Chapter 320: A Temporary Goodbye
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 320: A Temporary Goodbye
Tala arrived at Bandfast after sunset, approaching the city through the darkening twilight, Terry at her side.
Alat had sent messages ahead, so shed be grabbing a late dinner with Lyn and Kannis, before leaving for Alefast the morning after next.
Rane was already gone, presumably in Alefast, Waning ahead of her.
Likely dealing with his family in one way or another.
-Yeah, I wonder if there was any fallout from him breaking Furgals staffthing.-
Well, Master Grediv was fine with it, but that likely wont stop other members of the family from being irritated with him.
-Thats true enough. Im glad we dont have to deal with idiocy like that-
At least not often, yeah. Though, she was aware that given her friendship with Rane, she might be pulled into the matter while in Alefast. She hoped that wouldnt be the case, however.
-Hope springs eternal.-
She could have bypassed Bandfast and gone straight to Alefast, Waning, but it really wouldnt have saved her much time, and she did need to actually say goodbye to Lyn and Kannis.
She was changing her base of operations away from Bandfast for the first time since her graduation.
Well, the first time Im doing it of my own volition.
-Yeah, being forcibly relocated to Platoiri really wasnt the same.-
Not at all.
There was also her meet-up with Master Cazor.
The Mage Hunter had agreed to spar with her and test her iron usage.
Hed even indicated that his duties would bring him through Alefast, Waning, on occasion in the next years, so they could continue such experimentation then. Even so, theyd already agreed to spend a day on the project in Bandfast, first.
But that was for tomorrow.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
With those contemplations set aside, Tala turned her focus back to her direct surroundings.
Even at night, the fields, orchards, and farms were familiar, and Tala saw the plants beginning to sprout and grow as spring grabbed greater hold.
Shed gone between Bandfast and Marliweather quite a few times by this point, and this was the path shed always taken, once through the outer edge of the citys defenses at least.
The outer gates into Bandfast were still open when she arrived, as expected. Human cities didnt tend to close their gates, except under extreme circumstances. After all, the magical defenses were generally all that were required to maintain an acceptable level of safety for the citizenry.
She didnt dawdle, but she did try to soak in the ambiance of this city.
She wasnt saying goodbye forever, but she was going to be leaving it behind for the near future.
Shed be back every so often to visit Lyn and Kannis, but overall, her time in Bandfast was over.
I suppose that was true even before I left for Marliweather.
-Yeah, but there was too much going on. Tacking on saying goodbye to this city, and Lyn and Kannis would have been too much. It would have felt too drawn out.-
Yeah, I suppose so
Tala was far from alone as she walked through the streets. Even though the short days of winter were mostly transitioned into the regular days of spring or fall, leading towards the longer summer days, people were still about after dark, doing what they needed to do before they closed themselves in their homes for the night.
Some people called generic greetings to others, including her. She responded to those with a smile and a wave without slowing. People were just being polite.
After all, they were all human, all in this city, this life, together.
It was important to focus on what unified them rather than what divided them.
Her feet almost unconsciously took the incredibly easy route to Lyns house, across from the park blossoming with new growth, visible even in the dim light from the streetlights.
When she came to the front door, she hesitated.
This isnt our house anymore. She felt that clearly, even though she still had a key.
The key that she held in her hand as she hesitated.
I shouldnt unlock someone elses house thats just weird.
Even so, it felt like it would be strange to knock.
Thus, she was left standing on the front step, indecision trapping her rather effectively.
Nearly a minute passed before the door opened, revealing Lyn just inside. Tala?
Tala had stepped back at the sudden opening of the door. Oh! Hi, Lyn.
What are you doing? Were going to eat, right?
Yes. She took Kit and tossed the pouch at the open door. Kit flowed over the slab, blending in perfectly.
Lyn glanced at the door with a raised eyebrow. Alright, then. What were you doing out here?
Tala grimaced, then held out the key that she still held in her hand. I need to return this. It didnt seem right to use it, since I dont live here anymore.
Lyn snorted a laugh. Dont be ridiculous. Keep the key. You are welcome here, and to use that key, for as long as I own this house.
Tala felt herself smile, indecision wiped away. Thank you, Lyn. As she followed her friend back inside, Tala frowned. How did you know I was out there?
