Millennial Mage Nove Chapter 369: Dependable, Reliable, and Useful

Chapter 369: Dependable, Reliable, and Useful

Tala and Rane rose well before sunrise, eting up in a rarely used gazebo among the gardens of the sanctum.

Mistress Petra had made a large spread of food for them, most of which was for Tala.

Rane had set his Archival slate aside to critically eye the olet that had been set before him, This has so of my magic within it.

Hmm? Tala glanced his way, distracted by what her expanded sight had been showing her within Kit, and her still increasing ntal enhancent. She felt like it was close to a tipping point, where it would leap ahead to where it would settle until her scripts were changed again. For the ti being, however, it was like her head was slowly clearing of fog she hadnt noticed clouding her mind.

She sat slightly stoneward of superficial, within the spatially expanded sanctum. Thus, her clusters of bloodstars that resided stoneward and starward of her own position didnt need to move even as she did.

They rested outside of the incrent that was spatially expanded for Kits contents.

She had tested it, and when she willed for herself to move within Kit, she would bob starward, as if moving toward Kits anchor at the superficial, then co back down wherever shed wished to be.

Additionally, she was still able to see what was going on outside Kits door as easily as if she stood there herself, save that her mundane vision wasnt receiving any light.

She could have moved one or more of her bloodstars into the superficial to gain access to that sight, but she had no need at the mont.

Though, it would likely only look like a bit of red coloring on the door. Probably worth experinting with in the future.

Her increased ability to process her sight ant that she could see almost the entirety of the sanctum at once, though she purposely didnt allow her mind to process what she perceived around the other people within, trying to give them their privacy.

Shed been able to look around Kits interior for a while, given her connection with Kit, but it had been a much more selective thing, requiring attention and a specific area to focus on.

At the mont, she could simply see it all.

She wasnt focused on any of it, just like she wasnt focused on the street outside of Kits door, but she had a sense of what was going on, like she had looked at it just a mont before.

It was overall an odd situation.

Ios still doing nothing.

-I would have told you if that changed.-

Still sowhat disappointing.

Terry was curled on one of the other chairs in the structure, content just to be nearby.

Rane shifted to face her more fully. I was saying that this olet has so of my magic within it.

Tala glanced at the egg dish, confirming what he said. So it does.

He narrowed his eyes at her. These are fresh eggs.

She shrugged, I would assu that they are. Mistress Petra is very particular about the ingredients that she uses.

How? My birthday was He seed to be calculating. That cant be right. Was it exactly one hundred and sixty days ago?

Tala considered. Yeah. That is pretty funny. Happy almost half-birthday, I guess?

He shook his head. No, thats not my point.

She took a bite of her own olet, infused with various dollops of magic mirroring her own by way of the eggs and vegetables. Whats your point then?

How do you have these?

Well, when a rooster doesnt love a hen very much

He glared at her, and she chuckled.

Fine, fine. We have so chickens left over, and Mistress Petra noticed that for so, your magics ca through to the next generation. Though, in this case, the eggs are unfertilized. Hence my previous comnt about the rooster.

Rane gave her a flat look, which was better than the glare of monts previous, Do I want to know how many birds you went through for that little project of yours?

Tala considered, then shrugged. Honestly? No. I think not.

It was his turn to laugh, the mock seriousness hed been trying to cultivate shattering. Fine. I suppose I did ask. Keep your secret.

They continued their al in companionable silence.

Tala was continuing to explore parts of her newly coherent vision and expanded mind.

Rane was reading sothing on his Archive slate.

Each of them tossed pieces of mundane food outward at random for Terry, and though he never seed to move, the flickers of dinsional power and vanishing food told the true story.

With Talas new sight, she was starting to put together a theory about Terrys teleportation and size changing, but it wasnt solidified yet.

He definitely wasnt moving to another incrent of any spatial axis that she could perceive in order to sohow bridge the distance.

