AO 4 Ch 24 (Patreon)

Chapter 24

I walked into the administration building, keeping from gawking like the first time. This time I walked straight up to the desk like I was an old hand. “I have a mage assessment.”

The clerk at the front desk blinked. She had a line of sight to where I’d melted away the carriage made of magic and more than a few people found a reason to enter behind me and eavesdrop. “Sorry, mage assessment?” She snapped out of her shock.

“Yes. I’m not a mage in the eyes of the kingdom. I just mastered my adept spell.”

She glanced at me and then past me to where the carriage of darkness had been, then back to me. “You just mastered your adept spell?”

“Yes. Do I need to look myself up in that list of yours? Arden Aldis. Four sphere mage.” I cleared my throat.

“O-one moment.” She started flipping the log book in front of her. “Yes. We have an assessment for Arden Aldis. Apologies for the confusion sir.” She bowed to me and then bolted from her spot and rushed into the building. Hopefully she was finding my assessor.

There were whispers behind me, but I ignored them in favor of Emlyn and Maribelle. “Can you believe the service here?”

“Don’t be an ass.” Emlyn said before pausing. “Oh wait. Too late.”

“Now you’re being one.” Maribelle defended me. “She’s rushing back.”

Sure enough, the clerk was puffing as she got back to her desk. “They’ll be with you in a moment.”

The whispers behind me got louder, but I ignored them and patiently waited with my hands behind my back.

A familiar old woman came down the steps, leaning on her cane, but there was no wobble as she took her time as if she were contemplating each step.

When the old Virel looked to see me there, she had a wry smile on her lips. “It feels like just yesterday that we confirmed you were an untrained four sphere.” She spoke loud enough for the gawkers. “Next time I see you, are you going to be competing for an elder seat?” She laughed to herself.

“Maybe.” I grinned. “Who knows? I’ve already accomplished so much in a short period of time.”

She raised an eyebrow at me and then motioned for me to follow her as she made her way back up the steps.

Once we were far enough back to be away from prying ears, I had to know. “Why not use your magic to go up and down?”

“Because I could use the exercise.” She replied. “Now, I’m going to smack you with my cane if you don’t keep that tongue of yours where it’s supposed to be.”

I opened my mouth only to close it when she glared at me.

“I heard you got the young miss to fight her parents. She was never a willful one, and now you’ve gone and given her a real fighter's spirit.” She got to the top of the stairs and ambled down the hallway.

I wasn’t sure she was actually angry about it.

We were walking at a crawl, but I thought better of saying what immediately came to mind. Her cane looked fairly sturdy.

“Aurelia is a wonderful anchor.” I said as I settled on a reasonable answer.

“Of course. She’s a Virel. Now we’ll test you on your adept spell. Which element have you chosen to work with?” She opened a door and there were two more mages. Both of them looked quite senior.

“Ice.” I even recognized one as I walked in and my anchors behind me. They both stayed silent. Before the elder mages, they didn’t really have much of a say in anything.

“Hiya grandpa.” I waved. “Haven’t you already seen the spell?”

“Formalities are important.” He pressed his lips thin.

“Someone who can’t even properly greet an Elder of their house is a poor fit to uphold the honor of a mage.” The third elder scowled at me.

“Wow. Who pissed in your juice this morning? Not even going to introduce yourself before you start whatever it is that Carmilla has asked you to do?” I deadpanned.

The man didn’t rise to the provocation. Instead, he gave a droll expression as if I were beneath him. “Can I fail him now?”

“Am I too late?” Carmilla stepped through the door. Her shaved head was just as I remembered it, though there were some darker bags under her eyes this morning. It seemed she might have failed to get her beauty sleep last night.

Wait, did I do that?

“Not at all.” The third elder perked up and got to his feet to greet her like a dog welcoming its master home.

“Woof.” I earned a glare from everyone in the room and coughed into my hand. “Did I say that out loud? What’s she doing here?” I quickly changed the topic. “Don’t think she’s an elder yet.”

The room got several degrees colder.

“I’m your teacher, so I have come to see my student’s progress.” Carmilla gave me the fakest of smiles. “Now, can we take our seats and proceed?”

“Of course.” The third elder made her a chair of stone and took his own once again. “He was just showing us how incompetent of a mage he was. At least on the formalities. It’s important that mages not only have magic, but the ability to aid the Royal Family in its growth.”

I was tempted to let out another bark, but the glare from my grandfather intensified as if he could predict that choice. The elder was certainly in Carmilla’s camp, because the Enclave and the mages did not serve the Royal Family.

“Tada.” I twirled a claw of ice to life. “Who wants to see it first?”

“That’s hardly a spell.” This elder snorted. “Not much definition you can put into a claw. Your mother made a pristine rose made of ice. Compared to that, this seems like a half finished product.”

“Bring it over here.” Elder Virel waved for me to send the claw over.

I happily gave it to her first.

She pinched it between two fingers, her magic flaring for a moment until it broke. “It’s strong enough to pass. I assume you’ve already confirmed, Anadonis?”

“Yes.” My grandfather nodded. “It passes.”

