Exploration- Chapter 39

I forgot about the CFP playoff game tonight which distracted me some, but still just shy of 7k which isn't too bad for a slow production day where I rested my eyes.

If I can keep these habits, 2026 is going to be my most productive year. More stories and more chapters coming your way.

Thanks for understanding when I need to ease up on a given day and when other aspects of life get in my way.

Chapter 39- Liquid Magic

Coming out of this dungeon was so much easier. Spot was accommodating and smoothed a path for us out and there were no guards waiting to attack us at the exit. I knew this was what I should have expected, but somehow after the other dungeon, this felt different. Maybe it my connection with the dungeon.

That brought up something else. Selena was a Pioneer, which meant that she had a connection to my primordial aspect. The fact that she could sense that in the dungeon made me wonder just how strong that connection was. A thought formed in my mind, but I shook my head. I was probably being silly. I discarded it for now. There’d be time to think about long-shots later on.

For now though, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw her. She was practically dancing. She immediately noticed and grinned. “Best dungeon run ever. These swords are amazing. I feel so light on my feet. I’ve never gotten such a huge bump in my stats at one time.” Then she seemed to get serious for a while. “Is this how you feel all the time? Because if it is, then I can understand how you rush into things and just expect them to turn out right.”

“Uh, thanks”

She was next to me in a flash with her arm wrapped around mine. “Grumpy because you can’t use the loot that was made for you?”

“Who says I can’t use it.”

“Oh, I’m not telling you what to do. If my fiancé wants to become some multi-system powerhouse who can take me traveling all over, then I won’t argue. Even my uncle couldn’t dispute that. But, I think I know you well enough by now. You’re a good man, sometimes a simple man, and that makes you reliable. I’m glad to have some reliable in my life.”

I didn’t argue with her. I wanted to be able to accept the life being offered. Silver Surfer had been my dad’s favorite comic book. He’d always made a big deal of insisting that the Ron Lim art was the best version. In the end, he said there was something about Surfer that hit him. This guy had all this amazing power, he got to travel around and live the life he’d dreamed about, but in the end he was always beholden to someone.

He had always said that the military felt like that sometimes. Being deployed sucked, but getting to travel all over both before us kids and after, had been great in his mind. He like the change, but because he had to follow orders, it could all be upended at a moment’s notice. He said it was the balance between duty and freedom where a man found out what his true character was.

I shook my head. I should probably stop thinking about things my dad said. By Earth time he’d only been gone a little over three years, but thanks to time dilation it had been closer to 8 years for me. Shouldn’t that be long enough to stop grieving?

“Where’d you go? I lost you there for a minute.”

I returned my focus to Selena. “Sorry, just thinking about something my dad said.”

She didn’t respond but pressed herself closer to me. I knew that she didn’t fully understand what family meant to me. Her relationships had been so much more strained, especially with her father. But she knew how to be supportive and that was growth for her. I just hoped I was growing.

“You’re probably right, but I can’t bring myself to say ‘no’ quite yet. It would solve so many problems.”

“And create a bunch of new ones, but you already knew that. Maybe, if you ask nicely they’ll give you one of the stat potions.”

“I wouldn’t turn it down, but I’m not going to presume on that. Besides, I’m gonna get to make an iron golem. For now though let’s see what they want to do.”

The inside of the warehouse had changed significantly. I didn’t ask exactly how, but I assumed that Tad had some ability that allowed him to make things, that or he could bring materials out of the dungeon. There were tables, and places to cook, and comfortable seating. Samvek asked, “Not worried about us being found here?”

Tad said, “I was. I am. But I decided it wasn’t worth being uncomfortable for. They aren’t going to find us because of the furniture but the next 6 plus days will be comfortable at least. How’d the dungeon go?”

We all sat down, ate a good warm meal and I let Oliver and Clay talk about the dungeon. Lexa added some and showed the most emotion I’d ever seen from her when Tad praised her new level. He was very thankful to us for advancing them.

Then I said, “Well wait till you see what we got for loot.” I explained about my upgraded ability. Tad seemed to realize that there was more in play, although I hadn’t shared about the details of the herald offer. When I showed him the potions he could only shake his head. Then he marveled over the golem control discs.

An expression of concern crossed his face. “Did you see the requirement on these?”

“Which one?”

As it turned out, Tad was able to get more information out of the item than I was. He projected the extra line.

In order to use this disc the golem body must be handcrafted by the individuals who will control the golem.

          “Is that a problem?”

“Considering how much trouble we’ve had with a stone golem… and I don’t have the necessary skills to be able to forge metal like that. I once had the chance to take a trait, but I probably would have had to level it up several times.”

“Well then I guess this will be my chance to contribute more to our partnership.”

“You can forge something like that?” There was hope on Tad’s face.

