Chapter 96: Progress is Progress
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Chapter 96: Progress is Progress
Tala spat out a mouthful of sand, vaulting back to her feet with a motion similar to a pushup. My first impression was right. I hate this man.
There had been snow on top of the courtyards sand, earlier that morning, but now there was mostly just wet sand.
Rane was grinning at her, his massive sword held in a high guard. He wasnt even sweating as he stood solidly upon the soft ground, barefoot and just in close-fitting, short pants. His spell-lines were on full display across his toned, tan flesh, ready to render her attacks meaninglessif she could ever land any.
She growled and lunged at him again, her practice sword driving towards his heart.
Force, Ranes sword, came down like an avalanche. His reach was greater than hers, so she wouldnt land her strike before he hit her.
She cursed, raising her weapon to defend herself.
Even though she got her sword up in time to block, it didnt matter. Power flowed through Ranes weapon, and since she used her considerable strength to hold her weapon in place, the marginally reinforced stick shattered.
Ranes strike continued, catching her between her shoulder and neck.
She was thrown to the ground like a sack of flour, even though Rane clearly pulled his attack after the initial contact. Her defensive scripts were getting a heavy testing.
There were collective, audible intakes of breath, but no one gasped or cried out. Theyd seen this too many times to react that way any longer.
Adam sighed from where he watched, sitting on one of the surrounding walkways. Mistress Tala. You cannot block him. That has been made incredibly clear. You are wasting practice weapons. Why do you still try to block?
She swept the sand from her face, once again, rising a bit slower this time. Better to block than just let myself get hit?
Did blocking help?
No She grunted irritably. I even angled the blade correctly that time. I know that I did.
Rane nodded, resting Force on his shoulder. This sword cannot be deflected by a like-powered opponent, and your practice swords are mundane. My sword resists any acting force, except that exerted on the handle.
One of the students called out from the side. What if she struck at his hands, instead of blocking the blade?
Adam pointed at the young woman. That is an excellent suggestion. If Tala read his expression correctly, hed been waiting for someone to suggest just that.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
The sand in Talas eyes and up her nose made her want to curse him for that. You could have suggested that yourself, earlier.
If you cannot dodge, which Im beginning to wonder about, that would be an excellent thing to attempt. Tala understood him to be saying: You really should have thought of that, yourself.
Fair enough.
An assistant tossed Tala another wooden sword. She caught it with more practiced ease than she liked. Ive broken way too many of these
Rane raised his long blade high, once more.
The next exchange finally lasted more than a couple of movements. Talas probing strike at Ranes hands forced him to pull his blow, simply knocking hers aside.
She was never able to land a strike, but the change in paradigm kept him from easily putting her down, yet again.
Finally, Rane made a mistake. With a great sweeping movement, he struck upward.
Tala stepped into the blow, dropping her left hand to catch the rising blade, even as her sword-wielding-right lashed out.
Force smacked her left palm so hard it stung, despite her inscriptions. She had braced the arm, and so it didnt collapse before the blow. Instead, she was lifted just slightly from the ground. No opposing you with power, just weight, so our ranks dont factor into it. She grinned, adding more force to her own strike.
Her sword connected with the side of Ranes heador it should have.
The inscriptions on his head sparked to life, shimmering silver weaving through to activate dull copper, and Rane was suddenly moving along with her strike, the blow not quite connecting.
As a result, Rane spun a full circle, feet over head, seeming to rotate around his abdomen. As he finished the rotation, Force whipped around, sweeping sideways.
Tala almost attempted to block the blow but fought down the reaction just in time to duck under it, launching herself forward to tackle Rane.
His scripts activated again, but this time it was to her advantage, as they moved him back and away, taking him to the ground just ahead of her. There, she landed on him without having lost momentum from an earlier impact.
She drove the wind from his lungs with her weight as she pinned him in place. If she felt correctly, she might have even cracked a couple of his ribs. Success!
In a quick motion, she brought her sword around and rested the edge against his throat, one hand on the handle, one on the back of the blade. She grinned down at him for an instant before Force struck her from the side.
Rane had somehow used the fall to spin the blade around, once more.
She was blasted from atop him, to drive a furrow through the sand and smash into the stone steps at the edge of the courtyard. What are these steps even made out of? Shed hit them often enough something should have broken
She groaned, staring up at the clear, cold sky. Thats rusting idiotic. I won! If Id wanted to kill you, youd be dead.
