Chapter 50 – Floor 6: Part 3
Amberlith raised the hefty tome of magic and flipped the pages until she came to the correct page. Clearing her throat, she quickly glanced at Bargoth and Mathew to ensure they were watching before starting.
She pointed her staff at the clear space in front of her and began to recite her spell.
Amberlith’s voice rang out distinct and loud throughout the tent. Mathew could tell she was speaking the correct words because Bargoth periodically nodded as he watched, the pride evident on his face.
To Mathew, the words were gibberish, and he doubted he could have done as well as the young woman. He would have been stumbling through, undoubtedly jumbling the words together until they were indecipherable.
Amberlith’s mana rose in waves, undulating strongly before fading away. Each time she repeated a sentence from the book, it grew stronger, and her voice rose in volume to match its intensity.
This continued for nearly a minute, then two more, until Mathew wasn’t sure when it would end. Finally, after almost five minutes of chanting and gesturing with her staff, the young woman shouted the last word of the spell.
A loud crack rang out through the tent, and Mathew was startled by the sudden sound. Expecting a grand show from the long spell and amount of mana being channelled, he was slightly disappointed when nothing happened.
Bargoth, on the other hand, clapped loudly as she finished, his face split into a smile.
“Well done, Amberlith! Marvelous recitation. A flawless example of the ‘Unseen Servant’ spell.” Bargoth said, coming forward and patting his apprentice on the shoulder in a fatherly manner. Mathew stared at them both in confusion.
“I apologize, but I’m unfamiliar with that spell. What does it do?” Mathew asked, and Bargoth looked at him with pity. Amberlith gestured with her hand, and a kind of ‘force’ sped past his face. Reaching the table, it picked up a goblet and carried it to its master.
It was a formless mass of mana, a shapeless and invisible thing capable of moving objects and doing the bidding of its master. It was also utterly useless in combat. Mathew tried to keep a look of interest on his face as the pair explained why he should be impressed with her casting.
“The Unseen Servant spell is frightfully useful and requires a bright intellect and force of will to assemble. Amberlith is one of the few apprentices capable of summoning it. She will make a magnificent Magus someday.” Bargoth bragged.
“Congratulations. It’s certainly more than what I am capable of doing.” Mathew said truthfully. He couldn’t summon a creature to do his bidding. His offered blessings all leaned toward combat or had more utilitarian value.
“Perhaps you could give us a demonstration of your magic, Champion. We would all be honoured to witness it.” Amberlith said, and Mathew was sure her tone was insincere. She hoped to show him up, especially since he had admitted to lacking magical knowledge.
The gathered mages, young men and women who were studying as apprentices, had all gathered around to watch Amberlith when Mathew and Borgoth entered. Of course, they were interested in a Champion's magic. It was natural to want to compare their spell techniques with a mythical Champion of the gods.
There were even a half dozen older men and women who had come to train their students who were standing near the tent walls, whispering to each other and staring at Mathew.
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“Sure, why not? I only have two Blessings that I can show off.” Mathew confessed, and Bargoth nodded slowly at his words.
“If you please.” He said.
Mathew concentrated for a moment and snapped his fingers. One of the candles on the table that was unlit flickered to life. The apprentices murmured at the display. The fact that he hadn’t used an incantation, staff or any components was impressive to them, even though the spell was lacking.
“Very…enlightening. It would be instrumental when flint and steel is unavailable at night.” Amberlith said, and Mathew was sure of the mocking in her voice this time.
“It has its uses.” Mathew said, shrugging his shoulders. He suddenly felt an urge to play a prank. The Trickster discipline was influencing his behaviour, and rather than fight it, Mathew gave in.
“At least I have full control of my abilities. It seems that ‘Unseen Servant’ is a bit wild.” Mathew said, subtly flicking his finger. The cup that the magical servant had brought and returned to the table suddenly shot away at tremendous force.
Slamming into the side of the tent, the metal cup kept going, tearing a hole in the cloth and shooting out of sight.
The apprentices erupted into frightened screams at Mathew’s trick, and Bargoth turned to Amberlith in red-faced anger and embarrassment.
“You should have more control over your servant than that, Apprentice. You will work on the basics until I call for you.” Bargoth said. Turning to Mathew, he bowed his head slightly in apology.
“I am ashamed at the display of my Apprentice, Champion. Please, let us go and pay your respects to the Prince.” The Magus said, leading the way out of the tent. Mathew had a last look at the confused face of Amberlith before he went back outside in the sunlight.
The Prince was located in the large, white-roofed pavilion in the center of the camp. Passing by heavily armed guards and more mages, Mathew and Bargoth arrived before the groom, whose shoulders would bear the weight of peace of an entire world.
Mathew immediately hated him.
The Prince was leaning back in an oversized chair, his legs thrown over the wood armrests of the cushioned seat while he held a goblet of wine in one hand and was pointing at another noble guest and yelling at the top of his lungs.
In his early twenties, the Prince was handsome, with pale skin untouched by the sun and blond hair. He was wearing expensive clothing, in blue with gold thread. His voice was slightly slurred, indicating to Mathew that he had been spending his day drinking.
The Pavilion was in the midst of a party, with musicians playing and the gathered nobles wearing their finest clothing while their servants delivered alcohol and food. When Mathew and Bargoth entered, the Prince was raising his voice out of the din of the tent to speak to another Noble.
“The man is an ass! An ass! I ordered him to compose a sonnet about my horse, and he began to sing about ‘haunches’ and ‘his hooves would glide across the glen.’ Well, his song was ‘horseshit,’ he deserves to be flogged, but father forbade it. Forbade it!” The Prince tried to get out of his seat to continue shouting and accentuate his point but fell back against the cushion.
Clearing his throat loudly, Bargoth gestured to the musicians to stop playing before bowing low before the Prince.
“My Prince, may I present Mathew, Champion of the goddess.” Bargoth said, eyeing Mathew and giving him a subtle gesture to bow as well, which Mathew promptly ignored.
The Prince turned a bleary-eyed look to the pair, trying to comprehend what he had said for a moment before responding.
“Champion? Were we expecting a Champion? Astley! Were we expecting a Champion?” The Prince shouted, clicking his fingers together to draw the attention of another man. This one was wearing a uniform similar to the servants but of much better quality. Middle-aged and bearded, Mathew took him for a higher-positioned servant.
“Yes, Milord. That is why we have spent the last week here. It was divined that a Champion would accompany us to Center Island.” Astley said, standing next to the Prince’s chair and looking at Mathew curiously.
“Well, excellent! Let us set sail then! My bride awaits. I was told that she is the most attractive creature of Ama, and well, she should be since she has the pleasure of marrying me. It's better than an Esper deserves if I’m honest. Horrid beings, little better than demons if you ask me. But I must sacrifice for the good of the Empire.” The Prince bemoaned, and Mathew’s opinion of him sank further with each word.
“Esper?” Mathew asked, turning to Bargoth for an explanation. The Magus looked uncomfortable at the question but whispered an answer.
“Psions. The Ama are mutants who can read minds and move objects with a thought. The Prince is correct. They are no better than the demons your predecessor eliminated. Would that the goddess had sent us a Champion to cleanse the Ama from this world rather than see this abomination of a wedding proceed.” Bargoth explained.
Tuning him out as the Magus continued to rant, Mathew let out a sigh. He hoped the Ama turned out to be better than the Talrandians.