Rosalind is using powerful magic, in some ways the strongest magic I know of, right in front of me. I scribble notes down as she works and I feel the magic she is using tint the air around the two of us.
Rosalind's mastery of spellcraft is immense, and she is using that to help reduce the strain of summoning a genie. We've discussed this before, and she's told me stuff that I actually didn't know, such as that the act of summoning a genie is immensely magically taxing and different sha'irs have developed different ways of doing it. Hers combines spellcraft with ritual casting, using spellcraft's speed and the relatively low-cost of ritual casting, which is a philosophy she uses to summon other things as well like demons.
The air begins to smell different, smelling of jasmine and other plants like it. I can sense Rosalind's magic nearing completion and my pace of note-taking drastically accelerates. A crack forms in the empty air in front of Rosalind in the circle and I watch a strikingly beautiful woman step through the crack before it mends itself.
The genie Rosalind has summoned is a beautiful woman with a light complexion, one that is possible for humans to have. She has brown hair that is styled in twin tails and wears a dancer's outfit. I don't recognize her immediately, but when she greets Rosalind I am surprised to hear my teacher call her a familiar name.
"Zumurrud, it is good to see you." Rosalind states, speaking more kindly than I anticipated she would towards a genie. Zumurrud was a powerful and skilled genie in the "Zaar Transformation CYOA", wherein details about earthly genies were revealed. In the same CYOA Rosalind was described as a beautiful, skilled magic-user with a bit of an attitude problem towards genies. Zumurrud turns and spots me and I wave politely before walking to her and shaking her hand.
"I'm Lalo. I'm Rosalind's apprentice." I explain, which genuinely surprises Zumurrud. Upon hearing this she gasps and hugs me, and catches me off guard with her strength. This causes Rosalind to sigh.
"Zumurrud…" She says, sounding exhausted, and causing both Zumurrud and I to laugh. I am surprised when Zumurrud smells the air around me and drops me.
"He's human! How interesting. Lalo, are you an extraterrestrial?" She asks, and I shake my head. I've grown more confident in myself over these last few weeks and I decide to tell Zumurrud the same "Truth" I've told Rosalind.
"I'm a major veil-straddler. I started seeing things a few months ago and was taken to a mental care facility. A ghost took pity on me and helped me bust out. I arrived here… almost a month ago, actually. Rosalind's been teaching me magic since then." I tell the genie, who gives me a sympathetic look when I explain how I got here.
"A major veil-straddler. That's amazing!" She exclaims brightly, and I smile at her.
Troyverse genies are amazing. Whether they're powerful Cosmic Djinn or even Veiled Earth sexy genies, Troyverse genies are impressively powerful with a range of magic that could be quite handy to learn. I actually converted the very same CYOA that both Zumurrud and Rosalind are characters in, into a jump. If I could pick my next jump that might be one worth considering…Rosalind asks Zumurrud to explain genie summoning to me and I attentively listen to her remarks.
"So the way that genie summoning works is that there's little meaning or significance to the mere summoning itself. It's a sign of your mystical knowhow, sure, but knowledge of how to do it is decently widespread. But there's no power in just summoning a genie. Once a genie is summoned a pact has to be made." Zumurrud tells me, confirming that at least some of my metaknowledge is accurate.
"The pact is essentially a job offer. The sha'ir has to compensate the genie someway, and the genie has to do a service for the sha'ir. Genies will accept magic cast on their behalf, be it in spell-form or in the forms of talismans and amulets, they'll also accept sexual worship in a form of their choosing which could be something like having an orgy or you orally worshipping them for hours, and genies will accept the involvement of the sha'ir in the creation of more genies but that will only result in the creation of asparas; sex genies so not all genies will accept that one. In return genies will perform the following services: they will grant you a major wish; something like immortality, wealth, a very specific superpower, etc., they will serve and protect you for a year and a day, or they will sexually satisfy you, doing so for 13 hours." The genie tells me. Her words match the CYOA exactly and I am delighted to hear that.
"There is some stuff to know about the 'Major Wishes' thing. Not all genies can perform the same number of major wishes a year, and so that option may not be available to you if you summon genies randomly. Rosalind is an experienced sha'ir and has contacts in our society's leadership so she knows powerful genies. Like me. But many genies can only grant a handful of major wishes a year." Zumurrud explains, and I note the casual brag, but also the truth in her words.
