ocean-life WM [86] The Swordman
WM [86] The Swordman
WM [86] The Swordman
Tanisha found constantly cycling seiðr to her daggers and armor to be a menial task. It did require a small amount of her attention to maintain the connection but not much more. The wendigo already had an innate ability to channel their mana through their bodies. This was further amplified after she evolved into a greater. Fuyumi appreciated the fact that she could channel her energies so well.
“If you keep this up we will be able to add these items into your armory in just two weeks.” Fuyumi said with a nod. “Can you channel your alloy like this while you sleep?”
“While I sleep?” Tanisha chuckled thinking she was kidding. “How would that even be possible?”
“Channelling mana while you sleep is a common trait for mages once they reach higher ranks.” Fuyumi said seriously. “It is just like Chakra users and their breathing techniques. Most of the truly powerful people will have their bodies enhanced at all times. Not only does it keep you alert but it also helps you to control your powers better.”
Tanisha raised a hand, “if high level mages are doing that all the time that means that they’re constantly expending mana. How? It may be small but that does wear on the mind, right? Using mana always takes a mental toll. How can anyone maintain that and function day and night?”
“It becomes second nature, I am not saying that they are battle ready at all times,” Fuyumi clarified. “What I am saying is that having your magic moving and flowing is what separates a true high level mage from an amateur with a lot of power. You might feel like magic is instant when you cast it, but it’s not. Even for someone who can cast without incantations, there’s a fraction of a second where energy must flow, gather, and release. That delay might seem negligible to a novice, but to a seasoned mage, even a moment’s hesitation can be fatal.”
Fuyumi’s gaze sharpened. “Think about it—when you’re fully engaged in battle, doesn’t the world seem to slow down around you? That’s your enhanced cognition, a result of magic sharpening the connection between your mind and core. The stronger that connection, the faster you can think, react, and act. Those fractions of a second stretch on to feel much longer. They can be the difference between victory and becoming rust on an enemy's blade.”
Tanisha pressed her lips together, her thoughts swirling. Everything Fuyumi said made sense, but it also felt overwhelming. There was no shortcut, no alternative. All that was left was to put in the work and to push her seiðr to cycle faster, to establish an unbroken connection between her core and her mind, and to hone her control until it became as effortless as breathing.
Noticing Tanisha’s silence, Fuyumi offered a faint smile and rose to her feet. “I’ll leave you to your contemplation,” she said, moving toward Aurelius to oversee his cultivation training.
Tanisha closed her eyes, retreating inward to her core. The silhouette of her body formed in her mind’s eye, and she began the process again, guiding the energy upward, cycling it back, and striving for the control that would one day set her apart.
***
“This is the door we went through,” Tanisha said, pointing to the dried patches of congealed blood on the ground. “I believe this leads to the Manufacturing Wing.”
Aurelius crouched briefly, studying the ground. “Looks like you two went through quite the ordeal,” he said, rising and turning his gaze toward the door. “How many of the sword golem things were there?”
“Just one,” Tanisha replied. “The rest were equipped with those loud crossbow thingies. Bjorn and I destroyed every one that came for us.”
“Impressive, I still haven’t seen one of those things in action.” Aurelius said with a nod. Then, after a pause, he asked, “Can I try fighting it alone? I’m close to a breakthrough, and this could help me put what Fuyumi taught me to the test.”
“It’s fine by me,” Tanisha said and Fuyumi didn’t object so she continued, “but be cautious. Watch out for its blade attack, it can send slicing aether through the air. You don’t even need to be in range of its swing to get cut. I know you two cannot sense aether like I can because it is a Higher Plane energy.”
“If things get too dangerous, we’ll step in,” Fuyumi added.
“Thanks,” Aurelius said, giving them both a quick smile before stepping toward the control panel. “Get ready. I’m opening it now.”
They all moved into position, pressing themselves against the walls on either side of the door. Tension filled the air, their bodies coiled and prepared to act in case there were more golem’s on the other side and they were ready to storm out in full force. Aurelius placed his hand on the panel. With a faint hum, the door slid open, the mechanism responding to him now that he was in the registry.
The inside was still dark which didn’t bother Tanisha since she could see just fine. The scattered remains of the destroyed constructs were gone. Tanisha didn’t know if that meant the sword golem cleaned them up or something else did. There were security golems, maybe there were also cleaning golems? She would ask Doxy later.
The sword golem, however, was still there. It stood motionless in the center of the hallway, exactly where she and Bjorn had left it after their desperate escape. As Aurelius unsheathed his crystalline sword, his shield was slung on his arm. The construct’s blue eye flickered to life, its blade arms rising as though in recognition of a new threat.
