A few hours passed, and the banquet in the mountain with them. Adam and the rest of his companions went outside the dingy halls, carved in rock, together, arriving in the midday sun.
Adam, Max, Sylvia and Cynthia were walking towards the inner wall's gates when the mage in an arctic-blue robe started the conversation.
"So, what assignments did you get? I will become a junior emissary, under senior Algier." He proudly announced.
"The advanced wind mage? I heard he can fly."Cynthia responded dreamingly.
"He told me so, but I won't believe it until I see with my own eyes," Adam commented.
"There is no reason not to believe, his fame flies high, so high that even my dad praised him a few times," Max said.
"He did seem trustworthy," Sylvia admitted, remembering Algier's face ever lit with emotions. He just had no ability to hide his thoughts.
"Okay, okay... he does fly. What about your assignments?" Adam admitted his wrong, after being forced into a corner by his companions.
"Dad returned, so I will be his apprentice. So, we will probably be helping with cultivating the fields in the valley. Those that existed are destroyed beyond reason, and even if they were still present, we would have much more to make to keep the population fed." Cynthia explained. As a nature mage, it was obvious she would be an exaggerated gardener.
Normally, mages proficient in enhancing plant life, or creating entirely new flora would charge hefty sums for their services. Even wandering apprentices, low in realm and skill, charged their customers - though not as brutally as their seniors, their services were affordable for nearly anyone.
But now, the Kingdom was in a perilous state, there was no arable land, far too little living space, food was becoming scarce and diseases spread. So, to hastily raise the state of the state, the King issued an order changing the politics of the kingdom.
Some people in the far south have special names for types of nations, authoritarian, absolute, communist, capitalistic, democratic,- that's only a few of them. Normally, Derdania would be categorised as an absolutist-capitalistic kingdom - The King had all the power, all decisions could be vetoed by him, and all land was his. Virtually, the only thing keeping the king from taking a horse from some random merchant was his own ethics, and maybe fear of rebellion. Nobles had some say, and if united could force the king into action, but that's it. This is the absolutist part, and that didn't change.
What did change, was the capitalistic part. Before, money was second under the king, you could buy virtually anything - from real estate - through armour and animals - to services. You could become wealthy, and fall into utter poverty.
The king didn't confiscate the belongings of people who had them, that would stir too much chaos and wouldn't be economically good in the long term. What the monarch did, was render them useless for the time being.
For now, the food was rationed by royal officials, no one could buy or sell land, and no one could generate profit from essential services such as food, medicine and housing -they all were under the king's iron hand.
the people who worked in these industries were employed by the monarch and would be released from the service only after the kingdom regained its footing, and competition became more economically viable than kingdom-mandated standard prices.
"What? Did that shock you three?" Cynthia asked, after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Oh?" Adam snapped out of his stupor.
"So, how about you? probably something more official, administrative?" The nature witch turned towards Max, avoiding Adam's dumb look.
"You guessed quite right. But that's something you will probably hear for the first time, as the plans haven't been completed yet." Max stopped to pat Parcas's head, which peaked out of Adam's pocket. "as you probably know, The Fortress, or rather Breakwater City, is too small to accommodate the whole population. And there are only three Towns viable for reconstruction in the valley - still too little space.
As such, the Royal Council decided to build a massive city from the ground up. Not only would that solve the overpopulation problem but also the city could be designed in whatever way we imagine, not repaired from rubble like the towns.
I will be my dad's assistant. Also, I heard they plan to make him a Grand Duke and oversee the project from the top while Dukes will govern halves of the city." Max ended his explanation as they arrived near the edge of the balcony of the top square, where they sat down on a bench.
"Wow! That's exciting! Where will the city be located? The valley is too small to house residents of another two cities, apart from Breakwater and the towns." Adam referred to the capitals of dukedoms, two other cities besides the capital that existed in the old Derdania. The math added up so the valley would house its old residents - citadel and towns in the highland - and residents of the capital and the few scarce towns who evacuated, like Ferston. Of course, it was only mathematical, in reality, the new city would be a mix of people from different places in the old Derdania, just like Breakwater City.
"You know that there is a passage to the south, through the Fire Mountains right? It's the reason for the citadel's existence" Max started.
