On Cosmic Tides

The trio set off from the shop before most of the city had begun to stir, the sun only a whisper above the horizon. A sign left on the door would tell any foot traffic they were closed for the day. The Eternal Archive had a specific style for official business, based off the sect founders’ original uniforms. The three of them were wearing their preferred type of outfit, but in higher quality materials than their regular clothes, and entirely in black. On top of this they all wore jewelry in a riot of precious metals and stones.

Laurel was in a black shirt and pants, draped loosely, allowing her a full range of motion. Breaking her usual style she had bracelets on each wrist of bronze, silver and gold bands twined together, a matching belt of braided chains, and a necklace with a diamond pendant that had caused Annette's jaw to nearly hit the floor when Laurel took it out. Her hair was pulled back and secured with a set of sapphire pins, and a sword was sheathed at her waist.

Annette wore a black silk version of her standard working dress, along with a silver brooch, having flatly refused when Laurel started pulling out various gemstones for her to add to the ensemble. Adam was in a black version of a scribe’s robe over fitted trousers, with bands of gold around his upper arms, just below the elbows, and at the wrists. Laurel had assured him this was how sect scribes used to dress to keep their sleeves from trailing through any ink.

The effect was eye-catching, eccentric by Meristan standards. Laurel was self-aware enough to recognize they looked lost when compared to the slums they were walking through.

“We look ridiculous.” Adam had been mumbling all morning when he realized they were going to match.

“Speak for yourself,” Annette sniffed, “I look fantastic.”

“It's important to present a unified image when dealing with those in power. It implies confidence, which implies we are people worth listening to.” Laurel repeated the argument she had made to get the others into the outfits in the first place.

“It implies we are worth robbing,” Adam fired back. “Why the jewelry?”

“I’ll protect you if we get attacked. And everyone likes pretty things.” Laurel was able to say with an entirely straight face. The good-natured grousing continued as they wandered up the street.

When they reached a more middle class area partway up the hill, they were able to hail a carriage for hire to bring them the rest of the way. The cabs were scarce in the Flats, and of the ones that were there, none were willing to pick up a trio dressed so outlandishly. Three quarters of an hour later they exited at the steps to the palace.

“We’re ready,” Laurel announced in an attempt to bolster her companions.

In her old life, she had been trained to walk into negotiations like this from a place of power. Monarchs and other sects would reach out to the Eternal Archive for assistance or favors. Modern power structures were planets away from that. Her companions had a much better understanding of the local culture and government, but had never been in the presence of someone like General Skycrest, let alone the king or other senior officials. Their anxiety had been growing the further they rose up the hill until it was rolling off them in waves. Despite their discomfort, both Adam and Annette firmed their shoulders at the sentiment as Laurel led them inside.

They entered and were intercepted by a servant instructing them to follow along. Adam and Annette were distracted by the general opulence, having never had reason to enter the palace before. After they had been walking for several minutes past industrious servants and impersonal decorations, Laurel broke off from their guide and turned down a different corridor.

The servant leading them to their meeting was nonplussed. She, along with Adam and Annette scurried after Laurel, to find her confidently striding towards the desk of one of the administrative functionaries working in the public part of the palace.

“Ma’am. Ma’am! We really must –”

Laurel arrived at the desk of her former nemesis, and pulled a solid bronze feather out of midair with a flourish. The room full of administrators gaped at the gesture. Or maybe at the outfits, it was hard to tell.

“Where I grew up, it was considered honorable to give a gift to a worthy opponent. This pen can be bound to you, and will then be able to transcribe whatever you wish, as long as it is filled with ink, which you can pour into the top of the feather. To bind it, put a drop of blood on the nib.” Laurel’s pronouncement was met with silence from those present as they all tried to figure out what just happened. Laurel nodded, unconcerned, and left the way she came.

“Sorry for the detour” she said to the servant, gesturing for the group to continue on their previous route.

“That man will be drinking for free off this story for months” Adam predicted as they continued to make their way to the inner palace.

“Where are you finding the time to get all of these trinkets?” Annete asked, gesturing behind them towards the room where Laurel had just bestowed the feather, and then also to the adornments she and Adam had on.

“When I found the citadel in ruins, I gutted the entire thing, not just the bulk materials we’ve been using so far. There were safes and strongrooms that only a member of the sect could enter, and either none of the original looters thought it was worth it to try and break the seals, or they didn’t realize they were there. I have more trinkets and enchanted items than I know what to do with. Even back in the day there were plenty of sect members who would have tools like that quill.”

