《The Adventures of Lady Lain》


 Meteoric Descent

    There was a line of fire streaking across the sky. That fire was me. I would like to say I was flying, as a 4th step war caster is ought to do, but it was more of a slow crash. Damn guards got me good. Thankfully they had given up the chase a while ago, so when I saw the town below I descended quickly to not alarm even more guards.


    Luckily I spotted the road in the distance and could guess where it went through the dense woods, otherwise I''d have had to track through the underbrush, which is definitely below the dignity of a a war caster. I spooked a small caravan, but thankfully they were headed out of town and wouldn''t cause any trouble for me anytime soon. A quick fire-enhanced dash forward and I was standing at the gates.


    A couple of the guard looked up at my approach, squinting behind me, but seeing that I came alone they relaxed somewhat. A lone war caster can do a lot of damage, but they rarely risk themselves like that. I was an exception.


    One of the guards stepped forward. "Welcome to Kazar. What is the purpose of your visit?"


    Wondering how much I should tell him, I opted for something somewhat true. "I''m not sure yet. I wish to see the Empress, possibly employment, a bit of a vacation as well. It depends on how things go."


    The guard looked me up and down, seeing my tattered red dress and for a moment it seemed like he could tell that some of that red was blood, but after inspecting me and seeing my danger rating, he smartly decided not to comment.


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    "And some shopping." I gave him a disarming smile. "The journey was quite rough as you can see."


    He merely nodded, noted something down and waved me in. I didn''t let my hesitance show, raised my head, and stepped through the gate, getting my first good look at the heretic Empress'' city. It was a bit ambitious to call this the Harrakan Empire when they had a single city and maybe an outpost at best, but ambition can be a value. Time to find a place to stay.


    <hr>


    Over the next few days I got my dress repaired, some decent food, good nights of sleep and an impression of the people. Despite the horror stories that were told in Enoria, they were going about their normal days following their professions. Nobody was doing blood rituals, there was little crime besides children trying to steal fruits from market stands and overall they seemed to be ... happy. How odd.


    I had to get going though, I didn''t exactly have a ton of money on me and was quickly running out, but thankfully I''d get to do what I wanted to soon. The chronically absent Empress was holding court, and anyone could get in line and have a decent chance to have their issues heard by her personnaly. Technically this was for citizens only, but nobody questioned me getting in line.


    It was a very dull wait, the line moving at a snail''s pace and I overpaid some enterprising youths to bring me lunch, but I endured. This was important. This would decide a significant part of my future and if I succeeded ... well, I''d be looking forward to the rewards. Finally the farmer complaining about given infertile land was dragged away after the Empress lost patience and the line sped up. Soon it was my turn.


    I ignored the many guards, the fabled golem, the lich standing near hear and focused just on her. There she was, pale, wearing a dark dress with various dark jewelry that didn''t quite seem fit for an empress, but it didn''t matter. I was here and I would make it memorable.


    "Next!"


    I stepped forward and gave everyone a bright smile.


    "I am Lady Lain, and I''ve come to challenge you to a duel!"

 Job Description

    Upon my proclamation to duel the Empress, the throne room instantly broke out into chaos. People talked to each other, guards were unsure whether to strike me down where I stood and identification abilities rained on me. I smile through it all, relishing in the attention, until eventually the lich hit the floor with his heavy scepter to call for silence.


    The empress leaned forward, slowly, deliberately, clearly buying time to think about how to answer. She decided to play it safe.


    "And why would I grant you this opportunity?" Her voice was clear, not sultry or raspy as described in Enoria, just a normal woman''s voice, despite her being part elemental.


    "Many reasons. Because you will not back down from a challenge. For the glory of Harrak. Because you''re bored sitting on that throne listening to petty requests and are itching to let off some steam."


    Despite my expectations she frowned at that. Apparently I wasn''t very convincing. Sadly I didn''t have much to bargain with besides myself. Fortunately, that was plenty.


    "And because it''s a good deal. If I win, the prestige alone will be worth it, you will lose nothing of real value. And if you win I''ll serve you for, let''s say, a year."


    She leaned back after that and for a moment I was afraid she would decline, but as always, nobody can deny the sheer power of a fourth step warcaster.


