Imperial wizard ambition.., p.3
Imperial Wizard: Ambitions, page 3
"Yeah, thanks, Verdan," Tim said, giving the wizard a strained smile and a nod.
"Not a problem. I'll get one of the others up here to watch her. You go and get some rest, alright?" Verdan waited until Tim nodded grudgingly before getting up and heading back out of the room.
Pania and Pawel had been on duty at the gates when Verdan had come inside. Ruan was with Kai, so that left Barb or Declan, the guard that hadn't come with them on the rescue mission. He'd probably be best off asking Pania or Pawel on where to find the others.
Gwen, Tom, and Elliot would be around somewhere as well, but they would no doubt be caught up in their own concerns. A lot had happened in the last few days, and everyone was still processing it in their own ways.
Verdan stopped by the two guards on duty, and Pania offered to find one of the others to stand watch over Sylvie. Thanking her, Verdan headed back to the mansion and managed to secure a drink and some jerky from Henry. The cook mimed an offer to make Verdan a full sandwich or a meal, but the wizard waved him away. He only wanted something quick to eat.
"Hyn," Verdan tapped his arm as he cast his usual energy spell after finishing eating, wiping away any fatigue from the morning and leaving him clear and focused once more. He had a few hours he could spend on his gathering spiral before working on the Aether constructs to help with their defenses. Verdan was drawing near the end of the third spiral. Completing it would help significantly with his Aether recovery rate.
Slipping into a meditative state, Verdan focused internally on the thick strands of flowing Aether that comprised his gathering spiral and got to work.
-**-
"Hyn," Verdan refreshed himself with his energy spell once he surfaced from his meditation, satisfied with the additional four layers he'd created. If he skipped sleep tonight, he could finish the spiral, bringing him one step closer to regaining his strength.
Heading downstairs for some food, Verdan was surprised to find the kitchen empty, with no sign of Henry. Verdan frowned for a moment, before realizing that Kai must have started moving people over to the workshop. Heading outside to take a look around, Verdan greeted Pawel and Pania, who were still at the entrance to the estate.
After a quick word with the two guards to make sure nothing had happened while he was meditating, Verdan headed into the workshop. Surprisingly, Kai and Ruan were in the entrance room of the workshop and had commandeered a table to play cards.
"How was the adventuring guild?" Verdan asked as he walked over to where they were sitting.
"Excited is an understatement," Ruan said with a chuckle, his amusement making his slur a bit worse than normal.
"I told them you'd be heading over tomorrow. I expect you'll have your work cut out for you," Kai said as he played a card and flashed Ruan a small smile.
"Damn it, bloody Sorcerers," Ruan cursed with a sigh, throwing down his cards and standing up. "I'm going to head out and replace Pawel for a bit. Let him get some food."
"Tell Pania I'll send Barb to relieve her shortly," Kai said, nodding to the older man as Ruan headed outside. Turning back to Verdan, the Sorcerer waved for him to take Ruan's seat. "How many enchantments will you be able to cast?"
"A dozen will be my limit," Verdan said, sitting down and idly glancing at the cards that Ruan had held. The designs were surprisingly similar to what he remembered, but he had no idea what game they were playing. "I could do more, but I'm going to make sure I keep a reserve for any issues that crop up."
"Speaking of which, I've moved everyone in here now, but I think a warning to Miss Crea wouldn't be amiss," Kai said as he idly tidied up the cards.
"I'll take care of that," Verdan said quickly, and Kai paused to quirk an eyebrow at him with a silent smile before carrying on.
"I'm heading out at first light with Tom to rendezvous with the guards and, all being well, we'll be back by nightfall. It'll be a hard day, but I'd rather do that than camp outside the city."
"True, but make sure that you get as much information as possible. We need to know everything about what's happening down there," Verdan said, relaxing a little as Kai nodded along with him, clearly of a similar mind.
"Don't worry; I'll find out what they're doing. Just be careful while I'm gone," Kai said with a concerned tone. "I don't like leaving you behind while both Tom and I are absent, but we don't have much choice."
"True enough, both of you will be needed if the Cyth Scerrd catches wind of you being there," Verdan said with a grimace. He wished he had more resources or people to bring to bear. This was just another thing to consider when he was planning out his next moves.
The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, until Kai cleared his throat and looked up at Verdan with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry about the meeting with Blane earlier. He's an odd man, and particularly driven to find his sister."
"It's not a concern, though I wish that he'd given us more of a description to go on," Verdan said with a shrug, not giving the matter much thought as he considered what Aether constructs he would be putting in place first.
"Well, I've sworn an oath to assist him, so once I'm back from this mission, I'll be spending some time searching the city. Would you be able to ask Commander Griffon to take a look at their records?"
"Of course, we can talk about it more when you return," Verdan said absently before focusing on Kai once more. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."
A quick hit with the energy spell was enough to keep Verdan's mind focused as he got up and headed back to the mansion to start creating the first of the Aether constructs he had in mind. The Weeping Death were biding their time, and Verdan intended to make them pay for every moment they gave him.
Verdan worked through the evening on the Aether constructs he needed. None of the constructs were particularly complex, but they did need a lot of Aether to work, and that took time.
