Blades, Mages & Revolvers 2
The cab driver sat on a bench outside the busy train station, idly puffing on his pipe while he ruminated. This was either going to be a fantastic day or a terrible one, no chance of anything in between but it’d been out of his control. When a giant, magical lady presses a large amount of money into your hands and tells you to wait here while she borrows your vehicle, you thanked her and got the bleeding hell out of her way.
His mam hadn’t raised an idiot after all.
He was hoping for a positive outcome, but she’d been gone a while now and the sun was starting to dip. He wondered if she knew how to drive a combustion engine car given she was probably used to operating something that was mana powered. Magic cars, insofar as he understood anything magic, partially operated on the principle of a mage using their intent to shape how reality worked to drive the vehicle. They believed the car should move, so the engine turned and the car moved because reality was more of a series of suggestions than laws to a mage.
He really hoped his cab wasn’t plowed into a ditch somewhere because the mage had thought about slowing down instead of actually pressing the brakes.
Fortunately his faith was rewarded as a taxi came to a stop at the front of the cab rank, parked at an awkward angle and cutting the lead vehicle off. There were angry shouts and jeering calls until the mage he’d met earlier stepped out, followed by another one in full armour.
Everyone else went back to minding their own business at that point.
The mages hauled several bags out of the vehicle, thanked him, then headed into the station. A quick inspection showed nothing out of order, and the cab driver’s day returned to normal.
—------------
“Really, Blanche? ‘His Majesty the King thanks you for your contribution to the war effort’ was laying it on a bit thick.” Milly’s complaints were muffled coming from inside her helm.
“You’re right, I just wanted to drive a car and that was an easy way to get one.”
“And invoking royalty, couldn’t that get us in trouble?”
“Plausible deniability in case he complained to the crushers I’d stolen it.”
“Crushers?”
“I’ve changed my mind, you can keep the helmet off so I can hear you. I forgot how basic state sponsored gear is.”
“Gods, that’s a ripping relief.” Milly said gratefully, stowing the offending gear back in her bag. “What’re crushers?”
“The police, law enforcement, the good old implicit violence of the ruling class.”
“Oh you mean coppers.”
“Whatever the kids are calling them these days.”
“That’s what my parents call them!”
“Sponge, I’m old enough to be your great grandmother. I’m closing in on my first century, you’re all kids to me.”
Milly just threw her hands up in surrender and turned to study a map of the railway line.
“You said we’re headed to Stotham, right?”
“Yes, once we reach Stotham we’ll join one of the convoys headed to a fort bordering the Weald. We’ll use that as a base to hunt in the forest.”
“Canning is on this route, my family lives there.” Milly said, pointing at a stop on the route. “Is there any chance we can visit them on the way? I sent a letter but if there’s any chance I can see them before the fighting starts, please? It’d mean a lot to them.”
“Yes, yes, we’ve got enough of a lead we can spare a few days with your folks.” Blanche waved Milly’s concerns away. “I’m not that much of a hardarse I’d say no to seeing your mum and dad. We were going to do a few days of training at the fort before heading into the Weald anyway, we can do that at your family’s home instead.”
Blanche led the way through the station. Despite it being crowded by pedestrians coming and going they didn’t need to force their way through as the commuters naturally gave way to the pair of mages. The interior was loud, steam whistles echoing off the enclosed train shed with the last rays of daylight streaming through the glass roof. Blanche led them towards the train at the last platform.
“Blanche! Don’t we need tickets?” Milly shouted above the noise.
“If we were riding as normal passengers, yes.” Blanche said, motioning to the first class sitting cars near the end of the carriage rake. “But we’re going to take advantage of some unwritten rules. Routes that run near dangerous locations such as the Weald or the Shallow Sea will normally include paid guards. Foreign mages that travel will often exchange their services to protect these.”
They passed the first class cars, and the mail car behind it. Stopping in front of the guard van at the end of the rake.
“This line isn’t one that normally needs extra guards, we’ll be changing lines to actually head towards the Weald itself, but it’s an informal rule in most places that we ride for free if we offer protection. Nobody says no to free mage security.”
