Arch-mage Mathers’ image was hovering in a scry-portal facing Jennings’ desk. His arms were crossed, and his brow was furrowed in anger. Jennings was thankful that the man was alone, as he didn’t feel up to facing the entire council of mages at the moment.
“How bad is it?” asked Mathers, his voice full of reproach.
Jennings nervously shrugged his shoulders, and replied, “It’s not that bad. Things just got a little out of hand. Everyone is fine. No one died… well not permanently at least.”
Throwing his hands up in exasperation, Mathers shouted, “That doesn’t sound GOOD! The entire point of you being out there was to stop things like this. What the hell have you been doing?”
Jennings grimaced, and took a sip from his glass. He was in his office, and he could feel Mage-adept Newbanks’ eyes boring into him from the chair across from him. He could take some comfort in the fact that Mathers didn’t know he had an audience.
“I was just trying not to interfere too much. I didn’t know they had such a good plan. I thought it'd just be a few hunters. I mean, come on! It shouldn’t have been a big deal. They kill the assassins, then return to see me having already arrested the mastermind. It would have been a great bonding experience. Then I would have a solid argument for saying Nero should come stay in Hennings for a while. This whole level shift is going to get bad, and there is no reason for him to stay here,” Jennings said while grumbling.
Mathers shook a finger at Jennings and said, “He likes it there! And the king is already going to be sending support. Even the fateweavers are predicting that the city will probably make it through the shift intact. You could easily ensure his survival. Hells man! You could probably single-handedly deal with the shift if you got off your lazy ass. There was no reason to let this happen. The entire Cosgrave line may have to be purged. Do you have any idea how big a mess you made!”
Jennings squirmed in his seat, and groused, “They weren’t supposed to have a mage! I sensed someone watching them, but I thought it was the mage the general had assigned. There are too many people scrying on the boy. It’s not my fault! And Lord Blackwood somehow got involved. By the time I realized the city-lord’s daughter was sleeping with him, it was too late. I figured it would work itself out. And for the record, it did! Everyone is still alive!”
Mathers’ face was red with fury. His voice was like ice as he said, “The only reason everyone survived without you having to blindly try teleporting through an essence pool was that Nero figured out how to resuscitate his comrades. He shouldn’t even be able to do that! There was no way you could have known he could do that! Stop trying to say you had things under control! You…. You…. You IMBECILE. I can’t talk to you right now. Just fix it. The council is furious, and there is a petition to move your office into the basement. You better figure something out!” And then Mathers’ image winked out.
Arch-mage Jennings slumped in his chair. It had been a VERY long time since he had so grossly miscalculated. He couldn’t figure out how the situation had gotten so out of control. Everything had started out so simple. It should have been a small hunting team that needed money and would try to assault a professional team of elite hunters. The Cosgraves would be humiliated, Nero would look like a victim, and he would be able to come in and save the day.
Mage-adept Newbanks interrupted his thoughts. “So, I have Lord Blackwood waiting outside. Are you ready to meet with him? Or would you like some more time ruminating on what went wrong with your ‘brilliant’ plan?”
Scowling at the young woman, he replied, “Just send the moron in. And schedule a meeting with Lord Cosgrave along with General Branson. This is going to be a pain in the ass to deal with.”
Standing up, Mage-adept Newbanks calmly said, “You might want to include someone from the Tower of Law. I recommend Lord Bennings, as she is still the director. The ramifications of a house attempting to assassinate a new noble, one who recently provided a class 5 exploit, might require some legal oversight. Also, what would you like to do with the mage who was providing aid to Lord Blackwood?”
Shooting a glare at his calm and collected subordinate, he said, “Thank you for that. Just confine her to her room for now. I’ll deal with her later. If she had any idea of what she was involved in, she’s going to have to die.” After a sigh at the thought of possibly having to kill the mage, he continued, “And yes, Lord Bennings is a good idea.”
As though his personal crisis was completely irrelevant, she offered a polite nod, then left to go get Lord Blackwood.
Arch-mage Jennings just watched her leave, stewing in his defeat. He REALLY needed to figure out a way out of this debacle. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to send the entire city’s nobility into a frenzy.
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Nero and his companions were making good time. They moved through the forest easily, swiftly dealing with anything that stood in their way. If they didn’t run into any problems, they would be out of the wilds sometime tomorrow afternoon.
Nero’s skill in using his psychic field to search for enemies became second nature. He kept his field up at all times, only stopping when Nick got fed up with him. It was difficult for Nero to ‘passively’ scan, as he had a tendency to grip the essence, rather than just let his presence float in the ether.
Nick had been a godsend for Nero. Since ‘the wall’ had been ruined, Nero needed a new shield. As the only shields he had left in his personal space were small bucklers, Nick was kind enough to show Nero how to cast a spell-form to mimic one. As a bonus, they were able to use his lessons to annoy and confuse the rest of the party.