A nudge from Adam stopped Laurel’s story, as a glance towards their guide revealed an expression that was a mix of abject horror and interest. As they continued, the grandeur of the public wing was replaced by dull practicality. The portraits and expensive ornaments dried up and the servants increased until there was no longer any indication they were in the palace at all.

Another five minutes of trailing through a warren of corridors brought them to a non-descript door. Their guide bowed and walked off, having not said another word since their side trip. They looked at each other, took a collective breath, and Laurel pushed open the door without knocking. Inside they found five people waiting for them. Laurel took them all in with a glance. General Skycrest was there with his signature smile, sitting closely with a dignified woman the frequent newspaper articles and photos identified as his wife. The papers speculated that Madam Skycrest was a witch, and Laurel was excited to meet the first modern cultivator she had seen since her awakening that didn’t immediately try to murder her.

Across the table from them was an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair, and an aura that said he was used to being obeyed. Another military leader then. To his right was a woman with dark hair pulled back into a strict bun, wearing wire-rimmed glasses and sitting in front of a pile of documents and books. Probably the civilian equivalent to the two military men.

At the head of the table sat a man who could only be the king. Of an age and build with General Skycrest, he wore a gold circlet to indicate his station, above dark eyes that were evaluating Laurel and her friends’ every move. She could recognize the square jaw and handsome features from the portraits she’d become so familiar with.

Annette and Adam had both bowed low when they realized the king was present, but Laurel respectfully inclined her head instead. She was a master cultivator and a sectmaster. This man would get respect but not subservience. The king smiled, aware of exactly what she was doing.

“Please have a seat” he invited them. “A round of introductions to start I think. I am King Edward of Merista, Protector of the Sky Throne, High Commander of the Meristan Armed Forces, Chancellor of the Nobles’ Senate, et cetera.” He paused here then broke into a grin, “In private settings we dispense with the rest”. He gestured to his right, “General and Madam Skycrest are our air force, special forces, and magical issues experts, Madam Cursan is the senior administrator in charge of public infrastructure within the kingdom, and General Mansfeln is the commander of Fort Sarken, and is our senior military liason.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I am Laurel Stormblade, sectmaster of the Eternal Archive and master vortex cultivator.” Not even a rustle went around the room at the foreign collection of titles, impressing Laurel with control mortals could rarely exhibit. “With me I have Adam de Ranier, training Librarian, and Annette Rada, an administrator of the sect. We appreciate you taking the time for this audience.”

“Well now, while I am very interested to hear about your organization, I believe we should get down to the reason for this meeting. General Skycrest claims you have information regarding the changes in magic. We’ve noticed some of this ourselves. Can you elaborate?”

“I appreciate the directness of Your Majesty, and will try to respond in kind. I was born approximately 1600 years ago, as close as we’ve been able to determine. The world at that time was a very different place, as you might imagine. The mana saturation was much higher, as was the proportion of the population that engaged in some form of cultivation, what you now refer to as magic.”

She paused here expecting some disbelief. Instead the king gestured for her to continue. “We’ll evaluate everything at the end.”

“Mana flows through this world, and many others, much like currents in the ocean. My sect was a group of cultivators dedicated to the collection and preservation of our world’s knowledge. We were working towards building the mana infrastructure of our planet up to the point where we could establish a world capital, and begin to take part in, and learn from, the wider cosmos. Around 1500 years ago, a group with the opposite goals cut this world off from the cosmic mana currents. The information I have is fragmented, but it seems they built a series of arrays in secret, and activated them all while simultaneously attacking some of the world’s most powerful sects.

“Cutting the world off suddenly crippled most sects, as their elders found themselves without the mana they were accustomed to. Some, like my order, were brought to violent ends, the mortal populations scattered. Others, I suspect, faded over time as the mana of the world became more and more diffuse. Eventually, only the barest of magic would have been possible. Imagine life in the ocean if the entire thing became shallow as a pond all at once. Possible maybe but most things would flounder.

“This process of separating our world from all the others was always destined to fail, the cosmic mana flows are just too strong. Recently, the seals have been worn down, and the mana of the universe can once again infuse our world. Madam Skycrest should be able to attest that over the last years, the mana around Verilia would have become easier to access, but also harder to work with. In the upcoming years, we will begin seeing a proliferation of plants and animals infused with enough mana to fundamentally change.

Another pause, this time glancing towards Madam Skycrest. The magical expert nodded her agreement to this description. “That is in line with our own observations,” she said.

