Chapter 217: GateBreaking
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Chapter 217: Gate-Breaking
Tala and Thorn tried not to stare up at the new fake star in the sanctums sky.
Well, how fake is it really? It shines, it gives off heat, it seems to burn
-Not a real star, so fake is correct, but it is more real than I expected from a cursory examination of the House of Bloods hold. My understanding is that without magic, stars have to have a sufficient mass to maintain coherence. Miniature? Artificial? One of those might be more accurate?-
I suppose so.
Thorn cleared his throat. As fascinating as all of this is, we should get to our training.
Terry glanced at Tala from her shoulder, then hopped down and ran off to do Terry things. Probably exploring the sanctum. Definitely not killing workers and eating their bodies.
-Yeah, that doesnt sound like Terry.-
Tala decided to ignore the hints of sarcasm in Alats voice and trust Terrys discretion, regardless of his chosen tasks.
Be-thric gave a nod to Thorn. Very well. But one more thing before that.
He walked over to Tala and pulled out a metal rod. The city lord has granted our request to modify your saorsa-collar. It cannot be removed as common-law requires all gated humans to wear one, but yours will be modified to only be actionable by illegal conduct on your part, the Pillars of the House of Blood, or the city lord himself.
Tala gave a shallow bow. Thank you, Pillar.
Of course. We couldnt leave you in a state where a mere bribe to a city guard could kill my Eskau, could we? He pressed the rod through her collar, pushing it in so far that it should have come out the other side to skewer her neck.
Instead, it seemed to sink into the collar, fully melding with it, and Tala felt the magics shift.
There we have it.
Tala had investigated the magic of the collar innumerable times, even not counting the times that Tali had investigated the thing. There was no way out.
Kit couldnt remove it.
Even if she could convince him to help her, Thorn couldnt erect a disintegrating force between the collar and her neck to intercept the dasganachs.
The list went on and on. She and Alat were constantly brainstorming for possibilities, but the necklace was laid bare to them, and they could easily see how each of their plans would end.
Two dasganchs injected into her.
There was no way around it.
Tala was brought back to the present moment when Be-thric turned to go.
By all means, proceed with your training now, my Eskau. I wish to examine the sanctum a bit more before I depart. I am working to set up anappointment, which should be very profitable. Ill want you to attend me whenever I am able to get it established. It should be in less than two months, though I hope it will be much sooner. We must keep pushing forward, after all. He smiled along with the last words.
Tala nodded. As you wish.
The Pillar turned and walked away without another word
Thorn cleared his throat to garner her attention. Alright then, Eskau Tali. Can you place a stone block somewhere you can hit it with your weapon?
Tala frowned but shrugged in resignation. She hopped off the platform, then sent the desire to Kit.
A two-foot cube block of stone appeared on the edge of the platform, the center of the stone being about as high as Talas sternum.
What now?
Strike it with your weapon in the form of a sword. Dont do anything else, no mirroring, no enhancing, no nothing.
Tala quirked a smile. No nothing?
I dont understand all your strange fount powers.
She shook her head. Okay.
The stone was heavily magically saturated granite. She drew Flow and pushed it into the form of a sword.
Tala took a deep breath and exhaled with her swing, keeping proper edge alignment.
Her blade passed cleanly through the stone at a downward angle.
With a soft grating, the upper piece slid off the lower.
Thorn blinked at her. Huh.
What was that test for?
II expected you to fail to cut the whole way through, and I wanted to establish a baseline.
Tala rolled her eyes and jabbed at him, verbally, That was ignorant of you.
My old sword, formed from my protian weapon, wouldnt have been able to.
She grinned. Well, that might be one reason I won then, eh?
Thorn groused, but she could see a small smile tugging at his lips. Yeah, that may well be.
So what now?
Thorn sighed. Get rid of that stone.
Tala silently requested, and Kit made it happen.
Thank you. Now, there should be something in your storage called striking wood. Place it here, where the stone was.
Tala shrugged and sent the desire to Kit.
A thin piece of wood appeared in front of Tala.
It was a three-by-three foot square and one inch thick. The broad side was facing her, and it was on a stand of sorts.
There, cut that.
Tala could see magics of endurance and resistance to cutting flowing through every fiber of the wood.
She took a deep breath and struck again.