Tala, your aura is projected in a sphere around you by your illusion thing.
Through-spike.
Yeah, illusion thing. In any case, it lacks teeth, but it is very easy to sense when I am within about twenty feet of you.
Oh I didnt really realize that, I suppose. She pushed on the still open door, and Kit opened up just enough for her to toss the iron key inside, allowing her sanctum to close once more.
Lyn shook her head. That still looks odd, even though I know exactly what is happening with it. Its no wonder that so many syphons can exist within human cities, when they have the ability to hide like that.
Indeed, yeah. Tala nodded solemnly.
She grinned in return, her metal moving along with her face to allow the expression, mirrored as illusion by her through-spike.
That is marginally creepy since I can at least partially sense through it.
With a sigh, she pulled the iron away from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. She only had the single external layer of metal at the moment. Well, I definitely wasnt going for creepy.
Then you need to get better control of your illusion. The unblinking eyes are odd enough, but the features portrayed have a thick, stiff quality, as if you have on vastly too much makeup or something like that.
She found herself nodding. I hadnt actually considered that. The layer of iron would act as a smoothing agent What does this do?
Tala shifted the metal, layering it over her face until it was built up to the point of being a relatively featureless mask. The main benefit of this was that there were no harsh angles for an attack to catch against.
Master Cazors left eye twitched just a bit. Well. The illusion is trying to fill in the details, but it clearly uses your face as a map.
Tala turned one of her mirrored perspectives to specifically examine her own face, rather than simply seeing it from the corner of that vision.
Oh that is uncanny.
-Just a bit, yeah.-
The face was definitely human, and it even looked mostly like Talas, but it was utterly devoid of any expression, and the eyes were staring forward, sightlessly.
It doesnt help that I can senseand basically seethe flat plate of iron slicing through where the illusion appears to be. Ive got to say that, to me, it isnt fun to look at.
The iron flowed away from her face once more as she smiled mischievously. Just what every girl wants to hear.
He snorted a laugh and shook his head in response. In any case, shall we begin?
Of course. What were you thinking for the first test? Ill also disable my through-spike so we can better observe the results.
That seems wise. As to the test, I have been working on my wide-area-effects. How about I attempt to pin you down using purely magnetic fields?
She frowned. Wouldnt that require our auras to clash? Thats hardly fair, given Im Refined.
He shook his head. Thats the whole idea. Ive been working at controlling two distinct points on opposite sides of a space and inverting them from each other, turning them into massively powerful poles on a non-existent magnet.
She felt her eyebrows rise. So, you dont have to affect the space between them directly?
Precisely.
She felt ideas begin to spark within her own mind. Oh, thats clever. I think I could
-Yeah, but not now. Focus on this while you are here.-
Right, right. So, lets see it.
He grinned, and Tala felt the zeme of the arena begin to shift, two bright points of power building on either side of the space.
It took a minute as the magic continued to build, but Tala began to feel pressure exerted on the iron on her skin.
She kept it under her control; she had to do that anyway in order to allow for normal movement. Thus, while the pressure was noticeable, the forces involved werent in danger of taking any from her.
Master Cazor was obviously using a tremendous amount of power to amplify this effect. His straining voice sounded hopeful as he asked, Are you feeling restricted yet?
Tala moved through some stretches before shaking her head. I can feel the pulls, but it isnt inconvenient, not yet.
He nodded. And youre maintaining a willful control over your iron, correct? Quite similar to your aura?
Similar, yeah, though my aura is contained at the moment.
Its He tilted his head to the side. Can I try something?
She shrugged. Sure.
Without further warning, the two poles of the non-existent magnet rushed inward, the bi-directional pulling force increasing exponentially.
Tala grit her teeth as she set her will against the massively escalating power.
If youre not maintaining aura control of your surroundings, and if your aura is bound within the iron, then you cant contest this, can you?
The poles stopped three feet to either side of her, just out of reach.
Tala couldnt muster the focus to answer, her mind entirely bent to keeping the iron in place against the unnatural pull.
Yeah, I thought not. Well, lets test the limits, then. Resist and overcome the magics if you can.
Tala couldnt keep her arms down, and they were pulled outward, her fingertips falling short of the magical beacons which were the magnetic poles.
