It didn’t take them long to reach their next stop. Aether’s Shield was only a couple of streets away. Gregory appeared thoughtful as he looked at a compound very similar to the one that they’d just left.
“Welcome to Aether’s Shield.”
Gregory blinked as he looked up at the gigantic eurtik. Nearly nine-feet-tall, the eurtik’s gray skin had a rough texture. His most striking features were the very large ears that flapped gently, and the long tusks jutting to either side of the long trunk he had. The tusks had jewelry embedded into them, and the points looked sharpened.
“Thank you, Elliot,” Dia said, bowing her head to the eurtik. “It has been many years since our clan was here last.”
The eurtik’s trunk lifted slightly, allowing them to see a brief flash of teeth on either side of it. “Yes it has, Magus Ursinda. It is our pleasure to have Aether’s Guard here again. The mistress waits for you. Please follow me.”
Gregory was still blinking slowly as the man turned away.
Yukiko touched his hand to get him moving. “Greg?”
“Sorry. He’s impressive.”
“Elephas eurtik,” Yukiko told him. “They’re normally gentle, but when angered… well, even magi fear them.”
“Yeah, I can see why,” Gregory replied.
“Apprentices, do you know of us?” Elliot asked.
“I know that the armor made here is prized throughout the empire, and is rumored to be sought after even more highly in Krogga,” Yukiko replied.
“It is,” Elliot nodded. When no one added anything else, he continued, “Mistress Nightsong has made every set of armor that is produced here. Be respectful when you are brought before her.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said a second before his wives.
“Elliot is fine,” Elliot said.
“Understood, Elliot,” Gregory replied.
“Your clan has always produced respectful magi, magus. Do you teach that to them?”
“No,” Dia replied with a smile. “Our current younger magi were respectful of others before they came into our clan.”
“That is good. It is sad that most current magi seem to lack similar views.”
Gregory’s eyebrows went up, and he glanced at Yukiko. Yukiko looked thoughtful at how blunt Elliot was about magi.
“Our apprentices and novices are very different from most magi,” Dia replied. “Aether willing, they might even start a trend in that regard.”
“May Aether hear you and bless that thought,” Elliot exhaled.
The building Elliot led them to was a single large structure, reminding Gregory of a warehouse. However, it was obviously not one because of the wide windows taking up a good portion of the upper wall. The two doors were large enough that Elliot wouldn’t need to duck or turn sideways to use either of them. Reaching the doors, Elliot bowed to them, then pushed both wide open.
Plants of all varieties grew along the walls of the open structure. Thick vines circled the four interior columns that helped support the roof. Buckets with small trees and growing shrubs lined each wall, and encircled the columns. The scent that wafted out of the building wasn’t the riot of Alvis Alchemy, but a blend of peacefulness.
“Enter and speak with the mistress,” Elliot intoned with reverence, motioning for them to enter.
Dia led them in, her pace slow and measured. She was walking to the middle of the room as if the person for them to speak with was waiting there. Gregory was the last of their group to enter, but Elliot followed him in, gently shutting the doors behind them, before taking up a station before them.
“Mistress Nightsong, thank you for seeing us,” Dia said.
“Magus Ursinda, it has been years,” the voice was soothing. “It is as the elder arranged— three apprentices.”
Gregory blinked when he saw movement above them. Looking up, he saw an elf coming down from the arching ivy above, seated on a thick strand of ivy that was slowly lowering her to the floor. He tried to understand how the vine was being controlled and opened his aether sight. Thin blue strands of aether covered every plant in the room, and all of those strands went back to the woman.
The youthful-faced woman had sharp ears and canted eyes. Her silk clothing was loose enough to conceal her figure, but her exposed hands and wrists hinted at her extreme thinness. Gregory thought of Bella, the elven woman who oversaw the second floor of the academy mess hall. The two of them had similar features in regards to ears, eyes, and thinness.
“Hmm… powerful for apprentices,” Nightsong said as she examined the trio. “I was told some about you. Elliot collected the information I might find useful. Jenn Bean: father is a smith with dwarven blood, she is the champion of the second novice tournament, one of the final eight from the first, and a user of physical enhancement magic. Yukiko Warlin: daughter of Hao Warlin head Warlin Mercantile, snow owl eurtik blood from your mother’s side, second and third place in the novice tournaments, and practitioner shadow magic. Gregory Pettit, from Alturis on the fringe: foresight magic, skilled with a naginata, and placed first and second in the novice tournaments. On top of that, you are all married to each other. Is any of this wrong?”
“No, ma’am,” they replied together.
