Mana Soul: Chapter 53 - The Knight - Markus

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Strapping the northern soldier into the large coffin-like artifice propped up against the wall, Markus did his best to make sure she would be as comfortable as possible.

Stripped down to her underclothes, the young soldier still projected an air of danger that made Markus considerably more nervous than her state of undress. To say nothing of her scars, she was heavily muscled like Hilda, although perhaps a foot shorter. The soldier’s name was Maud, and Markus was convinced that it suited her.

“This will really give me powers like Lady Hilda?” Maud asked for perhaps the hundredth time, her pale blue eyes scrutinising Markus’s face as he attended to the final straps.

“It should,” Markus replied somewhat absently while giving the artifice a final looking over.

“You keep saying that,” Phillipe chuckled nervously from over by the door.

“Because it’s true,” Markus sighed, “It worked on the rabbits. So it should work fine.” he stepped back and took a moment to take everything in.

Besides the straps connected to two poles running down the centre of the overlarge coffin, the soldier was supported by a pair of padded hooks beneath her shoulders and padded stirrups beneath her feet. They were intended to allow whoever was interred inside to stretch and shift their weight while waiting for the treatment to be completed. They would also ensure that the soldier didn’t touch the panels of crystal lining the inside of the artifice.

“Now I am only going to ask one last time,” Markus warned Maud, “Are you sure about this?”

Maud nodded determinedly, “I’m sure!” She insisted.

“Alright,” Markus closed the crystal paned doors to the coffin and slid the bar through a pair of hoops to lock it shut. Activating the string of Enchantments remotely, he stepped back and leaned on the nearby wall.

“What now?” Phillipe asked curiously.

“We wait,” Markus replied with a shrug, “It should take at least a couple of hours, which is why it has those holes in the sides to let in air.”

“I was wondering about that...” Phillipe chuckled wryly.

Markus shrugged, “I think in the final design, I will incorporate one of Tina’s rotating blade artifices to push air through the box, just in case.”

Phillipe nodded thoughtfully, “Couldn’t hurt,” he agreed.

“So long as I put a safety cage over it,” Markus snickered, “Those blades are no joke.”

A long silence passed between them while Phillipe appeared to be working up the courage to ask a question.

“Markus?” Phillipe asked tentatively.

“Mhm?” Markus kept his eyes on his tablet, watching billowing torrents of mana bombard the soldier and be reabsorbed by collection crystals before being directed at the soldier again.

“What do you plan on doing with this artifice if it works?” Phillipe asked cautiously.

Markus shrugged, “Probably use it as a reward for the most loyal soldiers, why?”

“Well...I was wondering if it would be alright for Kass to receive a treatment?” Phillipe asked somewhat awkwardly. “You know how reckless she can be? It would be a load off my mind if she could somehow gain Hilda’s durability.”

Markus carefully considered the request before nodding somewhat reluctantly, “Alright, it would be interesting to see if it’s possible at the very least.”

Obviously quite relieved, Phillipe sighed and a few wrinkles around the corners of his eyes smoothed into obscurity.

“What about yourself?” Markus asked curiously, his mind abuzz with the possibilities.

“Me?” Phillipe asked, not quite understanding his intentions.

“What if it was possible to hybridise your mana and gain Hilda’s Warrior abilities, would you do it?” Markus clarified.

Phillipe seemed thoroughly surprised, “You think it’s possible?” He asked uncertainty, glancing briefly at the over-large coffin.

Markus shrugged, “Maybe. If it works with Kassandra, then it just might work for you as well. It would be really interesting if it worked on chimaeras...But it would be dangerous if it did.”

Phillipe nodded somewhat absently, obviously quite distracted by the possibilities of possessing the powers of both a Mage and Warrior. “Ah! Erm, ahem. Markus? If combining the different powers works, I think I might be able to organise a few, ah, donors?”

Intrigued, Markus gave Phillipe his full attention, “What do you mean?”

“Well, I might not be on the best terms with my older brothers due to their jockeying for position to secure father’s lands and titles, but I have good relations with my cousins, for the most part,” Phillipe explained eagerly, “I am sure some of them would not mind contributing to your research in exchange for a treatment or two for their children.”

“Is it safe for children to have these powers?” Markus asked warily.

Phillipe nodded reassuringly, “So far as I know, just about everyone who can afford the Class Crystals awards them to their children by the age of ten. I was about seven if I remember right.”

Markus considered it for a short while in silence. “Why was Kassandra only attempting her first dungeon earlier this year?” He asked curiously, “I would have thought noble families would try to increase their children's strength as quickly as possible.”

“Some do,” Phillipe agreed wryly, “And perhaps Kassandra could have tried a year or two sooner, but there was no one available for her to form a party with. I was courting Hilda for the past couple of years as part of our arranged marriage, and my brothers...well, they had other priorities. Our cousins might have been able to help, but there is something of an age discrepancy between them that doesn’t lend itself well to her temperament.”