"Beyond that it's worth saying that before a pact is made there are two-way protections in place for both the sha'ir and the genie. Neither can harm each other before an agreement has been made, and many genies have strikingly intuitive levels of empathy allowing them to glance at and understand prospective 'Masters'. This is both a learned skill and a bit of an evolutionary mechanism to protect genies from those who seek to exploit us. And sometimes a way for us to ensure we're exploited in ways that we permit." Zumurrud tells Rosalind and I. Rosalind watches both of us before speaking.
"I am interested in what Lalo would wish for. Zumurrud, do you mind if for the sake of this summoning Lalo is considered your summoner?" Rosalind asks, which Zumurrud readily agrees to. This surprises me but I take it in stride, and when Zumurrud looks to me she is curious as to what I'll do next.
"Oh! I wasn't expecting this but sure. Mighty Zumurrud, the great magical sage Rosalind and I have summoned you. I wish to pay for your aid, for a mighty wish in which I get a million dollars. May I provide…. Sexual worship in a manner of your choosing in exchange for the completion of this mighty work of magic?" I ask, which surprises both Zumurrud and Rosalind.
"Dollars? Interesting." Zumurrud replies, which is intriguing but she doesn't press the question further. It is not lost on me that her response suggests something curious, but when she doesn't try to go any further I decide not to press her myself.
I have to see the wishmagic to be able to use it myself. I don't need it to do something amazing, I just need to see it in general. I suspect my ability to use wishmagic, once I've seen it myself, will surprise Rosalind. So far all the magic she's seen me do is magic she herself can do. Wishmagic would be different.
"Ah. My apprentice is a bit less straight-laced than I'd have anticipated." Rosalind exclaims, intrigued by my remarks. Zummurud looks me up and down and I can tell she's studying me more closely now. I sense her discerning gaze, and I can feel the wisdom in her eyes as we make eye contact. I half expect her to say no. I have only seen myself a few times in the time since I've arrived here, and I did note that I look different. Capital D different.
Before… here, I was nerdy and looked it. Here I still am nerdy, even almost visibly so, but I'm also decently attractive, far more in-shape and muscular than I was before. I continue to passively feel pain which dissipates a second later, absorbed by my ring.
"Hmm… I'll allow it. To keep this simple, as your wish is fairly simple one, we could say that the price I ask is a few minutes of oral bliss," She says, with a smug smirk. When I don't immediately reply, surprised by her words, she follows up. "If not we can renegotiate but I think it'd be fun to take your tongue for a spin after your sudden eloquence." She tells me with a flirty smile. Troyversian cultural norms are something I still need to get used to. It doesn't help that in this castle the only person I interact with is Rosalind, who is herself a bit of a quirky character.
"Sure! I just wasn't expecting that offer to be worded that way." I state, with a happy smile. This delights my new friend who casts a silent spell that causes a bed to appear underneath her. She lounges on it and playfully smirks at me while spreading her legs. What I see between them brings a lewd grin to my face, as I move towards her. Rosalind moves to watch, and I note her obvious eagerness with mild interest.
I get on the bed and Zummurud beckons for me to approach her even as she casts a second spell which completely strips her of her clothing. I dive in and as I close the distance between our bodies I am struck by the full beauty of the woman before me. Her tanned skin, her dancer's build, and as she spreads her legs the petal-like beauty of her folds. In seconds she coils her legs around me and brings me to within "Worshipping" distance of her, allowing me to drink in the sight of her tempting-looking legs.
I begin to eagerly worship her, gently kissing and licking every centimeter of her folds, and Rosalind lets out a laugh when Zumurrud moans for the first time. I take my time to kiss, lick, and suck on the areas around where she has skillfully captured me which has the curious effect of making her pull me closer to her, as though that'll increase the pleasure she gets. Her legs keep me captive as I explore her, though I will secretly concede that I am a very happy prisoner.
I apply scientific scrutiny to my efforts here, noting what actions make Zumurrud moan the loudest and creating a pattern of sorts. In minutes she is writhing in bliss on top of me, and I am taking my time to thoroughly pleasure her. She shakes her hips against my face and I am coated in sweat and other, sexier fluids, as I savor the heat, pleasure, and sounds of her ecstasy.
