Chapter 364: Aegis

When his Master was placing the Script on his skin, he had expected it to draw deeply on Andar's Aether, and he would make up the difference, but he became shocked when he felt the amount of Aether inside his body that seemed limitless.

Andar's physique had always attracted and generated an excessive amount of Aether, but his master knew at most it was at the Limit of a Rank 1 Mage, but this was a Rank 2 Script.

His Master had waited for a while for Andar to feel the strain of his Aether draining away but he gave up after Andar showed no signs at all that he was reaching his limits. He could only suppress the shock and excitement in his heart, the implications of Andar's physique were too terrifying for him to contemplate at this time.

The next was the carrying capacity, this simply meant the ability of the body to withstand any Mystical loads of any sort placed on it, be it Spells, Runes, or Scripts.

A Script was similar to Runes and it was related to the Transcription field in Alchemy, there were different difficulty thresholds when it came to utilizing Scripts but only Diamond Ranked Alchemists and above could fuse Script with living flesh, and Jonathan Melbrook was above that, as he was a Mithril Rank Alchemist.

A mortal could carry one Rank 0 script and an Acolyte from Rank 1 to Rank 3 could carry a total of 10 Rank 0 Scripts and a single Rank 1 Script. Yet that was just in theory, many factors could influence the amounts of Script an Acolyte could carry.

A Mage could carry multiple Rank 1 scripts and upwards the only limitation was that the Mage must have enough Aether to power it, or they would be drained dry.

The Script the Alchemist was using on Andar was very complex, it was a combination of fifteen Rank 1 Scripts and two Rank 2 Scripts that were merged to achieve multiple tasks that needed to function in tandem. The name of this Script was called Aegis.

This sort of complex Script was beyond the Carrying Capacity of most Rank 1 mages and only a Rank 2 mage would be able to use it because of the Aether needed and the elevated Carrying Capacity of their bodies.

Yet Andar had effortlessly crushed the Aether requirement and the Carrying Capacity of his body must be quite substantial for he was not feeling any strain holding this Script. The Alchemist had learned to hold back his shock, but it was getting harder with every notion he knew being continuously shattered by his Apprentice.

It was like witnessing the birth of a Legend with his own eyes. He knew Andar's name would shake the very foundation of the World of mages, and the idea almost made him tear up.

The last part was what his Master was worried about the most was the Mental Strain or Mental Load. This one depended on the Spirit of the individual, and he could finally breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Andar could not handle the Mental Strain of carrying a Rank 2 Script.

He bolstered the Spirit embedded inside Aegis with his own, and he expected it to last for at least two years before it wore out. He was a Rank 4 Mage and his Spirit was potent.

Andar knew he would be able to hold back the Mental Strain, but he had to pretend and show that he had limits, or else his Master would no longer be in awe, but instead, would become afraid and suspicious, as far as he knew, talent could only go so far, Andar was still a Mortal, with a Mortal Spirit, it would be impossible to have no Mental Load carrying such a Script.

The purpose of Aegis was substantial, and his Master had given him the chart for upgrading it up to Rank 4, anything more than that then Andar would have to find his way forward, for Rank 4 was the limits of his Master's knowledge. Aegis at Rank 4 would be able to hold a Cloud Whale with abilities equal to a Rank 4 Mage.

Aegis would link the life force of the Cloud Whale to his own, this was a life-bound contract that places the life and well-being of the Cloud Whale to his own.

It also served as a shelter for the beast. Andar would easily house the Cloud Whale inside the Rune where it could rest and cultivate its innate abilities in peace.

This shelter would also serve to boost the level of the Cloud Whale using the Aether of its owner, usually, this feature was disabled by most Mages until they were two Ranks higher than their contracted beast, they would never be able to grow as a Mage with the consumption of their Aether being shared by their contracted beast.

Andar was an Anomaly, he was holding a Rank 2 script that was holding a Cloud Whale with abilities similar to a Rank 2 Mage, yet he was still a Mortal.

There were also benefits to this particular Rank 2 Scripts, Andar now had the strength of a Rank 2 beast by his side, and although the Cloud Whale was not known for its offensive capabilities, its unmatched speed and resilience were top-notch.

With Andar unknown reserves of Aether, it was possible that this Cloud Whale would also grow extremely quickly, the only thing that may delay its advancement apart from Aether was Andar's ability to formulate a Rank 3 Aegis and upgrade the one he was currently using.

Presently he was alone, and his Master had remained behind to throw any pursuers off his track. Andar was deeply grateful to his Master, and he was surprised that even in a universe filled with darkness, you could still find light in the most unexpected of places.

He knew his Master could have attempted to take over his body, in fact, Rowan had planned extensively for something like that. Greed was the first thing he expected to be faced with when the true scale of his potential was revealed and there was no way he would leave himself unprotected when he was weak.