Chapter 221: The House’s Sword_Millennial Mage

Chapter 221: The House’s Sword

 T and Thron shared a brief long look, both seemingly considering the implications of T being able to switch targets on her gravity alterations.

 As they stared at where the stone block had been, Rob made a throat clearing sound. I bet that wouldnt harm me. Lets test.

 Thron closed his eyes and shook his head as T held in augh. In both cases, they did their best to ignore the orb.

 And the existential crisis it invokes

 -Strength, T. Well find a way to help all the founts and vestiges, if and when were able.-

 I know, but its stillodd.

 -Oh, I know. Rob is very much like me, in a way. Im d that youre still around, and that Im not alone with just our soul forpany.-

 ThatT hadnt thought of it that way before, but t was right. I wonder if Rob is based on the person whose gate was stolen to make that vestige?

 -We could ask at some point.-

 When the time is right.

 Finally, the dwarf broke the silence between them. How hard is it to maintain the augmentation?

 T frowned. I dont maintain them, if they have a target. So long as the target and the modified object remain as I conceived of them, it shouldst forever.

 Thron blinked at her a few times. Forever.

 It should, yeah.

 He opened his mouth toment, then closed it, frowning. Finally, he shook his head. I dont want to argue with you. Can you do a working, and we test that theory? Youve said youve never tested how long itsted, right?

 She shrugged. No, Ive never specifically tested it, but I havent needed to. Even so, I dont mind verifying what I know.

 She pulled out two more of the new spheres and began ramping up their gravitational attraction towards each other as two separate workings.

 As she was doing that, Terry appeared on her shoulder. There you are. Ive

 A startled cry rose from Throns pocket. It returns! The deep hunger hase for memake it eat me or leave me alone!

 Thron patted his pocket. None of that. You promised me silence. Ive kept my promise. Have you kept yours?

 There was a pregnant pause. Yes?

 No. No you have not.

 Ill do better! I promise. In fact, Ill startnow!

 Silence fell over them.

 Thron grunted. Fair enough.

 T turned to Terry. The bird was eying the dwarfs pocket, but faced her when she began to speak, Well? Where were you?

 He squawked with several descending notes then headbutted her and curled up.

 Hunting?

 He looked at her with one eye, imperiously.

 Hunting. She grinned. d youre having fun, buddy.

 Thron shook his head. You have emotionally bonded with that creature incredibly quickly. Are you sure you dont have any magics towards that end? Some of the descriptions of your abilities were unhelpfully vague. I have a hard time grasping some of it, even after our recent discussion.

 T shrugged. Nope. Nothing to enhance bonding, emotionally or otherwise.

 Terry had closed his eyes, but he let out a derisive trill.

 Thats rude, Terry.

 He cracked an eye open, giving her an incredulous look.

 Fine. I dont actually know what you said.

 He closed his eye once again, and she would have sworn he wore a smug look.

 Thron huffed augh. You are an odd one.he paused for a moment, then shook his headBoth of you are, now that I consider it.

 As Thron opened his mouth to ask something else, T held up her hand. Eskau Paun is here.

 The obsidian skinned man walked out of the entrance bunker a momentter.

 He wore ck leather pants that somehow looked gray against his skin, and the bloodred of his protian gauntlet looked positively ruby at the end of his left arm.

 As if a veil had been pulled back, memories from Tali came together with what T and t knew about conceptual magic and a realization struck her. Darkness. He wields the concept of darkness.

 -OH! That makes so much sense.-

 T! The mans voice boomed out.

 T froze, her heart rate picking up.

 Thron gave her an odd look.

 What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?

 -Do what Tali would do.-

 T cleared her throat and bowed, not having to fake the flush to her face. Its Tali, Eskau Paun.

 The man stopped a few paces from her. Was it? Are you sure?

 That is my name.

 Not Talb, Talia, or T-b?

 She frowned, genuinely confused. Eskau Paun?

 He waved her off. Forgive an old man his jokes.

