Imperial wizard 6 unlike.., p.31
Imperial Wizard 6: Unlikely Allies, page 31
Despite the situation at the gate, the rest of the city seemed to be less tense than before. It was impressive how much could change so quickly, but the cause was plain to see. Before, there had been Sorcerers on the streets, but they’d been moving in groups and avoiding each other. Now, those same Sorcerers were moving around, but they looked less hunted, and weren’t as wary about other travellers on the street.
Verdan felt some of his frustration and anger fade as he realised things had actually improved in the city. By the time they were back at their temporary residence, he was ready to speak with the two Elders. He’d even help with whatever their problem was, assuming that it could be dealt with quickly.
For now, though, he was going to focus on his meditation and bringing the Word he was searching for into focus.
“Verdan?” Barb’s voice came from the hallway, breaking his concentration. A shame, as he’d been doing well with some of the breathing exercises Vaijon had given him.
“Come in. Are they here?” Verdan rose and went through a simple set of stretches as Barb opened the door and stepped inside.
“Yeah, both arrived at the same time, and both brought an extra. They all seem fairly amiable, and they’re waiting for you in the big sitting room. Kai and Vaijon are with them.”
“Got it.” Verdan finished the last of his stretches to loosen up after being sat still for so long and motioned for Barb to lead the way. “Let’s see what they say.”
The two Elders were sitting on opposite sides of the room, their respective attendants next to them. Kai and Vaijon were both positioned between the two sides, though no one looked especially tense. Verdan had heard them talking as he walked over, but the room fell quiet as he entered.
To his surprise, Elder Notai had brought Selem with her, while Lucil had brought the same Sorcerer who’d been injured during the attempted ambush on her.
“Thank you both for coming,” Verdan said, taking a seat next to Vaijon, so he was firmly in the neutral area of the room. “Why don’t we begin with what you need from me?”
Both Elders began to speak at the same time, and Verdan quickly motioned for them to stop. “We’ll need to take this one at a time.”
Both women looked unwilling to let the other go first, but Vaijon cleared his throat before the situation could devolve. “If I might?”
“Please do.”
“The problem is that a few Sorcerers have been identified as additional traitors within each Sect, based on the documents we found in the hideout.”
“And that’s an issue how?”
“The problem is that confidence in the Sect has been damaged, and we need to take action to remedy it,” Lucil said quickly, the corner of her mouth turning up as she beat Vaijon and Notai to the punch. “I’m sure it’s even worse in the Raging Tempest.”
“Elder Lucil,” Verdan said in a firm tone that drew a surprised look from both local Elders. “If we’re going to work together in any capacity, I will insist on none of this inter-Sect aggression, especially not when you’re my guest. Elder Notai, the same will apply to you.”
Lucil’s companion stirred, but she was quick to put a hand on his shoulder and still whatever objection he’d been about to make. “I understand. My apologies to you, Wizard Blacke, and to you, Elder Notai. Old habits carried me away there.”
“Thank you, Elder.” Verdan met her eyes and nodded slightly before clearing his throat. “So, you’re having a problem with finding somewhere to vent the anger your people feel?”
“More or less, yes,” Elder Notai said, one hand absently smoothing out her robe as she frowned. “There is unified thought here; many of our Sorcerers are worried about the future and the stability of their home.”
“Then I have good news for you both.” Verdan clapped his hands together with a smile. “We have contacted another group hunting the Brotherhood, and they know where their headquarters for the region is hidden. We’d come back to the city to recruit for an assault, but it sounds like the answer to your problems. Send some people with me to satisfy their need for vengeance and reassure everyone that you have the matter in hand.”
“A convenient solution for you,” Lucil said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You get exactly what you want while doing us a favour.”
“More or less.” Verdan shrugged, not hiding his smile. “I could have tried to hide that from you, but this felt like the better way forward. We all get what we want this way.”
“An elegant solution,” Notai said, her tone more reserved than Lucil’s had been. “I’m open to the idea, but the decision is not mine. I’ll take your offer to the other Elders and return tomorrow. Unless you’d be willing to discuss other potential solutions?”
Verdan almost said yes, but bit his tongue at the last moment. If he gave them any other way of doing this, they’d never agree. “No. In two days, we head back to meet the guides. I would like the support of both Sects when we do so, but I’ll proceed without it.”
