Mined Games chapter 10

I grunted out a pained exhalation as I dropped the pickaxe, walking over to slump against the wall. I’d been using the one from the second floor, which was a sturdy steel model, rather than the iron pick that had been on the rack on the first floor.

Unscrewing a vial of stamina slop, I grimaced as I forced it down my throat, feeling my sore muscles flood with energy. They still hurt, but they were full of energy at least. It was a strange and not at all entertaining experience, but it was the best way to get results.

The more damaged my muscles, the faster my body drank in the mana. The damage tricked them into thinking they were empty, causing my body to go into a starvation state. Grunting again, I adjusted my hands in my gloves before picking the pickaxe back up.

With a long sigh, I got back to work, slamming the pick into the rocks over and over until the ore ended up in my inventory. I glanced over at the elevator to make sure I hadn’t been imagining things, but when I confirmed my fears I winced and got back to work.

One platinum. I’d never even SEEN a platinum. A hundred gold was an absurd amount of money. A million copper. One single coin was worth more than most clans had in their entire treasuries.

Based on the fine print on the bottom, a hundred gold was also acceptable, which was…good. Because I couldn’t get a platinum coin in this city. But still. It had taken me a week to get as close as I was. With all my expenses and the necessity of buying new mana tinged ore, as well as the occasional mana stone to work on my hammering technique, I was only at fifty gold total.

That included the combined silver and copper too. This was getting much more expensive, and I was going to need more money soon. Especially since I’d recently found out that the Blacksmith Guild had open enrollment once a month. Much more often than the mage’s tower, and I was determined to get into the next one.

I worked for another hour or two to finish off the day and burn off the slop, bringing my total gold up to sixty three, though I was sure it would drop again soon, and stumbled over to the elevator to make my way up to the mana condenser. Climbing in, I groaned in relief at being able to relax, though the mana didn’t actually help me heal. It only took a few minutes to finish, and I climbed out, looking over my body to check my progress.

Silver veins spiderwebbed down my arms and across my chest, showing how much of the second circle I’d already gotten through, somewhere around sixty percent. It was slowing down, which I’d known. Taking a sip of healing potion I groaned again, this time in joy, as all the pain melted away, and I walked out into the shop to shower.

If I wanted to get into the Blacksmith’s Guild, I’d need to be an Apprentice, no two ways about it. They wouldn’t take in an acolyte who couldn’t use his mana for anything. Once I hit apprentice they would be dying to take me in, but in order to get there I needed to go faster, which means I needed actual mana stones to fuel the condenser, not just tainted ore.

I looked at the two attempts at daggers I’d tried making. Fire and wind. Both of them too low in Form and Saturation to be considered even tier one magic tools. Sighing, I left them in my inventory and finished getting dressed before heading out to Selton’s Apothecary. I’d promised Tara I’d visit more after getting so lost in my training, and she would tear me a new asshole if I didn’t follow through.

When I entered, I was greeted by the same cheerful hello, as well as an echoing hello from further into the shop. Turning to see who it was, I laughed as Tara’s mother Olivia swept me into a hug. “Caleb!” The older woman beamed. “You’re back again? Tara told me that you just visited the other day. You’d better watch out, you keep coming around and I might think you’re getting ideas about Tara.”

I put on a sorrowful expression. “You’ve figured out my terrible secret. But alas, it isn’t Tara that keeps me coming back. Sadly what I want most can never be.”

She rolled her eyes at me. “Please, if you were interested in me you’d actually work when you showed up here instead of loafing around infecting my daughter with your hooligan ways. My girl knows the value of hard work, you hear? Don’t give her any bad habits.” She bumped me with a hip as she strolled off into the aisles, still talking as she vanished into the shelves of the shop.

“I’ll have you know that doing nothing as often as I do is VERY hard work.” I protested. “Besides, I learned all my bad habits from her.” Olivia laughed from the other side of the shop, but didn’t respond, and I smirked, turning to see Tara glaring at me.

At my innocent expression she rolled her own eyes. “MUST you flirt with my mother? You only feed her ego. Not that she needs it.”

I just shrugged. “She thinks it’s cute, and it makes her day better. Besides she knows I don’t mean anything by it. She looks just like you, but hotter. Which is an instant dealbreaker for me. We’ve been friends so long you’re basically a sexless blob to me.”

“Thanks.” She drawled acidically, her eyes narrowed. But I could see a smirk tugging at her lips. Tara and I were had absolutely zero romantic inclinations toward each other. We’d tried kissing once when we were fourteen, and the only result had been a hurtful insistence that I needed to use stronger tooth cleansing paste.

