Chapter 111

I studied the black pea in my hand. The apex metal of the Sphere. Unbreakable and nearly impossible to work without magic. I judged from my current aether it had taken about 4,000 aether to create this small pea. It was about ten times as aether intensive as mithril. So the value remained the same as adamantine was valued at ten times as much. From what I knew of adamantine, it was extremely rare since it was heavily exported to the Outer Sphere. The only place adamantine was made was in the dungeons, just like aether crystals.

The adamantine material could coat mithril and allow extremely high volumes of aether to flow with no bleed effect. Aether bleed meant some of the aether sent through the mithril went into the environment instead of through the runes. With adamantine, it would essentially give devices 100% efficiency. Creating the adamantine to sell would not generate more value for the aether expended unless I found a high-demand market. Making my own adamantine for enchanting was worth it. If I used adamantine in Remy’s bike, for instance, all his power problems would be solved if the core crystal was large enough.

If I added adamantine around the mithril runic wires on the Maelstrom, I could eliminate aether bleed and increase the efficiency by as much as 25%. I would have to run some tests as the textbooks did not have the numbers on adamantine insulated mithril. I could increase the acceleration and top speed on the Maelstrom. The mithril only needed a thin coating, so the pea and toothpick would go a long way. After I coated the mithril in adamantine, I would coat that in gold, another insulator, to hide the black adamantine.

I started to do the calculations and estimated I would need 250 peas—or roughly 25 small coins worth of adamantine to coat the basic flying runes for the Maelstrom. That was 250,000 gold and only covered the runes for allowing the Maelstrom fly! I moved the project to the back of my mind and put the black metal into my dimensional space. I needed the upgraded aether core power core first for the Maelstrom.

I took over the bridge watch with Remy again. He told me of his travels in Llorth and talking with a gnome acquisition specialist concerning the large aether crystal. The gnome had connections in a dozen large cities across the Sphere and could get anything for a price. That price was generally a 20% commission. That was too steep an added cost, so we were going to go to Hakeam ourselves.

Sammie joined us on the bridge as well to play with the kittens. I asked the lumberjack how working for me was going. She gushed about the food, thanked me for the opportunity, and told me she had saved over fifty gold so far. She had plans to return a wealthy woman to her island one day.

On my payroll, Sammie made 5 or 6 gold a week and received room and board. She and Lana lived in the same apartment and were definitely a couple. The two were vastly contrasting body types, Sammie large and muscular and Lana small and thin. They seemed extremely happy in each other’s company. Sammie had even started to use her tier 1 wood shaping skill to contribute to the miniatures for sale in the Shiny Platinum gift shop. They were only selling for a few silver now, but she would get more once she improved her skill.

I asked Sammie, “You seem to like Adrial and Kiara. Would you be willing to help feed them with Freya? Bleiz usually watched her when she fed them, but with him gone, I don’t think our mother will let Freya do it alone.”

Sammie put on a massive grin, the answer being yes. “Can we train them as well? I have been reading up on training pets.”

I pulled Dar the Beastmaster’s guide to training a phantom beast from my dimensional space, “I would appreciate that, Sammie. Here is the book specifically for phantom beasts.” She eagerly took the book and started reading.

The trip had no issues on our return to Skyholme. At our speed, are only enemies would be another skyship, and our speed was much faster than a normal skyship. We docked in the hangar, and I went up to my apartment, the cats chasing after me. The first thing I needed to do was square away the gold for Loriel’s skyship. I overspent on the spells and did not have enough gold after converting my remaining platinum. I would have to invest aether in making gold during the week. I planned out the amount of aether I would need to hold in reserve every night to make the gold. I could create the gold in a single day, but I did not want to interrupt my routine.

It was late on the seventh day, and I had classes in the morning, so I only spent a few hours studying the arcane web spell, doing my aether exercises, and creating gold. I stayed up too late and only managed a few hours of sleep. My morning routine had me in a zombie-like state, which the cats matched, showing fatigue from the adventure. When I headed to the academy, I found the cheerful twins walking with me. They had not seen Gareth at all while I had been gone, but Lana brought back a record harvest of honey from the delve that Gareth was on.

I talked with Mera about how much frost mead she could make weekly. She thought for a moment and said maybe 100 gallons a day if she had the honey available. But if she only made the magic mead, the other ales would fall behind in production for the Shiny Platinum. I asked her to start making five extra casks a week of the frost mead for outside sales to the lowlands. I also told her to put the maker’s mark on the casks, the hydra of the Shiny Platinum. She could commission a brand. It was all about branding, after all.

Classes passed, and I did not run into Gareth during the day. After today’s class, I also decided I was done with Ley Line Theory. The instructor still offered no insights beyond rehashing the text. I suppose if the students were not motivated to read the text, the class might have been useful to attend, but I had finished the entire text.

