Chapter: 281 - To Grow and Improve (Patreon)

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Tala didn’t recognize the Mage who was sitting behind the counter in Mistress Holly’s waiting room, but that wasn’t unexpected.

Before Tala could ask his name, he pointed towards the back. “You are expected, Mistress Tala. Please feel free to head on back.”

“Thank you. I’ll do just that.” The young man had already looked back down to the book on the counter in front of him. No need to bother him, just to ask his name.

Tala knocked on the door of Mistress Holly’s private workroom.

She was invited in and entered. After closing the door behind herself, she found Rane in the middle of some of the tests she, herself, had been subjected to the night before.

She gave a half-smile. “So, you’re getting poked and prodded with all these maddening tests, too?”

Rane grimaced, but it was Mistress Holly who answered. “He will be getting the prep-work inscriptions. So, the tests are required, yes, but he won’t be Refining in the short term.”

Tala cocked her head to one side. “What does that mean?”

Rane answered this time. “I won’t be Refined for at least a year.”

She winced. “Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” And she meant it, too. Even so, she gave a mirth filled smile. “I guess I’ll just have to get used to being better than you.”

That made the man chuckle. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll catch you eventually.”

“Am I interrupting?”

Mistress Holly waved her off. “Not at all, Mistress Tala.”

That was good. Well, might as well ask some questions while I’m here. “So, when will he be able to get inscriptions for direct connection to the Archive?”

The Inscriptionist glanced at Rane, and the man nodded. Apparently, she had been getting his okay to discuss it with Tala. “Once he’s Refined, he’ll have the option. Most Refined get something like that once their mind can handle it.”

“So, he’ll get something like the alternate interface I have?”

Mistress Holly gave her a long look before shaking her head. “Honestly, most people don’t want anything like that.”

“What? Why?” Tala was genuinely confused.

-What? I’m amazing! Why wouldn’t people want something like me?-

Rane smiled but didn’t interject. Mistress Holly sighed. “The moral implications for one. You are, in essence, creating another version of yourself, enslaved to yourself.”

Alat grunted. -I don’t see it that way, but I could see some people assuming that.-

Tala decided to push a bit. “Only if they think of it that way.”

“And many people do. Not everyone would work well with themselves. I, for one, would probably kill myself if I were stuck within my own head.”

-She makes a good point. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in anyone else’s head.-

Tala wasn’t convinced. “But it’s so perfect! Why wouldn’t everyone want to have twice as much time? To be able to devote themselves entirely to learning, while still doing other things as well.”

“That is a somewhat healthy way to view it, but also a bit incomplete. Could you spend a whole day studying while at the Academy?”

“Of course.”

“How often?”

Tala shrugged. “As often as I was allowed.”

Mistress Holly smiled, tapping the side of her own nose. “That’s one reason it works for you. That would drive some people crazy. I, for one, love to learn, but without experimentation and action, I become very grumpy.” She stuck a needle into Rane’s arm, drawing blood.

The big man grunted but didn’t otherwise react.

Tala found herself nodding. “So, if a person doesn’t already have a disposition leaning toward isolation and study, having a ‘self’ devoted to such wouldn’t be tenable.”

“Precisely.”

Rane nodded as well. “Then, I should be fine with that. Tala definitely has me beat in long term focus, but I love spending days on end just reading, and I’m quite content in isolation for long periods.”

Mistress Holly nodded, not seeming too surprised. “I’d assumed as much. You are a prime candidate for such an alternate interface, and we’ll get it in place for you as soon as you’re Refined.”

He grunted. “Very well.”

The Inscriptionist started another test, moving various magical devices into position around Rane and giving him a few simple instructions before turning back to Tala. “Now, I did have one thing that I wanted to highlight for you. I requested memories of all your uses of magic, while you were away, and I noticed something interesting.”

“Oh?” Tala leaned forward. “What was that?”

“You used your old ‘Restrain’ working.”

Tala thought back and nodded. “Yes, I did. What of it?”

“You don’t have kinetic manipulation inscriptions anymore.”

Tala hesitated. What?