The two underlying flaws in all Aether constructs were that they could be targeted directly by other Wizards, and they required a substantial amount of Aether for any truly useful effects. The former of the two issues wasn't a problem as Verdan saw things. After all, he was the only Wizard left.
The second issue was more problematic, given Verdan's limited source of Aether, and so he found himself spending the evening in yet more meditation. This time, however, he was actively speeding up his gathering spiral, rather than expanding or condensing it.
The first construct Verdan put in place was a ward to suppress fires within the estate, just as a general precaution. It would work against Aether-conjured flames if needed but would be best against more mundane problems.
With that done, Verdan turned to the more-important ward. The Grym Imperium had developed a range of security wards and Verdan began to construct his favorite.
When Verdan tagged someone with the relevant spell, the ward would act to impede their use of Aether. The effect was somewhat limited on the existing reserves that the person or creature had, but it would hinder both their spells and their replenishment of Aether.
Duels between Wizards were often a grueling slug match, so a simple effect like this would have drastic consequences for the attacker. However, the Aether cost was tremendous, so much so that it could only be used defensively, with set boundaries and regular charging.
Verdan's personal variant of the construct was somewhat different and had a few additional features, which helped a little with the Aether cost, but it was still expensive.
Satisfied that he'd made progress, Verdan took a short rest before working on his gathering spiral. He'd lean on his energy spell for tonight to power through and catch a few hours of sleep if he got enough done before morning.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter
Three
"Verdan?" Kai's voice caused Verdan to blink awake and rub his face blearily. He'd decided to have a few hours of sleep in the end, and somehow felt all the worse for it.
"Yes?" Verdan called back in a croaky voice, before clearing his throat and pulling on his Aether. "Hyn." As usual, a flow of restorative Aether passed through him, refreshing his body and clearing his mind, but not completely.
"Hyn," Verdan said again, casting the spell a second time with a slight frown that faded as the spell took hold. One casting of the spell was usually enough to revitalize him. Perhaps he hadn't put enough Aether into the spell?
"I'm heading out with Tom to meet up with the guards. Ruan and Barb are on duty at the gate, and everyone else is in the workshop. Tim said there was no change with Sylvie, and Gwen went out into the city for something. I sent Pania with her, but I wanted to make sure you knew."
"Understood. Good luck," Verdan called as he rose and gathered his things. He had a few jobs to do today, so he needed to get started sooner rather than later.
-**-
Verdan took Pawel with him on his first excursion of the day, the slender guard happily escaping from his turn on watch. Verdan's Aether senses might be able to detect far more than Pawel could, but the experienced mercenary would catch anything he missed.
Verdan's presence caused a bit of a stir as they headed down to the glasshouses that were set up near the estate. He remembered that they'd been cold and quiet when he was last here, and the wood storage they were centered around had been empty.
Now, however, there was a steady plume of smoke rising from the chimneys of half of the buildings, and while the wood storage wasn't that full, it wasn't empty, either. As Verdan and Pawel approached, a cart full of lumber came down the street, and a number of workers came out of one of the buildings to unload it.
To Verdan's surprise, one of the workers that emerged was Elliot. The big man had a smile on his face and was laughing at something another man said as he hauled a large piece of lumber off the cart as though it weighed nothing. The others were visibly trying to keep up with him, but Elliot made it look easy.
"Wizard Blacke, it's good to see you again," Samuel said, extending his hand to Verdan as he broke away from where he was watching the work and came over to them.
"Good to be here, Samuel. I'm happy to see that things are getting underway once more," Verdan said with a smile. It was nice to witness the results of their work and the effect it had on the city, which was actually part of why he'd come out to visit Samuel.
"It does make a nice change, that's for sure," Samuel said with a chuckle. "For now, we're focusing on producing the raw material the old glassblower left when the supply dried up. Elliot has said he'll teach some folk the trade, though, but we need enough to get us started. All being well, we'll start having some pieces for sale in a few weeks, but we'll make do with the raw material in the meantime."
"A few weeks is a long time to get by without something to sell," Verdan noted carefully, but Samuel waved away his concerns.
"Don't worry; this is the best off we've been in a while. We're using half or so of the lumber we bring in, but the rest is being sold to other folks in the city. There's been a wood shortage for a while, so there's plenty of demand."
"That's good to hear. I'm glad that things are starting to look up for all of you. Once you're producing glassware directly, let me know, I'll be needing plenty."
"Sounds good to me. Now, what can I do for you?" Samuel said before gesturing to the cart, which was heading back toward the logging camp. "I doubt you came down to watch the lads unload a cart. If it's about clearing out those houses, we're already on it."
"No, that's fine. I trust that you'll get it done," Verdan said with a shake of his head. "I actually wanted to discuss the city as a whole. What you're doing here is just a small part of what used to be the lifeblood of the city. What else do we need?"
"The city as a whole?" Samuel echoed in surprise before frowning in thought. "That's hard to say, but most of what made this city prosper was the work for our forges. They still produce a few things, but nothing like what they used to."
"Do you know what caused that?"
