Chapter 71: I’m Going to Become an Archon
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Chapter 71: I’m Going to Become an Archon
Sighing, Tala took one last look around her room before turning around to see Lyn standing in the doorway.
Gah! How did I not hear her? She thought back, and realized that she had, in fact, heard her arrive, but hadnt registered it. Im going to have to figure out how to control that better
Lyn smiled. I know it probably feels even smaller now, after the wilds
Tala smiled, her stance softening. Its wonderful, Lyn. Thank you, again.
Lyns smile widened. So youre sure you want to stay?nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
Absolutely.
The older woman stepped forward and gave Tala a quick hug. Good. After the brief contact, she pulled back. How about I go grab us some dinner?
Tala brightened. That sounds fantastic! How about some more of Gretels meat pies? I feel like I could eat a dozenmaybe two. She felt her stomach rumble slightly. Make it three? And anything else you think looks good I lost a few earlier, rather violently
Lyn gave her a questioning look.
Holly said I needed to eat, a lot.
She shook her head. Fair enough. Ill do that. Take some time, settle in. Ill be a bit.
Sounds good. Thank you, Lyn.
See you soon. She left without another word.
Tala stretched, again. You know, if Im going to be without my salve for a bit, I should enjoy baths more often.
Terry looked at her skeptically.
Tala coughed, looking away. You have no idea how often Ive taken baths, before.
Terry let out an oddly deep, seemingly disbelieving, chirp.
Fine, well, Im going to ready a bath. She grabbed one of Hollys books and her review notebook, using the latter to narrow down what to study in the former as she strode from the room. The Digestive System was her first focus. A smile tugged at her lips, and she glanced back, seeing the terror bird on her bed, and the tools on her writing table. It looked horribly bare, but it also looked right. Not that Im going to leave it like this. She smiled.
Time to relax.
* * *
Talas bath was not quite ready before Lyn returned with food.
Tala had forgotten that a fire had to be built to heat the water in this place, and she hadnt wanted a cold bath. Im getting spoiled, it seems.
She had filled the tub and just stoked the fire when Lyn called out to her. Dinner!
Coming. Tala walked out, moving carefully as she continued to read, only to find Terry already sitting beside Lyn, eyeing the basket full of mini meat-pies. Another basket of food sat off to the side, the contents wrapped in linen.
Lyn smiled up at Tala. Can he eat one?
Tala shrugged. Ive seen him eat worse.
Lyn smiled and tossed one to Terry. The bird devoured the mini-pie quickly.
Tala grinned. Watch this. She grabbed one of the pies, then looked to Terry. Up for some showing off?
Terry tilted his head, eyes on the pie, and gave a slight nod, hunkering down, almost dancing from foot to foot.
Tala tossed the pie to the side.
Lyn opened her mouth to protest but stopped. Whered it go?
Tala had had her eyes on Terry the whole time, and still, shed only seen the barest flicker. The only difference was that hed changed position, slightly, and was now wolfing down the little pie.
Tala Lyn focused on Terry. How old is that terror bird?
Tala grinned, devouring her first pie. So good! Garlic and yams, and is this beef? Not young.
The shortest cool-down Ive seen between teleports was in a dimensional rabbit. It could jump every three seconds or so.
Tala shrugged. Not too different.
Lyn had a serious look on her face. It was hundreds of years old, Tala. My understanding from my passing curiosity is that the time is halved every decade or so, for non-sapient users, and the time increases, the larger the thing teleported. She narrowed her eyes, examining Terry more closely. Is he a dwarf terror bird? That might explain some, but hed still need to be close to a hundred and fifty years old, at least.
Terry looked inquisitively to Tala, but she slightly shook her head. Could be, I suppose. Who knows for sure? She ate another pie. Oooo! Parsnips and beets? Nicely blended flavors, too. I wouldnt have thought those would go with pork so well.
Lyn stared at her for a long time, then sighed. Fine As she took up and began eating her first pie, she was watching Terry. She finished her first, and started on her second, suddenly throwing another off to the side.
Terry seemed to instantly shift positions, again eating the newly acquired pie.
Less than an eyeblink She examined Tala, again, and sighed. Fine I wont dig.
Tala smiled. Thank you for dinner. What do I owe you?
Lyn waved the question off. Welcome home, thats what you owe me. She smiled. I assume you want to get back on the road, as soon as Mistress Hollys done and you have your chat with the Guild?
Tala hesitated. Maybe She thought about the training that shed been doing, as well as the mounting advice to create a sufficient Archon star. Plus, shed promised the Guardsmans Guild shed give them some time. What would it mean for our contract, if I became an Archon?
Lyn froze, new bite of meat filling her mouth. After a long moment, she began chewing once more, and eventually, she swallowed the savory treat. Tala. How likely is that?
Tala shrugged. Depends on the answer?
Lyn sighed, deeply, scratching beside her right temple, eyes squeezed shut. Under her breath, she muttered, Give me strength. After another long moment, she opened her eyes and smiled. Tala, dear friend, that would constitute a material change to the services you could offer the Caravan Guild.
Tala thought back. There was a clause about something like that Sooooo?
