All arcane circles were composed of two parts: the circle and the arcane formula written in runes around that circle. The sphere of influence was bound to this circle; it was one of the single greatest, inflexible realities of magic. For a long time, I had been trying to disconnect the sphere of influence from said circle, only to be met with failure. I believed it to be impossible; however, things like the dual binding, a feat that I thought was impossible, proved that I was only limited by how I viewed the problem.

  So I asked myself: What if I didn't unbind the sphere of influence from the arcane circle? What if, instead, I projected a mental image of the sphere of influence somewhere else? Make the belief so firm and solid that reality itself and my powerful abilities would force the sphere of influence to move.

  This turned out to be impossible until, after weeks of experimentation, I stumbled upon the answer.

  I asked myself, what if it were only partially separated from the arcane circle? I imagined the arcane circle existing on a flat plane in space from a top-down view. If I moved the arcane circle left or right, up or down, the arcane circuit would break. However, from that perspective, if the circle were moved towards or away from me, assuming I didn't have any perspective of depth like some technical drawings, then the circle would look no different. A three-dimensional movement from a two-dimensional perspective.

  That was the basis of what I was calling sphere projection. I was essentially projecting the circle along that three-dimensional space while maintaining the two-dimensional perspective. The sphere would essentially be bound to the same plane as the arcane circle, regardless of its orientation. My animus controlled the movement perpendicular to the plane of the circuit, and I would have to physically move the plane to place the sphere of influence where I desired it to be.

  That meant I had to aim the plane towards the object I was influencing, an unfortunate limitation. Still, now, Heywood’s telekinesis and balls of fire and Elis’s lightning were all possible. It still needed work; the efficiency was horrendous, draining my amulet in seconds for even the simplest magic.

  Once I had the binding correct and a large enough source of power, I could combine that with enchanted armor, a larger reservoir, and the power of my animus. I would be more than a match for Heywood or any magus.

  ~

  In the center of camp, I stood in front of four well-dressed peasants, instructing them on how to behave as we traveled. If they were to be a part of my entourage, they certainly couldn't be walking around in homespun. “While we travel, remember who you serve. You answer to no one but me; do not disrespect me by prostrating to anyone else. If, at any point, you are confused about how to react to a situation, you may ask one of my hands. If they cannot resolve it, I will step in.” I met their eyes, reading hesitation, fear, and a small amount of distress. “You can ask questions.”

  Ben raised a hand, hesitantly. “What bout, food and all that, we gonna share or… It ain't like they realize we can travel with so much meat.”

  ‘We’ll travel through bandit-infested lands in a scorching desert, and that is your concern, Ben?’

  The brown-haired young man scarfed down food like no one's business, wasting most of his coin on meat. When we were traveling, he ate so much that I even made him a small grill for himself. But as a young man, he was filling out rapidly, so I didn't comment. And there was nothing wrong with having a larger meat shield.

  He and Michael handled most of the heavy lifting, while Julia and her daughter were taking up domestic duties, cooking, cleaning, and the like.

  They weren't up to my standards, but they were willing to work hard. After their first payment, the fact that I often gave them a few extra silver coins if they served me particularly well was enough of a reassurance about their future that they served eagerly. Anicia happily took up the role of managing their pay, and though she was young, she'd shown off her magical weapons enough for them to respect her authority.

  Or more likely, I was too strange or threatening, and they would prefer dealing with Anicia.

  Regardless, they were all well-fed, walking around in the finest clothing I could purchase. And though we traveled a lot, they enjoyed meat, wines, bread, cheeses, pastries, fresh fruit, and any luxuries I purchased on my journey were shared.

  I purchased proper tents with thick, comfortable bedding for them to sleep on. They could use the air warmers or coolers to make their tents as comfortable as they pleased. They wanted for nothing, and all I demanded was loyalty and steadfast service. A small price in comparison.

  “The food is for us alone. No sharing regardless of their offer. As for water, we need not worry; my generators will more than account for it.”

  Turning to Anicia, I asked, “How are the supplies? And how long can we travel before resupplying becomes a necessity?”

  She immediately responded, “We’re full to bursting, so at least a month and a half at our current consumption rate.” She looked down at a notepad. “If we rationed how most would while traveling, then 4 or 5 months. I recommend we offset it with dried soup, hardtack, and preserved meat until we’re used to traveling in the desert. We’re not sure about the state of the mine and the attached town, so we should take full precautions in case we have to travel another month or two to a large enough village to resupply.”

