Chapter Forty-Three - An Early Day

  55th Day of Spring - Year 1758 of the Golden Era

  Shorefarm, Yellowfield, Draya Calyrex

  Viridian's day started early, with her and her puppet companions moving through the village towards a great disturbance by the docksides. There were sailors escorting a corpse out of one of the homes when they arrived, and Magus Maldrak preparing himself to leave on his excursion.

  It was an exciting start to what should have been a day dedicated to training and some downtime. She wasn't sure she needed downtime, however. A night spent looking up at the stars and chatting with her companions had been plenty for her, and now she wanted some more action.

  She almost gave in to Carnel's idea of walking out of the town in search for something wild to kill and extract some essence from, but that felt irresponsible.

  "Look," Lazur said. She pointed to someone next to the home that the sailors had been in. Magus Suffragus Nocthorn. The young magus was talking to one of the ship's officers while two more mages stood nearby. They were the lower-ranked academics that were usually sequestered in an out of the way corner of the ship. "We should ask for magic," Lazur said.

  "I suppose," Viridian said. She wasn't as excited about magic as Lazur was, but she was curious to see what new spell they might learn all the same.

  "You like magic too much," Carnel said.

  "And you don't like it enough," Lazur said. "The only reason you're close to alive now is because of magic."

  "Hmpf," Carnel replied.

  Viridian started towards the Magus before the two could devolve into full-blown arguing. She noticed the sailors giving all three of them looks as they moved past, and some made sure to go the long way around as they moved by on the narrow streets.

  Viridian waited until Nocthorn was done speaking with the officer before she bowed her head slightly. "Hello," she said. "How are you doing this morning?"

  "Hello... Viridian, was it?" Nocthorn said. She sighed, then ran her hand through her hair. "Today started with someone dying, so I can't say it's the best day. Magus Maldrak has left, leaving the chain of command somewhat... tense. The captain is ostensibly our commander now, but after him is Artificer Woodbone, senior, that is, and then myself, only the captain's command doesn't extend off the ship, and Artificer Woodbone doesn't care to step off either."

  "So you're in charge?" Lazur asked.

  "I would be, if anyone but the mages cared to listen," Nocthorn said. She glared at the back of the departing officer. "Be thankful that your new bodies are so androgynous. Women get no respect unless you can beat your superiority over a man's head."

  "I see," Viridian said. She wasn't sure she did, but she wasn't going to say so. "We wanted to ask for something, but if you're busy..."

  "No, no, ask away," Nocthorn said. "If it's about using up your essence, Woodbone, junior, that is, is helping the blacksmith this morning. He can assist you with that."

  "It wasn't about that," Viridian said. "But thank you. We might go and take care of that."

  Nocthorn nodded, then shifted her weight to one hip. "Then what was it about? Can't imagine you're just here to wish me a merry morning."

  "We want more magic," Lazur said. "Magus Maldrak said we could have more."

  The young magus blinked, then nodded. "Right. The spell disks." She touched her chin, then shrugged a shoulder. "Go see Woodbone. We'll need to open your chests up in any case. They're not in a location that's easy to access. I'll go get the spell disks. I believe I know where they are in the lab. It's at least a somewhat productive way to spend the morning."

  "Thank you," Viridian said.

  They watched Nocthorn walk off only to be waylaid by someone asking her a question. She'd get to the ship eventually, Viridian figured. That meant that they might have time to find the artificer.

  "Let's find Tomas?" she asked.

  "Your blacksmith friend?" Carnel asked.

  "I don't know if he's a friend," Viridian said. "But I hope so. Knowing a good smith might be good."

  "I could use a sword," Carnel said.

  Finding Tomas wasn't too difficult. They returned to the main road of the town, then followed the echoing clink of steel on steel. The blacksmith had relocated to a home along the main road. It had been a bakery once, with a large furnace at the back, but Tomas's equipment now filled the space, including his forge and anvil.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The smithy's doors were wide open, and Viridian imagined that it was quite warm within. Woodbone was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and looked a little pale, but Tomas seemed fine with standing next to the furnace.

  "Your face," Viridian said as she entered.

  "Ah? Oh-hoh, so that is what you look like," the blacksmith said. He looked at her with eyes not so dissimilar to her own. They were small mechanical lenses on a half-sphere, fit within a wooden block shaped to press close to Tomas's face with straps running back and around his head.

  Fresh stitches poked out from the edges of the goggles, the skin beneath still pink and raw. "You have eyes," Viridian said.

  "A gift, from the two artificers. They said that an artist cannot produce without sight. I think them wrong, but I don't regret having sight once more. Though... it is somewhat slow and cumbersome and colourless."

  "It's what we had on hand," Woodbone said. "Hello, Viridian, Carnel, Lazur. A pleasure. Are you here for me or for Mister Fletchscale?"

  "Both?" Viridian said.

  Lazur nodded. "We want to use the essence we collected," she said. "And we need new spell disks installed. Magus Nocthorn is coming here soon."

  "She is?" he asked. The note of excitement in his voice was unmistakable, though when Tomas chuckled the young man straightened and adjusted his robes. "Nevermind. Let's see about your essence, shall we? Did you collect much?"

  "A little," Viridian said.

  Lazur went first, then Carnel, then finally herself. The feeling of absorbing so much purified essence still sent tingles through her body, and when it was done, Viridian found herself wanting to sit down and let the slight shakes wear off. She didn't know whether she was stronger or faster, but she did feel... more, in a way she couldn't quite describe.

  Carnel's changes were the more obvious. The puppet's arms had actually bulked out. Not too much, but the change was noticeable when she stood without any coverings next to Lazur. Her shoulders had widened, perhaps as much as a finger's width, and her arms and legs were slightly larger.

  Viridian wondered if she was stronger as well. Maybe they could attempt to lift something heavy. A barrel of water, perhaps? The puppets could fill it until they were unable to raise it, and then they'd know who was the strongest among them.

  "While we wait for Miss Nocthorn to appear," Tomas said as he deposited a hammer next to what looked like one of the metal rings that lined the docks. "Is there anything you three need? I hear that you are our scouts and forward party."

  "A sword," Carnel said immediately. "A large one."

  Tomas chuckled. "I don't know if I have steel enough for that. What do you use now?"

  "Short swords, from the ship," Viridian said. "They break often. And pikes. Only the heads are metal."

  "I see. Bring them to me, I'll see what I can do," Tomas said. "Maybe I can have you be on the lookout for raw iron and good steel when you next venture out. It may come to be useful."

  Carnel seemed excited by the prospect. As excited as she could be about anything, really. She started to ask Tomas how much steel he would need to a blade as large as she herself was, one covered in spikes to better impale her foes with.

  Nocthorn, fortunately, arrived soon after. "I've brought the spell disks," she said. "The box of them I found, in any case. I don't believe that Magus Maldrak had a specific order he wanted you to have these in."

  "What spells are they?" Lazur asked.

  Nocthorn opened a small lacquered box. It contained a row of small metallic disks. The same as what they had for their speech spell and the light magic Lazur had used so often. "These are for a spell called Kinetic Strike. It's just about the first offensive spell a mage will learn. Not strong, but flexible, and a good stepping stone to more powerful abilities."

  "Give it to me," Lazur insisted.

  The Magus chuckled. "Very well. Artificer Woodbone, could you assist? I don't believe I can do this procedure on my own."

  "I'd be honoured," the Artificer said.

  "Good. Now, I imagine you'll be wanting to go first, Lazur?" Nocthorn asked.

  "Yes." It wasn't even a question worth asking.

  ***