Steel and Mana

Chapter 21 – Problems

Winter. When most things stop, hibernate, and nothing really gets done. A time when I remember how my parents were trying to make a little brother or sister to me. Well, times have changed. Now, it was my turn to do it with Sasha, and we were getting pretty good at it. She even started initiating it when night came. This... I could get used to it.

Sadly, not everything can go on forever so smoothly. The first problem came knocking in right in the middle of winter. We had a day when the cold was so severe that some of the exposed pipes cracked. The water froze solid in them, expanded, and destroyed parts of the aqueduct, especially around the foot of the mountain. Those that were buried survived without any problems. The earth itself was a good insulator and would not let the water freeze. The problem was those that were above ground.

"Is it really bad?" Sasha asked as I was returning at sunset, taking off multiple layers of clothes while patting the snow out of my hair.

"Manageable!" I chuckled, letting her help me undress, "We built it in segments, so it is easy to replace parts of it. Luckily, not the whole line is busted, but it will set us back around a month or so! Hopefully, next winter, it won't come to this!"

"You have an idea what to do to prevent it?"

"We can use straw and hay to insulate them, but my best option is to keep the water flowing. Still, water freezes much more quickly. That is what happened now! We checked the castellums, and they are fine for now. It's not a big deal, so I wouldn't really worry about it!"

What I had to worry about came in the spring. The moment the snow started to melt and we began warming up, I set goals for my people and sent them to start working. We couldn't miss any day now, not if I want this year to be the opening of my city. Yet, once again, only a week in, disaster struck.

Back at the mines, while going at the ore vein per my orders, the wall broke through. We hit an underground cavern, and the worst thing was hidden behind it when it opened up. Water. Freshly melted, ice-cold water. It was the first time I lost people, four in total. The hypothermia got to them before we did... tsk. I felt horrible, not because the mine was destroyed and turned into a mine lake but because people died under my watch.

Nobody blamed me. Although, I have a feeling they would dare to do it either way. I made sure their families were looked after, and while thinking about what to do now, I also had to look for a place where we could open a new mine... haahhh... this was not good, and it was making me tired even refusing Sasha's advances and opting to simply snuggle up to her instead when we went to sleep.

I thought about why it hurt so much but couldn't find an answer. I was a soldier before; I saw death. Multiple times. I lost good friends, too... But now it made me lethargic. I... didn't get it. Back then, in my world, it wasn't something newsworthy. People died in accidents daily; hell, it would be celebrated if only four workers perished on a day and not twenty.

"Leon?"

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"Hm?" I looked up from Sasha's chest in the morning, letting her play with my hair. "Woke you up?"

"Um, but it's okay. You didn't sleep well?"

"Nah, I did! I just... my brain is working non-stop."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Maybe. Hard to tell." I shrugged, sitting up with a yawn and a stretch.

"You would be a good king... it is rare when someone thinks so deeply about his people... I never saw something like that!"

"You never really had a chance, did you not, my little wood elf?" I chuckled, making her smack our pillow into my face, which made me laugh even more.

"What is an elf?" She asked in the end, pouting.

"Oh, they are legendary creatures, beautiful beings who live in the forest, in tune with nature!"

"Oh... well... you can call me that then!" She added, with a much more happy voice.

After breakfast, we were about to go and oversee rebuilding the broken parts of the aqueduct; Oleg was already waiting for me.

"Don't tell me someone died again..." Grunted, but he just shook his head.

"It's Merlin. He... did something."

"Sound ominous... so? Will you tell me, or should I start guessing?" I grunted, not in the mood to play games.

"The water in the mines... it's... gone."

"Gone?" Sasha and I asked, looking at each other, now getting why he was acting so weird, not finding the words to say.

I decided it was best to see it first, so we hurried to the sight, where a great hubbub waited for us. Merlin was trembling, afraid he did something nasty, and when he saw me, just like a kid, he burst into tears, saying he didn't mean it.

"I'm not angry, kiddo! On the contrary... I am amazed!" I sighed, rubbing his head, and I wasn't lying. I was barely able to keep my mouth shut.

