Touch of Fate

Chapter 181: The Tactical Situation

As the morning light streamed in, Mike took a moment to stretch and flex his back. It seemed that his regeneration prevented him from feeling stiff, but he still enjoyed the act of stretching anyway. He rose from the desk and opened the blinds.

[Looks like it's going to be another warm day.]

Brenden hadn't come back yet, but he had Selene keeping tabs on his friend. It seemed like he'd taken up with a homeless drifter for some reason. Anyway, Mike figured that the beastman would return eventually, probably in a suitably dramatic fashion. He just hoped that his time away would provide whatever answers his friend was looking for.

After a round of Lifestyle and Healing Magic, Mike was ready to face the day. He'd spent the majority of last night working on a combination of Alchemy and Artifice, and had made significant progress in both. He was able to stabilize a recipe for an alchemical smoke bomb, which he thought could come in handy, as well as a handful of tonics and potions that provided minor boosts or benefits. None of it had really stood out as being impressive or exceptional, and he hadn't been blessed with any beneficial mutations.

Regardless, his Basic Alchemy skill was now on the verge of breaking through to Tier 2, and he figured that a little more practice would do it. On the other hand, Artifice was proving a slightly more challenging task. It seemed that there wasn't a well-defined method of incorporating mana cores into crafted items, due to the simple fact that the cores themselves were supposed to be refined using a completely separate skill called Transmutation.

This particular skill seemed to be solely the purview of Arcane Mages, and could be used to convert mana cores into an almost ethereal essence which could then be infused into items during their crafting process. Quite frankly, the whole thing confused him, and he resolved to track down the University's Artifice instructor the next chance he got.

Forced to rely on his somewhat crude method of using mana infused ink, he was still able to make a few interesting things. He had resisted the urge to break into any of his high Tier materials until he felt he had the skill level necessary to use them correctly, so the things he had made were still not particularly potent.

For the time being, he practiced primarily by making a few magical gadgets with useful properties. These included a magical lighter, which could create fire without the need for Lifestyle magic, a cup that could fill itself with water once every couple of hours, a wooden spoon that would stir by itself until commanded to stop, and a bracelet that glowed in the presence of substances that were toxic or harmful to the wearer.

He was particularly proud of the last one, even though he couldn't get it to stop activating around alcohol. Something to work on in future versions. However, he'd reached a point where further development would require him to use more valuable base materials, something he didn't quite want to do just yet.

Deciding that he would do a little physical activity prior to the meeting at the Spire, he grabbed a quick breakfast and headed over to the training grounds. It had occurred to him that he'd missed the informal practice routine with Instructor Johnathan this morning, but he had been in the middle of crafting, and didn't feel like stopping. Besides, it's not like the other man was going anywhere. Mike just had to go to the next one.

The training grounds were slightly crowded this morning, with a variety of students engaged in drills and mock combat exercises. Not wanting to interrupt, he occupied a small corner of the yard, surreptitiously summoned an earthen spear, and began going through what forms he could remember from his time at the Order of the Wheel stronghold.

He was surprised to find that most of the motions were still easy for him, and he was able to slide through a number of combat exercises without difficulty. Evidently, the System was providing some assistance in that regard.

[Good, it looks like there shouldn't be any issue in me switching my primary weapon for the time being.]

Satisfied, he stopped, dismissed his spear and headed towards central campus. It was still a little early, but he figured he could use the extra time to peruse the restricted section for any more information on Artifice. Besides, he didn't really know how to get up to the top floor of the Spire, and figured he would need some time to figure it out.

His walk to the restricted section was uneventful, especially since he didn't encounter Rusilka in her usual workplace. He was able to find a rudimentary book on Transmutation, and jotted a few notes down about it. From the sounds of it, the skill wasn't inherently related to Arcane Magic, merely that there hadn't been any other types of mages able to use Transmutation, so it was classified as such.

[With a little experimentation, I should be able to do something about this. It's probably like the Artifice skill itself, which was classified under Arcane Magic simply because they couldn't figure out where it belonged.]

Feeling that he'd killed enough time, Mike moved to the staircase leading up to the highest levels of the Spire. The elevator apparently would have accomplished the same, but he felt like doing a little exercise.

