Chapter 160: Mage Hunters
After her second, Nothird? bath of the day, Tala combed through her hair one last time in a desperate attempt to feel clean after having her face and hair soaked inick.
She felt like she had expelled more than shed eaten recently and suspected that her body had taken advantage of the exodus to get rid of some things it didnt precisely want.
Waste managementhurrah! She let the sarcasm ring loud and clear through her thoughts as she continued to move the empowered tool through her hair.
There was no need to comb through it more than once. Her brush effortlessly left her hair clean and dry with a single stroke, but she felt the need to continue combing at least for a short time.
She skillfully, deftly rewove her braid and attached Kit to her belt with a quick motion, once again willing her belt to move through the belt-loop on the pouch.
Alright, Terry. Lets go. She glanced down at the vomit still on the floor and sighed. In a minute. I cant leave this for some random person to have to deal with.
She used the supplies already in this private bath room to clean up the mess and then headed out, Terry flickering to her shoulder as the door swung shut behind her.
Night had truly fallen, then, and only the facilitys magical lights provided illumination under the cloudy, winter sky.
Even so, there were guards moving through the compound. Those that saw her gave nods of deference but didnt stop to chat or otherwise acknowledge her beyond that.
She had to smile. Dont talk to the Mage, and she wont give you extra work. She could respect that. Everyone wants to get home.
She walked across the strangely desolate training yard, out front of the interconnected buildings. It felt strange, eerie even, without the presence of dozens, if not hundreds, of guards training and working to improve themselves. Instead, it was lifeless, barren.
Tala shivered. Walk faster.
With that, she loosened her steps, and ate up the ground before her at a brisk walk.
As she neared home, she again saw the tavern, glowing cheerily in the evening stillness, raucous laughter and the mummer of uncounted voices drifting to her enhanced ears.
Is that place always busy?
Her stomach gurgled at her, and she glanced down. I did just empty you without cause, didnt I?
Her stomach growled as if in response.
Fine. Ill see what all the fuss is about.
As she drew closer, she began to feel a pressure building across her skin, an emphasis of the warmth before her and the cold behind, a heightening of her hunger, and an enhancing of the scents of food wafting out of the establishment before her.
Something about it made her feel like something was off. What is it? Whats wrong, here?
Her steps slowed despite her growing hunger, and she stopped in the street, some fifty feet from the building.
Huh, you know, I dont see anyone enteringor leaving.
She forced herself to wait and watch.
One minute became five, five minutes became ten, and no one entered or left.
Thats really odd. She could see people within the building, or at least vague movements that seemed to indicate people were within.
What is going on here? Then, the door swung open, and a group of three people stumbled out, joyously calling back goodbyes to those inside.
Tala relaxed and laughed to herself, turning towards home. Im being ridiculous.
She was exhausted, and needed to sleep in her own room, in her own bed. Well, within Kit, but still.
Terry didnt stir, instead content to ride on her shoulder in silence.
When she reached Lyns house, she unlocked the door, entered, and locked it behind herself.
Her stomach gurgled again. Right. Im really hungry.
With a grunt, she went to the kitchen and used the facilities there to prepare some of the venture food that she had in Kit.
I really should have grabbed food on the way home. She sighed.
It didnt take long for the food to be ready, and Tala devoured it with abandon. Even so, she took notes on the preparation process and how the final results tasted in the small notebook provided to her for that purpose.
Her stomach satiated, she moved through her nightly routine and climbed down into Kit, now arranged for her sleep.
* * *
The next morning, after her start-of-day routine, Tala walked to the work-yard alone.
After charging the cargo-slots for the last time until her next venture, she chatted with the foreman of the newly arrived day shift, then walked back towards the Guildhall.
It was a beautiful, crisp morning in the city, and she enjoyed people watching as she made her way towards breakfast.
Most people were wrapped in several layers against the cold, but it didnt seem like the weather was actively keeping too many indoors. The streets were full without being packed and everyone seemed to be going about their days as normal.
Nor should the weather be an issue. Its gorgeous! Even before she could largely ignore the cold, shed loved the winter.
