"Alright, Nin, give it another go. Do it like last time!" Liada told me in encouragement as I took the time I had to try some things. One thing that has stuck with me as of late is my lack of an arcane arsenal. I have just been punching and charging things. Salahma for example made it clear my spells were rusted stiff.
It was a necessary task for me to get stronger by making my spells better. So, per Liadanann's input, we have been testing spells out on the environment away from the village. For the most part, I have just be whacking or spearing things from a distance. But, what I did before meeting Liadanann had stuck with me.
How my magic was seemingly so much stronger in the magicless lands. I was devastating mountains and demolishing the countryside! So, I was trying to also see how I could make my spells work with it. And, just now, I think I had it figured out as I saw bluish-purple fire!
"There's the thing, though, Liada, I don't know what I did last time!" I exclaimed to her rather joyously. As, while I have not been able to get it right, it has been fun trying. Mostly because my anger was immediately flushing out into the rock or tree I just broke.
"How can you not know!? It's your magic!" she says in frustration as she seems to choke me with her hands.
"Magic is a lot harder than it looks, Ms Free Spell." I dismissively say back to her while waving her down. But, as a result of jabbing at the gift of her god, she used it on me.
"Hold your tongue in that regard." she snorted out after I had paced about into that pale green barrier of her. It was quite strong for a spell from someone with little magic. But, its divine nature explained why. This was a tool given to someone directly from a god, it wasn't from a shop shelf.
Yet, oddly enough, once I had finished rubbing my sore face after it smashed into that barrier. I found myself entranced by a sight in the distance. It wasn't anything spectacular or eye-catching under normal means. Yet, it got my eyes stuck on them anyway.
It was a hollow log that showed signs of having been turned into a nest. After that, I looked at my hand and summoned my overly fancy magic plank of wood. And I inflated its size while breathing funny, it helped for some reason. My results could not be seen from the outside, but, I could feel it.
The space I had just created felt funny, and I did not know how to describe it. I knew the space was hollow, but, it also felt delicate. Or maybe I was just too focused on making my magic double-sided. Yet, I was going to try it out anyway.
"Just in case." I reminded Liada as I carefully moved away from her. Waiting until she had created a blast shield in acknowledgement before carrying on.
"The tools say the mountain is still the best spot." she informs.
"This is too fragile to really bother with that. I'll jus-" I began to say as I made a quick jab at a nearby tree. Only to have the spell violently explode in my face as the vacuum I had created exposed itself. It was nowhere near as violent as prior cases had been, but, it was something.
"Easily a few bodies worth of distance." she comments without her usual professionalism as she moves on over. She mostly focused on what my spell had done to the grass and trees. But there was also some showing off in regards to her body. Something I ended up encouraging when I tapped her round bottom as I moved next to her.
"Going to need to practise this one." I say as I stare at my free claw as she gets up properly. Leaning back into the claw grasping her in the process.
"That was not the intended reaction?" she inquired as she leaned back in a manner that more openly displayed her cleavage.
"It was, it was just such a strange sensation. I made me break the spell prematurely."
"Are you able to draw what your container looks like?" she asks me after she catches on to the unspoken details.
"Don't think I need to, it's just really a cylinder with an open bottom." I tell her as I use the spell normally again. Yet, I found myself trying to make that spell again despite the danger Liada was put in by it.
"Would you be able to change its shape?"
"Yeah."
"Would you be able to maintain its form against a firmer target?" she asks with a smile as she regrettably leaves my grip.
"Sure, if I can find someone to spar with. This isn't really something I can practise on rocks. It would generate bad habits." I point out as I watch her go behind the barrier again.
"Well, fire off that spell and..." she begins to say before she looks up at the sky as it starts to rumble.
"HELLO!" I call out as I wave the hand that had my spell in it. Bringing in another explosion into a brief existence as my concentration slipped. Which, left me laughing as if such a casual greeting messed with the spell... It would be useless in a fight, utterly useless!
"What's going on!?" a tired-looking Einervaene asked me as she stepped forward with worry. The other two were right behind her on the floor dying as well.
"Magic practise." I laconically inform her as she calms down before smiling.
"We did it, we sorted out Vadei's problem to some extent!" she then cheerfully tells me as she stands tall with pride. And, it does seem that Vadei had brought something with her.
"I thought you left to get me new clothes?" I then ask her as I notice the lack of it. They had been gone for a few days so I was expecting them to be hauling a lot. Like, maybe they had also gotten supplies for the village too! But, nope, not at all.