“These guides,” Selem said, speaking up for the first time. “Who are they exactly?”
Verdan hesitated briefly before deciding that honesty was the way forward. It wasn’t like he could hide it from them in the long term, after all. “There’s a group of Vespa that are hunting the Brotherhood. They’re led by a Named, to use his term, called Kraujas.”
“What?” The other attendant scoffed, half-smiling as he looked between them. “Is this a joke of some kind?”
“It is not.” Kai’s response was direct and to the point, much like the man himself, but Verdan could tell it wasn’t registering with the attendant.
“I’m not saying that you’re lying, Verdan,” Selem said slowly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat at the look that Vaijon gave him in response. “You can understand how unlikely that sounds, though. Vespa are unthinking monsters. You should know that as well as anyone, from what Val has told me.”
“Did she not tell you they were driven to those attacks?” Verdan shook his head. “No, they were driven to that, and the Brotherhood was behind that as well. They’ve taken at least one Vespa Queen, which is what has brought Kraujas and his group here.”
Kraujas hadn’t been as informative as that, but he’d mentioned restoring the Hives. Putting that together with what they knew about the Brotherhood using potions developed from a Queen, and it all came together.
Verdan suspected that the attacks they’d come across on the Brotherhood caravans near Hobson’s Point had been the work of Kraujas and his group. If so, then all of this had begun when Verdan had released him from his imprisonment in the north.
So much had happened since then, so many good people dead, and so many innocents sacrificed in the name of whatever madness the Brotherhood pursued.
It would be fitting that Verdan would fight alongside one of their victims for this assault. Hopefully, it would be the one that would yield some useful information about what they had planned.
“I think we can take the Wizard at his word,” Lucil said, drawing Verdan back to the conversation. Her support would have been reassuring if he wasn’t so certain that she was only agreeing to disagree with the other Sect.
Their rivalry was tiring.
“Well, I think we’ve heard enough,” Notai said, rising gracefully to her feet. “I will pass on your words as I said before.”
“We leave in two days,” Verdan said, rising as he spoke, Kai and Vaijon matching him.
“You’ll have your answer before then.” Notai nodded and swept out of the room, Selem a few steps behind her.
“The same is true for us. I promise nothing, but I’ll do my best to push your agenda. I owe you that much.” Lucil held out a hand, and Verdan took it, appreciating the gesture. “If I don’t see you before you leave, good luck.”
“Thank you, Lucil.” Verdan watched her leave with her attendant before sighing and sitting back down. “Barb, just check that they actually leave, would you?”
“Sure thing, Boss,” Barb said, trotting after Lucil at a quick pace. She’d been posted up next to the door during the short meeting, and Verdan already enjoyed having her back with them. The others were friends and allies, but Barb was dependable, and their established hierarchy was easy to navigate.
“So,” Vaijon said, sitting back down as well. “Do you think they’re going to help?”
“I can’t see why they wouldn’t,” Kai said, walking over to the door and ensuring that there was no one listening before closing it firmly. “It won’t be as simple a matter as it should be, but in the end, this will only benefit them.”
“True, but do they know that?” Verdan shook his head. “The sooner we head home, the better. I’m tired of this city.”
They spent some time discussing potential ways to make use of whatever forces the Sects put at their disposal. It wasn’t exactly something they could plan out in any great detail, not without knowing what they were facing and what support they’d have. Still, they talked out some general ideas before meeting with Sylvie, Blane and Tim.
“How did the meeting with the Elders go?” Sylvie asked as Tim took a seat and she sprawled possessively across his lap.
“Well enough, I think,” Verdan said, sipping at a cup of herbal tea that Barb had brought him. The minty flavour was refreshing, exactly what he needed at the moment. “We won’t really know until they speak with the other Elders in their Sects, though.”
“What is it you need from us?” Blane asked.
“Well, I was hoping you’d scout the area near the Vespa and see what you can find. I’m confident we can rely on them, but we should make our own preparations as well.”
“I was considering something like that myself,” Sylvie said with a nod. “We’ll stay here overnight and head out in the morning. As much as I want you with me, meu drassul, such work is not for you. We’ll be talking to the fraktiri in the area and moving fast — too fast for you to keep up.”
“Don’t worry, I’d realised that myself,” Tim said, looking down at her with a warm smile. “You do what you need to, I’ll be fine. Did you say there was a lack of adventurers in the area, Verdan?”
