Chapter: 122 - As Expected (Patreon)

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Tala found herself glorying in the new-dawning sun’s light, a self-satisfied smile resting comfortably on her face.

I did it. I took my first step towards Fused! True, it was just the first step of a cross-continental trek, but it was something. Jevin said he wanted to talk to me about the transition to Refined, after I began the road to Fused. One more thing to remember to ask him about.

Tala didn’t let that weigh her down, however. She was giddy with excitement, despite her soul-deep fatigue. It had taken a lot of mental effort to figure out how to accomplish this first step, and the enactment had been no less taxing. Add to that a missed dinner, already low reserves, and a missed night’s sleep, and she was lucky to be conscious at all.

Something about mornings tickled the back of her mind, but she ignored it for the moment.

The air was chillier up here than she really realized, and as she began to shift, her body felt stiff and cold.

Groaning with the effort, she went through a stretching and strengthening set, limbering and warming up.

“Good morning, Terry!”

Terry cracked an eye open, let out a grumpy little trill, and opened his mouth.

Tala laughed and tossed a bit of jerky over the edge.

Terry huffed but flickered and caught the treat.

She gave one last twist back and forth, sending a radiating series of cracks up her spine. “So much better.” She reached towards the sky. “GOOD MORNING!!!!”

She laughed and spun in a circle.

“Oh… I’m a bit loopy.” She snickered. “Cause I’m spinning in a loop.” Or is a loop vertical…? It probably doesn’t matter.

She shook her head. I wonder why sleep deprivation seems to hit me so easily?

It might be due to her enhancements. Her mind was more taxed than most. Or it’s the night spent doing intense mental and magical work.

“I need to go get some sleep. To the cargo-slots we go, for sleep!” She paused; the tickle came back, fully manifesting this time. “Right! To charge the cargo-slots we go! Then, sleep.”

Terry could probably carry her down in short order. Or… I could jump?

Tala looked over the edge of the platform. “You know, it didn’t work so well the last time I tried… Maybe when less hangs in the balance?”

She nodded to herself. Wise choice, Tala.

Why, thank you. I do try.

She stood for a long moment, looking down at the canopy below. What was I doing?

After another pause, she jerked, coming back to the moment. “Right!”

She needed sleep, sleep after cargo-charging.

“Terry?”

He looked her way.

“You willing to carry me down? I need to recharge the cargo-slots.”

He gave her a deeply skeptical look, then somehow conveyed irritation. Hadn’t she turned down a room in an inn, because she didn’t want to traverse the height of Makinaven?

“Well, not every day, no.” Wait… I’m projecting. There is no way I interpreted that from him, from a look.

Terry vanished.

Tala swept her gaze around, eventually following the lingering dimensional energy as she looked over the side and down to the platform below.

Terry was there and already rideable-sized.

“Fine, fine.” She swung over the side, maneuvering to the ladder and climbing down. Thankfully, her dexterity didn’t seem too hampered, and she was able to navigate the descent without major incident.

Terry trilled at her, crouching so that she could mount up.

“Thank you, Terry.” She climbed up, hooking her hands into the collar and tucking her head down against his neck.

She was asleep before the avian began moving.

*      *      *

Tala heard a trill somewhere in the back of her head but didn’t waken until she slammed into the ground, face first.

Terry trilled again, a bit of irritation evident in the noise.

She groaned. “What?!” Her eyes opened slowly, and she found herself looking at the Constructionist Guild’s door. “Terry… I needed to go to the work-yard. Charging cargo-slots and sleep. Remember?”

Terry appeared in front of her, leaving barely two feet between their eyes as he locked gazes with her. He took in a quick breath then projected a basso tone into her face.

She jerked upright, looking around, suddenly fully awake, at least for the moment.

A few people were within sight, but they seemed to be studiously avoiding looking at the odd Mage and her small, oddly loud bird. Did they seem him when he was bigger? There was really no way for her to know.

Terry bobbed, moving his head towards the door.

“Right… I do need to come here…” She sighed, standing.

She didn’t remember opening the door, but she was in the entry hall, so she must have.

