Chapter 199: A Wonderfully Peaceful Time
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Chapter 199: A Wonderfully Peaceful Time
Tala felt that her time in Marliweather was an unmitigated success.
True, things might have gone better if shed been able to write her own destiny, but in the realm of reality, she couldnt imagine a better turn out. After all, I came out of it with two more siblings than I went in with.
-Thats a funny way of looking at it.-
But it is true.
-Oh, decidedly, and it seems like relationships are possible with all of them, at least in time.-
Lunch on the first day found the three Mage Protectors sitting atop the cargo-wagon for the meal, keeping their eyes moving over the surrounding wilds.
I cant believe youre fully Fused. Rane was shaking his head in resignation, even while a genuine smile pulled at his lips. I just cant. I can see your aura, but it seems impossible. Congratulations.
Rane?
Yeah, Tala?
Thats about the thousandth time youve said that.
He colored, cleared his throat, and took another bit of his lunch.
Mistress Odera drank some water to clear her mouth, then regarded Tala. It is an impressive thing, Mistress Tala. His saying so isnt a bad thing.
Oh, I know. Im still somewhat shocked, myself.
Indeed.
Rane waved a hunk of bread. It is unusual, but not unique. Still impressive, though.
Tala laughed. I feel like I hear that about a lot of what I do. After a pause, she added. The first part, I mean.
Rane grinned back her way but didnt comment further.
You do seem to have found a fortuitous path. Time will tell if others follow you on it, and whether the outcome is a net positive for humanity.
Tala didnt really like to think of that, so she turned to Rane. How are you progressing?
He grimaced at that. Same issue as before. I lack the mana-density to brute-force the connection, though I am making progress. He straightened slightly. The job I took yesterday was to protect a group while they examined some cave paintings.
Mistress Odera paused at that. The Cave of the Triune?
Precisely.
Tala frowned. Why does that sound familiar?
Rane shrugged. Well, Master Grediv mentioned it a lot. Three founts, each less than a dozen yards apart, all with pure, non-elemental magic flowing from them.
She gave him a level look. I didnt know what founts were until recently.
Oh, right.
Mistress Odera cut in. The Triune, Mistress Tala. Three Immaterial Guides who focused on the manipulation of magic, directly. Triplets, bent towards the betterment of humanity. They sacrificed themselves in an attempt to give humanity another path to power.
Tala found herself nodding. Right, but it failed. Their theoretical pathway of ascending was a failure.
Rane interjected around another mouthful. Which is a shame, because our path of ascension is amazing.
Mistress Odera and Tala both turned to regard Rane with confusion.
After swallowing, he clarified. Meaning the steps that humanity can take through the ranks. Look at us. We are so much more than what we could ever have been without magic, without our gates, and this path. Its tried and true. Why try to build a second one?
Mistress Oderas tone was hard. Because it still fails many of us.
Rane colored, hunching down. Right. Iapologies, Mistress.
She waved him off. No matter. You were saying, Master Rane?
Hmm?
You went to the cave.
Oh! So, I meditated between the founts, removing all barriers to power flowing in and out of me. It was, he grimaced, like having a pumice-stone scraped through my entire body, but after half a day, my magic capacity and density have both increased by nearly ten percent.
Tala sat up. Thats remarkable! Can I? She trailed off as she saw Mistress Odera shaking her head.
You already have a higher density than that cave, so it wouldnt lead to an improvement for you. It is a miserable process as well, from what I hear. It also only works for Bound, if it works at all. Mages cant survive such an onslaught, even those with incredibly high density, because the quality of the power, the purity, overwhelms them. Fused are too potent, as a rule, to gain anything from the cave, and Bound dont need it. Though, it does help some. She nodded towards Rane.
Huh, so in a way they succeeded?
I suppose, in a way. Mistress Odera sounded skeptical. But one can hardly call it a success when instead of forging a new road, they now marginally help a small fraction as they progress down the old one.
Tala grunted. Fair enough. The conversation shifted, then, to other things as their meal drew to a close.
Most of the journey back to Bandfast was uneventful, aside from the usual training and occasional arcanous beast.
She spent her meals and evenings talking with Rane and Mistress Odera and sparring with Terry and Rane.
On the second day of travel, Terry made real progress on changing his own fighting methods. He began to toss a knife back and forth with himself, flickering between each side of the wagon as they rumbled across the wintery plain, throwing it with increasing speed.
Seems like hes gotten over his aversion. He didnt add the knife tossing into their sparring, when she faced off against him that night. Not that he needed to, as he could still handily defeat her, seemingly at will.
The next morning, he added a second knife, and by the time they arrived in Bandfast, he was creating a storm of crisscrossing weaponry, all flying through a single space.
Thats not at all terrifying. He still hadnt used the new weaponry in combat, but Tala knew that he would, soon enough.
Tala made sure to congratulate Terry on his new accomplishment.
He was suitably pleased both with her praise and the extra helpings of meat and jerky she gave along with it.
-Yes, keep the terrifying murder bird appeased, please.-
Im doing my best.
The second thing of consequence came from Alat.
When they were right about halfway between the two cities, Alat began to cackle madly, which was quite a disturbing thing to have happen in Talas head.
What is going on?
-I have full access to pull information from the Archive. The Fused power behind your soul-bound items has increased the reach of the Archive connection. Unfortunately, I still cant write to anywhere but our own private space.-
So, that means we cant send messages?
-Thats correct. Even if I try to change access to any information, it wont allow it, and I cant write to the notation we share with Jenna, or anyone else. So communication is out, but I can still keep your mind-map up to date in real time, now!-
That was actually pretty great news. Any idea on the range?
