Adapt (A Touch of Power Book 2)

by Jay Boyce

  Walking out, she followed the group as they headed back to Magnus while discussing various people they knew who might be available to help or looking for something new to do. She had no idea who they were talking about, so she let it slide and started drawing in energy from the light again until she heard Camille’s gasp. Most of them turned to see what she was looking at and found only an aura of darkness.

  It was Stephen who shook his head, asking, “Jade, are you trying to hide in plain sight for some reason?”

  Her voice came from the darkness, “Not really. I’m just recharging completely from the sun. It’s an unfortunate side effect.” Once she felt her reserves were full—food had helped, but it wasn’t enough to fill up her tank all the way anymore, so she was glad she’d found an alternative—she stopped absorbing light and came into view once more. She smiled at the group around her and shrugged. “It is, however, effective, and much easier than eating.” Except at night.

  It was kinda funny if she thought about it. Would she one day be able to subsist solely on sunlight? Not that she would; food was too amazing! But still. She could be like a little plant and be her own little light vamp! She just hoped there were no random unknown side effects from vamping energy from the sun. The only real problem with it she saw right now was her inability to use it at night. She was going to have to make sure the surgery today was by a window. Thankfully it didn’t get full dark until after eight. That should be plenty of time, right?

  “Jade, are you going to unlock the door?” Will’s voice brought her out of her reverie, and she realized she’d walked inside and up the stairs to her workroom without any recollection of doing so.

  “Oh, yeah. Sure. Of course.” She paused, thinking of what she wanted for a second before a key appeared in her hand and she deftly inserted it in the door.

  She vaguely heard Victor mutter, “Not sure I’ll ever get used to her doing that…”

  Smiling back at him over her shoulder, she chirped happily, “Sure you will! As soon as you have one of your own, you’ll get used to it in no time. Speaking of, cough up your rings.” She had already waved her hand over the empty table in front of her to deposit the crystals once more, then made grabby hands at them. When they hesitated, she growled. “Now. Don’t be stubborn about this! Remember, you’re doing business stuff for me in return. Plus, people need to see it in use in order to become envious.”

  If there was one thing she was good at, it was envy. Each of them slowly either took off or produced their signet rings, which she happily collected as she gestured to the neatly piled crystals. “Go ahead and pick one up, insert a little magical energy, and voila, the prototype will appear in front of you!”

  She waited to start on the rings, wanting to see their reactions. Camille was the one who grabbed one first, turning around and grinning as she pointed it at the others. It was apparent when she inserted her energy because a projection of a trench coat came up, along with Jade’s voice explaining what it was, the different features involved, how to customise it, and good materials to make it out of.

  Several of them had jumped back as the projection came into being before staring in awe at the image in front of them. Victor waved his hand through it, distorting it for a second as he shook his head. “This is amazing!” Everyone else started picking up crystals and putting energy into them, her voice coming from several different directions as the images popped up.

  Shaking her head and leaving them to play, she began the process of turning their rings into her new and improved inventory rings. Due to the fact that she was making five different ones, she chose to only make them cuboids with the dimensions of two by two by five feet, long enough for weapons to fit without being too costly for her. She was sure they’d use it for other things too, but her primary goal was to give them an extra edge in battle or carry things confidentially, she supposed. It didn’t matter; she’d enlarge them for more utility at a later point.

  Pausing, she considered whether or not she could make a mini portal that she could either send stuff back through or get supplies sent to her. It should be easy enough, though she didn’t think she could make it very large, not if she wanted to take it with her, since she figured putting a space portal inside a pocket space was a bad idea. You never overlapped pocket space dimensions or things tended to explode and disappear, as a general rule. She figured that was how you made mini black holes.

  She actually wouldn’t mind experimenting with that in the future…with the proper safety precautions, of course! She’d have to start with something small… Contemplating the possibilities, she stood in the sunlight for a moment, vamping the light again to recharge what she’d used on the rings before she walked back over to the group, who were still playing with her crystals.

  She clapped to get their attention and laughed when they cast her startled looks, having been absorbed in their tasks. “As much fun as it is to watch you explore the crystals… I believe we have class soon?”

  Almost as one, everyone scrambled for their pocket watches. There were several groans as they started putting the crystals down gently. Picking out Eric’s ring from among those she held, she stuck it on, waving her hand over the crystals and storing them in his ring. She figured he was the organizer, so it made sense for him to have them.

  “Hey, I want some too!” Camille protested upon noticing which ring was on her finger.

  Jade shook her head at them, laughing. “You guys can divide and conquer later. This isn’t exactly a project that’s going to take shape in a day.” She handed back their rings, then thought of something. Grabbing a few empty crystals from her rings, she quickly filled them with images of a mall, a Walmart, several department stores, and various restaurants. All of this was secondhand knowledge from movies and shows, but she figured she got the general idea right.

  “Here, add these to the collection.” She held them out to Eric.

  He seemed to be concentrating on inserting his mana into the ring, surprised at the options it gave him when he did. He held his hand over the crystals, grinning in triumph when they entered his ring. “What are these ones?”

