#14

We're about to head over to the bathhouse when Coen comes walking up with two people in tow. A Silver haired, hard looking man, wearing a uniform. His age, makes me think he's the Captain. The second, a woman of around forty with straight shoulder-length brown hair. She's got somewhat plain features, but her face is filled with excitement which brings it to life.

"Sorrel." Coen speaks up. "I'd like to introduce you to Captain Nicholas Brant and Rea Garman, city planner."

"Pleasure to meet you." I offer each my hand to shake in turn, before turning to Amelia. "Looks like this might take a while, why don't you show your parents the bath. I'm sure they'd appreciate the chance to get cleaned up before supper." She agrees, and leads them over after her parents get some things from their carriage.

"A pleasure to meet you as well master Rumex. Larendath owes you a great debt." The captain says after my lover and her family walk away.

"One percent for life, if what Charlie told me is accurate. And, just Sorrel is fine."

"Hah! Just so." The military man barks out. "And worth every copper."

"Sir Orent informed us that you offered to make us some buildings." The city planner speaks up. Her eyes dancing over the wagon behind me. "Might I ask if that is true, and if so. How much aid you'd be willing to offer?"

"Sure, but only if you relax." I say with a laugh. "I'm still kinda new to the whole mage thing, and aside from this long delayed trip, I've spent my entire life in the woods."

"Hah." This earns a laugh from Amelia as she rejoins us. "You don't have to worry, he's not going to take offense to anything you say or ask for. Well, not unless you say that he can't show off."

"Hey!" I cry out indignantly.

"Oh thank goodness. Coen here said you seemed like a decent sort, but you never know when you're going to run into a touchy mage." The woman says with relief.

"We're not all that bad, Rea" The earth mage tries to defend his kind. But, I can tell there must have been some truth to her words.

"Yeah, yeah. But, better safe then sorry. So, Sorrel, what can you do? I mean I see the wagon, and that amazing bathhouse. But, I still need a good idea what you can do before I can make plans."

"And, I'd actually like to know why." The captain adds. "You've already done more than enough just by finding and securing the dungeon. Nice name by the way."

"Yeah, it was that or "The Rat Pit.""

"Hey." This time Amelia is the one getting indignant.

"Simple return on investment." I continue. "The sooner this place can start making money for us. The sooner I can quit regretting not just blasting it into oblivion. And, to answer your question." I turn to the city planner. "I built these walls in a couple hours, after dealing with an attack. But that was nearly a month ago. I could probably build a small town in the same time now, especially if I don't have to conserve mana for fear of another attack."

"Damn!" Coen mutters. "Are you really only level four? It'd take me almost a week to build a town from stone."

"Plantshaping and Growth are my highest level spells. That, and well, wood's easier to move around than stone. Isn't it?" I explain, not really seeing what the big deal is.

"I think that's only you dear." Amelia gives an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, he can make wood flow like water, and that was before he unlocked Mana Control." She says to the frazzled looking Earth Mage.

"Y-you h-have Mana C-Control?" Coen stutters "That's not possible! I've been trying for years to improve my Mana Manipulation to that level..." He trails off looking defeated.

"Umm, sorry. Have you ever tried weaving? It worked wonders for me." I say, helpfully.

"As amusing as this is." The captain says with a smile in Coen's direction. "If it's true, then it's a great boon for us. The word was already spreading as we left the Capital and I expect hordes of treasure seekers here any day now."

"Ugh." I groan. "One more reason for us to get out of here. Look, draw up your plans, Rea. I'll throw up whatever you want tomorrow, and then I'd like for us to be out of here. We've already wasted far too much time here, as it is."

"Understandable." The Captain says. "If, I might trouble you, before you leave, for some of those supplies you offered?" He asks hopefully.

"Of course." I let the brief flash of irritation I felt, at being trapped here by hordes of people, wash away. "Safe to assume food is top priority? Yeah? Okay, I'll go throw up a couple silos and fill them with grain. Make me a list while I'm doing that, anything plant related. Wood in any size shape or form; paper, fabrics, herbs, anything that grow from the ground, really. Or, is made from something that does. My only limitation is whether I have the seeds or not."

"You can make paper?" Rea asks hopefully.

I just pull out a large box full from my inventory before grabbing Amelias hand and walking towards the gate. "We're finally getting out of here." I can't keep the excitement out of my voice.

"You're being rude again Sorrel." She chastises me.

"I know, and I don't care. We're getting out of here. Hahahah!" I burst out laughing at the sheer joy of finally being able to leave. "Hell, I'm really only giving them tomorrow out of respect for your parents. I thought they'd want a day to recover before heading back on the road."

"Speaking of." Amelia turns serious. "When are you going to ask?"

"It's not too soon? I'd thought to let them bring up the idea first. I'm sure it's on their minds already, even with everything else they're dealing with." I pause. "Are you doing okay? I know you've had more time to deal with it than they have, but this has got to be re-opening the wound for you."

"It's hard." She takes a deep breath. "But not as hard and not having them around was."

I just hug her to my side as we walk behind our little fort.

"I love you." She gives me a tighter squeeze once we reach the practice field. "Now, are you gonna show off, or what?" She says surprising me.