  ‘Good, very good, Anicia. Soon enough, I’ll delegate all of this to you.’

  I nodded in agreement. “Excellent thinking. See to it.”

  I turned to Corina, and she spoke without my prompting. “I managed to find eight crossbows, though the seller wasn’t skilled enough to modify the draw; he was just a middleman.”

  Before I spoke, Michael perked up, clearly wanting to say something. I nodded for him to speak. “If we shave down the bow, it’ll weaken the draw. At least that’s what I’ve heard from army men.”

  ’I wasn't even aware that was how it's done.’

  I shrugged and said. “Test it with one of the extras; if you can get the draw to where it can be hand-loaded by your wife easily, and it can fire a hundred times without failing, do the rest.”

  I was pleased by his addition.

  Looking at Corina, I said, “I’ll modify them with a simple ring to increase the speed and penetration. I want you, Ben, and Michael drilling with weapons. One bolt every two seconds is the goal.”

  “Julia.” I said firmly, and she perked up slightly, terrified, “I will teach you and your daughter how to properly serve a noble lady. First, and most important. You need to learn how to cook more than stew. I will teach you.”

  “Y-Yes, Myr, Milady,” Julia said.

  The daughter only nodded.

  “Alright, everyone dismissed. You know your duties; rest well, eat well, you have one day for yourself, and next, we travel.”

  I sighed and retired to my own tent, pouring a large tankard of Arbor West. It was larger than the rest, with enough headroom to stand, though it didn't compare to the larger monstrosities that nobles and the wealthy could afford. But everything would come in due time.

  It was a slow thing, but soon enough, I’d delegate every mundane task to someone else. And my only concern would be working on my magic, collecting, and spending coin on my own wants and needs. I wasn't even planning on participating in the fighting, unless the situation was dire.

  Taking out a parchment, I continued to work on sphere projection. As I expanded my mind to the infinite chaos, at times I could go through dozens of different arcane formulae without even having to validate if they would work. It was as if my mind was interpreting the runes in a new way, giving me insight into the structure of the binding, rapidly accelerating the development.

  A task that should have taken me at least a year was close to completion in only a month and a half. Just glancing at the arcane formula, I could see how the runes would react to my will. I’ve made thousands of bindings, and how reality warped and twisted to my will was following patterns that I could predict just by looking at the sequence of binding runes.

  I didn't even have to attempt it to know the binding still needed work, but I was getting close. The opening to my tent shuffled, breaking my concentration. I wasn't upset since I was planning to stop for the night.

  Anicia sat down across from me, staring blankly at the scattering of paper at my feet, a playful smirk across her face.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Got two more.” She said cryptically.

  “What’s so amusing about that?”

  “They’re both old. I say they've got another five or so years left. The man is 60, though he’s spry for a man his age. The woman is 54.”

  “We’re really searching the bottom of the barrel, aren’t we?”

  Anicia smirked as if she had won something.

  “Go on. Tell me.”

  “The old man was a leather worker. His store went out of business, but the quality is good.”

  “A decent find, but I don't know where this smugness comes from… the woman, then.”

  She lifted her chin in victory. “She worked as a healer and owned a little apothecary attached to her husband's store.”

  “She could be a charlatan.”

  “I asked around; she stitches cuts, sets bones, and even works as a midwife at times. No one got anythin’ bad to say.”

  “I see, that is quite a find. Excellent work,” I said. ”But why would someone so skilled not have constant work?”

  She shrugged. “Husbands feudin’ with the headman. That’s how he ended up losing his store. They only plan on staying with us for a year until they have the coin to travel to the Helosian capital. Where they have family.”

  Before I gave her instructions, I asked, “What is the play?”

  Anicia took a deep breath, thought for over two minutes, and said. “Convince them to stay longer, maybe with more coin or…something…. We need them long-term.”

  “You're on the right track, but the old and infirm are not that useful to us. Skill, however, can be taught. So what we need is a young, fresh mind that we can use to transfer those skills to. And you're right, we can pay her more, but under the condition she trains someone up to her level of skill in that year.”

  She smacked herself on the forehead. “Why didn't I think of that? It’s so obvious.”

  “Remember who you were not eight months ago, Anicia. Even this level of thinking is a great improvement, and you still didn't tell me what you want as a reward.”

  She bit her lips and said. “The jewelry… Can I wear some of ‘em?”

