Chapter 200: The Reason_Millennial Mage

Chapter 200: The Reason

 T swayed gently, keeping her bnce perfectly in control atop the cargo-wagon as it trundled northward across the ins, bound for Arconaven.

 It had been a fruitful winter, especially in regards to her siblings. T had made great strides in rebuilding the foundations for rtionships with each of her brothers and sisters. She was even corresponding with several of the older ones on asion. Though, given that most of her time was spent between cities, they werent quick back-and-forths so much as touch-points between in-person visits.

 Even though Nc and Illie had departed for the Academy two months earlier, T was able to exchange notes with them as well, though the twins early sses were demanding enough that they had little free time for such things.

 Also, if the correspondances they had sent were any indication, their new friends were taking up much of what little time they had outside of training.

 I hope their experience is radically different than mine. They should start solidifying their fundamental understanding in the next few months, and get their first inscriptions shortly thereafter.

 It was an exciting time for them, and T felt a warmth within her at being able to be going through it alongside them, even if from afar.

 Now, spring had arrived, and with it hade more rain than usual. Copious amounts of rain that, more than anything, had reminded T of swimming through ake, every time shed stepped outside.

 That near constant deluge, coupled with the melting snow, had led to soggy, treacherous ground and lots of mud.

 Much of the londs among the rolling hills now resembled marsnd more than fertile ins, but that should pass soon enough.

 The cloud cover had finally broken around noon and with the near constant, stiff wind, the sky was finallypletely clear. Though, they were fast approaching the nightly stop and dinner.

 We should reach Arconaven tomorrow. And if it stays clear, the ground should be clean and dry by the end of the day. She hesitated, considering the near two weeks of constant downpour. Drier at least.

 -Another new city to explore, finally.- t didnt much care about the mud, and before they departed, she had been grousing more and more about only seeing Bandfast, Marliweather, and thend in between. In truth, T had begun to get sick of the repetitive scenery too.

 Mistress Odera sat in her customary ce near the back of the wagon, eyes closed and magical senses surveying their surroundings. She still hadnt managed to make an Archon star within her iron monstrosity, but she kept insisting that she was close.

 T didnt have to turn around to check on the woman.

 Instead, one of the small drops of blood that spun around Ts head granted her a secondary perspective via aspect mirroring.

 She no longer needed to close her eyes to keep from being overwhelmed by two sets of inputs. Nor did the movement of that perspective, as it orbited or as she shifted its focus, make her sick.

 Two other drops rotated along with the first, likewise filled with aspect-mirrors of her perception, though t was coopting the senses from those other two.

 T could still perceive through them if she so desired, but she did not desire such. Much of her focused training through the winter had been specifically aimed towards shutting out those perspectives, to allow t to be her omni-directional eyes and ears.

 And t excelled at that. Especially in sparring, t warned T of anything she might otherwise miss, and their synergy had grown to the point that T didnt have to look for herself to block most attacks that t identified.

 There was the added blessing that Ts specific mage-sight scripts modified Ts perspective, directly, rather than providing a new sense that ovepped her sight. Thus, when T mirrored her sight onto the three orbiting bloodstars, they benefited from her mage-sight as well.

 The whole process was surprisingly effective now that she and t had gotten the hang of it.

 Her tungsten bar levitated as if nailed in ce, just behind her neck, suspended by the two bloodstars inside of it. The sphere floated just in front of her sternum, simrly affixed.

 Both showed knicks, dings, and even a couple of deep cuts from where theyd directly parried attacks in sparring and during the asional aracanous encounter.

 Even though thest four months had been incredibly peaceful, all things considered, they hadnt been free of violence.

 Her elk leathers fit better than ever, given that T and t had continued to investigate how to minutely adjust the garments, precisely as they wished. Theyd recently discovered how to change the colors, and after having a bit of fun with some more garish shades, they had settled for a set of earthtones.

 Flow and Kit hung in counterbnce to each other, and shed added a row of small vesselssmaller than the width of her beltacross the back of her belt to house her bloodstars when not in use.

 The maximum shed been able to wield effectively in abat situation was still only eight, alongside those in her tungsten tools. While that wasnt an increase in number from earlier in the winter, her utility of and dexterity with them was improving by leaps and bounds. She could do more with all of them at once than shed been able to manage with a single one at the start.

 Maybe tomorrow Ill add in a ninth. It was about time.

 Terry lounged off to one side, sprawled out on his back, legs extended to allow his stomach to absorb as much sun on as possible.

 She asionally flicked a bit of jerky out for him, and while it vanished mid-flight, proving that hed caught it, he never seemed to move. In return, he would asionally flicker to one of the weaponsying on the wagon-top and hurtle it at her without warning. That still took him enough time that she was able to notice his absence, however momentary.

 As the weapon came her way, it was Ts task to deflect it with bloodstar or tungsten tool without turning her head, or stopping whatever she was doing at the time.

 It had turned out to be ridiculously excellent practice, if she were being honest. And it was quite a bit of fun, now that she had improved enough that she wasnt being hit with fast-flying ballistic weapons every couple of minutes.

