Chapter 377: My Fault
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Chapter 377: My Fault
Tala helped Brandon and Adrill to their feet, one with each hand.
It was easy enough to allow her iron to actually settle upon her to give her the inertia to help them stand, and she certainly didnt lack the strength. It was the least she could do.
Considering
-Not yet, Tala. They still need our help.-
The two men gratefully accepted the help even as they had their heads practically on a swivel, trying to take in as much as they could.
She was holding herself tightly emotionally controlledwith Alats help. If she panicked, theyd be utterly lost, Slow down, gentlemen. As long as youre in here, your magesight wont go away. It should even maintain, if at a lower fidelity, outside, within Alefast and the surrounding region.
That seemed to allow the two to settle down a bit. Good, theyre doing better.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.
-Hold it together, Tala. Dont think too deeply. You got this. We can go off on our own soon.-
Yeah. She encouraged herself, trying to keep a brave face, Yeah
Brandon held himself still and cleared his throat, seeming a bit more embarrassed than his father at their earlier display.
The older man was still staring around himself in wonder, even if with less of a frantic air.
Mistress Tala? What about my question? Can you do this for others? Bradon shifted uncomfortably, Or have we just condemned ourselves to outlive those we love?
Tala swallowed. Well, for those without a gate, this can be done. It is a nearly flawless process, but the results arent perfect nor guaranteed. If it fails, the result is death. I am unsure if even having a healer on hand would prevent that, but were definitely going to regardless. Similarly, you are both going to be thoroughly checked out as soon as Master Simon gets back with one.
Why?
Which part? I said a lot of things in there.
Why dont you think a healer will be much help?
Oh. Well, its a suspicion more than outright knowledge, but its pretty well grounded, as I think youll agree. It is because the issue in that circumstance is that the patients body is trying to draw in too much magic and is being made toxic because of that.she was rambling, but she didnt think she could stop herself and hold it togetherMore magic, even that which they cant absorb, even that of a helpful variety is going to exacerbate the problem. There are likely some magics that could help second-hand, but the sort of immediate treatment that would be required likely wouldnt be possible.
Brandon was nodding. He knew the theory well enough by that point to have followed what she was getting at. And mom?
Tala shrugged. This environment shouldnt affect her at all. Her body is already magic-bound to her own flavor of power, for lack of a better description. The stuff in the air, here, might hurt her if we doubled the density.
-More like increased it by a factor of a hundred.-
She shook her head, No, it would need more than that, probably closer to a hundred times this level before it could start to actively harm her.
-Smooth.-
Thank you.
Adrill had been drawn in by her words, out of his awed examination of the world around him. Even though he was still clearly euphoric, a spark of concern and doubt was beginning to creep in. So my wife?
Tala grimaced. The only thing I can think of is to get her a keystone, deepen her connection with magic enough to at least get her inscribed. Every bit of power we can get flowing through her will lengthen her life, but it isnt an easy process, or everyone would do it. Tala huffed a forced laugh. We want more people more than almost anything else. If we could easily extend peoples natural lifespan, wed be doing it to everyone.
Dont talk about Archon stars. Dont mention them at all. We are absolutely going to keep her well below the threshold to move in that dangerous direction.
-Yeah, we do want people to live longer, but its a balancing act to keep from suddenly having millions of founts-
That would be less than ideal, yeah. Plus, a large portion of those who are denied Magical training are so rejected because they would succumb to becoming a fount so fast as to make their training detrimental.
-True enough. Hey! Good job changing your focus, by the way.-
-Oh, its back sorry about that.-
Adrill nodded slowly. She did not do well on the Mage aptitude tests when she was younger.
Tala bobbed her head in understanding. Those tests are for mind-set and mode of thinking. I dont think that Artia will ever be a Mage, but we should be able to induce enough magic through her that she doesnt have a significantly lower lifespan than you. She chuckled. After all, shes around artifacts practically all day, every day. She has to have some penchant toward understanding how magic functions.
