I turned over and put my feet down, noting I was completely nude, and, uh...

Yeah, Sylune’s Grace must have activated when I passed the astral barrier. I tugged at my elusive hair, my hand going through the silky white stuff as if it was scarcely more solid than water, and I could only sigh.

Well, if this was a lemon, I’d just make lemonade, right? It wasn’t like I was going to gaff the goddess for her gift of bestowing upon me a proper body...

“Slot Wizard Cantrips: Write, Assay, Detect 0...” Which was enough for now. Read Magic came with it, but was useless for now. “Slot Sorcerer Cantrips: Elemental Dart, Visual File, Know Time, Minor TK, Prestidigitation...” Which should be enough for now, although I really had to do an Assay quick.

Those little Stars were really dancing as I Slotted the Cantrips, little Rune Engrams glittering in my Core. Prestidigitation really seemed to get them moving.

My feet touched the tall grass, and a couple seconds later I was through the lush growth and touching the ground. I glanced up at the sky, and immediately moved carefully off to the treeline, wincing at the trail I was leaving through the shoulder-high grass, and got some cover under a tree.

Detect 0, Life! I scanned for thirty feet in all directions, while those Stars turned transparent and danced and jiggled. Luckily, they were only Cantrips and I didn’t have problems channeling them, as I didn’t have an Implement...

Prestidigitation, get me some new clothes!

I swear the Stars almost bounced out of their orbits, flashing through so many colors in the thaumaspectrum I thought I was breaking them.

The clothes were literally the cheapest kind of cotton, rough and coarse and simply made... but they gave me some topical coverage, which was all that I was looking for. It was a simple gi, it fit as I tied the belt tight, and if I didn’t have any underwear, well, no one was looking at the moment.

No hits on anything in the immediate vicinity, including up on the tree. I slumped down against the trunk, glancing once at the roots to make sure they weren’t ambulatory, and sighed.

Okay, I’m in the character creation phase of things, I think? That was what the Sending from Aelryinth had intimated had happened to Einz. Character Creation in Power of Ten was no small thing, although it ignored much of your background, being a video game and everything. The players all had their own backgrounds, after all.

Severed soulshard from a Master Archtheurge, there’s my background, I thought, as I cast the Assay, and noted the Stars went all transparent again.

My simple self-Assay came up instantly, instantly segueing into my tied-off Visual File, which activated and made the Stars glitter brighter.

=========

Fae

Female Human/1

Vizard/3*; Wizard/1; Sorcerer/1 (Arcane Sage)

Strength (10): 8

Dexterity (16): 16

Constitution (16): 18

Intellect (16): 18

Wisdom (12): 14

Charisma (12): 14

---

Height: 5'5" Weight: 95 lbs. Hair: White Eyes: Blue Age: 15

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Health: 12

Soak: 27

Movement: 30’

Talent: Naturally Focused

Acquired Powers: Immune to Fire and Cold, affinity for Fire and Cold Magic (1%/1%); Sylune’s Grace; Master Archtheurge Incarnation

Build Points Unspent: 11

Racial Bonus: Unspent (+2)

Skill Points: 3 (34 unallocated)

Masteries: Unallocated (15+1)

Feats: Unallocated (12+1)

Traits: Unallocated (2)

Favored Class: Unchosen

=============

Fifteen years old. And, well, wasn’t that a choice of a Name. Where would it lead me to here?

I focused on each category, one by one.

My Strength was down and my Constitution up as part of my gender modifier. I eyed my slender arms and legs, and said nothing.

My Mental Stats had a +2 modifier to them attached. I thought it was an age modifier, but it was typeless... strange.

Also, 20 points for a 16/16 was already a full 20-point buy... why did I have any remaining, let alone 11? Twenty points should have been expended just on my physical Stats, it was like my mental Stats... weren’t triggering anything?...

