Project Seraphina [LitRPG, Magitech, GL]
2.58 Of Gemstones and Elements I

I head inside and take my seat in a small room off to the side of the main hall. My workshop of sorts, although it lacks the tools and decor of such. Just a couple of less-than-comfortable cheap folding chairs, some plastic tables, a single window, four beige walls, and some sterile, fluorescent lights above. Reminds me of school a little bit— even that damn flickering light in the corner of my eye. Except instead of having a teacher impart knowledge into me, I have to learn it all on my own.

I start by taking inventory of the gemstones Lindsey has so helpfully procured for me. They come in every color of the rainbow, as well as some brown, some white, some black, and a few other odd colors. Not being a gemologist, I can’t confirm, but I believe I have diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, topazes, a couple of pea-sized spheres of black onyx, a few shards of amethyst, and a single piece of amber about the size of an almond, even though it’s not technically a gemstone in the geological sense.

Based on Chloe’s [Ruby-Studded Wand], I conjecture that each type of gemstone has an affinity with a specific element. Rubies, with their crimson hue, naturally, are associated with Fire. On the other hand, blue sapphires seem to be associated with the Water element, something I confirm by channeling a point or two of [Ether] into the stone. When I do, the stone fluoresces slightly, before tiny beads of water bubble out of the surface.

This incongruity isn’t lost on me; as far as I am aware, both ruby and sapphire are different colors of the same gemstone. For these to carry affinities for opposite elements suggests a different factor at play.

My hypothesis is that the two are seen and thought of as different gemstones by humanity as a collective. Perhaps individual people recognize them both as… corundum, was it? But broadly, they are known as either ruby or sapphire based on their color and are treated differently as a result. A sort of power through the collective unconscious. An interesting thought experiment for the philosophers of Systemic metaphysics who decide to take up the mantle.

White opals glow for long periods of time, the brightness and length of glow both proportional to the [Ether] stored within them. Black onyx, on the other hand, acts like a natural effector of the [Darkness] glyph, to the point where I wonder if there are tiny, microscopic glyphs embedded within the lattice structures of each individual gemstone.

At the very least, the System could do it, and it would be a way to reconcile my current knowledge of Ethertech and glyphs with this new study. On the other hand, the System needn’t be systematic, ironic though the phrasing of that may be. It can employ whatever arbitrary and seemingly-bullshit rules it wishes, and it’s my job to document them first, and try to make sense of them later.

The general principle throughout it all is that the color of the stone, rather than the underlying mineralogy, seems to govern the elemental affinity. Red stones like rubies and garnets are associated with Fire, blue stones like sapphire and lapis lazuli coalesce Water energy, green and teal stones, including emeralds and the single piece of jade before me, concentrate Wind energy, and orange stones generate earthen debris when [Ether] is channeled through them.

The one special exception to the rule is the amber, which seems to channel not the same earthen energy as the topaz. Instead, it creates a fruity, almost rotten scent. I hypothesize that amber, as a gem-like substance formed from plant matter, is particularly adept at channeling the magics of nature. As for what those are, I am merely speculating, but my current belief is that this includes, at minimum, the manipulation of plant material, woodshaping and the like.

I do not know if that extends to biomancy and manipulation of life more broadly. If it does, it could be extremely potent. And equally dangerous, both to employ and to have it used against me. Probably best not to use it myself for the time being, without access to System-crafted spells or any Skills that focus on the element specifically. With that said, Alana’s brother uses the element; I’ll resolve to ask him more about it when next I have the opportunity.

Amethyst, along with pink sapphire, both seem to channel Lightning energy particularly well. Considering the relative prevalence of the former in my collection, I can definitely craft a useful accessory for Kristil later this afternoon. White opals and black onyx crystals, predictably enough, are foci for Light and Dark-aligned spells and techniques, respectively.

I was a little confused about what diamonds were useful for at first. Colored diamonds follow the general patterns as expected by their hues; blue diamonds and water, pink diamonds and lightning, yellow diamonds, like orange topaz and citrine, channel Earth-aligned Ether. However, colorless diamonds, along with clear quartz and similar, focus non-elemental energy instead.

This perplexed me for a good while. Most spells and techniques are aligned with an element, even if the specific glyph isn’t involved. Chloe’s healing spells, as well as her [Angelic Blessing] and my [Angel’s Grace], are both Light-aligned spells. Other enhancement spells tend to be aligned with one of the four elements in relation to which stat they boost. [Strength]-boosting spells tend to be Fire-aligned, [Speed] is Wind, [Vitality] is Earth, and [Mind] is water. Intuitive and in line with how most would naturally expect them to work.

However, it appears that clear gemstones fill the role of the ‘jack of all elements, master of none’ role. Any elemental spell can use a clear diamond as a focus, but it wouldn’t be as powerful as if the appropriate type of gemstone were used instead.

As for the other C’s of jewelry, both carat and clarity play a role in the efficacy of a gemstone as a spell effector, while the specific cut and faceting don’t seem to do all that much. Poor clarity is the major limitation for a gemstone’s suitability as crafting material. Imperfections in the crystal structure cause breakdowns in the Ether flow, which in turn reduces both the amount that can be stored, the rate at which Ether breaks down and diffuses back into the ambient flow within the atmosphere, and how easily a caster can draw upon the Ether contained within during critical, life-or-death battles.

Surprising no one, larger gemstones are capable of storing and releasing more Ether, quality held constant. What is surprising is that the relationship is not sublinear, as I would have suspected, but is superlinear. I don’t know if the carrying capacity of a gemstone scales quite quadratically with its weight, but it’s a close enough relationship that I can attribute the deficit to the accumulation of micro-imperfections smaller than what even my [Angelic Insight] can spot.