But, it was fun as usual watching Einervaene break down into blushes and stutters. And I made sure she knew I was enjoying every moment of it. All the way up until she started to hit me with clenched fists. Not lightning or sparks, though, which was odd as that was how she always hit back at me.
"So how come you guys took so long if you weren't hauling lots of things?" I asked as I gave Einervaene some space and peace from the playful mockery.
"I was going about a few days ago looking for a town with Larishazza's stated bank and I had nearly exhausted myself looking for it and getting back, but after I came back, I spoke to Vadei and Larishazza and we ended up going back there with a new plan, but complications with it led to even more changes and Larishazza ended up giving away all of her magic and I was left with no means to reliably refuel on our way out of the town we had just antagonized so we ended up camping at various points until we now made it back!" Einervaene lets out in one big go before she violently recovers from it.
"Larishazza gave away her magic?" I asked with a raised brow while also looking away from Einervaene. And, I was left completely confused because I could sense her magic quite well. I could see it too but not her.
"Boo!" the girl in question let out as she hugged my arm while giggling in a half-asleep state. And, now that she was here, I could see that it did indeed happen. She had drained herself dry and was now swinging about like a drunkard.
"So what did you do?" I asked Vadei specifically as I effortlessly picked up the weakened Larishazza. Smiling widely as she snuggled against my body for a reason I twisted in my head. She was probably trying to absorb my aura, but, I wanted to think of it in a different way.
"I got Dad a present." she tells me with a sweet smile as she delicately holds a flower up. She was also struggling to hold it up so it came down shortly after. Either way, I was smiling as I felt my heart go funny. A very sweet gesture to see, one that anybody could likely sympathise with.
"And here I have just been practising magic." I tell her specifically, but all three of them by intention.
"Oh, is that why there was that strange disturbance in the air?" Einervaene asked me as she looked down at her boots. Or rather, she was looking at the results of my spell trials. The more recent three, in fact.
But, before I answered her, I looked over at Liada, "Can you note that down? Put something down along the lines of 'can be easily sensed' or something!" I tell my very helpful assistant who got right on it. I don't know how much she has written and how much of it I'll be able to read, but, notes were helpful. It gave me an idea of what to look out for while not also using the spell. Very useful should these get too dangerous...
"Hello!?" Einervaene says as she stomps into view, clearly bothered by that. If it was purely jealously or the thing she had going on with Liada, though, I did not know.
"Uh, yeah, the disturbance was me using a new spell. Or, well, the makings of one. Or the alterings of one, I still haven't quite figured it out." I tell her while scratching my chin with a lone claw.
"Oh? What sort of spell is it?" she asks me as a childlike curiosity settled in.
"I've been trying to replicate the effects of zero magic places coming into contact with magic." I tell them.
"How would you even do that...?" Vadei asks as she sets the flower down. It even made a very small dust cloud as a result! Something which gave an idea as to how Larishazza's magic had changed it. And, I was thinking of a certain small statue again.
"I've been hollowing out my normal extension spell."
"But, wouldn't that just leave you with the magic in the air?" Einervaene asks as she steps forward. Her mind clearly had trouble wrapping itself around it.
"I'm going to say no as the results say otherwise." was all I could say while shrugging.
"No, he's emptying his own magic. So, there is no magic air to fill it." Larishazza adds as she rubs her eyes.
"That's right, you make a lot of bubbles, don't you?" I comment and rhetorically ask as I breathe out a laugh.
"Yeah, they're fun to play with. But, as they are made hollow, they don't do the booms. But, I wouldn't be able to make the booms anyway as my magic is too in tune with the world to do something like that." the crush in my arms explains while drifting between sleep and being awake.
"It's quite impressive, though, Nin! I've never heard of someone using magic like that!" Einervaene exclaims with awe as she approaches me like an embarrassed schoolgirl. It seems even she likes to show off some things about those she spends time with.
But, I was more focused on her words, "Really? I'm just hollowing out another spell." I point out in order to get across the simplicity.
"No one's done it before to my knowledge!" she exclaims with more pride.
"It probably has something to do with where you're from..." Vadei points out with growing worry as she says it. It wasn't difficult to figure out why. I had been enforcing a strict no talk policy on... A certain topic.
But, this time, I did not react, "That might be the case, actually. Good thinking." I tell her as I nod along with it.
She smiles at that, "So what else have you been doing? Or has your remodelling of the mountain been it?" she jokes with a quiet laugh. Something that gets the other two smiling like crazy.
