"Why, exactly, should we decline this request? Just to keep our identities secret more easily, or is there a more specific reason?" Carlos stood up and started putting on his armor while he asked.
"We have no need of assistance, and Ressara in particular would be more hindrance than help." Colonel Lorvan pronounced his judgement with finality, standing perfectly straight.
"Ressara? Hmm." Carlos buckled another clasp closed. "Is that the, how did you put it, nosy scholar you warned off when we just got here?"
"...Yes, that is the name she gave then as well."
Amber cocked her head slightly. "Wasn't that before we even started actively absorbing mana the first time?"
Carlos nodded. "Yeah, I think so. And Lorvan, what do you actually know about her that makes you so sure she'd be a hindrance?"
Lorvan frowned for a bare moment before he answered. "Her soul's mana density is only compressed five times, she provided no meaningful references or credentials, and her bearing and posture are those of a novice with no combat experience or training."
"And yet she noticed something unusual about us immediately." Carlos put his sword's scabbard onto his belt. "I want to hear her explain that, at the very least."
"Very well, sir." Lorvan bowed briefly, then turned to Ordens, their other guard. "Major, see if the... scholar is available for an interview."
Just a few minutes later, a nervously fidgeting woman hesitantly stepped into the room and bowed deeply as Ordens closed the door behind her. "Um, y-young lord, and um, lady. Thank you. For- for seeing me."
Carlos restrained himself from sighing at her behavior. It would probably make her even more nervous, if anything. "You're Ressara, right? Please, relax. You're not in trouble with us. We just want to ask you a few questions."
Ressara visibly gulped as she stood back up from her bow, clasping her hands tightly in front of her. "Y-yes, my lord. Ressara, Investigative Scholar, a-at your service."
Carlos again refrained from raising a hand to his forehead in exasperation, and considered the phrasing of his question carefully. "Amber and I clearly made a mistake in how we went about trying to hide our nobility, and we want to know what our mistake was so that we can learn from it. How did you realize that we are nobles?"
Ressara's knuckles were starting to turn white, but suddenly all the twitching in her hands froze, and she looked up sharply at Carlos. "You- you really just want to learn and improve yourselves?"
Carlos nodded slowly, and made his voice as gentle as he could manage. "Yes. Whatever mistake we made, we're not upset with you for just noticing it. It was our mistake, after all. In fact, having someone notice our mistakes and point them out to us can be helpful."
Ressara took a deep breath, and smoothed out her dress a bit. "Ok. Um. So, I realized you were nobles the morning after you arrived, when I sensed you were already at the second compression even though you'd been only half or a third of the way to it the evening before."
Lorvan interrupted, his eyes narrowed. "You can sense soul development progress that precisely, even at only five times compressed yourself?"
"Um, yes. Sir?" Ressara bowed uncertainly. "I have some rather... specialized soul structures."
Carlos just nodded, maintaining a calm and relaxed demeanor. "Fair enough, and we already knew that anyone who could sense our active absorption rate would notice. You tried to look into us even before that, though. What drew your attention first?"
"Well, um. I-if you really want to know the first thing that drew my attention, it was your guards' soul disguises."
Carlos glanced over at Lorvan and Ordens. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"Uh. D-do you not know already? Or are you just asking how I noticed?" Ressara's face was a bit pale, and her hands were fidgeting together again.
Carlos looked back and forth between Ressara and Lorvan a few times. "...Colonel Lorvan, I think you'd better start the explanation about this."
Lorvan bowed slightly. "Yes, my lord. The soul development of myself and Major Ordens is advanced enough that in many places we would draw attention ourselves for that alone. To prevent this, and to lead potential enemies to underestimate us, our standard equipment conceals our actual soul development, giving the appearance of a still formidable, but substantially lower, density. I am... surprised to hear that someone at Ressara's level saw through it. It is supposed to be difficult to even notice for people a great deal more powerful than her."
"Ok. That sets some context, at least." Carlos turned back to Ressara, whose face was simultaneously pale and blushing. "So, how did you see through it? And especially, how did it draw your attention?"
Ressara gripped her hands together tightly. "Um, well. You've dealt with some advanced wards and such before, right? You're nobles, surely you use the high end stuff all the time? So, you know how a lot of those are made to divert attention away from them? I, uh... I made a soul structure specifically to invert effects like that. Just- just for how they affect me. But... yeah. I figured it would help find hidden treasures and stuff. So, you walk in with soul disguises that try to push attention away, and..."
Lorvan sighed, and even raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "And instead your attention snaps to us like a bloodhound scenting its prey at close range." He shook his head. "I will have to report this. Creating a viable countermeasure may be difficult." He bowed to Carlos again. "My lord, my apology for doubting your decision to question her." He turned back to the scholar. "Ressara, on behalf of the Crown and by my authority as his servant, I thank you for bringing this possibility to our attention, and I command you to keep it secret until further notice. Have you taught this soul structure concept to any other?"
Ressara's face turned white, and she swayed on her feet. "Th-the Crown?! B-b-but...!"
