– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 216, Season of the Setting Sun, Day 70 –

“Uhm…” Emily looked around. “Is it really okay for you to keep accompanying us here?” She looked at Matteo. “Aren’t you needed there?”

“It’s fine,” said Matteo. “If Ma says it’s fine, then it’s fine.”

“The number of elementals is dwindling fast,” said Terry, who was squinting at the distance. “And they’re not reaching the city.”

Emily watched the giant druid tree in awe. Its branches and roots were squirming around the whole outpost.

“Phew.” Terry whistled. “I did not know that Dhruv can cast spells with the tree’s branches and roots as the focal point. That’s like having countless more limbs to cast from. Neat.”

“Hmm…” Cadence frowned. “The outpost will be fine, but I think I’ll go check up with the city guards in case they need a healer. It’s possible that the guards were rushing to respond without knowing what they were getting into.” She looked at Matteo and Terry. “You two should be enough here, right?”

“Right,” said Matteo. “Go ahead.”

Cadence nodded and then ran towards the guard house in the neighboring district.

“I would like to get a better view of what’s going on,” said Terry. “Is that fine?”

“Sure, I’ll stay with Emily,” said Matteo.

“Good to have you with us,” said Wallace. He grumbled: “Already, I don’t like this place.”

“I’ll stay close, only further up,” said Terry. He channeled mana into his boots and stepped up into the air.

When Terry stood much higher than all the surrounding buildings, he looked around. His mana sense told him where the aspect beings were located, but part of the view was blocked by the giant druid tree.

“If I’m sensing that right, most of the demons have already died,” murmured Terry.

As if to emphasize the point, a root as thick as several humans whipped on the ground and smashed a demon with a mana-corrupted beast host into a pulp.

Terry observed the branches and vines lowering themselves from the tree’s crown. Even at this distance, Terry was able to recognize the spell structures for nature-aspected variants of the fundamental healing spells.

“Wait, Cure Poison?” Terry squinted his eyes.

Were there poison elementals? That would be bad…

From what Terry had learned, aspect beings with the poison or darkness aspects were among the most troublesome, especially in an urban environment with manaless citizens.

Not exclusive to aspect beings…

Terry recalled some of the talks between Matteo and Sigille. They had warned him several times to be wary of certain people. First among those were Vicious and the Venom Siblings from the Guild.

Terry had already met the former in Syn City and he could vouch that Eric deserved his bad reputation. Terry had later learned about some of the stories involving the darkwater-focused channeler.

In Syn, the man had been kept in check by Sigille and the others, but in past situations, people had not been so lucky. Apparently, the name ‘Vicious’ originated from Eric’s large-scale attacks with the debilitating darkwater aspect. Attacks that cared nothing about collateral damage among the bystanders or even his supposed allies.

The Venom Siblings consisted of two sisters and their brother – all of them pure poison aspected. One mage and two mana cultivators. Their reputation for being ruthless rivaled that of Vicious. Sigille had called them glorified mercenaries that had no conscience whatsoever.

I can see why Aunt Sigille said that the outpost would have fallen long ago if it wasn’t for Dhruv…

Terry clenched his fists. Looking at the powerful magic of the druid that was holding back a demon army practically on his own, Terry was reminded of the limitations of his own magic.

I hate that I can’t cast any healing spells… At least I got that wand from Uncle Samuel. Scrolls and potions, too. Still…

I wonder if I would ever be able to hold back that many monsters? I can hold my own in a one-on-one fight, but against that many at once?

The ant colony was bad enough, but fortunately, their range was limited and I could use the tertium slabs to control how many I had to face at once… But this?

“I need to improve the reach for my spell,” murmured Terry absentmindedly.

A bright translucent hammer appeared in the sky and smashed the ground beneath.

Or just get as strong as the Divine Hammer and squish them all in the blink of an eye…

Terry snorted and smiled wryly.

An unfamiliar mana movement caused Terry to look towards the core area of the outpost.

Lightning bolts were hurled from several inscribed surfaces and assaulted the attacking aspect beings in the vicinity.

“If only I could take some mana crafting lessons from Vhida,” muttered Terry with a sigh.

Stupid Tiv Empire and its stupid restrictions…

***

Sigille glanced over the demon corpses at Emaldine. “You could stay in—”

“I still know the city,” interrupted Emaldine. “And I have some savings. I’ll find a place.”

Sigille suppressed a sigh and nodded. “Thanks for helping out.”

Emaldine gave a nod. “You Guardians probably have further clean up to do. I…” She hesitated. “I may come around for a spar later.” Her expression hardened. “I still have questions about Anand.”