"I briefly had to put up with your mum chewing my ear off." I tell her as my mouth straightens out. That was not a fun experience unlike what I was doing now. And all because Vadei wasn't home for dinner...
"Did something happen?" the tailed woman asks as she stands up with her flower.
"Your mum is worried about you, so go back home and declare your return before I have to hear another series of shouts." I rumble out of my throat as my annoyance makes itself known.
"Okay, and, Nin." Vadei said as she walked by before she suddenly hugged me.
"There, there?" I said in some confusion as I wasn't expecting the sudden hug.
"Thank you for the help you have given me other the past year." she quietly says against my chest as her tail curls up around us. She didn't even react to my hand gently touching the soft fur. And, I was annoyed by my body once again. Because the carapace that covered my appendages blocked most of the soft fur.
"Don't worry about it, Vadei. Friends are meant to be there for each other." I tell her while trying to figure out what to do with Larishazza. She was squished right between us two right now.
"Keep still, it's soft." she orders with a relaxed sigh as she moves away from me and towards the tail. But, Vadei quickly brought it away from her and swung it around to my other side.
"My tail." I teased to the friend in my arm while the other arm held the tail. Larishazza pouted while Vadei blushed and smiled.
"But, yeah, I best get going. Is there a path I can walk down?" Vadei spoke as she began to move away. But, first, I put Larishazza down and beckoned her towards Vadei.
"Yeah, it's not hidden or anything but it might be a bit stoney."
"That's fine, see you later." Vadei said with a cheerful wave as she disappeared from our sight with Larishazza slowly limping after her.
"See ya," I wave back before turning to Einervaene, "she's certainly in a better mood." I comment as I properly take in the way Vadei had acted. She was no longer crying, sad, or foul of mood. Well, she might still be bothered, but, it was showing a lot less now.
"She has been since we got that flower." Einervaene explains as she walks up to me and takes my arm. A blissful sigh comes from her as she likely does something to annoy Liada. How did I know this? She was growling.
"So she is coming to terms with what has happened? Gotten all of her despair out and all that?" I ask my friend who gives me a peculiar look before she looks down.
She then looks back up quickly, "It appears so. But, even if it hasn't and this is only a temporary thing... I promise her that I will be there for her every step of the way. Which is a little hyperbolic, I know..." she sweetly says before she ruins it with pedanticism.
"Shh, I get it." I chuckle as my closest thumb claw covers her soft lips. Something she kisses as a strange joke. A joke she kept on giggling at before I shook my head as I looked away.
"Would you like to keep practising your magic, then? Maybe I can help as I can actually use it." Einervaene offers before she speaks loudly on the finishing details.
"You're not as unique as you think you are, Human!" Liada points out angrily as she storms out with her talisman glowing.
"A toy?" Einervaene scoffs with a giggle as the taller, bustier woman finally towers over her.
"Damn you Motrtha..." I laugh out quietly as I looked at my left wrist. Yet, I was forced to also keep an eye on these two to make sure nothing came of this. But, it seemed that Liada's bodily size intimidated Einervaene out of her prior behaviour. After that, Liada backed down too, happy with what she had achieved.
But, my efforts to heal her have led to the gap between her and the other one going down. No longer were her breasts so gigantic in comparison to Einervaene's. However, that did not mean they were matched. It was clear who still had the larger body.
"So how badly did your travels exhaust you?" I then asked Einervaene as I calmly snatched a breast into my grip. Something that shocked her red, gave me a tingling feeling and got Liada stern gazed. But, I wasn't doing this for perverted reasons, oh no! Liada had actually taught me something with her body and healing process.
Magic pooled naturally into a woman's chest for one reason or another. So, it was like if I wanted to check an arcane pulse. Just put a claw onto their breasts and you can get an idea. And in the currently assailed woman's case, she was running low.
"A l-little warning next time..." Einervaene complained as she lingered a hand near the touched boob.
"Warning? Ha, you were begging for that kind of attention back on the airship."
"That was in the privacy of a bedroom!" she contested
"It was on an overcrowded piece of metal." I pointed out.
"Be quiet..." she then mumbled as she struggled between being a well-raised lady or a swooning girl.
"So, anyway, magic. As you're running low, I take it we'll just be looking at mine?" I ask as the claw I have been using moved about.
"I can still discuss what I want to try and do with my magic." Einervaene clarified as she sat down on a rock I hadn't destroyed. Or maybe I did and it was just a finer shaped chunk of stone?
