Echoes Of The Seven

“Never, ever make me sit in one of her lectures again.”

“Eris, Professor Dzhemehal had been stationed over in Dural for her continued study of Hollow biology, but travelled all the way across the continent just for you. The least we can do is entertain her wishes, especially when she can provide you with so much valuable information.”

“She spent four hours talking about absolutely nothing, and the moment she started becoming useful, she went right into talking about necrophilia,” Eris grumbled. “That woman is messed up in the head.”

Professor Kull adjusted the collar of his uniform awkwardly as he walked beside Eris. “While it is true that she can be a bit…”

“Mental?” Eris offered.

“I was going to say ‘Eccentric’.” Kull shot Eris a look. “Though she is often difficult, she is quite easily the most knowledgeable and learned individual in the world about any matters Pre-Sundering. Previous historians often had to pick a single aspect to focus on, such as the Seven, or their Echoes, or the cultures of different cities, or the study of different creatures or the language itself. Dzhemehal studied every single thing at once, with a passion that exceeded even the willpower of the Syndicate’s best soldiers.”

“And that passion was why she needed to graphically describe the best preservation methods and time frame for having sex with a corpse, as well as optimal positions?”

Tatum chirped up from behind Eris and Kull. Eris watched the Dean’s eye twitch.

“You are not the only ones who have been through one of her lessons,” he eventually said with baited breath. “And my experience was likely worse than yours.”

Bailey let out a noise of disbelief. “Doubtful. Eris threw up, Carmine broke a desk slamming her head against it, and Hima wet herself because Rita wouldn’t let her go to the bathroom.”

“My friend threw himself out of a four-story window with nothing to break his fall except for his own healing magic,” Kull said decisively. The group walking down the pathway all went silent before Rachel, in the back, shrugged.

“Okay fine, you win.”

“I’m excited to craft again, don’t get me wrong…” Eris began while changing the subject to literally anything else, “but what exactly is it that you want me to make right now?”

“Whatever you can,” Kull said. “You are operating on a limited time frame, and I would assume that you’d like to ensure each of your Wonders are well equipped before going into any danger?”

“Of course.”

“Then you will need to work quickly. We are aiming to have them deployed within a week so you can try to get your level progression as soon as possible, which means you will have until that time to give them every bit of equipment you can make for them. The Syndicate will try to cover for any pieces you are unable to accomplish, but given that your potencies are so much higher it would be best for the vast majority of their equipment to come from you.”

While they walked down the brick pathways of Marrix, it let Eris look around at the campus of Sector Saez. Any person that was on the streets stopped to look at her and her envoy. The Artificer, her eight tutors, her fully-equipped bodyguard, and the Dean of the sector himself. Eris could see the other students whispering to each other, and part of her just wanted to shrivel up to hide in her shirt.

The other parts of her wanted to take that shirt off and soak in both their stares and the Desire of walking down the main road topless.

Gods, what was wrong with her?!

Eris shook the thought from her head. “This is so weird. It’s pretty much the end of the world against a magical plague, the Obelisk might be a bomb that can blow up at any moment, some prophecy that may or may not be a prophecy says that I’m going to release a monster that will end all life as we know it, and here I am going to my workshop to make weapons and armor like nothing is wrong.”

“We all do what we can,” Hima’s smile flashed for a moment before fading. “Though, it is an odd feeling. Other people get deployed on missions to fight the Hollow with all of their strength and risk death at every opportunity. They bleed, they cry and they put themselves on the line for the sake of defending Kavala.”

Once again, the short girl turned the end of her long braid into a fidget toy- fingers weaving the strands together in complex bundles before undoing them and redoing them again. All the while, her voice was somber.

“Meanwhile, we get deployed on our missions to sit in comfortable rooms away from any danger and make socks. It doesn’t feel fair.”