As an undead being I don't need to eat or drink. That said, I could drink her nectar every night. It is some of the sweetest tasting liquid I've ever drunk, and Zumurrud's moans are an enchanting song that causes me to relax as I lure her deeper and deeper into ecstasy. Every centimeter of her folds are rigorously explored, and pleasured, by me, and in minutes I am doing this as much for myself as I am doing it for her, her voice egging me on and seducing me into fully exploring her.
I am also unsurprised to learn that a Troyverse woman's fluids are delicious, tasting like some of the nicest party drinks I've ever had. I'm actually refreshed as I drink the results of her bliss, and I can feel Rosalind's curious gaze as Zumurrud coils herself further around me.
Her moans begin to intensify and in response I speed up my actions. I hear her begin to moan my name and I smirk as I begin to make my pattern more efficient, so she's more continually subjected to actions that make her moan the loudest. She warns me that she's about to come and to push her over the edge I focus on her cute clit, subjecting it to a fierce, surprisingly skilled stream of bliss-inducing actions.
I slowly pull her closer and closer to the edge of pleasure, while hedonistically tasting and drinking her in, and when she is pulled over the edge she comes undone. I feel her legs give and she plops down on my face as she orgasms, trembling around me as my tongue, inside of her, is barraged by the vibrations of her walls. I moan myself as she squeezes me, vibrating into her and causing her to laugh.
"Ah… You're cute." She says, panting between words. I don't stop my activities, eager to taste her and to pleasure her as thoroughly as she'll let me. She doesn't stop me for several minutes, allowing herself to be pleasured and to even orgasm again, before she stops me and tells me she's reached appropriate satisfaction.
"I'll… I'll grant your wish now." She says, breathily. She is red in the face and her nipples are cute little diamonds. It's almost enough to make me want to tease her more but my secret eagerness for wishmagic is enough for me to relax. Plus I can summon Zumurrud later.
I watch her raise her hand and sense magical energy gathering in it for a few moments before the energy flies from her hand and enters the air in front of her. The nearly invisible substance causes the air around it to grow hazy, like someone is seeing a heat mirage of some sort. It takes a few seconds to coalesce into a surprisingly humble looking briefcase which floats in the air until I reach out and take it. I feel the ability to pull off that feat, for myself, settle in my soul which hints that I am not restricted by something like the Wish Granter's Authority; the central governing body for genie society.
I sense the quiet magic on the briefcase and when I open it I am surprised and not-surprised in equal measure. Inside the briefcase are several denominations of dollar bills, some 1s, 10s, 100s, and even some dollar denominations that makes me wonder when I am rather than something like where I am, such as 1000 dollar bills. I don't bother counting the money, I know that Zumurrud wouldn't lie to me about something like this, and indeed I doubt she could. I look up at her and thank her, before she asks me why I asked for money.
"If I were ever to want to go back to the mundane side of the veil I'd have nothing. Now I have the option to go back. If I want." I reply, which isn't a lie. It was hardly my driving motivation to see this done, but having a million dollars is both a nice amount of safety and also something that'd hardly strain a genie to grant me. I didn't want to tax Zumurrud; I simply wanted to secure the power to grant wishes which will undoubtedly prove to be a major lynchpin in my arsenal. My words cause both Rosalind and Zumurrud to give me sympathetic looks, and I laugh awkwardly to break the unintended tension as I seal the briefcase within my soul.
The next few minutes pass in a blur. Zumurrud thanks me for the pleasure with a wink before explaining that since her duty is done she can leave whenever she wishes and Zumurrud and Rosalind catch up, though I do see some of Rosalind's curious behavior towards genies.
She seems less interested now that Zumurrud has kept her end of the bargain up, and while she's not rude she's definitely not giving this conversation her complete focus. I get the distinct sense that Rosalind views her connection with genies as purely transactional, which is more in-line with the description given to her in the base CYOA. After a while Zumurrud tells us it's time to go, and she moves towards me and kisses me softly before giggling and disappearing. Rosalind turns to me and congratulates me for successfully pacting with a genie, and then immediately launches herself into my next lesson.
