Tala really did have so many questions for Master Grediv that it was hard to pick. With that in mind, even though she was tempted to be distracted by the replaying of Mistress Kaeti’s battle with the magical horde, she kept her focus.

“Well, let’s start with a simple one: Is there anything else that my master would have told me, if I had one?”

Master Grediv nodded. “That is an excellent question. While sometimes the mageling surpasses the master, and in those cases, others are brought in, it is common for a master to impart certain things before Refining.”

Tala didn’t interrupt, instead taking the opportunity to eat some more of the rather tasty food.

“If I’m going to be honest, you had this stolen from you. You should have had immortality explained to you before you made the choice to become Refined, but that option was taken when your body began to degrade. Even so, I will endeavor to tell you what would have been said if you were in more normal circumstances: Just like responsibility is a privilege—counter to many of our younger generation’s understanding—immortality can be a curse, and one to only be chosen with open eyes.”

She tilted her head slightly to the side, showing her interest and attention without interrupting.

“Assuming you aren’t killed—and that doesn’t really factor in because you would be more easily killed as a Fused than a Refined—you will live to see the turning of centuries. Acquaintances will grow old and die, your descendants will do the same.

“If you are entirely unlucky, your spouse will not be among the Refined, and you will have to watch your soul-partner, your bound-mate grow old and become frail. The very nature of the bond would extend their life well into an inhuman span even if they weren’t a mage to begin with, but they would never—could never—be immortal.” While tears did not grow in his eyes that she could see, Tala did see what could only be described as soul-deep sadness settle over Master Grediv’s features.

It didn’t take a genius to understand the implication. His wife had been among those to never Refine.

“The world seems bright and new to someone of your age,”—he gave her a wry smile, only slightly masking his obviously more powerful emotions—“you more than most. If the young consider the passage of years at all, it is most likely that they are seen simply as the time that needs to pass in order for certain things to be allowed or accomplished: a threshold of years required before you can go explore the world, have adventures, learn new things, and so on.”

Tala nodded. She had some deeper considerations on the passage of years, but she knew that her perspective was still that of a young woman, even though she also knew that her experiences had made her more contemplative than her contemporaries. She simply didn’t have a good measure of the passage of time.

A few years seems like sooo long.

-And yet we’re about to sign up for more than two decades tied to one city.-

Loosely tied. We’ll come and go.

-That’s fair, but still, it’s a commitment for basically as long as we’ve been alive.-

“To be an immortal among mortals is to walk a narrow path. If we don’t care about those around us, it is easy to become like the arcane City Lords, using those below them for what little they can provide and otherwise ignoring the rabble. If we care too much? It crushes us. I have seen too many of our brothers and sisters of rank walk the road of depression and despondency. It’s something that can be worked through—and is by far the better of the two extremes—but it is still no small thing.”

There was a long pause, which Tala took as an indication that he was done for the moment. “That was a lot. There was nothing really unexpected if I’d thought about it though.”

“It wasn’t meant to be groundbreaking, simply something that should have been presented before you joined the ranks of immortals. In your case, as I said before, you didn’t really have much choice. It was either die far too early or become immortal. So, hearing it now is expected.”

She nodded. “I appreciate having it laid out there by someone who knows.”—she hesitated for only an instant before continuing.—“Is it worth it?”

He gave her a long look. “Yes and no.” His smile was sad this time. “I miss those whom I have lost more than I can ever express. My enhanced mind recalls them perfectly, to the point that I still expect to wake up beside her, or hear them running through the halls on little feet, even though I’ve long since left behind the homes in which either happened.”

“If I can ask, why allow marriage between those more advanced than Refined and those below, then?”

He gave her a sharp, reproving look. “Aside from the fact that we married well before I advanced—virtually no one sets as insane a pace as you, Mistress Tala—I would not trade my marriage with her for anything. She was not perfect, but she was perfect for me.” He gave a wistful smile. “It made sense that being imperfect myself, I needed someone else who was differently imperfect to make a matching set.”

There was a long silence, then, one in which Master Grediv was clearly lost in memory. Tala had no desire to interrupt him, and so she let the silence settle.

Even so, he wasn’t lost for too long. Soon enough, he sighed and looked her way once again. “What else can I answer for you?”

“Did you ever remarry?”

He blinked at that. “Ahh, not ready to move on, topic wise? Understandable, I suppose. I didn’t, though I came close on several occasions.” He huffed a laugh. “Hanae even tried to make me swear to find someone after she passed, but I refused, and I am glad that I did. I have found myself content with the companionship of peers as we defend and lift up the next generations.”

There was something in the man’s face and eyes that spoke to a deep-seated peace along with a truth to the statements. “Thank you for being so open.”

“I am happy to oblige. Now, we should probably head toward the defensive units, but we can talk on the way.”

“Whatever you recommend.”

They stood and left the restaurant, Master Grediv waving or giving nods of acknowledgement to a few of those that they passed on the way out.

Now that there wasn’t a spectacle outside the walls to draw attention, the streets were about as crowded as Tala would have expected in Alefast, Waning. Oh, yeah. “That’s a question.”

