by Eric Vall
“My only concern is whether rune magic puts out any presence that could be detected at all,” Markus continued. “I don’t know how it works, but does rune magic have some sort of indicator, like how our powers send a spark through the atmosphere?”
“Not in the same way,” I replied. “Runic elements chant, so if something is engraved in stone, I can hear it chanting if I pay close attention. Since the Master knows I’m a Terra Mage, he’s only engraving substances I can’t read through. That’s why I’m in this predicament. Dragir taught me to draw out the calling of a rune when I place my hand on it, though, and this doesn’t have to do with chanting. It’s more of a distinct presence that courses through you when you come in direct contact with an engraving. I have some familiarity with the calling of this new element, but I just don’t know how to sense it without having my hand directly on it.”
“Hmm,” Markus mused as Deya slowed down to a coast. “That could mean it’ll work. We can give it a try, but it’s gonna be on you, because it sounds like I won’t be able to recognize the element even if I do locate it.”
“Whatever you think is fine by me,” I assured him, and I scanned the area before I let Deya take us down into the jungle again.
“You’re sure this is the right spot?” I asked as I pulled the map out again, and Deya tapped her fang against the easternmost tunnel. “Perfect.”
“We better sit down for this and work our way through a few steps first,” Markus decided.
So, I kicked my boot against the plants to clear a space in the dirt, and Markus did the same before we both dropped down and sat cross legged on the jungle floor.
“Alright,” Markus yawned. “So, we’ll start with the basics. You already know how to sense magery, right?”
“Yeah, I recently figured it out, and it’s gotten much easier,” I told the mage. “I can send my powers outside myself as well, but it takes a little more energy than I’d like at this point, so if we can avoid doing that tonight, I’d appreciate it. We have six tunnels to visit.”
“That’s understandable,” Markus said. “A lot of mages drain their magic for days just trying to send their powers outside themselves one time, so I’d say you’ll be over that hump pretty soon if you can do it more than once with only a slight dip in energy.”
“Good to hear,” I chuckled.
“For this skill, though, you could use your familiarity with sensing magery to help you bridge the gap to rune magic, but to do it, you’ll want to scatter your attention to the individual grains of dirt,” Markus told me, and I furrowed my brow.
“Like when we seep into the soil?”
“Not quite, but that ability is involved,” Markus explained. “Basically, when we send our senses into our element, it moves like a wave from one grain to the next, but this is a subconscious process. You’re focusing in a way that feels like pushing through the soil, but your magery is actually transferring its presence from one tiny speck to the next. You’re not embodying the ground, you’re embodying your element right down to the smallest version of itself, but you’re naturally receiving the information as a whole.”
“Damn,” I mused. “That’s awesome.”
“And the first step to achieving the next skill,” Markus added, “because if you can split your perception of what you’re reading, and process how each grain interacts with everything around it, then your sandstorm should be able to help you locate the rune. Based on what you said about holding your hand against the element, at least.”
“Wait… sandstorm?” I asked.
“I guess,” Markus said with a shrug. “I’m not sure what to call it because this soil is more nutrient rich than the sand I’ve tried this with, but the concept is the same. You’ve caused a sandstorm before, right?”
“No, but I don’t know why,” I admitted. “I never really thought of trying it.”
“You’ll probably get it,” Markus assured me. “For now, let’s focus on what you’re gonna do after that. So, close your eyes, seep into the soil, and--”
“Hold on,” I interrupted, “you said nutrient rich, and that reminded me of something. I’ve altered the state of soil before so a certain plant could grow in it, and to do that, I had to focus on its makeup in a more involved way than I do when I’m just scanning for a presence. Is that the same thing?”
Markus blinked. “Who taught you all of this?”
“I mostly taught myself,” I admitted. “Defender Solana told me I wasn’t relating properly to my element, and once I tried to change how I did that, the rest just sort of followed.”
The Terra Mage nodded, and while he processed this, I summoned my Terra powers to get ready for the lesson.
“So… should we start?”
“Honestly, we can probably skip this part,” Markus decided. “You, uh… you seem to have a well-rounded grasp on our element, and the thing you did with altering the soil is actually a step beyond this skill. You should just try the storm.”
“Are you sure?” I asked as I cocked a brow.
“Yeah, go for it,” the mage sighed, “I’ll talk you through it, but you’ll probably figure this out.”
I chuckled and shook my head, and Markus smirked as he motioned for me to begin.
Then I raised my palm as I connected with the soil around us, and it took me less than a minute to get a whirlwind of dirt spiraling around us and Deya without any of it blowing over us.
Markus nodded like this didn’t surprise him at all, and then he raised his own palms as he closed his eyes.
“While you use part of your focus to keep the storm turning, try to also seep into the dirt to read through it like you would if it was on the ground,” the mage instructed.
I nodded as I closed my eyes, and my storm faltered a bit in the effort, but I got it to work.
“Okay,” I muttered.
“Now, keep doing all of that, but do you feel how part of the storm is brushing against the ferns behind you?” Markus asked.
“Yeah.”
