Chapter 197: The Marliweather Constructionist Guild

Chapter 197: The Marliweather Constructionist Guild

Tala was filled with mixed feelings, and to her great astonishment, they werent a mix of guilt and anger.

She was cautiously hopeful, while being nervous about how the next day would go.

She had faced her anger and put it in its proper context. She had pulled it off of the nebulous concept of her family, and it now rested where it belonged: on her parents. More to the point, it was no longer a hot, burning, uncontrollable rage. Instead, it had flipped to a cold void of tightly regulated fury.

The emotion no longer hurt her to probe.

The feelings no longer mastered her when she considered them.

She was in control of how she felt, and cold wrath was just fine with her. It might fade gradually, or it might not. Only time would tell.

A part of her hated that she was so angry with her parents, however justified. She wanted to love them, and be with them, but that would require both them and her to be different people.

And, unfortunately, if they hadnt done what they had, she wouldnt be who she was.

Not that that makes it better.

Still, that line of thought brought with it a dawning revelation. If I could go back and change things, I wouldnt.

Without her slurry of emotions, shed likely have pursued a more standard path of Magic.

Without her debts, given partially by her parents, she wouldnt have worked to circumvent the mageling process. She might not even have pursued a job with the Caravanners.

If she hadnt done that, shed not have met Lyn, in all likelihood. She wouldnt have met Rane or Mistress Odera. She wouldnt have traveled to the other cities so soon. She wouldnt have met Terry, or been able to get Kit or Flow.

Everything in my life that is good has come as a result, either directly or indirectly, of the wrong they did to me.

Did that make it right?

Rust no.

Did that make it better?

Yeah, no. Slag that.

But did it reframe the experience.

Im not a helpless victim, here. I have chosen my own path, and I am better for the trials I walked through. If I changed what made me, me, I wouldnt be me anymore. And she found that she did like who she was.

It sounded incredibly cheesy when she put it that way, and she felt a smile tug at her lips.

Terry cooed and nuzzled closer to her neck.

Shed offered to let him back in Kit, but hed looked around at the empty streets and decided to stay out.

Nalac seemed to like you.

Terry trilled, and if she had to put words to the sound, it would have been, Well, obviously.

Tala laughed, her thoughts sliding smoothly to her siblings.

Her feelings for her brothers and sisters were a mixed bag, but that was to be expected. They were practically strangers to her, and she to them.

There was real potential for building relationships with them, provided they could clear the rubble of her mistakes and lay a good foundation.

That was an exciting prospect if she was being honest.

She was content with who, what, and where she was.

All in all, she felt at peace with how things stood.

-Thats right you do!-

Alat had mostly kept from commenting through the day, only sending her thoughts to Tala to help her shape what she was sharing, and how she was speaking. It had been fantastic to have a second mind working in the background, helping her to be clear and concise, as well as avoid too many foot-in-mouth moments. Now, however, the alternate interface seemed overjoyed.

-Tala, were there. Were right there!-

Tala frowned for a moment, as she was walking across the park. Were? Oh! Really?

-Yes! I need yourhelp on this last part.-

Tala pulled Kit off her belt and looked around. There were no convenient surfaces, nearby.

A couple of lone walls stood in the park for children to use in certain games, but they werent nearby. What was close, however, was a tree.

Huh. That should work.

She tossed Kit against the tree and laughed with joy as a door perfectly molded to the large oak. A doorway formed where shed tossed the pouch.

It was textured just like the bark it had covered over, seeming inset into the tree, somehow not raising the surface noticeably. If she hadnt seen it grow there, shed have missed it entirely.

Thats amazing.

-Tala, focus.-

Right! She still grinned. This opened so many possibilities. I wonder if I can make it free-standing? Now was not the time for that sort of experimentation, however.

She stepped through the narrower-than-standard entrance, finding the inside of Kit unchanged.

Strangely enough, from the inside, the door looked like it had since the storage device had subsumed the syphon fascia. Illusion magic?

It wasnt, at least not according to her mage-sight. Instead, the doors appearance seemed to be the result of the incredibly dexterous use of dimensional power. We really should study how Kit manipulates power at some point.

-Yes, but that point is not now.-

Tala tossed some jerky for Terry, and the terror bird flickered off her shoulder and away to his comfortable corner, already swallowing the bit of jerked meat.

She smiled, stretching slightly, before sitting on the floor, cross-legged. She began to go through the familiar motions of making tea, not focusing on where each tool came from as she needed it. Each thing, from pot to tea to incorporator, was simply in her hand as she went to use them.

It was a surprisingly meditative process, if she was being honest, and that really helped center her, releasing the last of her giddy tension from the day.