“I’d like to see the spell that he cast to get here. That horse and carriage of dark magic.” Carmilla spoke up. “They were talking about it in the lobby.”

“Oh? That’s nothing. Just me fooling around.” I jumped in quickly. Under the very watchful gazes of three elder mages, I didn’t want to show Cyam off.

“No. I refuse to pass this poor attempt at magic as an adept spell. Our standards as The Heldrin Enclave cannot slip to this level. He will not become a mage with that caliber of spell.” Carmilla’s dog just kept barking.

“He’s a poor reflection of my teaching. That he’s come here to show that off has been a disappointment to me as well. Perhaps it is for the best that he returns and receives more tutelage.” She gave me a look like she wanted to gobble me up, and not in a fun way.

My grandfather gave me a look that urged me to use Cyam.

“Fine, if that’s the way it has to be.” I summoned Cyam out of my shadow, telling him to move slowly and stiffly. I needed him not to seem like he had a soul, but rather pretend to be clumsily animated with my own magic. “It’s just a fun spell I play with.” Cyam moved a little then stopped then moved a little more.

One of his legs slipped to the side only to realign with him like I’d suddenly corrected it.

“It’s still a work in progress.” I tried to sell it as a spell.

“The people outside were saying it was so real, like a real horse.” Carmilla got up to touch Cyam.

As soon as her hand touched him, there was a spike of pain that went through me. Cyam recoiled, rearing up. He tried to hit her before I pulled him back into my Soulgard fortress to protect him.

“Well, that seemed very real.” Carmilla gave me a wicked smile.

Chills ran up and down my back at the look on her face.

Fuck me. She had attacked Cyam’s soul.

The poor guy was whimpering softly in my soul and because of his connection to me, I’d even felt some of the pain.

If I knew how to, I’d crush her soul right there on the spot.

Sadly, inverting her was not an option in front of three elder mages and one of them being her loyal dog.

“The spell is passable. I still think the boy could use some etiquette lessons before we unleash him on society.” The third elder changed his tune the moment Carmilla got what she wanted.

“Impressive spell. Reminds me of one that Harry used to do.” Carmilla retook her seat, her eyes never leaving mine.

“Then we have full agreement?” My grandfather jumped on the opportunity and diverted the conversation away from Cyam.

“Aye.”

“Aye.” The other two echoed.

I was eager to leave. I wanted to check on Cyam and see what she’d done to him.

Emlyn cleared her throat in reminder of what she wanted out of today.

“Right, now that I’m a mage, can I discuss bonding or how does that happen?” I asked.

“Anadonis, you can discuss it with him. I have other meetings to attend. Come along you two.” The old mage waved her hand for Carmilla and the third elder to get out.

I would have to thank her later.

As soon as they were out, Emlyn moved to my side. “What did she do to you?” Her anger was palpable.

“She did something to Cyam, and I protected him. Give me a moment, please.” I dove into my soul to see how Cyam was doing.

To my surprise, the horse was actually there, though he had adopted the shadowy form that had become more familiar than his once living form.

Cyam whinnied and hurried over with a limp to nuzzle me.

“Hi boy.” I pushed his muzzle off of me to get a good look. “You’re hurt?”

That much was clear by his limp. He was made of magic, so the limp was mostly that he felt injured thus manifested it in his form.

I looked around my Soulgard Fortress. It seemed in solid order.

I held onto Cyam as I floated up for a full view.

One wall looked like it had taken a minor attack. The parapet was smashed, but the wall held firm.

I fixed it with a wave of my hand, happy that I’d been able to shelter Cyam. The greater concern was that Carmilla had actually struck at a soul.

If she could do that, then many people around me would be vulnerable.

As for Cyam, I put my hand on him and tried to heal him with life magic in my soul.

He happily nibbled at my hair, but his limp didn’t go away.

“Sorry, let me try one more thing.” Rather than reach for life magic, I reached for soul magic and pushed the life magic through that connection.

Cyam threw his head back as gold light filled his shadowy form, shining through dozens of cracks that I hadn’t been able to see with his form being so dark.

I winced and continued to push as that gold light slowly sealed up the cracks.

By the time that it finished, I leaned against Cyam panting. “Good boy.” I rubbed his flank.

He curled his head around to pin me to his side in a hug for a moment before letting go.

I let myself drift up from that state and glanced around me.

Anadonis was sitting down watching while Maribelle held me in a seat with Emlyn guarding the door. “You were out for a while.” Anadonis answered my unasked question.

“How long?”

“Half an hour. You started swaying on your feet after just a few minutes. Did Carmilla wound you that badly?” He asked. It was clear to everyone in the room that Carmilla had attacked me somehow.

“She struck at Cyam’s soul and I shielded him.” I explained. “He suffered some cracks in his soul; mine was very minor damage. The hardest part was healing him.”

“If we had any questions about Carmilla’s access to soul magic, sounds like that’s answered.” Emlyn pointed out.

“We already guessed it. Also, I’m a complete novice and she barely scratched my defenses. It doesn’t seem like she’s very good with it.”

