"{Cantrip: Metronome} Start count on my mark. And... MARK! {Locate: Wyrm Root}."

 

 

 

 

 

 

As they journeyed between towns, Andrew utilized the spell Locate Object to pinpoint useful herbs. He had consulted a herb handbook purchased from the guild and had a good idea what was worth his time.

 

"There we go! And {Fleet Feet}!" Andrew exclaimed, accelerating to twice his normal speed as he honed in on his target. Drawing two small silver daggers from their belt holsters, he cried out, "{Sealstone's Slaughterhouse}!" The daggers soared from his hands, deftly butchering the small group of plants and neatly arranging the useful parts in piles. The discarded detritus was cast aside.

 

Andrew finished running over, touching the pile with his boot, "And {Cantrip: pocket}!" The pile vanished from the ground to appear in his backpack of storage, "TIME!"

 

"Twenty-four seconds." Miriam blinked as she marveled at the creative use of the cantrip spell to make a simple swaying stick that kept a regular beat, "Why are you having me time you again?"

 

Andrew continued his leisurely walk, veering back towards the main road as he went  "Because there is nothing you cannot do faster, better, or more efficiently. But first, you need to know how long something takes to be able to improve. Besides, haven't you noticed the pattern yet?"

 

Miriam remained silent as Andrew returned to the road. Just as he stepped back onto the well-trodden path, she spoke up, "Wait..." Leaning forward from her perch on top of his hat to peer down at his face, she tentatively asked, "Why is everything taking a multiple of six seconds?"

 

Andrew rolled his eyes to look up at Miriam. "Finally sunk in, huh?" He quipped. Refocusing on the road ahead, he continued, "The default of the system is that you normally can only do ten spells in a minute. It took four separate unstackable actions to get those herbs since I can only cast one spell an action... typically."

 

Miriam made a face as she hopped down to sit on his shoulder, "That doesn't... It shouldn't..." She scratched her head, "But I can do things that only take a second... right?"

 

Andrew nodded, "Inside an action, you can take less than six seconds, but when doing spells, that's a hard rule. One spell is an action, ten actions a minute, six seconds a spell. I cast four spells in twenty-four seconds. I'm testing the system, to see if there is some way around this. I tried a held action with the Locate spell, but that didn't get around the limit. I mean, there are ways to hold spells, trigger spells, chain spells, blah blah blah... for example, you can cast free action spells that take no time at all, but that's an exception to the rule, and free action spells still are limited by how many. It might take no time, but you still have to wait six seconds before casting another, so-called free spell. It might be more accurate to call it an uninterruptible spell."

 

Miriam scratched the side of her head, "I'm... both impressed and terrified by this."

 

Andrew looked at Miriam sideways, "Why does this scare you? This is just basic min-maxing. It ain't nothing special."

 

Miriam hugged herself as if she was cold. "Back in Hell, everyone worked for someone. Being a Mirror Imp, you are higher up on the minion ladder than most, but you still worked for someone. Among mirror imps, everyone knows that as soon as you get a new master, they are going to try to find some way to abuse your duplicating ability. Until I met you, I was too low-powered to be of any real use, but some of the higher hit dice imps..." She shuddered, "Sweatshop doesn't even come close to describing what they went through."

 

"Well, everyone works for someone, except for the guy at the top, right?"

 

Miriam shook her head, "Actually, rumor has it the top guy works for someone as well. Not a god, nor a man. Someone outside of Hell. It is said he rules all the planes save the abyss." She snorted, "You know, its funny. Hell has its problems with the various heavens, but even devils and angels will put their differences aside when it comes to demons."

 

"Really? So-" Andrew paused, "Hold up. Back up a second." He squinted at her, "How do you know what a sweatshop is?"

 

She looked back, "I share your skills, remember? Including Knowledge: your home world."

 

Andrew nodded, "Ah." They walked along in silence for a while before Andrew continued the conversation, "So, I remind you of those devils trying to game the system, huh?"

 

Miriam shook her head in disbelief, stating, "Oh no. Absolutely not. Not even close. Those Devils were novices compared to you. They didn't come close to the extent of your attempts to abuse the system. While I can't delve into your thoughts, I do have access to your knowledge. Yet, you keep surprising me. While I may comprehend what you know about the system, I lack the sheer inventiveness that you bring to that knowledge. Your mind is remarkably elusive... slippery might be a better word. You are consistently catching me off guard, which shouldn't be the case."

 

Miriam looked away, "Just like the Dukes."

 

Andrew clicked his tongue, "If I remember correctly, you are talking about the rulers of Hell, yes?"

 

Miriam nodded.

 

Andrew remained silent as they strolled together. Upon reaching the next elevation of the hill, he paused. Turning to sit beneath a tree, he utilized the vantage point to stay vigilant for potential approaching individuals as he expressed his thoughts, "I'd appreciate it if you would complain more."

 

Miriam looked up, "Huh?"

 

Andrew took a deep breath, "Just being creative doesn't make someone evil, but it does make them dangerous. I can see why you are worried about me. The only people who were like me that you knew about were the ones who ruled Hell. My knee-jerk response is to tell you, you're wrong about me. I'd never be like them, but..."

 

Gazing back along the path they had traversed and then ahead to the unfolding trail, he reflected, "I realize I might be losing sight of the bigger picture. I've already committed a regrettable act towards you without fully considering the cost. If you think I'm going off the reservation, I'd like you to point it out." Turning his attention to his smaller companion, he assured her, "I genuinely have no intention of causing you harm. I promise I don't want to hurt you. If I inadvertently do so, don't hesitate to tell me." Accompanied by a half-smile, he added, "For what it's worth, I find you to be an absolute treasure, so I'd like you to be happy."

 

She humphed as she crossed her arms, "The first thing you asked when I made a mirror copy of myself was if my copy could make more copies."

 

"I didn't WANT to make an army of you! I just wanted to know if it was an option!" Andrew turned away with a frown.

 

Miriam nodded, "Of course you did, but it worries me that it was the first place your mind went. Copies are always weaker than the original, so that could never be an option. Or rather, if I could somehow make a copy that could,  the copy would be me and I'd lose the power. Something has to give. When it comes to magic, there is always a price."

 

Andrew looked unhappy and stood up, "Look. I get your concerns, but let's be honest here, I've got my limits. There are lines I will not cross. I'm a power gamer, but that doesn't mean I'm just about the power."

 

Miriam rolled her eyes, "Could have fooled me."

 

"HEY!" He pointed a finger at her, "I didn't use anything from THAT BOOK, now did I?" He started walking away, "I mean, if you actually shake my game knowledge, then you know how bad THAT BOOK is." He made a dismissive hand-gesture, "If I REALLY was just in this for the power, I'd have gone full on Pun-Pun the moment I got here. At the very least  would have used THAT BOOK and... I dunno... turned myself into a quasar dragon or some shit."

 

Miriam blinked, "That book?" She tried to think of what Andrew was talking about, but nothing came up. It sounded like something she should know, but she couldn’t access the information. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to use Andrew's knowledges to figure out what he was talking about.

 

Nothing.

 

"That book? Hold on, Andrew." She fluttered around to cut off his path and hovered in front of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What book exactly are you talking about?"