“What is armor?” Suma wondered.

I thought for a moment about how to describe it. “It’s like a shield you can wear.”

“Oh,” Suma chirped, “like your clothes, are they a kind of armor? I do not think that will be enough, it did not do much against the noble’s attack after all.”

“No, clothes aren’t a kind of armor, at least not against anything more dangerous than sunburn. Good armor is usually some kind of metal affixed to leather or a durable cloth.” I thought for a moment, wondering how normal metal would fair against magic, then said, “But in all honesty, I don’t know if just metal will protect against magical attacks. What do your people do for stuff like that?”

“Well, I suppose we could embed it with runes, or if you want something higher quality we could have magic channels engraved in it, but that is difficult to maintain and expensive. Some Neame store their mana up for years to afford that, and it is usually only done for nobles who have the ability and time to maintain the equipment.” Suma told me as she waddled her head back and forth as she thought.

“Umm,” I began feeling a bit confused, “I recognize what runes are, sort of, but what are magic channels?”

“Have you ever heard of ley lines?” Suma asked.

“Kinda, I’m semi-familiar with them.” I said hesitantly.

“Magic channels are artificial ley lines carved into a nonliving object. It allows one to run their own magic through their weapons or equipment. Normally, it is used to reinforce structures against magical attacks, but it could be used for armor.” She explained.

“Okay so people put these channels into walls and stuff, then run magic into them to protect a building?” I asked.

“Exactly.” She stated.

“And how is that different from a rune? From what I know about them, they are basically the same thing.” I questioned.

“Well runes operate in a comparable way yes, but the main difference is customizability. Runes can be set into something, then all you must do is run mana through it and the desired effect will occur, but magic channels can be influenced to meet the circumstances. Imagine you have a house with runes engraved into the walls that repel fire. That is going to be useful if someone tries to burn it down, but useless if they launch a water-based attack. However, with magic channels, all that is needed is to manipulate the mana you are running through them, and it can take on the desired effect.”

“Okay, that makes sense. Sounds like magic channels are a lot better then.” I concluded.

“Well, yes and no. While they are more versatile, they are difficult to maintain and require several mages working in almost perfect unison to utilize. Runes are also cheaper and easy to replace if they get damaged.” She said.

“How would they get damaged?” I asked.

“Well, they are basically just scratches filled with mana infused clay or dyes. They could get hit by a stray magic bolt or even just accidentally wiped off.”

“Pretty fragile then.” I said.

“They can be, but really it depends on the skill and power of their creator. A skilled rune maker would produce higher quality and more durable runes, but of course they would charge more as well.” She said.

“Yeah, makes sense.” I agreed. “So, where could we find a rune maker?” I asked.

“I do not know,” Suma said.

“You don’t know? But you live here.” I said.

“Jake, do you live in a city?” She asked.

“Yes,” I told her.

“Tell me where every wood carver in your city is…” She said.

“Alright... good point.” I realized. “Any ideas on how to find out?” I asked.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“I do not know. Maybe we could ask the Grand Duke? A noble like him is bound to know a skilled rune maker, and he does wish to meet you.” She said that last part excitedly.

“Okay sounds good, but um, who is the Grand Duke?” I wondered. Suma explained, basically he was like a Prime Minister or a Supreme Court Justice or something. She told me that she had met with him a few days ago, the day of the attack, when I was at work.

“So that’s what you wanted.” I realized. “That Grand Duke guy wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes,” Suma answered, “he finds you interesting and wanted to meet with you in person.”

“You don’t think that he had anything to do with those nobles attacking you, do you?” I wondered.

“I doubt it, the Grand Duke was elected on a platform of holding nobles accountable for their transgressions. In truth, he is not a popular figure in noble society. He has personally brought over ten high ranking nobles to justice and spearheaded reforms in laws that gave more power to commoners and other non-nobles.” Suma explained.

“Isn’t he a noble?” I asked.

“Well yes, but technically no. He is from a noble family, but in order to become the Grand Duke, you have to give up any right to nobility so that you cannot be swayed by the promise of increasing your own riches. Imagine if a lord of a profitable area became the Grand Duke. He could simply create laws that benefitted him and weakened his opponents.” She said.

“Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense.” I nodded that I understood. “So, how do we get an appointment?”

“I think we need to go to the royal citadel and make an appointment, or maybe we will get lucky, and he will be available when we get there.” She guessed.

“Okay how far is it from here?” I asked.

“For me... not far. For you… far.” She said half joking half being serious.

“Okay, you fly there, and I will just wait I guess.” I suggested.

“Okay, see you in a bit.” She said and flew away. I looked around and then down at my sword and shield that I was still holding.

“What am I going to name you?” I wondered to myself quietly. I sat on the ground and looked closely at the sword, admiring its craftsmanship and its fine edge, “Excalibur? Maybe, but a bit on the nose.” I pulled out my phone. It hadn’t occurred to me to try and use it while in this world, mostly because I had assumed it wouldn’t work. “No bars,” I said seeing my utter lack of service. “Too bad, that could have been pretty useful.” I put my phone away and picked up the shield with my other hand; being sure to lay the sword down carefully so as not to scratch it. “What about you? Maybe something simple and easy to remember… like just shield… or wall?” I decided to look up a few famous weapons from history when I got back home. “Hey Suma,” I said trying to contact her.

“Almost there Jake, not long now.” She answered.

“Well, that’s good, but not what I was wondering. I was trying to decide names for my new weapons, any ideas from your country’s history?” I asked.

“Well, there are a few things that come to mind for your shield, but I am afraid I have nothing for your sword. My world has nothing like it.” She said.

“What names do you have for the shield?”

“Well, there is a story from our mythology about a man who used magic to create impenetrable walls of energy to protect his forces. His name was Azon of the Barrier, and the rite he used was later named in his honor; Azon’s Wall.”

“Azon? Not bad...” I acknowledged, interested in the name. “What else?”

“There was said to be a fortress that stood against a siege for a solid two years before it finally fell. It was called Fort Montauk.” She suggested. “By the way, I am here. Ready to go?”

I picked up the sword and shield, “Ready.” She summoned me and I reappeared standing in front of a large triangular castle of sorts, with many important looking guards, and their familiars, waiting at the gates. “Umm, will I be allowed in there?” I asked.

“I…. think so.” She said hesitantly. “They will probably just assume you are under my control.” Suma perched on my shoulder, and we walked up to the guards. One of them asked for our reason for entrance. “We are attempting to schedule an appointment with the Grand Duke at his request.” The guard she was talking to looked over at me.

“Keep this one on a tight leash.” He said, then they stepped aside and let us pass.

“They just let us pass. No papers, no further questions… just a single question and an order to keep a familiar under control?” I asked amazed.

“The guards of the citadel are said to be most powerful and well-trained of all the Grand Duke’s armed forces. Even more so than his own personal guards. If anyone tries to do something that they do not like, they will not be alive long enough afterward to regret it.” She explained as we walked into the building.

“Noted,” I said looking around. It was a large, open area with small perches dotted around certain places. It resembled the Grand Sanctum, the place where Suma made me her familiar, but somehow seemed more official and less… sacred or ceremonial.

We went up to a desk with a young Neame sitting behind it. She was about Suma’s height, but rounder, with darker feathers, and a bit less sparkly. “Hi, we are here to schedule an appointment with the Grand Duke.” Suma stated. “The Grand Duke asked us to.” She added.

“Reason for visit?” The other Neame asked in a sweet high-pitched voice.

“He requested to speak with me regarding my familiar, my name is Suma,” Suma replied.

“Ah of course, I was made aware that you might come by. The Grand Duke has made a special appointment time available for you if you are free in three days?” The Neame told us.

“Will that work for you?” Suma asked me. I nodded my head.

“I think so, I mean you can freeze time or whatever when you summon me so really, I’m always free.” I said jokingly. I saw the other Neame’s face when I started talking, but she didn’t speak up or anything, she just looked very surprised.

Suma looked confused for a moment, “I do not freeze time when I summon you.”