“You aren’t typical.” Maribelle pointed out. “To be able to do any damage to you is a concern for all of us.”

“Perhaps we should put off bonding.” Anadonis put his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet.

“Now hold on.” I waved for him to stop. “I can make that judgment call.”

He squinted at me and then raised his eyes to Emlyn. “How would you rate Ard’s judgment on a good day?”

“About what to say? I’d rate it very poorly. About how to treat others and measure his own capabilities? He’s fine.” Emlyn backed me.

Anadonis nodded very slowly. “Fine. We can discuss bonding.The process requires a few items and a ritual.”

I straightened myself into what I thought was the very picture of a perfect student. “Yes, let’s talk about it.”

“It’s all quite simple. You need to crush Azurebloom flowers into a paste and then you paint it on your chest and forehead. After that, you have to both maintain skin contact along the paste and meditate. The mage should be able to reach out through the magically conducted paste and connect with the anchor, who I’m told has a sensation akin to a handshake to accept it.” Anadonis explained. “The strength of the bond can have a few different effects.”

“That’s it?” I frowned. “That seems a little lackluster. I thought I’d have to huff a lot of drugs, dance around a circle under the full moon while chanting for eight days straight. I was really looking forward to the mushrooms.”

“Things aren’t often that complicated.” He sighed at my antics. “The paste is to make a bridge, but it’s up to the two of you to make it work. Many mages take most of a day to find and give their anchor a connection.”

“Really?” I walked over to Emlyn and took her hand. “So you paste up yourself and then you hug for a day?”

“Often.” Anadonis frowned at me.

“How do you know it works?” I asked.

“Your anchor should be able to take your magic without having to physically touch you. Also you should be able to discharge all of your magic nearly instantly with physical contact. Many also say they feel a heightened sense of what the other might be doing. I could feel your grandmother within the city like a sixth sense.” Anadonis told me.

“Really? What’s the shortest amount of time a mage has taken to bond?”

“It is a private affair, most don’t— What are you doing?”

I kissed Emlyn in front of him, and reached out like I was going to peek at her soul. Then I just pulled it to me like I was going to hug it and then just mashed it up against my soul like clay. All the while, I thought about reaching out and making a permanent bond.

That didn’t seem to work.

Moving on, I tried to invite her into Soulgard, let her take the Emlyn figure I put guarding the wolf sphere.

“The bonds are unique to the sphere.” My grandfather reminded me. “You can only have four bonded.”

Emlyn gasped and her eyes rolled up into her head.

I caught her and held her for a moment before some stone sprang up to help me. “Damn, you’re heavy.”

“Go exercise.” Emlyn grunted and pulled herself out of the stone. She blinked a few times and stared at me strangely.

“Alright, take some of my magic.” I opened up the wolf sphere and tried to give it to her without touching her.

She held up her hand and sparks flew from her fingertips. “Ard.” She scolded me. “What if that didn’t work?”

“We can still try the blue flower paste. I mean, it did sound fun. I assume that it likely involves a lot of sex. Want me to stem this off and pretend we did it with the blue paste?” I had a giant grin on my face. “It’s just soul magic, Grandfather.”

He frowned at me. “Soul magic. Like what you’re learning from that Eva?”

I nodded. “The very same. Though mine is a little unique. So you might not be able to do this. Not everyone can be as awesome as me.”

Emlyn was furrowing her brow as she stared at me.

Suddenly, I felt the wolf sphere open up and earth magic pour into her through the connection. It would take a minute to fill her up at this rate, but she had a giant grin on her face now.

Maribelle stood to the side, slowly swaying back and forth.

I really thought she’d care more about bonding. Oh well, we had time tonight. Maybe she wanted to save bonding for that.

Emlyn poked at my wolf sphere again, making it open up.

“Stop that.” I scowled at her.

“What’s she doing?” Anadonis was mostly just curious now. The old man was a scholar through and through.

“Opening up my wolf sphere and sucking magic out of it.” I forcefully closed it. “Are you going to make me do that all the time? Just take the ambient magic from me.”

“What if I want to switch elements in a fight?” Emlyn asked. “Like I go up against something and realize that earth would be far superior?”

“Then take a minute and do it then. Not all the time.”

“I’m practicing.” She crossed her arms and opened up the sphere again.

“That’s it.” I sucked the sphere deeper into Soulgard’s depths. “I’m taking my ball and going home since you won’t play by my rules.”

Emlyn rolled her eyes. “Fine. Bring the ball back. I’ll behave.”

“No you won’t. We both know you only say that so you can get another chance to do it.” I crossed my arms and for a moment. We were at a stalemate.

My grandfather cleared his throat. “Your assessment is done and it seems you are fine. Please leave.”

“Alright.” I shrugged. “Time to go home with my ball. Are you coming, Em?”

“Damn right I am.”

“Good good. Because you’re my test subject for this thing.” I told her and walked out with Maribelle sticking close beside me.

I thought about taking Cyam for a spin, but I decided to let him rest. It was a nice chilly winter day, and I thought it would be wonderful to go for a walk.