Mira envisioned the types of skills that tapped into those reserves and suddenly felt the power being converted. The exchange rate didn’t seem very favorable, but she took what she could get. If those stats all generated mana for her, they would have added 550 mana, but as it was, draining them entirely only resulted in her gaining 375 mana. It also left her body feeling drained entirely.

  This would have to be enough. There was nothing more within herself that she could draw upon. She pushed and pulled, tying off the intricate pattern that flowed between the two bags. Each bag was now complete in itself, but an epiphany struck her. If the two bags shared one enchantment, then wouldn’t that mean they shared one extra-dimensional space?

  She wondered, but her idea seemed crazy. It was so simple that she rejected it at first. If it was valid, then why didn’t a master like Hiroto know about it. Then another thought hit her. Hiroto had outleveled his enchanting skill, but it was still only Tier 4.

  Mira, like all of her family, was accustomed to calling the tiers by their number, but they also had names. Tier 1 through 7, they were called Novice, Initiate, Apprentice, Journeyman, Adept, Master, and Grandmaster in order. For all of his expertise, he was only a Journeyman. What might Hiroto not know? What might all the people on Talos not know?

  As this lightbulb went off in her head, she began to pull the two enchantments closer together. She forced and pushed, and just as she thought that the last of her converted mana would fail her, she yanked one more time and fused the two, adding a fifteenth nexus for exchange.

  A short time later, she woke with Hiroto and a healer standing over her. She had a damp cloth on her forehead and notifications flashing in her mind. “Did it work?” she managed to croak out.

  “Did what work? Perhaps I didn’t heal everything, let me try again,” said the druid kneeling next to her.

  “No, let her speak,” Hiroto said.

  “Did the enchantment work?” Mira asked again.

  “Hmm, let me look at the bags,” her master responded.

  As he did, Mira took the opportunity to look at her notifications.

  Congratulations, you have progressed upon your path as a Meta-Mage. You are close to reaching the third tier, but there are no exact stepping-stones along the way.

  You have gained the temporary Prestige Trait: Converter. This trait is at stage 1. Prestige Traits are unique to the Prestige Path that you adopt. Upon reaching Tier 5, you may permanently choose a Prestige Path. Each Prestige Path has 3 stages.

  Your excellent work has won you the right to this trait for 300 cycles of the moon around Eloria. Once that time has elapsed, you will lose the trait unless you have reached the fifth tier, and this particular Prestige Path will be barred to you.

  Converter: Stage 1: +10 Constitution. Bravery, Fury, Stamina, Teamwork, and Faith are all rolled up into your mana pool in that each of those base stats help to determine your mana pool. You may no longer use skills that have a cost from one of those pools. Your mana-regeneration rate will also be cumulative.

  A converter realizes that all the pools of power within your body are one and the same. This greatly enhances your chosen power pool, but equally limits your growth in other areas.

  While it is true that Eloria is conflict, try not to come so close to death each time you attempt a breakthrough.

  Beware that the Converter is a Prestige Path that has often been abused in ways that corrupt those not strong enough to resist its temptations.

  After that message, there was no way that she could not pull up her character sheet to inspect it.

  Name: Miranda Nelson

  Race: Half-Human/Half-Moon Elf

  Age: 16

  Class: Meta-Mage

  Level: 26

  Alignment +1

  Movement: 107

  Stats:

  STRENGTH: 6

  Melee Damage: +12%

  DEXTERITY: 12

  Ranged Damage: +24%

  Rogue Skills: +24%

  AGILITY: 36 (28, +30%)

  Movement Rate: +72%

  Defense Rate: +180%

  CONSTITUTION: 40

  Health: 700 (300)

  Regen Rate: 3/hour

  ENDURANCE: 14

  Needed Rest: -14%

  INTELLIGENCE: 63 (42 +50%)

  Mana: 1130 (1600)

  Spell Damage: +126%

  WISDOM: 15 ( +30%)

  Mana Regen Rate: 2110/hour (+25%)

  CHARISMA: 32 (31+5%)

  Social Skills: 64%

  LUCK: 7

  +7% chance to avoid catastrophic effects

  +7% improvement on chance of loot drops

  +7% improvement on quality of loot drops

  Total XP: 11,890

  XP to Next: 270

  Unspent Stat Points: 8

  Unspent Character Points: 206

  Traits:

  Reborn

  Airwalker

  Blight Slayer

  Tier 2: +20% Intelligence

  Converter: Stage 1

  Skills:

