Chương 503: AF Chapter 502 – From Here to Eternity the Cheaty Way

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"It's not THAT easy, Kris. Basically, I have to trick both the Matrix and the Isparian System into thinking I'm eligible for Eternal-grade Feats and knowledge. If I qualify, I can use the Expanded Valence Feat to grab Valences X and XI with my two open Feat slots, which means I can Raise Astral Ward to effectively XII and trump a XIII mental attack."

"Uh-huh." She was just looking at me, her arms crossed, while everyone else was just smirking around her.

"And how long have you been working on this?"

"Huh. Since the second day I was here?" I admitted, and she just rolled her eyes as everyone else cursed under their breath or laughed outright.

"Care to share what you think is going to work?" Kris asked, one elegant eyebrow arched and daring me to say no.

"Arcane Lore in the Isparian System is effectively a synergistic skill across the two Systems, and mine is at least equal to fifteen Ranks. That means a synergy bonus of +4, representing soooo many virtua Ranks of alternate magic, and it tacks onto my 17 Ranks of Matrix Spellcraft as basically Extra Learning. I have a fake 21 Ranks of working Spellcraft in the two Systems."

"Oh, that be slick, sliding right in under the carpet," the Mick chuckled, considering that.

"So the magic itself acknowledges that ye be Eternal, no?" I nodded slowly.

"That's the idea. Then, you have to convince the System you have a base 21 Caster Level. I have a boosted general Caster Level over 40 by various methods," everyone who was a Caster in the Matrix system flinched as I said that, "but the only one which really affects base Caster Level is Star Wizardry. Four Stars in my Matrix makes me effectively 21 base.

"Lore in place, power in place, and plenty of Caster Level beyond that, with Intellect around 50… I don't think I'll have any issues." Kris blinked. So did most of them.

"50… Intellect? Your Focus?" Queen Mother Elysa Strathelar breathed in shock, her daughter Fan staring at me in disbelief.

"My base Focus clocks in at 690. I Buff to 810," I admitted.

"Fuuuuuuuuck!" the Mick complained heartily, throwing up his hands, while Master Ben Ten just smiled and shook his head knowingly.

"Ye're a rule-breaking nose-tweaking cheater o' the first order, lass!" he swore at me, shaking a fist.

"I dinnae Buff to 400 in ANYTHING!"

"Yes," I agreed, nodding.

"It's a marvelous way of adding a lot of stress to one's life, as I realize just how powerful I am not." There was a swift fall to silence as they all digested that, and then just shook their heads ruefully. It didn't matter how powerful you were, there was something bigger out there!

"And the hesitation?" Kris asked, simply conceding my point and refusing to be overawed by me. I hadn't informed anyone that her Dex and Con scores were right up there with me, and Briggs' Strength was even higher.

"I'm rather of the impression that someone qualifying for Eternal-class perks is likely flagged by the System for special attention. Would you want someone that powerful running around without limitations on them?" I asked the crowd. Everyone was silent as they considered that, too.

"They'll be wanting to force you into NPC status," Master Oswald said slowly, speaking what was on everyone's minds.

"Like Asheron. Here for special events, but never seen day-to-day, only to hand out bad news and Quests, anything he did was out of sight in the background and so irrelevant to us."

"And that's why I didn't take the step," I agreed quietly.

"On the other hand, if we want a Powered presence at the end, I probably don't have any choice…"

"Do you actually get higher Level Engrams out of that, or just open Slots?" Kris asked quickly, aware of the difference.

"I don't know, I think just the Valences. I'm not asking for Extra Spells Known at those Valences, mainly because I have absolutely no idea what to ask for, which is kind of required, and there's no Bloodline effects that I know that extend into the Eternal," I admitted with a shrug." Raising something as far as possible should be good enough," Briggs agreed gruffly.

"Will you have the power to do so quickly?" he inquired.

"Yes. Opening the Slots means all bonus spells and Slots for high Intellect instantly apply, everything comes in ready to go."

"Do you need time, space, or something to get this done?" Kris asked, looking around meaningfully. Everyone promptly backed off to give me room, and Briggs turned and told them to get the Wagon ready for an over-water run of some distance, keeping everyone busy. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I just sat down on my Disk and closed my eyes. I could feel Kris right there. She was sitting on Twenty, but not breaking through…

but could at any moment, the huge amounts of Karma on the Isparian side of things an effective Synergy bonus qualifying her for Eternal in Melee right now if she bothered to take the step. She had all of forever to do so with her broken Rantha Racial Class, so she wasn't in a hurry. She could and already was taking Legendary Feats, too, so she wasn't suffering in the slightest. Me, I had just had to fool the System and convince it to allow me to start grabbing things past the Eternal Ceiling. Eezy-peezy.

