Chapter 118: Into the Constructionist Guild

Chapter 118: Into the Constructionist Guild

Tala stepped into the Constructionist Guild.

It was still odd to her, being inside spaces so vastly composed of wood. It changed the feel of a place, the way sound moved through it, how it was lit. Ill get used to it just in time to leave

Her mage-sight picked up the now familiar scan from the Guilds doorway, and a harsh, blaring noise sounded from deep within the building.

What the rust?

The world seemed to stutter, and there were suddenly three people standing around her, forming an equilateral triangle with her in the dead center. Magic flowed between them in an overlapping, interweaving three-dimensional standing-spell-form.

Tala could see the spell-lines as pure magic power, suspended in the air around her.

Instantly, all light from the room vanished save the Mages aura and the spell-form.

Tala felt the magic within her body hitch, even as her iron-salve heated. Her power was mighty and with the screen of iron, the magic was able to keep flowing, if just barely.

Each of the three was indisputably an Archon, each just past true yellow to Talas mage-sight. Three Refined?

Their auras lay heavily on the room, clearly the medium for the spell-form enacted around her. Strangely, it seemed that the three auras were each a unique medium, as the sense of the spell-form altered slightly as it transitioned from one to another.

The Archon standing directly in front of Tala was a young-middle-aged male. Even under his cloak, it was obvious that he was heavily built. Something about his build and the richness of the garment caused him to look a bit like a pretentious workman, a carpenter or stone carver wearing his finest to pass for a member of the upper class. His face was just barely visible to her enhanced senses within the cowl, and it was locked in a grimace of concentration.

Tala perceived all of this in less than a heartbeat, as her iron-salve moved from unpleasantly warm to scalding. In a pulse of light and heat, the iron dust within the salve flashed off.

The worlds most incongruous ding sounded from the back room, and the lights came back on.

With the renewed light, Tala saw that Terry had flickered to one of the corners. He opened one eye briefly before closing it again, seeming unconcerned. When did he move?

Every flicker of power within Talas body was now held in suspension, unable to move, unable to act. Her senses dulled, her body felt weak beyond imagining, and her thoughts began to slow.

A voice from the back yelled out, accompanied by quick footsteps. What, by the rusted pile of slag you have for brains, are you doing?

The man who strode out of a doorway to Talas right was shorter than average, but that was far from the most apparent thing about him. His aura was unfurled and a deep blue-green. Paragon, moving towards Reforged?

No, his aura wasnt unfurled, that wasnt quite right. It was moving as tightly controlled tendrils. Then, her mage-sight winked out, the last vestiges of power stilling within those spell-forms as well.

The three Refined either hadnt heard the Paragon or had ignored him. Their focus seemingly locked on Tala.

With quick motions, the Paragons aura swept through the standing-spell, disrupting and shattering it, utterly. It was so strongly manifest as to even be visible to Talas mundane sight.

Tala could suddenly think clearly again. Is that how I used to be? That was awful.

From what her returned mage-sight picked up, the broken spell-form had blossomed outward with enough power to level half a city. Seemingly unconcerned, the Paragons aura had simply absorbed it, draining magic from the air faster than Tala could blink.

Tala gasped in a breath, staggering. The return of her senses enhancements hit like a physical blow. Her heart beat, the sensation painful. She hadnt had even a moment to realize that her biological functions had been arrested, too.

Much longer, and Id be dead. How long can you survive without a heartbeat? She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, but she shied away from the information.

It wasnt long.

The most recent arrival was an Immaterial Guide, and all of his inscriptions wereWhat? She couldnt understand them at all, and that was actually a bit terrifying.

Many of those that were visible were lit, clearly active and not perfectly efficient, but she couldnt see them with her mage-sight. Hes allowing his aura out and hiding the power from his inscription activation? That was the inverse of what shed seen on skilled Archons before. How? Why?

He was handsome in a simple sort of way. Dark black hair and a slender build were what stood out most prominently from his physical appearance.

Her enhanced vision saw a grain pattern in his skin. Wood?

No, he wasnt made of wood, but his physical form was clearly influenced by it. Hes some variation of a wood Archon, then?

As she processed further, in the split second before events continued, she felt like the wood-like aspect of his appearance seemed in process of beingoverwritten? It wasnt actively occurring, but she could somehow tell that this man was working to remove it.

He is reforging himself, and what Im observing is one point of evidence of that. It might even be what was driving him to do the reforging. Grediv did imply that it was a difficult, unpleasant process.

The three Refined swelled with power, turning on the intruder.

Then, they stopped, all power leaving their building spell-forms and inscriptions. Tala saw the bigger man, who was still directly in front of her, blanch as he saw the much smaller Archon approaching.

Ill ask once more. What. Are. You. Doing?

The alarm triggered. And- The man in front of Tala responded.

And you panicked!

We reacted to the alarm.

And you assaulted the Blood Archon.

The what? That came from Talas left. She glanced that way and saw a woman frowning at her.

Another voice answered, from Talas right, and Tala looked at the new speaker. The man there sounded a bit mortified. Ohrust.She was raised just over two weeks ago. Her title made information on her raising a bit unfriendly for dissemination to the Mages, but her picture was in all the Archon lounges for days.

