Edge Cases

99 - Book 2: Chapter 36: Update

Anton's call came not long after Vex was done with his first series of glyph-tests. As before, the glyph they held began to glow with mana, which was interesting; without having mana-sight, it wouldn't be possible to notice that the glyph was 'receiving' anything. There wasn't even a thread of mana linking the two glyphs, which made Vex wonder how exactly the mechanics of the spell worked but that came secondary to what Anton had to say.

The beetle-mage was focused on trying to give them an update about the situation in Teque. Apparently, the time dilation had dropped to almost nothing, which was at least one worry dealt with.

On the other hand, Helg was apparently calling for the citizens of Teque to gather together, so they could determine who the system was feeding and who the system was not. It was for everyone's safety, she claimed but Anton's words were tense, and he sounded worried.

"I do not think we should be categorizing our people," Anton said through the mana-link; a projection of him floated above the glyph so all four of them could hear him, though how Anton had unlocked that particular functionality Vex had no idea. "I am worried what that might lead to. But I have not had much luck in getting Helg to change her mind."

"Have you had a chance to speak to Noram about all this?" Vex asked. "I still don't understand why he just... agreed to all this."

"He has been locking himself away in that sleep bubble of his." Anton frowned. "I am worried about him. I was never very close to him, but I cannot imagine what Helg said to him, to make him like this."

Vex sighed. "Keep us updated," he said, casting a significant glance to Misa; she'd been keeping in contact with her mother. Charise and her two guards were the only people in Fendal left that possessed their own faculties, it seemed, and they'd been trying to keep an eye on everyone they cared about Noram in particular.

So far, no change in behavior. Vex had hoped the slivers would do something... but maybe it took more time than this.

"Anything else before I cut the connection?" Anton asked.

"Do you know why I can't use this glyph myself?" Vex asked. "I've tried pushing mana into it, but that doesn't work. And I'd like to know a few more basic glyphs, if you don't mind sharing them."

Anton made a bit of a face. "Magic lessons, huh?" he said, but the question was rhetorical. "I am not the best teacher of those, but... I suppose with how differently the magic in your world works..."

"I'm hoping I can understand more," Vex said. "Then we won't be caught so off guard by magics like this."

"Helg burned part of our mana sliver supply to make that barrier as strong as she did," Anton said bluntly. "You will most likely not have to face magic like that, but..."

"We're going to be visiting other parts of your world," Sev supplied, from his corner of the caravan. "Anything you give us will help. It might help us find a way through."

"I know." Anton fidgeted slightly, glancing away as if he was worried someone would walk in on him; Vex was abruptly reminded of his plans to learn obfuscation magics, and wondered briefly if he would be able to find something along those lines in this new system of magic, that he could teach Anton. Assuming the mage didn't know them already. "I'll share a few of the basic glyphs I know. But just knowing the shape of the sign isn't everything"

"I know," Vex said. "My sign can handle the rest."

"Right," Anton said, and then grumbled slightly. "Knowledge signs."

"Do you know how they work?" Vex asked.

"Mana has memory," Anton recited, almost automatically. "And memory shapes the world. Knowledge taps into that, but I could not tell you how or where it holds that memory, exactly. Our scholars are still trying to figure that out."

Anton glanced away again, and then frowned. "I will send a basic package of elemental signs, so you have somewhere to get started. Many signs build up from those basic elements. I am sure you will figure the rest out. I must get going."

Anton's projection disappeared almost as soon as he said the words; at the same time, Vex blinked, a package of six glyphs suddenly appearing in his mind in a way that was... arguably a little intrusive. He didn't complain, though, shaking his head slightly at the small headache that that had introduced instead.

Derivan still noticed, of course. "Are you alright?" the armor asked.

"Fine," Vex said with a small smile at his at Derivan. "Just not used to the communication glyph. Don't worry about it."

"He sent you what you needed?" Misa asked, and Vex nodded.

"It was kind of him," Vex said quietly. "He didn't have to. I don't know if he was... annoyed, at the end there? He's trying to set things right in Fendal, and here we are just..."

"Stop," Misa said firmly, shaking her head. "That line of thought won't help us."

Vex was silent for a moment, then eventually nodded; what else was he supposed to do? Misa was right. She exchanged a look with Sev that was basically unreadable to him, and he decided to focus his energies on deciphering the elemental signs that Anton had given him, instead.

It was a pretty simple set of elements, in the end. It didn't even include the more obscure types of aspects he'd seen. Just fire, water, earth, air, light, and dark; light was redundant, too, given he already knew the rune for that.

But even with just that set plus the glyph for communication, and their own personal signs there was so much he could do. Experiment with.

"Do you think that magic stat of yours can help you find new glyphs, Deri?" Vex asked, angling his gaze towards the armor, who tilted his head in consideration.

