The Survivor Becomes a Dungeon

Vitmori POV

As the instructor hurried off to collect her students, I couldn't help but break my facade a little, chuckling with amusement at my actions before glancing over at Cecil. "Forgive me, I couldn't help myself by giving them a harmless little scare. I hope I didn't surprise you too much." I mused as I held up my now limp wooden arm.

Cecil was still just a little stunned, but he gathered himself quickly enough as he looked between me and my arm. "I have to say, I wasn't quite expecting you to do that, of all things..." He then regarded my arm, looking it over curiously. "That arm looks like one solid piece... If it's made of wood, how is it still swaying like that? I would have assumed you were animating it via your magic, but now that it's not connected to you, shouldn't it be stiff like a block of wood?"

At that, I couldn't help but chuckle in response as I started walking towards the rest area, taking a seat beside Legosi as we found some relative privacy before holding my arm out to Cecil; silently suggesting for him to take it up if he wanted to, at which he obliged and gingerly held my arm between both hands and looked it over. "To think the first thing you think of asking after seeing someone's arm fall off is why it's not a solid piece of wood, instead of asking if I was alright or why I did what I did... You have the makings of an eccentric, novice." I mused as I flashed him a smile.

I could sense Cecil was about to ask another question as he took a seat beside me, and gently manipulated the fingers of my hand; though, at my comment, he looked a little perturbed and then curious as he looked me over. I could sense he wasn't sure how to feel about it. He's heard many things about eccentrics, many great things, and many terrible things. "So... Um... How is it moving like this?" He asked, opting to not address the comment outright.

I smiled a little more as I looked my arm over for myself. "I don't know the specifics myself, after all, I'm not the one who made it, my mentor made it for me." I explained, and it wasn't a lie. I do consider Reyvyre to be my mentor in the field of magic, and she is much older than me at the end of the day.

The uncertainty in Cecil's mind from my previous comment was quickly washed away at the mention of my own mentor as he wondered who could have taught someone like me. I flash another smile, seeing that the intrigue and curiosity were practically palpable in his gaze. "Who is your mentor? Is it someone I would know, perhaps?" He asked, doing his best to recall famous mages in recent history.

I just chuckle a bit at the question, though I consider what I know of Reyvyre. All in all, it is very likely she does have some notoriety as a War Mage in the Empire's service. The more that I think about it, the more I've come to realize that Basti getting the drop on Reyvyre that fateful day and killing her was really a matter of luck. If Basti had been spotted before attacking Reyvyre, and if Reyvyre had the chance to prepare her spells, then it would have been very likely that Basti would've been killed that day. "I can't say whether or not they have a name that is known to the world, after all, that would defeat the purpose of maintaining my own anonymity." I explained before regarding my arm again. "What I can tell you, is that the arm is not a solid piece, and is in fact very fine wooden threads that were meticulously shaped with magic. The arm itself was made in the same style as the guardians of elven libraries if I remember correctly."

At that, Cecil's eyes went wide as he glanced between me and my arm, looking a lot more uncertain and holding it more securely as he came to the conclusion that it was much more valuable than he initially realized. "T-this is of elven make? T-truly? Wait a minute... Why did you cut it off, what are you going to do with it?" He asked, only just now remembering the conversation we were having before I cut off my arm.

"Well, I'm going to reshape it into a staff for you. Duh." I mused while taking my arm back up by the wrist and looking it over.

At that, Cecil blanched and shook his head. "N-no, I couldn't possibly take your arm. That arm of yours is basically an artifact, how could someone like me use it?"

I just chuckled a little more as I ran my mana through the wooden threads that made up my arm and willed them to take the shape I desired as the arm began to thin out and stretch. "Novice... My arm will grow back in a matter of days, possibly sooner if I willed it to... It literally costs me nothing to do this for you, and you asked me to help you with your magic output." I then tilted my head to the staff while it continued to take shape. "The wood used to make this arm is several hundred years old and resided in a mana-rich environment that entire time... If this doesn't conduct mana better than your old staff, then you're free to sell it off." I mused kindly, I was of course downplaying the age of the material, I could tell it was already hard for him to accept the gift as it was and there was no reason to tell him the whole truth.

"But... But why?" He asked, and I could tell he was overwhelmed by my apparent generosity. I suppose it makes sense he'd be confused. He's hardly known me for a day or two at most. Why am I being so generous?

"Because you asked for my help, should there be any more of a reason?" I asked as I offered a smile, and when I could sense that he wanted more of an answer, I just shrugged a bit. "You helped me even when you had no real reason to, and trusted me on little more than my word. While it may have been for possibly opportunistic reasons, that isn't necessarily a bad thing." I then looked over the arm as it continued taking shape into a staff. "Besides, I like you, and I look forward to seeing you grow in the future. While I'm in no place to take on a student, I want to help you on your way."

