《The World Sphere》
Chapters 1 to 3
Chapter 1: The Failed Human Resources Liaison (Prologue)
The sun¡¯s glare made the day¡¯s heat much more intense. As I walked along the mountain ridge, sweat beaded on my brow and stung my eyes. I was out for a ten-day hike, a 100-mile trek through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It was a reprieve from my endless hours working as a vagabond sous-chef. The terrain was very manageable, and the trail was well-marked. That was why I was shocked when the entire trail gave way beneath me, and I slid down the mountain in a rockslide. Fortunately, the pain didn¡¯t last long as large boulders quickly crushed me to death.
I was now in a minimalist beige room with no doors or windows, basically a box. A large onyx desk with multiple screens facing away from me dominated the desktop. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged Asian man in a fashionable dark blue suit with a gray tie.
He presented himself as the Next Life Specialist for my reincarnation. He explained I had accumulated enough positive karma that I would be able to have some input in my reincarnation. My emotions were flat, but I was still stunned. My agent seemed extremely bored with the process and kept glancing at the screen on the left like he was checking emails, watching a video, or something else that kept distracting him.
He explained I could go to another universe in his sphere of influence or stay in this one. After my shock subsided, I inquired about a universe with magic. He tapped away and then replied that there were two options with high aetheric content; that was what magic was evidently called: aether. I was immediately all in. He began tapping away and asked if I wanted to remain human, to which I replied in the affirmative. I didn¡¯t want to be an animal, or maybe he was referring to elves, dwarves, and such? He was already past the screen and ignored my question when I inquired about my other choices.
With a few more taps on the keyboard, he checked his screen on the left again. Then, before we could continue, he swore and slammed his fist down on the table, rattling the screens and desk. The box room echoed from the strike. He quickly stood up and walked through the wall to his left.
I sat there puzzled and then walked cautiously around the desk. The screen had an open email saying the man had been fired, indicating that this was his last shift. The language was not English, but I could still read it without difficulty. I muttered to myself that I thought he left a little early as I was still in limbo for my reincarnation. I looked at the other screens with my information and was surprised I could also read it. The language was definitely not English. Was there some universal comprehension in this room? I felt my emotional state had been greatly muted as well, and I had no anxiety about my death or reincarnation.
I walked to the wall where the man had disappeared and found it solid after running my hands along it. Other than being slightly warm, I didn¡¯t find any access. After a few minutes, I got bolder and took his chair to examine the screens in detail. I began delving into my file displayed on the monitor. It took a few minutes to figure out the navigation, but it was all very intuitive.
My reincarnation status was clearly displayed before me, indicating that my race was human. As I explored the interface, I realized I had the ability to edit my physical appearance on the screen. It seemed harmless to tweak a few details while I awaited a new agent, right?
With a sense of purpose, I began crafting my new body. I envisioned a tall physique, solid and muscular like that of a linebacker, exuding strength and vitality. My new body boasted striking green eyes, standing out against a backdrop of deep, jet-black silky hair. The image reflected a version of myself that I remembered well, yet it was undeniably more athletic, embodying an idealized form that transcended my previous appearance of light brown eyes and a less defined build.
I slid the aging ¡®expectation¡¯ to the max for a human, giving me about 150 years of prospective life, according to the translator. Then, I got to the interesting parts with abilities, traits, and affinities for skills. The screen read like a game to me.
There were seven tiers of power of for abilities, with tier one being the lowest. If I selected random, I would be assigned two to eight points worth of abilities based on my karmic accumulator. The random generator clearly showed my chance of getting each value when I hovered over it.
|
70%
|
2 points
|
|
25%
|
3 points
|
|
4%
|
4 points
|
|
0.9%
|
5 points
|
|
0.09%
|
6 points
|
|
0.009%
|
7 points
|
|
0.001%
|
8 points
|
With these points, you could purchase abilities. The cost for the abilities was reflective of the tier.
|
Tier
|
Point Cost
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
2
|
2
|
|
3
|
3
|
|
4
|
5
|
|
5
|
7
|
|
6
|
11
|
|
7
|
13
|
I looked at the random generator for points and tried to enter a larger number in the output manually.
After some attempts, I found the largest number accepted was 23. That was much better than my chance of getting eight points, so I entered 23 and was prompted to confirm entry¡ªyes. Next, I found I could select my abilities rather than use the random generator.
I was getting worried someone would show up soon, so I selected things that popped out to me from the massive lists. I didn¡¯t delve too much into the full descriptions as I felt time-constrained. I was doing something I should not be doing and figured someone would come by and change my work anyway. My selections...
13 points, Tier 7¡create metal using aether
5 points, Tier 4¡major aether core
5 points, Tier 4¡metal shaping
Having finalized my selections, I felt a surge of confidence; I was now convinced that I could conjure silver and gold from aether like a genie. While some might consider it a questionable path, I had no desire to don the mantle of a hero, slaying fearsome monsters or rescuing fair maidens. Instead, my dreams were painted with visions of immense wealth.
The next screen was for traits, similar to abilities but apparently non-magical in nature. It seemed the number of points was typically between two and seven for a human, but I could not enter anything manually, and the value was set at zero. After a quick search, I found I maybe had maxed out my possible points on magical abilities, or maybe it was because I was human, the text was confusing legal jargon about equity and I didn¡¯t have time to delve further. There was no override, at least none that I could find. I skipped to the next screen.
The last selection section was for skill affinities. It gave bonuses related to learning and using skills based on knowledge. There was a very long list of skills, and I skimmed them. I found 23 schools of magic on the list, which drew my attention immediately. Skill affinities ranged from 1 to 7. At tier 1 affinity, there was a 25% increase in the learning speed of a related skill. It doubled at tier 2 to 50%, at tier 3, it was 100% improvement, and at tier 4, it was 200%. Tier 5 was 250% but also gave a 25% increase in the effectiveness of the skill as well. Tier 6 was 300% to learning speed and 50% to skill effectiveness. Tier 7 was 300% and 100% more effective. Once again, I was locked out of editing the available points, but my default was 5 points based on my karmic accumulator. If I selected randomize, it would be 0 to 0, so I stuck with the 5 points. The costs mirrored the costs I noted for abilities.
I decided to choose the following skill affinity, using all my points:
5 points, tier 4, healing magic skill
I felt great about my decision in terms of setting myself up for a great, easy life. Learning healing magic three times faster than normal should be a good backup plan if my fantasies of swimming in a vault of gold coins failed. I also figured healing magic could help me extend my life span.
The screen progressed to the next phase of my reincarnation. I was now looking at the default world in the universe where I would be reincarnated. On the display was not a planet but, in fact, a Dyson sphere. The world¡¯s magic stabilized the titanic shell and gave billions of square miles on the inner Sphere to live on.
The shell was thousands of miles thick with its own ecosystem as well, and if I understood everything properly, the shell hosted millions of dungeons within the magic aether ley lines, which were essentially the skeleton of the Dyson sphere. The outer surface of the shell, or Dark World, had its own civilizations, and it appeared some of them were space-faring.
Crap, the magnitude of everything. I was not so sure anymore. Hundreds of billions, probably trillions of people, species, monsters, and threats, quickly passed in front of me as I promptly paged through a wiki. I thought to go back and change my race but feared I wouldn¡¯t have enough time to redo everything.
I quickly refined my search, seeking specific information. Technology did not work well on the inside of the Sphere¡well it needed specialized magi-tech to balance the technology in the aether-rich environment. I was uncertain how much time I had left, and the butterflies in my stomach were growing. Did I have some sixth sense? I risked having my selections reset if someone showed up to replace my liaison.
I tried to get as much information as possible. The Dyson sphere was called a World Sphere, or Sphere for short, by the inhabitants. These spheres were the origins of all magic in the universe, generating aether. The further from a World Sphere, the less dense the ambient aether was in the universe.
Taking aether from the World Spheres as aether crystals into the rest of the universe was a massive industry. Aether crystals could hold aether, like magic batteries. The easiest way to mine the crystals was through dungeons. Dungeon entrances were located across the Sphere, and adventurers were portaled to secure dungeon instances embedded inside the massive ley lines running through the shell. It all sounded like a complex video game.
The brightness of the room started dimming. Was my liaison¡¯s shift over? Was someone coming? Were they coming for me? My mind was racing with numerous possibilities as the lights faded. I didn¡¯t want to push my luck anymore even though I wanted to learn more. The monitors were fading slowly¡ªlike they were powering down.
I went quickly to the screen, which indicated where I would spawn in the Sphere. As I liked sunlight, I needed a stable civilization on the Sphere¡¯s inner surface. I promptly filtered the search criteria and found a place called Skyholme.
According to the brief notes, these humans lived on massive floating islands for almost 2,300 years. Without reading further, I selected the location and hit the complete button, finishing my reincarnation. A few errors popped up, but I dismissed them because the text on the screen was so dark I couldn¡¯t read it anyway. My body slowly faded with my consciousness.
I awoke and found my mind and vision fuzzy. It took me a while to figure out I was a baby in a womb. I guessed I made a slight error as I had thought I would be reincarnated as a full-grown man, but this might be better as I could learn the idiosyncrasies of this fantastical new world as I grew up.
Chapter 2: Growing up in Skyholme
After I was born, I was frustrated. My thoughts were slow and cloudy, and my past knowledge was hard to grasp and form coherent thoughts. It was like remembering the plot of a book you read years ago but did not like very much. I also had to work hard at acting as baby-like as possible. Let me say I was not a fan of soiling my diaper and crying when I was hungry.
When my eyes developed enough, I was able to see my family. My father, Caleb, was a solid man of above-average height and musculature, and I figured out he was a town or city guard by his dark gray uniform. He wore his black hair in a short ponytail, and his blue eyes seemed hard to me. I did not see the lively, loving nature I saw in my mother¡¯s eyes.
My mother, Alurha, looked average but had amazing blue-green eyes that sparkled. Her dark blonde hair was worn as a long braid, and her brilliant white smile was always there when she looked at me. She worked as a leather engraver, specializing in cutting images into leather pieces. I also had an older brother, Pascal, who was about three years my senior.
I quickly grasped the language as my older brother was building his vocabulary. I listened to his inquiries with intensity. I grew up soaking in everything I could. I quickly gained movement, crawling, then walking. I learned to speak early. I started talking around six months, and by six years old, I had a good handle on my new existence, and everyone commented what a bright boy I was.
I was named Storme. I was born during a lightning storm while a flight of lightning drakes attacked the island. I heard the story of my birth every time my mother introduced me. I learned many things in my early years. Skyholme was comprised mainly of eight large floating islands. The largest was the Capital Island, where most of the wealthy and ruling families lived. The other seven islands each had their regional specialty as well.
Our island, Titan¡¯s Shield, trained soldiers, supplied armor and arms, and had a minor agricultural development focused on grains that produced bread and beer. Large, magnificent airships and skyships transported people and goods between the islands.
Our small town was named Hen¡¯s Hollow. It was about three miles outside one of the cities and had a single skyship dock where my father worked. My father was a guard for skyship transports but usually spent his day at our platform dock checking passengers and goods¡ªnot that we saw many skyships.
The history of the Skyholme empire was mostly told through stories. About 3000 years ago, the floating islands were once a single large island ruled by an arrogant avian race called the Haikarum. The large island moved in a massive circular orbit over the lowlands, tracing a prominent aether ley line buried deep within the Sphere. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
An archmage from the Haikarum tried to draw the power of the ley line into the island, which caused the catastrophic shattering of the massive island. The remains of the Haikarum civilization were rocked into disarray, and a group of adventuring humans in an old airship conquered the islands. They killed the Haikarum without mercy. Of course, the songs we sang about their deeds made their genocide sound heroic.
The various islands still follow the same path today, but no magic could pull them back together. They were locked in their new orbits. The conquering adventurers soon started a settlement that grew into the nation of Skyholme over a few hundred years. Nowadays, Skyholme controls the eight largest islands and a few smaller, fractured ones.
The Triumvirate, the heads of the three prominent noble families, ruled Skyholme. Each family had dozens of members, but a maximum of 23 was recognized in each actual line of succession. Based on the adults¡¯ conversations in my presence, the internal politics were supposedly brutal.
Each family of the Triumvirate was in charge of one aspect of life in Skyholme: commerce, military, and citizenship. The commerce faction was involved in all aspects of harvesting, dungeon delving, manufacturing, and trade. But it was the citizenship faction that had the true power. They controlled the people through laws, education, and immigration. The military faction was focused on training the city guard, navy, and battle mages. They were responsible for raiding the lowlands, defending, and guarding Skyholme.
Even though the Skyholme Empire was apparently human-centric, they still had an interesting military unit that was surrounded by mystique. They were a wolfkin half-breed that looked more human than wolfkin.
The academies were where every child went in their 17th year. You first completed a local one-year Academy and then entered a four or seven-year specialized Academy. You could also forgo entering the Academy and enter an apprenticeship with a master in a trade, as my mother had done. After you complete your academy training, you would have completed various internships and gotten an education to contribute to society.
I began playing regularly with children in my neighborhood at the age of six. My best friend lived two houses down and was named Gareth. He was a few months younger than me but looked two years older. It was easy to tell he would be a huge man. I took advantage of my time with Gareth, forging a lifelong friendship.
Gareth and I delivered food, messages, and items in town to earn a few coins. We made good money for kids and quickly became known in town for our speed and reliability. I also learned the currency. Steel, copper, silver, gold, platinum, mithril, and adamantine coins existed. Each coin was the size of a penny, and 10 steel equaled 1 copper, 100 copper to 1 silver, 100 silver to 1 gold, 100 gold to 1 platinum, 100 platinum to 1 mithril, and 10 mithril to 1 adamantine.
Copper, silver, gold, and platinum also had a large ten-piece coin. A ten-piece was also called a ¡®large coin¡¯ for short. Also, steel was only used in small towns outside cities. No one in the city accepted them.
For our delivery work, we started making 4 to 5 steel coins per delivery and, on good days, could pull in a few coppers each. When Gareth and I reached our 10th birthday, we had more freedom, and we sometimes even had a delivery to the city, which was just a thirty-minute walk away. We earned a few coppers for the extra effort on those treks.
We usually would spend half our income on food and drink to replenish our energy. Our one luxury item was a pair of fishing poles. The wide stream that was outside of town had a fair number of small fish, and on a good afternoon, we could catch enough for our family with extra to sell at the local pub in Hen¡¯s Hollow.
Gareth became a loyal companion, following my lead. We spent our mornings studying with a few local kids under Gareth¡¯s mother¡¯s care, who was a scribe. We learned letters and numbers to help prepare us for entering the Academy. Then, we spent most of our day running errands.
It was a happy time for me, a second childhood¡ªnot that I could recall much of my first. My older brother had his own crew, and they played at being soldiers, getting ready for the Academy. I also had a younger sister now, Freya. She was five years my junior and tried to tag along with Gareth and me. We allowed her to follow along on our deliveries and adventures as long as we were not going to the city.
The Sphere was very different from what I remembered about Earth. The first odd thing was the day-night cycle. Every day was identical; days, as close as I could tell, were just over 24 hours long. We had 13 hours of daylight, 9 hours of twilight split between morning and dusk, and two hours of semi-darkness. The central sun had some dark zones, accounting for the lighting changes based on its rotation.
There were also 23 planets that rotated around the sun within the Sphere. When a planet eclipsed the sun, it usually marked a special event. There were 12 months, each with 30 days and a five-day holiday ¡®week¡¯ not included in the months to celebrate the past year and the coming year. So, one year in the Sphere was slightly longer than a year on Earth.
Another thing about the World Sphere was the sky itself. It looked like a pastel painting of greens, blues, whites, browns, and yellows. It was definitely pretty amazing to gaze on, and I never got sick of looking at it, wondering about all the civilizations, dungeons and happenings in that marvelous prismatic sky stretching infinitely.
The only respite I had from my childhood was the city¡¯s bookstore. Every sixth or seventh day, I would make it to the city on delivery with Gareth and borrow a book on magic theory for a week for a few hard-earned coppers. Developing a trusting relationship with the bookstore owner, Wigand, took me a while.
Without access to aether, I just read the theory and tried to puzzle out basic spell forms. Magic itself was fairly rare. Only one in nine people had enough aptitude and a large enough aether core to imprint and cast spells. I knew I would have a large aether reservoir in the future, so I was not wasting my time. Magic-like abilities were much more common.
In my readings, I found abilities were documented up to tier 3. Tier 4 abilities were considered rare, and tier 5 was considered a generational talent in Skyholme. Well, tier 6 had no recorded instances in the Skyholme Empire that I could find. Personally, I planned to keep all my abilities secret.
One problem I faced was that spell books were very expensive, and I had my sights set on three tier 1 spells after I awakened my aether core.
Cleanliness, remove all dirt from clothes, skin, and hair
Mend Flesh, repair damaged tissue
Obfuscate Abilities, shield abilities from inspection abilities and spells
The first spell, cleanliness, was cheap at seven gold and was considered a tier 1 spell, but it was extremely complicated. It was a channeled spell, meaning the amount of dirt removed and cleaning determined the total aether cost.
The second spell, mend flesh, was also a tier 1, but the spell book was an astonishing 30 gold. I only found references to the final spell, obfuscate abilities, in my readings, and I figured I would have to obtain it on the capital island. It was a passive spell that required a constant minor expense of aether. There was no cost listed for the spell, but I guessed it would be over 100 gold. I assumed this was because of Triumvirate control rather than the spell being rare.
A few days after my 15th birthday, my aether core manifested, arriving slightly later than it typically does for most. It coincided with the conclusion of a growth spurt. I awoke in a haze, drenched in sweat and trembling with fever. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I doubled over, emptying my stomach of its contents, which felt like the remnants of a whole week¡¯s worth of meals.
I longed to keep this transformation a secret, so I isolated myself in my cramped room, enduring the ordeal alone for hours. Inside me, the core pulsed quietly, and as my body adjusted, I began to perceive it like a second heart. Instead of pumping blood, it circulated aether¡ªthe very essence of magic. With this awakening, I felt as though I was on the brink of unlocking incredible powers.
Chapter 3: Abilities and Secrets
I was excited to try out magic for the first time. In the morning, I raced out of the house to the only public bathhouse in Hen¡¯s Hollow. I paid the old woman, who was the attendant and owner, three copper coins. This got me a hot bath, a cold shower rinse, and my clothes were washed with scented soap. It was a splurge on my part, but I knew that creating unlimited wealth was in my future. Typically, our family would spend two coppers for just a cold shower for all five of us once or twice a week.
I was the only person in the bathhouse this early, as most people showered in the evening before bed. I soaked in the large heated copper-lined tub as I tried to draw my aether to form copper. My aether core was still a bit tender, like constant heartburn. From my readings, I knew it would take many years to form completely and for the pain to subside. I think my pain was more intense than the books suggested. Or maybe I was just a wimp. I decided it would be worth it in the end. After all¡ªI would have magic.
I eventually gave up trying to make a copper coin and scrubbed myself in the tub with a grainy soap and a soft bristle brush and asked the woman. ¡°Edel, how long have you lived in Hen¡¯s Hollow?¡± She stopped scrubbing my clothes to answer.
¡°Storme, I grew up in Haven¡¯s Fjord but moved here with my husband some 30 years ago.¡± She paused, ¡°If you have time later today, could you and Gareth make a run to the soaper in the city for me? I will give each of you a free cube and eight steel each.¡± She waited patiently for my reply. We had made runs to the city for her before and usually received about that amount, and we got a free cold rinse shower for our effort. I thought since I was going to the city later today, I should try to line up some other jobs and bring Gareth.
¡°Sounds good. How many blocks?¡± I replied, distracted by my thoughts.
Edel replied with a sly smile, ¡°Eight blocks, two hard soap, and six scented soap.¡± Damn, that was twice the normal haul. Each block weighed about five pounds and was cut into 64 cubes. Typically, I would have negotiated for more money before agreeing, but the idea of developing my magic clouded my mind.
I exited the tub and headed to the shower stalls for my rinse. There wasn¡¯t a huge taboo on nudity, so I wasn¡¯t surprised when Edel stood and walked around the screen to hand me a towel since there were none on the shelf this early. She returned to cleaning my clothes, smiling. My last growth spurt had me nearing six feet. If my foggy memory was correct, I would reach 6¡¯3¡± when I finished growing.
I took my cold rinse in the shower and went to get my clothes from Edel. Edel had an ability that allowed her to evaporate water quickly. It gave her a career drying plants for the herbalist and drying laundry in the bathhouse. Not a world-breaking skill, but she did well; her husband was a wood carver, but I rarely saw him around Hen¡¯s Hollow.
¡°Storme, my lovely niece in the city, is turning 16 in two weeks. Would you be available to escort her to her coming-of-age party?¡± She asked sweetly.
I felt my face flush reflexively, and I responded quickly, ¡°Miss Edel, I must apologize, but I believe I will be engaged in other activities.¡± I rapidly took my clothes from her, dressed quickly, and left. I had too many things on my mind to be escorting a young woman to her coming-of-age party.
I went to the town commons, where there was a large water fountain with a lion, and sat on a stone bench. This square was where most town celebrations were held and it was currently empty. It was still early in the morning, and I sat and thought.
My first thought was how good my clothes smelled. Edel had used the vanilla soap on them as she must have remembered it was my favorite scent. Focus Storme. I needed to master my metal creation ability. I needed to purchase some spells. And lastly, I should go to the apothecary to see if they had something for my aether core heartburn. Or maybe not the last, as it would reveal I had awakened.
I pulled out a copper coin and tried to mentally duplicate it. No luck, but my metal-shaping ability cut the coin in half when I applied my will, creating two sharp-edged half coins. Well, I guess that counted as my first use of magic. Ok, maybe I should try without a coin in my hand. I focused on the idea of copper, its color, smell, and taste. I got a brief sense of vertigo and felt a lightweight enter my palm. I looked at a lump of copper metal in my hand.
Success? I turned the shiny orange-red lump in my hand¡maybe an ounce? Now, I needed to make it into coins. I looked and didn¡¯t see anyone nearby. I took a newer copper coin out of my pouch and studied it. One side had a triangle with images at each corner, a sword and shield, scales, and two men holding hands. The opposite side had the silhouette of the Skyholme palace, Skyhold, where the Triumvirate resided, and it had the date the coin was minted below.
I studied the coin for twenty minutes before forcing my will and attention on the copper lump I had created. The lump flowed like water into ten identical coins in just a few seconds to match my mental image. I breathed heavily in excitement and a tiny bit of mental fatigue.
I was startled when the baker passed me with a sack of bread meant for the pub. I was sure he hadn¡¯t seen my efforts, but I scolded myself for doing this in the open like an idiot, even though I hadn¡¯t expected success so soon. My excitement was overcoming my common sense. My stomach was also roiling with hunger, so I followed the baker and the scent of fresh bread to the pub.
The pub had a few customers already. They usually served a worker¡¯s breakfast of heavy white gravy with bread, a small bowl of boiled oats with heavy cream, and a weak ale for a copper coin in the morning. I ordered two servings and used two of my new copper coins to pay. The gravy didn¡¯t agree with me, but the two bowls of oats and cream filled me. I didn¡¯t like the weak ale either, as it tasted slightly sour. I left the pub to head to Gareth¡¯s house.
This morning, I was to attend lessons with Gareth and six other children from our town, including my sister Freya. As I made my way to his house, I spotted Gareth outside, chopping firewood. Despite being younger than me, Gareth towered over me by four inches, his broad shoulders giving him a robust appearance. Gareth devoured three times what other kids ate, fueling his body, which was quickly transforming into a strong, muscular frame. In stark contrast, I looked down at my own lean physique, feeling a pang of envy at the sight of his growing muscles.
¡°Stormy!¡± He called when he noticed me walking toward him. Yeah, I hated that nickname. My mother had added the ¡®e¡¯ to my name to make it unique, and when Gareth and I were first learning letters, he pronounced the ¡®e.¡¯ He knew I didn¡¯t like being called Stormy, but he continued to do so. However, if another kid called me Stormy, he made them stop by word, threat, or force. ¡°Ready for numbers and transcription this morning?¡± he asked when I was within easy talking distance.
I was good at numbers. It was mostly basic arithmetic with some light word problems thrown in. Transcription was kind of boring. Each student spent time copying a book word for word. Gareth¡¯s mother was a scribe and thought it a good way to learn the common language of the Sphere.
Well, at least the books were always stories of heroes, monsters, and faraway lands. The stories were usually parables teaching some ethical principles or moral lessons. ¡°I bet I can finish the numbers before you today,¡± I replied with a smirk. Gareth knew he could not finish before me unless he wanted to get most of the answers wrong.
¡°Yeah, not a chance. How about we let Freya judge our script from the transcription?¡± His typical grin appeared on his face. My younger sister usually tagged along with us and was frequently called to choose a winner in our spur-of-the-moment competitions. She was mostly fair, but sometimes she got mad at me, which tilted the scales toward Gareth.
I shrugged in consent, and we went to the ad-hoc classroom inside his house. My sister Freya was there, and she gave me a cross-look. Oh shit! I forgot I had promised to take her to the baker for a breakfast cake this morning. I had promised her before bed last night but forgot after my core awakened.
Even though my script was neat and was at least equal to Gareth¡¯s careful hand, I knew I had no chance of winning now. I had been played. Gareth¡¯s grin only got bigger as we sat down.
The tiny woman who had somehow birthed the monster of Gareth entered, and the other kids took their seats. I raced through the numbers problems certain I hadn¡¯t made any errors. We had twenty pages to transcribe today.
The story was part of the tale of Farrod the Warrior. He was a solo dungeon delver, and the tale focused on how his greed and lust for coin led him to an early grave. I put effort into my copying as the texts were eventually sold by Gareth¡¯s mother for a small amount of coin to pay for her time.
She walked around the room and asked questions about the tale depending on where each student was in their transcription. It was to make sure we were reading and understanding the words and not just copying letters. Soon, she announced time was up, and the six of us got ready to sprint out of the room. Gareth hadn¡¯t forgotten the bet and was whispering with Freya.
I walked to Freya to interrupt their conspiracy, ¡°Freya, sorry about this morning. Here is a steel so you can get some honey suckers.¡± Gareth immediately looked betrayed, his grin fading, thinking I would now win.
Freya grabbed the coin from my hand and yelled, ¡°Gareth¡¯s letters were prettier.¡± She ran out the door. Gareth¡¯s grin returned immediately. Shit, so much for bribery.
We turned and started to walk out together. Gareth put his hand on my shoulder as we walked. ¡°What is on the list for today? Mother was hoping we could get some spiced sausages in the city that she likes for her today. She gave me a copper for four.¡± Gareth always had suggestions on things to do but always followed my lead.
¡°Well, I made a deal with the bathhouse lady to get soap in the city. But we will need our packs as it is eight blocks. I also wanted to show you something in private. Let¡¯s go to the barn.¡± My parents¡¯ house had a stable with two stalls, but we had no horses or farm animals. The space was more for storage now and a hangout for Gareth, me, and sometimes Freya. My older brother, Pascal, had his own group of friends that played with wooden swords all day, so the space was secure from intrusion.
Once we were secure in the building, I turned to Gareth, ¡°It happened last night. My awakening.¡± It took a brief second for him to process before his eyes bulged.
Excitedly, he asked, ¡°Can you do anything? Did any abilities manifest? Are you stronger? Faster? Can you throw lightning bolts? Fireballs?¡± Magic was rare, and abilities that utilized aether were a means to gain entrance to a better Academy.
¡°I can do a few things. But this will be the biggest secret I have ever shared with you. You cannot let anyone know, not even my parents. Agreed? Blood-bonded brothers?¡± I said it in an even and serious tone. Blood-bonded brothers was our oath to each other to never betray each other and come to each other¡¯s aid if needed, no matter the circumstances.
¡°Blood bonded.¡± He said in all seriousness. He was rarely serious, so I nodded, accepting the oath.
¡°I can shape metal.¡± His left eyebrow cocked up, skepticism clearly etched on his face. I pulled a copper coin from my pouch and proceeded to shape it into a tiny cat figure, an ugly cat figure, but you could see it was a cat.
¡°Wow, a dog!¡± Gareth rasped out before collapsing in laughter when I announced it was a cat. It was a cat, damn it. He thought my failure at sculpting was more humorous than the enormity of the ability or the implications of my shape-metal ability. I quickly changed the CAT back to a coin and handed it to him.
¡°Angelic saviors, Storme,¡± he muttered. Well, at least I knew he was serious, as he used my proper name when he was no longer joking. ¡°You are not going to tell your parents?¡±
I shook my head no, ¡°Not for a while. Father would probably force me to be a battle mage. Maybe I will tell them after I learn a few spells and get used to using my aether.¡± Gareth looked incredulous but accepted my decision with a nod.
A few moments later, Gareth said, ¡°You have hundreds of paths ahead of you, my brother.¡± He was still examining the coin when I held up my empty palm, closed it, and opened it to reveal a lump of copper. Gareth partially collapsed to the ground. ¡°Did you just? Is that real? You teleported it, right? Sleight of hand?¡± I just slowly shook my head. ¡°You can create copper,¡± he paused, ¡°Real copper? Is it temporary?¡± his voice was weak in disbelief.
I finally spoke, ¡°It is real and permanent. And I think I might also be able to create other metals.¡± He was still in shock, so I gave him a few moments to recover before speaking again, ¡°So now we need to start making plans.¡± He looked up at me, and our eyes met. We both had huge grins and started laughing in unison.
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
Chapters 4 to 6
Chapter 4: Freya
Freya raced through the cobblestone streets to reach the candy maker. Her thoughts were on what a steel coin could buy. She was definitely getting a honey sucker. They lasted hours. They were her favorite, even though Storme said she was rotting her teeth. What else should she get? Three honey suckers were one steel. She suddenly stopped.
Storme had given her the coin, and she had voted in favor of Gareth. Was it a bribe attempt, or was he making up for not taking her to the bakery this morning? Storme was always saying she needed to slow down and think things out before acting. He called her impulsive! But Gareth had promised to bring her to the Gaskil farm to see the new puppies!
Well, she should have at least spent time comparing their two scripts before deciding. Storme had drilled into her the importance of appearing fair and impartial. Wait. Her thought process reversed. It wasn¡¯t a bribe. It was a trick to ditch her! Storme hadn¡¯t put on airs of disbelief at her pronouncement of Gareth winning like he usually did. They were up to something.
Freya thought herself a tried-and-true companion to Storme and Gareth. She hadn¡¯t told anyone of the time they had released old lady Beatrice¡¯s chickens, only to walk down the road a few minutes later and offer to round them up for a few steel coins. Or the time the three of them went to Twin Rock Lake to go fishing since nothing was biting in the stream outside the town. It was the fact the blue pike they caught that day never traveled downstream that got them whipped. It was one of the few times Storme and Gareth had been punished.
Twin Rock Lake was near the edge of the floating island; sometimes, large birds of prey flew up from below to hunt the pike in the lake. She never told anyone that Storme and Gareth continued fishing at Twin Rocks. They wouldn¡¯t bring her anymore, but she covered for them in exchange for a few steel coins when they sold their catch in the city. The blue pike was the tastiest fish on the island and could be sold for good coin. Her mouth watered, thinking of the buttery blue pike Storme had once cooked for her.
Well, Freya decided she would make haste to spend her steel coin and then find the boys. Well, haste for a ten-year-old girl was a matter of perspective. After buying her first honey sucker, she sucked on it while deciding what else to buy. She wasn¡¯t impulsive! With a second honey sucker, two birch taffies, and a thimble of sweet water, she searched for her brother and Gareth.
She started looking at the gate out of town to the city to check with the sentry to see if they had headed to the city. It was the most likely scenario if they were ditching her. Yadam, the bored sentry on duty, said he had not seen them today. Her next stop was the miller. They delivered flour for him regularly around Hen¡¯s Hollow. No luck again. She wandered through the small town, checking with the business owners they frequently helped, but found no sign of them.
Storme and Gareth were well-liked in town. They were industrious boys who were always eager to help in exchange for a few coins, making people¡¯s lives easier. Freya also knew they did extremely well for themselves in terms of earnings. Two weeks ago, she had snuck into Storme¡¯s tiny room at home and pried out the loose wallboard to see his hoard. He had stacks of 50 coins wrapped in paper. He had two tubes of 50 steel coins, three tubes of 50 copper coins, some loose steel and copper, and 34 silver coins! She returned the board and left everything as she found it.
Freya eventually returned home and saw Storme¡¯s fishing rod outside the barn. Today wasn¡¯t the typical day he went fishing, so that didn¡¯t surprise her, but it had been her last guess. She went inside and checked Storme¡¯s small room, but nothing, and just to make sure, she checked his stash. Maybe they snuck into the city, avoiding Yadam, to go on a spending spree. After all, her birthday was coming up, so maybe they were out buying her something! But the coin rolls were all still there, and his silver had grown to 37.
It was getting close to the midday meal, so Freya went to the leather worker¡¯s shop to see her mother. ¡°Freya! Sweetheart! What has you so down?¡± Mother asked when she saw her. Freya tended to wear her mood on her face quite openly.
¡°Storme and Gareth ditched me this morning,¡± she said melancholily. Well, I guess if she really thought about it, she had ditched them, but who was splitting hairs? ¡°Mother, I came by for lunch since Storme isn¡¯t around to cook.¡± Storme was a great cook. He came up with the tastiest creations. His ¡®cheeseburger¡¯ had swept the pubs and inns across Skyholme, but an innkeeper in the capital had claimed credit for the grilled culinary treat months later, saying he tried it in the lowlands. Everyone in Hen¡¯s Hollow knew the truth, though.
¡°Sweetheart, I¡¯m sorry. Pascal and his friends are on the common fairground.¡± Freya gave her mother her best ¡®death¡¯ stare, as Storme called it. She didn¡¯t want to spend what remained of the day watching boys and girls hit each other with sticks and playing soldier.
¡°Oh. I think Gwen and Sassy are at the tailor¡¯s shop¡.¡± Mother tried again, and she turned up her death glare. In Hen¡¯s Hollow, Gwen and Sassy were the only other girls close to Freya¡¯s age. Gwen was the magistrate¡¯s daughter and always talked down to Freya. Storme had called her a ¡®stuck up bitch¡¯ in private, and when Freya had repeated the phrase to her face, Freya had gotten a good spanking from her father after Gwen had told her own father. Freya had never revealed that she had learned the phrase from Storme. Another secret she had kept!
Mother had gotten out her mid-day meal basket. Inside were pickled vegetables, rosemary bread, and some red apples. They ate in silence, and then something clicked. She hadn¡¯t checked the barn. Sometimes, they all hung out inside, usually just when the weather was miserable, but they could be hiding in there. She quickly kissed her mother and hurried off while munching on an apple.
Freya approached the barn through the high grass to be as quiet as possible. And when she was within three paces, she could hear them whispering. They were inside! How should she approach this? Should she scare them? Walk in like it was all a normal and fine day? Or should she try to listen in on their newest mischief? It¡¯s not that she would ever turn them in, but getting some ¡®leverage¡¯ on Storme would be great. She might get them to escort her to the candy store in the city! They had a much larger selection.
She moved to the back of the barn, away from the windows and the stall door. There were cracks in the siding, and she could look through them and see Storme and Gareth. That is, as long as they were not in the loft. Her movements were slow and careful, and soon, the whispering became coherent.