 Does he want me tough? She chuckled nervously.

 Thron was regarding her with consideration.

 Thron! Good to see you.

 Its Thorn, Eskau Paun. His words were a telling echo of Ts own.

 Paun cocked an eyebrow. Sticking with that disgrace?

 He was my master, and I owe him much.

 Therger man shrugged. Its your choice, I suppose. But it is time for you to leave.

 Eskau?

 I want a private word with the new Eskau.

 Thron bowed. With all due respect. This is Eskau Talis sanctum, and I am her attendant. I will not depart without her leave.

 The man smiled, his perfectly white teeth somehow looking ck for a moment.

 That makes no sense. Her mind was having trouble grasping the weight of his magical concept as conveyed by her mage-sight when oveying her normal vision.

 The two turned to regard T. She swallowed, then shook her head. Thorn has duties, here. We can walk the sanctum, out of earshot, if privacy is a concern. I will not have him dismissed.

 Paun arched an eyebrow. Well, that is a pleasant surprise.

 Thron bowed to T and to Paun. Eskau. I will attend to my duties.

 The dwarf turned and went into themon building to the north of the dais.

 Paun grinned. Id have killed him if he obeyed my order while in your sanctum.

 Ts eyes widened even as he ced a hand to his ear, as if listening for a reaction from the direction that Thron had gone.

 And he doesnt listen in? You lucked into quite a wonderful servant, Eskau.

 T was feeling decidedly off bnce. Um, yes. I believe that I have.

 He nodded once. Now, send away your pet. We need to talk alone.

 T nced toward Terry, only to find the terror bird already rolling backwards off her shoulder. Hended deftly on the ground and sauntered off after Thron.

 Paun didntment on the fact that Terry had clearly understood him. Now, we need to discuss your duties, going forward

 That brought her focus back and gave her something to ground her swirling thoughts on. Yeah I was wondering about those.

 -They are pretty critical, as we are counting on them to safeguard us, if Be-thric ever discovers Talis removal.-

 Oh?

 I have been carrying your share of our duties while your initial upgrades werepleted. I dont know if you remember my checking on you while you were gate-breaking?

 She thought back. Vaguely? I apologize, but nothing outside of myself and what I was going through really seemed important at the time.

 He grunted. Thats fair. You did seem to beotherwise upied. Even so, the city is requiring more of the House of Blood, given we have two Pirs, now. That has prestige and benefits, but alsoes with more responsibilities. I am more than capable of doing the work of two Eskau."

 He grinned, straightening his stance.

 But I wont. There is much that I enjoy doing and the additional tasks areboring.

 Well, thats one way to shift responsibilities back to me. Even so, I dont actually know what Im supposed to be doing She smiled, waiting for him to continue.

 You have no idea what the duties are.

 She hesitated, not wanting to show her ignorance, then shook her head. Tali doesnt know either. Not at all.

 Paun sighed. As I suspected. You were raised in a little vige on the outskirts, and when your Pir brought you here, he was focused on training you to win, not for what came after.

 The obsidian man shook his head.

 I suppose I am to me as well. We never discussed your impending duties when we sparred.

 T hesitantly nodded. I am grateful for the focus on my survival. It seems to have yielded the best result possible.

 Heughed, the sound deep and full, like the rumbling of the earth beneath their feet.

 T waited for him to finish, feeling awkward once again.

 His mirth cut off abruptly. As I was saying, your duties. You should know that an Eskau is the Houses Sword.

 That is my understanding, yes.

 He gave a look that said: Dont interrupt.

 She closed her mouth and looked down at her hands.

 His utterly ck eyes seemed to fade into endless voids, momentarily highlighting just how inhuman he was.

 Hes not just a man with different colored features. He is an arcane, through and through.

 T kept herself from stepping back, but just barely.

 If he noticed, he didntment. He simply continued, As one of the Houses Swords, you must contribute to the city. Those contributions fall into five categories. Now, be aware, this is in addition to the duties you have to the House itself, which you have also been neglecting due to your ignorance.