Her iron began flowing across her skin, gathering around her hands in increasingly large spheres, barely held from moving further by her will.
The surface of the collected iron dust rippled and writhed under the influence of the clashing forces, but Tala held firm.
Master Cazor was visibly sweating as he strained to control and maintain his working. He wasnt trying to increase its power any more, simply keeping it going seemed to be his limit.
Tala, for her part, was under immense strain. It honestly felt like someone was attempting to rip off her arms.
Blessedly, only her outer iron was being affected, for the most part. That which she held within her body, and that within the dimensions of magic, was being sheltered to a far greater extent.
Then, her eyes locked onto Master Cazors, and she smiled, the apparent strain melting from her face.
It hadnt been entirely an act, but she wasnt under nearly as much pressure as shed allowed it to appear.
With her iron pulled to her hands to a large extent, she was free to extend her uncontained aura outward.
At the same time, tendrils of iron reached out, surrounding and squeezing down on the magnetic poles.
The massively powerful magnetic field winked out in an instant, and the two Archons fell to their knees almost in unison, gasping from the magical and mental strain theyd both experienced.
As Tala took in the sand around them, she felt a smile pulling at her lips.
Lines of dark iron-dust were striated through the otherwise tan sand, creating clear lines, demonstrating the influence the magical magnetic field had had.
Well. Master Cazor forced himself back to his feet. That was a fun first test. Shall we try others?
Tala stood as well, showing greater ease in the movement as befit her faster recovery rate and higher advancement. Absolutely.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 320: A Temporary Goodbye
Tala arrived at Bandfast after sunset, approaching the city through the darkening twilight, Terry at her side.
Alat had sent messages ahead, so shed be grabbing a late dinner with Lyn and Kannis, before leaving for Alefast the morning after next.
Rane was already gone, presumably in Alefast, Waning ahead of her.
Likely dealing with his family in one way or another.
-Yeah, I wonder if there was any fallout from him breaking Furgals staffthing.-
Well, Master Grediv was fine with it, but that likely wont stop other members of the family from being irritated with him.
-Thats true enough. Im glad we dont have to deal with idiocy like that-
At least not often, yeah. Though, she was aware that given her friendship with Rane, she might be pulled into the matter while in Alefast. She hoped that wouldnt be the case, however.
-Hope springs eternal.-
She could have bypassed Bandfast and gone straight to Alefast, Waning, but it really wouldnt have saved her much time, and she did need to actually say goodbye to Lyn and Kannis.
She was changing her base of operations away from Bandfast for the first time since her graduation.
Well, the first time Im doing it of my own volition.
-Yeah, being forcibly relocated to Platoiri really wasnt the same.-
Not at all.
There was also her meet-up with Master Cazor.
The Mage Hunter had agreed to spar with her and test her iron usage.
Hed even indicated that his duties would bring him through Alefast, Waning, on occasion in the next years, so they could continue such experimentation then. Even so, theyd already agreed to spend a day on the project in Bandfast, first.
But that was for tomorrow.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
With those contemplations set aside, Tala turned her focus back to her direct surroundings.
Even at night, the fields, orchards, and farms were familiar, and Tala saw the plants beginning to sprout and grow as spring grabbed greater hold.
Shed gone between Bandfast and Marliweather quite a few times by this point, and this was the path shed always taken, once through the outer edge of the citys defenses at least.
The outer gates into Bandfast were still open when she arrived, as expected. Human cities didnt tend to close their gates, except under extreme circumstances. After all, the magical defenses were generally all that were required to maintain an acceptable level of safety for the citizenry.
She didnt dawdle, but she did try to soak in the ambiance of this city.
She wasnt saying goodbye forever, but she was going to be leaving it behind for the near future.
Shed be back every so often to visit Lyn and Kannis, but overall, her time in Bandfast was over.
I suppose that was true even before I left for Marliweather.
-Yeah, but there was too much going on. Tacking on saying goodbye to this city, and Lyn and Kannis would have been too much. It would have felt too drawn out.-
Yeah, I suppose so
Tala was far from alone as she walked through the streets. Even though the short days of winter were mostly transitioned into the regular days of spring or fall, leading towards the longer summer days, people were still about after dark, doing what they needed to do before they closed themselves in their homes for the night.
