Chapter 375: Alone

Chapter 375: Alone

Tala hesitated as the arcane fox-like-manLisaregarded her with greater scrutiny.

After a moment, he grunted, I suppose I should not be surprised that you are aware of the triune state of existence. I taste iron on the air around you. Because of that, it would be my guess that you have somehow acquired a connection with reality that your fellows find acceptable. He briefly gave a wide grin, They are much better at cutting out that rot when it crops up than they used to be. Beyond that, you obviously have magic, and your memorieseven the few I sawcontained some of the void. Given all of that, your mentors were wise to help induct you into the reality of existence...

He paused for a moment at that.

Then, he shrugged and continued, And the magic of existence

His smile returned, full of mischief.

And the fact that existence is void and empty at its core.

Tala had never thought of it in those terms, but it fit rather beautifully. As she contemplated how well it fit, she felt her aura strengthen, her magic deepen, and her advancement move marginally toward Paragon.

The side of Lisas mouth pulled up slightly, indicating that hed noticed the change, Regardless, we are getting off the path, even after finding such a promising one. Let us return to the item I am offering to you: A purifier of magical power. To be clear, a purification of the magic within your sanctumand an ongoing maintenance of that puritywould not affect the magic of your sanctum, so your dimensional storage would remain bonded to you and intact.

Tala had been considering, and she nodded, grinning, I think that would be rather useful, yes.

He nodded once in response, Now, what do you have in trade?

I do believe that I have some credit with you.

Lisa waved his hand. It would be highway robbery if I were to use this to cancel that debt, and such things are hard to fractionalize.

She frowned, then shrugged. What do you want? What type of thing are you looking for?

Items of magic and power, of course. The strangerthe more uniquethe better.

Tala considered for a moment. Well, Im not giving him the sword, I barely just got that back from Master Clevnis.

-What about a needle? We have quite a few of those, and we dont really have much use for them.-

Tala nodded to herself. That was a good idea. What about an infinitely sharp, unbreakable needle?

Lisa blinked a few times, before his eyes narrowed, seeming more focused on her than he had been during their entire conversation up until that point. Let me see it.

Hesitantly, Tala reached for her waist, only to remember that she didnt have Kit with her. Oh, ummm Would a memory do for demonstration? If it is acceptable, Id have to go get it.

He hesitated, then nodded slowly.

Alat?

-Sharing a small part of the encounter in the cell, now.-

Lisa had already pulled his Archive connection artifact back out and placed it on his temple, his each movement crisp, precise, and controlled.

A moment later, he let out a hiss, followed by an incredibly aggressive cackle, Sole? His cell has resurfaced? Lisas lips pulled back in a horrifying mixture of gleeful grin and murderous snarl. For memories of your encounter with him, I will give you the item we are discussing. I do not need one of the needles for this transaction.

Well Rust. Talas eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to refuse. There is no way I can let him know where the prison is.

But, before she could say anything in response, Lisa continued, seemingly interpreting what she was thinking, I do not want the location of his confinement, just to witness the clash that you obviously had with him. You are here, he is not, so he must have been defeated, and that is something I dearly wish to witness. Depending on what I see, there, I will negotiate with your City Lordsexcuse me, City Headsfor the location. That will not concern you.

She hesitated, incredibly uncertain.

-I am already asking Mistress Ingrit.-

That is wise. Thank you, Alat.

-Oh, that was fast. She says sharing what he asks is fine.-

Tala was still skeptical, but after a moments consideration maybe two, she shrugged. This decision seems above my advancement, so not my problem. Im glad that I dont need to consider all the possible implications.

Master Lisa was waiting expectantly.

She slowly nodded, It seems that that would be acceptable.

The vulpine eyes glowed.

But!

The predatory gaze narrowed, and Tala felt a chill run through her very bones.

I think that the memories of the encounter are more valuable than a single item.

He huffed. Negotiating, then? Fine. But calling it a single item so dismissively is ridiculous.

Is it more than one item?

No, but calling it simply a single item is like calling the operating fund for the city a bank account. The description is technically accurate but insulting in the implication.

I suppose Ill need to take a look, then. Lets see it.

Very well. One moment.

Without further warning or fanfare, the fox vanished.

Tala caught flashes of his quick actions as he moved stone and starward on the axis of magic as easily as shed take a step forward or backward.

In less than a minute, he was back, simply appearing before herbehind the counteronce more.

How did you do that?

Do what? His slight smile made it obvious that he knew what she meant, but still wanted her to say it.

You moved along the spatial axis of magic.

He nodded. I thought you were aware of that. The answer is almost insultingly simple. I have the muscles to move in that direction. He shrugged. I have some dimensionality in those directions, so I can exert force to create movement. You exist in those directions as well, but you dont have any leverage to create movement well, most humans dont; I cant say Ive actually analyzed your physical or magical makeup.

Tala grunted, contemplating.

Imagine being able to freely move stoneward or starward.

-Sounds dangerous.-

* * *

Tala and Rane briefly saw Lyn and Kannis once more that evening, as it would have been odd not to, but Tala didnt bring up the artifact and arcane goods shop. It would have caused more questions than it was worth.