    "Two years. One of them served in advance."


    I wanted to haggle, but a sudden wave of intimidation made it clear she was already out of patience. It was not ideal, but I had no alternative. Steeling myself, I brushed off the intimidation as well as I could to get at least a little edge in.


    "With appropriate compensation for my services, I accept."


    She glared at me for a moment, then the lich behind her whispered something I couldn''t make out. Finally she made her decision.


    "Fine. Abenezigel will show you to your quarters and assign your duties. Next!"


    I blinked, not expecting to be dismissed just like the peasant before me, but at the urging of a guard in heavy armor I moved to the side, meeting up with the lich. I was somewhat apprehensive what a lich sent by a pissed off witch would have me do, but decided to wait and see. After all, the places left I could flee to without getting attacked were limited.


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    <hr>


    It turned out that Abenezigel, or ''Abe'', was a rather nice person. It was to be expected since Entikku somehow endorsed him despite being undead. The quarters were rather simple, a small room with a bed and a closet, no decoration, no maid, no library, no anything. I sighed when I saw it. I did provoke the empress into hiring me, but still, warcaster?


    We didn''t stay for long. Soon I was led to their school of magic, some knock-off of Helock''s academy, and I was told my duties for now were to teach the next generation. Interestingly the head of the school was not the lich, but a man called Rakan, a Hallurian with a broken core and a fancy staff. I could hardly keep myself from scoffing, but I had to admit casting with a broken core was impressive and teaching was one of the few options still open to him, so I had to begrudgingly respect him. He showed me around and asked questions the whole way.


    "What is your class?"


    "[Phoenix Sorceress]"


    "Interesting, what are your affinities?"


    "Fire mostly, though I''m also fairly decent with life mana. I have a wide reportoir of spells in all sorts of affinities, but they pale compared to those two."


    "That''s great! You''ll make a great teacher. Any specialties?"


    Of course I wouldn''t tell him everything, but I had to give him something.


    "Mana control, mostly."


    As he watched, I summoned a little dragon made of flames. It looked up at him, spewed a puff of flames towards him that dissolved half way before reaching him and then flapped its wings and flew out of the window. He seemed suitably impressed.


    "Fascinating. Can you teach that spell?"


    "Yes and no. It''s not a spell, it''s just mana control. Some elements are easier to get this to look good in than others, but with enough practice it is possible to finely control all of them. Anyone can do this, especially in their affine elements, though many don''t care to learn."


    He nodded at that.


    "I''ll put you down for mana control 1. This class didn''t exist until just now, but I''m sure you''ll manage it perfectly! Oh, and you''ll need a disciple."


    "I do? What for?"


    "Ah, you see, there is a little rivalry going around among the teachers. Everyone gets one disciple and there will be a tournament at the end of the year."


    I almost rolled my eyes at that, a Helock tradition. He continued unperturbed.


    "All students participate and are graded, but the overall winner gets a favor such as having someone else teach their class or take some time off."


    I looked at him, entirely unimpressed, so he quickly added, "this can be for the whole year, so I wouldn''t take this lightly."


    I nodded at that. Having him teach my mana control class for the second year would essentially nullify the debt towards the empress should I lose, so I was willing to put some effort into it. Dean Rakan looked rather smug at my resolve, whether because he manipulated me into actually making an effort to teach at least one student properly or he believed in his own disciple I was unsure.

 Signatory Danger

    "Alliya, your turn!"


    Alliya looked up, having spent the last hour or so psyching herself up, but it hadn''t helped much. Now she was extremely nervous and had to show skills she didn''t have. There was an audition going on as the new teacher''s mandatory disciple and it was every student''s goal to get picked. Extra resources, extra lessons tailored to your needs, protection and prestige; it was so close she could almost taste it.


    Walking down the corridor and heading towards the door at the end of it she almost just walked in, but paused as she overheard a conversation between the dean and teacher Lain.


    "You can''t just reject every student," he idly commented and received an unladylike grunt in return.


    "I know! I''m not doing it on purpose, but if they are unsuitable - no, if I''m unsuitable raise them to heights unseen, what''s the point?"