“Because it isn’t,” Kull spoke firmly. “It isn’t fair, but not because of crafters not being at risk- because the combatants are at risk. If everything was fair, then there wouldn’t be fighting. There wouldn’t be this war. The Hollow wouldn’t exist, and we could all use the powers we have been given to make the world flourish- not keep it from being crushed.”

He let out a deep sigh. “We all have our jobs to do, so we have to do them. Some jobs are to fight, bleed and die on the front lines to hold back the Hollow. Some jobs are to make socks for those soldiers that boost their Vitality, or necklaces that protect them from exhaustion, or cookies that regenerate their Mana. So when the end of the world does come, others will pick up a sword or a bow or a wand. Meanwhile, I expect all of you to pick up your knives, needles and hammers and use them with the same effort as the others will fight.”

All the girls looked at each other and communally nodded. “Yes sir.”

Keiran Kull huffed.

“Good. Now under the assumption that Miss Kadell would like the equipment she makes for her Wonders to be as strong as she can get it, the Adept Artificer would first require that equipment to be made only by her own tools.” He turned his head to glance down at Eris walking beside him. “That means that before you can even get started on their gear, you will need to replace almost your entire workshop.”

Eris blinked. “That- that’d take days on its own…”

This time, it was Grace that spoke up. “On the surface, yes. But, there is a chance that we might be able to potentially narrow down that time if we’re all able to help you.”

Kull coughed. “McMerkel, what did I say about including uncertainties in your sentences?”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Accepted, now try that again.”

Grace cleared her throat. “Although Artificers did tend to be solitary from what we understand, there were occasions of them working together- such as with the Obelisk itself. Your skill says that you can only use tools made by you, not that you must use tools made only by you. If Rachel makes the head of a hammer and Addison makes the shaft, but you do the finishing touches and put them together, then that might count as a hammer made by you for the skill.”

Eris cocked her head, giving it a little nod. “That is a good point. Plus it gives an opportunity to test just how much work I have to do on a craft before it’s considered ‘mine’. Like, if Rachel makes an entire sword except for the final step, and I finish it off, could I use all my skills on it?”

Kull let out a noise that Eris originally thought was a derivative snort, but quickly realized was a short chuckle when the faint traces of a grin pulled the corner of his mouth.

“You already sound like our research team.”

A matter of minutes later, they were stepping through the bottom floor of the CDF, and Eris could feel the volume decrease at their appearance. A bustling hub of commerce, trade and crafting reduced to a standstill as every eye turned to face the most important person in the Syndicate. Professor Kull took a step forward and loudly cleared his throat before addressing the entire floor with a powerful voice.

“You all have questions. You all have well-wishes. You all have curiosities, and you all want to meet the Artificer to see what she’s capable of. And you will- in time. Right now, Miss Kadell and her companions have a lot that needs to be done in a short amount of time, so they cannot afford any distractions. Therefore, I am officially prohibiting any and all interactions with Miss Kadell that are not started by her, and any of those excluded interactions should attempt to be made as concise and efficient as possible.”

Kull casually held his hands behind his back in a semi-formal pose. “You will all have your opportunities to meet, interact with, commission items from, and possibly even work with Miss Kadell in the future. Just not right now. Keep your patience for the next while, and focus on your own missions. Many of you will be leaving for your own deployments within the next week, so I would advise you to ensure that you are as prepared as you can be.”

The room was silent. Not ‘quiet’. Not ‘muffled’. Silent. Eris could even hear a few forges crackling from inside the nearby workshops.

“As you were.”

Kull looked over his shoulder to the troop following him after that command and gave a small nod before continuing to walk. “Now, to your shop.”

“What the…?”

Eris looked past him at workshop number three- the one she had been assigned to way back when she first showed up at the CDF. She’d been too distracted in this moment by literally EVERYONE staring at her to realize, but now that she turned her attention to it, the piles of stuff just in front were clear to see. There were tables, stools, armour and weapon racks, shelves, chests, and trunks all laid out just in front of the rolling shutter that was currently closed, and that wasn’t even half of it. Every single one of those items was being used as storage to hold a frankly obscene amount of stuff. Hima fiddled with her braid.