It was giving me my own base Mental Stats for free instead of assigning them. Which meant it was not investing in anything mental at all... and if we were using the Elite Array and its bonus, my Strength should have been at a base 14, and was at 10. 5 points, +2 for each non-investment in mental Stats, and I was at +11, exactly what it was showing me.

I considered that, and then realized that it was taking into account Aelryinth had Nogged all his basic Stats to perfection, i.e., straight 18’s. By that standard, I was being hugely penalized for this!...

Okay, 11 points to play with. I promptly dropped 7 points into Intellect, because I was going to need it. That brought my Intellect up +2, to base 18, mod 20. I promptly dropped my +2 racial bonus on top of that, and it brought me to a bright and wonderful 22 starting Intellect.

That left me 4 points, higher Stats costing more per Stat as they did. I raised Wisdom, then Charisma, and it was taking them as base 8’s. Two points each, and I was at 16 in each.

Good enough for now. My outstanding skill points rose to 40, with a max of three Ranks... What did I have 3 in already? Oh, Concentration...

Three Vizard Levels. Each came with a Bonus Feat of whatever type I wanted. Starter Human Bonus Feat, Starter Feat at level one, Level Feat at 3rd, and purchasing 4+1 Feats.

That wasn’t totally horrible. Spellcraft got three points right now.

I flicked Prestidigitation out, and the Stars danced a brownish hue as it carved a small Circle around me, filling in the appropriate Runes. I could only fill it with magic slowly, but that was fine, as it didn’t need much.

It was a Warlock Pact Circle, and dormant Runes, copied onto my soul when I’d been cut off, suddenly lit up under gentle pressure.

I sent my thoughts Up and Up, aiming for that High Place, and a Patron willing to sponsor me to a Heavenbound Pact. I would of course be hugely disappointed if all the Heavenbound Pacts were full on this world, if such limits applied...

Up and up and up...

And up...

My call was reaching far, far up, into a very High Place... and there was nothing there.

Nothing but lingering echoes of sad voices amid a greater quiet.

My blood ran cold. This was not good news...

And yet, the Runes on my soul were pulsing faintly. The Power was there, but not the will behind it. Could I tap that power still, even without a Patron answering?

I knew the Oath. The Runes were on my soul; how could I ever forget them?

“I agree to serve the Will of Heaven!

“I will defend the weak, and protect the innocent!

“I will Defy the Diabolic, I will Hurl Back the Demonic, and I will Thwart the Daemonic!

“I will Embrace Virtue, and Scorn Sin!

“I will be Shield and Sword, Spear and Hammer, Hand and Foot, Word and Song of the Empyrean Sphere!

“I will seek out those that serve Evil and stand between them and their ambitions upon this mortal world!”

With each syllable, the Runes on my soul strengthened, filling with Light. The Stars about my Matrix slowed and shimmered gold, silver, and rainbow, as if in awe.

I felt the completion of the Heavenbound Oath, my whole soul lighting up with reflected completion, possibly echoing off Aelryinth’s own Pact to finish itself. My eyes turned skywards for a long moment as I stared at the sky, and the silence coming down from there.

There were no servants of the gods in Heaven, here...

“First Masteries: Warlock Blast/1, Warlock Ward/1, Aura of Valor. Warlock Whim/1, Hands of the Angels. Warlock Power/1, Warlock Blast/2, Warlock Whim/2, the Eyes of Heaven.”

It was a bunch of them, but that was fine. I opened my hand, and the Wrath of Heaven boiled up Golden on my hand, ready to be hurled forth to defend me. Gentle notes whispered behind my ear, defying any fear. I also wouldn’t need to worry about being dropped from any heights again.

I sighed. Heaven still had my back!...

“Trait choices.” I focused on the Assay, and a list of six choices rolled up in front of me, which I seemed to qualify for. They... looked exactly like those Aelryinth had mentioned: Experienced Warrior, Marked by Doom, Favored by Faith, Magical Lineage, Undead Killer, and Warcaster Tradition.