At the house where the Gaians had made their home, the group that was there was in a deep discussion about what the next logical step was.
"So, the materials we need for constructing a spellforge are?" Jason asked.
"We need enough iron, silver and moonstone to amount what would be an anvil's weight in each material. Then we need the magical power of at least one sorcerer or someone of equivalent power to activate the spell. Not to mention some of these other items that I have no idea where we'll get them today," Xaera told him.
"Hmm. May I?" Jason queried, and Xaera moved aside to let him have a look. He perused the page of the tome, making sure that he was reading them correctly.
"OK, so those materials we will need for certain. There seems to be an additional list here... but these are... what?" Jason questioned.
"I'm just taking a guess here, but that looks to me like those are optional materials. Something to be added in the crafting to the spellforge?" Darnell wondered.
"Not a bad guess, babe, but that's not it. If I'm reading this correctly, appears to be part of another component to create the spellforge. Those initial materials are for the anvil," Aaliyah told them.
"How do you know that?" Sheena asked, curious about how she'd figured it out so fast.
"One of the main languages of the old world was Ancient Greek. This seems to be an older format of it. It's a bit more archaic, but the sound of the words is pretty close," the witch supplied.
"Then please, give this a read and tell us what it says!" Jason told the woman as he stepped back to let her peruse the book.
Aaliyah smiled in excitement as she walked over and looked down at the tome. She picked up a pair of latex gloves that were sitting in a box just inside her reach. After she put them on, Aaliyah placed her hands on the book, reading everything.
"OK, this part down here that looked like it was optional was not. It is a list of what is needed to help activate the spellforge on the ground it stands on. Once it is all in place, then the spells need to be spoken. You were right about them needing to be spoken by someone of great power, Xaera," Aaliyah confirmed.
"Thank the ancestors I got that right! I was wondering if I flubbed a few things when what I was reading didn't make proper sense," the troll woman replied.
"It's OK. This particular variant of Ancient Greek seems to be of in a category all its own! I'll admit that even I'm having a tough time keeping it all straight!" Aaliyah admitted.
"Maybe the Artificier wanted it that way? So in case the wrong kind of people got one of these books, no one but him or one of his students could read it?" Darnell offered.
"That makes logical sense to me! Were I that guy, it's what I would have done!" Jason agreed.
"I am curious about how it is you were able to read this book! Not everyone can read ancient languages like I can," Aaliyah wondered.
"A Gaian trait that is unique to those with a direct link to Gaia. Druids and Shaman can read any language that was spoken. This particular one was a hassle, even for me," Phalmina admitted.
"And I took the time to read many books during my time spent outside of my cave. My friends were kind enough to... borrow books from a... library?" Xaera replied.
"Libraries are a wonder, that much is certain! So much knowledge at your fingertips, you wish you could learn it all!" Aaliyah smiled, happy to have found a fellow bookworm in the troll woman.
"OK, so we have the list of what we need?" Sheena questioned.
"Looks like we do! It looks like this is going to get a little costly! Some of these materials aren't cheap!" Darnell stated as he looked over the list his wife had compiled.
"When it comes to things that the Artificier made, he spared no expense. Much of what I've read states that he always used the best materials he could acquire. Didn't believe in using substandard materials, apparently," Xaera stated.
"That makes sense. You want to build something good, you do it right the first time and with the best materials you can. That way, you can be certain it will last your lifetime and possibly longer," Jason iterated.
"You're not wrong, babe! Gaia knows many of the things we made in our city, we made them to last. Didn't believe in replacing things endlessly," Phalmina told her fiancé.
"I've heard you refer to your city more than once. Would it be possible to visit it one day?" Jason asked.
"I... can we talk about this later?" Phalmina implored, not wishing to talk about the home she had lost.
"Sure," Jason replied as he dropped the subject, knowing he hit a sensitive topic. Just then, noise sounded in the house, catching everyone's attention.
"Who's that?" Sheena queried.
"That'll be Luke, Karla and Ema. I gave them a ring and had them get their butts down here. Took me a few tries before they finally answered," Jason chuckled as they left the library to go meet their friends in the living room.
"Hey there, bud!" Luke said to his friend as everyone made their greetings. "Find some new recruits there?"