This time, Flow caught in the material after cutting about a quarter of the way through, the wood charring above and below the cut until she withdrew her weapon.
Good! Good. Thank you. Now, doing your aspect mirroring thing. Give your sword your entire magical weight.
Tala shrugged and did as he asked, striking at a different place on the wood.
Flow cut halfway through before being caught up in the material once again.
Thats the baseline, then. We need to increase your flowrate before we see what progress you make.
She frowned. My flowrate wont affect my density directly.
No, but it will affect it over the long run.
Thats fair.
The wood vanished since she no longer wanted it there. This might just make me a bit lazy
That was a hurdle for later, however.
So, how are we going to do this? How are founts normally expanded, enhanced, and improved?
Thorn looked a little sheepish. Well, to my understanding, this is only really done with founts.
Yes, that is what I was asking. Now, what will we be doing?
Gate-breaking.
-That sounds painful.-
That sounds painful.
-Copy cat.-
Were literally the same person. I cant copy myself.
-Only marginally these days.-
Tala huffed a laugh.
It felt like someone was insulting her friends or laughing at her most cherished beliefs.
It was an ache, an agony, that was so much deeper than mere physical pain.
And she needed to increase it. Or endure this for at least one hundred hours.
That wasnt really an option, if she were being honest.
How many settings does it have?
Thorn was giving her a worried look but answered without hesitation. One hundred. Just remember, what youre feeling? This is currently on one.
Great. Lets try two.
She activated the increase.
There were no words for the change in sensation, and she threw her head back and let out an involuntary, weeping scream.
Thorn was almost to her when she mastered herself, closing her mouth and cutting off the wail.
Oh bleed me dry that is awful. Her teeth were grinding against each other. How long do I need to do this?
The dwarf looked a bit pale. To say he was green would have been ridiculous. He was always green, but the green of his skin was a lighter shade than she was used to seeing. As long as you are able, Tali. Ideally, just more than two days at this setting. Can I get you anything?
Do I have to be conscious?
I think so, unfortunately. At least for now. If you can manage to sleep with it, later, I think that should work.
I hate you a little bit.
I know, Tali, but that cant be helped, Im afraid.
Tala laughed at that, and the laughter seemed to help. Is that because laughter helps the soul heal?
-Thats very conceptual thinking, but maybe?-
Seemed to work. Maybe, do we have any good comedies? I think laughing might help me endure this.
Ill see what I can find. Then, Ill see what I can dig up in the city.
Thank you, Thorn.
As the dwarf stepped back, watching carefully, Tala ticked the device up to three, and felt her entire body flash cold at the strain. This is the worst.
Tala was mistaken.
The next week was vastly worse than that first half-hour had been.
Honestly, she couldnt really say why she kept going. It was awful, and she was sure she could bring a halt to it at any time, but she found that she didnt want to stop, either.
With long practice and careful ramp-ups, Tala was able to push the device up to fifty for up to ten minutes at a time, before she had to drop it back down to the twenties.
She felt like her whole family had died before her eyes.
A thousand other descriptors rolled through her mind as she sunk deeper into a depressive state.
She barely ate,constantly fidgeted, and nothing felt right.
Her soul was raw, but the results were unquestionable.
Well, she didnt know exactly by how much her flowrate had increased, but she knew it had.
-Well test it when were finished with this stupidity.-
That was another thing that had surprised Tala, back when she could be surprised.
Alat felt agony too. Shed hidden that fact for the first day or so, but as the alternate interface became noticeably more irritable, Tala had wormed a confession out of her.
Theyd almost quit the second night, after not sleeping at all the first.
Blessedly, they found a way to sleep. Though, it was hardly restful, and every second had been filled with nightmares.
I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemies.
She actually meant that.
Be-thric had visited her a few times to check on her progress, and she hadnt been able to muster up the energy to wish he was suffering alongside her. Even when she felt like she could wish it on him, she realized that that would be too cruel.
What is wrong with me? If its that bad, lets stop.
-Yes, please stop.-
Okay. Well stop. Tala checked the time. Just one more hour, I think I can take it on thirty-five for another hour, if were going to be done after that.
-If youre sure, I can endure with you.-
And so it went.
One week became two and the sanctum was finished around Tala.
Plants began to sprout and grow, and the last of the workers departed.
