Jennifer Jones
Stories
4
Chapters
1,292
Words
687.3 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 9 h
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Tala found herself to be in a bad mood. With around sixteen guards in need of additional healing and the death benefits for five further guards, the Mage protector payments had been less than she’d hoped. In the end, she’d received twelve gold as the caravan’s dimensional Mage; the increase to that figure was due to her verified status as an Archon. For her work as a Mage protector, she’d received a token to use with any inscriber, so that they could charge half the inscription cost to the guild,…-
211 •
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Tala and Terry watched as Mistress Odera sat facing them, allowing them to take in the city, while she only watched them. “So, have you had a chance to think on your encounter with the juggernauts?” Tala snorted, a rueful smile coming across her face. “Absolutely.” “And?” She took another moment to put her words in order. “I’m too durable.” Mistress Odera cocked an eyebrow but didn’t comment. “I don’t mean in absolute terms, more relatively speaking.” “Go on.” “My…
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211 •
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The cooks worked through the night, getting energizing meals for the Mages and guards, along with keeping them supplied with coffee. Tala got a bit more than the average of both food and coffee, but she still felt hungry down to her bones. It did seem like they were mainly out of danger, as no further attacks came before the light of dawn broke across the canopy overhead. Tala recharged the cargo-slots as her last act before stumbling into her room and crashing into deep sleep. It felt like as soon as…
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211 •
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As Tala hung out of the depression in the big tree, her peripheral vision caught signs of movement around her, but her eyes were still fixed on the juggernaut moving her way. However, even with such an obvious threat approaching, she couldn’t ignore movement nearby, so she turned to look back at the tree she was in the side of. She was hanging out of a relatively shallow, shattered hole, nearly four hundred feet up the trunk of a massive tree. As her gaze swept what amounted to a wooden wall that she…
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211 •
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Tala looked around in a panic, her mind both refusing to accept the loss of her arm and refusing to accept that it was already back. Her eyes swept across the combat going on around her. The temporary pause caused by the juggernaut’s rage-filled cry hadn’t lasted. Tala’s arm was fully regrown. Her inscriptions had returned the limb completely back to full functionality. She forced herself, mechanically, to run and check on the guard who had taken the remainder of the blow. With her augmented…
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211 •
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Tala rocketed through the air, momentarily confused as to what had happened. In an instant of clarity, she remembered a heavily armored Leshkin lunging from a nearby trunk and striking her with incredible force. She was in perfect health, despite her new ballistic trajectory. She saw the two-wagon caravan in the distance as a wave of lesser Leshkin seemed to fall like rain towards it. She saw movement closer, as she continued arching through the air. Two shapes, clearly armored, were sprinting at…
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211 •
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Tala smiled as she sat atop the cargo-wagon, the morning light highlighting the thin, green canopy above. The previous night had been uneventful, and her morning routine, camp breakdown, and departure had passed quickly. She was now enjoying the last of a large bowl of sausages, chasing them down with a healthy amount of coffee… maybe an unhealthy amount… The food had been given by Amnin just as they were departing. “You have to keep up your strength.” The older woman had given her a wink.…
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211 •
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Tala fell into a modified pattern over the next few days. Mistress Odera rarely let her engage the creatures that attacked them directly, but Tala used her gravity manipulation as often as possible to assist in the defense of the caravan. She’d made great progress at first, but that had slowed to a crawl and was continuing to slow. The new manipulation ability was highly useful, and she had no complaint about that, but in a combat situation, especially against more than one opponent, it still seemed…
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211 •
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Tala notified Mistress Odera, and the guards on duty, that she and Terry would be sparring, so that they would not come to her aid. Then, she carefully stepped forward into the already well trampled area of forest floor. Terry seemed to have grown bored, while she took care of the particulars, and he’d curled up on the ground. Tala took a moment to regard her avian friend. She gave a sad smile. “Are you ready, Terry?” The bird opened one eye and let out a soft squawk of assent. “Alright,…
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211 •
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Tala sat on the wagon top as it trundled towards the trees. The caravan was underway, and Tala had a task before her. Per Mistress Odera’s instructions, she was preparing to activate her active gravity manipulation for the first time. She placed her palms on her elbows, left arm going above right. She carefully positioned her fingers per Holly’s instructions, getting into the very awkward and specific position required for the initial activation. Even so, she followed the instructions given,…
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211 •
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