"Let's discuss it, then." I say as I drop down onto the floor with a loud thud. Quickly leaning back onto my claws once I had landed on the ground.
"W-Well... Um... We... I don't know where to start." she stuttered nervously before she started to laugh it out.
"Okay... Your lightning bolt spell, any ideas with that?" I ask her, starting with the first spell she ever showed us. And, frankly, the more I thought about it, the funnier it was. Her entrance back in Tryhpeltzweig was not indicative of a lady at all. But, maybe all that muck she had on her made her forget!
"Well, I've been thinking about it a lot, my fight with Salahma and... No, just Salahma." she starts to say before she loses track of it. Had she fought someone other than Salahma? Must've been a while ago, then.
"You went into her mouth, yes." I pointed out with a smile as I remembered it quite vividly. Both because I was happy to see that vile monster die, but, also, it was quite a way to die. Einervaene was forcing herself down her throat using that sulphuric smoke breath of hers... It was a gruesome way to die, regardless of what she was.
"I was thinking more so about the moments of the fight that kept us outside." she clarified for me even though I felt like it was clear it was a jokish answer.
"You'll have to explain then, I was inside." I joked.
"Well, before she brought the fight back inside, I kept changing into a bolt and back to normal. And, I've been thinking about..."
"How to keep the process going without turning back to normal?"
"No, I was thinking how I could keep the spell going while staying me, if that makes sense." she said rather confusingly. That spell required her to become a lightning bolt, no? How would she do anything like it if she stayed herself? That seems to be a rather drastic change to the spell.
Actually, it was its own spell altogether, "I'm not following."
"Alright, let me see if I can explain this..." Einervaene began to say as her fingers drummed along the frame of her outfit.
"Perhaps what you are looking for is a means to keep some of yourself away from the rest of yourself so you can bounce between two points?" Liada offered up in a rather calm tone given who she was speaking to.
"I don't think it is possible to have myself in two places at once."
"Well, that is what that suit of yours does, no? Keep yourself in two spots?" Liada asked, making it clear where she was coming from.
"No, the frame in this outfit just allows me to contain my magic into this form." Einervaene clarified verbally before she gave a physical demonstration of the spell it let her do.
And, that got me curious, "Have you ever tried that spell without the frame?" I then asked her.
"No, because originally, it was just a means to stop myself from being pulled apart above the cloudline." Einervaene told me as she gave the clouds above a relaxing smile.
"So is there no way for this frame of yours to be adapted into a more useful piece of equipment? It was clearly made rather hastily." Liada says as she lingers her gaze on the various pieces of copper.
"I probably could change it if I went to the maker of it, but, I would need to then figure out what I want it to do. I made this outfit with the mountain problem in mind. The spell came about as a happy accident."
"Oh, what about if you only turned part of yourself into lightning, like, keep some of your clothes around?" I suddenly asked as I started thinking of her boots being left around.
"How would that help?" the wearer of said boots questioned in confusion.
"Well, it anchors you to a stop to go up and down on?"
"That's stupid." Einervaene dismissively says to me before she suddenly gets worried when she realises the tone she used.
"No, he might have a point, just not in that context." Liada suddenly adds as she uses her talisman. As such, we had two barriers appear. One on the ground and one somewhat in the sky. Regardless, she had an area set out for her upcoming demonstration.
"If you have the means to focus your magic on one spot, you could leave it there and go into the sky and then go back to it continuously." Liada explains as she has her fingers touch the higher one at different spots. All while always going to the centre of the bottom one.
"So I would say, plant a staff into the earth and treat it as a lightning rod?"
"If a fight is what you are speaking about, perhaps something smaller?" Liada pointed out as her hand went to her chin. And, I could see why, I couldn't think of anything that could be used like that either. A staff seemed like the only viable option unless Einervaene wanted to do something else?
"It would need to be an exceptionally strong material, then, something small won't handle the magic well. It's why staves are the standard for witches globally if they are casting complex spells. It lets them slide some of the burden off of their body and into another item."
"Heh." I suddenly let out as I remembered my first use of magic with Rose. Trying to sort out a staff of my own from those many, many branches I snapped off.
"Then, perhaps find a way to only transform part of yourself into lightning? Let yourself be the anchor alongside a staff."
"Or... I could focus myself through one with additions in it that allow me to control how far I let myself go through it!" Einervaene lets out all of a sudden as she jumps to her feet.
"So, what, stick a chain on a stick?" I ask with a bemused huff as I watched Einervaene get excited by her revelation.
"I'm sure the boys at Mechanical House can figure it out better." she says with a shrug.
