Over the course of my journey to Redburrow, I tested the extent of the dual binding. While it was a useful tool, I didn’t often need extreme amounts of power. The only things I had that would benefit from a doubling of power were dragon’s breath, my protective amulet, and the input for my energy reservoir.
It would be incredibly useful for shape transformations since the only limiting factor for larger projects was energy and my animus. But for my everyday simple magic, it had little purpose. Passive bindings would have some benefit; however, a passive version of the double binding seemed unlikely to exist due to the odd mental projection needed for it to sustain itself. But I knew never to assume things about magic.
My limit of singular bindings was now twelve simultaneously; once again, my animus grew in power, and so did the strength of my bindings. I could, of course, only hold six dual bindings at once. The pace of my growth was held back by efficiency; the circuit of my glove for Dragon’s breath was outdated, and I needed new material. Even with a double binding, I couldn't push the circuit beyond a 22-foot cone of fire, regardless of how far I pushed the bindings’ strength.
My constant introspection would have to wait for now. I had a deal to make, hopefully, the one I would need.
I approached Redburrow village, a small, quaint hamlet a few hundred miles south of the Gracian mountains. Interestingly enough, though in decent condition, it was abandoned.
Only the largest house had a fire while the rest remained dormant. There was some movement, but far too little for a proper village. It seemed like a perfect place for an ambush. Amusingly enough, I arrived five days before the turn of the year. Which meant I turned nineteen summers three days ago.
The girl I was was left behind, and a woman now stood in her place. Though I was a mile away from the town, a rider came storming out of the village at an even canter. I was skittish and was preparing to bolt before I noted it was the old man again.
I waited as he approached on his brown steed, still sporting a brown cloak.
“A pleasure to see you again, Myr.” He said with a warm smile.
“Greetings…” I paused, waiting for him to answer.
“Orian.” He stated.
“Orian,” I affirmed. “Mind telling me what my task is?”
He smiled, “Not yet, after all, you haven't met your companions. Food and drink will be provided. And at high hour, your task will be announced.”
“Companions?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Indeed, not even a magus can complete this task alone.” He gestured to the village, “Will you accompany me?”
~
We rode into town; a few servants were milling about, and several guards in fine armor stood at attention, but nothing suggested that this was a trap for me. If it was, it was certainly overly complicated.
None of the guards had any insignia to suggest which family they served. The armor was, however, enchanted.
‘Wealthy and powerful.’
The guards nodded as we passed, and even more servants ran around the inside of the large manor house. I had my suspicions, but remained silent as we walked through the halls.
“I’m sure you have questions, but all will be answered in the coming hours. Fortunately, you are all here, so there is no point in repeating.” He glanced down to my pack, where I held most of my valuable items.
“We will provide rooms as needed for all your preparations. For now, enjoy your meal, rest, and I will return with instructions.”
He opened the door, and I entered. Inside the small dining hall was a strange cornucopia of individuals.
There were six people: Three men and three women. However, they varied drastically in both appearance and mannerisms.
First were the two men stuffing their faces at the dining table. They were of normal height in heavy leather and a random assortment of plate armor. Both were brown-haired and had the same ugly face.
‘Brothers or twins most likely.’
Next was a lone woman sitting in a corner in fine plate armor of expert craftsmanship. She was a delicate red-haired beauty; the only imperfection was a scar cutting her left brow in half vertically. It only made me more interested in her, carnally and otherwise.
Next was the most interesting group, I actually stood motionless staring at them for a few moments since it was the first time I had seen northerners. Though seated, his immense size was obvious. The man was as large as an ox, and at least a head and a half taller than any other man.
‘Six and a half? Seven feet. How do they grow men so large?’
He had a thick beard, long hair, and was covered in enough fur and pelt for him to look like a bear himself. On his lap was a giant of a woman; if not for the man’s own impressive height, she would have stood out more to me, since she had to be pushing six feet. She constantly brought food to the man's lips, feeding him every morsel of meat within her reach.