Still Tala couldnt quite make herself bring the process to an end. If I stop, what will have been the point? I can never do this again. I need to make it worth something.
Thorn remained, always nearby. Though as the days went on, he looked more and more concerned. Tala had even woken to him trying to take the control from her once.
Shed screamed herself hoarse at him for that, though she couldnt remember why shed been so angry.
In the end, Tala had utterly lost count of the days when Be-thric came to her. Your dedication is admirable, my Eskau, but you are needed.
Tala sat in her throne, slumped to the side, and barely acknowledged the man.
Shed tried letting Tali be in command, but the womans internal monologues about doing this for her Master were somehow worse than the agony of the device. Or maybe it was that their repetitions had been in exact cadence with the pulsing pull, amplifying the awful?
In either case, it hadnt been a true solution.
When Tala didnt respond, Be-thric stepped forward, gripped the two devices, and simply ripped them off of her in one, quick motion.
Tala screamed, her throat so hoarse that it came out more like a harsh breath. Her gate had briefly spasmed, the flow seeming to stutter.
Then, the torrent rushed through the new gaping maw, power slamming into her scripts, suffusing her flesh, and burning its way free of her aura control.
Be-thric had taken a step back, a look of undisguised greed briefly flickering over his features.
After the brief slip, the Pillar snapped at her. Master your power, Eskau.
Tala had strained to pull her power, her aura, back in, and by slow degrees she succeeded. It was harder than the first time shed ever attempted aura control despite the skill being deeply ingrained in her subconscious. It was supposedly something she did without thought.
That wasnt true anymore.
Clean yourself up. I need you in three hours. Will you be able to contain yourself by then?
But I could have kept going for another three hours With such a time limit, I probably could have endured up into the seventies.
Her self was shaking.
That device had become all she focused on, and now it was gone. Gone. GONE!
Tala stared at it as it lay on the ground. I could reattach it. Its probably not been too long. I can keep going at least for a little bit.
Be-thric seemed to see where she was looking, and he sighed. Thorn, was there any mention of addictive properties?
The Pillar glanced to Thorn and the dwarf shrugged, his worried eyes fixed on Tala. Im sorry, my Pillar, but I dont know. I dont think anyones ever used it on a gated human before. That would explain how shes been acting, though.
-Depression is addicting, in its own way.- Alat had kept a clearer line of thought through the whole process, and that seemed to be holding true even now. -This is better. We needed to be done.-
II guess thats true. She took a deep, shuddering breath. The power within her had settled, though it still moved like the tide itself. Her throat was already fully healed. It likely had been in the first wash of power, but Tala hadnt noticed.
Tala groaned, pulling herself back together in an almost literal sense.
The power was ripping her apart as it activated her magics more powerfully than they had ever been before. That same power was also flowing through her regenerative inscriptions, repairing the damage it caused before it could truly register.
The truly physical pain was actually steadying to her, like vigorous exercise. It helped her focus on the present. Ill be ready.
Tala vaguely heard Thorn add in his own affirmation. Ill make sure of it.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 217: Gate-Breaking
Tala and Thorn tried not to stare up at the new fake star in the sanctums sky.
Well, how fake is it really? It shines, it gives off heat, it seems to burn
-Not a real star, so fake is correct, but it is more real than I expected from a cursory examination of the House of Bloods hold. My understanding is that without magic, stars have to have a sufficient mass to maintain coherence. Miniature? Artificial? One of those might be more accurate?-
I suppose so.
Thorn cleared his throat. As fascinating as all of this is, we should get to our training.
Terry glanced at Tala from her shoulder, then hopped down and ran off to do Terry things. Probably exploring the sanctum. Definitely not killing workers and eating their bodies.
-Yeah, that doesnt sound like Terry.-
Tala decided to ignore the hints of sarcasm in Alats voice and trust Terrys discretion, regardless of his chosen tasks.
Be-thric gave a nod to Thorn. Very well. But one more thing before that.
He walked over to Tala and pulled out a metal rod. The city lord has granted our request to modify your saorsa-collar. It cannot be removed as common-law requires all gated humans to wear one, but yours will be modified to only be actionable by illegal conduct on your part, the Pillars of the House of Blood, or the city lord himself.
Tala gave a shallow bow. Thank you, Pillar.