Rane lifted his feet, then kicked up to a ready stance. Gasping in sudden pain and clutching his abdomen.
How did he do that on sand?
The healer rushed forward and fixed him with a brief touch. Rane nodded his thanks to the healer, then regarded Tala. Yes, you could have, but you didnt.
She frowned. What?
You didnt deliver the strike. You didnt trust my defenses, or the waiting healer, so you hesitated.
I didnt want to crush your throat, Master Rane.
And if you had?
She opened her mouth to respond, but then her eyes flicked to the healer, waiting off to one side. Oh She growled, then. Fine. She stood back to her feet. Again.
She rushed for him with controlled, precise, thundering steps. This will take that grin from his face. She stuck her hand into Kit, grabbing for the repeating hammerand found nothing.
She couldnt cut us, one student said, in a dejected voice. He gasped as a healer realigned, then healed his broken forearm.
We took her foundation from her, then took advantage of that, another answered.
Adam nodded. You are both correct. When facing an opponent like Mistress Tala, containment is the best option, and you are fighting her when she is at a distinct disadvantage. Even so, he smiled. You did very well. Today is Mistress Tala and Master Ranes last day with us. Tomorrow, we will see how you fare against unfamiliar adversaries. I hope you are up to the challenge.
Tala glanced up into the cloudy sky. Almost noon, then. This group attack on her had been the last activity of the morning after shed fought Rane, then a group of senior guards, first armed, then unarmed.
Rane still utterly dominated her, when he was armed, though he could never definitively end the fight. Her defenses were simply too good for that. I cant imagine what hell be able to do once he soul-bonds that sword. Even so, shed learned enough about his defenses that, unarmed, he couldnt hold her at bay, and she cinched victory fairly quickly, each time. True, she had to rely on her near immunity to his attacks, since he still outclassed her, if not as much as Adam did, but victory was victory.
The only change after a week of intense sparring with the senior guards was that she won more quickly, though still only by slow steps against their overwhelming skill. Progress is progress.
Adam cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to the present, and she glanced around. All the students were looking at her, the last of them having already been healed.
She smiled. Thank you, all, for your help and feedback over these last days.
There were collective nods, Youre welcomes, and Of courses.
Adam smiled. We wanted to thank you, as well. Very few combat-oriented Mages are willing to allow their abilities to be so thoroughly explored and delved for weaknesses. Fewer still will let us test our hypotheses on them, directly. His smile widened. Truly, thank you.
There were a chorus of agreements from the students.
We wanted to give you a small gift, to say thank you for the time.
Someone in the crowd shouted out an addition. And to tempt you back, when you return! A ripple of laughter moved through the group.
Adam walked forward and held out a simple sheath. It was sized for a dagger and appeared to be incredibly intricately worked from a myriad of materials.
It was sized for Flow.
Tala took it, a slight frown creasing her forehead.
Many magical weapons are too dangerous to train with, and as such, their wielders suffer from a lack of practice. To correct that, the Constructionists have long made a study of methods to render them safe for training bouts. I am no Mage, but it was explained to me as a lensing item, that would allow you to better train with your particular bound weapon.
Tala almost dropped the training tool in shock. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. AdamThis is perfect.
He nodded, and the watching students laughed. One in about the middle of the bunch commented, If you use that, you wont break us as easily.
Nervous chuckles followed that pronouncement.
This must have been quite expensive. At least a half ounce, gold, if her estimation was correct. Those that I remember were just a bit more expensive than incorporators. At the most basic level, it was just an advanced incorporator.
In your training you broke dozens of training swords. His grin removed most of the reprimand. This was the only smart choice we could make, if were to ever have you back. Especially if you work with us long term, as some few Mages do. I just wish they could have had it completed more quickly.
Of coursesorry about all the weaponry.
He waved that away. It was expected. After a moment he chuckled. Between you and Master Rane it was more extreme than anticipated, but thats why that makes sense. He nodded towards the item.
She pulled Flow from her belt, momentarily keeping it in the simple leather sheath shed had it in since Alefast. That sheath came off and went into Kit, and she placed Flow into the new item. The sheath reacted to the movements of power around and through Flow, and subtly shifted shape so that it was a perfect fit. The effect was to make Flow simply appear to have a bit heftier, and dull, blade. Even the clasp to place the sheath on her belt was designed for holding Flow in the sheath when it wasnt on her belt. Very streamlined.