"Well, they made a lot of arms and armaments when I was a lad, but there was a problem in the main mine, and they had to abandon it. They expanded the other mines as best they could to make up for the shortfall, but it wasn't enough. After that, the whole trade went into a slow decline. Mix that in with the lack of lumber recently, and you see the problem."
"So, the framework is there, but the main mine is no longer in use, and there's not much call for work?" Verdan summarized and waited for Samuel to nod before continuing. "Well, I was hoping for something easier to fix, but I'll see what I can do."
"The city might be rundown, but a lot of the folk who don't like living and working under the thumb of Sorcerers are still here. I've got at least a dozen folk working as general labor who are trained crafters in their own right. You find a way to bring business back, and the workers the city needs will be there waiting."
"Will they have a problem with me? I'm not a Sorcerer, but the distinction likely means little to most of you," Verdan asked softly, pitching his voice low enough that his words wouldn't carry.
"I'm not going to lie and say that you're everyone's favorite person, but most people, bar the ones who've suffered the most, are willing to give you and yours a chance. We've seen what you're doing with the city guard, and a few folks from other cities recognize Sorcerer Kai; he's known as a good one. Those with Witch blood or Witch relatives are coming together around that Gwen as well." Samuel paused to shake his head with a soft laugh. "Never thought I'd see the day that Witches were in control of their magic, that's for sure."
"I didn't realize that Gwen was gathering other Witches," Verdan said with a touch of surprise, though it made sense when he thought about it. Of course, she'd want to pass the knowledge on.
"Don't ask me for details. I'm just saying what the lads have told me," Samuel said with a shrug.
"Of course, thank you for all the information; it's been useful," Verdan said, shaking Samuel's hand once more and starting back to the mansion. On the good side, it sounded like the city was full of skilled people who just needed the opportunity to get back on their feet. On the downside, they were predominately against Sorcerers, which Verdan was fairly sure would make his life difficult at some point.
Kai and Tom were the only Sorcerers he was working with right now, but with the state of the area, he'd need more allies and more magic users. It sounded like Gwen was already recruiting other Witches, and Verdan didn't want to commit to training new Wizards, so that left Sorcerers and non-humans.
Races like the Darjee and the Cyth gave non-humans a poor reputation at the best of times. Add in the lack of communication, and Verdan would be surprised if more than a handful of communities were working together.
Verdan paused and frowned, glancing back at the distant silhouette of Elliot as he hauled around heavy loads for the workers. Elliot was the first person he'd met who could speak one of the Imperial languages, but that meant that others did as well. Elliot had to have learned it from somewhere, after all.
Verdan was tempted to go back and ask, but this wasn't the time. He'd catch up with Elliot later. He'd have to remind him not to be travelling around on his own either, Elliot might not be a fighter, but Verdan had a feeling that the Weeping Death would target him all the same.
"Where to now, Boss?" Pawel asked laconically from where he sauntered along behind the Wizard.
"Back to the estate. I need to have a talk with Natalia," Verdan said as he glanced up at the sky and judged what time it was. He still had most of the day before he'd need to be at the adventurers guild. "Once we're back, you can get some rest; I'll take Tim with me later."
"Sure thing, Boss," Pawel said with an idle shrug.
Verdan left Pawel at the workshop and headed to the old servant's quarters, where Natalia was staying. From passing comments that Verdan had heard since his return, Adrienne had been spending time with Natalia and looking after her, which was a weight off his mind.
It wasn't like Natalia was Verdan's responsibility, but he did feel a particular obligation to her, considering that this was once her family's estate. She'd also helped with Sylvie's surgery and offered up her store of reagents without question.
Verdan hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door, one hand smoothing his tunic as he abruptly missed having his staff; it made it easy to keep his hands occupied.
"Wizard Blacke, back so soon?" Natalia asked as she opened the door, a touch of surprise in her voice. "How is your friend's wolf? Has she recovered from the surgery?"
"She has, but there have been further complications," Verdan said, not wanting to get into the growing complexity of Sylvie's situation. Shapeshifters had a mixed reputation in the Imperium, deservedly in some cases, but not all. Considering how Witches were treated, Verdan wouldn't be surprised if it were even worse now.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Natalia said huskily, one gloved hand coming up to her ever-present veil as she had a small coughing fit. "Please, come in."
"Thank you," Verdan said, a little concerned by how her cough had sounded. He was no physician, but it didn't sound good. "I'm sorry for prying, but are you feeling well? Is there anything I can get you?"
"Please, don't concern yourself; I'm used to it by now. The doctor said that the smoke damaged my lungs, but he could do nothing. Some days are worse than others, but I manage." Natalia explained as she led Verdan to the same sitting room as before.
"I see," Verdan said as he took the seat opposite Natalia. "I could try to ease it. I doubt the doctor could approach it in the same manner as myself. I can't promise to heal it fully, but I should be able to help a little."
"Perhaps," Natalia said shortly, her already husky voice a little strained as she fought down another coughing fit. "I was told that normal medicine couldn't help, and the damage done was caused by the alchemical agents in the smoke. I've tried potions as well, but they're only a temporary solution. Please don't give me false hope, Wizard Blacke."