“Very well. Let us begin with the reason you are here,” Nightsong said. “Your armor has been commissioned by Elder Lightshield, a reward for winning the first apprentice tournament. Each of you is different in how you fight, and your fighting style is what will matter the most for your armor. Magus, who will go first?”
“Jenn,” Dia replied simply, as she backed away. “Yukiko, Gregory, step back with me.”
They did as Dia said, curious as to what was going to come next.
Nightsong smiled at Jenn, as the two of them were the only ones left inside the pillars that defined the middle of the room. “Now we shall see how you fight so that I might design the armor best suited for you. Do not hold back— fight for your life.” With that said, she tossed a wakizashi to Jenn.
Jenn caught the blade hilt first, examining the metal before looking back at the elf. “Who am I fighting?”
“My helpers. Do not worry. You won’t kill them,” Nightsong replied with a smile as she again sat on the vine, which quickly pulled her back into the air. The moment Nightsong’s feet left the floor, the vines and plants near the columns began to move.
Yukiko’s mouth fell open, as the largest of the plants started pulling itself out of its bucket. Jenn blinked rapidly for a heartbeat, before she rushed forward to attack it.
“Only elves have ever shown this kind of magic,” Dia said, seeing their surprise. “Control over plants. The most powerful can even infuse them to be stronger and repair them like a healer can for us. Don’t go easy, Jenn. You need to fight hard.”
Jenn grunted— she’d already found that out when the sharp blade barely trimmed a leaf off the shrub. She pushed aether into her arms and her second attack shaved a limb bare, but didn’t cut through the way she hoped it would. She jumped back when one thick limb swung at her and immediately wove past a few vines that tried to entangle her. The wakizashi lashed out as she went and severed the tip of a vine.
“Come now, Apprentice. Show me what you can truly do,” Nightsong said from above the scene.
Jenn exhaled as she focused on doing the best she could, wanting to show her lovers how far she’d come. When she moved, she was nearly a blur with a small streak of aether following her. This time, her attack on the shrub severed a foot of length off the offending limb she’d attacked before.
Gregory smiled broadly as he watched Jenn, impressed with how controlled she was as she moved through the plants. She cut some to pieces, while whittling down the larger ones. A few minutes passed before trouble started— the first clue was a vine briefly snagging her foot, staggering Jenn for a step, and allowing one of the smaller shrubs to slap her. Even reinforcing her body, Jenn felt the impact. Her return strike tore the plant in half. Before another minute had passed though, the vines had her wrapped.
Nightsong lowered herself back to the floor. “Goodness, I do not think I’ve ever seen an apprentice with such control. Your balance of strength and speed was impressive.” She had the vines unwrap Jenn. “Elliot, tell me how she did.”
“Mistress, she lasted longer than any other physical enhancement apprentice that has come before,” Elliot replied. “She nearly doubled the time of the next closest.”
“Speed is your strength, but with your ability to strike hard, you will be targeted by the most powerful you face,” Nightsong told Jenn. “Your armor will have to balance being light with being strong enough to guard you. Step back, apprentice. Magus, send forward your next apprentice.”
“Yukiko,” Dia said.
Jenn came back to them, wearing a wide smile on her face as she looked at Gregory and Yukiko. “Good luck, Yuki.” She handed off the wakizashi as she went.
“Thank you. I doubt I will last as long as you,” Yukiko replied as she passed Jenn. “I’ll do my best, though.”
“You pushed all out?” Gregory asked softly.
“Yes, and it’s tough,” Jenn whispered back, fully aware that Yukiko could hear them.
Yukiko breathed slowly and deeply as she walked forward. She knew Jenn had used everything, and she knew she’d never be able to do even half of what Jenn could do physically. Her only hope for this was to keep moving, while using the shadows to help hinder her foes.
“Shadow magi, let me help even things some for you,” Nightsong said. The light above them dimmed as the shutters were closed, adding more shadows to the room. “I will open them on and off throughout your fight to give you a shifting battlefield. We both know that you won’t be as vicious as your wife, but you need to last as long as you can, striking where and when you can. Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With a smile, Nightsong went back into the air, sitting on her vine swing. The moment she was off the ground, the plants started to move again. Most had already regrown the pieces that Jenn had cut from them. Yukiko shifted to stand in a larger patch of shadows, as her magic spun out from her, creating sharp-edged shadows.
Yukiko didn’t last nearly as long as Jenn, but her time inside the pillars had her lovers impressed. They had no idea she could form weapons out of the shadows. She hadn’t moved them, instead letting the plants carve themselves as they attacked. She went from shadow to shadow as needed, always giving herself a way out. Even when the light shifted, she was quick to use her own shadow to get her to safety. Her end came the moment she ran low on aether.
