Published at 24th of February 2024 11:46 am

Chapter 2.76 Epilogue

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Three weeks remained until Nox’s third semester at Woodson University.

Getting the Round Table to a usable state would take much longer than the time on hand. So, Nox made a list of the spaces they would utilize first. Workshops, research laboratories, and a storefront sat at the top of his priority list. It took him one week to clear the outside of the building and neighborhood—the city provided labor to cart away the fungus and debris outside the estate. Eliminating the fungus in the required interior spaces and service corridor took another week. Nox needed to hire laborers to help with the affair. Fortunately, cheap labor was still plentiful in the city. He also had successfully built a positive reputation around the city. As a result, it didn’t take him long or significant effort to assemble a small army for the task.

Despite recent events, Nox expected patrons to flock to the new shop only for the chance to set foot in the once-iconic venue. In fact, he suspected the myconid debacle had made the Round Table even more infamous. A morbid fraction of the population would want to study the internal damage caused by the monstrous fungus.

Fortunately, the living quarters had suffered minimal damage. The myconid flesh coated the external walls and damaged the upper floors’ windows but didn’t grow far into the interior. So, he didn’t place them high on the priority list, giving more importance to commercial spaces.

The apprentices in Ratra’s Knightly Brews volunteered extra hours when he revealed his plans to them. Once Nox got the Round Table’s workshops to a usable stage and had a shop ready, he planned to stop selling and producing cosmetics at Ratra’s Knightly Brews. Instead, it would exclusively focus on all of his other products. Meanwhile, the new shop at the Round Table would sell everything. He planned on putting Kishan in charge of production and Emily Stone in store management at the old venue. Aisha and the Tanners would move to the Round Table with Nox. They would hire new staff to meet the business’s needs, and senior employees would train them.

Queen Mercer sent him contractors for the baths during the third week of work. The building's interior was still not maneuverable, so Nox had them start on the outside. They needed new inlets and outlets for water, of course. The blueprints had already helped him decide where he wanted the baths. So the contractors could start work straight away.

Meanwhile, Nox already had plans for the brasserie. He assembled a business plan and sent it to Baron Edelweiss with a flame slime shipment. The man replied straight away with a counter proposal and funds to get started on refurbishment and construction. Workmen and staff would arrive in a week. Nox thought the man’s plans ambitious. Chances of him opening a restaurant in time for the new semester felt impossible, but Nox didn’t deter the man.

Baron Edelweiss didn’t just offer to pay rent but made him a partner in the business, just as Queen Mercer did for the bathhouse. Nox thought the move premature. He hadn’t made any public or official commitment to Aria yet, and she’d be overseeing the eatery’s running. This business deal would keep them tied together even if their relationship failed.

“Do you plan on keeping the name Round Table?” Ingrid asked, emptying a flask of fungus killer with Mage Hand.

The young mageling had not long started trying out different cantrips. Casting them would help improve her mana sense and control while also exercising her body's arcane channels. Of all the cantrips Nox favored, she had only gravitated toward Mage Hand and Haste. They felt fitting for a former thief.

The master and apprentice left the hired help to remove myconid flesh from the staff quarters and left Leana and Jenny Tanner on staff. Nox had generously hired the Round Table's former cleaning and maintenance staff but only trusted people who had worked with them before to manage them. The housekeeping team would need to remove the remains of the fungus from their quarters, kitchens, and bathrooms themselves before everyone worked together to refurbish and refurnish the areas.

“No,” Nox replied. “I was considering Ratra’s Galleria. Sure, the old name carries a fair bit of weight, but I want to erase the Singh’s history in the city and grow the Ratra brand.”

“New might be better. Whispers on the street have people praising your flame slime brew. The same voices curse the Singhs for causing panic.”

“I bet letting old stuff come back with fair pay is a popular move, too. However, I'll need to talk to Professor Das about new apprentices for all workshops.” Nox sighed. “Staffing costs will be the death of me.”

Nox practiced Temporal Sphere as they walked past heaps of slowly drying myconid flesh. Instead of letting the new spell encompass his entire mana zone, Nox conjured one no larger than his head. It resembled a thick bubble as light refracted through the outer layer. Any fungus within withered almost instantly as time passed, and therefore, the effects of his concoction accelerated. Nox expanded and shrunk the sphere as they moved, changing the range and size based on the volume of fungus around him. Toying with the new spell helped him gauge its limitations and, more importantly, the mana drain.