"...Perhaps," Derivan eventually answered. "The last time I tried, I ended up creating a combination of our Signs instead."

Vex blinked. Derivan sounded almost embarrassed. He hadn't really thought about it, but everyone from Teque had mentioned that combining Signatures like that was an intimate thing, hadn't they? And that had been corroborated by the information he'd been fed from his own glyph, when he'd tried to query what glyphs and signs were in general...

...his mind wandered, briefly, into what that meant for what Derivan thought about the two of them, and a pleasant warmth filled him at the thought. He looked down and away, not quite meeting Derivan's eyes, and from the corner of his sight he thought he saw the armor look down, too.

Neither Sev nor Misa said anything. They seemed to sense that the moment was private, however small it was. And after a moment, Vex gathered himself, and managed to speak with more confidence than he felt.

"I'm looking forward to exploring magic together," he said honestly, and Derivan did that almost-smile he always did, reaching out for him; Vex reached back, taking his hand, and that was that.

A moment of quiet affection, held in two hands.

The conversation ended there, drifting into a comfortable silence. Part of him wanted to spend the rest of his time experimenting, but his previous experiments and the conversation with Anton had drained more mana than he anticipated, and they were due to arrive at the site of their next quest, soon; he'd need his mana for what they were going to do there.

Which, yes, was just harvesting magical reagents. But they had more than one purpose for picking that quest, and not simply skipping it to rush to Elyra after what had happened in Fendal: magical reagents or not, many of the plants the questgiver had were still crops. Food.

And since she was versed in magic herself, there was a chance she would have some insight into the food and crops shortage plaguing Elyra.

Vex knew about this woman, though he'd done a poor job of explaining who she was to Sev and the others, before. Talking about Elyra still made him nervous, and eventually Sev had simply asked if he was ready to talk about it; when Vex shook his head no, he had hugged him, and told him it didn't matter unless it was the sort of thing that would affect their quest. And it wouldn't! It was just that this woman was semi-famous within Elyra's walls, and, well, she was personally funded for the benefit she was able to provide to Elyra.

Technically, in fact, she even counted as nobility. She would be a full Lady, if she chose to move into Elyra's walls at any point, but she seemed content out here, and as far as Vex was concerned that was a point in her favor.

Okay, it was probably best that he mention that fact before they actually arrived. He could already see her hut in the distance, and the massive fields that she apparently maintained alone.

"So, uh, Lady well. Emily is Elyran nobility, technically," Vex said, breaking the silence in the caravan; Sev glanced at him, but didn't seem particularly surprised, and Misa just blinked several times at him in askance. Derivan barely even had a reaction, which made sense, given he understood little about the nuances of nobility.

"Does that... matter?" Misa eventually asked.

"Not really." Vex shrugged. "I just felt like I should mention it. Just in case."

Misa laughed a little bit, and Sev smiled; Derivan reached over to ruffle the frill-spikes on the back of his head, and Vex felt himself relax.

It was the first time he'd been able to talk about Elyra without the surge of tension and fear that came along with remembering everything that happened there; without the constant worry that he wouldn't be able to save his brother from what had happened to him.

It was nice.

"Hi!"

Emily was very, very pretty. Vex noticed this in an abstract sort of way, the way one might notice a beautiful painting and comment on how technically brilliant it was; her skin was dark but flawless, and she sported tightly braided hair that hung down to her shoulders. She wore a perfectly tailored, sunset-yellow dress, too, right down to a flowing skirt that Vex couldn't help but think was a nightmare to work in the fields with.

But no, actually; there was a faint shimmer of magic around it. That made sense.

"Hello," Sev greeted with a small but polite smile. "We're from the Adventurer's Guild."

"Here to help with the harvest, right?" Emily smiled brightly. "Thank god. I was worried I was going to have to ask someone from Elyra to come."

"You don't like working with Elyra?" Vex couldn't help but ask, perking up slightly.

"God no. Have you worked with Elyra? Half the time they send these pretentious little mages that can't tell the difference between magic and makeup." Emily mimicked a false shudder, her lips quirking in momentary disgust. Vex couldn't help but snicker.

"I've worked with a few Elyran mages in my time," he agreed, and then, in a fit of bravery, continued. "Um... I was one. Technically. But I left."

"Good!" Emily said, and then turned to open the door to her cottage and wave the four of them inside. "Come in. You're going to need some gloves if you want to help me with the harvest. We'll need to split into teams, and... you know some magic, right? The lizard. I should have gotten your names, sorry."

"I'm Sev," Sev said, and gestured to the other three. "Misa. Derivan. The lizardkin is Vex."

"I'm going to mix up those names a bunch, I'm warning you now," Emily said immediately.

"We're used to it," Sev said with a shrug, and she grinned and led them in.