He plants a miniature object into the middle of the pot, then sprinkles some water on it. “These were my last drops of water I extracted from a small stream below this cave, but since I’m already going to die as I removed my seedling, it is better used to nourish the next generation.”
I don’t know what to say. I’ve always been bad in these dramatic scenarios.
“Thank you, Geim, and may you rest in peace. I swear that I will nurture your child to the best of my ability.”
“I’m grateful, Your Majesty. Please, go now. I wish to spend my final moments in solitude, just as I had spent the previous thousand years.”
I nod and summon my first ever portal on the smoothest part of the cavern wall I could find. “[Warp Gate].”
A dark vortex begins to swirl into existence, its edges shimmering with an eerie, iridescent light. It starts as a small point on the stone surface but rapidly expands, warping the space around it. The portal forms a square doorway, about seven feet tall, the perimeter pulsing with bands of glowing purple and blue.
Within the swirling mass of energy, shadows and lights twist and dance in constant motion, spiraling inward like a liquid galaxy. The vortex pulls at the air around it, making it hum softly, an almost hypnotic rhythm as it continues to spin.
The closer you look, the more it seems as though the fabric of reality itself is bending, the center of the portal a deep black, like a tunnel leading into the unknown.
The swirling is never still, constantly in motion as if the portal is alive, a gateway that connects one realm to another, hungry to pull us through. The cavern walls flicker faintly with reflections of the portal’s chaotic light, casting an otherworldly glow across the chamber.
Blossom instantly jumps back while yelping with obvious fright.
“What is this?” Ayame inquires, much less frightened than her wife-sister-to-be.
“Oh, nothing special, just a teleportation gate. Once we step through, we should be back in the inn we rented in Braedon.” I say with a giant smirk.
“… What?” She asks, now utterly flabbergasted.
“A warp gate, m’lady. Portal. Door to door delivery instantly from point A to point B of my choosing. Get it?”
“… Damn you and your stupid existence.”
“Ghost doesn’t understand a thing but Master is amazing!”
I smirk and stroke the behind of Blossom’s ears. “Thank you. See, this is how you should react too.”
Ayame refuses to answer, and instead just steps into the swirling portal bravely. I’m happy to see how much trust she has in me, even walking into such a bizarre spell without fear.
I follow after while holding Blossom’s trembling hand reassuringly. It seems she isn’t a big fan of the ominous looking portal.
“What the hell? It actually worked? I thought you just painted the cave wall with a goofy ass spell of yours.”
Ayame quips, completely destroying the validity of my previous statement. She then continues, much more serious this time. “Quinlan, this is actually a spell I’ve never heard of being used in the entire history of the continent…”
Not even once? I guess teleportation isn’t available to the locals. Good news for us.
And indeed, we are in our rented inn room, arriving perfectly safe and sound. I used 120 mana for this, which is slightly less than a third of my maximum capacity.
The outpost was located about three hours of running from us- estimated at my speed which is about 2.5-3 times faster than a pro runner’s- which should mean that the outpost was between 100-150 kilometers (62-93 miles) from us, so I would guess that 1 mana equals 1 kilometer (0.62 miles), very roughly counted.
This would mean that if I spend all mana, I should be able to travel more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) in the blink of an eye. However, I still have 25 Unused Attribute Points, which are waiting to see if I can get the Wizard class. If I were to put all into my Magic stat, my mana would increase to nearly a thousand.
I quickly disrobe and change into my civilian attire, then I leave the room and visit our neighbor.
Aurora’s room is a chaotic yet fascinating sight. What was once a simple inn room has been transformed into a makeshift alchemy lab. Glass vials, flasks, and jars filled with strange, glowing liquids are scattered across every surface.
A small table has been repurposed into an alchemical workstation, cluttered with open books, dried herbs, and various instruments that look far too complex for a casual hobby.
The air is thick with the scent of herbs, minerals, and something faintly metallic- like magic itself is embedded in the atmosphere.
A bubbling concoction simmers on a portable burner in the corner, and there’s a faint hiss as it releases tiny puffs of steam into the air.
Aurora, hunched over her notes, is so absorbed in her work that she doesn’t notice me enter at all. She’s dressed in nothing but undergarments- comfortable and loose, looking incredibly homely. They’re nothing fancy, but on her they only serve to highlight her stunning figure.
Despite her civilian nature and body that’s admittedly a lot plumper than Ayame’s and Blossom’s war goddess figures, her body is in amazing condition.
Full curves accentuate her distinctly womanly shape, and the minor muscles in her arms and legs suggest that she’s not a couch potato snacking on chips all day long at all. If anything, she seems like the type who moves around all the time while cooking her potions or whatever alchemists do in this world.
Although I barely know a thing about her, it’s obvious that she’s the kind of person who’s lost in thought more often than not, evidenced by her fingers being stained with ink and the occasional burn mark from her alchemical experiments. As she flips through the pages of a leather-bound tome, her expression is one of deep concentration, oblivious to everything else around her.
“Aurora,” I say, trying to get her attention.