Transcendence, page 38
part #6 of The Beginning After The End Series
Elder Buhndemog stroked his beard. “True. Good point.”
“Yes, the artifacts are extremely expensive to make, not just in terms of the cost but the rarity of the material. The artifact uses phoenix wyrm scales. The Glayder family has graciously bestowed a few on us for the sake of my new training devices,” Emily informed us, looking at me with an appreciative gaze.
I wasn’t aware that Father and Mother still had any left.
“Speaking of training devices, what exactly is this getup for anyway?” Arthur asked, poking the gem on his leather chestplate. “I’m assuming this and those plates all over the wall aren’t just for decoration.”
At that, Emily smiled brightly. Even Miss Emeria had a trace of excitement shining in her eyes. “Everything, my friend, from the unappealing armor to the weird plates all across this room, is for recording and measuring everything that has to do with how you magic the hell out of people.”
Chapter 45
Measuring Magic
ARTHUR LEYWIN
Measuring and recording how someone ‘magicked the hell out of people’ was a rather un-intuitive way of describing an unfamiliar process to a group of elderly mages—and two teens.
However, once Emily quelled her enthusiasm and began slowly explaining the functions of the disks all over the room and the metal panel filled with gauges, as well as the leather armor I was wearing, I could see the excitement bubbling up on everyone’s faces.
“So the things all over the room serve as detectors of some kind to record how powerful a spell is?” Camus asked, tilting his head.
Emily nodded. “The word ‘powerful’ is a vague term, but yes. The disks were rather tricky to make because each one of them needs to be sturdy enough to receive the impact but sensitive enough to accurately transmit the feedback to my recording panel. That’s just one aspect though; I’ll explain the other in a bit.”
“What were those glowing lines connecting the disks earlier?” Hester asked.
“Good question!” Emily nodded. “Well, you see, a spell is rarely going to be the size of just one sensor, so I needed the disks placed relatively close to one another with sensors in between. That way, even when a spell is several yards in diameter, the disks can accurately gauge the impact or force of the spell. I call this measurement the force per unit, or fpu. The glowing trails of mana that light up once sufficiently powered—in this case, by Princess Kathyln and the three elders—serve as sensors that connect the disks to one another so I can more accurately gauge the fpu of a spell as soon as it’s released into the field of disks.”
I could see more than a few eyes glaze over with confusion at Emily’s excited explanation. I was tempted to remain quiet and let her run out of words to say, but I was curious about something. “So the disks act as sensors after basically being struck with a spell. But say I fired a blast of wind at Elder Buhnd and he blocked it. The spell would never reach any of the disks, so would that spell not be measured?”
Emily’s eyes lit up. “As expected, you’ve quickly caught on to one of the shortcomings. I realized the same thing in the early stages. If these disks were just targets to be hit, then the impact they would receive is enough to get an accurate reading on the force of the spell. But when live sparring is taking place, more than half of the spells would be either unreadable—or inaccurate at best—due to being partially or fully mitigated by a counterattack from the opponent. I said earlier that recording through direct contact was one of the main aspects of the disks. The other is why I needed to cover the whole room. Each disk not only sends visible trails of mana to the other disks around it, but also creates a sort of pressure that can read the force of a spell as soon as it’s formed.”
“Is that why I had to help you put all those disks so deep in the ground?” Buhnd asked, scratching his head.
“Exactly, and so the disks aren’t in the way even when you use earth magic,” she replied. “Thanks to Elder Buhnd, installing the disks underground was easy. Through the sensors in the ground, all over the walls, and on the ceiling, manipulated mana can be measured even without any of the disks actually being physically hit with a spell.”
“Okay, so basically having this room completely surrounded with these disks creates an area where mana can be measured,” I simplified.
Emily pursed her lips. “Well… yeah, if you want to just summarize six entire months’ work into a sentence, I guess so.”
“Believe me,” I said with a laugh, “I know very well that what you’ve created here is a technological marvel that’ll help mages develop much faster in the future, but I don’t think anyone here has plans to be an artificer.”
“True,” Emily admitted, still pouting.
“So you explained what the disks and the panel do, but what about the armor you had me wear?” I asked.
“Ah, the armor itself was an early part of this process, one of my original designs in fact. It monitors the flow of mana through an individual by—well—I’ll spare you the details. The disc sensors more or less made the armor obsolete. However, in your case, we wanted as much information as possible, and the armor just so happens to compliment Miss Emeria’s abilities nicely,” the artificer replied, turning her gaze to Alanis.
My training attendant nodded before speaking. “Miss Wykes noted the possibility that this environment might have a negative effect on my personal ability, and she thought the suit could assist me in making accurate readings throughout your training.”
“That’s a rather vague explanation. If I didn’t know any better, I might think you’re trying to keep your ability a surprise, just like Emily did with her invention,” I teased my robotic assistant.
She was, however, less than amused. Her expression remained deadpan. “General Arthur, you asked for specifics of Miss Wykes’s suit, not my ability. If you are curious about my ability, please tell me so.”