“Yes, the Brotherhood had been conspiring to move them away, it seems. Their plan to destabilise the area was quite involved, though I don’t know their end goal.”
“Well, I’ll make inroads on that tomorrow, then. Someone needs to make sure the people outside the city are safe. Fenn, Synne, and I can deal with most threats between the three of us, anyway.”
Fenn was lying next to Tim’s chair, his gaze moving between them as they spoke, and Verdan took a moment to appraise the big hound. He had been hefty and muscular when Tim bonded with him, but a healthy diet and some judicial healing had only improved things.
Fenn would never win a beauty contest, but it would take something akin to a transformed Airta to truly challenge him.
Synne, on the other hand, was lounging in front of the fireplace in the room, taking full advantage of the rug that was there. The last few weeks had seen him grow quickly, and he was the same size as Fenn now, but without the corded muscles and prominent scarring.
As a Hound of Gwyll, though, Synne was stronger than he looked, and that didn’t even account for his ability to warp space as he moved.
Somehow, Verdan was sure that Tim would be just fine.
Ruthin found them a map of the area and they spent some time working out where Sylvie and Blane would scout, but Verdan knew that it was a suggestion at best. The two Airta would call out to their four-legged cousins once they were outside the city, and then act accordingly.
Still, it was reassuring to know that they were preparing for all eventualities.
Heading back to his room, Verdan went to settle in and pick up where he’d left off earlier before pausing. He’d been working on his breathing and meditating on the concept of the Word he was trying to gain, but perhaps something different was in order.
He was close to getting the Word he was after; he could feel it on the tip of his tongue.
Stopping and heading back outside, Verdan made his way down to the courtyard and scooped up a large ball of dirt with a simple spell before heading back.
Breaking the ball in two, Verdan separated the piles before creating a dozen small figures with shaping spells. It was good training for his fine-detail work, if nothing else.
Once he had twelve roughly humanoid figures in each group, Verdan animated them and had them fight, one from each side at first, with a spell for each construct. The warrior from the left won the bout, such as it was, and Verdan repaired it and fixed its opponent before resetting it all.
Withdrawing the spells and recycling the Aether, Verdan did it again, now with two constructs on each side, which was tougher, but manageable. The left won again, and he repaired them all before moving on to three.
Having two spells active was no real issue under normal circumstances, but these were complex spells, even on such a small scale. Thankfully, the spell he used brought intent to the constructs themselves, so all he had to do was control the overall direction. Even so, providing that direction to three different constructs within each spell was difficult.
The right team won this time, and Verdan easily reshaped the fallen figures, compacting dirt to rebuild the parts that had been broken. Part of him knew that four was too many, but he tried it anyway.
Wincing at the strain he could feel building from the two spells, Verdan was forced to rely entirely on the inherent intent of his spells. Rather than a somewhat-silly wrestling match between finger-sized figures, it turned into a slow and awkward affair.
“This isn’t working,” Verdan said, rubbing his face as he watched the fight devolve even further without his active participation. “The spell just doesn’t work like this.”
Leaning back against the end of his bed, Verdan closed his eyes and turned the problem over in his mind. The issue was that the spell was meant for controlling a single construct. He’d been able to push that, but clearly there were limits.
Sighing, Verdan decided a break was needed and got to his feet, leaving the dirt figures where they were as he went to get an herbal tea. It was quite late by this point, and everyone had either left or turned in for the evening.
“Everything okay, Master?” Magnus asked, looking up as Verdan walked into the kitchen. He was in the process of steeping a pot of tea and caught Verdan’s look with a laugh. “Ah, did we have the same idea?”
“Pretty much, and I needed a break,” Verdan said, sighing as he took a seat at the small table Magnus was at. “I’ve been hitting my head against a wall for a while — metaphorically, that is.”
“Well, at least it isn’t a real wall, that’s something,” Magnus said, drawing a tired smile from him. “Anything you want to talk about? I can offer a friendly ear even if my understanding is not at the same level as your own.”
Verdan went to wave his offer aside before pausing. It wouldn’t hurt, and at this point, any source of inspiration could be enough to get him where he was heading. Besides, Magnus was one of the only two people who could really understand what he was talking about.