    "You''re exaggerating. It doesn''t even matter that much what you teach them. It''s a formality, really."


    The new teacher scoffed at that. "I''m sure you think that, but I actually want to win." There was a pause. "What are you waiting for, girl? I don''t have all day."


    Alliya''s eyes widened. She was unable to see them due to the wall in the way, which should have meant they were unable to see her either, but apparently that was not the case. She walked into the classroom, seeing the dean and the teacher turn to look at her. This was it. This was where she would prove to herself and her family that she could become something on her own merit. No pressure. It was just her future at stake.


    "Begin when ready," Dean Abenezigel said with an encouraging smile while Lady Lain seemed to have already stopped paying attention. She was sitting there looking down at a sheet of paper, wearing a red dress instead of the uniform school staff usually wore. Well, nothing to it. Time to impress.


    She started out with a small flame in her hand, having it dance in her palm. It slowly grew taller and wider, but also fainter. She almost got lost looking into the flame like so many times before but caught herself in time. Swallowing, she switched over to an actual skill.


    "Flame wheel!" she called out and her strongest skill went off, taking most of her mana with it. A wheel of flames appeared in front of her staff, spinning, widening, then tightening again as it rushed towards the dummy stone in the corner of the classroom, leaving somewhat impressive burn marks behind. At this point sweat was running down her face from exertion.


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    She didn''t have enough mana for another proper spell, so instead of embarrassing herself by trying anyway she turned towards Lady Lain, who leaned forward attentively.


    "Why did you cast flame wheel there? That costs way too much mana. Show me the flame from the beginning again."


    Unsure of what exactly she wanted, Alliya created a flame in her palm, showing it off. It was a beginner skill that any mage, even those with poor fire affinity, would be able to cast.


    "Now give it form. Make it a good one."


    Alliya was unsure what to do. She repeated the size modification and the flame flickered, but that was about all she could do. Alliya looked questioningly at Lady Lain and could see the disappointment on her face, but after a moment she replaced it with a somewhat forced smile.


    "Alright, I''ll take her." With that she stood up, apparently ready to leave.


    Dean Abenezigel looked surprised. "What? Are you sure? She is barely second step. It''ll be a guanteed loss. We still have some more promising candidates. Are you sure you want to choose her? We can''t force you to teach her, but you definitely won''t be able to send someone else to the tournament to claim the price."


    Wait, teachers compete in the tournament? This was news to Alliya, it was advertised as a student tournament and part of the final grades. Lady Lain put the sheet of paper she had been staring at in front of Alliya.


    "Sign here. Fair warning, this is a divine contract. Backing out is not an option."


    Alliya looked unsure towards the dean who had a thoughtful expression. Being picked as a disciple was a big deal and would propel her forward immensely, but suddenly she wasn''t so sure anymore.


    "Uhm... what am I signing?"


    "Excellent question, my soon to be disciple. I''m glad you''re not blindly signing whatever someone puts in front of you. It''s a master-disciple contract. There are a lot of clauses, but the short of it is that you have to do what I say while I have to protect and teach you. The usual, really."


    Dean Abenezigel looked over the contract and frowned.


    "This.... Is this really necessary? Those types of contracts are frowned upon in Harrak."


    Lady Lain looked irritated at that. "Yes, it is. Makes my life a lot easier. I would not have expected you of all people to object to a contract overseen by Entikku."


    Looking at the paper, Alliya spotted the symbol of Entikku, who would do the divine part. It was known that the dean was a [Servant of Entikku]. After a moment he nodded. It was not like he could go against Entikku, who would not enforce a contract if it went against her values.


    Slavery was illegal in Harrak and the school put measures in place that young, promising mages could not be cooerced into deals they didn''t want. She could just walk away and neither Lady Lain nor Dean Abenezigel would be able to do anything about it. So, before it got any more awkward, she signed.


    A moment later Alliya almost collapsed. The contract had taken some amount of her mana while she was essentially empty. She also felt what seemed like chains binding her soul, even though it shouldn''t have been this intrusive. Lady Lain stabilized her by holding her arm, and a warmth flowed through her that gave her strength. The feeling of fatigue vanished, the feeling of having made a terrible mistake remained. But no, surely this would be fine.