The stairs led to a doorway blocked off by a squad of University Guard. As he approached, they made way for him, creating a silent tunnel of respectfully bowing soldiers. Evidently, they had been told to expect him. He passed through their assembled ranks and the door, which led into something resembling a waiting room.

Here, several people were milling about, obviously waiting for something to happen. As he entered, they quickly appraised him. However, beyond a few speculative glances, he was almost immediately ignored by the assembled military types.

[Looks like word about me hasn't gone farther than the University.]

Judging from the uniforms, noble crests, and manner of armaments, Mike assumed that they constituted the entourages of whatever dignitaries were assembled. Considering that there was even a handful of individuals bearing the royal symbol of Almir, it was clear that this meeting was a lot more important than he'd originally anticipated.

[Maybe they are finally starting to get serious about this war.]

After getting directions from a woman dressed in the administrative uniform of the University, Mike headed through a set of double doors that led into a wide conference room.

"Ah, Mr. Rasmussen. Good of you to join us. We've saved you a seat over here." The Headmaster spoke as entered, motioning towards one of the twelve high back seats which ran along the table. The man himself was sitting at the head, and the other ten were occupied. Other than a pair of guards manning the door, no one else was in attendance.

Mike surmised that this constituted the military and administrative leaders of the city. Prince Matthew had taken the seat of honor opposite of the Headmaster, and the intervening seats were filled with a collection of generals, merchants, and bureaucrats from the looks of it.

One particularly grizzled man, with a tangled grey beard and an eye patch growled as Mike sat across from him. "What is this, Alexander? Are we allowing children into our strategy meetings now? I thought we were having a serious discussion on the defense of our city, not entertaining whelps who still smell of their mother's teat."

Murmurs of agreement followed form other sections of the table.

The Headmaster gave Mike a questioning glance, as if to ask permission. Having already resolved himself on this issue, Mike quickly nodded his assent.

"General Hargus, I would first like to remind you that we are not in the barracks, and you will keep a civil tongue while at this meeting. Second, Mr. Rasmussen here was invited by me for the simple reason that he represents one of our most valuable war assets at this time." Alexander replied in a calm, but stony tone which brooked no disobedience.

His words caused a ripple of whispers among the assembled councilors, who were evidently attempting to guess his identity. Hargus, for his part, looked unrepentant. "What military asset could he represent?"

Sighing, the Headmaster continued, "You are looking at, and by the way insulting, the Dragonknight Michael Rasmussen who single handedly foiled the traitorous attack of Viscount Wendel upon this very University. In the process of doing so, he and his mount killed or captured nearly 500 Tennundian soldiers, reclaimed a stolen naval airship, and rescued Princess Andrea from her kidnappers. He is a master swordsman and a Tier 3 mage who has deigned to help us in our time of need, so I would very much appreciate it if you would reign in your arrogance for the duration of this meeting."

With every word, Hargus grew increasingly pale, so that by the time the Headmaster had finished, he looked like a ghost. He bowed his head to Mike, and mumbled, "My deepest apologies, Sir. I meant no offense."

[Clearly, you did.]

The room was holding its breath after the stunning revelation that one of the legendary Dragonknights was walking among them, although Mike noticed that a few of the observers weren't fully surprised. A current of tension was present, as they waited for him to respond.

[Are they worried about me killing him for the insult or something? I know that kind of thing was fairly common in novels, but I can't imagine it really happening in real life.]

Anyway, he wanted to get on with this meeting, so he spoke accordingly. "No offense taken. You are not the first to dismiss me for my age, nor will you be the last."

The general sighed a breath of relief. "You are most generous, Sir."

"Now that we are all acquainted with the Dragonknight representative, let me go ahead and introduce the rest." Alexander began listing the various members of the council, starting with the slender gentleman to Mike's right, who was apparently the representative of the city's docks.

Mike had never been good with names, and promptly forgot most of them, instead getting a feel for the composition of the council. Military members like Hargus actually constituted the minority, with only the Headmaster himself, in his capacity as Marshal, and a Sun Elf woman who commanded the local navy, standing for the capital's fighting forces.

While the Adventurer's Guild was represented in their capacity as a quasi-mercenary force, the rest of the table was made up of the heads of various mercantile enterprises, the city mayor, and a priest from the Theological Committee. This turned out to be an organization formed from the various churches and religions which permeated the capital.