She hesitated, frowning for a moment.
You know, maybe the scripts to allow her to feed power to a magical item would work for her. No magic necessary for herself, only for an item.
A Mage doesnt need thoseat least most Immaterial Guides dont because we can just grab the power directly and give it to the item. No scripts required.
-Yes, you are extra special and awesome.-
Yes, we are. Tala smiled internally just a bit.
Brandon interjected, then, Why doesnt everyone do that? Why doesnt everyone get basic scripts?
Well, first of all, its expensive. She quirked a smile. Beyond that, you still have to have an understanding of magic, generally, and manyif not mostpeople simply dont, and cant, understand it.
Adrill responded before his son could, She definitely doesnt really appreciate the theory behind magic like we do, son, but she has a solid grasp of the fundamentals.
Then, maybe? Tala shrugged. Im sure with such an important goal before her, and you two beside her, we can get it to work for her.
Brandon frowned. Does that mean that Kedva would need such an understanding?
Tala almost opened her mouth to say yes, but hesitated. Wait
-Yeah arcane babies definitely dont have an understanding of magic when they are induced upon their birth.-
Maybe not? I will have to learn a different spellform to use for her than for the two of you. You both have the cognitive grasp of magesight to make it work. It wouldnt for her without extensive study but basic enhancement magics? Yeah that would just be taking the body as the template and allowing it to be more. I obviously already know that one, as that is part of what I gave to you.
-Enhancement magics were the recommendation given in the primer.-
Though, it was stated that such gave consistent, mediocre results.
-Yeah, consistent.-
but mediocre
-Do you think they will care?-
They might.
-Then, we let them decide.-
Tala nodded to herself, gilding herself and pushing on ahead, Ive been wanting the two of you to officially come work for me in here for a while, now. Master Simon has been not-so-subtly asking for it as well. If you agree, Ill give you this as your first project: You would fully study the arcane advancement manual that I have and break out the steps for use by others, such as Kedva.
Both men froze.
Did we not tell them?
-No, Tala. No, we did not.-
Jerboara were charging creatures that have clawed paws but most closely resemble boars in their nature and behavior.
Wickedly sharp tusks and hardened skulls were complemented by oddly large ears that allowed them to nearly unerringly home in on their prey.
And they did have prey. From all evidence, they were omnivores like swine, but they seemed to prefer meat.
And, of course, killing gated humans.
-There is that lovely feature of virtually every magical creature, yes.-
The quilled portion of their name referenced the near-metal-like quills that armored their sides and back, which they could flex and position for defense and close quarters offense.
The foremost quills could even be pulled forward and positioned like a miniature forest of lances in order to add to the damage potential of a charge.
And the gibbering portion of their name?
Aside from the unnerving nature of the sound, it actually represented a birdsong-like form of communication, which allowed whole herds to work together.
The gibbering quilled jerboara was the most intelligent variety of jerboara by far.
Additionally, their magics were almost entirely focused on sonic manipulation of varying kinds.
Ears sealed.
-Ear canals filled. Were good to go.-
The siege orbs punched through the first rank and threw them back into the second, disrupting the tightly packed charge some hundred yards from the walls. Even so, the orbs didnt come out the backs of the first beasts they entered.
Thankfully, it did cause some of the quills of the creatures to be slammed into those behind them, which caused further damage and confusion.
Well.. they are more durable than we were led to believe.
-Just a bit, yeah. Their hides must be insanely enhanced.-
Without further delay, Tala triggered the orbs, releasing the incredibly compressed air into a concussive explosion.
That worked at least, as the six jerboara almost seemed to swell like balloons before bursting. Their whole bodies swelled and tore with what must have been a rather disgusting sound, even as the ground rumbled at the detonations.
The result slung frozen gore and bits of flesh everywhere, actually sending the quills and bone fragments shooting outward, tearing through the surrounding beasts.
