Chương 10: Risk and Reward

Bella's smile split her face, chin resting in her hands and elbows propped against the heavy wooden table as she listened to her friend spin the yarn they'd woven together earlier in the day. She had always loved working on chores at home while listening to Holly reading her stories over Discord, and the enthusiasm she carried roleplaying shone through as she told the story truly as Gemma was infectious. Of course, the tale had needed some embellishment.

They'd smashed through things with such ease that it was unlikely that anyone would believe they'd struck down an ancient vampire and a goddess so handily. Even with their exaggerations on the challenges of the combat, Gemma was sure to praise the boons they'd received from their patron deities as carrying a large part of the credit. When Gemma finished the recollection of their adventure Bella pried herself from her spot and looked across the table at the astounded nobility.

At some point when she hadn't been looking, the Count's butler Sebastian had provided him with parchment and paper to take notes for his report. She grinned with pride when she realized the sheet was empty. Gemma really is just that good of a storyteller. The quiet post-story haze was shattered by a sharp knock on the door of the hall. One of the family's servants, an elderly lizardkin man, opened it after an acknowledging nod from the Countess.

A nervous-looking guard, lightly armored and with a thick sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead and staining his tunic, bowed hurriedly at the room. Lady Cecilia tutted as she rose from her seat.

"I thank you for the fascinating tale, Lady Gemma, but it seems duty calls." She bowed with unhurried grace, and strode from the room, leaving it once more in silence. After several contemplative moments, the Count sighed and ran his thick fingers through his fiery mane of a beard.

"I'm sure the Queen will be rather elated to read this report. If I may be so bold, if you're not planning on returning to the capitol immediately I'd recommend you find an adventure to take you from the city quickly. She can be quite… enthusiastic, and I wouldn't be surprised if she sent the Royal Guard to retrieve you for a celebration." Bella nearly choked with frustrated embarrassment at the thought of being escorted back by the Royal Guard. Gemma leaned forward, shooting her a look that spoke volumes.

Mostly about not insulting the Queen.

"We appreciate the advice. I'm sure there will be plenty to do despite the Exiled Moon's defeat. Her forces were not solely concentrated here, and we have many other obligations as well." The catkin harrumphed quietly to herself, ears flicking with frustration.

"Perhaps I can offer you a reward that doesn't involve a locked carriage before you venture onwards, then," the Count offered with an understanding and apologetic smile. She glanced with a raised brow at her friend, who nodded back knowingly. They'd also discussed this ahead of time. Considering the inordinately vast fortunes and max level gear they'd earned playing the game, any sort of tangible payment seemed pointless. Instead, they agreed to request the city build and operate an almshouse in their name.

It fit remarkably well with their slight discomfort at profiting from something they'd done in the game, as well as Gemma's motivation as the High Paladin of the Order of the Uplifting Spirit. And she had zero interest in that discussion. Instead, her face lit up as she turned to watch the young lordling, trying to hide her amusement as he tried his best to appear serious instead of awestruck in the face of the coming debate. Her fingers wiggled to draw his attention to her.

"Sam, while they talk, why don't we have a magic lesson?" Any attempt at adult-like seriousness evaporated from the young boy. Pure joy radiated from him as he shot from his seat and bolted around the dining table towards Bella. A sharp cough from his father reined him in for only a few steps before he was running again, sliding to a stop before her. The catkin archmage stood, tail flicking beneath her robes with riotous amusement that she managed to keep schooled from her face.

"I'll take that as a yes." The boy's face flushed, but he nodded and attempted to sound gracious as he muttered, "Yes, please, Lady Bella." Unable to keep the smile from her face, she reached out and ruffled his hair, then led him away from the table and the discussions over compensation. She'd noticed an alcove along the far edge of the room, holding enough space for them both to sit and look out the windows into the courtyard.

As she settled onto a cushion in the alcove Bella relished the faint chill seeping through the windows from the slowly setting night outside. It was invigorating, just what she needed to stay awake against the full belly and cozy warmth from the fire burning at the far end of the dining hall.

"Have you studied magic yet, Sam?" The young half-elf shook his head in response and attempted to mirror Bella's cross-legged meditative stance.

"No, Lady Bella. My parents said they'd get me a tutor on my birthday this year."

"Alright, that's good. We can give you a headstart then. Do you know how magic works?" Even if she was new to magic herself, Bellasora was an archmage who'd spent years studying in the greatest halls of magic on the continent and knew a thing or two about magical theory.

"I read it in one of my books! You gather up some of your mana and mix it with the energy around you, then turn it into a spell!" She smiled softly and ruffled his hair once more.

"Very good." Her voice took on a slightly higher tone, pitched much like a classroom teacher.

"Magic energy, or mana, naturally resides in every living thing. Every person, animal, monster, tree, and blade of grass has mana. It also infuses the very air around us. Mana manipulation is the practice of using your own internal mana to guide the mana outside of your body to do your bidding." Doing your bidding is the spellcasting part. Since mana is just energy, it can do just about anything if you can convince it to do so.

It requires imagination, willpower, and an understanding of the phenomenon you're attempting to create. Light is a very common thing for beginner spellcasters. Light is just energy made visible, and so mana is very easily converted into light. Just like the trick I showed you earlier." As a reminder, she turned her palm towards the ceiling and a pair of lights burst into existence, swirling a few inches apart from each other.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. A flick of her wrist and the lights vanished, her hand retracting back into her robes.

"Before you can do any sort of spellcasting, you need to understand mana manipulation. And to do that, you need to find your internal mana." She could practically see the three-way war raging in Sam's head: to ask questions, to tell her he'd read all this already, and to request her to show off more spells. One finger held up to quiet him, she smiled saccharine." You need to find your internal mana. I can't do it for you. And you won't cast a single spell until you do. Close your eyes. Yes, good.

