Chapter 79: Mana

Chapter 79: Mana

The Constructionist Guild was open, or so it seemed.

Tala noted that the entrance didnt actually have doors on it. I guess they never close? That seemed a bit odd, but Tala guessed that Mages, especially Archons, likely kept odd hours.

As she strode inside, she again felt the magic in the surrounding stone scan her and project an infrared pulse, at least to her mage-sight.

It was nearly a minute before an attendant came out, looking a little bleary eyed. Mistress? How can we help you? She was inscribed, but not a Mage. An assistant?

Tala frowned. Did I wake you? Im sorry, the entrance was open so-

The attendant held up her hand, clearly stifling a yawn. It is more than fine. We wish to be available to our customers whenever they need us.

Ohok. Well, Im here already, and shes already awake. I came to see if my incorporators were ready. I commissioned two, yesterday.

The young woman pulled out a slate from behind a nearby desk. Name please?

Tala.

She waited for a moment longer. Full name, please.

Dont have a last name.

Oh! She colored slightly. My apologies, Mistress Tala. She began working on the slate. A moment later, she brightened. Here you are. Yes, they are complete. I can see youve already paid, so let me go grab those, and we can confirm receipt. She left the room for a moment. Returning, she handed a small wooden box to Tala with a small bow, her slate now tucked under the other arm.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

Tala took the box and opened it; the lid was attached with small brass hinges that moved smoothly and silently. Sitting in the cushioned interior were two obviously magical devices.

They each mirrored each other, and the other incorporator she had, in only a single respect: There was a circular opening in the center, just large enough for her two thumbs to go through, together.

The one on the right was a white material, seeming softer than metal, but still somewhat glossy. When she picked it up, it was lighter than shed expected. Around the central circle, dull blades, or fins, radiated a short distance outward to an outer ring, all of the same material. Those blades, however, were very nearly black, and they held the same gloss as the white rings which bordered them.

The young woman was smiling. That is the one for hot air. Care to test it? You can point it however you desire, as the air isnt hot enough to permanently damage anything, here.

Tala nodded, pointing the device at her other hand, which still held the box. She funneled some power into the device, but nothing happened. She sighed. Right, incorporators take a lot of power. She created the void around her gate, splitting the flow and sending just more than three-quarters of the power into the incorporator.

Hot air flooded out of the device. The assistant had been correct, it wasnt burning hot, but it would quickly become uncomfortable.

It was a strange thing: the sound of rushing air was the only indication that something was happening. Seems to work. She looked up and saw the other womans eyes were wide. What is it?

The assistant cleared her throat. That is a much greater flow than Ive seen produced. If I may ask, Mistress, how much power did you funnel? Did I mis-read the customer beacon? You arent an Archon, are you? She frowned, looking at her slate. No youre not listed as one.

Tala opened her mouth to answer but realized that she didnt have a way to answer. Huh You know, I dont have any way to convey it. She placed the incorporator back in the box.

The woman cocked her head to one side. What do you mean? Then, she seemed to understand. Youre not familiar with the theories of the rigorous documentation of magic. That is understandable, I suppose. Most Mages who join our ranks from the academy are missing that knowledge. The look on her face made it clear how she felt about that.

I guess not. Tala felt a bit foolish. Weight has pounds, distance has miles, how do I not know a unit to measure magic with? It was a colossal oversight. This seems like the exact type of thing the Academy should have taught us.

If you will allow, I can get a device with which you can measure your output.

Tala hesitated. Im not really looking to spend more

Oh! My apologies. This would be for you to use, in my presence. Im sure we do have an extra, if you wish to purchase one, but that was not my intention. Honestly, I want to satisfy my own curiosity.

Tala shrugged. Oh, sure then. After an instantaneous pause, she asked. Im sorry, I didnt catch your name.

The woman looked down at her own chest, then back up. Oh! I completely forgot my name tag. Apologies, Mistress, I am Anan.

A pleasure to meet you, Anan.

Likewise, Mistress Tala. Anan bowed slightly, before leaving again. She was only gone for a brief moment, returning with a flat, round disk of a material that resembled dark steel. We can test the other incorporator after, if that is acceptable to you.

Tala nodded, smiling as she held out her hand. So, I just send power into it, like a magic item Im charging, or empowering?

Precisely. Anan put the device into Talas hand.

Wont that bond it to me?

That is an excellent question. This device does not use the power that it is given by a Mage, it simply analyzes it. Therefore, no bond is created. You dont need more than an instantaneous pulse of power for it to register. It will only register to the first decimal place.

Huh, good to know. Tala glanced down at the disk. Here it goes. She still had the void around her gate, and she had been channeling the excess into Flow. She took that portion and sent it to the disk in her hand. The metal lit up, and Tala immediately moved the stream back to Flow. Fourteen point three.