They laughed and talked with another northwoman, easily as tall as the woman on the man's lap, on the far end of the table. They all had the same sharp features and almost predatory eyes that I did. I still wore my simple plate armor, so as I entered, every eye turned to me.
The Northmen were relatively young, perhaps in their twenty-fifth summer. The twins looked to be in their middle years, and the knight was around my age. All conversations ceased as I walked into the room. My metal boots echoed through the hall.
Paying no mind to the stares, I walked towards the table, grabbed a plate, and began filling it. One of the twins stopped stuffing his face and, with a grin, walked over to me.
“Well, Well, Well, I've been wonderin’ who the last of our little motley crew would be.” He licked his lips, either to clear away grease or as a sign of lust, I wasn't sure.
I gave him a baleful gaze as he approached.
He laughed, “Well, color me surprised.” He turned to the group of other northerners who were watching me with focused and mildly confused eyes. “Looks like you savages have some company.” Then he turned back to me, “And not just any savage.” he grinned in my face, revealing straight white teeth.
“You are the maiden.” The noble woman said from her corner of the room.
“She is correct, now, are you fools prepared to die for this performance, or will you allow me to enjoy my meal?” I asked calmly.
He smiled, bowed, and said, “Of course, my dear maiden.”
He turned to the rest of the room, “So, we have The maiden of fire herself, three savages, a lady knight, me, and my dear brother. ”
I ignored the fool and sat in a corner of the room. The Northerners watched me with a strange intensity. The man kept speaking, seeming to love the sound of his own voice, while his brother remained silent.
“Now we're all on this strange assignment with promises of wealth and riches. Does anyone care to guess what we're doing?”
The large northern man whispered to the woman in his lap. She smiled, then allowed him to stand. He walked over to the talkative man with an air of calm confidence, which showed that he firmly believed that he was the more dangerous predator.
“We are here to kill something or someone.” He stood a head and a half taller than the other man, yet there was no fear in his eyes.
‘My word, they do grow them large in the north.’
I watched the confrontation with only mild interest. Male posturing was something I found annoying, usually.
“If I were killing someone, I wouldn't need help; all men die the same…” the talkative twin grinned and looked the man up and down like he was a particularly impressive horse. “Regardless of how girthy they are.”
The other twin was still stuffing his face, though I could tell his eyes were alert.
The Northman chuckled under his breath. It sounded like he was gargling rocks. “You think you are the one, little man.”
He shrugged and turned his back to the nornerner, which was either supreme confidence or stupidity. Unfortunately, he seemed poised to drag me into his nonsense. “My dear maiden, since you’re not built like an overgrown ox, I can assume you’re not pure savage. Which of us do you think will be the victor?”
I had no reason to put on any performance or persona, so I answered truthfully, “I couldn't care less, feel free to kill each other, at the very least do it away from the food.”
The silent twin actually chuckled, and so too did the two northern women who still didn't move from their spot.
‘What kind of neerdowells are these people to find humor in that?’
The woman knight just looked disgusted by everyone around her. The talkative one sighed in disappointment, and even the northern man looked mildly disenchanted.
‘Was this supposed to be a performance for me?’
“Well, with no women or profit to inspire me, I have no reason to fight,” He turned back to the Northerner. “Go back to your, women, savage.”
The northerner did not move. “We are Andregi, not savage. You will correct yourself or be corrected.”
‘Is that what they call themselves, or is it his clan?’
The man smiled and took a step forward, “Correct me then.” The Northman wore no weapons, while the man was covered in knives and daggers.
If I knew anything about northerners, it was that they would never back down from a challenge; this would lead to bloodshed without a doubt.
I sighed, picked at the roasted lamb on my plate, and waited for the carnage. The two northern women were grinning, excited for the conflict. Then the other twin spoke for the first time. “We are on a job, Morah. Fighting will jeopardize the success.”
