Chapter 54: Back to Basics

Chapter 54: Back to Basics

Tala woke bright and early to an overwhelming feeling of hunger, accompanied by a sense burgeoning on panic. Well, thats not quite right, but it was as close as her mage-sight could get to conveying the reality of the situation. In any case, both sensations were coming from her side.

She sat up, hoisting up the shield, which had been resting over her, to a steep angle and locking it there. That done, she turned to find Kit.

The belt pouchs magic was dim, and it was radiating a feeling akin to desperation. Im anthropomorphizing. Even so, it was clear the pouch was low on power.

Still groggy, Tala stuck her right hand into the pouch, and felt the palm-shaped panel within. Kit helping, again.

She pulled together power that was flowing through her gate, ensured her gate was wide open, and began to feed the magic into the pouch.

Instantly, there was a feeling of relief andattachment? The image the sense called to mind was a baby nursing from its mother. The concept made Tala feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Not sure what to do with that She continued to feed Kit, until she sensed a feeling of fullness, and the magic was moving out of her more slowly, indicating that that pouch was coming to a state of equilibrium.

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked down at the pouch. I guess Im not fully awake.

Kit refilled, Tala decided to quickly check her other items.

True to Artias word, the comb didnt need any magic and seemed to be quite stable. Since the comb was already in hand, she undid her hair from the night, quickly ran the comb through it, and re-braided it for the day. This really is a remarkable item. It was incredibly practical in its simplicity.

Her travel clothes, while not dry of magic, were not as full as they had been the day before. That intrigued her, because she couldnt think of anything that would have used the missing power, unlike Kit, which was using power constantly to maintain dimensional space for her things.

As she examined the traveling clothes, she noticed that they were perfectly clean. Is that it, then? Self-cleaning? No, that wasnt the right paradigm. They were maintaining their original state, and any dirt that wasnt imbedded or attached somehow would obviously fall off, while any that was imbedded or otherwise attached, would be pushed out and dislodged. The cleaning was a side effect, not a core function. Fascinating.

She checked her knife and found it full. She also realized that it was full to the maximum level that shed pushed it to, at the most extreme. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her eyes of sleep and she fully focused on her weapon. It was sitting beside where shed been laying, not in her hand.

I can check its levels and capacity without touching it. Well, she supposed that her soul was always touching it, so that wasnt quite accurate. Still neat. She smiled a bit to herself. Not sure what it means, though

That chore done, she stood and began to roll up her bedding. As she did so, there was a muted thump from near where shed left Kit.

Tala glanced that way, and saw a dark-handled hammer laying, propped against the belt pouch.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.

Oh! I completely forgot about the hammer. She finished folding and rolling-up her travel bed and stuck it into Kit, before picking up the hammer.

The metal of the handle was cool in her hand, and it seemed to fit comfortably within her grasp. I need to experiment with you, soon. She was looking into the hammer with her mage-sight and saw that it was very low on power, like Kit had been, though not to the same extent.

Apparently, its functions are more complicated than simply staying functional and intact, like an artifact knife. She hesitated. If I give it power, Im bonding it to my magic, and I cant sell it She sighed. And if I dont give it power, most likely it will be a mundane hammer before we reach Bandfast.

She gathered her power-flow once more and fed the hammer.

Because her mage-sight was focused on the tool, she was able to see the ripple of magic wash over its surface before a strange echo seemed to sound from within it, sending a flick of power back to her. Bonded. So, thats what it looks like. She smiled, again.

She topped off the hammer, then stood, tucking it back into Kit. Thanks, Kit. Id forgotten the hammer. I didnt intend to let it starve.

The pouch did not respond.

Tala unhooked the shield and climbed down the ladder with it held in one arm. It was harder to stay balanced with such a burden, but she still did her best to follow the dictates that Guardsman Adam had set for her. As the oxen were sleeping inside this smaller portion of the caravan formation, Den had oriented the ladder towards the outside. There was a bit of a different sense to climbing down on the outside of the caravan, and it left her feeling strangely exposed.

Almost as a ward against that sense of exposure, she reached in and grabbed a bit of jerky, flicking it out, away from the wagon and into the early light.

It arched for quite a ways before it disappeared in a flicker of dimensional power. Werent watching closely. Eh, Terry?

Morning, Terry. She spoke softly, and she knew it was unlikely that the bird heard her, but it still seemed polite.

The sky was just lightening towards dawn, and she was finally wide awake. So, she decided she might as well start her day.

She charged the twenty cargo-slots, taking less than ten minutes to complete the task, even walking between the two wagons.

She stretched her body, then exercised her magic, muscles, and soul.

Feeling both deeply worked and invigorated, she took a good look around, verifying that no one was near, and that Den was still asleep. She was getting practiced enough with her mage-sight that she could tell if someone was sleeping heavily or lightly when she focused on them, and Den was sleeping deeply. The flow of innate power was more subdued in those who werent conscious. Good.

She stripped out of the clothes shed worn for the night and for her exercises.

Naked in the cool morning air, she undid her braid once more, pulled out the water incorporator, and quickly ran it over herself. She used a minor torrent of power to create a mild flow of water. She rinsed off the sweat gathered through the night and her morning exertions.

The water was cold, but she didnt really mind. Her muscles were warm, and the cool water felt good along with the slight mountain breeze. Amazing acquisition. Well done, Tala. She felt immediately a bit guilty. Thank you, Adrill and Artia. They had given her the device, after all. She should find a way to thank them, when next she was in Alefast. Hopefully, the ending-berries will be useful to them.

That complete, she ran the comb back through her hair, dried herself, and found a pleasant surprise. A secondary effect of the combs magical untangling was that it stripped all the water from around her hair, thus almost completely drying it with a single stroke. That is dead useful.