-She’s right.- Alat projected puzzlement. -I didn’t really consider the lack, because we’ve used that working for so long.-

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing sinister. You’ve simply impressed your natural magics with some kinetic manipulation. I would say that your time with the ‘Restrain’ inscriptions wasn’t sufficient given how rarely they were active, but you’ve had a lot of time and magical interaction with kinetic manipulation scripts.”

Both women glanced towards Rane. The Fused was focused on following Mistress Holly’s instructions, so he didn’t notice.

Tala’s eyebrows rose. “That’s enough?”

“In many cases, yes. You had a mindset solidified for the working, you’d used the magic yourself, and your natural magics have long-term exposure to that power.”

Oh. Tala found herself at a loss for words.

Alat cackled. Finally calming herself enough to send. -I knew that boy would be useful.-

Rane still seemed unaware of the conversation.

“What”—Tala swallowed, feeling a bit conflicted—“What does that mean?”

“Aren’t you listening? It means that you’ve been around a kinetic manipulator as he used his power. It’s basically how early humans went about getting their power: sitting beside fires to gain fire magics, meditating in blizzards for powers over ice.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Isn’t this rather fast, though?”

The Inscriber bent to make a modification to one of the devices as she shrugged. “Not really. You can manipulate your own natural magics rather easily before you reach Paragon if you have a good understanding, and you started with inscriptions in this vein. Honestly, I’d be more surprised if you weren’t able to use that working.”

“Good to know.”

The current test ended, and Rane sighed. “That was rather… odd. It was testing perception, right?”

“Yes, specifically touch acuity.”

“Yeah, I got that with the needle point sensations. It almost tickled.”

“Of course, it’s not supposed to hurt.”

Tala cleared her throat. “Is he almost done?”

“No. Magical impressing goes both ways, and I need to ensure you’ve not tainted him somehow.”

Tala immediately paled. “I could have done that?”

Rane held up a hand. “It’s a danger for any partners, and even people who work together somewhat regularly. If one shows irregularity when looking to Refine, more care is taken with the others.”

She groaned. “How many people have I messed over?”

Mistress Holly shrugged. “Not too many, honestly. You didn’t spend too much time around those it will matter for.”

“Well, that’s good.” After a moment, Tala sighed. “I think I’ll go back to Lyn’s house. Come by when you’re done?”

Rane nodded. “That’s probably best, yeah.” He smiled. “Thank you for stopping by.”

“Of course, I wasn’t just going to abandon you.” She shrugged. “Was there anything else you needed or wanted from me, Mistress Holly?”

The woman shook her head. “No, no. I will remind you to take it easy with regard to any magics relating to your scripts.” After a moment’s hesitation, she added. “Your alternate interface excepted, of course. That shouldn’t cause issues.”

-Of course, I won’t. Thank you very much.-

“I remember. Thank you, Mistress Holly.”

“Very well. I do expect to have your next set of inscriptions worked up and ready for inscribing within the week.”

“I appreciate that.” Tala turned and gave Rane a smile. “You have fun now!”

He huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Oh yeah, buckets of fun.”

That done, Tala bid them both goodbye and departed without further delay.

It was a nice, pleasant walk for Tala through the city. I’m getting used to taking my time.

-I certainly can't recall a time where you weren’t rushing from one thing to another. It seems to be doing some good for you.-

I think so, yeah.

While she walked, she played with a small mass of iron in her hand, using it like a child playing with clay. Though, she was able to shape it with her mind, rather than requiring her fingers.

As a result, however, she ended up being worse at it than if she’d used her hands or other tools. That just means that I have a lot of room to grow and improve.

-Or you only have limited control?-

Tala huffed a laugh. When has anything magical been so limited in our experience?

-That’s… true. Fair enough, yeah.-

Her feet brought her through the park and to Lyn’s house.

The key was… enticing, but she barely paused to ponder the iron within it before unlocking the door and going inside.

It didn’t take her long to decide to start reading the abridged and rearranged books presented to her by Alat.

Between sections, she continued to play with her manipulation of iron and did her physical exercises, letting her body become more accustomed to her new weight.

That was actually one of the bigger surprises of the day, despite all that she’d experienced and all that she was reading.

As she had a modicum of control over the iron within her own body, it seemed like that ability was passively helping her move, and that was why she hadn’t really felt the weight very much.