 She still hadnt implemented the leshkin shields which sat within Kit, nor even attached the mounting tes shed had made for them. She always found reasons for dy, as they would require a few weeks of dedicated practice to incorporate into her other abilities, whenever she added them. Things were progressing at a good pace, and she really didnt feel like taking a step back towards ipetence.

 Maybe by midsummer.

 t snorted within Ts mind. -More likely, well do it as soon as wee through a battle where they would have been useful.-

 Thatsfair. She knew that she should get on with it, but not in the middle of a venture, and certainly on the way to a new city. Ill have some free-time in Arconaven. Ill do the prep work and initial testing there.

 T felt a slight warning as a hatchet sailed from near the rear-right-corner of the wagon at the back of her head. The tungsten bar simply spun, lifting slightly as it took on the appearance of a silvery, semi-translucent disc.

 The iing weapon was deflected back and down, where it struck into the wagon top with a thunk.

 It had definitely made things more interesting, when Terry had begun aiming such that the most effective blocking techniques would send the weapons into nearby things or people that T didnt want to harm.

 Mistress Odera grunted at the sound but didnt otherwise react. The head driver, a middle-aged woman named Bilsta, no longer jumped or even twitched at the noise, but T did detect a slight tensing of her shoulders.

 The tungsten rod stopped without seemingly needing to slow, and drifted back down to its previous resting ce.

 T obligingly tossed a hunk of jerky for Terry before she returned her focus to the present.

 It really was a beautiful day.

 She took in a deep breath, relishing the wonderfully amazing smells of oing spring, even if they were oveid by those of mud and ox-dung.

 Take the bad with the good.

 -Then, sift out the bad and throw it away.-

 T grinned. True enough. She hesitated. Was it my perception or yours that picked up that attack?

 -Mine. You responded quite well.- t did seem quite pleased by the sound of her voice.

 Ts grin widened, even as she allowed her perspective to track the Mage Protector who had joined her this leg of her trip. Marnin.

 He was passing by the right hand side of their wagon as he made a circuit of the caravan.

 Marnin was an enthusiastic Mage, a Material Creator, specializing in air. His attacks and defense were simply that,pressed, or gusts of, air. Hed been surprisingly effective in driving away arcanous threats and not causing any retaliation.

 Honestly, after seeing the man work, T had been shocked that his skill set wasnt more widely seen, especially within the ranks of Mage Protectors. The guards even seemed not to mind the lessening of harvests too much. They were, after all, not required to engage with nearly as many threats as standard.

 Though, to be fair, I havent been exposed to that many, not yet.

 This was her first trip after her block of back-and-forth ventures to Marliweather, and it was the first one without Rane since her very first trek to Alefast, Waning.

 Rane, unfortunately, still had not broken into Fused, though he continued to insist that he was getting close. He had taken a different route from them, beginning his loop of the cities by heading south to Makinaven. From there, he was going to go west towards Retindel, then through Truhold, Namfast, and Manaven beforeing out of the forest cities and meeting up with her and Mistress Odera in Clevenhold.

 T and Mistress Odera had decided to take the wiser path, at least for T, and go north to Arconaven. From there, shed go to Audel on the coast, then southwest to Surehaven before heading to Clevenhold to meet up with Rane. Their route had two fewer stops, so the two women would have longer hold-overs between trips, but that served Ts purposes just fine.

 She was ready to see more human cities, to experience their variety, and begin truly considering her ce in the world.

 After they met up with Rane, they would backtrack through Surehaven to Audel. Then, all together, theyd go to the new Alefast and then visit the two sites of the cities under construction, working one of the caravans going to each from Alefast.

 Thankfully, the forest to the north didnt contain any leshkin, so it wouldnt be a barrier to Ts ns.

 Still, this is a half-year total trip with fourteen legs for Mistress Odera and me, seventeen for Rane. Theyd even be stopping back through Marliweather as theirst city before returning to Bandfast.

 The only city that Rane wouldnt visit on his grand tour would be Alefast, the Waning one. As hed grown up there, that wasnt much of a negative, at least thats what hed said.

 Mistress Odera cocked her head to one side, and the motion brought T back to the present, once again.

 What is it? T didnt turn around, trusting the woman to hear her voice.

 Somethingodd. Do you feel that? On the wind? I think its been there, building, for a while, but I only just felt it. Mistress Oderas magical senses often manifested in the woman as a feeling, so T immediately focused on her own mage-sight.

 The wagons were entering a small stand of trees, likelying up on their stopping ce for the night. An ambush now would be rather unideal.

 t? Anything?

 -Maybe.- The alternate interface drew Ts attention to what could have been threads of power in the air-currents.

 I think so? It seems like a rxing effect. Something to lull us off our guard?

 It could be. Could be. The older Mage seemed troubled, as was quite reasonable, if T was being honest.

 Theres a bit of serenity, too. A desire foristion?

 That is what I am feeling.

 T flicked through her memory quickly, finding a few arcanous creatures that fit. One jumped to the forefront, however. Bog hag? Maybe more than one?

 Mistress Odera grunted in acknowledgement but didnt reply. T bit her lip, considering.

