A faint aura of fear essence approached from behind Aliera, causing goosebumps along her neck and sending shivers down her spine. 

She turned to face her next ‘training partner’, still surprised at the puppet standing before her. Six feet of obsidian steel armor with a claymore to match. The empty shell of a Death Knight pointed its blunted sword at her in a salute. Aliera, unarmed, simply nodded her head. Then turned and ran towards the raised garden beds to her right. 

The burst of speed gave her some vital space ahead of the suit of armor. It wouldn’t last. With each stride, the suit closed the gap. Aliera tapped into her mana battery, letting essence flow from the battery down her spine to her legs. Infused with essence, Aliera nearly fell on her face as she surged forward. 

Between a raised bed with various edible flowers and one with vines of True-Shrooms, Aliera cut the connection to her battery. She only had so much mana to use. Even if it was just a puppet, it would not be an easy win. She needed a plan. 

“You have three seconds before I send it in after you” Cim, Aliera’s trainer/ Guardian, called from the patio. His cat-eyes reflecting the dim light coming from the Ley-Lines overhead. “Sely will hiss if we wreck her garden.” 

His comment was more a threat than a warning. Sely managed the house and grounds with Cim. If they destroyed her garden, she would be livid. And considering that Cim was married to her, he had just as much at stake as Aliera. She took a deep breath, chose the least insane thought she had, and bolted directly away from the house towards the wall surrounding the estate. The animated suit of armor barreled after her as it closed the gap. Aliera cursed as she noticed its speed. Despite being an empty suit of armor, it weighed more than Aliera. The least Cim could do was make it slower than her. 

She needed time, and preferably space. A gauntleted hand reached for her throat- it’s a predator. It always went for the throat. Weaving under the arm, Aliera stepped in close. Close enough that it couldn’t bring its sword to bear. 

Close enough that she could smell the lingering scent of the body that used to inhabit this suit. Like rotting mold. They could never completely get rid of that smell. Sely tried for months. 

Aliera couldn’t beat it in any head-to-head contest, so she used its weight against it. She grabbed the arm and stepped behind the puppet. Using the arm as leverage, she wrenched it off balance. The Armor lost its balance and tipped awkwardly. Kinetic essence lighting up its limbs as Cim worked to regain proper balance for his puppet. 

Now if only there was something she could do with the slight advantage she’d won. The suit was stronger, faster, and operated by a far more experienced fighter. She is outclassed in every way. She wasn’t a little girl anymore, but even before the hollowed out husk of this monster, Aliera was hopeless. When the death knight attacked the estate 7 years ago, Aliera could only hide while it slaughtered the staff that tried to protect her. If Cely and Cim hadn’t arrived in time to kill it, she would have died as well. 7 years after the worst night of her life, and she was still as weak as ever. The hopelessness struck something inside her, an internal flame sparking to life. Outmatched, sure, not helpless. 

Stopping to face the suit as it lumbered forward in a charge. Boots pounding rivets in the dirt claymore raised over its head. Aliera reached for the projection crystal on her necklace and did some math. 

With a thought, her mana battery thrummed, a spark dancing between her shoulder blades as essence flowed from her battery to the projection crystal. 

First Eisens foundation. As she stepped aside, letting the armor charge past her, Aliera ran the formulae. The projection crystal mapping out her calculations in a series of angles and geometric patterns.

Running the equation was nearly effortless by now. The only variable for Eisens Foundation was how much Essence she would use. Aliera poured as much as she had stored in her Mana Battery, 2 Thaums.

Opalescent lines of light spilled out from Aliera’s projection crystal. Forming a base inches in front of the crystal. Like a spiderweb of sharp angles. 

Now the structure. Aliera tried to maneuver a tree between them to buy her some breathing space. The armor kicked dirt at her as it pivoted around the tree. Lines from the foundation streamed upwards, forking and joining at steady intervals as her projection took the shape of a staff. 

Running Aliera stumbled into the ‘orchard’. Having barely over a dozen trees there, it wasn’t a real orchard. Just what they called that area of the grounds. But there isn’t enough space for the suit to swing its sword, and that mattered to Aliera a great deal. She might actually get to finish her technique. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Aliera raked her eyes across the projection for flaws. If she’d made a mistake anywhere, all the essence she used would misfire. No room for careless errors. 

She’d performed this technique out of combat every day; and others more difficult. All flawlessly. She just had to make sure she didn’t miss something in the fight's chaos. The suit of armor aimed a kick at her, catching her on the side as she dodged aside. The force nearly knocked her off her feet. 