The staff continues to take shape as I do my best to make it look a little more natural with grooves and twists along the length. Then there was the question of what sort of gem or crystal should be at the end of the staff itself. I could possibly refine the crystal on his old staff, make it more pure somehow... Or I could use something else. Aside from the smaller shards of diamonds I had left over from supplying the Sinners and Basti, I still had one more intact diamond. It was no bigger than a plum and it could sit comfortably in the palm of my hand if I were to hold it. The gem itself was a shade of blue; while I'm not too sure of the particulars regarding gems or crystals and their colors when it comes to making a staff, I figured it would at least match his overall look as I considered the blues and greens that made up his robes. I opened up the wood of what used to be my fingers and the palm of my hand before holding the staff out to Cecil. "Here... Hold this, I need my hand free for the final touch." I mused with a small smile.

Cecil's eyes glittered with uncertain wonder as he took up the staff, looking it over curiously but not daring to say a word in order to not interrupt my focus while I closed my eyes.

Before bringing the gem in question out from my storage, I carefully use a combination of earth and water magic to carve and polish the blue diamond; smoothing it out until it looked like an orb. It didn't take all that long thankfully enough as I pulled the blue gem out into my hand, holding it for Cecil to see as he gasped with admiration. I soon fitted the gem in what used to be the palm of my hand as I then willed what used to be my fingers to grow and close around it, securing the gem into the staff as the wood settled into place.

Cecil said something about my arm alone being some kind of artifact... Artifacts tend to have names, don't they? Like Excalibur or the Vorpal Blade? Something like this should have a name... Right?

Taking up the staff from Cecil, I looked it over before closing my eyes again. "I name this creation of mine... The Staff of Apa Vie-Moarta." With that, I could feel the mana swelling in my vessel before traveling into the staff as the gem began to glow; though as that happened, my head suddenly felt fuller than before.

I didn't hear anyone this time, but I felt another rush of energy course into my vessel before it ran into the staff itself. Opening my eyes to look at it, it was like the staff... Blossomed with color. It suddenly had a little more weight than before as an intricate pattern formed along the shaft; a mix of black, white, and blue intertwined beautifully. Once the staff settled, a small green circle formed on the wooden shaft below the gem, with a single rose in the center. Before I could ask who was in my head and messing with my staff, my head suddenly felt empty once more as I was alone all over again, though a single word lingered in my mind. 'Attune.'

Glancing over at Cecil, I flashed a small smile and held the staff over to him. "Looks like someone up above approved of this staff. Go on, take it."

Cecil just looked flabbergasted, staring slack-jawed at the staff before looking around at everyone in the training yard. It was then I could sense that he came to a realization... Nobody else saw it. Nobody else saw what just happened. "You... Just who are you? You who was able to slap a few things together and... And just create an artifact that called down a divine influence to bless the name it was given?"

I chuckled softly and merely leaned back in my seat, still holding the staff out to him. "You know who I am. I am Vito, a wandering eccentric. Nothing more, nothing less... And that's all you need to know."

Cecil gulped nervously before eyeing the staff again, taking it up and looking it over curiously. "By the gods... It's perfect." He said softly under his breath.

I couldn't help but chuckle softly at that before looking over at Cecil once more. "I sure hope it is, it was made for you after all... Go on, you'll need to attune to it. Maybe head back home and take the day to study it, even I don't know what sorts of effects or functions it now holds."

Cecil looked between me and the staff once more with wide eyes. "An artifact that needs to be attuned to? I... I never thought I'd see the day..." He suddenly stood, vaguely surprising Legosi who had been dozing beside me, before bowing to me deeply at the waist and standing tall again. "Thank you for the generosity you have shown to me this day... I swear on my life that if there ever comes a day that you need someone like me at your side, I shall answer your call." He declared resolutely, lowering his head once more out of respect before flashing a small smile. "I'll be off now. See you tomorrow." He enthused cheerfully before hurrying away from the training field.

Legosi stretched before sitting up and looking over at me with a wolfish smile. "I knew there was a reason I liked that one... Will you form a bond with him, like Zasutir, Trisha, Reyvyre, and Rita?" He asked, keeping his voice to a low murmur since we were still out in the open.

"Hmm... Maybe one day." I mused as I reached out and gently scratched the top of Legosi's head, running my fingers through his thick coat and ruffling it a little. "He's still young and finding himself... Besides, forming a bond with him would accelerate his growth, and I can tell he still needs time to adjust to being able to use his current strength along with whatever boons that staff will give him. It'll do him no good to form a bond with me here and now."

Legosi slowly bobbed his head in understanding, and soon enough Basmori hopped out from my shadow and settled in my lap, getting cozy as Freyli made her way over from where she had been sunning herself, only to perch on my shoulders to cuddle with me as well.

I do my best to dote on the cubs as well, giving them each a little attention with my one remaining hand. "Now then, that was a productive morning, I'd say... What to do with the rest of my day?" I mused aloud to nobody in particular.