OhI dont reallygo into those The woman sounded a bitcontrite?

Tala was not liking being surrounded by people who she didnt know and who clearly outclassed her, at least as a group. That in mind, she stepped backwards to beside the door, out of the triangle, and watched as the woman turned to glare at the second male Refined. You didnt recognize her, either! This isnt on me.

The bigger man sighed. Mistress Yenna, Master Grent, bicker later. He bowed towards Tala. Blood Archon. I apologize for our mistake.

Yenna muttered under her breath. You dont even know her name. You dont follow new Archons, either.

Tala quirked an awkward smile. While I wont say it was nothing, I will not take it as a hostile assault. I am unharmed Her eyes flicked to the Paragon, even as she let her mage-sight sweep through herself, searching for issues. Right?

The Paragon bowed in turn. There should be no lasting damage. Mistress Tala, I sincerely apologize. I am Jevin. He then motioned to the bulky Refined. That is Master Bob.

MasterBob?

Yenna took a sip and looked Tala up and down. Now that were a bit more comfortable: What was that, anyways? Why did the alarm go off? Why did you register as a cloaked threat?

Tala cleared her throat. Shes a bitodd. My magical defense is passive. I imagine that She trailed off. Hang on. I have my aura restrained. Most Archons do. How did it detect anything? Why did it expect to be able to?

Bob grinned. You are new.

Thats been established. The more relaxed setting of afternoon tea was allowing the last of the tension from their unfortunate encounter to bleed away. Probably partly why they do it. It helps form bonds and smooth ruffles.

Jevin sighed. I will gladly answer your questions. But first, I feel like weve rather stepped in it. How can we make amends?

Yenna opened her mouth to pursue her inquiry, but silenced herself, so as not to override Jevin.

Tala oriented on him in an instant, and her look was apparently so forceful that the smaller man leaned back, involuntarily. Coffee. Incorporator.

He blinked back at her. What?

I want a coffee incorporator.

Jevin hesitated. After a moment, he glanced at the other three, then sighed. Youre never going to be a Constructionist, are you?

Probably not. How is that relevant?

A coffee incorporator. Its not possible.

The three Refined looked at him with confusion; Grent was full on frowning. Wait a minute, now. You told me to see what I could do when I asked about them. I was even considering giving it another attempt.

Jevin cracked a grin. And that kept you out of my hair for a decade. Were she a Constructionist acolyte, Id have told her the same.

Bob and Yenna suppressed laughs, and Tala heard them each say something about having given up after a year or two.

Tala ignored them. Why? Why is it impossible?

Why? Dear girl, do you know what an incorporator does?

It turns power into a material.

Jevin just stared at her for a long moment, he then rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. It pains me to say that that isaccurate. I suppose its the best I can hope for, from a non-Constructionist Immaterial.

Coffee is a material.

No, Mistress Tala. Coffee, like virtually any other consumable, is a lot of different materials in a precisely ratioed solution. Coffee has more than one thousand different chemical compounds within it, together making it what we know and love.

Oh Wait, then why hasnt anyone just told me that!

Jevin pointed to Grent. Because the quest for a coffee incorporator is usually a final step before an incorporation journeyman is acknowledged as a master. We use it to analyze a Mages ways of thinking, how they function with an impossible task, what avenues they try. Will they ask for help? Will they consult others? What do they do when it seems like theyve been sent on a fools errand?

Suddenly, all the odd looks she had gotten, when shed asked after the coffee incorporator, made so much more sense. Wellthats disappointing.

That is usually the result, yes. We can incorporate many, very complex molecules, so long as the resulting solution is pure. A true master can design an incorporator capable of non-pure results, but the best Ive heard of have only managed three distinct compounds generated at once, in unequal quantities. Few have been useful enough to come into ready production, but they have been made. He cracked a smile. That said, there was a master before my time, who spent a century on the coffee problem. In the end, he actually succeeded, after a fashion.

Tala perked up. Oh? Whats the catch?

He created a device that contained more than a thousand individual incorporators, each producing one part of the coffee whole. Feed in power, and it was properly parsed out to the incorporators in the right ratios to create the proper mixture.

So?

First, would you like to pay more than three hundred gold for the incorporators?

Well no.

Then, theres the magical matrix that is required to run and operate it. Thats more complex than most city defenses.

Oh

On top of that, it couldnt create less than a gallon at a time.

Well, thats not a problem.

The compounds discorporate at varying rates.

Oh, thatd be odd.

And it took, at a minimum, ten thousand Mana in a single burst to function.

Thats thats a lot.

So. Any more questions on a coffee incorporator?

What was his second prototype like?

Jevin blinked at her, and Grent laughed out loud. I like her.

Jevin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I dont think he ever made a second version.

Quitter. Tala muttered under her breath.

What?

Nothing.

He gave her a searching look, then shook his head. That aside, how can I assist you? I would normally leave you to my assistants, but Im already displeased with how theygreeted you. They were all nearly finished with their tea and treats.

I appreciate the personal service. I do have quite a few items to inquire about. Im also looking to do an integration of magical weaponry with my soul-bound knife.

We can get that sorted, then. He stood with a smile. This way, please.