Seasons passed by. Seasons turned to years. Jace felt the growing pains and mild problems with balance. Topaz remained quiet, only popping out of her crystal every month to chat and ‘entertain’ herself. Such as flinging roof tiles into the distance or walking queerly across the walls and ceilings.
“Why do I have to sit here, pulling thread from my mana?” Jace said with tired frustration. He was turning a spinning wheel with a crystal attached to where the threads would go. Spinning into existence, a glowing thread from his own well of mana. His arms hurt.
“I need magical thread. And a lot of it.” Evaliena told Jace.
“Couldn’t Baysil have done that?”
“She has her own duties, and you were lazing about,” Evaliena argued. Jace was not getting out of this duty, but what did Evaliena need the thread for?
He let out a groan as he stopped to rest his arms and wrists. Wringing them out to release that dull pain. He looked to the yellow vixen. “Why do you need so much thread?” He sat back so his Feina could relax. He wasn’t just frustrated with the task at hand. As he got further settled into his body and the changes that were happening. He was noticing scents and sensations that irritated his mind. He did his best to ignore them lest he embarrass himself.
“I have a few projects I need thread for, that’s all you need to know,” Evaliena replied as she drew her quill across a sheet of paper. “Just a few more spools of thread should do, then you can go practice.” She gave Jace a soft smile. He looked away, why was his cheeks warm? He shook his head and sat there for a while.
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Klack!
“Is something the matter, boy?” Cedar spoke casually as he parried a blow with ease from Jace’s stave work. Jace struck at Cedar’s defence harder, the short stave creaking under the strain. “Want to talk about it?”
Jace loosened up and dropped to the floor, resting the stave over his shoulder. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Just you know, the pains of becoming an adult.” He said jokingly.
“That so? You’re far from being a brave, let alone a man yet.” Cedar rested his weight on one foot and the length of his training sword on his shoulder. “You’re not even bloodied yet,” Cedar observed.
“That hunt you keep yammering on about?” Jace gave Cedar a snarky look as he sat there on the cold floor. “Why are you so determined to make me end some lives?”
Cedar gave Jace a slight nod and a toothy smile. “Oh, the hunt is coming.” He walks past Jace, giving the younger Reynard’s hair a ruffle. “You can’t remain ignorant forever, Ashwood. Once you’re out on the road. Sooner or later, you’ll be forced into a situation where you’ll have to take a life, no matter if you want to or not.”
“But that’s then. Why does it have to be now?” Jace grunted and combed his mane back into place. It had grown long over the years. He needed to cut it. “Especially since… I know how to just disable people with the source link and other spells Evaliena taught me.”
“It’d be also rather awkward for a Reynard not to understand clan hunting, customs and practices.” Cedar pushed Jace forward lightly. “And the hesitation will cost you, either you or someone close to you…” Cedar sighed. “You’ll understand, eventually.” Jace guessed Cedar may have had his share of loss. He understood the wisdom Cedar wanted to impart, at least. Jace just didn’t see the point in it, but he had to yield. This wasn’t his old world, food was not as plentiful and there were plenty of people out there willing to take the chance for their personal gain. Even if it took a little blood.
Jace had even witnessed a few attempts on him and Evaliena as they walked to the different towns for supplies to restock the Keep with. Of course, Evaliena dealt with them easily using her spells. Usually just knocking them out instead of outright killing them, as Cedar suggested. On the other hand, Evaliena had monstrously deep reserves of mana that she constantly kept suppressed.
“Up you.” Cedar lightly jabbed Jace in the back with the butt of his training sword. “We still have some more movements and sparring to do.” Jace rolled his eyes and pulled himself back to his feet, using his stave.
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Jace stretched and yawned as he made his way down from his room. The floorboards creaked loudly with each languid step. The keep felt oddly quiet as he awoke from his sleep. Normally, he’d hear the others chatting with each other. Instead, he was hearing the frantic clutter of pans and feet as he headed down the stairs into the living area.
“Oh… he’s up earlier than we thought.” Burr’s voice flatly sounded. The scent of sugar laden bread and a variety of other foods filled the air. He kept walking, still trying to clear the fog of sleep from his mind. That was odd. What was the occasion?
“He looks half out of it.” Baysil snickered, along with the sound of rustling paper. She had just disappeared behind the pillar, out of sight of Jace. What was she carrying? Jace shook his head and kept walking. He shuffled over to the fur rug next to the hearth and curled up next to the roaring fire.
“Did you not sleep at all last night?” Evaliena inquired as she tendered to a series of covered pots. The smells of fresh bread and stew were enticing.
“Maybe it’s your cooking that woke me up early.” Jace lazily commented back. Or it was more likely Topaz relentlessly nagging him for her own amusement last night.
Evaliena reached over to her side out of view and drew up a bottle of liquid filled with a sweet glow. He knew with his senses now that was the telltale glow of a mana potion. And Evaliena was going to coax him into chugging the bright red fluid down instead of letting him wake up normally. All he needed was time, not a drink. “I’ll be fine.” He croaked.
“Suit yourself then.” Evaliena shrugged and put the bottle away. “Hmmm, Ashwood, I thought you’d be more excited.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Excited? Excited for what?” Jace wondered.
“So sharp, yet so dense sometimes.” Burr jabbed from the other side of the pillar. He was just waking up…
Jace tried to focus his tired eyes, looking around him from the floor. What was he missing? Nothing really changed, apart from the movement of some tables… and more than a few casserole dishes baking away in the hearth.
“It’s your milestone celebration, Ashwood!” Cedar shouted with annoyance in his tone from his usual chair.
