4.12 (1/2)

Erin and Ryoka left the room in the Runner’s Guild, a sleepy Mrsha draped in Ryoka’s arms. They left as friends, refreshed, ready to face the world.

“Ryoka’s back!”

Erin sang and danced down the steps, beaming in delight. She flexed her arms while Ryoka shifted the snoozing Mrsha.

“Erin and Ryoka, together again! The invincible duo!”

Ryoka smiled, embarrassed, and then covered it with a scowl.

“Stop that.”

“Come on, don’t you think we make a good team?”

“I think a good team doesn’t brag about how good they are.”

“But we’re like a duo! You know, Bonnie and Clyde! Jesse and James! Bert and Ernie! Tom and Jerry! Uh…Batman and Robin!”

“Erin—”

“Siskel and Ebert! Spongebob and Patrick!”

“Which one are you, then?”

Erin hesitated.

“Uh…Sp—”

“You’re Patrick.”

“No…I don’t want to be him.”

“Well I’m sure as hell not Patrick.”

“Okay, maybe that was a bad comparison. But I could be, uh—”

“I’m Batman.”

“Aw.”

Their banter was interrupted by a [Receptionist] who hurried to them on the stairs with a smile on her face.

“Miss Erin, Miss Ryoka, I hope your discussion was productive?”

“What? Yeah. Oh—right.”

The [Receptionist] was staring meaningfully at Ryoka. She hesitated, cursed internally, and then shifted Mrsha to fish at her belt pouch.

“Here.”

She handed the woman two gold coins. Both Erin and the woman’s eyes bugged out when they saw the glitter. The [Receptionist] gaped at Ryoka, and then hurriedly curtsied to Erin.

“I hope you enjoyed our brief hospitality, Miss Erin. Please, if there’s anything we can do, do not hesitate to ask.”

“Uh. Okay.”

When the woman had hurried off with the coins Erin grabbed Ryoka.

“What was that?”

Ryoka grinned.

“The Guild charges a 5% fee on all deliveries. I’ll do the paperwork later, but right now they think you just gave me a delivery worth forty gold coins.”

“But that’s so much! Ryoka—”

The Runner shook her head. She was in a good mood.

“I’ve got the money, and I think we got what we paid for, right? Private rooms, delivered food, entertainment for Mrsha…and I feel a bit bad for bullying that receptionist.”

“I guess…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not. Here, hold Mrsha for me, will you?”

Ryoka dumped Mrsha into Erin’s arms. The Gnoll grunted and Erin did too. Ryoka strode over to two Runners who were approaching her.

“Garia, Fals. Thanks for looking out for Mrsha.”

“It was our pleasure, Ryoka. That little furball can run pretty fast! Are you going to teach her how to be a Runner?”

“Who knows?”

Ryoka smiled at Fals and turned to Garia. The shorter Runner smiled at Ryoka with an awkwardness Ryoka recognized. She’d felt it herself not a few hours ago.

“Sorry for overfeeding her, Ryoka. She’s just so cute…”

“No problem. And I’m sorry I had to cut you off, but Erin and I really needed to reconnect. Uh…how’s it been, Garia?”

“Oh, you know. I’m just running deliveries. I don’t do anything that interesting…”

“Not like a Runner who make it to Invrisil in two days! I heard the rumors Ryoka—don’t tell me it actually happened?”

“Not quite. I hitched a ride, actually…”

Ryoka gave them a cut-down version of the events, minus the assassinations and heard their envious comments about getting to do that many deliveries at once. Then she got to the heart of the matter as she turned to Garia.

“Look, Garia, I’ve really dropped the ball on hanging out with you. You keep offering to do a delivery together and I’m always busy…I’m not a good friend.”

Garia turned bright red and waved her hands hurriedly.

“What? No, I know you’ve got a lot to do. I don’t think—”

“A good Runner makes time for friends, right Fals?”

The young man blinked at Ryoka, and then smiled.

“True enough! Are you planning on doing a delivery with Garia then, Ryoka?”

“Better. I was wondering if that offer to visit her family was still on the table. We could hang out for a day or two.”

Ryoka really had no desire to meet Garia’s family, but she had every desire to be a good friend to Garia, and from the way the girl’s face lit up, that was the right thing to offer.