Some people called generic greetings to others, including her. She responded to those with a smile and a wave without slowing. People were just being polite.
After all, they were all human, all in this city, this life, together.
It was important to focus on what unified them rather than what divided them.
Her feet almost unconsciously took the incredibly easy route to Lyns house, across from the park blossoming with new growth, visible even in the dim light from the streetlights.
When she came to the front door, she hesitated.
This isnt our house anymore. She felt that clearly, even though she still had a key.
The key that she held in her hand as she hesitated.
I shouldnt unlock someone elses house thats just weird.
Even so, it felt like it would be strange to knock.
Thus, she was left standing on the front step, indecision trapping her rather effectively.
Nearly a minute passed before the door opened, revealing Lyn just inside. Tala?
Tala had stepped back at the sudden opening of the door. Oh! Hi, Lyn.
What are you doing? Were going to eat, right?
Yes. She took Kit and tossed the pouch at the open door. Kit flowed over the slab, blending in perfectly.
Lyn glanced at the door with a raised eyebrow. Alright, then. What were you doing out here?
Tala grimaced, then held out the key that she still held in her hand. I need to return this. It didnt seem right to use it, since I dont live here anymore.
Lyn snorted a laugh. Dont be ridiculous. Keep the key. You are welcome here, and to use that key, for as long as I own this house.
Tala felt herself smile, indecision wiped away. Thank you, Lyn. As she followed her friend back inside, Tala frowned. How did you know I was out there?
Tala, your aura is projected in a sphere around you by your illusion thing.
Through-spike.
Yeah, illusion thing. In any case, it lacks teeth, but it is very easy to sense when I am within about twenty feet of you.
Oh I didnt really realize that, I suppose. She pushed on the still open door, and Kit opened up just enough for her to toss the iron key inside, allowing her sanctum to close once more.
Lyn shook her head. That still looks odd, even though I know exactly what is happening with it. Its no wonder that so many syphons can exist within human cities, when they have the ability to hide like that.
Indeed, yeah. Tala nodded solemnly.
She grinned in return, her metal moving along with her face to allow the expression, mirrored as illusion by her through-spike.
That is marginally creepy since I can at least partially sense through it.
With a sigh, she pulled the iron away from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. She only had the single external layer of metal at the moment. Well, I definitely wasnt going for creepy.
Then you need to get better control of your illusion. The unblinking eyes are odd enough, but the features portrayed have a thick, stiff quality, as if you have on vastly too much makeup or something like that.
She found herself nodding. I hadnt actually considered that. The layer of iron would act as a smoothing agent What does this do?
Tala shifted the metal, layering it over her face until it was built up to the point of being a relatively featureless mask. The main benefit of this was that there were no harsh angles for an attack to catch against.
Master Cazors left eye twitched just a bit. Well. The illusion is trying to fill in the details, but it clearly uses your face as a map.
Tala turned one of her mirrored perspectives to specifically examine her own face, rather than simply seeing it from the corner of that vision.
Oh that is uncanny.
-Just a bit, yeah.-
The face was definitely human, and it even looked mostly like Talas, but it was utterly devoid of any expression, and the eyes were staring forward, sightlessly.
It doesnt help that I can senseand basically seethe flat plate of iron slicing through where the illusion appears to be. Ive got to say that, to me, it isnt fun to look at.
The iron flowed away from her face once more as she smiled mischievously. Just what every girl wants to hear.
He snorted a laugh and shook his head in response. In any case, shall we begin?
Of course. What were you thinking for the first test? Ill also disable my through-spike so we can better observe the results.
That seems wise. As to the test, I have been working on my wide-area-effects. How about I attempt to pin you down using purely magnetic fields?
She frowned. Wouldnt that require our auras to clash? Thats hardly fair, given Im Refined.
He shook his head. Thats the whole idea. Ive been working at controlling two distinct points on opposite sides of a space and inverting them from each other, turning them into massively powerful poles on a non-existent magnet.
She felt her eyebrows rise. So, you dont have to affect the space between them directly?
Precisely.
She felt ideas begin to spark within her own mind. Oh, thats clever. I think I could
-Yeah, but not now. Focus on this while you are here.-
Right, right. So, lets see it.