Well, that worked, but not really as Id hoped
Flow snicked into Talas hand from the sheath at her belt.
It was time to close in for some true stress-relief.
Tala crouched against the base of the wall, making sure to brace against the foundation stones and the ground in equal measure, before launching herself up and outward, removing her downward gravity at the last minute in order to soar the intervening distance between herself and the herd that was slowly pulling itself back in order.
The sound of her launch must have been noticeable, and some of the bigger beasts clearly oriented on her as she was flying their direction.
Her entire body began to vibrate, her very bones jiggling and trying to pull free of the surrounding tissue as close to a hundred of the more aware jerboara unleashed their power to send sonic attacks her way.
Her very brain felt like it was trying to enter a liquid state.
Blessedly, she was more durable than that.
Rust my biscuits, Im glad Im the one who engaged directly.
-First, thats Mistress Hollys phrase.-
Other people have said it.
-...regardless. Second, they wouldnt have closed at all. Third, eye on the target, its time to descend.-
One jerboara in particular seemed to realize that she wasnt dying as theyd expected, because it quickly gathered its back legs under itself and lunged out and up, aiming perfectly to meet her mid-air.
Its forward quills snapped to the front, even as it lowered its head to bring its tusks to bear.
Lovely, a volunteer.
Thus, as Tala allowed her gravity to return to normal and arced down into the mass of enemies, Flow bisected one of the biggest monsters, allowing the horse-sized magical thing to fall in two pieces behind her.
She didnt pay attention to the squelch of the two halves landing, as she had other things on her mind. She had had come down on top of an unsuspecting member of the assaulting herd, her full weight and surface-area expansion scripts allowing her to drive it into the ground, even if it didnt kill the thing outright.
These things are tough.
-So it seems.-
Well, then, close quarters killing it is.
-Shall we?-
Quite.
And that is exactly what she did.
Her breath tore at them from the outside.
Flow cut them with every movement.
Her shields, defensive discs, and tungsten balls and rod frustrated their movements.
Talas aura supremacy kept them from amplifying each other's magic.
Her body resisted their concentrated sonic attacks.
She didnt use any more siege orbs, as they didnt seem to be as effective as shed like. Thus, she kept the few still on her belt in reserve, just in case they were needed.
They werent.
Similarly, she didnt use her iron spikes, as they were entirely unnecessary, and Tala was trying to unburden her mind, not strain it differently.
Her unit mates joined her in spirit and with their long-range magics, sending their power from the walls, and striking at portions of the massed creatures that she wasnt currently addressing, keeping them milling and confused barely a hundred yards from the wall.
It was a slaughter.
It was exactly what she needed right then.
Some days, it really paid to be a defender.
And, of course, I am actually going to get paid.
-Ahh, the perks and plus side of doing our job.-
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Chapter 377: My Fault
Tala helped Brandon and Adrill to their feet, one with each hand.
It was easy enough to allow her iron to actually settle upon her to give her the inertia to help them stand, and she certainly didnt lack the strength. It was the least she could do.
Considering
-Not yet, Tala. They still need our help.-
The two men gratefully accepted the help even as they had their heads practically on a swivel, trying to take in as much as they could.
She was holding herself tightly emotionally controlledwith Alats help. If she panicked, theyd be utterly lost, Slow down, gentlemen. As long as youre in here, your magesight wont go away. It should even maintain, if at a lower fidelity, outside, within Alefast and the surrounding region.
That seemed to allow the two to settle down a bit. Good, theyre doing better.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.
-Hold it together, Tala. Dont think too deeply. You got this. We can go off on our own soon.-
Yeah. She encouraged herself, trying to keep a brave face, Yeah
Brandon held himself still and cleared his throat, seeming a bit more embarrassed than his father at their earlier display.
The older man was still staring around himself in wonder, even if with less of a frantic air.
Mistress Tala? What about my question? Can you do this for others? Bradon shifted uncomfortably, Or have we just condemned ourselves to outlive those we love?