"More like they found us. Luke, Emalia, Karla, meet Aaliyah and her husband, Darnell. A witch of the Defenders of Yggdrasil and a warrior of the Zulu Brotherhood," Jason said by way of introduction.
"No way! Witches are a real thing?!?" Karla asked excitedly.
"That we are, fellow Gaian. Have been for millennia," Aaliyah responded with an amused giggle.
"Oh, dear!! This is... wow!! I need to ask, but can anyone become a witch? I mean, I know that for other vocations, you have to be chosen by Gaia, but what about being a witch?? I mean... I'm sorry if I'm saying anything offensive, this is just... wow!" Karla rambled, her excitement getting the better of her.
"It's perfectly all right! You're not saying anything offensive to me! In fact, it's kind of nice to have someone fangirling over the fact that I'm a witch!" Aaliyah laughed. "But in answer to your question, I don't know. But there is a test I can perform to see if you have the potential to become one."
"Would you mind... testing me?? I'd really like to see if I can become a witch!" Karla asked excitedly.
"No, I don't mind at all. You will need to stand still for this to work," Aaliyah told Karla.
The Danish woman did as she was told and stood shock still, waiting for Aaliyah to begin her test. Embracing the power that flowed through her and her focus, Aaliyah channeled the energies she needed and formed the spell in her mind. In moments, the spell was brought to life, and the witch directed it at Karla. The magic settled around the woman, who smiled eagerly, hoping the result would be what she hoped.
"I'm sorry, but you can't become a witch," Aaliyah told Karla sadly.
"What? Why not??" Karla asked, getting pouty that she wouldn't be able to wield magic.
"In order to use magic like a witch does, you would need to have some sort of spark within you. A seed of magic, if you will, which you are either born with or not. If you are born with it, that seed can grow and become your link to the magic that saturates this world. If you don't have it, then you can't use magic. I'm sorry," Aaliyah told the woman in a consoling manner.
"But that doesn't mean you can't be of help to those like Aaliyah or your friends," Darnell told her.
"Oh? How? How could I be of help to those who wield such amazing power? What can us normies do?" Karla scoffed.
"You can be their protector. When using magic of any sort, often, martial knowledge isn't a part of a magic user's training. Aside from some basics in defense, of course. But this lack of martial knowledge often leaves them vulnerable to physical attack. That's where people like us come in," the warrior told her.
"There is also the fact that there are things that normies can do, such as walk past and disable any defenses or traps that are set by magic users," Aaliyah interjected.
"Wouldn't any such traps or defenses trigger for anyone?" Luke questioned.
"You would think so, but many such magic users often only view others of their kind as any tangible threat. They often overlook normies as people who are beneath them. Most did, while few did ensure safeguards against any intruders or thieves," Aaliyah responded.
"But even then, magic users are only a threat when at a distance. Up close and personal, that's a different ball of wax, as most aren't strong enough to fend off physical attacks," Darnell explained.
"Hmm. I think that would apply in most cases, but not when it concerns Druids or Shaman," Jason suggested.
"Those two are among the few exceptions to that rule. But the rule is still pretty solid across the spectrum," Darnell agreed.
"You said you were a warrior of a brotherhood of sorts?" Karla asked, turning her attention to Darnell.
"That's right. I am a warrior of the Zulu Brotherhood. Our mandate is simple, and that is to seek out those who fight for Gaia with magic, and protect them from physical harm," Darnell told her.
"I don't suppose your order takes female recruits?" she asked, believing it was all in the name.
"We do not. Not my rules, but the rules of the order since its founding. But there have been all female orders of warriors who did as we do. Some of which have been glorified in pop culture. I'm sure you're familiar with Wonder Woman?" the warrior asked with a smirk.
"Of course I'm familiar with Wonder Woman! I'm not only about women taking center stage for once in media, but I'm also a huge geek! Or, geekette. Whatever! But... Amazons were real?" she asked, looking at the man.
"They were. Many of them were powerful and feared warriors, many of whom are hallowed as great heroines of ages past. Hippolyta, for instance, was once such heroine," Darnell answered.
"There is much that is debated about Hippolyta and even a lot more that is unknown of her. Aside from the myths that you find in libraries or older texts," Karla replied.
