Sure enough, the attendant was looking at their conversation with rapt attention. The man tried to disguise it, but Vir noticed his subtle glances.
“That’s… that’s underhanded, Tia,” he whispered.
“Uh-huh. Why do you think I waited until now to tell you?” she replied, beaming.
“At least allow me to give you everything I have.”
“And leave you broke? That’s hardly fair. Look… If you want to pay for the cuirass, I won’t stop you. But I’m paying for the katar. And I’d like it if you allowed me to pay for it all.”
To refuse her offer was foolish, he knew that. But if he accepted, they wouldn’t be equal—he’d owe her. A great deal, in fact. She might not see it that way, but Vir would.
“Fine,” he said at length. “I’ll pay for the cuirass, then.”
Tia’s grin widened. “Excellent. I just knew you’d listen to reason.”
21FORCE MULTIPLIERS
The cool lake’s wind ruffled Vir’s hair as he stood on its sandy white shores south of Avi. Thanks to Daiya Lake, the region kept a temperate climate throughout the year, so it was a pleasant breeze—one that reminded him of the Godshollow in spring.
Neel bounded around, excited to finally stretch his legs in a new space after being cooped up in the city.
At Tia’s request, he’d come clad in his shiny new armor. Bracers, greaves, and, of course, his brand new crimson-and-black brigandine cuirass. His prized seric katar was in hand, as usual. Though he hadn’t yet had an opportunity to use it, he spent hours staring at the blade and polishing it.
“Are you holding a weapon, or a rare gemstone?” Vason asked. He, too, wore his armor, as did Tia. Only Haymi was dressed in her regular one piece.
“Why not both?” he replied.
Vason returned his quip with a frown. “Best not to get too attached to your blade. It’s a tool, nothing more. Perhaps a valuable tool, but a tool nonetheless. Babying it will merely get you killed.”
Vir nodded, surprised to hear such serious words out of the normally jovial man.
“So, why are we out here? Shouldn’t Haymi be resting?” Vir asked.
The mejai had healed well over the past few days, but still wasn’t in fighting condition.
As he learned, B and A Grade Life orbs healed wounds much faster, but once a wound had been treated by an orb of any grade, it couldn’t then be further healed by another orb. The mining company’s healers had used primarily C and B Grade Set Bone, Mend Bone, and Mend Flesh orbs, so Haymi’s injuries hadn’t healed up immediately. Apparently, A Grade Life magic could get a crippled warrior back to fighting condition in mere hours.
Though Vir wanted to hunt the Lord of the Forest, doing so before their party was whole again would be foolish. So it came as a surprise that they’d all gathered here on the white sand beach south of Avi. The city’s walls were visible in the distance, and a steady stream of ships passed by, bound for either Avi’s Harbor Town, or the canal that would take them south to the open sea.
“You fought well against the Narapazu,” Tia said as she approached him, taking long steps through the sand. “But fighting in a party has some ground rules. Tactics and strategies that allow the party to leverage each other’s strengths while compensating for their weaknesses.”
“Like the fact that Haymi’s physical combat capabilities are less than yours?”
Haymi blushed, looking away from Vir. Ever since the Narapazu incident, she’d been giving him odd looks.
“That’s not quite fair,” Vason said, sticking up for the mejai. “She’ll probably beat you in a duel, you know? Maybe she can’t use Talents, but her magic more than makes up for that!”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. But Haymi’s usually busy supporting the party, isn’t she? I just assumed she relied on you to protect her from physical threats.”
“That’s right,” Tia said. “Haymi is our most valuable member. As Spear’s Edge’s only mejai, if she becomes unable to augment us… Well, you saw what happened back in the mine. Our offensive capabilities decrease drastically.”
“But that’s not to say we don’t each have our own strengths and weaknesses,” Vason said. “Take me, for example. What would you say my strengths are? And don’t say my dashing looks—that goes without saying.”
Haymi rolled her eyes.
Vir took a moment to analyze Vason. He’d, of course, done a similar exercise when he’d first seen the man in combat. It was practically a habit at this point.
“Your Talents are optimized for defense. Bulwark makes you incredibly strong, and your choice of a tower shield augments that. Leap and High Jump also mean you’re pretty mobile on the battlefield.”
Vason nodded smugly with his arms crossed.
“But you don’t have a lot in the way of offense. No offensive Talents, and no magic.”
“And?” Tia asked.
“And range. Vason has no ranged weapons.”
“That’s actually a pretty accurate assessment,” Tia replied, impressed. “Vason’s skills mean he’s great at defense. When combined with Haymi’s magic, he can take hits that would severely injure Haymi and me. We tend to throw him at the enemy to occupy its attention. Now, what about me?”
“You’re… well, you’re like Vason in that you can use Talents. Leap, High Jump, and if I’m not mistaken, Haste. And though you claim that Haymi’s your only mejai, I saw you use Ember against the Narapazu.”
“Lot of good that did…” Tia said with a scowl. “That beast was practically impervious to fire. I’ve regretted this affinity for a long time. It’s one of the hardest offensive combat magic to use. And far too flashy.”
Vir suppressed a smirk. What Maiya would’ve given for even a Lesser Fire Affinity. Though he had to agree with Tia. Lightning and Wind both seemed far easier to deploy effectively than the slow-moving Fire magic. It was by far the easiest magic to dodge.
“I know you like going on the attack, Tia,” Vir said. “While Vason occupies the enemy’s attention, you’re the one who goes in and deals the killing blow.”
“Well, maybe not the killing blow, but I certainly try to injure the enemy.”
“Your weakness… well, apart from your Ember spell, you have little in the way of ranged offensive capability. And unlike Vason, you’re not equipped to take a whole lot of damage.”
“Nor would we allow any harm to befall her,” Haymi replied. She’d taken a seat on a piece of nearby driftwood, crossing her legs elegantly. She somehow made the act of sitting on a log look refined.
And it wasn’t just her. Vir suspected even Vason was secretly a Sawai. What three Sawai were doing out adventuring, he had no idea, and he wasn’t about to ask.
“Now, time for the hardest question of them all,” Tia said with a glint in her blue eyes, staring at Vir with her hands on her hips. “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
That would have been a hard question, had Riyan not drilled home Vir’s every weakness. He could go on for hours about the complaints the man had in his form, or his tendency to strike from the right instead of the left.
But he doubted Tia was interested in such details.
“Well, I don’t have any magical affinities, for one.” Divulging that he couldn’t use magic wasn’t a big deal. Only mejai possessed affinities, and they were rare. It was another thing entirely, however, to reveal that he was prana scorned. Whether or not he’d continue to keep it hidden, he couldn’t say. But that was one thing he refused to divulge unless he absolutely had to.
“So that prevents me from doing a lot of things. But well, you’ve seen my Talents. I’ve got Leap and High Jump like everyone else. Also Empower and Toughen. And uh… some other stuff that gives me some pretty good mobility. Among other things.”