Chapter 354: Redundancies

For the first time, Alex Roth walked toward the portal to Thameland with only Claygon at his side. He drew quizzical looks from the portal staff; since the expeditionary force was accustomed to seeing him with his teammates, this change of routine was something the attentive staff paid close attention to. Some waved and wished him a ‘good morning’, and he replied in kind, but never slowed his stride.

Today’s event was too important for him to be late.

It had been nearly a week since the windmill blaze and normally, he and his teammates wouldn’t be returning to Greymoor so soon.

But today was a special day.

Alex had received a message the night before that was written in a familiar hand. It had read:

Alex, my boy, I have managed to clear my schedule but just for tomorrow. Apologies about the short notice, but I have taken leave to inform your professors of a one-time possible absence on your part. Professor Hak was very complimentary of your work, and actually said that—if you did not choose to attempt it this semester—that she would propose you Challenge the Exam for credit for next semester’s first year Blood-Magic course.

I chose not to tell her of the little book you are penning. I thought that should be your ‘little’ surprise. In any case, should you accept, your professors are forewarned.

I hope to see you on the morrow, say at seven o’clock, for a nice little safari.

If you choose to accompany me, please press your charm-pendant to the bottom of the note, and I’ll be alerted.

Do make sure to come equipped for battle tomorrow, and bring both a lunch and supper; I shall meet you at camp beside your lovely aeld tree. I’ve heard it’s growing well.

Oh, and do bring headwear: reading the weather indicates that it will be a sunny autumn day in the area where we will be trekking. Yet, it will also be bitterly cold. I did not train you for battle only to have you felled by frostbite or sickness!

Yours Faithfully,

Chancellor Baelin

Of course, angry dragons couldn’t keep Alex away from Baelin’s orb hunt, so he’d eagerly taken the charm pendant from around his neck and pressed it to the message.

There was a flash of light, a hiss of flame and—when the young wizard lifted the pendant—symbols were inscribed as though they’d been branded into the paper.

He hadn’t wasted a second after that.

He’d prepared his gear for the morning, had a quick Restful Slumber, gave a hurried explanation to Theresa and Selina, then ran out the door at sunrise with his golem by his side. Selina and Theresa stood on the balcony waving goodbye with Selina excitedly bouncing on the balls of her feet.

His little sister seemed about ready to burst recently, but—if Alex asked her what was going on—she’d only say:

“I’ll tell you later, okay? It’s a secret for now.”

So, he didn’t push, after all, who was he to begrudge anyone their secrets.

‘Maybe she has a surprise for us,’ he thought as he stepped onto the portal. ‘Maybe something’s happening at school or maybe…wait? Could there be a boy that she likes in one of her classes? Should I be expecting that? Is she old enough for that? Oh, by the Traveller? What am I supposed to do? Be protective? Be cool with it! She’s only eleven, she can’t be—”

Whooom.

Alex and Claygon sank into the portal with his body peacefully still, but his mind panicking.

By the time they emerged in Thameland, he was a bit calmer.

‘Get your mind right,’ He said to himself, stepping off the portal and greeting the Watchers on duty. ‘You can't go into this with your mind in some chaotic, half-crazed mess. Calm down and only start panicking when Selina tells you she’s getting married… Stop it!’

Alex shook his head while stepping out of the teleportation tent. He watched the sky for signs of snow.

The early morning sky was bright and crystal clear, nothing but sun and feathery white clouds, yet a deep chill hung heavy in the air. The rains had been frigid lately, coating yellowing grass between each tent in light frost.

Winter was coming, and the first snowfall wouldn’t be too far off, making Alex wonder how expedition members who’d never experienced cold and snow would find the bitter cold. Pulling his cloak around himself, he and Claygon moved through the encampment toward his and Baelin’s meeting place; by the aeld tree.

Looking around, Alex whistled in amazement.

Construction on the research castle had continued, making it nearly impossible to refer to the site as an ‘encampment’ anymore. With the inner wall complete, the builders had moved on to the next phase and were now at the stage of replacing tents with outbuildings.

The research tent was already gone, and in its place stood a large stone building that was a smaller version of the Cells. He could only imagine how thrilled Professor Jules must be with the finished research building since he was just itching to get inside himself.

Other structures—including a bathhouse, tool storage, and a sleeping barracks—were still under construction but near completion, and looked like they’d be finished by week’s end.

But to Alex, the most remarkable sight before him was near the centre of camp.

There, what looked like a half-finished mass of stone had been erected: the keep of the castle was surrounded by scaffolding, and a mountain of building stones. In front, most of the grass had been removed, replaced by paving stones: a courtyard in the making.

In the courtyard’s centre, a field had been cleared for an expansive garden bed filled with enriched soil where newly sprouted earth-enriching magical plants were growing. They’d been generously provided by everyone’s favourite magical botany professor, Professor Salinger. And, in the centre of it all?

“Hello there,” Alex said, as he approached the aeld tree.

Stepping into its green-golden glow, a wave of peace and contentment came over him.

“Ah, I see you’re in a good mood today.” He placed his hand on its trunk in greeting, then took a pinch of leasú-todhar from his bag. “Nice sunny day for you, eh? I bet you’re looking forward to that.”

A wave of warmth came off the aeld, tinged by a touch of nerves as Alex sprinkled the cerulean dust over its roots. With each passing day, the tree had settled in, growing more comfortable in its new surroundings.

But, it still gave off the occasional wave of nervousness.

Well, he couldn’t blame it: if he’d been trapped—for the Traveller only knew how long—and at the mercy of nasty monsters, he’d be pretty nervous too.