¡°Storme, try and make a dagger with these steel pennies,¡± Gareth said. A few minutes passed, and then Gareth gasped and spoke louder, ¡°Wow, that is an amazing blade. How did you get the ripples in the steel?¡± Storme responded in a whisper, and his back must have faced Freya because his response was too low for her to hear.
She moved down a few boards and was able to see the pair. Gareth held a spectacular short dagger that rippled in the light from the window. Where did they get that? It must have cost quite a sum. ¡°Storme, can you make another? We each should have one, and I will get sheaths from Master Aldrich.¡± Master Aldrich was the leatherworker for whom their mother worked. He had to be very good to have earned the master title.
Then Freya saw something she couldn¡¯t believe. Storme¡¯s back was to her, but Freya could see one of his hands. He held about ten steel coins. The coins then flowed together like water while he held them. They rippled in his hand as they formed a dagger a little bigger than the one Gareth held just a few moments ago.
It took all her will not to gasp and give herself away. Her brother had magic, and he had awakened! Why didn¡¯t he tell everyone? Why didn¡¯t he tell her immediately? Was there something wrong with his ability to control the metal? It seemed like a really useful feat. And they were told in the fables that there were no useless abilities. You just had to find a way to use them productively. She moved away from the barn ever so slowly, and when she was sure that they wouldn¡¯t see her, she went into the house and to her room.
Freya thought for a long time, the longest she had ever thought about anything. She was not impulsive! Her brother was smart, very smart. He had his reasons for not telling anyone but Gareth. She would keep his secret, and hopefully, he would share his magic with her when the time was right. She heard her mother enter the house. It must be close to dinner time. Maybe she should ask Storme for a dagger for her birthday¡
Chapter 5: The End of a Long Day
After Gareth and I enjoyed a good laugh at our impending good fortune, we got to work. ¡°How many coins can you make in a day, Storme?¡± Gareth asked. He was serious now and probably thinking about all the things we could buy.
¡°Let me see how many steel coins I can make today. The smaller value coins will be easier to spend without drawing notice. We will have to think about creating a reasonable enterprise to cover our growing wealth in the future. I am not sure to what extent we should include Freya in our plans,¡± I informed Gareth.
Gareth raised his left eyebrow. Yes, I had a soft spot for Freya, and if I didn¡¯t include her initially, I usually caved after she begged and pleaded for a while. I didn¡¯t have any memories of siblings in my past life. I was learning to be an elder brother and genuinely cared about her. I wasn¡¯t sure where the disconnect had happened with Pascal. Probably because he never treated me like a brother. I think this was because he was a bit jealous of me growing up as I had learned things quicker and was really well-liked and praised by our parents and the townsfolk.
I focused and made my first steel coin. Well, a lump of¡not steel. ¡°Looks like iron ore, not quite as shiny as steel,¡± Gareth helpfully supplied, taking the small chunk. ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t make steel, the copper will do.¡± He was trying to placate me because of my obvious failure and my disappointment.
I thought for a few minutes, trying to draw on my knowledge of my past life. Steel had carbon in it. My ability could only create metal. Well, Gareth was right; I could always make copper. I was disappointed, though. Then, I spotted the crates of coal in the corner of the barn we used for the stove. I retrieved one coal lump, took the iron from Gareth, and focused on my ability to shape metal.
It was the first time I could feel myself drawing from the aether core in my chest as I blended the iron and coal. It didn¡¯t help my constant feeling of heartburn. The metal lump flowed over the coal, and I could feel the iron responding to my will to draw in the carbon. I zoned out for a bit, trying to find the correct balance and make it homogeneous throughout the lump.
When I was finished, the excess coal fell away from my hands as dust. Besides needing to wash my hands, I now had a good lump of steel. I looked at Gareth, pride on my face. He spoke in a whisper, ¡°That was amazing! It took you a few minutes, but I will be an orc¡¯s cousin; you did it!¡±
I turned the lump in my hand and focused on making it into a shiny new steel coin. I flipped the coin over to Gareth, who caught it with lightning reflexes. Yeah, Gareth was not only big but also a phenomenal athlete. He was quick, strong, and had excellent balance. While he rarely talked, he was also no dummy.
¡°Stormy, we probably should dirty up the coins a bit. If we started spending shiny new coins all around town, that would draw attention, right? I don¡¯t think I have seen more than a dozen coins this shiny in my entire life.¡±
I nodded and had been thinking the same thing earlier about the copper coins I had made. ¡°Yeah, I know some basic magics can make coins clean and shiny, but it would be suspicious if we were always spending shiny coins and didn¡¯t have the magic to clean them. Ok, Gareth, let¡¯s see how much steel I can make.¡±
I focused and started pulling on my aether to make a big lump of iron. I could feel the aether leaving my core again and focusing on my hand, pulling the most aether I had pulled to date. The ore ball grew, and I got distracted when the weight exceeded three pounds, causing me to fumble and drop it, breaking my concentration. I had plenty of aether in reserve, but this was good for now.
I looked up to see Gareth¡¯s jaw was slack, and his eyes bulged a bit. I picked up the lump and brought it to the coal crate, ignoring my friend¡¯s dumbfounded stare. I needed to be near the metal to affect it, more than two feet, and the effort became unwieldy, like trying to tie down a tarp in a wind storm with thin twine.
The iron flowed through the coal as I felt out the best balance between hardness and brittleness. To make my feat even more impressive to Gareth, I formed the new steel into 48 large new steel coins. This took several minutes as I had to do the first few individually before figuring out a trick to make them in batches.
Gareth was right there when I was done picking up each coin and inspecting it. ¡°Damn, Storme, we are going to be rich.¡± While he was focused on our new wealth, I tried something new. I was combining my two abilities. I tried to create copper and create it directly into a large copper coin.
Success! I turned over the shiny new copper coin, feeling the weight. Gareth interrupted me, admiring my work, ¡°Can you make other things? Armor or swords? Stormy, try and make a dagger with these steel coins?¡± He grabbed a handful of coins, pushing them into my hand.
Huh, that was a good question. Did I need to have knowledge of blacksmithing, just know the shape or the end result I wanted? My metal shaping skill was much more powerful than I had realized. It gave me a ¡®familiarity¡¯ with the metal as I worked it, allowing me to balance the alloy or additives and eliminate impurities. I took 11 of the steel coins Gareth had pressed into my hand and started working it into the shape of a large kitchen knife with a full tang. I had previously helped my mother replace the wood and leather wrap on knife handles, so I knew what I wanted to make.
The knife was 10 inches long with a single edge. ¡°No, Stormy, make a dagger instead,¡± Gareth whispered, focused on my work. The flowing metal hypnotized him. I altered my thought, and with a thicker blade and tang, the two-edged dagger was now just 8 inches. I then remembered watered steel from foggy memories. Could I do that? Could I layer steel?
I restarted and folded the metal. It looked like a puddle in my hands to Gareth, but I was working hard to fold the steel. Two, three, four, five¡ªcompressing the metal after each fold. The 5th fold started to require effort. The 7th, and I could feel myself needing to invest some aether. I could have gone further but stopped after 11. I then reformed the short dagger with the full tang and handed it to Gareth. He gasped and spoke with excitement, ¡°Wow, that is an amazing blade. How did you get the ripples in the steel?¡±
I was pretty tired and not sure how much aether I had left. I needed to experiment more to find my capacity. I spoke very quietly, ¡°It is just watered steel. Folded steel. The master weaponsmiths in the city do it this way in order to add aether dust between the layers to enchant the blade.¡± I admired the dagger with Gareth for a while before he spoke again.
¡°Storme, can you make another? We each should have one, and I will get sheaths from Master Aldrich.¡± I nodded and grabbed 10 of the steel coins in each hand. I focused on one hand and then the other, working the metal again. This dagger was much larger than the last, 13 inches. When I was finished, I handed the new dagger to Gareth.
He now held both blades. ¡°You know, Stormy, both of these blades are fine works of art. I will purchase sheaths and handles for them. But I think I should get the larger of the two. You know, since I am bigger, after all.¡± His grin had returned to his face.
I rolled my eyes at my friend. ¡°Fine. Take the daggers to get them sized for sheaths and handles.¡±
Gareth hesitated for a bit before slowly turning toward the door. He probably didn¡¯t want to miss what I would do next, as today was highly entertaining for us both. ¡°I am just going to meditate for a bit and try to figure out how to sense my aether core. I promise I won¡¯t do anything exciting without you.¡±
The Gareth grin lit his face, and with his back to me, he said, ¡°Well, just don¡¯t get into any trouble without me.¡± With Gareth gone, I spent some time getting dirty. I cleaned up the barn a bit. My focus was cleaning out the loft to create a decent workspace. I managed to get filthy and blew out lots of dirty snot as dust invaded my nostrils. I was going to need another shower and my clothes cleaned again.
The upper loft was eventually cleared, and the old family couch was mostly cleaned. I had it positioned on the far side of the loft with a short table in front of it. That way, we could sit by the tiny window at the back of the loft and not risk getting walked in on while I worked in the future.
It was getting close to dinner, and my mother and father would be home in about an hour or so. I decided to run down to the river and wash up there rather than go to the bathhouse, which would be crowded at this time. Also, Edel would probably press me to meet her niece again. I suddenly panicked. Oh, Edel! We hadn¡¯t gotten her soap in the city today. Ugh.
I grabbed an old leather backpack from the barn. The city was about a thirty-minute walk. I would swing by Master Aldrich¡¯s leather shop and hopefully catch Gareth. Otherwise, I would make the run myself. My reputation was important to me, so I had to get the soap today.
I had missed Gareth, and Master Aldrich was examining the daggers when I arrived. His gruff voice stopped me in my tracks as I was leaving since I had not seen Gareth, ¡°Storme! How did you two come across these fine blades? I offered Gareth 80 silver for each, and he turned me down, saying they were yours.¡± His eyes were going back and forth from me to the daggers.
¡°Yeah, they are, but I am giving the smaller one to Gareth. Are you making the handles and sheaths?¡± I replied, anxious to get the soap job done but not wanting to be rude to Master Aldrich, who employed my mother. I also thought 80 silver was way too light a price for the daggers.
¡°Yes, I agreed on two silver and fifty copper with Gareth for both sheaths and another silver for wooden grips,¡± he replied evenly. Damn, Gareth, you should have negotiated that down to 2 silver total. Gareth sometimes got excited and forgot to think things through, or maybe he just didn¡¯t care because of my new ability. Small sheaths were made from leather scraps and worth next to nothing. I pulled out three large copper coins. One of the coins was a shiny new one I had made earlier.
¡°Here is a deposit, Master Aldrich. Do you know where Gareth went?¡± I was already backing out of the workshop after placing down the coins. He eyed me up and down. It was obvious his mind was working.
¡°Gareth was off to the Perault farm to get some sausage,¡± he said. Damn, that was in the wrong direction from the city. And their sausages were not as tasty as the ones in the city that his mom liked. I yelled thanks before increasing my pace to a fast jog. I would have to go to the city without Gareth, and he would probably be upset.
The run to the city was a straight road lined with small industries, farms, and orchards. The trip gave me time to think about other metals. I should try silver and gold tonight. We should also start forming a reason for our increased wealth and explain how we got the daggers.
My first thought was daily work trips to the city to cover the increased coins. My second thought was maybe we could cover the wealth by saying we found an old cache of coins left by the Haikarum race that used to rule the islands.
I recalled there had been a book in the bookstore that had pictures of hundreds of coins. Even in this realm filled with magic, coin collecting was a hobby. However, the hobby was not well received on our island. If I remember correctly, the book was in the discount bin. I slowed to a walk. I tried to create large copper coins while I walked. No issues, and by the end of the trek, I had 21 more large coppers in my money pouch. They were too shiny, though. I had come up with a plan to use them in the bookstore.
I went through the outer city and straight to the soaper. The packages of soap were ready, and I carefully packed them in my backpack. The pack was really heavy for me alone, and my back was already aching as I reached the bookstore.
The proprietor was named Wigand Goodholme. I developed a relationship with Wigand by delivering and picking up books for him that he was commissioned to repair. I had borrowed every cheap introductory book he had on magic for just a few coppers over the last few years. These books sold for between 50 and 200 silver, so he was doing me a big favor when he charged me a large copper to borrow a book for a week. He would loan me another as long as I brought the first back in the same condition.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Wigand¡¯s bald head swiveled my way when I entered. ¡°Hi, Wigand! I have a favor to ask. Do you still have that old beat-up book on the different dungeon, kingdom, and guild coins? I found some rich woman who was looking for something like it, and she gave me a few coins to purchase it.¡± My speech came out a little rushed, and I needed to slow down when I talked. According to Gareth, that usually happened when I was lying.
Wigand flashed his bright smile, ¡°I believe so. How many coins did she give you?¡± He was an entrepreneur, but I knew he wouldn¡¯t overcharge me. He was already going through a stack of books in a rack marked as discounted.
¡°Two silver. And she gave me a large copper to run the errand for her. If it costs more, then I can just return the coins to her.¡± I said, this time forcibly controlling the pace of my speech. Wigand opened the front cover and started tapping his finger on the page, thinking. The prices were usually inside the front cover.
Finally, he said, ¡°It is four silver. Hmm, ok, I will take the two silver. This book is over a hundred years old, and I don¡¯t think it will sell unless I bring it to the capital, and I don¡¯t plan on a trip there anytime soon.¡± He focused on me, ¡°But if your new patron needs another book, you will send her here? I can procure almost anything from my contacts.¡± I nodded eagerly. I pulled out the 21 shiny large coppers and handed twenty to him. He was clearly puzzling out what kind of patron had access to newly minted coppers.
¡°Does your patron have a name? Is she an adventurer?¡± He was obviously more than a little curious. And I guessed he thought the only person interested in the different types of coins would be an adventurer.
¡°She was from the capital island but didn¡¯t look like an adventurer. At least she didn¡¯t have the guild¡¯s medallion around her neck. She cleaned the coins with her magic.¡± My speech had quickened again, and I forced myself to slow. Damn it, Gareth was right; I talked faster when I lied. ¡°I think she was just exploring the islands, and I mentioned the coin book I saw in the city.¡±
Fortunately, Wigand just nodded and took the coins. I packed the book with the soap. ¡°Wigand, how much for a lesser light stone?¡±
It was the simplest bit of magic runecraft, a light stone that gave off light with a simple on/off control and could be recharged by someone who could manipulate their aether. These were cheap stones for reading and would eventually burn out after several recharges. He looked me over and pointed to my last large copper coin. I nodded and dropped the coin lightly on the counter. I swept up a light stone from the basket full of them on the display case. I said my thanks as I headed off. I knew the light stone usually cost 30 copper, so he gave me another discount.
Shortly after exiting the city proper, I was on the road back home. Four figures lounging by the side of the road stood as I got closer to them. I groaned. Three boys and one girl around my age. I usually had Gareth with me and was never bothered. I could see them whispering to each other as I approached. One thing about Skyholme was it was a safe place, but the youth needed to occupy their time.
The apparent leader, a tall thin, red-haired boy, took the lead as the others spread out. I had no chance to outrun them with the backpack I was hauling. The heavy backpack was also probably the reason they stopped me.
The leader finally spoke in a high-pitched voice, ¡°This is a toll road. 2 steel to pass unmolested, town boy.¡± It was a simple shakedown.
I wasn¡¯t going to pay. An adult should pass by soon. I looked down in both directions, and no one was in sight. Damn it. I turned to face the crew, who spread out and circled me. ¡°Don¡¯t make this hard,¡± the leader said with a more level voice. He was gaining confidence, but I guessed this was probably his first time trying this. I looked each bandit in the eyes, memorizing their faces. I won¡¯t forget these kids anytime soon.
The red-haired leader looked familiar, and I had seen him in the city before. The raven-haired girl was too pretty to be hanging with these ruffians. The fat kid with brown hair looked like he was allergic to exercise. The last one had facial features similar to the leader, probably a younger brother.
I decided to try to scare the group. I put my pack down. I reached into it as they watched me like hawks and manifested a short blade of iron with a slight curve. They all took a step back and looked at each other for direction as I spoke confidently, ¡°I am not giving you anything. Who wants to try and take it from me?¡±
Well, I felt pretty sure of myself with a weapon in my hand, and then a fist-sized stone slammed into my shoulder and ricocheted up into my head. Two more stones hit me, and I wasn¡¯t sure from which direction as I was already dazed. The pain told me one hit me in the left thigh just above the knee, and the other connected with my sternum. The head graze had me seeing stars, and by the time I oriented myself, I found the four racing to the city.
They were probably just as fearful of me reporting them as they were of the blade. The blade? I looked down, and it was gone. I must have dropped it, and one of the ruffians must have scooped it up. I felt my temple and was bleeding a little from the head, but other than that, I would just have some nasty bruising.
I ended up limping most of the way back to Hen¡¯s Hollow. I forced myself to walk as straight as possible when I reached the sentry. It was Yadam, and he knew me well as he worked with my father. I headed straight for the bathhouse.
Once there, I pulled out the soap, and Edel stopped her washing for a minute to extract two cubes of soap and produce the promised coins. She mentioned something, but I didn¡¯t catch it as my eyes surveyed the bathhouse. I waved numbly to two business owners I knew before leaving. I could probably get some jobs if I socialized a bit, but I needed to rest and heal. It had been a long day.
I made a quick stop at the pub, drawn in by the aroma. Tonight''s offering featured a warm, crusty loaf of bread accompanied by a rich, olive-seasoned paste that promised flavor. Alongside this were tender, soft spiced jerky sticks, perfect for snacking, and boiled yellow carrots that added color. I carefully packed the food into my bag and began the journey home. Oddly enough, the walk felt longer than usual.
My family was in the kitchen eating dinner. I told them I had eaten already and was heading to bed. I was sure to keep the bloody side of my head out of their view. I was filthy, and I noticed my parents slightly concerned looks. Reaching my room, I still felt disoriented and was ready for a long sleep. The rock must have given me a concussion.
I went to my tiny room, stripped off all my dirty clothes, and fell face down into the waiting blankets. It was only a few seconds before I was fast asleep.
Chapter 6: Golden Opportunities
Naked and lying face down, I was awoken by a pounding on the small door to my room. I moaned a little. My head, shoulder, thigh, back, feet, and chest hurt. The aether core heartburn was working full-time today. I was going to get back at those city bastards. The knocking continued, and I rolled over to see Gareth in my doorway, pounding on the open door.
¡°You look like a sow after the breeding season,¡± he said with real concern in his voice. I stood, and the bruises were evident, and Gareth¡¯s expression turned to anger. ¡°Who did this?¡± he demanded.
¡°Gareth, my friend, it was my fault for being careless,¡± I confessed while wincing. ¡°We will get revenge, but in the future. It was one of the groups of kids from the city, and I memorized their faces. I couldn¡¯t find you last night, so I did the soap run to the city myself,¡± he nodded slowly, putting the pieces together in his mind.
¡°They tried to shake me down on the road for a few coppers. I created a rough short sword,¡± I paused, ¡°I must have dropped it when I got the rock to the head. The group took off after throwing some fist-sized rocks at me. The only real damage is the rock that glanced up to my head.¡± I rubbed the massive bump above my right ear. The dried blood wasn¡¯t evident to Gareth with my dark black hair until I pointed it out. It only made him angrier.
I pulled on some cleaner clothes while Gareth fumed, probably planning some type of revenge. ¡°We have bigger fish to fry,¡± I noted, now dressed and trying to downplay the situation. Gareth had gotten himself into trouble a few times defending me. I noticed the food I had picked up last night, and my stomach reminded me I hadn¡¯t addressed its needs. The olive paste bread wasn¡¯t looking so good after sitting so long. The carrots were now mushy. Gareth took one of the jerky sticks and quickly chewed it down.
¡°I¡¯m going to the bathhouse this morning. You can grab some coins from my stash for the sheaths and handles. I gave Master Aldrich a deposit yesterday.¡± My memory was still a little fuzzy, and I could not remember how much I had given him. ¡°Get us some new matching belts to go with the sheaths,¡± I added. I started reaching for the remaining jerky, but Gareth swiped it before my hand got halfway. While munching on the jerky, he walked to the wallboard where I stashed my coins, popped it off with a solid strike, and took out two rolls of coins.
¡°I will see you at the bathhouse after I stop by Master Aldrich. I could use a hot soak myself,¡± he said as he smelled his armpits. I had just planned on getting a cold shower, but a warm bath might be good for my aches. ¡°I will also stop by the apothecary for a salve for your bruises.¡± He paused and grabbed a few silver I had in my stash before replacing the wood panel cover. I had worked hard to save these coins, and Gareth was already acting like we were nobles with unlimited coins.
¡°Spend frugally, Gareth, and haggle, for goodness¡¯ sake! Master Aldrich is already suspicious. I devised a plan for laundering our coins in the city. While I was at Wigand¡¯s bookshop yesterday, I spun a tale I was getting a book for a benefactor from the capital who was visiting Solaris. He seemed to buy it, and I think it should be a good cover for us in the city,¡± Gareth nodded, swallowing the last of the jerky.
¡°Laundering. I thought we were going to age the coins, get them dirty, not clean them?¡± My past life idioms kept entering my speech unintentionally, and Gareth could usually puzzle them out, but when he didn¡¯t, I had to explain. So, I had to take a moment to explain the concept to Gareth.
¡°Laundering means hiding the origins of the coins. We are going to make people think our new patron is supplying us with coins to buy her things. Oh yeah, the patron is a woman from the capital,¡± I struggled to remember what I told Wigand yesterday, but my head was throbbing. ¡°I think I said she was not a dungeon diver or adventurer, just a merchant. We can flesh out her background together later.¡± At least that idiom Gareth was familiar with.
¡°Yeah, my best idea was saying we found a cache of buried treasure,¡± Gareth responded, ¡°but that might be limited. How many times can you say ¡®we found buried treasure¡¯ before people start following you every minute of the day?¡± Gareth turned and paused in his movement, obviously thinking. ¡°I will bring you some breakfast from the pub as well,¡± he said, probably feeling guilty about eating my jerky well after the fact. ¡°Go get cleaned up.¡± He left, and I heard the front door close, and shortly after, another door opened in the house.
Was it Pascal or Freya? Based on the time, my mother and father would be off to work by now. I had given Freya the larger bedroom in the house. Well, Pascal got the biggest bedroom after my parents. We only had three sleeping rooms in the house, and my bedroom had actually been a writing and reading room. It had been big enough for a desk, chest, and one wall of shelves. It also had a large window that Freya¡¯s did not. Most importantly, it was on the other side of the house from the three bedrooms. I had snuck out numerous times to rendezvous with Gareth at night for minor mischief.
In the closet-sized room, I was able to squeeze a long, wide bench after removing the desk. My mother gave me a great new mattress to reward me for giving Freya the larger room. The shelves had various books, clothing that wasn¡¯t stored in the chest, two pairs of shoes, six hats, a collection of skipping stones, six rolls of twine, a roll of fishing line, a box of fishing hooks and lures, four silk handkerchiefs of varying colors, a checkers board game with pieces, three decks of cards, three sets of throwing dice, one of which was dragon bone, three flutes, one of which was expensive mahogany from a dungeon reward.
At least that was what the man said, who I bought it from, but it was more likely just carved from dungeon mahogany. There were also three empty glass flasks, twenty-eight carved figurines of various beasts, and a wooden box with an assortment of steel and copper coins. My real hoard was in the secret compartment in the wall, which I was fairly certain Freya was aware of.
The mahogany flute was worth at least a full gold and was the one I practiced on. I was terrible at playing it, but I could get a rhythm going for a song. I was not too fond of singing, so supplying the tune was much preferred. Almost everything was trophies from work Gareth and I had done for the townspeople. I loved the dragon bone dice as they had been lucky for me when Gareth and I diced against each other. I also had made a GO board, but that was at Gareth¡¯s house. I also commissioned a chessboard but ended up selling it for 30 silver after Gareth didn¡¯t like playing because I beat him so soundly every time. Getting six times my investment back had made the sale worth it.
I noticed Freya was in my doorway. She looked at me with a focus I had never seen on her face before. ¡°Father said to let you sleep. I told them you cleaned the barn yesterday and were tired. Also, last night at dinner, Pascal convinced Father to bring him to Captain Callem¡¯s farm for a sword lesson. Father said I should check to see if you and Gareth wanted to come. Pascal was sour on that idea, but father told me to ask you directly.¡± Freya had spoken with poise and clarity, not like her. Something was up. Was she angry with me for not letting her hang out with us yesterday?
I remembered who Captain Callem was. He was an old naval officer who had retired to our island, Titan¡¯s Shield. He had a small farm outside of town. He had been a marine or an arms master, I think. The title of arms master meant he had achieved mastery over at least five different weapons.
He had taught and mentored my father and uncle in the sword when they were in their first year at the Academy in Hen¡¯s Hollow. Father mentioned that Callem had a sizable pension from the navy, and his small tobacco farm gave him a good amount of coin on top of that. Supposedly, his tobacco had a unique magical effect and was very expensive. Gareth had wanted to sneak out and pick a few leaves once, but I convinced him not to risk angering him.
I had never planned to fight in my reincarnation. I planned to live a slothful and hedonistic lifestyle once my abilities awakened. Now, after my encounter yesterday, I wasn¡¯t so sure. I should at least be able to defend myself, right? Skyholme gave its youth a modicum of training in weapons at the Academy.
¡°When are they going?¡± I asked. Freya¡¯s face lit up with surprise. Well, I had made it known many times that I had no interest in the sword. In my past life, I wrestled in high school and continued in my first year in college. I quit after not making the varsity lineup in college despite winning the wrestle-off in my weight class.
The coach had tried to explain his decision, but I wasn¡¯t having any of it. I had busted my ass the summer before my freshman year of college, and then being told a senior deserved the spot because he had been on the team three years! But those memories were just a hazy dream now. That one experience had a lot of emotions tied to it, so maybe that was why I remembered it.
Freya finally composed herself from the shock of my answer. ¡°Tomorrow after breakfast. It is Father¡¯s day off. Also¡¡± she paused, ¡°Are you going fishing today?¡± I had forgotten about our normal schedule. Today, I would usually go to Twin Rocks with Gareth. If we had a large catch, it was usually good for a silver coin or two in the city. I had to think that changing our routine might be suspicious, and the blue pike was our biggest revenue generator.
¡°Yes, we are going fishing, but just by the river today. Are you coming?¡± Her face lit up, and she was already nodding emphatically. ¡°Great. Get the poles together and wait by the barn. I¡¯m going to the bathhouse and getting some breakfast. I will get us a packed lunch.¡± Our favorite fishing spot on the river was just a 10-minute walk, but we usually stayed there for a few hours. A sloping rock formation right by the river was very comfortable to recline on. Hopefully, none of the other local kids would be there today. The best swimming hole was just 50 yards upstream from the spot.
Freya bolted out of the house. She returned an instant later to grab my tackle box on the shelf while wearing the biggest and brightest smile the entire time. After she had left in a whirlwind, I stood stiffly and painfully and made my way to the bathhouse.
When I arrived, Gareth was at the bathhouse and had two small meat pies, one chicken and one lamb for me. There was an empty dish behind him as well. He must have gotten breakfast for himself, probably his second breakfast. I thanked him and ate in the small lobby, scarfing down both pies and ignoring the heartburn from my aether core. He then handed me a vial with a thick white paste in it. I uncorked it and sniffed. ¡°There should be enough for applying after the bath and tonight before bed,¡± Gareth said. The smell was reminiscent of lemons.
Gareth reached down to the floor to produce and unwrap a package. Pulling out two black leather belts, each with a simple sheath holding the daggers. ¡°Master Aldrich had Antal mold white boar tusk harvested from a dungeon for the handles and wrapped them with leather stripes from a black forest rabbit from a dungeon. He said it would be a shame to use anything less on these fine blades.¡± He was grinning broadly.
More likely, Aldrich felt guilty for charging such a high sum. Well, the work was very fine as I inspected it. The belts were plain, but all of Master Aldrich¡¯s work was of high quality and would last a very long time if properly cared for. Antal was a sort of medic in town. He had a low-tier ability that allowed him to shape and fuse bone. He could even mend a person¡¯s broken bone. It was his only ability, and he had made quite a good living. In fact, he was one of the wealthiest men in town and was responsible for most of the figurines of mystical beasts in my room.
Gareth added, ¡°I told him we found the blades in a rotting chest in the woods and cleaned them up ourselves. I think he believed me.¡± I shrugged, as it would not be the first time we found something in the woods surrounding the town. These would definitely be the most valuable of our finds.
Not that many of the 300 people in town had much wealth. The surrounding farms added another 200 people to our total population during town festivals. There were no extremely rich individuals in Hen¡¯s Hollow. Gareth interrupted my thoughts, ¡°I got us the private room with the two big tubs.¡± I walked with him to the private room and saw Gareth walking before me, trying to sneak a peek into the women¡¯s showers as we passed. I shook my head and resisted the urge myself.
Right now, I was in too much pain to try to get a glimpse behind the angled screens. At the right angle, you could only see a small corner of the room, and the women who bathed in that corner were almost always older women. The younger women generally swam in the river and didn¡¯t use the showers often.
The private room we entered had two of the largest tubs in the bathhouse and water circulating through a small artificed pipe, keeping the water hot. I stripped and quickly slid into the left tub before Edel could come in and sneak a peek. Oh my! I was in heaven as the hot water melted the aches and pains away. Gareth took the other tub. Edel briefly appeared right after we submerged, took our clothes to clean them, and thanked me again for the soap delivery.
After soaking for a bit, I spoke, ¡°We are going to fish the river today.¡± Even with my eyes closed, I could mentally see Gareth arch his brow in question, so I answered the unasked question. I whispered, ¡°We will stick to our normal routine today. I will not make coins until tonight after I am sure my core is topped off.¡± It took an entire day to replenish an empty core, exactly one day for an untrained core. There were ways to accelerate the core¡¯s recovery, but I hadn¡¯t practiced any of those skills. The books I had read on magic detailed them; I just needed time to practice them.
I continued, ¡°But tomorrow, instead of instruction with your mother, we are going with Pascal and my father to Captain Callem¡¯s for sword instruction.¡± I smirked, anticipating Gareth¡¯s reaction. His tub water splashed as he sat up hastily, water hitting the floor in a waterfall.
Excitement laced in his voice, ¡°You are not pulling my leg, Stormy. That would be a cruel joke if you were.¡± Gareth had always wanted to play with swords but followed my lead instead. He would make a fantastic warrior, but I had always pushed our path toward commerce. Fighting only increased your chances of getting injured or killed, but I had been na?ve. Trouble would find me. It was best to prepare to defend our interests.
¡°Yes, Gareth, we are going.¡± I looked over to see his fist pump, splashing hot water everywhere. He would be wired all day and probably not sleep tonight. When we finished scrubbing and rose from the tubs, Edel entered with our cleaned clothes and smiled as she handed them to us.
I grabbed a towel and started dressing before Gareth joined me. Edel must have scented mine with vanilla again, which is my favorite. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take the larger dagger,¡± I said, handing him that belt and sheath.
¡°Thanks, Stormy. I will be sure to take it easy on you tomorrow,¡± a little dark humor in his tone. Oh, shit. Yeah, Gareth was going to beat me silly tomorrow. Maybe I should save some of the lemon-scented salve. After dressing, I used the lemon-scented balm, and it immediately had a positive effect. Together, we left, stopped to get some packed meals for lunch, and headed to the barn.
Freya was there, waiting anxiously, and the three of us went to the river. No one was swimming. The fishing went well¡ªfourteen harvestable fish between us. While we fished, Freya kept asking for us to take her to the city and reminded me at least five times her birthday was approaching. But we had evolving plans, and I wouldn¡¯t commit.
Gareth kept talking about swords. He was trying to puzzle out what specific sword he should focus on learning. In the end, he was torn between the saber and the scimitar. Our island produced many of the city guards throughout Skyholme, so we were versed in melee weapons growing up, and our first year of the Academy would focus on the craft. My brother and his friends aspired to be city guards or marines on the skyships.
It was a pleasant day, and the misty clouds let the sunshine through for most of the day. I napped and fished, speaking little and focusing inward on exploring my core. I hadn¡¯t developed the ability to see or manipulate aether yet, but from my readings, I knew a mage¡¯s core was like another limb. You just needed to learn how to control it. I didn¡¯t actually make progress as I kept falling into brief naps in the grass. What I needed was a spell. Innate abilities that drew on my aether core were fine, but imprinting a spell on my matrix could train me on using my core and manipulating aether.
Using our new daggers, we gutted the fish and made fillets to carry back. Gareth carried our load home in the fish bag, and we chatted about other kids in town. All of us contributed to the gossip wheel of our tiny town.
Back home, we split the fillets, and I went to cook for my family. I made a simple garlic butter to cook the fish and had a side of saffron rice with diced sweet peppers. I had been a good cook before being reborn. Recipes, by far, seemed the easiest thing for me to recall from my past life. I think this was because I had taken so much joy in cooking. I found most of the ingredients I was familiar with in the Sphere. My family gushed over the meal, and Pascal couldn¡¯t shut up about the trip to learn from Captain Callem tomorrow. My focus was not on the dinner. It was on what I would do in a few hours, testing my limits.
With the family asleep and certain a full day had passed since I had last drawn on my aether core, I was ready. I decided to go for it, completely draining my core and making as much gold as possible. I hadn¡¯t even made any silver yet, but I felt confident I could make gold. I focused on the manifestation and soon felt my core draining. It was like vertigo, no, fainting without actually fainting. When I knew I was tapped out, I looked at the product. A good-sized ball of gold was in my hands. I had done it!
How much gold, though? I needed a little aether to use my shaping ability, so I waited an hour while laying in bed playing with the golden lump. Then, focusing on my shaping skill, I started to make one coin at a time. Thirteen small coins with almost enough for a fourteenth! And I knew a mage¡¯s core would grow 10 to 20 times after puberty, according to the books I had read! I placed three of the coins in my coin pouch and the remaining ten coins into the secret wall vault. I wrapped the coins in cloth and shoved them in the back in case Freya came snooping. Sleep came easy after that from the happiness and fatigue.
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
Chapters 7 to 9
Chapter 7: Weapons Training
Pascal was up early, and his obnoxiously loud voice was obviously meant to get the entire house up. When our mother called for breakfast, I dressed slowly to annoy him. With all my life experiences, you would think I would be above such petty brotherly antagonism, but no.
¡°Gareth has been waiting outside for an hour,¡± Freya whispered to me when I finally got to the table to eat. Well, apparently, Pascal was not the only one excited. I turned in my chair to look out the window, and yes, Gareth was sitting in his regular spot on the stone wall across from the house. Mother had probably asked him not to disturb us until after we had finished breakfast. Not because he was unwelcome but because he could eat like there was no tomorrow, and she didn¡¯t make big spreads at breakfast.
Pascal was grumpy. I was taking so long, and Freya was also showing some glumness since she had to go to instruction alone. Caleb, my father, took my slowness as hesitation and obviously didn¡¯t want to push me. He had long been trying to get me interested in martial skills, and this was a crack in my armor. He finally spoke, ¡°So, Storme, have you decided on a weapon?¡±
Finishing the blackberry jam spread on simple bread, I replied to him, ¡°No.¡± A simple response and the truth. Disappointment clouded his eyes, so I decided to follow up. ¡°Maybe the saber or scimitar,¡± I said. Wait, wasn¡¯t that what Gareth had been deciding between? He nodded with a smile shadowing his face and nodding.