“Meet my family? Well—of course! They have a farm—we could have you over any time.”

“What about in a day or two? Maybe tomorrow? I’d hate to impose, but I don’t want to get tied up and not come…”

“No, no! They’d love to have you. I’ve told them all about you…”

Garia’s eyes slid sideways to Fals. Ryoka noticed, and turned towards him.

“Why not come with us? I’m sure Garia would love to introduce you as well.”

Fals looked surprised. He glanced at Garia and then met Ryoka’s eyes. She stared at him silently and he hesitated.

“I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“Well, what if I bring a friend? Garia, would you mind if Mrsha joined us? I think she’d love to see a farm.”

“No problem! And I bet she’d love to have fun with everyone…”

Garia was sneaking glances at Fals. Pressured on two fronts, he gave in graciously and smiled at Garia.

“I would be glad to. Just let me know when and we can run there together. Does your family enjoy sweets by any chance? I would love to buy them a jar of Miss Erin’s honey…”

“You don’t need to bring anything! Really!”

Ryoka participated in the conversation for a little bit, set up a tentative date, and then rejoined Erin, who’d persuaded Mrsha to walk on her own four paws. Her real struggle was making four paws turn into two.

“Come on, Mrsha. You can’t always run around on all fours. Krshia doesn’t do it.”

Mrsha gave Erin a glance that said quite clearly that Krshia was a fool who only walked upright to fit in. Erin smiled at Ryoka.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep. I’d say we’re in time for a late lunch if we get back to the inn now.”

“I just ate! Well, I guess I can make something if the adventurers are hanging about…”

Ryoka frowned, perplexed.

“Do they always stick around? I thought they’d have things to do. Like kill monsters or go into the dungeon.”

“Yeah, well, they don’t actually do that so much. Griffon Hunt and the Halfseekers are always talking and making plans…some days they go in and come back really late, covered in all kinds of nasty stuff.”

“Well, hopefully Pisces is still about. I want to talk with him.”

—-

Pisces was indeed still in the inn, drinking and talking with the other Horns of Hammerad. And Griffon Hunt. And the Halfseekers.

None of the adventurers had left the inn, although Zel had. They were all clustered in the center of the room, talking heatedly about some big discovery. Ryoka had to get Ceria to explain it to her while Erin went to make a late lunch.

“Some adventurers went into the dungeon, Ryoka! This team—they’re only Silver-rank. They’re called Vuliel Drae and they went down through that hole Mrsha fell into. Apparently there’s an entirely new section of dungeon down there!”

Ryoka stared at the adventurers as they fussed over a bit of parchment. She walked over, peered over Ceria’s shoulder and was treated to a very rough map.

Or rather, the copy of a map. As it turned out, Halrac had just gone into the city and come back with a map of the dungeon. It had been made by Vuliel Drae, a relatively inexperienced group of adventurers who’d descended into the new hole and come out with a rudimentary sketch of a few passageways, a tale of running into half a dozen traps and monsters within the first hour, and the head of a monster no one could identify.

And an enchanted mace. It had sent ripples through the growing adventuring community within Liscor. Because it was proof the dungeon had treasure.

“Not just any treasure. High quality enchantments.”

Ulrien explained that to Ryoka, although she had a sense he was also telling her for Ksmvr and Pisces’ benefit. The Horns of Hammerad were listening intently to the Gold-rank adventurers talking. Despite Ceria and Yvlon’s experience, they were still juniors watching experts in their field work.

And argue. Seborn was talking about the mace, much to Jelaqua’s clear displeasure.

“It has some kind of auditory enchantment. It shrieks like a Death Wailer when you hit something, and everyone but the wielder is affected. I’d say the effect isn’t just sound-based—there seems to be some kind of immobility effect to it as well. So that’s two benefits. Too bad only one person can use it safely, but the cost—”

“Damn it, those bastards were already getting offers for the mace! It’ll probably sell for thousands of gold pieces!”

Jelaqua burst out and kicked a chair into the air. Lyonette screamed and ducked, but Moore caught the chair out of the air. He stared reproachfully at the Selphid.

Interestingly, Jelaqua blushed. Ryoka wasn’t sure she’d be able to with a dead body. But her cheeks did change color. They turned slightly orange, as if something inside the dead skin was heating up.