“What if we rob the train though? Seems a bit rash to invite someone covered in weapons you don’t know aboard.”
“Look, common sense. Nobody is going to let a Drowner on board, but if one of those slaving pirates was actually wandering around on land the nearest authority would be contacting someone like me to come stick their head on a pike. We could rob this train, but why would we? Petty crime is the purview of the desperate, which we are not. We’re mages, I’m old and wealthy and you will be too with time.”
The guard van was a standard model with a small covered platform at the front where the handbrake was located. The rear behind the guard’s compartment stretched out into an open platform. Blanche stepped up to the door and knocked on it. A guard opened it and looked the pair up and down.
“Coming aboard, ma’am?”
“Yes, making our way to Stotham.”
“Excellent. I’m John, my partner’s inside. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll just let the driver know we have security travelling with us.” John stepped out and headed down the platform to the front of the train. The pair of mages ducked through the doorway into the carriage, inside was another guard heating a kettle on a small stove. He waved a greeting, speaking with the thick accent of northern Orlens.
“‘Name’s Arthur. Ah’ll be wi’ ye on the overnight leg.”
Blanche nodded and introduced them then took Milly out the rear door to the open part of the carriage.
“What’s this platform used for?” Milly asked
“Transporting golems any of the mages aboard are traveling with, sometimes heavy guns if there’s no mage protection attached and the train is traveling near wyvern territory. Big scaly buggers will try dive a train from behind so it’s the best place for a mage or a gunner to knock them down from. But we’re getting distracted from what I wanted to show you though.”
Blanche pointed to several metal lugs around the edge of the platform.
“Safety check. We’re going to be traveling at speed. Sponge, what do you never do on a high speed vehicle?”
Milly thought for a bit, she’d rarely been allowed off academy grounds over the last decade so much of this was unfamiliar. Blanche created a large barrier covering one side of the carriage, it was clearly a hint. Milly focused and dove into her mage sight, her eyes flashed and the world faded into black. Kineograph images of Blanche’s aura, blazing in power, came to her. Next to Blanche she could perceive the barrier, it was only draining a small portion of Blanche’s power to stay active and was heavily obscured by Blanche’s overwhelming arcane presence this close in proximity. Nevertheless Milly could still recognise that its spatial orientation was anchored to something below it.
“Ohhh, I think I remember being told not to anchor large barriers to myself?”
“That’s right, make a big barrier when the train is moving fast and it’ll be like a big sail and rip you right off the train.” Blanche winked at Milly. “One kid I taught was a twat so I let him remember that lesson the hard way. Took him two hours to get to the next station on foot”
“That sounds mildly dangerous.” Milly reproached, but she couldn’t help chuckling all the same.
“Pffff, I made sure he put his armour on first, it was fine.” Blanche waved the concern away. “Anyway, that’s what these big metal things are for. They’re part of the carriage frame so if you need to cover our position they’re safe to anchor the barriers to. Won’t need to for this trip, but keep it in mind for later.”
“Already had enough cardio for today so I definitely won’t be making that mistake.”
“Hah true enough! Come on, let’s get settled in. You can have a break for now but we’ll do some more drills once we clear the city.”
They moved back into the van compartment. Arthur was still the only occupant and was busy heating a kettle over a small coal stove.
“Tea?” He offered.
Blanche declined but Milly took a cup.
“Thanks.” She said, sniffing it. “Dwarvish?”
Arthur snorted. “O’ course, Songze tea is watery grass clippin’s.”
“Good man!” Blanche said and tossed Milly a small tin of biscuits. Popping it open, she shared the shortbread with Arthur.
“I have to say, this is nice.” Milly said taking a sip
“Ye’re welcome, mah wife picked it.”
“I meant you.”
“Sorry lass, Ah jist said Ah’m taken. Wee bairns an’ all.”
“No! I meant you treating us normally. Everyone else has been avoiding us.”
“Oh, dinnae take that personal. That’s jist common sense. Noble families run thick wi’ magic an’ mages. Approaching one o’ ye casual like is riskin’ trouble normal folk dinnae want.”
“You’re not worried about that trouble then?”