Tala swallowed. Well, for those without a gate, this can be done. It is a nearly flawless process, but the results arent perfect nor guaranteed. If it fails, the result is death. I am unsure if even having a healer on hand would prevent that, but were definitely going to regardless. Similarly, you are both going to be thoroughly checked out as soon as Master Simon gets back with one.
Why?
Which part? I said a lot of things in there.
Why dont you think a healer will be much help?
Oh. Well, its a suspicion more than outright knowledge, but its pretty well grounded, as I think youll agree. It is because the issue in that circumstance is that the patients body is trying to draw in too much magic and is being made toxic because of that.she was rambling, but she didnt think she could stop herself and hold it togetherMore magic, even that which they cant absorb, even that of a helpful variety is going to exacerbate the problem. There are likely some magics that could help second-hand, but the sort of immediate treatment that would be required likely wouldnt be possible.
Brandon was nodding. He knew the theory well enough by that point to have followed what she was getting at. And mom?
Tala shrugged. This environment shouldnt affect her at all. Her body is already magic-bound to her own flavor of power, for lack of a better description. The stuff in the air, here, might hurt her if we doubled the density.
-More like increased it by a factor of a hundred.-
She shook her head, No, it would need more than that, probably closer to a hundred times this level before it could start to actively harm her.
-Smooth.-
Thank you.
Adrill had been drawn in by her words, out of his awed examination of the world around him. Even though he was still clearly euphoric, a spark of concern and doubt was beginning to creep in. So my wife?
Tala grimaced. The only thing I can think of is to get her a keystone, deepen her connection with magic enough to at least get her inscribed. Every bit of power we can get flowing through her will lengthen her life, but it isnt an easy process, or everyone would do it. Tala huffed a forced laugh. We want more people more than almost anything else. If we could easily extend peoples natural lifespan, wed be doing it to everyone.
Dont talk about Archon stars. Dont mention them at all. We are absolutely going to keep her well below the threshold to move in that dangerous direction.
-Yeah, we do want people to live longer, but its a balancing act to keep from suddenly having millions of founts-
That would be less than ideal, yeah. Plus, a large portion of those who are denied Magical training are so rejected because they would succumb to becoming a fount so fast as to make their training detrimental.
-True enough. Hey! Good job changing your focus, by the way.-
-Oh, its back sorry about that.-
Adrill nodded slowly. She did not do well on the Mage aptitude tests when she was younger.
Tala bobbed her head in understanding. Those tests are for mind-set and mode of thinking. I dont think that Artia will ever be a Mage, but we should be able to induce enough magic through her that she doesnt have a significantly lower lifespan than you. She chuckled. After all, shes around artifacts practically all day, every day. She has to have some penchant toward understanding how magic functions.
She hesitated, frowning for a moment.
You know, maybe the scripts to allow her to feed power to a magical item would work for her. No magic necessary for herself, only for an item.
A Mage doesnt need thoseat least most Immaterial Guides dont because we can just grab the power directly and give it to the item. No scripts required.
-Yes, you are extra special and awesome.-
Yes, we are. Tala smiled internally just a bit.
Brandon interjected, then, Why doesnt everyone do that? Why doesnt everyone get basic scripts?
Well, first of all, its expensive. She quirked a smile. Beyond that, you still have to have an understanding of magic, generally, and manyif not mostpeople simply dont, and cant, understand it.
Adrill responded before his son could, She definitely doesnt really appreciate the theory behind magic like we do, son, but she has a solid grasp of the fundamentals.
Then, maybe? Tala shrugged. Im sure with such an important goal before her, and you two beside her, we can get it to work for her.
Brandon frowned. Does that mean that Kedva would need such an understanding?
Tala almost opened her mouth to say yes, but hesitated. Wait
-Yeah arcane babies definitely dont have an understanding of magic when they are induced upon their birth.-
Maybe not? I will have to learn a different spellform to use for her than for the two of you. You both have the cognitive grasp of magesight to make it work. It wouldnt for her without extensive study but basic enhancement magics? Yeah that would just be taking the body as the template and allowing it to be more. I obviously already know that one, as that is part of what I gave to you.