“Well, while we’re waiting, why not? Essentially, I’m trying to develop a spell to let me control large numbers of constructs more easily…” Verdan ran him through the problem, detailing what he’d been trying and how he was struggling.
“I see,” Magnus said, pouring a mug of tea for both of them. “I know Dirk is better at all this than I am, but I think that means I can help more here.”
“Oh?” Verdan sipped the steaming tea, relishing the heat it left down his throat.
“I’m still not good at projecting my spells, which means that I’ve had to be better at doing things in a different way.” Magnus sipped his own tea before setting it aside and meeting Verdan’s gaze. “As I understand it, the spell you’re trying to use doesn’t work quite the way you want, so you’re expanding it manually to help develop a new Word?”
“That’s one way to look at it, yes.” Verdan shrugged. “I admit that part of it is my stubbornness as well.”
“There’s a reason that we Kranjir get along with you so well,” Magnus said with a chuckle. “You have two spells for these constructs now, though, right? One for the normal ones, and one for Rocky?”
“Yes, the one I use for him is an empowered version. It’s built from the same original spell, though.”
“Right, so you’re trying to do the same with the new Word, yes?” Magnus waited for Verdan to nod before continuing. “My question, then, is if the spell isn’t working for you, why not redesign it from scratch? A new intent, new Word structure, all formed towards allowing for a greater number of constructs.”
Verdan frowned, forcing himself to stop and sip his tea as he considered Magnus’s words. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“Like I said, I have to do things differently from both of you, which means reworking intent more often, I think.”
Verdan nodded slowly, his mind racing now as he began to consider the details of how he’d do it. A new spell, one designed to better spread the intent he provided. It wasn’t a bad idea, not at all.
“The other thing I thought of,” Magnus said, absently running his thumb over his prosthetic. “Is whether you need to be the focal point for that second layer of intent? Could you set up some Sigils with instructions or something? They must have been able to do that when making that Automaton, after all.”
Verdan inhaled sharply, all but bolting from the kitchen as he called out his thanks to Magnus. He knew what to do now; he knew how to bring it all together, and he could hear the Word he’d been looking for as it echoed in his mind.
He’d been close with what he was trying to do, but not quite right. After all, like Kai had said, he was trying to make a Legion, and every Legion needed a leader.
Chapter
Fourteen
With inspiration burning hot in his veins, Verdan stayed up long into the night, working on his new spell and bringing all the parts together. The major step forward was that he now had his new Word.
Verdan felt some of his frustration and anger fade as he realised things had actually improved in the city. By the time they were back at their temporary residence, he was ready to speak with the two Elders. He’d even help with whatever their problem was, assuming that it could be dealt with quickly.
For now, though, he was going to focus on his meditation and bringing the Word he was searching for into focus.
“Verdan?” Barb’s voice came from the hallway, breaking his concentration. A shame, as he’d been doing well with some of the breathing exercises Vaijon had given him.
“Come in. Are they here?” Verdan rose and went through a simple set of stretches as Barb opened the door and stepped inside.
“Yeah, both arrived at the same time, and both brought an extra. They all seem fairly amiable, and they’re waiting for you in the big sitting room. Kai and Vaijon are with them.”
“Got it.” Verdan finished the last of his stretches to loosen up after being sat still for so long and motioned for Barb to lead the way. “Let’s see what they say.”
The two Elders were sitting on opposite sides of the room, their respective attendants next to them. Kai and Vaijon were both positioned between the two sides, though no one looked especially tense. Verdan had heard them talking as he walked over, but the room fell quiet as he entered.
To his surprise, Elder Notai had brought Selem with her, while Lucil had brought the same Sorcerer who’d been injured during the attempted ambush on her.
“Thank you both for coming,” Verdan said, taking a seat next to Vaijon, so he was firmly in the neutral area of the room. “Why don’t we begin with what you need from me?”
Both Elders began to speak at the same time, and Verdan quickly motioned for them to stop. “We’ll need to take this one at a time.”
Both women looked unwilling to let the other go first, but Vaijon cleared his throat before the situation could devolve. “If I might?”
“Please do.”
“The problem is that a few Sorcerers have been identified as additional traitors within each Sect, based on the documents we found in the hideout.”
“And that’s an issue how?”
“The problem is that confidence in the Sect has been damaged, and we need to take action to remedy it,” Lucil said quickly, the corner of her mouth turning up as she beat Vaijon and Notai to the punch. “I’m sure it’s even worse in the Raging Tempest.”