Markus chuckled in agreement, “I could see that. She was pretty impetuous in that troll cave.”

“Exactly!” Phillipe clapped his hands together emphatically, “Imagine if Kass had been in a weaker party? Or worse! A group of fellow hotheads! Disaster!”

Markus snickered and shook his head in amusement. Thinking about Phillipe’s offer, Markus decided that he didn’t have much to lose in the exchange. Jealousy alone would likely ensure that Phillipe’s cousins wouldn’t reveal to anyone where their new powers came from. At worst, they could always lie and claim that they got them from Class Crystals. “Alright Phillipe, what powers do your cousins have to trade that we don’t have already?”

“Well, most are admittedly single specialisations like myself and Kass, and you don’t need doubles do you?” Phillipe explained before checking with Markus.

Markus shook his head, “Not really. If this experiment works then all I would need is one donor of each specialisation at most.”

“That’s generally what I figured,” Phillipe sighed and grew quiet for a few moments before shaking his head, “I’ll need to think about it before giving you a list of names. I don’t want to vouch for anyone who might betray our trust.”

“I can respect that,” Markus agreed.

The conversation entered a lul that was soon broken by a loud impact outside of the workshop.

Phillipe glanced out the door and smirked, “Our Ladies are sure going at it today,” he chuckled, “Why did you give them those giant golem suits anyway? Neither of them really needs it for protection.”

Markus shrugged, “Seems to make them happy?” He replied.

“I suppose so...” Phillipe agreed, wincing slightly right before another heavy impact rocked the ground. “But they might need to practise somewhere else...And...Markus...Is that your daughter?!”

“Hrm?” Markus walked over to the door and hurriedly covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

Arlee was indeed out on the training field but safely sealed inside of Prosthetic armour of her own. Only two-thirds the scale of the original, painted pink and somewhat stiffly running around the periphery of the training grounds, it took Markus a moment to realise that she was actually chasing Dolly.

“Almotht goht you!” Arlee giggled hysterically after leaping at Dolly and crashing into the ground and realising that the golem had gotten away from her again.

“I don’t want to tell you how to be a parent...but I’m pretty sure little girls aren't meant to be doing that...” Phillipe suggested diplomatically.

Markus shrugged, “Arlee isn’t normal though,” he countered, “Technically, she is heir to this kingdom. The Guild has records of it and everything.”

Phillipe gave Markus an appraising look for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, “I suppose you’re right. All of this could be her responsibility someday. Better she acclimates to it now rather than later. But I would still strongly suggest that you and Aela begin vetting candidates to serve as her ladies in waiting. That is assuming, of course, you are taking this whole Royalty and King business seriously.”

Markus nodded and let out a sigh of his own, “And I suppose the little ladies in question need to be nobles?” He asked somewhat warily.

“Well, yes,” Phillipe replied somewhat flippantly, “But, you are the King, so you can make anyone a noble if you really wanted to. Technically you have already done so with Jarl Sigrun, which is actually something I wanted to talk to you about. Technically, a Jarl is an Earl, it’s just the northerners' pronunciation of the word and some cultural drifts that occurred over the years. It might be worth considering to commission an official proclamation denoting the hierarchy of ranks and those which are equivocal to one another,” he suggested seriously. “You might not care that much, but foreign dignitaries do. If you want to be taken seriously by the other nations, then it would be worth making this a priority.”

“Alright,” Markus agreed with a conspiratorial grin, “Then you can consider this your next project.”

Phillipe ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the door with a sigh, “I guess I walked right into that one...” He perked up rather quickly afterwards though, “Mr. Peabody’s trial trade network appears to be doing quite well. The supply trains now arrive hourly rather than daily, and I am a little shocked at the sheer number of voluntary colonists that are arriving as well.”

Markus grew somewhat subdued and nodded. Peabody had taken a number of actions under its own initiative that overshadowed his own, making Markus feel like he wasn’t really contributing. Having dismissed the idea of ground-based portals so readily, Markus felt a little annoyed at himself for not considering an isolated and sealed chamber belowground.

“And the western wall of the great valley is almost finished as well,” Phillipe added enthusiastically, “I have to hand it to you, Markus, you are doing far better than I originally thought would be possible.”

Markus nodded and set aside his bruised ego, “Things are going pretty great,” he agreed before taking a seat on a chair by a window so he could keep an eye on his experiment while still observing Arlee and Dolly’s game of cat and mouse.

After close to three hours, Markus decided that Maud’s bones were as saturated with Hilda’s mana as they were going to get and released her from the artifice. “How do you feel?” Markus asked curiously.

Maud’s stomach growled aggressively, causing her to blush slightly, “I feel ravenous, highness, as if I hadn’t eaten in a week!”

“That’s to be expected,” Phillipe interjected, rightly assuming Markus would ask for a reference.

