15th of Taka, 1000

8th floor of the mage tower, Fort Kitapüru

“Morning all.” The unrelentingly chipper voice of the captain’s aid, Mark, reverberated through whole floor.

Maximilion Weller hatted that voice. Every morning it woke him. He was a Mage, capital M, for goodness sake. Not some junior ground pounder who needed to maintain military fitness so he could poke the enemy with some overly sharpened stick. “Why?” He asked himself for the umpteenth time.

Why couldn’t he have received a nice comfortable posing to… He wasn’t sure where but perhaps the Ryu forest. Rumour had it that a fire mage like him got lucky in Sasanaga. Why did he have to get posted to this back of nowhere dust bowl. He was never going to met a Mrs Weller out here.

“Come on Max. Your going to be late for PT. The captain loves it when your late. Besides word is, you and I are are going to be given some home-brew junior castors to mentor and integrate.” Silvia, the only other mage in Kitapüru, was just as enthusiastic about moorings as the captain was.

“Fine. I’m coming. Tea better be good this morning.” He grumbled to himself. Then he remembered. “Eggs, Horace said we would have eggs today. Yes”

Silvia rolled her eyes. “What is it with you and food?”

“What do you mean? An army marches on its stomach.” A slightly hurt tone crept into MAx’s voice. “We should all care about food.”

“Firstly, as you have made abundantly clear. You don’t march anywhere.” Silvia laughed. “Secondly, I suspect that the army has a vastly different attitude to nutrition than your gourmet palet.”

“Silvia that’s the nicest thing you’ve said about me.” Max reposted. “A gourmet palet.”

Silvia just snorted. “Lastly, given your correspondence with army vitals corp I’m surprised we eat at all. What was that last response you received. Duck liver pate is not an army necessity no matter cheap you can get it shipped to your barracks. Further frivolous correspondence may result in disciplinary actions.”

“I’m a mage Silvia.” He protested. "They should be looking after us, not curbing our nguvu recoup by forcing that horse fodder swill they feed the rank and file on us.”

“Horse feed. Thats a new one.” She laughed. “Save that for the next letter. I’m sure they will be thrilled. Besides I am sure Mis Magisty’s Council of Castors have spent more time and money on working out what dietary considerations will further casting cause than you have. If there was any basis at all to your claims I’m sure the HMCC would be directing the army most diligently.”

“Ah but that’s where you’re wrong.” Max replied as they started the decent to the PT grounds. “Friend of mine works in army procurement. She tells me the army generals run roughshod over HMCC. Pay them no notice at all. Claim we’re worse than ballista. Fire us once a day they say but you can get lots of shots each day fro one of those giant crossbows.”

Silvia snorted. “Just they wait until the next time someone throws one of those overly long arrows at them and there isn’t a shield mage to block it. The army assigns what two, three per general. Talk about two faced attitude.”

She practically growled. “That ass of a general, McHenry wanted me to watch him. Only thing watching there was him trying to watch my ass. Twice I caught him trying to cop an eyeful whilst I was changing. Filthy old man.”

“Wasn’t he discharged?” Max asked.

“Only after I told the army personnel corp they could either dump him or all the mages would leave the army to it’s own devices.” She growled.

“So you think that they all would have followed you out of the army.” Max asked. He hadn’t herd this story before.

“Of course. We’re mages.” She looked at him as if he was crazy.

“That’s right.” Max started. “We only serve because we’re polite. They don’t pay us enough and couldn’t stop us if we wanted to leave. One reason, legitimate or not, and we gut the army like a fish. We shouldn’t have to serve. We’re mages. We’re above the petty world of wages, obligation and boundaries. We are the power in Indlu.”

Silvia glanced at her younger colleague. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. Seriously, I know you’re a passionate fire mage but you need to reign it in. What’s your big plan for world domination? Fireball everyone?”

“Yes. Well, no. I don’t know.” Max whined.

