Back through the mirror on the beach to the home base, and Sammy was both intent on and excited for the next project that had fiiiiinally opened up with the daily reset: the prototype casting of her custom spell, aka the Spellbreak.

She’d been ready to make it happen for quite a while as she worked toward the maximum completion percentage attainable before actually doing it. So, she immediately began gathering the sparse materials and — most importantly — her spellbook and notes, to rush over to the study and ritual room within the hideout.

It was nothing special, really, being mostly her personal area. A couple of tables and chairs, books strewn around, an open space with a platform for rituals, and some sparsely occupied shelves of other physical copies. It was fairly simple for her to access the virtual versions of books within her demiplane, but… it was what it was.

If using a virtual book, she’d prefer to just be in the demiplane domain. Physical books just felt better when you were really digging in. The demiplane copies were better for quick reference.

Some things just gotta be done in the material realm… with materials… this included.

She drew her runic circle carefully, per the details she’d constructed of the first, core forms that would integrate into the final spell. The forms were only 10% of the construct necessary, making the term ‘prototype’ a bit strange, but that was par for the course with wizards. It had more to do with the feasibility of the concept, but it also wasn’t just a schematic because it pierced reality and could fuck up in spectacular fashion. More than a few wizards had died to Spellbreaks.

One description she’d read claimed — contested, according to Marjorie — that Spellbreak was ‘where imagination and the System’s sanction meet,’ or, in effect, that the System determined how the spell worked at Spellbreak. Then, the rest of the spell was the wizard learning how the System had put it together into the framework of that world.

That made a lot of sense to Sammy on multiple levels, whether the term used for it was accurate or not.

She used magically-infused black paint for the runes, used primarily because it could be lifted with a cantrip easier in case of mistakes, quick-dried also with a cantrip, and was supposedly ‘guaranteed’ not to scorch wood or start fires if the circle lit up.

She painted most of the circle by hand, but for six of the complex geometric symbols she used a special, customized stamp. It was an idea she had for getting the difficult symbols correct, taking advantage of the malleable, slow-drying product.

She sprinkled gold dust onto the paint once done, supposedly a universal material sacrifice and a good luck charm of non-cheapskates. Finally, she utilized Allspell Zero to meticulously perfect the circle and quick-dry the paint.

Magic circle complete! Looks pretty sexy with those overlaid stamps. As a geometer, I approve.

Sammy blinked at that thought. She was not a geometer, hated geometry, and pretty much sucked at math.

Okay, whatever… one of the past-life nerds reached across time and space to admire some handiwork. No big deal! Moving on…

Standing in the center of the circle, reference materials floating in front of her, Sammy began the crude spell with precise hand motions and incantations and initiated the Spellbreak. It had no isolated target — the target was reality itself.

She drew out and channeled the mana for the spell, halved thanks to the circle’s efficiency and drawing from the environment and materials. So it became 11 MP.

She felt a strange bubbling in the air, like the mana and unseen layers underneath were simmering and beginning to cook. Quickly, she ran through the rest of the spell… As the circle underneath her lit up with blue, magical fire and the air shimmered and warbled with power, she prepared to utilize Alter Fate…

Meanwhile, the circle under her feet burned out in a flash, and the ripples and mana effects ended abruptly. All was still.

Sammy blinked a few times in uncertainty, her ‘Fate finger’ on the trigger having never actually pulled. It was something like casting a line out to catch a fish and instantly getting a bite on the hook — adjustment wasn’t necessary.

“I scored the level 10 equivalency without it?!” She jumped up and pumped her fists. “Yes! Marjorie will be so proud!”

Her mood was somewhat spoiled when she looked down and saw that the platform had actually been scorched by the burning of the circle’s paint. “Hey! It’s supposed to be guaranteed not to do that! I swear, I’m going to get my money back…”

This inspiration did not last for more than the shake of a head, though, because the custom spell had one last leg to get through to finally complete the quest and get the actual functionality of the spell. She needed the spell to get to 50% completion, and there was no real easy way to do it. Just… study.

So, having plenty of energy and inspiration toward it, she dove immediately in, reviewing her prior notes and integrating rune-chains she had already been considering. Some jived with the newly put-together beginnings of the rune spell and some did not, but it was a rather quick acceleration of progress right off the bat.

For a custom spell, the symbology was complex and long, suitable only for slow ritual use. She understood that gradually she had to simplify and pare it down into the actual, functional forms one traced in the air and spoke as incantations — in tandem, usually.

Deep into the night, she poured into those intricate symbols, borrowing ideas from her other spells and experiences of spells (sometimes summoning a mirror recorder to look back), tracing them in the air as glowing magical script or testing word constructions. Multiple fused elements worked together into a mutant, sometimes forging something synergistic and sometimes not.

There was no hour without progress, and even some things that didn’t work she furiously scrawled down or recorded in some semblance of three dimensions, in case it was useful for something else in the future. Because, shit, some of them were good-looking runes!

At some point, she began staring off and spacing out more and more, unable to focus and only crawling forward. She realized her creativity was just drained, and she’d probably need to call it until she’d absorbed some fresh material, or at least stepped away for a while. But… her general sense of the spell was that it was perhaps a third of the way complete.

