Chapter 227 - Demonstrations of Skill and Power

Sebastien

Month 9, Day 1, Wednesday 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday afternoon, while she and her friends were hanging about, Sebastien was asked to fill in for a third exhibition, this time for Natural Science. This time, they gave her a couple hours of advance notice. Several of her friends were intrigued and decided to follow her.

“This isn’t fair,” Damien complained. “Why are they scheduling exhibitions when they know the students are going to be in exams?” Sometimes, Sebastien forgot that Damien was taking the maximum seven classes each term—one more than her. He still had his Divination exam scheduled for the latter half of the day, while everyone else was free.

Sebastien took advantage of the extra time to plan something different. When she arrived at the exhibition area, she made several requests to the organizers: ten pounds of cotton or any other fibrous material they could provide; a bucket each of wood, dirt, and stone; and a standing wall or chalkboard to use as a base for her spell array.

As before, they were enthusiastic about meeting her requests, and the organizer in charge of advertising started dramatically yelling stuff like, “Come one, come all, and witness a demonstration of skill and power by none other than Sebastien Siverling, the only person that Grandmaster Thaddeus Lacer has ever found worthy in his lifetime! That’s right! Sebastien Siverling, the young man that Thaddeus Lacer chose, even when it is well known that he turned down the High Crown’s own heir!” The man put a hand to the side of his mouth and leaned forward as if sharing a secret, despite the fact that he was yelling at almost the top of his lungs. “You might have read about Mr. Siverling in the newspapers.”

There was a pause, and though the man’s back was turned, Sebastien was still somehow sure, based on body language alone, that he had just given an exaggerated wink. “And folks, he’s here today to show you the true, secret wonder of Natural Science. Did you think Natural Science was boring and useless, barely real magic? Well, think again! Prepare to be amazed!” It went on like that.

Sebastien had a sudden, revelatory suspicion. ‘Are the organizers somehow being rewarded by how many people their exhibitions attracted? Well, hopefully they’re not disappointed.’ She had something less flashy planned than an illusion play or mock elemental battle.

Once the materials arrived, Sebastien arranged the component buckets on stools of varying heights around the edges of the chalkboard spell array. By this time, a substantial audience had arrived.

When the organizers gave her the signal to begin, Sebastien smiled and turned to the crowd. “It’s true that Natural Science is all about the magic that can be found in nature and the world around us, but it isn’t just about recreating mundane phenomenon. It’s about understanding how and why things work the way they do. And once you understand that…it becomes much easier to bend the world to your will in novel ways.”

She turned to the chalkboard. “What you are about to see is transmutation alone. I have some basic components—” she showed off the buckets “—but with a few exceptions, I will only be using them for their similarities to the substances I need. It makes transmutation easier when converting dirt to different dirt, or stone into a gem. It would be equally possible for me to do all of this using only the air—it would just take a lot longer, and I doubt any of you feel like sitting around for two or three days while I work at it.”

A young woman’s voice from the back of the crowd yelled, “I’ll sit on you for two or three days, Sebastien!”

Sebastien almost choked, and was thankful for the crowd’s laughter that allowed her to gather her wits. She tried to keep her expression stoic, though whatever she had been about to say was forgotten. She cleared her throat and finished quickly. “I will not be using any duplicative transmogrification today. Observe.”

With the audience’s attention captured, Sebastien began to cast. She started by creating a couple of cables, which she connected to the top of the chalkboard so that she didn’t have to make her creation float the whole time, in addition to everything else. From those cables, she grew a thick, circular backing of cotton fabric, dense enough that the tapestry would hang properly, rather than rippling and fluttering in the wind or bending under its own weight.

The crowd expressed their amazement with soft gasps and murmurs of appreciation, even though Sebastien felt she hadn’t yet reached the truly interesting part of her demonstration.

It took her a while to grow a layer of orb-weaver silk atop the cotton base, and she worried that the audience would grow bored, but didn’t notice anyone actually leaving.