She tested the design, clasping it to her belt easily; she removed it with equal ease. With a quick motion, she twisted the fastener to lock Flow in. Simple.
She took a slow breath. Here it goes.
She pushed her power into Flow, down the sword path. The blade extended, until it was fully in its sword form.
The sheath expanded likewise, thinning out and clinging more tightly to the blade underneath. As Tala expected, the burden of power required to maintain this shape was increased, probably because the sheath was utilizing some of the magic in the weapon for its own transformation. Good, the training version should be harder to use.
She tapped her open left palm with the edge of the sheath, and felt a whoomph of impact, like her hand had been struck with a particularly heavy pillow. Tala grinned, allowing Flow to contract.
She met Adams gaze and nodded, before sweeping her eyes across the assembled crowd. Thank you, all. Truly.
She took another half hour or so to speak with those who wanted to wish her well and bid them all a final goodbye. After that, she bathed, and applied her iron salve. Ive been without this defense for too long.
Now that she wasnt going to be rolling around in the sand every day, she wanted the protection it provided.
That done and verified, she dressed and headed off to lunch.
Brand and his wife greeted her warmly as she entered their restaurant, and she spent the meal chatting with them, as she had several other times, earlier in the week. Sadly, Brand wasnt going to be a cook on her next expedition, but he assured her that the head chef for the trip was competent, and hed warned her about Talas dietary needs.
She left them with one last goodbye and a promise to visit again, once she returned.
The snow on the ground was cool to her feet, but not unpleasantly so. It was a light dusting across most of the city, a beautiful highlight rather than an inconvenience.
If shed been planning on being out in it for longer than a short walk, shed have slipped on her shoes, but for the short trip, it seemed unnecessary. No need to get soft.
The beginnings of winter had settled in, in truth, and snow was a near constant feature of the city.
She loved it.
Growing up, shed enjoyed playing in it with her siblings and the neighborhood children. Even at the Academy, snow had entranced her, though shed enjoyed it alone, there.
She almost dropped through the Caravanners Guild lounge, but she didnt like the attention she got there. Mrac had apparently received a mild reprimand for allowing her to get a higher pay than he was authorized to grant, now that she was an Archon. Because of that, the whole Guild had learned how much she was going to be making per trip.
It was apparently far from the highest wage per trip, but it was more than any other dimensional Mage got with so little on-the-job experience.
Some were impressed at what shed managed to wrangle from the guild, a few were ambivalent, but many were quite irritated that she was to earn more than they were. All in all, she found it better to avoid them, for now. Maybe, things will calm down after another few weeks.
She would enjoy dropping back through, maybe getting to know some others in her profession. Yeah, when I come back.
But that wasnt for now. Now, she wanted to ask a few questions of the librarians. I wonder if Ingrits available.
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Chapter 96: Progress is Progress
Tala spat out a mouthful of sand, vaulting back to her feet with a motion similar to a pushup. My first impression was right. I hate this man.
There had been snow on top of the courtyards sand, earlier that morning, but now there was mostly just wet sand.
Rane was grinning at her, his massive sword held in a high guard. He wasnt even sweating as he stood solidly upon the soft ground, barefoot and just in close-fitting, short pants. His spell-lines were on full display across his toned, tan flesh, ready to render her attacks meaninglessif she could ever land any.
She growled and lunged at him again, her practice sword driving towards his heart.
Force, Ranes sword, came down like an avalanche. His reach was greater than hers, so she wouldnt land her strike before he hit her.
She cursed, raising her weapon to defend herself.
Even though she got her sword up in time to block, it didnt matter. Power flowed through Ranes weapon, and since she used her considerable strength to hold her weapon in place, the marginally reinforced stick shattered.
Ranes strike continued, catching her between her shoulder and neck.
She was thrown to the ground like a sack of flour, even though Rane clearly pulled his attack after the initial contact. Her defensive scripts were getting a heavy testing.
There were collective, audible intakes of breath, but no one gasped or cried out. Theyd seen this too many times to react that way any longer.
Adam sighed from where he watched, sitting on one of the surrounding walkways. Mistress Tala. You cannot block him. That has been made incredibly clear. You are wasting practice weapons. Why do you still try to block?
