Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube

Flying through the sky on a slab of earth beneath them, Ben paid no mind to the speed Thera was moving them as he instead was lost in his thoughts, with that only being broken as Thera spoke up.

“Ben, you’re basically vibrating. What’s going on?”

“Just got something I want to test really really badly when we get home. If I’m right I might be able to make something cool.”

“We’re still trying to see Yuzu or Elvat first to get your soul fixed, Ben. You seriously can’t just be living like this.”

“Okay, true, the sooner I get it fixed the sooner I can comfortably overfill it again. I’m patient, I can wait.”

“No, the point of getting healed isn’t to immediately start doing the exact thing that injured you again. Gods above Ben, you’re being a healer's worst nightmare.”

“Hopefully it's only going to be another week and then never again, I… Okay, I don’t promise, but I’m real hopeful about my prospects of that being true.”

“Consider me not reassured but okay. And we’re almost there.”

They could see the final destination in the form of a walled city in the distance. Similar to Stonewall in that sense, the size seemed comparable enough from the distance too that it may not have been correct to call it a city but if that was what its people referred to it as then that was all that mattered. It was the only place they were visiting that wasn’t on the gate network, necessitating the trip out.

Different from Stonewall though was the look of it. He didn’t think the wall he was approaching was any less practical than the one of his home but a far greater effort had gone towards the aesthetic of it, ensuring it all was made of a brilliant white stone with the few buildings he could see within being the same.

It wasn’t long until they landed, walking the rest of the way as some guards at the gate gave them both a quick look over before waving them through, letting them make their way over to the larger building sitting at the city's heart and passing its people along the way.

The two of them certainly stood out as they went, it didn’t seem like the sort of land where outsiders not belonging to its main species would appear but the species itself was familiar, with the people looking largely human except for elephant-like ears, all of them being the same race as Vasta.

They ignored the stares they got through, focusing on getting through that final destination as they arrived at the main church and let themselves inside, finding a few priests already waiting, even if they looked none too pleased compared to the rest they’d dealt with that day as Ben greeted them.

“Hello there, apostle Ben, here to look at your mythic item. I believe you’ve been expecting me?”

“Mmh, come so we can get things over with.”

No warm welcome, they were led through the church while Thera gave him a questioning glance, not that he had anything helpful to add. He was already reading their minds to try and see what the issue was but it seemed they and their god viewed some of his actions, including the one that had gained him his mad apostle title, in a rather negative light and painted their attitudes as they went.

But if they were just going to be grumpy instead of outright hostile then he didn’t particularly care. He didn’t need to get along with them, he just needed to see what they had and got exactly that as they were led through a back door, getting to watch another priest practicing with the most interesting of staves he’d gotten to lay his eyes on by that point.

Quilith had told him about it in the past, the item not only having the incredible effects of increasing the strength of any light magic passed through it as well as the even better one of actually helping to increase the wielder’s proficiency with that particular magic as well in the process, but the staff itself had supposedly been made of light.

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It was something he couldn’t wrap his head around, even as he looked at it. Appearing mostly like glass until a burst of mana went through it to make the entire thing glow, it didn’t look like the two examples of energy beings he’d encountered in the past but given it wasn’t a living thing perhaps that was to be expected and he patiently waited to get his hands on it for a closer look, with the priests around him and the one currently using it looking like they didn’t want that to happen.

The one continued to practice with it, acting like he wasn’t there until he eventually forced the issue.

“Ahem, I personally don’t mind waiting a bit if there’s a reason but you should have all been informed I’m here to examine the staff. Seeing as how that should really only take a few minutes, maybe half an hour tops, the sooner you let me, the sooner I can be on my way.”

Still looking unhappy about it but at least keeping their composure, the one in charge nodded, directing the one who used it to hand it over, no matter how unwillingly it was as Ben finally got it with his grasp.

He could tell from his material sense that even if it wasn’t really made of some strange structure of light, it was very much something outside of that reality’s normal periodic table and he briefly wondered if that sense alone would give him enough information he could process to try and materialize it before dismissing the idea as something he might be able to manage with a little more information, though not something he could maintain the existence of.

Much like the spacetime sword he’d already gotten to see, there was magic both enchanted on it and bestowed within it, all of it working together to both hold its existence as well as allow for its powerful effects and he did his best to take it all in.

Having a smooth texture while being far lighter than he’d expected, he couldn’t deny there was a beauty to it, something that made him want to try and put his own spin on such a thing if he could as he tried to use it, passing a bit of his non-affinitied power through it to materialize a few souls and feeling as it worked, with the items nature not inhibiting its ability to act as a proper staff for anyone to use if there was a reason for it.

That wasn’t an unreasonable design of course, especially if it didn’t hinder its main functions. As useful as light magic could be for those who held it, there were simply times when other options would be better depending on the particular need. He couldn’t deny that it was an excellent piece, well worthy of the ranking as something that sat at high mythic, even if a small thought couldn’t help but pass his lips.

“So incredible, but what a shame…”

“And what exactly do you mean by that?” One of the priests asked, his tone demanding Ben apologize and retract his words but not getting it as he instead explained far too honestly what he’d meant.

“After seeing them all, this has to be one of the better mythic items this planet has,” He told them, still keeping his eyes glued to it and largely blind to everyone else as he more or less thought out loud. “And I can see to an extent why you’d have a ninth-level light mage using it right now, I’m sure this is an excellent tool to help people awaken, even if it just lowers the difficulty a bit, but he’s really not the best person to be using it in wartime, is he? I mean, you may not have heard this, it’s pretty recent but there’s currently a contender for a ninth-leveled second-tier light magic who would be significantly more valuable to get whatever help this could give, right? Plus the two archmages currently on the planet that are trying to get to the third tier. Even if it’s not applicable to all they could cast, this still works as a regular staff so if it helps with even a single aspect of their magics then that might be all they need to get their awakening. But even those three are still probably not the best options because let’s all be real here, this increases the power of the light magic run through it. No matter how valuable awakening anyone could be, what that really means is that this should be in the hands of the great light spirit so she can-”

His words were cut off by an elbow to his ribs, Thera pulling his eyes and shaking her head before he noticed the priests there staring murder at him for everything he’d said, no matter how correct it was.

He wasn’t getting anything from their thoughts except naked rage either so if there was a story there it was one he’d need to get from another source while he instead accepted that his time was up as he quickly handed it back over.

“But anyway, don’t mind my little rambles,” He told them, already dragging Thera along to avoid any trouble. “Looks like you’re all busy so we’ll show ourselves out. Thanks for the time.”

Ignoring the daggers being stared into his back, he was happy to finish up anyway. To get to look at such an interesting tool genuinely was a gift regardless of however the owners or makers of it saw him but he had ideas he wanted to test so from there it was going to be off to the soul mages and finally back home.

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