Of course. We couldnt leave you in a state where a mere bribe to a city guard could kill my Eskau, could we? He pressed the rod through her collar, pushing it in so far that it should have come out the other side to skewer her neck.
Instead, it seemed to sink into the collar, fully melding with it, and Tala felt the magics shift.
There we have it.
Tala had investigated the magic of the collar innumerable times, even not counting the times that Tali had investigated the thing. There was no way out.
Kit couldnt remove it.
Even if she could convince him to help her, Thorn couldnt erect a disintegrating force between the collar and her neck to intercept the dasganachs.
The list went on and on. She and Alat were constantly brainstorming for possibilities, but the necklace was laid bare to them, and they could easily see how each of their plans would end.
Two dasganchs injected into her.
There was no way around it.
Tala was brought back to the present moment when Be-thric turned to go.
By all means, proceed with your training now, my Eskau. I wish to examine the sanctum a bit more before I depart. I am working to set up anappointment, which should be very profitable. Ill want you to attend me whenever I am able to get it established. It should be in less than two months, though I hope it will be much sooner. We must keep pushing forward, after all. He smiled along with the last words.
Tala nodded. As you wish.
The Pillar turned and walked away without another word
Thorn cleared his throat to garner her attention. Alright then, Eskau Tali. Can you place a stone block somewhere you can hit it with your weapon?
Tala frowned but shrugged in resignation. She hopped off the platform, then sent the desire to Kit.
A two-foot cube block of stone appeared on the edge of the platform, the center of the stone being about as high as Talas sternum.
What now?
Strike it with your weapon in the form of a sword. Dont do anything else, no mirroring, no enhancing, no nothing.
Tala quirked a smile. No nothing?
I dont understand all your strange fount powers.
She shook her head. Okay.
The stone was heavily magically saturated granite. She drew Flow and pushed it into the form of a sword.
Tala took a deep breath and exhaled with her swing, keeping proper edge alignment.
Her blade passed cleanly through the stone at a downward angle.
With a soft grating, the upper piece slid off the lower.
Thorn blinked at her. Huh.
What was that test for?
II expected you to fail to cut the whole way through, and I wanted to establish a baseline.
Tala rolled her eyes and jabbed at him, verbally, That was ignorant of you.
My old sword, formed from my protian weapon, wouldnt have been able to.
She grinned. Well, that might be one reason I won then, eh?
Thorn groused, but she could see a small smile tugging at his lips. Yeah, that may well be.
So what now?
Thorn sighed. Get rid of that stone.
Tala silently requested, and Kit made it happen.
Thank you. Now, there should be something in your storage called striking wood. Place it here, where the stone was.
Tala shrugged and sent the desire to Kit.
A thin piece of wood appeared in front of Tala.
It was a three-by-three foot square and one inch thick. The broad side was facing her, and it was on a stand of sorts.
There, cut that.
Tala could see magics of endurance and resistance to cutting flowing through every fiber of the wood.
She took a deep breath and struck again.
This time, Flow caught in the material after cutting about a quarter of the way through, the wood charring above and below the cut until she withdrew her weapon.
Good! Good. Thank you. Now, doing your aspect mirroring thing. Give your sword your entire magical weight.
Tala shrugged and did as he asked, striking at a different place on the wood.
Flow cut halfway through before being caught up in the material once again.
Thats the baseline, then. We need to increase your flowrate before we see what progress you make.
She frowned. My flowrate wont affect my density directly.
No, but it will affect it over the long run.
Thats fair.
The wood vanished since she no longer wanted it there. This might just make me a bit lazy
That was a hurdle for later, however.
So, how are we going to do this? How are founts normally expanded, enhanced, and improved?
Thorn looked a little sheepish. Well, to my understanding, this is only really done with founts.
Yes, that is what I was asking. Now, what will we be doing?
Gate-breaking.
-That sounds painful.-
That sounds painful.
-Copy cat.-
Were literally the same person. I cant copy myself.
-Only marginally these days.-
Tala huffed a laugh.
It felt like someone was insulting her friends or laughing at her most cherished beliefs.
It was an ache, an agony, that was so much deeper than mere physical pain.
And she needed to increase it. Or endure this for at least one hundred hours.
That wasnt really an option, if she were being honest.
How many settings does it have?