Once she had a warm cup of chamomile in her hand, she took in a deep breath, relishing the scent. A small sip confirmed her biases. Wow, this is so, so much better than the stuff at that tea house.

It was really too bad that she couldnt go back to Makinaven any time soon.

After another sip, Tala turned her mage-sight inward, diving within herself.

Soon, it was as if she floated before a field of power.

Her spiritual self and her physical body were now pressed firmly together, stitched into unity by threads of magic.

At the center of it all sat her gate, like a planet surrounded by its rings. It was gushing power, using the entire structure as a conduit.

This is me?

-This is a visual, metaphorical representation of you, amalgamated from across planes of existence that defy the ability to be represented physically.-

Soyes?

-yes, Tala. This is you.-

Tala grinned. Nope.

-Why are you being difficult?-

This is us.

Somehow, Tala could feel Alat freeze within her mind.

Alat? There was nothing but silence for the space of a few breaths of time.

Finally, the alternate interface responded. -I dont think that is true.- Her mental voice sounded small.

Well, I disagree. This might not be all of you, but that soul right there? Somehow, Tala was able to point towards the gate. That gate is ours.

Alat didnt seem to have a response for that.

Tala decided to move on. So, what do we need to do?

Their perspective shifted as Alat brought Talas focus to the outer edge. The great circularrugs? Thats a horrible metaphor.

The great circular rugs were entirely stitched together, but there was still something missing.

A finishing stitch around the perimeter.

-Precisely. You are fully fused, but the fusion is not set.-

Well, lets get to work.

And so they did.

The two worked together, using Talas Archon star to weave the thread of power and magic back and forth in a crosshatch.

As they continued, it became a sort of game.

Tala would almost toss the Archon star, trailing power, down through the edge of her being, and Alat would catch it, before tossing it back up, through another place just further around the edge.

The motions quickly became rote.

Talas extensive practice with her soul, as well as fine-magical control, allowed her to have the endurance and precision to simply fly around the circumference.

Alat matched her stitch for stitch.

In what felt like no time at all, they came to the end.

Somehow, it also felt like Tala had never done anything else in all her life. Shed only ever existed here, within herself, striving to be one with her fractured being.

It was an unsettling feeling that also brought with it incredible relief as from reaching the end of a long, arduous journey.

So a few months by that reckoning? What do you mean? Whats the right way to estimate?

Well, some people Fuse in an instant, when they come to an understanding of themselves that is soul deep, and clearly they cant just immediately move on to being Refined. He shook his head with a smile. I once sat in on a raising where the newly Bound Archon Fused on the spot. His smile widened. Now, that was a well-adjusted kid.

Oh. Kid?

He grunted. Well, they were probably close to fifty, but these things are relative.

Yeah, so it would seem.

Some take a hundred years to face their inner struggles and find equilibrium, and they certainly dont have to wait two hundred more.

So, how long?

Honestly? Its different for each person. We can test for that, too. Well, we can at least test to see how unsettled your being is. Ive not seen it settle faster than a year, though.

Tala grimaced but nodded. I suppose that makes sense. Everything in its proper time.

Thats a good way to view it. Hafest scratched his chin. If you dont mind me saying it, you seem like youre on the young side for your advancement. I dont know your story, and I dont need to, but if youll pardon some advice?

She nodded again.

Stay at this level until youve been settled for at least a year. There can occasionally be complications even when the test shows a Mage to be fully settled.

Thats good to know. Ill consider it.

Now, you can take steps down the path towards Refined, even while youre waiting. Its a common enough practice, honestly. You just cant initiate the process.

Will it shift my aura?

He frowned. You make a wager or something?

She shook her head, and he grunted.

Well, it can, though Ive never seen the prep work move a Mage past half-way through, at least from looking at their aura, but you shouldnt aim for that. If you start Refining without proper procedures, the survival rates only about ten percent, even if all the prep-work is well laid and verified.

Talas eyes widened. Well, that seems like something to avoid, then.

Indeed. He smiled a bit consolingly. Im sorry to not have better news.

Youve told me whats needed, and Im grateful. What is the prep work like?

Hafest grinned once more. Glad you asked! Mostly, its incorporating body strengthening and enhancing scripts around your other spell-work.

What. It was not a question. As she quickly considered the topic, she realized that it wasnt that much of a surprise.

Its expensive, and it requires an inscriber of incredible skill to do the fine work. Without such an inscriber, its hard not to disrupt what youre already doing with your power. The best around is over in Bandfast.

Thats right, she is.

But she doesnt usually take on new clients, unless theres something real special about them.

Mistress Holly?

He paused. Yes, actually. He narrowed his gaze. What did you say your name was, again?

Tala.

He scratched his beard. Mistress TalaMistress TalaBlood Archon?