“Good luck with that.” Silvia scoffed. “You have one fireball a day to fry someone and then what? Tell the army police corp you didn’t mean it. Go off the reservation and they will burn your nguvu from you.”

They rounded a corner in the stairwell and Max bumped into a tall lady with blond hair, striking blue eyes. In a different location on a different day Max would have made a pass at her. But his mind was focused on the superiority of mages. Naturally his big mouth reflected his attitude. “What are you doing here?”

The lady in question wasn’t one to take backward step to anyone. “Me? Trying to get to breakfast without being run over by some military moron.”

Max was know for many things. A even temper was not one of them. “Military moron. This is a mage tower. I’m a mage. I belong here. So what are you doing I’m my mage tower.”

Silvia opened her mouth to interject but before she could rescue Max the blond lady spoke. “Which makes you what? A magical military moron. Wow. So special. Just so that I remember how special you are can you look where you’re going in future so that the rest of us don’t suffer.”

Max swelled up like a bullfrog in preparation to unleash a full verbal barrage. Silvia was able to rescue him this time, however. “Erica was it. Please forgive Max, he usually isn’t quite so abrasive but he doesn’t do well before breakfast.”

Erica grumbled a response. “Nobody normal does. Why we have to get up so early is beyond me? Fine 3M boy is forgiven.”

Max red face showed he hadn’t calmed down. He also wasn’t sure what was meant by ‘3m boy’ and took a breath to retort.

Silvia snorted guessing that 3m was short for magical military moron. But interjected nonetheless. “Max I’m sure you remember that we were reinforced yesterday.” Receiving a nod she continued. “Erica, as you may also remember, came in with the group of castors lead by William Fitzhugh.”

Max finally managed to speak, mumbling his discontent. “Castors. Humpf. They should stay out of the way of their betters.”

Erica, looked sharply at him but was preempted by Silvia. “Max be polite.”

Max gave an ill-humoured smile. Silvia continued. “He’s a fire mage. They’re a passionate bunch that can be a little crazy. Ignore his attitude until after breakfast.”

At that Erica stopped her decent and turned to regard the two mages, giggling. “You think being a fire mage makes you a little crazy.”

Bewildered by her response both Silvia and Max nodded at her.

She laughed harder. “Oh that’s delightful. I have a half grade in water affinity. My mum was a full grade. She went genuinely crazy less than ten years after the introduction of magic. Had to be gentled. It killed her. 3m boy, if you want to know crazy mage look me up in five years time. I might be alive. I might drain you of every molecule of fluid just to see if it comes out the same colour as your eyes. Seriously neither of you have any idea of what a crazy age looks like. It look like me.”

Max was a little slow on the uptake. “But your just a castor.”

She smiled at him. A little bit of self depreciation in it. “No I’m every thing you want in a mage. I just have water as my affinity, so everyone’s scared. That’s why I’m not a mage.” She turned and continued down the stairs.

“What do you mean?” Max chased after her.

“Pull up your magic table in.” She paused as both Max and Silvia did.

Max

Magical Factors

Nguvu Units

1.13

Recoup

0.81

Rate

1.03

Switch

0.97

Sensitivity

1.05

Finesse

1.02

Magic Aptitude

100

Affinities

Fire

31%

Earth

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

13%

Wind

16%

Water

11%

Sun

14%

Moon

6%

Star

9%

Dust

5%

Accumulated Grade Points (AGP)

2.0

Application

Connection

18.5%

Comprehension

26.3%

Total Magical Score

30

She continued. “From memory you’re pretty happy. You have a NU value of 1.13, big magical tank. Biggest in your class I imagine. Bigger than most you’ve met I’m sure. But you only, just scraped over the line with your aptitude. You’re lucky.”

“What do you mean?” Max asked

“You have an AGP of 2. Without it I am not sure that the bare minimum of aptitude would have learnt you your scholarship.” She replied tuning for the next set of stairs. “Reasonable connection and comprehension scores earn you a healthy TMS of about 30 from memory.”

“How do you know all this?” Silvia asked. Talking about mage’s ability this openly wasn’t a normal thing to do.

