The Whetstone Fist 3
Page 8
For the first time Lucas worked up the courage to speak, “Strength.”
All eyes turned to him and he suddenly felt like he should have kept his mouth shut, “Luke, when’d you get here. You shouldn’t be part of this.”
“He’s right son,” said Tempo, “You need to be focused on your studies.”
“He stays,” said William then he flicked his spellrod and the chair Creed fell out of flipped back into place, “Continue.”
Lucas gulped down a mouth full of saliva and regretted opening his mouth. Well fuck no turning back now, so he moved over and took Creed’s seat at the table, “It’s like Magister Tempo said. The tournament was the perfect place for Val’n to showcase his people’s prowess but more important to test the strength of our people.”
Val’n stood up and nodded to Lucas, “It is customary in my country for houses to fight to the death. My Val’ken said your tournament has a similar custom.”
“Our tournament is meant to entertain, not as some game of war, or as a test of prowess,” said Liam and on the last word he lowered his voice to a mocking tone. Yeah, if he wanted to be a dick, he could.
Big brother or not, Liam was in the wrong and someone had to stand up to him, “Brother, that’s bullshit and you know it. But does it matter? Val’n followed our rules, granted under a little bit different pretense. Still he followed the rules of the tournament and beat everyone, including Gwen.”
Liam was about to argue but their uncle raised his hand to keep him in check, “Besides our people were entertained were they not?”
“They were,” agreed Liam then he turned on Val’n, “But I don’t care. If you have something to say look me in the face and say it. Don’t play fucking games.”
Val’n stood up, crossed his arms and for the first time showed genuine anger as he stared down at Liam, “It was your idea to play games, not mine,” then he leaned down until he was less than an inch from Liam’s face, “Do you see my face now? Do you hear my words?”
Liam was never someone who backed down to a challenge, so it was no surprise that he stood up to meet Val’n head on. He stood up and towered over Val’n by a good six inches, “You wanna settle this, let’s go.”
“And what? You’ll surrender,” said Val’n, “Again.”
Liam bunched his fist, leaned even closer to Val’n, and bumped him with his chest, “I’ll tear you in half.”
“Take it easy,” said William, “Val’n what is it you want from us?”
Liam backed down but he still looked like he was about to rip Val’n’s head off. Still he backed off, for now anyway.
Val’n pulled his eyes away from Liam and sat down again, “My people are fighters, not sorcerers. My Val’ken hopes your casters can see something we do not.”
Shit that’s what he was after. Someone who could cast spells, ideally one with a mental blessing. That was why Lucas’s display got his attention. At the time he didn’t realize what Val’n wanted but hey, it helps to get lucky from time to time.
“We have readers who can see through deception at a high level, but I will be blunt. I don’t trust you,” said William.
Val’n pursed his lips then ran a single finger across the bridge of his chin, “What will it take to acquire the services of one of these readers?”
“This is not a negotiation,” said William, “Trust is not something you can purchase.”
“Then what will it take to earn your trust?” asked Val’n.
William took a slow breath, flicked his chin then let out the breath, “As it turns out, Lord Blackmore’s soldiers have invaded one of our dungeons, and I suspect that he is behind the loss of your ships. But…”
“If he is behind both, we must act,” said Val’n.
“I said I suspect. I do not know if he is behind it or if it is your Val’ken,” said William.
“Fine, what must I do to prove our intentions to be honorable?” asked Val’n.
William flashed a victorious smile, “Reclaim the dungeon and I will provide you a reader. Under certain conditions.”
“You cannot reclaim a dungeon?” asked Val’n.
Yeah that was a good question. If someone claimed one of the dungeons on their lands there was no way his uncle would wait to reclaim it. Either it happen in the past few hours or his uncle intentionally let Blackmore keep it.
“We can, but I want you to do it,” said William.
“Very well,” said Val’n as he stood up then he showed his hand and slowly drew his spellrod, “A binding is required for such a deal.”
William flicked his fingers at Val’n, “Nothing that formal, we’ll send a witness.”
“I’ll escort him,” said Liam.
Val’n glanced at Liam but only with his eyes, “This witness, I am to protect them?”
William sat up and looked at Val’n then to Liam, “You’re sure?”
“Yeah,” said Liam then he jabbed a thumb at Val’n, “We can’t leave that dungeon open to Blackmore and I don’t trust this dope to tell the truth.”
“Fine,” said William.
Tempo had stayed silent since his arrival, but he chose that moment to clear his throat and interject, “That dungeon is one of particular importance.”
“I’m aware,” said William, “If you’ve got a point, get to it.”