Temporal Sphere didn’t feel like an overtly complicated spell. Its functions were simple, and Nox foresaw a lot of room for creativity in and out of combat. Anyone who entered his mana zone’s maximum reach—approximately five feet—would face dire consequences. They wouldn’t just need to deal with time slowing or accelerating around them, but once Nox improved his control and activity, he could potentially target individual parts of their body, including organs. Meddling with time around someone’s heart could have dire consequences. Nox planned to experiment in Advanced Dungeon Combat’s supervised delving sessions once the semester began.

However, Nox was nowhere near understanding the mysterious existence in his star’s heart. It had minimal runes or spell shapes and felt more like a fragment of living magic. Lillin barely understood it beyond the creation and maintenance of pocket dimensions. It took years of study and exploring journals before she developed her first gravity orb. Feeling and instinct played a significant role in the magic’s inception, and the same wouldn’t work for Nox. It was bestial and dungeon-borne, after all. He struggled to think beyond runescripts and doubted his ability to unlock the secrets. In fact, he believed most humans besides warlocks—they often received intent-driven spells from their patrons—would face the same challenges as him.

If and when Nox solved the mystery surrounding the strange magic, he expected it would also fix the rest of his mana system. For the time being, he needed to use external spell scripts and mana from his functional star or internal spells paired with an external mana source to use the rest of his magic. He had invested in a few rechargeable mana gems, but they weren’t enough for delving. Besides, he currently had almost no combat prowess with Ratra’s Bow broken.

Lillin’s idea of folding space like Terrastalia intrigued Nox and appeared simple on the surface. However, he didn’t know where to begin. The idea undoubtedly needed a Manipulation or Shaping planet, but building such a spell demanded more than his current abilities. Function scripts required a subject, and Nox didn’t know how to represent his star’s living core of spatial magic in runes.

“Lord Ratra—”

“It’s Sir,” Nox told the estate’s former head of housekeeping. She stopped the pair in the service corridor just as they were passing the stairs connecting to the upper floors. “I’m not a lord yet. I think.”

“Apologies, Sir Ratra.” The older woman bowed her head. She technically ranked below the Tanners in the business’ current heirarchy, but the former staff primarily turned to her for instructions. “Since you’re now a landholder, I assumed it was lord.”

“It’s quite alright. To be honest, I don’t quite understand how the title nonsense works. How can I help you?”

“There’s a Daksinsthani woman here to see you,” the woman replied. “I told her to wait in the main hall, but she ignored me, claimed she was family, and let herself into the residential floors. The guards tried to stop her, but she threatened them with a mysterious device.”

Nox frowned. Neither Mou nor Queen Mercer had responded to his request yet. There was a chance his aunt would surprise him, but moving in without her family or threatening staff sounded uncharacteristic of the woman. Lillin and the party’s absence concerned Nox. If a relative or friend of the Singhs had appeared seeking revenge, he nor any of the staff had the means to repel them.

“Is everything okay?” Ingrid asked. “Should we alert the guards?”

“Not yet,” Nox instructed. “Follow close behind me. If I signal you, use Haste and sprint to the closest constabulary.”

Ingrid lingered a flight behind Nox as they ascended. The apprentices sneaking skills weren't, of course, as potent as Lillin's mimic-born abilities. Yet she was amongst the most sneaky humans Nox had encountered. If her preferred cantrip allowed it, Nox believed she'd do great as a stealth mage and would probably benefit from Kris’ old spells.

The young woman presented qualities much greater than that of a petty thief, too. She was a survivor and leader. Nox believed she'd excel as a summoner, charm mage, or whatever path she chose. Ingrid didn't know her exact age. The years blurred on the streets but by their estimates she was no older than fourteen. The apprentice had plenty of time to pick her star's core and Nox didn't want to limit her. Instead, he dug up information regarding rare or protected cantrips so she'd have a wide range of options while exploring her aptitudes.

The estate’s third floor was a collection of grand suites. They shared a giant common lounge and hall. He found the intruder studying tapestries in the latter. It wasn't Mou as Nox predicted. He signalled for Ingris ro half back before approaching.