-Well, if my perception of the link is correct, we could probably have this level of access out to nearly a thousand miles from the closest human city, though the last hundred or so might be iffy.-
Tala was utterly shocked at that. I dearly hope Ill never be anywhere near that far from a city. At least not anytime soon.
-True, but its good to know your limits. I could probably also pierce out of an enclosed pocket dimension, or through quite a bit of iron, but either of those would limit the total range.-
Like Kit? I thought you did that already.
-No, no. Kit is an open pocket dimension, merely an expanded space really. You know this. Im talking about one that is fully cut-off from the physical world.- Alat hesitated. -Well, this physical world at least.-
That was good to know. She hesitated. Wait, if the pocket dimension is fully cut off from this physical world, then where would you be measuring from for the distance back to a human city?
-That is an excellent point. I might actually have an easier time reaching the Archive from a fully disconnected space, then.- She made a contemplative sound.
Well, in any case, Im glad you wont be fully cut off from the Archive any time soon.
-Ever. Im never going to be cut off ever again, now.- There was a firmness that bordered on fear, there, but Tala didnt think it was a good time to address it.
I decidedly hope that that is true.
All told, it was a fruitful, but uneventful, return trip.
After Tala received her pay, she immediately went to the Caravanners Guild, found Lynand Kannis, and asked for help for signing up for as many trips back and forth to Marliweather as possible, as quickly as possible.
Shed contemplated just taking a longer time in Marliweather, but she felt like the short stints with her family, spaced out, would be better for easing back into each others lives. Additionally, she wanted to get a large chunk of ventures out of the way, towards fulfilling her contract with the Caravanners Guild.
As soon as she stepped through the door, Holly called from the back. You did it, girl! She laughed maniacally, hurrying out from her workshop. Very, very nicely done. I knew you had it in you.
Tala was taken aback, as was the receptionist, if the look on his face was any indication.
Come in, come in. No need to dawdle.
Tala followed Holly back into her shop.
Now, we need to test you, see how well stabilized you are, and how far along youve gotten since you had the preparatory scripts beforehand.
Yeah, about that-
Holly waved her off. You can thank me later.
Tala sighed. You werent allowed to tell me what you were doing?
Of course not, dear. She gave her a long look. Most people would want such scripts too early if it was widely known. Inscriptionists would be pestered, constantly, to do something that wouldnt be good or effective for most Mages. Holly waved Tala off again. But thats an oversimplification.
Tala grunted. I guess.
So, lets do some tests.
Tala looked down at her own hands, seeing the yellowing aura. It had ticked away from true orange and towards yellow at a steady rate since shed Fused, and if it continued at this pace, shed hit the half-way point in a couple more months.
She conveyed this to Holly.
Yes, thats wonderful, dear, I can see that. My scripts on this building can see that. Any idiot with mage-sight and a basic understanding of when you Fused could see that. That is not what Im going to test.
Tala frowned. Then what are you going to test?
I am going to determine what tools well need in order to initiate the Refining process. Everyones a little different in the extent to which they need to be Refined. She pulled out what looked like a wooden tongue depressor but radiating magic. Open up.
What followed reminded Tala very much of a mundane medical exam, but conducted with tools that were clearly magical in their aura, even if not in their appearance. I wonder how much of this is just for show, or some sort of elaborate joke.
Tala couldnt quite determine what they did, exactly. Yes, look at this clearly magical item! Ooooo. No one can tell what it does. Tala had to keep herself from laughing. That would actually be kind of funny. Making a bunch of things that looked really magical to mage-sight, but did nothing. I should find a way to do that to one of the bricks in the city streets, and see how long it takes for someone to panic
She hesitated at that. Hmmm Maybe magic does make people a bit mischievous
Alat didnt comment, but Tala thought she could hear muffled chuckling.
Throughout the exam, Hollys face slowly lost its joy and a frown began to build. That, more than anything, pulled Tala out of her contemplations.
Finally, Tala couldnt take it anymore. Whats wrong?
Holly let out a long breath. Well, there is good and bad news, Im afraid.
Isnt there always? Tala tried to lighten the mood.
Dont interrupt.
Okay, not a light matter then. Sorry.
The prep work is coming along nicely, and we should be able to move you to the final set of script modifications in a couple of months, if not sooner.
Thats the good news.
Holly gave her a long, level look.
Sorry. Ill be quiet.
As I was saying, youre coming along nicely in that regard. Unfortunately, your scripts for intaking consumable materials didnt have quite as much effectiveness as Id hoped, given your magical density. Do you know what Refining actually does?
Tala was not surprised by the seeming change of topic. She was getting used to Holly by this point.
-Bite your tongue. No one can ever get used tothat.-
She waited for a moment, considering pointing out that Holly had told her to be quiet, then decided not to be difficult. To remove impurities?
Very good. Yes. The goal is to refine the person, physically, all the way down to their blueprints, that which governs the structure and function of their bodies.
So, we should have a jump on that, right?
In most ways, we do. The human body has to be built up, strength and resilience wise, before the impurities can be purged. Were doing that. Unfortunately, the bulk of the work in Refining is the painful removal of those impurities, by the Mage themselves, using magical tools.
That soundsquite unpleasant.
Oh, incredibly so, yes. Unfortunately, because weve been forcing the use of all that you consume, this seems to have increased the impurities in your body, at least on the macroscale.
So, I will have more, agonizingly painful work to do.
Precisely.
Tala frowned. Wait, why did we do that, if this was a possibility?
Because the scripts should have purified all the material, making it useful within you. And they mostly succeeded, but the result is that you have moregunk in your body than the average person does.