Disturbing, to say the least. Ryoka looked away as Jelaqua apologized to Lyonette. Ulrien, the other team leader, was less emotional.

“It was luck. Those adventurers were lucky to survive an encounter with the monster carrying the mace. It’s not like they made it to a vault or raided a monster’s lair.”

Halrac nodded and grunted.

“Word is they would have been completely wiped out if another adventurer hadn’t helped them out.”

“Who?”

“It’s unclear. Some lone adventurer with the ability to resist the mace’s effects. She slew the monster carrying it and got the team through several hallways filled with traps by all accounts. There was no name given—she’s described as a masked swordswoman with incredible talent.”

The other Gold-rank adventurers murmured at this. Typhenous raised his eyes at Revi and Ryoka saw the Stitch-girl shake her head. Jelaqua ground her teeth together.

“A lone swordswoman? Everyone’s getting the jump on us!”

Ulrien frowned at her.

“It’s not who’s fastest, Jelaqua. It’s who’s alive at the end to claim the treasure. You know that. Forget a lucky break; if just one of the dungeon’s treasuries is partially intact, we’ll reap a hundredfold times that amount.”

“I know. I just don’t like someone stealing a march on us.”

Jelaqua groused. She looked towards the kitchen and lowered her voice.

“Plus, you know those idiots wouldn’t have had the courage to descend, much less survive, without Erin’s cooking!”

Ryoka had been told all about the magical effects of Erin’s food. Not only could she make a soup that warmed you up when standing naked in the cold, but she could make one that toughened the skin, and another that made you stronger than you should be.

It was an incredible Skill with several caveats. You couldn’t have more than one effect at once, it wore off in a few hours, the food spoiled quickly, and Erin had to make it. Her or someone else with [Wondrous Fare]. And it was the exact sort of thing an adventurer might want, especially going into a dungeon. However…

“I’m not sure if they’ll conflict with our potions.”

Jelaqua had asked Erin to make her some of the Scale Soup, but she hadn’t had a chance to test it yet. She paced around the room, understandably anxious.

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Erin’s magical cooking helps all the low-level adventurers who can’t afford better enchantments, but we…”

Ulrien ignored his counterpart. The Halfseekers seemed used to Jelaqua’s emotions, but Griffon Hunt was methodical. He nodded to the others.

“I want to talk with the leader of Vuliel Drae. See if he can describe these Gnoll-like monsters. I hear they brought back a head.”

Seborn nodded.

“Some of the Gnolls were quite agitated when they saw it. They may know more.”

“I’ll inquire about it.”

Halrac left with Seborn, the two being the most knowledgeable about the monsters. Ulrien and Jelaqua went to track down the leader of the adventurers who’d gone into the dungeon.

“They’re probably at the bottom of a barrel of ale and celebrating. Still, I want to know what it was like in detail.”

That left Typhenous, Revi, and Moore. Ryoka was surprised the [Mages] didn’t have their own duties, but then she saw all of them sitting down and eating Erin’s magical food, with varied degrees of enjoyment.

“See, I can make the Corusdeer Soup into a patty. And the uh, Scale Soup becomes…”

Revi paused as something went crack inside her mouth. She spat out what she’d eaten and stared at a hard fragment in horror.

“Ew! What is that?”

“A uh, Stonelizard scale. But I boiled it!”

“Is that lemon and mint? And…fish?”

“It tastes better than it does as a soup!”

“Gah. That’s hardly an improvement.”

Revi made a face. Moore, chewing down his food, shrugged his huge shoulders.

“You must admit it still tastes a thousand times better than some potions.”

“True. Now, to see how it might conflict with spellcasting and other enchantments.”

Typhenous pushed his plate back and began rummaging at his belt for a potion. Ryoka turned to the Horns of Hammerad, who’d been talking amongst themselves.

“How are you all doing?”

“We’re wondering whether we should be looking into this dungeon too, honestly.”

Ceria confessed to Ryoka as she watched Typhenous carefully imbibing part of a potion and making a disgusted face. She sighed as she scratched at her bone hand. Ryoka looked at her hand and then glanced at her missing fingers.

“It sounds intense down there. I hope you’re thinking it over carefully.”