 He waited for her to silently nod in acknowledgment.

 First, if the city is attacked as a whole, in any manner, we are expected to muster and fight beside the other warriors in defense of the city. This effectively never happens. Magical beasts asionally attack, but for the threat to be great enough to muster the Eskau He shook his head. Eskau of this city have only been called on to fulfill this duty three times during Revered Sanguiss reign as Pir of the House of Blood.

 Three times, in how many thousands of years? So, incredibly rare.

 Precisely. The Eskau nced to her hand. Are you almost done with that? I grow tired of standing in one ce.

 She looked down at the tungsten in her hands. That is probably good, yeah.

 -Ill note the level of amplification forterparison.-

 Thank you, t.

 I am. Yes. She sat the pair on the dais and made sure to hold in her mind that she didnt want them moved. Kit shouldnt interfere. There we go.

 Paun looked around. Show me your sanctum while I instruct you, child. I am always interested in the nuances the builder include for new Eskau, and I want to see what was made of my gift.

 Right, he donated this to Be-thric and me.

 Certainly, and thank you again. T had no interest in arguing with the man. He could just ask Be-thric or Sanguis for the ns anyways.

 He grunted and began walking.

 As T and Paun moved down some of the side paths, by nts that were already growing at a prodigious rate, Paun delved back into the topic at hand. The second duty that we Eskau perform for the city is a moremon one. We are in rotation to officiate high profile duels. Specifically, where thebatants are Elder or above. The City Lord ensures that the Eskau called upon is neutral to the topic under dispute, and then leaves it in their hands.

 That made sense. Eskau were martial in nature, and so using them to oversee duels that could easily get out of hand made a good deal of sense.

 Im not exactly suited to it, though.

 Im not sure how good Id be at that, honestly. Im a fair hand at killing my enemies, but protecting observers or stopping the contestants non-lethally?

 T shook her head.

 -You know, weve had this issue before. We really arent very good at defending others directly.-

 Best defense is a good offense?

 -Only if you can shock and awe every enemy on the field simultaneously.-

 Something to aspire to, I suppose.

 Paun shook his head. No, no. You misunderstand, child.

 Tali. Well, T.

 He snorted. Fine, Tali.

 Thank you.

 He waved her off, continuing as if she hadnt interrupted. The duty is mainly in an officiation capacity. The arenas have magics imbued in them that provide for the defense of the onlookers, and even some means of inhibiting thebatants, but you must be there to activate them at the appropriate times and mediate both before and after. You are the force that enforces the oue, even if those with a stake in it dont like the results. There is still bribery and attempts to influence the oue, but that is to be expected.

 T felt a tickling from the part of her mind which housed Tali.

 Whenever she was interacting with someone familiar with Tali, T kept part of her thoughts looking for what the other her would do.

 Thus, she knew what she needed to say, I can understand that. If the champion of my cause lost, but I thought that I could still kill the opponent and take what I want, I might be tempted.

 Precisely. If it is over the fate of a person or item, the Eskau will hold onto it during the sh. Beyond that, it should be fairly self-exnatory. I will apany you to the first duel that you officiate and exin how to activate the workings, as well as anything else that seems necessary.

 Noted.

 Third. One day per month, you will attend the City Lord as one of his guards. This duty is waved if you are traveling for House business. This duty is a show of force and unity, and your shifts of that work will be more often than standard to start, because you are new Eskau, and the City Lord always wishes to get to know the new Eskau in his city. If your Pir is ever moved to another city, you should expect increased shifts for the same purpose, there.

 T tilted her head. I can see the logic on one side, but wouldnt that be a terrible idea if there was any chance of dissension?

 Paun quirked a dark smile. Oh? Do you believe you could truly threaten a half-Hallowed?

 Half-HallowedThats above Reforged, well on the way from blue to Indigo. Her eyes widened. Then, she shook her head. I hadnt really thought about it, but with Revered Sanguis being a Pir of the House of Blood, the City Lord would have to be stronger.