The Dakhinsthani woman was significantly older than his aunt. By Nox's estimate, the woman didn't appear as aged as Diya or Dean Woodston but well-past her fifties. After meeting the city's darker skinned population, Nox knew better than to jump to conclusions. Most appeared significantly younger than their age. Nox guessed it had something to do with their fish-heavy diets.

“Excuse me, my lady.” Nox offered a curt bow once he got the woman's attention. “How may I help you?”

“You can show me to my quarters for a start.” Her tone was short and sharp. “I'd like a hot bath, too.” She walked away from Nox, deeper into the floor, and left her luggage by the tapestry. “It doesn't look like the plumbing is functional, though. I guess I'll have to go elsewhere to wash the stink of the voyage off me.”

“I'm sorry, miss, I think you're mistaken,” Nox said, briskly following her. The powerful mana surrounding the woman kept him from using a harsher tone. By Nox's estimate, she was at least at the peak of the low-expert rank. “Despite what the sign outside says, the Singhs no longer own this property. I'm the new owner and I don't believe—”

“I know you kicked the Singhs from their palace.” The woman cackled. Her accent carried an odd amalgamation of Imperium sharpness, Daksinsthani sing-song speech patterns, and the far north's drawl. “Good job. Honestly. I don't know what the local branch of the clan was like but they're self-righteous and pompous arseholes. The blighted fools do whatever they please and claim it's all for the sake of humanity. If I were related to them, your guts would probably be strewn across this fine Yellowrock marble flooring right now.”

“Who are you then?” Nox asked, struggling to place the woman. She almost felt familiar, but he struggled to place her.

“Sapna Maria Ratra,” the old woman replied, smiling. “You were a newborn the last time we met. I'm your great aunt.”

“I have a great aunt?” Nox's eyes widened. “Why did Mou never mention you?”

“She hasn't seen me since her pre-teen days. The idiot didn't recognize me when he saw me last week and thought me dead.” Sapna laughed. She spun on Nox and grabbed his left arm. The woman removed his glove before he could react and studied the scars closely. “Your mother tracked me down half a year ago. We've been corresponding since. Queen Mercer says your arm is in bad shape and you might need my help.”

“Mother did that?” Nox's surprise faded when Sapna injected mana into the arm. It felt like someone had set the limb ablaze. He tried wrenching his arm out of her grip but failed. “Are you a healer?” He asked. “Can you help with this blighted nerve damage? I can't channel magic through the left half of my chest without intense discomfort.”

“I almost didn't want to waste my time here or in this city, but your mother said you might have ample space for me to do my work here.” Sapna moved swiftly, almost like a snake as she unclipped the chain from his belt and removed the remnants of Ratra's Bow from his belt. She sighed shaking her head. “How in Indra's name could you let this happen to an heirloom?” She sighed. “You're as big a fool as your father?”

“Can you answer my blighted questions?” Nox demanded, wriggling free of the woman. His words came out louder than expected and he saw Ingrid flinch our of the corner of his eye.

“I'm an artificer you Void-brained fool.” Sapna Maria Ratra laughed. “Tell you what? You grant me use of the estate’s artificing workshop and build me a little shop next to yours. I'll pay rent and do something about your gimp arm. Maybe. Just maybe I'll fix that bow of yours too. I suppose it's the nice thing to do since you're my kin and what not?”

“Really?” A lumped formed in Nox's throat at the thought of getting a piece of his father back. “You can fix Ratra's Bow?”

“I don't know.” She shrugged. “I'm good but not as good as Grandfather was. But I might be able to turn it into something better. Something designed and suited to you.” Sapna offered him her right hand. “Does that sound like a decent trade, grand nephew?”

“It does,” Nox said, hesitantly shaking the woman's hand. “I'll have a suite cleared for you, grand aunty.”

“Euch.” She grimaced. “Don't call me that. Tham-ma or Boro Kaki will do.”

“How about just Kaki?” The word ment aunt and he liked the sound of it.

“I suppose that'll do.”

Despite the odd introduction and the first meeting, Nox touched the woman's feet as per Daksinsthani custom. She responded in kind as an elder wood by placing her hands on top of his head, giving him her blessings. Then she pulled him into a hug. The surprisingly tender embrace reminded Nox of how Mou held him. Sapna came across as crotchety but appeared nice below the sharp-tongued and spiky surface. It was nice to have family around that didn't wish him dead or hate his guts..

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