Ashan 93, Arc 719
Well-Craft was the final ability of Transmutation - pre-Revelation at least - that Alistair needed to learn. With the addition of it to his arsenal, there was nowhere else the magister could go within his four sparks save for learning lost abilities he'd not yet been informed of. It appeared simple enough. Damien had informed him of such measures long before - of Transmuters who could craft wells via their own ether, as if they were acting as keys to Fractures far outside of their reach. They only needed to focus and consolidate their ether, fully mastered, into a space before them and crystallize it into a well's earthly shape. To Alistair, this concept had always seemed trivial. He'd wondered why a Transmuter would even need to craft such mundane wells - apparently Imedyte at best, without risking severe overstepping - when they were so skilled at delving into Fractures.
Nonetheless, he supposed as an entry platform it was not the worst of ideas. He could craft minor artifacts with Ezymite and Imedyte wells, if only using Well-Craft as a quick method of acquisition for such wells... for research purposes. The mage sighed as he found himself far from blown away at the ability's benefits, though that was Transmutation in general. It was a wide plethora of quality of life augmentations that had scarcely interacted with his life directly, yet often did in subtle ways at the same time.
Yet as he began to crystallize his ether, he was interrupted by a sudden call from the cabin's acute darkness. It was nearly the final hour and yet Alistair remained awake, diligently attempting to keep his mind, spark and body honed so that he could protect the family he was sailing northwest.
"Alistair," the Lich called from behind him. The mage turned to greet the other man, and nodded once as he viewed the Undead Yari.
"Hello, Damien," the Paragon hesitantly replied. Of late, Damien had acted strangely and their interactions had become more distant and tense. The Necromancer had thoroughly disapproved of his apprentice, offering him naught but scowls and grim stares whenever he spoke of his ambitions or the things he wished to do within his next steps. Yet he also approved of his changes - leaving Helice, life-bonding with Kleine, and abandoning the dream of following Zarik who all of the men of the household seemed to unanimously perceive as a danger to him.
It was a strained relationship with ups and downs, not unlike the relationship between many fathers and sons... which was what they were, in every way but the biological.
And so regardless of how Damien seemed to look at him, now, after everything; Alistair's shoulder remained within reach and his ears were more than privy to the Yari's wise counsel... which he supposed was soon to come.