Ill figure you out, Terry. Then well see how it goes in the ring.

When they finished up, Tala called the exit to them.

It was suddenly there, standing free-floating in one of the open sides of the gazebo.

Despite the visual cues, there was absolutely no change within Talas mage- or voidsight, and it finally clicked, sothing that should have been obvious the whole ti.

The door is an illusion. Kit can take people in and out from and to any point within the sanctum. The door is a courtesy to let us feel like we know where were going. It also sets up the person to give Kit tacit permission to move them.

Isnt that right, Kit? Tala muttered under her breath.

Kit did not respond.

But

But there was sothing within the natural magics, encircling and making up the bones of the sanctum.

Maybe thats it? Is that what I should be watching for?

She shook her head as Rane pulled open the door, leading the way out onto the few-day-old snow on the street outside.

Winter ca and stayed early this year.

Tala pulled Kit off the random wall theyd allowed her to spread out on, near the city center.

Tala had an early appointnt in the Archon Compound and didnt see a need to find anywhere particularly special to put the entrance to her sanctum.

Rane stretched up and back beneath the now cloudless sky, then twisted to crack his back. Ill catch up with you later?

Tala nodded. Tell everyone hi from .

Will do.

When Tala had asked that they stay at least for the morning of another day, Rane had made plans to et up with so of their old sparring partners, as well as so of his own acquaintances.

I wonder if hell see Mistress Aproa?

-Would you mind?-

No? Why would I?

-No reason.-

Rane smiled. Just send

a ssage when youre ready to et up and head out.

You know, I can co to you. In fact, lets do that. Ill ssage you when Im done and then co to you.

After a monts hesitation, he smiled, That sounds good. Until then, Tala.

Rane turned and walked away, waving goodbye over his shoulder.

Tala started to wave back, then huffed a quiet laugh. He couldnt see her either way.

Until then Rane. She opened her pouch slightly. Want to co, Terry?

Terry flickered out to her shoulder, looked around, squawked, headbutted her cheek, then flickered back inside.

Tala chuckled, closing the pouch once again. Fair enough.

It was a short walk to her destination, and Tala didnt mind the ti to herself.

It has been a long ti since Ive really had that much alone ti. Its nice.

-Never alone.-

Tala huffed a laugh. Youre right. I always have myself to annoy .

-I aim to please.-

Tala walked into the atrium and greeted the receptionist.

As she was expected, it was a quick thing before she was directed to one of the testing rooms in the underground complex.

Thats interesting.

She shrugged and nodded in acknowledgnt, Thank you. Ill head on down.

Without further discussion, she left the atrium and made her way to the indicated room where Mistress Ingrit and Mistress Elnea were both waiting for her.

Tala bowed to the won. My apologies, Mistresses. I thought that I was on ti.

Mistress Elnea smiled and gave a shallow bow in return. You are in fine form, Mistress Tala. We simply t a little earlier than the ti we gave you, in order to talk through a couple of things before your arrival.

Oh, alright.

The librarian gestured to the head of the Archon Council, and Mistress Elnea spoke, First off, thank you for including

in this. I didnt actually expect you to rember that I had asked to be notified when you considered bonding your storage pouch.

Tala shrugged. Well, I need expert help. I see it as a win for both of us.

A wonderful perspective. Regardless, as Mistress Ingrit has ensured I dont forget, this is an opportunity well worth a tangible paynt. I have arranged for such, but that will factor in later.

Mistress Ingrit had a self-satisfied smile, and Tala found herself every more grateful for the woman. Well, thank you. I must say, you seem both interested and knowledgeable, so I am glad to have your assistance, regardless.

Mistress Elnea grinned. Oh, I am; I can assure you of that. Honestly, though, this is a bit of a newer approach to things. We had not considered putting storages that acted differently into the sa camp as so sapient artifacts, because they dont really give the sa impressionnor have the sa style of magicsas many of those artifacts or spontaneous creations of magic that weve encountered elsewhere.

