Wandering Agent
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Elevation of Mana Chapter 40 Product Requests
🕑 Added 2023-07-01 01:41:26 +0000 UTCEveryone was tired when we got back to the village, self included. Several of our members had overestimated how much they could carry because the metal was small, also self included, and struggled the whole way back. This had made the whole trip take about a day longer than it should have, and given many of us blisters. Needless to say proper backpacks were going on my soon to achieve list of inventions as well.
We brought our haul of material back to the hut, happy that few were around at this point in the day to see us, and dropped it there. I made my way unceremoniously to the sleeping mat and promptly collapsed, letting the dreams take me.
The next time I opened my eyes mother was standing above me, looking cross. “Your father said the trip was easy enough, but the way you're laying says otherwise.”
“Easy enough depends on what you mean by it. We didn't encounter any monsters, so that was good,” I replied. “Things went mostly as expected, though I am sore.”
“Hmm, well, good to know it wasn't something too fun for you. Maybe you'll wait before doing it again.”
“It was fun, but I will wait, we have enough copper for quite a few projects now,” I said calmly, not wanting any more trouble.
With a wave of her hand the few aches and blisters I had disappeared. “Come, it's nearly time for dinner, you should help, and tell stories if you got any.”
“Their elder said I should come live with them when I come of age,” I said, not wanting to hide that from her.
She pressed her lips. “You could, if that is what you want.”
“It's not what you want though is it?” I asked.
“No mother wants to see her children go far away. We'll talk about it later if you want to, now, dinner.”
We ate and talked, and told the story of our trip to everyone. It wasn't a particularly exciting story, but it was news, and everyone liked news. We talked of the other nearby village and I described how many of them used the green rocks to paint themselves, which got several of the ladies in our audience interested, sadly we'd not brought any of those back with us.
Father told of the game that I'd made and handed over to the other elder. This of course led to several people asking for the rules, and a number of impromptu games of Go played in the dirt with rocks and small sticks as pieces. I smiled, it was true that you could play basically anywhere with anything.
Isha looked over as we played through a game ourselves. “So you brought back a lot of that copper?” she asked with a glint in her eye.
“I did, why?”
“I was just interested in what you were planning to make with it,” she said, a mischievous smile on her lips.
“If you want something, just say so and we can trade,” I said, placing down one of my pieces and taking several of hers.
“Needles, I want needles,” she said.
“Planning on stabbing someone?” I asked, letting my amusement drift in.
“No, not currently, though that's not a bad idea. I know this one boy for example...”
“I'm not against the idea.” As a point of fact I was all for it. “But why needles?”
“Because I'm out of bone ones, and they're a pain to make. My father hates making them, as does everyone else. Do you know how long it takes to get new ones? Just getting the right bones is a pain, but I hear you can make things easily out of that copper, and it made a really pretty knife, so needles.”
She wasn't wrong, making a needle was a bit of a pain. First you needed a large piece of thick leg-bone, something sought after for a number of different purposes, and then you had to drill and grind it into shape. Being bone father didn't shape them like he could stone either, it was annoying.
“Fine, and I'll tell you what I want for a few of them,” I offered.
“What?” she asked suspiciously.
“Two things, first, I want you to tell me how it does, and everyone else if it does well. Second, I want you to think of some other things to make that would be useful, tools and stuff.”
Isha narrowed her eyes at me. “You're up to something Elian.”
“Of course I am Isha, I'm handing over the work of coming up with ideas and convincing others that the copper is worth the time to you,” I laughed. “And only for the price of some needles.”
Eduan
I watched my son work from a ways back. He was drawn in by what he was doing, heating and shaping the copper like it was nothing at all to him. As I looked on I felt the presence of another move beside me, Elaya had come to watch too.
“His power is amazing, and at his age too,” I observed. “I don't know what to make of it.”
“It's not the power that surprises me,” she said intent. At my raised eyebrow she continued. “I've known your wife's side of the family for a long time. No, it's his control. He's still growing in power, but look at how he uses it, here he's only putting forth a fraction, and working it into a project smaller than most of us would bother with. He's also using elements of the light that few make work for them in anything other than large attacks. When's the last time he accidentally made a fire?”
“One that he didn't immediately have gone? He's lit thing when putting down his work, but puts them out almost without effort.”
“We knew he was using his light for years without knowing what he was doing. I'd bet it was things like this, things you'd only see if he let you,” she tapped her lips, considering.
“Agreed, and he sees potential everywhere. Do you know how long he messed around with that copper? Like he knew there was something there but couldn't put it right. Never giving up until he got what he wanted,” I added.
“I'm worried about what he wants, or will want though. You know how some people can get.”
“He told me,” I said. “He told me what he dreams of.”
She blinked in surprise, staring at me. “What?”
“A better world,” I answered. “A better world for all of us. Better in ways I don't even really understand, but the way he described it, you could tell he wanted everyone to be safe and happy.”
As we watched he finished, giving a light polish and a few quick looks over each and every one of whatever he was making, something very small and thin. Time passed and he came over to where I was, holding two small threads, each with five or so of the objects dangling from it.
“What do you have son?” I asked, interested in what he'd come up with this time.
“Needles, Isha asked me for needles. I made mom some too, I hope she likes them.” He seemed perfectly pleased, looking at his creation.
They were thin, far thinner than was really reasonably doable with bone unless you had a lot of time and were very careful. “I'm sure she'll love them.”
“What did little Isha pay you for them?” Elaya asked from the side, looking over the product he'd made.
“Words and ideas,” he laughed, turning to go off and make his deliveries while chuckling under his breath. “The most valuable things of all.”
After he'd left she turned back to me. “And he says weird crap like that all the time too. Not wrong, just not what you'd expect from a boy that age.”
“Um,” I agreed half-heartedly.
“Also, I'd like some of those needles when they work well.”
“You'll have to discuss that with him, and when? Not if?”
“No, not if, when.” On that note she turned and left me, shaking her head and mumbling under her breath.
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