Millennial Mage

Tala growled as she threw three tungsten balls, followed closely by Flow in the form of her glaive.

None struck its intended target, and the backstop she and Rane had set up was now slowly toppling away from her, despite the bracing they’d added.

I did manage to stick the glaive in point first. That’s not nothing.

Of the six, evenly spaced targets, three had been struck, but not in the center and not the ones she’d been aiming for.

“Hey! That’s much better.”

Tala glared at Rane.

The man was moving through one of his forms but had enough attention to spare to mock her.

“That’s not helpful.”

“What? You hit three out of four.”

“Not the ones I aimed for…”

He gave her a quizzical look. “How was I supposed to know that?”

“I…that’s fair.” She groaned. Two days. She’d been training for two days, and she didn’t feel like her aim was improving at all. That’s not fair. I am getting a little better, and it has only been two days.

In irritation, she called Flow back, maintaining its glaive shape with effort, and dropped into the beginning of a form that Rane had taught her. He’d claimed that the early forms for this weapon were little more than modified staff training techniques, but they helped her build confidence in her use of the weapon. The advanced techniques should be pretty awesome, when I get there.

She kept a grimace from distorting her features. Doesn’t help with my throws, though… She calmed her mind, using the now well-practiced movements to clear her head.

Ha, well-practiced… She’d learned the sequence only yesterday morning, though she had moved through them a couple hundred times since then. Maybe it is well-practiced at that.

The series of movements ended with a downward sweep. She exhaled sharply and held the pose for a moment before spinning the weapon back up to rest on her shoulder.

She released her void-channels, and Flow returned to the shape of a knife even as she sheathed it at her belt.

By her reckoning, Jevin would have the dimensional tether for her by now, and the Culinary Guild should have her venturing food as well.

During the past two days, she’d taken time to meditate and work within herself, adding two more stitches towards Fusing. Two of… No, she’d determined to not consider the magnitude of the task before her. One at a time.

“I’m going to get cleaned up. I’ve a couple of errands to run.”

“Want company?” After the briefest of pauses, he clarified, “For the errands.”

She shrugged. “I think I’ll be ok.” Then, thinking of the Culinary Guild, she hedged a bit further. “It would probably be nice to take the walk by myself. I won’t be gone long.”

“Suit yourself.” He simply continued his workout.

Once Tala was cleaned up and back on the city spiral, she asked Terry to carry her.

He agreed, without hesitation. So, she made good time, arriving at the Constructionist Guild office where Jevin worked in short order.

The magical scan and pleasant ding greeted her.

“In the back!” Jevin’s voice carried in such a way that she didn’t think he’d been shouting, but he still sounded quite far back in the complex.

Tala shook her head, and walked down the halls, trying to find her way to his workshop.

The few times she went to make a wrong turn, unknowingly, Jevin called out to her again.

Finally, she arrived, Terry firmly asleep on her shoulder.

Jevin’s workshop was much as she’d remembered it, if a bit more organized.

The oddly moving mud caught her eye again, and Tala walked over to the heavily empowered glass jar, ignoring Jevin, who was working in another part of the shop.

“Don’t touch that.”

Tala hesitated. She had, in fact, been about to touch the glass. “What is it?”

“That, my young Bound, is living iron.” Jevin walked over to stand next to her, shaking his head. “It’s always awkward to address ‘Bound’ by that title.”

“Archon? Mage? Mistress Tala?”

“Too vague, some would be insulted, and too long.” He had a slight smile, seeming to indicate another attempt at humor.

Tala huffed a laugh, but otherwise decided to ignore the effort. “So, living iron?”

“It’s a not-quite-magical creature that we’ve run across a few times. More frequently recently.”

The reddish-brown mud seemed to be trying to crawl up the side of the container, but it couldn’t get purchase on the walls or push the lid free. Interestingly, it didn’t seem to leave any residue; so, the glass stayed clean.

Even through the heavy magic on the container, Tala’s mage-sight was able to get a look at the creature. It did, indeed, look like any other bit of iron. Like how I look, with my iron-salve.

“We’ve found individuals of several distinct metals, but they die quickly when exposed to what we would call breathable air.”

“What do they do?”