Tala nodded but didnt interject.

So, there are three tests we can run, and if the results are as we expect, then Mistress Ingrit and I would advise that you bond your storage as soon as possible.

Mistress Ingrit nodded. Right now, you have a sowhat symbiotic relationship with what could be a hostile entity. The bond would stabilize the relationship between the two of you, and assure mutual cooperation going forward. She nodded again, That is, assuming the tests co back as expected.

Tala frowned, What about the issues? Will people still be able to enter Kit without?

Soul bonding you? Oh yes! My apologies, we should have led with that. You see, when a standard storage is soulboundespecially if it is unmoored from the physicalthe persons soul becos the gateway. Thus, to enter, you are essentially passing through their soul to get to the space within, or near enough that isnt a perfect description of what happens. Regardless, that change is what causes the bonding issue.

Tala blinked. That actually made a lot of sense. But that is not the case with a sentient storage?

Sapient. It must be sapient, not just able to receive and respond to stimulus. Sapient bits of magic have sothing that is enough like a soul that it cannot fully sh with one, thus a soul-bond does not create a combining effect. Your soul never becos a pass-through-point.

Is that what Fannas was talking about? The core of their being that would return to the void if their magics ran out?

-That sounds likely.-

Tala nodded, asking the next obvious question, Can Kit still be unmoored?

Yes, actually, but there will be a couple of differences. First, there will be a physical manifestation whenever you open the storage, seemingly appearing in thin air, rather than simply an opening into the storage.

Tala blinked. Wait. Is that all that happens? The unmooring is just a removal of the physical doorway or opening, making the Mage the regulator of where things go in and co out.

-Just as Kit is now.-

So, for us, the unmooring would just She found herself nodding. It would make

the anchor, without making

the arbiter.

-The sanctum will still be stoneward, held in place by the magics bound to our soul, but the entrance will be held separate by the being that is Kit.-

So, thats what causes the soulbond, then? Passing through or close to the Mages soul?

Mistress Ingrit nodded, It does.

So it wont be an issue?

Mistress Elnea responded this ti, Not in the slightest.

And we can unmoor Kit from requiring a physical connection point?

We do have the magics for that. Interestingly, the third test will determine if this applies, but in so cases, dinsional storages have been able to continue to be expanded after being bound and unmoored, in certain circumstances. Given your experiences with Kit eating arcane holds, I believe that you wont have any issues with expanding your storage after the bonding or the unmooring.

Tala narrowed her eyes, focusing hard on how she wanted to proceed, and pouring more magic than usual into her ntal enhancents to allow for quicker thinking.

Apparently, Kit was a devourling, though Tala wasnt sure she fully trusted Fannass information, not yet.

Regardless, what the little silver man had said seed to add up, aligning with what Tala had learned from elsewhere.

Kit had been a constant companion: dependable, reliable, and useful.

Tala had done her best to provide Kit with what she could, but there was more she could do.

Tala could cent their partnership as Mage and pouch, but she needed more information. She wouldnt let the bond go forward if it would hurt Kit, or make it so she couldnt have other people within her sanctum.

She pulled herself out of her musings and looked down at Kit on her belt. Do you want to see what we can accomplish together, bound in purpose and power?

Kit did not respond.

But, Tala thought she felt a hunger from the artifact.

With a grin, she poured more power into Kit, topping the artifact off once again.

Tala nodded once more, lifting her gaze to the two patiently waiting won, Lets do these tests. And I think there is soone else who should be present for the tests as well.

Master Simon is going to enjoy this.

That sounds excellent. Mistress Elnea smiled.

Ill have so other questions as well, before I move forward with a soul-bond.

Oh? Lets hear them now, so that I can give them due consideration.

Mainly: My understanding is that if I die while soul-bound to Kit, its magic will fade, and the sanctum will dissipate, correct?

