[Omen of the Witchblade] Chapter 119 - Order of the Magi

Mel didn’t expect the Magi to reach an agreement so fast. Their usual bickering and backbiting lasted all of a few minutes before the majority decided in favor of creating an Order.

Once that first roadblock fell away, all other complaints were made purely for the sake of them. None of them truly held any merit.

Besides, with most of the Magi in support of forming an Order, nobody wanted to be left out.

Even more surprising was the nearly unanimous decision to put both Charlie and Mel in charge of the Order.

While Mel didn’t exactly like being a co-leader of a group she founded since it was her item in the first place, she didn’t exactly disagree.

From what she’d seen of Charlie, the woman was smart and savvy. She was the exact Magi you would want in control of something like this. In other words, she was Mel’s polar opposite.

Where Mel felt things by intuition and instinct, Charlie carefully plotted and calculated.

Besides, Mel was certain that this was the best outcome she could have hoped for. The Magi still weren’t under her control. No more than they were under Charlie’s control, but together they could help guide their people toward goals that they would never be able to achieve otherwise.

Perhaps the Magi really need two leaders instead of one. That could be why it’s never worked before. Brookmoors isn’t administered by one person. There’s a whole faculty of Magi in various positions. Everybody contributes.

They retired to the living room and sat around the wide glass coffee table where Mel set the [Empyrium Gem]. She looked at their faces, seeking somebody who clearly did not want to go through with it, but didn’t want to be an outcast.

That alone was an oddity among Magi. Being an outcast was practically a badge of honor among her kind.

She saw nothing but anticipation and interest.

Dammit, is Hal looking at the gem with hope? What the hell. I swear if he starts weeping…

Charlie seemed….genuinely happy. In a relieved sort of way. Even Mel felt a little less adrift.

Things were tough. They were in a position few Magi had ever been in before. This was a brand new Shardrune to them without any Magi presence that they knew of. They were cut off from Brookmoors and the support of their professors.

Even the Headmaster wouldn’t be able to help them out of this. They were utterly alone. If they didn’t band together, they would be split apart. Each group would go their own way at first, but the splintering wouldn’t stop there. Individual Magi would go off on their own adventures seeking power and enlightenment.

Without a central purpose to orbit around, the Magi would scatter to the four corners and never be seen again. This was taking the group in a good direction.

Not every Magi was as loyal as Gwen.

Mel held up the gem and studied its many facets. She looked at Charlie, surprised that she wasn’t reaching for it too.

She was staring into Mel’s eyes again. Too much like in the Hall of Martyrs.

Ballsy move, trusting me completely, Mel thought.

Instilling mana into the gem caused it to burst apart like a firework. The entire living room went dark and was speckled with a trillion specks of starlight.

It reminded Mel of her meeting with Askara only on a smaller scale.

The other Magi were looking around, reaching hands out to each of the stars and talking excitedly amongst themselves.

Mel reached out to a star and found that it wasn’t quite a star. It was a skill tree. Or close enough.

When she touched one brightly glowing star, several strings of silver connected it to other smaller stars. Some glowed red, others purple or green. They were nodes of progression.

“We need to choose our designation,” Mel said softly. She hadn’t been expecting this.

Despite the similarities to Aldim, Hal had never used an [Empyrium Gem] to create a Guild before. He used something else, and his choices had been rather limited.

Mel, Charlie, and the rest of the Magi called out different types and designations of Orders. There were Mercantile Orders, Adventuring Orders, Delving Orders, Kingdom Orders, and so much more.

If you could dream it, there was an Order for it.

After what felt like an inexhaustible search through hundreds of potential options, Mel finally found what she was looking for.

“Here,” Mel said, pinching a brilliant blue-white star.

Charlie came over, close enough that Mel could smell the heady mixture of vanilla and cinnamon wafting off her.

Focus! Mel chided herself.

“Are you sure about this?” Charlie asked, placing a hand on her arm.

Mel answered her question with another. “You want to be an explorer instead?”

“That’s appealing too,” she admitted. “Could be so many things.”

“But limiting. We’ve already seen what a Pioneer Order has access to. This would let us do anything. Fulfill any contract we want. Monster hunting, exploration, resource acquisition. All of it.”

“It is a broad enough term,” Charlie mused aloud.

“Are you in or not?” Mel snapped.

She chuckled darkly. “Yes, it’s a wicked gnarly choice.”

Is she…making a joke?

Mel eyed her and pinched the star until it burst and expanded in a nebula of stardust all around her. What she had first mistaken for a few nodes streaking off from the first choice expanded to include thousands. A microcosm within a microcosm.

The prompts rolled in, forcing Mel’s attention away from the twinkling stars of the Magi’s future. Brilliant points of light shone down on the Magi as Mel read and agreed to the world’s worst EULA. At least, it felt like that.

When the Shard was satisfied with her, she was greeted with a glowing banner of Shardscript.

You establish the [Magi Order].

Your Magi Order manifests Quests, Deeds, and Chroma for all recruited members. By accomplishing higher Deeds and clearing Deed Walls, your Order will become eligible for additional advancements along with Convocation Trials and rewards.

Faction Type: Mercenary Group.

Faction Rating: F-Class (1st Ring)

Archons: Mel Harper/Charlie Asleton

Praetors: Jacob Windsor, Shrubley

“It’s a shame we can’t call ourselves headmistresses, professors, and the like. Because we’re not,” Charlie said.

“Yet,” Mel countered.

