79 Lightning in a Bottle
1548 Words
Their expeditions had paid off tremendously. They were planned not only to use the energy surges in Lakeside but everywhere else that they discovered during this search. This could be something they could install around the whole village. The obvious applications would be to create a lighting system, where they could illuminate the whole village during the night as well as create a communication system using lights as signals for the bordering outposts. This would make the jobs of the scouts and guards much easier.
Elder Frugarth also mentioned the possibility of creating weapons from these energies.
"If you'd allow me, Prince Janus." Aiden said. "I'd like to stay longer to pursue this project. This is a discovery I've been waiting my whole life to be a part of. No one in the College of Whisperwind could ever dream of this possibility. There's a lot of resources that I'm gonna need but this should yield a huge payoff in the long run. Imagine a village where lights didn't have to be powered by candlelight. Street lamps that guards don't need to manually operate. The possibilities are endless!"
The light filled Aiden's eyes as if he was illuminated by the same imaginings he envisioned.
Teeko and Halbur harbored doubts of this dream, saying that they needed to study more about it first. But Janus didn't have to imagine things. He had lived in a world that was run by electricity, in a life that felt like ages ago.
Adduk was quiet and nonchalant, as he always tends to do while fiddling bits of metal and inspecting the light in the bottle as it flickered and blinked. The Elder dwarf nodded and smoked his pipe.
Aiden didn't need to tell Janus twice.
"Of course, it would be my pleasure to have you. Are the studio quarters to your liking? I'll designate that as a place specifically for you and your research."
"About that..." Aiden said, sharing a look with Cornelia.
"I've already made blueprints for the structure, but we were also hoping this building could also be a place where we could train novice magicians. If exposure to the area has a way to expand Haruna's arcane blocks, then we plan to spend most of our time and studies situated on top of the lake. It would be a challenge erecting a structure in the middle of the water, but I have consulted Adduk and the builders. And this is what we came up with."
Aiden unrolled the parchment from his satchel and sprawled it unto the table.
It was a thing of beauty, written with several hands.
At its base was a wooden bridge, serving as the foundational structure that extended to the middle of the Lake, where the concentration of arcane power was at its strongest. There a collection of metal rods would be installed to the lake bed while a large crystal orb of gems and metal rods would be erected upwards to the sky. Around it was a spiral of rooms that could serve as research areas as well as a makeshift school for magicians. It looked like a magical spire that Janus only imagined from his fantasy books.
"All of these are tentative of course. It's still up to you."
"So you've integrated a school inside of this. Who's gonna be teaching?" he asked.
Aiden and Cornelia looked at each other.
"Well, there's Nelia and Haruna for now. But we figured we could contact some of the other mages we know. We're not the only ones shunned by the Colleges. There are Victario and Hoodlum and Opanye..."
While Aiden was listing names in his head, Janus looked towards Cornelia who was blushing.
"What?" she asked.
"So you're staying as well?"
"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do. And besides, I'm helping Haruna take care of her block remember? Might as well continue on with my training and chores while I'm here. Oh, and Lysie is presumably staying as well. We can't even catch sight of her. If she's not at the barracks, then she's at the taverns doing Almighty knows what."
Janus smiled.
"I had a pretty good idea that all of your friends would want to stay, but I wasn't sure about you. It's nice to know that you've had a liking to living here as well."
Cornelia glared. "What exactly are you saying?"
Heat emanated from the table. Sweat flared and converged in Janus' being.
"Nothing. It's my pleasure to have you here. You can have all the sweet potatoes you want."
"Good." She said.
After their discussions, they all retired for the night. Janus still had one more thing to do. Master Roban was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and in his head another plan was brewing.
#
"Your Highness, Galedon has been kinder to us today. I've paid our levies on tax. No word from the King. I assume there isn't any trouble. We're doing quite well on our payments. Other than that, our sweet potatoes are a hit to the townsfolk, and the noblemen and merchants alike are ordering more for the next trip." The merchant said.
"That's great Master Roban, but I'm afraid we'll have to delay Galedon for a while. We're going to the North with the Stingers next. I'm coming with you. Have you met our new citizens? Let me introduce you to the Whiskers, our latest regiment. Get acquainted. You'll be working with them closely from now on."
Janus figured that since the trip to Gaddi was very productive, he planned to accompany the next trade with the Stingers in person.
The trade caravan was larger than usual, with a surplus of sweet potatoes on stockpile. Master Nikolai's crops were flourishing quite well, and the other farmers had since adopted the crop as their primary produce. They were swimming in so many sweet potatoes that they had to leverage these in trades quickly before they turned bad.
Members of the Whiskers were disguised as merchants and wagon drivers, servants and handmaids for the Prince himself. As he was included in the trip, it was easy to find places for them.
Skeeter's work was so discreet that after their briefing, he was having a hard time finding the goblin among the crowd. Gragosh had described the goblin leader as too overly cautious that he would be practically invisible if he didn't want to be seen.
Along with them were the usual workers who worked on the roads, as well as a few bodyguards and knights. Yvaine, Cornelia, Haruna, and Lysie were on the largest carriage, serving as extra security while also surveying for arcane anomalies on the north side.
The trip towards the Stinger's Barracks was uneventful, the only encounters they found were overgrown wild boars and the usual critters on the forest, which they hunted and added into their stew.
When they arrived, the Barracks loomed before them in hundreds of tents. It wasn't a singular structure, instead what met him was a multitude of warcamps that were seemingly propped up in the middle of the forest. Men and women were mingling together in tight troops which displayed supreme discipline and devotion to their training. No one paid them to mind as they moved in. Cadets were doing their exercises in the yard with extreme precision.
Soldiers held a myriad of weapons, from spears to greatswords and great axes. There were also siege engines in the corners of the camps. Vines had grown around them but they still looked ready for battle.
Being a Stinger was no joke. On the way to the encampment, they had spotted a few corpses and skeletons on the ground. Roban's mercenaries mentioned that this was the extend of the harshness of their training. When you were signed with the Stingers, you either rise to the top or perish in the process. There was no middle ground.
From what little Janus saw of their training, he could see that this army's training rivaled that of Sir Arthan's Flames but without the harshness. There were rumors that they had torture chambers that were built underground. Cadets had to endure these beatings before they were accepted at initiates. The next phase involved being thrown out in expeditions in the Forest of Mist.
Master Roban said that there was a Palace further north, but he wasn't allowed to visit, and instead was only received in a different encampment every time he arrived.
They were given the same treatment this time around. The Stingers were clearly hiding something from them.
They stayed and made camp at the edge of the territory. With only a few select men and women allowed to come through. Master Roban was admitted at first, but when the Commander learned of the presence of Prince Janus and Princes Yvaine of Galedon, they were immediately summoned.
They stepped forward into the camp but they were stopped at the entrance of the commander's tent.
"Commander Kierka ordered for the Prince only." Said a stern guard whose jaw must have been made of stone.
Yvaine protested. "I'm Wayward Home's chief diplomat. I should be allowed to get inside."
"The Commander's words are absolute. If I am to oppose her word, my head would be on a spike before you could even be thrown out." The guard pointed to the direction behind them.
He was pointing at a collection of shrunken heads on top of spikes. It was displayed at the center of camp, a warning sign for cadets to know their place.
Janus nodded to her sister and came in alone.
- Writer