I slumped down on a stool next to the counter and let my head slump onto the hard wood tiredly. “So, how goes your prep for the mage’s tower?” I paused. “Actually HOW do you prepare for the mage’s tower recruitment. None of you can use magic. Is it just stockpiling potions and magic items?”

She rolled her eyes. “How do you not know this? There is a practical test done on an obstacle course for basic fitness, but most of the testing is scholastic. We have to take a number of timed quizzes, first on general knowledge, and then on knowledge they’ll pass out when we actually take the test for us to memorize, so they can see how quick our minds work.”

“So…anyone above the twelfth circle is a shoe in?” Twelfth circle was condensing mana in the brain. It was the last step before the final circle of the Acolyte rank, where mana was condensed in the heart.

“Obviously.” She snorted. “Anyone that close to Apprentice at our age is considered a genius. But yes, assuming they actually had to test, the mana condensation in their brain would enhance their mental faculties. I’m surprised you don’t know this. I mean, I haven’t talked about it since I started preparing but…I’d have thought you’d have looked into it.”

I chuckled, ignoring her sad expression. “I wouldn’t have any reason to, Tee. With mana sensitivity like mine I’d have better luck jumping off a cliff and hoping I spontaneously learned to fly.” She wilted, obviously ashamed to have brought it up, but I just grinned at her. “Besides, I have other plans.”

Her solemn expression morphed into one of exasperation. “Ah, your mysterious project. The one that lets you progress so quickly and bring me expensive knives. You’re lucky I didn’t show THAT to my mother. Those jokes about use dating would turn serious real fast if she found out you’re giving me expensive mana alloy weapons.”

I shrugged. “So don’t tell her. Or do. A few jokes won’t kill us, even if she means them. But yes, my project. I really can’t talk about it yet. But I can tell you that I got a new formula.” I’d made the executive decision to let that slip to explain away my meteoric rise. Well…a very slow meteor. Still, it was just vague enough to be an explanation.

Sure enough, her face took on a knowing expression and she slapped the counter. “Hah! I knew it. You’re moving way too fast. It must be pretty refined, and probably a simple mana type. Still, if it works I’m happy for you Cale. I know how much not keeping up has cost you.”

Of course she wouldn’t ask about it. Firstly, asking details about another person’s formula was rude. Riley questioning me on the ship had been something of a test, and he’d made sure to drill into me after that I should never give any more details about my formula than necessary to anyone. Mana type was fine, but any other factor was no one’s business. Secondly, she associated my poor sensitivity with a hard time in my life and wouldn’t want to bring it up.

I was glad I could get away with not explaining, but I also felt like shit for using her guilt to distract her, so I decided to distract myself from my own guilt by changing the subject. “So…what kind of practice quizzes have you been taking?”

Her eyes lit up, and it surprised me how excited she seemed to share her studies. She must really love magic. I wondered how much of that she’d been keeping away from me so I didn’t need to feel bad. “Oh the basics. The key linkages needed to make spell constructs, the major mana types and their opposites. Not to mention my lessons with mom on what herbs I need to know for my alchemist training.”

I nodded. Olivia was…passionate, about alchemy. The Selton clan were life mages, and they were the best alchemists in the city. Olivia was the current matriarch of the Edgebank branch (not that it was very big) and was determined for her daughter to inherit that mantle, which meant going into alchemy.

Not that Tara minded. She liked alchemy well enough, and never complained. I’d even tried studying with her a time or two, but I had absolutely no interest in plants. I didn’t need to know what went into potions, only what end of the bottle to tip down my throat.

She chattered on for another hour or two about practice tests she’d taken and how some of the trick questions had gotten her at first, but she was pretty sure she had them licked now, and I smiled widely as I listened to my best friend share her enthusiasm with me. I didn’t much care about the actual academic stuff, but seeing Tara so happy…that was wonderful.

It was like me making progress and getting stronger had brought down this wall between us. Like this whole subject we’d never been able to talk about because of my deficiency was on the table, and now that I had a future, had options, she was willing to share her love of that stuff with me.

When I finally said goodbye, I turned to head out of the store, and caught Olivia looking at me as I exited. She had a soft smile on her face, and I could tell she’d seen the change in Tara just as much as I had. She waved goodbye, and I returned it, in a fantastic mood as I made my way home.

Pushing open the door to the shop, I headed back into the apartment to get something to eat, and stopped in my tracks when I saw my old man sitting at the table, looking amused. “So,” Said my dad. “I found out the funniest thing today. Apparently we’ve been closed most of the week. That’s news to me. I’m excited to hear the reason why. I’m sure it must be something important.” Ah damn. I’d forgotten the first rule of being me. If you’re having a good day, hide.