Once the base was complete, Sebastien moved on to the art. She started with the sky. It was simple enough to transmute some of the dirt from the bucket into a light blue mineral dye. It was one of the many substances they had practiced with in Practical Casting, and while she didn’t know it as well as the auxiliary exercise materials Professor Lacer had assigned her, she had no problem achieving something that was close enough. She embedded tiny particles of this dye through the silk strands, creating a gradient in the top third of the silk circle. To add depth and nuance to the color, Sebastien then discreetly applied the color-changing spell to the silken threads themselves in a slightly different shade.

Then came the ground, which took up the bottom third of the tapestry. Browns were easy, and a little boring. To remedy this, she added variety, showing the different levels of soil beneath the ground, as if the tapestry were showing a slice of land that had just been sliced through and separated by an Archmage.

Green filled the middle, a base for what was to come, and then she returned to the ground and began to add texture. She molded dirt and rocks into little textured buttons of various shapes, sizes, and surface finishes, with a loop on the back for the silk to thread through, and used them to create an even more realistic illusion.

With these, she simulated the different kinds of soil beneath the earth, adding the occasional rock, hollow, flow of sand, or layer of clay. A combination of mica and mineral pigments created a subtle but obvious shimmer in places, hinting at magic.

Sebastien added a majestic tree to the tapestry, its roots spreading deep into the earth and its branches into the sky. With meticulous care, she attached slender strips of wood to the fabric, creating an illusion of depth that made the tree appear to be emerging from the tapestry itself. The audience gasped and murmured among themselves, and Sebastien looked up briefly as the organizer pushed back a few members of the crowd that had been trying to get uncomfortably close.

Next, she turned her attention to the leaves. Using a combination of transmutation and her color-changing spell, Sebastien crafted translucent, shimmering surface leaves that seemed to dance in an unseen breeze, and the shadow of depth and abundant foliage behind them. There was some applause, but she was too engrossed in creation to pay much attention to it.

Sebastien wove blades of grass into the foreground, each one a delicate, smooth line of embroidered silk. Rolling hills receded into the distance. In the sky, she placed birds in mid-flight, their wings spread wide as if caught in a moment of graceful soaring. Glittering hints of wind currents flowed through the scene, visible only as subtle refractions of light.

Velvet-soft, milky clouds drifted across the upper portion of the tapestry, their edges tinged with gold as if illuminated by a setting sun. Between the branches of the tree and beneath the earth, Sebastien added small creatures peeking out or burrowing into their homes. A fox’s curious eyes gleamed from behind a root, while a family of field mice scurried along a hidden tunnel. A tiny skeleton of white stone lay in a hollow beneath the roots of the tree.

So engrossed was she in her work that Sebastien lost track of time. It wasn’t until the University bell tolled the hour that she realized how long she had been working. She looked at the tapestry critically. There was more she could do, much more, but surely the audience was growing tired.

She stepped back and turned to them. “One of the first things you learn in Natural Science is that everything is connected. Our world is one big ecosystem, with life and death, what is above and what is below, all flowing from and feeding each other.” She gestured to the tapestry. “This is a depiction of a simple ecosystem. Please, feel free to come up and examine it more closely once the judges have made their evaluation. Even touch it, if you like.”

“Only after you have washed your hands!” a man in the audience cried. “And be gentle.”

Sebastien eyed him curiously, but nodded. It would be a shame if her work was destroyed by carelessness.

As she stepped to the side to wait for the judges to decide if she would be awarded contribution points, the man from the audience approached.

He studied the tapestry reverently, leaning in to examine the intricate details with a monocle held to his eye. Tentatively, be brushed a finger along the tree’s translucent surface leaves.

He straightened and nodded decisively to himself, reminded the rest of the crowd, “Be careful. It is delicate,” and strode over to Sebastien.

Sebastien didn’t think it was actually that delicate. Orb-weaver silk was incredibly strong for its size, after all.