Erica glanced back at Silvia, “We’re getting to that. But for now lets just go with good preparation. You on the other hand, NU of barely 1 just scraped in there. But your aptitude and magical comprehension gain you a significantly better TMS. Not quite 40 from memory. Highest in the mage tower.”

“What about you? You know so much about us.” Max asked belligerently.

“My TMS beats you by two.” She shrugged. “It’s nothing to write home about. That said today your due for a session with he professor. You’ll learn why TMS is a false measure for the power of a mage, or castor for that matter.”

Erica took a breath. “Look you know that I’m a water mage right. What you don’t know, because nobody does. Is exactly how weird water is. We all know from the announcement at the creation of magic that water was broken. Right?”

Both Max and Silvia nodded which was a redundant motion as Erica had her back to them leading her down the stairs.

It didn’t matter she went on regardless. “Well, I only have a single zero grade in water. If that was in literally any other affinity I would be just a castor. But no, water’s special. I have the best NU value HMCC has found in a girl. 1.2, I have a recoup rate of 1.3 and a cast rate of 1.13. all of which is to say that if I was a normal mage I could drop a fire ball every 20 hours and the rest of you would only manage every 30 hours.”

Silvia interrupted. “Actually my recoup is sufficient for me to drop a cast every 24 hours.”

Erica nodded. “My apologies. Fitzhugh is also under 30 hours but the point remains that we are being limited, not by raw aptitude but by the various rate factors. My cast rate limits my casting but my recoup means that I regenerate Nguvu faster than I can spend it. For you both the opposite is true.”

“Why do we care?” Max asked.

Erica stopped on the stairs and turned to look at him. “Because we are going to war.”

“What war? Nothing’s been declared.” Max asked.

Silvia rolled her eyes. “Not paying attention during the captains briefing I see. Fujiama is going to invade. Well, that’s what the feeling is. And before you ask, no I don’t know why.”

“Fine. I still don’t see why we care about this rate stuff. Point me at the enemy and I fireball the whole lot. Then we can get back to tea.” Max groused.

Erica snorted. “There’s been a few small boarder skirmishes, particularly over where the Duke of Sarness broke away. But all of that was when nobody know how to use magic in war. If war does break out it will be the first major conflict in Indlu that utilises magic. Nobody knows how it’s going to go. The only thing we know for sure is that a single cast per day is not going to do enough.”

“So why are we here if it’s not going to help?” Silvia asked.

Erica thought for a second. “I didn’t say it wouldn’t help. Just that it’s not enough. Besides a few of us at HMCC have been working on a plan to change that.”

“You’re with HMCC?” Max asked incredulously.

“Well, it was that, or they lock me up. Seriously the whole of Indlu is petrified that people like me with go off the deep end like my mum.” Erica sighed. “I am sure that Fitzhugh has some secret plan gentle me the instant I start going loopy. So given the government’s fear of water castors in general and mages in particular. When my SKAT came in, and as we all are asked to do, I went to speak to my guidance councillor about my life options, I received what I liked to call ‘the treatment’.”

“The treatment?” Silvia asked.

“Yeah the treatment.” Erica replied. “You know. Oh there’s a problem with your test. You just wait here for five hours whilst we find a nice padded lock box to ship you of to the ministry of padded cells.”

“No. They wouldn’t!” Silvia exclaimed in shock.

“They absolutely did.” Erica replied her tone darkening. “Spent my birthday trying to work out how to tell Aunt Ida where I was. Hoped she would get me out. Turns out she was happy to be shot of a probably crazy water castor. She never came to visit. Tough five years figuring out that nobody and I mean nobody like water mages.”

Erica took a breath to compose herself. “Anyway, no more stories from the dark farm. Lets just say that Fitzhugh and The Professor turned up one day and gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Stay in the nice box with squishy walls or come outside and play with experimental magic and possibly kill myself in the process. Easy decision really, only option two offered pudding with dinner.”