She swept the sand from her face, once again, rising a bit slower this time. Better to block than just let myself get hit?
Did blocking help?
No She grunted irritably. I even angled the blade correctly that time. I know that I did.
Rane nodded, resting Force on his shoulder. This sword cannot be deflected by a like-powered opponent, and your practice swords are mundane. My sword resists any acting force, except that exerted on the handle.
One of the students called out from the side. What if she struck at his hands, instead of blocking the blade?
Adam pointed at the young woman. That is an excellent suggestion. If Tala read his expression correctly, hed been waiting for someone to suggest just that.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
The sand in Talas eyes and up her nose made her want to curse him for that. You could have suggested that yourself, earlier.
If you cannot dodge, which Im beginning to wonder about, that would be an excellent thing to attempt. Tala understood him to be saying: You really should have thought of that, yourself.
Fair enough.
An assistant tossed Tala another wooden sword. She caught it with more practiced ease than she liked. Ive broken way too many of these
Rane raised his long blade high, once more.
The next exchange finally lasted more than a couple of movements. Talas probing strike at Ranes hands forced him to pull his blow, simply knocking hers aside.
She was never able to land a strike, but the change in paradigm kept him from easily putting her down, yet again.
Finally, Rane made a mistake. With a great sweeping movement, he struck upward.
Tala stepped into the blow, dropping her left hand to catch the rising blade, even as her sword-wielding-right lashed out.
Force smacked her left palm so hard it stung, despite her inscriptions. She had braced the arm, and so it didnt collapse before the blow. Instead, she was lifted just slightly from the ground. No opposing you with power, just weight, so our ranks dont factor into it. She grinned, adding more force to her own strike.
Her sword connected with the side of Ranes heador it should have.
The inscriptions on his head sparked to life, shimmering silver weaving through to activate dull copper, and Rane was suddenly moving along with her strike, the blow not quite connecting.
As a result, Rane spun a full circle, feet over head, seeming to rotate around his abdomen. As he finished the rotation, Force whipped around, sweeping sideways.
Tala almost attempted to block the blow but fought down the reaction just in time to duck under it, launching herself forward to tackle Rane.
His scripts activated again, but this time it was to her advantage, as they moved him back and away, taking him to the ground just ahead of her. There, she landed on him without having lost momentum from an earlier impact.
She drove the wind from his lungs with her weight as she pinned him in place. If she felt correctly, she might have even cracked a couple of his ribs. Success!
In a quick motion, she brought her sword around and rested the edge against his throat, one hand on the handle, one on the back of the blade. She grinned down at him for an instant before Force struck her from the side.
Rane had somehow used the fall to spin the blade around, once more.
She was blasted from atop him, to drive a furrow through the sand and smash into the stone steps at the edge of the courtyard. What are these steps even made out of? Shed hit them often enough something should have broken
She groaned, staring up at the clear, cold sky. Thats rusting idiotic. I won! If Id wanted to kill you, youd be dead.
Rane lifted his feet, then kicked up to a ready stance. Gasping in sudden pain and clutching his abdomen.
How did he do that on sand?
The healer rushed forward and fixed him with a brief touch. Rane nodded his thanks to the healer, then regarded Tala. Yes, you could have, but you didnt.
She frowned. What?
You didnt deliver the strike. You didnt trust my defenses, or the waiting healer, so you hesitated.
I didnt want to crush your throat, Master Rane.
And if you had?
She opened her mouth to respond, but then her eyes flicked to the healer, waiting off to one side. Oh She growled, then. Fine. She stood back to her feet. Again.
She rushed for him with controlled, precise, thundering steps. This will take that grin from his face. She stuck her hand into Kit, grabbing for the repeating hammerand found nothing.
She couldnt cut us, one student said, in a dejected voice. He gasped as a healer realigned, then healed his broken forearm.
We took her foundation from her, then took advantage of that, another answered.
Adam nodded. You are both correct. When facing an opponent like Mistress Tala, containment is the best option, and you are fighting her when she is at a distinct disadvantage. Even so, he smiled. You did very well. Today is Mistress Tala and Master Ranes last day with us. Tomorrow, we will see how you fare against unfamiliar adversaries. I hope you are up to the challenge.