 Great Feats of Magic

    Weeks passed in which I tried to teach magic to a varied bunch of young adults. It wasn''t going so well. Most of them just weren''t suitable. But I tried my best, and when I looked towards my disciple I had hope that at least some of them would end up with an advantage. Unfortunately I seemed to have been frustrating students to the point that some of them weren''t coming anymore.


    "Let me reiterate why we''re doing this. If you all end up as 4th step casters having learned the spells your affinity and class suggest, this school will have failed as an institution." Murmuring went through the class, but I didn''t let that deter me. "Those ''spells'' you all like to show off are a gift. There is some debate about the origin of the system, but most scholars, mages and priests think Nous himself made all the skills, at least the magical ones.


    "You saying the word and using his gift is not talent. It doesn''t make you great. It barely makes you adequate. We''re aiming a little higher than that."


    One of the more frustrated students seemingly had enough, raising his hand.


    "How? You keep telling us we have to cast a spell without casting a spell with different words. I just don''t understand. How do you cast magic without casting magic? It doesn''t make any sense!"


    "Well, I shall demonstrate." I turned towards the obelisk in the corner.


    "Fireball"


    A bog standard fireball flew into the obelisk, causing the whole room to rumble from the ensuing explosion and charring the stone around the impact.


    "This is what you are doing."


    I pointed towards the obelisk and a small ball of fire streaked towards the obelisk. Instead of impacting the stone and exploding it just stuck to it, then flared up as I fed it more and more mana. Some of the students raised their arms to protect their face from the radiant heat and I dismissed the flames. Despite the spell having ended, a red hot glowing spot could be seen for minutes after.


    "This is what I want you to do. Or something similar. To show your mastery over your elements, to control the magic flowing through you, to become something greater."


    Another hand raised hesitatingly.


    "But ... wasn''t the first fireball better?"


    I nodded at that. "Indeed it was. It had more impact, it moved faster, it was faster to cast and, what you may not have been able to detect, it cost me a lot less mana. Fourth step or not, I cannot beat Nous in spell creation."


    I raised my hand to stop all the ''Gotcha'' and ''Why do it then?'' comments.


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    "But, I have an unfair advantage compared to Nous. I''m modifying the spell as I go, tailoring it to the specific situation I''m in. You saw that the heat output was greater in my spell than in the standard fireball. You saw that it caused the stone to glow without causing an explosion. And, most importantly, I made it.


    "That might not be particularly relevant to you, who cares who made the spell, but it has consequences. I can do more than a [Fire Sorceress] is supposed to. I can do more than Nous saw fit to gift me. This allows me to apply my magic to more fields, such as alchemy, where a standard fireball is useless.


    "Also, since at least some of you are aiming to become warcasters, there are standard counters to the standard fireball. There are no standard counters to my fireball. This edge, being able to do more, is what this class is all about. If you''re happy with the spells you''ve learned and skills you''ve been given, this class is not for you."


    Looking around, I saw some of the students with thoughtful faced, but also some downcast expressions. Nobody left the lecture in the middle of class, but I expected some more students to not return. But that was a price that just had to be paid for the good of the rest.


    "I''m not asking you to do the impossible." There were doubtful looks all around. "Alliya, your turn. Show me your fireball, and I don''t mean the standard one. Make one yourself." It was a bit mean to put her on the spot like that, but it wasn''t like she could complain and her discomfort was less of a problem than demotivating the entire class.


    "I... uh... I''m not sure I can...," she trailed off.


    "Nonsense. I don''t expect you to make the obelisk explode or glow. Just show us some moving flame. I know you can do it."


    With a defeated look Alliya stepped in front of the class and produced a flame in her palm. The same flame she showed at the audition. It seemed to be the only real trick she had, but I was hopeful she''d expand on it in time. With another hesitant look she concentrated and the flame started to grow taller, thinner, and started to bend towards the obelisk.


    Unfortunately you could only bend a flame so much with so little control and it was far from reaching. Also it was more of an elongated flame than a ball. Realizing her mistake she dismissed the flame, stepped a little closer and raised here hands high, cupping another flame with both hands. I could feel how she was feeding the flame her mana, while at the same time suppressing it. This is not how you condense a flame into a ball, but before I could correct her, she released it.