Soon, he offered his advice, which I knew was coming: ¡°Callem taught me the basics of the long sword, spear, and short bow during my first year of Academy.¡± Oh no, I hoped this wasn¡¯t going to become one of his academy stories. They were entertaining, but I had heard them all at least four times. I got up from the table, spurring Pascal to speedily do the same, heading out the door to the road. I emerged shortly after, and Gareth waved. His grin was plastered on his face, and he wore his dagger proudly on his new belt. I had forgotten to put mine on as it was not yet engrained into my routine.
Father took the lead, with Pascal right next to him, talking excitedly. I fell in behind Gareth and whispered to him, ¡°Thirteen.¡± His eyebrows shot up.
¡°Holy angelic fervor Storme.¡± Doing the math in his head, ¡°You could make over a gold every week!¡± His enthusiastic voice carried, but we should be far enough behind Pascal and my father that they didn¡¯t hear. I shook my head no and handed him my coin pouch, wanting to see his reaction. He poured the contents out into his large hand in anticipation. Four steel coins, two coppers, and three gold coins. He immediately fumbled the coins, dropping the lot on the dusty road. He quickly dropped to his knees to pick them up like he had accidentally dropped the queen¡¯s jewels.
My father stopped and turned to look but was fifteen paces ahead of us. ¡°I was just paying back Gareth for something yesterday, and he dropped my coin pouch,¡± I said straight-faced without mischief coating my voice. Gareth had thrown the coins and a good portion of the road dirt into my coin pouch, hurriedly hiding the massive amount of wealth.
We regained our stride behind them, and Gareth finally whispered, ¡°Thirteen gold? You are not playing with me?¡± I was silent, and he spoke again a few minutes later. ¡°You can magic up a year¡¯s wages in a day.¡± I was just quiet as I let Gareth ponder the implications. A year¡¯s wages? I think my father made less than twelve gold in a year after his taxes. He did have two gold annual stipends for his equipment, so yes, I could make more in a day than my father did in a year.
My mother made eight or so gold in a year, by my estimation. Sometimes, she would get a large project like cutting the sigil of a minor house on a handful of hardened leather chest pieces for their house guard. That might take her most of a month and earn her an entire gold or two for the effort if the work was intricate enough. Our family was in the lowest economic class in the Skyholme social hierarchy but high for the tiny village of Hen¡¯s Hollow. Gareth interjected on my train of thought, whispering again, ¡°So what is next?¡±
Well, I had given it a lot of thought, and I needed some spells. I had my eye on a difficult tier-one spell called cleanliness. ¡°I think I want to set up the mysterious benefactor from the capital as a cover story in the city. Before that, I would like to get a spell to practice to develop my spell craft.¡±
I paused before asking, ¡°What do you want, Gareth?¡± I left it open-ended for him. Gareth wasn¡¯t simple, and he would think hard about it. We walked in silence, and finally, the small farm came into view with the tobacco field to the right and the potato field to the left. Captain Callem was in the tobacco field and waved to us.
Suddenly, Gareth spoke. ¡°Stormy, I want you to make me a steel blade of my choosing and get it enchanted.¡± Even using my nickname, I could tell he was serious and had given this profound thought. Gareth was a fighter at heart, but his friendship with me had pulled him from his nature. He had had his opportunities to get into a fight every once in a long while, and his dominance in those fights had scared the other children from provoking us as a pair.
¡°Done,¡± was my response to his request. I would put all my effort into giving him the best sword I could manage to repay his friendship.
Captain Callem approached our group. He was a square man who moved with a cat-like grace for his size. His thick hair and beard were snow white, and if it wasn¡¯t for his advanced age, I might have felt like a mouse under a cat¡¯s gaze.
His most striking feature was his golden yellow eyes. From my father¡¯s stories, I knew he had one ability, perfect sight. A tier two ability allowed him to see in most conditions with near-perfect clarity. According to my father, he had developed the ability to be exceptionally observant, and no doubt he was sizing us up. Pascal was practically hopping out of his shoes in anticipation of starting.
My father exchanged a handshake and some private words with the Captain before turning to us. ¡°Captain Callem is an arms master. If he were to charge you for his time, it would be at the rate of one gold per hour. He will spend the next three hours with you boys, so pay attention.¡± My dad had his sternest face on and his command voice going. He didn¡¯t want us to embarrass him. I knew the Captain was giving his time for free. We all knew people traveled from other cities and even the capital island to learn from him. These people had passed through our small town occasionally while they were on their way to his farm.
Captain Callem brought us to a well-trodden practice yard next to his farmhouse. First up, he went through sixteen limbering exercises because the range of motion and ease of movement were essential factors in combat. Just from these exercises, I knew I would be terribly sore tomorrow.
After that, we were all led to the far side of the combat yard behind the small farmhouse. There was a small shed with one side open. Inside were racks and racks of weapons. I could see my brother and Gareth drooling, almost literally. I was trying to think of a quip when Callem said the next step was safety and care of weapons. When this was finally done, we had just one hour remaining. My father sat on a stone wall smoking a pipe with blue-white smoke coming out of it and watched us the entire time.
¡°Ok, boys, it is time to try to find the weapon you wish to train with.¡± This released the hounds, and Gareth went right for one of the two sabers. Pascal took a longsword. It took me a minute before I selected a short sword. The next hour had us practicing footwork with our selected blades. We never fought each other, but we definitely digested a large amount of knowledge. I felt I could now hold the blade properly and move somewhat fluidly with the short sword in my hand.
The lesson ran half an hour more than planned before my father said it was time to go. We thanked Captain Callem and started walking back. I turned around and said I had left my pouch by the fence and was going back to retrieve it. It had been intentional as I had given my following action some serious thought after watching Gareth¡¯s joy today.
I found Callem in the tobacco field and went to him, grabbing the pouch by the fence as I approached him. ¡°Captain Callem, is it true you charge a gold per hour for instruction?¡± I asked patiently.
¡°Yes,¡± he paused, appraising me anew. I had been by far the worst of the three of us, and my mind and focus had wandered more than a few times. ¡°What do you seek of me?¡± he finally asked.
¡°I wish to come three times a week with my friend Gareth for training. Hopefully, you will have time to train us on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th days after the mid-day meal. We have lessons in the morning so cannot come any earlier. But I ask that you do not reveal this to my father or brother.¡± I asked earnestly.
The powerful persona of Callem stared at me with his white hair blowing in a strong breeze that had gusted. Before replying, he digested what I said, ¡°Yes, that can be arranged. You will be here after the mid-day meal all those days, and I will train you for three hours,¡±
I looked about to interject, but his severe look and eye contact gave me pause, ¡°Then you two will help around the farm for three hours.¡± Okay, he probably thought I didn¡¯t have enough coin to pay. This was better than I expected as I had planned to give him three gold a week for three one-hour lessons. ¡°I don¡¯t train students for less than three hours at a time. Any shorter, and the muscle memory doesn¡¯t take hold,¡± he explained. ¡°Also, if I have another student here during that time, don¡¯t expect my full attention. In addition, I expect one silver coin per week to be paid for by each of you. The more you sacrifice for something, the more you will be thankful for it.¡± He finished.
I just nodded and started looking around the farm. It was only an acre of tobacco, half an acre of potatoes, and a small raised bed of herbs by the farmhouse. His face lit into a bright smile, reading my mind. ¡°Oh boy, there is plenty to do around here. A mage friend in the capital visits me every other month to fertilize the fields and grow my tobacco with aether. I also was thinking of building a new drying barn.¡± He motioned to the shed holding the weapons racks, indicating it was his current drying barn. I puzzled out that he must remove the weapons to hang the leaves. The shed had that sickly sweet smell of tobacco when we cleaned weapons today.
¡°Agreed,¡± I said, reaching out with my right hand to shake and pulling a large silver coin from my pouch with my left hand. After shaking to confirm the deal, I placed the silver coin in his hand, which was much larger than I had thought, ¡°Here is the first five week¡¯s payment!¡± I turned and left the man in shock. He obviously hadn¡¯t thought I had that much on me. The coin was shiny and new, so I would have to ensure we aged them in the future, at least most of them.
Catching up to the group, I fell into stride with Gareth. My father and Pascal were talking a few paces ahead of us, and Pascal seemed happy, but he obviously had wanted to spar by the few words I caught. He had learned enough to gain a significant advantage over his friends. Now, our father had taught him some basics, but for the most part, everyone in his friend group was on equal footing in terms of swordplay knowledge.
¡°Gareth, I got us lessons with Captain Callem. We will visit him thrice a week after lessons with your mother.¡± I considered withholding the farm hand part of the agreement to surprise him but decided not to. ¡°We will get a three-hour lesson each of those days, but after, we have to help on the farm for three hours.¡± I looked over at my friend. He had a grin so big it split his face. He just couldn¡¯t stop smiling, which caused me to return it with my own.
After a few minutes, he regained his composure and said, ¡°We should get there early each day to do the stretching. We don¡¯t want to waste any of the three hours of instruction.¡± He was dead serious. He wanted this. We had done everything I wanted since we were seven, and Gareth followed my lead without question. It was time to balance the scales.
When we got home, Gareth and I went to the barn while Pascal ran off to show off his new skills to his friends. Father went to have lunch with my mother at work. I was a little shocked when we entered the barn. Some dust still hung in the air.
Freya was filthy and pushing a crate across the floor. ¡°Storme! How did training go!¡± She burst into excited words. Standing and showing off the space she had apparently worked all afternoon on. I had moved a few things to make getting to the loft easier, but I had not organized. Freya had packed, stacked, dusted, and apparently thrown out some junk. Besides the dust in the air slowly flowing out the open door and windows, the place looked pretty good.
¡°I had Brianne help for a bit, but she went home sneezing. But I did promise to put in a good word for her with Gareth,¡± she rushed through the words. Brianne was the cobbler¡¯s daughter and had a crush on Gareth. She made this plainly known to anyone who listened. She was a year older than us and had plain prettiness to her.
Gareth hadn¡¯t taken an interest in Brianne, though. He had liked one girl, Casrine. Well, every boy had been infatuated with Casrine. To his credit, she was the prettiest girl in town, but when she finished her first year at the Academy, she attracted a benefactor to pay for her to attend a Merchant¡¯s Academy in the capital. Personally, I doubted her benefactor was doing it purely out of benevolence.
¡°Are you going to take me to the city tomorrow?¡± Freya asked while trying to clean her face. I had promised to take her if she helped out. But I couldn¡¯t remember what I had asked her to do. It definitely wasn¡¯t cleaning the barn, but she did do a good job.
¡°Yes, Freya, after breakfast tomorrow, you can come with us to the city,¡± Gareth¡¯s eyebrow cocked in question. ¡°You did a fine job in here,¡± I added, giving her some praise. ¡°I have some business at Wigand¡¯s, and Gareth can take you to Sweets and Treats.¡± It was her favorite candy store in the city. Well, it was one of two candy stores in Solaris City, and there was just one general store in Hen¡¯s Hollow that had candy.
Her expression was furrowed. ¡°And I will give a copper. You, my dear sister, are going to rot your teeth,¡± I said, mussing her hair and smiling at her. She just burst into a bright smile as she ran and hugged me. Ugh, she transferred some dust to my damp, sweaty clothes. Not that I was very clean, and her nose wrinkled at my body odor.
The three of us retired to the loft, and I told Freya about our upcoming lessons with Captain Callem. She would have to cover our absence, which wouldn¡¯t be too difficult as we frequently spent all day at our various enterprises. Eventually, I would tell Father about the lessons, but I planned to keep them secret for a time so Pascal wouldn¡¯t be jealous and worm himself into them.
After figuring doing the math, she was even more upset that we would be gone six to seven hours, for three days a week. I appeased her, saying we would bring her to the city with us every 2nd day of the week, and I would give her a copper to save or spend. That was the upper range of what she made ¡®helping¡¯ with our various errands every week.
We all went to the river to swim so we could clean up. There were other town kids there, and soon, we were all playing in our underclothes in the water. Things briefly got interesting when Brianne showed up and talked privately to Gareth out in the middle of the shallow water before leaving in a huff. I was curious about the exchange, but Gareth wouldn¡¯t tell me what it was about. He just blushed and didn¡¯t respond. The misty evening clouds denoting twilight moved in, and we ambled home.
I made dinner that night. I fried something similar to polenta, adding a white cheese sauce with chunks of bacon, and made a salad with sweet peppers, red onions, and a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Pascal delighted in relaying his tales of sword practice with his friends and his ¡®outstanding¡¯ victories. I remained silent through dinner other than mentioning that I would bring Freya to the city tomorrow.
I lay in my bed later that night. It was time to manifest some coins. I decided to go with silver this time. A large lump of silver was on my chest when I had finally depleted my aether stores. It was quite heavy. I started turning the lump into large silver coins. In the end, I had six large shiny silver coins and enough remaining material for six regular silver. The total value of the silver was just two-thirds the value of a single gold coin. So, I had made much less than the value of gold. In terms of ounces, I estimated I could make 1.3 ounces of gold compared to 6.6 ounces of silver. So, was my ability a multiple of five? Could I then make three platinum coins equal to 300 gold!? I would have to wait till tomorrow night to find out since my aether was depleted. I added the six silver coins to my pouch and the large silver coins to my stash. My dizziness from draining my core soon faded, and sleep embraced me.
Chapter 8: Captain Callem POV
Captain Callem woke up early to walk, weed, and water his fields. He took pride in working the land after spending his life serving the citizens. He was once Commander Callem, overseeing all the naval training for Skyholme. Under his guidance, the navy built and crewed more sky ships than ever in its long history. The new Triumvirate Council has since slowed its growth due to bureaucratic hurdles.
The survival rate of Skyholme¡¯s Marines had also increased during his supervision. This was due to the improvements he instituted at the Naval Academy. But as with all good things, that had come to an end when Lord Councilor Oskar to the Triumvirate¡¯s Military arm was retired with a dagger in the back. His death had not been made public knowledge.
Lord Councilor Oskar had been a friend and supporter of Callem¡¯s efforts. The intrigue of the three ruling families was outside the scope of his duty, but his friend¡¯s assassination had hit him hard. Callem had two daughters to worry about and five grandchildren. If he made waves, he risked them coming under scrutiny by the unsavory politics of the capital.
Not long after, Callem was asked to assume a lesser role or retire. Callem had too many friends and too much influence in the capital for the new Lord Councilor to trust him. He did neither and was demoted to Captain and assigned to Titan¡¯s Shield to oversee the barracks in Hen¡¯s Hollow.
Barracks? Now, that was a joke. Nine men, five of whom were assigned in rotation to the town gate, and the other four were assigned to the airship dock. Also, not a single one of them lived in the barracks. The only good thing was that the barracks served as the town¡¯s first-year Academy, which meant he could watch the training of the young men and women in the first year of the Academy.
His input completely overhauled the training and expectations at the small Academy. He wasn¡¯t permitted to teach since he was on active duty, but occasionally, he would selectively mentor one or two students. One of those students was Caleb Hardlight. And today, Caleb was bringing his son to his farm in the morning for a lesson in swordsmanship.
He looked over his farm with pride. He had enjoyed smoking tobacco. After much research, he had gotten ahold of a strong type of sweet tobacco whose seeds had been harvested in a dungeon in the lowlands. Most seeds from dungeons were difficult to grow since they required aetheric soil. Fortunately, he had a friend who made it possible by bringing him aetheric soil to keep his crop viable.
His tobacco, when properly dried and shredded, gave off a pleasant blue-gray smoke and had the added effect of increasing one¡¯s reaction speed for a short time after smoking it. The tobacco had the side effect of staining the smoker¡¯s teeth with a blue tint. For Callem, getting the special toothpaste from the city¡¯s apothecary was a nuisance to keep his teeth white and healthy from his tobacco habit.
He suddenly seethed, looking over his cash crop as he had a flashback. The bastards in the capital had given him a Captain¡¯s pension even though he had spent 42 years as a Commander. There is a sizable difference, just nine gold a month compared to thirty gold a month. Oh, nine gold was still a sizable sum out here in the poorest regions of Skyholme, but after everything he had given Skyholme, he hadn¡¯t expected to be discarded and shorted.
Well, the joke was on whatever bureaucrat had shorted him. He sent his pension to his two daughters and lived off his efforts on the farm. He had been retired for six years and earned nearly two hundred gold in profit annually from selling tobacco harvests about five times a year.
A lot of the credit had to go to his mage friend, Admiral Sebastian. He was a Navy mage specializing in earth and nature magic. When he first moved out to Hen¡¯s Hollow, Sebastian had cleared the land, built his house, and came by every other month to deliver aetheric soil and accelerate the field¡¯s growth. In exchange, Callem had a fermentation and distillery in his basement, making a fantastic vodka using the three varieties of potatoes he grew. His vodka was exceptional, but he only made five gallons monthly and stored the product in special oak casks in his cellar to age it. He also grew sweet potatoes to sell in town and consume himself. Technically, he didn¡¯t have a license to make vodka, but he dared the Brewer¡¯s Guild to object.
His other venture and pastime was training young men and women in combat. His remaining friendly contacts on the capital island would send their children to him before entering their first year of the Academy, and he would take a large gold for every three days of training. After he retired and built the farmhouse, he had trained two or three children monthly. Now, as time distanced himself from the capital, he only had two or three students come to his farm every year.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
His musings ended as Caleb Hardlight came into the clearing, walking beside a boy. Two more boys followed the pair, one quite large, and Callem wondered if he was still under 16 years old. Callem walked to Caleb, and the two separated from the boys to speak privately.
Caleb started, ¡°Thank you for taking your valuable time today to work with the boys. The large boy is my younger son¡¯s friend, Gareth. My eldest, Pascal,¡± he gestured with his head to indicate the non-descript boy with excitement in his eyes. ¡°He has gotten the basics from me and practices every day. My younger son there, Storme, is probably only here because of his friend.¡±
Callem had a unique ability, true sight, which allowed him to see extreme details and clarity even in the dark. This allowed him to glean dozens of details through simple observation. Over the years, he had been able to sort and refine what he was seeing. He assessed the boys as they walked forward at Caleb¡¯s invitation.
Pascal was particularly fit but had a poor range of movement. His eagerness would also get him into trouble in a fight by overestimating his abilities. The big lad moved surprisingly well. He probably had manifested some ability because he didn¡¯t have the marks of a trained fighter. The smaller boy, Storme, was distracted, and it was obvious his heart wasn¡¯t in today¡¯s lesson. It also looked like he was nursing some injuries or strained muscles from his movements.
¡°I will do my best to get them self-aware in the next three hours,¡± he told Caleb.
Caleb turned to the boys, ¡°Captain Callem is an arms master. If he were to charge you for his time, it would be at the rate of one gold per hour. He is going to spend the next three hours with you boys, so pay attention and make good use of it.¡± Well, that sounded about right. Caleb had been a good student, but Callem could see from the man¡¯s movements that he had not been diligent in his practice.
He first brought the boys back and showed them the sixteen basic facilitated stretches for joint and muscle movement. The big lad, Gareth, was by far the most limber of the three and could probably make a good acrobat if he had the mind to.
He now needed to teach the boys weapon care and safety and to see who had good focus and attention to detail. He demonstrated to the boys how to clean, store, and do minor repairs, then set them up for it. Once again, Gareth was at the top of the class, meticulously cleaning the weapons in his charge, tightening wraps, and carefully stowing the weapons when finished.
Now came the fun part for the boys, ¡°Ok, boys, it is time to try to find the weapon you wish to train with.¡± The excited boys wandered through the racks, and Gareth immediately pulled a saber¡ªthe better of the two sabers, Callem noted. Pascal, after a brief hesitation, went for a long sword. The weapon would be too heavy for him at his age and development¡ªa poor choice.
Storme moved among the shorter blades. He was smart, but he should have sought a spear or staff. He pulled a shorter blade and joined the other two. ¡°Okay, staying on your feet, boys, is the most important thing to know to stay alive in a fight. We will spend the next hour drilling proper movement skills with your selected weapons.¡±
The next hour was very enjoyable. None of the boys complained, and Gareth never needed to be corrected twice. This boy would be an amazing swordsman if he devoted his life to it. It had been a long time since he had seen someone with such potential. Pascal was doing well enough as well. Once he fixed his mobility issues, he should make a passable swordsman. The last boy, Storme, had some potential too. He was obviously fighting through some discomfort from injuries but didn¡¯t complain and worked hard to try and match his bigger friend. The lesson ended up going a little long, but that was ok.
¡°Good work today, boys. Remember the stretches and do them at least once a day. Practice the footwork with or without weapons. Balance will be key to attacking and defending. You all did well,¡± Callem said, leaving the boys after shaking Caleb¡¯s hand and telling him he had good children. As Callem returned to his fields, he began thinking of ways to get Gareth out here regularly. It would be a shame to waste such innate talent.
He was surprised to see the smallest boy returning and grabbing a small sack by the fence post. He must have forgotten it, but then he approached. ¡°Captain Callem. Is it true you charge a gold per hour for instruction?¡± What, did he want private instruction?
¡°Yes, what do you seek of me,¡± Callem said, trying to run out the possible conversation possibilities before they were spoken.
¡°I wish to come three times a week with my friend Gareth for training. Hopefully, you will have time to train us on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th days after the mid-day meal. We have book lessons in the morning so cannot come earlier. But I ask you not to reveal this to my father or brother.¡± Storme said with a hopeful expression, but on the inside, Callem was jumping for joy, but that joy did not show on his face.
Don¡¯t seem too eager he reprimanded his inner mentor. He needed to bring the price down to something the boys could manage too, ¡°Yes, that can be arranged. You will be here after the mid-day meal on those days, and I will train you two for three hours,¡± he said, and before the boy could object, he continued, ¡°then you two will help around the farm for three hours to pay for the majority of your lessons.¡± That should be something they could manage.
¡°I don¡¯t train students for less than three hours at a time. Any shorter, and the muscle memory doesn¡¯t take hold. Also, don¡¯t expect my full attention if I have another student here during that time. In addition, I expect one silver coin per week from each of you for payment. The more you sacrifice for something, the more you will be thankful for it.¡± He was ready to add if they didn¡¯t have the silver, they could run errands to the city for him, but the boy just nodded.
Storme started looking around, probably trying to imagine what he would have to do. ¡°Boy, there is plenty to do around here. A mage friend in the capital visits me every other month to fertilize the fields and grow tobacco. I also was thinking of building a new drying barn.¡±
The boy¡¯s hand shot out to shake, and he said, ¡°Agreed.¡± Callem covered his surprise when the boy slipped him a coin. ¡°Here is the first five week¡¯s payment!¡± Seeing that it was a shiny, large silver coin, his jaw dropped a little. The boy was already off to rejoin the others.
What were the gods working at? He wanted to train Gareth so bad he was ready to do something extreme, and instead, the boy was hand-delivered to him. He could also use the labor on the farm to train the boy¡¯s muscles. If he was correct, Gareth would be one of the best swordsmen of his generation. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t be foolish and run off and get himself killed in a dungeon. That thought pulled at his heart. His only son had died in a dungeon.
Callem¡¯s mind began to forecast what he would need to train Gareth. He should have them start by rebuilding the obstacle course in the woods¡
Two days later, the boys were walking into the farmhouse clearing wearing packs and having a lively conversation.
Chapter 9: Obtaining the First Spell
I awoke so sore I couldn¡¯t move. Yes, that was a lie. It was just excruciating to move. The pain triggered a hazy memory of the first day of wrestling practice in high school when the coach decided to check out the team¡¯s conditioning for the entire practice. I grabbed the lemon-scented salve and used the rest of it on the most painfully sensitive muscles and more significant bruises.
I sat in my bed and found the leather backpack, which contained the book about various coins and light stone, nearby. It was still a little dark outside, so I used the light stone to explore the pages. The coins within were drawn to scale, and weights and metal alloy content were listed for each of them.
The book was well written. Each page had a brief history of where the coins came from and then located that site within the Sphere before having detailed images and denominations of the coins. The most fascinating coins were the dungeon coins. According to the stories I had read, each dungeon manifested rewards, which usually included coins. But dungeon coins usually depicted monsters on both sides, usually floor-challenge monsters.
If I had a bestiary, I could figure out what monsters resided in the dungeons just from the coins it rewarded. According to the book, most civilizations in the Sphere melted down dungeon coins and restamped them in their local currency. Dungeon coins were pure metal. Civilizations added other metals, reducing their purity but increasing their hardness.
I thought this was truly a waste looking at some of the artwork on the dungeon coins. I had only made it a quarter of the way through the book before the house started stirring. It was my father¡¯s turn to cook, and I smelled bacon and eggs. I thought I had better get up before he burned the eggs.
At breakfast, Freya was super excited, and I was also happy because I had managed to save the eggs from my father¡¯s cooking. Freya rarely got to go into the city. Since Gareth and I were usually just on errands when we went to the city, we didn¡¯t take her often because she wanted to explore the various shops. After breakfast, I got my best backpack, dressed in my best clothes, and gathered all my coins. I planned to spend most of the day in the city and had a few purchases in mind.
My gold coins needed to be altered to include 11% silver. I could try that while we walked, sticking my hand into my money poach. It would be a pain, but it would also increase my gold coins by 10%, so it was worth the effort.
When I exited my room, Freya was ready to go, and I slipped her the promised copper for her to spend at Sweets and Treats. Gareth was outside waiting, but he had other plans, ¡°Storme Captain Callem said we should do the stretches every day.¡±
I held back a groan. How could the big guy still move? And he wanted to stretch? I conceded and stretched with him while softly moaning and grimacing the entire time but only voiced two or three complaints aloud. Well, two or three loudly enough for him to hear. Freya thought it was hilarious, especially since Gareth didn¡¯t complain once and kept correcting my form. An hour later, we were off to the city. Freya and Gareth were having a lively conversation while I wept internally from the pain of simply walking and tried to distract myself by altering the gold coins.
At the city gates, I palmed Gareth three large silver coins as I was heading in a different direction. I noticed a few local kids around the gate but didn¡¯t recognize them as the ones who had assaulted me. Gareth eyed me, waiting for the word to act, but I just shook my head no. I was then off to see Wigand.
I entered Wigand¡¯s shop a short time later with a rough plan. I would put a deposit down on a spell in the name of my mysterious benefactor. However, when I entered the shop, I stopped dead. Under the one sole glass display case reserved for his most expensive books was a large book bound in a silvery, shimmering cover.
¡°Storme!¡± Wigand greeted me with a massive grin on his face. ¡°It is an impressive book. A patron brought it by. He found it in storage after his grandfather¡¯s passing. He charged me with selling it. The cover is from a lightning drake hatchling. It shimmers like that because the scales have not formed yet. The cover itself is worth a large gold, but the contents! It contains within its pages the original schematics and runic inscriptions for the original Harbinger Skyship!¡±
Well, that sounded impressive, but I didn¡¯t know what it meant. Fortunately, he continued to explain excitedly, ¡°The Harbinger Warship Storme! The core battleship of Skyholme¡¯s fleets!¡± I tried to remember, but military skyships were outside my current education, and rarely flew low over Hen¡¯s Hollow.
Exasperated at my lack of excitement, Wigand exclaimed, ¡°Storme, the first Harbinger, was built some 2000 years ago, designed by the famed shipwright Vaso Vidalatos. The Harbinger became the ship that allowed us to claim all eight islands and has been integral to repelling attacks from beasts, lowland kingdoms, and expanding our influence in the Sphere. The Harbinger boy!¡± He went to a shelf behind him, returned with a book, and thrust it into my hands. The title read The History of the Skyholme Navy. ¡°You can borrow that for a week, no charge.¡±
Then it clicked for me. Wigand had a dozen skyship miniatures in his back room. I had been back there twice, and each skyship was a meticulous model, even having small figures on the deck. Wigand had said they were famous warships that had perished in battle. ¡°So, are you going to purchase the book for yourself?¡± I asked, making small talk, and Wigand scoffed.
¡°Oh, I will page through it¡but the price? If I had a conservative estimate, it would be ten platinum to a collector, but most likely two times that number at auction as it is a status symbol to own among the nobles. I could never afford that, even if I sold all my books. Well, maybe if I sold all my books. But I am in line for a 10% commission on the sale! The High Auction House in the capital is coming to get it tomorrow morning.¡± He looked disappointed and sighed. ¡°The book has magic laced into it. It will never rot but cannot be duplicated by magic means.¡± He sighed. He pulled the book out and placed it on the counter. ¡°You may look.¡±
I came forward and touched the clasp. I sent my metal sense into it¡ªit was platinum. It was my first time getting a feel for the metal, and I thought now I might be able to use my ability to create it. I started paging through and was instantly enthralled with what was detailed within.
The beginning text detailed the best lumber and the preparation of the wood after it was harvested. Then came the ship¡¯s construction schematics. It was awe-inspiring and detailed. The ship looked sleek and predatory. Much more impressive than the cargo haulers and passenger skyships that visited Hen¡¯s Hollow. I was hooked and intense in my study as I turned each page. A stupid grin and smile were pasted on Wigand as he watched me.
Then, the book¡¯s second half had the runic inscriptions that made the skyships fly, powered by aether crystals harvested from dungeons. Studying the runes made me dizzy with their interwoven lines. There was a flow to them far beyond my understanding, but the maze of lines drew me in. I wanted to understand and knew I wanted to build my own skyship one day. Reluctantly, I closed the book. I needed to focus on today¡¯s business.
¡°Wigand, I came here today on behalf of my patron. She is seeking a book on creation magic, creating objects from aether directly. She has promised to get me a tier 1 spell if I can procure such a book. So, I am also seeking the cleanliness spell for myself. For a first spell, she advised me that it is versatile and that exact spell is what she uses to make her coins shiny and new.¡± I smiled earnestly, hating the fact I was lying.
My gaze fell on Wigand¡¯s prized book, and my thoughts were still straying to what had just regaled my vision. Twenty platinum for that one book¡ªI asked, ¡°How much does it cost to build a Harbinger?¡± I was off-topic, but I thought the side comment would help obfuscate my requests and perhaps give me something to strive for.
As he was putting away the silvery tome and locking it behind his security measures in the display case. Wigand responded, ¡°The classic Harbinger costs about 250,000 gold to build, or at least that is what the Triumvirate reports as the cost. But that includes overpriced parts and labor to grease the wheels of governance. 125,000 gold¡ªYes, that is what it would cost without any armaments, an aether power crystal, or inflated labor costs. Armaments can vary greatly. Aether cannons and aether power crystals can add tens of thousands of gold to the cost. Beyond that¡the upkeep, crew, aether crystals¡20,000 gold annually to operate.¡± Wigand¡¯s dreamy look revealed he had researched and fantasized about this.
Wigand¡¯s focus returned to the sale, ¡°Ah well. Okay, a book on creation magic. It is mostly the purview of the dungeons. A dungeon can create organic and inorganic things from the aether. Mages can create inorganic things with high-tier spells. There may be two mages in Skyholme with that type of power. But it is extremely inefficient. Then there are god-class beings. But they reside mostly on the 23 moons.¡±
He pulled a hefty tome from beneath the desk that indexed hundreds of titles and began paging through a particular section. ¡°Here is a good book for your patron: The Complexities of Aether Creationism, A Qualitative Comparison of Dungeon and Mortal Spellcraft. Let¡¯s see. However, it is available for copying only from the Triumvirate Grand Library. Let¡¯s see¡48 gold for the copy, adding the tax and transport cost, 55 gold¡and my commission,¡± he looked me in my eye, ¡°60 gold total.¡±
Wow, I had hoped for a cost of maybe ten gold, but this mysterious patron was hopefully going to be my cover for other purchases in the future. ¡°That is easily within her means. How long to get a copy? And the cleanliness spell?¡± I replied, a little upset that the cost would take me five days to manifest.
¡°Ah, the cleanliness spell. Glad you came to me instead of going to Margold¡¯s shop. I may not be a mage, but I will not steer you wrong.¡± He said with his salesman smile. ¡°The cleanliness spell is common, and there are dozens of variations of the spellbook from which to learn it. As with any spellbook, the detailed evolutions within are the true value.¡±
I had learned that all spells evolved, basically leveling up. Each evolution allowed changes to the spell framework. You could make a fire spell hotter or bigger, for instance. ¡°The best cleanliness spellbook accordingly,¡± Wigand continued, ¡°is Guidance for Personal Manicuring and Hygiene, The Comprehensive Handbook for the Cleanliness Spell by Archmage Sana Velin. It has over 250 evolutions and is considered the best reference for the spell. And today is your lucky day, Storme! I know where to obtain a copy. It would cost 20 gold, though, since it is a rare version,¡± he looked at me, and I swallowed hard and nodded. That was much more than the 6 or 7 gold I planned to spend and extremely expensive for a tier-one spell.
¡°The spellbook was in the estate of a war mage who recently lost her life. Her items have not yet been sent for sale, but one of my patrons has a list of the items the family is going to sell, and the book was among them with a buyout price of 20 gold. If I act in the next three days, I am certain I can get you the spellbook.¡± Wigand had doubt in his eyes that my patron would trust me with such a sum.
I pondered, then pulled ten shiny gold coins from my pouch. I could pay for the spellbook in two days and bring a deposit for the other. ¡°Will ten gold be enough of a deposit now? So, 20 golds in two days?¡± I asked hopefully. Wigand was wide-eyed at the amount of gold I was carrying and thought for a moment before responding.
I added, ¡°She had only promised me ten gold for a spellbook if I completed all her tasks, Wigand. But I am sure Gareth will loan me his ten gold.¡± It was a patchy excuse explaining how a fifteen-year-old could get 20 gold.
¡°Quite the wealthy patron,¡± he said suspiciously.
¡°I know. I think she is interested in recruiting Gareth after he completes Academy training.¡± I blurted. That would make perfect sense, as Gareth was larger than most adult men and was a phenomenal athlete.
Wigand started to nod as he puzzled out the plausible explanation. ¡°Yes, that should be enough to submit a request to start the copying request and hold your spellbook.¡±
¡°Okay, when Gareth and Freya get here, please have them wait. I have a few errands,¡± I said as I left. Relieved that I had started the process of obtaining my first spell, I left the shop in high spirits, not even feeling my sore muscles. My next stop was at the pie street vendor, with whom I was friendly. We sold her blue pike to make fish pies, and I got a chicken and vegetable pie at a discount today to feed my healing body.
My next stop was at the dressmaker. I placed an order for a light blue dress for Freya two weeks ago and came to pick it up today. Her birthday was soon, and she had repeatedly mentioned she was envious of Gwen¡¯s blue dress. This one should upstage Gwen¡¯s by a good margin. I paid the three silver I had due for the dress and packed it carefully at the bottom of my backpack.
My next stop was the cooper shops. I was looking for a small barrel butter churner. They sold a four-gallon churn barrel that was mounted to a rack with a handle. I wasn¡¯t going to make butter but ¡®age¡¯ my coins in it. Once I learned the cleanliness spell, I could pretend I was using the spell to make my coins shiny and new. Until then, we should dirty up the coins. Wigand had definitely been curious about my shiny coins and the mysterious patron.
It was much bigger and heavier than expected, but I still paid 20 silver coins for it. With some straps, Gareth could carry the barrel, and I could manage the stand. My next stop was the butcher, two smoked hams, 40 sausages, and one pound of ground beef. I had introduced ground beef to this region of Skyholme, so the product was relatively new, but people had fallen in love with cheeseburgers, so it was available in most butchers now. I then bought some dried cooking spices from the apothecary. My funds were quickly dropping. My last stop was the cheese shop for a block of hard-aged cheese similar in taste to parmesan.