Tala glanced up into the cloudy sky. Almost noon, then. This group attack on her had been the last activity of the morning after shed fought Rane, then a group of senior guards, first armed, then unarmed.
Rane still utterly dominated her, when he was armed, though he could never definitively end the fight. Her defenses were simply too good for that. I cant imagine what hell be able to do once he soul-bonds that sword. Even so, shed learned enough about his defenses that, unarmed, he couldnt hold her at bay, and she cinched victory fairly quickly, each time. True, she had to rely on her near immunity to his attacks, since he still outclassed her, if not as much as Adam did, but victory was victory.
The only change after a week of intense sparring with the senior guards was that she won more quickly, though still only by slow steps against their overwhelming skill. Progress is progress.
Adam cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to the present, and she glanced around. All the students were looking at her, the last of them having already been healed.
She smiled. Thank you, all, for your help and feedback over these last days.
There were collective nods, Youre welcomes, and Of courses.
Adam smiled. We wanted to thank you, as well. Very few combat-oriented Mages are willing to allow their abilities to be so thoroughly explored and delved for weaknesses. Fewer still will let us test our hypotheses on them, directly. His smile widened. Truly, thank you.
There were a chorus of agreements from the students.
We wanted to give you a small gift, to say thank you for the time.
Someone in the crowd shouted out an addition. And to tempt you back, when you return! A ripple of laughter moved through the group.
Adam walked forward and held out a simple sheath. It was sized for a dagger and appeared to be incredibly intricately worked from a myriad of materials.
It was sized for Flow.
Tala took it, a slight frown creasing her forehead.
Many magical weapons are too dangerous to train with, and as such, their wielders suffer from a lack of practice. To correct that, the Constructionists have long made a study of methods to render them safe for training bouts. I am no Mage, but it was explained to me as a lensing item, that would allow you to better train with your particular bound weapon.
Tala almost dropped the training tool in shock. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. AdamThis is perfect.
He nodded, and the watching students laughed. One in about the middle of the bunch commented, If you use that, you wont break us as easily.
Nervous chuckles followed that pronouncement.
This must have been quite expensive. At least a half ounce, gold, if her estimation was correct. Those that I remember were just a bit more expensive than incorporators. At the most basic level, it was just an advanced incorporator.
In your training you broke dozens of training swords. His grin removed most of the reprimand. This was the only smart choice we could make, if were to ever have you back. Especially if you work with us long term, as some few Mages do. I just wish they could have had it completed more quickly.
Of coursesorry about all the weaponry.
He waved that away. It was expected. After a moment he chuckled. Between you and Master Rane it was more extreme than anticipated, but thats why that makes sense. He nodded towards the item.
She pulled Flow from her belt, momentarily keeping it in the simple leather sheath shed had it in since Alefast. That sheath came off and went into Kit, and she placed Flow into the new item. The sheath reacted to the movements of power around and through Flow, and subtly shifted shape so that it was a perfect fit. The effect was to make Flow simply appear to have a bit heftier, and dull, blade. Even the clasp to place the sheath on her belt was designed for holding Flow in the sheath when it wasnt on her belt. Very streamlined.
She tested the design, clasping it to her belt easily; she removed it with equal ease. With a quick motion, she twisted the fastener to lock Flow in. Simple.
She took a slow breath. Here it goes.
She pushed her power into Flow, down the sword path. The blade extended, until it was fully in its sword form.
The sheath expanded likewise, thinning out and clinging more tightly to the blade underneath. As Tala expected, the burden of power required to maintain this shape was increased, probably because the sheath was utilizing some of the magic in the weapon for its own transformation. Good, the training version should be harder to use.
She tapped her open left palm with the edge of the sheath, and felt a whoomph of impact, like her hand had been struck with a particularly heavy pillow. Tala grinned, allowing Flow to contract.
She met Adams gaze and nodded, before sweeping her eyes across the assembled crowd. Thank you, all. Truly.
She took another half hour or so to speak with those who wanted to wish her well and bid them all a final goodbye. After that, she bathed, and applied her iron salve. Ive been without this defense for too long.
Now that she wasnt going to be rolling around in the sand every day, she wanted the protection it provided.
That done and verified, she dressed and headed off to lunch.