So, at the very least, we would retest you, and alter the arrangement accordingly. The most common result would be that youd be allowed to take on two contracts at once, being considered a dimensional Mage, and a Mage protector of the wagon train, assuming youd be capable of that.
Tala perked up at that. So, half my inscriptions would be covered? And Id earn a gold ounce for each arcanous encounter the wagons survived?
Youd earn that for your team, but basically, yes. Lyn confirmed.
That would be so utterly fantastic. How does that work, anyways? If one thunder bull attacks, versus a herd of ten, is that the same pay, because its one encounter?
Lyn sighed, again. Depends. If theres any indication that you personally caused the encounter, then you get nothing additional. If it is unavoidable, then it depends on the quantity and power of the beasts in question. Ten thunder bulls directly defended against would be three ounces, gold, added to the payment of the protectors.
Tala was nodding. That sounds fantastic.
Lyn was giving Tala a very wary look. What are you planning?
Tala gave the other Mage a quizzical look. Id think that was obvious. Im going to become an Archon.
Lyn groaned, putting her head in her hands.
Tala popped another meat pie into her mouth, and Terry flickered just slightly, then held very still. She turned to regard the bird; its dimensional magic burst obvious. You know, I can sense when you do that.
Terry looked her right in the eye, then tipped back his head, opening his mouth and allowing the four meat pies hed snatched to slide down his throat.
Tala just laughed, and Lyn looked up in confusion. Terry. Im going to feed you. Is human food so much better than what youre used to?
The bird locked gazes with her and bobbed up and down, letting out a low, resonate squawking affirmation.
Tala groaned. Decency can wait for my head to stabilize
Are you ill?
No. I just overworked my soul.
Lyn sighed. From anyone else, I would assume that to be a joke.
From anyone else, it just might be.
What do you need? Her tone had taken on a maternal cast.
Apparently, a blanket
Lyn snorted, striding into the room and moving the blanket that was bunched up beside Tala to cover her. There.
Thanks
So Lyn sat down on the bed beside Tala. What was the noise?
I clapped.
You clapped
Yup.
Is that a metaphor? Some obscure training technique based on the heroes of yore? Or?
No. I just clapped.
Lyn looked at the other Mages palms, seeing the subtly glowing scripts, just like those that covered the rest of her. Seems like it was a hard clap.
Yeah.
Please refrain? It was quite loud, even out in the living room.
Will do, boss.
Lyn shook her head. Do you need breakfast? The work-yard is expecting you to drop by this morning, and Ive written down the information for your other appointments. The sheet is ready for you.
Tala groaned, again, and sat up. Surprisingly, the room remained steady. I think Im ready.
Lyn stood, keeping her back towards Tala. Well, get dressed first, please?
It took barely any time for Tala to pull her clothes back on. She decided to go with the immortal elk leathers again, given she was going to the training yard this morning.
Terry appeared on her shoulder as she stepped out of her room. A smile on her face, Tala took a moment to look around herself.
To her right, directly beside her at the end of the hall, was the door to Lyns room. Across the way was the door into the bathroom, and beside the bathroom door, closer to the living room, a window let in the beginnings of the first light of day.
The building was a simple construction, with poured stone floors, lightly textured and likely sealed. The walls were painted plaster over stone. Heavily built. The floor was dark, the walls light; it produced a pleasing atmosphere.
Why have I never just stopped to take it in?
She felt herself smile. She didnt have any deadlines. Nothing was demanding she become ready. Sure, she had tasks that she wished to do, but that wasnt what she meant. She had no obligations on her overall time, not at the moment.
She moved down the hall, which was wide enough for her and Lyn to pass each other quite easily.
Tala came out into the living room and saw Lyn sitting at the table off to one side, food laid out. I thought food wasnt included?
Well, I figured two meals wasnt quite a pattern. Lyn smiled. I was informed that you developed aliking for coffee.
Tala was quite sure that liking hadnt been the word Lyn was going to say. She was about to comment, but then she saw the coffee in question, in a mug beside the other place at the table. Tala immediately forgave Lyn all implied slights and sat down, taking a deep pull of dark, decadent, deliciousness.
So smooth, so dark, so perfect.
They ate quickly, as both had many things to accomplish that day.
Lyn and Tala left at the same time, saying their goodbyes as they went in different directions: Tala to the work-yard, and Lyn to the Caravan Guilds main office.
Tala took her time walking through the city, enjoying being back in Bandfast.
It had a different feel to it than Alefast, more relaxed, lessimminent. I suppose thats what happens when youre one wall away from the wilds.
There were similar mixes of architecture, and the people didnt really look different, save Bandfast citizenry seeming a bit more relaxed. Maybe a bit heavier too It was an interesting notion. Does safety lead to weight gain? That cant be the only factor, obviously, but it was entertaining to consider.
Many people gave Terry odd looks, but no one seemed particularly alarmed by him. Tala fell back into her habit of reading, sketching, and jotting down her thoughts as she walked, both to keep her mind occupied and to prevent her from sprinting through the city. Mostly, though, she read. I have to get through my anatomy review, after all.