Take a deep breath. We're going to meditate." After Bella walked him through her goals for the meditation exercise, the two of them sat in silence for a few moments. Inside her she could sense her own maelstrom of mana, deeper than an ocean, just waiting for her to call upon it. Around her, the richness of energy hung in the air, permeating every surface.

The idea that mana resided in only living things was a bit of a half-truth. Inanimate objects didn't generate magical energy, but they did absorb it slowly over time or could be imbued with intention. A startled squawk from the young boy cracked her eyes open; Sam was staring at her with no small amount of shock and concern, his eyes starting to wet with frustration and discomfort.

"It burns! Right here!" His hand drummed against his chest, on the right side and opposite his heart.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Sam. That's your mana." In truth, Bella was shocked herself. It was almost unheard of for someone, aside from an eventual archmage candidate like herself maybe, to pick up on their own internal mana with such speed. Most students took a week or longer to get that far.

"You did a good job! Your parents are going to be so proud of you."

"You're sure it's supposed to feel like that?" he asked nervously, pressing white knuckles against his tunic. The catkin's smile was gentle as she nodded, reaching forward and wrapping her hand around his.

"It is. Warm, a little uncomfortable. Like it's trying to burst free. The more mana you've gathered, the more it feels that way. But you'll get used to it with time and training. The bigger your mana pool, the more and stronger spells you can cast. Powerful mages spend their entire lives absorbing mana to grow their mana pool, letting it run through their entire body, practicing their mana manipulation the way your father practices his sword skills."

Even with how little time she'd spent in town, she knew about the Count's legendary training regimen from the proud townsfolk.

"So, we're going to give you an edge before you meet your tutor. I want you to meditate again, but this time focus on that warm feeling. Once you get used to it, the next step is to circulate it through your body. Imagine that warmth is like hot tea, the way that heat spreads down your throat and belly when you drink it. Except this time, it's going to spread out into your arms and legs." Sam nodded slowly, looking far less upset than he had a minute prior.

His eyes searched hers for any further concerns before he clamped them shut and stilled, drifting back into his meditation. The two of them worked through a few exercises. Bella had the promising young mage send his mana through all his extremities, bring it back in, condense it, send it through his body in a circuit. By the end of an hour, he was sweating from exertion but had accomplished more than most mages did in months of training. She absolutely beamed with pride.

"You've done fantastic, Sam. Your tutor is going to be thrilled to have such a good student." He grinned back at her in turn, cheeks flushing rosy at the compliment.

"Thank you Lady Bella!"

"You make sure you tell them if they don't do a good job, I'll come track them down and teach them how to do things properly, okay?" Bella flashed a grin showing far too much fang and tousled the young boy's hair one last time. A quick glance over at the dining table showed Gemma and Lord Bart had finished their discussions and were trading stories over a pitcher of wine. She slid from her cushion and out of the alcove, then helped Sam down so they could rejoin the table.

Before she could comment on the late hour, the door to the hall swung open once more and a rather dour-looking Countess reentered.

"I'm sorry for the disappearance. It seems like a pack of moon-corrupted trolls were spotted near one of the outlying farming villages. I had to warn the guard and send messengers to the Adventurer's Guild to put out an emergency summons for every available adventurer to gather in the morning to vanquish them." Bella's head cocked to the side and her brows knitted together as she puzzled through Lady Cecilia's words. A moon-corrupted troll was, at best, an early game boss.

A pack of trolls hadn't been a threat to them for… she couldn't remember how long. But the guards hadn't had the benefit of game mechanics or level grinding. She sighed, ears flicking as she turned her gaze towards Gemma. It seemed her companion had the same thought. They shared a quick nod before turning back towards the clearly exhausted Countess.

"You can cancel the summons, Lady Cecilia. We can take care of them on our way out of town in the morning," Bella said with a confident smile.

"Cancel the… A whole – a whole pack? By yourselves?" The shocked elf stood rooted to the spot, looking to her husband for support. He just shrugged.

"I know you were just telling us- but still! Let me at least send a unit of guards with you." Gemma dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. The action might come off as haughty from another, but from her, it was just confidence.

"They would only be a liability. And that's not a comment on the quality of your soldiers, I assure you. But if you insist, you may send a messenger with us to report back." She slid her chair back with a quiet scrape, standing gracefully despite the nearly full pitcher of wine she'd split with the Count.

"We are staying at the Witch's Flagon. Have them meet us at first light, so we can leave before the trolls do any damage. And considering our early morning…" She started towards the door. Her words shattered Countess Cecilias immobilization. She and her husband quickly hurried over to the adventurers and gestured for Sam to join them in a deep bow.

"We thank you, Ladies Hollyhope, for your deeds past and future, and for this wonderful meal." Lord Bart put a hand on Sam's back, pushing the young half-elf forward. Sam blushed but bowed even deeper before straightening and fixing Bella with a ferociously intense look.

"Thank you for your instruction, Lady Bella. I promise I will practice and one day I'll be a super pretty archmage lady like you!" Bella blinked, then barked out a laugh as she crouched down and squeezed the half-elf's shoulder.

"I'm looking forward to it, Sam. I know you'll do a good job." She winked at her young pupil as she stood back up, nodding at the flustered-looking parents on her way out the door. Their walk through Elkstone back to their inn was uneventful. The night held the cold but not frigid temperature where spring had not yet flowed to summer, and the dark did a good job of masking the flush in Bella's cheeks as they returned to the room. With one bed. I don't think I'm going to get a wink of sleep tonight she thought.

Instead she laid tense on her side of the bed and tried to keep from moving so she did not brush against Gemma. The idea of waking up another morning pressed up against her friend's back filled her head with embarrassment but also made her shiver with antici…