Chapter 178: Crazy_Millennial Mage

Chapter 178: Crazy

 T was breathing hard and raggedly as she trudged through the city streets. More and more people were joining her on the thoroughfares, heading off to start their days.

 Her heavy breathing wasnt because of strain from the exercise, not in the least; she was falling under the stress brought on by her memories, still swirling through her head, and the eyes that wouldnt leave her alone, despite their absence.

 She shuddered involuntarily.

 A passing stranger paused, seemingly noticing the reaction. Miss? Are you okay? Are you cold?

 Miss? Her eyes flicked to her hands. The illusion hid all evidence of spell-forms. Right! Oh, Im fine. Thank you for asking, though. That really was quite kind of him.

 Are you sure? Im almost home, and I have another coat there. Its really no trouble. He started to shift out of hisrge, thick, warm-looking coat. Maybe I am a little cold. Still, she couldnt take the strangers coat.

 T held up her hands, feeling a bit embarrassed. No, really. Im fine. Im almost to where Im going.

 He hesitated, then shrugged, pulling the coat fully back on. As you wish. I hope you get warm soon, though. Yeah?

 She smiled. Thank you. Ill do my best.

 -T-

 -That was quite a nice man; you should give him some money.-

 That would be insulting. He was just being kind. T waved goodbye and continued on her way.

 -People always like moneyno. Thats not right. Not everyone is so focused on money. Why do you like it so much?-

 T suspected that she knew what t was doing, and she was grateful for the distraction from her disturbing memories, though shed never consciously admit it. Instead, she groaned. I dont like it, per se. I find it useful, and I often have need of it. After all, it is required for basically everything I want or need.

 -Right. Hed probably say the same. You should go give him some.-

 Ts eye twitched, even though she knew that t was purposely trying to draw her mind away from less pleasant things through irritation. Too much would be showy, too little would be insulting. How much do you suggest I give him?

 There was a protracted silence as T continued on her way. -Yeah. Lets not do that.-

 d were in agreement.

 She still had more than an hour before she had to meet with Mistress Odera for breakfast. So, she decided to run by the teleportation tower to see if Phoen was on duty, though something told T it was unlikely.

 -T-

 -Shes not on shift right now.-

 How could you possibly know that? Despite her doubt, she stopped, stepping to the side of the street so that she wouldnt block traffic.

 -The shifts are a matter of public record. Im looking at them right now. Shees on shift in a little over an hour.-

 Ahh, alright then. Well, what should we do?

 -Get there early, get a first breakfast, and read a book?-

 As ideas go, thats good enough to go with. T turned and wove her way through the morning traffic, which was now in full swing, making her way to the Caravan Guildhall.

 She walked through the main atrium and into the side of the building that housed the restaurant and lounge, waving a greeting to Cran from across the room as she entered, before grabbing a table in the back corner.

 She mentally paused on Cran, even as she continued to settle in. Hes a Mage, not an Archon. That sat oddly with her as shed been mainly dealing with Archons ofte. I suppose that most Mages are Archons?

 -T-

 -The majority are, yes.-

 How can that be true? I could guess, but Id rather know.

 -Well, Im not going to take the time to research it at the moment, unless youmand such, but I have some informed guesses.-

 Lets hear it.

 -Mages age and fount-out, assuming they arent killed on the job. Archons, unless they are killed, live a very long time, slowly gaining in power.-

 So, Mages are like journeymen, magelings are like apprentices, and Archons are like masters of a craft?

 -More or less.-

 But there are almost always more journeymen and apprentices than masters.

 -Of course, because most masters arent immortal.-

 Ahh, yes. That does skew things, doesnt it.

 -If it helps, by majority I just mean that more than half are Archons. Its not a lot more, though the exact numbers arent a part of public record. I can put in a request?-

 No, thats not necessary. Thank you though. We can drop it for now. She smiled to herself. The question I want answered, now, is what to read.

 -T-

 -I have a suggestion.-

 Do you have to proceed so many of yourments with my name?

 -I could go back to DING.-

 T jumped slightly at the sound within her own head. Yeah, please dont.

 -Alright. What about: HEY! Listen!-

 T felt her eye twitch. That would get irritating, really, really quickly.

 -Then, T will work for now?-

 For now see if you can remove that requirement?

 -Ill see what I can do.-

 Incidentally, we were already talking. Why did you have to get my attention again?

 -You had explicitly stated that a conversation was over. Thus, I was required to treat my nextment as unsolicited.-

 T shook her head, but was smiling. Theres a lot of kinks to work out, here, I suppose.

 -So it seems.-

 She looked up as the server came her way. The young mans arrival caused Ts stomach to growl.

 -I know hes attractive, but keep it together. Youre an Archon, after all.-

 T flushed, before having the realization that she didnt know if it would transmit through the illusion.

 -Youre just trying to distract yourself.-

 T cleared her throat, and responded to the server, ignoring t.

 She picked out arge spread of food from thete-night menu and thanked him for taking her order.

 He smiled appreciatively at her thanks and departed, promising to get the food as soon as possible.