    A flame burned in the air, not tethered to anything, maybe the size of a fist. It leisurely floated forwards and down, the rising air from the heat not quite enough to keep it afloat. A breeze made it veer off course and threatened to land on a desk. I didn''t mean to cheat, but I had an obligation towards keeping my students safe and motivated, so I gently took control of the completely uncontested flame and guided it towards the obelisk, where it burned itself out.


    "Alright! Alliya, second step, able to do this on her first try," I said with forced cheer.


    "And no, I didn''t practice this with her before class. In hindsight I should have. Still!"


    I looked towards the class that was still looking at where the flame disappeared.


    "She made something fireball-adjacent. Is it as good? No. Can it beat a fireball in the general case? Not even close. Does it have a niche application? Absolutely. Who can tell me what this floaty flame could be used for?"


    After a short, awkward pause students gave suggestions.


    "Set a barn on fire!"


    "Distract guards?"


    "Help pass Magic Control class!"


    There were some chuckles at that. Maybe, just maybe, I would retain most of my students and lead them to greatness in magic after all.

 The Mission

    "That was an ... interesting perspective on spells," Abenezigel commented after class.


    "Is it? I thought it was commonly taught in Helock, among other places," I replied carefully.


    "Oh, it used to be. But the alternative strategy has prevailed overall. Chasing after all the spells Nous deigned to give us tends to be superior to using direct mana manipulation. As you said, mortals cannot rival divinity, and the power of proper spells combined with a wide variety of them to not be caught in an unfavorable position is unrivaled."


    I sighed at that. He wasn''t even wrong. It just felt ... cheap.


    "But, some mana control will surely have a positive effect on a lot of students, if only to properly appreciate what the light gods have done for us."


    "Oh?" I perked up. "I was sure you''re here to pull me away from your students to pevent me from poisoning their minds further."


    He chuckled at that. "We''re not so insecure in our teachings that we have to smother all dissenting opinions."


    "Right. So if you''re not here to send me away, was this just to see how I''m doing?"


    "Oh, no. I absolutely mean to send you away. Just not for your opinions on spells."


    I blinked at him. This guy was giving me whiplash.


    "Wait, where am I going? Did the Empress have me do something?"


    "No, it has nothing to do with her. She is busy. So am I and most of our trusted people. So, since I got the authority to order you around, I''ll make use of it."


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    He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.


    "Technically, you would be considered a tax collector."


    At this point I was wondering if he was just screwing with me, but he kept going.


    "There are various villages along the border between the Deadshield Woods and the Empire of Harrak. The ones on our side of the mountains we lay claim to. However, a lot of them are isolated and don''t know that Harrak is no longer just a wasteland full of revenants. And so we want to bring them into the fold, gently."


    He gave me a serious look and I understood that at no point was he joking.


    "This is a somewhat delicate matter. We do not want to terrorize villages. The Empress will not stand for it, and honestly neither would I. And yet, adding to our numbers and making territorial claims believable means we cannot just let parts of our supposed citizens remain unaware. And untaxed."


    The dean reached into his robes and pulled out a bag.


    "This contains everything you need to know. A map with the marked location of the village you need to visit, the proclamation that claims them as citizens, a decree that decribes the rights and duties of citizens of Harrak and finally a writ that identifies you as a Harrakan official tasked with said tax collection. Though, like I said, we''re not really doing this for the money."


    I nodded slowly, thinking through the implication of being given this task at this time. I couldn''t shake the feeling that someone wanted me gone. Politics wasn''t my strong suit, but I was forced to learn the basics through many painful experiences.


    "Just one village, not the entire range?"


    "Just one, the other villages will be handled by others. It''s not the most glorious job, so we spread it among our numbers. Also you''re quite fast if you need to be."


    He must have gotten a report from me flying in. This was getting a little dangerous for my liking, so I took what measures I could.


    "I''ll be bringing my disciple," I said in a matter-of-fact voice.