Thats correct. My understanding is that you have sothing in place with the local Constructionist guild, so that those within your sanctum will not be trapped in the wilds if the worst should happen.

That is correct.

Then, that will crumble, I believe. She chuckled. They didnt get quite as much ti out of that investnt as theyd hoped, I think. Rather lowered the odds. That said, I think that the issues that youve been having with teleportation into and out of Kit will be mitigated by the soul-bond, but we can discuss that in a mont.

Tala nodded. Alright. So, well need to get the teleportation working, otherwise it wont really be safe to have people with , will it?

Mistress Elnea paused to consider. Well, they will be as safe as you are so, likely not the safest, but you are rather robust, so there are more dangerous places in which people live and work just fine. As with all magics, however, access to the sanctum within Kit would only remain for a day after your demise, if thats what youre asking. The space, itself, shouldnt degrade for a very long ti, regardless.

So, teleportation is key, and if we get it working, there will be ti for it.

Satisfied with the initial answers, Tala invited Master Simon out of Kit, and they discussed the tests to be done on Kit with Mistress Ingrit and Mistress Elnea.

After the discussion, Mistress Ingrit chose to step back and return to her other duties, as Master Simon was capable of assisting during the tests.

It was also agreed that Mistress Petra and the Zuccat children shouldnt be inside of Kit during the tests and the hopeful bonding to happen afterwards.

There shouldnt be any danger, but there was also no reason to chance it.

Thus, Tala and Master Simon went back up to the atrium of the Archon Compound and got his family set up to spend the day in the city.

Tala let Rane know that theyd leave the next day, but that shed still probably be able to join before the evening.

Terry ca out of Kit as well, and that was that.

Upon returning to the underground testing room, Mistress Elnea checked one more ti, So, Kit is completely empty of sapient or magical creatures?

Tala hesitated. Well, no? Sapient and magical, yes. Or? No.

I assu you dont have any other sapients in there, so what sort of magical creatures are we talking about.

She told the woman.

What?

Tala shrugged. The primary function of my sanctum was set up to be a producer of magic-laden food for my consumption, and Ive expanded on that.

I see.

Is that going to be a problem?

Mistress Elnea sighed. It shouldnt be, but its not the cleanest basis for testing. I do not wish to try to figure out how to remove an entire ecosystem, along with a dium-sized farm production facility.

Yeah, that would be unideal in my mind as well.

Master Simon cleared his throat, interjecting with so hesitation, given his relatively low advancent, Alright then, I think that first things first, we should address the exterior elents.

When the two won nodded, he continued.

Can you determine the location and attachnt of the return spellform that has been established around Kit?

Tala titled her head to the side in thought. Alat?

-Hmmm Oh! There it is. An inactive set of magical forms.-

Ahh, yeah. They sort of blended into the background of the magic flowing through Kit.

Mistress Elnea couldnt easily have seen the saeven if she had magesight that worked in a way that allowed itbecause it was Talas magic, well cented within her aura, and thus protected from any prying eyes unless those looking intentionally breached her privacy.

I see them. They are in place around Kits core, and the connection between the sanctum and her manifestation.

Mistress Elnea smiled happily. Wonderful. That ans the removal of the permanent physical manifestation wont trigger the latent magics. Honestly, if they had been purely embedded in the exterior of the pouch, it would have needed to be stripped out before we could unmoor the storage artifact. This is an even better case than we could have hoped.

Master Simon was still a bit troubled. The return magics had been a safety-net for his family. It had also ant that he could more easily invite others to research with him, without having to expose them to greater danger.

Now, they would need to turn research back toward teleportation to and from the storage, but with soone as accomplished as Mistress Elnea committing to assist in that regard, he didnt have any complaints.

The Archon Council leader cleared her throat. With that out of the way, we need to test three things: Kits sapience, individual identity, and ability to consu.

Tala felt a smile tug at her lips.

I do believe that our Kit will excel across the board.