 -T-

 -Isnt it a bit early for fried chicken?-

 I thought Terry might like some.

 -I know you didnt order it just for him.-

 Well, fine. I want some. What were you saying about having a book suggestion?

 Without preamble a book was floating in front of her. There was no sh, no fading into existence. It was justthere. -Take a look. Its the booklet on your through-spike. Blessedly, the contents are freely avable to you through the Archive. They were arranged thoughtfully enough for the average Archon, but Ive reorganized it into an order that should make it better for you, so that you can get the best efficiency boost in your use of the item, as quickly as possible.-

 T reached out feeling deeply skeptical.

 Even so, she would have sworn that she could feel the book. How are you doing that?

 Then, T shook her head.

 Never mind, the feeling is as much a figment of my mind as the visual. Of course, you can fake senses other than sight.

 -Correct.-

 Once she stopped trying to see through the illusion, once she allowed her skepticism topse, the tome seemed to solidify in her hand, and she was able to handle it exactly like any other book.

 This is pretty odd, t.

 -Its a perk. Enjoy it. But trust me, I know that it will take a lot to get used to these new features.-

 T cocked her head to one side. A pun on your own name?

 -Im entitled.-

 She grunted. Fair enough.

 In no time at all, T was reading the book just as she would any other, and true to ts word, the contents were arranged exactly as she would have hoped, filling in her greatest gaps in understanding right up front, and polishing out the finer points as she continued on.

 She could practically feel her through-spike bing more efficient, using up less of her reverberating power.

 The server returned with her food, giving her a bit of an odd look before departing.

 Not everyones a reader, I guess.

 T helped Terry try a bite of each dish, but in the end, he was happy simply consuming arge quantity of jerky, delivered to him in the usual manner. What that meant was that between basically every bite, T flicked out a bit of the jerked meat. Terry caught each with dimensional maniptions too quick to notice, save the resulting ripples of power.

 She continued to read as she ate as well, finishing the food with speed that bordered on scarfing, without ever having to pause her study of the book before her.

 It helped that the book didnt make her joints or muscles cramp to hold in one hand, and she found it trivially easy to turn the page with the thumb of the same hand whenever she needed.

 The server cleared the dishes, and T thanked him, letting me know that she was expecting to be joined shortly.

 He bowed and promised to return when the other party arrived. He presented T with a tablet to pay for her already consumed food, and she paid withoutint. After all, shed been able to sneak in her order from off of thete-night menu. Three silver wasnt that bad for the spread that shed devoured.

 Returning her focus to the book, T smiled. This is perfectly put together.

 -I do try.-

 T hitched for a moment. Right, you rearranged it and this isnt real. She lifted the book slightly. It felt less substantial as she considered its unreality, the truth of it showing through as she considered it.

 -Nope. Itspletely a figment of your mind.-

 She felt her cheeks heat again. What had the server seen? A woman staring at her own hand with rapt attention for the better part of an hour?

 -That is probably how it looked, yes.-

 Do I have to hold it?

 -No, thats just a crutch until you can consistently manipte the perceptual illusion with your conscious mind. I could do it for you, but Ive devised a way for you to gain better conscious control of your new options, given the Archive link. This is step one.-

 T almost protested, but then she remembered how the book was exactly right for her. t really does know me well enough to provide that.

 -Rusting right I do. Speaking of that, I have quite a few minor modifications to your daily training regime.-

 Wait. Theres something wrong with my routine?

 -No. There is nothing specifically wrong, but I think we can modify it to give you better results. Improve it, as it were.-

 T was basically always open to learning, so she shrugged. Okay. Lets do it.

 -Great! Consider me your personal trainer from here on out.-

 She was suddenly a little hesitant. What exactly did I sign up for?

 -Exactly as much improvement as you can take.- Then, somehow, t winked at her.

 T didnt see any eyes, nor did she, herself, wink. Even so, somehow, she knew that t had winked at her. Did you just project the concept of winking at me?

 -I did, indeed.- t seemed quite proud of herself for that. -I havent had that much time to practice my abilities, since I came into existence. The breadth of them is really quite fascinating.-

 T held in a groan, though it was pretty useless of her to try to hide reactions from t.

 - Dont be like that. You have hands and feet and, you know, senses. I have these. Dont begrudge me my tools.-

 Fine, fine.

 That settled, T decided to go back to reading the book that didnt exist, so she could ignore the voice inside her head.

 That sounds pretty crazy, when I think about it that way.

 -T, you are crazy in innumerable ways, but that doesnt make you any less you.-

 That didnt actually contain anything meaningful, did it?

 -Of course not, but you feel better, right?-

 T glowered at the nonexistent book.

 -I thought so.-

 She decided that the best path was to not engage. So, she went back to reading.

 T finished the little booklet and was just considering what else she should read when Mistress Odera walked in.

 T waved the Mage over and stood as she approached.

 Good morning, Mistress Odera.

 Good morning, Mistress T. Youre lookinguninscribed. What did you do?

 T grinned, having expected something like this. Well, Ive got quite a bit to tell you, actually.