He grinned, and Tala felt the zeme of the arena begin to shift, two bright points of power building on either side of the space.
It took a minute as the magic continued to build, but Tala began to feel pressure exerted on the iron on her skin.
She kept it under her control; she had to do that anyway in order to allow for normal movement. Thus, while the pressure was noticeable, the forces involved werent in danger of taking any from her.
Master Cazor was obviously using a tremendous amount of power to amplify this effect. His straining voice sounded hopeful as he asked, Are you feeling restricted yet?
Tala moved through some stretches before shaking her head. I can feel the pulls, but it isnt inconvenient, not yet.
He nodded. And youre maintaining a willful control over your iron, correct? Quite similar to your aura?
Similar, yeah, though my aura is contained at the moment.
Its He tilted his head to the side. Can I try something?
She shrugged. Sure.
Without further warning, the two poles of the non-existent magnet rushed inward, the bi-directional pulling force increasing exponentially.
Tala grit her teeth as she set her will against the massively escalating power.
If youre not maintaining aura control of your surroundings, and if your aura is bound within the iron, then you cant contest this, can you?
The poles stopped three feet to either side of her, just out of reach.
Tala couldnt muster the focus to answer, her mind entirely bent to keeping the iron in place against the unnatural pull.
Yeah, I thought not. Well, lets test the limits, then. Resist and overcome the magics if you can.
Tala couldnt keep her arms down, and they were pulled outward, her fingertips falling short of the magical beacons which were the magnetic poles.
Her iron began flowing across her skin, gathering around her hands in increasingly large spheres, barely held from moving further by her will.
The surface of the collected iron dust rippled and writhed under the influence of the clashing forces, but Tala held firm.
Master Cazor was visibly sweating as he strained to control and maintain his working. He wasnt trying to increase its power any more, simply keeping it going seemed to be his limit.
Tala, for her part, was under immense strain. It honestly felt like someone was attempting to rip off her arms.
Blessedly, only her outer iron was being affected, for the most part. That which she held within her body, and that within the dimensions of magic, was being sheltered to a far greater extent.
Then, her eyes locked onto Master Cazors, and she smiled, the apparent strain melting from her face.
It hadnt been entirely an act, but she wasnt under nearly as much pressure as shed allowed it to appear.
With her iron pulled to her hands to a large extent, she was free to extend her uncontained aura outward.
At the same time, tendrils of iron reached out, surrounding and squeezing down on the magnetic poles.
The massively powerful magnetic field winked out in an instant, and the two Archons fell to their knees almost in unison, gasping from the magical and mental strain theyd both experienced.
As Tala took in the sand around them, she felt a smile pulling at her lips.
Lines of dark iron-dust were striated through the otherwise tan sand, creating clear lines, demonstrating the influence the magical magnetic field had had.
Well. Master Cazor forced himself back to his feet. That was a fun first test. Shall we try others?
Tala stood as well, showing greater ease in the movement as befit her faster recovery rate and higher advancement. Absolutely.