Tonight, I would make fresh pasta noodles with tomato meat sauce. I returned to the bookstore, and Gareth and Freya were waiting for me. Freya was chewing on some soft caramel and looked happy. We all went back to the cooper to get the churn. I had to keep deflecting questions about why I had purchased it from Freya. But between Gareth and me, we convinced Freya to help us sneak it into the loft in the barn.
Leaving the city, we did see the adolescents that had accosted me last time on the road. They were watching from a distance by the city gates. I pointed them out to Gareth, and he eyed them, burning their faces into his mind. They didn¡¯t make a move on us, but there were six of them now, and I thought I remembered one of the new ones watching me during my shopping spree.
Well, the trudge back to town could have been more fun. Even Gareth looked uncomfortable with the barrel strapped awkwardly to his back. We had no trouble getting the churn into the loft and were exhausted lying there with the task done. I caught Freya trying to sneak into my backpack, and she left us in a huff when I yelled at her curiosity, something I rarely did.
Before my parents came home, I was in the kitchen. Freya made the noodles with flour and eggs, and Gareth cut up a light salad. Since I had paid for most of tonight¡¯s dinner, Gareth would be eating with us. Gareth had already brought the sausages to his house and told his parents he was eating with my family. His mother¡¯s favorite sausages were garlic, herb, and pork mixture.
I made the meat sauce with two types of onions, tomatoes, and some seasoning before adding the cooked ground beef. The noodles were cooked, and the sauce was added on top with thin slices of hard cheese. Mother and Father returned home, and soon, everyone was eating. Pascal showed up a little late but joined us at the crowded table. There was enough for everyone to have seconds, and we all did.
The small talk centered around the news of the recent skirmish with the Sadian Kingdom. It was rumored that we had lost two skyships in the conflict over control of one of the dungeons in the lowlands. The dungeon had evolved and was producing violet aether crystals in tiny amounts. It was the most valuable aether crystal as it held the most aether per unit. According to rumors, it wasn¡¯t so much the fact that we needed the crystals, but we wished to prevent the Sadians from getting them.
The Sadian and Skyholme peoples had been at war for the last millennia. We had the high ground, better skyships, and didn¡¯t have to deal with many of the challenges of bordering kingdoms and beast-filled wilds. ¡®At war¡¯ might also be too strong a phrase. There was a major skirmish like the recent one every other year or so. The last major conflict before I was born was when the Sadians sent over 50 skyships to try and gain a foothold in Skyholme and failed to do so.
The Sadians did have one advantage over us. They had better warriors and more numerous mages. They were also tolerant of other races; the people of Skyholme were humanists, and very few non-human races were allowed to reside on the islands. A few non-human traders had citizen status in Skyholme, but I had never seen one. Of course, the Wolfsguard also lived in the capital but did not have citizenship status. From my point of view, the Wolfsguard were closer to slaves.
After dinner, I retired to my room, and Gareth went home. I was sure he would be topping off his meal with some garlic sausages. I didn¡¯t have to do dishes as I had cooked. Pascal was already working furiously on them so he could go bathe in the river.
Tonight, I was going to attempt to make a small platinum coin. I had a good understanding of the metal from Wigand¡¯s shop today. I tried to do so for the better half an hour. I couldn¡¯t make a small coin, as I kept defaulting to one ounce of the metal for a large coin.
I needed more practice and refinement with my creation ability. I was getting overly tired from all the attempts, so I just made 13 gold coins and a little extra gold, exhausting my aether. But I compared the little extra with last night¡¯s, and it was definitely slightly more.
I slept well that night, exhausted and still sore. In the morning, Gareth brought some fig pastries and woke me early. He had talked to his mother, and we could start our lessons with Callem early today. ¡°Fantastic,¡± I retorted. I didn¡¯t match his enthusiasm, lacing my ¡®joyful¡¯ response with sarcasm.
Lessons flew by. Numbers tables, a few questions, and we read and discussed three short ballads. Then Gareth was dragging me away as soon as we finished. I panicked a little as I had left my pouch on my bed with the 13 new gold coins I had made last night. My family wouldn¡¯t steal them, but if they found them, they might question where I obtained them. Since we were already halfway to Callem¡¯s farm, I would deal with any fallout later and be much more careful in the future.
We were soon joking back and forth as we walked to the tobacco farm. I was trying to tease him about his exchange with Brianne at the swimming hole. I was curious about what had made her angry, but he wouldn¡¯t divulge what was said.
As we got closer to Captain Callem¡¯s farm, our conversation turned to using the butter churn to age the coins and what we should add: rocks, metal cubes, dirt, some oil, water¡ It was an in-depth conversation about how much and what would be best to age the coins. We came out of the woods to see Captain Callem looking at us, and I swear he smiled in anticipation. Gareth also seemed eager to start. I was the only one apprehensive and still sore. What had I gotten myself into?
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
Chapters 10 to 12
Chapter 10: Gareth, The Prot¨¦g¨¦
We walked toward Callem, and before I could speak, Gareth spoke firmly and clearly, ¡°Captain Callem, we are early and don¡¯t want our instruction time to begin just yet. Storme and I will complete the daily stretches before we start. Is that okay?¡±
Whoa. I stared at Gareth, whose face was relaxed, and his eyes locked with Callem. What the hell, Gareth! An hour of stretching¡three hours of combat training¡three hours of farm work. Was he adding an hour to our commitment? I felt betrayed as we had not discussed this, or had we? I did the same to Gareth sometimes, explaining my reasoning after the fact.
¡°That will be fine,¡± Callem¡¯s pleased, deep voice intoned. He then proceeded to return to pulling weeds among his tobacco plants. Gareth was already walking to the packed earth training ground by the shed. I noticed six different training dummies set up in the yard that had not been there the last time.
¡°Gareth,¡± I intoned with irritation in my voice, ¡°We should have discussed this more?¡± He looked at me without his normal grin and sighed.
¡°Storme, do you know who Captain Callem actually is?¡± What? No, you didn¡¯t tell me anything. Why have you been waiting till now to reveal this? We were best friends, damn it! ¡°Captain Callem is Commander Callem Dregalla. He was the First Sword of the Skyholme, recognized as the best swordsman in all of Skyholme for 17 straight years. The streak only stopped because he stopped competing in the Annuals. When he was promoted to oversee the training of all Naval personnel and raised to Commander, he just stopped competing for the title.¡±
Gareth had reverence in his eyes, ¡°Freya and I went to the library in the city yesterday after Sweets and Treats and lunch.¡± He smirked and got his grin back, ¡°She didn¡¯t tell you about the lunch or the library trip?¡± First betrayed by Gareth and now my sister. ¡°Well, I researched and read the news posts from when Callem was in his prime. He was unbeatable in combat duels and earned numerous accolades. He single-handedly boarded a Sadian warship and killed everyone on board while in the midst of an aerial engagement.¡±
Captain Callem called in his booming voice from twenty paces away as if he was listening right next to us. ¡°I hate that tale, boy. There were six of us that boarded that ship. Four of us lived, and all the credit was given to me because I killed 27 men and women myself. Get to your stretching, boys, and stop bringing up fables.¡± I was a little startled by his interruption. I started the progression of stretches with Gareth, my body protesting by obeying.
Gareth seemed reluctant to say anything else for fear of Callem overhearing us. We finished the stretches in quiet, well, almost silence. Gareth annoyingly corrected my form every time I made an error. At the conclusion of stretching, Callem approached us again. ¡°Okay, boys, let us continue with footwork. The next hour and a half were brutal for me, and my body was broken and abused. ¡°Good boys. I have two weighted training blades for you.¡±
He retrieved two heavy, dull blades and handed us each one; Gareth¡¯s was slightly bigger. ¡°These blades are dull and useless in real combat but are perfectly balanced and twice as heavy as a normal blade their size. I am going to teach you the 23 master sword forms. Each sword form has 23 movements, and each movement has 23 variations.¡± ¡ it took me a moment to do the math in my head: 12,167! My face fell as I muttered the number.
My shock had Callem smirk, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Storme. The variations are based on the blade. If you stick to just one sword type, it is just 529 movements. The first form is called the Snapping Tortoise. It is heavily defensive and only has five of the twenty-three movements dedicated to attacking.¡±
The next hour proceeded as we practiced the first two movements. My arm was dead after just half an hour, but Gareth showed only eagerness. He rarely needed correction while I constantly did as we put the movements into muscle memory.
¡°Now I will attack each of you, and you will defend.¡± Wait, what? Before I could respond, Callem had another training blade in hand, swinging simple strikes at each of us. First Gareth, then me. My aching arms could barely hold the training sword, but I blocked the first six deliberately telegraphed strikes before the seventh bashed my own sword into my forehead, knocking me out. Fortunately, I had been struck with the flat of the blade, and my head wasn¡¯t split open. When I woke, I just heard the clang of steel. Gareth and Callem were still at it, but Callem¡¯s strikes had increased in speed.
As I sat up, they stopped. ¡°Storme, sorry about that,¡± Callem said with sincerity. ¡°I had judged you capable of handling three or four more strikes. I am out of practice sparring with a student.¡± Sparring? I had been defending my life. I felt a large lump on my head. Did I crack my skull? ¡°Storme, in the kitchen, there is a white cabinet. There are restorative vials in there. The small white ones will erase your injury. Go and drink one.¡± I walked jelly-legged to the farmhouse.
The farmhouse was quite nice outside¡ªtwenty yards by fifteen yards and two stories built completely out of stone. The wood trim was in excellent care, and I entered the large front door and was stunned by the interior. The house was immaculate. White walls and clear, stained, fine woodwork were everywhere. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were one massive room. A staircase led upstairs, and the first floor had three doors to other rooms.
No, one of those doors was under the staircase, so it probably led to the basement. The kitchen was small but had two cold storage boxes powered by a runic script and small aether crystals. I peeked inside and found one was a freezer and the other a fridge. The cooking top was also rune-scribed for heat. All of them were very expensive luxury items. I found the white cabinet and opened it to find an assortment of neatly labeled vials.
I heard Callem yell, asking if I needed help. I had been dawdling. I grabbed one of the small white vials and drank. The taste was best described as a sour apple. The elixir acted fast, and all the pain in my body vanished in just a few seconds. I headed back out to the yard, dragging my feet.
Half an hour later, I really wanted another elixir. I had a few bruises, but nothing serious. With the lessons done for the day, Callem complimented us. ¡°Storme, you did very well. Do not think you failed today.¡±
He put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes, and I could tell he was serious. ¡°I know you are not as motivated as Gareth, but I have worked with hundreds of boys, girls, men, and women, and I can honestly say you have the potential to be better than the majority.¡± His eyes and voice indicated he was sincere. ¡°Gareth, do not get a big head, but I think you could surpass me in time.¡± So much for not letting Gareth get a big head. It was swelling before my eyes.
¡°Ok, you boys have some work to do for me. This way.¡± He turned and headed into the nearby woods. Gareth followed like a puppy. I hesitated and needed to consider. I was at a crossroads. I was sure Callem would continue to train Gareth if I quit, but I didn¡¯t want to abandon my friend on his journey. I didn¡¯t care that he would far surpass me. I decided we would be taking the journey together, which is what mattered. I hastened after them.
In a clearing after a short trip through the woods, the site I beheld had me thinking about changing my mind. Gareth was puzzling out what he was seeing, but I knew. It was an obstacle course straight out of hell. Narrow beams ten feet off the ground, ropes, suspended bags, walls, a pond with stepping stones. There was also an archery range on the far side¡or did that mean he was going to shoot arrows at us while we ran the obstacles?
Before I could do an about-face and return to the farm, Callem spoke, ¡°The course is a little overgrown, so rather than work the fields today, we will clear the brush and check the ropes.¡± Callum had a devilish grin, and Gareth was tickled pink by the idea of the training course and the stupid look of joy on his face. We got to work and finished the hard labor in just over three hours and were allowed to head home.
¡°Gareth, I think I am going to buy a cart,¡± I said after I had forced my body to walk the first half a mile.
¡°Why Stormy?¡± he asked, already knowing the answer.
¡°So you can pull me home after training,¡± I replied without humor in my voice.
Gareth had a response ready, ¡°You should just get a horse or reindeer.¡± I thought that wasn¡¯t a bad idea, but it would draw my attention as they were expensive animals to maintain in Skyholme.
Gareth suddenly went off-topic, ¡°Tell you what, we race home, and the loser buys lunch for the next week.¡± Before I could reply, he was off. I didn¡¯t chase him as he sprinted away. I was slightly faster than him over rough terrain, but his long legs easily beat me on these straight paths. The only solace I took was that he was moving a bit gingerly, so that inhuman boy had felt today¡¯s training a little, at least.
On returning to town, I went to the pub and gorged on milk, bread, roasted chicken, glazed vegetables, and beer cheese soup¡ªall without Gareth. I rolled myself home and went to my bedroom after letting my parents know I had returned. Freya came in, and I quietly relayed the day¡¯s tales, ensuring she knew how gallant her brother was in his training.
I did tell her I was a little upset she hadn¡¯t told me about the library trip and what they learned about Captain Callem. She then told me she had just looked at the picture books in the library and didn¡¯t know what Gareth had been researching, but he did mention a Commander Somebody.
Ugh. I gave her a lecture about paying attention to her surroundings and the absolute importance of sharing relevant information with her brother. That brother being me, not Pascal. She was a little huffy but seemed to acquiesce.
After she left, it took me a while to find a comfortable position to settle into. I generated my nightly gold coins and stuffed them under my pillow, not wanting to travel the five feet to the secret cache in the wall. At least tomorrow, there was no sword training, and I could go claim my cleanliness spell!
Chapter 11: Magic Isn¡¯t Easy
I woke often during the night, trying to reposition my body to avoid pain. I also came to one conclusion: I needed more pillows! I slept in short bursts and dreamed of getting beaten by a sword, casting amazing magic, running a merchant empire, and buying a horse, only to find the horse talked and didn¡¯t like to be ridden.
It was a crazy night, and the fatigue, large amounts of food in my stomach, and growing anxieties needed to be addressed. I was up far too early, consolidated my wealth into my money pouch, and went to the barn before anyone else was up. I was going to age the gold coins, but to my absolute horror, I found butter in the butter churn! Freya! I scraped out what I could and disposed of it in the refuse pit. I then added the coins, some stones, metal nails, dirt, and coal. Then, I began to churn the coins. It was a little noisy, but the barn should be far enough from the house to not wake anyone.
After thirty minutes, I used some wet rags to clean the coins. I thought they looked passable as aged coins and placed them into my pouch. The butter remnants had probably helped dirty the coins, but I would have to talk with Freya to see what she was up to with making butter. It was probably my fault for not telling her why I bought it. She probably thought she was helping with making the butter.
I walked to see Gareth at his house and couldn¡¯t help but grin. Gareth was cutting wood but was definitely moving with a lot of discomfort. He noticed me and seemed to stand straighter, trying to hide his own pains. ¡°Stormy! Ready for the morning stretches?¡± His grin was on his face. So that was it. We were playing a silent game of who could endure the pain the best.
We began the stretches, and we began the tough guy game. Soon, I was moaning and groaning over the movements as my muscles were doing their best to tell me enough already! After a while, Gareth stopped being so exact in correcting my movements, and I was thankful when we finished the routine. ¡°Stormy, we need to complete the series of stretches in 30 minutes, according to Callem.¡± I just glared at him while he grinned. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t give him an allowance today in the city as recompense for these indirect assaults on my body.
I moaned and sighed, ¡°We should get to the city in haste this morning. I want to purchase my new spell and return to practice it. What if we go to Twin Rocks Lake with our poles when we get back? You can fish, and I can practice my spell.¡±
Gareth seemed to consider. ¡°You want to return to the city to sell fish later today?¡± I hadn¡¯t thought of that. No. that would be a waste of time, and I churned over some ideas before responding.
¡°You know that camping kit you always wanted at the adventurer¡¯s shop? Why don¡¯t you get it? We can cook the fish by the lake for dinner. I will write down some vegetables and other ingredients you can also get.¡± Gareth immediately fist-pumped, excited but looking goofy.
We spent a short time getting breakfast and packing snacks at the Hen¡¯s Hollow¡¯s general store. I returned home and strapped on my dagger at Gareth¡¯s insistence. Freya was up and devastated she wasn¡¯t going with us to the city today. However, her birthday was just around the corner, and I teased her about her present. If she ransacked my room looking for it, she would find the dress in the bag under my bed, and that would make her happy.
Soon, Gareth and I were walking toward the city. It was the smallest city on Titan¡¯s Shield but big enough for us. The city was called Solaris, after a sun god. The citizens of Skyholme did not practice religion much. The only representation of the god in the city was his likeness in a fountain in one of the squares, but that was a remnant of the ancient avian race that ruled the islands.
The maps of Titan¡¯s Shield showed it to be roughly ovaloid in shape, with the widest part around 150 miles and the short side of the oval being 80 miles. There were four cities on the island, forming a diamond shape. Our city, Solaris, was at the bottom, while the island¡¯s capital city was at the top of the map and was called Aegis City.
It was the capital because it was built on top of one of the two dungeons on our island. The other dungeon on the island was up in the mountains overlooking Aegis City, so the city had a monopoly on both dungeons. The other two cities, Silver Warren and Shiphaven, were similar to ours in that farms and light industry surrounded them. If you also looked at the map of the island, it was clear our small town of Hen¡¯s Hollow was close to the edge, just a few miles from a very long drop. Gareth and I had been to the edge of the island a few times, and it was unfathomable how high above the lowlands we were.
During the walk to the city, Gareth asked, ¡°Do you think we should get some recovery potions from an alchemist?¡± He was being serious, and I remember Captain Callem had an impressive array of potions. But I had read a lot and knew some general things about potions.
¡°We should stay away from potions, Gareth. Heavy use when you are young can stunt your growth. Well, maybe in your case, that would be good for you.¡± I ducked a lazy swing by Gareth. But it was true. Using potions adversely affected the growth of young people. Or, to be more precise, poorly made potions had adverse effects, and one thing the Skyholme people lacked was quality alchemists.
Oh, there were a lot of alchemists and even some good ones, but the prices were extremely high, and the effects were not too impressive from what little I understood of the other civilizations throughout the Sphere. This was in part due to Skyholme¡¯s limited array of ingredients. We had very few dungeons on Skyholme, and our trade with the lowlands was constantly in turmoil. The genuinely effective alchemy ingredients rarely grew outside of dungeons.
¡°Ok, Gareth, get us each a minor restorative potion for minor wounds. That should be what, 50 silver each, maybe? Take three gold coins for everything today, but stay with me until Wigand¡¯s. The local kids have been eyeing me.¡± Gareth¡¯s face clouded in anger as I reminded him of my body being used as target practice.
¡°You will stay in Wigand¡¯s till I return?¡± He looked at me, waiting for the question to be answered.
¡°Fine, yes, you want an oath or something?¡± I was teasing him because I planned to get my spell and fall into the bookstore¡¯s big plush leather reading chair. My aching body was looking forward to it.
We ran into no problems getting to Wigand¡¯s, and Gareth left for his errands. On entering the shop, Wigand came out of the back room with his usual good cheer. ¡°Storme! So good to see you! I got your spellbook in the back! And have a few other books you may be interested in.¡± Wigand was always the salesman. I smiled tightly in response. I pulled out the 20 gold coins. It was ten for my spell book, and a ten gold deposit for the other book Wigand was having copied for our fictional patron.
¡°Fantastic! When the copy is ready, I will let you know so I can get the remaining 50 gold from your benefactor.¡± Fifty gold, I suddenly realized what an unreal sum that was. I stopped to think about my family. My abilities and wealth would improve their quality of life. I just needed to be careful and not get drawn into the politics of Skyholme. I would tell them eventually¡ªonce I mastered some of my magic.
Wigand went to get my spell book, and when he returned, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a thick book with a black cover and the title in silver letters embedded in the leather, Guidance for Personal Manicuring and Hygiene, The Comprehensive Handbook for the Cleanliness Spell by Archmage Sana Velin. It wasn¡¯t overly special compared to any other book I had read, but it was mine, and as I took it, I am ashamed to admit I hugged it to my chest for a brief moment before realizing what I was doing. Wigand had a knowing smile, and his eyes were on me.
¡°So Storme, I have two other books you may be interested in as you are just beginning down your path to magic. I take it you do not have a teacher.¡± He looked embarrassed for a second. Wigand didn¡¯t like to pry into other people¡¯s business unless asked. He continued, pretending he wasn¡¯t prying. ¡°Well, I have two books, as I said, Understanding Spell Imprinting and Aether Core Facilitation. Both are very old, out-of-date printings from the Skyholme Mage Academy in the capital, but they are two important primers for new mages. I got both books at the same estate sale. I got them with your cleanliness spell for very cheap.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Spell imprinting was the process of learning a new spell. I knew this much. A mage could only learn so many spells based on his or her capacity to lock the spell form to their aether matrix. The process was commonly called imprinting from my readings. Once locked in, a mage could evolve a spell as it essentially leveled up. ¡°How much?¡± I asked, very interested.
Wigand relaxed and smiled, ¡°Two gold for both or a gold and fifty silver for the imprinting book and fifty silver for the aether core book.¡± It was an extremely reasonable price as both books should be a few gold coins if new. I paid him with one gold and ten large silvers. Both books were well-worn and contained about twenty pages each with text on both sides. I went to the comfy chair to read, and Wigand went about his work, sensing I didn¡¯t want to be disturbed.
I opened the spellbook because, just like in my last life, I skipped the directions, confident I could figure it out on my own. I read the forward by Archmage Sana Velin.
Many have overlooked the usefulness of the basic spells. I have always believed that a spell is a living, evolving companion to mages. Within those evolutions, a simple spell can be utilized far beyond the originally intended scope. For this tome, I talked to dozens of mages from all walks of life who had mastered the cleanliness spell and detailed their evolutions within. One woman had extended the range to clean others, and another mage had increased the range so far he could clean entire rooms! One hunter frequently used the spell during tracking to eliminate his odor. A warrior who battled in the arena used it to sterilize his injuries. In all, you will find 254 unique evolutions within.
-Archmage Sana Velin, Instructor of the Tertiary Codex
Well, I was super excited as I turned the page. I was ready to learn my first spell. The spell forms made me dizzy looking at them as I paged through. Four pages full of magic lines that made little sense to me, and this was a basic spell, granted with some complexity. I just had to burn those four pages into my memory right?
I spent twenty minutes and just got nauseous looking at the curvy lines forming spiraling paths and circuits. I rested my eyes and turned to the evolutionary index for the spell. The first thing that caught my eye under the ¡®adding a lingering scent¡¯ was that vanilla was listed as an option. Ok, my first evolution would definitely be that.
Other evolutions that attracted me included simple effects: a fresh breath evolution track and the health track for eliminating bacteria and disease within a caster. After each evolution, there were details on coercing the spell to initiate the new desired effect, and the book provided a structured overlay for the spell form alteration. The spell truly had some depths. I spent almost two hours picking out the evolutions I wanted before Gareth returned with an extremely large pack.
¡°So Stormy, are you a wizard yet?¡± His grin turned to a laugh as I stared at him with indignity. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go. The pack has a folding fishing pole in it, so I don¡¯t need to stop and get mine at home.¡± He knew me too well. I would spend my day on the spell and not fishing.
The walk to Twin Rocks was down a lightly trodden path and over an hour from Hen¡¯s Hollow. We circled around Hen¡¯s Hollow without losing any time. Not many people went to Twin Rocks. Besides the blue pike, there wasn¡¯t much. At the lake, we set up between the two big rocks on the shore for which the lake was named after. The lake had good depth here, and we usually did well fishing there.
Gareth set his line and pole and then went to stretch, but before doing so, he tossed me a small vial, which I caught. ¡°The restorative potion. Expiration is on the cap.¡± He said, turning away and going through the stupid limbering exercises for a second time today. I put the vial, its shape similar to my index finger, in my pocket. If we were going to carry potions regularly, we would need a separate pouch on our belts for them.
I focused on my studying while Gareth proceeded with his own training. After a short while, I reluctantly picked up the spell imprinting book and read it cover to cover, and I was deeply saddened. Imprinting a spell took weeks! A tier-one spell took a new mage on an average of 20 days! Their best advice was to trace out the spell forms over and over on paper. I was unhappy as I had been hoping to cast my spell today.
The other book was a quicker read. It focused on understanding how to focus inwardly and find your aether core. But most importantly, it described the aether in a newly formed core as thick like molasses. You needed to thin the aether by ¡®stirring¡¯ it constantly and using it up to draw in the fresh aether. So, this cheaper book was actually more useful to start on my path to becoming a wealthy archmage. It was probably the reason I couldn¡¯t make less than an ounce of metal at a time. I needed to thin out my aether to better control it, according to the book.
The book highly suggested getting magic devices to charge with aether if the mage didn¡¯t have a spell or ability to empty their core. Apparently, regularly drawing on the aether core was important to help it grow, as was doing the exercises described. I added this to my to-do list; I just had to remember to make coins daily.
Maybe I could disguise myself as just a mage with spells and no abilities in the future. The last thing I wanted was to be chained in some noble¡¯s dungeon, making endless amounts of coin for them. It was why I was holding back from telling my parents. My father would probably want me to start making coins immediately.
I put away the spellbook and imprinting book and started focusing on my core. The book detailed 23 suggested exercises. All of them were supposedly simple but hard to master. I was on exercise five when Gareth yelled.
¡°Storme, move it!¡± I looked around in panic and didn¡¯t see anything besides Gareth running at me. Then, a massive beast of black feathers and talons barreled into me from above.
Chapter 12: Sebastian
The large bird grasped my right shoulder and left bicep in his talons. One talon pierced my upper chest on the right side. The momentum of the raptor took my left arm into a painful rotation, pulling it out of its socket and tearing ligaments and muscles. The pain was so much and so quick I didn¡¯t have time to scream. I was now pinned to the ground and looking up at a giant black eagle. It had a foot-long beak whose sharpness looked like it would make easy work of my tender flesh. When we locked eyes, I saw my end in its black unforgiving eyes.
Gareth suddenly appeared behind the eagle¡¯s head, flying through the air out of its line of sight. The eagle didn¡¯t pick up on his presence as he landed on its back, wrapped his left arm around the neck of the raptor, and drew his dagger clean across its neck with his other arm in an instant. The bird tried to turn, but it was far too late for it to respond to the attack. Its neck tendons were most likely cut, and the large bird hung over me for a brief second before collapsing onto me, completely burying my body.
The death collapse movement wrenched my arm and shoulder more, but I felt the talon release from my chest, alleviating pressure but allowing my lifeblood to flow from the wound. The weight of the bird was not my biggest problem. The blood from Gareth¡¯s attack flowed freely from the eagle¡¯s neck, and the feathers were suffocating me. I was drowning in blood and suffocating at the same time.
It was a short time later that Gareth had pulled the beast away. I couldn¡¯t speak; the only sound I could make was a rasping moan. My eyes were mostly out of focus, but I could see the panicked look on Gareth¡¯s face. He fumbled through a pouch on his waist, produced the restorative vial he had purchased today, and poured it into my mouth. ¡°Shit, still bleeding,¡± was all he said as he ran to my pack and dumped the contents out. Was it weird that I was more concerned with the rough treatment of my books than my ebbing life?
Gareth returned with the vial he had given me a few hours ago and again forced the liquid into my throat. How the hell was I still conscious? My mind was currently clear and, oh shit! Two potions consecutively before the first dissolved! It was a simple thing told in a child¡¯s rhyme. The dangers of combining two potions within the digestive tract. It was rarely a pleasant experience for the imbibers. It was a major error on Gareth¡¯s part, but as long as they were from the same batch, I should be all right. At least, I hoped so.
A few moments later, Gareth finally relaxed. ¡°It stopped bleeding, but your arm is all messed up. What should I do?¡± Well, I was in no place to give advice as my shock was starting to wear off, and the pain was doubling every second as my body figured out my condition. Tears started streaming from my eyes, and then I screamed. Well, it wasn¡¯t a scream, as I now knew some of my ribs were broken. ¡°Quiet Storme!¡± Gareth whispered urgently, rushing back to me, ¡°The shadow eagles usually hunt in pairs.¡± He was scanning the sky now.
My thoughts drifted to shadow eagles. We learned about them in school. They had not been seen on the island in over twenty years, and Gareth and I had decided the stories of them were more to scare young children from venturing toward the edge of the island and the risk of falling. Even the tales said the eagles just targeted small children and livestock. I guess in the raptor¡¯s eyes, I fell in that category.
¡°Okay, Storme. I need you to wait here. I am going to Callem. He is a little closer than if I went all the way back home. But I am going to have to move you beneath the ironwood tree by the water for cover. This is not going to be pleasant.¡± Well, it didn¡¯t matter as Gareth¡¯s first tug under my arms pushed me into unconsciousness.
I awoke with Callem kneeling over me, but I couldn¡¯t open my eyes, so I just recognized the man by his voice. I wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been there, but he was checking my body. I felt his hands inspecting my injuries gently. ¡°It is not good, Gareth. The vial I gave him will deaden his nerves and keep him from feeling the pain. He is going to need a good healer from the capital,¡± he paused, ¡°I have a friend who will come. We will get him back to the farmhouse first. Once he is safe there, you can go tell his parents.¡± I managed to shake my head somehow, signaling no.
Iron was in Callem¡¯s tone of voice, ¡°Fool boy. You are halfway to the grave, and if not that, you are probably going to be crippled unless you receive some upper-tier healing.¡± He sighed loudly. ¡°Gareth, tell his parents what you will. He will live, and if he is crippled, he can explain to his parents why,¡± Callem said with some frustration. I heard Gareth¡¯s footfalls fading as he raced away.
Although I couldn¡¯t think clearly, I still muttered two words before slipping away to unconsciousness again, ¡°My books¡.¡±
I awoke and could hear three distinct voices talking. One was Callem, one was feminine, and the third was male. I kept my eyes shut and listened. The female voice was speaking, ¡°¡are you sure? I repaired all the damage to the flesh and bone. The scar on his right shoulder will not be difficult to remove. There is also no sign of any further infection.¡±
The unfamiliar male voice spoke next, ¡°Nisil, that will be all. Callem wants the scar to remind the boy of what happens in your youth when you are foolish. Hopefully, he will learn from this little adventure. You can wait on the Wind Splitter.¡± I heard the shuffling of someone rising and exiting the house.
The unfamiliar voice continued, ¡°So, friend, you called me urgently out here on the communication stone to tend to this unremarkable boy. Who is he? I don¡¯t see any resemblance on his face to you, so he is not a relation. I know you called me because Nisil was attached to me. She is definitely one of the better healers in all of Skyholme, but explain it to me in more detail so I can better ask a favor in return.¡±
Callem''s rich, deep voice rumbled with a lighthearted chuckle as he replied, ¡°Ha, Sebastian, your words have the air of a damned politician¡ªbartering favors for lives. The boy I¡¯m mentoring is part of a duo of disciples I¡¯ve taken under my wing in the art of swordsmanship.¡±
His tone shifted subtly, becoming more serious. ¡°The other boy shows remarkable promise; in time, he will likely outshine me. As for this boy, he too has the potential to become a skilled swordsman, but my primary reason for teaching him lies in the fact they come as a pair. They are fast friends like you and I.¡±
¡°Fast friends, are we now?¡± the man inquired with a hint of sarcasm. ¡°So, you¡¯ve taken up the role of mentoring boys to become master swordsmen? I distinctly remember you saying you would never venture down that path again after what happened to your son¡¡± He trailed off, suddenly realizing the weight of his words. The memory hung heavy between them¡ªCallem¡¯s son had perished in a dungeon, a truth my father told us about.
Regaining his composure, the man continued, ¡°Well, you might have saved my life on a half dozen occasions, but then you chose to run away out here to the middle of nowhere, leaving me to contend with that viper¡¯s nest in the capital.¡± His voice held a mix of frustration and betrayal, underscoring the tension that lingered in the air.
I heard some movement in the kitchen. ¡°I am parched, old friend. How about some of the 10-year-old vodka on ice with that red fruit juice you like so much?¡± His tone was lighter, and it was obvious he wanted to get past the uncomfortable conversation.
¡°You mean the juice you like so much that costs me 20 gold to import from the Sabian merchants? And the vodka I made with my own two hands and aged in my own white sugar oak casks imported from the lowlands? What happened to the 5-gallon cask you took with you last time you were here to grow my tobacco?¡± It was the first time I heard Callem sound exasperated, but his voice had no malice. The mention of his son was now safely buried in the conversation¡¯s past.
¡°Don¡¯t tell me how you get the juice! I might have to report you to the Triumvirate Customs Office!¡± Sebastian replied jokingly. ¡°I still have some of that cask left, but the headaches of running the shipyards require a good shot every evening, so it is running low.¡±
Movement in the kitchen paused the conversation, ¡°Did you know Lord Leif Dintho has nearly doubled the cost in the last year of black cedar he is selling to the Navy? I checked, and the general market price has barely budged in the lowlands. He is the only supplier in Skyholme, and when I told the Triumvirate in my monthly report, they just signed off on the cost increase. But you know what I did to spite the corrupt asshole? I redrafted our three standard ship hulls to reduce the inclusion of black cedar by half! You wouldn¡¯t believe the hell storm that was created!¡± The man was passionate in his speech and laughing at his own cleverness.
¡°I¡¯ve had enough of the political games, Sebastian. You¡¯ll need to take on the challenge of saving Skyholme by yourself. I intend to savor my remaining years here in peace. Speaking of challenges, there¡¯s that other boy, Gareth. He may very well be the key to stabilizing the Navy, provided you can guide him down a righteous path. I also want an assessment of his abilities. Are there any independent assessors or readers who aren¡¯t swayed by noble interests? I¡¯m reluctant to expose his talents to the Houses or the Triumvirate until he is capable of standing on his own.¡±
The man sighed resignedly and, after a pause, said, ¡°Wynna and her daughter Ennet. They are two of the better readers in Skyholme, if not the best. They keep their readings private. At least I have not heard anything about them revealing information they have gleaned in my 72 years. That can¡¯t be said of any of the other powerful readers. No matter how much they profess confidentiality, they are all in the pocket of one house or noble. If you are that worried, you can always take him to the lowlands for an assessment. I will even fly you there myself.¡±
The man continued. I heard liquid being poured. When had Callem moved? I hadn¡¯t heard him shift position. ¡°This drink is fantastic, but it doesn¡¯t settle our debt of you dragging me out here. I do have a favor to ask of you.¡±
Callem spoke immediately, ¡°Name it, and if within my power, I will do it, friend.¡± I think Sebastian was finishing off his glass as there was a long pause.
¡°My granddaughter, Cilia, is in her fourth year at the Naval Academy. She wants to captain a ship as I did in my heyday,¡± he paused, sighing heavily, ¡°Well, earlier this year, there was trouble at the Naval Academy,¡± he paused. Sorrow laced his words as he continued. ¡°Another officer assaulted her outside of training.¡± I heard wood splinter from the direction Callem had been speaking. ¡°I know this would have never happened under your watch. That idiot in charge of the Academy always lets things slide and looks the other way for favors. I took care of what I could, Callem. The cadet was the son of Halifax Bricio. He is 22nd in line to succeed the Bricio seat on the Council of Three. He is still enrolled in the Academy, but Cilia has been moved back a year, repeating her 3rd year.¡±
Sebastian sighed, ¡°I know she is being punished for his transgression. But at least she will not be in his classes any longer. I need you to teach her how to defend herself. Her martial skills are the only area in which she ranks low at the Academy. She can come here in a few months and train with you between academic years. The Bricio cadet also has two Wolfsguard with him at all times. While I could temporarily assign my Wolfsguard Nisil to her, it wouldn¡¯t help. She needs to be able to stand on her own two feet in the Navy if she wants to be a captain. She is too stubborn to give up her dream. I have tried to convince her many times in the last few weeks. If this is too much, just say so, and I will hire others in the city.¡± I heard an empty glass being set down.
