by P. S. Power
Will nodded. Switching to the same tongue, since that was the polite thing to do.
“Me, Dareg or Ambassador Neesa. That’s what I’m planning to do next. Get with Neesa on this. Great work, by the way, Erath. I don’t know if I can do that.” It sounded like it should be likely, but that didn't mean it was assured.
Mage Jin waved at his side, her tan hand smooth. Smaller than his own. She was about the same size as Taman, really, with similar eyes and hair. About five feet tall, plus a minor bit more. Black hair and deep brown eyes. Even given that they managed to be completely different in every other way.
“You can sit in the baking sun, looking at only that stone for hours. You say it creates pain if you do not attend to it well enough? That should get you a good way toward being a mage. May I see it?”
Getting it out he handed the thing over, which after about a minute, meant it was dropped to the ground. The woman shook her hand.
“Aiiii. That is painful. I was trying to concentrate on it as well. Great one, would you?”
Tor smiled, managing the thing without any apparent effort. Then he nodded, placing it directly back in the bag. Moving while his mind sent out a steady line of complete concentration. Will hadn’t gotten to that point yet, though he did recall Taman suggesting he eat while doing that kind of thing. That probably meant she could do it.
“Agreed, Mage Jin. What’s your assessment of his abilities, based on this?”
She was peaceful enough, the pain having faded already.
“If he can work with that, then I would… Force him to change his application of effort with each new session. Reinforcing it with the pain stone, so that the work stays solid and consistent. He should be able to do simple building projects. Copying and so forth, already. That does not teach what is needed for more complex things, but…” She reached inside her robe, into a pocket. Pulling out a single tile that had etching on the surface. “This is but a simple cutting tool. Find a stone and place this field, a copy of it, onto the thing. Then return both to me tomorrow.”
Tor smiled, nodding.
“You heard her. I will however, give you actual tips on how to do that. It isn’t hard, but takes focus and a bit of understanding as to what you’re doing.” Then, carefully, he covered what was probably the basic protocol. If Erath found it boring that didn’t show. There was still some excitement there.
Jin pressed the amulet into his left hand.
“Just bring them here and ask after me. You can do this. You will not fail in it.” That sounded very firm and certain. It also tickled a bit over his skin as the words came out. Commanding him to do well. He could have taken umbrage at that part, but decided that someone trying to make him do better wasn’t actually his enemy. Even if it had been a bit invasive.
It wasn’t a plate filled with bugs, even. Or a man for him to service in order to get his evening meal. Which, he decided, he wasn’t doing that night. Nothing at all against Coatl or even earning his meal. That kind of thing might simply be his life from then on. Worrying over it was silly. No, he just didn’t have time to spend on things like that. Besides, Will really needed to process the things he’d gotten from Doris first. Some of them would cross over to other matters.
The first thing he did however was to follow Erath back to yees house. That was on World Ship Seven. If it took any longer to get there from Vagus than it did from Lairdgren to Soam, he couldn’t tell at all. It probably didn’t, really. Instant meant a specific thing after all.
Erath waved him out into the metallic hallway. The whole thing was brightly lit, and in a metal like color of grayish blue. The floor was soft, but different than anything he’d ever seen before. Spongy. His first step sent him about three feet into the air, which got him laughed at by the little Ysidril with him.
“Sorry. I forgot about that. I have to use a magical device on your worlds. So that I can move correctly. We’re used to smaller portions of gravity here. Can you adapt to it? That takes some time for…”
After the first step Will was moving very close to normally. A bit more carefully than that, perhaps, but nothing that would prevent him from seeming like anyone else, he didn’t think. At least for a human being there. The fact was, he simply couldn’t pass for an Alien. Not a Ysidril at least. Even using a disguise amulet, he doubted that would be possible. So blending in there meant being something far closer to himself.
It was kind of interesting, since Ambassador or not, Neesa lived with her parents. All three of them. It was, from the feeling of it, a group that was made up of two men and one woman. In this case at least. They all seemed shocked to see him standing there, in what was probably their main living quarters. So he waved, then pointed to the front of his shirt, over his heart.
“Hello! Will Baker. Pine tree emblem.” He tapped that three times, which got at least one of the Ysidril men to smile at him.
The same fellow moved in a bit, then bowed, one of his lower arms going across his front. The rest of them did that as well. All of them, which meant he did it back, going lower than they did. After all, these were clearly important beings. Their children were an Ambassador and the first person to be taken in for training as a builder.
The one that thought Will was humorous spoke first.
“I’m Tom. These are my spouses.” He made noises then, which had Will focusing as hard as he could. Then, carefully, looking at each in turn, he tried to replicate each name. It was hissing, and he kind of thought that he was getting some of the tones wrong. That meant he shook his head, then did it twice.
Erath patted him on the back.
“No. Like this.” Ye broke the words down, going slowly, then did it right. Only three tries later Neesa moved across the room from the strange multi-tiered desk she’d been working at, to hug him. The older Ysidril all went very still, with two of them seeming almost ready to panic over the move. It didn’t seem to be the idea that their daughter was touching a filthy human or anything either. Or even fear of harm to one of them. No, it registered as worry for him. That he might be upset. Instead he just returned the hug. She smelled a bit of cinnamon, which was pleasant, really.