Mostly dry and thoroughly enjoying the feel of the wind on her skin, she tamed her hair once more, then begrudgingly pulled on her travel leathers. Modesty, Tala. You are naked too often as it is

She shifted and stretched to settle into the garments, then sighed, content. Ok. Time for breakfast! That thought keyed off a memory, and she realized that she likely shouldnt have gotten clean, yet. Rust. I forgot. Im supposed to spar with Adam this morning.

* * *

She found Adam stretching inside the larger caravan ring. It was still too early for most of the passengers to be up and about, and most of the people who would likely bear witness were the guards, still on duty, and the servants or drivers who were early risers.

Good morning, Mistress Tala. I trust you slept well?

She smiled, setting her borrowed shield off to one side. Good morning, Adam. I did, thank you. She gestured towards the shield. And thank you, again, for letting me borrow that each night.

He nodded. Happy to oblige. It is certainly better than you sleeping exposed, under the stars.

Did you sleep well?

As well as I ever do. He smiled brightly.

Glad to hear that?

Thus, it was as if she were only drying her skin.

In five minutes, she was sufficiently waterless to seek breakfast. That was not very efficient I need to find a better means of cleaning up, privately.

Her clothing shifted back to its standard fit, and she was acutely aware of the few places that had not dried quite as well. She sighed. Half-formed ideas get half-formed results.

She did her best to ignore the mild irritants, knowing they would dry in time; the magical clothing practically guaranteed it.

Speaking of magical clothing. She directed power from her gate into her outfit as she walked, topping off both the tunic and pants.

She was not the last to get her breakfast, but she was close.

Good morning, Mistress Tala.

Good morning, Brand.

Did I see you fighting with Guardsman Adam?

A few nearby people turned their way, clearly interested in what they thought theyd heard. No, Brand. We werent fighting. She leaned closer, speaking much more softly. Hes just showing me how to fight, without magic.

Ahh, I see, my mistake. He spoke at a normal volume, and their audience mostly turned their attention away, disappointed. Sorry about that. I didnt actually think about how it would sound. He grinned widely, speaking as quietly as she had.

Its fine. That looks fantastic.

He gave her a searching look. You seemed to have an odd love of food, for a Mage.

And you have an odd love of stabbing people, for a cook.

He stiffened, responding in a stiff whisper. It was one time, and I was panicking. It was clearly an idiotic thing, even if Id succeeded. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. Even if Id gotten away with it, it would have been horribly foolish.

Tala groaned, rubbing her forehead. Im sorry, Brand. That was silly of me to bring up. I know you didnt really mean anything. You were just teasing.

He snorted at that, the tension shattering. I am glad it failed, to stab you I mean.

You did succeed in that But she knew what he meant.

He smiled, changing the subject quite obviously. So? Why are you so food focused?

Why cant a Mage enjoy the taste of good food?

He cocked an eyebrow. Because if any of you put on weight, you could kill us all? Or am I misunderstanding.

She laughed. Its not quite that bad or dangerous. Besides, I use a lot of energy with my particular inscriptions.

Really? Id thought that most of it came from your gate. He frowned, contemplating.

She shrugged. For many Mages, it does. And truthfully, most comes from mine as well, but my spell-lines are much more She hesitated, trying to think of the right word. Natural? Yeah, my spell-work integrates with my natural state much more than most Mages.

I see; so that uses energy from the food you eat, then?

Usually. She smiled. No need to risk it, right? Im not a Material Creator, after all.

He laughed and gave her another helping of bacon beside her sausage, creamed grains, and pieces of fruit. Too true, Mistress. Enjoy!

She paused, giving him an expectant look.

Brand, for his part, pretended not to notice her, and began bustling around the chuckwagon.

Tala rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.

Oh! Youre still here? His mirthful smile highlighted his words as false.

Come on, Brand. The fate of the caravan is in your hands.

He snorted a chuckle and pulled out an earthenware jug, stoppered for easy transport. One ludicrous amount of coffee, ready and waiting.

She grinned, catching up the jug. Thank you, Brand.

Any time. Now, shoo! Ive work to be about.

She waved awkwardly around her load of food and set off back to her wagon. She really wasnt interested in repeating the political awkwardness of the day before.

She was about to squeeze between two wagons, to get outside the larger circle, when she realized she was being foolish. She maneuvered just a bit and went to stick the jug of coffee into Kit.

To her surprise, Kit was already open just the right amount to receive the jug. Wellfancy that. It made sense. She knew that Kit could manipulate dimensionality around itself as a defensive mechanism, and that wasnt even considering how it could maneuver the items and space within itself. Why shouldnt it be able to open on its own? Well, not entirely on its own. It was acting at her will. Shed wanted to put the jug away, and it had responded.

But what of the hammer She frowned.

Now, with only her breakfast tray in hand, she continued moving out of the encircling wagons. Kit maneuvered the hammer and disgorged it all on its own She had been thinking of charging all her magic items. Was that enough for the pouch to work with? Just like I wanted my items organized, but Kit seemed to arrange itself towards the best effect.

It was something further to research. Thankfully, it was quite well in line with many other topics she wanted more information on, so it wasnt really an added task. Thank heavens for that.

She cleared the wagons and began walking around the formation, seeking her cargo wagon and a comfortable place to sit and eat as the caravan got underway.

The sun was bright, now that it peaked over the horizon, and she pulled out her wide-brimmed hat, placing it atop her head at an extreme angle to give her some respite from the early-morning glare.

All she wanted was a quiet breakfast, by herself, to sit and think, and decide how to spend the day. Alone at last.

Mistress Tala! A familiar voice called to her.

Or not.