Lodestones

Robert returned to the forge after his escapade. He went directly to his room and sat at the table, he was about to do something that he really hadn't wanted to.

"App, can you help me?" Robert asked grudgingly.

[I believe that I'm just doing that passively, what do you want specifically?]

"I need to know how lodestones work." Robert replied.

[I can't help you.]

Robert was shocked, he had found something that App didn't know.

[Hold on a second! I still know more than you! Listen up. Everything is filled with mana, if it physically exists then it contains mana. That mana is constantly in motion, but not on a level that can be easily seen. The mana can only move in two directions, and if enough of the mana is moving in the same direction it causes a field of force to be projected from it. In some materials -those with 'free' mana- it causes the mana that isn't bound by anything to flow against the pull of the lodestone field and both objects are pulled together so that the amount of mana being used by each object is reduced. Basically, it's more efficient for the objects to pull against each other and try to cancel out than it is for them not to.]

"Ok, so how do I make one?" Robert asked.

[Hell if I know.]

Robert sighed, got out of his chair, and headed to the resource room with a grin on his face. "Time for some experimentation."

...

Robert was in a sealed room with warding runes. He had a piece of metal in one hand and a strange crystal in the other. The crystal was known as a mana crystal, they were called as such because they could be used to store mana by forming a loop that the mana would flow through. Robert placed the lump of metal on a nearby table and began to pour mana into the crystal. Once he had filled it, he placed it into his crystal hand and pulled on the tether. As he pulled, elementals flashed into view, trying to pull himself further forward, he felt a hard wall in his way. Robert braced his feet and began pulling abyssal elementals into his body. His body swelled until he was over seven foot tall and had a herculean figure. He tried pulling again and the tether became visible as a length of multicoloured chain, leading off into nothing. He pulled the chain towards him until the world turned black, and within the blackness the tether shone brightly.

Pulling himself upwards, Robert eventually reached the end of the tether, a small fang embedded in the air. Robert grabbed the fang... and his eyes opened. He could have sworn that his eyes were already open, but he had the feeling of waking up from a dream. Yet at the same time, he couldn't believe that what he was seeing was real.

The inky blackness continued forever. Off in the distance Robert could see some kind of stone structures. But he was more surprised by what was in front of him, a huge, scaleless serpent, towering above him, as he gripped the very end of its fang. Its eyes were as big as planets and its pupils as deep as a hole in space -if they were there at all. Robert was scared, more scared than he had ever felt. A tiny drip of its venom rolled down Robert's crystal arm as its pupils turned ever so slowly to look at him.

Robert let go. He didn't want to be seen by this thing, even death was preferable. Robert fell back into the void for a moment, and then he was back in the real world. He was still shaken from what had happened.

Robert decided to get to work on his previous task, so that he could use it to fend off a mental break down. He sat down at the table and picked up the mana crystal, practicing breathing techniques throughout.

Robert began to move the mana in the crystal around in a loop, he couldn't see the mana, but he could feel it. As the mana was set into a loop a weak field radiated out from it and Robert felt a second fluctuation of mana from the chunk of metal nearby. The metal was pulled towards the mana, Robert had succeeded -but he had bigger things on his mind.

...

Robert inlaid mana crystals into the shield like circuits and set them to loop. This solution was a lot less efficient and more costly than his original plans to make the metal itself magnetic -but he was done with experimenting for the moment.]

"App, wh-what the hell just happened?" Robert asked.

[You screwed up. What? Did you think that every time you did something risky it would end with you getting some new power? If you act like an idiot and pull on the chain that connects you to a creature so powerful that the only thing stopping it from ripping you apart is the walls holding the universe together, then of course things will end badly for you.]

Robert thought about what he should do next, he eventually decided to head out, he didn't know where yet.

...

Robert was walking around the city when he was jumped by a team of five guys. They all wore heavy armour and carried pikes. As Robert looked around he saw that he had absentmindedly walked into an alleyway.

"Who are you?" Robert asked, he was condensing fire elementals in his hand as he spoke.

"The boss wants you brought to him, he has some questions... and an offer." one of the men stepped forward and spoke to Robert, he seemed to be the face of the group -"Not the leader." Robert noted, looking at a man whose armour was slightly more extravagant than the others.

Robert shrugged, he didn't have anything urgent to do. "Alright, let's go." he said.

The group seemed surprised, and relieved. They led him to the Underguild that Robert had entered just a day ago by normal time standards. He went through the building with them, seeing many of his customers among the patrons.