  Generic

  Running: 12

  Concentration: 11

  Cunning Initiative: 40

  Social

  Speak Language: 8

  Bluff: 41

  Rogue

  Balance: 180

  Stealth: 15

  Combat

  Short Blades: 5

  Unarmed Combat: 10

  Whip Proficiency: 10

  Whip Specialization: 10

  Craft

  Enchanting: 50

  General Magical

  Esoteric Senses: 20

  Quicken Spell: 21

  Magic Focus—Evocation: 40

  Magic Focus—Conjuration: 40

  Spell Weaving: 4

  Earth Minion: 40

  Magical Schools

  Charm Magic: 40

  Daze

  Minor Charm Enemy

  Minor Forgetfulness

  Blending Camouflage

  Lesser Mesmerize

  Lesser Fear

  Lesser Irresistible Joke

  Illusion: Minotaur

  Illusion: Giant Spider

  Conjuration Magic: 40

  Minor Webbing

  Summon Basic Mount

  Mage Armor: Chainmail

  Invisible Housekeep

  Conjured Wind Whip

  Gate

  Lesser Earth Elementaling

  Divination Magic: 20

  Identify

  Assess Enemy

  Minor Scan: Secret Doors

  Lesser Telepathic Detection

  Extended Gaze

  Lesser Gauge Defenses

  Essence Magic: 40

  Minor Bleeding Wound

  Minor Withering

  Minor Heal

  Lesser Heal

  Lesser Regeneration

  Heal

  Evocation: 40

  Minor Electric Shock

  Ice Dagger

  Flame Fan

  Magic Missiles

  Frost Wave

  Lesser Shield Breaker

  Inferior Cone of Cold

  Lightning Bolt

  Fireball

  Class

  Steal Spell: 20

  Shape Spell: 40

  Meta Enchanter: 40

  Gear:

  Lesser Wind Ring

  Ring of Spell Storing (unworn)

  Ring of Epic Health

  Wand of Viscid Globs

  Bridle of the Nightmare

  Drake Thigh Bone Staff

  Robe of Scrying Eye (broken)

  Moon Elf Leathers

  Bracelet of Spell Penetration

  Earring of Mystic Confluence

  Tri-Tailed Braided Mithril Whip

  After examining the two bags for what felt like an hour, Hiroto looked at Mira. “How did you tie the two enchantments together?”

  “Did I do something wrong, Master?” Mira asked, but Hiroto simply stared at her. She knew he would never answer her question until she had answered his. “Uh, it took so much effort to draw the lines of the enchantment from one bag to the next. I strained, and then it just looked like the pattern was incomplete. That is why I added the fifteenth nexus to tie it all together, and then I pressed it together tightly.”

  Hiroto laughed. Mira didn’t think she had ever seen the typically stern moon elf display such mirth. After thirty seconds of laughter she started to become angry and asked him again, “Did I do something wrong, Master?”

  It seemed as though he struggled to calm himself, but when he finally did, he answered, “Yes and no. You were meant to practice doing two enchantments at the same time. I expected you to draw one with each hand. The purpose of the exercise was for you to learn to draw enchantments with your other hand and at the same time to do two things at one time.”

  Mira blushed. She hadn’t even considered that way of doing things. A part of her kicked herself that she hadn’t seen the simple purpose of the test and instead had made it into a test of her power. “I’m sorry, Master.”

  “Bah, don’t be sorry. What you did is harder. It will still be necessary for you to practice performing dual enchantments, but the precision of this work you have done should have been beyond you. It is a work of art. More than that, it would have required a tremendous amount of power. Even with your mastery of mana, I’m not sure how a single enchanter could have mustered this much power.”

  “It just felt right, Master. You know how I can see the threads of mana? It was just obvious to me how it needed to be,” Mira said.

  Hiroto nodded before he said, “That is always how it is when a masterpiece is created. If this works as I expect, then you have created something uniquely valuable here.”

  “How so?”

  “As you know, a spatial bag, or as your father calls them a bag of holding, connects to a pocket dimension unique to the bag. That makes them incredibly valuable because not only do they provide a means to carry a great deal of extra material without taking up space and with no weight, but they also are completely safe from being robbed,” Hiroto said.

  “Right, each bag has a space of about a hundred cubic feet inside it, give or take twenty percent based upon the precision of the enchantment. I thought that was the main benefit. What is different about this enchantment?” Mira asked.

  Hiroto smiled again. “You created the enchantment, even if you didn’t fully understand what you were doing. Why don’t you look at it and see if you can tell? Then we will have to test it to see if it works the way that I am anticipating.”

  “Very well, Master,” Mira said absently as she began to focus on the enchantment. Slowly, a smile started to break out onto her face.

  “You see it, then, apprentice?”

  Mira nodded eagerly as she picked up one of the bags and handed the other to Hiroto. “We have to test this. I will run to the other side of the workshops and try it out.”

  “Ah, the enthusiasm of youth, but I admit that this is exciting,” Hiroto said as she ran off. He called to her disappearing back, “I will give you till a count of one hundred and then test it. Then you do the same after that.”

  Mira reached the far end of the labs without bumping into anyone despite her excitement. Still, a number of other craftsmen glared at her or started to complain until they saw who it was. When she reached the end, she called out to the working group, “I need something to put in this bag.”

  They stared at her quietly, but finally the blacksmith leader said, “Like what?”

  “I don’t care. Maybe one of your barrels or the slugs, just something from down here. But it has to be quick.”

  A worker grabbed a rifling bore and held it out. Mira grabbed it and mentally pushed it into the bag, where it disappeared just like any other bag of holding. She then sealed the bag.

  “What was all that about, Lady Mira?”

