piratejournal | Week 67

Good afternoon, darlings.

By now, you should all have the shards I promised you. I'm sure you've noticed they look a little different than the ones you've found. Nothing to worry about. The darker color is simply an indication that their potential has been unlocked.

I promised to teach you how to use them.

I'm sure some of you have already heard their little hum. That is the key to using it. You need to supply two resonances -- one higher and one lower. The unlocked crystal will, in a sense, absorb those two notes, and you'll hear the hum change to the chord. Unfortunately, each fragment is different, so I cannot tell you the correct frequency for each piece. You'll need to find that yourself.

Once that's happened, it's a simple matter of focus.

Find a quiet place with your shard and concentrate. Let the chord flow through your mind. Focus either on your abilities as a whole for a small boost to them all or one specific -- for example, let us say, your quickness on your feet -- for a moderate boost to just that.

And it's as simple as that. The crystal will be bonded, and so long as you have it on your person, you'll feel the force of the foci working.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hello again Miss Cat!

I want to make sure I understand this right, but...when you mentioned resonances, do you mean we need to provide a sound of some kind?

Yes. Two sounds, in fact, to properly activate the pieces.

Ah, I see..! I think. So we have to harmonize with whatever sound the shard is making.

Precisely so. Then focus to bind them to a skill.

Can the focus of a skill be changed, or will it only work once on whatever you decide? And can more than one person use it?

The focus cannot be changed. That shard will be bound to that skill.

More than one person can use it, however. Let us use magic as an example. If one person bound the crystal to their general magic use, any magic user could use it with similar results. If, for instance, they bound it to a certain kind of magic or a certain spell, then only someone able to use that magic or skill would notice any improvement with the fragment.

[Listening INTENTLY to his journal here]

Okay, that makes sense. I'll speak with the captain about it to see what we should have it focus on.

You're a very good lad, aren't you? Respectful. I like that.

Huh? O-oh, well, I don't see any reason not to be! And especially not to someone who's been so helpful.

"Simple matter of focus" my ass...

[His Master said pretty much the same thing about Ars Magus and yet it took Ragna years to get a proper hang of that. He doesn't expect this to be any easier.]

... Wait a goddamn minute. You mean these aren't just for magic power up or some shit?

[To be fair he's never seriously expected himself to use this thing, considering he could never dream of wielding magic, but if that's the case...]

No, dear. They can be used to power up magical abilities or to hone physical abilities. It only requires finding the right resonances and concentration.

Will you cut the "dear" crap? It's creeping me out.

[But back to the main topic:]

... How 'bout abilities that ain't magic? Like, say, a Grimoire...

[On an off chance she actually knows what that is.]

Very well, very well.

What sort of grimoire do you have in mind?

[Now that's a problem: how does he describe the Azure Grimoire without actually saying anything specific about it?]

... One that enhances power, more or less.

[Couldn't be more vague if he tried.]

So you wish to use a foci to enhance another foci?

That could result in either an abundance of power or in power refracted between two sources, like two mirrors reflecting each other.

So in other words... I won't know unless I give it a shot.

I would advise caution, certainly, but one doesn't learn new things without testing them.

Week 67

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