"Have you taught this soul structure concept to any other?"
"N-no! No one else, I swear!"
"Very well. Do not even mention it to anyone, and also do not reveal our association with the Crown. Disclosing that information will be punished as a crime against the Crown. Understood?" Colonel Lorvan loomed intimidatingly as Ressara seemed to shrink into herself even more.
"Y-yes! I understand! I w-won't say anything! I'm sorry!"
Carlos stepped in between them, facing Lorvan and glaring at him. "That's enough, Lorvan. She is clearly terrified, and I have yet to hear of her committing any transgression that would justify scaring her so badly. Back off and give her some space. Now."
Lorvan continued silently looming in Ressara's direction for a couple seconds, then smiled, stepped back, and bowed his head to Carlos. "As you say, my lord. That sternness and spine will serve you well, once you have gained the power to back it up."
"Assuming that someone does develop a countermeasure, they will need someone to test it against, correct?" Carlos turned to face Ressara. "Ressara, I apologize for my... somewhat overzealous guard, and when the time comes I will personally pay you well to help confirm that their countermeasure works properly."
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Lorvan interrupted before the scholar could respond. "The Crown will cover payment for that service."
Ressara, swayed on her feet, staring blankly in Carlos's direction. "Um. Th-thank you." Then her eyes rolled up into her head, and she collapsed into a heap on the floor, unconscious.
Carlos looked between her and Lorvan, then snapped out an order. "Lorvan and Ordens, go into another room and stay there until we finish this. You can listen in, and speak up or intervene if you judge it important, but I want you out of her sight to help her calm down." He crouched down and gently took hold of one of Ressara's shoulders. "Amber could you help me get her into a chair?"
A few minutes later, Ressara blinked, shook her head, then sat bolt upright and wildly looked around in all directions before settling down to face Carlos and Amber, who were both seated in front of her. "Wh-what? Oh. Um." She looked directly towards where Lorvan and Ordens were standing in Amber's bedroom, then looked back at Carlos. "I-I'm terribly sorry about all this. Um. M-my lord."
Carlos sighed. "Please, take a deep breath, and try to relax. You're not in trouble."
He watched as Ressara breathed in deeply, then out, and repeated a few times, before settling down to a more regular breathing pattern.
"Feeling a bit better now?" She nodded, and Carlos nodded back. "Good. Now, please continue your story. Those soul disguises drew your attention, but you said that was the first thing. What else was there?"
Ressara took another deep breath. "Other things. Right. Well, there was your passive absorption rate. Most people can't sense that, it's too slow to detect without something either very specialized or very developed. But I have a soul structure for examining souls, and that's specialized enough to notice. And the final thing was that I could tell you're probably mages. I can't just casually scan your soul structures in detail - no one can do that - but mana moves differently around people who have mage-type soul structures, and I sensed that."
"I see. So you knew from what you sensed that we are nobles, and mages, with powerful guards." Carlos kept his voice calm and gentle, trying to express simple curiosity for knowledge. "Why exactly does that make you want to join our party, and what can you do to help us? Are you just hoping to befriend a pair of young nobles, or is there something else to it?"
"Well..." Ressara sighed. "So many young and hopeful mages come to Dramos because of the rumors about Sandaras. I came to Dramos hoping to find someone among them who could actually grow to match him someday. So little is known about his early days and how he became so powerful and capable, and I want to properly document the rise of someone similar. And, well, my soul rank is nothing compared to yours, but the specialized structures I've made mean I have some unique tricks that might be useful to you."
"I see." Carlos looked at Amber, who was sitting beside him and staring steadily at Ressara. "Amber, what do you think?"
"Hmm?" She turned to look at Carlos. "Oh, right. I want to hear all about her specialized soul structures and what she can do, but... not right this minute. And I'll have to think about whether to let her join us in the Wilds."
Carlos nodded. "That's pretty much what I'm thinking too. Ressara, thank you for your interest, and for what you told us. We'll consider your request, and let you know our decision, whether we accept or refuse. Anything else?"
Ressara glanced in the direction of their guards again, and took another deep breath as she stood up. "Thank you. I'll... try to be more composed the next time we talk."
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As they walked through the streets of Dramos towards the outer walls and the Wilds beyond, Carlos was preoccupied. He had put aside thoughts about Ressara for a later time, but had something else to focus his mind on while he walked. The runic metal inlays that seemed standard for how enchanted items were made were, apparently, little more than a durable written form of the same language as spell incantations, and he had read a new keyword from Lorvan's enchanted gauntlet that might prove very useful. It was similar to the word the levitation spell used for adjusting the amount of lifting force while the spell was active, but this one was for an adjustable choice of target.
Learning the keyword itself, creating the tiny mana structure that encoded its meaning in his spells database, took just a few minutes. Modifying the levitation spell to use it was trickier. He had to make some guesses about how it fit into the overall structure of the spell, and his first couple guesses turned out to be wrong. Fortunately, the wrong guesses wasted only a little time, as his linker was quick to inform him in no uncertain terms that they simply were not valid spells at all.