“Food will be provided in the dining room, so if you could see yourself dressed, there is a particular food I would like you to try once you are ready,” Markus explained while getting up off his chair and leaving the workshop to give Maude some privacy.

“A new food?” Phillipe asked curiously while falling into step alongside Markus as they headed to the main house.

“Well...it’s more of a drink really,” Markus tried to explain, “It’s the liquid form of the sugar export from the east. Peabody says the local adventurers drink it to quickly restore their energy and mana, but I would like to see for myself if it is worth the cost.”

“So you would be fine with me trying some then?” Phillipe asked with a smirk, “It would give you more data to work with.”

Markus shrugged, “Sure. Personally, I can’t really drink that much of it and don’t want to deliberately deplete my mana like that.” He hated migraines and drinking more than a spoonful of the liquid sugar made him feel ill.

Phillipe seemed a little warier after Markus’s confession, “Well, I’ll just try a little then. For science.”

“For science,” Makus agreed with a grin.

Entering the dining room, they both sat down at the table while the cook’s apprentices began setting out enough food for ten people. Lastly, a clay jug with a tapered mouth was placed on the table alongside a ladle, spoon, and a trio of fired clay cups.

Carefully pouring himself a spoonful of the dark amber syrup, Phillipe cautiously glanced at Markus before hesitantly placing the head of the spoon in his mouth. Launching slightly, Phillipe swallowed but then hurriedly covered his mouth as he began to cough. “It is quite rich!” Phillipe wheezed, doing his best to smile in spite of his coughing.

“Isn’t it though?” Markus chuckled, “Peabody says it’s the raw material the sugar is made from, it's the sap from a special breed of tree.”

“I heard...something...of that...nature...as well,” Phillipe agreed weakly, gulping saliva to try and clear his throat.

Maud joined them shortly afterwards and fared much better than Phillipe, downing the entire jug in one long pull before turning her attention to the small pot of stew and a large loaf of bread.

“I don’t think I have ever been that hungry...” Phillipe muttered in awe of her prodigious appetite.

“Well...” Markus scratched his chin and consulted his tablet, “If my preliminary readings are correct, she is roughly level forty-five to fifty by Guild measuring standards-”

“WHAT?!” Phillipe demanded, his eyes wide with surprise.

“It’s the method of saturation,” Markus continued, “It’s a lower dose, I assume, but over a much longer period of time. The whole design of the artifice is intended to saturate as many of the tiny crystals in the bones as possible, triggering the conversion, or perhaps mutation, of those crystals to hold larger amounts of said mana.”

“Level fifty?!” Phillipe demanded, apparently not listening to Markus’s explanation.

“Yes,” Markus agreed with a sigh, “Roughly level fifty.”

Maud stopped eating and looked first at Phillipe and then at Markus, “Is something wrong?”

“Phillipe is just reacting to the news of your...” Markus struggled to find an appropriate word, “Significant elevation in strength? He expected your progress to be at the beginner level, but you are currently approximately in the intermediate level.”

“Intermediate level?” Maud asked, seeming somewhat more confused than earlier.

“The mana of Adventurers increases in volume as they defeat dungeons,” Markus explained patiently, “Roughly speaking, you can consider each level a new tier of strength. In this instance, since you have the mana of a Warrior, it is quite literal. A level two Warrior with the strength specialisation can either maintain a strength the same as a level one Warrior for twice as long, or twice the strength with the same duration. I assume the toughness specialisation functions similarly, but I don’t have much knowledge on that subject.”

“So...I am an intermediate then?” Maud asked, sounding somewhat awed before contritely coming to her senses, “Lady Hilda...What level is she?” Maud’s cheeks flushed self consciously, but she determinedly maintained eye contact.

“Master,” Markus replied casually, not particularly surprised by the question, “I artificially progressed her level in a similar manner to how I have given you yours, more or less. Although, the artifice is certainly more efficient in terms of reducing wastage.”

“Will I be able to have that treatment as well?” Maud pressed, “To see if it works or whatever for your tests?”

Markus resisted the urge to react poorly, “That is part of the overall plan, yes,” he agreed.

Determining the potential of artificially created Warriors was important, which meant testing was a given. In fact, Markus needed more test subjects in order to confirm that the first results weren’t just a matter of happenstance.

“Markus...I know I said it was impressive when you boosted Hilda’s level with a simple enchantment...But level fifty? This is something else entirely!” Phillipe exclaimed with a mixture of excitement and dread, “You could create the largest and most powerful fighting force the world has ever seen!”

“Handing out power like that on a large scale...It’s irresponsible,” Markus replied dryly, “I would rather have an army a hundredth of that size and composed of those I can trust to use that power with some guaranteed level of responsibility. Besides, my golems are better anyway.”

“How do you figure?” Phillipe asked, genuinely surprised by Markus’s conviction, “I thought your golems were only able to fight around level fifty Warrior opponents before running out of mana?”

