Overpowered Wizard-Chapter B4 Ch40: Thirty Years

“I still can’t understand it,” Foodie said. “My old mother had lots of power. She could enslave the wills of others. She could make deals with Evil Gods and Devil Lords. But she couldn’t do something like this.”

They were jogging through the loam-floored temperate forest. Misty branches unloaded their aura-rich rain in cool splatters. Creeks and babbling brooks curved around them as they launched off a green-backed mound, hopped across some low hanging, moss-covered branches, and broke out of the forest line and entered a field of tall, wet grass.

The area felt more like a fusion of a North American forest and a Brazilian rain forest. It was a cozy, wet, and green vibe that made it more fun to run through instead of flying. And there was a lot of space. Large enough to match the Walled Continent. And chock-full of life that made sense, including even the bacteria.

All of this life was made from one of Zarian’s arms.

He remembered being part of the process. But cultivating magic like that sometimes required an alternate state of mind. He glanced down at Ruvaria as she ran through the wet and tall grass like a wild elf woman, her eyes wide with glee. She noticed him watching, and her cheeks reddened.

“I’m older than most gods,” Ruvaria said quietly.

“You should’ve been ruling Infinita as the Adventurer Queen,” Foodie said quietly.

“I know.”

They fell into an awkward lull. Zarian filled it with a reiteration of what he’d gone through the past couple of months. He went over the build up to the tournament, seeing Carrowmore for the first time, the first couple of fights, and how Ariana had set the stage for the others to hunt him.

“Honestly, most of those losses were my fault. Except for Bukka the Chopper.”

“Hm, it’s good to see Bukka is still around,” Ruvaria chimed as she darted her hands up and caught a slimy frog between her slender fingers.

Almost like a child, she showed off her catch as they kept running around and exploring the pocket world on foot. By that point, Zarian had traded out his shoes for bare feet. They were really getting native with their own pocket world, Foodie especially, and Zarian wasn’t one to miss out on an authentic experience.

“I would think Bukka would be on your shit list.” Smiling, Zarian reached over and patted Ruvaria on the head. When he looked to the other side, he narrowed his eyes as Foodie held a dozen frogs in her bigger hands. She smiled smugly as Zarian reached up to pat her head.

Oh boy. This was going to be a thing, wasn’t it?

“Bukka is an honorable warrior. He had the opportunity to kill me when I was going down the wrong path. That would be his last chance, of course. I’ve grown immensely since then. But I don’t seek vengeance against him. He taught me a valuable lesson, and he was one of the few who helped me question the old alignments.”

“I think he gave me a good lesson, too. Great guy, really.” Zarian still wanted revenge for the loss Bukka had given him, and he was certain he would get that after he was done here. He carried on with his explanation of events and watched how Foodie grew more pale as Zarian described Para’s descent into madness.

“She was going to kill Bianca!” Foodie shouted.

“Para’s going through her rebellious phases.”

“She’s threatening to eat you, Father! What makes her think you are hers to have? I’m a legitimate daughter, too! I need you, too!” Foodie’s face darkened with rage.

Ruvaria touched Zarian’s shoulder, signaling she was going to say something sharp. “Child, I’m sorry to say this, but it seems Para doesn’t care about your share of Zarian’s existence. I imagine Para considers you … irrelevant.”

“Is that because she thinks I’m weak?” Foodie asked with a growl.

“Yes,” Zarian said.

Foodie stopped talking. Her brooding was like storm clouds on the horizon, but Zarian and Ruvaria didn’t mind. They let her be while the two lovers ran quickly around their wet forest mini world. They climbed rolling hills and green mountains. They swam across lakes and followed the flow of rapid rivers that led them down tall waterfalls. They found the many lives Ruvaria had made using Zarian’s flesh.

“Life isn’t so hard to create once you understand the science. Some spells can help you with that, but without the right speciality, only sorcery can get the job done,” Ruvaria explained while lying next to Zarian on a boulder that overlooked a roaring river.

Massive trees leaned over them, their misty branches a home to colorful birds and fruit-eating monkeys. A barrier maintained their dignity while catching the rain like water on a sloped and frictionless glass, a small detail that added to the cozy and primeval atmosphere.

Ruvaria spoke dreamily while playing with Zarian’s hair. “Then once you have it properly done, the System will supply the gift of life. Doing so yourself would require soul magic, and that’s an area of study I erased from my mind. I don’t trust myself enough with that power yet.”

Zarian nodded as he rubbed his one hand along Ruvaria’s side, going from the top of her hips and down to the meat of her thigh. As Ruvaria lectured while trading touches with him, Foodie remained off to the side, knees hugged to her chest, still brooding.