“No idea. That’s why I’m studying it.” He hesitated. “Well, obviously we know some things.” He handed her a sheet of paper. “These are the gaseous mediums they can exist in, along with liquid, and solid.”

Tala looked over it in passing.

“Whatever their metal, they seek out and consume it, adding it to their shape.”

“So… not-quite-magical. Do they have magic or not?”

“No? No more than any other creature. We’ve found some with bits of magic, but we’ve not seen signs of intelligence sufficient for complex mental constructs, and they’ve no will to speak of; spell-workings take hold with almost no resistance.” After another pause, he smiled. “Well, they do on those not composed of iron.”

“But they could go through a fount.”

He gave her a searching look. “Yes. Though, I doubt an iron could.”

“Why study them?”

His look changed to one of genuine confusion. “Because they exist, and we don’t understand them.”

“Ahh.” Right, knowledge for knowledge’s sake.

“It is fascinating. When damaged, they move the metal into the wound first, almost as we would form a scab. The biological aspect then back-fills.”

“Can magic flow through it?”

“You mean like an inscription? They seem to exhibit all the same properties as their metal, so yes, at least in theory. Even though we’ve determined a lack of sapience, I’m still hesitant to experiment on them too extensively.”

“You just talked about damaging them.”

“Of course. Can you not imagine a scenario when a Mage might need to do so?”

Tala frowned.

“Metals, Mistress.”

Her eyes widened. “What happened?”

“One of the more extreme examples occurred when a Mage slept on the bare rock of a cave. Apparently, that was close enough contact to let the metal be sensed, and a living copper…ate the copper out of him.”

“That’s…horrifying.”

“Just a bit, yeah. He survived, but it was an enlightening experience.” He hesitated for a moment. “That actually provides an answer to your question. Though, I hadn’t thought of it in that light.”

“Oh?”

“The Mage’s inscriptions functioned perfectly, until the creature left, taking the copper with it. So, yes, magic can flow through them identically to the raw metal.”

Interesting… Tala regarded the container once again. “Is there a name that covers all of them? Regardless of metal?”

“Dasgannach.”

“Colorful name.”

“Not a metallic one?”

Tala gave him a flat look.

Jevin suppressed a smile and shook his head. “Fine. The name comes from arcane records. These creatures were known but not often seen. They were a curiosity more than anything.”

“So, why is this dasgannach so dangerous? I’ve no iron in me.”

Jevin cocked an eyebrow.

Tala glanced his way, then froze, realization blooming. “No.”

“And she understands.”

“A blood eater?” As Tala asked, Terry shifted on her shoulder but otherwise didn’t react.

“We caught this one because several people in a single family that didn’t have any pre-existing conditions of note died of what seemed to be extreme anemia. They also each apparently complained of odd, random itching, leading up to their deaths.” He shook his head. “Honestly, anemia doesn’t really cover it properly, even though it is, technically, correct.”

“So, that was…inside them, consuming their iron until they died?”

“Hmm? No, no. They were perfectly healthy until the creature left. It stayed until all the iron was under its control, every drop of blood from the heart to the smallest capillary. Then, it took it all, when it passed to the new host.” He paused. “The iron, I mean. Not the blood itself. Left their blood almost entirely white, and utterly useless for carrying oxygen within them. The victim left behind suffocated with full lungs and strong hearts. Interestingly, each subsequent host felt invigorated, leading up to their death, likely due to the higher iron content, or maybe some chemical cocktail to keep the host functioning at peak form until the dasgannach was finished.” He shook his head. “One of the stranger things I’ve come across.”

Tala swallowed involuntarily. “That’s not how any of that should work.”

“Hence not-quite-magical.”

She grunted. “And now, I have new fuel for my nightmares. Thank you for that.”

“Better to know, than live in ignorance.”

Tala took another step back. “Yeah… I’ll leave that thing be.”

“That seems wise.”

“So… the tether?”

“Ah! Yes.” He led her over to a side table and pointed to a set of bracers made of leather and plated with heavily inscribed wood. Beside them rested a wooden spring-clip with inscriptions so intricate that Tala had trouble discerning them, even after she picked it up.

“Lacquered?”

“Yes, to protect the metal, at least until you activate it. Please don’t throw it into anything especially hard. You won’t be able to disrupt the active scripts, but you could reduce their effective lifespan. It should be fine, clipped to your belt, Terry’s collar, or part of a wagon.”