“Focus your attention there,” the mage instructed, “and if you relax your mind a bit, you’ll start to read the way the dirt moves across your line of focus, rather than you moving with it. Once you accomplish--”
“Yeah, I can feel that,” I assured him, and Markus chuckled before he continued.
“Great, then just keep that mind set for a few minutes,” he snorted. “You’ll sense each grain flying by eventually, and not long after that, you’ll feel a connection between your mind and your element that’ll be distinctly different.”
“Like pixels,” I muttered to myself as each grain latched onto my brain.
“Like what?”
“Nothing,” I chuckled, “but I’ve got it. It feels like my brain split into particles, and all the particles are sending signals to each other. Except I’m pretty sure the particles are really the dirt I’m embodying, and I’m simultaneously piecing the signals together without leaning into a big picture frame of mind.”
Markus didn’t say anything, and after a while, I just opened my eyes to find him looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.
“What?” I asked as I let the storm settle again.
“You’ve really never done this before?” Markus asked.
“No, but I’m a fast learner,” I told him.
“Right… because that kind of takes mages weeks to figure out,” the mage informed me.
“I don’t have weeks,” I snorted. “I’m working by the minute right now. So, what’s the next step?”
Markus let out a harried laugh as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “That’s all you need to know, because you recognize the call of this element, and can send your storm around this area while reading each individual grain. So, if there’s an area where the grains keep contacting the element, it seems logical that you would pick up on the familiar presence, even though it isn’t engraved in your element specifically.”
“Oh, shit, that’s perfect!” I realized.
“It
is,” Markus chuckled. “The only limiting factor is how large of an area you can process in this frame of mind at one time, but if it’s a smaller area, then that’s not a problem. You can keep moving a smaller storm around as much as you need to.”
“Gods, you just saved my ass,” I groaned and shot to my feet. “This is exactly what I need.”
“Then go for it,” Markus urged. “I’ll climb up on the dragon so I don’t interfere with the process.”
I nodded in agreement as I closed my eyes, and I summoned a dust storm twice as large as the one I’d just made with denser sides as well. Then I sent it spiraling all over the jungle surrounding us, and while I sensed bugs and foliage getting caught up in the mess, I kept my attention on the individual grains swirling around me.
At first, it was too much information to process, and I felt seasick as I struggled to sort through all of it, but after a few minutes, it got easier to make sense of what I was reading. I began to register the grooves in the bark of the trees as well as the veins of their leaves, and while I eased deeper into the process, I could envision the blackened jungle like a drawing in my mind.
I knew the placement of every plant and how high they reached, and I could even tell where the critters were all hiding to keep out of my way while I continued sending the storm outward.
It was like having night vision without ever opening my eyes, and I chuckled to myself as I accidentally sent my storm over Markus and read the slack-jawed look on his face.
Then I sensed a pull like a vacuum close by, and my grin fell as I sensed it in the opposite direction as well. So, I zeroed all my attention toward these two spots, and I split my storm into two before I centralized each one near the points where I felt a familiar call. I walked blindly toward one of them as the presence grew stronger, and while I read the millions of particles flying through my mind’s eye, I could see the slash of an elemental engraving as clear as day.
My eyes flew open as I dropped to my knees, and after I dug my way through a stout fern until only my boots hung out, I found myself staring at the same element I’d found several times outside Falmount.
It was three times as large, but it was unmistakably the right marking, and in another five minutes, I managed to track down three more just like it within twenty yards of each other.
Then I sat back on my haunches as a deep-seated sense of satisfaction coursed through my veins, because I’d been right all this time, and not only was I finally a step ahead of the Master, but I was well on my way to guessing his hand better for the duration of this war.
So, I summoned my Terra Magic as I connected with my surroundings, and I instilled a mapping of the area in my mind. Then I memorized the location of each portal before I headed back to Deya.
“Markus, you just got hired to the position of instructor for the Order of the Elementa,” I informed the mage.
“I did?” Markus asked as I mounted up in front of him.
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Now, let’s get to the next tunnel. We’ve got five more to go, and I’m banking on finishing this up before midnight.”
Chapter 8
“Were there any attacks, Alfred?” I mumbled as I unloaded my weapons onto the butler’s tray back in Falmount.
“Only a few scuffles amongst the ogres, sir,” Alfred replied. “Lady Aurora was able to maintain the peace in your absence, and Lady Cayla did not fire on any residents.”
I smirked. “Have my women all gone to bed?”
“Yes, sir, and they asked that I not allow you to work anymore this evening. According to Lady Shoshanne, the punishment, should you choose to do so, will be unpleasant.”
“Oh, no,” I yawned.
“I believe Lady Deya is still transmuting in your sex jungle,” Alfred added.
“I’ll bring her to bed,” I assured the man. “Thanks for holding down the fort, Alfred. Can you make sure I’m up before sunrise? It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow, but if I can stay productive, we might just pull this thing together right on time.”
“Certainly, sir,” the butler said with a deep bow.
I couldn’t stop yawning every couple of minutes while I shuffled through my silent mansion, but the exhaustion was definitely well earned. In less than a day, I had managed to contact all of my allies aside from the king of Cedis, and not only would they be assembled by breakfast, but I’d also located twenty-four portals at the head of the Master’s tunnels.