Some nonverbal communication passed between the twins, then surprisingly, the talkative one backed down and said, “Very well, Andregi. We will have no quarrel.”
The Andregi looked surprised, though he still looked ready to fight. Seemingly, whatever northern honor that compelled him to never back down from a challenge was satisfied. He turned and went back to the women.
I noted their eyes flitting between me and the tall man.
‘They definitely were watching my reaction. They better not be getting any ideas.’
There was nothing to be found; I wore a constant mask of indifference. It wasn't even a mask, really. I truly didn't care if they killed each other. The knight stood and walked over to a shelf containing a pitcher of water and filled a glass. Her movements were precise, controlled, carrying the countenance of a trained warrior.
‘A proper knight, her movements are silent, so enchanted armor.’ I listened closely. ‘Only most of it is enchanted, everything but the breastplate, I think. How odd.’
‘What purpose would they need this odd group for?’
My mind wandered for long moments before I was interrupted by the talkative twin again. He had been discussing rather loudly his theories on who orchestrated this gathering.
“Maiden, I’m sure you have an idea, do share with us your thoughts. Lady knight over there acts like she’s to good for us.” He looked to the northerners with a mocking smile, “And the Sava…sorry, Andregi, make poor conversationalists.”
I turned my cold gaze to him, “I’m sure we’ll learn.”
The mocking humor in his voice disappeared, slightly jarring me, “Indeed, but we will be working together. I need to be certain there is a proper mind behind that cold gaze.”
The lady knight watched me with interest; every eye was on me, actually.
‘You’re a strange one, Morah. Very well.’
“Wealthy, powerful, unconnected from the magisterium with an impressive information network. Nobility certainly. Probably a northern lord, given our location. They desire to remove themselves from possible blame should we meet with failure or betray this secrecy. The Maiden of fire, northern barbarians, no doubt wanted mercenaries or assassins, people who, if caught, would be given very little leeway from the law. Our task is legally dubious at best. It is difficult but not impossible; magic will certainly be an asset, but not crucial to the success. Guards with enchanted armor, someone very wealthy indeed, not many men or women meet that criteria.” I purposely didn't mention the knight; she was by far the most suspicious. Her being here, I didn't understand, but I was forming a theory.
He smiled, “Very good, mirrors my own thoughts actually.” He gestured to the others behind him. “What about our companions for this little caper?”
“My opinions are my own,” I stated with a bit of warning.
‘You remind me too much of Rennah.’
His smile became rather disturbing, not quite lustful or eager, a bit of both, really.
He sighed and complained, “Doesn't anyone have fun anymore?”
“Myr, we should get to know each other. ” He sauntered towards me, filled with confidence, only to be stopped short by my pushing field. Just the slightest bit of fear flitted across his face, but my expression didn't change in the least.
He raised both his hands, showing his palms, “Message received, my dear.” He returned to his brother.
“Have you had your fun, Morah?” he asked in a low voice, seemingly tired of his brother’s antics. “Not nearly enough, but I can wait.”
‘I suppose I'll have to add these two to the pyramid of corpses I’ve piled.’
All eyes were on me since most would have realized that I used some kind of magic. There was quite a bit of disdain coming from the knight and deep interest from the northerners. They wanted to approach me, I could tell. And if I were being honest, I was interested in speaking with them. But not enough to approach them.
The door opened, and in walked the old man, accompanied by someone in a heavy silk cloak, their face covered; they were so hidden I couldn't even determine gender. They were a man’s height, but one could wear elevated shoes or heels, and there were tall women.
“Are they acceptable?” Orian asked the cloaked figure. It made an imperceptible nod, turned, and left. “We will begin by first discussing rewards. I will meet with each group individually, Caan, Nara, and Lindra, follow me, please,” Orian said.
‘Rewards first? Has to be a bait to lure us into what is likely a deadly mission.’
They returned ten minutes later, faces filled with determination, “Norah and Morah, if you please.”
