Millennial Mage

Chapter 473: Marliweather Again, Already?

Tala was pleasantly surprised by how many Archons had questions for Walden, and how many were able and willing to pay the price in dimensionally expanded volume for Kit to eat.

It was a little annoying to arrange for them to get to Tala, but the Alefast, Waning, Constructionists began making such items on commission, in order to deliver them to Tala as payment for the answers she could now provide. There was also the fact it was Alat and Mistress Ingrit who were doing the actual logistical work. So, Tala really had little to complain about.

The Librarian was still handling all of the negotiations and facilitation of the inquiries into Tala’s various available memories and other sources of wisdom and knowledge. Tala—once again—verified that Mistress Ingrit was getting compensated for her time spent and effort given. The Librarian not only assured her that she was, but once again made sure that Tala had access to the records of such compensation.

Tala hadn’t doubted the woman’s integrity, but Tala just couldn’t understand why Mistress Ingrit was willing to accept so little.

Sure, there was the value of having access to all of the intangible goods for free herself, but was that really worth so much to the woman?

-Let me see, does a life-long Librarian value knowledge? Come on, Tala, is this really confusing to you?-

…Fair.

One incredible result that Tala had only briefly considered was that many Archons had similar questions for Walden, and so Tala only had to bother—or pay—the immortal elk once for each of those groupings. Then she could collect a smaller fee to simply pass the knowledge on to following inquirers. Well, Tala and Kit got the fee so that Mistress Ingrit could pass the knowledge on.

Some, including Master Grediv, even asked the question that Tala had at the start: Why—in the opinion of the Immortal Elk—were cells seeming to degrade more quickly? Or at least why were more coming up as in need of maintenance in this waning?

The consensus was that Walden’s was an interesting theory, and likely had some truth to it, but it just as likely wasn’t the whole story.

As for the effect of the payments, there wasn’t a massive amount of growth for Kit from any given transaction, but it was a permanent expansion each time, and it added up.

Walden’s forest was also growing, as expected, and the elk seemed to be rather pleased with the results of the deal that he’d made as well.

Master Grediv occasionally asked to inspect the remnants of the cell to check for issues, and Tala allowed him—and any expert he saw fit to bring—the access that was needed. There was even talk about finding similar cells to allow Tala to subsume them as well, but that had so many implications that there was no chance that it would have a short timeline.

Plus, there were only three or four of this type of prisoner that modern humanity was aware of.

On another issue entirely, Tala was finally given permission to try augmenting the connections between the parts of reality across the rends present at previous city sites, but Master Grediv made a personal request, asking that she delay for a bit, as it likely wouldn’t be a fast process to test thoroughly. Unfortunately, it seemed that there were several Defenders who were looking to have time off in the next couple of years. Her departure added on top—and likely Rane’s as well—would leave them on the lighter side of the desired numbers to protect Alefast, Waning, and deal with cells in the region.

That made sense to Tala, so she put the idea on the back burner for the time being.

Within Irondale, things were progressing very well. True to his word, Lisa was taking his time to do… whatever it was he was doing to establish his four-dimensional home within Irondale.

He wasn’t quite as reclusive as he’d threatened to be, seemingly beginning to make friends with his neighbors and many in the town in general. The children of Irondale seemed to especially like the fox, and he didn’t seem to mind their presence too much when they came to watch his work, even if Tala was entirely sure that they didn’t really understand just how incredible what they were seeing was.

But I suppose I could be wrong?

-Yeah, kids are fairly malleable…-

Master Simon, Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva finally got the first group of Irondalians ready for magical rebirth.

The consensus was that the natural magics given to Kedva would both be of more use and easier to get used to than the detailed magesight magics which had been given to Brandon and Adrill.

Even so, the schemas worked out—in collaboration with Mistress Holly in repayment for a couple of questions asked of Walden—incorporated basic magesight as well.

Thus, with Lyn’s coordination, Tala began to help Irondalians be reborn at the rate of roughly one a day until there were fifty additional magically reborn humans.

Lyn had taken up the mantle of point of contact for Tala and logistician for Irondale as a whole with vigor, and she was already integrating herself with the town’s populace with ease.

The newly reborn trained together every day, their magic kept full by the power within Kit once Tala had allowed it to interact with them. They used the series of spaces that Lyn had designated for Tala to set up with incrementally less magical density, doing their utmost to maintain their own level of power in the progressively more starved environments.

Kedva—in particular—was making great strides, and she was now able to leave Irondale for a few hours before her density dropped too significantly due to simple diffusion.

Tala also helped Adrill and Brandon to gain natural magics like Kedva’s and Tala’s own defensive and enhancing inscriptions, thus making sure that they weren’t left behind by the new recruits.

The fifty-three adults quickly took on the role of arbiters within Irondale—biased mainly on the newer people because of the duties already on the plate of the original three—helping to settle any disputes that could arise and helping to keep tempers in check.

Thankfully, there wasn’t ever a need for actual violence or true intervention, but they were easily and enthusiastically adopted as figures of prominence within the growing town, especially when Lyn began using them to convey many of her more pleasant notices to the various people around the town.