What does that mean?
Well, if you were a mundane? Without immediate treatment? An early grave, likely very early. But because your systems are enhanced, it shouldnt cause any issue before we can get you purged. You will naturally purge the impurities with time, but I doubt you want to spend a decade or five doing that.
Lovelyand no. No, I do not.
Holly seemed to hesitate for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. I do apologize. This was a miscalculation on my part. It seems like even with as magically dense as you were, the quality of power coming through your gate wasnt sufficient to do what we were trying to. I couldnt find any mention of a Bound with enough magical density to even use the scripts before you, and the requirements only stated a magic density level, which you exceeded. Holly sighed. Ill have to update the information on these scripts so that no one else makes my mistake.
Tala knew the scripts that Holly was referring to. They should have been fine. I understand them, Im enacting them as we speak.
I agree, but the data doesnt lie. Youre going to have a rough Refining, once youre settled.
Tala grimaced. Fair, I suppose. On that note: How am I on that front?
I do think that a year or two to fully settle will be advisable. Though, if you want risks, you can attempt in closer to six months.
Tala opened her mouth to reply, then paused to consider. Why do I need to rush? Advancing is important, but such a delay would get me through my contract with the Caravanners, and I could then assess where Im at, and move forward into the next stage ofwhatever I want to be doing. It might be nice to have a change of pace, and maybe truly get to know my siblings again. Yeah, I think thats wise.
Holly gave her a long look, then shook her head and muttered to herself. I guess everyone grows up eventually.
Tala decided not to comment.
-Yeah, because were mature, now.-
Hush you.
Holly apparently had a lot of work still to do, so she shooed Tala away, but not before securing a promise from Tala to drop in whenever she could to be scanned by Hollys workshop scripts.
And so, thats how Tala spent the winter.
She went back and forth to Marliweather as often as she could. While she was there, she spent her time with her siblings. While she was in Bandfast, she spent her time training and with her friends.
The only break from the pleasant monotony was when Nalac and Illie departed for the Academy just before the two months mark after Tala had reentered their lives.
It was a simple affair, with the whole family gathering to watch them step onto the teleportation pad one after another.
By happenstance, coincidence, or a funny twist of fate, they ended up using the same teleportation room that Tala had departed from. The two events couldnt have been more different.
Where Tala had been alone, hiding tears, and just wanting to get away, Nalac and Illie were surrounded by family and a few friends who were wishing them farewell.
Their mother tried to push things on the twins, and Tala and the teleportation Mages had to continually return them to the woman, insisting that it wasnt possible to take items to the Academy.
As confrontational as it was, it feltnice to have a somewhat normal interaction with her mother. Almost like Im her eldest once again.
She didnt interact with her father at all, though he was there. She simply didnt trust herself to be civil.
Funnily enough, since they held off to allow Tala to be there, they left the day before her own birthday. She didnt stick around after the twins departure, choosing to celebrate turning twenty on the road back towards Bandfast.
To be fair, Tala didnt tell either of them, but Mistress Odera still seemed to know. She didnt make mention of it, but the cooks inexplicably prepared a cake for dessert that night, and gave her an extra helping, even beyond what they normally would have.
After that, things went back to how theyd been for the remainder of the season.
Holly reinscribed Tala twice during that time, updating the scripts as appropriate. They were blessedly able to confirm that Talas impurities werent getting more numerous, and were even marginally decreasing, but nothing short of the Refining process was going to remove the contaminants with any sort of efficiency.
Tala made four minimum payments on her debts, as well as an additional seventy gold towards paying it off. She was able to expand Kit four times, for a total of one-hundred-and-twenty gold, bringing the dimensional storages capacity up to a total of more than six-thousand cubic feet.
Even after all of that, including her meals while in each city, she still had a nice, tidy sum in case of emergency totaling more than forty gold.
All told, it was a wonderfully peaceful time.
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Chapter 199: A Wonderfully Peaceful Time
Tala felt that her time in Marliweather was an unmitigated success.
True, things might have gone better if shed been able to write her own destiny, but in the realm of reality, she couldnt imagine a better turn out. After all, I came out of it with two more siblings than I went in with.
-Thats a funny way of looking at it.-
But it is true.
-Oh, decidedly, and it seems like relationships are possible with all of them, at least in time.-
Lunch on the first day found the three Mage Protectors sitting atop the cargo-wagon for the meal, keeping their eyes moving over the surrounding wilds.
I cant believe youre fully Fused. Rane was shaking his head in resignation, even while a genuine smile pulled at his lips. I just cant. I can see your aura, but it seems impossible. Congratulations.
Rane?
Yeah, Tala?
Thats about the thousandth time youve said that.
He colored, cleared his throat, and took another bit of his lunch.
Mistress Odera drank some water to clear her mouth, then regarded Tala. It is an impressive thing, Mistress Tala. His saying so isnt a bad thing.
Oh, I know. Im still somewhat shocked, myself.
Indeed.
Rane waved a hunk of bread. It is unusual, but not unique. Still impressive, though.
Tala laughed. I feel like I hear that about a lot of what I do. After a pause, she added. The first part, I mean.
Rane grinned back her way but didnt comment further.
You do seem to have found a fortuitous path. Time will tell if others follow you on it, and whether the outcome is a net positive for humanity.
Tala didnt really like to think of that, so she turned to Rane. How are you progressing?
He grimaced at that. Same issue as before. I lack the mana-density to brute-force the connection, though I am making progress. He straightened slightly. The job I took yesterday was to protect a group while they examined some cave paintings.
