Not bothering to reply to Umi's remark he rushed past him and into the reference area. Scaling the long ladders as quickly as he could, he began haphazardly tossing the books onto the table waiting some twenty feet below him. It was all here. Lore, and more importantly, mythology.

He had been on to something in the tree design but he just hadn't gone far enough. Mortimer smirked at the depictions in the latest books. A little dismayed that they were flat but that was something he had to incorporate from Umis world.

Jumping down from the ladder and onto the table he poured over the books. Flipping from page to page scanning the diagrams and either putting them aside or leaving them on the ground. Occasionally picking the books up again he seemed to be looking for very specific sections... pictures even. There was a strange gleam in his eye. A glow of excitement if one could call Mortimer excited.

The pages flipped, the eyes gleamed and a small grin gradually spread across his face. Yes it would work. tHe last of the calculations were made on the blank pages at the ends of several books. Rates of intake, appropriate densities, gradualism in certain parts, acceleration in others. Density, absorption rates, temporary expansion and quick contractions to maintain power levels. And most importantly of all, there was the concentration on all the moving parts. For once the very rare occurrence of a motivated Mortimer was on display for the world... well in Umi's world at least.

At last Mortimer brought his head out of the books, papers strewn everywhere as letters written in shadow clung to the ends of several book pages. Something Umi might try to piece together later if he felt like it.

Sauntering back to the training area he had an uncharacteristic smile on his face. "Before I begin I wanted to know if you've guessed the model I'll be using in this next exercise?"

"Doesnt matter, so long as you learned something..."

Umi sat back while Mortimer was learning in the training room, they had maybe 4 hours left before they had to leave. If he was able to exceed his previous limits, he would be able to strengthen his magic; that is, if he could muster up the strength to circulate more mana

"Ok Mortimer, show me what you learned"

Mortimer began the process. Going through his mental checklist he envisioned the process. Asgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Midgarh, Jotunheim, Nidavellier, Svartalfheim, Niflheim, Hel... Yggdrasil.

And there it was. Orbiting through Mortimer were the nine-world resting in the branches of the Great Yggdrasil Tree. Mortimer felt the magic pulse through them, allowing to heat sink the excess energy and pass it through him as needed. The tree provided stability and kept the worlds from drifting away.

Looking up at Umi Mortimer replied "You wanted me to pass the world through me right? Well now I have nine of them"

"And i make things needlessly complicated? Doesnt matter, now work on the spells i told you to work on..."

Mortimer used up a sizable chunk of time and Umi needed things to be done fast, he cajoled him into continuing with the training

Mortimer began chuckling at Umis statement. "I never said it wasn't complicated... just more efficient and better... and while I'm at it that spell"

Drawing his magical power around his hand he formed his shadow into a claw around his left arm. "It's kindof pointless. I've got more magic than I know what to do with and I can make a claw out of shadow better than your aqua claw. And I'm pretty sure with this..."

He continued pulling out his new gun "I won't have room or need for a claw"

"Well you see the difference between your claw and mine is..."

Changing his arm into his Water Spirit claw, he extended his arm to about the size of a giants hand and activated its rotation, the claw transformed into a sleeker shape and spun clockwise until it moved so fast it could tear through anything.

"You wont get the piercing power of the claw with your gun, and you need a better close range attacks, you lack strength, with this you'll have it. So let's go, Full Shadow Armor, Shadow Claws and the biggest Shadow Army you can create!"

Mortimer once again drew up his shadow forming it into his suit of armor. Pitch black and covering him from head to toe, its strength and durability decieving one in its weight.

Next he called up his familiar, Nocturna Nigredinis, a massive hulking being who guarded the shadow mage at every turn, even from attacks he was unaware of.

Next he called up as many shadow soldiers as he could. They were newer models now wit distinctive forms and abilities. He was capable of summoning nine of each for a total of twenty seven shadow soldiers. However when arranged around him in concentric rings they provided the ultimate defense and assault.