She discovered this while playing with her control over her internal iron. A flexing of willpower to suppress her control had left her hand feeling incredibly heavy, and that had hinted at the situation to her. After that, it had only taken a little bit of investigation to truly reveal the extent of her new state.

Passively making her movements easier wouldn’t do, at least not for her exercises.

So, she purposely suppressed the subconscious control over her iron, and that left her panting and straining to do even some of the more basic exercises in her sets.

This is ridiculous! I was training under four-times gravity not that long ago.

-Well, that was with your last body. Remember, you were just rebuilt from scratch, and while some of your enhanced strength would have come through, not all of it did. Plus, you are quite a bit heavier, given the iron. And…-

Tala grimaced. And my body is in pretty bad shape, over all.

-Precisely. It’s probably good to exercise and try to get back some of your physical conditioning, as it should help with the Refining from what little we know, but don’t expect it to be like training has been for you lately.-

She grunted at that, struggling to finish the current set.

As she completed the latest repetition, she groaned and rolled onto her back. Ask Mistress Holly to increase the surface area granted by my inscriptions on my feet and hands. I feel like once I’m back up to full weight, and have some more iron to me, I’ll be stressing some of the surfaces I interact with.

-Yeah, that’s already added to the list.-

Tala had been a bit hesitant to stress her body with exercise, but Mistress Holly had specifically mentioned that it was allowed. As she’d watched herself recover after each set, she had been able to verify that the mechanisms of healing from exercise were different enough from her standard regeneration that it didn’t seem to worsen the issues she was having with her physical form.

It does seem like muscle recovery would be a bit different than healing from illness or injury.

She hesitated at that, a thought hitting her like a wagon.

What if I get exposed to something? Will that knock me out? Will that kill me?

-No, no. If you’d take a moment to think instead of panic, you’d realize that you’d only be in danger if you allowed yourself to get sick, then had to recover. But your processes for fighting off illness are enhanced and have nothing to do with regeneration, at least not for most diseases.-

So, avoid any flesh-eating plagues?

-That would likely be wise, yes.-

Thinking about her body’s vulnerability reminded her that her reserves were still dangerously low. At the moment, a lack of those materials would kill her faster than the impurities in her flesh.

Additionally, Tala was getting hungry, even though she’d eaten the remains of the banquets provided for the meeting the previous day. What time is it?

-Mid-afternoon.-

We really need a cook, don’t we…

Alat chuckled. -One would be rather useful, yes.-

Tala opened Kit. “Mistress Elnea?”

A contemplative sound came back followed by a verbal response, “Yes, Mistress Tala? Do you need me to leave? I’ve only walked about two-thirds of the perimeter.” Her voice gained some excitement, “I’m sure you know, but you have herds of deer and pigs in here, not to mention all the other, smaller animals.”

“Yes, I do know. There’s a whole reasonably well-balanced ecosystem in there.” Tala found herself grinning. “I was wondering, how many people could safely be sustained within there?”

“Full time or irregularly?”

“Let us assume full time to be safe. I could use some mundane help, and I want to know if I should hunt up some gateless or…?”

Mistress Elnea grunted. “I’m not done with my readings, so I might be incorrect, but I think with the recent… mergings, you could have seven gated humans in here, full time, without undue restrictions on their movements. Now, if your sanctum can rearrange its reality bits without disrupting the physical manifestations?” She exhaled a sound of uncertainty.

Tala’s eyes widened. “To spread out the stress. That…” She shook her head, making a very similar sound to the one Mistress Elnea had just made. “That’s quite the idea. We’ll have to test it.”

Tala could practically hear the woman nod as she responded, “We’ll need to get some different equipment to test if that’s possible, unless… Did I see hints in your experiences? Can you really see bits of reality?”

Tala bit her lip, thinking. I need help understanding all this. Secrets won’t serve me in the long run. “Yes.”

There was a long moment of silence. “Then, when I’m done in here, give me a day or two do come up with a few tests, and we’ll figure this out.”

“That sounds wonderful. Thank you.”

“No, Mistress Tala. I don’t understate when I say that this is more excited than I’ve been in a long time. I’ve long studied dimensionally expanded or created spaces, and what I’m learning here… Thank you.”

Tala smiled. “Well, then you’re welcome. I’ll probably try to find some people to help me, then.”

“Do you have anyone specific in mind?”