The half-Elf nodded seriously.

“We learned our lesson once, Yvlon and I. But honestly Ryoka, there’s not much else we can do around here. Monster hunting around Liscor isn’t exactly a lucrative business, especially in the winter. Plus, I’ve seen Rock Crabs and I don’t want to tangle with them, even with our new gear. We could look for work around Celum thanks to the magical door, but…”

She shrugged, making a face.

“We’re talking it over. Which reminds me, we need to pay you…”

“I’d like to say it was between friends, but I wouldn’t say no to gold either. Still, you did get Erin back to Liscor for me…”

“We owed her for that. Come on, if you want one of our artifacts or the gold that [Enchanter] gave you…”

Ryoka was sorely tempted to see what she might ask for, but she had something else on her mind right how. She hesitated.

“I’ll think about it. But could I borrow Pisces? I need his help for some research?”

“Research? Hey Pisces! Get over here! What are you looking into?”

Ceria eyed Ryoka curiously as Pisces walked over, looking disgruntled at being summoned.

“Ah, Miss Ryoka. What may I help you with? Or am I not permitted to know the details of this endeavor either?”

Ceria stamped on Pisces’ foot and he hopped around, shouting while Ryoka explained. The [Necromancer] stopped yelping and his eyes lit up when she mentioned the door.

“Ah, a project to measure the door’s capacity? Well now, that is an interesting subject. May I take it that you intend for me to test the limits of the enchantment?”

Ryoka nodded.

“Is there some way to tell how much energy the door consumes? Definitively, I mean.”

Pisces sniffed.

“Well, Erin did manage to find the effective limit by jumping through it repeatedly. But I suppose that is not the aim of your inquiry?”

Ryoka gave him a look.

“Jumping through a door isn’t exactly a precise measurement. I’m just asking if there’s a way to calculate exactly how much energy is used per transportation. Is there a limit to weight or mass? How does distance affect the drain? Can you reduce the magic consumed into a figure and derive the maximum travelable distance from that figure?”

Ceria’s eyes went slightly cross-eyed, but Pisces’ eyes lit up. He stared curiously at Ryoka for a second and then smiled.

“Astounding. You seem to have a fascinatingly astute mind for magical theory. Have you some kind of connection with the [Engineer] class, by any chance?”

Ryoka smiled slightly.

“You could say that. Will you help?”

“I have nothing better to do, and the subject interests me as well. Very well.”

Pisces and Ryoka strode over to the door, Mrsha padding over behind them and watching curiously as they bent over the door. The Gnoll stared as Ryoka and Pisces opened the door and started chatting about the effects of the teleportation spell. She got bored and watched Revi poking herself with a dagger. Pisces and Ryoka’s conversation wasn’t exactly riveting.

“I understand that Erin’s new Skill provides the inn with a lot of mana. How fast does it replenish, though?”

“If it works under the principle of a site of high ambient magical power, like a mass graveyard or perhaps Wistram Academy for example, it would be a daily influx of energy with a set upper limit to the environs. However, I believe it is the door’s individual capacity that should be measured.”

“Oh? You’re saying the enchantment can only hold so much mana itself?”

Pisces sniffed.

“Naturally. This enchantment is built into the very wood and is of exceptional quality, but the most complex ward or binding has its limit. That is why the best enchantments on weapons, or objects such as this door, have mechanisms that allow them to recharge themselves.”

“So that’s our variable. Right. Well, if we’re testing how many times it can be used, we need to tell how much the maximum is.”

“There are several ways to determine that. But I believe exhausting the supply and deriving the limit from usage would be easiest.”

“Right. But just teleporting to Celum gives us only one variable. I’m suggesting that I teleport from set distances—”

“Naturally, naturally. We must account for the variable of distance as well as mass and weight. You need not lecture me on basic theory…although I am surprised I need not do the same for you, Miss Griffin.”

It was surprising, but Pisces understood the theory of the scientific inquiry, even if he didn’t have the terminology. But he knew the need to account for variables, and how to assign units to calculate the amount of mana used by the door.

In fact, the discussion made part of Ryoka’s mind light up. She hadn’t thought in terms of calculation or figures since coming to this world. And apparently, [Mages] shared at least a few genes with mathematicians, because their conversation attracted Typhenous’ attention.

