Chapter 298: Anti-Magical

Chapter 298: Anti-Magical

Even though Tala didnt need much sleep in general, she slept long and hard that night.

The talk with Lyn had been relieving, but also particularly emotionally draining at the same time.

She finally awoke when the sun was well over the horizon of her sanctum, showing that it was midmorning, practically halfway to noon.

She didnt fade into wakefulness, instead coming fully to consciousness in an instant.

Tala found herself staring up at her ceiling, the light falling gently on the side of her face as she enjoyed the warmth of her artificial sun.

Her first thought was an odd one, as she really should have had it before. Why did an arcane carve that pattern into my ceiling?

-Good morning, Tala. I see youre feeling contemplative, this morning.-

Morning, Alat.Do we have anything pressing today?

-Just eating, probably some exercise. Also, contemplating ceilings, it seems.-

Those tasks sound quite doable. As to the carving, I guess I never really thought about it. Tala sat up, stretching as she sat on the edge of her bed before she stood.

-We could pursue Flows new sheath today, too. Unless you plan a thoroughly exhaustive investigation.-

Tala decided to ignore Alats poking. Ahh, right. The sheath would be a good center point to our tasks, today.

She moved through her stretching routine before doing a basic exercise set.

Tala felt like her morning was incomplete, because she couldnt really do her magical or soul exercises.

Soon. It had obviously been weeks since she could really do those exercises, but it still felt wrong to leave them undone.

With her somewhat unsatisfying morning routines complete, she left her bedroom by way of the exit door. You know, I wonder how much control I can give to someone like Master Simon?

There had been tokens of access that the arcanes had given to her when they finished the outfitting of the space, but Thron had let her know that it hadnt actually seemed to change what he could do.

He hadnt been able to summon the door to himself or enact changes within the space.

He was never attacked, even when he entered through the welcoming bunker, though.

-That does seem to be their primary function, yeah.-

So, the tokens allowed safe passage through the defensive bunker in which the door to the outside usually waited. That was something.

Blessedly, Tala had to key each to a specific person, so even in a standard sanctum they wouldnt be too much of a weak point, since they couldnt be stolen and used by others.

Kit, though Kit would likely just eat anyone that wasnt supposed to be there.

Ill have to have a talk with Kit about that To be fair, none of the animals had gone missing, at least none that she could tell.

There was a total of ten tokens, and Tala remembered there being a template for the creation of more. Those she had, she could reset, but Thron hadnt actually given his back. Huh I did not think of that at all.

-Well, Im glad we didnt give him a weapon of tremendous power or anything.-

Tala directed an internal glare at Alat. You know, Mistress Ingrit hasnt commented on the concept weapon at all.

-Oh, thats because I didnt include it in the memories I sent to her I thought thats what we agreed?-

She blinked a few times. Oh huh. Did we? She frowned. Why didnt she notice the discrepancies?

-Because there werent any? All I did was remove the weapon being identified as a concept weapon, shifting the memory slightly to make it seamless. It was actually very much like what I did for Tali, though I had to complete the alterations to a much higher standard.-

And there were other things you didnt include or modified, like my dreams and other things of a purely personal nature.

-Precisely.-

Well, in either case, thats probably for the best that we didnt mention that weapon. Humans cant even use it, after all.

-Yeah, we dont want our bad decisions scrutinized, nor do we want to cause kill-squads to be sent after someone we parted with on at least reasonable terms.-

Tala grimaced. Youre just a bundle of fun this morning, arent you?

Alat simply sent the impression of a beaming smile.

I need breakfast before I deal with this kind of thing

She had stepped out into Lyns hallway within the obviously empty house.

Lyn and Kannis would be at work, and Rane knew better than to drop by without at least announcing himself via Archive message.

-Oh! About that-

Tala! There you are.

GAH! Tala jumped backwards in surprise, jerked out of her inward-focused thoughts.

Rane had been sitting in one of the reading chairs, a book propped open on his lap. He stood and tucked the book away with a practiced motion. Good morning.

Tala felt her eye twitch as she struggled to pull her mind back together.

-Rane communicated via the Archive nearly two hours ago, saying that hed brought breakfast over, whenever you are ready to eat. Hell go train just before lunch, as usual.-

She took a deep breath and directed her fiercest internal glare at Alat.

The alternate interface simply returned the equivalent of a shrug. -It wasnt important.-

Until it was.

-Until it was.- Alat agreed.

Rane had obviously noticed Talas surprise. I apologize, I didnt mean to startle you. I can leave the food on the table and let you have the rest of the morning to yourself?

Tala sighed, then shook her head. Food? Yes. You leaving? Not now. But I would appreciate the opportunity to eat in peace, undisturbed.

She still wasnt awake, and it was too soon after waking for social interaction.

At least until Ive had some food.

Of course. He grinned, going over to the dining table and pulling out a small pile of breakfast sandwiches. They werent quite as warm as they would have been had they been kept within Kit, but they still looked amazing.

Thank you, Rane. That is incredibly kind. What do I owe you?

He pulled an expression of long-suffering before shaking his head and told her. Three silvers,his eyes narrowedand that includes the delivery fee.