"Okay, then. That's one spell, what about the other one?" I ask as I wanted to see a little more of this Einervaene. She was bemusing to be around as well.
"I think that's enough idea think ups, for now. If I overwhelm myself with ideas, I won't ever get a new spell to take shape."
"That's fair, before I started to use magic, I noticed I spent more time thinking on it a lot of the time."
"You're doing quite well despite the handicap!" she then compliments me with as she smiles.
"I've... Had a lot of encouragement." I let out in a way that was likely to be misunderstood. She might take it as that she has been there for me and helped. But, rather, I was talking more so about the various conditions I have been subjected to. Everytime I get into a near-death, or, in one case, a post-death occasion...
I want to try and make this new power of mine work. And while it has been more than a year since my time on the mountain. I still felt odd whenever I actively thought about it. I've spent so long just imagining magic being a thing rather than experiencing it.
People like Larishazza, Einervaene, Rose, Vadei, Vapooliar. Anyone I've met, really who uses magic. It's always been a thing for them. And, with Vadei's recent words, it becomes clearer how out of place I am.
Even if she is wrong, that my former life as just a simple low-skill artisan had no part in this. That my recent developments in magic were not a result of it. But, rather, something else I just can't quite figure out... I still did not belong here.
Yet, now I knew for certain that I had to make myself a place in this land. Thankfully, as well, the hard parts of my current body were over. My friends were fully aware of what I was and they chose to ignore it. I had people I could walk side-by-side with as I found myself a new place.
"So, anyway, Nin." Einervaene began to say.
"Hm?"
"Given that we... Failed in our task, would now be a good chance to ask for some details on how you want your new outfit to be?" she finished as the heel of one of her boots went into the dirt. And as she fidgeted, I watched her shoes dig up the earth below.
"I haven't really thought about it. I don't think I'd have any ideas to offer, anyway. Last time I wore something that wasn't bandages and that cloak Liada is now wearing, I was in prisoners attire." I joked as I thought back to an uncomfortable time. Yet, it was the day it ended I was able to focus on more now. Or, maybe that was just my brain getting sick of horrible thoughts.
"Well, I assume you'd want something like that anyway." she says as her head tilts to the side.
"Oddly enough, I like the bandages to some extent. But, they can be a frustrating thing to deal with. So maybe a top or shirt of some kind for my middle at the least?" I put forth as Liada sits down between us. Her crimson hair was soon around my claws as I moved to stroke it.
"Okay, thank you. I'll see what I can do." she says as she moves closer as well to get my other claw occupied. And, despite how easy it was to crush both their skulls. They still bickered down below.
"On the topic of clothes, however. How are yours holding up?" I said before looking down at my red-skinned friend.
"They're sufficient for the moment." Liada answers with a rather unimpressed tone as she delicately clutched my old hat.
"Does this mean I can have it back?" I asked teasingly as I slipped two claw tips on the hat to pinch it away. Smiling alongside Einervaene's giggles as Liada hopped up to protect the hat.
"No... It's mine..." she says aggressively before settling back down.
"Well, that's enough lounging about here. We should be going." I tell the pair as I begin to move towards the path Vadei and Larishazza took. Leaving them both disappointed as it meant I was no longer soothing their scalps with affection.
"What are we going to do, then? We went out here because there was nothing back there." Liada reminds me as she crosses her arms and raises a brow. And I turn and raise an arm while making a noise.
"Well, I'll probably be smoothing design details out with Einervaene as my new outfit is sort of a priority here. You, however... I'll get back to you on that." I explain before I lose track of my thoughts at the end.
"I've no complaints." Einervaene comments as she smiles during her catch-up skip.
"I'm not standing around as the human makes clothes." Liada complains as she follows us.
"I don't think I said you have to stand around." I tell her as I walk backwards. And I quickly decided not to as my feet were not flexible.
"Well, what else am I going to do? You were very insistent on us at least trying to get the grieving one to come along. So that means I can't familiarise myself with the technology on the airship."
"I did, however, say, not to fly it. I don't see how that means you can't do anything else."
"Because everything else works in tandem with its core purpose, small brain!" Liada barks in frustration as she walks ahead. Yet, the way her tail rubbed on me as she did so indicated other things.
"Why not help Vadei's village get back in shape, then? You like to do practical labour. There's a source of practical labour."
"Fine..." she lets out in disappointment.
"That's that sorted, then. So, Nin, how would you like to do this?" Einervaene asks as she leans in closer.