“Ah, Miss Griffin and young Pisces. May I ask what your fascinating discussion is about?”

The older [Mage] came over and in seconds, was engrossed in the idea of testing the limits of the door’s ability to teleport. Pisces had already created a second ‘anchor’ which could be used to teleport back and forth—it was a mug.

He’d been drinking out of it and it was the closest thing to hand. Ryoka upended it and let a few drops fall onto the floor before she agreed to carry it a mile from the inn. But they still had to find a way to measure how much energy was being used each time she teleported.

“My suggestion would be to use a simple cantrip to do the measuring. You see, it is possible to draw from the door’s capacity. Thus, the change in the size and intensity of a [Light] spell linked to the door’s mana supply would indicate the reserves contained within the enchantment.”

Typhenous stroked his white beard importantly as Ryoka did some warmup stretches for her legs and arms and Pisces squatted by the door. The [Necromancer] smiled.

“Ah. That is interesting. What if I were to use this as a benchmark?”

He raised his hand and his other palm on the door’s surface. Ryoka blinked, and then felt every hair on her head try to stand up. She swore and ducked as a thin column of electricity burst from Pisces’ hand and shot across the room. Yvlon and Lyonette jumped out of the way, the armored woman cursing at Pisces.

“Watch it! I’m wearing metal, you crazed maniac!”

Pisces ignored her. The thin, crackling stream of electricity had formed a straight line that shot out and then began to earth itself on tables a good twelve feet away from where he was standing. Mrsha got close, reached out at the bright crackling busts of energy, thought better of it, and scampered away.

“Pisces! What are you doing?”

Erin shouted at him. The [Necromancer] stopped casting the spell and carefully walked over to where the spell had stopped. He marked the edge of the spot where the electricity had reached and marked the point with a cup. He turned to Typhenous and Ryoka and smiled.

“[Lightning Jolt]. Simple, and relatively costless. I am naturally using the ambient mana to fuel the spell while drawing on minimal reserves of my own.”

Typhenous nodded appreciatively while Ryoka went over to Erin and explained why she shouldn’t hit Pisces with a pan.

“Only naturally. But can you keep your own output steady, young mage?”

Pisces smiled archly at him.

“My control is sublime, Typhenous. I shall cast the spell again once Ryoka has teleported the first time. And if we have a measuring tape, we may derive a very rough estimation of how the range of the spell decreases with each casting…”

“Right. So if we assume that was close to 100%, we’re at…about twelve and a half feet. And if I hop through the door and come back—two teleports…Pisces, will you do that again?”

Pisces obliged. This time everyone watched as the lightning shot out…and stopped a bit before the place where Pisces had marked with his cup.

Ryoka blinked as Pisces placed a spoon on the second spot.

“Oh wow. That doesn’t go down much. We might have to break out a ruler after all.”

“Well, a rough estimate is possible. I conclude that the distance of the first spell was roughly twelve and two thirds feet, Miss Griffin. As for the second measurement, it would be fair to say the spell decreased in length roughly two to three inches. With rough estimation, that would mean the distance of one hundred and fifty two inches decreased by three inches per two jumps, which would mean…”

Ryoka did the math faster than Pisces could.

“You could bring over fifty people to the inn and back before it ran out of juice. But that doesn’t account for how fast the door recharges.”

Pisces stopped. He blinked at Ryoka and cleared his throat. Ryoka saw Ceria sniggering at the [Necromancer] behind his back.

“Ah…yes. That is correct. Well, we shall account for those elements as well. Once the door’s mana is fully depleted, measuring the length of the [Lightning Jolt] spell after a set period of time would allow us to calculate the rate of passive mana absorption.”

Typhenous nodded.

“Of course.”

From her kitchen, Erin scratched her head. She looked at Ryoka and shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t get it.”

Ryoka did. It wasn’t difficult math, although all the variables meant they’d need a lot of data to get good results. She saw Lyonette was watching them curiously, as was Mrsha. Yvlon and Ceria on the other hand looked like they weren’t able to follow the conversation at all. Ksmvr seemed to get it, but he was showing solidarity with his other teammates by pretending to be disinterested. And Revi was still poking herself with a dagger.

