I opened my Magic journal, and began my daily theorizing.

'The magics that I have learned are almost all defensive magics... different types of defense, yes, from poison, to fire, to actual physical harm, such as blades or arrows. A few, meaning 6, Elemental Attack Spells, which lines up perfectly with my Circle so far.

The three left are apparently even more advanced than the Tempest, and so I should wait a bit, though I'm extremely excited. They are: '', (,) '', (,), and '', which I'm still clueless about, and Riviera has refused to answer any questions about it. She can be remarkably stubborn.

I have decided that my body is not strong enough to keep up with my companions, who, through years of using Magic to expand the Limitations of the Human Condition, have become SuperHuman...

I will have to Compensate, with these new Magics. Here is how I will do so;

1: Using my shield spells, I will enchant my own body, each layer of my skin, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and Organs, to make myself nigh-invulnerable, without sacrificing any mobility at all, just like Bete or Ais's Iron Skin, (,) and the power of these spells will be permanently etched into my Cells. Even my Eyes will be as strong as Diamonds by the time I'm done.

2: I will enchant my Muscles with the Lightning Magic, heightening their responsiveness and speed to such an Extreme Level that no ordinary person could even Comprehend it.

3: I will do the same with my Heart, giving my body more of the Magic it needs, simply by pumping it into my blood. This way, my blood will carry oxygenated cells, but also Magic, to my muscles, which will spread nicely. With each beat of my heart, my brain will send the most blood into the part of me that needs to move the fastest or guard the best, strengthening the magic in that area exponentially for a moment.

4: My lungs will be my next change. They will be enchanted as Grimoire's are, to leech all the magic from the air I breathe, then sending it into my body, to be stored inside my muscles until it becomes necessary, and in that moment, providing a momentary burst of power.

5: Using '' to give myself claws and knuckle-spikes, as well as talons, and blades on my heels, knees, and elbows, would give me a physical advantage, given that my fighting style has been documented to benefit from things like that...

And for the Theories...

The Atlas Spell... it is about Gravity... perhaps I can cast it on a training area, and, like the Saiyan Warriors, (,) train in a Heightened Gravity environment, which would enhance my mobility, body control, durability, physical strength, etc.

Also... used , I could gravity around me, further enhancing my speed... though it may benefit my enemies as well... I will have to find a way to it... perhaps mixing it with would work? Both affect speed, in a way... yes, that sounds good.

How, though, will I mix them all together? I will need a Medium. From the books I've read so far, () any large amount of magic is usually channeled through a Medium. Most mages use a Staff with a Magic Stone, or something of that nature...

I have Dungeon Rowan, which, next to Dragon Scales, is supposedly the best for what I'm trying to do. But those spells they used are attack spells, being attached to weapons to make Magic Swords. I want a Shield. Armor.'

I began drawing next to my notes, designing a set of armor that clung to my skin, using Tempest and Atlas together to create almost a Ballistics Gel-like substance, in between each of the 9 layers of Rowan and Dragon Scales, to mitigate impacts.

The drawing looked a bit too much like Abalone Shell, but it would be extremely solid, just like they were, so I got over the aesthetic... for now.

It would, once finished, be only as thick as my leather armor, and include the blades I'd thought about using Cinder Ella to give myself.

I made sure to include extra motion-dampening effects on the Joints, so that in the unlikely event that I was sent rolling unceremoniously, ass over tea kettle, I wouldn't be broken into pieces, just shaken up, as the joints, spine, neck, and Skull portion of the armor had the most protection.

Next, I made the Strike-zones of the armor less flexible, and denser, for more stopping power, and began working on the hydraulics.

Now, of course, I couldn't actually make hydraulics, but I could include prosthetic muscles and speed-enhancers behind the armor, creating a sort of Bio-Enhancement muscle fiber in the last layer of the suit, so that any impact, whether from landing or injury, could be properly handled without injury to the user, and acceleration wouldn't cause undue G-Forces to hit the body.

The armor was impenetrable, and I applauded my work... but then I realized it wouldn't be able to be donned, as it was, as I said, .

So, I began tinkering, and nodded slowly. "Using Cinder Ella to pull the Armor out of a sealed holster would save space, that's true, and make it easier to carry... easier to steal, as well, hmm..."

I drew again, making the pack latch itself onto my ribs with Cinder Ella, and flatten itself from a pack into a thin vest that covered my abdomen and throat at all times, like a second skin, under my clothes.

I hummed, realizing my sword would look very out of place in this armor, as would my spear, and so I decided to make weapons grow out of the Armor on command.

I carefully designed a large blade, in a hack-style weapon, with a long, curved blade, so as to allow me to block larger weapons, then another style of blade, to allow me to attack at different ranges.