Currently, the group had paused. After surviving an ambush, they were watching Nero fight a large bird-monster. Everyone had agreed to let Nero use the last enemy as a training partner. This was the fifth time they’d done it, and Nero was getting annoyed at how easily everyone had seemed to agree with the idea.
Nick stood with the group, surrounded by dead bird-monsters. With his arms crossed in annoyance, he shouted, “No Nero! You’re forcing your center too much. Just imbue the shield with your center, then keep a tight grip. If you keep refilling it, you’ll just run out of center. The entire point of the shield is to pit your will against the attack. Don’t absorb it! Block it!”
Nero was using a buckler as the anchor for his spell-form. A gold, hazy film, resembling a 3ft tall kite shield, was floating an inch in front of it. He was currently fending off a 6 ft tall bird which resembled a velociraptor.
In a crouch, Nero hid behind his spell-shield. When the squawking beast struck out with its beak, he would firm his grip and face it head-on. It was completely contrary to what he had been taught before. He had been told to distribute the force from an impact, but now Nick was trying to get him to receive the blow firmly. Nero gritted his teeth, and felt the impacts with his mind.
The beast’s momentum would completely halt, but the shock to Nero’s mind was vicious. It was like getting a hot spike shoved into his brain every time he blocked. He really wished he was allowed to parry.
Getting fed up, Nero sidestepped the snapping beast, and slammed his essence infused blade into its neck. He felt the impact shake his wrist, and heard the beast’s cry of agony. He took a quick step back and set up for another clash. But, it proved unnecessary, as he saw the beast collapse. Dismissing his spell, he took several deep breaths while watching the large gash on the beast’s neck pour out its lifeblood.
Frowning, Nero turned to look at his companions. The sergeant was apparently done collecting the other essence crystals, and was wasting no time. He walked right up to the dying monster and finished it with a knife to its eye. Completely at ease with the violence, he pulled out his knife, and absently wiped it clean on his pant-leg before sheathing it.
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Cathleen was watching the forest as usual, while Rose was perched on top of a dead monster. Mike was casually leaning against a tree, patiently waiting for the rest of them to get moving.
Nero turned to Nick and asked, “Why the hell is this so difficult? And why can’t I just parry with the spell? This is stupid, and YOU’RE stupid for making me do it.”
Nick glared at Nero and replied, “Before you can learn to parry, you must learn how to keep hold of your center during combat. Close-quarter spell work isn’t for everybody. I personally hate it, but this is how you’re supposed to train. First you learn to take a hit while keeping control of your construct. Then you learn how to hold on to your construct and use it as an object. Finally, you wield it like an actual shield. You can’t just skip steps. Stop being so difficult!”
Nero grunted in annoyance. He was about to reply when he heard Cathleen speak up.
“I’m all for training, but don’t you two think we should keep moving. This isn’t the time to learn a new skill,” she said without looking at them.
Nick replied, “I completely agree. It was Nero’s fault. He kept bothering me about learning a shield spell.”
Nero propped his hands on his hips and said, “Hey! It’s your fault for not being a better teacher. You can’t even make a proper shield to demonstrate the principle you’re trying to have me replicate. I blame you… and so does everyone else.” He spread out his arms, demonstrating that everyone was on his side.
Nick huffed as though he were affronted. “Now you listen here! My spell-form is perfect. I just prefer to fight at a distance. The principle is sound.”
Sergeant Wesker stood up from the corpse and said, “Walker, come put these crystals in your bag. We should get moving.” He had grown used to their bickering, and now pretended not to hear anything.
Nero went over and collected the essence crystals. His bag was carrying over 50 of them at this point. He could see how lucrative a career in hunting could be.
Cathleen said, “Alright. Let’s get back into formation. We have a long way to go before we can rest for the night.”
The companions took their positions, and they were soon moving again. Everyone kept their eyes peeled, and their senses sharp. But, the silence lasted only a few minutes before Nick broke the serious atmosphere.
“Nero! Loosen your grip. Why do you insist on holding onto the ambient essence so tightly!” he hissed.
Nero grimaced in annoyance, and looked over his shoulder at Nick’s back. He hissed right back, “I’m not gripping too hard, you’re just being a perfectionist. I bet you could barely feel my presence.”
Cathleen interrupted their budding argument by saying, “I swear to the gods, if you two don’t stop picking at each other, I’m going to make you walk around wearing gags!”
Nero and Nick said in perfect unison, “Sorry, Cathleen.” They both returned to their duties, looking like disciplined children.
Sergeant Wesker kept moving forward, while shaking his head in aggravation. ‘How in the hells can they both be so talented, and so childish at the same time. It’s like being with my sister’s kids all over again,’ he thought to himself.
