World Sphere - 60 - Training at Twin Rocks

Chapter 60: Training at Twin Rocks

As the skyship settled into the docks, I could see my large warehouse. The damaged sections had been completely repaired. I paused. The color of the stone was not very appealing, gray with splotches of black. It was probably many types of stone magically fused.

“Is the painter going to meet us?”  I asked Isla. She paused next to me.

“Yes, he should be inside now. A few panels that he had prepared have arrived, and I think he is anxious to get started,” she said, confused as to what I was staring at.

“Good. I’ll wait here. Go and bring him up to the platform,” I said, settling onto the rail. She looked like she was about to question me—or object—but thought better of it and simply nodded.

The skyship landing platforms stood about twenty feet high, towering just beyond the edge of my warehouse. Between the two lay a broad stone plaza, roughly 150 feet wide, offering an uninterrupted stretch of space. It turned the warehouse’s side wall into a vast, flat canvas—ripe with possibility.

From where I stood, the right side would eventually be fitted with windows once renovations began on the planned apartments. But the left side… that was something else entirely. It was perfect for a mural. Not just any mural—a massive one. A hundred feet long, forty feet high. Maybe not a traditional billboard, but something bold, something unforgettable. My imagination was already running wild with color and shapes when Isla returned, accompanied by a man.

“Tatem Inkshear,” he said with a bow.

I recognized him immediately—he’d sold me the printing plates. Middle-aged, with ink-stained fingers and an uncertain smile, he looked slightly uneasy. Maybe he thought I’d changed my mind.

“So you won’t have any issues with the 14’ high paintings?” I asked, and he quickly affirmed they were not an issue. I gestured to the blank side of the warehouse. “I want the entire exterior of the warehouse painted white. But the left half, I indicated, I want a massive mural 100’ long and 40’ high.” His eyes popped. 

“I...that....it is possible....what do you want the mural to be of?” he asked, dazed, and he was now also staring at the warehouse.

“I think a dungeon-delving team fighting a twelve-headed hydra,” I looked at him as he processed my request. The hydra had been my favorite plate. It was a ten-headed hydra, and each head was doing something different.

“So, the entire left side....” he mumbled to himself. 

“Tatem, you can hire other painters for the unimportant parts, but your skill will be important in the detail of the hydra and adventurers,” I said. “We also need the name of the restaurant clearly written on the right side somewhere in massive script. The Shiny Platinum.” I finished and waited on him to process.

“I need the stone made flat. I think the mage working inside could use his skill to flatten and harden the stone to a polished finish,” he was nodding to himself. “Maybe five months with help....” he guessed on how long it would take. I looked at Isla, who had a stunned look.

“I can talk with the stone mage in the reconstruction team.” She was paging through her folio. She looked at the side of the warehouse and then the paper. “I think the mage would charge around 80 gold to refinish the left side of the wall and prep it for Tatem,” she finally answered.

“The whole warehouse. Not just where the painting will be. Could the mage do it in white stone? That way we can save on painting the building white,” I said thoughtfully. She scrunched her face in thought.

“I don’t think so. The white stone would have to be quarried in a dungeon. It would cost twice as much,” she tabulated on a piece of paper. “Maybe 1,000 gold for the entire building.” She imagined the change. “But the white stone is glossy and would add a nice aesthetic to the building. Do you think Callem would spend so much on the exterior?” Isla asked, thinking it a waste, but seeing my vision.

I nodded in affirmation, “I will convince him. Can you seal the hydra mural when it is done so it doesn’t fade with time, Tatem?”

Brought back into the conversation, the painter answered quickly, “Yes, I can use permanency paints and coat it with a clear protective coat. Just starting at the magnitude of the project...I can make the adventurers life-size....people can walk up and stand next to them....then look up at the massive beast...I will do it for free. I mean, I will do it for the cost of materials. I have to do this,” his eagerness coated his voice.

I understood his desire. “I’m glad to hear it. I hope you make it your masterpiece, but please finish the 23 panels inside first. Isla said you have sketches?” I asked, but he seemed distracted. I could see his eyes were imagining the future mural.

“Yes,” he finally said, and we made our way inside. A few men were bringing in wheelbarrows of stone, and a mage was casting a spell, causing the stone to melt together and flow to the ceiling to create support columns for the future floor above. The mage mesmerized me while he worked, even though I could do the same with metal. I interrupted him, and he was briefly annoyed until he found out I was the one paying him.