Tanisha whispered an incantation, her voice low and fluid. Small orbs of water appeared around her, glimmering faintly as they floated into the room. With a subtle gesture, the orbs flared, casting soft light into the space and illuminating the hallway for Aurelius. He gave her a nod of thanks and stepped across the threshold, his posture poised and ready. The chaotic aura of his magic rippled faintly around him, creating an air of raw, barely contained energy.
“You okay?” she asked, her voice tight with concern.
Aurelius gave her a weary smile, his legs wobbling slightly. “Still in one piece. Can’t say the same for the golem.”
“That was incredible, Speedy! You adapted so quickly, and that final strike was amazing!” Tanisha took out a lesser healing potion from her inventory but he declined. “That thing gave me and Bjorn a hard time but you took it down by yourself.”
“It caught you two off guard and it was a good matchup for Aurelius.” Fuyumi stepped forward, her gaze critical but not unkind. “That was well-fought. You’ve improved, but losing your shield was a significant setback. We’ll review your swordsmanship techniques later. For now we should secure this hallway.”
Aurelius chuckled softly, wincing as he wiped the blood from his face. “Fine by me. Just... let me catch my breath first.”
Fuyumi nodded and turned to Tanisha, “do you know what’s in those containers against the wall?” Fuyumi asked, shifting the conversation with a curious glance toward the neatly stacked metal crates lining the corridor.
Tanisha followed her gaze, her interest piqued. She approached the containers, their polished surfaces reflecting the dim light of the hallway. Drawing a dagger from the sheath on her side, she effortlessly sliced through the latch on one of the boxes with a decisive motion. The lid creaked open, revealing its contents.
Inside, a pile of silvery metal shards glinted faintly. Tanisha’s brow furrowed as she leaned closer, puzzled by the unfamiliar material. Then her expression brightened as a pungent, chlorine-like odor wafted out. A broad smile spread across her face. She knew that smell well from her alchemy classes.
“Is that,” Fuyumi began, watching Tanisha’s reaction.
“Yup,” Tanisha confirmed, her voice laced with excitement. “Osmium tetroxide.”
The potent, acrid odor confirmed it beyond doubt. Osmium tetroxide, a hazardous chemical compound to humans and many other species, filled the air around the box. Thankfully, Tanisha’s physiology wasn’t affected by its toxicity; otherwise, the exposure could have been deadly. The shards within were unmistakably osmium, a rare and precious metal.
She closed the lid carefully and turned to the group, her excitement barely contained. “This box is full of osmium shards. There is some dangerous gas in there too, so don’t breathe too deeply around the containers. But this? This is amazing!” She squealed in excitement.
“Why?” Aurelius asked, intrigued but wary of her enthusiasm.
“Because,” Tanisha said, “now that I have both osmium and quicksilver, I can create magic stones. Depending on the purity of the osmium, I might even be able to craft a staff jewel. That means we’re only a few materials away from attempting wandmaking!”
“That’s great,” Fuyumi said, her tone sharp. “But let’s not open any more of these crates if they’re full of potentially dangerous gases for the rest of us.”
Tanisha paused, her dagger poised above another container’s latch. She opened her mouth to argue, but Fuyumi’s stern glare stopped her short. With a sigh, she lowered her weapon.
“Fine,” Tanisha relented, though she cast a longing glance at the unopened crates. “I’ll come back later, after we’ve explored a bit more.”
“What exactly do you do with magic stones?” Aurelius asked.
Tanisha perked up, happy to explain. “Magic stones are used to store magic attuned to their specific properties. They’re incredibly versatile in high-level crafting. Mages use them for all sorts of applications, creating spell scrolls with magic ink, which is infused with powdered stones to hold spell power, or in heating and cooling systems like the ones in Yuhia. They’re also crucial for crafting magical tattoos, powering lighting, and even the technomancy circuits in devices like my communicator. It’s packed with hundreds of these stones.”
“So, they’re like magic crystals?” Fuyumi asked.
“Not quite,” Tanisha clarified. “Magic crystals produce magic or alter and amplify it. That makes them ideal for tasks requiring a constant magical output, like light crystals that emit light from the magic fed into them. Magic stones, on the other hand, are purely storage. They hold the magic that’s poured into them and release it as needed, until they’re fully depleted.”
Aurelius pressed his hand against another control panel and the lights in the new corridor turned on. It was Identical to every other hallway. At the end was a staircase going both down and up. There were also several open doors all of which led into dark rooms. There didn’t seem to be any more golems so they decided they would check out each open door first before continuing to the stairwell.