By the time they were approaching the northeastern gate towards the Wilds, Carlos was testing the spell. He quietly levitated a copper coin above his hand, then let it fall and lifted a different coin in its place using the same spell. As he swapped to another coin repeatedly, it reminded him of juggling, though it was a lot slower than any juggler could ever get away with. He smiled. He really hoped it wouldn't be needed, but this could be a trump card no one would see coming. And if it were needed... it would be better if Amber had it too, just in case.
[Amber? I finished the spell I've been tinkering with. Here.] He tried to push the wordless concept of the relevant keyword, and of the completed spell, through their telepathic link. He received back a sense of questioning and curiosity, then acknowledgement and excitement, followed by an impression of focused concentration.
A little while later, Amber sent back some actual words. [Ok, I've learned that word and spell. It was really easy this way. So, what's the point of it?]
[Huh, that's a new record for fastest time. Anyway, the idea is that, if we really need it, we use it on an enemy or threatening monster or whatever, to push them down, hard. Harder than we should be capable of. And then switch to lifting something else, maybe putting ourselves out of reach, to make use of the extra mana. Save it for an emergency, we still don't know where the extra mana comes from, but if we really need it, don't hesitate.]
Amber nodded sharply. [Right. Got it.]
Carlos chose that moment to speak aloud to their guards. "So, exactly how far are we going? Past this open meadow and into the trees, I assume?"
Lorvan nodded without breaking stride. "Yes, and about a mile farther as well. At some point, you will notice that the ambient mana is thicker in the air, more concentrated. We need to reach a place where it condenses into the next tier of density, and well beyond the borderline. If you begin absorbing right at the boundary, you will quickly reduce the amount near you enough that it will spread back into merely thrice compressed density."
"Ah." Carlos continued walking, and quietly muttered an incantation under his breath.
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Miles to the east, in a small clearing, a deer with two heads grazed. Both heads were low to the ground, nibbling on grass, when a slight gust of wind blew across the clearing. The left head ignored it, but the right head flared its nostrils and sprang up, looking around and sniffing the air alertly. It smelled... something. Something dangerous. The right head's eyes dilated, and it bleated in fear. This smell was... wrong, and terrifying.
The left head paused in its grazing, and looked up. It sniffed. It came up quickly and sniffed at the same breeze as the right head. Both heads swung wildly, their antlers clashing, and the two headed deer started to trot away.
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Carlos stepped around yet another bush as he weaved between the trees, following Lorvan ahead of him and with Amber and then Ordens coming behind. He thought of the one member of their group they were leaving behind, and a question came to mind. "Hey Lorvan, are there any dungeons near Dramos? And what are they like?"
Lorvan called back without turning to face him. "Two are known. The nearest is in an area with five times compressed ambient mana density. It's a lot more dangerous than most for the amount of power it has. Specializes in swarms mostly, but with a few individual powerhouse monsters to counter dedicated anti-swarm delvers. Few people bother with it, and those that do either die and respawn or come back with a reward that they progressed beyond any need for long before."
"Do you know where it is?"
"Not right now. If you want to go there, we can protect you from it, but I doubt you will gain anything worthwhile."
Amber chimed in. "We'll see about that. Look it up for next time!"
"Yes, sir."
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In another place, a few miles north, a great cat stalked its prey. It was on the trail of some rabbits that would make a delectable afternoon meal, and the scent of them was getting stronger. The burrow might be near. Just as it took another sniff, a breeze blew across the trail, and a new scent came to the great cat's nose. The cat turned its head to glare in the direction the breeze came from. How dare another predator trespass on its territory!
Then more details of the smell registered in its simple mind, and the cat flinched back. This... was not a predator it could stand up to. The great cat could hope that this creature was merely passing through, but if not... The cat might have to move and find new territory. It could hope for enough time to at least eat this one meal first, though. It shook its head as the wind died back down, and the cat resumed stalking rabbits.
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Lorvan stopped in a small clearing, marched to the far side of it, took a watchful stance, and nodded to Carlos. Carlos started absorbing mana actively, and Amber followed suit, while Ordens turned to face behind them and took up watch where they had entered the clearing.
All four of them turned to the left as a woman crashed through the underbrush, viciously slicing an entire bush out of her path with the two incredibly sharp longswords in her hands. Carlos quickly assessed her soul's mana; she was several compressions ahead of him, but he couldn't pin down the exact number. The two armored guards who followed her were even more advanced, however, somewhere around ten compressions more density of mana than he had.
The woman's shoulder length fiery red hair was protected by a fine mesh covering, and she wore chain link armor that looked almost like it had been knitted from fine steel wire. He could sense powerful enchantments on her armor, and on both of her swords, even more powerful than the enchantments on her guards' equipment.
She glared with her striking blue eyes at Carlos and Amber, looking back and forth between them. "What house dares break the rotation agreement? It is my turn in the Dramos Wilds!"