Kesa called for Ben, the hunter on her team who knew Spark, and pressed him into service in order to test the information about lightning. The spell was the hunters’ closest approximation to the real thing.

Mumu retrieved three sets of armor from the ritual room below the lodge. The brigandine and mail, I’d seen before, but the third armor was made from layers of wood stitched together with leather ties. It reminded me of Roman lamellar.

All they needed now were volunteers, and I stepped forward.

At most, Spark caused a temporary spasm, and while that might be dangerous to someone with heart issues, I didn’t expect it to be a problem for my recently-minted body. More importantly, this was an opportunity to simulate being hit by the King’s lightning. That knowledge should be helpful in finding ways to ameliorate the damage. And if it happened to also stimulate my own attempts to harness lightning, all the better!

So yeah, hit me with your best shot, Ben.

I argued with the hunters for a solid twenty minutes to let me participate. Some thought it was too dangerous, while others didn’t trust my ability to observe and report on the test. Fortunately, my team understood me, and they helped with the convincing. Even then, if it wasn’t for Mumu’s status in the lodge, they wouldn’t have let me proceed. The hunt was only two tendays away, and trusting an eight year old boy was tough when lives were on the line.

Ben started with the wooden lamellar, and the targeted hunter fell to the ground when hit by Spark. He scrambled to his feet quickly enough afterward, but it wasn’t thanks to the armor’s protection. He reported that the spell hit him full blast.

The brigandine didn’t fare any better, thanks to the gaps between the metal plates. If they weren't connected, then the electricity wouldn’t use the body as a medium for travel.

My borrowed mail was too big for me, so I only had to crouch for the hem to connect with the ground. Ready? I asked Yuki.

“Are you ready, Eight?” Ben asked.

Yes. “Yes.”

Like the rest of his team, Ben was an older hunter in his late fifties. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. This third cast of Spark was his limit for the day. He grimaced, and a flashbulb went off. A streak of light imprinted itself on my vision. My hair stood on end and my arms goose-pimpled, but I otherwise didn’t feel anything.

Seeing me still standing, Ben blinked. “It worked.”

The room buzzed with murmurs, and Mumu and Kesa spun me around to examine me. There was no damage though, nor any other aftereffects.

Did you get anything? I asked Yuki.

No. None of the electricity penetrated the skin. Ben will have to cast the spell on us without the mail for us to feel anything.

Okay, I’ll see if I can convince him later.

To the hunters, I described every sensation, and made a point emphasizing the importance of the metal connecting to the ground.

“Our Eight is clever,” Mumu said. “We can work with this.”

“We’ll have to check if wires in place of mail will work,” Kesa said, “but yes, this is promising.”

They clearly wanted to run the test again, but Ben was out of gas. He leaned on a teammate’s shoulder, catching his breath.

Kesa sighed. “We’ll have to wait for Ben to recover to try again. In the meantime, I’ll talk to the smiths.”

“There are two additional sets of mail in our stores.” Mumu frowned in thought. “We might also borrow some. I know that Koda owns a set; from before he commissioned his brigandine.”

“What about Sima?” Kesa asked.

Mumu nodded. “That’s a good thought. He--”

The two hunters brought their heads together to brainstorm how to outfit as many hunters as possible. I tuned out the discussion though, not able to help. Instead, I sidled up to Ben.

“So, can I convince you to try that again, but without the armor?”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t want to be surprised if I happen to get hit by the King’s lightning.”

Ben’s brow furrowed. “Do you need to go to such lengths? The apprentices will be kept away from the fighting.”

I was shocked when I first heard about the lodge’s plan to let apprentices participate. By my old world’s standards, the apprentices were often put in dangerous situations, but the King’s hunt was a whole other level of risk. That was the point though. To give the apprentices first-hand experience with the breadth and depth of being a hunter.

The lodge would protect them as much as possible but not completely. In this case, the children involved were to be posted at a first aid station. And if the hunt went poorly, they’d be the first to retreat.

“Not me,” I said. “I asked to participate along with the adults.”

The King of the Forest was a menace to Ikfael Glen, and I felt an itch to stitch him full of arrows for all the trouble he’d caused. I mean, I was afraid too. It would’ve been stupid of me not to be, but for all the drama surrounding the hunt, it really did sound like the lodge’s best shot at killing the King.

Ben shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, I doubt I will have the opportunity.” He gestured to where Kesa and Mumu were huddled in conversation. “I know those two. They’ll wring me dry.”

“Overnight then,” I said. “After everyone goes home.”

“Are you really so desperate to feel Spark’s sting?”

“Yes.” I shrugged. “I’ll pursue anything that can improve the odds.”

“That, I understand.” Ben breathed deeply and sighed. He looked me in the eyes, and said, “For the person who brought Healing Water to the village, I will do this thing. I will visit you at the hinge of night and show you my Spark.”

###

Runners were sent from the lodge to carry messages to various people in the village. They came and went through the course of the afternoon. As evening approached, Inleio arrived and was briefed on what’d happened.