This adoption caused even more interest within the citizenry to join these reborn, and the next crop of applicants was picked and their training began.

On the events concerning Tala more directly, Rane finally convinced her to review the memories they’d been given about the Black Legion. Master Grediv had really gone above and beyond in finding some for her to see directly, rather than simply giving her the information that they’d glean on the foe over the centuries… Though, he did give her that, too.

They had Enar and Alat parse them down for easier consumption, annotating the memories and making them relatively simple to review.

Even the simplified, summarized versions still weren’t pleasant.

The Black Legion were horrifying in a way that was hard to describe while still being brutally effective at what they did, and they seemed to liquify upon death, meaning that all information gathered about how they worked—and what their internals looked like—had to be acquired while a member of the Legion was kept ‘alive’ and functional.

From the information they were granted, gated-humanity had acquired a very detailed understanding of the internals of the Black Legion members as well as how they worked, generally.

Most had vestiges at their cores, but the power sources were held in magical isolation so that the human soul couldn’t influence the actions of any of the automata. It was believed that such was part of the reason for their susceptibility to Reality’s influence. Though, that was obviously not the whole reason.

Regardless, Tala now felt a bit better prepared for the Black Legion if a legionnaire ever crossed her path, even if mostly just because she would be less surprised and taken aback by their… peculiarities.

Rane had seemed rather more subdued after diving through the briefs.

Stolen story; please report.

After thinking through her own feelings, Tala had sat down beside the big man. “Hey, Rane. What are you thinking?”

“These things… these automata… they have such a hatred for us, for anything of Magic. It doesn’t really seem to align with how Magical Beasts act, even if there are parallels. I… It makes me wish that they’d found a way to destroy the Legion, rather than just lock them away.”

Tala grunted in agreement at that. “I think everyone would agree, not only about the Black Legion, but about all the various prisoners. One blessing is that the Black Legion’s cell shouldn’t resurface anytime soon.”

“Yeah, but it will eventually, and I pity both the unit sent to investigate it and humanity as a whole when that happens.”

She smiled at that. “You know, we’ll likely still be around to see that, to help.”

He smiled in return, seeming to brighten even as he straightened a bit. “That’s true. I suppose we should get ready.”

Tala took on a mock serious tone, “You’re right, that settles it. I’ll advance just for that.”

Rane huffed a laugh. “There are worse motivations out there, but I get your point. We’ll be as strong as we can be when they return, and worrying about them, specifically, won’t help any.”

She leaned against him briefly. “Exactly. We have things to overcome all around us. One more won’t break us.”

He leaned in and kissed her then, and their conversation turned to other things.

* * *

Metti Zuccat did not follow in her family’s footsteps, at least not right away, as she let her twelfth birthday come and go without leaving for the Academy.

Her parents didn’t want to force her to leave, but as fall progressed, they became more frantic for the girl to make up her mind.

That was actually what seemed to be the largest issue. Metti hadn’t chosen to go elsewhere, she just hadn’t wanted to go to the Academy ‘yet.’

That seemed to spark unusual tension within the older couple, as they didn’t seem to know how to handle the indecision of their youngest. They wanted to support her, whatever she chose, but she just wasn’t choosing.

It made the fall of that year a bit more stressful, even if not for anything of consequence to Tala’s mind. The girl could become a Mage if she wanted, a little delay wouldn’t really change that much.

-You’re becoming unmoored in time, Tala. You don’t have enough touchpoints. The years are starting to slip by. It’s been nine months since Olen left for the Academy, and you’ve not done anything of real note.-

I know… It’s… it’s odd, but I don’t really see it as a bad thing.

-Just make sure you’re not waiting on things that you’ll regret missing out on if the opportunity passes.-

I’ll keep that in mind.

Illie and Nalac had decided to stay at the Academy absolutely as long as they would be allowed to do so. Thus, they were coming back when they were no longer allowed to take classes as they’d be turning twenty around when the classes started.

As a consequence, Tala, Rane, and Terry were in Marliweather that winter, and Tala couldn’t quite reconcile the fact that it had been so long since she’d originally reconnected with her family and seen off these twins to their Academic experiences.

The intervening years had been a rollercoaster of time for Tala, and she thought that nothing could really surprise her these days.

Even so, Tala was staring at her siblings with a bit of shock. “You want me to take you to your new masters?”

Illie grinned and Nalac nodded solemnly. “We discussed it, and we came back to Marliweather to see the family, and in hopes of traveling with you to where our masters are. They’re a married couple, and they’ve agreed to take the two of us on at once.”

“And you want me to take you there?” Tala felt a bit incredulous that they hadn’t asked first—they were already in Marliweather after all—and quite a bit grateful that they hadn’t asked to be her magelings. She’d have had a hard time refusing, even if she really didn’t feel like they’d be a good fit with her.

-Come on! Help me win the bet.-

No.

-Spoil sport.-

Illie spoke this time, “Yes please, Tala. We’d like to spend a bit more time with you before we go out in the world away from everything we’ve ever really known. Is that alright?”

