by Jay Boyce
SENSE
Book Three of A TOUCH OF POWER Series
Written by Jay Boyce
© 2020 Jay Boyce. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by US copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Newsletter
Prologue
Chapter One – Sense and Sensibility
Chapter Two – Flight
Chapter Three – Vantage
Chapter Four – Outpost
Chapter Five – Encounter
Chapter Six – Pollen
Chapter Seven – Motives
Chapter Eight – Truth
Chapter Nine – Misdirection
Chapter Ten – Taint
Chapter Eleven – Flight
Chapter Twelve – Cost
Chapter Thirteen – Beann
Chapter Fourteen – Return
Chapter Fifteen – Reunion
Chapter Sixteen – Responsibility
Chapter Seventeen – Insight
Chapter Eighteen – Lightbringer
Chapter Nineteen – Arrangements
Chapter Twenty – Alive
Chapter Twenty-One – Explanations
Chapter Twenty-Two – Dissemination
Chapter Twenty-Three – Body
Chapter Twenty-Four – Siothuil
Chapter Twenty-Five – Funeral
Chapter Twenty-Six – Slaughteryard
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Help
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Unstoppable
Chapter Twenty-Nine – Rain
Chapter Thirty – Delegations
Chapter Thirty-One – Jeremy
Chapter Thirty-Two – Testing
Chapter Thirty-Three – Rooland
Chapter Thirty-Four – Advocate
Chapter Thirty-Five – Formalities
Chapter Thirty-Six – Breathe
Chapter Thirty-Seven – Earth
Chapter Thirty-Eight – Wall
Chapter Thirty-Nine – Stories
Chapter Forty – Burn
Chapter Forty-One – Mothers
Chapter Forty-Two – Niloi
Chapter Forty-Three – Challenge
Chapter Forty-Four – Zoo
Chapter Forty-Five – Dress
Chapter Forty-Six – Celebrate
Epilogue – Call
Afterword
About Jay Boyce
About Mountaindale Press
Mountaindale Press Titles
GameLit and LitRPG
Appendix
Abbreviated Timeline of Events
Acknowledgments
There are far too many friends, family, and fans who made this book possible for me to name them all, but I want to say thank you. Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement in hard times. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your stories with me. The wonderful people around me have made it possible for me to share my story with you, and I thank them and God with all my heart. Writing may be a solo task, but publishing a book takes a community. Thank you for being mine.
Happy reading!
Newsletter
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Prologue
Aibrean 4, 392
Report on the traveler Jade Winward.
Jade arrived on Fomhar 17 in one of the rooms at The Green Dragon. Reports state that she visited the healer Mike before making a name for herself as a zombie healer in the streets, where her existence came to our attention. She also visited and was rejected from the library, making contact with The Glass Phoenix afterward to light sculptures. An interview was arranged for the 18th, where she demonstrated multiple magics and was given a library pass and study room to familiarize herself with the customs of our world. She was particularly motivated by books.
Jade met Prince William on the morning of the 19th, who escorted her to meet the royal family. She then went to the library to receive her class schedule and was taken shopping by the princesses, who seem rather attached to her. The blood magic classroom at Dracona was converted to her workshop.
On the 20th, Jade had a near miss with death. She has a special ability called accelerated growth that she uses at night. It has caused significant physical changes, to the point where she doesn’t remotely resemble the same person who arrived. Her body couldn’t support the rampant growth she forced upon it, and Mike barely saved her. She spent most of the rest of the day in her room at the library before being attacked by a mesmer on her walk home. It seems her blood is a potent attraction for them. She barely managed to attract the attention of the guards, who then killed the creature.
On the 21st, Jade visited the guards who’ve been attacked by mesmer and healed the taint left behind, though she has not shared the knowledge of how to do this with any of the other healers, as far as we’ve been able to discover. She also identified a doppelganger using her magic, as well as providing plans for a trap to stop mesmer attacks in the future. She showed an aversion to having guards by trapping her escort in the compound with a wind wall in order to explore the city. We have confirmed that she went to the church and attended a telling before returning to the library to read. Other stops are suspected, but not confirmed.
Jade started school with the other students on Aibrean 1st. She is receiving private tutoring in archery and small blades, as well as spending time healing students in the infirmary. She had a run in with Brodie in her fire class, and contracted five queen fellacai and their mates during her contractual magic class. She visited the art gallery after her business class, where it has been confirmed that she met and healed Duke Vincent. Of note is that she had an altercation with the gate guards at Dracona and retaliated with magic. A second mesmer attack occurred while she was on the roof of The Green Dragon, and she managed to kill or knock out three mesmer before help arrived. Also of note is that Jade has figured out my capacity as spymaster and asked that we stop following her.