"You're giving me permission?" I ask, incredulous.

"You said it yourself. We're finally getting out of here. So, go nuts. Everyone's followed us to watch, you might as well give 'em a show."

"I love you." I give her a last squeeze before releasing her. "Time for some theatrics, then." The widest grin I've ever had showing on my face.

"Oh, boy." I hear her mutter, but it's too late now.

I take out my staff and give it a twirl before slamming one end into the ground. A ripple spreads outward away from us, the ground moving like water but not making a sound or releasing a tremor. Once the ripple reaches out around twenty meters, it seems to run into something at two spots almost thirty meters apart.

These two spots seem to suck in the bigger ripple, only to make their own smaller ones. They don't spread as far, but each one's amplitude is much higher. They grow, and grow, until a giant oak seems to erupt from each spot fully formed. They reach a good thirty meters in height, with straight trunks over five meters wide.

Lifting my staff from the ground, I raise it high into the air, pointed in between the trees. Slowly, I lower the tip to the ground, the top most branches start peeling off as I do. Rolling their way down the trunk, they take the bark and a layer of wood with them before disappearing into the ground. Left behind are two massively over-sized sheaves, one of wheat and one oats.

Everyone is watching in awed silence, most with their mouths wide in shock. There are two exceptions, though. The Captain just looks on with a calculating eye, likely inoculated to showy magics during his long time in service. And, Coen. Poor guy looks dejected, and disbelieving. 'Sorry dude, you may have ten levels on me, but our stats are closer than you'd imagine. And, I can't be beat when it comes to plant magic.' I think after seeing the look on his face.

"Thought that was cool, people? Well, watch this." I say so that only Amelia can hear, but she just shakes her head.

I slam the staff into the ground once more. The ripple flows out again and shakes the silos, causing a few grains to fall from each sheaf. The wooden grains sink into the ground only to be replaced by fully grown plants. The cereal grains spread out in a circle from each silo, growing and dying in ripples. At first where the grains meet everything seems fine, but the ripples soon increase in speed. This increase causes them to smash into each other, their tops whipping against their neighbors. One side takes the advantage for a second only to lose it the next.

This continues for a moment, until they seem to come to an agreement and leave a thin strip clear in the middle. But, now that they're not fighting each other, the waves start coming ever faster. Then, finally, one last big wave where plants twice the size of normal flow out from the silos. They stand there trembling for a moment before collapsing in on themselves, leaving the ground around the giant sheaves barren.

Then, slowly at first, before picking up speed. All the grains I'd stored under ground starts drifting upward, like rain falling in reverse. It looks like they're going to keep floating off into the sky. But, as soon as the grains reach a certain height they're jerked to a stop before they start spiraling down to fill the silos. Once the last grain is in, the sheaves give a little shimmy, as though settling themselves.

Show over, I lower my head and try to look relaxed. Even though my hands on the staff are the only thing keeping me upright. I even secretly palm the Mana stone I'd made this morning to drain it for some much needed energy.

"Dumbass." Amelia says softly, so only I can hear. Clearly seeing through my exhaustion.

"I know, but it was a hell of a show." My grin comes back just as wide.

People are starting to drift closer to the silos, checking the ground in front of them, as if afraid they'll sink right in. "Don't!" Amelia scolds me when she sees my thoughts flash on my face. I just shake my head and chuckle. Not having the energy to play pranks even if I really wanted to.

"Alright I'm good." I say taking a deep breath. "Let's go back to the wagon and wait for that list. Thank you for letting me do that. I love you." I kiss the beautiful woman next to me and we walk, hand in hand, to the wall. The energy drained from the Mana stone gives me enough strength to will a doorway ahead of us.

"Oh, good. I thought you were just going to make us walk through the wall." Amelia sighs in relief.

"Heh, no. That would be rude."

Amelia's parents spot us as we're walking past the bathhouse. "Oh. There you are." Her mother says, relief evident in her voice. "We just got out of the bath and you were missing. Where'd you go? Where is everyone else?"

"Sorry Mommy. Sorrel decided to show off." Amelia points behind us where the tops of the silos can easily be seen above the walls.

Her parents walk over and look up. "Y-you made that while we were in the bath?" Turner's eyes go wide at the sight.

"Ah, yeah." I rub my head in embarrassment. "I got a little spooked by the idea of being stuck here by the hordes that Captain Nicholas says are on the way. And, well. Amelia actually gave me permission to show off. Sorry you missed the spectacle."

"Can Amy make stuff like that?" Her mother asks a bit awed.

"She can." I say over Amelia's groan at being called by her nickname. "She's a Water mage, though. So, they'd be made of ice instead of wood, which probably wouldn't be very good for the grain. But, she can make some stunning ice sculptures."

"Our little girl can make something beautiful like that?" Turner's expression of incredulity is mirrored on his wife.

"Hey!" Amelia huffs indignantly.

"Sorry sweetie." Her mom soothes her. "And, the things you made out of clay were so lumpy and misshapen that your father and I could never tell what they were supposed to be until you told us."