The man introduced himself and shook her hand. “Your work is extraordinary. I’d like to purchase it, if possible.”

Sebastien tilted her head with surprise, then looked to the exhibition organizers.

“You can sell it as long as it remains on display for the remainder of the exhibitions.”

“I’ll have a glass case put up around it so that it isn’t sullied,” the man said, as if the deal was already done.

Sebastien hadn’t even had a chance to open her mouth when Ana smoothly stepped up beside her. With a charming smile, she introduced herself to the potential buyer and began to negotiate on Sebastien’s behalf. Sebastien watched, impressed with how at ease her friend seemed, as well as the ridiculous price she offered the man.

While this exchange took place, one of the judges approached Sebastien. “Impressive work,” he said, nodding approvingly. “Sixty contribution points seems appropriate.”

By the time Sebastien had finished slipping the paper record of her winnings into her pocket, the tapestry had been sold.

“I’ll keep a thirty-two gold sales commission, which leaves ninety for you,” Ana said, writing out a cheque while they walked. She tore the cheque away and handed it to Sebastien.

Sebastien stared at the numbers. “That thing can’t possibly be worth this much. I spent less than an hour on it, and the supplies probably cost less than a single gold.”

Alec nodded rapidly and pointed at Sebastien. “What he said. I mean, it was pretty, but kind of boring, don’t you think? It would have been better if he made the picture of something more interesting. Like a dragon breathing fire.”

“It was wonderful,” Brinn said, smiling at Sebastien reassuringly. “One of the best things I’ve seen all week.”

Ana’s honey-colored hair caught the light as she tilted her head, regarding her friend with amusement. “Oh, boys,” she said, her tone both patient and slightly condescending. “You’re thinking about this all wrong. This isn’t just a tapestry. It’s a luxury item, something unique that I’ve never seen before.” Ana’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she continued, “And it’s not just about the tapestry itself. It’s about who made it. You’re moderately famous already, and under Thaddeus Lacer’s tutelage, you’re likely to become even more so. He just made an investment.”

“You’re saying that thing could be worth even more some day?”

Ana shrugged. “Sure. But that man isn’t just paying for the art. He’s paying for bragging rights, for a conversation piece among other wealthy people. It will make him seem interesting, well-connected, and insightful. It’s worth it.”

Sebastien stroked her chin as Ana’s words sank in. She found herself seriously considering asking Ana if the other young woman would like to open a tapestry shop together. The prospect of easy wealth dangling tantalizingly before her was almost too enticing to dismiss.

But then, Sebastien reminded herself of the cache of celerium hidden away, a treasure far more valuable than any tapestry she could make. And even with her reduced need for sleep, she was still already stretched thin between various projects. She had no time to start up a side business.

The Defensive Magic exam on Thursday, their last of the term, was once again set up as an exhibition. This time, however, the false terrain area created from white stone had been transformed into a dense forest. Well, a kind of forest, if that forest was drawn by a child who made cloud-like curves for the trees and bushes instead of any actual foliage. No one would be climbing within the branches.

‘The Defense exhibitions probably take more manpower than any other exhibition type,’ Sebastien mused. In addition to what it must have taken to mold the Flats into novel terrain every term, this exam had tons of proctors watching the students through spelled silver mirrors, ensuring that as few students as possible were critically injured, and making the whole thing into a huge show for the crowd, complete with betting.

This term, the contest resembled a game of capture the flag, with students divided into a dozen teams and competing against each other. Each team had a base, which had to be protected by an actively-cast shield. To “win” a team needed to end the exam with two base flags—huge, red, glowing flags on poles. If they were able to protect their own flag, that would count as one.

At least half of the teams today would lose. Probably more than that, as a few outliers collected more than two flags. Of course, even students from teams who had lost would still have a good chance to pass the exam based on their individual performance.

Sebastien did not have the luxury of choosing her role, like most of the other students.

