Making Magic

**The plan we'd come up with didn’t really deserve to be called that.**

## Synopsis

Juniper and Amaryllis make their final stop before entering Silmar City. The city is visible on the horizon—skyscrapers clad in gray material rather than glass, contrary to Juniper's expectations.

Amaryllis gives some background on the research base within the city. The base was established by Anglecynn to study the the necrotic field effect, and was equipped with one of the priceless teleportation keys. Amaryllis belonged to the council that had established the base, and the political situation was such that obtaining the funds to hire a fireteam to retrieve the key when the base was lost would have attracted too much unwanted attention.

Juniper requests that Amaryllis teaches him some magic. She's initially reluctant, knowing that the Fuchsia Coterie can't be too far behind, but changes her mind when Juniper stresses that his power might also apply to magic. She suggests blood magic and—after some discussion—lights two of her fingers on fire, prompting Juniper to try it himself.

Juniper manages to ignite his fingers on his first attempt, unlocking the ***Blood Magic*** skill, the ***Thicker than Water*** achievement, and discovering the spell ***"Aarde’s Touch"***. In the lower right of his field of view, a small bar representing the amount of blood in his body appears. Amaryllis informs Juniper that Aarde is a god and that Aarde's Touch took her months to learn at the Athenaeum of Quills and Blood. Juniper spreads the flame until it consumes his whole hand like a torch—bringing ***Blood Magic*** to level 1. Through further conversation and by browsing the game layer, Juniper learns that Aarde's Touch produces a flame that does not consume oxygen—and that he can keep the flame going indefinitely, as it consumes zero drops of blood.

Amaryllis teaches him a more advanced blood magic spell called ***"Crimson Fist"***, bringing ***Blood Magic*** to level 2. This spell allows him to punch very quickly and powerfully, although his hand is not protected in any way. The spell also consumes three drops of blood per use, and from the game layer, Juniper sees that his blood capacity is ***75K*** drops of blood.

The pair resume moving towards Silmar City. When they arrive, they notice that the main gate in the city's twenty-foot tall stone wall is closed, making it difficult to enter—and meaning that the scores of undead still inside haven't had a chance to leave. Amaryllis offers Juniper one last chance to take the soulcycle and go, but Juniper stays—eliciting an increase in Amaryllis's ***Loyalty*** to level 3.

The gates are so thick that Amaryllis is not keen to chip away at them with void weapons, and Juniper suggests they go around—causing the quest ***Out of the Frying Pan*** to progress and hint at the existence of a secret entrance. Juniper then asks Amaryllis about the possibility of secret entrances, and when Amaryllis does not mention any that she knows about, the conversation shifts to the logistics of moving food, water, goods, and people in and out of a city in a world that has bulk teleportation available for non-living things. Amaryllis mentions that water is so heavy that it is taken from nearby rivers instead of being teleported, and that the river Sarkan flows right past the walls of the city. Juniper and Amaryllis make their way to the outflow pipes of the sewers of Silmar City, triggering another progress update to the quest ***Out of the Frying Pan***.

## Featured characters

* Juniper Smith
* Amaryllis
* Reimer *(mentioned only)*
* Poul *(mentioned only)*
* Aarde *(mentioned only)*

## Quotes

“Blah, blah, blah, politics.”

—Something **Reimer** would say.

“The depth of the dream-skewer astounds me sometimes. No, blood magic taps into the raw, vital essence of the body, tapping it and shaping it for other purpose. The most skilled blood magi can extend their power beyond the body itself, extending their essence into the shape of a tool or weapon.”

—**Amaryllis** corrects Juniper's ideas about the nature of blood magic.

“I’m more convinced than ever that it’s imperative we get you out of here, somewhere you can be safely … diagnosed.”

—Gears turn in **Amaryllis'**s head.

“I can give you the soulcycle and you can leave. We’re further from the Host’s outposts now, by a few days at least, but I won’t obligate you to risk your life to save mine.”
“I have your back.”

—**Amaryllis'**s loyalty to **Juniper** increases.

“Going through the piping though … I suppose won’t be that dangerous, since the undead wouldn’t move into a restricted space unless they had reason to.”

—**Amaryllis** tempts fate.
## Notes

### Real-world references

* Juniper had once run a one-shot game of *Vampire: The Masquerade*.
* Juniper expected Silmar City to look like Wichita or Omaha.
* As Juniper observes, sewers are stereotypical locations in videogames.