Sen met Murdin at the marketplace hoping to finally get a chance to discuss the finer points of Fiddian magic, but that hope was dashed after only a few moments.
Murdin waved him along after confirming Sen had finished the deliveries. “Come, we’re getting lunch.” His hopes were un-dashed. Maybe there’d be room for his questions, after all.
It was only noon, but the man seemed tired, even moreso than the lines along his face suggested. He carried himself with a pained gait, a limp in one of his legs.
“Are you alright? Are you limping?” Sen asked him.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Murdin said, waving him off. “An old injury - too much walking makes it worse.”
“That must have been quite the injury,” Sen said. He couldn’t help but feel a level of curiosity about his new teacher. Tane didn’t know much about the man other than that he was the town’s only mage, and had been for longer than he’d been alive.
What else had Murdin done in his life? Surely, he hadn’t only lived here. No, Sen wasn’t an expert combatant, but he wasn’t new to a fight. Murdin carried himself with a surety that Sen had only seen from those used to combat.
If Sen guessed correctly, Murdin had once been a soldier, or at the least a guardian, like Sen had been, that protected villages from monsters.
“Yeah, came from this frustrating, overgrown bird,” Murdin explained idly, leading Sen toward a small shop built into what looked to be an alley. He sat the two of them down, then ordered a small meal for the two of them.
“An overgrown bird?”
“A garuda, if I remember correctly.”
Sen’s eyes widened at that. Garuda were huge birds that could pick up a full grown man in its claws without much trouble. “How did you get in a fight with one of those? Actually, how did you survive at all?” Sen asked. While the magic he had seen made some incredible tools, nothing he had seen so far suggested the ability to take on massive creatures like a garuda. Even with the magic Sen had known in his previous life, dealing with a garuda was far from simple. Without that magic? He had no idea how anyone could deal with such a creature.
Murdin heaved a sigh. “I’m surprised you know what a garuda is,” he said. “I wasn’t always the crafter of such luxury goods as warmth stones,” he chuckled. “Some towns have far more monster attacks, and mages are expected to protect their homes. Not many others have the same ability to do so, and thus the duty falls to us.”
“I see,” Sen said. It made sense. It was, functionally, exactly the same as it had been in his old life.
Murdin lightly nodded his head, looking toward the small open kitchen where the delicious smell of meat rose into the air. “A couple injuries too many, and now I’m here,” he explained. “Anyway, that’s enough about me. I can see it in your eyes - you have questions. Ask.”
Sen grinned. “The books you gave me are missing the fundamentals,” he said. “I want to know about those fundamentals. How does it all fit together?”
Murdin narrowed his eyes, rubbing a hand against his chin. “I’m surprised, Tane. I didn’t expect you to be so perceptive. I expected…” He trailed off for a short moment, then gestured as if to wave away the thought. “Regardless, that is an important question. What do you understand so far? Or, what can you guess?”
Sen thought for a moment. “Glyphs can be engraved directly on an object. The books imply that object becomes some sort of power source, though I don’t understand how. The books aren’t clear on that.”
“As good a starting point as any,” Murdin nodded, still hungrily eying the cooking food. Sen felt a hungry pit in his stomach as well. It did smell fantastic. “Not every theoretical part of magic is understood, but the practical aspects are consistent and easily replicated, given you have the ability to create high quality glyphs on your medium.” Murdin launched into an explanatory tone, one with considerably more confidence and color than his regular cadence.
“As you said, engraving glyphs in an object serves to create a spell. All objects can be activated with merely a thought from someone who knows how, but most common glyph enchantments are built to activate on their own, like the warmth stones.
“When an object is enchanted, that object serves at the power source for a spell. That means that a spell will consume the enchanted object - the medium - in order to create the effects of the spell, until the object is no longer able to support the glyphic structure. Something like the warmth stone will gradually grow smaller until it can no longer support the glyphs across its surface. Then it simply stops working, the glyphs breaking apart.”
Murdin paused to take a breath, but Sen interrupted with a question. “Can glyphs degrade over time into dangerous spells?”
Murdin nodded, a satisfied grin on his face. “Yes. Almost every enchantment has at least some of its design dedicated to ensuring that a spell will draw from the medium safely, preventing dangerous objects like, to use the warmth stone as an example once more, exploding stones. Nobody wants that.”
So, exploding stones were a common side-effect of Fiddian magic, just the same as his own magic. Further, Sen could think of a few good reasons that he would want exploding stones, but none of them were for civilized conversations, so he didn’t say anything.
The food arrived, much to Murdin’s obvious delight. He tore into the meal quickly. Sen picked at his a bit more slowly, thoughts focused on the new information. “How does a glyph connect to an object in order to take its energy?” Sen finally asked.
Murdin looked at him, eyes searching his face as the man continued chewing. Swallowing, he spoke. “That’s one of the theoretical aspects that is not well understood, unfortunately.” He had a frown on his face, obviously unhappy with the lack of information. “Practically, it doesn’t seem to matter, but it is a gap in our knowledge that many find uncomfortable to consider.”