Captain Callem was quick to reply. ¡°Cilia is the tall gangly granddaughter?¡±
¡°Tall, yes, and she has filled out. The last time I brought her to your farm was five, maybe six years ago. She is strong and a pretty good athlete, but her mind is her sharpest tool. She even has a small aether core and can imprint a few tier-one spells.¡± Pride rang in his tone, ¡°I will also set up an appointment with Wynna as additional payment.¡± Sebastian added, sounding hopeful.
¡°Between terms? Not a lot of time to train her.¡± I heard Callem¡¯s finger tapping on the counter as he considered. ¡°I will focus on hand-to-hand, and she can choose one weapon to focus on while she is here. The boys can help. Ok, it is a deal. Get me an appointment with Wynna as well.¡± There was some movement as the pair moved about the kitchen.
Callem suddenly added, ¡°Readings for both boys. I doubt Gareth will go without Storme to see a reader, so make an appointment for two.¡± The pair sounded like they moved together and were shaking hands, sealing the contract. ¡°I will bring out three pouches of tobacco to the ship, but it is time for you to get moving. Your unexpected absence like this may draw eyes to me. And if you want more of the fruit juice and vodka, you can stop by anytime for a drink.¡±
¡°Hah, I am free to go where I want to old friend! The benefits of having my own skyship, but I can see my welcome has been used up,¡± he said in good humor. The door closed as Sebastian left.
¡°So Storme, how much did you hear?¡± I nearly jumped off the couch but slowly sat up. It was work to even sit up, and I was lightheaded. ¡°You can wipe the surprise from your face. You don¡¯t snore but have a low-pitched whistle when you sleep. Sebastian didn¡¯t notice that it had stopped. I did.¡±
¡°Captain Callem, I woke shortly before Nisil left,¡± I said truthfully.
He was nodding, replaying in his mind what had been said. ¡°Well, that was Admiral Sebastian Woodcraft. He is a powerful earth and nature archmage. I count him a friend,¡± he sighed, ¡°one of the few I have left, alive at least. In case you are wondering, he changed his last name when he became recognized as an archmage. It had been Riffolk prior. Riffolk is a minor house of nobles in the capital that is known for¡unsavory things.¡±
¡°He dissolved his bonds to his family when he reached the status of an archmage. Why do I tell you this? It is more for your safety. Even though he has cut ties with his family, they are still like mosquitos around him. Keep your distance from Sebastian until you are old enough to fend for yourself. So, do you know what a reader is?¡± Callem had moved to sit in front of me. I shook my head no.
¡°Well, man has always quested to quantify everything he lays his eyes on. I bet some mathematician out there has calculated how many blades of grass there are within the entire Sphere.¡± He huffed, ¡°I digress. By assigning numbers to certain descriptors, readers can access how strong, smart, fast, fit, and many other things that make you up. The magnitude on their power will determine how accurate their readings are.¡±
¡°Some magitech devices do the same thing, but only the Triumvirate is allowed to utilize them in Skyholme. Readers are not outlawed yet. Some of the more powerful readers with tier 2 or tier 3 reading abilities can read others¡¯ actual abilities, affinities, and racial traits. We do not have many in Skyholme, but there are many in the lowlands. I believe your friend Gareth has the tier 3 ability called Giant¡¯s Constitution. He also has at least one other ability that has improved his reflexes, but I haven¡¯t yet been able to ascertain which by observation. If I can identify his abilities, I can serve him better as his teacher.¡± He was looking at me for approval¡ªmaybe permission.
¡°How much do readings cost?¡± I asked. He misinterpreted my question.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I will cover the cost for both of you. If you choose not to reveal your abilities to me, I am also fine with that. I know your aether core awakened. Sebastian saw your books. He even offered a platinum coin for your cleanliness spell book in jest. It is quite the collector¡¯s item. We both met the mage who wrote the spellbook in our youth. Her spell books are enchanted and cannot be copied, so each copy is treasured.¡±
¡°Well, you should rest after you eat. There is plenty of food in the cold chest. I need to see Sebastian off.¡± Callem rose and looked a little older, if that was possible. He retrieved some pouches of tobacco from the basement and went outside.
I hobbled over to the fridge. I started in on a complete strawberry pie. I was surprised when it was completely gone. Next, I cut off some cheese and large slices of ham and made two sandwiches with a few slices of herb bread. While I was working on the second sandwich, Callem returned. ¡°Gareth is back.¡± As if by magic summoning, Gareth burst into the house.
He looked me over intently, ¡°Storme, you look good. Can you use the arm?¡± I moved it to show him I was whole and functional. ¡°I told your parents and mine we were out here helping Captain Callem on the farm for the next few days. I had to tell your mother you wrenched your shoulder, but Callem healed you. Also had to fend off Pascal from wanting to come out and help,¡± he grinned at his successful mission.
Callem interrupted our reunion, shaking his head. He was obviously not happy Gareth hadn¡¯t told our parents the truth. He sighed, ¡°Let Storme get some sleep. I will get you both some bed rolls, and you can sleep in my common room tonight. I believe you both have a sword lesson tomorrow.¡± I groaned, my body already shivering in anticipation of a new wave of pain.
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
Chapter 13 to 15
Chapter 13: Vested in the Sword
Gareth had to wake me in the morning as I hadn¡¯t risen. My body was in full recovery mode. Callem had slipped out and was already in his fields, watering individual plants. He was wearing what I guessed to be a large oxen yoke, and two massive buckets hung on either end. As he walked the rows, he pulled a rope attached to each bucket, releasing water over each plant. He noticed us in the doorway gawking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boys, you will work yourselves up to this. Your breakfast is under the cover on the counter.¡± He returned to watering.
We removed the worn wooden cover on the counter to find an array of fresh fruit, muffin cakes, cold sliced ham, and hard-boiled eggs. A pitcher of sweet-smelling red juice was there with ice cubes floating in it. How in the hell did he prepare all this without waking either of us? After glancing at each other, we dug in and quickly vanquished our shared enemy of the prepared food. I was happy almost to match Gareth¡¯s caloric intake this morning. I knew healing magic typically used body stores to heal, and I had had an awful lot of healing done yesterday. Satiated, we both sat near the bedrolls, holding our bellies.
I was dressed in oversized linens. The eagle and the blood completely ruined my other clothes. Apparently, the linens were from a prior trainee of Callem but would do for me until I could get clothes from home. They were only slightly baggy on me. My leather belt worked well to hold the linens to get a decent fit. I looked at Gareth, ¡°Where do we go from here?¡± He looked a bit uncomfortable at my question.
¡°I want to stay here, Storme. I talked to my parents when I tried to explain my reason for heading out here for three days with you, and even though I fumbled the words I found in my heart, I want to be here. I want to learn as much as I can.¡± I was stunned, and before I could respond, Callem had returned to the house from the fields. He started talking with Gareth, and I tuned them out as I began to think. I didn¡¯t want to invest my remaining youth swinging a sword around all day. Three days a week had been my self-assessed limit. I needed to have a serious talk with Gareth as it looked like we might be on different paths. But what could it hurt to spend some of my youth learning to fight with steel as I mastered my magic?
Callem was refilling the pitcher with the red drink that reminded me of a strong fruit punch but not overly sweet. I spoke, ¡°Callem, has Gareth expressed his interest in moving out here to stay with you?¡± His confused look told me Gareth hadn¡¯t asked yet.
I broke the ice, ¡°We could help you full-time five days a week and return to Hen¡¯s Hollow for two days to stay with our families.¡± I took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°I am not nearly as committed as Gareth, but I will train with him for most of the day before focusing on my aetheric studies.¡± I was preempting Gareth¡¯s request to control the situation and restrain Gareth¡¯s expectations. I was pretty sure he would train every hour of every day if given the option.
Gareth was a little confused, and his face kept transforming, first happy, then contemplative, then a little bit unhappy. I couldn¡¯t really worry about what was going through his mind right now. Personally, I was thinking of Freya; she might never forgive me for this and would see it as me abandoning her. Then there was my brother; he also probably wouldn¡¯t forgive me. Father would support my decision as he always hoped his sons would aspire to a higher standing in the militaristic Skyholme Empire.
Callem slowly nodded. His tone was serious, ¡°I do not think you should have hidden from your parents what happened to you with the eagle attack, Storme. But I have always thought you need to make your own decisions, regardless of age. However, if your parents ask, I will not lie to them.¡± This man was good, and I suddenly felt guilty. He was probably either trying to decide on my character or build my character.
¡°Callem, thank you. I will tell them what happened¡but maybe not that I nearly died.¡± I replied respectfully. He nodded, which I assumed was approval.
¡°Good. You both can stay here and train. Before we get too far along, I need to assess you!¡± He started asking us both questions. He wanted to get a fair appraisal of our knowledge, math, writing, history, dungeon lore, bestiary lore, and politics. We had strong responses to his test questions for the first two subjects and did ok with the verbal history exam. We could barely answer any of his questions in the last three subjects. Well, the biggest animal threat on our island was the wild foxes, which controlled the rabbit population. Well, if you ventured too close to the edge of the island, something from below could get you¡ªlike a giant black shadow eagle.
His questioning lasted two hours, and we were mentally exhausted by the end and embarrassed by how few questions we could answer toward the end. Callem voiced his assessment of our knowledge. ¡°Okay, normally you boys would get most of this knowledge in the academy. You are expected to know basic numbers and be able to read before the academy, and both of you far surpass that minimum.¡± Gareth beamed at the compliment.
I remained blank-faced, waiting for the ¡®but.¡¯ ¡°Though you are still a little behind the children in the capital who have personal tutors as soon as they can walk.¡± He shifted his stance fluidly and started pacing. I knew this was what Callem had also wanted, to get his hands on Gareth full-time. From the outside, he seemed contemplative, but I suspected it was an act.
¡°You will stretch and work the farm with me in the morning. In the afternoon, we will focus on combat training. In the evening, we will spend two hours on books. I will purchase the required texts. You will have three hours after dinner to do what you will in your free time. If you had the mind to, you could make it to town each day and spend an hour with your family before returning. As Storme suggested, you will spend every 6th and 7th day with your families. I will feed you three full meals daily and pay you one gold per week¡ªto split between you for your work.¡± He was trying to flip the script. He didn¡¯t know money was not an obstacle for us. It was his final ¡®lure¡¯ attempt. Gareth didn¡¯t need any extra incentive, and somehow, I had convinced myself to remain with Gareth. Who was following who now?
Gareth had a pleading look on his face, his best puppy dog eyes pleading for me to agree for both of us. Callem had made a compelling case, outlining a structured schedule that our parents would likely agree to, which would far exceed what kids our age could typically make. However, I couldn¡¯t help but think that Callem was a bit out of touch with the poor people in Hen¡¯s Hollow, as my share would probably surpass my mother and father¡¯s income. I nodded to Gareth, and he yelled, ¡°Agreed!¡± like a little kid, fearing it might just be a prank or that he would wake up from a perfect dream.
Well, the first day wasn¡¯t as bad as I had thought. We stretched as a trio, weeded the fields, and continued clearing the obstacle course. Watering wasn¡¯t required as the morning clouds had provided some rain. Usually, the island had a heavy mist in the morning that did a fair job soaking the earth. Only when the mist and rain were missing for two or more days did Callem water the fields.
In the afternoon, we focused on bows, but more specifically, on arrows. Callem emphasized the importance of archery, highlighting that it consists of two main components: the bow and the arrow. We spent hours sorting through six bundles of arrows, removing the defective ones and repairing those we could salvage under Callem''s guidance.
In the evening, we went to the spring to clean off and pull the splinters out of our hands and forearms. The food the first day was plentiful, and Callem muttered more than once he had erred in not considering the cost of food for two growing boys when he agreed to compensate us a gold a week. It was more Gareth than me, as he ate twice as much as Callem.
The evening found us having free time after we aced some math problems for Callem. Callem also stressed that we should call him Callem, not Captain Callem. I went and worked through my aether core exercises that evening. I managed to understand the first seven and put them into practice. Fortunately, the text was very good at explaining what needed to be done during each step of the exercises. I might fail a few times before getting it, but I have encountered no major problems.
That night, I made a stack of gold coins and had Gareth stash them in his pack. I still planned to take Freya to the city once a week and visit Wigand. I also needed 50 gold coins to complete the transaction with Wigand for our fictional benefactor.
The next two days were more of the same, except my strength had returned, and the intensity had ratcheted up. We spent just thirty minutes with bow practice before proceeding to sword forms in the afternoon. While I was mastering just one sword, Gareth was rotating through different blades, mastering the current sword form we were working on with each one. I settled on a saber as that was closer to a katana. A katana was thinner and lighter than a saber, but Callem didn¡¯t have one for me. The saber was the blade I felt most comfortable with since it focused on slashing attacks instead of the piercing attacks of a gladius.
Well, truthfully, neither of us was ¡®mastering¡¯ the blade after a few days, but we gained confidence and comfort with the forms. Callem let us use a salve that helped form calluses on our hands quickly, for which we were both thankful. I learned 18 of the 23 exercises for working my aether core. Like my first sword form, snapping tortoise, I was far from mastery of the aether core exercises but was slowly becoming proficient. Being self-taught from a book was probably much more challenging than having an experienced mage teach me.
The next day, after a massive breakfast, we were released to go home. Callem told us he was going to the capital island to pick up some books and restock his pantry over the next two days. He said we should just stretch in the morning and relax with family on our ¡®off¡¯ days. I was going home to face Freya.
If we walked fast, we could get home in a little over thirty minutes. It was less than four miles, by my estimation, to the edge of town. As soon as we entered the town, Gareth went to see his parents to convince them to let him live and train on Callem¡¯s farm. After a short search of my house, I found Freya out in the barn. She ran to me and hugged me. ¡°Hiya Freya. Do you want to go to the city today? We have some things to talk about.¡±
¡°Yes! I was hoping you would say that! But it would help if you put on some actual clothes. You realize that you are wearing woman¡¯s clothes?¡± Her statement had me stumble a bit as she giggled at my bewilderment. The oversized clothes Callem had given me were women¡¯s clothes? ¡°Yes, silly, the cut here and here is for breasts! And the sagginess around your waist is for larger hips!¡± She was laughing as she explained it to me. Well, at least no one saw me enter town.
I went into my room and found the bed neatly made and everything on my shelves organized. Freya was in the doorway shortly after and stumbled on her words, ¡°I, uh, had nothing to do, so I, uh, cleaned up the room.¡±
I looked her seriously in the eyes and asked, ¡°Did you dust underneath the bed?¡± She turned crimson.
¡°I am sorry, Storme. I was cleaning and came across the package and¡I thought it was a pillow¡yeah, and, so I¡it is so pretty! I love it!¡± She came and hugged me again. ¡°Can I wear it on my birthday? Gwen is going to be so jealous! I cannot wait! Oh, did you know a traveling troupe from the lowlands is coming to the city? They will be there on my birthday! They have a beast menagerie, acrobats, games, bards, and master sword duelists. Will you take me? It is two silver per person, according to the posters. Please¡¡± She had the same puppy dog eyes Gareth gave me when Callem offered to train us five days a week.
¡°We can talk on the walk to the city. Can I change now?¡± Freya left and shut the door, but I could feel her waiting on the other side.
I got my best clothes on, which were quickly becoming mediocre in my mind. I planned to buy new clothes today. I seethed a little bit, wondering if Callem intentionally dressed me in girl¡¯s clothes. I left the house with Freya in tow. We quickly found Gareth cutting wood. He was three days behind on his chores and hadn¡¯t had the courage to ask his parents to move to Callem¡¯s farm yet. Freya and I helped him finish his chores, and we all left for the city.
¡°So, Freya, I have some bad news.¡± I had had some time to think out my approach to breaking the news to her. ¡°You know in our 17th year, we go to the academy and live in the old barracks building at the edge of town?¡±
She nodded, ¡°I know Pascal is going next year.¡± She had a concerned look on her face, and she was bracing for the bad news, understanding my tone.
¡°Well, Gareth and I are sort of starting early. Next 1st day, we are going to go live with and learn from Captain Callem.¡± It was best to rip the band-aid right off. Then, give some news to soften the blow. Freya already looked crestfallen as she processed what I was saying. ¡°We will come back every 6th and 7th day. And Gareth and I will spend one of those days entirely with you doing whatever you want.¡± Gareth¡¯s eyebrow went up at that. It was a little get-back at Gareth for pulling me into weapon training for the next two years. I doubted he would mind as he saw Freya as much as a sister as I did.
Gareth, collected himself quickly, grinning as he announced, ¡°Yeah, Storme and I talked about it, and we figured you would want to go to Sweet and Treats and Madam Margot¡¯s Tailor shop. We are making decent coin and can get you a few things.¡±
Gareth was setting me up to spend coin on Freya. I couldn¡¯t let him win this joust. The clothing store had expensive dresses and accessories for women and girls¡ªsupposedly the height of fashion from the capital.
¡°Yeah,¡± I said, giving him a sour look. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Sweets and Treats, and Gareth can take you to the tailor shop every week.¡± Game set and match for Gareth! Freya was definitely going to spend much more time in the clothing shop.
Freya responded with excitement, ¡°You said you would both hang out with me, so we all stay together in Sweets and Treats and at Margot¡¯s Finery.¡± And the pass is intercepted by Freya and spiked in front of both of us. At least she wasn¡¯t as upset as I thought she would be.
We entered the city, and I gave Gareth four large silvers after they dropped me off at Wigand¡¯s. I found Wigand in the back and handed him 30 gold coins. Some of the coins had a shiny new appearance as I had not had time to age them. Wigand stared at them for a bit before depositing them in his lockbox. ¡°So, I haven¡¯t seen my patron recently, but I did have a note from her with the coins attached. She will return in a week to get me the rest of the funds. She went to the lowlands for something.¡± I didn¡¯t rush my words this time while spewing the lie.
¡°Your patron must trust you implicitly to handle such a large sum on her part. Gold is the currency on the capital island but she may be testing your trustworthiness,¡± Wigand said with a note of warning.
I nodded in agreement, ¡°I think she is more interested in Gareth than me. He will be an exceptional fighter.¡±
Wigand nodded in understanding, but looked a little sad, either at me devaluing myself or Gareth being tied to one of the nobles. He sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t discount yourself, Storme. Those who can imprint spells are just as valuable as those who wield blades. We wouldn¡¯t have our Navy to protect us without our mages.¡±
I nodded at his advice. My aether core was becoming more malleable, and it had just been a few days of the exercises. I pressed forward with my request. ¡°I was looking to get another spell if my patron allows. Can you get a copy of the mend flesh spell?¡± After nearly dying, I decided to learn some healing magic.
The mend flesh used the body¡¯s own fuel, mostly fat stores, to knit flesh back together, accelerating healing in a sort of stasis field created by the invested aether. The spell was tier one, but the spell book was usually over 30 gold. Wigand looked thoughtful, ¡°The mend flesh spell¡ complicated spell to learn. It would be of great use to your mentor if you are able to learn it. Have you already learned the cleanliness spell, Storme?¡± He asked with a wink.
I flushed red. No, in truth, I had given up on that until I could master the aether core exercises. Then, I could progress to learning the spell imprinting process from the other book rather than proceeding mostly blind. ¡°I¡¯m getting close,¡± was my reply.
Wigand nodded and went to the massive index. After a short time, he responded. ¡°I have a line on two versions of the spell. The first is 35 gold, the generic spell book you can get at any mage academy. The second is an older spell book recovered from a wrecked Sadian skyship. Apparently, it was the ship¡¯s chief healer¡¯s personal spellbook of the mend flesh spell and had copious handwritten notes. It is 42 gold. But it has been posted for over a year. If it is still available, I should be able to get it for 40 gold if you are interested?¡± He studied me, judging my mannerisms and response like a true merchant.
I made my best sad face. ¡°I will have to check with my patron as she hadn¡¯t mentioned any new payments to us, but I would like the costlier version if you can confirm its availability. I will know next week. We have to finish our current tasks for her.¡± Ugh, I was terrible at lying, at it turned my stomach a little.
I left the shop and then traveled to the clothes shop nearby that specialized in boy¡¯s clothes. I quickly selected six comfortable outfits, three for working the farm and three for combat training and running the obstacle course. I added two heavy pairs of boots as well. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to breaking them in. Maybe the salve we used for our hands would help with that? When I left, I had a large wrapped package of clothes, boots, and 18 quality socks.
The only thing in the package for Gareth was half the socks. His feet were extremely unsanitary, and sleeping next to him on the floor in Callem¡¯s living room made me appreciate the fresh air outdoors all the much more. I had been thrifty, only spending 13 large silver on everything, half the sum was the boots. They were pricy because most of the leather in Skyholme came from dungeon creatures. The sum would have drawn attention in Hen¡¯s Hollow, but in Solaris City, the merchant didn¡¯t even give them a second look as he stored them.
Gareth and Freya were still in Sweets and Treats when I found them, and she had a big bag of candy. Gareth paid for the candy, and we went to a restaurant in town for lunch, and I paid for us. We then took the road home and went swimming. I spent my time focused on my exercises and tanning my upper body while other locals were swimming. I noticed Brianne was with Edward, a boy her age and the son of the stone mason in town. I found it humorous that Gareth kept glancing at the pair, clearly jealous, when I thought he rejected Brianne.
My one mistake was displaying my scar as I had my shirt off. Freya thought it was a tattoo when she briefly spotted it from a distance and promised to keep my secret from our parents. Oh well, it was a good day, and my body needed rest. I knew Callem would soon be cranking up the training intensity, so I would enjoy this moment. I fell asleep in the sun, enjoying my second chance at youth.
Chapter 14: Settling Into a Routine
Waking up in my own bed was nice, especially on a mattress and not a hard floor. I needed to confront the parents today. I could already hear Freya talking to my mother at the other end of the house. Shit. I forgot to tell her I was going to that myself at breakfast. I remained in my room as the house came to life and breakfast was prepared. Even if they said no, I would still be going. Hoping it will go well, I left my room to face the music.
I entered the kitchen. Breakfast was on the table, with buckwheat porridge and candied nuts to mask the heavy blandness. The nuts were local and common but had a bitter aftertaste that the candying did not mask well. Ok, the day was not starting well. Mother asked, ¡°So Freya said you have a big announcement?¡± Well, she hadn¡¯t broken the news yet, at least. Father stopped spooning the porridge into his mouth and looked at me. Pascal took the opportunity to pour half the remaining nuts into his bowl and then stopped to look as well.
¡°Yes, um. You know I was working for Callem, I mean Captain Callem, the last few days. The reason why is Gareth and I were attacked by a shadow eagle, and I was healing.¡± Before they could become shocked, I rambled on, ¡°Well, Callem sort of recruited, no, um, asked us if we¡that is Gareth and me, well mostly Gareth, if we wanted to work his farm and train on his farm,¡± My speech went from halting to fast-paced suddenly, ¡°It would just be for five days a week. I would be back for the 6th and 7th days. And we will learn more than just fighting and tending his fields. And he is paying us and feeding us. It is ok, right?¡± I breathed deeply, unsure how I had become winded from those few words, but my pulse raced, and my aether core hummed and burned, responding to my anxiety.
Father was the first to speak, and apparently, the shadow eagle attack was the furthest thing from his mind. ¡°Captain Callem is going to train you himself?¡± The words were cold and questioning, sounding doubtful. I just nodded, thinking he was upset, but then his face broke into the biggest-toothed smile I had ever seen from the man. ¡°Alurha, we are going to have a master swordsman for a son!¡± He was soon up and hugging me, a rare occurrence.
In my father embrace, I was keenly paying attention to everyone to gauge their reaction, Freya was smiling, and my mother had a small grin, but that was apparently at seeing father happy as she was eying him more than me. Pascal had stormy, resentful eyes and a darker facial expression. Well, 3 out of 4 was good, right?
Instead of going to work today, my mother started helping me pack. She put everything in my bedroom except one set of clothes in a crate and asked if I needed anything else. I said pillows and explained how it was hard to sleep when my body was so sore. I didn¡¯t feel self-conscious at all, whining a bit about the rigors of training to my Mother. She went out and bought me nine new super fluffy feather pillows! She explained that since she didn¡¯t have to feed me, she would have extra coin, and spending it a little early on me was just common sense.
She also gave me a drying rack for clothes, detergent, three newish towels, some old dishes and pots, two of my dad¡¯s old jackets, a needle and thread, and six sweet rolls wrapped in paper. I could see she was both proud and worried about me. Freya confirmed that I would be back for her birthday and to take her to see the traveling show in the city on her special day. Pascal was nowhere to be seen, clearly jealous I was training with Callem. I made sure my mother never saw my collection of mage books. My aether core was not something I wanted to reveal yet.
Eventually, I had two large crates outside, storing most of my worldly possessions inside them, and I found Gareth with a single overstuffed backpack walking toward me later in the day. His eyebrow rose in question at the crates, and I just shrugged with a mischievous smile.
¡°Gareth, you remember when I said I would buy a cart so you could pull me? Well, that time has come!¡± I laughed my most evil supervillain laugh, and he actually edged away from me. Well, it ended up just being an oversized, two-wheeled wheelbarrow. Gareth did, in fact, push it most of the way, and the one time I jumped in, he just stopped until I paid him a large silver, then he pushed me a few hundred feet before demanding another. I started walking, exclaiming, ¡°Good and honest help is hard to find in these woods!¡±
It was late in the day when we got to Callem¡¯s farm, and we were shocked to find a new building opposite the training yard from the farmhouse. It was not very big, just 15 feet by 30 feet. It was stone, and we entered to find a common room and kitchen with ladders on each side leading up to sleeping lofts. The kitchen was fully furnished, and the common room had two plush chairs and a small dining table with four chairs. I could already imagine relaxing in one of those plush chairs after a hard day in the fields and weapons training.
We investigated both of the doors. One led to a tiny washroom, and the other had stairs down to a fully stocked larder. The larder was very cold, and I noticed the runic markings on a stone in the center. Looking around, there was enough food to feed us for a year! Callem descended the stairs as we gawked at all the food on the stone shelves.
¡°Boys, good to see you are back. Called in a favor.¡± Callem winked at me, ¡°From an earth mage to get this outbuilding done while you were gone. We can¡¯t have you two sleeping on the floor with the type of training we will be doing. The furnishings I retrieved from my storage unit in the capital.¡± He muttered under his breath, ¡°I haven¡¯t visited those memories in a while.¡± He recomposed himself, ¡°The larder down here,¡± he hesitated, thinking what to say, ¡°...well, you two need to learn how to cook your own food. I said I would feed you, not cook for you.¡±
Gareth excitedly butted in, ¡°Storme is the best cook in Hen¡¯s Hollow¡¡± his voice died as I gave him a death stare. The last thing I wanted to be doing after working myself to exhaustion every day was to cook for three hungry men.
¡°Is that so?¡± Callem responded with a smirk and eyed me deviously. I swear he could read minds. ¡°Well, I will prepare breakfast every morning, and you will eat in the house with me. Mid-day meal will be from the larder here, prepared by both of you. The evening meal will be a hearty stew that I will put on in the morning to cook all day and will be eaten here as well. You will clean all the dishes from each meal here.¡± Yeah, I already knew I would be preparing the mid-day meal by myself as Gareth was a terrible cook. He could make a baked potato taste awful. I surveyed the larder, making mental notes and putting together meals in my head.
¡°Now, boys, come to the house, and I will show you the new library!¡± Callem sounded excited and seemed much younger today by his enthusiasm.
The ¡®library¡¯ had two copies of twenty-one texts, each thick with pages. They covered beasts, dungeons, politics, law, culture, and trade. All the books were old, and Callem conceded he got them from the Naval academies¡¯ storage units. They were supposed to be handed down to lesser academies when the Naval Academy got the newest copies, but had been packaged in crates and put into storage instead. Callem told us he had purchased them for a few coins since he knew the logistics officer in charge of the academy.
After all the changes were noted and explained, Callem produced his stew for the evening. It was a bit mushy, and when I asked how he made it and offered suggestions to improve it, I was named the new stew chef. Callem, the sly fox, had been waiting for me to criticize his cooking. So, from now on, after breakfast and stretching in the morning I would be given an hour to prepare the dinner meal. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to work the fields during that time. It wouldn¡¯t have been so bad if not for Gareth openly laughing at my error. You should never insult a man¡¯s cooking by saying you can do better!
The plush chairs in our new bunkhouse were well-worn, well-made, and extremely comfortable. There were lanterns fitted with soft aether light stones. I marveled at the time, effort, and expense Callem had put into making us comfortable¡ªwell in counterpoint, he was going to do his best to make us very uncomfortable during the day, I surmised.
The upper lofts were very comfortable as well. There was a loft on each side measuring 5¡¯ by 15¡¯, and each loft had two narrow beds, three chests under each bed, a long shelf over each bed, and two armoires. The beds were in the center of the lofts, end to end. So Callem could host four students here. Something must have happened, or at least I was predicting Cilia would be coming with someone else. Gareth and I selected opposite sides of the loft, and I unpacked, hauling my stuff up the ladder. I knew all these pillows would be a godsend starting tomorrow night. I spent some time working on my aether core before falling asleep.
We had cold roasted pork, soft cheese, and a thick applesauce in the morning¡ªno fruit juice this morning, just water. We stretched together, and they went to the fields while I went to the house to set up dinner.
I prepared lamb stew with potatoes, carrots, and red wine for the stew. After coating them in flour, I braised the lamb cubes to hold them together and seal in the juices while the stew simmered. I accessed Callem¡¯s larder in the house and found a decent-sized distillery in the basement and dozens of full oak casks marked vodka with different dates on them. His larder matched the size of the one under the bunkhouse. There was no way we were going hungry.
He had twenty-two large casks of the fruit juice too, and three were empty when I taped on them. He didn¡¯t have an extensive selection of wine, though, just 37 bottles; all were local vintages from Hen¡¯s Hollow. There was no stigma in regard to kids drinking wine in the Skyholme, and I had my fair share. Most wines had very little alcohol and were very fruity.
After the stew was simmering over coals, I joined them in the fields, and then we began the real work¡
Five days had passed, and not a single inch of my body did not hurt. Callem knew how to push us without quite breaking us. My favorite part of the day? It was falling face first into the cold spring we used to bathe a quarter mile from the farm. The cold water shocked me enough to forget the muscle pain. This morning was the absolute worst day so far. We learned there were actually 23 stretches.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
The five we hadn¡¯t learned were because they were for acrobatics. Callem didn¡¯t seem to care, and so we started to force ourselves into being able to do a split. When we struggled, we asked him if he could do a split, and he did so without hesitating. How could a man as square as him splay his legs and get his pelvis to the earth? I shuddered, thinking about how far I still had to go to match that feat of mobility. My only solace was that Gareth had also struggled but he had put forth a painful effort to try and not disappoint Callem.
Gareth splashed into the water a few seconds after me. It had been a productive week, as I reflected. I let the cold water numb my poor body. The bend in the stream here was shaded, and the natural sandy-bottomed pool here was perfect for us to lounge on. It was actually the only place deep enough to submerge in the nearby stream. We returned to eat with Callem after getting our bodies sufficiently numb.
Tonight¡¯s stew was a meat and bean chili with roasted sweet peppers. It was the second time I had made it this week at Callem¡¯s request. Callem had eaten over half of the first batch himself. The man loved my cooking, and I couldn¡¯t believe how much he ate. I had already scaled up portions of my stew twice. I was now using the biggest pot Callem had in his kitchen. One good thing that came from cooking dinner and preparing lunch was I didn¡¯t have to do the dishes! Callem and Gareth did all the day¡¯s dishes together while discussing sword mastery after dinner. Gareth was outpacing me in learning the art of combat. It seemed I would only master one blade to his 23, but I was fine with that.
I was actually a decent archer when Callem had us practice with the bows. Callem used the bows to teach us patience, steadiness, and how to anticipate our opponent¡¯s moves. Gareth was better, of course, but only by a slight margin, and Callem could usually find and correct my faults. Just a few comments from him made me improve swiftly. We have been working with smaller bows with low draw weights for now.
Callem also had us making our own arrows as well. I was actually better than Gareth at fletching. It had absolutely nothing to do with me using my metal shaping skill to fit the arrowheads. Yep, that had nothing to do with it. Gareth wasn¡¯t training us to be fletchers just to be competent enough to make arrows if we needed to.
The obstacle course, or the ¡°Course of Ultimate Pain¡± as I liked to call it, was fun at first. Then Callem added weighted vests, shot arrows capped with leather balls at us, had moving obstacles on pendulums, and secretly changed the obstacles during the night to trip us up, and I mean literally trip us up. He said it was the first phase of teaching a soldier to be aware of everything in combat and expect the unexpected. He was definitely having more fun than us. Gareth was having fun because he seemed to recover three times as fast as me. Callem withheld salves and potions, saying we needed to train my body¡¯s healing processes. Yeah, at least the cold water felt good as it sapped away the heat from my muscles.
The best part of the last five days was my aether core training. I had gotten all 23 exercises down and practiced them each night until I passed out from fatigue. I also never forgot to add to my growing horde of gold coins. To my surprise, the number of gold coins had increased to 14. I also felt, no, I knew, I was extremely close to being able to make just a single gold coin at a time which would mean I was close to making my first platinum.
¡°Stormy?¡± Gareth asked to see if I was paying attention.
¡°Yeah, bud, what¡¯s cooking in your head tonight?¡± The cold water soaks had served as a time of reflection for us, but we usually relaxed and just talked nonsense. ¡°You have a meal request?¡±
He let out a sigh, ¡°No, I was just thinking I wanted to become an adventurer.¡± I was quiet, so he continued. ¡°I want to see more than just Skyholme. I actually don¡¯t think I want to live here, in Skyholme, that is.¡± This was Callem¡¯s fault. In our nightly lessons, he had revealed the corruption of politics within the capital. A fairly na?ve boy like Gareth had not taken it well, but he worshiped Callem, so Gareth took everything he said literally during lessons.
¡°Gareth, we are only 15.¡± I said emphatically, ¡°It is too early to think about these things. Can we revisit this conversation after our first year of Academy?¡± I hadn¡¯t soured on spending my life in Skyholme. I was sure I would find the old adage, ¡®power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely¡¯ would hold true anywhere I went within the Sphere.
The mood mellowed, and soon we were walking back to the house, a little gimpy but clean. We talked about going home tomorrow and planning what to do for Freya¡¯s birthday. Basically, we planned to escort her to all the various acts from the traveling troupe coming to the city.
At dinner, Callem devoured an astonishing amount of an extremely spicy chili. It was my poor attempt to get a modicum of revenge for the pain he was inflicting on me daily. I found it hard to believe he wasn¡¯t going to burst from the volume he consumed. Feeling guilty, I offered him a slice of cheddar cheese and a warm, buttered piece of bread, to help temper the fiery spices I had used, but he completely dismissed me. Instead, he relished every mouthful of the steaming, spicy chili, his eyes were a mix of delight and discomfort. Gareth was suffering as he ate but also refused the cheese-topped bread to show his willpower to Callem. I just shook my head at my foolish friend.