Anan was nodding. As I suspected. That is quite impressive, Mistress.

Whats it mean?

We are here to serve. Take care.

Take care, and good luck!

Thank you, you as well.

Thank you. Tala departed without another word.

Once she was outside, Tala glanced at Terry. You were quiet, and she didnt seem to care much about you being there.

Terry shifted slightly but didnt respond.

She shrugged. Either way. She turned and headed towards the training yard. It was going to be a wonderful day.

As she walked, she recreated the void, and split her flow two ways: body and a magic item. She quickly recharged Kit, then her clothing, then the hammer, and finally Terrys collar, before redirecting the excess power fully into Flow once more.

There we go. Terry had shifted irritably when shed placed her hand on his neck, but he remained dedicated to his sleep.

If she remembered right, she hadnt gotten to the training yard until close to nine in the morning, the day before. So, she was still close to an hour ahead of schedule. I could go and check in, see about a place to train? That could be valuable. At the moment, she was just wandering, her void in place and power strengthening her bond with Flow.

I could try another Archon star If she could maintain the spell-form while resting between periods of void-enhanced power accumulation, she might be able to do it. She started trying to do math in her head, but she didnt have solid numbers. Something told her that was a good thing; she had to trust her instincts, trust her power.

I think I could match the stronger star I have in less than two stints with the void. She stopped walking as she came to that conclusion. Shed taken four hours to make that star, now she was estimating that she could make it in half an hour? Give or take.

Even taking into account the voids effectiveness, that meant that shed nearly doubled her base flow-rate. Just as Rane said. It lessened a bit, but not nearly all the way back to how it was before.

A nearly manic grin spread across her face. No wonder Holly was unimpressed with my gate, when she first checked me. I must have barely been above a non-Mage. She almost laughed. I might have even been worse than a mundane, for all I know. Now, though. Her face hurt from her massive smile. Now, Im making real progress.

She knew that she wouldnt keep doubling her output, that would be insane to expect, but she could likely keep the pace with a linear growth. If I can add roughly three mana to my base accumulation-rate every two weeks or so. She shook her head. No, Im not going to obsess over the numbers. I will progress and enjoy every step.

She nodded to herself, still insanely pleased. So, am I going to make another Archon star? She didnt really have a use for such, if she was being honest, and it wouldnt be better practice than anything else she was doing. No. Ill keep my current work.

She paused. If I can maintain it between cycles, I could make a star in a few hours Thatthat might just be worth it. Become an Archon this afternoon? She snorted. She doubted it was as simple as: Heres the star! Youre an Archon.

Ill ask Holly this afternoon. She hesitated, the thought of more inscriptions putting a bit of a damper on her enthusiasm. That will take more power to maintain Knowing Holly, it might perfectly use up all of her standard flow of power.

That would make a lot of sense, actually. Her inscriptions seemed to take a bit more power, when more was available, but not a whole lot. Likely, they would take more if theyre put under stress. It was fair to assume that healing a broken bone, or deep laceration, would take more power than when the scripts were idle.

She supposed that she could make a bunch of little stars and combine them into one of enough power to be seen as acceptable, but somehow that felt like cheating: like she wouldnt actually be earning the title. If I want to take shortcuts, I can just force my way in with my current stars.

She kept deflecting her mind away from obsessing over the numbers shed just learned. The more she thought about it, the more keeping the separation made sense. The better a mental construct is, the less magic will be needed, and the more effective a spell-effect will be. If I got it locked in my head that this effect took this much mana, then that would permeate the mental construct, and keep me from ever improving in that facet. She shook her head. It was a subtle trap, and if Anan hadnt explained the basics, Tala could easily have fallen for it.

These thoughts were all well and good, but she still hadnt decided where to head, now. No reason to go anywhere else. To the training yard!

It was a pleasant walk, and she soon arrived to find the training yard in a very similar state to the day before. She had no idea if the same people were there, or doing the same activities, but the general sense of the place was the same.

She smiled. Maybe this place will work for me. She definitely liked the overall atmosphere.

Shed had to allow the void to vanish once more, resting while she walked, before resuming the exercise just as she arrived.

Just like the day before, when she stepped from the street into the training yard itself, someone immediately stopped what theyd been doing and approached her.

Mistress, can I be of assistance?

Prompt bunch. Im to meet Guardsman Adam, to assist with a class, today, and I hope to utilize a training space until then.

The guardswoman seemed a bit taken aback. Oh, umm. Let me go see what I can find out for you.

Thank you.

The woman gave a slight bow and departed.

Tala used the time, while waiting for the guardswoman to return, to take in those practicing around her. Thankfully, the wait wasnt long.

Mistress Tala?

Thats me.

The woman nodded. You can proceed to that building, there. An officer will meet you, just inside.

Thank you.

Happy to assist. The woman returned to her stretching, and Tala set off across the yard.