She was still having a bit of an odd time moving, each of her movements more powerful than she was expecting. Interestingly enough, the method of walking, learned at Adams suggestion, leant itself marvelously to the task, as she was used to careful, precise movements, and her enhanced nervous system adjusted to the changes in her power quite rapidly.
As Holly had implied, and Tala had discovered the night before, she felt ravenously hungry, and she was sure it was her new inscribings that were causing the hunger, even if not directly. They were working on reshaping her at a fundamental level and that required nutrition.
Towards that end, Tala bought no less than ten pasties of various kinds for the wonderful price of a single silver. As she walked, she occasionally tossed out bits of jerky, noticing the instantaneous, slight shift of Terrys weight when he moved out and back, always having caught the meat.
She did not share the pasties.
Terry did not hold it against her. Much.
Finally, she reached the work-yard and the waiting cargo-slots.
The first one, to her surprise, charged incredibly slowly, taking a full minute to reach its maximum. She frowned. The mental construct is right After a long minute of thought, and ten bits of jerky flicked randomly, she had a realization. Ive just been using my left-over power-flow to charge these up. And my scripts are using most of that, now.
That actually reminded her of her items. She had charged them as part of her training earlier that day, and it had taken longer than usual. Shed just attributed that to the city being utterly devoid of free-floating power. Maybe it was something else? Since she was already thinking of them, she decided to top them off. If I can be hungry, why not them?
That done, she moved to the next cargo-slot and concentrated.
She formed the mental construct, just as before, but now, she reached inside. She saw, as well as felt, almost all of her power pouring from her gate into her spell-forms. She grabbed the entirety of that flow and channeled it down her right arm, through the mental construct, and into the second cargo-slot.
She exhaled.
The indicators flickered to life in rapid succession.
Blinking in surprise, Tala pulled back her hand. Less than two seconds? The cargo-slot in front of her was fully charged and ready to go.
Hesitantly, she moved to the next one and repeated the process.
Done.
She moved down the line, charging the remaining seventeen with little more than the time it took to touch them and take a quick breath.
That wasamazing! She had noticed a slight dip in her internal reserves during each charge, as her active scripts continued to use her power. That store of power had needed to be refilled by her gate, once the inflow was available again, but it was a minimal dip.
She heard the sound of a single person clapping, approaching from behind. Wonderful! I can see you took my suggestions to heart and have improved remarkably.
Master Himmal! Tala turned around, giving a slight bow. Its wonderful to see you again. Thank you, once again, for your advice.
He smiled, folding his hands before him. Think nothing of it, Mistress Tala. You have progressed tremendously in just two short weeks.
She smiled. Thank you. As she focused on him, she saw the same oddities to his aura as before, but more clearly this time. The underlying color was suppressed, but obviously red. What she could see of it was fractured, somehow broken, and as she examined it closer, she could see that parts of it were much closer to orange than she first realized. Not uniform? From what little she understood, that seemedbad. Well, he did say that hed broken something with his gate. Its probably related to that.
Now, I can see that my hopes were not unfounded. We are nearly done with your custom set of cargo-slots, and I am glad that I added the ability for the larger capacities to be enabled. We should be able to get you a set close to four times those measly constructs, with added additional benefits for more fragile and valuable cargo. With those sizes, youll be able to have some outfitted as passenger and bunkhouse variants. Youll be able to have a full caravan in just two or three wagons, depending on the Mage Protectors. He shook his head. The cooks will never leave their own wagon behind. He smiled whimsically, speaking under his breath. I would so love to examine one of their chuck-wagons one day.
I knew it! That wagon and what the cooks could do within never made sense. Brand hadnt just been messing with her after all. She smiled. You and me both.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 71: I’m Going to Become an Archon
Sighing, Tala took one last look around her room before turning around to see Lyn standing in the doorway.
Gah! How did I not hear her? She thought back, and realized that she had, in fact, heard her arrive, but hadnt registered it. Im going to have to figure out how to control that better
Lyn smiled. I know it probably feels even smaller now, after the wilds
Tala smiled, her stance softening. Its wonderful, Lyn. Thank you, again.
Lyns smile widened. So youre sure you want to stay?nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.
Absolutely.
The older woman stepped forward and gave Tala a quick hug. Good. After the brief contact, she pulled back. How about I go grab us some dinner?
Tala brightened. That sounds fantastic! How about some more of Gretels meat pies? I feel like I could eat a dozenmaybe two. She felt her stomach rumble slightly. Make it three? And anything else you think looks good I lost a few earlier, rather violently
Lyn gave her a questioning look.
Holly said I needed to eat, a lot.
She shook her head. Fair enough. Ill do that. Take some time, settle in. Ill be a bit.
Sounds good. Thank you, Lyn.
See you soon. She left without another word.
Tala stretched, again. You know, if Im going to be without my salve for a bit, I should enjoy baths more often.
Terry looked at her skeptically.
Tala coughed, looking away. You have no idea how often Ive taken baths, before.
Terry let out an oddly deep, seemingly disbelieving, chirp.
Fine, well, Im going to ready a bath. She grabbed one of Hollys books and her review notebook, using the latter to narrow down what to study in the former as she strode from the room. The Digestive System was her first focus. A smile tugged at her lips, and she glanced back, seeing the terror bird on her bed, and the tools on her writing table. It looked horribly bare, but it also looked right. Not that Im going to leave it like this. She smiled.