We quickly entered a conversation talking about his craft. The stone spell he was using was a tier 2 spell that he had leveled up to 16. He had been doing construction for 11 years and had been trained at the Mage Academy on the capital island. He wasn’t skilled enough to work in the capital, but his team was considered the best in Aegis City. 

We talked about my idea for coating the warehouse’s exterior in a white stone that could be painted. Tatem joined the conversation as we zeroed in on the perfect stone facade for beauty and paintability. Isla waited patiently as we finished. Then Tatem took me to a table with his sketches.

Many of the actions and poses resembled the plates I already had. His memory clicked, and he recalled selling me the 69 plates. “Isla, a woman’s input would be appreciated here,” I said, dragging her into the decision-making process. She was briefly shocked before she joined us with a small smile.

Isla’s biggest contribution was changing some of the female monsters to male. The naga and rakshasa were switched to male, and the ogre received a noticeable bulge added to his loincloth. We still had a variety of feminine monsters: medusa, harpy, succubus, lamia, and vampire.

The remaining monsters were large beasts. Isla was also tasked with deciding where each individual panel would be placed on the walls. She seemed to revel in my trust in her opinion. My enthusiastic artist, Tatem, went home to create new sketches for final approval. I informed that she could approve the final portraits without me, stunning her again.

I spent time with Isla touring the completed section. The warehouse/ hanger was completed, but they were still working on the massive doors. I noticed the guards she had hired were just milling about in the corner by crates of copper bars and some furniture that had arrived already.

“So, are you going to hire a metal mage to make your copper pipes?” Isla asked as we passed the guards.

“No, I am working on imprinting a metal-shaping spell,” I said without breaking stride as we walked the building.

“That would be impressive. I heard metal spells are difficult to obtain and even more difficult to learn,” her tone was filled with praise. Looking at her, she definitely had developed some adoration toward me. 

“It will take some time, but I hope to imprint before the end of the first year of the academy. It is going to make my enchanting work go much faster, since I plan to do most of the artificing work in this building myself. Her eyes widened at my statement, but we moved into the area where the kitchens and ovens were to be located.

I spent an hour exploring the kitchens and rearranging the layout while Isla took notes. When we finished, we went to the merchant quarter of the city to eat at a nice restaurant.

Isla looked guilty as she talked. “Storme, I wanted to apologize for sharing my work with Loriel. I promise it will not happen again. Loriel asked...” I stopped herby raising my hand.

My tone was slightly harsh. “Learn to separate your friendships from your work. You underestimated me because I am young. You do good work, but I cannot tolerate people in my employ going behind my back.” My tone made her cringe slightly, as I had been so amicable all day. She just nodded submissively.

As we were eating, Isla spoke, “I….I want you to know that Loriel plans to talk with two friends of yours….Leda and Cilia. She is planning to get them to help crew her personal skyship. Those in line for the house seat are entitled to seven personal crew from the navy ranks if they have a skyship.” In telling me this, it was a sign she was perhaps swaying away from Loriel’s camp to mine. Or this could be a setup with both of them fabricating this scenario to get me to trust Isla more.

I hadn’t paused in my eating as she informed me. I was acting unconcerned, but was wondering if this was good for Leda and Cilia. It would pull them out of the Navy, which should make them safer. However, it was a clear attempt by Loriel to gain leverage over me. It might seem all acceptable on the surface, but it was just her way of doing me a favor and probably expecting something in return in the future.

I decided not to show my irritation, “Cilia always wanted to captain her own ship. I think, given the opportunity, she would jump at it.”

Isla didn’t speak for the rest of the meal. I paid for the meal and went into a large bookstore in the city. Isla shadowed me as I shopped. I wasn’t looking for spell books but for dungeon guides. Gareth had a small growing collection, but if I was going to manage my dungeon team, I needed my own references.

I purchased a copy of every dungeon delving book the bookstore caretaker recommended. My particular interest was focused on the dungeon resources that could be harvested from the dungeons on the islands and the few dungeons that Skyholme controlled in the lowlands.

I also added several books about free city dungeons controlled by the Adventurer’s Guild that spanned the Sphere. In total, there were thirty-six books, three times the size of Gareth’s library.

We had one final appointment for the day that I was hoping would be quick so I could make the skyship back to Hen’s Hollow. We were going to meet Harold Miaden, an interior designer. It was just a short walk, and he had dozens of ideas — not a single one I liked.

In the end, I went with a dungeon maple for the floors, chairs, and tables with black dungeon mahogany for highlights. It was simple and affordable, as both woods were easily harvested from the dungeon on Greatwood Island. The Shiny Platinum would be lit by the aether lights I had designed.