“Sure, but it’s a matter of mana storage, not a matter of ability. All I have to do is increase their supply of mana, and the golem’s long-term combat capabilities will increase roughly by the same degree,” Markus replied confidently, “But providing that much mana on short notice or long term has its own drawbacks. There is a reason why I only have so many golems active in the first place.”

Phillipe slowly nodded in understanding, “The population ratio, you have spoken of it before.”

Markus smiled and nodded in agreement. Phillipe was one of the few people who knew of the mana harvesting taking place using slimes. While Arngier was capable of supporting roughly five hundred or so golems at its current human population, that figure did not account for more active mana expenditure from combat or manual labour duties. Most of the work in the town was left to the human and chimaeras labour force, but certain activities still required a golem in order to reduce inordinately high risks of injury or death.

The subject also reminded Markus of a recent request made by Peabody. The golem wanted to know if it would be possible to house a small slime inside of each golem. Combined with an entry and exit tube, the golems would be able to renew their mana stores even while operating outside of the range of Mana Storage Crystals or the slowly expanding network of Mana Transference Pylons being built between the major cities of the continent.

The proposed introduction of the slime gave Markus ideas for an altogether different line of experimentation. According to Leona’s latest reports, Cara had stopped speaking beyond monosyllabic replies. So, with the prospect of more traditional Guardians seemingly off the table, Markus wondered if he could combine the slimes and golems to accomplish something similar.

Theoretically, one of the thicker skinned and far less acidic slimes from his original experiments could serve to provide the flesh and organs. Similarly, a golem could provide the internal structure to support the synthetic flesh and provide an enforced template for the amalgam’s final form. Assuming the proposed fusion was successful, it would open all manner of possibilities for future golems.

Beyond increasing their ability to sustain themselves, it was possible that the golems might become far less resource-intensive to create. Doubtless, the amalgams internals would require more time and skill to manufacture than the current golems, but it was nothing the golems in the fabrication workshop wouldn’t be able to handle.

In fact, Markus was curious if he could apply the same general method to the skeleton of a deceased animal. As ghoulish as the prospect may be, the crystals naturally found within the bones of humans and animals would provide minor additional mana storage. Using existing bones would also dramatically reduce production time, assuming an efficient method for reconnecting the bones and mimicking joints could be developed.

Content with leaving the dead be, for the time being at least, Markus considered how best to mimic nature and better ensure the success of the experiment. After a few minutes, he settled on introducing finely ground quartzite to the lacquer or varnish used to seal the wooden parts of the golems.

Markus hoped that the introduction of the crystal conduit would allow the projected body created from mana to apply itself more efficiently. Assuming the experiment worked at all. If it didn’t, then there was going to be a very shiny and strange-looking golem working in the workshop.

After sketching out some rudimentary adjustments Markus added a note to consult the tinkers for the methods they had used when constructing Peabody’s body. Assuming the overall experiment worked, the amalgam golem would have a much easier time fitting in if its mouth could move and was capable of blinking on command.

Sending the work order to the golems, Markus felt a little embarrassed for ignoring Phillipe, not that Phillipe seemed to mind.

“Another flash of inspiration?” Phillipe asked with a knowing smirk.

“Something like that,” Markus agreed, trying to decide whether he would come clean about Peabody’s true identity and by extension the possible new line of amalgam golems.

On the one hand, Markus felt somewhat bad for omitting the truth from Phillipe, especially considering he was one of his few friends. However, the same principles would demand coming clean about everything, and Markus wasn’t sure he or Phillipe were prepared for that just yet. Worse, Markus was worried Phillipe might try to talk him out of his more esoteric experiments.

Unlike Aela, Phillipe had established interests that did not necessarily overlap with Markus’s own. Phillipe’s family was one such area of potential interest that was as likely to strain their friendship as not. From a purely objective analysis, Markus was keenly aware that he had given Phillipe far more than the Fire Mage had managed to offer in return thus far. Worse still, family was as much of a weakness for Phillipe as it was for Markus himself.

All things considered, Markus was not looking forward to the day Phillipe would ask for something Markus was not willing to give. His only consolation was that Phillipe seemed just as aware of the imbalance in their relationship as Markus was and was doing his best not to burden their friendship further without offering something in return.

“Ahem...” Phillipe cleared his throat and leaned in closer, “Have you and Aela had any luck?” He asked quietly, doing his best to prevent Maud from overhearing.

Markus slowly shook his head, “Not yet...But there are still other potential treatments...” He replied while trying not to sound as defeated as he otherwise felt.

“If you want to talk about it-” Phillipe began to offer but was abruptly cut short as Hilda and Aela entered the dining room.

Hilda and Aela each made a point of sitting beside their respective partners, the former drenched in sweat while the latter seemed quite flushed.