He requested that I repeat the information I’d shared and asked questions (no tea required, thankfully). He also filled in details of his own. Apparently, yes, the King’s lightning was much more powerful than Spark. But also less powerful than natural lightning. The chainmail might work.

That didn’t lift Inleio’s spirits any though. His expression remained grim during the whole of our conversation. More than anyone else in the lodge, he must be feeling the burden of the upcoming hunt.

He nodded to Kesa and Mumu to give his approval to their modifications of the lodge’s plans, but held me back after dismissing them.

“What is it?” I asked. “Do you have more questions for me?”

“No,” Inleio said, “but I must ask you to join me in the ritual room.”

“I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“Again, no. You’ve made a contribution to the lodge. It would normally be unwise to learn a new spell so close to a dangerous hunt, but if it’s you…” Inleio shook his head as if to dismiss a thought. “You are quick, and if there’s a chance a new spell will help you survive, then I will offer it.”

“Oh, for the information on lightning and chainmail? Sure.” I smiled. I’d already decided on which spell it would be.

Inleio’s gaze was somber. “We’ll say it is so to the hunters, but this reward is for the other things you’ve shared.”

My smile vanished. “Ah. Okay.” He meant the information on Borba and Ghitha.

“We will wait to reward you for the information on lightning until after the hunt. Two new spells would be unwise, no matter how quick and clever you are.”

I didn’t disagree. My hands were already full trying to learn Blink. “I pick Spark.”

Inleio’s smile came and went. “I thought you might.”

The spell wouldn’t add much to my repertoire, but I hoped it’d help me understand the feeling of lightning within me.

###

Once he saw I was well-situated, Inleio left me on my own to learn the spell. The hunters upstairs were waiting for him to oversee the training session.

The spell orb for Spark was cool to the touch. The small fire we’d started in the ritual room reflected off its silver surface. The rune inside was shaped roughly like a triangle-based pyramid. At three ends, I recognized the Aeromancy, Hydromancy, and Nature runes, but the fourth was new to me. It felt solid and nourishing, but in a different way than Nature.

Earth Magic 0

Earth Magic 0 -> 1

Was this a nod to the role the earth played in the formation of natural lightning? Without knowing the ritual magic from which the spell was derived, there was no way for me to know, but I found it interesting. My inner magic nerd was curious to learn more.

Later though. First there was a complicated structure of spikes and ladders to memorize. I joined with Yuki, so that we may better utilize our combined memory and give Ollie/Yuki/Eight full access to the spell.

When we infused our mana into the rune, electricity sparked across our fingers and we smelled the scent of lightning within us. A power hid beneath our meridians and dantian. Or was it above? A layer of reality, a potential, adjacent but out of reach.

The Spark in our hands desired to flow outward toward a target, but we turned the spell on ourselves. Our body jerked, and we fell over, our hands clenching the spell orb.

A memory existed within Ollie/Eight of visiting an arcade museum. There was a nickel cabinet among the machines consisting of two handles. Its gimmick was that electricity ran through the handles, and when a visitor gripped them, their body completed the circuit, locking their hands’ muscles until the timer ran out.

Spark was stronger than the cabinet--not enough to damage, but it would be a useful distraction in a fight. We had Cold Snap, but additional options were welcome.

Ah! As Spark flashed through us, the lightning qi within drew closer.

Mana 17/21

There was enough mana to cast the spell another four times before needing to meditate. We grinned and gathered the Spark to our hands once more.

###

We spent the rest of the day and night in the ritual room, recharging our battery with mana as necessary and releasing it as Spark. We added wood to the fire to keep it lit. Occasionally, hunters intruded to retrieve or stow equipment from the storage areas behind the room’s tapestries. One brought us a bowl of stew, a welcome respite for our empty belly. The food sustained our efforts.

Everything is energy, we thought. Whether stable or changing from state to state, everything is energy.

###

Ben visited the ritual room at midnight. “I figured you’d still be here.” He handed us a water skin so that we may ease our thirst. “Inleio told me that you’d been rewarded with Spark. Do you still need me to cast it on you?”

“Yes, please. The taste of your spell may be different than mine. Also, tell of your experience casting it, so that I may compare.”

“Spark was the only mana spell I knew for a long time, until you came along with that Healing Water spell of yours.” Ben scratched his head, thinking. “The feeling’s short and sharp. Spark is more pointed than Healing Water, but they’re both sudden: a quick buildup and release. Neither need anything like the focus required for qi spells like Nature’s Spring.”

“The mana spells we learn are shortcuts,” we said.

“That’s what I was taught as well,” Ben said. “The runes represent the work otherwise done by rituals. The runes are not as flexible, but they’re much, much faster.”

We paused to consider his words and reference them to what we’ve been told by Tegen and Mumu.

“If you’re ready then?” Ben asked.

“Oh, yes. Go ahead. Don’t let me keep you.”

We opened our senses to better capture the moment, but as Ben said, the spell was short and sharp. There was a flash and a whiff of mana’s aspects blended, and then it was gone as we fell over, our body twitching. The taste of his Spark was different. More powerful, but less resonant, with fewer over and undertones. The lightning didn’t call to him in the same way it did for us.