“Mistress Tala?” Jevin came from the back room. “You’re a bit early, but…” He looked her over. “Well, congratulations on your first step towards Fused.”

Tala tiredly lifted one fist in the air. “Hurrah.” Wait… I thought I was fully awake. She was slipping back, fast.

He shook his head, but he was smiling. “If I may be so bold, you seem exhausted. Please go, get some sleep. I’ll bump the merging until later. Come back this evening, or late afternoon, after you've had time to rest and get your head on straight. Soul-work is not the type of thing you want to do while tired.”

Tala mustered a slow nod. “I suppose that makes sense. Thank you.”

“Sleep, Mistress Tala.”

She nodded again and was back outside, slumping on top of Terry.

Terry, for his part grumbled in an amusingly musical fashion, shifting beneath her until she was properly situated.

She again tucked her hands through his collar and dozed.

*      *      *

Consciousness barely returned enough for her to charge the cargo-slots.

Her mental image was terribly fuzzy, while still being accurate. Thankfully, that just made it take a bit longer.

An instant later, according to her perception, she was standing next to her locked door, in the dark.

She felt a presence.

There was something standing beside her, staring at her with wide, intense eyes.

Tala slowly looked to her right, down the unlit hallway. Only her enhanced eyes allowed her to pick out the predator, regarding her from the gloom, always watching, always hungry.

She jerked sideways at the sight, slamming into the still-locked door.

Come on, Tala, it's just Terry.

Terry tilted his head in concern from where he watched her. “Squawk?”

“No. You speak in descriptions, not quotes.”

Terry gave her a deeply confused look in response, trilling questioningly.

“Better. Now, where’s my key…” It fell into her hand as she reached for it. “Thank you, Kit.”

“Feed me.”

Tala froze, staring down at her pouch.

“Feed me all night long.”

She cleared her throat, blinking slowly. “Okay… I think I broke myself, somehow.” Still, it wouldn’t hurt. She shrugged and topped off Kit’s reserves as she unlocked the door, letting herself and Terry inside.

After blearily locking the door behind her, she slammed into the too-hard bed, increased her own gravity, and was asleep before another thought or oddity could delay her rest.

*      *      *

Tala woke slowly from a dreamless sleep.

The room looked exactly like it had when she’d fallen asleep. As expected.

She sat up, looking down at Kit.

“So… did you actually speak, or was I already dreaming?”

Kit did not respond.

“Do you want me to feed you?”

The pouch did not respond.

“Okay… just sleep deprived, then.” She looked to Terry. “Did you hear anything from Kit, last night?”

Terry lifted his head, giving her a level look.

“Fine, this morning?”

He let out a satisfied chirp, then shook his head.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

That oddity addressed, Tala stood, stretching and returning her effective gravity to normal. As she did so, she noticed that some of the stretches felt deeper and more effective under increased gravity. Oh, that makes sense.

That in mind, she decided to integrate variable gravity into her stretching. After all, she already did her body-weight exercises with massive increases. Those, however, couldn’t easily be done in the small space.

Her stretching complete, she carefully unlocked the door, checking both ways in the hall before she came out, and moved into the common area.

It was simple enough to clear space for her workout.

Once she was finished with her start-of-day routine, she bathed within Kit, refilled all her bonded items, and set out from the cargo-slot.

Terry, of course, came with her. Like the day before, she was largely ignored as she crossed the work-yard.

This day, however, one of the men ran up to her. “Mistress Tala?”

“Yes? That’s me.”

He gave a bow and handed her a folded note. “Master Rane asked us to watch for you.”

“Thank you.”

The man hesitated.

Oh… It would probably be reasonable to pay him for the favor… Tala pulled out a silver coin and flicked it to the man. “Thank you.”

He caught the coin and bowed. “It was my pleasure, Mistress.”

Look at me, giving tips like they’re nothing. She stood a little straighter as she walked towards the 2 o’clock spiral. It would slow the paying of her debts, but in the grand scheme of things, it was just one silver.

The note was simply an invitation to come to a reserved training room on the second tier. Northwest 7 o’clock. Tala hesitated. So, the 7 o’clock spiral, but at the 11 o’clock position? She nodded, that sounded right. Alright!

