Chapter: 174 - Draining Her Reserves (Patreon)

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Tala headed for home. She was a bit irritated that she was coated in dust, but there wasn’t really a convenient place to bath, and she was still dumping power into Kit to the point that she felt quite hesitant about stressing the item by opening a door inside and willing a bathing room to be ready for her.

Maybe when I get home.

It was late afternoon, and the light was painting the snow a golden orange, revealing the playful trails, snow forts, and snowmen, both full and partial, that bore testament to a wonderful day of play for the neighborhood children.

Tala felt a smile tug at her own lips at fond memories of playing with her siblings, and her parents on occasion. Thank you, Alat.

She sent her gratitude to her other interface, knowing that she would receive it when she was free once more. Though Tala didn’t like that the memories had been drudged up, she found them more pleasant than painful, much to her surprise.

The last rays of the sun were already fading from the sky when she turned down the short front walk and approached Lyn’s front door. It was locked, of course, but that was solved by Tala’s iron key. With a quick turn, she unlocked the front door and walked inside.

“Is that you, Tala?” The voice floated down the short hall to the entry room.

“If it isn’t, then you’re much too free with keys to our place.” Tala smiled at the knowledge that her friend was home.

Lyn laughed. “I just grabbed some food. I don’t have enough for your appetite, but I can spare some if you’d like.”

The mention of food sent waves of hunger through Tala. She’d been a bit mangled by the blast from her tests and had used more of her stores than she’d have liked in the healing.

Though, I’m not going to side-eye the regeneration. Even if I could have gotten to another Mage, paying for a healing would have been much more than the food I consumed for the stores used to allow my scripts to do it.

Over the months of training and monitoring her store levels, she got the impression that she used up about as many days’ worth of food from her reserves as it would have taken to heal a given wound. The amount was lessened by the percentage of her body that was actually being healed by the scripts, and the exact nutrients and substances used were different depending on exactly what was being repaired.

Things got more complicated from there, like when she healed something that would never actually heal naturally, but it was a good rule to guestimate what her regeneration would require.

After her overly successful test, Tala had needed to heal basically all of her body from a plethora of types of damage. In the end, it would likely have taken a couple of months for her to recover from the blast, if she even could have.

All told, she was lucky to have any reserves left at all.

Though she’d adjusted to it unconsciously, she was positively light on her feet. I’m almost halfway back to the weight I should be without my magic, and that doesn’t bode well.

“Since you’re offering, I’ll take a few bites, while I make some of my own.” She wiped her feet on the mat that Lyn had out for her, though she felt it was a bit futile. “There’s some things I wanted to talk with you about, actually.”

As she walked into the room, Lyn glanced her way and blanched. “Tala? What happened?” She stood and quick-walked over, starting to look Tala over. “Did you fall into a flour silo?” She started coughing as some of the dust came off. “No. To the bath with you. Eat after.”

“But-”

“No buts.”

Tala groused but knew her friend was right. “Fine, fine.”

Half an hour later, she left the bath room of Lyn’s house and found quite a bit more food awaiting her. “I know it’s still not enough, but I thought I’d grab at least a little something more while you were cleaning up.”

Tala thanked Lyn profusely and sat to eat.

“Why’s your hair up?”

Tala glanced up, taking in the towel wrapped around her head. “Oh. I lent my comb to someone.”

Lyn grunted, clearly not understanding, but not caring enough to ask further either.

In truth, Tala was pretty irritated by the need, but she hadn’t wanted to take the time with the hot air incorporator to dry her hair more quickly, so she was letting nature take its course.

Lyn gestured to the food, taking the first bite of her own dinner. “So, what did you want to talk about? What happened to you?”

Tala took a moment to examine the grilled, meat and vegetable kebabs, selecting the one that seemed to most call to her inner hunger. It was mostly meat, though a few mushrooms and a tomato were scattered throughout. “As to what happened to me: I tested out a new method of attack, and it was more effective than I expected.”

Lyn hesitated, but when it was clear Tala wasn’t going to continue, she shook her head with a sigh. “Not going to tell me more?”

“Anything more would just be boring technicalities.” Tala shrugged, tearing into her food.

“Fair enough.”

Around a mouthful, she continued, “As to what I wanted to talk to you about,” she pulled Kit from her belt and threw it at the nearby wall, wishing for a door. She’d finished filling the dimensional storage’s reserves before finishing her bath, and she was confident in using it again. “I don’t really need a room anymore.”

Tala turned to look, juices dripping down her chin, along with Lyn, and watched as a door seemed to suddenly be there in the dining area’s wall, fully integrated with the house and looking for all the world like it belonged and had always been there.

Lyn blinked, her kebab stopping just before her mouth. “There’s a new door.”

“My dimensional storage got an upgrade.”

“I can see that.” She went back to eating.

“So, I don’t need a room anymore, though I do like living here. I just need a blank section of wall to use when I’m about.”

“Huh. So it seems.”