Against all odds, everything was accomplished right on schedule, and by getting an early jump on the day tomorrow, I could have my ambushes in place by nightfall.
So, I was in a pretty decent mood despite the stress, and finding Deya buck naked and smiling up at me from a bed of moss only made me smile more.
“Hey, beautiful,” I chuckled.
“Carry me,” Deya murmured as she stretched her arms high above her head. “I’m pregnant and sleepy and want to snuggle with you forever.”
“I love you so much,” I sighed as I scooped the naked elf up into my arms. “I can’t believe how much flying you did for me today.”
“I ate twelve griffins,” Deya mumbled against my neck. “Num. Num. Num.”
I grinned. “Proud of you.”
Halfway up the stairs, I was about to tell Deya she could catch up on her sleep in the morning since the metal dragon would transport the warriors for me, but my elf was already passed out in my arms. When we got to our bedroom, my other four women were tangled together on the bed, and Shoshanne had a worried crinkle on her forehead even in her sleep.
I cocked a brow when I saw Cayla snuggling her AR-15 like a teddy bear, though.
“I thought we agreed on no guns in the bedroom,” I muttered.
Then I tucked Deya next to Shoshanne so the healer could fuss over her first thing in the morning, and I carefully removed the rifle from Cayla’s cleavage. It wasn’t loaded at least, but I still brought it over to the mantlepiece before I lazily removed my clothes.
I was so tired, I could have crawled my way back to the bed, but I managed to stay on my feet long enough to make it there, and I collapsed at the edge of the mattress so I wouldn’t wake up my women.
I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow, but it felt like only minutes had passed when Alfred tapped on the wrought-iron door of the bedroom and poked his head inside.
“The sun will rise in precisely eleven minutes, sir,” the butler informed me.
Then he closed the door again, and when I tried to roll over, I realized my women had somehow dragged me to the middle of the bed in my sleep, and now, all five of them were cuddled up around me so I couldn’t get up.
“Work,” I mumbled into the pillow, but Nulena shook her head against my back.
“Sex,” the Baroness murmured.
I chuckled a bit until I remembered she was supposed to be in Nalnora by dawn, and my women grumbled in protest as I catapulted myself out of their naked pile and staggered over to my clothes.
Then Nulena let out a low huff and sat up, but the others were already asleep again, so I kept my voice barely above a whisper.
“Can you do me a huge favor?” I asked as I struggled to get my boots on.
“Please don’t ask me to save the world with you,” Nulena groaned. “I hate when you talk about saving the world. Especially with no sex first.”
“You don’t have to save the world,” I promised the ebony woman. “I just need you to fly to Nalnora on my metal dragon and scare some elven warriors into cooperating long enough to get here.”
Nulena arched an eyebrow. “That does sound fun.”
“You’ll do it?”
“Yes, I enjoy starting my day with something invigorating,” the Baroness sighed as she got up to get dressed. “I would prefer sex, but instilling terror in others is nice, too. Can I blind them all?”
“If you have to, but I’d like to get this handled with as little violence as possible,” I replied.
Even in the dim room, I could tell Nulena was rolling h
er two-toned eyes, but she nodded in agreement while she turned so I could tighten her velvet corset for her. As soon as she was dressed, I caught the Baroness around her thighs and draped her over my shoulder to save some time, and she let out a bored sigh as I jogged her down the steps.
“You could at least grab my ass while you do this… ” Nulena muttered.
I promptly obliged the woman as I summoned my Terra Powers, and while I hurried toward the entryway, I sent my magic outside myself faster than I’d ever done before. The effort made me feel even groggier, but it took me under a minute to reach the metal dragon in Mors Pass. Then I ordered him to fly his ass off to get here, and by the time I set Nulena down in the clearing beside the mansion, I’d already sent my fleet of snatchers to take the dragon’s place.
Nulena smoothed her skirt while I finally took a moment to get my muscles stretched and wake up more fully, and in the blueish morning light, I could see an amused look on the Baroness’ face.
“Still sure you want to sacrifice your happiness for all of this nonsense?” the Baroness asked.
“Don’t say that,” I groaned as I pulled her into my arms. “I’m so close to handling this attack, and I need positivity. Besides, I am happy. It’s only my sanity I’m sacrificing right now.”
“Fine,” Nulena chuckled as she kissed me, “here is something positive for you… I have an appointment in Serin this morning about drowning a butcher. Since I will already be there, I can speak with Temin about his nobles’ armies for you. Cayla mentioned this was a task on your exhausting list of things to do for the good of others.”
“You really wouldn’t mind?” I asked. “That would save me a lot of hassle. I still have to finish building my automatons, and making sure we have enough ammunition, and--”
Nulena pressed her fingers against my lips. “I will do it on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You cannot ask for my assistance in the attack you are orchestrating,” Nulena said, and her expression was instantly serious. “I know you need as much help as you can get, but I truly cannot assist you in this. I have a full schedule, and you can’t imagine how many things will fall apart if I get distracted defending this silly world.”