This commences a new, though very similar, routine to the one that I've been part of for the last month. Rosalind continues to teach me the sorts of magic she knows and I continue to absorb it like a sponge. Weeks pass before I know it, and we resummon Zumurrud and this time Rosalind gives her a magical trinket as payment, before asking for sexual satisfaction. This is a surprise to both Zumurrud and I but Zumurrud is always happy to oblige and I get to watch the two lustfully go to town on each other. I'm a bit surprised that Rosalind has a needier side, but she seems to like presenting herself as a supremely powerful, confident magic-user so this is a refreshing change of pace.
I continue to experiment with the Melting Pot, taking notes as Rosalind and I discover how to create various kinds of monsters and non-human humanoids. Rosalind and I continue to summon genies and pact with them. Rosalind and I eventually figure out what makes a monster inventoryable or not: whether or not I give it inventory abilities of its own. We figure this out while creating golems and experimenting with the spells I give them, taking notes on how each spell slightly modifies their attributes or gives them wholly new abilities. Once we jot down this discovery we mess about with it and confirm that it's accurate, which is a powerful thing to learn.
During this time I begin to discover more facets of my essences, including discovering the sum totality of what the archmage essence does and discovering most of what the sorcerer lord essence does, which allows me to begin to deliberately create more distinctive types of things like my own magical trinkets for genies and for other summons as Rosalind teaches me how to summon angels and demons as well.
Days in the workshop of the castle expand into outings wherein Rosalind shows me different kinds of magic. Together the two of us occasionally venture into a nearby community in the forest itself; the part of the forest where the clearing exists. This gives me a chance to practice magic with nymphs and dryads, as well as meet other magic users. Nights spent in the castle turn into experiments wherein Rosalind and I work to create the strangest possible monsters.
As Rosalind teaches me she discovers new quirks and keys to magic. One of the big things she uncovers is a way to make spells easier to cast, saving herself vital energy and allowing her to more easily and effectively cast spells as well as summon genies. Along the way I watch her opening up more and more to me, and in turn she becomes a more effective teacher. These are both effects of a perk of mine, which is itself part of the reason I didn't feel too bad about deceiving her when we first met. There's a very real chance she'd have immediately accepted becoming my teacher if I told her about my powers, just to get the boons, but I wasn't about to take that chance so early into my time in a chain, with no knowledge of what the fullness of my powers offer me.
During this time I begin to summon Zurummud. We don't reunite every night, but a few times a week I call her to the room Rosalind gave me and I make requests of her. Every single time I do it's a case of me giving into Troyversian instincts and thinking and we end up in bed. Zummurud doesn't mind and in the minutes after we engage in non-sexual intimacy, learning about each other. I'm not the sort to share overly personal details but I enjoy hearing about the sort of people who summon Zurummud and the wishes she grants. She confides in me that she enjoys carnal summonings like the ones I call her for, but that she's also an eerily skilled genie when it comes to identifying heart's desires and senses what drives people.
This set of actions has one amusing side effect. My variant of the Quest Mode supplement comes into play when I indulge in local instincts and I learn more about my Major Veil-Straddler build as a result of engaging with reality in a way that is becoming of someone native to this quirky, horny, fantastical version of Earth.
In keeping with my nature as a scholar, as well as a jump document maker I eventually begin to take notes on the jump documents I created that I can clearly remember and to subtly begin to jot down viable pathways to power regarding future jumps. I note two especially relevant jump documents I made that could beautifully build on what I currently have: the Adult Essences Jump and the Zaar Transformation Jump. Rosalind and Zurummud are both characters in the Zaar Transformation CYOA and a part of me lusts for Rosalind, though I doubt I'd admit it if pressed, and I enjoy Zurummud's company a good deal.
The Adult Essences Jump has one particularly powerful essence that could do a ton for a Troyversian: the Essence of the Ultimate Chad, which would give me material benefits from sex and allow me to empower others, including Zurummud and Rosalind, if I had sex with them. I also note the synergy that the Adult Essences Jump has with the Warlock's Coven jump, which is the jump I need to go to get the most meaningful access to the Silver Craft, as well as other fun things.
In the same part of my grimoire where I note routes to power concerning synergies across jumps I also note that as far as I know I have no control over where I go next, or indeed if I'm even going anywhere next. That's a real concern I have that I have no known way of addressing or assuaging with what I know so far which is powerfully unpleasant.