Thorn was giving her a worried look but answered without hesitation. One hundred. Just remember, what youre feeling? This is currently on one.
Great. Lets try two.
She activated the increase.
There were no words for the change in sensation, and she threw her head back and let out an involuntary, weeping scream.
Thorn was almost to her when she mastered herself, closing her mouth and cutting off the wail.
Oh bleed me dry that is awful. Her teeth were grinding against each other. How long do I need to do this?
The dwarf looked a bit pale. To say he was green would have been ridiculous. He was always green, but the green of his skin was a lighter shade than she was used to seeing. As long as you are able, Tali. Ideally, just more than two days at this setting. Can I get you anything?
Do I have to be conscious?
I think so, unfortunately. At least for now. If you can manage to sleep with it, later, I think that should work.
I hate you a little bit.
I know, Tali, but that cant be helped, Im afraid.
Tala laughed at that, and the laughter seemed to help. Is that because laughter helps the soul heal?
-Thats very conceptual thinking, but maybe?-
Seemed to work. Maybe, do we have any good comedies? I think laughing might help me endure this.
Ill see what I can find. Then, Ill see what I can dig up in the city.
Thank you, Thorn.
As the dwarf stepped back, watching carefully, Tala ticked the device up to three, and felt her entire body flash cold at the strain. This is the worst.
Tala was mistaken.
The next week was vastly worse than that first half-hour had been.
Honestly, she couldnt really say why she kept going. It was awful, and she was sure she could bring a halt to it at any time, but she found that she didnt want to stop, either.
With long practice and careful ramp-ups, Tala was able to push the device up to fifty for up to ten minutes at a time, before she had to drop it back down to the twenties.
She felt like her whole family had died before her eyes.
A thousand other descriptors rolled through her mind as she sunk deeper into a depressive state.
She barely ate,constantly fidgeted, and nothing felt right.
Her soul was raw, but the results were unquestionable.
Well, she didnt know exactly by how much her flowrate had increased, but she knew it had.
-Well test it when were finished with this stupidity.-
That was another thing that had surprised Tala, back when she could be surprised.
Alat felt agony too. Shed hidden that fact for the first day or so, but as the alternate interface became noticeably more irritable, Tala had wormed a confession out of her.
Theyd almost quit the second night, after not sleeping at all the first.
Blessedly, they found a way to sleep. Though, it was hardly restful, and every second had been filled with nightmares.
I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemies.
She actually meant that.
Be-thric had visited her a few times to check on her progress, and she hadnt been able to muster up the energy to wish he was suffering alongside her. Even when she felt like she could wish it on him, she realized that that would be too cruel.
What is wrong with me? If its that bad, lets stop.
-Yes, please stop.-
Okay. Well stop. Tala checked the time. Just one more hour, I think I can take it on thirty-five for another hour, if were going to be done after that.
-If youre sure, I can endure with you.-
And so it went.
One week became two and the sanctum was finished around Tala.
Plants began to sprout and grow, and the last of the workers departed.
Still Tala couldnt quite make herself bring the process to an end. If I stop, what will have been the point? I can never do this again. I need to make it worth something.
Thorn remained, always nearby. Though as the days went on, he looked more and more concerned. Tala had even woken to him trying to take the control from her once.
Shed screamed herself hoarse at him for that, though she couldnt remember why shed been so angry.
In the end, Tala had utterly lost count of the days when Be-thric came to her. Your dedication is admirable, my Eskau, but you are needed.
Tala sat in her throne, slumped to the side, and barely acknowledged the man.
Shed tried letting Tali be in command, but the womans internal monologues about doing this for her Master were somehow worse than the agony of the device. Or maybe it was that their repetitions had been in exact cadence with the pulsing pull, amplifying the awful?
In either case, it hadnt been a true solution.
When Tala didnt respond, Be-thric stepped forward, gripped the two devices, and simply ripped them off of her in one, quick motion.
Tala screamed, her throat so hoarse that it came out more like a harsh breath. Her gate had briefly spasmed, the flow seeming to stutter.
Then, the torrent rushed through the new gaping maw, power slamming into her scripts, suffusing her flesh, and burning its way free of her aura control.
Be-thric had taken a step back, a look of undisguised greed briefly flickering over his features.
After the brief slip, the Pillar snapped at her. Master your power, Eskau.