“Nae Ah give fancy nobles their proper berth, but their sort would never be caught deid in the guard van wi’ me. We only get the reasonable kind o’ mage like yerself back ‘ere.” Arthur smiled and sipped his tea. “Southerners have rubbed aff on you a bit but Ah can still hear the northie in yer accent. Bet your mam an’ da are common stock from the north like me.”
“Half right, my mam is. The family lives in Canning and we’re on the way to visit them. You?”
“Godmouth. Originally, anyway. Moved the family sooth away from the coast when Ah could. Close call one raiding season an’ that was enough o’ a warnin’ tae get the hells oot o’ there.”
There was a shrill steam whistle blast. Arthur finished his tea and stood up.
“Ah’d best make mahself useful an’ help John secure aw the doors. Back in a jiffy.”
The last passengers were swiftly loaded and final departure preparations made, the guards signaled the all clear and reentered the last van in the rake. The train puffed as it headed out of the station and picked up speed. Out the window, the busy centre of Penter gave way to an industrial scene which gradually morphed into the residences of the working class and then the slums of the desperate and hopeful on the outskirts of the city. As the slums thinned out into countryside Blanche motioned for Milly to join her outside again. The sun was almost completely below the horizon at this point.
“Alright back to it, let’s make the most of what time we’ve got. Offensive magic, what did you study?” Blanche raised her voice to be heard over the wind whipping past them.
“Major in offensive and general telekinetics, minor in pyrokinetics. I haven’t focused on learning elemental magecraft much, I was waiting until I graduated to incorporate electrokinetics because it’s restricted to study without direct supervision from a preceptor.”
“For good reason, hard to control and a lot of potential for collateral damage when you’re unskilled in it. I’ll give you the quick and dirty version when we reach the Weald and don’t have to worry about you zapping something you shouldn’t. You will absolutely need to master the basics of defending against it before you hit the battlefield.” Blanche faced the direction they’d come from. Milly felt the temperature drop as Blanche formed a large ball of ice in her hand.
“Pyrokinetics are simple enough that even the worst mage understands them on a conceptual level, so I’ll trust you can adequately light things on fire. Telekinetic mastery on the other hand makes the difference between a good duelist and a master. I’m going to throw these and I want to see you hit them with a force bolt.”
“Getting a bit dark now for target practice isn’t it?”
The ice began to glow.
“Behold true mastery of the arcane.” Blanche said dryly then tossed the chunk of ice into the air.
Milly pointed a hand at the arcing object and a swift pair of cracks followed. The ball of ice shattered mid air, struck by an invisible force.
“Nice shot but try that again without the somatic reinforcement.” Blanche said, forming another ball and tossing it.
Milly squinted at the flying target, but kept her arm down this time. This time the crack of the bolt took longer to sound and it missed the target.
“Again.” Blanche ordered, throwing a third ball.
Another crack, another miss.
“Again.”
Crack. Miss.
“Again.”
This time the ice shattered.
“Bleeding hells, it’s a lot harder to aim like that when we’re moving this fast.”
“It absolutely is, but the skill is important to develop. Mastering telekinetics will give you a third limb in a fight. You need to be able to strike, block, and cast all at the same moment. From now on no more somatic reinforcement. Talbot said you’re talented, but your performance was measured against your peers.”
Blanche tossed three targets into the air and shattered them simultaneously. “We can’t have you found wanting when you fight some old battleaxe like me.”
“Point taken.” Milly grimaced. “Ok, hit me with another.”
Blanche continued to toss the icy targets into the air. Milly doggedly kept at the practice, still missing more often than not. Blanche eventually called an end to the drill when it was clear her protege was beginning to suffer from overtaxing her mind, her reactions had grown sluggish and the pain of a growing headache was apparent.
They rejoined John and Arthur inside. Blanche produced more ice, wrapped it in a sailor’s neckerchief and handed it to Milly who groaned a thanks, pressing it to her forehead. John was fiddling with a pipe and tobacco. There was a click as he snapped his fingers and a small flame appeared in his hand. He lit his pipe as Milly straightened with interest.
“You’re a mage?”
“Flicker.” Blanche corrected.