Ugh. I can’t just let her suffer as a third wheel. My bleeding heart won’t allow it, Zarian realized.

“Hey, kid,” he called. “We’re going to be working hard for a while. You, uh, want me to yank Wallen down here? We’ll have our own separate places soon anyway.”

“No.” Foodie let out a big huff. “I think by the time I’m done here, I’ll break things off with Wallen.”

“You sure?”

“I’m older now. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking. I’m not the same Foodie from years ago. And I’m not going to be the same Foodie after thirty years.” She sounded certain of that. This was a decision she’d made already. “It’s not Wallen’s fault. It’s a part of my journey and my devotion to myself. To be worthy.”

“Once you have that worthy thing, you’ll chill out again?” Zarian asked carefully.

“Maybe. Or I’ll pursue something even more worthy.”

“Okay. I support you. I just don’t want you to be miserable.”

Foodie flashed him a smile that reminded him of the younger version of her. “That’s why it’ll be okay. I’ll get thirty years to have a father in my life. And … perhaps I can find myself liking Ruvaria further.”

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The elf woman shivered, but not in a bad way. It was more out of excitement. She really wanted to impress Foodie, didn’t she?

Zarian didn’t want to hope for anything. The ideal relationship for Foodie and Ruvaria was loaded with pitfalls. But … if they could somehow manage it … it would make this place a true haven.

“Would you like to learn sorcery and wizardry, Foodie?” Ruvaria offered.

The goblin woman gasped. “You can teach me?!”

“You could teach wizardry?” Zarian questioned, surprised.

“Yes. We have the time for it. It’ll be a good lesson for you and a refresher for me. How do you think wizardry can be taught to someone who isn’t a wizard?”

Foodie was on her feet, fidgeting around now. Zarian thought about it quickly and had an answer formed fast. “You start with basic magic, right? Like she needs to get good at runes and sorcery. Making arrays and such. But that’ll lead to earning sorcery powers, not wizard powers.”

Chuckling, Ruvaria stood and helped Zarian to his feet. She reached out with her other hand, and Foodie skipped over to grab it. With both Darkruns in her grasp, Ruvaria looked up at them with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

“My dear students, what we will embark on is a course that is normally reserved for the gods. But as you can see, we have a god of gods here. You also have me, a sleeping goddess who is in hiding. And you, Foodie, a woman of tragedy and destiny, bound to overcome the greatest hurdles. So, what we will go over cannot be barred from you. It is your right to learn.”

“And what is this right?” Zarian asked carefully while Foodie jiggered about like an overly large goblin girl, which she was.

“Creating our own powers, of course. From practice and study and system manipulation. Yes, we’ll get better at combining skills. We shall learn to manipulate our traits and combine those as well, an art that requires time and care. But when it comes to creating new skills from sheer imagination and practice, if we want them tailored to our specifics, we best learn to manipulate the cosmic language ourselves.”

“Impossible,” Foodie said.

Zarian chuckled. “Not really. It just takes a long time. And I bet creating skills from scratch would take more than weeks. More than months.”

“Indeed, it’ll take time and effort. And to improve upon them without outright violence? That will require cultivation of fate and the simulation of conflict. We can also help push each other. And Zarian can provide us with plentiful enemies from the abyss, though we’ll have to be careful that they don’t destroy our home away from home here.”

Foodie grasped Ruvaria’s hand with both of her own and kneeled in front of the slender elf. “Let’s do it! Teach me sorcery. Help me make my own grimoire! Help me improve my profile and grow! And I swear in my heart of hearts that I will know you as my true mother!”

Zarian felt a little queasy hearing that. But Foodie was a simple goblin deep down. She could be extra greedy, and gaining more was sometimes more important than strict loyalty. Foodie must’ve realized the boundary crossed and had the good grace to look embarrassed, ears lowered.

“I understand that humans and such aren’t so easily moved, so forgive me if I sound callous,” she muttered.

“How about you start by calling me teacher and we see what happens from there?” Ruvaria offered gently.

“Yes!”

Soon they worked out a preliminary schedule while under another pleasant drizzle of rainfall. They ran around some more to see as much as they could. Then, they mundanely hunted an animal and cooked it over a magical fire to eat. It didn’t taste as great since all the animals were very low in level, but they were edible, and having seen Ruvaria wield a sharp stick and play primal huntress was doing things for Zarian.

After that, Ruvaria created shelters for them with expert control of her magic.

On the loamy and soft forest floor and below the surface were white stones taken from the dungeon outside. Ruvaria took her time architecting two palaces made of white stone and living trees that presented a green and verdant finishing. She even did the detailed work of carving illustrations into the sides that featured some of their friends and the prominent members of their empire. Zarian watched while following how she used her magic. Foodie stood next to him, eyes wide, mouth open, gasping.