“Will do,” I replied, taken aback. Unlike Emily, my training assistant didn’t seem very keen on explaining anything and everything. “So, Alanis, what is your ability?”
The stoic-faced elf nodded, satisfied with my straightforward question. “After making a physical connection with an individual, I am able to utilize nature-affinity magic to accurately observe the mana flow of said individual.”
I heard a snicker from Buhnd. Taking a peek, I saw the dwarf nudging Camus with his elbow and whispering, “Heh, ‘physical connection’ indeed.”
I held back a groan, and Camus simply ignored the lecherous dwarf.
“So does that make you a deviant of nature magic?” I asked, curious.
While it was common knowledge that the higher forms of wind, water, earth, and fire magic were sound, ice, gravity, and lightning, respectively—with metal and magma magic specifically a dwarven specialty—little was known about exactly what nature magic was. It was acknowledged that only elves were able to utilize nature magic, which led magic researchers to believe it was a sort of deviant specialty of wind and water, just as magma was a specialized combination of fire and earth. One example of nature magic was plant manipulation, like what Tess was able to do, but I’d never heard of reading mana flow using nature magic.
“I am uncertain whether my ability is an evolved form of nature magic or a specialized peripheral use of it,” she answered. “However, Commander Virion tasked me with providing accurate feedback on your mana flow throughout the course of your training, as I have done for other Lances.”
“You helped out the other Lances, too?” I asked. I wasn’t so much surprised by the fact that Alanis had worked with the others as I was that Virion hadn’t told me about her.
“Yes,” she said simply.
“How intriguing,” Hester chimed in. “And what does this sensory magic show about General Arthur?”
Alanis took out her clipboard. She flipped through several pages before reading aloud, “General Arthur’s rate of mana flow upon manipulation from mana core to extremities measures at roughly point-four-six seconds for body augmentation. For spell casting, there is roughly a forty percent increase in time for wind-attribute spells and fifty-five percent increase for earth-attribute spells as compared to ice- and lightning-attribute spells. Fire and water magic were not used enough during the session, so no readings could be made.”
“Point-four-six seconds is awfully specific. How did you measure the time so accurately?” Camus asked, his interest piqued as well.
Alanis produced a small cube-shaped device from the inside of her suit-like jacket. “Miss Wykes generously provided me this time-counting device.”
She pressed a small button on the side and the cube began whirring, then she quickly pressed it again. She showed us the top of the cube, and it showed the time that had elapsed, down to a hundredth of a second.
“Never thought I’d see such a useless tool,” Buhnd grumbled, obviously uninterested in the analysis of these numbers.
“Nonsense. That device can measure how fast you can run from one end of the room to the other on those short stubs you call legs,” Hester jeered, a smug grin on her face.
Buhnd gave a loud snort. “Why do such a plebian thing as running when I can have the earth move my feet underneath me, you old witch?”
The two began bickering once again, making me wonder what their relationship was. It wasn’t just their bickering, though; back when we were sparring, all three of the elders had shown an uncanny degree of coordination, as if they had fought together before. I made a mental note to ask Kathyln or Virion later.
I turned my attention back to the two elves. It seemed Alanis had just finished answering a question from Camus that I’d missed.
“I see,” the old elf replied thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t want to hassle Miss Wykes too much about this so I’ll procure some materials myself.”
“It’s really no problem at all, Elder Camus,” Emily said. “I was planning on improving Arth—General Arthur’s suit anyway. Making a few more wouldn’t be much of a strain, as I already have several half-finished prototypes. Assuming I have enough materials on hand, I just need to update them to the correct spec and fit them properly.”
“What’s going on?” I whispered, leaning toward Kathyln.
“Elder Camus asked if it was possible for Miss Emeria to do readings for multiple people,” Kathyln answered, taking a step back.
Whoops. A little too close for her.
I distanced myself as well, remembering the princess had always been wary of her personal ‘bubble.’ “Does that go for you as well?”
She nodded. “I’m curious to know how the speed of my mana flow compares to others.”
The aspect of comparison brought to mind a whole load of questions that I wanted to ask Emily, but now wasn’t the time for that. Instead, I turned to my training assistant. “Alanis, what were my numbers after I used Realmhea—I mean, after my hair and eyes changed colors?”
Everyone looked at the strait-laced elf expectantly. Even Hester and Buhnd, whose squabbling—or maybe flirting—I had tuned out, stopped to hear her response.
Alanis only had to flip a single page in her notebook before answering. “General Arthur’s spell-casting efficiency, from the mental invocation stage to the physical shaping of elemental mana, increased nearly five-fold throughout all spectrums of elements, and…”
“And?” Buhnd pressed while everyone held their breath.
Alanis shook her head. “My apologies, General Arthur. I did not record your body augmentation after the change in your form.”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “Was it because there wasn’t enough of a difference in times?”
“Oh, no. It’s not because of that,” Alanis said, her eyes wide. “I did not record you simply because I could not. General Arthur, your body augmentation speed normally is on par with most of the Lances. After the transformation, however, it was much too fast for me to even attempt to measure.”
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“How’s your brother doing these days?” I asked, hoping to fill the uncomfortable silence in the corridor.