  Shrugging, I said with a smirk, “Anything but the crown.”

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  Anicia grinned and searched the heavy wooden chest that contained my most valuable items.

  A question popped into my mind, one that I just now remembered. “When paying off Julia and Michael’s debt. Some magic was used… What happened?”

  An evil chuckle escaped Anicia’s throat. “We went to the usury, a fancy-looking place in the poor part of the town. Tried to pay it off, but the wretch tried to fleece us for double the coin. When we refused, he called for his men.” Tapping the crossbow at her waist, she continued. “So I pulled my crossbow and shot one of ‘em in the shoulder. The bolt went clean through; the plate he wore was damn worthless. Then I loaded another bolt and aimed at his head.”

  ‘Ah, so that's why Ben seemed so willing to listen to her directions.’

  Anicia continued, “Ma’ talked him down. I gave the fool five eagles for treatment, and the deal was settled.”

  “Well done,” I said, giving the red-haired girl my warmest smile. Anicia beamed at the praise.

  ~

  The Next Day

  The sun was setting, and preparations for our travel were largely completed. As a reward, I allowed Anicia and Corina to go into town to amuse themselves.

  Elias and Morriane, the new couple, were getting situated in the camp.

  I watched as a gray-haired woman talked with each member of our group, reviewing their health and wellness, looking at old and current injuries, and she even gave Julia an herbal tea to help with cramps. Elias, her husband, was already tending to the horse harnesses, carefully noting what needed repairs and replacements.

  They were a good find, but it was a shame it wasn't permanent. In the future, I intended to have a proper conversation with both of them. Shrugging, I stared down at my new shape-transformation ring. I was standing just outside my tent since I didn't want to risk anything while working with molten metal.

  It was six feet wide, made of iron and bronze, with a shape transformation circuit that would allow me to shape 6 different materials: iron, copper, platinum, gold, glass, and silver. There was also a circuit that allowed me to heat and cool metal and glass. I would have preferred to make it with gold and platinum, but that was beyond me at the moment.

  The massive ring stood on three steel legs, elevating it a few feet above the ground. Inside the ring, I placed some glass scrap, a handful of eagles, steel ingots, and a small amount of platinum. From the edge of the camp, I watched as Cramer, the emerald merchant, and two guards walked towards me, being escorted by Ben and Michael.

  I hid my smirk as I watched Cramer try not to gawk at the magical lights. We were near sunset, and the bright, soft white glow illuminated the camp.

  His own camping arrangement was impressive. A large red tent with at least ten attendants, not counting guards, skittered about preparing everything for him to rest.

  It seemed he couldn't wait to speak to me, or he was simply curious about the magical tools that were scattered about our comparatively humble camp. He sent a message earlier requesting a meeting, and I agreed. Though it was coincidentally right after Corina and Anicia left on their outing.

  It seemed he couldn't wait to speak before our departure, which was scheduled for tomorrow morning.

  “Dearest Myr, I apologize for the intrusion.” He said with a short but respectful bow.

  I gave him a warm smile in return. “Think nothing of it. I’m only doing some simple work.”

  I looked down at his hands, noting he carried a bottle of wine. The top was sealed with red wax. Surprisingly, I recognized the vintage. “Caortell Red,” I said with a smirk. “Very nice.”

  He hid his surprise quickly. “I drink nothing but the best. Surely you’ll join me this time.”

  Nodding, I gestured to an odd metal chair. With a nod of appreciation, he sat, incapable of concentrating on a single specific object. Eventually, his eyes settled on the lantern. “May I?”

  He asked. I nodded, allowing him to examine it.

  “I own a few trinkets myself, you know, but none match these wonders.” He said. Realizing the lantern had a small door, he opened it to reveal the glowing glass orb sitting on a pedestal. He squinted; the light was too bright to focus on for long.

  “Is there really such a difference?” I asked.

  He took a deep breath. “A vast difference, I’ve seen magical lights. Usually, it’s a magic flame. But this light, it's so bright and steady, and there’s no heat coming from it.”

  I stayed silent, knowing he liked to hear himself speak.

  “The price of this lantern… It could be considerable.” He turned his gaze to me just as I finished the bindings for the shape transformation.

  “I don’t understand you, Myr. This could fetch a fortune on the open market. At an auction…hells, what I'm paying you is a pittance. The stove, and I don't know why, the air in your camp feels so cool. And if I haven’t lost all my wits, those odd steel containers make water.”