“You keep referring to the professor. Who is he?” Silvia asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs and exited onto the parade ground.

Before Erica could answer, Fitzhugh appeared beside them. “Ah Silvia, Max just in time. I’ve spoken to the captain. He’s agreed that joining us for more PT is an excellent way to build team spirit. All three of you are late so as punishment you get an extra half hour of running at the end. Don’t let me stop your chat. I will be timing your laps so off you go.”

Max groaned. Silvia sighed. Erica smiled unfazed. She loved PT and would probably do extra later in the day anyway. As they jogged off she turned to her companions. “The professor? No idea what his real name is. Don’t think anyone at HMCC does. I mean he must have one but he has always just been the professor.”

She thought for a few steps. “Come to it, I’m not even sure if he really is a professor. He’s old though, supper old. Around before magic old.”

“Magic isn’t that old. Plenty of people alive from before magic.” Silvia wheezed out a comment.

“Not me, I wasn’t.” A cheerful voice joined the group.

“Me either.” A second chimed in.

Erica decided to commence introductions. “These are the twins, Clara and Cindy.”

“We’re not related.” Responded the two girls in perfect sync and harmony.

Max was having trouble breathing. He hated running or any exercise for that matter. “Could have fooled me. They’re identical. Even sound the same.”

“Same thought most people have. They like the same things, go to the same places, do the same things. They even talk in sync and complete each other sentences.” Erica explained.

“Do not.” They said together.

“I’m a totally…” the one on the left started.

“… different person…” the one on the right completed.

“… to her.” They said to gather before braking out in laughter as they pointed at each other.

Erica rolled her eyes at the girls antics. “Neither have enough NU to be considered a mage. But for may other reasons they are going to be great additions to our little coven.”

“Coven.” Max wheezed. “What’s…” he gulped for air, “…a coven?”

“ Fitzhugh, the professor and I, have decided that a coven shall be the collective term of a collection castors set to a specific task. Both of you will be joining.” Erica concluded brightly.

“And we have a say in this?” Silvia asked.

Erica snorted in amusement. “You’re in the military. I’m not, but even I know what military volunteering is.”

“We volunteered,” the twins chimed in together.

“Why they did is still beyond me,” Erica responded.

“Mum was a source castor just like me. Moon affinity too. I so did not want to be a moon dancer.” The twin on the left replied.

“So. What’s so bad about that?” Silvia asked just as Erica said, “that’s Cindy.”

“Mum danced naked under the moon so that the crops and animals would be blessed.” Cindy replied. “I saw the way those ugly farmers looked at her. But the blessing seem to work most of the time. Well, until it didn’t and then we would have to change towns.”

“Still don’t see what the issue is.” Erica commented. “Mum used to do that to. Used to run into the middle of the river and make it dance with her. Of course when she decided that the farmers crops would look good as hair for her water dancers. Things just got strange from there and people started getting angry. But the water sculptures where great dancers. I learnt some good steps form them. Had to practice in my cell by my self but maybe one day I can practice with all of you.” She smiled brightly.

“No more stories from the dark farm.” The twins chorused.

Changing the subject Silvia turned to the twin on the right. “I’m guessing you’re Clara. Why did you decide to join?”

“Simple.” Clara replied brightly. “Mum’s a hedge witch. People treat her bad and steal her money. I wanna be rich.”

Erica snorted. “HMCC must be paying you a lot more than they pay Fitzhugh for that to happen.”

“No silly.” The twins chorused before Clara explained. “We’re going to learn proper magic from the HMCC and then we are going to magic for people with money.”

Erica looked like she was going to make another disparaging remark but Silvia chimed in. “So what kind of castor are you?”

“Earth, like my mum. But I also picked up a half grade in Star source from my dad. They were so hopeful that I was going to be a mage and then my NU cam in too small. Big disappointment. Dad got drunk a lot and started hitting me an mum. Decided it was time to get rich without them. So I left and found Cindy.” Clara chatted away happily as they jogged on.