The two bickering mages were affecting Mike the worst. He followed along sheepishly, but he couldn’t get over the fact that his friends were defeated by a child. Even worse, he couldn’t rationalize how the young lord was capable of acting like a spoiled brat one minute, then immediately turning into a terrifying whirlwind of destruction. He had personally seen the little lord brutalize monsters, then turn to his companions and ask if they were edible. ‘How in the hells did I end up here?’ he asked himself sadly.
Rose wasn’t fooled though. She knew what the little lord was doing. The constant bickering was keeping everyone’s mind off the danger they were in. It was a masterful manipulation, but she wouldn’t fall for it. She had seen what the little lord was really like, and no amount of childish bickering could make her forget it.
As everyone had their own take on Nero’s actions, Cathleen believed Nero was just completely at ease in the wilds. The little lord was treating the eminent threat as a non-issue. She was proud that he could only think about training, and agreed that Nick was being a whiny-little-bitch.
While keeping his outward appearance focused on the forest, Nero kept his connection firm as he asked, “Was that too much?”
Nick didn’t show any sign of receiving the message, but replied, “No. You’re doing great. Remember to keep a firm, but light grip. Creating a link like this isn’t easy. Don’t be discouraged if we lose the connection. Just reach out, and I’ll feel it. Think of it like that handshake thing you showed me in my office. We’re just reaching out our minds and bridging the gap. Are you sure you don’t want to hear how the Thought-hub was developed from this technique?”
Nero sent a mental sigh, and replied, “Nick, now isn’t the time for a lecture. Don’t get me wrong, I’m interested, but save it for later. I think everyone is buying it. Well, maybe not Rose, but that chick is sharp.”
“Yeah, she is something alright. Are you sure we should sic Vera on her? That seems like overkill. Are you sure this isn’t about how attractive you think she is?” asked Nick.
Nero replied easily, “I’m not going to say that’s not part of it. She’s smoking, but that’s not the point. I think she is just really smart. I think she and Vera would either get along great, or try to kill each other. Either way, I trust Vera to handle her. And we can’t let the general’s plan go unanswered. Remember, he flat out LIED to us. I was an idiot and let on that I knew, so that’s on me. But, now we have to deal with the aftermath. I don’t know what the general will do with that information, so we have to choose a battlefield. By making this about Rose’s allegiance, we shape the conflict around something we don’t mind losing.”
Nick’s concern was clear over their private link. “I don’t really understand all this political maneuvering, but I trust you. Now how is your shield really doing?” he asked.
Nero replied, “No issues. It’s not that much different than holding a spell-form. But, we really need to sit down and go over how to properly form an essence-shield. I think I’m missing something.”
Nick said, “Just be patient. We’ll be back in Dorchester soon enough. For now, we have to deal with what’s in front of us. This is going to be a complicated few days. And I think we’ve exhausted our arguments about the shield spell. We’ll need something else to focus on, or people are going to start getting suspicious.”
Nero asked, “How about you try ‘grounding’ me?”
Nick replied, “Huh? I don’t understand.”
“You know… like how you ‘ground’ a kid. Tell me that I’m going to be confined to my estate when we get back, as it’s too dangerous out here for me,” said Nero.
Nick’s amusement came through loud and clear. “Have me really play into the father angle? That’s good. Oh! I could say that completing your trials is an unnecessary risk, and that we can revisit the issue when you’re older. And then I can say that you should transfer all your assets to Vera, so that we can take care of you. Then you can act like a child and throw a tantrum!” he said.
Nero sent over a mental chuckle, and replied, “Well… It looks like tonight might be fun. I really doubt they’ll spend any time plotting their moves when they’re too busy worrying about us bringing down the wilds on them.”
Nick said, “Well, you’re doing fine with your pulling. I can’t reach out as far as you can. That last group you found was out of my range. Is it just me, or are the monsters and beasts getting harder to find?”
“No, it’s not just you. I think this area has already been cleared. There is still plenty of horrors out there, but it’s not as dense as it used to be. Don’t worry though, I’m getting better at telegraphing our position,” said Nero.
“Well, be sure to keep it up. We’re making a killing with the essence crystals, and all this combat is keeping them from realizing where we’re going. The essence is starting to thin, and it’s getting easier to diffuse our presence,” he said.
Nero replied, “That’s awesome, keep it up. I’ve been watching closely, and I think I can take over for you tonight, so you can finally get some sleep. Don’t worry Nick, I’ve got your back.”
“Me too, Nero. Once we get in range of the city, we’re in the clear. They’ll learn what it means to mess with two mages who did their homework!” said Nick with pride.
Nero replied frostily, “OK. Never say that again. The next time Cathleen makes a speech about northern bad-asses, be sure to take notes. You suck at being inspirational .”
“Noted. Is that why you keep dismissing my T-shirt ideas?” asked Nick.
“Yes. Yes it is,” replied Nero.
The entire group moved through the forest, completely oblivious to the two mages’ conversation. As far as they knew, they were heading for Gate 15, where they were planning on handing Mike to the local guards. Nick and Nero’s plans were proceeding well.