Wait.

What time is it?

She looked around until she spotted a clock. Early afternoon…

Jevin had asked her to return after she rested and cleared her head a bit. A little training could help clear out the remaining fuzziness of sleep. I’ll just go to the Constructionists after.

“Terry, are you willing to carry me up to the second tier? I’d prefer to go across the park than through the city, here.”

He bobbed from his perch on her shoulder but then waited.

“Ahh, yes. We should go all the way there, shouldn’t we.” She smiled and told Terry where they were going.

Terry flickered to beside her, sized for her riding.

Tala tossed him a big chunk of jerky, that he ate happily as she climbed up. “Ready.”

Terry took off at a comfortable jog, which meant that he was moving faster than she could sprint.

She tucked her feet under his vestigial wings, while her hands gripped his collar, and she kept her head low.

It took a laughable short time to get up to the second tier, and the park there-in passed just as fast as they crossed to the 7 o’clock spiral.

From there, it was a short trip up, just over a quarter-way around the tree from where the road had left the park level.

Terry trilled then flickered to her shoulder, allowing her to land on her own two feet before a plain looking structure.

A sign out front simply declared it as a training complex.

She pushed open the door and walked tentatively inside.

“Good morning, Mistress. How can we assist?” A young girl sat behind the counter, likely in her early teens.

“I am here to meet a friend?”

“Oh! You must be Mistress Tala.”

Tala felt her eye twitch. What did Rane tell these people? “Um…yeah.”

“Right this way. Master Rane reserved our largest training arena for the next six days. There should always be someone manning the desk, here. If they ask, you can simply give your name, and they shouldn’t bother you further. If you need anything, we will do what we can to provide.”

Tala nodded along but didn’t verbally respond.

The girl led her down a few twisting hallways to a large door, set in the hallway to the left.

If Tala had tracked the orientation correctly, this would be close to the center of this section of the tree’s perimeter. The center of the training complex, then?

The doors opened to reveal a massive room, fifty feet across and half as tall.

There were some viewing rooms near the top of the space, looking down through clear sections of wall, though they were currently empty.

Rane was in the middle of the space, moving through a form with Force. By the sweat covering his bare skin and his well-fitted shorts, he’d been at it for a while.

Their entrance disrupted his concentration, and he spun towards them, Force rising into an inside, middle guard.

As soon as his eyes focused on them, however, he let the blade drop. “Mistress Tala! Welcome.” He smiled. “I apologize for my current state, but I was unsure when you’d arrive, and I thought it best to use the time, while I had it.”

“No apologies needed, Master Rane.”

The attendant colored, bowed, and said her goodbyes, closing the door behind her.

“So, what do you have in mind?”

Rane grinned. “Well, I have a few things that I’d love to discuss with you, but I want to spar, first.” He lightly bounced on the balls of his feet. “I’m a bit wound up and could use the expenditure.”

Tala shrugged. “Sure. Give me a minute to get my head on right.”

His smile turned sheepish. “I was actually wondering if I could try a match against Terry? Just one, then I’d love to spar with you, too.”

Terry squawked questioningly.

Rane nodded to the avian. “Yes, really. I may not be as durable as Mistress Tala, but I am harder to hit.”

Terry glanced to Tala, who shrugged. The terror bird flickered to a position flanking Rane, letting out a deeper squawk. He’d increased his size to be a bit bigger than that which he used when Tala rode him.

“I’m ready.” Rane said this as he turned to face the bird, lifting Force into a hanging guard.

Terry immediately appeared behind the man, striking for his back.

Rane’s inscriptions activated, sending him into a front-flip. Rane took advantage of the motion, tucking Force in close, tip towards his feet.

As soon as he was horizontal, continuing the flip, Rane drove Force towards Terry, using his immense physical strength, along with the motion.

Terry, of course, flickered out of the way, appearing beside Rane to strike again.

Rane’s defense activated as expected, altering his trajectory once again. The large man, quite accustomed to his own power, reacted instinctively, and Force lanced out towards Terry, once again.

The following sequence was both beautiful and somehow comical.