  She shrugged. “They’re what stores and restaurants looked like in my old world, more or less.”

  “Oooh, I want to see!” Camille made grabby hands for the crystals.

  Stephen laughed softly. “Are you forgetting you have class?” She grumbled, subsiding. He nodded to the rest of them. “Time to go. Your tutors will be annoyed if you’re late.”

  “Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Will grumbled before obediently filing out of the room with the rest of them. Everyone except Eric headed towards the staircase while she left her fellacai to play in the room.

  “We’ll catch you later!” Victor called out cheerfully as they waved and began to descend.

  Eric turned, grinning at her as they walked out of view. “Now you finally get to see my classroom!”

  Laughing, she followed him down the hall to the right. He pulled out a key, unlocking the door before it disappeared into thin air. She smiled, glad he was trying so hard to get used to the new ring without raising a fuss.

  She stopped in her tracks, realizing that if she went to the library, she could take books out and no one would be the wiser! She felt a little bad about the thought, but it was frustrating to not be able to read before she went to sleep like she wanted to. As long as she kept the books safe and returned them, it should be fine, right?

  Her musings and thoughts of temporary borrowing without permission, it’s not stealing if I return them, were cut short as she walked behind Eric and into his room. She gasped, looking around the room in awe. The walls were covered in beautiful metal etchings. There were fantastic metal sculptures placed all around the room, as well as tables with giant heaps of metal to practice on.

  Captivated, she walked over to the wall, running her hands along the etching of a gorgeous oak tree. Each and every leaf was exquisitely detailed by the hand of a master. Looking at Eric, she asked in awe,
“You did this?” At his modest nod, she laughed softly. “It’s absolutely beautiful. You have a real talent with this, you know.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “It’s just a hobby I enjoy.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s much more than that. It brings beauty to the world. Honestly, without beauty, art, and the bright things in life, it wouldn’t be worth living. There’s balance in all things, and just because you choose to create something beautiful instead of something that can kill, there’s no shame in it.” She had known he had some sort of complex about his art. Honestly, she had no idea why, but figured it had something to do with his family.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to go into further depth for the moment because the door opened again and several students peeked in to make sure they were in the right place.

  As if the fact that the door was unlocked wasn’t indication enough…

  Chapter Fifty-Five – Truce

  “Go ahead and come in,” Eric’s smooth baritone welcomed the three hesitant students who entered upon his invitation. She recognized Scott as one of the librarian workers, his shaggy hair and hand-me-down clothes marking him as a talent student. What with him being talented in both light and metal, she wasn’t surprised he worked under Eric at the library. She recognized Jeffrey from her water class, his small frame and electric blue eyes drilling into her for a moment before he looked away shyly. He still reminded her of a puppy, but she’d literally only gotten him to say his name before. Maybe he’d talk more this class?

  The girl was the only one she’d never met before, and she hesitated for a second when she realized Jade was inside. Her black hair fell to her shoulders in a sleek bob, accenting her heart shaped face and hazel eyes. She wore a vibrantly red dress with intricate embroidery and lace, while her neck, wrists, and fingers were adorned with heavy plates of gold jewelry. She held herself with a haughty grace as she swept inside the door Scott had held open for her, barely giving him a second glance.

  “Hello, Viscount Silverstone.” Her voice was like velvet as she greeted Eric, giving him a brief curtsy as she cast a disparaging glance at Jade, who, despite her beauty, was severely underdressed in comparison. With a slight frown, she noted imperiously, “I don’t recall there being such a girl in the beginner class. Who is she?”

  “She is sitting right here, thank you very much, and if you want to know who I am, perhaps you’d do better to introduce yourself first.” Being treated as less than the dirt beneath the girl’s feet had gotten on Jade’s nerve almost instantly. Where Britney had been overtly spiteful and flirtatious, this girl simply acted as if the world was hers to command.

  “I am Duchess Alisha Ri’Tine. The proper form of address towards me is Your Grace, though I suppose a commoner such as yourself wouldn’t know any better. Really Viscount, where did you find her? The woods?” Her voice was dismissive and derisive at the same time as she directed her questions towards Eric once more.

  Duchess? Wasn’t that the next title below the royal family? There was something about her last name too, Ri’Tine… It wasn’t Ri’Cloch, but she could see the similarities. Perhaps a noble branch? She was ever so tempted to teach this brat a lesson, but so far all she’d done was talk. Talk wasn’t dangerous, so she had to consciously tamp down her temper. She wanted to put a plug in it.

  Eric looked at her hesitantly, and she shook her head with a shrug. There was no need to address such pettiness. He sighed and instructed, “Why don’t you take a seat so we may begin the lesson?”

  Alisha huffed, then walked to one of the front seats, sending a pointed look at Jeffrey, who jumped up to get her chair for her. She sat primly, settling her skirts gracefully around her without giving Jeffrey another glance. He hastily resumed his seat, looking down at his desk silently.