Mistress Odera paused at that. The Cave of the Triune?
Precisely.
Tala frowned. Why does that sound familiar?
Rane shrugged. Well, Master Grediv mentioned it a lot. Three founts, each less than a dozen yards apart, all with pure, non-elemental magic flowing from them.
She gave him a level look. I didnt know what founts were until recently.
Oh, right.
Mistress Odera cut in. The Triune, Mistress Tala. Three Immaterial Guides who focused on the manipulation of magic, directly. Triplets, bent towards the betterment of humanity. They sacrificed themselves in an attempt to give humanity another path to power.
Tala found herself nodding. Right, but it failed. Their theoretical pathway of ascending was a failure.
Rane interjected around another mouthful. Which is a shame, because our path of ascension is amazing.
Mistress Odera and Tala both turned to regard Rane with confusion.
After swallowing, he clarified. Meaning the steps that humanity can take through the ranks. Look at us. We are so much more than what we could ever have been without magic, without our gates, and this path. Its tried and true. Why try to build a second one?
Mistress Oderas tone was hard. Because it still fails many of us.
Rane colored, hunching down. Right. Iapologies, Mistress.
She waved him off. No matter. You were saying, Master Rane?
Hmm?
You went to the cave.
Oh! So, I meditated between the founts, removing all barriers to power flowing in and out of me. It was, he grimaced, like having a pumice-stone scraped through my entire body, but after half a day, my magic capacity and density have both increased by nearly ten percent.
Tala sat up. Thats remarkable! Can I? She trailed off as she saw Mistress Odera shaking her head.
You already have a higher density than that cave, so it wouldnt lead to an improvement for you. It is a miserable process as well, from what I hear. It also only works for Bound, if it works at all. Mages cant survive such an onslaught, even those with incredibly high density, because the quality of the power, the purity, overwhelms them. Fused are too potent, as a rule, to gain anything from the cave, and Bound dont need it. Though, it does help some. She nodded towards Rane.
Huh, so in a way they succeeded?
I suppose, in a way. Mistress Odera sounded skeptical. But one can hardly call it a success when instead of forging a new road, they now marginally help a small fraction as they progress down the old one.
Tala grunted. Fair enough. The conversation shifted, then, to other things as their meal drew to a close.
Most of the journey back to Bandfast was uneventful, aside from the usual training and occasional arcanous beast.
She spent her meals and evenings talking with Rane and Mistress Odera and sparring with Terry and Rane.
On the second day of travel, Terry made real progress on changing his own fighting methods. He began to toss a knife back and forth with himself, flickering between each side of the wagon as they rumbled across the wintery plain, throwing it with increasing speed.
Seems like hes gotten over his aversion. He didnt add the knife tossing into their sparring, when she faced off against him that night. Not that he needed to, as he could still handily defeat her, seemingly at will.
The next morning, he added a second knife, and by the time they arrived in Bandfast, he was creating a storm of crisscrossing weaponry, all flying through a single space.
Thats not at all terrifying. He still hadnt used the new weaponry in combat, but Tala knew that he would, soon enough.
Tala made sure to congratulate Terry on his new accomplishment.
He was suitably pleased both with her praise and the extra helpings of meat and jerky she gave along with it.
-Yes, keep the terrifying murder bird appeased, please.-
Im doing my best.
The second thing of consequence came from Alat.
When they were right about halfway between the two cities, Alat began to cackle madly, which was quite a disturbing thing to have happen in Talas head.
What is going on?
-I have full access to pull information from the Archive. The Fused power behind your soul-bound items has increased the reach of the Archive connection. Unfortunately, I still cant write to anywhere but our own private space.-
So, that means we cant send messages?
-Thats correct. Even if I try to change access to any information, it wont allow it, and I cant write to the notation we share with Jenna, or anyone else. So communication is out, but I can still keep your mind-map up to date in real time, now!-
That was actually pretty great news. Any idea on the range?
-Well, if my perception of the link is correct, we could probably have this level of access out to nearly a thousand miles from the closest human city, though the last hundred or so might be iffy.-
Tala was utterly shocked at that. I dearly hope Ill never be anywhere near that far from a city. At least not anytime soon.
-True, but its good to know your limits. I could probably also pierce out of an enclosed pocket dimension, or through quite a bit of iron, but either of those would limit the total range.-
Like Kit? I thought you did that already.
-No, no. Kit is an open pocket dimension, merely an expanded space really. You know this. Im talking about one that is fully cut-off from the physical world.- Alat hesitated. -Well, this physical world at least.-
That was good to know. She hesitated. Wait, if the pocket dimension is fully cut off from this physical world, then where would you be measuring from for the distance back to a human city?
-That is an excellent point. I might actually have an easier time reaching the Archive from a fully disconnected space, then.- She made a contemplative sound.
Well, in any case, Im glad you wont be fully cut off from the Archive any time soon.
-Ever. Im never going to be cut off ever again, now.- There was a firmness that bordered on fear, there, but Tala didnt think it was a good time to address it.
I decidedly hope that that is true.
All told, it was a fruitful, but uneventful, return trip.
After Tala received her pay, she immediately went to the Caravanners Guild, found Lynand Kannis, and asked for help for signing up for as many trips back and forth to Marliweather as possible, as quickly as possible.
Shed contemplated just taking a longer time in Marliweather, but she felt like the short stints with her family, spaced out, would be better for easing back into each others lives. Additionally, she wanted to get a large chunk of ventures out of the way, towards fulfilling her contract with the Caravanners Guild.
As soon as she stepped through the door, Holly called from the back. You did it, girl! She laughed maniacally, hurrying out from her workshop. Very, very nicely done. I knew you had it in you.