Brand and his wife greeted her warmly as she entered their restaurant, and she spent the meal chatting with them, as she had several other times, earlier in the week. Sadly, Brand wasnt going to be a cook on her next expedition, but he assured her that the head chef for the trip was competent, and hed warned her about Talas dietary needs.
She left them with one last goodbye and a promise to visit again, once she returned.
The snow on the ground was cool to her feet, but not unpleasantly so. It was a light dusting across most of the city, a beautiful highlight rather than an inconvenience.
If shed been planning on being out in it for longer than a short walk, shed have slipped on her shoes, but for the short trip, it seemed unnecessary. No need to get soft.
The beginnings of winter had settled in, in truth, and snow was a near constant feature of the city.
She loved it.
Growing up, shed enjoyed playing in it with her siblings and the neighborhood children. Even at the Academy, snow had entranced her, though shed enjoyed it alone, there.
She almost dropped through the Caravanners Guild lounge, but she didnt like the attention she got there. Mrac had apparently received a mild reprimand for allowing her to get a higher pay than he was authorized to grant, now that she was an Archon. Because of that, the whole Guild had learned how much she was going to be making per trip.
It was apparently far from the highest wage per trip, but it was more than any other dimensional Mage got with so little on-the-job experience.
Some were impressed at what shed managed to wrangle from the guild, a few were ambivalent, but many were quite irritated that she was to earn more than they were. All in all, she found it better to avoid them, for now. Maybe, things will calm down after another few weeks.
She would enjoy dropping back through, maybe getting to know some others in her profession. Yeah, when I come back.
But that wasnt for now. Now, she wanted to ask a few questions of the librarians. I wonder if Ingrits available.
Chapter 96: Progress is ProgressTala spat out a mouthful of sand, vaulting back to her feet with a motion similar to a pushup. My first impression was right. I hate this man.There had been snow on top of the courtyards sand, earlier that morning, but now there was mostly just wet sand.Rane was grinning at her, his massive sword held in a high guard. He wasnt even sweating as he stood solidly upon the soft ground, barefoot and just in close-fitting, short pants. His spell-lines were on full display across his toned, tan flesh, ready to render her attacks meaninglessif she could ever land any.She growled and lunged at him again, her practice sword driving towards his heart.Force, Ranes sword, came down like an avalanche. His reach was greater than hers, so she wouldnt land her strike before he hit her.She cursed, raising her weapon to defend herself.Even though she got her sword up in time to block, it didnt matter. Power flowed through Ranes weapon, and since she used her considerable strength to hold her weapon in place, the marginally reinforced stick shattered.Ranes strike continued, catching her between her shoulder and neck.She was thrown to the ground like a sack of flour, even though Rane clearly pulled his attack after the initial contact. Her defensive scripts were getting a heavy testing.There were collective, audible intakes of breath, but no one gasped or cried out. Theyd seen this too many times to react that way any longer.Adam sighed from where he watched, sitting on one of the surrounding walkways. Mistress Tala. You cannot block him. That has been made incredibly clear. You are wasting practice weapons. Why do you still try to block?She swept the sand from her face, once again, rising a bit slower this time. Better to block than just let myself get hit?Did blocking help?No She grunted irritably. I even angled the blade correctly that time. I know that I did.Rane nodded, resting Force on his shoulder. This sword cannot be deflected by a like-powered opponent, and your practice swords are mundane. My sword resists any acting force, except that exerted on the handle.One of the students called out from the side. What if she struck at his hands, instead of blocking the blade?Adam pointed at the young woman. That is an excellent suggestion. If Tala read his expression correctly, hed been waiting for someone to suggest just that.NvlRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Novln.The sand in Talas eyes and up her nose made her want to curse him for that. You could have suggested that yourself, earlier.If you cannot dodge, which Im beginning to wonder about, that would be an excellent thing to attempt. Tala understood him to be saying: You really should have thought of that, yourself.Fair enough.An assistant tossed Tala another wooden sword. She caught it with more practiced ease than she liked. Ive broken way too many of theseRane raised his long blade high, once more.The next exchange finally lasted more than a couple of movements. Talas probing strike at Ranes hands forced him to pull his blow, simply knocking hers aside.She was never able to land a strike, but the change in paradigm kept him from easily putting her down, yet again.Finally, Rane made a mistake. With a great sweeping movement, he struck