“Oh…” The realisation came to Jace and the energy to wake surged through him. “Oh!”
The other Reynards living out through the hermitage would not be attending this celebration, despite getting to know Jace over the years. He did not mind much. He wasn’t a fan of large gatherings to begin with. However, it was something that broke up the monotony of reading, practice, training, gardening, repairing, gathering to survive and shopping for supplies.
Jace didn’t need to do much either, other than help move and place some of the other heavy pots and fresh, fragrant breads. When Evaliena wanted to make a feast, she did not disappoint. There were plenty of roasted and stewed meats along with chutney-like sweet and herbal sauces. The centre piece, however, was a simple butterscotch cake with a simple icing sprinkled with cinnamon. The ensemble of food being displayed on a large low sitting table. Decorated with intricate carving and plenty of mead and wine stains.
But he was not allowed to eat yet. Rather, he had to sit and wait, while Cedar snuck pieces of fish and poultry into his muzzle. Handed a delicate paper and string wrapped package by Evaliena. He fondled the package, rustling the paper as he felt for the contents. Apart from Evaliena, the other wondered why he was not just ripping it open.
“Clothes?” Jace asked rhetorically.
“Is that a normal thing you do?” Baysil asked out of curiosity.
“What? it’s fun to guess.” Jace chuckled softly as he pulled the hitched strings apart to release the package. There were a few layers of brown, waxy paper that he peeled back, biting his tongue to the side of his mouth as carefully removed the paper. His old kilt, poncho and travel cloak had to be replaced once and, even then, having to be repaired more than once from the constant wear. Eventually, they disintegrated. Not that he cared about his appearance anymore.
Altering his senses, he noticed the new kilt and poncho attune to his mana… “Wait?! Is this what you needed all that thread for?” He looked at Evaliena, who exuded a certain cheek with how she sat.
“Maybe you should be a bit more grateful for clothes that change with your form,” Cedar explained flatly.
“They change with my glamour?” He looked at the two pieces of clothing. They had simple patterns with red and orange tones.
“That’s why we needed the thread made with your mana,” Burr added. “Otherwise the clothes wouldn’t be able to change with your glamour.”
“And if you need to change the colours, you can use a colour change spell to alter them.” Evaliena gestured to the clothes. “They also self repair if you feed them mana too. But before you go trying them on first.” The yellow vixen looked to Cedar. “You have a few more gifts to receive.”
Cedar proceeded to pull a stave and a small scabbard from his Lemis. “While a bit large, I hope you’ll grow into them.” The old fox’s hand pulsed with mana and the pair of weapons glided through the air next to Jace’s side with a light clack. “They are proper weapons, a bit hefty. Take good care of them.” Jace took up the scabbard first. He pulled on the handle to inspect the item inside. A thick, long-bladed dagger popped out. It was plain and sturdy. The dagger reminded him of a survival knife with the square serrations along the back edge.
The stave, on the other hand, was made of dark hardwood and had leather wrapping in several places for grip along with stylised craving at the ends. It was wider and longer than the training stave he practised with. The heft on it would take getting used to, however.
The gifts in all weren’t much, but he appreciated them.
“So, shall we dig in?” Evaliena gestured to the feast.
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“Will you please stop strutting around?” Topaz groaned as she rolled her eyes. She was laying stretched out on the floor of Jace’s room. She was more active tonight due to one of the moon’s waxing in its cycle. Tilting her long-eared head to one side. “Yes, they’re some finely woven gifts. What’s so special about them? I thought you had gotten over your problems with having your fur exposed.”
“Well, you noticed anything about the fabric?” Jace Teased the yellow gem spirit.
Topaz stretched her forearms. “Other than they stink of your mana? No.”
“Watch this, then!” Jace said when he was sure he had Topaz’s attention. He started shifting his glamour to his travel form. Landing on his forepaws. He twirled around to show off. Topaz’s eyes widened slightly. The poncho had turned into a neckerchief and the kilt had shifted into a tight fitting sash that was wrapped across his shoulder and torso. He really liked that the clothes shifted with his look, so he started thinking he should ask if he could make some more thread. It would be nice to have a few bolts of this infused fabric for other styles of clothes.
Topaz crossed her forearms. “That’s it? A pair of fancy clothes that shift to fit with your current form?” She scoffed dismissively. “I guess it’s nice to be vain.”
“Oh, I can change their colouring, too.” Jace added. He tried to cast the runes for the colour change spell, only for nothing to happen. “Oh…”
Topaz laughed and rolled onto her back. “Did you forget you need to have ‘hands’ to cast spells, grey fur?” Jace thought about the problem. The fact he had to be out of his glamour to cast spells never occurred to him. Thinking it over, he never witnessed anyone cast spells while in travel form. He’d have to ask about it.
“Then how do you cast spells then?” Jace narrowed his eyes at Topaz.
“I manipulate mana directly. I was born specifically with the ability to do that. Along with the rest of my siblings.” She replied, then she leered at Jace. “I’m not going to even try teaching you.”
“How so?” Jace laid down, tilting his head inquisitively and letting his back legs collect to the side.
“I don’t know. It just comes innately to me. Outside of earth, force and metal, my control over other aspects of mana is limited.” Topaz added before yawning loudly. Her body in Jace’s sense dimmed suddenly. “But my energy has been used up for the day. Have a nice night, Ashwood.”
“Good night, I guess.” Jace blinked at where Topaz was laying as her form dissipated and the resulting sparks coalesced back into her gemstone. He thought to himself that he better shift back and take these garments off before they get dirty.