It was a bold claim.

But it was possible.

Just like a witch hat, no Magi worth their mana would call themselves a professor without earning the title first. They were, however, Archons. The official title for hat-bearers. Given their somewhat militaristic bend, it made sense for the sub leaders to be considered praetors.

New Order Quest: Making it Official

You have just selected the Mercenary designation for your Order. To confirm your selection, you must complete (3) contracts to be eligible for Order Advancement. Until you complete this prerequisite, you will acquire no further Quests, Deeds, or Chroma for this Order.

Objective: Complete (3) contracts (0/3).

Reward: Recognition as a Mercenary Order.

“I wonder where we can acquire contracts,” Charlie said, watching the stars with wonder. She certainly held an appreciation for magic. “Perhaps more lucrative ones even. It should be easy enough for me to find out tomorrow.”

The stars faded slowly until the room was once more well-lit. The dark windows showed the night lights of the city reflecting in the dark blue waters of the lake.

Gwen was sitting with Shrubley and Heath. They were watching a particular section of the constellations that overlooked the crater.

Shrubley’s twiggy arms had been reaching for a star. His hands were still clasped around it as if it was still there. With bright lamplight eyes, he shiftily looked around and pulled the tiny fragment of starlight into his bushy body.

When Mel’s eyes met his, he put a finger to his shrubby body and winked at her.

You’re too precious for this world, Shrubley, Mel thought.

Mel looked at each person there. Just like with the Stolst gang, their names had changed too. They now had (Magi) following their names, which filled Mel’s heart with pride.

A sense of camaraderie that the other Magi clearly felt. Even Heath, who was the furthest from a Magi, now had that tag on the end of his name.

“Heath, are you crying?” Mel asked, astounded.

Heath was pulling out tissue after tissue, blowing his nose like a foghorn, and balling them up. “I’m just so happy!” he managed between sobs.

Multiple Magi thumped him on the back in a show of acceptance.

Wooly Komachi was running around with Sylvie, giggling and playing.

Hush slithered across Mel’s shoulder and down to her arm. In his mouth, he held a tiny star that he wanted to show her.

And then he accidentally swallowed.

Mel reached down and petted him gently. “It’s okay, Hush.”

“You gonna tax us now?” Logan asked skeptically.

Mel shook her head. “First of all, you don’t get to agree to this, then bitch after the fact. Secondly, your money is yours to keep, though if you want to pool it together to buy something big, that’s your call. We’re not going to take anything.”

She desperately wanted to add “unless I feel like it” but thought that might be going a bit too far.

“Oh yes, the Evil Queens are going to tax the villagers into oblivion and ransack all your homes,” Charlie said jokingly, steepling her fingers. “Homes? Ah, that’s being generous. I meant shacks. Also, villagers? More like peasants.”

Logan looked like he took umbrage at that. “All taxation is theft!”

Mel put her hands on her slender hips. “You’re talking a lot of shit for a man with a flammable house.”

Charlie cackled wickedly.

Ashera sat up straight. The light of the room made the silver filigree on her cow-like horns glint enticingly. “If I may?”

Mel nodded to her.

“I believe it would be a good idea to set up a treasurer,” Ashera said. “Somebody who can make sure we are putting our contract funds to good use.”

Logan grunted. “Sounds a lot like a tax.”

Ashera shook her head. Her pale moonlight hair drifting back and forth across her shoulders. “No. I am not suggesting we put money in. Only that the money we receive from contracts–as a group–is placed into a central location and administered properly.”

“You already have the mind for it, Ashera,” Charlie put forth.

Ashera blushed and ducked her head. “I…was not intending to put myself forward for the position. Only that it would be wise. Even Brookmoors has treasurers.”

“Yeah, well, would you like to be our treasurer?”

“I…suppose I could try.”

Logan glanced at her. “I will help her.”

“You hate administrative tasks!” Solomon burst out.

“The lass needs a guiding hand. If she’s going to be holding our purse strings, I want to make sure she knows the value of a coin.”

For some reason, Hal glared at Logan. “She is not an idiot,” he said sharply.

Even more interestingly, Logan backed off and raised his hands in surrender. “I don’t mean that. But if Ashera here, who I might add is just a Second Year, is going to be administerin’ our funds, I’d like to make sure she isn’t hoodwinked. There are a million people who would like to prey on a small operation like us.”

“I find this agreeable,” Charlie said, looking to Mel for her opinion.

“If Ashera’s okay with it,” Mel said.

Ashera nodded. “I would welcome the help.”

“Any other jobs you want to hand out?” Sylvie asked. “Maybe you need a Morale Cop?” She held up Komachi. Her wooly fur shimmered like it had just been oiled and brushed.

Charlie visibly softened at that. “Sure, if that’s what you would like to be. Maybe the name is a bit of a work in progress, but we’ll see.”

Various Magi wanted different roles. Mostly, they were unique ways in which they wanted to contribute. Everyone was still considered a mercenary and would partake in the greater goals, but people also wanted their own specialized roles.

They wouldn’t be Magi if they didn’t collect useless titles like a piece of gum collects lint.

It was interesting that both Gwen and Shrubley wanted to be chefs.

And above that, they were all competitors, eager to join the next trial.

All that mattered to Mel was that they were aligned in their purpose. Even more importantly, Mel could more easily watch each of them to determine who had killed Other Mel. At the same time, she would make it much harder to strike at her.

Unless it’s Charlie, then I’ve just made her task a thousand times easier.