“With the metal and a proper forge, yes. My blacksmithing skill isn’t amazing, but I was able to craft my own armor and I forged a new alloy that uses my blood to empower it. A simple metal like iron should be easy.”

That put him at ease. We discussed what to do next but the excitement from Tad’s people was too great. They wanted to see if he could awaken them with these potions. He didn’t have the heart to make them wait so we could start on the golems. It was all good, I wanted to watch the process again as I still needed to create three more horsemen and this seemed to act as a model for how to do it.

The warehouse went quiet in a way that had nothing to do with sound. It was anticipation. Even with everyone present, it felt like the space itself was waiting, holding its breath as Tad set the potion down between himself and Mirren. The vial glowed faintly, not bright or dramatic, but dense, like light trapped in glass and pressed tight. Fara stood off to the side, arms crossed, clearly vibrating with impatience, while the rest of us instinctively gave the two space. There was so much more than a potion to drink. This was something closer to a rite.

Mirren knelt first, folding her legs beneath her with practiced calm. She didn’t look afraid, but there was tension in her shoulders that hadn’t been there during the dungeon run. Her magic was the natural and healing. I’d watched her back when we made that run in the Endless Dungeon. She cared about her people and practically revered Tad, but now she was excited about what this could mean for her.

 Tad watched her closely, eyes half-lidded, his attention turned inward in a way that reminded me of how I focused when negotiating with the system itself.

Fara broke the silence. “If anyone should go first, it should be me.”
Tad didn’t look up when he answered. “I know why you want that, but no. We already know that this works on people from Aerth. We need to make sure that it will work with a potion and so we change the fewest variables. This needs to work on someone Aerth recognizes fully. I won’t gamble with you before I understand the process.”

Fara’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue further. It was hard to argue with the clear desire Tad had to protect her. If Mirren took offense at that, I couldn’t read it in her expression or body language. Selena shifted slightly closer to Fara, a silent reminder that patience was sometimes its own form of strength.

Tad picked up the vial and held it between his palms for a moment, as if feeling its weight. “Just a sip,” he said gently. “I need to watch how the potion interacts with you. This is a new magic for all of us.”

Mirren nodded and took the vial with both hands. She drank only a fraction, barely enough to wet her lips, and then passed it back without hesitation.

The reaction was immediate, though not explosive. I felt it more than I saw it, a subtle tightening of the air as the potion’s energy unfolded inside her. Mirren inhaled sharply, fingers curling against her knees, and a soft glow spread beneath her skin like embers buried under ash. Tad leaned forward, one hand hovering just above her sternum, his expression shifting as he tracked something invisible.

Oliver whispered, almost to himself, “He’s smelling it.”

I frowned at that. “Smelling what?”

“Magic,” Oliver replied quietly. “I’ve read about sniffers before, but I’ve never seen anyone actually do it. What Tad does though takes it to a whole new level.”

Mirren’s breathing steadied, but her aura changed. It didn’t flare or expand, but it gained definition, edges sharpening as if something inside her had been given structure. Tad exhaled slowly, relief bleeding into his posture. “Good. The energy’s integrating instead of tearing. She’s compatible.”

Compatible. The word carried more weight than he probably intended.

“Drink the rest,” Tad said, voice firm now. “I’ve got you.” Mirren didn’t hesitate. She lifted the vial again and drained it completely.

The ascendant-tier energy hit like a tidal surge. Mirren gasped, her back arching as power roared through her channels, and the warehouse lights flickered as if reality itself recoiled. Tad caught her wrist and shoulder at the same time, anchoring her physically while his will wrapped around the incoming force. This wasn’t brute control. It was guidance, shaping a flood into something that could be survived.

Sprites began to appear.

At first they were just flashes at the edge of my vision, quick sparks of green and gold darting through the air. Then they multiplied, clustering around Mirren in loose orbits, responding to the resonance between her soul and the potion’s power. Tad’s authority pressed outward, not as a command but as a framework, giving those nascent spirits somewhere to settle without being consumed. It wasn’t like the enchantments it just seemed that the sprites were interested in what was happening. I used it as an opportunity to learn more about enchanting in this realm.

Then my attention snapped back to Mirren. I felt the moment the oath took hold.

It wasn’t spoken aloud, but it resonated through the room like a bell struck underwater. Mirren’s connection to Tad deepened, not forced, not binding in the way the Order did it, but acknowledged. You are seen. You are chosen. You belong here. The difference was stark enough that it made my skin prickle.

Mirren cried out softly. There was no pain on her face, this was simply the release of tension. The power settled, folding inward instead of ripping outward, and her presence grew denser, more real. I could feel it clearly now, the way her soul anchored itself more firmly into her body, her potential no longer diffuse but aligned. The sprites drifted closer, then slowly dispersed, signaling that they thought the show was over.

