"Skyl! Skyl, are you all right?"
The warlock opened his eyes to what felt like the beginning of some classic story. Dazzling sunlight filled his vision as he lay upon lush green grass. The tiefling girl was leaning over him, her expression both anxious and delighted, while Stan's grinning face hovered nearby. It truly felt as though an entire lifetime had passed.
"I feel like a hero who defeated the final boss and earned his peaceful, happy ending, only to wake up from a nap and discover he's been reborn as a teenager."
Skyl sat up after making the joke. His entire body ached, and he felt as deflated as a punctured ball, unable to muster any energy. These were the aftereffects of housing divine essence. A mortal body simply could not bear a divine soul.
As a native of this world, Doric had no idea what Skyl was talking about. Instead, she honestly explained what had just happened.
"The candlelight at the top of the Silver Tree suddenly turned gold, and then your eyes began shining as though they were on fire. You passed out not long afterward."
"I know." Skyl waved dismissively. "It was the first time a mortal body had housed divine essence. A few complications were perfectly normal."
"All right, but you looked terrifying. Your entire body was trembling. Are you sure you don't need someone to examine you?"
"An examination wouldn't accomplish anything. Human flesh is ultimately fragile, and I understand my condition perfectly well."
The bodies of gods whose power revolved around Law were merely empty shells designed to contain an [Elden Ring]. Skyl's body was already beginning to transform in that direction.
He could now sense a faint current of energy coiled around his heart. That was the divine essence nurtured by the Silver Tree, his own Elden Beast, although [High Tower King] might be a more fitting name for it.
As the Silver Tree continued to grow, the [High Tower King] would become increasingly powerful and gradually transform Skyl's body into a silver-cast vessel.
Stan clicked his tongue. "You're making ridiculously fast progress. You'll be a god any day now."
A thought suddenly occurred to Skyl. As an old friend of Ao, Stan had probably ascended to godhood in Realmspace long ago. He had most likely created a mortal avatar specifically to accompany a beginner like Skyl.
"By the way, where's your main body?"
Stan waggled his eyebrows. "Take a guess."
"How am I supposed to guess? You'll have to give me a hint."
"I'm a bard."
Skyl considered it. He remembered two gods associated with bards. Milil, the Lord of Song, was a lesser deity and the patron of singers and bards. Milil's superior was Oghma, a greater deity, the god of knowledge, and another patron of bards.
"Are you Milil or Oghma?"
Stan smiled. "What do you think?"
"All right, so you really are Oghma." Skyl laughed. "I'd actually been wondering whether I might eventually end up as Oghma's enemy."
"Don't ever say I'm not a loyal friend. I gave you a hand back at Candlekeep."
"Fine, I owe you one. What do you want for dinner?"
"Cajun fries."
"Look at you, aiming so low. Why not ask for chitlins?"
"I'm afraid you'd deliberately leave some of the original flavor in them."
Their conversation veered in so many strange directions that Doric was completely lost. All she knew was that these two men were incredibly mysterious and possibly insane.
Learning that Stan's true identity was so formidable improved Skyl's mood even further. He stretched and prepared to begin constructing the flying enclave.
After meeting his true self, a door-shaped sigil had appeared on the back of the warlock's hand. It could be used to open the Tower of Tomes, sparing him the trouble of constructing an enormous teleportation circle. Saving enough money for one would probably have wasted several years.
He immediately opened a portal on the ground, connecting the Material Plane to the Tower of Tomes in a distant realm. His true self employed a minor trick, shrinking the Eye of Magnus before tossing it through the doorway.
"Got it."
Skyl lifted the Eye of Magnus, now reduced to the diameter of a large serving bowl, and placed it at the top of the Silver Tree. It automatically entered a state of resonance with the divine tree and began orbiting the main branch like a satellite.
The magical energy drawn up by the Silver Tree's roots surged into the Eye of Magnus like a raging flood. If the amount of power it absorbed every second were unleashed through evocation magic, it could wipe a prosperous city such as Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep from the face of the world.
Yet for a relic left behind by a creator god, that amount of energy was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
Doric could vaguely sense the fear being transmitted by the nature spirits. They had all realized what kind of divine artifact the Eye of Magnus truly was.
"Skyl, you have so many artifacts. Are you secretly Mystra's illegitimate son?"
"Mystra has seven daughters, but no sons, so don't make jokes like that." Skyl shrugged. "I'm a warlock. My patron gave me all these things."
"Your patron treats you so well." Doric could not hide her envy.
Stan rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Next, I'm going to the ocean floor to sever this island from its foundations. Do you two want to remain here or come underwater with me?"
"Of course I'm coming." Doric excitedly clenched her fist and waved it.
The tiefling who had once kept everyone at arm's length had gradually become surprisingly attached to them, rather like a stray cat that had finally grown accustomed to its new family.
For a druid, traveling with Skyl and Stan offered countless opportunities to witness miracles and magnificent sights. It was an exceptional form of training that would greatly benefit Doric's future development. Merely observing the growth of the Silver Tree would be enough to set her upon the path to becoming a legendary druid.
The undead Mia clung to the Silver Tree and refused to let go. Skyl paid her no attention. Once the Silver Tree's roots had grown for several more days and replaced the ninth layer of the Weave, he would become the administrator of that new Weave. He would then be able to cast [Greater Restoration] freely without consuming any material components.
The three of them cast [Feather Fall] and jumped into the ocean from the island's northern shore. They then used their respective methods to descend.
Stan used [Water Breathing] and [Freedom of Movement], allowing him to move freely beneath the waves. Skyl created a sphere of force that pushed the seawater away from him. Doric grew webbing and gills, while her lower body transformed into a fish's tail. As a tiefling, she looked like the goth cousin of a traditional mermaid. Still, compared with that mermaid who looked like a catfish brought to life, she was considerably easier on the eyes.
The isolated island had been formed through geological activity beneath the ocean. The uplifted seabed and repeated volcanic eruptions had jointly created its structure. Beneath the surface, the entire island chain was actually a towering mountain range.
Severing such a mountain from the seabed required magic beyond the 9th level. Ever since Mystryl's death, mortals had been forbidden from casting spells above the 9th level. Fortunately, Skyl had already housed divine essence. Near the Silver Tree, he effectively possessed quasi-divine power and could reach into the deeper layers of the Weave.
He therefore created an unimaginably enormous [Eldritch Blade] and drove it directly into the island's foundation.
The magical shock wave produced a modest tsunami throughout the Cimarine Isles, while clear tremors could be felt along the Sword Coast.
The colossal [Eldritch Blade] plunged diagonally into the island's foundation, circled it once, and severed its connection to the seabed.
The waves swayed around them, and the isolated island shifted by several millimeters.
"That should do it. Let's return to the surface."
Skyl transmitted the message to his two companions, and the three of them returned to the island. All that remained was to raise it into the sky.
With the Eye of Magnus serving as their source of magical power, that would be an easy task.
However, when they returned to the Silver Tree, they discovered that a group of native kuo-toa had climbed the mountain. Armed with spears and pitchforks, the fishfolk had come under the leadership of a shaman to demand an explanation, shrieking and jabbering all the while.
"What are they saying?" Stan asked Skyl.
"I don't understand Kuo-Toan."
Doric listened with a frown for a moment before answering, "They say this is their territory, and they want to drive us away."
Before she had even finished speaking, the three of them began laughing.
"Interesting."
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