His companions, sitting on the bench side to side with him, nodded.
"So, while near us the passage is narrow and dangerous, when you travel down south you will gradually go down, eventually arriving at a place where the path becomes wider and enters a valley surrounded by mountains. Much more surrounded than the highland we are currently on, as the mountains are all around it, for days of travel.
There, the city will be located.
At first, forests just outside the mountains in the south were considered, but the valley is much easier to defend, and will make the expansion south go smoothly." Max explained. It seemed that for a while, Derdania, or rather New Derdania, would be a mountainous kingdom - located in the valleys surrounded by high peaks.
"Expansion south? So that's where the next settlements will be built?" Adam inquired, having caught on a piece of information from his friend's explanation.
"Yes, while the new city would make accommodating all the citizens possible, it would not be efficient, and we would still lack food. Towns must be created in the south to build farmlands." Answered the metal mage.
"Why not north? The water will fall in a few months and I am sure that the southern towns will not be created until then." Adam asked.
"The north is useless, barren land. Here, in the highland, we need the nature mages just to make cultivating corps possible, imagine what efforts we would have to put in to recover lands covered in water for more than double the time." Deep regret and frustration were heard in Max's voice, as he talked of their ancestral lands so unfavourably.
Silence fell on the group, as they thought about their lost homes, and lost comrades.
While Watt returned safely from his escapade, Adam still lost a friend due to the wave. During the month they stayed in the citadel after the initial adrenaline and fear subsided, Adam started to search for his childhood friend - Ethan Venator.
The hotheaded youth was very unlucky, he decided to join a merchant's caravan as a guard - just a week before the second sun arrived.
Searching for adventure, maybe after being inspired by Adam, he died in vain, without a purpose or reason.
The only thing Adam could do was hope that his friend died quickly, without pain.
The young mage knew it wasn't his fault, that he wasn't responsible for Ethan's decisions or his life. Yet, he felt horrible - not only would his friend survive, given that Adam had invited him to go with him to the capital, but he also didn't search for him immediately after arriving in the citadel. Only after a few days passed, while he play with magic like a child with a new toy.
Regaining his composure, Adam tried to move the conversation forward.
"What about you, Sylvia?" She was the last one to tell them about her future. Maybe because in the Ned, she declined Adam's offer to teach her. She trusted him, but not enough to base her future on his techniques, unproven and used only by him- someone vastly more talented than her.
" About a week ago, I asked the king to help me in choosing my master. In the end, I need one - I'm not like you, Adam." She looked at him, with some regret and maybe a bit apologetically. To which he replied with an understanding expression, partially skewed by the corrosive thoughts filling him a few moments before. "And the king did as I asked. I will be an apprentice under Fither Burnborn. He is an advanced mage and a forgemaster at that." Sylvia explained.
"Whoa…" Max explained.
Cynthia also seemed astonished by the revelation, her eyes opened wide, and her jaw dropped a little.
"Just to be sure, forgemasters are very famous smiths, right? Or something more?" Adam, ever-clueless about the higher society, asked with an unsure expression.
"More, it's like if you said that swordmasters are 'just' good warriors." Answered Sylvia sharply. She was offended by Adam's lack of knowledge concerning her future profession- just like an apprentice to be should.
"In terms of wealth and prestige - it's the best what a fire mage can become," Cynthia added, proud of her friend.
"If that's the case..., congratulations!" Adam said unsurely, he still knew nothing about the trade, but further questions would only bring him more shame.
"So, what do you plan for the rest of the day? I was thinking about creating a spell for continuous whirlwind- and try to fly, before making a list of things I need to take on the journey." Adam swiftly changed the subject.
"Also, do you think I should take this little guy with me?" He pointed at the small beast hiding in his pocket.
"I would," Sylvia answered the second question. "I don't see a reason why should you not take him with you. Maybe apart from being separated from his mother - but that's a minor thing and it would happen eventually."
"It's an animal- there is no reason it should leave its master," Max added his piece, quite ruthlessly.
Cynthia didn't follow the trend and answered the first question instead.
"I will probably go outside the citadel- see the wetland and what I will be dealing with. Also, when you test that rune of yours - do it there, otherwise you will at least break a bone." She advised.