Max struggled to keep up puffing and blowing but managed two words. “Professor run.”

Erica giggled. “Fitzhugh tried to make him run the once. Almost killed them both. The Professor in the running and Fitzhugh when the professor tried to enact revenge. Needless to say we don’t try that anymore. But As I was saying nobody knows his name.”

The Twins interrupted. “We do.”

“He’s Brian” Cindy said just as Clara said. “He’s Bret”

They smirked at each other before chorusing “No. He’s actually Frank.”

“You don’t know his name any more than the rest of us.” Erica chided.

“No, but we can guess,” Clara replied.

“One day we’ll guess right.” Cindy added.

“And when we do we’ll know.” They chorused together.

Erica rolled her eyes. “Anyway, he has absolutely the worst aptitude score. Only 80 if you can believe it. Also only a single grade, all in sun source. No hope to be a mage. But super smart. Invented most of the stuff we’ll be trying in the coven. So excited to try that.”

Silvia looked up nervously as they jogged on. “Try? Don’t you mean, do. I mean it’s all tested.”

Erica to a breath and hesitated for a moment. “Well, here’s the thing you see. When we were creating this stuff we didn’t have access to a mage. This is all high magic and requires a mage to drop the casts. But the theory is sound.”

“But you haven’t actually tested this casts?” Silvia pressed for a straight answer.

“Sure we have,” the twins chimed in, “sort of.”

Erica forestalled the question by answering. “We pushed nguvu into he cast form and there weren’t any issues. But you actually have to drop a cast to see if everything runs correctly.”

“You see I never understood that? How can you have nguvu, the ability to form a cast even pour you nguvu into the form without actually casting.” Silvia asked.

Erica glanced at her. “Near as HMCC can tell it’s actually a deficiency in the body of the castor. Low magic or hedge magic flows differently and HMCC has no idea how that works in spite of these body issues. So anyhow I super excited to see this stuff go off. It’s going to be great.”

“So,…” Max panted “…what…” breathed again “…casting?”

“Who’s the fatty?” Cindy asked

“Yeah, what’s he doing here?” Clara added.

Erica regarded him for a moment. “Girls, that’s Max. He’s the fire mage we were told about. But you can call him 3M. Well, at least until he improves his fitness.” She turned to Silvia. “Did you know that fitness increases your aptitude score?”

“No I didn’t.” Silvia replied. “Suppose it should be obvious. But his question was good. What are these experimental casts you are expecting us to perform?”

“Can’t say.” Erica said. “The king’s…”

“…afraid of spies. We know.” The twins chimed in cutting Erica off.

Cindy glanced up. “Hey looks like Fitzhugh is calling us in for breakfast. Enjoy the punishment for be ing late.”

“Yay breakfast.” Clara added. “Hey, didn’t Fitzhugh say the coven needed eight people. I can only get as high as seven and that includes the professor.”

Cindy sighed. “We should have kept Andrew. He had such great eyes.”

“Nah, did you see the size of the muscles on Conner. We should have kept him.” Clara argued as they both turned away jogging towards the cafeteria.

“Delightful girls. Not the smartest pair but they work fantastically together. Which we will need with the numbers we are looking at.” Erica remarked.

“What’s this about numbers?” Silvia asked.

“The theory is that there are four magic elements and four magic sources. So if you can get a coven member to embody each of the eight you will have a stronger cast. Of course, there are six aspects to aptitude, three casting aspects and three nguvu aspects. So the number eight is more a guideline that a rule as far as we can tell. Theroy is that you can for a coven with three. You wouldn’t though.”

“Why not?” Max managed a sentence.

“Cost?” Erica replied. “All magic has a price to be paid. Covens have strange costs. Costs that governments complain about so. We have to play it their way until we can do it better.” She paused. “ Anyway enough of the chit chat. I need to get some exercise in.”

“And this wasn’t?” Silvia complained to Max as Erica drastically increased her speed and ran off around the parade ground. “I hate PT,” she reflected earning a grin from the flagging Max.