That night lying in my bed, something amazing happened. After my exercises and getting close to falling asleep, I decided to take another shot at making platinum before making the gold coins. I made two platinum coins and half of a third!
Chapter 15: Abilities, Traits, and Affinities
Unfortunately, my excitement kept me up most of the night. I had made 250 gold worth of platinum! That was unfathomable to me. I had only seen platinum and felt on the skyship manual in Wigand¡¯s shop. I would have to check and see if there was something unique about platinum coins used in Skyholme. Short periods of sleep had my dreams wandering again. This time, I was dreaming mostly of traveling the skies of the Sphere in my own skyship and shooting down giant black eagles with aether cannon in petty revenge. It was a pleasant dream.
On waking, Gareth dragged me to an early breakfast. Breakfast was rosemary bread with hard cheese baked into the loaf. The sliced bread was slathered with butter and a potato and egg salad. Callem had also brought out the expensive fruit juice this morning to celebrate the end of the week of training. He also had ten large silvers on the table for us. I almost wanted to tell him he could keep the coin but Gareth¡¯s eyes were fixed on our pay so I held my tongue.
¡°Boys, it was a fine week. Next week, I want to build that new drying shed, so I will be getting some dried lumber in town. I will get more of those spices and various peppers for the chili while I am in town.¡± Gareth moaned softly as his night had not been pleasant. Callem ignored him and continued, ¡°Weird name for a food, chili. It burns as much going in and it does going out and isn¡¯t cold at all.¡± He laughed at his joke, and we ignored the quip. I had used the spiciest peppers I could find when I cooked the last batch in hopes of turning Callem off to the chili stew, but it only heightened his passion for it. The man had a cast iron digestive system, something neither Gareth nor I shared.
Callem had become livelier every day as Gareth had made quick progress. I attributed his liveliness partially to enjoying the new ¡®delicacies¡¯ I had been making. He was also more passionate about his tobacco fields. He said he was trying to improve the quality of the leaves to earn more money to pay for the prodigious amounts of food we were consuming. I almost noted he was eating the same as Gareth and I combined.
I thought of something, ¡°Have you ever used Edel to dry your tobacco leaves? She does that service for the town¡¯s herbalist all the time.¡± Callem looked at me, confused momentarily, while I explained her ability to evaporate water from clothes and dry out herbs. I told Callem that she worked in the bathhouse during the day, and he was immediately interested in meeting her today.
¡°Hmm, I think I will walk with you boys to town this morning to meet this ¡®Edel.¡¯¡± He looked at us and decided we were not thrilled at the prospect of an escort, ¡°Well, maybe I will wait till after lunch to go to town. There were leftovers from a few nights ago I should finish.¡±
As I had used an enormous bird, a good amount of barbeque-pulled chicken was left from a prior meal. I had been planning to use that as a pizza topping, but Callem had quite the appetite, and none would be left after his lunch today. When we trained, he worked twice as hard as we did, and I think the old man was leaning out even with his increased food consumption.
Our walk to town was without Callem, and I had the opportunity to show Gareth the coins. His jaw dropped when I told him what they were. ¡°Platinum, Storme! There is a Princesses ransom right here, well maybe enough for a princess¡¯s handmaiden.¡± He was still looking at the two coins.
I expressed my concern at their similarity to silver to him, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how Skyholme denotes it from silver. I can feel the difference with my metal shaping skill, but they look very similar on a quick inspection.¡±
Gareth flipped one of the coins in the air and caught it, ¡°It is definitely heavier than silver, though. Do you think we can spend it in the city? Are you going to try to use it at Wigand¡¯s?¡± I thought for a while while we walked, unsure what I would do.
Finally, I told Gareth, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sew one of them into your shoe? I will remove the imaging on the faces to make it a blank coin. It can replace the gold you have there as your emergency fund.¡± That gold had been upgraded from silver just a few days ago at Gareth¡¯s request.
While pocketing the coin, Gareth said, ¡°Nah, I will just put it in my other shoe.¡± I just shook my head as my friend grinned at his own cleverness. I had been drilling into him the importance of keeping a low profile, and I think he was more cognizant now of his actions and spending. Maybe I should take my own advice? Maybe it was time for my mystery benefactor to leave Skyholme.
We found Freya waiting anxiously at the edge of town. She must have been waiting all morning for us. Since we were not around to escort her, mother wouldn¡¯t allow her to leave the town. She ran to us smiling. ¡°Are we off to the city?¡± She bounced around excitedly.
¡°Yes, Freya, we will go today. I just want to drop off some butter and herb bread I baked at home. Gareth wants to go see his mother, too.¡± I said, smiling, happy to see my excitable sister as well.
My mother was busy completing a large order, engraving 36 sword scabbards for a branch of the city¡¯s constables, but she was happy to see me. We chatted briefly about my training, and she asked me how serious the shadow eagle attack had been. I thought I had escaped her scrutiny on the attack. I considered showing her my scar, but I knew it would only make her worry, so I downplayed the encounter instead.
After spending time with my mother, I took my impatient sister to the general store in town and bought a few things with the fifty silver coins I had earned. It felt good to spend the silver I had worked hard for while helping Callem. My wages were exceptionally high compared to what my parents and most people in Hen¡¯s Hollow earned. A typical farmhand might make no more than five silver coins a week, which usually included room and board. We didn¡¯t know how much Callem earned from his tobacco sales, but it must have been significant. I also suspected that Callem was unaware of the substantial amount he was paying us.
I bought 40 pieces of paper, an ink well, and two simple fountain pens in the general store. I wanted to start working on my spell soon, and one of the ways to imprint it was by copying the spell forms over and over on paper. I also traded in my backpack for a bigger and much better-made one. This cost me four large silver coins even after the trade since it had a simple durability rune sewn into it with silver thread.
I hemmed and hawed with the proprietor about the investment to act like the coins were substantial for me. I also bought twenty-two small sacks as well. Callem had shown us a few edible plants we could harvest, and I planned to add them to our diet and season our food. I also added two glass bottles. One would be for garlic-infused olive oil and the other for vinegar. We needed more veggies in our diet, and salads were in our future!
I dropped everything off in my room at home and found Gareth doing chores. Gareth was an only child, so with him gone, more had fallen to his parents. I helped him, as Freya had mysteriously disappeared at the general store. When Freya did make an appearance, she helped as well. When we finished Gareth¡¯s chores, we headed for the city together. Freya bombarded us with questions as we walked, and we took turns answering her. She mainly wanted to know what we were doing to become master swordsmen so she could brag to her friends.
We eventually reached the city and went straight to the candy store. Today at Sweets and Treats, she was very restrained, spending just two large coppers of my coins. At Margot¡¯s Finery, she got a blue scarf and hair ribbons, all to match the dress I was giving her on her birthday. We did see numerous postings in town for the coming troupe. I was surprised our small city had drawn them. I think the last time we had a traveling troupe was five years ago, and it was not this extravagant. My parents hadn¡¯t brought us to town to see it, so this would be my first experience.
We went to a relatively pricy restaurant, and I volunteered Gareth to pay with some of his large silvers we earned from Callem, as we had each taken five. The food was only average for the price. I had the pheasant stuffed with herb-infused rice. Gareth had a dungeon steak and lemon-butter-coated vegetables. Freya just had three desserts.
As Freya worked on the second dessert, she commented, ¡°Storme, you have gotten taller.¡± I thought she was just being nice, but Gareth nodded in agreement. I would have to confirm that myself, as I was desperately waiting for a growth spurt. ¡°I started doing your deliveries in town, too.¡±
¡°That is fantastic! Are you buying lunch then?¡± Freya froze, concern on her face. I laughed, ¡°I will pay.¡± I thought taking over my enterprise would teach her responsibility and allow her to save some coins on her own. ¡°I am proud of you,¡± I said patting her back.
Gareth grinned, ¡°Guess you can pay your own way at Sweets and Treats next time.¡± Freya gave him a dirty look. Ha! Gareth would be on her naughty list for that jab. The walk home was pleasant, with Freya zipping around us, burning off her sugar rush.
I did check when I got home, and I had grown a bit! This put me in a fantastic mood, and I put together a nice dinner for the family of braised pork loin with an apple chutney sauce and red wine vinegar cucumbers. Pascal was still quite upset with me by his expression and treatment of me at dinner. He had asked our father incessantly, pleading that he should join us for the training with Callem. Father gave me a chance to capitulate, but I didn¡¯t. Fortunately, my father didn¡¯t press me further, not wanting to risk upsetting Callem or me.
That night, I created gold coins, almost 15 in total were made from my aether. I was happy my aether pool was growing steadily. I also spent time on my aether core exercises and began focusing on imprinting a spell, copying the lines from the spell book over and over until my eyes burned and I needed sleep. When we returned to Callem¡¯s, I would continue the process, but I would hopefully soon have a second spell.
I had a heavy and restful sleep with no powerful dreams. I was up and stretching with Gareth in the morning before we returned to the city. Gareth wanted new boots, and I needed to get to Wigand¡¯s bookstore. We parted in front of the bookstore, and Gareth said I should wait for him to return. I hadn¡¯t noticed anyone following us, but after he pointed out two teenage boys, I changed my mind and was certain we were being watched. I told Gareth jokingly but seriously, ¡°I will definitely be waiting for you to be my escort home.¡±
Wigand looked up as I entered, and his face showed something I hadn¡¯t seen there before. His forehead was creased in concentration as it looked like he was trying to puzzle me out. It soon evaporated to his normal salesman¡¯s smile. ¡°Storme, it is so good to see you! What news do you have for me in regard to your fortunes?¡±
¡°Wigand, it has been a fruitful week, and I have seen my patron. She has given me the coin for her book and some extra as well. It was an advancement on her part for a long list of tasks I have yet to complete, though.¡± Wigand closed his eyes momentarily as if looking inward for the proper question. I interrupted his contemplation, ¡°I do have a request. I have never seen a platinum coin. Do you have any I could look at? Someone said they look just like silver coins.¡± My question seemed to sidetrack what he had been preparing to say.
¡°Platinum? I have two in my vault in the back¡¡± he paused, looked frightened for the briefest second, then smiled again. I was definitely not a criminal and wouldn¡¯t be stealing from him. He started to his backroom before pausing. Then waved me to follow. His back room was as I remembered it. The model ships, tables, benches with books he was repairing, and shelves with neatly ordered books. ¡°Storme, the platinum coins in my lockbox are not actually mine. They are a down payment on a book I am procuring for a client.¡± He went to the vault.
It looked like a robust steel safe but with a key lock. He pulled out the key and opened it. Inside was an ordered stack of books, three trays of coins, a handful of rings, and a bunch of rolled-up scrolls. ¡°Here,¡± he said, handing me a coin he plucked out while I had been focused on trying to read the titles of the books inside. His visage turned hawk-like on me as I studied the coin.
The coin had the same markings except that the center of the coin was punched out and replaced with a small circle of gold. I reached out with my metal shaping to get a clear picture of the coin and returned it to him after I was confident I had gleaned everything I could. The coin had a fair amount of silver in it too. I wondered if it was counterfeit. I estimated it was 80% platinum, 10% gold, and 10% silver.
¡°Thank you. I just wanted to make sure the coin my patron had given me was really a platinum coin.¡± His eyes bulged at my statement, and he carefully put the valuable coin away. I could see he was checking on the other platinum coin he had before closing his vault. During this time, I reached into my pocket, pretending to fish around. As I did, I added the gold to the center of my platinum, and matched the coin to the one I had just held. I added the some silver as well.
I handed the new shiny coin to Wigand, and he studied it for a good while before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t see many platinum myself. Newly minted like yours sure makes them look pretty, though. Where did you say your patron exchanged her coins?¡± Wigand prompted. Was he testing my story?
My heart suddenly raced a bit as some anxiety in his voice accompanied his inquiry. Then my anxiety kicked in and caused me to rush my fabricated words again, ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think it is a new coin. She has the cleanliness spell. I think she has been visiting the other islands, even the smaller ones.¡± Wigand was waiting for more, but I clammed up after that, not wanting to build a fragile web of lies.
He studied me, but he let it drop. ¡°Just give me a moment to confirm the coin¡¯s authenticity.¡± He went to a desk, pulled out a rack of tubes, and placed a drop on the coin. A little surprised, he said, ¡°Huh, it is genuine. Ok, Storme,¡± He studied me again. ¡°Tell me the truth.¡± I braced myself. ¡°Your benefactor is from one of the ruling families, no?¡± Unsure of what to do, I nodded slowly, confirming his guess.
¡°Oh, Storme!¡± he shook his head. ¡°You are probably being prepped to be some pawn in their machinations. Did she promise to pay your way through one of the Academies in the capital?¡± I was still in shock at Wigand¡¯s guessing, so I nodded affirmatively. He sighed heavily and sat down behind his counter. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have revealed your aether core to her, or did she find you by another means? Wait! Don¡¯t tell me. I probably know too much already. Be careful, Storme. The games of houses are not safe. Be wary of anything she asks of you and Gareth. That is all the advice I will give.¡±
Wigand was lost in thought as his face pitied me but returned to the present, his sweaty face now dry. He had been worried about me, and his look showed that he was still worried about me. I wondered what had happened to him in the past but decided not to ask.
¡°I have your spell book over there. I procured it two days ago, trusting you would be back. Don¡¯t look surprised. If you hadn¡¯t shown up, I had another buyer lined up. So that is 40 gold plus 20 gold for the book on aether creationism. That means I owe you four large gold. Is there anything else you need before I get your change? Another spell? Is your patron seeking another specific book?¡± I felt a little uncomfortable, and Wigand¡¯s normal smile felt like it was now pitying me for my predicament.
¡°None of the tasks I have assigned by her are regarding books,¡± I sputtered out. ¡°If I do need another text, I will come directly to you.¡± He was appraising me. I think he wanted to say something but held it back. The air was getting heavy in the backroom as Wigand finally retrieved the four large gold from his vault and handed them to me. I took them and my new spell book and quickly left the store. Yeah, and I had been telling Gareth to be careful, and now Wigand thought I was the pawn of some powerful and wealthy noble from the capital island. Well, maybe it was not a bad thing. It did explain the shiny coins.
¡°I will have the creation book in three days, Storme.¡± I heard Wigand say in crisp words as the door was closing. I was self-aware enough not to wander from the entrance of the bookstore and awaited Gareth¡¯s return. He came by thirty minutes later with a cocky grin on his face. His two old boots are under his arm, and a pair of new dark brown boots were on his feet.
I started walking, and he quickened his pace to fall beside me. ¡°Nice boots,¡± I said, knowing he wanted the praise. We had a good amount of back-and-forth as I retold my recent interactions with Wigand. And yes, he did call me out on the hypocrisy I had been preaching to him about being reserved in our spending, and I had just spent a platinum coin.
Gareth was intrigued by the idea of making our mysterious patron some noblewoman from the capital, a beautiful young noblewoman like in the stories. We both decided to head back to Callem¡¯s today, after getting a massive meal at a tavern we liked, The Maid¡¯s Folly. It had good, prodigious amounts of food for a reasonable price. They even served cheeseburgers. Gareth beat me by consuming five medium cheeseburgers to my four and a half, but I claimed victory based on body weight.
With full stomachs, we headed back to Hen''s Hollow. Along the way, we spotted the kids from town playing near the gates. The red-haired leader was among them and gave me an intimidating stare from a distance. He looked confident in his perceived superiority, but with Gareth beside me, the group quickly dispersed when he took a step toward them. Gareth laughed as they scattered, and I was grateful to have him on my side.
Gareth and I decided that after taking Freya next week to see the carnival, we would try to avoid the city going forward. It wasn¡¯t that we were intimidated by the local teens, but it was best to avoid a confrontation that could get messy. Now that we had the funds, we discussed the possibility of getting airship tickets to visit one of the three other cities on Titan¡¯s Shield or even another city on another island.
We said our goodbyes to our families and gathered our things back in town. We could be back at Callem¡¯s farm in a few hours and still have time before making dinner.
The small farmhouse was alive with loud conversation when we approached the farm. We looked at each other, confused. Callem had female company? My first thought was he had convinced Edel to come out here to dry his tobacco leaves. We slowly ventured to the door and knocked. Callem¡¯s voice boomed, ¡°Boys, if that is you come in!¡±
We entered and saw an older woman and a middle-aged woman at the table with Callem, with a spread of meats, cheeses, and sliced bread between them. A pitcher of red fruit juice was there as well. ¡°What luck you are back tonight instead of in the early morning, boys!¡± He stood and made a half-bow to introduce the two women, ¡°This is Master Reader Wynna and her daughter, Master Reader Ennet.¡± Not sure what to do, I bowed and elbowed Gareth to do the same.
Callem smiled, so I guess it was the right thing to do. ¡°They are visiting Hen¡¯s Hollow on Holiday and are in incognito.¡± He said as if it was a well-known joke, and the women smiled. ¡°Well, sit boys, there is much to talk about and much to do so these women can be on their way.¡±
The older woman with silver-aged hair spoke first, ¡°I am Wynna. Master Callem spoke with us a few days back about two exceptional boys he would like us to read. We were so intrigued that we found time to leave the capital and come here, hoping to meet these boys. So, I pushed up your scheduled reading and decided to visit you.¡± The younger woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes scoffed.
¡°Yes, mother, it had nothing to do with Lord Garay sending his servants for the tenth time this month to recruit me to his household,¡± the younger woman said with icy humor in her tone.
¡°Well, if you want to marry his third son, daughter, you have my blessing.¡± The slightly comedic exchange ended as they both smiled at what seemed like normal banter.
The older woman locked eyes on us. ¡°Ok, down to business. Callem has paid our price, and we are here for a reading. Boys, do you know what a reading is?¡± The older woman asked nicely. We both shook our heads uncertainly. She turned and gave Callem a disapproving look. He just shrugged in response. The woman got us seated and comfortable at the table, and we started picking at the food while she spoke.
¡°Well, readers are capable of reading a person¡¯s soul imprint. What is written on the soul, to be exact. Some readers can only gleam tidbits of information, and some can read a person like a book. What can they read, you are asking yourself? Many things, depending on their aptitudes. Some things include how long they will live, their strength, fitness, intellect, fortitude, reasoning, what abilities they have been blessed with, the size of their aether core, what traits they have, what skill affinities they have, what skill competencies they have, where their passions lay and many other things.¡±
She took a breath to continue, ¡°Callem has asked us to read your abilities, traits, and skill affinities to help you in your training. Abilities are what you are born with and are formed from your connection to the aether. If you were born outside the Sphere, you would most likely not have any abilities as they are reliant on the aether generated here. Traits are also aether linked but revolve around your bloodline derived from your race and ancestry. Finally, we will read your skill affinities: your ability to learn certain things faster. Some people are more effective at performing those skills beyond what should be possible. Some say skill affinities are residual advantages gained from past lives, but I digress. We can read other things, but that is all we are doing today.¡± She looked pointedly at Callem.
Callem muttered something about how they wanted all his gold. The older woman had finished and waited for us to digest everything she had said. We both knew about abilities, traits, and affinities. We had spent days fantasizing about what we would have when we reached puberty. There were books talking about hundreds of affinities and traits. All the books only listed tier 1 and tier 2 abilities, nothing higher.
I asked, ¡°Can you gain new abilities, traits, and affinities after you are born?¡± The woman arched an eyebrow at Callem, which I took as a sign that I had asked a very introspective question.
¡°That is a very interesting question, and the answer is yes. The wealthy pay large sums to do so. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they do not. While failures can be significant, they are usually not catastrophic,¡± she finished.
¡°In terms of adding new abilities, imagine your soul to be a beautiful painting of a landscape with a lake, trees, and mountain. Every time you try to add something new to the painting, the colors can run and ruin the image. This could damage the current abilities the person already has or even erase them completely from the painting. Everyone generally has two free attempts to add something new to their soul, but after that, you are playing Death¡¯s Dice.¡±
Death¡¯s Dice was a game if you rolled doubles of any number, you would lose all your points up to that point in the game. She continued, ¡°The safest way to add abilities is with a dungeon elixir. Imbibing a dungeon elixir with an ability would be like painting a beautiful swan upon that lake in the painting without disturbing the painting at all. Of course, the Triumvirate confiscates all dungeon essences, so put it out of your minds of gaining power that way.¡± She added the last sentence with hardness.
¡°Regarding adding traits, races, and beasts have different traits for a reason. You can add them via strong aetheric magic or dungeon elixirs as well, but your body will change too, add cat¡¯s grace, and you might grow a tail and whiskers, for example.¡± She looked at us sternly and warningly, ¡°And most likely, you will never be able to have children. 90% of those who have changed thus can never conceive or contribute to conceiving a child.¡± She waited for her warning to sink in before continuing, ¡°What is last, oh yes, skill affinities! That is the easiest to gain with memory crystals, but each person¡¯s soul can only hold so many affinities. Memory crystals can only be used once and rare in the islands. A person can have three, perhaps four affinities at most. Forcing more will scramble your mind.¡± She stopped to take a long pull of the juice.
¡°Now Callem has paid for us to read both of you. We are doing abilities, traits, and skill affinities today. That will be all. This is typically a private matter of the individual.¡± Without being told to, Callem rose and left the house. Wynna nodded appreciatively as the door closed. Gareth and I stared at each for a moment and nodded.
¡°We have no secrets between us,¡± I said. The women smiled at us.
The younger woman, Ennet, picked up the conversation, ¡°So we will be doing a blood reading on each of you. How this will work is one at a time, we will cover our hands over yours above an enchanted parchment to collect the blood. We will activate our abilities to read your soul, and you will bleed onto the parchment below, and everything will be written out for you to read in a script you are familiar with. It is a bit of a messy method, but it is how our ability works best.¡± Neither of us was squeamish as we had to bleed many times under Callem¡¯s tutelage, so we nodded in consent.
Gareth went first, and the woman prepared as they had mentioned but also put a small blanket over the clasped hands so they could not see what was written in his blood. The process ended up taking about three minutes. Gareth¡¯s blood dripped onto the parchment in a steady cadence before Ennet announced it was finished. Both women smiled at Gareth as he secreted away his parchment.
I was up next, and the experience was unpleasant. It did feel like someone was crawling through my soul and reading it. My palm burned briefly, and I felt my blood being pressed out of my skin. The sound of it dripping on the enchanted paper was more disturbing than I had thought it would be. It took no longer than Gareth¡¯s reading, and the older woman did cock one eyebrow in surprise for the briefest instant. She had definitely caught something about me during the reading. I stored my paper in my pocket without looking at it, and my angst rose slightly.
¡°Boy, Storme, correct? Come talk with me.¡± The older woman, Wynna, said. We went off to a corner of the kitchen, and I thought my secrets had been exposed. Before I could plan to deal with the repercussions, she said, ¡°Caught my surprise, did you? I have been doing this for years and can feel a person¡¯s strength during a reading. My daughter has not reached that understanding yet. What I felt, Storme was something stronger than I have ever felt before,¡± she pointed at my paper. ¡°I have felt tier 4 powers before, so I know what is written on that paper is probably tier 5. Whatever it is, I suggest you keep it secret no matter how useless or powerful that ability is.¡± She waited till I nodded. The woman looked tired from doing the readings. Callem returned, we all ate a little, but Gareth and I were anxious to read our papers.
As if he enjoyed the torture, Callem watched us while the socialization continued. Finally, Callem smirked, ¡°Boys, you can go. And boys, you have no obligation to share anything on those papers with me. After you burn the text into your mind, I suggest you burn the parchment. Understood?¡± We both nodded and rushed out to the bunkhouse.
We sat in our living room in the comfy chairs, looking at each other and seeing who would break first. ¡°Fine!¡± Gareth yelled fairly quickly, ¡°I will go first.¡± He opened his parchment and read, and his eyes bulged. Soon his grin split his face before he handed me the paper. I took it slowly, realizing the trust my best friend was putting in me.
Abilities
Giant¡¯s Constitution, Tier 3
Vestibular Movement Sense, Tier 2
Traits
Adaptive, Tier 1
Charismatic Attraction, Tier 1
Skill Affinities
Melee Weapons, Tier 4
Riding, Tier 1
It was probably everything Gareth wanted, with a cherry on top. I was shocked at how close Callem was to pick out his abilities just by watching him that first afternoon! The movement ability was a step from the generic balance skill we read about. Both of the traits were well-known and common. The adaptive trait basically meant a person could get comfortable in new environments and learn slightly better than the average person.
The charismatic attraction meant he had a strong natural charm for others of his race. He was going to be a ladies¡¯ man for sure. His first skill affinity of melee weapons was a bit unfair, to me at least. EVERY melee weapon, I mean, come on! The second was new, as neither of us had ever ridden any animal. Looks like I would be buying Gareth a horse¡ªno, a pony.
It was my turn, and it¡¯s not like there would be any surprises for me, so when I read through the paper once, twice, and then a third time very slowly, Gareth got impatient and swiped it.
Abilities
Aetheric Conversion to Metal, Tier 7
Greater Aether Core, Tier 4
Metal Sculpting, Tier 4
Traits
Past Life Knowledge, Tier 1
Skill Affinities
Healing Magic, Tier 4
Lightning Magic, Tier 2
Cooking Tier 4
There were two affinities I wasn¡¯t expecting. The lightning magic was one, but the other was my past knowledge being revealed. I didn¡¯t realize it was a racial trait. I figured I remembered maybe 5% of my past life clearly and another 20% foggily, so it was not a strong ability.
Gareth finally spoke after reading it, ¡°What the hell, Storme! We need to talk!¡±
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
Chapters 16 - 18
Chapter 16: Fluff Monster
¡°Talk about what?¡± I knew Gareth was shocked at my list, but I was stalling for time. I was shocked a bit myself.
¡°What! A demon screwing an angel tier seven ability, Storme!¡± Gareth said a little too loud for my liking. I gave him a hand signal to bring down the volume. ¡°Storme, tier seven abilities don¡¯t exist! They are a myth, legend, things of gods¡wait, are you a god in disguise?¡± Gareth was studying every inch of me as if he had never seen me before, and I was still formulating a response when he stepped back, ¡°Are you a reincarnated demon or god?¡±.
I started speaking slowly, ¡°What? No, I am just a normal boy.¡± I tried to look as innocent as possible. He snatched the sheet and reread it, shaking his head as he did so, and then looked at me again, focusing on my eyes with his brown eyes.
¡°Healing magic? Lightning magic? Past Life Memories? What do you remember then if you were not a god or demon? Wait, were you a woman? Is that why you never told me? Maybe an elf woman in your past life? Now that would be cool!¡± Gareth¡¯s sudden grin had turned fiendish, but at least it was there. His initial shock was wearing off.
¡°No.¡± I needed to play this well. I was surprised I had remained so calm, at least outwardly, ¡°I was a cook, and I went for a walk one day and fell off a cliff and died.¡± Yeah, that should work, and Gareth could draw the proper conclusions. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much.¡± That was at least true. ¡°Most of what I remember are recipes and what things tasted like. Of people and places¡ªmost are just hazy images to me.¡± Again, that was mostly the truth.
Gareth sat heavily in the chair, thinking momentarily, ¡°That makes sense. That is why you are such an awesome cook and keep coming out with new meals. Where in the Sphere did you grow up? Were you a human man?¡± Gareth was leaning forward in the chair, focused on me. I could tell this was exciting to him, and it looked like our friendship was still secure. I personally didn¡¯t like being under the microscope of someone I counted my best friend over two lives. I didn¡¯t want to lie to him, so I must be general.
¡°I don¡¯t have great recall about it. But I worked in a restaurant, and I was a man and human.¡± I stressed the last, ¡°I don¡¯t recall much about my family, city, or country. Most of what comes to me from my past life is my time in the kitchen and cooking at the restaurant.¡± He was nodding and gobbling it up. I could reserve the truth for another day when we were much older¡ªthat I was from another planet, possibly in another galaxy.
¡°Ok, when you remember more, just tell me about it?¡± He said eagerly in anticipation, and I nodded. ¡°So, angelic freaking lightning! When will I see you zap birds from the sky with red bolts of fury?!¡± He was way more excited about this than I was. How did I get the lightning magic affinity anyway? I was positive I didn¡¯t select it. Oh, a thought occurred. My mother had told the tale a thousand times about why I was named Storme. I was born under auspicious circumstances of a lightning drake attack and severe thunderstorms. Mother had said multiple lightning strikes were close by. Maybe this triggered the affinity somehow? Well, I had this bonus and could now figure out how to get the most out of it.
Over the next three hours, Gareth relentlessly asked questions about my abilities, affinities, and past life. Whenever I tried to steer the conversation back to him, he cut me off, ¡°Stormy, you are our ride out of Skyholme! Let¡¯s make sure we maximize your potential!¡± Maximizing potential was something I always preached when we ran around the town and city doing jobs for the people. It felt like he was throwing it back at me.
Eventually, I climbed to my loft and told him I needed sleep for tomorrow¡¯s punishing regimen. I only managed to do seven aether core exercises and make some gold coins before passing out from Gareth¡¯s stressful inquisition.
The morning brought a small surprise. Wynna and Ennet had stayed in Callem¡¯s house in his guest room. That they stayed was not such a surprise, but he had a guest room! Why had he made us sleep on the floor? Callem had also gone all out for breakfast. The spread of fruit was amazing. Many of the fruits I was unfamiliar with but enjoyed trying. My favorite fruit was something similar to kiwi in size, seeding, and texture but had a yellow-orange flesh and tasted closer to banana strawberry to my taste buds. It was called Bramble Fruit because it grew in a dungeon on a heavy vine with large thorns. The thorns were also poisonous, according to Wynna. Wynna had brought the fruit with her. There was also something similar to coffee-flavored milk to drink. It was called Dark Milk. It came from something similar to a coconut from the way Callem described it. It was found in the tropical area of the lowlands and was a normal breakfast drink down there. It was another contribution by Wynna and Ennet. Soon after everyone finished eating their fill, conversation broke out.
¡°So, boys, were you pleased with what your papers told you?¡± Callem initiated with his face impassive. I was hesitating, unsure what to say, and Gareth saved me.
¡°Yes, Callem. I have the tier 3 ability giant¡¯s constitution.¡± Ennet gasped while everyone else held their poise. Callem slowly nodded and then spoke.
¡°That is an exceptional ability. You will have increased size, fitness, and recovery. But maybe you shouldn¡¯t reveal your abilities in front of our guests. I had just asked if you were pleased with the paper''s contents. A tier 3 ability with such advantages to combat¡ªit will attract a noble house. They would sacrifice quite a bit to get you under their thumb or manipulate the circumstances to do so.¡± Gareth turned bright red at his error and at being rebuffed by Callem.
To their credit, Wynna took her daughter¡¯s hand, ¡°I wish to see the fields and this training course Callem talks so fondly about. Let us go for a long walk.¡± The pair smiled at us but were soon out the door.
Callem chuckled lightly as he intoned, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boys, they won¡¯t reveal anything. After spending the last day with them, I know they are honorable women.¡±
¡°So, Gareth, it¡¯s a formidable ability. As you finish growing through adolescence, it will become stronger. The only downside is that you can expect to be somewhere between 6¡¯6¡± and 7¡¯ tall, which will make you a clear target on any battlefield. It¡¯s quite rare to have a natural ability at Tier 3 as a human; there may only be a dozen men in all of Skyholme with similar abilities, and most possess it at Tier 2.¡± A teacher''s pride illuminated his face. Gareth continued, ¡°I also have a tier 2 ability, vestibular movement sense.¡± Callem slapped the table so hard it cracked. He was torn between being upset about the table and happy hearing what was apparently excellent news.
¡°I knew it!¡± Callem exclaimed. ¡°Big and dexterous. You are going to the greatest weapon master of your generation!¡± Callem was beaming. ¡°Anything else you wish to share with me?¡±
Gareth paused momentarily before saying, ¡°The adaptive trait at tier 1 and skill affinity for melee weapons at tier 4.¡± Gareth intoned in finality. It was apparent this was all he would reveal, but Callem¡¯s mind was already churning a mile a minute. Gareth had revealed everything that would help Callem plan his training in his mind.
¡°All melee weapons? No specific branch?¡± Callem asked, clearly astonished and happy. Gareth nodded. ¡°Damn boy, that is pretty amazing. Adaptive is useful but pretty generic among humans and other races. But all melee weapons. We need to start expanding your repertoire in training to expand your arsenal. We definitely shouldn¡¯t limit you to just swords.¡± Callem started pacing while shoving food into his mouth, planning in his mind. He was probably thinking of ways to torture us to bring out Gareth¡¯s potential.
I snatched all the remaining bramble fruit before Callem could get to them, and as a consolation prize for the months of pain, I foresaw ahead of me. Gareth was just waiting with a somewhat eager look on his face.
¡°Ok, we have quite a bit to work with. No aether core awakening?¡± Gareth shook his head no in response to Callem¡¯s question. ¡°Okay. We need to get you as many masteries as possible in melee weapons for the next eight years. We also need to be on the lookout for a defensive ability to add to your skill set. It is best if it comes from a dungeon. The best we could afford is a tier 1 ability. It should cost between 8 and 10 platinum coins if we can get it at a reasonable price. I can make that in a few years.¡± The shock of his statement was plastered on both our faces. Callem was committing a vast sum to Gareth¡¯s future growth.
Callem smiled at Gareth, ¡°Don¡¯t look surprised, boy. You are my legacy, and I have maybe 15 to 20 good years left. My daughters are well taken care of, but I have been searching for meaning out here, and you have given me something to grasp onto.¡± He paused. ¡°Is this what you want?¡± Gareth didn¡¯t hesitate at all before nodding energetically with a sloppy grin. ¡°Just don¡¯t get cocky, boy. Up here in Skyholme, you will be the big fish in the small pond. Down in the lowlands of the Sphere, there will be hundreds of thousands stronger than you.¡± Gareth seemed to take that advice to heart and was nodding at the wisdom.
I had been a bystander so far, and I probably would have made the same faux pas of revealing my abilities in front of the women. Maybe because I didn¡¯t want to be upstaged by Gareth, I butted in with my qualifications, ¡°Callem, I have one ability and two skill affinities. I have enhanced aether core at tier 2, affinities for healing magic at tier 3, and lightning magic at tier 2.¡± That should be enough revealed to get some praise.
¡°For all the Hellspawn from the Red Moon!¡± Callem exclaimed. His face creased in worry, and then he thought. ¡°The damn magi academies in the capital would fight over you if they knew that! Tier 2 aether core! You are practically an archmage already!¡± Ok, maybe I messed up revealing what little I did but I had downplayed my core from tier 4 to tier 2. ¡°Anyone found with just a tier 1 core ability is married immediately into one of the Triumvirate families.¡± He sat and started thinking.
He then started talking to himself, ¡°Sebastian, no, he would just try and use you toward his own goals, and being around him is dangerous. Isaias is dead... Reid went to the lowlands, Bennett¡no, he is an asshole.¡± He refocused on me. ¡°Sorry, Storme, I just can¡¯t think of any mages at the moment I trust to train you in your magic without pulling you into a viper¡¯s nest in the capital.¡±
I waved my hands, ¡°No, I am good with self-learning. I am doing fine. I think I just need time to learn spells on my own and maybe some help getting some spell books.¡± Callem slowly nodded, acknowledging his inability to help. Even though I was not his primary disciple, he still looked pained.