Time to relax.
* * *
Talas bath was not quite ready before Lyn returned with food.
Tala had forgotten that a fire had to be built to heat the water in this place, and she hadnt wanted a cold bath. Im getting spoiled, it seems.
She had filled the tub and just stoked the fire when Lyn called out to her. Dinner!
Coming. Tala walked out, moving carefully as she continued to read, only to find Terry already sitting beside Lyn, eyeing the basket full of mini meat-pies. Another basket of food sat off to the side, the contents wrapped in linen.
Lyn smiled up at Tala. Can he eat one?
Tala shrugged. Ive seen him eat worse.
Lyn smiled and tossed one to Terry. The bird devoured the mini-pie quickly.
Tala grinned. Watch this. She grabbed one of the pies, then looked to Terry. Up for some showing off?
Terry tilted his head, eyes on the pie, and gave a slight nod, hunkering down, almost dancing from foot to foot.
Tala tossed the pie to the side.
Lyn opened her mouth to protest but stopped. Whered it go?
Tala had had her eyes on Terry the whole time, and still, shed only seen the barest flicker. The only difference was that hed changed position, slightly, and was now wolfing down the little pie.
Tala Lyn focused on Terry. How old is that terror bird?
Tala grinned, devouring her first pie. So good! Garlic and yams, and is this beef? Not young.
The shortest cool-down Ive seen between teleports was in a dimensional rabbit. It could jump every three seconds or so.
Tala shrugged. Not too different.
Lyn had a serious look on her face. It was hundreds of years old, Tala. My understanding from my passing curiosity is that the time is halved every decade or so, for non-sapient users, and the time increases, the larger the thing teleported. She narrowed her eyes, examining Terry more closely. Is he a dwarf terror bird? That might explain some, but hed still need to be close to a hundred and fifty years old, at least.
Terry looked inquisitively to Tala, but she slightly shook her head. Could be, I suppose. Who knows for sure? She ate another pie. Oooo! Parsnips and beets? Nicely blended flavors, too. I wouldnt have thought those would go with pork so well.
Lyn stared at her for a long time, then sighed. Fine As she took up and began eating her first pie, she was watching Terry. She finished her first, and started on her second, suddenly throwing another off to the side.
Terry seemed to instantly shift positions, again eating the newly acquired pie.
Less than an eyeblink She examined Tala, again, and sighed. Fine I wont dig.
Tala smiled. Thank you for dinner. What do I owe you?
Lyn waved the question off. Welcome home, thats what you owe me. She smiled. I assume you want to get back on the road, as soon as Mistress Hollys done and you have your chat with the Guild?
Tala hesitated. Maybe She thought about the training that shed been doing, as well as the mounting advice to create a sufficient Archon star. Plus, shed promised the Guardsmans Guild shed give them some time. What would it mean for our contract, if I became an Archon?
Lyn froze, new bite of meat filling her mouth. After a long moment, she began chewing once more, and eventually, she swallowed the savory treat. Tala. How likely is that?
Tala shrugged. Depends on the answer?
Lyn sighed, deeply, scratching beside her right temple, eyes squeezed shut. Under her breath, she muttered, Give me strength. After another long moment, she opened her eyes and smiled. Tala, dear friend, that would constitute a material change to the services you could offer the Caravan Guild.
Tala thought back. There was a clause about something like that Sooooo?
So, at the very least, we would retest you, and alter the arrangement accordingly. The most common result would be that youd be allowed to take on two contracts at once, being considered a dimensional Mage, and a Mage protector of the wagon train, assuming youd be capable of that.
Tala perked up at that. So, half my inscriptions would be covered? And Id earn a gold ounce for each arcanous encounter the wagons survived?
Youd earn that for your team, but basically, yes. Lyn confirmed.
That would be so utterly fantastic. How does that work, anyways? If one thunder bull attacks, versus a herd of ten, is that the same pay, because its one encounter?
Lyn sighed, again. Depends. If theres any indication that you personally caused the encounter, then you get nothing additional. If it is unavoidable, then it depends on the quantity and power of the beasts in question. Ten thunder bulls directly defended against would be three ounces, gold, added to the payment of the protectors.
Tala was nodding. That sounds fantastic.
Lyn was giving Tala a very wary look. What are you planning?
Tala gave the other Mage a quizzical look. Id think that was obvious. Im going to become an Archon.
Lyn groaned, putting her head in her hands.
Tala popped another meat pie into her mouth, and Terry flickered just slightly, then held very still. She turned to regard the bird; its dimensional magic burst obvious. You know, I can sense when you do that.
Terry looked her right in the eye, then tipped back his head, opening his mouth and allowing the four meat pies hed snatched to slide down his throat.
Tala just laughed, and Lyn looked up in confusion. Terry. Im going to feed you. Is human food so much better than what youre used to?
The bird locked gazes with her and bobbed up and down, letting out a low, resonate squawking affirmation.
Tala groaned. Decency can wait for my head to stabilize
Are you ill?
No. I just overworked my soul.