Tala had strained to pull her power, her aura, back in, and by slow degrees she succeeded. It was harder than the first time shed ever attempted aura control despite the skill being deeply ingrained in her subconscious. It was supposedly something she did without thought.
That wasnt true anymore.
Clean yourself up. I need you in three hours. Will you be able to contain yourself by then?
But I could have kept going for another three hours With such a time limit, I probably could have endured up into the seventies.
Her self was shaking.
That device had become all she focused on, and now it was gone. Gone. GONE!
Tala stared at it as it lay on the ground. I could reattach it. Its probably not been too long. I can keep going at least for a little bit.
Be-thric seemed to see where she was looking, and he sighed. Thorn, was there any mention of addictive properties?
The Pillar glanced to Thorn and the dwarf shrugged, his worried eyes fixed on Tala. Im sorry, my Pillar, but I dont know. I dont think anyones ever used it on a gated human before. That would explain how shes been acting, though.
-Depression is addicting, in its own way.- Alat had kept a clearer line of thought through the whole process, and that seemed to be holding true even now. -This is better. We needed to be done.-
II guess thats true. She took a deep, shuddering breath. The power within her had settled, though it still moved like the tide itself. Her throat was already fully healed. It likely had been in the first wash of power, but Tala hadnt noticed.
Tala groaned, pulling herself back together in an almost literal sense.
The power was ripping her apart as it activated her magics more powerfully than they had ever been before. That same power was also flowing through her regenerative inscriptions, repairing the damage it caused before it could truly register.
The truly physical pain was actually steadying to her, like vigorous exercise. It helped her focus on the present. Ill be ready.
Tala vaguely heard Thorn add in his own affirmation. Ill make sure of it.
Chapter 217: Gate-BreakingTala and Thorn tried not to stare up at the new fake star in the sanctums sky.Well, how fake is it really? It shines, it gives off heat, it seems to burn-Not a real star, so fake is correct, but it is more real than I expected from a cursory examination of the House of Bloods hold. My understanding is that without magic, stars have to have a sufficient mass to maintain coherence. Miniature? Artificial? One of those might be more accurate?-I suppose so.Thorn cleared his throat. As fascinating as all of this is, we should get to our training.Terry glanced at Tala from her shoulder, then hopped down and ran off to do Terry things. Probably exploring the sanctum. Definitely not killing workers and eating their bodies.-Yeah, that doesnt sound like Terry.-Tala decided to ignore the hints of sarcasm in Alats voice and trust Terrys discretion, regardless of his chosen tasks.Be-thric gave a nod to Thorn. Very well. But one more thing before that.He walked over to Tala and pulled out a metal rod. The city lord has granted our request to modify your saorsa-collar. It cannot be removed as common-law requires all gated humans to wear one, but yours will be modified to only be actionable by illegal conduct on your part, the Pillars of the House of Blood, or the city lord himself.Tala gave a shallow bow. Thank you, Pillar.Of course. We couldnt leave you in a state where a mere bribe to a city guard could kill my Eskau, could we? He pressed the rod through her collar, pushing it in so far that it should have come out the other side to skewer her neck.Instead, it seemed to sink into the collar, fully melding with it, and Tala felt the magics shift.There we have it.Tala had investigated the magic of the collar innumerable times, even not counting the times that Tali had investigated the thing. There was no way out.Kit couldnt remove it.Even if she could convince him to help her, Thorn couldnt erect a disintegrating force between the collar and her neck to intercept the dasganachs.The list went on and on. She and Alat were constantly brainstorming for possibilities, but the necklace was laid bare to them, and they could easily see how each of their plans would end.Two dasganchs injected into her.There was no way around it.Tala was brought back to the present moment when Be-thric turned to go.By all means, proceed with your training now, my Eskau. I wish to examine the sanctum a bit more before I depart. I am working to set up anappointment, which should be very profitable. Ill want you to attend me whenever I am able to get it established. It should be in less than two months, though I hope it will be much sooner. We must keep pushing forward, after all. He smiled along with the last words.Tala nodded. As you wish.The Pillar turned and walked away without another wordThorn cleared his throat to garner her attention. Alright then, Eskau Tali. Can you place a stone block somewhere you can hit it with your weapon?Tala frowned but shrugged in resignation. She hopped off the platform, then sent the desire to