Terry cracked an eye to regard the device, then settled back down.

Tala nodded, clipping it to her belt. “Did you get the functionality you wanted out of it?”

“I did.” He handed her a small booklet. “Read that before you empower the device. You’ll get better efficiency.”

“Fair enough.” She examined the bracers more closely. They were small, not sized as armor, and their straps were both intricate and sturdy. “Can these take a hit? I don’t exactly stay out of direct damage.”

“That’s why there are two. So long as one is intact, the anchor will continue to function.”

She nodded. Not ideal, but it will work for now. She contemplated for a moment. You know, after we have these perfected, I could meld the artifact form with my elk-leathers. That should make them effectively invulnerable.

Jevin grinned, unaware of her wandering thoughts. “And I anticipated the issue might extend beyond even that precaution.” He pulled out another set of bracers. “Wearing any one of these will be sufficient, and their power and metal use should be vastly less than that of the anchor. If you wish, you could affix these to your lower legs, but I think that might be a bit excessive.”

Tala felt a bit better with such back-ups. Though, part of her felt like she should be insulted. Oh, yes. The brilliant Constructionist correctly covered for a weakness. How dare he?! She shook her head at her own immature thoughts. “Thank you. What’s the extra cost?”

He waved that away. “Most of the cost was in the development, and I promised you a device that would work for you. Having backups is required in your case.”

She did glare, then. Eh, baby steps. No one matures overnight. “That’s hurtfully accurate.”

He gave her a quizzical look, before shaking his head and smiling. “I aim to fulfill my commissions, not keep you happy.”

Tala sighed. “Fair…” She crinkled her nose, pushing her mild irritation aside. “Well, thank you.” With clumsy motions, Tala strapped on one set of bracers. She moved her arms around and felt the bracers pulling and pinching. Her sleeves were caught, cinched down against her arms and the odd constriction around her forearms made opening and closing her hands feel…odd.

Jevin sighed. “Here, let me.” He reached over, working the buckles and straps, and subtly shifting the bracers and her sleeves, until they were quite a bit tighter than she’d managed by herself. Even so, after his ministrations, they felt looser, while shifting less. “There.”

Tala moved her arms, stretching this way and that. There was no pinching, pulling, or constriction. “Huh… I’ll have to learn how to do that.”

Jevin nodded. “Take them off, and I’ll walk you through it.”

Together, Tala and Jevin removed and replaced the bracers half-a-dozen times. Then, Tala did it herself half-a-dozen more, while Jevin watched and commented. The Paragon was giving off a paternal air that made her slightly uncomfortable. It wasn’t that his actions or attitude were unwelcome, unhelpful, or inappropriate; it was more that, for that brief time, she felt like this virtual stranger was acting more like her father than her father had, at least near the end.

Ultimately, she was fairly confident that she could get the right placement and fit, even if it would take some finagling.

“Thank you.” She put her parental issues aside and gave Jevin a genuine smile, tucking the extras into Kit.

“I am happy to help.” He was nodding to himself. “Now, I dug those out for you.” He waved in a gesture towards a nearby cloth sack.

Tala frowned, going over and opening the bag. Within were six well-maintained, but obviously old, iron spheres of various permeability. Each had an identical wooden ball inside. Well, I assume the last one does, too.

One extreme of the set was a sphere of interwoven wire, with holes just too small for the wooden ball to fall out through. When she looked closer, she saw that the wires were welded at the crossings, to prevent the holes from opening wider.

The other extreme was a nearly perfectly smooth iron ball with no perforations or holes, at all. The four other balls were an even progression between those, two, and all six were covered with minor dings, dents, and scratches.

“What are these for?”

“For you to practice. You didn’t seem enthusiastic about letting me oppose your will, so these will work. I wish all Mages would train with something similar, and I insist all my apprentices do so, but most have a reasonable dislike of iron. I assume you wouldn’t have that issue.”

Tala grinned. “Not even a bit.”

“Good. You aren’t my apprentice, so I can’t make you use those, but I do recommend it.” He was moving back towards his earlier project. “If you change your mind, I’m happy to oppose your workings, but those should be a good starting point, regardless. Just return them when each becomes too easy for you. I’m rather attached to them.” His smile was one of fond memories, tinged with the sadness of a parent whose children were out on their own.