Lyn sighed. From anyone else, I would assume that to be a joke.
From anyone else, it just might be.
What do you need? Her tone had taken on a maternal cast.
Apparently, a blanket
Lyn snorted, striding into the room and moving the blanket that was bunched up beside Tala to cover her. There.
Thanks
So Lyn sat down on the bed beside Tala. What was the noise?
I clapped.
You clapped
Yup.
Is that a metaphor? Some obscure training technique based on the heroes of yore? Or?
No. I just clapped.
Lyn looked at the other Mages palms, seeing the subtly glowing scripts, just like those that covered the rest of her. Seems like it was a hard clap.
Yeah.
Please refrain? It was quite loud, even out in the living room.
Will do, boss.
Lyn shook her head. Do you need breakfast? The work-yard is expecting you to drop by this morning, and Ive written down the information for your other appointments. The sheet is ready for you.
Tala groaned, again, and sat up. Surprisingly, the room remained steady. I think Im ready.
Lyn stood, keeping her back towards Tala. Well, get dressed first, please?
It took barely any time for Tala to pull her clothes back on. She decided to go with the immortal elk leathers again, given she was going to the training yard this morning.
Terry appeared on her shoulder as she stepped out of her room. A smile on her face, Tala took a moment to look around herself.
To her right, directly beside her at the end of the hall, was the door to Lyns room. Across the way was the door into the bathroom, and beside the bathroom door, closer to the living room, a window let in the beginnings of the first light of day.
The building was a simple construction, with poured stone floors, lightly textured and likely sealed. The walls were painted plaster over stone. Heavily built. The floor was dark, the walls light; it produced a pleasing atmosphere.
Why have I never just stopped to take it in?
She felt herself smile. She didnt have any deadlines. Nothing was demanding she become ready. Sure, she had tasks that she wished to do, but that wasnt what she meant. She had no obligations on her overall time, not at the moment.
She moved down the hall, which was wide enough for her and Lyn to pass each other quite easily.
Tala came out into the living room and saw Lyn sitting at the table off to one side, food laid out. I thought food wasnt included?
Well, I figured two meals wasnt quite a pattern. Lyn smiled. I was informed that you developed aliking for coffee.
Tala was quite sure that liking hadnt been the word Lyn was going to say. She was about to comment, but then she saw the coffee in question, in a mug beside the other place at the table. Tala immediately forgave Lyn all implied slights and sat down, taking a deep pull of dark, decadent, deliciousness.
So smooth, so dark, so perfect.
They ate quickly, as both had many things to accomplish that day.
Lyn and Tala left at the same time, saying their goodbyes as they went in different directions: Tala to the work-yard, and Lyn to the Caravan Guilds main office.
Tala took her time walking through the city, enjoying being back in Bandfast.
It had a different feel to it than Alefast, more relaxed, lessimminent. I suppose thats what happens when youre one wall away from the wilds.
There were similar mixes of architecture, and the people didnt really look different, save Bandfast citizenry seeming a bit more relaxed. Maybe a bit heavier too It was an interesting notion. Does safety lead to weight gain? That cant be the only factor, obviously, but it was entertaining to consider.
Many people gave Terry odd looks, but no one seemed particularly alarmed by him. Tala fell back into her habit of reading, sketching, and jotting down her thoughts as she walked, both to keep her mind occupied and to prevent her from sprinting through the city. Mostly, though, she read. I have to get through my anatomy review, after all.
She was still having a bit of an odd time moving, each of her movements more powerful than she was expecting. Interestingly enough, the method of walking, learned at Adams suggestion, leant itself marvelously to the task, as she was used to careful, precise movements, and her enhanced nervous system adjusted to the changes in her power quite rapidly.
As Holly had implied, and Tala had discovered the night before, she felt ravenously hungry, and she was sure it was her new inscribings that were causing the hunger, even if not directly. They were working on reshaping her at a fundamental level and that required nutrition.
Towards that end, Tala bought no less than ten pasties of various kinds for the wonderful price of a single silver. As she walked, she occasionally tossed out bits of jerky, noticing the instantaneous, slight shift of Terrys weight when he moved out and back, always having caught the meat.
She did not share the pasties.
Terry did not hold it against her. Much.
Finally, she reached the work-yard and the waiting cargo-slots.
The first one, to her surprise, charged incredibly slowly, taking a full minute to reach its maximum. She frowned. The mental construct is right After a long minute of thought, and ten bits of jerky flicked randomly, she had a realization. Ive just been using my left-over power-flow to charge these up. And my scripts are using most of that, now.
That actually reminded her of her items. She had charged them as part of her training earlier that day, and it had taken longer than usual. Shed just attributed that to the city being utterly devoid of free-floating power. Maybe it was something else? Since she was already thinking of them, she decided to top them off. If I can be hungry, why not them?
That done, she moved to the next cargo-slot and concentrated.
She formed the mental construct, just as before, but now, she reached inside. She saw, as well as felt, almost all of her power pouring from her gate into her spell-forms. She grabbed the entirety of that flow and channeled it down her right arm, through the mental construct, and into the second cargo-slot.
She exhaled.
The indicators flickered to life in rapid succession.