Chapter 320: A Temporary GoodbyeTala arrived at Bandfast after sunset, approaching the city through the darkening twilight, Terry at her side.Alat had sent messages ahead, so shed be grabbing a late dinner with Lyn and Kannis, before leaving for Alefast the morning after next.Rane was already gone, presumably in Alefast, Waning ahead of her.Likely dealing with his family in one way or another.-Yeah, I wonder if there was any fallout from him breaking Furgals staffthing.-Well, Master Grediv was fine with it, but that likely wont stop other members of the family from being irritated with him.-Thats true enough. Im glad we dont have to deal with idiocy like that-At least not often, yeah. Though, she was aware that given her friendship with Rane, she might be pulled into the matter while in Alefast. She hoped that wouldnt be the case, however.-Hope springs eternal.-She could have bypassed Bandfast and gone straight to Alefast, Waning, but it really wouldnt have saved her much time, and she did need to actually say goodbye to Lyn and Kannis.She was changing her base of operations away from Bandfast for the first time since her graduation.Well, the first time Im doing it of my own volition.-Yeah, being forcibly relocated to Platoiri really wasnt the same.-Not at all.There was also her meet-up with Master Cazor.The Mage Hunter had agreed to spar with her and test her iron usage.Hed even indicated that his duties would bring him through Alefast, Waning, on occasion in the next years, so they could continue such experimentation then. Even so, theyd already agreed to spend a day on the project in Bandfast, first.But that was for tomorrow.novel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.With those contemplations set aside, Tala turned her focus back to her direct surroundings.Even at night, the fields, orchards, and farms were familiar, and Tala saw the plants beginning to sprout and grow as spring grabbed greater hold.Shed gone between Bandfast and Marliweather quite a few times by this point, and this was the path shed always taken, once through the outer edge of the citys defenses at least.The outer gates into Bandfast were still open when she arrived, as expected. Human cities didnt tend to close their gates, except under extreme circumstances. After all, the magical defenses were generally all that were required to maintain an acceptable level of safety for the citizenry.She didnt dawdle, but she did try to soak in the ambiance of this city.She wasnt saying goodbye forever, but she was going to be leaving it behind for the near future.Shed be back every so often to visit Lyn and Kannis, but overall, her time in Bandfast was over.I suppose that was true even before I left for Marliweather.-Yeah, but there was too much going on. Tacking on saying goodbye to this city, and Lyn and Kannis would have been too much. It would have felt too drawn out.-Yeah, I suppose soTala was far from alone as she walked through the streets. Even though the short days of winter were mostly transitioned into the regular days of spring or fall, leading towards the longer summer days, people were still about after dark, doing what they needed to do before they closed themselves in their homes for the night.Some people called generic greetings to others, including her. She responded to those with a smile and a wave without slowing. People were just being polite.After all, they were all human, all in this city, this life, together.It was important to focus on what unified them rather than what divided them.Her feet almost unconsciously took the incredibly easy route to Lyns house, across from the park blossoming with new growth, visible even in the dim light from the streetlights.When she came to the front door, she hesitated.This isnt our house anymore. She felt that clearly, even though she still had a key.The key that she held in her hand as she hesitated.I shouldnt unlock someone elses house thats just weird.Even so, it felt like it would be strange to knock.Thus, she was left standing on the front step, indecision trapping her rather effectively.Nearly a minute passed before the door opened, revealing Lyn just inside. Tala?Tala had stepped back at the sudden opening of the door. Oh! Hi, Lyn.What are you doing? Were going to eat, right?Yes. She took Kit and tossed the pouch at the open door. Kit flowed over the slab, blending in perfectly.Lyn glanced at the door with a raised eyebrow. Alright, then. What were you doing out here?Tala grimaced, then held out the key that she still held in her hand. I need to return this. It didnt seem right to use it, since I dont live here anymore.Lyn snorted a laugh. Dont be ridiculous. Keep the key. You are welcome here, and to use that key, for as long as I own this house.Tala felt herself smile, indecision wiped away. Thank you, Lyn. As she followed her friend back inside, Tala frowned. How did you know I was out there?Tala, your aura is projected in a sphere around you by your illusion thing.Through-spike.Yeah, illusion thing. In any case, it lacks teeth, but it is very easy to sense when I am within about twenty feet of you.Oh I didnt really realize that, I suppose. She pushed on the still open door, and Kit opened up just enough for her to toss the iron key inside, allowing her sanctum to close once more.Lyn shook her head. That still looks odd, even though I know exactly what is happening with it. Its no wonder that so many syphons can exist within human cities, when they have the ability to hide like that.Indeed, yeah. Tala nodded solemnly.She grinned in return, her metal moving along with her face to allow the expression, mirrored as illusion by her through-spike.That is marginally creepy since I can at least partially sense through it.With a sigh, she pulled the iron away from her mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. She only had