  “What has you confused?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

  “You, with very little effort, could amass an absurd amount of wealth, yet you do not. This is strange.”

  “I am no merchant… gold and silver… It’s all just metal to me.”

  A humorless chuckle escaped his throat. “Your words are humble, but you, my dear, though an enigma to me for the most part, are not.”

  I shrugged. “True enough.”

  I heated the steel ingots until they were molten and used shape transformation to form a two-foot-wide, three-foot-deep, and three-foot-tall box with one side empty. In the same instance, all the hinges for the door and the negative space for the runes, dials, and switches were all embedded into the metal itself.

  Next was the door, which was almost entirely glass with a metal frame attached to the hinges. The runes were filled in with silver, and a final three glass orbs containing my light circuit were added.

  As I worked, the temperature of the air dropped. Every heat absorption circuit from the air coolers, heat absorption circles on the water generators, and the energy furnace were actually connected in a long series, all leading to the input of my reservoir. And every magical item was being fed by this reservoir. It served two purposes: The first was allowing for the steady and uninterrupted operation of every magical item; the energy storage in my reservoir was large enough to nullify fluctuations in energy absorption; the second was security. If an item was stolen, then all I had to do was drop the focused binding, and the item would become useless.

  I used the last of the steel to make four metal grates that could be slid along grooves to make removing items from the oven easy.

  It all took roughly three minutes to do, three minutes that left the Emerald merchant in open-mouthed awe.

  “By, Anier.” Cramer stood, walked over to the strange device, and asked. “What is it?”

  “An oven… Go ahead, flip that switch.” I pointed to what looked to be an odd, finger-sized lever on the side.

  The lights turned on, illuminating the inside of the oven.

  “The rotating dial controls the heat?” He asked, and I nodded.

  It took seconds for the heat to rise, but the metal box remained cool to the touch. It was a simple passive binding to remove heat from the metal frame.

  “Brilliant.” He said, laughing as he flicked the lights on and off. “A glass window to watch things bake, and lights so you can see it clearly.”

  “This isn't just a trinket; this… this is worthy of the royal kitchens.” He paused, a realization coming across his face. Cramer was too caught up in the moment and gave me what I wanted. I already knew my abilities were beyond Elis, and now I knew they were better than any magus in the entirety of Helios. Which meant its value was priceless, and it also meant that he couldn't pretend otherwise.

  Returning to the chair, he chuckled and said, "Seems I’ve made a drama of myself… well played.”

  “According to my map, we’ve crossed from Uwell into Derk. What can you tell me about this baron?”

  He raised both palms. “He’s not the best or worst of the desert kings. A bit soft on crime, but it’s not a hellscape like the Southern Kings.”

  He looked to the oven, then back to me. “You’re wondering about the reaction to these items.”

  “Indeed.” Looking at the rest of the glass scrap, I used shape transformation to form two wine glasses.

  Cramer smiled and opened the bottle.

  I dragged another metal chair and sat next to him, nursing a glass. It was drier than I preferred, but still enjoyable.

  “You won't have to worry too much about this barren land, but further south, they will kill for such treasure.” After taking a long draft, he asked. “How dangerous are you? While what you’ve shown me is beyond comprehension…”

  Looking around, I guessed how much damage I could do with my strongest magic. “I could kill everyone here in less than a second.”

  He blinked twice, then nodded. “It’s good to be dangerous, but that’s too dangerous.”

  I leaned back, and as expected, he kept talking. “A dangerous person is tolerable; noble families are dangerous… large mercenary companies are dangerous. The threats they pose to a baron or lord are manageable but great enough that, unless the situation is extreme, the baron will most likely avoid a conflict.”

  I continued his train of thought, “A threat like mine is almost existential; my existence becomes almost a provocation.”

  He nodded along. “Precisely, and I recommend you sell this to no one in the Capitol of Derk without giving some face to the Baron first. Your actions could alter the balance of power. The outer villages and towns, though, are fair game.”

  His reasoning matched my own perception of nobility.

  “What is your end game, Myr?” he asked. “It’s not wealth; you don’t seem to care that much about it.”

  “I’m always learning, improving my magic. I can't bother myself over the mundanities of life. It's a waste of time that I could spend making more wonders. And as powerful as I am, I’m not an imperial-trained magus, so though I can defend myself, a large enough force could overcome me. So, I travel looking for servants, guards, and the like. And occasionally sell magical items and my services to support that life.”