Blinking in surprise, Tala pulled back her hand. Less than two seconds? The cargo-slot in front of her was fully charged and ready to go.
Hesitantly, she moved to the next one and repeated the process.
Done.
She moved down the line, charging the remaining seventeen with little more than the time it took to touch them and take a quick breath.
That wasamazing! She had noticed a slight dip in her internal reserves during each charge, as her active scripts continued to use her power. That store of power had needed to be refilled by her gate, once the inflow was available again, but it was a minimal dip.
She heard the sound of a single person clapping, approaching from behind. Wonderful! I can see you took my suggestions to heart and have improved remarkably.
Master Himmal! Tala turned around, giving a slight bow. Its wonderful to see you again. Thank you, once again, for your advice.
He smiled, folding his hands before him. Think nothing of it, Mistress Tala. You have progressed tremendously in just two short weeks.
She smiled. Thank you. As she focused on him, she saw the same oddities to his aura as before, but more clearly this time. The underlying color was suppressed, but obviously red. What she could see of it was fractured, somehow broken, and as she examined it closer, she could see that parts of it were much closer to orange than she first realized. Not uniform? From what little she understood, that seemedbad. Well, he did say that hed broken something with his gate. Its probably related to that.
Now, I can see that my hopes were not unfounded. We are nearly done with your custom set of cargo-slots, and I am glad that I added the ability for the larger capacities to be enabled. We should be able to get you a set close to four times those measly constructs, with added additional benefits for more fragile and valuable cargo. With those sizes, youll be able to have some outfitted as passenger and bunkhouse variants. Youll be able to have a full caravan in just two or three wagons, depending on the Mage Protectors. He shook his head. The cooks will never leave their own wagon behind. He smiled whimsically, speaking under his breath. I would so love to examine one of their chuck-wagons one day.
I knew it! That wagon and what the cooks could do within never made sense. Brand hadnt just been messing with her after all. She smiled. You and me both.
Chapter 71: I'm Going to Become an ArchonSighing, Tala took one last look around her room before turning around to see Lyn standing in the doorway.Gah! How did I not hear her? She thought back, and realized that she had, in fact, heard her arrive, but hadnt registered it. Im going to have to figure out how to control that betterLyn smiled. I know it probably feels even smaller now, after the wildsTala smiled, her stance softening. Its wonderful, Lyn. Thank you, again.Lyns smile widened. So youre sure you want to stay?novel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.Absolutely.The older woman stepped forward and gave Tala a quick hug. Good. After the brief contact, she pulled back. How about I go grab us some dinner?Tala brightened. That sounds fantastic! How about some more of Gretels meat pies? I feel like I could eat a dozenmaybe two. She felt her stomach rumble slightly. Make it three? And anything else you think looks good I lost a few earlier, rather violentlyLyn gave her a questioning look.Holly said I needed to eat, a lot.She shook her head. Fair enough. Ill do that. Take some time, settle in. Ill be a bit.Sounds good. Thank you, Lyn.See you soon. She left without another word.Tala stretched, again. You know, if Im going to be without my salve for a bit, I should enjoy baths more often.Terry looked at her skeptically.Tala coughed, looking away. You have no idea how often Ive taken baths, before.Terry let out an oddly deep, seemingly disbelieving, chirp.Fine, well, Im going to ready a bath. She grabbed one of Hollys books and her review notebook, using the latter to narrow down what to study in the former as she strode from the room. The Digestive System was her first focus. A smile tugged at her lips, and she glanced back, seeing the terror bird on her bed, and the tools on her writing table. It looked horribly bare, but it also looked right. Not that Im going to leave it like this. She smiled.Time to relax.* * *Talas bath was not quite ready before Lyn returned with food.Tala had forgotten that a fire had to be built to heat the water in this place, and she hadnt wanted a cold bath. Im getting spoiled, it seems.She had filled the tub and just stoked the fire when Lyn called out to her. Dinner!Coming. Tala walked out, moving carefully as she continued to read, only to find Terry already sitting beside Lyn, eyeing the basket full of mini meat-pies. Another basket of food sat off to the side, the contents wrapped in linen.Lyn smiled up at Tala. Can he eat one?Tala shrugged. Ive seen him eat worse.Lyn smiled and tossed one to Terry. The bird devoured the mini-pie quickly.Tala grinned. Watch this. She grabbed one of the pies, then looked to Terry. Up for some showing off?Terry tilted his head, eyes on the pie, and gave a slight nod, hunkering down, almost dancing from foot to foot.Tala tossed the pie to the side.Lyn opened her mouth to protest but stopped. Whered it go?Tala had had her eyes on Terry the whole time, and still, shed only seen the barest flicker. The only difference was that hed changed position, slightly, and was now wolfing down the little pie.Tala Lyn focused on Terry. How old is that terror bird?Tala grinned, devouring her first pie. So good! Garlic and yams, and is this beef? Not young.The shortest cool-down Ive seen between teleports was in a dimensional rabbit. It could jump every three seconds or so.Tala shrugged. Not too different.Lyn had a serious look on her face. It was hundreds of years old, Tala. My understanding from my passing curiosity is that the time is halved every decade or so, for non-sapient users, and the time increases, the larger the thing teleported. She narrowed her eyes, examining