Sworded Affair

Chapter 94: Hearthstone

"Well, that was something?" Emma eventually managed, breaking the long silence that fell at the end of Edith's tale. "I'm surprised System users are still around, given what happened."

"I'm sure there were plenty of people who wanted a pogrom in the 1350s, once the shock had passed and they realised exactly how the System was created, but the numbers involved simply made that impossible," Elizabeth elaborated.

"Because the System was retroactively imposed upon the world, almost a fifth of magic users were already reliant upon it for power by then. One in five of an entire population won't go down quietly, especially when they'll have friends and family who'll fight their corner despite popular opinion. The prospect of a civil war, right after an already ruinous global disaster was unpalatable, so the various surviving Masters reined in the extremists and enforced a strict peace.

At the end of the day, power trumps all other considerations, and the System provides much faster growth for those who can access it than any of the taught traditions. The latter requires qualified teachers, rigorous and time-consuming trainers and rare resources at the top end. A System user just needs time, and a willingness to dance at the whims of a mad god. So of course, everyone with a voice fell over themselves to denounce Anathema's evil deeds, whilst continuing to make use of what she created in the background. As a matter of fact, with the old ways steadily declining over the prolonged drought, the proportion of system users as part of magical society steadily increased, eventually reaching the present ratio of three tenths."

"Realpolitik always prevails," Noah nodded sagely. "Magic is pretty incredible, but the wielders are still human, more or less."

"How many wielders have you met?" Emma retorted. "You can't have been that busy in the past month."

Noah laughed at that, a laugh which morphed into a massive yawn; blinking sheepishly afterwards.

"I think that marks a good stopping point," Elizabeth advised. "I'm sure there are many questions still, but that can wait until tomorrow when I take you all shopping."

[Timed Quest received - All Mart (Time Limit: 7 Days)

Objective: Acquire a homunculus (Emma Knight).

Objective: Acquire a set of formal attire (Eternal Britannian Empire).

Bonus Objective: Acquire a storage item that can hold living beings.

Bonus Objective: Find out how much money Edith Knight has left in her bank account.

Bonus Objective: Acquire a divine artifact compatible with Saint.

Rewards: 500 EXP

Bonus Rewards: Upgrade a random Ability and/or Trait, A large sum of Imperial money, Trait - Babble Fish upgraded to include non-humans.]

"Got any plans for the rest of the week?" Emma asked immediately, wanting to preempt any clash of calendars, given the rather odd assortment of items she had to find in that time.

"Just ongoing preparations for the convocation next month," Elizabeth informed her. "The Masters have an annual meeting at Stonehenge for the summer solstice. All fairly routine, and unlikely to deviate from tradition even considering the terminus; though admittedly attendance may be somewhat lower."

"I'll be doing the rounds as usual," Noah sighed. "I never should've let Ryan talk me into becoming mayor; now everyone wants to beg, borrow or steal a moment of my time, and their questions are actually important, unlike back in Catterick."

"You're the mayor?" Emma couldn't help but laugh. "Is that why the house is signposted as Noah's Arc?"

Noah just groaned at that, an old pain apparent in his voice as he left the table and shambled up the stairs towards his bedroom.

"I'll show you to your room as well," Elizabeth offered, following in Noah's footsteps.

It's easy to fall back into old rhythms, Emma thought, as she was led to a small wooden room, barely more than a guest room by modern standards.

None of the other rooms were any bigger though, from her quick glances through the doors; nor did they need to be, given that the house lacked any of the modern appliances and white goods that took up so much space. Her room was nearly entirely taken up by a double bed. There were no windows, which was true of the downstairs as well now that Emma thought about it, and only a small bedside table with a single wax candle for illumination. No bathroom either, not that that was a concern these days. All in all, it reminded Emma of the wooden holiday cabins popular in the North amongst campers and cityfolk who wanted to experience 'roughing it' in rural life.

The one sign of this being a magical household emerged after she stepped inside the room and closed the door: a faintly glowing rune that instantly drew her eye.

[Knob-head - Channel your magic into this to seal the room. (OPEN)]

"Classy," Emma snorted, pressing her hand against the rune with some amusement and willing a drop of her anima into it.

A click was heard, though her close examination found no physical mechanism of any kind.

[Knob-head (LOCKED)]

Emma tested the rune twice more, verifying that she could actually unlock it before settling in for the night. The quilt went on the floor, Emma finding no use for excess warmth when her armor itself provided enough heat simply by existing.

[Leyline detected. Set location as Home?]

Emma paused at that notification, staring at it for far longer than she did most of its kind. The room didn't feel much like home, she thought; more like a hotel she was staying in for the night, but that was to be expected on the first night.

"Does setting a Home do anything, and can I change it at a later date?"

[There are benefits, and it can be changed at another leyline.]

"Alright then, go ahead."

[Noah's Arc set as Home!

Ability unlocked! Return (Cooldown: 24 Hours): Teleport Home.

Weave connection established.

Long-distance communications protocol enabled.

User: Ezzzz Knight?1!

Previous log on: 3651 BC-ERROR

You have 2951 unread messages!]

"You're joking," Emma sighed, as her interface was flooded with notifications.