Echoes Of The Seven

Eris let out a disappointed sigh. The very first item from the bunch shipped over- laid out on a white tablecloth by a handler wearing rubber gloves and treated as if it could be the key to winning the war.

“Coat Rack of Greed, Durability; nine percent. Magic Power of seven thousand and twelve.”

“A coat rack? We assumed it was a spear of some kind,” said the short, scruffy man whose name Eris already forgot- despite him apparently being one of the primary soldiers guarding the vaults where the artifacts had been stored and the one serving as the handler for this specific shipment.

Eris shrugged.

“Well, these Artificers hadn’t been at war for over four hundred years. They probably didn’t have much reason to make too many weapons.”

“It doesn’t even have any fixtures to hang on- it’s just a pole!”

“Continue, please,” Dzhemehal chirped from her seat behind a nearby desk. “We need all the details, especially who made it.” Her face was buried in a catalogue detailing every single one of the artifacts with the Syndicate’s information, with an empty notebook beside it for the lady’s own transcriptions. Eris just looked down at the long, eight-foot rod that was more rust than metal.

“Uhh, A very well-crafted coat rack designed for the wealthy. Imbued with the essence of Greed. Created by… holy fuck how do I pronounce that name?”

“Spell it.”

“Y-X-D-I-M-Y-D-R-Y-E-D-E, then the last name is K-D-R-O-L-Y-F-X.”

“Ee-die-muh-dree Kro-leefsk,” Dzhemehal stated. “She was an Artificer that operated out of the city of Mingo-Hiir, over in Cardian, about five hundred years ago. Please continue.”

Of course the woman knew that right off the top of her head. Why the crap wouldn’t she? Eris just shook her head a bit and glanced back down at the coat rack laying on the table.

“It’s made of iron and nothing else, and only has one stat modification that’s been stacked on it four times. Provides a Moderate boost to Value. Not a clue what that does, though.”

Charlotte crossed her arms with a little bit of a metal clank and frowned. “Obviously it’s the Greed version of your ‘Pleasure’ stat that you can put. My only thought is that it increases the monetary value of the coat rack, so that the Artificer could potentially sell it for even more.”

“But how would that even work?” Eris blew a raspberry. “Cost is entirely subjective on whatever this Eed-muh… dimple-leaf wanted to sell it for. Since she was an Artificer, anything she made would have been priceless anyway because Echoes were basically worshipped.”

Dzhemehal narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps instead of the effect increasing the Value of the rack itself, it increased the value of coats hung upon it? And perhaps the way that ‘Value’ functioned was more of a mental influence- making possible buyers of products more willing to pay prices in the favour of the seller.”

“I dunno, maybe. This only has one enchantment; Accumulation. The Coat Rack of Greed produces a place to hang any garment offered to it. Only the creator may remove offered garments.”

“Presumably the sinful enchantment that an Artificer can apply,” Dzhemehal stated. “Anything else, Eris?”

“Nope. It’s just a coat rack. Can I disintegrate it yet?” She looked over towards the white-haired superintendent of Marrix who was standing beside Dzhemehal. After a moment, the woman shook her head.

“Try to repair it first. I’d like to see something.”

“Alright, fine.” Eris shrugged. “It lets me use this thing, I guess.”

“And it lets us see if you are capable of fixing them with a skill that is not inherently from an Artificer,” Konderlacht added.

Eris reached forward and laid one hand on the top of the metal rod, feeling the rust flake on her fingers. Internally, she focused on one of her two Bonus Skills, Mender’s Touch. She wasn’t sure how exactly to use it, since Rachel hadn’t offered an explanation and Eris forgot to ask, but the redhead willed the energy of the skill to take form just as she would when using any of her other skills.

Immediately, her fingers grew tingly. The rust almost seemed to disintegrate under her touch, but it didn’t fall away to the tablecloth. Instead, it seemed magnetized back to the rod and wrapped back around. As Eris put more pressure on the rod, her fingers sank further into the metal to reach the rust-rot deep under the surface. Her second hand joined the first, wrapping around the item and massaging the browned surface into a sand that seemed more and more gray by the second.

“That feels so weird,” Eris giggled.

Eris kneaded the metal dust with her fingers, which started to become stiff and unyielding. She moved her right hand to a different section of the rod, revealing that where her fingers had been now laid tarnished but otherwise undamaged iron. No rust. Just to see, she re-Inspected the item and saw that the Durability had increased from nine percent to thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.