  Jade was getting rather annoyed now, and she couldn’t help but remark in a low voice, “It seems that being a duchess has robbed you of all common decency. Beware, for pride goeth before the fall…”

  She could see Alisha’s shoulders stiffen before she decided to ignore her completely. Jade was okay with that. She didn’t have to like the girl, but as long as Alisha didn’t go around trying to harm others with anything more than a rebuke, she didn’t see the need to step in and make an example of a girl who was just being a spoiled brat, which was something she’d probably been raised to be. Heck, there were plenty of stories about girls in her old world who did the same. It wasn’t something new, just frustrating.

  She glanced over at Scott and Jeffrey. Jeffrey was still staring at his desk, his cheeks heated red. She wanted to ask him why he let her treat him that way, but when she looked at Scott, he was looking right back at her. He shook his head gently, then mouthed the words, “It’s not worth the trouble.” Sighing, she nodded in acquiescence. Alisha outranked everyone here, including Eric, by quite a bit. She could understand how people did things just to keep the peace, even if it trampled a little on their dignity.

  She was lucky, really. With her rare position and power, she was one of the few people who could truly ignore society’s conventions. Not everyone had that option, and sticking with the status quo could be considered normal. There was something to be said for not rocking the boat and ending up stranded in deep water. She might have celebrity savior status that had practically made her immune to the consequences she’d normally face for her actions, but no one else did. Perhaps she’d been taking that for granted too much to say and do whatever she wanted.

  Shaking off those darker thoughts, she glanced at Eric who had quickly recovered from the little altercation and moved forward. She felt a little guilty for potentially making his life harder when he’d done so much to help her. With a sigh, she put away her thoughts of retribution for the girl. For Eric, Scott, and Jeffrey’s sake…she would try to not rock the boat any more than she already had.

  Clearing his throat, Eric began, “Now that we’re all here, we’ll begin with a brief review of what you know about metal magic. Can anyone tell me about the different uses you’re aware of?”

  Alisha huffed her annoyance, Jeffrey looked petrified to speak, and Jade hadn’t been there to learn this stuff, so all she had was common sense. Scott thankfully spoke up, sparing Eric awkward silence, “Metal magic is primarily used for the sensing and manipulation of metal. Unlike other magic, we don’t create, but manipulate what is already in the world around us. There are multiple ways to do that, but the most common are fine tuning metal pieces, such as the art around us, as well as creating weapons and armor. We’re able to mold the metal without the extra use of heat. However, we’re also able to control metal, so in a fight, weapons made entirely out of metal are best so that we can control them in unique ways.”

  Eric nodded, obviously pleased with Scott. “Very good. An important part of battle is not only controlling your own weapons, however. It’s sensing and seizing the weapons of others. Most weapons, save natural weapons such as claws and teeth, have some form of metal. Even some natural weapons have metal, due to the creatures eating it to strengthen themselves. This is especially helpful in determining if a person is carrying hidden weapons. If you can find their hidden weapons, that’s something that’s already close to their person that you can use against them.”

  He walked through the desks, handing out pieces of paper, ink, and quills. “Therefore, your first task today is to sense the metal that is on your fellow classmates. Write down everything you sense on them. You have five minutes.”

  How did one sense metal? Jade was a little flummoxed by the assignment. Was she supposed to develop some sort of X-ray vision? Was it like mana sense, where she would see the currents around people? No, that just didn’t make sense. If this was something every metal mage could do, then they could do it without mana sense. Glancing at the others, she saw Jeffrey was closing his eyes, though Scott was studying Alisha.

  Closing her own eyes, she called on her metal magic, feeling the tingle of it running through h
er body. Thinking about it, what she wanted was something akin to her healing magic. She wanted a mental image of all the metal in the room. When she thought of it like that, it was as if a small pulse of energy left her body, filling the room so that she could see it in her mind’s eye.

  Her first instinct was to wince as the entire room lit up. Eric hadn’t mentioned the fact that this exercise was made harder by the sheer amount of metal in the room. Sifting through all of that to focus on a single person was exponentially harder, but she pulled in her focus, starting with Alisha.

  As she’d confirmed with her regular vision, Alisha was wearing golden necklaces, bracelets, and rings. She had a pocket watch and several buckles on various items as well. Her surprise came when she realized the girl had two twin short swords hidden in her skirts. She also had bands of iron going up her legs. It was rather amazing, actually. It had to be a ton of weight to haul around, but it would improve her fitness and provide fodder that she could easily turn into weapons. Jade begrudgingly found her respect for the girl rising somewhat.

  She turned her attention to Jeffrey next. He had a signet ring, watch, buckles, and several knives about his person, but she was again surprised to find iron bands like Alisha’s running up his legs and even as an armband. When she saw Scott had the same bands, she realized that they’d probably created them in the beginner class. It made sense for them to always want raw material on hand, and they were all academy students who were here to better themselves. They probably just saw it as training.

  Still, the realization that they had metal rings around them made her think of Magneto. Had any of them ever thought to use the metal to fly? She was coming to the realization that most of the magics had some way to let people fly if they were creative enough to try it. Unfortunately, flying seemed like a foreign concept to them. Just imagine, a world where people had the power to fly, but they had no idea! It was truly a pity. People on Earth would have killed for something like that!