He was led through a large metal door in the back, two guards were standing in front of it. As Robert entered he heard a vaguely familiar voice.

"Welcome Robert, you've made quite and entrance and surprised us all, myself included." the voice said.

"Who are you again?" Robert asked as a portly man with slicked back, black hair approached him.

The man sputtered loudly. "What do you mean!? It is I! Miles Gloriosus. I met you when you first arrived at the Craftsman's Guild?" the man was clearly unused to being unknown and became progressively less confident with each word.

Robert could only vaguely remember this guy. "You can't seriously expect me to remember you, I only met you once and that was months ago." Robert said.

The man sighed, he wasn't wearing his signature golden armour. "Fair enough, fair enough. Though as I said, I'm thoroughly impressed. You've only come in here once and you have already helped us in ways we never thought possible." Miles looked toward the door. "They can live normal lives now, y'know. Thanks to you. They don't have to be prosecuted for their birth anymore."

"I only did it to help myself, I didn't know what would happen." Robert replied, nip any ideas about him being some kind of philanthropist in the bud -he didn't want any cults or people looking up to him, too much pressure.

"Nevertheless, I have been talking to my superiors, they are as amazed at what you've done as I am. We both want to secure your help in the future, so we want to offer you a partnership. You help us with our mission and we will help you in return." Miles looked at Robert with a glimmer of awe, it seemed that Robert's attempts to push away any responsibility had failed.

"I have two questions. Firstly, what kind of jobs would you want me to perform and secondly, what do i get in return?" Robert inquired.

"The jobs will be rather spontaneous, you would probably spend a lot of time fighting against the church. You'll mainly be helping those called 'monsters' by the church. As for your second question, the Underguild will give you whatever you ask for -within our power, of course- as we don't know what you want or anything about your goals." Miles looked at Robert expectantly.

Robert considered Miles's offer, he didn't have many needs. Between the system, App and Anders's workshop, Robert had materials, power and information on this new universe. Though he did lack one thing; information on this specific world. In the end, Robert agreed to help the Underguild on the condition that they would give him access to all of their information.

...

Robert had told Stella that he would be gone for the next ten days. He set out into the living wastes with three things on his mind; rally the remaining forces, find a suitable base of operations and find or create a Warbeast.

Robert looked across the living wastes, the entire place was full of grass and moss, both of which seemed to grip at the legs of any passerby. Robert had brought a map with him and after a few hours of walking away from Desert Winds, he had taken off the set of armour App had created for him, it was far too heavy and conspicuous. When he returned to the town he would have to wear one of his bracelets.

Robert's first stop was a set of ancient ruins that had been acting up for the past few years, it was said that the great draconic empire had once buried their monarchs there. As Robert approached the ruins -after a days travel- he saw that ice spread from them and froze the nearby vegetation. Entering the ruins, Robert found something strange, sitting in front of the doorway leading to the crypt was a cyan dragon. The dragon was staring at the crypt door with its head drooping in shame.

Or at least it was until it noticed Robert. The dragon bristled and glared at him. "What are you doing here Lich? Our accord has yet to expire." it said.

"Calm down. I heard that there were dragons buried here and thought that their bodies might be useful to me. I'm not part of any country of liches and I don't know what the accord that you're referring to is." Robert replied calmly, holding his hands up in an attempt to pacify the dragon.

The dragon seemed even more enraged at this answer. "So you have come to defile the carcasses of my ancestors!? And you expect me to stand by!"

Robert winced at his previous remark. "I have no intent to pilfer your ancestors' graves, I only came here out of curiosity."

"Who are you and why should I not freeze you until your blood no longer flows, nor your limbs function." the dragon had begun to pace around him.

Robert had decided on an alias previously, as a precaution. "I'm Tome, I'm a villain on the hunt for knowledge. Who are you?"

The dragon's head snapped around and it drew closer, staring him in the eyes. "You are the villain? The one who has come to build his empire? To face the hero?" the dragon was watching his every move.

"I suppose so, you still haven't answered my question." Robert replied.

"You may call me Cicero. If you are truly the villain, then I must aid you in your journey or we are all doomed and if you are not..." the dragon looked as if it was practicing dislocating its jaw like a snake "Then I must come with you anyway, to ensure your validity."

Cicero told Robert that it couldn't allow him access to the crypt because it was forbidden for all but draconic royalty. Robert told Cicero about his goals and Cicero suggested that they go to an ancient tomb, about a day away when travelling by Cicero. They set off soon after and Robert wondered if he had already got himself in too deep.