Fekten had placed her on the shield spell. “You are to focus on protection, and nothing else. If I see any funny business from you, I’ll have you disqualified faster than you can cry about unfairness and discrimination,” he said.

Sebastien grimaced, but didn’t argue.

Fekten turned to walk away, but paused. “Siverling, do you know the fastest way to break your Will?”

“Opposing another thaumaturge’s Will,” she said.

“That is correct. The shield’s intermediary devices will protect you, but not completely.”

It was a warning, she thought, but it almost sounded like a threat. Fekten had never quite warmed up to her again after the previous term’s misunderstanding. She overheard Fekten instructing one of the test proctors to keep a close eye on her.

Despite the restrictions, Sebastien felt calm. If not for the fact that every team would probably have at least one upper-term student who was likely to take the shield-breaker role, this assignment would actually be advantageous for her, and she might have selected it anyway.

The shield spell was actually a two-way device, somewhat like the Henrik-Thompson artifact. Rather than merely attacking and defending as one would in a real battle, it was all channeled through a hip-height pillar at the edge of each base. The pillar somewhat adjusted the amount of power that needed to be channeled to achieve the same effect based on the student’s term, though it did not entirely even the playing field.

Sebastien thought she was quite powerful for a second-term student. In addition to that, maintaining or breaking the shield was not a matter of pure power, but a kind of mini-game in itself.

A “fire” shield was weak to a water attack, but strong against air. An earth shield was weak to air, but strong against light. Taking down the shield was as much a matter of being able to quickly drop one attack spell and start the next at maximum power as it was of sheer capacity.

As a clear bell started the test, Sebastien grasped her Conduit in one hand with obvious, pointed motions, just so no one could mistake her for not having one. She channeled a bit of energy into the air version of the shield—the better to see approaching danger through—and settled in to wait.

Sebastien’s team huddled together to strategize. Several agreed that they should send both of their upper-term students out on the attack team, which would increase their chances of capturing flags.

A young woman Sebastien didn’t recognize seemed perturbed by this, “But that’s a second-term student,” she said, pointing at Sebastien. “Are you really going to have him manage the shield alone?”

One of the upper term students patted her reassuringly. “That’s Sebastien Siverling.” He turned to Sebastien. “You can handle it, right?”

Sebastien nodded easily, suppressing a yawn. She could tell that the sleeping raven bound to her was beginning to fail under the accumulated fatigue. She would need to go to Liza’s and switch it out soon. “Well, probably. You should get two flags while you’re out, just in case.”

The upper term student smiled and pounded his fist into his open palm. “So, we’ll have three flags, total. We should bring those back to base for Siverling to protect, and if there’s time, we’ll go out for a fourth.”

A girl laughed dramatically, throwing back her head and half-covering an evil laugh. “Highest scoring team! Contribution points for everyone!”

Rhett was the only other student on Sebastien’s team that she recognized. He joined the attack group’s ranks, but didn’t seem particularly pleased about the situation. She thought she heard him muttering something like, “Not even a chance to show my leadership skills.”

It took a surprisingly short time for the first enemy team to arrive. A woman with a confident swagger approached, tapped her student token to the pillar, and launching her attack. Her teammates spread out, engaging Sebastien’s few remaining defenders while providing cover for their shield-breaker.

Sebastien’s opponent tried to take her by surprise, switching between three different attack elements within the first ten seconds. Sebastien had been a bit nervous, but at this, she calmed down. She countered each of the woman’s attempts to break through with ease. Mentally, Sebastien taunted her. ‘I haven’t even stopped casting my shadow-familiar spell. You’re just that inept.’

The woman’s initial confidence gave way to frustration and then astonishment as Sebastien had no trouble keeping up and showed no sign of fatigue.

Just as the shield-breaker had grown red-faced and seemed to be reaching the limits of her patience, a second enemy team charged out from between the white stone tree trunks, trapping the first enemy team between themselves and Sebastien’s base.

The chaos of battle intensified, with ultimately harmless spells flying in all directions. The first team was wiped out, down to the last.