He probably smelled a bit like sex, which left him feeling a little self-conscious.
“That is very well done, Will Baker, Pine Tree Emblem.” She tapped the front of his shirt for him. Exactly three times. That got Tom to laugh again, his purple and green mouth dropping open silently.
When she released him, only seconds later, he stood back, then bowed to the parents as a group. They did that back, which had Erath and Neesa doing it as well. He spoke while he was down there.
“I’m pleased and honored to announce that Erath of the Ysidril has taken and passed the entrance examination at the Vagus Mage School. To do this ye had to make a magical copy, from a template. A light. To my knowledge, ye is the first of your combined fleet to do so. This has earned a place for training. It means going to Vagus each day and learning from the Wizard Tor directly. Probably others as well, since there was talk of not pushing that hard. I get the feeling that’s for the best, to be honest. From what I’ve heard Tor can be a little intense that way.”
He didn’t know what to expect from the parents. Probably a refusal, now that he was there. The mother, who was the largest being in the room, being nearly his own height and about three times broader across the shoulders, actually wrung her hands. The other da, who Will could only think about in Ysidril if he was using his name, was more relaxed.
“That is an honor. Erath is very young. Will ye need to live there, among the humans? The heavy planet might wear on small, still forming bones.”
The young being bounced a bit, which was faster and seemed anxious, more than anything else.
“Father, I have magic that allows me to be lighter there. This is too good of a chance to pass up. No one has even seen such things being formed yet, from our people. Their best technician, Master Tor, is offering to instruct me himself. I also have a protective shield in c
ase of danger. It may not be perfectly safe, but I can attend there two sections a day, I believe. Being here or at my other lessons and duties for the rest?”
That sounded about right, so Will tried to bob in the correct pattern to show agreement. Everyone looked at him, getting what he was doing it seemed.
The mother waved at him.
“Will, Pine Tree… Do you know of this Tor? Is he a good being?”
The simplest thing would be to lie, but the truth was, Tor seemed all right. So he bobbed a bit harder, bouncing once every third of a second or so.
“He is. Also a very dangerous being. When we first met, he and Prince Dareg, Darian of Earth, thought that I was one of their enemies. An Adversary. They started to kill me. Then, they also figured out that I was a friend in time and didn’t do that. I don’t think Erath will be in danger there, however. The people at the mage school barely even glanced at ye. No more than anyone else.”
The woman, like all mothers that Will had ever heard of, seemed prone to fret about her small child. The fathers both agreed first, which got her to go along with the idea, if reluctantly. Neesa seemed happy however.
“This is wonderful. If Erath does this well, do you think others might be allowed to attempt such? Adding to our skills as a people is the duty of each of us.”
That sounded a lot different than what he was used to. Instead of having a problem with it, Will collected that as a fact, since the others in the room, who were all speaking in Standard he noticed, agreed with it. It was, clearly, simply expected of all of the Ysidril to do such things. Even the youngest of them.
“I’d think so. Possibly even if Erath were to fail. Ye won’t, but the training for others isn’t contingent on that. Oh! Neesa, we have Count Ward setting up to host up to twelve of your botanist friends in Warden tomorrow. I need to check the people in Soam, but Vagus seems like it will be all right to visit as well. At least around the mage school. I need to get with Queen Bumie I think, for Afrak. Um, one second? I don’t want to be rude, but if you’re all right here, it will be easier to show her who I’m planning to bring for a visit.” Roughly.
That didn’t take long, the woman still being awake for the day. She even recalled him, smiling when she understood who he was. That meant giving his name, since his face was different. Which didn’t bother her at all. Afrak, the people there, did that kind of thing as well. If a bit slower. She explained that to him.
Then he covered the Ysidril botanists.
“Ah! The fascinating star people? We have already made arrangements for living quarters at the main space port. Dareg set up a statue of… I think the one to your right? Is that their Ambassador, Neesa?”
He glanced over, as everyone there stared at his hand, seeming amazed. It was kind of a good trick, he had to admit. Neesa wore two natural looking white stripes down her front, which kind of told the world who she was. Everyone was in a different outfit. That they were different under their clothing was a thing that he’d only just noticed however. It wasn’t at all in the same places that human people were lumpy. There were real differences however. For one thing, the women were wider at both hip and shoulders then the men were. Their faces were a bit differently shaped as well.
“Exactly. Well, that’s better than I thought. Is there room for twelve? They’ll be in Warden for a time first, though we can bring them to your land instantly, so that won’t be an issue. Really, they could even live here most of the time, or on their own ships, then just visit for work. Though I think they should stay for a bit, if we can bribe them into it. I need to learn more about the Ysidril language and culture. The ones that I know best, Erath and Neesa, are both too busy to be bothered with that kind of thing. Not that I won’t anyway.” Using the resources he had, or could find was important.