Nightsong glided back to the floor with a wide smile. “Goodness. Elliot?”
“No shadow magi of her rank who has come to be fitted for armor has done even a tenth of what she did,” Elliot replied.
“Shadow blades,” Nightsong said. “Those are normally not seen until the initiate tier or later. Your ability to finely shape shadows is highly impressive.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Yukiko panted.
“Please place the weapon on the ground for me, then rejoin your clan,” Nightsong told her.
Yukiko set the weapon down, then went back to Gregory and Jenn. She was smiling broadly, even though her legs wobbled slightly. Dia handed her a potion when she reached them and Yukiko drank it, wincing as the flavor lingered.
“Now, Pettit, come forward. Let us see how foresight will do,” Nightsong said. A naginata appeared in her hand— she passed it to a vine, which took it to him when he came forward. The vine snatched up the wakizashi as it went back to her.
Gregory took a deep calming breath and got ready to use foresight. The weapon felt welcoming to his hands and he took up a ready position with the polearm. “I’m ready, Mistress Nightsong.”
The elf looked at him for a long moment before she was swiftly above the floor. That quick movement had the plants surge forward faster than they had before, but Gregory was moving in that same instant. He didn’t look far forward— just a few seconds. He held three paths open as he did so he could see what each outcome would be. It taxed him a little more, but he was fine with that.
He fought defensively as the flow of combat washed over him. His feet never stilled— he was always in motion, shifting from form to form as he wove around the entirety of the combat area. The naginata sliced, carved, hacked, and cut the plants, while Gregory used the haft to block, parry, or deflect the return attacks.
Gregory was glad that he kept the three most likely futures open to him, as that did let him slip past a few traps that were placed for him. Focused as he was on the combat, he had no idea how long he fought. When he was finally forced to stop using foresight, he pressed on with just the naginata. His steps were a little slower, which let his wives know that he had stopped, but he still continued to fight. In time, the vines were just too thick for him to continue, and he was wrapped and held.
Nightsong descended from above, her face impassive. She didn’t address Gregory, merely looking at Elliot.
“I… can’t say,” Elliot said with a clear pause.
“You might be the easiest one for me to make armor for,” Nightsong said finally. “Very well. All three of you, come forward.”
Jenn and Yukiko went to stand beside Gregory.
“Did you learn?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they replied.
“Good. I saw the pride you all have in each other. It’s beyond merely the love you hold. The conviction that your wife or husband is strong and able, without the hints of jealousy others might feel upon seeing their partner being so skilled. I believe you three shall be an unshakeable core for ages to come.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” they said in unison, bowing to her.
“I will make your armor and it will last you for years, decades, perhaps even centuries. Thank you for coming and showing me your skills. Elliot, please show our guests out, then come and speak with me.”
“As you will it, Mistress,” Elliot said. “Please follow me, honored guests.”
The trio bowed to Nightsong again as she lifted back into the air before turning and going to Dia.
~*~*~
As the carriage pulled out of the compound of Aether’s Shield, Dia handed them all pieces of jerky. “Well done. I was a little surprised at some of what you did, but you did the right thing to do your very best. Nightsong will impress you when she finishes.”
“Thank you, Dia,” Jenn smiled broadly. “I was nervous that I was the first one to go. Honestly, I just wanted to show Greg and Yuki what I can do now. Even sparring or during the tournaments, we’ve worked together, so we look to aid each other instead of going as hard as we could.”
“When you did, I knew I could,” Yukiko nodded, covering Jenn’s hand with hers. “Inda had just started training me with shadow blades, but I knew I had to try using them if I wanted to do the best I could.”
“I didn’t have any new tricks,” Gregory said. “I was able to hold a few futures a couple of seconds ahead of me.”
“But you stopped using foresight a little over halfway through,” Yukiko said.
“Yeah. My aether was getting low,” Gregory admitted.
“You slowed some. You were not as sure about each move,” Jenn said, “which means you were just using your skill with the naginata at that point.”
“Which is impressive,” Dia added. “Now, you asked about going to deliver messages, right?”
“Please, Dia,” Gregory said.
Dia looked out the window and smiled. “Very well. We’ll make it back in time for physical training, even with that stop.”
“That’ll be good,” Jenn smiled. “We miss training on the days our games run long.”
“Yes. They may be running longer in the coming weeks,” Dia said with a knowing smile, “but we shall see what Magi-killer decides.”
Glances were exchanged, but none of them spoke up as the carriage rolled down the street.
