MageLife

by P. Tempest

A troll, vaguely humanoid, it had to be 10 foot tall, massive shoulders and long arms, its greenish yellow skin slick with mucus as if it had just been born.

  A birthing pit, could be the only answer.

  It was coming, the earth shivered with each step, its oversized club dragging and bumping along the cobbles.

  Trolls are nasty corruptions of magic, they aren't a real species. They are constructs, sort of. They can't be made like golems, they have to be grown. Areas of magic that get twisted occasional produce troll birthing pits. But they never reached this size. They were always neutralised quickly.

  I gripped my sword tightly, settling the hilt into my hand, the smooth stone warmed in response.

  The troll saw that I wasn't running and roared.

  The sound set my head to ringing like a bell. The smell assaulted my already recently nauseas senses, I fell back a step.

  I blinked watering eyes, took a very shallow breath to clear my airways and set my sights. The troll had got close while I was distracted by its stench. It was nearly on top of me.

  I lifted my blade just in time to catch the club coming down. Flames bloomed along the sword, the freshly forming sigils glowing bright in the spreading gloom. I shifted my body, the club slid down the blade to land on the cobbles next to me.

  The troll snarled and raised the club once more.

  I took the chance to lunge, the burning blade driving into the troll’s hip. The flesh sizzled and smoke poured from the wound. Worms of dark green light crawled through it, fighting the fire.

  The flames spread setting fire to the troll’s blood. It flowed from the gash like water.

  I pulled back as far as I could. The troll started flailing, beating at the burning wound. The fire caught on its hands.

  Fire is pure, it destroys, but it also renews. A troll spawned from corruption is weak to fire, really weak. The twisted magic of it make up fails in the face of fire.

  It roared again. A burning arrow whistled through the air, its cloth wrapped head landing in the trolls shoulder. The green worms of light slithered away, the fire too much for its regenerative powers.

  I stood to the side watching the troll disintegrate, threads of light and fire weaving through its flesh, a pool of vicious, foul smelling green slime growing under its feet. It dropped the club with a thump as its arms lost integrity.

  Its bones seemed to be holding on the flesh falling off them to land in the growing puddle.

  I lowered my sword as I watched my foe break apart. The earlier pain came roaring back but the shock of defeating a troll held the worst at bay.

  “What the fuck do you think you are doing?” a voice called from down the street, young but angry.

  I turned my head slowly, I felt dazed.

  There was a young woman, dirty and malnourished by the looks of her. A bow was held loosely in her hand. She marched down the street. A fierce anger in her step as if the paving had wronged her.

  “That was a troll you moron. You don't close with a troll. You pepper the bastards with flaming arrows, from a distance. What do you think you are doing?”

  “I was protecting people.”

  “What people? There isn’t no one here. Trolls are stupid, they go for what they can see. We hide, didn't you hear the bell?”

  I closed my eyes for a moment before raising them to her face. Another problem

  “Whoa, what are you?” She swung the bow into a firing position. An arrow had found its way on to the string. “Answer me before I shoot, I haven't got a problem with shooting monsters.”

  “I'm not a monster. I'm a mage.”

  “Ha, mages don't come here. Do you take me for a fool?”

  “I really am a mage. Mage Representative Tristan Sodden, sent by the wizards to persuade you to join us. I've spoken to your king.”

  “He isn't our king. All he does is sit up there and watch us die. Despair has got its claws into that one. Madness too if I'm any judge.”

  She lowered her bow, but still seemed wary.

  “I don't know what I can say to convince you, but this might.” I pulled a sliver of magic into me and commanded the dirt on the street to flow away. Pulses of magic tried to distract me, the same siren call I'd heard in the foundry. I gritted my teeth and closed my link as tightly as I could.

  Her blue eyes widened at my little magic show. “You shouldn't have done that, magic is bad here.”

  “No, magic is powerful here. I'll grant you that it's a bit twisted up, I can't even see how it is meant to flow, so it’s been like that for a long time. But it’s not bad. Magic is a tool, a natural force, it can't be bad, just neutral. It’s us that make good or bad use of it.”

  “Trolls are not neutral, they are stinking corruptions.”

  “Look I'd rather not stand around discussing this, the smell is giving me a headache. Have I convinced you or not?”

  “That you're a mage, yeah, but I'm not buying that the council sent you. They have done nothing for us. Even the nobles wouldn't touch this place. Wizards came once when I were a kid, that's it, they never came again.”

  “Well I've been sent. I'm not going to argue with you. I want to help, I just don't know where to start.”

  “Cut that out. Being weak gets you killed here. Trolls are the least of it.”

  “You know my name, what's yours?”

  “Lexis, you hear that?” She turned her head, listening.

  Tilting my head, I could hear the faint ring of a bell echoing around. Oddly sharp rings compared to the normal slower drawn out sound.

  “That's that all clear. Just one tonight it seems.” She turned and started to walk back the way she had come.

  “I hope to see more of you. Things like this should be happening.”

  “No they shouldn't, but we don't live in a world of should and shouldn't, this is what is. Don't get yourself killed. Your best bet is to go back where you came from and leave us to our business.”