It was one of the many curiosities of Aela’s unique biology. She did not perspire nearly as much as a regular human, but she also didn’t need to. With Hilda’s own state of severe exhaustion as a comparison, it was safe to assume that by the time Aela’s lack of cooling efficiency became an issue, her competition would already be in dire straits themselves.

“Hey you!” Aela leaned in close and flicked her tongue playfully past Markus’s ear before affectionately kissing his cheek.

Setting his problems aside, Markus smiled and kissed Aela back, “Had enough fun outside?” He teased, nodding his head at the light perspiration wetting her neck and the pits of her tunic.

Aela snorted and pointed an accusing finger at Hilda, “She, demanded a lunch break and-” She interlocked the fingers of both hands together and rested her cheek against the back of her hand in a mockery of a damsel in distress. Or so Markus assumed by context. “-a chance to bathe and be rid of all this foul sweat!” Making a point of raising her voice a few octaves for comedic effect, Aela’s efforts did not go unappreciated.

“I didn’t say it like that...” Hilda grumbled defensively, “And I don’t smell foul...”

“You smell flowers!” Phillipe agreed supportively.

Markus and Aela shared a brief look with one another as they silently smirked at Phillipe's shaky grasp on the northern tongue.

Despite her obvious hunger, Maud had stopped eating and now appeared quite nervous.

“Who is she?” Aela asked quietly with a combination of curiosity and mild jealousy, nodding her head towards Maud.

“Hrm? Oh, she is just one of Sigrun’s soldiers that volunteered for an experiment” Markus reassured her, deliberately avoiding using Maud’s name to avoid inciting further potential jealousy.

“What kind of experiment?” Aela asked somewhat suspiciously.

Markus grinned, “Making Warriors using Hilda’s donated mana.”

Aela blinked and stared uncomprehendingly at him for a few moments before turning to look at Maud, “And it worked?” She asked warily.

“We are waiting to see if that’s the case,” Markus hedged, “But mana saturation levels are showing that she is potentially a level fifty Warrior.”

Aela’s eyes widened for a moment before narrowing dangerously, “You should have told me if you were going to do something like this!” She hissed, turning most of her attention back to Markus, “Are you sure you can trust her? What if something had gone wrong? Who would have kept you safe?!”

Markus repressed the urge to be offended since objectively Aela was correct, “I had Hector with me,” he nodded his head towards the door and the silent hulking form of Hector looming in the shadows.

Aela’s eyes narrowed slightly further, her pupils darting briefly towards the golem and then back to Markus, “You still should have told me,” Aela insisted quietly, “The golems don’t always intervene...” There was an undertone of guilt in both her expression and voice. A grim reminder of when both she and the golems had stood by while Svala had had very nearly throttled him to death, twice.

Markus still wasn’t sure why the golems had not intervened directly when he was threatened like that. His prevailing theory was that the golems did not truly believe he was in danger. Although it left a bitter taste in Markus's mouth, it would explain Hector’s escalated response in the second altercation.

There was the possibility that the golems had restrained themselves to prevent the situation from escalating and potentially harming Arlee. The fact that Markus had placed her higher on the list of Protected Persons would excuse the golems' behaviour, but he wasn’t convinced it had been a deciding factor.

The golems were learning, just as Markus had intended them to. If they obeyed orders to the letter, then Markus and Aela would rarely have an intimate moment together. Although, even if that were the case, they would still be superior to the golems created for the Adventurer Guild.

The comparison to the Guild’s golems teased a subject that had been bothering Markus for the better part of a week. It was a well-known fact that Guild golems would become controlled by the dungeons or go berserk if they entered a dungeon. However, with his recent discovery that dungeon cores were located on other worlds, and that portals had no observable effects on his golems, Markus suspected that it was the dungeon cores that were responsible for causing Guild golems to go rogue.

Having already dedicated so much time studying the designs of the Guild golems enchantments, Markus was fairly confident that the bloated, inflexible and otherwise primitive command enchantments were responsible. Rigidly obedient to their extensive list of binary commands, the golems were not remotely sentient and would attempt to fulfil the most relevant command without any true thought.

Given that there were no records of dungeons altering enchantments on equipment, and that Markus had not witnessed such a thing himself, he was inclined to believe that the dungeon cores were manipulating the mana itself to alter the golems' commands. Ultimately, only one command truly needed to be changed in order for a golem to go berserk, the command dictating what qualifies as an enemy.

Without immediate access to the incident reports, Markus couldn’t be certain, but he was increasingly confident that subverting that command was responsible. With that in mind, Markus wondered how resilient his own golems would prove against that same subversion. Technically, their genuine intelligence and sentience SHOULD act as a buffer, or at least an early warning, but Markus had no way of knowing without testing the theory.

“Markus...” Aela gave him a light shove, “Are you listening?”