One of the new arrivals came to challenge the shield. The man nodded congenially at her. “All alone, huh?”

Sebastien decided to boast, since this was only a game and didn’t really matter. “I alone am enough.” She almost blushed with regret, because it sounded much worse out loud.

The man started out tentatively, testing her skill. “You’re good,” he complimented.

Sebastien scowled at him.

Eventually, her opponent abandoned subtlety and began hammering at Sebastien’s shield with raw power.

Sweat beaded on Sebastien’s forehead, more from sheer effort than from the heat. She poured as much power as her Will could channel into the shield. She even dropped her shadow-familiar, just to have that slight extra edge.

But it was all for naught, and the harsh reality of her relative youth—her weakness—could not be denied. She could not beat this man in a straight fight.

Fortunately for her team, the attack group that had gone out returned before she could fail, holding two giant flags. They fell on her attackers with berserk screams, and one boy even dropped his battle artifact and started beating a girl about the shoulders with the captured flagstaff in his hands. “For glory! For the contribution points!” he bellowed.

With both numbers and force, they managed to halve the enemy’s numbers.

Sebastien’s opponent let out a disgruntled “tch” and ran off with the rest of his team when they escaped. He had been seconds away from overcoming the last threads of her resistance.

Sebastien sagged with exhaustion. Her mind felt stretched thin. “Don’t go out again,” she told them. “I can’t keep up the shield until the test ends.”

Rhett managed to convince a smaller group of students to leave the flags there and try for a fourth, but the majority stayed behind to help Sebastien defend.

They ended the exam with three flags, and when all the grading was done, Sebastien’s performance had earned her thirty contribution points for skill.

On Friday, with their exams completed, Sebastien and her friends found themselves free to enjoy the final day of the exhibitions like the other visitors. Thursday and Friday were geared towards showcasing the most impressive and powerful displays, many featuring students on the cusp of graduation who hoped to secure promising careers. The University, ever opportunistic, aimed to draw the largest crowds during this time, eagerly anticipating the mountains of silver and gold they would harvest from their students’ efforts.

Alec’s eyebrows seemed almost electrified, wild with excitement as he dashed up to them and pulled them all to look at the new prizes that had been added to the display in the Great Hall.

The grand showcase of everything available for contribution points served a dual purpose: it was both a bragging opportunity for the University to impress visitors, and a tantalizing enticement for students to earn more contribution points.

Alec stood with his hands clasped together as if in prayer, drooling at an entire suit of armor imbued with the energy of the Planes of Earth and Fire, a masterpiece created by none other than Archmage Zard himself.

Sebastien could admit that the craftsmanship was intricate, and a palpable magical energy seemed to emanating from its smoldering surface. “What is Archmage Zard’s specialty? Is he an artificer?”

Damien grinned. “Among other things. I think he’s most famous for being an ‘elementalist,’” he said, adding air quotes with his fingers.

Alec nodded. “He’s done something famous with fire, earth, air, and water.”

“Not Radiance?” Waverly asked.

“Not yet,” Alec said. “I’m not sure what he would do with it. He likes to make stuff like this for the students, but that’s mostly just a hobby. What he’s really good at is affecting a huge area with gradual, powerful effects. Like smothering forest fires or diverting rivers. I heard one time he picked up a mountain and moved it. It took him three days.”

“That didn’t happen,” Brinn said confidently. “Even Archmage Zard can’t pick up a mountain. Maybe he scooped out chunks of it, piece by piece, and managed to move it that way.”

“I’ve met him,” Damien said. “He’s not as interesting as Professor Lacer. He’s an old man. The kind that hands out hard candies to children, even when they’re already teenagers. If he were poor, he’d be the kind of man that pops out his wooden dentures to shock his grandchildren.”

Ana nodded nonchalantly. “He gave me a candy one time, but the wrapper had fallen off, and it was all covered in lint from his pocket. He free-cast a spell to clean it, and told me not to waste perfectly good candy.”