“All life draws in mana, but sentient life increases the density along with the speed and flow,” Laurel continued in her explanation. She had practiced with Adam and Annette to avoid getting bogged down in too many technical details and explain in modern terms. “Imagine a sheet stretched and held flat. Mana is pouring onto the sheet evenly, and flowing around in various currents. Each human is like a grain of rice placed on the sheet. Individually they will cause minor eddies in the flow. However in cities like this one, we have many thousands of grains all clustered together, and more water will be drawn in as the sheet is weighed down. This means the cities will see the changes of the mana infusion faster than anywhere else. Monsters will be drawn here. Eventually, the mana density will rise enough that we will be able to see the occasional monster or cultivator from another world stop in.”

Laurel took a sip of the tea that had been placed by an almost invisible servant. The blend was smooth and felt perfect to soothe a throat that had to talk for a long while. The King and his advisors were doing an admirable job keeping their emotions off their faces, but she had faced enough opponents to see the alarm rising. Madam Skycrest, who could actually feel the ambient mana, looked the most concerned.

“In my time, we had strategies for turning population centers from hazards into safe zones. Sufficiently advanced cultivators can access a certain magical structure that develops in regions with enough population and mana. These City Cores can be used to bend the ambient mana to improve infrastructure or defense, which prevents accumulation to the point of monsters appearing inside the City. Developing the cores can unlock incredible abilities. With a world-capital Core, an army of cultivators would not be enough to threaten the city. Not to mention the interplanetary teleportation and trade opportunities.

“I wish to re-establish my order of cultivators, and will need support from you all for this endeavor. We would train new cultivators, while maintaining and adding to the collection of our world’s knowledge, which will be made available to those who seek it at our discretion. While we would of course defend against any attack on our home city, we would not be under your command beyond following the laws of the land. In return, I will take over the management of the Verilian City Core until it reaches the level of world capital, and train other cultivators how to access the cores of other population centers.”

There was a moment of silence when she concluded her explanation. Everyone looked to the king to be the first to reply. “You would like permission to establish an independent …college? guild? of extremely dangerous individuals within my capital city, and in exchange you are willing to take control of an extremely important resource for an indeterminate amount of time. And of course we need to do this because otherwise some very bad things will happen, of which we have no proof?”

Laurel was aware this would be surprising to anyone who had never been educated in spiritual matters, and used that to rein in her frustration. Just. She had already spent so much time entrenching herself in this city, this had to work without her temper ruining it.

“Madam Skycrest is clearly an adept-level vortex cultivator. I’m sure she can corroborate the changes in mana flows in recent years. As for the rest, I can provide some first-hand accounts of masters in the final days of my order.

“I do not know what histories have survived, but the Eternal Archive has always had strict requirements on its members. We maintained independence from any nation, but all members beyond the initiate stage were required to swear soul oaths. These increased in requirements as a member increased in power and responsibility within the sect. Before I was imprisoned, I was a master of the sect. I would be willing to swear on my soul that I have spoken no falsehoods. I doubt you have cultivators here who are advanced enough to verify this, but everything I have said is the truth.”

The king looked to Adam and Annette, who had heard this before, and asked their opinions. “You all believe this?”

“Laurel and I went into the countryside and found a chrysalis of some magic monster that is going to hatch soon. I’ve seen her do things I would have bet my life’s savings were impossible. She’s in possession of an ancient library. I fully intend to join the sect once we have been formally re-established.” Adam’s declaration made Laurel smile. As gruff as he tried to come across, he had a sense of adventure, and cared about the people in his home city.

“Laurel has been healing commoners for free. Of all the ways to get your attention, she’s chosen a way that helps people. And she saved my fathers life, '' Annette said simply.

As much as she had chafed at the snail's pace of their progress, Laurel was once more extremely relieved they had rejected her first several plans for getting royal attention.

The rest of the council had more questions. Madam Skycrest wanted to know about the rate of change in the mana density to which Laurel produced a measuring instrument and gave instructions on how to use it. General Mansfeln asked about what kinds of monsters she thought they would be seeing, and was handed a bestiary. On loan, as Adam stressed.

After another hour of specific questions on her past or predictions for what was coming, it was time for Laurel and her companions to go. “We’ll be in touch” the genial General Skycrest said as they were escorted out.

The trio were quiet as they reversed the course of the morning. Out of the palace, through the upper and middle class districts back to their shop on the edge of the Flats. Their only detour was to a food stall to grab sandwiches for lunch.