    The dean frowned at that, probably worrying about the safety of one of his students. "Are you sure? She will be missing many classes and fall behind. And ... there is a reason we don''t just send second step mages out to do this."


    "I am certain. I have been slacking in my duties as a master. It is about time I did some one-on-one tutoring. I''ll keep Alliya safe, don''t worry."


    He huffed at that, but finally gave in. "Very well. She is your disciple after all. Just ... bring her back alive. That''s all I''m asking."


    "Of course," I grinned at him. "I can hardly have the student roster beaten by a dead girl, can I?"

 Contractual Intent

    Out on the fields east of Kazar, two very different figure were walking down a partially overgrown path. Originally it had been abandoned, like everything else in Harrak, but then cleared again for trade and marching armies. Now, with witch gates readily available, it fell into disuse once again.


    One figure wore a baggy beige robe and a large backpack with a bedroll underneath, ready for a long track through the wilderness. The other wore a red dress and with a side slit almost to the hip and shoes that looked too fancy to last more than 10 minutes on the uneven road.


    "Uhm... I have a question," Alliya said, apparently unable to cope with the extended silence since our departure. I had filled her in that we were to travel to a remote village, do some administrative work and then return. "Is it true that you... burned down a village?"


    I sharply turned to her. "Who told you that?"


    "Uhm...," she gulped, looking like she was considering turning around and running back to the safety of the city, but ultimately decided against it. "Other students, mostly. And they got it from their parents. I think it originates from Enorian ex-nobility."


    Clever girl, throwing some nebulous crowd into the fire. I chuckled.


    "It''s fine, I don''t mind talking about it. It''s not a secret either." I gathered my thoughts, trying to find the right words to not scare her off.


    "There is a bit of history there. You see, women with a mage path without backing tend to be disappeared. They live in a golden cage, intended to produce more mages for the local authority, willingly or not." I took a moment to let my anger simmer down. It wasn''t that difficult since it had been a long time ago and ultimately I was content with how it all turned out.


    "When I was enticed and then forced to become a glorified sex slave, I didn''t take it well. I complained to everyone I could, but in the end, nobody would go against the local lord''s wishes for a trouble-maker like me. Well, there was one place, but at the time I was on bad terms with them, so didn''t actually ask for sanctuary before it was too late."


    Angering Entikku''s clergy is a mistake I still regretted. I wasn''t wrong, but I understood, over time, that sometimes, being right is not good enough. Alliya was staring at me with wide eyes. Some mix of shock and pity if I were to guess. Reading emotions wasn''t my strong suit.


    "Anyway, I won''t bore you with the details. The short of it is that the security measures to keep my magic suppressed ultimately failed. Instead of escaping, I bade my time and gathered strength. The man who was planned to be the father of my child was a fairly accomplished mage himself, but in the end it didn''t save him. He burned, the room burned, the entire estate was engulfed in an inferno."


    I looked up into the clear sky. "In hindsight, I could have spared some of my victims. The maid who came cleaning my chambers after the lord was done was just doing her job. It''s not like she could have done anything to help me even if she wanted to. At the time I didn''t see it that way. She was helping the one who... took me, and I was not in a merciful mood. And so, she burned, together with whoever else resided there the day I left."


    Alliya was quiet for a minute. The mood for a fun adventure trekking through the fields and forest was ruined.


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    "So, no, I did not burn down the entire village. Just the big, central manor and possibly some adjacent houses." It was intended as a joke to lighten the mood, but Alliya didn''t seem to get it. So I changed the topic.


    "What else are they gossiping about?" Alliya looked terrified, though I wasn''t sure of what exactly. It didn''t seem to be me, not entirely. "I promise I won''t get angry about wrong or insulting rumors."


    "Well... they said that I''m basically your slave now. That you can order me to do whatever you want and I have to obey. That... you will try to influence my path. I read the divine contract and it says my possessions are yours for the duration of the mentorship. The actual terms of the contract are even worse than the gossip about it."


    I tilted my head at her, unsure of what to say. "You''re right. That''s the essence of the contract. Do you regret signing it?"


    "The contract says you decide who gets to... what did you call it? Take me? I''m really not comfortable with that."