Kit.A two-foot cube block of stone appeared on the edge of the platform, the center of the stone being about as high as Talas sternum.What now?Strike it with your weapon in the form of a sword. Dont do anything else, no mirroring, no enhancing, no nothing.Tala quirked a smile. No nothing?I dont understand all your strange fount powers.She shook her head. Okay.The stone was heavily magically saturated granite. She drew Flow and pushed it into the form of a sword.Tala took a deep breath and exhaled with her swing, keeping proper edge alignment.Her blade passed cleanly through the stone at a downward angle.With a soft grating, the upper piece slid off the lower.Thorn blinked at her. Huh.What was that test for?II expected you to fail to cut the whole way through, and I wanted to establish a baseline.Tala rolled her eyes and jabbed at him, verbally, That was ignorant of you.My old sword, formed from my protian weapon, wouldnt have been able to.She grinned. Well, that might be one reason I won then, eh?Thorn groused, but she could see a small smile tugging at his lips. Yeah, that may well be.So what now?Thorn sighed. Get rid of that stone.Tala silently requested, and Kit made it happen.Thank you. Now, there should be something in your storage called striking wood. Place it here, where the stone was.Tala shrugged and sent the desire to Kit.A thin piece of wood appeared in front of Tala.It was a three-by-three foot square and one inch thick. The broad side was facing her, and it was on a stand of sorts.There, cut that.Tala could see magics of endurance and resistance to cutting flowing through every fiber of the wood.She took a deep breath and struck again.This time, Flow caught in the material after cutting about a quarter of the way through, the wood charring above and below the cut until she withdrew her weapon.Good! Good. Thank you. Now, doing your aspect mirroring thing. Give your sword your entire magical weight.Tala shrugged and did as he asked, striking at a different place on the wood.Flow cut halfway through before being caught up in the material once again.Thats the baseline, then. We need to increase your flowrate before we see what progress you make.She frowned. My flowrate wont affect my density directly.No, but it will affect it over the long run.Thats fair.The wood vanished since she no longer wanted it there. This might just make me a bit lazyThat was a hurdle for later, however.So, how are we going to do this? How are founts normally expanded, enhanced, and improved?Thorn looked a little sheepish. Well, to my understanding, this is only really done with founts.Yes, that is what I was asking. Now, what will we be doing?Gate-breaking.-That sounds painful.-That sounds painful.-Copy cat.-Were literally the same person. I cant copy myself.-Only marginally these days.-Tala huffed a laugh.It felt like someone was insulting her friends or laughing at her most cherished beliefs.It was an ache, an agony, that was so much deeper than mere physical pain.And she needed to increase it. Or endure this for at least one hundred hours.That wasnt really an option, if she were being honest.How many settings does it have?Thorn was giving her a worried look but answered without hesitation. One hundred. Just remember, what youre feeling? This is currently on one.Great. Lets try two.She activated the increase.There were no words for the change in sensation, and she threw her head back and let out an involuntary, weeping scream.Thorn was almost to her when she mastered herself, closing her mouth and cutting off the wail.Oh bleed me dry that is awful. Her teeth were grinding against each other. How long do I need to do this?The dwarf looked a bit pale. To say he was green would have been ridiculous. He was always green, but the green of his skin was a lighter shade than she was used to seeing. As long as you are able, Tali. Ideally, just more than two days at this setting. Can I get you anything?Do I have to be conscious?I think so, unfortunately. At least for now. If you can manage to sleep with it, later, I think that should work.I hate you a little bit.I know, Tali, but that cant be helped, Im afraid.Tala laughed at that, and the laughter seemed to help. Is that because laughter helps the soul heal?-Thats very conceptual thinking, but maybe?-Seemed to work. Maybe, do we have any good comedies? I think laughing might help me endure this.Ill see what I can find. Then, Ill see what I can dig up in the city.Thank you, Thorn.As the dwarf stepped back, watching carefully, Tala ticked the device up to three, and felt her entire body flash cold at the strain. This is the worst.Tala was mistaken.The next week was vastly worse than that first half-hour had been.Honestly, she couldnt really say why she kept going. It was awful, and she was sure she could bring a halt to it at any time, but she found that she didnt want to stop, either.With long practice and careful ramp-ups, Tala was able to push the device up to fifty for up to ten minutes at a time, before she had to drop it back down to the twenties.She felt like her whole family had died before her eyes.A thousand other descriptors rolled through her mind as she sunk deeper into a depressive state.She barely ate,constantly fidgeted, and nothing felt right.Her soul was raw, but the results were unquestionable.Well, she didnt know exactly by how much her flowrate had increased, but she knew it had.