-Enhancement magics were the recommendation given in the primer.-
Though, it was stated that such gave consistent, mediocre results.
-Yeah, consistent.-
but mediocre
-Do you think they will care?-
They might.
-Then, we let them decide.-
Tala nodded to herself, gilding herself and pushing on ahead, Ive been wanting the two of you to officially come work for me in here for a while, now. Master Simon has been not-so-subtly asking for it as well. If you agree, Ill give you this as your first project: You would fully study the arcane advancement manual that I have and break out the steps for use by others, such as Kedva.
Both men froze.
Did we not tell them?
-No, Tala. No, we did not.-
Jerboara were charging creatures that have clawed paws but most closely resemble boars in their nature and behavior.
Wickedly sharp tusks and hardened skulls were complemented by oddly large ears that allowed them to nearly unerringly home in on their prey.
And they did have prey. From all evidence, they were omnivores like swine, but they seemed to prefer meat.
And, of course, killing gated humans.
-There is that lovely feature of virtually every magical creature, yes.-
The quilled portion of their name referenced the near-metal-like quills that armored their sides and back, which they could flex and position for defense and close quarters offense.
The foremost quills could even be pulled forward and positioned like a miniature forest of lances in order to add to the damage potential of a charge.
And the gibbering portion of their name?
Aside from the unnerving nature of the sound, it actually represented a birdsong-like form of communication, which allowed whole herds to work together.
The gibbering quilled jerboara was the most intelligent variety of jerboara by far.
Additionally, their magics were almost entirely focused on sonic manipulation of varying kinds.
Ears sealed.
-Ear canals filled. Were good to go.-
The siege orbs punched through the first rank and threw them back into the second, disrupting the tightly packed charge some hundred yards from the walls. Even so, the orbs didnt come out the backs of the first beasts they entered.
Thankfully, it did cause some of the quills of the creatures to be slammed into those behind them, which caused further damage and confusion.
Well.. they are more durable than we were led to believe.
-Just a bit, yeah. Their hides must be insanely enhanced.-
Without further delay, Tala triggered the orbs, releasing the incredibly compressed air into a concussive explosion.
That worked at least, as the six jerboara almost seemed to swell like balloons before bursting. Their whole bodies swelled and tore with what must have been a rather disgusting sound, even as the ground rumbled at the detonations.
The result slung frozen gore and bits of flesh everywhere, actually sending the quills and bone fragments shooting outward, tearing through the surrounding beasts.
Well, that worked, but not really as Id hoped
Flow snicked into Talas hand from the sheath at her belt.
It was time to close in for some true stress-relief.
Tala crouched against the base of the wall, making sure to brace against the foundation stones and the ground in equal measure, before launching herself up and outward, removing her downward gravity at the last minute in order to soar the intervening distance between herself and the herd that was slowly pulling itself back in order.
The sound of her launch must have been noticeable, and some of the bigger beasts clearly oriented on her as she was flying their direction.
Her entire body began to vibrate, her very bones jiggling and trying to pull free of the surrounding tissue as close to a hundred of the more aware jerboara unleashed their power to send sonic attacks her way.
Her very brain felt like it was trying to enter a liquid state.
Blessedly, she was more durable than that.
Rust my biscuits, Im glad Im the one who engaged directly.
-First, thats Mistress Hollys phrase.-
Other people have said it.
-...regardless. Second, they wouldnt have closed at all. Third, eye on the target, its time to descend.-
One jerboara in particular seemed to realize that she wasnt dying as theyd expected, because it quickly gathered its back legs under itself and lunged out and up, aiming perfectly to meet her mid-air.
Its forward quills snapped to the front, even as it lowered its head to bring its tusks to bear.
Lovely, a volunteer.