Retreating further, her projection finished, Aliera poured essence into the Formula. The Opalescent lines turned yellow as the essence filled the projection. The suit scrambled after her; Aliera could practically hear Cim growling from his chair on the patio. Focus on the formula, get it right. She spotted an angle that looked out of place near the top of the would-be staff. Is that supposed to be an obtuse angle? She didn’t have time to track its relation to the rest of the formulae. The projection was turning yellow inches below it. If that was a flaw, it would fail as soon as the essence reached it. With two thaums worth of essence, the technique won’t just fizzle.  

Out of time, the Suit got within striking range. Aliera sent a silent prayer and smoothed out the offending line. Making the projection symmetrical just before the section turned yellow. Then orange; then green. Pots, she cursed, watching the projection warp as her technique broke. That was the endpoint of a reinforcing component, she realized. She broke her own technique; again. 

Aliera could practically feel Cim’s pitying look from 20 feet away.   

He expected me to tilt this. She thought, but he won’t expect this. Aliera often lost; in training, in school, in politics, in life, really. But she always took a measure of pride in never making it easy for her opponent. Spite has its place. Aliera reached out to her projection; too late to stop the technique from failing; but not too late for her to influence in some small way. Like fracture a section of the circuit right in front of the suit of armor, for example. 

A bubble of essence formed around the fracture as the top third of the staff swelled out of proportion like a tumor growing on a vine. The Suit of armor faltered for the second it took for the technique to fail. The projection snapping with the sound of trumpets and ripped brass; an inconsistent chaos of light playing from the unraveled technique. 

The explosion blew the suit back off its feet and sent Aliera tumbling back. Rushes of pain hit her as she tumbled to a stop. She directed a larger portion of the blast with the fracture that she caused. But in the end, a failed projection with that much essence fueling it can’t be controlled or targeted. She just pointed a larger portion away from her. Considering the churned earth at the point of the explosion, it was a good thing she had done it, too. 

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It was truly evening now. The purple tinted light of the veil above gave the estate a melancholy feel. A silhouette approached Aliera, calling out as it walked, “If you’re alive, groan really loud.” 

Aliera sighed instead “I’m ok Cim, just knocked around a bit.” Cim came up to her and offered a hand, his feline eyes flashing in the low light. 

“Should I call the Elders to come heal you?” The Demi-human asked as he pulled Aliera to her feet. “We’re training to keep you alive. Letting you die would defeat the entire point.” 

Aliera leaned on Cim’s arm as she limped to the house. “I won’t argue with you there.” She said, “However, I am an architect, and I have some manna left in my battery. I’ll just circuit what I have left to speed up my healing.” 

Cim frowned, his whiskers drooping. “You know your father always told Sely, and me, it is better to heal naturally.” 

She stayed quiet as they crossed the garden. Wincing with each step. Aliera was quickly coming to terms with how risky detonating her projection was. But a collection of bumps and bruises would not make Aliera run to a healer. Neither would that ringing in her ears.

Aliera stopped at the sight of a stranger standing in the patio's light. He gave a half-hearted smile when her eyes met his. Several excuses not to talk to him ran through her mind. All hopeless.

Aliera was cold, hungry, tired and in pain. She had no energy to be polite. All that aside, she couldn’t risk alienating another member of the upper class. She needed friends and allies. She couldn't afford to be picky. For now, at least. 

Ignoring the pangs her muscles gave off, Aliera straightened and greeted the stranger. “Apologies that I could not welcome you at the door. I am Aliera Haedron”. 

The stranger responded with a nod. “Julius Forthin. I’m sorry, I realize watching you train without invitation is quite rude.” he said, at least having the sense to look abashed. “Honestly, my curiosity just got the best of me.” 

Aliera briefly considered if she could guilt him into coming back tomorrow when a towel engulfed her face. Followed a breath later by her godmother calling her from the kitchen. “Get cleaned up, dear. Julius is joining us for dinner”. Aliera scowled. Sely had deftly outmaneuvered her.  

Julius looked back “I am? I... uh I don’t want to impose...” he said as Sely glided out of the kitchen entrance to the patio. Aliera would never get used to how graceful her godmother was. Even other feline Demi-humans look like newborn foals compared to Sely. 

She gave the young man a warm smile. “It’s no problem. I’ve made plenty for dinner.” 

Julius opened his mouth as if to argue further when Sely pinned Julius with one of those looks that mothers have used since time began, and instead he ran his hand through his hair and said, “Well, I don’t want to impose. But it would be an honor to eat with you,” He said, nerves creeping through his voice. 

Aliera found herself somewhat curious. This Julius was clearly familiar with the customs of the nobles. But not comfortable with them by any means. What was he doing here?

A brisk breeze rolled across the patio, reminding Aliera that she was still in her training clothes. While not scandalous, it wouldn’t help her standing if it got out she entertained in such a state. “I’m going to get ready for dinner, if you’ll excuse me Julius,” she said, stepping past the young man into the house. 