Tala looked toward Rane, questioning.

-Enar conveyed that Rane is all for a bit of a detour, but he’s also happy to be the reason you say no, if you need an easy out.-

Thank him, please.

Tala wasn’t sure what she wanted, but having Rane’s support, regardless of what she chose, made the whole situation seem easier to manage.

After a moment’s thought—in which she considered things as thoroughly as a mundane could have in a couple of hours—Tala nodded, looking to Terry. “Are you up for a bit of a detour, my friend?”

Terry trilled happily toward the stars, just as she knew that he would.

“Well, then. That’s settled. When do we leave?”

Nalac took back over, speaking for himself and his sister, “Well, our masters are expecting us within the week. So, how fast can we get to Arconaven?”

Tala felt herself stiffen.

Arconaven.

It was on a trip from Marliweather toward Arconaven that she had been taken.

Calm, Tala. Be calm.

-You aren’t Fused any longer. You are much more powerful. He is dead. You are safe.-

I know. I know. She took a long, deep breath, hiding her feelings.

Rane’s arm slid across her back to pull her against him in a comforting side-hug.

Did you tell him?

-No. He just knows you well enough.-

That caused a warmth to blossom in her chest, helping her to actually calm enough to respond. After she had considered for a moment, she gave a slow nod. “It will take us about two days or so.”

Nalac smiled, utterly unaware of Tala’s internal struggle. “Then, we should leave within the next three, if that’s alright with you.”

-I’ll alert Lyn. She’ll make sure everything is arranged with Irondale.-

Tala smiled in return. “That sounds good to me.”

Rane was nodding seriously, giving her a tight squeeze before letting go. “In that case, I’ll have to rearrange a few things.”

Her eyebrows went up. “Oh? I’m sorry, Rane. Do you need us to change the time of departure? We can make the trip more quickly if you need.”

He shook his head. “No, no. I just have a bit of business to take care of in the city, and I’ll make sure it’s done in time.”

She gave him a searching look. When he didn’t elaborate further, she simply shrugged. “Alright, then.”

That settled, Tala and Alat did their best to coordinate and catch up with her siblings.

Anna took advantage of Tala’s visit as well, seeing her own parents and connecting with Metti to discuss the child’s choice at length, even if the younger girl already knew what her older sister felt about going to the Academy.

Thankfully, Illie and Nalac actually took some time to talk with Metti as well, and Tala thought it likely that they’d be willing to continue the discussion during the trip to Arconaven.

As for her other siblings, Nea was engaged, which initially surprised Tala, but then she remembered that Nea was seventeen and given that her betrothed was only a couple of years older than her—and an established journeyman glassblower—it made a certain amount of sense for non-Mages.

Mita and Akli—who were often lost in the shuffle—were betrothed to a blacksmith and a caravan guard respectively. They worked as seamstresses, themselves, and generally stuck close together, being less tied into the family than anyone save Tala, herself.

In Tala’s case, that was due to her being away from the city. In theirs, it was because they generally didn’t get along with the parents, and being non-Mages and non-alchemists, they didn’t have those touchpoints with the others either.

The weddings were set for times that Tala wouldn’t be around, and when she’d asked if they wanted her to come, they’d been genuinely ambivalent.

They didn’t dislike her at all, but it was clear that the twin young women didn’t feel much connection to Tala, or any of their other siblings for that matter.

On a more positive note, Caln and Verla had moved into the old family home, along with Anna and Latna, who had taken over Master Leighis’s portion of the business and building.

Latna was noticeably more reserved with her new master, and Tala detected a bit of underlying determination in the young woman’s eyes, but she didn’t choose to elaborate when asked, and Tala didn’t press.

Master Leighis let us know that he just recently told Latna that one reason he passed her training on to someone else was because of his growing affection for her. He said he didn’t want to pressure her to reciprocate, but if she did, he would be interested in spending more time together once she was a Mage.

-That would do it.- Tala wasn’t sure about how the whole thing had been handled, but it seemed at least reasonable in the end. The choice was in Latna’s hands now.

Master Leighis was still in occasional contact with the family as a whole, and a bit more frequent contact with Latna in particular, but from the way she conveyed it, Latna did not think it was often enough.

That implied where she was leaning with her choice, but nothing solid had been conveyed, so Tala decided to continue to leave the subject be.

The man, himself, had returned to the Guard, specifically as an auxiliary who accompanied mundane troops on their patrols of the nearby wilds when they did so to harvest magical components and help keep the local arcanous creatures to manageable levels, allowing an easier time for most caravans.

He seemed happy overall, though Tala picked up hints in what her siblings shared that he was sad to be away from the city, which she interpreted as sadness to be away from Latna.

At least he’s giving her time to recenter and leaving the choice firmly with her.

-Yeah, it’s a fine line he’s walking.-

Indeed.

Overall, the visit was pleasant, and in no time at all, Tala, Rane, and Terry were leaving the city with Illie and Nalac in tow.