Sen wanted to ask more questions, but a man stepped into the small restaurant and immediately moved toward the two of them as he spotted Murdin. “Mage Murdin,” he said with urgency in his voice. “Several monsters have been spotted in the outskirts!”
Murdin sighed, looking down at his plate, still roughly half-full. He closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh, then turned to the man. “Okay. Tell me as we go. Sen, you’re coming with me. It might be dangerous, but this is going to be a part of your life if you want to be a mage.”
Sen nodded, standing. Murdin left a few coins on the table, then the three of them left.
They walked quickly toward the edge of town, the man explaining all the way. Sen didn’t recognize him, but Tane hadn’t known everyone in town, and the man seemed more like an administrator, someone who worked in the town hall. Tane had never been there, so it wouldn’t be a surprise he didn’t know the man.
They approached a worried looking farmer at the edge of town after a fast-paced walk that bordered on running. The farmer wrung his hands and stared out toward the outskirts of the city as they approached, not even noticing them.
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Finally, he turned to them and his eyes lit in relief as the three approached. “Mage Murdin! Thank the gods,” he said. “It’s a pack of tanbinos. They’re eating my grain, and I’m afraid they might come for my cattle, next.” He looked back into the distance, eyes worried.
Murdin’s face turned stony as he heard the news. “Let us go quickly, then,” he said without emotion. “Do you have horses? Did you run here?”
The farmer gave him a blank look in response, realizing his mistake. “No,” he muttered, looking away from Murdin. “I didn’t think to…”
Murdin cut him off. “Then we must hurry.” Murdin set off at a run, surprising Sen. He’d been clearly limping earlier. The farmer took a moment to follow, and Sen set off after the two of them only a heartbeat later. The town administrator stayed behind, a concerned look on his face. Sen wanted to be annoyed that he wasn’t helping, but supposed finding Murdin quickly had been helping.
The man probably wouldn’t have been much help against tanbinos anyway, considering they were the name for stone wolves here. Creatures that formed from the ambient magic that coursed through the world like wind, and somehow developed a need to eat just as true as any living creature. They often hunted in packs, but unlike normal wolves they enjoyed eating the wheat grown in nearby farms. It was an odd aspect of their biology that didn’t seem to have any clear reason, but it didn’t change the fact that it was a problem right now. They were also dangerous, and aggressive against almost any other living thing.
Murdin ran at an impressive speed, surprising Sen once more. It was clear he could go faster, and Sen already struggled to keep up. He wasn’t out of shape, by any means, and he realized the farmer was struggling as much as him. They weren’t running at a sprint, but close to it, and still Murdin seemed, for all his age, like they were the elders in this odd group.
Sweat beaded on Sen’s arms as they passed over a hill, and he saw a large field sweep across the earth with the yellow of tall grains peeking up from the ground. A house and several other buildings of varying sizes sat in the distance, next to the field.
A pack of tanbinos lurked near the edges of the field. Nearly a dozen stood or napped, some eating the grain without a thought, others napping in the sun. Murdin raised a hand, bringing himself to a halt.
“That’s a lot,” he said, a note of annoyance in his voice. “Where is your family?” He turned to the farmer and asked.
“They’re all in the house,” he answered. Panic shown on his face. “Are there too many? Will my family be alright? My cows?”
Sen frowned at the man. He couldn’t even see any cows.
Murdin put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Relax. It’s more than I expected, but we’ll manage. Your family will be fine so long as they don’t come out. Your cows, as well,” Murdin said after the man frantically tried to interrupt him again, worried. “So long as your family stays out of sight, they’ll be fine. They are monsters, but if they don’t see anyone, they won’t start searching.”
The farmer nodded, though his face still showed worry and concern as he looked toward the house. Sen heard him lightly murmur something about his cows.
“Sen,” Murdin called quietly. He reached into a bag and pulled out several stones. “How’s your throwing arm? Or can you use a sling?”
“I can throw,” Sen said.
“Good. Take these. Be extremely careful with them - grip them too tightly, and they can explode in your hand.” Sen’s face paled, but he accepted the handful of stones. They were small and smooth and flat, stones that skipped well when thrown across water. The glyphs engraved onto the faces were clean, but simple.
Murdin pulled out a wooden bar engraved all over with glyphs. Next, he pulled out a pair of blunt stones that vaguely reminded Sen of blades. Blunt, useless blades.
Murdin took out one more item, a small metallic stylus. He engraved a single small line into both of the stone pieces, then fit them together, a small outlying nub fitting cleanly into a pit in the second piece. He repeated the process with the wooden piece, forming the shape of a sword. He added a final glyph, only slightly more complicated than a square, and Sen’s jaw dropped in awe as dust fell from the stone, forming into a blade. It gleamed sharp in the sunlight, as though polished to a sheen. The farmer gaped as well, eyes blinking in disbelief.