¡°What about another reading Storme? Wynna can read the potential size of your aether matrix. That should at least let you plan which and how many spells to imprint.¡± He looked hopeful I would accept his offer, so I just nodded. He went to the door and bellowed nicely for the women. Then went to his room and retrieved two large golds. Soon, I was sitting with just Wynna in the private guest room. The room was very nice. It had a full-sized bed and fresh flowers laid out in vases, their aroma lingering in the air. A small table with two chairs is where we took up residence for the reading.
Much like last time, it was going to be a secret blood reading. ¡°Well, Storme, here we are again.¡± She smiled at me. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t reveal too much to Callem. He is a good man, but secrets never remain secrets forever.¡±
I was starting to get uncomfortable under her friendly gaze, my secrets were bigger than she could possibly guess. ¡°Can we get this completed so I can begin practice today?¡± I said as nicely as I could, not wanting to be rude.
¡°Yes, Storme,¡± she began without any further delay, and the next unpleasant reading began. It was like spiders going throughout my body, and my aether heartburn seemed to flare up in response. ¡°Ok, it is finished. You will find a lower and upper range for the number of spells you can learn on the sheet. Your aether matrix is like a muscle. The more you work on it, the bigger it can become. I will leave you to look. My readings are fairly accurate. Both marks should be within two of their actual. So plus or minus two points for both numbers¡± She winked and left the room.
Tentatively in anticipation, I looked at the paper.
Aether Matrix Size 22, Aether Matrix Maximum Size 103
Damn, that was huge from what I knew. Each tier of an imprinted spell took up one count on my aether matrix. So, I had 22 points right now, which was essentially the amount of a fully trained high mage! And that could still grow. Perhaps I should be looking at tier 2 and tier 3 spells. Slow your horses, Storme, I chided myself. Let¡¯s get the two tier 1 spells imprinted before proceeding with any big planning.
Wait, a stored bit of knowledge popped to the forefront of my thoughts. I read something about magic affinities and spell imprinting. It was something that the space required to imprint higher-tier spells was reduced if you had a certain tier of skill affinity. I would need to find that reference again. I did remember in which book the reference was in Wigand¡¯s shop.
I exited the guest room while still in a daze, and everyone stared at me expectantly. ¡°It is good news,¡± was all I said with a slight smile. Gareth looked relieved, and Callem looked happy.
¡°Well, boys, the ladies are staying here for the week, so be on your best behavior. They plan to attend the carnival in the city.¡± Callem looked happily at his guests. Was he interested in one of the women? Ennet looked to be in her 20s, but Wynna was probably 50 or older, still much younger than Callem. ¡°We have burned too much of the day already! To the yard!¡± Callem ordered his troops.
The women spent the day watching us train. My body was adapting fairly well to the training, and I knew I wouldn¡¯t be as sore this evening, still I would welcome the cold waters of the stream. Callem decided Gareth would forgo practicing the bow even though he was pretty damn good at it. He would let me continue, though. Gareth had pulled out staves, maces, axes, polearms, and shields from storage during the day. They didn¡¯t match the quality of the swords Callem had, but there were now another 38 melee weapons for Gareth to learn.
During a short break, Gareth asked me if it was alright if he got Freya a puppy for her birthday. Freya had always wanted a puppy, but there was a tax on dogs and any large animal in Skyholme, five large coppers every month. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was because resources were limited or if they wanted to limit large pets to rich people, as there was no tax on cats or birds. So, he was asking if I would pay the tax. I agreed.
Callem was also a little more intense when we finally got to sword practice. It was a pecking order for sparring after training sword forms for a few hours. I would get beat senseless by Gareth, and then Callem would beat Gareth senseless. I think Callem was also trying to impress our observers today. I could see our fast progress as Callem was a great teacher. I was thankful when the long day finally ended, and we were released.
Gareth asked me that evening in the cold pool, ¡°Storme, you did a smart thing holding back. I thought Callem needed to know the extent of my abilities.¡± He sighed, ¡°You will be the greatest mage Skyholme has ever known, and I will be its greatest swordsman. You can rest assured I will be there protecting your back. And thank you. I know that this training is not your favorite thing, but I recognize you are here to support me.¡± We shared a look, our friendship growing stronger.
Dinner that night was just slow-cooked barbeque chicken and coleslaw. It was very quick to get going for me in the morning, giving me bonus free time to study my spell. The conversation with the women at dinner was slightly muted to start but slowly warmed up. Nothing of importance was said other than learning the women were, in fact, hiding out. They were also enjoying their vacation from endless readings in the capital. After dinner, I excused myself first.
That night, I did some aether core exercises, made some gold coins, and then went to the spell books. I started with the cleanliness spell since it should be a little simpler than the mend flesh spell. Unfortunately, it was the same as the first time. The spell forms just gave me a headache. Frustrated, I opened the mend flesh spell book for the first time.
My eyes seemed to be able to focus on the first page, and it sort of made sense¡the second page¡I could see the connections to the first set¡the third page¡yes! Finally, the fourth and final page¡ I could see how they all connected, and they even made some sense. The healing spell was like reading Shakespeare in 8th grade compared to the cleanliness spell, which was like trying to figure out how to speak Russian from an original Tolstoy work. With my healing affinity, I could really do this! It was extremely late when I finally went to sleep.
The next four days were groundhog day to me. Breakfast, stretch, set dinner on, obstacle course work, farm work, lunch, sword practice, dinner, and finally, studying. Callem tried to vary things from day to day, but I truly looked forward to making some coins and then delving into my mend flesh spell book. The notes of the previous owner were very helpful as well. I had also been writing out the four-layered spell form on paper and could feel myself getting close.
We got to know Wynna and Ennet fairly well at breakfast, lunch, and dinner as we became more comfortable in their presence. I also noted that Callem was possibly growing sweet on Wynna. I was happy for him. They were good people, and their disposition had improved from being very friendly to being friends. It didn¡¯t hurt that they both loved my cooking. Wynna liked the pork fried rice the best, and Ennet liked the pizza. I was still a burger guy and even made some passable French fries even though I didn¡¯t have good ketchup yet.
We learned Ennet had been married twice previously with no children from either marriage. Both marriages did not end amicably. Wynna¡¯s husband, Ennet¡¯s father, had died in a shadow cloud encounter. A shadow cloud was a massive dark cloud full of shadow monsters that the island floated into during their orbits. It happened every seven years to the capital island, but the populace was usually prepared or evacuated to the other islands. They didn¡¯t offer how he died with forewarning, and we didn¡¯t pry further.
Well, by the end of the training week, we were all excited about the carnival. Callem was going to escort the women. Gareth and I would need to collect Freya. Her birthday was on the 7th day of the week, so we had the 6th day to plan. Gareth also had to get one of the puppies on the Gaskil farm for Freya¡¯s birthday present. I needed to talk with my parents and get them some coins to cover the puppy tax.
We left as a large group after breakfast on the morning of the 6th day. Gareth and I each pocketed five large silvers from Callem before leaving. I had fused my gold into large coins, and my pouch was extremely heavy. I should have given it to Gareth to carry, but traveling with the adults, I didn¡¯t want to pass it off in case Callem noticed.
Freya was waiting on the edge of town and rushed to me, hugging me. ¡°Storme, is this Callem and his wife?¡± It was the first time I had seen Callem embarrassed. The flush in his cheeks evaporated just as quickly as it had come. ¡°I can¡¯t wait till tomorrow, Storme! Can we go today? The carnival has been going on since yesterday. The other kids in town have already gone at least once already! I already know what I want to do, too! You get ten tickets for a silver coin, and shows only cost a few tickets. Can we go today, Storme!? I can get my dress on, and today can be my birthday instead of tomorrow!¡±
She was finally out of breath. Wynna spoke first, ¡°Freya can you give me and my daughter a tour of your wonderful town? We just passed quickly through a week ago and didn¡¯t have time to investigate all the attractions.¡± I nodded a ¡®yes¡¯ to Freya.
¡°If you do a good job Freya, they might tip you!¡± I voiced loudly as they walked away, Callem reluctantly in tow.
I went home to find my parents and get permission for the puppy. I also needed to find the book on the History of the Skyholme Navy, which I had borrowed from Wigand and never read. I think Pascal had taken it. Pascal was home and, like a petulant boy, retrieved the book from his room and then left in heated anger. He would eventually cool off from his jealousy of me.
I found my mother at work, and she was surprisingly very open to the idea of the puppy for Freya. I guess she had been depressed when Gareth and I started our training. I gave her two large silver, telling her it was my pay from Callem. It was to pay for the dog¡¯s taxes and food for the next year. She didn¡¯t want to take it but reluctantly did since a dog would be a large financial burden for the family.
Mother also asked me about the butter churn in the barn. Freya had told our mother that I had purchased it and had tried to make butter, but it didn¡¯t taste right because she forgot to add salt. Freya was worried she had done something wrong and thought I might be mad at her for leaving the ¡®bad¡¯ butter in the churn.
Freya had cleaned it since we hadn¡¯t done a very good job after dirtying our coins, but she didn¡¯t need to know that. Mother wanted to know if I planned to take it to Callem¡¯s farm, but I said she could keep it as it was a failed enterprise on my part. I would need to find another way to age my coins or just risk spending them as is, as there didn¡¯t seem to be any consequences for using the shiny coins in the city. Once I mastered the cleanliness spell, it would completely hide the coins¡¯ origins as I could demonstrate my ability to clean them.
My next stop was lunch in the pub. Gareth was there with a puppy. It reminded me of a Bernese Mountain dog pup but mostly white with some brown and light spots of black. Gareth was excited, saying it would get up to 180 pounds like his father. Oh yes, that was right, these big fluffy monsters were sheep-herding dogs. He would be Freya¡¯s fantastic friend and protector, and I told Gareth so. But I probably should get a few more coins to our mother to pay for the food. No, I decided Freya should have to earn money for the pup¡¯s food. Who was I kidding, though? All she needed to do was bring the dog by the pub and butcher for free scraps in town.
Gareth and I took the puppy to the river for the rest of the day and played with him. I returned home to our mom cooking chicken fajitas for dinner. I showed her how to cook them and make the cornmeal tortillas. Freya was proud and vocal about getting a silver coin tip today from giving the tour to Callem, Wynna and Ennet. The dinner was good, and Pascal had mellowed from our earlier encounter. The dinner had a bunch of innuendo about Freya¡¯s presents, and she eventually went to her room in a huff, missing the constant queues about the puppy. The entire family will be going to the carnival tomorrow. Gareth and I would have to supervise Freya.
In the morning, Gareth brought the puppy in and used it to wake Freya up, who screamed in joy, scaring the pup so much it peed in her bed. We laughed about it, and Freya didn¡¯t care. She wanted to call him Fluff Monster but eventually was talked into something more reasonable, Monty. Finally, the dog fell asleep and was locked in her room with a water bowl as we headed off to the carnival.
Chapter 17: The Carnival
Freya wore her new blue dress with blue ribbons and looked adorable. I had secreted coins into the bottom of my new backpack with some drinks. My belt pouch contained four gold, a few silver, and large coppers. I also had Wigand¡¯s book and planned to return it to him. I hoped to be able to sneak away during the carnival to finish my business with Wigand today then, I wouldn¡¯t have a reason to return to Solaris in the future.
On the road to the city, Freya said she first wanted to see the play Ashton¡¯s Valor. It was a common ballad about a woman who became a knight and rescued her true love. It was two hours long, but the other kids in town told Freya it was awesome. After that, she wanted to play some of the games for prizes or, more precisely, have Gareth or me win her some prizes.
Then she wanted to go to the beast menagerie with various monsters and beasts from the lands throughout the Sphere. Then she wanted to see one of the magicians perform real magic. To top off her birthday, she wanted to get a ride on the unicorn, which Gwen had not been able to do. Also, if time permits, she wanted to see the baby dragon. I doubted it was a real dragon. Probably just a drake hatchling or common lizard.
As we got to the city, there was a massive airship sitting in the fields just outside the far side of the city. The massive vessel made me think of Noah¡¯s ark from its prodigious size. Painted on the side in the sizeable familiar script was The Wonders of the Sphere, Traveling Carnival.
Surrounding the airship was a tent city. Around the tent city was a short wooden fence. It was a fantastic sight covering maybe a half-mile square. In addition to the carnival airship, several visible airships and skyships were docked inside the city limits, with more coming and going. Freya answered the question before I asked, ¡°They are only performing here. The Triumvirate is just allowing them one week to put on their shows for some stupid security reason. But it has brought thousands of people from all over Skyholme, even nobles from the capital!¡±
I looked at the people milling about around the tents. Even from here, I could see half a dozen Wolfsguard escorting important-looking people in finery and a large array of clothing from low to high born. Freya pointed, ¡°Look, the Blackguard!¡± I turned to see a Wolfsguard in a trim black leather uniform outside the fenced area. Freya continued, ¡°There are supposedly three hundred Blackguards in the city to keep the peace and watch the performers. At least, that is the rumor. Gwen said she counted no less than fifty when she was here two days ago, but that is probably a lie.¡± Well, anything Gwen said was a lie or exaggeration, according to Freya.
We reached the fence gate where people were entering. We saw hawkers for food and souvenirs from around the Sphere as we approached the crowd. Others were walking advertisements for the various large tents that housed specific shows.
The paths were getting crowded, but Freya led us straight to a ticket vendor, and I gave him a shiny gold. Freya missed the exchange as her eyes were focused elsewhere. The man licked the coin before returning me 30 tickets, nine large silver, and seven silver coins. Freya then dragged us to one of the larger tents with a big advertisement on it for the performance of Ashton¡¯s Valor. It cost us three tickets each to enter.
Inside, there was a large stage set up and seating for maybe five hundred people. Two elves directed people to seats. Elves were a curiosity for us as different races from the lowlands were not generally welcome in Skyholme, and our remote town rarely saw them. A quick inquiry informed us the next show was starting in 40 minutes. We were early and learned the front row, where we first tried to sit, was considered ¡®principal¡¯ seating by the young elf male who was acting as an usher.
Those seats were larger, padded, and right in front of the stage but cost ten tickets each. Freya gave me her puppy dog eyes, and I gave the elf usher three silver coins for the center front-row seats. Soon after we had sat down, the stands behind us started to fill quickly, and you could hear the hawker outside yelling the countdown to the start of the show to draw more people in.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
A young woman in finery sat next to me and looked me over before holding her nose up and trying to avoid acknowledging my presence. A man I assumed was her father sat next to her, also looking disdainfully at my appearance. Freya was between me and Gareth, and I decided to make the best of the situation by ignoring the young woman and enjoying myself.
I ordered us drinks and a snack. The drink ended up being a ginger beer, nonalcoholic, that was chilled and quite good after you got past the bite. The snack was salted caramelized nuts, but I couldn¡¯t place what kind of nuts through the salt and sweetness. Gareth ordered some meat on a stick for all of us which I ended up paying for as well. The meat reminded me of sweet teriyaki chicken but chewier.
It wasn¡¯t long before the play started, and I turned briefly and looked to the stands behind us to find every seat had been filled. I counted fifty luxury seats and estimated another 500 other seats. So that would be around two gold per show they netted, plus more for the food and drinks. I had spent one silver and six large copper alone on snacks and drinks. They did four shows a day, so maybe this troupe netted ten gold a day? My merchant musings ended as the show got underway.
The show was put on entirely by elves. They had many varying body types, like humans. These elves were mostly slender, at least the ones that were in the cast. They also had a unique charisma to them. The lead actor was a gorgeous elven woman with dark hair and aquamarine eyes. She was very good at her part and drew you in when she spoke. Actually, all the actors were excellent, and I found myself enjoying the play more than I thought I would.
The play was similar to a modern performance of Shakespeare, except they had the added benefit of illusion magic for special effects. I could see the two elven mages casting spells far off-stage. In all, there were maybe 20 elves in the troupe. I scolded myself for putting effort into sorting the behind-the-scenes work and returned to focus on just enjoying the performance.
The play was two hours, but definitely worth it. It had a lot of romance, comedy, action, and magical special effects to entertain the audience. The cast got a standing ovation when it ended. As we were leaving, Gareth was clearly smitten by the lead elf woman. He kept staring back at her as we were getting ready to leave. Well, his teenage hormones were starting to kick in.
Being in the front row, we got the unexpected extra benefit of meeting the five leads in the cast as we were leaving. This made Freya ecstatic, and I was sure she would be bragging to Gwen non-stop about it. The young woman who sat next to me handed one of the male actors a large silver and complimented him on his performance, and she had that same infatuation look Gareth had for the lead actress.
I guess it was normal to tip actors? I pulled out a shiny gold coin and handed it to the lead woman with a slight flourish so the snobby girl who sat next to me could see, ¡°Your performance was marvelous. My friend, Gareth, and sister, Freya, greatly enjoyed the show.¡± I said with respect, giving a partial bow. ¡°Please accept this coin on behalf of your entire troupe.¡± Yes, I was trying to be spiteful to the young woman who had looked down on me; she gave just a large silver in appreciation! Well, here is a gold coin worth ten times that amount!
The elf locked eyes with me and smiled brightly. Damn, she was more beautiful this close. She then clasped her hands over mine and said, ¡°I, Niserie Imiduis, thank you for your generosity on behalf of my troupe, young man. Perhaps you will see a second showing.¡± Her touch sent pleasant tingles to every extremity of my body. And her intoxicating smile fogged my brain. Maybe my hormones were ragging, too! They were even trying to get past my aether core heartburn.
I stammered a response, ¡°Uh¡sorry Niser..ie¡we only have¡come¡have time for the one.¡± Freya¡¯s face was laughing at me, while Gareth had a shadow of jealousy on his. Well, next time, Gareth, you can give the damn coin! We were pushed along and out of the tent by the remaining people in the front row waiting to thank the actors. Outside, I was sweating a bit, even in the cool air.
Gareth seemed to catch his breath, ¡°Whoa. That was great, but I think one or two of those elves had some type of charisma ability!¡± Yes, that was it! I wouldn¡¯t have been flummoxed so easily. I nodded heartily at Gareth¡¯s intuition.
Freya spoke impatiently, ¡°Guys, come on! We don¡¯t have much time before they close down for the day.¡± She started dragging us, and we could clearly see the countdown showing the carnival was open for another eight hours! What did Freya think, that we would stay for eight more hours?
She dragged us to the rows of small tents with games. ¡°Gareth and Storme, win me a prize!¡± It was kind of a demand, not a request, by her tone. The tents were crowded with people trying the games. I found something to try. It looked like a mini laser rifle shooting game. You had six shots to hit six targets. I paid for my chance with a ticket and picked up the metallic rifle with Gareth and Freya looking on.
It was somewhat heavy, and I extended my metal shaping sense into the rifle. There was a spell form inside! Pulling the trigger activated it, casting the small flashy bolt out the end. The sights seemed like a normal rifle, but¡there something was wrong at the barrel¡¯s end. Oh, this was interesting. The end of the spell form had a metal gyroscope inset at the nozzle. Each time you fired, it ¡®wiggled¡¯ the bolt a little. So even with the targets being just 10 feet away, hitting them would make it hard. I used my metal shaping skill to steady the gyroscope and quickly went six for six on the targets before handing the rifle back to the stunned Carnie. Freya chose a pair of red silk ribbons for her prize. I didn¡¯t tell Gareth; he tried the rifle game thrice before giving up.
A short walk later, Gareth took on the challenge of catching and putting balls into large cans. You stood at one end, and six young ball tossers threw 60 softballs at you. You needed to catch and dunk 10 of the same color before they hit the ground. The balls were different sizes, weights, and three different colors. The better you did, the faster the balls came from the tossers. Gareth did it on his first attempt. Freya got a small jar of hard candy for her prize this time.
The last game we played was against other carnival goers. It was like skee ball. The first competitor to get 12 balls into the single hole down the ramp won. Of course, there were 12 stations. Gareth got a little too pumped up, wanting to win. All three of us played the first game, and we lost. Gareth played three more times before giving up. A smug kid with a Wolfsguard behind him kept beating Gareth by a single ball. We had to pull him away from the game rather than make the noble brat angry.
Our next stop was the beast menagerie. It was the biggest tent of all. The tent was sectioned off with wooden walls to separate the exhibits. Each stop had a showman explaining the beast, where it came from within the Sphere, and how dangerous it was. It had cost each of us two tickets to enter, and we moved with a group of 20 or so from exhibit to exhibit. The first exhibit was a panther the size of a horse. Its eyes were coal black; if the lighting hadn¡¯t highlighted the beast in the large cage, it would have been hard to find it in the shadowy enclosure. The announcer said the beast hunted the Jungles of Terminalia and was the apex predator there.
The next exhibit was a large water tank with three mermen in it. Gareth commented it would have been better with a female of the species. We were told the mermen lived in massive underwater cities across the Sphere. These three were ¡®rescued¡¯ from a leviathan by the carnival. It was interesting to watch them swim, but soon we moved on. The next monster gave us a scare, a nine-foot-tall snow-white yeti. It was chained. It was clearly unhappy with its fate, and red-brown eyes burned with hate. We moved quickly to the next exhibit as the beast had an intimidating aura.
The next exhibit was a small ice elemental the size of a cat. It was snowing in its enclosure, and the walking ice statue was not overly interesting otherwise. Soon we were moving from exhibit to exhibit. A troglodyte, a bullywug, a giant forest python, a stegosaurus, an imp, three kobolds, a trap door spider, an owlbear, and their piece de resistance in the final exhibit was an adult griffon who was actually tamed. There was a quick sketch artist at the griffon, and he would sketch you riding the griffon for two silver. We passed on it as you did not actually get to sit on the griffon. The walk-through took two hours, and it was exciting seeing the beasts up close that we had read about in stories.
Next on Freya¡¯s list was a magician. There were multiple acts to choose from, and as we were looking, Gareth talked her into seeing the acrobat troupe instead. So, we spent an hour watching ten acrobats do amazing feats that would make an Olympic gymnast go pale in fright. We were all enthralled as every display they did seemed to defy common sense with their athleticism. I thought these tickets were well spent and hoped Callem didn¡¯t see this show and get some ideas to add to the obstacle course.
The last two items on Freya¡¯s list, the dragon tent, and unicorn, had extremely long lines. I didn¡¯t want to wait, so I talked Gareth into waiting with her while I went to the city to visit Wigand¡¯s bookstore. We agreed where we would meet up later. The meeting location was one of the fence gates monitored by ticket sellers near the city side of the enclosure. Since the city was crowded and there were Wolfsguard around, I didn¡¯t fear the locals.
Getting out of the tent city took a little while as the population density had grown. I heard someone saying more adult acts were performed later in the evening. I was slightly curious, but I had things to do. There was also some pyrotechnic display just before they closed for the day, so the crowd was growing to see that since it was essentially free. Also, I could smell dozens of food vendors sending aromas into the air, which slowed me. I had not eaten since the play, and my growing body was complaining. I was checking the food on display as I passed, trying to decide what to get when I returned.
The other large tent in the complex maze was the trader¡¯s tent. I wish we had gone there as I am sure there would have been many items of interest to purchase. I planned to run to Wigand¡¯s and get back here to convince Freya to go shopping in the tent.
I noticed a large number of city guards wearing uniforms from across the Skyholme islands. It was not surprising that the influx of people into Solaris City that they needed the help. The streets were crowded, and I heard several people say what a dumpy little city this was. I am sure it was compared to the capital. I pushed on toward my goal. Thankfully, Wigand¡¯s shop was open. I entered to find six customers browsing his shelves, and he was hawkishly watching them. ¡°Wigand?¡± He jumped at my voice.
¡°Oh, Storme! Good to see you!¡± His facial expression did not match his greeting, as the volume of customers probably stressed him. ¡°I have your book¡give me one second while I go grab it.¡± He went into the back room, and I took the opportunity to pull out the Skyholme Naval text. When he returned with the large book in a fresh leather binding, he said, ¡°Very good! I had forgotten I had loaned you this book.¡± I took the large tome I had purchased and placed it into my pack while he returned his book to the shelf behind him.
He turned to face me, asking hopefully, ¡°So Storme, what else can I help you and your patron with?¡±
I just shook my head, ¡°Nothing currently. I want to return to the festivities, but I wanted to browse your shelves for a bit.¡± His face creased in thought.
He leaned in and whispered low to me, ¡°I have some new spells you might be interested in¡just got them. Forty gold each,¡± he winked at me. ¡°Rare spells. Condense ice and Ice Shield.¡± Those spells were more uncommon than rare, and neither interested me currently.
¡°Not today, Wigand. I just don¡¯t have the coins and still have a lot of debt to work off,¡± I walked into the aisle where his magical references were located. He followed my movements and the other six patrons in the store. It took a few minutes for me to find the book I was looking for, Introduction to Your Magic Skill Affinity. I read the text over a year ago. It mostly described the 23 magic affinity skills and how having a tier one or tier two affinity affected your practice of spells within that sphere. I found the passage I was looking for near the end.
If you are fortunate enough to be bestowed with a tier-two magic skill affinity you will most likely be able to imprint spells for a lower cost on your aether core matrix. It is generally accepted that a tier 2 spell can be imprinted for the cost of a tier 1 spell. Tier 3 spells can be imprinted for the cost of a tier 2 spell. It should also be noted that even with a skill affinity of two, mages are not always successful in reducing imprinting costs. Spellbooks sourced from dungeon rewards are highly suggested as they always ensure a reduced spell cost.
I read the passage twice before returning it to the shelf. My cleanliness spell was in the aether sphere, while my mend flesh spell was in the healing sphere. This reduced cost would not work on either of my current spells. I slipped out the front door while Wigand was busy with another customer who was paying for two books. I was not planning to return to Wigand¡¯s store anytime soon.
I made my way down the street, and my focus was split on thinking and avoiding the press of traffic. I was suddenly shoved strongly into an alley. I swore in disbelief. I hadn¡¯t been paying enough attention and was going to give the idiot a piece of my mind. There were five boys my age blocking the exit to the street concourse. I recognized all of them. I crawled deeper into the alley before scrambling to my feet. This was not good. I reached down, yes, my knife was on my hip, drew it, and took a defensive stance.
A larger shadow filled the mouth of the alley, and I felt relief as he wore a city guard uniform. A smug grin came on my face as I said, ¡°Don¡¯t look behind you boys, but you all are done for.¡± The red-haired boy laughed. Soon, I could see why. The guard was also red-haired and shared features of the gang leader. Fuck.
Ok, Storme. Pull your shit together. I positioned my body and feet with the blade. All the boys produced clubs except the red-haired boy who had that stupid short iron blade I had made in our first encounter. Not to worry, I told myself. They had range, but I had the skill and better movement speed. Three of them could come at me at most, and I would just have to injure one quickly. The guard turned his back to the alley, probably making sure no one disturbed his brother¡¯s mugging.
The red-haired leader spoke, ¡°Just give us your backpack and the pretty dagger, and you can go.¡± I growled as I had stashed a small fortune of coins in the bottom of my pack in case I needed them today. I shook my head no and appeared confident.
I mean, I thought I looked pretty confident. Callem had taught me well with a sword; a dagger was just a really shorter sword. Two of the boys smirked but were obviously nervous. No one wanted to get stabbed if they didn¡¯t have to.
I heard a scraping of a hard shoe on a stone behind me. I turned in time to see a girl swing a club at my back. My quick feet sidestepped, and the club barely touched my shoulder. My dagger slashed her arm as I moved behind her, putting her between me and the advancing boys. The girl was tough; she dropped the club but didn¡¯t cry out. She moved to the side and let the boys pass as she cradled her arm. I backpedaled and kept my ears on alert for more ambushers behind.
I realized my mistake too late. The alley started to widen quickly, which allowed the boys to surround me. I turned to run, but my heart fell. The alley was dead, and I was now 50 feet into it. Even if I screamed, I was sure no one would come with the city guardsman at the entrance. ¡°Since you hurt Gundrun, we are going to have to hurt you now.¡± The red-haired boy said menacingly. ¡°You should have just given us your pack.¡±
I supposed it didn¡¯t make any difference that she had tried to hurt me first. I got the wall at my back and waited for them to make their move. The black-haired girl was out of it, as I was sure I had cut the tendon in the forearm of her dominant hand. So, it was just five-on-one. Great odds, right? The red-haired boy who had claimed the short sword I had dropped started ordering his thugs to attack at once and overwhelm me. Not a bad plan. Since it was going to be an all-out assault, meaning I would have to take the initiative before them.
Just before they attacked, I moved quickly to the right and got a weak club strike on my back as I moved too close for the boy to hit me with full strength. My dagger cut through his quad muscle and to the side of his thigh. As he dropped to the ground in a choked cry, I rolled away, planning to run back to the mouth of the alley and tackle the guard out into the pedestrian traffic, screaming bloody murder.
I came out of my roll too slow, though, and the red-haired boy got me in the temple with the hilt of the sword. It was a lucky swing on his part as he had been planning to strike me in the side with the blade, but I was too fast¡well, not fast enough. I stumbled from the blow, slightly dazed, but lost my sense of direction and ran into the alley wall. I knocked my head as I had not quite braced myself.
I was groggy when I came to and heard voices. ¡°¡.what the¡¡± ¡°¡.so much¡.¡± ¡°¡.how many gold¡¡± ¡°¡is that a platinum¡¡± My head was clearing up, except I didn¡¯t like what I was now puzzling from the voices.
¡°He isn¡¯t a lord, and he probably stole all these coins,¡± the red-haired boy was trying to convince his friends. They had emptied my pack on the ground, and my new book was soaking up gutter water. My coin purse on my hip was gone, and they found the wrapped-up coins at the bottom of my bag. God damn it. I tried to rise.
¡°He is up. Beat him to unconsciousness.¡± It was the red-haired guard who had given the command. Greed was heavy in his eyes as our eyes met. I was too woozy to defend myself effectively other than back up as the clubs started raining down. My dagger was nowhere near me. They were not overly strong but kept targeting my head and ribs, and my wrists and fingers were soon broken as I covered my head.
Darkness was coming, and I felt a blade push through my chest, the fucking blade I had made in haste in our first encounter. One of the kids swore, ¡°What the demon-cursed shit, Leon! You killed him! Why?¡± The irony of being killed by my own creation was not lost on me. I couldn¡¯t see anymore, just a blurry red haze. Blood was in my lungs as I struggled to take a breath.
A few greedy street toughs ruined all my big plans. I was dead, and I knew it. My ears heard them stream out of the alley clearly scared at what their leader had done, leaving me to bleed out. I reached within myself, trying to find the spell I had been trying to learn for five days. I had been close if I could just¡seconds felt like hours while I struggled to overlay the spell forms¡damn it! Imprint ALREADY! I felt something click in my mind and pushed my aether through the spell form a few times, directing the flows to my organs before passing out.
<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>
Arturo of the Skyholme secret police watched as the city guardsman and local kids streamed from the alley. They were excited about something. The boy had probably just been mugged. It wasn¡¯t his concern. He was in the city due to the carnival, tracking the carnival workers entering the city. Minutes passed, and the boy didn¡¯t emerge. After nearly an hour, Arturo dropped his chameleon ring effect, stepped away from the wall, and headed toward the alley.
He was cautious entering but, noticing the broken body on the ground, started walking purposely forward. Damn, lots of blood and the boy¡¯s head and hands were a complete mess. Maybe if he hadn¡¯t waited so long to enter the alley, the boy might have lived? Probably not.
The boy¡¯s chest rose slightly and fell. Arturo squatted down in the blood pool and looked more closely at the boy. He was breathing very shallowly and strained. He moved the shirt where a blade had obviously punctured the boy¡¯s chest garment. The wound was closed¡ This young boy suddenly got a lot more interesting.
Chapter 18: Arturo vs Callem
Arturo
Arturo studied the scene. He was looking for a vial from a potion. He noted nothing in the mess of the alleyway. This boy probably had a healing ability. Or maybe he had already imprinted the mend flesh or a similar spell. No, that was unlikely, as that would have taken months for someone so young. He had common clothes on and no noble signet ring on his hand, so he had no mage tutor. It was probably a healing ability, as regeneration would not have saved him.
The boy had numerous facial lacerations and fractures, and his hands and forearms had bone sticking up at angles under the flesh. His dagger sheath was empty, and his backpack was gone. There was one large tome in a puddle of blood. He picked it up and read the title, The Complexities of Aether Creationism, A Qualitative Comparison of Dungeon and Mortal Spellcraft. Interesting reading for someone so young, and the pages smelled fresh, like it was recently copied. Maybe he was an apprentice to some obscure mage out here in the lower cities?
The boy would likely live. Arturo leaned against the wall, deciding on a course of action. He had two subordinates who could take over and bring the boy to a healer. The carnival workers were much more interesting after all. His office had confirmed three spies from the Sadians within their number already. On top of that, there were four others that were divined as having malicious intent. Not a large number when considering their massive airship had just over 600 people on arrival. He selected the communication stone in his vest for his agent, Jurmaer.
After some thought he activated the stone and waited for the return activation signal then spoke, ¡°A boy in the city has been accosted.¡± Before he could continue, Jurmaer spoke.
¡°Someone from the troupes?¡± Jurmaer asked hopeful for some action.
¡°No, just a city kid, but he may have a high-tier healing ability,¡± Arturo responded calmly. ¡°I plan to bring him to the medical clinic in the city. You will need to change positions to watch my street as well.¡± He heard Jurmaer¡¯s frustrated sigh on the other end before acknowledging in the affirmative.
Arturo put the book on the boy¡¯s chest before lifting him. Ugh, he would have to pay for magical cleaning to get the blood out. He wished he had his anti-gravity medallion with him, but he only wore it when he was serving aboard a skyship. Oh well, he walked the four blocks to the healer¡¯s clinic and brought the boy in and let them do their work as he faded into the background and, when he wasn¡¯t observed, activated his chameleon ring again, blending with the wall.
Callem
Callem was working on another prize for Wynna, to the distressed dismay of the carnie behind the counter. He noticed Gareth and Freya were running toward the city between the tents in the distance. He could see the panic on their faces even from this distance with his enhanced sight.
It had been a wonderful day so far. Ennet had let Wynna spend time alone with him and there was definitely something there. Something that hadn¡¯t stirred within him for years was coming to the fore. She was a remarkable woman. Well-read, kind, funny, and attractive for her age. He could help her with her fitness since it was lagging but he figured to let the relationship progress before pressing that. Right now, his concern was on Gareth. Where was Storme? He excused himself from Wynna¡¯s company, saying one his students appeared to be in trouble. He followed Gareth and Freya from a modest distance in case this was nothing, and he could slip back to enjoying the day.
Callem was able to follow at a brisk jog; his movement didn¡¯t portray that he was following the kids, though. He just seemed in a rush to get somewhere, blending with the other people of the city. The couple picked up their running speed when they could, Gareth didn¡¯t let Freya fall too far behind, keeping an eye on her as he ran. The girl was giving it her all, and there was an obvious emergency. When they entered the merchant¡¯s ward of the city, they started frantically searching the buildings until they found the healer¡¯s clinic and went inside. Callem guessed Storme was inside and walked through the door shortly after them.
Callem found Freya crying over her unconscious brother in a room at the back. Gareth''s face was a mix of anger and concern as he listened to the healer. Relief washed over Gareth when he noticed Callem standing in the doorway. The healer paused, glancing at the impressive figure filling the entrance, but then continued when Callem nodded for him to proceed.
¡°¡as I was saying, he has multiple fractures in his face, hands, and arms, along with two broken ribs and a shattered kneecap. We were able to repair the two skull fractures, as they were placing pressure on his brain. Surprisingly, he has no internal organ damage, except for a lung laceration likely caused by one of the broken ribs during transport here. He should recover, but the cost of additional healing¡¡± The healer trailed off, leaving the implications hanging in the air. ¡°I will pay the cost,¡± Callem said to the healer.