 The obsidian warrior shrugged. In that regard, it depends on the individual. I once saw an Elder absolutely eviscerate a Revered in a conflict, but generally, youre right. Universally, City Lords are monsters in battle. That is no exaggeration. About a millennia back every major House in a city united and rose up against the local Lord due to somew or other. She wiped them all out. The City Lords are old guard, every one of them. Most apprenticed under Sovereigns before they achieved that rank, some continued to learn from them even after.

 What is it like? What sort of things will be expected of me?

 Paun shrugged. Youll have to learn that for yourself. I am forbidden this duty.

 Ts eyes went wide, and she swallowed involuntarily.

 He grinned. Not every member of the old guard is a City Lord, little Eskau.

 I She swallowed again. What is he?

 -Someone we dont want to crossever.-

 And someone likely to be sent after us, if we simply try to run.

 He regarded her for a long moment. Our association to the same House will not be a shield for you. Dont cross City Lords. I wont interfere.

 Her voice was small as she replied, Noted. And I wont, if I can help it.

 -Worse case? Make them hit you so you travel a long way from the bacsh.-

 Solid n. Lets never use it.

 tughed in her head, and there was only the smallest bit of mania in the mental sound.

 Eskau Paun?

 Tali?

 Why do you serve Sanguis?

 He cocked his head to the side, regarding her. Do you seek to master all you might be able to y in battle?

 No

 Can you urately assess my abilities, and that of Revered Sanguis?

 No.

 Then do not ask foolish questions. He shook his head and continued walking. The fourth duty expected of Eskau within a city is again fulfilled on a rotation, Eskau are sent after suspected dens of magical creatures in the surrounding countryside. The man had a hard look in his eyes.

 Why would...? Oh.

 -Yeah, a magical creature would be using up power that the arcanes want. Magical creatures are the natural means of cleaning up leaks through the barrier between worlds, and so they need to be suppressed, otherwise this will be a non-magical world, given enough time.-

 And if all the gated humans are killed.

 -That too, assuming the founts cant be coaxed intosting forever. We really have no idea if they ever end for any reason except poor management during a gate-breaking attempt.-

 Finally, once again on rotation, we are asked to deal with untamed holds.

 T perked up at that. Untamed holds?

 Yes. When a hold is no longer under the control of free-willed beings of flesh and blood, it must be destroyed or recovered. Such loss of control can happen if the owners are too exuberant in their defensive measures, but those are generally not too difficult to recover, especially because the owners usually have a way of bypassing many of the defenses. Those are boring. He gave her a meaningful look.

 Meaning I will be handling those, if they are assigned to our House.

 Well reasoned. Slightly harder for most Eskau are those that need to be dealt with when a house falls and no one is left who can work around the defenses to enter the hold. Those must be breached in truth. The look on his face spoke of amusement.

 So, he likes that part of the job.

 Wouldnt that be the same as assaulting an enemy hold, but easier, because there wouldnt be defenders?

 He shrugged nomittally. I suppose it can be, but usually, there are stronger countermeasures put in ce for when thest defender falls, or if the hold has to be abandoned for a time. Most want their holds to be held invite until it can be recovered. Those defenses can be undone if a scion of the house returns, but if not? He shrugged. It bes a deathtrap for most.

 I suppose I can see that. And the city doesnt want a deathtrap simply sitting there, taking up space. She felt herself rxing around him once again. The man was an oddbination of geniality and certain death.

 Precisely.

 That doesnt sound too bad.

 -Oh, yes. Its not too bad to wander through a ce designed to kill off hostile arcanes by the hundred. We should be fine.-

 T ignored her.

 Paun shrugged. True enough. It can be fun, but its rarely that difficult. Now, the final kind is where things can get tricky. It is also where the real fun is had.

 Oh?

 Untamed ether holds.

 T frowned. What?

