Maturation 12

October 28th, 2032.

“How is the design for the airframe coming along?” I asked Hakim on the g-speaker, hopping back and forth across a road.

“We’re making it out of inox steel, experimenting with spells and magic tools modeled after human technology.”

“It's not that new outside welding, you already had many of the same tools didn't you?” Calafia was already in the midst of an industrial revolution, and had been for the last thirty years or so.

“But many of those tools and spells were under the control of certain witch circles and businesses. Human tools give us specific goals when it comes to useful spells, and glyphs can be used to figure out specific spells without blind casting.” Hakim explained, and I heard the sound of grinding and whirring in the background.

“I suppose having an entirely symbolic language makes it easier to map out a spell huh?” Most witches had to use their own senses, as well as their understanding of magical theory to invent new spells. “So even though witches don't need glyphs, it's still a useful research tool.”

It was a perfect set of tools for testing out spells, and I hadn't even fully comprehended that.

“My family is working with the El-Baz clan, who are in turn working with other Maker clans in Caudalann. Like the Gowan and Jibil clans.”

“Aren't there nine different Maker clans?” I asked, remembering how clans in this kingdom had a very particular function and duty.

They were administrators, trustees with legal and ethical obligations over a particular region, and often specializing in a certain Craft or set of Crafts. They didn't just sit around doing nothing, they had civic duties when it came to the law of the land.

“Which is why we’re so swamped with work, we've got Makers from all over the kingdom giving us calls on our new creations.”

“Wait, but don't Making services make up like one-third of the workforce?”

“Yes, they do.” I could hear the strain in his voice, a low haunting whine at the edge of my hearing.

Oh boy…

“Should I apologize?”

“Never.” Was his immediate reply. “You've given me so many ideas, and this ship is really coming together. I've got shipbuilders showing me how to craft their engines, and working on integrating our magic core into a standard propulsion system.”

“Good,” I nodded as my magical phone gripped my face. “Keep me posted, I want to get my own hands on our project. I am a very handy and crafty lady.”

There was an explosion on the line.

“Gotta go! By the nine hells, what are you two doing?” I heard him cursing out people and the call dropped seconds after.

“Guess his dad’s new apprentices are proving to be kinda reckless,” I said without a hint of irony.

No siree I was no hypocrite. Totally.

My g-speaker hid away in my hair, and I was able to focus on a commotion off in a shadowed corner of all places. A set of voices, all varying mixes of angry, indignant, and smug blending together into a loud annoying mix.

I had a feeling I wasn't going to like this.

I squared my shoulders, following the sound, and casting a potent defensive spell, layering in the law of the Gray.

I skipped across the road, and into an alley where I was presented with an interesting sight.

Ajani being cornered by a total of three thuggish individuals, ones I vaguely recalled being visitors from the other taifa. From Pedicles I believed?

My memory wasn't flawless and there had been a ton of visitors coming to pay tribute or to open up trade with a powerful kingdom now free of their oldest enemy.

“Oy, what's a fancy little gob like you doing so far west?” The leader of the trio, a witch with slick black hair and light skin sneered. “Shouldn't you all be busy whoring yourselves out to the great Lords of Taglaz? Or have you decided to find a new mark?”

Anger made its way into my mind, my body hearing in reaction and muscles tensing in wait. To my surprise Ajani didn't respond, eyes simply narrowing at the approach of the thugs.

The leader snorted. “Hey, I'm talking to you, or are you too stuck up when you've got your Lords covering for you!”

He pushed Ajani with a vicious, violent intent which was when all hell broke loose.

The world exploded in a burst of fractal barriers, reality distorting as layers upon layers of wards were summoned. All three thugs were tossed into the ground, Ajani stepping forward with fury in his eyes.

“What—” The leader was cut off as more barriers manifested, reshaping themselves into sharp geometric patterns.

“So you don't like being on the other end of your little game huh?” I shivered at the coldness in Ajani’s voice, at the click of his tusks grinding together.

I could see how he had expertly carved lines of execution, of boundaries set within weaves of power. The bubble expanded, until it slammed into the buildings on both sides, enough to leave cracks in stone.

“You made a mistake.” Ajani hissed like he was aching to release years of frustration.

I was frozen in indecision.

Without hesitation he bound the three in magical chains, cuts forming where the spectral light bit into flesh. The buildings on both sides trembled and groaned, as the bubble shook and screamed.

Enough.

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I whirled my hand in a circular motion, drawing out as much power from the void as I could.

Negate.

The world faded into grays and muted hues, and every flicker of magic and power ceased to be. The three thugs fell to the ground, and Ajani looked pained.

“Ajani,” I called out.

The goblin in question scowled. “Oh, you.”

I sighed. “Yeah, me.”

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“Could you tell me exactly what you were thinking, going that far?” I asked Ajani, more confused than anything else.

“So you'd prefer I didn't retaliate?” Ajani snarked.

I rolled my eyes. “I'm not going to espouse pacifism to you. But I will be concerned for a friend who loses himself in his desire for revenge.”

And it wasn't for the sake of morality, I wasn't a good enough person for that. But when it came to revenge, a knife was often better than a hammer. He had his attackers at his mercy and had proceeded to batter and terrorize them.