“Hmm?” Master Grediv glanced her way.

“When do we say ‘Alefast, Waning’ versus just ‘Alefast?’”

“That is an interesting question, and one that many people have fun debating.” He stretched slightly, nodded, and continued, “Generally, it’s agreed that if the next city of the same name has a population beyond just that of the Builder’s Guild, and you are equidistant from the cities, or closer to the new one, then the distinction is required.”

“That’s… obvious?”

“Of course, that’s why it’s agreed to. The Caravanners generally don’t bother with ‘Waning,’ because all their routes simply connect to neighboring cities, and no city ever neighbors both the waning city and the new one of the same name. Thus, for their purposes it’s rather obvious which they mean.”

“That… also makes sense, yeah.”

“When in the city, and referring to it, the ‘waning’ is generally considered redundant. Such as, ‘Mistress Tala, while in Alefast, you should take in the sights.’”

“I can see that. Saying ‘Waning’ in that sentence would be quite unnecessary.”

“Beyond that? There can be arguments to either side, and it’s up to you.” He gave a slight smile. “That probably isn’t as helpful as you’d hoped.”

Tala shrugged. “It makes sense. Beyond that, it probably doesn’t matter.”

He smiled. “Then, I am glad to have been able to answer.”

She nodded even as she changed the subject, “You said that you had a few ideas for me to train with?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I do, but they will be better described when you can try them, such as in a training arena rather than as we walk through the city.”

“That’s understandable.” The problem was, most of the things that she could ask shouldn’t be discussed in public, or were more questions on training.

Master Grediv had demonstrated the ability to make a mobile privacy field, but it wasn’t like this was the only time she’d be able to ask him questions, and there were plenty of other things to ask.

She bit her lip in thought for a moment before shrugging to herself. “What can you tell me about the defensive units?”

“Wise to ask, given where we are headed. Basically, Alefast has sixteen units of combat oriented Refined. They are each in charge of an eighth of the city’s circumference on a staggered, rotating basis. Generally speaking, they have additional rotations with the unit, during their time because it’s not until very near the end of a waning that even half the Refined will be needed for defense at the same time.”

“Alright.”

“Beyond that, when we detect things beyond the walls that need to be dealt with—”

“Like the cells?” Tala interjected, trying to ensure that she understood what he meant.

“Yes, like the cells. When something like that is detected, the units take turns investigating it. Once again, generally, they have a few members who are better suited to such actions, and so they are sent where others are more likely to remain behind.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“I’m glad you approve.” He gave her a humorous smile.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh, I know. In the end, though, we’ve come to this system because it allows for powerful defense of the city without wearing anyone too thin. Your unit will test your abilities and utilize you as they believe will be best.”

“So, which one will I be under? Do they have fun names? Can I be part of the honey badger unit?”

“What?” He frowned. “No, they don’t go by animal names. Does it matter?”

“I suppose I don’t care, but it would have been neat if they did.”

“Alright, then. As to which you’ll be in, there are some that are down a member or two, and we can see which one wants you.”

“Down members? Did people die?” She frowned. That didn’t make much sense; the waning had only just begun.

“No, no. But people tend to group up with those who they know, and that is rarely precisely equally divisible.”

“Ahh, so by ‘down’ you mean that they have less than the others?”

“Precisely so.”

The two of them continued to chat as they passed through Alefast. The walk had taken incredibly little time, given that the city was only composed of the central ring in these final years.

Master Grediv led them to an entrance that was so reminiscent of the Bandfast Archon Compound, Tala immediately guessed that it was the same for this city.

Sure enough, the entry hall was the same, as well as the main hall inside.

Master Grediv greeted those sitting within the circular desk in the center of the room, and led Tala to the side, where a large staircase headed downward.

Thinking back, Bandfast had the same stairs in their Archon compound, but she’d never had occasion to go that way.

Tala glanced at her Paragon guide, “From context, I will guess that there are training facilities and something relating to the defensive units down this way?”

“Precisely so. Training arenas up in the city are sufficient for quite strong magics—even Fused can use them with relatively little danger—but in the reaches of Refined and above? We need powerful magics to fully surround the sparring spaces to ensure there isn’t spillover or collateral damage.”

That made a lot of sense, and she felt herself getting excited to fight against those wielding magics that required such containment. The fact that they were continuing down so far also indicated a level of separation that made her excited.

“For the less resilient and non-healing focused, there are healers based in this area as well. As this is the central dispatch point for the city, our crisis response Archons of all capabilities are based out of this wing of the Archon compound.”

That stood to reason, too.

The stairs and following hallway were quite wide, easily large enough for eight people to walk comfortably side by side. In fact, the structure of this whole place meant that the greatest chokepoint on traffic was the outside entrance to the Archon Compound.

When Tala pointed this out and asked why that was, Master Grediv gave her a longer glance. “That was well observed. We have other entrances and exits that are larger, for use at need, but for that same reason, we don’t advertise their location to most. We also have… other ways to move about the city, but that will be discussed later.”

“I suppose I can understand that.”