“Sorry,” Markus deflated somewhat and apologised, “I was thinking about golems and the dungeon cores-”

“Yiva told me that there have been humans asking to live alongside the chimaeras in the north of the town,” Aela explained with a hint of annoyance in her tone, most likely from having to repeat herself.

“Really?” Markus asked, more than a little surprised.

Aela nodded.

“Is it because they feel safer?” Markus continued, “I mean, the monsters aren’t really a problem, but having a chimaera for a neighbour would make me feel a great deal safer if worse came to-”

“They are all men,” Aela interrupted, her cheeks growing a shade pinker as she struggled to maintain eye contact.

“All men?” Markus didn’t see why that was particularly relevant. A large number of colonists were single, and roughly half of them were men.

Aela nodded, her cheeks turning rosy red.

“Is that a problem?” Markus was confused and the intellectual whiplash of switching from his original train of thought wasn’t helping.

“Ahem,” Phillipe made a deliberate show of clearing his throat, “Markus? I think what Aela is trying to say is that these particular individuals are inclined towards your particular preferences?”

Aela nodded.

“Artificing?” Markus immediately knew that it was the wrong answer, “Wait...” His eyes widened in shock and his own cheeks began to flush, “You mean they-”

“Prefer powerful women?” Phillipe offered with an amused smirk.

“I am surprised you didn’t know,” Hilda commented, “I thought you would have known about the society?”

“Society?” Aela seemed just as confused as Markus.

Hilda nodded, “Some think of it as more of a cult, but it doesn’t have any religious connections so far as I am aware?” She looked to Phillipe for confirmation.

“Not a cult,” he agreed, “Well, not a religious one anyway. Although, the poets do say that-”

“Poets, ugh,“ Hilda rolled her eyes and sighed, “They could muse about the divinity of rutting all day if you let them, and I bet most of them do anyway!”

“There are a large number of poets amongst the society’s members,” Phillipe snickered in amusement, “Or so they say.”

“It’s not very surprising that they would come here,” Hilda added thoughtfully, “You might not be a member, but the open relationship you have with Aela-”

“Open relationship?” Aela frowned and narrowed her eyes dangerously at Markus.

“Was that not the right word?” Hilda asked, suddenly quite flustered.

“She meant that your relationship isn’t hidden in any way,” Phillipe explained, resting a hand supportively on Hilda's forearm and giving her a brief squeeze.

“Oh...” Aela relaxed almost immediately before frowning again, “You know, it’s your fault I am overreacting!” She accused Hilda, “If you hadn’t said those things earlier-”

“I was trying to distract you!” Hilda declared defensively, “We have been over this! I don’t find Markus attractive!”

Markus made no outward reaction to the statement but winced internally from the blow to his self-esteem. He had no romantic thoughts regarding Hilda, yet it still stung to hear something like that proclaimed so fervently.

“Wait...What was she saying exactly?” Phillipe asked, apparently thoroughly amused by the shift in topic.

Hilda tried to shrink down into her chair, but she was far too large to accomplish much beyond slouching her shoulders.

Aela narrowed her eyes at Hilda, “She said-”

“Aela no!” Hilda interrupted, “You say it, and I’ll tell Markus what you said!”

Aela seemed confused, “Huh?”

“Now I definitely want to know!” Phillipe insisted with exaggerated seriousness.

“What’s so embarrassing?” Aela challenged, “I said I would bite it off,” she opened her mouth wide to reveal her teeth and then slammed her jaws shut.

Phillipe nearly jumped out of his seat, his face as white as a sheet, “You know, sometimes, things are better left unsaid. For the sake of friendship...”

“Oh...” Hilda mumbled to herself and nodded, “That makes more sense...”

Maud’s chair hitting the floor shifted everyone's attention to the far end of the table.

“Um! Lady Hilda!” Maud looked incredibly nervous, “It is an imposition, but would you agree to train me to be a Warrior like you?!”

“Like me?” Hilda just stared back at Maud for a few moments seeming to recover her wits, “Uh, alright. Aela and I are taking a break for lunch, and I want to spend some time with Phillipe before training again. So after that, I guess we can train together?”

“Really?!” Maud pumped her fists in triumph.

“So long as you have regenerated enough mana,” Markus interjected sternly, not wanting to lose the opportunity to test the results of his experiment or have the participant ruin the experiment through recklessness.

That was all the motivation Maud needed to begin eating in earnest. Although at the rate she was eating, and drinking the syrup, Markus was inclined to believe Maud would enter a food coma long before her training session with Hilda.

Assigning a golem to keep an eye on her, Markus slipped away with Aela so they could visit Yiva and try to find out more about the men wanting to live amongst the chimaeras.

“It doesn’t make sense...” Aela sighed exasperatedly.

“Hrm?” Markus stopped his musings and gave Aela his full attention.

“I mean, if they like chimaeras, in that way...Why haven’t I heard of them?” Aela asked awkwardly, “That isn’t the sort of thing I thought I wouldn’t know about...”