    I saw the poor girl trembling and it slowly dawned on me what she was thinking. And we were suddenly leaving for the wilderness, too.


    "Ah, I see. Don''t worry about it. I won''t be selling you off or have you ''get taken'' or anything like that, nor would Entikku stand for it. The contract is for your protection. When some noble makes you an offer you cannot refuse, you will say that you''re already beholden to me and that only I can free you from the contract. I promise to lure them away from any manors before setting them on fire."


    Looking at Alliya, it seems like I should just give up on joking. "The same applies to your possessions. You''re just an academy student that anyone can strong-arm into giving up everything you own. But you don''t own anything. Everything you own is mine, so when they take your stuff they don''t steal from you, they steal from me. People not smart enough to avoid stealing from a fire sorceress are already ash."


    That, at least, seemed to calm her down somewhat.


    "And if you''re feeling stuck, you''re not. If you decide you want to spend your money on a new dress, go for it. You have my permission to spend the money I took possession of through the contract if you think you don''t need my protection. If you have a boyfriend you want to do some... taking with, that''s fine too, I don''t care about that. This is a contingency for when you end up in a situation like I did, where someone gets violent against you or people you care about.


    "And finally, if you think that my orders are unreasonable or you just changed your mind in general about this partnership of ours, either now or later, we can mutually annul the contract."


    That seemed to finally put Alliya at ease again and we continue our walk.


    "The path influence is a little tricky. I can''t mentor you without influencing your path. What path you choose is up to you, of course, but what paths are available to you is influenced by my mentoring." I thought for a bit. "I can''t even say I don''t want to influence you, because I do. What point would there be in mentoring if the outcome is the same with or without it? But at the same time, I didn''t pick a path for you to follow regardless of your wishes.


    "Some of the paths offered to you for your third step may be influenced directly by my teachings. For example the [Thaumaturge] class exists, which focuses on direct mana manipulation in order to cast magic, instead of learning specific spells. Despite my love for free-casting I did not choose that class and I don''t mean for you to become exactly that either. At least not unless your passion for it exceeds mine.


    "I believe at your tier it''s best to try out many styles until you find one that you''re willing to commit to. Regardless of what you pick, it''s almost guaranteed to be something I taught or mentioned at some point, so the rumor mongers will feel validated no matter what, but don''t let that influence your choice. Rumors are much easier to deal with than a class you no longer want."


    For a moment after I said that I felt watched, so I looked around, trying to find whoever it was, but ultimately I was unable to spot anyone. If I didn''t know how intuition skills worked I''d have ignored it, but I knew better than that. It was time to plan my escape, before whoever was tailing us would think to strike.


    "Now, I don''t intend to spend weeks on this road just to get lost, so we''ll have to work on your fire resistance."


    "What does my fire resistance have to do with our travel time?"


    I grinned and summoned a directed flame away from her but close enough for her to reach her hand into.


    "Patience, my ground-locked disciple. All will become clear in due time."

 Secondary attunements

    "I don''t understand! Why can I not control it?" Alliya complained.


    "Because, it isn''t your fire mana," I replied patiently. This was something everyone had suffer through to understand.


    "What difference does it make whether it''s mine or yours? Mana is mana."


    I scrounged my eyebrows at that. "Well, you know how to control your arm, right?"


    "Yes?"


    "And I have an arm too."


    "Uh..."


    "So how come you cannot control my arm? You know how to control arms, you''ve been doing it your whole life. Yet, you cannot control mine, despite it being right in front of you. I''m not even fighting you for control of it, I''ll let you use it for a while, I promise. But you cannot. It is not your arm."


    Alliya sighed loudly. "So... it is impossible? Why did you have me waste my time?"


    "Because it is not impossible. First, you can push my arm with yours. If I leave my arm limp, you can make it go where you want it to go. That is a kind of control. Second, we can make signs. You say ''right'', I turn my arm right. You say ''left'', I turn my arm left. It''s not great, but it''s a form of control. Remember, we are trying to cooperate and coordinate, not create an attack. And third, at the risk of taking this metaphor too far, you could eat my arm which will partially give nutrients that will end up in your arm, which is a way to circumvent the limits of mana control."