Hiding a wince with a shrug, Aliera headed to her room up the stairs. Before she had gone more than a handful of steps, Sely called up to her. “When you’re done, please assist the Madam to the table.” 

Aliera paused on the stairs. “Has she been feeling better? I Wouldn’t want to take too much out of her?” 

Sely’s white tail swished, as if batting at an annoying kitten. “I believe she’ll insist either way.” Knowing that she wouldn’t get any clarification from Sely, Aliera headed upstairs. Wondering if she forgot some appointments. Between Julius joining for dinner, and Sely insisting that her Great Grandmother be brought to the table, dinner will surely have some significance. Aliera groaned to herself. She was in pain and rattled. She didn’t have the mind for anything except sleep and food. Let alone significance. 

How long could she last a hermit out in the mountains she wondered. 

Stepping into the Bathroom on the second floor, Aliera eyed the tub with longing. As much as she would love to soak and relax after the intense training, she couldn’t afford the time. 

Dropping her training clothes into a barrel, she slotted a small charge into a basket attached to the rim of the barrel. The quartz rectangle stood in the groove as the mana circuit pulled essence from the charge, a teal spark wavering inside the quartz as the essence flowed through the circuit. 

Aliera added some powdered Skymint to the water and flipped the lever attached to the inset box. A buzz built as the water in the barrel churned, washing her clothes. The smell of fresh mountain air filled the room thanks to the Skymint she’d added. Aliera took a deep breath, already feeling better. 

A sapphire in tin clamps over the sink released water essence into the basin as Aliera turned a gear to complete the circuit. After a few moments, the essence coalesced into actual water at the bottom of the basin. Splashing the room temperature water on her face, Aliera wondered how much the new circuits that the Haedron family had installed on their estates cost. She was grateful for what she had; being able to have clean water from a charged sapphire was a privilege that many didn’t have. Still, she admired the new water circuits for the magi-tech marvel they were. The way the new tools used a combination of circuits to not only conjure water but also could add heat and momentum was not only brilliant but luxurious. Of course she may be a Haedron by name, but Aliera knew she could never afford the amenities that her relatives did. 

Clean and washed, Aliera entered her room, debating what she should wear. Her comfortable night clothes were conspicuously missing. Instead, a functional dress with accompanying shawl laid on her bed.

She sighed at Sely’s attempt at a subtle suggestion. Picking it up, she regarded the dress. It was a wonderful choice, practical, well made, even flattering for Aliera’s short frame. Even considered past her prime, Sely is a beauty. Cim joked about how a hundred hearts broke the day he paired with her. Aliera believed him. Sely has always had an eye for style and a grace that almost was magnetic. Try as she might, Aliera’s GodMother could never transfer that same skill to Aliera. Her brother liked to say that Aliera had too much of their dad in her. 

Putting the dress back into the wardrobe, Aliera pulled out something that she’d at least feel slightly comfortable in; A blouse from the linen market with a nice open sleeve, and leather pants with panels of extra fabric that almost gave it an armored look. They wouldn’t do in actual combat, but Aliera felt more confident in them. Which, she supposed, was its own sort of armor. 

Stomach growling, Aliera knocked as she entered the downstairs bedroom that her great grandmother inhabited. Draped in a shawl and nightdress combo, the frail woman somehow evoked the memory of the structured gowns she wore decades ago. 

“Madam, Sely asked if you would like to join us for dinner.” She said as she walked into the room.

The old woman rolled her eyes as she moved out from under the blankets. “I told Sely to send you a child. I’m a cripple, not a vegetable,” she said, pulling herself to the edge of the bed. “Now bring that tilted chair over here. I haven’t had my dignity hurt yet today.” 

“Don’t say that gran, there’s no shame in getting help” Aliera pulled the wheelchair to the bed. Unhooking the quartz charges from the momentum circuit. Aliera could get them to the dining room with her own power. “Besides, you’re a hero. That means everything you do is dignified.” 

The old lady grunted in response, pulling on Aliera’s hand for help into the chair. “You look rather presentable, considering the ruckus I heard not twenty minutes ago.” The Madam said, laying a shaking hand on Aliera.

“Ha, you're kind gran. But I’m probably a bit too casual. Maybe I should have gone with the dress Sely put out after all,” Aliera replied. 

The Madam blew a raspberry. “You’re fine. Sely has always preferred dresses since she was a child. If I looked like her, I would too. Point is, if we expected the males to be presentable on a moment’s notice, no one could ever visit unexpectedly.” She said, legs twitching as she laughed. 

Aliera smiled to herself. She couldn’t remember any time from her childhood that her great-grandmother laughed. She was such a different person from the stern force of nature that she remembered as a child. 

Entering the dining room, Aliera nearly tripped as she saw two guests sitting at the table instead of one.

They’re multiplying.