 I really hope its not bog hags. I didnt think they left the swamps, northeast of Arconaven. Do you think this weather is enough to have drawn them this far south? Around their other studies, T and t had taken a lot of time to thoroughly delve through the bestiaries provided by Grediv that were open to them, along with supplemental works that t pulled from the Archive.

 Theyd researched these beasts, specifically, as they were pernicious, arcanous near-sapients, almost like cyclops, who used magic to strip flesh from their victims, before using the material to patch and cover over their own grotesque forms. They preferred human flesh, but would take what they could get their slick, spiny hands on. To add to the difficulty of dealing with them, the creatures would often, somehow, bend other arcanous creatures to their will.

 No one seemed to know where they came from, and after several extensive campaigns had failed to eradicate them, humanity had moved into a mitigation posture towards the creatures.

 Avoid, kill on sight, and keep the passengers close.

 T nodded. Worth using the standard tactics either way.

 I think so, yes. Mistress Odera seemed more withdrawn than usual, though that might have just been Ts imagining.

 The head driver leaned back, while keeping her eyes forward. Circling the wagons, Mistresses. Its time to stop for the night.

 T nodded. Thank you, Bilsta.

 Their two-wagon caravan pulled in a wide circle before stopping in a stand of trees, a clearing already among the tall trunks ready for them to shelter from the wind. This was one of a dozen pre-prepared ces that Blista could have chosen, so there wasnt really a specific danger of ambush at this location.

 Ill go talk to the guards and connect with the cargo-slot servants. The passengers hadrgely kept themselves confined within the dimensional storage spaces set aside for them this trip. So, she had time.

 T hopped down, her feet sinking slightly into the springy turf, even as the guards were knocking on the cargo-slots to signal that the wagons had stopped for the day.

 On me, when you have a moment. The guards turned her way, their current taskplete.

 The doors swung open almost as one, and T heard cries of glee from inside.

 There was a wave of noise, as dozens of children eximed excitedly before practically boiling out through the open doors, the harried cargo-slot servants and other adults close behind.

 T froze on the spot. Rust. Theyve been staying inside at all the other stops The rain had stopped.

 Stop! T called, but the noise from all the passengers exiting almost as a unit and scattering in all directions overrode her.

 Mistress Oderas eyes snapped open in rm, and she turned, calling to a guard that was passing behind their stopped wagon.

 What followed was near five minutes of panicked wrangling, resulting in the whole group grumpily crowding back around the cargo-wagon, looking up at T, Mistress Odera, and Marnin, whod joined them after the group was gathered.

 T cleared her throat. Weve felt some odd magics in the air, so I want everyone to stay close.

 There was some groaning at that, but not much, thankfully. Everyone knew that caravan trips were dangerous, and that the Mage Protectors were to be respected.

 We know you want to stretch your legs, especially you little ones.

 There was someughter at that.

 But we need you to be safe. Please, keep to groups no smaller than three, and there should be at least one adult in any group. That means two children and one adult at the least.

 Murmurs of assent came back to her. They were reasonable restrictions.

 Mistress Oderas head jerked, then, her eyes widening. Mistress T.

 -T, the magic is gone.-

 T looked around unnecessarily, her perspective already sweeping their surroundings. What changed?

 She felt a fear begin to rise in her throat. Were they about to be attacked? Were they surrounded?

 Marnin, though only a Mage, was battle tested and had clearly noticed their reactions. His mage-sight wasnt always active, nor was it likely sensitive enough to see the magics that had been there, but that hardly mattered.

 The passengers obviously noticed the Mages reactions as well. One called up, even as the group as a whole pressed in closer to the wagon. Is everything alright?

 T looked back down to them. Please do a quick headcount. We might need to retreat into the wagons, quickly, and I dont want anyone being left behind.

 T watched as the servants for each cargo-slot moved through the passengers, counting their charges.

 Several parents called to their children, and that started a cascade of calls back and forth as the smaller passengers moved through the crowds towards their guardians.

 There really is arge number of passengers this trip.

 Thankfully, the noise started to calm down as parents and children found one another amidst the shuffle.

 Then, the reason for the fading magic came, along with a wail from a man near the middle of the crowd. Jon? Jon!! Where is Jon? Where is my son?!

 Another voice also lifted in response, a womans this time. And my Tam. I dont see him! Werent they together?

 A few moments of frantic information collecting revealed that the two children, neither older than ten, had sprinted out of the cargo-slots to y with their peers as soon as wagons had stopped. The two hadnt returned to the wagons with the others when they were called back, though no one had specifically seen them either move off or stay behind.

 T closed her eye taking a fortifying breath. Think, T, think.

 -Well, we know why the magics have stopped.- This meant it was almost definitely a bog hag.

 Hopefully not more.

 -They caught their prey.-

 T shook her head. Theres no way were letting this stand.

 There would be other creatures in-thrall to the arcanous humanoids. Even when they found the children, it was going to be a tough task to free them.

 Her eyes snapped open, the beginnings of a ning together within her mind.

 Terry, I need you. She raised her voice, then. Alright, quiet!

 When the din of fearful conversation calmed down, T continued.

 Heres what were going to do.

MillionNovel

Chapter 200: The Reason