Terry more closely. Is he a dwarf terror bird? That might explain some, but hed still need to be close to a hundred and fifty years old, at least.Terry looked inquisitively to Tala, but she slightly shook her head. Could be, I suppose. Who knows for sure? She ate another pie. Oooo! Parsnips and beets? Nicely blended flavors, too. I wouldnt have thought those would go with pork so well.Lyn stared at her for a long time, then sighed. Fine As she took up and began eating her first pie, she was watching Terry. She finished her first, and started on her second, suddenly throwing another off to the side.Terry seemed to instantly shift positions, again eating the newly acquired pie.Less than an eyeblink She examined Tala, again, and sighed. Fine I wont dig.Tala smiled. Thank you for dinner. What do I owe you?Lyn waved the question off. Welcome home, thats what you owe me. She smiled. I assume you want to get back on the road, as soon as Mistress Hollys done and you have your chat with the Guild?Tala hesitated. Maybe She thought about the training that shed been doing, as well as the mounting advice to create a sufficient Archon star. Plus, shed promised the Guardsmans Guild shed give them some time. What would it mean for our contract, if I became an Archon?Lyn froze, new bite of meat filling her mouth. After a long moment, she began chewing once more, and eventually, she swallowed the savory treat. Tala. How likely is that?Tala shrugged. Depends on the answer?Lyn sighed, deeply, scratching beside her right temple, eyes squeezed shut. Under her breath, she muttered, Give me strength. After another long moment, she opened her eyes and smiled. Tala, dear friend, that would constitute a material change to the services you could offer the Caravan Guild.Tala thought back. There was a clause about something like that Sooooo?So, at the very least, we would retest you, and alter the arrangement accordingly. The most common result would be that youd be allowed to take on two contracts at once, being considered a dimensional Mage, and a Mage protector of the wagon train, assuming youd be capable of that.Tala perked up at that. So, half my inscriptions would be covered? And Id earn a gold ounce for each arcanous encounter the wagons survived?Youd earn that for your team, but basically, yes. Lyn confirmed.That would be so utterly fantastic. How does that work, anyways? If one thunder bull attacks, versus a herd of ten, is that the same pay, because its one encounter?Lyn sighed, again. Depends. If theres any indication that you personally caused the encounter, then you get nothing additional. If it is unavoidable, then it depends on the quantity and power of the beasts in question. Ten thunder bulls directly defended against would be three ounces, gold, added to the payment of the protectors.Tala was nodding. That sounds fantastic.Lyn was giving Tala a very wary look. What are you planning?Tala gave the other Mage a quizzical look. Id think that was obvious. Im going to become an Archon.Lyn groaned, putting her head in her hands.Tala popped another meat pie into her mouth, and Terry flickered just slightly, then held very still. She turned to regard the bird; its dimensional magic burst obvious. You know, I can sense when you do that.Terry looked her right in the eye, then tipped back his head, opening his mouth and allowing the four meat pies hed snatched to slide down his throat.Tala just laughed, and Lyn looked up in confusion. Terry. Im going to feed you. Is human food so much better than what youre used to?The bird locked gazes with her and bobbed up and down, letting out a low, resonate squawking affirmation.Tala groaned. Decency can wait for my head to stabilizeAre you ill?No. I just overworked my soul.Lyn sighed. From anyone else, I would assume that to be a joke.From anyone else, it just might be.What do you need? Her tone had taken on a maternal cast.Apparently, a blanketLyn snorted, striding into the room and moving the blanket that was bunched up beside Tala to cover her. There.ThanksSo Lyn sat down on the bed beside Tala. What was the noise?I clapped.You clappedYup.Is that a metaphor? Some obscure training technique based on the heroes of yore? Or?No. I just clapped.Lyn looked at the other Mages palms, seeing the subtly glowing scripts, just like those that covered the rest of her. Seems like it was a hard clap.Yeah.Please refrain? It was quite loud, even out in the living room.Will do, boss.Lyn shook her head. Do you need breakfast? The work-yard is expecting you to drop by this morning, and Ive written down the information for your other appointments. The sheet is ready for you.Tala groaned, again, and sat up. Surprisingly, the room remained steady. I think Im ready.Lyn stood, keeping her back towards Tala. Well, get dressed first, please?It took barely any time for Tala to pull her clothes back on. She decided to go with the immortal elk leathers again, given she was going to the training yard this morning.Terry appeared on her shoulder as she stepped out of her room. A smile on her face, Tala took a moment to look around herself.To her right, directly beside her at the end of the hall, was the door to Lyns room. Across the way was the door into the bathroom, and beside the bathroom door, closer to the living room, a window let in the beginnings of the first light of day.The building was a simple construction, with poured stone floors, lightly textured and likely sealed. The walls were painted plaster over stone. Heavily built. The floor was dark, the walls light; it produced a pleasing atmosphere.Why have I never just stopped to take it in?She felt herself smile. She didnt have any deadlines. Nothing was demanding she become ready. Sure, she had tasks that she wished to do, but that wasnt what she meant. She had no obligations on her overall time, not at the moment.She moved down the hall, which was wide enough for her and Lyn to pass each other quite easily.Tala came out into the living room and saw Lyn sitting at the table off to one side, food laid out. I thought food wasnt