  I turned to see her off. Then walked into my headquarters. I still needed to sleep yet.

  Chapter 38

  Brendon woke me unsurprisingly, it had been a late night. We finished checking the rooms, they were empty, but we did find the employee quarters that Brendon had said would be there. Waking up in a bed was nice after the time on the road. I blinked groggily at him. “What is it?”

  “It's morning, and there appear to be some mages here, asking for you?”

  “Already? Okay, give me a moment to wake up and I'll be.... Where are they?”

  “Downstairs, I left them in the entry hall.”

  “Did you get any names?”

  “Niven, Telsan, Lysan and a few others that didn't talk, they looked like a unit. Telsan and Niven even have military uniforms.”

  “I know the names. Give me a moment to myself, I will be right down.”

  Brendon left.

  I got up walked to the basin in the corner, it was a different kind than we used back in Westhaven, Brendon said it was mechanical, whatever that meant, I had to turn it, it was stiff and flakes of rust crumbled off, discoloured, reddish-brown water poured from the tap, my power said it was safe to drink but it was off putting. I took a handful and rinsed my mouth, then scrubbed the remnants of sleep from my face.

  Getting dressed didn't take much longer. I only had to pull on my coat, sleeping in clothes isn't very comfortable, but trolls don't care if it’s bedtime or not. I picked up my sword from where I'd left it. I really needed to find a better way of carrying it, a sheath or something.

  I walked down the stairs and saw the group of mages standing to attention facing away from me. Their uniforms looked none the worse for wear, I wondered how they got here, my own uniform was a bit travel worn. Just the sight of them standing strong made my heart rise, being able to pass this off to someone else would be a relief.

  My boots must have made a sound on the smooth marble floor because as a group they turned, hands reaching for swords and wands.

  Telsan made a small gesture upo
n seeing me and the squad relaxed. He stepped forwards and saluted, fist to heart, a small bow. “Sir, I place myself and my team at your command per orders by master mage Jase Aleres. We are to follow any and all instructions to facilitate the integration of Nelar into the duchies under the control of the wizard's council.”

  I couldn't speak, seeing a squad salute me, the most junior mage in service, well apart from Solem, but I didn't count him, had left me without words.

  Telsan walked over to me, an intense but not aggressive look on his face. “Sir, could I have a word in private,” he said his voice pitched low so only I could hear.

  I nodded.

  Telsan turned to his team. “Scout the building, find somewhere to set up field command, you all know what we need. Brendon Vesic should be able to help you get orientated.”

  I looked around, there was Brendon, stood to the side of the room, I’d not even noticed him entering. I walked back to the stair well, to wait.

  “You have your orders, dismissed.” Telsan's voice echoed through the building. I could hear a great many boots heading off in various directions. He came into the stairwell, he looked rather uncomfortable all of a sudden.

  “You wished to speak to me?”

  “Yes sir, may I speak freely?”

  “Of course.”

  “Sir, you are young, you have no experience and I fear you will lead us to ruin.”

  “Well that is very forthright of you. I can't argue with your conclusion. You are right; I'm young, I don't know what I'm doing here and I've never commanded before. I was under the impression you were coming to relieve me here, but that seems to not be the case.”

  “Master Jase felt you would need support, so he found the best team he could. We have a good mix of skills, we work well as a team and we have handled situations similar to this before.”

  “You have handled places where the magic is damaged the people are without hope or dead, the ruler of said place is insane, cut off from communication with the mages or the wizards, no hope of support?”

  “Well, not all of them at once but we have handled them.”

  “I understand you reservations. I don't want to command. I'm not trained for it. I'm not suited for it, I work better alone, I've been alone for so long.”

  “You aren't alone anymore sir. Have faith. I do have a suggestion though.”

  “Yes, any and all suggestions are welcome, I'm at a loss as to how to command.”

  “If you place me as second, then I will handle the day to day. You will still have to deal with the rigours of commanding but most of the pressure should be off, giving you a chance to learn. I'm more than happy to teach you if it keeps my men alive.”

  I found myself nodding along, visions of his men in pieces filled my sight.

  “Sir... Sir is everything okay?”

  I blinked.

  “Yes I'm fine, sorry. It's a lot to take in.”

  “I understand sir, all we expect is you to try your best. The mission is important but so is loss of life. We are valuable assets, particularly with the war flaring up. I will help where I can but the burden is yours.”

  “Thank you, what is your assessment of priorities?”

  “I have just arrived but the first thing that needs doing is to turn this building into a real headquarters, we need to establish a presence in this city and arrange communications back home. To that end I do have something that Master Jase gave me, he said that you would know what to do with it.” He reached into a pouch on his belt, much like mine, it must be fairly standard. It was useful.

  A flare of magic, flickered through the air as he pulled out a small round ball of what looked like glass.

  I reached out a hand to take it, the sphere refracted the light oddly, as if it was bigger on the inside. I activated my other-senses and wished I hadn't.

  The room was bathed in bright shimmering light. Echoes of music started singing through the air. The ball was radiating glimmering magic, its concepts so deeply tangled I couldn't pick a single one out. Sigils spun around the glass, their strange depth distorting the light, making other shapes out of light and shade. As I watched I started to piece together what it could be.