The middle-aged healer looked relieved. He seemed indecisive on whether to ask for payment first. Callem passed him a large gold coin, to which his eyes widened, ¡°Yes, this should cover most of the costs, if not all. I will need to complete the bone repair over two days unless you want to purchase an aether restorative potion for me¡?¡± He left the question hanging. Callem gave the greedy healer a hard look that got the man to start casting his spells.
Callem then turned and looked at the far corner of the room, speaking in ironclad words, ¡°I hope for your sake, inquisitor, this was not of your doing or scheming.¡±
Arturo
Arturo had watched as the boy, Gareth, had arrived with the boy''s sister. Someone in the city recognized the boy as he carried him and let his friend know. It was all a very touching reunion but not very interesting. Then, a large square man entered the doorway and Arturo suddenly felt constipated with worry.
Arturo recognized the man, although he thought Callem Dregalla had been exiled to retirement and should have died by now. Callem had been the arms instructor at the Naval Academy when Arturo attended many years ago. He remembered him as a focused teacher who remained neutral in almost all political matters.
Arturo had chosen a far corner of the room, which had no windows and only one door. He was reflecting on his choices of escape when Callem turned to him and spoke in the coldest tone Arturo had ever heard: ¡°I hope for your sake, inquisitor, that this was not your doing or scheme.¡±
Arturo knew that Callem¡¯s eyes could see through most minor illusions but had hoped to remain unnoticed. There was no point now, so he dropped his chameleon ring effect and startled the healer, large boy and sobbing girl. They all seemed on the defensive so he remained calm. ¡°No, Commander. I found the boy in an alley and brought him here.¡± He addressed Callem with the highest title he had had in the Navy to show respect.
His thoughts were also reordering, trying to puzzle things out. Was Callem related to this boy somehow? It would make complete sense. Maybe Callem had remarried and had children in his time away from the capital.
Callem¡¯s voice was still hard as he retorted, ¡°And I assume the attackers were left to go free? Inquisitors don¡¯t take action; they just report what they see.¡± Arturo fumed internally but calmed before his anger showed. His job was information gathering and interrogation. Anything beyond that without approval from the chain of command¡
¡°I did not catch the culprits in the act.¡± Arturo responded evenly. Well, that was the truth. He knew what was likely happening in the alley but he didn¡¯t actually see it. He needed to watch his words because he knew Callem had a sort of truth-sense about him. During his time at the Naval Academy, nothing got past the man. He decided to reach for information, ¡°Are you this boy¡¯s benefactor?¡± Well, that was obvious as he had just paid for the healing, but perhaps he would volunteer more.
Callem responded with some moderation in his tone now, coming down from his initial anger. ¡°These two boys,¡± he smoothly gestured to Gareth and Storme, ¡°are my students and farm hands. They are under my protection and employment.¡± The words had some bite and warning to them.
Arturo leaned against the wall comfortably for the first time in this encounter. Well, at least he had something to report today; the great Commander Callem had taken on students. A number of people in the city would be interested to hear this news.
Maybe he could gain some goodwill from Callem and play both sides? Even with his advanced age, he was probably one of the most powerful fighters on the islands. ¡°I am glad I was able to get him to a healer for you then. I will look into the assault and see if I can bring them to some justice.¡±
He pushed himself off the wall, walked calmly past Callem, and was planning to exit the room.
Callem
Callem was fuming on the inside. Inquisitors were the spies of the Skyholme elite and cared nothing for the common folk. It was obvious from his words he could have prevented the assault. He had just used the plural, ¡®them¡¯, to describe the attackers. Inquisitors never lifted a finger unless it was beneficial for them or their masters.
His shock at seeing Callem showed that he hadn''t realized the boy was connected to him initially. He decided the best course of action was to get the inquisitor as far away from the boys as possible and to warn this one off. Before leaving the room, Callem said, ¡°No. I think it¡¯s best if the boy handles his own problems. That way, in the future, he will learn not to start things he cannot finish. I want you to leave this room as well, and I hope I will not find you or any of your associates near me or my people in the future. I gave my oath to never take sides, and in return, I was promised to be left to my own devices. You will honor that.¡± His last sentence was delivered in a steady, commanding tone.
Arturo responded after having a slight look of disappointment on his face, ¡°As you wish, Master Callem.¡± He took measured steps to the doorway, and Callem allowed him to leave. ¡°If you need anything from us in the future¡¡±
¡°I will not, Arturo,¡± Callem said in a voice going hard. He had finally remembered the man. He had taught him as a boy at the Naval Academy. His face had changed quite a lot, but the familiarity was there. He recalled that Arturo was a ladder climber. A boot-linking kid who did whatever the most powerful person in the room wanted. He had modest skill with the blade if he remembered correctly. Gareth would easily outstrip his blade skills within the year.
¡°As you will.¡± Arturo said slightly surprised Callem remembered him. He made his exit and left the building.
Callem returned his attention to the healer¡¯s progress. Storme was gaunt already from the healing. Low-tier healing spells used the body''s energy to heal, and a lot of healing had been done. ¡°How does he fare, healer?¡± He asked softly now that the encounter with Arturo was over. Gareth looked worried from the encounter, but the distraught Freya was focused on Storme.
¡°I have just finished with the facial bones and his hands. There was a lot of damage there. He still has the knee cap, ribs, and one forearm bone needing to be healed. There is still a large amount of swelling as well. I am pretty spent, as is the boy.¡± The healer did look tired.
¡°Good enough, Gareth, get a cart and horse to bring us back to Hen¡¯s Hollow. There is a bone healer there that can finish the work there. Then, we will be headed to my farm for the boy to recover. Freya will accompany us till Hen¡¯s Hollow, and I will talk with Storme''s parents there.¡± Callem just stated what he wanted, and people reacted to his orders.
Two hours later Storme was being serviced by the bone shaper in town, Antal, fixing his remaining bone injuries. Bone shaping didn''t require the bodies stores to work so the unconscious Storme wasn''t being drained by the healing.
Callem had a conversation with Storme¡¯s parents, Alurha and Caleb, about the attack. Alurha was frustrated and wanted to report the incident. However, it had already been observed by an Inquisitor, and he had done nothing. He reassured them that the best course of action was to let Storme stay with him at his farm and train. Alurha reluctantly agreed at the urging of her husband. Callem¡¯s plan was to keep Storme there until he entered the Academy at seventeen, out of the eyes of the Inquisitors and power-hungry families.
Callem wasn¡¯t sure why the inquisitor had helped Storme, but whatever it was, it couldn¡¯t be good. Callem wasn¡¯t sure why he felt the need to protect and train Storme. Perhaps he was trying to fill the void left by his lost son with these two talented boys. He believed Storme had the potential to be a unique talent in Skyholme¡ªa powerful mage and a competent warrior. Whatever his ulterior motive, it was obvious that Storme couldn¡¯t protect himself yet. First, the giant eagle and now the boys in the city almost killed him.
The only dissenter was Freya, the boy¡¯s vibrant younger sister. Freya was upset at this plan as she would barely see her brother anymore. Callem consoled her by saying she could come out for two days a month and stay at the farm and watch Storme and Gareth train. It would be good for Storme to be reminded he was loved. Gareth could escort Freya to and from the town for her safety.
He was also going to have to do a better job preparing them for the harsh challenge of the elite Academies and cutthroat nature of the ruling families. He was reworking his training plans for the boys in his head¡
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.
CHapters 19 & 20
Chapter 19: Dungeons
I woke disoriented. My eyes burned, and it hurt to open them and look around. Familiar markers in my surroundings made it clear I was back at Callem¡¯s in our bunkhouse. A bed had been made up in the lower room near the table for me. I tried to sit up but felt weak, and my skin was on fire. It brought hazy memories of a time I went to the beach with some friends and fell asleep in the sun for 5 hours without sunscreen. I worked myself into a sitting position. Well, I wasn¡¯t dead, which was a positive. I heard the sounds of sword practice outside and Callem¡¯s voice giving corrections and suggestions.
My stomach growled, indicating it needed filling. I stood and tried walking, but my right knee was very stiff, and I had to force it to bend, even though it protested. I went into the cold cellar and started slicing off a slab of smoked ham. I grabbed two good-sized blocks of hard cheese, six apples, a jar of apple butter, and a jug of chilled water to wash it down. Getting back up the stairs was a chore in its own right.
I took a seat at the dining table and started to fill my protesting stomach. My mind was fuzzy on the details. I had been forced into an alley¡I was mugged¡beaten¡I started to get flashes of scenes. That cursed red-headed boy from the city. Then I remembered he had an older brother. The city guardsman! Shit! The memories suddenly locked into place sequentially, and I recalled the encounter and the city teens taking my purse and backpack.
I went through stages: awareness, an adrenaline rush, anger, dispersion of rage, and finally, calm reflection. My first thought was I had almost died twice in the last few weeks. Twice! And I was 15! I was supposed to have a luxurious new life here, and I had been nothing but a punching bag. I was having regrets about my ability selections. I mean, there were some pretty ridiculously powered tier 7 abilities on that screen. And I choose metal mage? I had just skimmed that list so long ago, but I should have chosen wiser options.
The apples were now just cores with most of the apple butter gone with them, so I started on the ham and cheese, stacking them together.
Well, I could become a powerful mage if what Callem had said was true. I stood and started pacing to work out my muscles and the protesting knee. My skin was tight and burned a bit, and on inspection, I could still see some bruising. I detoured to the one mirror in the house and saw my face intact with some yellow-blue bruising. Well, at least I wasn¡¯t disfigured. I remembered hearing bones cracking during the pummeling. I shivered in a wave of phantom pain at the memory.
My thoughts returned to my own survival and, hopefully, prosperity. Spells. I needed spells. A tier two lightning spell was preferred, but a tier two or tier three healing spell would be okay. I stopped in stride and looked within myself. The mend flesh spell was there! I could trace the spell forms on my aether matrix. It took me a while to feel it out and figure out its possible evolutions. It had two obvious evolutions. The first was a self-diagnostic. This would let me use the spell to look at my person for injuries. The second evolution allowed the spell to target other soft tissue beyond blood vessels and skin. This second was actually the most common first evolution of the spell and the most useful, according to the spell book.
I scrambled up the ladder to my loft. Everything was there, as well as the book I had bought, The Complexities of Aether Creationism, A Qualitative Comparison of Dungeon and Mortal Spellcraft. It was stained with dried blood. I ignored it for now, grabbed the mend flesh spellbook, and sat on the bed to read. Evolutions occurred at spell levels 1,2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19, 23, and continued to progress through the prime numbers. It took a mage, on average, 20 years to reach level 23 of a tier 1 spell with regular casting and studying.
Well, I had a massive aether core, so I assumed it wouldn¡¯t take me nearly that long. I paged through the book as I wanted to reference the spell form that I wanted for the next evolution: diagnose other. It was another common evolution, but I wanted to have the evolution clear in my head, so I studied it. It was less than an hour before the door opened, and Gareth came in to check on me.
He scanned the room and quickly found me in my loft, ¡°Stormy! Up and about, I see!¡± He was grinning. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go getting into scraps without me. It hurts my feelings, you know!¡±
I retorted with sarcasm, lacing my words, ¡°Next time I am against ten-to-one odds, I will be sure to invite you!¡± How many had there been in that alley? At least seven, I thought, maybe eight. ¡°So, how long have I been out of it?¡± I asked and started making my way down the ladder.
¡°Callem had you under a sleeping draft to let you rest. It has been just under a day. No need to worry. The healer in the city did good work, according to Callem. Antal¡¯s bone-shaping ability finished the work the healer in town couldn¡¯t do because he ran out of aether. Antal did have some issues with your kneecap. Said it might be stiff for a while as the tendons are not quite correct.¡± Gareth sat down all sweaty and finished off the remaining ham, cheese, and jug of water.
Callem walked through the door saying, ¡°Is our slumbering vigilante awake?¡± He was obviously joking, and he knew I was awake since Gareth and I had not been talking quietly. ¡°So, Storme we can discuss the incident when you feel up to it. For now, your parents have given me wardship over you. You will not leave the farm without my permission.¡± I was shocked to hear that but not overly disappointed.
I was about to mention Freya when Callem beat me to it, ¡°Your sister can visit two consecutive days every month.¡± I sighed, content with that information.
Callem sat in one of the chairs at the table. ¡°Storme, you have had quite a bit of healing done, and it will take you two to three days of gorging to replenish your body¡¯s stores.¡± He held up a hand to stop my question, ¡°No potions. I do have the restoratives, but they are not needed. For the next three days, we will work on one of the texts after stretching.¡±
Gareth butted into our conversation, ¡°Can it be the Dungeoneering book!?¡± His excitement was palpable. Callem had a sour look on his face that he erased quickly.
¡°I suppose we can work on that book. Everyone needs to know the basics about dungeons. That reminds me, Storme.¡± He gestured to Gareth, ¡°I already told Gareth. Wynna will be staying here for a while.¡± Callem¡¯s face was unreadable, and he held back his body language in check. I knew those two were getting along.
I smirked, and Callem continued pretending not to notice, ¡°She will be helping with your book lessons in the evening and will be preparing lunch for all of us.¡± Well, that was great news, one thing off my plate, so to speak, since I was no longer responsible for lunch. It looked like dinner was still my domain, though. ¡°Ennet has purchased a house in Hen¡¯s Hollow and will be moving her business there.¡± Callem read my confused look, ¡°Wynna is retiring. At least she doesn''t plan to entertain any new clients.¡±
Callem stood and walked toward the door. He looked over his shoulder at us, ¡°You have an hour to bathe before lunch, and then we will begin on the books. Storme, you smell like you crawled out of a latrine!¡± I sniffed myself, and that was definitely not an understatement. Callem finished his chiding before closing the door behind him with the final word, ¡°With Wynna staying here, personal hygiene will need to be improved around here!¡±
Gareth and I locked eyes and laughed. Generally, we were the cleaner and better smelling than Callem, whom I had never actually seen bathe. Gareth spoke, ¡°About time we delved into that dungeoneering book. He was always putting it off.¡± I started to speak, but he cut me off, ¡°I know his son died in a dungeon, but that doesn¡¯t mean we would. Not that I plan to try my luck anytime soon.¡± Gareth had been inching toward the door and then sprinted out yelling, ¡°Race you to the stream!¡±
I still was moving very gingerly but made an effort to catch him. I was pretty sure he slowed down just enough to let me think I had a chance to catch him. I dove in while still dressed while he was removing his clothes. I figured my clothes needed washing anyway. ¡°I win!¡± I yelled as my head emerged. Gareth was on the shore half undressed with his mouth agape.
¡°Well, that¡¯s just not fair," he stated sullenly. However, his grin quickly returned as he ran full tilt and did a cannonball right next to me. When the water settled, we both relaxed, and Gareth asked, ¡°So, Strome, it was those kids you pointed out to me before, wasn''t it?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± I sighed heavily, ¡°but it¡¯s not good. He has a brother, or maybe it was his father in the city guard.¡± There was silence between us as I scrubbed my clothes near one of the short waterfalls nearby.
¡°We need to bid our time, Gareth,¡± I finally said. ¡°We will even the score. Hell, they took all my coins, too, and there were a few platinum in there. If they see me alive again, I don''t expect the encounter will be pleasant.¡±
I finished clothes washing and put on just undergarments that were still wet. ¡°I think it is good we are here. We are learning from the best and I should be able to work on my spells. I am going to need more spells, though. I can¡¯t leave, according to Callem, but you can. Would you be up for making a trip to the capital in a few weeks?¡±
Gareth¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Demon¡¯s yes, Stormy!¡± As we walked back, we started planning his trip to the capital. After he got there, he would buy some fine clothes to have the bearing of a noble with wealth and then go to a magic shop, drop a few platinum coins on some spell books, and return. It was a simple plan, but any number of things could go wrong.
We changed into better evening clothes in our lofts and went to the farmhouse. Lunch was laid out: a hearty pea soup, grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon, two pitchers of fruit juice, and some baked breaded fish. Forgetting our manners in front of Wynna, we dug in. I was a little off pace as I had stuffed my stomach just over an hour ago, but I still consumed a lot of food. The fish was a bit dry, but other than that, everything was good.
Satiated, we sat in the ¡®new¡¯ living room. Four large plush couches surrounded a large square coffee table. Wynna was already redecorating Callem''s house. ¡°Boys I have never taught before, but I like to think of myself as fairly well-read. What we will do is read a chapter and then discuss what you read as a group.¡± She handed me and Gareth the book, and I read the title, The Basics of Understanding Dungeon Ecology.
Wynna continued, ¡°Most of the knowledge in these books is from two old adventurers, Mundu Aetherseeker and Jamath the Traveler. Mundu had a high-tier ability that allowed him to commune with dungeons. Some say he could talk to dungeons, but since he lived more than 20,000 years ago, I don¡¯t know if legend has surpassed reality. Jamath had a powerful ability for navigation and location sensing. He could enter a dungeon portal and know exactly how far and from which direction he had traveled. With that primer, boys, let''s start on the first chapter.¡±
I opened my text, Chapter 1: Dungeon Portals. I quickly read the twenty-page chapter. Dungeon portals were archways engraved with standardized symbols throughout the Sphere. Apparently, Mundu was footnoted as having translated all of the symbols. Each dungeon had a series of up to six standard symbols. The first was the number of people allowed in at one time. This could range from one to essentially unlimited. Some dungeons reset if a group left the first floor. If the cap had been reached, then all entrants had to leave before the dungeon would reset as well. So, you couldn¡¯t effectively swap members of a delve team unless everyone exited the dungeon.
It was unlikely a dungeon could become locked by someone living in a dungeon because the longer you stayed in a dungeon, the harder it tried to kill you¡well, there was a passage from Mundu that said if you stopped making consistent progress, it would try harder and harder to kill you anyway.
The second symbol was the relative difficulty of a dungeon, from one to seven. The difficulty was relative to the preparedness of the dungeon dive team. If you knew what to expect and prepared for it you would be mostly fine.
The third symbol was the number of levels a dungeon had.
The fourth symbol describes the terrain or terrains inside the dungeon.
The fifth symbol denoted the dungeon''s age, usually dungeons were over 10,000 years as they evolved slowly.
The sixth symbol was the only fluid symbol and showed how many people were currently challenging a dungeon and if there was space for any more.
Those were the six common symbols every dungeon had. Mundu noted there was sometimes a seventh symbol, but since it was rare to see, it was not included in this book of basic knowledge.
Gareth finished reading shortly after I finished, and we started the discussion. Callem was more knowledgeable than Wynna on dungeons, so he trumped input on our questions for this chapter. Gareth wanted to know how big a dungeon dive team was typically. Callem said most dungeons allowed between four to seven delvers. Most adventuring teams had six to eight members, each with a specialization. All the dungeon entrances on the Skyholme islands had limits between five and seven challengers.
I was mostly curious about resources, and Wynna said there was a chapter covering that aspect, so she delayed answering the question. We both were curious about dungeon ages, how old did they get? Wynna fielded this question. The oldest dungeon noted in the text was 370,000 years old. A dungeon evolved every few hundred years, expanding its footprint and adding levels.
Wynna put a halt to questions and told us it was time for the next chapter, Chapter 2: Dungeon Size and Terrain. I was a little surprised to learn a dungeon could be anywhere from a few hundred feet up to a few thousand miles! A thousand miles to cross a dungeon floor sounded ridiculous. The terrain also was so varied it sounded mystical, traveling from desert to a glacier in just a few steps. We finished reading, and Wynna expanded on the text.
¡°The dungeons themselves are contained within a massive aether ley line matrix inside the crust of the Sphere. These ley lines are almost four thousand miles in diameter.¡± My look of disbelief had Wynna smile, ¡°The size of the ley lines has been confirmed by dozens of independent researchers over the millennia. The ley lines can not be penetrated from the outside. Anyone who has tried has died from aether backlash, a defense mechanism that effectively burns away all material in a large swath area. The only way to enter inside a ley line is through a dungeon portal¡ªthen you are expected to complete the trials.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°Trials?¡± Gareth asked, leaning forward.
¡°Well, trials is a strong word. Each floor or level of a dungeon is a challenge with rewards,¡± Wynna said and stopped. Gareth eyes were glinting with excitement.
Seeing Callem upset, I asked a question to get off the topic of dungeons. ¡°If the ley lines are that thick, how thick is the Sphere?¡±
Wynna smiled at my question, ¡°Between 15,000 and 20,000 miles, depending on where you were.¡± My mind was spinning a bit at that scale.
I had not been fantastic at physics in my old life, but shouldn¡¯t gravity be crushing us like zits? I didn¡¯t voice this question. Gareth was asking about how someone dug down to the aether lines as I was distracted. Callem answered his inquiry. There were 23 passages, each thousands of miles across, through the Sphere to the Outer Sphere. The truly powerful controlled these gateways. They were merchant highways for resources gathered within the Sphere¡¯s dungeons to be sold to Dark World civilizations and the rest of the galaxy.
Wait, Callem knew there was more out there than just the Sphere? Gareth was pounding Callem with questions about life outside of the Sphere until he silenced him. ¡°Today¡¯s lessons are about dungeons, not the expanse of the Sphere or what lay beyond.¡± Gareth looked disappointed, clearly having a taste for adventure. I had dampened it growing up. Outside of Skyholme, the Sphere was a dangerous place.
Returning to the book, Chapter 3 was all about resources. The book detailed that anything in a dungeon was real, and as long as you could carry it out, you could keep it. The natural resources depended on the environment. Monster harvesting, lumber, herbs, metals, rocks¡anything.
I asked, ¡°Can you bring in a large cart?¡± Callem and Wynna laughed together.
¡°Dungeons have a sense of fairness. As long as it is not too large¡ªsay a wheelbarrow, you would be fine. Try to take a horse and cart, and you may find your cart missing after passing through the portal. There are specialists in delve teams that have dimensional spaces and focus on harvesting loot.¡±
Callem spoke, ¡°The true value in a dungeon are the aether crystals and aether-infused ingredients. Plants, metals, and rocks in more powerful dungeons had aether laced into their makeup. This makes them extremely valuable for alchemists, enchanters, and in magitech devices. My own tobacco plants were from a dungeon and even retained a slight aether property. But most aetheric seeds brought out of a dungeon don¡¯t grow unless you have aether-rich soil.¡± The conversation lasted for a while talking about environmental treasures. Some cities in the lower lands lived completely off the harvest of a single dungeon.
Wynna soon had us move to Chapter 4: Aether Crystals. Both Gareth and I had heard of aether crystals and knew they only came from dungeons. I read the chapter twice to make sure I understood. Aether crystals were found inside monsters in a dungeon. A sort of prize you got for defeating the foe.
There were also aether crystal deposits in some dungeons that could be mined. These dungeons that had aether crystal mines were highly sought after. Aether crystals came in seven grades or tiers. The first three grades red, orange, and yellow were the lowest. The amount of aether they contained tripled each grade. So, orange contained three times that of red and yellow nine times that of red.
These low-tier crystals were used mostly in enchanting. They were ground to a powder and mixed with metals to inscribe runes. The crystals also varied in size, from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a basketball. The three-fold increase in capacity held true for the next three grades: green, blue, and indigo. These crystals had a much larger capacity and were extremely durable compared to the first three tiers and difficult to turn into a powder.
They were mostly used as batteries for magic devices. The red, orange, and yellow became brittle after a few recharges. Inside the Sphere, the crystals recharged naturally from the ambient aether. A mage who could control his aether could also forcibly recharge a crystal. Pulling aether from a crystal required a runic array and was not a fast process.
The final aether crystal: violet was virtually indestructible. These were the crystals used to power the strongest magitech devices and also skyships and starships. Dungeons that supplied such crystals were valued much more than others.
A violet aether crystal could contain 729 times the amount of aether as a red crystal of similar size. Wynna said if we had trouble remembering the grade scale, think of a rainbow. I had a flashback, ROY-G-BIV. Huh¡was magic and science linked somehow? Gareth was already into his questions. He wanted to know what type of crystals and how big they were, and which came from which monster in the Skyholme dungeons. Neither Callem nor Wynna had answers for him, leaving him disappointed.
I asked about their value. ¡°How costly are aether crystals.¡±
Wynna cocked her head thinking. ¡°Not so much in Skyholme, but other parts of the Sphere, they are used as a currency. In my business, I have accepted some in exchange. For the lower tiers, the reds, oranges, and yellows, it is about one silver per aetheric unit, with some variance. The cost doubles for the greens, blues and indigos, to two silver per unit. For violets¡ªfour silver per unit.¡±
I did the math in my head, ¡°So a single unit of violet crystal is thirty gold!?¡± A unit was about the size of a rice grain.
Wynna smiled at my astonishment, ¡°About. However, economies are different in each city in the Sphere. A small fist-sized violent crystal contains about 9,000 units and is worth 250,000 gold. But that small crystal can make a skyship fly!¡±
Even Gareth was flabbergasted. ¡°Where do we get those aether crystals!¡±
Callem laughed deeply, ¡°There are no dungeons in Skyholme that produce tier six or tier seven crystals, and nothing remotely as large as a fist. Those dungeons are in the lowlands and on the moons and more dangerous than they have a right to be.¡± The last was said with a warning.
It was getting late, and we still had three chapters to go, so Wynna said we would finish the text over the next few days. We had a cold dinner of sausage and buttered bread as no one had cooked. The conversation lingered on dungeons, but I was not interested. After dinner, Gareth took his copy of the dungeon book to read in his loft.
While Gareth was reading about dungeons, I did my aether core exercises and produced two platinum coins. I needed to start filling my purse again. I would need some gold later to complete them, but this is fine for now. I had some aether in reserve, so I started working on my mend flesh spell. First, I puzzled through the self-diagnostic tool and found lots of lingering injuries on my body. They had a bright red-hot feeling from the feedback. I had mostly strained tendons and capillaries were still being repaired.
I was surprised how little aether I needed to heal everything completely. I found everything that needed attention, including my troubled knee, and healed myself completely. Of course, I was hungry again and snuck down for a snack. Gareth joined me and said, ¡°Storme, I want to try out a dungeon sometime.¡± He had a serious look on his face.
¡°Gareth, after we finish our first year of Academy training, we can try delving.¡± He grinned happily that I was on board. He didn¡¯t realize that gave me three years to convince him not to. Gareth slapped me on the shoulder before tossing a handful of nuts in his mouth. Sleep was welcome in my flotilla of pillows.
Chapter 20: The Second Spell
I was happy to just be hungry when I woke, with no lingering pain other than the burn of my growing aether core. I quickly made use of the diagnostic spell and I was happy at what little I found wrong. Gareth was still asleep, which didn¡¯t surprise me as he had studied really late into the night. I was quiet as I made my way down my ladder. I had my cleanliness spell book in hand and started reviewing the spell forms. It was just thirty minutes later when I heard Callem yell for breakfast.
I calmly walked out as Gareth was scrambling to get up and dressed, and he yelled after me, ¡°Damn it, Stormy, you could have awakened me! Callem is going to work me over in practice today if I¡¯m late for breakfast again.¡± I was out the door. My fiendish plan was just to get the choicest morsels at breakfast. Gareth was a fast and relentless eater, after all.
Breakfast was potato pancakes with butter and a side of boiled oats with fruit. No juice, unfortunately, this morning. Both items were plentiful, though. Gareth barged in just a minute after I had sat down. I had already loaded my plate. Gareth sat and piled the pancakes on his plate. I snagged two more before he got them all. Callem immediately said we would not talk about dungeons at breakfast. This news had Gareth deflating. He had probably come up with a hundred questions.
Getting close to finishing breakfast, Callem spoke, ¡°We will stretch together, then Gareth and I will work on harvesting the tobacco. Storme, you can work on dinner after stretching, then study your spells till lunch.¡±
¡°I already learned the mend flesh spell,¡± I said between mouthfuls and noticed everyone staring at me. ¡°Yeah, it sort of locked in while I lay there dying in the alley. If I hadn¡¯t imprinted it, I would be dead.¡± Wynna looked concerned, Gareth shocked and Callem thoughtful.
Callem spoke first, ¡°I thought you might have. The mend flesh spell¡how many times can you cast it, and what are your evolutions?¡± Light suddenly dawned on Gareth¡¯s face, and it went panicky. He was shaking his head, trying to get my attention. As teens, it was not advisable for us to take potions, but aetheric healing wouldn¡¯t affect our growth, just require us to eat more.
¡°My spell is just second level, and I just have a self-assessment and can mend organs, tendons, and ligaments.¡± Callem was thinking, and Gareth looked resigned to painful lessons, already knowing the outcome of Callem''s deliberations.
¡°Well, it would be best for you to practice that spell as much as possible. We should increase the intensity of our training to help you level it. Spells don¡¯t adversely affect growth like potions, so there are no limits on your casting.¡± Oh shit. Gareth would be beaten down for two days, but then I would join him. I gulped, knowing I would be joining Gareth in his pain eventually.
We went outside and did the stretches at a quicker pace after Callem noticed I was moving ok. He probably figured I had cast the healing spell on myself and I would need to get better at acting. After stretching, I was off preparing dinner. I decided on blood orange chicken with pork fried rice. I would add some broccoli florets to the rice for fiber. I would just get everything ready to cook. Before dinner, I could quickly make the meal. Wynna was there watching me from a couch with a book in her hand. She tried to start a dialogue, ¡°I may have retired, but if you or Gareth need another reading, all you have to do is ask.¡±
¡°That is very kind of you. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what are your intentions with Callem?¡± I had put on my adult face. I was more trying to deflect her attention from me, but I was also curious.
Wynna didn¡¯t look upset at the question, putting down her book, and more thoughtful than anything else. ¡°Callem and I are both at the tail end of our lives¡ªyes, he has lived a lot more than I have.¡± She chuckled, ¡°We both didn¡¯t think we would find much joy in our remaining time. Callem found something to invest in you two and had enough left over to share with me.¡±
She paused, and I nodded in understanding. ¡°We enjoy each other''s company and still have some intimacy left in our bodies.¡± She winked at me, and that was enough for me. I then steered the conversation to the carnival. She told me about her impressions of the play. She was very insightful regarding the implications and lessons within the simple plot. She reminded me of an English teacher reaching for layered meanings in Shakespeare. I enjoyed talking with her as she treated me as an adult, and I found myself liking the older woman.
Back in my loft, I delved into the cleanliness spell. Now that I had one spell imprinted, the next shouldn¡¯t be as hard.
Yes, it was still hard. My best analogy was memorizing and writing a 30-page short story from memory without any errors. I made some progress before lunch. Wynna made a hearty vegetable soup and some tasty warm crusty bread with a choice of a butter spread or olive tapenade spread. It was the first time I had seen olives in Skyholme, and she even had some olive oil from the capital¡¯s markets.
Fortunately, there was plenty of soup and bread for three hungry men. Callem had me heal Gareth. When I explored where my spell was healing, I found just some minor bumps and bruises. I couldn¡¯t assess him like I could myself, but the spell naturally sought his injuries, and I could feel where it was being directed. At first, I was a little hesitant, as I didn¡¯t want to cut into my coin creation at night, but the amount of aether was actually minimal.
After lunch, I returned to my studies, and Gareth and Callem started practicing outside. The clang of weapons was a bit distracting, but I learned how to tune things out while growing up in a small house.
Before I knew I had to make dinner. Callem brought out some of his fruit juice stash and a bottle of wine for him and Wynna. Everyone said the dinner was excellent, but Wynna said she would need to get her wine collection transferred from the capital after sampling Callem''s offering. When dinner was finished, we again took up positions on the couches. First, I cast my healing on Gareth. He had a few good bruises and one small laceration on his thigh. Callem was already increasing the intensity in sparring, and Gareth was loving it by his mannerisms even with the increased injuries.
As we began lessons, Gareth had finished the last three chapters last night, so I was behind. I said I could read and tune everyone else out as Gareth asked all his burning questions. It was something I was getting really good at: tuning out distractions.
I started the reading. Chapter 4 was about reward chests from dungeon challenge bosses. The chests were generally well-made and contained coins and items of value. Sometimes artwork, sometimes minor enchanted items, sometimes well-crafted weapons, sometimes aether crystals, and much rarer were dungeon essences that could bestow abilities. The items were usually much more valuable than the coins also contained within. The chests themselves were also valuable, so some delvers hauled them out as well.
The 5th Chapter was mostly a chapter warning of dangers in dungeons. Traps, staying too long, underestimating beasts and monsters, environmental dangers, and warnings not to eat or drink anything not confirmed safe by the Adventurer''s Guild.
The final Chapter in the book gave examples of how to prepare for certain environments and challenges. I tuned into the conversation but didn¡¯t ask any questions. Gareth was mostly interested in ways to fight beasts and monsters with his abilities, and it was a back-and-forth between Gareth and Callem.
I was glad when the session ended. I wasn¡¯t interested in risking my life in a dungeon. I already had all the wealth I would ever need at my fingertips. I hoped Gareth would grow out of his interest in delving into dungeons. If we traveled the Sphere, exploring safe cities and keeping him in luxury should be enough, right?
That night, I made two more platinum coins, did my aether core exercises, and studied the cleanliness spell.
The next day, Callem decided I was recovered enough to rejoin training. He had reworked my schedule. My new daily schedule became breakfast, stretching, preparing dinner, conditioning training, an hour to work on and study spells, lunch, observation training, weapons training, dinner, book discussion with Wynna, and then a few hours of study on my own. The book discussion was to be limited to just two hours in the evening to give me time to study spells before bed. Gareth spent his free time with his nose buried in the dungeon books.
Callem wasn¡¯t just going to teach us to fight. He also wanted us to be observant. The observation training involved Callem teaching us how to recognize changes in the environment and be more vigilant. Callem kept changing things in the practice yard, his kitchen, and dining room during the night. We had to identify the changes the next day. It wasn¡¯t fun at first, but at least it was something that I was better at than Gareth. I caught maybe 70% of the changes, while Gareth was around 50%. The training was working as I started noticing things quicker and puzzling things out. I felt like I was being trained as a detective.
I dreaded resuming weapons practice, but Callem was surprisingly gentle. Gareth, not so much. He was having difficulty switching his intensity from crossing blades with Callem to me. After a few weeks, I started to hold my own, but maybe it was Gareth tempering his strikes as we practiced the sword forms against each other.
My mend flesh was leveling rapidly. When it reached level three, I evolved the spell to be able to remove scars. I had a number of small scars from my youth and a large one on my chest from the shadow eagle a month ago. It was a vanity choice on my part, but unlike other mages, I would be able to level and evolve my spell much faster.
The days started to blend together, and before I knew it, ten days had passed, and I hadn''t realized we hadn¡¯t had a single day off. Gareth didn''t seem to mind, but I did. When I brought this up, Callem said I had two days off coming up in a week. Freya would also be visiting. I was excited to see my younger sister, it felt like it had been ages. I refocused my efforts, and two days before Freya was to visit, my cleanliness spell was finally imprinted!
? Copyrighted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne
No Permission is given to translate, copy, repost or alter to an audio format of this original work of fiction. If you are reading this on a site that is not my Patreon, RoyalRoad.com, or Scribblehub.com, it has been stolen without my permission and violates DMCA. Remember, this work is the result of my creative effort and is protected by copyright law. Removal or altering of this notification is an acknowledgment you are aware you are in violation of DMCA.