PSTH: Chapter Sixty-Two

The development of an artificial essence stone is the kind of thing that must be handled very carefully, especially if it can be done at a moderately high price. Oh, why a moderately high price? Well, if it’s extremely expensive, then it’s not going to be a major advantage. If it’s cheap as mud, then it will ensure that people level as much as they want or need to. But if it’s in just the right category of cost as to be affordable to the people in the highest tax brackets, then it could give rise to conditions remarkably similar to the pre-arrival culture’s inequality in political, social, and economic power, only backed by something perhaps even more dangerous: pure magical power. 

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Political Science Lecture given by Mrs. Woolworthy at Slate University, 456 Modern-Era

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After Gawain’s fight wrapped up, and he’d finished taking pictures with Councillor Kingfisher, as well as all the normal stuff, he walked over to our small group. His head was held high, but there was something unusual in his gait and the way he looked, as if he was holding in emotions. 

“Congratulations,” I said, and he nodded stiffly before sticking out a hand. 

“Thank you.” 

Confused, I took his hand and shook it, then Gawain gave handshakes to everyone else. When it came time for Rane’s turn, she arched a pierced eyebrow. 

“What’s wrong? You won, but you’re acting like you just lost.”

“There is nothing wrong,” Gawain said, though that was obviously a lie. “I simply need to leave, and will be out of range of most networks, so ” 

“Now?” I asked, checking the time on my augpad. It wasn’t even four in the evening yet. “Can’t you have dinner with us or something?” 

“No, I need to go,” Gawain said, shaking his head. 

“Gawain,” Rane said slowly, stepping closer and guiding him slightly to the side to sit with us. “How old are you?” 

“Twenty,” he responded, sounding confused. “I do not see the relevance.”

“You’re a grown person, with wants and desires of your own,” Rane said, her voice measured. “You don’t have to 

“No, I do. She is very busy, and puts in a lot of effort to clear her schedule simply to meet and do some training with me,” Gawain said. “I have all the free time in the world, so I need to meet her on her schedule.” 

“I understand respecting her time, but if you don’t want to go, there is no reason that you need to,” River said. “My mom did a lot for me too, but that doesn’t mean that I have to do everything she tells me to. Especially now.” 

“No,” Gawain said, standing up. Gryphon appeared in a stream of ousia, forming on his shoulder and trying to gently console and comfort him, but Gawain pushed forward, standing. “No, I need to go.” 

“That’s a load of–” I started to say, but Gawain’s body jerked, and he thrust his hand toward me. A wave of essence flared out of his body, cutting me off mid-sentence, and disorienting me. It was raw essence, and it hadn’t been shaped into a spell, so it wasn’t able to actually do anything. But it was still such a torrential flood that for a moment it felt like someone had just broken an essence stone, or like the Councillor had dropped his veil. 

Gawain used the moment of distraction to turn and slip into the side halls. I rose, some sort of emotion that was in between anger and frustration flooding through me, and darted after him. In that instant, I didn’t know if I was annoyed at him, angry at his mother, both, or if it was something more, but it hammered in me. When I caught him turning the corner, I sprinted faster, but he started to break out into a run as well. I flicked my fingers out and shaped a pattern, then poured anima into it, and then cast Dash. I crossed the distance in an instant, but as soon as I was next to Gawain, he made a show of grabbing into his backpack, and then he simply vanished. 

I let out a growl of frustration. Teleportation magic had sharp limits on range, and especially at our level, he couldn’t have gone more than a few hundred feet. The problem was that he could have gone anywhere, and I had no idea where. I spent a while going up and down the halls, looking for him, before Rane caught up with me and put her hand on my shoulder. 

“He’s gone.” 

“I know! But he didn’t want to go, and…” 

I made a gesture in the air as if I was going to angrily cut a vegetable, and let out a loud groan. 

“He’s so stupid!” I said. “I hate it!” 

“No you don’t,” Rane said, snorting. “And you certainly don’t hate him. That much is clearer than clean waters.” 

“I. I don’t even know. I can’t stand the way he’s dedicated to parroting someone without using his brain.” 

“Come on,” Rane said, pulling me through the halls. “We’re going to get some food. There’s probably a wait at most of the places, given it’s a weekend, and not everyone’s left yet.” 

I pulled out my augpad and checked the time, then blinked. It was almost four thirty now. Had I really been running around, combing over the Tamer Consortium back halls for half an hour? Since I already had my augpad out, I pulled up his contact and sent a message, my thumbs flying across the screen. 

> You better not just up and leave without ever talking to us again.