“Ow! Typhenous, we’re supposed to be testing the food, not checking on the stupid door!”

“Indulge me, please, Revi. I do enjoy this. And I seldom have the opportunity to speak with minds of similar inquiry.”

Typhenous waved at Revi and got a glare in response. From his seat on the floor, Moore got up and stepped carefully over to the mages and Ryoka. He smiled at them.

“I too would like to observe. And may I ask whether you intend to use the door as an involuntary translocation spell or as a portal effect? That may have a bearing on the mana cost.”

Typhenous and Pisces looked appraisingly at Moore. The half-Giant smiled at them. Typhenous cleared his throat.

“I believe young Pisces and I agreed that maintaining the portal effect was most efficacious, with the natural caveat that suddenly running out of mana would not adversely affect someone caught in the middle of transportation—which it does not—holds true.”

The other adventurers rubbed at their ears. Ryoka just rolled her eyes. [Mages] loved their fancy words, as much as any scholar. Mrsha shook her head and padded away and Erin went back into her kitchen, grumbling about an ‘older Pisces’. But Moore just nodded.

“I see. And the reason is?”

Pisces smiled and answered for Typhenous.

“Accidental transportation. If it were immediate, any contact with the door might trigger it, or a method of activation might be needed, all of which is far more complicated. An open portal allows for less disorientation as well.”

“Very true. Ah, I see that Pisces has managed to alter the enchantment. Miss Ryoka, will you be carrying this marker out to distances for us to test with?”

Moore handed the quite ordinary ceramic mug to Ryoka. She nearly dropped it and stared up at the half-Giant. Talk to him like a normal person. She knew that, but she had a horrible, horrible urge to call Moore a different name. She couldn’t help it. If he started waving around a pink umbrella, she’d really be in trouble.

“That’s right Ha—uh, Moore. I’ll run it out one mile to start and we’ll see how much energy that requires.”

Typhenous nodded.

“We may have to rely on a more precise spell to measure the energy consumption. I will consult with Moore and Pisces, although I believe a restrained [Flame Jet] spell would be more precise.”

Moore looked concerned.

“The inn is made of wood, Typhenous.”

“True. What would you suggest?”

Moore smiled and tapped the ground lightly with his huge staff. The floorboards suddenly sprouted a line of grass that shot forwards and ended at Ryoka’s foot. She gaped at the grass until it withered and faded, seconds later.

“Simple, accurate, and less dangerous to Miss Erin’s guests and her inn. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Pisces and Typhenous exchanged a glance. Then they stepped aside so Moore could get a better look at the door. They began speaking all at once as Ryoka grabbed the mug and headed towards the door. Pisces stroked his hairless chin in an imitation of Typhenous as he chattered with the others.

“For the purposes of experimentation, we must naturally use the instantaneous teleportation effect…”

“But how to differentiate between the costs for portal-style teleportation and instantaneous?”

“What if we configured the door leading to Celum and measured the difference between the two for the mana cost?”

“Of course. But if we are accounting for the variation in distance, we should also take measurements at different distances than simply one mile. I propose a sample at one mile, five, ten…”

“Only naturally. Has anyone a piece of parchment? I have a sheaf and some ink in my room if necessary.”

Pisces produced a slip of folded parchment. Moore opened his spellbook and took out a magical quill that needed no ink. Typhenous rubbed his hands together.

“Ah, good friends, it is a privilege to be working together with such fine minds. Shall we begin?”

—-

“They’re all nerds.”

Erin peered at the three mages standing around the door with narrowed eyes. Ceria paused as she gulped down the spicy meatballs made in Drake fashion. They were on a skewer, and meat to be dipped in a sauce Mrsha had gotten all over the fur on her face.

“What’s a nerd, Erin?”

“Uh, someone who talks about a lot of complex and weird stuff?”

Erin wavered. She didn’t mean she actually thought Pisces, Typhenous and Moore were lame or deserved to have their pants pulled down or have their heads swirled in a toilet. Not that she’d ever seen that happen in real life. Besides, if anyone tried that to Moore, he’d probably throw them through a wall.

Maybe not. Moore was nice. Ceria just shrugged.

“I’m actually glad Pisces has found other [Mages] he can talk to.”

Erin looked at her half-Elf friend.