Murdin pulled out a small knife, this time made of metal and all in one piece. He handed it to Sen. “Use this if any of them come for you. I’m going to engage,” he said, “and you’ll throw those stones at any of the tanbinos on the edges. Hide in the field so they don’t come after you. Try not to throw any of the stones near me, if possible.” Sen nodded, and Murdin turned. “Stay here,” he called over his shoulder to the farmer.
Sen turned to the farmer as well. “Behind a tree, or if you can, climb up into the branches. Just in case.” The farmer nodded, but Sen didn’t stay to see if he followed orders. Murdin was already off, and Sen dove into the field.
It was much easier to see what was going on from the top of the hill overlooking the farm, and Sen felt lost in the depths of the field. Each grain stood taller than him, but he used the angle of the sun to keep his bearing as he headed toward the pack of tanbinos.
He heard hisses and growls from several of the stony creatures as he followed along. Murdin spoke without emotion in his voice, pulling their attention. “Come on, time to play, little mutts.” It took only a short moment for the first sounds of a clash to resound, and Sen crept forward, trying to get a line of sight so he could find his first target.
He lightly moved aside several grains to see Murdin had already cut down one of the creatures, dirt and stone fallen inert along the edges of the field. Sen gripped one of the stones, then threw it sideways, spinning the stone in air. It landed directly on one of the creatures, toward the back of the pack.
Whatever he had expected, the explosion surprised him. It was only a light cracking sound, like snapping a small branch. However, the explosion immediately killed several of the nearest creatures, and the one that had been hit directly with the rock simply ceased to exist, immediately collapsing into a pile of dirt and stone.
The creatures were eerily quiet, beings that felt no pain. One limped not out of agony, but because its leg simply no longer existed, turning to the field, looking for Sen. He ducked back into the field, then tried to relocate further down, away from the majority of the group. Nothing came after him, so he waited a moment before peeking once more.
Murdin had been busy while Sen moved. Two more of the creatures lay in a heap on the ground, and Sen noticed the man’s sword moved smoothly to protect himself from two creatures as they bit at him. One final creature managed to overwhelm him and bite down on his arm, but its teeth seemed to stop immediately as they met his cloak. Sen saw an opening and lobbed another stone, trusting himself to let it fly over the top of Murdin’s head. It flew true, but missed his second target by a small distance, landing on the ground.
It didn’t save the tanbinos, dropping three more. That left only about four of the creatures, and Sen had one more stone. Three were still focused on Murdin, but one died even as he watched. Sen continued to wait, watching for any more openings. Seeing what the stones did to the creatures, he didn’t want to chance what might happen to Murdin himself.
Watching as the fight continued, Sen realized there was nothing more to worry about. Murdin moved with ease and confidence, the glyphs on his stone sword filled with the blood-dirt-substitute. Two of the monsters lined up, and Murdin pulled his blade into a two-handed attack, then swiped through both of them with ease.
Sen knew he wasn’t fantastic with a sword, but he’d thought he was okay. Murdin, however, must have been the most skilled swordsman he’d ever seen. He danced around each of the creatures with an ease that Sen doubted he’d ever be able to match, even if he managed to recover some of the enhancement spells he heard about in his old life - but never had the skill to actually cast himself.
The battle ended after only another minute, the tanbinos lack of pain preventing them from feeling fear and running away, if natural mana constructs like them could feel fear at all.
Murdin heaved a deep breath as the last of the tanbinos fell to the ground, then looked toward Sen. His gaze pointed directly at him, despite that Sen still lurked in the tall field, barely visible. Sen stepped out, and Murdin nodded at him, a slight grin on his weathered face. “Good work,” he said. There was no sign of tiredness on his face, and if anything, Sen thought he looked more lively now than before they had left the town.
“That was incredible,” Sen told him. “I’ve never seen anyone use a blade like that.”
Murdin answered him with nonchalance. “It’s been a while, and I’m rusty. One of them got me,” he said while checking the fabric on his arm for damage. “Lucky this is enchanted,” he muttered softly.
“Those were some nice throws,” he added, looking up from the sleeve. Murdin’s eyes flicked behind Sen, and footsteps revealed the farmer running up to them.
“You did it! Thank you, mage Murdin. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay you back.”
Murdin held up a hand. “No need for all that. This is my job, even if I don’t have to work quite so hard normally.”
“I know,” the farmer said excitedly. “Milk! I can get you free milk for the next month!”
Murdin eyed the man, but diplomatically turned him down. “There’s no need for that,” he said.
Murdin took a deep breath, looking over the piles of dirt. He kicked at one of them, sending several heavy rocks flying into the field of tall grains. After a few more attempts to express his gratitude, the farmer excused himself. He ran off toward his farm. Oddly, Sen noticed he entered the barn first, not the house.
“Now then,” Murdin said, stuffing the stone sword into the sash around his waist. “I want to know how these got here. We need to check the wardstones around here.”