Then she scrunched up her face, her mood darkening.

“What’s up, kid?” he asked.

“Is Para very strong?”

“I’m afraid that if she’s serious and goes all out, she has a chance to beat me as I am now,” Zarian said openly.

Foodie paled, her body shuddering with horror.

Zarian carried on. “She’s not yet committed to the darker path. But she might go all the way after losing to Bianca. So yes, she’s far stronger than you. As of now.”

Foodie clenched her fists. Her yellow eyes sparked with frustration, anger, and simple emotions that most goblins would feel, envy being a big one. But she was more than most goblins. She was smart and talented. And she could think further ahead. Zarian saw the determination burning in her eyes.

He smiled.

After Ruvaria finished, they toured the structures, starting with Foodie’s home. It was more squat while the white stone was set within the trunk of a thick tree. The truth was that most of the architecture was underground, where multiple empty chambers included roots and mushrooms as decor. There was piping for water and multiple enchantments that covered the amenities. Ruvaria even provided furniture made from the forest. It was a perfect place for a young goblin woman.

Zarian and Ruvaria’s place was tall, the top piercing the misty rain clouds. They had a waterfall and miniature trees in the middle of theirs. She had taken her time making their furniture large and highly cushioned, with different designs on every floor. It wouldn’t take long for them to see how each forest sofa would feel as they explored up and down the structure. And nothing was truly set in stone. Ruvaria figured she would change around designs for both homes on a whim unless Zarian and Foodie learned how to do it themselves.

Both Darkruns made a quiet agreement to get home renovation magic under their belts.

“When it’s night, our personal star will dim as you can see now. When it’s day, it will shine brighter. We will follow the day cycles based on that. For the next week, I want us all to relax and be at ease. Do not ignore this mercy, students,” Ruvaria warned.

“Go be a happy goblin for a week, Foodie,” Zarian translated.

Foodie ran off and did goblin things in the forest, which included lots of blood and mud. Maybe it was a good thing Wallen wasn’t here, or any other human, or Foodie would’ve stifled her natural goblin tendencies.

By the time the week was over, Zarian was the most relaxed he felt in a while. He found Foodie laughing and frolicking about while holding a terrorized panther. She let the poor guy go after giving him a little bite on his back and laughing meanly over the domination of a weaker predator. Once she regained her composure, she stood with head held high, back straight, serious. Zarian waited next to her while outside his home.

Teacher Ruvaria walked down the steps with an expectant gaze on her face. “Let us begin. First, Foodie, we must work on your aura manipulation. Second, Zarian will work on using system runes to stop my aura from knocking him around. I’ll train you both at once, fireballs for you, Foodie, and pure aura, for Zarian. Let us begin.”

The first weeks were the hardest. Ruvaria required them to overcome obstacles closer to impossible than possible. And just when the Darkruns had gotten familiar with one set of lessons, Ruvaria shifted things around radically, introducing new lessons for them to learn while needling them with the old when they least expected it.

But progress was being made. Foodie gained a trait for manipulating aura. And one of Zarian’s traits upgraded to Celestial Quality, giving him more awareness of grander runes.

“Hm, good, maybe by the time thirty years is up, you’ll get a few above celestial,” Ruvaria said.

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Zarian said, stroking his chin. The wizard and his lover were floating cross-legged while encircled by a fiery golden-white ring of complex magic and systemized divinity. The air wavered around them, and the occasional system notification appeared, revealing a rapidly flowing matrix of deeper runes before disappearing. Underneath the god-like duo, Foodie sweated as she moved aura in a way she wasn’t used to. She struggled while the occasional fireball got tossed down at her head for her to block with aura. That was most of their days, but some days Zarian would insist on extra credit.

They sparred.

For Foodie, it was better to go against Zarian.

It was a nightmare against Ruvaria. While Zarian was more likely to disadvantage himself for a more even outcome, Ruvaria remained tyrannical and unfair, crushing Foodie with extreme relentlessness. Zarian had to intervene a couple of times. There was no bad blood, thankfully. And Foodie was improving rapidly even when they hadn’t cleaned up her profile yet. But that would come with time.

Foodie’s magical journey was limited because of her build as a wondrous Abomination Cook. She had less Mysticism compared to the true magical geniuses, so her use of magic had to be shorter and punchier. But with enough patience and practice, she could certainly learn, and both Zarian and Ruvaria enjoyed watching her grow while taking advantage of her cooking and using the time to curate their own magic.

The next thirty years proved to be some of the best years for all three of them, Zarian especially. He was finally mellowing out. And by the time he hit his fifties, he felt a little wiser for once.