I thought about seeking Gareth out but decided he should come to me to apologize. I went to Neelan’s library to return the book and select a new one. Neelan was not present, and I placed the text on his desk and searched his library. I found a text on a guide to imprinting higher-tier spells. I paged through it, and it just gave tweaks to the normal approaches for imprinting a spell. I decided to have a copy made. That way, I could read it when I started on my lightning elemental spell. I left a note on top of the book I returned with details of the book I was borrowing now.

I left the academy and dropped off the book to be copied for two gold. I could pick up the copy on the way to the academy one morning. On reaching the Shiny Platinum, a woman called out, a red-haired woman. It was Namira. She rushed to meet me before I entered, “Storme, I have been waiting here every day for hours!”

Her smile was intense as she stood before me, “And?” I waited.

She blushed, “I wanted to tell you about the meal you paid for in the restaurant. It would have definitely been worth the seven silver it would have cost me, but I can only go and treat myself once a year at those prices,” she admitted. I guessed at what was happening here. She was trying to get on the dungeon team for free restaurant food.

I decided to get the conversation to the point, “Have you talked to Ullmark?”

“He gave me the date of the next auditions at the adventurer’s guild. It is in five weeks,” she said, losing her smile.

“And you want me to talk to him on your behalf? Gareth would not do it?” I replied smoothly, thinking I reached her objective.

Namira frowned, “Gareth has moved on from me. Gwenyth was in his room the last two nights. But I just wanted to see if you would want me to take you to my favorite restaurant,” she appeared hopeful.

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Gareth was a fool. Fera would find out and cut ties with him again. Namira was the most attractive student I had observed at the academy. Maybe her unique red hair made her stand out, though. Her slightly crooked teeth and yellow teeth were her only negatives. There was an evolution of the lesser restoration spell that could correct that. It would straighten, heal and whiten the teeth. I sighed, ending my brief lapse, “I do not have time for a date. But perhaps Ullmark is here, and I can talk to him with you present. Come with me.”

We walked past the guard on the stairs and up into the apartments. I knocked on Ullmark’s door, and no answer. We went to the training room, and he was there working with Lana and Sammie. “Ullmark!” I yelled as I approached, and we shook wrists in greeting.

“Come to tell me you want to go on a delve? We could use your skills,” he said, looking past me at Namira. “I talked to her a few days ago. We have our five core members, six if you ever delve again, and seven trainees. I don’t think I want to manage more than twelve, but as I told the young woman, we cycle out underperforming members every two months and hold tryouts.”

I had not followed Ullmark’s management of the delve operation too closely. If Remy thought something needed to be addressed, he would have told me. I addressed Ullmark, “So what do we need? You are setting up a second team, it seems with the numbers?”

“A second porter and second mage. The new recruits are two scouts, two healers, two fighters, and one harvester,” he replied. We had Talia, a good mage. Gareth and Sammie as tanks. Lana is a porter, and Ullmark is a fighter for making the core five. I nodded, thinking. It was obvious Namira’s skills were not needed.

I asked, “You found two healers?”

“Just the tier 1 mend flesh spell. Nothing special but good insurance. Both have piss-poor aether reserves, but I am hoping one develops into something. Lana is getting exhausted going on both delves every week, so I really need another porter, preferably one with the same massive storage. I am hoping one of the healing mages can learn a storage spell,” Ullmark said seriously.

“Well, profits are good on the frost mead, so you can go to fifteen members, but I like your structure of cutting the underperforming members after two-month reviews. I don’t want to interfere with your team management, but I thought I would introduce you to Namira here,” I said, bringing the redhead forward.

“Well, we can see what she has. Sammie! Grab your axe. Namira, you can take one of the training weapons off the racks,” Ullmark barked and gave me a wink when no one was looking. I think he assumed I was interested in Namira. Maybe I was.

I was not stupid. I realized I was still carrying a torch for Aelyn. I was still planning to get the information from Loriel on Aelyn’s possible whereabouts. Maybe I was still hoping Aelyn would return to Skyholme on her own.

What happened next was not pretty. I could not believe how far Sammie had come in her combat ability. She repeatedly beat down Namira, who I had to heal between bouts. After each sequence, Ullmark would advise both fighters on what they did well and needed to work on. At first, Namira was trying to use her anger to overcome Sammie, but Sammie was too fast and used her axe like a polearm, the handle acting like an extra blocker and attacker. It also helped that I had enchanted that axe with a durability and lightness rune set.

I left to feed the cats as I was an hour overdue. After feeding them, I left them in my room and returned to the training room to find them still going at it. I talked to Ullmark, “She is not very good.”

