Luck be Damned

13

^^ Lady Jade ^^

— Alice —

'After witnessing Zara hunt with me for hours on end, I understood her capabilities very well, I thought. Being bonded with her mentally and spiritually, we shared many of the same attributes. I also discovered that we shared the same Spirit Abilities; essentially, when I summoned my Bulette spirit, and used his abilities, her defense skyrocketed. When I summoned the Succubus or Incubus, her whistling (a skill she'd picked up,) gained the ability to charm monsters, and probably people. When I summoned the Amphiptere, however, her wings expanded from their baby tattered forms into a large width, nearly five times the length of her body, and she was capable of flight, and even carrying me by hugging her arms and legs around me and flying like that, which was amusing and fun.

Growing my own wings was apparently not a thing, because as a human my body didn't evolve according to the Spirits, I only used their powers and abilities; flight wasn't an ability for them, it was an anatomical feature. As such I would need a creature that flew without wings, or couldn't fly normally even with them... such as a Pegasus. Unfortunately, Pegasi live on the open plains, not the forests, so that wasn't currently possible, so I'd need to use that Dragon Sigil, in conjunction with something to make small platforms, or maybe just pulses of air?'

I paused in writing my notes, and grabbed a pair of boots, examining the soles. "Not thin enough for magic to pierce through... Hmm..." I created a small hole, in the bottom of the heel, and placed molten crystal into it, to create a direct connection. I made sure to use crystal that was already Vulcanized, meaning it was not able to be electrocuted, so there was no issue with reducing the boots' purpose, which was to remain grounded at all times.

"Ahh, but what if I get struck by lightning...? Alright, then how about this..." I began creating a one-way path through the crystal, which would expel any malignant electricity from my body in the way it always would, directly through the feet, but in a non-harmful way.

That finished, I carefully carved the dragon Sigil into the inside of the sole, so that the foot was against it, and then put them on, cautiously pushing mana into the Sigil. My body instantly lightened, and I moved my hand, surprised by the immediate swiftness. I thought I'd simply move faster, but it seemed that Amoj had lied to me; this spell did in fact make me lighter. "I knew he didn't have Helium inside him!!!" I snapped, irritated at the deception, and made some notes, of the process and the success.

"Alright... now for part two: stepping on the wind... how to manage..." I kicked my feet up onto my desk, gazing at the black leather boots with the raised heel, not quite a stiletto. It was small enough that it gave me some height and accentuated my calves, but didn't impede walking or running, even in the woods. "I could create temporary air platforms, but the requires mana... it would be inefficient... unless..." I grinned and designed a small circle that would convert air into mana, just small bits, and then use that mana to create a step in the air by locking its position. It wouldn't last very long unless I fed it directly, but it would take almost nothing to walk on it, except the activation mana.

I was carving it into my boots when someone cleared their throat. "You have a reason for breaking into my lab, I assume?" I sighed, not turning around.

"I was invited in... the clerk was quite polite."

"Great, the Sorcerer is back... she was likely scared by the fact that you're apparently the best Sorcerer on this continent, according to everyone I've asked. She wasn't supposed to let you walk right into my lab, which is private. I have a meeting room specifically for meetings. No one is allowed in here who isn't family to me, and therefore privy to any magical secrets I discover or create." I explained, and finished the carving carefully while he deliberated.