Laurel began the discussion. “I think that went about as well as could be expected.”

“They weren’t convinced when we left.” Annete opined. “I think with Madam Skycrest there, we might have a shot, since she should be able to actually feel the changing magic. It's hard to say, even if they believe us, they might not like your plan to manage the Core. They could just ask Madam Skycrest to do it instead.”

“She doesn’t have the strength yet,” Laurel waved away the last concern.

“I bet they’ll be sending some of the Fort Sarken recruits on a ‘training exercise’ through the countryside to see what they find. If they happen on another one of those monsters we might have some more traction,” Adam chimed in.

“We’ve done as much as we can today. We will give it a few days back to the normal healing, and if we don’t hear anything we will just have to try something else. In a worst case scenario we can move to another city to begin, though I’d prefer not to become adversarial with the monarchy if we don’t have to.” With that they separated to work on their individual projects for the rest of the day. Adam was working on a list of professions they would need represented in the sect, while Annette was contemplating what kinds of industries they could improve using what Laurel had shared about the capabilities of mana. Plotting out income streams and how to wring every drop of advantage out of each magical knick-knack. Laurel went back to cultivating, and meditating on what the next steps would be once she got permission to use land in the city.

********

The king first looked towards Theresa Skycrest. “Is what she said about the changing magic true?” They needed to establish what exactly they were dealing with in this fiasco.

“Yes, as near as I can tell everything she said makes sense from a magical standpoint, and explains many of our problems in the last several years. And why we finally got the planes working. The women who trained me had stories, legends of past sorceresses that could command the elements or fend off armies. I’m beginning to think there may have been more truth to those than I imagined.”

Madam Curson interjected with her own research. “There is more than one account in the oldest section of the royal archives, of a great ‘end’ of magic. They aren’t studied by many scholars, and those that have spent time reading the scrolls have interpreted them as metaphors for a moral decline. In light of this information, I’m inclined to think at least part of the story is true. Though I’m more hesitant to believe that she somehow survived locked away for centuries.”

“Does it matter if she was telling the truth?” General Mansfeln asked. “Do we want a stranger to have that much control over the city? A stranger, I might add, that does not consider herself a subject of his majesty.”

“Can we afford not to?” Theresa replied. “If she’s telling the truth, we’ll have monsters appearing within the city sooner rather than later. There will be casualties, and then there will be mass panic. Even with reinforcements from Fort Sarken, how else can we ensure the safety of the citizens? Stars above, are we at all prepared for actual sea monsters in the harbor?” Mansfeln grimaced at the idea of some sort of kraken crawling up the cliffs.

“You know, the healing was on purpose.” General Skycrest jumped in suddenly.

“What do you mean, dear? Obviously it was on purpose.” Theresa said.

“They weren’t surprised at all when I showed up to see them yesterday. If anything, they were expecting me. I think the whole ‘healing the poor’ schtick was a way to get our attention.”

“It worked,” Mansfeln rumbled.

“Yes, but someone that can heal a broken bone or a fatal infection in a few minutes, could have come up with quite a few worse ways to get our notice. I had a hunch and spoke to the palace administrators that work with public grievances. It looks like she tried petitioning for an audience a few months ago.” The king summoned a servant and sent them to fetch a representative to confirm. “She could probably have shown up and done a lot of damage, or made a huge spectacle to get us to pay attention. I’m inclined to trust someone who tried to work within the system instead of hurting people.”

The council fell into contemplative silence. The only sound was the rustling of pages as General Mansfeln and Madam Skycrest looked through a beautifully illustrated bestiary, written in ancient Alrasian.

The head palace functionary was admitted and bowed low to the king. “How may I please your majesty.”

“We’ve just had an audience with a woman telling a far-fetched story about magic and monsters. Have you heard from such a petitioner recently?”

“Yes, your majesty, I believe so. A woman with a similar story attended three petition days several months ago. She worked with junior functionary Perrard.” The man hesitated.

“There’s something else?” The king asked.

“Er, yes your majesty. When she arrived today, she detoured in order to give Perrard a bronze feather. She claims it is a magic pen and that she gifted it in order to honor him as a worthy adversary.”

“Very well, you are dismissed. We appreciate your service.” The man beat a hasty retreat, in no way eager to be involved with matters of magic.

The king and council continued to debate back and forth for several more hours until they reached some sort of consensus. A trial period in which she would train others. Once they had their people in place they could re-evaluate. The whole face of their city, and potentially their kingdom, was going to change.