Chương 82: 17 – Overwhelmed

The carts were loaded, and the party of soldiers was ready to go. Berkenem had only brought about twenty men, and they'd cut straight through the eastern woods to get here. Their party was not fast, but they were on horseback. Treacherous terrain for horses and even worse for a wagon, but it wasn't impossible. Night was close to falling, and even for small parties, it was usually much safer for men to travel at night when Rift Monsters weren't about.

The main Eschal invasion force and Neogon's army had traveled north along the border. According to Berkenem, the main armies were fighting nearly dead straight east of Pemolar's Hill, now. The soldiers likely would've already been on the way, if not for the near all-consuming desire for the men to witness the Captain's new weapon in action, just once more. I couldn't blame them. I stared, awed, and a little frightened. It didn't make sense. It defied reality. Broke it.

And yet it happened right in front of me, over and over again. Magic worked by using mana and applying it. There weren't any spell names. There weren't any chants or shouts. There was will, elemental affinity, and decreasing mana points. Magic was as quick as drawing a sword. It could be channeled through anything, including mundane weapons, adding affinity to them, in the same way household magic could heat a cookpot. In practice, channelling mana through weapons was rarely used.

A sword could smash a mana shield made of ice slightly more effectively if suffused with fire mage… but not much. A flaming sword looked really cool, but just throwing a ball of fire was usually more efficient… … Unless the weapon was crafted to do something specific when mana was channelled through it. Mom had shown me her rapier, and it was a relatively simple weapon. It had been crafted by a weaponsmith and imbued with unaspected ether crystals to give it a passive boost to mana regeneration.

This was a passive effect that didn't involve channelling mana through the weapon, but it did also have a small effect that improved the strength of fire magic channelled through it.

'Come to think of it, I should probably ask her if I can use that, as I bet it would help me develop the skill a bit faster,' I thought idly. The rapier's ability was simple but effective. Easy to comprehend. The fire was a few percentage points hotter when the rapier was used as a conduit for it. Doing so wasn't hard. Spells didn't require hand movements or gestures, but it just felt natural to the beginner mage to use a hand to cast a spell.

In the same way, the mage just willed the blade of the weapon to be the 'release point' and mana would be channelled through the weapon. The rapier might've glinted a little red, when mana was channelled through it, but otherwise nothing changed. The "High Quality Longsword," I'd made for Berkenem, changed completely. The sword's smooth metal blade shattered like cracked glass. Then, dull rock exploded from the metal before hovering, orbiting around the weapon's blade, no matter where he swung it.

Tiny, magnetic rocks followed the blade wherever he moved it, and it glowed with a faded yellow-tan light. It was as if tiny rocks were contained within the sword itself. Berkenem's favorite method of using earth magic was to cast near his own feet and generate a straight-line shockwave that tore through the earth, carving a trench with exploding rock. The earth tore, leaving a gash in the ground three feet wide and ten feet long. That wasn't impressive.

In fact, according to him, the only simpler way to use earth magic was to levitate and hurl boulders. However, when the air split as if it were earth, becoming temporarily visible as it hardened into an earthen state, just to be ripped ten meters straight up, it became much more impressive. It didn't make sense, and I couldn't imagine crafting a weapon with the same effect was even possible without a talent, but there it was. For the purposes of that sword, the air, and the water, were functionally Earth.

"Miss Mera. I thought you were tricking me. It seems I'm the one who has tricked you. I can think of a hundred different ways to use this sword. I… I could never repay you for this," he said. I winced. I'd been worried about that.

"You'd repay me just fine if you kept quiet about that weapon," I replied. He cocked his head.

"I… don't understand."

"Just don't brag about it, you know? I'm aware its helpful, and by all means use it however you need to, but don't tell anyone where you got it?"

"I must tell my commander, and the general, Miss Mera," he replied apologetically. Very by the books sort, this guy.

"Fine… yeah, that's okay. I just don't want rumors spreading about it," I said. He gave me a look like he thought I was stupid. He glanced back to where the very air had turned solid and erupted like an earthquake, not five minutes before.

"I'll do my best," he said, strategically. I chuckled. The man could pull off dry humor like few I'd ever met.

"Just try, okay?" He nodded, more affably this time.

"I'll do so. Especially, if some of my men might receive weapons as useful as this. In fact, could I commission ten of these? Can you do other elements? Gods. Could you do fire? Please tell me you can imbue an effect like this with fire magic!?" I shook my head.

"Not how it works. Limitation. My crafts are one-time-only sort of things. No guarantee it will even be a weapon," I said.

"The ones my talent makes anyway. I won't disappoint you when you return." He grimaced.

"I feared something like that," he said.

"Still, I had to ask."

"Ready for another try, Captain!?" Came a shout from across the field. Sergeant Semalmas Soldier was there, holding a few large clumps of firewood.

"Loose your ammunition, soldier!" Captain Berkenem called, and the man grinned before rearing back. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. In a throw that would make any major league baseball pitcher envious, the butler hurled the chunk of firewood into the sky, where it tumbled end over end like a clay target from television shows in April's world. The captain unsheathed the blade and swung it in an upward arch.

There was a cracking, like the sound of two dull rocks smashing together, and the sword expanded to its strange earthen form, cracks running up the blade, rocks circling it. The air crystalized once more, and a path of exploding air rocketed away from the man. The air took on a milky white hue that reminded me of transparent granite. Clear or not, the rocks made of the substance shredded the firewood until it resembled mulch.

The solid trail of sundered air remembered that Earth was affected by gravity and crashed down with a rocky thud, tearing a real trench into the ground before evaporating into mist. It was unsettling, but magnificent. This could kill ten goblins at once. Maybe even a troll or two, if he aimed the shockwave high enough. The sergeant didn't stop. Three more pieces of firewood were launched into the air. The Captain wasn't content just making shockwaves, though.