“I’ve seen him around, but I’ve never met him,” Waverly said. “He has an interest in rare magical species, I think. Sometimes he brings them home from his travels.” She sighed wistfully.

Sebastien wondered if she might have encountered the renowned Archmage on the University grounds without realizing it. If he looked like any other old man, she might have simply ignored him. “Is he attending the exhibitions?”

Alec shook his head. “No, the High Crown sent him off to rescue some village that was hit by a mudslide. He’s, like, building houses out of wood and digging supports and stabilizers into some mountainside.”

Brinn’s attention was captivated by a glass jar of what looked like herbal tea leaves. “I heard that Archmage Zard once saved an entire village from starvation in just three days.”

“How?” Waverly asked, picking up a delicate crystal wand whose display very clearly said, “Do Not Touch” and waving it around. “Wait, no, let me guess. He grew giant magical pumpkins?”

“Oh, me too!” Alec said. “Did he…water their fields with the blood of their enemies?”

Brinn shot him a look of disgust. “No. Shut up, you two. The village was on the coast, and had been hit by a sea storm. There were rumors the storm was magically empowered by a beast of the deep, but anyway, all of their crops had failed, and they were running out of food. Archmage Zard showed up with nothing but a sack of seeds.”

Brinn took the wand out of Waverly’s hand and placed it gently back in its spot. “He didn’t just plant a few fields. No, he created an entire agro-forestry farm around the village. We’re talking edible plants, bushes, and trees, all growing together in perfect harmony.”

Ana interjected, “But how could he make them grow so quickly?”

Brinn grinned, clearly relishing the opportunity to explain. “That’s the brilliance of it! No one knows! I have several theories. I think he might have used a combination of growth acceleration spells and some kind of sympathetic link absorbing the fruitfulness of some other region where the seeds came from. The villagers said it was like watching a hundred years pass in the blink of an eye. By the third day, they had a sustainable food source that will last for generations.”

Sebastien turned her attention to the prize book, flipping through the pages of items not physically on display. Her eyes scanned the listings, searching for the section on private rooms.

She frowned. “Five hundred points for a private room?” That was beyond what she could afford. Sighing, she flipped to the next page, which detailed the four-bedroom apartments. The individual bedrooms were only about twice as big as their current cubicles, but it also offered a shared living area. The price, while still steep, was only twice that of a single room.

Damien peeked around Sebastien’s shoulder and then took on a contemplative look.

Sebastien’s pocket vibrated as the alarm spell she had placed on her pocket watch went off. All other thoughts fell from her head. She sucked in a breath of excitement. “It’s time!” she told the others, and then hurried off, heedless of if they were following her.

The sun had climbed high in the sky, and the most widely advertised showcase of these exhibitions was about to begin. Sebastien wouldn’t miss it for anything.

After all, Thaddeus Lacer had volunteered to give an exhibition.

Author Note:

Just a heads up in advance, for anyone who has been waiting for the next Catastrophe Collector spinoff book, I am postponing that release. I have already almost finished the book, but I don't have the spare couple of weeks needed to release it on time (unless I want to work 10-12 hour days for those weeks). I'll be slowly serializing it for the Patreon and then publishing it next year, instead.

Some of you have given me gentle advice and reminders to take it easy, not to burn out, etc. Thank you. I am not very good at resting, but recently I had an epiphany, which may seem kind of obvious. It was not obvious to me, despite how simple it is.

It was "If you're tired, you should do less work. Not try to optimize everything, including your rest, so that you can secretly do more work in less time. To properly rest, why don't you experiment with doing the least possible amount of work for an extended period instead." This is part of an attempt at that.

It's immensely relieving to think that I have actual rest scheduled, and not only that, but that my goal is not to sneakily "get ahead" and work more, but to work as little as possible. It's anathema, it's crazy, but I am looking forward to seeing if it will get me back to 100% creative energy levels over time. I have been tired for a long time now.