They worked out that the botanists would meet him there, on World Ship Seven, the next fifth cycle. That would mean he had to be there at about seven the next morning. Thankfully he didn’t need to sleep any longer. It was really useful, suddenly.
“I’ll return then. Or as close as I can get to it. Is it all right to bring Count Ward with me?” Meeting him in Warden would also work, but it seemed more important if he came to collect the new people himself. Neesa nodded then.
“Count Ward. Large Blue Circle. We have met before. I’m certain all would enjoy seeing him. Would it…” There was a pause then, as the Ysidril all started speaking in their own hissing language. He tried to follow the sounds, but instead of a simple translation, Erath hissed at him.
Then ye spoke in its high pitched child’s voice.
“Should we bother to request a Forten news unit?” Then there was hissing again.
Carefully, and more than a bit slowly, he repeated the sounds, making out how the shifting in tone meant different things. A bit at least.
Erath nodded somberly.
Then hissed again. Two of the words were the same.
“They have been left out, much, the Forten news crews.”
This time the sounds were repeated more confidently. It wasn’t enough to actually talk to anyone, but he could make out a few more words.
After several minutes of instruction, as the others largely ignored Erath’s miraculous language lessons, Neesa turned to him.
“Forgive us. We were discussing the merits of announcing this as an official mission. There have been some complaints from the Forten that they are being kept out of things. Due to Dareg being a wanted criminal in their system. He killed a man. One of the enemy. Only that cannot be proven. Then he kidnapped a Forten warrior using mind control. It was really an escape, taking the other killer along, but he proved that he had the ability to take over minds. So the President of their people announced that all blame lay on Dareg, so that someday the other, Lynd, may come back to his home without a prison sentence.”
Willum had never heard anything about that at all. It made sense to him however. Probably because he was from Noram. Any man who would help you in battle was a friend. If you had to give your life to protect a friend, or even give up your freedom or good name, then you were required to. It was so obvious to him that he didn’t understand for a moment that, while the Ysidril fully understood what was going on, at least with the confession on Dareg Canton’s part, the Forten didn’t. Not on more than an intellectual level.
“I’m not a wanted criminal here however, correct? Neither is Count Ward?” He waited for an answer, just in case that had happened at some point. If it was very easy to break their laws, then it might. Erath hissed at him in very basic sounding Ysidril.
“Blue Circle is not…” The last word was, most likely, criminal.
He tried to hiss back correctly.
“I understand. We…allow… news unit.”
Erath bobbed in place happily. Everyone else went very, very still. Then Neesa bowed. That got the rest of them to do the same.
“No one else has learned our language yet. It has been questioned if it was a thing that humans could do at all. I think we badly underestimated both the Mech and Forten in our fleets. The people of old Earth as well. Forgive me.”
Bowing back quickly he smiled.
“I would bet that the laziness of others is to blame, rather than your people. I’ll be back here at fifth cycle. Erath, you should work out when you need to arrive daily for lessons. Tor should still be awake, so, being that your parents have agreed, it is reasonable to contact him. Also…” He used the mother’s name, doing it correctly this time, now that he was getting used to the way the pitch and intensity of the sounds influenced the language. Not perfectly, but the name seemed to stay the same each time. “As his mother, it is not at all strange for you to go and inspect the school, insist on interviewing Master Tor or having him here for a meal, in order to become more comfortable with him.”
She actually seemed relieved with that bit of news. When he turned to leave, Tom followed him. Hissing at him, as he waved at the walls, floor, the lighting fixtures, himself and the transport hu
t. Willum repeated it all, storing it for later. When he opened the door, the being touched his arm, then released it quickly.
“Amazing.” Then he hissed the word, so that one could be learned as well. “You have been genetically altered? Like Dareg Canton has been?”
Willum didn't deny it. After all, it was kind of clear that Tom was too smart to fool that way.
“Yes. So I don’t need to sleep now. Which means you can get with me at need. I don’t have a name on the handheld however. So, call on with Taman Baker, if you need to connect with me? She’s the Ancient of Soam, so it only seems correct for her to do things like that.” He was, actually, just kidding with the man. That seemed to move right past him.
“Yes. The greatest serve most. That is a thing that we Ysidril have as well. There are several beings of that level from your world. Dareg, Copper Square. Count Ward, Blue Circle. Now you, Will Baker, Pine Tree Emblem. I would ask, what does emblem mean?”
“Badge. Sigil. Picture. It’s sort of a combination of all of them. Badge is closest in this case.”
The being bobbed then, his mouth falling open.
Then he hissed. “Emblem.” The full thing was given then, as well as all the other names they’d just used. After that the fellow moved back, letting Will get to Soam. As travel went it left him feeling a bit off, he realized. For one thing, things were suddenly much heavier. Not in a way that felt bad to him or anything, but it was a real change. It was late, and he was starving, so raided the food device behind the pod home. He only got a large leaf with fruits and some insects. They weren’t alive, but that had been gross enough that it was clear to him that he needed constant practice.
Which reminded him of the new task that had been set for him by Mage Jin. He found a stone of good size at the edge of the forest, which took a while. It was a fragment of something different and covered with dirt, but that probably wouldn’t matter.