Mistress Odera had requested that they meet at the Guildhall once again, and Tala had no issues with that in the slightest.
The meal was uneventful, and they werent joined by anyone else. Thus, it felt much like their meals in Makinaven: A discussion of Talas training, any issues she was running into and a dialogue on what might help her surmount them.
They agreed that she shouldnt try mirroring her senses again until the anti-vomit inscriptions were refreshed. When she did try it again, she would try to limit the mirroring to a smaller portion of her outfit, to help prevent sensory overload.
They discussed a host of other things, but nothing else of true note.
Well, except that Mistress Odera decided to let Tala know that she was trying something insane and fully expected to fail.
Iron.
Thats right.
Youre going to try to create an Archon star in iron.
Mistress Odera grinned. Your medium contains a lot of iron. I thought it would be an interesting test.
Tala shook her head. Now, I know how most people feel when talking to me. Thats a ridiculous idea.
Mistress Odera let out an almost cackling laugh. Wait till you see it. She pulled out a caltrop the size of the last knuckle on her thumb. In this case, it was four short spikes, oriented so one would always point up when resting on a flat surface. It was technically small enough to swallow.
That is truly insane.
The older woman nodded sagely. I would have to be mad to swallow it, thats for sure.
That notable exception aside, the breakfast was fairly standard, start to finish.
When their plates were clean, and the conversation had run its course, Tala bid the woman goodbye and headed to the training yard to meet Rane and Aproa for training with the Guards.
That training also went quite to expectation until Adam went to land the first hit on Talas side.
Power flickered to life and blocked his practice sword as effectively as a wall.
Adam stepped back, blinking in confusion.
Right, no mage-sight. To him it would look like his sword had simply glanced off my side.
Did you somehow upgrade your skins density? That seems a bit foolish.
Aproa, whod been taking a drink after her own bouts, almost choked. Though if it was at the informality or the idea itself, Tala didnt know.
Neither. I am simply properly armored now.
Adam sighed. Do you know why we dont train in armor, much of the time?
Tala frowned. She actually didnt. To be honest, she hadnt thought of it. Too heavy?
He snorted. Hardly. If that were the only consideration, wed be in it more, not less. No, we dont train in armor for two reasons: First, we never know when an enemy will be able to breach our armor, so we must treat every enemy as if we are unarmored. Second, we cannot accurately replicate armor breaching attacks in a safe manner, so we cannot properly train injury and the like in armor.
She nodded. That made a lot of sense. Im not sure I can turn it off? If she really couldnt turn it off, shed be ticked. Im not buying new clothes, just to wear sparring.
Well, yours is magical, correct? I mean rather obviously.
It is.
Then what about we get a sense of the magic expenditure, and you can regulate your losses by how much mana the hit takes to block.
Tala grunted in surprise. That would actually work really well. As she thought about it, she found herself smiling. It would also help so that I could determine what I should block, dodge, or take.
He grimaced at the thought but didnt contradict her.
Tala smiled. Well, I should delve into this, and see if I can suppress the defensive functionality. Ill take next?
Adam gave a half bow before turning to face Rane.
Instead of watching the odd dance, Tala dove into examining the pathways within her garments.
To spare Ranes inscriptions from a war of attrition, Rane and Adam had decided that Adams win condition was forcing Rane to flip three times in the same direction in quick succession.
Tala was a bit peeved that theyd never thought of something like that for her bouts with Rane, but it made sense.
Adam was vastly better than Rane, somehow, but the Mage was still virtually untouchable by the Guard.
But that wasnt what she was supposed to be focused on.
It didnt take long for her to find what she was looking for. It helped that shed begun with an intuitive sense of what the soul-bound item could do, and how to make it happen. That understanding was growing deeper, or it seemed to be doing so over the last half-day or so.
Thus, she was able to find out how to deactivate the reactive armor. Interestingly enough, as she interfaced with that path, she was able to discover what it did.
Its not altering the material of the garment alone, or even primarily. No, the defensive magics were grabbing onto whatever was close at hand to forge the armor at need. In this case, that meant the air.