"Oh, nice idea - I will keep that in mind," Adam responded happily, they forgot about his blunder.
The conversation went smoothly, but soon - they went their ways.
Adam towards the tower, to try his best at flying.
Cynthia headed down, with the gate as a destination.
Sylvia went sideways - towards her future master's forge, she had to greet him and satisfy her curiosity about him. A long list of questions lingered in her mind.
Max was the only one tuning around, as he went back to the main hold, to find his father.
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The rune was simple yet elegant, shining in the blue confines of the icy plate. It was a variation on Adam's earlier rune - [Sway] which was his second creation after figuring out the way to imbue his will into blood.
While the first version looked like three wavy strings fluttering on the wind, this one featured them encased in a circle - a rule of sorts.
To fight against cofusion, and ease the recolection of his runes, Adam decided that if something is repeatable, or apliable in other spells - he will mark all of them the same.
Encasing in a circle- meant that the spell was continuous. In other words, it siphoned mana out of him until he broke the connection.
None of his earlier spells were continuous, and their runes remained the same.
[Shield] gathered an amount of mana and created a barrier out of it - which broke with a somewhat major impact so it was not economical to pour mana into it all the time, the result wouldn't change.
[Icicle] is a combat-related spell - making a projectile to throw telekinetically at the opponent - continuous flow would be stupid as it would only make the ice grow bigger endlessly.
[Sway] was like his older brother- one, explosive burst of wind, throwing opponents off their feet. The continuous flow would only make the rune generate another [Sway] just after releasing the earlier one - which could be good but wasn't really practical.
That leaves [Freeze] which is a combination of [Sway] and [Icicle], and that should tell enough of a story.
[Constant Gust]- As Adam decided to name his newest spell- was a totally different story. The only things that mattered in it, were power and continuity.
The rune was etched in the ice- now came the bloodletting.
Adam focused on the blood in his index finger and willed his mana to move there - like he was about to cast [Constant Gust]. That was the way he found to enrich the mana with his will - he acted as if he was about to cast the spell he wanted to make a rune of.
Blood spilled, and the rune was soon filled to the brim.
After marking his forehead, and connecting himself with the rune, Adam started to chant.
"May the Blood recognise [Constant Gust]!" His voice felt like a drum - filled with power and authority just like the King's in the morning.
"As Blood flows, Mana remembers." He finished.
Now, Adam's arsenal was composed of five runes, alongside its spoken/thought counterparts.
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Thinking about it - why did Adam need to create a rune? Couldn't he just use the spell?
He could, and he still can. But the thing is, that if he used a spell - it would be much weaker and would drain him faster.
The weird thing about runes, the ones created with mana, levitating in the air- is that they all seem to be part of the arcane element as if they were made of pure mana. Regardless if they are a firestorm or a brick creation rune.
Adam found out about that way before Max reached the peak, and was able to ascend, so he had plenty of time to think about it and decide whatever that fact may convince him to make his core artibuteless- or rather arcane-attuned.
After much consideration, he did exactly that.
That's why, while standing in the open air before the citadel and wetting his socks in the muddy earth, Adam created runes under his palms, facing the ground.
Soon, two circles with waves inside them appeared - green in colour, yet still arcane.
The young mage took a deep breath - and activated the runes.
Mana poured out of him fast- the fastest it has ever had, as a whirlwind gathered under him.
The wind hit the ground, picking up the mud and sending it flying metres in the air. But Adam didn't move.
The mage increased the output, siphoning his reserves even faster than before.
Nothing happened.
Frustrated, Adam gave his all - blood started to drip from his fingertips, as the mana tore them open escaping his body - his attributeless core was emptier every second.
And nothing happened.
Having eventually given up, Adam severed his connection to the runes and tried it with spells.
But the results haven't changed.
The wind roared, throwing the damp ground around and making deep cuts in the earth, but it didn't move Adam by a centimetre.
Finally, he understood- his spells didn't have an anchor, no backbone to support itself. Adam was throwing a rock at his feet - expecting it to push him from the ground.
In a distance, among various flowers, Cynthia stood and laughed - at her friend's miserable attempts at flying.
She probably expected the result, as she looked with satisfaction at Adam who tried to take the mud off his clothes- without success.