Ben hurried to our side, and we felt the cool touch of Nature’s Spring flowing into us. “You all right, Eight?”

We grinned up at his worried face. “Of course. As to be expected, you have a more experienced touch with the spell, and its effects were stronger than ours. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Can we do this again?”

That surprised a laugh out of Ben. “I--sure, but it’ll have to be late tomorrow. Kesa and Mumu, the pair of them have their sights set on testing the spell on….well… I’m not sure what yet. They probably don’t know either, but I’m certain they’ll come up with a plan.”

We nodded in understanding. “Till tomorrow night then.”

Ben hesitated to leave. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

Our grin spread. “Yes. There’s just a bit more testing to do before heading home.”

“Then don’t stay too late. It’s important to rest too.”

“Of course.”

Ben gave me a pat on the shoulder and left his water skin for us. When he was gone, we turned to the ghost peeking out from behind a tapestry. Bindesei looked more worn than the last time we saw him, his edges frayed. The red in his eyes was dimmer.

“We haven’t forgotten about you,” we told him. “After the hunt, you’ll have your justice.”

###

The next day, the ballistae arrived at Voorhei’s gate on a pair of ox-drawn carts. Their crews rode alongside on horses. Each wore brigandine and carried lances. Arbalests hung from their saddles. The rest of their gear appeared to be in a third cart.

Villagers crowded together to watch them ride past. I followed along, scoping out each soldier in turn. There were a couple of Sharpshooters, a Steady Under Pressure, a Range Finder, a Team Player, and so on. The mix leaned heavily towards methodical, stable personalities. And at the head was:

Cassisia Mudasdotter, human Talents: Professional Soldier, Troop Leader, Artful Dodger

Nascent: ???, ???

Someone must’ve ran ahead to alert the village’s leadership, because both the Head and the Reeve hurried over. Cassisia spotted them too. With a signal, she brought the convoy to a halt and swung down from her horse to wait for them.

“Welcome!” Koda said, out of breath. “Welcome to Voorhei. I am Koda the Village Head, and this is Dwilla the Reeve. You must be...”

“Cassisia Mudasdotter. I lead these teams. We were hired by one Ghitha Woldecsbrotter for a hunt upcoming.”

“Yes, yes,” Koda said. “We are aware, and glad of your safe arrival. You must be tired. We will lead you to our Hunter’s Lodge where you may unpack your gear and take your ease. Lunch has been prepared, as well as lodgings.”

“That would be most welcome,” Cassisia said. She signaled for the convoy to follow, but instead of re-mounting, she led her horse and walked alongside Koda and Dwilla.

I worked my way through the crowds to listen in on their conversation, but it was all small talk about the journey and news from Albei. I kept pace anyway, just in case any of them dropped something juicy, but they never did.

Inleio met them outside the lodge and directed them to park their carts around back, next to the compound. Every hunter in the village was present, all of them looking over the ballistae crew and their gear. None were so bold as to climb up onto the carts, but the machines were fascinating to one and all.

Each ballista looked like a giant crossbow or arbalest, but to each side of the slider were torsion cables. In my old world, the Greeks and Romans used thread, but these looked like something else, shiny and slick, each coiled around a shaft. The coiled material didn’t look like metal, or if so, not one I recognized. A pair of cranks pulled back the slider and wound the cables.

The soldiers were, in turn, just as curious about the hunters. Their eyes scanned the lodge as they entered, especially noting the battlefield modeled in clay. They gravitated to it immediately.

“Tsk,” Cassisia said. “There’ll be time for that later. For now, let’s get to know our hosts.”

A meal was set up in the lodge’s courtyard with enough food for all. Cassisia sat next to Inleio and the village’s leadership, while the rest of her crew mixed in with the hunters.

I worked my way between Mumu and a man named Lapa of Voornalilei. After a few pleasantries, including compliments on the quality of the food, the two began telling stories. It wasn’t obvious at first, but somehow each question led to a long drawn out tale of skill, either in hunting or in war.

After the third story, it clicked that each was letting the other know what they could expect from them. In effect, it was a roundabout way of sharing their respective resumes. Once I knew that, I realized the scene was being repeated throughout the courtyard. I snuck away from my team, and yep, even Inleio and Cassisia were sharing stories.

Midway through the meal, the lodge received a surprise guest. Mumu spotted him at the door and jumped up to greet him and bring him to where the leadership team sat.

Imsiikila the Wise, human Talents: Money Sense, Good Eye, Tight-Lipped

Nascent: ???, ???

Once he was safely deposited, Mumu re-joined us.

“Who is that?” I asked.

“His name is Imsiikila,” Mumu said. “He is the merchant that will be facilitating the sale of the lightning bear’s parts.”

“His Family is well known in Albei,” Lapa said. “They are not the most prosperous, but have a reputation for fair-dealing; a good choice for a hunt of this size.”

My eyebrows rose. A reputation for fair-dealing was it? And I liked the look of that Tight-Lipped Talent. I turned to Mumu, wondering if he’d be a good fit for selling eilesheile. A subtle smile and nod was all the response I needed.

Oh good. Oh very good indeed.