Finally, Tala and Rane stopped through to see Mistress Odera on their last evening in Bandfast.

That was a shock to say the least, even with Mistress Aproa there to help smooth out the interactions.

Mistress Odera was looking older than ever, and she had lost much of her previously demonstrated gracefulness in age.

She still had her intellectwhen she had the energy to use itbut more than anything, Tala was left feeling hollow and torn. It was painful to see such a proud, powerful, wise woman nearing her end.

Still, the very fact that the effects of aging were becoming visible and she still hadnt succumbed to binding a star was stark testament to her continued resiliency.

They didnt stay too long, as Mistress Odera was easily made tired.

Even so, while they were there, the Mage condensed an Archon star in ice, formed from moisture in the air.

It was quite obviously an unconscious action, with Mistress Aproa destroying it behind her ancestors back by dropping it into what was clearly an artifact made specifically for that purpose.

Even with all that she saw and learned, what stood out most to Tala was what her newly established sight showed her.

The womans gatelocated just one increment starward as all gates seemed to bewas slowly developing natural magics of its own.

Tala had recognized the spellform immediately, even before Mistress Odera had created a simpler version of it in a different medium.

An Archon star.

The gate itself was becoming a sort of complex, interlinked Archon star.

No wonder everyone succumbs eventually.

-No kidding.-

Though, honestly, Tala didnt know if Mistress Odera was undergoing something standard, something that only happened to those who resisted for an incredibly long time, or something unique to her.

Regardless, the inevitable result seemed obvious to Tala.

She briefly entertained the idea of using her iron to disrupt, distort, or otherwise mess with the glacially forming natural magics, but it didnt even take her newly enhanced mind to realize how catastrophically wrong that could go.

Even were she an expert in natural magicswhich she decidedly was notthe act of altering a spellform to specifically change its function as it was coming together was colossally foolish.

That was assuming she had something to change it to, which she did not.

Thus, she left well enough alone.

Rane and Tala bid Mistress Odera goodnight and goodbye, with Mistress Aproa seeing them to the door.

As they were leaving, Tala felt like she was fighting within herself, but what she felt was right finally won out, and she pulled Mistress Aproa aside, I cant explain to you how I know, but I believe that she only has days left, in the best case.

The Archons eyes had widened in shock, and shed immediately opened her mouth to ask a question, but the woman paused to consider first. Finally, she nodded, Thank you, Mistress Tala. I dont know if you are hedging around strictures by telling me this, or if something else holds your tongue, but regardless, thank you. I will gather what family I can, and well stand vigil for the next week. She smiled wanly, If something hasnt happened by then, I will assume you were mistaken, but knowing you, I dont expect that to be the case.

The urge came over her, and Tala stepped forward and embraced the somewhat older woman.

Mistress Aproa was clearly startled but lacked the ability to resist.

I am so sorry for your loss. She was a woman without peer.

The Archon sucked in a breath, something about Talas words striking to the heart of the circumstances.

Mistress Aproa hugged Tala in return, her whole body shaking as she began to sob uncontrollably.

Rane noticed and quietly moved around them and back toward Mistress Odera, so that the Mage would not be alone while the other two women talked.

Tala ended up staying another hour as Mistress Aproa talked about growing up with Mistress Odera as a role model, sharing some of her favorite stories, laughing, and crying.

Eventually, Mistress Aproa had pulled herself back together enough to hug Tala again and thank her profusely.

Tala hugged her in return, still feeling somewhat startled at the reaction her initial hug and simple words had unleashed. Though, with a moments consideration, Tala decided that she couldnt say that she regretted the outcome.

Mistress Odera was an important person to her, and Tala regretted not getting more time with her. The least she could do is give a little emotional release to the woman who had been there for Mistress Odera.

But her last days should be with family.

-It is important to be with those you love at the end.-

They went and got Rane, where he had been sitting and reading aloud to Mistress Odera as she slept.

Tala and Rane said another round of quiet goodbyes and left.

As Rane and Tala walked back toward the Archon Compound where Kit still rested, Tala found herself drawn inward, some investigations and experimentation being completed while Tala was still in town.

I am going to outlive almost everyone I know. That felt much more real than it ever had before.

Alat tried to help, or at least tried to offer another perspective, -That is the nature of death. Either you outlive and must say goodbye to all those you love, or you die and leave them without you.-

Or you dont make such connections. Tala felt herself hunch inward. Wouldnt that be better? Wouldnt that hurt less?

-Thats no way to live. Thats hardly a life at-

Rane put a hand on Talas shoulder, interrupting her internal back-and-forth, Tala? Are you alright?

She turned to him, looking up into his eyes, knowing there were tears in her own. I no, Im not.

He pulled her into a hug right there on the side of the street.

Traffic moved around them as he held her close, and she wept tears of confusion and frustration.

It was mid-afternoon the next daywhen they were almost back to Alefastwhen the message came in.

Mistress Odera had somehow slipped out, despite her small home being packed with relatives.

The citys defenses had noted her leaving toward the south-east, alone.