  “We are testing something out,” she replied to the blacksmith.

  “It looks just like any of the other bags you all are making, and while I admit they make hauling ore around much easier, we all know how they work now.”

  Mira said, “Just a sec,” as she held up her finger. Then she continued, “Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred,” before she opened the bag and pulled out the bore but with a piece of white cloth tied around the end.

  The entire work group looked on, and then the blacksmith asked, “What just happened?”

  “I created two bags that are linked. I put the tool in the bag, and Hiroto was able to pull it out of the linked bag. Then he tied the cloth on, and I was able to pull it out again once he returned it to his bag. This means that messages and materials can now be passed over a great distance.”

  Without another word, she took off for the space she worked out of with her master. “It worked, it worked,” she cried out when she got there.

  “Yes, this is a wonder worthy of the ancients. I am very proud of you, apprentice. You certainly earned the right to work on whatever project you wanted my help with,” Hiroto said.

  She beamed ear to ear, since praise was so rare from the old elf. “Great, I think you will like this too, Master.” Then she began to explain the item she wanted to enchant.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Life is more than survival or it isn’t life at all.”—Jayfen Tarzen, former head of the Theriot chapter of the Adventurers’ Guild

  Bastion of Thralls Dungeon—Mira Nelson

  Mira looked up when her father entered the workshop. She was excited. Today she hoped to gain a significant chunk of XP. There was no way that he was going to say no to joining her on survival mode in the dungeon, well, her and the team she and Tode had set up.

  Certainly, he wouldn’t say no after seeing the achievements they had made. The new type of spatial bags were going to be very useful for so many things. She only regretted that she hadn’t been able to give her mother one before she left.

  That was to say nothing of the belt buckle that she had managed to craft for him. It was made of the new alloy they had created, which combined mithril and magicyte and was ideal for holding an enchantment. She was thrilled with what she had been able to create, and while a part of her wanted to keep it for herself, there was another part that wanted to give it to her dad, and not just to bribe him into joining them.

  Seeing the way her mom had changed reminded Mira of just how bratty she had been when she first arrived in Eloria. Well, and worse than that back on Earth. Mom and she used to continually fight, but Dad had always been patient with her. Maybe it was facing life-and-death issues, maybe it was just a part of growing up, but she was definitely more appreciative of him than she had been before.

  Thinking of her mother’s change was a little scary, actually. Mom had stabbed her in the leg this morning. Even though they both knew Mira would be okay, there was a part of her that still didn’t like that her mom had been able to do that. Sparring with Mom would have been so easy before she got all serious about adapting to Eloria.

  His voice took her out of her own thoughts though. “Your message sounded urgent. Is something wrong?”

  She smiled at him. “Not at all, Daddy. I have a couple of big breakthroughs to show you, and then I have a tiny little favor to ask of you.” Mira saw her father adopt a slightly guarded expression when she called him daddy. Maybe she had overused that particular manipulation in the past.

  “Well, at least some things never change. So what do you have to show me?” Dave asked.

  Mira did her best pout with her lower lip jutting out just the right amount. “Don’t be like that, Daddy. I’m excited. You will be too once you see these improvements.”

  “I’m sorry. Just a reaction. You’ve already proven your worth as a researcher and enchanter many times. The bags of holding that you are making are going to change the way of life in Eris’ Rise.”

  “Just wait till you see these bags, then,” Mira said as she held out one of the two new bags she had enchanted a few hours before to her father.

  His eyebrow rose, and she said, “Just trust me.”

  As he held the bag she handed him, she opened the other bag and dropped a shiny silver belt buckle into the bag. Then she said to him, “Open your bag and pull the buckle out.”

  A huge grin split his face as he was able to do exactly as she suggested. “Okay, explain. Did you find a way to create some sort of transfer bag?”

  “Sorta. Master Hiroto made me enchant two bags at one time this morning. It was supposed to help me work on doing dual enchantments, but I misunderstood and created one larger enchantment that bound both items. Now they both access the same pocket dimension. I was calling them SSBs, or shared spatial bags.”

  Mira was gratified by her father’s excitement at this new development and answered all of his questions. He came up with many of the same suggestions for how these could be used that the others had. Yet he also thought of it as a way to make secure financial transactions. He even asked her if she could bind more than two bags to the same space and wasn’t disappointed at all when she explained her current limitations.

  That even raised the issue of her new Prestige Path. Which seemed to excite him. Talking about gaming-type things had always been something she let her dad just drone on about. Now that it was real though, she saw the appeal.

  “So you said there was another item you wanted to show me,” Dave said during a lull in their conversation.

  “I actually already showed it to you. It’s the buckle there. You know how we were having trouble learning the Mage Mantle spell you found in that book. Well, I think I understand why. It is connected to all the schools of magic in some way, and even though it is only Tier 3, it is far more complex than I would have expected. I know you will appreciate this when I say that there were layers within layers of meaning to the text of the spell, almost like it was a code.”

  “Did you manage to learn it?”

  “I didn’t actually try. I found a way to work around the fact that none of us have all the schools of magic,” Mira said.