Chapter 205 – Steps On the Long Path

It turned out the ‘bit of fun’ had to wait; they first had to acquire a tri-point meter, which took longer than any of them anticipated. While a carriage full of servants was borrowing one from one of the private academies in the city, Gabriel took the time to review the menu and made some suggestions to the building’s chief chef. Having thoroughly annoyed the kitchens, they started compiling lists of places they’d searched throughout the loops and what they’d found, ranging from geographic features to which libraries they’d ransacked.

When the tri-point meter finally arrived, Mirian was glad to take a break from the drudgery. However, when she inspected the basement of the tower, she frowned. “The stone isn’t thick enough. We should do it outside of town.” That statement seemed to delight Gabriel. So next, they acquired a map, and Mirian found an abandoned quarry they could use.

They hired a carriage. Mirian gave an impromptu lecture on artificing as she fixed up the tri-point meter. “They have to use special ones for testing archmages, but adding a few extra conduits and replacing the energy divination glyphs is simple enough, just remember you’re introducing five new flux glyphs so you need to add three pairs of static glyphs along the secondary axis. Gabriel, don’t pretend to snore, you need to know this sort of thing. I need leyline detector data in Urubandar and Alatishad at the start of the cycle; there’s a southern anomaly in the energy gradient my equations can’t account for.”

“How do you keep it all in your head?” he asked.

“Practice,” Mirian lied. “And imagination. I match memories with statues and features of the Mausoleum of the Ominian. Then, I always have a connection to the thing I need to remember.”

“Clever,” Liuan said. “I used my father’s house.”

Gabriel made a face. “You’re using memory tricks?”

Once they’d disembarked, they had to shoo away the servants. “Yes, we’ll be safe, darlings,” Gabriel told them. “Go have lunch at the inn we passed on the way here.”

They waited a bit, then levitated down into the quarry. That means Liuan Var can hit at least 70 myr, she thought. It was probably higher, but that established a baseline of competency she couldn’t hide.

“Liuan, you’re first up,” she announced.

“I thought we were just measuring hers. I don’t have a combat wand,” she said.

“Terrible excuses. Here you are,” Gabriel said, handing her his own searing fire wand. It was the same one he always carried, which meant it was probably easy to acquire.

“Wand design is a limiting factor in maximum energy output—”

“Then bring your own wand the next time we do this. Go ahead.”

Liuan sighed, then set up by the tri-point meter. She took aim at the quarry wall, and then a gout of flame burst out, flashing bright in the midday sun.

“82 myr,” Gabriel announced. To Mirian he asked, “Are you in the camp that thinks anyone can become an archmage with enough practice, or the side that thinks only rare individuals can accomplish the status?”

Mirian didn’t have a good answer for that. “I don’t know yet. No matter what, practice can drastically improve your capability. But then, certain people like to practice more than others. I find it satisfying. Others find it excruciating. But was that taught, or something inherent to their birth? I don’t have any particular insights into the philosophers that study the issue, though I suspect I don’t possess any inherent traits. I tested at 36 myr near the start of this all.”

Gabriel whistled. “Well, my turn.” He took the wand from Liuan, then strode up to the detector.

Mirian watched as he casually let out a cone of fire. “74 myr. But you weren’t even trying. Come on,” she said.

He flashed her a grin. “That was a test to see if you’re learning to catch lies. The worst lies aren’t always said with words.” This time, he lowered the wand and spent some time in the aiming pose. Flames erupted again, this time, significantly brighter and hotter. The black scorch marks on the quarry wall grew larger.

“87 myr,” Liuan said.

“Care to try to beat that?”

“No,” she replied. “Mirian’s turn. You want the wand?”

“I’ll use my spellbook, thank you. That thing isn’t using a double-conduit, so it’d break. You’ll both want to stand back. A bit further. A bit further. A bit—there, that’s fine.” As she approached the tri-point meter, soulbound spellbook in hand, she considered her fellow Prophets. With a proper wand, Gabriel might be able to hit 90 myr, but he’s liable to panic in a fight. He can’t consistently output that kind of spellpower, or the fight with the bandits would have been a lot closer. Liuan might be weaker, but there was a shorter delay between setup and spell, meaning she’s probably the better combat mage. Also, I think she’s more competent with soul magic by far.

Then she cleared her mind, taking a deep breath. Most of the time in combat, she was holding back so she wouldn’t burn so much mana, and because she needed tight control on her mana flows to cast simultaneous or quickened spells. Still, she’d been practicing for maximum spellpower, and she’d always had a competitive urge. Better to show them this, instead of the secrets that matter most, she reassured herself.

She closed her eyes and continued her deep breathing. She saw the Ominian sitting on Their throne. She tapped into the titan catalyst and her auric mana began to stir. Usually, she cast almost immediately, but now, she let it swirl and gather. She concentrated it into a single stream, holding it at ready. She prepared to take soul energy from her repositories and converted it to mana. With the right timing, the overall power of the spell would be increased. She opened her eyes.

Mirian cast.

The noon sun was bright, but the greater lightning that erupted from her was brighter. The bolt roared, the thunder echoing throughout the quarry. She saw the lightning had taken on a violet hue before it blinded her. The ground shook. She cut the spell after only a few seconds.

The bolt had sent fissures through the rock, all of which glowed molten. A large face of the rock wall had collapsed. Along the sandy floor of the quarry, fulgurite had formed where smaller forks had spalled off the main bolt. The air smelled of ozone and ash.

Gabriel took a moment to find his words. Finally, he said, “God’s fucking blood.” He looked at Mirian, then at the detector, then back at Mirian. “134 myr,” he said.

Liuan didn’t say anything. Her gaze was just fixed on the quarry wall, watching the stone as it cooled.

“So that’s how,” Gabriel said.

***

The rest of their Council was not nearly as dramatic. Gabriel had servants bring them maps of every city they’d visited. They set about applying the lists of places they’d explored already to the map, covering them in annotations and notes. Mirian only held back what she considered critical information. She noted most of what she’d found in the Grand Sanctum, but noted the Holy Pages and Sword of the Fourth Prophet as missing, instead of the state she’d actually found them in. She omitted the Prophet’s letter she’d found in a secret room, mostly so that none of them would get too interested in the Sanctum. She assumed the others were holding back their own information too.

Stolen novel; please report.

Despite all they’d learned and all the places they’d visited, the task before them was onerous. There were dozens of universities and academies that the three of them had barely touched, including Vadriach University.

“Good reason to get that Jherica fellow up and in fighting shape,” Gabriel said. His jovial mood had faded after the spellpower tests in the quarry, but had now returned. “They’re a professor of something, right? Ought to give us a head start on that place.”

Liuan was being coy about Ferrabridge, which hinted to Mirian that was where she started the loops. She knew Arborholm well, though, which meant she’d figured out how to operate right under Troytin’s nose back when he was still in the loops.

They made lists of archives and libraries, divided them up by who would explore them, and then set about memorizing them. And Mirian did memorize them instead of writing them down, mostly because her soulbound pages were already crammed full of information and a few more names and locations wouldn’t be too much of a bother.

Next, they pulled out the larger maps of the continents.

“No one’s been out to Tlaxhucao?” Gabriel asked.

Liuan said, “No. And their relationship with Akana Praediar is… poor. I could infiltrate, but getting useful information might take dozens of cycles as I evaded a bunch of grumpy nagual.”

“What’s a nagual?”