  “This is an orb, isn't it?”

  “I've never seen one, but I believe it might be.”

  “How did Jase get hold of this? I thought they were all custom made.”

  “Master Jase didn't feel necessary to tell me. I know he has contacts, Jase is well respected among us. That is rare.”

  “That makes me feel better that he chose you then. I trust his judgement, but it’s nice to know that you do too.”

  Telsan nodded. “If you will excuse me sir, I need to check on the men.”

  “Of course.” My eyes were drawn back to the orb seed in my hand. The twisted magic didn't seem to be touching it, if anything it was pushing back at it, keeping the corruption away.

  I was left there with very little idea as to what to do with the orb if the magic affected it like I suspected then it would be dangerous to plant it. On the other hand if it worked like the Westhaven Orb, drawing magic from its commander then it should be safe, filtered through a person in full control of their own power would protect it from harm. Probably best to put it away and revisit, it was tempting, restoring communications home, being able to receive orders and advice. The enchantment designs that I would be able to get could change the game here. If there was something that could do what I did at the foundry site, rerouting the flows, on such a large scale without killing me, then that would make it so much easier.

  I put the glass ball into my pouch and closed down my other senses as much as I could, I still had an awareness of the magical landscape but it wasn't distracting. I took a deep breath to focus, this wild daydreaming wasn't helping, I needed something solid to build on, not wishes.

  I walked back into the entry hall to find the six man team scattered around. The room itself had changed. One of the men I didn't know was working on the walls, shifting them to conform to the Westhaven headquarters, I'd never seen a different outpost of the mages, so that was all I could compare it to. Another man was shaping the desk, it was growing, roots were visible at the base of it, melding with the stone. Little flickers of enchantment rose through the air, pulling power in a hundred different directions.

  Lysan noticed my entry, he walked over to me. “Sir, good to see you again, on your feet this time.”

  “It’s good to see you too Lysan, how did you get assigned this duty?”

  “I must have pissed someone offs, I hear you know how that is,” he said jokingly with a twinkle in his glowing eyes.

  “Very funny, what's the real story?”

  “You know I'm not attached to a squad, I'm a trouble shooter. Master Jase wanted someone you're familiar with, he couldn't come himself, he is looking after your apprentices. So here I am. It's not so bad. Hard work never killed anyone.”

  “Trolls do though.”

  “We can handle trolls. You have enough power here to handle most things.”

  “Have you noticed the magic here?”

  “How could we not? Most of us pulled heavily after the waves, we know how to deal with twisted magics.”

  “So why has nothing been done? In all this time surely we could have done something to help this place.”

  “It wasn't a priority the years after the waves have been stretched, we don't have the man power. There have been rebellions, in the very early years. There was just so much to do. You are the first to be raised to Mage in a relatively quiet time. There hasn't been a mage raised since the waves. We just don't have the resources to do everything. Not counting the fact that a great many mages are hardly suitable to do much of anything anymore.” A distant look filled his eyes. I knew that look, remembering things best left alone.

  “I understand, it’s just hard to see this and not want to do something.”

  “Wizards can't come here. There are more sensitive to the magic. In some ways it helps the
m, in others it cripples them.”

  “No wizards can come here?”

  “Well some might be able to, but it wouldn't be easy on them. And it would be dangerous for all around them, you have felt the pressure. Imagine that a thousand times more powerful, pushing on you, prompting you to act. Then imagine that it was a wizard breaking loose, we can do some pretty amazing stuff but wizards are in a league all their own.”

  “So that's why this place has been left to rot. Nice to know, I guess. Anyways there is a birthing pit nearby, I doubt it's the only thing that needs rooting out.”

  “Well sir we have our hands full making this place a fit headquarters. We are making progress, we should be done in the next few hours, not finished but it will serve. We still need to do a great many enchantments to protect this place from the disruptions in the magic. We don't have all that many that will withstand it and still function, so we will just duplicate them. Hopefully they will work together. This birthing pit shouldn't be able to churn out another one so soon, they take time to grow.”

  “We don't know how big it is, nor if it's the only one. The way the magic is feeling, I wouldn't be surprised if there are other nasties about.”

  “There won't be any gnomes this close, they start at the edge of disruptions like this. That's something at least. Those little bleeders are a hassle to handle. Trolls are easy with the right tools, but yeah you're right, if there is a pit there will be other things. Did you see anything in the sky when you came in?”

  “No, we flew in, the sky was empty.”

  “That doesn't mean there isn't anything, so we can't stop worrying about Night-wings, corrupted Sylphs, Harpies. Most of the magical creatures went into hiding during the waves but we've seen a resurgence in the recent past. Lots of things we thought gone are coming back. Not all of them bad. I hear a unicorn was spotted in the forests near Greenlaw.”

  “Doesn't help all that much Lysan, it would be nice to be safe.”

  “There isn't such a thing. Safe is a myth. Best to be prepared. This close to the mountains, I wouldn't be surprised if Rocs and earth elementals are about, they don't normally bother people but twisted magic can do odd things to them. There are way too many creatures that could be around, we need to be alert.”