“She would do better in a dungeon against monsters, she is not so good against an experienced fighter for sure,” Ullmark commented.

I asked, “How are Lachlan’s potions working?” I had hired the alchemist to supply potions to the delve team in order to save coins.

“Not bad, actually. You would have to talk with Remy. I know they had an argument, Remy and Lachlan, that is. Lachlan wanted to get a permit to sell his potions in the gift shop. Remy told him no, and an argument broke out,” Ullmark motioned me forward to heal the fighters. I was surprised Namira was still going after nearly two hours. She certainly had the stamina for a dungeon run.

After the healing, Ullmark said, “Enough for tonight, Sammie. Clean up and get some rest. Thanks for joining us for a training session, Namira. You have decent basics,” her face fell, expecting Ullmark’s rejection. Ullmark continued, “You can join us on the delves on the third-day in the Frost Vault. We have an overnight slot if you are interested. Just until we have our next tryouts,” he added, not committing to adding her to the official roster.

Namira looked overjoyed. I hit Sammie with a cleanliness spell as she walked by, cleaning her body and clothes of dirt, sweat, and blood. Lana had long since left. Namira was talking energetically with Ullmark, working out the details. When they were done talking, she raced off to go home, I guessed, not even thanking me. Ullmark walked to me.

“She works hard. She might make it. Did you want to discuss something else?” he asked since I had not left.

I nodded, “Gareth.” He nodded in understanding. I added, “How is he doing?”

“He was very reckless on the delve yesterday. Talia told me they had an argument about the pace he was pushing them. The team brought back the largest honey harvest to date, and no one died. I thought he could lead a team on his own, but he is not quite ready,” he sighed. “Talia has a more level head and would be a better leader. Is there something I should know?”

“I am trying to reign Gareth in. His cavalier attitude is starting to get out of control. You should know that Gareth most likely bedded Namira. I don’t think it will be a problem, though,” I stated my concerns.

“You always think of yourself as invincible at that age. I will do what I can to guide him. Maybe you should have Callem talk to him? That would set him straight,” Ullmark advised me.

“That is actually a good idea. Thank you. Do not be afraid to cut Namira if she cannot hold to your standards,” I said as I left.

I worked on training the cats before doing my nightly routine. The next day I did not see Gareth or Namira at the academy. I left at lunch as I was done with attending Ley Line Theory. I visited my mother’s leather engraving shop, bringing her lunch. She was shocked to see me and hugged me. I had purchased her shop front, and my parents and Freya lived in one of the apartments in the Shiny Platinum, but I rarely saw them.

“Are you here to talk about your fourteenth!” she asked anxiously. A person’s fourteenth was their day of becoming an adult. In Skyholme, that meant I was sixteen in Earth years, but since aging was faster, my body was closer to an eighteen-year-old. I had actually completely forgotten my birthday was coming.

“No, but I am looking forward to it. We should have more family meals together. I barely see you and Freya,” I gave her a hug.

“Good, Freya has been working on the party for weeks,” my mother said with a sly smile.

“I am guessing there are going to be a lot of sweets and treats,” I chuckled, and my mother joined me.

“I am actually here to commission some pet collars,” I pulled out the collars I had purchased. They all lacked aesthetic value and focused on utility at the various sizes.

“Are these for your six-legged cats?” she asked.

“Yes, can you make a series of paired collars for them as they grow? The largest size would be twenty-eight inches. I will do all the enchanting work,” I asked.

My mother thought for a moment, “What is a make one white and one black for the paired collars? That way, Kiara can wear the black one, and Adrial can wear the white to contrast with their coats. The collars will be more visible, letting people know they are pets,” she suggested.

“Perfect,” I kissed her, and she refused payment. She would make five sizes for each collar. We talked until I had to feed to cats. I finished my daily routine and found the cars more responsive to their training. Sammie’s efforts with the cats were showing.

In the morning, after my routine, I picked up a copy of the book and got to the academy early to return the text and get something new. In his office, Neelam asked me about missing my Ley Line Theory class. I explained why I was not attending, and he nodded sagely. He said I could study the texts in his library during the period if I wanted to. He had class, so it would be quiet. I thanked him and grabbed a random book on illusion magic.

That afternoon I traveled to the guard academy to see Mia. It was so different here. Everyone was in uniform, groomed, and polite. I talked with Mia about her classes and how things were going for her. She was happy and also willing to work with Freya three days a week while Bleiz was gone. We had lunch together, and then I decided to tackle my other problem today.

I found Cilia and Leda and got them to take me to the capital island. I was going to make a surprise visit to the naval academy and talk with Callem about Gareth. I took the cats, but they were going to remain on board the Maelstrom.