“Is it?” Markus wasn’t so sure he understood.

“Well...With chimaeras always needing coins for bribes, and those weirdos having an exploitable fetish...” Aela gave Markus a weighty look before returning her attention to the road.

“Oh...” Markus’s cheeks flushed and he began to reconsider whether he wanted to find out more about the society of chimaera fetishists. “Maybe their interest is more...genuine?” Markus suggested, “Romantic rather than just carnal?”

Aela smiled faintly, snorted and shook her head.

Feeling even more embarrassed, Markus decided to remain silent for the rest of their walk.

Boisterous as ever, Markus heard the chimaera children playing within the confines of the nursery long before he saw them. He also couldn’t help but notice Aela’s tail was wagging in anticipation. Markus was keenly aware that playing with the children was often the high point of her day, and that she was likely to become quite sullen after leaving.

Yiva was expecting them and waiting by the front gate to the nursery alongside Mjoln and one of her daughters Markus was not familiar with. They all seemed quite relieved by Markus’s arrival.

“Markus, Aela, please come in, come in!“ Yiva insisted with a smile, waving back her two children to make room to pass through the gateway.

“Is something wrong?” Aela asked bluntly, “Are those humans causing trouble?”

Yiva smiled wryly and shook her head while shepherding them both through the gate, “Not as such, no. But they are quite persistent. The clan leaders want to know Markus’s opinion on them before making any decisions,” she explained.

“Why?” Markus asked curiously, “I mean, I guess I am the King, but I would have thought chimaeras wouldn’t exactly be thrilled at the prospect of human neighbours.”

Still maintaining her wry smile, Yiva nodded and thoughtfully ran her fingers through her goatee, “That’s true enough on both counts,” she agreed, “But they still want to know your intentions first.”

Markus frowned slightly, “I thought you said they wanted my opinion?”

“Again, it is a combination of both,” Yiva explained apologetically.

“Why?” Aela interjected, obviously sharing Markus’s own concerns.

“Because they want to see what Markus will do, and they want everyone else to see it as well,” Yiva explained apologetically, “The Shoal Prowlers are amiable enough, but the Crag Haunters are skittish enough as it is, and the rationing of fertility treatments is being used by Grisha and his kin to stir trouble.”

“So I’m a political scapegoat,” Markus reasoned, “Worst case scenario, the clan leaders shift the blame to me. Is that it?”

Yiva didn’t reply, but her silence was confirmation enough.

Aela scowled, “Those ungrateful mangy flea-ridden pieces of shit!” She clenched her fists and lashed her tail irritably, “And you just know that the moment the Iron Skulls show up, Grisha and his bastards will be first in line for a handout!”

Assuming the Iron Skulls’ were the ursine-blooded clan of chimaeras. It was entirely possible that Aela was correct in assuming he would attempt to claim fertility treatments intended as welcoming gifts for the wider clan.

“Yiva...I only found out about these people less than an hour ago...Right now, you know more about them than I do. It’s not exactly practical to expect me to have a real opinion of them or what to do with them,” Markus was a little annoyed at the clan leaders scapegoating him like this without so much as a warning or consulting him first.

Yiva shrugged apologetically, “Life isn’t fair.”

“Thanks...” Markus replied flatly, somewhat hurt by Yiva’s uncharacteristic lack of concern or empathy. “Have you met them? Or know anything about them that might be relevant?” He asked, shifting his thoughts to avoid dealing with the uncomfortable emotions.

“Not personally, but I have learned more about them in response to their earlier visits,” Yiva admitted, “Not all of it is...I don’t know if bad is the right word...Certainly Strange...” She mused uncertainty, “They are odd, but not malicious. When they were asked to leave, they did so without complaint. By all accounts, except one, they have been respectful and courteous-”

“An exception?” Aela interjected suspiciously.

“Well...” Yiva shifted uncomfortably and seemed genuinely reluctant to speak further, “A young man has been making advances towards one of Fluer’s brood...And he hasn’t taken Fluer’s refusal as seriously as he should, I think...Fluer is not very good with the northern tongue when she is upset, and my southern is-”

“Fluer is?” Markus interrupted, having no frame of reference for who the chimaera in question was.

“Fluer? Oh! Of course! Silly me. Fluer is one of the Shoal Prowlers clan that arrived a few days ago,” Yiva explained happily.

“Otters,” Aela added for Markus’s benefit, “Relatives of Skien and Strida.”

Vaguely recalling whiskers, and webbed hands and feet, Markus nodded to show he generally understood who she was talking about.

“Yes, well, the young man is apparently quite enamoured with Fluer’s youngest, Zoe,” Yiva continued, “And less biassed observers suggest it might be mutual, but Fluer is doing her best to quell such talk, of course.”

“Because courting a human would be wrong?” Markus asked, unsure how he would react depending on the answer.