“So, how much to rent a wall in your house.”

Lyn huffed a laugh. “Let’s call it one silver a month and be done with it.”

“Sounds more than fair. Does that mean you’re going to find another person to rent the room?”

Lyn sighed. “Maybe? Against my better judgement, I ended up taking the Archon-level position with the Guild. Pays better, and the work is more varied.” She laughed. “Not like I actually needed the money to begin with. It’s just nice to have some help with expenses, and the company is usually a plus.” Lyn narrowed her eyes at Tala. “I’m not giving any of your rent back.”

Tala held up her hands. “Not asking you to.”

“Good. See that you don’t.”

She grinned at her friend. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

They fell back into comfortable silence as Lyn took measured bites, enjoying every careful mouthful, and Tala gorged, only really stopping to go into the kitchen and make herself more to eat. Even then, she was eating jerky, tossing bits out to Terry.

The venture food was coming in handy once again, and she found herself quite satisfied with the purchase for the umpteenth time.

Lyn and Tala did occasionally chat about small things, but nothing of real consequence.

As a result, Tala let her mind mostly wonder. I do want to apply the body paint tonight, so I don’t have to mess with it tomorrow. As she considered that, and the evening moved towards true night, she realized that she had a problem.

“Lyn?”

“Hmm?” Lyn had finished eating and had moved to one of her reading chairs, a book causally open before her.

“You didn’t ask about my hand.” Tala held up her left hand.

“I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.” Lyn didn’t look up from her book.

Tala took a moment to shake her head before sighing. Infuriating woman. “Fine, fine. So, it’s a paint, the grey is, anyways, and I plan on covering myself with it.”

“As one does.”

She glared, but her friend still hadn’t looked up. “As I was saying, I plan on complete coverage, but I realized that I have a problem.”

“Your hair?”

“What? No. I’ll shave it off, paint my head, then regrow through the layers.”

“Sounds like a great way to get ingrown hairs if you ask me.”

Tala frowned. “The scripts include a breaching element. I don’t get ingrown hairs anymore, not anywhere, but that’s not the point.”

“Lucky.”

Tala grunted. She certainly didn’t miss them, that was for sure. “But, as I was saying, I’ve realized that I have a problem.”

“Just one?”

She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush of irritation. “Can you please stop interrupting?”

Lyn looked up. “As you wish.” She put on her best attentive smile.

“I can’t do my back.”

Lyn just looked at her, waiting.

Tala cleared her throat. “So, would you be willing to paint my back, after I’ve done the rest of me? I need three coats, but it dries fast, and should only take around ten minutes of your time.”

Lyn continued to watch her for a long moment before shaking her head. “I don’t know what I expected but painting my friend’s hard to reach places wasn’t it. Sure, fine. I’ll paint your back with whatever nonsense you’ve cooked up this time.”

“Well, to be honest an alchemist came up with this stuff. I’m just going to use it.”

“An alchemist.”

“That’s right.”

“Aren’t those the people who prey on people too poor to get proper health care?”

Tala bristled. “My family are alchemists.”

Lyn blinked, clearly taken aback. “Oh. Oh, Tala, I apologize. I didn’t know.”

Tala hadn’t realized that tears had immediately come to her eyes, until they began to fall.

Lyn was up and embracing her again without hesitation. “I truly am sorry. Work’s been…” She shook her head. “No, now’s not about me. Will you forgive me?”

“You didn’t know.”

“But I could have.”

Tala gave a rueful laugh. “I don’t talk about my family. No, you couldn’t have.”

“Why is that?”

Then, without really deciding to, Tala began to talk.

She told Lyn about her older brother, well half-brother, and their childhood together, followed by his death; her mother’s death at her own birth; and her step-mother, who’d raised her. She told Lyn about her other siblings, about her father’s injury and self-medication, leading to addiction and debt.

She told her everything.

Then, she told her about Alat, in brief, and about the memories that were now being dragged back into the light.

Through it all, Lyn listened intently. She asked some questions, but for the most part kept her silence.

In the end, they sat in that silence for a good five minutes, only slightly marred by Tala’s continued munching, before Lyn broke it.

“Tala.” Lyn breathed in deeply. “This is a chain around your neck.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“You need to address it.”

Tala stiffened.

“Go to Marliweather. See them. Reconcile or rail against them, just don’t kill anyone. Put it behind you one way or another.”

Tala threw up her hands. “That would be great, if I can actually do it.”

“I can get you a route there and back. It can probably leave in the next week or so. It’s a common enough route, without any prominent fringe benefits, so the slots shouldn’t be contracted too far in advance. You need to take a contract or two soon anyways, after the long hold-over in Makinaven.”

She gave Lyn an irritated look. “You know very well that I’m not talking about the logistics of getting to Marliweather. Terry could have me there in less than two days if we wanted to.”

Terry lifted his head from where he’d been sleeping in one of the chairs. He gave her a flat, mildly offended look.

