Elevation of Mana Chapter 173 Preparing

For the first time in a long time I was getting to do some proper forging myself. I loved it, the heat, the way the metal bent, the cherry red it could turn under the flame. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world, but as a side hobby is was magnificent. It was also very physical, something working with computers, magical or otherwise, really wasn't.

Most of what I was doing now was being formed magically, large parts of the frame for my first airship being pulled in and set before me. Some of the smaller parts however I needed to do by hand, perhaps one day we'd have a machine for it, but for now a jig and anvil would do.

As I finished each I put them to the side with the others in my workshop. There would be hundreds of them, so this wasn't a project I'd be finishing any time soon, but that didn't mean I didn't need to put the work in. In fact, the faster I got it done, the sooner it would be ready, all bonuses so far as I could tell.

It had been several weeks since I'd started this project in earnest, and as I found myself hammering away in my lab a bell rang. I looked up and saw that it was one from upstairs, a small spot on the wall indicating where someone had come to call for me. That was odd, as normally the only people who'd interrupt my work for non-emergency reasons was my family or Chien, yet this one came from the main entryway. Yet, the tone they'd used didn't indicate emergency, just a need for my attention.

With no further alerts I took my time to set things so they wouldn't cause problems if I needed to walk away for the day, putting metal where it could safely cool and turning off forges before I walked to my door.

As I made my way to the entry I saw a very flustered assistant looking on at a clearly unhappy elf, and one I recognized.

“Jina?” I asked. “It's quite a surprise to see you here.”

The woman in question was the granddaughter of the former ruler of Atal, and quite possibly one of the oldest of the elders in this region. She'd taught me many of the basics around magical items at the behest of her forefather and while I wouldn't say we were friends, we at least knew each other.

“Made me wait long enough,” she groused. Clearly the many years since I'd seen her hadn't improved her generally grumpy demeanor.

“Is there something you needed immediately?” I asked. “I thought you were staying at the old village.”

“I was, am, but things have gotten to a point where I felt the need to come and speak with you.”

“The other Elders bothering you that much? I'm not going out to investigate whatever is going on.” She frowned at my words, but I still wasn't changing my stance. I'd promised my wife that I'd abstain for any more 'adventures' until our child was grown, and I planned to keep that promise.

“They didn't need to, not with how things have been.”

That was a concerning statement. The last time I'd seen Jina she'd taken up a vigil watching a certain cave near where I'd grown up, one which contained a danger not even I felt comfortable dealing with. Deep down under the ground was what looked like an impact from a meteor, and a font of eggs in mana charged water that had been a major point of power in the last war. Our enemy had used it to create suicide soldiers from our children, youths charged up with power their bodies couldn't safely contain who he threw at us in droves.

“Is the cave...”

“Safe for now, but the number of beasts in the woods isn't to be misunderstood. I came to the city to seek some aid only to be told that you'd flatly refused to do anything at all on the subject.”

Good grief, they'd been unable to run and tell my mommy I didn't want to do their chore so they'd found the next best thing they could. That thought pinged once more about her loss, fouling my mood further, and convincing me that at some point I would need to reassert that I wasn't to be messed with.

“I haven't refused to do anything, I've refused to do the thing they want,” I replied after a few moments.

“Why?” she asked, seeing almost genuinely interested.

“Firstly, I do not need to explain myself to you, secondly, because I made a promise. If they're that bothered they could've come to me themselves, but it appears that our little council is full of cowards and fools.”

“You're on it,” she pointed out.

“True, but only because I want to be left alone. Have you not heard that a committee is the only warm blooded creature with more than two legs and no brain?” Of course she hadn't, because that was from Earth, but it held true here too.

“No,” she said with a snorting laugh. “But I'll admit I like that one. Still, I would like you to put forth some aid. We both know that you're capable.” She motioned to my home/fortress as she spoke.

“Let's continue this elsewhere,” I said, turning and leading her along to one of my offices. I really didn't want to extend this argument in my atrium any more than I needed to.

“Fine.”

She followed, looking around at my home, and it struck me. She still looked like we had years ago, and I'd barely noticed. She wore furs, cleaned and held together with ties and simple buttons, her hair, half white, was beaded and her shoes were little more than wraps. Yet here I walked in a simple robe of cloth, through a home that could have easily been medieval in nature. All along the floors were patterned tiles in varied colors, with archways of stone or cement. Rugs were even on the floors in some places, with elves going around in the basic uniforms we'd provided. It was so anachronistic that I almost laughed.

“Your home is almost like grandfather's,” she noted as we walked along. “No, it's different, he never had many of these things. Yet it speaks the same language, the same trappings of power. Tell me, do you wish to become like he was?”

“To rule? I'm happy to let others take care of most of that, I mostly want to be left be. I suppose one day I might, but let's not rush that day.”

When we finally got to the office I showed her to a seat, and it struck me again. She was here, a cave woman in all but name joining me in my office for discussions on how to deal with a horde of monsters. Life really was strange sometimes, and I wondered if one day we'd be having times like these except in giant steel and glass towers, that really would be something.

“Let's speak frankly, I'm not going to do what the council wants,” I told her.

“Yet?”

“Yet that doesn't mean I'm doing nothing. It's been some time, but I'm preparing for war again.”

Jina flinched, breathing in. I saw her eyes unfocus, and knew she was seeing her memories, memories of the last time I'd gone to war.

“Do you need help?” she inquired after a time.

“I wouldn't mind it this time, and you're actually in a perfect place to do so.” I began to form a plan, one that might serve both our interests, and those of my fellow elders, though I doubted they'd like it.