 Come now, Tali. You have to have heard stories, even in an outlying vige.

 T checked Talis memories, and no. There was no mention of Ether Holds. She frowned. Maybe Do you mean false holds?

 Ahh, yes. Thats what they are often called in folktales. The more widely used name for a false hold is an ether hold. What do you know of them?

 She considered. I dont know much, honestly. Ive heard stories about monsters under your bed, make sure your closet door looks right before you open it. That sort of thing.

 Paunughed. Well, thats not wrong, but that doesnt really happen very often, not any more.

 That is in no wayforting. Please exin.

 He nced her way, then huffed augh. Fine. Basically, sometimes something attaches itself to our world from the ether. Some theorize they are ancient holds that were unmoored from reality and have only now found their way back. Others believe that ether holds are creatures in their own right, powerful beings seeking to grow stronger. Some have imed deep knowledge and tried to dub ether holds Daughters of the Consumer. But most consider that ther.

 He bent to examine a nt for a moment before continuing.

 Regardless, ether holds are simply holds that we did not craft appearing in ces we did not ce them. They can be as simple and wonderful as a forest de where a fairy lord will grant you one wish before returning you to our world. In those cases, that hold then vanishes. Such things are so rare as to be widely assumed as a myth.

 Are they, though?

 The very idea is boring. Literal fairytales formoners. An attempt to imagine some good to outweigh the bad that such things normally bring.

 And whats that?

 Horrors. The worst ether holds spill creatures out that snatch the helpless and drag them back to beused. He seemed to be watching her closely. Others are simply evil ces, filled with malicious magic and death.

 So why not get rid of them from the outside?

 That would be ideal for most, though again that is the boring path to take. Blessedly, ether holds tend to have more secure anchors than created holds. No one wants a breach in reality within a city, that would be worse than any ether hold. So, we go in and destroy the core, often finding fascinating magics along the way, facing and ying unique creatures of power. The Eskau who destroys the core is then ejected back into reality where they entered the ether hold, and the ether hold vanishes. Unfortunately, it is a one time source of entertainment.

 Thatwas a lot to take in. Thats a lot to take in.

 -Why havent we heard about these things before? Do they not appear in humannds?-

 Any idea what causes them to appear?

 Its theorized that they are drawn to the power in the air. Thats one reason why our cities have their ambient power as low as we do. Its also why the ascension rooms, which help us achieve higher magic density, are so small. Less area for ether holds to grab onto.

 That sounds rather terrible.

 Paun grimaced. That is a <emmon view. The way he saidmon made it clear what he thought of the way of thinking.

 T felt some of his geniality slip away.

 While at a societal level, it is one of the little evils that must be handled. We should know better. It is a training ground, proving ground, and ce to harvest unique experiences and magics.

 He waved one hand absently.

 Themon popce knows some small amount about ether holds through tales and stories, but the reality is hidden for themoners sanity.

 I have to agree. I cant imagine the average person beingfortable with the idea of a doorway to some sort of evil mini-world popping into being under their bed.

 He snorted. Children wouldnt be, no. I would wee the fight, personally. I hope you would as well.

 T suppressed a shudder, turning away. I assume youre telling me this now, because one of these duties will be required of me, soon. Is that correct?

 He smiled. Quite correct. You have a hold to tame, and I am not willing to cover for you this time.

 T stopped. I dont suppose its a nice, simple kind?

 No. An ether hold was found in a nook of the town square. We have until tomorrow morning to send in an Eskau.

 An ether hold? Dont you want to handle it?

 And deprive you of a learning experience? There was a dark glint in his eyes.

 Whats wrong with this one. It wasnt a question so much as an usation.

 He grinned. If the entrance is any indication, it will be a ce of rot and filth. Some of those areentertaining, but it is too good an opportunity for you to learn. I will, regrettably, have to wait until the next one to have my fun.

 T glowered, unable to think of anything to say in response.

MillionNovel

Chapter 221: The House’s Sword