I eventually learn the sum total of what the perks keyed to the archmage and sorcerer lord essences do, and after reviewing my notes I determine the reason why my lich stuff is so slow to come to me. I need to do the stuff related to the essence for its innermost workings to become clear to me. My only real connection to the lich essence is that I am in pain and I allow my spooky ring to absorb that pain, which is not nothing but it's not nearly enough for me to make meaningful progress towards fully understanding my abilities, at least not at any pace more rapid than the glacially slow progress I've made.
That's not enough for me to fully tap into the essence and thus regain my cognizance of what it can do. I have been steadily mastering more and more magic: what the archmage essence is all about, while I have been making monsters and interacting with them as their leader, which is one part of the sorcerer lord essence and enough for its capabilities to slowly become clearer to me.
I have been incredibly careful to avoid using my lich abilities. The abilities I know I have from it are useful, but I dislike the grim nature of the power in question, and my complicated feelings are allowing me to overcome the desire I have to fully use my essences and grow greater in them. Still this equilibrium can only last so long…
In one of my stories about a jumper, A Novice's Chain, I write about a concept that I dub "Jumper Time". This term is invariably something the jumper, Logan, thinks about at the start of time-skips. My first meaningful iteration of "Jumper Time" lasts for the better part of a year. This is one of the happiest periods of my life so far, as I'm able to do what I regularly daydreamed about in my life before all of this. I delight in every lesson Rosalind gives me, and I eagerly work for her, as well as watch her own magical power grow. At the same time she becomes more loyal, warm, and friendly to me, thanks to the effects of my Archmage perks.
Before I know it a full year and some change has passed from the moment I first appeared in this world. The days have been long and filled with studies of various sorts and the nights have also been pleasantly long. Sometimes I summon Zurummud and we go on something approaching dates, with her bringing exotic televisions and other devices so we can watch supernatural media together.
About 13 months into my stay here I go to Rosalind and thank her for her tutelage before telling her I need to go on a journey. She is understanding of this, though a bit saddened, though I surprise her by asking if she can look after and be the queen of the creations I've made so far.
"Wait, why?" She asks, after giving me a shocked look. I smile at her as I explain my rationale.
"You are a sorcerous queen. A true master of the mystic arts. I am a novice of the arcane. I wish to travel and to learn from different magic users. Our creations, as wonderful and varied as they are, deserve to follow a leader worthy of being followed. That's not me." I concede. My remarks are sincere, and they come from a place of genuine respect. This shocks my instructor who is silent as she takes in how she feels about my earnest remarks.
Rosalind is my savior. She is also someone I have big, complicated feelings for. Zumurrud and I have a powerful sexual connection to each other that we regularly indulge, but Rosalind is much less clear in what she feels for me beyond our relationship as teacher and student. Nonetheless I know what I want: I want to become a better magician and someday initiate a new, more Troyverse-like relationship with Rosalind. That… may not be possible in this jump, but as a jumper if there's anything I have it's infinite time. Especially given the multiple other jumps I have created that allow me to visit both the Troyverse and the Veiled Solar System.
I'm willing to say farewell to Rosalind so I can explore the rest of the world, taking advantage of the nature of my new body and my perks to learn from other magic users. And I still don't know where, or when, I am located on Earth.
"I see. Hmm… I suppose I accept." She tells me after a long silence, but the smile on her face is one of the rare, but beautiful, ones she's flashed me more and more since I became her student a year ago.
She thanks me for what she's learned since taking me on as a student, and I thank her for the tutelage, before promising to return someday. And that is another true promise I intend to keep someday.
398 days after I first entered this world I leave Rosalind's castle. My staff and my ring are my only "Items" that are on me, with everything else including my money, being inside of my soul. I glance back at the castle and spot Rosalind watching me as I make my way out. There is a complicated look on her face, one that mimics the emotions I feel after having spent so long with her and having learned so much from her. I turn and begin to leave, committing myself to my chosen course of action, remembering the promise that I'll come back someday, and that when I do I'll be much more powerful and mystically able.
I begin a long walk towards an unknown destination, now armed with vast knowledge regarding the arcane and a willingness to put my skills to work. I've learned from a summoner about genie summoning, one of the next fun peoples to try and learn from would be the fae of the seelie and unseelie courts but the only way to get to those places without being invited is to find a fairy ring. And so I commence a search.