“Clearing the dungeon could take months for a single person,” said Tempo, “We need it by the end of the term.”
William huffed out an impatient breath, “What then?”
“Take Gwen, when she’s healed of course,” said Tempo.
Ha-ha, that explained it. There was only one dungeon that his family did not have direct control over. It was controlled by Waystar Academy, so his uncle couldn’t order soldiers to retake it without the school’s approval. The school used it to train their students, and the one who held the record for clearing it was none other than Gwendolyn Rios. Granted she had a team with her, but her mana reserve allowed her to clear entire floors almost single handed. And that was years ago. She could probably do it faster now.
“Excellent idea,” said William.
“I will clear the dungeon, but this woman is a liability,” said Val’n.
“That’s the deal Val’n,” said William as he stood up, “Take it or leave it.”
Val’n glared down at Liam, “I expect you to keep her in line,” then he extended his hand to William, “On behalf of Val’ken Dare, I accept.”
“Excellent,” said William as he shook Val’n’s hand, “Magister, I’m sure you’ll have no problem taking care of the details.”
“Of course,” said Tempo as he stood up, “Val’n have you arranged for accommodations?”
“Accommodations? Does this mean lodging?” asked Val’n.
“Yes,” said Tempo.
“I am camped in the forest outside the estate,” said Val’n.
“Ridiculous. I’ll have a room prepared at Waystar. We can tour the campus while you wait for Gwen,” said Tempo.
“Perfect,” said William, “Take the gate. I need to speak with my nephews in private.”
“This is acceptable, but before we part ways, I have another matter to discuss,” said Val’n.
That drew William’s attention and you could see his mind working, “What matter?”
“The young man I defeated in the third round, Ronald Slick,” said Val’n then he turned to Tempo, “He is one of your students?”
“The name sounds familiar but no,” said Tempo, “I believe he skipped the challenges last year, and sought an apprenticeship.”
“I’ve approved no such apprenticeship,” said William.
Val’n untied a pouch from his belt and tossed it on the table in front of Tempo, “Then I offer to be his patron.”
Tempo leaned over the table, snatched the pouch and tossed it back to Val’n, “Patronage is about more than money.”
“And we cannot allow one of our people to fall into servitude to a foreign power,” said William.
“To what end?” asked William.
“Kel’doro,” said Val’n, “Fate.”
“What?” said Liam.
“Kel’doro gifted me with opportunity,” said Val’n. “It is my duty to gift it to another.”
William shook his head, “Whatever, Tempo take the money and offer it to the kid. If he wants to attend Waystar, I see no reason not to let him. As long as there is no contract between him and Val’n who are we to deny him an opportunity.”
At that Val’n dipped his head, “Kel’von.”
“Yeah, yeah, now leave me to speak with my nephews,” said William as he flipped his hand to hurry them along. He obviously had other things on his mind and was tired of dealing with Val’n.
Tempo stood up, “Thank you for your time,” then he bowed to William and turned to Lucas, “I expect punctuality.”
“Yes magister,” said Lucas.
Again, William flicked his fingers to move things along. Tempo moved around the table to grab Val’n’s pouch of coins then he went over to one of the bookcases and tapped the edge with his spellrod. The entire bookcase spun around one hundred and eighty degrees to reveal a smooth lacquered surface. Tempo pressed his palm against the surface and rotated it ninety degrees to the right.
The lacquered surface shimmered a bright green then a series of spinning rings sprang up along the outside of the bookcase. Tempo tapped several of the rings then jabbed his fingers into one of the glowing rings and rotated it.
As soon as he was done the entire bookcase shimmered and disappeared. The once lacquered surface now looked like a sheet of glass. Behind the glass was a library so large that it made his uncle’s study look like a closet. Those were the libraries at Waystar.
He could not wait to get there. But for now, all he got was a glimpse. Tempo and Val’n stepped through the gate. The moment they stepped through the gate snapped shut. All that was left in their wake was a bookcase. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen one of the gates in action, but it was the first time he’d seen the gate to Waystar and it was always pretty cool.
Cool or not, it was not where Lucas’s attention needed to be. He was still trapped in the lion’s den. Good thing his uncle’s attention was not on him.
William stared at Liam, “The room is sealed. Everything that is said from now on, is to stay between us,” then he stood up and walked behind his desk. He leaned down, pulled something out one of the drawers, then returned to his seat at the central table, “Our family has ruled this country unchallenged for over eight hundred years. But the night my brother died everything changed. He took with him the most heavily guarded secrets in our family’s history.”
“Do either of you know what we lost that day?” asked William.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Wherever this was going it could not be good.