“Maybe? Why?”

“Given the nature of this space, I am sure we could find a good family to work with you, depending on your exact needs.”

“A good family, containing at least one researcher, of course?”

“Absolutely.” There was no shame or deceit in the woman’s voice.

“I’ll consider it.”

“Just let me know.”

“I’ll do that. I’m going to close the entrance now. Enjoy your work!”

“Oh, I most certainly will.”

Without another word, Tala closed Kit. Then, after a moment’s pause, she patted the pouch. “Thank you, Kit. I really do appreciate that you don’t ever eat anything I want maintained.”

Tala felt like she should have felt something from the dimensional storage, but in the end, the pouch did not respond.

Alright, then. Next book?

-As you wish. Next book!-

But then Tala’s stomach gurgled, and the woman grimaced. Wait, no… I need food.

Tala sighed.

We should drop by to see if Brand is in town.

-His food is rather tasty. Are we doing the culinary tour?-

Oh, yes. That would be amazing. There were so many foods that she remembered from her times in Bandfast. So many tastes that she wanted to experience again. And I can hunt for a cook at the same time.

-What about Lyn and Rane?-

Tala scratched the side of her cheek. Let them know what we’re about, through the Archive. I’d hate for them to come while we’re gone and not know what’s going on. She also pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a short note, leaving it on the dining table.

Then, without waiting for a response through the Archive, Tala stood and left Lyn’s house, being sure to lock the door behind herself.

Her first stop was the closest, and also on the way to Brand’s restaurant: Anachronistic Delights.

The staff chuckled at her order at first, when they saw that she was alone, but when she reiterated—and paid up front— they happily fulfilled her desire for a large number of cheesy little caravans.

-Don’t you think that, maybe, ten was too many?-

No. Obviously, I’m not going to eat them all right now, but I want some in reserve.

-…Yeah, I know that, but it still seems like too many.-

The next stop was Brand’s restaurant, and Tala entered with an odd tightness in her chest and butterflies in her stomach.

Did he even know I was missing? Did anyone tell him, or did he and Lissa just assume that I stopped coming by?

She got her answer instantly as the woman behind the counter looked her way and gasped. “Mistress Tala? Is… Is that you?”

Tala smiled a bit sheepishly. “It is, Lissa. How are you?”

The woman practically sprinted around the counter and wrapped Tala in a surprisingly motherly embrace. “The big Mage told us you were missing, but not that you’d been found! Are you alright? What happened?” The lovely, middle-aged woman pulled back, examining Tala head to toe. “You must be starving. Sit, sit! I’ll get you some soup.”

Tala let herself be led to one of the few tables off to the side, and soon, she was eating a wonderfully thick, hearty soup. Creamy, pork-based.

Lissa brought out a stack of heavily buttered bread and set it beside the massive soup bowl. Tala suspected that the bowl was usually used for mixing up large recipes, but she didn’t argue.

Instead, she dug in with gusto, bringing a smile to the older woman’s lips. “I’m glad that your appetite hasn’t changed.” After a moment’s hesitation, she added a tentative comment. “You seem… different. Are you alright?”

Tala hesitated, swallowing her current mouthful. “Is Brand in? I’d rather not repeat myself.”

The woman shook her head. “Sadly, no. He’s on a caravan run at the moment.” She patted her belly. “Our seventh is on the way, and he wants a bit more in the bank before she arrives. I’m afraid he’s scheduled for a longer route, only getting back for my last trimester.”

“Oh? How far along are you?”

“Eight weeks. He left just over a week ago.” She looked regretful. “I know he’d want to be here for your return.”

Tala smiled and waved her off. “No, no. I’m glad that he’s providing so well. Who’s helping you?”

“The kids do a lot to help, around their schoolwork. The oldest is ten, and he’s a natural.” She pointed to the soup that Tala had been eating. “He put together that recipe from several customer favorites. Breads and soups are best when made ahead of time, so I just have to manage the front.”

“It sounds like you have a good system worked out.”

Lissa smiled contentedly. “We really do.”

After a moment’s pause, the woman seemed to pull herself back from pleasant musing.

“But that’s enough about me? Tell me what happened?”

And so Tala began to speak, sharing an incredibly abridged and edited version of her recent experiences.

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