“Bleedin’ showaff is whit he is. Dinnae think Ah dinnae ken why ye took so long tae light that. Mister Magic Fingers has been waitin’ all night tae impress the lassies.” Arthur heckled.
John rolled his eyes. “Look it’s an icebreaker, I don’t get to talk shop often with people who have actual schooling. So you know, a little demonstration and then I read the room. If you talk, we talk. If you don’t, then I don’t bother you.”
“I can’t see your aura.” Milly said, deep in her mage sight.
Milly looked at Blanche for confirmation, she nodded.
“That’s why they’re called flickers, auras barely show up as a flicker when you’re looking for them. He’s a late bloomer. Remember the constant conditioning you did through body enhancement for the first several years at the academy?”
“Yeah, pushing ourselves physically while deepening the connection to the veil. Deeper connection, draw more mana from the other side of the veil, which fuels a bigger aura to manifest stronger magic with.”
“Well that doesn’t work when you’re older, not quickly anyway. That’s why you were pushed until you dropped every single day. John, when did you first manifest a connection to the veil?”
“Seventeen.”
“The progress you made in your first year alone would probably take someone awakening that late their entire extended life time to accomplish. Any magic they cast is limited in power, they don’t have enough power to drive a golem, any formations inscribed for imbuements fade after ten-days rather than decades. Most nations don’t see them as a worthwhile resource to cultivate.”
Blanche gave John an apologetic look. “No offense.”
“None taken, all I do is a parlour trick.”
“Here, play with this.” Blanche handed John a gauntlet she’d fished out of her bag.
“You won’t be able to activate the barrier on it, you don’t have enough power. But you can still use what aura you’ve got to feel the formation.”
“Oh, I see. I feel like… I’m being told… No, I need to stop?”
“Not you specifically. That imbuement forms a barrier, they stop things.” Blanche motioned to Milly who powered the barrier on her clam gauntlet helpfully.
“Magic is the change you force on the world. That particular one is designed to stop things, it creates something that shouldn’t exist to stop things that do exist. That intent was burned into the imbuements as part of creating them, so you can feel it when you touch it with your aura. Just keep playing with that and just focus on the feeling you’re getting from it. Meditate on that for long enough and you might be able to replicate a weaker version of it eventually. Barriers are a branch of telekinetics, get your foot in the door and you’ll probably be able to muddle your way into telekinesis and other fun tricks on your own.”
“You learned this way as well?” John said, glancing at Milly.
Milly shrugged.
“Magic works because I believe it. I want it to work, I believe it works, so it changes what’s real to match what I believe.”
John snapped a small flame into existence again. “That’s what I’m doing, really?”
“Broad strokes, yeah, that’s more or less it. You’ve got a connection to some arcane juice and you’re crazy enough to believe you can make fire. You were probably staring into a fire or something similar when you first managed it, right?” Blanche said.
“Not quite, I was trying to light the stove and couldn’t get the damn match to strike properly. I was hungry, and I was steaming mad after I broke the last match. I started cursing the cheap things and then the next thing I knew the tinder in the stove caught fire.”
“Fire’s an easy one, everybody understands fire. You know what fire is and you know what you want it to do, burn something. That’s the other reason we try to get them as young and stupid as possible.” Blanche said, pointing at Milly. “The believing part comes easy for kids and becomes second nature.”
Blanche imitated John and snapped her fingers.
“This makes it easier, right?”
“Yes I don’t need to focus as hard and it feels natural to me.”
“You’re mimicking a lighter. That’s somatic reinforcement and it works even if you don’t understand what you’re doing. When you’re trying to make your first barrier try holding your hand out like you’re stopping something. You can also add verbal reinforcement, barriers aren’t exactly a subtle spell so being loud, firm, and shouting something like ‘block’ or ‘stop’ will probably help you.”
“Ok I’ll try that. I’ve never heard a mage ever cast something out loud though.”
“It’s considered a sign of poor ability in the craft and a weak mind. Getting stuck using verbal reinforcement for anything meant getting bullied relentlessly by classmates.” Milly shook her head then caught herself. “Uh, not that you should be bullied for doing it.”
“So whit even is this mana?” Arthur changed the subject, his own curiosity roused.