Tala was regarding the last ball, trying to ignore the awkward emotions. “I can’t do a working through solid iron.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

She frowned. After a long moment, she began to nod. “You want me to see if I can affect an object’s gravity from the other side. See if my scripting will allow that.”

“Do you think they could?” He gave her a half-interested look. He’s trying to not put pressure on me, but he does think this might be possible.

“Maybe. Gravity, at it’s most basic, is an interaction between two-points. I should be able to affect one through the other…possibly.” She didn’t know how, but it seems like it should be possible.

“Good. If you can work that out, very few defenses will work against you.” His smile lessened for a moment as he amended. “Well, other than direct opposition of will. So, no passive defense should work against you.” He grinned fully once again.

“Well, I’ll definitely add this to my training.”

Jevin opened his mouth to comment, but hesitated, tilting his head to one side. “I believe someone is here to see you.”

Tala grimaced. I told Rane I would be back. Couldn’t he let her run two errands on her own?

“An older, Mage protector…” His face shifted slightly towards sadness, but he didn’t say why. “Shall we go greet her?”

Oh, Mistress Odera. It seemed odd to Tala, that he would come, but she didn’t object.

Together, they walked through the building, until they reached the entry room where Mistress Odera waited.

Mistress Odera gave a deep bow towards Jevin, hands clasped. “Master Jevin. I did not know you would be in residence at this location. I am Mage Odera.”

“Mistress Odera, be welcome.” His voice was soft, but still carried through the room with ease. “You said you were here to speak with Mistress Tala?” He gestured to Tala as she stepped up beside him.

She said? She must have spoken when she entered, and he obviously has some way of perceiving the entrance.

“I am, indeed.” Mistress Odera turned to regard the younger Mage. “Greetings, Mistress Tala. Master Rane informed me that I was likely to find you here. Our schedule has been altered. A critical shipment is anticipated, and ours is the only caravan already within the city that can carry the cargo in its entirety. There have been increasing delays on incoming caravans, and they don’t want to risk the lack of a sufficient caravan.” After a moment, she smiled kindly. “Thankfully, we haven’t confirmed the permanent loss of any caravan, stars be praised.”

Tala frowned as she bowed. “Greetings Mistress. By altered, what do you mean?” At least Rane didn’t come, himself.

“We’ve been asked to delay our departure by almost a month.”

Tala balked at that. “Why? And why tell me now?”

“I just learned an hour ago, or I would have told you at our last meal. As a concession for the inconvenience, we will each be paid a stipend of two gold per day, for each day past our previously scheduled departure. That will be a total of fifty gold apiece.”

Tala’s eyes widened in shock.

“Indeed. It seems that this load of goods must be shipped together, and the client is willing to pay to ensure such.”

Tala nodded, finding herself a bit speechless.

“We will need to power down the cargo-slots. So, you will have to find another place to stay, but you also won’t need to return to the work-yard each morning.”

Finally, Tala found her tongue once again. “Thank you for bringing me this news.”

Mistress Odera gave a slight bow. “Of course. If you can, please get any items you need from the cargo-slot this evening, and the local Wainwrights will oversee the deactivating of the slots tomorrow. You were not requested for that, but you would likely be welcome to observe, if you so desired.”

“I will gather a few things. Thank you. I don’t believe I will observe.”

There was a slight lull, as they ran out of applicable topics.

Jevin cleared his throat, stepping into the silence. “Mistress Tala, I believe that we have concluded our business for the moment. Would you be willing to depart, so that Mistress Odera and I could have a word?”

Tala frowned, giving him what she thought was an inquisitive look, but he simply waited for her response. “Alright.” She bowed to each of them in turn. “Master Jevin, Mistress Odera.”

They bid her farewell in return.

As she left, her enhanced hearing picked up the beginning of their conversation.

“Mistress Odera. I know what is in your pocket. Would you like me to take it from you? That is not a cure, but it will be a delay.”

Mistress Odera’s voice came back, obviously filled with relief, an edge of pleading apparent as well. “If you command, Paragon, I will obey.”

The door swung shut, locking Tala out of the remainder of the exchange, and she and Terry started upward, towards the Culinary Guild office on the fifth floor.