Rane continued to spin and twist, as much like a child’s top as an acrobat. He used each motion efficiently to bring his blade to bear, threatening Terry and forcing the terror bird to flicker away.

The Mage only occasionally contacted the ground, and he used feet and hands almost interchangeably to keep himself aloft and moving.

After nearly two minutes of back and forth, Terry flickered away, settling down to watch.

Rane came to a stop, landing perfectly in a crouch, Force held out to one side.

To Tala’s enhanced vision, the conflict had looked like nothing so much as a choreographed display, which she’d expect to see in an expensive play.

She hesitated at that. I haven’t seen a play in…years. The last had been before her father’s descent into addiction. They’d had some money, then, and the older kids had been able to go see plays with their parents.

She felt a sadness at that but shook it off.

Rane was breathing heavily, his arms trembling, ever so slightly. “That was…fantastic.” He stood slowly, sheathing Force.

Terry chirped.

Rane laughed. “If I hadn’t already had Force out and ready, I’d have been hard pressed to pull it free. With it, though, I think we should call that a draw?”

Terry stood, tilting his head.

“Fine, fine. You could keep going, and I’m almost spent.” He pulled a thick cloth from his dimensional storage, the cloth seeming to appear as it was drawn from the leather loop on Rane’s belt.

Like a street performer. She hadn’t seen one of those in years, either.

“Give me a minute to catch my breath and get some water.” He swept sweat from his skin and dried his hair.

Tala took the moment to look around, examining the training space more closely.

Gloriously, the flooring wasn’t sand. Instead, it seemed to be wood, but there was an unnatural springiness to it.

Rane saw her bouncing up and down slightly, and he laughed. “There’s an underlying structure that allows the hard floor to have some give. It lets falls and takedowns hurt less.”

Tala grinned back at him. “So long as it isn’t sand.”

He smiled. “I thought you’d feel that way. How about you go a round with Terry. Then, you and I can get some practice in?”

Tala glanced at the clock, high up on one wall. It’s not that late. A couple rounds won’t take too long. “Sure.”

Her face slammed into the floor, and she had a fleeting desire for the cushioning softness of sand.

“Come on, Terry! I wasn’t ready.”

He chittered at her happily.

“Fine… I know I should always be ready.” She vaulted up, drawing Flow and taking it into a two-handed grip. As subtly as she could, she touched her left middle finger to her thumb around Flow’s handle, focusing on Terry. The lock stuck.

She didn’t let anything show on her face, as she slowly increased his gravity.

He didn’t seem to react, instead circling her.

It wasn’t wariness that caused him to circle, nor was it to taunt her. No, he was probably just trying to get her used to not knowing when an attack would come.

After fifteen seconds, his effective gravity was closing in on four times normal. He has to have noticed.

Tala frowned.

Terry stopped, a glint of mischief suddenly obvious in his avian eyes.

Her own eyes widened. Oh-

Terry flickered into being, standing on her shoulders, still full sized.

Despite her prodigious strength, Tala couldn’t remain upright beneath the weight. Terry was heavy to begin with, and she had quadrupled the affect that had on him and anything below him.

Thus, Terry crowed in triumph, his talons latched onto her arms, as he rode her down to the floor, pinning her beneath his massive weight.

“Rust you, Terry. That’s not fair.”

He trilled at her and squatted down, sitting on her upper back.

She managed to squeeze out, “Get off.”

He trilled again.

He wants his weight back to normal… She growled, but despite her irritation, she reversed her enactment and lowered his effective gravity.

In just less than 14 seconds, he was back to normal, and he vanished from her back, changing shape to break her lock and ensure he remained properly gravatized.

Tala pushed back to her feet, glaring. “You should not be able to turn my tools against me that easily.”

Terry simply curled up in one of the corners to sleep.

Rane, wisely, kept a smile from his face. “So, ready?” His breathing had leveled out, and he lifted Force slightly in indication.

“Sure… I can’t do any worse against you, than I did against him.”

He laughed then. “Just so.”

Tala called Flow to her hand, made sure the training scabbard was still firmly locked in place, and took up a guarding stance. “Ready.”

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