Harold didn’t like my ideas. He shared his viewpoint a little condescendingly. “The ambiance is half the dining experience, the other half being the food. The panels of the monsters won’t attract your customers; they will bring astute class from the upper city to the docks to draw them in. You should cover the murals with curtains and only show them at night.”

In the end, I couldn’t believe I had paid this man nine gold for his advice. Isla was embarrassed because Harold had tried over and over again to get me to see things his way. “You are fired. Keep the coin, but I think I can manage on my own.” I stood and left his office. As we walked away, I told Isla, “You know what I want. You are in charge of the decor. Consult with Wynna, but do not seek that man out again.”

I was planning to travel back to Hen’s Hollow with Isla on the only flight today to my small town, but she professed she had a number of other things to do in Aegis City. Mainly, she was ordering the stoves and ovens now that she had a clear idea of what was needed. They would be of high quality, so I could enchant them when I was ready.

She also had to set up contracts with the delving guilds and furniture guilds for the maple and mahogany furniture. That meant I was going to have to hire a porter for all my books instead of sharing the load with Isla. To maintain appearances, I had them transported in a crate to my warehouse and then concealed them in my dimensional closet, leaving an empty crate behind.

I just made the skyship before it departed. If I missed it, I would have had to land in Solaris City and walk back. I returned alone and was anxious to resume training my lightning reflexes spell, but I needed to balance the large aether expenditure of the spell with continuing to make more platinum coins.

It was late when I got back to the barracks, and Gareth was not in his bed. The twins’ door was shut, and I didn’t want to knock. My stomach roiled from unwanted jealousy. Storme, get a grip, I told myself. I did what any adolescent would do in my situation. I went out to train.

I ran through the woods toward Twin Rocks Lake with my lightning reflexes spell active in spurts. I wanted to get accustomed to using it in short bursts to conserve aether. Going back and forth was causing some disorientation that I was slowly becoming accustomed to. The focus on the training quickly broke my thoughts from Mera.

Between the two rocks where the giant eagle raptor had attacked me, I rested and cast multiple alarm spells. I pulled out my saber, ran through sword forms, and then did the same forms with lightning reflexes active.

Faster, I needed to go faster. I hit a spell evolution and worked the spell evolution into the overdrive mode. It was stupid to then proceed in overdrive mode with the sword forms, but it felt liberating. A 132% enhancement in my speed made me feel unstoppable.

When I paused, the soreness from overdrive mode wasn't as bad as I had envisioned. Oh, it hurt for sure, like I had just been forced into a pretzel with my joints strained beyond normal, but my pain tolerance was now such that I could spend a minute using my mend flesh spell to recover…. except…. my diagnosis from the mend flesh spell indicated I had a spiral fracture on my arm.

I learned, in overdrive mode, that the protections from the spell evolution had limits. Instead of returning, I continued to train and reveled in the pain. Was I becoming a masochist? Lightning-fast reflexes at regular intensity protected the spiral fracture from worsening. With all the torque I was applying to the bone, it should have fractured further, but it held.

I switched to my staff and repeated my forms with the staff, soaking the pain like a drug to distract myself. I realized it was getting close to conditioning time at the academy as I had trained through the night and into the morning. Was this how Gareth felt when he was driven?

Aelyn would be cross if I were late, so I ran back and smirked that I had forgotten to disarm my spell alarms. Two were mental alerts for myself, but the other three I had set were my developing flash-bang variation that would scare an unsuspecting squirrel.

I cast my cleanliness spell and found Aelyn just getting ready to head into the barracks and wake everyone, “Aelyn, I broke my wrist and needed to see Antal in town to repair it.”

Aelyn rushed up to me, taking my arm in her hand. Concern laced her voice, “Were you attacked? What happened? Should I go and get Callem?”

I let out a half-hearted laugh, hoping to downplay the injury. “Just running through my sword forms. Nothing too dangerous, I promise.” Aelyn looked radiant, and the concern in her eyes felt unexpectedly moving. With a casual wave, I left the training yard and made my way toward town.

Gareth was coming down the road from town, “Hey, Stormy. How did your date with Isla go?” He said, trying to bait me.

“The restaurant is coming along. Did you not stay in the barracks last night?” I asked.

“No, I had dinner with my parents and stayed in my old room. They are talking about adopting an orphan from the recent attacks. Guess they miss having me around.” He grinned. I felt relief, knowing he hadn’t been in the twins’ room last night.

“They’ve probably got a lot more coin to spare now that they’re not feeding you!” I joked, and we both laughed. “Aelyn’s waiting out in the yard. I broke my wrist, so I’m off to see Antal—shouldn’t be long.”