Sigille smiled faintly and watched her daughter’s back while Emaldine left.

“Was that who I think it was?” Dhruv was lowered from the sky by glowing vines.

“Mhmh.” Sigille nodded.

“Are you alright, Whaka Sigille?” Dhruv looked at her concernedly.

“Heh,” Sigille exclaimed drily. “Look at you, Whaka Dhruv. The city was besieged by demons and you are worrying about playing family counselor.”

“Can’t help it.” Dhruv shrugged. “This city is a lot harder to like than old friends. And if the daughter takes after her mother, I would rather face a demon anyday.”

Sigille snorted.

“What happened? Did she…?” Dhruv left the words unsaid but his gaze was unmistakably directed towards Matteo’s mana signature.

“She tried to kill him,” said Sigille wearily. “And that idiot son of mine nearly allowed her to succeed. Stopped defending himself as soon as he heard her name.” She grumbled: “What am I going to do with him?”

“How are you holding up?” Dhruv’s eyes were soft. “Standing in the middle and all?”

“I’m fine.” Sigille’s voice didn’t sound convincing to Dhruv at all. “Emaldine has accepted a truce for now. I think…”

“Did you explain the situation with Anand?” asked Dhruv.

“The gist of it,” said Sigille. “I don’t want her to go running after Anand alone. It’s bad enough with Matteo during the Setting Moon, but he, at least, has comrades among the death hunters and Guildheads. Anand has already taken my life’s chosen from me, I won’t let him take my daughter, too.”

“If she is anything like you, then your lack of information sharing won’t stop her for long,” remarked Dhruv.

“I know,” said Sigille and sighed once more. “She does not have many contacts in this place. Not as far as I know anyway. Emaldine is not a Guardian anymore either, so…”

Sigille took a deep breath. “I have some time to think of something. If it comes down to it, I just need to put everything into the hunt myself and make sure I kill the bastard before any of my children can get themselves killed.”

“You know it isn’t that easy,” said Dhruv worriedly. “If it was, you would have killed him long ago.”

“Yeah, I really hate dimensional mages gone rogue,” grumbled Sigille while shaking her head. “Anyway, I just have to make sure I get to Anand first.” Her eyes hardened. “No matter what.”

“Please make sure that even in your rush, you will not face him alone.” Dhruv spoke with deep concern. “That is a tough opponent, even for you.”

The earth quaked slightly and both of them looked towards the large dome that housed Guardian management.

“Seems that an earth elemental tried to sneak into the outpost,” muttered Dhruv. “Bad idea.”

“Vhida’s inscription system has really become something to behold.” Sigille said with pride in her voice. “The little elf is all grown up.”

“Thanks in large part to you.” Dhruv pointed out.

“Huh?” Sigille furrowed her brow. “I barely did anything. Vhida did not take many of my classes and I certainly was not in a position to teach her rune inscriptions.”

“No, but if it wasn’t for you, she would have never had the leeway to proceed with her advanced studies,” said Dhruv. “The censors would have breathed down her neck and demanded her time to be spent mass-producing what she already knew instead.”

Dhruv snickered. “I still remember the face of the old codger in his censor uniform when you claimed her as your disciple.”

Sigille could not suppress a grin. “That was really a tough sell – considering that Vhida was not big on mana cultivation.” She scratched her nose with her pinky and snickered. “Who said I can’t take a disciple in cookie tasting?”

Sigille sighed. “Unfortunately, they adjusted the regulations shortly after.” She clicked her tongue. “Always have to find new loopholes to keep the empire going.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Speaking of which…” Sigille glanced at Dhruv. “Ready for your first proper disciple?”

“I don’t know,” said Dhruv with a frown. “I’m still not sure how you talked me into that. I was certain I would be excused from learning new tricks at my age.”

“I can be persuasive if I want.” Sigille smirked. “Relax, the girl will grow quickly on you, I promise.”

“It’s her father that might test your patience.” Sigille scowled and grumbled quietly.

***

Terry was eagerly waiting for the smith to return from the back room, where she had stored his latest order.

“...and here is the last part of your order,” said the woman in a leather apron. She placed a box on the counter. “I’ve put them together already.”

“Oh?” exclaimed Terry and checked the contents. “I thought that was not included in the price?”

“Don’t worry about it,” said the woman. “It was a nice change of pace. A welcome deviation from the usual drudgery. More interesting than what I’m usually getting. The fact that you are providing all the materials also means that I can focus on the part of the job that is fun to me.”

The woman grumbled: “Sometimes, I feel more like an administrator than a crafter. Procuring materials, organizing shipments, making contracts… Blegh.”