Tala was taken aback, as was the receptionist, if the look on his face was any indication.
Come in, come in. No need to dawdle.
Tala followed Holly back into her shop.
Now, we need to test you, see how well stabilized you are, and how far along youve gotten since you had the preparatory scripts beforehand.
Yeah, about that-
Holly waved her off. You can thank me later.
Tala sighed. You werent allowed to tell me what you were doing?
Of course not, dear. She gave her a long look. Most people would want such scripts too early if it was widely known. Inscriptionists would be pestered, constantly, to do something that wouldnt be good or effective for most Mages. Holly waved Tala off again. But thats an oversimplification.
Tala grunted. I guess.
So, lets do some tests.
Tala looked down at her own hands, seeing the yellowing aura. It had ticked away from true orange and towards yellow at a steady rate since shed Fused, and if it continued at this pace, shed hit the half-way point in a couple more months.
She conveyed this to Holly.
Yes, thats wonderful, dear, I can see that. My scripts on this building can see that. Any idiot with mage-sight and a basic understanding of when you Fused could see that. That is not what Im going to test.
Tala frowned. Then what are you going to test?
I am going to determine what tools well need in order to initiate the Refining process. Everyones a little different in the extent to which they need to be Refined. She pulled out what looked like a wooden tongue depressor but radiating magic. Open up.
What followed reminded Tala very much of a mundane medical exam, but conducted with tools that were clearly magical in their aura, even if not in their appearance. I wonder how much of this is just for show, or some sort of elaborate joke.
Tala couldnt quite determine what they did, exactly. Yes, look at this clearly magical item! Ooooo. No one can tell what it does. Tala had to keep herself from laughing. That would actually be kind of funny. Making a bunch of things that looked really magical to mage-sight, but did nothing. I should find a way to do that to one of the bricks in the city streets, and see how long it takes for someone to panic
She hesitated at that. Hmmm Maybe magic does make people a bit mischievous
Alat didnt comment, but Tala thought she could hear muffled chuckling.
Throughout the exam, Hollys face slowly lost its joy and a frown began to build. That, more than anything, pulled Tala out of her contemplations.
Finally, Tala couldnt take it anymore. Whats wrong?
Holly let out a long breath. Well, there is good and bad news, Im afraid.
Isnt there always? Tala tried to lighten the mood.
Dont interrupt.
Okay, not a light matter then. Sorry.
The prep work is coming along nicely, and we should be able to move you to the final set of script modifications in a couple of months, if not sooner.
Thats the good news.
Holly gave her a long, level look.
Sorry. Ill be quiet.
As I was saying, youre coming along nicely in that regard. Unfortunately, your scripts for intaking consumable materials didnt have quite as much effectiveness as Id hoped, given your magical density. Do you know what Refining actually does?
Tala was not surprised by the seeming change of topic. She was getting used to Holly by this point.
-Bite your tongue. No one can ever get used tothat.-
She waited for a moment, considering pointing out that Holly had told her to be quiet, then decided not to be difficult. To remove impurities?
Very good. Yes. The goal is to refine the person, physically, all the way down to their blueprints, that which governs the structure and function of their bodies.
So, we should have a jump on that, right?
In most ways, we do. The human body has to be built up, strength and resilience wise, before the impurities can be purged. Were doing that. Unfortunately, the bulk of the work in Refining is the painful removal of those impurities, by the Mage themselves, using magical tools.
That soundsquite unpleasant.
Oh, incredibly so, yes. Unfortunately, because weve been forcing the use of all that you consume, this seems to have increased the impurities in your body, at least on the macroscale.
So, I will have more, agonizingly painful work to do.
Precisely.
Tala frowned. Wait, why did we do that, if this was a possibility?
Because the scripts should have purified all the material, making it useful within you. And they mostly succeeded, but the result is that you have moregunk in your body than the average person does.
What does that mean?
Well, if you were a mundane? Without immediate treatment? An early grave, likely very early. But because your systems are enhanced, it shouldnt cause any issue before we can get you purged. You will naturally purge the impurities with time, but I doubt you want to spend a decade or five doing that.
Lovelyand no. No, I do not.
Holly seemed to hesitate for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. I do apologize. This was a miscalculation on my part. It seems like even with as magically dense as you were, the quality of power coming through your gate wasnt sufficient to do what we were trying to. I couldnt find any mention of a Bound with enough magical density to even use the scripts before you, and the requirements only stated a magic density level, which you exceeded. Holly sighed. Ill have to update the information on these scripts so that no one else makes my mistake.
Tala knew the scripts that Holly was referring to. They should have been fine. I understand them, Im enacting them as we speak.
I agree, but the data doesnt lie. Youre going to have a rough Refining, once youre settled.
Tala grimaced. Fair, I suppose. On that note: How am I on that front?
I do think that a year or two to fully settle will be advisable. Though, if you want risks, you can attempt in closer to six months.
Tala opened her mouth to reply, then paused to consider. Why do I need to rush? Advancing is important, but such a delay would get me through my contract with the Caravanners, and I could then assess where Im at, and move forward into the next stage ofwhatever I want to be doing. It might be nice to have a change of pace, and maybe truly get to know my siblings again. Yeah, I think thats wise.
Holly gave her a long look, then shook her head and muttered to herself. I guess everyone grows up eventually.
Tala decided not to comment.
-Yeah, because were mature, now.-
Hush you.
Holly apparently had a lot of work still to do, so she shooed Tala away, but not before securing a promise from Tala to drop in whenever she could to be scanned by Hollys workshop scripts.
