Chapter Five Hundred And Sixty Eight – 568
Atar hunched forward, peering closely at the sigil he was inscribing on a length of stone. His hand ached, cramping up despite his Adept Tier Bodythe amount of inscription he had done in the last week was enough to make a lesser mages hand fall off completely. It wasnt enough though, not when Atars gaze flicked back toward the gleaming metallic tome that sat to his side. A ridiculously complicated spellform stared back at him, bolstered with power and illusion so that it rotated on the page. It was a Master Tier spellform, the building blocks of a Skill, and if Atar could master it he could add it to his own power.
His stylus snapped in the middle of the next sigil.
Burning ash! He slammed the broken stylus down and it was consumed in a burst of white flame. A content humming began in the back of his Mind, growing louder with every heartbeat.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.
yes. burn the offending object! sigaldry is for children and invalids. were you to embrace me, atar, i would propel us to heights never before dreamed
A sharp slap hit the back of Atars neck, shocking both mage and the chatty Urge within.
Quiet, Flame, Alister said. He set down a tray of fine, cream colored porcelain and a steaming hot kettle on the workbench and fixed Atar with a sharp glare. Or Ill sic Felix on you.
The cloying warmth in Atars head vanished so fast that Atar had to shove his hands down to keep from falling over. He groaned in relief as much as pain from the slap. Did you have to put all your Strength into it?
Hardly. Your Endurance is just shoddy, Professor.
Atar remained bent over his burnt work, staring now at the ruined expanse of sigaldry.
Atar, youre going to break your neck if you dont fix your posture, Alister chided him as he helped prop up the fire mage. Are you transcribing the book again? And on Tier III stone this time? How long have you been at it?
Tier II kept catching on fire, Atar muttered. His pure white hair fell over his eyes and he impatiently swiped it away. He needed a haircut, but hadnt the time forwhat day was it? Its taken a while. But its ruined now. He growled the rest and shoved the fouled sigaldry into one of the material reclamation buckets. Luckily the stone hadnt snapped, so his apprentices would shave the stone down before they could use it again. I thought you were dealing with the nobles today?
Alister pulled a face. I was. The influx of Chanters was noticed, and a number of concerned citizens demanded an explanation on why dangerous elements were allowed into the Territory. He snorted. Or at least to know why the Sorcerers were allowed to live in the Foot, when their petitions were weeks old.
Petty fools.
Mhm. Alister leaned over, peering at the Masterwork tome they had taken from the High Guard. Have you made any progress at deciphering this?
Almost none. The spells all lean toward augmentation and life Mana more than other elements, and that proves to be a barrier almost as strong as their Master Tier construction. Felix insists that the vibrational patterns are mutable and, well Atar lifted his hand, and a small bird appeared, made entirely of white flame edged with crimson.
Thats one of the spells!
No, just a shaping. This is effectively the same as my Sovereign Stars. The Flame within me has given me a great deal of control over my chosen element, but that hasnt allowed me to replicate the effects of the tomes spells. Not to mention, his static bird lacked the strange awareness the spell specified. It was a puppet, nothing more.
but it is our puppet. with it we could do so much
Alister handed him a cup of steaming tea. I would call that progress, love. I certainly couldnt shape my force Mana into a bird.
The flexibility is promising, Atar agreed. Flame has taken to the shape, in fact.
Now the odd Urge inside him had taken to looking like a bird within his core, sitting atop a perch inside its black cage. It had fully replaced his old core, once bound entirely to another Urgebut Atar retained a great deal of control over the fiery occupant. It didnt truly feel like an Urge, but something different. Something new.
Atar had come to terms with his new tenant. It was useful, at least.
Has it tried to push you a lot recently? Alister asked, brows down as he stared at Atars chest. As if he could see into the fire mages core.
No. It has been riled by the tomes magic, but otherwise it simplyseethes.
Less manipulative than the Highest Flame, at least?
Atar laughed. Yeah. Though it tries.
Mhm. It is quite chatty. I am curious how much of its claims are true, though. How exactly could it give you more power?
You mean you cant risk it. Beef knew she was claiming credit for his growth and progress, that it earned her some sort of notoriety among the Chanters. He saw her bragging about it. I can help.
You cannot believe that. Your progress lags behind as you fiddle with your necromantic Skills or those ships, instead of honing your Body.
Those ships are important! You said so yourself!
They are, but that does not make what I said untrue. You need to be stronger. Here, with me and the Cantus Sodalus. We can push you to greater heights than some trek into the frozen tundra.
Hey, I did a lot for saving Ahkestria! And I fought those dumb High Guards too
And almost died, child! Think! Do not let dreams of heroism cloud your rationality, Michael!
Something inside of him boiled overa piece of the rage he kept simmering at all times. It galvanized him, propelled his feet forward until he loomed over the diminutive Chanter, his bovine nose nearly touching her own. My name. Is. Beefhammer.
Isla opened her mouth, but Beef was done.
He charged at the net of vines, his horns shredding them as he blasted through. He was gone.
Cmon, old man! Were gonna be late, Evie said from the porch. Behind her were several Frost Giants, all of them with large, reinforced crates on their backs.
Harn grunted. Im comin, ya harpy.
He was in the house he'd builtnot in the Stronghold, or at the Foot with any pain in the ass nobles, but in the Scale where the merchants all lived and worked. Harn looked over his house one last time, from the comfortable chairs to the archway leading to his personal smithy. Knick-knacks and rugs covered the space, transforming his sparse decorations into something far softer. Homey.
Palin stood at the far end, framed by the sunlight drifting through glass-fitted windows, running her soft hands against one another. Do you have to go?
Ill be back soon as Im able. Make sure the apprentices know to keep away from the Leviathan Bone. Except Rafny or Elle. They can make free use of it.
Harn
Oh, tell Aenea that the latest alchemical bath was her best yet. It improved the helmets a great deal. All the details are in my notes, so you can rattle those off to her if she asks.
Harn, I dont want you to go.
Harn grunted and looked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her hands clutched at her elbows like the things were about to fly apart. Instead, the list of tasks in his head tumbled away, dissolved into smoke under that stare. Kid needs me, Lin. They all do.
I need you.
As an adventurer, Harn had gotten used to a great number of things. Stabbings. Burnings. Blunt force trauma. He wasnt so used to this, though. Lin.
Look, I know you need to go. I know that. I justI only saw a piece of the danger you faced, heading into Ahkestria. I know you can handle yourself. I know how powerful the Autarch is
Just call him Felix
The Autarch, Harn. Hes stronger than a hundred people like me, more powerful than you, too. He is dangerous, and he draws danger to him like a lodestone. She swallowed. And because youre a good man, youll get caught up in that too. You have a good job here. An important one, running the smithy. Stay and help that way.
Harn sat with that a moment. She wasnt wrong. The kid regularly brought a heaping mess on his own head just by existing. He walked up to her, took her in his hands. She gripped him tight. My uncle always said I was born to the anvilbut theres times when you gotta put away the hammer and take up the axe.
Sounds too smart for his own good, Palin said with a sniffle. She let go of him, and Harn stepped back.
Smart? Nah. Dumb as they come, my uncle, but he knew the world. I know it too. He walked to the door, stepped out onto the porch. Evie was down a bit, standing with her giants and pointedly not looking at him. Ill be back, Lin. Count on it. Count on me.
I will, she said. I do.