Blanche just shrugged.
“Buggered if I know. There’s more theories than you can poke a stick at, mostly driven by egos and delusions of grandeur. More than one religion believes it’s the manifestation of divine will, a last gift from the gods before they left us. Meanwhile the Thaumaturgic Circle Society believes there’s a dead monster on the other side of the Veil leaking through. Naturally the former schools of thought are not friendly with the latter. As for me, I don’t read enough books to worry about any of that. I kill things, and I teach kids how not to get killed by things they should be killing.”
“Ye’re a born scrappy lass then aye?”
“I was a scrappy runt of a kid, stayed scrappy but stopped being a runt!”
“Is this common?” Milly cut in pointing at John, gauntlet in hand and a constipated expression as he focused on the imbuements.
“No, Sponge, most of my students don’t look like they’re taking a shit when they learn magic.”
“Oh come off it, I mean flickers. I was under the impression late awakenings are rare, like with witches.”
“They’re the same thing just called different names depending who you ask and no, it’s not exactly common. Although, it’s not really rare either anymore.”
“Anymore?”
“The number of people manifesting a late connection to the Veil is increasing. Not rapidly, but it has been noticeable over time. I was a decade older than you before I met my first flicker. Now if I search in a busy public place I can usually see at least one when I’m using the sight. They’re still difficult to actually perceive because their aura is so damn faint, but I know how to focus for them now.”
“Huh, I wonder why that is.”
“The amount of mana passively leaking through the veil is slowly increasing, and it’s causing, and I quote, ‘cascading cumulative consequences.’”
“You’re awfully certain for a topic that doesn’t involve violence.” Milly said, suspicious.
“Talbot’s fault. He’s a rambly drinker with a passion for history and I like the man enough to drink with him on occasion even though he’ll talk your damn ear off. He’s from an old line of mages and learned from some great great great something or other ancient relative. Apparently back in their day deep water trade with other continents was common, no leviathans eating boats that stray from the coast.”
“Really?”
“Apparently they just didn’t exist if you can believe that. The forests around the Leyline mountains were a fraction of the size back then and weren't called the Weald either. Probably on account of not shitting out weird horrors to harass the local countryside on a regular basis.”
“Ah’m gonnae tell this story at the pub an’ nae bugger’s gonnae believe me.” Arthur complained.
The conversation wound down a short while later as John and Arthur left to check tickets. Milly stared out the window for a while. It was too dark to see anything but perfect for contemplation. The day had been a whirlwind of activity and Blanche had kept her busy, but now her mind was free to wander and Milly was starting to get a growing sense of unease.
“Blanche, I feel weird.”
“Shit, I don’t have a bucket. Lean out the window if you’re gonna be sick.”
“I’m not ill! I’m just concerned. It feels like there’s a lot of things I should know like all this business of traveling on the trains for free and flickers but don’t because I’ve spent almost my entire life inside the academy. I get that we’re kept on campus for protection but it still feels like I may have missed out on so much of… everything I guess?”
Blanche blew out a long sigh.
“Sharp enough to feel your gut but too naive to trust it. Look, it’s true you were significantly safer under constant guard, most nations wouldn’t think twice about giving the go ahead to…. you know.”
She punctuated the point by drawing a finger across her throat.
“Taking you out before you can become a national asset is dirty business but it’s what happens given the chance. But it’s also a convenient coincidence for the people in charge, probably why nobody hashes out a treaty to knock that shit off. We, and I do mean we as it happened to me too, grow up as a bunch of mushrooms by design.”
Milly gave her a quizzical look. Blanche sighed again.
“Alright you definitely wouldn’t have heard that one, that’s my fault. We’re kept in the dark and fed shit. Like a mushroom, get it? It’s deliberate. You never wondered why there’s not a single noble or second generation mage student at the ‘Royal’ academy?”
“I just assumed they were getting personal tutoring so they could make sure all their family secrets stay that way.”