And so, thats how Tala spent the winter.
She went back and forth to Marliweather as often as she could. While she was there, she spent her time with her siblings. While she was in Bandfast, she spent her time training and with her friends.
The only break from the pleasant monotony was when Nalac and Illie departed for the Academy just before the two months mark after Tala had reentered their lives.
It was a simple affair, with the whole family gathering to watch them step onto the teleportation pad one after another.
By happenstance, coincidence, or a funny twist of fate, they ended up using the same teleportation room that Tala had departed from. The two events couldnt have been more different.
Where Tala had been alone, hiding tears, and just wanting to get away, Nalac and Illie were surrounded by family and a few friends who were wishing them farewell.
Their mother tried to push things on the twins, and Tala and the teleportation Mages had to continually return them to the woman, insisting that it wasnt possible to take items to the Academy.
As confrontational as it was, it feltnice to have a somewhat normal interaction with her mother. Almost like Im her eldest once again.
She didnt interact with her father at all, though he was there. She simply didnt trust herself to be civil.
Funnily enough, since they held off to allow Tala to be there, they left the day before her own birthday. She didnt stick around after the twins departure, choosing to celebrate turning twenty on the road back towards Bandfast.
To be fair, Tala didnt tell either of them, but Mistress Odera still seemed to know. She didnt make mention of it, but the cooks inexplicably prepared a cake for dessert that night, and gave her an extra helping, even beyond what they normally would have.
After that, things went back to how theyd been for the remainder of the season.
Holly reinscribed Tala twice during that time, updating the scripts as appropriate. They were blessedly able to confirm that Talas impurities werent getting more numerous, and were even marginally decreasing, but nothing short of the Refining process was going to remove the contaminants with any sort of efficiency.
Tala made four minimum payments on her debts, as well as an additional seventy gold towards paying it off. She was able to expand Kit four times, for a total of one-hundred-and-twenty gold, bringing the dimensional storages capacity up to a total of more than six-thousand cubic feet.
Even after all of that, including her meals while in each city, she still had a nice, tidy sum in case of emergency totaling more than forty gold.
All told, it was a wonderfully peaceful time.
Chapter 199: A Wonderfully Peaceful TimeTala felt that her time in Marliweather was an unmitigated success.True, things might have gone better if shed been able to write her own destiny, but in the realm of reality, she couldnt imagine a better turn out. After all, I came out of it with two more siblings than I went in with.-Thats a funny way of looking at it.-But it is true.-Oh, decidedly, and it seems like relationships are possible with all of them, at least in time.-Lunch on the first day found the three Mage Protectors sitting atop the cargo-wagon for the meal, keeping their eyes moving over the surrounding wilds.I cant believe youre fully Fused. Rane was shaking his head in resignation, even while a genuine smile pulled at his lips. I just cant. I can see your aura, but it seems impossible. Congratulations.Rane?Yeah, Tala?Thats about the thousandth time youve said that.He colored, cleared his throat, and took another bit of his lunch.Mistress Odera drank some water to clear her mouth, then regarded Tala. It is an impressive thing, Mistress Tala. His saying so isnt a bad thing.Oh, I know. Im still somewhat shocked, myself.Indeed.Rane waved a hunk of bread. It is unusual, but not unique. Still impressive, though.Tala laughed. I feel like I hear that about a lot of what I do. After a pause, she added. The first part, I mean.Rane grinned back her way but didnt comment further.You do seem to have found a fortuitous path. Time will tell if others follow you on it, and whether the outcome is a net positive for humanity.Tala didnt really like to think of that, so she turned to Rane. How are you progressing?He grimaced at that. Same issue as before. I lack the mana-density to brute-force the connection, though I am making progress. He straightened slightly. The job I took yesterday was to protect a group while they examined some cave paintings.Mistress Odera paused at that. The Cave of the Triune?Precisely.Tala frowned. Why does that sound familiar?Rane shrugged. Well, Master Grediv mentioned it a lot. Three founts, each less than a dozen yards apart, all with pure, non-elemental magic flowing from them.She gave him a level look. I didnt know what founts were until recently.Oh, right.Mistress Odera cut in. The Triune, Mistress Tala. Three Immaterial Guides who focused on the manipulation of magic, directly. Triplets, bent towards the betterment of humanity. They sacrificed themselves in an attempt to give humanity another path to power.Tala found herself nodding. Right, but it failed. Their theoretical pathway of ascending was a failure.Rane interjected around another mouthful. Which is a shame, because our path of ascension is amazing.Mistress Odera and Tala both turned to regard Rane with confusion.After swallowing, he clarified. Meaning the steps that humanity can take through the ranks. Look at us. We are so much more than what we could ever have been without magic, without our gates, and this path. Its tried and true. Why try to build a second one?Mistress Oderas tone was hard. Because it still fails many of us.Rane colored, hunching down. Right. Iapologies, Mistress.She waved him off. No matter. You were saying, Master Rane?Hmm?You went to the cave.Oh! So, I meditated between the founts, removing all barriers to power flowing in and out of me. It was, he grimaced, like having a pumice-stone scraped through my entire body, but after half a day, my magic capacity and density have both increased by nearly ten percent.Tala sat up. Thats remarkable! Can I? She trailed off as she saw Mistress Odera shaking her head.You already have a higher density than that cave, so it wouldnt lead to an improvement for you. It is a miserable process as well, from what I hear. It also only works for Bound, if it works at all. Mages cant survive such an onslaught, even those with incredibly high density, because the quality of the power, the purity, overwhelms them. Fused are too potent, as a rule, to gain anything from the cave, and Bound dont need it. Though, it does help some. She nodded towards Rane.Huh, so in a way they succeeded?I suppose, in a way. Mistress Odera sounded skeptical. But one