Eris shrugged, then started massaging the coat rack back from rust into metal. Close to a minute later, Eris lifted up the thin iron bar with both hands and nodded. “The Durability stopped going up after ninety-four percent- exactly the six percent reduction that Mender’s Touch says it has.”

“What about the Magic Power?” Konderlacht asked. “Did repairing the item recover the magic?”

Eris checked, then frowned. “Yeah, but only a little bit. It went from just over seven thousand to about eight-point-two.”

Konderlacht nodded. “Yes, but every little bit helps. You may consume it. Over the bin, please.”

Eris picked up the coat rack, which still just looked like an iron spike, but now it at least had a little flat disc on one end that appeared to be the bottom it would stand on. She spun her spinny-chair around to the other table holding what was effectively an empty trough, like the kind that would be used to feed cattle. Ensuring that all of the coat rack was held within the confines, Eris focused on Consumption.

The warmth of magic flowing into her fingertips was a familiar one. So was the sensation of sand in her palms as the item she just finished repairing from an almost-destroyed state was dissolving into dusty powder. The ends of the rod went first- like a candle rapidly burning down. Dust dropped into the collection trough and only moments later, Eris was clapping her hands together to shake the last bits of Ichryte off. She turned back to the first table.

“Okay, what’s next?”

The bearded soldier-handler was delicately holding a concave structure of broken metal and rotted wood. “This was recovered from just outside Lipodan, and is believed to be a protective battle helmet.”

Eris snorted. “Oh, that is definitely not a helmet. Please tell me nobody tried to put that on their head and wear it.”

The handler paused. “Is it some kind of weapon?”

“Worse,” Eris said. “It’s a Lazy Fecal Bucket.”

There had been twenty-seven artifacts in this delivery, each with pages and pages of existing notes about where and when it was found, presumed functions, and potential historical relevance that Dzhemehal seemed all too eager to dive into. Of the two deliveries, the one due tomorrow was said to have all of the items that were clearly weapons, armour, or other tools of battle. This one, on the other hand, had been all the items that the Syndicate was generally unsure on. Because of that, there were already a number of items that the Syndicate deemed as ‘unimportant’, such as a fork here, a stepstool there, and a tea kettle in the middle of the mix. Of course, there had still been the hope that they were secretly some kind of powerful tool that could help in the war- as if the tea kettle could produce a powerful healing mixture with every pour.

Nope. They were just magically-enhanced tools for everyday life. More than those, in fact. What the Syndicate thought might have been a buckler shield turned out to be a goldpan for sifting to find such metal. A presumed club was a walking cane with the extra effect of making the user capable of sleeping while standing up without any difficulty.

Magic Powers ranged anywhere from three thousand to over fifty thousand. Predictably, the items with the higher Magic Power seemed to have been made by individuals that Dzhemehal had more information on. The more powerful the Artificer, the more notable their exploits, and the higher Magic Power their items had- no matter how seemingly mundane. Gods, there was even a candlestick with the highest Magic Power yet. Of course, that one had been one of the first items of genuine interest for multiple reasons.

Final Veil

Durability: 94%

Magic Power: 106,443

An extremely well made candlestick designed for obscurity and security. Imbued with the essence of Wrath. Created by Phrom Ladana. Made from platinum, silver, and the sound of a secret never spoken.

Final Veil’s effects are only active while a candle within is lit, and applies the effects to all creatures within the light.

Provides a Legendary boost to Vitality Recovery.

Additional effect: Whisper

The creature who lit Final Veil may choose any sounds, sights or scents produced from anything within the light to be imperceivable from outside the light, including the light of Final Veil itself.

Additional effect: Rebuke

Any creature that attempts to bring harm or lie while within the light pays a price in blood.

Dzhemehal tapped her pencil to her chin thoughtfully. “Phrom Ladana was one of the Artificers that made the Abstract of Eternity. Despite being attuned with the sin of Wrath, she is described to have been a stout pacifist. She avoided battle or conflict of any kind, and refused to aid in such matters even when her home city of Kishmakakkren was being sieged by Lorowan invaders.”

“Okay, and what’s this whole deal about ‘the sound of a secret never spoken’? What kind of crafting ingredient is that?” Eris furrowed her brow, looking over the shiny, freshly-repaired candlestick. The pink-haired woman frowned.

“I… am unsure. There were records of Phrom using ‘impossible ingredients’, but any descriptions of which were frustratingly vague.”

