Chapter 157: Visual Effects

Chapter 157: Visual Effects

The Ogre was so heavy that it took the help of the Paladin squad to move him into the ritual circle.

The smell of the decaying Ogre was worse than Sofia could have ever imagined. But the ritual worked as advertised. After ten minutes, it left behind a clean, if putrid, skeleton with loose skin around it and in a pile of dirt.

Sofia had to plug her nose and hold her breath just to avoid fainting. She got the Paladins to bring the bones out and washed them with copious amounts of summoned blood.

Now its all you, no? I can try to improve your ritual, but Ill need you to draw it on paper first. You said you already modified it, no? Zerei asked. Her actual field of expertise was enchanted items, but she was still confident enough to tinker with a necromancy ritual.

It would be nice if you can improve it, especially if I can change the conditions for it to work, like being able to merge bones from different races. Should I draw the basic ritual or the one I revamped?

Its better if you can draw both. I can maybe start from where you left off, but it would make things easier to see the base as well, yes.

Alright, give me a minute

Sofia dumped some bones from her storage and shaped them to form a table and two chairs. Ill be able to empty my ring of all the useless furniture, no need to bother when I can make it myself. I should keep the bedding, though. Sitting at her table, she carved the ritual circles directly in it with her fingertips. I love this.

Sofia started with the unchanged ritual from the grimoire, Zerei commented as she saw it take shape.

Many complementary modules, yes Interesting. Recursive puppeteering modules I can already see some things you can get rid of. Pareth is always the same soul, yes? No need to keep the soulcrafting array then; that will make the whole thing much simpler, yes.

Sofia gave a piece of charcoal to Zerei so that she could draw over the white table. She immediately started crossing out whole modules and connections between them, and Sofia hadnt even started drawing the main module at the center.

Do you need to give orders like with a golem? It doesnt look like it, no?

No need; Pareth can fight even if I give no order.

Oh, good. Yes, very good, we can get rid of all this whole part then, Zerei enthusiastically said as she crossed out a good quarter of the modules Sofia had drawn up until then. She explained, These parts were essentially golem-making puppeteering modules, no need for them, yes. It was exciting new ideas but also, in your case, very useless, yes.

So shes discovering new things right now? Well, this was written by Scripture. I suppose he could have come up with a thing or two. A piece of shit god is still a god, uh.

Sofia refocused on finishing the small modules, but Zerei had stopped paying attention; instead, she approached Pareth. Can I have a bone, yes? Pareth didnt answer. Sofia, can I have Pareths bones?

Sure, but why?

Ill show you something interesting, yes!

Go ahead

I see. Well, continue. I will explain when youre done, yes.

Zerei paid renewed attention to every line Sofia carved now, frowning more and more often until. When Sofia traced the last few lines, Zerei reeled back in shock, a hand on her forehead, and started laughing.

Is there something funny? What is going on?

Ahahah! Let me explain! Ive never seen this. This is a masterpiece!

Zerei colored a series of lines inside the busy central module. Amidst the mess of runes and lines, the grooves colored in black formed the image of a closed book and a lit candle. Ive never seen this! How!

This, Zerei exclaimed pompously, Is Knowledges rune! She said before breaking into laughter again.

Is Knowledge, the God, doing all the hard labor of the ritual?! Yet again, Scripture taking shit that isnt his? I cannot say I am surprised. But Knowledge, out of all Gods? Not Death or Life; Knowledge?

Pretty much, yes. If you wanted the main module to do it, it would have had to be fifty times finer and more detailed. This is nowhere near the level of complexity such an advanced array of magic requires, no!

So, can I erase everything else? Does that mean the ritual cant be improved substantially because the main module is inaccessible?

Well, yes to both questions, but you might be interested in knowing what the rest of the runes in there do. Yes?

They actually do something?

Yes! Theatrics! Sound, light, choreography! They make the ritual look pretty!

So its a waste of mana?

Yes! But a pretty waste of mana! She insisted on the word pretty.

...

I dont feel like drawing my own version anymore

Ill show you what I changed on the side You tell me what you think

Zerei nodded along as Sofia explained her changes, and she devised a complete plan to enhance Pareths ritual.

So, you can remove the theatrics from the main module. Its all about Knowledges rune anyway. But you cannot add anything there relevant to the ritual's real long-term effect. That has to all fit in the simple outer modules. Do you follow so far, yes?

I get it, so we remove the useless stuff and change the outer modules. How much can we fit in there?