can hardly call it a success when instead of forging a new road, they now marginally help a small fraction as they progress down the old one.Tala grunted. Fair enough. The conversation shifted, then, to other things as their meal drew to a close.Most of the journey back to Bandfast was uneventful, aside from the usual training and occasional arcanous beast.She spent her meals and evenings talking with Rane and Mistress Odera and sparring with Terry and Rane.On the second day of travel, Terry made real progress on changing his own fighting methods. He began to toss a knife back and forth with himself, flickering between each side of the wagon as they rumbled across the wintery plain, throwing it with increasing speed.Seems like hes gotten over his aversion. He didnt add the knife tossing into their sparring, when she faced off against him that night. Not that he needed to, as he could still handily defeat her, seemingly at will.The next morning, he added a second knife, and by the time they arrived in Bandfast, he was creating a storm of crisscrossing weaponry, all flying through a single space.Thats not at all terrifying. He still hadnt used the new weaponry in combat, but Tala knew that he would, soon enough.Tala made sure to congratulate Terry on his new accomplishment.He was suitably pleased both with her praise and the extra helpings of meat and jerky she gave along with it.-Yes, keep the terrifying murder bird appeased, please.-Im doing my best.The second thing of consequence came from Alat.When they were right about halfway between the two cities, Alat began to cackle madly, which was quite a disturbing thing to have happen in Talas head.What is going on?-I have full access to pull information from the Archive. The Fused power behind your soul-bound items has increased the reach of the Archive connection. Unfortunately, I still cant write to anywhere but our own private space.-So, that means we cant send messages?-Thats correct. Even if I try to change access to any information, it wont allow it, and I cant write to the notation we share with Jenna, or anyone else. So communication is out, but I can still keep your mind-map up to date in real time, now!-That was actually pretty great news. Any idea on the range?-Well, if my perception of the link is correct, we could probably have this level of access out to nearly a thousand miles from the closest human city, though the last hundred or so might be iffy.-Tala was utterly shocked at that. I dearly hope Ill never be anywhere near that far from a city. At least not anytime soon.-True, but its good to know your limits. I could probably also pierce out of an enclosed pocket dimension, or through quite a bit of iron, but either of those would limit the total range.-Like Kit? I thought you did that already.-No, no. Kit is an open pocket dimension, merely an expanded space really. You know this. Im talking about one that is fully cut-off from the physical world.- Alat hesitated. -Well, this physical world at least.-That was good to know. She hesitated. Wait, if the pocket dimension is fully cut off from this physical world, then where would you be measuring from for the distance back to a human city?-That is an excellent point. I might actually have an easier time reaching the Archive from a fully disconnected space, then.- She made a contemplative sound.Well, in any case, Im glad you wont be fully cut off from the Archive any time soon.-Ever. Im never going to be cut off ever again, now.- There was a firmness that bordered on fear, there, but Tala didnt think it was a good time to address it.I decidedly hope that that is true.All told, it was a fruitful, but uneventful, return trip.After Tala received her pay, she immediately went to the Caravanners Guild, found Lynand Kannis, and asked for help for signing up for as many trips back and forth to Marliweather as possible, as quickly as possible.Shed contemplated just taking a longer time in Marliweather, but she felt like the short stints with her family, spaced out, would be better for easing back into each others lives. Additionally, she wanted to get a large chunk of ventures out of the way, towards fulfilling her contract with the Caravanners Guild.As soon as she stepped through the door, Holly called from the back. You did it, girl! She laughed maniacally, hurrying out from her workshop. Very, very nicely done. I knew you had it in you.Tala was taken aback, as was the receptionist, if the look on his face was any indication.Come in, come in. No need to dawdle.Tala followed Holly back into her shop.Now, we need to test you, see how well stabilized you are, and how far along youve gotten since you had the preparatory scripts beforehand.Yeah, about that-Holly waved her off. You can thank me later.Tala sighed. You werent allowed to tell me what you were doing?Of course not, dear. She gave her a long look. Most people would want such scripts too early if it was widely known. Inscriptionists would be pestered, constantly, to do something that wouldnt be good or effective for most Mages. Holly waved Tala off again. But thats an oversimplification.Tala grunted. I guess.So, lets do some tests.Tala looked down at her own hands, seeing the yellowing aura. It had ticked away from true orange and towards yellow at a steady rate since shed Fused, and if it continued at this pace, shed hit the half-way point in a couple more months.She conveyed this to Holly.Yes, thats wonderful, dear, I can see that. My scripts on this building can see that. Any idiot with mage-sight and a basic understanding of when you Fused could see that. That is not what Im going to test.Tala frowned. Then what are you going to test?I am going to determine what tools well need in order to initiate the Refining process. Everyones a little different in the extent to which they need to be Refined. She pulled out what looked like a wooden tongue depressor but radiating magic. Open up.What followed reminded Tala very much of a mundane medical exam, but conducted with tools that were clearly magical in their aura, even if not in their appearance. I wonder how much of this is just for show, or some sort of elaborate joke.Tala couldnt quite determine what they did, exactly. Yes, look at this clearly magical item! Ooooo. No one can tell what it does. Tala had to keep herself from laughing. That would actually be kind of funny. Making a bunch of things that looked really magical to mage-sight, but did nothing. I should find a way to do that to one of the bricks in the city streets, and see how long it takes for someone to panicShe hesitated at that. Hmmm Maybe magic does make people a bit mischievousAlat didnt comment, but Tala thought she could hear muffled chuckling.Throughout the exam, Hollys face slowly lost its joy and a frown began to build. That, more than anything, pulled Tala out of her contemplations.Finally, Tala couldnt take it anymore. Whats wrong?Holly let out a long breath. Well, there is good and bad news, Im afraid.Isnt there always? Tala tried to lighten the mood.Dont interrupt.Okay, not a light matter then. Sorry.The prep work is coming along nicely, and we should be able to move you to the final set of script modifications in a couple of months, if not sooner.Thats the good news.Holly gave her a long, level look.Sorry. Ill be quiet.As I was saying, youre coming along nicely in that regard. Unfortunately, your scripts for intaking consumable materials didnt have quite as much effectiveness as Id hoped, given your magical density. Do you know what Refining actually does?Tala was not surprised by the seeming change of topic. She was getting used to Holly by this point.