“Like what?” Konderlacht asked. Dzhemehal furrowed her brow.

“I can’t completely remember, but I believe that Phrom was once described making a scarf out of ‘the darkness of a bright summer’s day’ and the ‘warmth of a frozen winter night. Supposedly, that scarf then made her immortal.”

“Uhh, immortal?” Eris raised an eyebrow. Dzhemehal cleared her throat.

“In broad terms. It allowed her to walk right through the middle of battlefields raging around her, and not a single blow would strike her skin. According to records, and I quote, ‘eyes that looked upon her with ire would melt, and hearts that held rage for her would collapse’.”

After a second of silence, Dzhemehal offered a slight shrug.

“In simpler terms, it seemed like as long as she was wearing the scarf, anyone who tried to bring harm to her would die instantaneously, before their harm could even be enacted.”

Konderlacht narrowed her eyes. “If Eris could make scarves like that for Syndicate soldiers, the Hollow loses. No question.”

“Perhaps, but Phrom is the only recorded Artificer having supposedly used such strange crafting materials. It may not be possible for any other Artificer to perform similar feats.”

“Except for either Balzonest or that Ix-hall-something figure,” Eris stated. “Those were the only two that seemed to be involved in making the Warden- err… Control Trap: Alda Three, and that was apparently built with the soul of a grizzly bear, just like the Obelisk being made with the souls of all the Artificers that made it. Obviously, it must have been one of those two that can apparently use souls as crafting ingredients, however the fuck that makes sense.”

“This can be further discussed at a different time,” Konderlacht said. “For now, Eris should continue Inspecting and repairing the other artifacts. Winrow, please set that candlestick aside. That one could be useful.”

That was the first object that wasn’t to be disintegrated. As Eris went through the rest of this delivery’s assortment, there were only three other items that were of note- one of which actually was the weapon the Syndicate thought it might have been.

The misshapen, horrifically bent and cracked length of wood had the grain sewed back together under Eris’s fingertips and the splinters flattened out to grow and fill space where material was missing. The string, which had been nothing more than a few wispy trails of thread, had knotted, woven, and stretched back out to loop over the other end and fit into the notch. Then, it was set back onto the table holding the only notable items while the trough beside Eris was almost overflowing with Ichryte dust.

A candlestick.

A bow.

A pair of gloves, and…

The other item. The one that looked kind of like a small bracelet, but most definitely wasn’t a bracelet. When those four items were arranged, Konderlacht pursed her lips.

“Everything else was junk, but these are the ones that we need to discuss whether Eris will be consuming. First, the candlestick made by Phrom. Any arguments for it to be consumed?”

Konderlacht mostly ignored the bearded handler, looking between Dzhemehal, Charlotte, and Eris. Nobody spoke. After a number of seconds, Konderlacht nodded.

“I agree. Although it would provide a substantial amount of Magic Power and two very curious enchantments, I do not see an immediate need for Miss Kadell to have those enchantments. Not only that, even if Kadell were to gain those enchantments to make a functionally identical item, hers would be substantially weaker given the obvious power difference between her and Phrom. With the added concern of it being an item made directly by one of our Artificers of note, being the ones that made the Abstract of Eternity, and the question of being made from strange materials, I believe that it is safer and more useful as it is right now.”

The dark woman, now wearing similar rubber gloves to that bearded handler Winrow, then gently took the candlestick and placed it back in the protective, padded, hard-plastic case it had come in. That case was set off to the side.

“Next,” Konderlacht said. “The bow.”

Test Bow 6

Durability: 94%

Magic Power: 9,092

An extremely well made bow designed for battle. Imbued with the essence of Greed. Created by Gromish Recklin. Made from ash wood and flax linen.

Provides a Minor Boost to Physical Power. (2)

Provides a Moderate Boost to Physical Power.

Provides a Greater Boost to Physical Power.

Provides a Minor Boost to Physical Power with Ranged Weapons. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Attack Speed. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Attack Speed with Ranged Weapons. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Dexterity. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Strength. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Vitality. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Tenacity. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Physical Defence. (2)

Provides a Minor Boost to Magical Defence. (2)

Additional effect: Battlefield Looting

Creatures killed by Test Bow 6 have 15% of their weight turned into solid gold.

Additional effect: First Blood

Test Bow 6’s Quality is increased by 150% when attacking unharmed creatures.