“Besides, didn’t I see you up above the city during the attack?” asked the smith. “That calls for a protector’s discount anyway.” She winked.

“Ehh, I didn't really do anything though.” Terry held his hand on his nape and smiled awkwardly.

“But you would have if it was required, right?” The woman chuckled. “Don’t argue with me. Just take it and make sure to visit me again if you think of something new.”

“Of course.” Terry beamed at her. “Thank you!”

He picked up one of the ball-shaped objects from the box.

“Outer layer octavum, same for the core,” explained the smith. “In between is that mana-osmotic alloy you gave me. Enough space to secure a rope or wire.”

Terry pressed on one spot and a part of the ball was raised.

“Rotate right to set the timer,” said the woman. “Be careful to not place strain on it when it’s out. The mechanism inside is protected, but in that position, it’s a different matter.”

Terry nodded. Elvis had warned him about that as well when they were discussing the idea.

Terry rotated the switch to the right and then pressed it inside the ball.

“The pieces inside are interlinked, the core can’t be reached without going through at least one layer of the mana-osmotic alloy,” said the smith, who was resting her head on her palm with her elbow on the counter.

Terry pressed the same spot again and was satisfied when it did not raise up again. That was only supposed to work again after the timer had run out.

I can’t wait to test the new bolas and throwing needles. Maybe I can already use them in my next spar with Aunt Sigille…

Terry grinned.

“The mechanism in the throwing needles was a lot easier to make since it did not require rotation,” said the smith. “If you want to order more of the bolas weights, it will require more time.”

Terry glanced at one of the prototype needles that incorporated mana-osmotic material. At the back of the needle, there was a flat area that could be pressed inside with several markers for the duration. Pressing it deeper would cause the mechanism to lock for longer.

Better for a quick throw. The bolas will need preparation anyway.

Terry became pensive. While his mana shielding had improved, Terry had also realized a fundamental limitation of his spell and imprint usage once more.

Shielding throwing weapons was way more problematic than shielding armor pieces or other weapons. With armor pieces, Terry’s own body served as a protection against disruption from one side.

That resulted in a natural side for orienting the mana-osmotic layer. Protect against the side pointing away from the body while keeping an opening on the side towards his body so that Terry could channel mana to activate the imprint or cast his spell on the object.

Even with a regular weapon, you have the location where you grab onto it. A throwing weapon, on the other hand, always had an opening exposed. The location for Terry to channel his mana towards the object could also be exploited by his opponent.

While Terry could rely on his outstanding mana control and make sure that the opening was sufficient for him while being difficult to exploit for others, he was still looking for a better solution.

If only I was able to create personalized mana locks…

Terry sighed inwardly.

The mechanism with the mana-osmotic material was one idea that seemed feasible in the short-term. The mechanical timer made sure that the imprint was protected completely. While there remained small gaps in the interlinked material, Terry could focus his mana-shielding on these places.

Stopgap.

Terry smiled wryly.

While Terry’s mana-shielding had improved significantly, Sigille still made short work of it whenever she felt like it. None of his items without mana-osmotic protection had been safe from Sigille’s disruption discharges.

Terry wondered what his aunt Brynn would think of his new prototypes.

‘The only limits in mana shielding are your own ability, creativity, and perseverance.’

As long as I keep up my studies, I believe she would not mind me relying some more on the mana-osmotic materials. Maybe I can make some more time during lunch breaks?

“Thank you so much!” Terry handed over the payment.

“My pleasure,” the woman accepted the payment with a smile.

Afterwards, Terry took out one of his notebooks.

“Oh?” exclaimed the smith. “Already another one?” She looked over the sketch. “Throwing weapons again? You haven’t even tested the others yet.”

“This one is a separate idea,” said Terry. “Using mana-reactive shape-memory alloys to simplify the mechanism.”

The smith raised an eyebrow. “Do you have the materials?”

“Yup,” replied Terry without looking up from the notebook.

“Wonderful,” exclaimed the woman and proceeded to discuss Terry’s sketch with him to get the order right.

***

Terry summoned the barrier from his spear to block Sigille’s dreaded staff that was rushing towards him.

Keep the barrier small but dense… Deflect the attack without forcing her to change her trajectory.

Terry thrusted his spear forward while channeling mana into the inscription to guide the barrier towards the spear’s tip.

As soon as Sigille pulled back the deflected staff for another angle of attack, Terry channeled mana into his gloves.

His glove radiated a light of blinding intensity.

Terry kept the radiating light inscription active while concentrating on his mana sense to quickly reorient himself.

His plan for this spar included some leveling of the playing field by taking advantage of his mana sense that was more sensitive than Sigille’s. It should take him less time to get his bearings than it would take Sigille.