-Bite your tongue. No one can ever get used tothat.-She waited for a moment, considering pointing out that Holly had told her to be quiet, then decided not to be difficult. To remove impurities?Very good. Yes. The goal is to refine the person, physically, all the way down to their blueprints, that which governs the structure and function of their bodies.So, we should have a jump on that, right?In most ways, we do. The human body has to be built up, strength and resilience wise, before the impurities can be purged. Were doing that. Unfortunately, the bulk of the work in Refining is the painful removal of those impurities, by the Mage themselves, using magical tools.That soundsquite unpleasant.Oh, incredibly so, yes. Unfortunately, because weve been forcing the use of all that you consume, this seems to have increased the impurities in your body, at least on the macroscale.So, I will have more, agonizingly painful work to do.Precisely.Tala frowned. Wait, why did we do that, if this was a possibility?Because the scripts should have purified all the material, making it useful within you. And they mostly succeeded, but the result is that you have moregunk in your body than the average person does.What does that mean?Well, if you were a mundane? Without immediate treatment? An early grave, likely very early. But because your systems are enhanced, it shouldnt cause any issue before we can get you purged. You will naturally purge the impurities with time, but I doubt you want to spend a decade or five doing that.Lovelyand no. No, I do not.Holly seemed to hesitate for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. I do apologize. This was a miscalculation on my part. It seems like even with as magically dense as you were, the quality of power coming through your gate wasnt sufficient to do what we were trying to. I couldnt find any mention of a Bound with enough magical density to even use the scripts before you, and the requirements only stated a magic density level, which you exceeded. Holly sighed. Ill have to update the information on these scripts so that no one else makes my mistake.Tala knew the scripts that Holly was referring to. They should have been fine. I understand them, Im enacting them as we speak.I agree, but the data doesnt lie. Youre going to have a rough Refining, once youre settled.Tala grimaced. Fair, I suppose. On that note: How am I on that front?I do think that a year or two to fully settle will be advisable. Though, if you want risks, you can attempt in closer to six months.Tala opened her mouth to reply, then paused to consider. Why do I need to rush? Advancing is important, but such a delay would get me through my contract with the Caravanners, and I could then assess where Im at, and move forward into the next stage ofwhatever I want to be doing. It might be nice to have a change of pace, and maybe truly get to know my siblings again. Yeah, I think thats wise.Holly gave her a long look, then shook her head and muttered to herself. I guess everyone grows up eventually.Tala decided not to comment.-Yeah, because were mature, now.-Hush you.Holly apparently had a lot of work still to do, so she shooed Tala away, but not before securing a promise from Tala to drop in whenever she could to be scanned by Hollys workshop scripts.And so, thats how Tala spent the winter.She went back and forth to Marliweather as often as she could. While she was there, she spent her time with her siblings. While she was in Bandfast, she spent her time training and with her friends.The only break from the pleasant monotony was when Nalac and Illie departed for the Academy just before the two months mark after Tala had reentered their lives.It was a simple affair, with the whole family gathering to watch them step onto the teleportation pad one after another.By happenstance, coincidence, or a funny twist of fate, they ended up using the same teleportation room that Tala had departed from. The two events couldnt have been more different.Where Tala had been alone, hiding tears, and just wanting to get away, Nalac and Illie were surrounded by family and a few friends who were wishing them farewell.Their mother tried to push things on the twins, and Tala and the teleportation Mages had to continually return them to the woman, insisting that it wasnt possible to take items to the Academy.As confrontational as it was, it feltnice to have a somewhat normal interaction with her mother. Almost like Im her eldest once again.She didnt interact with her father at all, though he was there. She simply didnt trust herself to be civil.Funnily enough, since they held off to allow Tala to be there, they left the day before her own birthday. She didnt stick around after the twins departure, choosing to celebrate turning twenty on the road back towards Bandfast.To be fair, Tala didnt tell either of them, but Mistress Odera still seemed to know. She didnt make mention of it, but the cooks inexplicably prepared a cake for dessert that night, and gave her an extra helping, even beyond what they normally would have.After that, things went back to how theyd been for the remainder of the season.Holly reinscribed Tala twice during that time, updating the scripts as appropriate. They were blessedly able to confirm that Talas impurities werent getting more numerous, and were even marginally decreasing, but nothing short of the Refining process was going to remove the contaminants with any sort of efficiency.Tala made four minimum payments on her debts, as well as an additional seventy gold towards paying it off. She was able to expand Kit four times, for a total of one-hundred-and-twenty gold, bringing the dimensional storages capacity up to a total of more than six-thousand cubic feet.Even after all of that, including her meals while in each city, she still had a nice, tidy sum in case of emergency totaling more than forty gold.All told, it was a wonderfully peaceful time.