upward.Tala stepped into the blow, dropping her left hand to catch the rising blade, even as her sword-wielding-right lashed out.Force smacked her left palm so hard it stung, despite her inscriptions. She had braced the arm, and so it didnt collapse before the blow. Instead, she was lifted just slightly from the ground. No opposing you with power, just weight, so our ranks dont factor into it. She grinned, adding more force to her own strike.Her sword connected with the side of Ranes heador it should have.The inscriptions on his head sparked to life, shimmering silver weaving through to activate dull copper, and Rane was suddenly moving along with her strike, the blow not quite connecting.As a result, Rane spun a full circle, feet over head, seeming to rotate around his abdomen. As he finished the rotation, Force whipped around, sweeping sideways.Tala almost attempted to block the blow but fought down the reaction just in time to duck under it, launching herself forward to tackle Rane.His scripts activated again, but this time it was to her advantage, as they moved him back and away, taking him to the ground just ahead of her. There, she landed on him without having lost momentum from an earlier impact.She drove the wind from his lungs with her weight as she pinned him in place. If she felt correctly, she might have even cracked a couple of his ribs. Success!In a quick motion, she brought her sword around and rested the edge against his throat, one hand on the handle, one on the back of the blade. She grinned down at him for an instant before Force struck her from the side.Rane had somehow used the fall to spin the blade around, once more.She was blasted from atop him, to drive a furrow through the sand and smash into the stone steps at the edge of the courtyard. What are these steps even made out of? Shed hit them often enough something should have brokenShe groaned, staring up at the clear, cold sky. Thats rusting idiotic. I won! If Id wanted to kill you, youd be dead.Rane lifted his feet, then kicked up to a ready stance. Gasping in sudden pain and clutching his abdomen.How did he do that on sand?The healer rushed forward and fixed him with a brief touch. Rane nodded his thanks to the healer, then regarded Tala. Yes, you could have, but you didnt.She frowned. What?You didnt deliver the strike. You didnt trust my defenses, or the waiting healer, so you hesitated.I didnt want to crush your throat, Master Rane.And if you had?She opened her mouth to respond, but then her eyes flicked to the healer, waiting off to one side. Oh She growled, then. Fine. She stood back to her feet. Again.She rushed for him with controlled, precise, thundering steps. This will take that grin from his face. She stuck her hand into Kit, grabbing for the repeating hammerand found nothing.She couldnt cut us, one student said, in a dejected voice. He gasped as a healer realigned, then healed his broken forearm.We took her foundation from her, then took advantage of that, another answered.Adam nodded. You are both correct. When facing an opponent like Mistress Tala, containment is the best option, and you are fighting her when she is at a distinct disadvantage. Even so, he smiled. You did very well. Today is Mistress Tala and Master Ranes last day with us. Tomorrow, we will see how you fare against unfamiliar adversaries. I hope you are up to the challenge.Tala glanced up into the cloudy sky. Almost noon, then. This group attack on her had been the last activity of the morning after shed fought Rane, then a group of senior guards, first armed, then unarmed.Rane still utterly dominated her, when he was armed, though he could never definitively end the fight. Her defenses were simply too good for that. I cant imagine what hell be able to do once he soul-bonds that sword. Even so, shed learned enough about his defenses that, unarmed, he couldnt hold her at bay, and she cinched victory fairly quickly, each time. True, she had to rely on her near immunity to his attacks, since he still outclassed her, if not as much as Adam did, but victory was victory.The only change after a week of intense sparring with the senior guards was that she won more quickly, though still only by slow steps against their overwhelming skill. Progress is progress.Adam cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to the present, and she glanced around. All the students were looking at her, the last of them having already been healed.She smiled. Thank you, all, for your help and feedback over these last days.There were collective nods, Youre welcomes, and Of courses.Adam smiled. We wanted to thank you, as well. Very few combat-oriented Mages are willing to allow their abilities to be so thoroughly explored and delved for weaknesses. Fewer still will let us test our hypotheses on them, directly. His smile widened. Truly, thank you.There were a chorus of agreements from the students.We wanted to give you a small gift, to say thank you for the time. Someone in the crowd shouted out an addition. And to tempt you back, when you return! A ripple of laughter moved through the group.Adam walked forward and held out a simple sheath. It was sized for a dagger and appeared to be incredibly intricately worked from a myriad of materials.It was sized for Flow.Tala took it, a slight frown creasing her forehead.Many magical weapons are too dangerous to train with, and as such, their wielders suffer from a lack of practice. To correct that, the Constructionists have long made a study of methods to render them safe for training bouts. I am no Mage, but it was explained to me as a lensing item, that would allow you to better train with your particular bound weapon.Tala almost dropped the training tool in shock. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. AdamThis is perfect.He nodded, and the watching students laughed. One in about the middle of the bunch commented, If you use that, you wont break us as easily.Nervous chuckles followed that pronouncement.This must have been quite expensive. At least a half ounce, gold, if her estimation was correct. Those that I remember were just a bit more expensive than incorporators. At the most basic level, it was just an advanced incorporator.In your training you broke dozens of training swords. His grin removed most of the reprimand. This was the only smart choice we could make, if were to ever have you back. Especially if you work with us long term, as some few Mages do. I just wish they could have had it completed more quickly.Of coursesorry about all the weaponry.He waved that away. It was expected. After a moment he chuckled. Between you and Master Rane it was more extreme than anticipated, but thats why that makes sense. He nodded towards the item.She pulled Flow from her belt, momentarily keeping it in the simple leather sheath shed had it in since Alefast. That sheath came off and went into Kit, and she placed Flow into the new item. The sheath reacted to the movements of power around and through Flow, and subtly shifted shape so that it was a perfect fit. The effect was to make Flow simply appear to have a bit heftier, and dull, blade. Even the clasp to place the sheath on her belt was designed for holding Flow in the sheath when it wasnt on her belt. Very streamlined.She tested the design, clasping it to her belt easily; she removed it with equal ease. With a quick motion, she twisted the fastener to lock Flow in. Simple.She took a slow breath. Here it goes.She pushed her power into Flow, down the sword path. The blade extended, until it was fully in its sword form.The sheath expanded likewise, thinning out and clinging more tightly to the blade underneath. As Tala expected, the burden of power required to maintain this shape was increased, probably because the sheath was utilizing some of the magic in the weapon for its own transformation. Good, the training version should be harder to use.She tapped her open left palm with the edge of the sheath, and felt a whoomph of impact, like her hand had been struck with a particularly heavy pillow. Tala grinned, allowing Flow to contract.She met Adams gaze and nodded, before sweeping her eyes across the assembled crowd. Thank you, all. Truly.She took another half hour or so to speak with those who wanted to wish her well and bid them all a final goodbye. After that, she bathed, and applied her iron salve. Ive been without this defense for too long.Now that she wasnt going to be rolling around in the sand every day, she wanted the protection it provided.That done and verified, she dressed and headed off to lunch.Brand and his wife greeted her warmly as she entered their restaurant, and she spent the meal chatting with them, as she had several other times, earlier in the week. Sadly, Brand wasnt going to be a cook on her next expedition, but he assured her that the head chef for the trip was competent, and hed warned her about Talas dietary needs.She left them with one last goodbye and a promise to visit again, once she returned.The snow on the ground was cool to her feet, but not unpleasantly so. It was a light dusting across most of the city, a beautiful highlight rather than an inconvenience.If shed been planning on being out in it for longer than a short walk, shed have slipped on her shoes, but for the short trip, it seemed unnecessary. No need to get soft.The beginnings of winter had settled in, in truth, and snow was a near constant feature of the city.She loved it.Growing up, shed enjoyed playing in it with her siblings and the neighborhood children. Even at the Academy, snow had entranced her, though shed enjoyed it alone, there.She almost dropped through the Caravanners Guild lounge, but she didnt like the attention she got there. Mrac had apparently received a mild reprimand for allowing her to get a higher pay than he was authorized to grant, now that she was an Archon. Because of that, the whole Guild had learned how much she was going to be making per trip.It was apparently far from the highest wage per trip, but it was more than any other dimensional Mage got with so little on-the-job experience.Some were impressed at what shed managed to wrangle from the guild, a few were ambivalent, but many were quite irritated that she was to earn more than they were. All in all, she found it better to avoid them, for now. Maybe, things will calm down after another few weeks.She would enjoy dropping back through, maybe getting to know some others in her profession. Yeah, when I come back.But that wasnt for now. Now, she wanted to ask a few questions of the librarians. I wonder if Ingrits available.