Okay, bring up the Sublime Chord, pumping for +8, tyvm. Juice my Caster Level with my Stars and Spell Power from Hierophant and Archmage Class Levels. The Metas I added to all my spells, specifically Good and Cold, cranked my effective level by +10 more, Arcane Theurgy and Zeks added another +3, and other Elemental Affinities could heap another +6 or more on top from Reserves and the like.

If every Caster around was wincing as they felt my Caster Level thrumming like a whole orchestra and choir ready to thunder out a tune while they were just a soloist out on the floor, well, it was what it was. And there was absolutely no doubt I had the Spellcraft down cold. My Intellect was north of 50 and my Spellcraft modifier closing in on +70 without any special effort on my part.

With two full Traditions of magic represented and synthesized, I definitely had Eternal-class knowledge and understanding of the local manafield, and that was before the Sublime Chord basically underscored everything.

The Mick had a wide grimace on his face, exaggerating tiptoe motions as he looked around, everyone else finding it hard to work as the Lady Magos reached for Eternal shite she shouldn't be touching.

It wasn't a visible display, but everyone with any Matrix ability could Detect Magic, and right now the magic that was yanking on every magical nerve in their bodies and Matrices was looking goddamn GLORIOUS as magic Sang and swirled tightly around the young woman, her arms upraised and eyes closed as so many different types of magic and energies thrummed and pulsed in the Sublime Chords. It fair made some of the lesser Casters just want to close their eyes and fall over in rapture at the sound and sight of it.

He was being careful not to look at her, and watched Briggs grab three of Elysa's Archers before they fell off the top of the second Wagon, while Elysa helped her granddaughter to the roof there before she fell over. Ach, yeah, Fascination effects with Heartsong were a thing, especially if you weren't trying to resist it. The magic was whelming, the pressure coming in was harder to resist, more of the warriors had their eyes rolling up.

Most had wisely already dropped to the ground as the Chord thrummed inside them, making them feel like puppets dancing to a glorious Song pouring right down from Heaven, music and magic and the Divine reaching out their hand… Something popped. The Mick wasn't sure when he fell to the ground, but there he was, looking up at the sky, while something felt like it was shaking loose in his head and limits he hadn't even known were there were in front of his nose.

He could see past them, and a long, long Road of the Eternal beckoned before him. He could do it, he realized. He could break the Eternal Ceiling and start on that road as a Melee Eternal. He could start messing around with gods and demons and things mortals weren't meant to deal with, things that wanted to enslave bodies and souls and had to be fought back with all the heart and soul of those born mortal. He would be one of those swords raised against the dark, he knew.

One of those protecting the rights of anyone to walk the road after him, to rise to limits and level few mortals, or even the undead, dreamed of. But… not today. He had a wife at home, and they were already planning for their firstborn, as they hadn't had their first time around.

He knew that if he started on that road, he would never get the pleasure of doing that most essential of mortal things, raising the next generation to come up behind him, to be better and greater than he was, to do the things he could not, and hopefully profit from some of the idiotic things he'd done without having to be an idiot to learn them. But it was there.

And when his years of family were through, his sword drawn over them able to pull back because they had their own raised to defend themselves and those THEY loved… he could step on that road. He'd have to make sure his lovely Bunita could step on it with him, by one means or another. The Mick smiled, as the magic celebrated someone doing the great and the grand…

and yet, he was absolutely, completely sure that if any watchers weren't right here to see this, not a soul outside this gathering was sensing a damn thing about what had just happened.

Slots X and XI, open for business! Just the Slots, filled with power for Upcast spells Raised to Eternal status. Impossibly complex to a mortal mind, so much seething power that had to be applied across multiple moments in time to do what they did, a puzzle of dazzling, glorious complexity peeling itself back for me to admire. I brought up the Astral Ward at XI+1 with Earth Spell and wove it into existence around myself.

My glorious display in the manafield, the acknowledgment of my raw power, faded away like ethereal mists, cloaked, dispersed, and hidden. Body, mind, and soul hidden from Divinatory attempts and mental attacks, further occluding me with Beyond Law and Chaos, almost as hard to see as a Forsaken with a post-50 Aura. And here it came. It washed through the manafield on a broad spectrum search that should have instantly closed in on me after that flexing.

But the gathered mana and power was gone before, during, and after the display, leaving nothing to look for, as if nothing had ever happened at all. I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and took a deep breath.

"How bad?" Kris asked shortly, standing just out of reach of me.

"XII. Swept the whole island with one spell," I sighed.

"Caster Level at least 45." She looked south, out into those waters there, pale violet eyes almost swirling with the desire to challenge them.

"I can deal with that. So can Briggs." She was saying her Null and his Source was probably higher than 65. I had to admit I found that terribly amusing.

"Well, then, I guess it's time to go and meet what might very well be this island's makers." I got to my feet, turned around, and saw all the dazed warriors slumped on the ground, gaping up at the sky as they tried to fight off the after-effects of the Eternal Chord breaking open.

"Uhhh…"