 They sat and ate, chatted and discussed. The server was mildly confused when T ordered more food but didnt deign toment.

 Mistress Odera, as usual, had some anecdotes of dubious authenticity, but which still allowed T to think about the problems in different ways.

 Their time was shorter than usual, as Mistress Odera had an appointment, but she expressed her appreciation when T let her know that the next destination T wanted to head towards would be Marliweather. The older woman promised to approve the venture, and be avable to join T on it, when the request came through.

 They bid each other goodbye and parted way.

 T pulled on her gloves, moving towards the exit to the Caravan Guildhall. As she did so, she noticed Lyn and waved to the Archon, who seemed rather engrossed in her conversation with a young, bald woman. Is that a mageling?

 It didnt really matter.

 Well, it hadnt really mattered, until Lyn noticed Ts gesture and waved her over.

 I wonder what this is about.

 As she got closer, T got a better look at the young woman. Young, shes basically my age. New graduate? New arrival?

 As T walked over, Lyn smiled gestured to the woman, who still hadnt turned around. T, this is mageling Kannis.

 What? No

 The girl turned around, and T felt herself stiffen.

 -T.-

 -The plot thickens.-

 Hush.

 Kannis was a student at the Academy, while T was there. An Immaterial Creator specializing in information exchanges and processing. Very simr to Lyn, now that I consider it.

 Though, the womancked any sort of inscriptions at the moment. Newly arrived indeed.

 T and Kannis had never really interacted. Kannis had been rtively popr, in a quiet sort of way, and T had chosen the path of utter anti-sociability.

 Hello, T was it? Kannis held out a hand. Its a pleasure to meet you.

 T took her hand in a bit of a daze. Its mutual, Im sure.

 Her eyes darted to Terry, then away. Your pet bird is very handsome.

 Hes more a friend than a pet, but thank you. She shrugged and tried to smile.

 Oh! Thank you for letting me know. She nced down at her feet. So, what do you do for the Guild? Im just graduated, and I am so excited to get started.

 No. Ts mind hitched at the very possibility, threatening at the edges of her awareness. Oh, please no.

 Lyn cleared her throat, seemingly deciding that it was time to interject. Kannis, its Mistress T. She is a dimensional Mage and a Mage protector.

 Kanniss eyes widened, and she gave a formal bow. Oh! My apologies, Mistress. Her eyes flicked over T, and she frowned just slightly. Im sorry for whatever happened to your scripts. Im in a simr position, though I suppose my state is standard for my station.

 Lyn seemed to notice the apparent absence of Ts spell-lines at that point too. Yeah, Id love to hear that story. I actually expected she shook her head,ing back to the present, but thats not pertinent at the moment.

 Kannis wasnt done, however, as her frown had only deepened. Wait Did Mistress say that youre a dimensional Mage and a Mage protector?

 T found her voice enough to respond. Thats right.

 Forgive my ignorance, but shouldnt the dimensional Mage be protected beyond all else, as basically the most critical part of any caravan? Kannis seemed rather proud of her knowledge.

 T opened and closed her mouth a few times, struggling to find something to say.

 Lyn hid her mouth behind a hand, but not before T caught sight of a mirthful grin.

 T cleared her throat, centering herself. While, yes, the dimensional Mage is basically the keystone of any given caravan, it is efficient to have me able to fill multiple roles, so long as I am not on the front line of defense, except in dire need.

 Has that worked out well?

 T immediately thought of the Leshkin.

 Lyn was practically dying as she held in herughter behind the young womans back.

 With one notable exception, yes. Its worked quite well. T practically red at Lyn around Kannis.

 Oh, thats fascinating. What was the exception?

 T returned her attention to the mageling. The Leshkin, in the southern forest. They didnt take too well to something about me, and I ended up being the target of their attacks more than once.

 Leshkin? Kannis hesitated for only a moment. Oh! I remember those. We studied them in my History of Recurring Threats to Humanity ss. They sounded like horribly difficult opponents.

 They were. History of Recurring Threats to Humanity?

 -T-

 -You were bored in the ss and never really paid attention. It was mainly a discussion ss, and you participated exactly, and only, as much as was required to pass. You really werent that good a student for most of your academic career.-

 OhI thought I was a good student, all things considered.

 -Hardly. You excelled in every ss that you care about, but those were few and far between.-

 T grimaced, even as Kannis turned back to Lyn, who had gotten herself under control by that point. Now, Mistress Lyn, what do you think of my proposal?

 T frowned. Whats this about Lyn? Her earlier concerns resurfaced. Why did she call me over here?

 Lyn grinned at her friend. Well, Kannis, here, is asking if Ill take her on as my mageling.

 Rust.

 And, I think Im going to say: Yes.

 Kannis gasped and pped her hands in glee. Oh! Thank you, Mistress Lyn. You wont regret this.

 Double rust. T knew this was more than just an addition to Lyn, else the older woman wouldnt have involved T at all. Shes going to live in our house

 t justughed, andughed, andughed.

MillionNovel

Chapter 178: Crazy