A wall of air solidified in front of the path of the lowest one. A shockwave crashed towards the second, and the third he sent a regular earthen rock hurling towards it. He missed the second and third, but the wall formed fast enough to stop the first firewood piece.

"Incredible," he said.

"If a single man were all it took to win this war, he would surely wield something like this." I thought of the wind witch. Then I thought of my Dad. I shook my head.

"No. It's a start, but they'd need something a lot stronger than this."

"If this is just a start, then I look forward to what you have for me when I return," he replied.

"I wish you well, Captain. Maybe, by the time you come back, you'll be a Banner Knight!" I said.

"Heavens help me, no. My hands are full with a single platoon," he replied. I reached out my hand, and he shook it warmly.

"Soldiers!" He cried, "We're to make our way back to the Eastern Front with all haste! Primary asset is the wagons. Your lives before we lose even one of them, alright?"

"Yes, Sir!" they exclaimed as one from their place surrounding, or riding the wagons. We walked together towards the Captain's horse. I didn't know much about horses, but I would've thought that a captain would've had a larger one. Still, she was quite cute. White and brown with white freckles on his broad snout. Mom left the house's doorway, holding a single pepper spray pouch.

"Thank you for the coin, soldier," Mom said as she proffered the pouch up to him.

"It's probably not much, but thank you for giving my Mera a chance. I know the general won't be happy with the arrangement we came to. If he is too bent out of shape about it, could you let him know that this is a personal favor to me?" She asked.

"I'll be sure to pass the message along, Miss Farmer."

"No, ser. You misunderstand. I need you to tell him that this is a personal favor to Atrinaska Farmer. He will know me." He cocked his head to the side, watching Mom closely. I didn't blame him. I probably would've been staring at her for a long time, too, if I hadn't long since suspected there was a connection between Mom and the general of the Eastern Army.

"I will," he replied.

"Thanks," Mom said. The man spurred his horse forward and caught up the receding wagons, which were now heading straight into the woods, travel talents activating even as they moved.

"Well, thank the gods that's over with," I said.

"I thought you liked the man?" Mom asked.

"I did. I do! But I have a million and one things to do and almost no time, or leg strength left to do it with," I said.

"If I want us to have a chance in hell of being prepared, anyway," I said. My mind wandered unwillingly to all the things I'd set before myself. I needed to make sure everyone in town had some sort of weapon. I was leaning mostly toward bows and arrows since half the town already knew how to use them at least a little. I needed to get everyone working on the granary. Ugh. I probably need to tell Mom about that awful deal I'd made with Andreina…

Speaking of, Mom needed to get on the road as soon as she could as well, and I was hoping I could convince a few people to go with her. Unfortunately, buying food in Denarla carried the same concerns as trading for it. There was nothing preventing people from just taking Mom's money and leaving her with nothing. Well. Nothing except firepower, and Mom already had quite a bit. Still, she'd need at least a few people to guard her back. I wondered if Nemmikel might be up for the job once I gave him back his staff?

Or better yet, maybe Negirot could do it if Nemmikel let him borrow it? I needed to talk to her about getting registered as a fire mage while she was gone as well. I had the inklings of an idea, but I would be completely unable to explain it if Mom and I both had to hide the fact that we were mages from everyone. I needed to get Travis working on building walls. Huge log ones, with scaffolding or makeshift palisades behind them so our people could fire down on our enemies.

The picket lines and watchposts were good, but they simply wouldn't be enough to hold out if an actual army ever reached our doorstep. The poor man also needed to get us the sticks for arrows. Akkiwa was learning water magic from Edra, and I wanted to know more about that. There was the Owinda and Pretyr problem. Eysee hadn't visited in a while, and I needed to know if she was up to something. She knew I'd come home early from the battle, and I couldn't let Mom's teleportation skill become common knowledge.

I was sure she was suspicious, but I had to hope she didn't let anything stupid slip. Speaking of Eysee, I still hadn't made the need bubbles she and her sister had now, even though they'd been available before I'd been drafted! I needed Normuran to break my damn leg, set it, and then heal it closer to right, and I was not looking forward to that nightly agony again. I was just… so overwhelmed.

"Mera, you look like you're about to pass out," Mom said softly.

"I… yeah. Maybe. I'm just realizing how much I've put on myself lately. All this coin… are we even using it right, Mom? Maybe we should just buy some horses, ride down to the rift, grab Dad and Reid, and use your teleportation magic to go to Charlost or something." Mom's eyes widened.

"And abandon your stage? Are you coming down sick?" I chuckled.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do care about more than just telling stories at the bar, you know."

"I can tell. You're carrying too much as it is," she said.

"I imagine the idea of me leaving is hopefully not too distressing?"

"About that," I interrupted, ignoring the question.

"Do you think you could register as a mage while you're there?" Mom stiffened.

"Why…?"

"It's for an idea I've got. It's simple but pretty deadly. Need a fire mage to make it work, though," I said.

"A legitimate one. Otherwise, people start asking too many questions." Mom sighed.

"Mera, I… I'll think about it. For now, you need to get some rest. You're only barely an adult. Let Dobretin handle these things. He is the mayor after all." I hesitated. Oppa was a fine mayor. A fine man. He had the respect of everyone in town and was smart. The problem was that he didn't think big enough. He'd have us buy food and winter provisions, and then die, either to Eschal citizens or the Tacurians, trusting in an army that could no longer keep us safe. He wouldn't make the weapons… The… The weapons…

Suddenly, an idea clicked, snapping into place. My eyes widened. Oh gods, I'd been wasting so much time!