Amelia's just grumbling, so I step in. "The System helps a lot with that actually. Once you get the basics down, it sorta implants the knowledge of how to do it better into your mind. And with magic, you can just will the image in your mind into existence."

I hold out my hand, condensing the moisture in the air into an ice sculpture. It's a little Amelia, or what I imagine she looked like as a child. She's sitting cross-legged while using both hands to hold up a misshapen lump. A look of pride beaming on her face as she presents it to her parents.

"I was never that bad." She swats me on the arm.

"I'm afraid you were sweetie. Oh, it looks just like you." Her mother gingerly picks up the statuette to examine it. "Is there any way we can keep it?"

"I don't know how to make spells permanent, yet. But, I'll be happy to remake it in glass for you later. I'm just a bit drained from filling the silos right now."

"Glass?" Her father's eyes light up.

"So, that's where she gets that look in her eyes from." I laugh.

"It's just like a bag of coins being poured out, isn't it?" Her mother adds.

"..."

"..."

"Oh, don't be like that." I try to cheer Amelia up. "I'm just teasing. And, it's not like I didn't help you make that big list of things we could make money from."

"Oh, you keep this one Amy girl." Her father chimes in at that.

We just look at each other and nod at the same time. "Why don't we go back to the wagon? I'm sure the Captain will be dropping his list of needed supplies of soon. And, there's some stuff we should talk about."

We do, and more tears are spilt, mostly happy this time, but there's still a few sad ones mixed in. Plans are made, Turner and I are happy to let the girls handle that while we chat and get to know each other.

Brant dropped off a surprisingly extensive list, he either had a lot of help from Rea, or he used to be a quartermaster. I don't mind though, and happily begin filling crates and barrels full of everything a town needs to get started. I feel kinda bad for his men, having to haul everything around. But, not bad enough to leave my new family and do it myself.

Eventually dinner comes, and for once we don't have to cook for ourselves. Coen comes over as we sit down at one of the picnic tables I made for everyone.

"Mind if I join you?" He asks a bit sheepishly.

"Sure, the more the merrier." I gesture to a free spot across from me. Our table is mostly free spots, with just the four of us. I suppose the others are a little wary of disturbing us mages.

"Thank you." He says, sitting down. "I was hoping I could ask you about your magics. See, I felt you controlling the earth earlier, and I saw the lights in the bathhouse. Just how many magics can you control?"

"Hmm? All of them, I think. And, thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot to light up the field." I turn and call out to the next table over to warn the military man. "Brant, I'm lighting up the field." Meanwhile Coen's face has gone wooden.

A wave of my hand, and at first, it seems like nothing happened. But, if you look outside the gate, you can see all the grass start to glow. I was already running a detection spell through it, so I decided a while back to just add a light spell to it too. That way, I don't have to cast out a thousand light orbs every night.

"Did you say all of them?" The man sitting across from me asks. His voice as wooden as his face.

"Sure." I say nonchalantly. "Been focusing on the basic elements, maybe a bit of gravity magic. But, yeah, I can sense the aspects of the others, like you can sense the aspects of Earth, and Amelia Water. Just didn't want to go messing around with some of the more abstract stuff until I get some actual magical education. Not just what we've been able to piece together ourselves. Ya know?"

"An ArchMage?" He squeaks out.

"If you say so." I shrug.

He clears his throat. "Ah, you wouldn't know, but it's rare for an Awakened to have even two schools, let alone three or more. True ArchMagi are almost things of legend. As rare amongst Awakened, as Awakened are amongst the general population. Well, at least now I don't feel bad about being shown up by someone who's not even level five yet."

"Well, truthfully, I probably hit five a bit ago, but I think Temmie's playing a prank by letting Amelia get there first." The system remains suspiciously silent, pretty much confirming what I'd thought.

"Temmie?" He seems rather confused.

"You know? System-chan? The display that pops up when you say Status? She's got a wicked sense of humor, loves dirty jokes."

"Of course I know about The System, as you call it. Every Awakened does. But you're talking like it speaks with you."

"Well, duh." I roll my eyes. "Did you never bother saying hello? Or, maybe thank her for all the stuff she does for us? And what do you guys call her?"

"Most call ..Uh, her. The book of knowledge. I've never heard of anyone speaking directly to it. her, though. Umm, hello miss System?"

*...*

"Aww, are you being shy Temmie-chan? I thought you'd like more people to talk to. No? Are you mad I figured out your prank?"

*Ding* A sullen tone.

"Don't be like that, it was a good joke. I'm sorry I messed it up." I try cheering her back up while Coen looks on astonished. Amelia is trying to explain what's going on to her parents, So I cast a spell to let them hear what we do. "Let me make it up to you. I'll even let you watch me polish my staff later." I take said staff from my inventory and rub it lovingly.

a *Ding* that sounds almost like a choked off snicker.

"What do you mean it's too small now?" I deliberately misunderstand her. "Don't you know it's not the size of a mage's staff, but how he uses it?" I hug mine to my chest protectively.

*Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding**Ding* Temmie finally loses it, quickly followed by Amelia and her parents. I can even hear a couple titters from Apricot, where ever she's hiding. Meanwhile, Coen's just sitting there with his mouth hanging open.