“The waygates,” said Liam, “But I thought you knew the spells.”
“I control them, yes,” said William, “And the other houses have interpreted that as me being able to create them. I have not corrected their mistake, but the secret died with your father.”
“But I’ve seen you disappear,” said Liam.
Seriously fuck, he had to do something to get out of this room. Yeah right, he couldn’t feel his own hands, or his feet. He’d be lucky if he could stand up, let alone run away.
“A trick,” said William, “Powerful but it’s a trick. It has nothing to do with translocation.”
“If anyone knew,” said Liam, “We need to study the gates.”
“No, we need to study this,” said William as he leaned forward then without warning he stabbed a knife into the table. Lucas’s enchanted butter knife.
Author’s note
I know not everyone feels comfortable reviewing books, but I enjoy hearing from readers. I love even more to hear from fans. A simple comment would be amazing. If you didn't enjoy the story, I also encourage you more to give your feedback because a high five might feel good, but criticism is what helps me to improve. And that is priceless.
Thanks for Reading,
-Brian Declan-
To read more of my work you can check out what I’ve got in the works at my website: www.briankdeclan.com or sign-up to my mailing list and be the first to know about new releases: Subscribe.
Glossary
Adept – A mage with a Blessing that has successfully completed at least one year of formal education.
Archon – A mage that has never earned a Blessing.
Aspects – Light, Fire, Stasis, Life, Earth, Illusion, Void, Spirit, Water, Shadow, Air, or Mental.
Auraband – A tool in the shape of a tight bracelet that is specifically designed to monitor an individual’s stats. It can also be used in combination with a spellrod to perform advanced targeting techniques.
Blessing – A Blessing is the reward for successful completion of an initiation. They can come in any of twelve different Aspects.
Over the generations Blessings of each Aspect have been grouped into four different tiers. Although there is great debate over the establishment of these tiers it is generally accepted. Tier one is the weakest and most common, Tier four is the rarest yet most potent.
To some extent Blessings are influenced by hereditarily though not in all cases.
In addition to the twelve aspects, Blessings also have up to three distinct subclasses.
Delve Team – A team of at most five magi that has come together with the specific purpose of venturing into a dungeon.
Dungeons – Dungeons are the most concentrated havens for wild monsters.
Ether – In short Ether is mana in liquid form, but it is far more most concentrated than the typical gaseous form of mana.
Exel – A mage with a Blessing that has successfully completed at least three year of formal education.
Guardsman – The lowest level of city defenders, they rely on martial skill instead of magical gifts. Despite their low status they are responsible for keeping pacified areas free of wild monsters and typically fight on the front lines.
Initiate – Any individual who has completed an initiation, earned a Blessing and has not yet completed any formal education.
Initiation – A formal test that takes place in rare, heavily guarded dungeons. Due to their rarity most countries conceal the location of initiation dungeons and restrict access to only the most well prepared. The actual test consists of clearing five floors; the first is a starting area, the next three are the main challenges and the last is an area reflection.
Leyline – Constantly shifting currents of mana that flow deep beneath the surface of the earth.
Mage/Magi – Any individual who has developed their ability to control their own mana. Often this is focused on enhancing their combat abilities or creating more potent magical items. Potions, spellrods, enchanted crystals, etc.
Magister – A title given to a Blessed mage that has completed five years of formal education and possess master level proficiency in at least one form of magical expression.
Magnus – A mage who has completed five years of formal education, achieved expert level proficiency in dueling, cooperative battle magic, defensive spellwork and can perform at least one area effect spell or skill.
Mana – The purest form of magic. It can come in any of thirteen different forms; one for each of the twelve Aspects as well as plain mana.
Mana Crystal – The most concentrated form of mana. Creation of synthetic mana crystals is an extensive, labor intensive process. The easiest way to obtain them is by defeating wild monsters before they have established themselves in a single location like a dungeon.
Potions – Potions come in many forms but are in short are created by fermenting ether so it can be consumed without adverse effects. The fermentation process can be altered to produce potions with a wide range of beneficial effects.
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nbsp; Praxar – A mage with a Blessing that has successfully completed at least four year of formal education.
Relar – A mage with a Blessing that has successfully completed at least two year of formal education.
Spellrod – The most common tool used by magi. It is a multi-use tool that enhances a mage’s ability to cast spells, fire mana bolts and create barriers.
Waygate – Stable portals that allow for instantaneous travel between two locations.
Wells of Radiance – A series of wells with a single purpose, to grant a Blessing. How they grant Blessings is one of the great mysteries that magi have researched for centuries.