Additional effect: First Blood

Test Bow 6’s Quality is increased by 150% when attacking unharmed creatures.

Additional effect: First Blood

Test Bow 6’s Quality is increased by 150% when attacking unharmed creatures.

Additional effect: First Blood

Test Bow 6’s Quality is increased by 150% when attacking unharmed creatures.

Eris had restated the effects just so that everyone present was perfectly clear on what it did. She then leaned back in her spinny chair.

“If I had to take a guess, I’d say that this Gromish person was right around where I am now, and very obviously testing things out. Though, they had some skill that let them put the same enchantment more than once.”

“They’re also a clear indication that you’ll likely get some kind of simplifying skill in the future,” Dzhemehal added. “There are far, far more stat modifications on your equipment and this bow than on ones even with higher Magic Power, such as the Final Veil. If I had to make an assumption, you would likely be able to sacrifice modifications to increase the item’s overall power.”

“But what is our vote for Eris consuming the bow to gain the effects?” Konderlacht crossed her arms. After a pause, Charlotte stepped forward.

“I believe she should do it. If we needed a powerful bow like this, we can just have Eris make a version almost identical to this in no time. Furthermore, those enchantments could possibly prove useful for Eris to put on other weapons- especially First Blood when she can almost certainly upgrade it.”

“Agreed,” Dzhemehal nodded.

“Very well,” Konderlacht turned to face Eris. “Consume it.”

Eris did. Once again, she was presented with a slew of new stat modifications and enchantments when she looked in her Malleable Arcana window. That bow alone gave her all of the core stats, along with Attack Speed, Physical Power, and a variation for both when using ranged weapons specifically. None of her immediate party; Jaxie, Alex, Nima, Meghan and Claire- used ranged weapons, but Eris definitely wasn’t going to turn down effects like that which she could put for weapons made for other people. She did, however, take a second to separate out the lists of stat modifications and organize everything in her mind. One section for just the core stats, another for all of her crafting-specific stats, a third for combat ones like Physical Power or Attack Speed, and then a fourth for the small list of sin-specific stats she’d taken from many of the artifacts before now.

Pleasure.

Value.

Pain.

Malice.

Leisure.

Taste.

Presence.

Those would need to be tested to see what they entailed, but that was a low priority. Lastly, Eris filed the enchantments away in a similar fashion- enchantments for use on crafting equipment, enchantments for combat equipment, miscellaneous useful enchantments, sin enchantments, useless sin enchantments, and the long list of regular useless enchantments from yesterday. Turning bodies into gold wasn’t useless like a coat rack that grew an extra peg for every garment, so it went in the ‘useful’ sin enchants. First Blood ABSOLUTELY went into the combat enchantments. There was something that Eris noticed, though.

“Uhh, the enchantments are weaker than they should be.”

“Pardon?” Konderlacht asked. Eris cleared her throat.

“Uhh, the looting one is only five percent of their body turning into gold instead of the fifteen percent that the bow had, and First Blood is WAY weaker. It’s only twenty-five percent instead of a hundred and fifty.”

Charlotte cocked her head. “Could Gormish have had Malleable Arcana, too, and their version of the enchantments were levelled up more? Perhaps even if you consume a version of the enchantment that is, say, level three, you only get the level one version and have to level it up yourself.”

Eris blinked. “You know, that makes a lot of sense and I’m going to pretend I thought of that. Moving on…”

Then, Eris turned her eyes towards the pair of long, black, evening gloves that looked like they would stop just before the elbow. They were a tad frayed on the very edges because of the limitations of Eris’s repairing skill, but were still more than put back together enough to be useful. Both of the gloves were completely identical.

Touch of Royalty

Durability: 94%

Magic Power: 46,115

An extremely well made glove designed for a rightful ruler. Imbued with the essence of Greed. Created by Hanaleah Justiniz. Made from cotton, charcoal dye, and the blood of Hanaleah Justiniz.

Provides a Greater Boost to Presence. (9)

Provides a Greater Boost to Mind. (9)

Provides a Greater Boost to Mana Recovery. (5)

Provides a Greater Boost to Mana Efficiency. (5)

Additional effect: Queen’s Vault

Touch Of Royalty is connected to a pre-determined vault. The wearer may spend Mana and reach into the vault, regardless of distance, to store or retrieve items.

“So, I think the obvious first question is how that vault-thing works,” Eris said. “It says it works across any distance, so does it like… teleport items to and from your hands?”