On the ground, just like in Sasha's case, a magical circle was etched into the muddy earth, but this one was active. It was glowing in a blue hue, resonating with the ones the church had left behind. It acted like some kind of control formation or... master key; I don't know how to describe it, but it increased the others' effects. The water that flooded the mine was rotating in mid-air, completely weightless, and the scene reminded me of video feeds from outer space. Looking down, the mine was dried up, and the water behind the hole in the wall was just as weightless, its natural surface tension halting it from flooding in.

"We copied it, My Lord!" The other guards came forward, presenting me with a paper and a drawing... and I was surprised to see it was exceptionally detailed.

I made a nod, glancing at Oleg, who quickly knew what I meant and led these men away. As he was going to be my General, he needed people directly under him, and I just marked him some valuable guys to consider. Of course, I would still go over the formation, checking their drawing and redoing it for myself... but I was more than happy to see how their minds worked! Somehow... I was starting to feel much better!

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"Did you learn anything from it?" Sasha asked me two weeks later while I was sitting in our room, finishing a drawing of a replica of the formation that Merlin's mana had left behind.

"So far, I can be 99% sure that mana surges in an individual follow their desires and correlates to their mental concentration. Both yours and his happened in the same circumstances; the only difference was he was trying to think about something to help me and get the water out of the mine."

Ultimately, I decided to put the water back in place... I turned off the formation by disrupting it and watched the extensive body of water drop back like a weird, magical waterfall. The mine was not something I could just reopen like that... Nobody would feel safe to go in and start working again; I had no choice but to look for an alternate place and start up a new one. I already had Oleg go out and scout for a suitable place. This hindered us a lot, but I could do nothing about it.

Until he returned with a report of possible locations, I didn't have much to do... I was happy that our progress captured many interest in our small region, and almost 80% of people were now interested in working for me. Why? They got wind of those lucky ones who already had a stone home here with running water and their own fireplace for the winter. The problem lay in those who held some power under my family's rule. I had to do something about them before they went behind our backs and caused some major trouble.

"Leon?"

"Sorry!" I shook my head, "I feel troubling times coming... I told you, I was too lucky so far... it had to come back and bite my bottom sooner or later! That is karma for you!"

"What about Merlin?" She asked, not wanting me to think about the problems.

"Yes... so, from what I could gather, what he is good at is enhancing. The one that was left behind by him is extremely complex... so much so I only decoded around half of it!"

"So he is smart... and talented..." She murmured, but I just patted her head.

"From my current standpoint, he is someone who can boost already present magic formations! While yours seems to veer towards the element of fire, his specialty seems to be boosting magic that is already present! It would also explain while he always activates all the formations he gets close to."

"That sounds dangerous..."

"It is! So there is something I need to get my hands on!" I sighed, rubbing my head and playing with my hair. "My first book of magic talked about something that all mages use."

"Magic crystals?"

"Yep! It always made sure to hammer home; a mage has to have one. It helps focus and guide the mana in their bodies and bolster the strength of their spells! Now I am starting to think it is more than that! To me, it seems mana can be volatile... no, that is the wrong word. It is reactive. Your emotions are its fuel, and it can go out of control when you fall into deep concentration. My bet is on the crystal acting as something that helps you take control of your own powers and give your mana an outlet and not just let it explode around you!"

"And where are we going to get that? Even I know that it's something guarded behind closed doors, hidden by the Empire! By the church! They won't just lend you any of it!"

"I know! My plan is to get some... under the table, through... some other, not-so-legal way."

"Bandits?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, thinking about it before nodding. "Good idea... but I don't know if they would be crazy enough to attack a caravan belonging to either of the two parties!"

"That is also one of my main fears! But... this is where my parents come into play! Let's go!" I stood up, stretching, smiling at her, "I told them I would be back after this winter and give them a report... Which was postponed because of the troubles... Oh, and I also need to inform them we are a pair!"

"Hauh..."

It was funny watching her go pink in the face, but it warmed my heart. All the hurdles I was facing somehow looked insignificant at that moment. Heh, I never knew being in love could feel this good!