Hopefully some fresh perspective and one more chonky session should do it.

With good news and accomplishment to deliver, as well as the whole, ‘somewhat important’ teensy question about being reborn into the physical realm, Sammy pinged Marjorie, hoping she was available. She got a prompt ‘come on down’ response, so Sammy set about dematerializing and going to the Maze to meet her mom again…

And then she paused as she had a thought. She sent a query Marjorie’s way through the mental spaces and into the Maze as a resonant voice: “Momma, ah… would you like to meet Azure? Just making sure that’s alright.”

Marjorie more or less called out to the walls of the library, “Of course, dear! Bring her along, please!”

Azure was awake fairly recently, having slept through the majority of Sammy’s study time. She was ready and even excited to finally meet Marjorie, so they spawned into the Maze realm together. Unsurprisingly, Azure had no particular trouble getting there.

The library of the Maze habitat was well-lit and cozy. Marjorie was playing some sort of card game with the Naugite Blum and the former criminal ‘Tinny,’ while seated at a table and drinking wine. They all dropped their cards and stood as Sammy and Azure appeared, the two other additions respectfully, while Marjorie did so in order to hurry over and give her adopted daughter a cheerful hug.

“I’m so glad you’ve come again, dear,” Marjorie said a bit breathlessly as she both squeezed and was squeezed.

“Me too!” Sammy exclaimed just as breathlessly. After a long few moments, they broke from the hug. “I have various bits of good and interesting news, Momma.”

Marjorie smiled widely. “Always wonderful to hear introductions like that.” Her eyes swept over to Azure. “And this one here must be the most interesting and good news of all, hmm?”

Sammy laughed and nodded in agreement. “Definitely. Marjorie, meet Madame Azure, my past lives and current lover; Azure, meet my past lives mother and current adoptive mother, the Lady Marjorie of Kenstrom. Also Bast’s birth mother.”

Azure, who was clad in an unusually conservative, but beautiful dress of white and purple decorated with choice bits of jewelry, seemed somewhat awkward with the scenario. But she nodded and smiled. “It is truly a pleasure and honor, Lady Marjorie. I believe our souls have done this before, but it feels… rare.”

Marjorie took a breath as she nodded slowly while studying the Naugite. Detaching from Sammy, she walked over to take Azure’s hands, who seemed fairly stunned and enchanted with the gesture. Marjorie erupted with a warm grin. “Then we should take advantage of it to be as close as possible, you gorgeous princess. Look at you! Another storybook beauty to dote upon. If you would allow me to, that is.”

“I-... o-of course you may, my lady. Yes. I too would love to know you closely.”

Smiling again, Marjorie let go of Azure’s hands to give her a hug. “Just Marjorie, please. For now, at least. You two make a fine match, Azure.”

“Thank you, Marjorie. I’ll do my utmost best to ensure her complete happiness…”

They’re going to be close! Ahhh, I feel so gooey about it!

Smiling happily, Sammy did a mock run over to the awkwardly, patiently waiting Blum, to give the Naugite sailor a big hug, which she returned with embarrassed muttering and a smirk. Sammy gave a somewhat more polite hug to Tinny, who, despite being a hardened criminal not long ago, was ultimately a rather jovial fellow those days.

“Making out alright, Tinny?” Sammy asked him with a smile while patting the rather thick man on his shoulder.

He gave a humble dip of his bald head, awkwardly holding his hat in two hands and not meeting her eyes. “Aye, Your Majesty, thank you. Thank you for the second chance, i-it’s been more’n I could ever ask or deserve.”

Sammy gave him an encouraging smile. “You don’t have to thank me every time, but you’re welcome, Tinny.”

He’s still afraid of me. I guess that should be expected more when you’re a goddess with complete omnipotent power over someone in a world. Hell, it might make him the smarter sort. A few that might be here aren’t because the fear was too much for them entirely, regardless of my assurances.

Blum sighed suddenly. “He ain’t gonna ask, but he thinks he should ask even though he don’t need to, so I’ll ask for him: is it alright if he goes sailing with me on occasion, Goddess?”

Tinny quickly added, “A-and it’s fine if you say no! Really, Your Majesty, I-I’m fine here, too. It’s great! Better than me old life ever was!”

Despite that he was trying to assuage her, she knew that was fairly true. Tinny was considered ‘simple’ by the standards of most, and he’d had a difficult, abused, and abusive life where he’d learned to be mean to survive. It wasn’t something he relished and in fact deeply regretted, as he’d broken down into an inconsolable mess once it hit him where he was. He’d been authentically cooperative, repentant, and gentle since then.

Sammy gave the big man a thumbs up. “It’s perfectly alright with me, Tinny. Go sail and fish.”

Blum snorted. “You mean ‘learn to sail and fish,’ cause he don’t know shit, yet. This ox is smarter than he looks, though. Smart enough, whatever people thought about him. He can learn it.”

Tinny grinned at no one in particular. “Always wanted to catch me a big ‘ole fish on the sea…”