Thats me.

Well, rust me to ruin. He held out his hand. Good to meet you! I didnt realize you were that Tala.

Tala shook his hand, feeling awkward. What do you mean?

Well, its not every day that someone uses an entirely new type of medium. That sticks in your mind.

Oh, well. I suppose that makes sense. Thank you.

So, does that answer that line of questions?

She frowned, shaking her head. What if I already have body enhancing scripts? Shouldnt I already be moving through the beginning stages towards Refined?

Oh! Thats a great question. No, though it will start to happen soon.

What?

A Bounds power just isnt sufficient to make the type of weighty changes required. But now, youve a Fuseds power running through you.

But the scripts are the same. Shouldnt it just be a bit more efficient?

He gave her an incredulous look. Thats like saying a blade cuts the same no matter how much pressure is behind it.

Ahh, I see.

Yeah, I thought you would.

So, the power will begin to cut deeper into my natural pathways and physical being, making the changes more a fundamental part of me, rather than a mere change in form?

That is quite well put. Yes.

Huh. Well, this is going to be interesting. She looked down at her hands, and if she were a betting woman, she would say that there was the smallest bit of shift in her aura towards yellow. Less than a percent of a percent, but it seemed like there was a shift. Or Im just imagining things because I want there to be a change.

Once you have the scripts, if youre an Immaterial Guide, you can seek out other sources of natural magic that align with body enhancement, absorb them, and align the power with your scripts.

What about other quadrants.

He grunted. No easier road through the early stages than as an Immaterial Guide. I thought I remembered you were one, but if I remembered incorrectly, there are some techniques you could use, but they arent as effective.

Oh, no. Im an Immaterial Guide; I was just curious.

Oh, fair enough. You have another tool, then. Im glad to hear it. Now, what was the other matter you wanted to discuss?

Tala nodded, reorienting herself to the next discussion. She briefly described the function of the iron paint, its efficacy, and how the Bandfast Constructionists were already using it.

At that point, Hafests eyes unfocused, as if he were looking at something distant. Those rusting cheaters. He shook his head and laughed. Thats why their efficiency has been rising? Hafest grinned from ear to ear. So, assuming I believe you, and Im inclined to, what about it? We dont have any, not at the moment.

Oh, no. Im not hoping to buy any from you. Im hoping to make an introduction between you and an Alchemist who could supply it for you.

Hafest leaned back, biting his lip in thought as he scratched his chin. Interesting. Alright. Ill meet with the Alchemist. Cant promise Ill buy from them, or buy this from anyone, but Im interested.

Would you like a demonstration of its potential, at least in a niche use?

He gave her a skeptical look. Wouldnt that be something that the Alchemist would provide?

Maybe, but I happen to have an easy demonstration, and Id prefer that the Alchemist not witness it.

Well, now you have me curious. What do you have in mind?

First, this is why I have a through-spike.

Hafest nodded slowly. Interesting. Go on.

I am not casting anything, I will simply be suppressing the visual illusion that is currently active over my person.

He leaned forward, looking like a child awaiting their birthday present. Dont keep me in suspense.

Tala looked within herself, using her ability to manipulate magic to reach into the through-spike and disable the illusion.

Well, rust my biscuits. His eyes widened in obvious surprise. Are those spell-echos?

Tala nodded.

He reached out, then hesitated. May I?

She smiled. Of course. She held out her hand to him, and he took it.

These arent actually in the air. He turned her hand this way and that, muttering to himself, but Tala heard him perfectly. The light is a side-effect of it reverberating through the fabric of reality. He shook his head, looking up and addressing her. How are you not dead from magic poisoning? If I did this, Id be ripped apart in an instant.

The specific scripts that I use.

He grunted. Youd be a perfect candidate for Mistress Holly. He shook his head again. What am I saying? Its obvious that you already are inscribed by her. Correct?

Thats right.

He let go of her hand, sitting back.

Tala let the illusion return.

And thats the paint your Alchemist will be selling?

Well, no. This paint is on me, and will be quite useless when it comes off, but she will be using the same formula.

Hafest gave her an incredulous look, but it didnt last. He snorted a laugh. Fine, fine. That was well said. He nodded. Ill accept that demonstration, if youll sign a statement that its the same formula.

To the best of my knowledge.

To the best of your knowledge.

Im fine with that.

Great. Then all I have to do is negotiate with the wee Alchemist on costs and quantities. He rubbed his hands together. When will you bring her by?

This afternoon?

He nodded to himself. I can make that work. Ill need to spend a chunk of the morning figuring out how much we can use, and in what timeframes, but yeah. I can meet with you. Late afternoon?

We can be flexible.

Alright then. I look forward to it.