“As good as done, ma’am. I would be delighted to smash some furniture for you.”
“You are so kind, Jacques.” The Mistress batted her eyelids at Jacques as he took a heavy hammer from where it hung and proceeded to smash two of the benches by the wall. The wood splintered with a crash.
Jacques stepped back to watch. Amelia and Veronica got to their feet, not daring to say a word.
“Do you need to touch the benches to repair them magically?” I asked.
The Mistress shook her head. “The earth here is special. I gathered many different kinds of plants and allowed them to die and decompose into the soil here, before building the tavern above. The earth is so full of life, it serves to magnify my Mana. This spell can find anything sitting in this place that comes from the earth and restore it.”
“That didn’t work for the sappers that you healed, though,” I said.
“That’s right, for animals and humans I do need to touch them to heal them. The Mana expense would be far too high otherwise. But enough talk; I shall begin.”
First, she removed her stockings, baring the smooth skin of her long legs. “I don’t want to be using the runes on these by mistake. It’s tattoos only from now on!”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I waited a moment, hardly daring to breath myself. Would it work? Or had I made some mistake that might end with the Mistress exploding and pieces of her showering me and my friends?
But I need not have worried. A moment later, the tattoo lit up, shining brightly into the dim room and lighting up our faces as we watched. Then, just as before, we saw Mana pulsing out into the ground beneath us, coming from around the Mistress’s feet. The Mana swept out in glowing rings that shimmered across the floor toward the broken bench.
The wooden benches knitted themselves back together, glowing green as they did so. The joins were so neat that we couldn’t see where the cracks had been. The benches grew back together and stood upright, just as the tables and benches in the tavern had done.
Just as the work was complete, a last pulse of Mana flashed through the furniture that had been broken, and a few small leaves and flowers burst up from the surface of the wood.
Amelia gasped. The Mistress stared with a look of surprise.
“That’s new,” Jacques commented.
“How did that happen?” I asked. “I didn’t expect that.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Veronica, as she walked over to look more closely. “Is it possible that the tattoo is more effective than the item you were using before?” she asked Mistress Blossom. “Perhaps something to do with using the ink from a centaur rather than a regular Nature Beast?”
“I suppose it might be possible,” she said. “What do you think?” She turned to look at me.
I shrugged. “Could be. This is new territory for me.”
“Well, thank you, William,” the Mistress said to me. “This is a beautiful gift. Turns out it’s good to have an Ink Mage about the place.”
“I’m glad I could help,” I said.
“A fine job you did there, lad.” Jacques clapped me on the shoulder. “What say we head upstairs for another beer?”
Amelia and I began to move that way. I looked at Veronica, who was standing still. “Aren’t you coming up to join us, Veronica?”
Veronica’s face was pale. “I, uh, I was wondering,” she stammered. She shuffled her feet and looked down.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“Do you think you could give me a tattoo as well?” Veronica blurted out in a rush.
I laughed.
Veronica went red. “Forget it; it’s a silly idea.”
I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. Her back was tight, and she almost seemed to be quivering.
“I would love to do that for you, Veronica,” I said.
“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Of course I would,” I said. “You deserve one. You’ve already fought by my side twice now. It would be an honor to give you this gift.”
Veronica sighed. “This is hard for me.”
“What makes it so hard?” I asked.
“I’m a Mage, and I’m proud of that. I use vectors for magic and I’m good at it, but...” she hesitated, unable to continue.
“You’ve worked hard to become a Mage,” Amelia commented, her eyes filled with sympathy. “You’ve had to teach yourself everything to get to where you are, haven’t you?”
Veronica nodded.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve had to teach myself everything so far too. With this power, you will become a Rune Sorcerer, as well as a Vector Mage. Don’t think of the tattoo as supplanting your hard-won abilities. Think of it as augmenting them.” I put my hand on Veronica’s shoulder. “You are a confident Mage already. You’re brave. I was amazed when I saw that you took on all those monsters in the ruins by yourself.”
“You were?” Veronica sniffed. “I don’t feel that brave. Sometimes I’m terrified of the people in this town, and the monsters I have to face. I just thought. . . I guess I thought if I had a tattoo like you have, maybe it would make me feel braver.”
“I would never suggest that Amelia and I were in any way better than you because we can use these abilities without items, but if you want a tattoo, I’m sure we can do it for you. I can’t wait to see what kind of Mage you can become. Now, what sort of tattoo would you like?”
Chapter Sixteen
Veronica seemed to find new confidence now that she had broken through her resistance to getting a tattoo. It felt great to see her open up a bit, and the supportive relationship which I saw growing between Amelia and Veronica was heartening. I felt that the three of us were growing into a tightly knit team, and Veronica getting a tattoo would deepen that