That done, I moved on to a shield on my left arm, and nodded at the finished product. "Okay, sword and shield done, what about my spear?... well, I'll still need a staff to do magic with, so that'll be relatively easily..."

I drew the wood/dragon scale mixture, making a staff with a sword blade on one end, and my Magic Stone Sphere on the other.

I looked at the finished drawings, and chuckled. "And so I dub thee... . Because you're a mix of everything I know about magic." I signed it, and then hummed, thinking about execution, how to actually the armor. 'I will need some Dragon Scales to complete my design... and more Dungeon Rowan... well, I know where to get Rowan, that's no problem, but Dragon Scales... now some rare stuff... I'll ask Riviera later today. But first, I need to master these Spells.'

I picked up the three Grimoire's, and took them to Loki's office, knocking gently.

"Is that you, Riviera? Did you bring me my wine?!?" Loki opened the door, and sighed. "I see... back for more, huh? Ah well. Go on. Have you seen Riviera?"

"Not since this morning at the Tavern, no." I shook my head, and sat on a different couch today.

She shook her head. "Not there, that's too close to my desk. Especially with advanced magic grimoires."

I blinked, then grinned. "I've figured it out."

She hummed and sat at her desk. "And what's that?"

"Magic. It's not just scraps of your Divinity... it's literally the excess of your ." I grinned even wider.

She blinked slowly. "Is that your theory?"

"And for the God of Mischief to blandly disagree with me, instead of joke or laugh, means I'm so much closer than you want me to be!" I smirked.

She hummed, and smiled slowly. "I like you, boy, but that's a road you don't want to go down."

"What road?" I asked.

"The Odin Road, boy. Don't go there. Accept Magic for what it is, and leave that to itself. I don't like to be serious, but I am." She frowned, and the room froze instantly, like her mood shifting had turned the tension in the air totally hostile.

"Wha-" I started to ask.

"" She stressed each word, nearly growling the syllables out, like a vicious wolf.

I hummed. "If the road you're speaking of is seeking immortality, then no worries. I just want to understand everything."

She hummed, then smiled again, changing the atmosphere back just as easily. "Then great! You're free to ask me anything, so long as you never stray to the Odin Road."

"You keep saying that like a title... is it a literal road? Or is it a Cult?" I asked.

She blinked. "Got it in one. Wow. Yes, it's a Cult that worships gods... and tries to take their Immortality, and make themselves Gods."

"Wouldn't that just make them Spirits?" I asked.

The room froze again, though her expression didn't change, and I shivered. "What- do you mean?" She asked politely.

I cleared my throat. "Well, Spirits hate gods... and I suppose for good reason. I'm guessing that, -ahem, ,- that gods and spirits were one clan once, and then you split, and warred over supremacy."

"Oho? Interesting theory... but-"

"And I think that The God-side won the first battle, and then took over the place, creating a secondary plane of existence for themselves, above the human world, or Spirit world, whatever... then you gained your God-powers somehow, and humans started worshipping you, gave you names, and the Spirits didn't like that very much at all, whether out of jealousy or hatred, so they warred on humans, making them kill each other, over and over, again and again... until you locked them all away in the Dungeon, I'm guessing."

The rooms atmosphere nearly choked me, forcing the air out of my lungs, and she smiled. "Such a you have, boy... but no ..."

I grinned. "I'm going to assume I'm mostly right? Not like it matters, but I like being correct. Makes me feel all tingly."

The pressure stopped. "You're not afraid of death... I forgot myself for a moment, my apologies... fine. You are mostly correct... but also incorrect. There's a lot of detail missing, as well as the origin is a bit off. But well done, I'd say, for someone who only studied magic itself."

"Yeah, well. It's my job to make theories and test them... it's what I went to University for." I grinned and sat down on the farthest couch.

She snorted in an unladylike manner, and plopped into her seat. "Maaaaan I wish Riviera would come back already with my !!!!" She complained childishly.

Riviera walked in, closing the door. "I am not here to buy wine for you, I am not an Errand Girl." She said simply, and sat on the couch across from mine.

I hummed. "Johnny has no qualms being an Errand Boy. Pay him, and he'll go fetch just about anything. The man doesn't have a shred of pride or self-image. He's not egotistical enough." I shrugged.

Loki grinned. "Good! I'll send him when he wakes up from his initiation..."

"You realize he'll just stand up, like I did? No matter how old he is, the man puts me to shame." I shrugged, and crossed my legs, holding the Atlas Grimoire in my lap.

Loki nodded. "Okay. Go ahead, learn your spells, I have plotting to do."

I nodded and opened the book, grinning wildly in anticipation.