“Elder Lucil,” Verdan said in a firm tone that drew a surprised look from both local Elders. “If we’re going to work together in any capacity, I will insist on none of this inter-Sect aggression, especially not when you’re my guest. Elder Notai, the same will apply to you.”
Lucil’s companion stirred, but she was quick to put a hand on his shoulder and still whatever objection he’d been about to make. “I understand. My apologies to you, Wizard Blacke, and to you, Elder Notai. Old habits carried me away there.”
“Thank you, Elder.” Verdan met her eyes and nodded slightly before clearing his throat. “So, you’re having a problem with finding somewhere to vent the anger your people feel?”
“More or less, yes,” Elder Notai said, one hand absently smoothing out her robe as she frowned. “There is unified thought here; many of our Sorcerers are worried about the future and the stability of their home.”
“Then I have good news for you both.” Verdan clapped his hands together with a smile. “We have contacted another group hunting the Brotherhood, and they know where their headquarters for the region is hidden. We’d come back to the city to recruit for an assault, but it sounds like the answer to your problems. Send some people with me to satisfy their need for vengeance and reassure everyone that you have the matter in hand.”
“A convenient solution for you,” Lucil said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You get exactly what you want while doing us a favour.”
“More or less.” Verdan shrugged, not hiding his smile. “I could have tried to hide that from you, but this felt like the better way forward. We all get what we want this way.”
“An elegant solution,” Notai said, her tone more reserved than Lucil’s had been. “I’m open to the idea, but the decision is not mine. I’ll take your offer to the other Elders and return tomorrow. Unless you’d be willing to discuss other potential solutions?”
Verdan almost said yes, but bit his tongue at the last moment. If he gave them any other way of doing this, they’d never agree. “No. In two days, we head back to meet the guides. I would like the support of both Sects when we do so, but I’ll proceed without it.”
“These guides,” Selem said, speaking up for the first time. “Who are they exactly?”
Verdan hesitated briefly before deciding that honesty was the way forward. It wasn’t like he could hide it from them in the long term, after all. “There’s a group of Vespa that are hunting the Brotherhood. They’re led by a Named, to use his term, called Kraujas.”
“What?” The other attendant scoffed, half-smiling as he looked between them. “Is this a joke of some kind?”
“It is not.” Kai’s response was direct and to the point, much like the man himself, but Verdan could tell it wasn’t registering with the attendant.
“I’m not saying that you’re lying, Verdan,” Selem said slowly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat at the look that Vaijon gave him in response. “You can understand how unlikely that sounds, though. Vespa are unthinking monsters. You should know that as well as anyone, from what Val has told me.”
“Did she not tell you they were driven to those attacks?” Verdan shook his head. “No, they were driven to that, and the Brotherhood was behind that as well. They’ve taken at least one Vespa Queen, which is what has brought Kraujas and his group here.”
Kraujas hadn’t been as informative as that, but he’d mentioned restoring the Hives. Putting that together with what they knew about the Brotherhood using potions developed from a Queen, and it all came together.
Verdan suspected that the attacks they’d come across on the Brotherhood caravans near Hobson’s Point had been the work of Kraujas and his group. If so, then all of this had begun when Verdan had released him from his imprisonment in the north.
So much had happened since then, so many good people dead, and so many innocents sacrificed in the name of whatever madness the Brotherhood pursued.
It would be fitting that Verdan would fight alongside one of their victims for this assault. Hopefully, it would be the one that would yield some useful information about what they had planned.
“I think we can take the Wizard at his word,” Lucil said, drawing Verdan back to the conversation. Her support would have been reassuring if he wasn’t so certain that she was only agreeing to disagree with the other Sect.
Their rivalry was tiring.
“Well, I think we’ve heard enough,” Notai said, rising gracefully to her feet. “I will pass on your words as I said before.”
“We leave in two days,” Verdan said, rising as he spoke, Kai and Vaijon matching him.
“You’ll have your answer before then.” Notai nodded and swept out of the room, Selem a few steps behind her.
“The same is true for us. I promise nothing, but I’ll do my best to push your agenda. I owe you that much.” Lucil held out a hand, and Verdan took it, appreciating the gesture. “If I don’t see you before you leave, good luck.”