Thus, as Tala allowed her gravity to return to normal and arced down into the mass of enemies, Flow bisected one of the biggest monsters, allowing the horse-sized magical thing to fall in two pieces behind her.
She didnt pay attention to the squelch of the two halves landing, as she had other things on her mind. She had had come down on top of an unsuspecting member of the assaulting herd, her full weight and surface-area expansion scripts allowing her to drive it into the ground, even if it didnt kill the thing outright.
These things are tough.
-So it seems.-
Well, then, close quarters killing it is.
-Shall we?-
Quite.
And that is exactly what she did.
Her breath tore at them from the outside.
Flow cut them with every movement.
Her shields, defensive discs, and tungsten balls and rod frustrated their movements.
Talas aura supremacy kept them from amplifying each other's magic.
Her body resisted their concentrated sonic attacks.
She didnt use any more siege orbs, as they didnt seem to be as effective as shed like. Thus, she kept the few still on her belt in reserve, just in case they were needed.
They werent.
Similarly, she didnt use her iron spikes, as they were entirely unnecessary, and Tala was trying to unburden her mind, not strain it differently.
Her unit mates joined her in spirit and with their long-range magics, sending their power from the walls, and striking at portions of the massed creatures that she wasnt currently addressing, keeping them milling and confused barely a hundred yards from the wall.
It was a slaughter.
It was exactly what she needed right then.
Some days, it really paid to be a defender.
And, of course, I am actually going to get paid.
-Ahh, the perks and plus side of doing our job.-
Chapter 377: My FaultTala helped Brandon and Adrill to their feet, one with each hand.It was easy enough to allow her iron to actually settle upon her to give her the inertia to help them stand, and she certainly didnt lack the strength. It was the least she could do.Considering-Not yet, Tala. They still need our help.-The two men gratefully accepted the help even as they had their heads practically on a swivel, trying to take in as much as they could.She was holding herself tightly emotionally controlledwith Alats help. If she panicked, theyd be utterly lost, Slow down, gentlemen. As long as youre in here, your magesight wont go away. It should even maintain, if at a lower fidelity, outside, within Alefast and the surrounding region.That seemed to allow the two to settle down a bit. Good, theyre doing better.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.-Hold it together, Tala. Dont think too deeply. You got this. We can go off on our own soon.-Yeah. She encouraged herself, trying to keep a brave face, YeahBrandon held himself still and cleared his throat, seeming a bit more embarrassed than his father at their earlier display.The older man was still staring around himself in wonder, even if with less of a frantic air.Mistress Tala? What about my question? Can you do this for others? Bradon shifted uncomfortably, Or have we just condemned ourselves to outlive those we love?Tala swallowed. Well, for those without a gate, this can be done. It is a nearly flawless process, but the results arent perfect nor guaranteed. If it fails, the result is death. I am unsure if even having a healer on hand would prevent that, but were definitely going to regardless. Similarly, you are both going to be thoroughly checked out as soon as Master Simon gets back with one.Why?Which part? I said a lot of things in there.Why dont you think a healer will be much help?Oh. Well, its a suspicion more than outright knowledge, but its pretty well grounded, as I think youll agree. It is because the issue in that circumstance is that the patients body is trying to draw in too much magic and is being made toxic because of that.she was rambling, but she didnt think she could stop herself and hold it togetherMore magic, even that which they cant absorb, even that of a helpful variety is going to exacerbate the problem. There are likely some magics that could help second-hand, but the sort of immediate treatment that would be required likely wouldnt be possible.Brandon was nodding. He knew the theory well enough by that point to have followed what she was getting at. And mom?Tala shrugged. This environment shouldnt affect her at all. Her body is already magic-bound to her own flavor of power, for lack of a better description. The stuff in the air, here, might hurt her if we doubled the density.-More like increased it by a factor of a hundred.-She shook her head, No, it would need more than that, probably closer to a hundred times this level before it could start to actively harm her.