For them, it was much the same. Next was the knight whose name was Korin, then finally it was my turn. The knight's expression didn't change, as if she already knew what the reward was. I didn't think she was simply hiding her expression since she failed to hide her disgust.
‘Curius.’
~
I followed Orian and two heavily armored guards to a seemingly simple room, no chairs, nothing but a simple table with two books: two gilded books. The worst part was, I was completely unsurprised.
‘Without a doubt, they contain the secrets of enchanting. Someone is playing me, but I must have it. Is this you, Heywood? No, I cant be if you attacked now, I would be killed. The time to spring the trap had long passed. What am I missing here?’
They knew what I was and my willingness to murder without hesitation; no doubt, they took precautions. So, I abandoned my idea of killing Orian and simply taking the books.
“This will be your reward; you may examine them until I reach the count of one hundred.”
I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and opened the book on the left. Reading the title, “Occularum of Nature transformation: Thermal Conductivity transformation.” It was double the size of the other Occularums.
‘Trap, trap, trap.’
I flipped the page, my mind slowly expanding as I read.
‘Thermal conductivity defines the readiness of a substance to conduct heat. Every substance known to man has a set thermal conductivity, ordained by the very nature of the universe, as solid and unchanging as a mountain. To alter the thermal conductivity of a substance, one must understand the substance itself and define the form of change. Wood, unlike iron, has poor thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of wood exists as an unchanging element of nature.
If magic has taught us one single truth, all things have the capacity for transformation. If a thing can be defined by runes, then a thing can be transformed by runes. Therefore, it is entirely possible to transform the thermal conductive nature of iron into the thermal conductive nature of wood.’
I started flipping through the book rapidly, seeing diagrams, drawings of arcane circles, massive and complex, far beyond anything I had seen before. The arcane circuit had three rings, each interconnected, and four load runes for each ring. There were hundreds of runes; it would take days of study before I could even attempt them, and who knows how long before I would be successful.
‘I understand now. Weight, hardness, melting point, malleability, conductivity, conductivity, oxidation rate. They can all be transformed. The tip of the magic quill, the sword, both glowed white hot, but didn't melt or alter the hardness of the weapon. What if the melting point of iron were changed to the melting point of a diamond? Can diamonds even melt? A steel sheath with the weight of wood. What runes do you use to perform such a feat? How energy-intensive is the process?'
The other Occularum explained the process of hardness. There had to be enchantments for weight and sound propagation, even kinetic energy absorption. At his count of one hundred, I closed the second book.
I would have liked nothing more than to return to my warehouse, sit on my bed with a bottle of Arbor West, and read until my eyes fell out. I was silent for a full five minutes, trying to find another solution other than agreeing to this mission, only to find nothing.
‘This is rather convenient, isn't it. It feels like a conspiracy. They did their research well, perhaps too well. Either way, this is the last piece, and I will take this risk.’
I nodded to Orian, “Acceptable.”
~
We all followed Orian through the halls into another room with a map of the entire empire rolled out across a large table. A few guards in enchanted armor followed us and closed the door.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly we want, and I shall rid you of that confusion in but a few moments. First, anyone who wishes to leave, do so now; this task will take weeks or months with significant travel through dangerous terrain. However, it must be completed before the end of spring.” Orian stated.
“Three months?” Cann, the large northern man, shook his head, “Why such a large difference in time?”
“Depends on the speed of your travel.” Orian clarified.
“Again, if you are unwilling to invest this time, now is your opportunity to leave.” After a long moment of silence, no one left.
Orian Pointed to where we were on the map, “Your mission will take you across half the empire to the Storm peaks.”
It was through hundreds of miles of grassland and forest, then dread crawled up my spine as he mapped out three routes, all the way to the eastern edge of the continent.
“This is a bit much,” Nara or Lindra said. I wasn't sure which was which yet. I agreed with her that two of those routes were terrifying to consider. The third was unfeasible due to the travel time.