“Sorry, Terry. One day. He could have us there in one day, if we wanted.”

Terry breathed out a satisfied trill and curled back up.

“The point is: that’s not the point.”

Lyn mostly contained her smile of amusement. “I see. I’m dazzled by your brilliance.”

Tala closed her eyes and huffed a self-deprecating laugh. “You know what I mean.”

“I do, I do, but Tala, you need to face this, to face them.”

Tala put her head into her hands. “I know, but I don’t want to.”

“It’s easier to simply hate them for what they did than give them a chance to explain?”

“Exactly.” She wasn’t surprised at her own honesty. Not really. Tala had been dancing around this issue for years, and it all seemed to be coming to a head at last. “Fine. I know you’re right. I know that’s what’s best.”

“I’ll set up the route, but you’ll have to take it from there.”

Tala just grunted.

Lyn leaned forward and hugged her again, and Tala accepted the embrace for a long moment before pulling away.

“Now, I need to get naked, get clean, and paint myself.”

“Don’t let me keep you from a good time.”

Tala rolled her eyes and walked to Kit’s door, where it still sat in Lyn’s living room - dining room wall.

“That can’t stay there, by the way. Find a place in the hall before you sleep tonight. Alright? It messes with the feel of the place.”

She smiled back at Lyn. “Will do.”

Without further discussion, she walked inside and closed the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, she was scrubbed clean.

Twenty minutes after that, she was hairless and painted with three layers across every area she could reach, her elk leathers now reshaped into the outfit that most neatly exposed the places she still needed assistance with.

She was keeping her hair from regrowing, so she was effectively bald for the moment. As such, when she walked back out of Kit, she could only imagine how she looked.

A white, halter-top, leaving the entirety of her back, shoulders, and arms exposed, was the only color contrasting the dully metallic gray of most of her skin. The top definitely exposed more than she needed uncovered, but it was the only one that left everything she needed open, open.

Across all of that gray, golden light twisted and glowed in powerful, clearly magical lines.

Her eyes felt like they were growing a brighter red than usual, adding to the aesthetic.

Lyn glanced up when Tala exited Kit, and she froze in obvious alarm, color draining from her face.

“Lyn! It’s me.”

“Yeah… I gathered that.” She swallowed. “Tala…I don’t know that you should go out like that…”

Tala waved that off. “I’ll take some precautions but come on. I need help.”

Lyn tentatively came to her as Tala turned around, setting the paint container and a brush on the table as she did so.

The older woman was a bit hesitant at first but calmed as she took up the task of painting Tala’s back.

It tickled a lot more when someone else was doing the painting than it had when she did it herself, but Tala had borne through much worse.

In less than half an hour, they were done, the paint was dry, and Tala was regularly clothed once again.

“You still look rusting terrifying.”

“One moment.” She released the hold on her hair growth scripts, and it grew to the desired lengths. She left it free, allowing it to fall around her face. “Eh?”

Lyn sighed. “Now you don’t look quite as daunting, at least not at first glance, but you are glowing, Tala. That might trump any skin coloration.”

Tala glanced down, and sure enough, the spell-forms were manifesting all across her body. They weren’t shining through or above the elk leathers, but her mage-sight could see them everywhere, visible to others or not. And the external, glowing lines were nothing compared to what was going on, inside.

Holly had been right when she likened the results to a pressure cooker.

Within the nearly impenetrable iron-shell, Tala thrummed with power. It had taken a minute or two to really noticeably build, once Lyn had finished, and only now was it getting to a level that felt extreme.

“Oh, wow.” The words carried pulses of magic with them out of her mouth that caused the very air to quiver before her mage-sight.

Lyn was giving her a searching look. “How is the power not leaking out through all your follicles?”

“I’m not sure?” The magic took her every utterance as a momentary chance to equalize with the power in the room around her. My very voice is shaking the world. She started to laugh, the world reverberating to that as well, making her laugh harder.

After taking the time to calm down and get herself under control, and then taking more time to convince Lyn that she wasn’t going crazy, Tala sat down to continue examining the changes.

Everywhere she looked, she could see power subtly starting to swirl and move.

It took an embarrassingly long time for her to realize that she was losing power from her eyes, if at a much slower rate than from her mouth when she opened it.

Similarly, her breath contained more power than it ever had before, even when exiting through her nose.

So, tighten my aura. She did so, closing off those gaps. It wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but it at least made her look more like an untrained Mage, rather than a fount made flesh.

Well, all humans are founts in the flesh… So, it wasn’t a perfect analogy.

She could feel her scripts working, remaking her flesh, upgrading it per their prescribed patterns. Before it had been a subtle thing, only noticeable if she delved deeply and focused her full attention on it. Now, it was almost impossible to ignore.

And it was draining her reserves.

Tala sighed. “Well, I need more food.”

Lyn barked a laugh, having been watching Tala closely for the last few minutes of silent introspection. She seemed to relax a bit, apparently deciding that Tala was still herself at the core. “That doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

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