-Smooth.-Thank you.Adrill had been drawn in by her words, out of his awed examination of the world around him. Even though he was still clearly euphoric, a spark of concern and doubt was beginning to creep in. So my wife?Tala grimaced. The only thing I can think of is to get her a keystone, deepen her connection with magic enough to at least get her inscribed. Every bit of power we can get flowing through her will lengthen her life, but it isnt an easy process, or everyone would do it. Tala huffed a forced laugh. We want more people more than almost anything else. If we could easily extend peoples natural lifespan, wed be doing it to everyone.Dont talk about Archon stars. Dont mention them at all. We are absolutely going to keep her well below the threshold to move in that dangerous direction.-Yeah, we do want people to live longer, but its a balancing act to keep from suddenly having millions of founts-That would be less than ideal, yeah. Plus, a large portion of those who are denied Magical training are so rejected because they would succumb to becoming a fount so fast as to make their training detrimental.-True enough. Hey! Good job changing your focus, by the way.--Oh, its back sorry about that.-Adrill nodded slowly. She did not do well on the Mage aptitude tests when she was younger.Tala bobbed her head in understanding. Those tests are for mind-set and mode of thinking. I dont think that Artia will ever be a Mage, but we should be able to induce enough magic through her that she doesnt have a significantly lower lifespan than you. She chuckled. After all, shes around artifacts practically all day, every day. She has to have some penchant toward understanding how magic functions.She hesitated, frowning for a moment.You know, maybe the scripts to allow her to feed power to a magical item would work for her. No magic necessary for herself, only for an item.A Mage doesnt need thoseat least most Immaterial Guides dont because we can just grab the power directly and give it to the item. No scripts required.-Yes, you are extra special and awesome.-Yes, we are. Tala smiled internally just a bit.Brandon interjected, then, Why doesnt everyone do that? Why doesnt everyone get basic scripts?Well, first of all, its expensive. She quirked a smile. Beyond that, you still have to have an understanding of magic, generally, and manyif not mostpeople simply dont, and cant, understand it.Adrill responded before his son could, She definitely doesnt really appreciate the theory behind magic like we do, son, but she has a solid grasp of the fundamentals.Then, maybe? Tala shrugged. Im sure with such an important goal before her, and you two beside her, we can get it to work for her.Brandon frowned. Does that mean that Kedva would need such an understanding?Tala almost opened her mouth to say yes, but hesitated. Wait-Yeah arcane babies definitely dont have an understanding of magic when they are induced upon their birth.-Maybe not? I will have to learn a different spellform to use for her than for the two of you. You both have the cognitive grasp of magesight to make it work. It wouldnt for her without extensive study but basic enhancement magics? Yeah that would just be taking the body as the template and allowing it to be more. I obviously already know that one, as that is part of what I gave to you.-Enhancement magics were the recommendation given in the primer.-Though, it was stated that such gave consistent, mediocre results.-Yeah, consistent.- but mediocre-Do you think they will care?-They might.-Then, we let them decide.-Tala nodded to herself, gilding herself and pushing on ahead, Ive been wanting the two of you to officially come work for me in here for a while, now. Master Simon has been not-so-subtly asking for it as well. If you agree, Ill give you this as your first project: You would fully study the arcane advancement manual that I have and break out the steps for use by others, such as Kedva.Both men froze.Did we not tell them?-No, Tala. No, we did not.-Jerboara were charging creatures that have clawed paws but most closely resemble boars in their nature and behavior.Wickedly sharp tusks and hardened skulls were complemented by oddly large ears that allowed them to nearly unerringly home in on their prey.And they did have prey. From all evidence, they were omnivores like swine, but they seemed to prefer meat.And, of course, killing gated humans.-There is that lovely feature of virtually every magical creature, yes.