“A lot of the crafters around Marrix wanted to help you however they could, so they gave you some gifts.”

“Most of it is just crafting materials,” Bailey chimed in. “Not the common stuff you can find in the Dump downstairs, but mostly things that people got from the Obelisk before it was locked and simply had in storage. Stuff like gems, monster leather, claws, teeth, some preserved organs, different kinds of wood from magical trees, ore, that kinda stuff. The good crafting materials.”

“That’s an entire anvil,” Eris pointed. Bailey nodded.

“Yeah, some of the crafters opted for actual tools as their gifts. Hammers, awls, knives, tongs, an anvil, vices, needles, pretty much anything. And they’re pretty powerful, too. We’re talking stuff made by crafters that are like… level nines and tens.”

“They gave me tools as gifts, and I can’t even use them because of my skills!” Eris groaned. “Gods, I’m gonna have to give all of these back!”

“Actually,” Ophelia stepped forward and playfully tapped Eris on the shoulder. “You can use them. You, me, and all of us can use these amazing gifts while we all make your new tools. When you have your new tools that you’d be using for your bonuses, then you can give the stuff back and thank everyone for helping to give you a nice step forward.”

“And some of it you might not even need to give back,” Addison said. “Based on how your skill works, it might only consider the tools you actively use when making the item to double the bonus, like hammers or chisels. I wouldn’t think that clothes and jewelry you wear would count for it, or else that leads down a whole new branch of questions about what does and doesn’t count.”

“Yeah,” Rocky chirped. “Like, if your clothes do count and you can only wear stuff you made, what about the table you assemble everything on? What about the chair you sit in? What about the tiles in the floor or the light in the ceiling? Would you have to build the entire workshop, floor to roof, before you can get that bonus? Even then, would you really get it? After all, you need oxygen to fuel the fire when forging or cooking stuff, and you didn’t exactly make the air, so does that still count-”

“Rocky, we get it,” Rachel coughed, cutting the Leatherworker off. Eris sighed.

“I don’t think it goes that far. I mean, I’m pretty sure I was getting Adept Artificer’s double bonus back in the Obelisk, and the only tools that I actually made were the chisels and stuff. It probably doesn’t count clothes and things like that.”

“That’s good,” Professor Kull said as he opened the door to the workshop to step inside- thumb rubbing over the rune that surged the crystal light in the ceiling to life. “Because it means these should serve you well.”

Passing through the doorway, Eris was able to figure out what Kull meant by that. That was because there was a stool moved into the center of the room upon which two items sat- a small wooden jewelry box just barely larger than her fist, and a familiar accessory sitting on top of it that Eris recognized immediately.

“Are those your goggles?”

“Yep,” Bailey grinned, wrapping both arms over Eris’s shoulders in a pseudo-hug from behind, then kissing the redhead’s cheek. “And I can’t really use them anymore. Even if I could, I think every single person here would agree that it would be the dumbest mistake in the entire world to give one of the most powerful crafting items pulled from the Obelisk to anyone but you.”

Eris walked forward to the stool with a Bailey hanging off her shoulders, gently lifting the set by the leather band, eyes raking over the four adjustable green-tinted lenses set in dull yellow metal.

Ophthalmic Quadfocals

Durability: 98%

A pristine pair of four-lensed goggles designed for crafting. Imbued with the essence of an all-seeing monster. Rewarded from a slain Beholder. Made from beholder leather, brass, and crystallized beholder retinas.

Provides a Major boost to Crafting Speed.

Provides a Major boost to the Durability and Duration of crafts.

Provides a Moderate boost to the Potency of crafts.

Additional effect: Analyst

Can determine the exact weight and volume of a material by sight alone.

Additional effect: Sharpened Sights

Can magnify vision for extremely detailed viewing of anything within three feet.

Eris’s mouth went dry, but before she could speak, Bailey nuzzled her face even more into Eris’s cheek.