Gareth looked concerned, so I added, “Just a training accident.”

He narrowed his eyes, probably finding it hard to believe I was training this early—or at all on my own. “Either way, next time you go to Aegis City, I am coming with you as your bodyguard.” He said firmly, leaving no room for objection. I guessed he wanted to keep an eye on me as well as do some sightseeing of his own.

“Fine. Next time I plan to go, you can come if you can beat me in a duel.” I said with a stupid, mischievous smile. I envisioned giving Gareth a sound beating like he had done to me so many times. He laughed it off, thinking I was making a joke.

I got my arm healed and returned to get in most of the conditioning. At breakfast, Mera wouldn’t look me in the eyes. Gareth had obviously told her that I knew about him sleeping in the bed with her and her sister. She looked embarrassed, and that, in turn, made me feel guilty. I was so terrible at relationships.

It was Fera who broke the silence at breakfast. “Storme, are you still going to hire Mera at your brewery?”  she asked in place of  her sister. So that is what had concerned Mera.

“Of course,” I said without hesitation. In a neutral voice, I tried to dismiss any awkwardness between us. “Mera, you are free to do whatever you wish. I will respect your decisions.”

Mera was suddenly crying, tears streaming down her face. I didn’t know what I had done wrong. She got up and left the table. Mia was watching the drama like an old woman watching a soap opera. Fera gave me a cross look and went after her sister. I heaved a sigh, “A lot of drama.” Gareth was shrinking in his chair as he was technically the cause of all this. I was the one who had to sort out my feelings.

We had spellcraft right after breakfast, and Selina gave me the spellbook for the Thermostatic Aura spell. It was in pristine condition, and Selina said it was just copied. Usually, older copies were better since mages would leave notes in the margins, but I was happy as a few evolutions were noted within. Mera and Fera entered the classroom, and it was clear Mera had had a good cry with her puffy and red eyes.

Reluctantly, the two took their usual seats at my table. Aelyn wasn’t here today; she typically attended this class three or four times a week, though. I looked at Mera, who struggled to make eye contact. “Mera, I like you,” I started. “We will always be friends. Remember that.” She looked ready to cry again, but her sister calmed her, gave me an uncharacteristically sour look, and thankfully, the lesson began. I still couldn’t figure out what I was saying that was wrong.

I slid the new spell book into my dimensional space when I went to the privy. I planned to work on the arcane lock spell first and then the aether shield spell. After those two spells, I needed an offensive spell. Then, I might try my luck with either the Tier 4 ranged healing spell or this Tier 3 thermostatic aura spell. It felt like I was becoming a true mage.

The following week at the academy did not mend my relationship with Mera. She was upset with Gareth. I didn't enjoy all this teenage drama and did my best to ignore it. I noticed Mia and Aelyn chatting a few times, and I figured they were having fun watching us try to navigate our friendship.

I went to the woods every night to work on my lightning reflexes spell to evolve it and get accustomed to using it. The only issue was that I had only made 11 light globes to sell this week and had seven platinum coins in my dimensional space. I was using too much aether training.

I learned the arcane lock spell on the 5th day. I knew it was going to be a quick imprinting, and the spell had useful applications. The first two evolutions I used were to extend the duration. The lock lasted one day when learned, and after two evolutions, that time was extended to nine days.

The third evolution was a glyph that allowed the caster to bypass the lock. I could now cast the arcane lock on the privy door, and I would be the only one who could open and close it for nine days. I didn’t get to evolve the spell further before our day off came.

Selina said Talia was visiting this off day and would be practicing with us. I really wanted to get a jump start on imprinting the aether shield spell, so I was disappointed until she mentioned Talia’s visit. Seeing my disappointment with having to train with Talia, Selina told me to talk with Callem.

I had less and less time to talk with Callem. It felt like I was growing up too quick. Callem was fully committed to helping every student reach their full potential, but he still focused on Gareth. Callem smiled through his bushy white beard on seeing me. “I am have been trying to find another academy to pair with, but after the drubbing we gave in Solaris City, it has been difficult.”

I responded with my own grin. “Selina told me to come talk with you?”

“Ah, yes. I hear your warehouse is coming alone and you are probably thinking about your dungeon team. I think Talia would make an excellent addition. We can interview her together if you wish,” Callem said congenially.

I realized I wasn't going to avoid meeting Talia on my day off. At least I could schedule the interview for first thing in the morning since Talia was landing in Solaris City with the first skyship from the capital.