The only distinguishing characteristics were signs at the cross corridors that used symbols Tala was unfamiliar with.

Blessedly, it wasnt actually that long of a walk before she was ushered into a smaller workshop, and the attendant bowed her goodbye.

Smaller, in this sense, meant roughly the size of Lyns entire house, rather than the merging rooms which were often two or three times larger.

The sole occupant of the workshop waved over her shoulder and called out. One moment, please, I am just finishing up.

Of course. Tala replied amiably and took the brief moment to look around and take in the well-organized but cluttered space.

There were dozens of weapons in various stages of constructionand from the looks of it, deconstructionon worktables and racks, each giving off various auras of power.

More interestingly, there seemed to be heavily magical tokens tied to each weapon, giving off slightly different auras to her magesight.

Each was clearly hooked into the city grid for power, but the magic they emitted, while flavored, was more akin to that coming from various Mages, rather than power designed to create a specific effect.

Are those magical teabags?

-Really? Thats the analogy you draw? They seem to be translators, changing the pure city power into a mimicry of that of the mages who first empowered each weapon.-

That Well, she knew it was possible. That was what her through-spike did, in a sense. Shed just never considered this application of aura signature matching.

Along with the weapons, there were countless sheaths and materials that were clearly in various stages of progress towards being made into finished sheaths.

There were quite a few magical tools as well, seemingly for the working of the various materials from metal and stone to wood and cloth.

In all honesty, there was more on each table than Tala could easily identify with any rapidity, and the Archon who owned this space had finished up what she was doing and turned around.

Greetings, Mistress Tala I presume?

Yes. Tala smiled, giving a slight bow. She couldnt see the womans aura at all.

I am Mistress Airim.

It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Airim.

A pleasure, hmmm? Well, thats kind of you to say, even if such flattery is not unexpected. You do come to ask me to create something for you, after all. A happy twinkle sparkled in her eye. I can see that you are at the beginning of Refined. Congratulations on that progress, whether it was recent or long ago.

Tala saw a flicker as the woman allowed her own aura to show through for a moment. Late Bound Thats it? Really?

Was I correct in identifying your magesight inscriptions as always active?

I yes. She found herself blinking in surprise. You can see past my through-spikes illusion?

Yes, Refined, but only within this space. I am heavily connected to my workshop, and here, I can see the true nature of things. She smiled. The effect is magnified the further you come inside, which is why I am highlighting it now. If you dont want to reveal hidden truths to me, I suggest you stay just inside the doorway.

Thats thank you for the honesty. Now that it was mentioned, Tala could see that there was a magic in the air, hiding in plain sight due to its pervasiveness. More than that, the weaponry and sheaths towards the back of the space seemed, in general, more complex, magically speaking.

Of course. Mistress Airim waved the comment away. It is only polite. Now, I understand you want a sparring sheath?

Yes.

May I see the weapon?

Tala drew Flow and held it out, handle first.

Mistress Airim took the few steps forward and took the handle with respectful gentleness. Bound to you, obviously.

The Bounds eyes widened.

You have advanced three stages while it was bound to you. She looked up. You bound this weapon while still a Mage?

Tala simply nodded in mute astonishment at the womans ability to discern such.

Fascinating. Mistress Airim turned and walked deeper into her spacious work area. A limited, morphic weapon. Three forms. Merged with arcanous harvests, Leshkin weaponry Her head snapped up, and she spun to face Tala once again. The void? Whats the matter with you?

Tala opened her mouth to respond, but Mistress Airim was already paling.

My apologies, my apologies. That was not appropriate. She looked back down at the weapon, turned away, and walked deeper. What is this?

She seemed to have already forgotten her own outburst.

Theres somehow a conceptual weight to the weapon. Was this passed down through your family? But the question was obviously not directed at Tala.

I could just tell

Mistress Airim held up a hand. No, no. It is better that I learn it from the weapon without the taint of your perception.

Tala shrugged and leaned against the wall, listening and waiting. She kept her focus on her magesight, trying to determine if the ambient magics were shifting, but they didnt seem to be.

No, this doesnt have conceptual weight, not really. So, what is it?

Mistress Airim was pacing side to side by this point.

No... Really? It imparts an enhanced conceptual alteration?

The woman seemed utterly baffled if her tone was any indication.

Ownership? Thats a weighty concept, indeed, but its tied to a single element iron? She looked up at Tala. You have an item that magically manipulates the conception of ownership over iron.

Yes. Tala smiled, feeling rather proud of herself and what shed been able to bring about.

Are you insane? The woman did not sound impressed. In fact, she sounded genuinely concerned.

Tala blinked at that. I What?

Iron. Its anti-magical.

I am aware, yes.

Mistress Airim shook her head. No, no, no. Do you know why its anti-magical?

Why? Tala frowned. Shed never really considered that. No? I cant say that I do.

Its fundamentally tied to the powers of reality.

Tala felt her eyes go wide as so much clicked into place.

Well, rust

-Oh I see it now. No wonder Master Grediv was suspicious.-

Yeah, no joke.