Ch. 12
Evan was planning on staying in and doing absolutely nothing during his first weekend of the school year. He finished all his homework, so he felt he had earned a little down time, and he wanted to finish that new anime he recently started. Even though he had started making some new friends, he didn’t feel comfortable enough asking them to hang out just yet, so this sounded like the best course of action. It was still early Saturday when all those lazy plans went out the window.
“Go to the base?” he said into his phone.
“Yes, they were hoping you were free today,” Robin said. “They have some things they want to show you and talk to you about.”
He had gotten an unexpected call from Robin out of the blue, and it ended up like this. Apparently, he was being summoned to the base. He remembered they had mentioned giving him a tour, but he didn’t think they were that serious about it.
“I guess I can go,” he said.
“Ok,” she said. “I will arrange for transportation. Can you be ready to leave by eleven?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
He was a little grumpy about having to delay his anime binge, but he figured he should get this out of the way. Ms. Vaduva did mention something about the mage community agreeing to cooperate with the research at the base, so he kind of expected to have to do something with them eventually. He got ready for the trip and met Robin in the common room at the appointed time.
Robin led him outside where a car was waiting for them. They both got into the back as there was a driver prepared to chauffeur them around. He didn’t mind having someone drive him everywhere, but he did feel a little stuck at the dorm when he didn’t have his own car. He wondered if he would be able to get a car of his own someday.
“I feel like a celebrity or something,” he said as they got on the road.
Robin just smiled in response without saying anything. Even though she had spent a good deal of time with him since he arrived on campus, he really didn’t know much about her. Since that first day, he had seen her around campus occasionally. She would check in with him every other day or so to see if he had concerns, but he never had much to give her. As a result, their conversations were pretty short. Now, sitting together in the back of a car for ten minutes or so, he thought maybe he could learn a thing or two about her.
“So did you volunteer to be my security agent, or was it just random?”
“I was chosen based on merit.”
“Oh, ok. Cool,” he said. “How has it been so far? Pretty boring?”
“Not at all.”
“…”
Robin replied simply and coolly each time he talked to her. It had been like that from the beginning. He normally didn’t mind since he usually enjoyed silence, but he felt a bit put out now that he was actually putting in some effort to start a conversation. She continued to look out her window as if she were monitoring for threats. Was that just her personality or was it the job?
“Are you forbidden from talking to me? Like, will they fire you if you get too close to me or something?”
She finally turned away from the window and looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.
“You just never say much,” he said. “Is it because I said scoot-a-boot that one time? You can be honest with me, I can take it.”
For whatever reason, that managed to break her. She let out a short, quiet laugh. He also felt like she relaxed a bit in her seat.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” she said. “I’m simply taking the job seriously. This is the most important assignment I’ve received so far, so I’ve been doing my best to not make a mistake.”
“I see,” he said. “I’m sorry. I guess I have no idea what it’s like to be in your position. I shouldn’t be trying to force you to talk.”
“It’s ok,” she said. “I don’t mind.”
“Ok, well,” he said, thinking about what he wanted to ask her first. “I remember you mentioned you grew up in a normal town, so how’d you end up here?”
“It was similar to how you were discovered,” she said. “Government officials were able to determine that I had a larger than average magical power, and they recruited me to come live here. In my case, I had already finished college, so there was no need for me to go to the academy.”
“Oh, wow,” he said. “And you said you can’t transform or anything?”
“That’s right. I’m not a monster,” she said.
Something about how she refuted the idea that she was a monster made him pause for a second. It felt a little like she didn’t want to be associated with monsters. But that would be a weird mindset for someone acting as security for monster mages. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.
“I’m an internal augmenter,” she said.
“Oh! That’s cool!” he said. “You must be crazy strong right?”
Her smile returned as she just shrugged at his question. He figured she was being modest.
“Are all security officers augmenters?”
“Yes, every officer in the TSF is an augmenter,” she said. “There is roughly an equal amount of internal and external officers.”
“I see,” he said. “What about the soldiers at the base?”
“Most are normal humans,” she said. “But there are some elite squads of soldiers that are augmenters. Usually anybody that is found to have a large magic power after they enlist is sent here.”
“Huh,” Evan said. “So then, are you TSF agents not part of the military?”
“No, the TSF is a separate entity founded by the citizens of Tourmaline,” Robin said. “Along with the city government and the academy, the TSF is one of the three pillars that supports the mage community and keeps Tourmaline running smoothly.”
“You’ll sometimes hear the three heads of those organizations themselves be referred to as the three pillars,” Robin continued. “The mayor, the headmaster, and the chief of security. The policies these three make are what set the tone for everyday life here.”
That certainly helped answer a few of the questions he had built up over the last week. He had often wondered what ability the security officers had that allowed them to act as protectors. Slowly but surely, he was starting to piece together how this town operated.
“Thanks for answering my questions,” he said.
“It’s no problem,” she said. “Please ask me anything at any time. I know I’m not the most talkative person, but I was tasked with helping you acclimate to life in Tourmaline, not just with protecting you. I’ll try to be more open.”
They arrived at the base not long after their conversation ended. They were shown into a building Evan was told was the base’s research lab. They were met by an enthusiastic scientist upon entering.
“Welcome, welcome,” he said. “My name is Dr. Campbell. So good to meet you, Evan.”