I hope that doesnt mean that Leshkin could take forms other than tree-people. That was a disturbing thought.
If one could create a form for itself out of the air She shook off that idea.
No, we modified the magics through the merging and soul-bond. That was the more reasonable explanation.
The remainder of the morning passed uneventfully, though they all did agree to take a bit of time for Tala to take blows with the reactive defenses active and inactive so she could begin building an understanding of what sort of damage was mitigated and at what cost.
Even Rane and Aproa got in on the damage dealing, using practice weapons for now, of course.
With morning passed, the Guards left for their various duties, and Rane, Tala, and Aproa went to lunch.
An enormous mound of meatballs in white sauce overtook Talas attention for a long while. In the end, she licked her plate clean. I need this sauce. I need it on everything.
The other two Mages drew her away, but she promised herself that shed be back.
Together, they headed towards a Mages training area to meet Aproas acquaintances.
The facilities were much the same as those Tala and Rane had used in Makinaven, though they were constructed mainly of stone rather than of wood, as would be expected given the construction of the respective cities.
Tala found herself a bit nervous as they approached the reserved space, Rane and Aproa chatting about the events of the previous day animatedly.
Tala didnt really listen to the specifics, instead trying to calm her nerves. Behind those doors ahead was a group of Mages, roughly her age.
I specifically avoided people like this She almost laughed. I may have specifically avoided these specific people, if they are close enough in age to me.
That would be embarrassing, if it were true and came out.
Maybe I shouldnt go
But the choice was already made. She was here.
Strength, Tala. Youre going to be fine.
Rane pushed the doors open, revealing a large space with an arching dome of thick iron wire far overhead.
It appeared as if there were a mesh of copper woven throughout the iron. Huh, iron to prevent direct magical effects, and copper to activate when indirect magics approached. Clever.Expensive but clever.
She almost laughed. I suppose this is whats required when you dont have a god-king to ensure the city stays safe and intact.
There were ten Archons engaged in various activities around the large open space. Two stood out immediately because of their bored, almost laidback expressions.
The first was quite obviously a healer, likely on hand in case of emergency. Given the glimpse Tala had gotten at the powersets in the room that was probably wise.
The second, though, he held her attention, her mouth opening in wonder.
Her voice came out in a whisper. Magnetism? She strode across the sandy floor without acknowledging anything else, stopping in front of the man. You manipulate magnetic fields?
But the only reason he would do that is to interact with ferrous materials. She nodded, her mage-sight showing her what amounted to almost a cloud of iron moving in subtle currents around him. To that perception, it glittered like stars, moving in a constellation around him.
The slim, toned man, some five to six years older than her by appearance, looked up with one eyebrow cocked. Ummm Hi?
She held out her hand. Im Tala. Manners, Tala, keep it together.
He hesitated Mistress Tala, good to meet you, but most dont want to get too close. Ive a lot of iron dust around me.
I know. I can see it.
He straightened surprise replacing cautious puzzlement. Really?
Her hand was still out.
He clasped it, shook it, and smiled. By the lines on his face, it didnt seem like he did that often. Im Cazor. Its a pleasure to meet you. He released her hand and the small amount of iron that had clung to her skin pulled away.
Im glad that I scrubbed off my iron salve, as I usually do in cities, or this could have been awkward. Tala nodded emphatically. You overcame the difficulty of enacting magic through iron, too? She laughed. I mean, you must have, obviously. What methods did you use to train? She grinned. Did you have the spheres? Her eyes widened, and she gasped. Did you bond a magnet?
Cazor stood, brushing off his pants, a frown returning as he took his time processing her flood of words. Mistress Talaare you a hunter? I wasnt aware a new one had been added to our ranks. His eyes flicked to something behind Tala, to her right, but returned to her an instant later.
It was her turn to frown, then, some of her enthusiasm bleeding away. I mean, I hunt on occasion, but-
He shook his head. No, I mean, are you a Mage hunter? Most Mages avoid iron He stopped, shaking his head and rubbing his face. He muttered under his breath. Why am I saying this? She obviously knows
She decided to ignore his mutterings and focus on the fact that he used iron! So, a hunter. Thats why he uses iron. Not a Mage hunter. She chuckled halfheartedly. I mean its not something Ive ever considered.