There was a moment of quiet in the room. After several seconds with no response, Konderlacht eventually spoke up.

“Do we have any information on where this ‘vault’ may be?”

Winrow, the bearded handler shrugged. “These were found here in Kavala, a little bit west of Kormunja’ar. Not sure which o’the ruins it would be, but it could be on the continent-”

“Hanaleah Justiniz was the queen of Kelopa at the time of the Sundering,” Dzhemehal interrupted. “The capital city of Lipodan was her kingdom, which she was said to have built from her bare hands. Her daughter, Calliope, had married into the Geriege royal family in a bid for peace when the two families were on the brink of war. After that, the two families had an alliance, albeit a strained one.”

“So the vault is in Lipodan, on the continent of Kelopa?” Konderlacht asked. Dzhemehal narrowed her eyes.

“It is impossible to say for certain, but the evidence suggests so.”

“And Miss Kadell-” Konderlacht turned towards Eris. “Are the gloves part of a pair, or could you only consume one of them in order to gain the effects?”

Eris narrowed her eyes. “Uhh, both of the gloves are independent pieces but with the exact same effects, if that’s what you’re asking. Kind of like the rings and earrings I made for my crafting equipment. Both of the rings were their own items, separate from the other- just made identically.”

Konderlacht stared. Eris clarified.

“Yeah, I should only need to consume one to get the effect, so then there would still be one left that the Syndicate could have.”

“Good,” Konderlacht said. “Pass me one of the gloves, please.”

Eris did so, passing Konderlacht the left glove. Much like the candlestick, the older woman set the single glove back in the protective case it came in, then nodded towards Eris. “Consume the other.”

The fabric fell away quickly- black cloth turning into white translucent dust that joined the pile in the trough. A moment later, Konderlacht asked.

“Did you get the effects?”

Eris checked. “Yeah, they’re there.”

“And the other glove is intact, as well,” Konderlacht said before closing the case on the remaining glove. “However, performing tests on that glove to activate the effect are going to need to be done only under the highest security. If it really is connected in some way to Kelopa, that is a continent lost to the Hollow. There is no telling what would happen should one attempt to reach through.”

She then looked at Eris.

“In the same manner, you are not to attempt to make or use an item with that enchantment without explicit approval, until we understand exactly how your own version of the enchantment functions.”

“Because we don’t know if I’ll be able to designate my own ‘vault’, or if it would be connected to Hanaleah’s one in the Hollow?” Eris asked.

“Precisely,” Konderlacht nodded. “It will be something we attempt to get certainty on as soon as possible, but you will refrain in the meantime. Understood?”

Eris nodded. “Understood.”

“Good. Now the last… item.”

Eris turned her gaze back to the last and final artifact on the table. A golden ring, but one that was definitely a bit too large around to be used on a finger, but perhaps a bit too small to serve as a bracelet. Eris really tried to keep herself from blushing as she re-read the information out for everyone.

Concubine’s Prayer

Durability: 94%

Magic Power: 51,398

An extremely well made cock ring, designed for the leader of a harem to bring many heirs into the world. Imbued with the essence of Lust. Created by Udala Menjarinalus. Made from gold, platinum, and crystallized semen from Udala Menjarinalus.

Provides a Greater Boost to Pleasure. (7)

Provides a Greater Boost to Vitality. (7)

Provides a Greater Boost to Tenacity. (7)

Additional effect: Seed of Life

When the wearer successfully impregnates an individual, one Core Stat of their choice permanently increases by five ranks.

Additional effect: Blessing of Fertility

The wearer’s sperm will always guarantee pregnancy.

Additional effect: Discreet

Concubine’s Prayer does not impede sensation or any ability for the wearer to ejaculate unless desired otherwise.

Additional effect: Accommodating

Sexual acts of penetration will be possible regardless of standard size differences, and will always ensure a comfortable but tight fit.

Additional effect: Rapid Gestation

The gestation period for pregnancies caused by the wearer are reduced by 90%.

The awkward silence in the room lasted a truly uncomfortable amount of time. Eventually, it was Konderlacht that sighed loudly.

“If there are no arguments, Miss Kadell should keep the ring and…” she cleared her throat. “And utilize the benefits when necessary.”

Nobody seemed particularly eager to comment on the magical item. Well, except for Dzhemehal who muttered idly while she wrote in her notebook.

“At least that explains Udala’s forty wives and nine hundred children…”