“Thank you, Lucil.” Verdan watched her leave with her attendant before sighing and sitting back down. “Barb, just check that they actually leave, would you?”
“Sure thing, Boss,” Barb said, trotting after Lucil at a quick pace. She’d been posted up next to the door during the short meeting, and Verdan already enjoyed having her back with them. The others were friends and allies, but Barb was dependable, and their established hierarchy was easy to navigate.
“So,” Vaijon said, sitting back down as well. “Do you think they’re going to help?”
“I can’t see why they wouldn’t,” Kai said, walking over to the door and ensuring that there was no one listening before closing it firmly. “It won’t be as simple a matter as it should be, but in the end, this will only benefit them.”
“True, but do they know that?” Verdan shook his head. “The sooner we head home, the better. I’m tired of this city.”
They spent some time discussing potential ways to make use of whatever forces the Sects put at their disposal. It wasn’t exactly something they could plan out in any great detail, not without knowing what they were facing and what support they’d have. Still, they talked out some general ideas before meeting with Sylvie, Blane and Tim.
“How did the meeting with the Elders go?” Sylvie asked as Tim took a seat and she sprawled possessively across his lap.
“Well enough, I think,” Verdan said, sipping at a cup of herbal tea that Barb had brought him. The minty flavour was refreshing, exactly what he needed at the moment. “We won’t really know until they speak with the other Elders in their Sects, though.”
“What is it you need from us?” Blane asked.
“Well, I was hoping you’d scout the area near the Vespa and see what you can find. I’m confident we can rely on them, but we should make our own preparations as well.”
“I was considering something like that myself,” Sylvie said with a nod. “We’ll stay here overnight and head out in the morning. As much as I want you with me, meu drassul, such work is not for you. We’ll be talking to the fraktiri in the area and moving fast — too fast for you to keep up.”
“Don’t worry, I’d realised that myself,” Tim said, looking down at her with a warm smile. “You do what you need to, I’ll be fine. Did you say there was a lack of adventurers in the area, Verdan?”
“Yes, the Brotherhood had been conspiring to move them away, it seems. Their plan to destabilise the area was quite involved, though I don’t know their end goal.”
“Well, I’ll make inroads on that tomorrow, then. Someone needs to make sure the people outside the city are safe. Fenn, Synne, and I can deal with most threats between the three of us, anyway.”
Fenn was lying next to Tim’s chair, his gaze moving between them as they spoke, and Verdan took a moment to appraise the big hound. He had been hefty and muscular when Tim bonded with him, but a healthy diet and some judicial healing had only improved things.
Fenn would never win a beauty contest, but it would take something akin to a transformed Airta to truly challenge him.
Synne, on the other hand, was lounging in front of the fireplace in the room, taking full advantage of the rug that was there. The last few weeks had seen him grow quickly, and he was the same size as Fenn now, but without the corded muscles and prominent scarring.
As a Hound of Gwyll, though, Synne was stronger than he looked, and that didn’t even account for his ability to warp space as he moved.
Somehow, Verdan was sure that Tim would be just fine.
Ruthin found them a map of the area and they spent some time working out where Sylvie and Blane would scout, but Verdan knew that it was a suggestion at best. The two Airta would call out to their four-legged cousins once they were outside the city, and then act accordingly.
Still, it was reassuring to know that they were preparing for all eventualities.
Heading back to his room, Verdan went to settle in and pick up where he’d left off earlier before pausing. He’d been working on his breathing and meditating on the concept of the Word he was trying to gain, but perhaps something different was in order.
He was close to getting the Word he was after; he could feel it on the tip of his tongue.
Stopping and heading back outside, Verdan made his way down to the courtyard and scooped up a large ball of dirt with a simple spell before heading back.
Breaking the ball in two, Verdan separated the piles before creating a dozen small figures with shaping spells. It was good training for his fine-detail work, if nothing else.
Once he had twelve roughly humanoid figures in each group, Verdan animated them and had them fight, one from each side at first, with a spell for each construct. The warrior from the left won the bout, such as it was, and Verdan repaired it and fixed its opponent before resetting it all.
Withdrawing the spells and recycling the Aether, Verdan did it again, now with two constructs on each side, which was tougher, but manageable. The left won again, and he repaired them all before moving on to three.