    Alliya gave me a quick disgusted look, but then turned thoughtful. It seemed like she had understood. "You''ll never be able to control my flames directly, so don''t even try. Still, if we work on it, you might eventually be able to tap into my power well enough. This will actually be more difficult for me than for you. You can use your full concentration on this while for me it has to be a passive effect I don''t need to pay attention to."


    My disciple turned even more thoughtful and after a moment of contemplation asked, "So how does the Empress do it? She literally yoinks black mana out of revenants to kill them and strengthen herself."


    "That..."


    I had to think for a moment. That was indeed a good point. "I don''t really know. It might be that she is using a workaround without realizing it. Transforming the mana on the fly because witches cheat. Maybe it''s a peculiarity of black mana. Fire tends to burn no matter how high your attunement, there is a chance that with perfect black mana attunement it is possible to contest sources of mana by will alone. Either way, you will not be able to replicate this anytime soon, and we need results now."


    She did not look convinced. "Look, I''m not telling you to stop looking into it. Maybe working on this can be your masterpiece to graduate as a proper mage. It could even be of good use when one picks their environment right. But for now... what is your second highest attunement?"


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Some mages were cagey about their attunement, even though it didn''t matter that much. It''s not like you could keep it a secret anyway, unless you were willing to forego magic outside of safe areas. Alliya just sighed, probably having expected this and made her peace with it.


    "It''s air. I''m not very good at it. I''ve been concentrating on fire."


    I nodded at that. Secondary attunements were often neglected during early development, with good reason. Why settle for weak magic when you could use strong magic instead? Though, sometimes flexibility and synergy would beat raw power.


    "I want you to focus on your air control for a bit. And before you give me that devastated expression, just consider it concentrating on fire even more. Air fans flames, turning a spark into an inferno. Also cloaking will come in handy, but that''s for later."


    She nodded at that. We spent some time practicing while walking along the path and her gusts of wind expectedly pushed my flames around decently well. Her endurance needed a bit of work, but mostly it did what I needed it to.


    "What is your second highest attunement?" Alliya suddenly asked.


    "Life. Good for healing accidental burns. Also good for making flames have more life in them, if you know what I mean. Though I started with that late." I guess it was my time to share.


    "When I was around your age, young and stupid, I saw that people died after a century or so. Endurance helps, but only so much. And when you go past that limit, Entikku starts having a problem with you. She doesn''t like stagnation or repetition, and to be honest, neither do I. So, I did what I thought was very clever and became an [Acolyte of Entikku] at second step."


    "You? Clergy of Entikku?"


    "Yes. Why is that so surprising?"


    "It''s just... You don''t strike me as the pious type."


    "Why not? Entikku''s teachings make a lot of sense. She often steps in to do what is right. Supporting her just makes everyone''s lives better. Well, unless you''re a revenant, but even then, having final rest is still an improvement. And sometimes she even goes out of her way to protect the worthy, like your dear dean, who would be dust without her mercy."


    "... wow. It''s like talking to a real cleric."


    "I''ll have you know, I''m technically still an [Acolyte of Entikku]. Previous steps are not lost, not completely. I can even commune with Entikku, divine Her Will, and bestow blessings. Not that anyone asks me anymore," I grumbled.


    "Why don''t they?"


    "Because when they identify me they see [Sorceress], not [Priestess], so they don''t think I can. I don''t advertise either. Bestowing blessings on rich patrons never sat well with me and blessing the poor does not pay. I mean, not only do I not get money, it also enables their lords to drive them even harder, making their lives more miserable overall. But enough of that. Have you learned to shield yourself sufficiently?"


    In answer, Alliya put her hand into my conjured flame. I felt the air being produced, enveloping her hand, keeping enough space that the flame never quite touched.


    "Alright, not great, but it''ll do. I can heal minor burns, but don''t expect me to do much more than that. It is time."


    "Time for what?"


    "Time to skip the middle part of our journey. Hold on tight, don''t get burned and try not to scream."


    "Scream?"


    With that question I directed a persistent fire blast downwards, then angled it a little to gain speed. What I lacked in control and stealth that air mages had I made up for in power, and whoever was down there spying on us would not be able to follow.