Kathyln and I were walking in one of the residential floors of the castle. The clear view of the moon and stars outside told us that our training had gone far longer than we’d intended. With everyone either already asleep or working down in the lower levels, the castle felt almost abandoned.
“Curtis is doing much better, now that Father has finally allowed him to leave the castle—under supervision, of course,” Kathyln replied with a hint of envy. “In his last transmission scroll he described how rewarding it is to be one of the assistant training instructors at Lanceler Academy.”
“You’re not so lucky, I’m guessing?”
“I had hoped that becoming stronger as a mage would allow me a little more freedom, but the image my father has of me remains that of a timid little princess,” she breathed.
“Well, to be fair, you are pretty timid,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
“I have been told that I’ve become more outgoing,” Kathyln replied, flustered. “Even my participation as your sparring partner was at my own insisten…” Her voice trailed off.
“What was that?”
She quickened her pace, walking on ahead. “Nothing.”
We continued in silence, and I found myself paying eerily close attention to Kathyln’s walk. Her footsteps had an almost lulling cadence, each footfall deliberately made on the balls of her feet to minimize sound. She was small-framed, but her stride exuded a confidence that seemed well-rehearsed. If I didn’t know her, by her walk I would’ve thought she was just another arrogant and pretentious noble.
She stopped, and by the time I raised my eyes, I found her looking back at me with just the slightest lift to her left brow. “Is everything all right?”
Realizing I had spent the past few moments staring at her legs, I blushed. “No—I mean yes, everything is fine.”
“Your footsteps are very quiet; I didn’t know if you were still walking behind me,” Kathyln said, waiting for me so we could walk abreast.
“I could say the same for you,” I laughed. “Despite the confidence with which you walk, your feet seem to hardly touch the floor.”
“Mother was very strict on anything that could be seen by those around us. Curtis and I were required to take lessons covering every aspect of royal etiquette,” Kathyln answered.
“Oh! My mom had Ellie go to those kinds of classes when she was little. Except the only thing she seemed to learn was how to get out of chores by saying they were ‘unladylike,’” I said.
Kathyln smiled faintly. “Ellie is your sister, correct? Short for Eleanor?”
“Yeah. Have you met her? She’s usually on the outdoor balcony practicing her archery.”
“I have seen her on occasion, but never spoken to her,” she answered.
“She can be a bit intimidating, with that bear always following her around,” I admitted. “I’ll have to properly introduce you to her sometime. I’m sure she’d be excited to get to know you.”
Kathyln’s smile widened to the point that it actually looked like a smile. “I’d… like that.”
We continued talking as we made our way to her room. Hester was originally supposed to escort the princess back, but I’d wanted to get out of the training room—I actually planned on getting something to eat after—so I volunteered. The old mage was reluctant, but she and the other two elders had wanted to stay behind with Emily and Alanis to measure the force of their spells. She knew Kathyln would be with a Lance, and her excitement at measuring her fpu outweighed everything else, so she’d relented.
If someone were to stand absolutely still and stay quiet, it was possible to feel the castle tremble slightly as Hester, Buhnd, and Camus let loose their magic far below.
Kathyln’s room was just a few feet ahead when I remembered what I wanted to ask her. “Does your guardian personally know Buhnd?”
She nodded. “All three elders know each other.”
My brows lifted in surprise. “Really? How?”
“Those three played crucial roles in the last war between human and elves. Darv sent soldiers to help Sapin during the war, which is how Hester and Elder Buhnd know each other. After the war was over, leaders from all three kingdoms were obligated to attend a summit held every couple of months in an attempt to mend broken bridges. Hester has mentioned Elder Camus’s and Elder Buhndemog’s names several times. They often trained together before.”
“That explains their impressive coordination when we sparred,” I noted.
I wanted to ask more about Hester, and about the Flamesworth House in general, but we had stood before Kathyln’s door for several moments now, and it felt more proper to ask Hester directly.
“Will you be okay by yourself, Princess?” I teased as Kathyln carefully unlocked her door with the touch of a palm. My room didn’t have a mana signature reader, but then again, it probably wouldn’t have done me much good to have one.
“Father took extra precautions with the reinforcements for my room,” she said, lifting a familiar-looking pendant from around her neck. “I also have this.”
“That’s made from a phoenix wyrm, right?” I asked, knowing where I had seen it.
“I’m impressed you know what it is at such a brief glance,” she replied. “The artificer, Gideon, made these from the core and scale of a phoenix wyrm.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said, omitting the fact that I had bartered two of the same artifacts from Gideon almost ten years ago for the blueprints of the steam engine ship. Ellie and my mother were still wearing them now—one of the reasons I could sleep a little easier at night.
“Thank you.” She tucked the phoenix wyrm pendant back inside her shirt. “And thank you for walking me back. I was glad to see Hester so eager to join in, but, knowing her, she would have insisted on leaving with me had I not had an escort.”
“No problem,” I responded. “It’s the least I could do in return for your taking the time to help me with my training.”
She shook her head. “It’s training for me as well. No need to thank me for that.”