He allowed the claw to form again in his left hand but it was really nothing special. Umi hadn't been paying attention to what Mortimer was doing lately and so it may have been a little surprising when Mortimer activated the gun. "Liberatio!" The firearm glowed and reshaped itself, glowing and twisting into an entirely new form. Steadily the changes came to a halt and when the glowing died down Mortimer held a black Gun Blade.

The weapon gave Mortimer a phenomenal boost in strength, making him (temporarily at least) the strongest person Umi knew.

"What was that you were saying about needing a close range weapon?" He asked as he leveled the weapon at Umi.

"Your still gonna need to learn the spell Al..."

Umi was still sitting there trying to slow down the time in the phantasmagoria so that they could still train. They had less than on hour by now.

"And what's the incantation pray-tell?"

He asked as he spun the gunblade heady off the increase to his strength it gave him. Deciding to try something else with his overcharged magic he held out his left hand and encanted a bask spell "Fulgoris"

In a condensed area, erratic lightning burst dancing within and bounding uncontrollably. Normally the spell would give off something like strong static cling. But with his over the top mana, he had weaponized the most basic of spells turning it into a useful, deadly and spectacular force.

"There isnt, as a close combat spell, it just requires a extreme manipulation of your shadow to create it. But with your shadow armor, it could get pretty complicated.. But i believe in you"

Saying a few incantations, Umi tried to stall the time perception on the phantasmagoria spell so they could possibly get more time.

Mortimer looked atUmi with a cocked eyebrow and a look which was a mixture of mild annoyance, disbelief and frankness. "I believe in you... You're really pulling that old cliche on me? Not a logical arguement, not an explanation of its function, just "I believe in you". Really Umi? I expected better from you."

Still he was right. From his basic description (vague at best) the technique was a highly compressed shadow with the intent of breaking through defenses. He could either maintain the armor or bring out the claw. Not both. Focusing his energy he began binding his hand in layer upon layer of magical energy, wrapping them around, interweaving and finnally, letting shadows consume the whole of it. When he was finished his hand was a black mass of nothingness. Any light which ht his hand idssapeared. His hand was for all intensive purposes, a destructive concentration of darkness.

"It doesnt have to be logical you idiot, can i not believe in someone? is that so impossible to believe? I guess if we already got it..."

With Mortimer learning all these new things so extremely fast, Umi canceled and exited the phantasmagoria space, taking Mortimer with him. The next thing they knew, they were in the exact same places they were in before, and still heading after the creature. A few brief seconds later, the spirit pointed down towards the forest and Umi, he leapt from his broom, the spirit following close behind.

"Its directly below us, Ill track it, at this range i should be able to detect the spirit, gather up all the magical power you can"

Mortimer began the process. The shadow hand still in place he called forth his nocturna, and his Liberatio gunblade. And he began charging. Circulating the energy amongst the nine worlds and himself and building it all up till the only thing holding the magic in was mystical hypertension. A single drop would cause it to overflow now. "I'm ready" He spoke in a deadly serious voice trying to maintain all these magical enhancements and powers while at the same time speak. One attack was all he needed and this mission would be finished.

(Just for your conceit, im gonna make it so you dont kill the first one...)

"GeroGero, Jovis Corpus, Precari Nos Dare Nostrum Sociae Cum Confirmare, Dolere Confirmarus."

Umi tweeked his enhancement spell just a bit so that instead of blunt force, it dealt piercing damage by concentrating it all into one point. He floated over the jungle just above Mortimer, and let the spirit point him in the right direction. He pointed in the general area, and tried to pinpoint a weak area to attack it from.

"Wait, im trying to find its weak point..."

(alright that seems fair. Power has been going to my head since I became the single strongest person on the forum)

Mortimer couldn't wait. The power was overflowing and he couldn't keep it in. He needed to act on it or risk losing everything he'd just built up.

Shundoing to where the arrow pointed, hand, massive fists, blade and spear-ribbons all aimed at the creatures singular spot he powered all of his energy into the attack. To destroy the foe which constantly made him want to look away. He emptied himself on that foe, and when it was over fell to his knees.

Looking back up he saw the creature... and it was still standing.

(Whatever you have to tell yourself...)