When it was over, Mirren slumped forward, breathing hard but alive. Tad kept his hands on her for several seconds longer, ensuring stability before easing back. Sweat beaded along his hairline, but there was satisfaction there too, something earned rather than given.

A notification chimed in my awareness, mirrored by several others around the room.

          Mirren Helena has been Awakened and is bound to the Twin Prince of the Summer and Void Courts.

          Identify told me that her level had gone up to 155, apparently with the left over XP she had.

She opened her eyes and looked up at Tad, then at the rest of us. Nothing about her appearance had changed dramatically, but everything about her felt heavier, more grounded. When she stood, she did so without wavering, her posture instinctively adjusting to accommodate a strength she hadn’t possessed an hour earlier.

I couldn’t stop myself from comparing it to the Order’s awakenings. Those felt stamped, identical, obedience burned into the core. This felt like craftsmanship. Like Tad had taken raw potential and shaped it with care, respecting what was already there instead of overwriting it. It was the difference between mass production and art, and it told me everything I needed to know about why the Lawgiver feared this kind of power.

Fara finally exhaled, arms uncrossing. “So it works,” she said, a note of hunger creeping into her voice.

Tad nodded, tired but steady. “It works. And it’s getting easier.”

The second awakening began almost immediately, as though the moment Mirren stabilized, the process itself leaned forward, eager to continue. Lia stepped into the circle next, her movements quicker, more restless, shadow and silk magic coiled tight around her like a second skin. Where Mirren had knelt with calm acceptance, Lia crouched like a predator, ready to spring even as she submitted herself to Tad’s authority. Tad met her gaze for a long moment, clearly reading something in her that wasn’t visible to the rest of us, then nodded once.

The potion reacted differently this time. When Lia drank, the energy surged sharper, more angular, snapping through her channels like drawn wire instead of flowing embers. Tad adjusted instantly, his control tightening, not to restrain her but to keep her from tearing herself apart with her own momentum. Sprites flashed again, darker this time, streaks of violet and silver darting around her as if responding to the spider-aspect woven into her soul.

I felt the oath settle faster, more decisively. Lia’s bond to Tad wasn’t contemplative like Mirren’s. It was chosen in motion, loyalty born of action and shared danger rather than quiet faith. When the awakening locked into place, her aura flared outward in a brief, sharp pulse before snapping back under control, and she laughed breathlessly as the power settled.

Lewlen followed, methodical even now. He took his place with bow laid carefully beside him, posture straight, eyes never leaving Tad’s face. The potion’s energy moved through him in precise lines, reinforcing rather than reshaping, like a master archer tuning a weapon he’d already perfected. Tad barely had to intervene, guiding instead of correcting, and the sprites that gathered were fewer but brighter, hovering close to Lewlen’s hands and shoulders before dispersing.

By the time Dylus knelt, the warehouse felt charged, saturated with residual magic and intent. I’d been told that he had lost his brother only a couple months ago and that he was still in mourning. Dylus took the potion with grim resolve, jaw clenched as the power hammered into him like a forge strike. This awakening was heavier, slower, his endurance and earth affinity drawing the process out as Tad shaped the flow again and again, reinforcing without breaking. When it finally settled, Dylus rose like a mountain deciding to stand taller, solid in a way that made the floor feel steadier beneath our feet.

Each awakening took more than an hour, even as Tad’s efficiency improved. Sweat soaked his clothes, and I could see the strain building in him despite the smoother execution. Every individual demanded attention, adaptation, respect for who they were rather than forcing them into a template. That alone explained why the Order’s method felt so hollow by comparison.

Fara’s patience snapped somewhere during Dylus’s stabilization. She paced once, then twice, tail flicking sharply behind her before she turned to Selena. “If this is going to keep going, I need to move. I can’t sit here knowing I’m falling behind.”
Selena glanced at me, eyebrow raised, silent but asking. I nodded once. “It’s your call.”

Selena smiled, sharp and approving. “Then let’s go bank you some XP.”
Fara’s grin was feral. “About time.”

They were gone moments later, reality folding neatly around Selena as she took Fara with her into the dungeon. The absence they left behind felt strange, a gap in the rhythm of the room, but it was the right call. Fara needed to be doing something and Selena understood that instinctively.

When Tad finally leaned back after Dylus’s awakening, exhaustion etched deep into his expression, I took stock of the room. Four forest elves now stood awakened, each at level 155, each radiating a distinct, individual strength. None of them felt copied. None of them felt owned. Now there was Crynane the dark elf and Oliver the human grand mage to go, assuming that Tad was willing to awaken him.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the difference in the way the awakened felt was more significant than the power itself. It was the freedom to grow that he represented which truly made Tad dangerous to the Order. I couldn’t help but smile as I considered what fun we were going to have over the coming days. Of course, my definition of fun might have changed significantly since I became a Forerunner