“Because Fluer wants grandchildren,” Yiva corrected, giving Markus a weighty look as she did so.

Feeling an immense weight settle on his shoulders, Markus now understood why the clan leaders wanted to sit back and see what he would do. It was because of who he was, but also who he was with. Markus’s relationship with Aela was obviously having further-reaching effects than he otherwise realised, and so was their ambiguous state of conception.

Markus understood that from the chimaeras' perspective, he had already demonstrated the ability to reverse bareness and infertility through artifice and enchantments. So it was not that much of a stretch to also assume that the chimaeras believed he was capable of bridging the species gap through similar means. The fact that Markus had not yet managed to find a solution was largely irrelevant since they had no way of knowing that.

Of course, there was always another option in the meantime, assuming the society member was willing to accept a certain degree of risk...

“Markus?” Aela asked warily, “What are you thinking?”

“Honestly?” Markus asked uncertainty, “Whether or not acting on this opportunity is a good idea.”

“Opportunity?” Aela seemed markedly more interested, “You mean,” she lowered her voice and leaned closer, a hopeful look in her eyes, “Testing more of your experimental treatments?”

Markus blushed, “Kind of...” He admitted. Although it was largely up to which, if any, experimental treatments the young man in question agreed to participate in.

Aela grinned, a hint of mania flashing in her eyes, “Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s track this crazy guy down already! Daylight is wasting!” She grabbed Markus’s hand and began leading him straight back out the gate again.

“They are camped on the west side!” Mjoln called out after them helpfully.

With Aela taking the lead, it didn’t take long for the much smaller encampment to come into view. Comprising roughly a dozen or so tents, it was nothing compared to the hundreds of partially constructed brick houses and temporary lodgings made of processed timber and canvas. All the same, the tents were set in neat rows and wooden shingles had been set into the ground to reduce the deterioration of the pathways between the tents.

Just like the chimaeras in the northside of the town and the humans in the south, the society also had its own watchmen keeping a lookout. With advance warning of their arrival, a small gathering of society members were waiting for them by the time Markus and Aela arrived at the outskirts of their camp.

Unsure of what he had expected, Markus was still surprised to find well dressed and immaculately groomed men and even a few women amongst the crowd. Although he could not be certain of their exact age, most appeared to be in their mid-twenties or thirties, but a few grey-haired men in finer clothing stood out somewhat from the others.

One of the older well-dressed men stepped forward and bowed low, “Majesty! You honour us with your presence! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”

The other male society members bowed respectfully while the women did their best to curtsy.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Markus cleared his throat to give himself a moment to think.

“One of you has been bothering the Shoal Prowlers,” Aela declared impatiently, “Which one of you is it?” She scanned the small crowd, her attention lingering on the younger men.

The older man who had spoken already grew visibly nervous, “Majesty, I beg your pardon! Adam has already been given a stern-”

“It was me,” one of the young men interjected while pushing his way forward through the crowd. On the taller side, with short dark hair and eyes, he didn’t look much older than sixteen.

Aela’s eyes locked onto Adam immediately, “Come with us,” she ordered sternly.

“Majesty! Please!” The older man took a half step towards Markus before a rumbling growl from Hector stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Adam isn’t going to be punished, as such,” Markus reassured the man, hedging his answer slightly to accommodate for the potentially painful nature of the experiments. “Providing he is willing to explain himself and indulge a proposal as penitence. I want to be clear, harassment of chimaeras will not be tolerated in my territory.”

The older man seemed uncertain of what he should do and watched worriedly as Adam obediently, if somewhat defiantly, obeyed Aela’s order and waited a few strides to the side. However, Adam’s defiance evaporated under Hector’s relentless and intimidating glare.

Feeling somewhat bad for the youth, Markus turned his attention back to the older man, “I want to know more about this society of yours as well, so you may accompany Adam if you wish.”

The older man and Adam both seemed profoundly relieved at the invitation.

“Thank you, Majesty!” The older man bowed low again before rising, “In truth, Adam is my nephew, his actions are my responsibility!”

“And your name is?” Aela asked suspiciously.

The older man looked stunned for a moment before slapping his forehead and bowing again, “Forgive me for my rudeness! In my excitement, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Holt, Majesty! Adam is my younger sister Narissa’s third son.”

“Hector?” Markus looked to the golem for confirmation.

“Registered to the port city of Rivier, no criminal record. Last known employment, ledger man for the Golden Sail merchant interest,” Hector replied dispassionately before returning its attention to Adam, “Registered to the same port city, has two counts of incitement on record, both cases were dropped. Last known employment, not found.”

Adam shifted uncomfortably under the added scrutiny before his uncle raised his hands placatingly, the motion immediately redirecting the golem’s attention.

Holt insisted weakly, perhaps believing that Adam’s punishment would be made more severe due to his criminal record, “Majesty, please, I can explain everything...”