"Aww crap, looks like things got twelve times harder...."

The monster was a patient predator, and waited to go in for the kill, he told Mortimer to move back slightly so as to give it room, he prepped a distraction with his Sagitta Magica.

"GeroGero, Undecim Spiritus Undiales, Coentes Sagittet Inimicum, Sagitta Magica, Convergetia Undinis"

He charged up a group of magical orbs so they combined into a larger orb and he released it at the chameleon-esque monster.

"Can you outdo your best? cause we'll have to wait another day before the spell it absorbed wears off..."

Mortimer thought as he retreated slightly. "I can definatly try! Can you keep the pointer on that thing? I'm gonna need to find the weak point on it this time. I'm sorry Umi, you were right I should have waited for you."

Mortimer prepped himself, drawing on his magic again. The creature was now resistant to shadow magic, but that wasn't all he had!. Doing his best to maintain focus and resist the urge to look away he tried to make contact with the creatures eyes while Umi searched for a weakpoint. A chink in its elemental armor.

(C-Rank Mission DUDe)

"There you go, found it. Medial to the forearms, inferior to the chipped scale where you hit it the first time, a few inches lower should kill it."

Umi acted as he was born to, support the front attacker.

"Good job Umi!" ONce again he built up the power, but this time only a portion of it. As he charged at the creature he was hit by its sticky tongue, now charged with darkness the appendage almost broke his ribs as it brought him in close to its mouth full of tiny teeth. Mortimer gasped at the invasion of his ribcage... but he still needed to kill this thing.

Reaching down he did his best to incant his spells. From his current sideways position he had a clear view into the monsters ever moving eye. "Evil Eye" Casting the curse into the being along with all the rage and pain it was causing, the creature was weakened slightly. But he needed more.

Reaching down as far as he could he angled his palm as best he could towards the spot a few inches lower from his previous hit. "Enter the etenral...v-v... Vente[i]" a buffeting torrent of wind smashed into the creatues forearms.

"[i]Glacies" with that a wave of cold and frost joined the wind seeming to freeze the weakpont in place. At this the creature bit down even harder. Now MOrtimer was sure he had cracked a rib or two but he had to press forward until this thing was dead.

"F-F-FUuuuuuuuuLGORIS" finishing his last chant an explosion of lightning eminated at the target. Hopefully after being weakened by the curse, the wind and ice, and being deliverd the finishing blow by lightning the creature would finally be dead. It hadn't been a one hit kill but hopefully a series of elemental combos would keep it off balance enough to end it.

But was it really over? Had all the training and magic really done it?

(Remember, even for high magical power, basic spells cant really damage anyone)

"Go straight for the kill, dont wait for it... GeroGero, Agite Jovis Alatum, Sanare"

Healing the wound Al received from the chameleon dealt him, he was hurt rather un-marvelously, and thus healed in short order.

"As Spring Palace PIllar, you should always finish your opponent off"

(They can when I've turned them into a Rank 8 spell. Behold a short range weaponization of basic techniques )

Pulling his hand into a fist Mortimer brought his hand down on the creature with all his might seeking to break bones, severe arteries and crush organs. Bringing his fist back up he hit it again, and again. Even if the creature was resistant to elemental attacks and could absorb them, physical, non-magical attacks, made by an angry youth with high strength were only hindered by its scales and previous elemental absorptions. Still, that didn't stop Mortimer from Finishing it to a bloody pulp. Beating the creature until its blood shot into his eyes,, freezing shocking abd blocking them. Painful but that only made him hit it harder... and harder... until at last he was exhausted from the activity. It took a lot to tire Mortimer and his current state alluded to just how much force he had put into every punch. Speaking breathlessly he asked Umi. "So... are we finished here?"

(That would require knowledge of their elemental magic, the reason anyone can do them is because they dont really do anything, anymore than training would mean they become ACTUAL spells)

"I guess, but you have to come with me to make the weapon, and harvest the scales..."

(Done)

Rewards

Umi: 3 SP, 3 MP and 380,000 Drachma
Alberio: 3 SP, 3 MP and 410,000 Drachma