In theory, discounting all her experience and quicker reflexes…

Terry shook his head at the retort of his own intrusive thougths.

Focus.

Terry sensed Sigille on the same course as before. While he could not sense her staff because it did not contain any mana, he could still make out that Sigille continued charging at him.

Terry retrieved the bolas that were arranged between two connected sticks so as to hold them all at the same angle. Terry had rotated the timer before and did not need to check it again.

He rapidly casted the Immovable Object spell at the Octavum cores and then pressed the sticks together, which caused the mechanisms in the weights to all lock at the same time.

Terry pulled the bolas out of their fixation and then hurled them towards Sigille under the cover of the blinding light from his gloves.

Heh…

Terry was unsurprised when Sigille dodged the incoming projectile despite her impaired vision. He was not completely sure how she was managing it, but he had expected no less.

Probably got a whiff of the metal-aspect that reinforces the wire. A drawback that I need to keep in mind. Trade-off for the higher resistance against cuts and raw strength…

Then again, Aunt Sigille would have dodged that regardless. By ear or smell or instincts or whatever…

Fortunately for Terry’s plan, Sigille evaded the projectile in her usual manner, which meant that she moved as little as possible.

While the bolas were still close, Terry spread his arms and used the bidirectional attraction inscription to pull on the bolas and have them entangle Sigille despite her earlier evasive maneuver.

All or nothing!

Terry burst as much mana as he could muster and rushed forward to charge at Sigille while using a burst technique that emphasized speed above all else.

Sigille’s eyes showed a hint of praise when she felt the bolas entangle herself. Terry was getting better at incorporating his gloves.

While she could have dodged them by using more of her mana, she felt it was not the right time to up the ante. Not when a small success had been earned.

Additionally, Sigille furrowed her brow. She was wondering what Terry’s plan was. The bolas were an old trick and while his mana-shielding had improved, she had made it a point to remind him not to rely on it too much by demonstrating her disruption discharges.

The bolas transfixed and Sigille waited a moment in order to have Terry close the distance, so that she could test his reflexes when he had to switch from offense back to defense. He had been retreating from her for most of the spar and this was one way to have him come to her instead.

Shortly before Terry arrived, Sigille unleashed a disruption discharge…

“Huh?” Sigille uttered a sound of surprise when the bolas weights failed to become movable again.

Sigille hurriedly unleashed a more intense disruption discharge before she realized what Terry had done.

For a moment, she pondered if she should rip the aspect-reinforced wire apart to press the spar, but then again, it had been an unexpected hassle to acquire the wire and Sigille was feeling good about the day.

Sigille decided to suffer her first loss and watched the approaching spear calmly. Nevertheless, Sigille still had Terry work for it.

She used the transfixed bolas in order to lift herself up and she kicked the spear away a few times. She did this mostly to slow down Terry’s spear, so that he could stop it himself when he realized his win.

As the instructor, it was her duty to ensure that both of them stayed safe and she did not feel like being skewered and traumatizing her nephew while at it.

“No way,” exclaimed Terry involuntarily when he saw the bladed end of his spear placed on Sigille’s throat.

“Well done,” said Sigille with a grin. “But this will only work once. I would also suggest that you keep this kind of equipment as a rare supplement for tough situations. It would not work as well if everyone knew about it.”

Terry blinked dazedly.

“So, how long will I have to stay like this?” asked Sigille and chuckled. “I’m feeling put on display here.”

Terry realized that they had a small audience. Emaldine, Wallace and Emily were all watching. There was also a man in a traditional martial arts uniform that Terry had not seen before.

“Only a few seconds more,” said Terry. He scratched his cheek. “Why did you let me win this time?”

Sigille shrugged. “Because I thought you earned it. Your style has become less predictable and more integrated. Even the burst techniques have been well-ingrained into you.”

“You managed to create a good opening with these.” The bolas that had become movable again were held out by Sigille. “And you followed through properly.” She smiled with pride at her disciple. “Keep it up.”

“Pardon the intrusion.” The man in the martial arts uniform had approached them. “Greetings, Lady Sigille.”

Sigille nodded at the man. “Vicente. Long time no see. Usually, we don’t manage to catch each other in the rotation.”

“Yeah, I heard you are back early,” said Vicente. He turned to Terry. “And you are?”

“Greetings, I’m Terry.”

“My nephew,” added Sigille. “You got business with me? Or with him?”

“With him actually,” said Vicente.

Terry raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“I was wondering what kind of spell you used there…” While Vicente spoke with Terry, Sigille went to Emaldine and the others.

***