“Don’t you dare fucking say that you can’t accept them, or that it’s not right, or any of that. You are going to take those goggles and say exactly two words; Thank and You.”

Eris swallowed. “Thank you?”

“You’re welcome, Cutiepie!” Bailey kissed Eris’s cheek again, then let go from her behind-hug. “Now, this is when things might get a little weird.”

“Why? What’s in this?” Eris asked, placing the goggles back down on the stool and looking at the wooden box. Even Inspecting it, the box itself was completely mundane, but lifting it was a different story. Underneath her fingertips, Eris could practically feel magic. But not from the box. From what was inside it. Before she could open the latch, however, Kull rested a hand overtop hers, keeping the box shut.

“It is a necklace,” he said, “one that was made by an Artificer given the fact that we cannot Inspect it like you should be able to. In fact, it is one that we were planning to try and get you to Inspect for us before you got trapped in the Obelisk, so it had already been shipped here to Marrix. That is why this one is here already but none of the other artifacts being delivered are.”

Eris blinked. “Are you giving it to me, or do you just want me to Inspect it for you?”

Kull nodded. “Hopefully both. The reason this necklace over any other Artificer creation was chosen for you to try and Inspect was because it is one of the few that we can declare with almost complete certainty who made it, and for whom.”

“Who?”

Kull gently moved Eris’s hand out of the way, then slowly undid the latch to open the box. When the lid lifted, Eris was able to see that the inside was lined with simple padded white fabric, upon which a gorgeous silver accessory rested.

At first, Eris thought that it was a string glinting in the light, but realised quickly that it was actually a chain with links so small and precise that it may as well have been fibers of fabric looped together. It glittered beautifully all the way to the obvious adornment of the necklace, being the delicate-looking pendant.

Made from what looked primarily to be silver, it was almost in the shape of an hourglass balanced on its edge with a line running right down the middle- effectively turning it into a shape that almost looked like two triangles being mirrored diagonally from each other. On one end of that line down the middle was a hole where the string-chain looped through. The other held a single, teeny-tiny diamond that was set in so perfectly it may as well have grown straight out of the metal. Eris was almost entranced as she curled a finger to lift the necklace by the chain and let it hang in the air.

“This is the symbol of the Oculus…” she breathed. Kull nodded.

“Yes, it is. The Syndicate found it a little over two hundred and fifty years ago, just outside what used to be the capital city of Kelopa- Lipodan. It was in the personal workshop of an Artificer, one who our records state having always worn a necklace that was apparently identical to this one, and never, ever took it off. An Artificer that was called to attention by us because her name was one of the ones you read from the description of the Obelisk, and the fact that she was blessed by the very same member of the Seven as you.”

Eris already knew who he was referring to. Still, she did the only thing she could in that moment. With her eyes resting on the glittering, beautiful surface, Eris forced her will outwards towards the magic in the item- to listen for the secrets inside that were hidden from all others.

The necklace spoke those secrets clearly.

Azris

Durability: 100%

An emblem of the Oculus, designed for a hopeful soul to bear when the world most needs their light. Imbued with the essence of Lust. Created by Vojemala Ywer. Made from silver and diamond.

Provides a Legendary boost to Craftsmanship.

Provides a Legendary boost to Control.

Additional effect: Unrelenquished

Azris may only be worn by an Echo of the Oculus, and cannot be removed from the wearer unless the wearer wishes otherwise.

Additional effect: Eternal Bond

While an Echo of the Oculus is alive, Azris cannot be damaged or destroyed. Additionally, Azris will always return to an Echo of the Oculus when lost.

Additional effect: Gifts of Pleasure

After eight consecutive hours of intimacy with another individual while wearing Azris, the wearer may replicate and permanently gain one skill from their partner. Only one skill may be replicated from each partner, and the chosen skill cannot be changed.

Eris gulped. “Nobody tell Dzhemehal about this.”