  He smiled and nodded. “Now that, most barons can tolerate. I don't believe that's the entire story, but I'm not presumptuous enough to demand secrets.”

  Running my fingers through my raven hair, I asked, “What would be the average Sand King’s reaction to the empire inquiring about me?”

  Cramer rubbed his hairless chin, thinking for a few moments. Then a small chuckle escaped his throat. “Most likely open hostility. Helios, for some time, has been trying to acquire magic; the resentment is centuries old. All we get are the scraps that only the royal family and the most powerful barons have access to.”

  He paused, then asked, “You made all these items, correct?” I nodded. “Magi in the capital usually take a long time to create items for the king. Yet you made that wonder in a few minutes; from that, I can assume you are of greater power, or the magi in the Capitol are simply incompetent.”

  “It’s both, actually. You can be assured that the further south a magus is from the magisterium, the worse their skill.” I said, remembering my conversation with Heywood.

  “I knew it.” He sniffed in revulsion. “Yet those pompous wretches strut around as if they were the Crimson Maiden reborn.”

  As he spoke, an idea began to form. I had to assume Heywood and his cohort would learn of my survival in the coming weeks. The powers that be within the wastes needed to be on my side or, at the very least, unwilling to work with the magisterium.

  ‘I can use that resentment… provide the barons with magical services in exchange for massive profit. But I should avoid the notion that I am allied to an individual baron. If these wastes are as chaotic as I am led to believe, then there is very little the Magisterium or their agents could provide that I could not. All the while, I continue to recruit people under that guise. It's just for safety and security… Which means the next step after dealing with this mine business is meeting Baron Derk and offering my services. And with no other magi around, I can charge whatever I want.’

  “You know…” Cramer said, breaking me out of my musing. “It’s not just the magical items you can offer.”

  I raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue.

  “No one really knows how magic really works…” He stopped talking as he stared into my eyes. My mask of congeniality shattered, leaving not a trace of emotion or humanity in my expression. The veil to the infinite chaos was widened to my absolute limit.

  I expanded the sphere of influence for my reduced gravity circuit to encompass the entire camp and pushed the binding to its very limit. The air instantly dropped to its minimum energy point; each breath became difficult. Cramer gripped his chair in fear, realizing he spoke out of turn.

  I could almost see the moment he realized what type of person I actually was.

  I spoke evenly, without inflection. “I do not recommend you follow that line of reasoning.”

  He swallowed his words and nodded. I allowed the fear to linger for a few moments before reducing the power of the binding. Our weight returned, and the air warmed. Instantly, my mask reformed as if nothing had happened. He took a deep breath, steadying himself with an impressive force of will.

  “Might I purchase this oven from you?” Cramer asked as if he didn't just look like he was staring at the face of death itself.

  “It’s rather expensive; I mean, a wonder like this is probably worth its weight in gold.” I mused.

  “Perhaps we can come to an agreement.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “I don't have that much gold on me, and while I don't live in this barony. I have connections… connections that can reach the baron… connections that can drop a word in his ear; this could be useful for an introduction.”

  No doubt he intended to resell it elsewhere, but I didn't care. “Call it 50 royals. 25 if you have an interesting magical trinket to trade. And if you can actually get me into a meeting with the baron. I’ll throw in 10 of those lanterns and a source of energy to fuel it all.”

  He snapped a finger and mumbled, “Right, the furnace.” He licked his lips, then asked. “Can you make the lanterns out of silver? ...maybe add some gold inlay?… What if I had someone make designs for you to follow?”

  “That can work, but you’ll have to provide the materials, though.”

  “Easily done,” he said, standing. Glancing towards the town, he noted that Corina and Anicia were returning from their outing. “We can take care of the details once we’ve dealt with my mine. Until next time, my lady. I do hope you’ll join me in my carriage for some of the journey.”

  ‘Did he purposely decide to approach me when they weren't around? Anicia’s hostility was rather obvious, I suppose.’

  “Until then, Ser Cramer. I am eager to see how well-appointed that monstrosity of a carriage is.”

  Smirking, he said, “Once you experience it, you’ll want one of your own. ”

  With a bow, Cramer turned and left, leaving the wine behind.

  ‘Interesting fellow. I wouldn't mind having someone like that as a thrall. But he’s far too strong-willed. Someone like that will break before they bend.’ Sighing, I poured myself another glass of wine. ‘It’s still early days, Myr.’