-Well test it when were finished with this stupidity.-That was another thing that had surprised Tala, back when she could be surprised.Alat felt agony too. Shed hidden that fact for the first day or so, but as the alternate interface became noticeably more irritable, Tala had wormed a confession out of her.Theyd almost quit the second night, after not sleeping at all the first.Blessedly, they found a way to sleep. Though, it was hardly restful, and every second had been filled with nightmares.I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemies.She actually meant that.Be-thric had visited her a few times to check on her progress, and she hadnt been able to muster up the energy to wish he was suffering alongside her. Even when she felt like she could wish it on him, she realized that that would be too cruel.What is wrong with me? If its that bad, lets stop.-Yes, please stop.-Okay. Well stop. Tala checked the time. Just one more hour, I think I can take it on thirty-five for another hour, if were going to be done after that.-If youre sure, I can endure with you.-And so it went.One week became two and the sanctum was finished around Tala.Plants began to sprout and grow, and the last of the workers departed.Still Tala couldnt quite make herself bring the process to an end. If I stop, what will have been the point? I can never do this again. I need to make it worth something.Thorn remained, always nearby. Though as the days went on, he looked more and more concerned. Tala had even woken to him trying to take the control from her once.Shed screamed herself hoarse at him for that, though she couldnt remember why shed been so angry.In the end, Tala had utterly lost count of the days when Be-thric came to her. Your dedication is admirable, my Eskau, but you are needed.Tala sat in her throne, slumped to the side, and barely acknowledged the man.Shed tried letting Tali be in command, but the womans internal monologues about doing this for her Master were somehow worse than the agony of the device. Or maybe it was that their repetitions had been in exact cadence with the pulsing pull, amplifying the awful?In either case, it hadnt been a true solution.When Tala didnt respond, Be-thric stepped forward, gripped the two devices, and simply ripped them off of her in one, quick motion.Tala screamed, her throat so hoarse that it came out more like a harsh breath. Her gate had briefly spasmed, the flow seeming to stutter.Then, the torrent rushed through the new gaping maw, power slamming into her scripts, suffusing her flesh, and burning its way free of her aura control.Be-thric had taken a step back, a look of undisguised greed briefly flickering over his features.After the brief slip, the Pillar snapped at her. Master your power, Eskau.Tala had strained to pull her power, her aura, back in, and by slow degrees she succeeded. It was harder than the first time shed ever attempted aura control despite the skill being deeply ingrained in her subconscious. It was supposedly something she did without thought.That wasnt true anymore.Clean yourself up. I need you in three hours. Will you be able to contain yourself by then?But I could have kept going for another three hours With such a time limit, I probably could have endured up into the seventies.Her self was shaking.That device had become all she focused on, and now it was gone. Gone. GONE!Tala stared at it as it lay on the ground. I could reattach it. Its probably not been too long. I can keep going at least for a little bit.Be-thric seemed to see where she was looking, and he sighed. Thorn, was there any mention of addictive properties?The Pillar glanced to Thorn and the dwarf shrugged, his worried eyes fixed on Tala. Im sorry, my Pillar, but I dont know. I dont think anyones ever used it on a gated human before. That would explain how shes been acting, though.-Depression is addicting, in its own way.- Alat had kept a clearer line of thought through the whole process, and that seemed to be holding true even now. -This is better. We needed to be done.-II guess thats true. She took a deep, shuddering breath. The power within her had settled, though it still moved like the tide itself. Her throat was already fully healed. It likely had been in the first wash of power, but Tala hadnt noticed.Tala groaned, pulling herself back together in an almost literal sense.The power was ripping her apart as it activated her magics more powerfully than they had ever been before. That same power was also flowing through her regenerative inscriptions, repairing the damage it caused before it could truly register.The truly physical pain was actually steadying to her, like vigorous exercise. It helped her focus on the present. Ill be ready.Tala vaguely heard Thorn add in his own affirmation. Ill make sure of it.