Then I watched the message, waiting to see that it had been delivered, only for the tiny symbol marking it as sent to not change. There was no way he’d gotten out of network range already. Had he turned off his augpad? 

Even as I stared at the message, I realized how terribly I’d worded it. ‘Without ever talking to us again’ could be interpreted in so many different ways. But before I got the chance to type out a second message, Rane snapped her fingers and drew me back into the present moment.

“Come on,” Rane said, and I grunted but did as she said, putting my pad away and following her. We met up with Laurel and River a little ways outside of the Tamer Consortium building, at a restaurant that had a good number of people milling about. 

“Hey,” River said, waving. “Sorry about that.” 

“It’s not your fault,” I said, waving a hand. 

“It’s not, but I’m sorry it happened,” River said. “You and he…” 

I expected Rane or Laurel to jump in and say something teasing after River trailed off, maybe even River himself to pivot in an attempt to keep things lighthearted, but all of them kept their silence. They seemed to realize that I was actually quite frustrated, and that it wasn’t the time for such things. 

“Well, I’m just sorry that it happened,” River finally concluded.

“Thanks,” I said, and he nodded, then Laurel spoke up. 

“You know, this restaurant actually imports a lot of its ingredients,” she said. “And I don’t just mean spices from across the sea like cinnamon. They bring in beef from the Greenlord Valley, specialty spirits from Rainforge, and other stuff from a half dozen other countries across the continent. It’s kind of their speciality.” 

“Won’t there be a huge distance tax for that?” I asked. It was clear that she was trying to change the topic, but I wasn’t against that right now. It actually sounded fairly nice.

“Yeah, but I figured that if I won, it would be a good victory celebration, and if I lost, it would be a good consolation prize.” 

“Hah,” I said. “I should be the one consoling you.” 

“Jeez, rub some more salt in the wound, why don’t you?” Laurel said, though her tone was light. 

“He does come from an ocean village,” River pointed out. “Oh, and Rane, you’re from the same place too. They probably think it’s normal to salt a wound.” 

“Okay, that was a bit of a stretch,” Rane countered, then grinned. “We use cool water. Just a bit saltier than you city-dwellers are used to.” 

“Who are you calling a city-dweller, miss ‘I ran off to go to college in the big city, tragically betraying my home town’?” I asked, and that got a bit of a laugh out of people. The conversation flowed smoothly after that, especially after we got seated inside and Laurel asked for my opinion on the Councillor’s recommendation of leveling up. 

“Well, I’m of two minds about it,” I said, glancing over the menu and wincing at the prices. “On the one hand, there is a point to it. The gap of levels is real, and the quality of moves can be a massive benefit or detriment. On the other hand, though? You… ya know what, actually, hold on.” 

I reached into my bag and pulled out my augpad, then flipped over to the notes section, where I’d put all of my thoughts about fighting the Councillor, before pushing it over to her. 

“While he might have one or two more Primals he’s bonded to, I expect these six would make up the core of his combat team,” I said. “I think it’s possible for me to win against most of the potential teams he could build. I think it’s possible for you to do the same.” 

There was a brief break in the conversation as a waiter came by and took our drink orders, before putting down a basket with some bread and a compound butter that looked an almost radioactive green color. It tasted surprisingly good, though, very herbal. 

“It seems like Aiden and Gawain had an advantage by watching you fight first,” Rane said. “They both got more planning in, and could think of strategies with more knowledge.”

“There’s some truth to that, but a lot of being a tamer is about reading an opponent,” Laurel countered. “Different tournaments have different formats, but even the most open formats don’t force you to disclose every one of your Primal’s spells to an opponent. If you heavily plan for a match, it’s more than possible to hit above your level, but that winds up cheating you out of experience in adapting and changing on the fly.” 

“Right, like the Ace format is really popular right now,” I said. “It’s where–” 

“Only asexual people can compete?” Rane asked with a grin. 

“Bah,” I said, then paused as the waiter returned to take our order, and I realized I’d basically only skimmed the prices, rather than deciding on what I wanted. In the end, I got a smoked trout with some rice and mushrooms, which was one of the cheaper items on the menu, though it still cost nearly forty credits. At least the portion size was decent, and the fish was really well prepared, with a smoked salt, cracked pepper mix, lemon zest, and some spicy paprika rubbed into the flesh before it was cooked. The mushrooms were a mixture of oyster and chanterelles that they actually grew locally, which I found somewhat preferable to the imported goods. 

We dined for a good long while, while Laurel and I spent a while discussing different strategies for her next match with the Councillor, as well as for mine. It was good to spend the time with them, and even if Gawain wasn’t able to be there, it was an enjoyable meal, and a good end to the rough day.