Aibrean 2nd, Jade visited the guards again. She has taken Frank’s kidnapping by the mesmer personally, and called a Hunt. She left her guards at the compound again, and we’ve traced her purchase of crystals to Keenan’s Stone. Other stops may have been made before she reached Dracona, but have not been confirmed. After healing students, she went to her workshop and attempted to create a weapon which exploded on her. She managed to eliminate all the evidence very quickly. She is receiving private tutoring from Delaney, and bonded two fellacai to her. Reports thus far indicate that the bond is stable. She insisted on performing a contract with Brodie as well to prevent future harm, and promised to take him on the Hunt. She managed to convince Count Edmund to change his lesson to be entirely about Basaigh Woods before attending the water magic class. In her light magic class, she threw a fit at the lack of progress and took over the class to create more offensive and defensive breakthroughs. The amount of instant damage she can create and heal is growing at an astounding rate.
On Aibrean 3rd, Jade participated in the intermediate obstacle course and made it through on her first try, even with four people shooting arrows she’d enchanted at her. She attended archery and small blades after healing. Lightn
ing and illusion seem to have passed without incident, though she attacked my assistant when he startled her in dark magic. It seems to have upset her beyond what would be normally accounted for. It’s possible the stress of a new world and the attacks are placing great strain on her mind. She also seems to lack clothing boundaries, or awareness of how her changes affect those around her. She has figured out that I used compulsion on her several times, though she did not pursue it further.
Aibrean 4th, Jade visited the Gates while using illusion magic and lied to gain access to the dukes. She also uncovered another doppelganger and helped conduct an interrogation. The results are included after this report. The dukes taught her how to make spatial bags, and she adapted the concept to create ‘rings of holding,’ as she calls them. After a failure to learn spiritual magic and a lesson in life magic from Queen Ashanna, Jade spent the time attaching illusory images to crystals of a wide variety of things from her world that she wished to create, and enlisted us to help her create a business and production line. Metal and wind classes passed with only a small altercation with Duchess Ri’Tine that appears to be resolved. She performed a miracle after dinner by healing Kevin Elliot’s foot with the help of Scylla, Mike, Cody, and their apprentices. She made it to The Green Dragon afterward without incident, where she stayed during the mesmer raid and moved the Hunt up. They leave in the morning.
Conclusions:
Jade is kind and thoughtful when treated well, but lashes out against those who disrespect her in any way. She can be persuaded by books, food, raw materials, and works of art. She does not react well to being watched or told she cannot do something. While she does not seem to want to fight, she is uniquely suited for it and tends to blame herself for things out of her control, which leads to a sense of duty. Her charisma, stats, and learning skills are growing in leaps and bounds. It is assumed that she will quickly be beyond any power to control by force, and it is highly recommended that she is kept as an ally. It is also believed that she has become the target of a Dark One. Spies have been sent out to try and gather more information from our neighboring countries.
If she survives the hunt, she will be a very powerful ally, with the potential to become an enemy we cannot control.
S.
Chapter One – Sense and Sensibility
Day Ten
Jade’s senses were screaming in bitter agony, every cell in her body begging for relief. The familiar terror of weakness held her tightly in its grasp. She grasped at the red dots filling her mental vision, trying to comprehend what they were telling her.
Warning: You have siphoned more than your body can currently accommodate. Time spent adapting has been doubled. Adaptable reduces penalty by half.
Warning: Your body lacks the energy to complete the siphon changes.
There was food next to her, but she knew she’d never reach it. Her brain felt like she was slogging through mud before she finally remembered that she was in a room filled with magical light. With a mental yank, she began to drain the energy of the light around her, grateful she’d lit it up brighter than a Christmas tree. Relief hit her veins like a soothing breeze and she felt her muscles slowly unclenching from their taut positions.
As soon as she was able to move, she reached next to her and began eating quickly in the new darkness. The light saved her. She finally became aware of her babies fluttering anxiously around her and took a few minutes to soothe them. A glance at her pocket watch confirmed that it was about six, and that she still had at least three cycles of her siphoning to go through. When she finally felt full again, she moved wearily to her writing supplies and jotted out a quick note, sticking it through the small crack beneath the door.
She put the right mirror on her desk before slumping back to her bed in exhaustion. She lay down, falling into a fitful sleep, grateful that the red box had gone away. She’d deal with everything else when she woke up again.
***
You know, most people who got transmigrated did it because they were hit by a truck-kun. Has the universe decided that because I came peacefully, I get to perpetually feel like I got hit by a truck-kun? She mused on the doings of truck-kun as she absorbed the precious rays of sunlight filtering in through her window in an attempt to alleviate the weakness she still felt aching in her bones. She didn’t want to move, instead choosing to bask in the sunshine on her face.