included?Well, I figured two meals wasnt quite a pattern. Lyn smiled. I was informed that you developed aliking for coffee.Tala was quite sure that liking hadnt been the word Lyn was going to say. She was about to comment, but then she saw the coffee in question, in a mug beside the other place at the table. Tala immediately forgave Lyn all implied slights and sat down, taking a deep pull of dark, decadent, deliciousness.So smooth, so dark, so perfect.They ate quickly, as both had many things to accomplish that day.Lyn and Tala left at the same time, saying their goodbyes as they went in different directions: Tala to the work-yard, and Lyn to the Caravan Guilds main office.Tala took her time walking through the city, enjoying being back in Bandfast.It had a different feel to it than Alefast, more relaxed, lessimminent. I suppose thats what happens when youre one wall away from the wilds.There were similar mixes of architecture, and the people didnt really look different, save Bandfast citizenry seeming a bit more relaxed. Maybe a bit heavier too It was an interesting notion. Does safety lead to weight gain? That cant be the only factor, obviously, but it was entertaining to consider.Many people gave Terry odd looks, but no one seemed particularly alarmed by him. Tala fell back into her habit of reading, sketching, and jotting down her thoughts as she walked, both to keep her mind occupied and to prevent her from sprinting through the city. Mostly, though, she read. I have to get through my anatomy review, after all.She was still having a bit of an odd time moving, each of her movements more powerful than she was expecting. Interestingly enough, the method of walking, learned at Adams suggestion, leant itself marvelously to the task, as she was used to careful, precise movements, and her enhanced nervous system adjusted to the changes in her power quite rapidly.As Holly had implied, and Tala had discovered the night before, she felt ravenously hungry, and she was sure it was her new inscribings that were causing the hunger, even if not directly. They were working on reshaping her at a fundamental level and that required nutrition.Towards that end, Tala bought no less than ten pasties of various kinds for the wonderful price of a single silver. As she walked, she occasionally tossed out bits of jerky, noticing the instantaneous, slight shift of Terrys weight when he moved out and back, always having caught the meat.She did not share the pasties.Terry did not hold it against her. Much.Finally, she reached the work-yard and the waiting cargo-slots.The first one, to her surprise, charged incredibly slowly, taking a full minute to reach its maximum. She frowned. The mental construct is right After a long minute of thought, and ten bits of jerky flicked randomly, she had a realization. Ive just been using my left-over power-flow to charge these up. And my scripts are using most of that, now.That actually reminded her of her items. She had charged them as part of her training earlier that day, and it had taken longer than usual. Shed just attributed that to the city being utterly devoid of free-floating power. Maybe it was something else? Since she was already thinking of them, she decided to top them off. If I can be hungry, why not them?That done, she moved to the next cargo-slot and concentrated.She formed the mental construct, just as before, but now, she reached inside. She saw, as well as felt, almost all of her power pouring from her gate into her spell-forms. She grabbed the entirety of that flow and channeled it down her right arm, through the mental construct, and into the second cargo-slot.She exhaled.The indicators flickered to life in rapid succession.Blinking in surprise, Tala pulled back her hand. Less than two seconds? The cargo-slot in front of her was fully charged and ready to go.Hesitantly, she moved to the next one and repeated the process.Done.She moved down the line, charging the remaining seventeen with little more than the time it took to touch them and take a quick breath.That wasamazing! She had noticed a slight dip in her internal reserves during each charge, as her active scripts continued to use her power. That store of power had needed to be refilled by her gate, once the inflow was available again, but it was a minimal dip.She heard the sound of a single person clapping, approaching from behind. Wonderful! I can see you took my suggestions to heart and have improved remarkably.Master Himmal! Tala turned around, giving a slight bow. Its wonderful to see you again. Thank you, once again, for your advice.He smiled, folding his hands before him. Think nothing of it, Mistress Tala. You have progressed tremendously in just two short weeks.She smiled. Thank you. As she focused on him, she saw the same oddities to his aura as before, but more clearly this time. The underlying color was suppressed, but obviously red. What she could see of it was fractured, somehow broken, and as she examined it closer, she could see that parts of it were much closer to orange than she first realized. Not uniform? From what little she understood, that seemedbad. Well, he did say that hed broken something with his gate. Its probably related to that.Now, I can see that my hopes were not unfounded. We are nearly done with your custom set of cargo-slots, and I am glad that I added the ability for the larger capacities to be enabled. We should be able to get you a set close to four times those measly constructs, with added additional benefits for more fragile and valuable cargo. With those sizes, youll be able to have some outfitted as passenger and bunkhouse variants. Youll be able to have a full caravan in just two or three wagons, depending on the Mage Protectors. He shook his head. The cooks will never leave their own wagon behind. He smiled whimsically, speaking under his breath. I would so love to examine one of their chuck-wagons one day.I knew it! That wagon and what the cooks could do within never made sense. Brand hadnt just been messing with her after all. She smiled. You and me both.