-The quilled portion of their name referenced the near-metal-like quills that armored their sides and back, which they could flex and position for defense and close quarters offense.The foremost quills could even be pulled forward and positioned like a miniature forest of lances in order to add to the damage potential of a charge.And the gibbering portion of their name?Aside from the unnerving nature of the sound, it actually represented a birdsong-like form of communication, which allowed whole herds to work together.The gibbering quilled jerboara was the most intelligent variety of jerboara by far.Additionally, their magics were almost entirely focused on sonic manipulation of varying kinds.Ears sealed.-Ear canals filled. Were good to go.-The siege orbs punched through the first rank and threw them back into the second, disrupting the tightly packed charge some hundred yards from the walls. Even so, the orbs didnt come out the backs of the first beasts they entered.Thankfully, it did cause some of the quills of the creatures to be slammed into those behind them, which caused further damage and confusion.Well.. they are more durable than we were led to believe.-Just a bit, yeah. Their hides must be insanely enhanced.-Without further delay, Tala triggered the orbs, releasing the incredibly compressed air into a concussive explosion.That worked at least, as the six jerboara almost seemed to swell like balloons before bursting. Their whole bodies swelled and tore with what must have been a rather disgusting sound, even as the ground rumbled at the detonations.The result slung frozen gore and bits of flesh everywhere, actually sending the quills and bone fragments shooting outward, tearing through the surrounding beasts.Well, that worked, but not really as Id hopedFlow snicked into Talas hand from the sheath at her belt.It was time to close in for some true stress-relief.Tala crouched against the base of the wall, making sure to brace against the foundation stones and the ground in equal measure, before launching herself up and outward, removing her downward gravity at the last minute in order to soar the intervening distance between herself and the herd that was slowly pulling itself back in order.The sound of her launch must have been noticeable, and some of the bigger beasts clearly oriented on her as she was flying their direction.Her entire body began to vibrate, her very bones jiggling and trying to pull free of the surrounding tissue as close to a hundred of the more aware jerboara unleashed their power to send sonic attacks her way.Her very brain felt like it was trying to enter a liquid state.Blessedly, she was more durable than that.Rust my biscuits, Im glad Im the one who engaged directly.-First, thats Mistress Hollys phrase.-Other people have said it.-...regardless. Second, they wouldnt have closed at all. Third, eye on the target, its time to descend.-One jerboara in particular seemed to realize that she wasnt dying as theyd expected, because it quickly gathered its back legs under itself and lunged out and up, aiming perfectly to meet her mid-air.Its forward quills snapped to the front, even as it lowered its head to bring its tusks to bear.Lovely, a volunteer.Thus, as Tala allowed her gravity to return to normal and arced down into the mass of enemies, Flow bisected one of the biggest monsters, allowing the horse-sized magical thing to fall in two pieces behind her.She didnt pay attention to the squelch of the two halves landing, as she had other things on her mind. She had had come down on top of an unsuspecting member of the assaulting herd, her full weight and surface-area expansion scripts allowing her to drive it into the ground, even if it didnt kill the thing outright.These things are tough.-So it seems.-Well, then, close quarters killing it is.-Shall we?-Quite.And that is exactly what she did.Her breath tore at them from the outside.Flow cut them with every movement.Her shields, defensive discs, and tungsten balls and rod frustrated their movements.Talas aura supremacy kept them from amplifying each other's magic.Her body resisted their concentrated sonic attacks.She didnt use any more siege orbs, as they didnt seem to be as effective as shed like. Thus, she kept the few still on her belt in reserve, just in case they were needed.They werent.Similarly, she didnt use her iron spikes, as they were entirely unnecessary, and Tala was trying to unburden her mind, not strain it differently.Her unit mates joined her in spirit and with their long-range magics, sending their power from the walls, and striking at portions of the massed creatures that she wasnt currently addressing, keeping them milling and confused barely a hundred yards from the wall.It was a slaughter.It was exactly what she needed right then.Some days, it really paid to be a defender.And, of course, I am actually going to get paid.-Ahh, the perks and plus side of doing our job.-