“Ahh, here we are.” He stopped before a large set of nondescript doors, continuing to speak as he pushed them open, “I alerted the unit leaders that I was bringing in a new Refined for assignment. We’ll see just…”

He trailed off as the doors swung wide, revealing a space as large as a city park with a ceiling nearly fifty feet high.

The ground was some sort of unnatural material—or composite of natural materials—and it looked much superior to sand in every way.

But as spectacular as the training arena was, that probably wasn’t what had stopped Master Grediv mid-sentence.

His next sentence, muttered under his breath, proved Tala correct in her assumption, “I told them to come alone, and only if they needed more members…”

Within the arena waited at least fifty Refined, all gathered into various groups, though there were Archons who seemed to be floating between, and none seemed to be too isolationist. Additionally, all were gathered near the close end of the large space.

There were tables overloaded with food placed against one wall and another with drinks of various kinds.

Almost immediately upon the doors fully opening, a hush ran through the room, and everyone turned to look toward Tala and Master Grediv.

One of the closer Refined had clearly heard Master Grediv’s mumblings, because a wide grin spread across her face. “Well, Master Grediv, you said it was an official function and to use our discretion. Therefore, we acquired food and drink and invited our teams, if they were available and wanted to come.”

A familiar figure walked up beside that woman and placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking. “Besides, I told them all that Mistress Tala was a very interesting one, who was decidedly worth meeting.”

Tala found herself smiling in return. “Mistress Kaeti, it is a pleasure to see you again.”

“And you. I am glad that our paths have crossed again so soon.”

“As am I.” Tala strode forward a few steps. “I wanted to pick your brain on various training methods. Is now a good time?”

Mistress Kaeti held up a hand. “If that’s what you really want to talk about, we can find a place to do so, but I think that Master Grediv would be even more cross with us if I stole you away before the matter of your position could be addressed.”

Master Grediv’s eye was twitching as he gave a slow nod, “Yes, I would indeed.”

The dancer grinned. “There you have it. Let’s get you a unit, have you meet the others, and find somewhere to talk training. You don’t look like a dancer, so I’ll be interested to learn what caught your eye.”

Master Grediv clapped his hands once, unnecessarily, to gather everyone’s attention. “Greetings… everyone.”—he briefly rubbed his temples before continuing—“This is Mistress Tala. She will be joining us for…”

Tala stepped forward as he glanced her way, infusing a small amount of power into her vocal cords and lungs so that the sound would carry without needing extra volume. “At the moment, I plan on being based out of Alefast for the remainder of the waning. I do plan on taking several excursions and other trips during that time, however.”

Master Grediv nodded. “The same as with most of you, then. Will the unit leaders who are in need of another member come forward.”

A voice floated from the back of the crowd, “What can she do?”

Another called out. “Why does her name sound familiar?”

“Did she come alone?”

Everyone turned to look at the last man who had called out.

He shrugged. “What? My team only has room for one. I’d hate to force her to split from her partner or those she’s used to working with.”

Master Grediv turned to Tala and motioned for her to answer the questions that she wished to, even as most of the eyes turned back in her direction.

Yeah, I’m not dignifying the ‘are you single’ question with a response. I’ll introduce them to Terry a bit later.

That in mind, Tala shrugged. “While I cannot guess exactly how you know my name—given that I am far from the only one who bears it—I will say that I recently returned from the arcane lands, and you might have heard of me in that context.”

That sent ripples through the gathered Refined.

“As to what I can do?” She hesitated. I actually don’t have a good way of defining what I can do…

-Rust, Tala… Fine, let me help you.-

Tala nodded to herself and then said what Alat provided. “I am incredibly durable, I self-heal, and I can reliably take down any target of Paragon level or below, provided it isn’t an awful match, and I’m not under extreme limitations.”

A man off to one side smiled wryly as he called back. “That’s not as helpful as you might think, Mistress. He means what types of magic do you wield. We’ll want to see you in action to judge your capacities and capabilities with them later.”

She nodded. “Ahh, thank you. I use, to some extent or other, and in no particular order: Restoration, dissolution, self-enhancement, dimensional manipulation, gravity,”—she hesitated, glancing at Master Grediv, but he simply shrugged, then nodded. It was up to her, so she continued—“void, and iron.”

Every Refined seemed to freeze in place before their eyes moved, almost as one, toward Master Grediv.

Before anyone else could speak, the man who had clarified for Tala already spoke up. He, almost alone among the Refined, hadn’t had a strong reaction. “Don't be daft. She said ‘iron,’ people, not ‘reality.’ Pay attention. Master Grediv wouldn’t let a reality Refined exist, let alone bring them down here and present them to us.”

It took a moment, but a ripple of releasing tension flowed through the room, followed by muttering voices.

Master Grediv smiled and nodded. “Thank you for cutting through the confusion so cleanly, Master Clevnis.”

The man grinned in return. “It’s what I do.”

“With that settled, let’s get to the matter at hand. Unit leaders with vacancies, please step forward.”

Tala watched as the crowd shifted to let a few men and women come forward, including Master Clevnis with a woman beside him.

It was time for Tala to find her companions for the waning.