Having two spells active was no real issue under normal circumstances, but these were complex spells, even on such a small scale. Thankfully, the spell he used brought intent to the constructs themselves, so all he had to do was control the overall direction. Even so, providing that direction to three different constructs within each spell was difficult.
The right team won this time, and Verdan easily reshaped the fallen figures, compacting dirt to rebuild the parts that had been broken. Part of him knew that four was too many, but he tried it anyway.
Wincing at the strain he could feel building from the two spells, Verdan was forced to rely entirely on the inherent intent of his spells. Rather than a somewhat-silly wrestling match between finger-sized figures, it turned into a slow and awkward affair.
“This isn’t working,” Verdan said, rubbing his face as he watched the fight devolve even further without his active participation. “The spell just doesn’t work like this.”
Leaning back against the end of his bed, Verdan closed his eyes and turned the problem over in his mind. The issue was that the spell was meant for controlling a single construct. He’d been able to push that, but clearly there were limits.
Sighing, Verdan decided a break was needed and got to his feet, leaving the dirt figures where they were as he went to get an herbal tea. It was quite late by this point, and everyone had either left or turned in for the evening.
“Everything okay, Master?” Magnus asked, looking up as Verdan walked into the kitchen. He was in the process of steeping a pot of tea and caught Verdan’s look with a laugh. “Ah, did we have the same idea?”
“Pretty much, and I needed a break,” Verdan said, sighing as he took a seat at the small table Magnus was at. “I’ve been hitting my head against a wall for a while — metaphorically, that is.”
“Well, at least it isn’t a real wall, that’s something,” Magnus said, drawing a tired smile from him. “Anything you want to talk about? I can offer a friendly ear even if my understanding is not at the same level as your own.”
Verdan went to wave his offer aside before pausing. It wouldn’t hurt, and at this point, any source of inspiration could be enough to get him where he was heading. Besides, Magnus was one of the only two people who could really understand what he was talking about.
“Well, while we’re waiting, why not? Essentially, I’m trying to develop a spell to let me control large numbers of constructs more easily…” Verdan ran him through the problem, detailing what he’d been trying and how he was struggling.
“I see,” Magnus said, pouring a mug of tea for both of them. “I know Dirk is better at all this than I am, but I think that means I can help more here.”
“Oh?” Verdan sipped the steaming tea, relishing the heat it left down his throat.
“I’m still not good at projecting my spells, which means that I’ve had to be better at doing things in a different way.” Magnus sipped his own tea before setting it aside and meeting Verdan’s gaze. “As I understand it, the spell you’re trying to use doesn’t work quite the way you want, so you’re expanding it manually to help develop a new Word?”
“That’s one way to look at it, yes.” Verdan shrugged. “I admit that part of it is my stubbornness as well.”
“There’s a reason that we Kranjir get along with you so well,” Magnus said with a chuckle. “You have two spells for these constructs now, though, right? One for the normal ones, and one for Rocky?”
“Yes, the one I use for him is an empowered version. It’s built from the same original spell, though.”
“Right, so you’re trying to do the same with the new Word, yes?” Magnus waited for Verdan to nod before continuing. “My question, then, is if the spell isn’t working for you, why not redesign it from scratch? A new intent, new Word structure, all formed towards allowing for a greater number of constructs.”
Verdan frowned, forcing himself to stop and sip his tea as he considered Magnus’s words. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“Like I said, I have to do things differently from both of you, which means reworking intent more often, I think.”
Verdan nodded slowly, his mind racing now as he began to consider the details of how he’d do it. A new spell, one designed to better spread the intent he provided. It wasn’t a bad idea, not at all.
“The other thing I thought of,” Magnus said, absently running his thumb over his prosthetic. “Is whether you need to be the focal point for that second layer of intent? Could you set up some Sigils with instructions or something? They must have been able to do that when making that Automaton, after all.”
Verdan inhaled sharply, all but bolting from the kitchen as he called out his thanks to Magnus. He knew what to do now; he knew how to bring it all together, and he could hear the Word he’d been looking for as it echoed in his mind.
He’d been close with what he was trying to do, but not quite right. After all, like Kai had said, he was trying to make a Legion, and every Legion needed a leader.
Chapter
Fourteen
With inspiration burning hot in his veins, Verdan stayed up long into the night, working on his new spell and bringing all the parts together. The major step forward was that he now had his new Word.