That wasn't healthy, and his magic had been inches from collapsing the buildings around him. His chains had torn open skin, and broken bone and battered flesh in his rage.

I had no real sympathy for the bastards harassing him, but I wasn't going to give my friends a free pass to be exceedingly brutal. That was a path I didn't want to follow, one I refused to let them go down.

Not when it wasn't necessary.

“So you're saying we need to be needlessly nice to our enemies?” He snarled, bitterness in his eyes.

I stared at him. “Can you honestly and truly tell me your response was just because of what they said? Can you tell me you're capable of not sinking so deep into them-versus-us that you lose all signs of objectivity or restraint?”

“You don't know me.” He said.

“I don't, but I do know you were seconds away from destroying two buildings and killing dozens in a fight against three people.” I enjoyed the flinch at my response, lowering my gaze. “I honestly couldn't care less for those three, but the fact is. They aren't the problem, and you're wasting your energy on a fight that won't change things.”

Crippling three thugs wasn't going to take down the system that enabled them, wasn't going to erase the decades if not centuries of history backing their ways.

She had taught me history, the patterns of humanity, the corpses of nations and empires offering kernels of truth.

“Well, what would you have done?” Ajani asked, almost demanded even.

“I can literally freeze them in place. You literally had barriers and chains at the ready, you had the means to keep them down and decided to play at being brutal.” Again it wasn't for moral reasons, self-defense is self-defense but its not carte blanche to torture people.

Which was very much something that didn't work, it was purely just a form of self-satisfaction.

“You're not from here, you don't understand a thing.” He deflected with a frown.

“One I talk with other people like my friends and Ultima, and while they're certainly harsher than people back home… I don't see Althea crippling people.” That a nine-foot werewolf was showing more restraint than a four-foot goblin was a very bad sign.

Ajani sighed. “What do you know of Taglaz?”

“I know it's a larger segment of Calafia’s Tail, about thirty thousand square kilometers divided between fourteen taifa. Its noble-commoner system is far more elaborate, consisting of a great deal of hereditary positions connected to the land.”

“Some would say it is a land of the elements of Earth instead of Fire,” Ajani said.

“I’d say it's a simplification, the modern system is a result of fusion and syncretism of several different systems passed down from the old elemental nations. Bands, tribes, houses, and clans. Society is complicated and will continue to grow more complicated.”

“You've done your research.” He noted.

“Arali is a smart kid,” I said with pride. “But even he doesn't know everything so talk to me, and tell me what you see on your end.”

He looked puzzled. “Umm…”

I rolled my eyes. “You made it very obvious you're from Taglaz, so talk to me on why Taglaz goblins get talked to like that.”

“Goblins from Taglaz have a very bad reputation,” he said with a grimace. “As you know the nobility of Taglaz is far more… decadent than Danab, and treacherous. So the nobles make use of goblins as elite guards and servants, using their understanding of the Hollows as an incentive.”

Oh, oh boy.

“Wouldn't that mean they could use their knowledge against the goblins?” I asked, uncertain of this relationship.

“They could, but they won't because they give goblins exactly what they want even as they overexploit our homes.” There was bitterness and old rage in his voice. “They even elevate some of us to nobility, and purposely divide us from the other folk. Purposely breeding resentment.”

Elevating people to nobility was rare outside of Danab, even if the number of nobles was about the same in both over-kingdoms. Then…

“Your kingdom sucks,” I said without hesitation.

He laughed. “And your world is so great?”

“Nope.” I chirped with a frozen smile. “Seems like both our worlds have a lot of injustices to correct.

Ajani snorted, ears flicking in a display of amusement.

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“So is there anything else going on besides violence?” I asked Ajani as I adjusted my shirt.

“Well, I'm pretty sure I've seen half a dozen spies from High Corpus being kicked out or captured in the last week?” Ajani responded.

I blinked. “That's still going on?”

“High Corpus is the largest slave port in the region, and has been battling Caudalann on and off for generations,” Ajani pointed out with a sneer. “They're going to put far more effort into this, now that their enemy is freed up to bring down the flesh trade.”

“Especially with the law being that anyone who makes it their domain is freedfolk. Hell, most of their raids come down to freeing slaves all over the Titan.” Dinah had been happy to tell me stories of freeing slaves and butchering slavers and thrall-takers.

Which was unnerving, though she didn't seem to take much pleasure in killing. Like I said to Ajani, it was a matter of not losing yourself to the violence. This world was harsher and more violent than my home, but I wanted my friends to be… better to themselves if nothing else.

“How bad do you think this could get?” I asked, trying to move on from my self-analysis.

“High Corpus has a pretty sizable army, and can multiply their force with their Summoners. There's a reason the Chantry and the taifa haven't been able to bring them down.”

Is he implying this could lead to an outright war?

“Fuck.”

He nodded gravely. “I'll be honest and say I hope you're not there when it happens. I don't agree with you on a lot of things, but war… war is death.”

I smiled sadly. “I know.”

“I'll try to keep my temper in check, to be more disciplined.”

“I don't expect perfection, I've been reckless before too, and been burned. And the craft multiplies those burns.”

I sat there with Ajani, having found a nice spot on the shore where we could see the sunset shifting the sky from red to hues to blue and violet.

“I know…” He murmured, not elaborating.