“You don’t talk with Pisces about stuff like that?”

Ceria laughed.

“What? Magical theory and numbers that don’t make sense? No way! I can’t follow what they’re doing. Calculating a door’s mana supply from a spell that makes grass? How would that even work?”

Erin vaguely understood what they were doing, because Ryoka had explained it briefly to her and because she’d had to take classes in algebra and so on in high school. But she wasn’t surprised no one else got it. But it was surprising Ceria didn’t know.

“Wait, why don’t you understand? They’re talking about magic, right?”

“A kind of magic, Erin. They’re looking into the enchanting magic, but also spatial magic. Teleportation, you know? I don’t study that, and for good reason.”

Ceria put down her finished skewer of wood and grabbed another off of the plate. Across the table, Yvlon picked hers up and showed Ksmvr how to dip his with etiquette. On another table, Mrsha demonstrated how to eat like a savage. Ceria smiled as Lyonette tried to wipe Mrsha’s face and the Gnoll tried to avoid the clean cloth.

“Magic isn’t like that for me.”

“Really? What’s it like?”

“Magic is like…”

Ceria frowned. She conjured a small orb of water up with a flick of her hand, and as Erin watched, it fragmented into droplets and formed into a tiny replica of Ceria, which waved at Erin. Erin watched, open-mouthed as Ceria flicked the icy figure into the air. It shattered as it reached eye-level, and then landed on the table, a spatter of water droplets. Ceria breathed out and then grinned at Erin’s dumfounded expression.

“Whew, that’s tough. But magic is like that, see? I visualize my spells and put everything together just right. It’s hard to do earth magic and fire magic can get nasty if you don’t understand it right. But ice magic is like sculpting. You harden the ice here, lengthen it here…and you have a spike. It’s all seeing and concentrating, not…numbers.”

“Wait, so magic isn’t math?”

“Of course not!”

Someone interrupted their conversation. Erin looked over and saw Revi chewing on a meatball with a sour expression. The Stitch-girl’s tone was acerbic, but not exactly rude as she spoke to Erin.

“Magic isn’t the same for every mage, Miss Erin. Why would it be? Different schools use magic in different ways. Ceria specializes in destruction magic, in shaping her ice spells. But magic isn’t like that for me. I summon warriors. Magic is all about maintaining a link between myself and my spirits.”

“What’s it like?”

Revi hesitated. She drummed on the table and looked away before she replied.

“It’s rather like keeping a conversation up with all of my familiars. I have to maintain them, make sure there’s nothing wrong with their bindings, and I’m always looking for more. Magic is like collecting, exploring, augmenting what’s there. I slowly improve myself and the spirits I summon, buying new equipment for them, learning new ways to boost them with spells in combat…”

“Magic’s different for everyone it seems.”

Revi and Ceria nodded. Erin sighed. She wanted to learn magic, and knew that she couldn’t. Okay, in theory she could, but she didn’t have the raw talent or capacity Pisces and Ceria did. And…she didn’t really have the time. She had to get more help, like Ryoka said! It was just too bad she couldn’t throw around fireballs for fun now and then.

“Ah, is that food I see? Friends, let us adjourn for a moment.”

The other [Mages] had finally noticed that there was food on the tables. Typhenous, Pisces, and Moore came over to eat, and while they did Erin quizzed them on what magic was like.

Pisces snorted when he heard how Ceria practiced magic.

“Of course an [Elementalist] would think that way.”

Ceria threw a meatball at his head and he caught it in the air and levitated it onto his plate. Typhenous smiled at Erin and lowered his voice conspiratorially.

“Alas, it is the case where Revi and I have disagreed on the fundamentals of magic theory. A [Summoner] is…well, not the same as a general practitioner of the arts.”

“Up yours, Typhenous. Our spells are fine!”

“Yes, well, I’m sure they’re quite functional. For spells that require no adjustment and have little variation no matter how they’re cast.”

Pisces smirked and Typhenous smiled at him. Ceria muttered and flicked her fingers at them, showering the two [Mages] in snow. Typhenous blew it back at her and Revi hurled her plate at the two male [Mages].

There was a definite tension between the female mages and the male ones. Erin edged away. Mrsha and Lyonette stared at her as she joined their table.

“That wasn’t my fault.”