"But while the cleansing pearls were highly valued, no one knew where or how they were procured as it was a closely guarded secret of the mage alliance controlling the convergence between this realm and the abyssal realm. However, back when I was almost five hundred and fifty cycles in age, a disease started to affect the members of this alliance. They tried all manner of healing potions and treasures but to very little effect. At the rate that things were going, they would be too weakened to maintain control of the convergence. Other rival alliances, sensing weakness, began to test them both openly and through more clandestine means. Something had to change soon or they would go under."
"Already a sixth-tier healer and well renowned at the time, I was one of the healers that the alliance called on to help. It was one of my more challenging commissions, taking me almost thirty cycles to figure out not only what was ailing the mages of this alliance, but also how to cure it. That, however, isn't relevant. What is relevant is the fact that during this time that they were weakened, the secret of the source of cleansing pearls was exposed," His teacher relayed.
"Abyssal oozes," Greg stated with little doubt. While Greg wasn't around at the time, it wasn't hard to make this guess. After all, they had succeeded in closing off the convergence to the abyssal realm. Other than the residual mana contaminating the ground under them, there was only one thing belonging to that realm left on this mountain. Besides, Greg could remember his teacher's reaction when he revealed that the black lake was actually a creature known as an abyssal ooze according to Morpheus. 'Abyssal ooze... the name sounds familiar.' These were the words that she muttered back then. She had recognized the creature, she just didn't make the connection at the time.
Greg had to consciously school the features of his face to keep from snickering as the word 'balance' fleeted through his mind. Olivia's true self had revealed that this was the principle by which Fate operated. Every time it tried to kill him and failed, it would be obligated to reward him in some way that was commensurate with the attack it had launched. This time, Greg had been forced to burn his longevity to beat the abyssal creature. And just conveniently, a creature with the ability to produce longevity-increasing treasures appears close by. He wouldn't have believed this to be a coincidence even if his life depended on it. Sure, the abyssal ooze had come into existence even before the tier-five abyssal monster had crossed over into this realm, but this was Fate they were talking about. It wasn't too much of a leap of logic to assume that it could see a range of possible outcomes and plan accordingly.
A feeling of grievance and injustice welled up in Greg as he thought about all this. Fate's attack had come at him directly with no subtlety whatsoever. It had thrown a tier-five monster at him hoping to kill him. And yet, when it came to the reward that Greg was owed based on Fate's own damn rules, it just threw it in the vicinity of Greg and left it at that. Whether Greg knew enough to recognize what the reward was or not, it seems, was not a consideration for Fate. So long as it has technically fulfilled the rule of balance, it was happy to watch Greg completely miss the reward he was supposed to obtain for surviving another attack! Now, if Greg still wished to obtain his reward, he'd have to contend with whatever this new force was for it.
"Exactly," Not privy to the thoughts going through Greg's mind, his teacher continued speaking. "For the life of me, I can't figure out how they'd know that there was an abyssal ooze here. There is, however, very little doubt in my mind that that's what brought them here. And even if it wasn't, the moment they saw it, it became something they wouldn't be willing to pass up. Unfortunately for us, that means that they'll be hanging around for at least another three months. It takes around half a cycle for the abyssal ooze to produce a cluster of longevity pearls" She voiced.
Greg was silent for a second before his lips pressed together in consternation. "Then there's no way to hide that there's a powerful mage in town!" He stated grimly. From the sigh that left his teacher, Greg could see that she had already made the same connections that he had and come to the same conclusions. Even if one didn't consider the amount of time these visitors would be hanging around, for the past three months or so, his teacher had been working on a large sealing formation. She'd been weaving it around the abyssal ooze to keep it contained so it could starve when it eventually ran out of abyssal mana to consume. His teacher had been taking her time with the formation as she wanted to make it as strong as she possibly could in her weakened state. It would have taken his teacher another two to three months to finish the project.
The fact that it was still unfinished, however, didn't matter. Unless they were absolute fools, there's no way the people on the airship wouldn't recognize that this was the work of a mage. They might start looking for the mage around the black lake, but eventually, they would turn their sights back to the only settlement on the mountain. All they'd have to do is ask the townspeople if there was a mage around and they'd all point to the healer. It was no longer a case of if they would be found out, but when. "Olivia, what's the best disguise item in the shop right now?" Though Greg could mentally communicate with his familiar, he posed the question out loud for his teacher's benefit.
The urge to escape was the natural first instinct when one was faced with an enemy that was far more powerful than oneself. To do so in their case, however, would be a misstep Greg realized. Escaping was only the correct move if your enemy was actually aware of your presence. Thus far, there was no reason to believe that they knew of his teacher's presence in the town. In which case, any attempts to avoid their guests or even to outright escape would have the opposite effect of what they wanted. It'd be a lot like seeing a cop and then turning around to run. Even if the cop wasn't after you, more than likely they would give chase as you are acting suspiciously. If they acted like they had something to hide, they'd only arouse the suspicion of those in the airship. If, on the other hand, they acted openly like they had nothing to hide, then their visitors would have no reason to spare them a second glance.
Before Olivia could reply, an answer came from his teacher. "No need," she stated. Greg then watched as her face changed before his eyes. "You would be surprised how much of the work I did as a healer was cosmetic," she stated even as the shape and color of her eyes changed. Her nose shortened slightly and her cheekbones were no longer as high as before. "The only thing that is anywhere close to the desire for power most mages have is their vanity. There are cosmetic potions out there, but only a skilled healer who knows what they are doing can modify one's features in specific and permanent ways that most potions just can't replicate," the healer continued even as her lips grew slightly thinner and her laughter lines a bit more prominent.
None of the changes she made to any particular part of her face was drastic. A small nudge here, and a little tweak there, and yet, the end result was a face that was completely different from her actual face. The changes didn't stop there, Greg didn't miss the way her posture subtly changed, her shoulders became just a little bit more hunched, her breasts shrunk down a cup or two, and her usually lithe form became just a bit more pudgy. The transformation was so thorough that, had Greg not directly witnessed it, he would have been willing to swear on his life that the new woman before him wasn't his teacher. Usually, his teacher looked like a woman in her mid to late twenties, Looking at her now, she looked more like a woman in her mid-forties with a more matronly air to her.
Seeing just how easily his teacher could change her entire appearance and demeanor about her, a question naturally formed in Greg's mind. Whether it was her sharp intuition or the question was written all over Greg's face, his teacher answered even before he could ask. "Yes, Roka, my previous appearance is how I truly look," She said with an amused smile. "Now, how are we going about this?" She posed, clearly open to hearing about any suggestions he might have.
"What did you say to the three families and the former Town-head?" Greg asked, first looking to establish what those around them knew.
"Not much. If the mages are like most, they will want to take control of the town almost immediately. Resistance by a mundane to the authority of a mage often ends with a dead mundane. If they are really bloodthirsty, some mages have been known to wipe out a whole household for the slightest perceived offense. I just gave the three families and former Town-head two pieces of advice. The first was to comply with whatever these mages want. If they declare themselves in charge, let them be. If you are lucky, they'll finish whatever their business is and move on without much fuss," She laid out.