“Indeed, it will require preparation." Orian casually skipped over our paths through certain death and placed a finger on the destination, "Upon this mountain, should be a dying dragon.”
A feather could have fallen and been heard as clear as the crash of thunder as Orian made that statement.
“You want us to kill a dragon?” I asked, completely flabbergasted.
“If it’s not already dead, then yes, it's thousands of years old and cripped. If not for its location, it would have been long hunted down and killed. I’m sure you have weapons that can do the trick.” Orian said, eyeing Morah and me.
“That is your task: reach the storm peaks, find and kill the dragon, open its chest, and remove. A stone similar to this…”
He pulled out an Azurite gem, roughly the size of an almond.
“Is that where those gems come from?” I asked.
“Indeed, they are usually found in the stomach lining or gizzards of powerful magical beasts. From what we know, they use these stones to control their magic; the finer details are unknown to me.”
“How large is the gem?” Morah asked.
“Roughly the size of a small melon or a mature cabbage for a creature as old as this dragon.” He stated.
“Damn, that's quite the prize. How much is that in gold?” Morah asked the room.
“Roughly twenty-five to thirty thousand golden royals at market value,” Orian stated.
“By Anier, that's quite the price,” Morah said, licking lips.
‘On that we can agree, but knowledge is the most valuable thing in the world; everything else comes second.’
“You will spend your time in this village; all preparations for the journey other than food should be done here. We have an array of arms, armor, weapons, maps, tools, anything and everything you would need. Lady Magus, we also have an energy furnace and an assortment of metals to use at your disposal.” I nodded, then he turned to the rest. “For now, gather your strength. I will be available for any information and requests. You will be escorted to your room, and meals will be provided at all hours at your pleasure.”
Morah grinned and asked, “Any entertainment?”
Orian nodded in response, “As I have stated, all will be provided.”
“How long do we have to prepare?” Korin asked, speaking for the first time.
“Until the turn of the new year, for now, you are all dismissed. If you leave the village at any point before the official departure, you forfeit your reward.”
“What about skin, teeth, and such from the dragon?” Cann asked Orian.
“We only want the Azurite; everything else is your prerogative. Just don't let it interfere with the mission. For now, rest, consider what lies ahead, and tomorrow we will decide on your route and discuss the journey in detail.”
~
I sat in a luxurious room, finely decorated with expensive furnishings, and most importantly, a decently sized copper bath. It had been some time since I felt human. I was filled with suspicion and hesitation about this task. But the Occularum was right there in front of me; how could I have said no?
‘This is the final risk, Myr, the final river to cross. I will see it through to the end.’
A knock sounded at my door. Opening it, I found a beautiful golden-haired woman in a revealing red dress. I gave her space to enter and close the door.
It was quite an odd thing for me when the servant assigned to me asked if I wanted a woman sent to my room. To think they even knew my preferences was concerning. But it had been quite a while for me, and I certainly needed to relieve some stress.
She smiled at me seductively and dropped her dress, revealing her impressive figure. I nodded towards the bed and dropped my own thin robes.
~
The woman whose name I had already forgotten was skilled indeed. Keeping me up half the night with her dexterous hand and mouth. After she left, I barred the door with some magic and rested in a soft bed for the first time in months.
‘Too many conveniences, too many coincidences. This feels like a trap, but even with all that, it still felt safer than storming Felantir.’
I sighed, feeling the pleasant ache after some vigorous sex. Jenna popped into my mind again, her youthful exuberance, her cries of pleasure, and her surprising coquettishness. For all the whore’s skill, and they were numerous, I still couldn't say I enjoyed it more than that first time with Jenna.
I let myself sink into the warm memories for long moments, indulging that part of myself, then with an iron will, I shoved it into a far corner of my mind and choked it of any life, leaving it a withered and dried husk. My will became firm, and Jenna faded from my mind as if she never existed. Now was the time to focus and prepare. Once I had that Occularum, I would disappear.