“You too.”
“How about I show you around and let you see what we do here.”
Dr. Campbell guided Evan and Robin around the building and pointed out several areas and the work being done there. There were labs dedicated to biological research where they looked at the pharmaceutical potential of magic power. It was exciting to hear they were optimistic about curing several terrible diseases through the application of magic. There was a division dedicated to studying the presence of magic within plant life. The doctors there did not have any major breakthroughs to discuss, but it was interesting because the whole lab looked like a jungle. But the most exciting part of the entire tour was their last stop.
“Here we have our magic engineering center,” Dr. Campbell said. “Thanks to the work of the brilliant Dr. Franklin on the west coast, we have begun to explore the endless possibilities of combining magic with modern technology.”
“Whoa,” Evan said as he looked around.
The lab looked like something out of a science fiction movie. There were robotic arms moving around objects under the direction of engineers. Large computer monitors showed complex calculations being done by teams of scientists. He even saw several man-sized tanks of mysterious bubbling liquid. He had no idea what they were for, but they definitely looked like they belonged in the lab of a mad scientist.
Evan noticed some clear cases housing odd objects on a nearby worktable. These were old metal objects that did not look at home in the room full of shiny new toys. They were blackened and rusted with age, and he couldn’t make out what they were supposed to be. The objects were all unique, and they didn’t match any type of tool that he had seen before.
“Ah,” Dr. Campbell said, noticing what he was looking at. “These are some of the magical artifacts we’re currently studying.”
“What are magical artifacts?”
“Magical artifacts are items created by mages long ago that helped them carry out certain tasks,” he said. “Generators, like yourself, would imbue certain magical properties into objects, which would then allow that object to perform the desired spells on its own. This meant that anyone could perform those spells, assuming they could provide power to the artifact.”
“Wow, that’s cool,” Evan said. “What do these three do?”
“We don’t know,” he said. “That’s one of the things we’re trying to figure out. You see, they can’t be activated by just anyone. Magic must be channeled into them through some means. The standard method would be for a generator to do it, but it is theoretically possible for the magic in augmenters to be used as well.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Do you think I could do it?”
“Possibly,” he said. “Why don’t you give it a try. Here, try this one.”
Dr. Campbell pulled out one of the metal objects that looked vaguely like a kettle and handed it to Evan. Evan took it and held it, but nothing happened.
“Umm, what do I do?”
“You need to channel some of your magic into the artifact. That should activate its function.”
Evan had no idea how to channel his magic. He didn’t even know how he would begin to do such a thing. He tried willing it to happen, but nothing happened. He squeezed the object with his fingers, but still, nothing.
“Yeah… I can’t do that…” Evan said.
“To be expected,” Dr. Campbell said. “You can’t have mastered your abilities after knowing about them for only a week.”
He took the artifact back and placed it in the case again.
“Would you guys be able to help teach me how to control my power?” Evan said.
“No, we won’t be able to do that,” Dr. Campbell said. “It’s something only a mage like yourself could teach I suspect. Magic is beyond us normal men.”
“Figures,” Evan said.
“Don’t be too down,” said Dr. Campbell. “Come over here. I think I have something that will cheer you up.”
They walked over to a small room that was off to the side of the lab. The far wall of the square room was filled with light bulbs. At the center of the room was a podium. There was a small metal ball on top of it with all sorts of cables attached.
“This is a device developed to use the latent magic power in a person’s body and transform it into a form of energy that can power electronics. Let me demonstrate.”
Dr. Campbell flipped a switch, and Evan heard a hum of machinery working in the room. The doctor stood before the podium and placed his hand on the metal ball. Then, one of the light bulbs in the corner of the wall flickered gently.
“Neat,” Evan said.
“That is what a normal human is capable of generating. Now, if the young lady would please try.”
Robin stepped up and placed her hand on the ball. This time about a third of the light bulbs on the wall lit up. The previously shadowy room was now almost too bright. She removed her hand and stepped back, taking the light with her and dimming the room once more.
“Now, Evan,” Dr. Campbell said. “You try.”
Evan approached cautiously and reached to touch the ball. He was still worried somehow that he was an imposter, and that he didn’t really have any magic. It was understandable. He had only been aware of magic for a short while, and he had never done anything special on his own. He was afraid nothing would happen when he touched it.
It only took a second after he touched the ball. Every light bulb on the wall lit up. And they didn’t just flicker. The lights kept growing brighter as he held his hand on the ball. He could hear the buzz of the machine growing louder, and small streams of smoke began to snake out from a few of the bulbs. Unable to take the intense light, he moved his hand away from the ball to shield his eyes. As soon as he let go, the light died.
“Marvelous,” Dr. Campbell said.
Both Evan and Robin were squinting like they had been staring into the sun.
“That is why we want you to spend some time here with us, Evan,” Dr. Campbell said. “We want you to work with us in our efforts, not only to activate the artifacts, but to further our research into making new ones with science. Will you help us?”
Evan already had a lot on his plate. He was a full-time college student, and he had committed himself to giving sperm samples regularly to help make babies. But even with those previous commitments, he couldn’t fight the excitement he now felt inside. This was the first time he truly felt like his potential was real. He might not be able to create miracles, but maybe he could power an ancient artifact to make something close to one. It felt like an achievable goal.
“I’m in,” he said with a big grin.