“I see you’ve still got a bit of nerves,” he said, pausing to summon Bubbles. The elemental appeared and released a little burbling noise, then sprayed the soil with light, nourishing mists. “And I get that, I’m just happy to see that you’re growing so well.”

He wasn’t sure if it was the leasú-todhar, the planting at noon ceremony, the magical seedlings growing alongside its roots, or all of those things, but the aeld tree looked great. Its green-golden glow shed a richer light than when he’d rescued it from the clearing by the windmill, its leaves were broader and looked like they’d been polished, and its trunk actually felt warm.

And…

In that short time, the trunk felt a little thicker, the tree seemed taller, and its branches looked fuller. Whatever the reason for its growth spurt, he’d keep giving it the best care. Maybe—

Teleportation magic. Coming from behind him.

The young wizard turned as the power spiked and a familiar horned figure appeared.

“Morning,” Baelin said. “I see that you’re early. Glorious.”

“Whoa.” Alex took a step back.

In all of his time around Baelin, he’d only seen the chancellor dressed in his magnificent robes, even while battling Leopold’s summoned demons. Of course, those had been times when the ancient wizard hadn’t had any forewarning.

Today he was ready, the fight was of his choosing and so he was dressed for it, dressed as only the instructor for ‘The Art of the Wizard in Combat’ could be.

The goat beastman had abandoned robes in favour of armour of brilliant bronze. A shirt of bronze chainmail belted at the waist, clad his broad shoulders and torso, falling down to his knees. His lower legs were protected by bronze greaves, and his forearms sheathed in polished gauntlets. A helm with guards that protected the front of his horns, shielded his head, fitting it like a custom forged glove. In one hand, he gripped a staff that towered over him, crafted of a deep, black material that drew in light from around it. It was crowned by a jewel shaped in the image of a goat’s eye that burned with an inner flame. At his waist, a brutal looking spiked warhammer hung, backed by a curved pick. Glowing runes encrusted its head, and the mana it emitted, made Alex’s senses tingle.

“You’re really not playing around today, are you?” Alex said in awe. “Have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to be someone who wore armour.”

“And why not?” Baelin asked. “When one knows one is going into battle, is it not appropriate to dress for the occasion? One wouldn’t till their fields wearing a silk dress, and one should not go into war wearing robes, if one can help it.”

“Yeah that makes sense, but…armour?” Alex asked. “I figured with the kind of protective spells you’d have, any kind of armour—even magical armour—would be…unnecessary?”

Baelin gave him an unamused look. He let out a sigh as though the world’s weight had pressed the breath from his body. “Alex, I am not sure who should be more disappointed. Myself or Professor Jules. What did I teach you in the Art of the Wizard in Combat? What have you been learning and applying during this expedition? Think about the reports you’ve been submitting for your COMB-2000 credit.”

“Uh…” Alex paused. “A Proper Wizard doesn’t ignore any source of power?”

“Exactly.” The chancellor tapped his hammer. “And why do we not pare down all safety procedures and equipment to their bare minimum, even when doing so would save both time and coin?”

“Redundancies are important in safety,” Alex said, repeating some of the safety part of his first year alchemy textbook word for word. “Safety procedures and equipment aren’t meant to protect you in idealconditions, they’re meant to protect you under stress.”

“Exactly,” the chancellor said. “And so I have sheathed myself in protective force armour, but what would happen if that spell were to be pierced? What would happen if I encountered an enemy where such a spell would do little good? Why entrust my bodily health to a single layer of protection, when I can gird myself in protective spells, magical armour, and my own iron will?”

“Yeah…uh, that makes total sense.” Alex scratched the back of his head. “Didn’t really think about that. I always thought that armour would be…restrictive. And you’d be better off just relying on protective magic and increased mobility to be a shield for you.”

“In some cases, your thinking would be quite apt,” Baelin said. “But this armour has enough enchantments laid upon it to make it as light and cool as cloth, while at the same time, harder than castle forged steel. Remember: as your resources expand, then normal limitations become…guidelines. Keep that in mind as you grow in strength and experience: I have known too many archwizards who thought themselves indestructible due to their magic, only to fall in a situation where their magic was denied to them. Keep this in mind.”

Alex nodded, his mind conjuring an image of some barren, terrible place where he couldn’t channel his mana. “Maybe…maybe I’ll start looking into some light armour for myself.

“Good man. In any case, let us depart. We have all day, but no sense in wasting time here when the wilds, adventure, and fabulous prizes call to us.” His voice boomed, tinged in excitement. “Come, let us begin our sojourn. Do you have anything else to do or gather?”

“No, this is it,” Alex said, turning to Bubbles. “Why don’t you keep misting our friend here until you’re pulled back to your home plane? How does that sound?”

With a burble, the water elemental continued spraying the contented aeld tree’s roots.

Alex looked up at the sapling. “Alrighty, I’ll see you when I get back.”

Another wave of peace and calm came from the little tree as Alex and Claygon stepped up beside Baelin. Alex cast layer upon layer of magic on himself, preparing his full suite of defences. The chancellor cast a pair of defensive spells on himself, then cast greater force armour over Alex.

“And now for the finishing touch,” the ancient wizard said, casting a flight spell on himself, Alex and Claygon.

“Thanks. I’m ready and so is Claygon,” the young wizard said.

Baelin nodded, a glint in his eye. “For blood and thunder, then. Into the hunt we go. Though…I suspect it will be less a grand hunt and more…nipping down to the shops for a biscuit sort of hunt.” His laugh boomed across the encampment.

Raising his arms, he chanted an incantation.

Alex’s senses tingled as teleportation magic enveloped the golem and pair of wizards.

Whoosh!

And then they were gone.