the single external layer of metal at the moment. Well, I definitely wasnt going for creepy.Then you need to get better control of your illusion. The unblinking eyes are odd enough, but the features portrayed have a thick, stiff quality, as if you have on vastly too much makeup or something like that.She found herself nodding. I hadnt actually considered that. The layer of iron would act as a smoothing agent What does this do?Tala shifted the metal, layering it over her face until it was built up to the point of being a relatively featureless mask. The main benefit of this was that there were no harsh angles for an attack to catch against.Master Cazors left eye twitched just a bit. Well. The illusion is trying to fill in the details, but it clearly uses your face as a map.Tala turned one of her mirrored perspectives to specifically examine her own face, rather than simply seeing it from the corner of that vision.Oh that is uncanny.-Just a bit, yeah.-The face was definitely human, and it even looked mostly like Talas, but it was utterly devoid of any expression, and the eyes were staring forward, sightlessly.It doesnt help that I can senseand basically seethe flat plate of iron slicing through where the illusion appears to be. Ive got to say that, to me, it isnt fun to look at.The iron flowed away from her face once more as she smiled mischievously. Just what every girl wants to hear.He snorted a laugh and shook his head in response. In any case, shall we begin?Of course. What were you thinking for the first test? Ill also disable my through-spike so we can better observe the results.That seems wise. As to the test, I have been working on my wide-area-effects. How about I attempt to pin you down using purely magnetic fields?She frowned. Wouldnt that require our auras to clash? Thats hardly fair, given Im Refined.He shook his head. Thats the whole idea. Ive been working at controlling two distinct points on opposite sides of a space and inverting them from each other, turning them into massively powerful poles on a non-existent magnet.She felt her eyebrows rise. So, you dont have to affect the space between them directly?Precisely.She felt ideas begin to spark within her own mind. Oh, thats clever. I think I could-Yeah, but not now. Focus on this while you are here.-Right, right. So, lets see it.He grinned, and Tala felt the zeme of the arena begin to shift, two bright points of power building on either side of the space.It took a minute as the magic continued to build, but Tala began to feel pressure exerted on the iron on her skin.She kept it under her control; she had to do that anyway in order to allow for normal movement. Thus, while the pressure was noticeable, the forces involved werent in danger of taking any from her.Master Cazor was obviously using a tremendous amount of power to amplify this effect. His straining voice sounded hopeful as he asked, Are you feeling restricted yet?Tala moved through some stretches before shaking her head. I can feel the pulls, but it isnt inconvenient, not yet.He nodded. And youre maintaining a willful control over your iron, correct? Quite similar to your aura?Similar, yeah, though my aura is contained at the moment.Its He tilted his head to the side. Can I try something?She shrugged. Sure.Without further warning, the two poles of the non-existent magnet rushed inward, the bi-directional pulling force increasing exponentially.Tala grit her teeth as she set her will against the massively escalating power.If youre not maintaining aura control of your surroundings, and if your aura is bound within the iron, then you cant contest this, can you?The poles stopped three feet to either side of her, just out of reach.Tala couldnt muster the focus to answer, her mind entirely bent to keeping the iron in place against the unnatural pull.Yeah, I thought not. Well, lets test the limits, then. Resist and overcome the magics if you can.Tala couldnt keep her arms down, and they were pulled outward, her fingertips falling short of the magical beacons which were the magnetic poles.Her iron began flowing across her skin, gathering around her hands in increasingly large spheres, barely held from moving further by her will.The surface of the collected iron dust rippled and writhed under the influence of the clashing forces, but Tala held firm.Master Cazor was visibly sweating as he strained to control and maintain his working. He wasnt trying to increase its power any more, simply keeping it going seemed to be his limit.Tala, for her part, was under immense strain. It honestly felt like someone was attempting to rip off her arms.Blessedly, only her outer iron was being affected, for the most part. That which she held within her body, and that within the dimensions of magic, was being sheltered to a far greater extent.Then, her eyes locked onto Master Cazors, and she smiled, the apparent strain melting from her face.It hadnt been entirely an act, but she wasnt under nearly as much pressure as shed allowed it to appear.With her iron pulled to her hands to a large extent, she was free to extend her uncontained aura outward.At the same time, tendrils of iron reached out, surrounding and squeezing down on the magnetic poles.The massively powerful magnetic field winked out in an instant, and the two Archons fell to their knees almost in unison, gasping from the magical and mental strain theyd both experienced.As Tala took in the sand around them, she felt a smile pulling at her lips.Lines of dark iron-dust were striated through the otherwise tan sand, creating clear lines, demonstrating the influence the magical magnetic field had had.Well. Master Cazor forced himself back to his feet. That was a fun first test. Shall we try others?Tala stood as well, showing greater ease in the movement as befit her faster recovery rate and higher advancement. Absolutely.