As for the substrates, I see half a dozen sterling silver rings laid out among the gemstones, along with a few lumps of metal that I could probably sculpt into a passable accessory with my [Intermediate Ether Manipulation]. Knowing what I do about the materials, I would imagine that gold, platinum, and even palladium would be better crafting materials were cost and physical availability of resources no constraint. Perhaps there are even better materials out there, exotic alloys or even substances which didn’t exist before the arrival of the System. But silver is still a considerable improvement over copper, which is itself far superior to iron and edges out even my aluminum-titanium alloyed arm.

I want to craft an accessory for each of the four of us, Lindsey included. If I had weeks instead of the day and a half that I do, I would craft more gear for everyone. Instead, I’m choosing to focus on the four of us. Myself for simple self-preservation. Chloe because Chloe. Always Chloe. And Lindsey and Kristil mostly because I know their Skills, fighting styles, and general capabilities better than most. With time being my most valuable resource, I can’t afford to make any accessories that won’t be used to their fullest extent.

I start with Lindsey’s ring, grabbing the largest opal and smoothing it down to a fine ovoid cut. Although there might be a small loss in total storage capacity, better to get rid of the outer edges more prone to microscopic imperfections. Plus, it looks a little nicer, and while that’s never the focus of anything I craft, I don’t want to make myself— or anyone else— look even more gaudy, if I can avoid it.

Okay, yes, it’s probably too late for me. But it isn’t a wholly irrelevant concern.

I trace out the idea for the glyph array I want to use. I start with the basic Ether attraction array that I used before when glyphing the [Rings of Regeneration]. This time, due to the different function, I don’t need to add the [Repulsion] complex to push that gathered Ether out of the ring and into the wearer’s body. Instead, I use the sluice method to channel the gathered [Ether] into the ring’s bezel, and from there, the opal can absorb the gathered energy, storing it and converting it into light.

The glyphs of [Ether], [Multiply], and [Light] form the core of the primary array. The [Multiply] glyph is an absolute bitch to work with. The tolerances are stupidly narrow and it’s hard to get a good read on the shape even with [Angelic Insight] giving me a better mindset to grasp the shape.

The best I can describe the difficulty is that the [Multiply] glyph really exists in more than three dimensions, so I have to envision the three-dimensional projection onto our reality. From there, it’s a simple matter of understanding and constructing the corresponding two-dimensional model. But simple isn’t the same as easy, and it proves to take a solid two hours to get just that one glyph slotted into the overall complex.

Once it’s completed, I give it a once over, using my enhanced vision to gaze over the ring for any signs of imperfection with the glyph crafting. I see no such errors, and so I slip it on my finger. Like other System-registered pieces of gear, it immediately changes size to fit my finger perfectly. I get two messages back to back.

[[Ring of [Etheric Duplicate]]: A shining silver ring with a stunning pearlescent opal inlaid into its center, it is the handiwork of an amateur craftswoman who nevertheless shows promise in the discipline. The shimmering haze creates a minor illusion around the wearer, increasing [Agility] by 15%. At the cost of 600 [Ether], conjure a [Lesser Etheric Duplicate], lasting for (Wearer’s Level / 2) minutes. The duplicate will act on its own initiative. It bears the will of its creator, and so will never attack allies or otherwise act in a way contrary to the original’s intent. Duplicate’s stats are equal to the original’s multiplied by 75%. (Cooldown on [Lesser Etheric Duplicate]: 1 hour)]

[Warning: You are wearing too many accessories. Unequip one or more accessories or one will be disabled at random (Accessories equipped: 3/2).]

I take off the [Ring of [Etheric Duplicate]].

Next is a ring for Chloe, again using a white opal gemstone. Unfortunately, I don’t know any healing glyphs, and even watching Chloe cast her basic [Healing] spell fails to provide me any additional insight into how it actually works, my Skill of the same name be damned. I might be able to Manifest healing directly with the power of 「The Anomaly」, but that’s currently far beyond my capabilities, except maybe under the influence of [Seraphina Overlimit]. Still can’t tap into it again. Not since that first time nearly a week ago.

I consider imbuing it with the power of [Angel’s Grace], but two things stop me. First, her spell mimics most of the same effects. And more importantly, I don’t intend to ever be apart from her. Saving me a couple hundred [Ether] isn’t worth burning through one of her two accessory slots.

Instead, I channel it with the same array of glyphs I used before in constructing my [Etheric Armor], giving her a bit of additional defensive power. I hope that she will never need it, that I can continue to live up to my promise of keeping her safe. But it is always better to have and not need than need and not have.

[[Bulwark Ring]: A shining silver ring inlaid with a white opal, the product of an apprentice craftswoman working to hone her trade. The defensive glyphs contained within channel the [Ether] of the wearer into a barrier that protects them from harm. [Ether] regeneration rate reduced by 10%. In exchange, all incoming damage, both physical and magical, is reduced by 20%.]

“Hey Chloe,” I say. “Can you try this ring on?”

She jolts up, having been watching me this whole time with varying levels of interest and focus. “A ring for me? May I?”

She extends her hand toward me, allowing me to slip the ring on her right hand. She giggles at me, no doubt thinking about all the implications that follow from a woman being offered a ring by her romantic partner. I don’t mind one bit. I did promise her that I would protect her. And with this, I’m one step closer to fulfilling that promise.