“That’s another happy coincidence but anyone could learn family secrets in their own time. No, the kingdom really wants to have as many proper mages as possible because we’re valuable assets. That means training anyone they can, not just keeping it within their established bloodlines. But at the same time the people who run the nation, these families, really don’t want a bunch of extremely dangerous commoners becoming a threat to their control. They want soldiers, not peer competition. So we spend our childhood training to fight, growing stronger, learning how to wrangle as much magic as possible to be as useful as possible. We don’t learn about culture, politics, life skills or anything that’s useful in the real world.”
Milly’s mouth had gone into the small ‘oh’ of enlightenment, the dots were starting to connect for her.
“Is this why we were never taught fine aura control for crafting imbuements, or anything at all?”
“Exactly, that’s kept in the hands of the people who are in control. They want the academy to produce soldiers. They want you forever relying on them for your armour, weapons, or any arcane conveniences. It’s not illegal for you to do any of it yourself of course, you’re a mage very little is off limits. But it’s a very difficult area of study and needs extreme technical skill to produce good quality imbued equipment though. It’s very unlikely anyone who isn’t directly tutored in the skill will ever be significant competition.”
Milly was headed towards her second existential crisis for the day as Blanche continued.
“It used to be a lot, and I really do mean a lot, worse. The post graduation apprenticeships under preceptors were used to groom any especially talented individuals and either fold them directly into a family, often through marriage, or to leash them with golden chains.” Blanche’s voice dripped with distaste.
“Thank the useless fucking gods Talbot put a stop to that well before I had to go through it. He’s got some odd hang ups but I trust him to do right by people as best he can.”
“How’d he manage that, did he use his family’s connections?”
“Hah! No, they disowned him. Absolutely furious. The whole reason he was finessed into control of the academy was to give them direct influence over the system and he ruined that. No he was smart and used equal parts strongarm tactics and politics. He quietly cultivated enough students with a sympathetic vision which in time became alumni that were willing to back him by blade if necessary. He had a significant power bloc behind him before anyone realised what he was up to.”
Blanche’s feral grin came back. “He told me they tried to oust him from control once before realising how many full warmages were willing to draw steel over it. Even generations later there’s still plenty of new blood like myself that’ll gladly fight to keep Talbot in control of the academy.”
“And the politics?”
“He was smart enough to make concessions. He lets the old blood dictate what gets directly taught as part of the curriculum and almost never interferes there, so we still grow up as mushrooms and they get mages primed as soldiers, but he’s taken an iron grip over who acts as a preceptor. He only picks people he trusts are going to help reintegrate you into society without being swindled. If there wasn’t a damn war on really most of what I’d be doing with you is just acting as a guide while you experienced how the real world works. Also teaching you the arts of navigating noble wankers.”
Blanche made a retching noise which got Milly to chuckle.
“At the end of the day Talbot has his line in the sand, and it’s clear that his ambitions begin and end with the academy. His actual direct threat to the established powers is minimal as long as they don’t poke the bear. Might be a bit of a scuffle when he finally picks someone to succeed him though but I’m sure he’ll be ready for it.”
“Would you do it?”
“Nyehhh… maybe?” Blanche wiggled her hand undecidedly. “It’d piss off all the right people which would tickle my heart but it’d tie me down. I really do like being a preceptor. I get to show off all my tricks to you kids and forgive me for being a sap but watching you all experience the real world, all the good and the shit parts of it, for the first time never stops being its own kind of magic.”
“Glad someone’s looking out for me, Blanche. These last few days have been an awful suspense and I’ve still got no idea what to expect, but you’re making it feel like I’ll be able to get through it. So cheers for that I guess.”
“You’re going to have a lot of questions. Ask them, it’s not your fault you don’t know the answer and guiding you is the reason I do this. Here’s an easy tip though, things are going to be hectic for quite some time so take advantage of any chance you get to rest.”
Blanche punctuated this advice by tossing a bag to Milly. It’d been a long day and she realised Blanche’s constant tests had run her ragged both physically and mentally. She looked around, then shrugged and stretched out on the floor using the bag as a makeshift pillow. Thankfully the heavy gambeson was providing some padding against the thick plate armour and while awkward, with exhaustion setting in it wasn’t impossible to drift off to sleep.
Milly woke to Blanche kicking her and the sound of gunshots.