Sense told her yesterday that this was her last siphoning before she left for the hunt and she needed all the help she could get. Sensibility should have told her that trying to siphon almost two hundred and fifty people at the same time was a terrible idea. Or maybe it was the twenty five people who’d had advanced skills. Apparently, the people going through the gate were higher-end prospects. She supposed it made sense that the people who’d lived longer and dedicated their lives to their trades would have higher skill levels.
“She’s awake, but she’s still absorbing light, so I think she’s still recovering.” She heard Kaylee’s voice near her desk. She finally stopped absorbing light, feeling moderately better as the darkness faded around her and she opened her eyes. Sure enough, there was Kaylee, sitting at her desk in front of piles of food while talking into a mirror. She smiled wearily as Kaylee stood, bringing the mirror closer. “Jade, there you are! Countess D’Ard wants to speak with you.”
Nodding, Jade took the mirror gingerly, coming mirror-to-face with a haggard looking Marcelle. The countess looked like she’d barely slept all night, which was a bit how Jade felt herself. She felt her babies alight on her hair as Marcelle’s eyes widened a little, but she shook her head almost imperceptibly and greeted her. “Jade, it’s good to see you’re awake. Thank you for having a message sent to me. Our people are ready, just resting by the gate until you arrive.”
Smiling, Jade nodded again. “Thank you, Marcelle, and I’m sorry for the delay. I bit off a bit more than I could chew last night. I’m going to eat and change, then I’ll head straight there. Maybe you should get a little rest before I arrive?” Her voice was kind as she tried to not so subtly suggest that the woman take a break.
Marcelle laughed softly, shaking her head. “I’ll do that. But I think it might take you a little longer to reach the walls than you’re anticipating. Don’t worry about it; we’ll leave when you’re here. I sent my best trackers out last night, and they’re following the trail as far as they can to give us a direction.” She must have seen the worry on Jade’s face, because she quickly followed up, “They’ve checked in with mirrors, and they’re fine. I’ll see you soon.” Before Jade could say anything else, Marcelle ended the connection.
She started to shake her head ruefully when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. While everything appeared basically the same, she could tell there were minor differences. She played with her hair, noting that, while it was still soft and sleek, it was incredibly strong. Her eyes seemed to almost glow from within, and she was a dentist’s dream. After staring for a moment at the changes, she put the mirror away into her ring with a flick of her hand, glancing up at Kaylee. “Thanks for delivering my message and watching over me.”
Kaylee grinned at her. “It’s a good thing you left that note. We still had to soothe a few ruffled feathers and stop people from barging in here. I think the fact that your little queens were guarding you so fiercely was the final deterrent for most of them.” She giggled a little, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen them like that before. I’d have said they were little old aunties scolding anyone who tried to go near you!”
“We protected.” Ramoth’s tiny voice came to her mind, and Jade was inundated with images of the people who’d come to her door that morning. She tried to hide her grin and failed.
“You did wonderful. Thank you, my loves.” Jade mentally soothed her babies and they took wing around the room. She inspected her dimly-lit chamber, noting that the only light now came from the window. She’d fully depleted the light energy she and Lucas filled the room with the other day. Apparently, violent dra
ining could destroy the permanent connection. Glancing at Kaylee again, she squared her shoulders. “Thank you, for everything. It’s time for me to get ready.”
Kaylee nodded a little sadly. “I understand. Please, come back safe. Also, just so it doesn’t surprise you...there’s a bit of a procession to the gate. I think most of the city is waiting to see you off.” She smiled, then scooted out the door and closed it behind her before Jade could fully process and ask questions. Jade snuck over to her window, peeking out of it only to find that the streets were…half filled. There was a very clear lane down the middle, and people were standing there, talking to their neighbors and...waiting.
Drawing away from the window, she quickly returned to the desk, scarfing down food before grabbing her clothes and heading to the bathroom. Her figure didn’t seem to have changed much, thankfully, though she realized she needed to be careful with her strength again. As she was washing up and plaiting her hair into a side braid, she called up her notifications to see if the pain and risk had been worth it.
The first thing she addressed was the blinking green dot, though she had an idea of what was coming.
Congratulations! Because you have acquired a basic understanding of Appraisal, Diplomacy, Haggle, Information Gathering, Intimidate, Mathematics, Persuasion, Sense Motive, Speed Reading, and Writing, your skills have combined. You will forevermore be known as a Merchant.
Well, that hadn’t been quite what she was expecting, but it was still nice. She mentally noted the different skills so she could tell Eric. She was also a little bit grateful. Her skill list was getting so large, and having it be compacted, even if only a little, helped her to be able to keep track of things. With that in mind, she pulled up her profile next, ignoring the skills section until she could pull up the list separately.