I see. He seemed at a loss as to what to say, after that.
Tala saw that Cazor had a number of open top pouches on his belt, each seemingly containing iron filings.
He cleared his throat, forging ahead. Most Mages dont even start to work on overcoming the iron impediment until Refined. Most never succeed, but then most dont even reach that stage. He cracked a smile once again. But I suppose most also dont run straight up to a Mage hunter and begin asking questions.
Tala suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious and looked around. A few of the others were staring at her in obvious confusion. Oh great first impression, Tala.
But I have been rude. You asked a question. He nodded almost to himself. I did, indeed, study with the spheres. I had to conquer the third set before I could enact my inscriptions to my own satisfaction.
Third? She groaned. I just got the second.
A bit of mirth came back into his eyes. Even that is impressive for Bound.
Tala cocked her eyebrow at him. Butyoure Bound.
He blinked at her in shock. How?
How what? How could I tell? She took a moment to examine her own perception, realizing that most mage-sight wouldnt be able to pick out the color of his aura through the tightly controlled, swirling iron cloud.
Oh well. She opened her mouth to respond, but Aproa cleared her throat from back near the center of the space behind Tala.
Well, Im glad you met one of the hunters. Hes only here to make sure none of us get carried away and go out of control. She was smiling as she spoke though.
Cazor rolled his eyes, even as Tala turned away to regard Aproa.
He responded; a hint of a smirk evident in his tone. You know why Im here, Mistress Aproa. You all wanted to test yourself against someone capable of actually resisting you, and I wanted practice disabling different types of Mages.
Aproa snorted a chuckle. Fine, fine. Mistress Tala, lets introduce you around.
Tala immediately forgot all the names that were given to her, though she did note, again, the wide range of abilities arranged before her.
One seemed to be straddling the line between Creator and Guide. She was a water creator and a heat guide. Ice Mage?
An oxygen guide with what looked like flint and steel strategically intermeshed with his gloves. He snaps to make a spark? That seems like a fire Mage but with extra steps.
The third simply seemed to be a Material Guide focusing on photons, but Tala didnt understand well enough to figure out exactly what she could do.
The fourth was another fire, but this one was the more standard, conjuring fire into existence as a Material Creator. That seems sowrong to me Fire isnt actually a thing
The fifth seemed to have taken inspiration from the fourth. Or maybe the other way around? In either case, she was somehow a Material Creator, focused on lightning.
The sixth was an earth manipulator that reminded Tala of Atrexia, though this guy seemed to be more freeform with his spellforms. Huh, I wonder if all Mages transition from more specific manifestations towards more general, like I did?
She could ask, and maybe she would, later.
The seventh and eighth were actually fraternal twins, apparently. Both were Material Mages, one Guide and one Creator, and they seemed to have focused water.
And then she noticed a ninth, who had been sitting in the shadowed corner on the wall with the door, so shed missed her.
Tala frowned. The woman was an Immaterial Guide, but all of her scripts seemed focused on magic itself. Is that like how Master Jevin focused on aura manipulation? Probably worth asking.
Aproa gestured and the Archon stood, moving their way. This is Mistress Jean. Shes the other hunter that we put up with.
Jean rolled her eyes, flipping her red hair behind her back. You know youd be lost without me, Mistress. I got you through the Academy.
Talas eyes were drawn to the womans hip, where an iron device hung from the womans white belt. It looks like a crossbow, without the arms, and a tube instead of a stock.
Her belt held a dozen small items that gave the sense of being paired with the iron item, but each gave off a radically different magical signature. All the inscriptions she could see on the small things were gold. What in zeme?
Aside from the starkly white belt, gloves and boots, Jeans outfit was a simple, comfortably snug, black shirt and pants.
Aproa then motioned to Tala. Everyone, this is Mistress Tala. Shes another addition to our practice.
Tala gave a little wave. Hey. Good to meet you all.
The chorus of generic greetings came back her way.
Well, this should certainly be interesting.
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